4) HP Z1 Workstation
In terms of engineering, the Z1 workstation is the best product we've had at the IT Pro office this year. Design, build quality and functionality are all superb. Take for the example the large 27in panel, which has a hydraulic pump to make sure it does not snap shut when you've opened it. Details like this make it special.
The Z1 has no equal when it comes to serviceability either. Each major component is securely fixed into place with green tabs these can be removed without the need for any tools, making servicing or upgrading easy.
Of course performance is high-end too, with the inclusion of heavy-duty Intel Xeon E3-1280 processor. It's got four Hyper-Threaded cores that can address eight concurrent tasks and can reach a temporary maximum of 4GHz. The processor is partnered with 8GB of RAM, and storage is provided by a 1TB Hitachi Deskstar SATA/600 drive. It all comes at a premium price though our review unit was 2,595 ex VAT and that's why the device just failed to break into the top three.
3) Samsung Galaxy S3
The most anticipated Android smartphone of 2012 turned out to be the best phone of the year. The 4.8in behemoth display packed a 1280 x 720 resolution and delivered crisp colours.
The S3 was no slough when it came to performance thanks to the 1.4GHz Exynos quad-core processor and 1GB of RAM. It also featured a unique set of gesture-based features such as Smart Stay and Turnover. Best of all the 2100mAh battery helped to deliver excellent uptime, with the device powering through an intensive 12 hour day.
