Macworld 2010: TUAW's Best in Show

Our videos are almost all posted, the interviews are all transcribed, and the impressions are all done and published -- we're finally bringing our Macworld 2010 coverage to conclusion. It was a heck of a show -- while there wasn't a lot of attention outside the conference floor from folks expecting more about Apple, on the show floor itself there was clearly an excitement and a sense of opportunity for lots of companies who might have been overshadowed by Apple's presence in the past. It was a smaller show, for sure, but in some ways it was also a better show. We're still not completely sure what will happen next year, but Macworld 2010 was a success -- not as big a success as it was when Apple was putting wind in the sails, but a success nevertheless.

We saw a lot of stuff at the show, from dozens of accessories, to the wild Parrot AR.Drone, and even the closest thing to an iPad that we could find. After clicking on the link below, read on to see what a few of our bloggers had to say about the best of what they saw at the show.


Mike Schramm: Flying the Parrot AR.Drone was a hoot, though I'm not actually sold on buying one -- it seems complicated for a "toy." In terms of software, both Papershow and the Algoriddim djay 3 software impressed me a lot. But my favorite product at the show wasn't even for sale -- I really enjoyed seeing the iPad mockup, and finally getting a feel for what the most-missed device at Macworld was really like.

Mike Rose: The several flavors of iPhone-friendly gloves were a stark reminder of winter's grip on most of the country, even as San Francisco was pleasantly temperate. The Papershow presentation/whiteboard system was impressively put together and will definitely appeal to educators and executives alike. What really shook me up, though, was the $10 demo of the Square payment system for iPhone and iPod touch. Just a tiny dongle and some software, but the new project from Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey has the potential to change lives (and ease revenue collection) for millions of independent professionals, craftspeople and consultants.

Steve Sande: The best in show? TUAW's live coverage! But I'm biased... Seriously, though, there wasn't just one thing. I was impressed with how much attention my OWLE Bubo received during Macworld Expo, and the company wasn't even at the show this year. Square was incredible, so I'll second Mike Rose's comments. Blue Microphones really stole the show with the Blue Yeti mics that they lent to us for the TUAW booth / studio, and the new version of the Mikey for iPhone. The Mophie Juice Pack Air in red with the soft-touch finish was flying off of the shelves at the Expo.

That's it from those of us at TUAW. Most of us are still wading through the piles of brochures, washing clothes, and attempting to make up for lost sleep during the week at Macworld 2010, so we'll excuse the bloggers who didn't add their comments. We would, however, love to hear from TUAW readers who attended the show. What did you think was the best or most unique thing you saw at Macworld?
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