How Panasonic's plasmas defined TVs in 2013

So far in this series, each of the products that defined its sector in 2013 has also been a pointer for what's likely to come our way next year.

Not so here, for while Panasonic's TX-P55VT65 and TX-P42ST60 each garnered five-star reviews as two of the best TVs we've seen all year, they mark the end of plasma.

Panasonic resisted the lure of LCD for years, holding out as one of the last mainstream plasma manufacturers. You can see why too, as practice has indeed made perfect. The VT65 and ST60 flew through our tests, with vivid colours, smooth motion and deep, satisfying blacks.

Even the speakers, which can sometimes be lacklustre in flat-panel devices, were up to the job of filling a room with cinematic sound as Panasonic got pretty much everything right in what are likely to be plasma's swan-song products.

Nexus 4 and Raspberry Pi star in CNET UK's Products of the Year

It's a been a whirlwind year of tech launches, with phones and tablets taking centre stage. Our colleagues over at CNET.com went the whole hog and wrote up their 100 top stories of 2012, but as the year draws to a close I wanted the CNET UK team to take a moment to reflect on their personal highlights of the past 12 months.

We've all picked a single product that has impressed us the most, and given our reasons why below. It's inevitably a much more UK-focused list than that of our American chums. What do you think of our picks? Let us know in the comments box at the bottom or on our Facebook wall.

Best laptop of 2011

The technology world is moving at an incredible pace and laptops are no exception to this. The last 12 months have seen a remarkable number of machines being offered with huge amounts of power shoved inside increasingly slim bodies.

The advent of the ultrabook genre saw razor-sharp laptops, crammed full of high-performance components, just begging to tackle demanding tasks on the move.

Desktop replacement laptops are just as popular as ever, offering massive high-resolution screens and enough muscle to satisfy all but the most hardcore of users.

With so many varieties being pushed out by a plethora of manufacturers, there's a laptop to suit everyone's needs and budget. We take a look through our top 10 favourite laptops of 2011.

How the Nexus 5 and Moto G defined phones in 2013

How low can you go? That's what every tablet and mobile maker is asking these days. Even Apple's made some small concessions with the (slightly) more affordable iPhone 5C. Not much, mind you.

For a bone fide bargain, you'll have to look at Android, and particularly Google's own devices. By collaborating with HTC, Samsung and LG, Google has proved that driving down prices doesn't necessarily mean driving down quality. Case in point: the Nexus 5, which is yours for £299 SIM-free.

Best Windows 8 convertible laptops

With the arrival of Windows 8, various convertible devices have shown up on the market. While they come in various shapes and sizes, they all fundamentally pair the touchscreen operation of a tablet with the physical keyboard of a laptop. Due to Windows 8's touch-optimised interface, convertibles allow for a good mix of casual swiping and getting on with some real work when needs be. Let me give you some pointers on what to look out for if you'd like to get hold of one.

If you're yet to lay eyes on Windows 8 then take a look at our review. In short, it's a drastic change from the Windows you've become so familiar with over the years. The classic desktop and Start menu are gone, replaced instead with big, colourful live tiles. Those tiles and the reliance on gestures as a method of navigation show that Windows 8 has been built with touch interaction at its heart -- using a traditional keyboard and trackpad combination isn't the best way to get around.

Best laptops for students

Forget those expensive textbooks, non-stick pans and packets of noodles -- the most important thing you can buy as a student is a laptop.

A laptop will be your office, your media hub and a valuable connection to your friends' goings-on (and maybe to your parents if they're lucky), all wrapped up in a few inches of plastic and metal. Sounds like magic, right?

Unless you've got cash coming out the wazoo, you're going to want your machine to last at least the three years you'll typically spend at university, so you shouldn't skimp on the important bits. Look for solid construction (a metal chassis is best), and a full-size keyboard for comfortably typing long essays.

Best laptops for under £500

In these glorious times, getting your hands on a shiny new laptop that offers good performance no longer means selling your treasured family heirlooms. Many laptops are now available that prove 'budget' no longer stands for 'plasticky and about as useful as a submersible toaster'.

You'll still have to make some compromises when you're shopping around though. Most cheap laptops pack an Intel Core i3 processor which, while offering great performance for the price, sits at the lower end of the CPU spectrum. If you're looking for a high-powered gaming machine, you'll have to fork out considerably more money.