“What gadget should I get?” is a timeless question. To answer it, here’s our current leaderboard of favorite gadgets, including smartphones, laptops and cameras.

First, what makes these gadgets the best of the best? Quality and reliability for sure, but yes, we weigh price and features in the mix, too. So our home theater picks aren’t the most expensive products you can buy since, face it, you get less bang for every buck. But in smartphones, an extra $100 for a handset means nothing over the price of a 2-year contract. With those caveats in mind, our picks of today’s most popular categories:

Smartphones

We can geek out all we want, but the best way to choose is a phone is not just by the hardware or the OS, but the phone and the carrier. Here’s the smartphone to pick on each…for now.

 

• AT&T—Apple iPhone 4

• Sprint—HTC Evo

• T-Mobile—Nexus One

• Verizon—HTC Incredible

 

Computers

• Laptop: 15-inch i7 MacBook Pro, high rez matte screen, or if you go PC, the Toshiba Portégé R700 …a 3lb Core i5

• Netbook: This market is commoditized, just buy something on this list or an iPad.

• Processors: Decide your budget, THEN pick a processor from this list.

• Graphics Cards: Anything based on the ATI HD 5970 chipset will be FAAAST, otherwise, decide your budget, THEN pick the card from this list.

• Routers: D-Link DIR-685 for the insane, Linksys E3000 for the reasonable

 

Cameras

• Budget dSLR: Canon T2i

• Midrange dSLR: Canon 7D

• ‘Spensive dSLR: Nikon D3s

• Point and Shoot: Canon S90 or Canon SD4000…check prices.

• Pocket Camcorder: Flip Ultra HD

 

Home Theater

• Television (in 3D!): Panasonic TC-P50VT20

• Blu-ray Player: LG BD570 or PS3

• Receiver: Pioneer VSX-1020-K

• Game Console/Media Extender: Xbox 360