We’ve just seen the BLOG-X Awards nominations for best technology sites.

Some of them I never even heard of but if you have a loyal group of fans voting for you there’s a good chance you’ll get into the Top 10.

Interestingly enough, the guys organising the Awards mention that: “Previewing the blogs that were nominated made us wish this were not just a Reader's Choice but also an Editor's Choice. There are a lot of great independent tech blogs.”

How true!

So let’s have it! Which are MY best resources for daily gadget news? And which is the top scorer?

Here’s a quick summary – in random order -- of the sites I like best and why.

Below that you’ll find my Top Ten ranking and below that, just for reference, the list compiled by readers for the Blog-X Awards

One of my favourites this year.

A good blend of news, stirred up with some opinions (no slash/cut/burn acerbic stuff here) and a very readable layout.

Disclaimer: I’ve been posting a couple of links to scoop reviews we had on our own site, DigitalReviews.net, so I’m not totally unbiased here! J

Then again, this Top 10 list is MY opinion anyway and also based on knowing what it takes to run a successful web network…

Alice Hill, the Editrix, does a superb job with a great team of contributors.

Clearly a site with passionate technophiles and plenty of unique content and independent reviews.

Based in one of the hottest and most modern cities on earth, Dubai, is PocketPCDubai.com.

Run by Mohd Al-Ashram and his highly-qualified crew, this site gives a unique Middle Eastern perspective on hard and software devices for the very tech-minded UAE population first and foremost but with a worldwide audience.

Mohd’s website is pleasantly designed and reflects the fact that he’s a “mobility enthusiast”.

Quaint or quirky is not the word but “esoteric” stuff is what he loves: Nigel from The Red Ferret (Journal). He takes you to the realm of “tantalisingly tasteful, tacky and taut tech trivia”. Well, some of it is but whatever he posts, the humour of his comments alone is worth the read!

Of course it helps to be offbeat if you hail from London but behind the clever commentary is a former feature writer of the Sunday Times… (I used to read that cra classy paper!)

From the Antipodes (meaning my neck of the woods: Australia) you’ll find a raft of short articles on toys for the boys on Gizmag.com. That includes cars, bikes, watercraft and magnificent flying machines. The scope of what Gizmag covers is virtually anything of a technological nature that would interest the (hopefully affluent) average male.

Count me out, Mike, -- on the affluent bit anyway. But we can dream, can’t we?

You can’t leave the Southern Hemisphere without paying a visit to Geekzone.co.nz

This is a full-on site with everything you’d want in a technology blog (except eye candy – very few pics indeed).

Extremely valuable is their Smart Devices Database where you can find info on all the current products with links to reviews.

Certainly one of the more prolific posters, the crew at Engadget is one of the best sources of happenings in the tech world.

They tell it straight with sometimes caustic humour…

If you’re submitting a product or a news item to them you might wait in fear and trembling to see what slant they take but if they like what they see, you’ve got it made.

Such is the power of numbers!

They are part of the Weblogs. Inc Network a massive ring of rather diverse blogs.

And they even allow you to read about the goodies in Japanese, Chinese and Spanish without having to go thru the Babelfish washing machine!

For fun click on their 1985 link and see how far we’ve come in 20 years…

Worthwhile visiting twice a day.

You can’t go past Gizmodo, that old stalwart of tech blogs.

As they say in their tag line: “Gizmodo, the gadget guide. So much in love with shiny new toys, it's unnatural.”

Well, they’ve been in year-round Christmas mode for several years now, ooh-ing and aah-ing over the latest must-haves.

Despite the fact that they already won the 2005 Bloggies Award they’ll get a gong from us as well.

Particularly because the site is available in 8 language flavours, including my native Dutch!

Most consumer products are conceived and commercialized in the Asiatic “Hemisphere” but there aren’t too many English (American) blogs that have an Asia focus.

I4U is a “Technology Life Style Magazine and Shopping Guide”, headquartered in the USA but no doubt with spies all over the globe. The I4U Network also count blogs like Gear Live in their gadgetsphere.

Luigi (on his passport it probably says Manfred Lugmayr) runs the show.

I4U has become an Eye for Me…

This site is not for everyone but if you understand the language, PocketInfo.nl is a great source of current and upcoming products.

Good forum, good news section but a bit more focused on happenings in the Netherlands (of course!) compared to the other blogs here.

Okay, here is my ranking according to usefulness for me:

1.  Engadget

2.  RealTechNews

3.  The Red Ferret

4.  Gizmodo

5.  PocketPCDubai

6.  Gizmag

7.  I4U

8.  Geekzone

9.  PocketInfo

10. ???

I left out the Number 10 position on purpose…

giving you, our reader, the chance to put your choice on my list.

Send in the name of your choice to win a SLEEPTRACKER Watch!

(for details see our review on this amazing device here: http://www.digitalreviews.net/reviews/200504/sleeptracker-watch.html)

Send your email to competition@DigitalReviews.net

Andy on Enterprise Software

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