vote is underway for our yearly Readers ’ Choice Awards , but that ’s not discouraging some last - minute campaigning on behalf of the finalists . And in this subject , the electioneering is being done by you .

Last week , when we announce the finalist for our four reader - choose awards , we ask round you to submit collection on behalf of your favorite products . And you responded — my inbox was flooded with last - second hunting expedition lecture propose at bolstering the prospects of some our our nominees .

Here ’s a sampling of some of the more compelling endorsements reader and forum appendage have brand since vote began .

• iPod sense of touch for Apple Product of the class

“ Everyone has been waiting for Apple to come out with a organiser and they have without any fanfare , the iPod touch … with third - arty apps it does almost everything you want an organizer to do . Brilliant … or did I lose something?”—Dennis Bater

• iPhone for Apple Product of the Year

“ I do n’t really think you may overvalue the effect of the iPhone on the cell telephone market place . That ’s why I ’ll vote for it for mathematical product of the year . ”—Agnito

• iWork ’ 08 for Apple Product of the Year

“ Sure iPhone is neat , and so is Leopard . But I wish iWork ’ 08 good than either . My hat run low off to the iWork team . MS Office be anathemize — I’m never conk back . ”—ingus24

• Merlin 2 for Third - Party Software of the Year

“ [ Merlin ] is as Mac as Apple ’s own product . You feel at dwelling using Merlin for certain . Add to that the fact that Merlin is designed by literal labor handler , which means you get a professional grade program that follows today ’s PM standards . But the biggest one for me is technical support . I never had to wait longer than few hours to get a meaningful answer from their tech support . ”—Peter

• VMware Fusion for Third - Party Software of the twelvemonth

“ Except those who recall Insignia Solutions SoftPC / SoftWindows on the Mac or DOS menu , no one has mastered running x86 virtualized like VMware . VMware has astral sustenance for Windows x86 and x64 version , Linux x86 and x64 and soon OS X Server which is no promiscuous project . They stepped up to contend with Parallels make Unity to match the power to blend in x86 windows into an osmium experience . Fusion is thoroughgoing for demote malware - laden Windows in the padded confines of a practical machine . ”—Richard Cardona

• 1Password for Mac Gem of the Year

“ I ’ve never seen a squad with such loyalty to their software , combined with a sense of their customer ’s need for frugalness . Besides that , they have made the most useful program for the Mac weapons platform ; one that save clip , effort and stress . It integrates very well with all the web browser and they do n’t seek to force anything on you ; they obtain user by creating quality , which makes them an exercise of a Mac software program dev squad . ”—Rosano Coutinho

• Posterino for Mac Gem of the class

“ A longtime priest at my Christian church is leaving . My church need to give her something special as a run - away endowment . I volunteered to make her a pic gift . I made her a 20 - by-30 notice of church service picture with Posterino . It hire me 15 minute ! It expect spectacular , and well , I seem brilliant . I do it to crusade a clit and produce something that looks like it took me hours ! In Photoshop , this would have taken me time of day and it would not face as urbane . This is Mac computer software at its best . ”—Marie Boyer

• iGTD for Mac Gem of the Year

“ I ’d care to vote for iGTD because the coating was grow so rapidly from almost nothing in the root . IMO , it ’s the best GTD app out there , and the developer has always been very responsive , especially with including Modern feature that were request . Please also consider that iGTD has been put up as freeware from the beginning . I am sure that iGTD not only improved my living . It has become an app I could n’t endure without . ”—D.I.

• Scrivener for Mac Gem of the class

“ Scrivener is astonishing — a liberating tool for thinking and organizing melodic theme , and pen words . It has done for writing — actual writing , not just swear out words — what Photoshop has done for image use , what Dreamweaver ( and others ) has done for entanglement designing , what Safari ( and others ) has done for web browse , and what Final Cut Pro has done for telecasting redaction . It ’s a brilliant tool for search creativeness because it helps organize the chaos of your psyche . ”—Michael Penland

The polls are now closed . give thanks you for participating .