15 Hottest Products of 2008

1 of 17

Blackberry | Budlightlime.com

Where the Buzz Was

From vibrating mascara to video cameras that fit in your pocket, from half-size cars to a fruit looking to dethrone the pomegranate, 2008 was ayear packed with new ways to work better, look better, eat better, and enjoy our leisure time more.

Click through our gallery as WalletPop editors compile their picks for the 15 hottest products of 2008 list.

First Up: The Acai Berry

1. The Acai Berry

Americans have always loved their miracle cures. Little wonder the Acai berry (pronounced Ah-Sigh-EE), from Brazil's tropical rainforests, has become the "it" food of 2008. (Sorry, pomegranates!) If the snake-oilsalesmen are to be believed, that $7 Acai drink you're about to quaff will restore your youth AND do your laundry.

' More on Acai Berries

Next: Twitter

2. Twitter

Twitter allows users to write and send, via SMS or online, short (140 characters max) messages to a network of fellow Twitters, usually off-the-cuff updates describing what they are doing at the moment. Facebook offered $500 million in October for the service, but Twitter's CEO and co-founder Evan Williams turned him down.

' More on Twitter

Next: Music Video Games

3. Music Video Games

In 2008, gamers everywhere cranked the volume up to 11, rocking out to Guitar Hero World Tour and Rock Band 2. When this blogger's dad sat down at the drums and played through Gimme Shelter for the first time, he knew that music games had arrived.

' More on Music Video Games

Next: Bud Light Lime

4. Bud Light Lime

Earlier this year, Budweiser introduced Bud Light Lime, acitrus-flavored concoction, to compete with Miller Chill, alime-flavored beer introduced by Bud's major competitor in 2007. Accompanying the release of this new beverage, Bud launched a $35 million ad campaign, a strategy that paid off with a 2% rise in sales in the first three quarters of 2008.

' More on Bud Light Lime

Next: BlackBerry Smart Phones

5. BlackBerry Smart Phones

Swimming in the wake of the Apple iPhone is BlackBerry, with its army of addicted executives eager for the sexy features of touchscreen technology but unwilling to give up the workhorse dependability of RIM's network. This year it unveiled two new phones, the Bold and the Storm, to slake that thirst.

' More on BlackBerry Smart Phones

Next: Speedo LZR Razor Swimsuit

6. Speedo LZR Razor Swimsuit

Speedo spent three years and untold millions researching and designing a super swimsuit. It tested 100 different fabrics and suit designs, and conducted body scans of probably every top-level swimmer in the world (more than 400, the company claims) to come up with the Speedo LZR, the ultimate suit for hydro-propulsion.

' More on Speedo LZR Razor Swimsuit

Next: Smart Cars

7. smart cars

The smart fortwo started selling in Europe in 1998, but a recentredesign has made it a hot commodity in America in 2008: 20,000 smart cars have been sold in America this year so far; worldwide, around 140,000. Americans eager for the mileage and attention that comes with the smart will have to be patient, however; waiting lists are long.

' More on smart cars

Next: Amazon Kindle

8. Amazon Kindle

Amazon's Kindle is the first electronic reader to give print media a run for its money. The Kindle's cutting-edge electronic papertechnology provides crisp, clean print in any light conditions. The device is thin and light enough to carry anywhere, and can store hundreds of books at your fingertips. Another reason it's so hot? Oprah loves it and gave it a ringing endorsement, calling it her "new favorite thing."

' More on the Amazon Kindle

Next: Vibrating Mascara

9. Vibrating Mascara

Both Estee Lauder's TurboLash and Lancome's Oscillation debuted in 2008, with celebrity trendsetters test-driving the products and touting their benefits. At one point, Lancome's waiting list numbered 21,000 and NPD says it was the number one mascara in dollar sales in department stores and Sephora combined.

' More on Vibrating Mascara

Next: Wii Fit

10. Wii Fit

Playing video games used to be a fun excuse for sitting on the couch, relaxing and doing much of nothing. Then came along the Nintendo Wii, and its healthy counterpart, the Wii Fit, and video games were sedentary no more.

' More on the Wii Fit

Next: 3-Ply Toilet Paper

11. 3-Ply Toilet Paper

In September, 2008, Georgia-Pacific took toilet paper further than it has ever gone before. With the introduction of Quilted Northern Ultra Plush, the world's first premium three-ply toilet paper, it not only broke tissue boundaries, but may have changed the "face" of America's bathrooms forever.

' More on 3-Ply Toilet Paper

Next: Flip Mino

12. Flip Mino

The Flip Mino, pronounced Minnow, weighing only 3 oz., is smaller than an iPhone and only slightly taller than a deck of playing cards, yet can capture an hour's worth of VGA quality video on the 2GB of internal memory.

' More on the Flip Mino

Next: Aloft and Element Hotels

13. Aloft and Element Hotels

Aloft, named because the rooms are like "a loft," have nine-footceilings, oversized windows and the wonderful beds for which Starwood is known. Aloft rooms also have high-tech office and entertainment areas with free wireless Internet access, one-stop "connectivity solution" for multiple electronic gadgets -- all linked to a 42-inch flat-panel, HDTV-ready TV.

' More on Aloft and Element Hotels

Next: iPod Touch

14. iPod Touch

In the beginning, there was the Apple iPhone, and users named it good. So good, in fact, that Apple quickly transformed its iPod into the same form, the iPod Touch, and it too has been deemed good. Very good, if sales are any indication.

' More on the iPod Touch

Next: Skyscraper Heels

15. Skyscraper Heels

In 2008 skyscraper heels, such as Christian Louboutin's 5-inch Lola pumps or Lanvin's cone heels have been burning up runways and punching holes in red carpets. From Victoria Beckham to Gwyneth Paltrow, fashionistas have been pushing the trend ever higher: in fact, some reports state that Louboutin is experimenting with an 8-inch heel.

' More on Skyscraper Heels

Next: Last Year's List

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