Wow. Can you believe it? We made it all the way through 2009! We truly had some of the most amazing and exciting coverage ever on Engadget this past 12 months — and we figured it’s time to take a look back at the heaviest hitters from the last 365. This was a big year for us, we got a whole new look , an iPhone app (with more on the way), hired some new staff, got ourselves a show , went on late night TV , and managed to snap up some killer scoops and keep the news rolling (better than ever before, actually — this was by far our heaviest year for traffic). So let’s take a moment to reflect on what caused all the fuss in 2009, and yes, we know this list is Apple heavy

It’s the final Christmas morning of the decade , and considering that there are only two or three of these left before the world ends , we certainly hope an exuberant Santa Claus dropped off a fairly swank stash of gadgetry overnight. ‘Course, today just wouldn’t be today without pigging out on calorie-infested foods and spending copious quantities of time with folks you dearly love and desperately loathe, but frankly — we’re just interested in learning what kind of gizmos entered your life this morning for the first time. Tell us what you did (or didn’t) get in comments below, and be sure to tell us if you reacted similarly to the kids posted up after the break (no fibbing — Sir Kringle is already making his list for next year, don’tcha know?). When you’re done, check out what people got excited about in 2004 , 2005 , 2006 , 2007 , and 2008 . Continue reading So, what’d you get? So, what’d you get

What a crazy 10 years, right guys? It’s really flown past; the highs, the lows, the stuff in the middle that didn’t seem very impressive one way or another. For our final Engadget Show of the decade, we asked site founder Peter Rojas to join us for a look back at our picks for the most important and / or interesting gadget developments since 2000. A hardcore crowd came out just after a gigantic snowstorm to witness the proceedings, and now you get your chance to see how it all went down. This is a long one folks, so grab some popcorn and settle in for the show! Note: The HD download below is on its way, so hold tight

I cannot, I will not use the pun Google wants me to use. But this video kept my attention for the whole two-and-a-half minutes, which is no mean feat in this easily distractable time we bananas are surprisingly filling! In case you couldn’t figure it out, the pun is: Google Waving the year goodbye. That’s so cheesy I’ve even decided on a specific type of cheese it most resembles: Brie. Anyway, this video is fun. Everyone loves playing a game of “remember that!,” and this one even makes me want to figure out what Google Wave does . Job well done! [ Lifehacker ]

The Big Picture has published the first part of a 2009 photo retrospective . These are my favorite shots, starting with this image of a soldier fighting in his “I love NY” pink underpants against the Taliban. Go to the Big Picture for the rest of the series. [ Big Picture ]

A lot of people spend a lot of time reviewing and comparing apps, so there’s no shortage of critical information to guide your purchases. But what do iPhone and iPod Touch users actually buy? Here’s the leaderboard for 2009. Games The bestseller list is populated by high-profile—either in name or in publisher—listings, none of which are too surprising.

AUO makes panels for several big names, including Samsung and Apple, so we’re always interested to see what they’re up to. On show at FPD 2009 , their 14-inch OLED TV panel does 1080p, and has a 100,000:1 contrast ratio. No word on when (or if) a TV maker will pick it up. AUO is also showing a new high-def 3D panel that that can scale from 8- to 65-inches in size. It’s got a 2D/3D switch, and has a higher resolution and greater viewable angle compared to previous 3D TVs that don’t need glasses. Finally, they’ve also got a new 58-inch Ultra Wide TV panel with a resolution of 2560 x 1080

It looks the same, but it’s not! On the inside, anyway. The touch strip on the neck used to be analog but now it’s completely digital, so Activision says it’s now “100 percent accurate.” The strum bar has also been redesigned internally, so it’s way more durable. I didn’t actually get to hit it to see if you can feel how much more solid it is. But hopefully the DJ Hero turntable is a pretty nice indication of the quality of hardware we should expect this generation.

Talk of 14.1 and 31-inch OLED TVs from Samsung has been going on for some time now , but decent-sized units have not materialized on store shelves thus far. Hopefully, that will change soon as Samsung deems these new AM OLED sets “production ready.” The 31-incher is the first OLED display to boast full HD resolution (1920 x 1080). It also features a contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1, a color gamut of over 100% NTSC and a ultra-slim design of only 8.9mm. That’s all well and good, but I will hold off on any enthusiasm until it transitions from “production ready” to plain “production.” [ BusinessWire via OLED Display ]

As rumored , Microsoft unveiled its newest control scheme today: full-body motion control that doesn’t require a controller of any kind called Project Natal . Forgive my excitement, but on first glance this thing looks amazing . The Wii is dead. Project Natal is a bar that sits above or below your TV, much like the Wii’s sensor bar. But instead of sensing controllers, this thing has a camera, sensors and a microphone inside that lets it get an accurate sense of your space and you in it. This lets you control games just by moving around; kicking, jumping, whatever