Top 20 Tech Blogs

There’s too much information online, plain and simple. It’s impossible to wade through all of it without having a great set of filters that bring you the best content available, especially when it comes to information about the web itself, technology, and online culture. The tech blog community is also full of cross-promotions and burgeoning working relationships, so it’s not uncommon for the sites listed below to reference or link to each other. Together, these are the 20 best tech blogs around, the ones that will keep you informed and let you know what’s coming so you can stay ahead of the curve:

1. Gizmodo
Gizmodo is part of the sprawling Gawker Media empire, and its focus on tech and innovation has made it a great resource for the latest news and reviews about everything from smart phones to HDTVs. The blog gained even more notoriety with its scoop of Apple’s new iPhone prototype.

2. TechCrunch
A member of the Crunch network (which appears again on this list), TechCrunch has been around since 2005, which is eons in the tech world. One of the better news resources available.

3. Mashable
Mashable bills itself as “The Social Media Guide,” and that’s exactly what they’ve become. The site updates constantly with news, reviews, and links in a wide variety of categories, from social media to computing to business. They’re also a great place to go for job seekers looking to find a niche in new media.

4. ZDNet
Many of the blogs on this list are successes because of their intelligent, team-based approach to news, and ZDNet’s no different. Their homepage makes it easy to navigate stories by topic and author, so you can drill down into an area and learn more about, say, the business side of tech or the next wave of software. They’ve also got informative articles about computing safety.

5. Engadget
Engadget was co-founded by a former Gizmodo editor and is a part of Weblogs, Inc., which is now owned by AOL. The site actually has nine different versions in different languages devoted to tech news around the world. Their focus on consumer electronics keeps them a player in the tech blog world. They’ve even got a podcast.

6. Slashdot
This no-frills approach to the latest happenings in tech is subtitled “News for nerds. Stuff that matters.” The site is driven by user-submitted stories about science and technology news, and it’s been around since 1997, making it a member of the old guard. Users can rate and rank stories based on worth.

7. BoingBoing
BoingBoing began life as a magazine in 1988 and became a website in 1995. It’s a bit broader than some other tech blogs, but it’s main focuses are on science, technology, consumer electronics, intellectual property rights, cyberpunk, and basically whatever the editors think is fun and cool and geeky. It’s a good place to go to get broader opinions on modern tech issues.

8. Lifehacker
Although the term began with a more narrowly focused definition, at this point, a “life hack” is really anything that makes your day a little easier, especially if it does so in an innovative and clever way. Lifehacker is all about improving your tech life through a variety of tips and tricks, from streamlining your RSS reader to scoring points with customer service reps. The site is another member of the Gawker family.

9. Kuro5hin
Another reader-driven site, Kuro5hin (pronounced “corrosion”) emphasizes tech and culture with a collaborative approach to content generation that lets users create and submit articles for group approval.

10. O’Reilly
O’Reilly Media has a variety of publications, both in print and online, devoted to technology, and their home page is a great place to get tons of news, reviews, and videos about the latest developments in the field. They also offer Safari Books Online, a subscription-based service that grants users access to more than 7,000 technical books whose texts have been put online.

11. CNET
CNET’s online portal is loaded with stories and reviews designed to help you make the best choice possible before investing in a new piece of technology. They’ve been in the business since the online acceleration of the mid-1990s, and their product rundowns are fantastic.

12. Valleywag
Gawker Media’s an empire for a reason: Their site Valleywag is a news and gossip round-up of Silicon Valley players, and it mixes news and humor with admitted rumors to create a unique spin on tech. It’s not strong enough to be a main source of news, but if you’re looking for playful commentary on tech happenings, this is the place.

13. ReadWriteWeb
Launched in 2003, ReadWriteWeb focuses on web technology with an emphasis on Web 2.o, that loose association of services and ideas revolving around social networks, online communities, and the ability to use the web to share and create content instead of just disseminate text. It’s one of the most popular sites in the world, and offers in-depth features as well as user guides on topics like dealing with Facebook’s privacy policies.

14. Bits
The New York Times’ Bits blog (which stands for “business, innovation, technology, society”) uses the reporting muscle of the Times’ staff with smart opinion to provide incisive news and commentary on what’s happening right now in tech. The 11-member staff is spread across the country, and their site offers podcasts, video blogs, and constantly updated stories throughout the day.

15. CrunchGear
A more narrowly focused member of the Crunch Network, Crunch Gear is devoted to the latest gadgets and hardware available for consumers, as well as news and rumors about what’s coming around the bend. The news is mixed with fun features, like a week devoted to Gadgets of Days Gone By.

16. Gadget Lab
This blog from Wired magazine is all about hardware. They’ve got a lot of helpful how-to pieces about maximizing personal performance on phones and other gadgets, and they’ve been a great source for the latest development in the computer tablet battles between Apple and Adobe. Follow them here on Twitter.

17. Make
Owned by O’Reilly Media, Make magazine covers interesting and tech-oriented do-it-yourself projects, and the blog has a great round-up of tips and news revolving around creating unique and helpful things, whether it’s a new workbench for your home office or a specialized camera stand.

18. VentureBeat
VentureBeat takes a financial analysis approach to tech, examining how the latest trends and hardware affect national and global markets. The main site has a variety of micro-sites under its name, including MobileBeat, devoted to phone tech; GreenBeat, which deals with environmental issues; and GamesBeat, which follows video games and platforms.

19. GigaOM
GigaOM shoots for a broad but educated reader base with its Web 2.0 focus on business innovation, conferences, and news and reviews of the latest tech offerings. They also have a section for digital jobs, as well as information about clean tech and open-source tech.

20. Google Blog
Google is constantly updating its tech offerings, and the official Google Blog is the best way to stay up to date on the ones you use (GMail) and the ones that are still looking to succeed (Wave, Buzz). A handy place to check in and learn how to get the most out of the biggest search engine in the world.

Delicious Digg This Facebook Reddit Stumble This

This entry was posted on Monday, May 17th, 2010 at 2:50 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.