Arbitron said its Portable People Meter has been selected as one of Time Magazine’s “Best Inventions of 2007.”
The Invention of the Year was the Apple iPhone; the PPM is listed as one of only three products in the entertainment category, alongside innovations in digital 3D cinematography and Subtitle Glasses.
From an original list of 120 contenders, the final list of 45 Best Inventions fall under 12 categories including among others aircraft, space, environment and computers. Time magazine looked for inventions that were “important,” “filled a new need” and “made people’s lives better,” according to Time book critic Lev Grossman, author of the Nerd World blog, who oversees the Best Inventions project for Time.