This post is one in a series in which more than 60 newsletter advisors share their Top Stock Picks for 2011. This special report is courtesy of TheStockAdvisors.com.

"One a theme that hasn't worked in, well, forever -- large cap technology stocks; many large cap tech are trading at historically low valuations," note Lou Basenese.

The editor of the White Cap Research Group explains, "As a contrarian, I'm picking the most contrarian large cap technology stock out there: Cisco Systems (CSCO), which could be a top-performer in 2011.

"Investors can boot up their portfolios by investing in a cheap, cyclical stock that Wall Street has punished unfairly; I'm referring to Western Digital (WDC)," says Lou Basenese.

The contributing editor to Investment U explains, "The company is a manufacturer of hard disk drives used in personal computers, consumer electronics and enterprise applications.

"We have seen a sustained analyst crusade against its prospects (which merely means it's arguably the best time to invest). For months, Wall Street's 'finest' have ratcheted down the company's expectations, plus those of its competitors.

"Microsoft (MSFT) recently reported net income for the quarter of $4.52 billion, or 52 cents a share, up 53% from 34 cents a share in the same period a year earlier," observes Jack Adamo, in his recent bullish review of the software company.

The editor of Insiders Plus explains, "Revenue jumped 22% to $16 billion. This is in contrast to most companies' higher earnings based on cost-cutting with only meager, if any, gains in revenue.

"The company's business division, dominated by its Office suite of applications, saw sales surge on the recent release of a new version of Office.

"Microsoft (MSFT) and its broad product line have become such staples of modern life that the company hardly warrants an introduction," says money manager and newsletter advisor Jim Stack.

The editor of Investech Market Analyst explains, "From its ubiquitous Windows operating system and Office productivity suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.) to server products and entertainment devices, the vast majority of us use numerous Microsoft products every day.

"IBM (IBM), our latest featured stock of the month, is no longer the company that might have been familiar to your parents; in 2004, CEO Samuel Palmisano sold off the company's PC (personal computer) business (to China's Lenovo) and shifted the firm's focus to consulting and services, given the higher margins they brought," notes Vita Nelson.

The editor of MoneyPaper explains, "In addition, recently, the company has put more emphasis on computer software. Palmisano asserts that business will account for half of pre-tax profits in five years.

"Under the direction of the swashbuckling CEO Larry Ellison, Oracle (ORCL) has grown into the biggest player in the $19 billion database market," says Richard Moroney.

The editor of Dow Theory Forecasts -- a newsletter that has been published for over 50 years -- he explains, "Ellison enjoys baiting his competition. In March, he mocked SAP. for its recent turnover at CEO; and last fall he issued a direct challenge to IBM in a full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal.

"Microsoft (MSFT) handled the recent recession quite well, one of the most serious recessions since the 1930s, in which there were substantial declines in both consumer and business spending," says Sy Harding.

The editor of The Long and Short Stock Advisory explains, "And this was in spite of the cool reception of its Vista operating system, which was intended to replace Windows XP. Overall, we consider the stock to be a potential 'over-performer.'

This post is part of a special report, Top Picks for 2010, the 27th annual survey in which TheStockAdvisors.com asks the nation's leading advisors for their single favorite stock for the new year. See all 80 stocks listed here.

Dow Theory Forecasts is one of the most venerable players in the financial newsletter community; the service has been published continuously for well over five decades.

Editor Richard Moroney looks to BMC Software (BMC) as his top pick for 2010. He explains, "BMC develops products that run corporate data centers, which house critical computer systems."

"Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), a holding on our recommended buy list, delivered another blowout quarter, driven by booming sales of both the iPhone and its Macintosh computers," notes analyst Geoffrey Seiler.

In his BullMarket.com advisory, he suggests, "Overall, Apple's results are nothing short of amazing." Here, he provides an in-depth analysis of the quarter, his outlook, and the reasoning behind the boost to his longer-term price target to $270 a share.

"Apple sold 7.4 million iPhones in the quarter, 7% more than the year-ago quarter, and 3.05 million Macs, a 17% year-over-year increase. The end result was that the company posted a whopping 47% increase in Q4 net income.

"At 12 times trailing earnings, Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ) trades at a 21% discount to its three-year average valuation and looks cheaper than other U.S. computer giants," says blue chip advisor Richard Moroney.

In Dow Theory Forecast -- a newsletter that has been published for over 5 decades -- he looks at the firm's diversified position and the reasons behind his "long-term buy" rating on the shares.

"For a company that chose its name via a coin toss, Hewlett-Packard takes a deliberate approach to dealing with trouble; its founders designed their first factory so it could be turned into a grocery store if the technology business failed to grow.

"My mantra for investing in this dicey market is to focus on three non-negotiable demands: very solid balance sheet; large, installed customer base; steady cash flows; and dividends," says Jack Adamo.

In his Insiders Plus newsletter he looks at a technology stock that meets his criteria: Sybase (NYSE: SY). He notes, "Overall, this is a company I'm comfortable owning, even in a bad ongoing recession."

The advisor explains, "Sybase is an industry leader in software to manage, analyze and distribute information in the most data-intensive enterprises, such as financial services, telecoms, manufacturing and government.

"To put it concisely: It manages data and makes it available to the many different devices that use it, across the myriad communication protocols that must be traversed to accomplish that.

"The term cloud computing is nothing particularly new or complicated; it simply means that instead of having software on your home, office or notebook computer, you run applications over the Internet," explains Gregg Early.

In Personal Finance says, "It's the way of the future as computing becomes increasingly mobile." Here, he looks at a trio of plays on this trend: Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN), Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM), and Rackspace Hosting (NYSE: RAX).

"I would point out that I'm writing this article on Google Docs. This document is stored on a Google server farm, not on my office computer.

"International Business Machines (NYSE: IBM) has transformed itself into a dynamic consulting and computer services company that's leading the charge to help companies streamline efficiency and cut costs," says Ian Wyatt.

In his Top Stock Insights he explains, "And most investors are unaware of the change. In our opinion, that's why IBM trades with such an attractive valuation."

"The transformation of IBM means there should be some solid profits for investors who understand the changing face of business. It started in 2002. IBM bought out PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting for $3.5 billion.

"One way to protect yourself in a difficult market environment is to buy shares in low-risk, blue chip companies; one outstanding examples is Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT)," suggest Kuen Chan & David Sandell.

In The Complete Investor, they explain, "The company is safe, strong, and able to grow even in a weak economy. It also has more than $25 billion in cash and equivalents and almost no debt."

"Microsoft is near ubiquitous in the computer world. Some version of its Windows operating system runs on roughly 90% of all personal computers, while its Office Suite programs have more than 550 million users.

"Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), already on our recommended list selection, announced fiscal Q3 earnings after the bell last night that, to no one's surprise, easily topped Wall Street estimates," notes Geoffrey Seiler.

In his Bull Market.com advisory, he reviews the latest earnings report and offers his outlook for the shares -- including a boost to his price target for the stock.

"For the quarter ended June 27th, the company earned $1.23 billion, or $1.35 a share, up 15% from $1.07 billion, or $1.19 a share, a year ago. Analysts were only looking for EPS of $1.17.