Daily gadget news.

Franklin eBookman EBM-911

2009-11-04T09:21:00.000-08:00

Franklin's eBookman is, true to its name, first and foremost an e-book reader--but the PDA functionality comes in a close second. It may not have the full functionality of a Palm OS- or Pocket PC-based handheld, but it easily outpaces other e-book readers as a versatile entertainment device and personal information manager.Franklin's eBookman is, true to its name, first and foremost an e-book reader--but the PDA functionality comes in a close second. It may not have the full functionality of a Palm OS- or Pocket PC-based handheld, but it easily outpaces other e-book readers as a versatile entertainment device and personal information manager.

Franklin eBookman EBM-911

At first glance, it's easy to mistake the eBookman for a Palm OS PDA that sports an ample backlit 200-by-240-pixel LCD screen. While its proprietary OS is not very sophisticated, the eBookman lets you synchronize with Outlook via Intellisync synchronization software. And while the eBookman has all the contact management synchronization functions you'd expect from your Palm PDA, all of this takes a backseat to the eBookman's true calling: entertainment.

The large, accommodating screen makes the eBookman an ideal book reader, and if you're afraid of squinting, it's also simple to change font sizes. Our test unit, the $199 EBM-911 with 16MB of internal RAM, provided enough elbowroom for novels, news, and the like. And if you don't need that much space, the $129 EBM-900 offers 8MB of storage.

Franklin eBookman EBM-911 review.

And you may not need all that space, since the reading list is rather sparse, offering mostly classics, such as Bram Stoker's Dracula and foreign-language conversion books. Franklin promises that more titles and a Microsoft Reader converter will be available sometime later this year. One notable absence from the eBookman is the lack of any AvantGo- or Vindigo-like applications. These handy apps load fresh material from the Internet onto your PDA each time you synchronize, so you can read the New York Times, local movie listings, or restaurant reviews while you're on the go. Frankly, we were surprised that such a key bit of software was omitted from what's being billed as an entertainment-first PDA.

If you're not big on reading, you can enjoy audio books, though, since the eBookman supports the audible format and can play MP3s (audio books are also done in the MP3 format). This is where the MultiMedia Card slot in the back comes into play. MP3s are notorious space hogs, so extra cards are a welcome addition. And mercifully, unlike the RCA e-book readers, you're free to download the book and audio files to your PC.

Franklin eBookman EBM-911 opinions.

The sound quality of the eBookman isn't great, but it is good enough to enjoy most audio books. If you try listening to music, though, it sounds more like you're tuning into AM radio with its 96kbps sound. Don't bother looking for separate audio controls to adjust bass or treble--there aren't any. But you do have the option to record short memos or take notes.

Now, try comparing all of this to more single-minded devices such as RCA's REB1100 and REB1200. Both of the RCA units are clunky and more expensive and can only download e-books directly from the RCA-sanctioned online library. No files are yours to keep on a PC.

Cool-er e-book reader

2009-11-04T09:18:00.000-08:00

Cool-er e-book reader review.

In the U.S., the Amazon Kindle remains the most popular and best-known e-reader on the market. But not everyone's ready to pay $360 for the device, and the Kindle doesn't appeal to international readers because its wireless capabilities don't work overseas. And that's where upstart digital readers like Interead's Cool-er come in.

The product's name was inspired by the concept of a "cool e-reader" and it's the first consumer electronics product from Interead, which has offices in the U.K. and New York and also has a companion online e-book store to support the device. The Cool-er's claim to fame is that it's lighter, less expensive ($250), more colorful (it comes in eight colors), and more "open" than the Kindle, accepting a wider variety of file formats, much like Sony's e-readers do.

On many levels, including screen size and readability, the Cool-er matches the Kindle 2, and even beats it in terms of memory expansion--there's an SD slot--and we appreciated that the battery is removable and replaceable (Interead will send you a replacement battery for $5).

Dimensions	7.2 inches by 4.6 inches by .43 inches (HWD)
Weight	6.2 ounces
Screen size	6 inches
DPI	170 pixels per inch
Levels of grayscale	8
Type	E-Ink Vizplex
Touch screen	No
Operating system	Linux
Storage	1GB
Processor	Samsung S3C2440 ARM 400MHz
Battery	Lithium polymer battery (1,000 mAh)
Battery life (single charge)	8,000 pages
Memory expansion	SD (up to 4GB)
Wireless	No
File formats	JPEG, PDF, EPUB, TXT, MP3 (2.5mm headphone jack with a 3.5mm converter included for standard headphones)
Languages	8
Bookstore (titles)	More than 750,000

The Cool-er is compatible with Macs and Windows PCs. To get a book or file onto the device, you simple connect it to your computer via USB and drag and drop files to the Cool-er as you would any mass USB storage device.

Cool-er e-book reader opinions.

As we said, one of the big advantages to the Cool-er is that its supports PDF, EPUB books (the Interead bookstore is stocked with e-books in the EPUB format), and text files, and there's plenty of free e-books out there in these file formats. As for PDF viewing, there's no zoom button per se, but switching from vertical to horizontal mode crops sometimes enlarges the PDF, so it has a pseudo zoom feature. (We liked that you could rotate the screen with a touch of a button.)

However, as you might have gathered, the Cool-er does not accept Kindle books downloaded from Amazon. (Books you buy in the Interead store can be read on up to four devices, so you can virtually pass a book around after you read it. Amazon's sharing policy is more restrictive.)

Now for the bad news. While the Cool-er looks fairly attractive on the surface and is indeed lighter than the Kindle 2 and the Sony Reader, its build quality doesn't inspire confidence. It's not poorly built, but it does feel a bit too plasticy for a $250 device. The review sample I received already had scratches to the finish on the back (the Cool-er doesn't come with a protective cover but it should, even if it's a simple and inexpensive neoprene sleeve).

We were also slightly disappointed that the audio jack for MP3 playback isn't the standard 3.5mm plug, but is instead a 2.5mm jack that requires an adapter (one ships with device). That's not a big deal because chances are you're not going to use the Cool-er as an MP3 player, but it's just one of those annoying design flaws we have to point out.

Another drawback: the "page turning" on the device--when you move back and forth in a document--has a slower refresh rate than rival readers from Sony and Amazon.

Cool-er e-book reader specs.

Cosmetics aside, the bigger problem with the Cool-er is that its interface lacks polish and its buttons aren't designed all that well, both in terms of placement and mechanical function (the biggest issue is that they're stiff). Adjusting the font size, for example is a much more tedious process than it should be; a dedicated font button like there is on the Kindle would have been nice. You often end up dealing with menus within menus and check boxes you have to click. It's just a bit cumbersome, and style-wise, it's too generic.

Interead also contends with the fact that the e-books you'll find in its store are, by and large, pricier than their Amazon counterparts. For the record, Interead isn't trying to gouge anyone; Amazon is literally taking a loss (up to $5 or $6) on most best sellers to undercut the competition. And that's simply not a strategy Interead can afford to employ.

All in all, the Cool-er isn't a bad little e-reader and we had a good time throwing various file formats at it. The text didn't always display correctly--or the font was too small on some occasions--but we found a lot of good free material to read and the E-ink text on the Cool-er appeared sharp, with good contrast; it looked just like it does on the Kindle 2.

If the Cool-er cost less than $200, it would be easier to recommend. Hopefully, Interead can tweak some of the interface issues with a firmware upgrade or two, but as it stands, the Cool-er still feels like a first-generation product that has some kinks to work out. At this point, the safer buy in this price range is the Sony PRS-505, which costs only about $20 more online.

Amazon Kindle DX

2009-11-04T09:16:00.000-08:00

Amazon Kindle DX review.

Even before the Kindle 2 launched, there was talk of an even newer, larger digital reader from Amazon that would be geared more toward reading textbooks and periodicals. We all assumed it would be bigger, but it was unclear exactly what form it would take. Well, now that it's finally arrived, what is a little surprising is how much the Kindle DX--bigger face aside--is a dead ringer for its little sibling.

In profile, the two devices appear equally svelte: the 0.38-inch-deep DX is just a tad thicker than the 0.36-inch Kindle 2. Obviously, the big difference here is the Kindle DX's 9.7-inch e-ink display (1,200x824-pixel resolution), which technically offers 2.5 times more screen real estate than the Kindle's 6-inch display. That extra screen comes at a price, both figuratively and literally, as the DX weighs almost twice as much (18.9 ounces) as the Kindle 2 and costs $130 more, at $489.

That said, while the DX is significantly larger and heavier, it doesn't feel too burdensome to carry or hold. However, it clearly isn't as portable as the Kindle 2; its larger footprint requires a larger bag or briefcase for stowaway purposes. Most women's handbags, for instance, just won't be big enough to contain the thing.

The Kindle DX (right) is considerably larger than the earlier, smaller Kindle models.

Amazon says the DX's screen technology and guts (i.e., processor) are exactly the same as what you get with the Kindle 2. The DX comes with more memory: 4GB (3.3 usable) of internal memory, compared with 2GB for the Kindle 2 (neither the DX nor the Kindle 2 has an expansion slot for more memory, like the original Kindle had). That's enough memory to store 3,500 books, according to Amazon. If you run out of space, however, you can delete titles from the Kindle and then later redownload previously purchased books in under a minute, free of charge.

The DX also features a built-in QWERTY keyboard for taking notes, entering search terms when wirelessly accessing the Kindle Store, and typing out URLs in the rudimentary Web browser. Like the Kindle 2, the DX's rechargeable battery is sealed into the unit (read: nonremovable) and delivers about two weeks of battery life if you use the built-in 3G wireless data connection judiciously. If your battery dies, you have to send the device back to Amazon to replace the battery for a fee.

Aside from the expanded memory, the two most important feature additions to the new Kindle are native PDF support and the capability to go from portrait to landscape mode by simply rotating the device. Additionally, you can now adjust not only the font size but how many words you want to see on a line of text. And finally, the Web browser is slightly improved (I'll get to that in a minute).

Amazon Kindle DX specs.

As advertised, the larger screen lends itself to displaying newspaper and magazine content, especially when you throw some graphics and images into the mix. You see more of the story on a single page and the reading experience is a little more akin to reading an actual newspaper. However, the newspaper/magazine reading experience isn't dramatically changed from reading newspapers on the Kindle 2.

The Kindle DX is designed to mimic the design of traditional periodicals.

When it comes to textbooks, the Kindle does a good job of displaying graphics and charts (alas, there's no color--only 16 shades of gray), so complex layouts with multiple images end up displaying more or less as they would in a textbook. And obviously, the Kindle DX weighs far less than an organic-chemistry textbook, which is why this device will appeal to students hoping to lighten their backpack loads.

Amazon didn't make a big deal about the capability to add notes and highlight sentences and passages as you're reading, because that functionality was built into previous Kindles along with a built-in dictionary and keyboard. Ideally, of course, the Kindle DX would be a touch-screen model, and you could mark up the "pages" themselves by writing on the screen. You can, however, access those notes on any Web browser.

Another nice convenience: if you have multiple Kindles on a single account--or, more likely, if you're running Amazon's free Kindle App on your iPhone or iPod Touch--all of your content will be synced up. Stop reading a book on Page 116 on the DX, and when you pull it up on the iPhone, it'll resume at that point.

About those PDF documents: there's no explicit zoom feature, but switching into landscape (horizontal) mode crops the PDF and essentially enlarges a portion of it. One of the problems with the Kindle is that it doesn't appear to have the horsepower to properly zoom in and out of PDF files quickly, and thus this horizontal mode is Amazon's workaround. While it may not offer the most flexibility in terms of viewing options, it's not bad. One warning: in order to get quick, smooth transitions going from portrait to landscape mode, you have to hold the Kindle DX upright so the screen is facing you at a right-angle. Also, if you're not careful, you can end up tilting the device and accidentally switching viewing modes. If you have trouble with this, you can set the screen to stay in a fixed vertical or horizontal mode. And you can even choose to flip the screen so it's upside-down with the keyboard on top.

The DX automatically switches to landscape mode when tilted on its side.

We promised more on the Web browser improvements and here it is: you can now switch from a basic mode to an advanced "desktop" mode that allows you to view the Web page as you would on your desktop (you switch into landscape mode to get a wider angle of view). You access this mode while using the browser and hitting the menu button, which reveals the desktop mode option.

As a test, we brought up the CNET home page, and after some lengthy load times and some funky graphical glitches, the page did indeed look more or less like a monochrome version of CNET's home page. (This model, like previous Kindles, doesn't offer Flash support and won't display video). In other words, yeah, it's improved, but it's not a huge improvement. Ultimately, the browser still does best with lighter-weight (read: fewer graphics) mobile versions of Web sites that are suitable for viewing on mobile phones. (For now, Amazon is saying that a firmware upgrade will not be available to Kindle 2 owners to add the new browser features or native PDF support).

Amazon Kindle DX opinions.

Small gripes aside, we don't have any complaints about the feature updates and generally think they're a nice plus. Of course, some Kindle 2 owners aren't happy that Amazon didn't include them in their devices--especially when you consider the DX was launched relatively quickly after the Kindle 2--but such is the cruel reality of a consumer-electronics world in which later products tend to incorporate new features.

All that said, you now have a choice between two different Kindle models, and the big question is whether you should spend the extra dough on the DX or opt for a Kindle 2. In our humble assessment, the majority of buyers will--and probably should--favor the smaller device, the Kindle 2. Why? Well, we have some concerns over the DX being more of a two-handed e-reader; yes, you can hold it in one hand for a short time, but you really need to keep both hands on the device to support its weight. Meanwhile, the Kindle 2 is easier to hold for longer periods of time with just one hand.

The other factor to consider is that when it comes to periodical reading (newspapers and magazines), the advantage of having more text and images on the screen is a nice perk, but the reading experience isn't enhanced as much as you might think. One problem is that even with the larger screen, you don't feel like you're looking at a whole newspaper (or magazine). There's typically one story per page and you keep hitting the "next page" button to turn pages and get to the next story. Alternatively, you can go to a table of contents and pick from various sections or select from a list of articles within the section. Again, aside from the fact that you're seeing more text, the overall reading experience is similar on each device. (Note: At the time of this writing, there's continued talk of reduced subscription rates on certain newspapers such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe, but Amazon has yet to offer details on the terms of those reduced rates and we only saw full-price rates advertised in the Kindle Store. For example, The New York Times currently charges $13.99 a month for its Kindle version, but its rate is allegedly supposed to drop to $9.99 with a longer-term subscription).

As for textbook reading, we can see how the Kindle DX would have a distinct advantage over the Kindle 2. Also, for seniors or other sight-challenged folks who want to jack up the font size to the maximum level, reading on the DX is a better experience, because you can get a reasonable amount of text on the page, and the maximum font size is even bigger on the DX than the Kindle 2. With the font set to the highest level on the Kindle 2, we counted 11 lines of text with about five words per sentence. By contrast, on the Kindle DX, we counted 19 lines of text and six or seven words per line. (Note to arthritis sufferers: because the Kindle DX is somewhat weighty, you'll probably want to prop it up on some sort of reading stand. You can also flip Amazon's Kindle DX cover around so it becomes an easel, but you'll have to read in landscape mode for it to work).

The larger screen makes it easier to read, but the added weight may cause strain during long reading sessions.

The native PDF support is a tough call. Yes, it's a plus and the Kindle 2 should really have it. Amazon does offer an "experimental" e-mail conversion service that will turn PDFs, as well as JPEG, GIF, PNG, and BMP images, into Amazon's proprietary AZW format. However, Amazon acknowledges that using this service doesn't always yield PDFs that display accurately. Bottom line: if you're planning on storing and viewing a lot of PDFs on your e-reader, the DX is the way to go if you want to stay in the Kindle family. (We wish the Kindles were more open and offered support for other formats such as EPUB files, but, for now, Amazon has chosen to keep its e-reader garden relatively closed.)

Up till now we've been talking about the Kindle DX without any regard to price, but obviously its high price tag is one of its biggest shortcomings, and that may limit its appeal in the early going. We do expect that Amazon will figure out a way to subsidize the cost of the device for the one audience it hopes to reach in large numbers: college students. But for the average consumer, $540 (if you include the cost of an optional protective cover, which we actually consider a must-have) is a lot to spend for an e-reader that can easily break if dropped.

Amazon Kindle DX.

That said, there's undoubtedly a certain segment of buyers out there who won't mind spending this kind of money on a large format e-reader that offers the core simple-to-use Kindle experience, plus a couple of new features. This reviewer would prefer to carry around the smaller and less expensive Kindle 2, but to some, bigger will always be better--price be damned.

Sony Reader Touch Edition PRS-600BC

2009-11-04T09:14:00.000-08:00

When Sony released its touch-screen PRS-700 Reader last year, it had a few noticeable flaws. First, its contrast--or how black the letters appear on the screen--wasn't as good as that of the Amazon Kindle or even Sony's earlier PRS-505 Reader. Secondly, its screen reflected light and created a glare issue if you didn't hold the device at just the right angle when viewing it. Thirdly, the side-lit screen theoretically allowed for reading in dark environments, but it was more trouble than it was worth. And finally, the touch screen wasn't quite as responsive as it should have been. Those flaws were especially disappointing because the PRS-700 was otherwise a pretty good e-reader, and we found the touch-based interface to be more intuitive than navigating on the Kindle.

Enter the Sony Reader Touch Edition PRS-600. At first glance, it looks very similar to the PRS-700, but upon closer inspection you'll notice that Sony has removed the LED sidelights from the edges of the display and slimmed the device a bit. The lighting on the PRS-700 wasn't great and the root of several of the device's flaws, as it added another layer of glass to the device, making the screen more reflective and less responsive at the same time.

So lights gone, the problem is fixed, right?

Alas, not exactly. The PRS-600 is definitely an improvement over its predecessor, but it, unfortunately, retains two of its major flaws. While the screen is clearly more responsive to your touch, it still has some glare issues and the letters simply don't appear as black and distinct as the letters on the step-down PRS-300, which doesn't offer a touch screen.

Sony Reader Touch Edition PRS-600BC review.

No, these flaws aren't fatal. And if you picked up an e-reader for the first time and had nothing to compare the PRS-600 with, you'd probably think it was just fine. But it's our job at CNET to compare products to one another, and thus we can tell you that you'll notice a clear difference between this screen and that of the Amazon Kindle and Sony's Reader Pocket Edition PRS-300--which offers slightly better contrast than Amazon's e-reader. It's a shame, because in most other regards, the PRS-600 is a very good e-reader.

First off, let's get the wireless issue out of the way: the Reader Touch Edition doesn't have it. Sony has tapped its upcoming Reader Daily Edition to go toe-to-toe with the Kindle, so you'll want to wait for that one if the dearth of cellular wireless is a deal breaker. Otherwise, the PRS-600 is fairly loaded with features. Beyond its 440MB of usable built-in memory--good for storing about 350 e-books--there's a set of dual expansion slots on the top of the unit for both SD and Memory Stick Duo memory cards. Also, you get annotation and note-taking capabilities (you can write directly on the screen with the included stylus), MP3 audio, and JPEG image viewing. And its use of the EPUB file format opens the door to a variety of free content, including public domain Google Books downloads and titles that can be electronically checked out from many local libraries.

Sony Reader Touch Edition review.

Measuring 6.9 inches tall by 4.8 inches wide by 0.4 inch thick and weighing 0.63 pounds, the PRS-600 has a 6-inch screen (diagonal) and looks to be about 20 percent bigger than the 5-inch Reader Pocket Edition PRS-300. To protect your investment, the device ships with an inexpensive yet functional neoprene black slip cover. Fancier covers, such as the leather-styled one that comes with the PRS-700, are also available, but they'll cost you extra (it seems as if Sony had to cut corners on the cover to keep costs down).

This model comes in black, silver, and red and retains the look, feel, and interface of the PRS-700 with a clean, minimalist styling and only a handful of buttons.

The PRS-600's 6-inch screen has an 800x600-pixel resolution and eight levels of grayscale (color e-book screens won't be available anytime soon). Like most other electronic paper products, the PRS-600 uses "e-ink" technology that serves to make the letters and words on the screen look more printlike in their appearance. One of the characteristics of e-ink is that when you turn a page or scroll from one onscreen menu item to another, there's a slight delay as the screen refreshes. That's true of this model of this model, too, but we found it to be zippier than the PRS-300 and turned pages a fraction of a second more quickly. Its faster processor also is helpful when accessing PDF files, particularly larger ones, and using the zoom feature on those documents. (Note: Larger screen e-readers are more suitable for viewing PDF files, but while this one doesn't do a great job with them, it does significantly better than the PRS-300 and the Kindle 2).

The PRS-600 may have a speed advantage, but the PRS-300, as noted, does offer better contrast. Comparing the PRS-600 with the PRS-300 side by side, the first thing you notice is that the letters and icons on this model appear lighter while the background on the PRS-600 is slightly darker (read: a darker shade of gray). You'll also notice that when you hold the two units together and tilt them, the PRS-600's screen is much more reflective. At certain angles, with normal overhead lighting, the glare is so bad that you can't read the text on parts of the screen. Needless to say, the combination of these drawbacks renders your reading experience not as good as it could--and should--be.

In case you're wondering, there's no way to adjust the contrast. Also, there's also no backlight, but--considering that it didn't really work that well in the PRS-700--we're not complaining. However, you can adjust the size of the letters. With the Size button, you can choose among five font settings: small, medium, large, extra large, and extra-extra large. While the absolute sizes vary from title to title, a 6-inch screen (diagonal) doesn't give you a ton of real estate but as long as you stick with the small, medium, and large font sizes, it's adequate (the medium setting will be best for most people). This model doesn't have a built-in accelerometer that automatically flips the screen when you turn it, but you can manually set the screen to display vertically or horizontally.

Sony Reader Touch Edition specs.

Like the iPhone and other next-generation touch-screen phones that have been appearing lately, the PRS-600 incorporates some gesture-based commands. You can swipe your finger across the display to page forward or back (you can choose between a left or right swipe to advance pages in the settings menu). Swiping and holding your finger down at the end of the swipe allows you to advance or rewind through pages at a fast clip. The swiping is a nice way of giving you the feeling of turning pages in a book--and as we mentioned earlier, the touch screen is more responsive to your touch. But don't expect the touch screen to be anywhere near as responsive as that of the iPhone or iPod Touch--selecting stationary menu items is fine, but the gestures require you to press pretty hard. A lot of folks will continue to use the well-placed hard buttons at the bottom of the screen to page forward and back.

The PRS-600 also has an annotation and notes feature, as well as a newly introduced embedded dictionary (the Kindle had an integrated dictionary form the start, but this is Sony's first model to feature one). On a basic level, you can turn the Reader into a notepad, creating single notes that aren't tied to any books or documents. For example, you can type out a text memo reminder using an onscreen keyboard or write a note freehand by using the stylus (you can draw anything you want, in fact). That all works fine and is simple to do.

Things get a little more complicated when you move to annotations. With the included stylus--or your finger--you can highlight words and add annotations via a virtual keyboard or just draw freehand on the page/screen using the stylus. The whole process is somewhat intuitive, but we had trouble figuring out how to add a note to a highlighted sentence or paragraph (you can also add notes to bookmarks). You first have to highlight the section, then tap on it to pull up a separate menu that asks whether you want to add a note using the keyboard or handwriting it via the "drawing" method. Unfortunately, we found that when you tap on the highlighted section, it didn't always pull up the note-taking menu. It was a bit frustrating at times.

After annotating a book on the Reader, you can "merge" those annotations with annotations you may have already added to the same book using your computer (from within the eLibrary software). Viewing--and reviewing--text, notes, and any markups using a larger computer monitor is preferable to viewing them on a dull, 6-inch screen, so if you're a big annotator, you'll probably find yourself reading a lot more on your computer than you think.

While this all sounds quite sophisticated and potentially useful, we'll warn you that to get the hang of the markup features, you're going to have to do some digging in the user manual (it's available as a PDF file). And even then, you may run into some snafus.

As for more mundane items such as battery life, these devices are designed to go several days or even weeks without needing a recharge. According to Sony, you should get up to 7,000 page turns or about two weeks of usage from a single charge. However, like the PRS-300, the included lithium ion battery isn't user replaceable--you have to send the unit back to Sony if the battery dies.

We were disappointed that this e-reader doesn't ship with an AC adapter (it's an optional accessory that costs $30); instead, the default charging option is limited to connecting the Reader to your PC with the included USB cable. If you happen to own a Sony PSP, the charger from that device works with the Reader. It's also worth noting that we couldn't charge the Reader with a standard USB cable connected to a 5V power adapter, such as the standard iPod wall charger.

On the content side, Sony has made efforts to catch up with Amazon in terms of the number of books it has available and on competitive pricing--like Amazon, Sony now charges $9.99 for bestsellers. With the addition of thousands of free public domain titles from Google (which includes many pre-WWI classics), Sony boasts more than 1 million titles in its e-book store, and that number continues to grow.

Sony's also upgraded its eBook Library PC software (it's up to version 3.0), and--hallelujah--it's now available for both Windows and Mac machines. While the process of transferring content to the device isn't as convenient as downloading books wirelessly to the unit as you can with the Kindle (as long as you can get a signal), Sony's improved its software to the point where it's become fairly easy to use and is not the liability it once was. Still, there are some small quirks you'll discover that make you think there's room for additional tweaks.

Downloading a purchased book is a two-step process. You launch the software, connect the Reader via USB, and browse the e-book store, which in some ways is better organized and superior to the e-book store built into the Kindle. After you purchase a title, it goes into a special folder; you then drag the title onto the icon for the device and it transfers to it. Overall, it's pretty simple. And adding nonencrypted files isn't hard either. After downloading a file to your computer, you import that file to your library using the "import" function and drag it over to the "Reader" icon on the left side of your screen.

Sony Reader Touch Edition opinions.

In fact, as we've said before, one of the Reader's strengths is its capability to read other formats besides encrypted Sony e-books from the store. The Reader is capable of displaying text, RTF, Word, BBeB Book files, and EPUB files, as well as PDFs. The zoom functionality on PDFs is more robust on this model than the PRS-500, but those who are looking for stronger PDF support should probably check out a larger format e-reader like the 9.7-inch Kindle DX or the 8-inch Sony Reader Daily Edition.

Another big plus is that the PRS-600 and other Sony Readers are compatible with digital books from local libraries, which have just begun lending out e-books using an EPUB file format with 21-day expiration. The selection is currently very limited, but anything that's available, is free to download. There's a lot to like about the Sony Reader Touch Edition. It's slim, relatively lightweight, more compact than the Kindle 2, and it is classy looking. We also continue to be fans of the touch interface for e-readers and its feature set is quite good, despite lacking a wireless option.

All told, it's hard to ignore the fact the PRS-600 is hampered by screen issues. While they may not be complete deal breakers, they're definitely something you should be aware of and we recommend that you check this product out in person before buying it.

Astak EZ Reader Pocket Pro (e-book reader)

2009-11-04T09:09:00.000-08:00

You may not have heard of Astak, but it's one of several non-name-brand companies that are jumping into the e-book reader space with a range of new models, including the 5-inch EZ Reader Pocket Pro reviewed here.

Astak EZ Reader Pocket Pro review.

While this model is smaller than the Amazon Kindle, which has a 6-inch screen, we actually like the size of the Pocket Pro and other 5-inch nontouch-screen e-readers, such as the Sony Reader Pocket Edition (PRS-300). This model, like the Sony, has a list price of $199, so it makes sense to compare the two units, especially since both models have Adobe Digital Editions compatibility, which allows you to read downloadable e-books in the secure ePub format that's increasingly becoming the standard--outside of Amazon's Kindle--for online e-booksellers.

Measuring 6 inches high by 4.1 inches wide by .4 inch deep and weighing 6 ounces, the Pocket Pro is about the same size as the Sony PRS-300. It's hard to call it a true pocket device, such as the iPhone, but it will slip into the inside pocket of most sports coats (we tried it with a blazer), as well as cargo pant pockets.

From a design standpoint, the Pocket Pro features a rubberized finish that Astak reps claim is less susceptible to scuffing than the finish on Sony's Readers. There may be some truth to that--and we did like the feel of the finish--but overall the Sony is sleeker looking.

We appreciated that the Pocket Pro comes with a nice faux-leather cover with a magnetic clasp that keeps the cover closed when you're finished reading. You also get such features as an SD expansion slot for more memory (there's 512MB of internal memory and you can add cards up to 16GB). The battery is user replaceable, and provides up to two weeks of reading on a single battery charge. All of those are nice pluses.

This model comes in a number of colors, including white, black, red, blue, pink, and purple. Like most other electronic paper products, this Astak and its larger sibling, the 6-inch EZ Reader, use "E Ink" technology, which serves to make the letters and words on the screen look more printlike in their appearance. One of the characteristics of E-ink is that when you turn a page or scroll from one onscreen menu item to another, there's a slight delay as the screen refreshes. That's true of this model, too, and we sometimes noticed some ghosting of the menu screen on the page (you press a button to pop it up) until we refreshed the page. Otherwise, the screen (800x600 resolution, with eight levels of gray scale) is pretty easy on the eyes. Like all of these readers, though, you'll need to read in a well-lit environment, because there's no laptop-like backlight.

One of the Pocket Reader Pro's biggest strengths is the number of formats it supports. The full list includes: Adobe PDF (with reflow capability), RTF, TXT, Microsoft Word (DOC), EPUB, PDB, FB2, TXT, HTML, LIT, PRC, WOL, CHM, TIF, RAR, ZIP, DJVU, JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, and MP3. You can also view JPEG files and other image files (though, without any color, they come off like something you'd see on an Etch-a-Sketch) and listen to MP3s as you read.

While there's no tie-in to a major e-book store like Sony, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon, at this moment, you can download titles from such lesser known e-book stores as Shortcovers and Books on Board, as well as other sites that offer thousands of free titles.

Astak EZ Reader Pocket Pro specs.

To download e-books from Shortcovers, you have to install Adobe Digital Editions on your computer, then download the e-book (a secure ePub file), and transfer it to the device via USB using the Adobe software. Documents, PDFs, and e-books can be read vertically on the screen or manually rotated so they appear in landscape (horizontal) mode.

The Adobe software also allows "loaners" from local libraries that support such technology. Using the software, you transfer the ePub file downloaded from your local library to the Pocket Pro; the file automatically expires after a set period (usually 14 to 21 days).

In addition to library lending, the Pocket Pro's ePub support means that you can download one of the thousands of free Google Books available in that open format. The catch is that most of them are public domain titles that predate World War I. Still, it includes a long list of classics, including Shakespeare, Arthur Conan Doyle, Jane Austen, and the like--all completely free.

The Pocket Pro has a built-in text-to-speech function that will "read" most any document to you (you'll need to plug in a pair of headphones). Whereas the Amazon Kindle's text-to-speech support is limited to specific titles (based on whether the publisher or author allows it), the Pocket Pro seems to universally support any text on the device. Unfortunately, the synthesized voice is far more robotic and monotone than Amazon's implementation, so we don't think Astak users will be activating it too often.

The Pocket Pro isn't a bad little e-reader, but we weren't in love with the interface and we found navigating the device to be cumbersome. To zoom in on a PDF file, for example, requires three button pushes. You have to hit the menu button, select "zoom" from the menu choices, then select one of the sizes (extra-small, small, medium, larger, extra-large).

Astak EZ Reader Pocket Pro opinions.

Another thing that was bothersome was that the rocker switch on the side of the unit doesn't allow you to scroll down through the items in your library. Instead, you have to press the number that corresponds to the item you want to select (there's a set of number buttons underneath the screen). The rocker button on the side is only for turning pages when you're reading a book (or, if you have more than eight items in a folder, you can use the rocker switch to advance the list to the next set of titles).

We had similar misgivings about the Cool-er e-book reader, which also suffers from confusing button labels and a mediocre interface that is not as intuitive as it should be. Part of the problem is that companies like Astak appear to be buying off-the-shelf e-book reader designs from Chinese manufacturers. While the devices themselves work well enough (the lettering on the screen is dark and the display looks just like the Sony's), they just seem a bit generic and lack polish. Some of the early photo frames were just like this: their displays showed images just fine, but the interface was kludgy.

If this e-reader cost $149 or less, we'd have an easier time living with its shortcomings. But since it's selling for $199 (and we've actually seen it for more than that), it's much less compelling, particularly considering that Amazon and Barnes & Noble are selling models with far better feature packages--built-in wireless, solid bookstore support--for just $259. As we said, the Pocket Pro's strengths are its compact size and capability to read a lot of formats. If those are features you're looking for in an e-book reader--and you don't need compatibility with Barnes & Noble or Amazon titles--this Astak is worth some consideration. But if you want something a bit slicker, the Sony Pocket Reader, even though it lacks an SD-card expansion slot, is probably the better bet. At the rapid rate the e-book reader market is evolving, you might want to wait a few months; we suspect prices will continue to drop and new choices will be popping up in due course.

Motorola Droid (Verizon Wireless) review

2009-11-03T09:10:00.000-08:00

You have to hand it to Verizon Wireless: though the Google Android operating system now extends to a handful of devices, the carrier was able to get the tech world "excited" about its first Android phone. First known as the Sholes, the Motorola Droid swirled into the gadget rumor mill this summer. And even as Verizon unveiled its television commercial attacking the iPhone, firm details on the Droid remained few and far between. That is, until now.

Motorola Droid review.

Officially announced on October 28 and set for a November 6 release, the Droid delivers on much of the hype. The display is gorgeous, the Android 2.0 updates are excellent, and the handset is lightning fast, particularly for an Android phone. We'll refrain from using the dreaded "iPhone killer" expression, but comparisons between the two devices are obvious, and we see the Droid as a real competitor to Apple's device. On the downside, we weren't crazy about the keyboard and dialpad accessibility, the calendars aren't fully integrated, and we'd prefer to see dual-mode (GSM/CDMA) capability. But for Verizon's first pass at Android, the Droid more than delivers. And even better, it's a clear departure from Verizon's locked-down past. At $199, the Droid is on par with T-Mobile's Android device, but it's slightly more expensive than Sprint's devices.

Design and display
At first glance, you might not think the Motorola Droid's design amounts to much. Its build is rather dull and the sharp angles result in a boxy look. But this is a smartphone with a lot of surprises, the biggest being the positively gorgeous WVGA display. At 3.7 inches, it surpasses even the iPhone and is firmly in the bounds of what we consider to be an acceptable size for a touch-screen display. Color support is generous (16 million hues) and the resolution (440x854 pixels) is some of the richest we've seen. We aren't kidding when we say that this display is bright and brilliant with vibrant colors and sharp graphics. It also lends itself well to the welcome Android 2.0 interface updates (more on that later).

As we said, the Droid's display is spectacular.

Of course, with such a large display, the Droid is rather big (4.56 inches tall by 2.36 inches wide by 0.54 inch thick), but that's a small price to pay for the top-notch display. You'll notice that the Droid is heavy (5.96 ounces) compared with other smartphones, but the trim design keeps it portable. We also welcome the solid feel in the hand, even if the slider mechanism is a bit quirky. The actual sliding motion is quite stiff, but the front face doesn't really lock into place on either end. Indeed, we noticed that even a gentle nudge can start to close the Droid. No, it's not a big deal, but it's something to consider.

The Droid is slightly larger than the iPhone.

The capacitive display's touch interface is quick and responsive and we love the added multitouch capability. As with previous Android phones, there's vibrating feedback only for certain functions (like a "long press"), though you can turn off the haptic feedback completely if you desire. When we selected items and scrolled through long lists, there was no lag time in performing the command (more on that later, as well). You also can customize the display's brightness, backlighting time, and animations. The accelerometer will adjust the display's orientation as you rotate the Droid in your hands, but you can turn this feature off.

Outside of the upgrades from Android 2.0 and the Droid-specific tweaks, the basic interface will be familiar to Android users. You get only three home screens--we prefer the five we got on the Motorola Cliq--but you can customize each pane with widgets. And, of course, the central pane has the Google search bar. The main menu is accessible via the pull tab at the bottom of the display. The menu's design is mostly unchanged. You can move icons around and add shortcuts and folders.

Motorola Droid Specs.

Keypad and controls
Below the Droid's display are four touch controls: Back, Home, Search, and Menu. They perform the same functions as on other Android phones, with the search and menu keys being the most useful. The former activates Google search with just one press, and the latter opens relevant menu commands for various handset modes and features. Though the touch controls are responsive, they're not very big. And at the end of the day, we'd prefer actual physical buttons. We know this all comes down to a personal preference, but that is ours.

The Droid has four touch controls below the display.

In a baffling change from previous devices, the Droid does not have a physical Talk control. Instead, you'll have to access the calling functions through a widget on the display. We're not in love with this change, mostly because we prefer to be able to call up the phone dialer without having to go through the home screen. For example, you have to close the browser if you want to make a call while viewing a Web page. The phone dialer interface is mostly the same. The buttons are square rather than round, but you get access to your call log, voice mail, contacts list, and favorites.

We don't love the Droid's keyboard just yet.

When you open the Droid to display the physical keyboard, the screen orientation will change automatically. Though many users will welcome a physical keyboard, we weren't particularly impressed. The keys are flush and squashed next to each other, which makes it difficult to text quickly or by feel. Also, though the buttons do give a slight downward "push," they're a bit slick and we were thrown off by the "dummy keys" on either end of the bottom row. On the whole it is a better experience than the T-Mobile G1, but typing is not nearly as comfortable as with the Cliq or even with the Samsung Moment. Sure, you'd probably get used to it eventually, but on the first pass we have our reservations.

The letters on the keys are large and backlit for dialing in the dark. Four rows of keys do mean that numbers and common punctuation and symbols double up with letters. That's common on smartphones, so we won't make a big deal and we like that the top row of keys isn't too close to the slider. Fortunately, there are a fair number of additional controls. We welcome the two Shift keys and the two Alt keys (they sit in pairs on either side of the keyboard), the large and convenient space bar, and the menu and search keys. You'll also find the usual back and delete buttons. Additional symbols, however, require a separate virtual keyboard.

Speaking of which, the Android virtual keyboard is largely the same, but Google says it revamped the keyboard layout for faster, more-accurate typing. We haven't noticed specific design changes just yet, but we'll explore a bit more. Also, as Google puts it, "the multitouch support ensures that key presses aren't missed while typing rapidly with two fingers." When using either keyboard, Android 2.0 offers a better dictionary that includes contacts names.

The toggle and central OK button next to the display is easy to use. It can help you browse through the menus and select items, but with the exception of games, we barely used it given the fantastic display. It's flush as well, but it's quite large and accessible. On the downside, however, it does shrink the width of the keyboard. Some users may not mind, but we noticed its impact.

The Droid has a 3.5-millimeter headset jack.

The remaining physical controls consist of a volume rocker and a camera shutter on the left spine. Both are almost flat, but we could find the rocker when on a call. The Micro-USB port is used for a USB cable and (thankfully) the charger. You also use it to connect the Droid with the multimedia dock. We're pleased with the 3.5 millimeter headset jack on the phone's top end. Not only can you use your own headset, but it's also in a convenient place. A stiff power control sits next to the port, while the camera lens, flash, and stereo speakers rest on the rear face. Unfortunately, you have to remove the battery to access the microSD card slot.

You must remove the Droid's battery to access its memory card slot.

Features
The Motorola Droid offers a number of the same core features as previous Android devices, such as the HTC Hero and the Samsung Moment. However, it's distinct in that the Droid is the first smartphone to run Android 2.0, which brings a crop of new features and interface enhancements. For this review, we'll concentrate more on the new rather than the old, but to learn more about some of Android's main functionalities, please check out reviews of other Android smartphones.

Android 2.0 updates
As we mentioned earlier, the home screen and main menu on Motorola Droid don't look terribly different from, say, the T-Mobile MyTouch 3G's at a glance. However, as you use the device, you'll notice subtle changes and enhancements that make the user interface a bit more refined and streamlined; the gorgeous display doesn't hurt, either.

Also, although it's a Motorola phone, the Droid does not use the MotoBlur software that we saw on the Motorola Cliq. Part of the reason is that the Droid is targeted for a bit of a different audience than the Cliq (read: older, more business-oriented) so it didn't really jibe with the experience that Moto and Verizon want to offer to its customers, and we think that was a good decision. In MotoBlur's place, there is a Facebook widget on the Droid that you can use to update your own status and scroll through your friends' updates. Other preloaded widgets and shortcuts include YouTube, a corporate calendar, and something called "Power Control" where you can turn on/off your wireless connections, adjust brightness, and so forth--quite handy.

Motorola Droid review.

Some other minor changes include the slightly revamped onscreen dialer mentioned in the Design section, as well a new lock screen that features a sliding curve that allows you to unlock the phone as well as adjust the its volume simply by dragging your finger from one side of the screen to the other.

E-mail, calendar, and contacts
Perhaps one of the top highlights of Android 2.0 is the expanded capabilities of the personal information management tools, including e-mail, calendar, and contacts.

The Droid now offers native Microsoft Exchange synchronization out of the box for e-mail, calendar, and contacts, in addition to support for Gmail and POP3 and IMAP accounts. Note that only Exchange and Gmail offer push delivery, while POP3 and IMAP messages are retrieved at user-specified time intervals, starting at every 5 minutes up to every hour. With Android 2.0, you can have messages from various accounts displayed in one unified in-box; messages are color-coded by account so you can visually differentiate them at a glance. Of course, you can also choose to separate them if you like to keep your personal and work lives separate.

Unfortunately (well, depending on your preference), it doesn't appear that you can combine work and personal calendars as you can on the Palm Pre. Instead, you'll find separate apps for your corporate calendar and your personal one. The corporate calendar is full featured in that you can send messages to meeting attendees, see who has RSVP'd to an event, and/or create your own invites and have it all synced back to your PC.

With the support for various accounts, contact management could get a bit dodgy, but the Droid offers a pretty smart contact management system. Similar to the Palm WebOS Synergy feature, the Droid merges contact information from various accounts, Exchange, Gmail, and Facebook, and combines them on a single contact card for an individual. When you pull up a contact, you'll then be able to see the contact's Facebook status, photos, various e-mail addresses, IM handles, and so forth.

There's also a handy Quick Contact feature: you simply tap on a contact's photo and a toolbar offers you the various ways to get in touch with that person. It's also smart in that you can choose to sync all your Facebook contacts or just those who are already in your contacts database.

Browser
Android 2.0 also brings some improvements to the Web browser, which now supports HTML5. You can add visual bookmarks and toggle between multiple windows through a simple list view. What's more, thanks to the aforementioned multitap support, you can now double-tap on the screen to zoom in and out of Web pages. It's certainly easier than tapping the magnifying glass numerous times, but we still like the simplicity and ease of use of the pinching gesture used on the iPhone or the Palm Pre.

Motorola Droid review.

Most importantly, though, the browser feels faster. With a cortex A8 processor and support for Verizon's EV-DO Rev. A network, CNET's full site loaded in 14 seconds while CNN's and ESPN's mobile sites came up in 8 seconds and 5 seconds, respectively. For comparison, we checked out the same sites on the Samsung Moment for Sprint and the Moment's browser results were 40 seconds, 9 seconds, and 8 seconds in the order listed above. We'll continue to test the browser over the next few days, but the difference in speed doesn't go unnoticed.

Finally, while the Droid's browser doesn't have Flash Lite support, it does have a plug-in that will support Adobe's Flash 10 player when it's available. We also like the refurbished browser interface that includes bookmark thumbnails.

Universal search
With all this information stored on the Droid and the World Wide Web in the palm of your hand, search is key and the Droid certainly delivers on that front. From the home screen, you can easily enter terms into the Google search box either by typing or using Google Voice search and the Droid will search the Web, your text and multimedia messages, your contacts, and your multimedia library for any relevant results. It can search through messages, but you must be in your in-box to do so.

Google Maps Navigation
The Motorola Droid is equipped with GPS/A-GPS, but what's different is the new Google Maps Navigation app. While still in beta, you can now get voice-guided, text-to-speech directions, instead of just text-based instructions, on Google Maps. And the best part? It's free. You don't have to sign up for a monthly subscription or pay a day-use fee for a location-based service, such as VZ Navigator, and in fact, VZ Navigator isn't even offered as an option.

Google Maps also offers layered maps with traffic data, satellite view, and Google Latitude. You can perform searches simply by typing a term, or you can use Google Voice search and speak a business name or general category right into the phone. Once done, Google Maps displays your search results; you can tap on a result, which will bring up numerous options, including navigation, call, or street view. While all of this is wonderful, there are some limitations.

Since we've only had the smartphone for a few hours, we haven't been able to take the Droid and Google Maps Navigation for a road test, but we certainly will over the next day or two. It looks very promising, however, and is certainly a huge feature addition for Android 2.0. We'll be interested to see what kind of affect it will have on LBS providers if it takes off.

We should note that a separate car mount will be available for $30. Once docked to the car cradle, the Droid will automatically display a navigation menu from where you can plan a trip, view maps and directions, and search businesses. Undocked, there's an app called Car Home that shows the same options.

Multimedia
One area that remains relatively untouched by Android 2.0 is the built-in media player. There aren't any major enhancements to the player in terms of interface or functionality, which is too bad. You still get support for MP3, AAC, AMR-NB, WAV, MIDI, and Windows Media Audio 9 formats and the player includes shuffle, repeat, and playlist creation. You can advance and revisit previous tracks by tapping the forward and back buttons or you can swipe the album covers using the touch screen. Unfortunately, there is no syncing software to help you manage and transfer your music. As it is right now, you have to use the old drag-and-drop method using the USB cable or sideload them using a microSD card.

Of course, you can also download songs via the Amazon MP3 store. The store allows you to browse by album, song, artist, or genre. You can download the DRM-free songs over Wi-Fi as well as Verizon's 3G network, though the Droid advises you switch to Wi-Fi when possible since it's faster. We downloaded several tracks from Amazon using the carrier's 3G network and it took an average of around 1 minute and 15 seconds from purchase to download.

Motorola Droid review.

Music quality was quite good. Thanks to the 3.5 millimeter headphone jack, we plugged in our Bose On-ear Headphones and enjoyed rich-sounding songs. We listened to a variety of music, from punk rock to pop to classical, and found a nice balance between treble and bass. Songs even sounded decent coming from the phone's speakers. There was plenty of volume and while slightly harsh, the audio wasn't as tinny as it is on some other smartphones we've tested.

We like the Droid's multimedia dock.

Motorola offers a multimedia dock accessory, which also is sold separately for $30. When you slip in the Droid you get a nifty digital clock interface with instant access to local weather, the media player, the photo gallery, and the alarm clock. You can even change the backlighting color for a softer look. The dock is very handy as a stand for watching videos and you can connect the charger to power the phone while it's inserted. Unfortunately, a wired headset is not included in the Droid's box.

As with other Android devices, there's a dedicated YouTube app. You can comment on clips, favorite them, or share videos via e-mail and Facebook, as well as view them in high quality if available. Obviously, load times and quality depend on the video, but in general, we found that video playback was smoother and didn't require much rebuffering. One of the features that Motorola and Verizon highlighted when giving us a demo of the Droid was its multimedia capabilities, but we think that Google really has to step it up and make more moves, like expanding the video capabilities (for example, the capability to purchase videos from other services), in the near future to make the statement really ring true.

Camera
The 5-megapixel camera takes pictures in three resolutions and boasts a slick user interface. For example, it's now easier to switch to video mode. With previous Android phones, we've complained about the lack of camera editing options. Fortunately, Android fixes that problem by adding four white balance settings, several "scene" modes (night, landscape, sunset, and so on), three image quality choices, an autofocus, a macro setting, and seven color effects. The Droid also has a dual-LED flash.

The Droid's camera lens and flash are on its rear side.

Camcorder settings are fewer, but you can edit the video quality and the length allowed for each clip. You can film for 30 seconds if you're adding the video to a multimedia message, but you can go for up to 30 minutes in normal mode. When finished with your clips and shots, you can store them on the phone or transfer them off using e-mail, a multimedia message, Bluetooth, the memory card, or a USB cable. You even can upload shots directly to Facebook and Picasa with geotags.

The Droid's photos had a pinkish tone.

Photo quality was decent, but not spectacular. Though colors were bright, our images were a tad fuzzy and had a pinkish tone. The flash adds a decent amount of light, but still is a bit dim in completely dark situations. Video quality is actually fairly good--it could handle action better than its Android counterparts and there was little pixelation. Indeed, a closer look at the specs told us why. Not only do videos record at a 720x480 resolution, the Droid films at 24 frames per second (fps) (video playback can go up to 30fps). You can access the media gallery directly from the camera interface. Once there, the normal Android slideshow interface lets you view your work.

Android Market
You can download free and paid apps and games from the Android Market. The Market's interface received a much-needed upgrade with 1.6--we like the white background and the more intuitive search. Android 2.0 doesn't appear to offer any additional changes, which is fine in the short term. On the other hand, the quantity and quality of apps continues to grow every day. For updates and reviews of available Android apps, visit our Android Atlas blog. Of course, you must store apps on the handset's integrated memory, which is limited to 512MB ROM and 256MB RAM. The Droid's memory card slot is only for saving photos, music, and other attachment files. You get a 16GB card in the box, but the slot is compatible with cards up to 32GB.

Basic features
Essentials include a vibrate mode, text and multimedia messaging, a calculator, and an alarm clock. And though we've said it before, we want Android to offer additional organizer options like a world clock, a notepad, a file manager, and a to-do list. Beyond the basics, you'll have 802.11b Wi-Fi, USB mass storage, Google voice search, Google Talk, instant messaging, visual voice mail, PC syncing, and speaker-independent voice dialing. Stereo Bluetooth is also onboard, but Android 2.0 adds object push and phone book access profiles.

Internal performance
The Droid makes a big leap in internal performance. Compared with its rather sluggish Android predecessors, the Droid is lighting fast when opening applications and menus, scrolling through lists and switching display screens. The integrated 600Mhz processor no doubt helps, but we came away impressed and almost amazed with the Droid's internal performance and its capability to run multiple applications at once.

Call quality and performance
We tested the dual-band (CDMA 800/1900; EV-DO Rev. A) Motorola Droid in San Francisco using Verizon service and call quality was excellent. We enjoyed crisp-sounding audio on our end, with little-to-no background noise, so we had no problems hearing our callers or using an airline's voice-automated response system. Our friends also had good things to say about call quality, though they could hear a slight echo at the end of sentences when we activated the speakerphone. On our side, we had no problems with the speakerphone; volume was plenty loud, with no disruptions.

Motorola Droid opinions.

We didn't have any dropped calls during our testing period and had no problems pairing the smartphone with the Logitech Mobile Traveller Bluetooth headset or the Motorola S9 Active Bluetooth Headphones. The Droid has a Hearing Aid Compatibility rating of M3 and T3.

We admit we're disappointed the Droid doesn't have dual-mode capability for domestic CDMA networks and GSM networks abroad. The Droid is a nice device and we would hate to leave it at home when we left the country. Such capability would also be of great benefit to business users, who are among the Droid's main target market.

The Droid has a rated battery life of 6.4 hours talk time and 11.25 days standby time. We beat the promised talk time in our tests for a total of 7 hours and 35 minutes. According to FCC radiation tests, the Motorola Cliq has a digital SAR rating of 1.49 watts per kilogram.

Canon Vixia HG20

2009-10-13T09:20:00.000-07:00

The Canon Vixia HG20 is an excellent HD camcorder that's reasonably easy to operate out of the box and looks good, too. It's almost identical to the company's Vixia HF11, but rather than recording mainly to internal flash memory, it records to a hard drive. As for performance, it's as good if not better than the Sony Handycam HDR-SR11. So in the end, it comes down to a preference for flash memory or hard-disk drive as your storage medium of choice. And if it's for flash, your willingness to pay extra for it.

In addition to the price differential--which varies quite a bit on the Web, so it pays to shop around--there's only a few spec variations between the flash-based HF11 and the HG20. The obvious is the HG20's 60GB hard drive versus the HF11's 32GB internal memory. In recording time, it's 5 hours and 30 minutes to 2 hours and 55 minutes at 24Mbps (and both can be supplemented with SDHC cards). Ironically, there's more differentiation between HG20 and its brother, the HG21: in addition to a larger 120GB hard drive, the HG21 offers an eye-level viewfinder.

Aside from capacity, it's really just a matter of size and weight separating the HG20 and HF11; the HF11 is smaller and lighter at 2.9 inches wide by 2.5 inches high by 5.1 inches deep and 15.1 ounces to the HG20's dimensions of 3.1 inches wide by 3 inches high by 5.4 inches deep and 17.6 ounces. Positions for controls and I/O jacks are slightly altered between the two as well. Most notably the dial to switch from video/still record to video/still playback is on the back for the HG20, on the side for the HF11. However, regardless of the model, the controls are large and easy to operate.

A five-way joystick and Function button--which navigates frequently needed shooting settings--live on the bezel of the camcorder's smallish 2.7-inch LCD. Putting the controls out on the LCD instead of under the thumb can make it difficult to simultaneously change settings and keep the camcorder steady. In addition, manually focusing with the joystick can be a pain, regardless of the zoom-view focus assist.

The HG20 records AVCHD video at a maximum bit rate of 24Mbps, and can hold up to 22 hours 55 minutes of video at the lowest bit rate of 5Mbps. (There are five quality settings in all, which I find excessive.) That higher bit rate goes to support the full 1,920x1,080 capture, the norm for most of this year's new models, compared with 1,440x1,080 for older AVCHD camcorders, which required only a 12Mbps maximum bit rate. You can record best-quality movies to SDHC cards as long as it's a Class 4 or better (Class 6 is currently fastest).

Its optically stabilized f1.8-3.0 12x zoom lens has a longer reach than the typical 10x lens available in this class, but the rest of its features are pretty common in Canon's prosumer models. For video, these include aperture- and shutter-priority exposure modes, 3 fixed/1 variable zoom speed options, a video light, Instant AF, and a wind-screen filter. You can also record in progressive 30 or 24 frames per second modes, as well as 60i. For still photos, metering, flash, and burst and exposure bracketing, options become available as well. The camcorder also supplies a complete set of ports and connectors: component or mini-HDMI out for direct-to-TV playback, mini headphone and mic jacks, and USB for downloading to computer.

The lens performs surprisingly well. Not only does the SuperRange optical image stabilization system work satisfactorily all the way out to the end, but the lens focuses quickly and holds the lock in both dim and bright conditions. Images look sharp, too. On the downside, high-contrast edges show more fringing than usual. The stereo microphone sits beneath the lens and generally delivers good audio quality. However, in recent models, Canon changed the wind-filter option from a forced-on to automatic, and ever since we've found it far less effective. The microphone attenuation (zoom mic) works pretty well, too.

Video overall looks quite good despite the use of a small, 1/3.2-inch 3.3-megapixel CMOS sensor. Recordings were properly exposed, nicely saturated, and sharp. As expected, in low light the video displays a good deal of noise and a somewhat compressed tonal range, but retains a significant amount of detail and fares above average compared with the rest of its class.

For the most part, the 24Mbps video is indistinguishable from the 17Mbps except in low light; when viewed on a large-screen plasma TV, the higher bit-rate video displayed significantly more luminance noise than the lower bit rate. The lower bit-rate video looked slightly softer, however. The difference between the two was still noticeable, but not as pronounced, when viewed on my calibrated CRT display. Even when extracting individual frames, I didn't really see any fewer artifacts that would affect video editing. On the upside, there were no software incompatibility issues with the 24Mbps files.

An excellent choice for hard-disk-based HD recording, the HG20 gives the Sony HDR-SR11 a close run for the money and is a clear champion if you don't like the Sony's touch-screen interface. However, the real question is do you want more storage at a lower price or give up some storage space and extra cash for the smaller, lighter HF11. The HG20 gets my vote in that scenario.

Canon Vixia HF100

2009-10-13T09:10:00.000-07:00

Canon may not have been first out of the gate with a flash-based camcorder--or second, or third--but one of its debut models, the high-definition Vixia HF100, gets it right the first time. A sleek, matte-gray compact model with a well-rounded feature set, great video, and excellent performance, the HF100 definitely deserves a spot on your short list of potential home-movie camcorders.

Unlike its brother, the HF10, the HF100 lacks built-in memory, including just a slot for SDHC removable flash. Aside from that and the color, the two models are identical. This review is based on our evaluation of the HF10. The petite HF100 weighs 15.1 ounces with SD card and battery and measures 2.9 by 2.5 by 5.1 inches--small and light enough to fit into a large jacket pocket, which is about as good as it gets on the horizontal designs. That's a hair smaller than its main competitor, the Sony Handycam HDR-CX7 and significantly more compact than its cousins, the hard-disk-based Vixia HG10 or tape-based Vixia HV30. The plastic body feels quite solid, too.

Fortunately, the HF100 doesn't seem to suffer from the usability issues that usually accompany shrinkage. The controls remain large and easy to operate, though Canon has relocated many of them. The Function button and joystick, which call up and navigate frequently needed shooting settings, now live on the LCD bezel. I'm not a big fan of designs that do this, mostly because I find it more difficult to simultaneously operate the controls and hold the camera steady when they're on the LCD than when they lie under my right thumb. In addition, manually focusing with the joystick on the camcorder's smallish 2.7-inch LCD can be a pain, regardless of the zoom-view focus assist. (For more on the design, click through to this slide show.)

It records AVCHD video at a maximum of 17 megabits per second (2 hours and 5 minutes of video), and can hold up to 6 hours and 5 minutes of video at the lowest bit rate of 5Mbps. That higher bit rate goes to support the full 1,920x1,080 capture, the norm for most of this year's new models, compared with 1,440x1,080 for older AVCHD camcorders that required only a 12Mbps maximum bit rate. You can record best-quality movies to the card as long as it's a Class 4 SDHC or better (Class 6 is currently fastest): the Class 4 16GB Kingston card I tested with worked fine.

Its optically stabilized f1.8-3.0 12X zoom lens has a longer reach than the typical 10x lens available in this class, but the rest of its features are pretty common in Canon's prosumer models. For video, these include aperture- and shutter-priority exposure modes, three fixed/one variable zoom speed options, a video light, Instant AF, and a wind-screen filter. You can also record in progressive 30 or 24 frames-per-second (fps) modes as well as 60i. For still photos, metering, flash, and burst and exposure bracketing options become available as well. The camcorder also supplies a complete set of ports and connectors: component or mini-HDMI out for direct-to-TV playback, mini headphone and mic jacks, and USB for downloading to computer. (You can find a complete list of the features in the product manual available via this PDF download.)

The new lens performs surprisingly well. Not only does the SuperRange optical image stabilization system work satisfactorily all the way out to the end, but the lens focuses quickly and holds the lock in both dim and bright conditions. Images look sharp, too. On the downside, high-contrast edges show more fringing than usual. The stereo microphone sits beneath the lens and generally delivers good audio quality. However, in recent models Canon changed the wind filter option from a forced-on to automatic, and ever since I've found it far less effective.

As is usual with compact designs, Canon provides a new 890mAh battery with the HF100, the BP-809, which is rated for about 55 minutes of typical recording time. The company offers an optional double-capacity battery, the BP-819. The larger battery likely ruins the svelte lines of the camcorder design, however.

Though the HF100 incorporates a smaller, 1/3.2-inch3.3-megapixelCMOS sensor than the HV30 and the CX7, the video still looks quite good: properly exposed, nicely saturated, and sharp. As expected, in low light the video displays more noise and a somewhat compressed tonal range, but retains a significant amount of detail and fares above average compared with the rest of its class.

An excellent choice for flash-based HD recording, the HF100 gives the CX7 a close run for the money, and it is a clear champion if you don't like the Sony's touch-screen interface. But then the real question becomes which model is the better deal--the Vixia HF10 or the HF100. The cost difference between the two exactly reflects the current price of the HF10's internal 16GB of flash memory, which makes it tempting to recommend buying the cheaper model and springing for an additional card when the prices inevitably fall (or paying the same for a larger card, when they inevitably ship) later in the year. On the other hand, the HF10's black body is a bit more attractive than the HF100's gray. Decisions, decisions.

Lenovo ThinkPad T400s (MultiTouch)

2009-10-13T09:06:00.000-07:00

Lenovo's ThinkPad brand is virtually synonymous with business laptops, and the company (like IBM before it) has spent years perfecting the nondescript black-box system, with its iconic TrackPoint and double set of mouse buttons.

We liked the 14-inch T400s ("s" for "slim") when we first saw it earlier this year (see that review), as it shaved some thickness and weight off the older T400 model. Now Lenovo is offering an enhanced version of the T400s, adding a multitouch touch screen and some custom touch-screen software. This is also the first laptop we've reviewed with the final shipping version of Windows 7 preinstalled.

The touch screen and accompanying SimpleTap software add a new wrinkle--one that had its appeal--but without a tablet-style swiveling display, we can see the real-world usefulness of adding touch to a standard laptop being somewhat limited.

It can be argued that Lenovo's build quality and attention to detail are second to none, and the T400s feels like a solid, heavy-duty machine that will stand up to a lot of action. ThinkPad buyers (either small business individuals or corporate IT departments) know what they're looking for and don't mind paying premium for it. The touch-screen T400s starts at $1,999, and includes Lenovo's ThinkVantage suite of business and security-minded software and hardware.

Price as reviewed / Starting price	$2,489/$1,999
Processor	2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SP9600
Memory	4GB, 667MHz DDR2
Hard drive	128GB SSD
Chipset	Intel GS45
Graphics	Intel GMA 4500M (integrated)
Operating System	Windows 7 Professional
Dimensions	13.2 inches wide by 9.4 inches deep
Height	1.1-1.3 inches
Screen size (diagonal)	14.1 inches
System weight / Weight with AC adapter	3.9/4.6 pounds

The basic design will be familiar to anyone who has used a ThinkPad in the last few years, with a black, buttoned-down look and the ever-present TrackPoint. Despite being fairly thin and lightweight, the T400s feels solid and sturdy, thanks to its carbon-fiber "roll cage" skeleton. Unlike most other laptops, the lid folds back a full 180 degrees, allowing the system to lie completely flat.

Lenovo spends a lot of effort constantly testing and refining its keyboards. For example, based on detailed analysis of user feedback, the Esc and Delete keys are much larger than normal. This is a traditional tapered-key design, instead of the wide, flat-topped keys nearly all consumer laptops use, and while it may not look as slick, the end result is indeed very comfortable and easy to use. Physical buttons for volume control, speaker mute, and mic mute are also useful.

The large touch pad is hard to see against the matte black wrist rest, but it has a subtle texture that helps your finger know where it's going. Nestled in the middle of the keyboard is a TrackPoint pointing stick--if you're a fan (or you grew up with one as your main laptop input method), it's indispensable. But, the need for a second set of mouse buttons, above the touch pad, eats up some keyboard tray real estate.

The biggest addition to this new version of the T400s is a multitouch display. Windows 7 is a very touch-friendly OS, making it easier for PC makers to add touch functionality. In this case, you can tap and drag Win 7 menus, folder, and files with your finger, as one would on a tablet PC--or there's a custom touch interface provided by Lenovo, called SimpleTap.

The SimpleTap interface lives as a small red button anchored to the side of the display. Tapping it opens the touch interface, which overlays your desktop, and provides a series of large button-like icons. As configured, it provides access to basic system functions, such as speaker volume and screen brightness. You can also turn on the small light above the display, turn the Webcam on and off, or even put the system to sleep.

By navigating to the exe file of any program, you can add a SimpleTap button for it to your collection, choosing its icon, background color, and location on the screen. Each of the small, square icons can also be dragged around to any location on the screen, or automatically regrouped in the center with the tap of a finger. The red button for launching SimpleTap can also be moved to any point along the outer edge of the screen by dragging it.

In practice, the SimpleTap software worked fairly well, although it wasn't as quick and responsive as the touch experience on an iPhone or iPod Touch (we have yet to find a tablet or touch-screen PC that comes close). However, when trying to use SimpleTap from any angle other than right in front of the screen (as one might when showing off a presentation to a group), the control was much less precise, and we often accidentally closed the entire app or sent the icons flying around the screen. Lenovo says the software is currently in beta, and will continue to improve.

A bigger issue, perhaps, is why you'd want a touch screen on a standard nontablet laptop. The practical applications seem limited, although we could see specific users finding tasks (media playback, photo manipulation, etc.) that could take advantage of it. As a $400 add-on to the T400s, it's certainly not an impulse upgrade.

The 14.1-inch wide-screen LED display offers a 1,440x900 native resolution, which is standard for a high-end screen this size (many less-expensive 14- and 15-inch laptops have 1,280x800 displays). The matte finish is a welcome relief from all the overly glossy displays we're exposed to on a weekly basis, and there's an antifingerprint coating that helps keep the screen looking good, even when using the touch functions.

	Lenovo T400s	Average for category [mainstream]
Video	VGA-out, DisplayPort	VGA-out, HDMI
Audio	Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks	Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks
Data	3 USB 2.0 (1 USB/eSATA), SD card reader	4 USB 2.0, SD card reader
Expansion	None	ExpressCard/54
Networking	Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, optional WWAN	Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, optional WWAN
Optical drive	DVD burner	DVD burner

ThinkPads are among the only laptops we've seen in a long time to still have ports and connections on the rear edge of the system. There you'll find both DisplayPort and VGA outs, plus two of the system's three USB connections (one is a combo eSATA port, the other is helpfully labeled as a powered USB port).

One odd configuration note: you're forced to choose between an SD card reader or an ExpressCard/34 slot; you can't have both (we got the SD card reader). Our review configuration also included a 128GB SSD hard drive, which is $200 more than a standard 200GB 5,400rpm HDD.

Windows 7 Professional will seem very familiar to Vista users, and somewhat less so to those still using Windows XP. You can read our full review of Windows 7 for a detailed analysis, but there are a handful of tweaks and features that seemed of particular importance to laptop users.

The most jarring change for many will be the displaced Show Desktop button. Instead of living on the left side of the taskbar, it's now in the system tray on the far right side, and without its familiar icon--it's just a tiny, glowing rectangle. Hovering over it with your mouse turns every open window transparent, except for a thin ghostly outline, and clicking the button, as before, minimizes every active window.

The revamped taskbar can also display thumbnails of all the windows you have open in a particular application (for example, Firefox browser windows), by hovering the pointer over the appropriate taskbar icon. Click on any of these tiny thumbnails to bring that window to the forefront.

Intel's high-end 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo SP9600 offers a good balance between energy efficiency and computing power. Compared with other systems with high-end Intel Core 2 Duo CPUs, the T400s performed admirably, and often slightly faster than laptops only a few months old. We'll have to wait until we have more Windows 7 systems tested to determine if there is indeed a performance dividend in real-world testing. In hands-on use, the T400s felt quick and responsive, much as we'd expect from a $2,000 business laptop.

The Lenovo ThinkPad T400s ran for 3 hours and 33 minutes on our video playback battery drain test, using the included six-cell battery. That's decent for a mainstream laptop, but not near the all-day computing holy grail for business systems. Our battery drain test is especially grueling, so you can expect longer life from casual Web surfing and office use.

Lenovo includes a one-year, parts-and-labor, mail-in warranty with the system, although for a high-end business laptop, we'd expect a three-year plan as standard. Upgrading to a three-year plan will cost an extra $100, or $186 for three years of next-business-day, on-site service. Support is accessible through a 24-7, toll-free phone line, and an easy-to-navigate online support site with a knowledge base and driver downloads.

Iriver P7 (8GB, silver)

2009-10-09T08:19:00.000-07:00

The Iriver P7 is an attractive touch-screen portable video player, offered in 8GB ($169) and 16GB ($199) capacities. Like its smaller cousin, the Iriver SPINN, the P7 sports an aluminum design and offers music, video, radio, and photo playback, as well as voice recording and a text reader. You won't find advanced features such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi on the P7, but its relatively low price and large, 4.3-inch screen make it a tempting purchase for video fans.

Design
We have some legitimate gripes with the P7, but design isn't one of them. The P7's sleek aluminum body looks like it belongs in a modern art museum. In fact, even the plastic carton the P7 is packaged in looks like a design student's graduate project.

The P7 measures 4.5 inches across, 3 inches tall, and a relatively svelte 0.5 inch thick. The overall form is more pocket-friendly than the chunkier design of the Cowon O2, feeling more like an Archos 5 with a shrunken screen. The majority of the P7 is operated using touch-screen control, however, you'll find teeny, tiny buttons for power, menu, and volume on the top edge of the player. The P7's headphone jack is on the right edge, along with a hold switch, and a microSD memory slot covered by a plastic door.

While the P7's hardware looks like it takes a few cues from Apple, the touch-screen interface is entirely unique. Iriver appropriately describes the main menu screen as magazinelike, laying out each of the player's functions on a single screen, compartmentalized into an attractive arrangement of boxes. If you're accustomed to scrolling though menus, the P7's Mondrian-esque layout takes a little time to grow on you. After spending some time with it, we can't say the layout offers any practical advantages, but it's a pleasant break from the norm.

Once you dial down into the P7's music and photo menus, the single-page interface of the main menu eventually gives way to a more common list view. Unlike the iPod Touch's smooth, swift, and responsive song lists, sorting through your music on the P7 requires patience and a precise touch on a slim graphical scroll bar. If you plan on storing a large music collection on the P7, prepare for some navigation frustration.

The Iriver P7 comes bundled with earbuds, a touch-screen stylus, a USB cable, and a mini CD filled with software.

Features
The P7 is easy on the eyes, but the features are nothing to write home about. Despite the movie-worthy 4.3-inch screen with a 480x272 resolution, video really isn't the P7's strong suit. On paper, support for formats such as AVI, MP4, WMV, MPG, FLV, XVID, H.264, and a handful of others, makes the P7's video capabilities seem very impressive. In practice, however, we found that the P7 didn't offer the kind of drag-and-drop video format and resolution flexibility we've seen from competitors such as the Cowon O2 or Archos 605 WiFi. Just like the smaller-screened Samsung P3 or Iriver SPINN, we found ourselves spending extra time converting the videos we wanted to watch on the P7 using the included software. Power users and the patient-minded may be able to put up with the P7's particular video requirements, but people looking for drag-and-drop simplicity should look elsewhere.

In spite of our complaints about the sluggish, unfriendly design of the P7's music menu navigation, the audio capabilities of the P7 are arguably the best feature of the device. The P7 supports MP3, WMA, FLAC, WAV, and OGG file formats, along with album artwork and lyrics, but leaves out the AAC format critical for playing back music purchased from iTunes. Songs are listed in either an ID3 tag sort (Album, Artist, Genre, Playlist) or presented as the user's own custom list of folders. Once a song is playing, you can apply custom or preset EQ (there's also some nice SRS WOW HD enhancement settings), change the playback mode (shuffle, repeat, etc.), rate the song on a five-star scale, and even view song lyric information embedded within the file's ID3 tag. There are also settings for bookmarking, looping, or saving files to a custom playlist.

Between the P7 and the similarly priced Cowon O2, we're a little torn when it comes to each player's audio capabilities. Neither device shines in terms of touch-screen menu navigation, but we suspect the O2's AAC support is more important than its lack of ID3 song sorting (some will surely disagree).

P7 features, such as the FM radio and text reader, are nice to have, but unexceptional. The photo viewer, like most aspects of the P7, is a little sluggish. At best, transitions between photographs take 3 seconds to complete, and the image browser uses the same tiny, tedious scroll bar found on the music player.

Voice recordings are also disappointing. Recordings are made to WMA files and include the same ever-present high-pitched mechanical whine we hear on most MP3 player voice memo recorders. What's maddening is that there's no way to monitor the quality of the recordings you're making, either by hearing them over headphones in real time or by seeing a visual indication of the recording input volume. With all of the P7's screen real estate, you'd think they could slap on a nifty graphic VU to offer some reassurance that the microphone is working.

The main menu of the Iriver P7 is laid out on a single page like a magazine. We found no practical advantage for the layout, but it sure is pretty.

Performance
The Iriver P7's rated battery life of 35 hours of audio and 7 hours of video is impressive for a device that costs less than $200. Our CNET Labs came up with results that weren't too far off from iRiver's predictions, with an average of 37.5 hours of audio playback and 7.75 hours of video. Video and photo image quality are comparable to the Cowon O2, although we encountered dramatic screen darkening while tilting the P7's screen at an upward viewing angle. For audio, the P7's default sound is as rich as what you'll hear from an iPod or a Zune, but with enough help from the integrated EQ and suite of SRS audio enhancements, you can sweeten the sound to fit your taste.

The biggest performance disappointment of the Iriver P7 is the included PC software. Three main apps come bundled on the included CD: a firmware updater; an Iriver-branded app for transferring media to the P7; and a video converter. Under Windows XP, we installed all three applications, and had trouble with each one of them. Initially, the firmware updater wouldn't recognize the P7 and told us so with a barrage of repetitive alerts. After rebooting the computer and the P7 and switching up the device's USB protocol (switchable between UMS and MTP), we finally got the updater to stick. The Iriver media transfer software (named Iriver Plus 3) promised to transfer our music, photos, and video directly to the P7, but turned out to be utterly useless. Even the seemingly simple task of using the software to transfer music to the P7 caused repeated crashes of both the software and the device. In the end, we uninstalled the application, and opted to drag and drop our media directly to the device or use Windows Media Player.

The included movie converter application was the least disappointing of the bunch, although it required the P7 to be set in MTP mode for the software to recognize it. We also noticed that the movie application refused to recognize some of our MP4 and MOV files, which is odd for an application made expressly for converting diverse video file types.

All in all, the Iriver P7 is a beautiful looking product with an affordable price, but its features come up short on just about every front. The music player offers a lot of flexibility, but navigation is pokey. The video player is given a nice, big screen, but file support isn't as good as it seems, the conversion software is limited, and viewing angles aren't great. While competitors aren't as pretty as the P7, we feel most people will prefer the features and flexibility of the Cowon O2 or the older (but still beloved) Archos 605 WiFi.

Samsung Q2 (16GB)

2009-10-09T08:18:00.000-07:00

The MP3 player market has done nothing but benefit from the decline in flash memory prices. One of many examples can be found in the Samsung Q2, a plain-looking device that comes in 8GB and 16GB versions for just $99.99 and $129.99, respectively. The Q2 is priced well below its competitors--particularly the 16GB version--and it delivers an excellent value, thanks to good sound quality and a nice array of handy features. However, we're not taken with the player's design.

On first glance, the Samsung Q2 appears pretty sleek, but up close, the plastic design leaves a little to be desired. The light-up touch-pad controls on the face and chrome-like border wrapping around the edges do add hints of style, but overall, the unit has a rather generic look that doesn't seem particularly innovative at this stage in the game. Of course, it's a budget player, so we can't expect the Q2 to have the slick, weighty feel of the P3. It's certainly a reasonably compact player, measuring 3.9 inches by 1.9 inches by 0.4 inch, and the display is relatively large at 2.4-inches diagonal.

The screen--a QVGA number with 320x240-pixel resolution--offers excellent clarity and color saturation. Also, the icon-driven interface is exceptionally easy to navigate, although we found ourselves drawn to touch the screen in an attempt to control the unit, which is not an option. Also, the touch pad may not appeal to some and makes blind navigation impossible--especially since there isn't even a dedicated volume rocker. The only tactile buttons are on the right side (a power/hold key and record button).

Although its construction strikes us as fairly cheap, the Samsung Q2 does pack in an impressive amount of features for the price. You can connect the player to either a Mac (UMS) or Windows (MTP) operating system, and choose between jukebox or drag-and-drop transfer modes. To that end, the device also offers a folder navigation option onboard, in case you prefer that style of browsing for content. Music (MP3, Flac, OGG, WMA) is also organized into the artist, album, and playlist step-down structure. In addition to that media, the Q2 also supports MPEG4 and WMV video as well as JPEG photos. If you get sick of your own content, you can flip on the FM tuner, which includes rudimentary RBDS capability, autoscanning, preset modes, and a recording function. There's even a built-in mic for making voice recordings, and the player accepts text files and datacasts. You may also create one on-the-fly playlist on the device itself.

Hands-on testing proved that the Samsung Q2 is a solid performer across the board, although audio is not as stellar as that offered by the P3. However, you get a plethora of sound enhancement options as well as a five-band user EQ, so most listeners should be able to fine tune things to their liking. In general, music sounded clear and warm, with reasonable, but not thumping, bass response. Although we could hear plenty of high-end detail, it was not as sparkling as that offered by the Q2's touch-screen cousin. Also, the battery life for audio is dismal: CNET Labs clocked it at just 6.9 hours. Video, on the other hand, fared OK, clocking in at 4 hours. But we still have no issues recommending this player as a solid budget option.

Sony S-Series Walkman (second generation, 8GB, violet)

2009-10-09T08:16:00.000-07:00

Sony had a major success with the launch of the S-Series Walkman in the fall of 2008. The company stepped up with a sleek and compact device that offered a bounty of useful features along with stellar sound quality and fantastic battery life. As might be expected, when it came time for a second-gen model, we waited with bated breath, expecting something equally impressive or perhaps even somewhat improved. Unfortunately, the exhalation of said breath has emerged as a disappointed sigh. Although the second-generation S-Series Walkman still offers top-notch audio and excellent rated battery life, Sony has hobbled the player by crippling its feature set. The upshot is that this was done in the name of rock-bottom pricing, which makes the S-Series one of the cheapest flash players on the market: you can pick up an 8GB model for $110 and a 16GB for just $130. This--combined with its excellent sound quality and battery life--is the player's saving grace.

Design and interface
For better or for worse, the second-gen S-Series Walkman is noticeably larger than its predecessor. The nice thing about this is it allows for a larger, more video-friendly screen, and the 2.4-inch QVGA LCD is every bit as crisp, colorful, and bright as before. The bigger chassis also allows for a pair of integrated external speakers that flank both sides of the display and pass through to ports on the back of the device for more air flow (something that generally equates to better sound quality). Of course, this means that the new S-Series is not quite as pocket-friendly as the previous iteration, measuring nearly 4 inches long and 2 inches across, though it is only a fraction thicker at 0.4 inch. Also, because of the speaker placement, the player strongly resembles a cell phone, a fact that may or may not deter some users.

Below the screen, Sony has built in its typical circular control pad: a standard four-way directional button surrounding a central play/pause key. This is flanked by two additional buttons--back (home) and option (power)--which are arranged in such a way that one can't help but picture Mickey Mouse. Still, the Disneyesque look doesn't hinder the navigation of the device, which is a breeze. A grid of icons for the main functions makes up the top menu, while the music submenu is handily divided into artist, album, genre, and so on. Playlists, however, are only accessible through a separate, dedicated section, which is a bit odd though not really a navigational hindrance. Unfortunately, the S-Series still does not offer an on-the-go playlist option.

Although the second-gen S-Series Walkman appears to be constructed out of a material similar to what was used for its predecessor, it has a more plastic-y feel that makes it seem a bit cheaper. However, it offers the same shiny, metallic topcoat--in a choice of red, pink, violet, or black--and the player still retains a somewhat sleek and sexy look. We also appreciate that Sony held onto the dedicated volume rocker on the left spine. Here, you'll also find two switches: one for locking the controls (hold) and another for toggling between speaker and headphone modes. The standard headphone jack along with Sony's proprietary USB port live on the bottom edge.

Feature subtraction
It would stand to reason that the second-gen S-Series Walkman is probably a few features short of its predecessor, namely because the entry price is significantly lower. We expected, for example, that this player would probably do away with the integrated noise-canceling functionality and the upgraded packaged headphones--both of those extras represent a cost to the company. What is baffling, however, is the fact that Sony also eliminated core interface-based features such as distinguished podcast support and the smart playlist creator, SensMe Channels. Podcasts are now lumped in with the general music catalog and thus have no bookmarking feature and will playback on shuffle--a glaring annoyance. You also won't find Rhapsody DNA integration, which, while a less surprising omission, is no less disappointing.

These deficiencies certainly mar the S-Series legacy, but the player still includes a fair amount of features for the price. You get support for MP3, secure WMA, AAC, and Linear PCM (Sony's version of WAV) audio as well as JPEG photo, but again a disappointment here: you can no longer set your own photos as wallpaper. There's also video playback for AVC, MPEG-4, and WMV, though this is crippled by the fact that the player is very particular about the size, frame rate, and container of video files. However, we do appreciate the support for videos purchased and rented from Amazon Video On Demand.

The S-Series Walkman also offers a built-in FM tuner with autoscanner and up to 30 preset slots as well as a recording feature. And there's a pinhole mic on the bottom of the unit for taking voice notes, for which you can choose from three quality settings. The external speakers afford a final bonus: you can use the Walkman as an alarm clock and wake up to the radio or a track of your choosing.

Performance to the rescue
Considering how much Sony managed to strip down the S-Series Walkman in its second iteration, it was with some trepidation that we approached the performance of the device. Luckily, it's going to take more than a severe price cut to infringe upon Sony's long history of stellar sound quality and long battery lives. The only area that isn't particularly stunning is the speaker playback, which is rather unsurprisingly tinny and anemic. It's clear and fairly loud, though, so it gets the job done, and the battery life of 17 hours for audio and 5 hours for video is more than decent.

Naturally, when you listen to the S-Series Walkman through a good set of headphones (the Klipsch Image S4, in our case), the sound quality enjoys a dramatic improvement. Music sounds rich, warm, and defined across genres, with sparkly highs and buttery mids. Bass is punchy and encompassing without being overpowering--it's just the amount of low-end oomph we crave. The best part is that the device provides excellent audio across a full gamut of genres, which means it would make a great "everyman's" MP3 player. (And there are plenty of EQ settings to toy with, though no SRS Wow settings here.) Plus, the rated battery life of 42 hours for audio and 6.5 hours for video is nothing to scoff at, and we expect to match or beat those numbers in our CNET Labs testing (check back soon for final scores on that).

Similarly, photos and videos look fantastic on the bright screen, with excellent color saturation, crisp edges, and little-to-no visible pixelation (depending on the original quality of the files). Viewing angles are also great, though you probably wouldn't want to share for long with such a tiny screen. Finally, FM reception is well above average, and our test voice recordings came through very clear with little hiss.

Final thoughts
The Sony S-Series Walkman offers excellent audio playback, a long battery life, a nice screen, a simple interface, and some decent extras for little money--it's obviously a great value. Indeed, it's easy to recommend this player to budget-minded people who are looking for an introduction to the Walkman line. But those who have experienced the previous generation S-Series will be very disappointed by the successor to the line. Although the new version is much cheaper, it represents a diluted version of its former self. In this case, newer definitely does not mean better.

Apple iPod Nano (fifth generation, 8GB, green)

2009-10-09T08:14:00.000-07:00

The iPod Nano MP3 player continues Apple's legacy of packing a multitude of features into a colorful, impossibly thin design and comes reasonably priced at $149 (8GB) and $179 (16GB). This time around, Apple is branching out of its iPod formula in a small, but not insignificant way by gracing the back of the Nano with its own video camera. If you've ever considered buying an iPod Nano, the fifth-generation model is the best one yet.

Design
In 2008, Apple broke away from the traditionally flat, rectangular iPod design and surprised customers with a curved, wing-shaped iPod Nano. It's safe to assume that Apple is still pleased with that design, since the fifth-generation model is nearly identical to its predecessor, measuring 3.5 inches tall by 1.6 inches wide by 0.25 inch thick at its center.

To distinguish itself from previous models, the latest Nano includes a slightly larger 2.2-inch screen (up from 2 inches) and a glossy, polished aluminum finish that one CNET editor described as looking like a Christmas tree ornament. However, the easiest way to tell that you're holding a fifth-generation iPod Nano is to flip it over. Unlike its fourth-generation sibling, the latest Nano has a bead-size camera lens on its lower left backside. The lens runs flush with the Nano's aluminum body, but if the worn-and-scratched back of our fourth-generation Nano is any indication, we advise investing in a protective case to keep the camera in good working order.

The fifth-generation iPod Nano (shown center) offers a larger screen than its predecessor (left). Still, video fans should consider stepping up to a product with a larger screen, such as the Zune HD (shown right) or iPod Touch.

The user interface of the 5G Nano remains almost entirely unchanged with the exception of a few new menu items for the video camera, FM radio, and fitness features. The larger 2.2-inch screen can now display up to 12 lines of menu text (up from 10) and the Now Playing screen lists artist, album, and title information in three bolder, more readable lines at the top of the screen.

The majority of the Nano's hardware design elements remain the same as well. Apple's iconic Click Wheel navigation can still be found on the front of the device, just below the curved glass screen. The Nano's wheel measures just an inch wide, but its operation is no less intuitive and responsive than the larger wheels on other iPods. A durable hold switch still graces the top of the Nano's, and an off-center dock connection and headphone jack are found on its bottom. Be aware, though, that Apple reversed the location of the dock and headphone ports, which may create some compatibility issues with third-party accessories and docks, or possibly cause an awkward fit. As usual, Apple includes a white, molded plastic universal dock fitting for the new Nano, which could help in adapting any docking iPod accessories you already own.

Features
All of the features from last year's Nano have migrated to the fifth-generation model, including music, video, and podcast playback, as well as extras such as photos, calendar, games, alarms, stopwatch, contacts, notes, and clocks. If that weren't enough, Apple has upped the ante with an integrated pedometer, Genius Mix support, voice recording, a built-in speaker, video camera, and an FM radio that we've been asking for since 2001.

Even with the Nano's ever-growing stable of features, music playback is still the beating heart of this iPod. As a portable extension of Apple's popular iTunes computer software, the Nano offers an impressive number of options for playing music, audiobooks, and podcasts. The Nano supports all audio formats such as MP3, AAC, AIFF, and Apple Lossless, and it's a breeze to transfer media using Apple's iTunes software (a required install). For those of you with collections of WMA audio files, iTunes will handle converting your unprotected files (DRM-protected WMA files are a not convertible) into an iPod-compatible format. Niche formats, such FLAC and OGG, will also need to be converted; however, you'll need to use third-party software to get the job done.

The iPod Nano's ties with iTunes also brings fantastic media features, including standard, smart, and Genius playlists; the latter creates instantaneous 25 song playlists based around the characteristics of any of your favorite tunes. Aside from turning playlist creation into a simple, one-click affair, Genius playlists can be created directly on the iPod Nano, eliminating the hassle of creating and syncing playlists through iTunes.

Taking the Genius playlist experience one-step further, Apple has introduced a new feature called Genius Mixes, offering extended playlists of music grouped around a common genre. You can think of Genius Playlists as a more evolved take on shuffling your music library, with selections constrained by genre and ordered according to Apple's secret Genius mojo. Unlike Genius playlists, Mixes require no effort to create--they simply appear on your iPod as part of the automatic syncing process of iTunes. Understand, however, that if you set up iTunes to manage your iPod manually or prefer not to activate the Genius feature in iTunes, Genius Mixes will not appear on your Nano.

Another advantage of the iPod/iTunes relationship is the capability to download and transfer movies, TV shows, music videos, video podcasts, and other video content with minimal fuss. The Nano also handles iTunes-rented movies, many priced as low as $0.99, but typically costing about $3. Other welcome features on the Nano's video player include support for chapter markers, playback auto-resume, video podcasts, and subtitles. If you're wondering what video looks like on a device that's hardly larger than a pack of chewing gum--well, you'd be surprised. The extra twentieth of an inch added to the Nano's pixel-dense 240x376 resolution screen is a fairly significant bump over the previous model's 2-inch screen--especially when it comes to viewing videos formatted with a wide-screen aspect ratio. With its significantly larger screen, the iPod Touch is still the better choice if you plan to watch TV shows and movies frequently. However, for casually viewing short-form videos and podcasts, or showing off videos shot with the Nano's video camera, the quality and size of the screen makes is more than adequate.

A video camera and microphone are welcome additions to the iPod Nano; however, we're not crazy about the way they're placed right where you naturally want to hold the device.

The Nano's video camera
Of all the bells and whistles Apple added to the fifth-generation iPod Nano, the video camera is the most notable. Placed on the back of the Nano in the lower right corner (or lower left, if you're looking at the back), the small, bead-size lens brings yet another convenient and useful feature to an already impressive product. We're not thrilled with the camera's video quality, the location of the lens behind your hand, or the inability to take still photos, but it's difficult to criticize when you consider the Nano's relatively low price. A comparable, VGA-resolution video camera such as the Flip Mino has a street price of $130 and includes only a fraction of the features found on the Nano.

There are plenty of nice things to say about the Nano's video camera. First, the Nano's camera is easy to use, letting you to jump right into recording after only two clicks from the main menu. Its 640x480-pixel resolution and MP4/H.264 video recording format (bit rates range between 2,500Kbps and 2,800Kbps) works natively in iTunes and most video playback software as well as video streaming Web sites including YouTube, Flickr, and Facebook. With up to 8GB of storage, the Nano can store an impressive 16 hours of recorded video, and as far as convenience goes, you'll have a difficult time finding a smaller, lighter video camera than the iPod Nano.

In a perfect world, the iPod Nano would be able to shoot still photos in addition to video. Unfortunately, it can't.

In spite of its features, many factors prevent us from recommending the Nano as a camcorder when other options are available. Without a case, it's impossible to use the Nano without repeatedly smudging and abusing the lens on its back. Holding the Nano sideways and gripping its 0.25 inch-thick edges takes practice and patience. Its indoor video quality is poor, and without even basic controls for brightness and contrast, there's nothing you can do to compensate for bad lighting. The iPod's proprietary USB cable and one-computer allegiance makes it difficult to transfer videos to computers other than your own. Its videos are often shaky because of the Nano's exceptionally lightweight design. The Nano's internal tilt-sensor mistakenly recorded some of our videos sideways, requiring intervening software (such as iPhoto) to correct the orientation. There's no easy way to display your recordings on a television without purchasing a video dock or third-party video output accessory. Finally, audio from the Nano's pinhole microphone is easily distorted by wind noise. If you're serious about recording video on a sub-$200 budget, we prefer the image quality of the Flip Ultra HD (here's an image quality comparison).

These complaints aside, there's nothing about the Nano's newfound video recording capabilities that ruin the product. We wouldn't go out of our way to use the Nano's video camera over the one on our mobile phone, camcorder, or point-and-shoot camera; however, we're glad to have the option to shoot video with a Nano. The only instance where the Nano's camera might prove problematic is any situation where privacy concerns are at stake. With an increasing number of schools and health clubs banning camera phones because of privacy concerns, the Nano's video camera might be unwelcome in some circumstances. For better or worse, the Nano offers no outward indication (neither light, nor sound) when it enters video recording mode--making it a particularly small and stealth device for those interested in recording video unnoticed.

We never thought we'd live to see the day Apple would grace the iPod with an FM radio. Usually, we'd be pretty snarky about the late addition, but to Apple's credit, the Nano's radio includes some advanced features you won't find anywhere else.

FM radio
It seems hard to believe, but the fifth-generation Nano marks the first time Apple has included a built-in FM radio on an iPod. We have no idea why it took Apple eight years to bring radio to the iPod, but to Apple's credit, its FM radio is one of the best we've used on a portable device.

Common radio features such as station presets, selectable world radio bands, and manual or automatic station scanning control, are all handled in Apple's typical and intuitive style. Going beyond the competition, Apple's FM tuner includes support for radio station RDS data (often identifying artist and song title information, along with station call letters), including the capability to tag songs for later purchase, and even lets you pause and resume radio playback. We've seen song tagging and RDS support before, in Microsoft's Zune media player (looks like the Zune is actually teaching the iPod a few tricks), but the capability to pause, rewind, and resume audio playback are features that are unique to the iPod Nano. The Nano's time-shifting capabilities come courtesy of its built-in memory cache that can hold up to 15 minutes of recorded radio temporarily until you decide to resume playback.

We had limited luck using the Nano to tag songs from the radio; mostly because of a lack of area stations broadcasting the full RDS data required to identify songs, we had the same tagging problem when using the Zune. Song tagging aside, the Nano's FM reception was great overall, and its radio pausing feature came in handy more often then we imagined (especially during restroom breaks, phone calls, and other distractions). Like the radios on most MP3 players, the Nano uses the wiring of your headphones as its antenna--so be aware that changes in headphones, or using different headphones, may affect reception quality.

Voice memos
Recording voice memos is technically not a new feature for the iPod Nano, but previous generations of the Nano required an investment in compatible headsets or recording accessories to use the feature. Now that the Nano includes a built-in microphone, recordings can be made without additional accessories. However, if you're serious about using the Nano as a voice recorder, spending a little money on a better microphone isn't a bad idea. In our tests, we found the Nano's microphone placement causes a considerable amount of noise caused by handling the device to be captured. If you're careful to keep your fingers away from the internal microphone--no easy task with the mic behind the Click Wheel)--the 128Kbps AAC recordings made by the Nano get the job done and conveniently import directly into iTunes labeled with the recording's time and date.

Need some extra motivation at the gym? The Nano includes a built-in pedometer to help you track your steps and how many calories you burn.

Extras
Under the Nano's Extras menu, you'll find a list of features almost as long as the main menu's list. Traditional extras such as an alarm, stopwatch, calendar, games, contacts, clock, notes, and voice memos, have all made the jump to the Nano in its fifth-generation. A new item labeled Fitness now graces the Extras menu, grouping together a new pedometer feature with any other fitness-related items introduced by third-party add-ons, such as Nike+iPod kit.

The Nano's small, lightweight size already makes it a big hit with the fitness crowd, but the introduction of an integrated pedometer can only help its reputation. The pedometer records your steps, estimates how many calories you've burned, and lets you transfer the data to the Nike+ Web site whenever the Nano is connected to a computer. Nike+ Web accounts are free to create, but don't act surprised when they try to sell you on the Nike+iPod hardware kit.

Although not found in the Extras menu, the fifth-generation iPod Nano includes another new bonus feature called VoiceOver. Introduced as a necessary feature for Apple's button-less third-generation iPod Shuffle, VoiceOver gives your iPod the capability to announce artist, song, and playlist information in a multilingual synthetic voice. The feature comes in handy when you have the Nano in your pocket or bag and want to identify the currently playing song without taking your eyes off whatever you're doing. To use the VoiceOver feature, you'll need to install an optional voice kit software package for iTunes (the download is free) and purchase a pair of headphones that include a compatible iPod remote.

Performance
In spite of the dizzying assortment of features Apple has brought to the fifth-generation iPod Nano, its audio quality and battery life haven't budged. Apple rates the battery of the fourth-generation iPod Nano at a respectable 24 hours of audio playback and 5 hours of video playback (up from 4 hours), but neglects to estimate figures for video camera use. Once CNET Labs' testing is complete, we'll update this review with results.

Sound quality is not one of the Nano's (or any iPod's) strong suits. Apple has gone another year without introducing any sound-enhancement settings to the iPod line beyond its traditional slew of EQ presets. To be fair, while the iPod Nano doesn't offer the sonic richness and advanced EQ settings of a Sony X-Series or Cowon S9 player, its audio sounds balanced and should please most listeners. To make a dramatic improvement to any iPod's sound performance, we highly recommend upgrading from the stock Apple earbuds.

Video playback on the fifth-generation iPod Nano is better than ever, although holding your iPod sideways still takes some mental adjustment. The wide-screen-friendly, crisp, 204ppi display makes watching a full-length movie on your iPod Nano a legitimate (but still somewhat silly) possibility. Compared with the flat screens of the iPod Touch and iPod Classic, the fourth-generation's rounded glass screen makes it difficult to eliminate glare, but images still look remarkably bright and clear on it. Like most portable video players, the iPod has specific file requirements for video playback, so you may have to spend some time converting video on your computer before transferring it. Fortunately, the iPod Nano's video formats are widely known by purveyors of Internet video, which often arrives preformatted for the iPod.

The iTunes factor
If you're considering buying an iPod for the first time, we feel it's worthwhile to remind you that Apple's iTunes software is a required installation for your computer. The software is free and available for both Mac OS X and Windows computers, and we encourage potential iPod owners to get familiar with the software ahead of time to ensure that it works well for you and your computer. To learn more about iTunes, we recommend checking out CNET Download.com's latest review and any user feedback associated with it.

Worth the upgrade?
It's hard not to be swayed by all of the Nano's new features--especially its video camera. If you have an older iPod and you've been waiting for an excuse to upgrade, you can rest assured that the fifth-generation Nano is the best Nano yet.

That said, with the highly rated 8GB iPod Touch sitting pretty at just $199, you'll need to decide whether the Nano's slim design, FM radio, pedometer, and video camera are more meaningful to you than the touch screen, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and App capabilities of the iPod Touch. From our perspective, it's hard to go wrong either way, but the bright colors, sturdy construction, and lightweight design of the Nano make it an easy choice for children and athletic types.

HTC Hero (unlocked)

2009-10-06T08:21:00.000-07:00

The HTC Hero (also known as the T-Mobile G2 Touch) is a fantastic touch-screen smartphone with enough style and power to take on Apple's iPhone 3GS and come out alive. It has zillions of useful features that make it a pleasure to use, from an address book that links to Facebook to a Teflon coating that dodges finger grease. We wish it were slightly faster, and its little chin may scare babies, but the Hero could rescue us from our iPhone addiction.

Chin-tastic good looks
We feared for the Hero when we first saw its publicity snaps. It looked like a trimmed-down version of its ugly older brother, the T-Mobile G1, because of its oddly angled chin. Thankfully, the Hero is much better-looking in person, although we still prefer the looks of its predecessor, the HTC Magic. Rakish beveled edges, a subtle brushed-metal trim, and a matte surface on the case--made of fingerprint-fighting Teflon--all add up to a phone that we'd be proud to wield.

See Sense
The Hero is the first phone to tweak the user interface of the Android operating system. HTC is calling its user experience "Sense," and we love what it's done.

The Hero's chin plays host to plenty of controls, including a rather unnecessary trackball

There are seven home screens that you can swap with the swipe of a finger, and you can add a range of widgets and shortcuts, as well as customizing the wallpaper. You can use Android widgets, and download more from the Android Market, but the ones that HTC has built for the Hero deserve special mention. The Twitter widget, for example, shows a live stream of tweets, and the e-mail widget lets you flip through your e-mail right from the home screen with a flick of a finger. The design of some of the widgets reminded of us the Palm Pre's 'deck of cards' user interface, and it's a good look.

You can also change your whole configuration, depending on your mood, by creating your own themes, known as "scenes." For example, if you don't want to see your work calendar on your home screen on the weekend because those Monday meetings stress you out, you can switch to your "fun" scene, with your music-player widget and relaxing beach wallpaper, instead.

The Twitter widget shows a live stream of tweets

So many choices could be overwhelming for some people, but the phone is set up well right out of the box, so you don't have to change anything if you don't want to.

Social network in your pants
We loved how the Hero grabbed our Facebook and Gmail contacts and merged them together in the address book. This feature can be a nightmare if your Gmail address book is unorganized, since it will drag in everyone you've ever emailed, so definitely clean up before you sync. But we liked how our friends' Facebook profile pictures and birthdays were merged with their numbers and e-mails, especially since the Hero ignores friends that aren't in your phone book.

The Hero also pulls in your Facebook and Flickr photo albums, and your friends' albums, and shows their photos alongside their contact information. Unfortunately, it doesn't support any other social-networking sites. According to HTC, there are no plans for MySpace, Bebo, and the like to get a look in. You can grab apps and widgets for those sites from the Android Market, but you won't see them in the address book and photo gallery.

Shopaholic
The Android Market is less censored than the iPhone's App Store, but that has both positive and negative consequences. There are loads of great apps on there and most of them free, but they don't tend to be as slick as iPhone apps, and finding good ones is tougher. When you do find good apps, though, they're easy to install.

The truth about typing
One of the most important features on a touch-screen phone is its onscreen keyboard, since you can't fall back on physical buttons. The Hero's keyboard is one of the best we've seen, both in its landscape and portrait modes. It offers a QWERTY layout, with excellent predictive text, and you can run through a training mode to help it learn your particular tapping quirks. There's a separate number keyboard, but you can hold down a letter key to insert punctuation and numbers into text without having to switch--a handy feature for typing things like passwords, which often contain a mix of letters and numbers.

The Hero boasts multitouch functionality but it doesn't, for some reason, work with Google Maps. Disappointingly, you have to use the zoom icons on the screen

Like the iPhone after its most recent update, the Hero supports cut, copy, and paste. There's even spell-checking functionality, although it's turned off by default.

Life in the slow lane
But it's not all sunshine and lollipops. Sadly, HTC has saddled the Hero with its old favorite Qualcomm 528MHz processor--the same as the Magic. Using the keyboard reveals the Hero's occasional sluggishness--switching between the landscape and portrait keyboards takes ever-so-slightly too long. Similarly, the phone sometimes seems to hesitate slightly when you're swiping around the home screens and interacting with the widgets.

We found the Hero to be stable, and, unlike the Magic, it rarely hung or crashed, but the occasional lag could get annoying when you're using the phone every day. One way to reduce the lag is to turn off the widgets, but we think that's a real shame, since they're among our favorite features.

Another area where the Hero bests the Magic is battery life. It's quite good for a touch-screen smartphone. We had no trouble getting a full day's use out of the Hero, even with plenty of Wi-Fi surfing and use of Bluetooth.

Solid Web surfer
Surfing the Web on the Hero is a pleasure, thanks to its accurate browser, which includes Flash support, so you won't miss a single whizzy ad. In our tests, however, the Hero didn't handle Flash video very well--our Crave TV videos were far too jerky to watch. And, unfortunately, the BBC iPlayer site's version of Flash didn't seem to be supported at all, so we had to rely on the dodgy beebPlayer app. We couldn't watch videos on the YouTube site either, but the built-in YouTube app worked perfectly.

The Hero has good connectivity, with Wi-Fi and 7.2Mbps HSPA for faster data over 3G, but we found the browser didn't load or switch windows quickly enough. We look forward to installing Opera and seeing if it does a better job. One fantastic addition to the Hero, as opposed to earlier Android phones, is multitouch capability, so you can zoom into pages with a pinch of your fingers to get at those tiny links.

Multitouch also comes in handy for zooming into photos, but, unfortunately, it's nowhere to be found in Google Maps. We had to use zoom buttons on the screen, which means we could only zoom into the center of the map. We were very disappointed to see Google Maps working less well on a Google Android phone than on the iPhone.

There's also a trackball for navigating your way around. It could be useful with Web pages and text, but we think it's overkill when there's such a responsive touch screen at hand. Overall, in terms of navigation, overkill is the name of the game, with way too many buttons on the front suggesting that the touch screen can't be trusted. The Hero's nowhere near as over-zealous as the Nokia N97, but, compared with the elegance of the iPhone, the plethora of context-sensitive menus and options occasionally left us feeling exhausted.

Media-monger
The Hero has a 5-megapixel camera that takes decent shots in good light, but it's almost useless in low light because of its lack of sensitivity. It also shoots video, but it takes forever for the camera to get up and running. As with most phones, the camera on the Hero is fine for snapshots, but it won't replace your compact snapper.

The 5-megapixel camera is no replacement for a dedicated compact snapper

Getting your snaps off the phone, and music onto it, is a different process from that of most phones, because there's no dedicated syncing software for the Hero. Instead, it connects to your computer via USB, just like a flash drive, so you can drag and drop the files you want or sync using most music software. We hate being chained to iTunes with the iPhone, but the lack of syncing software means there's no way to easily back up and restore all of your applications and configurations, and you must use over-the-air syncing with Gmail or Exchange to back up your contacts, although there are apps that can help.

Also, we didn't like that we had to "mount" the Hero each time we connected it by USB before we could access it. It does help if you just want to charge the phone without it being detected as a USB drive by your computer, but we like to transfer data frequently, and it's an extra step we don't need.

Conclusion
There's plenty missing from the iPhone, like Flash support, but what's there works fantastically well. Android, like the Linux from which it was spawned, has always had a whiff of geekiness about it--you're free to bolt on everything but the kitchen sink, but it's not a perfectly polished jewel that's always a pleasure to use.

The HTC Hero smoothes many of those rough edges, with a shiny new user interface that covers Android in widgety goodness. Additions like multitouch zoom, lovely Flickr and Facebook integration and a great keyboard make the Hero the best Android phone yet, especially since it's not as ugly as we feared. In fact, we've grown to like its jutting jawbone. If only it were slightly faster and slicker, we'd consider it an iPhone killer. As it is, we'll class it as an iPhone peer.

Samsung Omnia (8GB, Unlocked)

2009-10-06T08:20:00.000-07:00

Along with the RIM BlackBerry Bold and Sony Ericsson Xperia X1, the Samsung Omnia is one of the most requested and sought after smartphones of 2008. Why all the buzz? It's not so much the Omnia's touch screen that's drawing attention (after all, we've seen it in the Samsung Instinct), but rather Samsung's TouchWiz interface. It brings drag-and-drop widgets for the Today screen (a la LG Dare) and provides an extra level of device customization. Truthfully, it's not as slick as the Apple iPhone, but it does wonders to make the notoriously unintuitive Windows Mobile easier to use. Plus, the smartphone is loaded with productivity and multimedia features that truly make it an all-in-one device that will satisfy both consumers and mobile professionals.

There's still no official confirmation that the Omnia will be offered by a U.S. carrier, though we think the chances are good it will land on U.S. shores. In the meantime, Samsung was kind enough to loan us an unlocked version of the model that is available in Europe, so we could give you a preview of the smartphone. Keep in mind, we reviewed the European model, so it has some functionality that might not be available in our version (e.g., 3G support, video conferencing). Still, we think there's a lot of potential in the Samsung Omnia. If you simply can't wait, you can purchase an unlocked Omnia, but you'll dish out a steep $600 to $700 for the privilege.

Design
The Samsung Omnia is an eye-catching smartphone but in an understated way. It's simultaneously simple and elegant, with an attractive black-and-slate silver chassis and slim candy bar design that measures 4.4 inches tall by 2.2 inches wide by 0.4 inch deep and weighs 4.4 ounces. While light and compact, it has a nice solid construction and feels comfortable to hold and use as a phone.

The handset isn't adorned with many external controls, rather, like its sibling, the Samsung Instinct, and the Apple iPhone, the Omnia is all about the touch screen. The Omnia features a 3.2-inch diagonal TFT screen with a 262,000 color output and 240x400 pixel resolution. The display isn't as large as the Instinct's (4.25 inches) or the iPhone's (3.5 inches), nor is it as sharp as Apple's starlet. Sure, we could have used more colors and more screen real estate, especially for viewing Web pages and video, but it was sufficient for most tasks, and it was easy to read and vibrant.

As for text entry, there are several methods you can use in both portrait and landscape mode, including a full QWERTY keyboard, Block Recognizer, and Transcriber. The full QWERTY in portrait mode is pretty cramped, so we had a number of mistakes when composing text messages and e-mails. Also, like the HTC Touch Diamond, when opened, the keyboard takes up half of the screen, so if you need to enter text in any fields below the top half, you have to scroll down to access that portion of the page, which is annoying.

Like the HTC Touch Diamond (right), the Samsung Omnia features a unique touch-screen user interface.

The touch screen is mostly responsive and offers haptic tactile feedback that lets you know that your touch has registered with vibrations. You can adjust the intensity of the feedback as well as choose from various vibration rhythms under the VibeTonz folder in the Settings menu. In addition, the Omnia's display has a built-in accelerometer so the screen will rotate from portrait to landscape mode when you turn the phone. Again, there are options for you to adjust the sensitivity of the motion sensor under Settings. Here, you'll also find something called Etiquette mode, which will silence any tones when the Omnia is placed display-side down.

What makes the Omnia unique, however, is Samsung's TouchWiz user interface. TouchWiz allows for an extra level of personalization on your Home screen. There is a tray located on the left side with various applications, such as the clock, music player, photo gallery, games, and notepad. You can then drag and drop these "widgets" to the main screen so they're easily accessible to you every time you fire up your phone. Once you've customized the phone to your liking, you can collapse and hide the tray by tapping the arrow button. Beyond the Home screen, there's also the Main Menu page that organizes the major applications in a nice user-friendly view--very non-Windows Mobile.

All that said, we had a couple complaints about the touch screen and TouchWiz user interface. First, the Omnia didn't register our touch when we tried to use the scroll bar (to the right of the screen) when trying to navigate longer pages, so we had to use the directional pad or virtual mouse. Also, you can't add applications to the TouchWiz interface. You're limited to the preloaded widgets, which is a big downfall, in our opinion. As of right now, you get widgets for photos, the media player, FM radio, calendar, profiles, games, several clocks, new notifications, and the notepad. It's a decent list, but at the very least, we'd like the addition of a Web widget. If you find you're not a fan of TouchWiz or a you're a traditionalist, you can switch back to the standard Windows Today screen back or choose the "Samsung Theme 2," which presents a more simplified home screen, similar to that of the one on the HTC Touch Diamond.

While the Omnia is all about touch, you do get a couple of tactile buttons. Below the display, there are Talk and End keys, and a four-way directional pad. The latter can be turned into a virtual mouse; just go to Settings > System > Finger Mouse and enable the functionality. We appreciate the inclusion of this feature but didn't use it that often and stuck with the directional keypad.

The four-way directional pad can also be used as a virtual mouse.

On the right side, you will find a shortcut to the main menu page, a volume rocker, and a camera activation key, while the left side holds the headphone/power connector port. Unfortunately, Samsung uses a proprietary port for the latter, so be sure to keep track of the included cables and accessories. Also, there's no built-in stylus. One is provided in the box, but you have to attach it with the included lanyard, so it dangles off the left side; we definitely would have preferred it built into the device. Finally, the camera lens and flash are located on the back, and there's a microSD slot, but you have to remove the back cover and battery to properly insert the card, which is a bit of a pain.

The Samsung Omnia comes packaged with two power adapters, a USB cable, a wired headset with extra eartips, a 3.5mm headphone audio adapter, a stylus, a software CD, and reference material. For more add-ons, please check our cell phones accessories, ringtones, and help page.

Features
Though it doesn't look like a traditional Windows Mobile device, the Samsung Omnia does run Windows Mobile 6.1 with all the usual trimmings, including the Microsoft Office Mobile Suite and support for Microsoft's Direct Push Technology for real-time message delivery and automatic synchronization with your Outlook calendar, tasks, and contacts via Exchange Server. The Omnia can also be configured to access your POP3 and IMAP e-mail accounts; we simply entered our Yahoo Mail login ID and password and were able to receive and send messages within a couple of minutes. There are plenty of other PIM tools to keep you on task and organized, including a task list, a task manager and switcher, a smart converter, a calculator, and a PDF reader, among other things.

For Web browsing, you could use Internet Explorer Mobile but the Samsung Omnia also ships with the Opera Mobile Web browser, which many find to be a superior browser. There's also Windows Live integration and a Google Launcher that gives you quick access to search, Gmail, and Google Maps. Unfortunately, there's no Flash support. As far as connecting to the Web, you can use the smartphone's integrated Wi-Fi or T-Mobile or AT&T's EDGE network. The Omnia is HSDPA capable, but as we noted earlier, we reviewed the European model, thus it only supported Europe's 2100 WCDMA bands. When and if the Omnia arrives stateside, we suspect (we certainly hope) it will support our 3G bands.

Phone features include quad-band world roaming, a speakerphone, conference calling, text and multimedia messaging. The phone book is limited only by the available memory (the SIM card holds an additional 250 contacts), and there's room in each entry for multiple numbers, e-mail addresses, instant-messaging handles, and birthdays. For caller ID purposes, you can assign a picture, one of 20 polyphonic ringtones, or a group ID. Bluetooth 2.0 is also onboard for use with mono and stereo Bluetooth headsets, hands-free kits, object exchange, and dial-up networking. And no need for a Bluetooth GPS receiver, since the Samsung Omnia has assisted GPS.

Multimedia plays a big role on the Omnia. As an alternative to the standard Windows Media Player 10 Mobile, Samsung includes something called the Touch Player, which features a nicer user interface and a functionality similar, but not as streamlined, as the iPhone's Coverflow. Supported music and video formats include MP3, WMA, AAC, eAAC+, MP4, 3GPP, H.264, and DivX/Xvid. Other goodies include podcast support, a streaming media player, and an FM radio, though you have to use the included headset for the latter. As for memory, the Samsung Omnia comes in two flavors: 16GB or 8GB. Either way, you should have plenty of storage; plus, you have the microSD/SDHC expansion slot, which accepts up to 16GB cards.

The Samsung Omnia features a 5-megapixel camera with advanced settings and editing options.

The Omnia comes equipped with a 5-megapixel camera with a slew of advanced features. In addition to video recording and digital zoom, you get a flash, auto focus, and face detection. For still images, there are three quality settings and six size options. You have a grand total of 15 shooting modes, ranging from sports to sunset to fireworks as well as white balance adjustment, various effects, ISO settings, and much more. You can even geotag your photos with the embedded GPS radio. In video mode, you don't get as many tools, but you still get three size and three quality choices.

We were impressed with the clarity of photos, though we would have liked just a bit more richness in colors.

Picture quality was impressive. We were amazed at how clear and defined objects looked in photos, and the camera response time was also good. The only thing we thing we would have liked is a bit more richness in color. Video quality was better than most camera phones we've tested. Once done, you can, of course, send your photos via e-mail or multimedia message. The Omnia also has a Digital Frame application that displays the time and date, while rotating through your photo gallery in the background. Finally, you get TV-out capabilities and a video editing application is included on the device in case you want to make a quick movie on the spot.

Performance We tested the quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900; EDGE) Samsung Omnia in San Francisco using T-Mobile service and call quality was OK. In general, audio was good but there were several occasions where there was some crackling in the background, and it got to be a little distracting. We didn't experience any dropped calls, though, and we had no problem using an airline's voice automated response system. Our friends also reported fairly good results with just one complaint of slight distortion. The speakerphone was pretty clear, but the audio can sound blown out when you jack the volume to hear the calls in louder environments. We were able to pair the Omnia with the Logitech Mobile Traveller Bluetooth headset and the Motorola S9 Bluetooth Active Headphones.

We were generally pleased with the performance on the Samsung Omnia. It was responsive most of the time but suffered a bit of that notorious Windows Mobile sluggishness when too many things were going on at once. Browsing the Net on EDGE speeds wasn't ideal, obviously, but the smartphone had no problem finding and connecting to our Wi-Fi network so we could enjoy faster Web surfing. Music playback through the phone's speakers lacked bass and like speakerphone calls, the audio sounded blown out when we had the volume set to high. Again, we wish that Samsung included a 3.5mm jack so we could enjoy songs through a nice pair of headphones. Video performance was acceptable. We watched a couple of WMV clips, and sound and picture were always synchronized, but we'd still limit it to short clips.

The Samsung Omnia comes with a 1,440mAh lithium ion battery, which has a rated battery talk time of 10 hours and up to 18 days of standby time. In our battery drain tests, the Omnia provided an astonishing 15 hours of continuous talk time on a single charge, which is one the longest results we've seen in a while.

Apple iPod Touch (third generation, 64GB)

2009-10-06T08:18:00.000-07:00

Now in its third year, Apple's iPod Touch has evolved so many features and uses beyond media playback that we're not really sure what to call it anymore. Some flock to the Touch for its first-class mobile Web browser and e-mail support, while others see it primarily as a portable gaming device, and some still pick it up for good old-fashioned music and video playback. No matter how you choose to define the iPod Touch, Apple's third-generation version has arrived, flaunting 8GB, 32GB, and 64GB capacities priced respectively at $199, $299, and $399. Its hardware design hasn't changed dramatically from the model we reviewed in 2008, but neither has its status as the world's most feature-packed portable media player.

Design
For better or worse, the first thing we noticed about the third-generation iPod Touch is how unchanged it looks. Side by side with the second-generation iPod Touch, you'd be hard-pressed to find a way to distinguish the two models from each other. Aside from minor differences in the etching on the back of the Touch, the second- and third-generation models are spitting images of each other

Just like its phone-wielding sibling, the iPhone, the iPod Touch is a touch-screen device with a glass-covered 3.5-inch screen that sports a 480x320-pixel resolution. In spite of its touch-screen interface, Apple includes a few physical buttons, including a slim volume control on the left edge, a hold switch on the top, and a home button on the face of the player, placed below the screen. The bottom edge of the Touch includes the same universal dock port and 3.5-millimeter headphone jack as previous models, piercing the otherwise unbroken expanse of chromed steel that wraps around the back and edges of the device.

The shape and dimensions of the Touch also remain unchanged (4.3 inches tall by 2.4 inches wide 0.33 inch thick), defined by a flat-glass front set inside a curved steel backing that feels natural in the hand but makes the iPod a little wobbly when you set it down on a table. Packaged with the Touch is an Apple universal dock connector USB cable, a pair of white earbuds that include a microphone and remote control on the cable, and a molded universal dock insert to use with any charging or speaker accessories.

Features
Out of the box, the third-generation iPod Touch includes an amazing music player, podcast support, video playback (including iTunes rentals and a YouTube player), a Safari Web browser, photo viewer, an e-mail reader (compatible with Outlook, Exchange, MobileMe, Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, or any POP e-mail service), an integrated iTunes Store for music and video downloads, and a host of smaller utilities (weather, calendar, maps, stocks, notes, voice memos, clock, contacts, and calculator). Provided become proficient with its touch-screen keyboard, the iPod Touch is more pocket PC than an MP3 player.

With version 3.1 of Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch firmware, the device's stock features are just the starting point of apps available. An iTunes App Store, accessible from the computer or directly from the iPod Touch, lets you download and install thousands of applications, including Internet radio players, games, voice recorders, and social-networking tools. You can also extend the capabilities of the iPod Touch using third-party "Made for iPod" hardware accessories such as AV docks, external battery packs, and speaker systems.

Apple first introduced its Genius playlist feature with the second-generation iPod Touch, letting you create instant 25-song playlists based on the musical characteristics of a single song. The Genius playlist feature is still here on the third-generation version, giving you an easy and fun way to generate playlists, provided their music collection holds enough songs to make interesting connections. You can create and save Genius playlists directly onto the iPod Touch, and with automatic syncing enabled in iTunes, you can also transfer them back to your computer.

With the third-generation of the Touch, Apple broadened the scope of Genius selections to include App Store recommendations and extended, genre-based playlists called Genius Mixes. After clicking on the App Store icon found on the main menu, you'll find Genius App picks in a separate "Genius" tab giving you a list of recommendations based on previous app purchases you've made. Genius Mixes are intuitively located in the iPod's Music menu, located by default in the lower submenu strip across the bottom, along with selections for artist, songs, playlists, and more. If you're the kind of person who typically listens to music by hitting shuffle, you might enjoy the way Genius Mixes provide a more curated and genre-specific selection of tunes with a minimum of effort. Those who are more deliberate about their music selections always have the option of knocking the feature into the "more" section and replacing it with a more useful menu item (podcasts, audiobooks, and so on).

Genius Mixes offer extended playlists of your music, which get programmed automatically by Apple. Think of it as "shuffle" with better taste.

Oddly, the Touch's Genius Playlist and Mixes features won't work if you haven't enabled Genius on your computer's iTunes software. If you find iTunes' Genius features too demanding on your computer's resources or too invasive of your privacy (the feature reports your listening habits to Apple), then you'll need to live without the features on your iPod as well.

Not every member of the third-generation iPod Touch family is created equally. Essentially, the 8GB iPod Touch model is still running on second-generation hardware that uses a slower processor than the 32GB and 64GB models and lacks support for new features such as Voice Control, OpenGL graphic support, and advanced accessibility features. As we've already seen with the first-generation Touch, future updates to the iPod firmware may bring features that only the latest hardware will support. Obviously, the 8GB model's $199 price tag makes it attractive to prospective buyers, but be aware that the lower price comes at the cost of performance and a few features.

Are you confused about what features are available on the 8GB Touch compared with the 32GB and 64GB versions? So were we. For the record, iPhone OS 3.1 features such as Bluetooth audio, Genius Mixes, and voice memo recording are available on all versions of the third-generation iPod Touch. Voice Control and accessibility settings, however, are the only features we've found so far that can only be found on the 32GB and 64GB Touch models (or iPhone 3GS). In the next few paragraphs, we'll dive into these features a little more to see if they're worthwhile.

The Voice Control screen of the Apple iPod Touch.

Voice control
As if touch-screen control wasn't futuristic enough, the iPod Touch now includes the capability to control playback using voice commands. To activate this feature, you'll need to press and hold the headphone remote control button until the Voice Control screen appears. Using the microphone built into the included pair of earbuds, you can call out a song, artist name, album, or playlist, and the iPod will interpret your commands and play the request. Playback features such as shuffle, skip, play, and pause can also be controlled using voice commands, but it feels a little unnecessary, since the earbud remote control is available to perform these functions without making you look like a crazy person. One of the coolest uses of the technology is the capability to engage the Genius playlist function by saying "Play more songs like this," letting you steer your listening experience without taking the iPod out of your pocket.

We found Voice Control to be consistently accurate when it came to basic commands, such as "play," "next song," "shuffle," and so on. You do run into some trouble calling up artists with funky names or funky spellings (too bad, P!NK), but that's to be expected. Overall, Voice Control is a fun feature to have, and even more fun to show off. We wish Apple had thought of an easy way to let you to Voice Control while the Touch is plugged into a car stereo aux input, but we've no doubt that third-party manufacturers will solve the problem with special cables or in-car charging docks.

The iPod Touch accessibility menu.

Accessibility
Touch-screen devices present a unique challenge to users with visual impairment. By digging into the General settings of the 32GB or 64GB third-generation iPod Touch, users can now enable features such as screen zooming, white/black reversal, mono audio, home button triple-click, an automatic text reader that will read everything from e-mails to entire Web pages, and a VoiceOver feature that offers spoken feedback of menus and any item selected by touch (apps launch with double-clicks in this mode). For users who have otherwise felt locked out of the iPod Touch and apps experience, the inclusion of these relatively deep accessibility controls is certainly an advantage over previous models of the iPod Touch, and a promising direction for touch-screen devices, generally.

iTunes on the go
Both the iPod Touch and iPhone let you browse, preview, purchase, and download content from the new iTunes Wi-Fi store. You'll have to hop onto an available Wi-Fi Internet connection to take advantage of the wireless music store, but once connected, you can search for any artist, album, or song in the iTunes music catalog, as well as movies, TV shows, music videos, audiobooks, podcasts, and iTunes U educational content. Store purchases require you to enter your iTunes password as a security measure. Once the download is complete, the audio or video is immediately available to listen to and will transfer to your computer's iTunes music library the next time you sync the device. The feature seems to work without any kinks. Even interrupted downloads pick up once a Wi-Fi connection is re-established.

Performance
When it comes to touch-screen performance and menu usability, few devices can rival Apple's iPod Touch and iPhone. In fact, during our reviews of the first two generations of the Touch, no competitor even came close to matching the easy, fluid, and snappy operation of Apple's capacitive touch screen and user interface. This time around, however, competition from Sony, Samsung, and, most notably, Microsoft, has narrowed the gap when it comes to touch-screen speed and interface design.

To maintain its edge, Apple is pushing the speed barrier where users feel it most: gaming. With a promised 50 percent increase in processor power and a new OpenGL graphic processing system, the load time and responsiveness of games on the third-generation Touch have been quickened dramatically. A game of Spore that took 14 seconds to load on our second-generation Touch, launched in just 8 seconds on the third-generation model. If games are your distraction of choice on the iPod Touch, the improved speed and graphics capabilities of the 32GB or 64GB third-generation models are certainly the way to go.

Unfortunately, as much as Apple seems inspired to push the limits of processor speed and video game graphics rendering, the attention it pays to audio quality and sound enhancement is at a standstill. The arsenal of sound enhancement settings packed into MP3 players from Sony, Cowon, and Samsung, lay in stark contrast to the unchanged and marginally useful list of EQ presets included on the iPod. That said, the balanced and smooth audio quality of the iPod Touch is likely to satisfy the majority of listeners, despite the limited scope of its audio control. Like all iPods, the third-generation iPod Touch supports playback for MP3, AAC (including protected files), Audible, WAV, AIFF, and Apple Lossless. There's still no support for WMA music files, but you can always convert your WMA tracks to MP3 within Apple's iTunes software.

The stereo Bluetooth (A2DP) audio streaming capability included with the OS 3.0 upgrade is one of the iPod's most long-awaited features. Pairing the iPod Touch with Bluetooth accessories such as stereo headsets, speaker systems, or car stereos is quite simple, and a record of previously paired devices is stored in the iPod's Settings menu. The audio quality and wireless range (about 30 feet) using Bluetooth is about what you'd expect from most portable Bluetooth devices, and we're happy to see that the audio from video playback and apps are transmitted over Bluetooth just as easily as music playback. We are disappointed, though, that Apple chose not to fully implement the Bluetooth AVRCP control standard, which would let you remotely control audio playback using other AVRCP-compatible devices. Curiously, support for play/pause control over AVRCP is included, while other AVRCP controls (skip, volume) are not offered. You should also note that keeping Bluetooth active on the iPod Touch will take a toll on its battery life.

If you are looking for a way to take video on the go, the iPod Touch may just be your new best friend. You can load the iPod Touch with video podcasts, TV shows, and iTunes movie rentals, or watch endless amounts of free video clips using the included YouTube widget or other third-party video applications. The viewing angles weren't quite as generous on the third-generation Touch as our second-generation model, but it's not worth us raising a stink over. Whatever diminishment you may notice in viewing angles is made up for in what we perceived as a noticeable improvement to color balance and contrast. During testing, the 32GB third-generation Touch presented a cooler, more natural color balance than the second-generation Touch, and it seemed less prone to washing out at higher brightness settings.

Apple has reined in its battery life estimates a bit from the previous generation, possibly because of the increased demands of the faster processor or the inclusion of new technologies such as Bluetooth. What was once a 36-hour rating for music playback has been whittled down to 30 hours. Video playback estimates, however, have held steady at 6 hours. Historically, our CNET Labs test results find that audio rating of the Touch falls on the conservative side (we squeezed 38 hours from the previous model).

Video battery life is a tough one to test for the Touch or iPhone, since the player has built-in provisions to interrupt video playback when the battery becomes low, requiring us to pick up video playback several times to gauge the full measure of video battery drain. That said, previous tests arrived at 5.8 hours of total (albeit intermittent) video playback.

Once CNET Labs have completed testing on this latest iPod Touch model, we'll update this review with the battery life results.

The iTunes factor
If you're considering buying an iPod for the first time, we always feel that it's worthwhile to remind people that Apple's iTunes software is a required installation for your computer. The software is free and available for both Mac and Windows computers, and we encourage potential iPod owners to become familiar with the software ahead of time to ensure that it works well for you and your computer. To learn more about iTunes, we recommend checking out Download.com's latest review and any user feedback associated with it.

Worth the upgrade?
We think the second-generation iPod Touch is one of the best iPods ever made. Inside and out, the iPod Touch is in a league of its own in the world of portable entertainment. If you have an old, worn-out iPod, and you're ready to upgrade, we think the third-generation iPod Touch should be your first consideration. That said, if you already own an iPhone or a second-generation iPod Touch, it would be hard to justify buying the third-generation Touch unless you find that the improved processing speed, Voice Control, or accessibility features of the 32GB and 64GB models are particularly compelling.

Also, be aware if you're jumping to the iPod Touch from an older MP3 player with basic capabilities, you may be in for a technological overload. If your needs are simple and features such as e-mail, Internet, and games all seem like overkill, you may be better served by a straight-ahead media player like the iPod Nano.

Apple iPhone - 8GB

2009-10-06T08:16:00.001-07:00

From the moment Apple announced its iPhone at Macworld 2007, the tech world hasn't stopped asking questions. Because Apple has kept many iPhone details under wraps until very recently, we've been forced to speculate. Until now. Is the iPhone pretty? Absolutely. Is it easy to use? Certainly. Does it live up to the stratospheric hype? Not so much. Don't get us wrong, the iPhone is a lovely device with a sleek interface, top-notch music and video features, and innovative design touches. The touch screen is easier to use than we expected, and the multimedia performs well. But a host of missing features, a dependency on a sluggish EDGE network, and variable call quality--it is a phone after all--left us wanting more. For those reasons, the iPhone is noteworthy not for what it does, but how it does it. If you want an iPhone badly, you probably already have one. But if you're on the fence, we suggest waiting for the second-generation handset. Even with the new $399 price for the 8GB model (down from an original price of $599) and $499 for the 16GB model, it's still a lot to ask for a phone that lacks so many features and locks you into an iPhone-specific two-year contract with AT&T. We'll be more excited once we see a version with--at the very least--multimedia messaging and 3G.

Design
On with the review: the iPhone boasts a brilliant display, trim profile, and clean lines (no external antenna of course), and its lack of buttons puts it in a design class that even the LG Prada and the HTC Touch can't match. You'll win envious looks on the street toting the iPhone, and we're sure that would be true even if the phone hadn't received as much media attention as it has. We knew that it measures 4.5 inches tall by 2.4 inches wide by 0.46 inch deep, but it still felt smaller than we expected when we finally held it. In comparison, it's about as tall and as wide as a Palm Treo 755p, but it manages to be thinner than even the trend-setting Motorola Razr. It fits comfortably in the hand and when held to the ear, and its 4.8 ounces give it a solid, if perhaps weighty, feel. We also like that the display is glass rather than plastic.

Display
The iPhone's display is the handset's design showpiece and is noteworthy for not only what it shows, but also how you use it. We'll start off with its design. At a generous 3.5 inches, the display takes full advantage of the phone's size, while its 480x320 pixel resolution (160 dots per inch) translates into brilliant colors, sharp graphics, and fluid movements.

Menus
In true Apple style, the iPhone's menu interface is attractive, intuitive, and easy to use. In the main menu, a series of colored icons call out the main functions. Icons for the phone menu, the mail folder, the Safari Web browser, and the iPod player sit at the bottom of the screen, while other features such as the camera, the calendar, and the settings are displayed above. It's easy to find all features, and we like that essential features aren't buried under random menus. Fluid animation takes you between different functions, and you can zip around rather quickly.

Much has been made of the iPhone's touch screen, and rightfully so. Though the Apple handset is not the first cell phone to rely solely on a touch screen, it is the first phone to get so much attention and come with so many expectations. Depending on what you're doing, the touch screen serves as your dialpad, your keyboard, your Safari browser, and your music and video player. Like many others, we were skeptical of how effectively the touch screen would handle all those functions.

Touch screen
Fortunately, we can report that on the whole, the touch screen and software interface are easier to use than expected. What's more, we didn't miss a stylus in the least. Despite a lack of tactile feedback on the keypad, we had no trouble tapping our fingers to activate functions and interact with the main menu. As with any touch screen, the display attracts its share of smudges, but they never distracted us from what we were viewing. The onscreen dialpad took little acclimation, and even the onscreen keyboard fared rather well. Tapping out messages was relatively quick, and we could tap the correct letter, even with big fingers. The integrated correction software helped minimize errors by suggesting words ahead of time. It was accurate for the most part.

The Apple iPhone features a virtual QWERTY keyboard.

Still, the interface and keyboard have a long way to go to achieve greatness. For starters, when typing an e-mail or text message the keyboard is displayed only when you hold the iPhone vertically. As a result, we could only type comfortably with one finger, which cut down on our typing speed. Using two hands is possible, but we found it pretty crowded to type with both thumbs while holding the iPhone at the same time. What's more, basic punctuation such as periods or commas lives in a secondary keyboard--annoying. If you're a frequent texter or an e-mail maven, we suggest a test-drive first.

We also found it somewhat tedious to scroll through long lists, such as the phone book or music playlists. Flicking your finger in an up or down motion will move you partway through a list, but you can't move directly to the bottom or top by swiping and holding your finger. On the other hand, the letters of the alphabet are displayed on the right side of the screen. By pressing a letter you can go directly to any songs or contacts beginning with that letter. But the lack of buttons requires a lot of tapping to move about the interface. For example, the Talk and End buttons are only displayed when the phone is in call mode. And since there are no dedicated Talk and End buttons, you must use a few taps to find these features. That also means you cannot just start dialing a number; you must open the dialpad first, which adds clicks to the process. The same goes for the music player: since there are no external buttons, you must call up the player interface to control your tunes. For some people, the switching back and forth may be a nonissue. But for mutlitaskers, it can grow wearisome.

Criticisms aside, the iPhone display is remarkable for its multitouch technology, which allows you to move your finger in a variety of ways to manipulate what's on the screen. When in a message, you can magnify the text by pressing and holding over a selected area. And as long as you don't lift your finger, you can move your "magnifying glass" around the text. You can zoom in by pinching your fingers apart; to zoom out you just do the opposite. In the Web browser, you can move around the Web page by sliding your finger, or you can zoom in by a double tap. And when looking at your message list, you can delete items by swiping your finger from left to right across the message. At that point, a Delete button will appear.

Thanks to the handset's accelerometer (a fancy word for motion sensor), the iPhone's display orientation will adjust automatically when you flip the iPhone on its side while using the music and video players and the Internet browser. Also, a proximity sensor turns off the display automatically when you lift the iPhone to your ear for a conversation. All three are very cool.

The January 2008 update added new customization options for the iPhone's home screen. By pressing and holding any icon, all of the icons on the display will start to wiggle. You then can move the icons around and rearrange them at will. By moving them to the right, you can also access a second menu page, and you can add or remove on the "dock" at the bottom of the display. It's clear that with this new feature, Apple is readying the iPhone for more applications, particularly as the company prepares for the upcoming SDK. To stop the icons from wiggling, just press the Home button.

Exterior features
The iPhone's only hardware menu button is set directly below the display. It takes you instantly back to the home screen no matter what application you're using. The single button is nice to have, since it saves you a series of menu taps if you're buried in a secondary menu. On the top of the iPhone is a multifunction button for controlling calls and the phone's power. If a call comes in at an inopportune time, just press the button once to silence the ringer, or press it twice to send the call to voice mail. Otherwise, you can use this top control to put the phone asleep and wake it up again. You can turn the iPhone off by pressing and holding the button.

The Apple iPhone speaker is located at the bottom of the phone.

Located on the left spine are a volume rocker and a nifty ringer mute switch, something all cell phones should have and which is a popular feature of Palm Treos. On the bottom end, you'll find the speaker, a microphone, and the jack for the syncing dock and the charger cord. Unfortunately, the headset jack on the top end is deeply recessed, which means you will need an adapter for any headphones with a chubby plug. Is this customer-friendly? No.

Unfortunately, the Phone does not have a battery that a user can replace. That means you have to send the iPhone to Apple to replace the battery after it's spent (Apple is estimating one battery will keep its full strength for 400 charges--probably about three years' worth of use). The cost of the replacement is $79 plus $6.95 shipping. No, you don't really need a removable battery in a cell phone, but like many things missing on the iPhone, it would be nice to have, especially for such an expensive phone. And just what are you supposed to without a cell phone during the replacement period? Contrary to earlier reports, the SIM card is removable via a small drawer on the top of the iPhone, but other AT&T SIM cards will not work in the iPhone. That's especially troubling, as it completely defeats the biggest advantage of using a GSM phone with a SIM card. Some people have multiple phones and like to change the SIM card between their different handsets. Also, you can't use the SIM card to import contact information from another handset.

Features
The iPhone's phone book is limited only by the phone's available memory. Each contact holds eight phone numbers; e-mail, Web site, and street addresses; a job title and department; a nickname; a birthday; and notes. You can't save callers to groups, but you can store your preferred friends to a favorites menu for easy access. You can assign contacts a photo for caller ID and assign them one of 25 polyphonic ringtones. We should note, however, that there's no voice dialing and you can't use MP3 files as ringtones. Other basic features include an alarm clock, a calculator, a world clock, a stopwatch, a timer and a notepad. There's a vibrate mode but it's a tad light.

The calendar offers day and month views, and you can use the calendar as an event reminder or a to-do list as well. The interface is clean and simple, though inputting new appointments involves a lot of tapping. There's no Week view, however. We were able to sync our Outlook contacts and calendar and our Yahoo! e-mail address book with no problems.

Bluetooth and wireless
The iPhone offers a full range of wireless functionality with support for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. The Wi-Fi compatibility is especially welcome, and a feature that's absent on far too many smart phones. When you're browsing the Web, the iPhone automatically searches for the nearest Internet hot spot. Bluetooth 2.0 is also on board, which delivers faster transmission and a longer range than Bluetooth 1.2. You can use Bluetooth for voice calls, but you don't get an A2dP stereo Bluetooth profile--another item that's not necessary but would be nice to have.

Though Apple CEO Steve Jobs has explained the iPhone's lack of 3G support by saying the chipsets take up too much room and drain too much battery, we'd like the option anyway. Yes, the Wi-Fi network is great when you can get it, but AT&T's EDGE network just doesn't cut it for all other surfing. EDGE Web browsing is so slow, it almost ruins the pretty Web interface. More on this in the Performance section.

Messaging and e-mail
For your messaging needs, the iPhone offers text messaging and e-mail. As on many smart phones, a text message thread is displayed as one long conversation--a useful arrangement that allows you to pick which messages you'd like to answer. The January 2008 update added the ability to send a text message to multiple recipients. It was a welcome addition, but truly, that capability should have been there from the start. If you use another function while messaging, you can return to pick up that message where you left off. We just don't understand, however, why Apple doesn't include multimedia messaging. Sure, you can use e-mail to send photos, but without multimedia messaging you can't send photos to other cell phones--pretty much the entire point of a camera phone.

The iPhone's e-mail menu includes integrated support for Yahoo, Gmail, AOL, and Mac accounts. You can set up the phone to receive messages from other IMAP4 and POP3 systems, but you'll need to sweet-talk your IT department into syncing with your corporate exchange server. It's rumored that Apple will update the iPhone to support ActiveSync but Apple hasn't confirmed that as of this writing. Yet the iPhone does offer a way to connect with your VPN. You can read--but not edit--PDF, JPEG, Word, and Excel documents. Worse: you can't cut and paste text when composing messages.

iPhone's iPod
Sandwiched between all the iPhone's features lives Apple's most amazing iPod yet. The display, interface, video quality, audio quality--all of it is meticulously refined and beautiful. Unfortunately, it's trapped within a device that will cost you more than $1,000 a year just to own. CNET recently reviewed a Rolls-Royce that had a top-notch umbrella hidden inside its passenger door. Buying the iPhone for its iPod feature is a lot like buying that Rolls-Royce for its umbrella. Regardless, the iPhone is an exciting glimpse into what Apple hopefully has planned for its sixth-generation iPod. Apple has redeemed itself following the Motorola Rokr E1 debacle.

The Apple iPhone's music player lets you view album art.

On paper, the iPhone's iPod doesn't offer any features not already on a fifth-generation iPod: podcasts, videos, music, and playlists are all here, and content management with iTunes is identical. The difference rests entirely in the iPhone's interface. We've used other MP3 players that use touch interfaces, such as the Archos 704, iRiver Clix and Cowon D2, but the iPhone's unique integration of multitouch technology and a graphic user interface put it in a category all its own.

From an iPod perspective, Apple's biggest triumph with the iPhone is the fact that it has returned album artwork back into the music experience in a way that goes beyond a token thumbnail graphic. Physically flipping through your music collection in the iPhone's Cover Flow mode really brings back the visceral feel of digging through a CD or record bin. It's a tough feeling to quantify, but the real music lovers out there will appreciate how well the iPhone reconnects their digital music to a form that is both visually and physically more vivid. Even iTunes users who may already be jaded about using the Cover Flow mode on their personal computer will be surprised at how the experience is changed by using the iPhone's intuitive touch screen.

Truth be told, there is one feature that is new to the iPhone's iPod--the integrated speaker. While the iPhone's speaker sounds thin and is prone to distortion, it works in a pinch for sharing a song with a friend. Apple was also smart enough to manage its speaker volume independent of the headphone volume, so if you're listening to the speaker full-blast and then decide to plug in your headphones, you won't be deafened.

The bad news is that the iPhone's iPod leaves out the ability to manually manage the transfer of music and video content. Unlike any previous iPod, the iPhone does not allow an option for manually dragging and dropping content from an iTunes library directly to the iPhone device icon. Instead, the iPhone strictly uses defined library syncing options for collecting and syncing content from your iTunes library to the device. This should work out fine for most people, but for a device with limited memory the inability to manually manage content seems like a misstep. Our 8GB iPhone was already a quarter full after only a few hours of testing, giving us the impression that users will need to be vigilant at grooming their iPhone library. An external memory card slot is another one of those "nice to have" features.

The iPhone's music sound quality seems right in line with our experience using the 5G iPod. All the same EQ presets are available, only now they are found on the iPhone's main Settings tab. The included iPhone earbuds did a passable job for casual listening in a quiet environment. Unfortunately, the iPhone's recessed headphone jack prevented us from using many of the test headphones we're familiar with. We were just barely able to squeeze the plug of our Etymotic ER6i earphones into the jack to do the comparison.

Watching video on the iPhone is not quite as luxurious as a Creative Zen Vision: W or Archos 504, but its wide screen and bright contrast beat the fifth-generation iPod by a mile. As with previous iPods, video playback is automatically bookmarked so that playback resumes where you left off. And because the iPhone is a phone, it includes an airplane mode that will keep the music player activated while turning off the call transmitter. Thanks to the January 2008 update, you can also browse movies by chapter as well as view subtitles. Other changes include the lyric overlays on music tracks, support for the new iTunes movie rentals, and the ability to redeem iPhone gift cards from the device using the wireless iTunes store.

The Apple iPhone's video player really takes advantage of its wide screen.

Safari browser
The Safari browser really sets the iPhone apart from the cell phone crowd. Rather than trudging through stripped-down WAP pages with limited text and graphics, the browser displays Web pages in their true form. It's a completely and surprisingly satisfying experience to see real Web pages on a screen of this size. Our only regret is that the browser does not support Flash or Java. To pan around a page, just swipe your finger across the display, and the page moves accordingly. Tap your finger on a link to open a new page and double-tap your finger to zoom in and zoom back out. You can use the arrows on the bottom of the display to move back and forth, while a multifunction button at the bottom of the display lets you open new pages and flick among them.

The Apple iPhone comes with the Safari Web browser.

Google search is the iPhone's default search tool, but you can use Yahoo search as well. When searching for information or typing URLs, you use the onscreen keyboard. It's just like typing an e-mail except that the spacebar is replaced with Web-appropriate language like ".com" and a slash. That's a nice touch.

The January 2008 update brought the ability to add bookmarks to the home screen in the form of icons. The process is easy enough--when viewing your favorite site, just tap the bookmark icon and you'll find an "add to home screen" option. You can add multiple icons (thanks to the new second menu page), move them around, and delete then. It's useful as it will save you a few clicks later.

Thanks to the accelerometer, you can tip the phone on its side for a more comfortable landscape view. It doesn't matter which direction you rotate the phone, as it will work either way. It's also nice that the onscreen keyboard appears in landscape mode when using the browser. Most Web pages looked great on the screen, but visually busy pages like CNN.com can be too crowded. And because you can zoom in only a set amount, some text can still be too small to read clearly. You can store bookmarks and sync your favorite pages from your PC, but it works only for Internet Explorer and not Firefox.

YouTube
You can activate the iPhone's integrated YouTube player straight from the main menu via a colored icon. Videos are organized using many of the same criteria as on the YouTube site, including Featured Clips, Most Viewed, Top Rated, and Most Recent. You can read the information attached to a video, such as the date posted and the poster's name, but you can't read comments. It doesn't appear, however, that the YouTube connection updates in real time. We uploaded a video of our own, and it didn't show up until a few hours later.

The Apple iPhone has a built-in Google Maps application.

Widgets
The iPhone has a widget for accessing Google Maps. You can see the satellite view--nice--and get turn-by-turn directions between two points, with traffic information. We tried mapping routes from CNET's offices to various places and received accurate directions. As the iPhone lacks standard GPS, it couldn't provide location information for the first six months of its life. But with the January 2008 update, it gained the ability to tell you approximately where you are. When you tap the new icon in the lower-left corner of the touch screen, a circle will show where you should be on the map. But rather than connecting to a satellite, it finds you by connecting to nearby Wi-Fi hotspots and cellular towers and pinpointing their location (sort of a backdoor locater). You then can find directions using your pinpointed location.

When I gave it a go, the location service was off by several blocks on my first attempt. Though even standard GPS systems aren't perfect, the margin of error was still too big. Also, the area that the circle covered was much too expansive (when I tried to zoom in, the circle disappeared). Fortunately, the second time I tried the location service it was much more accurate. Also, I like that the circle covered a smaller area. Yet it's worth noting that the functionality won't work when you're away from wireless civilization, which typically is a time when location services come in really handy. Also, the lack of audio instructions will limit its usability while driving.

The next mapping feature is pretty cool. By pressing the new icon on the lower-right corner of the touch screen, you can drop a pin wherever you like on the map. You can move the pin around, save it as a bookmark, and use it as a location for determining directions. The map interacts well with the calling functions; you can find a point of interest and ring it in just a few taps.

Additional widgets point to stock information and weather reports. You can program your own tickers and get information like a share gain or loss and see the chart of a share price over time. The weather function gives you a six-day forecast for your choice of cities. For more options, there is already a selection of third-party iPhone apps. No games are included on the handset

Visual voice mail
One of the most intriguing features on the iPhone is the much-touted visual voice mail. iPhone's voice mail works much like a text-message folder in that it displays the caller's name or phone number and the time. What's even more fantastic, however, is that you can listen to the message instantly by pressing the individual message--you don't have to call your voice mail first.

The Apple iPhone has a 2-megapixel camera on the back.

Camera
The iPhone's 2-megapixel camera offers a spiffy interface with a graphic that resembles a camera shutter. You're offered no camera editing options, which we didn't expect. That means you can't change the resolution, choose a color or quality setting, or select a night mode. There's no flash either, and with no self-portrait mirror, those vanity shots are going to be tricky. The camera performed well in our tests, however. Photo quality was excellent with rich, bright colors and distinct object outlines. White looked a bit too soft, but we approve overall. On the downside, you can't shoot your own video, which is disappointing on a phone at this price.

As we said earlier, the photo menu is attractive and easy to use, particularly due to the pinching motion. You can also flip between photos by swiping your finger across the display. When selecting a photo, you're given the option of assigning it to a contact, using it as wallpaper, or e-mailing it to a friend.

Call quality
We tested the quadband (GSM 850/900/1800/1900) Apple iPhone in San Francisco using AT&T service. Call quality was good for the most part, but it wasn't dependable. Though voices sounded natural, the volume was often too low, and the microphone has a sensitive sweet spot. When we moved the phone away from our ears ever so slightly, the volume diminished noticeably and we had to move the phone back to just the right place to hear clearly. The volume wasn't so bad that we weren't able to hear a friend who was in a crowded bar, but it just could be better. The speakerphone was also too quiet though conversations weren't too muffled.

CNET users have also reported volume problems, and a few people we called said they heard a slight background hiss. We didn't hear the hiss on our end, but more than one of our friends said they noticed it. Automated calling systems were able to understand us, but only if we were in a quiet room. On the whole, the call quality stayed the same in most environments.

Browser speed
Our first test with the Safari browser was over CNET's internal Wi-Fi network. Web pages loaded in 5 to 10 seconds, though sites with heavy graphics took longer. It was a smooth experience overall, though it not quite as zippy as we had hoped. We thought that could be due to CNET's network, but it seemed to be more or less the standard. Pages took about the same time to load on a home network and just a couple seconds longer in a cafe. When not using Wi-Fi, you're stuck with AT&T's EDGE network, which is just too slow to render the lovely Safari interface enjoyably. With speeds in the 50-to-90Kbps range, it reminded us of a dial-up browser. In other words, it's pretty intolerable. CNET Labs tested the speed of the EDGE network against the Wi-Fi connection by comparing repeated results of the download time for a 9.4MB file. After two days of testing, EDGE resulted in an average download time of 15 minutes, 41 seconds for the file; Wi-Fi on average required a mere 1 minute, 11 seconds. In the end, our test results indicate that the iPhone's Wi-Fi connection is 13 times faster than using EDGE, although results will vary depending on location. We can only hope Apple adds 3G soon, especially since AT&T has a robust UMTS/HSDPA network.

Music downloading
We tried purchasing music through the wireless iTunes store, which was announced in September 2007 (originally we knocked the iPhone for not allowing wireless downloads). You'll need Wi-Fi to use it (sorry, EDGE isn't sufficient), but on the whole it was a satisfying experience. You can view featured songs and the top 10 tracks by genre. If you have specific music in mind, you also can search by song name. We found our track quickly, and we liked that results surface as you're typing. Once we selected our chosen song, it downloaded in less than a minute, and it appeared directly in our iTunes folder.

Activation
Activation was easy using iTunes 7.3. Our computer recognized the iPhone right away, and the activation system started automatically. After a few prompts, it asked us if we wanted to automatically sync contacts from Yahoo and Windows mail and contacts from Outlook. It also asked us to if we wanted to sync Internet bookmarks but, as we said earlier, it won't import Firefox bookmarks. The integration with AT&T's account service is also seamless. We were able to select a plan and indicate whether we were a current AT&T customer. It even asked us if we wanted to port a current cell phone number. In all, it's much better experience than dealing with AT&T.

It's important to note that the iPhone is little more than an expensive paperweight until it's activated. You can make emergency calls, but you can't use any other functions, including the iPod music player. What's worse, if you cancel your AT&T contract, the iPhone becomes a paperweight again.

Battery life
The Apple iPhone has a rated battery life of 8 hours talk time, 24 hours of music playback, 7 hours of video playback, and 6 hours on Internet use. The promised standby time is 10.4 days. When we tested the iPhone with the Wi-Fi function turned off, we got about 7 hours, 45 minutes of talk time. When we tested it with the Wi-Fi activated, we came away with 4 hours less. Video time, however, clocked in at an impressive 7.3 hours. Music-only time was also satisfactory. We got 28.4 hours of music playback time on a single charge. Just keep in mind that it's rare you'll be using just one feature for hours on end. As such, your battery life will vary widely as you switch between functions. Large color screens such as the one on the iPhone tend to be battery drainers, so you'll most likely need to charge your handset every couple of days. According to the FCC, the iPhone has a digital SAR rating of 0.974 watts per kilogram.

Apple iPhone 3GS - 32GB - black

2009-10-06T08:13:00.000-07:00

Three years after the first rumors of an Apple cell phone began to make the rounds, the iPhone continues to garner huge buzz, long lines, and a growing share of the cell phone market. And as we approach the second anniversary of the first model's frenzied launch day, Apple drops the newest model in our laps. The iPhone 3GS, which will hit stores June 19, promises faster processing and network speeds, extended battery life, more memory, and additional features. It's enough to get our attention, but not enough to get us completely excited.

In many ways, the iPhone 3GS delivers on its promises. The battery, which could sometimes deplete in less than a day on the iPhone 3G, lasted longer in our preliminary tests, and the phone's software ran noticeably faster. Yet, we still have some concerns. A faster AT&T 3G network isn't going to happen overnight, and some features, like tethering and multimedia messaging, aren't scheduled until later in summer 2009. We also struggled to see any change in call quality, which, as any iPhone owner can tell you, remains far from perfect.

So should you buy it? That will depend on how much you'll have to pay for the privilege. If you don't own an iPhone yet, and you've been waiting for the right model, now is the time to go for it. The same goes for iPhone Classic owners who never made the jump to the iPhone 3G. But, if you're a current iPhone 3G owner, the answer isn't so clear. If you're eligible to upgrade at the cheapest prices ($199 for the 16GB model and $299 for the 32GB model), we suggest doing so, as long as you don't mind the required two-year contract. If you own an iPhone 3G, but are not yet eligible for the upgrade, we recommend upgrading to the new iPhone OS 3.0 operating system, and then waiting. As much as the iPhone 3GS brings, it's not worth the extra $200 that the 16GB and 32GB models cost.

Design and interface
The iPhone 3GS looks exactly like the previous model. It shares the shape and the same external controls, but the iPhone 3GS is unique in a handful of ways. You can get both memory sizes in white or black, and the iPhone 3GS display sports a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating that is supposed to attract fewer fingerprints and smudges. The new model shares the same dimensions as its predecessor, but it's slightly heavier (4.76 ounces versus 4.7 ounces), a virtually unnoticeable difference.

The iPhone 3GS has the same external design as the iPhone 3G.

The menu interface is also the same, but in the past year, as we've added apps to the Home screen, something new has begun to bother us. As intuitive and simple as the interface is, it becomes unwieldy after you get above four menu pages. Swiping through multiple pages is tedious; and it's rather painful to drag applications from page to page if you're an organizational freak. We hate that there's no way to categorize related apps into folders, such as one for news, another for social networking, and so on. Not only would this cut down on menu pages, but you'd also be able to find your app faster. And while we're at it, how about letting us delete some of the native apps we never use?

Features
Since the iPhone 3GS inherits many of the features from the previous model, we'll concentrate on what's different on this device. If you need a refresher on such elements as the clock, YouTube, weather, iPod player, calculator, and e-mail, please see our iPhone 3G review. We'll start off with the new features that only the iPhone 3GS will offer.

Camera
Until now, the iPhone's camera has been good, but far from great, with decent photo quality, but no editing features. Apple didn't include options such as white balance, a digital zoom, or a self-timer that come standard on many basic VGA camera phones. The minimalist shooter bothered us so much that we began to worry if Apple was leading a new trend of "dumbing down" cell phone cameras.

The iPhone 3GS' camera still lacks a flash.

The iPhone 3GS puts some of those fears to rest. Apple boosted the camera's resolution to 3 megapixels and added a new "Tap to Focus" feature. As you point the lens toward your subject, a small box appears on the center of the display. Tapping that square focuses the camera automatically on that point and adjusts the white balance, color, contrast, and exposure accordingly. If you'd rather focus on the edge of your shot, just tap the display at your chosen point and the square moves with you. If you don't tap anywhere, the camera will focus the entire frame.

Tap to Focus performs well. For example, if we photographed a book cover sitting on a desk, we were able to get a clear reading on the book's title. If we shifted the focus away from the book, the title became somewhat blurry. Alternatively, if we focused on the brightest part of an image, the entire picture would appear brighter. But if we focused on the darkest part of any image, the photo would darken accordingly. The iPhone still doesn't come with a flash, though, so don't expect miracles.

On the other hand, the new automatic macro setting didn't appear to make much of a difference. Close-up shots looked slightly better on the iPhone 3GS than they did on the iPhone 3G, but we couldn't tell when the macro focus was working and when it wasn't. As with the autofocus feature, the macro setting is a welcome addition, but we'd prefer to have more control over it. In other words, the iPhone 3GS' camera is smarter than those on the earlier iPhones, but the camera, rather than the user, still runs the show.

The iPhone 3GS' indoor shots were just average.

On the whole, the iPhone 3GS' photo quality looks better than the 3G camera's quality, but it depends on the shot. Outdoor shots and photos taken in natural light looked less blurry in our tests, with brighter colors. Photos taken during cloudy days were less likely to be blown out, and photos in low-light conditions looked brighter and had less of an orange tint. Indoor shots without natural light showed little change, however. The iPhone's camera is not optimized for fluorescent light. For a full gallery of shots taken with the camera, see our iPhone 3GS camera slideshow.

Video recording
The iPhone 3GS is the first iPhone to offer video recording, another feature other phones have offered for years. Apple makes up for some lost time by offering an easy-to-use video-editing option right on the phone.

The video recorder has a simple interface and you can edit clips right on the display.

Controls for video shooting work just like the still camera's controls, and you can use the Tap to Focus feature here, as well. The quality is just VGA, but the camera shoots at 30 frames per second, so while colors look muted and some videos appear washed out, the iPhone 3GS did better at handling movement than most cell phone cameras. After you're done recording, you can send your clip in an e-mail or upload it directly to your YouTube account. We were able to upload to YouTube and send a video from our synced IMAP4 Exchange account, but when we tried to send a video from a synced Yahoo POP3 account, an error occurred. We're checking with Apple on the discrepancy and will report back.

Watch a video of the iPhone 3GS' video quality.

The phone's video-editing tool is utterly intuitive and fun to use. After loading a previously shot video, you'll see it displayed frame by frame in a linear format along the top of the touch screen. Using your finger, you can slide the cursor to any point in the video and start playing from there. If you care to edit, just touch either end of the border that surrounds your video. When the border turns yellow, you can shorten the clip by dragging either end toward your desired cutoff point (the image on the display will conveniently change as you move along). Once you've made your edits, just hit the "Trim" control.

We liked the video-editing feature a lot, but it's worth noting a couple of small complaints. First off, when you trim a clip, the edited version replaces your original video, rather than saves it as a new file. Also, you can trim only in a linear format--meaning you can't cut out something in the middle and stitch the remaining two ends of the video together.

We also like a new feature that allows you to quickly open a photo or video that you just shot. After taking your snap or video, a small thumbnail will appear on the bottom of the viewfinder next to the shutter control. Tapping that thumbnail takes you to the photo gallery page, from where you can view your work or send it on to a friend.

Voice Control
We've long berated Apple for not including voice dialing on previous iPhones, particularly in this age of hands-free driving laws. Overdue as it is, the new Voice Control feature goes far beyond just making calls. To activate it, hold down the home button until the Voice Control feature appears.

With the Voice Control feature, you can make calls and control the iPod player.

As with hundreds of other cell phones, Voice Control lets you make calls by speaking the contact's name or phone number into the receiver. After you say your command, you'll get audio confirmation and the name or number will show on the display. If the iPhone makes a mistake, you can press an "undo" touch control at the bottom of the screen. The feature is speaker-independent, so you won't need to train it to recognize your voice; you'll be ready to go the first time you turn on the phone.

In our tests, the voice dialing performed well. When using names, it understood us accurately most of the time. It made occasional mistakes--for example, it wanted to call "Siemens" instead of "Stephen"--but that's hardly unusual for a voice dialer. Voice Control performed better when using only numbers. We didn't have to speak loudly, except in noisy environments, but it was capable of filtering out most background noise.

If you call a contact with multiple numbers, but don't specify which number you prefer, it will prompt you with "home," "work," etc. If you ask for a name that has multiple listings in your phone book (we know multiple people named Tim, for instance), it will prompt you for your choice, while showing the options on the screen. Alternatively, you can call a contact using his or her company's name, but that company must be in the contact's electronic business card.

Voice Control also interacts with the iPhone's iPod player and the iTunes Genius list. You can ask it to play a song by artist name and album, and you can request an entire playlist. Once music is playing, you can pause, skip to the next song, and go back to the previous track, using your voice. Say "shuffle" and the player skips to a random song. The feature was accurate most of the time, but it occasionally confused some artist names.

Unsure which song is playing? You can find out by asking, "What song is this?" You'll then get audio confirmation of the track name and artist. Like what you're hearing? Say, "Play more songs like this," and the player will use your iTunes Genius list to play a related song. In either case, the music will dim while you speak. They're nifty features, to be sure, and we can't think of another MP3 player or cell phone that offers such capability.

On the other hand, we can't imagine that many people would use it outside of a car. And the iPod Voice Control isn't perfect. It read Pink's name as "P N K" in our tests (Pink spells her name as "P!nk" on her album covers), and it twice tried to call "Annette" when we asked what song was playing. Also, we're not sure how Gwen Stefani would feel about being related to Britney Spears in the Genius list, but there you have it.

Compass
You'll find the iPhone 3GS' digital compass option directly on the Home screen; just tap to open. The attractive interface shows a large compass with your bearing and your latitude and longitude. Similar to any other compass, it continues to point true or magnetic north as you turn around. Reception was spotty inside, so you'll need to stay clear of any interference. If it can't get a bearing, you'll be advised to move away from the interference and re-establish the compass' orientation by moving the iPhone in a figure-eight motion.

The compass application shows your location and sports an attractive interface.

The compass also interacts with Google Maps to point you in the right direction. To switch to the maps, just press the familiar bull's-eye icon in the bottom-left corner. You'll see your position on the map, and if you tap the bull's-eye again, the map will rotate to show the direction you are facing. It's a nice touch, and we like how the standard Google Maps view now shows the 3D outlines of buildings.

Accessibility features
The iPhone 3GS is the first iPhone to offer a full set of accessibility features. Visually impaired people can use Apple's Voice Over to navigate the handset's menus and type messages and e-mails. As you drag your finger around the display and tap a button, the iPhone will read a description of that button. The phone will also read the text of dialog boxes, the time of day, the status and orientation of the display (locked or unlocked, portrait or landscape), and detail information, such as the battery level, Wi-Fi, and cellular network signals. What's more, it speaks each character as you type a message, and it will suggest autocorrection choices. Voice Over can read text messages, e-mails, and even Web pages.

You can change the display's contrast with the iPhone 3GS' new accessibility features.

To use Voice Over, you will need to learn a different set of gestures--for example, you'll have to double-tap to open an item--but the feature provides audible instruction. You can set the speaking rate and choose from 21 supported languages. Voice Over works with all of the phone's native applications, but support for third-party apps varies. Though we're sighted and our Voice Over user experience can't compare with someone who is visually impaired, we were impressed by the feature's capabilities. The iPhone 3GS also adds multitouch zoom support for the Home, Unlock, and Spotlight screens for all applications, both native and third-party. Previously, zoom only worked in the photo gallery, e-mail in-boxes, and the Safari browser. You can activate the enhanced zoom in the Settings menu, but you can't use it and Voice Over simultaneously.

You also can reverse the display's contrast to white on black. Menus will show white text on a black background, while the Home screen will change to a white background. Just be aware that the contrast change alters the appearance of photos in the gallery so that they look like negatives. It has a similar effect for app icons on the Home screen.

What else is new?
The iPhone 3GS includes support for Nike + iPod, which integrates your iPod with a sensor that fits inside Nike running shoes. You use it as a pedometer to track your distance traveled and your pace. When you turn on the app in the settings menu, an icon will appear on the Home screen. The headphones included with the iPhone 3GS also show changes. You'll find controls for using the Voice Control feature, adjusting the volume, answering calls, and controlling music and video playback.

iPhone OS 3.0
The iPhone 3GS will support the new iPhone OS 3.0 update from day one. The OS 3.0 is a significant update that promises 100 new features, including such long-awaited gems as multimedia messaging, stereo Bluetooth, a voice recorder, and cut, copy, and paste. Apple has yet to release a fully detailed list--and we've barely scratched the surface in our testing--but we'll continue to report improvements as we find them. First announced in March 2009, it was released June 17, 2009, for the iPhone Classic and the iPhone 3G.

Multimedia messaging
We've ranted endlessly about why it took so long for Apple to achieve multimedia messaging (MMS), so we're glad that it's finally on its way. Besides photos, you'll also be able to send videos, audio files, and map locations. At long last, the iPhone can do something that almost every other cell phone can do, and has done for ages.

This is what MMS looked like in the beta version of iPhone OS 3.0.

But, and this is a big "but," AT&T doesn't have things ready on its end. We don't know the real reason for the annoying delay, nor do we have a timetable for deployment; we just know that AT&T will support MMS "later this summer." (Also, because it wasn't integrated with the proper radio, the iPhone Classic will not support MMS.)

When we first tested the beta version of iPhone OS 3.0, we were able to compose, but not send, a multimedia message in a few quick steps on our iPhone 3G. In subsequent OS 3.0 updates, Apple removed the process for doing this; presumably you'll get it back when MMS goes live.

On the upside, the messaging process was intuitive. When using the text-messaging app, a small camera icon appeared next to the writing area. After tapping it, we had the choice to take a new photo or send an existing shot. If we decided to shoot a new photo, we had the option of retaking it if we wished. Alternatively, we could initiate a picture message from the photo gallery. In either case, the photo appears in the typing area of the message application, and you can delete it if you change your mind.

Cut, copy, and paste
The cut, copy, and paste feature is long overdue. The interface is simple and easy to use, and it works across all applications, including notes, e-mails, messages, and text on Web pages. Developers will even get access to it in applications.

Cut, copy, and paste is easy to use.

To get started, just double-tap a selection of text and the cut, copy, and paste commands will appear. You then can change the highlighted area by dragging the blue grab points around the page. Once you get to your pasting area, just tap the screen again and select the paste button. If you make a mistake and paste in the incorrect place, you can shake the iPhone to undo your command. When in Notes and e-mail, you also can highlight with a long press (aka holding your finger down). You'll see two options: Select and Select All. The former command highlights just the word that you're touching, while the latter highlights the entire block of text.

Using the feature in the Safari browser takes some acclimation, but even then we needed only a few minutes to get the hang of the process. Because the double-tap motion is also used to zoom in on a Web page, you must use a long press to select text that you want to copy or cut. You then can drag the blue points as normal. Depending on how closely you're zoomed in, you can highlight just one word or an entire block of text.

Landscape keyboard
Formerly--and inexplicably--available only in the Safari browser, the landscape keyboard now works in e-mail, text messaging, and notes. After haranguing Apple over the past two years to get it, we have to admit that it took a second to get accustomed to it. Though the landscape keyboard is much wider, with larger buttons, it's also a lot shorter. It did take us a couple of days to get the hang of it. Don't think that we're complaining, though, as it's quite the opposite. We love being able to use two hands, but we had grown accustomed to the one-finger tap dance on the vertical keyboard.

The landscape keyboard is a welcome addition.

You can also now view your e-mail in-box, contacts, and text messages in landscape mode. The calendar remains in a portrait orientation, but the changes we received are welcome.

Spotlight
Until now, it's been rather painful to sift through the data to find e-mail or calendar entries on the iPhone. Luckily, iPhone OS 3.0 adds a Spotlight feature that makes the search process vastly easier. Similar to many of the OS 3.0 additions, it took way too long to get here, but we have few complaints about the final product. To get to the Spotlight feature, swipe your finger to the right from the first menu page. You'll then see a keyboard with a typing field above it (this keyboard only works in portrait mode). As you type in a search term, the results appear below the search bar, with results grouped together by category for easy navigation. You can search calendar entries, music, notes, apps, contacts, and e-mail, and you can search within an individual e-mail in-box. For IMAP4 and Exchange accounts, you'll also be able to search messages saved only on the server.

The Spotlight feature lets you search a variety of files on your iPhone 3GS.

Tethering
In March, we heard that tethering would be possible with the OS 3.0, but that it would be completely carrier-dependent. Here again, AT&T isn't on the ball. While other iPhone carriers around the world will be ready when the iPhone goes live, AT&T is saying that the carrier will support tethering later this summer. Unfortunately, we don't know the exact reason for the delay, when tethering will actually arrive, or whether AT&T will charge extra for it.

Text messaging
Deleting and forwarding individual messages in a texting thread works just like the e-mail app. When you select the edit button, small dots appear next to each message. Hit the dots for your desired messages before pressing the delete or forward options. Thanks, Apple, but this should have been on the first iPhone.

Stereo Bluetooth
We were very glad to see a stereo Bluetooth profile arrive with iPhone OS 3.0. We tested it with the LG HBS-250 stereo Bluetooth headset. The pairing process was easy and incident-free. In the music player, a small Bluetooth icon appears next to the player controls. Press it to route audio to the headset; you then can toggle back and forth between the speaker and the headset. Speaking of Bluetooth, the update also adds Bluetooth peer-to-peer networking for gaming. Yet, neither Bluetooth feature is available on the iPhone Classic, even with the OS 3.0 update installed. Apple has a chart with more information.

Turn-by-turn directions
iPhone OS 3.0 brings support for turn-by-turn directions, making the iPhone a fully functional GPS device. The bad news is that, along with MMS, we'll have to wait until later this summer for complete functionality. Directional services won't come from Apple, but will instead come from third-party apps. TomTom will be one of the first companies to offer an app; a TomTom executive demonstrated it at WWDC 2009. AT&T has built an app for its AT&T Navigator service and we expect that other companies will offer their own apps.

From what we could tell from the brief demo, TomTom's service looks promising. The interface was attractive and the audible directions were clear. TomTom will also offer a car kit that will secure your iPhone to your windshield or dashboard while charging it at the same time. That's good news for a device that sucks up juice quickly.

We're concerned with how much the app will cost. TomTom will offer a "range" of U.S. and international maps, but that's as much as we know. GPS maps are not cheap, so we'll be interested to see how TomTom will package and price the content to make it affordable for consumers and profitable for TomTom.

What's more, we're curious how much memory the maps will consume and how the app will integrate with the iPhone's other features. From what we understand, we'll be able to make hands-free calls and play music on our car's radio while getting directions. Unlike the Palm Pre, however, the iPhone doesn't multitask (we have more to say on that below). If the GPS feature has to suspend because you get a call--just as the iPod player suspends when you take a call--then things could get tricky. We suspect, though, that Apple and TomTom have this covered.

iTunes Store
With the software update, your iPhone's iTunes Store experience will change a bit. Now you'll be able to rent and purchase movies, download TV shows and audiobooks, and access iTunes U. You'll also be able to redeem iTunes gift cards on the phone in the iTunes App store. Previously, you could only redeem in the iTunes music store.

You can rent movies on your iPhone 3GS.

Also new is the capability to make purchases while inside apps. For example, you can renew a magazine subscription or buy additional levels of a game. This is a small win, at least for us. Sure, it's nice that you won't have to close the application and return to the iTunes Store, but this is almost one of those "problems I didn't know I had." Just remember to keep a limit on your impulse buying.

Apple promises that free apps will always be free, to avoid a bait-and-switch scenario. While that's great for consumers in that you'll never have to shell out money for an update, even now we see two versions of many apps cluttering the App store. The free app get you hooked, much like a demo version of a game, while the paid app offers the whole experience. As we see it, that's not much better than offering an app for free, but then charging later for an update.

Find My iPhone
If you're prone to losing your iPhone 3GS, OS 3.0 will give you some peace of mind. If your handset goes missing, you can use a computer to find its position on a map. You can then send it a message that instructs anyone who finds your phone to call you. It plays a tone to get a passerby's attention, and it even plays the tone when the sound is off. Presumably, however, it won't play the tone when the phone is off.

It sounds like a great service, but there are a couple of caveats. Find My iPhone is only available to MobileMe users. Also, it can be dislabled, and you'll need someone on the other end who is responsible enough to notify you that he or she has found your phone. Luckily, if the latter doesn't hold true, you can use a remote wipe option to swipe your iPhone clean of data. This is the first time remote wipe is available to consumers outside of an enterprise setting.

Voice recorder
Did we mention that iPhone OS 3.0 adds features that should have been on the first-generation device? Oh, that's right, we did. But, in any case, the new voice-recording app is another example of something being better late than ever. It has its own icon on the Home screen, and its interface is clean and easy to use. Tap the record button to start and tap it again to end; you can continue to record while you're using other applications, like the Web browser. When finished, you can e-mail your voice clips to a friend, or you can trim them in the same fashion as you would videos.

Stocks
You'll now see news headlines for the company tickers saved in your Stocks application. That would be a nice touch if we used the Stocks app more often. You'll also be able to see a chart in landscape mode, and you'll be able to get a stock price at any point on a chart.

Other additions
The remaining additions range from useful to trivial. Thanks to iPhone OS 3.0, you'll also get push notifications, expanded parental controls, a shake-to-shuffle feature for the iPod player, the capability to forward meeting invites and contacts, Notes syncing for Macs and PCs, autofill for Web fields and Wi-Fi auto-log-ins, the option to change the default destination for the home button, and additional wallpaper. Finally, if you tap and hold on a Web link in the Safari browser, a new menu will appear with choices to open the link, open it in another page, save an image, or copy the link.

What we're still waiting for
Fortunately, this list is getting shorter with each incarnation of the iPhone. Yet, the iPhone 3GS still lacks some important features. To begin with, it does not offer multitasking. We've been hung up on this for a while, but after seeing the Pre handle multitasking so elegantly, we think Apple can at least compete. And keep in mind that multitasking is hardly limited to Palm's showpiece. It is frustrating that on a phone that can do so many things well, we have to close an application and go back to the menu in order to open another one. But more than that, it's becoming unacceptable.

As mentioned earlier, you can't change the look and feel of the iPhone's interface. Though we like not having to root through multiple menu layers to access features, we'd still enjoy more customization. Similarly, Apple continues to lock down the iPhone's file structure. There's no file manager feature, and USB mass storage and transfer remain largely elusive. While you can access your iPhone's camera folder via a USB cable, you can only transfer photos and videos from the iPhone 3GS to your computer. To transfer photos, videos ,and other media files to your iPhone, you must rely on iTunes. And even then, iTunes restricts what kinds of files you can move and it tells you where to store them on the phone. A wide variety of cell phones, from simple candy bar handsets to high-end smartphones, offer USB mass storage. We think Apple should do the same.

Flash support for the Safari browser is also a must. Apple has skirted this issue, so there may be hope in the future. But in the meantime, we still expect Flash Lite to get a true Web experience. Apple has long boasted that the iPhone puts "the Internet in your pocket," but without Flash, it's not quite there.

We doubt we'll ever get the last few items on our list. But as long as we're complaining, we'd love to see an FM radio, a "mark as read" option in the e-mail app, an FM transmitter, and a user-replaceable battery. We still wonder what you're supposed to use as a cell phone when you send in your iPhone for a replacement battery. And don't forget: you'll have to pay for that service.

Internal performance
The "S" in iPhone 3GS stands for speed and the device promises to be quicker in two ways: not only will a new processor enable it to load apps faster, but it will utilize an upgraded AT&T 3G network for speedier Web browsing. We expected both of these improvements, so we're not surprised that they are the new 3GS' prime selling points.

We'll start with the processor: Apple doesn't provide details on the processor's capabilities, but a T-Mobile Netherlands' Web site briefly reported that the iPhone 3GS has a 600MHz processor--similar to the Pre's--and 256MB RAM. In contrast, the earlier iPhone 3G had a 412MHz processor and 128MB RAM. As our colleagues at CNET Asia said, twice the memory "should speed things up a fair bit."

The promised change surprised us, since we never thought the iPhone Classic or the iPhone 3G were that slow in the first place. But, whatever the reason for the improvement, we're certainly not going to refuse if Apple wants to dish it out. And from what we can tell, it's not an empty promise. We conducted side-by-side tests between an iPhone 3G and an iPhone 3GS. Both phones had identical contact lists, calendars, photos, apps, and music libraries.

For most native applications that don't depend on a cellular or Wi-Fi connection, the iPhone 3GS was consistently faster. For the photo gallery, camera, calculator, calendar, notes, clock, and contacts list, the iPhone 3G lagged about 2 seconds behind. No, that's not a huge difference, but it was a difference nonetheless. We noticed a similar change when using the Spotlight feature and opening the Settings menu.

We saw a bigger change in other areas. The iPhone 3GS opened the iPod player almost 5 seconds faster, and it was much quicker at loading some notoriously slow apps. For example, Bejewled 2, which can take up to 12 seconds to load on the iPhone 3G, started in just 5 seconds on the 3GS. Even better, Pocket God went from opening in almost 30 seconds to starting in just 11. The iPhone 3GS also started up much quicker than the iPhone 3G--we were up and running in 26 seconds instead of 50 seconds.

We realize that the above tests aren't very scientific or exact, but they do reflect everyday use. Indeed, the iPhone 3GS appears to delivers speedier internal performance; people should notice a difference.

Browser and data
On the other hand, we didn't notice any differences in data and browser speeds over AT&T's 3G network. We'd certainly welcome any improvements that should come from the carrier's forthcoming HSPA network upgrade to 7.2Mbps, but there's an important caveat for the moment: AT&T won't start rolling out the faster network until later this year. What's more, full deployment is scheduled for 2011. Though we expect urban areas will be first, coverage will vary widely for the next year, at least. As such, we don't predict any miracles soon. On the other hand, we noticed faster browser speeds when using CNET's Wi-Fi network. The New York Times loaded in about 30 seconds on the iPhone 3GS, but took up to a minute on the iPhone 3G.

Call quality and reception
We tested the quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900) iPhone 3GS world phone in San Francisco. Call quality was virtually unchanged from the iPhone 3G. When the calls could connect, and when they weren't dropping, the audio quality was decent. Voices sounded natural and we heard a satisfactorily low amount of "side noise," which is the sound of your own voice coming back through the phone. Wind noise was apparent in some instances, and the volume could be louder, but the 3GS lacks the sensitive sweet spot that we encountered on the first iPhone.

On their end, callers didn't report any differences from the caller experience on the iPhone 3G. They could hear us under most conditions, and, while they could tell that we were on a cell phone, that's not unusual. The only complaints mentioned occasional background noise. Automated calling systems could understand as well, but we had the best experiences when using the phone inside. We'll test the iPhone 3GS in more places over the next few weeks.

Speakerphone calls were good, but not great. The external speaker was rather soft, but voices weren't distorted, except at the highest volumes. Also, as long as we were in a quiet room, we didn't have to speak close to the phone if we wanted to be heard on the other end. We connected to the BlueAnt Q1 Bluetooth headset without any problems. Call quality was mostly satisfactory, though we noticed a slight amount of static. That could be from the headset, however.

Unfortunately, we saw no change in overall signal strength and reception. The hand off between EDGE and 3G remains shaky, and the iPhone still tries to latch onto the 3G signal even when it's barely detectable. As we found with the iPhone 3G, the reception jumped if we switched off the handset's 3G radio on the Settings menu. Constantly doing that, however, can be a pain.

While testing the iPhone 3GS with the iPhone 3G in areas of San Francisco with reliably poor AT&T coverage, we noticed no difference in the number of bars or in the capability of each to establish a connection and make a call. What's more, the iPhone 3GS dropped calls as frequently as its predecessor in the "semidead zones." We also used the iPhone's internal Field Test application, which is a more accurate test of signal strength than the number of bars on the display. In most cases the iPhone 3GS had a stronger signal, but not by much. Dial *3001#12345#* to run the test yourself. You'll see the signal strength in decibels in the upper-left corner of the display--the lower the number, the better the signal.

According to FCC radiation tests, the iPhone 3GS has a rating of 0.79 watt per kilogram. That is the highest at-ear SAR for voice calls. Data use and at-body use can result in different SARs.

Audio and video quality
Editors' note: Senior Editor Donald Bell contributed to this section.

For all the small tweaks and improvements made to the iPhone 3GS, music and video playback quality is indistinguishable from the 3G model. Fortunately, in this department, the iPhone can afford to rest on its laurels. Audio is crisp and full, with a suite of iPod EQ presets, ample volume, and minimum background hiss. A range of audio files and resolutions are supported, starting at basic MP3 and AAC, all the way up to CD-quality formats, such as AIFF, WAV, and Apple Lossless. Video playback quality is still the same bright, smooth experience we enjoyed on the 3G model. If there's a story to be told about video improvements, it's the fact that the 3GS is the first iPhone to both play and record video. Apple has also updated the mobile version of the iTunes store to include movie, television, and music video downloads, in addition to the music and podcast downloads offered prior to the OS 3.0 update. Music quality on the LG HBS-250 stereo Bluetooth headset was quite satisfactory--a big improvement over the iPhone's external speaker and better than the standard wired headset. Of course, your experience will vary depending on which stereo headset you choose.

Battery life
Battery life remains one of the iPhone 3G's biggest detractions. Indeed, you're lucky if your handset lasts longer than a day with heavy use. When Apple first introduced the iPhone in June, the company promised relief for beleaguered users. The 3GS' rated battery life is 9 hours of Wi-Fi battery life, 10 hours of video playback, 30 hours of audio playback, 12 hours of 2G talk time, and 5 hours of 3G talk time.

In our initial tests conducted just after this review posted, the iPhone 3GS' battery appeared to last longer than its predecessor's. We could go longer during a day of heavy use before having to recharge. Also, our first talk time test with EDGE delivered almost 11.5 hours of battery life, which is impressive considering the iPhone 3G lasted 8.75 hours on EDGE. We then sent the 3GS to CNET Labs for more rigorous testing. In those tests, the 3GS largely matched Apple's promised times. We'll start with voice calls first. CNET Labs managed 5.36 hours of 3G talk time and 13.4 hours of 2G talk time. While those results may seem surprising, remember that we leave the handset alone with the display dimmed during our talk time tests.

Battery life for multimedia use also was satisfactory. In Airplane Mode on with the cellular radio turned off, the 3GS delivered 36.7 hours of music playback and 10.03 hours of video playback. With the Airplane Mode off and 3G enabled, we got 35.4 hours of music time and 9.2 hours of video playback. In both cases, the screen was off during music playback.

It's important to remember that real-world use will be a better judge of the iPhone 3GS' endurance. The large color display, frequently switching between different applications, and heavy 3G or GPS use will drain the battery faster than just making a call. As it's difficult to develop an accurate benchmark for testing battery life while multitasking, your experience will vary widely depending on how you use your iPhone 3GS. There are quite a few things you can do to maximize battery life, but we recommend using Wi-Fi over 3G whenever possible, limiting GPS use, and dimming your display's brightness. The 3Gs is the first iPhone to show the percentage of battery charge on the Home screen.

Samsung Solstice SGH-A887 (AT&T)

2009-10-05T13:42:00.000-07:00

When Samsung introduces a new cell phone in the United States, it's often the case that we've seen it somewhere before. And that's definitely true with the new Samsung Solstice for AT&T. Also called the SGH-A887, the Solstice sports a touch-screen design with few physical controls. It shows characteristics of several previous Samsung models, but its closest relative is probably T-Mobile's recent Samsung Highlight. The low-end multimedia feature is functional, but performance was mediocre and the Solstice doesn't offer anything we haven't seen before. You can get it for $100 with service.

Design
Like the Highlight, the Solstice offers a trim design with rounded corners. It's not quite as angular as the Samsung Behold or the Eternity, though it lacks the Highlight's color choice and patterned back side. We wouldn't call it stylish, but it's not unattractive either. It measures 4.3 inches by 2.1 inches by 0.5 inch and weighs 3.3 ounces, which gives it a comfortable and sturdy feel in the hand.

The 3-inch display is just big enough, though we wouldn't want it to be any smaller. With support for 262,000 colors and 400x240 pixels, it has a pleasant resolution that shows colors and graphics well. It won't knock your socks off, but it's suitably bright and vibrant for phone of this caliber. Samsung's TouchWiz interface gives you instant access to a variety of features, though we wish its customization options were more extensive. The icon-based menu interface is simple and intuitive. Permanent touch icons on the bottom of the screen open the dialpad, the phone book, and the main menu.

The dialpad and QWERTY keyboard are unchanged from previous Samsung touch-screen models. The dialpad features large alphanumeric numbers for calling and sending texts using T9 predictive text. We prefer to use the full alphabetic keyboard, however. The keys are somewhat small, but you can use T9 here as well. Basic punctuation is surfaced on the primary keyboard, but you must click through to a second keyboard for numbers and symbols.

The Solstice's accelerometer works across many applications. As with other Samsung touch-screen phones, you can switch between the keypad and keyboard by rotating the phone to the left (rotating it to the right will result in an upside-down keyboard). The handset also offers a motion-detection feature that will automatically mute a call or an alarm tone when you turn the phone and place it face down on a surface.

The display is responsive, whether you're selecting icons or scrolling through long lists. You can adjust the intensity of the vibrating feedback and change the display's calibration. As for other customization options, you can change the display's wallpaper, brightness, backlight time, font type, and greeting message.

Three physical buttons sit below the display: a Talk button, a back control, and the End/power key. The calling controls are flush, but the back button is easy to find by feel. The volume rocker rests on the left spine while a combined headset/charger jack and camera shutter sit on the right spine. The jack is proprietary and you can use only one peripheral at a time. Also on the right spine you'll find a control that opens a shortcut menu for the browser, the games menu, the music player, the messaging app, and the dialpad. There's also a command to end any open application. The camera lens and self-portrait mirror rest on the phone's back side and the memory card slot is inconveniently located behind the battery.

Features
The Highlight has a generous 2,000-contact phone book with room in each entry for four phone numbers, four e-mail addresses, three instant-messaging handles (AIM, Windows Live, and Yahoo), a URL, a birthday, a company name and job title, a nickname, two street addresses, and notes (the SIM card holds an additional 250 names). You can save callers to groups and you can pair them with a photo, an alert tone, and one of 25 (72-chord) polyphonic ringtones. We like the handy scroll bar that lets you move quickly through a long list of contacts.

Basic features include a vibrate mode, text and multimedia messaging, a calendar, a calculator, a memo pad, a task list, a tip calculator, an alarm clock, a world clock, a timer, a stopwatch, a currency and unit converter, and a speakerphone. You'll also find speaker-independent voice dialing and commands, USB mass storage, PC syncing, a file manager, Web-based POP3 e-mail, instant messaging, a voice memo recorder, GPS support with AT&T Navigator support, and full Bluetooth with a stereo profile. Instant messaging is not included, unfortunately.

The Solstice offers a self-portrait mirror, but no flash.

The 2-megapixel camera takes pictures in five resolutions, from 1,600x1,200 pixels down to 320x240 pixels, and you can choose from four quality settings. Other editing options include four color effects, exposure metering, four white-balance settings, an adjustable brightness, a night mode, and a self-timer. The Solstice also features three shooting modes (continuous, panorama, and mosaic), 20 frames, and a "smile shot" option that promises to detect when a subject is smiling. Photo quality was excellent, with bright colors and little image noise.

The Solstice offers great photo quality.

The camcorder shoots clips in two resolutions (320x240 and 176x144) with sound. Editing options are similar to the still camera, though somewhat less extensive. Clips meant for multimedia messages are capped at 1 minute, but you can shoot for longer in standard mode. When finished with your shots and clips you can save to the phone, send them to a friend in a multimedia message, or transfer them to a computer via a memory card, USB cable, or Bluetooth. The Solstice also supports AT&T's Video Share service.

As a 3G (UMTS) phone, the Solstice offers the full set of AT&T's wireless broadband multimedia services. You'll find AT&T Video (streaming-video content) and AT&T Mobile Music (wireless song downloads through partners). The experience with the two applications is similar to that on other AT&T phones; both are minimalist in their designs, but the music player supports a wide variety of file formats (MP3, AAC, eAAC+, and WMA) and it offers useful features, such as album art, playlists, shuffle and repeat modes, and an airplane mode.

The Solstice follows its 3G predecessors by offering a solid selection of music-related features, such as support for XM Mobile, a Music ID app, music videos, and a community section with access to fan sites and downloads. You also get an application for creating your own ringtones and saving music tracks as ringtones.

The Solstice's full HTML browser is workable, but nothing special. It's relatively easy to enter URLs using the virtual keyboard and save bookmarks, but we can't abide the magnifying glass zooming method and the display is just a bit too small for comfortable viewing. Scrolling around the display was easy most of the time, but there were occasions where it felt slightly jerky. Also, since the Solstice defaults to a WAP version of a Web site when one is available (which is usually the case), there should be an easier way to switch to the full HTML version.

The Solstice offers a large number of apps, most of which are subscription-based. They include My-Cast Weather, WikiMobile, Yellowpages Mobile, MobiVJ, MobiTV XM Radio, and Mobile Banking. Gamers can play Tumbling Dice and test demos of Block Breaker, Diner Dash 2, The Sims 3, and World Poker Tour Hold Em 2. You'll have to buy the full versions for extended play. You also can download additional wallpapers and ringtones and you can create your own tones using an integrated app.

Performance
We tested the quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900) world phone in San Francisco using AT&T service. Call quality wasn't the best we've heard. The volume was low, and the audio quality was patchy with audible static. We also had audio fade-outs during most conversations. It didn't totally ruin our calling experience, but we can't say that we enjoyed it.

On their end, callers also reported problems. They had trouble hearing us at times, particularly when we were using the phone in a noisy place like an airport departure lounge. Most of our friends also mentioned the static and audio fade-outs. Speakerphone calls were loud, but suffered from the same troubling audio quality. Bluetooth headset calls were about the same.

The Solstice is a 3G phone that supports AT&T's wireless broadband (UMTS 850/1900) network. Browser speed was slower than we've seen on comparable AT&T phones. A couple of times our connection timed out before we could get the browser started. And even when we did connect, the speed was rather slow. CNET's mobile site, for example, took almost a minute to load.

Video quality was average. As the AT&T Video interface is browser-based, we did experience the same connection problems that plagued the standard browser. Once we were able to get a video playing there was moderate pixelation, especially during action scenes. The audio was fine, and some videos paused midway through. Music quality was mixed as well. Though the external speakers have decent output, the audio isn't anything that you'd want to listen to for long. Headphones will offer a better experience.

The Solstice has a rated battery life of 5 hours talk time and 10.4 days standby time. It has a tested talk time of 8 hours and 58 minutes. According to FCC radiation tests the Solstice has a digital SAR of 0.85 watt per kilogram.

Motorola Karma QA1 (AT&T)

2009-10-05T13:37:00.000-07:00

It seems that PCD isn't the only manufacturer making square messaging phones. Indeed, the Motorola Karma QA1 for AT&T looks a whole lot like PCD's Verizon Wireless Blitz and the more recent Cricket TXTM8. However, the Karma QA1 is a step above those two in both design and features. It has 3G speeds, a full HTML browser, and quick access to social networking applications, making it more than just a normal messaging phone. The Motorola Karma QA1 is available for $79.99 with a two-year agreement with AT&T.

Design
If you look at the Motorola Karma QA1 next to the Cricket TXTM8, you would think the two are almost identical. They're both square with rounded corners and both have a similar black and silver color scheme. However, the similarities end there. Measuring 3.42 inches long by 2.52 inches wide by 0.7 inch thick, the Karma QA1 is a tad smaller than the TXTM8. And while the TXTM8 seemed to us like a plastic toy, the Karma QA1 has a far more professional feel with its tempered glass display and soft touch textured back. Weighing 4.97 ounces, the Karma QA1 also feels sturdier than the TXTM8.

The Motorola Karma QA1 has a square design.

We're quite impressed by the 2.5-inch display on the front. It boasts 262,000 colors and 240x320-pixel resolution that results in crisp and vibrant images and text. The grid menu interface is really easy to use, thanks to the big icons and large font. You can adjust the wallpaper, the screensaver, the "skin," the greeting text, and the display theme, but not the backlight time or the brightness. Along the bottom row of the home screen is a launch bar that consists of four user-defined shortcut icons, which can lead to either applications on the phone or browser bookmarks. This is especially useful when you add a shortcut to a site like Facebook or MySpace, thus giving you one-touch access to your favorite social network. You can hide or show the launch bar by pressing the down or up direction key on the navigation toggle.

The Motorola Karma QA1 has a 3.5-millimeter headset jack on the top.

The navigation array underneath the display consists of two soft keys, a square toggle with a middle confirmation key, a dedicated messaging key, a Clear/Back key, and the Send and End/Power keys on either side. The center navigation keys felt a bit slippery and flat, and we didn't like that the Send and End/Power keys are skinny, but they were still very usable. On the left side of the Karma QA1 is a "smart key" that can be mapped to any phone function. On the right is the volume rocker, while the charger jack is on the bottom. A 3.5-millimeter headset jack sits on top of the phone, which is great if you want to use your own headphones. On the back of the phone is the camera lens and flash LED. There's also a microSD card slot but it's inconveniently located behind the battery cover.

The Motorola Karma QA1 has a full QWERTY keyboard.

Slide the phone open and you'll see a full QWERTY keyboard. Not only is it roomy and easy to use, but each key is also raised above the surface and has a nice rubberized no-slip texture that makes it easy to thumb-type and dial. The number keys are highlighted in blue. Aside from the typical Function and Backspace keys, you also get a dedicated Caps Lock or Shift key, a dedicated browser key, and a Symbols or punctuations key.

Features
The Motorola Karma QA1 has a generous 1,000-entry phone book with room in each entry for six numbers, three e-mail addresses, a Web URL, three postal addresses, a birthday, and notes. You can also assign callers to categories, and pair them with a photo for caller ID, and any of 25 polyphonic ringtones, eight alert tones, and five vibration patterns. Basic features include a vibrate mode, a speakerphone, text and multimedia messaging with threaded conversations, a calendar, an alarm clock, a world clock, a calculator, and a voice recorder. You can read the latest incoming texts and messages on the front screen while the phone is closed. You can also multitask with other applications during a call or while surfing the Web by selecting the "Swap" option in the Options menu.

More advanced users will like the full stereo Bluetooth, voice dialing, instant messaging (AIM, Windows Live, and Yahoo), and A-GPS with support for AT&T's TeleNav service. You also get mobile e-mail from a variety of e-mail providers such as Yahoo Mail, AOL Mail, AIM Mail, Windows Live Hotmail, Comcast, and more. However, you don't get POP or IMAP access, so you can't add an unlisted e-mail provider.

A surprisingly nice feature of the Karma QA1 is that it has a full HTML browser, which goes hand-in-hand with the phone's support of 3G speeds. Because of the small screen size, though, we found that we had to do a lot more scrolling than usual, especially in large Web pages. Still, you can zoom in and out of pages, and fit the pages to screen. The browser even supports Flash Lite, so you can watch streaming videos from YouTube or CNET TV. You can access the browser's history, clear the cookies, reset the cache, toggle JavaScript and images on or off, and even save an entire Web page for later viewing.

As we mentioned, you also get quick access to social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace. Bear in mind that these aren't really native applications per se--these quick access icons are really just shortcuts to the mobile versions of the Web site. Included in the phone are quick access applications to Facebook, MySpace, and JuiceCaster, which is a social broadcasting tool that lets you upload status updates, photos, and videos to a variety of social networks including Twitter and Flickr. You only need to log in once to use any of these services.

As a 3G phone, the Karma QA1 also gives you access to AT&T broadband services like Cellular Video, which lets you watch streaming video clips from content providers like CNN and CBS, AT&T Video Share, which lets you stream one-way live video calls to a Video Share-compatible phone, and AT&T Mobile Music, a music portal with an online music store. You can purchase and download songs from Napster and eMusic from that store, and you also get access to XM Radio Mobile, Music ID (a song ID service), music videos courtesy of MobiVJ, and several other music-related applications.

The music player on the Karma QA1 has a very simple interface. You do get the basic player controls, as well as repeat, shuffle, and the capability to create and edit playlists. You can also toggle on spatial audio and bass boost to make the songs sound better. You can send the music player to the background if you feel like multitasking, and you can send songs to your friends via Bluetooth if you wish. If you don't want to download songs from Napster or eMusic, you can load your own songs to a microSD card. It supports MIDI, MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, RealAudio, and XMF audio formats. The Karma QA1 has 100MB of user available memory, but it also supports up to 16GB microSD cards.

The Motorola Karma QA1 has a 2.0-megapixel and flash LED on the back.

The Karma QA1 comes with a simple 2.0-megapixel camera. It can take pictures in four resolutions and three quality settings. Other camera features include five color effects, an exposure setting, six white balance/lighting modes with a night mode option, up to 8x digital zoom, a flash LED, a self-timer, and five shutter tones plus a silent option. Photo quality was average. Images looked blurry and the colors appeared washed out. There's also a built-in camcorder with three quality settings, four resolutions, the capability to toggle the sound on or off, and similar settings to the still camera. Video quality was not the greatest--videos seemed jerky and pixelated for the most part--but they're good enough for sharing with friends via MMS.

The Motorola Karma QA1 takes average photos.

You can personalize the Karma QA1 with a selection of wallpapers, screensavers, and alert tones. You can download more via AT&T's Media Mall. The Karma QA1 also comes with several games and applications like Super Jewel Quest, Yellowpages, Scrabble Blast, WikiMobile, Mobile Banking, The Oregon Trail, MobiTV, Where (a location-based application that lets you find the nearest local business and so forth), and Zuma. Again, you can download more from AT&T's application store.

Performance
We tested the quad-band (GSM 850/900/1,800/1,900; UMTS/HSDPA) Motorola Karma QA1 in San Francisco using AT&T's service. We were very pleased overall with the call quality. Incoming voices sounded natural and we experienced little to no static.

On their end, callers said we sounded very good, with very little background noise. The Motorola Karma QA1 uses Motorola's CrystalTalk noise-canceling technology, so that is perhaps why our callers could hear us loud and clear. Automated calling systems could understand us with few issues. As for the speakerphone quality, it had plenty of volume, though callers did sound a bit harsh. Callers said we sounded quite good, almost as if we weren't using the speakerphone at all.

We had a little bit of trouble with the data connection on the Karma QA1. Though the QA1 is a 3G phone, we sometimes had trouble getting a 3G signal. When we did though, pages loaded very fast. A full HTML page like that on CNET loaded in a mere 15 seconds or so. We also downloaded a 3MB song in around 35 seconds.

We didn't have such a pleasant experience with streaming video, however. The buffering was intermittent and didn't happen too often, but the video quality was really quite awful. There were lots of pixelation and blocky images, even with relatively still shots. Music quality is better, though the speakers do make the songs sound rather harsh and light on bass. We would recommend using a stereo headset for better audio.

The Karma QA1 has a rated battery life of 5.2 hours talk time and 14.5 days. We were highly impressed with the tested talk time of 13 hours and 20 minutes. According to FCC radiation tests, the Karma QA1 has a digital SAR of 0.55 watts per kilogram.

RIM BlackBerry Bold (AT&T)

2009-10-05T13:36:00.000-07:00

The good: The RIM BlackBerry Bold boasts one of the sharpest displays we've seen on a smartphone and offers great multimedia performance. The smartphone also brings HSDPA support, more productivity tools, and an updated OS. Other goodies include Wi-Fi; GPS; Bluetooth; and strong e-mail support with full QWERTY keyboard.

The bad: The Bold is a bit bulky and expensive. The Web browser isn't as easy to navigate as the competition.

The bottom line: For those who waited, the RIM BlackBerry Bold won't disappoint. The Bold impresses with its brilliant display, enhanced productivity tools, and excellent multimedia performance to deliver a more powerful and well-rounded smartphone to mobile professionals.

Specifications: Band / mode: WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM 850/900/1800/1900 ; Talk time: Up to 270 min ; Combined with: With digital camera / digital player / GPS receiver ;

Samsung Instinct HD SPH-M850 (Sprint)

2009-10-05T13:34:00.000-07:00

The good: The Samsung Instinct HD offers a sleek design with an attractive user interface and a brilliant display. Its HD-capable camera is one of the best around, photo and video quality are sharp, and the loaded feature set includes Wi-Fi.

The bad: The Samsung Instinct HD was sluggish at times, and call quality isn't the sharpest. The Opera 9.7 browser takes some getting used to, and the memory card slot is located behind the battery cover, which is inconvenient. It's also quite expensive.

The bottom line: The Samsung Instinct HD packs a lot of features and decent performance into an appealing design. But even with all it has to offer, we'd prefer to pay less and get a full smartphone.

Digital SLR cameras on a shoestring

2009-10-05T13:25:00.000-07:00

Remember when it was common to drop $500 to $700 on a nice digital point-and-shoot? These days, with the same money, you can pick up a digital SLR camera. These aren't professional models or the very best that current technology has to offer, but for the photo enthusiast on a budget--or even the avid family photographer--they can be a big leap forward. With larger sensors and generally faster performance than snapshot models offer, these cameras provide plenty of tools to photographers who prefer a camera with more than one button. And if you save your pennies, you can increase their flexibility and image quality in the future with additional lens and accessory purchases. But which to buy from this year's models? Here's my take.

For the best overall value for the money, the Pentax K200D hits all the right notes with a dust- and weather-resistant body, sensor-shift image stabilization, and other premium features. Its biggest weakness is not-terribly accurate colors and a tendency to underexpose, which can be overcome with some tweaking.
For the best photo quality, the relatively old Canon EOS Rebel XS still delivers, especially in low light, and its kit lens is the best of the group. It does have some operational annoyances, though, such as hard-to-see AF points in the viewfinder and no spot meter, and it lacks in-body image stabilization.
For the first-timer friendliest, the Nikon D3000 provides a guided shooting mode that can help you get up to speed. But it also has the most limited feature set of the bunch--there's no exposure or flash exposure bracketing, for example.
Though it's not a clear winner in every race, the Pentax K2000 seems to have the best overall performance of the group. However, its out-of-the-box photo quality and feature set can't match most of the other models for the money.
For a cheap model that fulfills the dSLR promise--better performance, photo quality, and flexibility than a point-and-shoot--the Sony Alpha DSLR-A230 should garner its share of fans.

Keep in mind that only a couple hundred dollars more will buy a lot more camera; generally, models one price class up usually supply Live View shooting, and occasionally video capture, as well as better performance and photo quality.