The greatest game console of all time?

few days ago, blogger Don Reisinger made the bold declaration that the Super Nintendo was the greatest video game system of all time. The SNES was indeed a great console with lots of great games, but it’s still a leap to call it the greatest system ever made. In an industry that’s over 30 years old, that’s seen dozens upon dozens of home video game systems, simply calling out Nintendo’s second console as the best ever seems simplistic.

To a certain extent, though, Don is right. The Super Nintendo could be considered the greatest console of all time. It presented a huge leap in technology from the NES, and its superlative selection of great games make it a system I’d be proud to keep next to my TV to this day. Some of my fondest young gaming memories revolve around the SNES and the countless hours I spent in front of it. Many of my favorite games are SNES titles, and they’re still great to play today (thank you, Virtual Console, since my original SNES is long gone).  

The Super Nintendo isn’t the only choice, though. It might not even be the best choice for best console. The SNES took a huge leap forward from the NES, but it went in the same direction as the NES took from the Atari. It did everything the NES did, and it did a far better job of it, but it didn’t really offer much else. A look at some of the greatest games of the system offer enough proof of that: Super Mario World, Super Metroid, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Mega Man X, and Final Fantasy VI were all sequels. They’re all fantastic games, but they owe everything to the original NES games: Super Mario Brothers, Metroid, The Legend of Zelda, Mega Man, and Final Fantasy. 

Several other consoles could also be called the greatest gaming system. They all offer a great advancement from the previous generation, they all feature massive libraries of great games, and they all have a shot at beating the Super Nintendo for the superlative title. 

Nintendo Entertainment System:  Brought gaming back from the brink  

The NES helped start it all, and pulled North America back from the brink after the console gaming crash. The home video game system market almost died in 1983 and 1984, when the field became flooded with everything from Atari to Colecovision to Intellivision to Vectrex to the Bally Astrocade. There were practically more systems on the market than decent games to play with them, and people weren’t biting. The Nintendo Entertainment System helped revitalize the industry when it came out in the U.S. in late 1985.  Of course, Nintendo’s first home system wasn’t great simply because what it did to the market. The 8-bit console found dozens of great games, from franchise firsts like Super Mario Brothers, Metroid, and The Legend of Zelda, to great third-party titles like Mega Man, Castlevania, and Final Fantasy, to classic sports games like Super Tecmo Bowl, Super Dodgeball, and Blades of Steel. The millions of grown-up gamers who helped make the game industry so successful owe much of their childhood memories to time spent on Nintendo’s 8-bit console.  

The case against: The NES’ games haven’t aged very well. While SNES titles like Final Fantasy VI, Super Mario World, Super Metroid, and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past are still a blast to play, the original Final Fantasy,, Super Mario Brothers, Metroid, and The Legend of Zelda can’t readily compare. They score big on the nostalgia factor, but the SNES offers broader, deeper, prettier games that feature all the best parts of the NES titles without the ugliness or simplicity. It doesn’t help that for every great game on the NES, there were easily 10 horrible pieces of shovelware pushed out.  

Great games: Super Mario Brothers, The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Mega Man, Castlevania, Super Dodgeball, Duck Hunt, StarTropics, Ducktales, Final Fantasy  

Sony PlayStation: Gaming made for grown-ups

If you had an NES in your childhood living room, you probably had a PlayStation in your college dorm room. While the NES helped make home video games popular again, the PlayStation helped legitimize the industry as a form of entertainment for adults, as well as kids. Titles like Resident Evil, Final Fantasy 7, and Metal Gear Solid tied great graphics with surprisingly mature and deep storytelling to present gaming experiences that adults could proudly play.  

The PlayStation really gave developers the opportunity to actually show gamers the story, not just tell them. The system’s combination of optical storage and 3D graphics let games use rendered cut scenes, voice acting, and even video footage to tell their stories. Previous systems like the SNES and NES offered dramatic storytelling at times (like the excellent Final Fantasy 7), and systems like the Phillips CD-i and Sega Saturn used optical discs to pack movies and sound into games, but the PlayStation was the first system to really take advantage of both to inject much-needed maturity into an industry that was still seen as primarily for young children.  

The case against: Like the NES, the PlayStation suffered from a deluge of shovelware that outnumbered its decent games. Like the SNES, most of the great games on the PlayStation were retreads and sequels of older systems’ games. Many of the games, like Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy 7, took their series in some great new directions, but they still didn’t offer much new besides prettier graphics and deeper stories.  

Great games: Resident Evil, Final Fantasy 7, Metal Gear Solid, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Silent Hill, Tekken 3, Final Fantasy Tactics, Xenogears  

Microsoft Xbox 360: Putting it all online Though it’s horribly premature to consider any competitor in the current console war the “best game system ever,” the Xbox 360 still deserves some consideration. Microsoft’s second game system has done the best job so far of connecting a home console to the Internet and bringing the entire experience together with ease and (relative) stability. After a successful test run on the original Xbox, Xbox Live has bloomed into a full-featured online service. Xbox Live Arcade offers a surprisingly large library of fun, downloadable games, from classic titles (like the aforementioned PlayStation game Castlevania: Symphony of the Night) to esoteric board games (like Catan and Carcassonne).  

While online competition was once the sole purveyance of PCs, the Xbox 360 and the for-pay Xbox Live Gold service has made everything from casual death matches to sports tournaments easy to set up and execute. Previous systems, like the Sega Dreamcast, the PlayStation 2, and the original Xbox, laid the groundwork for online console play, but the Xbox 360 managed to execute it the most successfully. Voice and text chat both in and out of games, easy communication between friends enjoying different games, and a buddy list you can view and edit over the Web make the system one of the easiest to take online. Of course, the other two consoles have made available both downloadable games and multiplayer, but they don’t do it quite as well. The Nintendo Wii’s Virtual Console lets gamers enjoy some of the best games from the NES, SNES, and other classic systems, and the PlayStation Network offers both new games and classic PlayStation titles for download. Unfortunately, the Wii’s multiplayer component feels incomplete and awkward, and the PS3’s library isn’t as large and its interface isn’t nearly as friendly as it could have been. The Xbox 360 simply manages to hit its mark and, like the NES and the PlayStation, take gaming forward.  

The case against: The Xbox 360 has been plagued by quality control issues since it came out, and the red ring of death has caused a great deal of bitterness. The system itself has some great games, but it doesn’t offer many truly remarkable exclusive titles; with a few exceptions, the Xbox 360’s best games are either PC ports or cross-platform titles that are also on the PS3. In certain ways, the Xbox 360 is little more than a PC in a shiny console wrapper.  

Great games: Mass Effect, Bioshock, Call of Duty 4, Halo 3, Gears of War, Puzzle Quest, Catan, Carcassonne, Alien Hominid HD  

The final verdict:  Depends on what you mean by “greatest”  

Gaming is so subjective that there is no single “greatest” system ever. It might sound like a cop-out, but it really depends on what standards you’re using and what generation you grew up in. I loved the SNES, and would personally call it the greatest system of all time. However, the NES and PlayStation could both easily be called the best, based on the standards they set and the advances they presented to gaming. Even the Xbox 360 could be called the best, if you consider how much it’s done in terms of connecting console gamers to each other and making new games and content accessible.

In the end, it depends. My heart says SNES, my head says NES, and my hands say PlayStation (because nobody ever got Nintendo Thumb from the Dual Shock controller). Some of my best gaming memories were from the Super Nintendo, but I still have to give credit where credit is due.

Microsoft bids $44.6 billion for Yahoo

Microsoft went public Friday with a $44.6 billion cash-and-stock bid to acquire Yahoo. 

In its response, Yahoo called the Microsoft bid “unsolicited” but did not reject it.  

Microsoft’s offer, which was contained in the letter to Yahoo’s board, amounts to $31 a share and represents a 62 percent premium over Yahoo’s closing price on Thursday. Microsoft said it will offer shareholders the option of cash or stock. 

“We have great respect for Yahoo, and together, we can offer an increasingly exciting set of solutions for consumers, publishers, and advertisers while becoming better positioned to compete in the online-services market,” Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said in a statement.  

Yahoo said in a responding statement that its board “will evaluate this proposal carefully and promptly, in the context of Yahoo’s strategic plans, and pursue the best course of action to maximize long-term value for shareholders.”  

The deal comes as Microsoft and Yahoo have both struggled to compete against Google. Microsoft didn’t mention Google by name in its announcement, but it did indicate that its acquisition bid was aimed squarely at its rival.  

“Today, the market is increasingly dominated by one player, who is consolidating its dominance through acquisition,” Microsoft said. “Together, Microsoft and Yahoo can offer a credible alternative.”  

In a conference call Friday morning, Ballmer said that Microsoft and Yahoo “really do share a vision for the potential of online services.”  

Microsoft said in its statement that it believes that it can get all of the needed regulatory approvals and that the deal, if ultimately approved by Yahoo shareholders, could be completed in the second half of the year. 

Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at Jupiter Research, said it’s “clear that there is increased pressure on Microsoft from Google, and they recognize that. Way back when, Yahoo wasn’t that interested in a Microsoft deal. What a difference two years make. Microsoft has a pile of money, and Yahoo has experienced problems of its own. Ballmer, in the past, has historically not loved these types of deals. It is indicative of how different the world is now.

“ Gartenberg added that the deal “absolutely” makes sense. “But there is a lot to be done in the details. Getting this deal done might be the easiest part. The real challenge is what happens when they finish the deal. This is not a panacea–the details will be what matters,” he said.  Rumors that Microsoft was interested in Yahoo have bubbled up from time to time, including the past two springs, on the eve of Microsoft advertising conferences. 

The move would be by far the largest acquisition ever for Microsoft. Its largest prior deal, also in the online-advertising space, was last year’s $6 billion deal to acquire Aquantive. Asked on the conference call why Microsoft still needs Yahoo after buying Aquantive, Ballmer pointed to Yahoo’s reach with consumers.  

“Certainly from a consumer perspective, there’s no better way to increase scale and capacity than this acquisition,” Ballmer said.  

Microsoft also pointed to the intense investments needed in data centers and technology needed to compete with Google.  

“Scale matters,” said Kevin Johnson, president of the Microsoft division that houses Windows and online advertising. “Some of the scale economics can kick in rather rapidly.”

Ultimately, Ballmer said, the deal should help Microsoft become profitable in online advertising.  

“We’ve been losing money,” Ballmer said. “Our plan would be to not lose money in the future.” In a letter sent to Yahoo’s board late Thursday, Microsoft confirmed that it has had talks with Yahoo since 2006 but that its suggestions of an acquisition had been rebuffed.  

“In late 2006 and early 2007, we jointly explored a broad range of ways in which our two companies might work together,” Microsoft said. “These discussions were based on a vision that the online businesses of Microsoft and Yahoo should be aligned in some way to create a more effective competitor in the online marketplace. We discussed a number of alternatives ranging from commercial partnerships to a merger proposal, which you rejected.”  

The letter goes on to say that an offer in February 2007 was also rejected. Although at one time, Microsoft was open to other kinds of partnerships with Yahoo, the company says now it just wants to own Yahoo outright.

“While a commercial partnership may have made sense at one time, Microsoft believes that the only alternative now is the combination of Microsoft and Yahoo that we are proposing,” Microsoft said in the letter.  

In the conference call, Ballmer said that when Microsoft first talked to Yahoo more than a year ago, it believed that a merger would have benefits to both companies. “We believe now in those benefits more than ever,” Ballmer said.  

The public offer follows Yahoo’s disappointing earnings report on Tuesday, which sent the company’s shares down. Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang said Tuesday that the company is facing “headwinds.” He also announced 1,000 layoffs.  

Terry Semel, Yahoo’s former CEO, who left that position last summer but remained as nonexecutive chairman of the board, left the company altogether on Thursday. 

Microsoft’s move validates Yahoo’s value and could bring out other prospective buyers, said Danny Sullivan, editor of Search Engine Land. However, Microsoft doesn’t have enough of a plan as to how it would integrate Yahoo into the company, he said.  

Unlike with Microsoft’s Aquantive and Tellme acquisitions, Microsoft and its Live brands have a lot of overlap with Yahoo, including e-mail, portal, advertising, and search.  

“Microsoft suffers in that they are conflicted over two different brands, and now they’re going to have to be conflicted over three,” Sullivan said. “If Microsoft wants to be a leader in search, this is a way for them to climb up and be No. 2 against Google. And it validates that Yahoo isn’t a loser. It’s a company that’s worth a lot of money.”  

A merger might give Google some extra competition, but it wouldn’t unseat it as the top search provider, and it would take some time to convince advertisers that they would do better on a Microsoft-Yahoo platform over Google’s highly successful ad business, said Mark Mahaney of Citigroup.  

“If Yahoo wants to remain independent, it will need to show investors that it is willing to take radical, value-creating steps,” and outsourcing search to Google is one of its few options, Mahaney wrote in a research note.

Imran Khan of J.P. Morgan Securities thinks that regulators will approve the deal.  

“Yahoo is better off inside a larger company with (a) strong balance sheet and technology,” Khan wrote in a research note. A merger of Microsoft and Yahoo could give them the scale, in terms of search traffic, that they need to compete against Google and provide a boost on the ad side, he added.

“A combination of Yahoo’s relationships (with DSL providers), and Microsoft’s applications and devices, could create a very well positioned potential competitor,” Khan wrote. Microsoft’s financial advisers are Morgan Stanley and The Blackstone Group.  

By Ina Fried

The Panasonic R7

The Panasonic R7 offers an unrivaled 2 pound usability experience. Its diminutive 9.0(W) x 7.2(L) x 0.9~1.6(H) inch footprint accommodates a 10.4″ XGA TFT and a 17mm keypitch keyboard–giving you a much larger keyboard and screen than anything in its weight class. The 8 hour standard battery life is remarkable (even when reduced to a real world 4-5 hours of use). The R7’s utilization of the latest ultra-low voltage Intel Core Duo processor helps to give long battery life while delivering significant performance.

But it is not all about being pretty.

The R7 withstood 50kg (110 pounds) of weight, as well as a 30cm (11.8 inch) drop, in Panasonic’s lab tests. While this is not a guarantee that it will withstand that in the future (and it is not guaranteed to do so), it’s an impressive feat for a chassis this size. The HDD is shock-mounted to reduce the likelihood of data loss due to stress of travel.

The Intel Centrino Core 2 Duo processor (2mb on-chip cache) and 2.0gb RAM (max) provide plenty of power. The mobile Intel GM965 Express chipset with 224mb shared VRAM also provides plenty of graphics performance.

Mvix MX-780HD Media Center With Built-in Torrent Client

This is one of those little know devices that I am a huge fan of. I own and did a review on one of the first Mvix media centers a while ago, the MV-5000U. Aside from its crude interface, I thought it was a fantastic device being able to play many different formats along with DVD ISOs turning it to a true DVD jukebox. It is still one of my most used devices to this day. So you can see why I am excited to see this third gen Mvix.

The newest version, the Mvix MX-780, adds HDMI out for resolutions of to 1080p (in addition to other outputs, see after the jump). There are many different ways you can play media on the box: stream it from your computer (Wi-Fi or Ethernet), transfer it via USB as a standard MSC drive, connect an MSC drive to the USB host on the back, set it up as a NDAS network drive and drop files on, and of course add an internal IDE or SATA drive. Additionally, you are able to tune into free internet radio for music content.

 

Now onto what I found to be the more interesting feature of this media center is the soon to be built in torrent client. This feature will likely be coming later on, so don’t expect it to be included at the time or release (although it might). When I spoke with a Mvix rep he told me that the firmware programmer was finishing up the torrent client on the way over to CES on the plane, so it’s still probably beta. I also found out that they are still planning on adding more codecs with future firmware updates.

 

The 780 is not up on the Mvix site yet, but below are the specs I copied from the press release. I know the above sounds a bit like a sales pitch, but I really am a fan and think more people should know about this gem- so spread the word. I will try to get my hands on one soon for a review.

 

• Video Formats: DivX, XviD, DVD (ISO/VOB/IFO), MPEG, VCD(DAT), WMV(WMV-9), ASF(WMV-9), TP, TS, TRP
• Audio Formats: MP3, WMA, AAC, OGG, PMC, AC3, M4A, DTS decoding (down-mixing / Pass though)
• Image Formats: BMP, JPG, PNG
• Subtitle Support: SMO, SRT, SUB
• Video Out: HDMI, Composite, S-Video, Component
• Audio Out: RCA, Digital Coaxial, Optical
• TV System: NTSC, PAL, Auto
• HD Support: 720p, 1080i, 1080p
• Networking: 802.11b/g (WEP/WPA), 10/100 Ethernet, NDAS
• Internal Disk: 3.5” IDE or SATA

USB: Slave (for connecting to computer) and Host (for additional storage)

An all-in-one media hub that will turn heads

As impressive as the “ITC One” media system may be, some have observed that its design doesn’t live up to its extensive functions. It’s understandable that appearance wasn’t a priority, though, given that it’s one of the few compact all-in-one systems of its kind. 

All that will change, however, if they catch on–and a company called DVico is trying to get ahead of the pack with a multimedia hub of its own. “TViX,” as it’s known, is an HD multimedia system that plays 1080p video, DVDs, and MPs while storing files on its internal hard drive, according to GadgetGrid. 

It doesn’t have a built-in Xbox and other high-end features found in the ITC One, but TViX does have a handsome cylindrical design that could easily be displayed without shame. And there’s one other important difference between the two systems–price. As in $546 vs. $25,000. That alone may make it worth a look

 

Sharp’s home theater in a stand

If all-in-one PCs and TVs are the way of the future, their stands may be following suit. Cabinet racks with integrated speakers have become almost standard fare from the likes of Sony, Yamaha, and Evesham. And now Sharp is throwing its hat into the ring too. 

The Aquos Audio AN-ACD2 touts itself as a home theater built into a multimedia stand. The system features a 2.1-channel receiver and supposedly produces 150 watts of sound, according to Akihabara News.

Its $892 cost may seem a bit on the high side, but it could be a lot worse. Flatlift’s “diamond dust” stand goes for $142,000, and it doesn’t even have speakers.

Introducing the multimedia waterbed

 

OK, so maybe $50,000 is a wee bit much for a bed, even if it does help stop snoring. Thriftier Cravers might be more inclined to go with something like a stripped-down “TV-Bed” from Gustarle, which comes with a built-in 26-inch Samsung LCD and a Sony DVD player. And it’s a waterbed.

 All this for the bargain price of $13,577, according to BornRich. Sure, it doesn’t have all that fancy sleep technology featured in the “Starry Night Bed,” but it has all the basics. After all, as everyone knows, a bed’s only as good as its TV.

The latest 57-inch HDTV…for the bathroom

 Every day sees more evidence that people are spending their entire lives in the bathroom. Take TVs, for example: No longer is it unusual to find a waterproof flat screen situated above the sink, in the shower, or pretty much anywhere else one can imagine (which we’d rather not, thank you).

Instead, it’s become a question of how big the bathroom TV is. And Aquavision has an answer, to the tune of a 57-inch LCD in full 1080p HD glory, according to Dvice, with a reflective screen that serves as a mirror when turned off. All this is getting increasingly passe as the bathroom TV market gets, well, saturated. What we really want to see is a “Pimped Out John” for the masses.  

Nokia E90 Communicator

Many moons ago, a laptop, a cell phone, and a cinder block got together for a hot three-way love fest. The product of this freaky, sweaty, and possibly illegal union? The Nokia E90 communicator — a device with some serious identity issues, but also one with some serious talent too.

Let’s be up front about it: this monstrous device at 7.4 ounces and 5.2 x 2.24 x 0.79 inches is not attractive in the slightest. In fact, the unappealing shell and sheer physical size make it a colossal pain in the ass to lug around in public. Clearly, the E90 is made to fit in briefcases—not skinny hipster jeans. Business folks and texting junkies, though, will love the full QWERTY keyboard, a feature that makes composing legalese missives, or elaborate IMs a relatively painless process. (Ever try tapping out a Google doc on the iPhone’s touch screen? Yeesh.) But even more appealing is the impressive palette of functions Nokia manages to cram into the beast: a 3.2 megapixel camera with flash and autofocus, 640 x 480 video resolution at 30fps, 3G compatibility, Wi-Fi, infrared, and Bluetooth connectivity, a voice recorder, GPS Navigation, push-to-talk, both Flash and (scoff) Real Player

 

No, it’s not going to tuck you into bed at night, and we’re guessing it won’t get you chicks either (really though, what gadget does?) but the E90 is definitely a good choice for those who want laptop functionality dressed up in the guise of a cell phone

Tannoy i30 iPod Speaker System

Tannoy’s latest speaker system is actually kinda sexy. Well as sexy as a speaker system can get. First off, the clever packaging makes for a fascinating unboxing experience nearly on par with an Apple product — the power cords and peripherals come in two simple black boxes labeled “the kit” and “the bits.” The i30 (nestled beneath the kits and bits) is silky smooth and glossy black with a rounded behind. Five dock adapters plus a 3.5mm jack ensure that every generation of iPod is compatible with the dock. Operation is simple: and there are no buttons that you have to worry about not pushing—simply plug it into the wall, dock your iPod, and press play. Our one major beef? The remote. It’s a cheap plastic temperamental little thing that only works occasionally from a few feet away. But that’s not a deal breaker. The i30 is still a great choice for those who need a chic bedroom accessory that also happens to deliver rich, room filling audio.

$400, tannoydigital.com

Turn an old notebook hard drive into a USB drive for $10.99

So you pulled that cramped old 40GB hard drive out of your notebook and replaced it with 160GB of storage goodness. Ever wonder what you should do with the leftover drive? Simple: Stick it in an enclosure and use it as a portable USB hard drive.

You supply the drive; Meritline.com has an enclosure for just $10.99 shipped (after entering coupon code HW1971413OFF, which expires 1/25). It’s compatible with all 2.5-inch IDE and SATA drives, and it includes both IDE and SATA external interfaces (cables, too). You also get a carrying case and a little screwdriver for opening and closing the enclosure. The drive itself gets powered by the interface, so there’s no need for an AC adapter. For 11 bucks you can get yourself a terrific little portable hard drive for transferring files, on-the-fly backups, and so on. Sweet.  

Harvey Diamond…Blog Creator & Administrator

Hey Everyone!

Harvey Diamond here, and I’m back from a nice looooong break from the blog.
 
Have you become frustrated with what’s going on in the tech game?   It seems that many manufacturers are often doing one of two things:

 (1) They either rush to release products and software before their competitor(s) and therefore, don’t take the time to test it and make sure it’s really up to par, or…

(2) They don’t bother creating and selling quality products because they feel most people will quickly buy a newer product before they get a chance to realize how much the old one sucks!  Either way, don’t fear – we still have quite a few companies that take the time to provide quality and innovative products. – the kind of things savvy, and even not-so-savvy consumers can depend on.  I’m here to update you on it all.
 
I know I’ve kept you all waiting long enough, so don’t hesitate to delve into these latest tasty tech topics….

Logitech diNovo Mini

The Logitech diNovo Mini is a Media Center remote control that features a full QWERTY keyboard and looks good on the coffee table

 

The big keyboard is much cooler than typing on the numeric pad of the remote, but it looks bad on the coffee table. Heck, even the MCE remote looks kind of ugly.

Then the diNovo Mini came. Closed, it looks like a pebble that looks good even in a minimalist loft… Open it and there is a full QWERTY keyboard, a directional pad and a few Media Center buttons. It is neat, comfy in the hand and functional. The directional pad has two modes (switchable via a button): directional pad for navigating menus or touch pad to emulate the mouse.

After trying it, I can say that I like it a lot, and I have no problem saying that anyone that uses a keyboard and a mouse on a semi-regular basis should take a look at the diNovo Mini.

 

Sony Mylo 2

With the “Put the fun of a PC in your pocket” tag line, Sony is going after the “young adults” crowd. The company thinks that there are not many devices that would allow students to have good “mobile entertainment” (as defined below), without paying an expensive wireless subscription fee. This is true and that’s the idea behind the Mylo 2.

Although the original Mylo did not have the success that was hoped by its maker, Sony has learned a lot, and it designed the Mylo 2 to address the weaknesses of the first one. In this review, we will put the Mylo 2 to the test and share our thoughts with you. Feel free to ask questions, share your opinion or write your review (if you own the Mylo 2) in the comments section at the bottom of the article page. Every device is engineered to solve a problem, and the Mylo 2 has been built to provide “good” mobile entertainment and communications. For Sony, that means:

• Desktop-like web browsing
  • Including Flash games and web video
• Good email support
• Broad instant messaging support
• Social Networks
• VoIP

Improvements over the first Mylo

Mylo	Mylo 2
WiFi B (11Mbps)	WiFi G (54Mbps)
320×240 display	800×480 touch display
No back-lit keyboard	Back-lit Keyboard
No camera	1.3 Megapixel Camera
No customization	Removable faceplate
No file upload/download	File upload/download supported
No widgets	Widgets supported
No RSS	Intgrated RSS reader
$349	$299
	5.16 x 0.82 x 2.55″

Physical description

First, let’s take a quick look at the device too see how it looks and what are its physical properties and functionalities. Mylo 2 has about the same size than its predecessor. It is slightly on the bulky side, and is even larger than a Nokia N93i, but it is a definitely a pocket device. [photo gallery]A few user interface (UI) elements are visible from the outside: a joystick on the right provides 4 directions + click on the left side of the screen. A microphone is located on the right. On each side of the display, there are a few touch elements:

• Options: the equivalent of a “menu”
• Disp: toggles the application UI elements (menus, buttons) to reduce the clutter on the screen
• Back: go back to the previous screen
• Info: opens a “task manager” to switch from one application to the next
• Mylo: brings you to a Netvibes-looking page that contains Widgets
• Home: back to the main menu

QWERTY keyboard

The keyboard slider feels solid, much more than most smartphones that I have seen, except for the i-mate 9502. The keys are flat, but surprisingly they have a good tactile feedback. The key spacing is large enough to avoid mistyping issues common to smaller keyboards. Finally, it is a backlit keyboard, which is indispensable when texting in dark conditions. Overall, I am happy with it.

 

The display is the computer

Someone I know used to say that, and it applies very well to the Mylo 2: You will immediately notice how awesome the display is, thanks to its 800×480 resolution – that’s 2.5 times the number of pixels of the iPhone’s display! (which has 480×320 pixels). With such a screen, “Desktop PC web browsing experience” starts to be true. The text on websites is readable without zooming in and out, but if you want to, it is possible to zoom. This unbelievably crisp display is the most important asset of the Mylo 2, in my opinion, and I can only hope to see more devices with a similar screen in the near future.

Computer Sync

The Mylo 2 connects to a computer as a USB Mass Storage device (like a Flash drive), or by using the Media Transfer Protocol (MTP), a protocol used by Windows Media 10 and above to access Media Players. Both protocols are mutually exclusive and in this review, we used USB Mass Storage.

Applications

Instant Messaging

Instant messaging is very well integrated in the Mylo 2. Four major IM clients are supported (AIM, Skype, YIM, Google Talk) and although MSN isn’t in the list, you can still chat with your MSN buddies from an Yahoo IM account, if you have one. All the IM clients have a similar user interface, which is convenient and consistent. I noticed that it is not always possible to filter-out the contacts that are not online, and that can be annoying if you have many of IM contacts.

RSS

A basic RSS reader has been included, and although it shows the headlines, it does not provide a preview/excerpt. You will have to follow the link and open the web browser to read the content. It is something that needs improvement. At the moment, I would still like to use Google Reader instead.

Web

Overall, the web browser is good. We have tested several popular sites like CNN, Facebook, MySpace, Yahoo, Google Maps, Digg and … Ubergizmo 🙂 Everything worked fine, without needing to zoom. Unfortunately, the current browser does not work with Google Reader and Google Docs. The server returned an “unsupported browser” error. That is probably due to the Javascript support, but it is just my guess.

Flash seems to be fully supported we tested YouTube and MetaCafe. Both worked fine, even if the video playback wasn’t as smooth as on a desktop PC.

Although it is mostly OK, links are sometimes hard to click on because of the small size of the characters (when no zoom is applied). It would be necessary to improve this in the future.

Music

A powerful device like the Mylo 2 can certainly play music files. I quickly dropped a few MP3 files via USB and voila. The volume was plenty loud (there’s an option to protect from hearing damages in the settings) and the sound quality is good. The sound quality is probably limited by the default earphones, but the point is that the Mylo 2 sounds like a good MP3 player. It supports MP3, AAC, WMA and ATRAC.

The Mylo 2 does not have a standard jack (!), so you will have to use the adapter found in the box. This adds additional cable clutter, unfortunately.

VoIP

Placing calls with Skype worked like a breeze, much better than on my Windows Mobile phone, for sure. It is best to use earphones because the speaker is a little weak even when you are indoors. With earphones, it works really well and it is comparable at what you would get on a PC. (The Mylo 2 had 3/3 bars of WiFi reception when I tried)

Photos ViewingIf you have some room to spare, you can copy your favorite photos to the Mylo 2. Given how good the screen is, this device is a very good photo viewer. There is no need to re-scale high-resolution photos. We tried to view a 1728×1152 photo and the Mylo 2 did a very good job at downscaling the photo to the native screen resolution. However, a 3504×2336 photo was deemed “unsupported” by the viewer application.

Camera

The 1.3 Megapixel camera will produce photos that are comparable to a cellphone camera – probably because it is a cellphone camera. At the moment, I have not been able to record movies, and I don’t know if there is a plan to support movie recording when the Mylo 2 launches.

Video Replay

The videos provided by default in the Mylo 2 were encoded in Mpeg4, 320×240, 29.97FPS, AAC audio 48Khz, Stereo. They play smoothly, although during fast action sequences, I could see compression artifacts. I wonder if the Mylo 2 could play Memory Stick movies originally intended for the Sony PSP. I’ll have to get back to you on that. Right now, you can expect video too look like the standard 320×240 videos on an iPod.

Text Editor

The integrated text editor works like Windows Notepad. It is simple and does not support formatting, but having a notepad is always a good idea for a QWERTY device

 

Homepage

The “Mylo” button in the (vertical) middle-right of the screen brings the user to a “home page” that looks like Netvibes or iGoogle. Third party applications can be installed, and it is not yet clear if Sony will tightly control the widget application distribution. What we can say is that Widgets are downloadable from the web, or installed from a Memory Stick card.

Developers: Sony will create a developer website and provide an SDK, we will keep an eye on the announcement, and we will let you know. This has not been confirmed to us, but because you can download a widget from your PC, it doesn not look like Sony is going to try to have a tight control over the applications.

 Networking

The Mylo 2 can connect to WiFi G networks. This is quite an improvement over the WiFi B featured in the first Mylo. The main drawback with WiFi is how scarce free hotspot are (remember, Mylo 2 was trying to avoid the data subscription fee). To avoid this, Sony Mylo 2 customers will have a free access to Wayport’s WiFi network that includes 9000 McDonald’s, hotels, airports and other venues. (wayport.net)

WiFi LAN

WiFi is easy to configure. By default, the Mylo 2 scanned and connected to an unprotected network, which is probably the best behavior if you are outside of your home. If you want to connect to a particular network, you just have to enter the Network settings, choose a network and enter the password. We tried it with a WEP-protected network and it worked.

WiFi AdHoc

The Mylo 2 can also be connected with other Mylo 2 to form a peer-to-peer network. That would allow a user to listen to someone else’s music wirelessly. We do not have more than one Mylo 2, so right now, we can’t tell you how well it works, but it is reasonable to expect it to work well.

Update 1/14:This section was based on an early unit and documentation and we have since learned that the AdHoc feature has been removed from The Mylo 2 (codenamed COM-2)

Storage

There is 1GB of built-in memory, and it is possible to extend the storage by using a Memory Stick flash card (about $50 for 4GB, 8GB is the largest capacity today).

Battery life

The Mylo 2 uses a 3.7V, 1200mAh battery. After 24 hours of playing and testing it (not continuously), Less than half of the battery remained. I would say about 30%. That’s equivalent to a busy day of use (for me), in my opinion.

Accessories

• Charging Cradle
• Color FacePlate
• AC Adapter
• Extra battery and charger kit
• Screen Protector

Conclusion

I was not very excited by the first Mylo, but I have to admit that the Mylo 2 is a nice surprise. Technically, the display is brilliant and the device fulfills its goal. Creating a mobile device requires a concerted effort between hardware, software and design teams is really hard to pull off. The Mylo 2 brings a solution for having a better mobile entertainment, without paying hundreds of dollars in subscription pr year (for a slower network). The idea of cutting a deal with Wayport is excellent, because accessibility is WiFi’s weak point.

Sony has done a tremendous step forward from the original Mylo and now, we will see if consumers want to buy a connected device that is not a phone. I’m definitely not in the 18-22 group anymore, so it’s hard to guess. Although the cost of ownership of a Mylo 2 can be an order of magnitude less than using a “fruity phone” (over a couple of years), the “cool” factor of the competition should not be underestimated. Again, feel free to share your thoughts, questions and review in the comments section.

Note: this review was done with an engineering sample that uses a development version of the firmware. While I did notice that some function were slow, like the YouTube (flash) videos, I’ll reserve my judgment for now. Potential buyers should pay attention to the performance when the Mylo 2 comes on the market. We will try to follow-up as things unfold.

 

Availability: End of January 2008, $299

Aquos X is the World’s Thinnest Production TV

The new Sharp AQUOS X series are only 1.35 inches deep, which is thinner than their old IFA bags and, according to Sharp, makes them the world’s thinnest LCD televisions in production. All of them have full high definition resolution at 37, 42 and 47 inches. What is Sharp thinning trick this time? Among other things, all the tuner and in/out connections are in a separate box, which is connected to the panel by a single cable (Ed: like my old Philips Flat TV.) The rest of the specs look very good.

 

Sharp claims a 15,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio (900:1 absolute) for these LCDs, and a 450 cd/m2 brightness with double-speed 120 Hz refresh rate and 176 degree viewing angle. A proprietary 12-bit processor, designed to give smooth tone variations, handles the color processing. The system has 3 HDMI inputs along with analog and digital tuners. It has a thin-profile 8-speaker soundsystem integrated in the chassis, with a 1-bit digital amplifier.

Putting about 10 pounds of electronics in the separate tuner box means that the 46 inch model weighs only about 48 pounds, which will be great for your back if you hang it. It will be available in Japan this March for ¥350,000 ($3,290) for the LC-B-37XJ1, ¥430,000 ($4,050) for the LC-B-42XJ1, and ¥480,000 ($4,510) for the big LC-B-46XJ1.

 

Mobile Power Station Loves The Sun

Imagine a solar powered handheld, and then take a look at the Mobile Power Station. Imagine no more, as this portable gaming machine does not need any batteries, drawing all its power from the sun in order to play retro games found on the NES, Gameboy and Gameboy Color eras in addition to multimedia playback capability. These ROMs must first be transferred over to an SD card before they are playable, but that’s another can of worms. I like the ability of the Mobile Power Station to charge other USB-based devices thanks to a USB-out connector, making this one handy travel tool.

It would be interesting to see future iterations, if any, support GBA games as I would like to run Boktai on it. The Mobile Power Station is a wee bit cheaper than the DS though at $123. Tough call if you ask me.

500XL Speakers A Hoot

The 500XL speakers were so-named for a very good reason – it is actually 500 times the size of the original iPod earbuds. Definitely a conversation starter be it at home or at work, the 500XL comes with an integrated amp and 3-way power, running on either batteries, a nearby power outlet or via USB. There is no word on pricing for the 500XL as at press time, but it sure as heck makes for one interesting purchase

Wii Could Top 100 Million by 2012

If you thought the Nintendo Wii’s success was somehow a fluke and would only be short lived, think again. According to one analyst, we’ve only just seen the beginning of Nintendo’s reign at the top.

 

If you haven’t been able to find a Nintendo Wii don’t feel too bad. Millions of people are in the same boat as you, as is evident by the fact that many retailers such as Wal-Mart and Best Buy simply can’t keep the item in stock. However, if you were hoping that the popularity would die down enough for you to actually find one, it appears you may have to wait for a little while longer as according to one analyst, the Wii will continue to be a hot item.

 

So hot, in fact, that according to Nomura Securities analyst Yuta Sakurai, there will be 100 million Nintendo Wii consoles in homes across the world by 2012. Explaining his belief to the Telegraph, Sakurai said “around 80% of Wii consoles are in family living rooms. The company has managed to embed the system in people’s lifestyles.”

There is no denying that the Nintendo Wii has become integrated in people’s lives. Everyone from hardcore gamers to soccer moms to grandparents seems to have a Wii in their home. In fact, recently the first Wii café opened in the Netherlands. When I heard about this a small part of me died, but it is still a testament to the growing popularity of the Nintendo Wii.

 

It is also interesting to note that the Nintendo Wii is predicted to top 100 million in 2012, which according to the ancient Mayan people is the same year the world is supposed to end. Coincidence? Only time will tell.

 

Price cut rumors for Xbox 360 and PS3 – Wii already cheap enough

There have been some unsubstantiated, yet insistent rumours of price cuts for both the Playstation 3, and Xbox 360 over the past week. Whether any of them are true or not, it poses the question of how the pricing strategy of all three major consoles is affecting sales.

There’s been talk of price cuts for the PS3 this week, which are rumoured to be announced on January 28th. Most of these were in Internet forums, so can be taken with a pinch of salt. It would make sense however, for Sony to try and increase the momentum for PS3 by cutting the price to a more affordable level.

If the white PS3, which up to now has been a Japanese exclusive, does indeed get released in the US, and Europe, then a price cut to coincide with that would seem entirely feasible, or even likely.

 

We also know that the price of manufacturing each Playstation 3 has dropped substantially, almost being cut in half from $800 at launch, to nearer $400 now. Although that means the rumoured retail price cut to $299 would still see Sony losing money on each console sold, it certainly makes it more of a possibility.

The Xbox 360 has also been the subject of price cut rumours, this time from an “unnamed source”, which depending on your point of view either means an industry insider who is leaking sensitive information, or just some nut who wants to spread unfounded rumours, and has realised a great way to do it.

The unnamed tipster is claiming that Microsoft are planning on a $49 price cut to coincide with the release of GTA IV. Again, that does make perfect sense, as there are literally millions of GTA fans who will want to jump generation in order to play the next instalment of their favourite franchise.

 

As for the Wii, well no rumours there, but why would there be when demand is still outstripping supply by a fair margin. In fact, Nintendo could probably push the recommended retail price up a bit and still sell more than they can manufacture.

At the moment, these price cuts are mere rumours, and until Sony or Microsoft confirm them, I’d take them with a huge pinch of salt. You can, however, guarantee that both consoles will see a price drop at some point during 2008. It’s more a case of when, not if.

 

 

Microsoft repairs Xbox 360 five times, refuses to replace it

This has got to be a record.  A certain Xbox 360 owner has had his Xbox 360 repaired five times by Microsoft and it is still not working properly.  The company is supposed to replace any Xbox 360 after the fourth repair attempt but that did not happen.  This is the story of “Greg” and his attempts to get his Xbox 360 repaired.

 

After the fifth repair which occurred on January 2nd, the unit lasted for 11 days and has been out of service for a total of 12 weeks.  He would like a refurbished unit, new unit or just a plain refund but Microsoft is happy enough keeping him in the repair cycle.

He says that his family can’t play video games or watch DVDs.  What’s worse is that he purchased the HD-DVD add-on and “dozens” of HD-DVD titles as well as some Live content, all of which is now useless to him.

 

While the HD-DVD titles and Live content is now worthless, it’s a little hard to believe that his family doesn’t have a cheap $35 DVD player lying around, somewhere.  If not, it won’t break the bank to buy a DVD player to fill the interim.

 

 

 

 

The Consumerist has a timeline of events which goes like this,

1. He bought an Xbox 360 and an extended warranty in early 2007.

2. It was defective, so he called 800-4-MY-XBOX and arranged to have it repaired.

3. Three weeks later the console was returned in working order.

4. It broke down again.

5. Repeat steps 2 & 3.

6. He bought the HD DVD player add-on and began buying HD DVD movies.

7. It broke down a third time.

8. Repeat steps 2 & 3.

9. On November 28th 2007 it broke down a fourth time.

10. “Paul” at Microsoft says, “that since this is my fourth broken xbox that a supervisor needs to talk to me so that I can get a new console instead of another refurbished one. Paul promised a callback between 5-8pm on the 29th. He recorded my new phone number and address.”

11. Nobody calls.

12. Greg calls Microsoft and talks to a woman who says Paul must have been from a different country, “perhaps Canada she thought,” and they do things differently there. She says her supervisor says no deal on the new Xbox. Greg discovers that his account has no record of his conversation with Paul or his new contact info. She says someone will call him back.

13. Nobody calls him back.

14. Greg calls again and speaks to “Kim,” who says a supervisor tried to call but Greg’s phone number was disconnected. There’s no record of his call from the day before or his new contact info.

15. “Eventually” someone named “Jessica” contacts him and arranges for the fourth repair. He receives his Xbox 360 in working order “a few days before Christmas.”

16. On January 2nd, it breaks down for the fifth time.

Certainly at this point it is cheaper for Microsoft to just replace the console than to keep attempting a “repair.”  It’s also not clear what series of Xbox 360 this was but clearly whatever “repairs” that have been done, have not worked.  Do the right thing, Microsoft, just replace it.  If the company continues to refuse there’s always the law.

 

Top 5 in Home Audio

Onkyo TX-SR605

Best AV receiver for under $500
AV receivers are the nexus of any good home theater system. While they once all about audio, in the HD era, their video capabilities are more important than ever. And the Onkyo TX-SR605 represents the best value currently available. For under $500, the unit delivers a panoply of bleeding-edge future-proof features–including HDMI 1.3, analog to digital video conversion, and decoding of lossless Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks–that receivers which cost twice as much often have trouble matching.

Sonos BU130

Best digital audio system
The $1,000 price tag sounds steep at first, but the Sonos BU130 Digital Music System actually offers more flexibility and ease of use than many multi-room audio systems that cost thousands more. Using an iPod-like wireless remote, Sonos provides users with quick and easy access to their entire digital music collection in any room of the house, and offers access to a wide variety of streaming online audio services as well, including Rhapsody, Pandora, and Sirius–as well as the bulk of free Internet radio stations as well. Don’t need a multi-room solution? Check out more affordable streaming audio units from Roku SoundBridge M1000 and Logitech Squeezebox 3 Wireless.

 

Aperion Intimus 532 Concert

Best mid-size speakers for the money
If you’re serious about surround sound, you need to invest in a speaker system with some real gravitas–but most people just don’t want the living room overrun with giant tower speakers. That’s why the Aperion Intimus 532 Concert package is such a great option–the bookshelf speakers deliver a punch that you won’t find from puny “lifestyle” systems, but they’re not overwhelmingly large. And you can choose an 8-inch, 10-inch, or 12-inch subwoofer, depending on your bass (and size) requirements. But if they’re still too big, there are some worthwhile alternatives: the KEF KHT-3005, KEF KHT5005.2, Mirage Nanosat Home Theater System, and NHT Verve IV all offer great sound from even smaller speakers, and they’re all available for under $2,000

 

Yamaha Digital Sound Projector YSP-4000

Best single-speaker surround unit
Surround sound is a hot commodity, but many just can’t handle the aesthetic compromises that come from a full 5.1-channel speaker system in the living room–and the speaker cables that go along with it. Virtual surround systems propose an alternative–using reflective sonics and psychoacoustics to reproduce a surround-like effect from just one, two, or three speakers in the front of the room. The one that comes closest to actually delivering on the promise of single-speaker surround is the Yamaha YSP-4000 Digital Sound Projector. And because it offers an impressive jack pack and video features–including HDMI inputs and analog-to-digital video conversion–many users won’t even need an AV receiver. Just be sure to get a companion subwoofer if you want some weightier bass.

 

Panasonic SC-PT750

Best home-theater-in-a-box system for under $350
Home audio is one of the best investments you can make–the lifespan of quality speakers can be measured in decades–but we understand that not everybody can spare $3,000 (or more) for their audio gear. Home-theater-in-a-box systems (HTIBs) are the perfect alternative for anyone on a budget, and Panasonic’s SC-PT750 is one of the most full-featured ones you can buy for the 2007-2008 season. In addition to the 5-disc DVD changer with HDMI upscaling and bundled iPod dock, the 5.1 speaker system includes a wireless rear transmitter, so there’s no need to run speaker wires to the two rear speakers. And unlike a lot of cheap-and-easy HTIBs, the SC-PT750 actually sounds pretty good–especially when you consider that it’s widely available for under $350.

Apple TV Untethers From Mac, Price Dropped

Acknowledging the failure of the Apple TV, Apple CEO Steve Jobs showed attendees of his Macworld Expo keynote address today a new software upgrade to Apple TV that turns the device into a substantially different product.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs said the new and improved Apple TV will ship in about two weeks, coinciding with the release of the software update for existing Apple TV users. Apple has also dropped the price of the Apple TV. The entry-level 40GB model now costs $229, while the 160GB version will retail for $329, a $70 price reduction for either model. 

The Apple TV was originally designed to be an accessory for iTunes and a television. And that was “not what people wanted,” said Jobs. The upgrade addresses many of the Apple TV’s shortcomings, and unlike the iPod touch software update also announced Tuesday, it will be totally free for current owners.

 What’s Different? 

The upgraded Apple TV operates as a standalone device. While it will still synchronize content with your computer, no computer is required to operate it. Once it’s connected to your television and your computer network, you can rent movies directly on your widescreen TV, using Apple‘s new iTunes Movie Rentals feature, navigating using the Apple TV’s remote. iTunes Movie Rentals cost $2.99 for “library” titles, $3.99 for new releases. 

Apple TV users can also rent movies from iTunes in High Definition (HD) for a dollar more — $3.99 for library titles, and $4.99 for new releases. The HD movies available from the iTunes Store are encoded in 720 progressive (720p). Many (but not all) of the HD digital movie downloads are encoded in Dolby 5.1 surround sound. Apple counts more than 100 HD titles at launch, with more coming “quickly.” 

The Apple TV can also retrieve photos from your computer, or Flickr and .Mac. And you can watch videos from YouTube — more than 50 million, according to Jobs. Anything that you buy or rent through the iTunes Store via the Apple TV — movies, music, television shows — will be automatically synched back to your computer, as well.

Canon HV20

Compared to Panasonic’s sleek HDC-SD1, the Canon HV20 looks a bit ungainly, mostly because it has a large MiniDV tape mechanism grafted onto one side. The HV20 records 1920-by-1080-pixel HDV-formatted high-definition footage or standard-definition footage to MiniDV tapes, whereas the HDC-SD1 records in AVCHD format to SDHC Cards. However, they weigh almost the same: The HV20 weighs 18 ounces, the HDC-SD1, 17 ounces. (Canon will release its first AVCHD camcorder, the HR10, in August.)

The HV20 has some tiny buttons–an avoidable design decision given the size of its body; the start/stop button and the zoom button are particularly small, though the latter has a variable-speed setting, which helps smooth zooming. The lens cover is integrated into the body–and it’s motorized, so it slides open when you power up and slides shut when you power down. That way, you don’t have to worry about a lens cap intruding into your shot or getting yanked by a curious toddler.

The HV20 ($999 as of May 22, 2007) came out on top of our August 2007 issue’s chart mainly because it has more features and costs quite a bit less than the Panasonic HDC-SD1. The HV20 offers a 24p mode to simulate the look of film recording; thissetting adds a certain lushness to video, as long as you don’t use it to capture fast-action or low-light clips. This camcorder doesn’t have a full-manual mode, but it does have aperture- and shutter-priority modes. However, unlike past Canon models, it lacks a mode dial on its body, so you must scroll through a menu and use a tiny joystick to select different capture modes. Having to use this method slowed me down. A dedicated button on the camera body is supposed to enable the camcorder to compensate for a backlit subject, but it didn’t even out the exposure as much as I would have liked (in fact, it lightened both dark areas and bright areas). Nevertheless, because it’s a dedicated button, you can push it at the first sign that your subject is too dark, rather than fiddling with one of the priority modes.

We conduct lab tests with ambient lighting, which often proves pretty challenging for camcorders. The HV20 came in third out of four high-definition models we tested at the same time, but it wasn’t far behind the second-place Sony HDR-SR1 (which also records HDV to MiniDV tapes). Nothing stood out in the HV20’s output as a serious failing, but its performance in low light (where we dim the lights to simulate a poorly lit indoors setting) lagged somewhat. In less-challenging, well-lit settings–for example, a sunny outdoor park scene–the HV20 produced superb-looking video (though most camcorders do pretty well in such an environment). The Canon earned top marks for its still-image shots, and its sound quality earned very good scores. We got nearly 2 hours out of its battery, an outstanding mark.Like most high-definition camcorders, the HV20 has HDMI and component-out connectors for connecting it to an HDTV (we tested with HDMI). An accessory shoe, which you can attach a video light or a microphone to (without having to use an additional battery pack) hides beneath a removable plastic panel on top of the camcorder. Canon offers telephoto and wide-angle adapters; if I were planning to buy the HV20, I’d probably invest in the wide-angle adapter, because more than once I found myself trying to zoom out after already reaching the camcorder’s widest setting. 

Canon provides software for transferring still images to your computer, but none for transferring video. Several video-editing applications do let you import and edit the HV20’s HDV footage (see our reviews of Adobe Premiere Elements 3, Corel Ulead VideoStudio 11 Plus, and Pinnacle Studio 11 Ultimate). I found that even highly compressed Web videos looked better when I used footage from the HV20 instead of video from a standard-definition camcorder, but I had to invest much more time to render them, because editing high-definition footage requires a very powerful computer. 

Since the HDV format demands less computing power than the AVCHD format does, I would steer clear of AVCHD models unless I had an extremely powerful PC. And the HV20 one of the better HDV models on the market, at a pretty good price to boot.

The Cowon Q5W

The Cowon Q5W is a portable media player with a stunning 5-inch touch-screen display and built-in Wi-Fi capabilities. I tested a model with an internal 40GB hard drive that sells for a hefty $550 (as of 12/19/2007). A 60GB version is also available, but even that could offer too little storage if you want to carry a lot of video.

For an extra $200, you can add an optional GPS-navigation-enabled docking station. The player slots into the dock, which then plugs into your car cigarette lighter and uses an FM transmitter to speak driving directions (and, if desired, play music) through the car radio.The screen nearly fills the whole front of the device, which is only 0.8 inch thick and measures 5.5 inches wide by 3.5 inches tall. It feels surprisingly heavy, but it’s easy enough to tote in a coat pocket or a purse. The only physical controls are the on/off switch and volume buttons. Using the touch-screen interface, however, you can make light work of everyday tasks, such as listening to music, tuning the built-in FM radio, and watching video. Mostly you use your thumbs to browse the menus, occasionally tapping selections with a finger. You can also use the small included stylus (stored in the edge of the player) for greater accuracy or for more complex tasks, such as selecting from a long list of MP3s. 

For more detailed operations, you exit Cowon’s user-interface shell and use the player’s outdated Windows CE 5.0 operating system (Windows CE 6.0 has been out for more than a year). Unfortunately, this includes tasks you’ll want to do often, such as surfing the Web in Internet Explorer, setting up Wi-Fi, copying files over the network, and copying files to/from USB devices. Here you definitely need the stylus for selecting items in tiny dialog boxes and typing on the virtual keyboard. 

Video looked impressively sharp and colorful on the 800-by-400-pixel display, especially when I played wide-screen-format DivX-encoded movies. Motion was very smooth, and the picture was visible from a wide angle. The device scored poorly in our lab audio tests, and the included earbuds are basic at best–though with some adjustment of the on-screen graphic equalizer, I was able to get acceptable sound through my own headphones. You can record voice notes with the built-in microphone, but the player lacks the ability to capture video as a DVR can (and as the rival Archos 605 WiFi can); the Q5W also cannot record from the FM tuner (a common function in audio players with built-in FM tuners, including Cowon’s own iAudio 7). 

I hooked up the Q5W to the component inputs on my HDTV using the included cable (which also provides a lower-quality composite connection for older TVs). Picture quality was good–similar to that of a standard DVD–and the digital audio sounded great through my receiver. For watching across the room, Cowon supplies a small infrared remote control, but the scant documentation (a short printed Quick Guide and an inadequate user guide on the software CD) neglects to explain how to use it. Learning how to work the menus took me some time, and certain buttons remain a mystery. It doesn’t help that some operations are a little sluggish, so determining whether a button push has had any effect is often difficult. 

The Q5W has a USB miniport for syncing with a PC (using Windows Media Player, Windows Explorer, or the supplied Cowon Media Center software). The second USB port should be a hit with photographers, because it lets you archive images from a digital camera, and it allows you to transfer files to and from a USB thumb drive. The device lacks any sort of media card slot, though. 

The Cowon Q5W works well enough for listening to music and watching video, but you’ll need patience and some technical savvy to achieve more complex tasks, such as loading content over a secure wireless network. While the player has much potential, it feels less refined than the cheaper Archos 605 WiFi.

Know When to buy a PC

There are four best times of the year to buy a laptop or desktop PC. The first three are the holiday shopping season, the back-to-school period in August and September, and inventory clearance time in late January and February. 

The fourth time is variable from year to year and involves product transitions. “When a new technology is introduced, the channel typically tries to flush the older stuff,” says technology analyst Roger Kay, president of Endpoint Technologies Associates. “That’s not predictable as a time of year, but has to do with when products are launched.” 

The larger issue is this: How much computing power do you need? “If you’re just doing word processing [or Web surfing], for example, you might do very well with an older computer,” says Richard Doble, editor of Savvy-Discounts.com, an online shopping guide. If modest performance is unlikely to be a stumbling block, a close-out model may be a good choice. 

If your computing needs aren’t too demanding–consisting primarily of word processing and Web surfing, for example–closeout models may be a good choice. Vendor outlet sites, such as Dell Outlet and HP Business Outlet are good online destinations for finding closeout, overstocked, and refurbished laptops and desktops. At press time, for instance, Dell Outlet was selling a refurbished Vostro 1700 laptop for $700; an identically equipped new model at the main Dell site cost $1363 (or $900 during a limited-time sale).