Setup Process - 5/5 stars
This is where set-top boxes usually hit the first hurdle. Customers often have no choice but to return a product when they can’t manage to get it running due to overly complicated diagrams and wordy instruction manuals. Fortunately, getting the SlingBox started took just a few minutes with a simple step-by-step process accompanied by clean visuals. The package included the bare essentials: the SlingBox Solo, a power supply, composite video cables, an Ethernet cable, and an IR dongle.

The instructions walked me through wiring the SlingBox with Composite video cables from my Cable/Satellite box or DVR, draping the IR dongle over my TiVo, and wiring an Ethernet cable to my D-Link router. After powering it up, I headed over to my WiFi-enabled laptop and launched Firefox. I visited SlingBox.com, created an account, and installed their required Firefox plugin. The browser soon restarted and automatically detected my SlingBox on the network. I didn’t have to forward ports or do anything remotely technical. There was a notification regarding a new firmware upgrade for the SlingBox and with one-click, it began updating. After a few minutes, I was ready to continue with the setup process.

A walk-through wizard guided me through selecting the video source, picking the model of my TiVo, and keying in my ZIP code for a digital TV Listings Guide. There was even a live video preview and a virtual remote that let me switch channels during the setup process. Within just a few minutes, I was ready to go without any obstacles. If I had to suggest an improvement, the inclusion of Wi-Fi would have helped since my router was on the other end of the room. Also, despite the box advertising support for HD inputs, they didn’t include a set of Component video cables. However, on the bright side, the getting the SlingBox working will be easy and quick for the average consumer. Plus, if anyone needs help, SlingMedia even offers a phone number, email address, and website for support inquiries.

Streaming Quality – 5/5 stars
I spent a couple of hours streaming TV from one room to another at home on a high-speed local area network. Live content had about a 5 second delay and came in at nearly 5,000-6,000 kbps with both audio and video being crisp and clear. There were no pauses due to buffering and I never faced jitters or choppiness, which are generally common problems associated with streaming technologies. Switching channels or performing navigation commands took about 2-3 seconds on average and requires a good amount of patience if you enjoy channel surfing. Fortunately, once you lock onto a show, it’s no longer a problem. The picture quality is definitely a small step down from what you’ll see on your TV, but still quite watchable with a hint of “graininess” and “pixelation.” I was glad it worked, but I was cautiously optimistic as the true test would be streaming from a remote location.

Over the next few weeks I tried tuning into my SlingBox feed located in Davis, CA from a couple of locations: from the UC Davis campus with a super fast 80 Mb/s download speed, from a friend’s place with a 12 Mb/s cable service, and from my parent’s place nearly 150 miles away with a slow 1.5 Mb/s DSL line. While download speeds are important, I should mention that getting the best quality is highly dependent on the upload speed of the broadband connection powering the base unit. SlingMedia’s servers only take care of the technical aspects of forwarding ports and getting you connected to your SlingBox, not transferring video content. Fortunately, my upload speeds are about 4-5 Mb/s on average, which is plenty for handling streaming my TV content. After running tests in all three locations, I was surprisingly able to receive a high quality video stream despite varied incoming speeds of 1,700 to 2,500 kbps right in my Firefox browser.

As a geek, I naturally wanted to push streaming tests even further so I decided to give it a shot over Sprint’s new 4G network in Seattle, WA and on Verizon Wireless’s 3G network in the San Francisco Bay Area. After pairing Sprint’s 4G Overdrive mobile Wi-Fi hotspot with my Dell XPS Laptop, SpeedTest.net calculated my download speeds just short of 4Mb/s. The next generation of mobile broadband was more than enough to bring in my SlingBox stream at 1,500 kbps. I then took a step down using a 3G card that generally averages 2 Mb/s download speeds and it also surprisingly managed to open and maintain a steady stream at about 500 kbps. Although video quality become somewhat more pixelated, it was still decent enough to get a dose of TV when needed. On-screen text was most affected, but general video blending wasn’t at all an issue.

I am quite impressed with SlingMedia’s work to create a scalable technology that literally overcomes performance issues even with the bottleneck of slow bandwidth. I was further astonished to realize that both Hulu and YouTube often had to pause to buffer while my SlingBox live stream didn’t, though the quality is a step down. I don’t know the secret behind the SlingMedia compression code, but it works like magic. Even when you are on a slow connection, both video and audio keep running strong.

SlingPlayer iPhone App – 5/5 stars
If you are on a PC or a Mac, you can use a desktop SlingPlayer client or enjoy your SlingBox content right from your web browser. Both are free and fully functional solutions. However if you own a BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Palm OS (not webOS), iPhone/iPod Touch, or Symbian smartphone, you’ll have to pay a one-time $30 fee to grab the mobile SlingPlayer App. If it’s something you plan to use quite often, that’s a small price to pay considering there’s no monthly or yearly fees of any sort associated with any SlingBox service. The convenience of being able to access your TV broadcast and recorded shows from a DVR on a mobile device is quite frankly fascinating.

Streaming over 3G networks was initially disabled due to contractual reasons with AT&T when I first was given access to the App. Being restricted to a WiFi hotspot was quite restricting and a major setback for SlingMedia. AT&T made it sound as though the iPhone SlingPlayer App wasn’t optimized enough for 3G streaming, but it seemed to run smoothly with my Verizon Wireless 3G MiFi. A few weeks later, SlingMedia released a minor update in coordination with Apple and AT&T that enabled 3G streaming. I found that whether I was within the city of Davis, CA or hours away, the program was quite reliable. The video and audio quality was almost always clear enough to comfortably enjoy a show.

Each time you launch the App, there’s a few second delay since it assesses bandwidth speeds and optimizes the stream for the best performance. Once viewing your feed, switching channels is an easy swipe down or up. There’s a convenient favorites menu that allows bookmarking channels for quick access. A double tap brings up the DVR controls to play/pause or forward/rewind a show. There’s also a D-pad, numeric keypad, and a full menu of commands to control your TV. I wasn’t too particularly satisfied with the messy menu organization and found it to annoying to navigate. There’s also a fairly long delay after each command which requires plenty of patience. I was also disappointed to learn that there wasn’t a local digital TV Guide as found on the Mac and PC versions, but that I had to resort to using the TiVo Guide which was difficult to use on a small display.

Conclusion:
When it comes down to the bottom line, the SlingBox is an amazing device if you have times you need to get a dose of TV when away from your home. With support for both Macs, PCs, and mobile devices, it’s everywhere. The only major disappointment was when I learned that both the SlingBox Solo and Pro-HD only support streaming to a single device at a time even if they are on the same channel. However, with no monthly or yearly fees, a one-time hardware purchase makes this an amazing deal. If you have a broadband connection and a subscription to Satellite or Cable TV at home, this is a prefect solution to getting free access to live TV anywhere. While many shows are beginning to legally hit the internet through distribution mediums such as Hulu.com for streaming or iTunes for paid downloads, episodes often don’t appear for a few days after broadcast. In fact, sports fans have little to no options of when it comes to watching their favorite professional sports event live online whether it’s football, baseball, or basketball. The SlingBox is a perfect solution and when it comes down to the bottom line, it’s affordable, easy to setup, and simply works. I’ve never been able to watch TV this easily from so many places.

Links: SlingBox.com Solo
Buy: $149 for SlingBox Solo (ships free + no tax)

HD Radio Service
Founded in 1998, iBiquity Digital Corporation set out to create an In-Band On-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast system and today their product is called HD Radio. The technology offers a variety of benefits over the traditional analog radio. The receiver converts an analog radio wave signal into a digital one and even provides Program Service Data (PSD) such as a song’s title, artist, and album. If you are tuned into a weather or traffic station, it can even display condition alerts or simply a text advertisement during a commercial break.

The most noticeable benefit is the FM sound quality which gets a jump to CD-like quality while AM stations sound like FM stations. Audio quality is rather quite dynamic and clear, the quality generally associated with physical media. That’s because digital signals have fixed precision, factors such as temperature, interference, or weather won’t degrade the quality as easily. Plus as a bonus, the HD Radio can easily fall back onto the analog FM broadcast version of the same station if it happens to fail to establish a connection. The HD Radio technology let’s stations broadcast a digital version of channels of their choosing over the same frequency without effecting the respective equivalent analog transmissions.

View the 2010 HD Radio Station Guide (PDF)

HD Radio states they have over 2,000 stations across the country and over 1,000 HD2/HD3 channels. If you haven’t heard of HD2/HD3, it’s a method to let broadcasters transmit multiple streams on the same frequency. Supporting receivers can tune into channels that aren’t normally accessible to analog devices. HD Radio’s website stated that there would be about 36 channels including HD2 and HD3 in the Sacramento, CA area. I managed to find around 10 from Davis, CA including those multi-cast channels.

iBiquity has also opened the doors for more HD Radio features. For example, if the receiver manufacturers wish to do so, starting this year they’ll be able to integrate Album Artwork and have it automatically display while a song is playing. Devices such as the Microsoft Zune HD already support pausing live content. With support for Electronic Program Guides down the road, customers will have a TV Guide type interface to browse for content.

For the most part, I think HD Radio is on the right track. Their technology better integrates into existing infrastructures for stations versus Satellite Radio. While channels selection is still limited, it’s expanding quickly. Newer vehicles are likely enabled with equipment to support HD Radio stations. Unfortunately, your existing systems such as home theater receivers, audio systems, and portable devices will need to be replaced to receive HD Radio content. While I’m not going to go out of my way to go buy a dedicated HD Radio players, as the time to upgrade old equipment comes, I’ll like lean towards this over XM Sirius since there’s no monthly fees asides from the one-time equipment price.

Insignia HD Radio Portable Player
The device we used to test the HD Radio service was none other than Insignia’s portable player. I expected a fairly decent device, but was rather presented a cheap looking device from the 1990s with large plastic buttons and a low quality LCD display. To be fair, it only costs about $40 versus the $250 price tag of a Zune HD that can also access the same channels.

The Insignia player has a very simple and somewhat ugly-looking interface. It’s actually quite reminiscent of an early color cell phone. The controls are rather awkward and there are more buttons than probably needed. The display shows signal strength at the top left and will also show an icon when tuned into a HD station. I could quickly navigate trough stations using the up and down keys or use the auto scan feature to find the next channel with signal. Switching through HD stations had a noticeably larger delay than standard FM stations. Fortunately, the preset feature let me save 10 stations to speed things up.

There’s a 3.5mm headphone jack at the top and Insignia included a pair of headphones, which is needed since it’s the antenna. While the buds sounded about on par with the famous iPod headphones, I would still recommend grabbing a better pair. This unfortunately also means that reception will likely be poor if plugged into an AUX jack of a car since there’s no antenna. Despite the complains, I should mention that the audio quality was drastically superior to standard FM music stations. I didn’t feel like I was listening to radio which usually has a noticeable ring to it, but rather my own tunes.

Insigina includes an arm strap for joggers which was quite handy. I was disappointed to learn that they didn’t include an AC adapter, but rather only a mini USB cable for recharging with a computer. Unfortunately, I was further enraged to find that the device entirely lacked AM channels. Considering that cheap radio tuners cost just a few bucks and are often stuffed into free giveaway pens and trade shows, I don’t think it would have hurt to include AM.

This leads me to a tough call about the Insignia HD Radio player. While it’s one of the few affordable portable devices that can receive HD broadcasts, it’s still simply not worth it. I wouldn’t recommend spending $40 for a device such as this one, but rather save up to purchase a Zune HD. A more widely supported device will last longer and offers numerous features I could spend a few articles discussing. But that said, the HD Radio service is a great addition and is truly the next step to the current aging infrastructure of AM and FM channels.

Links: HDRadio.com | iBiquity.com | Insignia.com

Editor’s Note: This article was co-written by Alex Chan-Kai and Sahas Katta.

Style ★★★★★
The SK-Pro’s are available in two different color schemes. One model is as colorful and prominent as you would expect from Skullcandy: a bold emerald green with white lining. The other model is perfect if extra-flashy designs aren’t for you: a sleek and simple black with bright lime-green highlights. The latter will easily blend into a open office environment. It might be hard to pick your favorite with looks like these, though you can’t really go wrong with either style.

Build Quality ★★★✩✩
The plastic body makes these circumaural headphones look a bit cheap and toy-ish when examined up close. However, with plastic this thick and a build this solid, I bet it could take a beating and still last a few years. Even if I’m wrong, you could throw the SK-Pro’s into a tree mulcher and Skullcandy will still send you a new pair for half the price. The headphones fold up for easy storage and better portability while traveling. This mechanism can also be used as a vertical adjustment, which allows DJ’s to comfortably move one channel out-of-the-way while listening to another. It becomes pretty annoying when holding up your headphones while mixing, therefore the ability to fold up one side is a huge advantage. This feature alone might qualify the SK-Pro for the “DJ headphones” title. The headset also sports a thick spring-coiled wire with a gold-plated 3.5mm plug, plus a push-in adapter for 1/4″ jacks.

Comfort ★★★✩✩
People with normal-sized heads say the SK-Pro’s are comfortable. Unfortunately, I couldn’t say the same since the SK-Pro’s couldn’t adjust laterally for my plus-sized noggin. The extra tightness creates a great seal, but it began to hurt my head after a couple hours of use. I can’t imagine why Skullcandy thought moderately plush foam wrapped in perforated vinyl would be the best choice for a cushion. It’s nowhere near as plush as $150 headphones should be, and induces sweating around your ears after prolonged usage. The tightness and extra sweat are common side effects of closed circumaural headphones, so it’s expected for the SK-Pro. I should note that the SK-Pro’s may look and feel like closed headphones to the listener, but they sound open to everyone else in the room. In other words, people sitting next to you on the bus can hear everything you are listening to. If you are looking for something a little easier on your ears (or your roommate’s ears), I encourage you to read this Consumer Reports article that explains the different types of headphones and decide which one is right for you.

Sound Quality ★★✩✩✩
The large 50mm drivers shake my skull during songs with a thumping bass. That isn’t an attempt at a “skull-candy” pun: these headphones have such a powerful bass driver that if you were to set them on a table while blasting hip-hop or techno, they may literally vibrate off the table. The lows are by far the most prominent characteristic. When the middles and highs aren’t garbled out by the bass, the SK-Pro headphones actually produce a deep, pleasantly bass-heavy sound. I like the sound these cans put out, but I’ve heard better for the $150 price tag. The SK-Pro’s simply don’t deserve the “Pro” title. Vocals and lead instruments compete with the boosted bass line, producing poor articulation. I can see the appeal for DJ’s and casual listeners, but if you are looking for clean sound that isn’t muddled by a pounding bass, look elsewhere.

Warranty ★★★★★
Skullcandy has a very admirable warranty that covers all of their headphones. Like I said before, you can do anything to these headphones and Skullcandy will still offer a 50% discount on your next pair. If you have a defective pair, they will replace it for you at no charge. You can even swap it for a different color if you want. No receipt is necessary; you only need to fill out a form. While cost may have been negligible for my $10 buds, it’s not going to empty your wallet to replace an expensive model.

Conclusion
The Skullcandy SK-Pro DJ Headphones are fashionable, durable, and come with a fantastic NBD warranty. If you are a casual listener looking for stylish headphones at a moderate price, the SK-Pro’s are a great choice. If you just bought an iPod and want a step up from the unholy stock iPod buds, these cans are huge improvement, though a bit bulky. If you intend to use these headphones during strenuous activity or harsh weather, or you are what Skullcandy calls an “aggressive listener”, the Skullcandy warranty has your back. However, if sound quality is a higher priority for you than style, then check out the Sennheiser HD-280 Pro or the Audio-Technica ATH-PRO5MSA for better articulation in the same price range. You will lose the warranty and the Skullcandy looks, but the difference in quality is well worth it. If you are ready to grab a pair of the SK-Pro, it’s available for $150 from Skullcandy’s website and through other retailers.

Buy: Skullcandy SK Pro DJ Headphones for $150
Links: Skullcandy.com SK Pro Headphones

Microsoft Arc Mouse Specs:

• 2.4 GHz Connectivity
• 30 ft. Wireless Range
• Snap-in Transceiver
• Scroll Wheel & Back Button
• Battery Indicator

Design and Build ★★★★✩
The “arc” design, hands down, makes this device stand out against competition. The rear portion of the mouse folds into itself becoming only 60% of the original size, which is great for travel. Fortunately, when expanded, it’s large enough to rest your entire hand. The USB transceiver stows away under the mouse and is held in place magnetically. When folded, the mouse automatically shuts off to save power and fits into the included travel sleeve. The transceiver is unfortunately quite larger than the one found on Microsoft’s Mobile Mouse 4000. I wouldn’t suggest leave it plugged in when transporting as it will likely snap or damage a laptop’s USB port. As for the mouse, despite appearing a bit flimsy, it’s actually quite sturdy with little to no flex even when exerting pressure. The Arc Mouse is light enough for travel, but weighs enough to overcome possibly appearing cheap. In terms of hardware, there’s not much except for the standard left and right-click, a scroll wheel, and a ‘back’ key. Asides from that, the mouse is available in Red, Purple, While, Blue, Green, and Black. Some colors are also available in glossy editions, however I wouldn’t recommend those as they’ll likely be fingerprint magnets.

Comfort and Accuracy ★★★★✩
The curvature offers the comfort of desktop mice while the symmetrical design will allow for ambidextrous use. While the scroll wheel and left/right-click have a comfortable feel, the ‘back’ key on the front left side isn’t within reach of the expected position of your thumb. I found myself awkwardly reaching forward to press the key. The flawed positioning will be further irritating for left-handed users as they’ll have to use a pinky to reach it. Unfortunately, the Arc Mouse also lacks an additional ‘forward’ button which is even more disappointing. Despite that, the mouse still offers a great grip with a rubberized matte finish and slides smoothly over most surfaces with durable Teflon pads. The Bluetrack sensor is a step up from most laser mice as it can track on a variety of surfaces including glossy magazines. It’s still a step behind the Darkfield technology found in Logitech’s MX Anywhere that even works on glass. For the most part, the sensor is precise and responsive enough for most tasks even over a wireless 2.4 GHz connection and should meet the need demands of most consumers.

Features and Customizing ★★★✩✩
The functionality of the Arc Mouse and Mobile Mouse 4000 are nearly identical. As both have left and right-click, a scroll wheel, and a side button, the only difference is the shape. After plugging in the transceiver, Windows 7 automatically fetches the latest IntelliPoint software from the internet. All the keys work right out of the box and installing the program isn’t required, however the software allows for further customization. The program’s user interface is quite friendly and let’s you visually pick different actions per component. For example, the scroll wheel can initiate the 3D flip for Windows Vista and 7. While on the topic of the scroll wheel, I should mention that it’s a “notched” type. There’s no free scroll or flick mode available. It works fine, but including that mode and maybe even a ‘forward key’ would have gone a long way to improve functionality especially since IntelliPoint offers plenty of custom settings. I was also glad to see a simple power indicator on top which changes colors as it gets closer to running out of power. With power conserving standby feature, Microsoft claims a six month lifespan on two AAA batteries. While I can’t testify to that claim, it’s been running at full power for the past two weeks.

Conclusion
When it comes down to it, Microsoft’s Arc Mouse offers a lot for its price tag. But, is it enough? Unfortunately, I definitely feel it looses value since it lacks a ‘forward’ key and since the positioning of the ‘back’ key renders that function useless. On the bright side, it offers the comfort and feel of a larger desktop mouse and even folds away for transport. Microsoft’s Bluetrack technology is likely the second best on the market and will work on most surfaces. If you are looking for a companion for your netbook or laptop when you travel, this will get the job done. It’s available for around $40 while some colors are even cheaper if you shop around. And if you didn’t browse through the images, it’s actually one of the better-looking mouse out there. While it does lack on some features, the Microsoft Arc Mouse won’t disappoint.

The Good

• Portable Build
• Sleek Appearance
• Strong Connectivity

The Bad

• Awkward Side Button
• Bulky Transceiver
• Lacking Extra Button

Buy: Microsoft Arc Mouse $40-25
Links: Check out Microsoft’s Arc Mouse

The Specifications:

• Processor: 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270
• OS: Windows XP Home with SP3
• RAM: 1GB DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz
• Screen: 10.1-inch LED Glossy 1024×600
• HDD: 160GB at 5400RPM
• Video: Intel GMA 950
• Wireless: WiFi 802.11b/g
• Battery: 6-cell Lithium-Ion
• Card Reader: 4-in-1
• Ports: 3x USB, VGA, Ethernet
• Weight: 2.65 lbs with 6-cell

The Hardware – 4/5 stars
When consumers generally think of Lenovo, they imagine an ugly business-oriented machine with that infamous red-stub mouse. That’s no longer the case when it comes to Lenovo’s new lineup of IdeaPad Netbooks. The black edition we received features rounded edges and a glossy finish that evokes friendlier feelings. Plus, with an artistic pattern on the lid, it’s clear that the IdeaPad appeals to the mass consumer market. Opening the lid has a smooth motion that reveals a simple inner layout. The power button and mouse keys have a sliver finish offering a sharp contrast from the black body. There’s three stickers representing Intel Atom, Windows XP, and Dolby Audio that I would have removed immediately for a cleaner look if this wasn’t a review unit.

For the most part, weight is evenly distributed throughout the body. Unfortunately, the 6-cell battery offsets the balance towards the back of the unit. I generally despise any unit that has an accessory that departs from the general aesthetics and style of a gadget. Fortunately the 6-cell battery isn’t required, but rather is an upgrade from the 3-cell that sits flush with the casing. The extended battery also raises the netbook at an angle making it appealing for typing on a desk, however it ends up causing discomfort when on your lap. Plus, the bulging battery is always an awkward fit in backpacks, cases, or sleeves.

I generally would complain about the glossy finish since it’s a fingerprint nightmare, however that’s the trend just about every gadget manufacturer has taken. The chassis of the IdeaPad S10-2 is quite robust. It’s definitely heavier than the Dell Mini 9, but seems stronger and definitely won’t warp under pressure. I found the “feet” on the bottom and sides of the netbook a bit obtrusive and rugged. With some tweaks, the IdeaPad could have been as clean of a design as the Dell Mini 9. I was also glad that Lenovo kindly offers easy-access to replace or upgrade hardware components such as the RAM and Hard Drive which are hidden under two screwed in panels on the bottom. Overall, it’s a great layout and from what I’ve seen at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month, the IdeaPad S10-3 only gets better.

Connectivity – 5/5 stars
The S10-2 netbook offers a standard set of ports that are found on most netbooks. There’s a total of three USB ports: one on the left and two on the right side. That’s a great idea to prevent too many cables from cluttering a single side. Ethernet and VGA connectors are on the left side along with a line in for microphones and line out for headphones. On the front there are some standard LED indicators and a 4-in-1 reader that supports cards including Secure Digital (SD) and Memory Stick (MS). The AC power connector, Kensington lock, and WiFi switch are on the right side. The IdeaPad is completely on par with most netbooks on the market, there aren’t any extras or anything missing.

Keyboard & Touchpad – 2.5/5 stars
I wasn’t exactly too impressed with the keyboard and touchpad. While it’s expected that a smaller body requires reducing the size of keys, there are some issues that are worth mentioning. Lenovo decided to take a regular keyboard and shrink it proportionally until it fits on this 10-inch netbook’s body. This makes typing especially difficult for those coming from a regular keyboard and for those with large hands. I should also mention that Lenovo laptop keyboards interchange the “Fn” and “Ctrl” keys, which may take some getting used for those who aren’t familiar with their ThinkPad products. (You can apparently tweak that setting in the BIOS to switch the functionality.)

Dell, for example, tried to keep the keys as large as possible on the Dell Mini 9, but ended up running out of space and removing the entire function key row. That was a diaster for Dell, but they fortunately took a fresh approach on the new Mini 10 netbook with a keyboard that runs nearly edge-to-edge with the frame. Lenovo seems to have struggled on this S10-2 netbook, but has cleaned up their act on the new S10-3 model which features a 98% full-size keyboard. Other than those layout quirks, the keyboard does offer a quality feel and it’s still comfortable to use once you figure out where the keys are. There’s a decent amount of tactile force feedback which is an important aspect of a great typing experience.

I am also disappointed to say that I found myself frustrated with the touchpad. Even I’m aware that this is a small device, the touchpad simply seems too small. Even the Dell Mini 9, which has a frame that’s an inch smaller than the IdeaPad S10-2, sports a larger touchpad. I often felt constrained and ran into the small raised border surrounding the touchpad when making quick movements. There’s support for the pinch multi-touch gesture to zoom in or out, which is an appreciated addition. The dedicated scroll region unfortunately limits the area available for regular movements even further. Implementing a two finger scroll could potentially have saved some space. The left and right-click keys were thankfully the best part of the touchpad area. They offer a nice quick click for feedback when pressed. Both the keys are large enough for regular use and are easily accessible. Lenovo should have allocated more space for the touchpad as they have with the new IdeaPad S10-3.

Display – 3/5 stars
The display on the IdeaPad S10-2 isn’t too extraordinary. It’s an average 10.1 inch glossy screen with LED back-lighting running at a 1024 x 600 resolution. There’s nothing that truly sets it apart from other netbook screens. The display is recessed into the casing with a thick surrounding bezel. Most new laptops and netbooks manufacturers are opting for the cleaner look of an edge-to-edge display with a single piece of glass. Although this display is glossy, it isn’t too difficult to use in bright rooms, but will almost always look dull under direct sunlight. The blacks are also brought out further due to the glossy screen. If you look closely, the grid-line appearance of the pixel arrangement is more noticeable than on other displays. The viewing angles are not a problem if the IdePad is on your lap or on a table directly in front of you. However, the colors quickly begin to deteriorate if the screen is tilted forwards or backwards. Fortunately, horizontal viewing angles are good enough to accommodate a person sitting besides you.

Speakers – 2.5/5 stars
As with most netbooks which are tight on space, the speakers on the IdeaPad are into a poor location. Instead of facing the user, the speakers are currently pointing downwards. Everything sounds muffled if the netbook is on your lap, on a bed, or a sofa. However, it wasn’t much of a problem if it’s on a desk since the netbook’s “feet” create enough of a gap. But the speakers could have definitely been outfitted in a better location. There’s nothing spectacular about the audio quality and the midrange is mediocre, but it’s not a problem for enjoying Hulu, YouTube, and other web video content. They get loud enough and get the job done. The audio card is decent and if you plugin a decent pair of headphones, everything sounds vastly better. Plus, you won’t be disturbing others either.

Webcam & Microphone – 3/5 stars
There’s no better way to put a webcam and microphone to the test without using Skype. I opted to use the 4.2 beta version that supports HD-like video quality. Although this laptop only has an underpowered .3 megapixel resolution camera, I hoped to stream some quality video. Unfortunately, I found myself quite disappointed with the quality. Images were dark, grainy, and pixelated even in a bright room. It’s definitely a problem if you can’t make out a face easily. After using this, I couldn’t possibly appreciate that improvements a decent 1.3 megapixel camera offers more. As for the microphone, it was actually fairly clear for conversations. If you want a better microphone, you can always plugin either a USB microphone or an analog one into the line-in port. But for the most part, the microphone will do just fine for having a voice conversation with someone from a quiet office setting.

The IdeaPad S10-2 also came with a VeriFace facial recognition login security software. I programmed it to myself to give it a run. Although I had never tried it, I was quite impressed with the convince factor. Just sit in front of the laptop and it jumps past the Windows XP sign-on screen in just a few seconds. To test it further, I had a few friends try their faces in place of mine. I’m Indian and I was glad to see that the software immediately dismissed all three friends who were Vietnamese, Palestinian, and Caucasian respectively. I then had another Indian friend try logging in and after a few failed attempts, it randomly decided to let him in. We attempted to reproduce the occurrence, but weren’t able to do so. While VeriFace was convenient, I don’t know all the details on the platform’s security precautions and I feel we should probably give this technology some more time in the oven.

Operating System – 3/5 stars
When the IdeaPad S10-2 came in from Lenovo, it furnished a bloated version of Windows XP Home. There were nearly 55 processes running and it was a mess. Some of these apps included an older version of Symantec Anti-Virus, a trial version of Microsoft Office, MSN Messenger, some browser toolbars, and a few often unused Adobe programs. A clean install of the same operating system on a netbook generally has about 30 processes running at startup with drivers and essential programs installed. For an experiment, I opted to install Windows 7 Professional for further tests. It installed surprisingly quickly and worked seamlessly. Just about all the drivers were automatically configured. Although the Windows Index Rating was a minimal 2.0, it still managed to run Aero for translucency and effects. Surprisingly, even Windows Media Center 7 ran fairly well. The largest downside of Windows 7 is RAM consumption, nearly using twice as much as XP, there’s not much left over for programs. I would highly recommend stripping out the 1GB dimm and upgrading to 2GB if you want to run Windows 7. For the most part, Windows XP still works great for netbooks and should be able to accommodate the average user’s needs. Although manufacturers are loading Windows 7 Starter on new netbooks, I would have been happy to use XP on this netbook if it weren’t filled with nearly as much bloatware. Lenovo should consider the toll bloatware takes on a netbook’s performance and battery life.

Performance – 4/5 stars
The IdeaPad S10-2 performs on par with most netbooks on the market. The lack of a SSD might make it take slightly longer for startup or shutdown, but it was still faster at both than my Dell XPS M1530. The laptop recovers from standby in just a second or two at max. Firefox played fairly well, but would often freeze up while the CPU catches up if I had too many tabs open. The currently stable version of Adobe Flash doesn’t have GPU acceleration so 480p Hulu videos were often hard for the netbook to digest. It would begin to jitter for a few seconds every few minutes. Although programs like VLC were able to handle playing large video files smoothly, the laptop really can’t handle Full HD 1080p content yet. However this netbook works great for word processing, web browsing, and a lightweight entertainment.

In terms of raw performance, the Atom N270 processor performed on par with just about all the other netbooks we’ve tested using the same CPU. See the image above for numbers. To my surprise, the 160GB 5400RPM hard drive was faster than the 200GB 7200RPM one in my Dell XPS M1530, so no complains there. The device did begin to get somewhat warm near the HDD when stressing it with resource intensive applications, however wasn’t anywhere close to being unbearable. That fan is to take credit for that and thankfully it was fairly silent as well. Some netbooks I’ve tested have gotten awful warm and become difficult to hold.

Battery Life – 5/5 stars
I was quite impressed with how long this laptop would keep running for. With Windows 7, I achieved a little over 6 hours with brightness lowered to about 25%, volume off, and WiFi on. I spend most of the time typing documents and browsing the web. I also achieved close to the same amount when I took this along with me to the Consumer Electronics Show to live-blog a few press conference using a Sprint 4G USB modem. I should mention that the original operating system, Windows XP, offered even more efficiency clocking in at 7 hours. In contrast, my Dell Mini 9 with a 4-cell battery only offers about 4 hours of battery life. If you plan to watch a CPU intensive flash video on Hulu or heavily multitask, the 6-7 hour run-time is not realistic. But for the most part, the 6-cell 47WHr battery is quite impressive. As the next generation of netbooks are beginning to reach the 10 hour mark, I couldn’t be more excited. However, I’m still turned off by the fact that this battery obtrudes from the shape and design of the IdeaPad S10-2.

Bottom Line
A netbook is by no means a replacement to a full computer. The IdeaPad S10-2 is a great complement for students to take notes in class, for business users to take on trips, and for young children to play around. I was quite satisfied with the style, durability, and quality of this netbook. With a superb battery life, you won’t be disappointed or looking for an outlet on those long commutes or trips. While the extended battery is a bit obtrusive, the benefits of the added run time outweigh the bulk. I was upset to find excessive bloatware and would highly recommend performing a clean install with the latest drivers and programs. The IdeaPad S10-2 price starts at just $330 through Lenovo.com and the specific configuration we reviewed is available for $300 on Amazon. The laptop is available in a few colors: Grey, Black, White, Pink and designer covers. Upgrades including a boost to Windows 7 Starter, a slightly faster CPU, Bluetooth, and a few other features are available. When it comes down to it, if you need a laptop that’s compact, affordable, and durable, you won’t go wrong with Lenovo’s IdeaPad S10-2.

Buy: IdeaPad S10-2 Netbook
Links: Lenovo.com IdeaPad S10-2

Palm Pre Specifications:

• Provider: Verizon Wireless
• Operating System: Palm webOS
• Display: 3.1-inch 320×480 multi-touch
• Camera: 3.0 Megapixel Camera + Flash
• Music: MP3, WAV, AAC/AAC+
• Video: MPEG4, H.263, H.264
• Memory: 16GB internal, 512MB RAM
• Dimensions: 3.9L x 2.3W x .67D inches
• Battery: 5 hours talk time | 350 hours stand-by
• Wireless: WiFi 802.11 b/g & Bluetooth 2.1+

The Body: 4.5/5 stars
The Palm Pre Plus weighs under five ounces and looks like a smooth glossy black stone. The body has a soft feel and offers a great grip. It’s probably one of the best looking phones I’ve come across recently. It definitely offers a friendly and welcoming feeling compared to devices such as the robotic Droid. There’s a volume rocker, a switch to silence your phone, and a microUSB port on the right side. Accessing the charging/data USB port was easier than on the Palm Pixi, however it needs to be relocated to the bottom. If you are holding your phone to your ear while it’s charging, it’s a nuisance since the cable extends out sideways. I also was cautious each time I tried to open the flap that covers the port since it’s quite flimsy. It is also quite tricky to get the flap open; I found myself using nails to pry it open. I feel that Palm has a secret agenda to get us to buy their Wireless Touchstone Charger by annoying us with the charging port. The back of the phone is a rear “face-plate” that comes pre-enabled for wireless charging unlike on the original Pre. Palm also offers a variety of custom artistic styles for those tired of the all-black look. Although there’s 16GB of on-board storage, which is twice that of the original Pre, there’s still no microSD expansion. The only thing under the rear cover is the interchangeable battery pack. The 3 megapixel camera, a LED flash, and speakers are on the upper rear part of the Palm Pre. The power button and a standard 3.5mm headphone jack are on the top. The front of the phone houses the slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a gesture area, and a 3.1 inch display from bottom to top. I found the curvature of the slide out keyboard aesthetically appealing and comfortable for typing. There’s also a reflective mirror hidden behind the upper portion of the phone that becomes visible when the keyboard is extended. It definitely comes in handy for taking self portraits. I’m still fascinated with how well Palm has reinvented themselves with a new generation of hardware, but it has already been over a year and it’s time for another major release.

Gesture Area: 5/5 stars
Palm made one major cosmetic change to the Pre, they removed the physical touch button and replaced it with a touchpad that’s hidden under the casing. It now looks cleaner and simpler. It, however, almost feels as though they forgot to put something on it. This gesture area is a thin touch-sensitive slit between the display and keyboard. It’s unique and makes using the phone much more intuitive. For example, to move back a page in the browser, just do a quick swipe to the left. The pad illuminates the direction you swiped with a neat little animation. To get back to the home screen, just swipe up. The Pre Plus also lights up the gesture area to indicate that the phone is busy performing a task. It’s definitely a more intuitive take on the simple physical home key that’s prominently featured on the Apple iPhone. It’s a lot more convenient than having to double or triple tap to perform commands.

The Display: 4/5 stars
The Palm Pre Plus’s display looks stunning. The screen seems to reach out at you due to the curvature of the body. It doesn’t appear recessed into the body like the iPhone but rather runs edge-to-edge. The 3.1 inch display is about a half-inch larger than the screen on the Palm Pixi, but still smaller than the Droid and iPhone. The interface offer plenty of space for viewing web pages. It’s still unfortunately nothing compared to the Motorola Droid’s whopping 480×854 pixel display. While the Pixi we reviewed last year only had 18-bits of color, the Pre Plus features 24-bits. Despite the boost, I doubt anyone could point out the difference unless told about it. The multi-touch functionality performed accurately and responsively. It was easy to pinch a webpage with two fingers to zoom out or in. The accelerometer was also very responsive and would kick in quickly to change orientations when rotated. The gesture pad also conveniently changed from the page navigating mode to scrolling. The Sprint Palm Pixi, on the other hand, rarely rotated properly. I should point out that since this phone doesn’t feature an on-screen keyboard, you’ll have to switch back to portrait mode to type. I was also worried that the glossy finish would make reading the screen difficult in direct sunlight or under bright lights, however the ambient light sensor brightens everything up enough so that it’s not much of a problem.

The Keyboard: 3.5/5 stars
When I first saw the Pre Plus, I expected a comfortable keyboard especially since it’s a fairly premium device. However, after a few days of use, I have to say otherwise. Although the four rows of keys are decently sized and spaced out, the keyboard lacks the same tactile feel the Pixi’s keyboard offers. The buttons almost seem sticky and I had a surprisingly difficult time getting accustomed to it. The keys are too flat and don’t offer enough of a click when pressed. Typing messages on the Pre Plus took longer than it did on the Pixi. I had to exert more pressure on each key and take time to ensure an accepted input. It isn’t necessarily hard to type messages, but takes more getting used to than with other phones. It also would have helped if the phone featured a decent virtual auto-correction tool as found on the iPhone and Droid. I feel that Palm should consider revamping or entirely redesigning the keyboard on a future iteration. It’s an essential part of the phone and it’s currently lacking.

Operating System: 4/5 stars
A smartphone’s ability to properly bring a desktop-like experience to a handheld is essential.  One of those important features includes the ability to multi-task. For instance, the Apple iPhone has taken much heat for lacking that ability. Fortunately the Palm Pre Plus breezes through this with webOS 1.3.5.1. In addition, since the Pre Plus sports double the RAM, it can handle running twice as many applications at once. I managed to run nearly 10 apps at once without any issues, however having too many open can take a steep toll on battery life. Even if there’s enough RAM, the CPU will become a bottleneck as it can no longer handle all the processes. Running multiple programs definitely handled better than the Sprint Pixi that easily froze up and wouldn’t even let me make a phone call at times. The home screen, interface, and major components are still pretty much the same as with last year’s webOS. The default calendar, phonebook, contacts, and mail apps are essentially identical. The Synergy feature does an excellent job which I’ll get to in the next section. The web browser does an excellent job of rendering web pages and that’s expected since it’s called the webOS after all. The pinch to zoom works seamlessly which even the North American Motorola Droid doesn’t have yet. It’s still not as great as the iPhone’s Safari Browser, but it’s drastically superior to both Windows Mobile’s IE and BlackBerry’s browser. Moving on, the Google Maps application is wonderful as always, but still isn’t the Google Maps Navigation software found on Android devices that offers turn-by-turn directions. Verizon customers will have to opt to use the VZW Navigator which costs $10/month. A new v5.0 of the GPS software with major changes should become available in a few weeks. As for getting real work done, a built in Document Viewer lets you access Excel, Word, and PowerPoint documents. If you are ready to grab some new programs, the App Catalog has come a long way. There’s a lot more it has to offer, but it’s still far from offering numbers close to the 100,000 in the Apple App Store. Despite that, there’s a great selection of quality applications for everyone to appreciate. The UI is quite intuitive and I still love the idea of being able to “toss” a program up to close it. The home screen could better use the empty space with some sort of widgets as seen on Android devices, but you can at least customize backgrounds unlike the iPhone. Even with improved support for higher quality games, the Palm webOS probably needs some more ground-breaking features such as Synergy to truly take on competition.

Synergy: 5/5 stars
There’s one way to explain Synergy: WOW. It’s just that awesome. The Palm Pre’s webOS offers a single central interface to pull information in from a variety of accounts. These include Google Sync, Facebook, Microsoft Exchange, LinkedIn, and Yahoo. After a single login, my Calendars, Contacts, and Emails started pouring in. I definitely recommend syncing over a fast WiFi connection the first time. Instead of creating havoc with a mess of duplicate contacts and data, the Synergy technology handles it quite well. It merges duplicate contacts without destroying your data. For instance, if you have “Jon Doe” on both Facebook and LinkedIn, it will create a merged contact card. If you happen to make any changes to your contacts, updates are automatically relayed to the server. I was truly glad to see that just about all my Facebook contacts appeared along with profile photos, email addresses, and phone numbers. This was by far the easiest and most convenient way to fetch data. If most of your data is already in the ‘Cloud,’ there no reason to have to deal with manually re-entering data, Bluetooth sync, CSV sheets, or VCards. The next step would be to make this feature more powerful. Adding support for more popular web services and offering a clean way to manually select which contacts to sync would go a long way. Palm has an edge over competitors in this segment and needs to keep running with features like these.

Messaging: 4/5 stars
As for messaging, both the webOS is great. All my emails were setup for delivery with Synergy’s magic. It has great support for Gmail folders and features. When an email arrives, the phone alerts the user with a popup and a notification icon at the bottom of the screen. The same row displays alerts for texts, missed calls, voicemails, calendar appointments, alarms, and more. To dismiss an alert, you can either slide it off to the side to acknowledge that you’ve seen it or click on it to open the respective application. Composing and reply to emails and texts was an easy task. The conversation logs are neatly organized as well. The option to forward items often comes in handy. Copy and paste saves the hassle and time of having to remember and retype things. The only thing that would have improved the experience would have been a better predictive text tool and spell checker that will both speed up typing and correct typos.

Call Quality + Network: 5/5 stars
The Palm Pre performs on par with most smarphone devices. It wasn’t as amazing at eliminating external noises such as the Droid, but still got the job done. I was clearly able to hear the party on the other end and vice versa. I almost always had a decent number of bars throughout the Sacramento and Davis area. Verizon’s network didn’t drop just one call since I had this phone, which was rare in my opinion. I’ve humorously seen the iPhone running on AT&T try and repeatedly fail to make calls from the same areas even though the device reported full signal. I was always able to communicate without issues. I found the ability to call someone by simply starting to type their name while on the home screen a convenient method instead of scrolling through the contact list. There’s a clean list that displays all incoming, outgoing, and missed calls. I also was glad to see that you could delete specific items from the call history, which I can’t do on the iPhone. 3G data reliability was also pretty great, which I’ll get into more details in the Hotspot section. However, if you for some reason can’t fetch a strong signal, you can always opt to use WiFi.

Multimedia: 3.5/5 stars
The Palm Pre Plus streamed videos impressively well from YouTube. I was a bit dissappoitned to find that VCast wasn’t included on this phone. I truly enjoyed having the Sprint TV streaming service available to enjoy ESPN on the Palm Pixi. Considering the price of a data plan, that should definitely be thrown in. I copied some video podcasts and MP4 movies over the device. Some appeared in the video application, but others with certain codecs didn’t. I was further disappointed to find that some files that played just fine on my iPhone didn’t play past a few frames. The video formats are a bit limited at the time and could sure use some improvements. As for music, things were a lot better. Although iTunes sync support is not reliable since Apple keeps disabling support, programs such as Windows Media Player get the job done. If that doesn’t work for you, simply connecting it as a mass storage device with any machine and dragging files onto the device will work just fine. The phone also supports Bluetooth AD2p stereo profiles for devices such as the Jabra Halo, Altec-Lansing BackBeat, or Nokia BT-905. Speaking of music, Pandora worked quite well with this phone. Especially great since I can let it run in the background unlike with the iPhone. I had it connected to my car’s stereo through an AUX jack. It streamed music impressively well without any major pauses for buffering. While it’s still no iPod when it comes to multimedia, it should be able to replace the need for an additional MP3 player for most consumers.

Camera & Camcorder: 3.5/5 stars
The Pre Plus sports a 3.0 megapixel camera, which is a step up from the 2 megapixel camera on the Pixi, but no match versus other smartphones. The phone once again entirely lacks the ability to record videos. A v1.4 webOS update should become available this month that will enable video recording and editing amongst other new features. Getting back to the camera, it fails to impress. I was disappointed to see how long it took for the camera to start up. Once it was up and running, it was actually fairly responsive and the interface was simple, clean, and easy to use. However, it falls flat in terms of custom settings. I was only able to enable, disable, or set the flash to auto. There are no other special effects, filters, resolution settings, or anything else. Browsing through your library of photos was slow to load. Sliding images to the left or right to get to another one would take a moment to render. However, zoom in and out with the pinch gesture was smooth and quick. I was glad to see that I could email, MMS, or upload photos to Facebook right from the gallery. It’s a neat addition, but it’s unfortunate that the camera isn’t better. The colors were decent at best. Bright objects became easily over exposed. Images that aren’t taken in anything less than a brightly  lit area appear grainy. The flash helps with close up head shots in dark settings, but is still not bright enough. Fortunately the turnaround time for snapping each image was fairly quick. But the fact remains, it lacks features even inexpensive or free flip phones have. There’s a lot of work Palm needs to put into this element of the phone.

WiFi & Mobile Hot Spot: 5/5 stars
This was by far one of my most favorite features. There’s a pre-installed App for Mobile Hotspot that lets you use Verizon 3G network and share it with up to 5 nearby WiFi enabled devices. The App lets you pick a network name (SSID), set a WPA/WPA2 security passphrase, or even leave it as an open network. I put it to the test with a couple of machines including an Asus netbook, Dell Mini, Apple iPhone, and Dell XPS Laptop. Mostly using a single device at a time, speeds were actually quite impressive. After several tests in Northern California (San Jose, Davis, and Sacramento), we found download speeds averaging around 1.1 MB/s and upload at 0.30 MB/s. I also noticed that even if multiple connected computers weren’t necessarily using data at a given instance, speeds did slow down a bit. Also, if you are using the Pre Plus as a WiFi Hotspot, you definitely should find a source of power as the built in battery will drain quickly. And of course with any neat feature comes a price. Enabling the Palm Plus for use as a 3G hotspot costs $40/month. That’s the same cost as it is with other smartphones. But the advantage of the Pre Plus, like a MiFi, internet access isn’t just limited to one device. You can take your iPod Touch, Sony PSP, Nintendo DSi, or any WiFi enabled device online easily.

Conclusion:
The Pre Plus definitely packs a punch and seems appealing until you look at competition. The webOS, Synergy, and the hardware are all great, but it’s definitely a notch down from what both the Motorola Droid and Apple iPhone have to offer. It’s especially in the shadows compared to the Google HTC Nexus One. If you’re a Verizon Wireless customer or planning on switching to their network, the Droid is only $50 more, offers more features, and has the same monthly fees. Although the Droid may not have the ability to host a personal WiFi Hotspot, I doubt many customers will opt to pay the extra $40 each month in addition to a calling + data + texting plans. I should note that the Palm Pre is definitely easier to use and has a friendlier feel, but I truly have a hard time recommending it over the Droid. For example, the Pre Plus requires a $10/month fee for using VZ Navigator, while the Droid has the free Google Navigator. The Palm Pre hasn’t really seen any major changes other than the new gesture pad and doubling the RAM and Flash Storage. It was a unique product and fairly decent device about a year ago when it first launched, but it has definitely begun to look old compared to newer phones. The Pre Plus is really due for a major hardware upgrade along with new cutting edge software features to stay afloat. Plus with a few disadvantages such as a mediocre camera, no voice commands, a slow CPU, and a lacking App Catalog, there’s not much it offers versus other smartphones at nearly the same price range. However I should note that there isn’t anything particularly wrong about the device. It’s a wonderful creation, has a great polish, and does what it’s designed to do but simply can’t stand up against competition. If you simply like the aesthetics, the webOS, or need the hotspot feature, then this phone won’t disappoint.

Buy: $150 for Palm Pre Plus
Links: VerizonWireless.com Palm Pre Plus

BlackBerry Curve 8530 Specifications:

• Provider: Verizon Wireless
• Operating System: BlackBErry v5.0
• Display: 2.5-inch 320×240 pixel TFT LCD
• Camera: 2.0 megapixel camera
• Music: MP3, WMA, AAC/AAC+
• Video: MPEG4, WMV, H.263, H.264
• Memory: 256MB internal + microSD expansion
• Dimensions: 4.29H x 2.36W x .55D inches
• Battery: 270 mins talk time | 252 hours stand-by
• Connectivity: Bluetooth 2.1+ | WiFi b/g

Hardware
At just under four ounces, the Curve is a featherweight both smaller and lighter than an iPhone. With a rubber backing and sturdy frame, the Curve seems rugged at first touch. However, the plastic buttons on the front feel flimsy and take away from the build quality and durability. Instead of pronounced buttons like the ones found on the keyboard, the navigation and media controls are flush with the body of the phone and aren’t the most accessible.

Media keys on the top of the body provide quick access to media player controls. You can pause, play, and skip songs without taking the Curve out of your pocket. These controls can’t be locked, but the strategic location of the buttons on top of the phone might help to prevent accidental song changes. This coupled with the standard 3.5mm headphone jack provides the essentials for a decent media player.

It is clear that RIM did not make the Curve’s screen a top priority. The phone sports a mediocre 2.5 inch, 320×250 pixel display. This is not necessarily terrible, especially when you consider the fact that the iPod Classic has a similar screen size. It will seem a bit pixilated to the keen eye and those accustomed to high definition screens, and the low depth of 65,000 colors does not do much for video quality either. Battery life will suffer from the lack of proximity and light sensors, but this probably isn’t a deal breaker. The Curve’s screen does well in cafés and buses, but you can forget about reading email outside on a particularly sunny day. If you intend to use the phone outdoors more often than indoors, I would find a brighter screen.

• Build Quality – 3/5
• Navigation – 3/5
• Screen – 2/5

Touchpad and Keyboard
The famous trackball is one gripe I have always had with the BlackBerry. The old trackball often failed because dirt, oil, and grime had a tendency to collect on the sensor. RIM recently introduced an optical track pad that takes care of those issues and it’s featured on this phone. The track pad is a vast improvement over the trackball and is easily my favorite feature. It works like a combination between the old trackball and your laptop’s touchpad – just glide your finger over the pad in the direction you want to move the cursor. The web browser is infinitely easier to use because the touch pad allows you to navigate sites with a cursor rather than cycling through clickable items. More importantly, I was able to improve my BrickBreaker score by a couple thousand.

Seasoned veterans of the Curve are some of the fastest mobile typists I’ve encountered, and they swear by this layout. The keyboard has a standard QWERTY layout with 35 backlit keys, similar to the keyboards found on older Curve models. The shape of the keys and a slight bow in the layout make typing on the Curve’s keyboard almost as natural as typing on a full sized keyboard. One downside is the keys are a bit small and will take some getting used to.

• Touchpad – 5/5
• Keyboard – 5/5

Software
The BlackBerry OS has not changed much over the years, with only a few variations from model to model. This makes transitioning from BlackBerry to BlackBerry simple, but those who are new to the interface may have a tough time getting used to it. That’s not to say that a BlackBerry is harder to learn than other phones, but the BlackBerry OS is not nearly as intuitive as some of its competitors such as the Android and iPhone OS. For example, both Android and BlackBerry phones have a configurable central notification area. However, the location of the notification area on the BlackBerry OS isn’t as obvious as on the Android OS.

Although capable of displaying full web pages, the BlackBerry’s browser is seriously lacking in speed. Even on Wi-Fi, pages render much too slow to compete with other smartphones. The Curve’s touch pad, as mentioned before, does make the browser easy to navigate. Adobe mentioned in 2009 that they are working with RIM to incorporate Flash Player into the BlackBerry browser, so we may see an upgraded browser early this year.

As for application availability, BlackBerry has the basics covered with Facebook, MySpace, Flickr, document viewers, and a few useful utilities preloaded. BBM users will have to head to the BlackBerry App World to get the latest BlackBerry Messenger; oddly enough the Curve does not have it loaded out-of-the-box.

• Operating System – 4/5
• Web Browser – 2/5
• Applications – 3/5

Call Quality and Signal
Verizon Wireless customers are probably already familiar with the inability to access the Internet and make phone calls simultaneously on a single device. This impediment has lead to issues with lost email in the past. The BlackBerry Curve 8530 has Wi-Fi in addition to CDMA, so it is possible to make calls and use data simultaneously in areas with WIFI signal. The 8530 also has notable advantages over its GMRS sibling, the Curve 8520, in that it is 3G enabled and has GPS.

The phone’s signal quality is not nearly as good as other Verizon phones. The Motorola Droid, for example, had full 3G bars at my desk, while the Curve could barely muster up a single bar in the same spot. But even with full bars on both ends, the audio quality is just average. It doesn’t filter out background noise well enough to use in busy or loud areas, but in general calls are as clear as on any other cell phone.

A note for Google Voice users: the Google Voice application is currently buggy on this phone. It seems to integrate well with the address book, but your contacts do not sync regularly and outgoing calls are seldom connected successfully.

• Signal Strength – 2/5
• Call Quality – 3/5

Camera and Camcorder
Most of the new BlackBerry models have 3.2 megapixel camera, which seems to be the standard for many manufacturers. The Curve’s, however, is a measly 2.0 megapixel, fixed focus, flash-less camera. Zooming is all digital (up to 5x), so in the end there isn’t much of a zoom function at all. With only 256 megabytes of flash memory to share, the Curve’s camera system was outdated before it even hit store shelves. You will need to insert a MicroSD card to use the video camera function. The phone’s memory is expandable up to 16 gigabytes with a MicroSD card, though some users have reported problems with cards larger than 4 gigabytes.

One thing I will say the camera does well is sharing. In addition to standard MMS and email sharing, the camera software takes advantage of the preloaded social networking apps by allowing you to upload pictures and videos directly to Facebook, MySpace, and Flickr. The sharing features are convenient and fast, and I hope to see more from BlackBerry in this area.

• Camera and Camcorder – 2/5
• Sharing and MMS – 5/5

Navigation
The preloaded BlackBerry Maps application has come through for me in a pinch a few times, although it could use a bit of improvement in terms of speed. It takes far too long to acquire satellites; it can take over a minute to get going, even when outdoors in areas where other Verizon phones have great GPS signal. BlackBerry Maps gives reliable directions, but it lacks voice guidance and features found in turn-by-turn navigators. If you are looking for a navigator with turn-by-turn directions, Google Maps or VZW Maps will have to do. Google Maps is normally a fantastic feature-packed alternative that easily fulfils this role, though it does not seem to use the GPS properly on this phone and gives poor approximations. Either way, the Curve won’t be replacing your Garmin any time soon. If you are looking for a phone that will fulfill that role, Android phones like the Motorola Droid and the Nexus One will impress you with a fantastic navigation interface and a huge screen.

• Navigation – 3/5

Media Player
The media player is surprisingly easy to use. In fact, the interface and workflow is in many ways similar to the iPod’s interface. It does take more effort on the user’s part to manage the library since the phone does not come with software like iTunes. The media player supports a variety of formats, including MP3, WMA9, AMR, AAC, MPEG4, H.263, H.264, and WMV9 audio and video. The 3.5mm headphone jack puts out more than adequate audio quality, considering this is a BlackBerry and not something commonly used as a primary portable music player. The external speaker can be very loud, though music sounds how you might expect it to sound on a phone: a ringtone. While I wouldn’t use the Curve to replace my iPod, RIM is taking huge steps in that direction with other models like the Storm.

• Media Player – 4/5
• Audio Quality – 4/5
• Speakers – 3/5

Battery Life
The Curve’s battery life is disappointingly short. RIM reports a 3G talk time of about 4.5 hours and a standby time of 10.5 days, but I find the latter to be a little unbelievable. I used this unit sparingly on most days and was lucky to go a full 24 hours on one charge. There were days when I could barely squeeze a full 16 hours out of it after a full night of recharging. I expected a short battery life and a daily recharge; most smartphones, even the iPhone and Droid, have notoriously short battery lives. However, I never thought it would run out of juice before I did on such a regular basis.

• Battery Life – 2/5

Conclusion
As a lower-end version of the Bold, some of the Curve’s shortcomings in terms of build quality are expected. Current BlackBerry users, especially those who have owned the Curve, will love the familiarity of the BlackBerry OS and the physical keyboard. Don’t count on the Curve replacing your MP3 player and GPS device, though it will do a great job complementing your current devices. If you frequently take photos and videos with your phone, I recommend checking out the Motorola Droid, which has all the great sharing features found on the Curve but also has a 5.0 megapixel camera with flash for higher quality images. Business users, travelers, and BlackBerry enthusiasts should take a look at the more robust models like the Bold and the Tour. If you are looking for the BlackBerry experience on a budget, you can’t go wrong with the Curve. All nitpicking aside, the 8530 is a decent smartphone and a great addition to the Curve family. If you’re ready to pick to pick one up, it’s available for $50 after signing a new two-year contract with Verizon Wireless.

Buy: FREE BlackBerry Curve with contract
Links: VerizonWireless.com BlackBerry Curve 8530

Packaging & Items
Purchasers of the new CX 680s are greeted with a clean-cut and professional looking packaging that conveys a confidence for their upcoming sporting activities. The Adidas logo prominently stands ready in the upper left hand corner of the packaging while a less conspicuous Sennheiser logo appears opposite the boxing ring in the lower right hand corner. Information on the packaging touts features such as water resistance, passive noise blocking, DuPont kevlar reinforced cables, and a vast multitude of accessories. The crisp sound of ripping open the perforated strip on the bottom gives you anticipation of the great match to come like watching one of Rocky’s montages.

Once you take the CX 680s out from their semi-complicated packaging, you’ll most definitely notice what Sennheiser-Adidas calls the “revolutionary” EarFin pieces, which are also featured on the MX 680s. These look like intimidating rubber hooks protruding from the top of the ear pieces. The EarFins are designed to lock into a fold of skin just above where you ear canal opens. This provides a secure fit to ensure that the CX and MX 680s stay put during extreme motion. This should allow you to concentrate solely on your activity instead of worrying whether or not your headphones will jettison themselves. Sennheiser-Adidas knows that not all athletes’ ears are the same and includes four sets of modular EarFin pieces. The sizes range from large EarFins to just a rubber sleeve with no EarFins at all. All the pieces are very comfortable and virtually unnoticeable while you’re wearing them. After hitting the gym, doing some running, and jumping around I have to agree with Sennheiser-Adidas: these EarFins are quite revolutionary.

The CX 680 unit consists of a durable plastic and grippy rubber casing with multiple modular components. Soft rubber canal tips, like the EarFins described above, are also included with sizes from small to large. One challenge of sport-oriented headphones is dirt and grime. Sennheiser-Adidas has implemented replaceable foam filters in the ear canal portion of each earpiece to combat this, and generously included an extra set of filters in the accessories. Another sport-oriented feature is water and sweat resistance. The CX 680’s neon yellow-green cable is very flexible, thin and lightweight. While it may seem semi-fragile at first, Sennheiser-Adidas ensures us it’ll stand the test of time with its DuPont kevlar reinforcement.

While at CES I mentioned to the friendly and sharp Sennheiser representative how it would be great if the CX 680’s cable would separate at the inline volume control unit for users who like to mount their audio player on their arm. As I was mentioning this I gave a slight tug at the area I was hoping it would come apart and to my surprise a crisp connector came out just like I had described. The Sennheiser representative gave me a confident smile and I knew they were one step ahead of me. In total, the cable with inline volume control unit comes in at 4 feet (1.2m) and is terminated in a right angle plug for a low profile. When separated, the cable is half the length at 2ft (.6m), and loses the right angle plug. Located between the Y-splitter and earpieces is a hard rubber plastic clip for cinching the earpieces  together thus preventing tangle. This clip is partially open on one side so you can completely unclip it from one of the wires for convenience.

Other accessories included with the CX 680s are a tough hook and loop nylon carrying bag, handy canal cleaning tool, and cable clip. I was surprised at the high quality of the nylon bag and found it to be water-resistant. The hook and loop enclosure is secure and won’t let anything escape. Perforated in the side is a metal grommet so you can run a lanyard through it for easier carrying. All these rugged features and accessories are backed by a fantastic 2 year warranty.

Sound Quality
Being familiar with Sennheiser’s high quality products I had an idea as to how the CX 680s would sound, but wasn’t sure whether or not the Adidas component would throw me a curveball. Listening to various music from country to hip-hop to jazz revealed some very interesting characteristics about these headphones which ended up being a pleasant difference from the great Sennheiser house sound.

One thing all great workout and sporting music has is that energizing beat to tune yourself to. Sennheiser-Adidas hit a home run in this regard. The bass impact was absolutely perfect for a sporting headphone with forceful impact while not too overwhelming. What impressed me more, however, was that Sennheiser-Adidas managed to leave in a fairly balanced bass sound as well. Most headphones with a strong bass impact tend to have a really strong bass as well, which overpowers the rest of the music terribly. Technically, the bass is decently articulate, although still has a fair amount of decay. Interestingly, the slower decay led to a more full sound overall and increased sound stage. The bass impact really outran the competition in hip-hop, club, and jazz music. In orchestral music the bass impact felt surprisingly balanced and gave that large auditorium feeling. Unfortunately the bass seemed too overpowering in rock music and drowned out the quick-moving guitars. In country music, the bass again was slightly overpowering and took emphasis away from the vocals.

Half-time break? Not for the CX 680s as they push on through the middle range of sound. If there’s one part of the sound that had the classic Sennheiser feel it was in the mids. Not too energetic, the mids seemed to flow smoothly like water. Its seamlessness contributed to a full sound without any gaps or harsh areas in it. A lot of the times I find earphones will get fairly harsh in areas, but not so with the CX 680s. Both male and female voices felt forward and clear. Horns in orchestral and jazz music were just right and had good emphasis. There wasn’t any coloring or extra texture added to the music giving a neutral and accurate sound here.

If the CX 680s drew a penalty anywhere it was in the highs. While not recessed, the highs felt much less prominent than they should have been. It’s as if the third baseman couldn’t quite throw the ball all the way to first base in time to make the out. Normally when the highs are less pronounced than they should be they also sound recessed and veiled. This should sound as if the music being played further away from you or there’s a heavy curtain/wall seperating you. The CX 680s had clarity to discount being recessed and veiled although the volume and impact wasn’t high enough.

Conclusion
Overall, the sound quality of the CX 680s dominates the first couple of quarters, gets a little tired in the second half, but still clenches the win. It’s not the absolute best player on the field, but it gives full effort and is still very enjoyable. There simply isn’t a better option in its tended market of athletes. Normal IEMs are too fragile and costly, cheap earbuds fall out too easily and sound like defeat, and regular headphones are just too bulky. All of the immense forethought that went into the CX 680s provides an eager, ready-to-go attitude out of the box. Even with a slightly high MSRP of $119.95, the CX 680s will prove their worth and functionality. I would provide you with a street price as normal, but seeing as the new Sennheiser-Adidas line isn’t for sale yet anywhere those figures aren’t available. All we can do is now wait, and eagerly I might add!

Buy: $89 CX 680 Headphones on Amazon
Links: Sennheiser-Addias CX 680

Admittedly, headphones are not for everyone. Some find them too bulky and overbearing, and prefer the alternative being earphones. iFrogz offers a variety of products each varying in aesthetics, style, and quality. Today I’ll be focusing on the Timbre earphones. Advertised for its sound quality and a built-in microphone, let’s see if these affordable earphones really live up to their name.

EarPollution Timbre Specs:

• Frequency Response: 20Hz-20kHz
• Speaker Driver: 10mm
• Cable Length: 1.1m
• Plug Size: 3.5mm
• Sensitivity: 103dB
• Impedance: 16 ohms
• MSRP: $50 (Available for $26)

Build
The body of the earphones isn’t very different from what you would expect, a 3.5mm headphone jack at one end leading up to the ‘Y’ split divider towards both ear-buds. The microphone is fairly small, hanging a couple inches below the right ear-bud. The size isn’t bulky enough to get in the way, while not so small that it’s invisible. You’ll never find yourself sporadically talking into parts of the cable searching for the microphone. The cable has a rubbery feel to it and isn’t the best material for cables. It creates friction easily with clothing and other materials that easily cause it to get tugged. This will eventually lead to a torn or worn down cable. The ear buds primarily stand out since they have a wooden encasement instead of a plastic one. We’ll get to how that impacts the audio quality below. For the most part, these headphones don’t offer a sense of a quality product.

Style
When it comes down to it, there is nothing particularly vibrant and graphic about these earphones. This is unusual for EarPollution since both the CS40 and DJ Style headphones were generally flashy, offered in different styles and color schemes. The Timbre has a minimalistic design. The only color is the wood-chamber body of the ear-buds and a silver lining running up to the speakers of each bud. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, however, since the product intended as a headset for the iPhone and Blackberry, it should look somewhat professional. The natural wood-chamber ear-buds look unique and offer an eco-friendly tone. With this said, it really annoyed me that they stuck a black “L” and “R” on the left and right ear-buds. I understand that this makes it clear which bud is which, but did they really have to put it on the best looking part? Seriously? They could have placed it in a more inconspicuous location, making it more subtle. Overall, it is a very simple design and the wood-chamber buds offer a natural and unique look, which is still aesthetically nice despite the minor obstruction.

Sound
The term “timbre” defines sound quality and sound tone. The question is, can these earphones define the same? Honestly, although it could be better, they get it done. The Timbre doesn’t have the best sound quality, but at $30 it’s a decent pair of earphones. iFrogz advertises Timbre as having “sharp tones and rich bass.” I was kind of worried reading this, since companies like Skullcandy have turned up the bass and volume under the assumption “louder is better.” This is not the case for people who appreciate true audio quality. So, using a cheaper set, it was comforting to discover a warmer overall tone with the Timbre. There was a good amount of treble to compliment the deep bass and therefore sound quality was not bad, considering the $30 price tag. Audio did seem a bit hollow, but I’m going to guess that has to do with the wooden encasement. There was some doubt in tone clarity with a few genres like heavier metal, rock, and rap. Songs with heavy bass overall didn’t sound great but weren’t horrible. I’d place the Timbre’s audio quality about a notch below the famous Apple iPod earbuds.

Functionality
With regards to using the microphone, it works. I tested it with Skype on the computer and with the iPhone for phone calls. The Timbre doesn’t necessarily improve or worsen audio quality for phone calls. The microphone sounded at about on par with an average cell phone’s microphone. There’s no fancy sound cancellation technologies. There isn’t a button for answering and ending calls either. Many new earphones such as the V-moda Vibe and Shure SE115m+ offer that feature. It’s a single 3.5mm headphone jack, so you’ll need a fairly new phone that supports these to utilize both the microphone at headphones at once. This won’t be compatible with most laptops on the market today, however should work with some of the recently released Apple Macbook laptops.

Conclusion
The Timbre is quite different from what we’ve seen with the rest of the EarPollution series. It is a nice change of pace for the company with a minimalistic approach that many may actually appreciate. Plus with it a built in microphone, it adds extra functionality for smartphones that will come in handy. Although I believe the $50 iFrogz is asking for the product is a bit ridiculous, the $26 price on Amazon is much more reasonable. The sound quality is more or less what you would expect from a company making their way into the headphone industry. For those of you who take value in audio quality, I would definitely invest in another product. However if you like the wooden-styled Timbre and want a built-in microphone, these will do.

Buy: $26 for iFrogz Timbre
Links: iFrogz.com EarPollution Timbre

Performance:
If you are a professional photographer, it’s a pain when your DSLR camera has to freeze up for a few seconds to wait for the data to get copied over from the cache to the memory card. It’s annoying when you realize that you finally have a great camera but the cheap included memory card is a bottleneck. Although speeds aren’t necessarily an issue for casual consumers, those making their way into professional photography will find many situations when fast write speeds are necessary. Sports games and keynote presentations are great examples of when the burst mode demands fast write speeds. SanDisk’s Class 10 SDHC memory cards hopes to solve those problems.

These cards claim theoretical transfer rates of up to 30 MB/s. After running some benchmarks, I found that read speeds clocked in at around 26 MB/s and write speeds were around 22 MB/s. A powerful Windows 7 machine took about 14 seconds to copy 50 JPEG images totaling in at 110MB over to the SDHC card. Copying over a single 100MB video file took drastically less time than multiple files that take up the same amount of space. That’s probably due to a file system delay to create a header to a new file. Overall, you won’t need a benchmark tool to tell you that this card is faster. The first time I copied some files over, I saw a noticeable difference over my older SanDisk Extreme 4GB Class 6 card.

The Extreme Class 10 SDHC is also perfect for those with new DSLR cameras that sport HD video recording capabilities. The Nikon D5000 or the Canon Rebel T1i are perfect examples. According to SanDisk, the card’s transfer rates apparently surpasses the requirements needed for HD recordings. That makes this an excellent complement for those planning to record HD videos. On another side-note, if you’re into extreme weather photography, the card apparently can operate in temperatures low as 13 F and high as 185 F.

Recovery Software:
With a premium card, it’s important to include recovery tools. Although it shouldn’t happen, memory cards sometimes get corrupted. Although cameras are designed to avoid issues from abruptly being turned off while saving images, it still happens. SanDisk graciously includes a license to RescuePRO which has a $40 value. If your card were to become unreadable, just install this program. Insert the card and let the program do its work. There’s a good chance that the program will be able to do some magic to recover those images that your standard Windows or Macintosh file system browser can’t do.

Experience at CES:
Skatter Tech was put this to the test on our Canon Rebel XSi during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Snapping images rapidly of glimpses of new products on stage and of rapidly moving sideshow presentations wasn’t an issue with this card. The entire process was smooth, the Class 10 speeds were handy. However, once I threw an included 4GB SDHC Class 2 memory card, the difference was quite apparent. The camera constantly choked up after a few shots. While a Class 10 might not be necessary for everyone, if you have an entry-level DSLR, at least consider getting a Class 6 card.

Price:
SanDisk offers four Class 10 Extreme SDHC cards in 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB capacities. The MSRP for these are $70, $119, $195, and $388, respectively. SanDisk’s pricing is usually drastically higher than what it actually ends up retailing for. For example, the 32GB SDHC card with an MSRP of $388 is actually available for as low as $219 on Amazon.com. For Class 10 cards, the 16GB and 32GB models are available for the most gigabytes per dollar, but those are a bit too expensive for the average consumer to pick up. I would definitely recommend Class 6 SDHC cards to the mass market since they are much cheaper. If you’re a professional photographer, the convenience of not having to swap cards and the ability to record HD videos and snap photos rapidly makes this worth the price. Plus, if there’s ever a problem, SanDisk includes a Lifetime Warranty.

Buy: SanDisk Extreme 32GB SDHC
Links: SanDisk.com Extreme SDHC Card Lineup

Build Quality: 4.8/5 stars
After reviewing Verbatim’s Tuff Clip, I was a bit skeptical of their definition of “Tuff”. I was in for a surprise to see how much of a punch this little flash drive packs. For starters, although quite thin, a lot of force would be needed to snap the Tuff N Tiny flash drive. It’s rohbust and shouldn’t break from daily use. It’s an inch long and about the width of a penny. (1.19 L x .5 W x .06 H inches) This flash drive will last through plenty of accidents. Since it’s so light weight, drops won’t do much damage to it. It’s even water proof and should continue to read and write after a dip. Plus, the simplicity is what stands out the most. It’s a flat rectangular piece of plastic with no excess bells or whistles, just a ring for easy key storage. On the back side, there’s four strips of metal flush into the surface for connectivity with a USB port. Even though the Pico may seem more stylish, it was slightly thicker and was often a tight fit into most USB ports. The one thing this flash drive lacks is an LED indicator to display when it’s busy. I should also mention that I often found myself trying to figure out which which way to insert the flash drive into a USB port since there’s no symbol. I unfortunatley ended up scratching the plastic side on serveral occasions.

Functionality & Features: 4.5/5 stars
The Tuff ‘N’ Tiny works like any other flash drive on the market. For real-life performance, the write speed were a little slower than I expected. Write speeds on average were around 10.5 MB/s and read speed were about 21.5 MB/s. It took about 1 minute and 15 seconds to transfer a 700MB video file to the flash drive and only 30 seconds to copy it back. The gap in read are write speeds are normal for flash drives. In comparison with other flash drives we’ve reviewed, the IronKey was faster in both read and write, but it also costs a couple times more. The benchmark speeds for this drive were faster than the speeds I previously mentioned. Our benchmarking tool, HD Tune, displayed a transfer rate of 25.1 MB/s and an access time of 0.8. The flash drive we reviewed was the 8GB model, but it’s also available in a 4GB and 2GB capacity. The drive is also fast enough for use with the Windows ReadyBoost feature to increase system performance. I didn’t notice any improvements on my PC when using ReadyBoost with this flash drive, however that’s probably because there’s not much more it probably can do if you already have 4GB of RAM. There’s also a security feature that lets you set a password for the flash drive, but it’s probably more of a gimmick. Devices such as the IronKey offer real hardware encryption to prevent unwanted eyes from viewing your files.

Conclusion:
The Tuff ‘N’ Tiny exceed almost all of my expectations. The size simply makes this device stand out. It’s quite convenient since it’s thin enough to even slight into your wallet if you wish not to attach it to a key chain. The write speed was a little slower than I most brand name flash drives, but considering the size, it’s far from having to be categorized as slow. The durability and size are the biggest features of the Tuff ‘N’ Tiny. Unlike most flash drives that will begin to wear down, show scratches, and eventually crack or break, the Verbatim Tuff N Tiny won’t. That being said, just be careful not to loose it. Fortunatley the bright purple Barney-like color helps it stand out when on your desk. Overall, I found myself highly satisfied with Verbatim’s Tuff ‘N’ Tiny and I strongly recommend it to anyone looking for a new flash drive. You can find it in three different storage capacities for a fair price: 2GB Orange $17, 4GB Green $20, and 8GB Purple $26.

Buy: Verbatim 8GB Tuff ‘N’ Tiny
Links: Verbatim Tuff ‘N’ Tiny

No stranger to the audio world, Audio-Technica is a major player in today’s high-end consumer and professional market. Reaping in a well deserved Innovations Design and Engineering Award at this year’s 2010 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Audio-Technica is spearheading the active noise cancelling market with the brand new ATH-ANC7b QuietPoint headphones. While Skatter Tech wasn’t able to acquire this award winner for review just yet, Audio-Technica did graciously provide us with their ATH-ANC3 active noise canceling earphones. If you’re thinking, “Earphones? Did you guys just settle for cheap, low-end, earphones?” While that might have been your initial thought, the sound that followed was quite impressive.

Packaging & Accessories:
The ATH-ANC3 comes packaged in a neat and professional looking box which displays the earphones and active noise control unit through a plastic window. The box advertises, “Up to 85% noise reduction (20dB) of background noise,” and displays a little diagram of how the active noise cancelling technology works. We know this product is for users who are always on the go, citing pictures of an airplane, commuter train, and office desk on the packaging.

Moving into the packaging, we find a fair amount “extras” bundled with the earphones. We were pleasantly surprised with Audio-Technica’s forethought into all the accessories. Included with the ATH-ANC3 earphones is a 1.6 foot long (.5 meter) extension cable, cleaning tool, airline adapter, soft rubber tips, AAA battery, and a rather large nylon carrying case to store all the included goods. The rubber tips are softer than the ones included with most earphones and came in small, medium, and large sizes to suit various ears. We found these very comfy and enjoyable. For those that like storing their audio player in a backpack or near the belt-line, the 1.6 foot long extension cable will prove helpful. To further protect your earphones, Audio-Technica includes pre-inserted filters at the openings of the sound canals. This helps prevent dirt and debris from getting in. Should something manage to get in, the cleaning tool helps remove any earwax that builds up over time; I guarantee that it will be handy. The airline adapter will take the two mono lines from the airplane and combine them into stereo sound for the ATH-ANC3 earphones. Audio-Technica even includes a AAA battery so you can start enjoying the active noise cancelling abilities as soon as you open the box. The nylon case has internal storage nets for accessory organization. We even found that it’s the perfect size to carry your iPod Touch in addition to the ATH-ANC3 earphones.

The main components consist of the ATH-ANC3 earphones mated to the active noise cancelling unit. Combined they total at  3.3 feet (1 meter) in length. Design-wise, these earphones are more of a ”half in-ear-monitor.” Despite sitting in your ear canal, they are too shallow to earn the in-ear-monitor label.  A clip behind the active noise cancelling unit helps distribute the weight since it houses the heavy AAA battery. There’s an “ON/OFF” slider to enable the active noise canceling feature and a “monitor” button, which temporarily disables it when held down, allowing you to hear your surroundings. The wire is soft and flexible, but was thankfully robust. All of the plastics seemed durable and suited to last for years.

Sound Quality:
Based on previous encounters with earphones, we weren’t expecting a lot coming from active noise canceling devices. However, we were truly impressed with the ATH-ANC3’s performance. While active noise cancelling has been known to slightly degrade audio quality, the difference was barely noticeable due to Audio-Technica’s excellent implementation. We instantly noticed that the highs had definition and articulation which earphones and smaller headphones generally lack. Cymbals were crisp and clear to the point where we thought for ourselves, “Why can’t all earphones do this?” Needless to say, the highs were very enjoyable, despite being slightly recessed.

With the good highs coming from the ATH-ANC3s, we were also glad to hear quality bass. Being a high-end professional audio company, Audio-Technica knows the innate importance of a well balanced sound. That’s just the impression we were left with listening to the low-end of the ATH-ANC3s. The bass had a good depth, a nicely punchy articulation, and the perfect amount of synergy with the mid and high range. It was quite pleasing to hear a quality bass that wasn’t over emphasized by any means. If we could change one thing, we would have preferred slightly more impact in the bass. Feeling the “thud” and beat of the music enhances the experience. That doesn’t by any way mean the volume or intensity of the bass, but rather the actual physical kick that you feel running through you.

The sweet spot for these earphones came in the midrange. To be exact, the lower midrange. Male voices and lower midrange instruments came through beautifully. They gave off a rich sound filled with passion. While rich, the sound wasn’t altered by feeling colored or warm, yet you could tell it had been well tuned. Moving a little higher, the upper midrange was the only area where these earphones didn’t impress us. High female voices tended to get a bit harsh during climaxes in the music and didn’t have as rich of a sound as male voices. We also found them to feel slightly veiled and airy as if they could have used a bit more substance and prominence. Even with these shortfalls, the upper midrange maintained the rest of the sounds’ separation and articulation.

Overall, the ATH-ANC3 earphones carry on a great Audio-Technica house sound. The overall experience is neutral, yet not boring or tediously analytical. There’s no major emphasis on any region of the frequency range and this lends to a very balanced and well-rounded sound. Being earphones, these don’t have a stellar sound stage. However, as we’ve been consistently saying, these are definitely better than most earphones.

Noise Cancelling:
Seeing as the active noise cancelling unit is one of the primary features of the ATH-ANC3s, we thought we might elaborate on it a bit. With the one AAA battery that Audio-Technica provides, the active noise cancelling unit is still reasonably light and shouldn’t be an issue for those that don’t like extra baggage. On the box, Audio-Technica claims up to 85% of noise reduction. Listening to the these on the plane ride back from CES in Las Vegas, we can say that Audio-Technica’s figures sound pretty accurate. Unfortunately, while not listening to music, the attenuated sound of voices is still easily distinguishable. Passively, we estimate around 5-10dB of isolation, which isn’t much. If you are looking for complete passive attenuation, grab a full in-ear-monitor. Without music playing, we found that the active noise canceling gave everything an underwater feel. When trying to drown out ambient noise, the result leaves you feeling as though you are wearing a full fishbowl over your head.

Conclusion:
The AudioTechnica ATH-ANC3 QuietPoint Earphones are a strong player in the active noise cancelling earphone market. With an MSRP of $169.95, the price may seem a bit high, but street price seems to hover around $60 on Amazon.com. At this price the ATH-ANC3s are quite a good deal and easily earn Skatter Tech’s recommendation. Although intended for commuters or frequent fliers, these earphones will serve equally well in a home setting. The ATH-ANC3’s excellent performance has gotten us excited to get our hands on the brand new ATH-ANC7b headphones we saw at CES.

Buy: ATH-ANC3 for $50-60 on Amazon
Links: Audio-Technica ATH-ANC3 QuietPoint Earphones

EarPollution CS40 Comfort Series Specs

• Frequency Response: 20Hz-20kHz
• Speaker Driver: 40mm
• Cable Length: 1.6m
• Plug Size: 3.5mm
• Sensitivity: 115dB +/- 3dB
• Impedance: 32 ohms +/- 15%
• MSRP $40 (Available for $20-$25)

Style ★★★★✩
Usually it’s hard to give a concrete rating to Style since different people can appreciate different looks. However, with the CS40’s simplistic style, you can definitely find your pick and have the style grow on you. There are five color schemes to chose from and each come with the EarPollution logo on each earpiece. iFrogz has more stylish headphones available such as the DJ Style which I recently reviewed. iFrogz allows customizing your headphones with varying graphics, color schemes, material, and even fur. Although some of these other headphones were much bulkier, they did leave the CS40’s feeling naked and bare. Even though it would have been nice to at least have more color schemes available, the minimalistic approach of the series has less focus on presentation and more on functionality.

Body ★★★★✩
This was one of the most impressive aspects of the CS40 headphones. Unlike the DJ Style, these were more minimalistic in shape and size. The retractable headband is pretty thin compared to most headphones. The largest parts of the device are the earpieces. You won’t feel overwhelmed wearing them or when going out. In fact, at times you can even forget you’re wearing these. The EarPollution CS40 are also incredibly portable. Packing them with luggage is a breeze since the earpieces fold into the headband. When purchasing headphones over earphones, the additional bulk is expected. Plus they will be less subtle and more difficult to transport. However, with the CS40’s, users will be pleasantly surprised in its compactness and minimalistic build. The cables from both earpieces aren’t all that thick. Having a durable cord can definitely help the longevity of the device since the CS40’s are meant to be carried around. In general the Body and Size work together in making this product compact and sleek, but when it comes down to it the question is can this small package prove to be comfortable?

Comfort ★★★★✩
Spoiler Alert: CS40’s are extremely comfortable. Yeah I know… like it hasn’t been emphasized enough. But hey, iFrogz knows what they are doing when they repeat it over and over in the campaigns. Honestly it’s hard to imagine any headphones with “pillows” attached to them being uncomfortable. That’s more or less was these are. It’s quite an experience to use these headphones for the first time with the rubber cups and foam-like material being a cushion between your ears and your music. They work well and are big enough to cover your whole ear comfortably, rather than being too small or too big and feeling awkward. There is unfortunately one flaw in this design. The leather-like encasing around the cushion easily begins to get warm. Sure it’s nice in the winter because it acts like earmuffs, but in warmer weather, these could get uncomfortable quick.

Sound ★★✩✩✩
So it’s clear at this point that these headphones are compact, minimalistic, and comfortable, but are they good headphones? Without good sound quality, the headphones can look and feel amazing but that’s as far as they’ll go. To put it bluntly; these headphones feel like you are wearing a pillow on each ear. These may feel comfy, however these headphones also sound like you are wearing a pillow on each ear. Seriously, it sounds like you have a speaker on the other side of a pillow. It simply feels like it’s behind a veil. Plus, the delivered audio gets jumbled due to the padding. The quality is grainy and direct, reminding the user that they listening from a direct source, rather than experiencing the music as if it surrounds you– like quality headphones should. While the headphones try to emulate a strong bass, the same effort isn’t put into producing highs. This results in treble becoming indistinguishable from middles. The fact that the sound is louder overall makes it hard at times to distinguish one tone over the other. Once again, the obstructing padding makes everything more complicated. It would have been great if more effort could have been put into the sound quality and not leave them sounding like a set of free, airplane headphones. It left me wondering, why not spend $10-15 more and purchase better ones?

Conclusion
Overall, the iFrogz CS40 headphones are good for casual users. They prove to be comfortable and compact, making them convenient to carry around. It’s guaranteed everyone can appreciate its smart, simple style. It still keeps a unique look with a single color scheme complimented by the EarPollution logo. When it comes down to it though, the sound quality won’t impress. There was just way too much bass and not enough of the treble to match. It is true that these are cheaper headphones, but weighing the options was tough since you could even buy a better quality EarPollution set at about the same price. If the sound quality was better, these would have been “go out and buy now” headphones, but unfortunately they rely heavily on their compactness and comfort compared to their competition. If you want a pair of headphones for casual, expendable use, then these are some of the most comfortable and affordable ones out there.

Buy iFrogz EarPollution CS40: Blue | Black | Pink | Red
Links: iFrogz.com EarPollution CS40

Aside from a wide range of unique iPod accessories, speakers, and apparel, iFrogz also has a large selection of headphones. These are appropriately named EarPollution and are available in countless styles sure to compliment any personality. This review pertains to the DJ Style series with the Billionaire theme. Although it’s great to have options when finding a style that artistically represents you, I was pressed to figure out whether the DJ Style focused too much on looks and not enough on quality.

DJ Style Billionaire Specs

• Frequency Response: 20Hz-20kHz
• Speaker Driver: 50mm
• Cable Length: 1.2m
• Plug Size: 3.5mm
• Sensitivity: 105dB +/- 3dB
• Impedance: 32 ohms +/- 15%
• MSRP: $50 (Available for $35)

Comfort ★★★★★
After picking up the DJ Style, my initial impression led me to believe that these massive headphones would be uncomfortable to wear. After a few hours of use, I was pleasantly surprised. The padding around the speakers surround your ears in a way that it is not too tight or too loose. This assures they won’t slip off your head with rapid movements. A soft texture and mesh surround the headband, ensuring hours of listening with little pressure around your head. One of the best reasons to get these headphones has to be just how comfortable they are for long-term use. This type of comfort is ideal for its targeted market, for those in the DJ profession. Plus, it’s not bad for casual users either. As someone with long hair, I found that the massive size leaves an imprint after long hours of use. With such a bulky appearance, you wouldn’t really expect such comfort from this device, but you’ll be pleasantly surprised with its nearly perfect fit.

Body ★★★★✩
The DJ Style is surprisingly compact despite the bulk and cartoonish size. The device’s compactness comes from the earpieces degrees of rotation. They can swivel in almost a complete circle. The altarpiece’s freedom allows that entire part to fold into the band. With this ability, the headphones can be carried in one hand and stored in almost any bag. Although with larger headphones, it’s expected to have limited portability. Despite that, it’s quite compact compared to other bulkier headphones. The cable was also another feature of the body that’s important to comment on. The cable is an excellent length and can reach any device without getting tangling. The cable is fairly strong and thick compared to other headphone cables. Wrapping it around the headphones when folded up leaves no worry of destruction. The only real complaint I have about the body is that, being advertised to DJ’s, they don’t exactly sit that well if only one earpiece is on. It will fall off easily if worn that way. It’s something to keep in mind, but absolutely no problem for casual users.

Subtlety ★✩✩✩✩
I know, I know… when you buy larger headphones it’s expected that you will be getting a lot more attention, but when spending money for higher-end headphones, it’s probably important not to look like a fool while using them. In terms of size, these are a bit ridiculous. Even though their size does relate directly with comfort, it’s still something to consider since everyone will be staring and probably judging you when you’re out in public. Depending on the style you chose, the color scheme will add to just how much you stand out in a crowd. The Billionaire, for example, will assure that everyone stares at you and that you will get the maximum amount of attention from a crowd as possible. If this is what you’re going for, by all means get this style. But hey, I’m just saying… The reason this category is getting some credential, is because when these headphones are on, barely any sound gets out. So, although your neighbor on the bus can enjoy the bright colors, they won’t be able to enjoy your music.

Style ✩✩✩✩✩ or ★★★★★
The reason this category has either zero stars or five stars is simply because it’s just your choice. In other words, the themes are completely up to you to pick and depends on what you like. iFrogz is big on artistic variety, assuring you can find one that expresses you best. For example, I could not despise the Billionaire style more. I’m not going to even try lying here, I hate the color scheme. I think the design could represent me any less and the only graphic I like is on the speaker portion. With that little rant done, iFrogz has plenty other themes that I find appealing and just awesome in general. I’d gladly get in line for the Silver Spider DJ Style theme since the price is the same for any of the styles. So in terms of style, it’s completely up to you. Even though I think the Billionaire only looks good if you dress like a pumpkin, I’m sure others can appreciate it with their own style and personality.

Sound ★★★★✩
Now to get down to what truly matters for headphones, the sound quality. As one of iFrogz’s more expensive sets, the DJ Style is advertised as having excellent style and sound to match. This is expected since the device is even targeted towards the DJ profession who value sound quality. I have to say, the Billionaire’s sound was decent for the price range, but nothing special. The speakers emulate decent middles, good lows, but fair poorly on highs. DJ’s usually want headphones with good bass. While the DJ Style has plenty of bass to offer, it sounds a bit garbled. The treble on the other hand could have been more distinguished. This doesn’t hold back the product too much, but the overall tone isn’t perfect. With that said, the quality is definitely on par with other headphones in this price range. Plus, these headphones managed to isolate external sounds fairly well. Although it wasn’t impossible to not hear what was happening around me, it was definitely not distracting. There wasn’t much external noise being leaked either. Wearing the DJ Style headphones won’t bother  those around you.

Conclusion
Overall, the EarPollution DJ Style was a pleasant surprise. I’ll be honest here, when I looked at these things I wanted to hate them from the get-go. I started out with a bias eating at me from being a fan of earphones over headphones, then hating the design, and just being naturally afraid of its robot-like bulk. After using them and giving iFrogz a chance, these headphones found a place in my heart. The comfort is great for long-term use and it alone can make purchasing these headphones worth it. iFrogz also offers different themes of the DJ Style, assuring that everyone will be able to appreciate at least one. iFrogz is still a fairly new contender in the headphones business. The audio these produce aren’t going to be as good as the quality of the Sennheiser HD201 earphones that cost nearly the same price. These headphones are great for casual listening. The workmanship is fairly decent for the price range. If you can deal with the size and find a style that fits your personality, then you should definitely consider these. The headphones retail for a MSRP of $49 but are available for about $30 if you shop around.

Buy EarPollution DJ Style: Billionaire | Hustle | Union | Munich | Silver Spider
Links: iFrogz.com EarPollution DJ Style

Build Quality: 2.5/5 stars
This flash drive looks and feels different from a conventional USB flash drive. Both sides of the Tuff Clip feature ridges along the body for a better grip. The USB connector recedes into the body for protection. While it may seem like a neat idea, it turned out to be quite annoying. If you weren’t holding both the back portion and front portion of the drive when inserting into a computer, the connector kept sliding back into the chassis. this issue could have easily been avoided with a simple click and lock feature when extended. Moving forwards, there’s a clip on top that fastens onto a backpack, belt loop, or ring. The spring-loaded clip automatically snaps closed once fastened onto something. Verbatim describes the Tuff Clip as a “clip n’ carry” with a “rugged design”. While I would agree with the first statement, the Tuff Clip is definitely not rugged. When I read about this model, I expected it to offer the strength of the clip to be comparable to an average carabiner. I was quite wrong. The clip looks like it’s flimsy enough to break off if it becomes snagged on something.

Functionality & Features: 4/5 stars
A blue LED indicator lights up on the face of the flash drive when in use. File transfers to and from the flash drive were about average for a flash drive in this price range. In comparision to other flash drives we’ve reviewed, the IronKey was faster in both read and write, but only the read speed on SanDisk Cruzer happened to be faster. The benchmark results showed that the average speed was around 25 MB/s with an access time a notch slower than comparable models. However, real life speeds were slower and jumped around at times. On average, it took just less than a minute to transfer a 700.1 MB movie file at a speed of 15 MB/s to the flash drive. The read speeds were faster than write speeds as expected, but was still slower than other flash drives. The read speeds clocked in at an average of 17 MB/s taking about 40 seconds to copy the file back to my computer. The flash drive we reviewed was the 8GB model, but it’s also available in a 4GB capacity. The drive is fast enough to be compatible with the Windows ReadyBoost feature for increasing system performance. I personally didn’t notice any changes on my PC with ReadyBoost, but it’s not going to help much if you have 4GB of RAM. There’s also a security feature that lets you set a password for the flash drive, but it’s probably more of a gimick. Devices such as the IronKey offer real hardware encryption to prevent unwanted eyes from viewing your files.

Conclusion:
I wasn’t too satisfied with the Tuff Clip. While it featured an innovative slider and clip on the top, it was simply too flimsy. The transfer speeds could definitely be improved, but they weren’t terrible either. While it’s targeted at those with an active outdoor lifestyle, I definitely wouldn’t recommend this. If you plan on taking this hiking, it’s probably going to fall off before you know it. I feel the build quality makes the drive more susceptible to damage than standard flash drives. Although the clip makes placing the flash drive on backpacks and rings and such convenient, I would highly suggest getting a more traditional model and just storing it inside a pouch or backpack pocket. This clip will snap off in no time. Even though the slider should cover and protect the USB connector, it fails to lock into place. There’s just too many issues with this drive for me to recommend it. If you really need a clip and can’t find an alternative solution, then consider this. However for the rest of you folks, I’d suggest sticking with a simpler and more affordable flash drive. It’s a creative idea, but has poor execution. It needs to go back to the drawing board.

Buy: Verbatim 8GB Tuff Clip
Links: Verbatim.com Tuff Clip

The Setup
Just plug the card into your computer using the included USB card reader or your own. There’s a small application you’ll have to install on either your Macintosh or Windows machine. The program will take you through a quick setup process to configure your card for WiFi networks. Although the card will automatically connect to unsecured networks, you’ll have to plug it into a computer each time you want to configure it for secured ones. The card also automatically connects to Wayport public hotspots for free for an year with this model. (There are about 10,000 Wayport locations, e.g. McDonalds)

Online Management
It’s easy to customize the way your media is handled. Unlike the WiFi setup, where you need to physically insert it into a computer, most of the other settings are managed through Eye-Fi’s website. The web interface allows you to view media, enable geo-tagging, view geographical locations of photos on a map, and set upload notifications. It’s easy to enable uploading to photo sharing services such as Facebook, Flickr, Picasa, and a few more. There’s support for blogging platforms including Movable Type, TypePad, and VOX. For auto-uploads to printing services, Eye-Fi supports Costco, ShutterFly, SnapFish, and Walmart. And that’s not it, there’s plenty more. If you’re a bit of a geek, the Eye-Fi supports dropping image files straight into an FTP server and offers RSS feeds. It also downloads a copy to your computer if it has the Eye-Fi Manager installed.

Geotagging
The Eye-Fi embeds geotags into all your images. Many tools such as Flickr and Google Picasa offer viewing your images on maps. Unfortunately it doesn’t work as you might expect. As expected, it’s probably not possible to fit a real GPS module into a SD card. Therefore, the Eye-Fi uses WPS (Wi-Fi Positioning System) to find your location using nearby Wi-Fi networks. It works, but it’s not always entirely accurate. The company has partnered with Skyhook Wireless which has mapped out 70% of the United States with over 100 million wireless access points so the geotagging feature will work even without being connected to a wireless hotspot. As long as you are in range of a mapped wireless access point WPS should be able to get 20-30 meter accuracy of your location. From my own testing, I found that it was actually quite accurate. It was literally spot on.

Wireless Connectivity
The card worked great, but there are some issues that need to be mentioned. Since the WiFi chip inside is so small and very low powered, it doesn’t do so well when it comes to picking signal. While photos transferred rapidly when near an access point, it wouldn’t work as far away as other WiFi enabled devices did. For example, my laptop and mobile phone were able to connect to my access point, but the Eye-Fi card in my camera wasn’t able to get signal from the same spot. Another issue I faced was in regards to convenience. If you want to connect to a new secured access point, you’ll need to have a computer with you. Since it’s simply an SD card, your camera won’t have an interface to customize those settings. If you primarily use it in one location or happen to visit those compatible hotspots quite often, then it won’t be an issue.

Uploading and Notifications
As I mentioned before, there’s no interface on the camera to manage the Eye-Fi. The camera will only handle the image files. Therefore, there’s no indicator to let you know the status of upload progress. That means you won’t know when to turn your camera off. If you do turn it off during an upload, it will get interrupted, but will resume uploads once turned on. To slightly solve that issue, Eye-Fi provides the ability to receive Email notifications and SMS alerts for when uploads begin, get interrupted, resumes, or finishes. You can also opt-in to receive Twitter Direct Message notifications for the same actions. The only other way to view a live progress bar of uploads is if you are in front of your computer screen while snapping photos.

The Bottom Line
For the most part, the Eye-Fi can minimize the hassle of sharing and saving media. But it’s still a proprietary technology even though it uses a standardized WiFi network. It’s especially great for those who take a lot of photos in only a few locations. However keep in mind, you’ll likely find yourself coming back home to upload photos on your own network after a party since there’s no way to configure a secured network elsewhere without a computer. While it might sound like a niche market, that’s going to soon be changing. Devices such as Sony’s Cyber-shot DSC-G3 have built-in WiFi and supports uploading to a similar variety of online uploading services. If other manufacturers start following that trend, which we might see this year at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show, it’s hard to tell what it would mean for Eye-Fi since there wouldn’t be a need for their WiFi SD card. However, the fact remains, not everyone is going to go buy a new WiFi camera immediately and there’s no other way to enable WiFi for an existing camera with a gizmo such as the Eye-Fi.

While I reviewed the Explore Video model, there’s also 7 other offerings. Prices start at $50 for the lowest end version that can only upload photos to your own computer and has just 2GB of storage. Their best offering is the Pro version ($119) that offers all the same features that the Explore Video does, but adds extra support for RAW file uploads and Ad Hoc networks for professional photographers. If you have a decent camera, take a lot of photos, and don’t plan on upgrading anytime soon, the Eye-Fi will definitely go a long way to add a new refreshing feel to your current device.

Buy: Eye-Fi Explore Video for $92
Links: Eye.fi | Model Comparison Chart

Shure SE115m+ Specifications:

• Speaker Type: Dynamic MicroSpeaker II
• Sensitivity (1mW): 105 dB SPL/mW
• Impedance (1kHz): 16
• Frequency Range: 22Hz – 17.5kHz
• Cable Length: 54 in
• Colors: Black, Red, Blue and Pink

The SE115m+ utilizes Shure’s second generation dynamic driver versus the balanced armature driver featured on the SE110, but both have the same state frequency range from 22 Hz to 17.5 kHz. As with any pair of Shure headphones, there’s plenty of included tips: a set of rubber and foam tips in small, medium, and large sizes. With the variety of tips included, it’s almost guaranteed that there’s a size to fit anyone. If you still can’t find your fit, Shure offers additional sleeves such as tri-flanges on their website. A tight and comfortable fit is important since it’s essential to retain sound isolation from external detriments. There’s a small cleaning tool to remove any ear wax or dirt that may have entered the headset. Keeping the inner tube that reaches the speaker clean helps deliver unobstructed audio. Compared to most Shure headsets which offer a modular cable that disconnects right before the ‘Y’ split, the SE115m+ is a single 54 inch cable. While some may not have an issue with it, I felt as though it’s a neat safety precaution that won’t damage the audio port on your device since it can de-attach easily with a forceful tug. A shorter cable is also handy especially if you’re connecting your iPhone or another device to an armband. Moving forwards, the only other item included in the packaging is a soft-case to protect your headphones and store those extra sleeves.

Aside from audio quality, the next most important aspect of the SE115m+ is the remote control featuring compatibility with Apple’s 3-button system. The buttons work in the same manner as the Apple earphones that have a remote and microphone. Answering and making calls are simple and easy, but difficulty comes when navigating an iPod. The issue arises because the top and bottom button are solely used for adjusting volume, making the rest of functions completely reliant on the single center button. This can get confusing quickly. I should mention that this isn’t Shure’s fault, but rather Apple’s weird way of trying to simplify things. While confusing, the button is easy to find, feels good, and works well. On the other hand, the volume buttons aren’t too well though through. Taking a closer look, you’ll notice that those two buttons are nearly flush with the casing. That means when you aren’t looking at the controller, it’s often difficult to feel where those buttons are. While Shure emphasizes compatibility with Apple products, these will still work just fine with other devices featuring a 3.5mm headphone jack. However the controls might not necessarily function as intended.

In terms of audio quality, the SE115m+’s offer incredible value. The SE115m+’s aren’t exactly high-end headphones, but are a great option for those making their first steps into the realm high quality audio. In comparison, these in-ear-monitors will sound vastly superior to the earbuds included with an Apple product, BlackBerry device, Microsoft Zune, or any other digital audio player. If compared to the now-discontinued Shure SE110 earphones, the SE115m+ clearly have a fuller bass with a wider soundstage due to the new second generation dynamic driver. Although it’s great for music with a low beat, I would have liked to see Shure increase the quality of the high and mid range audio. Unfortunately this is where the SE115’s begin to falter. I also found the quality of vocals to be less than expected. While these are supposed to be used for phone calls in addition to music, I expected better audio quality, especially for vocals.

Making audio calls with the built-in microphone showed the strengths and weaknesses of the SE115m+. The microphone was actually quite good and other listeners were able to hear me quite well. In contrast, it seemed as if the incoming call quality was directly related to the disappointing vocals while listening to music. People sounded higher pitched than normal and almost tinny. Seeing as being able to make phone calls is one of the distinguishing features of the SE115m+, the call quality was disappointing.

For those looking for an entry-level earphone, skip the SE115m+ and move along to the SE210 earphones. While better than the SE110, they succeeded, the SE115m+’s price is nearly the same as that of the SE210 to justify going for that one instead. However, if you own an Apple iPhone or iPod Touch, the SE115m+ offers special functionality which is worth consideration. Shure is a reputable brand name and these will work as advertised, although don’t expect crystal clear calls. The SE115m+ have been available for retail through Apple Stores for a short period and are going on sale through Shure.com and at other retailers this month. Amazon has it available on pre-order for an MSRP of $119.

Buy: SE115m+ on Amazon for $119
Links: Shure.com

Shure includes a comprehensive package along with each pair of SE310s to offer customizations and modularity for each person. The items include a rugged carrying case, a cleaning tool, a cable extension, and a plethora tips: rubber, foam, and tri-flange tips in small, medium, and large sizes. The packaging is professional and inspires confidence for a quality product. The included tips prove very versatile and comfortable, plus they help dampen out a significant amount of outside noise. The excellent isolation will let you listen to your music in peace on public transit, at noisy family events, or even help on stage to drown out the crowd so you can focus on your live performance. (Keep in mind, it’s illegal to operate motor vehicles and bicycles with both buds in.) The cable extension is a clever way to meet the needs of those looking to hide their cords or to eliminate all the excess cables if you prefer to mount your digital audio player on an armband. Finally, the cleaning tool is quite handy when it comes to removing nasty ear wax from the sound tube of the IEMs. This helps ensure clear and unobstructed sound.

The SE310 marks the most advanced single driver model Shure offers in their SE lineup. A “tuned bassport” accompanies the single driver to enhance the bass for more impact and depth. The sound from these speakers are fed through a single sound tube directly into your ear canal. You’ll definitely notice an improvement in sound quality over the younger sibling, the SE210, which we reviewed as well. The SE310 earphones comes through clearer and more articulate than the SE210 model confirming that you made a good upgrade. The whole package blends together forming an enjoyable experience.

While many companies put useless and dysfunctional marketing jargon on their packaging, Shure has and continues to deliver. Remember that “tuned bassport” I mentioned earlier? It turns out that this feature comes out quite nicely on these earphones to produce a very strong and authoritative low-end. Bass lovers will easily be able to focus on all the low-end motifs in their music with good articulation. Contrary to most IEMs which lack bass, the Shure’s SE310 delivers it with ease and in abundance. I felt the bass was slightly overpowering these IEMs and it sounded as though it overtook some of the higher frequencies such as vocals which are the focus of a song. Despite that, if you’re looking for a good beat, the Shure SE310 earphones will not disappoint.

Moving up into the mid-range, you’ll find a classic Shure sound. The mid-range category has always been artistically crafted in Shure headphones and come through with a rich and slightly warmer sound. This definitely isn’t an analytical and straightforward IEM, but rather one that moves the music with that hint of artistic passion. Vocals sound decent, although leave you wishing there was slightly more. In perspective, it sounds as if they’re singing towards your direction, but you’re sitting a few rows back rather than the vocalists singing directly at you.

The high-end of the SE310 was somewhat mediocre. It didn’t stand out anywhere in particular and felt recessed. It was there, but it felt as though there was a curtain between you and the performers. It didn’t have that passion that the midrange did and instead felt bland. This tends to be an unfortunate characteristic of most IEMs and you certainly can’t call the SE310 earphones out on this alone.

Overall, the SE310’s felt slightly rough and veiled. Listening to every song and genre I was given the feeling that the grand forte was coming soon where the power of the music was to be unleashed, but sadly it never happened. It was a taunting experience expecting a grand spectacle and hearing parts of songs that were supposed to be large and grand feel less than that. The SE310’s make you feel as if they have tremendous potential, the only trick is how to unleash it. The soundstage was typical for IEMs and Shure’s SE310 earphones felt narrow. Instead of a grand concert hall where the music comes from all directions, you were sitting in a hallway with the performance only in front of you.

Naturally, I wanted to see how the SE310’s would perform when amped, so I paired them up with my Ray Samuels Audio: Hornet M amplifier and re-evaluated. The SE310’s have an impedance of just 28ohms so they’re definitely not very hard to drive. From that I wasn’t expecting any huge changes in sound from the amp, but it did have positive results. When amped the SE310’s opened up a little. The sound came through more clearly and was more articulate. It still felt veiled (except for the bass), but not as badly. The music seemed smoother and silkier and the vocals saw the most improvement cleaning up that slightly rough and unpolished sound they had before.

Coming in at around $150 on Amazon, the Shure’s SE310 Sound Isolating Earphones are a good value for the money. While they aren’t nearly the best sounding earphones out there, remember that these are powered by a single driver design after all. You’ll easily have to pay $50 more for a dual driver IEM such as Shure’s SE420’s to get better sound than the SE310. So if a potent bass and warm midrange suit your style, the SE310’s won’t disappoint. If you are a casual listener looking for good sounding pair of earphones, then I highly recommend considering the Shure SE310.

Buy: $165 for Shure SE310 on Amazon
Links: Shure.com SE310 Sound Isolating Earphones

Palm Pixi Specifications:

• Provider: Sprint
• Operating System: Palm webOS
• Display: 2.63-inch 320×400 multi-touch
• Camera: 2.0 Megapixel Camera + Flash
• Music: MP3, WAV, AAC/AAC+
• Video: MPEG4, H.263, H.264
• Memory: 8GB internal
• Dimensions: 4.37L x 2.17W x .43D inches
• Battery: 5 hours talk time | 350 hours stand-by
• Other: Bluetooth 2.1+ | 3.5 mm Audio Jack

The Body: 4/5 stars
The Pixi weighs only a few ounces, looks thin and sleek. The body has a soft feel and offers a good grip. It’s probably one of the better looking phones I’ve come across. There’s a volume rocker, a switch to silence your phone, and a microUSB port on the right side. Accessing the charging/data USB port was a bit of a nuisance. There’s only a tiny sliver of space between the flap and the body of the phone. Even if I did manage to get it open, it immediately snaps back due to stiffness and the magnetic piece. After about a week of struggling with this, the magnet actually just fell out, now the flap doesn’t even close properly. I think it’s Palm’s plan to get us to buy their Wireless Touchstone charger. The back of the phone is essentially a rear “face-plate.” Palm offers various artistic designs. There’s no microSD expansion and the only thing under the rear cover is the replaceable battery pack. The 2 megapixel camera, flash, and speakers are on the upper rear portion of the back side. The power button and a standard 3.5mm headphone jack are on the top. The front face of the phone sports the QWERTY keyboard, a gesture area, and a 2.6 inch display from bottom to top. Overall, it’s a great design and Palm has truly reinvented themselves with a new generation of hardware. I hope to see more device following this cue.

Gesture Area: 5/5 stars
There’s a thin touch-sensitive slit embedded into body between the display and keyboard. It’s unique and makes using the phone much more intuitive. For example, moving back a page in the browser requires a quick swipe to the left. The pad illuminates the the direction you swiped with a neat little animation right after. To get back to the home screen, just swipe up. The Pixi also lights up the gesture area to indicate that the phone is busy performing a task. It’s definitely a more intuitive innovation that the physical home button the iPhone that needs to be double or triple tapped to perform certain commands.

The Display: 3.5/5 stars
The multi-touch screen performed pretty well for the most part. The screen was fairly responsive and looked beautiful. The 2.63 inch display is about a half inch smaller than the one on the Palm Pre. The interface seems to have scaled well to the 320×400 pixel display without any major drawbacks other than loss of screen estate. While I thought that the interface, text, images, and videos all looked bright and crisp, the display actually has only 18-bits of color versus the 24-bits on the Pre. Keep in mind, if I didn’t learn that from the spec sheet, I probably wouldn’t have known. It looks just fine. The device supports multi-touch gestures such as pinching with two fingers to zoom in or out of an image or web page. I was however disappointed with the accelerometer. It was not exactly responsive. It often didn’t rotate a web page at all. Plus, at other times it would enter the landscape mode when I was holding it vertically. That’s especially a pain since I’ll have to type with the physical keyboard which is facing in another direction. the gesture pad also would change functionality from back and forward page swiping to scrolling. While the display looks great, there’s still a few problems that could be addressed with a future software upgrade.

The Keyboard: 5/5 stars
When I first saw the Pixi, I expected the keyboard to be a pain to use. However, I quickly found out that I shouldn’t have made such a quick judgment. The buttons may seem really small and that’s because they are. But despite that, even with by large thumbs that could easily cover half the keyboard, it took me less than about 10 minutes to get accustomed to it. Everything is well placed and they keys have a nice click feel to them. And of course, they are backlit and light up automatically. (Controlled by the ambient light sensor.) While the phone does lack a good virtual auto-correction feature, I was still able to type text messages and reply to emails with little to no errors. Plus, since the keyboard is hidden with a sliding mechanism as it is with the Palm Pre, the Pixi is actually faster to use in many ways. The keyboard is probably one of my favorite aspects of this device.

Operating System: 4/5 stars
A Smartphone’s ability to multitask seems to be an essential feature. Fortunately the Pixi can, which even the iPhone can not. However it’s not all fun and games. The device’s performance begins to lag and hang when running more than one application at a time. In fact, some even froze and crashed. At times, if I had multiple applications open, I couldn’t even make or receive a call. It got too slow at one point that the phone wouldn’t even recognize my several attempts to end the call even though the visual interface seemed to recognize it. I was at least glad that I liked the home screen interface. I was able to rearrange and customize the 5 default programs listed at the bottom. If you click the expand key, it opens a list of all the available programs. The applications were organized into three categories: downloaded, commonly used, and system applications. Launching anything, for example Sprint TV, the current screen is minimized and the program appears. This is great since I can use the ’swipe up’ gesture to return to the home page. It’s now easy to switch to another running window or launch another program. I also loved how you simply “toss” and application up to close it. There were unfortunately no widgets as found on Android devices, but you could customize the background unlike the iPhone. Asides from the lack of performance, Palm has developed a marvelous webOS and I hope to see major feature additions. Hopefully as early as January ‘10 during their press conference at the Consumer Electronics Show.

Synergy & Messaging: 5/5 stars
Wow. It’s that awesome. The Palm Pixi’s webOS offers one central interface to pull information in from a variety of accounts. These include Google Sync, Facebook, Microsoft Exchange, LinkedIn, and Yahoo. My Calendars, Contacts, and Emails were imported from all of them. Instead of creating havoc with a mess of duplicate contacts and data, the Synergy technology handles it quite well. It merges duplicate contacts without destroying your data. Any changes made on you device are automatically relayed to the server and back onto other devices as well. All my Facebook contacts were pulled in with profile photos, email addresses, and phone numbers. This was by far the easiest and most convenient way I’ve come across to import information. As for messaging, the Palm Pixi has a neat notification system. It alerts you with popups and notification icons for emails, texts, missed calls, and voicemails at the bottom of the display. Clicking on one immediately launches the respective application. Composing and reply to emails was an easy task with a great keyboard. My calendar would even display Facebook Events I had replied to as attending and everything from Google Calendar. Text messages are well organized. Conversation logs are separated by name and date. The option to forward items was a handy feature. You won’t even need to copy and paste. The Palm Profile, which you are required to create, automatically performs backups of you device’s data. If you were to loose or break a device, a one-time login will immediately fetch everything.

Call Quality + Network: 4/5 stars
Although I rarely saw full reception in the Sacramento Area, I almost always had at least a bar or two. Surprisingly, I did not experience any dropped calls. The iPhone hilariously has repeated failed calls even though it reports full signal on AT&T’s network. I was able to hear the person on the other end well and they also reported the same. I can make a call by keying a number or a contact’s name with the keyboard. Although I could browse through the contact list, the first method was much faster. There’s also an on-screen dial pad as well. There’s also a log of incoming, outgoing, and missed calls within the call application. Things were especially easy since all my friend’s names were imported from both Facebook and my personal contact list on Google Contacts. The interface even displayed my contact’s profile picture for incoming calls and during one. Downloading data wasn’t as fast as Verizon’s 3G in our area, but was still consistent. For the most part it was sufficient for what the phone offers. As some one who’s always in areas with WiFi connectivity, the inclusion of that component would have been truly appreciated. Hopefully Palm will take a hint from customer feedback and make that addition.

Multimedia: 5/5 stars
The Palm Pixi streamed videos impressively well from Sprint TV. The application features some live channels including the Disney and NFL channels. There’s also a selection of recorded programs. If you pay extra, there’s always more. The phone also supports the major video formats.The Palm Pixi synced smoothly with both my Ubuntu desktop and my Windows 7 Laptop. I just plugged it in using the modular microUSB cable that doubles by connecting to the AC adapter to charge. It’s simply a mass storage device. Just drag and drop items. Once copied over, it automatically recognizes media. The phone also supports Bluetooth AD2p stereo profiles for devices such as the Jabra Halo or Altec-Lansing BackBeat. Speaking of music, Pandora worked quite well with this phone. I had it connected to my car’s stereo through an AUX jack. It streamed music impressively well without any major pauses for buffering. While it’s still no iPhone when it comes to multimedia, it should cover most entertainment grounds.

Camera & Camcorder: 2/5 stars
The Pixi only has a 2.0 megapixel camera, which isn’t much for a smartphone. The Palm Pre has a 3.2 megapixel camera. The quality was merely decent. Images just seemed weirdly colored. They weren’t crisp or clear. The only option available was for the flash. No special effects, resolution settings, or anything else. The turnaround time for a shot was fortunately pretty quick. Images looked best in well lit situations, even despite the flash offering. I was bummed to find that the webOS doesn’t support video recording. While this isn’t the most expensive smartphone, it lacks features even the nearly free Samsung Reclaim has. There’s a lot of work Palm needs to put into this element of the phone. In my opinion, this was the lowest ranked element of the device. If imaging is important for you, this won’t be the right fit for you.

Battery Life: 4/5 stars
The specifications state about 5 hours of talk time, however I’d say that’s a bit of stretch. Especially if you are someone who’ll be using other features that the phone offers. And if you buy a smartphone, why wouldn’t you? And that’s a good thing. I found myself wanting to use this phone. I would browse the web or try new applications. While there’s a claim of a 350 hour standby, that’s nearly impossible. It might be if you don’t touch your phone at all and have it set not to check for emails or have anything running. But that’s impractical. Though the battery life isn’t as great as a non-Smartphone, it should last through a day just fine. It’s a bit better than what the iPhone offers. It’s especially impressive if you consider how small this phone actually is.

Conclusion:
Palm is definitely back in the game. Both the Palm Pre and Pixi have plenty to offer. It may be under-shadowed by the recent advancements of the Android platform, but I’m sure Palm’s got something in store. The only major drawbacks with this phone would be the exclusion of WiFi and poor Camera. However the hardware, keyboard, webOS, and phone features are all great. It’s definitely a step down from the Palm Pre, but the Pixi is available for a third of the price through many retailers. While that still won’t save you from the necessary data plans, it’s a unique phone that everyone else won’t have. The platform is evolving and it has plenty of potential. A simple software upgrade could give it another boost and that’s something Palm seems to embrace that idea. If you are ready to grab one, it’s available for as low as $25 through Amazon.com for Sprint with a new two-year contract.

Links: Palm.com Pixi | Sprint.com Pixi
Buy: Palm Pixi for $25 on Amazon

Note: I’ll be publishing a review of the Palm Pixi Touchstone Charger Soon!

The Hardware – 4/5 stars
I was quite interested with the Samsung Moment since I first noticed the large display and the physical slide-out keyboard when it was announced. Initially it does appear to be bulky, but once you get handle it for a bit, it’s not too bad. It’s actually not that bulky and relatively light weight too (5.67 oz.) The Moment is coated with a metallic chrome finish that complements the black trim well. Sliding the phone’s keyboard out feels solid, however it is a bit flimsy when slid-out. The two different pieces wiggle slightly. I’m not sure if it was just my unit, but other slide out devices such as the Motorola Droid didn’t have this issue. On the front face you’ll find a physical Call and End button. There’s also the Home, Menu, and Back keys right above a touch pad. It’s a well appreciated alternative to the trackball found on BlackBerry and HTC devices. The optical joystick registers your finger’s touch just like a regular touch pad. I found it worked well and at times more preferable to use than the touch screen. There is a dedicated button on the right side of the phone that brings up voice recognition as well as the camera. On the left side there’s a volume rocker. I was glad to see a standard 3.5mm headphone jack at the top and a flash included with the camera on back. Overall, the phone is definitely a bit larger than other smart phones, but won’t make much of a difference when carrying it around.

The Display - 3/5 stars
The touch display on the Samsung Moment is a 3.2″ AMOLED (320 x 480) wide-screen. When I first used it, it looks just fine. It’s a bit recessed into the phone’s frame, but isn’t an issue. However, once you compare the display to an iPhone or HTC Hero, you’ll be in shock. The colors on the Moment has a blue tint to it while other phones seem to have much warmer colors. It’s still better looking than the display on Sprint’s most expensive device, the HTC Touch Pro2. The screen was slightly lacking in terms of responsiveness. I often had to flick panels or items slower deliberately for it to detect my command properly. The Android OS interface seems to run a bit smoother (less choppy) on the HTC Hero and the Droid Eris. I don’t know if I can attribute that to a display issue, a software bug, or a processor lacking, but it’s there. To sum things up, the screen just doesn’t have that vibrant spark that you sense when you first look at other cell phone displays.

Slide-Out Keyboard - 4/5 stars
Don’t get me wrong, I love my touch-screen device these days, but I often become frustrated with its shortcomings. I sometimes do yearn for the original speed and feel of that physical keyboard. On the Moment I was pretty satisfied with how texting played out on my fingers. The keys are for the most part well mapped out and placed. It did at first take me a while to get used to the bottom row of keys which were positioned slightly to the left. It doesn’t pose much of a problem but you’ll have to tuck your thumb if you need to hit the ‘Z’ or ‘X’ buttons. The keys are well-sized and offer a bit of an edge over a touch-screen keyboard that sometimes won’t register your keystrokes properly. Plus it’s easier to have the physical feel when multitasking and can’t keep your eye on the device at all times.

Camera & Camcorder - 3/5 stars
Something that was left out and that I was longing for with my current phone is a camera with flash to complement it. To that end, the Samsung Moment does oust my HTC Hero. The Samsung moment sports a 3.2 megapixel camera with auto-focus. I took some outdoor shots with the Moment and the iPhone 3GS. The Moment resulted with brighter images, but the colors were slightly washed out. While the colors weren’t as rich as with the iPhone 3GS, it still looked better overall. Unfortunately the viewfinder isn’t as snappy as the iPhone. When held side by side and panning in different directions, the Moment was clearly a fraction of a second behind. The inclusion of the flash definitely does help with dark shots. The largest problem comes in with the software. It lacks any custom settings or features. The only available options are to enable geo-tagging, choose Hi or Low for Video Quality, and enable Flash. There’s not even an auto setting for the Flash. There’s no custom resolutions for images either. Even cheap camera phones offer some special effects and settings, this phone doesn’t. I should not that, it does allow sharing images with web services, email and MMS. There’s also an image crop feature built in. Overall, there’s still a lot of room for improvement for Samsung to do with a future iteration of this phone.

Music, Media and Syncing – 3.5/5 stars
Music playback through the phone’s speakers as well as the standard 3.55mm audio jack both sound great. The jack is protected with a plastic cap cover which I found to be a bit annoying and cheap-looking, nonetheless it’s there. Especially seems like a small complaint, when they finally adopted a standard earphone jack. The Music app that comes with the Moment is fairly basic. There’s no fancy album cover flow features as found on phones like the HTC Hero/Eris. Graphic layout aside, it is easy to navigate through, browsing by albums, artist, and songs. There’s also the standard play all or shuffle all option. Music on the Moment functions well enough and audio quality comes in at an enjoyable level. Being that it is an Android OS phone you have the option of downloading more enticing music apps and services such as Shazam, Pandora, and Last.fm.

User Interface – 3/5 stars
Perhaps I came into this review with the expectation bar set too high , but after using the Samsung Moment’s interface for a few days I began to appreciate the interface on my HTC Hero more. The Sense UI that HTC has customized Android is truly marvelous. On the other hand, the default interface on the Moment is quite bland. The only extra custom widgets are from Sprint and aren’t exactly too attractive. Some even look like 8-bit Nintendo era icons. Well maybe not that bad, but you get my point. There’s just not that WOW factor. That being said the phone does come with some extras. These include an Instant Messaging, Nascar Sprint Cup, NFL Mobile Live, Sprint Navigation, Sprint TV, and a few more. This aspect is quite neat since other Android devices from competing providers don’t include these features by default. I also did all my data syncing with Google this time around. I was able to instantly pull in my Calendar, Contacts, and Email from the ‘cloud’. The Google features worked smoothly.

Battery Life - 3/5 stars
Just like with my current HTC Hero I feel that the Moment is a bit pressed on battery life. The projected 5.5 hours of continuous talk time is a bit ambitious. I felt as though I reached a lot for the charger through my day-to-day tests. I would recommend having most services turned off  when not in use (GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth). This will just mean not checking your email and Facebook updates as often throughout your day. Additionally, I would consider the option of investing a little money in a portable external battery to take with you if you do run a little low on juice. That being said, most smart phones are known for their horrible battery life. The Moment isn’t an exception. Even the famous iPhone 3GS gets rendered useless in no time.

Bottom Line
My initial reaction to the Samsung Moment was definitely positive curiosity. After spending time over my week with it, to be quite honest there were definitely some shortcomings. None that would at all impede the average user who just needs a little bit more control over the features of their phone. The physical keyboard adds a nice functional flair to the phone and will be likely appealing to the heavy texting crowd. I know I voiced my complaint over the interface to be bit a little bit lacking as well as the battery life, but when it works, it does just about everything you want it to do. The display’s colors was a bit odd to get used too, but if you don’t have another device to compare it with, you won’t notice. The Samsung Moment comes packaged with Micro-USB charger, Headphones, and Micro-USB transfer cable and documentation. I would have to say that the Moment is a mid-range Android phone. It certainty isn’t as well designed as the Sprint HTC Hero. Even the Palm Pre offers a lot more for nearly the same price. Speaking of cost, the Samsung Moment will run you about $179 with a new 2-year agreement after a $100 mail-in-rebate.

DEAL: Samsung Moment for $80
Links: Sprint.com Samsung Moment