I’ve always been a Final Fantasy Fanatic (or F^3), however even I had a hard time forcing myself to play through the mess that was the first iteration of Final Fantasy XIII.  There was just so much wrong with it, that it bordered on absurd rather than a serious attempt at a new direction for the franchise.  There were protagonists that I wished would either die, or become suddenly mute for the duration of the game.  There was the poor combat mechanic that gave you for all intents and purposes no choice of what your party members did – at least other than switching their roles in combat.  There was the linearity that made the first 75% of the game feel as though it was “on rails”, and then don’t even get me started on the story.  Final Fantasy X had a story about a dead kid’s dream where his father turned into a giant blob in the sky to kill people, and that made infinitely more sense than the story of Final Fantasy XIII.  At least with that “out there” story, it never felt like it didn’t know where it was supposed to be going.  I was seriously concerned about reviewing Final Fantasy XIII-2 then, because I wasn’t sure what to expect.  Would it be more of the same near unplayable garbage from the first game, or did Square-Enix realize the error of their ways?

While Final Fantasy XIII-2 might not have fixed every issue with XIII proper, I have to say that they sure as hell tried.  Rather than being so boringly linear that you could fall asleep while moving, XIII-2 is so non-linear that at times it becomes hard to wrap your head around.  Warping through time at every turn, you have to actually work to keep up with what’s going on or be lost, and while that may sound somewhat brutal on the senses – it’s actually a welcome change from the prior “game”.  There are also towns to explore – something decidedly missing from the last iteration.  Oh and there are shops as well!  Rather than do everything through a stupid little ball, there are bona fide merchants to take your hard earned money this time around.  There are also plenty of other tropes that gamers have come to expect from the Final Fantasy series (and truly, from most RPG games anymore).  Things like side quests, optional crazy hard bosses, and having the ability to engineer some brutally damaging equipment all make an appearance in XIII-2.  All of these things might make more gamers go so far as to just casually forget that XIII was even a thing – maybe IT was just a dream of something stupid coming to make people not want to play Final Fantasy games anymore.

There are some things from the prior game that make an appearance here that do get irritating.  The obnoxious terms of Fal’Cie and L’Cie are back, but the only problem with that is they are presented with almost no background (the same can be said of Cocoon and Gran Pulse) that if you didn’t suffer through XIII you could easily have no clue what’s going on.  If you’re one of the many that never made it through the first game, you’ll probably end up saving yourself many headaches by just going and doing some research on a Wiki.  Learn who the characters were, what the locations were, and basically what all happened.  That way when the game presents you a character with no explanation at all of who they are and why they’re important, you’ll be ready for it.  It actually probably wouldn’t hurt those that did make it to the end of the other game to go and get a quick refresher as well, I know that throughout my play time I have to constantly consult the internet because all the time jumping made me question my own answers.

I’ve seen people criticize the game as having too much music, but Final Fantasy games have always been known for their orchestral scores, and XIII-2 is no different.  Yes, there are times that it can take you out of the moment, and there are times when the music gets louder than the person talking, but for the most part I didn’t have a problem with it.  I had subtitles on for the cut scenes like I usually do because my house can get noisy, but I can see how the music would be an issue for someone that never turns subtitles on in a game.  Speaking of cut scenes, while they’re not as plentiful as they were in XIII-1, there are still a healthy number of cut scened monologues in the game.  Thankfully everything can be skipped now (in case you die and don’t want to hear it ALL again), by just pausing and selecting skip.

The combat mechanics are for the most part unchanged, which means dealing with the stupid Paradigm Shift system yet again – thankfully they did make some modifications to make it all better though.  For starters, you only have to ever worry about controlling two characters directly: Serah or Noel.  It makes it much easier to remember who does what when, because you don’t have a slew of characters to remember.  They also decided to break up the monotony of some battles by inserting quick time events into them, which makes it much easier to actually watch a battle rather than constantly clicking on “auto battle” while reading the newspaper.  You can bring monsters into your party as well, which is a lot of fun in and of itself – but I don’t want to spoil any of how that happens for you ;).

The characters are actually likeable this go around, and I never had the urge to try to make Noel stab Serah (or vice versa) like I wanted anyone to murder Hope or Vanille – so that’s a plus right there.  The story, while bouncing all over the place in time, is also much more coherent than the last.  It’s a strange thing to behold – here’s a story that’s completely disjointed because of the aggressive time shifting (seriously, it would make Dr. Who’s head hurt), but it all works somehow.  Much better than before.

Editor’s Rating:

3.5 out of 5 stars

Very Good

The Bottom Line:  Think of Final Fantasy XIII-2 as an apology letter from Square Enix because of how bad the last game blew.  It might not be perfect, but it is at least a giant step towards being an exceptionally good Final Fantasy game – and hey, if you liked the combat of the last one, then your own score will probably end up higher than mine.

Pros:

• Characters are actually likeable this time around
• The story here makes a lot more sense than the last one
• Almost all the things you expect in a Final Fantasy game are back

Cons:

• Paradigm Shift system still sucks – I want to CONTROL my team
• No good explanation on what things are for newcomers
• The constant time shifting can be brutal to follow at times

I played this review copy on the PlayStation 3 console, but FInal Fantasy XIII-2 is available on the XBOX 360 as well from Amazon for $59.99

A new Xbox design, and a new Media Remote with it. When Microsoft announced the Slim Xbox 360, with a glossy case and black instead of the once proudly-displayed white matte finish, it only made sense that followup hardware would follow a similar route: slimming down and gaining a sleeker design. This holiday Microsoft released a few peripherals, one of which was the Xbox 360 Media Remote. I’ve used it since it a ton since IPTV through the Xbox became a reality, and it’s a great piece of hardware to own.

For comparison, let’s take a look at the original Xbox 360 media remote. It’s roughly the same length as the newer model, but is stockier, and has an overall larger feel. The white design is easy to see and matches original 360 consoles, but the size makes it inconvenient for a living room setting. It’s wider and thicker than almost every cable box or TV remote I’ve ever seen. Compare that to the Universal Media Remote, which is much larger and bulkier, and now you have a new king of remote controls by size alone.

The new model is thin and sleek. It combines the Universal Remote’s use-anywhere traits and the smaller size of the original Media Remote in an even smaller form factor. This new Media Remote is by no means thin at an inch thick, but it’s comfortable in the hand, far more than either two remotes before it. The button layout leaves a lot to be desired, however, depending on how you use it. As a universal remote the channel buttons are too low and video navigation (pause, play, fast forward/rewind, etc.) are too high. For Xbox 360 use, the button scheme is exceptional, though it feels better for the left hand than the right hand.

The Media Remote is much smaller than the universal remote. Unfortunately I've lost mine, so no direct size comparison

My bigger concern isn’t with the remote so much, but the lack of proper software implementation on the Xbox 360 itself. When watching TV through the game console, it’s impossible to switch to specific channels without going through the guide or flipping through one at a time.

The overall experience of watching TV through the Xbox with just the Media Remote isn’t as great as it can be. It can easily be improved in two ways: speed up channel flipping (right now there’s a 2-5 second buffer delay between channels), and allow for a more cable TV-like viewing experience. Today it just feels too slow and too cumbersome.

At just $20, it’s more expensive than most universal remotes but a much better option for Xbox 360 owners. Even if you just have the game console, new video apps like Crackle, and streaming apps like Hulu Plus and Netflix make owning the Media Remote worthwhile. Even if it spends most of its days sitting quietly on your coffee table, this remote is a solid, simple and worthwhile purchase that you can’t regret.

Editor’s Rating:

4 out of 5 stars

Great

Bottom Line: A great remote that’s better than the original, and does everything you need for a good price.

Pros:

• Smaller, slimmer, better than the original
• Packs two prior remotes into one with a solid build and design

There’s one thing that Playstation 3 gamers have always held over the heads of Xbox 360 owners, and that is headsets. The PS3 supports Bluetooth, so any wireless headset of your choosing will work for both your phone and console. The 360, meanwhile, had only one wireless headset, from Microsoft directly, and it only functioned with the Xbox 360 (or a PC with the wireless receiver). Without building Bluetooth into the console, Microsoft solved the other problem: a multi-function headset.

The Xbox 360 Wireless Headset with Bluetooth is exactly that, a single headset with both Bluetooth and 2.4GHz built into a single device. It’s big and sleek with a glossy finish, and simple with just four buttons and a single switch. Power, connect (with the Xbox controller ring), volume rocker, and the Bluetooth/RF switch. There’s also a tiny sync button behind the earpiece.

This headset is huge. It’s more than twice the size of the Plantronics Marque M155, though the dark design doesn’t make it stand out obnoxiously, remaining large yet elegant. Until fingerprints collect on that glossy surface, that is. The large size poses another problem, one unique to most headsets: the earpiece is made to wear outside the ear. This design choice is good for gaming – after all, in-ear headsets block sound on the side they are worn on – but for standard use has no noise cancellation. Considering that the Wireless Headset w/Bluetooth is designed to work for and outside of gaming, this may prove too much for some consumers.

I tested the headset for both phonecalls and gaming, and there are two highs and lows of the device. First, switching between “game” mode and “work” mode is a simple flick of the switch. What makes it great is the coloring on the switch: when set for Bluetooth, the open section of the switch (see picture below) shows blue. When set for gaming, it shows green. I never had trouble between the two modes because of this. Second, the headset can get very loud thanks to the larger earpiece, and likewise has fairly good battery life. With on and off use I’ve managed a week of use before charging, playing on my Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and for occasional phone calls.

The lows may be the bigger worry. Once again, the size is a limiting factor because the it’s heavy. If you have sensitive ears and generally find Bluetooth headsets uncomfortable, this one will fare worse than most. I found it uncomfortable to wear after 30 minutes of continuous use, but then again I need very light sets. The second, again, is that the earpiece itself sits outside the ear. This makes the headset almost always feel like it’s sliding off even when perfectly stable, and not offering the level of comfort and security found on the traditional Wireless Headset or typical Bluetooth headsets.

The type of user who would be most interested in the Wireless Headset with Bluetooth is someone who owns multiple consoles and plays on both online, or someone who has a workstation that seats both consoles and a computer. The headset is made for the multi-tool user, the kind of person who is connected in multiple ways at once, through as many platforms as it takes. Playing on a PS3, 360, and switching between my iPhone, desktop computer, and a handful of Android phones was a cinch. Not only because most of the devices sit at one place – my workstation – but because the headset never leaves. It charges via MicroUSB like my wireless mouse, and remains on my desk with a small pile of regularly used peripherals. It’s the perfect multi-use gaming headset.

I’d prefer something smaller and lighter, because I personally don’t like heavier headsets, but even then Microsoft’s design is very solid. I recommend it to all but the most sensitive-eared users, and not to anyone who wants to just use it for telephony. The Wireless Headset with Bluetooth is made to be worn while still, seated. Not while walking about. The only thing that’s missing is a charging dock, which I’d gladly keep on a coffee table or my workplace to keep things tidy and organized.

Editor’s Rating:

3.5 out of 5 stars

Very Good

Bottom Line: The Wireless Headset with Bluetooth is an excellent option for multi-console gamers who play in one space. Great for gaming, not good for walking around on the phone with. Bulky, with good battery life.

Pros:

• Good battery life
• Simple RF/BT switch
• Great to use with multiple devices and consoles

T-Mobile’s myTouch is a decent handset, but it came in two models, standard and with a slide-out keyboard. The latter is the myTouch Q, and it shares many of the same traits and specifications, but has two major differences that set it apart: the physical keyboard and a lower-resolution display. Both make a world of difference.

Hardware

With any phone that has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, the myTouch Q is about twice as thick as the myTouch and can be considered a bulky smartphone. Rounded edges make it comfortable to hold in the hand, and the extra weight makes the Q feel more solid.

Unlike other phones with physical keyboards, like the older myTouch 4G Slide, the myTouch Q is comfortable to type on and is easy to do so at higher typing speeds. The hard buttons are comfortable to type on both with fingertips and finger nails, though the buttons are harder to press than most keyboards. I find harder buttons are better than rubber keys because they keep users from accidentally pressing keys mistakenly.

Besides for the keyboard the myTouch Q looks as typical an Android phone as you can get. A slim power button rests on the top left and is easy to press and find. The display is, unlike the myTouch and most Android smartphones today, a 480×320 display, which is slightly more than half of today’s 800×480, and exactly half of the iPhone’s 960×640. This means not only is the myTouch Q a low-resolution phone, it also isn’t widescreen. It is not a video device.

Also unlike the myTouch, the display is an LCD panel instead of AMOLED, which furthers the not-for-video design. It is easier to see in bright conditions and direct sunlight than the myTouch. The screen is also smaller, 3.5″ instead of 3.8 of the myTouch.

Aside from that the two phones are identical; the same CPU, same amount of RAM, same parts, and even the same battery.

Software

The myTouch Q uses the same Android 2.3 operating system as the myTouch, to the extent that nothing is different. If you held both phones in your hands, they would seem very different externally but identical internally. The only difference between the software is how fast it is, and only because of the difference in screen resolutions. The myTouch Q is actually faster because it doesn’t have to process as much screen data as the myTouch. The benchmarks reveal exactly how much faster it is.

Battery Life

Battery life on the myTouch Q is both better and worse than the myTouch, which means it’s better than the vast majority of smartphones today. I ran two tests on both handsets, with wireless settings on and off (meaning Wi-Fi and 4G active and not active). The myTouch had no difference in time, but the myTouch Q had about an hour difference on both tests. Still, even the lower 9-hours of continuous processing is far better than most phones can handle today.

In my real world testing, the long battery life was exceptional. Like with the myTouch and LG Doubleplay before it, I was able to spend over a full day making calls, texting, using GPS navigation, push email, and simple apps without having to worry about battery life. Even under very strenuous conditions I could come home at the end of the day with 20-30% battery life. As with the myTouch however, the myTouch Q suffers from poor battery life with continuous talk time, and I only managed just over three hours.

Benchmarks

As mentioned above, the biggest boon to the myTouch Q’s performance is having less screen to fill. With a small 320×480 display, benchmark scores tended to be higher on the myTouch Q than competing devices. However, it isn’t nearly as powerful as competing devices on more stressful benchmarks like Quadrant Standard. Even then the score is inflated because of the lower resolution, which is why it scored a cool 100 points better.

Other benchmarks I ran, like GLBenchmark, would not even run. To be clear, the myTouch Q is not a powerful phone. It’s fast enough to browse the web well and can run apps better than the myTouch, but don’t expect to be playing high-end games on this device. I tested OnLive’s gaming service on the myTouch Q, and it ran but the low resolution made it very difficult to play because the service is not intended to match such a small screen.

The myTouch Q, like the myTouch, failed my Amazon video test, where I stream video from Amazon Prime.

Camera

The camera is identical to the one on the myTouch, but the myTouch Q does include built-in flash. I tested the camera, as you can see in the sample shots below, and it’s decent but not great. For low-light shots the camera has extreme difficulty focusing, and there is severe oversharpening of images, as you can see in the last one (scroll right). However, in good lighting shots come out clear and colorful, though there is a definite lack of detail when looking at images in their native size.

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Conclusion

The myTouch Q is identical to the myTouch except for two things: a physical slide-out keyboard and a lower display resolution. Slight other differences like how fast it processes information (the Q is slightly faster) and the display panel’s build (the Q is an LCD panel, as opposed to AMOLED) posit that the Q is geared more towards typers and people who read a lot on their phones, not those who want to watch video.

Editor’s Rating:

3 out of 5 stars

Good

Bottom Line: Like the myTouch before it, the myTouch Q is a decent phone with great battery life. It’s very good for typing and web browsing, though suffers when running beefier applications. A solid basic smartphone.

Pros:

• QWERTY is comfortable to type with
• Excellent battery life
• Minimalist hardware and software design

Last week I took a look at Altec Lansing’s iMT630 Portable speaker.  And today, to complement that, I’m reviewing the inMotion Air.  And like it’s smaller brother, it too sports a 7 hour battery life, though instead of a 30-pin dock you’ll have the option of connecting to it via Bluetooth or using the included USB stick that plugs into your computer.

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On top of the device are a set of controls allow for pairing your Bluetooth device as well as controlling playback and volume.  Hidden in the back is a handle for carrying the speaker as well as a remote that stores away in a threaded slot.  The remote works well for performing standard iPod controls and changing volume, but keep in mind it won’t work from another room (there is Apple’s iOS Remote for that, provided your streaming music from your computer).

For those who prefer a wired experience there is an AUX input, though the included wireless options are surely enough to satiate even those without the latest smartphone or computer thanks to the included USB stick which provides a wireless range of up to 300 feet.  While I didn’t test the truth of that figure to the maximum, I had no problem streaming music throughout the house and Bluetooth worked very well despite it boasting a much shorter range.  That said, there is a headphone jack output on the USB dongle for adding a second set of speakers, though that hardly seems necessary since you can stream music to two of these at the same time. Unfortunately, I didn’t receive a second inMotion Air to test this and since Bluetooth doesn’t support dual streaming, it will have to be done using the included USB adapter for the computer.

For the most part the inMotion Air is just a plastic box.  So fair to say, it is underwhelming from an aesthetic standpoint.  But, it is simple enough that it will blend into just about any scenario, though I’d recommend the Black version since that might be a bit more innocuous than the gray.  Behind the grill are two 3-inch drivers that produce room filling sound.  In fact, I was pretty taken back by the sound quality of the inMotion Air despite being connected to the device over Bluetooth. So suffice to say, the look of the speaker manages expectations and far exceeded mine when it came to its sonic output.  However, it does lack bass kicking sound, but that is largely a reflection of the inMotion Air’s small size, which is just 13.2” (W) x 3.5” (D) x 4.1” (H).  So all together, I was pretty pleased with the sonic capabilities of the inMotion Air.

At the end of the day there are a variety of Bluetooth speakers on the market.  While there is no speaker phone option, as found in the Jambox, the inMotion Air is produces pretty kicking sound for a portable, rechargeable speaker.  Fold in the USB dongle for streaming tunes long distance (up to 300 feet) from your computer and there is hardly a wireless speaker on the market that can compete.  Just take note that it won’t kick out the same sound quality and range as some wired speakers of the same price ($199) and lacks an iOS dock.

Bottom Line: Convenience over sound quality makes this speaker a winner in my book, though it most certainly sonically stands tall despite its small size.

Editor’s Rating:

4 out of 5 stars

Great

Pros:

• Portable wirelessly speaker with a 7 hour rechargeable battery
• Built-in remote and USB dongle for wireless music from your computer
• Holds it own sonically despite small size and portability

With Android finally coming into it’s own (ie, owning the smartphone market), the only thing we haven’t seen much of are accessories. 3rd party manufacturers have been wary regarding Android smartphones because of the wide variation. With the iPhone, they know what to expect. That’s finally changing on a larger scale this year, and Philips is jumping in head first with Android docks.

Like the AS111 I tested earlier, the AS351 is an Android dock that connects to the phone through an MicroUSB connector, which swivels 180 degrees and has two supports to help keep the wide variation of Android smartphones in place. I’ve had the AS351 for an extended period, and it has worked excellently with any Android device. I’ve tested around eight different Android devices with it, including several Samsung Galaxy S II phones, the Galaxy Players, the T-Mobile myTouch and myTouch Q, etc. They all work just fine with this dock.

That’s because today, as I explained with the AS111, Android smartphones don’t currently support audio out through the MicroUSB. All music playback is via Bluetooth, which is far less convenient than the iPhone, but a problem with Android, not the dock. When I met with Philips at CES they assured me that the docks already support audio through USB, so as soon as Google updates Android to support it, Philips will release a firmware update to enable audio via USB.

The AS351 is no clock radio like the AS111, it’s a mini boom box. You may remember the Philips Fidelio DS8550 Speaker Dock I tested last year. The AS351 is its kid cousin. Besides for the size difference (both the physical size and the size of the speakers), the AS351 doesn’t include a single rechargeable battery, instead working on four AA batteries. This helps keep the price down and promote longer battery life per charge, but if you carry around a dock for music without the power cable, you may want to pass on the AS351. It lasted a good 7-10 hours of continuous playback at varying volume levels. Philips rates it for 8 hours, though if you keep the volume low and maintain a short distance between the dock and phone, it’s pretty easy to preserve battery life.

It works with any Bluetooth device, and also has an auxiliary in cable so it can double as computer speakers on the go. I actually brought the AS351 with me to CES because I stayed in a crummy hotel, and the dock impressed not only with long battery life but also it’s ease of use. I used it with and without audio cables, on multiple devices, and as a charging base for two phones (there is a USB port on the back for an additional device to charge).

For a speaker this compact, the sound quality is Excellent. It gets especially loud – loud enough for neighbors two doors down to complain. Audio accuracy is also very good, with only a few low and high notes not hitting their proper pitch and some tinny sounds at much higher volumes and frequencies. As far as my testing showed, the audio quality is superb.

There are two things I wish were different about the AS351. First, it can’t charge devices when the dock isn’t plugged in. This means if your phone is on it’s last leg and you don’t have a power cable, too bad. The power drain on just four AA batteries would be quick, sure, but the option is worth having.

Second is a slight audio fade in and out, which occurs at seemingly random times. If you are streaming music, like through Google Music, sometimes the AS351 will drop into standby mode while the phone buffers the song. This may help conserve battery life, but also has a very noticeable static hiss, followed by that silent void that is quickly obnoxious when listening to music. It breaks the mood, whether the music is acting as white noise or just needs a second to load. We all know how pronounced silence can be, and the AS351 get’s eerily quiet too often.

With the AS351 users can also download the free Fidelio software. Back with the DS8550 I wasn’t too impressed with it, but slight improvements, plus how the software works on Android (as opposed to iOS) do make a few major differences. The biggest is the option to automatically connect to Philips docks immediately after plugging them to the docks. Philips still uses Songbird, which I don’t like because it requires music to be downloaded directly from a computer. Fidelio also now includes a basic equalizer and bass boost, along with the option to set when if and when the software activates. Overall the Fidelio software is far more flexible on Android than on iOS, but it’s also not nearly as clean or as fast.

The other great thing about Fidelio on Android is the use of Alarm clocks. The AS351 may not look like an alarm clock, but with the Fidelio software it can be, and it doesn’t require any extra effort on your part. Just set an alarm through the Fidelio app and don’t shut the program down. The only downside is that the dock must be on (so plugged in, lest we waste the batteries). This means the lights on the four buttons remain on, though they are very dull. The bigger problem will revolve around your phone model, and notifications. As long as any Android device is connected to the dock, all sound will go through the dock. That means emails, calls, texts, and notifications will be amplified. If you’re trying to sleep and a midnight email rolls in, that’s annoying. Some Android handsets have software to set what times notifications play sounds, but most don’t, so it may not be worthwhile to use the AS351 as an alarm clock until Google sorts out it’s power management settings properly.

As far as Android docks go, the Fidelio AS351 is a fine one to own. It’s a great balance of solid audio performance, portability, and price. The AS351′ overall versatility make it an excellent product to own for travelers and home users alike. Whether you need to listen to your tunes in a mangy motel room or the comfort of your bedroom, or even in the car over a broken dash stereo, the AS351 has provided an excellent experience every time. I highly recommend it. It’s a great deal to boot for $130.

Editor’s Rating:

4.5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

Bottom Line: An excellent Android dock that provides high quality audio, great battery life on replaceable AA’s, and versatility in use.

Pros:

• Excellent sound quality
• Good size; not too small for the bedroom, not too big to take on the road
• Great battery life

A laptop screams convenience as an on-the-go device that  fits as comfortably under your arm as it does inside a backpack or carrying case. However, a laptop falls short in the viewing area department –the “real estate” provided by the screen. This creates the dilemma of having to pick and choose which applications to leave on the screen and when, so as to avoid overlapping windows. Those with desktop PCs can obviate this problem by adding a second monitor. But having to lug a monitor around with the laptop, not to mention needing an AC outlet, sort of ruins the whole “portability” idea.

That’s no longer the case if you’ve got one of the new breed of USB-powered LCD monitors. AOC presents its 16-inch, LED backlit monitor as a lightweight addition to a laptop’s screen at a mere 2.5 pounds. But the best part is the loss of the power adaptor — the AOC monitor gets both its data connection and its power directly from the laptop’s USB socket.

While resembling a tablet from the front, don’t be shocked to find that there’s a great deal more depth to this monitor compared to that of an iPad or Android tablet. Part of that depth consists of an embedded tab that pulls out for standing the monitor upright: the tab rotates for use either horizontally or vertically. And sensibly there are rubber tabs attached which both indicate which way is up as well as provide protection from scratching the surface underneath it. But since there’s no protective case included, even though the screen is glass, it could get scratched if mistreated. I would recommend getting a tablet carrying case for it as a safety precaution (you have one for your laptop anyway, right?).

The finish is a flat black, although looking at the screen while holding the monitor might cause some to think there is a very glossy finish. This is misleading, since a glare-resistant coating is touted as one of the features. In general use, complaints about glare will be minimal, if at all.

The rest of the contents consist of a moderate length USB cable (one end being the mini-USB plug that fits into the very unobtrusive socket on the monitor’s back, behind the pull out tab), and a CD that installs the device driver into a PC. Note: it’s always a good idea to check out the manufacturer’s website’s “Support” to see if there might be an updated driver to use rather than the one that has been burned on disc. Since the Mac driver is only on the website, if you don’t go there, you might not think it works with an Apple computer (it does).

So after you installed the driver and rebooted, it’s just a matter of placing the monitor next to the laptop and connecting the two ends of the USB cable to their respective USB sockets when you want to use it (note: you’ll be connecting the monitor to the PC during the installation process as part of the procedure so it might already be connected). Should you be using a device, which has a low-powered USB output (unlikely these days), the second USB plug at one end of the cable will have to be inserted into a second USB socket. [AOC recommends attaching the monitor prior to turning the computer on, by the way]

With the laptop now active, the monitor now comes to life. At this point you’ll want to decide whether to “mirror” what is being seen on the main screen, or use it as an extended monitor. Setting this and other aspects of the monitor is done through the display options inside the PC laptop’s “Screen Resolution” (the monitor tops off at 1366 x 768 pixels). You can orient the monitor for “portrait” or “horizontal” viewing. Later you can access the settings through an icon in the System tray, using XP or Vista, or through a key press combination using Windows 7 (with Macs, a simple but dissimilar procedure applies to activate the monitor).

The monitor’s performance is somewhat dependent on the graphic card and processing power of the attached computer — no surprise there — but while you can use it in a similar manner to that of the main screen, it’s comparatively lower resolution could be disappointing to some. Certainly if you use it for static imaging and other applications where motion and detail is less prevalent, it’ll work fine (say thanks to the internal processing chip inside aiding in the processing of what is being displayed). As an example, I’d keep word processing on the main screen to avoid eye-strain and let videos play on the AOC. I didn’t encounter any screen refreshing issues that were visible to the eye, or any “flicker” or image smearing over a period of extended use. The high dynamic contrast ratio (50,000:1) is a far cry from the puny, early days of LCD and is extremely helpful when using a small monitor such as this one.

A final issue is that of the power drain derived from an extra monitor. Obviously the monitor will decrease the usable battery powering a laptop — unless it’s plugged in for power — but just how much depends on factors ranging from the charge of the battery, the kind of applications being run, etc. In general, it’s fair to say that the battery drain should be considered and noted over time as the monitor is used so as to avoid any unpleasant surprises.

Editor’s Rating:
4 out of 5 stars
Great

Bottom Line: Having a second monitor provides more “real estate” when using a laptop, as well as allowing for a better segregation of applications in use. The lightweight nature and lack of power brick that is the standard of the AOC USB monitor, and this new breed of portable monitors in general, makes it well suited for traveling with you whether across the globe or in a coffee shop or bedroom.

Pros

• No need for a power plug
• Lightweight for portability
• Clear and bright display

Cons

• Somewhat “flimsy” construction compared to that of a tablet
• No protective case included
• Mac instructions a bit vague

There are controllers, and then there are controllers. Today, most of us just use whatever comes with the console, and nothing else. Microsoft or Sony did a tremendous job with their gamepads, but it has taken 3rd parties too long to match or better that quality. They just haven’t been as good. That finally changes in a big way.

The MLG Pro Circuit box is expertly crafted

Mad Catz decided to best the millions of man-hours and research put into the 360 and Dualshock controllers by aiming for the high-end consumer and not the everyman gamer. I’ve gotta say, the MLG Pro Circuit Controller fits that bill.

Available for both the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, the MLG Pro Circuit Controller shares the 360 gamepad’s shape, but what sets it apart is one feature: interchangeable parts. Faceplates are secondary. The d-Pad, analog sticks, faceplate, wrist holds, even the cable are all detachable, replaceable, and customisable. It may seem useless, but consider you’re a PS3 gamer who likes the concave 360 analog sticks. It’s an easy switch: twist the convex ones out, put the concave ones in, and done. The snap-on system isn’t as easy to open as they should be, more akin to opening a bottle of pills with that child-safety lock. Both the 360 and PS3 models are identical (save for the Xbox/PS button).

In the box is the controller, a set of analog sticks in both PS3 and 360 style, d-Pads for both, a 9′ braided cable that screws onto the controller, two weights (35g each), and a carrying case for all of the above. It isn’t wireless because it’s a pro-gamer controller. Wired controllers are faster, more reliable, are also the only ones allowed in tournaments.

I’ve been using the Pro Circuit for the past week and it’s a real pleasure to use, not just because it’s a good controller, but because of the interchangeable parts. I played through the Metal Gear Solid HD collection on the 360, but clearly the game was designed for the PS2′s Dualshock. For that game, I switched the d-Pad to the PS3′s and put it on the top left, put a 360 analog stick on the bottom left, and kept a PS3 analog stick on the right. For me, this setup was the most effective. Fast paced 360 shooters, like Modern Warfare 3, are easier for me with the PS3 right stick and 360 left stick.

In a sense, it’s like having both consoles wrapped into one. The only sad news is that because of licensing, there’s no way to get one controller that would work with both consoles.

But the Pro Circuit isn’t perfect. The face buttons are a bit mushy, especially so out of the box. They’re better after being broken in, but the style of the buttons may not appeal to all players, including pro gamers. The buttons have a lot of give, compared to the mouse-like buttons of the Razer Onza controller.

The Pro Circuit with both back panels, with and without weights

It’s also expensive. For $100, the Pro Circuit is an investment, one that may prove to save money. Like I wrote in my hands-on preview, I have a stack of working but worn out Xbox 360 controllers, four with completely worn out indents on the analog sticks. A set of analog sticks will be available for purchase for $15 each, which will make the controller worthwhile for the long-term. It just depends on your gaming habits. I just feel that Mad Catz is a little late to the controller game. If the Pro Circuit came out at least a year ago, it would have a much better chance to succeed and prosper. With today’s rumors of a new Xbox and Playstation within the coming year, even if the current controllers work with new consoles it limits just how well a new controller can do today.

Mad Catz will also put out additional parts for the Pro Circuit, including different style faceplates, different length cables, and potentially even different style joysticks. The MLG Pro Circuit Controller is a very solid gamepad, one with an exceptional switch system for analog sticks and d-Pads. I think that the Pro Circuit can be better over time, as more faceplate, palm rests, joysticks and d-Pads become available, though right now it’s still a great controller.

Editor’s Rating:

3.5 out of 5 stars

Very Good

Bottom Line: The MLG Pro Circuit Controller is a great gamepad that thanks to interchangeable parts is highly customizable, more than any controller before it.

Pros:

• Comfortable gamepad
• Interchangeable parts are a brilliant direction for a gamepad
• A good long-term controller investment

Android docks are finally coming into their own in a big way. As someone who has a love/hate relationship with alarm clocks (doesn’t everybody?), a dock that can double as an alarm clock, completely controlled by the phone…that’s the future. The phone is the center of our world, and everything else plays around it. The bedroom clock may be the first serious step in that direction, and the Philips Fidelio AS111 Android Dock is a brilliant  step forward.

The AS111 is a very succinct, simple device. It has a MicroUSB connector for Android smartphones, though will charge any device with a MicroUSB port. It connects to devices via Bluetooth, and only Bluetooth. Android does not currently support audio out through USB, but all Philips Android docks do, so when Android does support it, the AS111 will be ready (after a firmware update to the hardware).

It has a round base with a clock on the front, speakers on the top, and little else. On the back there’s an AUX-in port for wired audio playback. When connected to a device via Bluetooth, the media buttons on the top can control music playback (play, pause, next and previous track). There’s also a button to turn on and off phone charging, which some users will find very attractive for conserving energy. Finally, there’s a night light on the underbelly of the dock. It has a slight orange hue and is very calm and pleasant. The brightness of the clock LED can also be adjusted.

Setup and installation is very easy. The dock works off of the software, so once the Fidelio app is downloaded, just connect the dock to your phone and the rest happens automatically. The clock will set its time based on your phone’s time.

I’ve used the AS111 for over a month and it is an exceptional device. I’m very satisfied with using it day in and day out. The stereo speakers aren’t all that powerful, but as a clock they don’t need to be. If I listen to music in the bedroom, it’s quiet anyways. Even with just 4W of power, I am satisfied with the quality of audio. Obviously bass is lacking, so you psychopaths who listen to Skrillex before clocking out won’t find this dock too appealing. Everyone else will.

All clock features are controlled through the free Fidelio app. As I discussed in the Philips Fidelio DS8550 Speaker Dock review, the software is okay and improving, though on Android compared to iPhone there are some major differences that both improve and can be a bit of a nuisance. Because it isn’t limited by Apple’s restrictions, alarms set will automatically enable when connecting to the dock (by activating the Fidelio app). This sounds great, but unfortunately it does this any time the phone is connected to any charger. If you only charge with this dock, the then’s fine, but if like most Android users you charge either more than once a day or connect to a computer, the Fidelio app starting every time the phone gets power is annoying. This feature can be turned off, but even after I turned it off it kept starting the app when connecting to a power source. Turning it off would also require starting the app every night if you want to use the dock as an alarm clock.

Otherwise the software is good, but messier than the iOS version. It’s slower than it should be and a little clunkier. While writing this review, I found another firmware update, which does speed up the app and clean some of the minor nags I found. It’s better, but still not as good as the iOS version.

The Fidelio AS111 dock on its own is excellent, the best I’ve seen to date. It has a proper balance of size, build quality, looks, and power. The software may need a little work, and perhaps some adjustments from Google, but all in all I highly recommend the AS111.

Editor’s Rating:

4.5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

Bottom Line: A great Android dock that replaces typical alarm clocks and clock radios.

Pros:

• Solid audio quality
• Simple, intuitive, and sleek design
• The hardware has everything users can desire from a clock

When I purchased my Denon surround system, my wife was irritated that we needed yet another remote for her to make things work in the living room.  I already had resorted to getting a so called “universal” remote for our television and cable box to make things easier on her – to make things easier and because somehow she had lost the original television remote.  Now with prospect of having to learn yet another remote (and potentially lose said remote), she was quite unhappy when I told her that our main remote wasn’t so “universal” after all.  Apparently the model we had purchased last year won’t work with the system I got this year.  Thankfully salvation came my way in the form of the VooMote Zapper.

While lost remotes are a common thing in households across the globe, most people always have their iPhones (or iPads) close at hand.  That’s the beauty of the VooMote Zapper – rather than being a normal remote control, it’s actually a small dongle that plugs in to the bottom of your Apple device (yes, iPods are included as well) that transforms your iOS device into a fully functional truly universal remote.  Now I’ve already reviewed a device that used the sound output on an iPhone to control an infrared device (the Griffin Helicopter), but this is the first time I’ve seen something like this that works through the charging port.

The VooMote Zapper has a fairly large bank of codes stored within it already, and that makes set up an absolute breeze – but what if down the road you get a new piece of hardware that isn’t in its memory?  Well that’s where the power of the VooMote truly comes into play.  Just by pointing your normal remote at the VooMote and going through the program, you can basically “teach” it what to do.  As an example, you could make a blank program, push a button on the iOS device screen and say it is supposed to be the volume, then push the volume on the regular remote, and voila!  The transmitted code is stored, and that button will from then on function as the volume for that specific piece of hardware.

It’s a bit harder to explain that it is to actually make work, and unlike some of the more expensive Logitech Harmony remotes, the VooMote Zapper can be set up anywhere, and isn’t tied to a computer.  In all actuality, you don’t need a computer at all to make this work, which makes it more useable for more people.  I’ll go on record saying that no matter the angle I tried this on, no matter the lighting in the room, and no matter the device – the VooMote Zapper worked like a champ (as long as you have it programmed right).

Unfortunately it’s not all wine and roses with the VooMote Zapper, no matter how much I would like it to be.  For starters, whatever device you start using it with will end up being nothing but your remote.  The VooMote Zapper itself is very tiny, and it could be lost even easier than a normal remote would.  While it’s true you can take it out when you’re not using it, I just don’t think it’s a very feasible solution.  In the future, they may want to consider building a case around it so you could always have it close by.  Of course to make that happen, they’re going to have to address the second major issue I had with the VooMote Zapper – the drain on your battery life.  You see, the VooMote Zapper doesn’t allow your iOS device to go into sleep mode.  I’m not entirely sure why it’s designed to keep it awake at all times, because it’s not like it takes an absurdly long amount of time to turn your iOS device on and run the app.

Another issue, albeit a much smaller issue than the prior two, is that fact that setting custom buttons is a very time intensive procedure.  Not only that, but I had quite a few times that I had to try and reprogram a button over and over because my timing was off by a second or two.  I’m not sure the easiest way to fix this, but I’m sure someone smarter than me could work it out (even if it’s just increasing the timeout duration).  At any rate, the VooMote Zapper has a lot of potential to make your other remotes green with envy, but it still needs some work to fully realize what it could be.

Editor’s Rating:

4 out of 5 stars

Great

The Bottom Line:  Smaller than any other remote you have, yet with more features (including gesture control, and the ability to add as many devices as you’d like) the VooMote Zapper could be the end all be all of remotes, if only they could fix the nagging issues around it.

Pros:

• You can use gesture control to take care of things, which really makes routine commands like controlling the volume fun again
• The VooMote Zapper can hold any number of devices in its memory, which means it will grow with every new piece of hardware you acquire
• It will literally support any IR device you have in your house, even things like a Hauppauge PVR

Cons:

• It’s extremely hard to dedicate one of your iOS devices to be nothing more than a remote
• The drain on the battery of your device is more than significant – it’s pretty severe (and you can’t charge the iOS device while using it)
• If you don’t already have an iPhone, iPad, or iPod, that it’s not going to be cost effective at all to get one of these over a normal remote.

You can get your very own VooMote Zapper from Amazon for $69.00

3D displays have been pretty good over the past few years, though they are still rare. The first sets only released three years ago, and every year since has only seen two or three new models. In late 2011 ASUS released the first 27″ 3D monitor, the VG278H, which is the best thing for 3D. The only way to really improve the quality of your 3D gaming at home is to increase the size of your screen.

As far as monitors go, aside from built-in 3D Vision support, the VG278H is pretty bland. It has high-end specs like 400cd/m2 brightness, 120Hz refresh rate, internal speakers and a 2ms grey-to-grey response time, but that’s all powering a 1920×1080 resolution. For a 27″ panel, that’s pretty low, and it’s noticeable, especially if like me you have at least one other monitor. But let’s take an organized look at the display.

Hardware

As mentioned, this ASUS is a high-end gaming display. Response times are fast, the screen gets deathly bright, and the speakers are pretty good to boot. Not as good as the Playstation 3D Display‘s, mostly from muffled bass and some tinny highs, but otherwise good.

Let’s talk about screen resolution. Today, widescreen (16:9) is the standard for most PC displays, though few still sell as 16:10. My opinion on the matter is that 16:10 is better, and that if you’re going to have multiple displays, the best way to do it is to have them side by side vertically, so you get a 3600×1920 display, instead of 5760×1200. That’s just more sensical to me, and if that’s the case, why is it any different with two monitors? Especially for gaming.

That said, at 27″ most displays in the past have bumped up the resolution to 2560×1600 or 2560×1440, depending on the aspect ratio. The VG278H does neither, and likely for two reasons: reduced cost and less stressful for gaming. Because of how hard processing 3D is (or rather, how it basically requires twice the graphics computing power because it’s doubling the image), running a game in 3D is already twice as hard. Upping the display from 1080p, or even 1200p, to (in this widescreen case) 2560×1440 is a big step, one most gamers don’t go to.

There is an unwritten expectation from screen sizes, one that ASUS is disrupting under the guise of 3D. Acer will release their own 27″ 3D display as well, also 1080p. I don’t like this decrease in pixel density. It only works if players sit farther away from the display, and in this case, that doesn’t happen. I’ve tested a number of games in 3D (with more write-ups, like Skyrim, to come), and yes, sometimes pixels are visible. They’re more visible when not in-game, and impossible when playing in 3D, but dropping to 1080p isn’t progress. Keep the stupid widescreen, but leave the resolution where it belongs.

The VG278H has an HDMI 1.4, Dual-DVI and VGA port, as well as audio in and audio out. Menu navigation is conducted through four buttons, plus a preset button and power button. The buttons are all easy to press, but not nearly as simple as the touch-sensitive buttons on BenQ’s XL2420TX or Dell’s Alienware OptX from two years ago. There’s also a dedicated display switch between HDMI, DVI and VGA.

Finally there’s the Vision 2 built-in IR transceiver, which sits at the very top of the relatively small bezel. It’s adjustable about 40 degrees, which is very convenient for gamers who like to kick back and stay below the monitor.

Color Reproduction and 3D

I’ve tested the VG278H in a number of ways, including picture editing, vision-based benchmarks, everyday use, and gaming. Out of the box the VG278H is pretty accurate, and required minimal adjustment and calibration. As mentioned, the display gets uncomfortably bright, which is especially good for games. I tested all of Skyrim on the VG278H and even with Lightboost (built into the monitor) not active, at max brightness the active shutter glasses couldn’t drown out that much light. After 30 minutes my eyes were watering.

Video and game quality is great, but would be better if the display were glossy. Glossy screens are troublesome for a few reasons, mostly that they are highly reflective. I thought it might be a problem, especially while wearing reflective glasses, but as I found with both the Playstation 3D Display and the VG278H, that’s not the case. 3D gaming on the VG278H during daytime, however, was infinitely easier than on Sony’s display.

The built-in presets are also very well calibrated for their intended uses. Theater Mode is bright but manages colors very well except for a slight green hue (especially in darks), while game mode has slightly higher color saturation and vibrancy. With Skyrim, though there isn’t such incredible color in the game, the VG278H did help bring the world to life with color oversaturation and incredible brightness. And, of course, 3D and the larger 27″ size.

Image from PC World

Though in my rant above about regressing in screen density, with the VG278H I was able to really sit back and chill out while 3D gaming. The 22″ displays are too small and 24″ screens are big, but not enough to kick back with a gamepad. The 27″ is big enough to pull that office chair lever and lean back after a hard day’s work. That extra distance, of course, makes it more difficult to notice the lower screen density.

3D quality is also very solid, though that’s more of a software issue versus hardware. I noticed no screen slowdown when playing in 3D (except for occasional graphical hiccups, from the GPU strain). Built-in Lightboost is convenient, though I only found it helpful when playing in a room with plenty of sunlight.

The real benefit of the VG278H over other 3D displays specifically for 3D is the adjustable 3D Emitter. The 20 degrees of rotation is a huge improvement over the standalone emitter, which has to be set for however you’re sitting. For players like me who change how they sit based on the game, mood, or time of day, that’s a lot of hassle gone out the window.

Conclusion

For the retail price of $680 (available for as low as $620), including one set of 3D Vision 2 glasses (retail $150, available for around $70), the VG278H is an expensive panel, even at the lower prices. Then again, I haven’t found a single 3D display that can provide the same high-quality 3D gaming. There simply isn’t one. BenQ’s offering is still a 24″ panel, and we’ll have to wait and see how Acer’s upcoming 27″ competitor stacks up. But considering their last penny-pinching display, it may save on price but skimp out on quality. We’ll have to wait and see.

Right now, there is no better 3D display than the ASUS VG278H. It provides excellent picture quality straight out of the box, is easy to use, and provides almost all of the amenities one can hope for in a monitor. For the price, I’d have expected touch-sensitive buttons and a better swivel stand, which while adjustable tends to turn the whole stand instead of just the screen.

Editor’s Rating:

4 out of 5 stars

Great

Bottom Line: Excellent picture quality right out of the box. Very bright, very big, and with a built-in 3D emitter, very convenient.

Pros:

• Great picture quality
• Very bright, even in sunlight
• Larger size makes 3D gaming way more fun
• Swivel 3D emitter is a gift from the heavens

Smartphones today all boast one thing: raw power. But power isn’t everything, and in fact, power has been the biggest hindrance to everyday telephony. That’s why smartphones have such poor battery life. Well, not the T-Mobile myTouch. It has enough power to accomplish everyday tasks and open basic, non-intensive apps, all while maintaining a stunning battery life.

Hardware

The myTouch is a small phone. It has a 3.8″ display, small by today’s smartphone standards (the closest phone in screen size is the iPhone, at 3.5″). The body is tiny too, just slightly bigger and thicker than the iPhone 4S. This makes the myTouch very easy to hold in the hand, very comfortable in the pocket, and of course, very light.

The internals are nothing spectacular: a 1GHz single-core processor and 512MB of RAM power the myTouch, and as you’ll see in the benchmarks below, the relatively weak processing power shows. The display is an AMOLED panel can get very bright, though in direct sunlight reflects fingerprints much more than the display itself. The screen resolution is 800×480, matching the standard Android display.

It’s simplicity in almost perfect form. LG, the maker of the myTouch, has only the bare essentials in this phone. It has 2GB of internal memory (expandable to 32GB), only three Android keys (no search button), a 5MP no-flash camera and a basic VGA front-facing camera. It’s also got a very strong 1500mAh battery, which is why the myTouch has such great battery life (see Battery life). I’m very satisfied with the handset’s build and design, though it’s significantly slower than the myTouch Q, which has a display with half the screen resolution, but identical internal components.

Software

Running Android 2.3, the myTouch has good enough components to run most applications, but tends to lag under the burden of it’s current Android build. It lags when flipping between home pages and slightly in simple apps. As determined in the benchmarks (see Benchmarks), the myTouch is designed for long-term use, not power. Most of the applications required for day-to-day use, like Google Maps, Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, Google Music, etc., ran just fine. They’re not as smooth as on competing smartphones, but they work.

Because the myTouch is T-Mobile’s phone, the software overlay is minimal compared to LG devices like the Marquee. Apps all have a dark hue around them, and the notifications bar has instant settings changes like enabling Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, etc. The overall software design is simple enough for anyone familiar with Android to adjust to, and easy enough for new users to learn the OS.

Battery Life

Battery life on the myTouch is phenomenal. It averaged 10 hours in multiple battery tests, and under normal use lasted around two days of moderate to heavy use. Actual talk time is significantly lower, which is curious. I managed around 4 hours of consecutive talk time, which matches what T-Mobile states. I brought the myTouch with me to CES and it was the only phone that daily didn’t die from constant use. That’s compared to the HTC Vivid, Samsung Epic 4G Touch, Samsung Galaxy Nexus, and iPhone 4S.

I was also impressed with using the myTouch alone for all of my needs. Like LG’s Doubleplay, the strong battery life made it easy for me not to worry about how much I used the phone because the battery wasn’t going to die. Use the GPS, instant messaging, calls, and anything else and if you’re lucky at the end of the day the battery will be mostly depleted. Unless you spend a lot of time talking on the phone, in which case the myTouch fares about as well as most competing devices.

Benchmarks

Even though the myTouch isn’t very powerful, it does surprisingly well in the Sunspider Javascript benchmark, scoring higher than any other smartphone currently tested. It’s impressive, and the only explanation I can give is that the browser is very finely tuned and the Android software and T-Mobile’s overlay don’t interfere with Java processing.

The Browsermark score is also impressive, though the Quadrant Standard test shows the true limitations of the myTouch, with one of the lowest scores I’ve ever had. The low-end internal parts are the likely cause of such poor performance. Several other benchmarks used were also on the low side, and a few failed to run entirely. Finally, Amazon’s Instant Videos ran on the myTouch, but regularly crashed and the video performance was extremely poor.

Camera

As mentioned earlier, the myTouch has a 5MP camera and a 720p camcorder. The camera itself is nothing special, but manages decent quality photos. It has no flash. What is particularly annoying about the camera is that no videos or photos can be taken without an SD card, even if the included 2GB of data is empty. Why, I don’t know. It’s ludicrous that users cannot take pictures without an SD card. And even with an SD card, shots are saved to the phone directly.

Picture quality is decent. Focus tends to be the biggest issue with moving objects, and very close objects. Colors are oversaturated and in bright conditions are washed out entirely. In low-light, the colors are even more oversaturated, seemingly to compensate for the lack of light. That said, there are plenty of opportunities with the myTouch to take excellent shots if proper focus is set and the phone is held steadily. Thanks to the small body and light weight, that’s very easy to do.

12►

Low-light photography is fair to poor. The lens isn’t fast enough to capture light without serious blur. Video quality is fairly good, struggling most with quickly changing focus. Sudden changes to the ambient light are very quick, but there is a very noticeable framerate drop and slowness in even moderate lighting. Walking down a well lit hallway with no lights on (lit by daylight from other rooms) still didn’t provide enough light for the camera.

Conclusion

The myTouch is a decent phone. By no means is it anything special, and only excels in battery life. For heavy web browser users however, the myTouch is also an excellent device. If you’re the kind of person who needs a phone that can handle a lot of activity but not necessarily a lot of calls, the myTouch is great. It’s small, lasts awhile, and convenient.

Editor’s Rating:

3 out of 5 stars

Good

Bottom Line: The myTouch is a solid smartphone that runs built-in applications well and maintains a great battery life. It handles web pages excellently, but don’t expect to play games on it, or get a lot of talk time.

Pros:

• Great size, build and design
• Simple software that doesn’t get in the way
• Excellent battery life…

I’ve seen many TVs, but few have the simplicity, style, and dazzling high-quality picture as…a Playstation branded TV? Yes, you read that right. Not only is Sony’s first “for-gaming” TV crazy good, it’s an HD 3DTV for $500. I can’t remember the last time I played console games on a display that looked this good. The clarity, the accuracy in colors, the excellent backlight that only brightens the picture and not the screen…color me impressed.

It’s sad then that the only reason I can’t recommend it to everyone today is the tiny size and first-gen design quirks. Almost nothing else limits this brilliant TV.

Inside the Box

The Sony Playstation 3D Display a TV that doesn’t follow typical television nomenclature (Vizio VX32L, Sony Bravia XBR HX929, other terrible names that mean nothing to users.). Whoever started naming TV sets must have hated marketers, and this TV bucks that trend. Instead, the full name is too long. “Sony Playstation 3D Display” is too long. PSTV, or Playstation 3DTV would be far simpler and better. For the purposes of this review I’ll keep the name PSTV.

Out of the box, two realities immediately hit home: it’s a small TV and the TV is all you get. The PSTV is a 24” TV, as small as home TVs get. For comparison, most 24″ HDTVs are 720p and under $300. The PSTV is strange for it’s screen size; it’s a small TV but a large computer monitor. The integrated speakers are like elephant ears, and take up a lot of horizontal space. More importantly, the display itself is awfully small for a TV set, whether it’s for games or TV viewing. But more on screen size later.

When opening the box, users will find only three things: the PSTV, a set of 3D glasses, and the power cable. It really is as bare-bones as TVs go, which is good because Sony keeps things simple, but how about a remote? No remote is included and Sony currently doesn’t have one available (media controls are available through the Playstation 3 using a Bluetooth remote or controller). The PSTV does have an IR sensor, so universal remotes do work with the set.

Build and Design

The PSTV is slim, and surprisingly so. For a 1080p display, it crams all of the essentials while maintaining excellent picture quality. With a completely black coat remeniscient of the Playstation 2 design (the older finish, not the newer PS3 original glossy decal or updated gunmetal matte), and it looks great. Product shots provided by companies of their own products generally make those products look better than they actually do. In this case, Sony is dead on. The PSTV looks great, and on the whole it is really well designed.

But piece-by-piece, there are three major snags. The first is the lack of ports, or rather, the lack of a coaxial port. The PSTV includes two HDMI ports and Component ports, and that’s it. For a TV, this is a surprise. The only way to watch cable through the PSTV is to have an HD-ready cable box (which most of us still don’t have), or through your game console. My office cable box is SD-only, but I was able to watch streaming TV through my Xbox 360 (thanks to the Verizon IPTV app). Unfortunately TV streaming for the PS3 is still in its fledgling stages in the US.

The controls are also very oddly placed on the back right of the PSTV, and they are hell to reach. With no included remote this is especially tiresome. The menu system is designed with those poorly placed buttons in mind. It points to which button to press for what action, and the menu navigation is very fluid and easy to use, the best I’ve ever seen on a TV.

Picture and Audio Quality

As I said above, the picture quality is excellent. When I met with Sony representatives a few months back, they said the PSTV was completely a Playstation-branded initiative. Sony Electronics, which builds Bravia TVs (among many other things) didn’t make it. The focus was clearly on perfect picture quality, and they did a damn fine job. The only thing that really matters with any display is great visuals, and the PSTV nailed it. I’ve never seen a TV that looked this good for under $1,500.

The only problem I’ve found is the very glossy display, which because of the screen’s small size and how close I regularly sat in front of the TV to see it, compounded glare and reflections. The closer you are to a reflective surface the more reflections and glare you’ll see, and the PSTV is oh so guilty of the crime of reflection.

I am also very impressed with the backlight, which produces no lightbleed or oversaturation at any brightness. This is uncanny among both TVs and monitors, and damn amazing for an LCD panel. Colors are very accurate, and the framerate is consistently excellent. This is because of the 240Hz refresh rate, which seems incredible but is designed for two people simultaneously playing in 3D (more on that in ‘3D Quality’).

The built-in speakers produce adequate sound for a display of this size. I wouldn’t recommend them for serious gaming though. I regularly had trouble placing directional audio, and the sound in general was light and at higher pitches tinny. At higher volumes the sound cracks. For regular TV viewing or light gaming the built-in speakers are good, but more serious gaming or for watching movies I recommend using a dedicated 2.1 speaker set.

3D Quality

3D is unique on the PSTV because it uses Sony’s own developed technology called SimulView. SimulView displays two different images on the same screen for two different people to watch simultaneously, and each will only see the picture intended for them. It works by using the included (1) shutter glasses to only show half of the picture. That’s why the PSTV has a 240Hz refresh rate: 60Hz for each eye, for two players.

Today there are only games that support SimulView, including Motorstorm Apocolypse, Gran Turismo 5, Killzone 3, and Super Stardust HD. I tested all of the games, and SimulView works great. It greatly improves playing coop on a single display. I never found a lack of clarity, and there shouldn’t be. The human eye sees at 24/25Hz, so 60Hz per eye is more than enough.

General 3D image quality is also excellent, though it really depends more on the game than the display. The screen produces crisp 3D picture, and there is very little movement from bobbing heads (moving your head side to side produces a slight movement of the image on the screen). It isn’t the best 3D I’ve tested, but the combination of excellent picture quality and very good 3D quality makes it the best 3D display to date.

My only concern regarding 3D is the small display size. Over the years my biggest complaint for 3D gaming is that the screen needs to be large for the 3D effect to be meaningful. Computer monitors max out at 27″ for 3D, and 3DTVs can get very large but often come with their own 3D glasses and technology. Even with larger screens 3DTVs are relatively smaller because of the greater distance from the TV than a computer monitor. PC gaming has so far provided the best home 3D setup, though that will likely change with better 3D projectors.

At 24”, the PSTV is small for both a TV and a 3D display. This minimizes the 3D effect unless you’re sitting very close to the screen. Because 3D today goes into the TV (deep) instead of outside the TV (in your face), closeness to the screen is only a problem your grandmother will complain about (“if you sit that close to the TV you are going to go blind!). The overall 3D experience, unless you’re very close to the TV, is lacking. For two players this poses a unique problem of being very physically close to one another while playing, though relatively speaking a single 24″ display provides more picture than a 50″ TV going split-screen.

Conclusion

The Playstation 3D Display has the best video quality of any TV three times its price. It may be one of the best gaming products ever built, and I hope to see more in the future. As the first Playstation TV it has a few design mistakes (no remote, poorly placed buttons), but the exceptional build of this TV is undeniable.

The biggest problem, both for everyday users and 3D gamers, is the size. 24” is small for a TV. It fits on a computer desk, though it doesn’t make the best monitor. Text isn’t very clear, and it doesn’t make for the best computer monitor. But for anyone with one display interested in getting a second, the PSTV is a great option for viewing media, playing games, and even for applications such as picture and video editing.

As a standalone TV, the PSTV lacks a coaxial input but works well with today’s game consoles. If you’ve forsaken cable TV for internet TV and videos or have an HD cable box, the PSTV will fit right in. College students and anyone on a budget can’t find a better deal than this. Assuming it meets your needs, I highly recommend the Playstation 3D Display. If it doesn’t, wait until Sony puts out a model twice the size. With this kind of quality, the company would be crazy not to.

Editor’s Rating:

4 out of 5 stars

Great

Bottom Line: The best TV you can buy for $500. Excellent video, perfect for gaming, but it needs to match your conditions. A perfect display as a secondary PC monitor/game console TV at a workstation. There’s a reason why it fit in multiple gift guides.

Pros:

• Excellent video quality
• Solid 3D reproduction
• Minimalist hardware and software design

The evolution of the TV might be ongoing, but one thing that’s constant is the desire for as big an image as possible. Granted that we’re all spoiled with our flat panels and front projection systems, compared to the days of the 19-inch TV tube, but “bigger is better,” continues to dominate our minds. The biggest barrier between “bigger” TVs and us is having to buy a new display — you can’t “upgrade” from a 42-inch to a 55, 60 or larger. And if your recently purchased HDTV doesn’t do 3D and you want it — again you’re stuck with buying a new set or going without.

Okay, there’s a third alternative: the Sony Personal 3D Viewer. It’s a headset that brings any video being fed to it up close and personal, giving you the equivalent of a 750-inch screen from 65 feet away to glom at. And not just a high-definition image either because it also does 3D. Difficult to use? Nah.

Physically setting up the Viewer is simple: to start, you plug a video source (like a Blu-ray player) into the HDMI input on the back of the stand-alone box that houses all the electronics, with another HDMI cable going into an output to go back to your display (if you want). The box is about the size of one of those audio amps you place in a car’s trunk and only has a single light to verify that the power is active; there are no controls on it.

A 12 foot cable is permanently attached to the Viewer and goes into a connector on the front of the box; it’s a proprietary type, which explains the cable’s length since you can’t extend it. Then you insert the AC cord in to its corresponding socket and plug it into the wall outlet.

All the controls are on the right underside of the Viewer, consisting of a click wheel with a center button and two smaller buttons side-by-side for volume. The power button is farther away so as to avoid it being accidentally pressed. Because of its placement, I recommend you press it prior to putting on the Viewer (a red light on the box will change to green to indicate “On”).

Putting the Sony on for the first time is a bit involved because a correct fit is vital to seeing a uniform image. Place it on your head as if it was a catcher’s mitt or, for those less sports inclined, as if you were putting on a baseball cap starting from behind the crown of your head. Pull the Viewer forward and down until your nose meets the bridge at the front. Now you make two adjustments — one changing the distance between the two lenses and the front of your eyes using push-in tabs for forward/backward movement; then readjusting the clips attached to a plastic strap framework that grips the side of your head. Once this is done, look straight ahead at the “Welcome” screen that now consumes your view. Reach under each eye and move the protruding tab on the Viewer in/out until the text is in focus. Then press the wheel’s center button to move to the next screen and confirm another image, this one of horizontal and vertical lines. Continue on through a warning screen, disengage the menus and see whatever video is being received.

In my case, I’m using a switcher to start with HD television through a Dish Network satellite receiver. I’ll now adjust the Viewer’s settings to “average” and go from there. The menus include an information screen, which shows the controls the Sony uses and a “Lens-span adjustment” for physically readjusting the two lens panels you’re looking. The “3D” setting lets you set the 3D so that it kicks in automatically or not just when a signal is received, while the “Picture” menu lets you adjust brightness, contrast, color temperature and the like (leave the digital noise reduction off unless you are viewing standard-definition video, is my recommendation). The “Audio” setting lets you set the multichannel controls for surround, along with treble and bass levels. There’s also a general menu to do such things as turn off the Viewer if you remove it or activate/deactivate the HDMI pass-through.

Once all this is done, you’re ready to enjoy a humongously big picture. I don’t know how to measure it, but it’s certainly bigger in perception compared to my 100-inch projection screen when I stood before it and flipped the Viewer on/off my head.

That picture you’re seeing is really something too, especially when watching high-definition (you get an indicator of the resolution feed when it first appears at the screen’s upper left corner). It might be 720p, not 1080p,  as far as your eyes go — but does that matter? No. There’s no light fall off from the corners as the entire image is uniformly lit and, obviously, you’re always seated in the “sweet spot” in relationship to the lenses.

The Viewer uses OLED panels, rather than LCD, resulting in what is, to me, an obvious improvement in the clarity, color intensity and brightness (I’ve worn a lot of these LCD glasses over the years so I feel comfortable making this assessment). While the Viewer is fairly lightweight, there is some discernible strain on the bridge of the nose to get used to. This is especially true for those of us who wear eyeglasses, as there aren’t optical adjustments to eliminate the need for prescription lenses. Here’s a tip — patient adjustment of the two earphone cups can help in reducing the pressure on the nose.

Switching from the Dish to my PlayStation 3 (which does 3D), I brought up Netflix to see how a streaming video would look. I had expected to run a few minutes of “Iron Man 2,” but an hour went by before I put the brakes on. The image was rock-solid 2D and there wasn’t any smearing when the iron guys flew across the screen. To say streaming looks impressive through the Viewer, even though it’s not high-def, would be an understatement. I also ran a cartoon to check out whether solid panels of color were bleeding, but again had no complaints.

Keeping with the super hero thing, I popped in the 3D disc of Green Lantern and powered through some of the scenes that I’ve watched many times on my 3D TV. Besides having a much bigger view, the 3D effects were much more obvious to my eye; not to say that there was a lack of subtlety at times, just that tracking the 3D didn’t require any effort — it was just there “in my face.” I also found the 3D version of Toy Story 3 a good exercise in catching the 3D “moments” and for fans of the series, 3D is really a much better way to watch (“the claw, the claw!”).  Colors were outstanding too and I never ran across any noticeable image flickering either. Yes you should take it off every now and then to rest both your eyes and face, but once the viewing starts, you pretty much forget all of that.

The Bottom Line: It’s not hard to tout the obvious benefit of the Sony Personal 3D Viewer, even at a $800 price tag: you get your own movie theater screen without needing a “man-cave” or having to readjust your living room. For those without 3D in the home, this and a sub-$300 3D-capable Blu-ray player are all you need. Those already invested in 3D can up their viewing size without having to buy new equipment. And in both cases, the one wearing the Viewer will be enjoying themselves immensely. Plus the front of it has a cool blue glow to impress anyone looking your way.

  Editor’s Rating:

4 out of 5 stars

Great

Pros:

• OLED panels provide clear, bright and colorful video
• High-resolution view that is many times bigger than most home theaters
• 3D-capable

Cons:

• Expensive
• Proprietary cable permanently attached to the Viewer
• Headset weight will be uncomfortable to some

In the world of video games, the one accessory that every company seems to have their own version of is the controller.  No longer content to just modify the feel of the buttons, sticks, or the basic design; a few years ago companies started adding everything they could think of just to make their controller stand apart from the competition.  We’ve got controllers that have lights all through them, controllers with fans in them, controllers with ways to adjust the internal stops, and as I’ll be dealing with today: controllers with chat pads inside of them.

I don’t know which company first thought of the idea to put a chat pad onto a controller, but I remember when a friend first showed me one he got from Microsoft for his 360.  I thought that it looked like the silliest thing that I had ever seen.  I have large hands, and those buttons were smaller than even the ones on my (at the time I had a Blackberry) smart phone.  I tried it for a minute, realized that I would never use one, and thanked my girlfriend for buying me a nice pair of Turtle Beach headphones so I didn’t have to resort to such nonsense.  Throughout the course of my writing career, I also got to try a PS3 version of the chat pad for another site, and while it felt marginally better, it now sits collecting dust in my accessory drawer.  So now that you know my history with devices like this, you can probably guess how this review is going to go, right?

Well, not so fast there.

Yes, the Cideko Air Keyboard Conqueror might be in essence a controller with a chat pad strapped to it, but where the others failed in comfort, the Conqueror does as its name would suggest and, well, conquers.  The super wide base on the Conqueror is perfect for resting your palms on, and I’ve actually found myself wishing that my “standard” game controllers would have that same type of feel – it’s that comfortable.  The chat pad is still a little awkward to use while in the middle of playing a game, but the buttons are large enough and spaced far enough apart that I don’t have to worry about hitting more than one.  I will say that while you can use the Conqueror on either the PS3 or PC wirelessly using the included dongle, I got the most usage out of it while playing Star Wars: the Old Republic on the PC, and DC Universe Online on the PS3.

You see, for most every other game, it’s just so much easier to talk rather than type – but for MMOs, it doesn’t matter if you have a PS3 headset, or are using a top notch TypeFrag Ventrilo server on the PC (Our guild has a 400 man), there’s a good chance that at some point you will have to type something.  Even if it’s just hitting number keys to activate abilities, it’s still typing.  To me, that’s where the Cideko Air Keyboard Conqueror excels, and that’s the crowd it should really be marketed to.  While using it, I was able to use all of my SW:tOR hot bar abilities without ever moving my hands, and that was something that really impressed me.  Usually I’d have to have one hand on my mouse and the other on my keyboard, and there were a number of times I would activate the wrong thing because my hands would be in the wrong places.  With this though, that never was a problem.

The Cideko Air Keyboard Conqueror also features ten fully programmable buttons, and while they may not be the same as a keyboard that can bust out a five minute long macro with the push of a button, they are still incredibly useful.  In PvP on SW:tOR I have four main abilities that I cycle constantly, and I mapped those to the four face buttons.  My secondary abilities such ad crowd control and the like were put onto the top buttons, and by doing this I was seeing a really noticeable gain in the amount of kills I was getting per Warzone.  Again I’m talking about this as an MMO accessory, but I’m sure if you were playing any FPS you could just make it mimic the functionality of a normal XBOX 360 or PS3 controller.

Something that I’m not quite sure how I feel on with the Conqueror, is the fact that it’s a gyro mouse.  A part of me likes it, because I generally make some motions when I’m playing a game with a controller anyways (as I’m sure most of us do), but I’m glad that they gave you the options in the settings to set one (or both) of the analog sticks as the mouse controller for more precise control.  Something else that’s pretty nice is the four application buttons at the bottom left of Conqueror’s face that gives you quick launch access to four applications of your own choosing.

The battery on the Conqueror is pretty robust as well, lasting just as long as a standard Microsoft battery in a “Play and Charge” kit.  I can get 18 to 20 hours on a charge easily, and as long as I remember to plug it in at night when I go to bed there’s no issue.  Lastly, for those of you who fear losing the dongle (I’ve already lost three wireless mouse dongles), fear not.  When you don’t have it plugged it, there’s a nice little compartment in the bottom left corner where it slides in nice and snug.  The only thing I really wish they would have put on the controller, would be a more rubberized “textured” grip.  The whole things feels “plastic-y”, and while it in no way feels cheap, having some grip to give a textural difference would have made it all the more better in my eyes.  Yes, the side grips have a very slight textural difference already, but for me it’s not pronounced enough.

Editor’s Rating

4 out of 5 stars

Great

The Bottom Line:  The Cideko Air Keyboard Conqueror is a great product for a certain market – I don’t know how useful it would be for FPS and other genres where Ventrilo (and other VOIP programs) is the normal way to communicate, but for the MMO player it’s really spectacular.

Pros:

• More customization than you can shake a stick at – if you can push it, you can pick what it does
• Gyro mouse is great for people that want to control their stuff from across the room without the need of a mouse pad or wires
• Keys are big enough and spaced far enough that even big hands can use them

Cons:

• No real texture differences makes it feel somewhat boring in your hands
• Not super useful for all genres of games
• Gyro mouse isn’t the most precise of features

You can get your own Cideko (Bluetooth) Air Keyboard from Amazon for only $64.99

I hate Bluetooth headsets. They all have two problems: they’re uncomfortable and battery life sucks. Considering that making phone calls more comfortable is the whole point of a wireless headset, Bluetooth sets are generally garbage. But recently I’ve seen a positive change, thanks mostly to two recent headsets. One of those is the Plantronics Marque M155.

Unsurprisingly, the Marque is sleek and small, measuring at 2” long and a quarter inch wide and thick. It has one “home” button on the outside, an on/off switch on the bottom, and a volume rocker on the top. A microUSB connector fits snugly on the back. A glossy black finish with silver rims gives the Marque a very clean design, even though the glossy surface picks up fingerprints all too easily. On a device this small, that’s barely noticeable, if ever. I have to say that it looks very similar to the iPhone 4/4S. Or at least the black model.

While I wouldn’t call it an innovation, the key ingredient to the Marque’s success as a BT headset is the lightweight build. It’s tiny, and after wearing it for several hours on my admittedly sensitive ears, I wasn’t bothered by it whatsoever. No other on-ear headset I’ve tested has worked so successfully like the Marque. Plantronics offers a number of different wear styles, including a speaker cover (designed to stay in the ear without pressing against it tightly), which can be worn with or without the plastic ear claw. In any case, users have four major choices of how to wear the Marque. My personal preference has been to use the claw, which delegates the Marque’s weight between the top and inside ear.

Battery life is spectacular. Claiming just five hours of talk time, I’m impressed by the idle time. I left the Marque on for several days while making calls on and off and it lasted – on the original charge – for four days. That is to say, without even charging it once myself. Straight out of the box, it lasted four days with moderate use. After fully charging it for the first time, the Marque can last up to a week with conservative use, and easily several days (anywhere from 4-6 hours of consecutive talk time per charge).

Another long-time problem with Bluetooth is the difficulty in setting it up. Pairing devices is cumbersome, even for seasoned technophiles. Plantronics solves this with two methods. The first is a voiced step-by-step walkthrough when first turning on the device, which is exceptional. The second, specific to iOS and Android devices, is an app that helps users pair the Marque (or any Bluetooth device) to the phone. The app may seem overkill for just a pairing process, but Plantronics includes a number of additional features in the app to make it worth keeping.

When first testing the Marque with my iPhone, I was surprised to find that immediately after pairing an icon of a Bluetooth headset with a gauge sat beside the battery life percentage. I don’t know how Plantronics managed it (and will update with an answer when I get one), but that gauge actually shows battery life of the headset. To my knowledge the Marque is the only headset to do this, and it only works on the iPhone. Android devices did not display any icon specific to the Marque.

Because the Marque is capable of voice commands (internally, not the phone’s voice command functions), there are a number of useful features found only on this headset. Every time the Marque is powered on, it states how much battery life it has left, for talk time. Users can answer calls by simply saying “answer”, or “ignore” to ignore the call. This feature isn’t perfect; I’ve found that about 25% of the time the Marque failed to answer the call because it either didn’t hear what I said or didn’t understand the command. When it does work, it makes for a really hands-free device. Users don’t even have to press the talk button on the headset.

The aforementioned app, MyHeadset(which is different on iOS and Android, with far more options on iOS), includes a pairing guide and walkthrough, a sound-check (so you can confirm that the headset is working properly before making a call), two (dumb) games, and even product support. For confirming that the audio works alone the app is invaluable…I can’t even begin to count how many times I’ve made calls with BT not activating for some reason. Or how many times I’ve made test calls just to confirm that the headset is indeed active

I made it clear that Bluetooth headsets have been a pain in the ass for the majority of the technology’s existence. The Marque, as the lightest and most convenient Bluetooth headset I’ve ever tested, would with nothing else already be a great headset. Combined with simple voice commands and gestures and a strikingly useful app, the Marque M155 is the best on-ear Bluetooth headset, period. Nothing else compares. If you have hated using Bluetooth headsets and have stuck with wired sets that come with the phone, the Marque will convert you.

Editor’s Rating:

4.5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

Bottom Line: The Plantronics Marque M155 is the best in-ear Bluetooth headset I’ve ever tested. Highly recommended.

Pros:

• Excellent battery life, both for talk time and idle time
• Very lightweight, comfortable to wear for hours at a time
• Voiced phone answering and spoken battery life are both extremely convenient
• For iPhone users, battery life displayed on the phone is brilliant
• Free app is useful for setup and general use

What’s it gonna take to get everyone board with an iPhone? I ponder this question and then I get a shiver of fear wavering through my body as imagine a hoard of drones wandering the Earth in need of a 30-pin dock to charge their handset. That said, thank god for Android phones, which aren’t excluded from working with Altec Lansing’s portable speaker dock for the iPhone, the iMT630.

This battery powered iMT630 portable speaker is an understated pleasure that no doubt has passed over, or perhaps even under the gaze of a many consumer. It’s too bad, because its sonic abilities and feature set warrants a look by anyone in the market for a portable speaker for their smartphone.

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Hidden on the face of the iMT630 is an ever so small spring loaded 30-pin dock. Push it and it ejects from the speaker’s grill allowing you to dock your iPhone and pump its tunes through the 2-inch neodymium driven speakers. For those of the non-iOS ilk, there is also a 3.5mm headphone jack in the rear, though once plugged you’ll need to hit the input button, switching from iPod to Aux input. That button is further complemented by a volume rocker, power button and LED light to indicate the input of choice. But the feature set isn’t complete until you look to the rear of this battery powered speaker dock. Flipping up the stand automatically powers down the iMT630, which means you won’t waste precious battery life when it’s stowed away. Flip it down and you’ll reveal the magnetically adhered remote, enabling you to pause, play, skip tracks and adjust volume from afar. And while this may seem like a rather benign feature, consider that most portable speaker docks, if any, don’t include a remote control.

The Altec Lansing’s iMT630′s battery is rated for up to 7 hours of playback on a single charge. And while your mileage will of course vary with how much you prefer to crank your tunes, we found it to be on spec. Charging the device to full capacity takes about 3-4 hours and receives its juice via a micro USB slot. Not the universal standard, but close enough in our book.

Sonically the Altec Lansing iMT630 is very capable, especially considering it’s rather diminutive size, which is measures 12.5″ (W) x 1.5″ (D) x 5.125″ (H) and weighs less than 4 pounds. As with most portable speaker docks, bass was a bit tinny, but nothing below a speaker of a similar class and cost. Amplitude wise the iMT630 is impressive and managed to fill my 8×12 bathroom with enough sound to be enjoyed from up 10-feet away.

While docking an iPad is feasible it’s most certainly not intended, but that’s largely a reflection of this speaker docks size and portability; it would block the speakers and perhaps even fall over from the iPad’s weight. When you run out of juice you can plug it in the wall and use it as a speaker and charger for your iPhone, which means it could play well as a bed side companion. That said, I really can’t find anything negative to say about this dock (Bluetooth would be a nice but unnecessary addition), other than its design leaves something to the imagination and if anything shows that you shouldn’t judge a book, or in this case a speaker, by its cover.

Bottom line: Solid sound quality and amplitude for a battery powered speaker with a magnetically stowed remote and accommodations for non-iOS devices (AUX inputs).

Editor’s Rating:

4.5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

Pros:

• Battery powered speaker with a excellent amplitude for its size
• Hidden magnetic remote
• Chargers your iPhone when plugged in and their is an AUX input

Cons:

• Won’t work with stand flipped up
• Design leaves something to be desired
• Battery life could be better

Here at GadgetReview, we’re no strangers to testing out some crazy portable speakers.  I think just about everyone on staff has worked with at least one, and there’s more and more coming out all the time.  Sometimes you get something that sounds like it’s being played through a cardboard box, but then other times you’re lucky enough to get something in like the iMainGo X.  With larger home theater speakers, you generally get what you pay for in terms of sound quality (ear buds usually follow this model as well, albeit in a different fashion), but the field of ultra-portable speakers is still trying to find its niche so there are times that you can find something that really puts out the sound but doesn’t put a hurt on your wallet.  Such is the case here, with a portable speaker system that pushes out a crazy level of sound for a budget price.

The first this that you’ll notice about the iMainGo X is that it’s fairly large; I’d liken it to the size of an old Sony Walkman.   I don’t count that as a negative, because being so big it really feels solid – just know that you’re not going to be fitting this inside of a pocket very easily.  Really though, when you pick up the iMainGo you can just feel its solid craftsmanship, and you know that there’s very little space in that big box that’s going to waste.  The actual dimensions are 5.7 inches by 3.8 inches by 2.4 inches (length, width, and height respectively), so you can see what I mean about size.

The design of the iMainGo X is fairly minimalistic, which is nice to see.  The majority of the outer casing is black (or pink if you order that color), with a zipper that splits it down the center height-wise.  On one of the main faces is a clear plastic shield, so you can use the touchscreen on your iPod (or Zune presumably, but I don’t have one of those to test it with).  The plastic isn’t anything that’s really going to offer any protection from damage – however it will protect against dust, dirt, and maybe a splash of water while still allowing you to operate your device without opening the case.  On the other face is a silver panel with the two speakers and air ports as well as a smaller silver panels with the power switch and a bunch of inputs on it.

It is these inputs that separates the iMainGo X from previous iterations in the iMainGo product line.  For starters, there are jacks for two headphones.  This is a great feature – especially if you have ever experienced what it is like to drive somewhere with two children in the back seat fighting over who gets to listen to the iPod.  I’ve done it, and I WISH I would have had this then to help save some of my sanity.  Another thing you can do is use the second headphone jack to daisy chain some more iMainGo unit (or any other external speaker you may have) together for massive sound.  The next input is a microphone input, allowing you to turn your iMainGo X into a portable karaoke machine of sorts.  I have also seen pictures of people using that jack to plug an electric guitar into – turning the iMainGo X into a cheap amp of sorts, but I didn’t have a guitar to check that out with.

The last input on the front of the iMainGo X is for the power cord to charge this thing up.  Sporting a 7.4 volt 800mAh Li-Po battery, the iMainGo X has a decent run time of around twelve hours.  I had read complaints that the battery life was only four hours, but apparently that was from an earlier model, because I never experienced a short battery life like that.  I would be tempted to say that the iMainGo X actually had more staying power than some of the other smaller speakers I’ve tested out – but it should seeing as how it is bigger.

The one thing I would really like to see implemented in a future model or hardware revision, would be some controls on the side in case you have your iPhone and not iPod inside of it.  I take my iPhone everywhere and really use it for anything I want to listen to anymore – however with no way to effectively control it from the outside, I would have to leave the case unzipped when I had it in in case anyone called.  Really the only thing you would need to add would be a button that could activate the power button on an iPhone since they already have it so you can use a touchscreen through the back.  It’s a small issue, but one that bothered me throughout my time testing the iMainGo X nonetheless.

The sound output from the iMainGo X is a lot better than you would expect from a portable speaker.  From the ones I’ve tested before I suppose I was just used to a certain level of “loudness” and accepted that portable jobs wouldn’t do much to improve on it; boy was I mistaken.  I took the iMainGo X outside with me while I was testing out some power tools, and I was able to hear everything coming from it with no problem at all, even over a reciprocating saw.  Not only could I hear it, but I could hear it clearly.  Even at fully maxed volume on my iPhone, I noticed only the slightest distortion.

Editor’s Rating:

4.5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

The Bottom Line:  The iMainGo X is a great speaker for anyone that is looking for a portable job that can put out the most sound for your buck – be warned though that it is a little bulky.

Pros:

• The sound that the iMainGo X puts out is better and louder than any other portable speaker I’ve tried
• All the inputs on the front mean that the iMainGo X is versatile, and able to be used in a number of situations
• Being able to control an iPod without having to open the case is a big plus

Cons:

• The iMainGo X is way too big to fit in a pocket – you almost have to carry it by the strap
• Unfortunately there’s no easy way to control an iPhone with it unless you open the case up
• Did I mention that it’s big?  Yeah?  O.K., just making sure

You can grab an iMainGo X of your very own Walmart (or any number of other online retailers) for only $56.99

Thanks to Airplay, Apple’s wireless streaming tech, you can now play the contents of  your iOS device on your TV or speakers without having to dock it.  However, a drawback to many Airplay compatible devices is that their location is fixed, which all but reflects the convenience of the tech.  Case in point, if you connect a set of speakers to an Airport Express, those speakers have to remain in a fixed location for them to work; they need to be plugged into a power source.  However, this isn’t the case for the iHome iW1.

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The iHome iW1 is rather unassuming device.  It’s an all black box, that boasts a mesh speaker grill and a set of touchscreen buttons on the top.  Changing the speakers volume is as simple as dragging your finger from left to right, where upon a set of LEDs will light up reflecting the selected amplitude – they also double as a battery status indicator by hitting the associated button on the rear of the device.   Surrounding the volume indicator is a set of media controls for pausing/playing and skipping trackings along with a source button for those of you that decide to plug into the device using the USB port.

To setup the iHome iW1′s Airplay you’ll first need to download their iHome iConnect app to our iOS device.  Next, it’s as simple as plugging in your iOS device into the USB port and following the on screen instructions.  There you’ll be asked to select your home’s WiFi network and punch in your router’s passcode.   While I was able to achieve a connection with my wireless network, it did take a few attempts as the application wouldn’t recognize that it was plugged into the iW1′s USB port.  Fortunately, once I added the iW1 to my home’s network I never had to do it again.  However, I should mention that the first iW1 I received from iHome wouldn’t stay connected to the network, constantly needed to be readded to my home’s network and would intermittently drop the Airplay single. After speaking to some iHome folks at CES, they said this was an Airplay firmware problem, though receiving a second loaner unit seemed to have resolved the majority of these issues, though I still experienced the occasional audio drop out during playback.

Once the iHome iW1 is connected to the network, anyone that has the privelege of leaching off your WiFi will be able to stream tunes from a compatible application.  Now, keep in mind that with Airplay you can stream tunes to the iW1, even when out of earshot since it’s transfered over your home’s WiFi network.  That said, what makes the iW1 so attractive is that you can take it any where you go in your home thanks to its built-in battery.  To charge it you just place it down on the included battery dock, which during my testing I left in my living room where I spend most of my time listening to music and NPR.

From a battery pespective, iHome says that a complete charge takes up to 10 hours, while playback time will vary depending on amplitude, though they spec the speaker at 3.5 hours at full volume and double that at 50% amplitude.  Unfortunately, my battery experience was less than stellar.  Leaving the iHome iW1 turned on, and undocked from the battery charger caused the battery to drain to empty in under 10 hours after less than 1 hour of use.  It would seem that the iW1 doesn’t enter into a standby mode on its own, but I’d expect as much after nonuse for a set amount of time.  So expect to get about 3 hours of use, at most, from the iW1′s battery.

Price aside ($299) the iW1 performs realtively well from a sonic perspective given its size and portability.  That said, the range of the speaker, as in the lows to highs, is rather lack luster and doesn’t boast the same gusto I’ve tested from similarly price docks of a similar feature set (Bluetooth, not Airplay).  Mids are a bit muddled and bass response is on the short end.  The iW1 is capable of achieving a loudness that can fill a small room, but fidelity is lost at higher volumes, which forced me to listen to it at no greater than 85% of max volume.  So suffice to say, this isn’t iHome’s best sounding dock, but again keep in mind the feature set, size and convenience.

Needless to say, the iHome iW1 stands apart from most speakers on the market.  The Airplay feature alone adds siginificant cache to the unassuming speaker, but that unfortunately doesn’t negate what I’d ultimately deem lack luster sound quality compared to other speakers of a similar price.  That said, there aren’t any other speakers on the market that offer this level of convenience, which is the ability to wirelessly stream audio from any iOS device as well as carry the speaker from room to room without the need to plug it in.  If iHome addresses the battery life concerns and improves the audio quality, they’ll have a homerun on their hands and in turn set the bar for Airplay speakers.

Editor’s Rating:

3 out of 5 stars

Good

Bottom line: iHome’s iW1 offers an unprecedented level of convenience thanks to the built-in battery and Airplay. Unfortunately, dismal battery life and lack luster sound don’t make it a top pick.

Pros:

• Airplay for wireless playback
• Built-in battery means you can take it any where you roam (in your home)
• USB input for non-Airplay device playback

Finding a TV with many of the features we want, or may want for years to come, is hard. They’re available, but expensive. The LG 47LW5600 comes with all of the latest bells and whistles, including 3D, built-in apps and wireless connectivity, all for a decent price of $1,100. But at this price point, for a 47″ TV, does the quality suffer? Read on to find out.

Picture and Sound Quality

The 47LW5600 provides a sharp, clear image, and has good contrast, even at extreme angles. There is minimal blur that is sometimes found on lower quality televisions. Overall, the contrast was better than expected but blacks were not as deep as I’d have liked. See the image below.

The 47LW5600 features local dimming, which enables and disables the backlight for certain segments of the display to provide a darker black. A common issue with local dimming is the potential for light bleed between different segments of the screen, and the 47LW5600 has that exact problem. It isn’t obvious in most cases, but it is very noticeable when the image is very dark, such as the above image.

I tested a variety of different movies and television shows, including Blu-ray discs, DVDs, digital content streamed from my computer to my Apple TV and over-the-air television shows. When I watched Jurassic Park on Blu-ray, it looked excellent. The color was accurate and the sound was rich and full. The speakers produced loud, clear audio with little distortion.

Settings

One of my biggest complaints about modern televisions is that they come with all sorts of bells and whistles turned on. Usually they make a product stand out, but in the case of most televisions, it’s marketing and, unfortunately, doesn’t actually improve video quality whatsoever.

The LG 47LW5600 has a default set for TruMotion, which is LG’s proprietary image smoothing technology, which was very popular at last year’s CES and, I believe, makes the picture too fluid. There is no reason for this feature to be enabled by default, and I don’t doubt for a second that potential customers will find the picture quality weird and uncomfortable. Adjusting the setting itself was a chore because the menu system is very poor and cumbersome. It took me, a fairly technical person, a few minutes of patient searching to find and disable TruMotion.

Connectivity & LG Apps

As expected at this price range, the 47LW5600 has a ton of inputs. It has 4 HDMI inputs, a VGA input, a pair of USB ports, a coaxial input, a component input and a composite input. It also has an ethernet port if you don’t have a wireless network to connect to (although a wireless adapter is included with the television). However, wireless will prove much better for most people who don’t need cables stretching across their media centers.

The television also offers a decent selection of apps, including some rudimentary games and a quite a few video and music streaming apps, including Netflix and Hulu Plus. Once up and running, both were easy to use and responded quickly to commands issued via the remote control. The picture quality of Hulu Plus content is as good as broadcast television, but the content on Netflix is hit and miss. Video through Netflix was always good enough, but their video compression has seen better days, especially on this set.

3D

I invited a friend over and we tested out the 3D by watching a Blu-ray copy of Piranha 3D (side note: There are two versions of the Blu-ray, a 2D and 3D version. We watched the 3D version). 3D quality was good, with a good amount of depth and minimal pop-out. It was almost on par with seeing the movie in the theater. My friend concurred with my assessment, saying that it was much better than she was expecting and that she would definitely watch more movies in 3D on the television.

This is partially because LG uses passive 3D glasses, which are similar to the glasses worn in movie theaters, as opposed to active shutter glasses which are bulkier and must be charged. The only real problem with watching 3D is that the picture quality changes drastically if you move. The picture isn’t static based on your location, so if you move right or left the image will do the same. This also means that everyone watching sees a slightly different image, which is not good for picture accuracy.

Conclusion

While the black levels aren’t as good as I’d like, watching picture quality was very good for such an inexpensive display. The few available apps are good enough to start, and 3D is very watchable. However, TV prices have been dropping in the last few months and while the 47LW5600 is at a great price point for its size, the overall quality of the TV is just good. It doesn’t have any stand-out features, but you will certainly get a decent TV experience out of this LG. After, of course, adjusting the settings to your liking.

Editors’s Rating:

3.5 out of 5 stars

Good

The Bottom Line: A solid TV with good color quality but less than average black and white contrast. 3D picture quality is good but the 3D itself is wobbly. Settings are a mess. Enough ports for a full media center and a number of worthwhile apps freely available.

The Good:

• Good color reproduction
• Large assortment of input options
• Decent selection of apps

The Bad:

• Black levels could be better
• Comes with too many features turned on

Edited by James Pikover