September 3rd, 2010

Sony’s new Readers now include touch screens.
Photo: Sony

Can Sony, a pioneer of e-book readers, catch up to Amazon and its Kindle, which dominate the market? The company will try with revamped, touch-enabled versions of its entire Reader line.

Two models begin shipping today: the Sony Reader Touch, a 6-inch-screen model that will cost $229, and the Sony Reader Pocket, a 5-incher priced at $179. The new version of the 7-inch Sony Daily Edition, $299, the only wireless model in the line, will ship later (“in time for the holidays”), the company says.

The key change to the new Readers lies in their touch screens. Sony says they use unique technology to eliminate the additional layer heretofore required to add touch capability to black-and-white E-ink screens.

On previous Sonys with touch screens, that additional layer compromised the crispness of the type—a compromise that discouraged most other manufacturers making readers with e-ink screens from adding touch capability to the devices. The old screens also required very firm pressure from your finger.

When I tried out the new Touch and Pocket in a meeting with Sony, I found the type looked notably crisper than on their previous namesakes. I also found the devices’ screens to be more responsive.

Both devices have also been slimmed down; the Pocket now measures .33 inches thick, for example, down from .4 inches for its predecessor. And a few ounces have been trimmed from the weight of the devices. The new Touch weighs less than 8 ounces, making it even lighter than the slimmer, trimmer Kindle that debuted last week.

Unfortunately, Sony didn’t address one of the biggest disadvantages of these devices: The need to tether them to a computer via USB cable in order to get new content. And there’s a hefty premium for their touch capability compared with competitors that don’t have touch screens. The Sony Reader Touch, for example, costs $80 and $90 more, respectively, than the least expensive (and Wi-Fi-enabled) versions of the Barnes & Noble Nook and the latest Amazon Kindle, both of which also have a 6-inch screen.

The new Daily Edition has both Wi-Fi and 3G service, plus a larger (7-inch) screen. But its price is more than $100 above the $189 you’ll pay for a 3G/Wi-Fi version of either the Nook or the Kindle.

We’ll be buying and fully testing the new Sonys as soon as possible, in order to add them to our Ratings of e-book readers, available to subscribers.

—Paul Reynolds

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

September 3rd, 2010

E-book reader price wars are raging again. Weeks after the launch of low-priced versions of the Amazon Kindle and Barnes and Noble Nook, rival Borders has cut the price of its two already-cheap readers, the Kobo and Aluratek eBook Reader Pro.

The company also began taking pre-orders for two new color devices that ship on September 30: the Velocity Micro Cruz Reader, $200, and the Velocity Micro Cruz Tablet, $300.

The relatively new Kobo, with its 6-inch screen, will cost $129, effective tomorrow, down from the original $149. That higher price is what the junior Nook costs, while the new budget Kindle is $139; those are both also 6-inch devices. The Aluratek, an older 5-inch device that’s in our Ratings (available to subscribers) and is still listed on Borders at $129, will now cost $99.

But the Kobo and Aluratek will still have trouble competing with the Nook and Kindle, due to their connectivity–or lack thereof. Where the cheaper Nook and Kindle both offer Wi-Fi capability (rather than the Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity of their $189 versions), both Borders devices require tethering to a computer via USB cable to get new content, a significant drawback in a portable device.

The new Cruz devices both boast 7-inch color touchscreens, albeit with differing technologies, and will weigh in at around a pound. The $300 version is very much sold as a tablet, rather than a reader.

We plan to get both Cruz devices soon and test them in our labs. We are already testing the Kobo, and plan to add it next month to our e-book reader Ratings.––Paul Reynolds.

Tags: <script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.typepad.com/.shared:v20100902.04-0-g743469c:typepad:en_us/js/yui/yahoo-dom-event.js
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

September 2nd, 2010

In today's Digital Dispatch:

Contribute To Charities As You Shop And Share With Endorse For A Cause (TechCrunch)

…And EFAC also has widgets on retail sites like Target, Old Navy and Starbucks that allow you to share retail items to Facebook and Twitter; if any of your friends purchase the item shared, EFAC will donate the affiliate fees to a charity.

Email overload? Try Priority Inbox (Official Google Blog)

…So we've evolved Gmail's filter to address this problem and extended it to not only classify outright spam, but also to help users separate this "bologna" from the important stuff. In a way, Priority Inbox is like your personal assistant, helping you focus on the messages that matter without requiring you to set up complex rules.

EmotionML: Will computers tap into your feelings? (cnet)

…The idea is called affective computing in academic circles, and if it catches on, computer interactions could be very different. Avatar faces could show their human master's expression during computer chats. Games could adjust play intensity according to the player's reactions. Customer service representatives could be alerted when customers are really angry.

Turn Your Head & Swipe: Doctors Love the iPad (ReadWriteWeb)

…The iPad meets many of the needs doctors say that have for a lightweight mobile computer and many are very interested in the device. An infographic below, from Mobile Health News, articulates various things doctors are taking into consideration.

Roku Tries A Price Reset With Google TV, Apple Whatever In The Wings (paidContent.org)

…Video service Roku cut prices by 23 to 30 percent across its WiFi set tops today, taking its most expensive device below $100 in the hopes of being perceived as the best value heading into the fall sales season.

Test your Password Strength Online (Digital Inspiration)

…Just type your password in the input box of How Secure is my Password and this nifty little tool will tell you how long it would take for an average desktop computer to crack your password using the Brute Force method.

U.S. Bank Arranges $86 Million Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Fund for Google (BusinessWire)

…The fund will provide a major source of funding for the construction and operation of 480 affordable rental housing units for low income families and senior citizens in seven communities throughout the West and Midwest.

World's most amazing subwoofer has no woofer (cnet)

…But Eminent Technology's TRW-17 Rotary Woofer ($12,900) doesn't have a cone-type woofer or a box or cabinet. No, the TRW-17 looks like a high-tech fan. And when you turn it on, the fan's blade spins just like a fan, but it's a bona-fide subwoofer. It produces deeper and more powerful bass than any conventional subwoofer I've ever heard.

About Digital Dirk's Dispatches
Dirk Klingner, our technology-trend watcher, sifts through hundreds of blog posts and news articles daily to bring you the Digital Dispatch—a compilation of the most important and interesting tech news for consumers. If you have a tip on a story you want to share, leave a comment below.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

September 2nd, 2010

In today's Digital Dispatch:

Google’s Real-Time Search Results Get Their Own Homepage (paidContent.org)

On the new Google site, which you can visit here, users can refine their searches to see what people are posting from a specific location and also track how conversations on a social site are unrolling.

Google Buys Innovative Startup Angstro to Help Build GoogleMe (ReadWriteWeb)

…It means that Google's entry into social networking is going to be big, ambitious and probably engage heavily with the data-portability paradigm that has positioned itself as the strategic antithesis of Facebook.

California Pre-Schoolers Getting Tracking Devices (techdirt)

…The idea is that this will "free up teachers and administrators who previously had to note on paper files when a child was absent or had eaten."

Older Adults and Social Media (Pew Internet)

…Social networking use among internet users ages 50 and older nearly doubled—from 22% in April 2009 to 42% in May 2010.

Phone Numbers Are Dead, They Just Don’t Know It Yet (TechCrunch)

…We don’t have this choice on the phone network today. Anyone can dial my number, and I can’t control it—but I do control my interaction on a social network.

Find out what’s hot on search with the Google Beat (Official Google Blog)

…We’re introducing a new way to find out—a regular video series called the Google Beat that highlights some of the hottest searches on Google in the U.S.

MIT unveils autonomous, oil-skimming robots (BGR)

Yesterday, MIT showcased an oil-skimming, autonomous robot dubbed the Seaswarm. As the devices site explains, “Seaswarm uses a photovoltaic powered conveyor belt made of a thin nanowire mesh to propel itself and collect oil.”

Lighter side: Seinfeld' Actor Jerry Stiller Visits Real Residents of the Costanza Home, Everyone Feels Warm, Fuzzy (urlesque)

…The New York Daily News made the journey to Astoria with Jerry Stiller, the actor who played George Costanza's cantankerous father Frank, to pay an unannounced visit to the home they used on the show.

About Digital Dirk's Dispatches
Dirk Klingner, our technology-trend watcher, sifts through hundreds of blog posts and news articles daily to bring you the Digital Dispatch—a compilation of the most important and interesting tech news for consumers. If you have a tip on a story you want to share, leave a comment below.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

September 1st, 2010

LG’s LEX8 LCD TV uses new “nano” lighting technology.
Photo: LG Electronics

At a tech trade show in Berlin later this week, LG will look shake up the norm in LCD backlight technology when it shows a new super-slim LEX8 TV series that uses “nano” lighting technology, which it says will produce clearer images with improved brightness uniformity.

At the event, called IFA, LG will also show off a new local dimming technology called Micro Pixel Control; a new 72-inch LEX9-series of LCD TV; a new 3D plasma that’s the first set to receive THX 3D certification, and two new 1080p 3D front projectors.

LG’s new flagship 3D LCD set, the LEX8, will be the first to use the nano lighting technique. As we understand it, the technology places a film with nano- (micro-) sized dots across the entire LCD panel in front of the LED backlight, producing a brighter picture with better uniformity across the entire screen. The LEX8 sets also use the new Micro Pixel Control local dimming technology, which provides more precise control over the full-array LED backlight—presumably a greater number of “zones” that can be individually controlled—for better contrast and black levels, according to LG.

The set, said to be just over one-third of an inch thick, also uses 400Hz technology, which we assume will become a 480Hz frame rate when it reaches the states. (TVs in Europe and many other regions of the world are based on the 50Hz electrical frequency, whereas the U.S.’ is 60Hz. That’s why refresh rates in the U.S. are multiples of 60—120Hz, 240Hz, etc. The LG LX9500 3D set in our labs, for example, is a 480Hz model.) TVs in the series will include LG’s NetCast Internet service, and come with a motion-sensitive Magic Motion remote control, according to LG.

Also being shown at the show:

• An LEX9-series LCD TV with an LED backlight, at 72 inches the largest LCD LG has announced.
• The PX950N, LG’s first 3D plasma set, and the first of any type to receive 3D THX Certification. The set also supports Multi Picture Format (MPF), for viewing 3D images shot with a 3D camera directly on the TV.
• Two 3D projectors. The first, the CF3D, was shown at CES in January. It’s a single-lens LCoS (SXRD) model that uses 120Hz technology and comes with six pairs of 3D glasses. The other, the BX327, uses the DLP Link 3D technology. When the projector was originally announced in Korea, it was billed as a business projector. Both models can present 2D or 3D images.
• A prototype 180-inch 3D plasma TV

Information about all of these new products is sketchy right now, so we’ll be updating our report when additional information—hopefully, pricing and availability—becomes available.

—James K. Willcox

Next Steps

• TV Buying Advice:
• Types of TVs |
• TV Features |
• TV Brands

All TV Ratings Subscribers can view and compare all TV Ratings. Recommended TVs Look at the ones that we chose as the best of the best.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

September 1st, 2010

Click here to play the Sound Byte: Consumer
Reports lastest digital camera Ratings.
(MP3 software required.)
podcast: Consumer Reports

Looking to buy a digital camera? In last week’s Sound Byte, Associate Editor Terry Sullivan discussed with Dave Graveline of “Into Tomorrow” our latest camera Ratings (available to subscribers). Listen to the podcast (by clicking here), and hear Terry outline our choices for:

• The best sub-compact camera: a Nikon Coolpix model ($300), that took very good pictures in our tests
• The best super-zoom camera: a pricier ($400) Nikon Coolpix with a more powerful zoom lens and very good controls
• The best advanced camera: a Canon Powershot ($500) with SLR-like picture-capabilities, but without the bulk
• The best digital SLR: An $1,800 Canon EOS model that comes packed with many “bells and whistles”

Other good digtial camera choices can be found on the Consumer Reports Online list of Recommended digital camera models (available to subscribers).

Click this link to listen to our latest Sound Byte podcast. (You’ll need software, such as iTunes or Quicktime or RealPlayer or an MP3 audio-capable Web browser to play the file. Right-click the link with your mouse, choose “save as…” to download the Sound Byte to your computer or MP3 player for later listening.) For the complete three-hour “Into Tomorrow with Dave Graveline” show featuring this segment, click here.

Until next week… Happy weekend, everyone!

—Paul Eng

Next Steps

• Digital Camera Buying Advice:
• Types of Digital Cameras |
• Digital Camera Features |
• Digital Camera Brands

All Digital Camera Ratings Subscribers can view and compare all Digital Camera Ratings. Recommended Digital Cameras Look at the ones that we chose as the best of the best.

About Sound Bytes
Every week, Consumer Reports experts produce a short (less than two minutes in length) audio segment which cover a wide variety of issues regarding consumer electronics and technology. These small “sound bites” can be heard on “Into Tomorrow with Dave Graveline.” The Sound Byte that is featured in the Consumer Reports Electronics Blog is a segment that aired on last weekend’s “Into Tomorrow” over-the-air broadcast.

About Into Tomorrow
Now in its 15th year, “Into Tomorrow with Dave Graveline” covers the Latest in Consumer Electronics & Technology available today and… into tomorrow. The show airs on over 160 AM and FM radio stations around the U.S., on SIRIUS XM Satellite Radio, radio stations in Germany, Bermuda, New Zealand, Canada and several other sources including Mobile Broadcast Network, BeOS Radio, Sprint Radio, TiVo, and many others—every weekend. “Into Tomorrow” is also heard around the world on the Armed Forces Networks in several other countries. You can also catch all “Into Tomorrow” episodes on the Web. (The most recent show is usually added about three or four days after it has been broadcast on the radio.)

Tags: <script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.typepad.com/.shared:v20100831.02-0-gf816c74:typepad:en_us/js/yui/yahoo-dom-event.js
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

August 31st, 2010

The new Amazon Kindle (3rd Generation)

The new, third-generation Amazon Kindle e-book reader, which begins shipping today at a price of $189, is evolutionary rather than revolutionary. And that’s just fine with me.

Despite huge changes in the e-book reader market since the first Kindle debuted in 2007, Amazon has stayed the course with each iteration of its flagship model. It’s generally eschewed bells and whistles like a beefed-up browser (Kindle’s remains low-key, still under a tag of “Experimental”), a built-in reading light (though one is built into a new, optional $60 case we show in the video: The New Kindle), and features like book lending. Instead, the company has stayed focused on steadily improving the basics of e-book reading, like providing the crispest type and the snappiest screen refreshes when you turn the page.

The newest Kindle, then, again noticeably improves both contrast and page speed over its predecessor—though our initial tests can’t yet verify that the contrast is 50 percent better and page turns are 15 percent faster, as Amazon claims. We also can’t confirm claims that the new version has even longer battery life—up to a month with the wireless mode off.

The new version is also about 15 percent lighter than the second-generation Kindle, and about 25 percent lighter than the rival Nook e-book reader from Barnes & Noble, which has the same-sized screen. Amazon has also made the overall size, or “footprint,” of the new Kindle around 20 per cent smaller, while retaining the same 6-inch screen size. There’s a small price for that in navigation, however: The top row of the device’s keyboard has been removed, and you need to select page numbers using a virtual menu.

Other enhancements to this new Kindle include the ability to select not just type sizes (which are the same as on the second-generation Kindle) but the typeface (regular, condensed, or sans serif styles). You can also adjust how closely the lines are spaced, and the number of words on each.

I have a few other navigation quibbles with the new Kindle, beyond its trimmed keyboard. The five-way Kindle joystick is gone, replaced by a small touchpad with very narrow—too narrow, I find—clickbars around it. There are now bars to return to a previous page on both sides of the Kindle, which is a nice addition. But I find all the turn bars are very narrow, and they turn in an outward direction, rather than in, which increases the likelihood of inadvertent page turns when handling the device.

In addition to holding the price of the regular Kindle, with its access to the AT&T 3G network, to the same $189 as its predecessor, Amazon also added a new Wi-Fi-only version for $139. That just happens to be $10 less than the Wi-Fi-only version of the rival Nook e-book reader that Barnes & Noble began selling a few months back. (Amazon also added Wi-Fi to the 3G Kindle as well, again to match the capabilities of the 3G Nook and to allow speedier connections, especially when using that “Experimental” browser.)

Bottom line: The third-generation Kindle isn’t perfect, especially for navigation, but that’s true of every e-book reader on the market. Based on our initial tests, we believe this newest iteration of the device takes what was a fine e-book reader and makes it even better, in ways (such as its light weight and high-contrast type) that competitors will have trouble matching.

Next month, we’ll add the new Kindle, and a host of other models, including a new version of the jumbo Kindle DX, to our e-book reader Ratings, available to subscribers.

—Paul Reynolds

Next Steps

• Computer Buying Advice:
• Types of Computers |
• Computer Features |
• Computer Brands

All Computer Ratings Subscribers can view and compare all Computer Ratings. Recommended Computers Look at the ones that we chose as the best of the best.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

August 31st, 2010

The Samsung Epic 4G smart phone, $250 with a
two-year contract on Sprint’s network.
Photo: Sprint

As one of CR’s cell-phone testers, I’ve been evaluating the Samsung Epic 4G (which we obtained as a press sample), and am generally impressed with it, based on my preliminary tests. Available from Sprint on August 31st, the Epic 4G is a worthy addition to Samsung’s line of Galaxy S phones, which include T-Mobile’s Vibrant and AT&T’s Captivate. It also joins the HTC Evo 4G as a phone that runs on Sprint’s high-speed, fourth-generation (4G) network in cities where that network is available.

Like other Galaxy S phones, the Epic 4G, priced at $250 with a two-year contract, boasts a bright and sharp (in this case 4-inch) AMOLED display, a 1GHz processor, a good (5-MP) camera, 720p video recording, and a six-axis motion-sensing accelerometer. (The latter is great for playing games like the included driving game demo, Asphalt 5, where you steer the car by tilting the phone from side to side.)

The biggest distinction of the Epic compared with its Galaxy S siblings is its slide-out full-QWERTY keyboard. The keyboard is well-designed and easy to use, with five lines of raised keys with dedicated buttons for numbers across the top row. It also has directional keys, a “smiley” button, and home, menu, back and search buttons.

If you send a lot of texts or e-mails from your phone, this is a feature worth considering. Unfortunately, they keyboard adds a bit of bulk to the Epic 4G. It is about 0.2 inches thicker and over an ounce heavier than other Galaxy S phones, and ranks among the heaviest phones we’ve tested.

Sprint’s 4G network is not available at the Consumer Reports National Testing Center or in my home in the Bronx. However, in May, reporter Mike Gikas traveled to Philadelphia, which does have 4G service, to try out the new network, which he confirmed was indeed faster at downloading Web pages and provided smoother streaming video. Sprint claims the network will allow simultaneous voice and data, high-quality video streaming, and video chat. It’s available now in around 60 cities, and Sprint promises further expansion, including to such notable 3G-only cities as Los Angeles, New York City, and Washington DC.

I still found browsing and streaming to be acceptably fast, even on the Sprint 3G network.

Bottom line: Based on our early tests, the Epic 4G appears to be a great all-around smart phone with an impressive display and 4G capabilities. But it may not be the best choice in a Galaxy phone if its physical keyboard isn’t a priority to you. For example, the Evo 4G costs $50 less (at $200), has a slightly bigger (4.3-inch) screen, a camera with better resolution (8 MP) and an HDMI output for streaming video, which the Epic 4G lacks.

We’ll be adding the Epic 4G, and other models, soon to our smart phone Ratings, available to subscribers.

—David Toner

Next Steps

• Cell Phone Buying Advice:
• Types of Cell Phones |
• Cell Phone Features |
• Cell Phone Brands

All Cell Phone Ratings Subscribers can view and compare all Cell Phone Ratings. Recommended Cell Phones Look at the ones that we chose as the best of the best.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

August 30th, 2010

In today's Digital Dispatch:

Make Free Phone Calls from Gmail (Google Operating System)

Gmail added a long-awaited feature: making phone calls. If you install the voice and video chat plug-in, you can call phones in the US and Canada for free. You can also call in other countries, but you'll have to pay.

New Augmented Reality App Brings Luxury to Your Car for $2.99 (ReadWriteWeb)

…If a car suddenly slows ahead of you, the app will detect the approaching vehicle and warn you. It can also detect other cars in neighboring lanes, and can tell when you change lanes.

Google Voice Telephone Booths Coming to an Airport or College Near You (Mashable)

…As part of its campaign to raise awareness for Google Voice (Google Voice), the company is getting creative. Sometime soon (likely before the end of the year), you’ll start seeing red Google Voice phone booths in public venues, primarily at airports and college campuses.

SkyFire for iPhone To Be Submitted To Apple Next Week? (TechCrunch)

TechCrunch is reporting that SkyFire may be coming to the iPhone. SkyFire is a smartphone browser that brings Flash video and other rich media to devices that would not normally be able to view this content.

Netflix App Adds Support for iPhone, iPod touch (PCMAG)

…The app, which streams the company's "Watch Instantly" library, has previously only been available for the iPad, but can now be accessed on the smaller screens of the iPhone and iPod touch.

Time's 50 Best Websites 2010 (Time)

Lighter side: Stephen Colbert's Internet Privacy Smackdown (GIZMODO)

About Digital Dirk's Dispatches
Dirk Klingner, our technology-trend watcher, sifts through hundreds of blog posts and news articles daily to bring you the Digital Dispatch—a compilation of the most important and interesting tech news for consumers. If you have a tip on a story you want to share, leave a comment below.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

August 30th, 2010

Sony’s new NX810 3D LCD TVs have edge LED
backlights with local dimming.
Photo: Sony

At a press event in New York City last night, Sony showed off a new three-model NX810-series of 3D LCD TVs, which will be available next month. The sets, which all use edge LED backlights that can be locally dimmed, range in price from $2,700 to $4,700.

The 3D TVs will be available in 46-, 55-, and 60-inch screen sizes, and all include Sony’s Motionflow 240 Pro 240Hz technology, built-in Wi-Fi, and its Bravia Internet Video online service. All include a built-in sensor that adjusts the backlight to room lighting conditions.

Like the two Sony 3D models we’ve so far tested—see First Look: New 3D LCD TVs from LG, Sony for our assessment of the sets—these TVs work with Sony’s 3D glasses, which unlike other glasses we’ve tested use just a single polarizer for each lens. As a result, we expect them to perform similarly in the 3D mode to the sets we’ve already seen, which require viewers to keep their heads completely vertical to the screen or significant ghosting (double images) can occur. (See our video: First Test Results of TVs with 3D Capability.)

Here is the model lineup with anticipated pricing:

• Bravia KDL-46NX810, $2,700
• Bravia KDL-55NX810, $3,700
• Bravia KDL-60NX810, $4,700

Keep checking back with our blogs for more information about 3D TVs in general, and for news of when we get these sets in our TV labs for testing.

—James K. Willcox

Next Steps

• TV Buying Advice:
• Types of TVs |
• TV Features |
• TV Brands

All TV Ratings Subscribers can view and compare all TV Ratings. Recommended TVs Look at the ones that we chose as the best of the best.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »