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Engadget

Motorola Krave ZN4 Review Roundup

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 15th 2008 at 2:07PM


We had a feeling we'd get a mixed bag of reviews as soon as we first saw the Motorola Krave ZN4 -- it's one of those love it or hate it type things, you know? In some cases, reviewers chose to focus on the positives, noting that it was cute, unique, a good music player and a phone that would last and last without a recharge. Another batch of critics couldn't hold back the whip, pointing out that it lacked Wi-Fi, packed a lackluster browser, included yawn-worthy software and offered a keyboard that was "straight-up awkward."

As expected, overall ratings hovered between just below average to just above average, and it seems this phone will be exactly what you make it out to be. Moto fans will likely have plenty to cheer about, but those without a dog in the fight may want to give the writeups below a more thorough glance before dropping $149.99 and agreeing to a super-sized 2-year commitment.

Read - PC Magazine
Read - PhoneScoop
Read - Laptop Mag
Read - DigitalTrends
Read - CNET
Engadget

Tom Bihn's TSA-Approved Checkpoint Flyer Laptop Bag Reviewed

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 8th 2008 at 11:39AM


We could tell from the press shot that this here laptop bag was far and away the most beautiful of the TSA-approved bunch, and a recent review over at Gadling confirms it. Put simply, the Tom Bihn Checkpoint Flyer is "fantastic," and even the reviewer found himself startled at just how much he dug it. The build quality was remarkable, the ease of use was commendable and the design itself was obviously worthy of praise.

The only real rub is the bloated sticker; the price of admission is a stiff $220, and that's before you add in any useful straps or extra packing cubes. 'Course, you're probably wondering how this thing fared in real-world use, and we're happy to report that no cavity searches were required when passing through security on a flight from Chicago to Amsterdam. Check the full writeup and a hands-on gallery in the read link.
Engadget

First iPhone Reviews Are In, and They're Mixed

by Joshua Topolsky, posted Jul 9th 2008 at 9:26AM


Well this was bound to happen. Ahead of schedule, Walt Mossberg has turned his official review of the new iPhone 3G, and we've got the recap. On the whole, Walt stays mostly positive about the device; he likes the form factor (which he wants to stress really hasn't changed much), says the 3G speeds are a big improvement over EDGE (no kidding?), and informs us that the audio quality and phone reception are -- thankfully -- improved all around. Downsides? There are plenty. Mossberg takes issue with AT&T's new pricing policy, which he finds steep, says he barely squeezed 4 hours and 27 minutes of talk time out of the battery, and gripes that you can only sync Exchange or personal calendars and contacts -- not both. If you're like us, you'll probably want to just read the whole thing. Too lazy? Check the video after the break.

Update: David Pogue of the New York Times has also turned in a kinda-sorta review of the iPhone 3G, though it reads more like an overview of its features than a honest-to-goodness critique. He also makes passing reference to the GPS antenna being "too small" to function as a proper GPS, which makes roughly zero sense to us. Feel free to figure it out on your own.

Update 2: Can't forget Ed Baig of USA Today, who says the new model is "worth the wait" (not to say we have any option at this point anyway, seeing how hard it is to find an original anywhere). He seemed to have trouble picking up 3G service in some locations, though it's not clear whether that can be chalked up to technical issues with the handset or a lack of coverage where he was testing. Like the others, Baig discovered a noticeable improvement in audio quality and a noticeable hit in battery life when hooked up to the 3G network. Gotta pay to play, we guess. [Source: AllThingsD]

Continue reading First iPhone Reviews Are In, and They're Mixed

'Halo 3' Receives Thumbs Up Across the Web

by Tom Conlon, posted Sep 24th 2007 at 5:36PM

'Halo 3' Reviews Are Thumbs Up Across the Web

Tonight, at midnight 'Halo 3' officially lands on Earth to annihilate the free time, personal relationships and productivity of its loyal throng of followers. Many will be lined up outside of stores like Best Buy and EB Games hoping for a taste of glory, while others will have their fingers crossed that their pre-orders for the most pre-ordered game of all-time are honored. Whether you're the former, the latter or just plan on grabbing a copy when the hype dies down, we've compiled reviews from the Web's top gaming critics to give you a sneak peek at the next month of your life.

GameDaily
Score: 9
Review highlights: "This one largely lives up to the hype ... 'Halo 3's single-player adventure surpasses its prequels by combining the best elements from the previous games ... Up to four people can play through the coop game simultaneously over local LAN or online through Xbox Live. This completely redefines 'Halo 3's campaign experience ... Our only complaint was that many of the environmental themes - forest, beach, inside alien compounds - seem overly familiar, like remixed levels from the previous games."
Full Review

Gamespot
Score: 9.5
Review highlights: "Satisfying storyline that simultaneously provides closure while making you wonder what will happen next ... Four-player online co-op is a lot of fun ... Forge mode map editor lets you do some extremely crazy and unexpected things ... Rewinding saved films doesn't work quite like you'd expect it to ... AI-controlled Marines can't drive to save their lives (or yours)."
Full Review

1up.com
Score: 10
Review highlights: "'Halo 3's campaign is better in every way imaginable ... 'Halo 3' finishes without the fairy-tale finale of 'Return of the Jedi,' keeping the storyline sophisticated and respectable by video game standards (just make sure to stay tuned after the credits are done rolling) ... It certainly won't be drawing in any new fans to the series; there's hardly any setup, recapping, or reminders of who the cast is."
Full Review

Game Informer
Score: 9.75
Review highlights: "Unprecedented multiplayer options, an innovative video recording feature, and heretofore unseen console mod tools, 'Halo 3' lives up to every bit of its ever-expanding reputation. However, a few small disappointments chip away at the game's shot at perfection."
Full Review

IGN
Score: 9.5
Review highlights: "No question that it is a worthy conclusion to the most successful trilogy in video-game history. But just like that girl you dated in college, 'Halo 3' has some issues. Don't worry; the good far outweighs the bad ... Though you will still need to backtrack in a few areas, it's not as tedious as in previous iterations. The levels in 'Halo 3' lend to spectacular pacing that weaves from close-quarters, intense battles with Chief and a few soldiers, to more epic arenas ... Most of the nine levels are hunky-dory, but the penultimate chapter is so bad, just thinking about it puts a rotten taste in my mouth."
Full Review

Also check out Joystiq's pre-review of Master Chief's last stand.

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Blogger Sued for Negative Book Reviews

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Aug 22nd 2007 at 9:11AM

Blogger Sued for Negative Book ReviewsLibel suits are notoriously tough to argue, and even more so when the target of the suit is a critic. The dictionary defines 'libel' as:

A written or oral statement about another which is malicious and false and will do harm to that person or his/her reputation, by tending to bring the target into ridicule, hatred, scorn or contempt of others.

Professional reviewers don't normally get targeted for libel, since tearing apart other people and their work tends to be part of the job requirement. But, that's not stopping author Stuart Pivar, who is suing the Seed Media Group and Paul Z. Myers for a pair of negative blog posts about Mr. Pivar's books 'Lifecode: The Theory of Biological Self Organization' and 'Lifecode: From Egg to Embryo by Self-Organization.'

Myers's review of 'Lifecode: The Theory of Biological Self Organization' was a whole-heartedly negative affair. The only positive things Myers -- a PHD holding University of Minnesota professor -- had to say about the book was that the binding was of high quality and the scientifically inaccurate illustrations were very pretty. When Pivar's 'Lifecode: From Egg to Embryo by Self-Organization' landed on Myers's desk, things turned downright vicious. Myers had the following to say:

"The doodles in this book bear absolutely no relationship to anything that goes on in real organisms, but after staring at them for a while, I realized what this book is actually about. This book is a description of the development and evolution of balloon animals. It's that bad. This is a book suitable only for use at clown colleges, and even there, I suspect the clowns would tell us that it is impractical, nonsensical, and has no utility in their craft."

Ouch!

The question is, whether this actually constitutes libel. As a reviewer and a qualified critic of the science behind the book, did Myers intentionally and maliciously set out to make Pivar look like a fool? Can Pivar come up with the evidence to show that Myers's assertions about the science behind 'LifeCode' are false? There are many dimensions to the case, not the least of which is a question of journalistic integrity and freedom of speech. Imagine if Microsoft could sue us for our lukewarm review of Windows Live Hot Mail. Trust us, we'll be keeping an eye on this one.

From Boing Boing

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