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]

As anyone who has used noise-canceling headphones on a plane can doubtlessly confirm, they make the experience of flying a whole lot less unpleasant. While these sound-blockers can't do much to combat the shrieking baby in the seat next to you (or its shrieking parents, for that matter), they all but remove the low roar of the engines, the hum of the fans, and various (and usually) incessant noises coming from the other electronic devices in use around you as you fly the noisy skies. It sounds like magic, but it's actually pretty simple audio science: Basically, microphones in the headphones monitor the sound around you, and create sound waves which essentially cancel out the noise they pick up. On some flights, in business and first class, they now actually hand them out.

Most of us are economy-class-types, though, so we did our research accordingly and came up with a few options for airborne peace of mind. To boot, all of our picks cost less than the two or more months salary required to fly business class.


BOSE QUIETCOMFORT 2

You see these headphones everywhere – open up any in-flight magazine and you're guaranteed an ad. But Bose does its sound quality thing well. These cans do a great job canceling ambient noises, and music sounds extremely warm and full of bass. Movie dialogue was consistently crisp and clear, and overall sound is very consistent. Unfortunately, there's one major flaw: Unlike the other models featured here, the QuietComfort 2s don't let you listen to music without the noise-canceling tech turned on. When your batteries die, well, so do your headphones. Which is kind of a bummer...especially on planes, where they don't sell replacements. Price: $299.99

BBQ season is nearly upon us. That means a cooler full of beer, meat (or veggie burgers) on the grill, and a five year-old portable stereo outside connected to insanely long, orange extension cord.

But this wireless outdoor solar speaker may help you say goodbye to bulky tangled extension cords forever.

The five-watt speaker has an Earth-friendly solar panel that keeps it full of juice for those long hot nights in the back yard, while a wireless transmitter plugs into your iPod or CD player to broadcast those sweet tunes up to 150 feet.

If you're having trouble figuring out what to listen to, here is a list to get you in that summer mood.

From Tech Digest

We were lucky to get a couple of days to play around with the sexy, new Lenovo U110 ultraportable laptop. It's only 2.3 pounds and, as you can see, small enough to fit into the teeniest of backpacks. It's also one of the slickest looking notebooks we've ever laid our eyes or hands on, with oversized keys that make typing surprisingly smooth (for such a small laptop).

Handling-wise, it's not fair for us to say, since we had access only to a pre-production unit, but with up to 3-gigabytes (GB) of RAM available, the U110 has the potential to be the little computer than could....

What it is: The latest installment in the free-roaming, crime-spree-filled video game series, 'Grand Theft Auto IV' is perhaps the most eagerly anticipated title of all time -- of this year, anyway. And, with the bevy of perfect scores being applied before and since its release, it stands to possibly be the most highly rated game of all time as well -- again at least until some other new top-notch title comes along and changes that. It's also the first game to be numbered as a proper sequel since 'Grand Theft Auto III' wowed gamers (and horrified parents) almost eight years ago. In this most recent entry, players roam pretty much anywhere they want through the streets of a somewhat scaled down New York City, playing the role of a recent immigrant from Eastern Europe. As in the earlier games, players work their way up from small-time crimes to major heists, with the ultimate goal being to make 'Scarface'-worthy names for themselves.

Why it's different: 'GTA IV' is the first of the series to appear on both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, meaning that it blows away the earlier titles in terms of looks. Remember how in the old games buildings would pop into view at the last minute if you were driving quickly? No more; you can see skyscrapers miles away now. Those environments are more detailed, too, as well as the characters within them, who look distinctively more human than the blocky thugs in previous titles.

This is also the first title to officially offer online multiplayer through a handful of modes that range from races around the city to, well, completely disorganized mayhem. Unfortunately, they're separate from the game itself, meaning you won't be going through a mission and bumping into a buddy en-route, but they're still a blast and should give this game plenty of life. If that's not enough for you, though, the Xbox 360 version at least will include downloadable content, adding new territory to explore and missions to complete, meaning this game will continue to grow.

What we like: The new storyline, that of an Eastern European with a checkered past coming to America to escape trouble, only to find even more thanks to his dunder-headed cousin, is definitely appealing. For once the main character is a seemingly humble, likable guy; not a thug or a gangster. The streets of Liberty City, a fictionalized New York City, are familiar (including a subway system Big Apple-dwellers will be able to use without a map) yet diverse and ready for exploring, and being able to walk right into a building without having to sit through a "Now Loading" screen is a huge improvement.

What we don't like: The game is a huge improvement visually over its predecessors, but doesn't come close to comparing to recent graphical powerhouses such as 'Mass Effect'. While the cityscape looks great, as you can tell from the skyline in the above screenshot, the colors and textures are occasionally a bit flat, resulting in terrain that's somewhat dull looking. Cars in particular disappoint, with their blocky fenders and simple, generic lines. But that's somewhat forgivable given the massive scope of the environment and experience here. Also, as much as we enjoy completing them, the missions in general feel a little familiar, like frequent assignments escorting people from A to B, and constant escapes from persistent police officers.

What it costs: $59.99

Does it live up to the hype? There's absolutely no reason why any fan of the 'Grand Theft Auto' franchise would not want to pick this up. It's improved in every way over the earlier versions and the multiplayer modes plus future downloadable content will give this one far more life than any of the earlier games. It's not quite perfect (despite all those 10/10 review scores), but it is damn good. Just about any gamer out there will have a blast exploring Liberty City and working their way through the storyline -- that is except for those who can't stomach committing a few felonies on their way to gaming bliss.

Contrary to popular belief, plenty of high-quality camcorders -- even HD ones -- are available for less than $500. We test drove a bunch of them, and discovered that we liked some better than others. You can check out our top picks in the video above, and our list of favorites includes a range of recording formats including Mini-DV, flash memory, DVD and hard drive-based.

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Hype Check: Palm Centro

What it is: Palm's Centro smartphone is the PDA pioneer's longest leap yet into the world of consumer phones, sporting the functionality of the larger Treo 755p in a smaller candy bar form factor. It has a full QWERTY keyboard, and supports all the features (and third-party applications) Palm users have come to enjoy. A version of the Centro has been out on Sprint, but Palm has turned it into an slower (for data) EDGE device for its AT&T debut.

Why it's different: The phone is considerably smaller, sleeker, and cooler than past Treo devices. There's a huge difference between the feel of the Centro and any other Palm phone: The keys are softer, the body is cleaner, and the interface is even a bit more intuitive. It comes in a rainbow of fruit flavors, and it fits much better in your pocket.

Price: $99 with a two year contract, on the AT&T Web site.

What we like: The Centro is a pretty cool-looking phone -- sorta like what would happen if you cross-bred an Xbox 360 and a Sony Ericsson (in other words, it looks like a business-ready phone that knows how to have fun). Besides being one of the smallest phones on the market with a full QWERTY keyboard, the Centro also has a touchscreen -- not multi-touch, mind you, but still a touchscreen -- which is still a rarity on consumer smartphones (though it should be noted that the touchscreen is better suited for use with the included stylus than with your finger). It's a Palm, meaning it has had most of its quirks ironed out over the years. In addition, Palm has included instant messaging, video, and music applications, as well as easy access (and setup) for your e-mail provider(s) of choice. It's also quite a bargain -- just $99 with a two-year contract.

What we don't like: There's no doubt about it: The keys are too small, and too close together. If you've got modestly-sized fingers, you probably won't find the keyboard be an issue, but for those of us with normal-sized honkers attached to our hands, typing can be pretty tricky. And while the design is nice (especially for a Palm device), it's still pretty thick: Beefier than the BlackJack, iPhone, and Pearl. And while the Palm OS interface is improved over previous Palm devices (particularly the phone part), it's looking increasingly dated. The Web browser, while serviceable, still uses AT&T's EDGE network instead of the faster 3G. There's also a noticeable lag when using the phone: Sometimes you'll wait a full five seconds for it to respond to your input. Annoying.

Does it live up to the hype? If you're riding the AT&T train and want a smartphone that doesn't scream "I wear a suit to work" -- and, for whatever reason, you don't want an iPhone (like, say, its $400 price tag, or perhaps the even more difficult touch-pad typing) -- the Centro may very well be your best choice. It's a more open platform option than Apple's product, which means it has loads of developer- and user-created applications available for download. There's plenty of room for improvement with the Centro, but it's a good step up to the world of mobile e-mail and productivity for anyone who's been using a standard cell phone that only makes phone calls, sends text messages, and takes pictures.

Related Links:

• Palm Centro mixes business with a little pleasure
• Cell phone with foldable screen coming mid-2008
• Sony's new Xperia superphone

While the yet-to-be-invented GPS-enabled remote control will be Man's crowning technical achievement, the Zoombak Advanced GPS locator gets pretty close in the awesome department. The 2.5-oz. device is small enough to fit in your pocket, yet it's powerful enough to send location updates to the Web for five days without a recharge. Watch the video for a demo of how the Zoombak works.

Related Links:

• How to Keep Your Gadgets from Being Stolen
• Thief Steals GPS Unit, Gets Busted When Cops Press 'Home' Button
• Man Fired After GPS Showed He's Not at Work

When we first reported about the upcoming launch of Dr. Dre's Beats high-end headphones, we expected a mix of both parties' aptitude for doing things big and right. We got a chance to take the new skullpods for a test run last night, and our expectations were spot-on.

Sound Quality
Without getting too technical, we can confidently say that the Beats handled all the frequencies thrown at them without flapping on the bass or screeching on the treble. They have a definitive "warmth" to them that may make hardcore audiophiles scream such things as "accuracy" and "flat response," but, frankly, these headphones are designed to sound good on subways and streets. We convinced the Monsters to let us try out some of our own old '70s and '80s music just to see how the Beats handled that -- we weren't disappointed, although they behaved a lot more evenly with modern hip-hop and R&B. All in all, DJs and club-goers will absolutely love the sound quality.

Design & Comfort
These things scream class. With a shiny exterior and high-end ear cups, the Beats are seriously comfortable. While we only had them on for about 10 minutes, we experienced none of the ear fatigue or "hot ears" that other, less well-designed head cans exhibit. They come in a nice, sturdy case and fold up with an assuring "click." The Beats aren't small, though, so don't expect to just throw them in a pocket like you can in-ear headphones. What's more, big headphones like these are questionable as gym accessories.

iPhone Compatibility
Instead of including a call/send/end button and microphone right on the Beasts' cables, Monster has you using a cable adapter that makes things a little annoying, with several wires hanging from your ears and multiple connections to maintain. Performance on calls was also questionable, as we experienced radio interference from the phone's antenna. Hopefully Monster will take the time to add some shielding if they really want to call the Beats iPhone-compatible.

So Are They Worth It?
At $399, these aren't the headphones for just anyone. They are, however, perfect for street-smart, style-conscious, serious hip hop and club music listeners with a little extra cash and a penchant for high-end, high-impact sound. They sound every bit as good and loud as Dr. Dre promised they would, and they look great.

As mentioned, hardcore audiophiles may be disappointed in their hip-hop-friendly bass warmth. Overall, these are a solid entry into the crowded, but long-in-the-tooth high-end headphone set. It's nice to finally see some innovation in a genre of headphones that hasn't seen anything new and exciting in quite some time.

Related Links:

• Dr. Dre and Monster Announce Beats Headphones
• Best Headphones for the Gym

It may look a little strange, but the $600 B&W Zeppelin sounds perfect and sets a new standard for acoustics and ergonomics in the all-in-one iPod dock category.

Hype Check: Amazon Kindle

Last week, Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos unveiled the Kindle, a new electronic book reader that has quickly become one of the hottest gifts of the holiday season (in fact, the device's first run sold out in a mere 5 and a half hours!). We got our hands on one and have been busy browsing, buying, downloading and reading e-books, -magazines, -newspapers, and blogs for the past week so we could report our findings back to you. But is the Amazon Kindle really the iPod of books? Will this new instantly-iconic gadget make a book-lover or info-hound in your life happy this year? Read on to see what found.


What it is: The first electronic book-reading device from Amazon.com, which lets you read your choice of more than 90,000 books, as well as dozens of magazines, newspapers, and blogs, on a 6-inch sized screen. Like the recently upgraded Sony Reader, the Amazon Kindle uses E-Ink, a new type of display that has eschews the typical LCD screen's harsh backlight for a glare-free, book-like experience.

How it works: The Kindle has built-in high-speed 3G network access, so it lets you browse for and download books directly into the device, either by scrolling through genre categories and lists or by searching by author or title (using the included QWERTY keyboard). Book downloads take less than a minute, while newspaper, magazine, and blog subscriptions are downloaded automatically as soon as something new is published. As for reading, you click on the title of a book or article you want to read, then scroll through pages by pressing "next" and "back" buttons on the right and left sides, respectively, of the screen. Maneuvering around content is easy enough since books, magazines, and newspapers are divided into easy to scan chapters, sections, and headlines. Text size can be adjusted to one of six different settings.

Why it's different: E-readers have a bad name because the versions that came out in the late '90s irritated the eyes and never really took off, but the Kindle is part of the new generation of e-readers that uses easy-on-the-eyes E-Ink. The real differentiator, though, for the Kindle, is its ability to let you browse for and download content directly into the device (using a cell phone network, no less). And you just use the same Amazon account you use to buy books and other items on your desktop, so it's oddly reminiscent of that other all-encompassing e-tailer eco-system, iTunes. (The Kindle's wireless service, by the way, is free.) Also, unlike other e-readers, the Kindle is the first to get real newspapers (New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Le Monde), magazines (Time, Atlantic Monthly, Reader's Digest), and even blogs into the e-edition mix.

What we like: Downloads of books are fast (usually around a minute per title). You can try a sample out before you buy for free. Prices for new hardcovers are often more than half what you'd pay for a physical book (about $9.99 a pop). Adjustable text sizes means young and old alike will be able to embrace the future with this thing. The "next" [page] button runs two-thirds of the length of the Kindle's right side, meaning don't have to fumble for the right button to turn a page. E-Ink is truly readable. And, if you don't know what a word means, you can just look it up using the included dictionary! (You can also look up topics with the built-in Wikipedia entries).

What we don't: If you're a big browser and shopper, you'll probably spend more time looking for new books and wearing the battery down than reading. (We got only about a day and a half of battery life with heavy browsing and shopping, but about six days with occasionally 10-15 minute reads and the thing otherwise just lying in our backpack.) Even though it offers 90,000 books, the Kindle Bookstore was surprisingly lacking in many titles we wanted, including anything but the latest book by Jonathan Franzen, travel guides, graphic novels, and even certain new translations of Russian novels we were in hot pursuit for!. Yes, you can basically get the New York Times bestseller list and lots of intriguing and obscure fare, but the Kindle bookstore is far from comprehensive – for now. And we fully expect more than the handful of magazines and newspapers to be offered in the near future. And what's with charging 99 cents to read otherwise free blogs?


Should you get the Sony Reader or the Kindle? Which one is better and how are they different? Well, the Sony Reader is by far the better designed gadget from a looks and heft perspective – it's about half as thin, about three ounces thinner, and comes in a much more attractive leather case. It also offers a screen that we found to be clearer, a silver body that felt solid versus the Kindle's relatively cheap white plastic body, and faster page-turning. But the Sony Reader doesn't have any of the wireless capability that lets you shop on the fly – you have to buy your eBooks on your computer first and then transfer them manually via USB to the Reader. The Reader is also less expensive. We recommend the Reader to anyone who prefers long-form books over magazines, newspapers and up-to-the-minute news stories – it's simply a more pleasurable experience to read with and you can find plenty of books on the Sony Connect store. But anyone who likes their newspapers and magazines as much as they like their books will want the Kindle, without a doubt.

Does the Kindle live up to the hype? Ultimately, yes. We've been using the Kindle for a little over a week now and we have been more or less blown away. We spent almost a whole night downloading books, blogs, newspaper articles and browsing for titles – pretty much the same way we spent all night loading up our iPods with iTunes the first time we gave it a spin. The truth is, this device is a Godsend to anyone who likes daily newspapers or magazines and doesn't want to carry them all around, or anybody who simply likes to read several books at once. And truthfully, we found the newspaper reading experience on the Kindle to be far superior to both real newspapers and newspaper headlines on the Web – the Kindle is lighter than a PC, less awkward to hold than a newspaper (and yet just as portable), and offers the easiest way to scroll through to the articles you actually want to read. It also offers some hope to the increasingly beleaguered print newspaper and magazine industries, not to mention one of the first ways to actually monetize a blog via readers. (Yes, we complained about having to pay for blogs above, but honestly, it's great to be able to catch up on your favorite Internet news sources while on a plane or somewhere else where there's no Internet connection – a convenience we're happy to pay 99 cents a month for!)

Is this a good gift? Since it doesn't require a computer for downloading and the wireless service is included in the price, most definitely yes. The book lover and info-hound in your life will love you for it!

Price and where to get it: $399, from Amazon.

For more great gift ideas, check out the Switched Holiday Gift Guide.

Whether your giftee wants to rock out at the club or work out at the gym, V-Moda's Vibe (and iPhone-compatible Vibe Duo) makes a great choice. Sound quality is higher than many (much) more expensive models (the bass is pretty booming), and the buds fit very snugly in your ears. These $99 buds are also made of solid metal -- unlike your chintzy iPod headphones, which we've broken countless pairs of -- so they can take a beating (and a sweating). They even come with a plastic piece with which to wrap the excess cord, so it doesn't get caught in the spokes of your SoloFlex or random objects in your path, as well as a leather pouch for transport. Oh, and V-Modas come in black and silver, too, if shiny red headphones isn't your thing.

From v-moda

Ideal for cycling enthusiasts who are also safety-conscious (which they should be at the speeds they're going), the new iH85 speaker system ($80) from iHome is a nifty alternative to noise-blocking headphones. It's simple -- just dock your iPod to the circular device, which you then drop into your bike's drink holder and presto, the little bicycle boom-box blasts tunes that you can easily (and safely) control using the included wireless remote. The i85's housing is made of impact-and-water-resistant polycarbonate, since even the best of riders take a spill (especially in the rain!). Just be sure that the rest of the peloton doesn't hate your taste in music.

From iHome

If you ever rent vehicles while traveling, you know that you can tack on an additional $10 a day or so for an optional GPS unit that gives you turn-by-turn directions. Most rental car companies are beginning to feature this option, but the Big Two -- Hertz and Avis -- offer it in almost all of their locations. Not surprisingly, the GPS offerings by Hertz and Avis are different. Which is better? To find out, we test drove the GPS navigators of Hertz and Avis. Check out our findings in the above video.


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Welcome to the first in a series of posts in which we give much-anticipated new gadgets or services a test drive and tell you whether or not they live up to the hype. Today, we set our crticial eyes on Verizon Wireless's VCAST Mobile TV.

What it is: VCAST Mobile TV provides live and continuous TV broadcasts right to your cell phone.

What's on TV: Right now, participating networks include NBC, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, Bravo, Fox, and ESPN. Broadcasts themselves are made-for-mobile feeds that include shows such as CSI, Jericho, 24, The Colbert Report, Law and Order, The Office, and The Simpsons, as well as NCAA baseball, Arena Football, the Summer X Games, and several soaps (Guiding Light, anyone?).

Why it's different: Yes, live TV has been available on cell phones for the past three years from services such as MobiTV, but anyone who's tried out that service knows that its video can be grainy and jumpy (due to slow and over-taxed cell-phone networks). VCAST Mobile TV is uses a new cell-phone chip that picks up TV signals over the airwaves, specifically UHF (for those of you old enough to remember). The result is higher-quality video and the ability to change channels relatively quickly.

Where you can get it: Right now, the service is available in about 22 cities around the country, including Orlando, Dallas, Boston, Seattle, and Las Vegas, but Verizon plans to launch in several other cities in the coming weeks. (We were able to get reception in New York City, where service has not been officially launched).

The phones: Right now, only two phones accept the live TV service. The LG VX9400 is distinctive for its screen that swivels 45-degrees into a widescreen/landscape mode, making the phone look like a "T" (the manufacturer is calling it a "swing bar design"). The more conventional-looking Samsung SCH-u620 is a slider phone with a smaller screen. Both phones have retractable antennas that improve reception.

Price: The service costs $15 a month on top of whatever plan you already have, but if you want the rest of VCAST's offerings (downloadable videos, music, games, and more), you'll pay $25 a month. The LG VX9400 is $199 (after a rebate) with a two-year contract, while the Samsung SCH-u620 is $149 (after a rebate) with a two-year contract.

What we like: We were impressed with the clear and smooth, full-motion-video--absolutely no freeze-ups or lost-picture typical of MobiTV-style cell phone video. The grid-like program guide looks just like the one from the cable company, making changing channels and picking shows a breeze. Also, you can take calls and text messages while watching TV.

What we don't like: Changing channels takes about three seconds--not quite regular TV speed, but almost fast enough to bring back the pre-Tivo glory days of channel surfing. Sometimes, though, with only a half-dozen or so channels, there just wasn't anything on TV we wanted to watch. And though some shows--Today, Late Night with Conan O'Brien--are broadcast at the same time as on regular TV, others, 24 and The Simpsons, were a week old. Unfortunately, taking a call while watching TV means missing out on your TV show (just like back in the day!)

Is it all that? For the most part, Verizon VCAST Mobile TV delivers on its promise: Video quality is high, controls are responsive, and the launch line-up is respectable. And it's perfectly handy for watching programming you might want to watch live--Today, sports--on, say, the morning or evening bus commute. But considering we live in an age of Tivo, DVRs, and downloadable TV from iTunes and others, the appeal of live TV--on your cell phone, home TV, or otherwise--just isn't what it used to be.

When cell phones can save the live TV they're picking up--Tivo-style--then we might be over the moon about VCAST Mobile TV, but right now we can only recommend this service to sports fans and news hounds.