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Hot products of May 2006
By Scott Ard(June 13, 2006)
CNET editors reviewed and rated dozens of products last month. These are the 10 that were most popular with our readers.
Editors' rating: 8.0 out of 10
The good: The Motorola Q boasts a sexy, ultrathin design and features a sharp display, a full QWERTY keyboard, EV-DO support, and a sharp multimedia functionality. The Windows Mobile 5 smart phone also has integrated Bluetooth, a speakerphone, a 1.3-megapixel camera, and solid call quality.
The bad: The Motorola Q lacks integrated Wi-Fi and analog roaming, and you can't use its Bluetooth as a wireless modem. The screen also tends to hold a lot of smudges, and there's no option for a cameraless version at this time.
The bottom line: The Motorola Q lives up to much of the hype by offering good call quality, an excellent multimedia experience, and the essential productivity tools, all wrapped up in a sexy little package.
Editors' rating: 7.2 out of 10
The good: Thin and light; robust software package, including Mac OS X Tiger; magnetic lid latch and scrollable touch pad; DVD burner; built-in Webcam; remote control; can run Windows XP using Apple's free Boot Camp utility.
The bad: Nonnative software runs slowly on Mac OS; lacks media card reader and some other ports; higher-end configurations are much more expensive than similarly configured Windows laptops; only 90 days of toll-free tech support.
The bottom line: With the MacBook, Apple has corrected a handful of the iBook's shortcomings, hit a reasonable price point, and delivered a laptop that makes a great compromise between size and portability.
Editors' rating: 7.8 out of 10
The good: Excellent image quality; top-notch build quality; quick performance.
The bad: Basic feature set.
The bottom line: Despite its no-frills feature set, the Canon PowerShot SD600 delivers quality photos and strong performance in a small package.
Editors' take: Microsoft releases the first public beta of its new Windows Vista operating system.
Editors' rating: 7.7 out of 10
The good: The Palm Treo 700p boasts EV-DO support, a 1.3-megapixel camera, increased memory, a sharp display, and Bluetooth 1.2. The smart phone can also be used as a wireless modem and has solid call quality.
The bad: The Palm Treo 700p lacks integrated Wi-Fi and runs the stale Palm OS 5.4.9. Also, Sprint has no plans to offer a cameraless version at this time.
The bottom line: With EV-DO support, increased memory, and enhanced multimedia capabilities, the Palm Treo 700p makes a powerful smart phone even better. Sure, it's not perfect, but the solid performance and new features make it worth the upgrade.
Editor's take: More than just a pretty face, the Motorola Razr V3 backs up its radical design with solid features and excellent performance. See CNET's review for a full analysis.
Editors' rating: 7.8 out of 10
The good: Great performance and pictures; effective image stabilization; attractive, comfortable design.
The bad: No aperture-priority or shutter-priority modes; awkward optical viewfinder and power button.
The bottom line: The Canon PowerShot SD700 IS has practically everything you could want in a compact camera, though you might think the price tag a bit steep.
Editors' rating: 7.5 out of 10
The good: Deep blacks; decent video processing; accurate color that doesn't overaccentuate red; generous connectivity with two HDMI inputs; aspect-ratio control with HD sources.
The bad: Depth of black fluctuates depending on how much bright content is in a given scene; no PC input or picture-in-picture.
The bottom line: The Panasonic TH-42PX60U sets the standard for value among full-featured 42-inch plasmas.
Editors' rating: 8.7 out of 10 
The good: Sleek and stylish, the iRiver Clix offers a unique, intuitive interface and comes with extras such as an FM radio; a voice recorder; an alarm clock; support for OGG files and subscription content; and photo, video, and text viewing. The Clix includes SRS Wow sound effects, it has good battery life, and it's priced competitively.
The bad: The iRiver Clix's ample screen is a magnet for fingerprints, and the device maxes out at only 2GB. The cool and useful cradle is sold separately.
The bottom line: The iRiver Clix is a superbly designed MP3 player that's easy to use and packed with pretty much every feature in the book. If you're looking for a stylish Janus-compatible device and you don't need a boatload of storage, this is your player.
Editors' rating: 8.8 out of 10
The good: Relatively deep, clean blacks; accurate color decoding and flat grayscale; full HDTV resolution; excellent feature package; generous connectivity, including PC input; extensive picture adjustments.
The bad: Blacks are not quite as good as those of the best DLP rear-projection sets; inaccurate primary colors; cannot accept 1080p signals.
The bottom line: By today's standards, the Sony KDS-R60XBR1 is expensive, but its fabulous performance and feature set make it well worth the price for early adopters.
Editors' take: Nintendo's GameCube successor utilizes a unique a new, motion-sensitive based control scheme for its better-looking games and will have a huge catalog of classic titles.
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