September 08, 2005, 3:12 PM PDT
A Verizon Razr?
Posted by: Kent German

CNET readers always are asking me when the Motorola Razr V3 will come to Verizon Wireless (strangely, no one has asked if Sprint will get it). It's a great question, especially since the slim Razr has proved to be immensely popular this year. Although Cingular was the first to offer the phone (it now has a black version as well) and T-Mobile followed this summer, CDMA customers have been left on the sidelines. Unfortunately, Motorola won't comment on rumors that a Verizon Razr is imminent, but the company claims we should see such a phone by the first quarter of next year. It could happen earlier, but no one is saying exactly when we'll see it. But since it's Verizon, I wouldn't put it past the company to limit Bluetooth functionality.

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September 08, 2005, 2:57 PM PDT
Microsoft aims at Intuit's heart
Posted by: Elsa Wenzel

Hoping to attract small-business bookkeepers who use Excel or accounting apps such as Intuit QuickBooks, Redmond released Microsoft Office Small Business Accounting 2006 this week. Will Microsoft's presence in the cutthroat accounting software market kill off popular rivals? Read CNET's review for our verdict. You can buy this bookkeeping app for $179 ($30 less with a rebate before April 2006) or get it bundled with Microsoft Office Small Business Management Edition 2006 for $569 (minus $100 after rebate).

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September 08, 2005, 2:43 PM PDT
Sony's SXRD Grand Wegas: Qualia comes to the middle class?
Posted by: David Katzmaier

Sony earned high marks for its Qualia 006 when the 70-inch rear-projection HDTV bowed earlier this year. The 006 utilizes SXRD--Silicon X-tal (pronounced crystal) Reflective Display--projection technology, a Sony variant of LCoS. Unfortunately, the $13,000 price tag put the Qualia as far from most people's living rooms as a Ferrari is from their driveways. What a difference a few months makes: Sony is highlighting its new "budget" SXRD models at CEDIA. Announced last month, the 50-inch KDS-R50XBR1 ($4,000) and 60-inch KDS-R60XBR1 ($5,000) utilizes the same basic technology as its Qualia predecessor but is much more competitively priced vs. similarly sized plasma, DLP, and LCoS rear-projection models. Yes, you can get a better price on a 1080p DLP, such as the Samsung HL-R5078W or the Mitsubishi WD-52627, but the spread is much closer; if the Qualia 006 is any indication, these Sonys should perform very well. Both are loaded to the gills with features: 1080p resolution, HDMI inputs, CableCard, and built-in ATSC tuners. It remains to be seen whether these middle-class Qualias will energize Sony's slouching TV sales, but delivering cutting-edge technology at a more reasonable price is certainly a step in the right direction.

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September 08, 2005, 2:23 PM PDT
Mitsubishi builds in DVRs
Posted by: David Katzmaier

Mitsubishi is spotlighting its highest-end rear-projection 1080p DLP HDTVs at CEDIA, and while the announcement is old news, it's probably new to you. Comprising the company's Diamond line of rear-projection HDTVs, these four sets incorporate built-in DVRs that can store 16 or 25 hours of high-def programming, depending on the model. They feature two over-the-air ATSC tuners, so you can watch one over-the-air HD show while recording a separate one, but due to the limitations of CableCard--specifically, the current lack of dual-stream and interactive versions--they can tune in or record only one digital cable channel at a time. Compared to dual-tuner HD DVRs from your cable or satellite company, that's a major limitation. If you can get over it and have the cash to spare, however, the Diamond models look about as full-featured as any HDTV on the market.

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September 08, 2005, 2:15 PM PDT
Space weather strikes Earth communicators
Posted by: Molly Wood

Apparently the sun is in a very bad mood this week. Solar flares on Wednesday reached record proportions, and federal officials said they probably disrupted communications on the ground (including emergency services on the Gulf Coast) and could cause more near-term problems. Gather your sun-god offerings now.

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September 08, 2005, 2:11 PM PDT
Food thief, flame war, firings
Posted by: Molly Wood

Two secretaries in Sydney, Australia, were fired after they started an e-mail catfight that swept the company. The two, who took an argument over a stolen ham lunch into "you can't keep a boyfriend" territory, were fired for misusing corporate e-mail. The ham thief got off scot-free.

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September 08, 2005, 1:50 PM PDT
Texas Instruments pushes 1080p DLP
Posted by: David Katzmaier

Update: I went by the DLP booth and stayed for the demo, and as expected, it looked fabulous. They showed 1080p front-projection in both one- and three-chip configurations, and the Sin City sequence in particular looked as sharp as I've ever seen. Afterward. I found out that TI isn't using the same "wobulated" 960x1,080 1080p chip found in its 1080p rear-projection sets; the front-projection chips will have all 1,920x1,080 discrete micromirrors. The company's reps were mum on whether these "full" 1080p chips will be available in rear-projection models anytime soon, but I have no doubt they will.

A couple of announcements at CEDIA were designed to alert the media to the company's 1080p DLP offerings. Texas Instruments manufactures the DLP chips found inside so many front- and rear-projection televisions, and the first announcement trumpeted the widespread availability of 1080p rear-projection sets from manufacturers such as Samsung, Mitsubishi, HP, and Toshiba. More interestingly, it noted that the entire microdisplay rear-projection category, since the first quarter of this year, has surpassed traditional CRT-based RPTVs in sales. The company also announced the availability of 1080p chips for front-projectors--currently these models top out at 720p resolution. The 1080p front-projection chipset will be available in single-chip (with a color wheel) and more expensive three-chip configurations. Current three-chip DLP projectors cost $20,000 and up, so we can only imagine what they'll charge for 1080p.

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September 08, 2005, 1:44 PM PDT
Epson's 3LCD home projectors
Posted by: David Katzmaier

Epson announced four new, LCD-based front projectors at CEDIA, and between them, they hit practically every price point. On the "family" end is the Epson MovieMate 25, an all-in-one front-projection solution that includes a built-in DVD player, an external subwoofer, and an 80-inch pull-up screen. The projector itself is capable of DVD-level 480p output, with native 16:9 support and an adjustable pitch on the X- and Y-axes for easy fine-tuning. The whole package retails for $1,199, and while that's not bad for what you're getting, the unit itself is quite large; it has the white coloring that distinguishes "classy" products of the iPod generation, but the bulky cube shape may not appeal to style-conscious buyers. This model compares with other all-in-one projector/DVD players such as the RadioShack Cinego D-1000.

Epson also announced the step-down PowerLite Home 20; it has a more familiar projector-only form factor, and the lack of a DVD player and included screen brings its cost down to a compelling $999. There's also the 1,000:1 contrast ratio and the 1,200-lumens bulb to consider, both of which vie with competitors in the sub-$1,000 price area. For consumers who already have a DVD player or who like their projectors slim, the PowerLite Home 20 becomes a steal over the MovieMate 25.

Last but not least, Epson unveiled two high-definition projectors with 1,280x720 native resolution (the two models above are 852x480). Priced at $2,499 and $4,499, respectively, the PowerLite Cinema 550 and 800 both offer HDMI connectivity and user-controlled gamma and color-adjustment settings. The only difference lies in the PowerLite 800's superior 5,000:1 contrast ratio and its 1,600-lumens bulb, which trump the 550's 3,000:1 ratio and 1,400-lumens bulb. The Cinema 550 is a compelling option for home-theater aspirants who want high-def resolution and don't want to spend the extra cash for a DLP-based unit such as the Sharp XV-Z2000.

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September 08, 2005, 1:30 PM PDT
CEDIA 2005: Fujitsu's high-end integrated plasmas
Posted by: David Katzmaier

One of the earliest players in the plasma market, Fujitsu is debuting its first pair of plasmas to feature a built-in HDTV tuner and CableCard (Digital Cable Ready) capability. The 42-inch P42XTA51US ($5,999 list) and the 50-inch P50XTA50US ($7,999) buck the trend of relatively inexpensive plasmas from the likes of Panasonic, but Fujitsu's plasmas have a reputation for very good performance--we really liked the P50XHA10 from two years ago. The company is touting its Advanced Video Movement II (AVM-II) processor as "two-and-a-half generations ahead of the competition." Whatever that means, we expect these plasmas to perform well. Both will be available in the fourth quarter of 2005.

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September 08, 2005, 1:22 PM PDT
CEDIA 2005: Onkyo's $400 XM-ready receiver
Posted by: David Katzmaier

Onkyo's lineup of A/V receivers includes four new models that have XM-ready capability, including the $400 (list) TX-SR573. While not the lowest priced XM-ready receiver on the market--that honor belongs to the Yamaha RX-V457--the Onkyo has the distinction of also working with the company's DS-A1 iPod docking station and offering a third component-video input. The company also announced the TX-SR603X ($500), which upgrades the TX-SR602 with XM and iPod dock goodness. They'll hit stores in September. High-end models announced at the show include the TX-SR703 ($800) and TX-SR803 ($1,000). These two models are very similar and include plenty of power, THX Select2 certification, multizone operation, and automatic setup; the step-up TX-SR803 adds HDMI switching for two sources but no upconversion to HDMI. Both will be available in October.

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