review

When we chose the Vizio VP505VXT as one of three finalists for Best in Show among HDTVs at CES 2008, it was due to three letters on the TV's spec sheet: HQV." That well-known video processing brand made the 50-inch plasma pretty compelling on paper.

Now that we've had a chance to review the VP505XVT, it's not HQV that floats our boat: it's this plasma's great overall price-to-performance ratio. At a list price of $1500, it's a great value, and we expect that price to fall a couple hundred on the sales floor at Costco. It will have to, because competing, name-brand 50-inch 1080p plasmas like the Panasonic TH-50PZ85U, the Samsung PN50A550 and the LG 50PG30 are also in the same price ballpark.

In our tests the Vizio delivered excellent black levels--as good as anything from Panasonic and better than the other two--and while it didn't have the color accuracy of the Samsungs, it was still pretty good in that category. HQV processing held its own, but we wouldn't consider it a major reason to buy this TV. The Vizio just gets the basics right, and that's what it's all about.

Read the full review of the Vizio VP50XVT.

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The Samsung Eternity for AT&T is the latest in a flurry of Samsung touch-screen phones to arrive at U.S. carriers. And now, after its debut five days ago, we've had the opportunity to give it a thorough shake-down.

Like the Samsung Instinct, the Behold and the Delve, the Eternity (aka the SGH-A867) offers a vibrant touch screen, a sleek design, and multimedia features. But it also shows its individuality by offering AT&T Mobile TV and a couple of design tweaks. The result is a solid multimedia device, but lacking Wi-Fi and full e-mail support, … Read more

Citysearch, the online business directory owned by Barry Diller's IAC/InterActiveCorp, has gotten a full makeover. It's available now at beta.citysearch.com--there's a more streamlined and Ajax-y interface, but a few important features have been tweaked as well. According to company representatives, this is about a year and a half in the making.

First of all, instead of focusing on a select number of metro areas, Citysearch has expanded to a whopping 75,000 towns and neighborhoods, meaning that you can narrow down your focus to New York's East Village or Los Angeles' Culver … Read more

How small is it?

The main front L/R satellites and rear surround speakers are awfully tiny, a mere 4.7 by 3.5 by 3.5 inches; the center is just a wee bit bigger, 3.5 by 5.9 by 3.5 inches. That's great, but little speakers usually sound awful, and not just because they don't make any bass. Most have a nasal-aggressive tonal balance, and even though the subwoofer supplies bass you usually hear a gigantic "hole" in the system's bass response. That, or it's just too darn difficult to … Read more

This story has been corrected from the original, which stated that PowerReviews Express collects reviews from other sites that use PowerReviews on behalf of its customers. It does not.

Citing research showing that customers are more likely to buy items online after they've read a few user reviews, both PowerReviews and BaazarVoice are expanding their services that collect and distribute user reviews.

PowerReviews, which I've covered favorably in the past, is taking its user reviews service and making it available to smaller retailers. As before, the company makes a module that retailers can plug into their stores to … Read more

If you like your TVs like you like your, er, partners--slim, stylish, and expensive--then you're a good candidate for the Hitachi UT37X902. At a mere 1.5 inches thick, this thinnest of all LCDs costs a bundle but looks better turned off than just about any TV we've ever reviewed.

It's no slouch when turned on either, with decent black levels and color accuracy for the 37-inch LCD breed, but (isn't there always a "but"?) we couldn't help but complain about one important aspect of its design. The UT37X902 is just a "monitor," meaning it has no built-in tuner and, more importantly, includes just two inputs: one HDMI and one analog VGA for PCs. That's fine if you just want to connect a cable or satellite box and forget it, but for other gear, you'll need additional inputs. That's where the optional AV Center, a $300 breakout box, comes in.

So how does the AV Center work? What other juicy details can we provide about the TV's picture quality? And is that 1.5-inch number really accurate?

Read the full review of the Hitachi UT37X902.

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I'm not a fan of Malcolm Gladwell's earlier books, Blink and Tipping Point. His "insights" tend to be obvious and provide little predictive power (i.e., knowing his theory does nothing to help you plot your way to success). Indeed, the most they provide is rear-view mirror insight into why something might have happened.

Gladwell's new book, Outliers, is no different, but I find it more interesting, perhaps in part because it helps to explain a complex subject in pithy prose. As The Wall Street Journal details in an engaging book review, Outliers identifies the necessary traits of successful people, only two of which do people have any control over. The last? Well, it's a matter of happenstance:

...[S]uccess seems to stem as much from context as from personal attributes. Intrinsic ability appears to be a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for exceptional achievement. It also helps to be born at the right time--the 1830s for titans of industry, the 1950s for computer whizzes--and in the right home environment, with the right cultural heritage. But the elements of success are not all matters of happenstance and talent: Hard work (practicing a skill for at least 10,000 hours) is essential, too, as even Mozart discovered....… Read more

Yeah, we know: You've got grown-up concerns like checking your 401(k) value, and getting advanced tickets to see Quantum of Solace this weekend.

So we understand you probably didn't keep up with Crave as religiously as usual this week. But no worries--we've got a quick roundup of what you missed.

• A $300 laptop before Black Friday?

• A Storm is a-brewin' starting November 21.

• WoW, those are some intricate, well-thought-out costumes.

• American Airlines says it's OK to use your phone as a boarding pass.

• Survey says: the BlackBerry has twice as many issues as the iPhone. … Read more

The ailing economy is rippling through the tech arena in the form of layoffs, cutbacks, and consolidation.

Struggling electronics chain Circuit City announced that it has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, allowing it to hold off creditors while it attempts to restructure its finances. Circuit City on Monday said it has negotiated a commitment for a $1.1 billion debtor-in-possession revolving credit facility to supplement its working capital.

Circuit City announced earlier this month that it would shutter 155 stores and lay off 17 percent of its workforce. The retailer said it will eliminate an additional 700 positions in … Read more