review

Sony Ericsson TM506 reviewed

Last week we told you that T-Mobile launched the Sony Ericsson TM506. Over the past couple days we've had the opportunity to put it through its paces, and on the whole we like what we see. The design is simple, but attractive, and the feature set offers an admirable set of options including Assisted GPS.

But the biggest news is that the TM506 is the carrier's first 3G phone since it launched its 3G network last May. The TM506 brings wide support for wireless broadband networks, but we're disappointed that it supports only three GSM bands for … Read more

SkiTech review: North Face Explosivo and Hetch Stretchy jackets

Last week Ubuntu's Mark Shuttleworth and I hit the slopes of Las Lenas, Argentina. The North Face kept us warm for the trip with The North Face Explosivo and Hetch Stretchy jackets. In seriously rough weather (fierce winds part of the time, around nine feet of new powder the rest of the time), The North Face Explosivo and Hetch Stretchy jackets rocked.

Verdict? Two thumbs way up.

Both the 2008/09 Explosivo and Hetch Stretchy jackets are heavier than The North Face jackets I reviewed last year. You won't need to layer with either the Explosivo or Hetch Stretchy jackets, except perhaps in extreme cold weather conditions. I suspect both jackets would serve particularly well for many reading this blog, i.e., people who hit the slopes once or twice in the season and so don't want to have to buy multiple layers of snow clothes, but want zero chance of getting cold when they do go.

Either the North Face Explosivo or Hetch Stretchy jacket will keep you warm around town, but then outperform on the slopes.

How well? The second day in Las Lenas, it snowed hard all day long, as shown below. I heard some reports that Las Lenas received up to nine feet (!!!). While we only skied in three feet of that, it was more than enough to suggest that both the Explosivo and Hetch Stretchy jackets are excellent ski jackets.… Read more

What we Craved this week

If you have a short memory or didn't have time to catch up on Crave this week (editor's note: for shame!), no worries, we've got you covered. Here's a look back at some of the truly interesting, strange, and wonderfully silly stories we Craved.

• An iPod powered by Vodka. Seriously.

• We checked the CNET archives: turns out we've heard this newfangled-disc-will-never-catch-on argument before.

• Lots of Xbox news this week, some fact, some speculation.

What we do know: there will be a 160GB Xbox 360 this fall.

What we hope is true: price cuts on existing … Read more

Week in review: Apple's mea culpa?

Apple has a message for its customers: let us make it up to you.

In an apparent attempt to make up for the problems that plagued MobileMe's launch in July, Apple has announced that it will extend user accounts another 60 days for free--that's on top of the 30-day free extension Apple gave users in July.

In an e-mail sent to MobileMe subscribers announcing the extension, Apple acknowledged that the Web services suite needs more work:

We have already made many improvements to MobileMe, but we still have many more to make. To recognize our users' patience, … Read more

Vizio SV470XVT LCD HDTV cuts the price of 120Hz

Vizio isn't known for high-end HDTVs. The by-now-ubiquitous flat-panel HDTV name made its hay selling cut-rate LCDs and plasmas at Costco and then Wal-Mart, avoiding the big-box electronics specialty chains like Best Buy to focus on reaching out the the bargain-hunting masses. The strategy paid off with sales strong enough to challenge heavyweights like Samsung and Sony.

… Read more

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T700 is good marriage of camera and portable photo album

The new Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T700 is sort of a combination of two other Cyber-shots: the DSC-T2 and DSC-T300. The T700 rightfully replaces the T300 in Sony's lineup and has much of that camera's hardware, including an improved version of its 3.5-inch touch-screen display. From the T2 the T700 gets 4GB of internal memory. The result is an ultracompact pocket camera that doubles as a portable photo album.

At first I saw the $399.99 T700 as maybe a bit too much of a niche and was unsure it wouldn't be able to be both a good … Read more

This week in Crave-land

If you have a short memory or didn't have time to catch up on Crave this week (editor's note: for shame!), no worries, we've got you covered. Here's a look back at some of the truly interesting, strange, and wonderfully silly stories we Craved.

• Nicole Lee dunked the Verizon G'zOne Boulder in water--on purpose.

• Logitech's new V550 Nano travel mouse hitched a ride on a laptop.

• Free your thumbs, BlackBerry users, the rest will follow.

• Surprise player at the Beijing Olympics: the Blue Screen of Death. Sort-of-surprise player at … Read more

Week in review: Static on the iPhone line

The iPhone 3G is proving to be a gold mine for Apple, but some users feel like they are getting the shaft.

Apple has raked in about $30 million in sales of iPhone applications in the one month since the company opened its App Store and brought the iPhone 3G onto the market, according to CEO Steve Jobs. And Jobs sees big numbers ahead, if Apple continues its current pace of selling an average of $1 million worth of applications per day. At that rate, Apple would reap up to $360 million by the first anniversary of the launch of … Read more

What we Craved this week

If you have a short memory or didn't have time to catch up on Crave this week (editor's note: for shame!), no worries, we've got you covered. Here's a look back at the truly interesting, strange, and wonderfully silly gadgets we checked out.

• OMG, no way: You hate the idea of buying a standalone Blu-ray player.

• I have waaaay too many USB keys on my desk. I'd feel better about it if they were all made like this.

• Some people have a lot of time on their hands. And then there's … Read more