testing

RIM: Over 50 carriers testing BlackBerry 10 now

Research In Motion said today that more than 50 carriers are testing its BlackBerry 10 platform, a critical step to getting its next-generation smartphones in the market next year.

RIM reiterated the company's target of releasing its two BlackBerry 10 smartphones in the first quarter of next year.

Carriers need to test the platform and RIM's products before certifying it for use on their networks, a process known as "Lab Entry." The process, which could take anywhere from a week to several weeks and varies depending on carrier partner, is mandatory for any mobile operating system, … Read more

Screens test, part 2: Galaxy Note 2 vs. Apple iPhone 5

The mondo Samsung Galaxy Note 2 now provides another reason for Android geeks and image quality purists to let their phablet phanboy phreak phlags phly.

The Note 2 is capable of color accuracy that, when combined with the superior contrast of the OLED screen technology, puts it on the same picture quality plane as the Apple iPhone 5.

In the first test I praised the screen of the iPhone 5 as superior to that of the Note 2's too-red-headed stepchild, the Galaxy S3. The iPhone's biggest advantage over the S3 was in color accuracy, but according to my measurements its lead in that area over the Note 2 has been nearly erased.

Unfortunately, the Note 2's accurate color isn't available by default. You have to go into the Settings menu and find "Screen mode," select "Movie," save, back out, deselect "Auto adjust screen tone," and prepare to overcome your initial impression that colors look worse. My recommendation: check out a photo of a loved one in Movie and then again in the default Standard mode, and notice how much more realistic his or her face looks.

As I said the first time around, accurate color isn't for everyone. But unlike on the U.S. version of the Galaxy S3, at least it's an option on the Note 2.

… Read more

Always On torture-test giveaway: One iPhone 4S (bricked)

I hear a lot of geeks make jokes about "really pretty paperweights." Even some Android fans have been known to refer to the iPhone that way, just for amusement. In this case, it's ... kind of true.

We put the iPhone 4S through the normal battery of tests back in season 1, and it was relatively tough, despite a nasty purple line on the screen after being dropped. But its unibody construction meant we could never dry it out enough to save it from a spin in the washing machine.

But I believe in miracles, and I'm … Read more

iPhone 5 and Galaxy S III head to head... in a blender

Just when I thought the iPhone 5 versus Samsung Galaxy S3 torture head-to-head trend couldn't go any further, Blendtec has upped the ante again.… Read more

Episode 18: The Galaxy Note 2 and a ThinkPad torture test

When Samsung debuted the Galaxy Note last year at CES, the phone met with, well, a mountain of mockery.

It was inexplicably huge, it came with a stylus, hallmark of the hopelessly unhip, and worse, pundits took to calling it a "phablet" -- half phone, half tablet. It appeared to be a product in search of a market it could never, ever hope to find.

We were wrong. The Note found a following, and Samsung reportedly sold 20 million of the funny little things. That's pretty good for a tweener device with no known purpose.

And here … Read more

Screens test: Apple iPhone 5 vs. Samsung Galaxy S3

The two top dogs in the smartphone world right now are the Apple iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S3. My doughty CNET colleagues have thoroughly reviewed and compared each one, but so far we hadn't actually sat down to measure the performance of their screens. Until now.

I subjected the screens of multiple GS3 and iPhone 5 samples to a series of measurements using the same state-of-the-art gear and software I use to evaluate and calibrate TV screens. The phone screens are quite a bit smaller, but the process is very similar.

While I found major differences between the two, and advantages and disadvantages to each, my tests indicated that in general the iPhone 5's screen is better than that of the Galaxy S3. I'll be more specific.… Read more

Episode 17: Kindle-palooza!

Last month Amazon.com's CEO Jeff Besos, unveiled the new Kindle line, complete with new updates to the current Kindles and an 8.9" Fire. Naturally, Molly bought all of the new kindles, including the "revolutionary" Paperwhite!

We unboxed the 7" Kindle Fire a few episodes back, and now it was time to enter it into our torture chamber. That Kindle Fire really took a beating from us, and we were all shocked to see it survive. I personally would be using it right now, but agree with Molly. It's just too WIDE to … Read more

Episode 16: Torture-testing the iPhone 5

Everyone else is excited about this being the episode where we torture test the iPhone 5 -- and believe me, I get that, it's pretty exciting. And it was a pretty dramatic test, to be sure, I think you'll be surprised at the combination of tough and not tough displayed by that phone.

But for me, this episode is all about the America's Cup piece! That's just selfish, though; it's because I had such a great time riding on that catamaran -- and I do think the broadcasting tech is fascinating. America's Cup racing … Read more

Always On torture test giveaway: MacBook Air (slightly damaged)

... it only comes on when it's plugged in. Hey, but I'm pretty sure it's just a battery issue, so I bet it's a pretty easy fix, and you'll have yourself a really tough-looking MacBook Air! Me, I'd enter to win it, for sure. And it's not like it's our Nexus 7 or anything. That's coming later.

So, if you'd like to be the proud owner of the Always On Collector's Edition MacBook Air, just enter to win in the comments below! In our last giveaway, we proffered the iPad … Read more