quick

CES: Quick Pod allows hands-free calling, photo taking with phone

LAS VEGAS--People who get tired of holding their iPhones during a lengthy call or who struggle trying to snap a picture of themselves, may find a helping hand (or arm) with a new tripod kit designed for smartphones.

Equipped with a small tripod or monopod and socket, the Quik Pod can hold a smartphone, digital camera, camcorder, or other device with a standard fitting, allowing for hands-free use during phone calls and when snapping photos or videos.

Available from the folks at Fromm Works and being demoed this week at CES, the Quik Pod can also extend the reach of … Read more

Top 10 iPhone games of 2010

With 2010 coming to a close, it's time to look back at some of the greatest games to hit the iOS over the course of the year. I have many more favorites than I've listed in this slideshow, but I guess I have to make a cutoff somewhere. In any case, many factors have contributed to the iPhone becoming one of the greatest gaming platforms yet, and I think it will continue to get even better in 2011.

There's no question that the popularity of the iPhone made game developers see an opportunity to create something special … Read more

Block that app!

Java is aptly named. Like coffee, Java stimulates and enhances in the right amount, but too much of either can give you the jitters. QuickJava is a free Firefox add-on that lets you quickly enable and disable Java and similar content from the Firefox toolbar or statusbar. It can stop Java, JavaScript, Flash, Silverlight, and even image content from loading without having to open any dialogs.

We downloaded and installed QuickJava and restarted Firefox. QuickJava placed six blue icons in the statusbar at the far right edge along the bottom of our Firefox interface, labeled Js, J, F, SL, and … Read more

Quick Take: LG LH450 series

Although we didn't review the LG LD450 series--which includes the 32-inch 32LH450, the 37-inch 37LH450, the 42-inch 42LH450, and the 47-inch 47LH450--we did review the LG LD520 series. The two series are very similar aside from the following.

The LD450 series has a 60Hz refresh rate and no dejudder processing, whereas the LD520 series has a 120Hz refresh rate and does include dejudder (more info). For that reason, the Video Processing section of the review of the LG LD520 series will not apply to the LD450 series. According to LG, the LD450 will still correctly handle 1080p/24 … Read more

Quick Take: Vizio E320VL and E370VL

Although we didn't review the 32- or 37-inch members of Vizio's E0VL series of LCD TVs--the E320VL and E370VL--we did review the 47-inch E470VL, and believe that review will provide some indication of how these smaller models will perform.

The spec sheets of two smaller models differ from the larger, respectively, in terms of native resolution (the smaller models are 1,366x768 pixels, or 720p, and the larger are 1,920x1,080 pixels, or 1080p) response time (5ms vs. 8ms), refresh rate (60Hz vs. 120Hz), and associated dejudder processing. Among these differences, we suspect that only refresh rate … Read more

How to solve iPhone volume problems by cleaning your headphone jack

One frustration many iPhone (or any Apple device with headphones) owners will undoubtedly experience is a situation where their handset remains in headphones mode, despite no headphones being plugged in.

The solution to this problem can be quite easy, though a steady hand is recommended.

Symptoms If this situation occurs, you'll most likely figure it out pretty quickly:

You slide to unlock your iPhone and the "click" sound is not heard. You press the volume buttons to increase or decrease the ringer and the headphones volume setting appears instead. You launch applications, games, or videos that normally … Read more

Nokia focusing on Qt, HTML5 for app development

Nokia is making Qt its sole application development framework and is supporting HTML5--both of which the company says are designed to benefit mobile app developers and customers.

The mobile phone maker said today its Qt decision means that mobile apps will be compatible with future versions of Symbian and MeeGo. Previously, developers could write directly for Symbian or MeeGo, each with its own specific development tools and environment.

With Qt, developers can create apps that runs on both smartphone platforms.

Though Nokia will be switching to the MeeGo platform for its N series of smartphones, the company has said it … Read more

Basic PDF utility

PDF files are a part of just about everybody's life now, but many people don't have applications that are capable of doing much with these files besides viewing them. Quick PDF Tools is a small suite of utilities that lets users do more with their PDF files than just look at them. It's not the most feature-filled program we've ever seen, but it's not a bad choice if you're looking to perform a few basic tasks with your PDFs.

The program appears in the Windows context menu, so all you have to do is … Read more

Quick Take: Sony KDL-EX400 series

CNET did not review the Sony KDL-EX400 series of LCD TVs, which includes the 46-inch KDL-46EX500, the 40-inch KDL-40EX400, and the 32-inch KDL-32EX400, but we did review the KDL-EX500 series, which is similar.

The major difference between the two series is the inclusion of a 120Hz refresh rate and Sony MotionFlow dejudder processing on the EX500 (more info). The EX500 also has a slightly better dynamic contrast ratio specification. Aside from these differences, we expect the picture quality of the KDL-EX500 to provide a very good indication of how the KDL-EX400 will perform.

For more information, see the full review of the Sony KDL-EX500 series. … Read more