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1. 44 44 SAMSUNG LT P468W 46 INCH This whoppers superhigh resolution displays all 1 080 lines of the top HD format Most flat panels squish them into 720 or 768 lines Heavy black tones captured the loneliness of space while punchy colors and contrast complemented bright scenes But it fails to show gradual transitions of color in some DVD film scenes 9 999 www samsungusa com 00000 SONY KDL 42XBR950 42 INCH The do it all giant LCD has arrived Facial details and skin tones were lifelike in the Chris Rock comedy Head of State The Cartoon Network s Aqua Teen Hunger Force startled us with arresting color And Xbox games appeared three dimensional Although WIRED WIRED 1 920 x 1 080 pixel resolution Bright image DVI and HDMI inputs Dark grays are coarse Subtle colors abut unevenly especially with digital input Lacking a wide range of shades images don t have much depth Built in HDTV tuner Memory Stick slot for loading JPEG photos MPEG 1 videos and MP3 audio Slick silver metallic remote more fluid look of plasma 900000 the Sony smooths out film well we still prefer the 10 000 www sonystyle com Y TIRED Won t save unique settings for each source you can t custom calibrate for your DVD player and HDTV signal for example Glossary The ABCs of HDTV Here s the jargon you should know before you make that big purchase 480i A format for VHS DV
2. COMPUTING AND GAMING SPECIALTY PCs Gaming PCs If lightning fast frame rates and sizzling CPUs get your blood up you want a PC with the guts for glory But remember Zing and bling demand a lot of ka ching QUICK TIP FALCON NORTHWEST MACH V Looking like an 84 Camaro our Mach V came in deep purple though Falcon Northwest will coat it in any tint The Nvidia GeForce 6800 Ultra graphics card is boss but the 3 6 GHz Intel Pentium 4 limited onscreen action to 132 frames per second in Unreal and 53 fps in Far Cry at 1 280 x 1 024 resolution fast but not fast enough for the price 5 207 www falcon nw com 900000 VELOCITY MICRO RAPTOR 64 SPECIAL EDITION For top speed this is your flyboy With the latest 64 bit AMD chip and Nvidia GeForce 6800 Ultra graphics card it screamed through kill after kill in Unreal flipping 180 fps at 1 280 x 1 024 far outpacing the others The single small exhaust fan made us worry about processor meltdown though things stayed cool in our tests 4 029 www velocitymicro com 900000 VOODOO RAGE The Rage s aluminum case is anodized black as night and the guts tinted bloodred lt features a 2 4 GHz 64 bit AMD chip like the Raptor 64 but with half the cache buffer The Nvidia GeForce 6800 GT card though not top of the line still raced Voodoo s box into second place in our ratings churning 58 fps in Far Cry to the Velocity s 65 fps and 155 fps in
3. REPRESENTS automatically routed to voicemail and feature rich You can retrieve be had and the basic monthly and its easy to use Area codes voicemail set up call forwarding amp fee includes faxing Unfortunately from 39 states and DC are available and maintain an address book the online account management 30 per month for unlimited But you cant send faxes features are few US and Canadian calls 40 per month for unlimited US calls 520 per month for unlimited US and www callvantage com WWW verizon com voicewing Canadian calls www packet8 net 900000 900000 90000 UIRED TEST Digital Camera Essentials 0 x a lt x o amp E cr Oa eS eq p Pocket Sized Cameras Small enough to take anywhere these slim cams pack enough features to satisfy anyone from the point and shooter to the professional on holiday 3 AND 4 MEGAPIXEL CAMERAS Y lt CANON POWERSHOT A85 WIRED Intended as an entry level 4 megapixel quick Enlarges playback images up snap the A85 surprised us It provides fast shutter to 10X Flash and ambient light mix response low noise even at 150 400 sensitivity nicely Excellent pictures in low and smart focusing Naturally lit pictures come light Takes AAs out at higher quality than those from other pocket cams Its main drawback pudginess V TIRED 299 www canonusa com Slow autofocus with moving 90
4. dy d dv pd y a 1 ou n bs m de te e e ay GE La 2 c 1 ai 6 K vi RN i I i i LS LA A TL f d Pi vu GR ki AUT jie SS un ga EMT rt LT p j s E j Headphones are fine when you re on a plane but you ll want one of these baby 4 blasters when you re baking on the beach or hanging at the hotel Cathy Lu ALTEC LANSING CREATIVE SONY SRS T88 INMOTION M3 TRAVELSOUND i300 This portable kit is handsome light Slip your iPod into the inMotion s slot The TravelSound 1300 puts smooth and compact And it comes with and you ve got an elegant boom box clean sound in a damn cute package a convenient case and a world volt that also functions as a dock for syncing Its perfect for the office plug in age adapter The attached audio and recharging It delivers warm rich headphones and the speakers mute cable wraps neatly around the unit sound and features a remote control automatically But all the jacks making it easy to store and hard to and an auxiliary port for connecting are in the back so the cables tend lose Sadly the cable is too short other audio devices to get tangled and the sound is hollow and tinny 180 www alteclansing com 80 www creative com 90 www sonystyle com 900000 900000 900000 dp DE x cc D dp HD or Wal E lt LLI ce Aa p O O JBL ON TOUR ELT Imagine Luciano Pavarotti s voice coming out
5. DVD Rentals 076 BLOCKBUSTER ONLINE After pulling the plug on its disastrous Film Caddy service the gargantuan video chain returns with a slick interface and selection on par with Netflix The recently launched Blockbuster Online looks promising but we encountered long waits for popular films that smaller services had on hand 20 per month for three discs at a time www blockbuster com 900000 CAFEDVD COM Looking for the restored version of Orson Welles The Stranger or Bob Marley s Heartland Reggae Cult foreign art house noir Caf DVD has em all There s little chance you can out obscure them and if you do your suggestions stand a good chance of being added Plus turnaround is comparable to Netflix 20 per month for three discs at a time www cafedvd com 00000 NETFLIX Since its 1999 launch this service has spawned droves of copycats But with the largest number of distribution centers and a stock of 25 000 titles Netflix Is still tops lts library is brimming with blockbusters as well as indies and cult TV shows Meanwhile the site is loaded with features like reviews and Amazon com style personalized recommendations 20 per month for three discs at a time www netflix com WAL MART DVD RENTALS Wally World pulled together a library of 15 000 titles and began offering online rentals last year Unfortunately the service is buried deep within the retail behemoth s main Web site whic
6. DUE ON SHELVES By November 2004 WORTH THE WAIT If size and style matter to you as much as serious specs Fast shutter response Can produce uncompressed TIFFs for sharp blowups Bracketing allows it to shoot multiple exposure variations TIRED Somewhat grainy images at ISO 400 Flash doesn t mix well with ambient light for shooting objects beyond 10 feet Ultrasmall 3 4 x 2 3 x 0 9 inches Makes HTML pic pages Blazing 0 01 second shutter response and 1 6 second startup Efficient 400 pics per charge TIRED Minuscule optical viewfinder Teeny buttons difficult to use 7 MEGAPIXEL CAMERAS Y 4 NIKON COOLPIX 5200 It looks like a toy and is light enough to wear on a lanyard all day but the 5 1 megapixel 5200 Is a serious performer It captures bustling street scenes with color and clarity worthy of National Geographic Features range from hand holding scene modes to pro level options like white balance bracketing 500 www nikonusa com 900000 SONY CYBER SHOT DSC T3 Building on the success of its thin 1 Sony s 5 1 megapixel 3X zoom T3 is even skinnier It has an eyelid like door instead of a sliding lens cover And while it lacks an optical viewfinder like the T1 the T3 boasts a sharp 2 5 inch screen Alas Sony s expensive Memory Sticks make it too pricey to truly love 500 www sonystyle com 900000 CANON POWERSHOT S70 A 28 to 100 mm zoom allows t
7. Awkward contact manager Pics somewhat blurry and pixelated Camcorder difficult to access Sumptuous LCD Stand out photo quality Full sounding speaker No digging in menus to turn on flash or adjust zoom and brightness Decent video amp TIRED Handset a little long Can t view photos from within camera mode No Bluetooth Big clear display Movie Director software lets you stylize video and reduce file size for sending via MMS Cool Lifeblog app organizes videos and pics by day TIRED Swoosh keypad layout takes some adjusting to Some buttons difficult to press Blah interface No built in flash DUE ON SHELVES By early 2005 WORTH THE WAIT More than a 1 megapixel phone the VX8000 could be a mean videostreaming machine if carriers plans materialize O F Eo Sl za GC O UIRED TEST Phone PDA Hybrids Like PB amp J cell phones and PDAs just go together These smartphones keep on top of your contacts datebook messaging and email Just don t smudge the screen COMMUNICATION MOBILE PHONES DANGER SIDEKICK II If you type more than you talk the Sidekick II is the perfect hip companion It comes with a Web email account and can monitor up to three additional POP3 or IMAP addresses Messaging is a breeze thanks to the QWERTY keyboard beneath the screen But as phones go it s unnervingly big and you speak into the back weird 299 www d
8. Focus and exposure bracketing Protective sliding lens door User definable autofocus spot Short zoom Poorly located erase button Heavy at 12 ounces WHITE BALANCE Under poor light conditions fluorescent and tungsten indoor lamps sodium or mercury vapor street and arena lights we challenged the auto white balance feature to produce pictures with no unnatural color cast CAMERAS 0 cr DE Lu x o lt x UIRED TEST gt gt POCKET SIZED CAMERAS gt gt 7 MEGAPIXEL CAMERAS 4 SONY CYBER SHOT DSC P150 WIRED Sony s 7 2 megapixel shooter keeps the older P100 s small curved end body but adds refine ments like a new CCD and processor And what an improvement they make Push the On button and the lens pops out instantly Images are detailed and rich and you ll need TIRED a big expensive Sony specific Memory Stick to hold them 500 www sonystyle com Maximum pixels in minimum volume 7 2 megapixels in 4 4 x 2 1 x 1 1 inches Fast shutter response 5X image review Bright orange focus assist beam startles subjects Compact body means small 1 8 inch screen x 00000 Memory Stick only SE cr o SE H lt o E OLYMPUS C 7000 ZOOM DUE ON SHELVES 7000 is serious attempt SS gt 7 1 megapixel camera both pocketable and By November 2004 user friendly Though Olympus sacrificed features WORTH THE UAIT like a de
9. RATING 0111 1010 thinkgeek com RETAIL 7 never have the energy to brew coffee in the morning Lucky for me this bar of soap doles out 200 milligrams of soul nourishing caffeine per wash equal to about two cups of joe The 4 ounce bar made my skin tingle and after a few minutes in the tub felt so energized wanted to re spackle the whole bathroom Best of all no coffee breath RATING 10 10 thinkgeek com RETAIL 169 Little i Duck you re the one Who makes data storage fun Little duck with 256 megs on you Woo woo be doo Little i Duck s kind of slow You re not USB 2 0 Little duck glad there s an upgrade for you Woo woo be doo Little i Duck you re so fine I m lucky that you re mine Little i Duck Um awfully fond Little i Duck I d like a whole pond of Little i Duck l m awfully fond of you Dom Nguyen RATING 6 10 5 RETAIL 70 This alarm clock is meant to wake the hearing impaired with its triple pronged attack on z s but it also works on the lazy At 8 am the 113 dB siren wailed like a banshee the 12 volt under the mattress shaker shook like an earthquake and the built in 110 volt outlet made my lamp flicker like lightning suppose the next version of this sleep slayer will pull off your blankets and dump ice water on your crotch B L RATING 9 10 vun 1
10. SH i a of Brad Pitt s body That s the JBL On Tour curved door protects the speakers while you re m in transit and slides open to serve as a stand lt when you re ready to rock Its aluminum domed gt drivers powered by a 6 watt digital amp handled U z everything from Beck to Bach with gusto 100 www jbl com 00000 S E lt Z LLI DE lt Oo i e e 088 Kg o D GE EECH See EE e WT gn wa ee Du E w L I GK i Ga mete d I 24 eee mar pis TIE s TEE de EE a HOMI w lt i QUE E LR E GES E E AW Ke a d nerd at dEr mik Pepe A cat e EE sche EE AES dh Mar ck ae er A ca ates UIRED TEST Online Music Stores They re fast cheap and tightly controlled But with massive libraries and consistent quality online music stores rival the P2P networks that inspired them Paul Boutin ALL OF MP3 D ac o E w o H 2 H O AUDIO ALL d e msn music napster 090 Invoking the authority of license LS 3 03 79 of the Russian Multimedia and Internet Society this site allegedly based in Moscow sells downloads at about a penny a megabyte It offers nearly every format in a range of bitrates all free of copy protection You pony up using CyberPlat a sort of Russian PayPal so there s no credit card info on file About 6 cents per song www allofmp3 com 900000 APPLE TUNES Apple fans would p
11. with a few guilty pleasures We The Matrix Revolutions in Dolby Digital and know what Rush should sound like played the EAX encoded PC game Far Cry 106 In Ear Headphones Crest Mount Fuji with the London Philharmonic in tow These must have upgrades for MP3 players merge big bucket power and precision with earbud portability APPLE iPOD IN EAR HEADPHONES Apple s canal phones are affordable but you re not hearing all you could They re comfortable too but only because they don t reach very far into the ear High volumes sound decent with expressive midrange but you ll miss the rest of the mix 39 www apple com eC O000 ETYMOTIC ER 4P If you like to rock out this is the in ear set for you The ER 4Ps boast a powerful bass boost blowing away Etymotic s newer ER 6s The included travel kit contains an extensive set of cleaning tools and spare parts plus a quarter inch jack for use with home stereo systems 330 www etymotic com 900000 SHURE E3c If spending 300 or more seems ridiculous Shure s newest model offers an affordable yet still high quality alternative The E3c s are clear without exaggerated lows or highs and bass notes don t wimp out as the volume increases Extra sleeves in a variety of sizes and shapes ensure fit and comfort 179 www shure com 900000 ULTIMATE EARS UE 10 PRO God s new favorite earphones Twin woofers and a single tweeter yes three s
12. FIND THE RIGHT 4 4 5 95 6 95 CAN 74820 08459 75 14 Mobile Phones Multifunction phones megapixel phonecams and phone PDA hybrids Scorecard COMMUNICATION PLUS Internet phone services High Definition TVs Plasma LCD and rear projection TVs and high end projectors Scorecard PLUS Budget projectors amp widescreen PC monitors THE ULTIMATE BUYER S GUIDE TO THE BEST PRODUCTS CONTENTS Surviving the Gizmo Explosion Relax We tested hundreds of products so you don t have to by Chris Anderson PLUS A sneak preview of 7 cool technologies of tomorrow PLUS The top 10 reviews from VVired s Gadget Lab newsletter Digital Video Recorders High definition standard definition and DVD burning DVRs Scorecard PLUS DVD rental by mail amp movies on demand Craig Maxwell Find it on page 52 RED COVER Sanyo XactiVPC C1 pocket camcorder PSC T3 Magazine Find the US version Sanyo Fisher FVD C1 on page 52 BLUE COVER Panasonic D Snap SV AV50A tapeless camcorder 007 5 79 MP3 Players x P 7 20 gig hard drive microdrive and flash memory players TEN 86 Scorecard e Ne PLUS Portable speakers amp online music stores 93 Home Theater Gear 103 Headphones 6 1 surround systems autocalibrating Hi fi surround sound in ear and receivers 12 inch subwoofers and noise canceling headphones virtual surround systems y 108 Sc
13. IH cr O c cr Ce H E O O LAPTOPS C lt O lt C E O O LAPTOPS WIRED TEST Gaming Laptops Portable PCs optimized for gaming wrap flashy case designs around pedal to the metal hardware so you can take the battle to the enemy in style 130 44 44 DELL INSPIRON XPS This behemoth trounced all comers thanks in large part to ATI s screaming and upgradable Radeon 9800 graphics processor Even Far Cry ran at a fluid 37 frames per second with 1 280 x 1 024 resolution while Unreal hit 103 fps both way ahead of the rest And the XPS stays cool when the action gets hot 3 404 www dell com 0900000 FALCON NORTHWEST FRAGBOOK DR Like a Harley our FragBook ran hot loud and fast while sporting a custom Stars and Stripes paint job on the lid Falcon specializes in one off finishes and case mods both tasteful and tacky And it guarantees no defective pixels on the 1 680 x 1 050 display which nonetheless lacked the cinematic quality of Gateway s for games 4 995 www falcon nw com 90000 GATEWAY M675XL Its styling may be reserved but the Gateway s performance matches the gaudier hot rods mile for mile Most important its lush 1 680 x 1 050 display brought Far Cryto life better than any other Frame rates from the Radeon 9700 chip were solid 70 per second for Unreal and 21 for Far Cry at 1 280 x 1 024 2 799 www
14. RETAIL 6 My daffodils were droopy and my petunias were parched but Doctor Frog helped me nurse them back to health When the doc s moisture sensors get dry he croaks nagging me to water the plants But Prince Charming s got a hole in his torso so have to remember to uproot him before dousing the plants or risk a short circuit Still there s no better reminder for keeping your flora fed B L RATING 9 10 WWW p3international conm COMMUNICATION MOBILE PHONES UIRED TEST Mobile Phone Essentials V b SHUT e 57 AP sae ATI E EE XS Ove dea Z A ATI pA xel 7 Message 3 I miss you PH BOOK MESSAGE Kua 024 Multifunction Phones These slim handsets are anything but stripped down They play music files keep you organized and even surf the Web 4 LG VX7000 Putting a new twist on the camera phone the VX7000 clamshell has a rotating lens embedded in Its hinge Flip the lens forward for paparazzi pics and back for self portraits though the 640 x 480 pixel photos aren t fabulous The keypad layout and menu system inside go easy on the fingers while the blue exterior looks snazzy 250 www lge com 900000 MOTOROLA A630 Psst wanna buy a mini keyboard The clever overleaf design of the A
15. TIRED TIRED Weighs half an ounce Works with Windows Mac and Linux Battery recharges through USB 2 0 Fast transfers with OMusic software No screen or EQ Earbuds have annoying plastic bar between wires Only 128 megs a 256 Mbyte version is on the way Lightweight and comfortable to hold Doubles as a file caddy Great line in and FM recording Powerful amp Plays open source Ogg Vorbis plus MP3 WMA and ASF files TIRED Music Manager software essentially a more complicated Windows Explorer Bundled earbuds wouldn t stay in place Unique beautiful screen Light 1 5 ounces with battery Fast seek time No software required Great built in mike Quick USB recharge Mac and Linux compatible USB 1 1 atleast tolerable in a 256 Mbyte player Equalizer presets didn t do much for the audio Memory not expandable Gadget abusers take note Flash devices are superdurable and they re impervious to skips EL H x IH C 084 3 PLAYERS UIRED TEST gt gt FLASH MEMORY PLAYERS 20 GIG HARD DRIVE MICRODRIVE FLASH MEMORY 086 NIKE PHILIPS MP3RUN Joggers will get an endorphin rush from the MP3Run It includes a Bluetooth enabled pedometer that clips onto shoelaces and feeds speed and distance info to the rubber coated player A digital voice announces your stats through the headphones at regular intervals If you re not a dedicated runner
16. The boxy H77 beamed solid true colors during a viewing of The Golden Bowl with deep reds in Uma Thurman s lips and iridescent greens in her peacock fan But flesh tones aren t as true to life as with the other projectors even after we made adjustments the geeky newscaster on Voom HDTV 4 TIRED news looked more peaked than usual 8 999 www optomausa com Quietest unit we tried Good detail Well designed lens housing makes it easy to shift up and down focus and zoom at the touch of a button HIGH DEFINITION TVs O e IR gt Slight blotchiness in dark scenes Screen goes blank briefly when 900000 you change channels SHARP XV Z12000 The Sharp renders brilliant color and fine detail in fast moving action sequences The Lost in Space footage was crisp and the projector perfectly The 32 5 to 44 mm lens offers rendered Jim Carrey s synesthetic world in Eternal the widest image range from Sunshine of the Spotless Mind In HDTV subtle poster to building sized details and deep blacks captured the noirish atmosphere of shows like Law and Order TIRED 12 000 www sharpusa com Small degree of distorted color 900000 in low lit scenes Brightest picture Incredible detail gives objects dimension Better image chips and display technology add up in both cost and picture quality All DLP front projectors and rear projection TVs use Texas color wheel that spins faster than those on basic models s
17. out this rig from Miele Designed to be set easy access to water and beans into a kitchen cabinet its largesse becomes Sexy design may rub off on you a statement No one worships the coffee bean more than you Y TIRED 1 999 and up www miele com Te Ht 900000 since Miele forgot to include a bypass doser SAECO V SPRESSO The V spresso starts with the best elements of cheaper models and fills in the gaps a bypass doser a compact frame and a relatively clear Easy setup Compact Bypass doser adjustable water tempera ture and heated cup tray give instruction manual It also has a heated tray to it the fullest feature set of any keep your mugs warm But the Saeco costs a tabletop machine tested lot even more than the Jura Capresso which matches it on most key features V TIRED 1 300 www saeco usa com The extras give it the fullest price 00000 of any tabletop machine tested SPIDEM TREVI DIGITAL PLUS Spidem s silver super automatic looks cool and is a breeze to set up And thank goodness because deciphering the installation instructions Convenient side panel for dumping Is another story And it has the same technology grounds no need to open the inside by Saeco as more expensive models at main unit Temperature controls almost half the price 679 www spidem it V TIRED 0900000 Huge footprint No bypass doser Brews fine coffee for hundreds of dollars less than the others 25 um cr m c
18. 056 Plasma TVs With fluid action and luminous picture quality these thin wonderscreens rule for movies But be careful with games static images can burn in a ghostly imprint LESS THAN 50 INCHES Y 4 MARANTZ PD4240D 42 INCH 90 INCHES AND UP Y FA x 2 C Even subtle color variations are perfect on this screen from the solid reds in the American flag on an evaluation disc to the pink on Rodney Dangerfield s head in an HD broadcast of the 1992 stinker Ladybugs We saw more shadow detail in The Piano than on any other TV tested Minor flaws included some graininess in clouds during Mystic River and in low light scenes on Xbox games 7 999 www marantz com 00000 PIONEER PDP 4340HD 43 INCH Pioneer s plasma was the kindest set to movies It shows spot on color detail even in dark corners and fluid movement Most TVs use the reverse 3 2 pulldown method to display film see Glossary page 60 resulting in a slight stuttering effect But Pioneer s 3 3 pulldown system makes film look as smooth as in a theater 8 500 www pioneerelectronics com FUJITSU P50XHAS30WS 50 INCH Before calibration colors appear bright and blacks are deep as pitch With analog signals it displays cleaner diagonals and text than other plasmas But Fujitsu cheats by pumping up the contrast to make the image seem more impressive leaving out detail in low light scenes After calibration the screen displa
19. 1 280 x 768 Sharp Actius MM20P I i 1 599 1 GHz Transmeta 8600 512 10 4 1 024 x 768 Dell Inspiron 700m 2 091 1 8 GHz Pentium M 512 12 1 1 280 x 800 o Motion Computing M1400 2 351 1 1 GHz Pentium M 11 7 1 024 x 768 Toshiba Port g M205 S810 2 299 1 5 GHz Pentium M 12 1 1 400 x 1 050 o Sony Vaio VGN A190 2 700 1 7 GHz Pentium M 17 1 920 x 1 200 Apple PowerBook G4 2 799 1 5 GHz PowerPC G4 17 1 440 x 900 MULTIMEDIA TABLET THIN AND LIGHT Fujitsu LifeBook N5010 2 349 3 2 GHz Pentium 4 16 1 1 600 x 1 200 o Gateway M675XL 2 799 34 GHz Pentium 4 17 1 1 680 x 1 050 Dell Inspiron XPS 3 404 3 4 GHz Pentium 4 15 4 1 920 x 1 200 GAMING Voodoo Envy m 860 3200 2 2 GHz Athlon 64 3400 15 4 1 680 x 1 050 Falcon Northwest FragBook DR 4 995 3 4 GHz Pentium 4 17 1 680 x 1 050 o Panasonic Toughbook Y2 2 550 1 3 GHz Pentium M 14 1 1 400 x 1 050 RUGGED Kontron Revolution 3 395 1 1 GHz Pentium 4 640 12 1 1 024 x 768 Ce IH s c lt cr O H O O LAPTOPS These bots look like remote control cars but with a little programming and some imagination they become sumo wrestlers off road joyriders or firefighters Peter Arcuni a e ee Ni e SUPERDROID ROBOTS gt AS N TREKKER FIRE FIGHTER a W S This SuperDroid Trekker can detect candle flames with its UVTRON sensor and extinguish them with an onboard
20. 4 1 x 1 7 x 0 8 3 x 19 x 1 3 9 X 1 8 x 0 9 4 3 x 2 2 x 0 7 3 9 x 2 1 x 0 5 4x1 9x1 4 3 x 2 1 x 0 7 3 9x2x1 3 7x2x0 9 3 4 x 1 9 x 0 9 3 8 x 2 x 0 9 4 4 x 2 4 x 0 9 5 1 x 2 6 x 0 9 4 7 x 3 x 0 7 4 7 x 2 3 x 0 8 Weight ounces OWERTY Keyboard Yes Yes Yes Abridged Additional Features Camera FM radio Bluetooth email Camera MP3 player Clamshell video Video Symbian OS Superslim Bluetooth 2 4 inch screen Bluetooth video Swivel design Memory slot Preview display EV DO support Palm OS Proprietary OS Pocket PC OS Bluetooth email O I Eo Sl za 4 e n o VONAGE EL With VoIP services you can t always hold onto your phone number or even in some cases your area code But this industry pioneer lets you choose among codes from 40 states Vonage also offers a first class online account management tool and voicemail access from any PC A separate fax line is available for 10 bucks a month 25 per month for unlimited US and Canadian calls WWw vonage com 900000 AT amp T CALLVANTAGE VERIZON VOICEWING 8X8 PACKET8 CallVantage delivers all the goods Verizon s service may be pricey The price is right installation is from online message retrieval to but setup is a breeze Online account easy and voice quality is superb a do not disturb feature calls are management is straightforward Area codes from 46 states and DC FM
21. But Apple we ARCHOS GMINI 220 The Gmini 220 nearly knocks the pulp out of Apple s player Its audio is every bit as good and unlike the Pod it plays WMA tracks The large screen and menu icons make navigation a cinch it even displays JPEGs The main thing that kept the Gmini out of our top spot was the dearth of accessories available for it 349 www archos com 900000 CREATIVE ZEN TOUCH It looks a lot like the iPod but in place of the click wheel the Zen Touch features a pressure sensitive strip Though a tad overresponsive it works well once you get a feel for it Also praiseworthy are the fast transfer rate and long battery life Downers include heft 7 ounces and sound quality which Though chunky the Karma is a strong contender for hard disk domination The control stick is a snap to master and the onscreen menus are intuitively laid out even playlist creation is easy Songs are a bit slow to load but features like line in recording through the units dock make up for it Bonus points for the ergo design 300 www rioaudio com 900000 TIRED An interface that is the measure of all others Thin and light 5 6 ounces for a hard disk player Good sound Healthy 25 minute skip protection Oodles of add ons forgive you Y TIRED 299 www apple com Tunes software occasionally J 00000 crashes in Windows Beautiful LCD Type I II Compact Flash slot Built in microphone USB 2 0 Smartly des
22. Evidently thats more than enough to wow viewers those who ve checked it out report that the images are indistinguishable from reality At one demo featuring a driver s eye view from a car several attendees got nauseated from the realism lt VARIATIONAL SHAPE APPROXIMATION Even the best cell phone games look no better than an Atari 2600 title circa 1982 The conventional wisdom is that mobile gadgets simply don t have the power to render the kind of gorgeous 3 D images that gamers experience on a PC But a pair of Caltech professors are disproving that notion with an ingenious compression algorithm dubbed variational shape approximation Mathieu Desbrun and Peter Schr der have figured out a way to replicate an intricate 3 D file that takes up only a fraction of the memory of the original The first application says Desbrun will likely be medical allowing doctors to view MRIs on pocket PCs as they make their rounds But the masses will no doubt be more interested in playing a reasonable facsimile of Doom 3 on their Sidekicks 14 FIELD EMISSION DISPLAY et inel TVs have their obvious advantages but image quality isn t one of Id fashioned CRTs despite their bulk still produce far superior pictures set to change as researchers at Samsung and elsewhere fine tune n field emission displays composed of carbon nanotubes Unlike rely on a single electron gun to sweep across the inside of a tube FEDs contain millions of miniaturized gu
23. H LL um l nc cr QO cr c DVD BURNING Digital Video Recorders Rating Model Price DirecTV HD DVR 999 Dish Player DVR 921 999 Comcast Motorola DCT6208 10 13 month LG LST 3410A 1 000 TiVo series 2 DUR 8299 ReplayTV 5504 150 Interact TV Telly MC800 Dish Player DVR 510 Pioneer DVR 810H Panasonic DMR E95H Toshiba RD XS32 500 Capacity Gbytes 250 Listings Service TiVo Dish Network Comcast Gemstar TiVo ReplayTV Interact TV Dish Network Gemstar Gemstar more to life than The Apprentice B L Antenna satellite Antenna satellite composite video Cable FireWire composite video Antenna FireWire composite video Antenna cable sat S video composite video Antenna cable satellite S video composite video Antenna cable satellite FireWire S video composite video Antenna satellite Antenna cable satellite S video composite video Antenna cable satellite FireWire S video composite video Antenna cable satellite FireWire S video composite video Outputs HDMI component S video composite video optical RCA audio DVI component S video coaxial composite video optical RCA audio DVI component S video coaxial composite video optical RCA audio DVI component S video RGB composite video optical RCA audio S video coaxial composite
24. Megapixel Phonecams The first talk and shoots were fashion forward but their snaps were cheesier than a Von Dutch hat This season s are good enough for 4 x 6s and most do video lt AUDIOVOX CDM 8920 Although it s one of the smallest this clamshell has a comfortable keypad for error free dialing The 1 3 megapixel images benefit from advanced controls including white balance brightness color effects like sepia and a Macro mode for warts and all party shots The 1 280 x 960 pics are sharp but colors are off 300 www audiovox com OOO KYOCERA Kyocera dares to be different with its pinwheel menus and a funky swiveling display Though we sometimes found ourselves twisting the screen the wrong way to get at the keypad there are camera settings galore including brightness white balance and a self timer Snapping pictures with the phone closed is also a major plus 200 300 www kyocera wireless com 900000 Small and reasonably light Bright clear display Self portrait mode previews shots in a secondary display that faces you TIRED No video capture Inaccurate colors Low light pics grainy even with flash Nominal zoom Gee whiz form factor Giant display is always visible Nicely laid out keypad The 1 280 x 960 images feature some of the truest colors you ll find Y TIRED Photo transfer software for Windows only Auto flash didn t always fire when needed ALL PHONES MEGA
25. R C 098 Virtual Surround Systems Want a wilderness of sound without the forest of speakers These systems promise engulfing audio without requiring you to wire the living room Chris Anderson o gt lt O BOSE 3 2 1 GS SERIES Il The new version of Bose s category launching system delivers big sound through surprisingly small speakers The main changes are subtle better software and a progressive scan DVD player Overall it s pretty much what you d expect from Bose solid sound at a premium price 1 299 www bose com 900000 DENON D M51DVS Denon s two channel system radiates quality The rosewood subwoofer perfectly matches the out board speakers The combination DVD player and amp Is tiny solid and surprisingly powerful Best of all it sounds fantastic filling even a medium size room with rich full spectrum audio Just don t expect stunning spatial effects 800 www usa denon com 900000 KEF INSTANT THEATRE Twin cast aluminum cabinets combine forward firing cone drivers with flat panel speakers that project audio sideways It all felt weighty and solid until we plugged everything in and noted the minimal spatial effects unimpressive power and narrow tonal range 1 500 www kefinstanttheatre com 900000 Visually unobtrusive Good balance of spatial effect simulation and overall sound quality Slightly shrill due to weak midrange Few input and output op
26. a 37 5 to 187 5 mm zoom Photo quality is saturation respectable and it gets bonus points for the cool retro styling Y TIRED 649 www pentaxusa com Hard to read menus Poorly placed 00000 flash easily covered by finger SONY CYBER SHOT DSC V3 The DSC V3 boasts a powerful infrared beam that lets you take monochrome photos in total darkness ernai as can help frame shots for the flash to illuminate ee It s the only Sony cam we tried that in addition to be canceled manually Memory Sticks takes CompactFlash cards yay It offers fast shutter response and low noise levels TIRED all the way to ISO 800 The resulting top quality pics can be saved as RAW JPEG or compression free TIFF files 700 www sonystyle com 900000 True night vision Hot shoe for Flash range only 10 feet Takes Memory Stick and CF but can t copy from one to the other For supersharp blowups save images as uncompressed TIFF files H x C UIRED TEST Digital SLR Cameras When image quality and performance matter most serious photographers reach for the interchangeable lenses and lightning response of an SLR CANON EOS DIGITAL REBEL c cr nc cr o St C 5 The sub 1 000 camera that brought 6 3 megapixel DSLR performance to the masses is still going strong making fine pictures with controls th
27. coaxial RCA audio Combination analog and optical minijack audio Optical coaxial RCA minijack audio RCA minijack audio Optical RCA audio Optical RCA audio Optical coaxial RCA minijack audio Minijack audio Optical RCA audio component S video composite video Coaxial RCA audio S video composite video Coaxial RCA audio component S video composite video RCA audio composite video 802 11b 802 11b g 802 11b g 802 11b g 802 11b g 802 11b 802 11b 802 11b g 802 11b with card 802 11b g card not included 802 11a b g 802 11a b g WIRED IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ADVANCE MAGAZINE PUBLISHERS INC PUBLISHED THROUGH ITS DIVISION THE CONDE NAST PUBLICATIONS COPYRIGHT 2004 THE CONDE NAST PUBLICATIONS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PRINTED IN THE USA Wired ISSN 1059 1028 November 2004 Volume 12 No 11A Wired is published monthly by The Cond Nast Publications which is a division of Advance Magazine Publishers Inc Editorial office 520 Third Street 3rd Floor San Francisco CA 94107 1815 Principal office The Cond Nast Building 4 Times Square New York NY 10036 Advance Magazine Publishers Inc S Newhouse Jr Chairman Steven T Florio Vice Chairman Charles H Townsend COO John W Bellando Executive Vice President and CFO Jill Bright Executive Vice President Human Resources John Buese Executive Vice President Chief Information Officer Maurie Pearl Senior Vice
28. free streaming of Internet radio stations audio books exclusive tracks and celebrity playlists TIRED No monthly subscription option Its 160 Kbps WMAs sound better than iTunes 128 Kbps AAC files TIRED Runs only on Internet Explorer No Mac support Cluttered interface Desktop software s interface shamelessly and successfully apes iTunes great design Similar selection as iTunes plus Napster only exclusive tracks Some songs can only be streamed not downloaded RHAPSODY If you use your PC like a jukebox and you have broadband connection Rhapsody offers a tempting radio providers You can burn music c Rha sod deal stream as many songs as you want as often to CD as you listen p y as you want for just 10 bucks a month For offline listening you can burn custom CDs from most of the service s library and then rip the disc s some songs notavailable for Buri songs to your hard drive ing Can t download directly to hard 9 95 per month plus 79 cents per song burned drives or portables Windows only to CD www rhapsody com 900000 Fewer dropouts than other Internet 4 SONY CONNECT Sony s attempt to move in on Apple s turf is hampered by a bloated 35 Mbyte desktop app with a gaudy meandering interface that seems CONNECT designed by or perhaps for space aliens And A M unlike iTunes Connect is a lousy tool for organizing TIRED your digital library Its only saving grace is
29. video RCA audio Component S video coaxial composite video optical RCA audio S video SVGA composite video coaxial RCA audio S video composite video optical RCA audio Component S video coaxial composite video optical RCA audio Component S video composite video optical RCA audio Component S video coaxial composite video optical RCA audio Additional Features Great TiVo interface HDMI to DVI cable included Picture in picture dual HD tuners RF remote USB port Rentable so it s a bargain Ethernet and USB ports No cable or satellite service required Best interface USB port remote scheduling Progressive video output remote scheduling Ethernet and USB ports Rips CDs and DVDs remote scheduling Ethernet and USB ports Displays caller ID info on TV DVD burning via TiVo interface no fee for basic TiVo service USB DVD Audio support flash memory readers PC card slot Front inputs for camcorders rips unprotected DVDs dp DE el DE DE Oo gt St mn x gt m l St E D QO gt VIDEO UIRED TEST DVD Rental by Mail Stop spending Saturday nights stalking your video shop s barren shelves DVD by mail services offer thousands of titles and no late fees Kari Lynn Dean BLOCKBUSTER Online The Movie Store At Your Door NETFLIX
30. 20 hours Although Toshiba expects to bring the cells to market in 2005 the company is still uncertain how consumers will refill the battery once it s empty A rather cumbersome possibility fueling stations in consumer electronics stores WIMAX WiMax a Wi Fi alternative with a range of up to 30 miles is rolling out in early 2005 But the first wave will be aimed at bringing broadband to fixed locations like homes and offices The real fun will start in 2006 when chipsets for mobile devices hit the market Although Intel will lead the way with laptop ready hardware the company is not revealing much such as whether its chipset will be compatible with 802 16a for stationary users 802 16d for pedestrians or 802 16e for motorists But remember Friends don t let friends surf and drive 4 VOICE RECOGNITION CARDS Despite all those cute Citibank commercials trumpeting newfangled fraud protections identity theft remains a major concern for consumers Foolproof help may be on the way a credit card equipped with voice recognition technology A prototype from Beepcard in Santa Monica California asks users to say a password into a tiny on card microphone If the user s voice doesn t match a sample stored in the card s voice recognition chip the transaction isn t authorized But the latest version is three times thicker than a conventional card owing largely to the size of Beepcard s chip Once that s solved life could get a whole
31. 7 x 47 8 x 3 9 inches 99 2 Ibs 30 6 x 48 2 x 3 9 inches 114 Ibs 21 6 x 43 4 x 3 5 inches 43 Ibs 27 4 x 53 1 x 4 1 inches 66 3 Ibs 22 6 x 32 3 x 5 inches 53 Ibs 27 1 x 54 1 x 5 7 inches 99 2 Ibs 20 8 x 36 3 x 8 inches 35 6 Ibs 37 2 x 49 6 x 17 4 inches 132 4 lbs 43 1 x 54 4 x 18 9 inches 130 Ibs 36 x 49 9 x 16 3 inches 84 Ibs 51 7 x 59 5 x 22 inches 215 lbs 7 x 18 7 x 16 inches 20 7 lbs 5 3 x 16 9 x 12 inches 16 5 Ibs 4 3 x 13 8 x 12 8 inches 9 5 Ibs Built In TV Tuners 2 NTSC 2 ATSC None None None 2 NTSC ATSC NTSC 2 NTSC ATSC NTSC 2 NTSC NTSC NTSC ATSC 2 NTSC NTSC 2 NTSC None None None High Definition Inputs 2 HDMI 3 sets component DVI component DVI component DVI 2 sets component DVI 2 sets component HDMI DVI 2 sets component DVI 2 sets component DVI 2 sets component HDMI DVI 2 sets component HDMI 2 sets component HDMI 2 sets component DVI 2 sets component HDMI 2 sets component DVI component DVI 2 sets component DVI component DVI 2 sets component 0 gt H H H LL a 1 Ce Sick of your tube telly but too poor for plasma Affordable DLP projectors let you big up Da Ali G Show without stuffing your living room with a big box Thomas Goetz OPTOMA H30 ETI Despite its plain design the H30 outshines the others with razor sharp Images deep blacks and elegant o
32. SOFTWARE Almost all streamers require your computer to run server software usually a proprietary app A few streamers can in theory access any computer running music organizing programs like Musicmatch that support the universal plug and play x a g y UPnP standard m LIE TEE oooooo 0000 All media streamers have basic analog outputs Look for players that include higher quality options like digital audio via optical or coaxial ports and video via S video or component connections MSNBC IN Bloomberg IN News Info BBC World WMP IN News Info Classic Gold Golden Oldies SE 0900 COMPUTING AND GAMING MEDIA STREAMERS UIRED TEST Audio Streamers Tunes flow nicely over Wi Fi and these music wranglers mine your digital collection and the Internet to give you access to enough songs for a lifetime of listening APPLE AIRPORT EXPRESS The extremely compact AirPort Express can serve as a music streamer a wireless link for USB printers even a wireless network hub Audio is controlled from your computer through iTunes which is a great interface but it s inconvenient If your audio gear is in a different room For that we d like a remote with a built in display 129 www apple com 0000 CREATIVE SOUND BLASTER WIRELESS MUSIC Like the AirPort Express Creative s receiver lacks a display But it comes with a big bright LCD on the best remote
33. Unreal with both games setto 1 280 x 1 024 The best number of all The price 3 845 www voodoopc com 900000 Sweet paint job Sports Nvidia s fastest graphics card Pentium 4 not so hot for gaming Request a 64 bit Athlon instead For the price of this hot rod you could make a down payment on an actual car Top of the line components Temperature gauge and adjustable fan Available in several vivid colors Cheap o case Pressing fan button causes flimsy front panel to bow in sometimes switching off power Serious speed and performance inside a dark and scary but beautiful and quiet package Less than 4 000 Slowish 8X DVD burner Less hard drive space than rivals Any graphics card will do for everyday tasks But for gaming get the most powerful one you can afford COMPUTING AND GAMING 0 o n gt E z1 cr o e UIRED TEST Media Center PCs Machines designed for Microsoft s entertainment OS run standard apps and let you record TV retouch photos and stream movies all by remote control HP m1050Y C cr C c cr C F O O SPECIALTY PCs This living room photomat has a cradle on top for an HP camera and it integrates HP s image soft ware into Media Center s menus so you can edit pics through the remote The 3 2 GHz Pentium 4 performed admirably and the removable second hard drive made our photo libraries
34. We also prefer its LCD Saves to MPEG 4 format and menu functions to those on other cams Five custom autoexposure and ISO settings help it TIRED perform well ina variety of lighting conditions toneles Panasonic 800 www fisherav com SV AV100 in hi res mode Swank 0900000 colored models not available in US Model Dimensions CCD Size Optical Zoom LCD Size inches inches inches Canon Optura Xi 3 2x3 5x7 9 0 29 11 3 5 Panasonic GS15 2 8 x 3 7 x 4 7 0 17 24X 2 5 MINIDV 1 1 2 4 x 3 5 x 6 5 1 Uz 10 1 JVC GR DVP9US 3 2 x 1 8 x 4 6 0 25 DuoCam SC D6040 2 5 X 3 6 x 5 4 0 1 H 1 Panasonic D Snap SV AV100 3 5 x 1 3 x 2 6 0 17 Sanyo Fisher FVD C1 2 7 x 1 3 x 4 3 5 8X Philips Key019 u 250 1 3x 3 8 x 0 9 0 5 None Panasonic D Snap SV AV50A 1 9 x 2 6 x 1 3 None TAPELESS VIDEO Lat DVAEnn CIEN Dan d NI A 1 Nana Pocket DV4500 i JIU 3 9 X 2 0 X 1 9 I A 1 1 052 UIRED TEST VIDEO High Definition TVs The visuals are the centerpiece of any home theater system The best sets deliver razor sharp detail punchy colors and smooth motion UIRED TEST High Definition TV Essentials CONSOLES Y HIGH DEFINITION TVs VIDEO PROJECTORS Y ff Ii Im y Iii 9 d WS
35. can search for shows by title Is nice Instead of plunking down a grand for the device you rent it for about 10 per month the fee is added to your cable bill A bargain a GE E Your ares a show while watching another 10 13 per month www motorola com channel Low storage No dubbing 900000 by keyword Single tuner you can t record DIRECTV HD DVR This unit combines three of the best lounge chair dp DE a DE O O DE TiVo remote and interface HDMI gt SL c a technologies out there high definition hundreds carries digital video and audio O of DirecTV channels and TiVo s legendary remote through a single cable Can record and interface Dual sat and over the air HD tuners two programs while playing a can pack the 250 Gbyte drive with up to 30 hours third from the hard drive of hi def shows Alas DirecTV hasn t activated remote scheduling and TiVo s guide is sluggish TIRED 9999 Www direchcoom Doesn t support picture in picture 00000 Remote scheduling disabled 41 DISH PLAYER DVR 921 This Dish Network set top supports picture in nciudes three A picture so you can watch dueling episodes satellite one broadcast DVI and and Law amp Order and CSI New York on one screen component outputs But the interface and guide are a little homely and despite having the same 250 gigs of hard Y TIRED drive space the device stores only 25 hou
36. fan Beware Putting this beast together makes Ikea furniture assembly seem fun The sample code is easy enough to download but hard for a novice to grok 599 www superdroidrobots com 900000 Sa A B SG d ROGUE ROBOTICS ATR ERS The ATR stands for all terrain robot This little dozer can lunge over small objects sidestep road blocks even run from light Its easy to build and seriously expandable But the wheel bands fall off around some turns and could use more horsepower 295 www roguerobotics com 900000 COMPUTING AND GAMING PROGRAMMABLE ROBOT KITS PARALLAX SUMOBOT The SumoBot kicks serious robo ass With the help of a pair of edge detectors and two infrared sensors it can navigate a tour nament ring track opponents and muscle them out of bounds SumoBot is beginner friendly but sophisticated coding and circuitry should please robo geeks 149 www parallax com CAREN ALPERT STYLING BY DARLENE D UIRED TEST EN COMPUTING AND GAMING Specialty PCs Beige boxes are fine for spreadsheets but frag fests and streaming video thons need hardware with major muscle Gaming PCs Media Center PCs PLUS 138 Wireless Desktop Sets 139 USB Gadgets UIRED TEST Specialty PC Essentials
37. for still images lets you shoot sharp 4 1 megapixel photos at up to 3X optical zoom Unwieldy 2 5 x 3 6 x 5 4 inch body Tape noise audible on playback Whites have ugly yellowish cast indoors reds appear dull Manual focus difficult 3 5 inch LCD seems positively gargantuan on a 2 4 x 3 5 x 6 5 inch camcorder Colors are bright and vivid especially reds Fully automatic Easy mode for beginners Touchscreen menus awkward to use Image grainy in low light Tapeless Video Cameras Tiny 4 videocams shoot directly to either removable flash cards or internal memory making for easy uploads to your computer o AIPTEK POCKET DV4500 The Pocket DV4500 feels as cheap as its price tag I From its plastic housing to its tendency to freeze 5 up while shooting this camcorder disappoints At d times we could shut it off only by yanking out the F battery You d do better with an Etch A Sketch Poor quality stills and lousy 150 www aiptek com 2 video rig Wasned out In good 1 A a OOOOO dark and grainy in Go ight Very difficult to focus No optical zoom PANASONIC D SNAP SV AV100 Video from the chic SV AV100 looks great on a TV thanks to its near DVD quality mode with nice mad stabiliz2 r and 3 4 704 x 480 resolution the included 512 Mbyte SD still Up to hors card holds just 10 minutes This cam has the best of recording in low quality mode zoom lens of o
38. lot tougher for crooks unless they happen to be master impressionists too 016 STEPHEN ROUNTREE PHOTON VACUUM PROJECTOR Finland s Upstream Engineering hasn t quite determined the first application for its postage stamp sized video projector but there are certainly plenty of possibilities The Photon Vacuum Projector would be perfect for everyday devices like phonecams allowing users to beam their snapshots onto 20 inch screens Or you could put one on a PDA equipped with PowerPoint to eliminate the need for bulky tabletop projectors Upstream s prototype relies on proprietary technology that pulls light particles out of an LED and makes the projector far more efficient than its larger predecessors The company hopes within a few years to manufacture a projector that draws just 4 watts of power while still providing a crisp video image ULTRA HIGH DEFINITION VIDEO HDTV is just starting to shine and already video researchers are moving on to the Next Big Thing Engineers at the Japan Broadcasting Corporation NHK have developed a camera and projection system Ultra High Definition Video that produces images with 16 times more pixels than anything now on the market The heart of the system is a projector that uses four liquid crystal on silicon imaging chips But UHDV is incredibly memory hungry NHK researchers burned through 3 5 terabytes to capture just 18 minutes of footage
39. more than 700 built in songs and another 1 500 available on 11 expansion chips the Enter Tech offers plenty of A list choices for revelers You can even record per formances for posterity or extortion The forgiving onscreen scoring flat tered even the most off key rebel yeller A wireless second mike is available 329 www acekaraoke com 900000 p L e A x e E K o EL EJ a e E gt op COMPUTING AND GAMING KARAOKE MIKES Media Streamer Essentials WIRELESS STANDARD Basic 802 11b Wi Fi is speedy enough for audio but you ll want a faster 802 11g or 802 11a network to ensure smooth video DISPLAY On audio streamers a good screen Is critical for browsing through thousands of songs Fluorescent displays are easy to read from across a room small LCDs usually aren t Audio video streamers use your TV s screen for better legibility REMOTE CONTROL Every unit except Apple s AirPort Express includes a remote but not all remotes are created equal Look for one that controls volume and has large clearly labeled buttons arranged in an intuitive layout INTERNET RADIO Most streamers that handle Net radio work with stations that broadcast in MP3 format no Windows Media or RealAudio support yet and come with presets for hundreds of stations organized by genre SERVER
40. opuca ZOOM NOMES MEON distant action Three zoom speeds zoom shot past all challengers though you ll Four LEDs indicate modes in the need a tripod if you want to max it out Be warned dark Top loading tape easy to Artists will curse the dull colors video geeks access Very quiet will be disappointed with the lack of analog inputs and aesthetes will be turned off by its bulk TIRED 500 www panasonic com Big at 2 8 x 3 7 x 4 7 inches Grainy 0900000 image in low light If you re looking for high resolution video and extensive manual controls opt for a miniDV camera UIRED TEST gt gt MINIDV CAMERAS 050 The DuoCam s innovative over under system uses separate lenses and CCDs for video and still images making it the best DV cam we tested for taking photos It was also the easiest camcorder to use with intuitive menus and controls Unfortunately video is plagued by slow autofocus The deal killers It handles color poorly and routinely underexposes resulting in dark footage OOO This sporty model from Sony is the Swiss Army knife of shooters small enough to go anywhere and loaded with tools It was a close second in our action tests thanks to its on lens manual focus ring variable speed zoom and light sucking f1 8 2 3 lens The DCR HC65 captures vibrant colors and details maintains a stable image and has a bright LCD that will please even demanding directors 900000 Separate CCD
41. plasticky design stiff band and face so thick can t button my shirt cuff It also needs to be recharged every three days or it atrophies into a plain old digital watch liked glancing down to see stock quotes or headlines and having my Outlook calendar autosynced to my timepiece but think I ll wait for the next version with motion recharging please before daring to bare my wrist again C A RATING 4 10 vun abacusHatches con RETAIL 15 These brightly colored sheets of plastic made crossing Cubicleland a lot more fun lashed them to the bottoms of my shoes and skidded around the office like a sock footed third grader on freshly waxed linoleum The ridged tips grip carpet while you run helping you build up speed for long slides Some coworkers laughed Others cheered Most just silently waited for me to face plant into the copy machine Robert Capps RATING 7 10 wow funslides com RETAIL 23 silver 20 red Am geeky enough Sure talk a good game but don t know how to work a slide rule and my C code never compiles To shore up my cred learned to tell time in binary The 20 LEDs on this clock replicate the 0 1 on off system of telling time e g 0001 equals 1 0010 equals 2 0011 equals 3 et cetera Now if anyone dares challenge my alpha geekhood can just say Can t school you now NOOB it s 0101 minutes past 0111 and gots to go catch Star Trek CHR15 B4K3R
42. recorders and satellite boxes from the TV screen TIRED Slight distortion in dark parts of films Some fan noise Most brilliant screen of the DLPs A pair of standard def tuners and simple menus make it easy to monitor dueling sports contests Loudest fan noise of all the TVs but quieter than an average fridge Rich color especially reds Quieter than its peers Comes with two remotes one with full controls and one just for picture in picture so warring mates can channel surf on the same telly TIRED Details murky in dark scenes HIGH DEFINITION TVs VIDEO UIRED TEST High End Projectors True home theater has arrived DLP based projectors beam fast action sequences and fine detail at up to 22 feet across You ll be selling tickets to your living room INFOCUS SCREENPLAY 7205 This 9 5 pound wonder provides a great traveling Show It made a red sports car appear to leap off appropriate color and very smooth the screen in a sequence from Seabiscuit while motion Intuitive remote showing vivid green hills in the background Distortion and coarse tones plagued darker scenes TIRED in the same film however as did color noise during a hi def broadcast of a Morcheeba concert 8 999 www infocus com Lightweight and portable Striking Noisy with a slight whine Dancing pixels and uneven color surfaces in shadows especially videogames 00000 and HDTV OPTOMA H77
43. solid choice Em 499 www jbl com No built in crossover if your receiver doesn t have a subwoofer 900000 out steer clear DE SVS 20 39 PCi lt SVS puts a round peg in a square hole Its 3 foot oz tall 16 inch wide tube shaped sub slims its footprint Smooth deep bass even when Oy by going high instead of wide The PCi proved 2 gt y going g p in addition to audible sound Only lt smooth and subtle as well as strong giving the model with composite output for Dust Brothers opening track to Fight Club plenty linking multiple subs of palpable presence and turning Jurassic Park s T rex steps into terrifying thuds 9599 www svsubwoofers com Cats may mistake it for a giant 00000 scratching post Follow these tips to go seismic with your subwoofer PLACE IT IN THE CORNER You ll get more bass response DOUBLE DOWN Two subwoofers can be better than one if the sub can roll its thunder off walls not just the floor with deeper bass response at a lower overall volume so you don t have to crank it to 11 and irritate the neighbors Plus any TURN IT UP Because they deal in frequencies atthe threshold speaker sounds better when it s operating below maximum of human hearing subs can be hard to distinguish Set yours output So if you get a solo sub home and find it s not enough a bit louder than the other speakers so you know its there just add another with a Y adapter or composite splitter
44. surface Multi platform hookups out of the box Bolts on pad help guide beginners TIRED Rear and center square stickers started peeling off after only a few hours of dancing No response lag TIRED Rumble is weak and clunky Wheel grips cause slippage in tight races Does everything in its power to keep you from turning Must buy for racing game fans Rubber grips add to the realism Y TIRED Hard to use unless you clamp it to a table Pedals slip on hard surfaces Short power cord COMPUTING AND GAMING GAMING ACCESSORIES C cr O lt cr C H O e GAMING ACCESSORIES UIRED TEST SPECIALTY GEAR lt 4 5 1 I 1 GAMING SPEAKER SYSTEMS Model Logitech Z 5500 Digital Spherex Xbox 5 1 Sony 5 1 SRS D5100 Attach the device to a standard office chair then ride the rumble By delivering a game s low end frequencies right to your backside the ButtKicker box shakes things up without knocking down your neighbor s wall hangings Remember to quiet the game s music or every bass line will give you a jolt 150 www thebuttkicker com 900000 MONSTERGECKO PISTOLMOUSE FPS If you re not feeling rattled enough while butcher ing the Axis in Battlefield 1942 park this gun shaped optical mouse on your desk for that extra shot of authenticity It has good balance and a solid feeling trigger Warning You ll feel ridiculous navigating
45. test the cams in suboptimal light Silence was golden UIRED TEST gt gt TAPELESS VIDEO CAMERAS 4 PANASONIC D SNAP SV AV50A Trump style at apprentice prices This ultrasmall 2 megapixel camera MP3 player and voice Good video quality but only when viewed on a computer recorder had promise Too bad its footage is Great software package lets you shaky and its unique flip out design encourages edit and combine clips covering the lens with your fingers Video quality is limited to 320 x 240 You re fired V TIRED 400 www panasonic com Saves video in proprietary format 900000 No Mac compatibility Comes with measly 8 Mbyte SD card DIGITAL VIDEO CAMERAS CAMERAS PHILIPS KEY019 For making spur of the moment Web and email Teeny tiny 2 1 USB port movies this lilliputian cam is hard to beat Plus it eeny tiny 2 1 ounces por for charging and connectivity also has a built in MP3 player But at 320 x 240 its video lets it serve as a key chain drive footage is less than impressive Worse you re for file storage stuck with 128 Megs of built in memory 250 www philipsusa com V TIRED 900000 Useless in low light No zoom Limited capacity Records to Windows ASF format SANYO FISHER FVD C1 The winner of the beauty portion of our flash Top performer in low light 5 8X based filmer test shot great video at a maximum optical zoom 3 2 megapixel stills resolution of 640 x 480
46. the factory floor or dropped from the dining room table these road warriors are built to last 4 PANASONIC TOUGHBOOK Y2 It s not mil spec Panasonic s sturdy notebook was Unbelievably light Silver exterior built to withstand the hazards of business travel stylish enough for sales presenta Miraculously it weighs an ultralight 3 4 pounds and tions yet durable enough to survive the magnesium alloy case has a dent resistant lid airport security Ce Spe Other high points a 14 1 inch 1 400 x 1 050 display B and 1 3 GHz Pentium M CPU TIRED 2 550 www panasonic com Tinny speakers Jacks and bays 900000 not protected from the elements KONTRON REVOLUTION This convertible laptop and tablet functions in the Survived a 3 foot drop onto a con rain and in temperatures from 5 to 140 degrees crete floor while running Has two The magnesium case holds two large bays each big rubberized handles with a watertight door for field hardware all day batteries or a DVD drive The 12 1 inch screen is V TIRED a modest 1 024 x 768 pixels Morse 3 395 www kontron com heavy duty price that only the 00000 Pentagon could love Laptops Scorecard Processar RAM Screen inches Hard Disk Battery Life Weight Mbytes Resolution pixels Gbytes hours pounds 4 5 ThinkPad X40 2382600 2 324 1 2 GHz Pentium 512 12 1 1 024 x 768 Fujitsu LifeBook P7000 1 999 1 1 GHz Pentium M 512 10 6
47. though look elsewhere sound and navigation aren t great 299 www nike philips com 900000 RIO FORGE 256MB SPORT Rio wins again nabbing the checkered flag in our flash category to go with a first place microdrive finish The Forge features a crisp LCD simple con trols and solid sound Built for athletic use it has an onboard stopwatch But the real treat here is the expansion slot which accepts SD and MMC cards 170 www rioaudio com 900000 Weight Battery Life Price Capacity iuunces hours 20 Gbytes 5 6 File Formats MP3 AAC WAV AIFF Music player and pedometer in one Rugged Battery recharges in an hour Cool strobe light for visibility at night TIRED USB 1 1 Equalizer not manually adjustable Sticky keys Low 10 hour battery life Wimpy output levels Upgradable memory Ergonomic shape and controls Nice 18 hour battery life Stopwatch records and averages lap times FM tuner and recorder Comfortable earbuds TIRED No voice recording Rio Music Manager is a pain to use Additional Features Many third party Archos Gmini 220 Rio Karma 3 5 Toshiba Gigabeat G21 Creative Zen Touch Sony NW HD1 Rio Carbon 250 Apple iPod mini 249 SoniqCast Element Aireo 180 Rio Forge 256 Sport Ben0 Joybee 102R iRiver iFP 890 Jens of Sweden MP 130 Nike Philips MP3Run 20 Gbytes 20 Gbytes 20 Gbytes 20 Gbytes 20 Gbytes 5 Gbytes 4 Gbytes 1 5 Gbyt
48. to lose the beat there s little in the way of guides for your two left feet 299 www cobaltflux com 900000 REDOCTANE METAL PAD RedOctane s system turns your gaming room into a Saturday Night Fever disco Silver and sleek this metal pad is worth the cost if you re serious about your vid boogie Too bad it relies on an external control box for navigating the menus instead of using the pad s rear area for embedded controls Mirror ball not included 200 www redoctane com 900000 INTEC WIRELESS RACING WHEEL Intec s wireless Xbox wheel drove us up the wall The interface will baffle experienced drivers and the suction pads on the base made it wobbly and hard to control There s little to love about this plastic rig except perhaps the ease with which you can toss it aside and not trip over a wire 80 www inteclink com 900000 LOGITECH DRIVING FORCE PRO The greatest thing to happen to driving games since Gran Turismo 3 this wheel feels like it was lifted from a rally car The force feedback lets you feel every bump on even the smoothest virtual roads Best of all it has a 900 degree turning radius so you can spin out in games like G74 150 www logitech com 900000 Sturdy Triangle button on the mat makes menu navigation easier than the waltz Buy two and score a free attachment for linking them TIRED Expensive Xbox owners need an adapter Best pad for the price Foam bottom stays put on any
49. visions of spokesperson Mike Ditka should do DULL KOKO REPRESI
50. weather turbulent travel and acute clumsiness UHAT YOU GIVE UP Luxury Shock proofing protective body armor and the demands of durability all add up to less room for features like hi res screens and speakers Ruggedized keyboards and touchpads are less comfortable to use than those found on standard notebooks P B Multimedia Laptops These portable theaters merge rich sometimes widescreen displays with full featured audio and video software Tired of Hollywood s flicks Create your own APPLE POWERBOOK G4 17 INCH Software is the real strength of this sleek light An inch thick and less than weight aluminum slab Built in apps for editing and managing photos videos music and custom DVDs work together smoothly And Apple s OS X Is less targeted by viruses worms and spyware than Microsoft s a nice plus 2 799 www apple com 900000 FUJITSU LIFEBOOK N5010 If it shed a few pounds and got a new wardrobe the N5010 would be a winner Audio perks include the Dolby Headphone system which simulates 7 pounds Three hour battery life Backlit keyboard and comfy scalloped keys Limited choice of third party apps Pixel poor 1 440 x 900 screen Lap friendly for a 16 incher Affordable 5 1 surround sound on stereo cans The best nod to its home theater aspirations the volume knob above the keyboard 2 319 www computers us fujitsu com 900000 Obese at 10 4 pounds Two tone case looks cl
51. 0000 subjects in low light Heavy DIGITAL CAMERAS CAMERAS CASIO EXILIM EX S100 T WIRED The 3 2 megapixel S100 is a mere 0 7 inch thick and nearly credit card sized at 3 5 x 2 2 inches ea setang Y ia great performance Not too noisy But thanks to a new highly refractive ceramic ISO 400 catches action and dimly lens material it has room for a 2 8 optical zoom lit scenes Like the other Casios we tried it looks sleek shoots quickly and possesses an intuitive and TIRED sophisticated user interface These days 3 2 megapixels leaves i us hungry and seems skimpy 900000 for the price Not superlight at 4 ounces No optical viewfinder OLYMPUS STYLUS 410 DIGITAL T WIRED This cam continues Olympus film era trend of AEB ounces and 392213 making small weather resistant point and shoots inches it s small and cute Well With a sliding lens door for extra armor the tiny designed cover grip Flash mixes 4 megapixel digicam is easy to use and takes very nicely with ambient light Water good pictures in a variety of lighting situations resistant but not submersible Too bad it uses hard to find xD memory cards TIRED 349 www olympusamerica com 0900000 Uses pricey xD cards Focus delay with action shots in dim light Buying a Digital Camera Some research and a bit of legwork will help you find the perfect digicam Skip the big box stores Sure you ll find discount
52. 00000 SONY MDR DS8000 Sony s wireless headset merges Dolby s virtual Graphic display on transmitter unit surround technology with a gyroscopic control to shows surround channel place track where sound should come from Turn your ment Two digital inputs head to the right and the simulated field rotates to compensate lt made the surround experience TIRED seem much more real Annoying hiss audible at low 799 www sonystyle com volumes mocks large price tag 900000 ZALMAN ZM RS6F These phones spread sound from three full speakers Inexpensive but solid choice T front center rear built into each ear There s Great spatial effects Perfect for no onboard processing three stereo jacks connect PC gamers to outputs on a PC or home theater receiver so a good soundcard or A V amp Is essential TIRED c 70 www zalmanusa com So so bass Lame PC soundcards 900000 even lamer in surround NA N FIDELITY NOISE REDUCTION All models except surround sound were We plugged in ear and noise canceling head evaluated using a 24 bit studio console and phones into an iPod and took them for a stroll a vintage turntable plugged into a tube amp around the city We also listened on a crowded commuter flight MUSIC STYLES Our two hour playlist merged stereo store SURROUND SOUND standards Miles Davis Michael Tilson Thomas For surround sound units we watched Pink Floyd
53. 12 1 inch widescreen delivers generous 1 280 x 800 resolution But Dell s machine ran hotter than other thin and lights and the power ran dry in two hours you can purchase a double size battery for 59 extra 2 091 www dell com 900000 FUJITSU LIFEBOOK P7000 Its amazing what Fujitsu crams into a 3 3 pound 11 x 8 inch PC Cool features include a DVD ROM CD RW drive slots for CF and SD memory cards FireWire and S video ports 802 11a b g networking and a battery that lasts 2 5 hours The wide viewing angle of the 10 6 inch 1 280 x 768 display is perfect for in flight movies 1 999 www us fujitsu com 900000 IBM THINKPAD X40 23826UU If your laptop is your life meet your soul mate The ThinkPad s keyboard is better than many desktops and the four hour life of its standard battery was the best in our tests The latest model has an updated TrackPoint with alternate finger grips Performance is respectable lt ripped a CD to AAC files in an even six minutes 2 324 www ibm com 900000 SHARP ACTIUS MM20P It s no all day workhorse but the MM20P is barely thicker than its Ethernet jack a plus for PowerPoint jockeys rushing between sales calls The included dock syncs files with a desktop PC or a larger laptop Switching from Normal to Mobile mode boosted battery life from 90 minutes to nearly three hours but dimmed the screen considerably 1 599 www sharpsystems com 0900000 TIRED Fast Wide
54. 630 reveals a full QWERTY thumbpad within Turn the phone sideways to tap through the Internet check email and compose text messages on the 220 x 176 pixel display Fold it closed and you re ready to snap pics or chat with friends 200 300 www motorola com 900000 lt NOKIA 6230 Don t let the mild mannered appearance fool you The 6230 is a multimedia monster It can take 640 x 480 pixel pictures capture four minute video clips and play MP3 and AAC music files or FM radio broadcasts doing the work of a sackful of gadgets Thanks to an MMC slot under the battery it can also store your digital wares 300 www nokia com 900000 an FA gt lt C Beautiful clear screen On the fly zoom and brightness control Built in flash works pretty well 176 x 144 pixel 15 fps video is smooth Lens flips require pushing a button to reorient the image onscreen 15 second limit on video Packs a full keyboard in a candy bar sized phone Built in Bluetooth for use with hands free headsets VGA camera lets you cycle through lighting modes Keyboard makes phone a bit thick and heavy Interface cumbersome for entering contacts Video clips are superlong compared with other phones Music player has potent equalizer and radio has 20 station presets Bluetooth equipped Easy to misselect items using tiny navigation pad Display is small for Web or video Pics are fuzzy If a phone s features inc
55. 9 cents per song 780 000 Unlimited burned to CD Red Book Audio 98SE NT Internet Explorer 5 0 Windows XP 2000 98SE IE 5 01 with ActiveX Wal Mart Music Windows XP 2000 Me 98SE Downloads BS GENS persung 300 000 SMS Media Player 9 0 IE 5 5 MSN Music 99 cents per song 1 million WMA Sony Connect 99 cents per song 700 000 ATRAC3 Windows XP 2000 Me 98SE UIRED TEST Home Theater Gear Essentials HOME THEATER GEAR AUDIO 094 6 1 Surround Systems The best home theater in a box kits now offer a sixth channel letting you hear explosions dialog or music from directly behind you Michael Gowan 44 o H gt lt O ES DENON DHT 485DV Denons system comes close to achieving affordable perfection Textured scenes like the opening of The Fellowship of the Ring resonate with warmth and depth The front speakers are a bit wimpy at stereo music but the listening Improves if you engage the sub and surround speakers via the Pro Logic IIx Music setting 699 www usa denon com 900000 JVC QP F30AL This feature rich package comes with some nice perks including stands for front and surround speakers and a clever auto adjust feature Sit in your favorite spot clap your hands over your head and the amp balances volume levels for you But techie extras don t help overall sound wh
56. Comfort 2 Circumaural NOISE CANCELING Sony MDR G94NC Supraural 108 Kitchen and Bath Your PC is bleeding edge but your cooking and cleaning gear is way past dead Time to upgrade those dull knives singed pot holders and more UIRED TEST Kitchen and Bath Essentials SUPER AUTOMATIC COFFEE MACHINES Y OVEN MITTS AND GLOVES Y CERAMIC CHEF S KNIVES Y E aa O 2 IT lt sE O TY 114 Super Automatic Coffee Machines Load beans into these ultra programmable units and they ll grind tamp and brew the perfect cup of coffee or espresso every time Lucas Graves 4 JURA CAPRESSO IMPRESSA E8 Of all the models tested the Impressa was the most compact and easiest to operate More The only machine that supports an in tank water filter It has a bypass doser that skips the bean important it delivered rich java and frothy milk reservoir to brew a single cup that held up against all comers It deftly bridged of a different grind the coffee espresso divide serving single shots and mugs o mud on demand V TIRED 999 www capresso com Water temperature can t be 00000 fine tuned MIELE COFFEE SYSTEM CVA615 All the high end automatics put drip pots to shame but if you really want to steam past the Joneses and money is no object check Chock full of features but a cinch to use once you get the thing installed Face swings open for
57. D and regular analog broadcasts that shows images with 480 lines in an interlaced pattern 480p A format used for some television broadcasts and created by progressive scan DVD players from 480i discs It s often called enhanced definition A small number of televisions show 480p but not 720p or 1 0801 positioning them in a purgatory between the standard and HD worlds 720p One of two high definition formats shows images with 720 lines displayed progressively all at once 1 0801 The other high definition format It displays images with 1 080 lines in an interlaced manner Since few HDTV screens have 1 080 lines the format is often converted to 720 or 768 lines without an obvious difference ATSC The technical specification for high definition formats 720p and 1 080i as well as the enhanced def 480p format HD High definition describes any television or videostream using a 720p or 1 080i format Other features are a widescreen 16 9 aspect ratio and support for Dolby 5 1 surround sound Interlaced To save bandwidth many TVs receive only half an image at once The screen flicks 60 times per second 060 between the odd and even numbered lines of an image Because they flash so quickly these sets of interlaced lines called fields appear to the viewer as full screens NTSC The technical specification for analog broadcasts in the 480i format along with signals from a VHS or non progressive scan DVD player Progr
58. EST LH Flash Memory Players Your iPod is great for commuting but feels like a brick at the track or on the treadmill Grab a featherlight flash device for maximum mobility BENQ JOYBEE 102R AUDIO MP3 PLAYERS Barely larger than a hand buzzer the Joybee was the smallest and lightest tune carrier we encoun tered It has no features to speak of not even an LCD This player is all about portability and it delivers It also sounds great even hooked up to a stereo The battery lasts only seven hours on a single charge but it s easy to replenish via USB 99 www benq com 0900000 RIVER FP 890 Rivers li l guy is an all around performer weigh ing just 2 2 ounces with battery and packing a mighty sharp LCD A superb line in recorder the IFP 890 also packs a mike that captures speech with impressive clarity when the subject is within 10 feet The stubby joystick works surprisingly well and a single AA cell yields up to 32 hours of play time 150 www iriveramerica com 900000 JENS OF SWEDEN MP 130 This Scandinavian expat has a gorgeous two color screen that materializes ghostlike on the silver casing once the unit powers up Aesthetics aside the MP 130 had the best sound and clearest voice recording of any flash player we looked at If only we d paid more attention to the Swedish Chef on The Muppet Show maybe we could decipher the Svenske user s manual 180 www jensofsweden com 900000
59. NDERSON Executive Editor Bob Managing Editor Blaise Zerega Articles Editor Thomas Goetz Deputy Editor William 0 Goggins Assistant Managing Editor Rebecca Smith Hurd Senior Editors Adam Fisher Ted Greenwald Jennifer Hillner Laura Moorhead Susan Murcko Jeffrey M O Brien Mark Robinson Products Editor Robert Capps Senior Associate Editor Adam Rogers Assistant Editors Chris Baker Eric Steuer Copy Chief Jennifer Prior Copy Editors Jon J Eilenberg Pennie Rossini Research Editor Joanna Pearlstein Assistant Research Editors Kari Lynn Dean Greta Lorge Erik Malinowski Editorial Assistant Brian Lam Editorial Business Manager Erica Jewell Assistant to the Editor in Chief Peter Arcuni Editorial Projects Director Melanie Cornwell Editor at Large Kevin Kelly Creative Director Darrin Perry Director of Photography Brenna Britton Design Director Federico Guti rrez Schott Photo Editor Zana Woods Art Directors Donald Ngai Mark Wasyl Designer Allister Fein Design Assistant Lee Decker Contributing Designer Ronald Choe Deputy Photo Editor Carolyn Rauch Photo Producer Jennifer McKibben Photo Associate Anna Alexander Photo Assistant Lauren Winfield Photo Production Assistant Ezra Eismont Photo Clerks Kate Webber Amy Crilly Production Director Michael Lee Associate Production Director Jeff Lysgaard Associate Production Manager Jay Dayrit Interns David Goldenberg Reporting Ryan Sommer Products Erik
60. PIXEL PHONECAMS PORTABILITY We carried around each phone for a few hours to see how pocketable it was MENU SYSTEM To get our heads around the interface we made calls entered contacts and used any messaging systems available LIGHTING Pictures were taken under three different sets of conditions outside in full sunlight indoors in natural daylight and indoors in low light We cranked the resolutions to the highest levels and left all other settings on default IMAGE QUALITY We compared the cameras image quality by viewing photos on a 17 inch LCD monitor and making 4 x 6 printouts c QO H DE m gt 25 St e 1 CH DL WEB BROWSING Several Web sites were viewed using the Included browser EMAIL We set up email accounts and corresponded with colleagues ORGANIZER Each hybrid s contact management apps calendar functions and task capabilities memos to do lists were put through the paces SYNC We synced each device with an Outlook 2003 database and some with additional information managers such as Lotus Notes 44 44 44 44 MOTOROLA V710 This megapixel flip phone from Motorola neither dazzles nor disappoints Its 2 2 inch display is nice for viewing the 1 280 x 960 pixel pictures which have fine color but aren t terribly sharp But oddities limit this phone it uses a strange choice of expansion slots TransFlash anyone a
61. President Chief Communications Officer David Orlin Senior Vice President Strategic Sourcing Robert Bennis Senior Vice President Real Estate Shared Services provided by Advance Magazine Group David B Chemidlin Senior Vice President General Manager Shared Services Center Periodicals postage paid at New York New York and at additional mailing offices Canadian Goods and Services Tax Registration No R123242885 POSTMASTER Send address changes to Wired PO Box 37706 Boone IA 50037 0662 For subscriptions address changes adjustments or back issue inquiries Write to Wired PO Box 37706 Boone IA 50037 0662 call 1 800 769 4733 or email subscriptions wiredmag com Eight weeks are required for change of address Please give both new and old address as printed on most recent label First copy of new subscription will be mailed within eight weeks after receipt of order Address all editorial business and production correspondence to Wired magazine 4 Times Square New York NY 10036 For Permissions and Reprint requests please call 1 212 286 8349 or fax requests to 1 212 286 8628 Visit us online www wired com wired To subscribe to other Cond Nast magazines on the World Wide Web visit www condenet com Occasionally we make our subscriber list available to carefully screened companies that offer products and services that we believe would interest our readers If you do not want to receive these offers and or information please adv
62. SON At first glance the R800 looks like The Photosmart 8150 is well equipped PICTUREMATE any other eight ink photo printer But R and easy to use Memory card slots Small and lightweight with a built in it has an edge it can print directly Check An LCD that displays each handle the PictureMate pops out onto inkjet compatible CDs and _ photo Yup Separate trays for 4 x 6 photos on the go There s even DVDs It even includes software different size paper Sure It even a 50 car adapter so you can catch for designing your own labels And has a dial that allows you to choose upon printing while you re stuck in creating disc art is quick Too bad the border type or to lay out several ho traffic The memory card slots let R800 takes so long for photos more photos on a single page But the you bypass a PC but the small LCD han three minutes to print a 4 x 6 8150 is slow taking more than five doesn t display thumbnails just and over five minutes for an 8 x 10 minutes to print an 8 x 10 menus Colors were washed out 400 www epson com 199 www hp com 200 www epson com __ 00000 00000 900000 4 I x CAREN ALPE UIRED TEST Digital Video Camera Essentials DIGITAL VIDEO CAMERAS CAMERAS MiniDV Cameras From toddler biopics to zoomed sports action these compact camcorders add a professional touch to your amateur video dp CANON OPTURA Xi The Optura Xi is pe
63. Zoom Sony Cyber shot DSC V3 Pentax Optio 750Z FEATURED COMPACT Canon PowerShot G6 o Nikon D70 Canon EOS 20D Canon EOS Digital Rebel Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II Nikon D2X Product not available in time for testing Price Megapixels 700 649 699 999 body only 1 499 body only 899 body only 7 000 est body only 5 000 est body only Memory Format CompactFlash Secure Digital Secure Digital xD Memory Stick Duo Secure Digital Secure Digital Secure Digital Memory Stick CompactFlash Memory Stick xD Memory Stick CompactFlash Secure Digital CompactFlash CompactFlash CompactFlash CompactFlash CompactFlash Secure Digital CompactFlash DUE ON SHELVES By 2005 WORTH THE WAIT Yes if you need to shoot fast action under harsh conditions Additional Features Uses AA batteries plugs directly into PictBridge printers for quick prints Large 2 inch screen stainless steel body Uses AA batteries submersible records 640 x 480 video Water resistant 10 selectable shooting modes Bright transflective screen comes in four colors In camera red eye editing records 640 x 480 video exposure bracketing Large 2 5 inch screen calendar function sorts photos by date Large 2 inch screen in camera HTML gallery authoring 25 shot consecutive picture mode Large 2 5 inch screen long 38 to 114 mm zoom records 640 x 480 vid
64. a Stalder Research Terry Tang Edit UIRED TEST SURVIVING THE GIZMO EXPLOSION Relax We tested hundreds of products so you don t have to The last computer any one person could completely under stand from top to bottom software to hardware was the Data General Eclipse MV the subject of Tracy Kidder s 1981 best seller The Soul of a New Machine Kidder s story set the stage for the day when the complexity of a machine would exceed the grasp of even its savviest users This quickly came to pass with computing and about the same time it happened with cars The combination of fuel injec tion and advances like electronic antilock brakes put the average automobile beyond the ken of the individual mechanic And now in a similar way it s happening to me The madness began innocently enough subscribed to Rhapsody the streaming music service that offers access to more than 700 000 songs for 10 a month Suddenly it was all music all the time but only through my PC s speakers If only there were some way to broadcast it throughout the entire house There were solutions of course dozens of them And tried them all From pre 802 11 wireless devices to modern media streamers to really long cables each yielding its own lessons in interference RF signals and carpentry And so it went By the time got to the networked Xbox and the universal remote felt like needed a PhD in setup and ins
65. anger com 900000 HP iPAQ h6315 If you re already sold on Pocket PC devices why not get one with a built in GSM phone The iPaq h6315 is packed to the gills including Wi Fi Bluetooth and a VGA camera Of course at 6 7 ounces the h6315 is more PDA than phone and the clunky snap on keyboard doesn t help 500 www hp com 900000 PALMONE TREO 600 Its more than a year old but the Treo 600 is still the best phone PDA combo available It runs on the Palm OS and the pleasantly domed keys QWERTY keyboard and touchscreen ease data entry The Treo 650 due by the end of the year closes the gripe gap by adding a hi res 320 x 320 pixel screen and Bluetooth 500 www palmone com 90000 RIM BLACKBERRY 7100t Unfortunately this new slimmed down Blackberry came out as we were going to press so we didn t have time to fully review it RIM s first consumer BlackBerry retains the boring business model s navigation and interface but it s smaller and has a higher quality color screen No OWERTY keyboard but RIM provides an innovative abridged take on mobile typing a pad with two letters per key 200 www blackberry com Full size keyboard Intuitive wireless syncing Informative interface tells you how many messages you have No basic keypad Dialing requires either swiveling out the screen or fumbling through menus Chunky Beautiful 3 5 inch screen makes Web browsing a joy Supports AOL MSN Yahoo and ICO instant me
66. ard Disk Dual 74 Gbyte 10 000 rpm SATA drives with RAID Dual 74 Gbyte 10 000 rpm SATA drives with RAID 200 Gbyte 7 200 rpm SATA Dual 74 Gbyte 10 000 rpm SATA drives with RAID 250 Gbyte 7 200 rpm SATA 250 Gbyte 7 200 rpm SATA 250 Gbyte 7 200 rpm SATA removable 160 Gbyte 7 200 rpm drive 160 Gbyte 7 200 rpm parallel ATA Optical Drive 8X DVD R RW and DVD R RW 12X DVD R RW and DVD R RW 52X CD RW 12X DVD R RW and DVD R RW 16X DVD ROM 8X dual layer DVD R RW and DVD R RW 16X DVD ROM 8X dual layer DVD R RW 16X DVD ROM 8X DVD R RW and DVD R RW lt IH lt O c cr O H 2 O O SPECIALTY PCs WIRED TEST T to Phat gn clutter gt CN odd m little freedom to your home office Owen WeLinzmsyas Eur MICROSOFT WIRELESS KENSINGTON OPTICAL DESKTOP COMFORT TYPE COMFORT EDITION RECHARGEABLE The curve in Microsoft s RF key The Kensington s 20 silver func board will help your wrists but tion keys can be set to launch Its protruding feet will cramp your apps and enter keystroke lap typing style The board s layout combinations The slightly includes 21 programmable buttons slanted keys ease typing and and a unique zoom slider for the RF range was twice as far adjusting document magnification as the stated 6 foot spec Too quickly The ambidextrous mouse bad its incompatible with Apple Is comfortable computers and sout
67. at are limited for simplicity Still the Rebel works with all the high end Canon lenses and flashes for when you re ready to work for Reuters 899 body only www canonusa com 900000 CANON EOS 20D Whether you re a die hard hobbyist or fledgling pro this cam s for you Inside is Canon s 8 2 megapixel sensor and new Digic Il processor which produce nearly noiseless 150 1600 images and only slight graininess at ISO 3200 It features well designed controls and solid construction but weighs 1 7 pounds 1 499 body only www canonusa com 0900000 NIKON D70 The 0705 hefty 1 3 pound black body has the air of a more expensive SLR Its companion 18 to 70 mm zoom 27 to 105 mm equivalent in 35 mm terms sells for 300 and covers a variety of needs well Thanks to quick response and easy image review the D70 performs well in rapid fire situations 999 body only www nikonusa com 00000 CANON EOS 1Ds MARK II This gasketed sealed battle ready digital SLR has a 16 7 megapixel CMOS sensor the size of a 35 mm film frame to take wide angle shots The 4 fps firing rate is not fast compared with other cams but the files are huge A buffer allows shooting bursts of 12 full resolution JPEGs and the camera can store them on either CompactFlash or SD cards 7 000 estimated body only www canonusa com TIRED Near pro results made easy Sensitivity up to ISO 1600 with acceptable noise 10X zoom for reviewing
68. ce 108 www urieagle com OOO TIRED Supersharp blade keeps its edge Alloy blend unlike pure ceramics means it can be sharpened at home Sports distinctive cleaver like deba shape Low price Light plastic handle can get slimy and makes balance awkward Excellent 6 25 inch blade second only to the Cera Titan in sharpness and not by much Wood handle places it a cut above the rest in balance heft and looks Cut above in price too Affordable for a ceramic blade More than enough knife for the home chef who sticks to basics like chopping vegetables Not the sharpest knife in the drawer For a few dollars more the Boker is a much better deal 25 E lt m Les lt a ams H x HOUSEHOLD If you want to keep your knives sharp store them separately in protective sheaths EL H x O H 116 Oven Mitts and Gloves With today s stoves packing bigger hotter grills home cooking is more dangerous than ever These mitts keep the sizzle off your skin Philip Ferrato lt DUNCAN INDUSTRIES KITCHEN GRIPS MITT This synthetic rubber mitt offers plenty of room for big hands and a nicely turned back cuff The glove comes in two lengths and a variety of styles some models are waterproof and submersible Sturdy and user friendly this cousin of the neoprene wet Heavy duty protection up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit Supple enough to grasp tongs an
69. creaky We shudder to think what else could go wrong after a few months of abuse 30 www madcatz com 900000 Macro feature saves sets of button presses great for fighting games Old fashioned Turbo button is a throw in of little use with most current games Batteries last a whopping 70 hours with rumble off TIRED Three rumble settings sounds nice but they feel weak Includes the old pointless Turbo button Autoselects channels when using multiple controllers Battery lasts 50 hours with rumble 100 without TIRED Shoulder buttons lack contour making them slippery and hard to locate by feel Nice and compact too bad about everything else TIRED Astonishing crapsmanship Good luck replacing batteries without a hammer Costs as much as Hip Gear s far better controller COMPUTING AND GAMING GAMING ACCESSORIES UIRED TEST gt gt UIRELESS CONTROLLERS lt NINTENDO WAVEBIRD GAMECUBE Microsoft s latest Xbox pad feels comfy and Sony s Dual Shock 2 is often lauded as a design Only 10 more than the GameCube masterpiece But neither can match Nintendo s corded controller and just as lightweight well shaped GameCube controllers agafant with their ideal button stick placement TIRED only first party wireless on the market doesn t have rumble but it s got everything else No rumble could be a factor for 36 wwwnintenda con a few games like Zelda W
70. d tools suit is dishwasher safe New gloves emit a strong petroleum 15 and up www kitchengrips com odor which quickly abates 00000 Si ORKA A chic French designed mitt with stamina the ives E E Orka is beefy enough for long grilling sessions protects just long enough to grab It also possesses a witty anthropomorphic a lobster or an errant kitchen tool profile suitable for post dessert puppet shows Available in five colors and an Its sleek molded silicone is a direct descendant extra long heavy duty model of Silly Putty 20 www surlatable com 00000 Snug fit on wide hands and thick forearms 44 JOSEPH ENTERPRISES OVE GLOVE This classic fingered glove is made of a pliable Kevlar and Nomex knit the same flame retardant Fits either hand Cotton lined Machine washable 900000 material used in suits worn by firefighters and race car drivers It s comfy protection for handling m hot cookware up to 480 degrees Fahrenheit Knit offers no protection from 15 www oveglove com hot liquids or sharp objects Z lt HOUSEHOLD Keep your mitts where you can see them so you won t be tempted to use a dish towel instead SP gt lt 2 C UIRED TEST Shower TVs and Radios If the bathroom is the one place you go to escape technology stop reading now This gear adds audio and video to your hygiene routine L G TVs V CASIO XFER XF 1000 Casio s slim l
71. date to the original s clunky design but it left the cable intact Hip Gear tries to remedy this with a wireless version that nicely matches the Xbox look The 2 4 GHz model has a buttery smooth thumb pad but stiff buttons and nearly a pound of heft weigh it down It doesn t top the S but it does let you roam 30 www hipgearproducts com 00000 INTEC MINI PS2 The Mini has great battery life and the smoothest digital pad we tested But its petite analog sticks and stiff buttons can leave your hands stinging after even a short session of SOCOM 2 Another glitch Placement of Start and Select buttons could cause a mispress when you re desperate for a time out 30 www inteclink com 00000 LOGITECH CORDLESS ACTION CONTROLLER PS2 Logitech s latest wires free unit is a total lightweight in the best sense The sleekest of the wireless bunch it s a cinch to install you don t even have to program the wireless channels on the controller and receiver lts 30 foot range suffers from nary a hiccup Best of all the design closely mimics the unique look of Sony s Dual Shock 2 cord bound controller 40 www logitech com MAD CATZ LYNX XBOX The Lynx was a bust right out of the box The battery indicator light cover fell off almost immediately Then after we pried open the battery flap no easy task excessive force was required to cram the three AAs into place We finally got the thing running only to find the triggers
72. dicated macro control button the digicam s excellent zoom range 38 to 190 mm If you like big prints and are should make up for it Big prints are possible prepared to buy lots of expensive with uncompressed TIFF and RAW image files xD memory cards Unfortunately like other Olympus models the memory card slot accepts only xD cards 600 www olympusamerica com Digital Camera Accessories These three amigos are must haves for any cybershooter Konica Minolta SD CF1 adapter Slip a Secure Digital card into this device and you can use it in a CompactFlash slot At last you can use the same cards for your digital SLR and your pocket cam And since most memory slots on PDAs smartphones and laptops are SD you ll get the added joy of viewing and emailing your pics on location 2 59 www konicaminolta com _ MIN TUA EPCARD ADAPTION GD CF 1 2 Pelican L1 flashlight Dangle this featherweight 0 9 ounce 2 5 inches long LED flashlight from your neck whenever you re shooting The 6 000 candlepower beam with the bluish white color of daylight is perfect for adding a bit of side lighting to a portrait subject And in the dark its handy for a glance at camera controls Plus the Pelican is an energy miser shining for up to 130 hours on four LR44 coin type batteries 16 www pelican com JE Micro Solutions RoadStor When you re sans computer here s a way to make room on your memory cards back them up or transfer photos t
73. e LCD is just a thin strip but its crispness compensates Toshiba has yet to announce release plans for the US but you can buy the Gigabeat online from Dynamism 599 www dynamism com 900000 Attractive design Outstanding battery life Rich audio Price is too much for too little Hard to read screen Tiny control pad SonicStage feels like a giant ad for Sony s music store Not Mac compatible Elegant design Thin and light Easy to operate Wireless ready Plays MP3 WMA and WAY files Its 28 equalizer presets range from Acoustic to R amp B Luxe price point No built in voice recorder or FM tuner Controls are awkward PC only Players 2 COMPUTER SETUP SOUND QUALITY dp ac gt x l a N AUDIO Each piece of bundled file management software was loaded onto a PC running Windows XP and when appropriate a Mac running OS X For units that double as storage drives we also checked drag and drop transfers To judge output we listened to each player with the bundled headphones and through a pair of Sony MDR V300 studio cans We also connected players to a Sony STR 5355 stereo with Sony APM 790 speakers to better determine the sonic range EQUALIZER We tried out all the presets and tweaked manual EQs to gauge how well each enhanced the audio BATTERY LIFE We ran the units nonstop until they conked out and fiddled with a range of functions and controls fast forward pa
74. e front speakers distort when big bangs are cranked to the max If you re OK with plain old loud however this Sony system will fill the room with above average audio Y TIRED 230 www sonystyle com a The 6 foot power cord is a bit 107000 short Control knobs positioned too closely together Easy on the eyes Satellite braces can be positioned at rear for mounting speakers to the wall Secondary input on control panel SPHEREX XBOX 5 1 Spherex s debut offering looks like a cluster of incubating pods from Alien It works with all hardware not just the Xbox and its so called Handles DTS and Dolby Digital surround Slick remote Two omnipolar dispersion technology really does spread optical and one coaxial input for sound around the room for 360 degree envelopment digital sources plus USB port A USB port in the sub allows you to transfer bug fixes and new as yet unnamed features V TIRED from your PC 499 www spherexinc com Most expensive multimedia speakers reviewed Subwoofer 900000 is a bit weaker than Logitech s lt cr C c cr E 142 GAMING ACCESSORIES Wireless Controllers Leashes are for walking your pooch not playing Soul Calibur II head to head Get into the action and out of the tangles with a lightweight tether killer 44 4 44 44 HIP GEAR 2 4 GHZ XBOX Microsoft s Xbox Controller S was a smart up
75. eal world head to head evaluations with winners losers and everything in between But in an era when product cycles are measured in months even that s not enough So we poked and prodded a few hundred more gizmos picked the latest and greatest and pulled them all together into a comprehensive guide to buying smart the best gear the best values and dozens of tips on finding what s right for you The day when no mortal can fully understand the digital lifestyle has been delayed Let sanity reign Chris Anderson Choosing and Testing the Best Gear To create Wired Test we waded through nearly a thousand products and selected the coolest in more than a dozen categories We tested each gadget under real world conditions and rated it based on performance and value on a zero to five scale WIRED TEST Tech of Tomorrow Gadget lust takes many forms There s the panting need to buy that just released MP3 player Or the nostalgic yearning to collect say vintage Atari 2600 consoles Then there s the jones for technologies just over the om Here ICG I CJI lU Re I Ri Ae IC e Bee EI MM by Brendan I METHANOL FUEL CELL Ask 100 iPod owners to gripe about the gadget and 95 of them will mention the paltry battery life Lithium ion batteries the industry staple may be lightweight but they skimp on power Toshiba s solution is a 0 3 ounce methanol fuel cell which can power a hard disk MP3 player for up to
76. early illegible unless viewed straight on Works with Mac and Windows Includes FM radio and USB port TIRED LCD is hard to read Poor button placement on tiny remote results in inadvertent shutdowns and server resets Packaging incorrectly claims support for Mac OS 9 150 lt c cr C E MEDIA STREAMERS 4 NETGEAR MP101 The boxy MP101 has all the charm of a police scanner but its packed with features including seamless support for Rhapsody vTuner Internet radio and other universal plug and play server apps Or you can use the proprietary Netgear Media Server software It can import libraries or playlists from some music management programs but not iTunes 149 www netgear com 90000 ROKU SOUNDBRIDGE M1000 The elegant SoundBridge sports a generous 280 x 16 pixel blue fluorescent display It can access music on computers running either Tunes or the open source SlimServer software and it comes with high end digital outputs analog too We especially like the Fast Browse feature for finding tracks in huge libraries 250 www rokulabs com SLIM DEVICES SOUEEZEBOX While the Squeezebox lacks the SoundBridge s visual appeal it s a formidable streamer The graphic screen and controller board offer a range of text sizes pretty fonts and smooth scrolling Though the user docs are confusing the device walks you through the easy setup It effor
77. ed the dogbot s IO flaws pretty quickly Its vision and voice recognition are still primitive Although geek dads know it s technically impressive that Aibo can nudge a pink ball across a room it s not that much fun to watch more than once Chris Anderson RATING 6 10 vun ue aibo con RETAIL 550 The AV420 s dock and video inputs make recording a snap ripped Justin Timberlake from MTV to the 20 gig hard drive so could review his dance moves on the bus The included PC side software can convert Kazaa d digital video to the AV420 s preferred DivX format but DVD recordings and other copy protected video sources can t be exported Still a little DRM tethering is better than being stuck watching video in the living room Brian Lam RATING 8 10 www archos con RETAIL 30 Late night trips to the bathroom used to leave me in the dumps would stumble groggily to the can with my near bursting bladder only to be blinded when flicked on the 100 watt bulb Enter the LavNav The lid mounted night light has a built in motion detector that senses my approach gently lighting my way And it s a royal flush for couples glowing a verdant green if the seat is down and a night vision red if it s up Ladies say tootle loo to those embarrassing midnight dips Stuart Luman RATING 9 10 vun RETAIL 129 plus 10 monthly subscription OK it failed the wife test she laughed at the
78. ema HD is a top performer when it comes to image quality and it just beats out the others in subtle shading of bright colors Using the tilt feature is a kinesthetic joy the panel has an Olympic gymnast s balance But there s no VGA input so you cant connect most laptops 1 999 www apple com 900000 PHILIPS BRILLIANCE 230W5 Though it looks like a concept model from decades past this LCD doubles as a high definition TV screen Unfortunately it has a bit more pixel jitter than other models that accept analog input An integrated 8 in 1 memory card reader lets you send digicam images to your PC via USB 2 399 www philipsusa com 900000 VIDEO uIDESCREEN PC MONITORS Digital Video Recorders Kick your VHS machine to the curb DVRs asier to use UIRED TEST Digital Video Recorder Essentials INTERFACE AND LISTINGS DIGITAL VIDEO RECORDERS VIDEO REMOTE CONTROL D CONNECTIONS 070 High Definition DVRs If you shelled out for an HDTV only a hi def recorder will do Most are integrated into a cable or satellite box which makes setup easy but ties you to one service 4 COMCAST MOTOROLA DCT6208 At 80 gigs the hard drive holds only 10 hours P of HDTV And the myopic guide displays a mere e Ee e hour of programming Der screen But the price
79. ent The company had to develop inkjet nozzles controlled by piezoelectric valves instead of heat which would damage the organic compounds Seiko Epson is eager to start printing reams of HDTVs by 2007 but it must find a way to make them last longer While typical plasma televisions lose half their brightness after 30 000 hours of use OLEDs fade that much in approximately 2 000 hours B P Pioneer PDP 4340HD 8 500 Marantz PD4240D 7 999 NEC PX61XM2 S 13 995 Fujitsu P50XHA30WS 8 999 LG DU 50PZ60 H Sharp LC 37G4U Sony KDL 42XBR950 10 000 Toshiba 32HL84 3 499 Samsung LT P468W 9 999 2 BenQ DV3070 Mitsubishi 4 5 WD 52525 V Inc Vizio RP56 JVC HD 52Z575 4 3 3 RD65 4 Sharp XV Z12000 Optoma H77 12 000 8 999 InFocus ScreenPlay 7205 8 999 Screen Size diagonal 43 inches 42 inches 61 inches 50 inches 50 inches 37 inches 42 inches 32 inches 46 inches 30 inches 52 inches 56 inches 52 inches 65 inches Up to 25 feet Up to 25 feet Up to 11 5 feet Resolution 1 024 x 768 1 024 x 768 1 365 x 768 1 366 x 768 1 366 x 768 1 366 x 768 1 366 x 768 1 366 x 768 1 920 x 1 080 1 280 x 768 1 280 x 720 1 280 x 720 1 280 x 720 1 280 x 720 1 280 x 720 1 280 x 720 1 280 x 720 Dimensions H x W x D weight 25 7 x 44 1 x 3 9 inches 67 3 Ibs 24 x 40 x 3 5 inches 65 Ibs 34 6 x 57 9 x 4 7 inches 134 2 Ibs 28
80. eo Wide 28 to 100 mm zoom focus and exposure bracketing Accessory docking station for TV playback of slideshows Large 2 inch screen extralong 38 to 190 mm zoom IR beam allows shots in complete darkness flash hot shoe shoots TIFFs Tilt and swivel screen shoots TIFFs Long 35 to 140 mm zoom flash shoe rotating screen Takes high end DX Nikkor lenses up to 1 8 000 second shutter speed Takes high end Canon lenses 23 shot buffer 9 point AF sensor Takes high end Canon lenses 7 point AF sensor 12 shooting modes Takes high end Canon lenses 35 mm sized sensor ISO sensitivity up to 3200 Takes high end DX Nikkor lenses large 2 5 inch screen two way 802 11g Wi Fi module available shoots TIFFs CAMERAS DIGITAL CAMERAS WIRED TEST e Photo Printers High quality inkjets have rendered retail photo labs obsolete Now memory card slots and USB inputs mean you can ditch your computer too Lisa Cekan CANON i9900 Ei If you want big photos and have plenty of space the 19900 is a great choice This behemoth clocked the fastest print speeds spitting out 4 x 6 photos just 46 seconds and 8 x 10s in 2 5 minutes Plus it s the only model we tested that can handle tabloid sized paper This printer is expensive but the results are stunning with bold colors and fine detall 500 www canonusa com PHOTO PRINTERS CAMERA 900000 EPSON R800 HP PHOTOSMART 8150 EP
81. es 256 Mbytes 128 Mbytes 256 Mbytes 128 Mbytes 256 Mbytes Apple Lossless Audible MP3 WMA WAV MP3 WMA WAV 0gg Vorbis FLAC MP3 WMA WAV MP3 WMA WAV ATRAC3 ATRAC3plus MP3 WMA Audible MP3 AAC WAV AIFF Apple Lossless Audible MP3 WMA MP3 WMA Audible MP3 WMA WAV MP3 WMA Ogg Vorbis ASF MP3 WMA Ogg Vorbis MP3 WMA accessories available Voice and line in recording manual EQ card slot Docking station line in recording manual EQ instant syncing Wi Fi ready FM tuner FM and voice recording via optional remote manual EQ Manual EQ Voice recording manual EQ Five color choices FM tuner Wi Fi enabled manual E Stopwatch FM tuner and recording card slot manual E Supersmall FM tuner voice and line in recording manual EQ FM tuner voice and line in recording manual EQ Pedometer strobe safety light UIRED TEST 7 i I 5 DKW SS d Aan Lal Geo a hs br 3 s Kent Te Gei kO KE rime m RE PN i d d r gt uM wi LES d Be Ers un H alen NO E 3 A dEr ENEE a GEN vrbes L Ire h ATE FEM i 1 Fu Mfr D Lir fl op 7 i uuu i Su Men CIT a a dEr Wee WC Tre E i L IM Pane a xe dg P J 2 Ini dl ba Y Y wi Lie WA io Si di L 1 ER rar LE ah M pisqan O olei EE ais het i ab Ak Ty
82. es E a eu E bum E 1 d ra mr mi E a E Pe d DES m paqa Es Te a ne ee HE wn PE r cun E M eer ER p tal AA apa P eg e wen ET w Kam amr Apre e Bag Bag H i x 120 E ez x Se D c viu E AN ee uid Pe eer x EN RE mua ur os B aed a mam em TRES e FS m S NS ES a mas gt em E i e ar pw LL zd Wisa Esp 3 PEL M L il E D a RI serie s a a i da s r e ik m eh 1 UIRED TEST a COMPUTING AND GAMING Why buy a desk hog when many portables pack the same horsepower These models do games movies and more Thin and Light Laptops Tablet PCs Multimedia Laptops Gaming Laptops Ruggedized Laptops UIRED TEST Laptop Essentials Y d WU AN WA M dadd Ve d CM CO 0 N WA d NS 2 ui WWW N bi Wa M MN 124 SdOldVl INIWVS NV SNILfdWOO Thin and Light Laptops These petite performers cram maximum specs into minimum space letting you carry your workload everywhere without breaking your back 4 DELL INSPIRON 700m The 700m tore through our CD ripping exercise in five minutes flat thanks to its 1 8 GHz Pentium M processor Plus the
83. es is thinner and lighter than the competition It also sounds better even through the bundled earbuds The Carbon has a Thin and light Drag and drop transfers Easy EQ adjustment Deep bass makes it perfect microphone for voice recording and you can add for hip hop or electronica Battery songs directly to your playlist without software life tops 18 hours High quality via USB 2 0 At 5 gigs it offers more storage than built in mike Plays WMAs in Apple s mini for the same scratch Southpaw gripe addition to MP3 and Audible files The jog wheel is out of thumb s reach 250 www rioaudio com TIRED 0000090 Tough on lefties No FM tuner c ac gt lt ND o gt AUDIO 44 SONIQCAST ELEMENT AIREO Much respect to the Aireo for cutting the cables It scans your PC s hard drive and downloads audio files over your 802 11b network The wireless software isstored on player transfers worked fine but rarely eclipsed USB 1 1 oe EEN ES toggling rates Great idea but the Aireo is heavy at 8 ounces between screens and memory poor at 1 5 gigs 180 www sonigcast com TIRED OOO Big and heavy Minimal storage Works only with Windows XP and Syncs wirelessly with your PC s music library Installation 2000 with Service Pack 4 No USB 2 0 transfers Feeble power Don t pay for extra storage if size matters most What rocks on the road might suck at the gym EL H x O H 2 a UIRED T
84. essive When a TV displays a progressive image it flashes the entire video frame 60 times per second The main progressive formats are 480p DVDs and enhanced definition TV broadcasts and 720p hi def TV Showing all the lines at the same time yields more fluid motion rendering Reverse 3 2 Pulldown When movies are released on DVD film which runs at 24 fps is transferred to video which runs at 60 half frames or fields per second Making the formats mathematically compatible requires a so called 3 2 pulldown process that leads to some choppiness and image distortion Reverse 3 2 pulldown analyzes incoming video and reassembles it to ensure sharp images and smooth motion onscreen SD Standard definition describes any TV set or videostream that uses the 480i format B P Rear Projection TVs The best value in HDTV rear projection sets offer bold color and giant screens But they re behemoths and can be too dim for bright rooms a 44 44 44 44 JVC HD 52Z575 52 INCH LCoS The three chip LCoS system on this JVC projects red green and blue light simultaneously yielding a bright image free of the rainbow effect of color wheel TVs But we saw multicolored shimmers in the gray pavement during Mystic River and a reverse 3 2 pulldown glitch caused a hazy flicker ing image on the Star Trek Insurrection DVD 4 500 www jvc com 90000 MITSUBISHI WD 52525 52 INCH DLP While all three DLPs use Texas Ins
85. fted from cured mahogany making them both light and dynamic Don t expect block rockin bass but do marvel at the clarity of your Steely Dan records And thanks to the fully open design you can have a conversation without reaching for the volume knob 695 www gradolabs com KOSS PRO3AA This circumaural set from the 1970s has been updated with titanium coated speakers and a metallic finish The closed earpieces surrounded by a snug padded seal let us pump up the volume without driving housemates crazy although they made us feel claustrophobic after a while Bass was strong but occasionally boomy 70 www koss com 0900000 SENNHEISER HD 555 Designed for movies as well as music these phones enclose even the biggest ears with snug cloth covered padding that won t irritate your head during those Miles marathons Reflective barriers in each bucket lend a spatial effect without decoding software or extra speaker channels 170 www sennheiser com 00000 STAX SIGNATURE SYSTEM II They look like something from a 1940s mind control experiment but with audio this full you won t want to leave the lab Stax matches electrostatic speakers for accuracy with a vacuum tube headphone amp for warmth These are the best sounding cans we tried but we had to ding them for the exorbitant price 1 700 www yamasinc com 900000 Amazing sonic detail Attractive wood styling Leather headband gold plated jack and 15 foot extens
86. gateway com 900000 VOODOO ENVY m 860 If head turning looks matter more to you than neck snapping speed your search ends here Voodoo s high gloss finish upstages them all The onscreen graphics were less impressive with 19 fps in Far Cry at 1 280 x 1 024 But the Athlon 3400 CPU may blow past the others when 64 bit games arrive in late 2004 or early 2005 3 200 www voodoopc com 900000 TIRED Y TIRED Detailed 1 920 x 1 200 display Special tech support line separates gamers from regular Dell dudes for better service Y TIRED One hour battery life Pricey Black lid with skull emblems about as punk rock as Avril Lavigne Pulled through Far Cry at 24 frames per second just above average for 1 280 x 1 024 resolution Upgradable graphics Voluminous 120 gigs of hard disk space Abysmal 45 minute battery life Fan kicks into noisy high speed mode for games porker at 11 3 pounds Gorgeous display helped deliver best overall gaming experience Sleek design solid build Buttons on front panel for playing CDs and DVDs No match for Dell Inspiron on frame rates Graphics system not upgradable One hour battery life Sexy lacquered finish Athlon 64 bit CPU will soon run optimized games TIRED At 1 680 x 1 050 and 15 inches the screen lacks the depth and dimen sions of Gateway s larger LCD Ruggedized Laptops Shock absorbing cases coffee proof keyboards Whether used on
87. gh inferior analog ports CableCard slots will allow a DVR to act as a decoder for any subscription service even multiple services That means fewer cables video that hits your hard drive without lossy D A conversion and the ability to record several programs simultaneously Interface Moxi We love the screw the manual ease of TiVo s menus and controls but we ve seen better Moxi by Digeo has a slicker UI and it s lightning fast unlike TiVo At press time Moxi was being tested in more than 50 cable markets in seven states Burner Blu Ray DVD burning is the best way to archive TV shows Current discs hold up to eight hours of standard definition TV but not a minute of HD the formats don t match Blu Ray recorders available in Japan store more than two hours of hi def per disc Networking Microsoft Media Center 2005 Some DVRs can be linked together to share content over a network but what about your movie and music collections The solution a media motherbrain that stores your favorite shows DVDs and MP3s in a single location and doles them out to slave boxes around the house Microsofts Media Center 2005 can connect a Media Center PC to a TV through a Media Center Extender see page 137 Because there s Compression MPEG 4 Hard drives and DVDs will hold even more HDTV when we ditch the MPEG 2 video compression standard requiring 8 to 10 gigs per hour for this leaner codec HIGH DEFINNITION H E H
88. h uses a puzzling search engine The result Film fans looking for their fave flicks often find themselves lost in a labyrinth of electronics and baby gear instead 18 76 per month for three discs at a time www walmart com dvdrentals 0900000 Y TIRED Giant library of current hits and classics Free two week trial Subscribers get two complimentary in store rentals per month Confusing search engine No trailers Protective packaging prevents damaged discs Per rental pricing option starts at 3 plus shipping Unintuitive search No trailers Short on critically panned flicks Lickety split next day delivery for most customers Fluid interface Up to date film database lets users queue up titles not yet released to DVD Movie trailers Prices keep creeping upward The occasional scratched disc With a large movie selection at a slightly lower than average price it s not a bad value Offers a one month trial Frustrating interface Three day deliveries Expect to wait even longer for popular movies Movies On Demand If the US Postal Service is too slow for your film habit lug your laptop to the La Z Boy and get Hollywood hits piped in via broadband K L D CinemaNow Watch Mnvine Hara 8 A Crear jal H x ES C 44 44 44 CINEMA NOW The granddaddy of MOD offers a rotating library of 2 000 titles plus download to own movies and cheesy adult f
89. here s no economy mode Plus the lamp is rated at 2 000 component and DVI inputs modes are handy EX hours the others claim 3 000 ww EN 31499 www infocus com HM 1 599 www benq com EN 1795 www necsam com E 00000 B co 0900000 Widescreen PC Monitors CRTs are for squares Widescreen LCDs turn even casual photo editing into a cinematic event and display DVDs full 16 9 glory A couple of these 23 inchers even do TV M David Stone a z Em cc lt gt m Wal gt ke c cc 1 SONY SDM P234 Sony s LCD delivers fine gradation with bright colors It does a great job converting VGA to digital adjusting the analog signal to lock in crispness Advanced image controls include gamma response and color temperature presets while adjusting the screen s swivel and tilt is effortless 2 000 www sonystyle com 900000 F2304 HD LCD Ei No matter what s on display this HP screen is hard to ignore Digital DVI and analog D sub connectors take your PC s output while S video and component video jacks handle everything from a DVD player to a TV tuner Image quality is superb whatever the source The built in speakers offer ample sound and the picture in picture feature gives you the luxury of watching TV or video in a small window while checking email or surfing the Web on the rest of the screen 2 199 www hp com 00000 APPLE CINEMA HD DISPLAY The Cin
90. hi res screen is great for displaying movies played from the onboard DVD burning drive Y TIRED Cramped keyboard makes heavy text work difficult Mundane styling Unit too hot against wrists and lap Complete PC in a book sized package Disc drive can be hot swapped for a second battery Hi res display with wide viewing angle makes it seem even bigger TIRED Crowded keyboard Squinty small screen for text work Unglamorous looks Nearly 1 5 inches thick Executive chic Outstanding keyboard and battery life Nice balance and feel in your lap Keyboard lamp for red eye flights Underside stays cool TIRED Executive price tag Smallish 1 024 x 768 screen Optical drive in heavy travel dock Slim and stylish Cradle mounts unit to host computer as external drive for easy syncing Built in universal 802 11 Wi Fi Lackluster battery life Installing software via dock is confusing Planned successor will have a built in optical drive IH cr c cr O H O O LAPTOPS C cr C c lt C I E O LAPTOPS WIRED TEST Tablet PCs Tap or type Top notch tablets let you do both They couple Microsoft s steadily improving handwriting recognition software with full keyboards 126 90000 900000 lt MOTION COMPUTING M1400 This clipboard sized PC has the jacks card slots modem Pentium M processor and Wi Fi y
91. his 7 1 megapixel model to cover a wide sweep of scenery or an intimate portrait But you do sacrifice long zoom It has a bevy of high end features including the ability to simultaneously capture RAW and JPEG versions of an image you ll need Canon s software to separate the bundled files 599 www canonusa com 900000 Digital Cameras gt STANDARD SHOTS We took portraits of people at ISO 100 with and without flash Focus was left on Auto and then set to Spot We blew the images up and inspected their sharpness color and contrast SENSITIVITY Working at 150 400 we shot fast moving subjects in miserable light with and without flash The pictures revealed focus delay and pixel noise MACRO We photographed flowers up close to check for macro performance and color deficiencies INTERFACE We ran through settings and modes to evaluate ease of use and navigability TIRED FILL FLASH With the flash on we snapped portraits in bright sun to see if the fill defeated sharp shadows Tiny 5 5 ounce aluminum package Great at mixing flash with ambient light If you minimize screen use the battery lasts for days 12 megs of internal memory Cumbersome procedure for reviewing and deleting photos Sleekly flat Black version is downtown cool Big pretty screen TIRED Poorly placed flash with limited range caused red eye Auto white balance not very effective Wide angle of coverage
92. hpaws 85 www microsoft com 80 www kensington com 900000 90000 EF ream s mm m sm a a a A poe Uu gg n kasar wem ee r 1 r a rem om mmm deg a w A A A AA PA s REPRESENTS LOGITECH DINOVO MEDIA DESKTOP ET If chic electronics manufacturer Bang amp Olufsen were to make a keyboard it would be hard pressed to top the diNovo s understated elegance or its overblown price The thin light keyboard is a joy to behold as well as type on The separate MediaPad which is included has a built in LCD and serves as a calculator keypad and controller for Windows applications Sculpted for righties the MX 900 Cordless Optical Mouse rapidly recharges in its base station which also adds Bluetooth capabilities to your PC 250 www logitech com 900000 CAgEN ALPERT S LIN COMPUTING AND GAMING 3 WIRELESS DESKTOP SETS USB Gadget No port left behind O be the mantra of device makers cranking S vacant USB slots Owen W Linzmayer BODELIN TECHNOLOGIES COMPLETE PROSCOPE PACKAGE ESOU Play Quincy and examine evidence from your imaginary crime scene with this handheld electronic scope View the microcosmos through the eyepiece or in full color on your monitor The kit includes four lenses and an adapter to wire your analog microscope o
93. hrough reps and sets of routines in aerobics pilates strength training yoga and guided meditation She provides step by step instruction on a total of 400 unique exercises from warm up to power off Each day Maya personalizes your routine based on your progress 2 and commitment level So if you re worn out from an all night yourself Halo 2 session she ll kindly slow things down And don t sweat T sacrificing your gaming fund to buy newfangled gym equipment Maya integrates whatever you already have just dust off the cobwebs from your sand filled dumbbells Since stuffing yourself with McDonald s post workout won t fly you use the Yourself Fitness meal planner for healthy dining Maya chimes in with nutritional advice and doles out more than 4 500 recipes preparation instructions and even shopping lists gt fitness 144 cr C c cr E CL GAMING ACCESSDRIES Specialty Gear Whether you re a disco freak a would be assassin or the next Nascar sensation these gaming extras take virtual reality beyond the screen and into your hands feet and backside 44 44 44 44 COBALT FLUX DANCE PAD Don t worry if you get down like Elaine on Seinfeld Cobalt Flux created this pricey dance pad so you can practice your ankle spraining moves in private Problem is it slides on uncarpeted surfaces and stomping the pads makes quite the racket Newbies are liable
94. ich suffers from murky bass limp vocals and raspy treble 1 200 www jvc com OOO KENWOOD HTB S715DV When it came to doling out movie audio this rig outperformed every competitor we threw at It Kenwood s system captures immersive back and side channel subtleties completely missing in other setups Unfortunately despite a thumpin subwoofer voices lack bass and stereo audio sounds hollow 1 000 www kenwoodusa com DVD player reveals details lost by other models Lots of analog inputs including ones for DVD Audio Y TIRED Only two digital audio inputs Front speakers a little thin for music Plays DVD Audio discs Elegant speaker stands look great next to a plasma screen TIRED Lackluster sound a classic case of style over substance Overly complicated remote Easy front panel inputs for game consoles Gorgeous brushed metal components and speakers drip with modernity TIRED No optical output coaxial only or DVD Audio support Take the time to fine tune your system s settings ivll make a huge difference in sound quality AUDIO HOME THEATER GEAR UIRED TEST gt gt 6 1 SURROUND SYSTEMS 44 ONKYO HT S777C Despite its wooden appearance Onkyos kit pumped out the jams with serious bass and warm treble While the spatial separation didn t match the systems we tested from Yamaha and Kenwood rich CD playback made the Onkyo HT S777C our pick for music lovers The amp is lo
95. ightweight 10 inch wireless LCD can bring Katie Couric into your shower in vivid Eo ss UE C color it ll even survive a quick dunk in the tub semore and trans But it looks so cool you ll want to tote it around built in cable tuner and dual the house Until next summer it s available only video inputs from Importers but fear not we got it going in five minutes without even trying to crack the Japanese manual 1 399 www dynamism com Video resolution tops out at ER 640 x 480 pixels High price 00000 Japanese interface Good looks smart design solid lt SHARPER IMAGE TV SHOWER COMPANION Sharper Image s utilitarian contender for splash proof video is less than a fourth the price of Casio s 1000 unfortunately it s about O s KEE fourth the machine too Though the small LCD monitor Affordable 3 5 inches provides a crisp image the bulky body and crude styling will have you singing forlornly in the shower 300 www sliarmerimauqe con Bulky body for such a small i screen No remote Limited use OOO outside the loo Wireless transmitter unit with built in cable tuner and composite RADIO CD PLAYERS Y 4 JENSEN JCR 550 SHOWER CLOCK RADIO amp CD PLAYER We like this model for its fog resistant mirror Headphone ack We which seems like a smart thing to add to a don t recommend using it while shower radio And it is too bad the rest of the washing
96. igious giving you hours of program listings at a glance And few DVRs can match TiVo s keyword searching season passes that catch every episode of a show and remote scheduling 299 plus 13 per month www tivo com 90000 Multiple TiVo s can share content over home network Great interface and remote Powerful recording filters TIRED USB adapter required for sharing Sluggish guide scrolling UIRED TEST DVD Burning DVRs Even the biggest hard drive can t store every Simpsons episode A DVD burning model lets you commit it all to memory Your only limit Shelf space PANASONIC DMR E95H DIGITAL VIDEO RECORDERS VIDEO This imaging freak s dream can grab pictures from SD and CF flash memory with its built in card readers Dubbing video from the hard drive to DVD and vice versa for non copy protected discs is no problem But the TV Guide scheduler doesn t automatically match program information to channel number making recording tedious 800 www panasonic com 900000 PIONEER DVR 810H With a TiVo operating system this is the only DVD writer for true couch potatoes It offers all of TiVo s service perks including remote scheduling and takes the mystery out of burning with a nifty pie chart view of a disc s capacity as you load it up with shows You can t rip flicks to the hard drive though and home movie buffs are forced to go analog when importing digicam footage 499 plus 13 per mon
97. igned controls Smooth transitions when moving through menus Rich sound Fewer accessories than for the iPod Slightly bigger than it too Innovative if hair trigger controls Blazing transfers from PC to player Stellar battery life very close to Creative s claim of 24 hours Fair price lacks depth TIRED 250 us creative com Not Mac compatible Manual 00000 equalizer has only four bands So so sound No built in FM tuner lt RIO KARMA Simple controls and menus Plays MP3 WMA WAV FLAC and Dgg Vorbis Ethernet docking station lets you share tunes over a network TIRED PC only A little thick through the middle Lags occasionally when fast forwarding No voice recorder or FM tuner e ac gt lt ND o gt AUDIO UIRED TEST gt gt 20 GIG HARD DRIVE PLAYERS SONY NW HD1 Sony s new hard drive player sounds good looks great and delivers a category killing 29 hours of use on a single charge Otherwise it blows The LCD is dim the control pad cramped and the menus arcane The capper The HD1 plays Sony s ATRACS and ATRAC3plus formats only And the SonicStage software included takes too long to convert MP3s into ATRAC3s 400 www sonystyle com OOOO TOSHIBA GIGABEAT 21 This import only jewel is amazingly sleek It s also Wi Fi ready Plug an 802 11 adapter into the USB port in the cradle and access your playlists over a wireless network Th
98. images Slow startup Sluggish focus on dimly lit subjects Plastic body Faster than fast 0 2 second startup 0 065 second shutter lag 5 fps bursts of up to 23 JPEGs max shutter speed of 1 8 000 Auto white balance performance could be better Loud mirror slap JPEG and RAW only no TIFFs Captures spectacular color and detail Relatively noise free up to ISO 1000 and acceptable to 1600 No TIFFs Packaged companion lens expensive DUE ON SHELVES By November 2004 WORTH THE WAIT Absolutely if you can afford it NIKON D2X This versatile shooter aimed at sports and studio photogs captures 12 4 megapixel files at 5 fps or 6 8 megapixel frames at 8 fps Nikon claims the D2X offers near instantaneous power on readiness and a shutter speed of 1 8 000 second An optional Wi Fi module can transmit images to your laptop or over the Internet and allows live remote control of the shutter aperture color balance and bracketing 5 000 estimated body only www nikonusa com Digital Cameras Rating Model Canon PowerShot A85 Casio Exilim EX S100 Pentax Optio 43WR Olympus Stylus 410 Digital 3 AND 4 MEGAPIXEL Sony Cyber shot DSC L1 Nikon Coolpix 5200 Casio Exilim EX Z55 POCKET SIZED Casio Exilim EX P600 5 AND 6 MEGAPIXEL Sony Cyber shot DSC T3 Canon PowerShot S70 Sony Cyber shot DSC P150 gt lt lt de N Olympus C 7000
99. in the test Too bad the rest of the system is uninspiring Its bare bones hardware works with a trio of lackluster programs for managing only MP3 and WMA files 200 www creative com 90000 LINKSYS WIRELESS B MUSIC SYSTEM With Musicmatch Jukebox software vTuner for Internet radio and Rhapsody compatibility this Linksys box offers plenty of content But setting it up required a wired Ethernet connection and a tech support call to reset the hardware And its powered speakers deliver weak sound 180 www linksys com OOO MACSENSE HOMEPOD 100 We found little to like in this unreliable device The built in speakers sounded pathetic music servers disappeared inexplicably from the menu and MP3 files couldn t be found on a hard drive attached to the USB 1 1 port Promised support for Mac OS 9 as well as AAC and WMA files is still MIA 175 www macsense com OOOO Remarkably affordable Cross platform compatibility Only device that plays iTunes Music Store s protected AAC files TIRED Audio cables not included 39 for kit No remote or display RF remote rocks with a large backlit display that lets you make choices from anywhere in its 32 foot range TIRED Supports just two audio formats No Internet radio Failed to read songs ID3 tags properly Musicmatch beats many bundled server applications Rhapsody and vTuner support TIRED Difficult setup Disappointing sound quality LCD n
100. ind 4 Waker The fading GameCube 900000 needs more titles to justify buying additional gear for it NYKO AIR FLO PS2 The Nyko s one trick is a mechanism that blows cooling air through holes in the grips If your hands Innovative concept for the sweaty drip with sweat during heated matchups this palm set Adjustable fan speed should help But in all other respects the Air Flo dau SO ROU EVEN U with the fan on high simply blows It s bulkier than the competition and the analog sticks and thumb pad are hypersensitive amp TIRED Menu navigation requires surgical precision The right stick interferes with button presses 40 www nyko com Heavy enormous controller requires four AA batteries Design doesn t match the PS2 Blown air 900000 sometimes smells funky A screen obsession to make you fitter not fatter If your workout consists of leaving the couch to turn on your Xbox and play Madden NFL 2005 a dozen times until the pizza guy arrives you might rethink your exercise routine For starters try responDesign s Yourself Fitness for Xbox More experience than game this title turns you into the peripheral walking you through crunches and squats onscreen to tone your bod in real life While you ll need the controller occasionally to navigate menus you ll mostly be in the capable hands of your polygonal personal trainer Maya She starts by asking you to select health and fitness goals Then she leads you t
101. ingly Its 120 watts per channel are in full evidence on special effects driven DVDs coasting through the most demanding sonic mayhem And the big warm sound flatters music equally well 1 199 www usa denon com HARMAN KARDON AVR 330 With satellite and subwoofer tuning options that can accommodate a wide range of speaker combos the 330 can adapt to almost any situation The automatic calibration uses a microphone cleverly built into the remote control But where the Denon model tends to warm up sound this amp s output is exceedingly neutral 799 www harmankardon com 00000 PIONEER VSX D914 K This Pioneer receiver offers quality sound for much less cash than the other units we tested Music is clear and clean though vocals guitars and brass instruments lack their natural warmth The amp tends to clip at high volumes causing the audio to coarsen but at moderate levels the sound stays true 475 www pioneerelectronics com 900000 Super Audio DVD Audio and even phono inputs a rarity on modern amps Customizable speaker settings aplenty TIRED Remote s deep blue membrane screen looks hip but its morphing display will irk some users Auto calibration mike not included Its 55 watts per channel are at least as potent as most 100 watt competitors Front panel bass and treble controls are a welcome blast from the past Y TIRED Autocalibration balances speaker levels only other setti
102. intuitive controls but mediocre perrormance and detailed Sleek style would It displayed bands of color rather than smooth look perfect in a swank apartment tonal transitions The opening of Mystic River which should have been a clean slow fade up TIRED EE xr atera im Y fixed in th g e the roses the White House ixed in the 2005 model garden had an orange cast 2 995 www benq com Low light scenes on film and ee0 0 HDTV were distorted and patchy SHARP LC 37G4U 37 INCH T WIRED Color is fantastic on Sharp s LCD In Mystic River it perfectly captured the full somber tones sun P jb ru of South Boston This screen also scored highest ET E Ud E a I ilm and HDTV Optical picture for detail in our Kevin Bacon freckle test It control adjusts image to match displayed the most dots on his face along with room lighting Ou the creases in his forehead and below his eyes az But analog TV looked slightly grainy A TIRED e EE Middling performance with analog 900000 TV Very slight digital noise in the shadow areas of film 44 TOSHIBA 32HL84 32 INCH WIRED Like a decathlete this Toshiba performs well in all events It brought a tight sharp look to the action of Lost in Space although a few scenes showed some color banding instead of a smooth transition to black It also displayed spectacular analog TV and didn t exhibit any shimmer in the razor thin lines of Voom s nightly HDNews its image process
103. io Seven 55 watt channels 2 sets component video Rated Power and Frequency Range Dimensions inches 320 watts 100 Hz 20 Hz 39 height x 16 diameter 300 watts 1 KHz 25 Hz 22 x 15 x 23 Receiver Output High End Inputs Two 35 watt channels 100 watt sub optical audio optical 3 coaxial audio Information not available I component video 1 500 Information not available optical audio Y TIRED Easiest installation of the units tested The best virtual system at spatial realism Clear center channel presence Weak subwoofer Better for dialog and ambient sound than for explosions or thumping music Additional Features Dolby Pro Logic IIx Six disc changer Dolby Pro Logic IIx Autocalibration proprietary 3 D headphone mode Autocalibration Options Speaker size volume and distance to listener Speaker volume Additional Features RCA audio output for linking multiple subs built in crossover Built in crossover Additional Features Hardwood cabinet Dolby Headphone mode Universal remote Cast aluminum frame CAREN ALPERT STYLING BY DARLENE DULL KOKO REPRESENTS AM FM CLOCK RADIO TIVOLI AUDIO MODEL THREE This amped up speaker box combines retro chic with warm full sound The midrange driver built into the cabinet lends bass notes a surprising amount of heft For an extra 50 add a second channel on a 15 foot cord for true stereo separation The sound
104. ion cord included TIRED Loose fit awkward for some Bass fiends look elsewhere A basement bargain in good sound Flashy looks Closed design keeps the peace at home Sound quality diminishes as you crank the volume All day listening wears on the ear Supercozy earpieces and head band Clean clear sound even at max volume Wide spatial separation for home theater use TIRED The reflective barriers are built in so you can t turn off the effect for flatter audio Full detailed reproduction Unbeatable for jazz classical or electronic music And of course vacuum tubes rock TIRED Bass too shallow for B boys and ravers For the price you can get season tickets to the symphony o I St AUDIO UIRED TEST Surround Sound Headphones How do you get 5 1 audio out of only two speakers Some sets use advanced acoustical modeling Others cram three full channels into each ear PIONEER SE DIR800C For pseudo surround on a relative budget these Wireless operation with minimal cordless cans deliver While they lack a directional knobs and buttons Transmitter stabilizer they re also minimally gizmotronic the doubles as charger base station is small and fits in with living room decor We were disappointed though by the V TIRED mediocre sound quality of the undersize drivers Wonky headset design Pricey 399 www pioneerelectronics com 9
105. ise us at PO Box 37706 Boone IA 50037 0662 or call 1 800 769 4733 WIRED IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR LOSS DAMAGE OR ANY OTHER INJURY TO UNSOLICITED MANUSCRIPTS UNSOLICITED ARTWORK INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO DRAWINGS PHOTOGRAPHS OR TRANSPARENCIES OR ANY OTHER UNSOLICITED MATERIALS THOSE SUBMITTING MANUSCRIPTS PHOTOGRAPHS ARTWORK OR OTHER MATERIALS FOR CONSIDERATION SHOULD NOT SEND ORIGINALS UNLESS SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED TO DO SO BY WIRED IN WRITING MANUSCRIPTS PHOTOGRAPHS AND OTHER MATERIALS SUBMITTED MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY A SELF ADDRESSED OVERNIGHT DELIVERY RETURN ENVELOPE POSTAGE PREPAID 154 Bob Dole s props to the blue pill give it undeniable if inexplicable cachet Still we were weirded out by an unnatural stiffness that lingered after the deed was done Some users report tinted vision and the common ED pill headache The drug fades after four hours so Tantrists and porn stars look elsewhere 900000 Spring into action and stay that way Cialis takes effect within 15 minutes and keeps it humming for up to 36 hours much longer than both Levitra and Viagra Pop one Saturday night and you ll be up for a quickie Monday morning No wonder the French dubbed it le weekend pill With its five hours of staying power Levitra packs the most punch for hard to treat cases of impotence Think diabetes Too bad it also inflicts a nasty headache for the duration And if that doesn t turn you off
106. itor and keyboard for computing intensive tasks TABLET UHAT YOU GET Flexibility You can work on your r sum while standing and handwriting recognition turns scribbled notes into typed out searchable text UHAT YOU GIVE UP A keyboard True tablets become crappy clumsy laptops when you go QWERTY with them Plus they often have wimpy components to conserve power and weight Convertibles have two modes awkward tablet and pricey laptop MULTIMEDIA UHAT YOU GET Eye candy A giant screen looks great especially with the Star Wars trilogy playing out across it It also requires a larger case leaving space for a roomier keyboard and better airflow to keep the system cool UHAT YOU GIVE UP Mobility A 10 pound notebook the size of an atlas isn t one you re going to tote idly to the coffeehouse or use on your lap for hours And if you re crazy enough to travel with it you won t have the real estate to open it unless you re flying first class GAMING UHAT YOU GET Raw power Brilliant screens and screaming graphics now come in small semiportable packages And lugging your laptop to a LAN party beats schlepping a tower or playing alone UHAT YOU GIVE UP Your cool Gaming machines put burning hot hardware below your wrists They re also less upgradable than their desktop brethren you may be able to swap in a new graphics system but not a motherboard RUGGEDIZED UHAT YOU GET Invincibility These tough customers endure harsh
107. licks Unfortunately chaos reigns Pricing and viewing rules vary from film to film The site s design is pretty clunky but if your connection is fast enough you can start watching the moment your download begins 3 5 per viewing 30 per month 100 per year WWWw cinemanow com 900000 MOVIELINK This two year old spawn of a Hollywood studio consortium offers a slim selection of about 900 films though it has more new titles than any of its competitors Simple pay per view pricing makes it clear how much each title will ping your pocketbook but even 5 stings when you re limited to one viewing Plus DRM software sucks the film from your hard drive 24 hours after you first hit Play 2 to 5 per viewing www movielink com 900000 STARZ TICKET ON REAL MOVIES Here s a simple approach geared to casual viewers Pay one low monthly fee for access to a basic catalog of movies This new partnership of Starz and RealNetworks resembles cable pay per view About 150 films are available at a time 25 percent of which change each week The cost includes unlimited viewing of up to three registered PCs during a film s availability period 13 per month www real com movies 900000 Porn Huge catalog Wish lists trailers and the option to subscribe instead of paying per movie Convoluted pricing Cumbersome search engine Library teems with lame titles Easy software installation and site navigation Works with both Real a
108. lude Bluetooth or email check that the carrier has fully implemented it O H Eo Sl Hi za 2 o Oe COMMUNICATION MOBILE PHONES UIRED TEST gt gt MULTIFUNCTION PHONES 4 SAMSUNG VM A680 The VM A680 just feels right Despite being ultrasmall and ultralight 3 3 x 1 8 x 0 9 inches and 3 4 ounces it has a comfortable smartly arranged keypad Samsung markets it as videophone the handset takes VGA pics and lo res 15 second video clips but we found the slim design a much more appealing trait 150 www samsung com 900000 SIEMENS SX1 With light up blue buttons straddling a spacious screen the SX1 looks intriguing However the funky design makes dialing awkward On the plus side it includes a video and still camera FM radio and PDA like organizing and syncing functions Siemens gets points for creativity but what good is a phone that s too tough to dial 600 www siemens mobile com OOO SONY ERICSSON K700 The K700 is a compact attractive performer that does a little of everything Photo quality is good for VGA 0 3 megapixel resolution and the 220 x 176 pixel display is gorgeous We found the keypad a bit cramped but with Bluetooth for PC syncing and a radio and media player for video and MP3s there s a lot to like here 399 www sonyericsson com 0900000 MOTOROLA RAZR V3 The thinnest models get all the attention in the fashion magazines and in the gadget w
109. lug into iTunes whether it deserved it or not But the store earns its 70 percent market share with innovative features a stylish interface and rock solid stability on both PCs and Macs And of course it s not just a first class record shop its also a music management tool The catch iTunes works only with iPods which start at a budget busting 249 for a measly 4 gigs 99 cents per song www itunes com 900000 MSN MUSIC Microsoft is late to the party and surprise has used the time to mimic what everyone else is doing The download page features Mac esque lozenge buttons and like Tunes MSN charges 99 cents per song and allows files to reside on five devices atonce But Microsoft can t match Apple when it comes to usability The Web interface confuses with an inconsistent design and too many subwindows 99 cents per song music msn com 90000 NAPSTER 2 0 The reborn Napster has little in common with the file swapping software that started it all Instead Napster 2 0 offers dual service plans that combine the best traits of iTunes and Rhapsody Pay the monthly rate and you can preview songs in their entirety before buying them 9 95 per month or 99 cents per song www napster com 900000 Y TIRED Cheap Easy to use Offers albums not available from US services TIRED Artists almost surely get nothing No file management software Tight integration with iPods Extras include Billboard charts
110. may be a shade less expansive than what Cambridge s bedside model produces but Tivoli scores points for style and grace 200 www tivoliaudio com 900000 CAMBRIDGE SOUNDWORKS RADIO 730 The 730 s design may have the sex appeal of a shoebox but the sound it puts out will have you dancing in your PJs Plus it s ultra programmable with snooze options and alarms that can be set to different stations and volume levels 200 www cambridgesoundworks com 900000 BOSE WAVE MUSIC SYSTEM Bose s buttonless cabinet looks superclean all the controls are on the wafer thin remote Audio quality nearly matches that of the Cambridge Too bad the price doesn t Another bummer Auto equalization prevents manual adjustment of bass and treble 499 www bose com 900000 BOSTON ACOUSTICS RECEPTOR RADIO The least expensive clock radio we tested Boston Acoustics tabletop Is also the best at locking in weak stations The Receptor s clever interface reduces clutter and makes setting the alarms a snap But it couldn t quite match the others for fidelity 159 www bostonacoustics com 900000 HIGH END CLOCK RADIOS AUDIO UIRED TEST Hi Fi Headphones The armchair elite pack advanced speaker technologies piezoelectric films neodymium magnets into earpieces plush enough for long haul listening 44 44 44 44 GRADO RS 1 The chassis on these audiophile classics are handcra
111. mobile 1 655 www hp com 0900000 SHUTTLE ST61G4 The toaster oven sized ST61G4 fits anywhere but it s too stylin to hide The 3 GHz Pentium 4 processor 512 megs of RAM and 160 Gbyte hard drive are good for recording standard TV and playing videos and music For intense media editing though you ll want a faster CPU 1 309 www shuttle com 900000 SONY RA810G This water cooled tower is whisper quiet for TV time And it silenced the competition in our media tests converting a 255 Mbyte AVI clip into an MPEG 2 in 6 minutes 33 seconds and squishing a 110 Mbyte Photoshop file into a 7 5 Mbyte GIF in 5 seconds lf you ve got the scratch Sony s Media Center PC is the one to get 2 200 www sonystyle com Specialty PCS ALL SYSTEMS GRAPHICS PERFORMANCE Unreal Tournament 2004 and Far Cry were used to measure frame rates at resolutions of 1 024 x 768 1 280 x 1 024 and 1 600 x 1 200 Additional testing by Alexandra Krasne 136 CD RIPPING We had each machine encode Mos Def s Black on Both Sides to 128 Kbps AAC music files using Apple iTunes Front mounted USB 2 0 and FireWire ports and A V jacks FM tuner Dual layer DVD R RW drive Occasional fan buzz when the CPU gets hot Poky optical drives slowed down CD ripping Nice balance of power and price Wireless keyboard and mouse Ripped CDs faster than the others Noisy fans Wimpy graphics but no slot for an upgrade card Fast and
112. n S That s total CRAP EDGE Enhanced data for global GPRS General packet radio service Enables faster data communications GSM networks A so called 2 56 Mobile Phones MULTIFUNCTION PHONES MEGAPIXEL PHONECAMS PHONE PDA HYBRIDS Sony Ericsson K700 Motorola A630 Nokia 6230 LG VX7000 Samsung VM A680 Siemens SKI Motorola RAZR V3 535 Nokia 7610 Koi Motorola V710 Audiovox 8920 LG VX8000 PalmOne Treo 600 Danger Sidekick Il HP iPaq h6315 RIM BlackBerry 7100t Product not available in time for testing 032 Wireless Standard 399 200 300 300 250 150 600 TBA 349 400 est 200 300 200 300 300 TBA CDMA GSM GSM GSM GSM evolution An extension of GSM that promises 384 Kbps data rates Carrier Any GSM Cingular T Mobile Cingular Verizon Sprint Any GSM TBA Any GSM Cingular TBA Verizon Sprint TBA Major CDMA and GSM T Mobile T Mobile T Mobile standard that transfers data at 115 Kbps MMS Multimedia messaging service and video Like text messaging but with pictures SMS Short message service The industry term for text messaging WAP Wireless application protocol A standard for putting the Web on phones YCO You re cut off When a connection drops for no apparent reason right in the middle of an important call C L Size inches 3 9 x 1 8 x 0 8 3 7 x 1 9 x 0 9
113. nd currently Verizon the V710 s carrier restricts the Bluetooth implementation 200 300 www motorola com 90000 NEC 535M At just over an inch thick NEC s clamshell is lean and luxurious It has a knockout 2 4 inch screen and the 1 3 megapixel camera produced the best pictures of any phone we tested crisp details and true colors up to 1 280 x 960 pixel resolution But the interface and navigation are somewhat clunky 349 www necwireless com 900000 NOKIA 7610 The 7610 is sleek sexy and big like a stretch limo The 1 megapixel cam s 1 152 x 864 pictures are respectable just don t expect shots of you and your friends clubbing to turn out no flash Where the 7610 really shines is in motion lt captures up to 10 minutes of 174 x 144 pixel video which you can download to your PC using Bluetooth or USB 1 1 400 estimated www nokia com 900000 LG VX8000 LG s first megapixel model for the US is a clamshell with all the usual phonecam fare white balance brightness color effects More interesting is its support for EV DO a high speed CDMA based data network which could enable streaming video and video on demand if carriers offer those serv ices Verizon and Sprint plan to roll out EV DO nationwide Price www ge com Nice picture color when there was enough light Outstanding camera interface includes a memory use indicator 176 x 144 video pretty good for a phone Y TIRED
114. nd Windows Media players Offers bookmarks and a good selection of recent flicks A tad pricier than video stores and DVD delivery services The ability to schedule downloads in advance Bookmarks let you pick up where you left off Desperately Seeking Susan and the best of Vin Diesel not ideal choices for a library limited to just 150 titles Study fee structures subscription isn t worth it if the films you want to watch are pay per view only MOVIES ON DEMAND VIDEO UIRED TEST H AUDIO MP3 Players The iPod rocks but the competition is hotter than ever There s more than one way to get your groove on 4 p 20 Gig Hard Drive Players Microdrive Players Flash Memory Players ee Travel Speakers 90 Online Music Stores 079 MP3 Player Essentials WIRED TEST ERR OIdnv 080 Ei 20 Gig Hard Drive Players The iPod set a standard that once seemed unachievable megastorage without megabulk We cranked the volume on a half dozen pocket jukeboxes 44 44 44 APPLE iPOD The great grandson of the player that changed everything the latest iPod adopts the minis click wheel even as it sheds a few millimeters of girth Best of all this beauty costs a hair below 300 Alas it still lacks Windows Media Audio support line in recording and an FM tuner
115. nd the Flaming Lips in Dolby Digital SPEAKER OPTIMIZATION Autocalibration amps set themselves to a Denon DVD player Dynaudio Contour speakers and a REL Storm 111 subwoofer We then judged output with the DVDs The Matrix The Thin Red Line and Kill Bill Vol 1 the Super Audio CD Sea Change by Beck and DVD Audio discs Legions of Boom by Crystal Method and Uninvisible by Medeski Martin amp Wood 12 INCH SUBUOOFERS VIRTUAL SURROUND in the room and set to the same volume level using a decibel reader We then judged low end output in Jurassic Park The Fellowship of the Ring Fight Club and the DTS Superbit version of Das Boot We listened for subtle bass overtones the ability to stay true at loud volumes and sheer rumble 8 580 EMULATION AND Sad KI PERFORMANCE We calibrated each system to matching volume levels and left all other settings at default We then played a series of music dialog and action heavy scenes from The Matrix Revolutions noting tone quality spatial effects dialog clarity and clarity and steadiness at high volume Autocalibrating Receivers In addition to processing audio and video these amps use a microphone to adjust themselves for optimal sound quality Steve Guttenberg 44 44 o gt lt ES DENON AVR 3805 The 7 1 channel 3805 effortlessly autocalibrates assessing speaker size and distance to the listener then balancing output accord
116. nearly silent Dual layer DVD burner does DVD R RW and DVD R RW formats Honking 250 Gbyte hard drive for media Channel buttons on remote are poorly positioned IMAGE CONVERSION A monstrous 110 Mbyte Photoshop file was compressed into a 7 5 Mbyte GIF using Adobe Photoshop CS VIDEO CONVERSION We used Adobe Premiere Pro 1 5 to convert a 255 Mbyte AVI file downloaded from a cam corder to an MPEG 2 for burning onto a DVD GAMING MEDIA CENTER Welcome to Media Center 2005 your total entertainment network The first Media Center PCs were little more than overblown DVRs They handled your TV shows fine but your music and photo collections were marooned on your hard drive The 2005 version of Microsofts Media Center operating system not only makes nice with your television and stereo it turns your computer into the hub of a house wide entertainment network The new edition s great leap forward comes in the form of support for third party Media Center Extenders relay boxes that connect to your A V components and Specialty PCs Rating Model Price Processor Voodoo 2 4 GHz AMD Rage Athlon 64 3800 2 4 GHz AMD Athlon 64 FX 53 Velocity Micro Raptor 64 SE 3 6 GHz Intel Pentium 4 Falcon North west Mach V 3 4 GHz Intel Pentium 4 Sony 1 Gbyte 3 2 GHz Intel HP m1050Y Pentium 4 1 655 1 Gbyte 3 GHz Intel Shuttle ST61G4 Bee 1 309 512 Mbytes stream real time or recorded shows phot
117. ngs must be adjusted manually Lots of power for not a lot of cash Autocalibration mike included TIRED No TV screen menus means muddling through cryptic messages on the small display Limited input options compared to other receivers For best results make sure the room is as quiet as possible when calibrating your receiver AUDIO ac cr Lu da D cr E o BE UIRED TEST 12 Inch Subwoofers Pump some bass in your place A quality subwoofer blows serious low end into action flicks and music picks Robert Capps HSU SFT 3 The HSU monster packs plenty of punch and holds its mud at high levels We found ourselves cowering Big size delivers big impact Sound from mines dropped in Das Boot and recoiling held up at serious volumes Short from blows delivered in The Fellowship of the Ring so it can hide behind furniture Though the SVS maintains the edge in performance this sub is perfect for those who think it s hipper to V TIRED be square Slightly less shake than the SVS 00000 44 JBL E250P The E250P has less power than the other subs we tested 250 watts to their 300 plus so we weren t surprised when it didn t produce as much tangible rumble But it costs about 100 less and it lends Good value Withstood nearly all 250 watts of its amplifier Small so it won t dominate decor respectable bottom to beats and bombs alike For TIRED small to medium setups this is a
118. ns one behind each phosphor pixel FED technology has been kicking around for decades but I it s not until recently that Samsung engineers were able to push the approach beyond the theoretical The company is reportedly close to producing a 30 inch FED prototype that ll likely rival the best plasma and LCD screens for thinness and still produce as rich a picture as the best tube TVs can Smell that It s the latest shipment of fresh piping hot consumer electronics Every day we scamper to meet the FedEx dude who inundates the Wired offices with samples and review units of all the newest tech We pull out our stopwatch tweezers and magnifying glass and put the gizmos through their paces Then we build forts from their empty boxes and have snowball fights with the packing peanuts Finally we pass along our informed opinions to the most elite people in the world yes l m talking about you precious reader in our weekly newsletter Wired Gadget Lab gives you the up to date lowdown on all the latest tech Take a gander at some of the most memorable merch we ve had the opportunity to love or hate over the past year And to get new gear gossip delivered to your inbox every Tuesday mosey on over to www wired com gadgetlab RETAIL 1 799 Keeping my kids attention is a sort of bot Turing test if Aibo could pass then it would be a smart dog indeed The good news is that the baby loved Aibo The bad news is that the older kids spott
119. nscreen controls It makes the most of its 800 lumens with the warmest most vivid picture of the low cost projectors we looked at It s also simple to use handily switching from standard TV to widescreen mode One gripe Resolution is low at 800 x 600 the others measure 1 024 x 768 1 199 www optoma com 900000 BUDGET PROJECTORS VIDEO EH r NANA hI E UP E NM NH E E E E HEMEMEESASAEHEMHESEA bes ES SESRSRESE 17 14 8EBSEREASERESAESAE EKESESESESSEE JE E EE EE ES ES EST iui EEEEKKKEKEES ms KEE FC INFOCUS BENQ PB6200 NEC LT10 aic SCREENPLAY 4805 cutting edge BenQ s budget The punchy little LT10 is 7 8 inches a InFocus lower end ScreenPlay rivals the Optoma for image quality Its rich L M colors impressed including deep blues and reds but the unit puts out less light than we d like It s better equipped than our pick however with 1 024 x 768 resolution plus hi def DLP now lags behind The PB6200 is less vibrant than other models with washed out reds and it lacks high definition component video inputs But it s bright enough to use even with some ambient light and the preset Video Vivid and Economy wide and 2 1 pounds but it throws a big bright picture on your wall or screen Meant for the boardroom it does the job in the living room too with a few compromises The fan whines and t
120. nt Packed into it is a 4 1 megapixel sensor and a tiny but sensitive f2 8 5 1 3X zoom lens In our tests of an early unit we observed quick shutter response short time between shots and acceptable graininess at ISO 400 Unfortunately like most Sony cams it uses only Memory Sticks 300 www sonystyle com 9 AND 6 MEGAPIXEL CAMERAS Y 4 CASIO EXILIM EX P600 The P600 is a smart feature packed 6 megapixel camera with near pro image quality Nicely machined with a clean button layout it performs such difficult tasks as mixing flash with sunlight for portraits Features like in camera authoring of HTML picture pages and a jet cockpit like control view option require some learning but are useful A 7 megapixel version the EX P700 is due in 2005 550 www casio com 900000 CASIO EXILIM EX Z55 This 5 megapixel microcam s 2 5 inch screen takes up so much of its back that there s precious little room for the tiny buttons But a new processor yields fast response low power usage and solid stills One nice and novel feature the ability to switch from normal to Macro mode without pausing 449 www casio com 900000 TIRED WIRED TEST gt gt POCKET SIZED CAMERAS gt gt 3 AND 4 MEGAPIXEL CAMERAS Comfy shape with nonslip surface Uses two beach buyable AAs Logical button arrangement Voice recording to go with the photos Moving subjects causes auto focus delays in flash mode Confusing menu with tiny text
121. o Instruments image chips but the pricier models in our test youre less likely to see the individual pulses of red green have Tl s latest HD2 imager lts micromirrors carry larger and blue light an aberration called the rainbow effect reflective surfaces creating a brighter image and can better Although affordable units have improved considerably see reflect light away from the lens for darker blacks onscreen Budget Projectors page 66 cinephiles will appreciate the The high end projectors also use a seven or eight segment benefits of these more expensive technologies B P 062 PLASMA REAR PROJECTION Coming Tech Organic LED Screens Press Control P to print your new television Despite their virtues LCD and plasma panels have significant vices LCD has limited viewing angles plasma gorges on electricity and both are expensive to produce Switching from these technologies to organic LEDs could fix all these problems The chemicals in OLEDs glow brightly when they receive a slight electric charge And screens made of them have as wide a viewing angle as plasma panels Now Seiko Epson has created a method that aims to produce OLED screens in almost any size at little cost The companies are using an inkjet process to deposit the polymers in a precise design High Definition TVs on a backboard Prototype displays have been printed at up to 40 inches But it wasn t as easy as substituting OLED for pigm
122. o USB Optical coaxial RCA audio Stereo mini Rated Battery Life 50 hours 100 hours 100 hours 70 hours 40 hours 60 hours Additional Features 900 degree turning radius Can be used as a regular mouse 1 On pad menu navigation co Dance Dance Revolution Extreme Can link with other Cobalt dance pads None Adjustable sensitivity CAREN ALPERT STYLING BY DARLENE DULL KOKO REPRESENTS ndreds of songs tely Brian Lam Sing it loud These portable party machines are packed wit and provide onscreen lyrics Earplugs for neighbors sold se W F KORITECH HANDY STAR 3 Koritech s MIDI synthesizer LEADSINGER 15 3000 s reproduces backing tracks that Leadsinger pumps up the jams with the most ul sound more like music than Muzak abundant catalog of expansion chips each featuring Y The built in library of 2 000 plus 100 to 200 songs Its performance evaluator rates tunes seems generous until you your tonal accuracy When we fortified the playlist P realize that half are in Tagalog But with all 15 English language additions at 70 to 90 the 1 000 tunes in English provided apiece it outlasted our voices Too bad you need enough quality material for four to be a rock star to afford the complete library hours of showboating 130 www leadsinger com 349 www dtskaraoke com 900000 900000 _ mm Lo m ENTER TECH MAGIC SING ALONG V With
123. o CDs This compact CD RW DVD ROM runs on AC or batteries It has a slot for CompactFlash and with an adapter it can also take SD SM MMC MD and MS cards The disc spanning feature will automatically distribute multigig loads over several CDs And you can gradually fill a disc in multisession burns Look for a DVD writing version in the near future 269 www roadstor com 040 Full Featured Compact Cameras These models cater to enthusiasts searching for powerful creativity tools With a full spectrum of manual controls and the latest sensors some even rival pricier SLRs CANON POWERSHOT G6 Canons 7 1 megapixel digicam offers dedicated photogs plenty with a generous 35 to 140 mm zoom TS range nine point auto focus and rear mounted oz thumb control dial Using Super Macro mode a TIRED S p 1 inch subject fills the frame from 2 inches away Zb bad it s so beefy 13 4 ounces and 4 1 x 2 9 x 2 9 Automatic white balance doesn t 0 inches and has a processor from 2003 correct poor lighting well Frequent Oa 699 www canonusa com red eye problems 900000 PENTAX OPTIO 7502 The 750Z is light for its class weighing 8 9 ounces and small at 3 9 x 2 4 x 1 7 inches It can save photos as either substantial 3 Mbyte JPEGs or 20 Mbyte uncompressed TIFFs and features Powerful flash Large optical viewfinder Can bracket a series of shots with variations of settings like white balance contrast and
124. or Works overtime to groom scenes perfectly 3 499 www toshiba com 900000 Coming Tech LED Backlights Ultrapure white light will expand the color palette of LCD TVs In spring 2005 the US should get its first look at LCD sets that use LEDs rather than fluorescent tubes as backlights Sony s Qualia 40 and 46 inch LCD TVs now out in Japan incorporate new LEDs from Lumileds to display a fuller range of colors Sony s LED based LCDs use hundreds of tiny red green and blue lamps as backlights mixing the three colors into a far purer white light than produced by typical fluorescent lit Films appear smooth and detailed Picture in picture feature not only displays two signals but can also freeze frame seven other stations TIRED Blacks a bit gray Color and contrast not as strong as on the bigger flat panels At 5 inches an inch thicker than the larger screened Sony units and feeding it to better color filters in the pixels Lumileds claims the LED sets display up to 30 percent more saturated and vivid colors than CRT and plasma TVs That will add pop to DVDs and the Sony models have memory card slots for also showing off digipics in a wider range of hues than on a typical monitor Lumileds says it s working with several other unnamed companies to include its technology in their 2005 TV models B P VIDEO HIGH DEFINITION TVs UIRED TEST LCD TVs MORE THAN 40 INCHES Y
125. orecard 100 Scorecard PLUS High end clock radios 113 Kitchen and Bath Super automatic coffee machines ceramic chef s knives oven mitts and gloves and HOUSEHOLD shower TVs and radios 119 Scorecard PLUS Robotic vacuums Laptops 133 Specialty PCs Thin and light laptops tablet PCs and Gaming and Media Center PCs multimedia gaming and ruggedized laptops 137 Scorecard COMPUTING amp 131 Scorecard PLUS Wireless desktop sets amp GAMING PLUS Programmable robot kits USB gadgets 140 Gaming Accessories 148 Media Streamers Speaker systems wireless controllers Audio and audio video streamers and specialty gear 153 Scorecard 146 Scorecard PLUS Karaoke mikes 154 Pop Quiz ii HED TEST EDITOR IN CHIEF CHRIS ANDERSON ISSUE EDITOR ROBERT CAPPS WIRED TEST EDITOR SEAN CAPTAIN WIRED TEST DEPUTY EDITORS SEAN COOPER JON J EILENBERG ART DIRECTOR DONALD NGAI DESIGNER ALLISTER FEIN PHOTO EDITOR ZANA WOODS RESEARCH EDITOR ERIK MALINOWSKI ASSOCIATE EDITOR BRIAN LAM PHOTO PRODUCERS AMY CRILLY LEE DECKER PHOTO ASSOCIATE ANNA ALEXANDER CONTRIBUTING DESIGNER RONALD CHOE CONTRIBUTING PHOTO CLERKS JOHN FEENEY MORIAH ZAGAGLIA CONTRIBUTING RESEARCH EDITORS DAVID DOWNS CATHERINE HOWARD MELISSA MILLER ELIZABETH SVOBODA ILLUSTRATOR RICHARDSON PHOTOGRAPHER CRAIG MAXWELL PHOTO ASSISTANT BECKIE MORLEY STYLIST MICAH BISHOP ARTIST UNTIED STYLIST ASSISTANT BORY TAN ARTIST UNTIED WIDE EDITOR IN CHIEF CHRIS A
126. orld Measuring a slight 0 5 inch thick just over 2 inches wide and less than 4 inches long this clamshell slips stealthily into the back pocket of a pair of hip huggers The stunning keypad chemically etched into a single sheet of nickel plated copper alloy is matched by an equally gorgeous hi res 2 2 inch display Other turn ons VGA camera built in Bluetooth Price TBA www motorola com TIRED Great compact form Intuitive interface Good button layout TIRED Video is at a squint inducing 128 x 96 pixels the lowest res we ve seen and dimly lit video is very choppy Teeny screen Roomy 2 2 inch display FM radio plays MP3 and RealAudio files Captures decent 176 x 144 pixel video clips up to 30 seconds long Built in Bluetooth and slot At 4 3 x 2 2 x 07 inches it s on the big side Split keyboard makes one handed input impossible Pics overexposed Absurdly expensive Exceptionally clear screen Built in radio Well organized contacts interface Tiny mirror on the back helps the vain take self portraits or fix their hair Buttons are too close together when dialing Connector cover is a pain to remove when charging Low light images look grainy DUE ON SHELVES By 2005 WORTH THE WAIT If you like jealous stares Having a Razr V3 will be like going to a party with Uma Thurman on your arm the envy will be palpable UIRED TEST COMMUNICATION MOBILE PHONES
127. os video and music from your PC via Ethernet or Wi Fi For more on Media Center Extenders see page 152 Another plus Multiple tuner cards including hi def models will endow a single Media Center PC with the recording and playback capabilities of an army of DVRs capturing a number of shows on a number of channels while serving up saved programming to televisions throughout the house Media Center 2005 also sets your digital content free Using the Media Player 10 engine it resizes archived TV and then transfers it as well as music and photos to Pocket PC handhelds and personal video players running Microsofts new Portable Media Center OS Other updates include support for the 16 9 widescreen format and improved video scaling that to our eyes resulted in higher quality playback of both live and recorded TV Microsoft s setup has its shortcomings It doesn t allow remote scheduling over the Internet unlike some DVRs It decodes and records over the air HDTV only so digital cable and satellite subscribers need not apply And it turns out that Extenders cost more than many DVRs do after current rebates Still it puts the power of a PC in your living room minus the big box B L Graphics System 256 Mbyte Nvidia GeForce 6800 GT 256 Mbyte Nvidia GeForce 6800 Ultra 256 Mbyte Nvidia GeForce 6800 Ultra 128 Mbyte ATI Radeon X600 128 Mbyte ATI Radeon 300 ATI Integrated Graphics using main system RAM H
128. ou d expect in a laptop A DVD drive plugs in via USB Stylus input is a breeze on the bright 1 024 x 768 screen while hunt and peckers choose from two types of attachable keyboards 2 351 www motioncomputing com TOSHIBA PORTEGE M205 S810 The display on this handsome laptop swivels around Transformer style and locks into place over the keyboard to create a tablet with about the same width and height as Motion s M1400 But don t kid yourself Carried in one hand it lacks the balance of a standard slate design 2 299 www toshiba com WIRED Comfortable balanced feel Three hour battery life with keyboards detached One keyboard doubles as a lid for the 11 7 inch screen Optical drive not built in Too many parts to lose WIRED Power and convenience of a laptop with optional tablet mode Hi res 1 400 x 1 050 display TIRED Two piece body 1 5 inch thickness and 4 5 pound weight contribute to clumsy feel How to Choose the Right Laptop It all comes down to what you get and what you give up Here s a rundown of the trade offs THIN AND LIGHT UHAT YOU GET Freedom Workaholics savor the hours of productivity on planes and trains and a PC that opens wide in even the tightest settings like that coach airline seat when the guy up front reclines UHAT YOU GIVE UP Comfort Gone are the large screen and spacious keyboard and possibly the optical drive Back in the office plug in a proper mon
129. peakers in each little probe deliver nearly perfect sound even at high volume The company custom shapes each pair to match the contours of the wearer s ears The result The best sounding buds ever 900 plus 10 50 for ear molds www ultimateears com Good response in vocal range iPod matching white keeps it simple TIRED Not much warmth definition or bass Fanatical iPod fans should be willing to pay more for a better bud Bumpin low end Custom molded earpieces available Different colors for left and right make pluggin up a breeze TIRED High price for only pretty good sound Ugly Thin wires AUDIO HEADPHONES Best boom for the buck TIRED Me too white enclosures clearly an attempt to exploit the iPod craze but the black cable and sleeves spoil the effect Loud and clear no matter what they re pumping Perfect fit design locks in place with surprising comfort Custom colors available TIRED Costs more than two iPods Shorter than average cable UIRED TEST Noise Canceling Headphones Sound zapping electronics are just the ticket for harried travelers They take out a bustling terminal or a screaming baby to let you focus on your music 4 BOSE QUIETCOMFORT 2 These cost is no object silencers feature a noise reduction system so smooth it s like someone turned the world s volume down Outside sounds aren t gone they re just lower without seeming filtered or proces
130. photos movies home videos and music from your computer 152 Inexpensive doesn t have to mean cheap This unit Is solid with a wealth of A V connectors The PC software is a bit confusing but the TV side interface Is easy to navigate Video playback is perfect you can even switch between programs and set bookmarks within shows Don t pay a premium for the Streamium While the Internet radio selection is extensive the photo video and game functions seem like afterthoughts The device doesn t even display album art when you re playing music And you can t bookmark scenes in video OOO We plugged this black box in and it immediately found our Wi Fi network and media files Video playback over 802 11g is fine and you can jump back and forth a user determined number of seconds Our main complaint Its maddeningly hard to control the onscreen pointer with the remote 900000 Smooth audio and video over 802 11b Remote with volume control and one button access to signal strength meter Minimal printed documentation No Internet radio Attractive design Full range of outputs Handles most common video formats Priciest unit tested Dim LCD hard to read from the sofa Only audio supported is MP3 Photos often cropped at edges Great interface Easiest setup Optional 30 wireless keyboard a good buy for built in Web surfing and chat functions Rhapsody interface is different than the one for standa
131. ps bass heavy soundtracks helmet denting tackles today s games roll plenty of audio thunder These 5 1 systems put you in the thick of it KLIPSCH GMX D 5 1 Klipsch delivers on its rep with this powerful set Bette The subwoofer gives plenty of growl and the system the sound where you want it Nice supports Dolby Digital for movies and games But it price compared to the competition won t decode DTS which delivers more clarity and dynamics than Dolby s standard And the control panel 2 12112 has an identity crisis If it s for PC gamers where s the WEE E T headphone jack If it s for console bangers where s are clumsy to use High Irequeney the remote audio sounds glassy 199 www klipsch com 900000 LOGITECH Z 5500 DIGITAL With a hefty 10 inch subwoofer the Z 5500 drops the biggest boom of the systems we reviewed Analog and multiple digital inputs It also has the only center channel designed to cover all sound needs Satellite be placed on a TV or monitor It decodes both DTS speakers have rotating pedestals and Dolby Digital and the elegant control module for wall mounting has six inputs for plugging in your stereo DVD player and game boxes Y TIRED 400 www logitech com Honkin subwoofer is tough to 900000 hide Ugly remote SONY 5 1 SRS D5100 Sony s glossy PC sound system includes a silver subwoofer that handles music movies and games equally well But it doesnt do Dolby Digital or DTS and th
132. r E H x HOUSEHOLD Manual reads like the ancient text of a secret coffee cult UIRED TEST Ceramic Chef s Knives Has metal lost its mettle We had New York chef Wylie Dufresne put some ceramic blades through their slices at wd 50 his Lower East Side eatery L G BOKER CERA TITAN III The new titanium and ceramic Cera Titan III was the best overall value and the sharpest of the models tested a sous chef at wd 50 called it wicked sharp After a week in heavy rotation this 6 25 incher still sliced a sheet of notebook paper effortlessly But the plastic handle makes the knife feel somewhat blade heavy 115 www bokerusa com 900000 KYOCERA KYOTOP KT 165 HIP Kyocera s gorgeous wood handled knife was the best performer of the bunch with a razor sharp zirconium oxide edge good balance and a comfort able handle This is the one ceramic knife Dufresne says he would add to his arsenal if someone else were paying the tab Note Our pro cooks found Kyocera s 90 budget model too light and slick 300 www kyoceraadvancedceramics com 900000 URI EAGLE BLACK DIAMOND CERAMIC 6 INCH CHEF S KNIFE This bargain blade is fine for casual cooking but not for fast paced professional use Dufresne said its poor balance and lack of weight freaked the cooks out Even straight out of the box the edge was dull which can cause accidents in the kitchen as cooks compensate with extra for
133. r telescope for digital observation 765 www theproscope com e aa e mw tome x pum USB BLAST R 1000 KEYSPAN ADDLOGIX Plug a telephone headset into the K ZIP CELL ER 2 BEVERAGE WARMER R 1000 to make digital recordings Keyspan compact chargers draw Hate it when your coffee gets of calls or use the built in mike power from your PC to replenish cold as you IM late into the night to capture sounds in the room We phones from Kyocera LG Motorola Unfortunately this USB heating pined for Mac support and dialing Nokia Samsung Sanyo Siemens or jacket won t help it can t even capabilities but the real bummer is its Sony Ericsson Use the retractable keep spit warm At least the kids will dubious legal status The gizmo may 30 inch cable to refill your battery in have fun wearing Addlogix s Velcro violate some states wiretapping laws about an hour sleeve like a blood pressure cuff 149 www usbblast com 22 30 www keyspan com 16 www addlogix com n CAREN ALPERT STYLING BY DARLENE f 900000 90000 90000 COMPUTING AND GAMING USB GADGETS WIRED TEST 1 Mi ft ft fa t 1j i fi 4 4 i i id if if id id id it if ia 140 53190553290 SNINWV9 NV SNILfdWO2 Gaming Accessories Essentials WIRED TEST Gaming Speaker Systems Pistol po
134. rd audio This SMC wireless receiver aims low and still disappoints The hardware has the bare minimum of connectors and its software feels unfinished with a hostile interface For example it requires you to type in URLs for Internet radio and shows file paths instead of displaying MP3 track names and album art Streams audio and video but just barely Composite video jacks only Wi Fi configuration is tedious Remote has tiny buttons and no volume control No fast forward or reverse functions for video playback OOOO Media Streamers Scorecard Rating Model Formats Supported Outputs Wireless 5 Roku SoundBridge M1000 Apple AirPort Express Slim Devices Squeezebox Netgear MP101 Creative Sound Blaster Wireless Music Linksys Wireless B Music System Macsense HomePod MP 100 SMC Networks SMCWAA B cube Play TV NMP 4000 Prismiq MediaPlayer Philips Streamium SL400i SMC Networks SMCWMR AG MP3 AAC WMA Ogg Vorbis AIFF Apple Lossless WAV audio MP3 AAC WMA AIFF Apple Lossless WAV audio MP3 AAC WMA Ogg Vorbis FLAC AIFF Apple Lossless WAV audio MP3 WMA audio MP3 WMA audio MP3 WMA WAV audio MP3 audio MP3 WMA audio MP3 WMA WAV audio MPEG 1 MPEG 2 WMV DivX ASF XVid video MP3 WMA WAV audio MPEG 1 MPEG 2 MPEG 4 DivX AVI Motion JPEG VOB video MP3 audio MPEG 1 MPEG 2 MPEG 4 DivX video MP3 audio MPEG 1 MPEG 2 DivX video Optical
135. returns to its charger and awaits new commands 2 Its whiskerlike side brush swept crumbs from wall edges and even lapped up big items like blueberries 250 www irobot com AIL m o x rei D SE aa y The I n F me La Te ot is a 3 L e a cr dme gt i S te Ma eee e oy co eae gt Lec ur ce A Ga a ee CC Z ud A SS mom ne ei ef TR ACE UR gt Ze w ili 7 a 8 2 Ia ap Li gt KARCHER RC3000 ELECTROLUX A A sss or ROBOCLEANER TRILOBITE m peng sp This hoover goes from room to room and Ultrasound guides the Trilobite to within i doesn t make a racket It autodocks every 20 afraction of an inch of chair legs and walls vr posits to 60 minutes recharges and empties its load It circumnavigates baseboards while a k z into a spacious 2 liter bag in the base unit But 1 top mounted LCD counts down estimated as Oi RR rE eor sucking power is low so it won t pull crumbs cleaning time based on room size But the mA 4 pA ro eid KZ out of a medium pile carpet What it will suck machine often fails to dock into its charger _ a are dollars right out of your pocket and for this price we expect better service e Ste 1 495 www karcher com usa 1 799 www electroluxusa com t Pape orf pou LIS ae Ca d EN d es ee ia C
136. rfect for the weekend auteur Fast f1 6 nani looking for big screen results A star performer for EA x tdoor action and for color and white balance du D ee 3 5 inch LCD Convenient pop up GE handling this cam also has a front end stereo flash Big 0 29 inch CCD and GE condenser microphone to filter out stray noise 2 2 megapixel still camera TE Oa Easy to use manual controls put superior image quality at your fingertips 1 500 www usa canon com Picture quality suffers in low light 90000 At almost 8 inches long the only pocket it fits into is a camera bag JVC GR DVP9US Small enough to slip into the back pocket of your 501s this camera boasts a chic upright design And o t there Ultracampact 32x 1 8 the quarter inch CCD is quite generous for a cam x 4 6 inch body NightAlive IR this tiny The image quality isn t as good as we d like but it s pretty remarkable considering the JVC s size and price Too bad there s nothing remarkable TIRED about its 1 3 megapixel still photos They re hardly worth printing I d onal 1 300 www jVc com settings and occasionally on tape SES Dull reds Overbright whites in 00000 automatic white balance mode The most attractive miniDV cam feature for shooting in darkness An annoying hum audible in quiet 44 PANASONIC GS15 This DN cam is relatively inexpensive and small K 24X optical h i enough to fit in a jacket pocket Its 24X optical
137. rs of R ee Iv b hi def programming ged a i As scheduled by time not by title 999 www dishnetwork com Remote suffered interference 00000 LG LST 3410A The LG is the only high definition DVR we tested that isn t linked to a cable or satellite service Its integrated tuner gets HD content from and HD reception and recording with no cable or satellite fees FireWire hookup for recording from a only from the local airwaves Program listings DV cam Handy thumbnails of come through a clumsy TV Guide interface saved content which forces you to manually map programs to channel numbers V TIRED 1 000 www lge com Only a handful of stations currently 900000 broadcast in HD 120 Gbyte drive holds just 12 5 hours of hi def UIRED TEST Standard Definition DVRs They won t fill widescreen HDTVs with hi res images but these recorders mean you re always just a few clicks away from your favorite shows DISH PLAYER DVR 510 Dish s standard definition satellite receiver DVR combo stores up to 100 hours of shows on its 120 Gbyte hard drive Like other integrated models it records in pure digital But the 510 doesn t support keyword recording by director by actor and Y TIRED channel surfers will be frustrated by the guide s 1 5 hours of programming per screen 299 plus 5 per month www dishnetwork com 900000 All digital recording Phone jack for displaying caller ID info on TV New Dish sub
138. s but your own memory cards to tote the shots home or print you ll also endure hard sells by ill trained workers pushing them at in store kiosks Memory cards are best bought products based on price Instead find a local photo store at mass merchandisers or online Stick to name brands that offers price matching and makes its money on repeat on these keeping in mind that recent stock will be more business rather than sheer sales volume You ll get informed glitch free than last year s models advice from smart salespeople who can rescue you if you Finally don t try to save money by purchasing a used accidentally crush your new shooter s LCD digicam They re quickly outdated and can be damaged Handle and shoot as many cameras as possible Bring in ways that may not be obvious at first glance M K c cr nc cr o St C H 5 PENTAX OPTIO 43WR The 43WR is a waterproof little block that takes good quality 4 megapixel pictures and is perfect for shooting on the lake or during those messy family picnics You can rinse it after a dip in ketchup or mud and resume shooting While submersible this digicam is not meant for shooting underwater Startup is quick the watertight internal zoom does not have to extend 349 www pentaxusa com 900000 SONY CYBER SHOT DSC L1 The diminutive 3 8 x 1 8 x 1 1 inches and 5 ounces yet eye catching DSC L1 is more than a fashion stateme
139. scribers get box for free Onscreen guide makes finding programs tedious Recording options limited Single tuner dual model is on the way INTERACT TV TELLY 800 40 GBYTE This Linux based powerhouse records TV plays and rips CDs and serves media to your TV or on your network No service fees any PC on your home network lt even records full DVDs to its hard drive a boon for backing up TIRED copy protected Blockbuster rentals But the guide and menu navigation are far from refined 699 www interact tv com 900000 DIGITAL VIDEO RECORDERS VIDEO Pricey Remote scheduling feature requires you to log onto your home network REPLAYTV 5504 Remote scheduling keyword searches handy one touch recording the 5504 does everything a DVR should Also onboard is ShowlNav a button based redo of the automatic ad skipping feature that got ReplayTV into hot water a few years ago And to top it off the picture here is by far the sharpest of the non hi def lot TIRED 150 plus 13 per month www replaytv com 00000 Component video and digital audio outputs Ethernet port Multiple units can share content and recording duties Quick guide scrolling Remote and menus not quite as elegant as TiVo s making ReplayTV slightly harder to use TIVO SERIES2 DVR 80 GBYTE TiVo s interface is pure pleasure with clean menus and easy navigation via the remote s thumbpad The guide is prod
140. sed Meanwhile music comes through a pair of precise smooth transducers 299 www bose com 900000 SONY MDR G94NC Smaller lighter and cheaper than Bose s clamor busters Sony s Vaio esque headphones aren t as good at muting outside annoyances partly due to their open design But for cost conscious frequent fliers who can t pack a full size pair they ll get the job done without mussing the do 70 www sonystyle com 90000 Cozy padding lines earpieces and headband Travel kit with adapters for wacky airplane jacks When the AAA battery dies so does your music Bulky for travel Steep price for something you might leave on the plane Rear headband design defies gravity and actually stays on head Small and light for easy packing Middling sound and build quality Edgy industrial styling looks hip to some silly to others Headphones gt 0 e o 25 a lt mu AUDIO Weight Circumaural Supraural ounces Closed Open Grado RS 1 Open Supraural Stax Signature System Il Open Circumaural Sennheiser HD 555 Circumaural Koss Pro3AA Closed Circumaural Sony MDR DS8000 Open Circumaural Pioneer SE DIR800C Closed Circumaural SURROUND SOUND Zalman ZM RS6F 570 Closed Ultimate Ears UE 10 Pro Less than 1 Etymotic ER 4P Less than 1 Shure E3c A N 1 IN EAR Apple iPod In Ear Headphones Less than 1 Bose Quiet
141. ssaging Touchscreen Windows Media Player for music and video Big and heavy Keyboard can be unresponsive Limited 64 Mbytes Compact design feels more phonelike than other devices Tight integration of Address Book and Phone applications Handles up to five email accounts Closely spaced keys led to lots of Johmns in our contact list No built in instant messaging DUE ON SHELVES By November 2004 WORTH THE WAIT It puts the power of a BlackBerry into a hip design so if you can adjust to the tighter keyboard it ll make every day casual Friday COMMUNICATION MOBILE PHONES UIRED TEST Glossary The 411 on MMS GPRS WAP EDGE TMI WTF are you supposed to do when you go to the local wireless store and get an earful of GSM 3G and EV DO Before you LOL or say TTFN check out our mobile ABCs 3G Third generation wireless standard that provides extra bandwidth for data as well as voice CDMA Code division multiple access Along with GSM one of the two major EV DO Evolution data only Part of the CDMA 36 wireless standard EV DO offers speeds of up to 2 4 Mbps wireless standards Used by Sprint and Verizon CRAP Completely ridiculous alphabetical process Why Is it that on alphanumeric GSM Global system for mobile commu nications A wireless standard that competes with CDMA Supported by AT amp T Cingular and T Mobile shortcut keyboards it takes four taps to get a
142. t billboard is among the most accurate sets for color showing rich red and green hues in our test with the Uma Thurman flick The Golden Bowl In one subtle way however the display slips with some false contouring in which a moving object takes on patchy colors rather than smooth gradations 13 995 www necvisualsystems com Good price for this screen size LED readouts on the remote and under the screen make navigation easy Built in tuners for both standard and HD television Annoying hum from the back of the console brings back memories of Grandpa s old set Quality image with natural colors and true blacks Exhaustive menus allow multiple adjustments such as control over secondary colors and gamma midtone brightness No TV tuner you need to get an gt E Z H mm LL Lil a L zn Ce VIDED 900000 CALIBRATION We calibrated the televisions using the basic patterns on the Avia Pro diagnostic DVD The digital source was a Bravo D2 DVD player with a DVI connection When necessary a DVI to HDMI adapter from Monster Cable was used DIGITAL MOVIES To examine detail black levels and color we watched Mystic River Lost in Space and The Golden Bowl on all the sets A few other films came and went but these three movies ran on all our test screens for comparison By running the DVI source through a Gefen 2 8 HDTV Distribution Amplifier we were able to evalua
143. tallation Then charmed by an LCD projector pursued a full home theater but only after a yearlong and ultimately fruitless search for an audio option that didn t require a half dozen speakers littering the living room And deciding to go for a proper 6 1 system only led me down the audiophile rabbit hole where the questions became practically metaphysical once started looking for answers Are your speakers voice matched These days my early experiences seem to hold true for every category of consumer electronics dive into from DV cams to laptops l ve now tested more devices in more variations than care to recall I ve learned a lot but in each case making the right decision required hours of research with no small amount of money wasted on missteps Yet this is the golden age of gadgets There are unprece dented choices innovations and features all at rapidly falling prices And along with the explosion of digital media home theater and pocket gear has come equally unprece dented complexity and risk It s too hard to know what to buy and that starts with a dearth of solid trustworthy advice and hands on experience Amazon com user opinions are great but they shouldn t be all there is to go on Enter Wired Test Throughout the year we publish hun dreds of consumer electronics reviews in our magazine and weekly email newsletter Gadget Lab not just first impres sions or feature summaries but hands on r
144. te several TVs simultaneously ANALOG MOVIES Though a digital signal offers the best image quality very few DVD players have a digital output So we tested each TV s analog capabili ties including the ability to process motion by watching Star Trek Insurrection through the component outputs of the Bravo DVD player external box High Definition TVS gt MOTION To further test motion processing we switched the Bravo DVD player s output to 480 line interlaced over an analog component cable and gauged the ability of the TV s processor to deinterlace video using Avia s film to video transition and motion dither tests HD AND STANDARD TV Our HDTV came courtesy of Voom satellite service and Adelphia HD cable We watched standard analog TV from Adelphia by threading a coaxial cable wire to each TV s NTSC tuner GAMES We played a few rounds of the standard def game Driv3r on the Xbox using component inputs PROJECTION For front projectors we shot onto a 45 x 80 inch Da Lite Cinema Contour HDTV home theater screen Casual visitors mistook the results for an enormous plasma television Amateurs LCD TVs LCDs aren t just for the kitchen anymore they now come in jumbo sizes And their deep blacks and improved motion rendering are approaching plasma quality LESS THAN 40 INCHES Y BENQ DV3070 30 INCH WIRED The DV3070 d ME SCC Easy to use Standard TV clear
145. terial Titanium alloy Hot isostatic pressed zirconium oxide Black zirconium carbide Material Silicone Five station presets simple radio tuning countdown timer and one touch operation Solidly built AM FM CD Weather bands TIRED No fog resistant mirror A wee bit pricey No skip protection Additional Features Supports water filter Optional heated cup drawer adjustable water temperature Easy access grounds drawer adjustable water temperature Additional Features POM plastic handle deba shape Pakka wood handle rosewood case Additional Features Resists water and other liquids oil splashes safe for dry ice dishwasher and washing machine Waterproof safe for hot oil fits either hand multiple colors available cevlar and Nomex Price 3 5 inches 320 x 240 80 Screen Size Resolution Sources VHF UHI S video com 1 VHF UHF c able tuner composite video CD AM FM TV audio weather band Video out jack rechargeable Station presets 3 Jensen JCR 550 Shower Clock Radio amp CD Player 60 CD AM FM Fog free mirror HOUSEHOLD KITCHEN AND BATH It features a larger debris bin longer battery life and ROBOT ROOMBA DISCOVERY ELT Older Roombas pale in comparison to the new Discovery ultrasonic sensors for Dirt Detect mode If it finds a super soiled spot the bot stays in the area until it s cleaned then
146. th www pioneerelectronics com 0900000 TOSHIBA RD XS32 The RD XS32 s remote and menus were mind numbingly complex think graphing calculators and clocks on old VCRs Plus it uses the lame TV Guide system that requires manual matching of show info to channel numbers We expected more from Toshiba 500 www toshiba com 900000 TIRED TIRED Plays DVD Audio discs Easy to use remote Simple video clip editing Front FireWire port Dual layer DVD RAM drive records up to 16 hours per disc and 160 Gbyte hard drive stores 284 hours of video TV Guide scheduler almost useless Doesn t provide seamless pausing and replaying of live TV la TiVo TiVo service and remote control features Stores up to six hours of video per disc Can burn a DVD while recording TV and playing a show from its 80 Gbyte hard drive No FireWire for DV cams Can t edit shows before burning Hard drive capacity limited to 80 hours Onboard editing tools Rips non copy protected DVDs Byzantine controls Setting record quality is confusing If you re shopping for a DVR you might want to consider a Media Center PC instead see page 136 x O H 2 c 074 Building a Better DVR Instead of idly waiting for the perfect one to appear we propose this recipe Connection CableCard Slot Currently you re stuck using a branded DVR from your cable or satellite company or wiring up your tuner box throu
147. that it s f intended for use with Sony portables which start No Internet radio stations at less than half the price of an iPod mini Massi eios s 99 cents per song www connect com OOOO Selection similar to iTunes but also offers some exclusive tracks Works with Sony s low cost players WAL MART MUSIC DOWNLOADS Wal Mart brings its cheaper than the rest ethos to WAL MART downloads and dispenses with software installation NO SONT to per by using the Windows Media Player built into most EA Music y should be mandatory listening for PCs Sure it undercuts the competition by 11 cents aspiring hipsters Downloads per song but it censors any lyrics it deems too racy i For example the Bloodhound Gang s Hooray for Boobies becomes the nearly vocal free Hooray 88 cents per song www musicdownloads walmart com OOO Limited selection Windows only copy protection means Mac users are not welcome ONLINE MUSIC STORES Online Music Stores Maximum Songs in File System Computers Software Library Formats Requirements per Required Download Rating Service 05 10 1 5 Apple iTunes 99 cents per song 1 million AAL Windows XP 2000 About 6 cents MP3 AAC WMA SLES 280 000 Ogg Vorbis MPC Just about anything Unlimited ais and more 9 95 per month or EH 99 cents per song 700 000 WMA Windows XP 2000 9 95 per month plus WMA Windows XP 2000 Me Rhapsody 1
148. tions Expensive Classy wood finish Big full bodied sound Easy to set up Very little surround effect Dialog blurred by ambient sound Solid construction Aggressively high tech design Strains to fill a medium size room Minimal surround effects Pricey Where you sit can make or break the spatial effects Front and center is the place to be HOME THEATER GEAR AUDIO HOME THEATER GEAR 100 UIRED TEST VIRTUAL SURROUND SYSTEMS 6 1 SURROUND SYSTEMS Ce cr oO m H St O O cr VIRTUAL SURROUND NIRO REFERENCE SYSTEM With a single horizontal speaker box housing five individual drivers plus the requisite subwoofer Niro s Reference achieves much of what you d expect from a full 5 1 setup a distinct center chan nel for dialog ambient sound from the sides and some impressive zoom around your head effects 900 www nirol com en 900000 Home Theater Gear SUBWOOFERS RECEIVERS SYSTEMS 4 Denon D M51DVS 3 5 Bose 3 2 1 GS Series Il Receiver Output High End Inputs optical coaxial audio Six 110 watt channels sets component video Biv E E EG 3 optical coaxial audio 2 sets component video 30 watt channels optical audio Six 100 watt channels 2 sets component video ix 100 watt channels Receiver Output High End Inputs Seven 120 watt channels 5 optical 2 coaxial audio 3 sets component video 3 optical 3 coaxial aud
149. tlessly imports Tunes playlists and non copy protected tracks 279 www slimdevices com 900000 SMC NETWORKS SMCWAA B There s no nice way to say it This product is a piece of crap The AC adapter requires fiddling to get juice Audio drops out frequently even with decent Wi Fi signal strength something we didn t experience on any other streamer And the unit often doesn t respond to the remote which features small buttons with indecipherable cutesy icons 130 www smc com 00000 Affordable Solid performer with good UPnP support Y TIRED Poor text display Plays MP3 and WMA files only Remote cluttered with tiny buttons but none for volume Lacks documentation for server software First class design actually looks good next to high end audio equipment Simple setup Big bright display TIRED Expensive No Wi Fi signal meter Occasionally confusing interface Clean styling Great display Supports most common audio file formats and works with Windows Mac OS X and Linux Y TIRED Pricey Documentation is way too geek centric Meters for buffer and wireless signal strength update in real time Only streamer that lets you bookmark radio stations TIRED Flimsy construction Minijack output only No Ethernet port or power switch COMPUTING AND GAMING MEDIA STREAMERS UIRED TEST Don t let your ears have all the fun Get your eyes in on the action with boxes that stream
150. truments patented tech Mitsubishi s clever image processing delivered especially clear action and accurate color in epics such as Master and Commander with sea spray so detailed we reached for the Dramamine A glass screen filter yields deep blacks but also catches glare from room lights 3 999 www mitsubishi tv com 90000 OPTOMA RD65 65 INCH DLP This bright screen could replace the Jumbotron at Fenway In fact it shined with one of the season s Yankees Red Sox debacles showing standard def vividly in a well lit room But it doesn t fare well with films and general color reproduction Hues appeared washed out in Mystic River and even Boston s Green Monster looked pale 4 995 www optomausa com 900000 V INC VIZIO RP56 56 INCH DLP Vizio may be a cheap date but it s a lot of fun to hang with It displayed convincing dense colors with our evaluation movies Games for Xbox also looked good and it s easy to hook up thanks to front panel composite and S video jacks Caveat The screen was the dimmest of all products we tried though only slightly worse than other DLP models 3 299 www vinc com 900000 Brightest image with the blackest blacks of any rear projection model tested Solid colors with no rainbow effect TIRED Not for cinephiles bad 3 2 pull down detection on analog inputs Rich realistic color and fine details NetCommand feature controls linked gadgets like DVD players DVHS
151. unky Narrow display SONY VAIO VGN A190 Kill your television or this 17 inch widescreen monster will The VGN A190 s A V dock has a built in TV tuner Use the remote to channel surf then launch Sony s recording software to dub Nip Tuck Plug in the included speakers and blast the soundtrack from the dock s digital amp 2 700 www sonystyle com 900000 Screen brightness auto adjusts to ambient light The 11 inch high speakers are a bonus Keyboard and buttons hard to see inthe dark CD ripping took an excruciating 13 minutes Laptops We Tested BATTERY LIFE In place of lab optimized tests we simulated real life use by running the screen at maximum brightness while playing digital music files to steadily but moderately tax the processor and hard drive VIDEO CONVERSION On PCs we used Adobe Premiere Pro 1 5 to NN convert an AVI file to the MPEG 2 format MULTIMEDIA IMAGE CONVERSION We used Adobe Photoshop CS to compress a 110 Mbyte PSD file into a 7 5 Mbyte GIF CD RIPPING 12 We encoded Mos Def s 17 track CD Black on Both Sides into 128 Kbps AAC music files with GRAPHICS PERFORMANCE dp am E o cr cr iTunes This number crunching task mainly We measured frame rates while playing Far stresses the processor but the optical drive Cry and Unreal Tournament 2004 at resolutions also affects performance of 1 024 x 768 1 280 x 1 024 and 1 600 x 1 200 O
152. ur MPEG 4 herd Colors and details were vivid and video was sharp in hi res mode The trouble is it s hard to hold something this 10X optical zoom 2 5 inch LCD Saves videos in a proprietary small steady I 1 000 www panasonic com format which convertsto Windows ASF with Panasonic s 00000 software no Mac compatibility iy ZOOM Setting the camera on a tripod we zeroed in on a faraway Victorian building with intricate ornamentation We expected crisp detail and color using each camera s maximum optical zoom setting ACTION SHOTS Outdoor basketball games put the cams through their paces The best delivered smooth motion video of the fast moving action with quick autofocus ALL CAMERAS IMAGE STABILIZATION uuu COLOR AND WHITE BALANCE We ditched the tripod and reshot the Working indoors we shot a brightly colored same Victorian at maximum optical blanket lit by a 750 watt tungsten studio light with zoom while handholding the camera a color temperature of 3 200 K All white balance High performers kept footage stable settings were on auto We were impressed if and didn t drop video detail the cams captured four different shades of white 3 D details of the fabric and vivid reds and blues St cc lt o c St MINIDV ARTIFICIAL LIGHT In a room illuminated only by two 75 watt A NOISE incandescent bulbs we shot a variety of We listened for tape noise during playback footage to
153. use volume to mimic real conditions GENRES AND FORMATS To see how players handled different music styles we spun hip hop rock house jazz soul country and classical In addition to MP3s we e LINE IN RECORDING downloaded WMA and Ogg Vorbis files he On devices that feature a line in port we 1 recorded a track from a CD WD PORTABILITY We charged them up and hauled them around PLAYLISTS town to get a feel for how they perform in the gt We created at least one playlist on the outside world computer and if possible on the player itself 082 Ei Microdrive Players Larger than flash memory devices but more portable than their storage rich older siblings these pack in enough music for long workdays or short trips 4 APPLE iPOD MINI Sure the mini looks like a zillion bucks and the click wheel is nifty But for 4 gigs the price is way too steep And the sound isn t quite on par with SunertastFireWiredransfers its predecessor especially when the volume is Very bright backlight SE up high Another knock the unit s unimpressive skip buffer battery life less than six hours in our tests Still we re suckers for a hot bod TIRED 249 www apple com The design belle of the ball Brilliantly crafted click wheel Not much storage for the money 00000 Doesn t play WMA files Lackluster battery life No voice or line in recording Lacks FM tuner RIO CARBON The new leader in microdriv
154. usy with inputs including three optical four analog and two component video sets 700 www onkyo com 900000 Full rich sound Crisp video playback from the six disc DVD changer Abundant rear panel connection options Won t win a beauty pageant Crammed together speaker jacks hard to access and tighten properly 44 YAMAHA YHT F1500 With its silver components and tall slim speakers Yamaha s offering looks straight up high end home cinema And produced exceptional surround effects You ll think bullet casings are dropping at your feet during The Matrix But the system lacks distinctive bass we noticed it especially when listening to CDs and video output falters during dark scenes 1 000 www yamaha com OOO Well distributed sound puts you in the picture Elegant on screen display makes setup easy Muddy bass and tinny treble equal unbalanced audio No component video so no HDTV support Home Theater Gear ll ac cr ce D lt E o ac AUDIO MOVIE PLAYBACK Y RUMBLE AND NUANCE To assess audio and video quality we watched S Each sub was placed in the same location 6 1 SURROUND AUTOCALIBRATING RECEIVERS The Matrix in Dolby Digital and Star Wars Episode The Phantom Menace and The Fellowship of the Ring in Dolby Digital EX MUSIC PLAYBACK We played tracks by Wynton Marsalis and Mozart in stereo and Dolby Pro Logic IIx Music modes a
155. your hair Budget option unit doesn t quite keep up The analog tuner for bringing music to your bath AM FM is awkward and the sound is slightly tinny Still for the price you could do a lot worse 60 www spectraintl com No radio presets No skip 00000 protection so don t bump it Top heavy design Poor sound Big crisp fog resistant mirror HOUSEHOLD KITCHEN AND BATH Make sure your shower player can handle CD Rs That way you can croon to your own mix of tunes EL H x O H 118 Va Jura Capresso Impressa E8 SUPER AUTOMATIC COFFEE MACHINES Boker Cera Titan Ill Kyocera Kyotop KT 165 HIP CERAMIC CHEF S KNIVES Duncan Industries Kitchen Grips Si Orka DVEN MITTS AND GLDVES SHOUER TVs AND RADIOS Miele Coffee System CVA615 Sharper Image TV Shower Companion 45 Sony Liv A Band 7 Shower CD Clock Radio lt SONY LIV 4 BAND SHOWER CD CLOCK RADIO For high quality shower sing alongs Sonys Liv is the way to go It has cleaner richer sound than the Jensen not to mention a rugged compact body Plus you can work the easy to open clasps and smart digital interface even with soap in your eyes 80 www sonystyle com 00000 Body Style Compact Built in Price Blade Style Japanese Western Temperature 500 F 500 F Synthetic rubber Grinder Features Burr grinder bypass doser Burr grinder Burr grinder Blade Ma
156. your online photo album with a monster gat 70 www monstergecko com 900000 Price 400 499 199 230 Other Console Model Logitech Cordless Action Controller PS2 de om wo GH SM um e oz oz E CH O Rating Model RedOctane SPECIALTY GEAR Guitammer ButtK Intec Wireless Racing Wheel Nintendo WaveBird GameCube 4 5 Logitech Driving Force Pro 4 MonsterGecko PistolMouse FPS Metal Cobalt Flux Dance Pad IO d Pr Gamer Versions Available Xbox None GameCube PS GameCube Xbox GUITAMMER BUTTKICKER GAMER Total Watts 500 300 Best Played With Gran Turismo 4 Battlefield 1942 P nla m e e 1 H 1 Den el H Yer DCO Vha Ti WEE De ET dE E EEE f 1 LI DA X hn ri Q Tlanra llar 20 Hawvnliifinn llltramix 1 r ad H Pol FOL AVUA oz Dance Dance nevoiution Uitramix 1 Burnout 3 Takedown Feel kickback every time you fire in a first person shooter TIRED Attaches only to chairs with a center post not intended for your Barcalounger Responds to all bass meaning gunshots and music give the same thump Eye catching Durable Scroll wheel is easy to access with the thumb TIRED Vets will have a hard time giving up a conventional mouse Must stay on desktop for optical sensor to work so no waving it around Inputs Optical coaxial 4 stereo mini audio Optical coaxial stereo mini audi
157. ys noise in dark areas and doesnt make smooth color transitions 8 999 www us fujitsu com 900000 Y TIRED Among the best pictures available with great detail refined color and inky blacks TIRED Splotchy colors in faces and moving objects Plasticky poorly designed remote is so bad it might as well be disposable Flawless for movies Terrific HDTV color and detail Clean intuitive menu for settings and options TIRED There s still good TV on analog broadcasts but the Pioneer displays it a bit more jagged than on other tested models Brilliant colors from both digital and analog signals made this TV fun to watch Excellent at adapting standard definition broadcasts to its huge screen Color transitions look patchy in shadows Sad little remote with nubby rubber chicklet buttons Unlike LCD and projection sets plasmas maintain high image quality from any viewing angle HIGH DEFINITION TVs VIDEO UIRED TEST gt gt PLASMA TVs gt gt 50 INCHES AND UP 4 LG DU 50PZ60 H 50 INCH This TV s processor takes the common jitters out of DVD films we saw amazingly fluid motion during the opener of Star Trek Insurrection But our other intergalactic test movie Lost in Space revealed pixels salsa dancing on William Hurt s black suit The screen also delivers inaccurate color and uneven tones in dark areas 7 000 www ge com OOO NEC PX61XM2 S 61 INCH This 5 foo

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