Bargain Hunt: Projectors

by Sean Ludwig

Buzz up!on Yahoo!

The quality of a projector can make or break a business presentation, not to mention a movie's impact when you're watching it at home. These four projectors, from Mitsubishi, Hitachi, InFocus, and 3M, can bring an exciting visual experience into your office or home, with vibrant colors and a variety of unique features. The 3M MPro110, the only pico projector in our list, is a great choice for business users who present to small groups, or for travelers who want to watch their iPod videos on a larger screen. The other three pleasantly priced projectors mostly cater to those giving presentations, while some may find them suitable for a home-theater setup.

Editors' Note: All listed prices are current as of the date of publication—and apt to change quickly and often.

Mitsubishi XD500U-ST
Was: $1,295
Is: $699
Savings: $596 (46 percent)
Why You Want It: Thanks to its notably short throw, the Mitsubishi XD500U-ST is a good choice for business users who need to project large images in tight spaces. At 4.0 by 13.1 by 9.8 inches (HWD) and 7.3 pounds, it's reasonably portable and light and even comes with a soft carrying case.

Hitachi CP-A100
Was: $2,495
Is: $1,529 (from FotoConnection)
Savings: $966 (38.7 percent)
Why You Want It: The CP-A100 scored the Editors' Choice in the ultra-short-throw category for its amazingly short throw (a 98-inch diagonal image at 15 inches from screen) and its bright, vibrant colors. Its relatively poor video performance won't be a problem for presentations.

InFocus IN1100
Was: $1,099
Is: $899
Savings: $200 (18.1 percent)
Why You Want It: We liked the InFocus IN1100 for connecting by USB cable—which makes it easier to use than many other projectors—and the 2.75-pound weight makes the device more portable than many of its peers. It may not be the best for presentations, but it could be a decent choice for watching movies.

3M MPro110
Was: $359
Is: $296
Savings: $63 (17.5 percent)
Why You Want It: We were big fans of the MPro110 when it was released last December. It's one of the first projectors that can actually fit into a shirt pocket, and it's the first of its size that can connect to a computer. The MPro110 uses an entirely different engine, designed by 3M: LCOS (liquid crystal on silicon) rather than a DLP chip.

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Bargain Hunt: Headphones

by Sean Ludwig

These days, iPods and MP3 players are extremely commonplace. But people often forget about one of the most important aspects of listening to music outside of the home or car—a pair of quality headphones that lets you hear music clearly and in detail. Sometimes a good pair can be a bit pricey, though. ($300 for earbuds!?) But with these deals on three different kinds of headphones, you can listen to your music comfortably and in excellent quality.

Editors' Note: All listed prices are current as of the date of publication—and apt to change quickly and often.

Motorola MotoROKR S9-HD
Was: $130
Is: $60 (from N1 Wireless)
Savings: $70 (53.8 percent)
Why You Want It: The MotoROKR S9-HD is one of the best stereo Bluetooth headsets we've seen so far. The lightweight device has full, detailed sound, and is more comfortable to wear than most in-ear designs.

Shure SE420
Was: $400
Is: $224 (from Buy.com)
Savings: $176 (44 percent)
Why You Want It: The SE420 blocks out external noise well and has great audio performance. It also includes a fit kit for all ear sizes, so you'll have no trouble finding a comfy ear tip.

Ultrasone HFI-580
Was: $200
Is: $148
Savings: $52 (26 percent)
Why You Want It: The solidly constructed HFI-580 sounds lovely and works well for all types of music, particularly genres with deep bass. It might just be the perfect gift for your wannabe-DJ friend.

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Bargain Hunt: Gaming Desktops

Gaming desktops are often wonders to behold, with the fastest speeds, loads of memory, incredible graphical capabilities, and great-looking cases. However, these machines usually cost way too much for the average computer buyer. Thankfully, if you know where to look (as we do), you can find a decent price drop on configurations that are less than a year old. Here are three terrific gaming rigs that have recently dropped in price by more than 18 percent.

HP Firebird with VoodooDNA 803
Was: $2,099
Is: $1,299 direct (after rebates)
Savings: $800 (38.1 percent)
Why You Want It: The HP Firebird is an incredibly sexy-looking gaming rig. Its energy-saving mode can save you a few bucks, and you can turn up its awesome graphics power when you need it. The only drawback is that the HP Firebird doesn't offer a Blu-ray reader option like our review model had.

Falcon Northwest Mach V (Core i7)
Was: $7,995
Is: $6,249 direct
Savings: $1,746 (21.8 percent)
Why You Want It: This Mach V (Core i7) has a beautiful Exotix chassis, yields some of the best multimedia performance around, and is quiet for its size. The only difference from the review model we tested is that this model comes with a 256GB SSD primary hard drive instead of an 80GB SSD drive.

Velocity Micro Edge Z55
Was: $3,834
Is: $3,134 direct
Savings: $700 (18.2 percent)
Why You Want It: In only a matter of months, the Z55's components have dropped in price, making it possible for you to score this incredible, sleek gaming and multimedia box for $700 less. We especially liked the rig's Blu-ray reader and attractive styling.

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Laptops for the Frugal Gamer

It's safe to say that the days of $4,000 to $5,000 gaming laptops are behind us. Laptops are already commodities, and demands for graphics horsepower aren't what they used to be, especially when many of the latest 3D games can be played on $1,500 mainstream laptops. But there are still plenty of hard-core gamers who spend the majority of their time attending LAN parties, and who have the Internet bandwidth at home to host multiplayer death matches. They refuse to accept middle-of-the-road frame rates but are unwilling to put up the cash for a high-end rig. (You can only earn so much money by being a professional gamer.) But they needn't revert to a clunky desktop, as hard-core gaming laptops that won't break the bank are becoming more plentiful.

The two components mainly responsible for driving up the cost of a gaming laptop are the processor and the graphics card. Luckily for you, processors have caught up with the demands of their graphics counterparts, so you don't necessarily require an Intel Extreme or a quad-core processor to get the scorching frame rates you want. The secret sauce is (and has always been) the graphics card. Gaming systems like the CyberPower Xtreme Gamer M1 and the Alienware M17 use energy-efficient processors with their dual ATI Radeon HD 3879 graphics cards, arranged in what ATI calls its CrossFire configuration. These cards can spit out 3DMark 06 scores in the five-digit range (at 1,024-by-768 resolution), respectable even among the best gaming laptops, though these two rigs come in at only a smidge above $2,000.

You might think that the inclusion of a high-end graphics card at this price would limit other gaming features and attributes, but that's hardly the case. Both the M17 and the M1 come with high-resolution (1,920-by-1,200) screens, illuminated keyboards, and the gamut of connectivity ports. The M1 even includes a Blu-ray reader for your high-def enjoyment.

The new breed of gaming laptop gets cheaper still. By forgoing big 17-inch widescreens, ultramobile gaming solutions like the MSI GT627-218US and the ASUS N50Vn-B1B can lessen the burden on your back, yet these midrange models (available for under $1,300) still deliver the frame rates needed to compete in big game tournaments. The N50Vn-B1B, a general-purpose laptop with gaming chops, uses a single (yet nonetheless powerful) Nvidia GeForce 9650M GT graphics card, while the GT627-218US has an even better Nvidia GeForce 9800M GS card.

And even better deals are on the way. Keep in mind that although a fast processor is nice to have, picking up a good graphics card is key to your gaming success.

Featured in This Roundup:

Alienware M17 ($2,059 direct)

The Alienware M17 is one of the first laptops to use ATI's CrossFireX technology. Judging by our 3D tests, it can definitely hang with the mobile gaming giants.

CyberPower Gamer Xtreme M1 ($2,150 direct)

This fierce gaming laptop has all the inner workings of the Alienware M17, without the menacing design.

ASUS N50Vn-B1B ($1,255 street)

Anyone who is shopping for an affordable family laptop that can double as a gaming rig should consider the ASUS N50Vn.

MSI GT627-218US ($1,100 street)

MSI built an affordable gaming laptop without skimping on the most critical component—the graphics card.

Next >

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Winamp 5.55

I've used dozens over the years and keep a few on my system at all times: one for podcasts, one for CD ripping, one for playlist editing, and another for casual listening. Prominent on my list is the venerable Winamp (which AOL acquired in its 1999 purchase of Nullsoft), a player I still love and keep around because it's lightweight enough to play music during power gaming sessions without killing my system's performance. Unfortunately, Winamp has been stagnant for years, lacking a number of the features that make more modern music players popular. Now, however, a new version of Winamp has hit the streets, with a new look and tons of new useful features.



You can't add new features without drawing on more system resources, so Winamp is definitely not as lean and mean as it used to be. When I loaded up a couple hundred songs, I caught it eating just under 100MB of memory—although I could tell that this was allocated memory only, not actually what the app was using. The jump in memory allotment may be enough of a reason for some people to ditch the app, but I find it's still snappier and more streamlined than a number of its competitors. iTunes is still incredibly sluggish in Windows, Windows Media Player is a little basic for the system resources it uses, and MediaMonkey is too heavy, even when you're looking for a simple music player. Additionally, no desktop music player sparks the same nostalgia that Winamp does, and the new Winamp is true to its roots: sleek, powerful, and perfect for music lovers of all types, from audiophiles to amateurs.
Buzz up!on Yahoo!

The new Winamp comes with a new interface that will look familiar to people who currently use players like iTunes and MediaMonkey. The new skin, dubbed Bento, is compact and well organized. When you launch the app, you're presented with the expanded view, which includes the basic player that Winamp users are used to seeing in the upper left-hand corner. Next to the player is track information, including album art, song title, artist, album, year of release, the rating you've given the song, and more. Next to the song information is the playlist editor, another view that Winamp users will be familiar with.

Where the Winamp layout really changes is beneath these three areas. The UI expands and includes a media browser on the right, like you find on iTunes and Windows Media Player. Here you can see all your playlists, move quickly between the Winamp dashboard and other online features, see the songs you've played the most or rated the highest, and access the podcast directory. The new Winamp also supports iPod syncing and other digital media players, so if they're connected they'll be visible in the list.

Next to this list is a view of your music library and all the files added to it. The top two panes allow you to browse by artist or album, and the bottom pane has a more traditional view of all of your songs, organized with headers for artist, album, title, length, genre, and so on. However, at the bottom of the window is the artist information pane, which updates automatically with a short bio of the artist you're listening to each time you change tracks. Next to the bio are thumbnails of music videos by the artist, and a link to more information about the artist at AOL Music.

The new Winamp also makes it easy for you to pull in your playlists and files from other media players. If you were an iTunes user, for example, the app can easily import your DRM-free library and any playlists you've created—that's handy. The app also comes with a built-in Web browser (which is essentially a skinned version of Internet Explorer) to access Web features and to let you idly surf the Web while listening to music. Other media players, like MediaMonkey and Windows Media Player, force you to open your own browser to access online content. iTunes has a number of built-in Web features, but only through the iTunes Music Store. None of the other players make it easy to import playlists.

The addition of the media browser and the ability to navigate between songs, playlists, artists, and albums really makes the new Winamp stand out. Where iTunes and Windows Media Player force you to change the entire view to see this information, the new Winamp keeps it all compact and easy to navigate. Additionally, the UI is customizable, so if you prefer not to have so much information in the same view—or want more—removing or adding more information requires only a few clicks. iTunes, on the other hand, churns for seconds before moving from playlist to podcasts, and Windows Media Player forces you to open a separate app for Web-enabled features.—Next: Winamp's Improved Video Player

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Download AVG 8.5

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AVG Free Edition is the well-known anti-virus protection tool. AVG Free is available free-of-charge to home users for the life of the product! Rapid virus database updates are available for the lifetime of the product, thereby providing the high-level of detection capability that millions of users around the world trust to protect their computers. AVG Free is easy-to-use and will not slow your system down (low system resource requirements).

Highlights include:

• Automatic update functionality
• The AVG Resident Shield, which provides real-time protection as files are opened and programs are run
• The AVG E-mail Scanner, which protects your e-mail
• The AVG On-Demand Scanner, which allows the user to perform scheduled and manual tests
• Free Virus Database Updates for the lifetime of the product
• AVG Virus Vault for safe handling of infected files

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Opera Mini 4.2

Opera Mini 4.2 offers several important upgrades. Opera Software switched on a new U.S.-based server park in an effort to render pages faster for its U.S. and Asia-Pacific users. Opera Mini 4.2 also synchronizes notes from the Opera Desktop browser using Opera Link. Users can also personalize Opera Mini 4.2 with new skins (actually a feature added and then removed back in Opera Mini 3).

First, some caveats on hardware requirements: Opera Mini will work on any handset that can run Java apps natively. That includes all recent BlackBerrys and most feature phones. Infuriatingly, T-Mobile blocks third-party applications from accessing the Internet with some devices, and Opera Mini doesn't work at all on Verizon (BREW) feature phones. Also, Windows Mobile and Palm OS smartphones require that you run a separate Java virtual machine before loading Opera Mini each time. And some carriers will hit you with persistent nag screens every time you fire up Opera Mini on certain handsets—an annoyance, though at least you can still run the app.

To install Opera Mini, head over to mini.opera.com using your cell phone's current Web browser, and then follow the instructions to download and install the app on your handset. Most likely, you'll see a new icon in the Applications folder of your handset, where other third-party apps are stored (if it's not part of the top level). For this review, I tested Opera Mini 4.2 on a BlackBerry Curve 8330 running over Verizon Wireless's EV-DO data network, and it required a reboot once the installation was completed.

Load the browser and you'll find a clear, well-organized home screen. An address bar is at the top, with a Google search box beneath—you can also set the latter to search Amazon, eBay, or Wikipedia. Below the search box is a list of Bookmarks and an icon for RSS feeds. When keying in URLs, the default view brings up a zoomed-out view of the entire page, with a zoom box drawn around Opera Mini's mouse cursor. From there, clicking on any part of the page will zoom in to it so that you can read text. If there are related RSS feeds, an icon appears at the top that lets you subscribe with a single click. At any time, you can flip the view to landscape mode by pressing * and # in succession.

The Menu key brings up options for jumping to the home page, displaying or adding bookmarks, viewing browser history, finding text on a page, and saving a page for off-line viewing—Opera Mini lets you choose the default folder on the BlackBerry. The Settings menu, meanwhile, contains the new Change Skin function and a toggle for auto-complete. There's also a configurable Mobile View that defaults to one column and a higher zoom level, and a Full Screen mode that makes the top bar disappear.

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Dell Adamo

Tired of seeing one professed Apple MacBook Air killer after another—the Lenovo Thinkpad X301, Voodoo Envy 133, and Sony VAIO VGN-Z590, to name a few—Dell decided to offer its own take on what a luxury brand should look like. The Dell Adamo (derived from the Latin word that means "to fall in love with"), is elegant in its thin profile and luxuriously intoxicating to look at. Despite its good looks, the Adamo is not going to "kill" anything, though it isn't without merit. The glass screen, excellent typing experience, and extensive wireless options are all pluses. And the reason for its seemingly expensive price is the standard 128GB solid state drive (SSD). Once prices come down for SSDs, we'll soon see the Adamo's price drop, especially given Dell's reputation for slashing prices. The Adamo's real Achilles' heel is the lackluster performance of its parts and its battery life. Aside from these issues, the design lives up to its name.

• Price as Tested: $2,000.00 Direct
• Type: Media, Ultraportable
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
• Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo U9300
• Processor Speed: 1.2 GHz
• RAM: 2 GB
• Weight: 4 lb
• Screen Size: 13.4 inches
• Screen Size Type: widescreen
• Graphics Card: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
• Storage Capacity: 128 GB
• Networking Options: 802.11n, Bluetooth
• Primary Optical Drive: External

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Apple MacBook Air (Nvidia 9400M GT)

When Steve Jobs first pulled the Apple MacBook Air out of a manila envelope, the laptop Apple touted as the world's thinnest instantly turned media pundits into starry-eyed zealots. At that point, no one knew what features it had, what parts it ran, or even its price—just that, suddenly, the Air was a must-have. Yet the limitations that came to light after the Air's announcement tarnished its luster. After all, it was the only laptop in its class with a single USB port and a non-removable battery, and many features found in other laptops were absent. One only assumed that better things were yet to come. Earlier this year, the Apple MacBook Air (Nvidia 9400M GT) ($1,799 direct) rolled out silently behind the MacBook 13-inch (Aluminum) and the MacBook Pro 15-inch (Dual Graphics). The only worthwhile improvements to the Air came from within the svelte chassis—a new integrated Nvidia chipset and a boost in hard drive capacity. While Apple did right by not raising the price, the Air's upgrades didn't improve performance by much, and users are still faced with the same limitations.

• Price as Tested: $1,799.00 Direct
• Type: Media, Ultraportable
• Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5
• Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo SL9300
• Processor Speed: 1.6 GHz
• RAM: 2 GB
• Weight: 2.9 lb
• Screen Size: 13.3 inches
• Screen Size Type: widescreen
• Graphics Card: nVidia GeForce 9400M
• Storage Capacity: 120 GB
• Networking Options: 802.11n
• Primary Optical Drive: External

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Nintendo DSi Hits U.S.

Nintendo is rolling out the next generation of its popular handheld gaming console in the United States.

Aside from game-playing functions, the dual-screen DSi features two cameras, a microphone and a host of tools that will allow users to create content and share with others.

The DSi will retail for $170 apiece and began selling in Europe on Friday. The third generation in the DS franchise, the DSi was launched in Japan last November and has so far sold 2 million units.

Nintendo's DS line competes directly with Sony's PSP handheld device and increasingly faces competition from Apple's iPhone, which is emerging as a serious video game platform, and iPod touch devices.

The PSP has sold more than 50 million units, while the iPhone and iPod Touch have combined to sell more than 30 million.

Nintendo is also launching a new online store where DSi users can download new games and applications via the device's WiFi connection. The store will also offer a DSi Internet browser for download, based on the Opera browser.

Nintendo has been credited with helping expand the traditional demographic profile of the gaming industry. The company's Wii console has been a hit with consumers, attracting adults and females who are more interested in casual and social games.

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CTIA Wrap-Up: Apps and Keyboards Stand Out

At this year's relatively quiet CTIA wireless industry trade show, two major themes popped out: everybody's got to have a keyboard, and everybody has to have apps.

Both the show floor and the exhibitors at CTIA lacked energy, but that isn't a reflection of the mobile phone world, one of the few bright spots in today's grim economy. Everybody was just bone-tired after CES in January and the huge blockbuster Mobile World Congress in February, which have bled together with CTIA to become a sort of gray haze of trade shows all through the first quarter of the year. I love trade shows, but three in three months is too many. CTIA suffers from coming third.

The mania for apps and platforms also awakens a debate that the big carriers have been pushing: are there too many mobile platforms out there, and how many are too many? Verizon and AT&T feel that fragmentation is slowing down innovation, because programmers have to pick between six different OSes. But I don't see any of those OSes giving up the ghost any time soon - unless Android fails to truly make it out of the gate. I'm starting to get really worried about those guys.

The big loser at CTIA, once again, was Google Android. RIM and Microsoft were out in force, and the Symbian OS made a great win with the new Nokia E71x phone on AT&T. But Android was once again a no-show, causing many analysts to wonder if there's something wrong with Google's OS that it's taking so long to proliferate.

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Eyes-On with Palm Pre's Palm OS Emulator

At the CTIA Wireless trade show on Thursday, we got demos of the new Palm OS emulator, along with the Pandora, Nascar, Sprint TV, and FlightStats apps. All of them worked quite smoothly. The Palm OS emulator even runs in the background—you can pop up a Palm OS app, reduce the whole emulator to a card, shunt it aside and do something else.

Palm OS device owners will be able to drag and drop their old PRC program files onto the Pre using a USB cable. If an app requires a HotSync ID, you can enter an arbitrary one using a utility that comes with the emulator. You can't HotSync data from your PC, though.

The emulator can access the Internet and comes with the standard Palm OS PIM apps, though the emulator's contacts and calendar aren't connected to the Pre's.

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Google acquisition of Twitter,

Here are just a few of the core benefits (for Tweeters, Twitter itself, and anyone using one of Google's myriad services) of a Google acquisition of Twitter, as I see them:

1. API expansion. Twitter has a wonderfully easy-to-use API that has driven the development of countless third-party apps, but it's also a bit of a mess. It helps my favorite Twitter interface, TweetDeck, to run, but it's also responsible for TweetDeck choking up a few times a day as it runs out of API calls. Google could throw some development resources at it and clean up that API in no time. Soon after, we'll see the API plugging Twitter into virtually every Google app and service. Think ubiquity and you get the idea.

2. No need for a business plan. Twitter would no longer be on its own and have to come up with a way to make money. It would be nice if Twitter did, but once Google owns Twitter, the cash burn won't seem so intense. Twitter can continue to grow while Google looks for a painless way to introduce AdSense to the service.

3. Live tweets with YouTube video. Video consumption could become a communal experience. You get a tweet that I'm watching the latest dancing-man video ("Where the Hell Is Matt?"), follow the link, and then we can live tweet together about just how stupid the video really is.

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AT&T, Cricket Prohibit Wireless Slingbox Use

As GigaOm has reported, AT&T recently updated their terms of service for their wireless data plans, prohibiting various things that people usually want to do on the Internet. It now looks like Cricket has done the same thing.

AT&T's new language prohibits "customer initiated redirection of television or other video or audio signals via any technology from a fixed location to a mobile device," which in English means "using a Slingbox."

The language also gets picky about tethering cell phones to your PC, making it clear that yes, you need a tethering plan to do this. "plans(unless specifically designated for tethering usage) cannot be used for any applications that tether the device," the new language says.

As before, the language also prohibits peer-to-peer file downloading and specifies that if you use more than 5 GB a month, you'll be charged $480 per each additional gigabyte.

I've contacted AT&T for comment, but haven't heard back from them yet.

Cricket's terms of service are just as harsh. The text of Cricket's AUP prohibits "continuous uploading, downloading or streaming of audio or video programming or games ... [and] redirecting television signals for viewing on laptops," along with P2P. That language seems new, too; I don't remember seeing that there when I first reviewed Cricket's broadband service a few months ago.

Cricket execs seem to have a weird ambivalence towards their own AUP. The Cricket AUP prohibits using wireless broadband as "as a substitute or backup for private lines or dedicated data connections," but several times now, I've heard Cricket execs market their product as just that: a DSL alternative for low income households to bridge the digital divide. I'll see what they have to say on that topic and update this post.

The other major carriers haven't cottoned on to the Slingbox prohibition yet. Verizon's TOS prohibits P2P, and doesn't say anything about tethering.

Sprint doesn't even prohibit P2P, but just says that "we reserve the right to limit, suspend or constrain any heavy, continuous data usage that adversely impacts our network performance or hinders access to our network," and reminds you that you need a Phone-as-Modem plan to do tethering. T-Mobile's Web site doesn't seem to prohibit any specific uses, but comments that "Your data session, plan, or service may be suspended, terminated, or restricted for significant roaming or if you use your service in a way that interferes with our network or ability to provide quality service to other users." (pcmag)

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HP LP2275w

Deep, rich color reproduction, a flexible stand with pivot capabilities, and excellent viewing angles are all good reasons to consider the HP LP2275w ($349 direct) for your next business display, but there's more. This versatile 22-inch LCD delivers very good grayscale and small-text performance and has a built-in USB hub. It offers some nice business features as well. Its relatively slow pixel response will likely disappoint the gaming crowd, though.
* Price as Tested: $349.00 Direct
* Screen Size: 22 inches
* Type: LCD Monitor
* Landscape/Portrait Pivot: Yes
* Native Resolution: 1680 x 1050
* Supported Video Formats: 720p
* Widescreen: Yes
* Video Inputs: DVI
* PC Interfaces: Analog VGA, Digital (DVI-D)
* Brightness (Max): 300 cd/m^2
* Max PC Resolution: 1680 x 1050 pixels
* USB Ports: 4

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Motorola Stature i9 (Boost Mobile)

The Motorola Stature i9 (for Boost Mobile, $299.99 direct) is the nation's fanciest prepaid phone, looking like neither your typical Nextel handset nor the sort of low-end model most people associate with prepaid accounts. It brings high-end features and a touch of class to the $50 per month unlimited calling plan on Boost. While the i9 isn't perfect, it's clearly the prestige handset choice if you use that carrier.
* Price as Tested: $299.99 List
* Service Provider: Sprint, Boost
* Operating System: Other
* Screen Size: 2.2 inches
* Screen Details: 320x240 TFT LCD external color screen; 2.2" 320x240 TFT LCD main screen
* Camera: Yes
* Megapixels: 3.1 MP
* 802.11x: No
* Bluetooth: Yes
* Web Browser: No
* Network: iDen
* Bands: 800

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Skype (for iPhone)

Apple has been guarded about adding iPhone apps that perform functions its built-in features handle: The absence of third-party choice in browsers is one good example. Yet, although there's hardly a more core function of the device than making calls, a few VoIP apps have made the cut. Now you can include Skype in that number. Why is Skype for iPhone (and iPod Touch) a big deal? Consider this: On a recent bus ride from New York to Boston, I found that the vehicle had its own Wi-Fi signal. So, if I'd wanted to, I could have talked with my friend in London for free during the whole journey. iPhone users can now make free calls anywhere they have WiFi access, without lugging a laptop. And they still get Skype's trademark slick interface design and clear call quality.
* Price as Tested: $0.00
* Type: Personal
* Free: Yes
* Tech Support: FAQ
* Notes: iPhone app available through iTunes App Store.

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HP Firebird with VoodooDNA 803

HP's purchase of Voodoo has resulted in the past in an Editors' Choice–winning gaming rig, the Blackbird 002, and the Voodoo Envy 133 subnotebook. The latest system to come out of this union is the HP Firebird with VoodooDNA 803 ($2,099 list). A high-powered gaming desktop, it has some unique attributes. For one, the rig's insides have several notebook-like characteristics, including switchable graphics—the first we've seen on a desktop. For another, its styling is distinctive, yet it has an HP/Voodoo family resemblance. Unfortunately, there are a few issues that could keep it from winning over the hard-core gamer, such as some disappointments with performance and limited upgradability. Still, this is not your father's gaming desktop. And for the more casual part of the gaming market, that's a good thing.

• Price as Tested: $2,099.00 List
• Type: Gaming
• Processor Family: Intel Core 2 Quad
• RAM: 4 GB
• Storage Capacity: 640 GB
• RAID: No
• Graphics Card: nVidia GeForce 9800S SLI
• Primary Optical Drive: Blu-Ray Disc

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Adobe Premiere Elements 7

By Jan Ozer

I liked the features and workflow in the last version of Premiere Elements, but the lack of AVCHD support and the inability to burn HD video onto DVD±R media cost it an Editors' Choice award. The latest version, Premiere Elements 7 ($99.99 list) has AVCHD support. It still doesn't burn HD video in Blu-ray format onto DVD±R, but that's far less of a problem now since it can burn to Blu-ray, and those burners have become less expensive. With Blu-ray recorders costing less than $200, that no longer seems like quite such a big deal—though BD media is still pricey. Furthermore, the new version squarely attacks the big problems facing home videographers, such as categorizing videos, quickly producing engaging movies, and storing and sharing videos at higher-than-YouTube quality. Finally, version 7 includes a sweet new chroma-key technology called Videomerge, as well as support for SmartSound background music tracks. The overall result is that Premiere Elements 7 is the most competent and complete consumer video-editing/DVD-authoring solution available today—and our new Editors' Choice.(pcmag)

• Price as Tested: $99.99 Direct
• Type: Personal
• OS Compatibility: Windows Vista
• Tech Support: Monday through Sunday; 6am - 8pm PST/PDT
• Notes: Adobe Premiere Elements 7 and Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 for Windows is available as a bundle for US$ 149.99, with Photoshop.com Plus membership, US$ 179.99.

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