Hasta La Gadget!

In the fall of 2010, AT&T stores nationwide installed a mysterious shroud housing some sort of exhibit. Even employees didn’t even know what was inside, and anyone caught tampering with the makeshift wall in order to find out was terminated. What was this strange hype-building marketing ploy? A new iPad? Perhaps it was some secret Android device that nobody had heard of? The atmosphere was thick with suspense. When the curtain was finally lifted, it turned out to be… a BlackBerry Torch 9800.

This curious marketing attempt must’ve worked at least to some extent, since Research in Motion decided to tempt fate a second time with the Torch 9810. Known in its early days as the “Torch 2,” the new version of the portrait QWERTY slider was released to much less pomp and circumstance. This time it was unveiled alongside two new BlackBerry BFFs: the Bold Touch 9900 / 9930 and the Torch 9850 / 9860. The 9810 in particular wasn’t a surprise because we’d been given the opportunity to preview the device in May. Though it’s nearly identical to the original, it packs a processor that nearly doubles the speed — a behind-the-scenes upgrade culminating in a night-and-day contrast. But how does it fare against the blooming market of superphones that are flooding the market? And is this the best BlackBerry you can buy today? Let’s find out.

Continue reading BlackBerry Torch 9810 review

BlackBerry Torch 9810 review originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Aug 2011 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s been nine months — nine months! — since Acer first announced it was getting into the tablet game, with a promise of both 7- and 10-inch slates. Well, the 10-inch Iconia Tab A500 has been on the scene for months, but until now we’ve been tapping our feet impatiently waiting for the other tab to drop. Acer came out and said it wouldn’t be here until the second half of the year, and meanwhile we’d heard rumors it would arrive in September and that it was delayed due to “Honeycomb compatibility issues“.

Well, folks, dog years later it’s finally here. Say hello to the Acer Iconia Tab A100, the company’s first 7-inch tablet, and the first 7-inch tablet to run Android 3.2. Other than its OS, its specs are fairly run-of-the-mill: a Tegra 2 SoC, five- and two-megapixel cameras, and micro-USB and micro-HDMI ports. And rejoice, geeks, because that’s vanilla Honeycomb loaded on there — you won’t find any custom skins or proprietary widgets clogging your home screens. As much promise as these vitals might have for nerds, though, Acer is clear the tablet is for mainstream consumers (“moms,” among others, according to the press release). We’re not sure how your mother would feel about the precious pattern on the back, but chances are she’d appreciate the bargain factor: the 8GB version costs $329.99 while the 16GB number rings in at a reasonable $349.99, undercutting the 16GB HTC Flyer by $150. We’ve been lucky to get some quality time with the A100 the past few days, and let’s just say we’re coming away with some mixed feelings. But do we like it enough that we feel this little guy was worth the wait? That’s a toughie, guys.

Continue reading Acer Iconia Tab A100 review

Acer Iconia Tab A100 review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We hate to break it to you, dear readers, but we’re in the throes of back to school season. In a few short weeks, lots of wide-eyed freshmen will be setting up their dorm rooms and begging off name games during orientation, which means they (and their generous parents) are stocking up on gear now. We’ve been testing a bunch of budget and mid-range laptops aimed at young folk and pretty much any other mainstream consumer who’d happily forgo some bells and whistles in exchange for a lower price. So why not start with a review of one of the best? Sony’s VAIO SB series is the 13-inch laptop for the kindele who can’t afford the VAIO Z, or even the slimmed-down SA series. It offers good specs for the money, a bright, matte display, a solid keyboard, long battery life and a (mostly) well-built design. And while we try not to spoil our reviews, we’ll say this: it’s one of our favorite mid-range Windows laptops, period. How much do we like the SB? Join us as we count the ways.

Continue reading Sony VAIO SB Series review

Sony VAIO SB Series review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bowers & Wilkins has seriously been ramping up its consumer audio game in the past few years — notably, with products like its Zeppelin speaker systems for iDevices and its MM-1 desktop speakers. While speakers seem like an obvious choice for a company famous for HiFi systems, you probably wouldn’t have thought of B&W for your next set of iPhone-compatible headphones — that is, until its $300 P5 mobile HiFi supra-aural ‘phones released last year. This year, the company has taken a second step into the game with its C5 in-ear headset.

Priced at $180, they’re a possible contender for those who’d prefer earbuds to on-ears, or maybe want some B&W headgear at a less expensive price point. We’ve grown fond of our leather-clad P5s for chit-chatting on the phone and rocking out during the commute, so we were curious to see, hear, and feel what the C5s could bring to the table. Luckily, B&W dropped off a pair of the in-ears on our doorstep, and we got to give them a healthy amount of use while commuting in and out of NYC to find out if they’d also win us over. It’s all detailed just past the break.

Continue reading Bowers & Wilkins C5 in-ear headset review

Bowers & Wilkins C5 in-ear headset review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 13:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Rokus are absolutely phenomenal streaming video boxes. They’re affordable, take minimal setup, and pipe in Netflix (most importantly), plus myriad other movie services. In HD! The new wave’s out—so what’s new? Virtually nothing. And that’s fine! More »