Reviews

Ditching Verizon Wireless for Sprint: The sweet data deal

I was already itching to ditch Verizon (VZ). My wife and I had switched from Sprint (S) two years ago, because Sprint service was spotty in the apartment where she lived before we got married. But it was time to switch back.

Kodak inkjets target the heart of HP's profit

Eastman Kodak (EK) today is announcing a line of consumer inkjet printers and a marketing strategy designed to hit market leader Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) where it hurts: in the profit margin.

New video glasses for iPod: myvu's very cool

You'll look a little like an alien wearing it, or like Cyclops, that X-Men character – so you might think twice before donning MicroOptical's myvu Personal Media Viewer ($299) in public. (I actually found myself more tempted to wear the video glasses in a dark room at home than on the train.) But the myvu is undoubtedly the coolest iPod accessory you'll find this season, however indulgent it might be.

Review: HD DVD laptop a decent early volley vs. Blu-ray

Pavilion dv9096 HD DVD laptop

Hewlett-Packard

$1,529 (after $50 mail-in, $150 instant rebate)

17-inch BrightView display (1440 x 900 WXGA or 1680 x 1050 WSXGA)

NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600 discrete graphics, 256MB dedicated DDR2 VRAM

802.11 a/b/g and Bluetooth options

100 GB base; dual hard disk for up to 240 GB

Weight: 7.8 lbs and up

Thickness: 1.57 inches

Optional HP webcam w/ intergrated dual stereo mics

Available 10/06

Utility Factor: Low/Medium

Cool Factor: Medium

The main reason I wanted to test-drive this MORE

Review: A beautiful Bluetooth headset from Plantronics. But how does it sound?

Discovery 655 Bluetooth Headset

Plantronics

$65 - $125

with pen-clip AAA battery charger

up to 3.5-hr. talk, 80-hr. standby

Without question, the Discovery 655 is one of the coolest Bluetooth headset concepts I've seen. The headset is comfy and customizable, the charging options are clever and plentful, and the design is gorgeous. Of course, none of that has anything to do with whether the thing works.

First look: An anti-bacterial mouse to go with that soap

Germ Free Wireless Laser Mouse

Iogear

$39.95

USB, RF

Windows 2000, XP; Mac OS X 10.1.5+

Utility Factor: Low/Medium

Cool Factor: High

I could barely bring myself to give a high "cool" rating to a product that has "Germ Free" as the first two words in its name – the marketing seemed to be playing a little too much to the obsessive-compulsive crowd. But once I popped in the batteries, plugged it in and took the darn MORE

Review: iPod 80GB, with new iPod Games

iPod 80GB

Apple Computer

$349 (or 30GB version for $249)

Battery: music, 20 hrs.; video & games 6.5 hrs.

Utility Factor: High

Cool Factor: High

More than ever, Apple is letting the iPod stretch beyond its role as the world's best media player. With the advent of iPod Games, the option for movie downloads and a smart new iPod control panel in iTunes 7, the device is taking its first steps toward becoming a full-fledged entertainment MORE

First look: myvu wearable iPod video display is headed somewhere

myvu personal media viewer

MicroOptical

$299 - $399

320x240 resolution

Utility Factor: Medium

Cool Factor: High

Last week I got a visit from MicroOptical, a company out in Massachusetts that is doing some fascinating stuff with heads up displays. It makes the myvu personal media viewer ($299 basic version, $399 "made for iPod" version), which is basically a wearable contraption shaped like a pair of sunglasses that you can plug into a video iPod or another MORE

Review: BlackBerry Pearl is smooth, but no surefire winner

BlackBerry Pearl 8100

Research in Motion, through T-Mobile

$199 after rebates

5.1 x 2.3 x 0.9 inches

7 ounces

Utility Factor: Medium

Cool Factor: Medium

The Pearl is a great piece of jewelry, but the interface could use some work.