On Monday, Sony’s PlayStation Vita showed up for review. I unboxed the system, popped in the cartridge for Uncharted: Golden Abyss and settled on my couch for a long night of handheld gaming (or rather, about three hours of …
Tablets & Smartphones
Note to Samsung: The Pen Doesn’t Sell
Samsung’s Super Bowl commercial had the makings of greatness. Like the company’s previous “Next Big Thing” ads, the TV spot begins with a send-up of Apple’s biggest fans, getting agitated by the long wait to buy the …
Putting the Motorola Droid Razr Maxx’s Battery Life to the Test
As Verizon Wireless tries to push a broad lineup of 4G LTE smartphones on its customers, the company omits an important fact: LTE destroys battery life. This may improve some day, when tech companies figure out how to optimize …
Rumor Round-Up: The Future Smartphones of 2012
CES 2012 was a quiet show for smartphones, with phone makers cooling their jets after the holiday shopping season. Now that the show’s over, rumors of new smartphones are starting to trickle in, many of which will debut at Mobile …
It’s an Apple-Google-Microsoft World — CES Just Lives In It
I don’t buy the notion that the Consumer Electronics Show is dead or dying, if only because the Samsungs, Sonys and LGs of the world need a place where they can peacock on a grand stage — and Las Vegas is ideal.
But over my …
Why Buying a Cheap Smartphone Isn’t So Dumb Anymore
A couple years ago, it seemed like most tech writers offered the same smartphone buying advice: Spend what you must and buy the best.
At the time, the advice made sense. Free and cheap smartphones were generally awful, so you …
Nabi Review: A Kids Tablet That’s Not a Toy
Young children look so darned cute playing with iPads on YouTube. But leave them alone with the things for too long, and they might end up with a serious addiction to Infinity Blade or other apps that aren’t suitable for their …
Black Friday Tablet Deals: Wait in Line or Stay in Bed?
2011 was the year of tablet glut, as PC makers pushed heaps of iPad-like slates onto store shelves. Although many of these tablets were too expensive at launch, and not as refined as the iPad, Black Friday changes the equation. …
Nook Tablet vs. Kindle Fire: A Guide to Decide
If it’s a cheap tablet you’re after, Barnes & Noble and Amazon want your business. Amazon’s $199 Kindle Fire and Barnes & Noble’s $249 Nook Tablet both look promising on paper—the former with its suite of Amazon services, and …