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Samsung SCH-U820 comes, then goes

Every year at CTIA, the show's organizers hold an Emerging Tech Awards contest to pick the best products at the show. Samsung entered its previously announced Strive and Sunburst phones in the contest, but then it threw the SCH-U820 into the ring.

When we arrived in Las Vegas, the SCH-U820 was nowhere to be found, and Samsung representatives declined to say why. However, we're going to tell you about the phone anyway. The SCH-U820 has a three-inch touch screen that uses Samsung's TouchWiz 2.0 interface. Below the display are the standard navigation controls.  Behind the … Read more

Pioneer's new 2010 AV receivers: 3D for all

Last year, Pioneer's VSX-1019AH-K was our top midrange AV receiver pick, offering more features for the same price as its competitors, and still serving up solid sound quality. Pioneer has announced its new 2010 lineup for AV receivers, and our first impression is that the company looks like it has a good shot at maintaining its edge in the "features war." Here's a quick rundown of the announced models.

Key features of the Pioneer VSX-520-K:

5.1 AV receiver, 110 watts per channel 3 HDMI 1.4 inputs 3D-compatible (able to pass 3D HDMI signal from 3D Blu-ray player to 3D TV) Onboard decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, plus Dolby ProLogic IIz decoding Bluetooth-ready (can stream Bluetooth audio from compatible A2DP devices with $100 AS-BT100 adapter) Advanced Sound Retriever and Automatic Level Control processing $230 | Available in April

Key step-up features of the Pioneer VSX-820-K:

4 HDMI 1.4 inputs… Read more

Is Kodak's budget 8-inch photo frame a bargain?

Kodak offers a number of digital photo frames, including models that feature built-in wireless connectivity and even cutting edge OLED display technology. However, its 8-inch EasyShare M820, available for less than $100, is an attractive option for consumers hoping to balance affordability with some advanced features in a reasonably sized frame.

Some digital photo frames have real wood or metal finishes, but this is strictly a plastic affair. With its simple, slim black border, the frame looks elegant enough from afar and comes with two stick-on decorative mattes (one is red, the other silver) that allow you to customize the … Read more

Which AV receiver should I buy?--Ask the Editors

The most common question we get at CNET is, "what should I buy?" Unfortunately, instead of just spitting out a product name, that question usually forces us to follow-up with our own questions--how much do you want to spend, what features are important, and so on. However, last year when people asked "which audiovisual receiver should I buy", we actually had a pretty simple answer: the Onkyo TX-SR605. At $400, it was right in the "budget" sweet spot, and it included more next-generation features--such as onboard Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding, and analog upconversion--than any other receiver in its price class. Unless you were looking to spend a lot more money, the TX-SR605 was by far the best value.

So which AV receiver should you buy in 2008? Well, it's not that easy this year.… Read more

Hands-on with Sony's NWZ-A820 Bluetooth Walkman

The Sony NWZ-A820 series Walkman has arrived, and it's a stunner. As a follow-up to our beloved NWZ-A810, the A820includes a larger screen, brilliant EX-style earphones, a detachable kickstand, and best of all--wireless Bluetooth audio.

As we reported back in February, the NWZ-A820 comes in both 8GB and 16GB capacities, priced at $270 and $320, respectively. If you don't care about Bluetooth, an identical-looking version of the player (the NWZ-A720) can be snatched at a discount.

We'll have our in-depth review of the NWZ-A820 Walkman up later this week. In the meantime, check out our Crave photo gallery. … Read more

Sony's new budget AV receivers packed with features

When Onkyo released the budget TX-SR605 AV receiver last year, it rocked the industry with its low price and high-end features such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-Master Audio decoding. Other manufacturers pretty much had to stay on the sidelines as TX-SR605s flew off the shelf, but it looks as if Sony is ready to fight back with its new line of budget AV receivers. The company's 2008 line of AV receivers includes four new affordably priced models--the STR-DG520, STR-DG720, STR-DG820 and STR-DG920--and they look pretty good from the spec sheet. Here are the details:

The STR-DG520

Key features of the Sony STR-DG520:

5.1 channels, 100 watts of power Two HDMI inputs Supports 1080p pass-through at 60 and 24 frames per second Available in March for about $200

The STR-DG720

Step-up features on the STR-DG720:

7.1 channels, 105 watts of power Three HDMI inputs… Read more