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Don't be tempted by the bundle of functions, Lexmark's z2420 is a dud of a printer. Initially, it might seem like a good deal: the single function photo printer is available online for $82, comes with built-in 802.11 b/g, and boasts a new hardware design over last year's model. The z1420 had some serious output quality issues that we assumed would be fixed in the next iteration, but unfortunately, the z2420 is no different.

Aside from the terrible print quality, we also spent the majority of our testing time trying to pull paper out of … Read more

What do you do when you've created an average phone with average features, but still want to get the punters excited? You make it shiny. The Sony Ericsson Z555i isn't a handset with much to shout about, but it does have a front section that glistens like a hippo's back after it's lunged out of a sub-Saharan pond.

The shiny front section of this clamshell also hides a small screen that displays the time and incoming calls or text messages. Pop it open and you're presented with a small color screen and a flat but … Read more

Where safety features are concerned, usually bicycles adopt ideas from cars. But SweetskinZ wants to do it the other way around.

The company got some ink last year with reflective bike tires that looked more like art projects than safety measures. Now it's applying this patented "SkinZ" technology to car tires, especially for ATVs in no-man's land.

Not only will these wheels increase visibility, but they'll definitely make a fashion statement as well. After all, how many tires have you seen on the road that look like snakeskin? Outside California, anyway.

The Atom N270 processor got buried last week under the mobile Internet device PR juggernaut. But it may prove to be more popular initially than the high-profile Atom Z5XX series for MIDs.

As previously reported, the Atom Z500, Z510, Z520, Z530, and Z540 series of processors will go into handheld-size mobile Internet devices (MIDs) such as the Lenovo IdeaPad U8. Intel promoted the Z5XX series heavily at IDF because the chipmaker needs to jump-start a new category of personal computers that fit in your pocket. Whether consumers actually need these devices is a question that will be answered later this … Read more

Casio showed off its new G'zOne Type-S for Verizon Wireless in black and silver at the UTStarcom booth here at CTIA. It's almost exactly the same as the original rugged clamshell, but it now supports push-to-talk capabilities. The rest of the Type-S Casios will have this feature as well, it's just that the black and silver version is the first out the gate with it. It's saddled with only a VGA camera, but a rugged phone like this doesn't need a lot of bells and whistles. Verizon is offering it now for $99.99 after … Read more

Though Motorola announced today that its Z9 slider phone was going to AT&T, we got the opportunity to examine the Z9 last night before CTIA began. Our initial impressions are a bit mixed (check out our Z9 slide show for more images). The Z9 is certainly an attractive handset with a slim profile and a solid feel, but it doesn't break very much new design ground. For the past two years Moto has been under enormous pressure from many camps (us included) to come up with something completely new, but the Z9 doesn't stray very far … Read more

Motorola announced during the first day of CTIA that its Z9 slide phone is landing at AT&T. The Z9 is the first Motorola handset to support AT&T's Video Share service and is the first cell phone ever to offer AT&T Navigator GPS service. Other features on the quadband (GSM 850/900/1800/1900) handset include dualband (HSDPA (850/1900) 3G, voice dialing, Windows Media Player 11 with support for AT&T Music, stereo Bluetooth, a speakerphone, a microSD card slot, an Opera 8 Web browser, and a 2-megapixel camera.

Though Motorola has … Read more

Back when we reviewed the Sony Ericsson Z750a last year we had a hunch that it would come to AT&T. Granted, it's a pretty obvious guess AT&T still is the only GSM carrier in the United States to offer a 3G network, but it's still nice to be correct.

The carrier got a jump start on CTIA today by announcing it was offering the flip phone in mysterious purple, phantom grey and rose pink. The front face is shiny and reflective and the external display remains hidden when it's not backlit. Inside there'… Read more

Other than lowering prices and (hopefully) improving quality, one positive effect of intense product competition is that it sometimes leads companies to target consumers who might otherwise be left on the fringe.

The "GPS Ranger" is one product trying to distinguish itself in its own crowded market by catering to the deaf and hearing impaired. In addition to its GPS functions, the handheld device uses a tool developed by BarZ Adventures that can offer virtual tours with both captioning and American Sign Language options. The technology was launched this month with a multimedia tour of Austin, Texas, according … Read more