Photos: Top-rated reviews of the week
Here are a few of CNET Reviews' favorite items from the past week, including the 2010 Honda Insight, Sony Handycam HDR-CX12, and Acer Aspire One Netbook.
2010 Honda Insight EX
2010 Honda Insight EX
Editors' rating: 4
The good: The 2010 Honda Insight EX with navigation features excellent fuel economy and a hybrid power train that offers good torque and throttle response. Honda's satellite navigation system features one of the best voice-command systems in the price range and comes equipped with Bluetooth hands-free and USB/iPod connectivity.
The bad: The Insight's "me-too" styling too closely apes the Toyota Prius. Additionally, the Insight features less power and slightly lower fuel economy than the competition from Toyota. While better than most in this segment, Honda's DVD navigation system is beginning to show its age.
The bottom line: While the 2010 Honda Insight EX with navigation may not be as hyper-miler friendly as the Prius, it represents a much better value and is more fun to drive.
Read CNET's full review
Price range: $20,000-$22,700
LG VX8360
LG VX8360
Editors' rating: 4
The good: The LG VX8360 is compact and lightweight, plus it has external music player keys. It also has several high-end features such as EV-DO support, stereo Bluetooth, and A-GPS. Sound quality is excellent and it's very affordable.
The bad: The LG VX8360 features are not too different from its predecessor, and we would prefer a cleaner music player interface.
The bottom line: Though it remains a midtier offering, the LG VX8360 is still a great multimedia clamshell phone with excellent audio performance.
Panasonic TH-65VX100U
Panasonic TH-65VX100U
Editors' rating: 4
The good: Reproduced deep black levels with excellent shadow detail; handles 1080p/24 sources properly; external scalar mode can disable all video processing; numerous picture adjustments.
The bad: Extremely expensive; inaccurate primary colors; light connectivity with just one component-video and no standard-definition inputs; no speakers or stand included.
The bottom line: Panasonic's high-end Premiere plasmas put out professional-quality images for a correspondingly high price.
Read CNET's full review
Price range: $9,995 for 65-inch; $4,995 for 50-inch
Sony Handycam HDR-CX12E (PAL)
Sony Handycam HDR-CX12E (PAL)
Editors' rating: 4
The good: Excellent video performance; impressive still photos for a camcorder; decent manual controls.
The bad: No wind filter; USB on dock only, not on camcorder; no viewfinder; smallish LCD.
The bottom line: As the flash-memory-based equivalent of the HDR-SR11, the Sony Handycam HDR-CX12 serves up the same pleasing performance and quality as its hard-drive cousin.
Sony STR-DG920
Sony STR-DG920
Editors' rating: 4
The good: Four HDMI inputs; basic graphical user interface; onboard Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding; XM-ready; upconverts analog signals to 1080p over HDMI output with good quality; automatic speaker calibration.
The bad: No multiroom functionality; no S-Video inputs; sound quality a bit below some competitors; some minor video scaling issues.
The bottom line: Sony's STR-DG920 is a standout midrange AV receiver, with a basic graphical user interface, four HDMI inputs, and solid video processing.
Acer Aspire One AOD150
Acer Aspire One AOD150
Editors' rating: 3.5
The good: Very inexpensive 10-inch Netbook; decent keyboard and battery.
The bad: Heavy for a Netbook, terrible touch pad and mouse buttons.
The bottom line: The new 10-inch Aspire One AOD150 will further cement Acer's lead in the Netbook market, largely on account of its rock-bottom price.
BenQ E2400HD
BenQ E2400HD
Editors' rating: 3.5
The good: Low price; good performance in games and movies at optimal viewing angle; built-in speakers and headphone jack; solid footstand prevents wobbling.
The bad: Black level not as deep as we prefer; bad lower viewing angle; lack of ergonomic support; includes only a VGA cable.
The bottom line: The BenQ E2400HD is a 24-inch monitor that sacrifices features for price, but doesn't have enough going for it to best its competition.
Dell S2409W
Dell S2409W
Editors' rating: 3.5
The good: Low price; great performance in games and movies at optimal viewing angle; intuitive and elegant OSD; lots of OSD preset modes.
The bad: Bad lower viewing angle; lack of ergonomic support; includes only a VGA cable; unstable footstand.
The bottom line: The Dell S2409W is a 24-incher that sacrifices features for price, but makes up for it in performance and ease of use.
Dell XPS 430-121B
Dell XPS 430-121B
Editors' rating: 3.5
The good: Aggressive processor speed and DD3 memory yield impressive benchmarks; configuration includes TV tuner; innovative chassis design and open ports encourage expansion; inexpensive.
The bad: No wireless networking; budget graphics card can't compete with the competition.
The bottom line: Dell's XPS 430-121B, sold exclusively at Best Buy, outpaces the competition and carries an impressive set of media-centric features. Heavy gamers can find a more suitable system elsewhere, but digital media enthusiasts will appreciate this Dell in their home network.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 (black)
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 (black)
Editors' rating: 3.5
The good: Sharp, bright lens; compact but comfortable design; broad manual shooting feature set.
The bad: Relatively nonresponsive Quick Menu button; proprietary connectors; artifacts under certain conditions; optical viewfinder is optional.
The bottom line: Although the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 has its share of passionate fans, we think the JPEG quality should be more consistent for the price.
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