Photos: Top-rated reviews of the week
Here are a few of CNET Reviews' favorite items from the past week, including the Asus UL30A-A1 laptop, 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe, Norton AntiVirus 2010, and more.
Asus UL30A-A1
Asus UL30A-A1
Editors' rating: 4 out of 5
The good: Strong battery life; reasonable price; slim design.
The bad: Some keyboard flex; touchy touch pad; feels a bit cheap.
The bottom line: If you're in the market for an affordable thin-and-light, the Asus UL30A-A1 provides great value and a solid Core 2 Duo CULV processor in an attractive package.
2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 Track w/navigation
2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 Track w/navigation
Editors' rating: 4 out of 5
The good: With live traffic on its nav system, dial-by-name functionality in its Bluetooth system, and fine quality audio from the stereo, the 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 Track offers impressive cabin tech. Brembo brakes and a track-tuned suspension give it excellent handling.
The bad: Economy car materials in the cabin account for the low price. Nav screen is on the small side, compared with competitors' offerings.
The bottom line: You would be hard-pressed to find a better everyday sports car at the 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 Track's price, and cabin tech offers cutting-edge features.
Read CNET's full review
Price range: base price is $29,500; review model cost $32,975
Lexmark Platinum Pro 905
Lexmark Platinum Pro 905
Editors' rating: 4 out of 5
The good: Fast print speeds; two separate paper trays; easy wireless setup; comprehensive driver features; foolproof Smart Solutions widgets.
The bad: No Bluetooth support; expensive; auto-document feeder not adjustable.
The bottom line: The Lexmark Platinum Pro905 is a fully capable all-in-one business device, but its touch screen might throw a wrench in your workflow. The Smart Solutions widgets add virtual customization to the control panel, but we wish Lexmark had retained a few hard buttons as well. As the top dog in the Lexmark printer family, the Platinum Pro 905 does the job, but the HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless does it cheaper.
Nokia BH-905
Nokia BH-905
Editors' rating: 4 out of 5
The good: The Nokia BH-905 has a comfortable design, very good noise canceling, excellent audio quality, and it comes with an array of audio connections in case your device does not have stereo Bluetooth.
The bad: The active noise canceling on the Nokia BH-905 can take a second or two to activate. It's also very expensive.
The bottom line: In terms of audio quality and comfort, the Nokia BH-905 is certainly one of the best stereo Bluetooth headsets out there.
Read CNET's full review
Price: $394
Norton AntiVirus 2010
Norton AntiVirus 2010 (1 User, 1 PC)
Editors' rating: 4 out of 5
The good: Norton AntiVirus 2010 treads lightly on your CPU, while bolstering last year's reputation-based detection engine with a new behavioral detection system.
The bad: Despite dramatic performance improvements in the past two years, Norton still doesn't leave the smallest footprint on your CPU, and new efficacy results show that while it continues to be in the top five at detecting malicious software, it still doesn't have the highest rate of detection.
The bottom line: Norton AntiVirus 2010 builds on the immense progress made in last year's version, maintaining a low system profile while strengthening its security framework. It's not perfect, but even Symantec's detractors should check it out.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1
Editors' rating: 4 out of 5
The good: Simple to use; nice design; excellent performance, photo quality.
The bad: No AV output cable included; no shutter speed, aperture controls.
The bottom line: With a wide-angle, megazoom lens, a quick AF system, and generally high-quality snapshot photos, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1 is a standout compact megazoom.
Samsung Instinct HD SPH-M850 (Sprint)
Samsung Instinct HD SPH-M850 (Sprint)
Editors' rating: 4 out of 5
The good: The Samsung Instinct HD offers a sleek design with an attractive user interface and a brilliant display. Its HD-capable camera is one of the best around, photo and video quality are sharp, and the loaded feature set includes Wi-Fi.
The bad: The Samsung Instinct HD was sluggish at times, and call quality isn't the sharpest. The Opera 9.7 browser takes some getting used to, and the memory card slot is located behind the battery cover, which is inconvenient. It's also quite expensive.
The bottom line: The Samsung Instinct HD packs a lot of features and decent performance into an appealing design. But even with all it has to offer, we'd prefer to pay less and get a full smartphone.
Read CNET's full review
Price: $249 with a two-year Sprint Everything plan and a $100 mail-in rebate
Samsung UN46B8000
Samsung UN46B8000
Editors' rating: 4 out of 5
The good: Produces relatively deep black levels; mostly accurate color; very good dejudder processing; sleek styling with 1.2-inch thick panel; extensive feature set with Yahoo Widgets, network streaming, and lots of built-in content; energy-efficient.
The bad: Expensive; less uniform screen than other LCDs; poor off-angle viewing; lower contrast in dark scenes; shiny screen can cause reflections in bright rooms; benefits of 240Hz difficult to discern; scarce analog video inputs.
The bottom line: The expensive, stylish Samsung UNB8000 series has its share of picture quality drawbacks, but a firmware update helps, and the thin frames are worth serious bragging rights.
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX1
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX1
Editors' rating: 4 out of 5
The good: Well-designed; several fun, useful features; good low-light and overall performance.
The bad: Mixed photo quality.
The bottom line: The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX1 is a great, fast-performing snapshot camera that falters on photo quality.