Top-rated reviews of the week (photos)
Here are a few of CNET Reviews' favorite items from the past week, including the Motorola Droid Bionic, Sony Vaio SE, and the 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid.
Motorola Droid Bionic (Verizon Wireless)
Motorola Droid Bionic (Verizon Wireless)
Editors' rating: 4 out of 5
The good: The Motorola Droid Bionic has a nice slim and sleek design, with a 4.3-inch qHD display and the double whammy of a dual-core processor and Verizon 4G LTE support. Multimedia features are plentiful, and business users will be pleased with its enterprise abilities like the Webtop application and solid security.
The bad: The Motorola Droid Bionic is saddled with Motorola's custom UI, which might not be for everyone. It's also quite expensive, and the Webtop accessories aren't cheap.
The bottom line: The Motorola Droid Bionic is everything you want from a high-end smartphone. It's sleek, fast, and powerful, with features that will please both consumers and business users--if you're willing to pay the high price.
Seagate 4TB GoFlex Desk
Seagate 4TB GoFlex Desk
Editors' rating: 4 out of 5
The good: Seagate's USB 3.0 4TB GoFlex Desk offers great performance and the highest capacity to date among single-volume external storage devices on the market. The drive works with both Windows and Mac OS X out of the box and comes in a flexible design that makes adding more connections/features a snap.
The bad: The Seagate 4TB GoFlex Desk is comparatively expensive, and its other connection adapters cost extra. The drive also topples rather easily.
The bottom line: Like the previous version, the Seagate 4TB GoFlex Desk offers top capacity and comes in a superflexible design. Supporting USB 3.0, it also offers great performance.
Sony Vaio SE
Sony Vaio SE
Editors' rating: 4 out of 5
The good: The discrete graphics and optional slice battery on the stylish Sony Vaio SE help it stand out from other midsize laptops, and the included TPM chip should play nice with your IT department.
The bad: The AMD graphics switching remains tied to a clunky physical switch, and without the extra slice, battery life is merely OK.
The bottom line: Sony knocks out another stylish system with the 15-inch Vaio SE, with some extra appeal for business users.
Read CNET's full review
Available October 2011
Samsung SyncMaster S23A350H
Samsung SyncMaster S23A350H
Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5
The good: The Samsung SyncMaster S23A350H's low price, robust OSD, easily accessible connections, and great performance make it a general-purpose monitor worth buying.
The bad: Unlike most other recent Samsung monitors, the S23A450H is pretty plain-looking. It's also missing some eco-friendly options found on other Samsungs, and the lack of a DVI connection can be an annoyance.
The bottom line: While the Samsung SyncMaster S23A350H can't match the Samsung PX2370 in raw performance, it bests the S23A550H in both performance and price.
Samsung Series 3 (11.6-inch)
Samsung Series 3 (11.6-inch)
Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5
The good: Samsung's Series 3 is a more economical take on the company's cool Series 9 laptops, and one of the few 11-inch laptops with an Intel Core i3 CPU.
The bad: At $699, it's priced out of the league of other 11-inch ultraportables.
The bottom line: Samsung's sharp designs translate well to this more affordable new line, although the Series 3 is still at the high end of the ultraportable price range.
Samsung Vitality (Cricket Wireless)
Samsung Vitality (Cricket Wireless)
Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5
The good: The Samsung Vitality is an Android 2.3 Gingerbread device with a good size touch screen and Cricket's signature Muve Music music access plan.
The bad: Low audio and speakerphone volume make it harder to talk. The Muve Music microSD card leaves little space for photos and video. Battery life is also rather poor.
The bottom line:The Samsung Vitality is a competitive midrange Android smartphone that complements Muve Music's potential.
2012 Honda Civic Hybrid
2012 Honda Civic Hybrid
Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5
The good: The 2012 Civic Hybrid is currently the most fuel-efficient Honda that money can buy. The new I-MID puts navigation, trip computer, and media playback information in a safely viewable location.
The bad: Navigation maps are low-resolution and difficult to read.
The bottom line: The 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid's green tech and driver aids boost efficiency without greatly compromising performance or comfort.
Read CNET's full review
Starting at: $24,050.00 from 5 stores
Gateway ID47H02u
Gateway ID47H02u
Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5
The good: Strong battery life and a clean design along with a fast processor and USB 3.0 make the $699 Gateway ID47H02u stand out; the laptop also manages to fit a 14-inch display into the body of a 13-incher.
The bad: The Gateway ID47H02u lacks Bluetooth and dedicated graphics, and plenty of other 13- and 14-inch competitors offer similar features for a similar price.
The bottom line: The Gateway ID47H02u is a slim-bodied, full-featured 14-inch laptop that offers a surprisingly strong mix of performance and design at a price that hovers between budget and mainstream. While there are plenty of similar alternatives from other manufacturers, this Gateway should keep up with most of them.
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