Top-rated reviews of the week (photos)
Here are a few of CNET Reviews' favorite items from the past week, including the Motorola Droid Razr, the Roku LT, and the Dell Inspiron One 2320 all-in-one.
Motorola Droid Razr
Motorola Droid Razr
Editors' rating: 4.5 out of 5
The good: The Motorola Droid Razr has an attractive, slim, and lightweight design that is also water repellent and scratch resistant. It has a fantastic 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Advanced display, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, Verizon's 4G/LTE speeds, plenty of multimedia features, corporate and government grade security, Webtop functionality, and decent battery life.
The bad: The Motorola Droid Razr's large size might feel awkward in small hands; we expected better picture quality from its 8-megapixel camera; and the battery is not removable.
The bottom line: With its razor-thin design, jam-packed features, and blazing speed, the Motorola Droid Razr is easily one of the year's top Android smartphones.
Roku LT
Roku LT
Editors' rating: 4 out of 5
The good: The Roku LT is an extremely small Wi-Fi streaming-media box that costs only $50. It offers dozens of streaming video and audio services, including Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, HBO Go, Pandora, MOG, Rdio, and MLB.TV. It also supports older TVs using an included breakout cable.
The bad: The Roku LT isn't a good choice for playing your personal digital media collection. There's also no Ethernet port, so you'll need a solid Wi-Fi signal in your home theater.
The bottom line: The Roku LT is a killer streaming-media box, offering tons of streaming video content, including favorites like Netflix, Amazon Instant, Hulu Plus, and Pandora, for just $50.
Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket
Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket
Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5
The good: The Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket has a beautiful 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display along with a dual-core 1.5GHz processor, an NFC chip, and support for AT&T's LTE network. It ships with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, and has an 8-megapixel camera with 1,080p HD video capture and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera.
The bad: AT&T's LTE network is available in only a few cities at the time of the Skyrocket's launch, the Skyrocket has a somewhat cheap, plastic feel, and you can't remove bloatware.
The bottom line: If you live in an area that gets AT&T's LTE network, we highly recommend the powerful and beautiful Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket.
HTC Radar 4G
HTC Radar 4G
Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5
The good: The HTC Radar 4G boasts a beautiful, high-quality design. Windows Phone Mango offers a smooth user experience and some great feature enhancements. The smartphone's 5-megapixel camera is fast and delivers great photos; a front-facing camera also allows for video calls.
The bad: The Radar 4G doesn't offer expandable memory or a user-replaceable battery. Call quality could be better.
The bottom line: The combination of a beautiful design, Windows Phone, and an affordable price tag makes the HTC Radar 4G a great smartphone for first-time buyers and those who don't need all the bells and whistles.
Read CNET's full review
Pricing not yet available
Dell Inspiron One 2320 all-in-one
Dell Inspiron One 2320 all-in-one
Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5
The good: Dell's attractive Inspiron One 2320 offers well-rounded performance and more media connection options than any other all-in-one in its price range.
The bad: An HDMI output to go along with the HDMI-in would be helpful, and a competing Lenovo all-in-one gives this Dell a strong performance challenge.
The bottom line: You can find a faster all-in-one from Lenovo for just a few more dollars, but as a general-purpose system with a strong home entertainment bent, the Dell Inspiron One 2320 is hard to beat.
T-Mobile SpringBoard
T-Mobile SpringBoard
Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5
The good: The T-Mobile SpringBoard has an initial low contract price, fast 4G speeds, SD card memory expansion, Mini-HDMI, good build quality, and many useful preinstalled apps.
The bad: Committing to a two-year plan still gives us the heebie-jeebies. Also, its no-contract price is $100 more than that of the other current Honeycomb 7-incher.
The bottom line: The T-Mobile SpringBoard has the performance and features to rival most small tablets, but the price is a bit hard to swallow.
Nokia Lumia 800
Nokia Lumia 800
Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5
The good: The Nokia Lumia 800 has a singular design, a stunning display, and a nice driving console in Nokia Drive.
The bad: Camera and video quality on the Lumia 800 is poor, despite the fancy specs. A front-facing camera would make the phone more competitive. The Micro-SIM slot is hard to access.
The bottom line: The unlocked Nokia Lumia 800 has an innovative design and gorgeous screen, but the poor camera quality and lack of a front-facing camera are major detractions.
Read CNET's full review
Pricing information not yet available
HP Pavilion dv7-6B55DX
HP Pavilion dv7-6B55DX
Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5
The good: The HP Pavilion dv7-6b55DX is a nice-looking big-screen laptop with long battery life and very good performance for the money.
The bad: The dv7's screen is low-resolution for its size, and its integrated graphics drag down the performance some.
The bottom line: If you're looking for a lot of screen real estate and enough power for work and play, the HP Pavilion dv7-6b55DX is a good place to start.
LG Doubleplay
LG Doubleplay
Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5
The good: The LG Doubleplay has a vibrant and sharp display, a 1GHz Qualcomm Scorpion processor, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, DLNA support, Wi-Fi calling, mobile hot-spot support, a full Webkit browser with Adobe Flash, support for T-Mobile's 4G/HSPA+ network, a 5-megapixel camera with 720p HD video capture, and great call quality.
The bad: The LG Doubleplay's quirky dual screen and split keyboard design is a little too strange for us. It's a hefty and bulky handset, and has poor battery life.
The bottom line: The LG Doubleplay has excellent features for a midrange Android smartphone, but its bizarre design is not for everyone.
Samsung QX411-W01UB
Samsung QX411-W01UB
Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5
The good: The Samsung QX411-W01UB is extremely affordable while still offering a complete set of connection features, including WiMax and USB 3.0, plus a very sturdy design and long battery life.
The bad: This laptop has a finicky clickpad and a heavy, rather wide build.
The bottom line: For a full set of features in a Core i5 laptop in the $600 range, it's extremely hard to beat the Samsung QX411-W01UB, which stands out for its great keyboard and impressive extras.
Samsung Focus Flash
Samsung Focus Flash
Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5
The good: The stylish Samsung Focus Flash runs Windows Phone 7.5 on a vibrant Super AMOLED screen, and has two cameras and a fast 1.4GHz processor. The speakerphone was surprisingly strong. The phone runs on AT&T's HSPA+ network.
The bad: The Focus Flash's call quality was a little iffy, the fuzzy VGA camera quality can give you the spins, and the screen really should be a little larger.
The bottom line: The Samsung Focus Flash offers excellent value for its modest price, with a zippy 1.4GHz processor, two cameras, and a vivid screen, though the screen's smallish size and the phone's middling call quality are detractions.