Top-rated reviews of the week (photos)
Here are a few of CNET Reviews' favorite items from the past week, including the 2010 Mini Cooper S, Falcon Northwest Mach V, and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7.
Falcon Northwest Mach V (Intel Core i7 980X Extreme)
Here's our weekly roundup of the new products CNET reviewers liked best.
Falcon Northwest Mach V (Intel Core i7 980X Extreme)
Editors' rating: 4 out of 5
The good: Record-setting application performance thanks to overclocking and Intel's new six-core Core i7 chip; expert build quality (with one major exception); outstanding power efficiency for a high-end desktop.
The bad: Heavy, non-reinforced 3D card broke its card slot; gamers might opt for a different build.
The bottom line: According to Falcon Northwest, the company is working to repair an issue with the 3D card in this Mach V build that resulted in physical damage to the motherboard. We intend to follow-up. Assuming that issue is resolved, we recommend this desktop and its overclocked, six-core Core i7 CPU to anyone in search of no-compromise application performance.
Read CNET's full review
Price: $4,999
2010 Mini Cooper S
2010 Mini Cooper S
Editors' rating: 4 out of 5
The good: The Mini Cooper S is one of the best-handling compact cars we've tested. Acceleration is surprisingly good and steering is quick and direct, particularly with Sport mode activated. Wide arrays of technology and performance upgrades are available as options.
The bad: Fully optioned, the Cooper S can get quite expensive. The ride is harsh and turbo lag is an issue. Cabin controls are scattered confusingly around the dashboard. Navigation is DVD-based and Bluetooth doesn't feature audio streaming or phonebook import.
The bottom line: The Mini Cooper S can be polarizing with its style over substance cabin and harsh, performance-oriented ride, but with a list of options longer than the car itself, it's easy to make the Cooper your own.
Dell Inspiron i580-5108NBC
Dell Inspiron i580-5108NBC
Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5
The good: Excellent all-around system performance; discreet graphics card permits basic gameplay; eco-friendly.
The bad: No FireWire or eSATA ports.
The bottom line: The Dell i580-5108NBC offers a generous mix of components including a discreet graphics card, Intel's newest Core i5 processor, and a wireless networking card. Coupled with an affordable price tag and chart-topping system performance, this multipurpose PC is well deserving of our recommendation.
Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t
Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t
Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5
The good: Great design, easy-to-rotate screen, better-than-average Netbook specs.
The bad: Poor battery life, touch screen is laggy at times.
The bottom line: The Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t convertible Netbook tablet is priced to compete with the iPad, but underwhelming battery life and unpredictable touch response mar an otherwise sharp-looking portable.
LG BD570
LG BD570 Blu-ray player
Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5
The good: Excellent Blu-ray image quality; Netflix, Vudu, YouTube, and CinemaNow streaming; built-in Wi-Fi; plays music, videos, and pictures off a connected USB drive or via network.
The bad: Does not support 3D Blu-ray; no quick-start mode, which makes it feel slower compared with some other players; media interface is overdesigned; no onboard storage; must change the output mode to 1080p.
The bottom line: As long as you don't need 3D compatibility, the LG BD570 offers the same mix of solid Blu-ray playback and media streaming that made its predecessor a hit.
Nokia E55 - black (unlocked)
Nokia E55 (unlocked)
Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5
The good: The Nokia E55 is a superslim smartphone that is both business-centric and multimedia-smart. It has a 3.2-megapixel camera, a 3.5mm headset jack, Wi-Fi, support for American 3G bands, and Bluetooth. It is surprisingly affordable for an unlocked phone and has great call quality, too.
The bad: The Nokia E55's hybrid keyboard may not be for everyone, and the keys felt a bit squishy as well.
The bottom line: The Nokia E55 will please both business-users and multimedia-minded consumers due to its slim profile, packed features, and wallet-friendly price.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7
Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5
The good: Lots of features to experiment with; manual, semimanual controls; built-in GPS.
The bad: Disappointing low-light photos.
The bottom line: A very good, fully loaded compact megazoom, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 offers a lot of shooting flexibility and a built-in GPS.
Pentax K-x
Pentax K-x (body only)
Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5
The good: Very good noise profile; nice-size viewfinder for its class; relatively speedy.
The bad: Doesn't display AF points in viewfinder; no HDMI connector; slow Live View autofocus; mediocre LCD; unreliable image stabilization.
The bottom line: A fast, inexpensive dSLR with better-than-average low-light quality, the Pentax K-x nevertheless has some flaws, such as unreliable image stabilization, to watch out for.
Samsung HMX-R10 HD
Samsung HMX-R10 HD (silver)
Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5
The good: Very compact; above-average feature set including slow-motion movie record.
The bad: No lens protection; touch-screen manual controls difficult to use; lots of noise in low light video; slippery body; no mic and headphone jacks or accessory shoe.
The bottom line: The Samsung HMX-R10's plentiful shooting features and fine-quality HD video for its class--at least in good lighting--make it a very good compact HD camcorder. However, its design definitely isn't for everyone.
Samsung Trill
Samsung Trill (U.S. Cellular)
Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5
The good: The Samsung Trill is a stylish and well-made phone, with a 3.5mm headset jack, and a microSD card slot. It has a great music player powered with Bang & Olufsen technology.
The bad: The Samsung Trill has a reflective front finish, which may not be for everyone. Navigation controls seem crowded and the photo quality is just average.
The bottom line: The Samsung Trill is a really great music phone with superb audio quality for U.S. Cellular customers.
Read CNET's full review
Price: $219.95