Top-rated reviews of the week (photos)

Here's our weekly roundup of the new products CNET reviewers liked best.

Dell Inspiron 14z

Editors' rating: 4 out of 5

The good: A clean, slim design, a backlit keyboard, very good battery life, strong performance, and an affordable price make the Dell Inspiron 14z more useful than most thinned-down laptops.

The bad: Limited upgrade options and no dedicated graphics might turn off some who need more flexibility, and flip-down port doors are a minor annoyance.

The bottom line: The Dell Inspiron 14z thins down the bulky look of the average Inspiron laptop while sacrificing none of the performance or battery life, adding up to an affordable mainstream notebook that's an excellent late consideration for back-to-school shopping.

Read CNET's full review
Starting at: $599.99 from one store

Samsung Epic 4G Touch (Sprint)

Editors' rating: 4 out of 5

The good: The Samsung Epic 4G Touch boasts a large and bright 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display. With a dual-core 1.2GHz processor, the Android smartphone is fast and 4G-capable. Camera quality is also excellent.

The bad: Call quality could be better. The phone is large and has a plastic build.

The bottom line: The Samsung Epic 4G Touch offers speedy performance, a beautiful screen, and a great multimedia experience to make it one of Sprint's top Android phones, but its large size won't be for everyone.

Read CNET's full review
Starting at: $149.99 from one store

Nikon Coolpix P300

Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5

The good: The Nikon Coolpix P300 has a nice lens, shooting modes for every kind of user, a solid design, and it's easy to use.

The bad: The P300's photos look overprocessed when viewed at full size, and performance feels a bit slow.

The bottom line: Snapshooters wanting a little more creative control than the average point-and-shoot offers should check out the Nikon Coolpix P300.

Read CNET's full review
Starting at: $276.95 from 11 stores

Samsung SyncMaster T27A950

Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5

The good: The Samsung SyncMaster T27A950D looks damn sexy with a smooth and sleek silver finish and a striking design. The OSD and Smart Hub options are plentiful and useful, movies look great on it, and it includes 3D support for movies and games. Also, the built-in speakers are powerful and clear.

The bad: 3D performance in games on the monitor is disappointing with no DVI dual-link connection included. Also, its price is high for a TN display.

The bottom line: The Samsung SyncMaster T27A950D is an HDTV/monitor meant for movies and TV with tons of features and a beautiful design, but some will find its price too high.

Read CNET's full review
Starting at: $759.99 from three stores

Sony Tablet S (16GB)

Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5

The good: The Sony Tablet S goes above and beyond the typical Honeycomb tablet experience by offering exclusive apps, ergonomic design, PlayStation certification for mobile gaming, DLNA video and music streaming, and an integrated IR universal remote control.

The bad: It's on the pricey side, the charging adapter is proprietary, and screen brightness isn't what it could be.

The bottom line: Sony took its time with Tablet S, and it shows. The industrial design is smart, and the software refinements are both practical and restrained.

Read CNET's full review
Starting at: $499 from six stores

BlackBerry Torch 9850 (Verizon Wireless)

Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5

The good: The RIM BlackBerry Torch 9850's svelte design and sharp screen give it consumer-level appeal. Features like 720p HD video capture, world phone capabilities, and an enhanced operating system are welcome. Call quality is good as well.

The bad: The Torch 9850 suffers from the occasional sluggishness, and there are times when the touch screen isn't as responsive as we would like.

The bottom line: The RIM BlackBerry Torch 9850 for Verizon Wireless is a laudable midrange smartphone, but it faces stiff competition.

Read CNET's full review
Starting at: $199.99 from one store

Lenovo IdeaCentre B520

Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5

The good: The fully featured Lenovo IdeaCentre B520 offers an impressive assortment of digital entertainment for its price, including 3D viewing capability.

The bad: We wouldn't recommend this system for hard-core gamers due to its only adequate gaming performance.

The bottom line: Lenovo's IdeaCentre B520 is an amazingly well-equipped all-in-one for its price. You'll come for the 3D feature, but you should stay for the sheer value.

Read CNET's full review
Starting at: $1,299.99 from one store

Samsung Convoy 2 (Verizon Wireless)

Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5

The good: The Samsung Convoy 2 has a sturdy design, push-to-talk capability, a flashlight, and a built-in music player.

The bad: The phone doesn't seem as durable as it could be, and both the call quality and camera quality need work. It's disappointing that the Convoy 2 still has a 2.5mm headset jack.

The bottom line: Certified to withstand the elements, the Samsung Convoy 2 is also a ruggedly attractive handset with a fair number of creature comforts; however, the headset jack is a disappointment and there are more rough-and-tumble phones out there.

Read CNET's full review
Starting at: $79.99 from one store

Toshiba Qosmio F755-3D290 Glasses-Free 3D laptop

Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5

The good: The Toshiba Qosmio F755-3D290 offers surprisingly good glasses-free 3D video playback, built into a decent high-end midsize laptop, with eye-tracking software to adjust the image on the fly.

The bad: The 3D effect works best for a single viewer, and can still be finicky at times. Games and online 3D video don't work yet, although future updates are promised. Playback of 3D content is at a lower resolution than 2D content.

The bottom line: More of a proof-of-concept than anything else, the glasses-free 15-inch 3D display on the Toshiba Qosmio F755 can be impressive when paired with the right content.

Read CNET's full review
Starting at: $1,699.99 from one store

Harman Kardon SoundSticks III

Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5

The good: The Harman Kardon SoundSticks III 2.1 speakers equip music lovers with four drivers in each satellite and a large subwoofer to pump extra bass.

The bad: There's no external jack for plugging in headphones, the bass controls are mounted on the subwoofer itself, and there's no way to turn off the translucent lighting without powering down the entire system.

The bottom line: The $170 SoundSticks III speakers offer light cosmetic upgrades (and unfortunately retain a few irritations) from the previous model, but if you're a fan of the iridescent design, this speaker system won't disappoint.

Read CNET's full review
Starting at: $132 from three stores

Lenovo Essential G570 43342KU Intel Core i5-2410M (2.30GHz 1,333MHz 3MB)

Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5

The good: The Lenovo Essential G570 costs less than many of its competitors with similar components, yet displays just enough of Lenovo's famed design quality to not feel cheap.

The bad: This is still a plastic laptop, and you can get a higher-quality IdeaPad for just a little more. Configuration options are limited.

The bottom line: The Lenovo Essential G570 is a surprisingly good deal for a 15-inch Core i5 laptop, but offers few frills.

Read CNET's full review
Starting at: $569 from two stores