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Top-rated reviews of the week (photos)

Here are a few of CNET Reviews' favorite items from the past week, including the 500 GB Samsung G2 portable hard drive, 2010 Cadillac SRX Turbo, and the LG Ally phone for Verizon.

CNET Reviews staff
1 of 10 Josh Miller/CNET

Samsung G2 portable hard drive

Samsung G2 portable hard drive (500GB, black)

Editors' rating: 4 out of 5

The good: Inexpensive, low power consumption; small footprint; bedazzled case design; three-year warranty.

The bad: Included backup and password protection software doesn't support Mac OS.

The bottom line: With its embossed cover and rainbow of colorful designs, the Samsung G2 Portable hard drive is a consumer-focused external hard drive that offers the most basic plug-and-play storage functionality. You don't get many extras, but impressive benchmark scores, a competitive cost-per-gigabyte, and a generous three-year warranty demonstrate its core competency and earn this drive our CNET recommendation.

Read CNET's full review
Price: $84.99

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2 of 10 Sarah Tew/CNET

Altec Lansing InMotion Compact iMT320 iPod speakers

Altec Lansing InMotion Compact iMT320 iPod speakers

Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5

The good: The Altec Lansing InMotion Compact speakers offer a low-key, travel-friendly design with a nifty integrated cover that doubles as a kickstand. The integrated iPod dock charges the player and there's an aux-in port for connecting other audio sources. Audio quality is good and the speaker includes a battery power option.

The bad: The Altec Lansing InMotion Compact doesn't come with any sort of remote or extra features such as a radio or a clock display.

The bottom line: If you're looking for a straight-forward portable speaker with a useful, understated design and solid sound, the Altec Lansing InMotion is a good choice.

Read CNET's full review
Price range: $79 - 79.99

3 of 10 Sarah Tew/CNET

B&W MM-1

B&W MM-1

Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5

The good: Slick, modernist design; well-balanced, detailed sound; punchy bass; remote control included; digital connection via USB to computer.

The bad: Extraordinarily expensive; audio quality isn't as good when you move out of the sweet spot (three feet away from speakers); sound is so detailed it makes MP3s and streaming audio of already iffy quality sound worse.

The bottom line: We found a lot to like about the B&W MM-1 multimedia speakers, but their $500 price tag gives us pause.

Read CNET's full review
Price: $499.95

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4 of 10 Josh Miller/CNET

2010 Cadillac SRX Turbo

2010 Cadillac SRX Turbo

Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5

The good: The 2010 Cadillac SRX turbo's six-speed automatic has an aggressive sport mode. The navigation system incorporates excellent traffic avoidance and shows weather information.

The bad: The Bluetooth phone system lacks a phone book feature.

The bottom line: The 2010 Cadillac SRX is a good luxury crossover with above-average tech, but it doesn't outpace the competition.

Read CNET's full review
Price: $51,860

5 of 10 Sarah Tew/CNET

Gateway EC5809u

Gateway EC5809u

Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5

The good: Slim, clean design that includes an optical drive; good battery life.

The bad: For the price, you could opt for a less slim, higher-powered laptop.

The bottom line: As a thin 15-inch laptop packing a lower-voltage Core 2 Duo processor, the Gateway EC5809u sacrifices performance for battery life at a decent price--but you could do even better.

Read CNET's full review
Price: $619.97

6 of 10 Josh Miller/CNET

LG Ally (Verizon Wireless)

LG Ally (Verizon Wireless)

Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5

The good: The LG Ally is a sturdy device with Android 2.1. It has a great slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Features include GPS, a 3.2-megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and EV-DO Rev. A.

The bad: The photo quality could be better, and it doesn't come with Verizon's V Cast apps.

The bottom line: With its solid design and great features, the LG Ally is an affordable and welcome addition to the Android family.

Read CNET's full review
Price: $99.99

7 of 10 Sarah Tew/CNET

MSI Wind U160-007US

MSI Wind U160-007US

Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5

The good: Excellent battery life; near the top of Netbook performers in some tests.

The bad: Too expensive for what you get; wonky touch pad.

The bottom line: The basic-as-it-gets MSI Wind U160-007US is a leader in battery life, but shouldn't cost $80 more than comparable systems.

Read CNET's full review
Price range: $379.99 - $402.99

8 of 10 Sarah Tew/CNET

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10 camera

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10 (with 14-42mm lens)

Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5

The good: Fastest in its class thus far; well-built; intelligent design for enthusiasts, with lots of direct-access controls.

The bad: Mediocre EVF; no dedicated record button; overly noisy JPEG photos.

The bottom line: How the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10 stacks up to its competition depends upon your priorities: it's the speed king, with the best design for manually oriented shooters, but its image quality lags the field.

Read CNET's full review
Price: $599

9 of 10 Sarah Tew/CNET

Samsung BD-C5500

Samsung BD-C5500 Blu-ray player

Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5

The good: Excellent Blu-ray image quality; Netflix, Vudu, YouTube, and Pandora media streaming, plus the expandable Samsung Apps platform; DLNA-compliant.

The bad:Sluggish operational speed; no built-in Wi-Fi; compatible Wi-Fi dongle is too expensive; last year's Samsung Blu-ray players had questionable reliability.

The bottom line: The BD-C5500's expandable Samsung Apps platform and DLNA compatibility make it stand out from other entry-level players, although it's one of the slower players we've tested.

Read CNET's full review
Price range: $161 - $179

10 of 10 Josh Miller/CNET

Trendnet TEW 655BR3G router

Trendnet TEW 655BR3G router

Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5

The good: The Trendnet TEW 655BR3G offers a flexible solution for mobile wireless Internet access. The router is compact and has good throughput performance and range, considering its tiny physical size.

The bad: The Trendnet TEW 655BR3G's signal stability and support for USB mobile dongles could use some improvement.

The bottom line: The Trendnet TEW 655BR3G makes a decent companion for those who need to share an Internet connection or create a mobile wireless network on the go.

Read CNET's full review
Price range: $96.91 - $103.17

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