Here's our weekly roundup of the new products CNET reviewers liked best.
Asus Eee PC 1005PE
Editors' rating: 4 out of 5
The good: First Netbook with new Intel Atom N450 CPU; fantastic battery life.
The bad: Lacks modern Netbook upgrades such as HD display, extra RAM; only minor performance boost over previous versions.
The bottom line: As the first next-gen Intel Atom Netbook, Asus' Eee PC 1005PE offers amazing battery life, but otherwise feels like a last-gen system.
The good: The RIM BlackBerry Bold 9700 features a sleeker design than its predecessor and adds a 3.5mm headphone jack, responsive optical trackpad, and an extra-sharp display. The smartphone is fast and offers the full range of wireless options and robust messaging capabilities.
The bad: The BlackBerry browser lags behind the competition in terms of usability and features. You can only download apps to the phone's main memory.
The bottom line: Though Web browsing is not its forte, the RIM BlackBerry Bold 9700 is one of the most powerful and best messaging smartphones in AT&T's lineup.
The good: Optical viewfinder; articulated LCD; very good photo quality for its class.
The bad: Shot-to-shot performance still a little sluggish; no HD video.
The bottom line: Though it doesn't offer the whizziest new features like an interchangeable lens or a tiny size, the Canon PowerShot G11 still delivers a good shooting experience for photography enthusiasts. Plus it's the only model that includes an optical viewfinder.
The good: The Jabra Cruiser is a sleek and easy-to-use unit with good quality for hands-free calls and the capability to stream audio using A2DP. Built-in FM transmission further expands the flexibility of the unit by adding the capability to use external speakers.
The bad: Audio quality for music isn't really good enough for extended listening. Voice-announced caller ID doesn't speak callers' names, only phone numbers.
The bottom line: The Jabra Cruiser is easily recommendable based on its call quality alone, but the addition of FM transmission and stereo audio streaming push it close to the top of our list.
The good: Superior sound quality compared with other TVs; solid black-level performance; relatively accurate color; adjustable dejudder processing; Vudu on-demand video and Pandora streaming work well; numerous picture adjustments; includes three HDMI and three component-video inputs; extremely thin bezel results in nearly "all screen" look, except for the speaker.
The bad: Expensive; uneven screen uniformity; dark areas dinged bluer; clunky remote control and menu design; very little surround effect; subwoofer required for the best sound.
The bottom line: If you want the best sound available from a TV, the Mitsubishi LT-249 series will be worth the high price.
