Top-rated reviews of the week (photos)

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

Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, Summer 2011)

Editors' rating: 4 out of 5

The good: The 13-inch MacBook Air has been updated with the latest Intel CPUs for better performance and battery life. Backlit keyboards make a welcome return.

The bad: The 128GB SSD drive is a lot smaller than a standard hard drive. This also starts at $100 more than the 13-inch MacBook Pro.

The bottom line: The latest version of the 13-inch MacBook Air vastly outperforms its predecessor, and can finally be called suitable for mainstream use, instead of relegated as a niche product.

Read CNET's full review
Prices start at $1,549.99

You can also check out our review for the 11-inch MacBook Air here.

2011 Kia Optima SX turbo

Editors' rating: 4 out of 5

The good: Fully loaded, the 2011 Kia Optima SX offers cabin appointments equaling those of much more expensive cars. The engine uses direct injection and a turbocharger to produce 274 horsepower. The Infinity audio system produces very satisfying music.

The bad: The navigation system does not include perspective view maps. The turbo makes dropping below the EPA fuel economy range easy.

The bottom line: The 2011 Kia Optima SX makes the midsize sedan interesting through fine cabin appointments, plenty of power, and unique exterior styling.

Read CNET's full review
Prices start at $25,995

2011 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS

Editors' rating: 4 out of 5

The good: An active suspension system helps the 2011 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS dance around corners, while its direct-injection engine achieves excellent efficiency and power. The Bose audio system makes for excellent sound.

The bad: Even with the suspension in normal mode, the 911 GTS' ride isn't particularly comfortable. Voice command is a separate option from the main cabin electronics suite.

The bottom line: The Porsche 911 Carrera GTS delivers very exciting performance as a premium sports car. Cabin electronics are generally good, but not cutting edge.

Read CNET's full review
Prices start at $103,100

Yamaha RX-V671

Editors' rating: 4 out of 5

The good: The Yamaha RX-V671 has excellent sound quality and six HDMI inputs, including a handy front-panel input. It has a solid collection of built-in streaming-music apps including Pandora, Rhapsody, and Sirius XM. And while the user interface isn't great compared with other home theater components, it's one of the best available on AV receivers.

The bad: There's no built-in AirPlay support. Also, the similar Onkyo TX-NR609 costs about $100 less, although it doesn't sound quite as good. No Wi-Fi dongle is available, either, although there are plenty of solid workarounds.

The bottom line: The Yamaha RX-V671 sounds excellent and supports several high-quality streaming-music services, but it lacks built-in AirPlay support.

Read CNET's full review
Prices start at $549.95

Acer Aspire Ethos AS8951G

Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5

The good: The Acer Aspire Ethos AS8951G has a huge 1080p 18-inch display, and gets points for inventiveness for its detachable touch-pad remote control. Battery life was also excellent for such a large laptop.

The bad: While it's a clever idea, the pop-out touch pad was frustrating to use at times.

The bottom line: The 18-inch Acer Aspire Ethos AS8951G is a huge multimedia powerhouse laptop with a unique removable touch-pad remote control. It's a clever idea, but one that might be ahead of its time.

Read CNET's full review
Prices start at $1,399.99

GE Power Pro X500

Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5

The good: The GE Power Pro X500 offers a lot for its low price including a 15x wide-angle zoom lens and semimanual and manual controls.

The bad: The X500's shooting performance is really slow and it's not good indoors without a flash and in low-light conditions.

The bottom line: The GE X500 megazoom is a very good value as long as you understand its photo and performance limitations.

Read CNET's full review
Prices start at $134.95

LG Cosmos 2 (Verizon Wireless)

Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5

The good: The LG Cosmos is a compact messaging phone with a sharp display and roomy keyboard. You get slight improvements over the original, like a 3.5mm headset jack and a music player. Features include a 1.3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, Bing search, and a wireless Web browser. Call quality is fantastic and the price can't be beaten.

The bad: The LG Cosmos 2's social-networking functions are simply text-messaging shortcuts. Overall design and features aren't dramatically different from the predecessor. It does not have EV-DO.

The bottom line: As long as you don't have high expectations, the LG Cosmos 2 makes for a well-built entry-level messaging phone for the budget-conscious Verizon customer.

Read CNET's full review
Prices start at $249.99

OT Bluetooth Tags

Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5

The good: A simple pairing procedure, easy access to music navigation controls, and secure ear clips make the Outdoor Technology Bluetooth Tags a useful accessory for active music lovers.

The bad: The long cable connecting the two earpieces can sometimes be a nuisance.

The bottom line: We recommend the Outdoor Technology Bluetooth Tags for their comfortable and secure fit, clever wireless design, and acceptable stereo performance.

Read CNET's full review
Prices start at $79.95

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH25

Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5

The good: The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH25 is a straightforward point-and-shoot with a flexible lens with good performance and photo quality for its class.

The bad: Its 16-megapixel resolution is a bit of a waste and you can't use the optical zoom while recording movies.

The bottom line: Simple and satisfying, Panasonic's Lumix DMC-FH25 is an excellent point-and-shoot value.

Read CNET's full review
Prices start at $144.95

Pantech Pursuit II (AT&T)

Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5

The good: The Pantech Pursuit II is a solid and attractive messaging phone with a roomy slide-out keyboard. Features include GPS, 3G, Bluetooth, a 2-megapixel camera, an HTML browser, and social-networking apps.

The bad: The Pantech Pursuit II doesn't offer many improvements over the original Pursuit, with a slightly more generic design. The HTML browser is pretty bare-bones, and we would've liked better 3G speeds. Mobile e-mail requires a subscription fee.

The bottom line: The Pantech Pursuit II is not much better than its predecessor, but if all you want is an affordable and functional messaging phone from AT&T, the Pursuit II gets the job done.

Read CNET's full review
Price: $0.01-$49.99 with a new two-year service agreement