Top-rated reviews of the week (photos)

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

Altec Lansing Expressionist Ultra MX6021

Editors' rating: 4 out of 5

The good: Impressive sound for the money; stylish design; very strong bass; good connectivity options; desktop controller for power, volume, bass, and treble.

The bad: The speaker cables--which can't be extended because they use proprietary connections--are a little on the short side, so you lose some flexibility on where to place the speakers.

The bottom line: The Altec Lansing Expressionist Ultra MX6021 PC speaker system is a superior combination of design and performance available at a fairly affordable price.

Read CNET's full review
Price range: $155.95 - $185.17

HTC HD2 (unlocked)

Editors' rating: 4 out of 5

The good: The HTC HD2 features a brilliant and massive 4.3-inch capacitive touch screen with multitouch support. HTC Sense offers a more user-friendly and customizable user experience. The smartphone is also equipped with a 1GHz processor and 5-megapixel camera.

The bad: The HD2 is huge. Speakerphone quality was somewhat poor. No U.S. 3G support on the unlocked version.

The bottom line: The HTC HD2 is simply the best Windows Mobile phone out there, but its appeal could be hampered by its size and the upcoming Windows Phone 7 series.

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Price: $650

Synology Disk Station DS710+

Editors' rating: 4 out of 5

The good: The Synology Disk Station DS710+ offers excellent throughput speed, a vast number of features, and a state-of-the-art Web interface. It also has the option to expand the internal storage up to seven hard drives.

The bad: The Synology Disk Station DS710+ doesn't have dual Ethernet and requires licenses to support more than one IP camera. Its setup application is rather confusing, and only savvy tech users can take advantage of its advanced features. It's also expensive, and the hard drive expansion solution is clunky.

The bottom line: For those who possess decent networking know-how, the Synology Disk Station DS710+ makes an excellent NAS server for any environment. It's best-suited for home office and small-business applications.

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Price range: $529.99 - $549.99

Dell Mini 10

Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5

The good: Sharp design; higher display resolution; HD video acceleration hardware.

The bad: Broadcom HD video requires beta software for streaming video; smallish touch pad.

The bottom line: Dell's popular Netbook adds HD video acceleration for a solid movie-watching experience, but requires a still-in-beta Flash update for streaming video.

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Price: $489

HP Mini 210 HD

Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5

The good: HD video playback; many configuration options; low starting price; great touch pad.

The bad: Beta software needed to stream HD video.

The bottom line: The versatile HP Mini 210 adds best-of features from other HP laptops, but the HD video card requires a still-in-beta Flash update for streaming Flash video.

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Price: $329.99

Logitech Speaker System Z523

Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5

The good: Good sound for the money; strong bass; good connectivity options; volume and bass controls.

The bad: While its sound quality doesn't eclipse more expensive PC speakers, the Logitech Z523 is one of the best speaker-plus-subwoofer systems in its price class.

The bottom line: While it won't blow you away with its sound quality, if you're looking for an affordable PC speaker-plus-subwoofer system, the Z523 is one of the best speaker systems in its price class.

Read CNET's full review
Price range: $81.77 - $99.99

Motorola Backflip - platinum silver (AT&T)

Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5

The good: The Motorola Backflip features a fresh design with a trackpad behind the display for navigating the phone. The Android device also offers a 5-megapixel camera, extra AT&T services, and the full spectrum of wireless options.

The bad: The Backflip is sluggish at times and spontaneously rebooted once during our review period. The smartphone is only running Android 1.5. Screen size is a bit small, and we worry about the keyboard's durability since it's exposed on the back.

The bottom line: As AT&T's first Android phone, the Motorola Backflip offers a unique design but it's rather lackluster in the features and performance department. It's a decent choice if you're upgrading from a feature phone, but anyone looking for speed and power should look elsewhere.

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Price: $99.99

Samsung Propel SGH-A767 - green (AT&T)

Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5

The good: The Samsung Propel has a slim design and comes with a slew of multimedia and 3G offerings.

The bad: The Samsung Propel has a rather flat navigation array and the keyboard felt cramped. We were also disappointed by the lackluster display.

The bottom line: The Samsung Propel has an impressive high-end feature set, but we were disappointed by its design.

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Price: $79.95 with a two-year service agreement and after a mail-in rebate

Sony Bravia KDL-52NX800

Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5

The good: Excellent design with stylish monolithic exterior; ergonomic remote control; snappy menu system; relatively accurate color; built-in Wi-Fi; solid Internet services including Netflix, Amazon Video on Demand, niche video services, and Yahoo Widgets; energy-efficient.

The bad: Relatively expensive; reproduces lighter black levels; darker areas tinged blue; cannot adjust dejudder processing much; less-even screen uniformity; glossy screen reflects ambient light; Netflix image quality worse than on other streaming devices.

The bottom line: Despite a picture that won't wow sticklers, Sony's edge-lit LED-based NX800 sets a high bar for its beautiful design and well executed features.

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Price range: $2,495.00 - $2,799.99

TomTom Ease (U.S. version) - black

Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5

The good: The TomTom Ease features a greatly simplified menu structure and an entry-level price, but it still manages to pack in advanced features such as text-to-speech. The device features a generous 3-hour battery life for enhanced portability.

The bad: For some users, a 3.5-inch screen may be a bit small. The integrated EasyPort mount sacrifices a degree of flexibility versus other TomTom devices.

The bottom line: The TomTom Ease succeeds in being a good low-cost GPS device for first-time navigators, and its small size and good battery life make it easy to toss into a bag and keep handy.

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Price: $119