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In addition to bringing the 720p HD video people have long been clamoring for, the S95 features an in-camera HDR mode for easily creating those vibrant, eyeball-popping shots. It's also the first PowerShot to get Canon's Hybrid IS image stabilization system. It's also a hair thinner than the S90, which was already plenty pocketable.

Otherwise, it has the same guts as the S90—3.8x optical zoom, an excellent f/2.0 lens, and that sweet, sweet manual control ring on the front. You can scoop an S90 up for around $330 now if you're not dead set on HD video, but if you are, the S95 will be available later this month for an estimated $400. [Canon]

Canon Amps Up the "Power" in PowerShot with Three New Digital Cameras

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., August 19, 2010 – Further elevating the "Power" in PowerShot, Canon U.S.A., a leader in digital imaging, today announced three new high-performance PowerShot cameras - the PowerShot S95, the SD4500 IS and the SX130 IS Digital cameras. These cameras achieve photographic brilliance with Canon's HS (High Sensitivity) SYSTEM for improved low-light shooting in the S95 and SD4500 IS cameras, High Definition (HD) video recording, High Dynamic Range (HDR) in the S95 camera and a more intelligent Smart AUTO mode, among a range of others. The pro-shooter seizing the last summer sunsets with the S95 camera, the dad recording his son leaving for college on the SD4500 IS model, the aunt capturing a photo of her nephew's football team with the SX130 IS camera - these new PowerShot cameras showcase extraordinary image quality with every shot.

Achieving great images in low-light

Whether shooting a large family photo at a sunset wedding or capturing a historical monument at night, the new PowerShot Digital cameras capture clear, exceptional images in low-light settings thanks to Canon's HS SYSTEM. Canon's DIGIC 4 Image Processor combined with a 10-megapixel High Sensitivity CCD sensor in the S95 camera or a CMOS sensor in the SD4500 camera, make up Canon's HS SYSTEM. The HS SYSTEM enhances image quality and helps reduce noise at high ISO levels. It also helps to accentuate a number of hard-to-get details in images with decreased lighting. When used together, Canon's HS SYSTEM and the f/2.0 lens in the PowerShot S95 camera, enables users to capture dimly lit scenes without a flash, resulting in a more natural look for photos.

"Image quality consistently remains a top priority at Canon and with each generation of PowerShot cameras, we look to build the features and technology that will best improve a customer's experience with our cameras," said Yuichi Ishizuka, executive vice president and general manager, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon U.S.A. "New features, like the Canon HS SYSTEM for enhanced low light performance and high-speed shooting, helps consumers to capture images in dimly lit settings, further increasing the beauty of a moment."
Shooting HD at its best

When it comes to capturing a child walking for the first time or a person diving into a pool on vacation, shooting HD video is the ideal option. With Canon's legacy of delivering exceptional photos, the new PowerShot S95, SD4500 IS, and SX130 IS Digital cameras help to drive users beyond the still and encourage them to explore the world of HD video. It also helps a person to relive the experience when looking back at the images. Available on all three models, this feature offer extraordinary resolution, color and clarity to all cherished moments. Helping to heighten the quality of video, all three new PowerShot models include Miniature Effect movie mode. Available as a scene mode for shooting still photography, the Miniature Effect movie mode creates the illusion where large objects are shown in miniature proportions, providing a creative way to play back video. Combined with stereo sound, the inclusion of HD video capabilities in the PowerShot S95, SD4500 IS and SX130 IS cameras, along with outstanding still image quality, help make these models the ultimate image-capture devices.
Capture natural beauty with High Dynamic Range (HDR)

Excellent for outdoor shooting, the new S95 camera is the first Canon camera to feature the in-camera, HDR scene mode to help shooters capture the full magnitude of a scene that consists of very dark tones and bright highlights. With the use of a tripod, one push of the shutter button yields three sequential images with various exposures, and then combines them into a single optimized image within the camera. As a result, the image showcases a better range of depth and detail found in natural settings.
Get Smart with new shooting scenes

Canon's Smart AUTO now features 28 shooting scenes to help automatically adjust to different lighting or movement levels to obtain the best image possible. Another new feature for the less-experienced shooter to utilize is the Best Image Selection option found in the SD4500 IS camera. With one click of the shutter button, the camera will shoot five sequential shots and save the best shot based on a person's movement and facial expressions. Another added bonus in the SD4500 IS camera is Handheld Night scene. Without the use of a tripod, the Handheld Night scene reduces camera shake, allowing users to shoot beautiful images within dark settings.
Canon PowerShot S95 Digital Camera

Positioned to become another photography-fan favorite, the new PowerShot S95 camera, sibling of the popular PowerShot S90 camera, has been enhanced with 720p HD video capability and in-camera HDR scene mode. For macro-photography enthusiasts, Canon has built its Hybrid IS technology into the PowerShot S95 camera to compensate for angular and shift camera shake, making it the first PowerShot model to feature Hybrid IS technology. The camera also sports a 3.8x optical zoom and an f/2.0 lens that opens up to 28mm wide with Canon's Optical Image Stabilization technology, giving consumers a great, wide-angle lens with excellent focus. Another feature is the manual control ring on the front of the camera. For the advanced amateur shooters, the control ring allows the shooter to access manual control options and RAW shooting capabilities, allowing for more photographic creativity.

Scheduled to be available late August, the S95 camera retails for an estimated price of $399.99.*
Canon Power SD4500 IS Digital Camera

Helping to deliver exquisite image quality with its advanced features, the SD4500 IS model has a 10x optical zoom with Optical Image Stabilization, providing the power to shoot distant subjects with sharp precision and details. A great tool for shooting sports, the camera also features Full 1080p HD video mode, a first for a Digital ELPH model. In addition to its HD video functionality, the camera can also shoots in Dynamic IS mode. While walking through the park on a summer day, the Dynamic IS mode, located in the camera's continuous AUTO mode, helps stabilize video capture while the photographer is in motion, further improving the clarity of HD video. The SD4500 IS camera also consists of a Super Slow Motion Video Mode, capable of capturing a subject at 240 frames-per-second (fps) and shoots video in Smart AUTO. Consistent in delivering excellent image quality, the camera also has a high-speed burst mode of up to 8.4 fps. Adhering to the design quality of an ELPH camera, the new SD4500 IS camera, available in brown, has a slim, body type, elegant curves, and strong aesthetic features. With the mix of advanced functionality and style, the SD4500 IS camera attracts all levels of users with a plethora of great features.

Scheduled to be available in early September, the SD4500 IS camera retails for an estimated price of $349.99.*
Canon PowerShot SX130 IS Digital Camera

Experience advanced features and extreme telephoto capabilities with Canon's latest, ultra-zoom digital camera- the new PowerShot SX130 IS Digital camera. The new PowerShot SX130 IS camera has a 3.0-inch LCD screen and a 12x optical zoom lens with Canon's Optical Image Stabilization technology, helping to achieve brilliant images when capturing distant objects. Continuing to serve its dual functionality, the SX130 IS camera also shoots 720p HD video with stereo sound for outstanding video quality and features Miniature Effect movie mode, adding a more creative look to any user's video capture. Further igniting a photographer's artistic nature within still photography, the SX130 IS camera encompasses four creative modes- Miniature, Fisheye, Poster, and Super Vivid, making it the first model in its series to offer these four modes.

Scheduled to be available late August, the SX130 IS camera retails for an estimated price of $249.99.*

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.

Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions. Its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), a top patent holder of technology, ranked fourth overall in the U.S. in 2009+, with global revenues of US $35 billion, is listed as number six in the computer industry on Fortune Magazine's World's Most Admired Companies 2010 list, and is on the 2009 BusinessWeek list of "100 Best Global Brands." Canon U.S.A. is committed to the highest levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all of the products it distributes. At Canon, we care because caring is essential to living together in harmony. Founded upon a corporate philosophy of Kyosei – "all people, regardless of race, religion or culture, harmoniously living and working together into the future" – Canon U.S.A. supports a number of social, youth, educational and other programs, including environmental and recycling initiatives. Additional information about these programs can be found at www.usa.canon.com/kyosei. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company's RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss.

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Ko-B

njdevil

He reports that it's rugged, works in weak light and can charge an iPhone four times with just one full charge. The unit itself is a bit heavy, but still, what's a little heft when you can finally realize that elusive dream of (effectively) charging gadgets with the sun, and for only $100.

Wired has a more detailed review, and they loved it, too:

The Joos Orange solar charger is the physical manifestation of simplicity. It's rugged, easy to store and carry, and (most importantly) quick to bestow a watt or two whenever you need it. Simply choose the correct adapter (the Orange comes with seven of the most popular ones), plug in your depleted phone or DS into the charger and let the life-giving juice flow. Yep, that's it.

The Joos will be available soon for $100. Find out more or sign up for updates over at SolarJoos. [Wired]

Some Notes About Our Recommendations

• This list is for gamers who want to get the most for their money. If you don't play games, then the cards on this list are more expensive than what you really need. We've added a reference page at the end of the column covering integrated graphics processors, which is likely more apropos.
• The criteria to get on this list are strictly price/performance. We acknowledge that recommendations for multiple video cards, such as two Radeon cards in CrossFire mode or two GeForce cards in SLI, typically require a motherboard that supports CrossFire or SLI and a chassis with more space to install multiple graphics cards. They also require a beefier power supply compared to what a single card needs, and will almost certainly produce more heat than a single card. Keep these factors in mind when making your purchasing decision. In most cases, if we have recommended a multiple-card solution, we try to recommend a single-card honorable mention at a comparable price point for those who find multi-card setups undesirable.
• Prices and availability change on a daily basis. We can't base our decisions on always-changing pricing information, but we can list some good cards that you probably won't regret buying at the price ranges we suggest, along with real-time prices from our PriceGrabber engine, for your reference.
• The list is based on some of the best U.S. prices from online retailers. In other countries or at retail stores, your mileage will most certainly vary.
• These are new card prices. No used or open-box cards are in the list; they might represent a good deal, but it's outside the scope of what we're trying to do.

Best PCIe Card: $90 and under

Best PCI Express (PCIe) Card For Under $50:
Radeon HD 4650 (Check Prices)

Great 1280x1024 performance in most games, 1680x1050 with lowered detail

You will not find a card that packs more punch than ATI's Radeon HD 4650 at the alluring $50 price point. With solid stock performance and an overclockable GPU, this card is an excellent starting point for our list of recommendations, and a wholly worthwhile upgrade if you're currently stuck using a motherboard limited to integrated graphics.

Best PCI Express (PCIe) Card For ~$70:
Radeon HD 5570 (Check Prices)

Great 1680x1050 performance in most games, 1920x1200 in many games with lowered detail

At $70, the Radeon HD 5570 can take a recommendation for being a solid performer at a relatively low price, and won't disappoint folks who don't want to upgrade their power supply to accommodate a more powerful graphics card.

Best PCI Express (PCIe) Card For ~$80:
GeForce 9600 GT (Check Prices)

Great 1680x1050 performance in most games, 1920x1200 in most games with lowered detail

The GeForce 9600 GT is still a great entry-level performer, thanks in part to its high-end 256-bit memory interface and speedy DDR3 memory. It's a solid choice on an $80 budget, even if the architecture on which it centers is showing its age.

While the GeForce GT 240 is beginning to encroach on this card's price territory, the 9600 GT remains a bit faster than even the GDDR5 version of the newer card, and its recommendation remains secure for the time being. While fluctuating GeForce 9800 GT prices have edged out the GeForce 9600 GT last month, that card can no longer be found for $80 at the time of writing, allowing the GeForce 9600 GT to retain it's former recommendation.

Best PCIe Card: ~$100 To $190

Best PCIe Card For ~$100: Tie
Radeon HD 4850 512 MB (Check Prices)

Exceptional 1680x1050 performance in most games, 1920x1200 in most games with lowered detail

The Radeon HD 4850 can still be found at the ~$100 price point after a brief hiatus, and while we keep waiting for availability to dry up in the face of Radeon HD 5000-series successors, we hope it lasts. Then again, the Radeon HD 4850 and GeForce GTS 250 seem determined to stay on the market for as long as possible.

GeForce GTS 250 (Check Prices)

Exceptional 1680x1050 performance in most games, 1920x1200 in most games with lowered detail

As fast as the Radeon HD 4850 is, the GeForce GTS 250 remains a viable option with similar gaming performance. With an eye to the future, your choice between these $100 cards probably relies more on whether or not your motherboard is CrossFire- or SLI-compatible.

Best PCIe Card For ~$125:
Radeon HD 5750 1 GB (Check Prices)

Great 1920x1200 performance in most games

The price of the 1 GB Radeon HD 5750 is quite low, and this month, it's enough to take the recommendation from the 1 GB versions of the Radeon HD 4850 and GeForce GTS 250.

Although it costs a few dollars more, the 5750 is more appealing due to its DirectX 11 hardware capabilities. There are other benefits too, such as Dolby TrueHD/DTS-HD Master Audio bitstreaming and Eyefinity triple-display output support, making this card an easy $125 choice on all fronts.

Read our full review of ATI's Radeon HD 5750 for more information on the card and its underlying architecture.

Best PCIe Card For ~$155:
Radeon HD 5770 1GB (Check Prices)

Great 1920x1200 performance in most games

While AMD's new Radeon HD 5770 isn't any faster than the older Radeon HD 4870 (we've found that it's even slightly slower in many instances), it does have something the Radeon HD 4870 doesn't have: full DirectX 11 and Eyefinity support. Indeed, while the Radeon HD 5770 doesn't run away with any performance crowns in this category, it does look good from a longevity/value standpoint.

Perhaps more importantly, at the $155 price point, there is nothing to compete against this card now that the Radeon HD 4870 is at the end of its effective life. Nvidia's claims that its GeForce GTX 260 remains the last GT200-based card in its lineup, but supply is definitely not what it used to be (nor is the card's price tag, which hovers around $200 now).

Read our full review of ATI's Radeon HD 5770 for more information on the card and its accompanying architecture.

Best PCIe Card: ~$200 To $275

Best PCIe Card For ~$220:
Radeon HD 5830 (Check Prices)

Great 1920x1200 performance, 2560x1600 in most games with lowered detail

The new Radeon HD 5830 delivers Radeon HD 4890-class performance for $220, but includes all of the Radeon HD 5000-series value-adds to go with it. With the scant availability of the Radeon HD 4890 and disappearance of Nvidia's GeForce GTX 275 from the market, AMD's Radeon HD 5830 is the only single card left standing at this price point. Now that it can be found as low as $220 online ($199 with rebates), we can give it a proper recommendation, although we don't think buyers should pay any more than that with the vastly superior Radeon HD 5850 at $290.

Read our full review of ATI's Radeon HD 5830 for more information on the card and its accompanying architecture.

Best PCIe Card For ~$250:
2 x Radeon HD 5750 in CrossFire Configuration (Check Prices)

Exceptional 1920x1200 performance, Good 2560x1600 performance in most games

Dual Radeon HD 5750s in CrossFire make for a much more powerful option than a single Radeon HD 5830, if the buyer is willing to pay the extra money required for a CrossFire motherboard and a beefier power supply.

Read our full review of ATI's Radeon HD 5750 for more information on the card and its accompanying architecture.

Best PCIe Card: $280 to $400

Best PCIe Card For ~$290:
Radeon HD 5850 (Check Prices)

Exceptional 1920x1200 performance, Good 2560x1600 performance in most games

Fortunately for value-seekers, the Radeon HD 5850 recently dropped back under the $300 price point. Despite competition from Nvidia's $350 GeForce GTX 470, the Radeon HD 5850 remains a superb performer for the money. It doesn't require a CrossFire-compatible motherboard, it sips power at idle, and the card sports DirectX 11 and Eyefinity capabilities. If sub-$300 price tags fit your budget, the Radeon HD 5850 is an obvious recommendation.

Read our full review of AMD's Radeon HD 5850 for more information on the card and its accompanying architecture.

Best PCIe Card For ~$310: None
Honorable Mention: 2 x Radeon HD 5770 in CrossFire Configuration (Check Prices)

Exceptional 1920x1200 performance, Good 2560x1600 performance in most games

A pair of Radeon HD 5770s in CrossFire is a very effective high-end configuration for the dollar, often besting even the Radeon HD 5850 on the performance front. The extra expense required by CrossFire manifested in high-end motherboards and power supplies prevents a clean recommendation, but this setup remains a viable option.

Read our full review of ATI's Radeon HD 5770 for more information on the card and its accompanying architecture.

Best PCIe Card For ~$350: None
Honorable Mention: GeForce GTX 470 (Check Prices)

Exceptional 1920x1200 performance, Good 2560x1600 performance in most games

Along with the GeForce GTX 480 flagship, the GeForce GTX 470 is one of Nvidia's next-generation DirectX 11 cards, which performs between the Radeon HD 5850 and Radeon HD 5870, on average. Quite often it seems that the 470 performs more closely to the Radeon HD 5850, but in some cases, the GTX 470 really stands out.

Because of this, it's hard to give the GeForce GTX 470 a solid recommendation compared to the cheaper Radeon HD 5850. But its solid performance, coupled with PhysX, 3D Vision, and CUDA capabilities, can certainly make the GeForce GTX 470 an attractive buy for the gamer who values its strengths.

Read our full review of Nvidia's GeForce GTX 470 for more information on the card and its underlying architecture.

Best PCIe Card For ~$400: None
Honorable Mention: Radeon HD 5870 (Check Prices)

Good 2560x1600 performance in most games

For $100 less than the price of this card, a couple of Radeon HD 5770s (or a single Radeon HD 5850) can easily deliver exceptional performance in the games that matter today. From a raw price/performance standpoint, this makes the Radeon HD 5870 a hard sell. But that is not to say this card is underpowered: it is the fastest single-GPU Radeon option available, sporting relatively low power usage (remarkably low at idle), and the hardware prowess needed to accelerate DirectX 11-based games. For folks without a motherboard that supports CrossFire and a hefty power supply, the new Radeon HD 5870 is definitely a more-than-viable option.

For those thinking at the other end of the performance spectrum, a pair of Radeon HD 5870s in CrossFire also make this an attractive card.

Read our full review of ATI's Radeon HD 5870 for more information on the card and its accompanying architecture.

Best PCIe Card: Over $400

Best PCIe Card For ~$440:
Two Radeon HD 5830 in CrossFire Configuration (Check Prices)

Exceptional 1920x1200 performance, Good 2560x1600 performance in most games

Two Radeon HD 5830 cards in CrossFire will beat out a single Radeon HD 5870, just like a dual Radeon HD 4890 setup does. But the newer Radeon HD 5830 cards offer all the DirectX 11 and Eyefinity goodies, too.

Read our full review of AMD's Radeon HD 5850 for more information on the card and its accompanying architecture

Best PCIe Card For ~$500: None
Honorable Mention: GeForce GTX 480 (Check Prices)

Good 2560x1600 performance in most games

Nvidia is a competitive company. And while the Radeon HD 5970 maintains its title of fastest video card in the world, Nvidia has reclaimed the honor of selling the fastest single-GPU graphics card. This is, of course, the GeForce GTX 480, which performs notably faster than the Radeon HD 5870, on average.

It's hard to justify the $100 price premium over AMD's Radeon HD 5870, but it's pretty easy to justify a $200 savings compared to the Radeon HD 5970, so I suppose the card is positioned correctly—assuming cards continue selling at MSRP (many are going for as much as $100 more). For buyers who value the GeForce GTX 480's value-added features like PhysX, 3D Vision, and CUDA, the card is a viable buy. But raw GeForce GTX 480 game performance is often close to the $100 cheaper Radeon HD 5870, so the GeForce gets an honorable mention.

Read our full review of Nvidia's GeForce GTX 480 for more information on the card and its underlying architecture.

Best PCIe Card For ~$580:
Two Radeon HD 5850 in CrossFire Configuration (Check Prices)

Exceptional 1920x1200 performance, Great 2560x1600 performance in most games

Two Radeon HD 5850 cards in CrossFire are a force, to be sure, with power almost equaling a single Radeon HD 5970 for $120 less, coupled with abundant availability. This configuration has become the de facto standard setup for folks who want serious power from a high-end machine.

Read our full review of AMD's Radeon HD 5850 for more information on the card and its accompanying architecture.

Best PCIe Card For ~$700: None
Honorable Mention: Radeon HD 5970 (Check Prices)

Great 2560x1600 performance

3,200 shader processors. There isn't much more we need to say about the brutal rendering muscle that characterizes the world's fastest graphics card, the Radeon HD 5970. With two Radeon HD 5870 GPUs onboard, the only things we can complain about are scant availability and an extremely high price tag. Availability has improved over time; the price not so much. But if you're in the market for this card, price probably isn't an issue.

Read our full review of ATI's Radeon HD 5970 for more information on the card and its accompanying architecture.

There you have it folks; the best cards for the money this month. Now all that's left to do is to find and purchase them.

Don't worry too much about which brand you choose, because all of the cards out there are close to Nvidia's and ATI's reference designs. Just pay attention to price, warranty, and the manufacturer's reputation for honoring the warranty if something goes wrong.

Also remember that the stores don't follow this list. Things will change over the course of the month and you'll probably have to adapt your buying strategy to deal with fluctuating prices. Good luck!

Putting a full voltage processor in such a thin and light frame really is a neat trick, one that Toshiba accomplished in part with something they're calling Airflow Cooling Technology. And while most companies are stripping ultraportable notebooks of their DVD drives—usually citing space and weight issues—Toshiba's managed to keep theirs in a laptop that starts at three pounds.

When Mark reviewed last year's Portégé R600, the main selling points were the weight and the 512GB SSD. That wasn't enough to justify the $3500 price tag and bland design cues. With the R700, Toshiba's addressed both of those points with aplomb: the consumer version of this year's Portégé (the R705) starts at $899, and a Core i7 business-minded model with a 128GB SSD runs $1600. As for the design, Toshiba still hasn't hit a home run, but the new Portégé definitely has more swagger to it than previous generations:

The other key specs are clearly geared towards business users: two USB 3.0 ports, four USB 2.0 ports, HDMI, RGB, ExpressCard, optional nine-cell battery for 12.5 hours of use. The R705 comes in blue, and takes away the ExpressCard slot but adds optional Intel Wi-Di technology.

You could nitpick about the R700's Intel integrated graphics, but it's not meant for heavy gaming or multimedia use, and doesn't pretend to be. It's for road warriors who want the biggest combination of power and portability they can find, and for the rest of us who like a laptop light enough to take from room to room without sacrificing performance.

The Portégé R700 is available now, while the R705 will be available at Best Buy starting June 27th.

Toshiba Introduces World's Lightest 13.3-Inch Full-Performance
Ultraportable Laptop With Integrated DVD Drive
25th Anniversary Edition Portégé R700 Features New Airflow Cooling Technology and
Honeycomb Rib Structure, Allowing for Full-Voltage Processor Performance in Ultraportable
Form Factor
IRVINE, Calif. – June 21, 2010 – Building on a long history of industry firsts and ultraportable
laptop innovations, Toshiba's Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America
Information Systems, Inc., today announced the Portégé® R700, the U.S version of the world's
lightest 13.3-inch full-performance ultraportable laptop with an integrated DVD drive1. The
Portégé R700 provides business users with unprecedented performance and durability in a
highly mobile product with prices starting under $1,000.
With a starting weight of just three pounds2 and about one inch thin, the Portégé R700 is able
to support the latest Intel® Core™ family of full-powered processors as a result of new Airflow
Cooling Technology. This innovative new cooling system co-developed by Toshiba and Intel
uses directed streams of fresh air to cool the heat-generating components so business users
can get the performance, mobility and longer battery life they need to stay productive on the
The Portégé R700 also features a light, yet durable magnesium alloy casing reinforced with a
new honeycomb rib design incorporated within the palm rests and base of the laptop. Similar
to technology used in aerospace construction, this structural enhancement to the laptop
provides increased rigidity and durability.
The laptop also features Toshiba's EasyGuard® Technology, which helps protect the laptop
from jolts, spills and theft. This includes added protection around system components, a Hard
Drive Impact Sensor and spill-resistant keyboard as well as a host of software that
continuously checks the performance and functionality of the system.
"Portégé ultraportable laptops are not only a demonstration of Toshiba's superior engineering
and craftsmanship, but our ability to innovate to meet the demands of businesses," said Carl
Pinto, vice president of product development, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc.,
Digital Products Division. "The Portégé R700 delivers the ultimate mobile experience at
breakthrough prices that businesses have been waiting for, providing both performance and
battery life within an extremely thin and light, yet durable form factor without compromising
key features such as an integrated DVD drive."
With an all-new sophisticated design that will turn heads in the boardroom, the Portégé R700
features a 13.3-inch diagonal HD widescreen LED-backlit display3, a premium raised tile
keyboard and a wide TouchPad™ with customizable Multi-touch Control that makes typing and
navigation easy and comfortable.
Equipped with Windows® 7 Professional, the laptops include a wealth of features and ports
required by business users, including spacious hard drives, fast DDR3 RAM, the ability to dock
to a port replicator, an ExpressCard™ slot, an eSATA/USB combo port with Sleep-and-Charge4,
as well as a built-in DVD SuperMulti drive and Webcam. The Portégé R700 also features a
high-capacity six-cell battery with a battery life rating of up to 8.5 hours5. An optional nine-
cell battery that can remain on when docked will increase the battery life rating up to 12.5
A new High-Speed Port Replicator for the Portégé R700 (sold separately for $199.00 MSRP6)
provides fast access to a desktop environment and eliminates the hassle of connecting
multiple cables. The port replicator features a host of ports, including two ultrafast USB 3.0
ports, four USB 2.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet as well as Line-In/Line-Out audio ports, HDMI, RGB
and Serial connections.
"Business PC buyers want lighter, thinner notebook designs, but our research shows that they
aren't willing to compromise on performance and features to get to those smaller sizes," said
Bob O'Donnell, vice president, Clients and Displays research at IDC. "Integrating high-
performance CPUs and an optical drive, while still maintaining a good price point, are key to
making these lighter notebook designs more successful in the marketplace."
The laptop will be available in three configurations: the Portégé R700-S1310 features the Intel
Core i3 processor7 and a 500GB8 hard drive for $999.00 MSRP. The Portégé R700-S1320
features the Intel Core i5-520M processor and a high-speed 320GB 7200RPM hard drive for
$1,299.00 MSRP. The Portégé R700-S1330 features the powerful Intel Core i7-620M processor
and a 128GB solid state drive9 for $1,599.00 MSRP. All three configurations come with 4GB
DDR3 memory10 and a Standard Three-Year International Limited Warranty11.
Consumer Model Also Available
Toshiba will also offer a consumer edition of the laptop, the Portégé R705. Sold exclusively at
Best Buy for $889.99 MSRP, the laptop will feature a Magnesium Blue cover and will be
powered by the Intel Core i3 processor, 4GB of DDR3 memory and a 500GB hard drive. In
addition, the Portégé R705 will feature Intel Wireless Display for wirelessly connecting the
laptop to a big screen HDTV. The Portégé R705 will not include ExpressCard or docking
capabilities.
EPEAT Gold-rated Eco-conscious Design
The Portégé R700 is designed to be environmentally conscious with power-efficient, mercury-
free LED backlit display, meets the rigorous requirements of the Energy Star® 5.0 standard
and achieved industry-leading Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT®)
Gold status. The laptop is also RoHS compatible, effectively reducing the environmental
impact by restricting the use of lead, mercury, cadmium and certain other hazardous
substances.
Availability
Portégé R700 business laptops will be available today through select Toshiba Preferred
Partner Program resellers, e-tailers and directly at toshibadirect.com.
The Portégé R705 will be available at Best Buy stores nationwide on June 27, 2010.

(They're sending out one for free to everyone here, supposedly).

Update: Here are some detailed specs. One of the most interesting details is that this new system has been in development for, give-or-take, two years.

• Touch sensitive on/off and eject buttons (like the PS3)
• "Much quieter"
• 250GB internal hard drive, which is still swappable.
• A custom Kinect port (not a standard USB port—it's a USB port that can feed more power)
• There are five USB ports now, with three in the back and two in the front
• AV cable included, an HDMI and optical audio
• Different power supply—it's still big but nearly weightless
• External Xbox 360 hard drives and memory units are NOT compatible with the new Xbox
• Other accessories are
• Internal components that are changed: two small fans changed into one large fan for quieter operation, 45nm integrated CPU and GPU

Update 2: Some more new details:

The controller is slightly changed, with a chrome Xbox button, the Xbox logo on the back, and squared off shoulder buttons, which don't change gameplay but give it a more angular aesthetic feel. The angularity is also evident in the Xbox 360 itself, which Microsoft said that they updated to match the look of modern AV equipment, which are usually black and glossy and chrome.

To transfer your hard drive from your old console, you can either use a standard old 16GB USB drive and do it chunk by chunk, or you can use the old hard drive transfer cable (it works with the new internal hard drive). Also, you can now purchase that cable separately for $20, if you can find one to bum off of from your friends.

As for the hard drive, it's easily removable and is quite small—much smaller than the current external lump hard drive. You can't use this with older Xbox 360s, and you can't use older Xbox 360s' hard drives with this.

There is a Kinect-specific connector in the back, in addition to the 3 standard USB2 ports already there. The Kinect connector is just a USB port with more power, so you don't need a separate power supply like you would if you used Kinect with an older Xbox 360.

Though this has an HDMI out, the box doesn't come with an HDMI cable. You can pick one up for $5 on Monoprice, of course, but it'd be nice for them to include one. Especially because Sony just decided to included one with their PS3s.

We did turn on the Xbox (touch with audio feedback when you press!), and it sounded very quiet. Almost silent in the somewhat noisy room, but this is just at bootup, with no DVD spinning and nothing really happening. It'll definitely get louder when you play it more, and the DVD will be noisy when that's spinning, but just compared to the bootup on the current Xboxes, it's very quiet.

Future Retro

The design

The hardware design hasn't changed from the one we already knew about. It uses the same materials as the prototype: Black glass and stainless steel rim. It fits with the rest of the Apple product line, from the hard edges to the Dieter-Ramsesque utilitarianism of the iMac and the iPad.

The black glass is aluminosilicate glass. Apple claims this glass is "chemically strengthened to be 20 times stiffer and 30 times harder than plastic." According to them, this makes it more scratch resistant and durable than the previous generation.

The size is smaller than the previous generation: 34% thinner than the iPhone 3GS. Although it is 3 grams heavier. According to Apple, it's the thinnest smartphone ever. It has split buttons for volume, unlike the current iPhone 3GS, all made in stainless steel.

The stainless steel rim
The stainless steel rim gives the structure to the iPhone, and acts as part of the antenna for 3G and Wi-Fi. In theory, this will greatly increase the reception abilities of the new iPhone 4.

Physical size
The iPhone 4 is 4.5 x 2.31 inches, and 0.37 inches thick. It weighs 4.8 ounces (137 grams).

The hardware

The new big brain
It has an Apple A4 chip inside, just like the iPad. Inside the A4 there are a few interconnected chips: A Cortex-A8 main processor unit—the main brain—paired with a PowerVR SGX 535, which handles the high definition graphics of the new iPhone. These are directly connected with each other and two low-power 128MB DDR SDRAM chips. Since all these components are in the same chip, Apple claims the iPhone 4 can process data more quickly while consuming less battery than before.

The A4 also consumes less power because its sub-components can be switched on and off when they are not needed, shaving watts whenever it's possible.

Battery life
The battery is 16% bigger than the current one. Coupled with the A4 processor and new display, it results in a longer battery life: Apple claims 40% more talk time. Here are their figures:

• Talk over 3G: 7 hours.
• Browsing over 3G: 6 hours.
• Browsing over Wi-Fi: 10 hours.
• Video: 10 hours.
• Music: 40 hours.
• Stand-by: 300 hours.

The display
The 3.5-inch multitouch screen has a resolution of 960 × 640 pixels. Apple calls is the Retina Display, and it has four times as many pixels as the current iPhone 3GS' display. The screen has 326 pixel per inch resolution, a higher definition than your typical magazine, a quality that shows in the screenshot.

Apple claims that this IPS-based display—the same technology as used in the iPad—also has 800-to-1 contrast ratio which is four times better than the 3GS, with a higher viewing angle.

The apps will take automatic advantage of the increased relative resolution, which mean they will be a lot sharper for text, 3D graphics, and vectorial art. However, developers will need to include higher resolution bitmap images to make the app look perfect.

Like the iPhone 3GS and the iPad, the display has an oleophobic layer that makes it easier to clean.

The main camera
The new iPhone has a bigger sensor for the main camera. It's backlit and has bigger lenses too. Instead of having a higher resolution, however, the sensor maintains the same 5 megapixel count. They are bigger dots, however, so it has a higher ISO—or sensitivity to light. That means that you would be able to take better photos and video in low light conditions, and your pictures will look a lot better.

The camera also has a LED-based flash, which works both for photographs and video. To focus, both for photographs and video—you just need to tap on the screen.

The video conferencing camera
In the front, there's a video conference camera, with standard VGA resolution. This camera will be used with third-party applications, as well as Apple's own video conference solution.

Gyroscope
The new iPhone 4 has a gyroscope built-in. This means that it can track movement with a very high precision, much higher than the built-in accelerometers in the previous iPhones. It's 3-axis, so it's capable of detecting pitch, roll, and yaw. Couple with the accelerometer, you have 6-axis motion sensing.

Other
• Like the iPad 3GS, the new iPhone uses the new micro-SIM standard.
• It has an additional microphone on the top used for noise cancelation.

The software

iOS4
The new iPhone 4 comes with iOS 4, a new moniker for the iPhone OS. The biggest new feature is, of course, selective multi-tasking, Apple's way to multitask some application features without consuming too many resources and battery power.

The new iOS 4 supports Apple's Retina display using resolution independence. This means that applications will automatically get scaled for the new resolution, but looking sharper, not pixelated. That includes typography, 2D vector graphics, and 3D graphics. However, developers will have to include higher resolution images for buttons or other screen controls (something that many have already, since this was already exposed in the last WWDC).

Video calling
However, the biggest feature of the new iPhone 4 is probably video calling, thanks to its front camera. Apple calls it FaceTime, and it works iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 over Wi-Fi—at least for 2010. Apple claims that in the future it will be available over 3G.

The iPhone 4 can use both cameras for video calling, so you can broadcast what is in front of you to another iPhone 4.

iMovie for iPhone
The new iPhone 4 will be able to use a new editing software from Apple: iMovie for iPhone. It comes with 1,500 new features.

The new iMovie for iPhone works on even 720p high definition. You can use it to cut the video clips, add automatic Ken Burns effects for still images and a music soundtrack taken from your iPhone's tunes. After you are done with your movie, you can export it to 360p, 520p, and 720p.

It's a separate application, however, it doesn't come built-in with the iPhone 4.

iBooks
iBooks will also be available for the new iOS4. Apple claims that the new iPhone 4's 325 pixel-per-inch display will make the books perfectly readable. It will use the same controls as the iBooks application in the iPad.

Price and availability

The Phone 4 will be available in black or white on June 24, and will cost $199 and $299 for 16 and 32GB if you are a new user or you are eligible for an upgrade.

If you are an existing iPhone user, the early upgrade will cost you $399 and $499. Without contract, the iPhone 4 is $599 and $699.

Live images courtesy of GDGT, MacRumors, Wired.com, and Ars Technica

The Evo comes out tomorrow (6/4) on Sprint for $200 with 2-year contract rebate.

4.3-inch, 800 x 480-pixel screen. 4G WiMax with wireless hotspot powers. 8-megapixel, 720p video camera. Front-facing camera for video chat. 1GHz processor. HDMI out. Kickstand. The Evo's dossier reads like a phone nerd's sticky back-of-napkin fantasy, which is precisely the point. The Evo is an icon, manufacturer HTC gleefully tugging at customers' hems: Look what we can do!

The Evo a beautiful slab. Being the biggest, fastest and strongest—and boastfully so—is a rare trait, marginalized by the Apple-born-but-increasingly-popular mantra that guts don't matter, or at least that you shouldn't talk about them; that the experience should come out of a magical black box. The Evo is HTC's response to that. It's pure guts.

This Is a Big Phone

You will either love how ridiculously palm-spanning a phone that is well over four inches diagonally feels—or you will find it awkward and kind of silly.

This is exactly how we're split on it. Jason really adores the size, yet he is a power nerd. I think it feels like a weirdly retrograde idea of the future, what some people expected smartphones would evolve into before the iPad entered into our collective consciousness—a mutant phone/tablet thing that's just big enough to do everything. It's just a really big phone that will polarize the buying public.

I mean, when there's a kickstand, a statement is being made.

It's heavy, too, almost in the way you'd expect an armored suit to be. The way it's sculpted—aggressively functional, like War Machine, with little Tony Stark flash—emphasizes unseasoned power. You might expect the back of the phone to be cut from metal, but it's fit with a rubber-esque finish. (We are still talking about HTC here.)

The build quality is nonetheless respectable, down to the kickstand—it'll survive a tumble or three. (There is light leaking through the seam where the top of phone meets the frame, netting a few demerits.)

Given that the camera lens protrudes from the back of the phone, don't expect it to hold up as well. It will be scratched and scuffed within a week.

The screen makes you gasp a little when you turn it on and it glows for the first time. As it lights up, the enormity suddenly becomes tangible; you're struck by the brilliance of the screen itself. It's not just big, it's super bright and colorful, with a pleasantly wide viewing angle. (Crucial for kickstand video watching.) Since it's a regular LCD it's actually usable in the sun, not the more fashionable AMOLED, seen in the Nexus One, Droid Incredible and Zune HD. But it's not tremendously better than an iPhone's screen, either.

What makes the experience of the 4.3-inch screen transformative is that it gives you breathing room. Twitter feeds feel less cramped. Web pages are roomier, so there's less panning and zooming. It's ridiculously easy to type when the keyboard is so large. Videos are just big enough that—what do you know—a kickstand doesn't seem absurd. After a while, the Evo's screen doesn't seem that big—it's just that other cellphone screens feel small.

If only the battery was a fuel cell, powered by ambition. It might be up to the task of powering this juggernaut.

My main phone at the moment is a Nexus One, so I'm pretty familiar with managing Android to make it through the day. It's oddly a struggle to make the Evo last that long—on a weekend, I had to recharge by 2pm—and I had 4G turned off. Expect to plug this thing in at work before you go out at night if you want a phone that isn't dead by your second drink.

Super Speed Data

Everything you've read makes the Evo sound like yet another HTC Android phone, albeit on a grander scale. What makes it a phone truly worth considering is that it runs on Sprint's 4G WiMax network (which unavoidably adds $10 to every plan, whether or not you live where you can take advantage of it), accessing the web with speeds comprable with those of low-end home broadband.

Additional, the Evo can serve as a wireless hotspot, allowing "up to eight" of your devices to utilize the network just like they would Wi-Fi at home—if you pay another $30 a month. ($70-a-month for data may sound expensive, but realize that Sprint's OverDrive 4G hotspot runs $60 a month, and all it does is deliver internet.)

What's all this mean in real life? It's really freaking fast—browsing the web is faster than any cellphone you've ever used—but only if your city has the 4G infrastructure. (Sprint has a list of 4G cities.)

Testing the Evo in Wimax-equipped Chicago, pages just load. Thunk. Mobile sites pop up near-instantaneously. Full versions of the same sites load with an expeditiousness that challenges even the most nasally impatience. If you didn't tell a friend using the phone that it had 4G, they'd probably assume you were connected to Wi-Fi. Even face-to-face video chat over Fring runs close to perfectly (while in 3G mode the results are more mixed, with lag ranging from minimal to vastly annoying). And the generalized page load time improvement between 3G and 4G is something you'll cherish without a stopwatch, but we timed the speed improvement anyway. (Oh, if only it was running the more nible Android 2.2 underneath.)

In terms of clocked bandwidth, the Evo approaches DSL. That's not cable internet, no, and it falls a bit short of advertised speeds (for me, at least). But it's a far cry from what your phone is using now. We charted the results below in which the Evo averages download speeds of over 3Mbps (that's 384KB/s).

As a hotspot, I was only able to connect two devices: a laptop and an iPad. While the Evo promises support for 8 connect devices, I couldn't break this 2 limit no matter how many times or other devices I tried. However, what I could do on those two connections felt like a tiny miracle.

After I browsed the web on both systems without hiccups, I pushed the threshold. On the iPad, I decided to stream Netflix, while on the laptop, I opened AIM, my Twitter client, Gmail/Chat and streamed Hulu in HD. I even video called Jason on the Evo. To my surprise, I was able to pull off the stunt with near-sustainability. (Every 10 minutes or so, Netflix did stutter a bit.)

I'm actually willing to conclude that an average person could really use the Evo on Wimax as their primary home connection, if they have good WiMax reception, sharing it with a spouse for casual browsing and video—especially as the 4G data plan is unlimited. Torrent freaks, well, you know I'm not talking to you.

But maybe the most impressive thing of all about 4G on the Evo was its hotspot battery life. While I expected 2-3 hours of runtime (given that the battery barely typically doesn't last a day of normal usage as just a phone), the Evo cracked 4 hours under heavy use (nonstop video streams, AIM, Twitter and Gmail/Chat by the two devices mentioned above). Plugged in, it could obviously run forever (which is how we powered through Google IO, albeit with Sprint's also excellent 3G service).

While I'm obviously nuts about 4G, I do want to share one caveat you should keep in mind: Given the hype for Verizon and AT&T's incoming LTE networks, most people might think of 4G technologies as 700Mhz tech—low frequency waves that reach farther and penetrate buildings more easily than what cell carriers use now for phones. Sprint's 4G network sits on a much higher frequency—2.5GHz, which offers superior bandwidth over lower frequency spectrum, but it's not as great at penetrating buildings. In my practical testing, that meant 4G cut out deep inside buildings—and forget elevators. Indeed, I tested one particular spot downtown where I can always get Sprint 3G reception even though my AT&T iPhone totally craps out. Checking that same spot with the Evo, 4G fared as poorly as AT&T's 3G. At my apartment, I get a full strength signal by the window. Move a room in, I lose a bar. There's less flexibility here than you'd expect.

So is Sprint's 4G on the Evo the Holy Grail of wireless internet service? Not quite. But boy does it come close.

The Shooter

The camera is both impressive and disappointing, but it's no point and shoot replacement. In straight up daylight, the 8 megapixel camera takes what most people would consider to be fantastic photos for a phone. It's really fast to focus and shoot, which is critical for a decent phone camera. And HTC's custom camera interface is nicer, easier to use and more fine-grained than what Google offered in Android pre-2.2.

But once the light conditions shift toward the darker side of the spectrum, it's a crapshoot. While it struggles in lowlight, and the accompanying dual LED flash will blind your subjects, washing out their complexions like a solar flare. (Seriously, the flash is so painful in a bar that it could double as some sort of non-lethal defensive device.)

The 720p video is disappointing in any light—it totally sucks. It's grainy, blotchy and just plain crap. (You can check out HD samples, along with photos in full resolution on Flickr, by clicking on the gallery above.)

Video out of the 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera surprisingly ain't too shabby, so our video phone calls from the future using Fring went even better than we expected.

Knocking Some Sense Into Android

Like the Incredible on Verizon—a phone that now seems more like a mini Evo—the Evo is running HTC's custom Sense interface on top of Android 2.1, which we've covered extensively. It's basically the same as its ever been, making some things better, and some things worse. The Evo's display size works against the interface a bit, making the glossy plastic, carbon and neon green interface feel cheaper than it ever has. Some the icons and gradients just look bad as a result, too. (Admittedly we're a bit spoiled by Android 2.2, which now does everything Sense had to before, like better Exchange support, wireless hotspot powers, and integrated social networking.)

The bigger issue to consider, though, as it is with every Android phone running a custom interface, is how badly you want to be on the bleeding edge of the Android platform. You will wait several months for Android 2.2 to reach the Evo, which offers a ton of tangible benefits, not the least of which is seriously improved speed (you'll notice mostly within apps). And you'll wait again for Android 2.3, and so on. For most people, this won't be a problem—but it's something to be aware of, particularly since you won't have the option of the official Google phone, the Nexus One, on Sprint.

Pricing

The upfront cost isn't the painful part: It's the maintenance costs, and the monthly pricing for the Evo seems just about as expensive. After paying $200 (post- $100 mail-in rebate) It costs $10 a month for premium data—which isn't optional, even if you live nowhere near WiMax, but it is UNLIMITED—on top of one of these mandatory plans listed below (the big "but" is that these plans include unlimited text messages, saving you $20 over a comparable plan on AT&T.)

Individual
$69.99 per month/450 anytime minutes + Any Mobile, Anytime
$89.99 per month/900 anytime minutes + Any Mobile, Anytime
$99.99 per month/unlimited minutes

Family
$129.99 per month/1500 anytime minutes shared between two lines + Any Mobile, Anytime
$169.99 per month/3000 anytime minutes shared between two lines + Any Mobile Anytime
$189.98 per month/unlimited minutes

Plus, it's another $30 a month to use the Mobile Hotspot feature, per phone. It's a fat wallet commitment. But at the same time, it's far and away the best value for data that any carrier is offering. $70 a month gets you unlimited data and tethering on a network actually worth using, especially if you can get on WiMax. AT&T wants $45 for the privilege of tethering with a 2GB pool of data that I'd be lucky to even have a good enough connection to get through in New York or San Francisco.

Verdict

The calculus for deciding if you want this phone is relatively simple: If you want the biggest, brawniest, most ridiculously muscular phone you can buy, it's the Evo. Just don't forget to top off the power before going into work.

WiMax, in a phone! Weeeeeeeeeee.

A beautiful screen that's the size of a rugby field

Sprint's 3G network

An unabashed celebration of steroidal specs

The camera's great...in daylight

It's massive, like a squished carbon fiber brick

Miserable battery life

You're gonna wait a long time for fresh Android updates

If you already own a DSLR, you probably don't think twice about snapping shots in low-light conditions. But as most point-and-shoot camera owners can tell you, when the sun goes down, shots from compact cameras tend to pick up noise and blur, fast. Some of the highest-end point-and-shoots, like the Canon S90, have risen to the challenge and adopted bigger image sensors for better low-light shots. But, as high-end compact cameras, they're expensive.

The PowerShot SD4000 IS is designed and priced more for the masses, a $350—not quite cheap but far from expensive—camera that shoots respectably in the dark.

The Skinny

The SD4000 is a nice looking, and nice feeling, camera. It's skinny and asymmetrical, and its tapered edges make it an easy fit even in tiny pants.

While the sensor has been beefed up, the SD4000's controls remain simple. The top has a switch for changing modes and a shutter button ringed by a zoom lever; the back has a click wheel with a function button in the middle and two large buttons for entering the menu and playback mode. On one hand it's nice that the handsome camera isn't cluttered up by a bunch of extraneous buttons, but sometimes it feels like it takes one or two too many presses to get to a desired function.

The controls do offer a wide selection of different modes and effects, like foliage mode for shooting plants, smart shutter mode for triggering snapshots when the subject smiles (or, weirdly, when they wink), and a miniature effect for approximating tilt-shift photography.

To those who despise cutesy shooting modes, don't worry, the SD4000 still offers program, aperture, and shutter speed modes.

But what makes the SD4000 a gem of a camera is that, even if you don't really care about any esoteric shooting modes, you can still just pick it up and take great photos. Especially at night.

Night Moves

The SD4000 is the most advanced Digital ELPH to date, with a backlit 10 megapixel CMOS sensor and wide f/2.0 aperture. Sensors and apertures are easy to learn about, but if you just want the Cliffs Notes version, an f/2.0 aperture basically means that the light-allowing hole in the SD4000 can get a little bigger than that of most point-and-shoots, while the backlit CMOS means that the image sensor grabbing light through the aperture is wired from behind, blocking less light. On paper, all of this means that the SD4000 should take clean, noise-free low-light shots

And it does. Nighttime shots were impressive across the board, with the SD4000 kicking out some strong, low-noise night shots that generally held their own with those of the reigning point-and-shoot champ, the Canon S90. Up to ISO 800, shots showed very little noise. Shots with ISO 1600—and even in some cases 3200—still looked fine for the most part. Here's a detail of a shot from both the SD4000 and S90 at ISO 1600.

One annoyance for more advanced photographers: the camera tended to rely on its wide F2 aperture in low-light situations, and without a full manual mode that sometimes meant being stuck with a shallow depth of field and a blurry background. But that's only a minor quibble, and many will like the effect; overall, the new sensor and lens make an appreciable difference for low-light shooting. The built-in optical image stabilization system (that's the "IS" in the product's name) helps counteract those shaky hands, and a maximum shutter speed of 16 seconds will help you get that long-exposure city-street-with-trailing-tail-lights shot.

Here are some more low-light pictures from the SD4000:

The beefed up lens and sensor also make for nicer nighttime video—here's a 1280 x 720, 30fps clip:

Daytime shooting isn't shabby by any means, either, but it doesn't see as much as improvement from the new sensor as night shooting does—in general, the image quality of shots in bright environments isn't too different from those of other cameras in its class, which is to say, pretty good!

The Photography Blog has a super-detailed breakdown of SD4000 shot quality in all scenarios, if you're so inclined.

High Speed

Aside from the strong low-light performance, the PowerShot SD4000 stands out for its high speed shooting—snapping up to 8.4 frames per second in burst mode (though at a sub-cellphone 2.5 megapixels) and shooting 240fps video in Super Slow Motion video mode (albeit at a super crummy 320 x 240 resolution). Such videos don't look great, but it's a fun feature regardless, allowing you to do stuff like check out what squirrels are actually up to or assemble a personal highlight reel that makes any lay-up look several times more impressive:

Too Low a Ceiling?

For a casual photographer—someone who wants to have a camera on hand without constantly being reminded they're carrying one around; someone who's looking for higher quality shots at night without needing to take full control of their composition—the Canon PowerShot SD4000 IS is a great camera. But with Canon S90 prices creeping lower toward the SD4000's $350 price point, blossoming photographers looking for a more fully-featured (though less pocketable) point-and-shoot to grow into might be better off making that leap. If you're on the fence, here's a quick rundown of some points to consider for each.

The Canon S90 might be better if...
• you want to get into photography and want to take great pictures
• you don't necessarily know how to use a full manual mode, but would like to know it's there
• video is a bonus, not a priority (S90 only shoots standard def)
• you think to throw your point-and-shoot in a bag or purse before a jeans pocket

The Canon SD4000 might be better if...
• you want to take great pictures but aren't too concerned with how they get great
• you're your group of friends' designated photo-taker when you go out at night
• you crave that HD video distinction
• you wear a lot of Spandex

The SD4000's backlit sensor and bright aperture deliver great low-light shooting.

Slim design and tapered edges will make your pockets happy.

Pared down physical controls make some actions simpler, others needlessly complex.

$350 price point puts it dangerously close to more advanced point-and-shoots.

Ko-B

Future Retro

But there's no shame in using it if you really know what you're doing, either.

That's in part because it's a semi-pro camera, dressed down. The $900 T2i is essentially Canon's mid-range $1900 7D, one of the best DSLRs for the money, shoved into a simpler, smaller body. Namely, it uses an 18-megapixel APS-C image sensor that's not too different from the 7D's; the same 1080p/full manual video capabilities; and the same IFCL 63-layer dual-zone metering system, adjusted for the T2i's different autofocus setup.

And for anyone just getting into DSLR photography, the power to package ratio is phenomenal. That said, it still feels like an entry-level DSLR, for better and worse.

The plastic body is more like a nice (but large) point-and-shoot than a tank-like, pro camera. Everything about the design feels nimble—it's relatively compact and light in your hands with just enough rubber and ergonomics in the grip to wield the camera effectively. Firing the shutter releases a high pitch, bottle-rocket style shot, rather than the baritone cannon boom of a big DSLR.

Completely new to the Rebel line is the T2i's 1.2 million-dot, 3-inch display, reshaped for the first time into a 3:2 aspect ratio (so your pictures actually fit on there without getting cropped). It's insanely great, with enough brightness to use in daylight along with a near-180 degree viewing angle, which means shooting video using Live View (the setting where you see what you're shooting on the screen in real time) that much nicer. (And speaking of video, it supports the newer SDXC memory card format—which promise storage capacities of up to 2TB—meaning you'll be able to shoot a lot of it on a single card, if you can afford the card, anyway.)

The straightforward mode dial system will look familiar if you've ever picked up a Canon point-and-shoot, and along with a shortcut button, you can quickly fiddle with any parameter on the screen (ISO, shutter speed, etc). That said, sometimes I missed the added control of the secondary jog wheel that graces the back of Canon's more expensive DSLRs.

For true beginners, it carries over shooting modes from Canon's smaller, casual cameras, like Night Portrait and Sports. Creative Auto is notable in this regard, a mode that simply asks you how blurry you'd like the background to create those ever-hot bokeh effects (rather than making you fiddle with the aperture on your own).

All in all, the T2i appears to be a nice entry-level camera with the heart of something more. Pros may nasally gripe about the build and access to some controls, but for you, Mr. Amateur Photographer? It'll feel highly accessible and plenty-good in your hands.

Shooting Stills

With the T2i, Canon has both increased the image resolution—to a full 18MP—while bumping normal ISO sensitivity up to 6400. This is a somewhat odd move in the industry at the moment, as increasing megapixels can thwart low light performance (and everyone is all about low light right now). But the T2i juggles both improvements with grace.

Remember, the T2i's sensor is basically the same as the 7D—its sensor uses the now popular gapless microlens architecture to capture as much light as possible—meaning the T2i's results stack up pretty nicely to its $1900 forebear.

DxOMarks' image sensor benchmarks bear this out, with the T2i scoring nearly identically to the 7D, suffering only slightly in low-light, high ISO conditions.

(I've also thrown in the Nikon D90 for good measure.)

In other words, the camera performs pretty damned impressively in low light conditions:

ISO 800, f7.1, 1/200

ISO6400, f5.6, 1/30

Here's a comparison gallery to check out. If you want to see even more, full resolution shots, there's a Flickr link if you scroll down a bit.

Bottom line, the T2i does well with low light until you push the ISO speed beyond 1600 (where the image can get so grainy it's not worth taking). That said, an entry-level DSLR producing truly acceptable images at ISO 1600, and occasionally tolerable ones at ISO 3200 (heck, even the 6400 ISO street scene above looks decent), is kind of remarkable—it's trickle-down tech of the most democratic order, and it will provide a really nice amount of flexibility for beginning shooters, letting you do more with natural light before possibly getting into the more advanced lighting techniques like you might see on the Strobist.

At this point, I'll let the photos do the rest of the talking. Most of the samples are low light, since that what you guys tend to ask about the most. (Click the grid to be taken to full-size samples.)

DSLR Video and Existential Angst

Video is in fact, perhaps most axiomatic of the T2i's ability to scale with a first-time DSLR owner as their skill grows. Unlike its predecessor, the T1i—or even the professional 5D Mark II before a firmware update—it's not at all artificially limited. It shoots h.264 video in 1080p resolution at 24 or 30 frames or second, or 720p at 60fps. It's mostly excellent, and I'd venture, to the average eye, nigh indistinguishable from any video the 7D produces.

With the video I've shot, I stuck to producing casual lifestyle content—puppies, parties, concerts—using simply the kit lens. Most of the cuts I provide here lean toward low light, so you can get a feel for the way it performs under strain.

Though you can obviously tell by looking at the video, noise starts to become an issue around ISO 1600, and deeply problematic by ISO 6400 (unless you're going for that look), but it's to be expected.

(FYI: For 24fps video, the shutter speed stayed on 1/50—any exposure adjustments were made via aperture or ISO. For video at 60fps, the shutter speed was kept at 1/60.)

I tend to dislike the 60fps video because it feels a lot more like digital video, so it's unfortunate that you're stuck at that framerate when you want to shoot at 720p to save space or processing speed or both. (And converting 60fps to 24fps in post to recreate the look is a pain.)

One of these clips is shot by the T2i. The other is shot by the vastly more expensive 1D Mark IV, using the same settings. Can you tell which is which?

You can imagine a natural arc—used to shoot the things a Flip isn't good enough more, maybe with the kit lens or just a cheap prime. And then someone's feeling creative, and a Zacuto DSLR viewfinder sounds like a good idea, the pains of DSLR video still very much apply.

Wobbly jello motion if you pan too fast? Yep. (Though it's much better than the very earliest DSLR video.) Maximum clip limits? Yep, still 12 minutes, because of file format restrictions. Bring your own stereo mic? Yep. Awkward controls? Yes, though the T2i's are the most intuitive around, precisely because it's designed to be a beginner's camera: There's a dedicated movie mode on the dial, and the record button has been placed far more gracefully next to it, for easy, but not accidental, thumb access.

Nonetheless, the T2i is a true hybrid still/video camera. That's something deeply powerful.

The Verdict

The T2i is the ideal first DSLR. The simple controls shouldn't intimidate you for long, plus it can hold your hand a decent bit of the way, thanks to clever innovations like the Creative Auto Mode.

But the T2i may also be the ideal last DSLR, as it offers most of the performance of a camera that's twice the price, albeit in a slightly more pedestrian body. If I were a filmmaker choosing between a single 7D or dual T2is for multi-angle shoots? The choice would be pretty obvious. And if I were a random guy just looking for my first DSLR to dabble in photography and video? The choice would be pretty obvious there, too.

An awesome camera for the price

Easiest video controls of a Canon DSLR with video yet

Still bound by the limits of an entry-level DSLR, like slower shooting speed

All of the standard DSLR video problems still abound

reddogg

We call them "Blu-ray players," but if you use these right, you'll spend less than 10% of your time actually watching Blu-ray discs. Besides BDs and DVDs, you will use them to stream Pandora music channels, pull up the latest weird YouTube video to show off, rent high-def versions of new releases, and stream a marathon or two worth of cheesy sitcoms. And if you pick the right one, you'll be able to browse files stored on your computer or a network drive, too. All these are missing to be a complete all-in-one set-top box is Hulu—but that's because Hulu is rethinking its "give shows away free" strategy.

Let me make this clear: There are cheaper Blu-ray players out there, but all of the following come with YouTube, Netflix, multiple pay-per-view movie services and Wi-Fi. Once I saw Avatar in Vudu's HDX super-high-def format over Wi-Fi, I realized that wireless connectivity is finally good enough to be worth paying for.

The Contenders

LG BD570 - Following on the heels of our favorite pick from last year, the BD570 had a lot to prove, and it did a nice job. The key addition is file compatiblity—you can use this thing pretty much like an HD media player, a full-fledged Apple TV killer. It's not perfect in that department: You have to use PC-formatted (NTFS) drives, and it won't read disc image files (ISOs), but it read most videos I threw its way, both locally and on the network, so it's good for all but the most particular of file dweebs.

Other than that, LG's clean interface and useful lineup of services makes it a great choice again this year.

Panasonic DMP-BD85 - Panasonic isn't known for being on the cutting edge (unless by "cutting" you mean "huge" and by "edge" you mean "TVs"), but even so, the BD85 was a disappointment. It's the only one without integrated Wi-Fi (it comes with a dongle), and without a DLNA network browsing capability. As much as this might be spun as a "simpler" product for people who are easily confused by options, the godawful user-interface dashes that argument to bits.

Panasonic and Sony have "Quick Start" options, that reduce startup time from 20 or so seconds to under 5 seconds. I don't get it, because it doesn't make any other part of the process faster: The Panasonic is still the slowest at loading discs and jumping around the user interface in general; Quick Start just highlights the problem.

Samsung BD-C6500 - With arguably the best interface, the Samsung gives you loads of options, neatly integrated into a simple home screen. I had some trouble getting it to play files from a hard drive and from a NAS, and its USB jack isn't powerful enough to spin a portable hard drive. But on the flipside, it's faster than any system but the Sony, and is the only one of these four with analog 7.1 audio jacks. It also sells for the best price on Amazon (at least at the moment).

Sony BDP-S570 - The Sony clocked in as the fastest player of all, beating the Samsung by a few seconds. It is also the device with the most stuff in it—but that's not necessarily a good thing. It has more video-on-demand choices than everyone else, so many that it has a search engine for all of its available video. But it's mostly web snippets from Livestrong and CondeNet and other sources, not what you'd call premium, or even good, content. I do applaud its choice of audio services—in addition to Pandora and Slacker radio apps, it's got NPR.

Sony would have done better, except that it only takes FAT-formatted hard drives, and even then, can't read most of the test files I fed to it. That and when you set it up, you have to create an account on this really awful website in order to activate things like Slacker and Amazon VOD. And even when you've done it, a pointless icon that reads "activate enhanced features" persists in hanging around as a menu option.

The biggest advantage this Blu-ray player has over all the others is that in the summer, it will get a firmware update making it capable of playing 3D movies. I don't think that's enough motivation at this point, but if you're on the 3D forefront, you should weigh that in.

And finally, Sony gets props for its Blu-ray remote control app for the iPhone. I won't lie, it's awesome. But as a controller, it adds very little to the experience, and worse, I find myself mad that Sony engineers were dicking around with this when they should have been sorting out the other stuff. It begs the question, "If you can do that, why can't you handle basic disk and file formats, or give me a way to remove some of the useless channels that clutter the home screen?"

The Big Winner

My first prize goes to the LG BD570, because it works as advertised, where many of the others do not. It's not as fast as the Sony or the Samsung, but it's faster than the Panasonic, and is as easy to set up as any of them. Because Vudu is my favorite pay-per-view movie site—all you have to do is check out an HDX high-def movie and it'll be yours too—LG and Samsung get bonus points for supplying that, along with alternatives.

Special Circumstances

• If you have a great surround receiver that you either can't or don't want to swap out for latest digital model, you should go with the Samsung. The BD-C6500 has analog 7.1 output, a smart way to get much of the benefit of Blu-ray audio with the least amount of investment.

• As I said, if you are going 3D in the near future, you should opt for the Sony BDP-S570. Sony offers the best value for a 3D Blu-ray player. Just let us know when you find any 3D Blu-rays.

• Alas, under no circumstances should you buy the Panasonic. Its lack of power and its decade-old user interface means that even if they try to improve the thing via firmware updates, it'll remain behind the competition. Usually I love Panasonic products, so this judgment was particularly painful.

• Of course, for a $100 upsell ($300), you can score a PlayStation 3—which is a very media-capable machine with gaming piled on top—and it, too, will get a 3D Blu-ray update this summer. Just be aware that even the new "Slim" uses 3X to 4X the energy of any of these, and it actually can't do as much as LG in terms of HD media playback. Not yet, anyhow.

njdevil

To proceed directly to the spoilers, this is the best Android phone you can buy on Verizon, which, at the very least, makes it the best smartphone you can buy on Verizon. It's also possibly the best Android phone you can buy in the US for now—with the caveat that running a custom user interface introduces the high possibility it will get screwed on future Android updates from Google, as owners of HTC's other custom Android phones could attest to, still waiting patiently for the update to 2.1 themselves.

Sense and Desire, Revisited

The Incredible is essentially the same as the Europe-only Desire, but shoved in a black-and-red hot rod body with a pumped up 8-megapixel camera, running on Verizon's network. It's got the same Android 2.1 plus Sense interface combo, which adds a few new features over the old version, such as the OS X Expose-like "Leap"—pressing home or pinching zooms out with a swooshy animation to reveal all seven of your desktop screens—and Friend Stream, which aggregates news feeds from Twitter, Facebook and Flickr into a single flow.

Since we've already covered that ground in detail, if you wanna know about the software, I'd check out our earlier review, which covers all of that ground. The two bits I'll note separately about the software is that it's got the most usable Android touch keyboard in existence, and it's remarkably fast and responsive—like the fastest I've ever seen an Android phone running the Sense interface. It's almost shockingly fast, actually.

The Hardware

The Incredible might be the world's first mullet phone: flat, straightforward business in the front, stylized rubber party in the back. In fact, if you pop the back condom off (it's got ridges and it's rubber, it's basically a hard condom), the Incredible's hot-rod red underneath. It saves the phone from verging into boring-as-hell territory. Slightly thicker than a Nexus One or iPhone, but lighter, it feels (and looks) chintzier than both.

The phone's face is its 800x480 AMOLED display, with four capacitive touch buttons and an optical joystick. The display appears to be the same as the Nexus One, a super-saturated crowd pleaser, which also happens to have a few color reproduction issues. Running the test patterns, the Incredible also showed the same kind of color fringing that the Nexus One has. For all but the nerdiest of people though, it's a non-issue. It's a really pleasant screen to feast your eyes on, even if it's not producing the most technically accurate colors.

DO NOT BE ALARMED by the funky looking port on the side. It's not proprietary, it's just a weird-looking micro USB port. The optical joystick works, though it feels unusual at first. It proves useful mostly for navigating between text, since Android still as a whole sucks at text editing. Battery life is okay, not good. But this is a function of Android, and its marvelous freedom to run things in the background, as much anything else. Verizon's 3G network actually works in New York, unlike a certain other carrier's and it was as fast as you'd expect. Calls, they were fine. Update: Further testing does reveal, however, weaker than expected reported signal strength—that said, performance still felt okay.

The Camera Gets Its Own Section

The camera is actually one of the few unique characteristics of the Incredible. It's a new eight-megapixel shooter with a twin-LED flash, versus the five megapixel cam HTC's been shoving in phones. The photos and video it takes are passable, not incredible, as you can see. (Full-sized photo samples here.)

Two things make it mostly excellent to use, though. First, it's fast. You can snap a photo in two seconds from the home screen. That includes autofocusing, which is touch-to-focus. (You can also long touch to focus-and-shoot, but this takes longer than focusing and pressing the optical joystick button separately, which immediately fires the camera.) The software is really responsive, too. There's no dedicated camera button, unfortunately—so you do have to launch via software, which is a downer.

Second, the controls are impressively extensive. You can adjust brightness, contrast, saturation, even manually set ISO (100-1250). It also comes with a variety of picture effects, like grayscale, sepia and negative, saving you the step of running it through a separate Android app to add effects to your shots.

Verdict

The calculus is relatively simple: If you're on Verizon and want a smartphone (and aren't stuck with BlackBerrys), the Incredible is pretty much the one you should buy. With Palm's future unclear, and its app ecosystem shaky, it's hard to recommend the Pre, even though its software is generally more usable than Android. And the Droid's single redeeming feature over this, a physical keyboard, is actually less usable than the custom keyboard HTC's put on the Incredible. The Nexus One for Verizon looms, but the only reasons it could be considered superior—it feels better built and more expensive, and the promise of timely updates from Google—are mitigated by the fact the Incredible is here now, and HTC's Sense does glossy up some of Android's rough spots.

Calling this phone Incredible is a bit hyperbolic. But it is impressive.

It's fast

HTC's Sense makes Android a bit more usable and connected

Camera controls and interface are great, shots and video only decent

Feels a little cheap, and too plasticky

The places where Android and HTC's custom Sense interface overlap can feel a bit weird and confusing

[Verizon]