Retail: Reviews

Acer got a few things right and a number of things wrong with the Predator (specifically, Predator model AG3620-UR12). On the "right" side of the ledger, it has one of Intel's better processors - a 3.4GHz Core i7-3770--and 32GB of DDR3/1600 memory. With those components, the asking price of $US1299 is very reasonable.

Today's video editing apps have made many pro-level features available to anyone who wants to use them. We review four of the best known video editors to see what they offer and how easy it is to use them.

At first glance, the Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 doesn't look like anything special.

Taking photos with a full-frame camera is an amazing experience. Shots just look so much wider and more fulfilling thanks to the bigger sensor. It used to be that you had to pay big bucks to get yourself a full-frame camera, but thanks to Canon, you can now get a model like the EOS 6D for about $2400.

Samsung possesses one of the better design aesthetics in the industry, and it shows in the design of the 23.6-inch display model of the Series 7 All-in-One. This $1000 PC will draw many an admiring look, and its Core i5 CPU helps it deliver smooth everyday performance and wonderful movie viewing. But gameplay is strictly low-res, and as with most all-in-ones, you're paying a lot for the form factor.

HP has just unveiled the Slate 7, a 7-inch Android tablet targeted squarely at consumers.

Apple's largest all-in-one desktop computer, the 27-inch iMac, was recently updated with a long list of under-the-hood changes, but it's the strikingly thin design that people notice first. And while the 5mm edge on the new iMac is certainly impressive, you can't help but wonder if the trade-offs Apple made for the new design are worth it.

The Toshiba Satellite LX835 starts at $1399.99, which doesn't exactly put it in the budget all-in-one category (if such a category even exists). But you'd never know that by looking at it--thanks to its be-stickered bezel, unimpressive touchscreen, and cheap peripherals, it doesn't exactly look like a top-of-the-line machine out of the box.

We wrap up our week-long coverage of the best products of 2012 with a look at the business and productivity category. And there's plenty to chew on, starting with Microsoft's entrely new operating system and ending with—interestingly enough—software that enables musicians to use ethernet networks in a completely new way.

The Jabra Solemate is a portable Bluetooth speaker that produces great sound with a strong bass, but its $US200 price tag might make buyers hesitant.

The $US550 Samsung SyncMaster T27B750ND 27-inch display offers a ton of interesting features: wireless connectivity, an integrated TV tuner, Internet browsing without a computer, and multiple inputs. It’s a good fit for dorm rooms or other small living areas where a space-saving combination of desktop monitor and television comes in handy. But even with its clever tricks, it suffers from lackluster performance as a standard monitor.

Nikon and Canon have recently squared off against each other in a new segment of the digital SLR camera market that they’ve carved out, both bringing out their cheapest, smallest, lightest, simplest full-frame DSLRs.

With Ubuntu 12.04 LTS as its underpinnings, Linux Mint 13 (Maya) was recently released in three versions, KDE (new), Xfce, and Gnome-Cinnamon. We tested each version separately and while we still like Mint, we're accumulating a nagging list of bugs -- some of which are the fault of Ubuntu, and some are the twists that Linux Mint takes on its own.

Sony's upcoming XBR-84X900 4K TV produced beautiful images in a demo at the IFA trade show last week, but its size, likely high price and a lack of content that can take full advantage of the set makes it an unlikely buy.

We look at a range of Bluetooth speakers that can improve your smartphone's audio at home, at work or on the go.

HP's Sleekbooks are a line of higher-end systems based on AMD processors. These notebooks are slim, light, and have a cool, ultramodern design. But the Envy Sleekbook 6z-1000 isn't super high-end: it has an AMD processor and 4GB of RAM, and it costs just $600. In other words, it's the perfect notebook for people who care more about looks and price than processor speed. The looks are even a notch above the slim and similar-looking Acer Aspire TimelineUltra M5.

Virtually all our testing took place across 512Kbps frame relay, T-1 and T-3 WAN links. The test bed network consisted of six Fast Ethernet subnet domains linked by Cisco routers. Our lab's 50 clients consisted of computing platforms that included Windows 2000/2003/XP/Vista/Win7, Macintosh 10.x and Red Hat Linux (both server and workstation editions).

We initially attempted to implement System Center 2012 modularly, which is almost impossible, so we used the Unified Installer after reading the salient documents for each module, then installed each module into its own VM, combining SQLServer resources where necessary. We recommend that up to four SQL Server instances may be necessary for protecting all of the modules.

The Logitech Tablet Keyboard for iPad is a stand alone keyboard with a case that doubles as an iPad stand.

We get lots of functional, pretty all-in-one desktops through the PCWorld Labs, and the ET2701 INKI is Asus's latest entry. This high-definition, 27-inch system, priced at $US1299 (as of 7/9/2012), is equipped with one of Intel's newest and fastest processors plus a discrete Nvidia graphics chip.