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Two of the most important wireless earpiece makers are bringing out new models that attempt to make their products more attractive and functional. Both work well, despite some drawbacks.
A free cellphone service called ChaCha lets you ask any question answerable via a Web search, by simply making a voice call. In most cases, it gave fast, accurate answers. But it has a few weaknesses.
Verizon’s new Voyager looks remarkably like the iPhone and even beats Apple’s product in certain respects. But Walt Mossberg says the Voyager suffers badly in the area where Apple’s phone shines: software.
Apple’s new version of OS X, called Leopard, builds on Apple’s quality advantage over Windows, says Walt Mossberg. Leopard is better and faster than Vista, with a set of new features that make Macs even easier to use.
Samsung’s radical new music phone, the UpStage, shows real creativity in cramming music player and phone into one slim gadget, but has too many downsides. (Video)
Two new wireless headsets aim to correct problems seen in previous products, filtering out background noise in cellphone conversations and bringing great sound quality for iPod use. The devices work well, but each one has drawbacks.
Palm’s Treo is being challenged by new rivals that are thinner, lighter and less expensive. So it is striking back with a cheaper model of its own. Walt tests the Treo 680 and T-Mobile’s Dash and finds that neither is as good as it could be. (Video)
BlackBerry’s new Pearl is aimed squarely at consumers who need powerful email capabilities, but also want style and bells and whistles. And it’s a beautiful piece of work, Walt Mossberg says. (Video)
Novatel has come out with a couple of new ExpressCard versions for Cingular and Verizon cellular broadband networks. I recommend both new cards. But the two high-speed networks are very different.
Nokia’s E62 smart phone is a little computer that is meant to be a serious email device as well as a phone. And it may well be the best bargain in its category, Walt Mossberg says.
A new version of Wi-Fi, generally known as draft-N, promises greater speed, greater range and standardization, but may not deliver any of those things. Walt Mossberg tests some of this latest Wi-Fi gear, with mixed results.
Verizon’s new Chocolate cellphone is designed as a music player first and was crafted to look like an Apple iPod. But it’s burdened by a ham-handed user interface and other failings, Walt Mossberg says.
Walt Mossberg tests the Sony Vaio SZ160 and the Lenovo ThinkPad X60s, and says for road warriors, these small, light, well-designed laptops are worth their hefty price tags.
Palm’s new Treo 700w uses Microsoft’s Windows Mobile software, but despite some nice features, it’s neither as easy to use nor as powerful as the Palm-based 650.
Walt tests Verizon’s new Fios high-speed Internet service, which delivers far faster connections than other services now on the U.S. market for only a slightly higher monthly fee.
Edited by Walt and written by Katie Boehret, this is a guide to gadgets, web services and other consumer technologies.
Ethics Statement
Here is a statement of my ethics and coverage policies. It is more than most of you want to know, but, in the age of suspicion of the media, I am laying it all out.
