The all-important holiday season is here, and with it the inevitable confusion about how to find the best deals on desktops and laptops. In order to help cut through the clutter, we are once again scouring the shelves of big retail stores to find boxed versions of popular PCs, from entry-level systems starting at $349 to Core i7 powerhouses.
The difference from our normal lineup of reviews is that this roundup is concerned with the specific retail models offered by brick-and-mortar stores. These are similar to those you'd be able to configure online from companies such as Dell and HP, but may have slightly different names and features. Even better, thanks to deep holiday discounts, they can sometimes be a better deal than buying direct from a PC maker.
One way to use this guide is to pick up a Sunday newspaper sales circular (which will list the retail-specific models names of computers on sale), and check here for a review before heading out to the store.
We've got all the entire list of models in our retail review roundup below, and we'll update this page with ratings and live links as the systems get reviewed over the next several weeks.
(Note: Apple's desktops and laptops, while popular holiday items, are the same whether purchased direct from Apple or in a store. You can find recent Apple products reviewed or profiled here: latest Apple MacBooks; latest Apple iMacs; latest Apple Mac Minis.)
Updates:
>See our favorite laptop in the budget category here.
>See our favorite laptop in the Netbook category here.
See more news, reviews, and recommendations in our Laptops and Desktops sections.
If you're a fan of comic books, you should also be a fan of the iPhone. Apple's smartphone is home to several neat comic-book apps designed specifically for those who want to enjoy harrowing stories of their favorite heroes in the Digital Age.
I've sifted through the many apps related to comic books and found a handful that you'll want to try out. Whether you're a DC Comics fan or you're partial to Marvel, I think you'll like what you find in these apps.
Get your comic on
Clickwheel Comic Reader if you plan to read comic books on your iPhone, the Clickwheel Comic Reader will be able to satisfy that desire.
When you start using Clickwheel Comic Reader, you'll be able to sift through comic books and find one you want to read. The app doesn't have many of the classics like those you would find from an app like Comics or iVerse Comics (see below), but it does have some comic books you might care about. Either way, the app displays all your favorite content in full color on your iPhone. And since it's free, it's probably worth trying out if you don't mind reading a relatively small collection of books.
If you want to read some comic books, Clickwheel might be your choice.
(Credit: Clickwheel)Comic Envi If you're more into comic strips than comic books, we have you covered too.
With the help of Comic Envi, you can check out some of your favorite comic strips. You can check out old, well-known comic strips, Web-only offerings, and more. You have the option of viewing them in a slideshow or by moving them with your fingers. You can also check out the daily updated strips or some of the titles in the archive. It's a neat utility, but beware that you will need to pay 99 cents to get it.
Check out Comic Strips with the help of Comic Envi.
(Credit: Comic Envi)Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has written about everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Don is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and posts at The Digital Home. He is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.
"Star Trek" is coming (back) to theaters, and millions of fans are getting ready to check it out. It's serious business. Before you see the new film, watch these 10 videos that spoof the famed franchise.
Ben Stiller gets in on the action
What's better than watching "Star Trek" get spoofed? Watching Ben Stiller spoof "Star Trek"! In this clip, he's Captain Kirk. And he's on a mission.
Can I get a...
Something is on the minds of Captain Kirk, Spock, and the rest. They're worried. They're pensive. No, they're just hungry.
Grandpa Simpson loves old-school "Star Trek"
"The Simpsons" is one of the most cherished cartoon comedies in history. And its portrayal of "Star Trek XII" is hilarious. You'll find all your favorites--Kirk, Spock, and Sulu--but they'll be just a little older than you remember them. And Grandpa Simpson loves it.
Blu-ray may have started out as a mess, with confusing "profiles" and painfully slow load times, but this year's standalone players have finally gotten their acts together. The new 2009 Blu-ray players are already hitting retailers and we're happy to report that all the units we've tested have full Profile 2.0 compatibility, as well as onboard decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio Essential. The days of half-baked standalone Blu-ray players are pretty much over.
The Samsung BD-P3600 is the standout player of the bunch, going beyond the basic features to include Netflix and Pandora streaming, 7.1 analog outputs, 1GB onboard memory, and an included Wi-Fi USB dongle. We were also very impressed with its operational speed, as it's the only player we've seen that is generally as fast as the Sony PlayStation 3.
We've spent the last eight weeks testing and reviewing almost two dozen retail fixed-configuration laptops. Those are the specific models you'll find listed in Sunday newspaper sales circulars and boxed up and ready to go at big brick-and-mortar outlets.
The HP G60-235DX.
In the entry level category, which refers to laptops under $599, you're going to find systems that are functional, but not particularly exciting. Faster dual-core processors and bigger screens are the main reasons to trade up from a similarly priced Netbook. As long as you keep your expectations modest, an entry level laptop can be good for either cash-strapped students or those with modest computing needs.
The majority have AMD processors, but we found two with Intel Core Duo CPUs (the cheaper cousin of Intel's mainstream Core 2 Duo). Those two Intel laptops were faster than the competition, and of the pair, we preferred the HP G60-235DX for its 16:9 wide-screen display, separate number pad, and better-than-expected battery life.
The Gateway MD7818u.
Stepping up to the budget category, which includes laptops from $600 to $899, we found a wider range of features, screen sizes, and components. The majority of the systems in this category had Intel Core 2 Duo CPUs (the 2.0GHz T6400, to be exact), though there were a pair of AMD-powered laptops that lagged behind in our benchmark tests.
The Gateway MD7818u was our overall favorite in the category, thanks to its large 500GB hard drive, 16:9 wide-screen display, and generally upscale look and feel. Also notable was the Toshiba Satellite A305-S6916, which costs a little more and loses a bit of hard drive space, but adds a 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650 graphics card, which is about as good as you're going to do for graphics in this price range.
The Gateway P-7805u FX.
Finally, we looked at a handful of mainstream laptops, running from $900-$1,200. Our overall favorite is the latest version of Gateway's FX-series 17-inch, the Gateway P-7805u FX. Gamers on a budget will love the 1GB Nvidia GeForce 9800 GPU, but the 17-inch display deserves a higher screen resolution (which the previous model had). A rare entry in the 15-inch gaming laptop category, we also liked the Asus G50VT, which packed in a 512MB version of the GeForce 9800.
While ordering a laptop direct from a PC maker such as Dell or HP gives one an opportunity to custom-build a machine from scratch, there's clearly a big demand out there for boxed-up, ready to go systems. If you're looking for that kind of instant-gratification retail therapy, there are some good deals out there--just make sure to check the component list carefully, making sure you're getting what you need, and are not paying for too many features you don't want.
Editor's Note: Yes, we love MacBooks just as much as you do (check out our review of the current 13-inch model here), but the retail versions are exactly the same as you'd get online, so we've saved some space for laptops that don't normally get any attention.
Toshiba's 13-inch U405.
With Apple's MacBook so popular and well-regarded, we're always surprised that there aren't more 13-inch laptops out there. After all, one of the reasons the MacBook resonates so well with people is because its 13-inch size hits the perfect balance between portability and usability. Put another way, a 13-inch laptop is the biggest we'd consider carrying around on a regular basis, and the smallest we'd consider usable as our main everyday computer.
We've already seen one new 13-inch that was an impressive MacBook alternative, the HP Pavilion dv3510nr, which offered a backlit keyboard, a 320GB hard drive, an Nvidia GeForce 9300 GPU, a tiny remote control, and an HDMI port -- all for $1,099.
Less impressive was another recent 13-inch laptop, the Toshiba U405D-S2874. This model was only $100 less than the HP, but had a much slower AMD processor, a smaller hard drive, integrated graphics, and none of the cool extras, such as the backlit keyboard and remote control. It's still worth noting that both of these laptops are still less expensive than the standard $1,299 MacBook.
Both are part of our Holiday 2008 Retail Laptop Roundup, which compares specific new configurations of popular laptops found in retail stores, making it easy to see which systems give you the best bang for your buck.
Following the success of our big summertime roundup of back-to-school laptops, we're busy testing almost two dozen new holiday models in the CNET Labs.
Same as before, we've scoured the retail shelves of big box electronics stores to find the specific configurations and model numbers you're most likely to find in stores and in Sunday newspaper sales circulars.
In plain English, that means, these are the exact same models and configurations you'll find boxed up and ready to go in traditional brick-and-mortar stores, as well as the systems most likely to end up deeply discounted during the holiday shopping season.
Bookmark this page and check back regularly to follow these links to the full reviews, which we'll be publishing over the next several weeks. We'll also be picking one or more winners in each category and presenting those separately.
Also check out our previous retail roundup, the back-to-school laptop guide, along with the best-of-back-to-school winners.
Entry level ($649 or less)
Acer Aspire 5735-4624 [Rating: 4 stars]
Compaq CQ50-215NR [2 stars]
Dell 1525-139B [3 stars]
Gateway T-6330U [3.5 stars]
Budget ($699 - $799)
Toshiba Satellite L355D-S7825 [2.5 stars]
HP G60-125NR [2 stars]
Toshiba Satellite A305-S6872 [3.5 stars]
HP Pavilion dv4-1125nr [4 stars]
Sony Vaio VGN-NS140E/W [3.5 stars]
Mainstream ($800 - $999)
Dell Studio S1535-143B [3.5 stars]
Asus X83VB-X1 [3.5 stars]
Toshiba Satellite U405D-S2874 [2.5 stars]
HP Pavilion dv4-1155se [3 stars]
Gateway MC7801u [3.5 stars]
High-end ($1,000 and up)
Asus X83VM-X1 [4 stars]
HP Pavilion dv3510nr [4 stars]
Toshiba Satellite E105-S1402 [3.5 stars]
Sony Vaio VGN-FW270J/W [4 stars]
Sony Vaio VGN-AW125J/H [4 stars]
See more laptop recommendations in our holiday gift guide.
This week WiiWare gets two new additions, while the Virtual Console gets a classic scrolling shooter.
Virtual Console
- SkyKid (1985, NES, 500 Wii points): SkyKid is a horizontal scrolling shooter that has you battling in the skies in order to save Bird Land--yes that's what it's called. Grab the bombs on each level and drop them on various targets to advance.
WiiWare
- Critter Round-Up (Konami, 1,000 Wii points): All the animals have escaped and it's up to you to get them back. The puzzle game includes more than 50 levels with various environments.
- Star Soldier R (Hudson Entertainment, 800 Wii points): Star Soldier R has you competing in two- or five-minute bursts of shooter action as you battle the Brain Forces. You can even upload your top scores using your Nintendo Wi-Fi connection.
What games do you think are missing from the Wii virtual console? Sound off here!
It seems people are already thinking about dressing up their phones for the upcoming holiday season.
The theme song to Halloween is this week's Billboard No. 1 ringtone.
Whether your Halloween party theme is "bad high school prom" (like the one I got invited to) or just the regular "come as a freak," certainly it's fun to spice up your incoming calls with a unique seasonal ringtone.
But surely CNET's readers can get more original than the theme to Halloween.
Here are some ideas for fun and unique Halloween/autumn ringtones from the CNET writers and editors. Please add your ideas to the list.
• "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" by the White Stripes
• "Autumn Leaves" by Miles Davis
• "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" by Bach (spooky-sounding pipe organs)
• "Werewolves of London" by Warren Zevon
• "She's not There" by the Zombies
• "Ave Satani" (them from The Omen) by Jerry Goldsmith
• The Addams Family theme
• The Rosemary's Baby theme
• Tales from the Crypt theme
• Dark Shadows theme
• The Crow theme
• "Monster Mash" by Bobby "Boris" Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers
• "Thriller" by Michael Jackson
• "Tubular Bells" (The Exorcist theme)
• "Ride of the Valkyries" by Wagner (aka Elmer Fudd's "Kill the wabbit! Kill the wabbit!")
Hopefully, the start of the television season means the return of more interesting (and free) ringtones from network and show sites.
Yes, it's blatant advertising and probably an attempt to get your cell number and market research info. But, you can't deny it's also fun to have a Heroes ringtone on your little cell phone.
As for Billboard's top ringtones chart, it's the same top four favorites. Henry Mancini's "Pink Panther" theme ringtone is in No. 1, with Grupo Montez De Durango's "Adios Amor Te Vas" at No. 2, Koji Kondo's "Super Mario Bros. Theme" in third, and 50 Cent Featuring Olivia in fourth with "Candy Shop."
We'll check back once the TV season has started to let your in on where those ringtone freebies can be found and who's offering them.
