Crave

Imagine the HP Mini 311 with a new Atom...

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

With CES coming in January and Windows 7 computers already everywhere to be found, a casual observer might assume that Vegas' annual consumer electronics extravaganza might not be as exciting for laptops. For Netbooks, at the least, that seems to be completely untrue. Although Netbooks have seen an across-the-board upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7 and, in some instances, boosts from HD-resolution screens to added RAM to discrete Nvidia GPUs, Netbooks still tend to run variants on the same N270/280 Atom processor we've seen since 2008.

Intel has been readying their newer Atoms, including a dual-core D510, for a while, but a rumor of a leaked document suggests that Intel might be unveiling the new Atom N450 (the successor to the N270), and even new Netbooks and nettops containing it, at CES. The report also suggests a possibly quick decommissioning of the old Atom N270s. Intel's new Atoms are supposed to provide better battery life as well as smoother video playback.

We've already found some great new Netbooks recently (check our 2009 Holiday Tech Guide for some suggestions), and this should only drive the new wave of Netbooks ever forward.

We're excited about seeing some of these future Netbooks. As long as they stay affordable, that is.

(Via Engadget)

Lexmark's X4650 multifunction printer works over Wi-Fi--or with the bundled USB cable.

(Credit: Wal-Mart)

In the market for a new printer? Might as well get one that doubles as a scanner and copier. And one that works without wires.

Wal-Mart has the Lexmark X4650 wireless all-in-one printer for $59. Shipping will run you 97 cents, though you can skip that by opting for store pickup. Either way, plan on paying sales tax.

As most of you know, I hold Wi-Fi printers in the same high regard as chocolate-covered caramels and Jessica Alba. The X4650 connects to your Wi-Fi router for blissfully wireless printing and scanning.

Ironically, Wal-Mart bundles a 10-foot Tripp Lite gold-plated USB cable, just in case you're not planning to go the Wi-Fi route.

The X4650 offers dual-cartridge printing. If you want the best possible photo results, you can swap in a photo-ink cartridge for the black one and enjoy six-color output.

The downside is that, as with most inkjets, cartridges cost a pretty penny. Plan on dropping at least $25 for each replacement--a little less if you go the remanufactured route.

The printer supports all the latest versions of Windows and Mac OS X. Though it lacks fax capabilities, it can scan to your PC's fax modem (if it has one) and also offers a handy scan-to-e-mail option.

In short, it's a fairly basic multifunction printer, one that sold for $130 when it debuted about a year ago. CNET hasn't reviewed it, but the reviews I've seen elsewhere have been mostly positive. (The only real ding is relatively slow printing.)

In any case, $59 for a Wi-Fi-equipped all-in-one is a rare find. Definitely worth considering.

Nokia is replacing potentially dangerous phone chargers for free, the mobile giant said Monday.

The recall affects 14 million chargers, according to the Associated Press.

The affected chargers are manufactured by third-party suppliers, Nokia said. A loose cover could potentially expose the charger's internal components and thus pose an electrical shock hazard if accidentally touched during use, the company said.

Chargers involved in the exchange are 2-pin types and include the AC-3E and AC-3U models manufactured between June 15 and August 9, 2009, as well as the AC-4U model made between April 13 and October 25, 2009. A Nokia site offers more information.

Read more of "Nokia rolls out charger exchange program" at CNET Asia.

Latest all-weather additions from Lowe Pro: photos

Lowe Pro has recently added to its line-up of all-weather (AW) camera bags. The new bags all share Lowe Pro's All-Weather construction, with built-in rain covers for when the conditions change. Some feature removable laptop sleeves, one even has a flip-up sunshade for the laptop when on location. From smaller more stealth bags, to holster style cases and full size backpacks, there is something for a wide array of needs for the professional and photo enthusiast.

The Pro Trekker 300 AW, 400 AW and 650 AW are professional grade backpacks designed to carry large amounts of gear. All-weather construction with a built-in rain cover. The model number refers to the largest focal-length lens that can be on the camera when it is inserted in the bag. Has removable waist belt that can be used as a work belt when removed. Hydration ready side pockets with seam sealed pouch. Sharing a design in line with camping backpacks, there is a top cap that covers the top of the backpack and can be cinched down to tighten up the body of the pack. The top cap can be removed and converts into a belt-pack. All three come with a removable foam laptop sleeve that fits up to a 15.4 inch screen. The Pro Trekker 300 AW sells for about $240, with the Pro Trekker 400 AW going for $280 and the Pro Trekker 600 AW for $320.

The Magnum 200 AW, 400 AW, 650 AW series are all black and designed for the professional photographer as a durable, portable toolbox. All-weather construction with a built-in rain cover. They share one piece foam framing all the way around for stronger corners to protect against impacts. The largest in the series, the 650, features a removable laptop sleeve with a built-in sun-shade, for location work. The Magnum 200 AW sells for about $150, with the Magnum 400 AW going for $200 and the Magnum 650 AW for $250.

The Outback 300 AW is a belt-pack, holster style camera bag. Modular belt-pack design with two interchangeable lens cases allowing you to gear up or gear down for the situation. All-weather construction with a built-in rain cover. Designed to protect your gear while allowing freedom of movement by freeing up your arms and shoulders, valuable when hiking and other activities. The Outback 300 AW sell for about $100.

The Versapack 200 AW is a fairly stealth camera bag with a daypack appearance. Great for anytime you don't want to look like you're carrying a camera bag. Two color schemes: black with gray and polar blue with gray. All-weather construction with a built-in rain cover. Lots of pockets easily accessible under front flap, for cell phones, sunglasses and such. Dual side entry compartments. The Versapack 200 AW sells for about $100.

The Classified Sling 180 AW and the 220 AW are all black, and are designed for those seeking a very discreet camera bag, great for travel and tight packed environments. Nimble Handling with its sling strap design. Side access to main compartments. A lean modern shape, designed to easily work in a crowd or on public transportation. Blends right in, doesn't scream camera bag. All-weather construction with a built-in rain cover. The 220 features a zippered, padded pocket that fits up to a 15.4 inch screen laptop. The Classified Sling 180 AW sells for about $130 and the 220 AW for about $150.

"Come on, Flixster. We know you can do better than that."

Those are the words I wrote on Friday to sum up a review of Flixster's movie app for BlackBerry phones. The trouble is, I goofed. I was apparently a day early, reviewing the previous Flixster for BlackBerry, which did deserve the critiques I dished out, and not the update, which Flixster was set to release on Saturday (we still don't see it in the BlackBerry App World as of Sunday, but keep checking the store and this post for an update). A re-review--or rather, a preview of the forthcoming Movies app, version 1.1.6--is only fair.

The updated Movies app by Flixster for

(Credit: Flixster)

Flixster's free Movies 1.1.6 for BlackBerry is a pronounced improvement over version 1.0, which served more as a shortcut to Flixster's mobile-optimized Web site than it did a native application. The movie app's navigation looks similar to the previous version, but is now stylized and fixed in place, with only the content refreshing as you move from tab to tab, not the entire screen as before.

As with many mobile apps that sync their content from a master Web site, the application's speed is still contingent on the strength of your connection. If you have a slow connection, the show times and theater lists will be slow to load. This is especially true when it comes to launching previews. It appears that movie previews call on the browser to initiate a download, and then play on the BlackBerry's built-in media player--at least in the case of my test phone, the BlackBerry Bold 9700. An error message that the wireless connection broke appeared after each trailer finished playing. Pressing the phone's "back" arrow key twice restored Flixster's app.

While the guts of the Flixster app are identical to the previous version, and mostly to the main Web site itself, the updated visual wrapper transforms the user experience from basic Web browsing to a cohesive launchpad from which you can read reviews, scour showtimes, and buy tickets by way of Movietickets.com. Flixster's Movies app is one I'd now readily, not reluctantly, use on BlackBerry when that urge to stare at the silver screen sets in.

The Nook

(Credit: Barnes & Noble)

Demand is so strong for the Nook that Barnes & Noble has begun telling new customers not to expect delivery of the soon-to-be-released e-reader until the second week of December.

When the nation's largest bookseller unveiled the device in October, customers placing early preorders were told they could expect the Nook to ship by the end of November; customers placing preorders now are being told they can expect shipment by December 11. The new shipping date was first reported by Brighthand.com.

A Barnes & Noble representative confirmed the December 11 shipping date but disputed the characterization of the new shipping date as a delay.

"Like with any hot, new consumer device, the sooner you order it, the sooner you receive it," said Mary Ellen Keating, senior vice president of corporate communications and public affairs. "We had high expectations for the Nook and couldn't be happier" with preorder sales. However, she declined to say how many of the e-readers had been preordered.

"We are working hard to meet demand for the holidays," she said.

Earlier this month, start-up Spring Design filed a lawsuit against Barnes & Noble, alleging the bookseller misappropriated its trade secrets in the design of the Nook. Spring Design had announced its Alex e-reader just days before Barnes & Noble formally unveiled the Nook. Both e-readers use the Android operating system and combine an e-ink screen with a color touch screen. It seeks both monetary damages and a halt to sales of the Nook.

The $259 Nook, a challenger to Amazon.com's Kindle, will join an expected boom in e-reader sales. In a report released last month, Forrester Research raised its 2009 forecast for e-reader sales in the United States to 3 million units from its previous prediction of 2 million sales. Forrester also expects Amazon's Kindle to command about 60 percent of the e-reader market in 2009, compared with 35 percent for Sony's Reader.

Beamer, an iPhone case with a built-in LED light, will only be available for purchase if at least 500 people preorder it.

(Credit: Quirky.com)

It's not like us to get too excited about an iPhone case, but this one shines--literally--because it's the very device I was wishing for last month while traveling in Europe.

This iPhone day shot of the Leaning Tower of Pisa turned out just fine, but my night shots didn't work at all. Beamer would have helped.

(Credit: Michelle Meyers/CNET)

Beamer, as the name connotes, is an iPhone case with a built-in LED light you can turn on to use as both a flashlight and a camera flash. Just the thing I needed when I wanted to shoot the Leaning Tower of Pisa at night with my iPhone, having left my real camera back at our hotel.

And it sure would have helped in Paris when we returned at night to our historic apartment building and had to climb six flights up a pitch-black spiral staircase. (I did light the way with my iPhone, but this would have been much better.)

Beamer has a hard-plastic, two-piece design, equipped with a replaceable coin cell battery that provides about 10 hours of illumination. Pressing the silicone button once will turn the light on for 10 seconds. Pressing it twice in a row will leave it on indefinitely, or until you press it a third time. It comes in an array of bright colors.

The case is just the latest design from Quirky, a relatively new collaborative design community that also conceived of the super-cute DigiDude tripod and that cool Watt Time light-bulb shaped alarm clock.

In line with Quirky's crowd-sourced production model, the Beamer won't be available for consumers until 500 orders have been made, at which point those who have committed to buying it will be charged $32. Right now, 44 prospective Beamer owners have preordered.

You gotta love a Lego rock star.

(Credit: Warner Bros. Interactive)

Too busy comparing Droid and iPhone price plans and not waiting in line outside a Verizon store to keep up with Crave this week? Fret not. As always, the weekly roundup is here for you.

• We (finally) got our hands on Dell's Adamo XPS.

• Netflix-compatible video devices--how to choose?

• A closer look at Courier's swipes, snips, and scribbles.

• Let's say you only have $350 to spend on a laptop...

We test-drove an Adamo XPS.

(Credit: Dan Ackerman/CNET)

• Next time you have a date with an iPhone user, hide your landline.

• David Bowie in Lego form!

• Salam wa aleikum, Arabic-speaking robot.

• David Carnoy hit the court with NBA 2K10 and BNA Live.

• Congratulations, Game Boy!

• Global battle of the... power plugs?

See anything we missed? Working on a brilliant and fascinating invention we should know about? Write to us at crave at cnet dot com.

LG Chocolate Touch VX8575 in hand

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Perhaps the biggest letdown of the LG Chocolate Touch VX8575 from Verizon Wireless is that it's not the LG Chocolate BL40. After getting teased for months by the sexy shots of the LG BL40, we thought there might be a chance we would see it stateside. Alas, the LG Chocolate Touch VX8575 looks nothing like its European cousin. In fact, the touch screen interface reminds us a lot of previous LG touch screen handsets, like the LG enV Touch for example. The geometric shapes on the back of the phone and the blob-like buttons underneath the display are about the only things that are unique about the phone's design.

Still, that doesn't mean the Touch VX8575 is a terrible phone. Continuing the Chocolate tradition of strong music features, the Chocolate Touch VX8575 has a great music player with Dolby Music equalizer settings (both manual and preset modes), an FM radio, and an integrated song ID feature. There's also a really fun "Join the Band" feature that gives you either a virtual drum kit or a scrolling 88-key keyboard to play along with your tunes. The drum kit even has a cow bell, which we found amusing.

That, and it has a nice 3.2-megapixel camera, EV-DO Rev. 0, V Cast video access, stereo Bluetooth, and a 3.5mm headset jack. We weren't big fans of the full HTML browser -- you have to keep going back to a URL-entry page to enter URLs, for example -- but it's otherwise a decent touch screen music phone from Verizon Wireless. The LG Chocolate Touch VX8575 is $79.99 with a two-year service agreement with Verizon Wireless.

Read our full review of the LG Chocolate Touch VX8575