Review

Review: iWork 09 Keynote Remote for iPhone and iPod Touch

Apple solved one problem of presenting with Keynote which is a part of iWork 09 by releasing the app Keynote Remote for iPhone and iPod Touch (iTunes Link) for $.99.

We found one thing a bit ironic and that was that the app wasn't free like the iTunes and Apple TV remote application. Especially when you have already paid $79 for iWork 09. Sometimes we just don't know if we'll ever understand Apple's logic behind these decisions.

The app lets you control your Keynote slide presentation that you present from our Apple computer using your iPhone … Read more

Review: Ballistic Trajectory Calculator

Ballistic is a new app written by Jonathan Zdziarski that brings a very advanced ballistics calculator to the iPhone and iPod Touch. The app comes in two versions a standard edition ( iTunes Link) for $7.99 and a Field Tactical Edition ( iTunes Link) for $9.99. This review will be about the standard edition.

Speed & Accuracy

The application is very fast at performing calculations, and it makes a great trajectory calculator. Perfect on the range, yes, but only because it is on the iPhone and portable thus fitting in the pockets of your BDU's or other favorite range … Read more

Sanyo 120Hz projector a fine bargain

When most people think of a big screen HDTV, they think of something like a 50-inch plasma set, but real home theater enthusiasts know front projectors are the real way to go big. Sanyo's PLV-Z3000 is a 1080p projector, and it has a nice feature package for fine tuning picture quality, good connectivity options, and is quite inexpensive. While it's performance didn't quite match up to the Sony VPL-HW10 we reviewed last November (mostly because of inaccurate primary colors), it does cost about $600 less. Overall, Sanyo's affordable 1080p front projector has its share of flaws, but still represents a good value in its category.

Read the full review of the Sanyo PLV-Z3000.… Read more

What we Craved this week

Lots of news in gadgets this week, which is welcome after the usual post-CES lull. If you didn't have time to catch it all in real time, we've helpfully compiled a list of some of this week's best stories. Consider it Crave's Valentine to you. <3

• In honor of the holiday everyone loves to hate, we here at Crave compiled a list of the gadgets we've loved and lost, or got so frustrated with we wanted to throw them against the wall. Check out the gadgets that broke our hearts.

• The Kindle 2 arrived … Read more

Two 24-inchers sacrifice features for price

Now that I've gotten those two 19-inchers out of the way we can delve into something a little meatier. Five inches meatier to be exact.

OK, if the aforementioned blog is anything to go by, I should be pretty excited about the Dell S2409W and the BenQ E2400HD, both being larger monitors. Well, I am and I'm not.

The two 19-inchers can be found for as low as $300 online. Also, their relative performance was impressive for the price, especially on the Dell. So yeah, that's something to be excited about: two well-performing 24-inchers for $300.

So … Read more

Week in review: Valentines for green tech

Cupid was sweet this week on the environment, with Congress earmarking billions for energy in the economic stimulus plan, a contract awarded for a big solar power plant in Southern California, and even Google crashing the smart-grid party.

The $789 billion economic stimulus package, which the House approved Friday afternoon, includes tens of billions of dollars for energy through direct government investments and tax incentives. A vote in the Senate is expected Friday evening.

Overall, there is $50 billion for energy programs, much of it focused on energy efficiency and renewable energy, and $20 billion in tax incentives for renewable … Read more

19-inch monitors: Please try to quell your excitement

Are you as excited about 19-inch monitors as I am?! If you answered, "Yes! I'm SO excited I can't stand it!" then you may want to reevaluate your life priorities. If you answered, "Probably not," then you should hit me up for a drink sometime, as you sound like a normal person I could have a conversation with, without feeling like you're gonna flip out at any moment, pull a monitor from under the table, and smash me in the face.

What I'm trying to say is, smaller monitors just aren't … Read more

Kindle 2: Hands-on impressions

Additional coverage: Amazon Kindle 2

While Amazon isn't doling out review samples of its new Kindle 2 digital reader for a few weeks, I did get a chance to play with it at the launch event and come away with some first impressions.

Let me start by saying that the Kindle 2 is a nice upgrade over the original Kindle, but we're not talking a jump from, say, black-and-white television to color, so early adopters who own the original Kindle shouldn't feel too dejected.

Yes, the Kindle 2 is thinner--it measures a svelte 0.36 inches at its thickest point--and weighs in at 10.2 ounces. It also has 25 percent improved battery life and is about 20 percent faster, thanks to an upgraded processor. And it's got 16 shades of gray instead of 4, so the text pops a little more. But this is an evolution, not a revolution.

One thing that hasn't changed much is the height and width of the new Kindle. Some people have complained that the original Kindle should have been shorter and forgone the keyboard, like the Sony Reader. Whether you're a fan of the keyboard or not, it's worth noting that the Kindle 2 is about the same size as the original, measuring 8 inches top to bottom. According to the specs, the screen itself is a 6-inch, diagonal, E-Ink, electronic-paper display, with 600x800 pixel resolution at 167 ppi.

One gripe that Amazon has clearly addressed is the issue with the page-advance button. On the original Kindle, that button was extra long and easy to depress, which meant it was very easy to accidentally turn pages. On the Kindle 2, the page-turn buttons are smaller, and in playing with the device I noticed that it took a bit more effort to actually click the button and advance a page.

… Read more

Panasonic Premiere plasmas are great, but not quite as good as Kuro

Despite the fact that Pioneer has exited the HDTV business, we still consider its Elite Kuro plasma TVs, such as the PRO-111FD, the best-performing televisions we've ever tested. Now Panasonic has released a new lineup of so-called Premiere plasmas that takes direct aim at the Kuros. While they deliver a superb picture, they still fall a bit short of the mark.

We reviewed the 65-inch member of the series, model TH-65VX100U ($9,995 list), and there's a 50-inch version coming in late February, model TH-50VX100U ($4,995 list). Aside from their high price tags, these displays must overcome the fact that Panasonic announced a slew of new plasmas at CES that use the company's next-generation NEO PDP panels, which consume less power and deliver even deeper black levels, according to the company. Before somebody asks, no, the Premiere series does not use the new panels.

Still, there's a lot to like about these expensive displays. Picture quality is excellent, with deep black levels and superb shadow detail, although color accuracy (along with black level) didn't match the Kuro. The Premiere plasmas have the same build quality we lauded on Panasonic's standard professional monitors, like the TH-50PF11UK. They also share some of the same "professional" characteristics, such as the necessity to purchase a separate stand and speakers if you need them, and relatively sparse input selection.

Read the full review of the Panasonic TH-VX100U Premiere series.

… Read more