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Top five budget routers that won't disappoint

I admit it, I have a problem. I am a fan of fast networking products and often feel uneasy if what I have isn't the latest and greatest. That hasn't changed at all, despite the fact that over the years, I have realized that the latest and greatest is generally way more than I need.

The truth of the matter is, for most homes (and even certain types of small offices), all you need is a stable Wireless-N Wi-Fi router. This is because the main purpose of the router is often just to share the Internet connection and some network resources, such as printers and documents. Since the Internet speed generally caps at much lower amount than Wireless-N's speed, it won't get faster if you upgrade the router to the latest and greatest. On top of that, the majority of wireless hardware clients, such as tablets, smartphones, laptops, support Wireless-N (802.11n) or the slower Wireless-G (802.11g) standards. Since the speed of a network connection is determined by the slowest speed of any party involved, a lot of time having a superfast router doesn't help with the speed of the local LAN, either.

That said, if you just want a simple home network to share the Internet and data files, the following routers will more than get the job done. The best part is that none of them costs you more than $80.… Read more

Top 5 features missing from iPhone 5

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The iPhone 5 has arrived, and it's pretty great. But I can't shake this nagging feeling that Apple could have done more.

A week ago, CNET's David Carnoy penned a great roundup of the most-wanted features that didn't make it into the iPhone 5. It seemed like easy pickings for a Top 5 video, so I imposed a ranking, stood in front of a camera, and created the video you see before you (click here if you don't see a video at the top of this … Read more

Top 5 laptops under $600

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If you're looking for a good, affordable laptop, look no further. In this week's Top 5 video (shown above, unless you've crippled your browser with ad-blocker software), I'm rounding up the best laptops under $600.

The list is based on CNET Senior Editor Dan Ackerman's sub-$600 laptop roundup, which is very much worth your time if you'd like to learn more about these laptops.

The ranking was decided according to screen size, assuming that more screen for the money equates to a better value. … Read more

Top 5 things to do with an old Kindle Fire

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Amazon's original Kindle Fire tablet has been officially put out to pasture. In its place are four new tablets, a 7-inch Kindle Fire HD, an 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD, a version with laughably limited 4G, and an entry-level model that looks like the original, but isn't.

Whether you'll end up buying one of Amazon's new tablets, or one of its competitors', a lot of you are probably asking yourselves, "What do I do with my old Kindle Fire?"… Read more

No new Apple TV this year, report says

Apple's plans to reinvent the way we enjoy entertainment in the living room are being pushed back another year, a new report claims.

Apple has decided to shelve plans to launch a new Apple TV set-top box this year after facing negotiation troubles with cable and media companies, Bloomberg is reporting today, citing sources. Chief among the disputes is how software would be implemented in the new device.

The companies also can't reach a deal on whether the box should be sold directly to consumers or offered through cable providers, Bloomberg's sources say.

The Apple TV set-top … Read more

Top 5 home theater essentials (2012)

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It's easy to go over the top when it comes to outfitting your dream home theater system. One minute you're checking out HD projectors, and the next minute you're trying to figure out how to convert your entire basement into a giant subwoofer.

But it never hurts to start with the basics. In this CNET Top 5, I asked CNET Associate Editor Matthew Moskovciak for the essential ingredients in today's modern home theater system.

Google wants to shop Motorola's TV set-top biz around

Google appears itching to get rid of the television set-top box business it inherited from the acquisition of Motorola Mobility.

The Internet search giant has hired Barclays to help it find buyers, according to Bloomberg, which cited anonymous sources and said the home business unit might fetch $2 billion.

That Google wants to sell Motorola's set-top box business and focus on smartphones isn't surprising; speculation of its desire to shed the business has popped up on numerous occasions. Google instead wants to mine Motorola's patent portfolio for a more potent legal weapon against Apple, as well as … Read more

Headphones under $50

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If you're looking to improve the quality of your music, headphones are the most important link in the chain. Today's phones, tablets, and computers are capable of spectacular audio quality that was unthinkable just 10 years ago, but you're not going to hear it with the headphones that came in the box.

Fortunately, you don't have to spend a lot of money to hear a dramatic improvement in headphone audio quality. In this Top 5, we have the best headphones for under $50, as selected by CNET … Read more

The Audiophiliac's Top 13 music Blu-ray discs

I wrote a Top 10 music Blu-ray list late last year, so it's time for an update.

Patricia Barber, "Modern Cool"

Sultry jazz singer Patricia Barber's "Modern Cool" album was a hit with the audiophile crowd soon after its release in 1998, so I was surprised to see it come out on Blu-ray with a new 5.1-channel DTS Master Audio mix. Even more surprised that the surround mix totally works. You're in the middle of the band, which I usually don't care for, but it clicks here. Barber wrote a lot … Read more

Phones to avoid (2012)

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Not every phone can be great. Sometimes, in the rush to get a phone to market, the final product comes out a little half-baked.

A few weeks ago, CNET's Jessica Dolcourt published a blog post called "Don't buy these phones." Being the math whiz that I am, I noticed that her list had five phones and I promptly rehashed it to fit my purposes.

Now, these aren't terrible phones. Most are rated between 2 and 3 stars. They work as advertised, they won't fall apart … Read more