e-Series

LAS VEGAS--The E series is Vizio's mainstream line of TVs for 2013, with myriad size and feature levels, but one feature shared among most of them is Smart TV.

The smallest Vizio Smart TV in 2013 will be the 24-inch E241i; I can't think of a smaller TV with built-in streaming and other Smart TV features. It and most of its larger E series brethren will use the same suite of apps and streaming services found on models like the E3201-A0, a TV I called "the strongest value we've seen yet among 32-inch TVs." I … Read more

Sony is warning consumers in Japan that a defect may cause their Walkman music player to malfunction.

According to the warning, the 2GB Sony NW-E052 Walkman can simply stop turning on or remain stuck at the boot screen. The company warns that other unrelated issues may cause similar errors but is confirming an issue within the integrated circuit for several large ranges of serial numbers: 7120001 to 7160000, 7190001 to 7210000, 7250001 to 7350000, and 8150001 to 8220000.

While this Walkman is limited to Japan, it is worth noting that Sony produced a very similar Walkman, the NWZ-E460 series, in … Read more

This year, Sony's refresh of its entry-level E-Series Walkman line is much different from previous generations.

The new NW-E060 series--due in Japan on February 11--will only come in 2GB (NW-E062) and 4GB (NW-E063) options, which is far less capacity than its predecessor (which went up to 16GB). What is truly noteworthy is the inclusion of digital noise-cancelling, which is a feature previously only available in its high-end Walkman audio players. Music playback with this option enabled is rather amazing, as it nearly removes disruptive ambient noise in its entirety.

Battery life is a healthy 30 hours for MP3 playback (24 hours with noise cancelling on), but that figure is 20 hours less than the previous model. Similarly, the screen is only a 1.4-inch LCD, once again a downgrade from the 2.0-inch screen used in the past. I am wondering if the cost of integrating digital noise-cancelling contributed to these cuts. On the other hand, maybe the gurus at Sony finally realized they were selling several MP3 players that were too similar and wanted to differentiate.… Read more

Cisco Systems released the original Linksys E4200 in January, which turned out to be a formidable wireless router.

Now as the year is ending, the company announced today the second version of the same router. And the Linksys E4200 v2 Maximum Performance Dual-Band N900 turns out to be one of the best, if not the best, router of the year.

The new E4200 v2 looks exactly the same as the original on the outside, with a sleek-looking design that looks more like an expensive jewelry box than a router. On the inside, however, it packs much more power than the … Read more

A short while ago, I gave the Editors' Choice Award to the Asus RT-N56U. At the time I thought, "It's gonna be some time before there's another router that comes close." I was wrong.

Cisco's new Linksys E3200 High Performance Dual-Band N Router, which we just reviewed, makes a great contender as another excellent, true dual-band router that won't break your bank. As a matter of fact, if it were just a little cheaper and offered better built-in network storage performance, it would get an Editors' Choice Award as well.

Released at the same … Read more

By rebranding the Dodge Grand Caravan as the Ram cargo van, or Ram C/V, Chrysler has paved the way to expand in the commercial van segment.

The U.S. automaker has more than 25 years of minivan engineering and promises the Ram C/V will meet the needs for small and large businesses.

The Ram C/V is a Class 1 commercial vehicle that offers a 1,800-lb. cargo payload and up to 3,600 lbs. in towing capability. It also features 16-inch steel wheels, a 160-amp alternator, 20-gallon fuel tank, and it runs on a 3.6-liter Pentastar … Read more

While professional cameras don't get updated nearly as frequently as consumer models, Olympus is still pushing it with the almost 3-year gap between its E-3 and the newly announced E-5. Given the pace of technological change, especially in that market and most notably with respect to video capture, it's a wonder that more Olympians haven't jumped ship. Don't get me wrong; there's still a lot to like about the Olympus system. If you shoot telephoto, the 2x focal-length multiplier makes for more easily achieved long-zoom shots, and the company still makes some of the best lenses. And it's well constructed, dust and splashproof. But for commercial photographers tasked with keeping up with ever more demanding clients, it must be frustrating to watch the company concentrating on its ILC (interchangeable-lens camera) market while you wait..and wait...and wait.

Was the E-5 worth the wait? While I can't really answer that until I've tested it, based on the specs I'm not very optimistic. Although it has the same autofocus system as the E-3, it's been tweaked, and the E-3 has always been pretty fast, anyway. It also retains the articulated LCD, which grows to 3 inches--definitely a plus. And of course, there's the resolution bump, and video. Here's a comparative summary:… Read more

Clearly, Sony didn't get the memo about mobile phones being the latest-and-greatest when it comes to portable audio, and it warms the cockles of my jaded heart. This morning, the company announced a refresh to its E-Series Walkman line in the form of the 4GB NWZ-E53 and the 8GB NWZ-E54. (Most disappointingly, there is not a 16GB or a 32GB version.)

The new MP3 players, which will not make calls or transmit text messages (hallelujah!), follow in the footsteps of the previous E-Series with a sleek and slim design, an impressive 50 hours of battery life for music (10 … Read more

The Linksys by Cisco brand of networking products might be on the way out. Along with its announcement Wednesday of  the Cisco Valet, a new line of wireless routers for home users, Cisco Systems has detailed a new line of routers for business and savvy users. These new routers have Cisco in their name but Linksys as their model number.

The E-series includes four new Wireless-N routers: Linksys E1000, Linksys E2000, Linksys E2100L, and Linksys E3000. The E1000 is the budget router for people with light networking needs.

The E2000 is a midrange wireless router with support for Gigabit … Read more