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Microsoft's Surface tablet is suffering from low production yields, according to a new report.

The software giant is currently working with a "second-tier" Surface chassis supplier that's having trouble producing enough units to match Microsoft's expectations, according to Digitimes, citing sources. The low yield has caused Microsoft to spend extra time evaluating the company's manufacturing to see how it can be improved.

The issue, according to Digitimes' sources, is that the Surface's VaporMg case, which is made out of magnesium, isn't so easy to produce. The blog's sources say that Microsoft … Read more

The Canon Pixma MG5320 is a worthwhile photo printer for families and work groups, and you get plenty of new features like HD Movie Print, fun photo filters, and Pixma Cloud Link that can provide new ways to bring your digital photos to life.

It's also a thinner shape that we're used to seeing from Canon, and foldable paper output trays reduce the overall footprint, so it's convenient for offices that don't have a lot of work space. The top of the printer has a 3-inch LCD display with a scroll dial for surfing the different application menus, and you also get 150-sheet paper input trays on the front and back of the unit--this is specifically convenient for amateur photographers because you can store standard 8.5x11-inch sheets in the bottom drawer and save the top one for photo paper. … Read more

Fish-eye lenses and toy cameras make us all nostalgic for sun-bleached summer days, but they don't always take the best-resolution photos. Today, Canon adds two new Pixma photo printers to its multifunction lineup that let you add fun filters to any digital photo using Easy-PhotoPrint EX software.

PIXMA MG8220 and MG6220 All-in-Ones (AiO) are both optimized for the amateur photographer with features like built-in Wi-Fi for cordless setup, six individual ink tanks for vivid images and cartridge conservation, and Canon's convenient Intelligent Touch control panel that only illuminates the commands necessary for each function.

We got a first glimpse at this feature on the Canon Pixma MG6120 and found it intuitive and easy to use.

Both printers also make use of Canon's HD Movie Print that lets you pull still-frame snapshots out of videos recorded with compatible Canon HD video cameras, like the Canon PowerShot Elph 510 HS, just released today.

Finally, Canon's latest print technology, called Cloud Link, helps you pull images and documents to print straight from Picasa or Canon's online Image Gateway repository without ever going back to your computer. You can also download and print templates like calendars, to-do lists, stationary, and more--both printers offer Cloud Link printing out of the box, but you have to have a wireless network setup to access the content.

So what's the difference between the two? The MG6220 will debut at $200 when it goes on sale later this year, but the $100 increase for the MG8220 nets you an additional Film Adapter Unit for converting older and negatives to digital format of your choice, as well as a larger 3.5-inch LCD screen, and auto-duplexing for double-sided printing.

Click through the break for more pictures of both printers.… Read more

Magnepan, based in White Bear Lake, Minn., has built nothing but flat-panel speakers since 1969. The company will be premiering a new speaker, the MG 3.7, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, from January 6-9. To some this may appear to be a deja vu event, mirroring last year's introduction of the MG 1.7, which turned out to be one of my speaker of the year picks for 2010.

But I wouldn't want you to think of Magnepan as one of those companies that rolls out "all new" models every year. The … Read more

I've probably listened to and reviewed a thousand speakers, and truth be told, the majority of them never sound like live music. They sound like speakers.

The "problem" with box speakers is that you're always aware the sound is coming out of a box, but Magnepan speakers don't have a box. And they don't have dome tweeters or cone midrange or woofer drivers, either. Magnepan technology is radically different than what you find on box speakers, so the 1.7's sound "floats" free of the speakers themselves.

The new Magnepan 1.7 ($1,995 per pair) looks a lot like the model it replaces, the 1.6, which was regarded by many of the world's high-end audio critics, including me, as one of the greatest less-than-$2,000 speakers on the market. The 1.6 stayed in the line for more than 10 years, and I have every reason to believe the 1.7 will be a standard bearer for just as long. And speaking of value, Magnepan also offers a factory-direct $599 (per pair) panel speaker, the MMG. The technology isn't as advanced as the 1.7's, but it's miles ahead of any other $599 speaker I can think of.

The 1.7 panel is 64.5 inches high, 19.25 wide, and just 2 inches thick. Magnepan builds all of its speakers in White Bear Lake, Minn., and almost all the 1.7's parts that aren't fabricated in-house are sourced from U.S. suppliers. I reviewed the 1.7 for Tone Audio magazine, where you can read the complete review.

The 1.7's technology is unprecedented for Magnepan; the speaker is the company's first "full-range ribbon" design. It's also worth noting that what makes a well setup pair of 1.7s so special isn't just something that only dyed-in-the-wool audiophiles would notice; pretty much anyone with ears will immediately grasp what's going on. Their box-free sound is astonishing.… Read more

Every year product life cycles in the consumer marketplace grow ever shorter and we see ever faster turnover in cameras, phones computers, and so on. On the audio side, the latest and greatest receivers become yesterday's news faster than you can say "HDMI 1.4." It seems like no receiver can stay current for more than a year or so.

Speaker companies show a little more restraint and "refresh" their lines every few years, but even then new models rarely demonstrate actual performance improvements over the previous generations' models. Speaker manufacturer Magnepan doesn't play by those rules; it invests years of development in each of its models before introducing a new speaker. It has to sound better--a lot better--than the outgoing model before it's released to the world.

And not just in the opinion of the designers. New-model Magnepans undergo extensive "blind" listening tests with a wide range of audiophile and non-audiophile listeners (the listeners don't know whether they're hearing the old or new model). The new speaker must consistently score better than the old model before it goes into production.

When I first heard the Magneplanar 1.6 back in 2008 I said it was the best under-$2,000 speaker on the market. Incredibly enough it was 10 years old at the time! The Magneplanar 1.6 has stayed in production for 12 years, but now it's about to be replaced with the new Magneplanar 1.7.

Magnepan, based in White Bear Lake, Minn., builds nothing but panel (boxless) speakers. Not only that, Magnepan designs forgo conventional dome tweeters and cone-type woofers. As I pointed out in my August 14, 2008, blog that's why the company's Magneplanar 1.6 speaker mostly avoids sounding like a speaker. The speaker earned the top position in my Top 10 greatest audiophile speakers blog earlier this year.

The new Magneplanar 1.7 is also a flat-panel design, 64.5 inches tall and a mere 2 inches thick! The new speaker looks a little more contemporary, thanks to its aluminum, wrap-around edge molding. The old model was a two-way design, with a 48-inch-tall aluminum ribbon tweeter and a 442-square-inch mid/bass panel. The Magneplanar 1.7 is a three-way design, with a woofer, tweeter, and super-tweeter. The super-tweeter comes in around 10,000 hertz and is said to produce wider dispersion and better-resolved treble than the Magneplanar 1.6 did.

The other big difference is the Magneplanar 1.7 is a "full-range" ribbon design.… Read more

CNET has not reviewed the JVC Everio GZ-MG670 and GZ-MG680 standard-definition digital camcorders. However, they are primarily the same as the JVC Everio GZ-MS120, which has been reviewed.

The only differences between the models are size, storage media, and in-camera video upconversion. The slightly smaller MS120 has no fixed internal memory. Instead, it has two SD/SDHC memory card slots, but no included memory cards. Buyers must purchase an SD/SDHC card up to 32GB separately.

The JVC Everio GZ-MG670 and MG680 have internal 80GB and 120GB hard drives, respectively, for storage as well as a microSDHC card slot for … Read more

CNET has not reviewed the JVC Everio GZ-MG630. However, it is primarily the same as the JVC Everio GZ-MS120, which has been reviewed.

The only differences between the two models are size and storage media. The slightly smaller MS120 has no fixed internal memory. Instead, it has two SD/SDHC memory card slots, but no included memory cards. Buyers must purchase an SD/SDHC card up to 32GB separately.

The JVC Everio GZ-MG630 has an internal 60GB hard drive for storage as well as a microSDHC card slot for expansion.

The Chinese have found that reviving old British sports cars is a tough business.

Limited production of the MG TF roadster at the former MG Rover factory near Birmingham, England, has stopped again.

Just 265 MG TFs have been sold this year. The car, available only in Great Britain, once was the United Kingdom's top-selling small roadster. After MG Rover collapsed in 2005, much of the company's production equipment was sold to Nanjing Automobile Group, which since has been absorbed by Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp.

The TF, styled by Gerry McGovern, now director of advanced design at Land … Read more