Crave

The photoshopped screen in this picture betrays its true nature. The real screen is glossy--real glossy.

(Credit: Josh P. Miller/CNET)

The LED revolution has truly begun. In the last month or so, we've reviewed three LED-based LCD computer monitors, and we expect that they won't be the last.

AOC V22 photos

Last week, we looked at the LG Flatron W2386L. It's an LED-based monitor that, while offering great game performance and a thin design, could not compare performancewise to the current LED king, the Samsung SyncMaster XL2370.

This week, we reviewed the AOC V22 LED monitor. Unlike many recent monitors, this one has a 16:10 aspect ratio instead of 16:9, Also, it has an extremely glossy screen--like "I can pick food out of my teeth looking at this thing" glossy.

More monitor reviews can be found here.

I reviewed the Samsung SyncMaster XL2370 a few weeks back. (BTW, that monitor is slated to be released at Best Buy on October 12, if you're interested.) Since then, it seems the floodgates have been blown wide open when it comes to LED-backlit monitors.

Thursday, we posted a review of the LG W2486L, an LED monitor that has a similarly minimalist design to the XL2370--albeit with a not-quite-as-sleepy sensibility. Also, I just got the AOC V22 (a 22-inch 16:10 LED monitor) in and will soon be receiving a couple LED BenQ monitors.

So yeah, it's likely that over the next couple of months you'll be seeing more LED monitor reviews than you probably ever realized you needed to see.

Also, check out some close-up shots of the W2386L to see how its thinness compares with the XL2370 by clicking on the pics below. As always, all of our latest monitor reviewscan be found here.

Shots: LG's LED-backlit Flatron W2386L

Agile Partners, best known for creating an exceptionally useful $9.99 iPhone application called Guitar Toolkit that packs in a guitar tuner, a metronome, and fantastically detailed chord and scale charts, on Monday released its first follow-up app.

Tab Toolkit, also available via Apple's App Store for $9.99, enables users to read and listen to real-time synthesized versions of guitar tablature charts on their iPhone or iPod Touch.

Here's Kirk Hammett's guitar solo from "Master of Puppets," displayed in tablature and regular notation on an iPhone with Tab Toolkit. Hit "play," and it'll scroll by in (very fast) real time, with a synthesized version playing through the headphones.

Tab Toolkit won't have as large an audience as Guitar Toolkit, which is immediately useful to players of all levels, as it assumes that you have (or can get) tab charts--and that you know how to read them. But if you're a serious guitarist, $9.99 is a fair deal for a very sophisticated app that performs well--no freezes or stutters, as I've experienced with some other music-oriented apps. (If you're just learning about tablature, the $2.99 iPractice is probably a better first download.)

So where do you get tab files? If you're a songwriter, you can use Power Tab Editor (freeware, Windows-only) or Guitar Pro ($59, for Macs and Windows PCs) to create your own. There are also online libraries of tab files for popular songs and artists--GProTab has a particularly extensive collection of Guitar Pro files--though copyright holders periodically crack down on these sites, which generally operate outside their approval.

Once you have some tab files on your computer, Tab Toolkit lets you transfer them to your iPhone directly over your home wireless network. It also includes an embedded version of Safari so you can download tabs directly from the Web. Tab Toolkit does support PDF and rich-text tabs, but you get the most results if you use PowerTab or Guitar Pro files.

At last, once you have some PowerTab or Guitar Pro files on your iPhone, the fun begins. Tab Toolkit scrolls through the song at the correct tempo, displaying both traditional and tab notation, with a metronome and synthesized version of the instrument to keep you on target. It fully supports multitrack tabs for the same song--for example, I was able to download all three guitar parts, bass, and drums for Metallica's "Master of Puppets," and follow through each individually--and you can stop the automated playback and scroll through the chart manually to learn particularly tricky parts like Kirk Hammett's guitar solo. You can display either a guitar fretboard or piano keyboard on the screen to help you with fingering, and can even flip the guitar upside-down if you're a lefty.

Hey! I can see those TV connections on your back. You're not fooling anyone!

(Credit: Josh P. Miller/CNET)

What's the difference between an HDTV and a computer monitor? Well, let's see. HDTVs are for the most part made for watching movies and HD broadcasts, and playing video games. Monitors are made for everyday computer operations, productivity tasks, computer games, and to a lesser extent movies. Also, monitors are generally smaller than your average HDTV, and HDTVs usually have more in the way of connection options.

So where does this leave my latest two monitor reviews? The LG Flatron M237WD and the Samsung SyncMaster P2370HD are both monitors with many features only TVs usually have, including multiple connection options--HDMI, Component, and Composite, as well as VGA and DVI--and even remote controls.

If you're interested in a monitor for watching Blu-ray movies, playing video games, and catching your favorite HDTV shows, check out the reviews of both the Samsung and LG to see how well they're able pass in both the TV and monitor worlds.

Also, don't forget to check for the latest monitors reviews from CNET.

(Credit: Apple Records)

For this week's installment of the weekly Crave giveaway, we're offering up something everybody seems to want these days--the entire collection of newly remastered Beatles CDs. While the picture you see above is of the boxset, you're not actually getting the stereo boxset, but you will get every CD that's in the boxset. That includes the albums "Please Please Me," "With The Beatles," "A Hard Day's Night," "Beatles For Sale," "Help!," "Rubber Soul," "Revolver," "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," "Magical Mystery Tour," "The Beatles," "Yellow Submarine," "Abbey Road," and "Let It Be." On top of it, we'll throw in a special-edition lithograph poster of the Fab Four themselves. Dig that.

Normally, this package would cost around $250, but you have the chance to get the whole thing gratis.

So, how do you try to win a free Beatles remastered CD package + special-edition lithograph poster? Let me enumerate the basic rules. Please read them carefully; there will be a test.

• Register as a CNET user. Go to the top of this page and hit the "Join CNET" link to start the registration process. If you're already registered, no need to register again.
• Leave a comment below. You can leave whatever comment you want. If it's funny or insightful it won't help you win, but we're trying to have fun here, so anything entertaining is appreciated.
• Leave only one comment. You may enter this specific giveaway only once. If you enter more than one comment, you will be automatically disqualified.
• The winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive (1) Beatles remastered CD package + special-edition lithograph. Approximate retail value is $250.
• If you are chosen, you will be notified via e-mail. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.
• Entries can be submitted until Monday, September 14, at noon EDT.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENT OF ONE OF THE 50 UNITED STATES OR D.C., 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER AT DATE OF ENTRY INTO SWEEPSTAKES. VOID IN PUERTO RICO, ALL U.S. TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS AND WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. Sweepstakes ends at 12 PM EDT on September 14, 2009. See official rules for details.

Good luck.

This is a remote. This is my hand on a remote. Any questions?

(Credit: Eric Franklin/CNET)

Glass necks are nothing new. Well, nothing new when you consider they're been featured in no less than two Samsung monitors: the XL2370 and P2370.

Glass necks look pretty cool, especially the way Samsung uses them, but they seem out of place with the P2370HD. While the other 2370 models are slim and sleek, the P2370HD is a fair bit bulkier. It would be like trying to fit Lou Ferrigno in Christian Bale's Batman costume from the "The Dark Knight." It just looks wrong.

Check out the shots to see what else does and doesn't work with the P2370HD and expect a full review here next week.

Samsung SyncMaster P2370HD

So...sleek!

(Credit: Josh P. Miller/CNET)

I've been eagerly anticipating this LED-backlit monitor since I first laid eyes on it at CES last January. Since then, I've reviewed only two other LED monitors, the Dell G2410 and the ViewSonic VLED221wm. While the Dell performed well, neither of these monitors were able to really take advantage of LED technology to any great extent.

Both were fairly thick monitors, each with a relatively low max brightness. The XL2370, on the other hand is thin, light, has a high brightness and, let's just say it, is just plain gorgeous to look at.

I know, its looks don't mean jack squat when it comes to performance and features, but for some, looks can be pretty important. Check out the First Look Video to see what I mean.

To see how the Samsung XL2370 compared with its slightly...um, less good-looking sisters, the P2370 and the G2410, see the full review.

As always, new monitor reviews can be found here.

(Credit: Matthew Moskovciak/CNET)

We've covered just about everything you need to know about the PS3 Slim, but the sleuths over at Engadget HD (via a translated version of AV Watch) found a chart that indicates the PS3 Slim can bit stream both Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. That change actually isn't that surprising, since the original limitation on the "old" PS3s was due to an older HDMI chipset; newer HDMI outputs have no problem bit streaming the high-resolution soundtrack formats.

(Credit: AV Watch)

We have a PS3 Slim review sample onhand, so it was easy to confirm the rumor. We had the PS3 Slim connected to the Sony STR-DN1000 receiver via HDMI, and we loaded up "Appaloosa," which as a Dolby TrueHD soundtrack. After making a few tweaks in the XMB, were able to make the STR-DN1000's display say "Dolby TrueHD"--confirmation that the Slim was sending the soundtrack in encoded bit stream format. Next, we loaded up "Master and Commander," which has a DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack, and that worked as well.

Unfortunately, the practical benefit of this feature upgrade is minimal. The "fat" PS3 could transmit Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio in uncompressed linear PCM format, providing the exact same audio quality as the bit stream versions. There are some cases where an AV receiver may process linear PCM differently than bit stream, but its rare. On the other hand, it's at least nice to have the option, especially for those guys who just have to see the words "DTS-HD Master Audio" light up on their AV receiver.

(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET)

Alex Kochis, Microsoft's director of Genuine Windows, posted a blog late Thursday addressing the "leak of a special product key" of Windows 7 RTM (release to manufacturers). This confirmed the rumor on Tuesday that an ISO file of Windows 7 RTM sent to Lenovo that contains a master key--a number used to verify the authenticity of the software--was leaked to the Internet.

According to the blog, "The key is for use with Windows 7 Ultimate RTM product that is meant to be preinstalled by the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) on new PCs to be shipped later this year. As such, the use of this key requires having a PC from the manufacturer it was issued to. We've worked with that manufacturer so that customers who purchase genuine copies of Windows 7 from this manufacturer will experience no issues validating their copy of Windows 7. At the same time we will seek to alert customers who are using the leaked key that they are running a non-genuine copy of Windows. It's important to note that no PCs will be sold that will use this key."

This means the hacked key will still work, though it will likely be identified, presumably when the computer with this version of the hacked Windows 7 OS installed connects to download updates from Microsoft.

Kochis said Windows 7 includes an improved capability to detect activation exploits and it should be able to alert the customer when the leaked version or other hacks are used to install Windows 7 on a PC.

He added, "Our primary goal is to protect users from becoming unknowing victims, because customers who use pirated software are at greater risk of being exposed to malware as well as identity theft. Someone asked me recently--and I think it's worth noting here--whether we treat all exploits equally in responding to new ones we see. Our objective isn't to stop every "mad scientist" that's out there from dabbling; our aim is to protect our customers from commercialized counterfeit software that impacts our customers' confidence in knowing they got what they paid for."

Personally, I don't see what Microsoft can do now that the key and the ISO is out in the wild, other than wait for a system installed with that copy of Windows 7 to connect to its update servers. In the meantime, it can issue another key to OEMs to make sure they don't use they leaked key and hope that consumers will buy its genuine product and, of course, pay the full price for it.

It's safe to say that we probably have to wait for a service pack of the operating system to be sure that this leak is fully addressed. In the meantime, this leaked key could still pose a big problem if the hackers are able to alter the ISO and sell it as counterfeit retailed package of the OS. In this case, customers will only find out that they don't have an genuine copy, if they ever do, when it's too late.