Normally $99.99, this exceptional desktop-publishing program can be yours for just $16.99.
(Credit: Buy.com)Whatever happened to desktop publishing software? A decade ago you had your pick of at least a dozen programs, but now the field is nearly empty.
Sure, you can still buy Adobe PageMaker or QuarkXPress for a small fortune (make that a medium fortune: they run $499 and $799, respectively), but what if you just want a simple program for creating newsletters, brochures, flyers, and the like?
Enter Serif PagePlus X4, a terrific desktop-publishing application that's ideal for designing print and Web-based documents alike.
Right now, Buy.com has PagePlus X4 for just $16.99 shipped. That's after a $25 mail-in rebate [PDF], but even at the prerebate price of $41.99, this software's a steal.
Indeed, although you can use PagePlus for any number of everyday projects (calendars, greeting cards, etc.), it's powerful enough to create professional-level documents (books, magazines, etc.).
In addition to robust page-layout tools, PagePlus features a PDF editor, logo builder, and photo lab. It also comes with a huge assortment of templates so you can hit the design-ground running. And to help beginners get started, it incorporates tutorial videos.
The software supports nearly every imaginable output option, including four color separations, press-ready PDFs, double-sided printing, and Web publishing.
In short, PagePlus X4 can stand toe-to-toe with Quark and PageMaker, but at a fraction of the cost.
I'm a huge fan of the program, which I've used for years. In fact, I've been plugging along just fine with PagePlus X2, but now that I can score the latest version for just $16.99, I'll definitely be upgrading.
Update: Sorry, folks, looks like the deal is no longer valid. But check back in a day or two to see if Buy.com replenishes its stock. It's been known to happen!
On Sale Now: $79.99 - $94.99
View the latest prices for Serif PagePlus X4
Nokia 5130 Xpress Music
(Credit: Nokia)Despite a gallery of available models, T-Mobile is the only U.S. carrier to offer Nokia Xpress Music phones. In 2006 we saw the Nokia 5300, last year it was the 5610 and 5310, and Wednesday brought us the Nokia 5130. Simple in both form and function, the 5130 offers a candy bar design and functional features.
The 2-inch display supports 256,000 colors and a 320x240 pixel resolution. The navigation array and keypad appear to be intuitively designed and we appreciate the 3.5 millimter headset jack and the dedicated music controls. Inside you'll find the Xpress Music MP3 player, support for T-Mobile's MyFaves service, messaging, a memory card slot, a 2-megapixel camera, an FM radio, a speakerphone, personal organizer options, voice commands, a voice recorder, Bluetooth, PC syncing, and USB mass storage.
The handset is a quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900; EDGE) world phone and it supports the Series 40 operating system. You can get the 5130 in either white/blue or red/back for $29.99 with a $20 mail-in rebate and a two-year service contract.
Nokia Messaging comes to the Nokia 5800 in May
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET)In conjunction with the Web 2.0 Expo and shown in action at CTIA 2009, Nokia announced that it has added Windows Live Hotmail support to Nokia Messaging.
Nokia Messaging is a free, downloadable application that lets you access up to 10 personal e-mail accounts on a Nokia device, all of which organized under a single icon. The app also supports Yahoo, Gmail, and AOL Mail, among others.
In addition, the Hotmail integration, the company also said it will add Nokia Messaging support to the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic starting in May. Currently, the app is available on 20 Nokia models worldwide, including the Nokia E71, Nokia E65, and Nokia N79, and will work on the upcoming Nokia E55, Nokia N97, and Nokia N86 8MP.
This week we discuss Palm's latest phone for Sprint, and no, it's not the Pre. We also go over the new Nokia phones, our take on the Verizon Hub, more reviews, and of course, we answer your questions.
Listen now: Download today's podcast
News
Nokia tunes up new music phones
Nokia 5310 now in white
Cricket launches Samsung SCH-R211
Alltel hops on Palm Treo Pro bandwagon
Reminder: Palm Pre Webcast tomorrow at 11 a.m. PT
Reviews
HTC Touch HD
Palm Treo Pro (Sprint)
Samsung Hue II
Verizon Hub
LG CF360
Upcoming reviews
Samsung SGH-T119
HTC S743 (unlocked)
Freedom Wireless keyboard
Wilson Electronics iBooster
The 5310 in white and aqua.
(Credit: T-Mobile)T-Mobile is offering new colors for its Nokia 5310 Xpress Music phone. Now available are a white model with aqua trim and a white handset with silver trim.
The two phones join the existing four colors: black and red, black and purple, black and orange, and black and silver.
The feature list is unchanged--you'll find the Xpress Music player, a 2-megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth, messaging, USB support, organizer features, PC syncing, and a speakerphone. The price for both new models is $19.99 with a service contract.
The Nokia 5800 looks more than promising.
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CBS Interactive)While some manufactures (hello Samsung) rushed headlong into the touch-screen phone craze, other manufacturers were more cautious. For example, just look at Nokia. Though the cellular giant pumps out phones by the dozen, it wasn't until the Nokia 5800 Xpress Music that the company explored touch-screen cell phones with gusto (the Nokia 810 doesn't count). Positioned as a rival to the Apple iPhone, the 5800 is packed with a range of multimedia features. And it all comes in a sharp, slim package with an expansive touch screen.
Of course, we were very excited when we first heard about the phone, so when Nokia gave us the opportunity to look at a prototype, we jumped at the chance. Since it's not a production model, and it doesn't have final software, we won't have an official CNET rating, but we can report that the 5800 looks very promising. The design is attractive and easy to use, and the loaded feature set is impressive. And though we weren't able to test the Nokia Music Store, its music player should be top-notch. We didn't give the phone a full run through to gauge its performance, but we look forward to seeing a final version just the same. For more, check out our Nokia 5800 hands-on or see our Nokia 5800 photo slide show.
T-Mobile's Nokia 5610 may have a problem.
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)This is a bit troubling, particularly since it affects one of the better (or so we thought) T-Mobile phones that we've seen this year. On Thursday, the carrier suspended sales of the Nokia 5610 Xpress Music.
According to T-Mobile, a "very small" percentage of devices suffer from a defective component that causes the display to go blank. We didn't see such a problem on our review device, but if you're stuck with one of the faulty phones you can contact T-Mobile to "discuss available options" (whatever that means). Nokia has otherwise done a decent job with its Xpress Music phones, so we hope the problem stops here. The full text of the T-Mobile statement is after the jump.
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Most people will have to wait until 2009 for the Nokia 5800.
(Credit: Nokia)When Nokia introduced its new 5800 Xpress Music on Thursday, it promised that the device would ship to Europe and Asia during the fourth quarter of this year. Reuters, however, is now reporting that the touch-screen music phone will miss the holiday shopping season in most markets.
According to the report, the 5800 will arrive only in India, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Russia, and Spain by the end of the year. Other countries, including the United States and Canada, will have to wait until 2009.
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The Nokia 5800 sports an eye-catching design.
(Credit: Nokia)While LG and Samsung were quick to play their touch-screen phone cards after the release of the first iPhone, Nokia has been holding its hand close. That is, until now. On Thursday, the Finnish company announced the Nokia 5800 Xpress Music, an eye-catching slim touch-screen phone that looks vaguely like you-know-what. Though Nokia is quick to dismiss the iPhone comparisons, they are obvious, and analysts across the board are making them.
See our Nokia 5800 Xpress Music slide show for a full gallery of shots.
On the outside there's an expansive (3.2 inches) touch screen with tactile feedback that serves as the primary interface tool. There are also three physical buttons--Talk and End keys and a menu control--but this device is all about getting touchy-feely. The outside is mostly black but you'll be able to exercise a bit of personal style by choosing from three versions--each has a thin colored ring in either gray, red, or blue. At 4.31 by 2.04 by 0.61 inches and 3.85 ounces, the 5800 Xpress Music falls between the iPhone and the LG Dare in size and weight. Exterior controls include a volume rocker, a dedicated power button, and a camera shutter.
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The Nokia 5800 as a music player.
(Credit: Nokia)Features are more like the Dare than the iPhone. Inside you'll find a 3.2-megapixel camera with video recording and a Carl Zeiss lens, messaging, stereo Bluetooth, a microSD card slot, 81MB of internal memory, USB mass storage, personal organizer apps, a speakerphone, a 3.5mm headset jack, assisted GPS, a music player, and PC syncing. It's also a full world phone with support for four GSM bands and two HSDPA bands. On the whole, that's a loaded feature set.
Getting music on the 5800 Xpress Music should be easy. Besides the traditional methods of syncing with a PC (via Windows Media Player 11) or transferring songs via Bluetooth or a memory card, you'll also be able to access songs over the air from Nokia's music store using the company's new Comes With Music service.
... Read moreOn Sale Now: $269.99
View the latest prices for Nokia 5800 Xpress Music (Unlocked)
Moto Rokr E8
(Credit: CNET Networks)
Nokia 5310
(Credit: CNET Networks)T-Mobile may be the smallest major carrier, but that doesn't mean it lacks a decent selection of phones. In the past few months the company has introduced two music phones that won our praise. The Motorola Rokr E8 offers an innovative "ModeShift" keypad, a 3.5mm headset jack, and a well-stocked music player that delivers on performance. The Nokia Xpress Music 5310 also brings a nifty music player to the table, but it packages it in a more traditional design. So, which is the better cell phone for listening to your tunes? In the latest CNET cell phone Prizefight we pit the Rokr E8 against the Xpress Music 5310 to see which handset comes out on top.
