This is the best LCD TV we’ve ever tested. Sony has had a tough ride in the last few years but after a catalogue of mistakes, it’s finally come good in the most spectacular of ways. The KDL-46HX853 takes LCD picture quality to a whole new level, particularly where contrast and motion handling are concerned. The set looks gorgeous too, and features what’s for our money the best – or at least the most sensibly focussed – online service around. This all adds up to an achievement made all the more remarkable when you consider that this outstanding TV is being delivered at a more aggressive price than the usually ultra-competitive Korean brands are offering on their range equivalents. To sum all this up, with the KDL-46HX853 Sony isn’t just back, it’s back with a vengeance.
The way the Toshiba BDX3300 doesn’t bother to disguise its BBC iPlayer, Acetrax, YouTube and Picasa services as apps is somewhat refreshing, since the functionality is identical to much more expensive – and certainly more polished, usability-wise – smart TVs and Blu-ray players. When it comes to pure Full HD picture quality, the Toshiba BDX3300 delivers, and we also like the fact that it can support an awful lot of digital files via USB and over a network. It may lack finesse and at times appears a tad archaic, but we can’t find it within us to criticise anything on a super-slim Blu-ray player that combines the best of the smart TV landscape with a price that hovers under £80/£120. For a simple 2D Blu-ray upgrade with some YouTube goodness, we can’t recommend the Toshiba BDX3300 highly enough.
Asus Transformer Pad 300 review
You can’t release a £399, 10.1-inch tablet and not expect comparisons with the iPad, so we’ll cut to the chase. The Asus Transformer Pad TF300 is currently one of the best 10-inch Android tablets you can buy, and represents better value with equivalent performance than the Asus Transformer Prime. The top-notch benchmark scores, wonderful use of the keyboard docking station, excellent battery life and superb usability make it a top recommendation in our eyes. If you’re platform agnostic and are tossing up between this and the iPad, things get trickier. The Transformer is better value, has double the storage, a fantastic keyboard dock which makes it much more versatile, and Ice Cream Sandwich closes the gap hugely. Individual needs and budget will determine if the Asus Transformer Pad TF300 is right for you, but we applaud Asus for marrying value and performance, and the TF300 comes highly recommended.
The TX-L42DT50B is a relatively high-end TV – that much is obvious from its slim depth and metallic bezel, the latter of which is some achievement considering Panasonic’s rather lacklustre history in this department. Feature-packed inside, we’re able to detect that this isn’t the brand’s flagship set, but there’s really no major flaws aside from a stubborn refusal to include 3D specs. It’s a decision which rather underlines why most brands – including Panasonic, to some extent – is quickly turning to passive 3D system with its 99p 3D glasses.
Toshiba’s 55ZL2 is designed to get any tech obsessive’s pulse racing. After all, it breaks new ground in not one but two huge areas. First it can genuinely produce a watchable 3D picture without you having to wear glasses. And second, to help it achieve its first innovation, it employs a native 4K or Quad HD pixel resolution for the first time on a domestic TV.
Amplifiers
Blu-ray players
Cameras
Hands on: Leica M Monochrom review
Desktops
CyberPower Infinity Achilles review
Gaming accessories
Graphics cards
Sapphire HD 7870 OC Edition review
Gigabyte HD 7850 Overclock review
Headphones
Incase Sonic Over Ear Headphones review
Plantronics BackBeat Go review
Laptops
Toshiba Satellite Pro C660-2F7 review
Hands on: Sony Vaio T13 review
Mobile phones
Printers
Processors
Routers
Asus EA-N66 Ethernet Adaptor review
You wouldn’t think so much drama and hand-wringing goes into the creation of something as simple as a SIM card, but where international standards are concerned, compromises must be made. Research in Motion and Motorola have done just that with Apple’s proposed nano-SIM design, which appears to have the majority of votes already.
The Verge has filed an update on the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) search for a new nano-SIM standard to replace the current micro-SIM used in Apple’s iPhone 4 and 4S, as well as other popular handsets such as the Nokia Lumia 900.
While ETSI members have already been quietly voting on the future of the SIM card this month, a competing standard proposed by Nokia, Research in Motion and Motorola persists. That is causing some concern among members that two different standards could emerge, much like the VHS and Betamax situation during the heyday of home video.
To appease ETSI members, Motorola and RIM have gone back to the drawing board to find a compromise “by merging the two proposals into one, a notion supported by Samsung.” While Apple seems to feel it’s not possible given the more radical approach used by the competing standard, the iPhone maker appears open to adoption of both standards, given Cupertino already has the support it needs for its own nano-SIM.
“At that point in the meeting, Apple already knew that it had somewhere around 80 percent of the voting body behind its standard from the chairman’s previous show of hands.” the report reveals. “And realistically, how many carriers would stop carrying the iPhone over its SIM design anyway? Apple’s pioneering move with the micro-SIM in 2010 ultimately led to broad-scale adoption — presumably, it has no reason to think it can’t push nano-SIM with even more force than it could two years ago.”
ETSI members won’t meet again until May 31 in Japan, when we should have some idea of whether or not Apple will accept the proposed compromise.
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(Image courtesy of The Verge)
All we need to say can be summed up in the words Superpig Speaker Docking System. After that, all these other deals are gravy on top of our favorite deal we’ve ever offered. I mean, just look at that adorable thing. Impulse buys like these you never regret.
15.4″ MacBook Pro quad-core Intel Core i7 2.2GHz
With 7 coming off the ticket, at ,772 that’s nearly 20% savings, plus free overnight shipping, this is a deal you’ll be wanting to jump on, kids.
17″ MacBook Pro quad-core Intel Core i7 2.3GHz
Or run it a little bigger with this 17″ number with a 9 savings and only drop ,190 for this hot blowout deal.
Porthole
Decable your living room and the rest of your house with Porthole, now on sale for .51 (33% off). Stream Pandora, Spotify, or any other music to Airplay Speakers, Airport Express, or your Apple TV and do it on the cheap.
5 Fonts Plus
Wow, 95% off means you’re getting a 5 value for a fraction of that at .99. Five fonts, two brushes, and 6-7 paper textures. Designers, start your engines.
Photoshop Elements 10 Course
Learn how to put your face on Brad Pitt’s body and make all your avatar dreams come true. Or learn something actually useful with this course going for , down from .
1000mAh External Backup Battery
With our phones consuming more data and delivering greater pixel density, it only makes sense to pack some battery backup action and for .11 with free shipping, this is a deal you can’t miss.
Griffin PowerJolt SE for iPod & iPhone
Stay wired to your power with a car power cord from a trusted name in iPhone accessorizing. This Griffin cord is only .99 and features a stretchy cord and all the recharging your device can take.
Incipio iPhone 4/4S Stowaway Credit Card Hard Shell Case
Sometimes when you want to go out, you want to travel light. With this case, you can tuck a few credit cards and a little cash inside the back compartment and be jetting. The price is light too: .99 with free shipping.
Retro CellPhone Handset
These are fun for you older readers who still remember rotary dialing. Get funky with this handset just right for making calls the old fashioned way. with free shipping. Call me?
SUPERPIG Speaker Docking System
Sorry, but if you’re saving and picking up a Superpig for , then it’s a deal you’ll kick yourself for missing out on.
Stylus with Anti-dust Plug
We’re not entirely sure how well this little stylus nub will feel held in your grip, but they’ve cleverly solved the problem of how to store it. And at .29, maybe this turns out to be your best little purchase ever.
Capacitive Touchscreen Stylus 3-Pack
And in a special tie PDC, we have this 3-pack o’ styli hitting you for .75 and free shipping. You literally can’t lose out.
Apple users know what it’s like to buy a product for its potential rather than its current value. New Mac owners waited nearly a year to see a significant number of products make use of the speedy Thunderbolt ports built into their hardware. Now the waiting game has begun with next-generation wireless networking.
Buffalo’s 802.11ac AirStation WZR-D1800H router, which shipped this week to retailers across the country, is so bleeding edge that no products can yet take advantage of its theoretical max transfer speed of 1.3 Gbps. Most of your Wi-Fi-enabled gadgets–including your MacBook and iPad–top out at 802.11n, which is currently the fastest Wi-Fi bandwidth available. The IEEE is still ratifying the 11ac standard, and we won’t start to see compatible devices until it’s legitimized. We expect the rollout of 11ac to gain momentum after Cisco and Netgear release competing routers later this year, but until then you might be wondering if it’s worthwhile to invest in the technology early.
To answer that question, let’s look at what the AirStation offers. It’s a gigabit dual band wireless router that supports up to four ethernet-connected devices, as well as one USB device for network sharing. It’s also backwards compatible with previous Wi-Fi standards, though you won’t see high speeds if you’re on a device that tops out at the low end of the spectrum (an older laptop, for instance, may only be 802.11g-capable).
Although 802.11ac boasts a maximum speed of 1,750 Mbps, the current standard supports just half that. However, Buffalo has future-proofed the AirStation by packing in both 802.11ac and 802.11n technologies. So for now you can enjoy the benefits of the current Wi-Fi standard while preparing for the 11ac-compatible devices that will emerge in several months.
So, should you consider buying Buffalo’s 802.11ac router now, even though nothing currently takes advantage of its higher speeds? Yes. You’ll be ready for what’s to come, and it couldn’t hurt for AirPlay streaming either. We can’t fully endorse this particular 11ac router until we get the chance to test it here at Mac|Life HQ, but you can bet that we’ll have a thorough review for you soon.
Who knew “jailbreak” could be considered a dirty word? Apparently someone at Apple thought so, which is why the word was censored from the iTunes Store for the better part of Wednesday night and Thursday. Everything is back to normal now, but the hacker community sure got a kick out of it while the fun lasted. So what else is making news today? Glad you asked. Read on for everything else this Thursday, May 17, 2012 has to offer.
One can only imagine that the word “jailbreak” is spoken in hushed tones up in Cupertino, given that Apple has made it clear it doesn’t appreciate users hacking their iOS devices. But would they go so far as to censor the word from iTunes? According to MacRumors, that’s exactly what happened earlier today, at least in the U.S. iTunes Store. Everywhere the word “jailbreak” appeared — whether it was in songs or TV shows or apps — Apple replaced with “j*******k” instead. While the censoring appears to have kicked in late Wednesday and persisted throughout much of the day, Apple appears to have finally caught on and has since corrected the gaffe, much to the glee of Thin Lizzy fans everywhere, we’re sure.
There’s little doubt that the iPad is a formidable opponent, but most of its competitors on the Android have pockets deep enough to keep fighting the uphill battle. The same cannot be said for Plastic Logic, the U.K. company infamous for ditching its QUE proReader tablet before it even shipped to stores. According to Engadget, the whole dream has now died, with the company closing its U.S. office in Mountain View, California and axing around 40 jobs there, while also pruning staff at offices in merry old England, Germany and Russia. While Plastic Logic has killed its hopes of launching tablets and e-readers of its own, the company appears to be ready to continue supplying screens to other companies, including their new flexible color e-reader display that sounds awfully cool.
It’s kind of sad that in 2012, contract-free mobile broadband still seems so hard to come by. The big U.S. carriers would rather bait you with cheap hardware and a two-year commitment, but leave it to T-Mobile to mix things up a bit. The fourth-placed U.S. carrier announced today four new “No Annual Contract” mobile broadband passes which offer “a pay-in-advance, overage-free solution” with an allotment of data to fit most every user. For the occasional user, will buy you a one-week pass with up to 300MB, while one-month passes are available in , and amounts which nets you 1.5GB, 3.5GB and 5GB, respectively. The new plans roll out Sunday, May 20 at T-Mobile retail stores, select dealers, national retailers and online, but you’ll need to grab your own device to take advantage of it — which includes a variety of 4G Mobile Hotspots, laptop sticks and connected tablets such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1.
According to Business Insider, Hewlett-Packard appears ready to jettison up to 32,000 employees from its workforce next week in what one source calls a “massive” layoff. The news isn’t exactly a secret, with CEO Meg Whitman having already gone on record that such layoffs were under consideration. A source claims the HP cuts could trim between 10 to 15 percent of its workforce, which currently stands at 320,000 strong worldwide. At the lower end of that spectrum, 10 percent would amount to 32,000 jobs lost, although it’s unlikely that HP would make such a huge cut in one fell swoop, but rather make smaller cuts to bleed out over time. Employees in manufacturing appear to have less to worry about than their co-workers, but any way you slice, this could be quite ugly for the tech world.
Speaking of getting the axe, Verizon Wireless issued a statement to The New York Times on yesterday’s story about grandfathered unlimited data plans going away this sunny summer. Seems as if there’s a bit more to it than that: “Customers will not be automatically moved to new shared data plans,” the carrier notes. “If a 3G or 4G smartphone customer is on an unlimited plan now and they do not want to change their plan, they will not have to do so.” That said, when the new shared data plans arrive, “Unlimited Data will no longer be available to customers when purchasing handsets at discounted pricing” — although customers who purchase phones at full retail price and “are on an unlimited smartphone data plan will be able to keep that plan.” Translation: Unlimited data is still going to die, but it’s going to take some time for Verizon to cleanse its junkies of that bad habit.
Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter
