LG Versa (Verizon Wireless)

The LG Versa from Verizon Wireless is a touch-screen phone with a difference. Promising to be the most versatile phone we've ever seen (hence the "Versa" moniker), it comes with the option of adding external modules to increase its functionality. Out of the box, for example, the Versa comes with an attachable QWERTY keyboard, but if you prefer not to have the extra bulk, just detach it and you can still type with the virtual keyboard on the touch screen. LG plans to have additional modules in the future, such as external speakers and a game pad controller.

Even without the modules, the Versa is a very good touch-screen phone by itself. It has an animated interface, where you can customize up to three home screens. The Versa has a full HTML browser with support for Flash Lite, so you can watch your favorite YouTube clips on the go. Other features include a 2.0-megapixel camera, access to V Cast Video and V Cast Music, EV-DO, GPS, stereo Bluetooth, and more. Though the browsing experience was less than satisfactory and we're not pleased with the lack of Wi-Fi, we're quite impressed with the Versa and with the promise of future modules. The LG Versa is available now for $199.99 with a two-year service agreement and a $50 rebate.

Design
By itself, the LG Versa looks almost exactly like the LG Dare. Measuring 4.17 inches long by 2.07 inches wide by 0.54 inch thick, the Versa is slim and sleek, plus the back battery cover has a nice soft touch surface. Like the Dare, it has a large 3-inch-wide touch-screen display on its front face, plus the Call, Clear/Voice command, and End/Power keys. We liked the screen size for the most part, but it does make surfing the full HTML browser less than enjoyable (more on that in the Features section). The Versa is around 3.81 ounces, which won't weigh you down.

The LG Versa looks like the LG Dare.

The display supports 262,000 colors and 480x240 pixel resolution, which result in vibrant graphics with plenty of detail. You can adjust the backlight time, the menu fonts, the dial fonts, the display theme, the banner, the wallpaper, and even the image of the charging screen (Literally, this is the image that's on the screen while the phone is charging). Instead of just one home screen, you can have up to three (or up to four if you attach a module). You have one home screen for all your application shortcuts, one screen with media shortcuts and Web bookmarks, and another with contact shortcuts (also called Favorites). Do note, however, that you're only limited to these three home screens; you can't create your own home screen that's a mix of different kinds of shortcuts. And as previously mentioned, you get a dedicated screen when using the keyboard module. In order to switch home screens, just swipe at the display and the screen will rotate like a 3D cube. Each home screen has shortcuts to the message in-box, the phone dialer, the main menu, and the phonebook along the bottom row.

Customizing each home screen is pretty easy. There's a gear icon on the right of each home screen; tap that, and you'll be brought to a settings page for that particular home screen. For the Favorites home screen, you can choose a contact from your phonebook; for the Media home screen, you select from the Pictures, Videos, Music, or Bookmarks folder; and for Shortcuts, you pick from the entire list of applications. To remove shortcuts, just select the ones you don't want and then tap the Trash icon. You can have different wallpaper for each home screen as well. The keyboard module home screen is the only one you can't customize. It shows shortcuts to the browser, e-mail, a new text message, the calendar, mobile instant messaging, and the notepad.

The Versa's touch screen provides tactile feedback. There's a calibration wizard for adjusting the screen's sensitivity to your liking, and you can alter the vibrate type (short, double, or long), the vibrate level (low, medium, high, or off), and the accompanying sound effect. You can choose from four sound effects, plus a silent option.

The touch interface was pretty responsive on the whole, but we still had problems in certain applications. For example, in the browser we had to tap at the menu 8 or 10 times before it would pop up. This is perplexing, since the touch screen is much more responsive when navigating the interface and when dialing and texting.

Speaking of dialing, the phone dialer interface consists of the standard numeric keypad plus a speakerphone button, a voice command button, a Clear button, and links to the recent calls list and the contacts list. When you're done dialing, you can hit either the green Call button, the physical Talk button, or bring up a menu of additional options (like adding a 2-second pause, or to start a new text message). You can also hit the Save button for saving a new number to the phonebook.

The LG Versa comes with a detachable QWERTY keyboard module.

The Versa has a built-in accelerometer that will rotate the display 90 degrees in either direction when the phone is held horizontally. This works with all applications and menu interfaces except for the home screens; for that, you'll need the keyboard module.

If you're a frequent texter with a need for a QWERTY keyboard, you're in luck. The Versa comes with a bonus QWERTY keyboard module right in the box. Just remove the battery cover and align the keyboard contact pins with those along the right side of the phone. We didn't like that you had to remove the battery cover in order to add the module.

Clad on all sides in faux leather, the keyboard attachment looks like it belongs in an executive's attache case. We're OK with the design, but it might not appeal to some people. The module acts like a case, and has cutouts for the camera on the back. On the front is an external monochrome 0.94-inch OLED display with date, time, signal and battery strength, plus caller ID information. There are also two call buttons underneath that. The Versa is about an inch thicker with the module attached and is about half an ounce heavier.

The LG Versa's QWERTY keyboard module has an external OLED display.

When the keyboard module is attached to the Versa, not only will you have access to the aforementioned keyboard module home screen, but the display's orientation switches to landscape mode automatically when you're holding the phone horizontally. The keyboard itself is a pleasure to use with a roomy design and tactile keys. There's a dedicated alias (@) key that doubles as a .com key, a dedicated speakerphone key, and arrow keys for navigation. There are number keys along the top of the keyboard, and a button for typing symbols. To remove the module, just slide the lock mechanism on the left side of the Versa.

If you decide not to use the keyboard module, the Versa has several other ways of entering text via the touch screen. You can use either the virtual T9 keypad, handwriting recognition, or the virtual QWERTY keyboard. In order to use the keyboard, just rotate your phone 90 degrees in the counterclockwise direction and the QWERTY keyboard will appear. Tapping each key will magnify that key momentarily. There are dedicated alias (@), .com, comma, and period keys, plus arrow keys for navigation and a Shift key for capital letters. You can also switch to a numbers and symbols keyboard by hitting the abc/123 key. You can copy and paste text, but you won't get an autocorrect feature. At the end of the day, however, the physical keyboard is much easier to use than the virtual keyboards.

Summary:

The LG Versa is an attractive touch-screen handset with an animated user interface, plus it has options for additional modules. The Versa also has a full HTML browser with Flash Lite support, EV-DO, GPS, a 2.0-megapixel camera, and a music player. It comes with a QWERTY keyboard module, which doubles as a case. The LG Versa suffers from a poor Web-browsing experience, and the screen can be sometimes unresponsive in certain applications. There is no Wi-Fi, and Visual Voice Mail has a monthly cost.

Dish Network DTVPal DVR

The Dish Network DTVPal DVR ($250) looks to fill the niche for a budget HD DVR, offering the ability to record free over-the-air HDTV--including two programs at once from a single antenna--without any monthly fees. Unfortunately, the caveat list is long and ugly for the DTVPal DVR: there's no way to set up true season passes for a program or eliminate repeats on regular recordings, the user interface is bland and lacks polish, there's only a 90-day warranty from Dish and there are no returns allowed, and online forums are filled with horror stories about frequent crashes and reboots (although our experience was mostly glitch-free.) The DTVPal DVR is a great value if you only need basic recording functionality, and we really wanted to like its cheapskate style, but Dish's stingy return/warranty policy makes it really hard to recommend.

Design
The DTVPal DVR is clearly a utilitarian device. It makes no effort to dress itself up, sticking with a plain gray case with only the white DTVPal logo and some grating on the top to break the monotony. Up front there's a single green status light for power, and below that is a credit-card-like "DTV card." The manual makes absolutely no mention of it, and we were able to take it out without any effects.

There's a "DTV card" slot in the front of the unit, but it doesn't have any use we could discern.

The included remote is nearly identical to the clickers found on standard Dish Network DVRs. There are a lot of buttons, but the layout, colors, and sizing of the buttons make it easy to navigate. We especially appreciated the 30-second skip button, allowing us to easily blast by commercials with just a few button presses. While neophytes may prefer TiVo's simpler remote, Dish's clicker is better suited for the tweaky audience the DTVPal DVR will appeal to.

User interface
The menu system is bland, too. The electronic programming guide (EPG) has a boxy grid layout, and the blue-and-gray color scheme is in stark contrast to the colorful interface found on a TiVo. There are three text size options for viewing guide data; we preferred small text to see the most of channels at once.

Selecting "small text" for the EPG allows you to see nine rows of program data at once.

The usefulness of the EPG is dependent on the quality of the over-the-air program guide data in your area. The DTVPal DVR can pull guide info from two sources, the standard, broadcaster-supplied info included with new digital TV broadcasts and also TV Guide On Screen data, where it's available. If your area has TV Guide data (like us), you'll get about a full week of program info; if you don't get TV Guide, expect just a few days of program info. Even with solid TV Guide data for most stations, we got absolutely no guide data for our local PBS station; those are the kinds of drawbacks you'll have to live with on the DTVPal DVR versus a more expensive cable-company-supplied DVR or TiVo HD.

Summary:

DVR that records free over-the-air HDTV; no monthly fees; excellent image quality; dual-tuner design means you can record two program simultaneously from one antenna; 30 hours of HD recording. Works more like a VCR than a modern DVR; bland user interface; lacks the polish of TiVo HD or Dish's own HD DVRs; terrible warranty and return policy; troubling online reports of crashing and freezing.The Dish Network DTVPal DVR offers up bare-bones, over-the-air HDTV recording without a monthly fee, but it doesn't compare to subscription-based DVRs, and Dish's nonexistent return policy makes it a real gamble.

Acer Aspire One AOD150

Despite owning a huge chunk of the growing Netbook market, the popular Acer Aspire One has been saddled with a 9-inch screen, rather than the bigger 10-inch type we prefer. At long last, Acer now has a 10-inch model, the Aspire One AOD150. Even better, it's keeping the starting price at $349, which is about $50-$100 cheaper than similarly configured systems from other PC makers. The Aspire One series has been neither the best nor the worst Netbook out there, and Acer's market share to date has largely been based on its lower retail-price strategy.

With the basic Intel Atom/1GB RAM/XP setup, you'll get a similar experience to using a Netbook such as the HP Mini 1000 or Lenovo S10, but there are a handful of trade-offs for the AOD150's price. While the AOD150's keyboard is large enough for comfortable typing, the tiny touch pad and mouse buttons (on a flimsy rocker bar) are painful to use, and the extended six-cell battery runs for up to 6 hours, but makes the whole package relatively heavy. Note that our test unit had a slightly beefed-up battery (5800mAH versus 4400mAH) compared with what it will finally ship with, and we'll retest with the official six-cell battery when we get our hands on one.

Netbooks were originally intended as cheap, no-frills travel machines, and the new Aspire One fits that bill well, but there are also plenty of slightly more expensive options that add polish.

Processor	1.6GHz Atom Processor N270
Memory	1GB, 533MHz DDR2
Hard drive	160GB 5,400rpm
Chipset	Mobile Intel 945GSE
Graphics	Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
Operating system	Windows XP
Dimensions	10.2 inches wide by 8.4 inches deep
Height	1.3 inches
Screen size (diagonal)	10.1 inches
System weight / Weight with AC adapter	2.9/3.5 pounds
Category	Netbook

The new Acer Aspire One AOD150 is available in blue, white, red, and black. Our review unit was "sapphire blue," with a glossy lid and a matte, slightly textured finish on the keyboard tray. While the new Acer Aspire One has a footprint similar to other 10-inch Netbooks, such as the MSI Wind, it's significantly thicker than the slim HP Mini 1000, and also heavier, thanks to the bulky battery.

The first Acer Aspire One we looked at was a 9-inch Linux model, and while the AOD150 model has a larger chassis and screen, the keyboard is virtually identical. Despite not having as comfortable a keyboard as the Samsung NC10 or HP Mini, we did appreciate the inclusion of dedicated page-up and page-down keys.

The touch pad is one of the few giveaways that this is a budget Netbook. It's tiny and square, with a very small rocker bar below it, instead of traditional left and right mouse buttons. Getting it to properly register a click is a pain: you need to press really hard, as the contact seems to be deeply embedded in the chassis.

The 10.2-inch, wide-screen, LCD display offers a 1,024x600-pixel native resolution, which is standard for Netbooks. It's certainly readable, but most documents and Web pages will require some scrolling. Bright and clear, the new bigger display is the main selling points of Acer's updated Aspire One.

	Acer Aspire One AOD150	Average for category [Netbook]
Video	VGA	VGA
Audio	headphone/microphone jacks	headphone/microphone jacks
Data	3 USB 2.0, SD card reader	2 USB 2.0, SD card reader
Expansion	None	None
Networking	Ethernet, 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi,	Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Optical drive	None	None

The Acer Aspire One AOD150 has a typical set of ports and connections for a lower-end Netbook. Trading up to a more expensive system from Lenovo or HP can net you useful extras such as Bluetooth, an ExpressCard slot, or even faster 802.11n Wi-Fi. Bluetooth is especially useful for syncing a smart phone for mobile broadband service.

With Intel's 1.6GHz Atom N270 CPU, specifically designed for low-power Netbooks, you get enough computing power for basic tasks, such as Web surfing, working on documents, and some basic multimedia playback. As expected, the Aspire One AOD150 performed on par with more expensive recent Netbooks, such as the HP Mini 2140 (and slightly faster than Sony's P-series Lifestyle PC, which is saddled with Windows Vista). We'll soon be seeing the first laptops with a faster version of the Intel Atom, the N280, which may expose some major fault lines in Netbook performance (or not, as small clock-speed bumps are often inconsequential).

The system ran for an impressive 6 hours and 17 minutes on our video playback battery drain test, using the included six-cell battery. Note that our test unit had a slightly beefed-up battery (5800mAH versus 4400mAH) compared to what it will ship with, and we'll retest with the official six-cell battery when we get our hands on one, but we expect you'll still get 5-plus hours. The trade-off, of course, is the system's weight and size (as the battery is heavy and sticks out from the back).

The Aspire One includes an industry-standard, one-year, parts-and-labor warranty, but the company has a confusing maze of overlapping support Web sites.

Windows Azure

First previewed last fall, Windows Azure is Microsoft's foray into bringing Windows Server online as a cloud computing platform. Developers will be able to port or write applications using Microsoft's popular .Net tools and Web standard interfaces such as REST, SOAP and Atom, and host them on Azure, similar to Amazon.com's EC2, Salesforce.com's Force.com, or Google's App Engine.

Azure is expected to be released later this year. Detailed pricing hasn't been released. Microsoft is expected to talk about Azure at its MIX Web development conference in Las Vegas next week.

Conventional hosting entails companies buying or leasing a server from a datacenter operator and running a set number of applications off it. That can be complicated to manage, entail a lot of upfront cost, and be difficult to scale quickly on demand.Azure, like other newer-generation cloud platforms, enables faster setup and easier scaling, and lets users pay for usage, thus avoiding upfront investment.

Azure runs on Windows Server 2008 inside Microsoft's datacenters. The fact that Microsoft offers both Windows Server software and the Azure service as part of its "software plus services" strategy, is a plus for companies unsure about committing completely to a cloud infrastructure, Martin said, whether because they think they can run it cheaper or with more agility, or because regulations require them to do so. Besides corporations, Web hosting companies may be interested in hosting Azure to make their infrastructure more nimble and efficient. Martin said hosting companies and other application service providers won't get access to Azure before enterprises, though.

Belkin N+ Wireless Router

Without a fancy name, the Belkin N+ impressed us where it matters the most: range and throughput performance. As a bonus, it also offers a limited network-storage function. We were only disappointed that it doesn't offer dual-band support, like the DIR-855 or the Linksys WRT610N. The N+'s performance, however, more than makes up for this, especially considering its street price of only about $100. If you plan to have a wireless network in a neighborhood that doesn't already have too many wireless signals, we would recommend the Belkin N+ over any other wireless-N routers.

Setup and design
Although the Belkin N+ is one of the bulkiest routers we've reviewed, it actually has an elegant and curvy design. The router is made to work in the vertical position only, with two antennas on top, making it significantly taller than most routers. The ports and blue LED lights, located on the back and front of the router, respectively, are clearly labeled, and, as such, even novice users won't have a problem figuring out the function of each port and the meaning of each light.

Thanks to its clear instructions, we didn't experience any problems setting up the Belkin N+. The included CD contains setup software that walked us through every step, and we got the router up and running in less than 5 minutes. Alternatively, you can use the router's Web interface for the setup process and further customize its settings. Belkin routers' Web interfaces are generally intuitive, and their layouts have not changed since Belkin's first Wireless-N router, the Belkin Wireless Pre-N router, which is also the very first Wireless-N router that CNET reviewed. When it comes to intuitiveness, though, we prefer the Web interfaces of D-Link or Netgear routers.

Features
Although the N+ lets you connect an external USB hard drive, it is, in fact, not a full-featured NAS server. You will not be able to manage the external drive--including creating share folders and access privileges--through its Web interface, as you can with the Linksys WRT610N.

The N+ comes with the Belkin Storage Manager desktop application that makes it easy for you to access the connected external hard drive. Once you have plugged a USB hard drive into the router, the BSM application takes about 10 seconds to detect it and create a network drive mapped to it. Any computers in the network with the BSM application installed have full access to the entire hard drive's content, simultaneously. If you shut down the BSM application, the mapped network drive will be disconnected.

Alternatively, you can also access the storage without the having to install the BSM application by using the IP address of the router. However, novice users definitely want to stick to using the desktop application.

The N+'s storage function supports FAT, FAT32, and NTFS file systems and worked very well with thumbdrives. When we tried it with a few USB external hard drives, it was hit or miss. Most worked well, but the OWC mercury wasn't ever recognized

Summary:
Unparalleled range; fast throughput; easy-to-use network-storage feature; affordableBulky design; network-storage feature is limited; no dual-band support; short one-year warranty.

Avast Home Edition 4.8.1335.90205

Avast Home Edition is a complete ICSA & Checkmark certified antivirus, Checkmark certified anti-spyware & anti-rootkit package. Avast includes the following components: On demand scanner with skinnable simple interface, just select what do you want to scan in which way and press the Play button; On access scanner, special providers to protect the most of available e-mail clients; Instant messaging--ICQ, Miranda; Network traffic--intrusion detection, lightweight firewall; P2P protection for Kazaa, BitTorrent; Web shield--monitors and filters all HTTP traffic; NNTP scanner--scans all Usenet Newsgroup traffic and all operations with files on PC; Boot time scanner--scans disks in the same way and in the same time as Windows CHKDSK does.

This impressive software provides the same steadfast protection of well-known antivirus programs, yet it's surprisingly free.

Avast Home Edition guards your PC and the network with multiple shields that scan executables and files. You can select parameters for scanning, and even choose wildcards to exclude specific file types. You can adjust the sensitivity level for the program's detectors when it comes to scanning downloaded files, instant messages, e-mails, and a host of P2Ps. Its efficient interface opens up window after window to tweak its settings to your liking, for novice to advanced level protection.

Though it took quite some time to run, we're impressed with this application's boot-time antivirus scan. Fortunately, if you're in a pinch you can bypass it. If malicious contents are detected, Avast comes to the rescue with handy virus cleanup tools. Some decent PC controls are even handed out here. You can block certain URLs and file operations, such as writing to files or even renaming, deleting or formatting them.

With immediate real-time protection, clockwork updates, and much more, this free software is highly regarded in our book.

Nintendo Wii

Nintendo has ventured off the beaten path with its newest system, and the company knows it. While the Sony PlayStation 3 and the Microsoft Xbox 360 both emphasize their impressive graphical capabilities, Nintendo downplays the importance of graphics on its new console. While the Sony and Microsoft consoles keep the branding of their respective predecessors, the oddly named Wii is a semantic departure from Nintendo's more literally named 2001 console, the GameCube. And while the PS3 and the Xbox 360 both use conventional gamepads bristling with buttons, control sticks, and directional pads, the Wii uses a device that looks more like a TV remote than a gamepad to control its games.

These strange choices could have spelled failure for Nintendo's newest endeavor. Underplaying processing power, using a strange new controller setup, and giving the whole package an odd name could have been major mistakes for Nintendo. (Consider some of the company's earlier attempts to go against the grain: the Power Glove and the Virtual Boy.) But the gamble paid off: since its November 2006 release, the Wii has become a runaway hit, so popular that it remains difficult to find it in stock. It's strange, it's different, and it's not as powerful as its competitors, but the Nintendo Wii succeeds in its primary mission: it's fun to play.

Wii Channels: Media and online capabilities
The Wii's navigation is done through a series of pages called Wii Channels that take advantage of the WiiConnect24's always-on design. Among the Wii's default channels are a weather forecast channel, a news channel, a message channel, a photo channel, and the cute avatar-generating Mii channel. The channel home page is the system's default gateway, which also provides access to the disc-based Wii/GameCube games and Virtual Console titles. The Mii Channel lets users create and modify Miis, cute little avatars for use online and in certain games. The Miis are cartoony and extremely simple, but the Mii Channel includes enough customization features for users to create Miis that look like themselves, their friends, or even celebrities.The Photo Channel was a pleasantly useful surprise, though a bit of a misnomer. The channel can display and edit photos. Nintendo claims that the Wii can also play MP3 music files and QuickTime videos, but these features feel like afterthoughts; MP3s can be played only in a photo slide show, and we were unable to load a QuickTime movie on our Wii.The Internet Channel is an Opera-based Web browser for the Wii. New URLs are entered with the Wiimote via the Wii's onscreen keyboard, and favorite Web pages can be stored in the browser's bookmarks. The browser is surprisingly full featured, and can even load complex, Flash-heavy Web pages such as YouTube and our own CNET.com. Much like the News Channel, the pages can be zoomed in and out for comfortable reading on larger screens. It occasionally chokes on some sites, but this might be more due to the sites' browser-sensing scripts that automatically assume the Internet Channel won't be compatible.

Summary:

Revolutionary controller design offers unique motion-sensitive gameplay options; built-in Wi-Fi delivers free online services and gameplay; Virtual Console has major nostalgia appeal; compatible with all GameCube games and controllers; built-in SD slot for storage and photo viewing; includes Wii Sports game; most affordable home game console. Controller eats batteries and takes some time to get used to; online gaming and community features hobbled by horrible "friends code" system; nunchuk controller sold separately; lacks the advanced HD graphics and surround sound found on the Xbox 360 and the PS3; requires a wired receiver unit placed near the TV to interface with wireless controllers; can't play CDs or DVDs.

Kindle 2

Design
The Kindle 2 is thinner--it measures a svelte 0.36 inch at its thickest point--and weighs 10.2 ounces. For the record, it's not the thinnest mainstream e-book reader. That distinction belongs to the Sony PRS-505, which comes in at 0.3 inch thick (the PRS-700 is 0.5 inch thick).

One thing that hasn't changed much is the height and width of the new Kindle. Some people have complained that the original Kindle should have been shorter and forgone the keyboard, like the Sony Reader did. Whether you're a fan of the keyboard or not, it's worth noting that the Kindle 2 is actually slightly longer than the original, measuring 8 inches from top to bottom.

The keyboard
Part of the reason for the elongation is that Amazon has devoted a bit more space to the keyboard, with some additional room between the keys and a more simplified, streamlined look (the keys are circular and the space bar is longer and better placed). This was a good move, as the keyboard is easier to use.

The Kindle 2's keyboard is an improvement over the one found on the original--though some will question the need for it at all.

As with the BlackBerry and other shrunken QWERTY keyboards, you enter text using your thumbs. The Kindle 2's keyboard comes in handy when entering notes and annotations while reading (they're saved), keying in text for searches in the Kindle Store, and typing in URLs when surfing the Web. We also appreciated that the home button is now much more prominently displayed on the side of the device, right in the middle above the "Next page" button. Before, it was tiny and buried at the button of the keyboard.

The screen
In case you haven't heard already, the Kindle 2's screen is technically considered an electrophoretic display, which Wikipedia describes as "an information display that forms visible images by rearranging charged pigment particles using an applied electric field." Like some other electronic paper products, the Kindle 2 uses "e-ink" technology, which serves to make the letters and words on the screen look more printlike in their appearance.

The interface
The original Kindle had a little rolling wheel to assist with navigation. The Kindle 2 moves to a five-way rocker button that's more straightforward and helps solve some--but not all--of the quirky navigational issues the device has.

Amazon has made some nice tweaks to the interface and has made it easier to access the embedded dictionary to look up words, but it's far from a total revamp. You're still left with moments when you're not sure whether you should go forward or backward, or which button you should hit to get to where you want to go. In other words, it's not entirely intuitive. Kindle newbies will have to play around with the device for a day or two to really get the hang of it (that's pretty good, all things considered).

The Kindle 2 is clearly better than the original Kindle, particularly if you're willing to forgive the sealed battery and lack of a memory-expansion option. And while it's not without its shortcomings and quirks, the Kindle 2 is a sexier device now, and the overall experience of reading, buying, and even listening to electronic books has taken a nice step forward.

Summary:
Slimmer and sleeker looking than the original Kindle; large library of tens of thousands of e-books, newspapers, magazines, and blogs via Amazon's familiar online store; built-in free wireless "Whispernet" data network--no PC needed; built-in keyboard for notes and navigation; a faster processor speeds up the device; with 2GB of internal memory, it's capable of storing 1,500 electronic books; font size is adjustable; improved battery life; displays image files and plays MP3 and AAC audio; compatible with Windows and Mac machines; new Text-to-Speech feature allows you to have text read aloud. No expansion slot for adding more memory or accessing files; files such as PDFs and Word documents aren't natively supported, and need to be converted at 10 cents a pop by Amazon; no protective carrying case included; battery is sealed into the device and isn't removable; hardware and content is still too expensive.

Mozilla Firefox 3

After months of testing, Firefox 3 (code name Gran Paradiso) is available for download from Mozilla. With its new Gekko 1.9 engine, the browser rocks, rendering pages faster and uses fewer system resources overall. As with any new browser, some add-ons created for Firefox 2 may not work, but give them time. Firefox 3 touts faster rendering, a vastly reduced use of system resources, and clever new data-mining tools for your bookmarks and browser history. Most notable is that Firefox 3 includes many security-related features baked right in, such as the best of breed antiphishing protection, making Firefox the most secure browser on the market today. If you haven't already tried Firefox, what are you waiting for? Firefox 3 remains our Editors' Choice over Microsoft Internet Explorer and Opera. See our slide show of Firefox 3's basic features, and its various security features.

Firefox 3 is free, and available on a variety of operating systems: Windows, Mac, and Linux. There are also a wide variety of localized language versions, including Basque and Byelorussian. Unlike IE 7, Firefox 3 does not require a system reboot.

The interface is the same in some places, but different in others. Placement of buttons hasn't changed, but the icons are new. Firefox 3 now provides a native look and feel (for example, the Linux version matches the Linux user interface), and smooth scrolling of open browser tabs. What will draw the eye are more icons near and within the address bar itself. A company logo, if available, will appear before the URL; after the URL there's the new one-click bookmark star and the familiar RSS icon. Other tweaks include those to the Password manager, Add-Ons manager, and Download manager.

Returning within Firefox 3 are several core features, such as Sessions Restore, built-in spell checking, integrated search, pop-up blocker, clear private data, and automated behind-the-scenes updates.

Most exciting among the brand new features is the improved rendering speed thanks to the new Gekko 1.9 engine. Firefox 3 passes the Acid2 Browser Test, along with Safari 3 and Opera 9. The test, designed by the Web Standards Project, is designed to encourage designers to follow HTML and CSS 2.0 specifications. Currently Internet Explorer 7 does not pass, but Microsoft says Internet Explorer 8 is expected to follow Web specifications.

The Gekko 1.9 rendering engine will, however, introduce some inconveniences. Firefox 3 will no longer support Windows 95, 98, and Me; the same with Mac OS X, versions 10.2 and earlier. There will also be numerous changes made to the Document Object Model (DOM) within Gekko 1.9 that will affect developers more than users. Also, there will be changes in the way Firefox renders frames within its display and the way object tags are handled, as well as changes in event threading.

For a user, the project known as Places is worthy of praise, as it creates a light database of history, bookmarks, and tags within the browser that can be searched, sorted, and organized. How you access the database gives rise to many new features within Firefox 3.

One obvious change is the Smart Location Bar (aka "awesome bar"). As you type in a URL, the awesome bar searches through your history and bookmarks and presents a drop-down list of recently accessed pages with that same keyword. It works even if you already know the URL. Some people have found it to be annoying, so there is a way to disable it requiring a small tweak to the about:config file. An Add-On further allows you to learn which of the search results you want to always be on top.

Summary:

Mozilla Firefox is a fast, full-featured Web browser. Firefox includes pop-up blocking, tab-browsing, integrated Google search, simplified privacy controls, a streamlined browser window that shows you more of the page than any other browser and a number of additional features that work with you to help you get the most out of your time online.

Version 3.0.6 has improved the ability for scripted commands (including those included in popular extensions like Adblock Plus) to work properly with plugins and fixed several security and stability issues.