PlayStation 4 to stream games in real time over Net, says report

At the end of January, Sony announced a PlayStation event but gave few details. We'll get the 411 this coming Wednesday in New York.

Sony's acquisition last year of cloud-gaming company Gaikai may be reflected in a big way in the upcoming PlayStation 4.

The Wall Street Journal is citing inside sources in reporting that Sony's new gaming console, expected to debut Wednesday at an event in Manhattan, will let people play games streamed in real time over the Internet.

The report says the streams will involve games designed for the outgoing console, the PlayStation 3. That could be an effort to deal with backward compatibility: last month the Journal reported that for the PS4, Sony would "likely" go with chips from AMD, rather than the Sony-IBM-Toshiba-developed Cell chip that's in the PS3 -- a move that could cause compatibility issues with current games. The new report from the WSJ says the PS4 will be able to accommodate new games stored on optical discs. It's not clear if new games would be streamed as well.

Streaming could also help Sony go at least some way toward addressing the popularity of simple games on smartphones and other devices. As CNET's Rich Brown mentioned when Sony bought Gaikai, the acquired firm seemed to offer potential in terms of enabling higher-end mobile gaming: "Imagine playing a core PlayStation...[game] on your console, then picking the game up exactly where you left off on your cell phone or tablet," he wrote.

Sony announced the Gaikai deal in July of last year. The cloud service allows for the streaming of beefier games than those commonly played on iPhones and the like (Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja, and so on). Company co-founder David Perry told CNET back in 2010 that the service was a bit like game arcades back in the day: "You wanted to play the latest machines, but they were $5,000 to $10,000. So you stuck your quarters in." Gaikai created data centers designed to run any modern-day game, at any settings, and then focused on piping streams to the end user.

The Journal said it's not clear how Sony might charge for the streams.

For more on the expected PlayStation 4, check out Jeff Bakalar's overview, here.

Also, CNET will be live at the Sony event in midtown Manhattan next week. Be sure to follow along with our live blog to get the very latest on all the announcements.

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Toshiba SBX4250

Choosing a sound bar largely comes down to sound quality and design, with features being far less important than when evaluating other products. That's what makes the Toshiba SBX4250 ($270 street) a bit of a hard sell: it sounds and looks just about average, but has a great feature set. There's built-in Bluetooth, for wireless audio streaming from most smartphones and tablets, plus it has a ton of inputs, with two HDMI, two optical, an analog, and a minijack. And although the sound bar itself is visually lackluster, the included remote is nicely designed.

The question is whether you need all that connectivity or if you'd be better served by using your TV as a switcher, which is a more elegant solution as long as your TV has enough inputs. Still, if you're buying a sound bar now, there's not much competition at the moment at this price. The Vizio SB4021M-A1 sounds and looks better, but it lacks Bluetooth; pedestal-style sound bars have a nicer design, but you need to spend twice as much to get a system that sounds great. We'd recommend waiting a few more months until new 2013 models start to hit store shelves and seeing how the Toshiba SBX4250 stacks up against the newcomers.

Design: Just another sound bar

If you're looking for style, you won't find it in the SBX4250. The design is about as generic as it gets, with an uninspired black plastic cabinet that feels a little cheap when you pull it out of the box. It's not ultrathin at 2.2 inches, but it will fit comfortably in front of your TV.

The front of the sound bar sports a display in the center of its glossy black panel, which is a nice convenience that's often missing on other models. It's not the brightest or biggest display, but it gives you some feedback as to how loud the volume is and what input you've selected.

The included subwoofer is wireless and has the same ho-hum design aesthetic as the sound bar. Toshiba decided to draw attention to the bass port with a bright silver ring, but it's the wrong kind of attention, at least to our taste.

The included remote is quite good. It's a sizable clicker, unlike the thin remotes that come with many sound bars, plus it has separate buttons for adjusting the bass, treble, and subwoofer volume. The directional pad handles volume adjustment and playback controls, which can be used to control a device connected via Bluetooth, such as a smartphone. A dedicated volume rocker would have been nice, but that's a nitpick on an otherwise solid remote. (Despite appearances, that's not a touch pad on the bottom half of the remote.)

Features: Bluetooth and plenty of ports
For the price, the SBX4250 has a surprisingly good range of features.

The big plus is built-in Bluetooth, which makes it easy to wirelessly stream music from most smartphones and tablets. Built-in Bluetooth is a feature worth looking for in a sound bar, since it adds a lot of convenience and can be cumbersome to add after the fact; dongles like the Belkin Bluetooth Music Receiver or Logitech Wireless Speaker Adapter work fine, but they add an extra cable and power cord to your setup.

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Samsung unveils a comfortable, functional Galaxy Note 8 (hands-on)

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 adds new features to its comfortable, elegant, 8-inch design.

BARCELONA, Spain--After months of leaked pics and rumors, Samsung's Galaxy Note 8 is now officially a corporeal thing of reality. If I can trust in my senses, today I actually got to touch and use the Note 8 for a limited time. What follows are my impressions. Look for in the second quarter of 2013. A price has yet to be announced.

A comfy feeling
The Note 8 definitely feels different than a typical 7-inch tablet; it's noticeably wider of course, but still feels comfortable in my hands. It's a simple, elegant design with really smooth edges and corners. The Note 8 feels to be made of the same stuff as the Note 10.1, wIth a bit more metal thrown in for durability sake. It's also fairly thin and at only 0.74 pounds it's only slightly heavier than the iPad Mini.

From left to right sit three bottom bezel buttons: menu, home button, and the back button and Samsung has added the ability to use the S-Pen with the three buttons. Something that was missing on the Note II.

The 5-megapixel back camera is located directly in the top middle of the back, which probably lowers the chance an unwanted finger will enter the frame with taking a picture.The front camera however sits off to the top right corner on the front. On the bottom edge are two speaker grills, a micro USB port, and a slot for the S-Pen.

On the right edge sits a SIM card slot and with a microSD card slot. under it. On the left edge is an IR blaster, supporting Peel's Smart Remote software, along with a volume rocker and power/sleep button.

The S-Pen of course returns with its pressure sensitivity in tow. Writing on the tablet with it felt a lot less cumbersome compared with the 10.1-inch Note, but it wasn't quite as conducive to writing as the Note II is.

New and refined options
The Galaxy Note 8 will ship with Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean), with Samsung's ever-present TouchWiz UI over it. While in most international markets the Note 8 will include 3G (HSPA+ 21) capability, in the U.S. it'll strictly be a Wi-fi-only tablet. The tablet includes GPS support and the 3G version will have support for the GLONASS satellite navigation system.

Samsung's Note series, in its latest, 8-inch form.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CBS Interactive)

If you're at all familiar with the Galaxy Note 10.1, the Note 8's software suite won't surprise you. S Note makes a return and there's some new functionality with Flipboard where hovering the S-Pen over tiles delivers headline previews. Samsung claims it also has a 1-year Android exclusive with Awesome Note, a feature-rich list-making app.

While the Note 10.1 only supported dual-screen functionality with six different apps, the “reading mode” technology to enjoy e books with optimized resolution, video and voice calls* Samsung has now increases support to many more apps.

The sharp, colorful 8-inch screen measured 1,280x800 pixels with a 189 ppi and Samsung's TouchWiz UI makes yet another tablet appearance. Swiping felt responsive whether when using the S-Pen or my fingers and apps seemed to load without much delay.

Hardware features
The Note 8 houses an unidentified 1.6GHz quad-core A9 and 2GB of RAM. Tablet mainstays like 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4GHz and 5GHz) Wi-Fi support, Bluetooth 4.0, and GPS are included as well as gyroscope, accelerometer, and a digital compass. The tablet will come in both 16GB and 32GB varieties.

First thoughts
I'm going to be honest: without a price, it's difficult to have a strong, concrete opinion of the Note 8. While it'll be offered as a phablet internationally, in the states it'll be in full on Wi-fi tablet mode. As an 8-inch tablet, it'll compete directly with the 7.9-inch iPad Mini and with its S-Pen stylus, the Note 8 offers functionality the iPad can't match. But at what price? Samsung has yet to announce a price and the company isn't in the habit of aggressively pricing its premium tablets and that likely won't change anytime soon. With an SD card slot, S-Pen stylus, a home button, and native Jelly Bean support the Note 8 offers a compelling package. I just hope it's not priced beyond the means of most.

Look for the Note 8 to launch worldwide sometime in the second quarter of 2013.

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Google Chromebook Pixel

Google’s Web-based Chromebook laptops seem to be heading in two different directions. On one end, there’s the Samsung Chromebook Series 3. At the time of his writing, it’s the best-selling laptop on Amazon.com. Perhaps not surprising, given its $249 price tag -- it’s basically filling the low-end gap left by the collapse of the netbook and the rise of the 7-inch tablet.

At the other end of the spectrum is Google’s new Chromebook Pixel. This is the first Google-designed laptop -- not one that was farmed out to a partner like Acer or Samsung. And Google has upped the ante, adding a high-res touch-screen -- with a pixel density greater than that of Apple’s vaunted Retina screens -- and a real Intel Core i5 processor. But the 3.3-pound Pixel also has a high-end sticker price: it starts at a whopping $1,299. That goes to $1,449 for the step-up model, which adds a built-in 4G LTE cellular modem (and won’t ship until early April of 2013).

For die-hard denizens of the cloud, this may look to be the ultimate online-only laptop. But like its less-expensive predecessors, the Chromebook Pixel comes with a long list of caveats -- all of which are amplified by its high price. The screen is gorgeous, but -- unlike Windows 8, which has been designed to interact well with touch -- the Chrome OS itself is not particularly touch-friendly right now.

And unlike every other laptop in this price range, the Chromebook Pixel can't run familiar desktop software like Microsoft Office or Adobe Photoshop -- only the Chrome-compatible Web-based alternatives such as Google Docs and Pixlr Express. Want to do video editing? Even if you think WeVideo is as good as Final Cut or Adobe Premiere, be prepared for long upload and download times as you manipulate your video clips in the cloud.

Until Google can provide a Web app ecosystem that's as robust as the vast software libraries for Mac and Windows, and a cloud-based architecture that's as convenient as working on your local hard drive, this sort of high-end Chromebook is going to remain a tough sell.

We like to think of the Chromebook as a Google experiment -- a physical playground upon which a handful of wealthy consumers play out a utopian Google Fiber future that anticipates gigabit wireless everywhere. When that future arrives, the Chromebook Pixel may be just the hardware to navigate it.

Battery testing for this product is ongoing. We'll update this review with those results once they are available, and adjust the rating if necessary.

The screen
The marquee feature of the Chromebook Pixel is its multitouch-enabled screen, with enough pixels to match Apple's Retina Display. In person, it's nothing less than spectacular.

The 12.85-inch, 2,560x1,700-pixel display has a taller-than-usual 3:2 aspect ratio, and is covered with a layer of Gorilla Glass for protection. It also gives you an unusually high 400-nit brightness.

There's no doubt that the 3:2 ratio, as opposed to the more common 16:9 ratio, is a difference that becomes apparent in two ways. The first is with the touch screen's height: if you're typing away and then move to tap the screen, it feels just a hair further away than the shorter, wider Windows touch screens. That's not a bad thing, necessarily, but it is noticeable.

The second difference with the 3:2 ratio is that you get more vertical space. (In that regard, it's a throwback of sorts to the older, squarer 4:3 screens of the pre-HDTV era.) If all you use your laptop for is watching movies, you may lament the return to larger, black letterbox bars. But Chromebooks live in the cloud, which means the Web, and in terms of design, the Web is nothing if not vertically-oriented. You scroll down through your online docs or to read stories, blogs, and reviews such as this one. It's a natural fit for something so centered on the Web.

The screen density of 239 pixels per inch means it edges past the 13-inch MacBook Pro's Retina Display at 227ppi, making fonts smooth and graphics sharp. As with Retina devices, though, a lot of software and Web pages must be updated before graphics will look their best, but text is a pleasure, and going back to ordinary resolution displays is no fun.

Using the touch screen itself was a smooth experience. You'll encounter more problems from using Chrome, which does not have a touch-friendly interface, than you will from anything related to the Pixel's screen. For example, Chrome's tabs are thin, and it may take two or three taps to switch to the right one. Using the screen to draw or pinch-to-zoom was flawless.

Screen resolution improves dramatically, as this close-up view comparing a Samsung Chromebook S5 550 and the Chromebook Pixel shows.

(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET)

Hardware features: Under the hood
Inside the Chromebook Pixel is a dual-core 1.8GHz Intel Core i5 processor, integrated Intel HD 4000 graphics, and 4GB of memory. That’s a huge step-up for Chromebook power; previous models use low-end Celeron or ARM chips. Essentially, it puts the Pixel at the same computing parity as other Mac and Windows PCs.

There are two versions of the Pixel: the $1,299 Wi-Fi-only model has a 32GB SSD (flash storage), while the $1,499 64GB model adds built-in 4G LTE wireless. Both come with an impressive 1TB of cloud storage with Google Drive for three years. While LTE costs have not been fully revealed, if you go over the Google-comped 100MB per month, you can add the Pixel to your Verizon Share Everything plan for $10 per month. Per day access is available as well, although the price has yet to be revealed.

The left side of the Pixel has the Mini Display Port, USB, and headphone/microphone jacks.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

On the outside, the Chromebook Pixel has two USB 2.0 ports, a Mini DisplayPort for external monitors, an SD Card slot, and a combination headphone-microphone jack. Google promises five hours of battery life with typical usage. Bluetooth 3.0 and USB 2.0 mean that the Pixel is a version behind the latest standards. Likewise, you can get a Mini DisplayPort-to-HDMI adapter, but nearly all other laptops in this price range (with the notable exception of non-Retina Macbooks) offer built-in HDMI.

Even the $250 Samsung Chromebook Series 3 comes with one USB 3.0 port.

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Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro 700T (128GB, Windows 8)

If you’re dying to have a Windows 8 tablet that’s also a full-powered ultrabook-level PC, and you also want to have said tablet come with its own full-featured keyboard, there are other pastures beckoning beyond the Microsoft Surface Pro.

And while the Surface Pro might be the most recognizable of the PC-tablets in this early Windows 8 era, Samsung’s ATIV XE700T (or, Smart PC Pro 700T) is a Core i5 tablet, too -- and it also has its own keyboard dock that turns it into a laptop-style machine, much like the HP Envy x2.

But is it better?

Make no mistake: you're paying up for the full-fledged ultrabook-level specs on the ATIV Smart PC Pro 700T, especially compared to Atom-powered Windows 8 alternatives. The HP Envy x2 can give you a tablet-plus-keyboard experience for $850, albeit with a far less powerful Atom processor; the Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro 700T sells for $1,199. Sure, the Surface Pro makes you pay up for design, too, but I liked the Surface Pro's design better.

Price that out next to the Surface Pro, and it's pretty similar. The Pro's $999 128GB configuration plus a $129 Type Cover (not included) comes to $1,128. The Surface Pro is a little less expensive, but the ATIV has a larger 11.6-inch screen. This Smart PC Pro also comes with a pressure-sensitive S-pen, although Microsoft packs its own Surface Pen in with the Surface Pro, too.

The top-heavy ATIV Smart PC Pro is a clever little device, but it feels too low-rent for its high-end aspirations. Samsung makes better-designed ultrabooks, and better tablets. The Smart PC Pro feels best as a laptop...in which case, why not simply buy a laptop?

Price as reviewed	$1,199
Processor	1.7GHz Intel Core i5-3317U
Memory	4GB, 1,600MHz DDR3
Hard drive	128GB SSD
Chipset	Intel HM77
Graphics	Intel HD4000
Operating system	Windows 8
Dimensions (WD)	11.6x7.2 inches
Height	0.5 inch
Screen size (diagonal)	11.6 inches
System weight / Weight with AC adapter	1.98 pounds (tablet) / 3.5 pounds (with keyboard) / 4.1 pounds (keyboard and AC adapter)
Category	Ultraportable / Hybrid

Design: Not the prettiest hybrid in town
Samsung has a wide, ever-growing galaxy (so to speak) of tablets and PCs, and the naming conventions can be confusing. ATIV is a relatively new sub-brand that can apply to Android-powered tablets, or in this case, a full-fledged Windows 8 computer. It's supposed to have lifestyle connotations, but the name "Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro 700T" hardly rolls off the tongue naturally.

The ATIV is a study in black plastic, with a slightly boxy overall look that makes it resemble a somewhat thicker ultrabook. The tablet itself has a glossy, dark graphite exterior, with an amply bezeled, edge-to-edge glass-covered front display. The Smart PC Pro weighs about the same as a Surface Pro (1.98 pounds), but it's less dense, spread across a larger 11.6-inch display. It's longer and wider, too, feeling less like a true tablet and more like the decapitated front part of a laptop.

The rear of the ATV Smart PC Pro is studded with vents, and there's also a vent grille on the top edge, along with a microSD card slot, a USB 3.0 port, a headphone/mic combo jack, the power button, and the orientation lock button. A lot of these thin silver button-bars look similar and are a bit hard to tell apart. The USB port is tucked behind a pull-open plastic door that feels cluttered and cheap; I'd prefer an open port instead.

A dedicated volume rocker and Micro-HDMI port (also covered by a little door) are on the left edge. The S-Pen tucks into a little hole on the bottom right and is so subtly integrated that you could easily forget it's there. It's not as large a stylus than the Surface Pro pen, but has a clickable button and pressure-sensitive tip.

The bottom of the tablet has a docking connector for snapping into the keyboard base and a jack for AC charging. A little square Windows home button on the tablet brings you back to "tile mode" at a simple tap.

The tablet feels comfy enough to hold, but the widescreen nature of the 11-inch screen makes it feel overly long in portrait orientation for reading. Stereo speakers tucked into grilles on the the left- and right-front edges pump out ample sound, better than that of an iPad, but not better than premium speakers available on some laptops. You could hold the ATIV in one hand, but I wouldn't ever want to for more than a short while. It's more of a lap-tablet. I noticed a few other quirks, too: the ATIV's touch keyboard didn't pop up automatically as the one on the Surface Pro did, and the tablet didn't always snap into portrait/landscape orientation immediately via the accelerometer.

Laptop mode: The keyboard
The included keyboard base is all black plastic and includes two more USB ports (once again, behind little doors), and redundant AC charging and headphone jacks, but that's it: no extra battery, no full SD card slot, no Ethernet jack.

Like other laptop-tablets in this space, the Smart PC Pro is top-heavy in laptop mode. The bottom edge of the tablet/screen ends up being a riser in the back of the keyboard base, elevating it a little. It makes for a sturdy tabletop experience, and doesn't tip over as easily as did the HP Envy x2. But that back part is much heavier and thicker than a normal laptop. It feels weird when opening and closing the Smart PC Pro.

The keyboard base is very good, when it works. The ATIV tablet docks into the base with a little mechanical snap, and the chiclet-style keys are widely spaced and have excellent travel -- generously so, and more than most ultrabooks or keyboard covers. There’s no backlighting, however.

On our review unit, I found the mechanical connector was prone to little connect-disconnect hiccups...I wasn't sure if it was a loose connector, but it bears noting. The keyboard is the critical part that makes this tablet into a semi-laptop, and any failure -- even if isolated to this unit -- affects my opinion of it as a killer tool. A software update seemed to fix the problem, but it's something to keep an eye on. I found the Surface Pro Type Cover, on the whole, to be a little more cozy and comfy, even though the ATIV's keyboard feels a lot more like an actual laptop.

The little multi-touch clickpad worked well enough, no more or less so than that of your average mid-level Netbook. It didn't feel stellar, but off-edge gestures worked, like the right-to-left swipe to bring up the Charms bar. Windows 8 has several of those gestures -- or, you could simply reach up and touch the screen.

The 11.6-inch 1920x1080 display has excellent off-axis viewing and bright, clear colors, but it wasn't as overall impressive to my eyes as the Surface Pro's display, which transcended the average laptop display and entered iPad Retina territory. This Samsung is far better than most laptops, however, and I appreciated the extra pixel density for both reading and desktop real estate.

Front and rear cameras offer better resolution than the Surface Pro's 720p offerings, at 2MP for the front-facing shooter and 5MP for the rear one, but neither was especially speedy, and both exhibited a lot of noise. Your average smartphone camera would fare a lot better.

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Microsoft Outlook.com e-mail

With its new Outlook.com service, Microsoft has succeeded in shaking up the boring and never-changing world of e-mail. Designed to replace the company's long-running Hotmail product, the free browser-based service sports a strikingly simple and vaguely Windows 8 interface, SkyDrive and social-media integration, and a strong set of organizational features. What's more, with a promise of "virtually unlimited" storage, it should satisfy the most prolific writers and media consumers.

Even when you first log in, it's obvious where Microsoft got its inspiration for Outlook.com. The lack of clutter -- though, admittedly, sometimes the interface is too simple -- and some of the features will remind you of Gmail, but the two remain distinct offerings. Indeed, Outlook.com delivers some compelling features that Gmail lacks, and I give Microsoft credit for choosing to forgo targeted ads. What I don't love so far are the outdated calendar app and the lack of Skype and IMAP support. So, no, it isn't perfect, but Microsoft has given us something new. In technology, and more importantly in e-mail, that's a great first step.

Getting started and security
After keeping it in preview mode for six months, Microsoft moved Outlook.com out of preview mode on February 20 and made it globally available. Anyone now can sign up for an account at the Outlook.com site, and starting this week the company will begin to move existing Hotmail users over to the new interface. That process should finish by the summer, but existing users can elect to switch on their own whenever they wish. You can keep using your "@Hotmail" and "@Live" addresses to send and receive messages, and you'll have the option to claim an "@Outlook.com" alias. That process won't happen automatically, so knowing the kind of derision the Hotmail brand can attract, I suggest getting your new alias now.

I first started using Outlook.com when Microsoft initiated the preview phase last July. At the time, I had no problems switching an old Live.com account over, and I found my way around in short order. If you're signing up for a new account, take note that the Captcha is case-sensitive, and Outlook.com does not support spaces in passwords. That's a troubling move since spaces enhance password security, and Gmail supports them.

On a related note, Outlook.com also doesn't support two-factor authentication. When I asked why, a Microsoft rep said that the company's research showed that only a small number of people actually use two-factor ID so instead it invested in solutions like single-use codes, EV certificates, and good server-side detection. That may be true, but I'd still like the option to use two-factor authentication if I want to do so. You can read more about the security settings on the Outlook.com blog.

It's clear that along with Office 2013, Outlook.com is an important part of Microsoft's move to a Windows 8 world. In both form and function, the products share a lot in common, though Outlook.com is easier to learn to use. You can use it on any computer or with any browser -- I tested it on a Windows 7-equipped Lenovo laptop and a MacBook Air and used it with Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, and Chrome -- and had the same experience. You'll even be able to use it on touch devices. Indeed, I used it on a Samsung tablet running Windows 8 and didn't have a problem. There's even a dedicated Android app, though CNET software reviewer Jaymar Cabebe wasn't a fan.

Interface
Microsoft calls the Outlook.com design "modern," "clean," and "fresh." The language is more accurate than hyperbolic, and I'd even add "starkly beautiful" to the mix. Straight lines and right angles make for a distinctly minimal experience devoid of chunky elements. Even the color palette, while showing some pink and purple, skews toward muted. In fact, it almost gave me the impression of the glass walls and sleek furniture that would greet me in a Mies van der Rohe home. Likewise, your main chance at personalization is changing the color of the main Commands bar at the top of the screen (Microsoft now has 18 hues available). That and other Settings options are accessible through the Gmail-like cogwheel icon in the top-right corner.

Outlook.com sports an attractive, simplified interface that shows only what you need to see.

(Credit: Screenshot by Kent German/CNET)

Outlook.com supports its own keyboard shortcuts and those of Yahoo and Gmail (read this post for more information on how to use them). It's a convenient feature, and you can turn them on and off at will. Access to your calendar, People Hub (aka your contacts menu), and SkyDrive is through a drop-down menu at the top of the screen (next to the downward arrow next to the word "Outlook"). Clicking on the related box will take you straight to that feature. It's a simple process for SkyDrive and the calendar, but it's one click too many to see your contacts list. I'd prefer a dedicated link in the left-hand navigation bar.

If you can't stand surprises, you can add a preview pane for scanning a message's contents without opening it, which is more expansive than the "snippets" you get in Gmail. I liked using the preview pane, mostly because it lets you scroll through your inbox and Folders list independently. If you don't use the preview pane, the entire page scrolls as a whole, which can be tedious depending on your inbox size. Outlook.com also wins points for supporting right-click commands when you're selecting a message from your inbox. Gmail, on the other hand, shows your browser's default menu.

After I wrote my initial First Take about Outlook.com, I heard from a few readers who complained that Outlook.com takes "minimalist" to an extreme. I heard words like "boring," "severe," and "flat." Indeed, those comments carry some weight. Outlook.com is not a service for supercreative types or anyone who feels the need to customize everything in his or her technological life. In my view, however, this is how e-mail should be. I use to it to communicate and expect it to be functional and intuitive, rather than pretty or overdone. Outlook.com hits the right notes, but if you like more freedom, it is best to move on.

Reading and sending messages
After opening a message, the commands bar at the top of the screen will display only the relevant actions such as reply, delete, or mark as junk. Missing in the command bar, however, is a button for jumping back to your inbox. Sure, you can go back by clicking on Inbox in the left column, but that option could be off the page if you have a long list of folders. You can jump directly to adjacent messages with the arrows in the top right of the screen, and a separate Actions pull-down menu brings options like printing and viewing the sender's details.

Microsoft recently added some needed personalization options when reading a message. You can choose to have "Reply" or "Reply All" as the default action (careful with that one!), and after you delete a message you can choose to go straight to your next message or back to your inbox. The latter feature is something that I really miss in Gmail. Like Gmail, though, Outlook will group messages together for threaded conversations, but the interface here is cleaner and easier to follow. You can turn this feature off, but keep in mind that it will increase the number of messages in your inbox.

When you receive a YouTube link, a player will open in the body of the e-mail.

If a message comes from a familiar sender, Outlook.com will display photos directly in the body of the e-mail. You then can open a quick slideshow, download the images individually, or save them as a group. Just remember that you will need Microsoft Silverlight, which is a downer (seriously...who uses that?). Likewise, video links from YouTube will surface a video player in which you can watch the clip without leaving the e-mail and HTML messages. And thanks to integration with Office Web Apps, you can open, share, and edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files.

Similarly, when you receive a series of photos, you can watch an instant slideshow.

(Credit: Screenshot by Kent German/CNET)

For the most part, the photo preview worked, though I did get one 10MB message from which only one thumbnail out of five downloaded correctly. Besides 7GB of cloud storage, the SkyDrive (more on that app later) integration is supposed to support up to 300MB of attachments per message, much more than Gmail allows, so it shouldn't have been a problem. As I mentioned, Microsoft promises that you'll get virtually unlimited storage. I'm not sure why the company adds a qualifier, but there is not supposed to be a hidden cap, as there is for some "unlimited" cell phone data plans. But in any case, that's more than the 10GB of storage you get through Gmail (which was a big deal when Gmail debuted).

Sending a message is a simple process. Just click on the plus sign at the top of the screen and start writing. When adding recipients, you'll see a list of contacts you e-mail frequently, and the autocomplete feature will make suggestions as you type.

Organizing messages
In a welcome move, Outlook.com has "instant action" commands that appear only when you mouse over a message. When you do, you'll see small gray icons for marking a message as unread, flagging it, or deleting it completely. The one-click access is certainly convenient, and you can replace the default icons with other actions such as marking the message as junk. Microsoft emphasized several times that showing only the relevant controls keeps the page as clean as possible. It's a smart decision, in my opinion, even if you have to hunt around at first to find all the hidden controls. I've described more ways to organize your inbox here.

Flagging messages will send them to the top of your inbox in a separate section, which you can hide if you'd like. That's a nice touch. What's more, mousing over the sender's name shows a pop-up menu with commands for sending an e-mail to the contact, scheduling a cleanup (more on that later), finding all e-mails from the sender, moving those messages, or deleting them completely. You can sort all messages in your inbox by several fields, including the date, sender, subject, and the message size (nice).

On the far left of the inbox is a column for accessing default (Junk, Sent, and Draft) and user-created folders. To move messages into a folder, just drag it into a folder or check the box and use the related command at the top of the screen. Below your Folders list is a helpful Quick View section for further organizing your messages into categories. Though e-mails assigned to a category will remain in your inbox (unlike with Folders), you can view them as a group by clicking the category name.

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2013 Buick Verano Turbo

When I responded to friends' and coworkers' inquiries about what my wheels for the week would be with "the 2013 Buick Verano Turbo," I was usually met with odd looks and replies.

"Ugh, I'm not a fan of big cars." "You must not be happy with that one." "Wow, they still make Buicks?" It seems that Buick has an uphill battle to get past all of these preconceived notions. Fortunately, while it's not a perfect car, there is much to like about the 2013 Verano Turbo.

What sort of Buick is this?
In assessing the 2013 Buick Verano, it's important to first figure out what sort of vehicle it is. Even before settling behind the wheel, it's obvious that this isn't your grandpa's Buick. The compact sedan shares its platform and 105.7-inch wheelbase with the Chevrolet Cruze, although the sleek Buick is a few fractions of an inch wider, longer, and taller than the Chevy.

With such similar underpinnings and dimensions, it's no surprise that the Verano and Cruze come within a few fractions of an inch of each other in interior dimensions, as well. The Cruze has about a cubic foot more trunk space, the Verano has an edge in cabin space. Additionally, the 3,300-pound Buick carries about 200 extra pounds of luxe that the Cruze doesn't.

The Verano shares its platform and proportions with the Chevy Cruze.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

That's okay, because the Verano is more powerful, being available in either 2.4-liter, 180-horsepower standard or 2.0-liter, 250-horsepower turbocharged trim levels. Our Verano packed a turbo. Though these engines aren't used in the Cruze, either would, I think, feel at home in either vehicle.

After my first day with the Verano Turbo, I found myself drawing comparisons to the Acura ILX and Chrysler Sebring, err, 200. Buick confirmed these as targets when, in its follow-up communication, the automaker pointed out that the Verano Turbo is "more powerful, faster from zero to 60 mph, and less expensive" than the 2.4-liter Acura ILX and the 2.5-liter Lexus IS 250.

Turbocharged performance
Unfortunately, the naturally aspirated Acura and Lexus engines have one thing that the more powerful, turbocharged, and direct-injected Buick mill doesn't: predictable power delivery.

Looking at the numbers provided by Buick, the 2.0-liter engine's peak twisting force of 260 pound-feet of torque kicks in at 2,000rpm, which gives the impression of a nice and flat torque curve. If you keep the turbo spinning by keeping the engine's revolutions per minute high with the optional six-speed manual transmission, the Verano will happily deliver what feels like its advertised level of power and torque. The vehicle feels alive and there's a reasonable amount of get-up-and-go -- the Verano's not what I'd call a "fast car" but she's certainly not slow.

The 2.0-liter turbocharged engine offers good power, but can suffer from turbo lag.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

Adding to good, on-boost performance is the capable handling. The ride tends toward the softer side of sporty and the electric power steering is a bit overboosted and numb, but the front-wheel-drive Verano's European heritage shows in its predictable and responsive handling.

Unfortunately, if I let the turbocharger go dormant or let the engine rpms drop, then turbo lag became an issue. I was able to feel the car shake as the engine strained under the deficit of power. When this happens, you can either keep the pedal planted while you wait for the turbo to spin up again or lift, downshift, and try again. In the competing Acura ILX, transitioning from cruising to a passing maneuver was often as simple as giving the accelerator a bit of a push. The Verano more often than not required a double downshift.

Now, I love rowing my own gears, so what some drivers may consider a con, I consider only a minor inconvenience. However, owners who bought into Buick's claim that the Verano is a "compact luxury sedan" may take issue with occasionally being caught with their turbo down.

Luxury? No. Premium? Sure
Speaking of luxury buyers, I'm not 100 percent sold on the idea that the Verano is a compact luxury sedan.

As equipped, our Verano Turbo featured leather and wood trim, heated front seats, and passenger-pleasing LED ambient and dashboard lighting. The driving position was comfortable and the cabin was remarkably quiet thanks, in part, to double weather seals on doors.

The plastics that make up the Verano's dashboard just don't feel very luxurious.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

However, settle into the leather seat and you'll find yourself facing a lot of plastic trim and cheapish switch-gear. Farther up, the dashboard is covered in swaths of a rubbery material that feels okay to the touch, but looks pretty bad -- particularly in our tester's "Choccachino" interior trim. The driver's seat is power-adjustable, but only the driver's seat, and then only for the fore-to-aft slider. (Tilt is still handled mechanically.)

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Russian meteorite: The conspiracy theories

A strange time for a military attack?

(Credit: CNN; screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET)

A good hearty conspiracy theory can shine a sharp light on two of humanity's most enduring traits.

One, of course, is humanity's boundless imagination. The other is humanity's essential suspicion of humanity.

So while you might be deeply immersed in Bill Nye's explanation of the Russian meteorite, those with darker sensibilities have filled the Web with their fears and hauntings about the phenomenon.

There are few nations with greater awareness of dark sensibilities than Russia. The fact that there seems to be little evidence of meteorite fragments on the ground has encouraged some Russians to offer their own suspicions.

As the Toronto Globe and Mail reports, nationalist leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky hasn't been slow to offer something of a Hot War perspective.

"It's not meteors falling. It's a new weapon being tested by the Americans," he was quoted as saying.

We know from our recent experience of North Korea that weapons testing is an imprecise science.

But if you were an American in the mood to test a weapon, would Chelyabinsk, Russia, be your very first choice of place for the experiment?

Perhaps Tallahassee; Area 51; and Bialystok, Poland, were all unavailable due to prior commitments. Or perhaps it wasn't the Americans, but, say, the North Koreans, who mistook Chelyabinsk for, say, Chelsea.

Zhirinovsky's rather emotionally manipulative offering was countered by Russia's Emergency Ministry, which dedicated itself to an extensive rebuttal of his belief (and that of others) that this was some sort of military thing. The rebuttal? "Rubbish."

But that wasn't going to put off the local media, was it? Not only do they have papers to sell, they also have theories to expound to a troubled nation and world.

So, as The Atlantic reports, the local Znak newspaper accepted that this was a meteorite but insisted the explosion was caused by military defense blowing it up.

More Technically Incorrect

Yes, of course it has a source in the military. You thought it didn't?

Though I've watched a few movies in which exciting things happen, I don't find it easy to imagine that some sort of terrestrially created missile-laden aircraft could really explode a meteorite in such a manner.

It is easier to imagine, though, that politicians like Zhirinovsky might take the opportunity to foment a little rage.

Indeed, Alex Jones' infamously well-guarded Infowars site offered that Zhirinovsky insisted that America -- in the person of Secretary of State John Kerry -- had tried to give Russia advance notice of its "attack."

The Drudge Report led me to a piece at Foreign Policy that explained that Sergey Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, simply hadn't called Kerry back.

Which all suggests that Russia isn't, after all, living in fear of an attack from the U.S. Especially one over Chelyabinsk.

On balance, I prefer to currently believe Nye. He is the science guy, after all. And science guys know scientific events when they see them.

I hope.

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HP Pavilion 27xi

The HP Pavilion 27xi is a sleek, affordable 27-inch monitor that easily meets simple monitor needs. That is, movie-watching, gaming, and general Web browsing as well as productivity. It's a no-frills monitor that includes the holy trinity of connections and satisfying picture customization options.

While the Pavilion 27xi delivers great performance for a $340 monitor, it's not the monitor to use if you have precision color-critical needs. There are a few more expensive 27-inchers better suited to those tasks. However, for those with simple needs, the 27xi doesn't disappoint.

Design and features
Bearing more than a passing resemblance to Apple's 27-inch Thunderbolt Display, the HP Pavilion 27xi is aesthetically striking at first glance. The 27-inch monitor features a 1,920x1,080-pixel resolution and an incredibly glossy IPS-based (in-plane switching) screen. The monitor's chassis acts as its outer skeleton with the screen panel encased inside and as cool and sleek as the 27xi looks, upon touching it, there's no doubt that it's made primarily of plastic. The bezel measures 0.5 inch, while the width of the chassis checks in at 24.5 inches. At its thinnest the panel's depth measures 0.6 inch; an incredibly thin value given the screen size.

The monitor features a 20-degree back tilt, but no pivot or screen height adjustment. There's also no swivel, but the panel slides around so easily, that the lack of one isn't of any great concern. The foot stand is 7.8 inches wide and 7.6 inches deep, but the display does wobble quite a bit when knocked from the sides. The connections face back and include HDMI, DVI, and VGA. The monitor also feels incredibly light for its size, weighing 11.5 pounds.

Anyone familiar with HP's OSD (onscreen display) design, won't find many surprises here. Brightness, Contrast, and Sharpness are present. Also included are six presets: Enhance+, Movie, Gaming, Text, Photo, and Custom. Three color temperature options are included: Warm, Cool, and Standard (somewhere in between warm and cool). RGB color controls are also included, allowing for the fine-tuning of red, green, and blue.

The OSD array is located in the lower right corner and consists of five horizontally aligned buttons. Each button is represented by a white LED that turns off when not in use. The far left button activates the menu, followed to the right by the auto-adjust (usable only in VGA), Quick View/Minus, Source/Plus, and Enter buttons with the power button at the far right. Navigating the OSD takes some getting used to. I wouldn't call the interface clunky; it's just not as intuitive as it could be. The power button sits directly to the right, and when powered on a turquoise power light glows in the lower right bezel.

Edge-to-edge or edge-to-bezel?
AT CES 2013, HP told me that an edge-to-edge display was one of the many features of the Pavilion 27xi, but apparently, edge-to-edge doesn't mean what I think it means. At least not as I define it. In my head edge-to-edge simply means no visible bezel. Or at least, the minimalist of bezels and the 27xi clearly features a bezel. It's a thin bezel to be sure, but there's no denying that its screen doesn't quite stretch to the chassis's edge.

Connectivity:	HDMI, DVI, VGA
Ergonomic options:	25-degree back tilt
Resolution:	1,920x1,080 pixels
Aspect ratio:	16:9
Audio:	n/a
VESA wall-mount support:	No
Included video cables:	DVI, VGA
Backlight:	LED
Panel type:	e-IPS
Screen film:	Glossy
Number of presets:	5
Overdrive:	No
Picture options:	Brightness, Contrast, Sharpness
Color controls:	RGB and 3 color temperature options
Gamma control:	No
Additional features:	Enhance+

I tested the HP Pavilion 27xi through its DVI input, connected to a Windows Vista PC with the included DVI cable. The display posted a composite score of 98 on CNET Labs' DisplayMate-based performance tests.

DisplayMate: The Pavilion 27xi displayed light gray up to level 254. Level 255 is considered white, and every level between it and 1 is a variation of gray. The 27xi's performance here indicates that the display will likely not be prone to washing out light colors. As for dark gray, the 27xi displayed down to level 2 while still maintaining a very deep black, indicating that the display is capable of a very low black level.

The monitor excelled in nearly all of our color-scaling tests, which evaluate how smoothly it displays different shades of various colors. The 27xi yielded very few color abnormalities in these tests.

Text: Black text on white looked clear, without any obvious color tint problems. Fonts were clearly visible down to a 6.8 size.

Movies: I tested the HP 27xi using the Blu-ray version of "Avatar." The Movie preset looks too grainy, especially when close to the screen, which, if you're using the 27xi as a monitor, you will likely be when watching movies. It does look better the farther away you are from the screen, and its colors are definitely more accurate and less saturated than the other presets. Curiously, although a bit softer, I found the Text preset best suited for movies at close range, especially since it allows you to alter the color.

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LG Spirit 4G (MetroPCS)

Save for one handset (the LG Motion 4G), all of MetroPCS' LG handsets have been stuck on Gingerbread.

So when the LG Spirit 4G was released on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (yes, it's not the latest Jelly Bean version, but I'll take what I can get), I was pleased. Not only was the update refreshing, the phone will also be the only other LG device to feature LG's Optimus 3.0 user interface.

On top of that, its current $199 price tag renders it oddly less expensive than some of MetroPCS' midrange Gingerbread phones (like the $349 LG Connect 4G or the $379 LG Esteem), making the Spirit a smart and economical choice for MetroPCS.

Design
Compared to other mid-range LG devices, the Spirit 4G's look is more deliberate and thought out. Its frosty silver construction gives the handset a more luxurious feel, and its matte plastic back plate keeps off fingerprints.

The phone measures 5.08 inches tall, 2.61 inches wide, and is 0.37 inch thick, so expect a snug fit inside your pockets. It feels dense to hold, but at 4.3 ounces, it retains a relatively light weight. On the left edge is a small, narrow volume rocker. A 3.5mm headphone jack sits up top, and a sleep/power button is located on the right edge. You'll find a Micro-USB port for charging on the bottom.

The handset has a vibrant 4.5-inch touch screen and features LG's Optimus 3.0 user interface.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

The back houses a 5-megapixel camera with flash. Below those are two small slits for an audio speaker. Using a small indentation on the left, you can pry the back plate off and get access to the 2,150mAh battery, microSD card slot that's expandable up to 32GB, and the SIM card slot.

The 4.5-inch Gorilla Glass IPS display has a 960x540-pixel resolution. This is slightly higher than your standard 800x480, though it's hard to discern with the naked eye. The touch screen is very bright and responsive, text and app icons are crisp, and whites are true to life. Above the display is a 1.3-megapixel camera, and below it are three hot keys (back, home, and menu) that light up when in use.

Software and OS
The LG Spirit 4G ships with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and comes with a bunch of Google goodies: Gmail; Search; Plus; portals to Play, Books, Magazines, Movies and TV, Music, and Store; Messenger, Maps with Navigation and Latitude, Talk, and YouTube. Other preloaded content from Google includes Chrome (in addition to a native browser, MetroWeb), Car Home, which lets users access phone features while driving, and Local, which scans the nearby area for popular restaurants and attractions.

Also included is a handful of MetroPCS apps, such as its 4G hot-spot app; an app portal; M Studio, which stores media files such as ringtones; a privacy app called Metro Block-it; MetroPCS Easy Wi-Fi, a Wi-Fi hot-spot app; Metro411, which searches for and locates nearby businesses and restaurants; MyExtras, an entertainment and media app; and MyMetro, which lets you check your account balance and plan.

In addition, the device is equipped with several basics like a clock with alarm features, a calculator, Bluetooth, a calendar, a memo pad, text messaging (with Swype), a native e-mail client, music, and movie players, two video editors, a to-do list, a voice recorder, a voice dialer, and a news and weather app.

Uncommon apps include Yahoo Sportacular for sport news; Yahoo movies; Facebook; two file sharing apps (FileShare and SmartShare); Twitter; a mobile media suite called Pocket Express; LG Smartworld, which lets you download LG apps and ringtones; and the mobile office suite, Polaris Office.

On the back of the device is a 5-megapixel camera, which features numerous photo editing options.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

The handset comes preloaded with Rhapsody's music subscription service. For an extra $5 a month, you can search through and download thousands of albums and artists on major U.S. record labels. Despite the fact that you can't play songs offline unless you add them to a playlist, the service is intuitive and easy to use.

It's also equipped with LG's user interface, the Optimus UI 3.0, which isn't as stylishly simplistic as the vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich skin. The default icons are boxy (but are thankfully customizable through four different themes), and the widgets look clunky, especially the unattractive weather widget. Still, there are some things I'm fond of. For example, I like that you can access up to four apps of your choosing from the lock screen by simply swiping over their icons, and you can preview what your phone will open up to after unlocking.

Camera and video
The 5-megapixel camera offers a variety of options: touch focus, a flash, a 15x digital zoom, face tracking, geotagging, and a timer, as well as continuous, HDR, and panoramic shooting. It also has a brightness meter (-2 to +2); five image sizes (ranging from 2,560x1,920 pixels to 1,536x864 pixels); seven scene modes; four ISO options; five white balances; and four color effects. Two novel features are the "Time catch" shot mode that lets users choose and save the best shot from before the shutter was pressed, and a voice command feature called Cheese Shot.

The front-facing camera offers the same brightness meter, white balances, color effects, timer, and geotagging feature, but only two scene modes as well as the Cheese Shot command and three photo sizes (from 1,280x960 to 640x480p). There's also a "beauty shot" meter that lets you adjust the brightness and blurriness of an image. This comes in handy when you're taking self-portraits and want to soften the photo.

Recording options consist of the same digital zoom, flash, brightness meter, geotagging, color effects, and white balance. In addition, there's audio muting and you can choose from five video sizes (ranging from full HD 1080p to MMS). Two more features are the "silly faces" mode, which will distort your face while the video records, and a background module, so you can change your background to outer space, a sunset, a disco, or your own custom image.

Though front-facing video recording has fewer options, it still retains a good number of features. There are still the brightness meter, silly faces and background options, white balances, color effects, geotagging, and audio muting feature. There are also five video sizes (ranging from 720p to MMS).

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Dell Latitude 10 (64GB, Windows 8 Pro)

After an initial wave of Windows 8 laptops with sliding, twisting, folding, or detachable screens, we're now seeing a small flood of pure standalone slate-style tablets with Microsoft's new operating system. These systems often include a keyboard and touch pad/mouse component, but it's secondary to the tablet experience.

Most prominent of these new Windows 8 tablets is the Core i5 Microsoft Surface Pro, which is more than $1,100 with a full 128GB solid-state drive (SSD) and its cool, clever keyboard cover. Other Intel Core i5 models include the Acer W700 and the Samsung Series 7 Slate 700T; all of these perform much like a current-gen ultrabook.

The other major fork in the tablet road uses Intel's low-power Atom CPU for a thinner, lighter, less expensive system, and one that in most cases has far better battery life than Core i-series tablets or laptops. The Acer W510, Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2, and Dell Latitude 10 all fall into this category.

For as little as $500, these Atom tablets offer a very similar experience to the more expensive models, with some serious limitations to keep in mind. First, as in the case of the Dell Latitude 10 reviewed here, the starting price may be nowhere near what you end up once you've added the features you need. For the Latitude 10, $499 gets you the Essentials version of the system, with a nonremovable battery and only a 32GB SSD, and lacking corporate extras such as a TPM chip. Our review unit was the $649 base model, with the 1.8GHz Intel Atom Z2670 CPU, 2GB of RAM, and a still-small 64GB SSD.

For an extra $100, we also received the Dell Latitude 10 dock, a solid metal docking station that adds four more USB ports, an Ethernet jack, and HDMI and audio outputs. Missing, however, was any tablet-sized Dell keyboard or keyboard case. Your only options are a clunky full-size wireless keyboard and mouse set, or a third-party keyboard case from Kensington. There's nothing along the lines of the excellent Microsoft keyboard cover that works with the Surface Pro.

While Intel's Atom carries a lot of historical baggage from the best-forgotten Netbook era, the Windows 8 UI feels smooth and responsive on the Latitude 10. In general, official Microsoft Windows 8 apps, such as IE10, were clearly optimized for the Atom, but third-party apps, including the Chrome Web browser, were stuttery, revealing the limitations of the Atom.

The Latitude 10 is targeted at business users (although the basic $499 model aims more at budget consumers). With that in mind, it may be a good match for your corporate tablet needs, especially if they don't involve running high-stress apps or storing a lot of large files locally. But at prices that aren't far off from midrange Core i-series ultrabooks with 500GB hard drives or 128GB SSDs, the combination of the Latitude 10 plus a dock and a keyboard feels expensive for the Atom experience.

Price as reviewed / starting price	$649 / $499
Processor	1.8GHz Intel Atom z2760
Memory	2GB, 800MHz DDR2
Hard drive	64GB SSD
Graphics	Intel GMA
Operating system	Windows 8
Dimensions (WD)	10.8x6.9 inches
Height	0.4 inch
Screen size (diagonal)	10.2 inches
System weight / Weight with AC adapter	1.6 pounds / 2.1 pounds
Category	Tablet

Design and features
In its black, slate-style design, the Dell Latitude 10 is very similar to the Microsoft Surface Pro, Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2, and other Windows 8 tablets. All have black bodies, with edge-to-edge glass over a touch-sensitive display, with a handful of ports along the outer edge.

But even though they're largely indistinguishable from a few feet away, there are differences in industrial design. The Surface, for example, has edges that angle back, making the back panel slightly smaller than the front. The ThinkPad is the most squared-off, and the Latitude 10 has gently rounded corners, giving it a consumer-friendly feel, even though this is part of Dell's business-targeted Latitude line.

The Latitude 10, like the other Atom-powered Windows 8 tablets we've seen, is thinner and lighter than its Core i5 counterparts (such as the Surface Pro). That makes it easier to carry in one hand, and less of a drag to haul around in a small shoulder bag.

While it lacks the custom-made keyboard cover that makes the Surface Pro shine, or the dockable keyboard base found in many hybrid laptops, such as the HP Envy x2, Dell does offer a solid little docking station for the Latitude 10. And by little, I mean it has a very small desktop footprint. Unlike some docks that lie flat, or fold up, this $100 accessory is permanently anchored as a small plastic base with a metal support plate sticking up at an angle to hold the tablet in place.

Built into the dock are four USB ports (2.0 only), an HDMI output, an audio-out jack, and an Ethernet connection. The dock connects via the same proprietary power connection found on the bottom edge of the tablet, but that means it can only dock in landscape mode, not portrait. The actual dock connector is hinged to give you some play while attaching and detaching the Latitude 10, but unfortunately the actual angle it holds the screen at is not adjustable. (Despite the hinged connector, I was unable to make the tablet fit while it was wrapped up in Dell's folio case, a plastic wraparound cover for the Latitude 10 that feels cheap, even for $27.)

The 10.1-inch display has a native resolution of 1,366x768 pixels, which is fine for less expensive tablets, and probably a good match for the lower power of the Intel Atom CPU. The IPS display has a Gorilla Glass top layer and looks good from nearly any angle. But note that with upgrades and accessories, the Latitude 10's price can rise to $1,000 or more, and in that price range, you can get tablets with 1,920x1,080-pixel-resolution displays.

Video	Micro-HDMI	HDMI or DisplayPort
Audio	Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone combo jack	Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks
Data	1 USB 2.0, SD card reader, 1 Micro-USB charging port	1 USB 3.0, SD card reader
Networking	802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth	802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Optical drive	None	None

Connections, performance, and battery life
By itself, the Latitude 10 doesn't have much in the way of ports and connections, with only one USB port, a Mini-HDMI jack, an SD card slot, and a separate Micro-USB port for charging accessories.

Adding the optional dock gives you four additional USB ports, plus HDMI and Ethernet, making it pretty handy for converting the Latitude 10 for desktop use. But, as we're dealing with the Intel Atom platform here, all the USB ports are the slower 2.0 variety, not the faster 3.0 version found in Intel Core i-series devices.

While the Latitude 10 looks and feel a lot like other Windows 8 tablets, even ones with faster Core i5 processors, when we ran our standard PC benchmark tests the difference was obvious. Atom-powered systems, such as the Latitude 10, Acer W510, or HP Envy X2, were much slower, with the Dell taking nearly five times as long as the Surface Pro to run our multitasking benchmark.

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Microsoft Surface Pro ad debuts amid supply gripes

The Surface Pro ad is here, but so are gripes about supply.

The ad (above) has an obvious business bent, focusing on pen input. And, of course, how light it is (two pounds). There's also a nod to the touch interface and USB connectivity.

The ad was directed by Jon M Chu, who directed the earlier Surface RT ad.

Meanwhile over at the official Surface Blog commenters are howling about supply.

"I went to three Best Buys, and two Future Shops. Sold out everywhere...Am I disappointed? Of course, I was really looking forward to 'trading-up' my iPad 4 for the Surface Pro," said a person identified as ChrisJamesKnapp.

Others were just as harsh. "I really wanted the Surface Pro 128. I went to 4 stores...but like most others I was completely let down by the lack of inventory. It reeks of incompetence at best or a poor marketing ploy at worst," said ARigs.

They have a point. The 128GB Surface Pro sold out immediately online and in short order at most Microsoft stores after it went on sale Saturday.

"We're working with our retail partners who are currently out of stock of the 128GB Surface Pro to replenish supplies as quickly as possible," wrote Panos Panay, who heads Surface the Surface team at Microsoft.

Microsoft's tablet is one of the few, if not the only, PC product in the last few years to spawn lines outside of stores. Like the October Surface RT rollout, there was a line yesterday at the Microsoft Store in the Century City area of Los Angeles.

But the product sold out much faster this time, leading to questions about Microsoft's supply strategy.

For example, prospective buyers who arrived at the Century City store were told soon after the store opened that stock was sold out of both the 64GB and 128GB models.

The Pro is priced at $899 for the 64GB model and $999 for the 128GB version. More about the specs and pricing here.

On Saturday, there was a small line outside the Century City Microsoft Store near Beverly Hills. The Surface Pro sold out immediately at the store.

(Credit: Brooke Crothers)

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HP Officejet Pro X576dw

Introduction
The $799 HP Officejet Pro X576dw multifunction inkjet printer defies established industry logic that says laser printers are better for small businesses requiring speedy text output at a budget cost without a primary concern for print output quality. HP's new PageWide technology deserves the credit for this crossover -- it's featured in all of the company's new "X" series printers and uses a fixed print head instead of a traditional motorized assembly and belt system.

The application of this new feeder combines the speed of a laser printer with the color printing acumen and low cost of consumables that attracts small workgroups to an inkjet. HP also pushes the X576dw into a new generation of print services through a large touch-screen display that works sublimely with the company's collection of ad-hoc mobile printing services, like ePrint, Google Cloud Print, and the HP ePrintCenter apps.

If you can look past the omission of a tactile control panel to see the benefits of "print anywhere" versatility, the Officejet Pro X576dw's advancements in printing technology will make it an easy to use, cost efficient partner for small businesses and larger work groups.

Design and Features

The HP X576dw is the top-of-the-line model in the "X" series, and its size certainly communicates that stature. Its dimensions (20.3 inches tall and 20.3 inches wide) put it in the same weight class as larger workgroup laser printers, but it's surprisingly portable around the office, thanks to two handles that sit just underneath the scanner to save your lower back from heavy lifting. Since this is considered a "professional" class device (hence the moniker), the relative size of the X576dw is due to the dual paper trays that feed media into the printer.

In terms of paper handling, you have a choice of three locations to access: there's the main input tray on the bottom that can hold 500 sheets of paper, a 50-sheet autodocument feeder on top for scanning and copying a stack of documents, and an additional 50-sheet multipurpose feed tray that folds down from a door on the left side of the printer.

If you find yourself constantly refilling paper in all three, you can also purchase another 500-sheet input tray from HP that fits on the bottom and adds a few extra inches of height to the overall measurements.

Completed prints exit through a parking bay in the middle of the device that can hold up to 300 sheets, but keep in mind that the recommended monthly page output of this printer is 65,000 pages. That's a lot of printing, and should be more than enough for any small business from real estate agents to small law offices and anything in between.

The printer's auto-document feeder for scanning paper stacks.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

The printer also features an automatic duplexer that saves you money on paper costs by automatically flipping the page over for double-sided prints. The left side also has a large panel that gives quick access to the paper feed assembly and duplexer, should you need to mitigate a paper jam. It also gives a peek at the jewel of HP's new PageWide technology: an 8.5-inch print head that stays static inside the machine, so the sheets of paper do the work as they move back and forth past the nozzles to apply the inks.

A tray opens on the left to reveal the duplexer and a glimpse at the new static print head.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

So what are the benefits of this new page array over traditional inkjet print heads that rely on a stepper motor, a belt, and a stabilizer bar to control its precise movements? Well, the new system means big improvements to print quality with less horizontal stripes marring graphics and text on the output page -- imaging geeks call that "printhead banding," and it's caused by a clogged nozzle or a misaligned bidirectional print head. Without a moving print head, you'll notice more solid, densely formed prints and even shading throughout.

The PageWide array also gives a dramatic speed boost to outbound prints, with HP blasting out up to 70 pages of color text per minute in its new "general office mode." The elimination of the moveable head also means an end to the printer jiggle -- a name given to the "dance" that occurs when the head vigorously passes over a sheet of paper and causes the whole device to move around on a table.

The X576dw uses four pigment inks: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. Using HP's prices for the compatible HP 970 (black) and 971 (color) cartridges on the Web site, a page of black text alone costs 2.5 cents and a page of color is 3.2 cents per page -- both prices are fair compared to the average cost of toner cartridges in laser printers. You can also save a little more money by paying up front for HP's high capacity inks.

HP extends its trend of touch-compatible printer displays to the X576dw with a 4.3-inch color screen positioned on the left of the device. The color graphic display (CGD) takes on the familiar shape of the original iPhone with a rectangular screen fit inside a rounded edge, with virtual buttons that illuminate to help with navigation and selection.

Though the sensitivity of the display is indeed a large improvement on some of HP's earlier touch-screen models, it's still prone to precision missteps when it comes to scrolling through the landscape menu pane. Unless you start a finger swipe on the outside of the display, the menu has a tendency to continue moving even after your finger lifts off the screen -- frustrating if you're trying to quickly parse through a lot of apps. The quirks of the display add time to the learning curve, but you'll have an easier time once you train your finger to unlearn the familiar iPhone gestures you might be used to.

In addition to a direct USB connection (like most vendors, HP does not include a USB cable with the printer), you can set up the Officejet on your home network through Ethernet or Wi-Fi, which also lets Apple users make an easy connection through AirPrint on a compatible iOS device. Using AirPrint, you can print out a photo from your iPhoto library by simply choosing the connected printer and hitting Print. Browser printing through Google Cloud Print is also supported by the X576dw and available for personal registration through the ePrintCenter hub online.

I tested the Wi-Fi connection process and found it simple to navigate through the initial setup screens with help from the instructions on the driver disc. HP's latest Auto Wireless Connect reduces the set up time to less than two minutes (if you make your network visible, that is). If network privacy from intrusive leeches is your concern, you can also manually input your network username and password details on the virtual QWERTY keyboard and the printer should immediately connect. Macs and PCs alike on CNET's lab network were able to see the printer without the need to install any additional software.

In addition to Apple AirPrint, this printer also features HP's ePrint technology that lets you send jobs from any connected device to the printer using the uniquely assigned e-mail address. You can even navigate through the settings and change the e-mail address to an easier designation to give out to friends and family that you deem responsible enough to take control of your printer -- you can take ownership of that in the control panel (Wireless > Web Services > Display E-mail) and it's very easy to set up, but does come with a few restrictions.

For one, the printer must be on and also connected to your network. For another, it can't print Web pages, although you can simply copy and paste the text into a document as a workaround and even create your own customized e-mail address.

The ePrintCenter is an online hub where you can view job history, change settings, add printers to your account, browse and install apps, and cancel print jobs. All the extra applications are free and open to user reviews. HP breaks them down into categories within the App Store: entertainment, home, kids, news/blogs, photo, and tickets. Each one promises to streamline the printing experience by offering shortcuts to your favorite coupons, news articles, weather reports, recipes, and so on.

HP tells me that it plans to release a Software Development Kit (SDK) in the near future so software engineers can design their own shortcut apps for the store. Adding apps to the X576dw's home screen is as simple as hitting the Get More button that takes you directly to the store to download new apps, rate them, and even add your own comments. The apps have potential, but prepare to battle long load times that require you to navigate through several submenu layers.

Performance
The X576dw's affixed print head system lends itself to a boost in print speeds compared with its traditional competitors, though keep in mind that these comparison units are relative to the fact that CNET doesn't typically review printers for the SMB market. Tested using the new "General Office Mode" as the default quality setting, the X576dw fared almost as well as the Brother MFC-7860DW, an SMB laser that earned high marks for its quick print speeds.

HP Officejet Pro X576dw
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

Brother MFC-2270DW

19.28 

21.24 

17 

HP Officejet Pro X576dw

18.5 

17.3 

15.39 

You could just as easily mistake the excellent print quality of the HP Officejet Pro X576dw for output from a laser printer. With solid lines in both color and black and white, and especially darkened grayscale prints, the documents are of high enough quality that I wouldn't hesitate to hand them out at a client meeting. The print also exhibits equally impressively photo output quality with crisp, vivid colors and minimum blurring even in finer text sizes. As previously stated, my testing also revealed output immunity from color banding, a graphics printing affliction commonly attributed to a maladjusted print head. In this case, the lack of a traditional moving printhead works to the X576dw's advantage.

Service and support
HP backs the Officejet Pro X576dw with a standard one-year warranty that includes 24-7 toll-free phone support and live Web chat during weekdays. HP's Web site also contains downloadable drivers, software, and manuals; e-mail tech support; FAQs; and a troubleshooting guide. You can return the product within 21 days of delivery.

Conclusion
HP changed the face of printing when it introduced Cloud printing and the ePrintCenter back in 2010, and the company once again demonstrates its commitment to innovation with its first page-wide array product. With zippy new print mechanics, a streamlined design, and the added bonus of mobile printing through onboard apps and mobile features, the X576dw is an ideal companion for small workgroups and businesses that want a taste of the future of printing.

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LA Microsoft Store not mobbed, but Surface has a following

The Surface Pro

(Credit: Brooke Crothers)

LOS ANGELES -- The launch of the Surface Pro at the Microsoft Store in LA's Century City was a relatively low-key affair compared with the debut of the Surface RT.

When I arrived just after 10 a.m. there was a small line (see photo). That said, both versions -- 64GB and 128GB -- of the Surface Pro had sold out immediately.

Of course, no one would say how many units were set aside for first-day sales, and the lines didn't exactly snake around the Westfield Century City mall. So, it wasn't like a Depression-era run on a bank.

And back in October the lines were longer and the atmosphere a bit more frenzied when the Surface RT launched.

On Saturday, there was a small line outside the Century City Microsoft Store near Beverly Hills. The Surface Pro sold out immediately at the store.

(Credit: Brooke Crothers)

But like the RT rollout, there was a fixation on and interest in the product not unlike what's found at an Apple event. I saw more than a few customers glued to the device for 30 minutes or even an hour.

In other words, Surface has a following. An analogy I would use is the Chevy Volt. Recently in LA, the Chevy Volt is gaining ground, driven by a small but growing (and fervent) customer base.

And Microsoft Store sales reps know what they're talking about. A patient, focused rep gave me a long, hands-on explanation of the Windows 8 touch interface and demonstrated a new touch-enabled paint app, among other apps.

Finally, note that there are other enticing touch-screen Windows 8 devices at the store, including the 2.3-pound Acer Aspire S7 and the HP Spectre XT TouchSmart. And that's good for Windows 8 overall.

Looking at the line from inside the store.

(Credit: Brooke Crothers)

The Surface Pro isn't the only cool Windows 8 device on sale at the Microsoft Store. The 11.6-inch Acer Aspire S7 touch-screen laptop is a tempting alternative to the Pro.

(Credit: Brooke Crothers)

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