Garmin Nuvi 3597LMTHD

After years of reviewing PND after PND, it's hard to get excited about a GPS device's physical form. However, the Nuvi 3597LM has managed to capture my attention with its glossy, black face and slim chassis.

The Nuvi looks slimmer than it actually is thanks to tapered edges that visually shrink the device's profile and make it easier to slip in and out of a pocket. Strategically placed black panels on the top and bottom edges also aid in visually slimming and classing-up the silvery metallic device. However, at its thickest point, the 3597LM is about as thick as the rest of this class of portable navigation devices.

The hardware
On the face of the Nuvi 3597LM, behind a capacitive glass panel, shines a crisp 5-inch TFT screen that is gorgeous. The 800 by 480 pixel resolution isn't as hypersharp as today's Retina-class smartphone displays, but its brightness and clarity are better than on nearly every other portable navigation device that I've ever tested. Being capacitive, the glass can register swipes and pinches as well as taps, and the Nuvi's interface takes advantage of these new input types. Just to the right of the screen, you'll find a pinhole cut into the glass bezel for the Nuvi's microphone.

The Nuvi features an internal accelerometer of some sort and its display can rotate between portrait and landscape orientation for the maps and menus.

Along the bottom edge of the Nuvi 3597LM is a small slot where a microSD card can be inserted to increase storage for downloadable maps and updates.

The Nuvi's tapered edges give this navigator a razor-sharp profile.

(Credit: Antuan Goodwin/CNET)

On the back panel is the Nuvi's single physical control: a power button. Tapping the power button suspends the Nuvi, shutting down its screen. Tapping it again causes the device to instantly reawaken. For those times when you need to shut the Nuvi down for extended periods of time, such as when packing it for travel, holding the power button for a few moments will totally shut down the device.

Also on the back panel is the Mini-USB port for charging the Nuvi 3597LM and updating the software with the aid of an Internet-connected computer, Garmin's proprietary 12-pin dock connection, and a very tiny integrated speaker behind a drilled grille.

The integrated speaker isn't nearly loud enough to be heard over the levels of road and wind noise and car audio that you'll experience while driving, but it doesn't need to be because the 3597LM's cradle-and-suction-cup mount features a speaker of its own that is plenty loud. The cradle attaches to the Nuvi with a powerful magnet, for easy one-handed mounting and dismounting, and attaches to the windshield or other smooth, nonporous surfaces with a strong lever-activated suction cup.

The suction cup base connects to the Nuvi 3597LMTHD with a strong, ring-shaped magnet.

(Credit: Antuan Goodwin/CNET)

The last bit of hardware is the power cable, which converts your car's 12-volt power source into a 5-volt charge usable by Nuvi and connects to the cradle with a Mini-USB connection. The cable also powers the cradle's loudspeaker and integrates the FM/HD Radio antenna that receives the free, lifetime over-the-airwaves traffic data that transforms the Nuvi 3597LM into the Nuvi 3597LMTHD that I tested.

The upside of integrating the antenna into the cable is that it makes a thinner device possible. It also means that with no cable, you also get no traffic data, though the Nuvi still remains usable for navigation for a few hours via its internal battery.

The firmware
The 3597LM features wireless connectivity with a smartphone via Bluetooth. That connection enables hands-free calling using the PND's microphone and speakers, and a feature called Smartphone link, which we'll get to momentarily.

Upon pairing with a smartphone, the Nuvi will attempt to sync the phone's address book -- although just the numbers, not the addresses -- which can be accessed via a phone menu. The reasoning behind Garmin's decision to hide the phone menu under the Apps subcategory rather than putting it in the main menu like in previous Nuvi models escapes me. Fortunately, there is an easier way to access those contacts.

This Nuvi includes a great voice command system that is truly hands-free. It isn't even activated by a button, instead being awakened with a customizable spoken command -- by default this is, "Voice command."

Simply say, 'Voice command,' and the Garmin will activate, ready for your instructions.

(Credit: Antuan Goodwin/CNET)

When the Nuvi hears you speak that command, it responds with onscreen and audible prompts that guide you through spoken address input, points-of-interest search, and dialing contacts for hands-free calling. The system is remarkably accurate; I particularly appreciated the almost conversational way that I was able to speak to the device, inputting full addresses in one go rather than wading through a half-dozen prompts.

I also appreciated the conversational tone of the Nuvi's spoken turn-by-turn directions, which call out landmarks and use natural language. Rather than say, "In a quarter mile, turn left," the Nuvi may say, "Keep straight past the hotel and turn left at the traffic light." When on the highway, the Nuvi may tell you to "Stay in any of the three left lanes" when approaching an exit, which helps me, the driver, to better avoid last-minute hustles to get in or out of a valid lane for the trip. It also meant that I didn't have to watch the screen for lane guidance, which allowed me to keep my eyes on the road.

One more change that I like in this iteration of the Garmin Nuvi interface is the decision to use a search-driven destination selection system. With the 3597LM you can still browse POI categories and input addresses with prompts for house number and street name, but at the top of the "Where to?" menu, you'll find a search box that can accept street addresses, business names, and destination categories. Start typing "123 Main" and the Nuvi may automatically autocomplete the address. Type "movie theaters" and it will display the nearest movie theaters. Type "Starbucks" and...you get the point. I love that I can just tell the Nuvi what I want and it will figure out the best way to get me there.

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2013 Jaguar XJ AWD

The 2013 Jaguar XJ is an imposing car, but in Ultimate Black paint, the XJ is also subtle and understated. It's a handsome ride that garners smiles and nods from those whose eye it catches, but largely doesn't attract a lot of attention when prowling the streets. The Jag's stealthy nature is probably why nearby pedestrians were so startled when a weird quirk of the fuel-saver system prodded the big cat into angry snarls.

The stub-nosed front end features lots of chrome brightwork and a pair of angry feline headlights. When viewed in profile or from certain front angles, the XJ's proportions are similar to those of the Audi A7, with a roofline that flows smoothly from the A-pillars all the way to the rear or the vehicle where it joins with vertical LED taillamps at the deck lid's drop-off. However, the Jag is a proper sedan with a discrete trunk having nothing to do with the Audi's liftback trickery.

Purring supercharged engine
Under the XJ's long hood purrs a 3.0-liter, supercharged V-6 engine that turns its crank to the tune of 340 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque. I don't feel like I'm laying the "jaguar" metaphor on too thickly by saying that the engine "purrs" because that's just the right word for the way this engine sounds. The idling engine can be heard and even felt in the XJ's quiet cabin, but it never becomes intrusive or obnoxious, even when making a full-bore 0-60 run.

The supercharged V-6 purrs from beneath the XJ's hood.

(Credit: Antuan Goodwin)

That power makes its way through an eight-speed automatic transmission that the user operates with a motorized shift knob that rises and lowers from its position flush with the center console when the vehicle is started or stopped. With the vehicle under way, the XJ's gearbox can also be controlled via steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters, which I was not a fan of in this vehicle due to their plasticky and hollow feel. Paddle shifters really have no place in a cruiser like this anyway, but there's no excuse for cheaping out on them.

The XJ is based on a rear-drive platform, but our XJ AWD was equipped with an optional Instinctive all-wheel-drive system, which is Jaguar's way of saying "on-demand" all-wheel drive. The system adds a couple hundred pounds to the curb weight, adds a few ticks to the 0-60 time, and widens the turning circle, but it also adds traction. In particular, the XJ AWD's winter mode locks in a baseline 30 percent of available torque to the front axle to make sure that the sedan has the best grip over slippery surfaces.

The XJ's transmission modes are controlled via this bank of buttons and the large, chrome shifter dial.

(Credit: Antuan Goodwin/CNET)

The sedan features multiple performance-modifying modes. On the transmission dial, there are Normal and Sport modes. Below that dial, the driver will find buttons that activate the aforementioned Winter mode and a Dynamic program that further augments the XJ's performance. Make no mistakes, this is not a sports car, so that "Dynamic" mode is largely a "use extra fuel and make more noise" straight-line performance boost.

Fuel-saver system
Speaking of fuel usage, the EPA estimates that the XJ AWD will purr for 19 miles of driving for every gallon of premium gasoline in its tank. That breaks out to 16 mpg city and 24 mpg highway. In order to reach these numbers Jaguar has equipped the XJ with an auto stop-start system that shuts the engine down when the vehicle is stopped to prevent fuel losses due to idling.

I found the XJ's start-stop system to be loud and somewhat unpredictable. A nudge of the steering wheel, a slight change in brake pedal pressure, or the whims of the climate control system would cause the system to shut down and fire up the engine. It lacked smoothness, shaking the vehicle to life whenever it fired the engine up. This system was particularly annoying in stop-and-go traffic, when it would shut the engine down just as I was releasing the brake pedal to go again, resulting in momentary jerkiness. If the system fired up when I didn't have the gas pedal fully depressed -- such as when I'd relax my foot on the pedal while waiting for a long light -- the car might lurch forward slightly.

The XJ also seemed to hate pedestrians. On multiple occasions when I was waiting for a traffic light to change or crawling through a parking lot, the stop-start system would fire up the engine just as a pedestrian was crossing in front of the vehicle, startling them with the sudden snarl of the engine and shake of the vehicle. I was beginning to wonder whether the Jaguar had developed a taste for human flesh when, after a few dozen dirty looks, I simply deactivated the stop-start system with the touch of a button.

The ECO button disables the auto stop-start system. It may be the most important button in the XJ's cabin.

Comfort-tuned suspension
The XJ rides on a fixed suspension, but it's such a comfort-minded vehicle that I'm not sure that it would benefit at all from an adaptive suspension system with a sport program.

The sedan's ride is soft, but also controlled. I wouldn't go as far as to call the XJ "boatlike," but the word does come to mind when behind the XJ's wheel. Particularly as the sedan smoothly glided over the normally brutal expansion joints of the Bay Area's Interstate system with a barely audible thump-thump and a slight bobbing of the cabin as if breaking over waves. Only the harshest of potholes were able to jar the Jag and almost no road or wind noise made it into the sealed and insulated cabin.

The XJ doesn't hide its size and 4,125-pound curb weight when on the road, but it also doesn't really try to. It feels large and substantial -- sort of like an old Cadillac, but in a good way.

The sedan exhibits noticeable amounts of lean and understeer when asked to corner at even moderate speeds and going fast outside of relatively straight freeway blasts is not really in its bag of tricks. But I found it nice that, in a time where luxury marquees are all trying to make sport sedans with firm rides, this nearly base-level XJ would fixate so uncompromisingly on comfort.

Luxurious Portfolio Package
Our XJ's luxurious cabin was easily its best selling point -- and with nearly $10,000 in optional cabin and tech upgrades, it had better be good.

Our example started out with the supercushy $4,000 Portfolio Package, which upgrades the leather trim on the dashboard and seats, adding contrast stitching and piping to the visual mix. Our tester also featured a two-tone interior that pairs London Tan leather seats with a Jet Black leather upper dashboard and suede headliner for an additional $775. The Portfolio Package seats feature massage functionality on the front row and heated and cooled surfaces for all four seating positions. The sedan is also upgraded with four-zone climate controls.

Our XJ's front seats featured pneumatic massage and heated and cooled surfaces.

(Credit: Antuan Goodwin/CNET)

Passengers noted that the XJ's cabin felt smaller than they'd expected in a car of this size -- no doubt feeling the press of the low ceiling, swathed in the Jet black fabric. Those same passengers also remarked on the plentiful shoulder and elbow room afforded by the XJ's wide ride.

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Sony KDL-55W900A

While many of Sony's marketing terms mean nothing in English (or sometimes even Japanese), there have been some memorable ones: Bravia, WEGA, XBR, et al. Here's another, less-catchy, less capitalized one to add to the list: Triluminos. It's Sony's term for a technology, also known as Quantum Dots, which theoretically enhances the number of colors an LCD can produce. CNET writer Geoffrey Morrison examines the dots in depth here, but in essence it's a film of microscopic crystals that glow green, red, or blue when stimulated by a light source.

The KDL-55W900A is the first production TV we know about to use Quantum Dots, and despite the tech's whiff of marketing gimmick, its color is superb. In addition, its overall picture quality is excellent for an LED-based LCD TV. The downsides? It's very expensive, and only available in a 55-inch size.

At a $2,999 list price, the W900A is twice the cost of the excellent Panasonic ST60 and more than the amazing Panasonic VT60, but not as good a performer as either. Sure, accurate color is a bonus, but it costs a lot to make an LCD perform like a plasma TV, and in the case of the W900A its black levels aren't as good. As talented as this TV is, it's not even as competent as last year's Sony HX850, and that TV was a grand cheaper. If you can afford it and want a 55-inch LED LCD with an accent on the picture, the W900A is a solid choice, but it doesn't deserve a better recommendation than that.

Design

If it weren't for the different colored bases, you'd swear that the W802 and W900A were the same TV, and since one is exactly twice the price of the other, this almost seems a lazy design choice. Both models feature a very slim black bezel with a "Quartz-cut" edge that glows blue-green when it catches the light.

The W900A trades the brushed-aluminum base of the W802 for a chrome finish, making this TV look even more like it should be propping up a hipster at your local speakeasy. So far, so elegant, but then it gets strange with a tacked-on, nondetachable "box" bulging with Sony's logo.

The television comes with two remotes: one standard, medium-size infrared and the other smaller Bluetooth. The standard remote is compact and yet easy to use with dedicated SEN and Netflix buttons. The Bluetooth remote, which doesn't require line of sight to the TV, is quirky yet surprisingly ergonomic, with most of the buttons you'll need.

After six years of the XMB (Xross Media Bar) interface, Sony has decided it's time for a change. Instead of stretching from left to right, as with the original PS3 interface, Sony has opted for a traditional vertical menu. The menu is animated, which can make it a little slower than your traditional list, though.

Key TV features
Display technology	LCD		LED backlight	Edge-lit with local dimming
Screen finish	Glossy		Remote	Standard & Bluetooth remotes
Smart TV	Yes		Internet connection	Built-in Wi-Fi
3D technology	Active		3D glasses included	4 pair, No
Refresh rate(s)	240Hz		Dejudder (smooth) processing	Yes, No
DLNA-compliant	Photo/Music/Video		USB	Photo/Music/Video
Other: Bluetooth remote

Features
Along with the 4K XBR-X900 series, the W900A is Sony's "kitchen sink" television when it comes to picture enhancements. The standout, of course, is the "Triluminos" or "Color IQ" coating that enhances the picture's available colors by the application of a thin, multicolor-crystal film over the backlight. The company used the term a few years ago for its three-color LED system, but this is a different technology. The theory is that the TV is able to reproduce more of the colors that are in the source versus a standard LED, and Sony's representatives say it should be able to handle even wider color gamuts if -- big if -- they ever appear in the future. Interestingly, however, it still isn't wide enough to handle the color of Rec. 2020.

If you love your picture to be buttery-smooth, you'll be happy to hear this is a Motion Flow XR960 system, but be aware that this translates in reality to a 240Hz panel. Another major step-up over the W802A is the employment of local dimming from the edge-lit LED backlight.

Sony keeps things simple with a bunch of cell-phone-friendly features like Miracast mirroring and MHL, and the second Bluetooth remote is also NFC-enabled. Beyond these minor additions, the TV's non-picture-affecting features are mostly unchanged from last year.

The TV includes four pairs of 3D active glasses, the TDG-BT500A, which retail for $50 each. New for this year, Sony's active 3D TVs finally comply with the full HD 3D standard, so it will work with third-party glasses like the these Samsungs ($20).

Smart TV: The interface has improved a little since last year -- no more scrolling lists or separate, competing interfaces -- and the Sony Entertainment Network (SEN) is now the default smart TV destination. It's available only from the SEN button on the remote control, though some apps are available under the Applications menu. All of the apps sit on one screen, and I found the layout preferable to scrolling through a seemingly endless vertical list via the XMB. Happily, the Home page allows for shortcuts to your most-used apps, which means you won't need to even load the slow SEN in most cases.

Unlike some competitors, Sony offers no app store, just a long list of preloaded apps which includes the inevitable litany of disposable games. There have so far been no new additions to last year's Smart TV content selection, and Yahoo Widgets and CinemaNow have both disappeared. Of course favorites like Netflix, Hulu, and Pandora are still available.

The Sony features a Web browser, but without a pointing device it becomes unbearably difficult to navigate. I don't anticipate many people will use this feature.

The company is currently offering 12 months of Hulu Plus and Netflix, and 30 days of Music Unlimited with the purchase of this TV. As usual, we recommend hooking the TV to a receiver or a decent sound bar to get the best out of Music Unlimited.

Picture settings: Despite being a more expensive TV, the W900A actually offers less tweaking than is available on the W802. There's no 10-point grayscale, although it does have a number of gamma selections and the usual array of picture presets. Unlike some competitors, Sony doesn't offer a color management system.

Connectivity: The standard physical connections include four HDMI (with one offering MHL), three USB ports, one component/composite, one standalone composite and Ethernet. MHL compatibility enables you to connect your smartphone via HDMI and stream content while you charge your phone, but for wireless convenience the onboard Wi-Fi direct is probably better. For a complete list of inputs and outputs, check out the Specs section of this review.

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Ending the headaches of Wi-Fi

Soon wireless subscribers won't even have to think about signing on to a Wi-Fi hotspot. New standards that will be included in the latest generation of products will take the head-ache out of Wi-Fi.

Millions of wireless customers access public Wi-Fi hotspots everyday. Some people get free access to Wi-Fi through their mobile operator and use the networks to avoid going over their data caps. Others subscribe to Wi-Fi services to get access to higher speed data wherever it's available. Whether you're a free Wi-Fi user or you subscribe to a service, getting on to whatever Wi-Fi network you are using is not always a simple and easy process. Often you have to search for a hotspot. Then you have to sign in with a username and password. And if it's a paid hotspot, you have to enter payment credentials.

Now, thanks to new technical and roaming standards that have been developed by the wireless industry, wireless users will soon be able to avoid these nuisances. From here on, accessing a Wi-Fi network will be an easy and seamless experience for consumers.

"Seamless connectivity to Wi-Fi is almost here," said Derek Peterson, senior vice president of engineering for Boingo Wireless, a company that provides a subscription-based service accessing Wi-Fi networks around the world. "What we have right now is not a good experience. And the new standards move us beyond that. And it makes for a great user experience."

The Standards
Earlier this year, the Wi-Fi Alliance began certifying devices under its Passpoint initiative aka Hotspot 2.0. This is a standard that defines the protocols that devices and Wi-Fi access points use to communicate with each other to negotiate a connection. Up until the Passpoint standard was used, wireless subscribers typically had to seek out Wi-Fi networks, select a network and then provide username and password information to get connected to those networks. Usually this step was only necessary the first time a user signed onto a network, but it has still made using Wi-Fi a cumbersome process.

What's more because manual authentication was often necessary there was no way to provide service continuity. In other words, you couldn't start a phone conversation on a 3G wireless network and continue the phone call on a third party's Wi-Fi network.

The Passpoint standard along with a standard developed by the Wireless Broadband Alliance, called Next Generation Hotspot, allows for a seamless handoff and provides a mechanism for establishing roaming agreements between cellular carriers and Wi-Fi hotspot operators.

The Wireless Broadband Alliance, which has established the standards for creating these roaming partnerships, recently concluded trials of its Next Generation Hotspot standard with some of the biggest wireless operators in the world, including AT&T, T-Mobile, China Mobile, BT, NTT DoCoMo and Orange.

Peterson said carriers will begin deploying the necessary equipment to make this integration starting by the end of this year. And some early adopters will start roaming and adding Wi-Fi integration into their networks next year. But most of the activity will likely happen in 2014, after big network operators, such as AT&T get more comfortable with the idea of roaming onto other carriers' Wi-Fi networks.

What it means for your wireless service?
At the end of the day, what these standards will allow is for a Wi-Fi hotspot enabled with these technologies to act as any other wireless access point in a carrier network. In other words, roaming from a carrier's 3G or 4G network onto a Wi-Fi network will happen automatically. So long as there is a roaming agreement in place, the customer will not have to discover or manually type in authentication credentials to gain access to a network. And the services being used by that subscriber will continue without interruption as he or she roams from one network to another.

In other words, the millions of public Wi-Fi networks around the world could potentially become part of a cellular operator's network. This should allow wireless operators to improve coverage of their networks in places where their 3G and 4G networks can't reach, such as inside buildings where cellular signals can't penetrate. It also will increase capacity in parts of their network where these operators have struggled to keep up with demand using their licensed spectrum. Places such as sports stadiums, concert arenas or other highly trafficked landmarks are already places where Wi-Fi is being used to offload traffic from a traditional 3G or 4G wireless network.

"The idea is that you as an end user have the same security and roaming capabilities that you'd have if your carrier was accessing another 3G or 4G wireless network from another carrier," Peterson said.

Meanwhile, a subscriber may never know that he or she is in a Wi-Fi hotspot. The hotspot simply becomes part of the carrier's network offering just as it would if it were using the network of another roaming partner. The benefits for consumers are obvious: They get easier access to Wi-Fi, which in turn provides better network coverage and faster speeds. But as wireless operators incorporate the new technology into their networks, business models will likely change.

"It's true that you may not know whether you're on a Wi-fi network or a cellular network," Peterson added. "And a carrier might treat this as any other roaming relationship."

While it's unlikely a wireless carrier would charge extra for roaming onto a Wi-Fi network, it is very likely Wi-Fi usage, which has not been counted against a user's data cap, may now be included. And this could prove to be a downside for wireless users.

For example, AT&T, which offers unlimited free access to thousands of Wi-Fi hot spots in the U.S., has added Wi-Fi roaming to its international data plan at no additional charge for consumers signing on to that service. But instead of allowing unlimited data usage in these hot spots, as it does in the U.S., AT&T has set a limit of 1GB per month for Wi-Fi.

To be fair, AT&T International data plan subscribers are getting an additional 1GB of data usage for the same $60 price, where previously they got only 300MB of cellular data usage. But the fact that AT&T has put an actual limit of 1GB on the Wi-Fi suggests that AT&T views Wi-Fi usage as something that has value and not just merely as best-effort offload.

AT&T is using Boingo's Wi-Fi network overseas as part of its new International Wi-Fi roaming service. And Boingo now has access to AT&T's Wi-Fi hotspot network in the U.S. at no additional charge.

But the carrier seems to be taking things slow when it comes to using other operators' Wi-Fi networks. It's well known that AT&T is a big user of Wi-Fi. The company has deployed tens of thousands of hotspots in the U.S. But it has only recently begun striking roaming arrangements with other Wi-Fi network operators. And for now it's limited that use to international hotspots.

For AT&T this strategy is to help reduce the cost of data roaming for itself and its customers on foreign carriers' 3G and 4G networks. And in the case of Boingo it is only using a portion of the Wi-Fi operators' foreign network.

"What AT&T is doing with Boingo right now is step one," said Doug Lodder, vice president of business development for Boingo. "It's taking traffic that is theirs and putting it on someone else's network. If the other providers' network sucks, AT&T gets the complaint. So it's baby steps right now to see whether providers like Boingo can handle their traffic."

Ad-supported Wi-Fi
But Boingo's executives also say there are other business models that may surface. Major providers such as AT&T or Wi-Fi-only operators like Boingo will likely be looking for more partners to add to their Wi-Fi networks. The new standards also make it easier to add these Wi-Fi providers to their networks. And new business models may evolve as venues that become part of these Wi-Fi networks demand other ways to make money.Some may want to gather analytics about subscriber usage patterns and sell that data to marketers. They may also want to offer targeted advertising.

For example, a large retailer, such as Best Buy, may want to push offers directly to consumers when those customers are in their store using the Wi-Fi network. A large stadium or concert hall that has built a Wi-Fi network may want to sell data about what people are doing on their phones to marketers.

"It's not always up to us or AT&T what happens within those Wi-Fi networks," Boingo's Peterson said. "Sometimes it's the venue's decision how that network gets monetized. Some may charge a partner like AT&T for access. Others may want subscribers to go to a landing page to see an advertisement or some may want to sell the aggregate data about what people are doing online to marketers."

Still, Peterson emphasized there isn't likely to be any single clear winner when it comes to the business model most used. But he said that the new standards will mean easier and better access to wireless broadband than is now available.

"I want to see world where everyone can get connected regardless of whether it's on Wi-Fi or a cellular network," he said. "It's sad we aren't there yet. Wi-Fi is great because it's not highly regulated and the spectrum is free, so anyone can be a provider. And now we are bringing down the barriers to really leverage the millions of deployments that already exist. I am excited thinking about the possibilities."

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Moon dust gathered by Neil Armstrong discovered in warehouse after 40 years

Have you seen me?

(Credit: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory/Marilee Bailey)

Several miscellaneous bits and pieces of the first moon mission have orbited back into our field of view lately.

In March, it was pieces of the rocket that propelled Apollo 11 spaceward, kindly dragged from their watery grave by Amazon CEO and space enthusiast Jeff Bezos.

And more recently, the auction block played host to Buzz Aldrin's space jammies, as well as Neil Armstrong's jumpin' heartbeat as he first set foot on the lunar surface.

Now, thanks to Karen Nelson, a tidy archivist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, about 20 forgotten vials of moon dust collected by Armstrong and Aldrin have been rescued from a grave of their own: a warehouse at the Berkeley lab, where they'd sat quietly gathering, um, Earth dust for the last 40 years or so.

As Julie Chao explained in an item on the Lab's Web site earlier this month:

When Apollo 11 returned from its historic flight in 1969, the moon rocks and lunar soil collected by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin eventually found their way to some 150 laboratories worldwide. One of those was the Space Sciences Laboratory in Latimer Hall on the U.C. Berkeley campus. After experiments were conducted and papers published, those samples should have been sent back to NASA. Instead they wound up in storage....

And apparently were promptly forgotten -- till archivist Nelson got busy organizing things several decades later and discovered the buried treasure.

Archivist Karen Nelson happily displays the goods.

(Credit: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory/Roy Kaltschmidt)

The vials "were vacuum sealed in a glass jar," the 17-year vet of the archives told Chao. "We don't know how or when they ended up in storage."

The vials were kept company all those years by a copy of the paper "Study of carbon compounds in Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 returned lunar samples," which was published in the Proceedings of the Second Lunar Science Conference in 1971 (and which you -- space geek that you are -- can read in its fascinating PDF entirety here).

Perhaps the folks at Berkeley just lost interest in the dust once it became apparent there were no signs of past carbon-based moon life in it.

Then again, you never know: Maybe they should analyze the stuff a second time. Wouldn't that be a hoot: "Proof of extraterrestrial life sat in a warehouse for nearly half a century." (Ah! Put on your tinfoil hats, conspiracy buffs: Maybe that's why these things "went missing" in the first place...)

Nelson says she's let NASA know about the dust and that the space agency has politely asked that it be returned. In the meantime, the NASA folks said she could go ahead and open the sealed jar to get a closer look at the vials.

Here's to Karen Nelson and all the other dedicated, archive-organizing archivists out there. You never know what they'll find.

Maybe they'll even come across some of the numerous moon rocks that have wandered off over the years.

Who knows what curiosities sit forgotten in the world's vast warehouses?

(Credit: Still from Raiders of the Lost Ark/Paramount Pictures)

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#Hashtags: Facebook's missing link to pop culture

For sale on Etsy: A custom-made sign that encourages wedding guests to hashtag their Instagram shots.

(Credit: The Pink Lantern/Etsy)

Scan Twitter, Instagram, or Tumblr. Watch your favorite television show, or even listen to the radio, and you might notice that the biggest social network of them all is disconnected from pop culture -- at least when it comes to hashtags.

Hashtags are a form of expression that Facebook, like your grandparents, just can't understand. The social network appears motivated to change that, although a spokesperson wouldn't share details on when and how it will roll out hashtags.

However it shakes out, hashtags on Facebook are long overdue. Their presence could help Facebook lure young users -- something it struggles with -- and provide the missing link to so much that goes on across social media, from celeb gossip and breaking news to advertising offers and goofy memes.

On Facebook, hashtags in status updates are dead text. People still use them, particularly those who cross-post updates from Twitter or Instagram, but the tags are disconnected from the topics, news, or memes they reference.

"Hashtags are just like slang," said Jonah Berger, a social psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania. And, just like slang, people use them to show that they belong to the group that's in the know.

From geek to chic

First used on Twitter in 2007, hashtags long ago crossed the geek chasm. Now, celebrities, teens, and everyone in between, use them for nuanced articulation.

Brandi Glanville, a polarizing but popular cast member on Bravo's "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," uses hashtags to punctuate text with personality in her book, "Drinking and Tweeting." Mariah Carey's new hit single "#Beautiful" is, itself, a hashtag.

You can blame, or thank, Chris Messina for making hashtags part of our modern vocabulary. Messina, now a Google employee, is the developer who first proposed that people use the pound sign to group conversations on Twitter. He borrowed the practice from Internet Relay Chat (IRC) networks, where people often used the # symbol to label groups and topics.

Some Twitter users started using hashtags to associate tweets with groups, conferences, events, and discussions. It took two years for Twitter, in July 2009, to hyperlink hashtags so that everyone could use them for quick searches, a move that took them beyond the geek set.

Soon after, Twitter's Trending Topics list turned hashtagged words and phrases into viral meme makers.

Today, with its Promoted Trends advertising product, Twitter caters to advertisers who want to ride the popularity wave of hot topics in a way that Facebook can't. Facebook has watched this phenomenon play out for some time. The 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, for instance, drew the largest audience for any television broadcast in MTV's history, something that MTV and Twitter attribute in part to MTV's decision to promote #VMA. The push resulted in 10 million tweets.

Instagram, now owned by Facebook, also helped the hashtag trend along when it started to support them in January 2011. When it introduced them, the then-independent company admitted that it was taking the idea from Twitter. "Yes, they work similarly to Twitter hashtags," Instagram wrote in its blog post, "but reinvented from the perspective of an Instagram user."

Facebook may be have been holding itself back to avoid a similar, and more embarrassing, admission: that Twitter got it right. But now that Tumblr, Pinterest, Google+, YouTube, and Twitter's Vine are all hashtag-friendly zones, Facebook looks like a stubborn holdout ignorant of Internet culture.

Teen speak

The teens and tweens did their part as well.

At first, hashtags let young people use Twitter to participate in public conversations -- primarily about Justin Bieber. Getting Bieber visibility became a game, said Danah Boyd, a senior researcher for Microsoft who studies how young people use social media.

Teens rallied around hashtags and Bieber so forcefully that Twitter changed the algorithm behind Trending Topics in May 2010 to ensure that its hot-topic list wasn't always dedicated to the Biebs.

Hashtag play is still going strong for Twitter's teen audience, which takes pleasure in making topics, such as One Direction reference #carrotnight, trend. Twitter's Trending Topics have proved instrumental in nudging teens to participate in these memes, with hashtags acting as their main method of following news they care about.

"Most teens don't follow news aficionados and most new junkies don't follow teens," Boyd said. The only way that the two audiences ever cross paths is through the Trending Topics.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his team are well aware that teens are using Twitter like mad. Pew Research just reported that almost one in four teens use Twitter, up from 16 percent in 2011. The same study noted that teens are expressing waning enthusiasm for Facebook.

On Instagram, too, teens use keyword tags to participate in memes, express themselves in profiles, and generate more "likes" for their photos. Facebook kills these creative tactics the minute hashtagged Instagram photos land in your News Feed.

"Those teens who used sites like Twitter and Instagram reported feeling like they could better express themselves on these platforms," Pew said.

Tag, you're it

#ThrowbackThursday, also known as #tbt for short, is a widely popular hashtag meme on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr enjoyed by a mainstream audience. Every Thursday, people from all walks of life post old pictures of themselves or their favorite celebrities.

(Credit: Jennifer Van Grove/CNET)

You'd think that Facebook would have been at the forefront of this social media movement. It popularized tagging people in photos, after all, and made the geeky metadata option easy for the masses to adopt with a simple sell: tag each other in photos and help each other get seen.

Facebook clearly wants to be a bigger part of the public discourse around breaking news. The company even tweaked its structure when it introduced subscribers, now called "followers," to amplify the voice of people, personalities, and news organization who want to reach larger audiences.

Hashtags would help Facebook magnify related conversations happening across the social network, especially if, as newly discovered code hints, the social network lets people hover over a hashtag to get more information or see a stream of publicly shared status updates.

Missing more than cool

In the same vein as photo tags, hashtags would promote sharing on the social network and encourage members to come back more frequently and stick around.

There's also substantial revenue potential, as proved by Twitter which charges advertisers $200,000 per day for Promoted Trends and is expected to see its overall ad revenue climb from $582.8 million this to about $1 billion in 2014, according to eMarketer.

Hashtags would give Facebook a simple way to collect the public status updates of members who associate their posts with various subjects and improve the quality of results in Graph Search, its nascent search product.

Really though, Facebook, just needs to show youngsters that it can speak their language.

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Crave giveaway: Boombotix Boombot Rex portable speaker

An outdoorsy Boombotix Boombot Rex relaxing on a rock. You'll have your choice of black, white, blue, or green.

(Credit: Boombotix)

Congrats to John D. of Fruitland Park, Fla., for winning a Crucial M500 SSD and copy of Iolo System Mechanic in last week's giveaway. This week, I asked you for help deciding whether to give away a mini action cam, a waterproof iPhone 5 case, or an ultraportable speaker. The speaker won by a few tweets, so here you go, readers. Ask and ye shall receive (and don't worry; those other prizes will be coming soon).

We're giving away a pocket-size Boombotix Boombot Rex, which connects via Bluetooth to smartphones, tablets, laptops, and any other device with a 1/8-inch standard headphone jack. It's got built-in voice control so you can ask the time, dial a contact, or play a song, all while keeping your handheld device in your pocket. How you'll look talking to your speaker? Well, that's your business.

The cute little water-resistant 2.1 sound system, which sells for $119.99, measures about 3x3x2 inches and weighs less than a pound. It packs custom-tuned, 36-millimeter full-range drivers and a matching tuned bass woofer and you'll get 6 to 8 hours of battery life per charge.

After a successful run on Kickstarter, the product officially launches June 7, with preorders on now, but you have a chance to get your hands on one early in your choice of black, white, green, or blue. For free. How do you go about doing that? Like this:

• Register as a CNET user. Go to the top of this page and hit the "Join CNET" link to start the registration process. If you're already registered, there's no need to register again.
• Leave a comment below. You can leave whatever comment you want. If it's funny or insightful, it won't help you win, but we're trying to have fun here, so anything entertaining is appreciated.
• Leave only one comment. You may enter for this specific giveaway only once. If you enter more than one comment, you will be automatically disqualified.
• The winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one (1) Boombotix Boombot Rex, with a retail value of $119.99.
• If you are chosen, you will be notified via e-mail. The winner must respond within three days of the end of the sweepstakes. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.
• Entries can be submitted until Monday, May 27, 12 p.m. ET.

And here's the disclaimer that our legal department said we had to include (sorry for the caps, but rules are rules):

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. YOU HAVE NOT YET WON. MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENT OF ONE OF THE 50 UNITED STATES OR D.C., 18 YEARS OLD OR AGE OF MAJORITY, WHICHEVER IS OLDER IN YOUR STATE OF RESIDENCE AT DATE OF ENTRY INTO SWEEPSTAKES. VOID IN PUERTO RICO, ALL U.S. TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS, AND WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. Sweepstakes ends at 12 p.m. ET on Monday, May 27, 2013. See official rules for details.

Good luck.

The Boombotix Boombot Rex likes long walks on the beach.

(Credit: Boombotix)

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Nokia Lumia 521 (T-Mobile)

If you're all about value, then mosey on up to T-Mobile's Nokia Lumia 521. For $150 off-contract (or $130 if you manage to nab it from Walmart) the Windows Phone 8 device brings on solid performance and Nokia's signature apps for a bargain price.

Its biggest drawback -- besides the obvious step-down in screen and camera quality compared with the now-discontinued Lumia 810 and upcoming Lumia 925 flagship -- is that the 521 lacks LTE support. However, you won't be hobbled by 3G speeds; the 521 will still ride T-Mobile's 4G HSPA+ network.

Most $150 smartphones give you exactly what you pay for, namely cheap, functional hardware that sometimes struggles with the OS demands. The Lumia 521 delivers an above-average experience that more than fits the price, so long as you don't require T-Mobile's fastest data speeds. T-Mobile customers looking for a more complete package should scrounge up a Lumia 810 or hold out and save up for the Lumia 925, which will admittedly cost hundreds of dollars more.

Design and build
Matte white and square-faced, the polycarbonate Lumia 521 is smaller than its other Lumia brethren -- 4.7 inches tall by 2.5 inches wide -- but still typically thick at the standard 0.4-inch depth.

At 4.4 ounces, it feels sturdy and substantial, and the prominent curve of the back plate balloons out to fit comfortably in the hand. It slid into my back pocket just fine, though its curvy dimensions did cause it to protrude a bit.

Nokia's Lumia 521 is the company's least expensive Windows phone yet.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

The contrast of black buttons and screen paired with the white backing and rim is striking. However, when it comes to looks, the 521's dull white color, thick black bezel, and faded display keep it in its budget place. Neither is it very bright at automatic settings. I needed to turn off automatic brightness and set the screen to medium strength to make my peepers happy.

Speaking of that screen, the 521 sports a 4-inch LCD WVGA display (800x480-pixel resolution) that lacks the glare-fighting ClearBlack filter and lustrous sheen of Nokia's high-end Lumia line. That's an expected trade-off for struggling to hit a lower cost. However, Nokia did include the high-screen sensitivity of other Lumia phones, which means you won't have to shuck off your gloves to operate the 521.

I find typing more comfortable on Lumias with larger screens, but 4 inches is hardly small, and thankfully the standard Windows Phone keyboard is nice and accurate.

Side by side with Verizon's flagship Lumia 928 (left), you can see the Lumia 521's less premium build quality, but it fits the price.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

Now for a tour through the other external hardware appointments. There are those signature oblong Lumia buttons on the right spine to control volume, power, and the camera shutter. Up top is the 3.5mm headset jack, and down below is the Micro-USB charging port. The Lumia 521 has no front-facing camera (another cost consideration), but there is a 5-megapixel shooter on the back -- no flash, though.

You may not know it by looking, but you can peel back the back cover to get at the Micro-SIM and microSD card slots below decks. It was hard to pry off the first time (hint, curl your fingers and pull the cover toward you), but it loosened up after that.

OS and apps
A Windows Phone 8 OS at is base, the Lumia 521 also includes all of Nokia's custom software that helps set its phones apart from other manufacturers' Windows phones.

You'll find Nokia's Here Maps and Here Drive apps with turn-by-turn directions, Nokia Music, which does song mixes, and various apps to enhance the native camera experience. Lenses, apps that hook into the camera app, add extra shooting modes and options like Panorama and Smart Shoot, nice touches for otherwise bare-bones hardware.

In addition to Nokia's haul, T-Mobile sprinkles in some apps of its own, like Caller Tunes, Scout, T-Mobile TV, and a data transfer app. Mostly, though, the preloads are at a minimum, with just Microsoft's ecosystem apps (like Office and the digital wallet) and Nokia's add-ons prepopulated.

As a reminder, Windows Phone lets you change theme colors, task-switch, and voice search, plus identify songs and change the sizes of the home screen's dynamic live tiles.

The OS has all Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS connections you'd expect, plus support for multiple e-mail inboxes and social networks. There's no NFC onboard, so you won't be able to use the Tap + Send feature to share photos, for instance. Wireless charging also fell by the wayside in an effort to keep costs down.

Camera and video
Although the 5-megapixel camera has no flash, it took decent photos. Images looked better when taken in scenarios with abundant, even lighting, though even a low-light photo of dessert looked much better than on other cameras.

This photo of CNET's home office is totally usable, but not as sharp or colorful as on other cameras.

(Credit: Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)

On the whole, the Lumia 521 doesn't produce photos as distinct, detailed, or rich as do other smartphone cameras. That said, the photos are better than average for the phone's price. In other words, you'd never buy the Lumia 521 for the camera, but budget-seekers should be pleased with what they get.

Cheers to this usable indoor photo, shot with a mixture of artificial and ambient natural light.

(Credit: Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)

As usual with Windows Phone, shot-to-shot times are slower than what they are on other smartphones. It's very possible to miss a moment. That said, I do greatly appreciate built-in autofocus.

These berries never quite got into focus, but the bright reds are at least accurate.

(Credit: Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)

One telling test is our indoor studio shot, which we take with every smartphone camera (see our comparison gallery here). Colors were even and objects were more or less sharp. Smartphone cameras often throw a brown, red, or blueish tint onto the scene. The 521, happily, did not.

When it comes to evenness and tone, the Nokia Lumia 521 pretty much aced our studio shot.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

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CTIA 2013 preview: Spring show quietly fades away

CTIA and its final spring show.

(Credit: Roger Cheng/CNET)

LAS VEGAS -- When Ashton Kutcher and Jennifer Lopez are the biggest draws for a technology show, there's a problem.

The CTIA Wireless trade group's spring show officially kicks off for the last time on Tuesday. It marks an unceremonious end to the conference, which next year will merge with its sister show in the fall to better align itself with the holiday shopping season.

While CTIA still touts itself as the largest wireless show in North America, its influence and importance have waned in the last few years. CTIA has always had the misfortune of following at the one-two punch of the Consumer Electronics Show -- which more recently has focused increasingly on mobile -- and Mobile World Congress, a massive conference held in Barcelona, Spain.

By the time CTIA rolls around, hardly any announcements are left for the show. Sure, CTIA has been the platform for major unveilings in the past. But that has certainly changed, particularly as big companies such as Samsung and HTC have opted to hold their own events. The 35,000 to 40,000 attendees -- roughly the same as last year's show -- aren't likely to be blown away by any of the news from the show.

Verizon Wireless is the only major industry player opting to hold a press conference at the show. While many had suspected the carrier would use the show to launch the Lumia 928, it confirmed the phone through a tweet in a quiet announcement earlier this month.

Verizon could unveil a new service or connected device, but it's uncertain at this point. The carrier has been mum on any details ahead of the conference.

Sprint Nextel and Kyocera are expected to have their own announcements, although Sprint has already warned that it won't be unveiling any flagship products. HTC is expected to have a minimal presence, and will continue to tout its One smartphone. Likewise, LG also will have a minimal presence having just launched its Optimus G Pro with AT&T.

Apple has traditionally shunned all trade shows. Samsung Electronics, which typically has a major presence at the various technology conferences, pulled out of the show last year but had an unofficial presence away from the conference venue. This year, it appears as if Samsung may not be there at all.

As such, it could be a chance for smaller companies, accessory makers, service providers, and emerging technologies to make some waves.

The last day of the show typically features a big-name keynote speaker. This year, it's actor Kutcher, whose connections to technology include his various investment in Silicon Valley startups and his role as Steve Jobs in an upcoming biopic, "Jobs."

While CTIA may lack the heavy hitters, the conference remains a valuable venue for industry executives, developers, and other players to connect with each other. It's also a chance for retailers to check out products that are in the works for later in the year.

One overriding theme for the show will be the switch to an all Internet-based network, which is what 4G LTE is enabling the wireless carriers to do. Companies are springing up to handle that transition, and CTIA is an attractive venue for them to show off their wares. Other themes will be cybersecurity and privacy, according to Rob Mesirow, vice president of operations for CTIA.

While CTIA is a show based in the U.S., it has worked to show off more of an international flavor in recent years. The keynote presentations this year include Spain's Telefonica, Germany's Deutsche Telekom, and Finland's Rovio.

Also expected to draw show attendees will be a panel to discuss the industry's attempt to woo the Hispanic market, featuring singer and actress Jennifer Lopez and TV personality Mario Lopez.

As always, the CNET team will be there in force to cover the few big announcements and uncover the hidden nuggets from the conference. Check back in for our comprehensive coverage of the final CTIA spring show.

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Xbox Next: What to expect at Tuesday's Xbox Reveal event

Microsoft built a giant tent on its Redmond, Wash., campus in which it will reveal details of the next Xbox video game console on Tuesday.

(Credit: Microsoft)

Much has changed in the video game landscape since Microsoft unveiled the Xbox 360 in 2005.

Back then, Microsoft was a clear underdog, hoping to cut into the leads held by rival consoles from Nintendo and Sony. The Xbox had a core following, to be sure. But it also had plenty of ground to make up.

When Microsoft reveals the details of the next Xbox on Tuesday, it will be sitting in a far more comfortable position. Just last week, NPD reported that 130,000 Xboxes were sold in April in the United States, making the Xbox the best-selling video game console in the country, the 28th consecutive month it's been in that spot. Consumers spent $208 million on hardware, software, and accessories for the Xbox in April, more than any rival console.

That success put Microsoft in the enviable position of waiting to see what Nintendo and Sony would offer in their next-generation consoles before taking the wraps off its next Xbox. Nintendo launched its Wii U, complete with a tablet-like game controller that doubles as a second screen, last November, well ahead of Microsoft and Sony in order to get a jump on rivals and boost its sagging console fortunes. But gamer interest has been tepid.

Sony unveiled its PlayStation 4, which has a far zippier graphics engine and beefier storage than its 7-year-old predecessor, in February. It's likely to go on sale this fall.

Having seen its rivals play their hands, what cards is Microsoft likely to show Tuesday?

"There is no question it will have a big hard drive, a DVD/Blu-ray drive, a fast processor, and tons of memory," Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter said of the next Xbox. "Microsoft has all the network support it needs to ensure a stellar multiplayer experience. What's left is software, non-game functions, and form factor."

And those non-gaming entertainment features may well be the centerpiece of Tuesday's media event. After all, Microsoft will hold a second media briefing just three weeks later at the giant E3 gaming conference in Los Angeles. That is the more likely place for it to focus on the games it's lined up for the next console and the features that will appeal to hardcore gamers.

It's also likely that Microsoft on Tuesday will go into detail about the streaming-media capabilities of the new console. Already, the Xbox 360 lets viewers connect to Netflix, Amazon Prime Instant Video, and Hulu, among others. It has partnerships with Major League Baseball, the UFC for pay-per-view fights, and CNET TV (which is owned by CBS Interactive, publisher of CNET News). Pachter thinks it's likely that Microsoft will offer Internet TV, that is, regular broadcast television delivered over the Internet, with the next Xbox.

There have been questions about whether the new console will require constant Web connectivity, something that's caused much consternation with gamers. The concern is that Microsoft will require connectivity for game installation, potentially undermining the ability for gamers to play second-hand titles that have previously been registered to others. Always-connected is seen by some gamers as Microsoft's way to thwart piracy at their expense.

But earlier this month, Ars Technica reported on an internal e-mail to the Xbox team, saying that the new console won't need to be connected to the Web for, among other things, "playing a Blu-ray disc, watching live TV, and yes playing a single player game."

The next Xbox will likely leverage other Microsoft products and services, and perhaps buoy some as well. Microsoft's SmartGlass app already allows mobile phones and tablets to become a second screen that can interact with an Xbox 360, turning those devices into remotes that can play, pause, rewind, or advance videos. Microsoft could well bake even deeper integration into the Xbox with Windows PCs and tablets, as well as Windows Phone devices.

Calling on Skype
Having acquired Skype nearly two years ago, Microsoft has been busily weaving that video communication technology into its products. The Xbox is a likely candidate for Skype integration as well, giving gamers a way to video chat with others during a game. And putting Skype on the next Xbox could open the door for easy video conferencing in consumers' living rooms, even when they're not gaming.

To make it more appealing, Pachter wonders if Microsoft will bundle Skype into the Xbox Live Gold service, offering free calls to phones, in addition to Net-connected devices.

While there has been plenty of speculation about the software and services that the next Xbox will offer, little has been leaked about the hardware itself. The original Xbox was a behemoth by today's standards, a muscle car of a console with a bulging top. The Xbox 360 slimmed down, with its iconic hourglass curves, a look crafted by Astro Studios in San Francisco and Hers Experimental Design Laboratory of Osaka, Japan.

Design continues to be a focus for Microsoft, and there's little doubt that the look of the next Xbox will have been painstakingly considered. After all, the device often sits in entertainment systems in gamers' living rooms, precious real estate that demands aesthetics.

Most analysts expect the next console to include the technology from Microsoft's popular Kinect motion-sensing, voice-recognizing controller. Launched in 2010, the Kinect opened up an entirely new genre of gaming to the Xbox. What's more, it gave gamers the ability to navigate through the Xbox universe with voice commands. The integration with Kinect will no doubt be deeper with the next Xbox.

As for the price, longtime Microsoft blogger Paul Thurrott reported that the console will cost $499, or $299 for customers who also buy a two-year Xbox Live Gold subscription for $10 per month. Thurrott, who didn't disclose his sourcing for the pricing plan, also accurately broke the news of the Xbox's May 21 unveiling date.

Microsoft has declined to confirm any rumors, instead encouraging fans to tune into the Tuesday event.

With the hardware work largely done, Microsoft is now left to rev up the hype machine in advance of the launch. Tuesday's event will draw scores of journalists, and Microsoft will air the event live over the Web, on Xbox Live, and on cable's Spike TV. And the shortcomings of Nintendo's Wii U have cleared the marketing path a bit for Microsoft and Sony.

"I think it will be hard to distinguish the core features of a new Xbox versus a PS4, and at the end of the day it comes down to marketing the message that your system is better," said David Cole, chief executive of market research firm DFC Intelligence. "I think it will be a marketing battle more than anything."

Let the next console war begin.

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Panasonic TC-P65ZT60

Let me get this out of the way first: Panasonic's TC-PZT60 is now the best-performing TV we've ever tested. Perhaps a few of the old, supertweaked Pioneer Kuros out there might deliver slightly superior black levels, but I've never had any of those in the lab. This one beats my in-house Kuro, and every other TV in my lab. Finally.

The TC-PVT60 also beat our in-house Kuro, so the most important question for videophiles with money to burn becomes: Why did you like the picture quality of the ZT60 better than the VT60's? The sole reason is that the ZT60 looks better in a bright room. If you watch TV swathed in dimness, as any dedicated videophile does whenever possible, the VT60 and ZT60 have basically identical pictures -- starting with their virtually indistinguishable, and truly inky, black levels. Meanwhile the Samsung PNF8500 plasma and of course some of the better, brighter LED TVs look even better than the ZT60 in a bright room -- although they can't touch it in the dark.

That's why an extra $500 or so for the ZT60 over the also-superb VT60 and PNF8500 is only worth spending if you absolutely must have the very best. The narrowness of its performance advantage over those TVs hurts its value proposition, so if money is an object, that extra cash is tough to justify. At least the big spenders who pony up for the ZT60 can console themselves that compared with 4K models like the Sony XBR-X900A, or even OLEDs (if they ever come out), their TV is a bargain.

And if you demand the very best right now and can afford it, none of those caveats or qualifiers matter in the face of the ZT60's commanding performance. It simply offers the best overall TV picture quality you can buy right now, period.

Series information: I performed a hands-on evaluation of the 60-inch Panasonic TC-P60ZT60, but this review also applies to the 65-inch size. The two sizes have identical specs and according to the manufacturer should provide very similar picture quality.

Design
When you first turn on the TC-PZT60, before the banner ad fires up, the lines "Studio Master Panel" and "Panneau de reference studio" appear on the screen in a cursive font pulled straight from an embroidered "Downton Abbey" doily. Further classing up the joint is a glossy black "ZT" booklet proclaiming the air-gapless joys of said panel, complete with messages from and signatures of Kazunori Kiuchi (head of TV Design division) and Hideyo Uwabata (president of TV manufacturing). Each TV also gets a unique "sequential number." The one on CNET's review sample was A00000; the bidding starts...now!

Otherwise the ZT60 is tough to distinguish from the VT60 in person. Both are black rectangles with a single pane of glass edged by chrome. I did like the ZT's subtle accents better, and the same frame width and beveled metal on all four sides make it look more symmetrical than the VT. There's also no chintzy-looking transparent strip of plastic along the bottom, and the VT is a bit wider due to its forward-facing speakers.

The two share the same brightwork below the belt. The garish V-shaped stand atop the flat metal base doesn't swivel, and suspends the TV higher than low-profile stands like the VT50's from last year.

The ZT60 also gets two remotes. One is a small touch-pad-based clicker with just a few select keys. It employs Bluetooth so you don't need line of sight to the TV and has been upgraded from the one that shipped with the VT50 last year to include a microphone for voice search. I found it responsive enough and easy to use, with the same kind of quick, fun, swoopy navigation I experienced with the Samsung's 2013 touch pad. I especially appreciated the ability (absent from the Samsung) to tap the pad to select something, just like on a laptop computer. I also liked the nook under the remote where my index finger rested above a hard button I could also use to select.

On the other hand the remote lacks numerous essential buttons, such as "Menu," and the buttons it does have are cryptically labeled with confusing icons. It's definitely designed as a secondary clicker for use with apps (particularly the Web browser) and Smart TV, not as a full-blown universal replacement like Samsung's.

The second clicker is the standard illuminated multibutton variety. Tweaks for 2013 are mostly improvements (dedicated Netflix key, better labeling, and a few extra keys) but there are exceptions. Apps and Home," both part of the Smart TV suite, get too-prominent keys, while Menu is tiny. More than a few times I accidentally hit Home instead of the Up cursor.

The TV has two separate menu systems -- one for Smart TV and the other for more mundane TV settings like picture and network options -- and there's no way to get from one to the other using the menus themselves. I thought the blue "Settings" icon from within the Smart TV Home system would take me to the TV's settings, but instead it took me to a configuration page for Smart TV itself. Once I found them, Panasonic's 2013 settings menus were a big improvement over last year's version, with easier navigation and sleeker design.

Key TV features
Display technology	Plasma		LED backlight	N/A
Screen finish	Glossy		Remotes	Standard, touch-pad
Smart TV	Yes		Internet connection	Built-in Wi-Fi
3D technology	Active		3D glasses included	2 pair
Refresh rate(s)	96Hz, 60Hz, 48Hz		Dejudder (smooth) processing	Yes
DLNA-compliant	Photo/Music/Video		USB	Photo/Music/Video
Other: Optional touch pen (model TY-TP10U, $79); Skype camera (model TY-CC20W, $90); additional 3D glasses (model TY-ER3D5MA, $79)

Features
The most expensive TV in any company's lineup is usually the most loaded too, but that's not the case for Panasonic's 2013 plasmas. The ZT60 actually has fewer extras than the VT60, the most glaring omission being the pop-up camera. The ZT60 also lacks the VT60's front-facing speakers, so it doesn't sound nearly as good. It does have the same voice interaction system, however, as well as the same dual-core processor and Smart TV suite.

The picture-affecting features of the V and Z are more alike than different. The two share the same contrast ratio specification (for what it's worth), "3000 FFD" panel drive, umpteen shades of gradation, a new red phosphor, and other minor step-ups over the ST60. The $500 extra you'll spend on the Z over the V nets you two spec sheet improvements: a Studio Master Panel and Ultimate Black Filter. The company has eliminated the air gap between the panel and the front glass, and strengthened the light-rejecting filter over the VT60's. Both enhancements are said to improve black levels, especially in high ambient light, and they do.

You get two pairs of 3D glasses in the box, compared with four on the Samsung PNF8500. The included glasses, model TY-ER3D5MA, are much nicer than Samsung's throw-ins but not quite as good as Panasonic's own separately sold TY-ER3D4MU from 2012 (still $75 each). The TY-ER3D4MU glasses are also rechargeable, while the included ones require a coin battery. Additional pairs of the new 5MA glasses would sell for $79 each, or $149 for a two-pack. The ZT60 complies with the full HD 3D standard, so it will work with third-party glasses like the aforementioned Samsungs ($20).

One unique extra for all 2013 Panasonic plasmas is a touch-pen accessory ($79), which allows users to draw on the screen, though this is more of a business tool than an in-home one.

If you have a smartphone, Panasonic's improved Viera Remote app enables some functions like basic control if you misplace the remote and "swipe and share" to display photos on the big screen. It also allows direct access to relatively advanced calibration functions, although I didn't test this feature.

I also didn't test voice interaction on this set beyond a few simple tries with the Web browser (see below). I'll update this section when I can get to those tests.

Smart TV: Like other 2013 Panasonic Smart TVs, the ZT60 comes with a couple of dumb options enabled by default. One is a pop-up banner ad that appears for about 5 seconds when you first power up the TV (above), and pops up again when you adjust volume. The other also happens on power-up, showing not full-screen video of whatever source you last chose -- typically your cable box -- but instead the home page for the Smart TV suite. Happily, both dumb defaults can be disabled.

After you do so, Panasonic's new interface is mostly good, although it's not nearly as ambitious or capable as Samsung's. Multiple "pages" are available, and all show the currently playing input in an inset window along with a grid of apps. You can place any app anywhere you want on the grid. Panasonic ups the custom ante further by offering three different templates for new pages you can create, custom backgrounds (including your own pictures), and the ability to name pages -- for example, each member of a particularly tech-savvy family could set up his or her own page.

There's also some bad. For someone used to swiping left or right on a smartphone to access different pages of apps, Panasonic's method isn't intuitive; you have to press the Home key again to switch between pages, rather than simply navigating among them directly. And it's potentially confusing that one page is actually the "Full Screen TV" page, and that hitting Exit from another page doesn't take you there (you have to actively select the window). Conversely, hitting the "Return" key from within an app often exits it completely, as opposed to navigating up a level. I was also annoyed that you can't delete or change the default Info and Lifestyle pages, although you can rename them. Overall Samsung's Smart TV interface is much more intuitive to use.

All of the apps from 2012 are still available, and it's a very healthy selection (minus HBO Go). Hit the "apps" key and you'll be taken to a page with a bunch of thumbnails showing preinstalled apps, such as YouTube and Netflix, and a product support app, as well as a few custom utilities like a calendar, a memo app, and an event timer. It would be nice if they could tap into common cloud apps like Google Calendar or Evernote, but no dice. Typing a note using the remote and virtual keyboard is hardly worth the effort.

Non-preinstalled apps can be accessed from the Viera Connect market, where the most useful names include Vudu, Pandora, TuneIn radio, Rhapsody, a free classical music portal, and full episodes and photos from a Panasonic-sponsored series on National Geographic TV about World Heritage sites. You'll have to create a Viera Connect account to install them, unfortunately. The rest of the apps are much less useful. They include apps for use with the optional touch pen, a smattering of kids' apps, and the requisite crappy games. Panasonic is still the only maker whose store also offers real merchandise, from a $10 SD card to a $526 microwave.

The ZT60's Web browser is a big step up from that of the ST60, mainly because of the touch-pad remote. Yes, I still had to use a tedious virtual keyboard to enter URLs and search terms, but navigating the page was much easier, and I especially appreciated that the right side of the pad allowed me to scroll. Rendering was fine among the sites I saw, load times were relatively quick, and it passed this Flash support test. The biggest misstep is that there's no apparent way to remove the big bookmarks bar and inset TV window to make the browser full-screen. I tried a few voice searches that mostly went well; the exception was that my "CNN" was constantly misinterpreted as a command to "Zoom In."

Samsung's F8500 TV browser is still much better, with suggestions on its virtual keyboard, intuitive settings (I couldn't find any settings options in Panasonic's browser), and better responsiveness. Heavy TV-browser users would be well served buying an external keyboard; the Logitech K400 worked well in my testing with the ZT60, for example.

Picture settings: The ZT60 offers the same exhaustive number of picture controls as the VT60. There's a pair of THX-certified modes, one for "Cinema" and one for "Bright Rooms." Advanced tweaks include a 10-point gray scale and 10-point gamma system as well as color management for the primary and secondary colors. The company has also added a cool "copy adjustments" option that allows you to migrate your picture settings from one input or mode to others.

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Panasonic TC-P60ZT60

Let me get this out of the way first: Panasonic's TC-PZT60 is now the best-performing TV we've ever tested. Perhaps a few of the old, supertweaked Pioneer Kuros out there might deliver slightly superior black levels, but I've never had any of those in the lab. This one beats my in-house Kuro, and every other TV in my lab. Finally.

The TC-PVT60 also beat our in-house Kuro, so the most important question for videophiles with money to burn becomes: Why did you like the picture quality of the ZT60 better than the VT60's? The sole reason is that the ZT60 looks better in a bright room. If you watch TV swathed in dimness, as any dedicated videophile does whenever possible, the VT60 and ZT60 have basically identical pictures -- starting with their virtually indistinguishable, and truly inky, black levels. Meanwhile the Samsung PNF8500 plasma and of course some of the better, brighter LED TVs look even better than the ZT60 in a bright room -- although they can't touch it in the dark.

That's why an extra $500 or so for the ZT60 over the also-superb VT60 and PNF8500 is only worth spending if you absolutely must have the very best. The narrowness of its performance advantage over those TVs hurts its value proposition, so if money is an object, that extra cash is tough to justify. At least the big spenders who pony up for the ZT60 can console themselves that compared with 4K models like the Sony XBR-X900A, or even OLEDs (if they ever come out), their TV is a bargain.

And if you demand the very best right now and can afford it, none of those caveats or qualifiers matter in the face of the ZT60's commanding performance. It simply offers the best overall TV picture quality you can buy right now, period.

Series information: I performed a hands-on evaluation of the 60-inch Panasonic TC-P60ZT60, but this review also applies to the 65-inch size. The two sizes have identical specs and according to the manufacturer should provide very similar picture quality.

Design
When you first turn on the TC-PZT60, before the banner ad fires up, the lines "Studio Master Panel" and "Panneau de reference studio" appear on the screen in a cursive font pulled straight from an embroidered "Downton Abbey" doily. Further classing up the joint is a glossy black "ZT" booklet proclaiming the air-gapless joys of said panel, complete with messages from and signatures of Kazunori Kiuchi (head of TV Design division) and Hideyo Uwabata (president of TV manufacturing). Each TV also gets a unique "sequential number." The one on CNET's review sample was A00000; the bidding starts...now!

Otherwise the ZT60 is tough to distinguish from the VT60 in person. Both are black rectangles with a single pane of glass edged by chrome. I did like the ZT's subtle accents better, and the same frame width and beveled metal on all four sides make it look more symmetrical than the VT. There's also no chintzy-looking transparent strip of plastic along the bottom, and the VT is a bit wider due to its forward-facing speakers.

The two share the same brightwork below the belt. The garish V-shaped stand atop the flat metal base doesn't swivel, and suspends the TV higher than low-profile stands like the VT50's from last year.

The ZT60 also gets two remotes. One is a small touch-pad-based clicker with just a few select keys. It employs Bluetooth so you don't need line of sight to the TV and has been upgraded from the one that shipped with the VT50 last year to include a microphone for voice search. I found it responsive enough and easy to use, with the same kind of quick, fun, swoopy navigation I experienced with the Samsung's 2013 touch pad. I especially appreciated the ability (absent from the Samsung) to tap the pad to select something, just like on a laptop computer. I also liked the nook under the remote where my index finger rested above a hard button I could also use to select.

On the other hand the remote lacks numerous essential buttons, such as "Menu," and the buttons it does have are cryptically labeled with confusing icons. It's definitely designed as a secondary clicker for use with apps (particularly the Web browser) and Smart TV, not as a full-blown universal replacement like Samsung's.

The second clicker is the standard illuminated multibutton variety. Tweaks for 2013 are mostly improvements (dedicated Netflix key, better labeling, and a few extra keys) but there are exceptions. Apps and Home," both part of the Smart TV suite, get too-prominent keys, while Menu is tiny. More than a few times I accidentally hit Home instead of the Up cursor.

The TV has two separate menu systems -- one for Smart TV and the other for more mundane TV settings like picture and network options -- and there's no way to get from one to the other using the menus themselves. I thought the blue "Settings" icon from within the Smart TV Home system would take me to the TV's settings, but instead it took me to a configuration page for Smart TV itself. Once I found them, Panasonic's 2013 settings menus were a big improvement over last year's version, with easier navigation and sleeker design.

Key TV features
Display technology	Plasma		LED backlight	N/A
Screen finish	Glossy		Remotes	Standard, touch-pad
Smart TV	Yes		Internet connection	Built-in Wi-Fi
3D technology	Active		3D glasses included	2 pair
Refresh rate(s)	96Hz, 60Hz, 48Hz		Dejudder (smooth) processing	Yes
DLNA-compliant	Photo/Music/Video		USB	Photo/Music/Video
Other: Optional touch pen (model TY-TP10U, $79); Skype camera (model TY-CC20W, $90); additional 3D glasses (model TY-ER3D5MA, $79)

Features
The most expensive TV in any company's lineup is usually the most loaded too, but that's not the case for Panasonic's 2013 plasmas. The ZT60 actually has fewer extras than the VT60, the most glaring omission being the pop-up camera. The ZT60 also lacks the VT60's front-facing speakers, so it doesn't sound nearly as good. It does have the same voice interaction system, however, as well as the same dual-core processor and Smart TV suite.

The picture-affecting features of the V and Z are more alike than different. The two share the same contrast ratio specification (for what it's worth), "3000 FFD" panel drive, umpteen shades of gradation, a new red phosphor, and other minor step-ups over the ST60. The $500 extra you'll spend on the Z over the V nets you two spec sheet improvements: a Studio Master Panel and Ultimate Black Filter. The company has eliminated the air gap between the panel and the front glass, and strengthened the light-rejecting filter over the VT60's. Both enhancements are said to improve black levels, especially in high ambient light, and they do.

You get two pairs of 3D glasses in the box, compared with four on the Samsung PNF8500. The included glasses, model TY-ER3D5MA, are much nicer than Samsung's throw-ins but not quite as good as Panasonic's own separately sold TY-ER3D4MU from 2012 (still $75 each). The TY-ER3D4MU glasses are also rechargeable, while the included ones require a coin battery. Additional pairs of the new 5MA glasses would sell for $79 each, or $149 for a two-pack. The ZT60 complies with the full HD 3D standard, so it will work with third-party glasses like the aforementioned Samsungs ($20).

One unique extra for all 2013 Panasonic plasmas is a touch-pen accessory ($79), which allows users to draw on the screen, though this is more of a business tool than an in-home one.

If you have a smartphone, Panasonic's improved Viera Remote app enables some functions like basic control if you misplace the remote and "swipe and share" to display photos on the big screen. It also allows direct access to relatively advanced calibration functions, although I didn't test this feature.

I also didn't test voice interaction on this set beyond a few simple tries with the Web browser (see below). I'll update this section when I can get to those tests.

Smart TV: Like other 2013 Panasonic Smart TVs, the ZT60 comes with a couple of dumb options enabled by default. One is a pop-up banner ad that appears for about 5 seconds when you first power up the TV (above), and pops up again when you adjust volume. The other also happens on power-up, showing not full-screen video of whatever source you last chose -- typically your cable box -- but instead the home page for the Smart TV suite. Happily, both dumb defaults can be disabled.

After you do so, Panasonic's new interface is mostly good, although it's not nearly as ambitious or capable as Samsung's. Multiple "pages" are available, and all show the currently playing input in an inset window along with a grid of apps. You can place any app anywhere you want on the grid. Panasonic ups the custom ante further by offering three different templates for new pages you can create, custom backgrounds (including your own pictures), and the ability to name pages -- for example, each member of a particularly tech-savvy family could set up his or her own page.

There's also some bad. For someone used to swiping left or right on a smartphone to access different pages of apps, Panasonic's method isn't intuitive; you have to press the Home key again to switch between pages, rather than simply navigating among them directly. And it's potentially confusing that one page is actually the "Full Screen TV" page, and that hitting Exit from another page doesn't take you there (you have to actively select the window). Conversely, hitting the "Return" key from within an app often exits it completely, as opposed to navigating up a level. I was also annoyed that you can't delete or change the default Info and Lifestyle pages, although you can rename them. Overall Samsung's Smart TV interface is much more intuitive to use.

All of the apps from 2012 are still available, and it's a very healthy selection (minus HBO Go). Hit the "apps" key and you'll be taken to a page with a bunch of thumbnails showing preinstalled apps, such as YouTube and Netflix, and a product support app, as well as a few custom utilities like a calendar, a memo app, and an event timer. It would be nice if they could tap into common cloud apps like Google Calendar or Evernote, but no dice. Typing a note using the remote and virtual keyboard is hardly worth the effort.

Non-preinstalled apps can be accessed from the Viera Connect market, where the most useful names include Vudu, Pandora, TuneIn radio, Rhapsody, a free classical music portal, and full episodes and photos from a Panasonic-sponsored series on National Geographic TV about World Heritage sites. You'll have to create a Viera Connect account to install them, unfortunately. The rest of the apps are much less useful. They include apps for use with the optional touch pen, a smattering of kids' apps, and the requisite crappy games. Panasonic is still the only maker whose store also offers real merchandise, from a $10 SD card to a $526 microwave.

The ZT60's Web browser is a big step up from that of the ST60, mainly because of the touch-pad remote. Yes, I still had to use a tedious virtual keyboard to enter URLs and search terms, but navigating the page was much easier, and I especially appreciated that the right side of the pad allowed me to scroll. Rendering was fine among the sites I saw, load times were relatively quick, and it passed this Flash support test. The biggest misstep is that there's no apparent way to remove the big bookmarks bar and inset TV window to make the browser full-screen. I tried a few voice searches that mostly went well; the exception was that my "CNN" was constantly misinterpreted as a command to "Zoom In."

Samsung's F8500 TV browser is still much better, with suggestions on its virtual keyboard, intuitive settings (I couldn't find any settings options in Panasonic's browser), and better responsiveness. Heavy TV-browser users would be well served buying an external keyboard; the Logitech K400 worked well in my testing with the ZT60, for example.

Picture settings: The ZT60 offers the same exhaustive number of picture controls as the VT60. There's a pair of THX-certified modes, one for "Cinema" and one for "Bright Rooms." Advanced tweaks include a 10-point gray scale and 10-point gamma system as well as color management for the primary and secondary colors. The company has also added a cool "copy adjustments" option that allows you to migrate your picture settings from one input or mode to others.

Read More