Nvidia Shield

When you think "portable gaming," Android isn't usually the first thing that comes to mind. But with iPhones and iPads gobbling up more and more of the on-the-go gaming market that was once ruled exclusively by Nintendo and Sony, Android is getting in on the game. And with the $300 Nvidia Shield, it's bringing something entirely new to...

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Netgear Zing (Sprint)

Take your sports car on a rough country road, and no matter how good a car it is, chances are you can't go very fast. It's the same with the Netgear Zing. This is the first 4G/3G mobile hot-spot router from the networking vendor, which up to now has been better known for making regular-size networking devices, such as the R6300 802.11ac...

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Progress! An app that sends a breakup text for you

So charming. So useful. (Credit: Screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET) It's so tiresome when you've had enough of your lover, isn't it? You have to make up some reason why you don't want to be with them anymore. Then you have to decide how to deliver the news. Do you at least face them in person, look into their eyes and...

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Falcon Northwest FragBox (2013)

Many years ago, I was one of those guys who would build my own gaming-oriented desktops from the chassis up (my first had a 3dfx Voodoo2 graphics card). But in recent times, I've been fairly satisfied by off-the-shelf gaming laptops, even with the compromises inherent in those systems. With the component calendar page for both CPUs and GPUs flipping at about the same time, the introduction of new parts from Intel and Nvidia...

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Asus Memo Pad HD 7

With the Asus Memo Pad HD 7, you really get what you pay for. The HD 7 earns its low price with a lackluster design and sluggish performance. It's not very comfortable to hold for long periods of time, and aside from being offered in a variety of different colors, lacks a coolness other tablets try hard to aspire to. Its performance is...

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Google Chromecast

If you've heard anything about Google's Chromecast, you've heard that it costs $35. Google seemingly picked the perfect price for its new sticklike streaming device, generating massive buzz and eliminating the usually rational process that occurs before clicking "add to cart". The dongle is already sold out and back-ordered for weeks. But once you've lived with the Chromecast for a while, $35 feels less like a fantastic deal...

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2013 Toyota RAV4

"That creaking coming from the dashboard is annoying," said my passenger during a spin in the 2013 Toyota RAV4 Limited. "It makes me feel like it's poorly made." The constant squeak coming from a champagne-colored accent panel had been bothering me too, but I hadn't said anything about it. I was largely enjoying the RAV4, impressed by...

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Nokia Lumia 1020

You can sum up the Nokia Lumia 1020 in three words: 41, megapixel, camera. It's the Lumia 1020's high-octane shooter -- along with Nokia's custom camera app -- that defines this next marquee Windows 8 phone, and that gives mobile photographers a reason to salivate. In the 1020, Nokia pushes the smartphone camera envelope with a combination...

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Sony MDRV6

The Sony MDR-V6 definitely qualifies as a classic headphone. It was introduced way back in 1985, and while Sony has since released a string of "improved" and more expensive V6 inspired models -- the MDR-V600, MDR-7506, and MDR-7509HD -- the $109.99-list MDR-V6 is still available. (Sony's Web site lists it as discontinued, but it still appears...

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Bose SoundLink Mini

It's a good thing Bose has its logo splayed across the front of its new ultracompact wireless Bluetooth speaker, the SoundLink Mini, because if it didn't, you just might think it was made by Apple. There's something very "i" about it -- and not just the Mini that's part of its name. Perhaps it's the unibody aluminum enclosure that surrounds...

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Great tech-spectations: What's next in tech for 2013

The dog days of summer are here, and with them, a certain ennui seems to have washed over the tech world. But as July becomes August, things will begin to kick into high gear. The big dogs of the tech industry -- Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and a host of others -- know that the all-important fourth quarter is when shoppers get...

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Blu Life Play

It's hard to zero in on an affordable yet satisfying unlocked Android smartphone. Other than the $299 LG Nexus 4 or pricey $569.99 Sony Xperia Z, there aren't a lot of viable options, at least in the U.S. market. Enter the $229 Life Play from Miami-based handset maker Blu Products. Not only does it flaunt a sexy ultrathin design, it boasts...

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