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 the table.

The Shield is Nvidia's first piece of end-user hardware -- a 5-inch Android "tablet" grafted onto an Xbox-style gamepad.

The result is arguably the most powerful portable gaming hardware we've seen to date -- but one that's launching with only a few dozen games that are optimized for its gamepad controls. It's also got a nifty beta feature that enables the streaming of PC games in real-time -- albeit only from high-end Nvidia equipped gaming PCs, and only on top-notch Wi-Fi routers.

Yes, the Shield can still handle all of your run-of-the-mill Android apps -- Netflix, Gmail, Chrome, you name it -- but the Google Docs crowd can stick with their Nexus 7 and their Angry Birds. When it comes to Shield, only hardcore gamers need apply. But they're gonna find a solid, well-made portable gaming device that can hold its own versus the PlayStation Vita and 3DS -- if the Android developer community steps up to add Shield control compatibility to enough must-have games.

Design
The easiest way to describe the Nvidia Shield is to think of an Xbox 360 controller with a 5-inch screen attached to its top; however, as closely as it resembles Microsoft's controller, there are a few small nuances that set it apart. The dual analog sticks sit directly parallel to each other, like a PS3 DualShock, only closer. The D-pad is located in the upper left and lies parallel to the A, B, X, and Y button array.

A large power button clad with an Nvidia logo sits in the middle and when pressed takes you to the Shield interface hub, with Shield-compatible software, the Shield store, and the PC games streaming interface. Four additional buttons -- home, back, volume, and play, surround the hub button. One speaker each is located directly above the D-pad and face buttons array, respectively.

A true console-quality controller. Nice, comfy, and responsive.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

Shoulder and trigger buttons adorn the top of the device, with a connection array between them. The array includes a microSD slot, Mini-HDMI port, Micro-USB, and a headphone jack.

The Nvidia Shield is heavy. Not heavy for a full-size tablet, but at 1.30 pounds it's certainly heavier than any other modern portable console, the heaviest of which is the Nintendo 3DS XL at 0.75 pound. Having said that, I quickly got used to its extra load over the course of a few days and it now feels completely natural to hold and is still lighter than a full-size iPad. However, it could have used a bit more balanced weight toward the front.

Ready for porting!

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

The screen tilts back a full 180 degrees and folds on top of the controls when not in use. The underside is a hard rubberized texture, and its contours are almost perfectly hewn to fit my fingers. Alas, the space underneath isn't as spacious as it is on the Xbox 360 controller.

The face buttons also feel a bit flatter than the Xbox 360's and lack that controller's tactility as a result. However, the button placement is intuitive and takes no time at all to get accustomed to; the trigger buttons especially are tuned with a near perfect degree of resistance.

The Shield features some of the nicest triggers I've ever had the pleasure of pulling.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

As good as the physical controls are, however, using the touch screen proved a bit more ergonomically challenging. Typing is accomplished by either using the analog stick to navigate to each individual letter and pressing "A" or awkwardly tapping on the screen while trying not to let the controller get in the way.

Games like Angry Birds that don't require much precise timing are easier to play with the screen laid flat, but those of a more twitchy variety like N.O.V.A. 3 (not compatible with the physical controls) are a lot more problematic. It's wishful thinking and definitely an engineering nightmare, but I'd love to see a "tablet mode" if Nvidia does a version 2. Maybe something in the way of a Lenovo Yoga tablet the folds back on itself could alleviate these issues.

Angry Birds is a lot easier to play on the Shield than more twitch-based touch games like N.O.V.A. 3.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

My other problems with the design are more just quibbles. I miss having a physical volume rocker (pressing the volume button only brings up an onscreen rocker); its absence makes adjusting the volume a two-step process. Also, the start and home buttons should have probably switched places. There were too many times when I accidentally pressed the home button meaning instead to press the start button to pause the game.

Android games
The Nvidia Shield ships with a pure version of Android 4.2.1. It's fully compatible with the Google Play store, and apps like Netflix and Hulu Plus work without issue.

The Shield shows you a list of controller-compatible games currently installed.

(Credit: Screenshot by Eric Franklin/CNET)

All Android games will run on the Shield, but only about 100 are compatible with its controller as yet and only a handful of those are worth your time or money. Among the best of these games are Riptide GP 2, Cordy 2, Virtua Tennis, and older games like GTA 3 and Vice City.

These games are infinitely more playable with a physical controller as opposed to using a touch screen. The Shield needs more of these, but it also needs more games that take advantage of the Tegra 4's power. Riptide GP 2 and the alpha build of Dead Trigger 2 are certainly impressive for mobile games, but many others are not.

Nvidia's curated Shield store includes only games compatible with Shield's controller.

(Credit: Screenshot by Eric Franklin/CNET)

PC games streaming (currently in beta)
With a Windows PC running at least a Geforce GTX 650 and meeting a few other requirements, you can stream your PC games directly to the Shield, allowing you to play full PC games up to 25 feet away from your router.

The games runs at 1,280x720 pixels and while Nvidia says any PC game optimized to work with a controller should work, some games are more troublesome than others to get up and running.

You'll want to make sure both the Shield and the PC you're streaming from are on the same network before attempting to connect.

(Credit: Screenshot by Eric Franklin/CNET)

Sometimes games just don't work and you're left with only a black screen, or as in many cases, the PC game requires setup that can only be done from the PC. Also, although Nvidia recommends using your router's 5GHz wireless band, my experience during my first week of testing gave me the impression that 5GHz was more of a requirement than a recommendation. At 2.4GHz I got frequent drops when when only several unobstructed feet away.

The aforementioned 25-foot limit for streaming is significantly diminished depending on your home/office layout. Your ability to play smoothly is greatly affected by the strength of your signal and how many walls (including what said walls are made of) are between your Shield and the router. However, when within about 10 feet of my router with no signal obstructions, I had no problems with lag or video artifacting.

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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 router. The Zing is, for now, available only from Sprint, and Sprint's 4G LTE network is to some extent still in its infancy, both in terms of coverage and speed.

That aside, the new mobile router is one of the most advanced I've seen that comes with an interactive touch screen, a robust Web interface, and a mobile app for managing and monitoring it. In addition to supporting both 3G and 4G networks, it includes GPS functionality and a long-lasting battery, all housed in a solid and sturdy body.

In my testing around the San Francisco Bay Area, where Sprint hasn't officially launched its 4G LTE network, the Zing's performance was quite impressive. Much better than that of the similar Sprint MiFi 500 LTE from Novatel Wireless.

The device costs exactly the same as the MiFi 500 LTE, at $50 after mail-in rebate (a two-year contract required) and comes with the same three data plans of 3GB, 6GB, and 12GB costing $35, $50, and $80 per month, respectively. And this means there's no reason you shouldn't pick it over the Novatel counterpart.

Whether or not you should pick it over hot spots from other carriers, however, depends entirely on if you're happy with Sprint's current 4G LTE coverage. If you are, then for now the Netgear Zing is easily the best option if you want to bring fast Internet access to up to 10 mobile Wi-Fi-enabled devices at a time when you're out and about.

Though a little large compared with other hot spots, the Netgear Zing is still small and thin enough to be easily carried around.

(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET)

A little large but thin and very sturdy
Measuring 2.7 inches by 4.3 inches by 0.6 inch, the Zing is quite large compared with other hot spots such as the MiFi 500 LTE or the AT&T MiFi Liberate, but it's thin and small enough to be carried around easily. The device is also very sturdy, and feels very solid in the hand despite being made mostly of plastic.

On one side, it has two ports to support external antennas, a SIM card slot that support micro-SIM, and a Micro-USB port for charging with the included power adapter. You can also charge the device via a computer's USB port, and in this case it can also be used as a tethered modem to provide Internet access to the host computer. This is a good feature if your computer doesn't support Wi-Fi.

On the opposite side, there's a power button that you can press and hold to turn the device on or off, or press just once to wake it up from sleep mode. The device took exactly 30 seconds to boot fully boot up and be ready to provide Internet access.

The Zing's bottom opens up to reveal the battery bay, which holds a 2,500mAh lithum ion battery. This battery is more powerful than the MiFi 500 LTE's, and it's needed to power something the Zing has that the MiFi doesn't: a 2.4-inch LCD resistive color touch screen on top.

Full-access touch screen, robust Web interface, and a capable mobile app

The Zing has a robust and easy-to-use Web interface.

(Credit: Screenshot by Dong Ngo/CNET)

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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 watch the hurt course right through them?

Or are you the modern type who just sends a text and has done with it?

Even if you are, what should the text say? "Oh, I felt the passion had gone in the weeks after both your parents were killed in a car crash"? Or perhaps: "I hate the fact that you've actually discovered who I really am, so you've got to go"?

It's sometimes hard to put the appropriate message together using just acronyms and emoji.

Fear not, my faint of heart, for here is the BreakUp Text app. You've longed for it almost as long as you've longed for human decency and a new Elton John album.

BreakUp Text has a level of humor. You can choose to tell your ex that you were eaten by a bear.

But it heightens the humor by also penning long, heartfelt messages that gnaw at the craw and elicit simpering sympathy.

I paid 99 whole cents just to see for myself what this app would write to a serious (and seriously controlling) ex -- an utterly fictitious ex, you understand.

It penned this:

Hi PollyPot, I know you expected to make it to our next anniversary. Maybe beyond, who knows? There was that one night we named our maybe-babies. That was cute. You're cute. But it's over between us. We've drifted apart. It's not just your impotency, it really isn't. And no, this isn't about that girl at work. It's us. Ever hear the song Cape Canaveral by Conor Oberst? Of course you haven't, that was one of our issues. Anyways, we're like that. A poltergeist love. And I need an exorcism.

Then I tried to discover what the app would write if she had been merely a casual love.

This is what the app delivered:

Hi, PollyPot, there's plenty of fish in the sea, huh? I know it's a cliche but there's truth in it. You never know who is coming up around the bend. See, after the last time we met up, I ran into my college professor. She was my favorite, just the smartest woman you've ever heard talk about the history of the French revolution. Anyways, it turns out she recently divorced, her husband left her for a library sciences professor. Long story short, we're in love. I know it seems sudden but life is sudden like that, you know? Anyways, best of luck finding your fish.

More Technically Incorrect

The texted breakup is largely de rigueur these days. After Katy Perry revealed that Russell Brand had dumped her by text, who might not think this was entirely normal?

With BreakUp Text, there's a certain callousness of tone, however. There's a certain dismissiveness that suggests PollyPot was little more than a lost cause searching for paid volunteer work.

One of BreakUp Text's creators, Jason Levine, explained to Fast Company that though this was all quite funny, it isn't entirely.

He said: "As much as we did it as a joke, it has sort of captured a moment in time when tech is becoming more pervasive in our lives and relationships."

It seems, though, that some users might not see it as a joke -- or might, as sometimes happens among techie types, have no sense of humor.

Levine explained: "Somebody wrote a post saying, 'This app isn't very good, my breakup texts are always a lot better.' Which I found sort of funny."

I fear, though, that BreakUp Text may have to expand its literary offerings. There will need to be far more options, far more delicate and varied messaging, and, perhaps, far more nuanced delivery.

I feel sure that several readers might wish to contribute their favorite breakup texts in order to help BreakUp Text become everyone's go-to option for the go-to-hell text.

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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 seems like an opportune moment to take another look at a dedicated gaming machine, in this case the FragBox from Falcon Northwest.

This is a small-chassis desktop, which means it's about the size of a bread box (to use a particularly dated reference). Full-tower desktops, gaming and otherwise, still exist, but I can't imagine carving out the space for one of those. This smaller size feels like the most appropriate compromise between power and semiportability.

The main reason we're looking at this particular FragBox is that it features one of Intel's new fourth-generation Core i-series CPUs, also known by the code-name Haswell. We used the FragBox, and its quad-core Intel Core i7-4770K CPU, in our initial performance testing of Haswell chips in June, and its performance was, as one might expect, very impressive. Note that in those earlier tests, we took the overclocked CPU back to its stock speed, but this time you'll see the overclocked performance scores in the performance charts below.

As an added bonus, the FragBox system also includes the very latest new Nvidia GPU, the GeForce GTX780. You can actually fit two of these cards inside in an SLI configuration, but for our test unit, we stuck with a single graphics card. Few PC games really need this kind of power, even to play at higher settings, but I admit I appreciated it when I connected the FragBox to a 2,560x1,440-pixel-resolution display, especially after topping out at 1080p in laptops for so long.

Of course, all this doesn't come cheap. The FragBox starts at $1,663, and our configuration cost $3,468. That's a lot, especially when PC prices are dropping steadily at the lower end of the field, and even Apple's flagship 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display is under $2,500.

But the competitive landscape in gaming PCs seems to have transformed over the past few years into one where there are a handful of players at the very top end of the market (including Razer's new laptops), and some less expensive systems with entry-level GPUs, but fewer choices in the middle.

I can't imagine mainstream consumers wanting or needing this kind of power, and those shoppers are more likely to look for a laptop or all-in-one anyway. The FragBox isn't much interested in 2013 trends, from touch screens to Thunderbolt to NFC, although it does come with Windows 8 by default (Windows 7 is an option as well).

The hardest of hard-core PC gamers strike me as the kind of people most likely to want to build their own systems from scratch, but sourcing, assembling, and overclocking an increasingly complicated array of components is not a task for the faint of heart, or anyone with a time-consuming day job. That's where the FragBox really shines: with each unit hand-assembled and tested, you get the feeling Falcon Northwest is putting together each unit (which can take weeks to build) the same way you would if you had the time, talent, and tools to do so yourself.

Price	$3,468	$2,299	$1,799
Display size/resolution	n/a	n/a	14-inch, 1,600x900 screen
PC CPU	4.5GHz Intel Core i7-4770K	4.5GHz Intel Core i7-3770K	2.2GHz Intel Core i7-4702HQ
PC memory	16GB 1,800MHZ DDR3 SDRAM	16GB 1,600MHz DDR3 SDRAM	8GB 1,600MHZ DDR3 SDRAM
Graphics	3GB Nvidia GeForce GTX780	2GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 680	2GB Nvidia Geforce GTX 765M
Storage	(2) 960GB SSD RAID 0	120GD SSD/1TB, 7,200rpm hard drive	128GB SSD
Optical drive	BD/DVD writer	BD/DVD writer	None
Networking	Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n wireless, Bluetooth 4.0	Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11a/b/g/n wireless, Bluetooth 4.0	Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n wireless, Bluetooth 4.0
Operating system	Windows 8 (64-bit)	Windows 8 (64-bit)	Windows 8 (64-bit)

Design and features
The basic look and feel of the small desktop have changed little over the years. While once the much smaller cousins of traditional tower desktops, even "small form factor" systems look big and bulky compared with the laptops, hybrids, and all-in-one systems that make up the majority of PCs consumers are shopping for today.

The current version of the FragBox keeps the basic black metal frame of previous versions, but the front panel is new, with a slot-loading optical drive and a Falcon logo cut right into the metal face and backlit. There's a sturdy carrying handle as well (removable if you want to permanently install the box somewhere), and while you could definitely carry this with one hand if you had to, I wouldn't go for an extended walk with it either. Different component choices can affect the overall weight, but the configuration we have weighs 23.4 pounds.

More so than in any other Windows PC we've seen this year, Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system feels like a tacked-on afterthought here. With an emphasis on gaming and almost no chance that you've got it hooked up to a touch-screen monitor, you'll spend most of your time in the traditional Windows desktop mode. Falcon even offers a Windows 7 option if you're hard-core about hating Windows 8. On the plus side, the Windows 8 install on our test system was very minimal, with no spammy tile clutter.

Video	HDMI (x2), DVI (x3), DisplayPort
Audio	headphone/microphone jacks, surround-sound audio outputs, S/PDIF optical out
Data	6 USB 3.0, 4 USB 2.0
Networking	Ethernet
Optical drive	BD/DVD writer

Connections, performance, and battery
As a gaming desktop should be, the FragBox is packed with ports and connections, including 10 total USB ports, and audio jacks for headphones, an optical cable, and surround-sound PC speakers. The exact number of video outputs depends on how many (and which) video cards you choose. The sometimes trendy extras we see on some laptops, such as NFC and Thunderbolt, are missing here -- this is essentially the same connectivity setup you'd see in any gaming desktop from the past several years. You can add a Wi-Fi dongle as an option, but I snaked an Ethernet cable over for big game downloads.

To say the FragBox is highly configurable is to undersell the concept. It starts at around $1,600, but for that you're getting an Intel Core i5 and Nvidia GeForce 650 video card. If those are the type of components you're interested in, then you're probably not in the market for a FragBox in the first place. Our $3,400 configuration traded up to an Intel Core i7 CPU, one GeForce 780 GPU, and two 960GB solid-state drives (SSDs). That latter addition really drives the price up, and you could go with a single traditional or hybrid hard drive and get the cost down.

This will shock no one, but the Intel Core i7 -770K in our FragBox -- which is one of Intel's new fourth-generation Core i-series chips -- gave excellent performance in our benchmark tests. As shipped to us, the CPU was overclocked to 4.5GHz, which Falcon offers as a no-cost option. We also reset the CPU to its stock 3.5GHz speed and it was still an excellent performer. Its closest competitor was a Velocity Micro desktop with an overclocked version of the previous-generation Intel Core i7 in it, which may be a reminder that the improvements in Intel's Haswell generation of processors are more about power efficiency than raw performance.

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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 meekly mediocre, and consistent lagging combined with a sometimes unresponsive touch screen make the tablet best suited for simple tasks like browsing and reading.

That said, the HD 7 is a refreshing upgrade from its predecessor and its best feature is the 7-inch IPS screen that displays an impressively wide range of colors which facilitate a visually richer experience than the original Nexus 7.

If you're on a strict budget, the Asus Memo Pad is an inexpensive and functional small tablet, but if you can spare the change, a new Nexus 7 is the better choice.

Design
Even though the tablet shares similar dimensions with the Nexus 7, it's nowhere near as sleek or comfortable in design. The tablet fits fine in one hand, even for people with smaller hands like me, yet, despite its light weight, the design doesn't lend itself to comfortable holding over lengthy periods of time.

The back panel protrudes slightly, and the corners slightly dig into your palms when holding it in both hands, instead of the flush, smoothly curved edges of the original Nexus 7. I often found myself wanting to put the device down after using it for awhile -- not because I was done using it -- but because holding it became tiresome.

The white version's back is so reflective you can't see the Asus logo.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

The Asus Memo Pad HD 7 comes in navy blue, white, hot pink, and lime green. The navy blue version is the only one that has a back with a matte finish. The dark shade of blue attracts a minimal amount of fingerprints that are only highly visible from certain angles. The back panel is smooth and comfortable to the touch but can be a bit slippery without a tight grip.

In comparison, the reflective plastic backsides of the other colors looks less chic, but its texture helps one grip the device significantly better than the matte finish does. I personally prefer a back panel with a grippier texture, like the Nexus 7 (2012), because it enhances my comfort level in a way that extends the amount of time I can hold the device.

The volume rocker's function doesn't change when orientations switch.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

Since they're both made by Asus, the Memo Pad HD 7 and the Nexus 7 (2012) share similar design elements. The power button and volume rocker on the right edge look almost identical in shape, while the rear speakers are similarly located towards the bottom edge of the tablet.

Weight in pounds	0.66	0.74	0.68	0.86
Width in inches (landscape)	7.8	7.8	7.9	7.7
Height in inches	4.7	4.7	5.3	5.4
Depth in inches	0.4	0.4	0.3	0.4
Side bezel width in inches (landscape)	0.9	0.8	0.25	0.9

The front of the tablet is typically simple, with an Asus logo on the bottom bezel and a front-facing camera on the top. There is no ambient light sensor, therefore no automatic brightness setting.

All of the ports are located on the top half of the tablet.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

The Memo Pad HD 7's headphone jack, microphone pinhole, and Micro-USB port are all located on the top edge, with the microSD expansion slot -- which is expandable up to 32GB -- around the corner on the left edge. There are no ports on the bottom edge, but the speaker sits on the bottom of the tablet's back, keeping the 5-megapixel rear camera on top company.

Asus Application Suite
The tablet comes loaded with the Asus Application Suite and features apps that range from useful to creative. The simple additions include a calendar, to-do list, and file manager, and it comes with 16GB of Asus WebStorage cloud service for one year.

The Asus Application Suite comes pre-organized.

(Credit: Screenshot by Xiomara Blanco/CNET)

Some of the apps that are geared towards family use include App Locker, which allows you to put passwords on specific apps; Asus Artists, where you can create "paintings" or greeting cards; and Asus Story, which helps you organize your photos into albums, or as they call them, "stories."

The tablet comes with Power Saver, a battery saving feature that comes in handy if you're trying to squeeze the most out of a low battery.

The Power Saver app has a useful custom option.

(Credit: Screenshot by Xiomara Blanco/CNET)

The custom mode lets you pick the specific functions that the power-saving option affects. For example, you can set a low screen brightness for listening to music, a higher one for watching video, and no power-saving function for reading books. When enabled, it significantly helped extend the battery life when it was low and the highly customizable options.

Floating apps
One of the most interesting and useful features on the tablet is the floating menu. On the Android navigation bar, there's a button to the left of the back button that activates the floating menu.

When activated, a small menu pops up above the navigation bar that contains a selection of floating apps that you can quickly access without having to close whatever app you're currently using. Since the apps "float" on the screen, on top of whatever is already open, it's almost like a multiwindow option, but they can only perform simple tasks and can't compare to the multiwindow functions that the Microsoft Surface or some of the Samsung Galaxy tablets provide.

Using the floating apps, I was able to procrastinate and be productive at the same time!

(Credit: Screenshot by Xiomara Blanco/CNET)

Floating apps are an easy way to multitask, and I liked the ability to use the browser while watching video, but not all streaming video services continue to play while a floating app is open. With the exception of a few floating apps, including the calculator and compass, Netflix did not let me use most of the floating apps while simultaneously watching video, although YouTube did.

Despite providing an easy way to multitask, the floating apps don't have the same functionality as the fullscreen app and are limited in their capabilities; the YouTube app only shows recommended videos -- you can't search -- and the Twitter app displays only one tweet at a time. There is a limited amount of floating apps, and although the floating menu is customizable, not all downloaded apps have the ability to be floating ones.

Speaker features
The Memo Pad HD 7 houses stereo speakers with Asus SonicMaster audio technology and Audio Wizard software. Although the speakers aren't great, the number of specific audio settings are. The tablet allows you to manually adjust separate volume settings for app audio, notifications, and alarms.

The ability to easily control different volume settings was very useful.

(Credit: Screenshot by Xiomara Blanco/CNET)

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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 and more like exactly what a device like this should cost. The Chromecast lets you stream from Netflix and YouTube using your Android or iOS mobile device as a remote, with Android users also getting access to Google Music and Google TV and Movies. It also supports the ability to mirror any content from a Chrome browser running on a Mac or Windows PC, including Hulu, HBO Go, and full episodes from major TV networks like CBS, NBC, Fox, and ABC via their respective Web sites. And the hardware is delightfully compact and well-built, making it easy to toss in your bag for travel or moving from room to room.

What it doesn't do is everything else: there are no dedicated apps for many major services (including Amazon Instant, HBO Go, Spotify, Rdio, and MLB.TV), no dedicated TV interface for standalone use, no support for personal media sitting on your devices (aside from a clunky hack), and the awesome-sounding screen-mirroring feature ends up being entirely underwhelming in practice. Basically, you can stream Netflix, YouTube, and a couple of Google services; $35 feels about right.

The Chromecast is clearly Google's best living room device so far, almost entirely thanks to its impulse-worthy price. (Although note that Google's inclusion of a free three-month Netflix promotion is currently up in the air.) It doesn't challenge the Apple TV or Roku's boxes on merit, both of which remain much better options as your primary living room streamer. Chromecast has a lot of room to improve if more apps offer support, but at the moment it's best suited for people deep in the Google media ecosystem looking for a living room solution.

Design: A stick for streaming
The Chromecast hardware isn't anything special, but it has a reassuring, solid feel. It's a 2-inch adapter that's compact enough to occupy a spare HDMI input on your TV without blocking adjacent inputs. (If you have a particularly cramped back panel, Google generously includes an HDMI extender cable.) The black matte finish has enough of a texture to make it easily grippable, perfect for popping out the Chromecast and throwing it in your bag for travel. On the far end, there's a Micro-USB port, a small status light, and a tiny button you can use to reset the device to its factory default. In all, it's perfectly fine for a device designed to live behind your TV.

The only "catch" is that the Chromecast requires power, a fact that's conspicuously missing from all of Google's beauty shots. If your TV has a USB input, you can probably use that to power your Chromecast using the included cable. Google also includes a USB power adapter for TVs without USB, which means you'll have a wire dangling from the back of your TV to a power outlet. Ultimately, while it's not quite "just a dongle," it's still a very clean setup.

Setup: Up and running in minutes
Google touts the Chromecast setup as "plug and play," and that's not far off. Once you have the device plugged in, your TV will prompt you to visit the online setup using a laptop or smartphone, where you'll download the Chromecast setup app. The setup process takes a few minutes, and Google has done a great job of leading you step-by-step through the process with lots of helpful illustrations along the way.

Behind the scenes, the Chromecast is creating its own local hot spot for the initial setup, but those technical details are all hidden. (The most arduous step is that you'll need to have your home Wi-Fi password handy.) If you're on a laptop, the final step is installing the Chromecast extension, then you're ready to go. It's easy to take the painless setup for granted, but Google deserves a lot of credit, especially considering how tough I found it to get the very similar PLAiR up and running.

Netflix, YouTube, Google Music, and Google TV and Movies
Once you're set up, you can use a smartphone or tablet to watch content from four sources: Netflix, YouTube, Google Music, and Google TV and Movies. (Google says Pandora is on the way.) In each of those apps, you simply press the "Cast" icon, select your Chromecast, and the video gets sent to your TV.

That makes the Chromecast feel an awful lot like AirPlay, although it's different in a few important ways. The big one is that AirPlay is supported by a huge number of iOS apps, while the Chromecast is currently limited to four. (I expect that to increase over time, especially with the splash that the Chromecast's announcement made.)

The other, more subtle distinction is that while AirPlay actually streams content from your device (and also works with locally stored content), the Chromecast is never truly streaming from your smartphone or tablet. For example, with YouTube, AirPlay streams from the cloud to your device, then to an Apple TV, while the Chromecast pulls content straight from the cloud. In practice, it doesn't make much of a difference, although surprisingly AirPlay feels more reliable, despite doing more technical gymnastics.

After you get a video playing, your smartphone or tablet acts like a remote. You can pause content or use the scrubber at the bottom to skip forward or back. You can even adjust the volume using your device's hardware volume controls, although in my testing it only adjusts the Chromecast's internal volume, rather than the volume on your TV, so you'll still need your TV's remote around for master volume control. (I'll be testing with more TVs soon to verify how volume controls works on different sets.) Another perk is that any compatible device on the network can grab control of your Chromecast and can make adjustments.

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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 its driving characteristics.

"Maybe it's just cold right now. Maybe it's just a one-off thing," I defended. "Could be any of a dozen reasons. Cars are quirky like that."

"Yeah, dude," my passenger seemed to agree, "I guess so, but this isn't a car; it's a Toyota."

I immediately knew what he meant. I was raised in a Toyota family and have come to expect a high level of fit, finish, and reliability from the brand's vehicles. The Camry, Corolla, and RAV4 may not be the most exciting cars to drive, but hundreds of thousands of miles of experience have taught me that they're well built. A squeaking dashboard on a brand-new RAV4 worried me. By the end of the week, the squeaking and creaking was all that I could hear.

Interior and amenities
Despite that infernal dashboard panel, the rest of the RAV4's interior seemed well sorted out. The cabin was a comfortable place to be, with a seating position that offered a commanding view of the road ahead and, thanks to an open greenhouse, around the vehicle. Despite the squeaking, I'm sure that this is a vehicle that will stand the test of time.

Our RAV4 was a top-tier Limited model that goes beyond the entry LE trim with interior enhancements such as dual-zone climate controls, autodimming rearview mirror, heated front bucket seats, and SofTex trim for all seats and door trim -- SofTex being a nice and modern way of saying leatherette. Our two-tone black and terra-cotta interior color scheme maybe wouldn't be my first choice, but the contrasting colors did add a bit of visual interest to the cabin. Styling, as they say, is subjective.

The two-tone SofTex interior was certainly visually interesting.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

Meanwhile, the exterior styling distinguishes the Limited from the lesser with color-keyed heated, powered outside mirrors with turn signal indicators; a silver-trimmed lower grille opening; enlarged, 18-inch alloy wheels; roof rails; and fog lamps.

I'm a fan of the new RAV4's profile, which arches up from the windshield to maximize front-row headroom (even when equipped with the optional sunroof), but drops dramatically toward the rear of the vehicle, which helps the crossover avoid the "bubble butt" that most of the class is plagued with. A standard integrated spoiler completes the sporty look. I am a bit sad to see the RAV4's characteristic rear-mounted spare tire and side-hinged rear gate go, but the new design permits a traditional liftgate, which requires less space when opening.

In the case of our Limited model, that liftgate is motorized, raising and lowering at the touch of a button. The motorized hatch's opening angle is adjustable, so drivers who park in low-ceilinged garages need not worry about dinging their paint. The system also features jam protection, which stops and reverses the motion when the liftgate is obstructed. Other convenience features at this trim level include an eight-way power-adjustable driver's seat with memory function, Smart Key keyless entry and start system, and automatic headlamps.

Dashboard tech powered by Entune
Once you've settled on the 2013 RAV4 Limited, there are only two more option choices available. One is a power train option (which we'll get back to shortly). The other is to choose your cabin tech options package. Three packages are available, adding Entune with Navigation, JBL premium audio, and a selection of active safety options at each tier.

The Display Audio system is standard and features a small 6.1-inch color touch screen on the center stack, which serves as the driver's interaction point with the infotainment options and with the rearview camera that is also added with this package. I found the screen to be a bit low-resolution and highly subject to glare, which at times made viewing it difficult.

The 6.1-inch LCD's resolution didn't impress us. Neither did its low contrast and high glare.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

Our optional Entune upgrade adds Entune (naturally), navigation, and the ability to interface with a smartphone running the Entune app to bring features such as Bing destination search and Pandora and iHeartRadio streaming to the dashboard, placing these features under a menu called Apps. What's odd is that navigation is also tucked in this Apps menu.

This navigation option isn't an app, it's a traditional navigation system with locally stored maps, address entry, and destination search. It doesn't require the Entune app to function like the rest of the features under the App menu, but by placing navigation there, Toyota makes viewing the map a three-tap affair, rather than a single button press as in most other infotainment systems.

The Display Audio system redeems itself with a good array of available audio sources, including Bluetooth A2DP, CD with MP3 playback, USB for iPod and MP3 mass storage, SiriusXM satellite radio, AM/FM terrestrial radio with HD Radio decoding, 3.5mm analog auxiliary input, and the aforementioned Entune audio-streaming apps.

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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 of raw image-capturing prowess and close-cropping capability that makes it one of the most artistically able smartphone cameras we've tested.

Would we ditch our point-and-shoot cameras and rely on the Lumia 1020 instead? For day-to-day and weekend events, absolutely; the 1020 is the ultimate in convenience and approaches point-and-shoot quality. However, based on our tests so far, Nokia still has a ways to go before it can completely supplant the need for a higher-level standalone camera. We'd take it away for the weekend, but wouldn't use it to shoot our kid's first birthday.

Like the 16-megapixel Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom (which we have not yet had an opportunity to review), the Lumia 1020 is a niche device. Casual users may not venture from automatic settings and may not notice much difference in image quality unless they frequently crop photos tightly. Of course, the S4 Zoom's optical zoom element could give the 1020 a run for its money. We'll update with a comparison when we have one.

The 1020's $299.99 on-contract price with AT&T is too steep for casual users, who can capture high-quality everyday stills and videos with handsets that cost $200 or less. Serious photographers, however, will appreciate the phone's genuine two-in-one capabilities. The Lumia 1020 also is sold globally.

The first thing you're probably asking yourself is if owning the Lumia 1020 is like carrying a bulky point-and-shoot camera in your pocket. Blessedly, it is not.

Compared with the chunky Galaxy S4 Zoom and bulbous Nokia 808 PureView (the company's first attempt at a 41-megapixel phone), the Lumia 1020 seems only slightly thicker than the Lumia 920 and 928, both of which it physically resembles.

Dimensions of 5.1 inches tall by 2.8 inches wide are pretty standard, and the 1020 measures 0.4 inch thick throughout most of its body. It's that large camera module on the back (about 1.75 inches in diameter) that protrudes a full 0.51 inch from the phone's face.

That means the phone won't lie flat on its back, which is surprisingly sometimes helpful when the face tilts toward you as if on a stand. Amazingly, I did carry the phone around in my back pocket for long stretches without noticing it too much. When I held it, my fingers adjusted to grip the 1020 below its bulge.

Keeping the phone this slim was quite the design feat, especially when you compare the 1020 with the chunky S4 Zoom, which is shaped more like a point-and-shoot with a smartphone attached.

A huge camera module defines the Nokia Lumia 1020.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

At 5.6 ounces, the matte yellow, white, or black 1020 is hefty, sturdy, and undeniably solid. I'm used to carrying heavy bags and backpacks, so the weight didn't particularly bother me, but those who travel light will notice the 1020's density right away. We tested the phone in all three colors; the white version picked up smudges most readily, but they wiped off easily enough from the polycarbonate material.

Nokia pulled off a design feat in keeping the large camera mount from sticking out too far.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

Like all the Lumia 920-series phones, the 1020's 4.5-inch display features a 1,280x768-pixel resolution (WXGA) and pixel density of 334ppi. Its AMOLED screen is also supersensitive, which means you can operate it with fingernails or gloved fingertips. Gorilla Glass 3 helps resist cracks, though smash any screen hard enough or often enough and it'll break.

In keeping with the Lumia design philosophy, you'll find oblong volume, power/lock, and camera shutter buttons on the right spine, and the headset jack and micro-SIM card slot up top. In addition to the front-facing camera there are three capacitive navigation buttons on the front, and the Micro-USB charging port is down on the bottom edge. On the back, the massive camera module includes a wide xenon flash and a six-lens Carl Zeiss lens, plus an LED sidekick that's mainly used for focus.

The Lumia 1020 does not lie flat.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

A completely sealed unibody device, the Lumia 1020 doesn't have a removable battery or microSD card storage, which may make avid photographers jittery about storage limits, especially with large photo files.

The most important thing to know is that the Lumia 1020's 41-megapixel shooter doesn't actually give you 41-megapixel pictures. In fact, not much about the camera or its software is particularly straightforward.

Here's what's essential:

1) The Pro Cam app creates 5-megapixel photos. In addition, it also saves a high-resolution image of each one. If you crop in tightly, your photo looks even more detailed. I recommend CNET camera guru Joshua Goldman's must-read explanation of what's going on with this particular type of lossless zoom.

Nokia Pro Cam is the 1020's default camera app, but you can also switch among other apps, or change the default in Settings.

(Credit: Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)

2) By default, the Lumia 1020 takes photos using Nokia's Pro Cam app. Not to be confused with Nokia Smart Cam, Pro Cam gets you sliding controls for flash, exposure, ISO, and focus among other settings. Nokia Pro Cam is technically a "lens," a separate camera app that supplants the native camera. You can only capture the higher-resolution images using Pro Cam.

Choose resolution and aspect ratio in the Pro Cam app settings.

(Credit: Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)

Making matters more confusing still, the size of the high-resolution photo you shoot depends on your camera settings. Pick a 16:9 aspect ratio, and the phone saves a 34-megapixel shot in addition to the 5-megapixel picture you eventually see and share. A 4:3 aspect ratio gives you a 38-megapixel file in addition to the smaller snap. You won't see these choices -- or any resolution options -- when using the native camera app.

You'll only be able to upload and share the smaller file size from the 1020; if you want all 34 or 38 megapixels, you can access the raw files through a computer connection.

In some cases, the 1020's creative settings are no big deal. Most smartphone cameras have many of these within submenus. The difference here is that surfacing them on the app's top layer makes them a lot quicker to access, set up, and change from shot to shot.

One setting is conspicuously absent for serious photographers, and that's the power to manually change the depth of field. It also threw CNET's photographers that the "live preview" of manual controls that you see on the screen before taking a picture often didn't represent the actual image once it was captured.

CNET editors help demo the Nokia Pro Cam app.

(Credit: Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)

In the menu, you can switch to the front-facing camera, get at settings, and launch the tutorial. Unlike the Galaxy S4 Zoom, there aren't mode presets for night shots, sports, or other common scenarios, so it helps to know what you're doing, or have the patience to play around.

I'm not sure why there's no onscreen control for the front-facing camera; digging into the menu just seems like an unnecessary step. It's also a little strange that there are two buttons for reviewing your photos. One reviews the last shot you took, the other lets you get at your whole photo stream. Unfortunately, you can't swipe to the left as you can in the phone's native app to access your camera roll.

I don't like having to dig into settings to use the front-facing camera, but I do like having easy access to the tutorial.

(Credit: Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)

There are cursory editing tools you can access when you review a photo, including rotation and a sort of cropping tool that changes the aspect ratio to 4:3, 3:2, 1:1, and 16:9. I wish that Nokia had included a more robust suite of editing features here. Instead, you'll have to swap to a different editing app if you want to crop or auto fix. Luckily, the 1020 makes this fairly easy to do from the settings when you access photos through the review strip.

Sliding controls let you adjust exposure, ISO, brightness, and white balance.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

To test how well the Lumia 1020 backs up its claims of photog greatness, I shot dozens of pictures with both the Pro Cam app and the native app, using a combination of automatic modes and fancier settings. Full disclosure: I'm a completely casual photographer, so my photos here represent the perspective of an average user. For the more-artistic shots, I enlisted the help of CNET photographer James Martin and CNET camera editor Joshua Goldman, who independently called the Lumia 1020 a "really good smartphone camera" after taking their own rounds of test shots.

Many pictures I took looked fantastic in terms of color, contrast, and detail -- especially fine detail like a visible background cobweb. When an image was focused correctly, the camera's lossless digital zoom also produced terrific detail, just as Nokia promises.

I never took a bad photo with the 1020. That said, not every photo was a complete hit. Of course, even good cameras can take the odd bad picture if conditions are off. Sometimes, I wasn't sure that another high-end smartphone couldn't have taken the photo just as well.

Edges usually appeared sharp to my eyes, but then some centers sometimes lacked shadows, detail, and depth. I also had a hard time nailing great portraits. Lighting was sometimes off, and faces often appeared a tinge out of focus. That can cause problems when taking photos of a group. Overall, my photos of objects were a lot more beautiful than my pictures of people. James and Josh had much better luck with portraits; photo enthusiasts should take my results with a grain of salt.

This kid clearly loves his snack. Click to enlarge.

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

I also noticed that the 1020 seems to color-correct a couple of seconds after taking a picture. When using the flash, photo color also grew warmer, yellower, which can be a little weird. Then again, yellow is better than the blue cast you sometimes get when taking photos with a flash.

Since the Pro Cam app saves pictures in one small and one large resolution, the camera takes longer to reload. Instead of shot-to-shot times about 2.5 seconds apart, it's about a 6-second wait before the Lumia 1020 is ready for the next round.

I will say that I got some terrific pictures of objects even in the Pro Cam app's automatic mode. That and being able to crop in tight on an element without losing detail definitely made me want to take a lot more photos than I normally would.

Unless otherwise specified, the following pictures were taken using automatic settings, and have been resized. To see more of what this camera can do, check out this Lumia 1020 photo gallery and a camera showdown between the Lumia 1020, Samsung Galaxy S4, and iPhone 5.

Shoot outdoors using Pro Cam. Click to enlarge.

(Credit: Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)

Taken with the 1020's native camera app. Click to enlarge.

(Credit: Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)

Full-resolution crop.

(Credit: Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)

This grape cluster, shot with the native camera app, was one of my favorites of the bunch. Here it is at full resolution, no cropping.

(Credit: Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)

Despite focusing on the palm trees, this landscape shot, taken on an overcast day, looks a little soft. Click to enlarge.

(Credit: Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)

Words to live by. Click to enlarge.

(Credit: Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)

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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 to be widely available, and for well under its list price at that.) It's been a favorite of audio mixers; radio, film, TV engineers; and consumers for years and has managed to endure for nearly three decades without being endorsed by a hip-hop star or a pop singer.

Why are we reviewing it now? Well, we were finally getting around to reviewing its popular sibling, the MDR-7506, so I figured I'd have a listen to the "original" and compare the two of them, as well as some of today's top midrange headphones.

Since the MDR-V6 had amassed more than 900 five-star reviews on Amazon over the years, I assumed it would be competent. But after taking it for a spin I was a little bit surprised by how good it sounds -- and how comfortable it feels -- for its modest price point. It was not hard to see why the headphone was still in production after all these years: it just sounds and feels right.

Design and features
Most new headphones are packed in impressively heavy cardboard boxes, with thick flaps and snazzy product photography emblazoned on every surface; the MDR-V6 comes in a lightweight gold-toned box, with the headphone visible through a window, cradled in a bed of bright red satin fabric. If it looks like a throwback to the 1980s, it's because that's what it is.

The headphones are relatively lightweight for an over-the-ear model -- and very comfortable.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

The MDR-V6 weighs 8 ounces, which is slightly lighter than average for a full-size headphone. It's a mostly plastic design, but still feels fairly rugged. The outer ear cups are metal, it has 40mm drivers, a 63-ohm rated impedance, and the headphone features user-replaceable ear pads (new ones sell for $9.99 a pair).

Ostensibly a 'monitor' headphone, the V6 has an extralong coiled cable.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

The headband and racetrack shaped pads aren't as thickly padded as those on many new headphones we've tested, but comfort is well above average. Stretched out to the max the coiled cable is about 10 feet long, and it's permanently attached to the left ear cup. The extralong cable lacks any type of mic or phone controls, so the MDR-V6 may not be ideal for use with phones or portable music players. The cable is terminated with a nicely-finished 3.5mm plug; a screw-on 6.3mm adapter plug is included for use with home or pro gear.

The MDR-V6 collapses into a small bundle, and the hinges seem fairly durable. I like that the "L" and "R" markings are color-coded and easy to see in dim light. A no-frills black vinyl carrying bag is included.

The MDR-V6 comes with a 90-day warranty.

The included protective carrying pouch.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Performance
Balance. That's my best one-word description of what makes the MDR-V6 so special. It does everything well: the bass-midrange-treble balance is nice and smooth, the sound is spacious, and it's easy to listen to for hours at a time. Isolation from environmental noise is quite decent, and no one near you will hear much sound coming from these headphones.

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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 the two small drivers and front and back radiators. Or the fact that at 1.5 pounds it feels considerably more substantial than many of the tiny all-plastic Bluetooth speakers now on the market. Whatever it is, this is a sleek-looking, very compact wireless speaker.

It also happens to sound good. For what it is, anyway. After all, there's only so much sound -- or shall I say quality sound -- that you can get out of a palm-size speaker. But as a whole there are enough enticements, including a bundled charging cradle, to make you overlook the small drawbacks, namely the lack of speakerphone functionality and a somewhat high price tag.

Design and features
As with its larger SoundLink Bluetooth Mobile Speaker II, Bose is targeting a broad audience with this product, and the Mini is designed to be very simple to use, with clearly labeled buttons on the top. Like all Bluetooth speakers, it will stream audio wirelessly from virtually any smartphone or tablet, plus any Bluetooth-enabled PC or audio player. The speaker remembers up to six devices, so you'll only need to sync each one once. Your device should automatically pair again with the speaker if it's in range with Bluetooth activated and the speaker is turned on.

The SoundLink Mini has a very clean and simple design.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

I liked that the unit comes with a desktop charging cradle. You can also plug the included AC adapter directly into the unit, so you don't have to take the cradle with you when you travel. However, it does not charge via USB, so you do need the AC adapter (the prongs on the adapter fold flat, which is helpful, but it's still another accessory you have carry around with you). On the plus side, speakers that require charging from an AC adapter tend to be more powerful and output more sound.

While the cradle is a nice extra, everything else will cost you. Bose is selling protective sleeves for a whopping $25 each, and a carrying case will set you back $45. I didn't test the carrying case, but the sleeve, which comes in a few different color options, is nice. It doesn't quite protect the whole speaker, but most of it -- and the nice thing is that you can still charge the speaker in the cradle without removing it from the sleeve.

The back of the speaker (sitting in the charging dock).

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

In terms of connectivity, there's an auxiliary input on the side for non-Bluetooth devices as well as a Micro-USB port on the back for potential firmware upgrades.

I really liked the whole look and feel of the speaker, but like Bose's step-up SoundLink Bluetooth Mobile Speaker II, it has no integrated speakerphone, which is too bad. I find it a little weird, only because the unit looks like it's made to sit on a bedside table or home-office desk, where it would come in handy as a speakerphone. For most people this won't be a deal-breaker (I suspect Bose has done its market research and determined that the speakerphone is an underused feature in Bluetooth speakers), but this is a must-have feature for some consumers.

The speaker in its optional $25 protective sleeve, which is available in a few different colors.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

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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 serious. Last fall's go-to products -- Kindle Fire and Nexus tablets, iPads, iPhones -- are getting long in tooth, and ready for a refresh. Not coincidentally, a lot of the back-to-school sales are 2012 models, sold at blowout prices to clear shelf space for the all-important Christmas season.

The parade of new products starts this week, with launch events from Google and Verizon. Here's what we have to look forward to -- starting now, and continuing into September.

Verizon

2012's Droid Razr Maxx HD boasted unparalleled battery life

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

We don't think of Verizon as a tech powerhouse on the scale of Google or Apple, but Big Red is the number one wireless provider in the U.S., so any new Verizon-friendly devices are a big deal.

What to expect: Last September, Motorola announced a trio of Verizon-exclusive Droid Razr phones -- the Droid Razr HD, the Droid Razr Maxx HD, and the Droid Razr M. Don't be surprised if we see their successors unveiled this week. (Verizon may finally officially announce the launch date of the HTC One on its network, having already confirmed that it's on its way.)

Mark your calendar: July 23, 9:00 a.m. PT (confirmed)

Google

Sindar Pichai is not a gadget -- but he may unveil one or more on Wednesday

(Credit: Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)

May's Google I/O developer event came and went without any big hardware reveals. But we expect Google's just-announced July 24 event -- billed as a breakfast with Android and Chrome head honcho Sundar Pichai -- to be considerably more eventful.

What to expect: The next Nexus 7 tablet is all but confirmed, along with Android 4.3. A Chrome OS upgrade (or new Chromebook) is possible, too. We may even see a successor to the ill-fated Nexus Q, or possibly a watch or video game console.

Mark your calendar: July 24, 8:30a.m. PT (confirmed)

Motorola Mobility

This appears to be the first official glamour shot of the Moto X intended for the press.

(Credit: theunlockr.com)

The Moto X may be the worst-kept secret in tech right now, but the few remaining questions about the first Motorola smartphone produced under Google's stewardship of the company it purchased in 2011 will be wiped away on August 1. That's when the phone gets its grand unveiling in New York City.

What to expect: We already know quite a bit about the X, but we'll finally get the full list of details -- including price, availability, and supported carriers -- once the phone becomes official.

Mark your calendar: August 1 (confirmed)

Amazon

Jeff Bezos introducing the Kindle Fire HD in 2012

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos unveiled the current line of Amazon Kindle Fire tablets (and Kindle e-ink readers) on September 6, 2012. While a 2013 event has yet to be announced, it's a safe bet that the e-commerce giant isn't going into the fall buying season without a full refresh of the line.

What to expect: Amazon's hardware strategy is less about groundbreaking tech and more about delivering amazing value. So while the new Fire tablets and Kindle readers will no doubt offer worthwhile tech upgrades over last year's models, we expect the real news here to be the price: don't be shocked to see a 32GB Fire HD clock in at $199, for instance. Among the wildcards we could see: an Amazon video streaming box (a la Roku or Apple TV) and maybe -- maybe -- the long rumored smartphone.

Mark your calendar: late August or early September (likely)

Microsoft

The original Surface -- poised for improvement.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Microsoft has had a rough time of it lately, with a company wide reorganization, a $900 million writedown on the Surface RT and a very public 180 on the DRM policies of its upcoming Xbox One console. But if you step back, there may be some reasons for optimism.

What to expect: Microsoft already has two keystone products on deck for a fall refresh: the Xbox One is coming in November for $499, and Windows 8.1 is likely to hit in September or October.

Could Microsoft prime the Windows 8.1 pump with a Surface 2? The company has certainly learned some painful lessons with the original model, but a few well-placed tweaks -- and a Haswell upgrade -- could make the product a serious tablet/PC competitor, if not an outright success.

Meanwhile, while Windows Phone remains a fringe player, marketshare has been ticking upward. With solid devices (Lumia 925, Lumia 1020) from Nokia and others, Microsoft's mobile OS seems to be in a better place than, say, BlackBerry. But whether Microsoft is going to release its own phone or perhaps a watch (another watch, that is) remains strictly rumor mill fodder for now.

Mark your calendar: Xbox One releases November (confirmed); Windows 8.1 hits in late Q3 or early Q4; if we get a Surface 2, expect a September or October announcement

Apple

A mockup showing what an Apple iWatch might look like.

(Credit: Sarah Tew and Christopher MacManus/CNET)

Apple's last big product announcement was the iPad Mini back in October of 2012. So far in 2013, it's been very quiet, with only a cameraless iPod Touch, a T-Mobile iPhone, and MacBook Air upgrades hitting stores.

What to expect: Apple has already shown iOS 7 and Mac OS X Mavericks, and the company already previewed a long overdue update to the Mac Pro -- all of them will hit in the third quarter, along with Apple's free iTunes Radio streaming audio service.

The big questions revolve around the iPhone and iPad. The safe bets are a "budget" iPhone (don't be surprised if it's only sold in developing markets like China), an iPhone 5S, and a thinner, lighter iPad 5. In addition to the annual iPod refresh, expect additional Mac upgrades -- the Macbook Pro with Retina Display, iMac, and Mac Mini are still due the upgrades to Intel's Haswell CPU that have already been incorporated into the Air.

Beyond that, the Magic 8 Ball says "Reply Hazy -- Try again." While a refreshed iPad Mini is likely, it's unclear if Apple can squeeze a high-res Retina screen into the Mini's 7.9-inch display in time for the holidays. There are also rumors of a larger-screen iPhone. And the Apple TV box should see some additional apps -- Time Warner Cable and the CW Network -- but whether they'll hit before year's end is anyone's guess.

What about actual new products, rather than upgrades of existing models? Collective wisdom puts the rumored iWatch and Apple HDTV into 2014 (at the earliest, if at all). That said, CEO Tim Cook quipped in April: "I don't want to be more specific, but I'm just saying that we've got some really great stuff coming in the fall and across 2014." Investors and consumers alike are no doubt hoping he and Team Apple will deliver as they transition into the post-Steve Jobs era.

Mark your calendar: mid-September to mid-October (likely); could be one or two events

Best of the rest

Beyond the confirmed and likely events listed above, look for the Sony PlayStation 4 this holiday season. And Intel's secretive streaming TV box, allegedly dubbed OnCue, may see the light of day later this year -- if and when Intel can get a quorum of TV networks to sign on the dotted line. In the meantime, upstarts like Fan TV will be nipping at their heels.

Of course, that's only the stuff we know about, and can reasonably infer. A corporate merger or two could always shake things up. And the tech world is only a Kickstarter away from something truly disruptive.

Stay tuned.

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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 Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and takes snappy pictures. It's a valiant attempt but unfortunately its faults, namely a sluggish CPU and a cramped allotment of internal storage, make it tough to recommend. Sure, the Life Play is surprisingly capable for its low price of entry, but you'd be better off coughing up an extra $70 for the LG's smoother Nexus experience.

Design
When I first laid my hands on the Life Play I was surprised and impressed. Frankly, I didn't expect an unlocked phone with such a low sticker price to be so thin and feel quite so modern. For example, the handset's gently rounded edges and almost nonexistent bezel help give it a premium profile.

Measuring 5.3 inches tall by 2.7 inches wide and a mere 0.31 inch thick, the Life Play is trim and relatively compact despite sporting a big 4.7-inch display. It's thinner in fact than the HTC One (5.4 inches by 2.7 inches by 0.37 inch, 5 ounces) and a hair thicker than the Samsung Galaxy S4 (5.4 inches by 2.8 inches by 0.3 inch, 4.6 ounces). Tipping the scales at just 5 ounces, the Life Play won't weigh you down unduly either.

I liked the electric-blue color of my test device, too, which is a refreshing departure from the typical black or silver phones you'll find on store shelves. The Life Play is available in purple, silver, and yellow as well.

The Blu Life Play is almost as thin as the Samsung Galaxy S4.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Above the display sits a 2MP front-facing camera, while running along the bottom edge of the screen are three capacitive buttons for Menu, Home, and Back. Physical buttons on the phone are few, with just keys for volume and power lining the device's right side.

Up top you'll find the Life Play's 3.5mm headphone jack and, oddly enough, a Micro-USB port. Phone makers usually place USB connections on the bottom or sides of their handsets, and it's been a while since I've seen one in this location.

On back of the Blu Life Play is its main 8-megapixel camera with LED flash, in addition to a tiny speaker grille. This colorful back panel features a soft-touch coating that resists fingerprints and smudges, and pops off to uncover a 1,800mAh removable battery. Also here is an SD card slot for adding more storage, not to mention two SIM card slots (one standard-size and one mini).

Screen
Equipped with a big, bright, 4.7-inch HD screen (1,280x720p) with an IPS LCD panel, the Blu Life Play does an admirable job of displaying photos, text, and video. I also was pleased by the phone's adequately wide viewing angles.

Of course, the HTC One's screen retained image quality better than the Life Play when I viewed it off angle. The One's higher Full HD (1,920x1,080) resolution also renders sharper details, particularly noticeable when zooming into pictures and Web sites tightly. That said, the Galaxy S4's massive 5-inch Amoled (1,920x1,080) screen delivers lusciously deep blacks and ultrawide viewing angles the other two phones can't touch.

Software and interface
One of the Life Play's big draws, other than its low unlocked price, is its software. Essentially this handset runs an almost stock version of Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean. Blu did take the liberty of making its own tweaks, but they are made with a light touch, not a heavy hand.

The lock screen is practically the same as vanilla Android, featuring the standard ring you slide right to unlock or left to jump straight to the camera app. There are the usual amount of home screen panels to choose from, too, five to be exact, ready for you to populate with app shortcuts and widgets.

The Life Play offers a very basic typing experience.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Like the Samsung Galaxy S4, the Life Play has a capacitive Menu button under its screen, something the HTC One lacks. To me though it seems a bit of a throwback to the days before Android Gingerbread when you had to use a separate Menu key to access software settings.

Features
As I said before, the Life Play's core strength is that it comes preloaded with a very modern version of Android Jelly Bean. This software lets it tap directly into Google's deep roster of of free services such as Gmail, Google Plus social networking, Drive for cloud data storage, Maps, and GPS navigation.

The device also connects to Google's Play storefronts to purchase movies, TV shows, music, and books, not to mention a wide variety of Android apps from third-party vendors. Thankfully, since the Life Play is an unlocked handset, you won't find any carrier bloatware clogging up its application tray. Blu has installed a few utilities, though, such as a digital compass, the Torch flashlight app, and Sound Recorder for capturing vocal reminders.

I appreciate the Life Play's support for the Google Now advanced search and virtual assistant. Activated either through the Google search toolbar (heading up each home screen) or via its own widget, Now obeys voice commands to set reminders and launch Google queries. Additionally Now will automatically serve up virtual "cards" highlighting weather data, estimated commute time, and how well (or poorly) your favorite sports team is playing.

You'll find two SIM card slots, one microSD card slot, and a removable battery under the back cover.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Choose a SIM
Another interesting capability of the Life Play is its support for multiple SIM cards. As it has both a mini and standard size SIM card slot, you can slide two compatible SIMs in the handset. You'll then have the choice of making voice calls, sending text messages, and using data connections over the account linked to either SIM.

I admit it's a niche feature, especially in the U.S., but having dual SIM slots will appeal to people who rely on multiple prepaid cellular services and to folks who connect to foreign GSM networks often.

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