Stupid review: October 2007

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Nikon Coolpix P5100 review

Nikon Coolpix P5100 review Announced at the end of August, the new Nikon Coolpix P5100 camera arrives just 6 months after the P5000. Aimed at the enthusiast photographer who wants some control over what the camera is doing, the 12.1 megapixel Nikon P5100 offers Shutter-priority, Aperture-priority, and full Manual shooting modes. There’s a flash hotshoe which accepts external flashguns, 2.5 inch LCD screen combined with an optical viewfinder, optical image stabilization for blur-free images, and a 3.5x zoom lens (35-123mm). Billed as a backup to a DSLR, the Nikon P5100 costs £299.99 / €450 and competes with the likes of the Canon Powershot G9. Gavin Stoker took the Nikon Coolpix P5100 all the way to Japan in the 200th PhotographyBLOG review

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2008 Ford Edge Review

Summary
Strong acceleration, agile handling, a smooth ride and a roomy passenger compartment give the 2008 Ford Edge major points in the midsize crossover segment. Unfortunately, mediocre braking performance sullies its otherwise impressive credentials.

Pros
Quiet and comfortable ride, agile handling, potent V6, all major safety features are standard, roomy cabin.
Cons
Questionable brakes, lackluster interior design and materials, low maximum cargo capacity.
What's New for 2008
The 2008 Ford Edge gets more luxury and convenience features. Highlights include Ford's "Sync" system (which allows voice operation of cell phones, PDAs, MP3 players and USB storage devices), an optional power liftgate and a voice-activated navigation system. This year also sees a new Limited trim level, which replaces last year's SEL Plus.

Powertrains and Performance
The Edge comes with a 3.5-liter V6 rated for 265 hp and 250 pound-feet of torque. A six-speed automatic transmission is standard. All trim levels offer a choice of either front-wheel or all-wheel drive. On AWD models, power flows primarily to the front wheels until wheel slippage occurs, in which case nearly all the power can be redirected to the rear.

The Edge is quick, with a 0-60-mph time of just 7.4 seconds (front-driver version). Shifts from the six-speed automatic are smooth and well-timed, though we wish there was better manual access to gears. (You're limited to "D," "O/D off" and "L.") Properly equipped, the Ford Edge can tow up to 3,500 pounds, which is average for the segment.

� Source: edmunds

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2008 Infiniti QX56 Review

Summary
If its styling agrees with you, then the rest of the 2008 Infiniti QX56 should, too, thanks to an improved interior and plenty of high-tech goodies.
Pros
High-tech electronic features, powerful and refined V8, impressive balance of ride and handling, massive towing capacity, roomy second- and third-row seats.

What's New for 2008
The Infiniti QX56 undergoes its first major freshening since its debut. The 2008 QX56 has subtle styling changes, a significant redesign of its interior and the addition of new standard and optional equipment that brings it more in line with other top, large luxury SUVs.

Powertrains and Performance
The 2008 QX56 is offered with either 2WD or 4WD with low-range gearing. Power comes from a 5.6-liter V8 that produces a healthy 320 horsepower and 393 pound-feet of torque. The V8 is matched to a standard five-speed automatic transmission. The QX56 is quick for a full-size SUV, going from zero to 60 mph in 7.3 seconds. Towing capacity is 9,000 pounds on rear-wheel-drive models when properly equipped. As is typical for this class of vehicle, gas mileage is poor, with 12 mpg city and 17/18 mpg highway using the EPA's revised 2008 testing regimen.

� Source: edmunds
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Monday, October 29, 2007

Video: T-Mobile Shadow hands on preview

We’ve reported this device multiple times, back when it was called the Juno, Will has all the information you need here including pricing, availability and what not. Watch the video to see if this might be the right device for you:

[Via: Phone Scoop]

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Video: The Skype Phone, it is real, 10 minute hands on preview

Video was sent to me by Emilio Vignapiano from Cellulare Magazine. At first I refused to believe the Skype phone was even real, regardless of the pictures and the press release. Something about creating a phone around a proprietary voice service, albeit the most popular one in the world, is just unsettling. This is however revolutionary on so many levels, Skype has built in presence, chatting, your contacts are backed up on their servers, all these things regular GSM users take for granted. While this isn’t a phone for me, I can’t remember the last time I had a phone call longer than 5 minutes, this is absolutely great for a majority of the people out there who simply use voice and SMS.

I wonder if they will sell this device unlocked?

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Samsung SyncMaster 940UX reviewed

Trusted Reviews has taken the Samsung SyncMaster 940UX out for a spin, and here's what they have to say about it.

The DisplayLink technology that Samsung has embedded into the SyncMaster 940UX is truly superb, simple as that. Being able to hook up multiple screens digitally, over USB is an inspired idea, and a welcome feature for anyone who uses a notebook as their main computer. I'm sure that the SyncMaster 940UX is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to USB display technology, and Samsung has already told me that there will be 1,600 x 1,200 displays and widescreen versions available next year. As it stands though, the 940UX is a great screen for anyone that needs multiple, digitally connected monitors.

Sounds like a pretty glowing review, eh? I guess with the advent of USB 3.0, things can only get better where USB-based devices are concerned.

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2008 Maserati GranTurismo Review

What We Know
The 2008 Maserati GranTurismo, a two-door coupe to complement the Quattroporte sedan, is yet another Italian beauty, this one penned by Pininfarina's Jason Castriota.

Successor to Maserati's Guigiaro-designed coupe and spyder, the upcoming GT is built on a shortened version of the Quattroporte's chassis. The GranTurismo is powered by a 405-horsepower version of the same Ferrari-sourced 4.2-liter V8 found across the Maserati range. In a nod toward the crucially important American market, where Maserati hopes to achieve significant sales gains with the GT, power is sent to the rear wheels through the ZF-built six-speed automatic transmission that just became available in the Quattroporte. With a platform converted from the rear-transaxle configuration necessary for the automated manual gearbox to the front-mounted automatic transmission, the GranTurismo should provide enough rear-seat space to make it something more than a cramped 2+2. Nevertheless, we expect a weight distribution of 49 percent front/51 percent rear, which should ensure excellent maneuverability. Meanwhile the GranTurismo's suspension will be similar in configuration to the Quattroporte's double-wishbone setup, but it'll be supplemented by Maserati's Skyhook active damping system. Throughout the rest of the car, extensive use of carbon composites and aluminum should provide the GT with an exhilarating power-to-weight ratio. Maserati hopes the GT will help alter the misperception that its cars are prohibitively expensive. Prices should begin somewhere around $110,000, putting the GT Coupe in good position to steal business from Porsche's 911 and the Mercedes-Benz SL. A hardtop convertible version of the GT, powered by a larger-bore version of the 4.2 and delivering around 470 hp, should arrive later in the year, and a Competizione model is sure to follow.
What Edmunds.com says
A gorgeous coupe with a Ferrari engine and a reasonable price. What more do you need?

� Source: edmunds
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Sunday, October 28, 2007

Video: Sidekick LX Review

Video done by Eric from Phone Scoop.

This is a very interesting device and if it wasn’t for BlackBerry’s gain into the teenage market with the Pearl than this phone might have done well. The specifications are really dated, but then again this was not made for people who can afford a $700 Nokia N95 8 GB.

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Peer Review: Leopard?s secret flaws revealed!

Have you heard? Mac's newest OS, Leopard, hit stores on Friday. It's the biggest product launch since Apple's last product launch, and so far Leopard has garnered the same swooning reviews the press so frequently gives Apple products. Putting together a decent round-up of opinions about a system upgrade that has as many features as Leopard (300) is nearly as difficult as rounding up all the absurd cat and spot wordplay from the reviews' headlines (Leopard is an upgrade that roars is a typical example).

But universal approbation is so boring. We know that the system comes with Time Machine (a.k.a the best automated back up system ever), a new, improved (pre-installed!) Bootcamp, a prettier Finder, better parental controls, blah, blah, blah. Call us grumpy, but we've mined the reviews for any criticisms we could find of the system, and put them all in one place. Check them out after the jump.

.Mac remote has firewall glitches

"I was able to use [Back to My Mac] at times but also ran into snags trying to remotely connect from a computer in a hotel and from USA TODAY offices in Virginia to a Mac in New Jersey." — Edward C. Baig, USA Today

See through menus make no sense

"The most serious misstep in Leopard is its new see-through menus. When the menu commands— Save As, Page Preview, whatever ? are superimposed on the text of whatever document is behind them, they?re much harder to read"— David Pogue, The New York Times

Time Machine is a Mac (and Leopard) snob

"While Time Machine can perform backups over a network, the backup destination can only be a hard disk connected to a Mac running Leopard." — Walter Mossberg, The Wall Street Journal

We like Spaces, just one tiny caveat

"[Spaces] can get a bit confusing at times"— Stuart Miles, The Times (UK)

Time Machine can get testy when you first use it

"If Time Machine hasn?t made a backup yet to visit, clicking the Time Machine button completely borks OSX?least it did for me. I took me a number of restarts and some serious banging of the keyboard (no CTRL+ALT+DELETE on a Mac) to fix it."— Duncan Riley, at That porn you tried to erase? Time Machine keeps it forever

"Time Machine has a serious problem: there is no way (that I can find) to remove a file from a Time Machine backup. This is a pretty glaring omission... people who are thriftier than I would probably do better to hold off on [purchasing] this update." — Simson Garfinkel, Technology Review

Stacks: not so useful

"The Dock's new Stacks feature is a mess, replacing a utilitarian approach to stashing folders in the Dock (click to open the folder, click and hold to see a list of the folder's contents) with a snazzy but generally less useful pop-up window" — Jason Snell, PC World

Plus, this statement isn't critical, but we think it's a major Leopard flaw

"If you're still running Mac "Classic" OS apps, forget it. Leopard drops support for what was once Mac OS 9." — Ken Mingis and Michael DeAgonia, Computer World

Just so you don't get the wrong idea: though we've printed criticisms here (albeit minor ones), the reviews from which we quoted were all positive. We had to mine each glowing article to find them. And according to some sources, the system is completely flawless. Take this review from The Dallas Morning News, for example.

What do you think? Have you already spent the $129, or are you waiting for 10.5.1?

— S.E. Kramer

Last Week: Blu-ray & HD DVD get cheaper, are still not worth the trouble

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Saturday, October 27, 2007

2008 Toyota Camry Solara Review

What's New for 2008
The 2008 Toyota Camry Solara coupe and convertible are unchanged.

Introduction
Usually, the two-door variants within a model line are flashier and sportier than their four-door counterparts. This was true of the Toyota Camry Solara coupe and convertible right after they were redesigned back in 2004. Since then, though, they've been upstaged by the Camry sedan, which grew more powerful in last year's overhaul. The injustice continues into 2008, as the Solara siblings stand pat while winds of change swirl around them. Rival import-brand manufacturers have launched better-performing, edgier-looking coupes, and relatively affordable hardtop convertibles are crowding into soft-top Solara price territory.

The Solara's diminishing appeal is due at least in part to its exterior styling, which although curvy and sophisticated, has never come across as trendy or youthful. This is particularly true when you look at the car from the back, as the rear deck appears to droop on both the coupe and the convertible. Another issue is the car's lack of verve once you're behind the wheel. The Solara coupe is fairly quick when equipped with the V6, but in the heavier convertible the engine's modest low-end torque and the transmission's slow responses noticeably detract from performance. And although handling is stable and predictable, the Camry Solara is not the sort of car you'll revel in driving briskly, given its soft suspension and minimal steering feedback.

Powertrains and Performance
The standard engine for the Toyota Camry Solara coupe is a 2.4-liter four-cylinder rated at 157 horsepower and 158 pound-feet of torque. It can be paired with a five-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmission, either of which drives the front wheels. Optional on Solara coupes and standard on convertibles is a 3.3-liter V6 rated for 210 hp and 220 lb-ft of torque. A five-speed automatic is standard with the V6. The EPA rates four-cylinder coupes at 21-22 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway. Upgrade to the V6 and you're looking at an 18/27 rating in the coupe and 18/26 in the convertible.

� Source: edmunds
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2008 Mercury Mariner Review

What's New for 2008
The 2008 Mercury Mariner gets a makeover inside and out. A more aggressive attitude marks the exterior design, and the cabin is more attractive and functional. The chassis and powertrain are virtually unchanged, however, meaning this "redesigned" Mariner has the same running gear as before.

Introduction
Something of an anomaly in the marketplace, the compact but upscale Mercury Mariner SUV gets a not-so extreme makeover for 2008. The Mariner debuted three years ago as a more luxurious version of Ford's Escape. And like its relative, the Mariner's "top-half" revamping for this year means new sheet metal and a revised interior but no significant revisions to the chassis or running gear.

The changes in the looks department include a bolder grille, taller beltline and higher hood, all of which give this junior sport-ute a more aggressive curbside presence. Inside, the changes are more functional, including such touches as a multifunction display at the top center of the dash and cool blue instrument lighting. To promote a quieter cabin, the new Mariner features an acoustic laminate within the windshield, a redesigned roof panel and thicker carpeting.

Unfortunately, these changes might not be enough to keep the 2008 Mercury Mariner competitive in the small-SUV class. In past years, we praised the Mariner for its relatively roomy (for four) cabin, sporty driving dynamics and peppy performance, but new and more modern competitors now surpass it in many areas.

A more serious disappointment concerns the Mariner's braking. For some reason, all 2008 Mariners except the V6 AWD version have reverted to rear drum brakes (they formerly had discs all around) and braking performance suffers. In our testing of a similar Escape with rear drums, the best stop from 60 mph took 154 feet ? about 25 feet longer than average.

Powertrains and Performance
All versions of the Mercury Mariner can be had with either front- or all-wheel drive. A 2.3-liter inline-4 rated for 153 hp and 152 pound-feet of torque powers the base Mariner. The base V6 and Premier models come with a 3.0-liter V6 good for 200 hp and 193 lb-ft of torque. Both engines come with a four-speed automatic transmission. Properly equipped, the V6 Mariner can tow up to 3,500 pounds.

� Source: edmunds

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2008 Jaguar S-Type Review

What's New for 2008
Jaguar's midlevel sedan enters its final year with several tweaks, all of them cosmetic. V6 and V8 models upgrade to standard 18-inch wheels and adapt the front bumper design of the S-Type R. The R, in turn, upgrades to 19-inch wheels.

Introduction
The Jaguar S-Type has a fairly significant place in automotive history, signifying the first real fruit of the Ford-Jaguar partnership and the first step from either brand into the midsize luxury segment. The 2008 Jaguar S-Type represents the ninth and final year of production for this midsize, rear-wheel-drive luxury sedan.

Born as the classier-looking sibling of the Lincoln LS, the S-Type also enjoyed a higher-grade interior and more potent versions of both the V6 and V8 engines.Regardless of the prodigious power at the top of the lineup, the S-Type as a whole has become known more for walking the middle ground between performance and comfort. Its V6 delivers weak performance for this class, and even decked out in R guise, handling is on the soft side. This midsize luxury sedan is also known for an interior that's a mix of virtues and vices: high comfort in front but skimpy space in back, and old-world British ambience with unfortunate splashes of Ford-grade controls and materials.

Powertrains and Performance
The base Jaguar S-Type 3.0 uses a Jaguar-enriched version of Ford's Duratec 3.0-liter V6. Its 235-horsepower rating is the most this engine has ever made, though keep in mind that it has less torque (216 pound-feet) than the competition's bigger V6s. The engine in the S-Type V8 displaces 4.2 liters and cranks out 300 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque, while the supercharger and variable valve timing on the R boosts that all the way up to 400 hp and 413 lb-ft of torque. If those numbers still sound petty compared to the BMW M5's 500 hp and the Mercedes E63's 507, so should its $65K price compared to their $82K and $87K. Ever since the V6 lost its short-lived stick shift of 2003-'04, a six-speed automatic transmission has transmitted power to the rear wheels on all models.

� Source: edmunds

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2008 Chrysler 300 Review

What's New for 2008
Significant changes are in store for the 2008 Chrysler 300. An updated interior includes new soft-touch surfaces, revised instrument panel and console designs, and available LED accent lighting. New luxury-oriented options include adaptive cruise control, a surround-sound audio system, a dedicated iPod interface, Sirius Backseat TV for the rear entertainment system and a new hard-drive based MyGIG multimedia system with optional navigation.

Safety has been enhanced with new front seat-mounted side airbags added to the 300's available side curtain airbag system. Wrapping everything up is freshened front and rear exterior styling and Chrysler's new limited lifetime powertrain warranty.

Introduction
Mold-breaking cars don't come along very often. But that's exactly what happened when the Chrysler 300 debuted four years ago. Previous to the 300, modern full-size cars provided plenty of interior room and comfort but typically generated all the pizzazz and excitement of an ice cream social in a Florida retirement community. With the 300, Chrysler proved that this type of car could actually be fun and desirable. Shoppers loved its artful, edgy styling, rear-drive layout and powerful V8 engine options, and it was an immediate hit.

Powertrains and Performance
The base rear-wheel-drive 300 LX comes with a 2.7-liter V6 good for 178 horsepower and 190 pound-feet of torque. Touring and Limited models upgrade to a 3.5-liter V6 capable of 250 hp and 250 lb-ft of torque. These two models are available with your choice of either rear- or all-wheel drive, as is the more muscular 300C with its 5.7-liter Hemi V8 that generates 340 hp and 390 lb-ft of torque.

� Source: edmunds
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Sony Ericsson W890i prototype leaked, sold illegally and now reviewed for your pleasure

Someone in Poland got their hands on a Sony Ericsson W890i. We don’t care how they did it, who they contacted or when it happened, we’re just happy that a group of Sony Ericsson fanboys that write over at SE-Center got their hands on it. The review is in Polish so we’re at a loss of words for what these ninja spies had to say. It is obviously a prototype due to the SE 123 markings on the back, we’re going to have to wait for a retail unit before judging this unit. No 3.5 mm headphone jack = not interested, no matter how awesome TrackID is, I refuse to have a bulge (pictured above) hanging off my device. More pictures over at my Flickr gallery here.

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