User Rating:
Good: The Huawei Activa 4G has LTE support, a decent camera with a dedicated camera shutter button, and sells for a good price for a prepaid handset.
Bad: Battery life on the Activa 4G is short, the design is bulky, and there's no Android 4.0 upgrade in sight.
Bottom Line: There are plenty of trade-offs for those considering the Huawei Activa 4G, but if LTE is your priority, it'll get you there without busting the bank. [Read more]

User Rating:
Good: The Acer Portfolio Case is sharp-looking, snug-fitting case with two different kickstand levels, that easily allows access to most ports.
Bad: The tablet's kickstand collapses too frequently, the flap gets in the way of typing, and the power charge Micro-USB port is blocked when the case is closed. Also, the case's outer material gives me the willies.
Bottom Line: The Acer Portfolio is a sharp-looking case with dual kickstands, but its weird-feeling texture and lack of an opening for the power charger makes it a stopgap at best. [Read more]

User Rating:
Good: The 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in delivers the same stellar fuel economy of the standard model, but with the capability to further boost efficiency by plugging in. The smartphone-connected Entune system brings live destination search, traffic data, and Pandora streaming to the dashboard. Voice command tech and intuitive steering-wheel controls help to keep eyes on the road.
Bad: The infotainment system locks the user out of most navigation and calling functions while the vehicle is in motion. The car's touch screen is prone to bad glare with a minimal amount of sunlight, and too many warning screens pop up when you try to use Entune.
Bottom Line: The 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in vastly improves the flexibility and potential economy of the standard Prius formula with the simple addition of a power cable and larger, more efficient battery pack. [Read more]

User Rating:
Good: The Sony STR-DN1030 is the only midrange receiver with built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Its networking features also include built-in AirPlay, plus plus support for DLNA, Pandora, and Slacker. And the STR-DN1030's sound quality is excellent.
Bad: The STR-DN1030's five HDMI inputs are fewer than many competitors have. The user interface is particularly bad and makes it frustrating to use some of the streaming music services. And the STR-DN1030's multiroom functionality is very limited.
Bottom Line: The Sony STR-DN1030 is the only midrange AV receiver with built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, making it one of best receiver values this year. [Read more]

User Rating:
Good: The Acer Aspire S5 is an incredibly thin and light ultrabook that hides its ports, including Thunderbolt, behind a clever motorized door.
Bad: That port door, named the MagicFlip, is a potential problem if it ever breaks down. The keyboard isn't backlit, and battery life could be better.
Bottom Line: Even thinner and lighter than a 13-inch MacBook Air, the Acer Aspire S5 is a great example of an ambitious ultrabook, held back by a few flaws and its high price. [Read more]

User Rating:
Good: The beautifully thin Samsung UNES8000 LED TV seems to have come from a year or two in the future. Its massive feature set includes a touch-pad remote, IR blaster, four pairs of 3D glasses, motion and voice command, and the industry's most capable Smart TV platform. Its picture quality boasts superb color accuracy along with industry-leading video processing and 3D performance.
Bad: Lighter black levels and imperfect screen uniformity hamper its picture significantly, especially for such an expensive TV. Samsung charges too much for extra features that are largely unnecessary and poorly implemented.
Bottom Line: Although it hits plenty of high points, the Samsung UNES8000 LED TV cannot ultimately justify its high price. [Read more]

User Rating:
Good: The beautifully thin Samsung UNES8000 LED TV seems to have come from a year or two in the future. Its massive feature set includes a touch-pad remote, IR blaster, four pairs of 3D glasses, motion and voice command, and the industry's most capable Smart TV platform. Its picture quality boasts superb color accuracy along with industry-leading video processing and 3D performance.
Bad: Lighter black levels and imperfect screen uniformity hamper its picture significantly, especially for such an expensive TV. Samsung charges too much for extra features that are largely unnecessary and poorly implemented.
Bottom Line: Although it hits plenty of high points, the Samsung UNES8000 LED TV cannot ultimately justify its high price. [Read more]

User Rating:
Good: The beautifully thin Samsung UNES8000 LED TV seems to have come from a year or two in the future. Its massive feature set includes a touch-pad remote, IR blaster, four pairs of 3D glasses, motion and voice command, and the industry's most capable Smart TV platform. Its picture quality boasts superb color accuracy along with industry-leading video processing and 3D performance.
Bad: Lighter black levels and imperfect screen uniformity hamper its picture significantly, especially for such an expensive TV. Samsung charges too much for extra features that are largely unnecessary and poorly implemented.
Bottom Line: Although it hits plenty of high points, the Samsung UNES8000 LED TV cannot ultimately justify its high price. [Read more]

User Rating:
Good: The beautifully thin Samsung UNES8000 LED TV seems to have come from a year or two in the future. Its massive feature set includes a touch-pad remote, IR blaster, four pairs of 3D glasses, motion and voice command, and the industry's most capable Smart TV platform. Its picture quality boasts superb color accuracy along with industry-leading video processing and 3D performance.
Bad: Lighter black levels and imperfect screen uniformity hamper its picture significantly, especially for such an expensive TV. Samsung charges too much for extra features that are largely unnecessary and poorly implemented.
Bottom Line: Although it hits plenty of high points, the Samsung UNES8000 LED TV cannot ultimately justify its high price. [Read more]

User Rating:
Good: The Velodyne vPulse in-ear headphones offer excellent sound, highlighted by impressive bass response. They also have a distinct design, are relatively comfortable to wear, and have an inline microphone/remote for Apple iOS product users.
Bad: The inline remote/microphone is hit or miss with non-Apple smartphones (more miss than hit).
Bottom Line: While they're more geared toward Apple mobile product users, the Velodyne vPulse in-ear headphones offer excellent sound for the money and will particularly appeal to bass lovers. [Read more]

User Rating:
Good: The Velodyne vPulse in-ear headphones offer excellent sound, highlighted by impressive bass response. They also have a distinct design, are relatively comfortable to wear, and have an inline microphone/remote for Apple iOS product users.
Bad: The inline remote/microphone is hit or miss with non-Apple smartphones (more miss than hit).
Bottom Line: While they're more geared toward Apple mobile product users, the Velodyne vPulse in-ear headphones offer excellent sound for the money and will particularly appeal to bass lovers. [Read more]

User Rating:
Good: The Magellan Switch series allows users to monitor their outdoor activities with GPS data. Compatibility with ANT+ fitness monitors adds to the Switch's flexibility. Waterproof, rugged construction allows the unit to take a beating and be submerged up to 50m.
Bad: Data isn't automatically saved at power-down, requiring a manual save and reset at the end of every activity. The Switch buries the time under a menu, even when the device isn't in use, somewhat limiting its usefulness as a timepiece.
Bottom Line: Rugged, waterproof, and, most importantly, accurate, the Magellan Switch series is a good GPS and ANT+ monitoring option for amateur to enthusiast athletes. [Read more]

User Rating:
Good: The Magellan Switch series allows users to monitor their outdoor activities with GPS data. Compatibility with ANT+ fitness monitors adds to the Switch's flexibility. Waterproof, rugged construction allows the unit to take a beating and be submerged up to 50m.
Bad: Data isn't automatically saved at power-down, requiring a manual save and reset at the end of every activity. The Switch buries the time under a menu, even when the device isn't in use, somewhat limiting its usefulness as a timepiece.
Bottom Line: Rugged, waterproof, and, most importantly, accurate, the Magellan Switch series is a good GPS and ANT+ monitoring option for amateur to enthusiast athletes. [Read more]

User Rating:
Good: The Magellan Switch series allows users to monitor their outdoor activities with GPS data. Compatibility with ANT+ fitness monitors adds to the Switch's flexibility. Waterproof, rugged construction allows the unit to take a beating and be submerged up to 50m.
Bad: Data isn't automatically saved at power-down, requiring a manual save and reset at the end of every activity. The Switch buries the time under a menu, even when the device isn't in use, somewhat limiting its usefulness as a timepiece.
Bottom Line: Rugged, waterproof, and, most importantly, accurate, the Magellan Switch series is a good GPS and ANT+ monitoring option for amateur to enthusiast athletes. [Read more]