User Rating:
Good: The iPad Air delivers more performance and comparable battery life in an attractive and impossibly thin-and-light package. An improved front-facing camera makes FaceTiming look better, and the Retina Display still looks great.
Bad: The Touch ID fingerprint scanner, introduced on the iPhone 5S, is sadly absent here, meaning you'll still have to type in a passcode with every unlock and a password with every purchase. Starting at $499 for 16GB, it's still expensive compared with the competition.
Bottom Line: Functionally, the iPad Air is nearly identical to last year's model, offering only faster performance and better video chatting. But factor in design and aesthetics, and the iPad Air is on another planet. It's the best full-size consumer tablet on the market. [Read more]

User Rating:
Good: The Ninja Ultima BL810 blender performs as well as models that cost twice as much.
Bad: The Ninja Ultima looks bulky and you may not like having to keep track of the various accessories.
Bottom Line: If you're looking for a blender that can replace a lot of your small appliances without breaking the bank, you can't go wrong with the reasonably priced Ninja Ultima. [Read more]

User Rating:
Good: Facetune has a steep learning curve, but with excellent built-in tutorials, you'll quickly be coloring, smoothing and reshaping your photos like a pro.
Bad: The app is better suited for a larger screen, but is not a universal binary, so you'll need to buy the app twice if you want both the iPhone and iPad versions.
Bottom Line: Facetune brings pro-level photo editing capabilities to your iPhone with great results, but you'll need some patience to learn the ropes. [Read more]

User Rating:
Good: A basic Android smartphone, the comfortable Huawei Valiant delivers Android 4.1 for one of the lowest off-contract prices around. It has consistent 3G speeds and strong call quality.
Bad: The Valiant lacks LTE and a touch-focus camera, and offers very little internal storage. Apps on my review unit sometimes flickered, and the slower processor can't handle popular resource-intensive games.
Bottom Line: Despite its notable drawbacks, the Huawei Valiant is one of the better ultrabudget, off-contract Android smartphones. [Read more]

User Rating:
Good: The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display has phenomenal battery life, better-than-average integrated graphics, faster Thunderbolt 2 ports, and a lower price than last year.
Bad: Still expensive if you plan to add more storage or RAM; no extra Nvidia graphics option as on the 15-inch version; yes, it's thicker and heavier than an Air.
Bottom Line: There are other high-res laptops out there, but this year's more powerful and affordable 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro is one of the best of the bunch, and makes a compelling case for upgrading from the 13-inch Air. [Read more]

User Rating:
Good: BlackBerry Messenger runs smoothly and sends messages in a flash.
Bad: Adding new contacts is tedious and the app is missing video calling.
Bottom Line: BlackBerry Messenger's confusing design and basic features keep it behind the competition. [Read more]

User Rating:
Good: BlackBerry Messenger runs smoothly and sends messages in a flash.
Bad: Adding new contacts is tedious and the app is missing video calling.
Bottom Line: BlackBerry Messenger's scattered design and basic features keep it behind the competition. [Read more]

User Rating:
Good: The Vitamix 7500 was one of the most consistently powerful blenders that we tested. It's also one of the simplest to use.
Bad: With no presets and no timer, it might be a bit too simple. Also, it doesn't dominate the cheaper models as much as you'd think.
Bottom Line: As tempting as that freakishly powerful motor is, it's difficult to justify the $529 Vitamix over some of the more affordable competitors available. [Read more]