Vizio Thin + Light review (14-inch, 2012): how do the company's first laptops measure up?

More Info Vizio officially introduces PC line Hands-on with Vizio's laptops, desktops and 10-inch tablet Vizio details its first laptops: two thin-and-lights and a mainstream 15-incher, on pre-order for $898 and up

Nine months ago, Vizio didn't make laptops. Now, it's seemingly all our readers are writing in about. The company, best known for its value-priced TVs, is expanding into the PC market, with a collection of all-in-ones and thin-and-light notebooks. So why have we been getting so many emails asking when the heck we're going to publish a review? After all, it's not like shoppers have any shortage of choice when it comes to Windows computers.

The answer: Vizio is taking the same approach with PCs that it does with televisions, which is to say it's offering impressive specs while undercutting its competitors. Case in point: all of Vizio's laptops have a full-metal design, solid-state drive, zero bloatware and a minimum screen resolution of 1,600 x 900. And yes, that even applies to the lowest-end notebook, which goes for $900. Can you see now where this would be a tempting deal for folks who'd like to avoid spending $1,100-plus on an Ultrabook? Well, for those of you who've been curious, we've been testing Vizio's 14-inch Thin + Light, and are now ready to unleash that review you've been waiting for. Meet us past the break to see if this rookie computer is as good as it looks on paper.

Gallery: Vizio Thin + Light review (14-inch)

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Filed under: Laptops

Vizio Thin + Light review (14-inch, 2012): how do the company's first laptops measure up? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Coupe [w/video]

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Chevrolet, New Car Reviews

A Racing Circuit Best Reveals The Beast Within



Back in the 1980s, the Chevrolet Camaro was a real badass. The sleek two-door coupe was the epitome of reasonably priced sports cars, easily going head-to-head with competitors like the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am GTA, Nissan 300ZX, Toyota Supra and Mazda RX-7. At the top of the Camaro pecking order was the IROC-Z, an $18,000 American muscle car with a naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 pumping 215 horsepower to the rear wheels. If its five-speed manual gearbox was shifted perfectly, the 3,430-pound coupe could blast to 60 mph in 6.6 seconds leaving nothing but a pile of rubber from its 16-inch Goodyear Eagle VR50 Gatorback tires. At the hands of an expert, the hatchback could lap the Big Track at Willow Springs in 1:44.

Twenty-five years later, the Chevrolet Camaro is again at Willow Springs. But this is no old F-body clunker. Instead, we are holding the keys to a pristine 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, the IROC-Z's direct descendant. Under the hood of this range-topping coupe is a supercharged 6.2-liter V8. But that is just the tip of the iceberg, as automotive engineering hasn't just crept forward since the 1980s - it has advanced exponentially. And thankfully, so has the Chevrolet Camaro.

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2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Coupe [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile myTouch and myTouch Q review: two budget-friendly phones, one aging OS

More Info Leaked T-Mobile roadmap outlines Ice Cream Sandwich updates, new myTouch devices T-Mobile's next myTouch to come from Huawei? T-Mobile myTouch and myTouch Q coming August 8th for $50, we go hands-on

Gone are the days when $50 got you a flip phone that could make calls, send texts and shoot super-low-quality thumbnails. T-Mobile's myTouch offerings aim to provide all the functionality of a top-tier smartphone, coupled with the kind of hardware and software top-tier handsets were offering a year or two ago.

After letting HTC and LG have a go at the myTouch series, T-Mobile tapped Huawei to design its latest devices, the myTouch and myTouch Q, a garden-variety slab and a full QWERTY slider, respectively. This time around, the carrier chose phones with more expansive 4-inch, 800 x 480 displays, among other improvements to the design and internals. Unfortunately, software wasn't considered in the upgrade: both of these run the aging Android 2.3 OS. Suffice to say, skinned Gingerbread is likely to turn off some shoppers, but it's still worth asking if people on a budget might appreciate these devices when they go on sale Wednesday for $50, post-rebate. So are there any redeeming qualities to speak of, if not the software experience? Read on to find out.

Gallery: T-Mobile myTouch and myTouch Q review

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Filed under: Cellphones

T-Mobile myTouch and myTouch Q review: two budget-friendly phones, one aging OS originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Aug 2012 15:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Parrot Zik by Starck review: Is $400 worth it for the fanciest, techiest headphones around?

You do know that Parrot makes more than just the AR.Drone, right? It was at CES earlier this year that we first caught a glimpse of -- and subsequently began geeking out about -- the Parrot Zik by Starck. For those unfamiliar, these headphones are jam-packed with enough technologies to make even the geekiest audio lovers smitten. Priced at about $400, they feature Near Field Communication (NFC), Bluetooth connectivity, on-board capacitive touch-control, active noise cancellation, head detection, a jawbone sensor for speech and Parrot's audio-enhancing DSP app for iOS and Android -- not to mention a striking design by the renowned Philippe Starck.

This isn't the first time Parrot and Mr. Starck have worked together, but this does mark their debut in the portable audio market (as opposed to home-based speaker systems). In the case of this review, not one, but two Engadget editors spent some time testing the product. So, do they impress? More importantly, are they worth the $400 asking price? You know the drill: meet us after the break where we'll lay it all out.

Gallery: Parrot Zik by Starck review

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Filed under: Wearables

Parrot Zik by Starck review: Is $400 worth it for the fanciest, techiest headphones around? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Aug 2012 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Maingear Pulse 11 review: a small and surprisingly powerful gaming laptop

More Info Alienware's M11x is no more, bigger is apparently better Maingear's Pulse 11-inch gaming laptop has designs on M11x mourners Origin PC joins the 11-inch, rebadged gaming laptop party, outs the EON 11-S

Gaming laptops are strange beasts. While they may have been lugged all the way to the LAN party, they aren't too much fun to use on a plane. That was, until the advent of Alienware's 11-inch M11x, which kept the fast internals at the expense of weight and battery life. When it was unceremoniously yanked by parent company Dell, it left a gap in the market for people who really did need a gaming laptop on the go.

Fortunately, Clevo stepped in with its W110ER, an 11-inch laptop that companies like Maingear and others have tweaked to sell as their own. Packing an Ivy Bridge CPU, NVIDIA's Kepler-based GeForce GT 650M and the same 1366 x 768 display as the M11x, it's obviously trying to step into Alienware's shoes. So, is this the new standard-bearer for small-yet-powerful gaming laptops? Does it really blow us away with its power? Will you want to part with a minimum of $999 to get hold of one? Read on to find out.

Gallery: Maingear Pulse 11 review

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Maingear Pulse 11 review: a small and surprisingly powerful gaming laptop originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Technologie Review Germany Juni No 06 2012

Technologie Review Germany Juni No 06 2012
German | scan PDF | 100 Pages | 32 MB]]>

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Lenovo ThinkPad X230 review

Today is May 31, 2012, the day Intel finally revealed specifics on its dual-core Ivy Bridge processors. That means the month of June is going to be teeming with new laptops, many of them packing Intel's latest chips. Lenovo's 12-inch ThinkPad X230 will be one of them when it goes on sale June 5th, and it happens to be the first machine we've tested with one of Intel's dual-core-flavored CPUs. But make no mistake: the X230 brings more than just a speed bump. With this generation, Lenovo overhauled its signature keyboard, opting instead for an island-style layout with wider-spaced keys. Rounding out the list is a 300-nit IPS display, a battery rated for nine hours of runtime and, of course, that brand-new Core i5-3320M CPU. So how much better is the performance? Is it a good deal for $1,249? And what to make of that revamped keyboard? Find the answers to all those questions after the break.

Gallery: Lenovo ThinkPad X230 review

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Lenovo ThinkPad X230 review originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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