Iomega iConnect Wireless Data Station

So you have tons USB storage lying around, and you wish that you could just put it in some out-of-the-way spot and access it across your home network. For a very reasonable $100, the Iomega iConnect Wireless Data Station will let you do that and more--with up to four drives.


The iConnect supports wireless connectivity, but since it's disabled by default you must initially connect via the gigabit ethernet port to enable it. You may connect to the unit and configure it via IP address and a browser, or by installing client software that will discover the box for you. Either way, you wind up at the same visually appealing and easy-to-navigate HTML configuration pages.

I used Windows 7 and Media Player 11 to test the UPnP server, which worked perfectly. Streaming across my admittedly very fast gigabit network was perfect, even with 1080p video. The unit also automatically transferred files from my digital camera when I attached it. (This behavior is optional and configurable under the Media Services tab.)

Blade Server Review: HP BladeSystem c7000

One look at the HP BladeSystem c7000 blade chassis and you understand why HP sells a lot of blades. The unit is aesthetically pleasing, extremely solid, and well appointed, with an LCD panel for chassis monitoring and control, eight half-width I/O slots in the back, six 2,400-watt power supplies, and 10 fans. As with the Dell, all of this is tightly power controlled, as the chassis can dynamically turn power supplies on and off to best meet the electrical load, while reducing energy consumption during lighter loads.

The c7000 also leverages HP's Virtual Connect architecture, which represents a 10G interface as four independent Ethernet interfaces to the blade. These virtual interfaces can be tuned within the Virtual Connect module for specific tasks, such as allocating more bandwidth and priority to iSCSI traffic rather than normal traffic. The configuration of Virtual Connect is somewhat arcane, dispensing with traditional Ethernet switch configurations in favor of GUI port assignments and server profiles. If you want to dive in and quickly configure 802.

Seagate Portable Hard Drive Aims for Flexibility

The FreeAgent GoFlex Pro is one model in Seagate's refresh of its portable hard drive line (desktop versions are available, too). The new GoFlex system this drive is a part of encompasses drives of varying colors and capacities ($100 for 320GB in silver or black; $130 for 500GB in silver, black, red, or blue; $170 for 750GB in silver or black; and $190.


Another potential issue, though, lies with the module concept itself. The drive has not one, but two connections to pass through (the bridge module's connector, and then the connection from the bridge module to your PC). I found on the shipping unit I tried that the connector module could come unseated more easily than I'd expect--a risk when a drive might be sitting on an airplane tray table or the side of a couch.


In our tests, we tried the 500GB drive using both the USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 modules. Over USB 2.0, the drive took 145 seconds to read a 3.68GB folder of files (same as the previous FreeAgent Go), 134 seconds to read a large 3.68GB file (1 second less than its predecessor), and 155 seconds to write that large file (the same as before).

Samsung HZ35W

Pros

Excellent image quality,In-camera GPS integration with Navteq map service,Very sharp 3-inch AMOLED screen.

Cons

Dual stabilization only in dedicated mode,Disappointing video and audio capture,A bit bulky and slippery.

Bottom Line

The GPS-enabled HZ35W produces some of the sharpest, highest-quality stills we’ve seen this side of a DSLR, but its confusing menu system and poor video quality knock it down a peg.

Samsung NX10

Strengths: combined benefits of both DSLR and Compact camera VGA 3.0” AMOLED 14.6M APS-C size CMOS Sensor HD movie recording high speed AF function Supersonic Dust Reduction.

Overall: I have only seen the reviews about NX10 from various sites. Based on the sec, NX10 is a great camera to me.

Sony Alpha NEX-5

Strengths: I bought the nex 5 for quick quality pics of my kids that never seem to sit still. Thought I would be bothered by the add on flash too, but I have not used the flash once, as every low light shot I have taken has come out far better than my point and shoot with the flash on! Easily as good as my film SLR on a tripod.

Overall: Fast, small, feels really good to hold, takes great pics, don't need the flash indoors, screen is vibrant, movie button is too easy.

Sony VAIO X Series Netbook

The X Series boasts an 11.1-inch screen that measures merely 0.125 inch thick. The laptop comes with two interchangeable batteries: a standard (3.5-hour) battery and a larger, heavier, battery-and-stand combo that supposedly lasts for up to 14 hours, according to Sony spokespeople. They were wrong. It lasts just a few minutes under 15 hours -- that's easily the longest running laptop we've tested to date. International jet-setter, we've found your PC. The additional battery brings the weight of the X Series to approximately 2.2 pounds. The LED-backlit screen looks good both indoors and out. At the highest brightness setting, it was still readable in sunlight (using the highest brightness setting, however, will cut the battery life to 2.5 hours on the standard battery and 12 hours on the extra-life battery).The only problem: The higher resolution hurts the VAIO X Series. I, admittedly, have bad eyes, but looking at the tiny screen started to give me a headache after about half an hour. Fortunately, I did have the option of zooming (stutteringly) in. Elsewhere, the X Series makes room for a Memory Stick Pro slot and an SD Card slot (both located right under the touchpad), a headphone jack, two USB 2.0 ports, a VGA-out, and an ethernet port that conveniently folds out (to keep the machine ultrathin). Don't go looking for an optical drive, though--that's extra.

Acer's Aspire TimelineX 1830T-3721 Is Sleek and Attractive, but Has Iffy Ergonomics

There's a lot to love about the Acer Aspire TimelineX 1830T. At about $700, it's extremely affordable for an ultraportable, offers great workaday performance, has excellent high-def video playback, and runs for over 6 hours on its battery. However, the 1830T also suffers some ergonomic quirks that could irritate in the long run.

Outwardly, the TimelineX 1830T is physically identical to Acer's Aspire 721, a netbook that is nearly $300 cheaper, based on the AMD Athlon II Neo, and having the same 11.6-inch, 1366-by-768-resolution color display. But obviously, the 721 can't touch the 1830T and its Core i5-430UM's performance. With Intel's CPU, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, and a 500GB, 5400-rpm hard drive on board, our test laptop scored a 76 on PCWorld Labs WordBench tests. Sadly, while the integrated Intel HD Graphics GPU did well with video, gaming frame rates--frames per second--were in the teens

HP TouchSmart 300 All-in-One PC

C World conducts two major forms of testing on all products under consideration for review: hands-on testing by editors and writers who are experts in the product category, and formal testing by PC World Labs.

Cameras

Point-and-shoot models and advanced models: We test all cameras with their included memory. If no cards are provided, we use a Kingston brand memory card. To gauge picture quality, we take a series of shots, with and without flash, at the camera's highest resolution. We photograph a complex still life, a target resolution chart, and a mannequin to see how well each camera captures details and subtle coloring such as skin tones.

Single-lens reflex models: We test all cameras with their included memory card. If no cards are provided, we use a Kingston brand memory card. To gauge picture quality, we take a series of shots, with and without flash, at the camera's highest resolution. We photograph a complex still life and a mannequin using automatic settings in Program/Full-Auto Mode to see how well each camera captures subtle color and exposure under its default settings. We then photograph the same still life and a resolution moiré chart with semiautomatic settings using aperture priority, custom white balance, and exposure bracketing.

Cell Phones

We perform no lab-based tests on cell phones. We consider a number of factors in assigning the final verdict for a particular model of phone, including its hardware design, call quality, input options (how well the keyboard works), software, multimedia functions, and camera image quality; we also assess what comes in the box.