Samsung's BD-F7500 flagship Blu-ray player upconverts to 4K, recommends content

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><img alt="Samsung BD-F7500" class="cnet-image" height="407" src="http://asset2.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2013/01/03/Samsung_BD-F7500_610x407.jpg" width="610" /><br /><br /><br /><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">It's hard to breathe new life into the stale Blu-ray category at CES 2013, but Samsung is giving it its best shot with the BD-F7500.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Samsung BD-F7500 is the newly announced flagship Blu-ray player, including the company's new "S-Recommendation" feature, which suggests content based on what you watch. The BD-F7500's step-up features are rounded out by its 7.1 analog outputs and its ability to upscale content to 4K resolution.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Like most Samsung Blu-ray players these days, it has built-in Wi-Fi and access to Samsung's Smart Hub suite of streaming-media services. More importantly, Samsung is promising an overhauled, simplified user interface for Smart Hub, which, in the past, has been plagued by a cluttered look. The BD-F7500 also includes a new feature called "Smart View", which works like a reverse-AirPlay, sending video from your Blu-ray player to a Samsung mobile device.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">4K upconversion may be a "premium" feature, but it's tough to get excited about. For all but the largest TV screen sizes, 4K resolution (or "Ultra High Definition") </span><a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-33199_7-57366319-221/why-4k-tvs-are-stupid/" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">won't improve image quality much</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">. And 4K upconversion in a Blu-ray player is even less essential, as any 4K TV or projector will have built-in 4K upconversion, so you won't need that functionality in your Blu-ray player.</span><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Perhaps the BD-F7500's most exciting feature its dual-core 900 Mhz processor. It's hard to compare that spec to other manufacturers that don't release internal chip specifics, but faster operational speed would be a boon to Blu-ray players that are frequently sluggish.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Samsung BD-F7500 is scheduled to be released in the first half of 2013. No pricing has been announced.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/search-results/samsung-bd-f7500/4505-5_7-35562019.html" target="_blank">Read More...</a></div></div>

Samsung's BD-F7500 flagship Blu-ray player upconverts to 4K, recommends content

It's hard to breathe new life into the stale Blu-ray category at CES 2013, but Samsung is giving it its best shot with the BD-F7500. The...

Read more »

iPhone 5 review: Finally, the iPhone we've always wanted

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div class="theGood" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; color: #860000; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The good:</strong> <span class="summary" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The <b style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">iPhone 5</b> adds everything we wanted in the iPhone 4S: 4G LTE, a longer, larger screen, free turn-by-turn navigation, and a faster A6 processor. Plus, its top-to-bottom redesign is sharp, slim, and feather-light.</span></div><div class="theBad" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; color: #860000; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The bad:</strong> <span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Apple Maps feels unfinished and buggy; Sprint and Verizon models can't use voice and data simultaneously. The smaller connector renders current accessories unusable without an adapter. There's no NFC, and the screen size pales in comparison to jumbo Android models.</span></div><div class="theBottomLine" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; color: #860000; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The bottom line:</strong> <span class="description" id="seodescription" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The iPhone 5 completely rebuilds the iPhone on a framework of new features and design, addressing its major previous shortcomings. It's absolutely the best iPhone to date, and it easily secures its place in the top tier of the smartphone universe.</span></div><div class="theBottomLine" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="description" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="" class="cnet-image" height="436" src="http://asset0.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2012/09/18/archimedes_35438535_40_610x436.jpg" width="610" /></span></div><div class="theBottomLine" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="description" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; line-height: 1.333em !important; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The iPhone 5 is the iPhone we've wanted since 2010, adding long-overdue upgrades like a larger screen and faster 4G LTE in a razor-sharp new design. This is the iPhone, rebooted.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; line-height: 1.333em !important; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The new design is flat-out lovely, both to look at and to hold, and it's hard to find a single part that hasn't been tweaked from the iPhone 4S. The iPhone 5 is at once completely rebuilt and completely familiar.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; line-height: 1.333em !important; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I've had the chance to use the iPhone 5 for nearly a week, and have been using it for nearly anything I can think of. Is it as futuristic or as exciting as the <a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/apple-iphone-4-16gb/4505-6452_7-34117598.html" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">iPhone 4</a> or the original <a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/apple-iphone-8gb-at/4505-6452_7-32309245.html" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">iPhone</a>? No. Does this change the smartphone game? No. Other smartphones beat it on features here and there: if you want a larger screen, go with a <a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/samsung-galaxy-s3-review/" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">Samsung Galaxy S3</a>. If you want better battery life, go with a <a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/motorola-droid-razr-maxx/4505-6452_7-35128051.html" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">Droid Razr Maxx</a>.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; line-height: 1.333em !important; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">But, if you want a great, all-around, beautifully engineered smartphone that covers all bases, here it is. Just like the MacBook is to the world of laptops, the new iPhone is one of the top three, if not the best-designed, smartphone around. It's better in all the important ways.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; line-height: 1.333em !important; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.cnet.com/iphone-5/" target="_blank">Read More...</a></div><br /></div>

iPhone 5 review: Finally, the iPhone we've always wanted

The good:   The  iPhone 5  adds everything we wanted in the iPhone 4S: 4G LTE, a longer, larger screen, free turn-by-turn navigation, and a ...

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HP Envy x2: Tablet and laptop meet again on a Windows 8 hybrid

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><img alt="" class="cnet-image" height="436" src="http://asset3.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2013/01/03/HP_Envy_x2_11t-g---_with_2gb_433mhz_LPDDR2_SDRAM_64gb_solid_state_drive_35540592_07_610x436.jpg" width="610" /><br /><br /><br /><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Take a tablet; add a keyboard. Turn it into a laptop. Do it with full Windows 8. This is the dream of the HP Envy x2, and the dream, it seems, of Windows 8 in general. Break down the barrier between tablets and PCs. Create progressive computing. The future is now. Well, the future was also over four months ago, when HP first started showing off the Envy x2 in public, including at CNET.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">We marveled then that the device was well-built, comfortable to hold, and, when you think about it, pretty shockingly practical. After all, theoretically, this is the best of both worlds: a laptop and a tablet in one. This is what I dreamed about going back to the teased-but-never-real <a href="http://www.cnet.com/8301-31045_1-10424800-269.html" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">Lenovo U1 Hybrid</a> three years ago.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Envy x2 is finally available, and we've got our review unit here at CNET. But, can it rise above our previous concerns? As Eric Franklin said back in August, "A lot of the Envy x2's success will rest on what Microsoft does with Surface, especially its price. Right now I can't see the Envy x2 costing less than $1,000, which would make it a direct competitor to the Macbook Air. From what I've seen it would be a worthy competitor, but is anyone ready to pay more than $1,000 for a tablet?"</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Slide a little tab, and the whole upper lid does, indeed, undock and becomes its own multi-touch tablet. But, at $849, it's more expensive than most ultraportable laptops and tablets...and far more expensive than those little, non-touch, non-detachable-screened 11-inchers of old. You're paying for style, and also for that clever split-function feature. And the concern about the x2 versus the MacBook Air, or x2 versus the Surface Pro, still stands.</div><div class="cnet-image-div image-LARGE2 float-none" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; clear: both; float: none; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; margin: 10px auto; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 610px;"><img alt="" class="cnet-image" height="436" src="http://asset2.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2013/01/03/HP_Envy_x2_11t-g---_with_2gb_433mhz_LPDDR2_SDRAM_64gb_solid_state_drive_35540592_02_610x436.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="610" /></div><div class="cnet-image-div image-LARGE2 float-none" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; clear: both; float: none; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; margin: 10px auto; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 610px;"><br /></div><div class="cnet-image-div image-LARGE2 float-none" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; clear: both; float: none; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; margin: 10px auto; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 610px;"><a href="http://www.cnet.com/laptops/hp-envy-x2/4505-3121_7-35540592.html" target="_blank">Read More...</a></div></div>

HP Envy x2: Tablet and laptop meet again on a Windows 8 hybrid

Take a tablet; add a keyboard. Turn it into a laptop. Do it with full Windows 8. This is the dream of the HP Envy x2, and the dream, it seem...

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Samsung Galaxy Note 2 review: The ultimate anti-iPhone

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div class="theGood" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; color: #860000; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The good:</strong> <span class="summary" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Oodles of screen real estate make the <b style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Samsung Galaxy Note 2</b> terrific for videos, games, and reading; and its improved stylus aids productivity. A blazing quad-core processor, a great camera, and strong battery life round out the advantages of this Android 4.1 phone.</span></div><div class="theBad" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; color: #860000; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The bad:</strong> <span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The huge display makes the Galaxy Note 2 unwieldy to carry, and hiccups in the S Pen stylus and apps can slow you down. The pricey Note 2 isn't a suitable tablet replacement across all categories.</span></div><div class="theBottomLine" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; color: #860000; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The bottom line:</strong> <span class="description" id="seodescription" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Samsung delivers a powerful, boundary-pushing device that gets a lot right. Yet its complicated features and high price raise questions about its purpose.</span></div><div class="theBottomLine" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="description" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div><div class="theBottomLine" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="description" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; line-height: 1.333em !important; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">You're probably wondering how good the massive, tabletlike Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is, and if the smartphone can fulfill important tablet functions.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; line-height: 1.333em !important; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">You may also wonder if the Note 2's 5.5-inch screen makes it too unwieldy to hold and carry as an everyday device, and if its battery quickly drains in service to the monster screen. Can the quad-core processor keep up, and will it defeat the purpose if you never slide out the Note's digital pen?</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; line-height: 1.333em !important; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">My answers are mostly positive. Yes, the second Note is huge in the hand and awkward at times to hold, but I quickly grew used to it. In specs, it's Samsung's highest-end phone, with <a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/operating-systems/google-android-4-1/4505-3671_7-35339167.html" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS</a>, a speedy quad-core processor, an extra-large battery, and an 8-megapixel camera.<br /><br /><a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/samsung-galaxy-note-2/4505-6452_7-35426722.html" target="_blank">Read More...</a></div><br /></div>

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 review: The ultimate anti-iPhone

The good:   Oodles of screen real estate make the  Samsung Galaxy Note 2  terrific for videos, games, and reading; and its improved stylus a...

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Google Nexus 7 review: Still the best small tablet

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div class="theGood" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; color: #860000; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The good:</strong> <span class="summary" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The <b style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Nexus 7</b> features a sharp screen, a comfortable design, and great battery life at a low starting price. Android 4.2 adds some welcome and useful features.</span></div><div class="theBad" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; color: #860000; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The bad:</strong> <span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Android still needs more tablet-optimized apps, newer games have frame rate issues, and HSPA+ speeds seem particularly location-dependent.</span></div><div class="theBottomLine" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; color: #860000; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The bottom line:</strong> <span class="description" id="seodescription" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">With its excellent design, useful software features, and low starting price, the Nexus 7 is the cheapest way to experience the best that the Android OS has to offer.</span></div><div class="theBottomLine" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="description" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="" class="cnet-image" height="409" src="http://asset0.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2012/11/11/wtf_124_610x409.jpg" width="610" /></span></div><div class="theBottomLine" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="description" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; line-height: 1.333em !important; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Several months after its debut, the Nexus 7 is still an excellent tablet. The 8GB version is gone and the tablet now starts at $199 for 16GB. Paying $249 nets you the 32GB version, and the 32GB version with HSPA+ is available for $299.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; line-height: 1.333em !important; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Since the debut of the Nexus 7, we've seen the release of three major small tablets: the <a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/kindle-fire-hd/" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">Kindle Fire HD</a>, the <a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/ipad-mini/" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">iPad Mini</a>, and the <a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/tablets/barnes-noble-nook-hd/4505-3126_7-35471747.html" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">Nook HD</a>. Each tablet has its own strengths; your choice will eventually come down to which tablet best fits your needs.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; line-height: 1.333em !important; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">However, thanks to its low price, great battery life, sharp screen, and complete and open Android 4.2 environment, overall, the Nexus 7 is still the best small tablet you can buy.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; line-height: 1.333em !important; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/google-nexus-7/" target="_blank">Read More...</a></div><br /></div>

Google Nexus 7 review: Still the best small tablet

The good:   The  Nexus 7  features a sharp screen, a comfortable design, and great battery life at a low starting price. Android 4.2 adds so...

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Android or Chrome? Will Google ever decide on one OS?

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">And as part of that strategy, the company has been developing separate operating systems for mobile devices and personal computers. The idea is that the search and advertising giant wants to make it easier for people to connect to the Internet and eventually use Google services.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Since it was introduced in 2007, the company's <a href="http://www.cnet.com/android-atlas/" section="luke_topic" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">Android</a> mobile operating system has become a huge hit. It's now the most widely used smartphone operating system in the world. But its Web-based computing OS Chrome, which was introduced in 2009, hasn't hit the same level of success. Still, the company is plugging away with its development efforts in Chrome.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">As the line between a mobile device and a regular computing device become blurred, so are the lines separating Google's operating systems. And many consumers are confused. In this edition of Ask Maggie, I offer some insight into Google's strategy. And I help a reader decide which Google platform he should consider now. I also help another reader understand why it is taking so long to get an update to the latest Android OS, called Jelly Bean.</div><h2 style="background-color: white; border: 0px; clear: both; color: #768696; font-family: franklin-gothic-urw-cond, 'Helvetica Condensed Bold', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 28px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 28px; margin: 20px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">What's up with Google's OS strategy?</h2><i style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Dear Maggie,<br />I'm hoping that you or your associates might be able to shed light on a subject for me. Where is Google going? I know that's a broad question, so let me explain.</div><div class="cnet-image-div image-REGULAR float-right" style="border: 0px; clear: right; float: right; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 20px 2px 20px 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 220px;"><img alt="" class="cnet-image" height="157" src="http://asset1.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2012/07/26/epicchromeandroid.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="220" /></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Google introduced Android. I love this mobile OS. Since the original Droid debuted, I always buy Android powered phones. I've also been a user of Google's other products, which has made me a huge fan. When Google launched the Chrome browser, I began using this. And for years it's been my default Internet browser.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Two years ago, Google introduced the Chromebook, and I was lucky enough to get a "test" computer, which my 3-year-old son broke. But now, on Android 4.0 and higher, you can download Chrome Browser. I know Chrome Browser for PC/Mac and Chromebooks are at version 23, and Mobile Chrome is at 10 (or a lot less). But Google has stated that next year they will be synced and the same versions.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">So my question is this: Why has Google only introduced <a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/tablets/" section="luke_topic" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">Android tablets</a>? How come there are no Chrome tablets? And which will eventually take over? Do you have any thoughts? If the Google (Asus) <a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/google-nexus-7/" section="luke_topic" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">Nexus 7</a> is $199 and you can use Chrome, and all of the other Play Store features and apps, then why spend $249 ($50 more) for just a Samsung Chromebook?</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I'm just confused on which product to get and how to even begin to figure out which would be "better" for me.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Thank you for your time,<br />Confuse-oole</div></i><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Dear Confuse-oole,,<br />You are not alone in being confused. Google has two different strategies for operating systems. And it looks like over time, the two will collide.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">On one side you have the mobile operating system Android, which has been a huge success in smartphones and is starting to gain traction in the tablet market. Android, like other traditional operating systems, relies on native apps to be developed specifically for the platform.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">On the other side is Chrome OS. This platform relies on browsers to access applications built for the Web instead of apps specifically built for a computing operating system.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">From the earliest days when Google first introduced Chrome OS, there has been confusion about Google's strategy as it relates to these operating systems. And according to Sergey Brin, one of Google's founders, at a company event in 2009, <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-30684_3-10402653-265.html" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">eventually the two operating systems will be merged into one</a>.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57561952-94/android-or-chrome-will-google-ever-decide-on-one-os/" target="_blank">Read More...</a></div></div>

Android or Chrome? Will Google ever decide on one OS?

And as part of that strategy, the company has been developing separate operating systems for mobile devices and personal computers. The idea...

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Samsung soups up its ultrabook with 1080p, graphics, and touch

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><img alt="" class="cnet-image" height="407" src="http://asset1.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2013/01/02/Series_7_ULTRA_610x407.jpg" width="610" /><br /><br /><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The story of last year's CES was all ultrabooks; this year, the PC story is all about Windows 8 and touch. Samsung's latest laptop fuses both into a touch-screen computer that's hardly a surprise but meets what feels like a new expectation threshold in upper-tier Windows ultrabooks.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The 13.3-inch Series 7 is a new ultrabook for Samsung, as opposed to last year's top-end Series 9 and budget-targeted Series 5. The all-aluminum laptop is more "multimedia-targeted" than the Series 9 ever was, with a 1,920x1,080-pixel resolution, discrete AMD HD8570M graphics, and JBL speakers. It's also bigger, at 3.2 pounds and 17.5mm thick or 3.6 pounds and 18.9mm for the touch-screen Ultras. The <a class="cnet-product" href="http://www.cnet.com/samsung-series-9-13/4505-3121_7-35374674.html" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">slimmed-down Series 9</a> from mid-2012 weighed a mere 2.6 pounds.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Besides the optional touch screen configuration, the Series 7 Ultra can be built with either a Core i5 or i7 ULV processor, up to 16GB of RAM, and a maximum 256GB SSD. It's also equipped with 1 USB 3.0 and 2 USB 2.0 ports and optional 4G LTE, although prices haven't been specified.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Series 7 Ultra joins the larger, more fully equipped touch-screen <a href="http://www.cnet.com/laptops/samsung-series-7-chronos/4505-3121_7-35560427.html" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">15-inch Series 7 Chronos</a>to form the first wave of Samsung's CES 2013 offerings. Both laptops lack optical drives, a trend that seems to be unavoidable in the age of tablets.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.cnet.com/laptops/samsung-series-7-ultra/4505-3121_7-35560438.html" target="_blank">Read More...</a></div></div>

Samsung soups up its ultrabook with 1080p, graphics, and touch

The story of last year's CES was all ultrabooks; this year, the PC story is all about Windows 8 and touch. Samsung's latest laptop f...

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