Armstrong features such as Bluetooth audio streaming, hands-free calling, DVD/multimedia playback, and GPS navigation. The secondary feature set includes ability to integrate MSN Direct, voice control, and automatic import of contacts.

Thumbs Down:

Long waiting time to index and create voice tags of iPhone/iPod data. Need additional equipments for iPod as well as for MSN Direct.

The Whiz Kid Speaks:

Pioneer AVIC-Z110BT is a portable GPS navigation device that also features multimedia/DVD player, audio/video playback, hands-free calling and Bluetooth audio streaming.

7-inch touch screen display sits on the front. It has 800×400 pixels resolution and 16:9 image aspect ratio.

It has 32 channel receiver and external antenna. The voice features include Voice command recognition, and Navigation instructions. Connectivity options are Bluetooth and USB.

The trip computer navigation feature set includes Street address search, Fast/short route, Avoid toll roads, Avoid highways, Avoid freeways, Avoid U-turns, and Avoid ferrys.

Razzle Dazzle:

Pioneer AVIC-Z110BT is 3.9 inches tall, 7 inches wide and 6.5 inches deep and weighs 5.3 lbs. Its dimension and weight is just double of a normal portable GPS navigation device.

Inside Dope:

Pioneer AVIC-Z110BT is one of the best car audio receivers as well as GPS navigation devices. Its stereo quality plays every whizbang, whistle and bells that are played back during a video or audio. In addition, it can integrate with your iPod and provides completely indexed voice commands. It has a conventional design with 7 inches touch-screen. The Z110BT has only one major drawback that you have to additionally purchase MSN Direct service with its ND-MDT10 Direct Tuner for getting real time fuel price and traffic information. It might be so for cutting down the cost.

7-inches touch-screen LCD display has 800×400 pixels resolution and 16:9 image aspect ratio. The illuminated ribbon located beneath the display consists of open/eject, forward and back, mode, home, volume up and down, voice command buttons from right to left. You change the illumination color of these buttons with eight default colors of customized RGB value or scan mode that fades the color spectrum.

Surprise – You can press the eject button that will reveal SD card slot as well as CD/DVD slot. In addition, touch-screen controls for closing faceplate, adjusting screen tilt, ejecting SD card and optical media will appear only when the unit is open.

The back panel of Pioneer AVIC-Z110BT has aux/USB inputs, FM/AM antenna input, external microphone, external GPS antenna, additional AV output/input, and standard wiring ports. You can use less used common external accessories at an included IP Bus input. However, you have to additionally purchase these external accessories including port for steering wheel control adapter, and power connection for MSN Direct ND-MD10 antenna.

The numerous functions of Pioneer AVIC-Z110BT can be divided into three major categories: GPS navigation, video/audio playback, hands-free calling.

Pioneer AVIC-Z110BT provides text-to-speech turn-by-turn directions that read out the street names loudly. The map will show the visual representation while taking a turn to major road. It also shows visuals of lane data for highways or major inter-state roads. You can add multiple waypoints and destinations for a trip. For adding customized POIs (points of interest) you have to use Pioneer AVIC Feeds software. The voice command function works very well for GPS navigation and allows it for address entry and POI search. You can pair the MSN Direct antenna to get real time incident, traffic, fuel price and local POI search.

You can pair the Pioneer AVIC-Z110BT with Bluetooth of the mobile handset for audio streaming and hands-free calling. It will download and index the address book of your phone. It will automatically create voice tags for each contact entry, which you can access via voice command system. You can initiate a call either through dialing at onscreen 10-keypad or by speaking the phone number.

Pioneer AVIC-Z110BT is capable to play Red Book audio and MP3 encoded audio discs, DivX or normal DVDs. It can also plays back audio files at SD card. In addition, you can play audio and video files from connected iPod/iPhone, USB storage devices and MP3 players via analog auxiliary and USB inputs. The Z110BT supports H.264, MP4, and WMV videos as well as AAC, WMA and MP3 audio formats. We do not like that it does not support iPod video playback onboard. However, you can additionally purchase CD-IU50V iPod cable that can be connected on aux and USB using 30-pin dock connector. This connection will provide fast data transfer rates and enable video playback from iPod.

The AVIC-Z110BT device will scan all the files at connected USB device, MP3 player, iPod or inserted SD card, and then it will crate metadata of voice tags. After completing the scan, you can use the voice tags to play song, album or artist by speaking its name. Pioneer AVIC-Z110BT recognizes every all voice commands and executes them. Its voice recognition feature is the best, simple and accurate like that of Microsoft and Ford sync system.

However, there is a weakness as well in Pioneer AVIC-Z110BT. It takes few seconds to few minutes to scan, index and create voice tags. This waiting time is more noticeable on connecting a 16GB iPod Touch than that on 2GB USB drive or SD card. While testing, it configured our iPod Touch in 30 minutes and took 8 minutes for 4GB SD card. We hope that the manufacture will release an update to fix this waiting time problem.

For audio playback, the Pioneer AVIC-Z110BT has several options including four EQ presets, two seven-band customized curves, and advanced settings for subwoofer control, virtual staging, and crossover filters. The two 22watt RMS per channel are good for most of the OEM speakers, whereas you can also use upgraded speakers. We like that rear channel could be bridged for creating 70-watt subwoofer channel.

You can tap the Home key to get home menu screen of three-icons. In addition, it will show user menu on tapping twice and display 15 quick shortcuts on holding up. You can press the customize button at user menu and then drag and drop available shortcuts from scrolling list at right side.

The installation of Pioneer AVIC-Z110BT may be trickier than simple portable GPS navigation device. You have to install external microphone near driver’s head and stay connected for using Bluetooth hands-free calling and voice commands. The standard speaker and power connections are also to be connected. You must tap the parking brake sensor for using video playback feature. Moreover, the reverse power light lead should be tapped also if you install any reverse camera. For getting turn-by-turn directions, magnetic GPS antenna should be mounted.

You must have to tap the speed pulse sensor that may require disassembly of instrument cluster and tapping inside speedometer wire. If you leave this portion, the GPS navigation will give errors. If you plan to buy MSN Direct antenna, then you have to plug in power harness to the Pioneer AVIC-Z110BT and wiring to FM antenna and tuner-in line.

Pioneer AVIC-Z110BT located our position within 5 minutes, but took some time to lock down satellite options. It also held down the moving positions of our car. In addition, the AVIC-Z110BT produced impressive audio quality.

Only Eclipse AVN726E will give tough competition to Pioneer AVIC-Z110BT in terms of all-in-one features of Bluetooth audio streaming, hands-free calling, multimedia and DVD playback, and GPS navigation. The Pioneer device only succeeds due to its easy-to-use interface.

Nitty Gritty:

The AVIC-Z110BT has all the features and their simple/quick access in one device which we need in our vehicles while driving. If you need an all-in-one portable GPS-cum-media player and can purchase additional MSN Direct service with its antenna, then you can buy new – Pioneer AVIC-Z110BT.

Online Xbox Live Marketplace for purchasing add-on game content, TV shows, HD movies, mini-games; works as digital media hub and doubles Windows Media Extender; backward compatibility for Xbox 360 original; Xbox Live service for online multiplayer games and downloads of game contents; supports wireless controller and other accessories; revamped Dashboard interface; all games in HD; excellent variety of games.

Thumbs Down:

Need third-party wireless connectivity option; online gaming needs paid subscription of Xbox Live; substandard DVD player; limited and recessed three USB  ports; no onboard Wireless networking; massive external power supply; noise exhaust fan and DVD drive; cannot correct all irritations of original 360 version.

The Whiz Kid Speaks:

Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite is a game console that is compatible to Microsoft Windows XP Media Center. The Elite is powered with IBM PowerPC CPU that has three 3.2GHz cores. It has 512MB GDDR3 SD RAM, 12x DVD-ROM and 120GB hard drive.

The graphics card is ATI Xbox 360 (256-bit) 2D/3D graphics acceleration. The fill rate is 500 million triangles per second, whereas the dedicated graphics memory is 10MB. The maximum resolution supported is 1080×1920.

The sound output mode is 16-bit surround sound. The connector set includes 1 x HDMI, 1 x Ethernet ( RJ-45 ), 3 x USB 2.0, and 1 x AV cable port. For input there is external game pad with wireless connectivity.

Razzle Dazzle:

Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite is 3.27 inches tall, 12.15 inches wide and 10.15 inches deep. You can prop it in vertical position and purchase additional interchangeable faceplates to place it horizontally. The Elite is not glossy like PS3 and not cute like Nintendo Wii. On the contrary, the Xbox 360 Elite has black matte finish.

Inside Dope:

Microsoft Xbox 360 was the first next-generation game console launched in 2006. The company had tried to capture back the market from Sony PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii. In September 2009, Microsoft has replaced Xbox 360 Elite with Microsoft Xbox Pro 60GB console, which we had reviewed earlier. Now, let us through a light on the Elite. You purchase the Xbox 360 Elite from Xbox website or any nearby store. It costs $300 and offers 120GB hard drive with HDMI connector.

Does Elite worth its $80 more cost than original Xbox 360? The answer is “No” for all original Xbox 360 users because they are getting the 120GB hard drive as an accessory for $180 only. Moreover, the Elite do not include Wi-Fi adapter as well as HD DVD drive inside the box and you have to purchase both of them additionally. Obviously, the Elite is a simple version of previous Xbox 360 model and does not have any groundbreaking feature like PS3.

The back panel of Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite consists of Ethernet jack, USB port, A/V connector and one HDMI port. The company is also supplying a separate adapter that has both composite/standard-def and component/high-def connectors, one optical audio jack for surround sound and analog stereo audio ports. It is also supplying alternate audio adapter (optical audio or RCA stereo) inside the box, which you can use if your home theater or TV is not accepting audio through HDMI.

The Xbox 360 Elite can give HD video output up to 1080p through component or optional VGA adapter. On the other hand, Sony PlayStation supports HDMI 1.3 to support higher resolution audio. It means that the Elite can only play Dolby Digital standard soundtracks and unable to play high-end resolution audios including DTS-HD Master Audio, Dolby True HD, or Dolby Digital Plus.

Two memory card slots and two USB ports are located behind a door on the front panel. Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite is limited only to wired networking and does not have onboard Wi-Fi adapter, whereas both Sony PS3 and Nintendo Wii has onboard Wi-Fi. However, you can purchase additional Wi-Fi adapter and connect it on the USB port. Unlike the PS3 and the Wii, the Elite supports proprietary memory cards instead of supporting flash cards. USB ports on the Xbox 360 Elite game console allows the connectivity of a wired controller, Xbox Live Vision Camera and any other USB accessories such as keyboard, Sony PSP, Apple iPod, MP3 players, and digital cameras. We do not like that the USB ports are recessed inside the body and you need USB extension cable for connecting the iPod Shuffle etc.

There is an infrared (IR) port on the front of Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite that allows controlling of game console through universal IR remote controls. On the contrary, the PS3 does not have infrared port and need an additional Bluetooth remote. Moreover, the original Xbox 360 has only 20GB hard drive that filled up quickly on frequent usage. Therefore, it is better to go for 120GB drive.

Microsoft is supplying both Xbox Live Headset and handy Xbox 360 Wireless Controller, but they do not add any new feature like motion control of Wiimote or tilt sensitivity in the Sony PS3. Both wireless controller and Headset accepts AA batteries or you can go for additional rechargeable model. There is four-way directional pad on the controller, but occasionally it slips axes while tapping. It is important to mention here that the each Xbox 360 console can support four handy controllers at a time. The green LED light on both console and controllers show their connectivity. Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite also include external power supply as well as noise like original Xbox 360.

The user-friendly, slicker and stellar Dashboard interface of Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite is similar as that of Windows Media Center PCs. It has color surfaced tabs for most of the system features such as Xbox Live, Settings, Media, and Gaming. You can use the directional keypad on the handy controller for menu navigation. What’s more, you can customize the Dashboard with lots of preloaded themes and download more from Xbox store.

There is a Gamer Card that consists of user-defined avatar of a picture with 21 characters motto. You can capture a picture using Xbox Live Vision Camera or use the Microsoft approved preloaded/downloaded images for creating an avatar. The Gamer Card also has Game Score that is a point representative of Achievements of all games.

Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite act as a digital media hub that means you can connect music player, thumb drive, flash card reader, digital camera, iPod, Sony PS3, and forth to the USB port. The Elite is also compatible to Windows PC and can connect to Windows Media Connect, Zune software, Windows Media Player, and more. You can also access TV recordings of high-definition format from a networking Media Center Extender PC. The Elite also allows ripping of audio CDs from the networked computer to its hard drive straightly.

You can separately purchase an external HD DVD disc drive and use it with the Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite. The video quality of downloaded content from Xbox Live Marketplace and from DVD is good and stellar. On the contrary, the Sony PlayStation 3 is providing inbuilt Blu-ray drive. The Elite has included backward compatibility that includes support for 340 and more games of original Xbox. On the contrary, the PS3 can play all the games of the PS2.

Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite includes base-level membership named as Xbox Live Silver that offers to create friends list, share the gamer cards and communicate with them even outside games via voice messaging, voice chat or video chat through Live camera. Moreover, you can download free game demos and movie trailers from Xbox Live Marketplace. You have to upgrade up to the Gold membership to access and purchase the full fledged movies and games.

Nitty Gritty:

If you need a new Xbox with 120GB hard drive and can purchase separate wireless adapter and Xbox Live Gold membership, then you can buy – Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite. However, we will advise you to check Sony PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii before making any decision.

Three inputs – one stereo analog and two digital optical; basic remote control; solid and excellent sound and music quality; wireless subwoofer; sound bar for home theater.

Thumbs Down:

Lackluster style; no HDMI connection.

The Whiz Kid Speaks:

JVC TH-BA1 is a home theater speaker system. It has one 220 Watt speaker and a wireless subwoofer. It features wired connectivity, integrated audio amplifier, magnetic shield and 42-22000 Hz response bandwidth. The inbuilt decoders are Dolby Pro Logic II, Dolby Digital and DTS decoder.

The included speakers are 100watt 45-5000Hz wireless subwoofer and 120watt 84-22000Hz surround sound speaker. The driver details are 1×160mm subwoofer and 4×80mm full range driver.

The connector set includes 2×SPDIF input (TOSLINK) and 1×Audio line-in (RCA phono × 2). JVC TH-BA1 has infrared remote control and one external power adapter.

Razzle Dazzle:

The main selling point of the JVC TH-BA1 is its exterior design. Its bland style, basic LCD display and red indicator lights look attractive. Its speaker is 4.9 inches tall, 35.4 inches wide and 3.3 inches deep and weighs 7.7 lbs. The subwoofer is 13.9 inches tall, 8.5 inches wide and 10 inches deep and weighs 11 lbs.

JVC TH-BA1 has been designed in pole like shape to fit under long HDTV; still you have to check match its dimensions to your TV before purchasing.

Inside Dope:

You must need a sound bar HTIB (home theater in a box) system for a simple and absolute home theater. JVC TH-BA1 is such a standard configuration of long speaker with wireless sub-woofer. It does not have any pesky wires and AV receiver. It has standard and classified features, but does not include HDMI connectivity. If you are looking for a HDMI connection enabled sound box then you have to go for Sony HT-CT100. However, JVC TH-BA1 is the best deal amongst others Denon DHT-FS33 and Yamaha YSP-900.

It has transparent black grille covering all the four speaker drives and you can easily recognize the 3.19 inches drivers. JVC TH-BA1 is self-amplified and provides 30 watts per channel. We appreciate the JVC to include the basic LCD display on front. The LCD display is dark, but lights up automatically when you use the controls. You can turn off or dim the centered blue light on the display.

JVC provides a remote control with the TH-BA1. It is a bit larger than credit card sized remotes of other sound systems. The remote control has basic button layout that provides mute button, button rocker, individual switches for adjusting speaker levels, and separate buttons to each input.

The setup of JVC TH-BA1 is very easy and basic. You have to plug the three source cables to stereo analog input and two digital optical inputs. Then you can mount the speaker on table or wall. Then you have to read the manual for straightforward instructions. It will hardly take a minute to pair the wireless subwoofer with main speaker.

There is no volume control on the woofer, so you have to use the remote control for adjusting the surround channel and center volume levels. It means that you can take its use while watching a movie to adjust or mute the sound without moving. The subwoofer is not as powerful as that with other sound systems. While testing, we received light sound in the beginning. However, when we relocated it to nearby the main sound bar then it produced loud and good sound. We will recommend you to place the subwoofer within 4 feet from the sound bar.

The connectivity options are limited only to audio inputs for JVC TH-BA1. It does not have any video inputs, so you have to use separate video cables to HDTV and mess up with two or three remotes at a time. You can use the universal remote control to handle all the things at a time. The TH-BA1 has one stereo analog audio input and two digital optical audio inputs. None of these ports are shared, so you can connect three devices and use them through remote. On the contrary, Denon DHT-FS3 and Yamaha YSP-9000 can handle five and four devices respectively. Moreover, if you need HDMI connectivity then Sony HT-CT100 will be the better option.

We played movie tracks on JVC TH-BA1 and Polk SurroundBar SDA IHT for testing. The TH-BA1 produced superb sound tracks and excellent clamor as we used to hear in real life. On the other hand, the Polk model produced a bit more metallic sound. It only succeeded the TH-BA1 in oomph and power. However, the JVC was the better to produce surround effect across the complete room.

The Dynamic Range Control of JVC TH-BA1 compressed soft-to-loud volume of movies without forfeiting the quality. Dynamic Range Control can be turned on/off through remote.

JVC TH-BA1 is clear sounding speaker and handled dynamic range tracks of Blu-ray discs, but still not as powerful as Zvox’s Z-Base 575 speakers. It also produced great sound quality from the CDs. The TH-BA1 overall provided impressive and good sound quality for CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray discs.

Nitty Gritty:

If you need a single sound bar without annoying wires and heavy AV receiver for your home theater and do not need direct HDMI connection, then you can buy new – JVC TH-BA1.

Garmin Nuvi 1690 offers free, but ad-supported two-year access to Garmin NuLink data service that provides real-time Bluetooth hands-free calling, Google Search for POIs, fuel prices and traffic data.

Thumbs Down:

Touch screen display shows some weird clicker while using data connection. Micro-Sd card slot does not support full SD cards, especially containing previous Garmin data.

The Whiz Kid Speaks:

Garmin Nuvi 1690 is portable GPS navigation device that has inbuilt antenna and micro-SD card slot. The inbuilt software is MapSource City Navigator Europe NT. Recommended usage is for Automotive and Hiking. Its GPS services include Lane Assistant, Date/Time, and Distance. The voice features are Street name announcement and Navigation instructions.

4.3 inches touch-screen LCD display of Garmin Nuvi 1690 has 480×272 pixels resolution. The device has USB connector, 10 navigation points and 1000 waypoints. The trip computer consists of Street address search, Fast/short route, Avoid toll roads, Quickest route, Avoid highways, Trip distance and Trip timer.

The additional features of Garmin Nuvi 1690 include Traffic Hands-free calling via Bluetooth, Message Channel (TMC ready), 2D/32 map perspective, Speed camera  warnings, Measurement converter, Speed limit warning, Currency converter, Preinstalled POIs, Downloadable POIs, Automatic routing, Inbuilt speaker, Garmin HotFix, Emergency Help, Garmin Garage, Photo viewer, Lock, Fuel prices, Garmin Custom POIs, Clock, Calculator and EcoRoute.

Garmin Nuvi 1690 has lithium ion battery that has a life of 4 hours. The GPS design features are Route avoidance, Picture viewer, Photo navigation, Auto re-route, Inbuilt speaker, Touchscreen, ABC or QWERTY keyboard, Calculator, Unit and Currency converter, and World clock. Accessories supplied inside the package are Car power adapter, dashboard disc and USB cable.

Razzle Dazzle:

Garmin Nuvi 1690 is 3.1 inches tall, 4.9 inches wide and 0.7 inch deep and weighs 6.2 ounces. It has black glossy frame with chrome trim surrounding the display.

Inside Dope:

When we talk about the GPS navigation device especially for cars, the first name to come our mind is – Garmin. The company has launched Garmin Nuvi 880 – first Internet connected portable GPS navigation device with MSN Direct Data service. Now, the company had partnered with AT&T to bring branded data service – Garmin NuLink. After this, Garmin has launched new – Nuvi 1690. Both NuLink data service and Garmin Nuvi 1690 works together for providing live traffic data and fuel prices, Google White and Local pages search in one package, and turn-by-turn directions. All these features do not have any annoying monthly fees and free at least for first two years.

4.3 inches touch screen display is located on the front. Garmin Nuvi 1690 has micro-SD card slot for external storage to save additional points of internet (POI) and regional maps. However, this micro-SD card slot does not support full-size SD cards already containing above data.

The previous power slider with lock mode is replaced with simple button. There is no physical screen lock on Garmin Nuvi 1690, but you can tap power button to display onscreen menu for screen lock, power and brightness. You can press the power button again to unlock the display. If you hold down the power button for 3 seconds, then it will shut down the device.

You will find single speaker on the back panel, mini-USB port and 10-pin connector for including suction-cup cradle. The cradle has strong actuated level suction cup and equipped with mini-USB port for charger. It is good that cradle’s charger port lets you to remove Nuvi with one hand for short trips without cars. Garmin Nuvi 1690 has improved menu interface with finer reflection, graphics and gradients effects. The menu button has small size and is located in the bottom left corner of the display. There is a status bar on the tops that indicates icons for battery life, NuLink signal strength, current temperature, current time, navigation mode (walking, bicycling or driving), Bluetooth connectivity and GPS signal strength.

The major advanced feature of Garmin Nuvi 1690 is the NuLink data service that operates on AT&T EDGE network and free for first two years of purchasing the device. After that, you have to additionally pay $5 per month for the same. In first two years of free service, you will receive periodic text advertisements and offers on the map, POI search and menu screens, but not on map screen for moving vehicle.

For Garmin Nuvi 1690, the NuLink service streams real time incident and traffic data, movie showtines, local events, airline flight information, White Pages search, Google Local POI search, weather forecasts, and fuel prices. The Nuvi 1690 has inbuilt antenna instead of using FM bands to retrieve data. It does not have inbuilt power cable, so it cannot work outside of its cradle.

There is Bluetooth wireless connectivity in Garmin Nuvi 1690 for hands-free calling, but there is no A2DP streaming profile due to absence of support for audio player. You can easily pair the Nuvi 1690 with your phone to access phone’s voice dialing function, 10-key phone pad and dialing from POI contact and select screen.

The other feature set of Garmin Nuvi 1690 includes text-to-speech turn-by-turn directions to read POI and street names; EcoRoutes; and graphic lane guidance that show visual representation of highway intersections plus highlighted valid lanes. EcoRoutes is a set of eco-friendly green driving tools that include series of green driving challenges, fuel cost assessment, and routing algorithm to calculate most fuel-efficient route between two points.

While testing, Garmin Nuvi 1690 was fast to boot and to lock the satellite signals within 2 minutes under clear sky. It did not take advantages of its method and looked confuse while driving in lower level of a long tunnel.

It took 12 second to locate a nearby restaurant online, but was very fast to search in preloaded POI databases. The touch-screen was less responsive as compared to previous Nuvi models. It took few seconds and more pressure to recognize our inputs. We also noticed some screen flickers while downloading the data through network. The overall performance of Garmin Nuvi 1690 was good while testing.

Garmin Nuvi 1690 has battery life of 4 hours continuous working. It still remains solid portable GPS navigation device.

Nitty Gritty:

If you need a quick GPS with long battery life and do not mind some advertisements on your GPS device while driving, then we will recommend you buying new – Garmin Nuvi 1690.

Eco-friendly; 3D graphics card with 1GB video memory; excellent performance.

Thumbs Down:

No eSATA or FireWire.

The Whiz Kid Speaks:

Dell Inspiron i580-5108NBC is powered by 3.2GHz Intel Core i5 650 processor and 8GB DDR3 SD RAM. The desktop has 1TB SATA hard drive and dual-layer DVD±RW/CD-RW. It has 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 220 graphics card and integrated sound card.

Dell Inspiron i580-510NBC has Ethernet port and wireless adapter that supports IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n wireless standards. The operating system is Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit Edition.

The interfaces are 1×HDMI, 1×RJ-45 Ethernet and 6×USB 2.0. Dell Inspiron i580 has five expansion slots: PCI Express x16, PCI Express x1, PCI, Memory card reader and Memory.

Razzle Dazzle:

Dell Inspiron i580-5108NBC has simple black finish. Its tower is 14.8 inches tall, 6.9 inches wide and 17.4 inches deep and weighs 17.4 lbs.

Inside Dope:

$830 priced Dell Inspiron i580-5108NBC will be the best match for professional as well as home computer users. It has 3.2GHz Intel Core i5 processor to provide better performance even for multitasking situations. Dell also includes a 3D graphics card to provide excellent graphics for gaming and other multimedia applications. If you need the best performance oriented and a gaming desktop, then you can surely buy this new desktop – Dell Inspiron i580.

The front panel has media card reader slot, two audio jacks and two USB ports. Dell Inspiron i580-5108NBC has dual-layer DVD burner on the top of its front and another optical drive located below. HP Pavilion Elite HPE-112Y costs $900 and includes seven-core 2.8GHz AMD Phenon II X4 924 processor. HP Pavilion model could not perform better than the Dell Inspiron i580 in our tests. The Pavilion model only succeeds by providing Blu-ray drive, but costs $70 more.

Dell Inspiron i580-5108NBC performed better than HP Pavilion Elite HPE-112Y, Asus CG5275-AR003, and Gateway DX4300-15e while working on Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Zune and Apple iTunes.

Dell Inspiron i580-5108NBC has standard 7.1 analog audio jacks, Ethernet port, some USB ports, HDMI, DVI and VGA ports.  However, it does not have eSATA and FireWire ports. On the other hand, Gateway DX4831-01e are providing both ports in low price. You will also get numerous upgrade options on the motherboard. Nvidia GeForce 220GT graphics card is enough to provide excellent graphics for games and multimedia applications. You will get room for hard drive and PCI card, but the Inspiron i580.

We played some video clips from Netflix and YouTube while testing. The overall streaming video quality was good.

The annual power consumption cost of Dell Inspiron i580-5108NBC is $23.30. It is more than $22.85 for HP Pavilion Elite HPE-112Y and $22 for Asus CG5275-AR003. On the contrary, the annual power consumption cost of HP Pavilion p6320y is $35.72 and $31.65 for Gateway DX4300-15e.

Dell is providing industry standard one-year warranty with Inspiron i580 with 24/7 toll free support. You can access drivers & utilities, FAQs, user manual and chat support on the Dell’s support Web site.

Nitty Gritty:

Dell Inspiron i580-5108NBC offers wireless card, latest Core i5 processor and discreet graphics card. If you need the excellent performance, especially for gaming and multimedia tasks and does not need eSATA/FireWire ports, then we will recommend you to purchase the new – Dell Inspiron i580.

TomTom Ease features simple menu interface and comes at low price with advanced features like text-to-speech. Its battery life is 3 hours.

Thumbs Down:

3.5 inches screen may be small for getting large view. Integrated EasyPort mount is not so flexible like most of TomTom devices.

The Whiz Kid Speaks:

TomTom Ease is a GPS navigation device that includes maps of Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Canada, Alaska and USA. It has 2GB inbuilt memory and features USB connectivity and audible signals.

3.5 inches touch screen LCD display has a resolution of 320×240 pixels. The display menu language options are Catalan, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, English, Finnish, Flemish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish.

The additional features are TomTom Map Share Technology, Text to Speech, IQ Routes technology, TomTom QuickGPSfix, Preinstalled POIs, Plug & Go.

Razzle Dazzle:

TomTom Ease is 3.2 inches tall, 3.7 inches wide and 0.8 inch deep and weighs 4.4 ounces. At first look, it appears like TomTom One 140S. The Ease comes in red, white and black colors. Our test mode had red color. If you need the device in different color then you have to replace the shell from TomTom. For removing the shell, you have to remove the EasyPort from back and simply push off the device. TomTom Ease costs $119 and it is very easy to use like Garmin devices.

Inside Dope:

TomTom is one of the famous manufacturers across the U.S. The company is trying to low down the curve for fresh entry-level GPS users its new navigation device – Ease, which falls below previous TomTom One. The Ease is similar to previous TomTom Star that was debuted in Europe last year.

TomTom Ease has 3.5 inches QVGA touch screen display and EasyPort Mount just like that of the One 140S. Its power button has been moved to the back, whereas combined mini-USB port for sync/charging sits on the bottom edge. You have to use this port for updating the maps as the GPS device does not have the micro-SD or SD card slot.

Previously, we had to clip the EasyPort mount on rotating swivel at the back of TomTom One. That fitting was a bit difficult for new users. Now, the company has provided some nice changes. We like that there is a housing integrated in TomTom Ease for attaching EasyPort Mount. This configuration makes the Ease much thinner than TomTom One. You can easily remove the EasyPort assembly to angle suction cup for adding dashboard mount supplied inside the package. The removable and rechargeable lithium ion battery is located beneath the shell.

Home menu of TomTom Ease – GPS device has been simplified as compared to tedious interface of TomTom One. Previously, we got home screen with six and more options. On the other hand, the Ease has two main options at Home screen: Browse map and Plan route. You will also find options, done, help, day/night mode and sound options in a row at home screen.

Plain route shows sub-menu of selected destinations. You can navigate to searchable points of interest (POI), recent destinations, specific address, favorite destinations, and preset home address. Browse map exhibits overhead map view to select a point/destination on map. You can overlay the POI icons on the map for easily locating them, for example, icons for nearby gas station or restaurants.

Sound icon located on the home screen’s submenu can mute or un-mute the sound, whereas the volume control is in different menu. Night/day button switches between color schemes. Help button shows “Where am I?” screen that exhibits current location, and nearby streets as well as contact numbers and driving directions to nearest emergency services. The Clicking options supports advanced and device options, whereas Done returns to live navigation map.

Live navigation map of TomTom Ease is similar to other devices from same company. You will get zoom in and out buttons at upper corners. Information fields for destination information, direction, speed etc. are located on the bottom. You can click anywhere in the map to get back to home screen.

We agree that TomTom Ease is a basic entry-level GPS navigation device; still provides advanced features. It has text-to-speech engine, using which you can hear the street names and turn-by-turn voice directions. The device also has TomTom IQ Route Technology that uses historical anonymous speed data for creating real time routes as well as free map correction network – TomTom Map Share. These updates are downloaded at TomTom Home software and also manage map updates, custom routes and points of interest.

TomTom Ease performed well while testing. It tracked our location in single lane mountain roads. It quickly located our locations in urban areas. The device could not keep the GPS signal in the long tunnels, but detected our position through speed limit and immediately locked our position nearby other end.

TomTom Ease has standard lithium ion battery that has a life of 3 hours. We appreciate the company to provide much simpler, least expensive and smaller device than $139 priced TomTom One 140S. However, the Ease does not have maps of Mexico and Canada and advanced land guidance like the One 140S.

Nitty Gritty:

If you need a compact GPS navigation device at a budget friendly price and do not need maps of Mexico and Canada, then you can buy new – TomTom Ease.

Free online game service, inbuilt Wi-Fi and Web browser; internal power supply; 1080p HDMI output; 120GB hard drive; works as both DVD and Blu-ray player; easy interface; high-definition games; slimmer and more compact; quieter operation with less fan noise; budget-friendly price tag of $299.

Thumbs Down:

No backward compatibility for PS2 games; lacks infrared port disabling the usage of universal remotes; online commerce, media and gaming options are still not better than that of Xbox Live.

The Whiz Kid Speaks:

Sony PlayStation 3 Slim is a game console that supports CD-ROM, DVD-ROM and BD-ROM. It is powered with 45nm Cell Broadband Engine processor and 256MB RAM. It has BD-ROM Blu-ray disc player and 120GB hard disk drive.

The graphics adapter is 256MB NVIDIA RSX that provides resolution of 1920×1080 pixels. Supported wireless interfaces are Bluetooth and IEEE 802.11. Sound output mode is stereo.

The connector-set of Sony PlayStation 3 Slim includes 1×SPDIF output (TOSLINK), 1×PlayStation 3 AV output, 1×HDMI output (19 pin HDMI Type A), 1×Ethernet (RJ-45) and 2×USB (4 pin USB Type A). The PS3 Slim consumes 250 watt power.

Razzle Dazzle:

Sony PlayStation 3 Slim looks identical to 160GB and 80GB PS3 models. It is 2.6 inches tall, 11.4 inches wide and 11.4 inches deep and it weighs 7.1 lbs. It comes in charcoal black color. It is much 33 percent smaller and 36 percent lighter than original PS3. It feels substantial while taking in hand.

Inside Dope:

In November 2009, Sony had introduced Netflix to its PlayStation 3. The Netflix subscribers can order free PS3 Netflix Blu-ray Disc at its Web site. They have to use that disc always to stream a movie. Now, the company has launched Sony PlayStation 3 Slim for overtaking the Microsoft Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii. If you are a big fan of Sony PlayStation 3 and waiting for its price to come down up, then be ready to buy $299 priced 120GB Slim PS3. On the dark side, Sony has removed the backward compatibility and capability to install any other operating system such as Linux. The Slim PS3 features inbuilt Wi-Fi, inbuilt Profile 2.0 Blu-ray player, two-USB port for charging and using external storage.

Sony PlayStation 3 Slim supports MPEG4/H.264, MPEG2 and MPEG1 video formats and JPEG picture viewing from disc based or USB external media. It can also work as media hub to stream contents from DLNA compatible networked devices such as computers and hard drives connected on routers. It also has inbuilt Web browser to access the Internet.

You will find AV output for analog video/audio, optical digital audio output (SPDIF), HDMI cable and Ethernet jack. Sony has not added any new feature to the PlayStation Slim PS3. Moreover, the company has also not provided any infra red port to control the game console via universal IR remote controls. The Slim PS3 does not have backward compatibility, so it cannot play the PS2 games.

The mirrored strip located next to opening of disc slot and glossy plastic on sides gives glamour to Sony PlayStation 3 Slim. However, both of them works as fingerprint magnet to capture smudges even on gentle touch. However, there are some changes in the design. Sony logo branding has been re-designed for nice look. Touch-sensitive Eject and power switches are replaced by standard push buttons. The master power switch has been removed. The new power button on the front is quick responsive and boots up the PlayStation in less than 20 seconds like original PS3.

Sony has redesigned the complete internal architecture for building a slim game console. We appreciate the Sony’s engineers to build internal power supply instead of using external cabinet like the giant one with Xbox 360. The company had moved the hard disk drive to the front of game console. Without voiding the warranty, you can upgrade and replace the hard drive. You can open the door at the bottom of game console to unscrew the two screws for removing the hard drive. Sony PlayStation 3 Slim is designed to place horizontally. For positioning it vertically, you can purchase additional stand at $25 from Sony.

Sony PlayStation 3 Slim is powered by 45nm version Cell processor that runs at the same speed of 60nm processor in original PS3. However, this new processor is more energy efficient and smaller in size. According to Sony, the power consumption of Sony PlayStation 3 Slim is reduced to 250 watts from 280 watts. As a result, the PS3 Slim generates less heat due to which the company has installed small cooling fan. It also reduces the fan noise. We played game and Blu-ray disc for two hours; still got the light breeze from the fan instead of hot air.

Sony PlayStation 3 Slim performed well for gaming and playing Blu-ray discs while testing. The PlayStation Network is free and PS3 Slim allows accessing and downloading of games, TV shows and movies. Netflix subscription-based streaming service is also available. You can also use Play On software to stream the contents of your computer.

Nitty Gritty:

In fact, Sony PlayStation 3 Slim costs half of the price of original PS3 and lacks IR port, ability to install other operating system like Linux and backward compatibility for PS2 games. If you can overcome above drawbacks and need affordable game console with energy efficiency, home-theater functionality and impressive gaming, then you can buy latest – Sony PlayStation 3 Slim.

Perfect picture quality on Blu-ray movies; video streaming services such as NPR, Slacker, YouTube, Amazon VOD and Netflix; budget-friendly price tag; onboard decoding for DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby True-HD; Profile 2.0 compatible.

Thumbs Down:

Lacks onboard Wi-Fi and internal storage for BD-Live; no eject button on remote; outdated contents on some Internet channels.

The Whiz Kid Speaks:

Sony BDP-N460 is Blu-ray disc player that supports Profile 1.1 (Bonus View) and Profile 2.0 (BD-Live). It features 1.3a HDMI and up-scaling up to 1080p. The Blu-ray player has tray to load media. It supports audio formats of PCM and MP3, and AVCHD video format.

Sony BDP-N460 supports media types of BD-R, BD-RE, BD-ROM, CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-RW, DVD-R DL and DVD+R DL. For connectivity options, it has one Ethernet port that supports IEEE 802.3u (Fast Ethernet). The internet streaming video services include Slacker Personal Radio, BRAVIA Internet Radio, YouTube and Netflix.

Sony BDP-N460 provides stereo sound. Its supported digital audio formats are Dolby True HD digital output, Dolby Digital Plus output, DTS-HD digital output, Dolby Digital output and DTS digital output. The additional features are x.v.Colour Technology, Progressive scanning, BD-Java, JPEG images playback and parental lock.

The connector set of Sony BDP-N460 includes 1×USB ( 4 pin USB Type A ) – Front, 1×SPDIF output ( RCA phono ) – Rear, 1×Ethernet ( RJ-45 ) – Rear, 1×Audio line-out ( RCA phono x 2 ) – Rear, 1×Composite video output ( RCA phono ) – Rear , 1×Component video output ( RCA phono×3 ) – Rear, 1×SPDIF output ( TOSLINK ) – Rear and 1×HDMI output ( 19 pin HDMI Type A ) – Rear.

Sony BDP-N460 is EPA Energy Star certified. It needs 120V AC power supply and consumes 26 Watt. Sony is providing one-year limited parts-and-labor warranty on its BDP-N460.

Razzle Dazzle:

Sony BDP-N460 has similar design to previous BDP-S360. The most part of front panel is made up of black glossy plastic. It has sleek look and the disc tray is not easily noticeable. The two buttons of play and stop are raised above the surface. Front panel will flip down automatically when you press the eject button. This design is less clumsy than flip-down design of Samsung BD-P1600.

Inside Dope:

Sony was the pioneer of the Blu-ray technology but now they have been surpassed by Samsung, LG and Panasonic. The company makes another attempt with BDP-N460 to top the Blu-ray player market. It’s streaming services including NPR, Slacker, YouTube, Amazon VOD and Netflix and challenges LG BD390 at low price. There are a few shortcomings though, the BDP-N460 does not have inbuilt storage, Wi-Fi, network media streaming and multi-channel analog outputs. These drawbacks make the BDP-N460 a poor alternative to other players like LG BD390. Moreover, the PS3 Slim is available for $100 more and it offers media streaming and high-definition gaming experience. Sony BDP-N460 offers a good combination of Blu-ray playback and streaming functionality at a budget friendly price.

Although the LCD display of Sony BDP-N460 is small in size, yet it is readable from distance. You can dim and turn off the LCD display while using the Blu-ray player. USB port located at right bottom corner routes out the front panel design.

The USB port at the back panel is deep-set inside the unit and completely surrounded by black plastic. It offers small opening for accessing compact USB external drives. So, you cannot use large external drivers for more storage space.

The remote control of Sony BDP-N460 has simple design, but it lacks the eject button for disc tray. It means that you have to manually press the eject button the player, which is quite frustrating. We will prefer Sony to include the eject button on remote like its competitors.

Sony BDP-N460 has XMB based interface that is identical to PS3. Main categories include Network, Video, Music and Photo. The interface is not completely straightforward. The media streaming services are categorized under Media, instead of Network.

The Netflix interface on Sony BDP-N460 is different as compared to other Blu-ray players. At a time, it shows small 18 movie covers. You can easily move through the titles to select the favorite one. In addition, the rewind and fast-forward options are different. It minimizes the paused movie in bottom scrub bar without any thumbnail, but other Blu-ray players shows thumbnail of paused scene. While testing, the overall streaming video quality of Netflix was not good like other Blu-ray players.

YouTube application has included some premium TV shows and movies. We played a movie and observed that image quality had to be improved, whereas image aspect ratio was better than that of LG BD390 and Panasonic DMP-BD60.

Sony BDP-N460 has also included some movie titles from Sony Movie Studio. The image quality was perfect on this streaming service. Sony also had included some movies such as “Steamboy”, “Muppets in Space”, “Ghostbusters” and “Cloudy With a chance of Meatballs”.

Sony BDP-N460 also features video contents from Wired, FEARnet, Crackle and blip.tv. We agree that it has impressive number of channels, but does not have admirable user experience because some contents are outdated. We loaded Dignnation channel at blip.tv and got that it did not have latest episodes. We appreciate the Sony to increase the numerous streaming video services like NPR, Slacker, YouTube, Amazon VOD and Netflix.

Like all Blu-ray players of 2009, Sony BDP-N460 is compatible to Profile 2.0 to access BD-Live playback features on Blu-ray movies. You have to connect USB external drive to store BD-Live content because the BDP-N460 does not have inbuilt memory.

For Internet connection, Sony only included Ethernet port and forgets to use Wi-Fi. This omission is acceptable only at this low price tag. The company suggests using Linksys WET-610N Wireless Ethernet Bridge for wireless networking. Sony BDP-N460 Blu-ray player has inbuilt software for easy wireless setup.

Sony BDP-N460 has inbuilt decoding for Dolby True HD as well as DTS-HD Audio Essential. It can easily decode sound formats for playing back on most of the HDMI capable AV receiver. Also, the BPD-N460 supports bit stream output that allows decoding in AV receiver. DVDs with DTS formats including Neo:6, ES Matrix, ES and DTS 96/24 could not be played on the BDP-N460 because DTS-HD Mater Audio Essential does not have all necessary decoders.

Sony BDP-N460 has HDMI output connection for high resolution multi-channel audio and 1080p video. The component video output supports the analog video. It can also output standard-definition composite video, DVDs at 480p and Blu-rays at 1080i. You will get both coaxial and optical digital audio outputs for multi-channel support, but it does not support full resolution of both DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD. Stereo analog output supports analog audio. The connectivity options are limited to USB and Ethernet ports.

We tested Sony BDP-N460 in 1080p/60 and Oppo BDP-83 connected to Samsung PN50B860 through HDMI. We played HQV (Hollywood Quality Videos) on both Blu-ray players.

Sony BDP-N460 provided pure image quality with complete 1080p resolution without moiré pattern. Its performance was well comparable to Philips BDP7310 and Samsung BD-P3600. However, it could not beat Oppo BDP-83 that is expected at this cost difference. On the contrary, the disc loading speed of the BDP-N460 is much better than other Blu-ray players, but slower than that of Oppo BDP-83.

There are more movies available on DVD as compared to Blu-ray. We also played some DVDs on Sony BDP-N460 and Oppo BDP-83. The DVD performance of the BDP-N460 was not comparable to that of Oppo model. If you are not choosy about DVD playback, then Sony BDP-N460 will be the good choice.

Nitty Gritty:

Sony BDP-N460 offers impressive mixture of low price, streaming media options and good Blu-ray performance. The BDP-N460 player does not have eject button on remote, onboard Wi-Fi and internal memory. If you need budget-friendly Blu-ray disc player and do not mind above drawbacks, then you can purchase Sony BDP-N460.

Multi-touch pad; excellent battery life; large hard-drive; energy-efficient, big and brigh LED backlit display; stylish and unique design; solid built.

Thumbs Down:

Various bloat-ware; uncomfortable and stiff mouse buttons; no HDMI.

The Whiz Kid Speaks:

Asus K60I-RBBBR05 laptop is powered with 2.2GHz Intel Pentium T4400 dual core processor. The laptop has 500GB hard disk drive, DVD±RW (+R DL) optical drive and 4GB DDR2 SDRAM that is upgradeable to 8GB. The operating system is Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition. The K60I laptop has Intel GMA Dynamic Video Memory Technology 5.0 graphics card, integrated high definition sound card and 0.3-megapixel camera.

16 inches TFT display of Asus K60I-RBBBR05 features LED backlit and antiglare. The laptop has card reader that supports SD memory card, Multimedia card and Memory stick. Preinstalled software are Face recognition software and Adobe Reader 9.0.

Network adapter of Asus K60I-RBBBR05 supports wired networking protocols of Ethernet, Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet. In addition, the wireless card supports wireless standards of IEEE 802.11 b/g/n. The laptop has two interfaces: 1×RJ45 network – Ethernet 10Base – T/100 Base – TX/1000Base-T and 4×4 pin USB Type A – Hi-Speed USB.

Asus K60I-RBBBR05 has six-cell lithium ion battery. Asus is providing one-year limited parts-and-labor warranty.

Razzle Dazzle:

Asus K60I-RBBBR05 has unique look. There is hounds-tooth pattern on the keyboard deck and lid. It features multi-touch pad and chiclet type keys. The laptop is 1.7 inches tall, 14.6 inches wide and 10.1 inches deep. It weighs 5.9 pounds and 6.7 pounds with power adapter, which is bit more than other laptops.

Asus has selected deep black and brown color scheme for its K60I laptop. The small logo is located in the lid’s center and top left corner of screen bezel. The laptop’s chassis provides solid feel. The wrist rest beneath keyboard is wide. The hinges are solid and sturdy enough to hold the display securely.

Inside Dope:

Asus K60I-RBBBR05 will draw your attention at any store like Best Buy with its $529 cost for dual core processor, 4GB RAM and 500GB hard drive. In addition, $499 priced Toshiba Satellite L505-ES5018 and $529 priced Dell Inspiron i545-4266iBU also draws your interest because both of them offers similar Intel Pentium T4400 dual core processor. Although the T4400 is not the latest one, yet it is one of most used processors for budget-friendly laptops.

Asus K60I-RBBBR05 has unique design, superior feature set, and more battery life as compared to that of Dell model. The Asus model offers Wireless-N Wi-Fi as compared to IEEE 802.11 b/g of the Dell laptop.

16-inches display of Asus K60I-RBBBR05 is a bit larger than common 15.6 inches display of other laptops. It has 1366×768 pixels resolution and uses LED backlight that is more energy efficient than typical fluorescent tubes. Moreover, it helps to create much brighter image on the display.  Despite of being glossy, the display screen has antiglare coating that helps to minimize reflections and distracting glare. 0.3-megapixel Webcam is located above the display.

Asus has included chiclet-style and wide spaced keys and separate numeric keypad. You might know that chiclet style keys are famous because of Apple MacBook. Overall, Asus K60I-RBBBR05 provides comfortable and appreciated typing experience. If you have to spend hours daily for data punching and continuous typing, then we will recommend selecting this new Asus K60I laptop. For including the separate numeric keypad, Asus had narrowed the arrow keys and off-centered the keyboard. Some users may not like this change.

Asus K60I-RBBBR05 has small touch pad. Again like Apple MacBook, It supports multi-touch motions like two-finger scrolling. Chrome-finished two mouse buttons are very stiff to press. You will get Altec Lansing speakers on Asus K60I-RBBBR05 laptop. The speakers do not provide loud sound like that of Dell Inspiron i545. We will recommend using headphones for better sound quality.

Asus K60I-RBBBR05 has one media card reader slot, VGA port and two USB 2.0 ports. The laptop does not have ExpressCard slot, eSATA and HDMI ports. You will find HDMI ports on a bit more expensive HP Pavilion dv4-2145dx and Gateway NV7915u laptops.

Asus offers various preinstalled trial applications and other offers. It provides Windows 7 Home Premium and some utilities also. While testing, Asus FastBook utility enhanced the booting speed. Windows 7 booted in 50 seconds, which was better than booting speed Dell Inspiron i545.

Asus K60I-RBBBR05 features 2.2GHz Intel Pentium T4400 dual-processor, which is an entry level processor. It features 4GB RAM as compared to 3GB in Toshiba and Dell models. On the contrary, Asus is using 667MHz that is less than 800MHz of both Toshiba and Dell. Gateway NV7915u laptop is providing Core i3 330M CPU for $599 and performed 31 times better than Asus K60I-RBBBR05.

Asus K60I-RBBBR05 performed better than Acer AS5532-5535, Compaq Presario CQ60-615DX and Toshiba Satellite L505-ES5018 in our multitasking, Photoshop and iTunes test. Dell Inspiron i1545-4266iBU, Toshiba Satellite L505-ES5018 and especially Gateway NV7915u performed better than Asus K60I laptop.

The annual power consumption cost of Asus K60I-RBBBR05 is $4.66, which is better than %5.08 for Toshiba Satellite L505-ES5018, $5.17 for Gateway NV7915u and $7.16 for HP Pavilion dv4-2145dx. However, Dell Inspiron i1545-4266iBU succeeded with $4.47 in annual power consumption cost.

Asus K60I-RBBBR05 laptop is using standard six-cell battery that has a life of 3hr 24min of continuous vide playback.

Asus is providing one year standard labor-and-parts warranty. The accidental damage warranty will not be applied to the only K60I laptops only purchased from Best Buy. So, we will recommend you to purchase this Asus K60I-RBBBR05 laptop from any other store.

Nitty Gritty:

If you need a budget-friendly laptop with large display, more hard drive capacity, better keyboard, good battery life and does not mind average performance, then you can purchase new Asus K60I-RBBBR05. However, we will recommend you to check Gateway NV7915u that offers Core i3 processor for better performance in only $70 more.

It features wireless networking and TV tuner with general features and some upgrade options.

Thumbs Down:

The DX4300-15e does not have some external storage options that are found on other low cost Gateway desktops.

The Whiz Kid Speaks:

Gateway DX-43001e desktop is powered by 2.6 GHz AMD Phenon II X4 810 quad-core processor and AMD 780G chipset. The RAM is 8GB DDR2 SDRAM and it cannot be upgraded.  The DX-43001e has 1TB SATA hard drive, 16x DVD±RW, AverMedia H751 hybrid digital/analog TV tuner card and wireless card supporting IEEE 802.11 b/g/n standards.

Gateway DX-43001e features ATI Mobility RADEON HD 3200 graphics card, network adapter and integrated sound card. The desktop has seven interfaces: 1×Audio, 1×HDMI, 1×IEEE 1394 (FireWire), 1×VGA (Monitor), 1×RJ-45 Ethernet and 8×USB 2.0 ports. It also has four expansion slots: 1×PCI Express x16, 1×PCI Express x1, 1×PCI and 1×Memory card reader.

The operating system is Windows 7 Home Premium. Preinstalled software includes Norton Internet Security 2009, Microsoft Office Home and Student Edition 2007, drivers and utilities, and Microsoft Works. Gateway is providing one-year warranty on its DX4300-15e.

Razzle Dazzle:

Gateway has used the same casing for the DX4300-1e like its other desktops. It is 16.2 inches tall, 7.1 inches wide and 16.3 inches deep and it weighs 25 lbs. Gateway DX4300-1e is well-suited for living room being a mid-tower computer. Its black plastic exterior gives a shining and attractive look. Moreover, the front upper row makes USB 2.0 ports and media card slots comfortable and easy to use.

Inside Dope:

We don’t care much about a TV tuner card in the computer; we’d rather have that money spent on a discrete graphics card or a faster processor. Usually you have to sacrifice on features if you go for a computer with a TV tuner card but this Gateway machine is an exception to this. But if you are not too keen on a TV tuner card we will recommend you not to go for this because you can find a faster PC in this price range elsewhere. But if you need a PC with TV tuner card, look no further and buy this machine.

Gateway DX4300-15e has to face tough competition from HP Pavilion p6320y because of the components are quite similar. Moreover, you will find less expensive desktops such as Gateway DX4831-01e and HP Pavilion p6310y with quite similar features such as quad-core or dual core processor, 1TB hard disk drivers, more upgrade options, multiple video outputs and 6-8GB RAM. Both the DX4300-15e and the Pavilion P6320y offers wireless networking. The Gateway model comes with an AverMedia H751 hybrid digital/analog TV tuner card.

Gateway DX4300-15e does not have the matching performance of $549 priced Gateway DX4831-01e. The DX4300-15e was slower on single application. Gateway DX4300-15e performed slower than HP Pavilion p6310y, p6320y, Gateway DX4831-01e and Asus CG5275-AR003 while working Apple iTunes and Adobe Photoshop. However, it succeeded over $599 priced HP Pavilion p6310y and p6320y in multitasking, but remains slower than Asus CG5275-AR003 and Gateway DX4831-01e.

In our tests, HP Pavilion p6310y and Gateway DX4300-15e were closer in performance. It means that you are paying $80 additional for TV tuner card and wireless capability for buying the DX4300-15e. It is a reasonable amount as per our assumption.

Gateway DX4300-1e features one HDMI video port that makes it well-defined for your living room. It is noteworthy that computer’s TV tuner card cannot decode few certain cable feeds. You will also get some upgrade options with the desktop. There is a free hard disk bay, one standard PCI slot and one PCI Express graphics card slot. We are disappointed that the power supply of 300 watt will restrict to add high-end 3D graphics hardware. Also, you cannot upgrade the RAM as all four RAM slots are already filled up.

You will get digital audio jacks, 7.1 analog audio ports, standard VGA and DVI video ports, numerous USB 2.0 ports and one HDMI port. Gateway DX4300-1e does not have any eSATA and FireWire ports. On the contrary, you will find these ports on low cost – Gateway DX4831-01e.

Having AMD processor and chipset, the annual power consumption of Gateway DX4300-1e is more than two Intel desktops. Due to its AMD Phenom II processor, the Gateway model has lower annual power consumption of $31.65 than $35.72 for HP Pavilion p6320y and $34.91 for the p6130y. The annual power consumption is more than $22.85 for Gateway DX4831-01e and $22 for Asus CG5275-AR003.

Gateway is providing one year warranty with 24/7 toll free number support with its DX4300-1e. You will also find online drivers and software for the desktop.

Nitty Gritty:

If you need TV tuner card with HDMI video output and good performance, then you can buy Gateway DX4300-1e.