Mobile

Thu, August 06, 2009 - Nowadays everyone wants a device to manage their schedule, access social networking services, and play the occasional music video--all on a touchscreen that resembles a Star Trek tricorder. The Samsung Highlight ($130 with a two-year T-Mobile contract, as of 8/5/09) has few features that make it stand out from the iPhone, the Palm Pre, or the T-Mobile G1. Instead, it looks and feels like a lesser iPhone--and it costs $30 more.

Wed, July 29, 2009 - When Apple opened up the iPhone to developers, O'Reilly books noticed a big jump in sales of its long-neglected titles on Cocoa and Objective C. These elegant dialects never caught on outside of Apple, but when the iPhone SDK appeared, the world started studying up again. If you want to work in Rome, learn Latin.

Thu, July 23, 2009 - The T-Mobile MyTouch 3G is T-Mobile's second smartphone running Google's Android mobile operating system. And while the MyTouch 3G ($200 as of July 22, 2009) has much going for it-- a lightweight design, a gorgeous screen, and the 1.5 update to the Android operating system, it's not without its flaws -- the on-screen keyboard is far from perfect, for example.

Thu, July 16, 2009 - Banking on the popularity of its Fuze (aka Touch Pro) phones for AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon, HTC has launched the unlocked Touch Pro 2 ($800; price as of 7/14/09) with a slicker design and a spruced-up user interface. But like many Windows Mobile smartphones, in my tests the Touch Pro 2 exhibited a familiar sluggishness when doing certain tasks such as launching apps or scrolling through contacts--definitely not ideal for always-on-the-go types.

Thu, July 09, 2009 - In the early to mid '90s, when Palm was at the top of its game, the name "PalmPilot" was effectively synonymous with an entire class of devices: the Personal Digital Assistant. Into the late part of that decade, Palm even managed to leverage its PalmOS into the early smartphone market with the Treo line, even while the company was repeatedly bought and sold, changing hands more time than the Queen of Spades in a game of Old Maid. But at a certain point, the smartphone market kept moving on and Palm's innovation went stagnant.

Wed, July 08, 2009 - Apple's new 13-inch MacBook Pro adds enough snazzy new features - including faster processors, increased battery life and a better LED - to justify the "Pro" now appended to its name.

Thu, July 02, 2009 - Keeping tabs on the latest cell phone models can be a full-time job, especially given the number of cell phones announced by Apple, Palm, Nokia, and HTC (including, most recently, the BlackBerry-like T-Mobile Dash) over the past few months. But thanks to PC World, you don't have to hunt down and compare the various touchscreen smartphones yourself.

Wed, July 01, 2009 - While the T-Mobile myTouch 3G seems to be the hottest of the carrier's offerings this summer, the T-Mobile Dash ($170 with a two-year contract; price as of 6/30/09) merits attention, too. This long-overdue update of the first-generation T-Mobile Dash is slim, and it packs essential features for heavy-duty messaging at a reasonable price. But anyone hunting for a smartphone that does more may want to look elsewhere: The Dash's multimedia features aren't exciting, and its Windows Mobile-based interface lacks pizzazz.

Wed, July 01, 2009 - It's been nearly two years since the first netbook, the Asus Eee PC 4G, became available to U.S. consumers. Even so, I just bought my first netbook, the Samsung N120. Why did I wait so long? (Several reasons.) And was it worth the wait? (Absolutely.)

Tue, June 23, 2009 - The scoop: MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot, by Verizon Wireless, about $100 (after rebates, two-year-agreement, plus data service, at $40 per month for 250MB of data, or $60 per month for 5GB of data).