: With all the emphasis Apple placed on the new design and construction, it's really the performance, rather than the aesthetics, that stand out for us. Our black MacBook (2.2-GHz Core 2 Duo, 2 GB RAM) got an Xbench of 68.03 with a battery rundown of 2:52. On the other hand, our new aluminum MacBook (2.4-GHz Core 2 Duo, 2 GB RAM) scored an Xbench of 116.70 with a battery rundown of 3:01. We know, we know ... Xbench is a synthetic benchmark. But that's a pretty shocking improvement in the performance numbers, and in our use of the new MacBook, it's noticeable across the board. This machine, in comparison to the very capable Black Book, just screams. The new Pro machine is also faster, in Xbench at least.
It's hard to evaluate aesthetics — a jaw-dropping beauty to one person is an eye-crunching catastrophe to another — but to my peepers, the new Mac laptops are some of the most handsome the company has ever released. I’m a sucker for the black bezel around the screens, and for the glass all the way to the edge of the display. (One bonus is that the laptops and the iMac, as well as Apple’s new Cinema Display, all share the same black-and-aluminum look. Jony Ive must be doing the dance of joy). This isn't the sort of redesign that makes your jaw drop, although it might be unreasonable to think that Apple has to reach that standard every time they launch a revision. That's a measure of how inflated our expectations have become. But the Apple notebook line is just miles ahead, and these two machines — especially the MacBook — only put them further out in front.
MacBook: $1,600 as tested, Apple
MacBook Pro: $2,500 as tested, Apple
Photos: Jonathan Snyder/Wired.com
Read the rest of our in-depth MacBook and MacBook Pro review.
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: Despite being released back in January of this year, the 1920 x 1080, 10x optical zoom SD9 is (still) the top performer. Touted by Panasonic as the world's smallest full HD cam, its slimmed-down profile makes it a real winner with the portability crowd. HD image quality and compression are noticeably ahead of other cams in this roundup, but there's still some ghosting and artifacts in certain (read: low light) situations. The menu system is classic Panasonic-simple and easy to learn, but the joystick has been moved into the LCD cavity, hampering movement and versatility. The rest of the controls are nicely placed with smooth well-modulated zoom and a fumble-resistant, dedicated optical image-stabilization button.
WIRED:Small, well-built design. Simple menu system. Top-notch battery life.
TIRED:Moving the joystick to the LCD-bridled shooting ease. Shrunken size compromised comfort and usability.
$800, Panasonic
Read the rest of Flash and the Pan: 4 Tapeless AVCHD Camcorders Tested.
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: Standing apart from the crowd with its unique form factor, this Sanyo AVCHD video cam is a pocket-size video rocket, shooting 1080p at 30 frames per second with a 38-380mm zoom. The novel design and sharp video are complemented by functions like Face Detection and Face Chaser, which zero in on faces in the scene and both focus and adjust the exposure on the fly.
It works surprisingly well and delivers some delicious video to the SD/SDHC memory format. The 1010 also records fairly sharp 4-megapixel stills as long as ambient light isn't terribly low. In spite of all this goodness, Sanyo may have been asleep at the wheel by not including optical image stabilization. If you can live with merely digital IS, then take good look at this multifaceted camcorder.
WIRED: Easy-to-handle form factor. 10x optical zoom. 4-megapixel stills on the fly. Admirable video quality.
TIRED: No optical image stabilization. Sound is a touch weak.
$800, Sanyo
Read the rest of Flash and the Pan: 4 Tapeless AVCHD Camcorders Tested.
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: Google's Android OS for the T-Mobile G1 is pretty freaking on-point for a first-gen software release. Sure, it has bugs — web pages don't automatically resize and the zoom feature blows — but it's also remarkably polished, bristling with nifty tricks. Take the long touch: Not unlike the Windows-born right-click, it brings up useful contextual menus. Long touch a field of text, for example, and you get the option to select it, copy it or paste something in (take that, Jobs!). And though Android’s first home is a touchscreen phone, you can tell that the OS was designed to work with hard-buttons as well.
In fact, if you can't abide fingerprints, you can get around the G1 quite well without ever smearing the glass. The keys are useful, but their physical location is a problem that ties into the most noticeable G1 bugaboo: its size. This is a big annoyance for us — nearly a half-inch thick — and its problematic girth is made worse by an annoying button bank.
WIRED: Android is legit, and future iterations should get even more impressive. 3G on a T-Mobile phone. Tons of apps that will keep you entertained for the duration of your 2-year contract — and all of them are free until Google decides on a way to charge. Relatively cheap, and data plans include T-Mobile hot-spot subscriptions. Snappy processor never seems to get bogged down, even with multiple apps running. Decent battery life: a day of heavy use, or three if you have no friends. Mounts on both Mac and PC as an external drive, allowing you to drag and drop music or videos.
TIRED: Fugly. Bulky. No 3.5mm headphone jack and no adapter that lets you plug your own buds into the HTC mini USB multiport. T-Mobile's 3G network is not as quick as AT&T's, and nowhere near as pervasive. We don't mean to whine about free stuff, but the included 1-GB MicroSD card seems a little dinky compared to the 8-GB iPhone you can get for $20 more. Camera is slower than a three-toed sloth to respond.
$180 with 2-year contract, T-Mobile
Photos: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
Read our full T-Mobile G1 review.
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: While the Ultra Motor A2B makes a clear impression on the public, the plush front and rear suspension with smooth and fat motorcycle-like tires ensure that most bumps and potholes leave little or no impression on the rider. The 500-watt motor in the rear hub and motorcycle-like twist throttle delivers a comfortable and steady amount of power as you cruise along at the federally mandated max of 20 miles per hour. Encased in the aluminum downtube, the lithium-ion battery yields just over 20 miles of range over varied Los Angeles-area terrain including moderate ups and downs, groceries and other cargo onboard AND very little pedaling.
Let's be honest, the A2B is more akin to a scooter than bicycle because of its 73 pounds and laid-back beach-cruiser geometry. But the A2B's designers were smart, by giving it pedals and keeping the maximum powered speed below 20 mph, you don't have to endure the DMV's motorcycle certification test, pay any registration fees or even insure your A2B as a motorcycle. The A2B is by far the eye-catching electric "bike" in the market and provides a nice option for those who are green-minded, have a fair bit of extra green in their wallets but don't want to shvitz their way to work and back.
WIRED: Plush, comfy and downright fun to ride. Eye-catching design leaves local yokels slack-jawed. Don't worry about Crackhead Bob boosting your battery — it's encased within the bike making it nigh impervious to petty theft.
TIRED: Throttle grip is hard on the hands. Heavy. Hard to imagine pedaling it more than a couple blocks. Downhill mountain-bike style drivetrain is noisy.
$2,700, Ultra Motor
Photos: Jackson Lynch/Wired.com
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