Sneak Peek: 2011 BMW X1

Social networking Web sites are turning out to be a gold mine for automakers looking to hit their target demographic. Ford Motor Company is probably the most well-known automaker using the Internet to attract the younger generation of drivers, but others are catching up. BMW recently used Facebook to hype up its latest creation that blends the personalities of a small car and an SUV. The 2011 BMW X1 will vary only slightly from the Concept X1 that BMW showed off last year and should have a starting MSRP in the low to mid $30,000 range. Production of the X1 will start later this year for European models, but sales in the United States will not take place until the 2011 model year.

After showing off a number of full body shots wearing light camouflage, BMW used its Facebook page to show off four close-up shots revealing more detail although none of the X1’s design is really that much of a surprise following the X1 Concept that debuted at the 2008 Paris Auto Show. As its name indicates, the BMW X1 will slot in at the bottom of the company’s sport activity vehicle (SAV) lineup that now includes the X3, X5 and X6, but it is not based on the 1 Series coupe. Instead, it uses the underpinnings of the 3 Series with an overall length of around 175 inches and a wheelbase close to 104 inches. While the current X5 and X6, as well as the next-generation X3, are all built at BMW’s plant in Spartanburg, S.C., the X1 will be produced only in Austria.

Like pretty much all European vehicles, the BMW X1 will offer a host of engine options including both diesel and gasoline, but the translation to U.S. spec is expected to leave it with just one choice – the same proven 3.0-liter inline-6 that is currently used in the 128i. Since both the 1 and 3 Series also use the twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter engine, we don’t see why this engine wouldn’t also be available under the hood of the X1. With the popularity of the 335 and X5 xDrive35d, a diesel-powered X1 might not be out of the equation either. Rear-wheel drive will be the standard layout, while BMW’s xDrive all-wheel drive system will also be available.

The X1 was designed to compete against small crossovers such as the Volkswagen Tiguan, Cadillac SRX and Lincoln MKX, and it will also be the basis for a future crossover for BMW’s MINI division. The BMW X1 will be the latest addition to BMW’s lineup that includes redesigned models such as the 7 Series and Z4 as well as all-new models such as the X6 and 5 Series Gran Turismo.

Canon FS200 is small standard-def success

When I say the Canon FS200 is a success, it should be interpreted as "the video's not perfect, but the results are pretty good all things considered and the rest of it is a great package."

After all, there are cell phones and cheap pocket cameras with higher resolutions than your average SD camcorder. Also, video quality is very much in the eye of the viewer, so even defects in low-quality movies can be overlooked depending on who's watching what.

That being said, about the only major issue with the specs and design of the FS200 is its lack of optical image stabilization on a 37x zoom lens. Otherwise it's an excellent ultracompact build that includes, a couple nice shooting features, a headphone output and a mic input, and is relatively simple to use.

Reasonably priced A2100 IS reasonably good

The funny thing about the Canon PowerShot A2100 IS is that I like it more than its barely different predecessor, the A2000 IS for basically one reason: it's black instead of a boring two-tone gray.

The size and shape are the same. They both run on AA batteries. They both have bright 3-inch LCDs on back and a 6x zoom lens on front with optical image stabilization. Yet, the change from gray to black makes the camera look like it performs better. (Sadly, they both have fairly mixed performance.)

So if you don't care about the body color, why go with the A2100 for $50 more? Well it has Canon's Digic 4 processor for better face detection among other things, a 12-megapixel resolution compared to the A2000's 10 megapixels, and the A2100 has Canon's Smart Auto scene recognition.

However, both cameras take excellent photos regardless. (At least below ISO 200, that is.) It's just that you can do a little more cropping with the extra resolution on the A2100.

And it is black.

Toyota thinks up mind-reading wheelchair

week, we told you about Mindflex, a Mattel toy that lets players move objects with their brains. This week comes word that the same technology is making its way into a more functional application--a wheelchair that users can maneuver with thought alone.

Toyota has developed the wheelchair in collaboration with researchers in Japan. The system analyzes brain wave data using signal-processing technology and delivers neuro-feedback to the driver.

Brain wave-detecting technology, or electroencephalography (EEG), isn't new. In layman's terms, a device, usually a cap wired with sensors, detects a person's brain waves. That information is analyzed by a computer and applied to the device in question. Scientists have pursued the technology for decades, but have had difficulty achieving short response times, explains the Associated Press.

Toyota's mind-controlled wheelchair, however, has what appears to be the quickest response time yet: 125 milliseconds, or 125 thousandths of a second. The user can almost instantly steer right, left, and forward. To stop, the person in the chair must puff up a cheek, a motion that's then detected by the headpiece.

Because of this quick response time, plans are under way to turn the wheelchair into a commercial health care product. The most practical use would be for rehabilitation patients who have been paralyzed, suffered a stroke, or have other conditions that hinder their muscle control. So far, the research has centered on brain waves related to imaginary hand and foot control. However, Toyota hopes the system could ultimately be applied to brain waves generated by emotions.

... Read more

Moto Clutch migrates to Nextel

The Motorola Clutch i465 is migrating up the corporate ladder from Boost Mobile to Nextel. The nifty iDEN phone with the full QWERTY keyboard will go on sale this summer for $39.99 with a two-year service agreement and a $20 mail-in rebate.

In making the jump to Boost's parent carrier, the Clutch retains the same design, but adds a few Nextel-centric features like Direct Connect push-to-talk, International Direct Connect, Group Connect, and Direct Talk. It also will support Nextel's GPS application.

For an in-depth look at the Boost Mobile version of the handset, check out our Motorola Clutch review.

Another mouse that likes to wash

Worried about germs populating your peripherals? You may dream of giving them a nice bath now and then.

Go ahead, with the MW-2800 washable optical mouse from Cherry, a ZF Electronics brand.

The mouse is targeted at hospitals, clinics, schools, manufacturing lines, and other venues where many people tend to share workstations.

The MW-2800 is not the first washable mouse. Two years ago, Belkin introduced its F5L007 mouse with the scroll wheel replaced by a touch area that allows both vertical and horizontal scrolling.

On Cherry's new MW-2800, scrolling is done with sealed scroll-lock buttons. It's supposed to be submersible, whereas Belkin recommends cleaning its mouse with soap under a running faucet.

Another submersible mouse is the Waterproof USB Mouse from USB Geek, which retails at $17 compared with Cherry's $43 mouse. The one from USB Geek is heavier and has an optical tracking of only 800 dots per inch, vs. 1,200dpi for Cherry.

Even cheaper is the mouse from Belkin that retails at prices from $15 and also offers 1,200dpi.

The MW-2800 is available in black and light blue, and complements Cherry's washable J84-2800 keyboard, which is also submersible and sealed in a silicone rubber housing.

Samsung breaks Netbook mold with Nvidia chip

Nvidia on Monday confirmed that Samsung will bring out a Netbook based on the graphics chipmaker's Ion chipset, another design that breaks the Netbook mold.

"Ion really transforms these small laptops, like the upcoming Samsung and Lenovo Ideapad S12, into fully capable notebooks," Rene Haas, general manager of notebook products at Nvidia said Monday in a statement.

Ion brings mainstream PC graphics to Netbooks, including 1080p high-definition video support and better gaming, according to Nvidia.

The disclosure of the Samsung Netbook follows the Lenovo IdeaPad S12--due in August--the first Netbook announced from a major PC maker to employ the Nvidia chip.

Upcoming Samsung Netbook based on Nvidia's Ion chipset and Intel Atom processor

(Credit: Nvidia)

Though Nvidia would not confirm specifications, Netbook Choice is reporting that the Netbook, branded the Samsung N510, is due in July and will sport an 11.6-inch screen--large for the Netbook category, where screens typically top out at about 10 inches.

The Samsung Netbook would be another manifestation, following the Lenovo IdeaPad S12, of Nvidia's efforts to break the Netbook mold as defined by Intel: a low-performance device with a screen under 11 inches in diagonal size. Nvidia claims designs like Samsung's and Lenovo's are more notebook than Netbook.

Samsung's Netbook bears Nvidia badge

(Credit: Nvidia)

"The Netbook term was created by Intel to define a segment offering a limited experience, but with Ion you don't have those same limitations," Nvidia's Haas said. "These systems can handle mainstream gaming, HD video, and new GPU-powered applications. You might as well call them notebooks, because that's what they are."

The N510 will also pack an Intel 1.66GHz N280 Atom processor, according to Netbook Choice. The N280 is Intel's latest Atom processor that, ironically, is offered to Netbook makers with supporting Intel silicon that delivers better graphics performance than previous Intel Atom technology. That Intel feature, however, is not available when a PC maker uses Nvidia's higher-performance Ion silicon that integrates Nvidia's 9400M graphics chip--the same chip used in Apple's MacBook line.

Other Samsung Netbook features include a 160GB hard disk drive, 1GB of memory, and Wi-Fi (draft-n), Bluetooth, and a Webcam, according to Netbook Choice.

Nvidia's Ion is also used in tiny desktop PCs such as the Acer AspireRevo and ASUS eeeTop.

Report: Dell working on Android gadget

Dell is developing a pocket-size Internet device using Google's Android operating system that could take on Apple's iPod Touch, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal on Monday.

Two people who have seen early prototypes of the device told the newspaper it looks like Apple's iPod Touch but slightly larger. And like the iPod Touch, the device isn't expected to include a cellular phone. The device is considered part of a new category of gadgets called mobile Internet devices, or MIDs, which are designed to fit into the market between a mobile phone and a laptop or Netbook computer.

The device could go on sale as early as the second half of 2009, according to the Wall Street Journal's sources.

Dell supposedly started working on the new device about a year ago as a way to compete against Apple's iPod business. The Journal also cited an unnamed source who said that Dell has considered selling the new Internet device through a cell phone carrier. Dell and other computer makers such as Hewlett-Packard already sell their Netbooks through cell phone operators.

Dell has long been rumored to be making a smartphone. And the company has also been rumored to be testing the Android software for its smartphone and possible for its Netbooks. With these developments in the works, it probably wouldn't take much to also develop a portable Internet device using the same operating system without the phone. That's what Apple did with the iPod Touch.

With 3.5 launch, Firefox faces new challengers

A funny thing to happened to Firefox on the way to vanquishing Internet Explorer: the Mozilla browser's success opened the door for a host of its other competitors.

Even as Internet Explorer's market share has slipped--down a dramatic 8 percentage points to 65.5 percent in about the last year--Firefox programmers face a surprising question: should they be more worried about the programmers in Redmond, Wash., or about those working on Apple's Safari, Google's Chrome, and Opera?

Firefox has gained about 3 percentage points to 22.5 percent in market share, according to Net Applications' statistics since July 2008, and Firefox backer Mozilla doubtless hopes for more gains with the release of Firefox 3.5 planned for Tuesday. But Apple's Safari and Google's Chrome each gained 2 percentage points, to 8.4 percent and 1.8 percent, respectively, indicating a growing appetite for alternatives to Internet Explorer that's not completely met by Firefox. Opera stayed flat at about 0.7 percent.

In short, Firefox isn't the only scrappy underdog in town, and Firefox fans' easy us-versus-them polarization is transforming into a more complicated multilateral equation.

Having other IE challengers helps legitimize Firefox, because the idea of straying from the IE fold appears more legitimate, but the alternatives also collect some of the new users venturing farther afield. For its part, though, Mozilla likes to see the glass as half full.

"One of our biggest challenges is helping people to understand that they have a choice about their Web browser, and how big a difference that choice can make," Firefox director Mike Beltzner said. "Every release is an opportunity for us to bring improvements directly to our growing user base, but also help many users indirectly by putting pressure on Microsoft to improve their product as well."

Version 3.5 has been, relatively speaking, long in the making. It began its life as what was intended to be a quick and modest upgrade to Firefox 3.0, but the version number expanded along with Mozilla's ambitions for the software.

And it is indeed an important release, both because of competitors and because of new Firefox 3.5 features.

What's in it for users?
Firefox 3.5 has a host of improvements, some the sort of thing people can notice immediately and some plumbing improvements that could help the Web in the long run. With a release in 70 languages, a lot of people will be able to try

Under the covers but providing a direct benefit it TraceMonkey, the new engine that runs Web page programs written in the common JavaScript language. That will mean Web applications such as Google Docs get faster today and, if JavaScript speed improvements continue, more sophisticated tomorrow.

Another feature people might appreciate directly is private browsing mode, which erases evidence on your computer of where you've taken your browser. It's flippantly called porn mode, but it also can be useful to keep your boss from knowing what you've been up to while on company time or searching for Valentine's Day gifts. Along with private browsing goes the ability to excise particular sites or recent activity after the fact, too--though it should be noted that none of these options erase your fingerprints from the servers you visited.

Mozilla also is excited about HTML video, which makes it possible not only to embed video in Web pages without using plug-ins such as Adobe Systems' Flash Player, but also to have that video interact with other elements on the Web page. That's not likely to revolutionize the Web in the short term, especially because of prickly issues regarding file format support, but it could help in the long run.

Design fans will be excited about embeddable fonts that can spruce up Web pages, though typeface designers might be leery of yet another avenue for unlicensed copying of their work.

Deeper down, Firefox 3.5 also adds HTML 5 storage abilities to help make Web applications work when offline, "Web Workers" to let Web applications work on tasks in the background without the user interface bogging down, and improvements to standards such as CSS and SVG for better graphics. And a geolocation function can let Web sites know where you are, handy for maps and other local services.

Collectively, it's an important foundation, though just getting them into version 3.5 is only the first step. Firefox users tend to update relatively swiftly, but they're still a minority on the Web, and Web programmers tend to wait for some critical mass before they can afford to support the latest browser features.

Fending off rivals
Competitors aren't standing still. Chrome was missing many important features such as bookmark management when it launched in September, but Google has rapidly been fleshing out the product, including the addition of rough Mac OS X and Linux versions in May. Also notably, Google has continued to drive its V8 JavaScript engine ever faster, and Chrome's extensions mechanism is rapidly maturing.

Meanwhile, Apple released Safari 4 in June for both Windows and Mac OS X. Safari uses much of the same WebKit engine for rendering Web pages that Chrome, but it uses a different JavaScript engine, called Nitro by Apple and Squirrelfish Extreme at WebKit. Apple is loudly banging the "fastest browser" drum for Safari, and though the claim is grand, it does spotlight that performance is a major issue in today's browser competition.

Don't view Firefox developers as complacent, though. Performance improvements are a top priority in the successor to Firefox 3.5, called Namoroka, including fast launch speed, a present Chrome advantage. The new version is scheduled for release in early to mid-2010.

A host of other improvements also are under development. Among them:

• Weave is a project to synchronize bookmarks, passwords, preferences, and other settings across multiple browsers, including the mobile version of Firefox, code-named Fennec. Weave also can sync personas, another new feature that lets people customize Firefox's appearance.

• A project called Electrolysis is designed to improve isolation between different tabs and between plug-ins and tabs, improving security and reliability.

• Jetpack is designed to be a new framework for add-ons that can be developed using Web page design standards. That's the same approach Google chose for Chrome extensions.

• People use more and more tabs, and tab management is tougher, so work is under way to address the issue--perhaps with an automatically expanding or contracting tab list on the left edge of the browser instead of on a strip along the top.

• Snowl is a system that tries to unify messaging operations, whether messages originate from e-mail, Web forums, RSS feeds, social networks, or other sources.

• Ubiquity is designed to let Firefox interpret a wide range of formal or informal text commands, turning the browser into a more general window on the world.

Also, Firefox has some incumbent advantages of its own--enough market share that Web developers need to test their sites for Firefox compatibility and a range of add-ons to customize the browser, for example. Those are strong enough to keep people from rapidly switching away even if they're trying other browsers, too.

So yes, Firefox has abundant new competitors. But it hasn't been pushed aside.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3S Silver Digital Camera

The Lumix ZS3S’s powerful zoom lens and features are great for casual shooters looking for versatility and oomph. Advanced photographers will be disappointed in the lack of manual controls.

One of a handful of pocket megazooms announced earlier this year, the 10-megapixel Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3S ($400 as of 6/29/2009) carries a 12X optical Leica zoom lens, ranging from an ultrawide-angle 25mm to 300mm on the telephoto end.
A zoom range like that isn't very useful if image stabilization doesn't come with it, and the ZS3S has top-notch optical stabilization. The camera is downright shake-proof, providing crystal-clear images even when I shook it around at full zoom.
The ZS3's powerful lens offers up greater wide-angle capabilities than the recently reviewed Canon PowerShot SX200 IS; both are excellent cameras, but they have clear differences, and I'd recommend one or the other depending on how you'd use the camera.

Samsung Jack

At $100 with a service contract, the Samsung Jack isn’t going to win over many smartphone buyers--the iPhone 3GS is flashier, and the BlackBerry more capable for business use.

The Samsung Jack ($100 with a two-year contract from AT&T, as of June 22, 2009) handles work and play somewhat better than its predecessors, but the mobile-phone landscape has changed significantly in the 18 months since the BlackJack II came out. For a smart-phone today, it doesn't do much to attract newcomers to the Samsung fold, especially when matched against the impeccable design of the iPhone 3GS or the refined utility of the BlackBerry Curve 8310--both of which AT&T offers at the same price
All in all, Samsung could have called the Jack the Jack of All Trades: It has array of applications, features, connectivity options, and A/V functions you'd expect in a modern smartphone. But in terms of design, the Jack represents an incremental update of the BlackJack from 2006--and the smartphone marketplace has changed dramatically since then. These days, most consumers with $100 to spend on a phone from AT&T would be hard-pressed to justify buying the Jack over the Nokia E71x (the contract-subsidized version of the Nokia E71) or the BlackBerry Curve 8310, both of which offer similar functionality with a better keyboard.

Quick guide to Blu-ray Blu-ray is DVD gone high-def: Is it worth it?

DVD is, by some measurements, the greatest success in consumer electronics history. Following its 1997 debut, it took the format just a few years to completely conquer the home-video market previously ruled by VHS tapes. Before DVD even reached its 10th birthday, however, the electronics industry and the Hollywood studios began putting it out to pasture.

Now that HD DVD is dead, Blu-ray is poised to take over as the consumer home-video format of choice. It offers high-definition video and high-resolution audio, providing a superior viewing experience to DVD, although you need a modern home theater to take advantage of it. Like every new format, Blu-ray comes with a whole host of new terminology, like 1080p, Blu-ray profiles, and onboard decoding. It can be overwhelming, but remember that Blu-ray is basically just like DVD: pop in the disc, then sit back and watch movies in high-def.

Blu-ray has definitely had its struggles since the format's inception, with the format war against HD DVD, high prices, and hardware that wasn't fully baked. But the format has made a lot of progress in the last couple of years, so for movie lovers who want the most out of their high-def home theaters, CNET is finally ready to recommend going with Blu-ray. Read on to find out why.

Blu-ray vs. DVD

At Air Force Academy, a B-52 tells the story

Anyone who enters the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., through its north gate is all but certain to drive past one of the most visible features of the school: an old B-52D bomber mounted on giant pedestals.

This is a view of the plane from directly in front of it.

CNET News reporter Daniel Terdiman visited the academy as part of his Road Trip 2009 project. Click here for the full Road Trip package

Looking back at NASA's X-15 aircraft

Back in the "Right Stuff" era, even before there were astronauts, there were test pilots. It was the test pilots who flew the early generations of high-powered aircraft such as the X-1 that opened the way to space programs from Mercury to the space shuttle.

In this slideshow, we'll take a look at the X-15 rocket plane, which first flew 50 years ago this week and which NASA calls "the most successful research aircraft ever built." This image shows the X-15-1 aircraft in 1958, at which point the XLR-99 rocket engine intended for it was not ready, so it was fitted with a pair of older XLR-11 engines, like the one used in the earlier X-1.

LG enV Touch (Verizon Wireless)

Editors' rating: 4

The good: The LG enV Touch has two beautiful displays, a nice touch-screen interface, and a great QWERTY keyboard. It has impressive features, such as a 3.2-megapixel camera, EV-DO Rev. A, and a full HTML Web browser.

The bad: The LG enV Touch's touch-screen interface could use some refinement, and the Web browser experience is not as smooth as we would like. Visual Voice Mail and corporate e-mail support costs additional monthly fees. The lack of Wi-Fi is disappointing.

The bottom line: The LG enV Touch's combination of great design and top-notch features makes it one of the top Verizon Wireless Wireless phones we've ever seen.

Apple 13.3" MacBook Pro Notebook

Faster, more powerful Intel Core 2 Duo processor
MacBook has more than enough power to get you through your day — at home, at school, or at work — thanks to its impressive Intel Core 2 Duo processor. Learn more>

So much more space for so much more stuff.

MacBook comes standard with a 160GB hard drive, providing plenty ofroom for music, photos, videos, and more. Or upgrade to 500GB of storage. Learn more

Advanced NVIDIA graphics processing.

Powerful NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics provide outstanding performance for playing the latest 3D games and creating and enjoying media with iLife. Learn more

Do more with your photos, movies, and music.

Organize your photos by faces and places, make movies in no time, learn to play music, and more. All with the new iLife ’09 and Mac OS X Leopard. Learn more

Porta-Pizza Oven heats pies on the go

Here's something that would be perfect for those long road trips. The Porta-Pizza Oven is a portable pizza-size oven that plugs into your car's 12-volt outlet. The oven features top-mount heating elements, a high setting for cooking frozen pizzas, and a low setting for warming last night's leftovers or that loose slice you found in your backseat. Nice!

The unit features a fold-out carrying handle, but I'm quite tempted to permanently mod one of these into my glove compartment! I wonder if it features iPod connectivity...

(Source: Stupidiotic)

Xbox Live's Jacko tribute: Free 'Thriller' video downloads

Microsoft is among the organizations paying tribute to legendary musician Michael Jackson, with an offer to Xbox 360 owners who are Xbox Live subscribers.

According to a note we just got from a Microsoft PR person, members can download the video for the classic track "Thriller," free from 5 p.m. PDT Friday through the end of Sunday.

We are all mourning the loss of an icon. In memory and honor of the King of Pop, Xbox LIVE is launching a tribute to Michael Jackson. Starting at 5:00 p.m. PT on Friday through Sunday, visit Xbox LIVE for a free download of his number one video of all time "Thriller" and celebrate the life of one of the greatest music legends that ever lived.

>For more on Michael Jackson, check out our exploration of the 'Moonwalker' video game.
>Jacko is the topic of the day on the Digital City podcast.

LG LX370 is a decent mid-tier Sprint handset

Slider handsets are a dime a dozen these days, but that doesn't mean they can't deliver the goods. The LG LX370 is one such example. It's a simple mid-tier phone from Sprint, with a sleek slider design we've seen before, and yet it's not at all unattractive. Features like EV-DO Rev. A, a 2.0-megapixel camera, a music player, GPS, and even corporate email compatibility (provided your company provides Outlook Web Access), kept us intrigued as well. All that combined with good call quality and battery life convinced us the LX370 is a decent mid-tier phone for the Now Network.

Read our full review of the LG LX370

Motorola Rival a rival to no one

Motorola's latest attempt at a messaging phone is the Motorola Rival, which is exclusive to Verizon Wireless. It has a sideways-sliding form factor similar to the LG Neon, and also like the Neon, has a display that acts as a touch screen only for the phone dialer. We're not entirely convinced this is a great idea--why not just make the whole display touch-sensitive?--but we suppose it's OK.

The Rival is ultimately marred by its bad navigation array. The buttons are all rather stiff and hard to press, which makes it a pain to do simple tasks like going through a menu. We also were displeased with the rather lackluster display. So even though the Rival has pretty good features like EV-DO, a 2-megapixel camera, a music player, GPS, stereo Bluetooth, and even a 3.5-mm headset jack, we just can't recommend it in the end because of its design flaws.

2009 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec. V

Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V isn't all it can be

We love hopped-up compact cars. Driving a Civic Si, Mazdaspeed3, or GTI is always a blast, so we were anticipating the arrival of the Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V. But it didn't exactly deliver on its promise. Tire squealing acceleration? Check. Flip through corners? Not so much.

But our biggest disappointment came with the lack of cabin tech. This car is clearly aimed at cell phone-toting youth, so why no Bluetooth, or iPod integration? In our opinion, the Sentra SE-R Spec V is only halfway there. Add a lowering kit, good shocks, a serious stereo system, and then you've got something.

Read our review of the 2009 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V.

Sony considers adding phone to PSP

The newest version of Sony's PlayStation Portable isn't even on sale yet, but the company is already looking ahead to what's next, according to Reuters.

The electronics giant is looking into making a combination gadget that would meld its PSP gaming system with the cell phones made by Sony Ericsson, its joint venture Swedish electronics maker Ericsson, according to Reuters, which cited the Nikkei business daily.

Sony reportedly plans to put together a team as early as July to begin development of the new gadget. Sony no doubt has its eye on Apple's iPhone, which is already popular with consumers and is now getting more serious attention from game developers as a platform for their games.

This isn't the first time rumors of this nature have circulated. In 2007, Sony raised eyebrows with a patent filing that appeared to show a PSP-like device with phone capabilities, and British Telecom said it was working with the company to bring voice and video chat to the PSP.

In the meantime, Sony continues to work on its portable gaming device. The PSP Go, which was unveiled at the E3 gaming conference, is smaller than its predecessors and has a slide-up screen. It will go on sale in North America on October 1 for $249.

Panasonic's best plasma yet

In our review of Panasonic's G10 plasma we discussed how it competed for picture quality supremacy against Pioneer's now-discontinued Kuro PRO-111FD--still the best HDTV ever--and how ultimately it couldn't quite match the Kuro.

The same basic story stays true for the TC-PV10 series, but it's even better than the G10.

This Panasonic plasma has the same deep blacks that grace its less-expensive little brother, and adds a couple of key improvements: better video processing to handle 1080p/24 sources and more picture adjustments that allow it to transcend the limitations of THX mode. Its picture should satisfy all but the pickiest of videophiles, and it also outperforms any LCD-based display, LED or otherwise, we've ever tested. Beyond image quality, the V10 delivers plenty of features and an eye-catching one-sheet-of-glass design, for a combination that deserves serious consideration from buyers willing to pay for it.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS85

The 8-megapixel Lumix DMC-LS85 from Panasonic has a surprisingly rich feature set and good image quality for a $120 point-and-shoot camera. Its Leica lens offers a 4X optical zoom, from 33mm to 132mm.

Like its older (and more expensive) sibling, the Lumix DMC-FS25 ( Macworld rated 4 out of 5 mice ), the DMC-LS85 has a convenient Intelligent Auto (iA) button on its top, next to the shutter button. Pressing the iA button turns on various in-camera optimization features, such as optical image stabilization, automatic scene selection based on the shooting environment, red-eye correction, and ISO adjustment. It's a handy thing to have right next to the shutter button, and it did a good job of tweaking the settings based on what I was shooting. Casual set-it-and-forget-it photographers will definitely like the iA button.

You can also select your scene mode manually, and there are 21 settings to choose from in the LS85's menu. Old standards such as Portrait, Landscape, Sports, and Candlelight are in the mix, but there are also some unique modes, such as Aerial Photo (for taking pictures through airplane windows), Fireworks, Food, and a High Speed Burst mode that reaches up to 5 shots per second at the lowest-resolution setting.

It's also great to have optical image stabilization in a camera of this price. Other bargain models in the $150 range have either digital image stabilization or no image stabilization at all. The stabilization works well, too, as I captured sharp images even when I shook the camera around.

Other convenient features include the ability to run on two AA batteries and an SD/SDHC card slot that is on the side of the camera, rather than hidden in the battery compartment. As for battery life, the Lumix DMC-LS85 fared well in our lab tests, firing off 280 shots before the batteries needed to be replaced. That's short of the 300-plus shots we've seen in a lot of other point-and-shoots, but good enough to net a battery life score of Good.

On the downside, the Lumix DMC-LS85 has a plasticky, cheap-feeling build that's also a bit bulky in the hand thanks to the AA batteries. The 2.5-inch LCD screen on the back is also a bit small, but it's plenty bright enough to see in sunlight.

Like the Lumix DMC-FS25, switches and buttons handle most of the controls of the DMC-LS85. The shutter button, zoom ring, Intelligent Auto button, and on/off switch are all on top of the camera. To the right of the LCD on the back are a photo/playback switch, a dedicated mode button, and a menu button surrounded by four navigation buttons that double as one-touch controls for exposure settings, the flash, the macro mode, and the timer. Under that are two more buttons to adjust display settings and access a separate menu for image stabilization, auto focus, white balance, and LCD brightness.

In our lab jury evaluations, the Lumix DMC-LS85 earned an overall image quality rating of Good. Color accuracy and low levels of distortion were its strong suits, but its images weren't as sharp as those from much of the competition.

The Lumix DMC-LS85 also shoots motion-JPG standard-definition video at 30 frames per second, but like most point-and-shoot cameras, you can't zoom in or out while you're shooting video.

The camera is available in black, pink, or silver.

Nikon D5000

Nikon's D5000 strikes a great balance between price and features. It deviates from the nomenclature of its closest siblings, the Nikon D60 and Nikon D90, but no matter: It combines many of the best aspects of both while adding its own extras to the mix.

The D5000's most distinctive feature is its 2.7-inch, 230,000-dot, tilt-and-swivel LCD screen--a first among Nikon cameras. The display provides surprising clarity given its image depth (the D90's LCD clocks in at 920,000 dots). It doesn't articulate and swing out; but it does flip out and down, and it can turn around and inward for protection. Although I would have preferred a greater range of motion, I still loved the freedom and enhanced creativity that the movable screen provided. The camera's compact size and light weight also enable users to make the most of unusual camera angles, such as shooting overhead or close to the ground.

This sub-$1000 model brings many of the features found in the D90 to people who want a smaller, lighter, and more affordable SLR camera. The D5000 isn't as rugged as the D90, and it's slightly larger and heavier than the D60. The camera has a pleasing balance to it, though, with logical button placement (similar to the D60, but with a few modifications). I especially liked the five-way directional pad and the Live View button located just above it.

However, I missed having an easy-access button to set focus points (the D5000 has an 11-point autofocus system, same as the D90). And initially I was puzzled by the presence of two similarly labeled information buttons; I had to read the manual to tell them apart (one invokes the detailed on-screen settings and status display while the other changes the options within the status display). At least the manual is clearly presented and written.

Like the D60, the D5000 lacks an integrated autofocus motor; that means you can use only AF-S mount lenses. The D5000 kit comes with an 18mm-to-55mm f3.5-5.6G VR lens. Its battery is rated for about 500 shots, and that's about what I achieved in real-world use.

In our lab tests for image quality, the D5000's photos looked a bit dark and muddied at automatic settings, but improved at manual settings. In my casual shooting outdoors, the manual settings were more consistent, but the Program mode setting often overexposed my images. For example, a daytime scene shot under Program mode appeared too bright at the camera's autoselected 1/125 of a second at f5.6 exposure; but that same scene looked far more balanced when shot under Shutter Priority mode and using the camera's internal metering to gauge the appropriate exposure (which ended up at 1/250 of a second, at f5.6).

Live View worked well, but only after I set it to single-point focus. At the default focus setting, the camera caught a blurry image more often than not.

The 12.3-megapixel D5000 uses an APS-C (DX)-size sensor, same as the D60 and the D90. It has 19 automatic-exposure scene modes, and a maximum burst mode of 4 frames per second, half a frame shy of the D90's maximum. Like the D90, the D5000 can take limited-length (5 minutes or 2GB) Motion JPEG video at 24 fps and up to 720p resolution, but it can't autofocus while shooting video.