Category/Product |
Rating |
Positives |
Negatives |
| MP3 Players |
|
|
|
| iPod |
9.0/10 |
excellent controls, good battery, on-the-fly playlists |
Dock, remote, carrying case not included, no FM tuner or recording |
| iPod Mini |
8.5/10 |
good sounds, different colors, good playlist options, organizes contacts, includes games |
Battery not replaceable, no FM tuner, no recording |
| iPod Photo |
8.7/10 |
has S-Video out, speedy, can do music & photos simultaneously |
heavier than iPod, bad battery, iTunes required, can't use other software |
| iRiver H230 |
8.7/10 |
can view photos, FM tuner, records audio, good battery, color screen |
a bit heavy, can't do photos & music simultaneously, playlists tricky |
| Rio Carbon |
8.3/10 |
20 hr. battery, small size, light, voice recorder |
no FM tuner, no Hold switch |
| Digital Video Recorders |
|
|
|
| TiVo Series 2 |
8.0/10 |
nice control, pauses TV, works with cable/satellite, easy to use |
requires extra charges, no HDTV support, mini popup ads |
| Replay TV |
7.7/10 |
digital audio & progressive scan, easily networked, good navigation |
can't stream mp3, can't use internet |
| Portable Video Players |
|
|
|
| iRiver PMP-120 |
6.0/10 |
records audio, FM tuner, removable battery |
bad battery, confusing controls, doesn't sync well with PCs |
| Archos AV420 |
8.3/10 |
wireless remote, cradle, removable battery, CompactFlash compatible, records TV |
song files aren't auto-indexed, earbuds not too comfortable |
| Creative Zen PMC |
8.0/10 |
big screen, good battery, uses Windows Media Player 10 |
bulky, screen is too relfective, no recording capabilites |
| Samsung DVD-L200 |
8.0/10 |
plays DVDs, 10" screen, 2 headphone jacks, surround sound |
not very portable, no hard drive, no recording |
| Gaming Consoles |
|
|
|
| Microsoft Xbox |
8.0/10 |
best specs, 8 GB hard drive, plays music, best graphics |
bulky, separate kit required to play DVDs, no progressive scan |
| Sony Playstation 2 |
7.7/10 |
huge amount of games, built in modem & remote sensor, slim, plays DVDs |
top loading tray, only 2 controller ports, Xbox has superior graphics |
| Nintendo Gamecube |
7.3/10 |
tiny, very portable |
few online titles, no CD or DVD playback |
| Nintendo DS |
8.3/10 |
dual screen, high resolution, wireless, headphone jack, can play older GBA games |
Somewhat bulky |
| Computers |
|
|
|
| Dell Dimension 3000 |
6.9/10 |
Excellent warranty & support, great keyboard |
no AGP slot, not easy to upgrade, weak performance |
| Dell Dimension 4700 |
7.8/10 |
sleek design, good performance, good support & service |
OK 3D specs, limited upgrade capabilities |
| Cyberpower Turbo X-Infinity |
7.5/10 |
fancy case, nice graphics card |
sounds card not very good, needs more memory, no keyboard, etc. |
| Gateway Desktop |
7.1/10 |
good for most programs, fairly easy to upgrade |
weak performance, lacks memory, hard drive isn't 7200 RPM, bad for gaming |
| HP Pavilion Desktop |
7.5/10 |
Good basic PC, better processor than Gateway |
not good for gaming, somewhat slow |
| Flatscreens |
|
|
|
| Samsung SyncMaster 510MP 15" |
9.0/10 |
sleek design, TV tuner, built in speakers, |
speakers add size on bottom |
| Samsung SyncMaster 710N 17" |
8.5/10 |
wide viewing angles, sleek, wallmountable |
no TV tuner or speakers |
| Sony WEGA FD Triniton 27" |
8.3/10 |
plenty of inputs, good picture |
heavy, remote is not backlit |
| Toshiba TV/VCR/DVD 24" |
7.8/10 |
good screen, front inputs, plays VCDs, etc. |
bulky, if one part breaks you're stuck |
