HTC One S (gradient blue, T-Mobile)

Design
From the moment I placed the HTC One S in my hand, I was struck with how premium the phone feels. Luxuriously sculpted from a single block of anodized aluminum with smoothly tapered edges, the One S is sturdy yet manages to look finely crafted. That's a mean feat since the handset is breathtakingly thin, just 0.31 inch thick. In fact T-Mobile touts the HTC One S as its trimmest smartphone yet, edging out the Apple iPhone 4S (0.37 inch) and the Samsung Galaxy Nexus (0.4 inch), but not the original Motorola Droid Razr (0.28 inch). 

Most of the HTC One S' front is taken up by its lovely 4.3-inch qHD (960 by 540) Super AMOLED screen. It paints images and video with vibrant colors, high contrast, and deep blacks. For example, watching HQ YouTube trailers on the One S is a joy. I ogled neon signs and skyscraper lights in nighttime New York cityscapes. Details such as the folds of leathery monster skin were crisp, just how I like it. 

Sporting a fancy color treatment HTC calls "gradient blue," which looks more like gun metal to me, the back of the phone shifts from light bluish-gray on top to a darker silver hue at its base. I especially like how the HTC One S' matte metallic surface repels fingerprints and provides a sure grip. Also on back is the phone's 8-megapixel camera, prominent lens circled by blue trim, and LED flash. The HTC One S keeps controls to a minimum. Below the screen are three Android Ice Cream Sandwich capacitive buttons for Back, Home, and Recent Applications. The left and right sides hold a Micro-USB port and slim volume bar. A power button and 3.5 mm headphone jack sit on the top edge.  

Features
Make no mistake about it; the HTC One S is a modern Android ICS smartphone with all the trimmings. Under the hood is a nimble 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor. While the phone lacks an SD Card slot to add extra memory, the device does come with a spacious 16GB of internal storage, 1GB of which it uses as RAM.

Along with the usual selection of Android staples such as Gmail, Google Plus, Maps, and Navigation, HTC offers some of its own custom tweaks. The company's Watch video store serves up movies and TV shows for rent and purchase, while the Music app aggregates Google's Play music storefront, Slacker Internet radio app, and locally stored tracks. 

The phone also comes with 25GB of free online storage courtesy of the Dropbox cloud service. Polaris Office supports popular office files, and links to the HTC File app pull all recently opened documents and those stored online into one handy view. 

HTC boasts the One S' integrated Beats Audio technology, which is essentially aggressive audio processing that boosts bass to complement low-end heavy music styles such as rap, dance, and electronic. Beats will also automatically detect when you connect Beats-branded headphones and equalize the EQ settings to match the particular model. It's a nice theory, but when CNET's headphones editor Justin Yu gave the HTC One S paired with a compatible headset a listen, he found the results unimpressive. Sure, bass and treble were high, but the midrange was too overpowered for his audiophile tastes. 

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Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover

The good: The Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover has a slim design, fits perfectly onto the iPad 2 and third-generation iPad via magnets, and works extremely well as a keyboard.

The bad: The plastic-and-aluminum keyboard isn't really a case, and doesn't protect the back of the iPad.

The bottom line: Logitech's Ultrathin Keyboard Cover might be the best keyboard accessory ever made for the iPad, if you're looking for a highly portable and functional keyboard that travels light; just make sure you carry a separate protective case.

No one technically needs a keyboard for an iPad. You can type on the screen. But still, it's inefficient. It's not tactile. And that keyboard eats up so much of the iPad's screen space. A dedicated keyboard can help for long-term iPad writing projects.

Keyboard cases are odd ducks, strange marriages. A case with a keyboard won't protect your iPad as well. Compromises are made. I usually recommend a standalone keyboard instead of a case.

Logitech's Ultrathin Keyboard Cover for the iPad is the exception. It's not a case so much as a Smart Cover with a keyboard: a remake of the simple, flat Zagg Keyboard Case, but updated for the magnet-friendly third-generation iPad and iPad 2. The $99 keyboard is more expensive than simple standalone keyboards, but it's equivalently priced to many keyboard cases.

Unlike many uglier keyboard cases, Logitech's ultrathin marvel looks as stylish as the iPad itself, matching the iPad's aluminum exterior on its outer shell. Snap the cover onto the iPad and fold it up with the Keyboard Cover, and the whole package feels like one organic piece, like an ultrathin laptop.

Snap the lid off and lay it down on a desk, and the iPad (whether iPad 2 or "new iPad") docks in a narrow white groove behind the keyboard. Another set of magnets inside locks the iPad in place when it's in a specific landscape orientation, volume buttons up. It's a strong-enough grip to keep the keyboard attached when the iPad is lifted, but the iPad can still fall forward if tipped, making this a keyboard for solid, flat surfaces only. While the extra magnet support works only iin that orientation, you could also dock your iPad in portrait mode; I found that worked, but felt more tenuous.

You don't need to worry about the keyboard cover scratching your iPad, as rubber bumpers at the keyboard's corners prevent contact with the screen when it's used as a cover. It's not a Smart Cover replacement, though: the Keyboard Cover is thin, but it's not that thin.

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HP Envy 17 (2012)

Double-take, gape, gawk, ogle, ooh and ahh: That's what we did when first seeing the HP Envy 17 (2012)'s ($1,484.99 direct) screen. What HP calls a Radiance Full HD Infinity display is simply one of the best, if not the best, laptop screens we've seen, with bright whites, rich blacks, vibrant colors, wide viewing angles, you name it. Set in Control Panel to show text and icons at 125 percent size—100 percent can be a bit small or squinty at the 17.3-inch LCD's 1,920-by-1,080-resolution—it made Windows dialog boxes remind us of hand-inked and -lettered comic or poster pages rather than computer video, and made our digital-camera snaps look like fine art. If you don't mind a glossy rather than matte finish, it's a superb screen that'll spoil you for any run-of-the-mill laptop panel.

But as dazzling as the display is, it's not the only reason we're elevating the HP Envy 17 to become our Editors' Choice among media center laptops, replacing the HP Pavilion dv7-6163cl ($949.99 list, 4 stars)—although we do feel it's time our media center honoree offered full 1080p resolution instead of stopping at 720p. The Envy 17 complements its vivid visuals with awesome Beats Audio, thanks to a six-speakers-plus-subwoofer setup highlighted by a good old-fashioned volume dial. It's great for cranking up the volume and playing Blu-ray movies. It even plays demanding games, as long as you resist the temptation to max out on resolution and detail settings. Add a handsome aluminum chassis and bountiful battery life, and you've got a first-class ticket to multimedia.

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Sony's Android Powered SmartWatch Now Shipping in the U.S.

For the Android fanatic who has everything, there's the new Xperia SmartWatch from Sony, an Android powered wristwatch that taps into your Google smartphone via Bluetooth. Why would you want to do that? Think of it as a secondary screen for your Droid or Nexus or whatever Android device you're packing in your pocket. Sony's SmartWatch vibrates in response to certain events, such as an incoming call. You can read texts and emails, and keep up with Facebook and Twitter all without ever reaching for your smartphone.

If doing such things on a 1.3-inch OLED touchscreen display tethered to your wrist (or shoulder strap or belt -- the watch face detaches from the wristband) sounds appealing, then you're in luck. Previously only available in the U.K., Sony's SmartWatch is now shipping in the U.S. for $150 MSRP.

""SmartWatch is the first of many Smart Extras that seamlessly connect and expand the smartphone's reach and user experience," said Paul Hamnett, President and Head of Customer Unit, North America, Sony Mobile Communications. "Designed to break free from the single screen experience, SmartWatch provides access to live content and entertainment on the go."

Sony says its SmartWatch is dust proof and splash proof. It comes with a black rubber wristband, though you can purchase up to five additional colors (pink, white, mint, gray, and blue). It charges via USB, lasts up to 4 days, and works with Android 2.1 devices and above.

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Samsung Galaxy S III and Galaxy 3D set for 2012 Launch

Samsung is set to continue the phenomenal success of its Galaxy S series devices, especially S II which has gained universal praise and sales volume. Its third generation Galaxy S smartphone is expected to be announced at the upcoming Mobile World Congress in February 2012.

Samsung Galaxy S III may come with a quad-core processor, 720p HD Super AMOLED Plus display for stunningly bright and an sharp, colorful display as well as Android 4.0 operating system, the Ice Cream Sandwich.

More interesting for gadget fans is that Samsung may be incorporating 3D technology into playback, photo and video recording into either Galaxy S III or Galaxy S 3D. The 3D feature is the same kind of glasses-free 3D technology as Nintendo’s 3DS handheld but so far, 3D phones in the market like HTC Evo 3D and LG Optimus 3D have not really taken off.

But with Galaxy S devices being so popular, 3D technology for mobile games and streaming video may finally come to the fore. Once users and developers start creating content and apps rapidly, 3D technology could be indispensable feature of smartphones.

2012 could really shape up to be an intense smartphone battle between Samsung and Apple on features, design and patents. Stay tuned for the Mobile World Congress trade show to see who gain the upperhand.

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iPod Touch as a Learning Tool

We’ve found an economical and powerful learning tool that fits in your pocket. You may know it as Apple’s Touch, the touch screen music player - the iPhone without a phone. It’s at the top of teen wish lists, and now it’s competing with laptops for school 1:1 programs. One laptop for every child sounds like a great idea, but for most school districts it is simply too expensive. The iPod Touch offers free content from schools around the world, thousands of free learning tools from iPhone apps, and it’s a quarter of the cost of a laptop.

“The Touch is the tool of choice for today’s generation,” says Dr. Brian Page, Apple’s Strategic Education Specialist. He travels the country showing teachers how to use the Touch to create better lessons. He should know: Dr. Page was a teacher, principal, and assistant superintendant of Utah schools. “Kids already know how to use it, and when teachers use it in their lessons, kids are engaged,” he said. It’s a win-win situation.

Our schools may be a long way from funding one Touch per child, but we’ve found some compelling reasons to buy one for your family now whether it’s for you, or your college, high school, grade school or younger child. All of the resources here are available directly from the Touch. No computer connection required, no extra data package charges through a cell phone provider, and no problems with cell phone restrictions at school.

Learning never ends. You can view video lectures and demonstrations from hundreds of universities. Try String Theory at MIT, Presidential Politics at Stanford or genetics at the University of Utah. Most of these schools also post support for high school AP classes. Pursue a passion like cooking with video lessons from the Culinary Institute of America. Take a virtual tour of The Red Studio exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and hear the accompanying audio guide. And best of all, every course is free.

Take note parents of middle and high school students. The Touch can be turned into a graphing calculator with a $5 app available directly from the iTunes store on the Touch. And the calculator, like all apps, is regularly updated at no additional charge. The Touch also provides instant free access to every book on your child’s required reading list. That means no more last minute runs to the bookstore for Grapes of Wrath. With its accelerometer, a feature that allows the Touch to respond to movement (rotate, shake, and blowing into the microphone) the Touch can also be used for exploring science and music.

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Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 delay confirmed

Samsung has confirmed that the two successors to its Galaxy Tab Android-powered tablet have been delayed, and are unlikely to appear until the end of April.

To follow up its Galaxy Tab, Samsung had announced two new devices: a 7in ultra-portable and a beefier 10in model, both designed to undercut Apple's popular iPad tablet while offering some impressive functionality of their own.

Sadly, the weeks turned into months with no sign of the devices on our shores. Silence from Samsung left eager consumers wondering when they'd be given the chance to part with their money, but the company has finally broken silence with a firm release date.

According to Samsung, the two new Galaxy Tabs won't be coming out until at least the end of this month - with the potential for the launch to slip still further into May if things don't go according to plan.

The reason for the extended delay isn't clear, but the company has offered one possible explanation: it's planning to release both devices with Android 4.0 'Ice Cream Sandwich' pre-loaded. As Google's latest mobile platform release, Android 4.0 offers a range of benefits over its predecessors including an improved user interface and performance enhancements.

If Samsung is truly aiming for the budget end of the tablet market this time around, it's going to have to get a move on: rumours abound of a Google-branded tablet device which will sit firmly at the bargain end of the retail market, while Amazon is still working out the details of a UK launch for its cut-price Kindle Fire tablet.

If Samsung delays for too long, it could find itself with rather more competition on its hands.

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