CONSUMER ELECTRONICS

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Next-Gen Bluetooth Headsets

Now that many states are implementing laws that require drivers to talk handsfree, having a headset for the car is vital. While many cell-phone makers include them with their handsets, most of the freebie ones are wired. Instead, skip the messy wires and pick up a Bluetooth headset. The latest models offer a compelling balance of design, features, sound quality, and endurance. Here we compare two top models: the Aliph Jawbone Prime and the Plantronics Voyager Pro.

Aliph Jawbone Prime

The Jawbone Prime takes our former favorite Bluetooth headset, the New Jawbone, and makes it better. The Prime is small, attractive, comfortable, and does a very good job of canceling noise, especially in windy areas. This model uses a new, softer earpiece tip for improved performance and a loop on the back to stabilize the fit.

As with previous Jawbone headsets, the Prime’s buttons are large but a bit confusing. However, the device’s range was very good: It maintained a solid signal up to 30 feet away. When tested in noisy situations, the Prime blocked out noise better than the Voyager Pro but transmitted voices at a softer volume, sometimes making them hard to hear.

Aliph Jawbone Prime

$129.99 direct

l lllm PROS Top-notch wind noise cancellation. Very good voice transmission quality. Stylish. More comfortable than its predecessor. CONS Low earpiece volume. Expensive. Short battery life.

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Plantronics Voyager Pro

$99.99 list

L lllm PROS Superb voice quality. Excellent noise cancellation. Solid battery life. Comfortable. CONS Huge size. Some issues with wind noise.

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Along with its high price, the Prime’s biggest drawback is its short battery life. I could eke out only 3.5 hours of talk time on a full day’s charge (well below Aliph’s claim of 4.5 hours) and eight days of standby time.

Plantronics Voyager Pro

The Voyager Pro’s strength is in its earpiece: Even if you’re standing in the middle of a traffic jam, you’ll still be able to hear your calls loud and clear. But make no mistake, the Voyager Pro doesn’t win any points for style. The headset fits all the way over your ear, with a 3-inch boom pointing toward your mouth. The battery lives in a bulge behind your ear, and there’s a big power button. But because the Voyager Pro’s 0.6ounce weight is distributed over your entire ear, it’s more comfortable to wear for long periods than the Jawbone Prime.

On our range tests, the Voyager Pro fell a little short of the Jawbone Prime, effective to about 20 feet versus the Prime’s 30 feet. But it delivered unusually clear sound in noisy situations. The one exception to its good noise performance is that windy conditions occasionally caused it to pop, skip, or drop out. Battery life is excellent at 6 hours 28 minutes of talk time.

The Winner

While the Jawbone Prime has a longer range and handles wind noise more effectively, the Voyager Pro is more comfortable, has a better battery, costs less, and delivers equal if not better performance. If you value style and compactness, you can’t go wrong with the Prime. But in this round, we have to give the victory—and an Editors’ Choice—to the Voyager Pro.—Sascha Segan

Motorola MOTO W233 Renew (T-Mobile)

Motorola’s Eco-Friendly Cell Phone

The first cell phone to receive our GreenTech Approved seal, the Motorola MOTO W233 Renew for T-Mobile is the first U.S. phone whose body is made from recycled plastic. Aside from being very green, it doesn’t offer a lot of features, but the Renew is a good choice if all you need is a solid voice-only phone.

A small, cute, candy bar–style phone, the Renew has a rather dim 1.6-inch screen and a stiff keypad. However, the dual-band Renew is an excellent voice phone—one of the best we’ve tested on T-Mobile’s 2G network. Reception is strong, the earpiece is loud yet clear, and voice quality is very good. The speakerphone is loud enough for indoor or outdoor use, though its mic does let some background noise in. Battery life is acceptable at 9 hours 5 minutes talk time.

Apart from voice calls, the Renew doesn’t do much. WAP Web browsing on T-Mobile’s GPRS network is dismal, text messages display only a few words at a time, and there’s no camera. Although the Renew is touted as a music phone, the microSD card (2GB max) is buried under the battery. The Renew is almost too devoid of features to recommend, but it is nonetheless a solid voice phone and one of very few truly green options.—Sascha Segan

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Motorola MOTO W233 Renew (T-Mobile)

$9.99 to $59.99 direct

L llmm PROs The case is made of recycled materials. Inexpensive. Excellent voice quality. CONs Dim screen. No Bluetooth or voice dialing. Poor media capabilities. No camera.

Nintendo DSi

$169.99 list

L llhm PROS Improved Wi-Fi access. Dual cameras. SD card slot. CONS No GameBoy Advance slot. Small library of down- loadable games.

Nintendo DSi

Nintendo’s New Portable Game Console

The new Nintendo DSi portable game system follows Nintendo’s new tack of making its consoles less about a given game and more about the overall playing experience. Other handheld gaming consoles, such as the Sony PSP, focus on flashy graphics, high-res games, and video. Nintendo aims to make the new DSi a fun part of your life. And for a lot of casual gamers, it will do just that.

The first things you notice when opening up the DSi are two 3.25-inch screens and a pair of 0.3-megapixel cameras. Each camera has 11 different virtual lenses that provide special effects, such as image distortion, mirroring images, and adding graphics. Aside from the smaller form factor, larger screen size, and two cameras, the other major difference between the DSi and the earlier DS is the enhanced Wi-Fi support, which lets you download games and surf the Web. The DSi comes with music software for recording clips and adding effects. You can also play music from an SD card—but only AAC files.

My main reservations are that its music file support is so limited and that the camera and sound-editing features might lose their appeal sooner rather than later. Even so, the DSi is a marked improvement over the DS. —Daniel S. Evans

SMARTPHONES

Pharos Traveler 127 $529.95 list

PROS

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• Solid voice quality and reception • GPS radio works independently of cellular reception • Flexible, dual-slider design • Good call quality • Solid reception • Excellent battery life • Good value for a GPS with a huge screen • Text-to-speech conversion • Simple and advanced interface options • Sleek, minimalist design • Large screen • MicroSD slot • Supports several multimedia file types • Voice and FM recorder

CONS

BO TTOM LINE

SPECS • Very slow performance • Buggy software • Poor camera • Dialing phone numbers is difficult • Clumsy microSD slot • Weak speakerphone • Clumsy dongle required when using headphones • Poor Web browser and video playback • Small POI database • No support for live traffic • Audio output too soft • Screen appears washed out in sunlight • Touch screen requires stylus for optimal performance • Large for a low-capacity player • No Web access

Given the high up-front cost, unlocked phones are already a tough sell. It’s even worse when one has as many shortcomings as Pharos’s GPS smartphone. The Matrix Pro is a solid handset for messaging and business use, but multimedia fans should look elsewhere. For those who want a huge screen, the Nextar SNAP7 GPS serves up 7 sprawling inches and plenty of features, all for a palatable price. The P7 is the size of a hard disk–based media player but is slim on built-in memory, and there’s no Web access.

Windows Mobile Pocket PC; 2.5-inch, 320-by-240 LCD; 2MP camera; 4.6 by 2.4 by 0.6 inches (HWD); 5.1 ounces. Windows Mobile Smartphone; 2.4-inch, 320-by-240 screen; 2MP camera; 4.2 by 2 by 0.9 inches (HWD); 5.3 ounces. Supports Secure Digital flash memory; 7-inch touch-screen display; 1.6 million POI database; 7.7 by 3.9 by 0.7 inches (HWD); 6.9 ounces. Flash memory; FM radio; voice recording; supports FLAC, MP3, OGG, WAV, and WMA files; 4.3-inch screen; 2.8 by 4.4 by 0.5 inches; 6.1 ounces.

Pantech Matrix Pro (AT&T) $179.99 to $379.99 list

Lllmm GPS

Nextar SNAP7 $349.99 list

Lllhm MP3 PLAYERS

iriver P7 8GB, $179.99 list; 16GB, $209.99 list

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HEADPHONES

Monster Beats by Dr. Dre Tour In-Ear Headphones $149.95 list

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• Strong sonic performance • Deep bass response • Excellent, consistent fit

• Can be uncomfortable if worn for long periods • Not for audiophiles

The in-ear entry in the Beats by Dr. Dre line, the Tour offers a consistent fit and strong but not overwhelming bass.

In-canal earbuds; passive noise canceling; 114 dB SPL maximum output; 0.7 ounce.

HDTV

Vizio VF550XVT $1,999.99 list

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• Low price • PCMag GreenTech

Approved • Produces detailed

HD video • HDMI cable included

• Diminished picture quality with some SD sources • Picture calibration recommended • Unique design might not appeal to all tastes

Vizio’s VF550XVT is an undeniable value for a 55inch 1080p LCD television, but it requires some tweaking to achieve its full picture potential.

55-inch LCD; 1,920 by 1,080 native resolution; 60-Hz refresh rate; 16:9 aspect ratio; component, composite, HDMI, RF, and S-Video connections; 36 by 51.5 by 13.5 inches (HWD); 86 pounds.

BLU-RAY PLAYERS INPUT DEVICES

Samsung BD-P1600 $299.99 list Logitech Harmony 1100 $499.99 direct

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• Fast start-up • Supports Netflix and

Pandora multimedia streaming • Updated remote and menus

• Add-on memory required for BD-Live support • Minor BD-Live compatibility issue

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• Beautifully designed • Sharp 3.5-inch touch screen • Controls up to 15 devices • Highly customizable • Intuitive software

• Very pricey • Touch-screen buttons are tough to manipulate • Complicated setup • No Bluetooth support

The Samsung BD-P1600 is a capable Blu-ray player that features a compelling selection of multimedia streaming abilities.

Ethernet, HDMI, component video, RCA stereo, and stereo optical connections; 2.1 by 17.0 by 7.8 inches (HWD). If you have big bucks and insist on a touch-screen remote, the Harmony 1100 isn’t bad. But the Harmony One is much easier to use—and affordable.

IR signal; 3.5-inch touchscreen; 4 by 5.5 by 0.6 inch (HWD); 6.9 ounces.