Archive for the ‘Reviews and First Looks’ Category

Review: The Motorola Droid

A few days ago we got Motorola’s Droid in the mail. The device is quite awesome. Beyond being offered on Verizon’s network (which consistently squelches AT&T in coverage and speed) the phone is forged from super-solid (and stylish) hardware. Plus it runs freaking Android 2.0 as its OS. From reviewer Priya Ganapati:

The Droid runs Android 2.0 (aka Éclair) as its OS. It feels more refined than the first version of Android on T-Mobile’s G1 and it’s certainly better than the muddled interface on Motorola’s Cliq.

The Droid’s 5-megapixel camera has up to 4x digital zoom. It produces photos that aren’t too noisy and it does well even in low light, thanks to the built-in LED flash.

The most exciting feature of the phone, though, is the Google maps app — with built-in turn-by-turn, voice-guided navigation. Replete with text-to-speech features, the maps are layered with traffic data and a satellite view. But here’s the best part. It’s free! Hear that? You don’t have to pay $10 a month as subscription or buy a pricey $100 TomTom app. You can just zip around with the Droid and Google Maps.

$200, motorola.com

8/10

You can, of course read the full review of the Motorola Droid on our reviews website.

Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

Hands On With Nokia’s N900

A LITTLE BACKGROUND

Think of the about-to-be-released N900 as atonement for past sins committed by Nokia. The disaster that is Symbian, the anemic-ness of the Ovi store, the conspicuous lack of CDMA devices all seem, well, not so horrible after playing with this Linux based, open source, unlocked internet tablet. Nokia recently gave us a not-so-finished version of the N900 to play with. Here’s what we think after tinkering with it for a week. Bonus: We’ve got video too!

MAEMO NUMBER 5

The N900 flaunts the Maemo 5 operating system. A mostly (80%) open source Linux build, it’s certainly more usable than any version of Symbian. First off it’s a multitasking powerhouse — we loved the fact that you could stream tunes from a website like Hype Machine then open up another webpage, snap a picture or access twitter without interrupting the music flow. Programs are represented by widgets, which can be moved around different screens with relative ease and apps can be easily downloaded from the sparse Ovi store.

SCREEN SAVER

The N900 has a 3.5-inch resistive touch screen. Most resistive screens we’ve encountered thus far tend to be slow and unresponsive. The N900’s isn’t. Although it comes with a stylus, you largely don’t need it — actions like text typing and web browsing can be done with just a finger. Zooming in and out is done without a pinch, literally. When you want to enlarge something on screen, take your finger (or better yet, the stylus) and make a small clockwise circle. Making a counter clockwise circle zooms out.

PHONE HOME

Almost like an afterthought, the N900 functions as an unlocked cell phone. We popped in SIMs from AT&T and T-Mobile and the N900 made calls without much interference or static. Don’t have a SIM? No prob. There’s VoIP and Skype integration too.

SHOOTER MCGAVIN

The N900’s camera has a Carl Zeiss lens, protected by a plastic slide, and a bright Xenon flash. Pictures are generally noise free and clear while the included photo editing software rivals that of most cell phones.

FENNEC FAIL

Mozilla’s mobile browser, Flock Fennec is sadly nowhere to be found on this device. No big deal — a custom made Mozilla browser is included for all your Intertubing needs. There’ s support for Adobe Flash 9.4 plus an RSS reader as well.

LIMITED POWER

Battery life isn’t exactly Methuselah-like. Our unit conked out after a day of hard use (read: constant web surfing, making calls, shooting pictures) but we expect slightly better power management from the production device.

A DELICIOUS WRAP

The N900 will start shipping around the end of November and will cost $650. We’ll have a full review on the finished hardware before then. So far the N900 shows a great deal of promise — Nokia is definitely doing the right thing when it comes to an open platform and a lack of Symbian. Now if only they could get a carrier to subsidize the device and help bring the cost down a little bit.

See Also:

• Nokia’s Linux Based N900 Finally Official
• Nokia Ovi App Store Faces Turbulent Start
• Nokia Reveals Netbook Pricing, Introduces New Handsets

(Photos by Jon Snyder for Wired.com)

Review: Windows 7 Is Microsoft’s Best Yet

Microsoft’s loyal customers are finally getting the operating system they deserve with Windows 7, and it was well worth the wait.

First, to provide full disclosure (as critics have requested in our previous Windows 7 write-ups) yes, I am indeed a Mac user. But until heading to college, I grew up on a steady diet of Windows. (I made the switch after a system crash that resulted in the loss of an enormous school project.) With that said, Windows 7 thoroughly wowed me, dissolving the grudge I’ve held against Microsoft for many years.

The latest OS from Microsoft delivers a truly next-generation interface that will transform the way we use our computers, while addressing a number of nagging issues that have turned off Windows users in the past. The Windows team deserves a round of applause.

The best decision Microsoft made this time around was listening to its customers. The company crowdsourced feedback and distributed a free Windows 7 beta to Microsoft enthusiasts back in January. The result is an OS designed to beautify PCs both old and new, while retaining many of the features Microsoft fans have adored about Windows and removing many major annoyances.

Read the rest of Wired’s Windows 7 review on the Wired.com Product Reviews site.

Canon’s Svelte S90 Will Make Camera Geeks Swoon

It’s only slightly bigger than the smallest of compact cameras — and fits nicely in a jeans pocket — but Canon’s S90 is packed with features that will make serious photographers sit up and take notice. First of all, there’s that lens: 28-105mm equivalent (about 3.7x zoom), but with an impressively wide maximum aperture of f2.0. Oh yes: We like that.

We also like the retro-ish control ring around the barrel of the lens. You can assign whatever function you want to this ring, be that exposure compensation, ISO equivalent, aperture, focus, zoom… and with a second configurable control on the back, you’ll soon be dialing up whatever kinds of shots you want, just like you can on a decent SLR.

Read Wired’s review of the Canon S90 by Mark McClusky, and let us know what you think of this camera.

Augment Your Reality With Layar for iPhone

Layar, which has been the poster child for augmented reality smartphone apps, just arrived in the iPhone’s App Store.

The Layar augmented reality browser looks at an environment through the phone’s camera and overlays data on top of points of interest such as restaurants, shops and tourist attractions.

The app retrieves information from third-party developers who contribute their “layers” to the Layar platform. For example, there’s a layer called iMetro, and when that’s selected and you’re standing outside, Layar will display digital overlays of nearby bus stops and the time the next bus is arriving.

Get what we mean? Layers are similar to plug-ins that customize desktop browsers. There are also layers for Yellow Pages, Las Vegas casinos and Wikipedia. The layers are free, as is the Layar app. Based in Amsterdam, Layar told Wired.com that after the platform generates enough interest, it might begin charging users for premium layers. For now, Layar appears to be in a stage of experimentation, and it’s a good start.

Wired.com’s Rose Roark last week wrote a hands-on about the Android version of Layar. Check that out for some more insight into the app.

Download Link [iTunes]

See Also:

• Hands-On: Android App ‘Layar’ Brings Reality’s Unique Snowflakes …
• If You’re Not Seeing Data, You’re Not Seeing
• Digital Contacts Will Keep an Eye on Your Vital Signs

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