Microsoft cuts prices on Vista

Price alert: Microsoft is dropping prices on certain versions of its Vista operating system, starting with the release of Service Pack 1 in mid-March.

The upgrade version of Vista Home Premium will drop from $159 to $129, although pricing for the full version will remain the same. The full version of Vista Ultimate will drop from $399 to $319, and the upgrade version goes from $259 to $219.

You can already get a better deal on Vista from Amazon.com, where the Home Premium upgrade is selling for $95 and the Ultimate upgrade for $195.

But that's only a good deal if you want Vista. There are plenty of XP users sticking to that older, tried-and-true operating system, and plenty of Vista users "downgrading" back to XP themselves.

—Donna Tapellini

How to use a converter box & antenna to get DTV

Digital TV offers potentially better picture quality and more channels than analog over-the-air broadcasts, but getting digital signals might not be as easy as plugging a converter box between your antenna and TV. Here's why.

Most analog stations are in the VHF band, channels 2-13, while digital signals are transmitted mainly over the UHF band, 14 and higher. (However, digital stations in some areas may move to the VHF band next February, when analog channels vacate their station frequencies.) The UHF band is more directional than VHF and more sensitive to obstacles (such as trees, tall buildings, and mountains) that lie between your antenna and the broadcast tower. So getting good UHF reception can be more difficult than pulling in VHF, affecting your ability to get digital broadcasts.

The all-or-nothing nature of digital broadcasts also comes into play. With analog stations, a weak signal can still yield a watchable picture—it might be snowy or have ghosts, but you'll get a continuous picture and uninterrupted sound.

If you're getting marginal reception of digital signals, both the picture and sound might freeze or break up to the point that it's not watchable. If you're really on the fringes—either too far from a tower or with too many obstacles in the way—you'll see a black screen that says "Weak or no signal."

You don't have to wait until next year to get an idea right now as to what kind of reception you can expect after the transition. Here's what you can do right now:

Solid-state drives for MacBook Airs are hard sells—for now

When the Apple MacBook Air first arrived at Consumer Reports, more than a few of us here were really impressed with its size and (lack of) weight. Moreover, Apple still managed to cram some really nifty features in such a thin and light laptop. (See "MacBook Air: First impressions" or click on the video player at right for more details on the MacBook Air's features.)

Better still: Elements of the Air are making their way into siblings. The new MacBook models announced today by Apple, for instance, will have "multi-touch" touchpads with "gesture controls"—capabilities first introduced in Apple's iPhone Touch iPod.

[Feb. 27, 2008 UPDATE: Apple's innovative gesture controls—"pinching" to "shrink" an on-screen image, for example—were unveiled with last year's introduction of the iPhone. —Ed.]

One of the more interesting feature that some of our readers have asked about is the solid-state drive (SSD) option. Such drives use flash memory—similar to those used in digital cameras and MP3 players—to store files and programs.

Is an SSD-equipped Air faster than one with the standard 80-gigabyte hard drive? Our preliminary tests of the MacBook Air with a 64-gigabyte SSD says "yes." BUT, only for certain tasks. (See our free report, "Apple MacBook Air: First Look", on ConsumerReports.org for more details.)

Is it worth the $1,000 premium? Unless you have a lot of money, probably not. But it's interesting to note an Air with a SSD has a lower price tag than some other portables with SSDs, say Sony's TZ line of Vaio notebooks. (We tested a Sony Vaio VGN-TZ191N/XC last year and found similar "mixed performance" issues.)

Will other MacBooks and PC notebooks soon come with cheaper, larger and faster flash drives? We can only hope so.

—Paul Eng

Mostly talk: New unlimited cell plans won't pay for most

Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile are now offering unlimited talk plans for $99.99 per month. While the plans offer convenience and 'peace of mind,' few subscribers, except heavy talkers, are likely to save with these all-you-can-talk offerings.

That's because with a little consumer planning effort and discipline consumers can maximize Verizon's and AT&T's national, no-roaming-fee, no-long-distance-charge plans that cost $60 a month. Those plans ostensibly sell you 900 anytime minutes per month, but both also give you unlimited nights and weekends. With Verizon's "national IN calling" feature, there's also no charge for calls anytime of the day to some 64 million other Verizon Wireless customers. AT&T's version of this is "mobile-to-mobile" minutes, and offers free calls anytime to AT&T's more than 70 million customers.

It's pretty much the same deal as AT&T's and Verizon's with Alltel's National Freedom 900 plan, except that that carrier's "My Circle" feature also lets you make unlimited free anytime calls to 10 wireless or landline numbers on any network. T-Mobile's myFaves 1000 plan provides 1,000 whenever minutes, free roaming and long-distance and unlimited nights and weekends; but instead of unlimited minutes to other phones on the T-Mobile network, it gives unlimited "myFaves" minutes to only 5 designated numbers on any network.

Is your Blu-ray player obsolete?

Even though the Blu-ray format has emerged as the de facto standard for high-definition DVD, you might want to hold off on buying a player. We think prices could drop later in the year, but that's not the only reason to wait. Technologically, the Blu-ray format is still maturing.

As a result, many early adopters are finding, to their dismay, that the players they purchased—likely at premium prices—lack features that will be included in newer, lower-priced models.

One thing that HD DVD got right was that it mandated a minimum set of features, including interactivity and online access, which had to be included in every player sold. Blu-ray, by contrast, has continually updated the features on its players. Currently, Blu-ray is on its third player "profile," which describes the specific features included in the player.

The first players—so-called Profile 1.0 models—will play Blu-ray movies (plus DVDs and, generally, CDs), period. An updated profile—dubbed Profile 1.1—added picture-in-picture capability that lets you view a Blu-ray movie while calling up additional content, such as a director's commentary, in a smaller window on the screen.

The latest profile—Profile 2.0, or BD Live—adds an Ethernet port for Internet access capability, enabling you to get the latest movie trailers or interactive games from the web. Unfortunately, earlier players can't be upgraded to the latest profile. The one exception we know of is the latest version of Sony's PlayStation 3 game console, which can be updated via a firmware upgrade to conform to the BD Live specifications. The first standalone Profile 2.0 players are expected to arrive shortly.

In our opinion, that's a compelling reason to continue waiting. While many of us may be happy simply playing movies, why settle for less than a fully featured model, especially since it will likely carry a cheaper price? But it's up to you to make sure that you're getting a player that has all the Blu-ray functionality currently being offered—something the Blu-ray format has unnecessarily complicated.

—James K. Willcox

High-Def DVDs: Is it time to get Blu-ray?

Ever since the high-def DVD format war began, we've advised would-be buyers to wait until a clear winner emerged. Now that Toshiba has pulled the plug on HD DVD, those of us who've been patiently waiting on the sidelines wonder whether it's now time to buy a Blu-ray player. Unfortunately, we still think the answer is no.

The biggest reason is cost. The cheapest Blu-ray players now sell for about $300, and most go for $350 to $500. By contrast, prices for HD DVD players sometimes slipped below $100. That means the cost for entering the high-def DVD world just tripled for consumers. Conventional wisdom suggests that with HD DVD out of the picture, Blu-ray manufacturers have less incentive to cut prices. That may not be true. Here's why we believe that Blu-ray prices could drop, maybe considerably, later this year.

For one thing, the day Toshiba pulled the plug on HD DVD, all the companies that had banded together to promote the Blu-ray format resumed their usual roles as fierce competitors vying for market share in a burgeoning business. Their message is no longer "Buy Blu-ray," but "Buy Panasonic," "Buy Samsung" and "Buy Sony." That type of competition fuels price cuts.

In addition, we expect to see the first wave of made-in-Taiwan models from new, lower-priced brands hit retail shelves in the U.S. this fall. To compete with established brands, these secondary and tertiary labels will have to price their models lower. That in turn could exert pricing pressure on major-brand models, particularly those targeting mass-market and discount retail channels.

Toshiba pulls plug on HD DVD

Following in the wake of rumors this past weekend that Toshiba was ready to throw in the towel in its almost single-handed campaign to promote HD DVD as the high-definition successor to the DVD, the company this morning confirmed it is pulling the plug on its HD DVD business.

As a result, Blu-ray will become the de facto high-definition DVD format, a move that will now end the high-def stalemate that many believe has delayed mainstream consumer acceptance of a DVD successor.

In a statement released early this morning, Toshiba says it expects to be completely out of the standalone HD DVD player business by the end of March 2008, and will stop volume production of PC drives and recorders while it assesses the market for computer-based products, such as notebook PCs with integrated HD DVD drives.

It's not yet clear what options early adopters of the HD DVD format will have. As of this morning, there were no announcements from the two major studios exclusively supporting the HD DVD format, Paramount and Universal, about their plans, but it's unlikely they will continue supporting a dying format for much longer. It's possible that one or more of the Blu-ray player manufacturers could offer HD DVD player owners an exchange program or some other kind of promotional offer to bring them into the Blu-ray camp.

In the statement, Toshiba said that after undertaking a thorough review of its overall strategy for HD DVD, it "decided it will no longer develop, manufacture and market HD DVD players and recorders." The move, the company says, is the result of "recent major changes in the market," most likely the decisions by Warner Bros., to stop issuing movies in the HD DVD format and Wal-Mart to stop carrying HD DVD products.

Toshiba says it will continue to provide "full product support and after-sales service for all owners of Toshiba HD DVD products." The company also reaffirmed its commitment to standard-definition DVD, and said it would continue to "maintain collaborative relations with the companies who joined with Toshiba in working to build up the HD DVD market, including Universal Studios, Paramount Pictures, and DreamWorks Animation...  as well as leaders in the IT industry, including Microsoft, Intel, and HP."

—James K. Willcox

The DTV transition: Get the gear you might need soon

This Sunday, it will be exactly one year until TV broadcasts go all-digital, and the action is starting to pick up. Uncle Sam, electronics manufacturers and retailers, and consumers are gearing up for the day analog TV broadcasts cease—Feb. 17, 2009. Here are the latest developments:

Coupons going fast; don't miss out. On Tuesday, Feb. 19, the government will mail the first batch of coupons to consumers who requested help paying for a digital converter box. These boxes will enable analog TVs to accept digital signals pulled in by an antenna. Each household can request one or two $40 coupons. The coupons, which look like plastic gift cards (see the sample image on the right), expire 90 days after they're issued.

[April 7, 2008 UPDATE: Concerned about the expiration date on your converter coupons? Check out our latest post, DTV converter coupons: It's now or never, which also features a link to "share your story" with HearUsNow.org, the consumer advocacy arm of Consumers Union, our parent company. —Ed.]

As of Feb. 14, the government had received applications for nearly 5 million coupons—almost one-fourth of the 22,250,000 coupons available to any household. When those are gone, another 11,250,000 million will be offered, but only to households that depend solely on an antenna for TV signals. If you subscribe to cable or satellite service for some TVs but have other sets that use an antenna, apply before the unrestricted coupons are gone. Visit www.dtv2009.gov to apply online or to get a form that can be mailed or faxed (you'll need Adobe Acrobat software), or call 1-888-DTV-2009 (1-888-388-2009).

Converters arriving in stores. The first digital converter boxes are arriving in stores now. Independent retailers and major chains including Best Buy, Circuit City, Kmart, RadioShack, Sam's Club, Sears, Target, and Wal-Mart will sell the boxes, which cost about $40 to $70, and have agreed to accept coupons.

DTV transition: How's it going?

With the end of analog TV broadcasts now a year away—February 17, 2009, to be precise—debate is intensifying on the readiness of viewers and broadcasters for the upcoming transition to all-digital TV.

Two polls released in recent weeks suggest that a majority of consumers are aware of the TV transition. A poll from Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports, reported 64 percent awareness, where one from the National Association of Broadcasters, the industry group that represents television stations, cited 78 percent awareness.

But being aware of the transition doesn't necessarily mean you understand its implications. The CU study found rampant misunderstanding among consumers about what the transition means for them—misunderstandings that CU fears could result in some households buying equipment they don't need. In an appearance this week before the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce's Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, Chris Murray, Senior Counsel for Consumers Union, warned that "along with the technical complexities of the transition are strong incentives by a variety of market players for 'digital upsell' to consumers," which could result in pressure to buy everything from more expensive cable service to a new HDTV set. "For vulnerable populations—such as the elderly or low-income households—the potential for being misled, intentionally or unintentionally, is significant," Murray said.

Meantime, another study by Centris, a market research firm, asserts that many households that now get their analog TV programming via set-top rabbit-ear antennas may have to upgrade to costly roof antennas in order to receive that same programming via digital signals. The study has prompted a whirlwind of commentary, including comments from Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin.

We'll continue to offer news and advice on the transition on this blog and on ConsumerReports.org. In the coming days, for example, we'll be posting updates on the availability of analog-to-digital converter boxes and of the coupons the federal government is issuing to offset their cost. We'll also publish the results of tests on one of the first boxes to hit the market.

—Paul Reynolds

The Other Digital Transition

Most of the news coverage regarding the "digital transition" has been about television, which is switching to all-digital broadcasts on February 17, 2009. But some cell-phone users and other wireless subscribers face another type of digital transition—and in just a few days. On February 18, an FCC law requiring cellular carriers to provide analog service to subscribers and roamers expires. That means some older analog phones, alarm systems, and OnStar emergency services will no longer work.

Unlike TV broadcasters, cellular carriers aren't being forced to drop analog service. Rather, they're now allowed to discontinue analog service if they already blanket their cellular geographic service areas (CGSAs) with digital coverage. You won't be blindsided by the change. Carriers have to give their analog customers adequate warning. Here's the 411 on who's affected, and what they can do about it:

Cell-phone users. The expired law primarily affects some analog customers of Verizon, Alltel, AT&T, US Cellular, and Dobson (and other companies that market their services as "Cellular One"). Fortunately, it's only customers who have older, analog-only phones—not the newer digital phones with analog backup. You can tell your phone is analog if it's more than 5 years old, or if it doesn't have the ability to access the Web or handle text messages. Customers of SprintNextel and T-Mobile, whose networks are already entirely digital, should not be affected by the change. Rural subscribers to regional analog carriers shouldn't be inconvenienced either, though their phones may no longer be able to roam in areas serviced by digital-network carriers.

iTunes movie rentals: A generally strong opening

After years of simply selling movies, iTunes last month added the option to rent them. The service adds a welcome and relatively painless way to view films on your iPod, iPhone, or computer—though the service does have a few minor annoyances. After renting and viewing on a number of computers and players, here’s what we liked and disliked about the new service:

HIGHS

It's less costly than buying. If you're like me, you’ve resisted movie-watching via iTunes because you don't want to pay $9.99 apiece to own films that you'll likely watch only once, especially given the restricted size of computer and iPod screens. The rental costs—$3.99 for new releases, $2.99 for catalog titles—are in line with those for pay-per-view offerings from satellite or cable companies. Apple says selection will also be comparable by the end of February, when it promises more than 1,000 titles.

Decent picture quality. We viewed movies on a laptop and desktop, two iPods (a Touch and a Nano), and an iPhone. They looked good on all platforms—bright, clear, and surprisingly sharp. Unsurprisingly, it was hardest to appreciate that quality, and the movies themselves, on the tiny Nano screen, though the images were still surprisingly watchable.

MacBook Air: First impressions

We've begun taking a first look at the MacBook Air, Apple's super-slim laptop. (The Air starts at $1,799 for the hard-drive version. There's also a version with a solid-state drive that starts at $3,098.)

One thing we already know: The Air is as sleek in person as it looked coming out of that interoffice envelope in Apple's ads. You can watch our video on the MacBook Air for a closer look and to learn more about what our testers have discovered so far about Apple's hot new portable computer.

[Feb. 11, 2008 UPDATE: You can also watch the video using the player embedded within this post. —Ed.]

But what we don't entirely yet know, because we're still running tests on the hard-drive version, is how much you sacrifice for such a dramatic slim-down. Still, here are some preliminary thoughts based on what we've seen so far:

• The design is stylish, resulting in a very thin, light laptop. But some features are sacrificed, including an optical drive (although you can add an external one).


• The large touchpad features multi-touch capabilities like those found on the iPhone and iPod Touch.


• The display backlight is LED, making it brighter but less power-hungry than other MacBooks. It also has a wider viewing angle.


• The Air stays cooler than other Mac laptops we've tested.

For more information on the Air, look for our First Look on ConsumerReports.org next week, followed by more-detailed test results when we included Apple's new portable in our complete Ratings of laptop computers (available to subscribers).

[Feb. 26, 2008 UPDATE: We've completed our first round of tests. You'll find more details in our free report, "Apple MacBook Air: First Look" on ConsumerReports.org. —Ed.]

—Donna Tapellini

Vista to XP: The world's most popular downgrade

One year after Microsoft Windows Vista hit the market, public response to it has been underwhelming. True, most buyers of new Windows-based home computers get Vista pre-installed by default; but that's not exactly the same as beating down the door for Vista's glitz.

Meanwhile, many techies, IT departments, and just plain home users are either holding off upgrading or actually converting back from Vista to XP, thereby introducing a backward-looking term into the forward-looking world of technology: downgrading. At the tech forums on Microsoft's Web site, for example, you'll find a hefty number of posts dedicated to doing just that.

With retail sales of XP now scheduled to end by June 30, a movement to save Windows XP has formed. At SaveXP.com, created by the IT publication Infoworld, more than 75,000 people (as of early February) have signed a petition to Microsoft demanding that Windows XP be kept available indefinitely.

Here are kinds of Vista gripes cited by people arguing to save XP:

Apple doubles the capacity of iPhone, Touch

Expanded capabilities, expanded capacity. New versions of Apple iPhone and Touch (the iPhone-without-the-phone), available today, have doubled the maximum storage capacity of these big-screen multimedia devices. They provide 16 and 32 gigabytes (GB) of storage, respectively; both cost $500.  Still available are the 8GB iPhone, $400, and 8GB and 16GB Touches, $300 and $400, respectively.

The storage boost comes just weeks after the software upgrades announced at the MacWorld trade show in San Francisco, which added GPS-like tracking on Google Maps, rented-movie playback, and customizable menus to these Wi-Fi-enabled products. In September, when the Touch debuted, another software update enabled both products to download iTunes content directly over their Wi-Fi connections.

These content options further challenge the capacities of these flash-memory digital media players. For example, just one movie rental alone can eat up 1.5GB to 2GB of storage. Add to this the ever-growing library of TV shows and free video podcasts and an iOwner could face a content overflow. That may explain why Apple discontinued the 4GB iPhone just two months after its June 30th debut.

Just ordered a less-than-maximum-capacity iPhone or iPod you don’t want? Call and cancel the order. If it's already shipped, Apple says, you can refuse the delivery and call the company to order one of the new, large-capacity models.

—Mike Gikas

PMA2008: Two serious printers for serious photographers

HP and Epson, as well as other printer manufacturers, showed a variety of printers, from the very inexpensive snapshot models to very large-format models costing thousands. Two in particular caught my eye: The Epson Stylus Photo R1900 (right) and the HP Photosmart Pro B8850 Photo (below). (Click on the images for a closer look.)

The pair have several things in common. Both were announced in January and are targeted at the advanced amateur, one who most likely owns a digital SLR and wants to get the most from those photos. Both can print up to 13- x 19-inch prints (or longer panoramas). They each use an 8 pigment-based cartridge system, as opposed to a dye-based one, since the longevity of pigment is supposedly twice as long. Both are priced around $550. And from the specs and product demos, both offer quite a variety of printing options that will be quite exciting for most any photographer, from the ability to print on paper of varying texture to traditional black-and-white prints.

One of the improvements on the Epson R1900, the successor to Epson's R1800, is (according to Epson) enhanced gloss in the ink, making it much smoother than the R1800's gloss coating. The ink set itself has also undergone an overhaul: the new Ultrachome Hi-Gloss 2 ink set now includes a new red and orange cartridge, which Epson says offers more accurate facial color tones. Epson's also says that it has improved the printer's speed, which can now produce photos (in the highest quality mode) from 37-41 percent faster than its predecessor. Among other improvements on this model are two USB 2.0 ports. (The new HP printer includes one port.) The R1900's highest resolution is 5760 x 1440 dpi.

The HP Photosmart Pro B8850 Photo printer (left), which has a maximum resolution of 4800 x 1200 dpi, is roughly the same size as Epson's R1900, although a bit heavier. Like Epson, HP claims that its new-pigment based inks are more water-resistant and resilient than dye-based inks from previous printers. HP claims to have a better color system for handling black-and-white prints, since it includes not only matte black and photo black ink cartridges (as does Epson), but also a light gray cartridge (Epson does not have a gray cartridge).

HP also said that they've worked with Adobe and other software companies to make the B8850 (and its driver software) integrate more seamlessly with image editing programs like Photoshop CS3. For many photographers, color management can be tricky and time-consuming HP claims that they've reworked their system to make that easier, too.

To show the value of using its branded inks, HP offers an online demo showing the effects of aging on two versions of the same photograph: one using HPs inks, the other a third-party ink. You can upload your own image to see how it might age. It's an intriguing visual demo on how digital color photographs can age and fade.

The Epson R1900 will be available later in February, the HP PhotosmartPro B8850 in April.

—Terry Sullivan

Adware recedes, but other online threats grow

If you've noticed fewer popup ads while Web surfing, it's probably more than just your anti-popup software doing its job.  So-called "nuisance adware," popups and home-page hijackers that annoy but don't usually harm your computer, has been vanquished, though not totally eliminated.

That was one of my main takeaways from attending last week's fourth annual public workshop held by the Anti-spyware Coalition, a group of software companies, academics, and consumer groups united in the effort to control spyware and other online threats. Held in the shadow of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, the workshop's subtitle was, "What's worked, what's left, and what's coming."

Some of the reasons for the downfall of nuisance adware include new state anti-spyware laws, aggressive high-profile prosecutions of perpetrators, and a growing reluctance by high-profile makers of consumer products and services to inflict further damage on their brands by advertising in a medium (adware) that one workshop speaker characterized as "a lousy consumer experience."

But this success has come at a price, the conference attendees found out. While some adware purveyors have changed their practices for the better to stay on the good side of the law, others have gone underground, to a market position some speakers called "the dark side" by adopting even more egregious technologies borrowed from virus writers, hackers, and other online miscreants.

Following a keynote by FTC Commissioner Jonathan Leibowitz, conference panels discussed such topics as Is Spyware Dead?, Can Investigators Stay Ahead of the Bad Guys? and Education: What Works and What Doesn't? Speakers included experts from major anti-malware vendors like McAfee and Lavasoft, government officials, security professionals, and academics.

PMA2008: Consumer SLRs continue to evolve

As I mentioned in my PMA preview, the SLR market continues to be very competitive, especially for consumer-targeted models. The two that caught my eye at the show this year are, not surprisingly, the Nikon D60 and the Canon Rebel XSi, both of which were announced within the past week and a half. I got to check out each up-close and personal since both camera manufacturers had them at their show booths.   (Click on the image at right for a closer look at the Rebel XSi. You'll find a clickable image of the Nikon D60 SLR further down.)

Of the two, Canon's specs appear a little beefier (although we'll reserve final judgment until we get both models into our labs for testing.) As I mentioned in a previous post on lenses, Canon now includes an image-stabilized lens in the Rebel XSi kit. (Nikon is also shipping an image-stabilized lens with the D60.)

On the camera body, Canon has bumped up the megapixels to 12.2 from 10.1 on the Rebel XTi (which is still staying in the SLR product line). Canon claims that while they've increased the number of pixels on the CMOS sensor, they’ve engineered it in such away as to keep the visual noise low.

PMA2008: A Glimpse through the Looking Glass

There are lots of SLR lenses on view here at PMA2008. I'm not sure if there is more emphasis than previous years, but from low end to high, photographers are finding lots of intriguing pieces of glass.

On the low end, one intriguing development is that both Canon and Nikon are offering image-stabilized kit lenses in their consumer-targeted SLRs. You can tell when you look at the labels: Nikon's 18-55mm lens (click on the image at right for a closer look) has a "VR" (for "Vibration Reduction") at the end of the name. Canon's 18-55mm lens has the more commonly used "IS" at the end.

The primary benefit of  image stabilization is that you can get sharper photos in low-light, which often requires a slower shutter speed that makes your shots  more susceptible to camera shake. But word from the manufacturers is that these lenses have a better construction than previous kit lenses and have been tweaked to perform better. We’ll have the final word on how good these lenses are when we get them in to our labs, but if the claims true, better kit lenses in SLR packages would be good news for camera shoppers.