Blackberry Storm: First Impressions

After many delays and much speculation—most of it wrong—BlackBerry has joined the rest of the cell-phone world by introducing its first touch-screen model, the Storm, available Friday from Verizon for $200 with a two-year contract (minus a $50 rebate). (Click on image at right for a closer look.)

Besides a touch screen, the phone packs a 3.2 megapixel camera with flash; a full HTML Web browser that supports streaming; GPS navigation capability with audible, turn-by-turn directions; and you the ability to edit Office documents—something only two other BlackBerrys allow you to do: the Bold and Pearl Flip. It's also a multi-network phone, which makes it one of the very few Verizon phones that will work outside the U.S. Like the iPhone, the Storm presents voicemails as an e-mail-like list, enabling you listen to your messages in any order you choose with just a poke of your finger.

The smart-phone arrives in our labs tomorrow (Friday), so we should have information about the Storm's actual performance soon. (Like all the products Consumer Reports tests, we're buying our own Storm—just as you would—for testing.)

But we did have a chance to try it out at a recent press preview, and our first impressions are generally positive. The details:

Firm, yet responsive, touch screen. With cell-phone touch screens—including the iPhone's—it's too easy to inadvertently launch a program or hit the wrong key on their virtual keyboards. The Storm remedies this with a touch-screen that demands that you press down on it firmly, as you would a real button, before it executes a command. (The screen actually sits on top of a large button that clicks when you depress the screen surface.) While quirky to use at first, we found this unique technology very effective in minimizing time-wasting mistakes. A word of caution: The display won't work with a stylus or long fingernails.

Jumbo HDTVs with budget price tags

If you're hankering for a 60-inch or larger HDTV but want to spend less than $2,000, forget about buying a plasma or LCD set. But don't give up hope—a value-priced rear-projection TV (RPTV) might be just the ticket, as we noted in an earlier post, "Bigger screens for less bucks." The new microdisplay sets are much thinner than the bulky projection TVs of old, so you don't have to sacrifice floor space in the interests of frugality.

Mitsubishi, one of only two TV makers still offering RPTVs, recently introduced its new 735 Series of DLP TVs (click on the image for a closer look). The 60-inch WD-60735 ($1,500) and the 65-inch WD-65735 ($1,700) offer true 1920x1080 resolution as well as the ability to produce "3D video." Both sets use a proprietary "six-color light processor" designed to boost on-screen color fidelity.

In preliminary tests, our engineers found that both sets offered fine picture and sound. Here are some of their findings. For more on the pros and cons of rear-projection TVs, check out our free online HDTV Buying Guide.

The skinny on netbooks

Looking for a lightweight laptop that doesn't cost a bundle? If all you need is to e-mail, surf the Web, and do a little word processing, a netbook might be a good choice.

A netbook is a downsized laptop with a 10-inch or smaller screen that weighs 2 to 3 pounds and costs $300 to $400, though with holiday season bundling deals and sales, you may be able to find one for even less. Some come from computer brands that are household names, like Acer, Dell, HP, and Lenovo, while others are from brands you may not have heard of.

Netbooks are hardly powerhouse computers. Their processors can be slow, because they're designed to minimize power consumption. The operating system is a lower-cost alternative, too, either Windows XP or a version of Linux. You'll probably get just 1GB of memory at most, a small hard drive of 80- or 160GB (or even less if you opt for a solid-state drive), and no CD or DVD drive.

And while a netbook might help avoid the backache you might get from lugging a heavier laptop around, it could still take a toll on your hands. The keyboards on many are small and uncomfortable. Left- and right-click keys are sometimes inconveniently placed on the side of the trackpad instead of at the bottom, and the trackpads themselves can be small. The only way to install new software is by using an external CD drive.

Still, their price and convenience make netbooks worth considering for limited uses, and they have more features than you might initially expect. Many have bright LED-backlit displays, a webcam and microphone, a headphone jack, and a couple of USB ports. And, of course, they've got Ethernet and WiFi capabilities.

We've just finished trying out six netbooks in our labs, including some of the latest models from Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and MSI. We'll be posting our comparison of those models in this blog in the next couple of days. To see how they stack up, be sure to check back.

—Donna Tapellini

Rear-projection TVs: Bigger-screens for less bucks?

In the December issue of Consumer Reports, you’ll find our latest LCD and plasma TV report with complete HDTV Ratings for over 100 new models. (Ratings are available to subscribers.)

But you won't find any test results for new rear-projection HDTVs. Why? In a nutshell, there are very few new sets of this type. Of the countless TV models introduced to the U.S. market this year, only 14 were RPTVs, and only two companies—Samsung and Mitsubishi—continue to make and sell rear-projection sets.

Consumer demand has also tanked. U.S. sales of rear-projection sets this year are expected to total about half a million units, compared to 30 million LCD TVs and 4 million plasma TVs.

That sales comparison tells the tale: One big reason for the overall decline in rear-projection TVs is that sleek flat-panel LCD and plasma TVs have gotten bigger and cheaper, pushing the bulkier sets out of the picture.

Still, you might want to consider a rear-projection TV if you want the most screen for the money. We've seen 60- to 65-inch RPTVs selling for about $1,500, and 72-inchers in the $2,000 range. A plasma or LCD TV of that size would easily run $5,000 or more. And the best of these sets are capable of excellent picture quality that gives flat panels a run for the money.

Satellite radio: More interesting, more complicated

The merger of XM and Sirius satellite radio has started to bear fruit.

Subscribers to each service can now add a select group of channels from the other (called Best of Sirius and Best of XM) for about $4 more per month, which brings the total monthly cost to $16.99. While the selections are limited to a handful of channels that may not suit everyone's taste, Sirius XM Radio says that more new packages are on the way, although it's not yet clear how many of those will graft channels from one service onto the other.

For XM subscribers, the Best of Sirius package available now adds two full-time Howard Stern channels, NASCAR races and shows, NFL games, Martha Stewart Living, and Playboy. For Sirius, subscribers, the Best of XM adds Oprah and Friends, NBA games, the Virus (which includes Opie and Anthony), and NHL games, the PGA Tour, College Sports, and XM Public Radio.

HDTV: See which display type suits your needs

If you're thinking about buying a flat panel HDTV for the holidays, you're probably asking yourself whether it should be a plasma or LCD.

Our Buying Advice on televisions gives you a complete rundown on the distinctions between the two display technologies, plus all the information you need on how to choose an HDTV that's right for your needs. We also looked specifically at the LCD vs. plasma debate in our recent report, "LCD or Plasma TVs?"

To get you started, here's a brief rundown of the highs and lows of LCD and plasma HDTVs:

Three distinctive point-and-shoots

Hundreds of point-and-shoots were on view at the PhotoPlus Expo this past weekend in New York. Many offer the same ol' specs and features: 3x optical zoom, 10 megapixels. 2 1/2- to 3-inch LCD. Here are three that stood out:

The Nikon Coolpix P6000 (Click on image at right for a closer look), a pricey compact for $500, does have some advanced features, such as being able to shoot RAW files. But that's not what makes it unique: It has a built-in GPS that lets you tag photos with the geographic location at which they were shot. Here's how this works: The camera embeds location data in the EXIF data file. Once you embed this info, you can access it with any image editor and use it with online map programs such as Google Earth to see exactly where your photos are taken. (For more, check out our previous post on geotagging.)

Full-frame SLRs drop in price

Camera manufacturers are churning out more and more digital SLRs with full-frame sensors, which are the size of one frame of 35mm film and significantly larger than sensors found in point-and-shoot digital cameras. While not cheap, these new SLRs are less expensive than in the past: The three most recently announced, Canon's 21-megapixel EOS 5D Mark II (Click on image at right for a closer look), Nikon's 12-megapixel D700, and Sony's 24-megapixel Alpha A900, all cost around $3,000. (Images of the Nikon and Sony SLRs are below.) In the past, most cost from $5,000 to $8,000.

But, you may be wondering, just what are the benefits of SLRs with full-frame sensors? There are at least two: They can handle a wider variety of lighting situations more accurately, and they limit the amount of visual noise that can distort and degrade an image.

To appreciate them, it's useful to look at the smaller sensors that point-and-shoots use. For example, consider the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W300, one of the models in our recent Ratings of digital cameras. (Model information and Ratings are available to subscribers only.) It's a 14-megapixel subcompact point-and-shoot digital camera. That's two more megapixels than the Nikon D700.

So, what gives?

DTV transition: More awareness, but not action

With the DTV transition in the U.S. set to occur in about four months, Consumer Reports has some encouraging news on consumer awareness of the nation’s impending switch to all-digital TV broadcasts, but it also found that many consumers are still confused and unprepared for the switchover.

The good news: Consumer awareness about the end of analog TV transmissions is up significantly.

According to the results of a telephone survey conducted in September by the Consumer Reports National Research Center:

• 93% of Americans with at least one television in their house know about the switchover to digital TV. (Last December, only 64% of those consumers were aware of the national DTV conversion.)

Of those who are aware of the DTV transition:

• 82% of respondents believe the options they have for the conversion are clear. (Only 58% were clear on their options back in Dec. 2007.)
• Awareness of the federal $40 DTV converter box coupon program (http://www.dtv2009.gov) also jumped, from 27% to a whopping 76%.

The not-so-good news: Even though there's a high level of awareness, there's also a lot of confusion about exactly what will happen on Feb. 17, 2009.

Sony to beam Hancock to Bravia TV owners

For the first time, a major motion picture will be available as an Internet download before it comes out on DVD and Blu-ray. The movie, Hancock, which was in theaters this summer, will be available as a 24-hour rental from Oct. 28 through Nov. 19th to Sony Bravia TV owners.

To receive the movie, which is priced at $9.99, Bravia owners will need Sony's $300 Bravia Internet Video Link adapter and a broadband connection. As part of the promotional offering, those who buy the video stream and register online will receive a free Blu-ray copy of the movie when it's released at the end of November.

Three different streams of the movie will be offered: one 720p HD version, and two DVD-quality (480p) versions that will use different encoding for those who have lower-bandwidth connections. Once connected to the Sony website through the Bravia Internet Video Link, the service will automatically check the available bandwidth and select the most suitable stream for the customer. Presumably that means that some who'd like to get the HD version of the movie, but who have slow Internet connections, will instead be sent a 480p version. It's unclear whether you can cancel the movie after it starts playing if you decide the video quality is lower than you’d like.

This should be an interesting test of whether consumers will pay a premium for being able to access movies prior to their release on DVD and Blu-ray—and if so, how much they're willing to spend. Sony is expected to offer other Sony Pictures releases via Internet streams the day-and-date of home video availability. While other TV manufacturers have Internet-connected TVs, Sony is unique in that it also owns a major Hollywood studio.

—James K. Willcox

New chipsets: One winner, one loser

The quest for longer laptop runtimes continues—with mixed results, according to our latest round of laptop tests.

We tested laptops with two new chipsets in our latest Ratings of laptop computers (available to subscribers). Intel's new Centrino 2 promised better battery life with its new technology, and it delivered. Two of the Centrino 2 systems we tested with standard batteries—Sony's VAIO VGN-SR190 and HP's Pavilion dv4t (model information is available to subscribers only)—ran for at least five hours on a charge. That compares with about 4 to 4-3/4 hours at best on prior versions of Intel's dual-core processors. Centrino 2 systems also offered very good to excellent performance.

But watch out for the price. Adding a Centrino 2 processor to your laptop can boost the price by $100 to $200; the least expensive Centrino 2 model we tested was $900. Of course, if you need the longer battery life, play a lot of 3D games, or do video editing, it might be worth springing for the Centrino 2.

Notebooks based on AMD's latest technology, however, didn't fare as well. They were slower than Centrino 2 systems, and battery life was shorter too, lasting about 3 hours or less.

If you're in the market for a new desktop computer just for basic tasks like e-mail, word processing, and Web surfing, a machine with the Pentium Dual-Core processor should suffice, and will cost a lot less. For example, the Dell Inspiron 530, now priced at a mere $400, offers good performance and features, very good ergonomics, 2GB of RAM, and 128MB of video memory.

If you're looking for more, check our latest Ratings of desktops computers and Ratings of laptops. (Ratings are available to subscribers only.)

—Donna Tapellini

Buffalo Tech's Shinobi: An extremely thin external hard drive

Portable external hard drives are my laptop's best friends. Although my personal notebook has a (once-more-than-adequate) 160-GB drive, often times I've found myself running out of digital storage space—especially for the huge high-definition video files I need to transfer from my HD camcorder to my computer for editing.

I already have several "pocket-sized" external hard drives to help manage critical back-ups as well as off-load some of the larger, completely-edited video files from my notebook. And it's a hassle to remember to tote those drives on long, weekend video shoots. But at a recent press event, I saw perhaps one of the smallest USB-powered drives that would be simple to carry—and doesn't skimp on digital storage space.

Buffalo Tech's "Shinobi" (a Japanese term closely tied to "ninjas" and "one skilled in the art of stealth," according to Wikipedia) is a scant 5-mm (0.2-inches) thick and weighs a mere two ounces.

The official press release pictures (Click on them for closer looks.) don't convey how truly "stealthy" the Shinobi is—especially when compared to more conventional USB external drives. But it's about the size and heft of a small stack of business cards, which is a form factor usually associated with external memory devices that use flash memory.

The Shinobi uses a 1.8-inch disk drive, similar to the hard drive found in the super-slim MacBook Air, said a Buffalo spokesperson at the press event. And drive makers (such as Toshiba) are ramping up capacities of both tiny 1.8-inch hard drives as well as solid-state flash memory devices to 250-GB or more, rivaling the storage space found in traditional PCs.

The Google Phone, at last

T-Mobile unveiled yesterday the world's first cell phone to run on Google's Android operating system, a modified version of the Linux operating system used on a small, but growing number of computers, set-top boxes, and other devices. Android's claim to fame is that its "open" architecture will encourage a broad community of software developers to create applications that run on the phone. We shall see.

The phone itself, called the T-Mobile G1 and made by HTC, will be available on October 22 at $179, including a 2-year contract. It's a touch-screen model that features a bright, 3.17-in display, a slide-out full QWERTY keyboard, built-in Wi-Fi, and a 3.2-megapixel camera. It's also one of the few phones that supports T-Mobile's fledgling 3G data network. Emphasizing Web connectivity, the phone comes preloaded with a full HTML version of the Safari Web browser and icons for launching—not surprisingly—Google Maps, YouTube, and easy access to Google Mail as well as other POP3 and IMAP e-mail services. You can easily flag, delete or move groups of messages and keep track of group conversations through threaded text messaging.

The phone (click on the image for a closer look) is a tad on the bulky side, measuring 4.60 in. x 2.16 in.  x 0.62 in.; it weighs a hefty 5.6 ounces. The claimed talk time is an unimpressive 5 hours. But the G1 does have an intriguing array of features, including a GPS-assisted internal compass that aligns Google Maps with the surrounding terrain, regardless of the phone's position. The G1 supports T-Mobile Hotspot @Home service that automatically switches the phone from the cell network to "free" VoIP service whenever it's in Wi-Fi range at home or when you're out.

Palin's hacked e-mail: Lessons to learn

Republican vice-president candidate Sarah Palin learned a lesson that many of us often forget: The Web isn't safe.

A hacker was able to get into Governor Palin's Yahoo Mail account through the "reset password" feature, which allows users to retrieve or change their login password if the user can confirm their identity with personal information—their birthday, spouse's name, etc. As some news outlets have reported, Palin's cyber-attacker was able to easily fool Yahoo by finding such information about the politician online.

But a word of warning: Celebrities and politicians aren't the only ones who are vulnerable to such hacker tricks. With an increasing number of people posting personal information on Web sites such as Facebook, MySpace and blogs, nearly anyone can fall victim to such online account hijacks. One security expert noted how he used such trickery on a friend (with permission) to successfully gain access to that person's e-mail—and many other online services, such as that person's bank accounts. (Read his account, "How I Stole Someone’s Identity," on Scientific American.)

To avoid becoming a victim like Sarah Palin, follow these simple tips:

DTV converter boxes: See what you need

Judging by the number of comments we keep receiving about DTV converter boxes on Consumer Reports' Electronics Blog, it seems many consumers are still confused about DTV set-top boxes—and the transition to digital TV, in general.

We produced a new online video guide to DTV converter boxes that should help those who are using their $40 government-issued coupons to shop for DTV boxes. You can watch the 5-minute-long video by clicking on the embedded player at right.

We also have more, free information about the DTV transition—including our latest Ratings of DTV converter boxes—at ConsumerReports.org. You can find further help in the digital TV transition section of Consumer Reports discussion forums on Electronics and Computers.

Have a question about DTV converter boxes or the digital TV transition you'd like to see answered? Leave a comment here on our Electronics Blog.

—Paul Eng

Watch out for Twitter nitwits

Beware: There's a rash of cyberspace attackers trying to plant a "bot" or some other sort of malware on your PC. They've graduated from email-based exploits to the use of "Web 2.0" social networking sites to do their dirty work. Twitter is the most recent example. Here's how it works:

Logging into Twitter, you get a request, maybe in a foreign language, to "follow" another user. But the sender's real intent is to get you to click on an enticing web link in the message, purportedly to view a photo or video. You click on it, and a message pops up telling you that you need a "Flash update" to view the video, with a convenient web link to the file. You run the self-installing file, which... you guessed it, installs a malware program on your PC.

This kind of attack isn't new. What's novel, and what changes the demographic, is the "vector" being a social-networking site. We strongly recommend everyone practice—and promote to others who may not understand the danger—the safe computing practices we outline in our cyber-security section.

We'd add that you should be aware of new "social engineering" tricks like this one, that cloak malware payloads inside a process that seems innocent, but ends in that most perilous of actions: your approving installation of malware.

—Dean Gallea

Report from CEDIA: Next-gen TVs come into focus

What's the next big thing in the fast-changing HDTV market? I'm in Denver this week at a trade show called CEDIA (Custom Electronic Design & Installers Association) to find out. Much of the focus is on pricey gear that needs to be custom-installed by a dealer, but manufacturers usually give us a glimpse of key trends and new products likely to make their way into the mainstream next year.

Here are a few things I expect to see:

LCD's 120Hz technology jumps to 240Hz

In the LCD TV arena, 120Hz technology—which essentially doubles the TV's frame rate to help reduce motion blur—has become a popular new feature. I expect to see several leading manufacturers, including Sony and Samsung, showcase new TVs with 240Hz technology, presumably with the belief that if doubling the frame rate is great, quadrupling it will be spectacular.

Sony has said it will offer two 240Hz models—the 46-inch KDL-46W1 and 40-inch KDL-40W1 in Japan by the end of the year. Based on my conversion of the price in yens, those sets will sell for about $3,700 and $2,700, respectively, but there's no word yet on arrival here in the U.S. At a recent European trade show called IFA, Samsung showed a prototype set that won't arrive for a few more years.

Issues with Dish's DTVPal DTV converters?

Several blog posts have indicated there might be some firmware or software issues with Dish's DTVPal DTV converter causing them to malfunction. We contacted the company to see if they were aware of any problems. The company confirmed that a "small minority of boxes" have such issues, and that starting Friday, Aug. 29, affected consumers can call the toll-free number listed in the manual (1-888-638-9912) to exchange their box for a new one. You'll need to have your receipt handy, and you'll get a new box within 90 days. You'll have to pay for shipping the box back, but there's no additional shipping charges to receive the new one.

Some readers who are not Dish satellite TV subscribers have also indicated they've had difficulty receiving customer service, as they are prompted for their subscriber account number. Dish says that it is training its customer-service reps to handle issues regardless of whether a DTVPal owner is a Dish subscriber.

We also asked whether the $40 Dish TR-40 CSA DTV converter, which started shipping this month, might have some of the same issues. Dish tells us that TR-40 boxes have updated software, so there shouldn't be any issues. We hope to test one the TR-40 shortly, but as far as we know, it is functionally identical to the DTVPal.

If you will be exchanging your DTVPal for a new one, let us know how your experience goes.

—James K. Willcox

Nikon D90: The first D-SLR that records video

Camcorders, look out! Nikon announced yesterday its D90, a digital SLR camera that promises to do things that no point-and-shoot digital camera or even non-professional camcorder can.

Nikon says the D90 (Click on the image at right for a closer look) records both high-definition (720p) and standard-definition video using interchangeable lenses, while taking advantage of numerous other SLR benefits, among them low-light sensitivity, fast continuous shooting, and high-capacity batteries. Nikon says the D90 will be available sometime in September and list for $999 (camera body only) or $1,299 (with lens).

A few highlights:

• With a D90, you can shoot videos using many of Nikon's lenses such as its fish-eye and macro lenses, for the same creative control you get with stills. For example, with some lenses, you should be able to reduce the camera's depth of field enough that, when shooting video, the subject stands out because the background is noticeably out of focus.


• Because the D90 uses an image sensor very similar to the one found on the Nikon D300 (model information available to subscribers), you should be able to shoot decent quality video or still images in very low light without a flash. The D300 is the only model in our Ratings of digital SLRs (available to subscribers) able to capture, in low-light, images good enough to enlarge, even when set as high as ISO 3200. (Most SLRs can do so only up to ISO 800 or less, our tests found.) It was also one of only three SLRs with excellent overall image quality and dynamic range.

Ratings of DTV converter boxes: New models added

We've updated our exclusive Ratings of DTV converter boxes, which now cover 24 of the 50 or so models now available. New arrivals include a box with the best picture quality we've seen so far, another that has the first VCR timer we've encountered, and several boxes with analog pass-through. (Read the latest update to our DTV converter box guide for more information, including free access to the DTV converter box Ratings.)

Prices for tested models range from about $50 to $90. (Prices are what we paid. Some readers have reported that they've found different, sometimes higher, prices.) You can use a $40 government coupon to defray the cost. Call 888-DTV-2009 or go to www.DTV2009.gov to request one or two coupons; you'll also find a list of online retailers there. Visit our guide to the digital TV transition, free to all visitors, for more complete information on the digital TV switchover and DTV converter boxes.

The Channel Master CM-7000 was tops for picture quality. It's among the first boxes to have an S-video output, which can deliver better picture quality than a composite-video or RF out. It's pricey, though, at $80. The Apex DT250 also has an S-video out, though its picture quality didn't quite match the Channel Master's. Older TVs don't have an S-video input output, so you'd have to use either the composite-video or RF input output.

With a run-of-the-mill TV set, it might be hard to appreciate the incremental improvement in picture quality offered by the top performers. Converter boxes that are a step down in picture quality provide better video than most analog sets and might be perfectly satisfactory.

The Dish Network DTVPal, $60, has both a VCR timer and analog pass-through, as does its brandmate, the TR-40 CRA, which is available in limited quantities for $40. (It arrived too late to be included in this latest update to our DTV converter box guide.) The timer will change the channel on the box so your VCR can automatically record from different channels. Analog pass-through enables a box to feed your TV analog signals as well as digital signals converted to analog. Other tested models with this feature are the Philco TB100HH9, Magnavox TB100MG9 (seen above), and Digital Stream DTX9950. (See our "How to choose: DTV converter boxes" for more information that will help you decide which DTV box features are right for your needs.)

As in our first round of tests, all tested models converted broadcast digital signals from our rooftop antenna into analog signals that an older TV can accept, with decent picture and sound quality. They also performed comparably in their ability to pull in digital stations. The number of digital channels that will be available to you depends on how many stations broadcast digitally in your area, the distance from your home, your antenna, and whether trees or other obstructions block the signals.

Champing at the (64) bit

For years, mainstream PC processors have been capable of calculating 64 bits (binary digits) at a time, an advancement over 32 bits that can potentially speed up some applications—like gaming and photo editing—and allow the PC to use virtually unlimited memory space. Apple PCs running Mac OS 10.5 already have full support for 64-bit operation. But, so far, Windows PCs marketed to consumers have overwhelmingly been equipped with only a 32-bit version of Windows Vista. Well, no more.

New PCs from Gateway and HP that we recently tested for our Latest Ratings of desktop computers (available to subscribers) are only sold with the 64-bit version of Windows Vista Home Premium. Why? The main reason, we think, is that they are equipped with more than the 3 GB of memory (RAM) that the 32-bit version of Vista can use. Moving to 64-bit memory addressing allows PC makers to equip desktops and laptops with (ultimately) many times more RAM than before—potentially 8,192 GB. This will usher in a new generation of applications with enormous memory-usage capabilities, improving performance in such areas as home-video editing.

But there are downsides to 64-bit computing.

Ratings: Bluetooth headsets for one and all (ears)

You see it more frequently now. That sharp-dressed man or woman walking down the street, talking, wildly gesturing and maybe even laughing hysterically—with seemingly no one around them.

Blame it on Bluetooth technology.

Wireless headsets are becoming much more affordable and shrinking in size so they're barely noticeable. But Bluetooth headsets are doing more than making cell phone users appear to be (apparently) talking to themselves. They're letting mobile music listeners cut the cord as well.

Consumer Reports has just posted updated Ratings of Bluetooth headsets (available to subscribers). Tested headsets ranged from $30 to more than $100 for the smaller, inconspicuous types. But among those 25 new models, four are stereo headsets for use with phones that have built-in music players.

They're usually heavier than mono headsets, but some of the stereo models (such as the Jabra BT3030, seen at right) feature a wireless remote control, eliminating the need to fumble with your cell phone's MP3 player buttons.

If you're in the market for a wireless headset, check out our latest Bluetooth headset Ratings report to see how mono and stereo wireless headsets fared in our tests. Our Quick Recommendations (available to subscribers) highlight our top picks.

And if you're new to the world of wireless walking and talking, be sure to read our wireless headset buying advice which will help you choose the right model for your needs.

Free TV—on your cell phone?

Here's an interesting story from the Associated Press this morning regarding television on cell phones.

U.S. TV broadcasters are working on a new standard (called ATSC-M/H) that will allow cell phones (and other mobile devices) to receive and display over-the-air digital TV signals, which nearly all stations will be using by February 2009 as part of the transition to DTV.

TV on your cell phone isn't entirely new. U.S. cell phone service providers have been offering—for extra monthly fees—TV "channels" (such as ESPN and CNN) on certain model phones, like the Samsung SCH-u620 (Verizon), the LG Vu (AT&T) and the Samsung Instinct (Sprint Nextel). In fact, "live" TV is one of the Instinct's jazzy features that make it a much more entertaining touch-screen phone than the iPhone. (See our "head-to-head" match-up, "iPhone 3G vs. Instinct," and video for more information.)

But such services aren't beamed directly to the phones, but carried via the carrier's cellphone network. By potentially cutting out the carrier as middleman, ATSC-M/H would potentially allow next-generation mobile devices to receive free digital TV. (Like current "off-the-air" analog broadcasts, the new "free TV" service could be supported by advertisers.)

Many Banks Don't Follow Safe Web Practices

Robbers of old hit up banks because, obviously, that's where the money was. Today's cyberthieves are no different, so financial institutions' Web sites have high security requirements.

Yet three engineers at the University of Michigan found plenty of flaws in banks' online security. One alarming result of their study concerns how banks present log-in pages to users. The study (available if you have Adobe Acrobat installed.) looked at the state of 214 U.S.-based financial institutions in 2006, and found that 47 percent of those banks ask users to log in on non-SSL pages. (SSL pages can be distinguished from others because they have an https address and a picture of a lock in the lower bar of the Web page.) That means a cybercriminal could hijack the page and cause the log-in data to be sent elsewhere.

Another notable problem cited was the offer by 31 percent of the institutions to send statements and other sensitive information via e-mail. The danger: Most users don't have secure e-mail.

The study pointed out other security flaws, including "breaks in the chain of trust," where an initial web page is secure but the user is forwarded without notice to an insecure page; posting contact information and security advice on insecure pages, which gives an attacker a chance to forge the page and provide incorrect contact information; and inadequate requirements for strong passwords.

According to the study, 76 percent of the sites exhibited at least one of those security problems, 68 percent had two or more, and 10 percent had all five.

We're hoping that at least some of the sites studied have by now improved their security practices. Meanwhile, you should follow your own list of safe online practices. Take a look at our September cover story, "7 Online Blunders," to find out how to avoid identity theft. For more information about online and computer safety, see our "Special section: Cyber-Insecurity" on ConsumerReports.org. To find the security software you'll need to protect yourself online, check out our latest Ratings of security suites and antiphishing tools. (Ratings are available to subscribers only.)

—Donna Tapellini

Garmin Nuvi 880 takes voice recognition to a new level

Our colleagues in the Cars department have just finished testing the Garmin Nuvi 880, the first GPS navigation unit with a fully-integrated voice recognition system.

An excerpt from the Consumer Reports Cars blog:

“The Garmin Nuvi 880 is a premium, full-featured portable navigation device (PND) with an impressive voice-recognition system. It has a wide vocabulary, enabling the driver to enter destinations and cycle through menus without touching the screen. And it does so in multiple languages. Other devices we have tested with voice recognition still required using the touchscreen to accomplish common tasks and they tended to interrupt conversations like an impatient child… All told, the Garmin Nuvi 880 represents the state of the art.”

In addition to the blog, be sure to check out the Nuvi 880 First Look for a detailed review and watch the accompanying video to see the unit in action.

For other models, see our Ratings of portable GPS navigators (available to subscribers).

LG unveils its BD300 Blu-ray player

As we reported yesterday, at a press event in New York City last night LG Electronics took the wraps off its new BD300 Blu-ray player, which can stream movies and TV shows from the Netflix website directly to a TV.

Also unveiled were two previously announced LCD TVs—the company's first LCD to use LED backlighting, and two additions to the company's "Scarlet" line of highly stylized LCDs. The company also disclosed plans for a national consumer-electronics recycling program.

As we learned yesterday, the BD300 Blu-ray player will be available in the fall, and can stream movies and TV shows from Netflix's online instant-streaming service. Last night, the company filled in a few blanks, saying that it would be priced "well under $500," and that the streamed content would be standard definition. To access content from Netflix, users will have to have a Netflix subscription that starts at $9 per month.

LG's first TV to use LED backlighting with local dimming is the 47LG90 (see image at right), which will be available in September with a $3,600 price tag. The 1080p TV's backlight is broken into 128 sectors, each of which can be controlled individually for improved contrast and energy savings. The sets have a "teardrop" design and blue color accents.

At the event, LG executives introduced two new super-slim Scarlet "sisters": 42- and 47-inch LGX-series LCD models that are just 1.8 inches deep (and unlike Hitachi's new 1.5-inch models, these sets include built-in tuners). Both models—the 42LGX ($2,700) and 47LGX ($3,000)—are 1080p sets that include LG's TruMotion 120Hz technology to help reduce motion blur. The 42-inch set is already available (see image at left), and the 47-incher will hit stores in October. Both bear the trademark Scarlet design scheme of piano-black fronts and all-crimson back panels.

The company also announced a partnership with a company called Waste Management to launch an electronics recycling program that will allow consumers to drop off unwanted or broken CE gear at one of the company's 106 recycling centers. The number of centers, run by its subsidiary, WM Recycle America, will continue to grow, and there will be sites in all 50 states by September, they said. There's no charge for LG-brand goods (LG, GoldStar, or Zenith), while a "modest" fee will be imposed for items from other brands. To find the center closest to you, call a toll free number, 1-877-439-2795.

—James K. Willcox

LCD or plasma? What’s better for watching sports?

If you're buying a new flat-panel TV to watch the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing this month, you might be wrestling with what size and type to get.

We recommend at least a 40-inch or 42-inch set for a main TV used in an average-sized living room. You might want to go larger if you’ll be hosting a crowd or simply prefer a bigger screen. Many rooms can comfortably accommodate a 46- to 50-inch set, and spacious family rooms can handle a 50-plus-inch set.

Both LCD and plasma TVs come in all those sizes, so take your pick. Each has pros and cons. Plasma TVs are better than LCDs at displaying fast-moving images without blurring, a big plus if you watch a lot of sports.

Our video experts can clearly detect motion blur on most LCD sets with test patterns designed to pinpoint the problem, and you might see it when you watch soccer, basketball, and other sports where the cameraman does a lot of fast panning. Blurring is also evident when the camera focuses on a swinging tennis racket or a moving ball. You're less likely to see it on movies and TV shows where there is little camera motion. Some newer LCD models include 120 Hz technology, which essentially doubles the TV's frame rate to help improve motion-handling. We've seen a visible reduction in motion blur on those TVs.

The viewing angle is another major consideration. With most LCD TVs, the picture degrades to some extent if you sit off to the side or on the floor—a likely scenario if you have a bunch of people rooting on their favorite athletes. A few new LCD sets have addressed this problem—several Panasonic models we've tested for example, have a viewing angle that rivals a plasma set's—but most still have limitations.

Plasma sets are also better than LCD screens at displaying deep blacks, and they tend to have better contrast, which makes for rich, natural-looking images.

On the other hand, LCD TVs are generally a bit brighter than plasma, and their screens are less reflective, so many look better in bright rooms. Some plasma TVs can look a bit dim in bright lighting when set to the normal or standard mode, which we recommend for home use. You can switch to the vivid mode or raise the brightness control to compensate, but the picture quality might suffer.

Another issue with many plasmas is that the glass screens are subject to reflections and glare. If you have the lights on while watching dark scenes, you might see mirror-like reflections, though the anti-reflective coating on some new plasma sets can reduce glare.

Still, you can’t go too far wrong with either type as long as you buy one of the better sets. Our Ratings of LCD and plasma sets (available to subscribers) highlight specific models that make the most of each display technology, while minimizing the limitations.

—Eileen McCooey

New LG Blu-ray player will stream movies from Netflix

Viewers seeking easy access to prerecorded movies and TV shows will soon have a new option: LG says its next high-def DVD player, the BD300 Network Blu-ray Player, can stream content from the Netflix website directly to their TVs.

The BD300, which will be available this fall, requires a broadband connection to access the Netflix website. Using the player's remote co