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Toshiba Encore review: an 8-inch Windows tablet that struggles to stand out
Toshiba is no stranger to Windows tablets, but what we've seen to date has typically been targeted at businesses or has otherwise been... limited. In that sense, the Encore is something special. It's not just the company's first 8-inch Windows tablet -- it's the first aimed at a truly broad audience. That said, it faces stiff odds. Acer, Dell, Lenovo and others have comparable slates on the market, in many cases with similar features. Toshiba would have to do something truly out of the ordinary to stand out. And frankly, it doesn't. While the Encore is a worthy device, you'll have to be particularly enamored with its design to ignore its rivals. Read on to see what we mean.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon review (2014): new, but not necessarily improved
Don't call it a business laptop. I mean, you could, but you'd be missing the point: Though the original Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon was technically aimed at corporate users, it was good enough for us to recommend even to regular consumers. That was a year and a half ago, though: In the intervening months, the machine has gone without an update, save for the addition of an optional touchscreen. Finally, though, Lenovo went and refreshed it, bringing it into the modern age with fresh processors, a thinner and lighter design and an ultra-high-res 2,560 x 1,440 screen option. In addition to tweaking the original, though, Lenovo also overhauled the keyboard, adding an "adaptive panel" whose shortcuts change depending on what app you're using (yes, that means the traditional Fn buttons are out). That potentially controversial change aside, this clearly has the makings of another winner... right?
HTC One (M8) review: a great phone, even if no longer a game-changer
The HTC One was one of our favorite smartphones of 2013. It featured a gorgeous industrial design, a fantastic display, great camera and top-of-the-line performance. HTC poured its heart into it, as evidenced by nearly every aspect of the device. The phone exceeded nearly all of our expectations, but that also left a big problem: We now expect history to repeat itself. After all, if the original One was such a great device, its successor should, in theory, be even better, right? Of course it should be. But does this year's version of the One have what it takes? On paper, the answer is yes: It has a larger screen, offers two curious-looking rear camera sensors, boasts an improved version of HTC's Sense UI and features a chassis with even more metal. It appears, then, that there's a lot to love here, but it's difficult to take our breath away twice in a row. Here's what impressed -- and what didn't.
Acer Iconia W4 review: a big upgrade to a small Windows tablet
Acer's Iconia W3 wasn't quite the best introduction to 8-inch Windows tablets; we liked it, but its subpar display and modest performance kept it from being stellar. Give credit to the company for quickly learning from its mistakes, though. Less than a year later, the company has released the Iconia W4, and it fixes those earlier gripes even as the price has dropped below $300 as of this writing. In theory, it's a home run. However, Acer is no longer the only game in town -- the W4 has to compete against a crowd of small Windows slates that promise similar bang for your buck. We think the W4 still fares well in this pack, although it won't always be a dream machine. Read on and you'll understand why.
Garmin Vivofit review: a truly fitness-focused activity tracker
Keep moving. That's the message you'll get from anyone offering up fitness advice these days. It's snappy, simple and probably quite valid. The problem is that it can be hard to quantify how much activity is merely part of our basic existential requirements before we get to the part that counts as extra, life-enhancing exercise. As always, technology to the rescue. On this occasion, it's an activity tracker from a company with heritage in this space: Garmin. The product? The Vivofit fitness tracker.
Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 review: great screen, disappointing battery life
We often tease Samsung about the seemingly arbitrary way it divvies up its tablet offerings -- not content with round numbers, it's released tablets that are 10.1 inches wide instead of 10, 8.9 instead of 9, 7.7 instead of 8, and so on. And so too is the case with the Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4, whose extra 0.4 inch seems unnecessarily tacked on. Yet, this results in a 16:10 aspect ratio that makes it well-suited for watching movies, which makes us willing to forgive its silliness. Plus, even if that weren't enough to sway us, there's so much else to like about Tab Pro 8.4 that the odd screen size is but a minor detail. Indeed, while Samsung released its latest Galaxy Tab Pro line of tablets in both 10.1 and 12.1 inches, it's the 8.4-inch model that's likely to win the hearts of most. Why do I say that? Simple: Portability. Just like the iPad mini with Retina display, the Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 offers a sharp tablet in a travel-friendly form factor. Except, of course, the Tab Pro 8.4 runs Android, and is thus an alternative for those who'd like a premium 8-inch tablet without having to lock themselves into iOS. And that's not all that the tiniest Tab Pro has going for it: The display is pin-sharp; the design is handsome; and the quad-core processor is not to be sneezed at. But at $400, it's not exactly cheap and it's also got some serious competition.
HP Spectre 13 Ultrabook review: a good deal, but with trade-offs
It's already March, dear readers, which means with the exception of this post right here, you're not going to find many laptop reviews on this site. Why? Because Intel's just three months away from launching its next-generation chips and besides, we've reviewed most of the current-gen models anyway. But not HP's. We haven't reviewed a Hewlett-Packard Ultrabook in more than a year. So here we are, picking up where we left off. The company's newest flagship, the Spectre 13, has a metal-clad body, much like the older models we've tested, except it steps up to an optional 2,560 x 1,440 display and an extra-wide touchpad designed to make all those Windows 8 gestures easier to pull off. It also starts at $1,000, making it a good deal cheaper than most of the other models we'll be name-checking throughout the review. So does that make it a good deal?
