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How would you change the iPhone 5?
The iPhone 5 was thinner, lighter and came with a bigger display than its predecessor. There's plenty to like about this handset, even if the Lightning connector broke compatibility with 100 million iDevice accessories. But what we want to know is this: if you had disguised yourself as Jonathan Ive and snuck into Infinite Loop's development labs, what would you have done differently? For instance, your humble narrator would have sacrificed a few more millimeters of thinness in exchange for a bigger battery. After all, those few MMs are a walk in the park compared to hauling a battery sleeve around with you all day. But what about you? Head on over to the forum thread and share your wisdom.
How would you change Vizio's 24-inch All-in-One?
Vizio! Out of nowhere, the budget TV maker emerged with a laptop and desktop combination that earned plenty of sideways glances and praise. When we pulled the company's 24-inch All-in-One desktop into our labs, we found that form had taken too much precedence over function. Yes, it looks gorgeous, but we couldn't say the same about the flaky trackpad and painful keyboard. For $800, it was certainly cheap enough that you could splash out on a replacement keyboard and mouse, but was that too much for your blood? Share your thoughts on our forum thread and let's give Vizio's designers something to think about.
How would you change HP's Envy Spectre XT?
We've always prided ourselves on having a crack team of laptop reviewers, who run the rule over almost every mobile computer available. One that earned a measure of praise was HP's Envy Spectre XT, which addressed plenty of our complaints that we'd lodged against the original Envy 14 Spectre. The only things that remained stuck in our collective craw were the unimpressive battery life and poor audio, but otherwise it received a clean bill of health from us. But now that you've had some time to spend with this hardware, you can share with us what it's been like to live with it on a daily basis. So why not come on down to our forum and dish the dirt?
How would you change Motorola's Droid RAZR M?
Before it became the cuddly face of Google's handset business, Motorola had a knack of knocking out sweet hardware at low prices. The RAZR M, for instance, combined a svelte body, 4.3-inch display and a nippy Snapdragon S4. When you factor in the $99 price point, you can see that, while it won't have excited spec-hounds, mainstream users would find much to like in the package -- kinda like the Moto X in that regard. When we reviewed it, we showered it with praise for those reasons, but now that you've had some time to get to know this handset, were we right? Share your experiences on the forum.
How would you change Amazon's Kindle Fire HD (7-inch)?
Amazon's second-generation Kindle Fire arrived with a revamped design, excellent display and stereo sound. For all of these plus points, however, our reviewer's single objection was the same that it's always been. The Kindle Fire is less of a tablet and more of a Trojan Horse, a way to keep the Amazon catalog sandwiched between your hands at all times. If you can ignore that issue then it's a perfectly fine device, albeit one that couldn't topple the first-generation Nexus 7 as our Android tablet of 2012. The question, therefore, is what did you think of the Kindle Fire HD? Head on over to our forum and speak your brains.
How would you change Canon's EOS-1D X?
A $7,000 camera may only share a border with the mainstream gadgets we normally discuss on How Would You Change, but it's one that's worth bending a rule to discuss here. In the hands of our reviewer, we learned that Canon's EOS-1D X wasn't compelling enough to convince 1Ds Mk. III users to switch, but when it comes to such luxurious cameras, the 5D Mark III was the better and cheaper choice overall. That was his finding, at least -- but what about you all? Share your experiences shooting with this gear in our forum discussion. And for a primer on how to get started, check out our guide to the new Engadget.
How would you change Acer's Aspire V5?
11-inch laptops are tricky beasts, purely because the compromises that make them so portable are almost always the ones that mean you're better off with a 13-incher. That's why our reviewer was impressed with Acer's Aspire V5, a laptop that managed to navigate between the pitfalls and produce a robust and reasonably priced model that should have satisfied plenty of you out there. The question that we're asking, you see, is that now that you've had time to use this hardware, what did you think of it?
How would you change Toshiba's Satellite U845?
When you're building a laptop to a price point, there's a fine line between success and failure. Take the Toshiba Satellite U845, an Ultrabook priced at the reasonably slender $750. When we placed it in the hands of our resident laptop critic, she found that the tasteful, pleasing design and sturdy performance were more than enough to offset the meager specs or shallow keyboard. So, now that you've had more than enough time to go out and use this piece of kit, why not share with us what it's been like for you?
How would you change Samsung's Galaxy Note 10.1?
When Samsung announced the Galaxy Note 10.1, everyone at Engadget was intrigued. Even more so, when the company postponed the launch for a radical redesign, a "predesign," if you will. When it arrived, it had the potential to be a Wacom-beater, a graphics tablet that you worked wherever you could and had the power to match. When handed to our critic, however, he found that the unit was priced around $100 higher than it should have been, with a set-up that screamed "enthusiast" rather than "mainstream." The question is, brothers and sisters, if your experiences with the Galaxy Note 10.1 have been better or worse than his? Share your stories in the comments below.
How would you change Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 Carbon?
We have to admit, we've been looking forward to this week's How Would You Change entrant for quite a while. Having reviewed a carbon fiber notebook ourselves, your humble narrator was very curious to see how Lenovo's ThinkPad Carbon X1 fared out in the real world. In the hands of our reviewer, the only real objection we had was its high cost, not to mention a battery life that didn't blow us away. But what did you think? We imagine plenty of you grabbed this hardware with both hands, so pop into the comments section and share your experiences with it.
How would you change ASUS' Zenbook Prime UX31A?
Welcome to How Would You Change, the segment where we pick over the bones of a device we've already reviewed to discuss if our impressions matched your real-world experiences. This week, it's ASUS' Zenbook Prime UX31A, which we said had striking design and great performance. The downsides, of course, was that it had a lackluster trackpad and a slender battery compared to the Samsung Series 9 or MacBook Air. But was our esteemed critic correct in their assumption? This is where you get to share your personal tales on what living with the Zenbook is like, so gather around and let's talk in the comments below.
How would you change Vizio's Thin + Light (14-inch, 2012)?
When Vizio announced that it was making laptops, people flooded our inbox demanding we review the Vizio Thin + Light (14-inch, 2012). After all, the company's reputation for undercutting rivals with quality hardware meant that its debut entry had to be taken seriously. Out of the gate, it won points for us for its cracking build quality and amazing display, but lost marks for a bad trackpad, keyboard and short battery life. In the end, we couldn't recommend this device, but we bet plenty of you went for it anyway. In which case, you'll be expertly placed to tell us, after a few months of use on this thing, what would you change about it?
How would you change Parrot Zik by Starck?
Here on How Would You Change, we rarely delve into the complex world of audio, but for the Parrot Zik by Starck, we're relaxing this policy. Considering its illustrious creator and bundled technology, this isn't your average pair of Bluetooth cans. When we reviewed it, we found that imperfect audio and limited Bluetooth functionality stopped us showering it with praise, but the two editors who reviewed it both ran out and bought their own pairs. What does that say to you? Let's imagine that Philippe Starck took ill and they drafted you in to design version two: what would you do differently?
How would you change Acer's Aspire S5?
Were Acer's Aspire S5 an episode of Friends, it'd be "The One With the Motorized Port Cover," and if you've ever seen an episode of Thunderbirds, then you'll know how satisfying it is to watch the mechanized housing in action. Still, was this device worth $1,400 just for the excuse to hum this music while you wait for a USB slot to become available? When it was placed in front of our reviewer, they found that Acer had spent all of its money on gimmicks instead of good build quality, a better display and a better battery life. But for all of you out there, what is your take on this hardware? What did you like, what did you hate, and if the company wanted to hire you to be its next laptop designer, what would you change?
How would you change Samsung's Series 7 Gamer?
Can mainstream companies produce hardware that'll compete with specialist game rigs? That was certainly the idea behind Samsung's Series 7 Gamer, a laptop designed to muscle in on Alienware's patch. When we reviewed it, we found that performance more than lived up to the hype. Even its average speakers and tiny trackpad couldn't detract from that, or its "gorgeous" display. Still, did you own one? If so, share your experiences on it, you never know -- Samsung might even be reading.
How would you change Motorola's Atrix HD?
It's that time of the weekend when we encourage you to settle down with a strong pot of coffee, grab a pencil and pretend that you're a smartphone designer. This week's entrant is Motorola's Atrix HD, a $99 bargain-basement device that launched on AT&T before Motorola's Google-infused revolution. With solid performance and RAZR-esque hardware, it looked like a slam-dunk for budget customers, but were they turned off by its meager 5-hour battery life? More than likely. So, what would you have done differently had you been sat in the driving seat? Share your ideas with us below.
How would you change HP's Envy Sleekbook 6z?
HP's range of thin-and-light notebooks like the Sleekbook 6z were designed to undercut the Ultrabook with cheaper internals. However, when the base model retails for around $600 and a bone-fide Ultrabook isn't that much more expensive, was there any point to this device? When we reviewed it, we found that the performance was sluggish and there was a finicky touchpad that detracted from its comfortable keyboard and decent battery life. So, let's imagine that Meg Whitman invited you to design the follow-up, tell us, how would you change it?
How would you change LG's Optimus Vu?
When Samsung's Galaxy Note launched, it was treated as an enthusiast device, which would never gain mainstream popularity due to its hulking size. Of course, given the staggering popularity of the device (and its successors), it wasn't long before other companies sought to steal a piece of the action. LG's Optimus Vu was one such contender, packing a 5-inch display and a stylus but, and it's a big but, was hobbled from the get go. You see, LG didn't bother to integrate the stylus into the software, didn't offer an internal holster for the wand and committed the cardinal sin of shipping a 2012 smartphone with Gingerbread. What we want to know is: did you buy one? And if so, what, if anything would you change?
How would you change Lenovo's IdeaTab S2109?
In stark contrast to its PC lineup, Lenovo's tablet offerings are often the wrong side of exciting. The IdeaTab S2109, for instance, arrived with little fanfare or enthusiasm, and little to make it stand out from the rest of the mid-range 10-inch tablet crowd. Unfortunately, the day-to-day experience was similarly underwhelming, thanks to its middling chip, short battery life and dodgy design decisions. So, instead, let's close our eyes and imagine what we'd have done if Lenovo had asked us to craft its next tablet. What would you do? Tell us in the comments below.
How would you change Sony's Vaio T13?
When a company first enters the Ultrabook space, you don't expect perfection, but you'd hope a company like Sony could deliver. The Vaio T13, the company's first Intel-approved thin-and-light, was priced at under $800, blending a low price with a sturdy chassis and reasonable performance. However, (you knew one was coming, right?) the Vaio's flat keyboard and odd spacing made our reviewer's fingers ache -- and that's not what you need from any laptop. This, therefore, is How Would You Change, a strand where you get to play amateur device designer and share your thoughts on what you'd have done better.
