New Gadget 2011

The Q677 has a gorgeous, glossy-coated widescreen, but its resolution (1.280-by-800) is poor for a 15.4-inch media laptop. Also, its 2-GHz AMD Tarion 64 X2 TL-60 processor isn't as fast as some on similar systems, and performance was unimpressive. We liked its DVI-I port, 6-in-l card reader, 16OGB hard drive, dual-layer DVD burner, and 2GB of RAM, plus the nVidia GeForce Go 7600 discrete graphics chipset. The 49-Wh battery, however, lasted a mere I hour 19 minutes running down a DVD.

In addition, the Q677 lacks market presence. You can't buy it direct or through retailers, and the only e-shop with this model is NewEgg. For those who can find it, the Q677 represents a full-featured, fair-performing media laptop.

MSI Q677 Crystal Edition: $1,900

The 926 can copy, scan, and print from PictBridge cameras and memory cards. It can scan to e-mail, and, if you have a fax modem, the 926 can scan to its own fax utility on your PC and send the scan as a fax. It lacks an ADF, so you have to load documents one page at a time.

Text printing was below par, even for an ink jet. Small type was full of flaws including broken lines, filled-in loops in letters, and varying line thickness. Graphics were good enough for internal business use, though with visible flaws. Photo output was inconsistent, though okay for snapshots. Dell claims a 100-year lifetime for the 926s photos in dark storage. Prints are fairly resistant to water and smudging. The 926 is a reasonable choice as a low-priced AIO for home, dorm, or home office. It does the job, as long as you don’t need high-quality outputs.

Dell Photo All-In-One Printer 926: $99

Producing a very bright picture, the TV delivered a peak contrast ratio of 1,406:1, an extremely high reading. Unfortunately, the sets fixed backlight managed a less impressive contrast ratio of 317:1, which translates to lighter black levels, especially in low-light conditions. Worse, when showing a selection of film-sourced DVD videos, the N3751w was slow to engage film-mode processing, which caused distracting moiré and flicker artifacts. Ghosting and image smearing was evident in fast-motion scenes. Furthermore, I noticed distracting jagged-edge artifacts when watching interlaced video.

Basically, the ViewSonic N3751w is a tease. Though inexpensive, it lacks the ability to produce a convincing picture in a darkened environment and stumbles when performing common video processing functions.

ViewSonic N3751w: $1,199 list

To take advantage of the devices basic multimedia players, however, you’ll want to upgrade to a 2GB card. There are two features on the Intellinav One that you don’t always find in entry-level GPSs: multisegment routing and text-to-speech, which handily pronounces street names for you.

Finding an address is quite simple, too. As you enter letters, a two-line scroll box shows matching searches. When the complete address has been entered, you can save it as a favorite, show the location on the map, or navigate to the address. On my standard test routes, the Intellinav One created the same routes as did other Navteq-based GPS devices. Boasting an easy-to-use menu system and high-end features, the moderately priced Intellinav One is a solid choice.

Netropa Intellinav One GPS: $349.99 list

The LC-52D92Us 1080p screen is surrounded by a glossy black bezel trimmed in cool chrome accents. A bundled remote features a fully backlit keypad that makes up for its smallish buttons. In addition to three HDMI inputs, the LC-52D92U also provides a DVI- I connection for PC use, an RF input for cable/antenna reception, and two component video inputs.

As far as picture quality goes, color saturation and image detail were good, but I noticed jagged edge artifacts (jaggies ) in objects like folds and creases of clothing. I was impressed, however, with how dark the black bars of letterboxed movies appeared nearly indistinguishable from the displays black bezel. Even better was the measured contrast ratio of 1,426:1one of the best I’ve ever seen.

All in all, the Sharp Aquos LC-52D92U offers superior image contrast resulting in one of the most detailed pictures I’ve seen in a 1080p display. Unfortunately, this exceptional sharpness highlights a weak video processor that created too many jagged edges for my taste.

Sharp Aquos LC-52D92U: $5,299.99