It’s the end of the year, and we’ve covered a lot of ground in the last 12 months, much of it with snarky reviews. Let’s look back, shall we, at a handful of these reviews, just for fun. We’ve seeen phones, cameras, iPods, cases, and combinations thereof. These items we liked (usually), and we think you’ll like them, too. The rest can be found here or here.
Ultimate Ears Super.fi 4vi: the review
While the iPhone has many problems, we’re only going to focus on one: Apple’s crazy decision to use a recessed headphone jack; a decision that, without a clunky adapter, rendered useless every decent set of headphones out there. And even with the adapter, your headphones have no mic or toggle button, which is one of the coolest things of the iPhone. It was a conundrum of epic proportions.
Six months out, however, we have some options.
While I’m not one for trapping my electronics in cases myself, I know that I’m in the minority. Your iPod will get dropped, dirty, and damp, some protective armor of some sort is in order. And if you’re an iPhone user, then protecting your fragile investment is important, and DLO has you covered, too.
The Touch by HTC is hands down one of the best devices I’ve used in the past two years. That says a lot considering the number of devices that roll through the CrunchGear offices. But to each his own, I say. The Touch has been an integral part of my stay in the Bay Area and has saved me on more than one occasion.
When I got the LX last week, I wasn’t sure I would enjoy it. After all, I had already abandoned the SK3 and SK ID for the charming animations of the iPhone. So what if the iPhone didn’t have native AIM on the iPhone — there were a few apps that kind of worked. So what if the iPhone didn’t have a solid, real keyboard. I could handle that. So what if the iPhone wasn’t one of the best casual messaging phones on the market?
For those of you who might not know, the Centro is Palm’s follow-up to the popular Treo line of smartphones. Features-wise, it’s pretty similar. The Centro takes the Treo’s aged form-factor up to a more modern level. The Centro isn’t the smallest smartphone out there, but it competes nicely.
The Helio Ocean marks a sea change in the evolution of MVNOs. Previously allotted for a limited demographic, the Ocean signals a significant market expansion for the cellco youngster Helio. Aimed directly at the Sidekick crowd, the Ocean could be poised to erode some of T-Mobile’s bountiful cache of hip youngsters with cash to liquidate for cool technologies.
For the past year, I’ve spent time with numerous Casio digital cameras. The Exilim series has proven to be an excellent blend of both value and performance. A fantastic camera at a low price if you will. But camera after camera, Casio didn’t really do much to change the design of each model. At one point, the difference between a 10.1-megapixel camera and a 6-megapixel camera was virtually undetectable (well, except for the megapixel thing). But with the release of the EX-Z75, Casio has tried something new. The unit I received has a new design, a bright blue paint job, and a new UI to play with. Has Casio finally taken a step forward?
If you know someone who wants an iPhone, don’t get it for them. Instead get them the fantastic — yes, fantastic — iPod Touch. The iPhone, design and interface aside, is a crappy cellphone. No, it is. When I first got mine, I said, “If they can find a way to take out the phone part, I’d be in love.” They did that, and so dubbed it the iPod Touch.