Pros
- Most affordable Chromebook yet
- Decent performance
- Hacker friendly
Cons
- Cheap materials and build quality
- Poor keyboard layout
- Lackluster battery life
Bottom Line
Acer's $199 system certainly wins on price, but it looks and feels extremely cheap. It offers a fast processor at the expense of a poor keyboard layout and lackluster battery life.
Pros
- Stunningly beautiful
- Rigid yet soft
- Customizable padded inserts
Cons
- Expensive
- Side pockets are too stiff
Bottom Line
If you've got the cash, there's hardly a sexier messenger bag out there that caters to your rotating gadget arsenal.
Pros
- Excellent keyboard
- Good port selection
- Wide viewing angles
- Useful tools for businesses
Cons
- Short battery life
- Performance trails without an SSD
- Some trackpad issues
Bottom Line
Lenovo updates a tried-and-true form factor with Windows 8, a bright IPS display and an excellent keyboard. However, longer battery life would have made this a better choice for road warriors.
Pros
- Innovative, comfortable controller
- Backward-compatible with last-gen Wii
- Off-screen play fundamentally changes console gaming
Cons
- Incredibly short battery life on GamePad
- Slow, antiquated UI
- Confusing social functionality
Bottom Line
Nintendo's Wii U is full of promise, but it may have launched prematurely. Longtime gamers will want to snap one up immediately, but mainstream users should wait a few months before diving in.
Pros
- Stunning 1080p IPS display
- Nice build materials
- Thin and light, even for an Ultrabook
- Very fast performance
- Adapters, mouse and case included
Cons
- Short battery life
- Loud fan noise
- Finicky trackpad
Bottom Line
The S7 is Acer's best Ultrabook yet, but it suffers from loud fan noise and notably short battery life.
Pros
- Bright and beautiful 1080p display
- Great build quality
- Huge selection of content
- Inexpensive base data plan
Cons
- Occasional OS stutters
- No access to Google Play
Bottom Line
Amazon's Kindle Fire HD 8.9 is slightly larger and slightly faster than the 7-inch version, but other than optional LTE it doesn't bring much more to the table.
Pros
- Fast speeds
- Impressive battery life
- Good pricing
Cons
- Unreliable touchscreen
- Unnecessary features
- Bulky build
Bottom Line
The MiFi Liberate is a fast and long-lasting mobile LTE hotspot from AT&T;, but its unreliable touchscreen encourages us to either opt for a less-fancy MiFi or tether to a smartphone instead.
Pros
- Exquisite design
- Compact package
- Gorgeous display
Cons
- Weak app ecosystem
- AT&T;'s model offers LTE for the same price
Bottom Line
HTC's 8X is the better WP8 buy on T-Mobile. But at a relatively high $199 on-contract price, it can't outcompete AT&T;'s Lumia 920.
Pros
- Snappy performance
- Exclusive Nokia apps
- Impressive camera
- Excellent call quality
Cons
- High price and poor value
- Text within the browser appears jagged
Bottom Line
The Lumia 810 is a well-rounded smartphone, but it can't compete with the more aggressively-priced Lumia 920.
Pros
- Amazingly versatile design
- Thin and light for a convertible
- Bright, crisp IPS display
Cons
- Jumpy trackpad
- Parts of the keyboard feel cramped
Bottom Line
The Yoga 13's shape-shifting design makes it the most intriguing Windows 8 convertible we've seen. It's not perfect, but it's still a good choice among Ultrabooks.
Pros
- Nice look and feel
- Vibrant display
- Sense should please owners of previous HTC handsets, newcomers to Android
Cons
- Dated specifications
- Occasional performance glitches
Bottom Line
If you're looking to make the leap from featurephone to something a little smarter, this is an ideal stepping stone, but don't be surprised if in 12 months you're wanting to upgrade again.
Pros
- Gorgeous display
- Strong performance
- Durable build quality and elegant design
- Unlocked HSPA+ / GSM radios
Cons
- Short battery life
- HTC removed the microSD slot
Bottom Line
With its display, reasonable price and top-of-the-line components, the Droid DNA is our top choice on Verizon's lineup this holiday season.
Pros
- Jelly Bean brings a lot of fun to photography
- Wide range of connectivity options
- Good stabilization
Cons
- Surprisingly big and heavy
- The 4.8-inch screen drains the battery
- You can find better image quality for the same price
Bottom Line
The Galaxy Camera proves that Android on a point-and-shoot is no gimmick. But until the price drops closer to the level of other compacts, it's not a very practical purchase.
Pros
- Rich display
- Best-in-class stills and video performance
- Incredible value at $100
Cons
- Some softness in photos
- Device feels unwieldy
- App selection still lacking
Bottom Line
It's Nokia's greatest Windows Phone yet, remixed for AT&T.; The Lumia 920 packs a superb screen with great visibility and sensitivity, but the camera gives a mixed performance.
Pros
- Projector works well
- Excellent battery life
- Solid and sturdy build
Cons
- Runs on obsolete build of Android
- Low-end specs don't match professional needs
Bottom Line
Unless you absolutely need a pico projector, there's no reason to splurge on a device with lower-end specs when your money can be best spent elsewhere.