Kobo

Kobo Aura

$150

Pros

  • Great build quality for an e-reader
  • Best-in-class frontlighting
  • Integration with Pocket

Cons

  • Expensive
  • Touchscreen can be unresponsive

Bottom Line

Kobo's built a terrific e-reader, but the high price is tough to justify.

Lenovo

Lenovo IdeaTab A1000

$160

Pros

  • Sturdy design
  • Good sound quality

Cons

  • Subpar display
  • Software update unlikely
  • Sluggish performance, some hiccups

Bottom Line

With the IdeaTab A1000, Lenovo focused on audio quality, but the device's poor performance and disappointing display are a letdown.

Sprint

HTC 8XT

$100 (on contract)

Pros

  • BoomSound audio experience better than most
  • Fun design
  • Comes with latest build of WP8
  • Removable SIM and external memory slot

Cons

  • Display not as good as its predecessor or competition

Bottom Line

As a modified version of last year's 8X, the 8XT is a decent upgrade for Sprint customers using Windows Phone 7, but it won't persuade anyone to switch carriers or change platforms.

OLPC

OLPC XO Tablet

$149

Pros

  • Attractive Yves Béhar-designed case
  • Rugged design well-suited to kids
  • Around 150 apps included
  • Access to Google Play for downloading more apps

Cons

  • Expensive for a kid's device
  • Uneven app selection

Bottom Line

One Laptop Per Child's first commercial product comes loaded with software, but the quality of the apps is uneven and the price is high for what's essentially a kid's toy.

Sony

Sony Xperia Z Ultra

$700+ (unlocked)

Pros

  • Beautiful display
  • Sleek, gorgeous design
  • Waterproof
  • Powerful performance

Cons

  • Awkward to hold
  • No camera flash
  • Battery life is decent, but doesn't live up to expectations

Bottom Line

The Z Ultra is a powerful phone with a great display, but your purchase decision will ultimately depend on the price and how well the phone fits in your hand.

Verizon

Motorola Droid Ultra

$199 (on contract)

Pros

  • Solid performance for a mid-range phone
  • Great firmware and useful features
  • Impressive battery life

Cons

  • Priced too high
  • Fingerprint magnet
  • Feels redundant on Verizon's lineup

Bottom Line

The Motorola Droid Ultra is a good phone, but it's a mid-range device that's priced too high and doesn't offer any benefits that you won't already find on the Moto X.

TiVo

TiVo Roamio Pro

$599

Pros

  • Very fast performance
  • Six tuners
  • Now comes with an RF remote
  • Out-of-home streaming now an option

Cons

  • No HDMI-CEC
  • Can be pricey with lifetime service
  • Out-of-home streaming isn't always smooth
  • Upgrading from an old TiVo is still tedious

Bottom Line

The new TiVo Roamio addresses almost every major complaint we had previously. In short, it's most definitely the TiVo you've been waiting for.

Withings

Withings Pulse

$100

Pros

  • Small and unobtrusive
  • Excellent battery life

Cons

  • Heart rate tracking will be a gimmick for most
  • Rubberized coating chips easily
  • Companion app offers little in the way of motivation

Bottom Line

Withings has crafted an excellent piece of hardware that might actually beat the Fitbit One at its own game. We just wish the company would add more motivational tools to its companion app.

Toshiba

Toshiba Excite Write

$600

Pros

  • Unskinned Android
  • Wacom digitizer responds well to pen input
  • One of few 2,560 x 1,600 tablets

Cons

  • Display shows muted colors
  • Awkward speaker placement
  • Uneven performance

Bottom Line

Toshiba's Excite Write reads well on paper, but its execution leaves a lot to be desired. Consumers are better off spending that $600 elsewhere.

Digital Storm

Digital Storm Veloce

$1,284+

Pros

  • Brilliant 1,920 x 1,080 display
  • Fast, powerful
  • Portable design

Cons

  • Stiff keyboard
  • Some build quality issues
  • Battery life short compared to the competition
  • Disappointing audio

Bottom Line

The Clevo-based Veloce is a powerful, affordable gaming portable, but weak speakers, a bleeding backlight and short battery life keep it from being a home run.

Motorola

Moto X

$199 (on contract)

Pros

  • Long battery life
  • Useful Active Display notification previews
  • Easy to activate Quick Capture mode
  • Smooth overall performance

Cons

  • Moto Maker restricted to AT&T;
  • On-contract pricing should be lower

Bottom Line

The Moto X hits a sweet spot with its user-friendly, always-on software features. At $199, though, it's priced a bit too high for a mid-range phone.

Acer

Acer Aspire S7-392

$1,450+

Pros

  • Nice build materials
  • Great viewing angles
  • Fast performance, longer battery life
  • Improved touchpad
  • Now runs quietly

Cons

  • Enormous power brick
  • No 2,560 x 1,440 option in the US
  • Power button is difficult to press
  • Expensive for what it is

Bottom Line

The second time's a charm for Acer: the company's refreshed S7 Ultrabook addresses all the things we disliked about the original. Just be prepared to pay a premium over competing laptops with similar specs.

Acer

Acer Liquid E2

£180

Pros

  • Inexpensive
  • Stock Android
  • Sturdy build
  • Decent battery life

Cons

  • Subpar camera
  • Poor sound, weak call quality
  • Mediocre performance

Bottom Line

The Liquid E2 is a decent handset for casual users, offering good battery life and stock Android. Just make sure you've lowered your expectations before taking the plunge.

Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0

$300

Pros

  • Crisp, bright display
  • Slim design
  • Runs Android 4.2

Cons

  • Glitchy performance
  • Unremarkable compared to competitors

Bottom Line

The Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 features a nice display and a slim design, but it's otherwise a forgettable device.

NVIDIA

NVIDIA Shield

$300

Pros

  • Fast and powerful
  • Gorgeous screen
  • Excellent media player
  • Impressive battery life

Cons

  • Heavy, not very portable
  • Gamepad needs work, thumbsticks too low

Bottom Line

The Shield is a pleasant surprise and quite an impressive device. It's not the portable console you're looking for, but it's also so much more than that.