quality

Just because a phone doesn't cost an arm and a leg doesn't mean you should settle for shoddy call quality.

In fact, we know of several high-end smartphones that bulk up with features while audio clarity suffers, proving once again that there's no correlation between the price tag and a satisfying calling experience.

With that in mind, here are six straightforward feature phones that produced great-sounding calls during our tests.

Call quality is ephemeral and ever-changing, so we can't promise that the high standards we experienced during tests conducted in San Francisco will duplicate wherever you … Read more

Updated at 2:00 p.m. with additional information from Google.

Google has added a new option in the labs section of Gmail that lets users pump up the quality in video chats.

The new setting, dubbed "video chat enhancements," ups not only the size of the video chat window, but its resolution too. The difference in size between the old and the new is considerable, both in the window of the person you're talking to, and the preview of your Webcam that appears in the bottom right-hand corner.

Here's a before and after:

Here also … Read more

Mobile phone customers thinking of switching to a different carrier are pinning the blame on dropped calls, which have grown over the past six months, according to a new survey from J.D. Power and Associates.

For its survey, the market researcher questioned wireless customers across the U.S. to gauge the quality of cell phone calls. The study focused on different types of call problems, including dropped calls, static or interference, failed calls on the first attempt, voice distortion, no immediate voicemail notification, and no immediate text message notification.

Among those surveyed, 14 percent said they definitely or probably … Read more

As we're fond of saying, even the fanciest cell phones aren't worth much if they can't make a decent call. And though we've always included a subjective analysis of a handset's call quality in our reviews, we realize that you have to trust our opinion. After all, you're not on on the phone with us, so you're not going to know how the handset really sounds until you try it.

Yet, that's about to change. Starting this week, CNET will include audio clips in our smartphone reviews so you can hear a … Read more

Editors' note: This post was updated at 11 a.m. June 10, 2010, to correct the information about the unlimited data plan for existing customers, which they can choose to keep when upgrading to the iPhone 4.

Last year, I upgraded to the iPhone 3GS (from the 3G) without much deliberation. It was obviously a decision made against my better financial judgment. But this is not new. I, and generally those who buy Apple products, do that a lot.

Apart from the fact that I was a year younger (and therefore that much less wise and patient), it was also because the 3GS was significantly faster than the 3G, and it has a compass. For the former, if you have experience with both versions of the phone, you'd surely agree with me. About the latter, it's personal, as I tend to have no idea which direction I'm headed. Literally, of course.

This year, on the other hand, mulling over whether I should upgrade has given me a neck pain. The new iPhone 4 indeed offers some exciting new features. I am sold on the new screen; my co-worker Eric Franklin, who reviews computer monitors, said it "totally blows him away" (though he has never actually seen the device). I'm also sold on the new design and the front-facing camera. (Believe it or not, I am not too keen on the gyroscope.) In short, I am not going to argue why I want to upgrade.

Instead, here are the reasons I can't see rushing to upgrade just yet.

1. No unlimited data with tethering.

As it's been widely reported, starting June 7, AT&T killed the once-mandatory unlimited data plan for the iPhone. Instead you can opt for the 200MB or 2GB plans that cost $15 or $25 a month, respectively. Of course you'll have to pay extra if you go over the limit.

This, however, only applies to new subscribers. Existing iPhone users, like me, are grandfathered in. However there's a catch: you won't be able to use tethering, which requires a limited data plan plus another $20/month.

AT&T says that tethering will be made available together with the iOS 4 (iPhone OS 4.0). It's ironic, however, that it won't be allowed on phones with existing unlimited data plan. Not a good deal.

Now, most people are actually doing fine with just 200MB or 2GB a month, but savvy users could easily exceed that, even a few times over, especially if they tether.

A lot of iPhone owners use the phone's 3G connection to download apps, music, and podcasts, as the cellular connection allows for downloading files that are 20MB or less. If you do this or stream YouTube videos regularly, you will quickly see that your monthly ration of 200MB or even 2GB is far from enough. I didn't check mine, but I have friends who average 4GB or 6GB a month.

(Even though AT&T has disabled tethering starting with iPhone OS version 3.0.1, those who stay with version 3.0, which I do, can still use this feature. You can also have your phone jailbroken to use tethering, via a free third-party app, without AT&T being able to do anything about it.)

2. You won't miss much.

This only applies to owners of the iPhone 3GS. Your iPhone will be able to fully enjoy version 4.0 of the iPhone OS (now called iOS), the biggest benefit of which is multitasking. Yes, you'll miss the front-facing camera, and hence FaceTime, but it will be a while before there are apps/services that fully take advantage of this.

Also, FaceTime is most appealing, for me personally at least, when you can video-chat on the go via a cellular connection. However, at least in the beginning, the app will only be able to run using a Wi-Fi network. And even when it can be used with a 3G connection, this will directly affect your data plan. The lack of unlimited data plan makes this a feature that you wish you didn't have when you see the bill at the end of the month.

What I sure will miss, however, is the A4 chip that's slated to offer a significant boost in performance. But nonetheless, the iPhone 3GS is already pretty snappy. I can live with that.… Read more

Subwoofers make bass, that's easy. But really high-quality affordable subwoofers are surprisingly rare. The big problem facing subwoofer designers is the pressure to make really small subwoofers. That's not to say small subs can't make bass, they boom and thunder all right, but the sound tends to veer to the muddy side of accurate. That can sound acceptable for home theater duty, where nuance and subtlety aren't always big priorities.

So sure, a 1-foot cube sub can get the job done for a home theater, but can it define the sound of a 1962 Fender Precision Bass? Can it play music and let you really hear what's going on in the bass? No way! For that you need something a bit more substantial: a large subwoofer. Big subs also make their presence known in home theaters, where their sound has the gravitas no minisub can match. Oh, but most large, high-performance subs come with heavyweight price tags.

That's why I'm jazzed about the $799 Epik Empire; this bad boy boasts two 15-inch woofers; a Class D 600-watt (1,500 peak watt) power amplifier; in a 22-inch-high, 18-inch-wide and 24-inch-deep cabinet. The Empire's 120-pound weight might be a not so subtle indication that it's solidly built.

I briefly spoke with Epik's founder and chief designer, Chad Kuypers, Thursday. He's a no-nonsense kind of guy, and he told me he's working on some really cool larger and slightly smaller subs, but for now he's just offering one model, the Empire. Epik Subwoofers is located just north of Chicago, Illinois, where they build the subs, including fabricating the precision CNC machined cabinets in-house.… Read more

Sure, the HTC Evo 4G is one of the first smartphones to offer an HDMI-out port, but how well does it really perform?

On the bottom of the Evo is a small HDMI-out port. It's much smaller than the HDMI interface you're probably used to, so make sure to purchase a Micro-D size cable. One end will fit the port at the bottom of the Evo and the other end terminates in a standard HDMI interface.

After spending some time encoding various file formats and sizes, we found that MP4 movie files performed the most consistently. Also, files rendered closer to the Evo's native 800x480 resolution worked best as larger videos stuttered and would not play properly on-screen.

We were a bit disappointed in the lack of control the Evo gives in terms of HDMI-out playback. In fact, there are absolutely no settings associated with the connection. Other than videos stored on the external MicroSD card and YouTube, the phone can't play anything else through the port--this also includes third party software like Slingbox Player Mobile. Oddly enough, the Evo can't display individual photos either; they must be arranged together in a slideshow for them to show up correctly.

The Evo seems to output all video at 720p (1280x720), regardless of the source resolution. Also, it takes a few seconds for the phone to handshake with a TV, so be prepared to miss the first second or two of playback. In terms of sound, every video file played back was accompanied with solid audio quality. You can control the volume of the source material via the Evo's two-button rocker on the right side of the device.… Read more

LONDON--Let's say you're trying to decide whether to buy a new mobile phone and you like taking photos. The Google Nexus One's 5-megapixel camera has 56 percent more pixels than the iPhone 3GS's 3.2 megapixels, but it's clear the camera isn't 56 percent better.

Now let's say it's 2012 and you're trying to decide whether to buy an Apple iPhone 4GS or a Google Nexus Three. You might be able to make a better choice this time.

That's because the International Imaging Industry Association, a consortium involving more than … Read more

Today's video isn't new, but I thought since we were on the subject of electric cars this past week I'd present this Web clip about an all-electric heavy-duty truck--a project vehicle commissioned by the Port of Los Angeles and the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD).

This project was put together to make a prototype of the world's strongest, most heavy-duty truck that could run for short hauls exclusively on electricity. Reportedly it was the first heavy-duty electric cargo truck from any port in the world, and statistically it could haul over 50,000 lbs. … Read more