hands-on

If the reports are to be believed and Garmin (and by extension the rest of the GPS market) is having a hard time selling portable navigation devices, then we're sure that its EcoRoute HD add-on modules aren't flying off the shelves. But Garmin is making the device useful to a whole new market of potential users--namely, Android fans--with the release of its Garmin Mechanic app for Android.

We'll cut to the chase: if you already own a Garmin EcoRoute HD, the Garmin Mechanic app for Android is free application that allows you to take advantage of the data provided by your car's onboard diagnostics port (OBD) to view and log very accurate fuel economy information, engine operating parameters, and trouble codes. It is very cool. However, we're sure that most people don't have an EcoRoute HD just lying around, so for the rest of you, the Garmin Mechanic app is a useful app that requires a $100 piece of hardware to operate effectively, which makes it, essentially, a $100 app--which is not so cool and a much harder sell. We prefer to see the glass as half full, so we'll be taking a look at the Garmin Mechanic app for Android from the former of the two perspectives. We took the app for a spin in a variety of vehicles to see how it handled.… Read more

Updated at 12:22 p.m. with latest impressions and comparison pics with the MacBook Air.

Well, it's finally arrived at CNET's offices: the Samsung Series 9 laptop showed up on our doorstep in a smooth black box with metal trim.

Samsung's competitor to the superthin MacBook Air has been a heavily talked-about laptop ever since its debut at CES 2011. In person, it's even better-looking than we remembered. Cool brushed black metal on the outside and curved lines give way to a sleek black interior, like a black MacBook Air. It's extremely thin--easily one … Read more

Dell has announced the new Vostro 3350 small-business laptop, along with a new Inspiron R laptop with changeable lids. They both feature Intel's new Sandy Bridge Core i-series CPUs, which are finally making their way into laptops in stores. We paid both laptops a visit for a brief look.

The Vostro has always been an intriguing line to us: borrowing the look of the Adamo and some affordable pricing, the industrial-looking compact laptops could be an appealing pick for those gravitating to a laptop like a ThinkPad or an HP ProBook. Intel's new Core i-series CPUs could make … Read more

A very special afternoon delivery from Nintendo just makes it on today's show. Live today in the studio is the brand-new Nintendo 3DS portable gaming system, the first of its kind to display a 3D image without the need for special glasses.

It may not be available in stores until March 27, but the Nintendo 3DS has already arrived at CNET's New York offices and makes its debut on today's preGame. We'll show off the console from every angle and demo a few titles including the bundled AR Games and Mii Maker as well as Super … Read more

Update: You can find the full review of the 15-inch MacBook Pro here.

Apple's latest MacBook Pros are here, and we have both the 13- and 15-inch models at the CNET offices. The systems are currently running our benchmark tests, but here are our initial hands-on impressions after playing around with both for several hours.

MacBook Pro, 13-inch, 2.7GHz dual-core Core i7 Last year, we remarked that the popular 13-inch MacBook Pro, with its older Core 2 Duo processor, was due for an update compared with its faster 15-inch cousin. That time has come in a big way; … Read more

Sometimes it feels like we've seen every iPad case in the universe--and then, there comes a weird new design that takes iPad culture to an even deeper level. Enter the Joby Gorillamobile Ori and Yogi cases, both of which transform--in different ways--into some positions that even made us blush.

We first got wind of these around CES, but we've finally gotten both into our office to check out in more detail. Both feature the same base iPad case--a rubber-reinforced plastic shell that snugly encases itself around the iPad, and offers some modicum of shock absorption (as we discovered … Read more

I just got back from Google's Android Honeycomb demo event, and after 15 minutes of quality time with the tablet OS, I have to say: I'm a fan.

I'm angry at Google, though. What took it so long to create a killer tablet OS? Why did the company have to put me through a year of Android 1.6-2.2 tablet duds before pulling back the curtain on Honeycomb? Did it not hear my screams?

With forgiveness in my heart and a Motorola Xoom tablet in my hand, I started to let go of the anger a little today. Honeycomb, it turns out, is pretty sweet--and the Xoom is a worthy tablet to receive it.

We're already fairly versed in the features of Honeycomb on the Xoom, thanks to the flurry of CES 2011 excitement and the exhaustive detail given to developers. What we haven't had (until today) is actual hands-on time with Honeycomb running on the Xoom. … Read more

If you were following along with our live blog this morning, you know the big news: the Nintendo 3DS is coming March 27 for $250. But what about the games? A dozen or so titles were ready for some hands-on action this afternoon, and we got a chance to play the majority of them. Nintendo also showed us some of the built-in software that'll be on every 3DS, including the Mii Maker and AR Games.

The following titles will see launch-day or launch-window releases, between March 27 and E3 2011, according to Nintendo President Reggie Fils-Aime.

Mii Maker Miis are coming to the 3DS, and the Mii Maker app is preinstalled to allow for their creation. Better yet, the front-facing camera can be used in tandem to help make the process a bit more accurate. When we tried it out, the resulting Mii was a bit insulting, but after a few minor tweaks it actually did resemble our photo. Creating Miis from scratch is just like the Wii experience we're all used to.

AR Games AR Games (augmented reality games) will use a Nintendo playing card to manipulate the world through the 3DS' cameras. We had some time with a simple target-shooting game, and the effect is pretty impressive. Even better, the game requires the player to move around the virtual play space as well, adding a whole new dimension to the experience.

Steel Diver Once a tech demo, Steel Diver is getting the full game treatment at launch on the 3DS. Players control a submarine by using touch sliders that control height and acceleration. Torpedos can also be fired at oncoming obstacles, but the section of the game we played focused more on avoiding colliding with the ocean floor.

Kid Icarus Uprising After about 10 minutes with Kid Icarus Uprising--the very game Nintendo debuted the 3DS with at E3 2010--we're anticipating that the control scheme might be this title's biggest hurdle. We played two parts, one that felt like an on-rails shooter, the other a sort of modified third-person action segment.… Read more

After finally getting some quality hands-on time with the 3DS last week and a behind-closed-doors interview with Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime at CES 2011, we've got a healthy amount of new information to share about the 3D glasses-less portable.

The 3D effect Without a doubt, the first time you lay eyes on the 3DS it will surprise you. The 3D effect isn't exactly a "pop-out" illusion, but more of a "pop-in." The best way we've been able to describe it is that it's similar to those Magic Eye images that were so popular in the '90s. Of course, the 3DS yields a much more obvious dimensional shift. Instead of popping out at the user, the effect appears to go deeper inside the top screen of the 3DS.

The 3D effect can be adjusted using a slider, or eliminated altogether. During our time with Pilotwings, we found the 3D effect turned all the way up really increased the overall sense of flight in the game. That said, we're anticipating that each game will have a certain sweet spot for 3D intensity, though the setting remains completely preferential.… Read more