Technology News: Reviews

AA.com Sucks the Fun Out of Trip-Planning
November 20, 2009

It's fitting that the last stop on my tour of travel-planning Web sites for the E-Commerce Times was American Airlines. The site illustrates all of the problems that spurred this special look at travel sites in the first place. Travel sites have developed a reputation for being hard to navigate and poorly designed with cluttered user interfaces.

Familiar Desktop Features Make Up For Full Browser's Quirks
November 19, 2009

If you search for "browser" in the App Store, you'll get dozens of applications, each purporting to be an alternative to the iPhone and iPod touch's built-in Safari browser. In a sense, they are alternatives, since they look different and might have a few unique features. But they're really all Safari underneath.

United Offers a Touch of Class
November 16, 2009

United Airlines was my Internet destination as I continued sampling travel-planning Web sites for the E-Commerce Times. The first item to catch my eye was an unusual graphic -- neither a 1) plane 2) automobile 3) hotel nor 4) iconic celebrity hawker. Instead it was a stylized drawing of a woman's outstretched leg with a big bow on her ankle.

BlackBerry Storm Gathers Strength in Second Version
November 15, 2009

The first touchscreen BlackBerry phone, the Storm, got a few things right, but generally it was a chore to use. Good thing a lot can change in a year. Though not without flaws, the latest version of the device, the BlackBerry Storm2 , is the phone Research In Motion should have released last year: It's faster, smarter and more fun to use.

New Ubuntu OS Features Create Good Karma
November 13, 2009

Canonical's Ubuntu 9.10, otherwise known as "Karmic Koala," could be for the Linux community what the recently released Windows 7 OS from Microsoft is to the Windows world. Of course, this latest release that replaced Ubuntu 9.04 did not have as much to do in bettering its predecessor as did Windows 7 had in overcoming Vista. Still, no operating system is ever flawless.

RedLaser for iPhone: There's a Bargain for That
November 12, 2009

It's easy to see why the retail industry has been in love with the bar code for the past several decades. It makes checkout faster, and it probably makes inventory a lot easier when you've got a computer system to keep track of everything that passes over the counter. But some retailers abuse the technology by using it as an excuse to not put an actual price tag anywhere on or near the products on their shelves.

Kindle for PC: A Good Preview for E-Reader Fence-Sitters
November 10, 2009

The scales of justice definitely don't tip in grayscale's favor when it comes to the overall e-reader device experience for consumers. Whether it's an Amazon Kindle, Sony Reader or Barnes & Noble Nook, 16-level grayscale means nothing more than a digital version of the weather in Seattle between November and April: different shades of gray.

Samsung Intrepid: Sleek Hardware Makes Up For Uncomfy OS
November 09, 2009

Business users whose lives revolve around their mobile phones won't be disappointed with Samsung's Intrepid smartphone. The handset, which uses Sprint's 3G network domestically and also connects to 3G networks abroad, is packed with features aimed at the pinstripe crowd. Intrepid runs under the latest version of Microsoft's cellphone operating system, Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional.

Droid: Enjoyed
November 06, 2009

If I had my way, I would encourage Verizon Wireless to invest in both hologram technology and more "Star Wars" film rights. That would allow the carrier to hire an Alec Guinness lookalike who could pop up in 3-D visions in Verizon stores across the country, wave his hand over racks full of Motorola's new smartphone, and in full Obi-Wan Kenobi drag intone the words, "these are the Droids you're looking for."

Southwest Doesn't Fool Around
November 06, 2009

This week, I headed southwest as I continued making the rounds of travel-planning Web sites for the E-Commerce Times. My first impression of Southwest Airlines' Web site was that its online presence faithfully reflected its corporate persona: It looked to be a roll-up-your sleeves, no nonsense outfit.

Chorus Should Sound Great Once More Singers Join In
November 05, 2009

The iTunes App Store became 100,000 applications strong this week, and it took less than a year and a half to get there. Would it surprise you to know that not every last one of those apps is a perfect work of art? Yes, believe it or not, many of the apps that compete for your attention in the App Store are pretty worthless.

'Dragon Age' Puts a Little GTA in the RPG
November 04, 2009

The role-playing fantasy has been a staple of electronic gaming since the 1970s, when students cobbled together interactive quests on university mainframes. However, the genre has fallen out of favor in recent years, overtaken by grittier dramas like the "Grand Theft Auto" and "Call of Duty" franchises. "Dragon Age: Origins" tries to bring some of that grit to the fantasy role-playing game.

'DJ Hero' Puts a Great New Spin on Music Gaming
November 03, 2009

I was never much one for "Guitar Hero." Playing "Smoke on the Water" 50 times while holding a pint-sized plastic guitar just never really got the blood flowing. I've been waiting for something better, and now it's here. Activision's new "DJ Hero" has solved my music video game plight. It's got better music, better action and is frankly just a lot less goofy feeling than "Guitar Hero."

JetBlue: Light on Frills, Heavy on Friendly
October 30, 2009

My tour of travel-planning Web sites for the E-Commerce Times has included stops at some of the aggregator sites, some discount companies and some alternative services. I'm now entering new territory with explorations of the Web sites of the operators themselves. First stop: JetBlue, a discount airline that has carefully cultivated a customer-friendly reputation.

Song Sift Solves a Problem for Picky Podsters
October 29, 2009

It's been about a decade since the first practical MP3 players started popping up, and 10 years is plenty of time to collect a positively bloated library of digital music. Perhaps you got in at the ground floor with Napster in '99 and loaded up on free tunes before the music industry decided to do something about it. Maybe you remain a proud pirate, Bay or no Bay.

Windows 7 Is a Snooze
October 29, 2009

Windows 7 is on my wish list. I wish Microsoft didn't raise the equipment ante required to run its new operating system. I wish Microsoft built in an easy upgrade path from Windows XP. I wish Microsoft provided Windows 7 with some kind of Wow Factor that gave me a compelling reason to change my computing strategy. Instead, all I got in my experience with Microsoft's latest OS release is a yawn.