Expert Reviews on Macs, iPhones and iPods

Review: iPhone Thanksgiving apps

Philip Michaels — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 09:25:00 -0800

Stressed about Turkey Day? The App Store has many offerings that aim to help you plan and prepare a meal. We'll help you find the worthwhile apps while staying away from the real turkeys.

Review: T-Mobile Tap mobile phone

Ginny Mies — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 07:00:00 -0800

The inexpensive T-Mobile Tap is a stylish touch phone.

Review: Canon Selphy CP780 snapshot printer

Susan Silvius — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0800

The Selphy CP780 is an inexpensive and nearly idiot-proof snapshot printer, but you make major compromises in performance and price per page.

Review: The Missing Sync for Windows Mobile 4

John Rizzo — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:30:00 -0800

Once you set it up, The Missing Sync for Windows Mobile 4 will do the job for syncing a variety of types of data from a Windows Mobile 4 smartphone with your Mac.

Review: Samsung SyncMaster 2233SW LCD

Kalpana Ettenson — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0800

This reasonably priced LCD makes up for its no-frills feature set with solid image quality.

Review: Geared for iPhone

Lex Friedman — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:19:00 -0800

In spite of some flaws -- it can be hard to position pieces and the game is a little picky about when you're allowed to move things -- Geared is a perfectly fine puzzler that satisfies after its too-easy early stages.

Review: Mad Skills Motocross

Rob Griffiths — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:05:00 -0800

Mad Skills Motocross is an addictive, fast-paced, and entertaining side-scrolling motocross racing game. 40 tracks spread across five levels provide tons of play time, and a track editor and time challenge mode make the fun last even longer.

Review: Canon Selphy CP790 snapshot printer

Susan Silvius — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:00:00 -0800

This printer is cute and stylish, but it wastes ink and has an awkward paper-handling setup

Slideshow: Unconventional (but useful) input devices

Macworld Staff — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:00:00 -0800

In this slideshow, we present to you several input devices that are a lot different from the mouse (or laptop trackpad) and keyboard used on a daily basis.

Review: Snapture for iPhone

Jeff Phillips — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:53:00 -0800

As a one-stop solution for the shortcomings of the iPhone's built-in camera, Snapture does an admirable job. It should be one of the first apps you turn to for improving your phone's camera.

Review: iScrapbook 2.1

Katherine Murray — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:15:00 -0800

Scrapbooking program offers high-quality design, easy layouts, and a seemingly unlimited supply of inspiration.

Review: Curio Professional 6

Stuart Gripman — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:30:00 -0800

Curio is a single application for note taking, outlining, mind mapping, project management, charting, drawing, presenting, and more.

Review: 27-inch Core i5 iMac (with Core i7 option)

James Galbraith — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:30:00 -0800

The wait is over: The 27-inch Core i5 (and Core i7) iMacs have arrived. We've tested the new quad core iMacs, and it was worth the wait.

Review: Mini Golf Wacky Worlds for iPhone

Tim Mercer — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:25:00 -0800

This fun miniature golf game lives up to its wacky moniker. More important, with five courses and three modes of play to chose from, there's plenty of replay value to be found.

Review: Photo geotagging apps for iPhone

Dale Gardner — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:14:00 -0800

Geotagging -- adding data to a photo that reveals the location it was taken -- brings a new dimension to enjoying and sharing photography. Several apps let you start tagging your photos with GPS data. We'll help you find the one that's right for your needs.

Review: Quip for iPhone

Lex Friedman — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:09:00 -0800

This app aims to let you send pictures with text messages to your friends' cell phones a la MMS, only without the texting charges. But Quip doesn't offer iPod touch support, and it has a number of flaws that make it a poor choice for most iPhone users.

Review: Bamboo Fun and Bamboo Pen & Touch

Harry McCracken — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:41:00 -0800

We review and compare two new Wacom consumer pen tablets.

Review: Mac mini with Snow Leopard Server

Jason Snell — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:18:00 -0800

The new $999 Mac mini with Snow Leopard Server is a fantastic product for workgroups, small businesses, and even schools to use.

Review: Synology Disk Station DS409slim network-attached storage device

Chris Holt — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:30:00 -0800

Synology's Disk Station DS409slim is a good idea, but it is a long way from being a consumer-friendly network-attached storage unit.

Review: Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 digital camera

Tim Moynihan — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 02:14:00 -0800

Wide-angle lens, big LCD, and good battery life complement this point-and-shoot's unique in-camera features.

SneakPeek Pro enhances previews of graphics and publishing files

Dan Frakes — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:05:00 -0800

SneakPeek Pro enhances Mac OS X's Quick Look feature by adding support for a number of graphics and publishing files. It also provides much more information about those files within Quick Look previews.

Review: Print Magic for iPhone

Jeff Merron — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:52:00 -0800

This app, which aims to let you print from your iPhone to a printer on your network, has a lot of promise. Unfortunately, the current version commits too many unpredictable errors to be worth your download.

Review: Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning

Chris Holt — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:33:00 -0800

Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning is one of the better MMORPGs we've played for the Mac.

Review: 10 Pin Shuffle for iPhone

Tim Mercer — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:08:00 -0800

Gorgeous graphics make this mobile version of the sports bar classic a fun addition to your iPhone or iPod touch.

Review: SyncMate Expert 2.4

John Rizzo — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:30:00 -0800

Sync your Mac to multiple devices, including Windows Mobile.

Review: Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR digital camera

Tim Moynihan — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:14:00 -0800

Fujifilm’s FinePix F200 EXR is an good pocket camera for relatively advanced photographers, either as a more-portable backup to a digital SLR camera or as a versatile primary point-and-shoot.

Review: NASA app for iPhone

Sue Voelkel — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:04:00 -0800

With this app from the U.S. space agency, you can get info on NASA missions, view images from space, access NASA TV videos, and follow NASA Twitter feeds -- all for free.

Review: WritePad Pro for iPhone

Ben Boychuk — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:00:00 -0800

Apart from some quibbles and a few trade-offs, the feature-rich WritePad Pro is a very fine personal organizational tool.

Slideshow: Camcorders for the holidays

Macworld Staff — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:06:00 -0800

A look at HD camcorders for the holiday shopping season.

Review: Roth Audio Alfie

Andy Penfold — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:02:00 -0800

The Alfie looks pretty, but its high price tag is more a function of its multi-purpose nature than its sound quality.

Review: LaCie Starck Desktop Hard Drive

Chris Holt — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:30:00 -0800

The LaCie Starck Desktop Hard Drive is a creatively-designed USB drive that features an unconventional aluminum case design and some equally distinct features.

Review: Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS digital camera

Ginny Mies — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:14:00 -0800

For the price, the SD1200 packs in the right amount of features for casual photographers. More-experienced photographers will be pleased with the image quality, but the lack of aperture and shutter priority, plus the limited zoom range, may leave them wanting a bit more.

Review: JunoWallet GiftCards for iPhone

Lex Friedman — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:36:00 -0800

This app aims to help you keep track of all those plastic gift cards you accumulate. Unfortunately, it has a way to go before it's a truly useful option.

Review: Archmage Defense for iPhone

Chris Holt — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:36:00 -0800

Archmage Defense is a darkly humorous, clever, addictive, and beautiful tower-defense game that puts you in the shoes of an evil necromancer. An in-app purchase option ratchets up the difficulty and the fun.

Review: Samsung Behold II smartphone

Ginny Mies — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 04:30:00 -0800

With a gorgeous AMOLED display and an excellent camera, the pricey Samsung Behold II will appeal to multimedia junkies with deep pockets.

Review: Palm Pixi smartphone

Ginny Mies — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 07:30:00 -0800

Palm’s latest WebOS smartphone, the sprightly Pixi, is a slimmed-down version of the Palm Pre.

Review: Sony Handycam HDR-XR520V HD camcorder

Rob Mead — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 06:30:00 -0800

Sony’s Handycam HDR-XR520V is a monster when it comes to storage capacity, with a 240GB hard drive.

HDTVs for the holidays

Macworld Staff — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 04:51:00 -0800

Our lab has been hard at work testing HDTVs ranging in size from 40 inches to 52 inches for image quality, usability, audio quality, and features. Here are the test results of 16 HDTVs.

Review: Dell ST2310 display

Kalpana Ettenson — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 04:15:00 -0800

LCD lacks extra features, but delivers solid image quality.

Review: Vizio SV420M HDTV

Yardena Arar — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:16:00 -0800

The Vizio SV420M 42-inch HDTV offers lots of customization options and average video quality, at a midrange price.

Review: Panasonic Viera TC-P42X1 HDTV

Lincoln Spector — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:15:00 -0800

A 720p plasma HDTV, the low-cost 42-inch Panasonic TC-P42X1 provides problematic images and underpowered sound.

Review: Samsung LN40B650 HDTV

Lincoln Spector — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:14:00 -0800

Thanks to its very good picture quality, Internet and home-network entertainment features, and general user-friendliness, the Samsung LN40B650 ranks as one of the best HDTV we've tested this year.

Review: LG Electronics 42LH55 HDTV

Lincoln Spector — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:13:00 -0800

The LG 42LH50 42-inch HDTV provides great connected features, above-average image quality, and good looks for a moderate price.

Review: Vizio SV471XVT HDTV

Lincoln Spector — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:12:00 -0800

This 47-inch HDTV with multimedia capabilities has an estimated street price of $1200, which sounds good. But there are major compromises to be made with image quality.

Review: Panasonic Viera TC-P46S1 HDTV

Yardena Arar — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:11:00 -0800

The Panasonic TC-P46S1 would be a bargain 46-inch plasma HDTV if its image quality weren't so disappointing.

Review: Vizio SV421XVT HDTV

Lincoln Spector — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:10:00 -0800

Vizio’s SV421XVT HDTV has a 42-inch screen, a 240Hz refresh rate, and multimedia playback from USB drives. But poorly rendered detail and color, plus problems with digital artifacts, mar the viewing experience.

Review: Sony Bravia KDL-40W5100 HTDV

Lincoln Spector — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:09:00 -0800

Sony's Bravia KDL-40W5100 is a very good 40-inch HDTV and an excellent Internet viewing device.

Review: Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ850U HDTV

Lincoln Spector — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:08:00 -0800

The Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ850U has fantastic extras, but only average picture quality for a 50-inch plasma HDTV.

Review: Insignia NS-LCD52HD-09 HDTV

Lincoln Spector — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:07:00 -0800

If you’re on a tight budget but want a larger-than-50-inch TV, consider the Insignia NS-LCD52HD-09.

Review: Toshiba 47ZV650U HDTV

Lincoln Spector — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:06:00 -0800

Toshiba’s 47ZV650U is a pleasant-looking 47-inch HDTV that delivers a more than acceptable viewing experience, but its rough edges need smoothing, and it’s short on extras.