PCMag.com: New Product Reviews

Sceptre X270

Screen Size: 27 inches
Native Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Supported Video Formats: 1080p
Widescreen: Yes
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Video Inputs: DVI, HDMI
PC Interfaces: Analog VGA, Digital (DVI-D), HDMI

Designed for gamers, the Sceptre's X270 ($399 list) LCD monitor delivers smooth gaming action without blurring or ghosting, and its wide viewing angle performance means you can enjoy the action no matter where you sit. However, there's more to a gaming monitor than speedy refresh rates; image quality is equally as important, and so are features. Unfortunately, the X270 comes up short in both categories.

Design & Features
With its shiny black bezels and slightly rounded corners the X270 is a sleek looking monitor. The 27-inch TN+ panel has a resolution of 1920 by1080 and a 16:9 aspect ratio, which means it's able to display full HD (1080p) video. There are five small black function buttons, including the power switch, with black labeling on the lower bezel which is also black. This design flaw makes the buttons virtually impossible to identify without a flashlight. The panel is supported by a black oval base that provides sturdy support and tilt adjustability. However, you can't raise, lower, or swivel the screen, nor can you pivot it for portrait mode viewing.

At the rear of the cabinet are DVI, VGA, and HDMI ports and an audio input for the integrated speakers. Audio output is adequate at best; the speakers aren't very loud and bass response is negligible. While it's nice to have three video inputs I was disappointed with the selection; I'd gladly trade in the VGA port for a set of component A/V ports, or ideally, a secondary HDMI port like the pair that comes with the Asus MT276HE ($349.99 list, ). It seems to me that gamers are more likely to use digital inputs for consoles and such. A pair of USB ports would also be a welcome addition.

The settings menu system is well organized and easy to navigate, that is, once you've memorized which button does what, but you can only make very basic adjustments. Menu choices include Contrast/Brightness, Audio Adjust, Input Select, Color Adjust, and Manual Setup Adjust. The audio screen provides volume and mute settings, and the color screen gives you three color temperature settings to choose from. Manual adjustments include sharpness and fine tuning options as well as a choice of five picture modes (Standard, Cinema, Text, Game, and Scenery). The Standard setting offers the best overall picture as the others are either too dark or overly bright.

Performance
The X270's strength is its 2-ms pixel response, which delivers great fast motion performance. I connected the monitor to my PS3 console (via the HDMI port) and fired up Baja 1000, a quick-paced off-road racing game. The panel handled the action without exhibiting any signs of smearing or ghosting, and detail remained sharp throughout the race. I also watched a few scenes from Avatar on Blu-ray disc and was impressed with the overall image quality; details were sharp and there were no artifacts. Viewing angle performance was quite good for a TN+ panel; there was only a very slight loss of color tone when viewed from the sides.

Unfortunately, the panel did not fare so well on some of my DisplayMate tests; it was unable to reproduce the four lightest shades of gray on the 64-Step Grayscale test, and its dark grayscale performance was only slightly better. There was also a noticeable amount of blue tinting among the middle grayscale swatches, indicating oversaturated blues. Gamers may not notice these weaknesses while blasting their way through a round of Far Cry 2, but if you plan on using this monitor for photo editing or any other application where color and grayscale accuracy is important, it may not be the best choice. On the other hand, the panel did a great job of displaying very small text, a plus when viewing multiple document and web pages side by side.

If you're more concerned with smooth game play than grayscale and audio performance, the Sceptre X270 will fit the bill. Its 2-millisecond panel is well suited for the fast pace action-packed games of today, and the 27-inch screen provides wide viewing angles, so you can share the action without having to worry about color shifting or the dreaded dark screen. However, there are better performing gaming monitors out there out there; the Asus MT276HE delivers better color and grayscale quality and it costs around the same as the X270, but viewing angles are narrow. That said, if money is no object, the pricey Dell Ultrasharp U2711 ($1,099 direct, ) is still the best 27-inch monitor around.

COMPARISON TABLE
Compare the Sceptre X270 with several other LCD monitors side by side.

More LCD monitor reviews:
•   Sceptre X270
•   Asus MT276HE
•   Qualcomm CEO Talks 1.5-GHz Snapdragon, Mirasol
•   Transparent Displays: The Awesome Future of LCDs?
•   Dell Profit Exceeds Forecasts, But Shares Slump
•   more

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Samsung Flight II SGH-A927 (AT&T)

Service Provider: AT&T
Screen Size: 2.8 inches
Screen Details: 240-by-320-pixel, 262K-color, TFT LCD resistive touch screen
Camera: Yes
Network: GSM, UMTS
Bands: 850, 900, 1800, 1900, 2100
High-Speed Data: GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA

Touch-screen feature phones on AT&T need to deliver a lot to justify their high monthly fees. The Samsung Flight II doesn't. Although it has a four-row, slide-out QWERTY keyboard, this sluggish and underpowered device has very little to recommend it over rival devices on AT&T—even less than its close sibling the Samsung Eternity II ($69.99-219.99, ), since the Flight II lacks a broadcast mobile TV tuner.

Design, Keyboard, and Call Quality
The Flight II measures 4.4 by 2.1 by 0.7 inches and weighs about 4 ounces. That's almost the same as the keyboardless Eternity II, so it's interesting that the Flight II crams a four-row QWERTY keypad into a similar form factor. The Flight II is a little chunkier than the Eternity II in person, but not much.

The 2.8-inch plastic resistive touch screen offers 240-by-320-pixel resolution, and was colorful and bright. Samsung's TouchWiz UI offers three switchable home screens, a widget tray on the left, and a three-screen menu loaded with icons. It's simple enough to get around, and the Flight II's screen was responsive to finger swipes and taps, but the UI in general felt sluggish and unresponsive.

The keyboard itself has relatively flat keys, but it's not a membrane design. Typing was silent and comfortable, and the arrangement was near perfect. You also get portrait and landscape virtual keyboards (one numeric, one QWERTY) with the handset closed, a smartphone-like feature I appreciated during the review.

The Flight II is a quad-band EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) and tri-band HSDPA (850/1900/2100 MHz) device, meaning that it offers high-speed data both here and overseas. Alas, this isn't a good voice phone. Callers sounded hollow and distant through the earpiece, and I heard some minor background hiss. On the other end, my voice sounded smaller and processed when compared to an iPhone 3GS ($99-599, ). Reception was average. Calls sounded clear through an Aliph Jawbone Icon ($99, ) Bluetooth headset, and voice dialing worked fine over Bluetooth without training. The speakerphone was just loud enough for outdoor use. Battery life, at 4 hours 52 minutes of continuous talk time, was decent for a 3G phone.

Apps and Data Costs
AT&T's usual compliment of bundled apps appears on the Flight II. Sadly, many of those icons are bloatware, and a few are downright evil. For example, Where opts you into a seven-day trial with a $2.99/month subscription just for tapping on the icon the first time. Beyond the clutter, the Opera Mini browser served up accurate desktop HTML and WAP pages alike, once I turned its mobile view off.

AT&T Social Net aggregates Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace updates. AT&T Navigator delivers voice-enabled, turn-by-turn directions at $9.99 per month. AT&T Mobile E-mail hooks into all the major Web portals and ISPs, while the instant messaging client works with AIM, Yahoo, and MSN (but not Google Talk).

Like most AT&T feature phones, the Flight II now requires a $20 per month minimum messaging or data plan. That essentially removes any reason to buy this phone over the iPhone 3GS or similarly powerful smartphones, which cost about the same up front ($99 in the case of the iPhone 3GS) and roughly the same per month—possibly even cheaper if you had planned on signing up for AT&T mobile e-mail, GPS, and other extra-cost services.

Multimedia, Camera, and Conclusions
The Flight II has a roomy 512MB of free internal memory. My 16GB SanDisk microSD card worked fine in a slot underneath the battery cover. Playing music was confusing, with extra layers of menus, trial subscription offers, and folders making the player difficult to navigate. That said, music tracks sounded fine over Motorola S9-HD ($149.99, ) Bluetooth headphones. Standalone MP4 and 3GP video files played smoothly in full screen mode.

The 2-megapixel camera has no flash or auto-focus. Test photos were about average for this class of phone, with decent color balance and a slightly soft focus. Indoor photos weren't overly noisy, even in dimmer rooms. I lost one photo to motion blur, but shutter speeds were generally OK. Recorded 320-by-240-pixel videos looked fine, and a tad dark, at 14 frames per second.

The Flight II isn't terrible; Samsung builds very good phones these days. On a different carrier, it might be a contender. But AT&T's meddling renders the Flight II a poor buy. The carrier's smartphone line-up offers far more power for only a little more money. I'd spring for the iPhone 3GS, the HTC Aria ($129.99-379.99, ) or a similar smartphone over the Flight II. If you're looking for a non-smartphone that makes great calls on AT&T, the Samsung Rugby II is superior.

If you browse our recent AT&T phone reviews, you'll notice that the only ones scoring above a 3.0 are either smartphones, or are feature phones that don't require a $20-per-month data plan. This situation will likely continue for the foreseeable future. Until AT&T makes some changes to its plan pricing structure and tones down the bloatware, we'll recommend against buying the Flight II.

Compare the Samsung Flight II SGH-A927 (AT&T) with several other mobile phones side by side.

More Cell Phone Reviews:
•   T-Mobile G2 Coming With 800-Mhz Processor
•   Samsung Introduces Galaxy Tab
•   Samsung Flight II SGH-A927 (AT&T)
•   Sony Ericsson Vivaz (AT&T)
•   Palm Releases WebOS 2.0 Details
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TweetDeck for iPad

Type: Personal
Free: Yes

Twitter is one of the premier social networking applications around, but it was designed for use with keyboards and cell phones; to get the most out of the 140-character-or-less micro-blogging movement on your Apple iPad ($829, ), you'll need a solid app designed for the tablet. That's where TweetDeck for iPad comes in; it adds Twitter functionality to Apple's slate in a way that's well-suited for use with the Apple iPad's 9.6-inch display and multi-touch capabilities. It has some minor issues, but if you want a more intuitive, feature-rich experience than what the Twitter Web site provides, this free app is a worthy download.

TweetDeck for iPad Setup
Fire up TweetDeck for iPad and it asks for information about your Twitter accounts. In this respect, the iPad version of the app is a huge step back from the desktop application, which is interoperable with Facebook, Foursquare, Google Buzz, LinkedIn, and MySpace. That's a shame; even AIM for iPad (Free, ), an instant messenger, can pull in outside social network feeds.

After I logged in with my Twitter credentials, I was presented with the option to go directly to the interface or to sign up to create an universal TweetDeck account that would let me sync created columns across all devices on which I have the app installed. Sync proved problematic as it didn't receive updated information.

Interface and Navigation
The desktop version of TweekDeck improves the Twitter experience by letting users view the live stream, direct messages, lists, and other user-defined columns from one attractive, easy-to-read interface (the browser-based Twitter has one column that displays the main feed). TweetDeck for iPad's interface will look and feel familiar to anyone accustomed to the desktop application, but your experience will vary slightly depending on how you hold the iPad. A vertical orientation sees a bar across the top of the app that lets you search by name, tinker with account settings, refresh the feed, create a new message, and add a column (based on Twitter Lists, Twitter Search, All Friends, Mentions, Direct Messages, and Favorites). In this mode, you can see the All Friends and Mentions columns by default—you have to flick to the left to see Direct Messages.

Tapping the name of a column lets you choose the refresh rate (between one minute and ten minutes). I like that I could scroll through the people I follow simply by flicking up or down, and the speed of which is governed by the speed of your gesture. Pulling a column downward reveals a search box. Tapping a contact opens a tweet in the large area above the columns where you can check out the person's name, twitter handle, location, bio, and last tweet. There are icons to reply, retweet, direct message, e-mail, and mark favorite tweets. Opened links appear in the area above the columns, but there isn't enough space to take in the entirety of a page; you must scroll up and down to view page content. You can simply tap "View in Safari" to check out the site in a Web browser.

Turning the iPad to a horizontal orientation affords less vertical space, but it lets you see the Direct Messages feed without flicking. Tapping a contact in this mode opens a menu that lets you reply, retweet, send a direct message, e-mail a tweet, and mark favorite messages, but you can't view profiles, which is a small gripe. Still, the overall experience is smooth and intuitive in both orientations.

Geotagging
TweetDeck for iPad supports geotagging, which lets users add location information to their updates. Enabling geotagging demanded that I first sign into the browser-based Twitter site to activate it in Settings, and then activate the same setting within the app. From then on, all my tweets had location-based information affixed; tapping one of my own tweets opened Google Maps in an information box that accurately displayed my Manhattan location. I liked that I could use multitouch gestures to zoom in and out of the Google Maps image, but I would've liked a more powerful zoom so that I could take the view to street level. Optionally, when composing a tweet, you can tap the map icon to add a clickable Google Maps link, disable geotagging for that individual post, disable geotagging completely, or update your profile location. Tapping the top of a column gives you an option to view the location of the tweets in your stream on a map.

Should You Tweet with TweekDeck for iPad?
TweetDeck for iPad has many fine elements—from price to functionality—that makes it a fine iPad Twitter client if you don't mind the sync issue. Dedicated users of Facebook and other social networks may want to pass, but the Twitter-holic will find a lot to like here.

More Apple iPad Apps Reviews:
•   TweetDeck for iPad
•   AIM for iPad
•   Flipboard (for iPad)
•   AirDisplay 1.0.1 (for iPad)
•   Kindle for iPad
•   more

Sony PlayStation Move

Motion-control-based gaming entered the mainstream with the introduction of the Nintendo Wii ($199.99, ) back in 2006. A game console that turned the gaming industry on its ear with its innovative controllers that let gamers interact with games using wrist flips, arm motions—and with the addition of the Wii Balance Board—their whole bodies, the Wii is a smashing success with a huge fan base. Microsoft and Sony, naturally, want to snag some of those fans, and Sony gets there first with its PlayStation Move, an add-on for the Playstation 3 ($299.99, ) that goes on sale on September 19th, and brings motion controls to Sony gamers. Microsoft's competing Xbox Kinect won't be available until early November.

What Exactly is the Move and What Do You Need to Play?
The PlayStation Move consists of two parts: Sony's PlayStation Eye camera, and a wireless, Bluetooth-enabled wand that looks a little like the Nintendo Wiimote, except it has an illuminated orb attached to its top. Your investment will vary depending on the PS3 equipment you already own.

Sony offers various PlayStation Move bundles. If you aren't a PlayStation 3 owner, you can get the $399.99 Sports Champion Move bundle, which consists of a PS3 console, one PlayStation Move controller, a PlayStation Eye camera, a copy of Sports Champion (a Move-enabled game title), and a Move demo disk. If you have PS3, but you don't have a PlayStation Eye, you can opt for the $99.99 PlayStation Move Bundle, which is just the Sports Champion bundle sans console. If you already have a PS3 with a PlayStation Eye, you can buy the $49.99 Move Motion Controller, which is a single Move controller and nothing else. It's worth noting, however, that certain game titles require two Move controllers. We tested the $100 Move Bundle with a second controller.

Sony also offers the PlayStation Move Navigation Controller, a supplementary device used in select games to give you more standard game controls. Sony's Web site has more information on requirements, bundles, and pricing. To compare, Microsoft's Kinect will consist of a single $150 accessory.

PlayStation Move Setup and Menu Navigation
Setup is simple: After charging our Move controllers for two hours (via the PlayStation 3's USB ports), I unplugged them and connected the PlayStation Eye camera, positioning it at the base of the HDTV, though you can also place it on top of the TV. I inserted the Sports Champion disc, and powered on a Move controller by pressing the center button and holding the T button (the trigger on the back of the Move controller). The PlayStation Eye camera recognized the controller almost instantaneously, and the rubbery ball on top glowed with white light.

You can use the Move controller to navigate menus; simply press and hold the T button and position the large circular cursor over an icon. Clicking the center Move button confirms your selection. I like the PlayStation Move's spin on navigation and menu selection better than the Wii's, as it's far easier to see that you've moused over the right option. The Wii's gloved hand icon is small and can be easily lost at times.

Calibration and Motion Gameplay
Sports Champion Move is Sony's version of Wii Sports (), and includes six games: Archery, Beach Volleyball, Bocce, Disc Golf, Gladiator Duel, and Table Tennis. Each game demands that you calibrate the Move controller(s) by centering yourself in an on-screen frame, raising the stick to your shoulder, lowering your arm, and bringing it to your waist (and pressing the confirm button after each).

Archery, Beach Volleyball, Bocce, Disc Golf, and Table Tennis were light, casual games that felt very much like your typical Wii titles—their gameplay elements are comprised mainly of basic arm gestures. There are a mix of easy-to-jump into single controller titles (such as Disc Golf) and multi-controller titles (such as Archery) that demand that you physically duplicate a real-world action (i.e., holding a virtual bow and pulling back an arrow). Both gameplay types were remarkably smooth in their execution.

Firing up Table Tennis (or any other two player game) caused the PlayStation Move to enter a split-screen calibration mode. Once the Move controllers were calibrated, a coworker and I engaged in a lively game of table tennis where we saw our onscreen characters hit the ball in tandem with our arm swings. I was impressed to see our characters switch their stances when we tested the PlayStation Move's accuracy by switching from right-hand controller grips to left handed ones.

My favorite Sports Champion game is Gladiator Duel, a weapon-based fighting game, offers much more depth. The game (which felt a lot like a modern take on Alpha Denshi's Crossed Swords for NeoGeo) is played with two Move sticks. One is your sword, and the other is your shield. Parrying, shield thrusting, dodging, and striking felt very natural and fluid—I didn't feel as though there was a barrier between the game and me. In a very cool sequence that was activated by building my super-move meter and pressing the X button, I had to quickly execute a series of slashes (which I was encouraged to do courtesy of on-screen motion streaks) that put major hurt on my opponent as I pounded him in the air and on the ground.

Occasionally, the PlayStation Move would miss an input (this occurred mostly in Table Tennis, which required a fine touch to hit the small ball), but overall I was impressed with its accuracy performance. In my tests, the PlayStation Eye camera (which can be adjusted to pick up a wider area of the environment by twisting its lens) did an excellent job of staying connected to the Move controllers—not once in my hours of gameplay did the PlayStation Move drop its wireless connection, which is something that has happened to me while playing the Wii. As far as range, I wouldn't recommend playing Bocce from half a room away, but you should experience smooth gameplay if you're within 10 feet of the PlayStation Eye.

The Move Library
According to Sony, more than two dozen Move-enabled games will available this holiday season including EyePet (an interactive virtual pet), The Fight: Lights Out (a motion-controlled brawler), NBA 2K11 (exact Move implementation is still unknown), and Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition (the Move controller replaces the standard controller for more accurate shooting). Typical PlayStation Move titles should be priced around the same as standard PlayStation 3 games.

The Motion-Controlled Movement
Overall, the PlayStation Move does exactly what it set out to accomplish: bring very accurate motion controls to the PS3. My one issue with the PlayStation Move—and it's less a gripe, and more a fear—is now that Sony supports motion gameplay, many budget-priced, poorly developed motion control shovelware titles that once lived exclusively on the Wii (like Pool Party, for example) will be ported over the system. Surely Sony wants to capture a portion of the casual gaming audience that Nintendo has snatched up, but given the PS3's advanced graphics, the PlayStation Move can be more than just a casual platform. Hopefully future titles like Dead Space: Extraction and Killzone 3 will successfully implement motion control for hardcore gamers.

Right now, if you're willing to pay for the necessary hardware, the Move platform will bring a new dimension to your PS3 gaming experience. And the future should bring plenty of games that span a wide variety of genres to keep you pleased. It will be interesting to see how it fares against the Kinect and the Wii itself when the motion wars heat up later this year.

More Gaming Accessory Reviews:
•   Sony PlayStation Move
•   Nintendo to Drop Prices of DSi, DSi XL Starting Sept. 12
•   Microsoft's Kinect Patent Includes American Sign Language Support
•   Microsoft's 'Avatar' Project Builds on 'Kinect'
•   Microsoft Unveils Kinect Pricing, Bundles
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