John R. Quain

Garmin is known for its stand-alone GPS navigation devices, but not for its phone design. Now the company is stepping into the phone market with its Garminfone ($200 with a two-year T-Mobile contract, as of August 9, 2010), a device that distinguishes itself not in its physical design but in the excellent way it makes the navigation and smartphone features work together. It's phones like this that may eventually spell the end of stand-alone navigation devices.

This is Garmin's second try at putting a phone and GPS together; its first attempt was an unmitigated failure. But this time, the company has switched carriers and changed operating systems, and the results are positive.

It's handy to have a phone that plays music, can find a restaurant review, and direct you to your hotel in a strange city. But not everyone wants--or can afford--to spend $200 on a cell phone that has all the trimmings. For them, a good option is the Nokia Nuron ($70 with a two-year contract from T-Mobile).

The $200 Flo TV Personal Television is designed for tuning in the Qualcomm-developed Flo TV service, also available via some cell phones (Flo TV is working with accessory company mophie to create the Juice Pack TV, a sleeve for the iPhone and the iPod touch that will add Flo TV support as well). Flo TV is designed for people on the move, so they can keep watching CNN or ESPN while walking down the street or rolling down the highway.

Service for the Personal Television currently includes 15 channels of nationwide programming, including live broadcasts of CNN, Comedy Central, Disney, and ESPN, and mobile versions of ABC, CBS, and NBC. The company says that its network can accommodate 20 channels, so it still has a little room for growth. You receive six months of free Flo TV service when buy the PTV 350; thereafter, the subscription is $15 per month.

The $200 (as of April 28, 2010) Flo TV Personal Television is designed for tuning in the Qualcomm-developed Flo TV service, also available via some cell phones. Flo TV is designed for people on the move, so they can keep watching CNN or ESPN while walking down the street or rolling down the highway.

Service for the Personal Television currently includes 15 channels of nationwide programming, including live broadcasts of CNN, Comedy Central, Disney, and ESPN, and mobile versions of ABC, CBS, and NBC. The company says that its network can accommodate 20 channels, so it still has a little room for growth. You receive six months of free Flo TV service when buy the PTV 350; thereafter, the subscription is $15 per month.

This prototype from LG combines a digital television with DVD playback and a Mobile DTV tuner for viewing on the go.Despite all the hype about televisions' being turned off in droves in favor of Hulu and YouTube, live TV remains easily the most popular entertainment me­­dium (just look at the ratings for American Idol or CSI). Still, in an effort to reach the iPhone generation, the broadcast industry is pushing Mobile Digital Television (Mobile DTV), a technology that lets you watch TV programming while you walk in a park or ride in a car barreling down a highway.

I took several Mobile DTV gizmos for a test drive and was impressed by the technology's video quality, plus its versatility in integrating with a wide array of devices.

Many video-editing programs try to make the process easy enough for busy parents to perk up family vacation flicks while delivering enough features and effects for aspiring auteurs to make their movies look like indie shorts. Corel's VideoStudio Pro X3 ($100), which adds a few new functions, does a good job of making the appropriate compromises.

The biggest improvement is that it's zippier than before--on the right system. I found that in switching between editing tasks or previewing a clip, VideoStudio was snappier than most competitors. That's thanks mainly to the program's ability to take full advantage of the multithreading capabilities of Intel's latest processors: On a Core i7 system running Windows 7, the app can keep up with your bursts of inspiration (a fast graphics processor will also help with filters and video processing). Conversely, I tried working in the new VideoStudio on a Centrino Duo laptop running Windows Vista, and I didn't see much improvement over previous VideoStudio versions.

A scrum of reporters pressed against Brad and Ashley as they shuffled up to the counter at a Best Buy store in Manhattan. Cameras flashed and elbows flew. Was it the end of Brangelina? Some new reality show?

Nope. It was the first sale--for a cool $2,899.99--of a 50-inch 3D Panasonic Viera TV (the TC-P50VT20) in the U.S. (That's more than a $1,000 premium over the G20 and G25 series at that size.)