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* Photo: Kevin Twomey * Entertainment Unleashed
Sick of your music? With these players, you can surf the Web and grab new content anywhere there's a wireless hot spot. — Carlos Bergfeld
Apple iPod touch
$299 (8 GB), $399 (16 GB), apple.com
Essentially an iPhone sans phone, this gadget's touchscreen interface makes all other human-device interactions seem grotesque. Movies look fantastic on the 3.5-inch, 480 x 320-pixel widescreen, and we managed to coax one more hour of video from the player than Apple's five-hour estimate. Wi-Fi support for hot spot access to the iTunes store, YouTube videos, and Web browsing make the touch all the more enticing for those who haven't succumbed to its AT&T-exclusive big brother.
Wired: Thin, elegant design — slightly smaller than an iPhone. Ambient light sensor adjusts display brightness to save battery.
Tired: Omission of phone-centric features — camera, external speakers — is OK, but the lack of media player-appropriate Bluetooth support is not. No external volume control. Pricey for capacity.
Archos 705 WiFi
$400 (80 GB), $500 (160 GB), archos.com
The massive 7-inch touchscreen on the Archos makes it far less portable than the competition, unless cargo pants are a fixture of your wardrobe. But if you're ready to lug this monster, you'll love both its big-screen benefits and the deftly implemented wireless access.
Wired: Up to 160 gigs of storage will hold everything you own. Supports DivX and XviD codecs natively, with plug-ins for H.264 ($20) and DVD-native MPEG-2 support ($20). Optional DVR docking station ($100) combined with media streaming turns the 705 WiFi into a portable AppleTV/TiVo.
Tired: Weak three and a half hours of video playback. 260,000-color screen yields noticeably lower contrast than other players. Cost of plug-ins and accessories adds up quickly. Speakers not very loud.
Cowon Q5W
$550 (40 GB), $600 (60 GB), cowonamerica.com
With a Windows CE operating system, an AMD 600-MHz processor, and Wi-Fi Web browsing, Cowon's newest media player seems more like an Ultra Mobile PC. The unit's gorgeous 5-inch, 800 x 480 LCD touchscreen and built-in DivX and XviD codec support make watching flicks on the go the Q5W's forte. But the rest of the player's functions are hampered by a slapdash user interface — it actually runs as a program on top of the Windows CE interface. Even though the Q5W supports Flash-based Web browsing, surfing duties are relegated to Windows CE's YouTube-incompatible Internet Explorer. Arrgh!
Wired: Terrific audio quality and video playback. Crazy format support: DivX, XviD, MPEG-4, and WMV 7/8/9 video, as well as Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, and Monkey's Audio sound files. MSN Messenger and Flash-supported Web browsing over Wi-Fi.
Tired: Poor UI coupled with Windows CE 5.0 makes it feel like a shoddy home-brewed device. Horrid file tree for navigating the music library.
Haier ibiza Rhapsody
$299 (30 GB), haieramerica.com
The ibiza's iPod classic-knockoff aesthetics hide one of the most innovative attempts at a media player in years. Paired with a Rhapsody To Go music subscription ($15 per month), the Linux-based player lets you access Rhapsody's full content library from any Wi-Fi hot spot. You can stream or download whole albums, listen to Internet radio, and find similar artists with ease. But unfortunately, Wi-Fi use also saps the battery in a few hours.
Wired: Touchpad controls work well with slickly designed interface. Podcast access and minimalist Web surfing. Bluetooth headphone support. Firmware upgrades download automatically to device.
Tired: Extremely scary cycle of repeated system crashes occurred after a player lockup. Tiny 2.5-inch screen and paltry battery life for video playback — less than three hours. Most videos need conversion, with no support for DivX or XviD and very specific format requirements. Mac users need not apply.
Photo: Kevin TwomeyCrema the Crop
Become your own barista. These espresso machines can make anything from a plain cuppa joe to a fancy-pants latte. The best models grind, tamp, brew, and froth with a flick of a switch, but others will just leave a bitter taste in your mouth. — Neil Geller
Nespresso Lattissima
$799, nespresso.com
Limited cash and counter space? Consider this machine. It uses proprietary pods instead of fresh-ground beans to produce its coffee. We tried out ours at a dinner party, and guests came away impressed with how easy it was to pop in a pod, select a beverage, and watch it pour a succulent espresso drink. What they didn't appreciate was the dearth of options.
Wired: Excessively delicious coffee at a fair price. Compact, minimalist design. Single-button press washes milk container. Easy cleanup: Pods mean no messy coffee grounds.
Tired: 49-cent pods available only through Nespresso or Bloomingdale's. Few drink selections: Hardcore coffee enthusiasts might find the pod choices too limiting. Espresso shot? Not so hot.
Jura Capresso Impressa Z6
$3,659, capresso.com
Hate getting up in the morning? That will change with the Z6. Brewing coffee is fairly simple and yields powerful, tasty cups. Espresso-based drinks are a cinch to produce, too — but often taste slightly watered-down. The best part, though, is the grinder, which is quiet enough to run on full power without waking the whole house.
Wired: Milk container keeps liquid cold for up to eight hours on the countertop, then removes easily to be stored in the fridge. Simple to program. Simple to use. Simple to clean up. Produces tasty crema and really foamy cappuccino.
Tired: You'll need hands faster than a three-card monte dealer to shuffle cups before each espresso shot. Shallow drip tray hard to wash. No warning for low milk. Poor cup warmer.
De'Longhi Magnifica ESAM3500.N
$1,500, delonghi-espresso.com
You're really, really hungover and need a powerful triple espresso to get through the day. But that journey to the coffee shop is just so harsh. Here's where the Magnifica comes in. This elegant machine is by far the easiest of the bunch to use. The fact that it yields delicious espresso-based drinks is just foam. Milk dispensing and cleaning systems are also outstanding. But regular drip coffee? Even with some of the best grinds, the flavor wasn't much better than Taster's Choice.
Wired: Superb cup warmer. Large-capacity milk container cleans up nicely at the touch of a button. Good value.
Tired: Must remove milk canister to access water tank. Grinder loud enough to wake the dead. Few drink presets. Bean hopper awkward to refill.
Saeco Primea Cappuccino Touch Plus
$2,900, www.saeco-primea.com
Excess plastic makes this machine look cheap — surprising for the price. Materials aside, it's infused with a ton of tech. The touchscreen features programmable menus, which allow you to create exciting new drinks by tweaking the ratios of coffee, milk, and water. Coffee and simple espresso drinks are delicious slam dunks of flavor, but anything more complicated needs a lot of attention.
Wired: User interface not at all confusing. Good crema and hands down best espresso shot. Generous variety of preset coffee drinks for the more serious connoisseur. Front dial quickly adjusts coffee strength.
Tired: Often screws up fancy drinks. Milk frequently clogs in machine, requiring constant flushing.
Photo: Kevin TwomeyAnd Laptops For All
You don't have to take out a second mortgage to afford that new notebook. Some pint-sized portables cost less than 400 bucks and provide surprisingly full-size power. — Christopher Null
Asus Eee PC
$399, eeepc.asus.com
At 2 pounds even, the Asus Eee PC is the lightest ultracheap PC on the market and also one of the most capable. Running a simplified version of Xandros Linux, jumbo icons let you launch a Web browser, Skype, and office apps. Linux n00bs won't have any trouble setting up wireless networks, managing files, or snapping pics on the integrated webcam. But the Eee's diminutive allure also works against it: The keyboard is too small for touch-typing, and the tiny 7-inch screen can't display much info.
Wired: Available in multiple colors. Serious hackers can go nuts adding extra apps and even Windows. 4-GB solid-state drive protects data against notebook drops.
Tired: Two hours and 20 minutes of battery life disappoints. Only 1.3 GB of free storage space out of the box. Mouse buttons are small, stiff.
Intel Classmate PC
$300, intel.com
Unlike its low-end competition, Intel's entry into the starter PC market has a secret weapon: It runs Windows (XP, to be exact). Apps loaded relatively quickly (even Microsoft Office, which came loaded on our machine), and full-screen video and Flash clips didn't stutter. Of course, it's still a model that's designed for kids in a classroom environment: The miniature keyboard won't do ham-fisted grown-ups any favors.
Wired: Runs Windows XP, allowing for easy app expansion and sharing with other PCs at home or at school. Very rugged. Almost as cute as the OLPC XO. Exceptional battery life of three hours, 40 minutes.
Tired: Comparatively loud and hot. Tinny speakers. Not nearly enough storage space (just half a gig available to the user). Another minuscule 7-inch screen.
Zonbu Notebook
$279, (plus $14.95 per month) zonbu.com
For many, the value proposition will be enticing: You pay a paltry $279 up front for a spacious, 15.4-inch laptop, then $14.95 a month for the next two years. (Alternately, you pay $479 for the notebook, without the service.) The laptop runs a version of Gentoo Linux, preloaded with the usual frills: OpenOffice, Firefox, and Skype. Unfortunately, the large size and familiar form may lull you into thinking the Zonbu has more power than it does.
Wired: Subscription includes 50 GB of online storage and automatic backup. Units sold under subscription plan are replaced for free if they break. Incredibly bright LCD. Decent keyboard.
Tired: Sluggish performance and jumpy video quality. $638 over two years may not be such a fantastic bargain.
OLPC XO
$188, laptop.org
OLPC = One Laptop Per Child. The XO is designed with students in mind: The keyboard, wrapped in a rubberized membrane, is built for tiny, food-encrustedfingers. Once you open the device you'll find yourself confronted with 11 unfamiliar buttons, which must be puzzled out through trial and error.
Wired: Insanely rugged. Can operate in extreme temperatures and even in standing water. Loaded with kid-friendly apps, including novel music-making programs. Display can be used outdoors and swivels into tablet mode.
Tired: For those accustomed to standard laptops, the XO can be baffling: OLPC president Walter Bender was in the middle of writing an FAQ on how to open the lid when we spoke to him. Keys are far too tiny for frequent use. Overly sensitive touchpad.
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