reviews

Best extreme-definition 27-inch monitors

While most 27-inch monitors you'll find at your local Best Buy sport the perfectly capable resolution of 1,920x1,080 pixels, there's a growing contingent of monitor enthusiasts, like myself, who understand the real reason for the existence of 27-inch displays.

If you've never seen a 27-inch monitor running at 2,560x1,440-pixel resolution, then you've yet to be touched by a particularly affecting higher power.

Also referred to as "extreme definition" or "XD," this branch of higher-tier monitors will melt your face and not look back. However, as much as the impressive resolution benefits all aspects of computing, it is in games that it provides a particular advantage.… Read more

This week in Crave: The imposter edition

Too busy trying to keep thieves out of your brain this week to stay on top of Crave? Continue not thinking about your PINs while you ponder the stories you missed.

- Finally! Your iPad can pretend to be a MacBook.

- It's an "iPhone 5," minus just one key feature.

- Stargazers, have a gaze at this massive Mars mosaic.

- A suborbital space flight? Yeah, we'd call that a decent frequent flyer award.

- Ecce Homo: Behold the meme spawned by a botched art restoration. … Read more

Could patent peace be at hand?

As the tech world was focused on the Apple-Samsung patent trial, Apple and Google were talking to try to resolve the myriad intellectual property and patent disputes between the companies.

Apple's CEO Tim Cook and Google's Larry Page talked before last week's verdict in the Samsung-Apple trial and plan to talk in a few weeks, to a person familiar with dealings told CNET. Talks are also reportedly taking place between the companies at a lower echelon. Back to the future: Apple and Microsoft on collision course, again

When the Samsung decision got announced last Friday afternoon, … Read more

Amazon reviewers skewer froufrou Bic pens for women

Sometimes the world takes an unfortunate sidestep in the long journey for women's equality. Bic, maker of pens and lighters, just stubbed its toe with Bic for Her, a misguided attempt at making pens appeal to the womanly masses.

The pens come in vibrant shades of pink and purple with a grip that is "designed to fit comfortably in a woman's hand."

There could have been an outpouring of distaste for this marketing attempt gone awry, but instead Amazon reviewers have rushed to the rescue, pouring out reviews on par with the famous Tuscan Whole Milk, 1 Gallon incident.

The whole Bic for Her phenomenon can be summed up in one review headline from Rachel Parris: "I thought it was a kitten, then some words came out! wonderful!"… Read more

The 404 1,118: Where we've got the right stuff (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Study finds "about one-third of all consumer reviews on the Internet are fake."

- Why investors (but not consumers) love LinkedIn.

- Meet the people who comment on porn videos.

- Religious sites have more Trojans than naughty ones.… Read more

This week in Crave: The patented edition

It's election time! Too busy deciding who should make it into the Robot Hall of Fame to keep up with Crave all week? Put down your ballots for a moment and take a look back at the week that was.

- You might have heard of a verdict reached in an itty-bitty patent case? The result you expected?

- If Venus de Milo had an iPhone, she would look like this.

- Microsoft's logo got a makeover. What do you think of it?

- Note-taking app Evernote teams with... a paper company?

- Yee-haw! The west is getting even wilder in Grand Theft Auto V. … Read more

In Apple v. Samsung, the jury has spoken

Apple and Samsung both rested their cases this week in the ongoing billion-dollar patent infringement dispute, and the jury has found Apple the clear victor.

After 21 hours of deliberation, a nine-person jury Friday afternoon sided with Apple on a majority of its patent infringement claims against Samsung Electronics. The jury also awarded Apple more than $1 billion in damages.

Apple had originally sought $2.75 billion in damages and although it wasn't unanimous on all counts, the verdict was overwhelmingly in Apple's favor. Apple's $1,049,343,540 victory: Google, don't tread on me … Read more

This week in Crave: The toil and trouble edition

Been busy looking for places to buy genie manifestation potions now that eBay won't be selling them anymore? Slow down for a moment. We've got plenty of spells and hexes for you right here in our weekly Crave rundown.

- Oh. My. God. Churchill received history's first OMG?

- Darksiders II will brighten your summer, gamers.

- A Windows RT Surface tablet for $199? Don't bet on it quite yet. … Read more

New Super Mario Bros. 2: Nintendo 3DS gets a new game that's all too familiar

Jeff: The 3DS needs all the help it can get, so a new Mario Bros. game has worked in the past, why not again now? The problem with that mentality is that after a while, even the great Mario isn't invulnerable to becoming stale. And in the case of New Super Mario Bros. 2, I'm afraid it has finally happened.

Now before you gather up the pitchforks and start heading my way, you'll be happy to hear that I still think the game is fun to play. If you own a 3DS odds are you haven't bought a game in a while, so this will most likely find its way into your portable system. That said, you may fall into the same deja-vu trance that I did while playing and begin muttering, "Haven't I done this before?"… Read more

Patience waning in Apple-Samsung patent fight

The Apple-Samsung patent infringement trial is on fire, with the presiding judge applying much of the heat.

Tension appeared to peak this week when U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh began yelling at Apple for trying to book too many witnesses in its last few hours.

"I am not going to be running around trying to get 75 pages of briefings for people who are not going to be testifying," Koh told Apple's lawyer Bill Lee.

"I mean come on. 75 pages! 75 pages! You want me to do an order on 75 pages, (and) unless … Read more