Toshiba's First Netbook Is a Step Up

The 7-inch eBay netbook really does cost under $40

(NEWSER) - Wired checks into reports of a $37 Ebay laptop and finds it to be surprisingly legit. The 7-inch netbook runs on Windows CE and has 2GB storage. "What's the catch (apart from the extraordinarily underpowered internals)?" asks Charlie Sorrel. "There appears to be none. These are factory seconds or items which have failed quality control tests. They may or may not come with original packaging, and they ship from Hong Kong. Sound risky? C’mon. They’re $37. What do you expect? It’s almost worth it just for the AC adapter." More»

Critics love the awesome camera, screen, and new features

(NEWSER) - The iPhone 4 hits tomorrow, and tech reviewers everywhere are incredibly impressed. Here's what they're saying:

• The iPhone 4 is “a major leap over its already excellent predecessor,” writes Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal . The new features work very well, and the redesign “manages to make the 3GS appear bulbous by comparison.”
• David Pogue of the New York Times almost doesn’t bother reviewing it. “What’s the point?” he writes. They’ve already sold tons of these. “The public seems perfectly capable of sniffing out a winner without the help of tech critics.” But for the record, yes, the iPhone 4 is "sweet."

Mossberg offers his annual shopping guide

(NEWSER) - It's time once again for Walt Mossberg's annual computer buying guide, in which the Wall Street Journal 's tech guru runs down the bare minimum the average person should know when buying a laptop. His advice:

• Processors: Intel has a shiny new wave of Core chips, the i3, i5, and i7 models. They're faster, and the i5 and i7 have nifty power-saving features, but there's nothing wrong with older chips for bargain shoppers. Speaking of which...

Serious gamers will appreciate latest model, writes Katherine Boehret

(NEWSER) - Not everybody's going to want a 3D laptop, but two new models offer an extra dimension to two different kinds of computer users, writes Katherine Boehret. The $770 Acer Aspire is aimed at the mainstream market. It's designed mainly as a trusty all-round laptop and uses a "slightly clumsy" third-party program to convert videos and pictures into 3D, Boehret writes for the Wall Street Journal. More»

Walter Mossberg says super-cheap phone service worth a try

(NEWSER) - Walter Mossberg is as surprised as anyone to say it, but MagicJack actually works. If you haven’t seen its frequent, hard-sell TV ads, the little USB device hooks your computer to a traditional phone, allowing you to make unlimited calls over the Internet at a nigh-unbelievable rate. The first year of calls comes free with the $40 device, and each year thereafter is just $20. More»