The alaTest Blog

Smartphones have been presenting a lot of competition to dedicated GPS units lately. The iPhone has plenty of apps that offer turn-by-turn directions. Microsoft’s WP7 is still a little rough around the edges when it comes to navigation, but it certainly gets the job done. Google Maps on Android is an extremely polished suite of navigation tools. Still, dedicated GPS units do offer a few benefits you won’t find in a Smartphone. Read the rest of this entry »

Any serious gamer will tell you that a good set of headphones can make a world of difference in your gameplay. Being able to muffle outside noise makes for a much more immersive gaming experience, and in competitive gaming (particularly First Person Shooters), the ability to hear minute details – such as the sound of footsteps – can drastically improve your skill. So what are some of the best headsets on the market today? Read the rest of this entry »

Summer is always a popular time for family vacations, with the kids out of school and the warm weather. A must-have for almost any vacation is a bit of travel time entertainment. Playing “I Spy” and singing “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall” will only get you so far, but handheld games have a bit more staying power. For this, the Nintendo 3DS and Sony PlayStation Vita offer some excellent choices. Read the rest of this entry »

Barely more than a year ago, tablets were little more than overpriced Netbooks without keyboards, and there were plenty of arguments against buying a tablet, favoring laptops and Ultrabooks. Those tides are starting to change, and there are now quite a few compelling arguments in favor of tablets. So if you’re in the market for a new tablet, what are your best options? Read the rest of this entry »

Recently reaching a 51% market share, Android is undoubtedly the most popular smartphone platform. Its latest versions always offer innovative and compelling features, but unlike Apple’s iPhone, there is a disconnect between those who develop the Android OS and the manufacturers who build the devices.

Google develops Android such that anyone can build a device that runs it, but it’s up to the manufacturer to modify it and tailor it to run on the hardware they’re using. This process can take months, and it means that most Android devices out there are generally one or two versions behind. To get the most out of a new Android device, it’s important to know which are the most likely to be updated quickly. Read the rest of this entry »

Current HDTV technology has just about peeked. LCD TVs are about as affordable as they’re going to get before slowly disappearing from the market completely, and LED sets are nearly out of room for any more “value-added features.” High-end plasmas are still the top choice for anyone who wants the upmost image quality, no matter the cost, but they’re about to see some heavy competition. Read the rest of this entry »

Buying a new cell phone is a lot like buying a new car – you have to find something that fits your needs and your lifestyle. Our list of cell phone reviews is great for finding the top ranked smartphones on the market, but it’s not so useful if the top ranked phones aren’t they type you’re looking for.

That’s exactly why we created the Interactive Cell Phone Buying Guide. It lets you select the criteria that are most important to you and get a custom-tailored list of the perfect phones for your needs. Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re in the market for a new digital compact camera (and since summer vacation is in full-bore, why wouldn’t you be?), we’ve put together a quick list of the top 5 compact cameras currently rated on alaTest. Things seem to be trending towards slightly larger which feature bigger image sensors and more manual controls, but there are a few smaller compacts in the mix as well. Read the rest of this entry »