The alaTest Blog

When Netbooks first came out, their small size and excellent affordability made for a perfect niche in the laptop market space. Nettops tried to do the same thing, but in the desktop world, portability isn’t exactly important, and affordability is already achievable. You have to wonder: Just what are Nettops good for? Read the rest of this entry »

With so many choices to choose from, picking the right set of headphones can be difficult, but the first thing you should decide on is the style. When we say “style” we don’t mean how cool they look, but rather, the form factor. Modern headphones typically fall into one of four categories: circum-aural, supra-aural, earbud, and in-ear. What does it all mean? Glad you asked. Read the rest of this entry »

Smartphones are a perfect example of the progression of cellular tech, but if you’re like me, one thing you hate to do with your smartphone is actually hold it against your ear. Smartphones were designed to do a lot of things, but comfort certainly wasn’t a priority. That’s exactly where Bluetooth Headsets come in, providing both comfort and convenience, and conveniently for you, we have a list of the current top dogs. Read the rest of this entry »

Back in 2007 when the original iPhone was released, its 3.5-inch display was considered fairly monstrous for a phone. At the time, most smartphone displays were well under 3 inches, and only a few spanned the entire face of the phone, the rest opting for a BlackBerry half screen/half button approach. But larger screens caught on, and today the 3.5-inch display of the iPhone seems relatively small, compared to 4.3 and even 5-inch phones. Read the rest of this entry »

Here at alaTest, we offer something unique. Yes, you can search for electronics and gadgets on Amazon or Newegg.com, but their ultimate goal is to sell you a product. alaTest is a shopper’s companion. We’re not trying to sell you anything; our goal is to help you find the perfect product and then show you where you can get it at the best price. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s an age old dispute – OK, not “age old,” but it’s been around for as long as home gaming platforms: Which does gaming better, console or PC? Considering the gaming market today, and how most games are cross-platform compatible (aka have versions for each console and the PC), it can be tough to choose a side. We’ll let the two duke it out in a few key categories and tally up the winner. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s tempting to think that Apple launched the very first tablet with its creation of the original iPad, but the truth is that tablets had been around for year prior. Before the first iPad, though, tablets had a very specific purpose, generally intended for industrial environments. Apple changed this by removing many features while enhancing those that would appeal to the general public – features like video playback and casual gaming. Since then, many have been going in Apple’s direction, and today, we’ve put together a list of the best tablets on the market. Read the rest of this entry »

Buying a laptop can be a big decision. You want something that can stand the test of time, in both durability and performance. It’s easy to think you’ll have to spend over $1500 that won’t be outdated in just a couple years, but in fact, just $800 is more than enough for the typical user’s needs, and believe it or not, many $800 notebooks use a lot of the same components and technologies as the most expensive models. Read the rest of this entry »