JUNE 08 - GPS & MAPPING > DeLorme Street Atlas USA 2009 Mapping Software
DeLorme's PC-based Street Atlas used to be my go-to application for detailed and accurate travel directions. But then came Mapquest, Google Maps, and easy-to-use portable GPS devices for my car. Street Atlas didn't become irrelevant, but certainly it was no longer essential. ......

APRIL 08 - GPS & MAPPING > How to Buy a GPS Device
Paper maps were fine in their day--but like the wind-up watch, the tube TV, and crank windows in cars, they're becoming as undesirable as last year's cell phones as new technologies continue to emerge. Today's navigation tool, the portable GPS device, can do things that paper maps are incapable of ......

MARCH 08 - DIGITAL SLR > Olympus E3 Digital SLR Camera
The 10.1-megapixel E3, the top dog in Olympus's line of digital single-lens-reflex (DSLR) cameras, is an attractive package for both pros and serious amateurs. You have to be serious about your photography--and have plenty of arm strength--though, because ......

MARCH 08 - DIGITAL SLR > Nikon D300 Digital SLR Camera
My first impressions of the Nikon D300 digital SLR camera may rekindle my fondness for Nikon SLRs. It's not a perfect 10, but it's interesting and nicely built, and it performed better than I expected. The D300 is not for the casual photographer. It's big, it's heavy ......

MARCH 06 - GPS & MAPPING > Lowrance iWay 350c
Lowrance made a valiant attempt to pack every possible option into its $500 iWay 350c. It's the only device in our recent roundup of GPS units that has a built-in hard drive (a feature usually found only in more expensive devices), making points-of-interest searches and other data access faster ......

MARCH 08 - GPS & MAPPING > Magellan Maestro 4250 and V7 Nav740 GPS Devices Deliver More Than Just Maps
Great GPS systems have two things in common: accuracy and simplicity. You want to be able to enter your destination quickly and easily, and you want your GPS device to deliver clear and precise turn-by-turn directions to get you there. Two new models that I took on the road do both ......

JANUARY 08 - DIGITAL SLR > Sony Alpha DSLR-A700 Digital SLR Camera
First impressions of the Alpha DSLR-A700, Sony's $1900 (as of 12/14/2007), 12-megapixel digital single-lens reflex camera, brings to mind terms like "massive," "brick-like," and "complex." With its deep right-hand grip and 2.75-pound weight (which includes the zoom lens in the kit we tested), it feels ......

JANUARY 08 - DIGITAL SLR > Samsung Digimax GX-10 Digital SLR Camera
Can changing the name on a camera save you money? Yes, when you take the Pentax K10D and call it the Samsung GX-10 Digital SLR Camera. The former, with a 27-83mm (35mm equivalent) zoom lens sells for $800, more or less, while the latter--virtually identical camera body and same lens--sells for $750 .......

JANUARY 08 - DIGITAL SLR > Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10K Digital SLR Camera
It would be unfair to call the $1300 Lumix DMC-L10K digital single-lens reflex camera (with a Leica zoom lens) a one-trick pony, but this otherwise average DSLR does have one extraordinary feature: A live-view mode that lets you use the camera's 2.5-inch color LCD for previewing ......

NOVEMBER 07 - DIGITAL CAMERA > Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX55 Compact Camera
Sheathed in a brushed-silver metal shell, Panasonic's $350, 8.1-megapixel Lumix DMC-FX55 is as elegant-looking as it is functional. Though not quite small enough to slide comfortably into a shirt pocket, this point-and-shoot digital camera combines a compact size with a sharp, bright 3-inch LCD viewfinder ......

NOVEMBER 07 - DIGITAL CAMERA > Casio Exilim EX-Z1080 Compact Camera
The first thing you notice on the $280, 10.1-megapixel EX-Z1080 we tested is its metallic-pink shell and a big sticker touting its YouTube-capture mode--suggesting the camera's target buyer is young and female. If you don't fit that demographic, the camera also comes in blue, black, and silver. ......

NOVEMBER 07 - DIGITAL CAMERA > Canon PowerShot SD950 IS Compact Camera
At the top of Canon's Digital Elph line, the $450 SD950 IS looks stylish and is a pleasure to use. Enclosed in a titanium shell, it should handle bumps and scrapes better than the average snapshot camera. At 3.75 inches wide and just over 1 inch thick, ......

MAY 07 - CAMCORDER > Sony DCR-SR42 Handycam
When you're recording a special occasion, keeping things simple is the safest way to go: Just point, press a button, and let the camcorder do the rest. That's the approach championed by Sony's DCR-SR42 Handycam ......

MAY 07 - CAMCORDER > Panasonic SDR-H200
Not graced with sophisticated styling, the Panasonic SDR-H200 ($720 as of April 24, 2007) has no more in the way of extra features than competing models that cost $100 to $200 less. One possible reason for the high price is the camcorder's three-chip (red, green, and blue) CCD imaging system. ......

JANUARY 07 - DIGITAL CAMERA > Canon PowerShot A460
Canon's PowerShot A460 has a sophisticated and durable look to it, yet it costs just $130 (as of 5/10/07). Though nicely designed, its boxy and chunky shape prevents it from being carried comfortably in a pocket. It will fit nicely into a small bag, however. .......

MARCH 06 - MAPPING SOFTWARE > Never Ask for Directions Again
Two hundred years ago, when Meriwether Lewis and William Clark began their famed expedition, maps labeled much of the western United States as terra incognita--unknown territory. For today's traveler, terra incognita can be the next state, the next town, even the next neighborhood. ......

MARCH 06 - DIGITAL CAMERA > Nikon's Fast, Powerful, and Pricey SLR
Powerful and wonderfully designed, Nikon's new D200 fills a gaping hole in the company's lineup of digital SLR cameras. Ideal for professionals and serious amateurs, the $1700 (body only), 10.2-megapixel camera fits nicely between the $900, 6.1-megapixel D70s and Nikon's top-of-the line and extremely costly ($4500) 12.4-megapixel D2X. ......

DEC 05 - PHOTO MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE > Worthy Update for Photographer Fave ACDSee
Ask a dozen digital photographers what the most daunting task they face is, and nearly all will give you the same answer: managing the hundreds of photos that are sitting on their computer. ......

SEPT 05 - DIGITAL CAMERA > Panasonic's Powerful Digicam
"Small and powerful" is no contradiction in terms with the latest point-and-shoot digital cameras. But Panasonic's $600 ......

AUG 05 - DIGITAL CAMERA > Pentax *ist DS
If you've looked longingly at digital single-lens-reflex cameras but have been put off by their size and weight, you'll want to check out the Pentax *ist DS ......

JULY 05 - DIGITAL CAMERA > Nikon's SLR for the Masses
Nikon's 6.1-megapixel D50 digital SLR model is no photographic marvel, but it does fit nicely into the latest digital camera trend: ......

JUNE 05 - DIGITAL CAMERA > Olympus C-7070 Wide Zoom
It would be easy to classify the Olympus C-7070 Wide Zoom as a simple case of keeping up with the Joneses. ......

MAY 05 - DIGITAL CAMERA > Nikon Coolpix 7900
Small and attractive, the Nikon Coolpix 7900 combines an extensive array of scene modes with two very useful advanced settings-- ......

MAR 05 - DIGITAL CAMERA > Canon PowerShot A510
The Canon PowerShot A510 won't win any best-of-breed honors, but at $200 this compact camera with good features is an exceptional bargain, so much so ......

MAR 05 - DIGITAL CAMERA > Epson L-500V
If simplicity were a virtue, Epson's $349, 5-megapixel point-and-shoot would be saintly. Bucking the trend ......

MAR 05 - DIGITAL CAMERA > Casio Exilim EX-S100
If Casio's $350 Exilim EX-S100 were better at its primary function--taking great digital photos--we'd be huge fans. ......

MAR 05 - DIGITAL AUDIO > First Look: M:robe Tries to Do Too Much
Combine a small hard drive, good-sized LCD, and built-in digital camera and you might have the ultimate portable multimedia box. ......

JAN 05 - DIGITAL CAMERA > Affordable Digital SLRs Arrive
Digital single-lens reflex cameras aren't exactly mass-market yet, but they're getting there rapidly. ......

JAN 05 - DIGITAL CAMERA > Nikon Coolpix 8800
The Coolpix 8800 combines powerful (8-megapixel) imaging resolution and a long (10X) optical zoom. An update of the Coolpix 8700 ......

DEC 04 - GPS > Portable In-Car GPS
The one problem with most in-car, removable GPS systems is size: Typically mounted on your windshield ......

AUG 05 - DIGITAL CAMERA > Pentax *ist DS
If you've looked longingly at digital single-lens-reflex cameras but have been put off by their size and weight, you'll want to check out the Pentax *ist DS ......

AUG 05 - DIGITAL CAMERA > Pentax *ist DS
If you've looked longingly at digital single-lens-reflex cameras but have been put off by their size and weight, you'll want to check out the Pentax *ist DS ......