Vizio P-Series 2016 review – CNET

The Good The Vizio P-Series has outstanding overall picture quality that competes well against the highest-end TVs. It can handle both high-dynamic-range formats. The remote is a fully functional Android tablet. The Google Cast system offers more apps and frequent updates than many dedicated smart-TV systems.

The Bad Using the tablet for settings and streaming apps is often more of a hassle than traditional onscreen menus. No built-in tuner, so you can’t watch over-the-air antenna broadcasts unless you attach a separate tuner. No HDR10 compatibility until a promised future software upgrade arrives.

The Bottom Line Forget the “free tablet,” the real story with Vizio’s excellent P-Series TV is top-notch picture quality and future-ready features at an affordable price.

Most of the time when I tell someone that a Vizio TV has a better picture than a Samsung, LG or Sony, they’re incredulous. “Really?” they ask. “But it’s so much cheaper. How is that possible?”

“I honestly don’t know,” I tell them. “But it’s the best TV for the money you can buy.”

For 2016, Vizio is delivering two bold changes to its TV line. The first is that these TVs aren’t technically TVs. The company has omitted the antenna and tuner, which is why Vizio calls them “Tuner-Free Displays.” So if you want free over-the-air broadcasts, you’ll need to invest in a third-party tuner box or an over-the-air DVR like the TiVo Roamio OTA or the Channel Master DVR+.

The second big change this year is the remote: In addition to a basic on/off/input/volume clicker, Vizio includes a 6-inch Android tablet. The idea is to use the tablet to control apps like Netflix and Hulu on the big screen, as well as access picture control and other settings. It seems like a cool concept, but in practice I found it kludgy and annoying in many cases. I ended up paying attention to the screen in my hand instead of the one across the room…and I can do that with my phone.

Vizio P-Series (pictures)
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If you’re as annoyed with the tablet remote as I was, you can get by with a good universal remote or even the included button-based clicker, ignoring the tablet altogether (or giving it to your kids). And as usual, an external device like a Roku or Apple TV works better for streaming, and has those key apps (Amazon, iTunes) that the Vizio lacks.

Thankfully, what’s good about this Vizio far outweighs the issues with the tablet remote. The Vizio P-Series is the first 2016 TV I’m reviewing, and — simply put — it once again sets a high bar for value. In image quality it beats most major-brand TVs, even those that cost significantly more. It supports all the latest 4K and high-dynamic-range wizardry — including both Dolby Vision and (soon) HDR10 — and even its styling is nicer than you probably expect.

A “free tablet” might get some people in the door, but a great picture for the price is what makes me like the P-Series so much. In fact, right now, the only real challenge to this P-Series on the value horizon is the company’s own less expensive, similarly equipped M series. Once again, the best TV for the money looks like it will be a Vizio.

Series information: I performed a hands-on evaluation of the 65-inch Vizio P65-C1, but this review also applies to the other screen sizes in the series. Here’s how the other sizes differ.

Vizio P-Series 2016 sizes

The most important difference in the table above is the IPS panel used on the 55-inch model. Because of that difference I expect it to perform worse than the other sizes. See the Features section for additional details.

Your remote control: An included Android tablet

The big headliner for 2016 Vizio TVs is that the company throws in a “free” Android tablet that doubles as a remote control. It’s a 6-inch slate, barely bigger than my trusty Galaxy Note 4 phone, but of course it doesn’t make calls (or have a camera).

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Sarah Tew/CNET

The Vizio branding is prominent, the controls are typical with a power/wake button on top, a side-mounted volume and headphone jack, and a Micro-USB port on the bottom. The perforated silver top and bottom hide stereo speakers that diffuse nicely when you watch video in landscape (sideways) mode. Although the tablet requires two hands to use, it feels easy to hold thanks mainly to the rubberized back.

Here are the specifications:

• 1080p resolution
• Octa-core processor
• 16GB storage
• Android Lollipop (5.1)
• Stereo speakers
• Headphone jack and microphone
• No camera or expandable storage

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Sarah Tew/CNET

In short, this is a (mostly) fully functional Android tablet on which you can play Angry Birds or watch Netflix streaming video. I also love the wireless charging cradle, because it provides a permanent home that helps keep the “remote” from getting lost, and provides a very convenient way to keep the battery topped off.

So what’s it like to use a tablet remote?

IMO, kind of annoying.

When it threw in the tablet, Vizio also removed all but the most basic onscreen menus from the TV. The included button-based “basic” remote can control volume/mute, input, aspect ratio, play/pause, picture mode, pairing and power. That’s it.

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To do anything else, you need to use the included tablet, or another tablet or a phone.

Want to watch Netflix or YouTube? You’ll need to “Google Cast” from a phone or tablet to the TV — just like using a $35 Chromecast. That’s because the P-Series lacks a traditional Smart TV menu system and apps. Want to tweak the Backlight setting or set the TV’s sleep timer? You’ll have to use Vizio’s SmartCast app for Android and iOS.

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Such an arrangement can have some advantages. They include more-frequent updates, access to more apps (again, with the exception of Amazon and iTunes), easier entry of text and search terms using a big touchscreen and Bluetooth connectivity so you don’t have to aim the clicker.

But personally I found the disadvantages, such as having to futz with the tablet to turn on the TV, shift focus between two screens and rely on the smaller-screen interface, annoying overall. I love being able to use a traditional button-and-TV combination mostly by feel, without taking my eyes off the big screen.

As I mentioned above, if I owned a P-Series I’d mostly ignore the tablet and rely on a good universal remote for basic functions, and an external device for streaming (unless I wanted to watch something in HDR, which isn’t yet available in an external streamer). Vizio says the P-Series can receive standard infrared commands from remotes like Harmony and cable box remotes, for example.

I’ll have a lot more details on what it’s like to use Vizio’s system, including more details on the SmartCast app itself, in a follow-up article.

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Design

The TV itself looks decidedly higher-end than most Vizios, with the same kind of actual metal frame used by recent Samsung TVs like the JU7100, albeit without the aggressive angled edge. A discreet Vizio logo on the lower right, textured sides and a relatively thick body slightly differentiate it from otherwise identical-looking TVs.

Features

Key TV features

The P-Series hits all of the image quality high notes I expect from an LED LCD TV. Its full-array local dimming backlight has a prodigious number of zones — 126 for the 50 and 55-inch sizes, 128 for the 65- and 75-inch sets — and in general, more zones equal better picture quality.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 review – CNET

The Good The Redmi Note 3 features a premium metal body, fingerprint scanner and a brilliant 5.5-inch display all at a low, low, price.

The Bad The camera, while adequate for a budget phone, tends to overexpose shots and it’s a shame the phone drops the removable battery feature found on the previous model.

The Bottom Line With its comfortable design and low price, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 is a top choice for phone-buyers on a budget.

Visit manufacturer site for details.

I’ve always been a big fan of Xiaomi’s phones and the Redmi Note 3 is no exception, but also may now be my new favourite. That’s partly because of the phone’s classy metal body (upgraded from plastic on previous models) and partly because of its low price (around $220, £150 and AU$290, respectively). But it’s mostly because Xiaomi has turned out a quality product that fits well into my lifestyle. However, if you’re outside of Asia, you’ll have to work some online magic to get the phone, and it may not work as swiftly with your carrier if it doesn’t support your network’s bands, so you’ll need to check.

Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 3 packs premium metal…
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Budget phones usually skimp on storage space, but not the comfortable, 5.5-inch Redmi Note 3. This guy comes with 32GB, and if you need more, you can use one of the phone’s dual-SIM slots as a microSD card slot for up to an additional 32GB of storage. Gaming performance was great; I loved the smooth framerates on Asphalt 8 and when switching between apps and sending emails, I rarely experienced any noticeable delay. The Note 3’s non-removable battery lasted nearly-14 hours in our video looping battery test; a respectable number for the vast majority of phones.

Software wise, Xiaomi’s usual MIUI skin runs over the Android 5.1 Lollipop operating system. Since all the app icons spread out across multiple home screens, it looks like a mix of Android and iOS. But other cool features, such as the ability to quickly move all the apps on one screen to the next, and weekly security updates, help make up for the atypical layout. While it isn’t standard Android, MIUI does a great job making the phone easy to use, especially with a “Lite mode” which simplifies the interface for not so tech-savvy types.

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The phone still uses physical keys instead of onscreen menu buttons.

Aloysius Low/CNET

Now, if there’s one thing that I downright didn’t like, it’s the Redmi Note 3’s lackluster camera. It’s slow and lacks Auto HDR (high dynamic range), which meant I had to manually turn this mode on. It also had some exposure troubles, which resulted in slightly darker images unless you adjusted the exposure setting yourself before shooting. Neither is a deal-breaker, but they did knock down my experience a few pegs.

While it’s a bit heavier than your typical flagship phones, the Redmi Note 3 is still comfortable to hold, and after switching back to my daily phone, I missed having the Note 3’s rear-mounter fingerprint sensor. Truly, for the price, it’s an excellent budget phone at any size. If you can find it, get it.

Performance benchmarks

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3

18,002

1,532

3,651

ZTE ZMax 2

4,369

479

1,378

Huawei Honor 5X

7,719

702

3,130

Legend:

3DMark Ice Storm (unlimited)
Geekbench 3 (single-core)
Geekbench 3 (multi-core)

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 vs ZTE ZMax 2 vs Huawei Honor 5X

Samsung Level On Wireless Pro review – CNET

The Good The Samsung Level On Pro offers Bluetooth wireless streaming and active noise-cancellation in a fairly compact folding design that offers good sound quality for Bluetooth. The headphone supports Samsung’s proprietary audio format available in its latest smartphones. A carrying pouch is included and the free Level companion app for Android devices allows you to tweak the sound.

The Bad Samsung’s ultra high-quality audio has very little impact on sound quality and is only available on its devices; headphone doesn’t do quite enough to distinguish itself from competing models.

The Bottom Line Another good but not great headphone from Samsung, the wireless Samsung Level On Pro has enough merits to make it worth considering, particularly if you’re someone who owns one of Samsung’s latest smartphones phones.

Samsung jumped into the headphone game a few years back with its Level series, which includes on-ear, in-ear and over-ear models. They tend to be quite likable headphones — both in terms of their design and performance — but they don’t necessarily wow you.

The new-for-2016 Level On Wireless Pro Bluetooth headphone, which features active noise cancellation and and lists for $250 (£230, AU$400), falls into the same camp: a good but not great headphone for the money.

This successor to the standard (non-Pro) Level On includes support for Samsung’s proprietary Ultra High Quality Audio or UHQA Bluetooth streaming format, which is supposed to offer superior audio performance when streaming over Bluetooth. UHQA streaming is available only on Samsung’s latest Galaxy devices, including the Galaxy S6 Edge and Edge+ (the standard S6 does not support UHQA), Note 5, and Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge.

While the Level On Pro is best paired with a Samsung phone — there’s a companion Level app for Android phones that allows you to tweak the sound with various preset sound profiles — this does work with any Bluetooth-enabled phone, including iPhones.

It’s fairly comfortable but as its name implies, this is an on-ear model, and isn’t quite as comfortable as a full sized around-the-ear headphone, though it is more compact. I liked how it folds up to fit in its included carrying pouch and it has an attractive, mostly plastic design, that seems pretty durable and is Samsung’s answer to Beats headphones.

The Samsung Level On Pro has touch controls and comes in two color options (black and bronze).

Sarah Tew/CNET

Like the Level On, this Pro version has touch controls on the outside of right earcup so you can tap the headphone to pause and play your music or swipe to raise and lower volume or skip tracks forward or back. I’m a fan of the touch controls, but not everybody feels the same way because you sometimes accidentally touch the earcup while adjusting the headphone on your head and end pausing your music, which is a little irritating.

The headphone worked well as a headset for making calls but if you’re looking for a headphone with heavy duty noise-cancellation this isn’t it. Although it does a reasonable job cutting noise, the NC is fairly light and it isn’t as effective as the noise cancellation found in Bose QC25 headphone. However, the lighter NC may appeal to those who are sensitive to the sensation of pressure that active noise cancellation can put on your ears.

Battery life is rated at 10 hours, which is good but not great.

Parrot Bebop Drone 2 review – CNET

The Good The Parrot Bebop Drone 2 is small enough to stick in your average backpack; sturdier than the original with about twice the battery life; its propellers stop the instant they’re obstructed; easy barrel rolls and flips and new banked turns capability makes it more fun to fly; stable flight indoors or outside; can be piloted with third-party Bluetooth controllers.

The Bad Pricey when bundled with the massive Skycontroller remote control. Video quality hasn’t improved much from the first-gen Bebop. In-app purchase required for features other drone makers include. Control range is dependent on your mobile device and flight conditions. Limited to 8GB of internal storage for photos and video.

The Bottom Line The Parrot Bebop 2 definitely improves on the original and remains a good choice for its portability and safer design, but stiffer competition and merely good image quality limit its overall appeal.

The Parrot Bebop 2 definitely improves on the original and remains a good choice for its portability and safer design, but stiffer competition and merely good image quality limit its overall appeal. Maybe it’s the design or its size and weight or that you’re just as likely to find it sold as a smartphone accessory as you are in a toy store or camera department of a big box retailer, but Parrot’s Bebop 2 is one of the least intimidating camera drone you’ll find. Even less so than most toy drones, since it takes off and lands on its own and has no trouble hovering in place indoors or outside.

The fact that it’s controlled with a smartphone or tablet certainly helps. Flying by touchscreen isn’t the best experience, but honestly handing someone a regular remote control for the first time arguably isn’t any better. Instead of sticks and switches and buttons, you’re tapping on a screen and sliding your thumbs around or simply tilting your phone in the direction you want it to fly. The mobile app is free, but you can make a $20 in-app purchase to unlock more advanced flight plan capabilities, letting you set waypoints for the Bebop 2 to follow among other things.

The quadcopter is small enough to slide into an average backpack and at just over a pound (500 grams), it’s easy to travel with. Aside from the propellers there are no moving parts, which helps its chances of surviving a crash. The ABS body is reinforced with glass fiber to toughen it up even more. It’s also one of the safest drones you’ll find with flexible plastic propellers that stop the second something hits them.

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The Bebop 2 is primarily flown with a smartphone or tablet.

Parrot

Because of these things, the Bebop 2 perhaps comes off as more of a toy and less of a serious camera drone like the DJI Phantom 3 Standard, which currently shares the Bebop 2’s $500 price tag. (The Bebop sells for AU$900 in Australia and £440 in the UK, while the DJI sells for AU$859 and £449.) And frankly, if high-quality aerial photos and video are what’s most important, you are better off with the Phantom 3 Standard. (Similar flight plan capabilities to the Bebop’s don’t cost more with the Standard, either.)

Consider the Bebop 2 if you want something more family-friendly. One that you won’t panic as much about when you turn over the controls to a friend for his or her first time flying. A camera drone that can get decent video and photos for sharing, but also survive crashes and do flips with a couple taps on screen.

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The Bebop 2 is piloted with a smartphone or tablet, but just how far depends on the conditions.

Joshua Goldman/CNET

I actually tested two different Bebop 2s. The first was a preproduction unit that, like the original Bebop I reviewed, occasionally dropped its wireless signal in flight. Not really something you want to have happen when it’s hundreds of feet in the air or out over a body of water. Parrot said this was a fault in the early models and not a typical experience.

To confirm this, I tested a second unit and, in fact, did not experience any dropouts while testing it. That may have been because of its newer firmware, or there was something actually wrong with the first drone, or maybe both. All I know is the second Bebop 2 I tested performed just fine.

Parrot claims it’s possible to fly the Bebop 2 up to 300 meters away (about 985 feet) using a mobile device. That’s an average, too, so it can potentially go even further or fall short of that mark. The distance is going to vary depending on everything from trees and buildings to other wireless signal traffic to the device you’re using. Even how you hold the device can determine signal quality.

That in mind, I tested using the latest firmware installed (version 3.2.0) with an iPad Air 2 in an open field surrounded by trees in a heavily populated area (i.e., a lot of wireless signals) and was able to get it out to more than 200 meters before the video cut out. Could it have flown farther? Probably, and I might have even gotten the video feed back. But I played it safe and called it back using the automatic Return to Home option. The point is, how far you’ll be able to fly the Bebop 2 is dependent on your environment and your device.

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Parrot’s Skycontroller increases the Bebop’s flight range, but also empties your wallet.

Joshua Goldman/CNET

For the best range and physical controls, you can spend a couple hundred dollars more for Parrot’s huge and awkward Skycontroller. It has full controls for the drone and an amplified Wi-Fi radio on top allowing you to fly up to 1.2 miles (2 kilometers), assuming conditions are absolutely perfect. The FreeFlight mobile app is installed on it though, so you don’t need to pair it with a mobile device to fly. It also has a full-size HDMI output on the side lets you connect an external display to see what the camera sees and also supports headsets for completely immersing you for FPV (first-person-view) flight.

2016 Tesla Model X review – Roadshow

The Good Stunning performance backs up a what is a technological show of dominance.

The Bad Those falcon-wing doors are showy, but impractical in most cases.

The Bottom Line An amazing car for the moment, unfortunately compromised by those doors.

It’s been a long time coming, but it’s finally here. It’s the Tesla Model X, the slightly taller, somewhat more practical follow-up to the Model S. It could have been little more than that — Tesla could have simply given the S a bit of a vertical stretch and called it a day, but the company instead decided to do something a little bit… different, to give the X a signature design element that would set it apart from its fraternal twin.

I am of course referring to the pair of “falcon-wing” doors that provide access to the rear seats, craning skyward at the touch of a button. Iconic statement that will earn this car a place in the history of great designs? Or, misguided case of form trumping function? And, just what’s the Model X like to drive compared to the generally excellent Model S? Let’s find out.

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More than an evolution

The idea was a natural one: slightly expand upon the Model S and turn it into the sort of rig perfect for Monday-morning dashes to school or Friday-afternoon cruises to Aspen. As such, the Model X is bigger, offering more than twice the cargo space of the S if you forgo the third row of seats. But you probably shouldn’t, because unlike the novelty way-back area on the Model S, third row seats face forward on the Model X.

As such they become genuinely useful, with enough headroom and legroom (just) for a grown adult such as myself to squeeze back there. Second-row seats, meanwhile, have acres of room, while the heated and air-conditioned thrones up front for driver and passenger not only offer the perfect temperature regardless of weather, but deliver a decent amount of support and good comfort, too.

In fact, spring for the $1,000 “Subzero” package and all of the seats in the Model X can be heated at the touch of the button, even the middle one in the second row. This is a nice way to pamper your passengers — or surprise them with a warm bottom if you’re the practical joking type.

What hasn’t changed is the massive, 17-inch LCD in the center of the car’s dashboard, something carried over from the Model S. It’s still powered by the same Tegra 3 processor, which delivers reasonably clean visuals but struggles at times to keep up with your finger presses. Bring on Tegra X1, please.

That display will split opinions, just like it did years ago when we first saw it on the S. I personally love the size, but not the glare, and I dearly wish it had support for Android Auto and Apple’s CarPlay. Regardless, integrated LTE connectivity certainly is nice, making it easy to monitor your car’s charging status from anywhere via Tesla’s smartphone app, an app that offers some other pretty compelling features, too.

Autopilot

When it launched, the Model X served as a platform for Tesla’s most advanced tech yet: Autopilot. With this, the Model X can do a pretty comprehensive job of taking care of itself. Take the Summon feature, for example. Using that same Tesla mobile app that you use to monitor charging, you can actually command the car to unpark itself and come to you.

Now, put away those Knight Industries Two-Thousand fantasies, because the car won’t go flying through a parking garage to find you. In fact, it will really only creep in a straight line until it encounters an obstacle or you tell it to stop. However, if you integrate the system with a Homelink-compatible garage opener, it will kindly open the door before pulling out of your garage, then close it again after it’s free.

Put away those Knight Industries Two-Thousand fantasies, because the car won’t go flying through a parking garage to find you.

In practice this feature is far more useful for impressing friends and family than in actually getting the car to park itself, but I suppose if you have a tiny garage just barely big enough to house such a rig, it could be useful.

The interior of the Model X is a very nice place to be, and is absolutely loaded with toys.

Tim Stevens/Roadshow

No surprise that Autopilot is far more useful on the road. Get on a stretch of asphalt with reasonably clear lines, and with a double-tap of the cruise control stalk, the car takes over. It’ll steer around corners, change lanes at your command and adjust speed to avoid any slower traffic in your path.

On the highway, you pick the speed, while on secondary roads Autopilot is automatically capped at a maximum of five miles-per-hour over the posted limit. This does a reasonably good job of keeping you clean in the eyes of the law, as the X will slow down automatically when entering towns, but there were a few occasions when the car was a bit late on the decel. You’d be wise to pay attention to those speed limit signs — and stop signs, and traffic lights, and all the other posted indications that Autopilot is currently unable to process.

In fact, you should always pay attention, regardless. Autopilot is a stunning example of what some savvy coding can do in a modern car, but it’s far from perfect. It occasionally got confused by shiny lines of asphalt repair on the road and tended to make some uncomfortable (and unnerving) steering adjustments whenever painted lines disappeared mid-corner.

Autopilot is a stunning example of what some savvy coding can do in a modern car, but it’s far from perfect.

Still, those hiccups were rare. Autopilot works remarkably well and, even though you’re still in control of the car, being able to relax a bit and let the car handle the menial tasks of keeping you in the lane and maintaining a safe distance makes getting from A to B becomes an awful lot less stressful.

But, when it comes time to have a little fun, the Model X is happy to oblige.

Otherworldly dynamics

Pop-up spoiler, standard on the Model X P90D.

Tim Stevens/Roadshow

The Model X, in P90D trim as I tested for this review, clocks in somewhere around 5,300 pounds. We’re talking Cadillac Escalade territory, here. Despite that, with Ludicrous mode enabled, the Model X will sprint from a dead stop to 60 mph in 3.2 seconds. That’s…well, frankly, that’s amazing.

Starry Wi-Fi Station review – CNET

The Good The Starry Wi-Fi Station has a touchscreen that makes setting up and managing the device simple and easy. The router has solid performance.

The Bad It’s expensive but is severely lacking in features. The Network Health feature is largely a gimmick, and many of the router’s hardware components are not activated at launch.

The Bottom Line The Starry Wi-Fi Station may be the most user-friendly router ever, but it otherwise doesn’t do any more than network hubs that cost half as much.

Starry caused a big splash back in February when it promised a revolutionary new wireless Internet service. That service isn’t here yet — it’s scheduled to launch later this summer in Boston. In the meantime, the company’s Starry Wi-Fi Station router, which works just fine with any plain, old broadband service, has arrived.

This router is the newest in the procession of “routers for dummies” — products like the Eero and Google OnHub, made for those intimidated by the home network setup process. For advanced users like me — those who like having browser-based controls and meticulous network setup options — find products like these to be oversimplified and generally lacking.

But if you’re confused by networking terminology like WAN, LAN, SSID, DNS, 802.11ac and MIMO, these products are well worth checking out. And from that perspective, the Starry Wi-Fi Station is a success. If you want a solid router that is as easy to use as programing your alarm clock, you’ll love it. But that simplicity comes at a steep price: The Starry Wi-Fi Station costs $350. (It’s not available in the UK or Australia, but its US price translates to about £245 or AU$475.)

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The Starry Wi-Fi Station comes with a speaker and a mic for future voice-command features.

Josh Miller/CNET

What does the Starry Wi-Fi Station do?

As a Wi-Fi router, it connects to an Internet source (such as a broadband modem) and then shares that connection with multiple wireless devices, such as your laptop, your iPad, your mobile phone. All Wi-Fi routers do this.

The Starry supports the dual-band quad-stream (4×4) setup of the 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard, meaning it has a top Wi-Fi speed on paper of 1,733 Mbps, which is the fastest to date. It supports all existing Wi-Fi devices on the market.

What makes the Starry different from traditional Wi-Fi routers?

• The router has a unique design, shaped like a 7-inch equilateral triangle standing on one of its sides, with the base measuring 3 inches wide. It sure looks unlike any router I’ve seen, though some of my colleagues thought the router actually looked ugly.
• On the front it has a 3.8-inch touchscreen used for both the initial setup process and ongoing management of the router. (Most other routers don’t have a screen at all, but this feature has been seen before on products such as the Securifi Almond.) This screen also displays what Starry calls the “network health score,” Wi-Fi network name and password, currently connected devices and some other information. You can tap or swipe on the screen to switch between different info pages or run an Internet speed test.
• On the back, the router has only two network ports (as opposed to five on most others) one for the Internet connection (WAN) and the other for one wired client (LAN), such as a desktop computer or Roku box. This means if you want to connect more than one wired client, you will need to get a switch or a hub in order to add more ports.
• The router has a mic and a small speaker. Neither of these is currently used for anything. In the future, however, according Starry, the ability to support voice commands will be added via a software update.
• With a focus on simplicity, the Starry is designed to be managed via a free mobile app on Android or iOS devices. Advanced users may lament the lack of a browser-based setup interface, though Starry says the company might add that sort of expert mode in the future.
• Starry says the router is Internet of Things-ready (IoT) with built-in support for home automation wireless standards, such as ZigBee. Again, this feature is not live at launch and and will be released as software updates in the future.

Is it really that easy to set up?

Yes. The setup process was dead simple. You just plug the Starry into the power, connect its WAN (Internet) port to a broadband modem, and turn it on. After that, via the touchscreen, you can pick a name and password for your Wi-Fi network from randomly generated options or type them in yourself. And that’s it.

Can you easily customize its settings?

Not really. Once the setup process is done, other than turning the Guest network and the 5Ghz band on or off, you can’t use the touchscreen to customize anything else, even the network name and the password. All you can do is view information and reset the router to its original factory settings, then restart the setup process from the beginning.

If you want to customize its settings at all, you will need to use the Starry mobile app. To use this app, however, you will first need to register an account with Starry, which allows you to manage your home network even when you’re out and about. In return, from then on the router will be connected to Starry at all times. And even then, its potential for customization is limited. For example, you can’t choose a name for the 5Ghz band; the router automatically takes the name of the 2.4Ghz band plus the “_5” suffix. Similarly, the guest network would have the suffix “_Guest.”

What information is collected by Starry via the Wi-Fi Station?

According to Starry, it collects throughput usage, “network health” score, speed tests, connected device types and router configuration. It then stores the configuration state of the router and telemetry data (speed test, throughput, ping, etc.) so that it can display the graphs to the user via the touchscreen or the mobile app. It also collects data around how users use the device, such as which screen on the mobile app they spend the most time using, and so on.

Naim mu-so Qb review – CNET

The Good The Naim mu-so Qb is impeccably designed and looks every inch a $1,000 speaker. The Qb sounds great for a product of its impossibly compact dimensions. The number of inputs it offers is obscenely good.

The Bad Equivalent performance can be had with the Sonos Play:5 for half the price, and other high-end speakers can offer bigger, stereo sound. The app is nowhere as slick, capable or easy to use as Sonos’.

The Bottom Line A luxurious wireless speaker with good sound and amazing design in a compact size, but it’s not cheap.

What comes to mind when you think of the term “wireless speaker”? Is it a $50 Bluetooth speaker? Maybe the $200 Bose SoundLink Mini? Or perhaps something even higher quality like the $500 Sonos Play:5?

Above those popular conceptions of the wireless speaker lives in a select group of “high-end” models which start at about a grand in the US and continue climbing from there. In these loftier climes reside models you’ve never heard of, like the Devialet Phantom ($1,990), the Raumfeld Stereo L ($2,400) and the Naim mu-so ($1,499) — all rich in design and sound quality, but too rich for most shoppers’ blood.

Now Naim is aiming just under the $1,000 barrier with the mu-so Qb. It’s a more compact version of the original mu-so, but still keeps much of the same technology and design elements. Arguably, it also sounds better.

The Qb is the perfect size to slot into the corner of most rooms. But it’s no shrinking violet, and can also take the limelight with a gripping musical performance. Of course you can do a lot better (with a dedicated stereo) for the money, and one major competitor, the Sonos Play:5, sounds just as good for half the price. But it’s also twice as big and not nearly as cool-looking. If you want a beautiful, compact wireless speaker and have a grand to spend, the Naim mu-so Qb stands out.

The Mu-so Qb retails for $1,000 in the US, £595 in the UK and AU$1,295 in Australia.

What’s in a Naim?

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Naim mu-so Qb is a stylish cube shaped speaker featuring an acrylic base, uniquely modern lines, and a giant touchscreen with a volume knob on top.

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While the original mu-so resembles a TV soundstand, the Qb is much smaller at about 8 inches square. Despite its diminutive size it still manages to pack in five drivers, with an angled “stereo” midrange and tweeter pair in addition to a low-end woofer. Naim says it wasn’t able to build a bass port into such a small speaker, so instead it includes dual pistonic bass drivers to work in tandem with the woofer.

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As with the mu-so before it, the Qb is gorgeously designed, with an all-metal chassis and the same iconic control console at the top of the device. The console is reportedly milled from a piece of aluminum and has a great, smooth feel when used as a volume control. The front and sides are covered with a removable grille, and you can buy other colors such as orange and blue.

As part of the mu-so wireless family, the speaker supports multiroom playback for up to five other networked Naim devices, and will play music up to 24-bit/192kHz. The system supports 802.11b/g wireless, though it’s disappointing not to see N or even AC.

Of course this wouldn’t be a 2016 music player unless it included Bluetooth (with aptX) and AirPlay as well, but it also bundles a 3.5mm analog, a digital optical and a USB port.

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Naim was one of the first high-end brands to fully embrace digital media, and the mu-so line is capable of linking the company’s Uniti products into a multiroom system with the use of an app. The Naim mu-so app for Apple and Android offers streaming services such as Spotify and Tidal, as well as streaming from your network over Wi-Fi. Disappointingly it can’t play music from your phone unless you use Bluetooth (competitors can use Wi-Fi), and this is especially annoying given the company’s audiophile heritage.

2016 Toyota Prius liftback review – Roadshow

The Good The Toyota Prius exceeded its already impressive EPA estimates for fuel economy, delivering 59 mpg combined over 500-plus miles of testing. The new rear suspension boost comfort and driveability. The available suite of driver aid technologies includes automatic parallel parking and a well sorted adaptive cruise control system.

The Bad Toyota’s Entune system dumps nearly every function under the “apps” bucket and could use a rethink and redesign. We couldn’t get the automatic perpendicular parking to work consistently. The exterior design is… polarizing.

The Bottom Line The 2016 Toyota Prius is the most fuel efficient car without a plug, but it’s also surprisingly easy to live with thanks to its spacious comfortable cabin and an assortment of smart tech amenities.

“It’s hideous! What was Toyota thinking?!” “Kill it with fire.” “I wouldn’t be caught dead driving something that looks like that.” “It’s not so ba–oh, wait, yes it is.” This is a very brief selection of reactions I encountered during my week with the new 2016 Toyota Prius. I get it. The new Prius is ugly, but it’s also better. Trust me.

Between the new squinty face and too busy rear end is a revised version of one of the most fuel efficient self-contained powertrains on the road, a more aerodynamic version of one of the slipperiest production car bodies to ever grace a wind tunnel and handling that’s remarkably good… for a Prius. The new Prius is more spacious and more comfortable than ever and it’s packing a loadout of premium tech and driver aid features.

Antuan Goodwin/Roadshow

Hybrid Synergy revised

Beneath the Prius’ hood is a mostly familiar version of Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD) powertrain. The system pairs a 1.8-liter Atkinson cycle four-cylinder engine with a 53 kW electric motor. The gasoline engine supplies 95 horsepower and 105 pound-feet of torque and the electric motor adds 71 horsepower and 120 pound-feet of torque to the mix. Peak system power is stated at 121 horsepower, because hybrid math is never as simple as addition; total system torque is not stated.

Surplus and recaptured energy is stored in one of two possible battery packs. Every trim level above the base model is packing a new 0.75 kWh (3.6 ampere hour) lithium-ion battery pack that is physically more compact and about 35 pounds lighter than before. Less weight means more efficient acceleration and braking for the new Prius. The base “Prius Two” trim level makes use of the same 1.31 kWh (6.5 ampere hour) nickel metal-hydride battery pack as the previous generation.

Doing more with less

Fans and followers of the previous generation Prius’ specs may notice the new model’s stated output and battery capacity is lower than before. This new Prius is about doing more with less.

The new lithium ion battery pack, for example, has a smaller total capacity, but that’s only half the story. Hybrid vehicles never use all of their total capacity because fully discharging or recharging a battery can reduce its effective lifespan and these batteries have to serve the driver for 10-plus years. So the old NiMH battery pack only used about 40-percent of its total capacity. The new Li-ion pack has a much larger 70-percent effective capacity. So the effective capacity of both battery packs is is the same 0.525-ish kWh, but the Li-ion pack has the additional efficiency advantage of being about 40-percent lighter — more from less.

The HSD powertrain is down about 13 horsepower overall, but — thanks to the new battery pack — the vehicle has less weight to accelerate than before, which helps its city fuel efficiency. Further, the Prius is more aerodynamic, which boosts the highway efficiency. The body sits 20mm lower, active shutters in the grille reduce turbulence at speed and the hybrid’s new look hides elements that help lower the coefficient of drag from an already impressive 0.25 CD to 0.24 CD — you’d be hard pressed to find a more slippery production car for sale.

Additionally, the electronically controlled continuously variable transmission (eCVT) that links the gasoline and electric motors has undergone a redesign, replacing the second of its two planetary gearset with a simpler two-axis design. That’s a lot of engineering babble, but the result is less friction in the transmission, which allows the Prius to make better use of its reduced power.

And now the answer to the question you’ve come here for: how much more efficient is this new Prius. The stated EPA estimated fuel economy for the 2016 Toyota Prius sits at 54 mpg city, 50 mpg highway and 52 mpg combined — up 2 to 3 mpg across the board. As I learned during my hundreds of miles of testing, that’s just the start…

Rear double wishbone suspension

The Prius has never been a car that’s known for its exceptional driving dynamics and this fourth-generation model doesn’t redefine that reputation. However, Toyota does make major strides in the right direction with a totally new rear suspension setup for the liftback. Out goes the old torsion beam rear axle; in its place the automaker has fitted the Prius with an independent, double wishbone suspension.

Antuan Goodwin/Roadshow

The new suspension doesn’t transform the eco car into an eco carver, but it does help the Prius feel more planted over bumps, quieter on the highway and more stable during cornering, emergency lane changes and off-ramp acceleration. The new rear suspension also frees up a bit of space in the rear stowage area, which grows from 21.6 cubic feet to 27.4.

Yes, it’s still a driving appliance. Driving one isn’t engaging or exciting, but in its own way, that is freeing and relaxing when you’re stuck in a traffic jam, but you look up and see that at least you’re getting 50-plus mpg, you’re comfortable and the cabin is quiet relaxing and spacious. The Prius is sort of an un-driver’s car, which for enthusiasts can be a hard sell. Fortunately, the Prius isn’t a car for enthusiasts and it doesn’t really need your or my approval. Its numbers speak for themselves.

The Prius features a few driving modes that allow some flexibility from the hybrid powertrain. The normal mode is the baseline; power mode increases the sensitivity of the throttle, allowing the driver maximum acceleration; and the eco mode tweaks the performance of the powertrain for maximum fuel efficiency. The last setting is an EV mode that allows very limited electric-only driving, but the setting only works at very low speeds, with a very light throttle application and for a very limited range. Drivers interested in a more comprehensive EV experience should either wait for the upcoming Prius Prime or, just buy a Chevrolet Volt.

Under the influence of the eco mode, I was able to average 59 mpg over 562.1 miles driven, beating the EPA’s estimates for the Prius by 7 mpg. I didn’t hypermile. I didn’t drive like a granny. I just set the Prius to eco and drove it like a regular, boring car and it delivered amazing fuel economy that I was so so excited about that I found myself sharing screenshots of the trip computer on Twitter.

Entune Apps and nav

In the center of the dashboard is a 7-inch color touchscreen that is home to Toyota’s Entune suite of infotainment tech. I’m not the biggest fan of Entune for a few reasons.

My biggest problem is that Toyota’s organization of features seems a bit, well, stupid. Nearly every feature is tucked under the Apps submenu, which means that gaining access to basic functions requires an extra key-press just to see the list. Meanwhile, the useless Home screen has a button all its own. Navigation isn’t an “app,” Toyota, and neither is hands-free calling.

Antuan Goodwin/Roadshow

When connected to a smartphone running Toyota’s Entune host app, the Prius gains access to over a half dozen actual connected applications in its dashboard — though, not all of them are useful. In the useful column, there are Bing, Facebook Places and Yelp search that help drivers to find businesses for navigation, while Slacker, iHeartRadio and Pandora provide streaming audio. In the useless gimmick column, MovieTickets.com and OpenTable access allow the driver to find and buy movie tickets and make dinner reservations from the dashboard while parked, features that I’d rather tackle on a smartphone before I get behind the wheel.