Canon EOS 5D Mark II (body only)

Three years is a long time for any product to hang around, especially when the technology changes as rapidly as it does for digital cameras. Though it's always had a big fan base, Canon EOS 5D users have nonetheless been itching for more. The successor Canon delivers: the EOS 5D Mark II is in many ways a must-have upgrade, especially for the wedding photography crowd for whom the 5D is a workhorse. And with many of the imaging components of the 1Ds Mark III (including a later version of the image-processing engine, Digic 4) for a price tag $5,000 lower, it's certainly an attractive alternative. It's also priced fairly aggressively compared with the competition despite its new 21-megapixel CMOS sensor and groundbreaking movie capture capability.


The camera comes in two official configurations: the body-only or a kit version with the EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens. Usually I'm not a fan of the lenses that ship as part of kits like this, but I ended up liking the 24-105mm a lot more than I expected and think it's a good match for anyone looking for a first lens to pair with the camera. As with all of the high-resolution models, however, it really makes a difference to go for the sharpest lenses in the arsenal.


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HP Mini 5102

s the sequel to one of our favorite all-around Netbooks, the HP Mini 5102 has some pretty big shoes to fill. It wasn't HP's choice in components that we liked about its business line 10-inch system--after all, most 2009 Netbooks shared a very uniform set of parts--it was the overall design and build quality of the Netbook we liked


With a body made of aluminum and magnesium alloy, the 5101 felt significantly more rugged than many of the plastic Netbooks it was competing with, and its excellent keyboard layout made typing a breeze. The new version, the 5102, offers only minor cosmetic tweaks, but also more configuration options, including a touch screen.


That means you can create a fairly compelling Netbook using HP's online configurator, but it'll also be an expensive one, as anything above the baseline adds significant cost. At a time when HD displays are becoming the norm, our $424 review unit has only a standard 1,024x600-pixel resolution 10-inch display, along with a single-core Intel Atom N450 processor, Windows 7 Starter Edition, and 1GB of RAM.


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Gateway NV7915u

The Gateway NV7915u is a budget desktop replacement that serves up an impressive mix of features for the money. When we reviewed its predecessor at the end of last year, the Gateway NV7820u, we said it was a "fine example" of the company's "best bang-for-your-buck retail laptops." With a new processor and a lower price, this updated model offers more bang for fewer bucks. At $599, it's one of the cheapest laptops you'll find at retail with Intel's Core i3 processor. The laptop offers clearly superior performance to similarly priced laptops that use older Intel and AMD processors, particularly when multitasking. Plus, its large 17.3-inch display works well for juggling multiple windows or sitting back and watching a movie. Only minor nits like poor battery life (most desktop replacements are anchored near an outlet anyway) and an awkward mouse-button bar temper our enthusiasm for the otherwise stellar Gateway NV7915u.


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Apple iPad from every angle (photos)

The iPad comes in models ranging from 16GB to 64GB. All versions will have Wi-Fi, but there will be options with 3G as well. Pricing for the Wi-Fi-only models is $499, $599, and $699 for the 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB, respectively. 3G versions will be $130

The wildly anticipated Apple iPad hits store shelves Saturday. A day ahead of the launch, publishers, game companies, and others unleashed a torrent of announcements touting their apps for the iPad. Here's a quick look at what's coming.

Famed for its home delivery of movies on DVD, Netflix has added streaming video to its repertoire. Its iPad app here shows a movie being streamed on the Apple tablet. The app is free, said Netflix, adding: "Streaming to iPad is at no additional cost to Netflix members on plans starting at just $8.99 a month."

Asus, Bang and Olufsen team for dual-touch-pad laptop

Looking to break away from the standard rules of laptop design, Asus has teamed with a subsidiary of Danish consumer electronics maker Bang & Olufsen (called Bang & Olufsen ICEpower) to create a multimedia system with some pretty unique features.

Designed by award-winning B&O chief designer David Lewis, through his David Lewis Designers studio, the Asus NX90 features a polished aluminum exterior and palm rest, contrasting nicely with a matte-black keyboard and twin touch pads.

If you're scratching your head at that last detail, the NX90 actually has two separate touch pads, and neither one is located in the traditional wrist rest location. Instead, the twin touch pads are situated on either side of the keyboard, representing another break from the typical laptop.