In other news, how are you enjoying the LA Auto Show with Jalopnik? Is it all hybrid-this and electric-that? That's what I'm seeing based on Jalop's coverage. Good times. I wonder if the car show crowd is more or less smelly than the consumer electronics crowd.

Here are some of the posts I liked today:

• Our Dell Inspiron Mini 12 Review
• This Media Center touch control thing
• Our Mobile web browser Battlemodo (spoiler alert, they're all poopy)

The FragBox is the first gaming system I can recommend without reservations for playing Crysis at 1,280-by-1,024 resolution. Previous "DX10-ready" systems couldn't hit this level of performance, even at this less-taxing setting.

Finally, Pogue's video is here, and as expected, it's entertaining and recommended. Click on to see a full grown man having childlike fun reviewing a gadget. Another nice touch is his comparison to the high definition Netgear streamer, the EVA8000.
The difference? Apple's iTunes won't even supply HD video and those who crave simplicity, while the complex Netgear has compatibility with many formats, in 1080i HD, at the expense of ease of use. Then he compares it to our beloved XBox 360.

For those of you who need deeper reviews — like Mariana Trench deep — PC Magazine has one that'll do the trick. As for the one that tells you to buy it or not, here's our official take: Not quite worthy of an unpantsing.

Rating Pogue's Review:
Timeliness: 8/10
Depth: 8/10
Entertainment Value: 10/10

Rating Mossberg's AppleTV Review:
Timeliness: 11/10
Depth: 7/10
Entertainment Value: 7/10

Rating PC Magazine's Review:
Timeliness: 7/10
Depth: 11/10
Entertainment Value: 1/10

*All get high marks for authority, when you consider their respective target demographics.
Pogue's Apple TV Video Review [NYTimes]

–Brian Lam

But the real story is the Sideshow screen and how it works.

He describes the secondary LCD as about the size of one found on an iPod video, adorned with a crosspad and some back and select buttons. Widgets were limited in selection at this early junction: Music playback, email, calendering, photo playback, stock ticker, and a camera utility that uses the laptop's built in 1.3 mp cam to take shots, lid down.

Cisco doesn't call it a problem, but I think it is: Sideshow needs to either wake your HDD/computer or your computer and some dedicated flash mem to operate. Also, there are power concerns. Sideshow powers up your computer from sleep to update itself. That's a power drain. I suppose its nice for some to be bothered when you get new spam, but it seems pretty useless on the road, unless you've got cellular data, and set it to a stingy 1 hour between checks. Battery life is too precious to be squandered like this. But this isn't the Asus's flaw. It's a flaw in the usefulness of Sideshow itself.

This computer? It checks out ok, but I'd say its not the stunner you want until they fix the battery.

–Brian Lam

Asus W5fe [PC Mag]

However, all was not sweetness and light, where a few bugs were mentioned including music skipping while multitasking and stuttering video. And then, well, there's that expensive Verizon service plan were the cheapest tariff available is $79.95, which the reviewer thinks will keep the phone from "sweeping America." The reviewer also decried the lack of WiFi, but mentioned that it could be forthcoming via a miniSD card.

In the end, the reviewer still gives the nod to the Palm-based Treo 700p, where it retained the magazine's Editors Choice designation, an honor not bestowed upon the Motorola Q, even though the reviewer called it "an excellent machine and a terrific choice." – Charlie White

Motorola Q [PCMag.com]