Reviewed.com Weekly Roundup: November 9
This week we checked out the new Microsoft Surface and Apple iPad and iPad mini, new cameras from Canon and Nikon, and an over-priced oven.
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For over 10 years, Reviewed.com has put thousands of products to the test, all for the sake of the informed purchase. Here’s what we’ve been up to this week.
Nikon Coolpix P7700 Camera Review
The solidly built Nikon Coolpix P7700 offers a unique sense of style, excellent handling, brilliant image quality, and a long list of features and control. Performance was among the best in almost every category we test; we even think it's the best point-and-shoot of the year. This isn't a simple little compact, but a serious tool for photo enthusiasts that puts your iPhone camera to shame.
Canon PowerShot SX50 HS Camera Review
How much zoom is too much? Canon probably didn't ask that question while designing the new PowerShot SX50 HS superzoom. Ostensibly aimed at the private detective market, the ridiculous 50x optical zoom might make some squeamish, because it's tough to hold it steady (and who knows what one might find with a look that close). Image quality sometimes goes overlooked as zoom ranges extend, but the SX50 avoided that pitfall with unusual attention to its most important job: producing great images.
Electrolux EI30EF55GS Oven Review
Somewhere between a mid-level and high-end range, the very-Swedish Electrolux EI30EF55GS looks like a novel Ikea-worthy design in the face of utilitarian stainlessness. While we enjoyed the continental sophistication, this electric range gave us an expensive reminder that performance and price aren't always correlated. The rangetop proved unremarkable, but the oven was quite the Harvey Dent, offering horrible conventional oven performance, but some of the best convection and broiling results we've ever seen. Cut down the $2,000 price tag, and then we'll talk.
Apple iPad Gen 4 and iPad Mini Tablet Reviews
In 2010, Apple bridged the gap to complete technological hand-holding from the street (iPhone) to the desk (MacBook) with the iPad. With the fourth and newest iteration, Apple's position as constant technological companion is still safe. With a muscular A6x dual-core processor, stunning display, and the best app store of any platform, it's an improvement over the short-lived 3rd-gen iPad.
The iPad mini, however, does not impress as much. Yeah, it runs iOS, but the processor and screen are outdated and pale in comparison to the much cheaper Nexus7 from archrival Google. Google Maps and YouTube, anyone?
Microsoft Surface RT Tablet Review
Microsoft, Apple's constant shadow, has finally released its iPad competitor: the Surface RT. Despite constant accusations of imitation, the Surface RT does have some unique things that be influential for a change: the kickstand, the touch cover/keyboard, and some of the OS features. Despite the innovation, our tablet expert said that "they are shining dots in a sea of bad." To be fair, this is a first generation machine, but Microsoft has had two-and-a-half years to learn from others' mistakes.