Cracking Open

Archive: 01-2012

• New Asus Transformer Prime comes complete with previous owner’s personal info

  Always wipe gadgets before returning them. Bill Detwiler shares a cautionary tale and steps for wiping iOS, Android, and Windows Phone 7 devices.

  Posted by Bill Detwiler | January 27, 2012, 12:54 PM PST

• Nokia Lumia 800 Teardown: Skip it, wait for the Lumia 900

  Nokia’s Lumia 800 is a solid Windows Phone 7.5 handset. But with the Lumia 900’s release on the horizon, Bill Detwiler thinks you should skip the 800.

  Posted by Bill Detwiler | January 25, 2012, 10:54 AM PST

• Motorola Xyboard 10.1 Teardown: Overpriced, soon to be outdated

  The Motorola Xyboard 10.1’s excellent build quality and decent hardware are overshadowed by its high price and quad-core tablet competitors.

  Posted by Bill Detwiler | January 19, 2012, 2:00 PM PST

• Ultrabooks cheat sheet cuts through the hype

  Are ultrabooks a unique category of computer or just the next step in the laptop’s evolution? This cheat sheet helps you decide.

  Posted by Bill Detwiler | January 19, 2012, 10:58 AM PST

• G-Form Extreme Sleeve protects iPad from dropped bowling ball

  G-From Extreme Sleeve lets you drop a bowling ball on you iPad and not crack it open.

  Posted by Bill Detwiler | January 17, 2012, 1:18 PM PST

• Cracking Open Live at CES: Samsung Galaxy Nexus

  Bill Detwiler and Jason Hiner crack open the Samsung Galaxy Nexus live on the CNET stage at CES 2012.

  Posted by Bill Detwiler | January 12, 2012, 1:51 PM PST

• Five must-crack-open devices from CES 2012

  From tablets to TVs, Bill Detwiler counts down the five devices from CES, he most wants to crack open.

  Posted by Bill Detwiler | January 11, 2012, 11:19 PM PST

• Toshiba Excite X10 tablet too thin for 4G

  At CES 2012, Toshiba unveiled a new, ultra-thin 10″ tablet. Dubbed the Excite, the Android device is a mere 7.7mm thick–too thin for current 4G modules.

  Posted by Bill Detwiler | January 8, 2012, 11:13 PM PST

• Acer Aspire S3 Teardown: Good hardware, lackluster construction

  The Acer Aspire S3 Ultrabook is thin, light and feature rich. But, its build quality and battery life are less than one expects in a premium laptop.

  Posted by Bill Detwiler | January 5, 2012, 6:36 PM PST

• CES 2012: Ultrabooks and quad-core mobile devices likely to take center stage

  Bill Detwiler shares his thoughts on the hardware trends that you should be watching for at CES 2012.

  Posted by Bill Detwiler | January 3, 2012, 8:43 AM PST