AllThingsD » Product Reviews

Microsoft Gives Windows a Clean Sweep

Walter S. Mossberg — Wed, 16 May 2012 01:01:54 +0000

For a long time, some Microsoft officials have privately griped that PC makers don’t present Windows in its best light. They clutter desktops with icons that are often little more than ads for third-party products; include confusing utilities that duplicate functions already in Windows; require lengthy setup; and configure PCs in ways that slow them down.

One consequence, in the eyes of these Microsoft executives, is to confer an advantage on the company’s main operating-system rival, Apple.

[ See post to watch video ]

Now, Microsoft is doing something about the situation. In a program unknown to most computer users, the company has been using its small chain of retail stores and its online computer store to sell customized versions of popular PC models that have been streamlined for a cleaner look and better performance. It calls these machines “Signature” PCs. They retain the maker’s brand, but sport a special Signature desktop and configuration. And they cost about the same as the identical stock version of the machine sold elsewhere.

Microsoft also offers a program that, for $99, will turn users’ Windows 7 PCs into Signature versions, if the owner brings the computer into one of its 16 stores, due to grow to 21 outlets in coming months. All Signature computers come with 90 days of free phone support, as well as help at the stores’ “Answer Desks,” which are like the Genius Bars at Apple stores.

I’ve been testing three Signature models and comparing them with the same machines as sold elsewhere without the Signature modifications. I found the Signature versions much cleaner and easier to navigate and faster in a variety of tests.

A Folio 13 model PC desktop, as shipped by Hewlett-Packard, shows a cluster of thirdparty software icons.

I’d recommend that prospective Windows PC buyers who live near a Microsoft store, which are mostly in the West, or are willing to shop at the company’s online store, consider a Signature machine. Information on store locations, as well as a link to online PC shopping from Microsoft, is at microsoftstore.com. Information on Signature is at signature.microsoft.com.

Some important caveats are in order. The hardware makers presumably believe, and some consumers may well agree, that the extra software, utilities and settings, which Microsoft removes or buries, are beneficial. Some of these, like offers to join game or music services, may be viewed as welcome bonuses. Others, like customized networking utilities, or launchers for the PC makers’ own media software, may be viewed as better matched to the hardware, or superior to Microsoft’s approach, even though they duplicate Windows functions. Many can be turned off, or removed, by a user with sufficient skill and time.

Also, Microsoft loads Signature machines with its own add-on software, such as its free email, photo and video programs, its Zune music and video program, and a stripped-down “Starter” version of Microsoft Office, that includes only Word and Excel, plus ads, and an offer to buy the full version.

However, the company says the stores will remove any of these a customer doesn’t want and even help the customer install competing software, such as Google’s Chrome browser, or Apple’s iTunes for Windows.

The same PC as sold by Microsoft in its Signature Configuration.

At my request, Microsoft supplied me with before-and-after laptops from Hewlett-Packard, Sony and Samsung. Over the past few days, I’ve been comparing the stock and Signature versions, and testing how much time it takes to set them up, start them and restart them in daily use, resume them from sleep, and shut them down.

The Signature desktop, which is labeled “Microsoft Signature,” features a picture of a sunset over a lake as its wallpaper. It contains no icons other than the recycling bin. The Taskbar contains only icons for Internet Explorer, the Explorer file browser, and Microsoft’s free email, photo and moviemaking programs. The system tray, to the right of the Taskbar, contains only the bare minimum of items, such as the network and battery indicators.

Signature machines are also configured with battery, audio and touch-pad settings Microsoft considers optimal. The usual third-party security software—which is typically provided for only 30 to 90 days, makes you go through some setup, and nags you to subscribe—is replaced by Microsoft’s own Security Essentials program, which is free, required no registration or subscription and updates itself automatically.

By contrast, my test H-P Folio 13 had eight icons besides the recycling bin, including several that were come-ons for music and game services. It also featured several H-P utilities.

A Sony EH37FX included an app from Best Buy that launched every time the PC started (though you could turn this off). Both stock machines festooned the IE browser with two space-hogging toolbars, including one from Microsoft’s own Bing search service; the Signature machine had none.

The Samsung Series 7 I tested came with 10 extra icons and a bunch of special utilities.

Signature isn’t the same on every machine. In most cases, it strips out some of the added software and utilities, and retains others, but hides them in a folder buried in the Start Menu. In some cases, however, where a utility is deemed essential for a computer’s particular hardware, it retains these.

Such decisions, and indeed all of the Signature settings, are controlled by a team of engineers housed in Microsoft’s retail division.

In my speed tests, Signature beat all the stock machines on all my trials, but the margins weren’t dramatic, usually from a few seconds to 25 seconds. On the H-P, the differences were especially minimal. Across all three machines, the biggest differences were the time it took to set the PC up out of the box and the time it took to shut down the PC.

One Microsoft official told me that Signature represents “Microsoft’s perspective on Windows,” rather than that of the hardware maker.

In my opinion, although it may generally benefit Microsoft at the expense of the hardware maker, it also makes for a better experience for the user.

Email Walt at mossberg@wsj.com.

Bing Goes Sleek and More Social

Katherine Boehret — Tue, 15 May 2012 22:43:47 +0000

If you’ve ever cleaned off a cluttered desk, replacing messy stacks of paper with framed photos of people who really matter, you have a rough idea of what Microsoft did with its new Bing search engine this week. Gone are the distracting, multicolored search results. Gone are the lists of recently searched terms that you never looked at anyway. Gone are the search results mingled with Facebook “likes.”

What’s left? A lot of white space, which creates a calmer environment for reading and digesting information. A new middle column, which Microsoft calls Snapshot, displays task-oriented content to help people do things like making restaurant reservations, getting directions or seeing movie times. And Bing’s most unusual new feature is a flush-right column called Sidebar designed to automatically surface names of relevant Facebook friends and others around the Web who could best help you with a specific query.

Bing’s Snapshot column helps users do things like make a hotel reservation. Its Sidebar column, far right, shows friends who may have answers to help with a person’s current search.

The new Bing is automatically available to about 20% of users starting Tuesday. If you’re not one of the 20%, you can see the new interface and Sidebar on Bing.com/new. By June 1, all features will be automatically available to everyone.

I’ve had access to this revamped Bing for the past week, and its prospects are promising. It feels cleaner and clearer. Sidebar’s integrated social knowledge of friends linked to Bing through a person’s Facebook account—or people from Twitter and blogs who are suggested by Bing—can turn the solitude of Web searching into a group activity. For example, a search for Napa Valley restaurants smartly brings up the name of a friend who recently posted a photo album from Napa, a colleague who lists Napa Valley as his hometown as well as a well-known blogger who reviews restaurants in that area. Sidebar maintains a neat list of your queries and the responses, saving you the trouble of hunting through past Facebook posts.

Compared with the way Google integrated Google+ “personal results” with regular search results—which ruffled a lot of feathers—Sidebar is more sophisticated.

But Bing’s Sidebar faces a challenge: People aren’t used to searching like this.

As fun as it is to poll people—even specifically suggested people—in queries, we usually search alone. Many of the things I type into Bing are quick ask-a-question-get-an-answer searches, and Sidebar’s format requires waiting for someone’s response. It’s possible that it just takes time to adjust to this new way of searching, but I’m comfortable with the Web sources that I already know and trust. (No offense, Facebook friends.)

Additional partners, including LinkedIn, Foursquare and Quora, will eventually be included to help with queries in Bing’s Sidebar. Some of these will work later this summer. For now, Twitter provides the biggest source of people from around the Web who might know the answer to your query.

Bing will continue to make improvements, according to Stefan Weitz, senior director of Bing search. By late June or early July, you’ll be able to tag friends in queries even if Bing doesn’t suggest those people as relevant to a query. This would have helped me when I searched for restaurants in Boston, where my foodie sister has lived for 11 years, though she didn’t automatically appear as a suggested source. Then again, when I searched for a Mexican restaurant in Kirkland, Wash., called Cactus, a friend who “liked” another Mexican restaurant in nearby Seattle popped up in my Sidebar.

I didn’t realize this friend had ever visited Seattle or that he enjoyed one of Seattle’s Mexican restaurants enough to “like” it on Facebook. These helpful, serendipitous experiences may be enough to keep people using the Bing Sidebar.

Bing’s Sidebar queries currently have a clumsy way of working with Facebook. If I query three people who are auto-suggested as friends who might know the answer to my question, the query only shows up on my Facebook page, not on the pages of people who were questioned. They must visit my Facebook page to see responses, an extra step that may discourage ongoing conversations. An Activity feed in the Bing Sidebar shows all Facebok friends’ query activity, but people look at Facebook more often.

The middle column of the rebuilt Bing, called Snapshot, doesn’t always display content. When it does, it is geared toward helping people accomplish specific tasks, like booking a hotel room or restaurant table. In a search for the Oval Room, a Washington, D.C., restaurant, Snapshot showed a map of its location, four ratings from websites like TripAdvisor, hours of operation and a link to OpenTable for making a reservation.

A shrunk-down version of this new Bing—including its cleaner look, Snapshot and Sidebar—will be available this week to run on smartphones including Windows Phone, Apple’s iPhone, Android phones and RIM’s BlackBerrys. Microsoft says it will work on tablets by early July.

The new Bing is sure to get people talking—and its Sidebar is likely to tell you something you didn’t know about a friend that may or may not help you make a decision. But until it gets more accurate and more partners, I’ll use Sidebar like a side dish: It won’t make a big impact on my overall search experience.

Write to Katherine Boehret at katie.boehret@wsj.com

Going on Vacation? Ditch the Paper Guidebook and Try These Apps.

Lauren Goode — Mon, 14 May 2012 13:00:02 +0000

The restless mind only rests when the body is in transit — that’s what I tell myself when my feet are feeling particularly itchy.

Fortunately, the summer travel season is upon us, and vacation isn’t too far away. So, over the past week, I tested a couple of iPad apps for travel. To be clear, these apps aren’t geared toward finding deals on flights or hotels, but are digital guides that offer written and visual information about various destinations.

The first one I tested is Stuck on Earth, a free, iPad-only app from photo blog Stuck in Customs that takes a different approach to travel planning, with crowdsourced photos and suggestions based on your personality type. I compared this app to one of the new day-by-day apps from the trusted travel authority Frommer’s. The Frommer’s guides, which range in price from $10 to $15, are available for iPad and iPhone. With the HTML version, coming out shortly, users will be able to access travel info from any Web browser or use on an Android device.

There are many more travel apps in the App Store beyond these, including Lonely Planet’s $6 to $10 apps for iPhone and Android, offering seven country guides and 83 city guide apps for iOS. And if you’re taking a more social approach to your travel planning, Gogobot combines trip recommendations from friends with Instagram-like photo filters to create postcards.

[ See post to watch video ]

Stuck on Earth featured some inspiring, exotic photos, but after testing it, I found it was better for brainstorming trip ideas than it was for firm planning. The Frommer’s guide was more comprehensive, and is the one I’m more likely to use on a trip. However, Frommer’s and Inkling, its publishing partner, have put out only seven digital guides to date, spanning just a few states and a handful of countries.

First I tried Stuck on Earth. That app uses a narrator named “Karen,” whose suggestive tone might raise some eyebrows in a public place. “Well, hello there,” Karen said, her voice dripping like syrup on the iPad. She then asked me which personality type I am: Daydreamer, Explorer or Photographer; or a combination of the three.

From there, the Stuck on Earth app guided me to a main page divided into sections: One featured a world map and a local map; another was dedicated to My Saved Trips and Top Lists of destinations, selected for me by a Stuck on Earth curator.

I created a few folders for My Saved Trips: One was for France, one for Barcelona, and one for India. (A girl can daydream, right?) Then I went to the world map, where “pins” in the form of photo albums appeared in locations around the world. It was easy to get lost in the app’s photo albums. When I saw a photo of a monument, street fair or cafe that looked interesting, I added it to one of my trips; I could also share it via email, Facebook and Twitter.

All of the photos in Stuck on Earth are first posted to Flickr by users who are visiting or have visited that location. You might think this would mean that some photos are shoddy, but I found many of the images to be beautiful and unique. The creator of Stuck on Earth, Trey Ratcliff, says that the photos are chosen from a pool of 25 million photos on Flickr, and the app’s curators pick and choose which ones will be added to the albums. If I wanted to upload my photos to the app, I would have to join the Stuck on Earth community on Flickr and send them there first.

As much as I liked it, it’s not likely that I’d use Stuck on Earth as my main travel app. While the long photo captions are interesting and, in some instances, even include great personal anecdotes from the photographer, they didn’t offer enough information to really plan a trip. Also, the app is iPad-only, and I might not want to carry my iPad everywhere while traveling.

While testing Frommer’s iPad apps, I decided to focus on France. I downloaded the day-by-day guide for iPad for $9.99; Frommer’s also has guides for Alaska, California, Costa Rica, Great Britain, Japan and Spain.

The app has a whopping 18 chapters. Thumbing through the digital pages required a combination of swiping up and down and left to right, but it’s all pretty intuitive. The chapters offer both one-week and two-week tours, and itineraries for day trips, with static maps. There are photo slideshows, too.

A helpful spotlight tool searches for key phrases — like “red wine.” My favorite part of the Frommer’s guide was the ability to highlight content and make notes.

I browsed through a two-day tour of Paris, and explored the best tours for outdoor activity and dining. When I pressed my finger on the text for the Musée du Louvre, I had the option to highlight it, which would add it to my personal notebook, or to leave a public note for other app users to see. After a couple days into my virtual tour, I had left a few public notes (“So romantic!” near the Eiffel Tower), highlighted the Loire as a cycling route, and remarked in my notebook that I loved the Salers beefsteak at Le Baillage. Since the app is so new, I didn’t see any public notes from others yet.

The Frommer’s France app comes with voice dictation for language translation, though this feature is buried within the app. When I touched words or phrases in the glossary, I could hear the proper pronunciation of “Le plein, s’il vous plait?” (this translates to “Fill the gas tank, please?” in English).

The last chapter also included a ton of information about different types of accommodations, currency exchange, ATM locations, etiquette and customs, pharmacies, hospitals and other fast facts.

With international travel, there’s always the possibility that you might not have cellular service or an Internet connection on your mobile device, depending on your carrier and whether you’ve opted into international service. To test how these apps worked without service, I put my devices into airplane mode.

When I opened Stuck on Earth, Karen immediately told me that I didn’t have an Internet connection, but that I could look at my saved trips. She also thanked me for not turning off her voice. Using Frommer’s on the iPad in airplane mode, I was still able to see the full guide, maps and notes, as well as links to other content within the guide.

Frommer’s also offers the same apps for iPhone — which is great if you don’t want to lug your iPad around — but the apps currently don’t sync between iPad and iPhone. So if you’ve created a day’s itinerary on your iPad app, the iPhone version won’t show all of your notes. Inkling CEO Matt MacInnis says that a solution for this is coming soon.

If you’d rather just carry your smartphone while traveling, you may want to make all of your notes within the Frommer’s iPhone app from the start.

Fortunately, Frommer’s and Inkling are planning on introducing more app titles this summer. If you’re planning on traveling to one of those destinations, I’d recommend checking out the app.

Samsung's Latest Tablet Takes Aim at the Kindle Fire

Bonnie Cha — Thu, 10 May 2012 13:30:05 +0000

On a recent vacation, my plans involved surfing and relaxing at the beach, and I brought three paperback books to keep me entertained. But after lugging them around in my heavy backpack for a week, I realized it was finally time to go digital.

An e-book or tablet is travel-friendly and capable of holding multiple books; in the case of tablets, they also allow you to surf the Web, play games, watch videos and more. There is no shortage of devices to choose from, with the likes of the Amazon Kindle Fire, the iPad and the Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet. But this week, I took a look at Samsung’s latest Android tablet, the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0.

[ See post to watch video ]

The Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 is the third model in Samsung’s Galaxy Tab series to feature a seven-inch touchscreen, and the first to run the latest version of the Android operating system, which is called Ice Cream Sandwich. At $250, it’s also one of the more affordably priced Ice Cream Sandwich tablets on the market, and because it runs on Wi-Fi, you don’t have to sign a long-term contract with a cellular provider.

It’s a great value for all the features you get, and it even offers some extras over the $199 Kindle Fire, including two cameras, expandable storage, and a year of free online storage (up to 50 gigabytes) from DropBox. However, the Kindle Fire’s user interface is slightly more polished, and Amazon offers a more vast collection of books, video, and other multimedia, so choosing between the two may come down to whether you want to use your device more as a media-consumption device, or as an extension of your laptop.

Physically, the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 doesn’t look all that different from previous versions. In fact, if you were to compare it to the model before it, which was the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, you’d be hard-pressed to find the difference between the two, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

The Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 is slim and fairly compact, measuring 4.8 inches wide by 7.6 inches tall and is 0.41-inch thick. I usually carry a medium-size purse or a backpack, and had no problem tucking the tablet away in either bag.

It is slightly on the hefty side at 12.1 ounces, but it’s lighter than the Kindle Fire (14.6 ounces) and has tapered edges, so it’s comfortable to hold while reading books or watching video.

On back, there’s a three-megapixel camera, and though taking photos with a tablet is a bit silly, it’s nice to know you have the option if you’re in a total pinch and need to capture something. Since there’s no flash, photos taken in low-light conditions are not of the best quality, but it did a decent job outdoors. The camera on front can be used to make video calls over Wi-Fi.

The seven-inch touchscreen has the same resolution as the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet. There are sharper displays on the market, such as the one found on the new iPad, but I found the Galaxy Tab’s display clear and bright enough to read books, watch videos, surf the Web, and play games without major problem. The only issue is that the screen tends to wash out in bright sunlight.

The Galaxy Tab 2 7.0’s main draw is its software. In the past, the Android operating system has always been a little more difficult to navigate compared to Apple’s operating system and even the Kindle Fire’s, but Ice Cream Sandwich offers a much more user-friendly approach. For example, you can now access a Task Manager that brings up a list of running apps from any screen on the tablet, so you can easily move between tasks or exit programs.

On top of that, Samsung has added its custom user interface, called TouchWiz, which brings more enhancements. One that I liked in particular was the Mini Apps toolbar along the bottom of the screen that gives you quick access to your favorite or most frequently used apps. The Kindle Fire still offers a more polished and attractive interface, but the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 is a nice improvement over previous models.

On a couple of occasions, the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 tripped up when trying to launch an action or changing screen orientation, but overall, the tablet’s performance was smooth and responsive. I streamed a movie from Netflix, and the video played back without any interruption. I also viewed some graphics-heavy Web pages, such as Boston.com’s Big Picture, and the tablet’s browser was able to load the page without problem.

Samsung’s estimated battery life for the tablet is 11 hours, but I didn’t get anywhere near that in my standard tablet battery test. Playing a looped video with the screen brightness set to 75 percent with Wi-Fi turned on and e-mail running in the background, the Galaxy Tab lasted six hours and 17 minutes. This is slightly better than the Kindle Fire, which clocked out after five hours and 47 minutes in the same test, performed by my colleague. In general, the Galaxy Tab’s battery was able to last most of the day with moderate usage (checking e-mail, surfing the Web, and watching some video), and I was never in a situation where I worried about running out of power.

The one nagging issue that remains with Android is that many third-party apps were designed to work on smartphones and aren’t optimized for larger screens yet. For example, I downloaded the Marvel Comics app, and I felt some of the comics didn’t take advantage of the full display, as pages displayed on only a portion of the screen.

Samsung does preload the tablet with some extra programs, including the Peel universal remote control app, Netflix, and the Amazon Kindle app. Peel is a pretty cool app. A set-up wizard helps you connect the tablet to your TV and cable box. It initially had a problem finding my Samsung TV, but after I exited and restarted the program, it was finally able to find it. After inputting my ZIP code and selecting my cable provider, I was able to use my Galaxy Tab to change channels, view the program guide and set my DVR.

You can download more books, as well as music, videos, and games from Samsung’s various media hubs (Media, Music, Games and Readers) and the Google Play store. However, Amazon remains king when it comes to selection and on-demand content. Plus, the Kindle Fire gives Amazon Prime customers access to free books, but the same feature isn’t available on the Galaxy Tab.

If you’re an Amazon Prime customer or get a lot of your content from Amazon, the Kindle Fire is the way to go, since it’s so well-integrated with the company’s services. Given the lack of hardware and design improvements on the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, there’s not a huge need for current Tab owners to upgrade. However, if you’re curious about Android and aren’t married to a particular ecosystem, or just desire the extra features, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 is a great introduction at a good value.

A Real-Estate App When You're Buying or Just Nosy

Walter S. Mossberg — Wed, 09 May 2012 01:05:32 +0000

Let’s say you’re walking around your neighborhood, or a neighborhood you’d like to make yours, and you spy a house you find interesting. Even if it isn’t for sale, you can just whip out your iPhone, take a picture of the home and in less than a minute, you’ll have an estimate of its price, plus details on its square footage, number of rooms, similar homes for sale and other facts.

[ See post to watch video ]

This feat of digital magic, which works all over the country, is performed by a new, free app called HomeSnap, from a Washington, D.C., online real-estate firm, Sawbuck Realty. Despite its parentage, the company says that using the app doesn’t send any data to a Realtor, or invite any calls or emails from one — unless you explicitly ask for such a connection. It’s just a cool way to investigate houses and if you like, to share your “Snaps” — photo profiles of houses — with HomeSnap users and friends via email, text or social networks.

Why would you want to use it? Maybe you’re interested in buying the house if it ever comes on the market, or helping a friend do so. Or, maybe you’re just curious, or nosy. Of course, you could be in real house-hunting mode, and HomeSnap gives you even more information if the house you took a picture of is for sale, including interior photos and bid history. There’s even the option of contacting a buyer’s agent, asking a question or requesting a tour—right from the phone.

You can use the app to flip through Snaps taken by others, either in nearby areas or around the nation. (HomeSnap allows you to keep your own Snaps out of this “stream,” if you’d rather your neighbors didn’t know you’ve been investigating their homes or you’d rather not tip off potential competing buyers.)

With a picture you take of a home, HomeSnap offers data like the number of bedrooms and baths.

There are many real-estate apps and Web sites, such as Zillow, that allow you to get similar information. Some real-estate firms have their own. But these typically require you to type in an address, or troll through a list, or study a map and tap on a marker that represents a house of interest. All HomeSnap requires is that you snap the shutter on your iPhone. (Android and iPad versions are in the works.)

I’ve been testing HomeSnap for a few weeks in two states: Maryland and Rhode Island. In my 17 attempts, the app almost always correctly identified the house I was shooting. In two cases, both in townhouse complexes, it wasn’t sure and presented me with an aerial photo displaying a few guesses from which I could pick. In two other cases, it couldn’t identify the house at all for some reason.

The app doesn’t actually perform photo recognition on the house. Instead, it uses the iPhone’s GPS capability and its sensors to identify the house and then fetches the details from a server in the cloud.

HomeSnap includes a Stealth mode that lets you take a picture when you aren’t right in front of a house — even when you’re inside another nearby house — and get an aerial view of homes in the area from which you can choose a property as your Snap. This proved accurate for me. In one test, it worked perfectly when I was only able to shoot the rear of a house.

Sawbuck says it built the app partly because it hopes that if a user likes it, he or she will one day use one of its agents. But it says so far only about 10 percent of the 150,000 Snaps taken with the app have been of homes that are actually for sale.

You can flip through Snaps by others, either nearby or around the nation.

If a home isn’t for sale, HomeSnap draws its information from public information like tax records, school boundaries and census data. If a home is for sale, it provides much more detailed information drawn from local listing databases.

I found HomeSnap fun and impressive. It’s a good tool for investigating possible purchases, learning the estimated value of a house and getting other important information. For example, each Snap includes scores from third-party data vendors that rate the quality of nearby schools and rate the relative appreciation and investment value of a home, over 10 years, compared with the average. Some Snaps reveal previous sale dates and prices.

But its information wasn’t always complete or accurate. For instance, in the case of my own home, which isn’t on the market, it got the number of bathrooms wrong, and didn’t know the number of bedrooms — an omission the company blames on a quirk in the public records available for my area. (My tests elsewhere did include the number of bedrooms.) The app has a feature that allows you to report such errors.

In addition, the app currently doesn’t have extra information drawn from listings of homes for rent and can’t pinpoint units inside large buildings. The company says it’s working on both capabilities.

It marks photos of certain homes with a color-coded banner — green if the home is for sale; orange if it’s under contract; and purple if there’s an upcoming open house for the property. If there’s a major change in the information on a Snap in your history, the app updates it.

The app keeps a history of your Snaps and the company retains them on its servers, whether or not you choose to make them public. In its licensing terms, the company reserves the right to reuse, or modify, the photos you take, though it promises not to “materially” change them, or to distribute or reproduce photos taken by those who opt to keep them private.

If you’re looking for a house or just curious about one and you own an iPhone, HomeSnap is a clever, useful and entertaining tool.

Write to Walt at walt.mossberg@wsj.com.

When the Devices Are Done

Katherine Boehret — Tue, 08 May 2012 22:32:23 +0000

It is time for spring cleaning, or as I think of it, my yearly chance to shove old technology products to the back of my storage closet. Instead, this should be a chance to take advantage of companies’ stepped-up recycling efforts.

[ See post to watch video ]

Last year, 460 million pounds of electronics were collected and recycled in the U.S., a 53 percent increase from 2010, according to the Consumer Electronics Association.

People know they should recycle their old or unwanted technology products, but they don’t know where to begin. So this week, I did the dirty work, rounding up details from eight major companies about their recycling programs, including fees, dropoff locations, acceptable products, shipping options, haul-away services and personal-data-wiping solutions. Readers: Your days of pack-rat procrastinating are numbered.

Best Buy’s recycling program is made up of four categories: in-store kiosks for ink and toner cartridges, rechargeable batteries, wires, cords and cables; free removal and recycling of an appliance or TV when a new appliance or TV is delivered; home pickup of two appliances or two TVs for $100 with a $20 charge for additional units; and BestBuy.com/tradein for trading gently used electronics for Best Buy gift cards. The store’s Geek Squad offers services like removing a PC’s hard drive before handing it over to be recycled.

Apple invites its customers to bring all batteries and iPods into its 247 U.S. stores for recycling, and any iPod (except the iPod shuffle) can be turned in for a 10 percent discount on a new iPod. People also can opt to ship their old products off to be recycled free by filling out a form found at Apple.com/recycling; Apple contracts with a company called PowerON to do this recycling. Acceptable products include desktop or notebook Windows PCs and Macs, iPads, iPhones as well as any make or type of mobile phone. If the product is worth something, you’ll get an Apple gift card.

Amazon doesn’t charge people to recycle its Kindle e-readers or Kindle batteries, and this includes non-working and working units. People can print free UPS labels for shipping their old Kindles to be recycled on ecotakeback.com/kindle; they then simply drop the Kindles off at a UPS store. Amazon wipes all identifying marks or personal documents from these Kindles. Further details can be found at amzn.to/JkilQX. If Kindles are in good condition, customers can opt to trade them in for Amazon gift cards via the company’s Electronic Trade-In program.

HP’s new partnership with Staples offers a physical location where people can drop off HP and non-HP consumer products for recycling. The Staples stores will accept a variety of products, including laptops, monitors, mice, fax machines and GPS devices, though not televisions. People who recycle printer cartridges can earn Staples rewards points toward store merchandise. FedEx Office stores also serve as dropoff locations for products that will be shipped off for recycling: HP and Compaq products can be shipped using a free pre-printed voucher found at HP.com/recycling, but shipping vouchers for other brands of consumer products will cost $10 to $25.

Dell’s recycling program includes free home pickup and FedEx shipping options, but these are only for Dell products; details can be found at Dell.com/recycle. If a customer buys a new Dell product, the company will take the old one, even if it isn’t Dell-branded, though the buyer must remember to select “free recycling” when buying. Dell’s partnership with Goodwill helped the company create its Dell Reconnect program, which lets people drop off old computer electronics at Goodwill stores such as PCs, laptops, tablets and keyboards, but not mobile phones. At Goodwill, someone will inspect the products to decide whether they can be reused, refurbished or recycled. If the products are reused or refurbished, they’ll be sold at Goodwill.

People with Samsung products can use free mail-back shipping options via one of three links: Samsung.com/starus for toner cartridges, mobile.samsungusa.com/recycling for mobile products, or www.oemtakeback.com/samsung for all other Samsung products. Samsung and non-Samsung products also can be dropped off at more than 1,000 locations listed on this website: Samsung.com/recyclingdirect.

Sony accepts its brand of products for free recycling at about 850 dropoff centers; some of the centers also offer free recycling for other manufacturers’ products. Sony also offers free shipping and recycling only for Sony products as long as they weigh less than 25 pounds and the person shipping lives more than 25 miles away from a dropoff center. Sony and other brands of products can, if eligible, be traded in for purchasing new Sony products. Eligibility and details on Sony dropoff locations can be found at Sony.com/ecotrade.

Microsoft Stores, of which there are 16 nationwide, offer free in-store recycling of cellphones, rechargeable phone batteries and computers. If the item has value, which is determined by its age, condition and current market value, customers will receive Microsoft store gift cards; items eligible for this include all smartphones, computers and gaming consoles, including Xbox. Xbox owners can ship and recycle their Microsoft hardware using prepaid shipping forms at http://bit.ly/Kjk6xk. Microsoft stores offer services to wipe personal data from products before recycling, although there may be a cost for this depending on whether the customer is doing a trade-in, upgrade or just recycling.

So do as I say, not as I do, and get to one of these online or physical recycling locations.

Write to Katie at katie.boehret@wsj.com

The Point of Return

Here are recycling options from some major companies:

COMPANY (website)	SHIPPING/RECYCLING FEES	IN-STORE DROPOFF
Apple (Apple.com/recycling)	Free with shipping form.	Batteries and iPods accepted at Apple stores.
HP (HP.com/recycling)	Free shipping via FedEx for HP and Compaq products with pre-printed voucher. Fee for other products is $10-$25.	Staples stores accept many HP and non-HP consumer products, except TVs.
Dell (www.dell.com/recycle)	Free shipping or pickup of Dell product. Free pickup of non-Dell item with purchase of Dell product.	Partnership with Goodwill for Dell Reconnect accepts any brand of electronics except mobile phones.
Amazon (http://amzn.to/JkilQX)	Free shipping for Kindles via UPS with pre-printed voucher.	Not available.
Samsung (Samsung.com/recyclingdirect)	Free mailback shipping for various Samsung products.	Drop Samsung and non-Samsung products at over 1,000 third-party locations.
Sony (Sony.com/ecotrade)	Free shipping for Sony products weighing less than 25 pounds.	Drop Sony products at about 850 third-party locations.
Best Buy (BestBuy.com/recycling)	Free appliance removal when purchasing new one. Or, $100 for home pickup of two items.	Recycling kiosks for ink cartridges, rechargeable batteries, cord, cables, etc.
Microsoft (http://bit.ly/roNymi)	Free shipping of Microsoft hardware, including Xbox.	Cellphones, rechargeable phone batteries and computers accepted at Microsoft stores.

A Scanner for All Seasons

Lauren Goode — Mon, 07 May 2012 13:00:14 +0000

Every year, come tax season, I curse myself. I might write about all things digital, but when it comes to receipts and important documents, my record-keeping is analog amateur hour.

So this year I’m getting serious about scanning. Fortunately, there are plenty of portable scanning options out there, ranging from mobile apps to wand-like scanners.

This week, I set out to determine whether an app or a pocket-sized scanner with receipt-management software can really do the job of a larger scanner. I tested three options: The smartphone app JotNot Scanner Pro by MobiTech 3000, PlanOn’s tiny SlimScan SS100 scanner and Xerox’s new wand-shaped Mobile Scanner.

The JotNot Pro app uses the iPhone’s camera to capture images of documents. And after five days of testing, it became apparent that the app was great on the go, but I wouldn’t use it to scan tons of files. The SlimScan scanner’s size was attention-grabbing, but the device and its software were problematic for me. Despite its larger size and $250 price point, the Xerox scanner was my top pick, because of its fast scanning and its wireless connectivity via an Eye-Fi card.

[ See post to watch video ]

I began the scanner tests with JotNot Pro for iPhone, which was updated late last year and costs $1.99.

I was at a conference last week, accumulating business cards and receipts, so it was a good opportunity to test the app. After I snapped a horizontal photo of a business card, the app immediately found the edges of the card and cropped the image. Then it processed the image, and the text in the final file was clear and easy to read. I did this with receipts as well.

JotNot Pro let me enhance each file before processing it, whether it was a hard-to-read receipt or a file with lighter text; and I could also adjust the contrast or add a timestamp to the files.

Next, I shared the files. I had the option to email the files, print or fax them, open them in compatible apps, such as DropBox, or copy them to DropBox, Evernote, Box and Google Docs. JotNot Pro can also easily convert the saved files into PDFs.

I was impressed with all of the options packed into the JotNot Pro app, and would continue using a mobile app to scan when I have my phone and no other options. But for high-volume scanning, I wouldn’t rely solely on an app.

I had high hopes for the SlimScan, but it didn’t deliver. The SlimScan SS100 is a super-thin, credit-card-sized device that launched last month and currently lists on Amazon.com for $106. It claims to store up to 600 scanned images before you have to dump the files off of it, and its expected battery life is 200 to 300 scans per charge.

It confused me from the start. The SlimScan has five tiny unmarked buttons, and I had to read the instruction manual to figure out which one was the power button, which is never a good sign. I had to dig my nail into each button to press it down. When I removed the bottom portion of the stainless steel device to start scanning, I felt like I might break it.

I found that with the SlimScan, I had to have a slow, steady hand as I was rolling the device across a file, or the images wouldn’t scan properly. The first few images I scanned were cut off or missing lines of text as a result of this.

PlanOn’s software for the SlimScan, which is installed straight from the device, was confusing at first as well. The software doesn’t work on Macs, so in order to test it I installed the software on a laptop running Windows 7.

I initially had some trouble transferring files from the scanner to the SlimScam file-management system. The PlanOn software on my laptop would only recognize the files when I renamed them with a JPEG extension. It turned out I needed to install an additional software component in order for SlimScan to convert the files to readable files, and PlanOn suggested I upgrade the software running on the actual scanner as well. According to SlimScan, any SlimScan software earlier than version 4.3 needs to be updated, and my SlimScan was running version 3.8.

After I managed to import images of receipts, business cards and a portion of a book cover, I had the option to move the info to Contacts and export it to Outlook, among other things. Some of the scanned data from business cards didn’t transfer over to Contacts, though optical-recognition software often isn’t 100 percent accurate.

The $250 Xerox Mobile Scanner launched in January, and is comparable in size to the mobile scanner made by The Neat Company, which has been making digital filing and scanning products since 2003. The Xerox scanner can be set up to wirelessly share images, too.

The scanner is 11.5 inches by 2.75 inches by two inches, and weighs 1.5 pounds. Its expected battery life is 300 scans per charge. Like the SlimScan, it isn’t fully compatible with Macs, though Xerox says a Mac utility will be available soon. The Xerox scanner has ports in the back for a flash drive as well as an SD card, so you can scan directly to those, then transfer the files to your computer.

Getting set up to transfer files from the Xerox via Wi-Fi was a bit of a process. First, I inserted an Eye-Fi card, which comes with the scanner, into my laptop, and signed up for an account online. Then I moved the Eye-Fi card to the back of the scanner. I had to temporarily disable other nearby wireless networks so I could “train” my devices to use the Eye-Fi card as a wireless hotspot.

I also had to download a Xerox app for my smartphone if I wanted the files to wirelessly transfer to my phone.

But after all that, I was a scanning machine. The Xerox device scanned all of my business cards, receipts and documents well — and quickly. And files transferred seamlessly to both the Xerox mobile app on my phone and my Eye-Fi dashboard on my laptop. From there, I could email the files or share them with more than 25 productivity, social networking and picture sites.

If the Xerox app itself took photos, it would be the perfect mobile app companion to the hardware. The Xerox mobile scanner may be expensive and slightly less portable — and it probably won’t make tax season any more fun — but for scanning lots of documents and easy file transfers, it gets the job done.

Samsung Aims to Get in Touch With Media Players

Walter S. Mossberg — Wed, 02 May 2012 01:08:20 +0000

Here’s a shocker: Not everyone wants to buy a smartphone.

Parents, for example, often balk at paying high monthly cellular-data bills for their teens and tweens and would rather they stick with simpler phones, if they have phones at all. And even some adults prefer simpler, less costly phones.

For a lot of these users, a popular solution has been what’s called a connected media player: Essentially a smartphone without cellular voice and data access, and without the monthly cellular bill. And the king of that category has been Apple’s iPod touch, which starts at $199. A Wi-Fi-only device, the touch looks like a thinner iPhone, with the same high-resolution 3.5-inch screen. It runs most of the same apps, handles email and Web surfing, and is a very capable hand-held game machine, music and video player, and photo viewer.

[ See post to watch video ]

Now Samsung, Apple’s biggest rival in the smartphone arena, is going after the touch with a new connected media player sporting a similar-sized screen, the Galaxy Player 3.6. But Samsung is charging about $50 less — $150. And in about 10 days, it’ll launch a second model, the larger Galaxy Player 4.2, for $200. Both devices run on a year-old version of Google’s Android operating system.

Samsung dipped its toe into this market last year with earlier Galaxy Players, but they were mostly ignored by consumers, partly because of bulky designs and high prices. Now, the Korean giant is doubling down with more compact and affordable models.

I’ve been testing the Player 3.6 for the past few days and comparing it with the latest iPod touch. The Samsung has some advantages, such as a camera that takes better still pictures, an FM radio and expandable memory. But overall, it feels like a cruder device than the touch. Its much lower screen resolution made text, video and images look grainy compared with those on the touch, and its bulkier plastic case felt flimsy compared with the glass and stainless-steel case on the touch, which uses Apple’s latest OS.

Still, for some people, especially parents buying for their kids, the Galaxy Player 3.6 may be good enough, especially since it costs 25 percent less. Its price advantage is even a bit better, because it comes with a charger, something the touch doesn’t include. And its included earbuds are the in-ear type, with a microphone and play-pause button, which the included touch earbuds lack.

Among the features of the Samsung Galaxy Player 3.6: FM radio and earbuds with a microphone and play-pause button.

Even though the Galaxy Player isn’t a cellphone, it can make voice and video calls, and send text messages over the Internet when you’re in Wi-Fi range. Just like the touch.

Samsung insists the $200, 4.2-inch model will be a closer competitor to the touch. I didn’t get a chance to put this model through its paces. But I did get to play with one for about an hour. Its screen resolution is much higher than its sibling’s, though still well below that of the touch. It also has front-mounted stereo speakers that sounded great — better than the Apple’s speaker. And some users will prefer its larger screen.

Even the entry-level Samsung model might be considered an alternative to Apple’s, especially by prospective buyers who are price-conscious or prefer Android, or who want some Samsung features the touch lacks. The Galaxy Player 3.6 is about 34 percent thicker, 8 percent heavier than the touch, and is also longer and wider, but it is still comfortable in the hand and the pocket.

I tried music, videos, photos, games, email, Web surfing and third-party apps like Netflix and “Angry Birds” on the new Player. All worked fine, as did a movie I rented from Google’s online store, recently renamed Google Play from Android Market. To get media from a computer onto the Player, Samsung recommends plugging it in via a cable and dragging the files manually into specified folders on the device. This worked for me, but was tedious.

Samsung offers a Windows and Mac program called Kies that automates the transfer process. But in my tests, only the Windows version was able to work with the Player I was using.

The 2-megapixel rear camera on the Player 3.6 was better at still photos than the one on the touch, but worse at videos. Still, neither comes close to matching the superb cameras in smartphones like the latest iPhone or the Android-based HTC One.

The Player 3.6 has an unusual feature: It can be paired with a cellphone — even an iPhone — via Bluetooth, and can be used to answer (not place) calls. In my tests, this worked, but I can’t imagine using it very often.

Like the base $199 iPod touch, the $150 entry-model Player comes with 8 gigabytes of internal memory. But, unlike the Apple, you can expand its memory with an extra-cost memory card, up to 32GB. Apple offers higher-priced touch models with 32GB and 64GB of sealed-in memory.

I didn’t do a formal battery test, but Samsung claims the Player 3.6 gets 30 hours when playing audio and six hours when playing video. Apple claims 40 hours for audio and seven hours for video on the touch. In my use, the Samsung’s battery held up nicely, and the battery is removable.

Overall, the new Galaxy Player 3.6 is worth a look if you’re in the market for a device with many of the features, but not the monthly costs, of a smartphone, especially if you’re on a budget and can live with the poor screen resolution.

Email Walt at mossberg@wsj.com.

A Wedding App That Gives the Guests a Part

Katherine Boehret — Tue, 01 May 2012 22:33:16 +0000

Lost? Pull out the smartphone and use the Google Maps app to find your way home. Hungry? Open the Yelp app and read ratings for nearby restaurants. We live in an app-obsessed world, yet when couples get engaged, they still make wedding websites to share information with guests.

I tested an idea that aims to change that practice: Appy Couple. It functions as a couple’s official wedding app and guides guests through a wedding. They can use it to track information about the bachelorette party or other pre-wedding events, and on the wedding day to find their way to the venue and post photos that they take. While many existing wedding apps help brides and grooms plan things like seating arrangements, dress selections and registry creation, this app is a mobile aid for guests.

Appy Couple comes from a New York City-based start-up called AppeProPo Inc., and it has a couple of rough edges. For example, users can’t crop uploaded images and it is difficult to navigate the section where virtual Champagne toasts can be posted. The company plans to fix these issues soon.

Appy Couple has features tailored for guests, who can upload photos, get travel and weather information and vote in polls.

Last year, I spent weeks making my own wedding website, and very few of my tech-savvy guests used it or visited it more than once—if at all. I only wish Appy Couple had been available for my wedding, where most guests carried iPhones or Android phones.

This app-creating website is currently free to use, and it will always be free for guests to download; they follow an email link or use a provided code to access their couple’s wedding app. Readers of this column can create their own wedding apps on AppyCouple.com using their email addresses and “AppyPreview” as a code, since it is currently usable by invitation-only. In the fall, AppeProPo will start charging couples to make apps: Some designs will cost $49, while limited-edition and designer-series app templates will cost $99 to $200 each. One hundred designs are available now, and 50 more are coming by fall.

Appy Couple works on iPhones, Android phones, iPads, Web browsers and via email invitations.

Couples begin on AppyCouple.com, where a stylish, simple user interface walks them through seven steps for making their wedding app. Each app also comes with a wedding website that will display the same content for relatives or friends who don’t have smartphones.

One of my favorite parts about creating a wedding app was that I could change its design at any time. I started with a yellow-and-gray bubble design and later changed the design to a completely different black-and-gold pattern. With one click, the entire app was updated.

Another useful feature is the Events section. Only guests who are invited to certain events will see those events appear in their apps. So if only 15 friends are invited to the bachelorette party, only they—and not the rest of the guests—will see it. Couples can customize Events to add songs, guest polls, information on dress code, child care, weather, travel and hotels.

Appy Couple connects to Facebook, but only for the purpose of pulling images and names of friends into a section called Key People. It will never display any Appy Couple activity in your Facebook timeline. It also links to Yahoo, Google, Windows Live, AOL, Plaxo, Outlook and Apple’s Address Book for finding friends’ email addresses.

Judging from the many weddings I’ve attended, Appy Couple’s Gallery will be the most-used section on the app. In the test app I created, friends uploaded photos that can be viewed by the couple and other guests, and the app grew richer with their contributions. Images can be uploaded without pre-approval from the host couple, though any image can be deleted by the hosts on the AppyCouple.com website. A “moderation” option will be added to the app to give the couple more control over content.

A guest list can be uploaded to the app, but it must be saved as a CSV (comma separated values) file with columns for each guest’s first name, last name, email address and phone number. Couples who use traditional response cards will likely not also digitally invite guests to their wedding, but casual wedding events might merit a digital invitation.

Appy Couple’s CEO and co-founder, Sharmeen Mitha-Sehgal, wants couples to use personalized apps long after their wedding day. Next up is Appy Life, where people can create apps for events like births, birthdays, new homes and anniversaries.

This app brings useful wedding website content on the go with guests as they attend weddings. If nothing else, they’ll know how to get to the church and when the ceremony starts—even if they forget to bring the paper invitation.

Write to Katherine Boehret at katie.boehret@wsj.com

Paying With Square's New Mobile-Payments App

Lauren Goode — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:00:20 +0000

Over the past week and a half, I’ve purchased seven cups of coffee, three bags of beef jerky, two cookies and a pastry. With my smartphone.

It’s not a sustainable diet, but that’s what was available at the relatively few shops around San Francisco and New York City that are accepting Pay with Square and PayPal’s mobile app.

In case you’ve missed it, there’s a battle brewing over the future of mobile payments — that is, the ability for consumers to ditch the leather wallet and purchase things with their mobile phones. Companies like Google, PayPal, Square, wireless providers and credit card companies are debating various forms of mobile payment technology.

But in the battle over who gets to control your digital wallet, it’s important not to forget the consumer experience. Is it really that much easier to pay with a mobile phone than it is to just pull out cash or a credit card?

That’s what I set out to find this week, mainly using Pay with Square.

Square is a company known for creating a device for small businesses that plugs into an iPhone and can read a swiped credit card, but the company recently renamed and relaunched its app for consumers. Now called Pay with Square, the app works only at stores that are using Square’s register system for the iPad. Currently, around 75,000 merchants across the U.S. are accepting payments via the Pay with Square app.

In my experience, Pay with Square proved to be an easy, enjoyable app to use to purchase things using my smartphone — though it won’t be an everyday app for me until there are more businesses accepting it.

[ See post to watch video ]

The free Pay with Square app works with iPhone and Android phones. It used to have a wallet-like interface, but now it simply lists nearby merchants, and has a rotation of featured businesses at the top of the page.

I first used Pay with Square at a coffee shop in San Francisco. I had to link the app to my credit card account, and then upload a picture of myself; otherwise, I wouldn’t be allowed to pay. Square says this provides a layer of security on top of other standard security measures it puts in place, alongside the security your credit card company provides.

Of course, a customer could upload a picture of their cat or something, and use that as their Pay with Square image. It’s up to the merchant to decide whether it’s a good idea to accept payment from someone whose photo doesn’t align with what they look like.

Then, on the coffee shop’s page within the app, there was the option to auto-open a tab for payments. Once I indicated in the app that I wanted to open a tab, my name and photo appeared a few moments later on the cashier’s iPad register, and the cashier was able to tap on my name and charge me.

Square has been touting the idea that this app actually allows for “hands-free” payments, which means a user shouldn’t even have to take her smartphone out of her pocket in order to pay, provided that the auto-open tab is turned on. I had mixed experiences with this at shops in New York.

One shop I bought coffee at didn’t see my name right away, even though I had turned on the tab in the iPhone version of the app. I tried to buy another item using the app on a Samsung Galaxy Nexus Android phone, and my name didn’t appear at all on the list of customers in the store.

But at another downtown coffee shop I was able to walk in, place my order and say, “Charge it to Lauren Goode” — without taking my phone out of my pocket — and the transaction was completed in seconds. This worked well on both iPhone and Android.

The app has a new tilt-to-map feature that I like a lot. Tilting your smartphone at an angle turns the screen into a full map, with little red pins showing where Square-friendly merchants are. I could also tweet from within the app that I was at a shop and paying with Square, text-message the same notification, and email the store’s link to a friend.

One part of the app that I found lacking was the amount of information that some merchants list on their pages within the app. Some show addresses, phone numbers, business hours and full menus. But a couple of Square-friendly venues in the app only listed their business phone numbers or addresses, so I had to exit the app to run an additional search and find out what the business actually sold.

This past March, online payments giant PayPal introduced PayPal Here, a Square-like dongle for small businesses to accept credit card payments on a mobile phone; PayPal also has a mobile app that uses location services to recognize where a customer is. PayPal already has the advantage of a massive user base of over a hundred million and, unlike Square, it is available in international markets.

But PayPal’s triangle device for payments still hasn’t been fully rolled out yet, so locating businesses where I could test that in conjunction with the PayPal app was challenging. The company says it’s still in “beta,” so it’s unclear how many merchants are actually using the triangle.

So that’s how I found myself buying beef jerky from a merchant amid a row of warehouses in Brooklyn on a rainy day. The founder of Kings County Jerky used to use Square, but he is now using the PayPal triangle.

Once I arrived, I opened the PayPal application on my iPhone. It recognized my location and listed a couple places nearby that would take my money via my PayPal app.

Since data service on my phone happened to be particularly bad in that area, I initially had trouble dropping the digital pin within the app that’s supposed to let the merchant know I was there. The merchant also had to reboot his phone once to process the payment on his end.

But once I switched over to Wi-Fi, I had four options for paying him: Pay directly from my PayPal account through the app; handing him my credit card, which he would swipe through the PayPal triangle; and scanning my credit card. The last resort would be for the merchant to manually enter my credit card number into his phone, though he would get charged a slightly higher fee for processing my payment that way.

Mobile connection issues aside, paying through my PayPal account on the app was relatively quick and painless.

In terms of loyalty rewards and discounts, mobile payment companies are trying to make paying with a smartphone compelling, but I haven’t been using the apps long enough to glean the rewards. Square, for example, gives merchants the ability to offer purchasers 10 percent off transactions just for being repeat customers, and while Google Wallet is currently only available on five Android smartphone models, the company has partnered with name-brand retailers to offer small promotions to app users.

Paying with Square was an easy way to pay with my mobile phone and, for me, the current lack of merchants accepting it was its biggest downside. This category of technology is too young here in the U.S. to see what the real benefits — and drawbacks — will be, but consumers can likely expect to see more options to pay with their smartphones in the near future.

In Race to Beat iPhone, One Android Weighs In

Katherine Boehret — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 23:00:50 +0000

Android phones have an identity problem: Few people know one model from another. There are exceptions to the rule, including Samsung’s Galaxy line, which managed to bring a phone of the same name to all four major carriers, and Verizon’s Droid, which has been a hit. The rest have been a hodgepodge of model names like Desire, Hero, Tattoo, Thunderbolt, Magic, Inspire and Sensation.

[ See post to watch video ]

Now HTC, the company known for its stylish hardware and Sense user interface, is trying to bring some uniformity to Android phones with its $200 One models. Starting Wednesday, T-Mobile’s One S will be available, and AT&T’s One X will follow on May 6. On May 7, Sprint will take pre-orders for its EVO 4G LTE, and though it lacks the One name, this is nearly a twin of the One X. Verizon so far isn’t joining the party; a spokeswoman would only say the carrier’s next phone wouldn’t be part of the One series.

I’ve tested T-Mobile’s One S for the past week, and it will likely meet the needs of T-Mobile loyalists who long for the iPhone. Its battery life easily got me through each day, and its camera rivals—and even bests—certain photos captured on the iPhone 4S.

The HTC One S is the thinnest, lightest HTC One and it’s the thinnest phone HTC has ever made. It’s thinner and lighter than the iPhone.

The One S is the thinnest, lightest HTC One in the bunch and it’s the thinnest phone HTC has ever made. At 4.2 ounces and 0.30-inch thick, it’s even thinner and lighter than the iPhone, which weighs 4.9 ounces and is 0.37-inch thick. The 4.3-inch screen of the HTC One S is large, but manageable, while the AT&T and Sprint models’ 4.7-inch screens may scare people away.

The big downside to the phone is its network. T-Mobile only offers two flavors of HSPA+, which is far slower than speeds on fast LTE networks like Verizon or AT&T. In downtown Washington, D.C., my average download speed with the T-Mobile One S was just over 3 megabits per second, and upload speeds were about 1 megabit per second. When I tested the phone’s speeds on a trip to Boston, the results were even slower.

In one of the optimal locations in Washington that T-Mobile suggested I visit for testing, I averaged 6.8 mbps in download speeds and 5.9 mbps in uploads.

For comparison, Verizon’s 4G LTE gets zippy download speeds of 13 to 14 megabits per second, faster than some home Wi-Fi networks, and its LTE is now available in 230 markets. AT&T’s LTE is available in 35 markets. Sprint won’t switch its network over to LTE until later this year, so its HTC EVO phone is limited to 3G speeds. T-Mobile has no plans to launch an LTE network this year, and its One S will only operate on the HSPA+ network.

The AT&T HTC One X and Sprint HTC EVO look alike and weigh 4.6 ounces and 4.7 ounces, respectively. Sprint’s phone has two distinguishing physical features the AT&T model lacks: a kickstand, which cleverly tucks into the back of the phone when not in use, and a dedicated camera button.

All HTC One models run the newest version of the Android operating system, called Ice Cream Sandwich. They also have a good quality Beats audio system built in, which works through the phone’s speakers or any headphones. HTC’s Sense interface adds some polish to Android, and this version of Sense is more toned down to blend with Android compared with past HTC phones.

While setting up the T-Mobile One S, I was prompted to create accounts or log into existing accounts for Dropbox, SkyDrive and Evernote, which are all integrated into the phone for seamless sharing.

The One’s camera is a real draw. Its software is deceptively simple, only displaying the buttons or options that are needed at any given moment. Want to use burst mode to take several photos in a row? Hold down the shutter button and listen as a super fast shutter snaps away. A feature called Best Shot appears after a burst and will automatically select the best photo in a burst group before deleting all of the others.

Want to take a still photo while capturing a video? Tap the shutter button, which smartly remains on the screen while video footage is shot. A camera setting can automatically save all images to Dropbox, where One owners get 25 gigabytes of free storage for two years.

I took several photos on the T-Mobile One S and then captured the same photo on the iPhone 4S—the gold standard for smartphone cameras. Though the iPhone did a bit better in a couple of photos, like capturing more detail in the foreground of a sunset, I was drawn to the colors and quality captured on the HTC One. After a week, I found myself reaching for it more than the iPhone.

I used the phone for email, texting, social networking and, yes, even phone calls. Its super-thin design took a little getting used to, but I became familiar with it after a few days.

T-Mobile’s HTC One S is an elegant, fully loaded phone with well-designed features. If you don’t mind the network’s slower speeds, it’s a great find. If you prefer faster speeds, another carrier’s One model might be a better fit.

Write to Katherine Boehret at katie.boehret@wsj.com

Google Stores, Syncs, Edits in the Cloud

Walter S. Mossberg — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:37:48 +0000

For years, some people who wanted to store files on remote servers in the cloud have been emailing the files to their Gmail accounts, or uploading them to Google’s lightly used Google Docs online productivity suite, even if they had no intention of editing them there.

Now, Google is formally jumping into the cloud-based file storage and syncing business, offering a service called Google Drive, which will compete with products like Dropbox and others by offering lower prices and different features. It works on multiple operating systems, browsers and mobile devices, including those of Google’s competitors Apple and Microsoft. There are apps for Windows, Mac and mobile devices that automatically sync files with Google Drive.

[ See post to watch video ]

I’ve been testing Google Drive, which launches today, and I like it. It subsumes the editing and file-creation features of Google Docs, and replaces Google Docs (though any documents you have stored there carry over). In my tests — on a Mac, a Lenovo PC, a new iPad and the latest Samsung Android tablet — Google Drive worked quickly and well, and most of its features operated as promised. At launch, it’s available for Windows PCs, Macs and Android devices. The version for the iPhone and iPad is planned for release soon.

Google Drive, which can be found at drive.google.com, offers users 5 gigabytes of free storage, compared with 2 gigabytes free for the popular Dropbox, and equal to the free offering from another cloud storage and syncing service I like, SugarSync. That’s enough for thousands of typical documents, photos and songs.

Prices for additional storage drastically undercut Dropbox and SugarSync. For instance, 100 GB on Google Drive costs $4.99 a month. By contrast, 100 GB costs $14.99 monthly on SugarSync and $19.99 on Dropbox. Google Drive will offer huge capacities, in tiers, all the way up to 16 terabytes. (A terabyte is roughly 1,000 gigabytes.) And if you buy extra storage for Google Drive, your Gmail quota rises to 25 GB.

But one of Google’s biggest rivals isn’t standing still. Microsoft is expanding both the features and capacity of its little-known SkyDrive cloud storage service as well. That product started out as a free, fixed-capacity (25 gigabytes) online locker mostly for users of the stripped-down, cloud-based version of Microsoft Office, though it also has been available as an app for Windows Phone smartphones and for iPhones. It’s giving away even more free storage than Google — 7 GB, though that is a cut from what it used to offer free. It also is charging less than Google. For instance, you can add 100 gigabytes for $50 a year. And users of the old version get to keep their 25-gigabyte free allotment. I wasn’t able to test this new version of SkyDrive for this column. It also is offering syncing apps for Windows and Mac.

Google Drive is meant as an evolution of Google Docs. While you could previously upload a file to Google Docs using your Web browser, for Google Drive, the company is providing free apps for Mac and Windows that, like Dropbox, do this for you. They create special folders that sync with your cloud-based repository and with the Web version of the product. So, you can drag a file into these local folders on your computer and that file will be uploaded to your cloud account and will rapidly appear in the Web version of Google Drive, in the Google Drive folders on your other computers, and in the Google Drive apps on Android, iPhone and iPad devices. These local apps also sync any changes to the files you make.

One big difference between Dropbox and Google Drive is you can edit or create files in the latter, rather than merely storing or viewing them. This is because Google Drive includes the rudimentary word processor, spreadsheet, presentation and other apps that make up Google Docs.

But there is a catch. If your stored document is in a Microsoft Office format, you can only view it. To edit it, you have to click a command to convert the file to Google’s own formats, or choose a setting that converts Microsoft Office files when uploaded. But this latter feature only works when uploading from the website.

Google Drive also is missing some features of SugarSync I like. The latter doesn’t require you to place files in a special folder; it syncs the folders you already use on your PC and Mac. Also, unlike SugarSync, Google Drive doesn’t let you email files directly into your cloud locker.

Google Drive allows you to share files and folders, and collaborate with others. You can also email files as attachments. People with whom you share files can be allowed different rights: To view, comment, or edit them. You can also keep the files private.

Because Google has run into hot water over keeping users’ information private, some people may be reluctant to trust their files to Google Drive. But the company insists that, while it does process and store your files, no human can see them and, at least today, the files aren’t used to target advertising at users. The company notes no file can be placed in Google Drive unless the user wants it there.

The service does a very good job of searching files, even finding words inside PDF or scanned documents. The company claims it can find images when you type in words describing them, like “bridge” or “mountain”—even if those words don’t appear in the image’s file name. But I found this mostly worked with photos of famous places or people Google has collected via its Google Goggles product. Google Drive failed to find images with generic file names on almost all of my own pictures, even when they included things like mountains or other common objects.

Google Drive did a good job in my tests with videos. It converts nearly every common video format into a format it can play, right inside its website. This process can take some time. While Google Drive can store music, it can’t play it directly via its website.

Google’s new service also works with third-party document creation and editing apps that are built to work with it. I used one, called Balsamiq Mockups, to create a quick wire-frame diagram.

I can recommend Google Drive to consumers looking for cloud-based storage, with the added bonus of integrated editing, at lower prices. But the new Microsoft SkyDrive also seems worth a try.

Email Walt at mossberg@wsj.com.

Sony's SmartWatch Not Ready for Primetime

Lauren Goode — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:00:15 +0000

Watches with some computing functions have been around — in theory and form — for decades, but they’ve generally been bulky, super geeky and aimed at hard-core tech enthusiasts.

Now, techie watches are gaining some traction, as part of the growing trend of wearable devices. Apple’s iPod nano can be worn with a wristband, creating a music player and watch in one. Other electronics makers, like Sony, Motorola and the minds behind the Pebble watch project on Kickstarter are incorporating Bluetooth into “smart” watches. Wearers can wirelessly connect the watch to their smartphones to receive quick text, email and social notifications and to decide whether that call or email is worth answering. They can also control some smartphone apps, such as a music app, from the face of the watch.

This week, I’ve been testing Sony’s latest entrant in the market, the $150 SmartWatch. It’s Sony’s second attempt at a watch that works with a compatible smartphone to show notifications and allow the wearer to control apps from the face of the watch.

[ See post to watch video ]

After five days of wearing the watch, I found this smart watch to be less than intuitive. The interface of this SmartWatch is confusing, the set-up was tedious and some notifications come through more regularly than others. The watch also doesn’t display time all the time, which conserves battery life, but it isn’t as much of a watch when you look down and see a blank screen.

The SmartWatch is eye-catching. People noticed it and asked about it, because it obviously wasn’t a standard watch, but unlike high-tech watches of the past (like calculator and TV watches), it isn’t clunky and super geeky.

The plastic-and-aluminum watch measures 1.42 inches tall by 1.42 inches wide and 0.3 inch thick — slightly smaller than the iPod nano. The watch itself is black and white, but wristbands are available in up to six different colors.

It has a 1.3-inch OLED display, though its app icons aren’t as bright as those on the iPod nano.

Sony estimates that the SmartWatch’s battery should last around four days with typical usage, though it could last as long as a week with lighter use. In my experience, it lasted five days, though at times the watch and phone weren’t paired, and notifications sent to the watch were intermittent.

The watch uses Bluetooth 3.0 technology and is meant to work with Android phones only — ideally, Sony’s own smartphones that are “optimized” for the watch, though there are a variety of Android phones that are verified compatible with the watch.

I initially tested the SmartWatch with the Samsung Galaxy Nexus smartphone — a phone that isn’t verified to work with the watch. After downloading the necessary software apps onto the phone and pairing the two devices via Bluetooth, I only got two calendar reminders through the watch, even though I linked my calendar, email and social media accounts.

So next I tried a Sony-recommended phone, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray.

Setting up the Xperia phone to work with the watch was a multistep process, as it was with the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. On more than one occasion, I had to first “unpair” the two devices, and then pair them again, in order to get them working together properly.

Then I installed an app called LiveWare Manager, which is available for free in the Google app market. Then I connected the watch and smartphone using Bluetooth. After that, I had to install another app on the phone, called SmartWatch. Then I chose which notifications I wanted to receive on the watch — including email, weather, text messages, phone calls and social media updates — and then I had to log into some of those accounts again, despite the fact that I was already logged into those apps on the smartphone.

Finally, I started getting notifications on the SmartWatch.

The watch would buzz, and show a text message, tweet or email excerpt. There was a “View in Phone” option at the bottom of the screen, and if I pressed that, the corresponding app would open on my phone, allowing me to read the full info there.

But I had to press the SmartWatch’s screen firmly and sometimes more than once to get the info to appear. And navigating throughout the various options on the watch was confusing. The watch supports both apps and widgets, a nice touch since widgets show more information right on the screen, but it requires a combination of swiping side to side or up and down to access the apps and widgets. Tapping with two fingers brings you back to the previous screen.

When it came to getting back to the main screen, I was lost. I kept swiping and tapping the phone’s face, with no results. Turns out I had to pinch it to get back to the main screen.

There were some functions of the watch that hinted at the future of easy-to-access data through wearable devices. In one instance, I was on a phone call and the watch buzzed, letting me know that my boss had just emailed, which was helpful. I read a portion of the email on the watch and was able to evaluate whether I needed to get off the phone to address something quickly, or whether it was something I could respond to after the call. When I tried the Find Phone feature on the watch, the Sony Xperia phone chimed, so I could find it buried under the comforter on my bed.

Another feature of the watch that worked well for me were the phone call and SMS notifications. When the Xperia phone rang, the watch’s display immediately lit up to show me who was calling. I had the option to reject the call from the face of the watch or accept it, which would require me to pick up the phone. When I asked someone to send me text messages as a test, they appeared on the watch at the same time they were sent to my phone. I could also send quick, preformulated responses back from the watch.

This was especially useful when I was driving, although the watch’s screen is hard to read in sunlight.

Social media updates appear on the watch, at most, every 15 minutes. There’s an option deep in the phone’s LiveWare Manager app for setting the frequency of such updates, which I only became aware of after my Twitter and Facebook notifications on the watch seemed sporadic. On one hand, I might not want to get constant Twitter notifications on the watch, since I follow more than 800 active Twitterers. But the controlled frequency seemed to negate the point of real-time updates.

Lastly, it’s important to note that in order to work properly, the watch has to be within about 30 feet of the smartphone. This means that when I was on the treadmill at the gym and the Android phone was stuffed in a locker, the two devices weren’t connected and I wasn’t receiving updates on the watch. The watch was effectively just a watch — only, as I said, to save on battery life it doesn’t display constant time, which means I had to keep pressing the power button to see the time of day. Sony said it is at work on a software update that will give the option to have the clock showing on the display at all times.

The point of this kind of watch is to pair with a smartphone and provide quick and easy alerts, but the Sony SmartWatch wasn’t especially easy to use. If you’re an Android smartphone user and are in the market for this kind of compatible device, I’d hold out for a smarter smart watch.

Permission to Procrastinate: Wait to Get a New Laptop

Walt Mossberg — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 01:13:10 +0000

If you’re thinking of buying a new laptop this spring, my advice is to think again. Unless your laptop is on its last legs and you have to move quickly, there are compelling reasons to wait until at least the summer, and probably the fall, to buy a new machine, especially if you are looking for a Windows PC, but even if you are in the market for a Mac.

[ See post to watch video ]

That makes this annual spring buyer’s guide a bit different. People always worry that buying tech products today carries a risk of obsolescence. Most of the time, that fear is overblown. But this spring really is a bad time to buy a new laptop, because genuinely big changes are due in the coming months.

On the PC side, Microsoft is set to introduce Windows 8, the most radical new version of Windows in years, probably in the fall. PC makers will be introducing new laptop designs to take advantage of it. While Windows 8 will work with a mouse or touch pad and a keyboard, it will be heavily oriented toward tablet-type touch-screen navigation. Many PC makers are planning convertible Windows 8 models for the holiday shopping season that can act as either tablets or regular clamshell laptops.

If you buy a traditional Windows 7 laptop now, Microsoft says it will very likely be upgradable to Windows 8, but you won’t find the new styles of laptops on store shelves now. Even if you buy one of the rare touch-screen laptops now, Microsoft says it will likely work with the touch features of Windows 8, but it may not be optimized to do a great job with the new software. Also, in my view, it is always better, especially with Windows computers, to buy a new machine if you want a new version of Windows.

On the Mac side, Apple also is bringing out a new operating system, this summer. Called Mountain Lion, it won’t be as big a change as Windows 8, partly because Apple already has integrated a lot of touch gestures and tablet-type features into the Mac using the touch pad, and has given no indication it plans touch screens.

While current Macs will most likely be upgradeable to Mountain Lion, you risk missing out on new hardware if you buy a machine now.

However, Apple is overdue for redesigned laptops, especially in its MacBook Pro line, and it is a good bet that new, possibly heavily redesigned, models will begin appearing later this year. Current Macs will likely be upgradable to Mountain Lion, but if you buy now, you’ll miss out on the likely new hardware.

There is another factor that calls for waiting. Intel, whose processors are used by most Windows PC makers and by Apple, is on the verge of introducing a new family of chips, called Ivy Bridge, which the chip maker claims will offer much faster graphics performance without sacrificing battery life. While some Ivy Bridge laptops will be available very soon, the new chips won’t show up in large numbers of consumer laptops until around June. So, even before Windows 8 appears, many consumer laptops you buy now will be outclassed by similar machines that will be introduced this summer.

There is a silver lining. If you watch prices carefully, you may find bargains on Windows 7 laptops running the current Intel processors — which are plenty capable — as the newer models get closer. And PC makers are likely, at some point, to offer free upgrades to Windows 8.

With all of that in mind, here is a cheat sheet to choosing a laptop now, if you must. As always, these tips are for average consumers doing common tasks — email, Web browsing, social networking, general office productivity, photos, music, videos and simple games. This guide isn’t meant for corporate buyers or for serious gamers and media producers.

Tablet or laptop

Tablets can reduce your reliance on a laptop and allow you to wait to buy a new one. Tablet users often find they use their laptops less often for daily tasks like email, Web browsing, or social networking.

Windows 8, the most radical new version in years, will likely be out this fall, accompanied by new PC designs.

Price

Windows PC makers are trying to nudge up the price of their laptops, since they feel they make too little profit on them. You can buy a stripped-down Windows laptop for under $300 and an adequate model for around $500. But a well-equipped model typically runs between $600 and $900. The cheapest Mac laptop, the 11-inch MacBook Air, costs $999, and prices quickly climb to $1,200.

Windows vs. Mac

Windows 7 laptops offer more variety in styles, and often more ports and larger hard disks, at less cost. But Apple laptops are sturdy, sleek and offer better built-in software. They have excellent customer support and can even run Windows, at an extra cost.

Also, Mac users have only the rare virus to contend with, while Windows users must worry about hundreds of thousands of potential attacks. Finally, Apple’s slim, light, speedy MacBook Air, which starts at $999, is a gem. It isn’t only a great traveling machine, but it can be used as your main machine.

Ultrabooks

Nearly every PC maker now has a MacBook Air-type model called an Ultrabook. I have yet to find one that is quite as good as the Air, especially on my battery tests. But I like the ultrabooks a lot, and think most consumers will, too. The main downsides to the ultrabooks are that they are relatively pricey — some top $1,000 — and have less storage. Like the Air, most use fast solid-state drives instead of hard disks, and these top out at just 256 gigabytes.

Memory

Get at least 4 gigabytes of memory, or RAM, on a new Windows computer. On a Mac, you can get away with 2 gigabytes, but 4 GB is better.

Processors

Intel’s chips — even the new ones coming soon — are called the i3, i5, and i7. An i5 is fine for most consumers, and even an i3 will do. But a laptop with chips from AMD is also fine.

Graphics

Usually cheaper machines have weak graphics hardware and costlier ones have better graphics. Better graphics can make a machine faster.

Hard disks

A 500 gigabyte hard disk should be the minimum on most PCs, except bargain and very light models. As always, be wary of sales pitches and don’t buy more laptop than you need.

Email Walt at mossberg@wsj.com.

Keeping Close Track of Chats, Word for Word

Katherine Boehret — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 22:17:08 +0000

People store their emails, photos and documents online to keep them from being lost or accidentally deleted. But what about the records we never save to begin with, like phone conversations and text messages? These hold a lot of useful data and can sometimes be the only point of reference for important conversations.

[ See post to watch video ]

I’ve been testing Calltrunk, a service that records, stores and transcribes calls initiated by its app or website; a manual feature on iPhones and Skype also enables recording incoming calls. It uses landlines, mobile phones or Skype accounts to place calls, and these calls are stored in a password-protected account for $5 to $50 monthly. I also tested Uppidy, a free service that, once installed on an Android phone or BlackBerry, automatically logs all text messages sent to or from that phone in a Web-based account for reading or sorting later.

The services worked, though neither notifies the person on the other end of the call or text that their words are being saved, which feels creepy. The exception to this rule is calls initiated on the Calltrunk iPhone app, which (by default) play a faint beep throughout. But this beep can easily be turned off in Settings. No such beep plays when calls are made via Calltrunk.com or Android phone.

Calltrunk co-founder Angela Clarke said federal law only requires single-party consent for recorded calls, though some states require all-party consent. Representatives from Calltrunk and Uppidy said they leave it up to users to notify people if they are being recorded.

Uppidy stores all text messages made on Android phones or BlackBerrys in a Web-accessible account.

On Tuesday, Calltrunk launched a search feature called ArgoSearch, and I got an exclusive first look at it. This search engine combs through specific words or phrases that were spoken in phone calls. For example, if someone talks on the phone with his mechanic about his squeaky car brakes and wants to remember how much the mechanic said they would cost to repair, he can type “car,” “brakes” and “repair” into a search box and find the exact place in the conversation where all three words were mentioned.

ArgoSearch worked well in certain cases, but wasn’t truly reliable. In one conversation with my husband, I ate lunch as we spoke and said “responsible” with a bite of bread in my mouth. The ArgoSearch engine still figured out what I was saying and found the word in our conversation. It also found the words “Facebook” and “Twitter.” But it failed to find simple words like “pounds” and proper nouns like car brands.

When words are found, they’re clearly marked in the timeline of the conversation with a different color for each word. A key to these words and their corresponding colors appears on the top right of the screen.

While the regular Calltrunk service charges a monthly fee, ArgoSearch is currently free, though a Calltrunk spokesman said the company would eventually charge for it. It works in Web browsers and on the iPhone, and by July it will work on Android phones.

Calltrunk’s ArgoSearch enables word-searching in calls, indexing words with colors.

Calltrunk is a bit confusing to use the first time because it rings your own phone back before calling the other person. I tested it using Calltrunk apps on the iPhone and an Android phone, as well as via Calltrunk.com. I told people on calls that they were being recorded, and in one instance, my friend reacted by refraining from saying more about one subject.

All calls are neatly sorted in a list on Calltrunk’s website and can be labeled with brief descriptions. Each call can be sent to Dropbox, Evernote or Box; downloaded (as an MP3 file); or transcribed by humans for $1.50 or $3 a minute, depending on quality.

Uppidy saves all text messages to its cloud-based site, even if you lose a phone, switch carriers or get a new phone. It works on Android phones and Research In Motion’s BlackBerrys, though not on the iPhone without a clumsy desktop workaround. I installed it on a Samsung Android phone and on a BlackBerry Bold 9930, and it ran in the background unnoticed.

I didn’t feel as obligated to tell people that their texts were being saved compared with how I felt the need to tell people their calls were being recorded when I used Calltrunk. I figured if they were writing a message, they knew there was some record of it, however temporary.

On the Android phone, a notice from Uppidy gave me the option to back up my phone’s entire text-messaging history. RIM doesn’t allow for such a deep dive into a user’s archives.

Settings on each phone’s app let me decide how often I wanted texts to be synchronized with Uppidy’s cloud service, which is accessible in a password-protected account on Uppidy.com. I opted for a 10-minute interval on the BlackBerry and manual syncing on the Android device. On Uppidy.com, I sorted texts by date, entering a start date and end date within which texts would appear. I could also narrow my list of texts to the people who sent them or to the phone I used for sending them, which is helpful for people with more than one phone.

Many people may think that since they haven’t recorded phone calls or text messages until now, they don’t need to start. But if these are of exceptional importance in your professional or social life, Calltrunk with ArgoSearch and Uppidy will be worth a try.

Watch a video of Katherine Boehret on Calltrunk and Uppidy at WSJ.com/PersonalTech. Email katie.boehret@wsj.com

Sound Kick: Solid Sound, but a Shaky Speaker

Lauren Goode — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:00:50 +0000

Speaker systems used to imply large towers, mountains of components, spaghetti-like piles of wires, and lots of listening to Pink Floyd to gauge sound quality. On the portable end, there was the boombox, clenching your cassette tapes in its teeth while you boosted it on your shoulder.

Today there are wireless, Bluetooth-enabled speaker docks that are smaller than a shoebox and allow you to play thousands of tracks from a single mobile device. Since I’m not really an audiophile, a speaker that works with my iPhone and gives good sound is good enough for me. But even some of those cost a few hundred dollars. That’s where Soundfreaq’s Sound Kick might come in handy.

This new portable Bluetooth speaker, which has an expandable chamber that pops out in the back for fuller sound, hits the market today at $99. It’s available exclusively through Target stores and through Soundfreaq’s Web site, to start. The Los Angeles-based company says the device will be available on Target’s Web site in a couple weeks; it will eventually be sold through other mass retailers, as well.

After five days of using the Sound Kick, I preferred its sound over that of its main rival, the best-selling $200 Jambox speaker. But the Sound Kick is a bit wobbly when standing upright, and isn’t nearly as portable as the compact Jambox, making it a tweener when it comes to being both an at-home dock and portable speaker.

The Sound Kick works with a variety of Bluetooth-friendly devices, including iPhone, Android phones, BlackBerry, iPad and some laptops. And unlike the Jambox, it has a USB port for charging devices while you’re playing music or audio.

Made of plastic, with a steel-coated front grill, the Sound Kick is a rectangular-shaped device weighing 1.6 pounds and measuring 10.5 inches by 4.2 inches. When closed, its thickness is actually the same as the Jambox; when the extra sound chamber is extended, the device is 2.5 inches wide.

Like some of Soundfreaq’s other products, it has smooth, indented, touch-sensitive buttons for adjusting volume and controlling music tracks. The speaker is available only in black, though Soundfreaq plans to introduce carrying cases in a variety of colors.

[ See post to watch video ]

To test the sound quality of the speaker, I connected both my iPhone 4 and iPad 2 via Bluetooth, then set my entire music library to shuffle on my iPhone, which means some audio files would be higher-quality than others. (This was also a good reminder that I’ve downloaded some really bad music in the past. And I can probably ditch the Christmas tunes when it isn’t the season.) I also played Pandora Internet radio songs from an app on an Android smartphone. I set the volume on my phones to around 75 percent, and the Sound Kick’s volume was at about two-thirds of its capacity.

The songs playing through the Sound Kick easily filled the small living room of my apartment at mid-to-high volume levels, without losing quality or starting to sound harsh. Some songs sounded tinnier than other, but that likely had to do with the music files themselves rather than the speakers.

Soundfreaq says the Sound Kick provides optimal sound quality through two techniques: The extra chamber on the speaker set, and a digital-enhancement button, called the UQ3 button. The pop-out chamber in the back is meant to help the resonance of the acoustics of the speaker, while the digital enhancement gives the listener the impression that the speakers inside the dock are spaced further apart, more like surround sound.

When I pressed the UQ3 button, some songs did sound fuller, with stronger bass. With other, more layered songs, instrumental sounds that had previously taken a backseat to the vocals got a slight boost.

Otherwise, the digital enhancements weren’t that noticeable to me. I also watched videos from “The Daily Show” on the iPad, and patched the audio through the Sound Link speaker. Since mobile phone and tablet speakers can be relatively weak, I liked the added oomph I got from the Sound Kick. But when I pressed the UQ3 button, it had little to no apparent impact on the sound quality.

The Sound Kick outputs at a higher decibel level than the Jambox does — 92 decibels, compared to the Jambox’s 85 — but this is a way to measure the amplitude of sound, and is not an indication of better quality. Basically, the Jambox’s amplitude peaks at a lower level than the Sound Kick’s does.

The Sound Kick has a lithium-ion rechargeable battery that the company says should last approximately seven hours with an iPhone 4 or iPod Touch connected via Bluetooth, with the volume turned up 66 percent. During my test, I had the speaker turned up to around two-thirds of maximum volume, and the battery lasted about eight hours.

But there were a few things about the Sound Kick that lowered its grade for me. Unless you have the back portion of the speaker fully extended, the Sound Kick won’t power on at all. Also, while I liked the touch buttons, I sometimes accidentally stopped a music track or jacked up the volume when I was moving the speaker around.

Unlike the Jambox, the Sound Kick isn’t a two-way Bluetooth speaker, so when my iPhone rang during testing, the Sound Kick wouldn’t patch my calls through the speaker.

The Sound Kick’s biggest design problem is that it didn’t feel very stable. The extra speaker space makes the device back-heavy, so when I propped it upright, it fell back; when positioned at an angle — as it’s supposed to be for better sound — it tipped over if I bumped my arm against it. Soundfreaq says that when it’s in the “kicked” position, the Sound Kick should be stable, but in the event that the speaker is knocked over, its steel front grill is meant to protect it from scratching or breaking.

If you’re looking for an inexpensive speaker dock with good sound quality that works with mobile devices and could be considered portable in a pinch, you might want to consider the Sound Kick. But, as I’m planning for my next couple trips, I realize I’m more likely to take something like the Jambox with me during travel. It’s just that much easier to carry around, also has good sound and acts as a two-way speaker, whether in the conference room, car or at home.

Take a Note: Typing With No Hands

Walter S. Mossberg — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 01:08:24 +0000

I am writing this paragraph on an iPhone. But I am not typing it on the phone’s virtual keyboard. I am dictating it using a little-known feature that allows you to employ your voice instead of your fingers, wherever text entry is possible on the device.

[ See post to watch video ]

And now, for this paragraph, I have switched to an Android phone. Once again, I am composing these words using only my voice, and not typing them on the virtual keyboard.

Those two paragraphs, dictated as emails and then cut and pasted into this column on a computer, required far fewer corrections than you might think, given the bad reputation for accuracy that voice input on digital devices has acquired. I only had to add a comma I’d forgotten to specify in the first paragraph and capitalize the word “Android” in the second paragraph.

For me, a daily user of virtual keyboards, the process was quicker and more accurate than typing would likely have been, even for the relatively short blocks of text typically composed on phones.

So, on the suspicion that dictation on smartphones might prove useful for others as well, I’ve been testing it heavily over the past week. I used a top phone with Google’s Android software, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, and an Apple iPhone 4S. In general, I found that, while dictation could occasionally fail badly, it worked surprisingly well in a wide variety of environments and applications.

On both leading smartphone platforms, I found that relatively short dictation—such as emails, texts, tweets, Facebook posts and notes—was at least as accurate, and often more, as typing on a glass screen. It was better in quiet environments, but did OK even in most noisy places like grocery stores, coffee shops and carwashes. It was also faster, since, as long as you don’t have to correct numerous errors, speaking is usually faster than typing on glass.

For this review, I am not mainly referring to Siri, the widely publicized, voice-controlled feature on the new iPhones, which can do things like tell you the weather, or stock prices. Nor am I discussing the “voice actions” on Android, which can perform Web searches and other tasks. Both can also help with some text dictation. I concentrated on a much simpler feature of both platforms: a small microphone key that’s included right in the phones’ on-screen keyboards.

Apple’s dictation system did better at capitalizing proper names.

Android phones have had this microphone key for a couple of years, and Apple added it to the latest iPhone, the 4S, last fall, and to the new iPad, when it came out last month. But I’m guessing that many users of these phones either haven’t used this special key, or haven’t even noticed it.

While the microphone keys work a bit differently on the two platforms, they are basically similar. When the keyboard appears, ready for you to type, you can instead hit the microphone key and simply dictate what you want to say. The phones then send your spoken words to a remote server, which rapidly translates them into text and sends them back to the phone’s screen. If corrections are needed, you make them by typing, though both platforms make this easier by indicating the likeliest errors, and suggesting alternatives.

A couple of caveats are in order. I didn’t compare dictation to typing on a phone with physical keys, whose devotees are often speedy and accurate. Instead, I thought the apt comparison was with a virtual keyboard, which is becoming the norm on phones, but is still a source of frustration for many users.

But Android was more reliable.

I also didn’t try dictating a long document, like this column, because phones are rarely used for lengthy composing.

I found that both platforms’ dictation systems worked well enough for me to recommend them. In case after case, both phones got it right, or close enough to require little correcting.

But there are differences. Android has an advantage in that, in the newest version of its operating system, it displays the dictated text almost in real time, lagging just slightly behind your spoken words. On the iPhone, the system only reveals its rendering of your dictation after you’ve tapped on a “Done” button.

Android’s dictation system also supports many more languages than Apple’s—40 languages and dialects, including Spanish, Chinese, Arabic and Hebrew. On the iPhone, only English, French and German are currently supported, though Apple says Chinese, Korean, Italian, and Spanish will be added later this year.

However, I found the iPhone 4S worked better than the Galaxy Nexus in noisier environments. For instance, in a crowded shopping-mall food court, while neither phone was perfect, the iPhone understood me to say: “I am dictating this email from the very noisy Court at Montgomery Mall on the iPhone”—missing only the word “food” and capitalizing “Court.” The Android phone mangled a very similar sentence as: “I am dictating this email on droid phone from the bearing noise for it montgomery mall.”

Google notes that, unlike Apple, it supports many phones, and that the results might have differed on another model, with better noise cancellation. Apple says the iPhone 4S does have noise cancellation. And, in any case, the two phones’ results were more comparable in quieter settings.

Apple’s system also did better at capitalizing proper names, like Stradivarius, or Red Sox, or even Google (which my Android phone, ironically, always rendered in lowercase). But Google says it will be updating its dictation feature in weeks to better handle proper names.

On the other hand, I found that, when Android did err, it had a more extensive and easier to use manner for correcting those mistakes than the iPhone did. Android was also more reliable; sometimes the iPhone returned no text at all.

Still, I found these differences less important than the fact that, for me, the results on both platforms were impressive. On both, if you say words like “period” or “comma,” you generally get the punctuation mark (though both try to make the distinction when you actually want a word like “period.”)

And, in test after test, both did a good job. Errors were generally fewer than if I had typed the words quickly.

Both have a downside: Because they do the transcription on their servers, and they are anxious to improve, they do retain some information about what you’re saying. Both companies say they respect your privacy, but, if you worry about transmitting your messages or notes to Apple or Google, don’t use dictation.

Otherwise, especially for those who find typing on glass clumsy, the microphone key on Android and the new iPhone is something you might want to add to your arsenal of ways to use your phone.

Email Walt at mossberg@wsj.com.

Xbox Grows, With Users, Beyond Videogames

Katherine Boehret — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 22:32:43 +0000

With Internet-connected TVs, add-on boxes like Apple TV or Roku, and iPads resting on coffee tables, tech companies are trying harder than ever to capture space in your living room. Microsoft wants to take advantage of something that’s already in a lot of homes: Xbox.

[ See post to watch video ]

Microsoft claims its Xbox Live users spend more time consuming media—videos and music—than playing games. Over the past five months, the company has brought more than 20 new apps or improved versions of apps to Xbox specifically to entertain nongamers. So if you are a person who put up with looking at someone else’s Xbox console stored under the TV for years, you’re finally getting something out of the deal.

The apps, available from the Xbox Apps Marketplace, provide easier ways to watch movies or video, play music or get updates on favorite sports. Icons are large and easy to see from a couch. I quickly navigated to my recently opened apps from the Xbox home screen.

I’ve been testing the Xbox 360 with a focus on nongaming apps, and it’s clear that Microsoft is serious about them. All apps are free to download onto Xbox, though some, like Netflix and MLB.TV, require paid memberships and others, like HBO Go, require an existing cable account with a specific channel or service. Most apps require an Xbox Live Gold account to use, and this costs about $60 a year for one person or $100 a year for a Gold Family Pack that four family members can share.

A frustrating aspect of using these Xbox apps was that I needed to download updates for them almost immediately after I initially downloaded the app. This happened on several occasions with all kinds of apps. And the Xbox console is a bulky, expensive box compared with palm-size competitors like the $50 Roku and $99 Apple TV, which offer some of the same entertainment apps and don’t require annual fees like Xbox Live Gold.

The Xbox apps I tested work with an included wireless controller or with a Kinect sensor, which responds to gestures and voice commands. A smaller $20 Media Remote also does the job and is sold separately. If you don’t already own an Xbox 360, the 4-gigabyte console will cost you $200; it holds 20 to 25 apps, depending on size—which should offer enough storage for nongamers. For another $100 you can buy the $300, 4-gigabyte Xbox 360 with a Kinect sensor, or for $400, the 250-gigabyte Xbox 360 with Kinect.

Apps for the Xbox bring more types of video entertainment to the TV.

The ESPN app, one of my favorites, let me scroll through several video clips using a Mini Guide, which appeared at the bottom of the TV screen with thumbnail images and descriptions when I touched a button on the Xbox controller. I could watch one highlight clip on the screen, or use a split screen to watch video while scrolling sports stats.

A double tap on the Xbox controller’s Y button showed a full-screen grid of highlight clips and displayed a category called My Sports. Here, I selected tennis, and My Sports quickly filled with thumbnails representing future tennis events I could set reminders to watch, as well as highlight clips and entire matches that had already taken place. On April 9, I used the ESPN app to watch the final match of a tennis tournament called the Family Circle Cup, even though the match aired April 8.

I tested the MLB.TV app by logging into an existing MLB.TV Premium account, which costs $125 a year. I quickly skimmed through baseball team statistics and watched the live season opener between the Phillies and Marlins. Each time the game went to a commercial, a message appeared on the screen saying “Commercial break in progress.” The MLB.TV app let me choose favorite teams for quick access to stats and news about those teams.

Some, like the MLB.TV app, pictured, require a paid account.

With the HBO Go app, I watched movies and HBO shows from my Xbox. When I navigated away from the app and opened it again, the show started from where I left off. When I found a show or movie I wanted to watch at another time, I added it to my Watchlist, which is accessed via a tile on the HBO Go home screen along with Last Played, which reminded me of the last episode I’d watched in a series.

Some shows available on a computer aren’t available within Xbox apps. When I searched Hulu Plus for NBC’s “Today” show to see a specific episode, an on-screen notification said, “Sorry, we don’t have the rights to stream this show to your device. It is available at Hulu.com on your computer Web browser.” I later found the clip in the “Today” app made especially for Xbox.

Likewise, several apps—including HBO Go, Netflix, Hulu Plus and Cinema Now—required me to authenticate the Xbox for use by logging into my Xbox account and then entering a code into my computer’s Web browser. This process is usually done just once per app, but stepping back to the PC was annoying.

I fooled around with DailyMotion and TMZ video apps. I watched “Ghostbusters” on Netflix and “Saturday Night Live” clips on Hulu Plus; both services charge $8 a month. Two music apps that work on Xbox 360 are iHeartRadio and Last.fm. Neither charges a subscription fee.

The Xbox continues to grow up and appeal to more people. A smaller, more stylish console would make the device even more welcome in the living room.

Write to Katherine Boehret at katie.boehret@wsj.com

Searching for a Mighty Mouse? Here Are Three Options.

Lauren Goode — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 13:01:22 +0000

Even in an increasingly trackpad-and-touchscreen-driven computing world, I’m pro-mouse. There’s something to be said about the precision that comes with a computer mouse, and about the comfort of using one for extended periods of time, versus hunching over the limited real estate of a laptop trackpad.

But, admittedly, my last mouse was a low-tech, corporate-issued, clunky thing. So I’ve been exploring a whole new world of mice. Many modern mice have taken cues from Apple’s wireless Magic Mouse, which has a multi-touch surface for easy swiping through functions like scrolling up and down a Web page or document, or minimizing and maximizing browser windows with a simple flick of your fingers.

For the past five days, I’ve been playing with three mice that are compatible with Windows 7 computers: Microsoft’s Touch Mouse, Logitech’s new m600 Touch Mouse and HP’s X5000 wireless mouse with touch scrolling. While HP’s mouse comes at the much more reasonable price of $40, it isn’t a full multi-touch mouse and is bulkier than the others. The entrants from Microsoft and Logitech are pricey — $79.95 and $70, respectively — but have multi-touch capabilities and sleeker designs.

All three mice are easy to set up. In each case, I turned on the mouse and just plugged its USB adapter into my laptop, which the machine quickly recognized.

The Microsoft Touch Mouse was my favorite in terms of design. Some new mice on the market have funky shapes, high arcs, or are almost flat. I found that the Touch Mouse was a nice blend of modern tech appeal with a curved mouse feel.

The Touch Mouse measures 2.4 inches in width and 4.7 inches in length — roughly the size of an iPhone. It was longer than the other two mice I tested, but I liked the extra real estate under my fingers. It has tiny laser-etched marks on its front half, to create a little more traction. There’s also a limited edition “artist” version of the mouse, which is white and has a calligraphy-like design.

Since it’s a multi-touch mouse, that means a one-finger swipe on the surface works like an old-school scrollwheel for navigating up and down a document or Web page. Swiping two fingers down minimizes a Web-browsing window. For people like me who are used to two-finger swiping on a laptop trackpad to move up and down a page, this can take some getting used to.

[ See post to watch video ]

A three-finger swipe presented all of my Web browsers and open apps in a Windows instant-viewer format on the desktop. Also, swiping two fingers from side to side “snapped” my current window to the side and allowed me to open up another window next to it.

One tiny part of the Touch Mouse I found to be useful: It has storage space on the underside of the mouse for the USB connector, which frequent travelers will appreciate. It’s easy to lose these mouse connectors, especially if your bag of gadgets, wires and dongles looks like mine.

In terms of battery life, Microsoft says the mouse will run for three to six months, depending on usage habits. It uses two AA batteries.

The Touch Mouse, as with the others I reviewed, is meant to be compatible only with Microsoft Windows. But this isn’t entirely true — my Mac laptop recognized each mouse’s USB connector as a keyboard accessory, and I could still move the cursor with each mouse. I was also able to use the touch surfaces of the mice — or in the case of the HP mouse, the touch strip — to swipe up and down pages on the screen. In the case of the Touch Mouse, functionality on the Mac was limited. For example, I could swipe up and down, but not snap my windows to the side.

Microsoft has also said the Touch Mouse will be compatible with Windows 8, the upcoming operating system that is expected to launch by the end of this year. The mouse’s horizontal scrolling function is actually meant to cater to the new Windows 8 interface.

Logitech’s Touch Mouse M600 is flatter than Microsoft’s Touch Mouse, measuring 2.52 by 4.41 inches, and is smoother to the touch. Its shape and glossy shell reminded me a bit of a giant bug. It’s mostly black, with a gray bottom half, and has barely perceptible squiggly designs along the edges of it, along with a Logitech logo, giving it a somewhat toylike appearance.

The M600’s swiping functions were pretty basic, and it doesn’t offer as many functions as the Touch Mouse. Whether I was using one finger, two or three, the M600 scrolled up and down the page I was on. I found these movements to be pretty smooth. I also felt like I could navigate my cursor more quickly with the M600, probably because it’s slightly lighter weight than the Touch Mouse.

The M600 does have one feature I really liked: Side-to-side swiping for Web browsing. Swiping my finger to the left brought me back to the previous Web page I was on; swiping to the right pushed me ahead to the next page.

The M600 also comes with a unifying USB dongle, which allows users to connect up to five other Logitech devices to the same tiny adapter.

As with the Microsoft Touch Mouse, the M600 should last for three to six months, depending on how many batteries you use. Logitech says two AA batteries will get you closer to six months.

The HP X5000 is the fattest mouse of the three, with the highest curve. Bulkiness aside, it’s got a smooth, tear-shaped plastic top, and its sides have a velvety feel.

The X5000 isn’t a multi-touch mouse. Instead, it’s got a touch-sensitive strip built into the mouse, right where a scroll wheel would be on an older mouse model. It also comes with the traditional right-side, left-side clicking functionality, which some users might appreciate. The tiny touch strip felt a little limited compared to the full-touch surfaces I’d been playing with on the other mice, but I did like the split clicking function.

The mouse also boasts a button that’s supposed to allow you to upload photos to Facebook with one click. In order for this to work, I had to install the software that came with the mouse, and allow the HP mouse’s app access to my Facebook account. Next, I had to open up a photo file on my computer, use the mouse’s Facebook-specific button to draw a square around my photo and create a preview file, and then indicate that I wanted to upload that photo to Facebook. The first time I tried this, the photo didn’t upload.

In my test, the whole experience really wasn’t as simple as “one click.” And while some users might like easy access to Facebook, the idea that distraction is one click away didn’t appeal to me. Maybe I’m just using Facebook less these days, or am more selective about the photos I upload to the site, but I’d welcome another productivity function over the Facebook button.

One of the X5000’s upsides is that it claims a super long battery life of 24 months with two AA batteries. And the USB dongle that comes with the HP X5000, like the Logitech mouse, will allow you to wirelessly connect up to four other HP devices to your laptop.

When it comes to these three mice, I found you get what you pay for. The Microsoft Touch Mouse was my top pick out of the three; Logitech’s M600 mouse is a very close second, and users who like a flatter, smoother design might prefer that one; and HP’s X5000 mouse falls short of what a modern mouse should be.

It's Big, It's Blue, It's Windows, but Can It Beat Rival Phones?

Walter S. Mossberg — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 01:01:41 +0000

In the lucrative and competitive world of smartphones, Apple’s iPhone is the most popular device and Google’s Android—used by phone makers like Samsung and Motorola—is the most widely used operating system. With Palm gone, and the BlackBerry staggering, most smartphone buyers and app developers now think of it as a two-horse race.

[ See post to watch video ]

However, Microsoft and Nokia, two former thoroughbreds of the smartphone market in the days before the iPhone changed the game, are determined to change that. They’ve teamed up in the hope of offering an appealing third choice. So far, Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system has struggled to attract either buyers or app developers. But on April 8, Nokia and AT&T will begin selling the first high-end, 4G LTE, Windows Phone model released in the U.S., the Lumia 900.

The Lumia 900 looks rather different from other smartphones. It’s a solid, sturdy, single slab of rounded blue plastic—yes, blue—with a large, thin, bright screen that appears to lie on top, instead of being inset. (For the less adventurous, it also comes in black, and, in a few weeks, white.)

Plus, for an unspecified “limited time,” it costs just $100, half the typical $200 price of most other top-of-the-line competitors. That price requires a two-year AT&T contract whose fees start at $80 a month for a very minimal amount of data and voice minutes, plus unlimited texting. (It’s $60 without the texting plan.)

I’ve been testing the Lumia 900 and found that it provides the best home yet for the attractive Windows Phone software, but still doesn’t measure up to rival smartphones.

The Lumia 900’s screen is much larger than the iPhone’s, but the phone isn’t as big and bulky as some recent Android models.

The screen is a roomy 4.3 inches—much larger than the iPhone’s—but the phone itself, while larger than an iPhone, isn’t as big and bulky as some recent Android models. I found it comfortable in the hand and the pocket.

When on an LTE network, the phone delivered download speeds of between 10 and 15 megabits per second in my tests, faster than most home Internet connections. Voice calls were clear and reliable, and the rear camera delivers 8 megapixel resolution.

Also, the Lumia 900 features the three biggest advantages of the Windows Phone platform—a handsome, distinctive, tile-based user interface; a mobile version of Microsoft’s Xbox Live gaming network; and a mobile version of genuine Microsoft Office, which allows you to edit documents and share them with PCs and Macs, or store them in the cloud.

But, overall, I consider the Lumia 900 a mixed bag. Unless you are a big Windows Phone fan, or don’t want to spend more than $100 upfront, I can’t recommend the Lumia 900 over the iPhone 4S, or a first-rate Android phone like Samsung’s Galaxy S II series.

I was underwhelmed by the battery life, the browser, and the quality of its photos.

Plus, the Windows Phone platform has only a fraction of the third-party apps available for its rivals—about 70,000, versus nearly 600,000 for the iPhone and more than 450,000 for Android.

It also has a weaker content ecosystem. For instance, there is no way to buy TV shows or movies directly from the phone, and far fewer magazine and newspaper apps are available.

And if LTE—which I consider the only true 4G network in the U.S.—matters to you, bear in mind that AT&T offers that service in just 31 markets, versus 203 for Verizon. In most places, the Lumia, like other AT&T phones, including the AT&T version of the iPhone, delivers a slower version of 4G, which is really just a souped-up version of 3G.

The Windows Phone software itself on this new phone hasn’t changed. Instead of multiple pages of icons, as on iPhone and Android, it offers a scroll of tiles that show information. And it still has “hubs” that combine information like contacts and social-media updates for people you know.

Still, despite its flaws, including the likelihood of a lot of scrolling to get to apps, it remains a refreshing change from the dominant competitors.

My biggest problem was with the Web browser, a mobile version of Internet Explorer.

Back in January, when I tested the same browser on an entry-level Nokia Windows Phone, it worked fine on both the cellular network and on my Wi-Fi network. But the Lumia 900 stalled frequently when rendering websites on my fast, home Wi-Fi network, though the phone did fine on LTE.

To make sure my Wi-Fi wasn’t faulty, I tried some of the same sites, in the same spot, on an iPhone, an Android phone and even an older Samsung Windows Phone. All worked perfectly. Nokia had no explanation for this problem.

I found that, in light use, the battery lasted through a typical day. But in heavier use, including lots of email usage and Web browsing, streaming a one-hour TV show via Netflix, and conducting an hour-long phone call, the battery drained more quickly and was almost gone by late in the afternoon. This was especially true if I was using LTE much of the time.

While the Lumia 900’s processor is single-core, not the common dual-core found on other high-end phones, I found the phone worked smoothly and quickly, and played videos fine.

The screen resolution of 800 by 480 is lower than the iPhone’s, and I found the display generally less sharp than the Apple’s. The screen visibility was a bit better outdoors than most other phones I’ve tested, but not dramatically so.

The camera, despite having the same resolution as the new iPhone, took notably worse pictures of the same scenes in my tests. To my eye, colors were oversaturated, and details were less sharp.

There were a few other issues. The Mac version of Microsoft’s Windows Phone syncing software wouldn’t recognize the Lumia 900, though the PC version did. The on-off button isn’t labeled, or easily distinguishable, from the dedicated camera button.

Bottom line: If you’re looking for a $100, high-end smartphone, or are a Windows Phone fan who has been waiting for better hardware, the Lumia 900 is worth considering. But the phone had just too many drawbacks in my tests to best its chief competitors.

Write to Walt at walt.mossberg@wsj.com

Professional Decorating Ideas in the Houzz

Katherine Boehret — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 22:13:01 +0000

Ask anyone who has decorated a home or even just one room in a house and they’ll tell you: It’s tough work. The overwhelming variety of pendant light fixtures, farmhouse sinks, transom windows, paint colors and wainscoting patterns make it clear why interior designers get paid to do the job.

People who prefer the do-it-yourself route may find inspiration in HGTV shows or Better Homes and Gardens magazine. But a free digital option is available in Houzz, which works as a website, iPhone app and iPad app.

[ See post to watch video ]

Depending on how you use it, Houzz can work like Pinterest, the idea- and photo-sharing social network, complete with lots of lush photos of designed rooms that users admire and save in personal Ideabooks for reference later. Also like Pinterest, users can follow one another. I followed a few designers and design firms with photos of sample rooms I liked. After following Siemasko + Verbridge, I saw all of the design firm’s activity on the website in a My Houzz section.

Unlike Pinterest, which makes everything public, Houzz Ideabooks and the comments people add to photos in their Ideabooks can be kept private, which I liked.

I’ve been using Houzz (a combination of the words “house” and “buzz”) on the Web and as an app for the past week, and I’ve already learned a lot. I moved into my new place last summer, so flipping through photos of living rooms, bathrooms and kitchens was motivating. I just might add a wallpapered accent wall in my living room if I ever find some spare time.

The Houzz website and apps show rooms designed by professionals, like the architect firm pictured, and identify items in rooms using green tags.

I felt most engaged in the site when I used Houzz.com, where I could read informative discussions among designers and people asking questions about rooms. Answers included details about product pricing, availability and design tips on things like how to combine black and brown in a room (answer: use throw pillows with both colors). The prospect of getting new clients draws designers to Houzz, where they offer free advice.

But the Houzz website holds so much information, it can feel jumbled and overwhelming—especially when compared with the simple, clean interfaces of the free Houzz iPhone and iPad apps.

I especially liked a recently added feature to the site and apps: In photos of rooms, tiny green tags hang from items that have been marked by professionals, and tapping on a tag displays details like where the product can be bought and how much it costs.

I found tags on things ranging from chandeliers to painted walls (a tag on a wall told the name and brand of its paint color). In the Houzz mobile apps, these tags swing back and forth whenever the iPhone or iPad moves—a whimsical touch. Next month, the site will launch Houzz Lightbox, which automatically starts a slide-show mode for scrolling through photos faster.

One source of frustration with Houzz was that certain products I thought about buying, like wallpaper from Schumacher & Co., were only available to people in the design trade. A spokeswoman said 11% of products on Houzz are in this category. But she said more manufacturers are starting to sell to both consumers and professional designers.

While Houzz can be used to motivate people to decorate their own homes, it will also direct them to local interior designers who created an admired room. Each photo of a room includes contact information about who designed it. If you prefer to limit your Houzz to photos of rooms done by designers in your area, you can filter by location. I looked at the D.C. Metro area and found thousands of nearby designers.

Many products used in these designer rooms cost thousands of dollars, but discussions about rooms may help people get ideas for lower-priced alternatives.

Tapping a tag displays details on the product, above. Pictured, a tagged room as seen on an iPad.

I really liked the look of Ochre’s Arctic Pear Chandelier, but by reading the discussion surrounding it, I found out that it cost around $5,300. (This information wasn’t readily available because Ochre doesn’t sell directly to consumers.) Another Houzz user suggested a $400 alternative from Pottery Barn that looked similar.

Other items are easier to buy. The $299 Balencia Folding Chair from Frontgate is clearly marked with a green tag and a link that takes you to Frontgate.com, where you can buy the chair.

I created several Ideabooks where I saved images of rooms I liked. Shortcuts in Houzz let me share photos with friends on Facebook and Twitter, or via email. After any user saves 10 images to an Ideabook, Houzz will start recommending similar images the user might like. These are generated by an algorithm and were in line with my taste.

People who are aware of their design deficiencies and who don’t think Houzz’s do-it-yourself encouragement will help them can open the site’s Professionals section. Here, over 1.3 million suppliers, remodeling and design professionals are listed for hire. These listings can be filtered by category or location.

Whether you are looking for an interior designer or are just looking to find some great decorating ideas, Houzz will help.

Write to Katherine Boehret at katie.boehret@wsj.com