Walt’s Best Products of 2010
1. Apple iPad
2. 4G wireless networks
3. Apple iPhone 4 and Samsung Galaxy S
Walt’s Worst Products of 2010
1. Dell Streak
2. Google TV
3. TiVo Premiere
Read more in the full article, which also contains links to each product’s full review, here.
MacDailyNews Take: Congrats to Walt for getting #1 right on both lists (we’ll have to re-read that TiVo Premiere review to see what’s so bad about it), but it’s quite interesting that Mossberg awards the Samsung Galaxy S a “tie” with Apple’s iPhone 4, especially after one considers the following quotes from Mossberg’s own review of the Galaxy S:
• “I’ve been testing the first two Galaxy S phones, the T-Mobile Vibrant and the AT&T Captivate… neither has all the features of Apple’s latest model, like a front-facing camera for video calls or an ultra–high resolution screen…”
• “To my eye, the Galaxy S screens did look very good, but seemed no better, indoors or outdoors, than the iPhone 4′s screen and were slightly less sharp.”
• “Android still isn’t quite as smooth as the iPhone’s software…”
• “Samsung says the new phones can hold up to two gigabytes of third-party apps, the most I’ve seen on an Android phone, which, unlike the iPhone, places limits on total app storage.”
• “Like other Android phones, the two Samsung models offer… far fewer [apps] than the iPhone…”
• “Galaxy S models don’t come with a program like iTunes, which allows easy synchronization with content on a PC or Mac.”
• “I also wasn’t crazy about the home, search and other buttons on these phones, which are found on a panel below the screen but not easily visible until you touch the panel and light the buttons up. That, in effect, means you have to touch twice to use them.”
So, to recap: Fewer features, a less sharp screen, less polished software, 1/8th – 1/16th the total app storage, far fewer apps, no iTunes for easy syncing, and extraneous buttons that you have to touch twice to use, but for some inexplicable reason the Galaxy S still earns a “tie” with iPhone 4, about which Mossberg’s own review states, “Apple has delivered a big, well-designed update that, in my view, keeps it in the lead in the smartphone wars… Apple has built a beautiful smartphone that works well, adds impressive new features and is still, overall, the best device in its class.”
Call us crazy and/or tag us as “biased,” but that just doesn’t sound anything at all like a “tie” to us, Walt. It just sounds fishy.
walt is terrified of being labeled and Apple fanboy.
Well the article claims he is using the Galaxy S as a rep for all android and the force it represents. He them states (again) that the iPhone remains the best phone available. So yep I call shenanigans , wonder if we could follow the money on this one?
Walt is way off in panning the TiVo premiere. It’s fantastic! So much HD content available these days from cable or Netflix. He should have panned blu-ray players. Who wants to buy HD DVDs?
Walt also said in his review of the iPhone 4, that he would carry another mobile phone with it so he could make calls.
I’d say that ties the Galaxy S shortcomings with the iPhone 4’s.
Nice of MDN to point that out in their ‘as per usual’ biased take
Walt’s got that Googlroid Tourette’s thing going again.
Hey, Walt, this is a treatable condition – see your neurologist today.
I agree with John E: “walt is terrified of being labeled an Apple fanboy.”
most reviewers try to be less critical of non Apple products.
They don’t want to be endless heckled by Apple haters plus they don’t want to cheese Apple rival manufacturers off. They make money off reviews, the more reviews they write the better and they want the Samsungs, Sony’s, Dells etc to keep giving them products (especially prerelease models) to review. If they actually tell the complete truth (for example take the Palm Pre getting 4 star ratings equal to the iPhone: hardly any of the top tech journalists talked about the scratch prone PLASTIC Palm Pre screen or that Palm was on the verge of bankruptcy) they would get nothing to review. Also if iPhone won like the iPod they would get less stuff write about: better have dozens of phones rather let iPhone win.
@Uh-huh MDN has never denied or hid its Apple bias. We expect and accept it.
It is one thing to say wonderful things about stuff that doesn’t even exist in the world of 90%+ of your audience, it is quite another to declare the things that 90% of your audience is aware of is Total Crap! So … you need to have two standards: one which is Reality Based and the other which is based on the “reality” of the vast majority of your audience. You don’t need to say “the Galaxy S is better than the iPhone”, just that it is “in the neighborhood”. This way, the best phone they are likely to be exposed to is on their radar.
Walt is absolutely wrong concerning the TiVo Premiere. This is a excellent product. I have owned two TiVo Series 2 units for 5 years and this is a welcomed upgraded to HD video with the Premiere. TiVo recently gave me an offer I could not refuse of upgrading to the Premiere for $480 including lifetime subscription (no monthly charges). I have never regretted purchasing the Series2 of Premiere TiVos because they has been well worth the price of not having to watch commercials and watching my shows when I want to… Sorry, Walt your are very wrong on the Premiere review…
For your reading pleasure I invite you to read an insane article on why the Dell Streak is better than an iPhone and iPad.
2 guesses who it was written by.
http://www.tgdaily.com/mobility-features/49946-the-dell-streak-better-than-an-ipad-and-an-iphone.
Rob Enderle backing the Dell Streak, practically guaranteed it’s failure.
I forgot about the original article.
Even more insane
http://www.tgdaily.com/opinion-features/48567-the-dell-mini-5-vs-the-apple-ipad
Year end bonus from Samsung?
Amazing but True: Crappy Products need Shills!
WhaDaYaKnow
Really, really can’t figure out why Dell, who has started to hire designers and engineers in force of late has not been able to design a top flight piece of hardware backed up by REAL market survey input from REAL end users.
After this, I don’t give Dell a chance of lasting more than a couple years before shareholders revolt.
Suck ass much?
Hate on the streak all you want but I love mine. Froyo on it makes it one of the best android phones I have used. My 3gs is now just an extra phone/mp3 player. I do want an iphone but it ask wouldn’t take the st reaks place as my primary phone.
Walt needs to be somewhat “neutral, objective, and independent”. The problem is Apple, why it always makes best products that put guys like Walt in hard times?!
Gee, what is happening, Microsoft did not end up in the bottom three. Say it ain’t so. I mean, I can understand them paying off Dell to make a product up (or down) to MS standards, but what about the looney zuney phone. Surely that has got to be one of the low standards.
MS must have given Walt a huge Christmas bonus.
Oh the tongue in cheek
Merry Christmas MDN & all your bloggers!
I used to trust Walts reviews, not anymore…
@Gomer
Blu-ray is great.
HD-DVD? You mean Microsoft’s aborted baby? That was killed off about 3 years ago.
Be aware that there is NO FULL-HD 1080p (along with high res audio) content streamed online. NONE. 720 yes, Full-HD, NO.
The only way to get Full-HD content at this point in time is via disk. Netflix is great for that, the quality of available Blu-ray disk content needs improvement. If Criterion Collection converted their entire catalogue, it would be a great start.
“Tag us biased,” MDN? BIASED!? We Mac users are never biased.
Nothing more than the Korean Won and the google greenback working their magic. Sometimes the smell of fish is the smell of green just like the Fulton fish market prior to gulianni.
iPhone just kicks ass. Walt is just a bit afraid of being labeled Apple Fanboy. Too bad, it hinders him from giving iPhone a well deserved win!
Walt’s knock on TiVo was really a cheap shot. whatever its shortcomings, it is far better than the Cablco’s DVR’s – the only real alternative for non-hobbyists – which he failed to mention. its UI was cleaned up a lot from Series 3. and for us hobbyists, it uniquely lets you transfer recordings from all CATV channels (not just Clear QAM channels only like Eye TV) to your computer to edit and keep (i got some great stuff) and also works nicely with SlingBox (which is super on the iPad). but i guess Walt doesn’t know beans about stuff like that.
as a putative professional journalist, he should at least have gone back and updated his March review before citing it again now. TiVo did in fact update the Premier to address some issues he noted, and also released a very well done iPad remote app.
Walt, your bad.
” Cause 2 outta 3 ain’t bad ”
Meatloaf ……