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Photos: Top 10 reviews of the week

Here are CNET Reviews' top 10 items from the past week, including Apple's iTunes 7 and an Xbox 360 controller.
By Andy Smith, Contributor
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1 of 10 Andy Smith/ZDNET

2006 Lexus IS 350

Here's our weekly roundup of new products CNET reviewers liked best. 1. 2006 Lexus IS 350

Editors' rating: 9.4

The good: The 2006 Lexus IS 350 features excellent cabin technology, including a crisp navigation screen and a top-notch audio system. Its performance doesn't disappoint, either, with an automatic transmission that hits the right gear at the right time.

The bad: We have a few minor criticisms of the IS 350: its voice-command system doesn't offer a full range of car control; we had to dig down to display song and album information; and phone address-book entries can be copied over only one at a time.

The bottom line: The 2006 Lexus IS 350 uses the highest-quality cabin electronics, and its strong engine and good handling make it a lot of fun to drive. At its relatively low price, it is one of the best values in a luxury sport car we've seen.

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2 of 10 Andy Smith/ZDNET

Apple iPod (fifth-generation, 80GB)

2. Apple iPod (fifth-generation, 80GB)

Editors' rating: 8.3

The good: The enhanced iPod has the same sleek design with improved video battery life and brighter screen; it brings gapless playback to the masses; up to 80GB; new features such as instant search and enhanced games; movies now available in iTunes 7; excellent overall value.

The bad: The Apple iPod has added no major functions such as FM radio, wireless, recording; small screen not conducive to movie viewing; proprietary USB cable; narrow native video-format compatibility; body is still scratch prone.

The bottom line: The amazingly low priced updated Apple iPod gets many under-the-hood improvements, but it's still not a true video player.

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3 of 10 Andy Smith/ZDNET

Pioneer S-A4SPT-PM

3. Pioneer S-A4SPT-PM

Editors' rating: 8.0

The good: The Pioneer S-A4SPT-PM speakers are audiophile-grade compact speakers housed in luxurious, finished cabinets made from aged whiskey-barrel wood. Each speaker boasts a high-quality woofer and tweeter and all-metal speaker wire connectors.

The bad: The whiskey-barrel speakers are expensive, and there are no matching center speakers or subwoofers.

The bottom line: Made from old oak whiskey barrels, Pioneer's S-A4SPT-PM speakers deliver a rich and clear sound that belies their small size.

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4 of 10 Andy Smith/ZDNET

Sony KDL-46XBR2

4. Sony KDL-46XBR2

Editors' rating: 7.9

The good: Accurate color decoding; extremely sharp and detailed picture, thanks to true 1,920x1,080 resolution; delivers deep blacks for an LCD; comprehensive feature package with numerous picture controls; great connectivity with three HDMI inputs and a PC input; unique styling.

The bad: Expensive; noisy standard-def video processing.

The bottom line: Although more expensive than most similarly sized HDTVs on the market, the stylish Sony KDL-46XBR2 delivers one of the best pictures we've ever seem from an LCD flat-panel.

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5 of 10 Andy Smith/ZDNET

Apple iTunes 7

5. Apple iTunes 7

Editors' rating: 7.8

The good: Apple iTunes 7 shines with a refined but still-intuitive interface; fabulous and useful Cover Flow album view adds dimension to music; iTunes Store now features movies and games; movie pricing is consistent and competitive; supports gapless audio playback; can find missing album art; has new features such as Download Manager.

The bad: iTunes 7, along with Cover Flow, is more processor-intensive than version 6; underdeveloped Radio section; no built-in recording features; movies have a resolution of only 640x480; most major studio films not available; can't burn to watchable DVD; some bugs reported by users; album art retrieval feature needs work.

The bottom line: Apple iTunes 7 is a required upgrade for movie buyers and new iPod owners. Its refined interface, particularly Cover Flow, and useful new features trump the fact that the application is processor intensive.

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6 of 10 Andy Smith/ZDNET

Oppo DV-970HD

6. Oppo DV-970HD

Editors' rating: 7.7

The good: Excellent image quality; upconverts to 720p and 1080i output via HDMI; plays SACD, DVD-Audio, and DivX; flexible customization options, including aspect-ratio control; HDMI cable included; budget price.

The bad: The low-end look and feel bespeak its cheap price tag.

The bottom line: The Oppo DV-970HD delivers some of the best value for your DVD dollar that we've seen on upconverting players in terms of features and performance.

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7 of 10 Andy Smith/ZDNET

Delicious

7. Delicious

Editors' rating: 7.3

The good: Imports bookmarks from Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari; tags pages by topic; lets you share bookmarks with other people; has a dead-simple interface; browser toolbar allows quick bookmarking; saves up to 5MB of content.

The bad: Delicious doesn't detect broken links, or merge similar tags; doesn't preview bookmarked pages; no easy way to delete multiple bookmarks at once.

The bottom line: Delicious lets you save, import, and tag bookmarks without fuss. As the most popular take-it-with-you bookmarking service, Delicious can be a powerful tool for sharing content with other users.

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8 of 10 Andy Smith/ZDNET

Dell Latitude D420

8. Dell Latitude D420

Editors' rating: 7.2

The good: Slim, lightweight design; full-size keyboard; Wi-Fi Catcher works even when system is powered off.

The bad: High native resolution means tiny type; only one CPU choice.

The bottom line: Dell's smallest business laptop, the Latitude D420 manages to combine decent specs with a convenient form factor, even if it's not all that configurable.

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9 of 10 Andy Smith/ZDNET

Pelican Xbox 360 TSZ Wired Controller

9. Pelican Xbox 360 TSZ Wired Controller

Editors' rating: 7.2

The good: The Pelican Xbox 360 TSZ Wired Controller offers comparable quality and design to Microsoft's official wired controller at about half the price.

The bad: Not PC compatible; the rumble effect isn't as good as on the Microsoft controller.

The bottom line: The Pelican TSZ Xbox 360 Wired Controller is an excellent economic alternative to the pricier Microsoft offering.

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10 of 10 Andy Smith/ZDNET

Canon Pixma iP6700D

10. Canon Pixma iP6700D

Editors' rating: 7.0

The good: Built-in duplexing; 3.5-inch LCD; full controls on printer; built-in memory card reader; impressive photo quality; IrDA, Bluetooth (with adapter), and Pictbridge direct printing; Mac and Windows compatible.

The bad: Mediocre text quality; slow text printing.

The bottom line: Photographers will love the Canon Pixma iP6700D's speedy, high-quality photos, but sluggish, mediocre text output will be a turn-off for the SOHO/business crowd.

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