PC Magazine - 2009 11.pdf - Libertad Zero

MUSICBROWSERTomTom (iPhone OS)$99.99 directRhapsody (for iPhone)Player, free; RhapsodyTo Go subscription,$14.99 a monthZune Marketplace(September 2009)FreeOpera 10FreeL l l h m L l l l m L l l h m L l l h m• Snappy interface and mapupdates• Clear, well-timed voiceprompts• Interface follows bothiPhone and TomTomconventions• Plays music over 3G andWi-Fi• Impressive selection oftracks• Excellent UI makes everythingeasy• Smart DJ Mixes intelligentlyassemble “random”playlists• Quickplay window makesgetting started faster andeasier• Movies now available forpurchase or rental• Clean design• Opera Link syncs yourbookmarks and settings• Turbo speeds up slow connections• Visual tabs give mini previewsof sites• Lacks text-to-speech• No real-time traffic reportsor fuel prices• No lane assistance whenexiting highways• Song delays when streamingover 3G• Low-res artwork• Drains the battery• Doesn’t work without aconnection• Purchases require Microsoftpoints or a monthlyZune Pass• Only the Xbox 360 can playHD content in 1080p• Apps available only forZune HD owners• No longer the speed leader• On-page search andpassword saving less slickcompared with other newbrowsers• No private browsing modeLike its competitors, Tom-Tom left some critical featuresout of this app. Evenso, it makes the iPhone worklike a standalone GPS.Rhapsody for iPhone givesRhapsody users another wayto enjoy their subscriptionmusic and makes Rhapsody-To-Go’s $14.99 monthlyprice tag more reasonable.With the latest edition of theZune Marketplace, Microsoftmakes a significant leapin features and usabilityfor its music store. But it’sstill not ready to dethroneiTunes.Opera continues to innovatewith this latest version,introducing visual tabs andOpera Turbo. But this underdogfavorite is starting tosuffer from speed problems.Visit pcmag.com for the full reviews of these and scores of other software products.NOVEMBER 2009 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 21