CNET Community Hot Topics weekly newsletter
September 19, 2007
Dear CNET members,
Ding, ding! In today's boxing match, it's not Internet Explorer vs. Firefox or HD DVD vs. Blu-ray, nor is it an AMD vs. Intel throwdown session, but a whole new spin--desktop design. The Sony desktop goes head-to-head with the Apple iMac. Now, before any of you get all fired up about how Mac OS is better than Windows, or vice versa, this match isn't a PC vs. Mac debate. There are plenty of those to go around, and I really don't want to go there. This one is purely on the designs of Sony's and Apple's desktops--so let's stick with that.

So where did this new debate spark up? Well, let me tell you. In a recent blog post on Crave, CNET editor Matt Elliott's "Desktop design: Apple vs. Sony," Matt picks apart design elements of Apple's new iMac and Sony's VAIO LT19U and heads for the hills with it. Rather than give away as to what he thinks wins, I'll let you read it. And when you are done, tell us what you think wins the overall desktop beauty contest. And while you're at it, tell us what you think besides desktops has the overall edge in design? Is it Apple or Sony? You tell us!

Cheers!
Lee Koo
Manager, CNET community

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This week's hot topic:
Desktop design: Apple vs. Sony
In CNET editor Matthew Elliott's latest Crave blog post, he picks apart the design elements of a Sony and Apple newest all-in-one desktops to give us his overall feel of what he thinks does better. And when he asked our members for their take on Apple's and Sony's desktop designs, people swarmed in to let him know.

Here are few opinions posted.

"Apple is not so great, and Sony could easily be on top"
"Apple's computer designs have always been renowned for their minimalist appearance and eye-catching designs. Personally, I think that Apple is too minimalist. While Apple will sacrifice function for form every time, Sony will strike a balance. For an excellent example of this, look no further than the companies' mice. The Apple "mighty" mouse is rather..." (Read more)
--Submitted by: CNET member will4vaio
"Can't we all just get along?"
"I've owned Sonys and Apples and have been impressed with both. I had a SonyFS laptop, and that thing was damn near indestructible, but more importantly it looked good while doing it. My current laptop, an Apple Powerbook G4, is great; I have very few complaints, and it's usually user error. My one main complaint is that the aluminum case, while gorgeous..." (Read more)
--Submitted by: CNET member InsomniacInc
"THE MAC AND SONYMISTER ok "NOT""
"Mac is the fashion icon, the elegant machine, the Posh Spice in the computer world, while Sony looks at being Windows Wookiee or should I say the Ugly Betty, or is it the draw that it will be cool without any thought on the cool factor, since many an HP or Dell XPS or AlienWare or Falcon or Custom..." (Read more)
--Submitted by: CNET member jpmccloud01
Speak up!
All PC manufacturers place an importance on design, of course, but no two more than Apple and Sony. So which company do you think has the edge in desktop designs? Is Apple's clean, elegant yet simple line design that gets your vote? Or is Sony's eye-catching designs? Bottom line--when it comes down to desktop design, which do you favor and why? Share your thoughts with us.
CNET desktop resources:

• Desktop buying guide
• Best 5 desktops
• Tips on Desktops
• Desktop forum
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Weigh in on this week's poll:
Who do you think has the overall best out of the box desktop design?
(Please click on button to vote)

 Acer (How so? Any examples?)
 Alienware (How so? Any examples?)
 Apple (How so? Any examples?)
 Dell (How so? Any examples?)
 eMachine (How so? Any examples?)
 Gateway (How so? Any examples?)
 HP (How so? Any examples?)
 Lenovo (How so? Any examples?)
 Sony (How so? Any examples?)
 Other (Please specify.)
Last week's poll results 
What do you spend most on with your disposable income?

CNET blogs
News, reviews, and opinions from CNET's editors and selected experts... Check them out and post your thoughts on them.


Hot products
Along with discussing Apple vs. Sony designs, CNET members had plenty of new tech products to talk about this week.

Apple iMac (20-inch, 2.4GHz, 1GB RAM)
CNET member Andy Meadow says:
"I upgraded from a 1.8 GHz G5 iMac to the 2.4 GHz 20-inch aluminum iMac. The new machine has a much snappier feel to it overall, and individual apps such as iPhoto and 'Civilization IV' perform much better (in the case of 'Civ IV,' it performs as it should have all along). The new keyboard is surprisingly good..." (read more)
See all user opinions | Compare prices

Pioneer PDP-5080HD
CNET member ACLeftGuard76 says:
"Let me first start by saying, wow, What a GORGEOUS picture. As picture quality goes, there truly is no better anywhere. Best contrast on any plasma or LCD (no-brainer there) that has been seen to date. And of course, Pioneer always brags about the amount of gradation in color in their picture; well, it is..." (read more)
Read all user opinions | Compare prices

Samsung Hue SCH-R500 (Alltel)
CNET member Dontyouknowyet says:
"The Samsung Hue does shine in most of its areas, such as the slimline build, although the "chin" makes it hard to balance when you need to change position. The camera is average, but to use the video recoreder, expect to have to buy more memory to get what you want. I purchased a 1GB microSD card, and it holds about 400+ songs if you're into music or gives you..." (read more)
Read all user opinions | Compare prices

This week on CNET 
Topic: Home audio/video gear
Our next upcoming Ask the Editors Live chat begins at 11 a.m. Pacific Time, Thursday, September 20th. Our host will be CNET associate editor, Matthew Moskovciak, who will be answering your questions about home video and audio gear, from HD DVD and Blu-ray to AV receivers. Don't miss out!
Join us here tomorrow at 11 a.m. Pacific.




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