iPhone 3.0 OS, the next generation operating system for the iPhone, iPod touch, and whatever Apple device comes next. New features, new apps, here you will find all the information you need.

NEW IPHONE OS 3.0 FEATURES

The new iPhone OS 3.0 adds over 100 new features including—at friggin' last—cut and paste.

• Copy & Paste text. When you double-tap over text, you will get a "cut, copy, and paste" bubble dialog. Double-tap again and a "paste" bubble will appear if there's anything stored in your clipboard.

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This works across applications. You can expand your selection points using your thumbs and, if you accidentally paste something you didn't want to paste, just shake your iPhone to undo it.

• Copy & Paste photos. You can also copy and paste photos. Now you will be able to select multiple photos by tapping the action button, copy some of them, and paste them in an email, ready to send.

• New Spotlight. iPhone OS 3.0 will allow you to search across the entire information contained in your device, no matter where, as soon as the information is supported it. If an application is written to support the new Spotlight, its data will also be available in the search.

In this screenshot you can see Spotlight bringing results from your address book, maps, your iPod, and apps in your springboard.

• Search in Mail, Calendar, and iPod. These Apple applications have specific search interfaces. The search in Mail doesn't support the message content yet, but it supports searching in IMAP servers—that will save a lot of time logging into Gmail.

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• 3G Tethering. This feature will allow you to connect your iPhone 3G to a laptop, to use it as a modem to access the internet. Carriers still have to sign-off on it, and probably charge more for it. None have announced it yet.

• Landscape keyboard. Apple has added the landscape keyboard mode to other applications, like Mail, SMS, and Notes.

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• Multimedia messaging. A big one to send rich content to people without mail-enabled telephones: The new MMS function will allow you to include everything, from images to sound to vcards (no word on video, however.) Personally, I find these usesless having email, but some people seem to want it.

• Support for new calendar types. In iPhone OS 3.0 you will be able to subscribe to calendars on the web using two protocols: CalDAV—supported by Google and Yahoo—and subscriptions via the .ics format—which is what Apple uses in iCal.

• Improved stocks application. The stocks application now allows you to read related news, so you can enjoy yourself learning about the latest market scandals, stock crashes, and executives getting bonus packages from government aid while their companies sink into hell. Thank you, Apple.

• Stereo Bluetooth A2DP audio. You will be able to pair your iPhone 3.0 with a stereo Bluetooth A2DP device, like headphones or speakers.

• Note syncing with iTunes.

• Automatic login in Safari. The new version of Safari will remember login credentials, so you won't need to introduce your username and password again while accessing Scoreland your work intranet.

• Shake to shuffle music. If you are in your iPod application, you just need to shake it to start the shuffling mode. Hopefully this will be optional for sports people out there.

• Wi-Fi auto-login. In case you have a subscription to a paid hotspot, your iPhone or iPod touch will autolog into it.

• Anti-phishing. Mobile Safari now can warn you against malicious sites trying to scam you.

• Extended parental controls. Adult content filters can now be applied to movies, TV shows, and applications, in addition to web sites and music (porn apps, here we come).


NEW APPLE APPLICATIONS

Apple will include new widgets in the new version of the iPhone operating system:

• Voice memo application. Obviously, allows you to record voice or any other sound, so you don't forget any idea or want to play FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper.

• Send and receive files. A dedicated application to exchange files between iPhones or iPods touch.


NEW THIRD PARTY APPLICATIONS FEATURES IN IPHONE OS 3.0

The new iPhone OS 3.0 adds 1,000 new APIs to extend the capabilities of new applications.

• Peer-to-peer Wi-Fi Bluetooth connectivity. A new API will allow for two iPhones to connect directly—peer-to-peer—via Bluetooth Wi-Fi, without needing any Wi-Fi network.

They will be able to discover each other using Bluetooth, and then start a Wi-Fi connection transparently.

This opens a lot of possibilities. I doubt they will allow you to pass music, but you would probably be able to pass any other information, as well as directly communicating between applications in the two devices. One example: A pets game that allows two dogs to play with each other.

This feature could be combined with push notification, so your iPhone may receive a note from another iPhone, inviting you to play a game one-on-one.

• Browse remote content. While the built-in iPod application doesn't allow you to browse songs in other people's iPhones or iPod touch, third-party applications will allow you to do that, according to Apple's Forstall.

• Use your iPhone/touch to control peripherals. A new API will let you use your iPhone or iPod touch as a control to your accessories. In this example, the iPhone is being used to equalize the sound in a loudspeaker.

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However, the applications are endless. Johnson and Johnson is releasing LifeScan, an app that connects to a glucose monitoring device. The application can even alert other people automatically, in case something is wrong.

There other less serious apps, like creating the most perfect sex device ever (NSFW).

• Maps inside other applications. New applications will be able to use Maps directly, which is now an API.

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• Turn-by-turn directions. Developers will also be able to create turn-by-turn applications using the GPS information from the iPhone and combining it with their own maps, without depending on 3G connectivity or Google.

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• Push notification finally coming. Hopefully this time it will be true. Push notification means that your iPhone OS 3.0 applications will finally be able to receive messages from the intarwebs automagically, so you can have an Instant Message application and have your iPhone vibrate or make a sound when a new message comes in, even if the application is not running.

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• Voice communication in applications. iPhone 3.0 applications will also be able to access a Voice over IP service. This means that you will be able to chat with other users while playing against them in a game, for example. This won't use the telephone, but the internet over a Wi-Fi connection.

• Rumbling. Games—or any other application—will also be able to rumble, like your console joystick.

• Audio recording. Audio recording will also be possible from third-party applications using a standardized API, instead of custom workarounds.

• Access your music from applications. Future applications will also be able to access the iPhone/iPod music library. This means that applications will be able to play your own music while they run.


NEW FEATURES IN THE APP STORE

The new OS will also offer an enhanced App Store, opening new possibilities for developers and consumers.

• Subcriptions to apps.
• Purchase additional content for apps, like new cities for a city guide application.
• Purchase additional levels for games.

Basically, this will allow developers to sell more things on top of their apps, and to consumers to expand their experience with those apps.

• This will work straight from the applications, so you can purchase new things through the software itself, even while it still goes through the App Store internally.

PRICE

iPhone OS 3.0 will be a free upgrade to all iPhone users, including the first generation (not all features will be supported in the first generation, like Stereo Bluetooth support). iPod touch users will be able to but it for $US9.95.

With the recent launch of CableCARD Vista Media Centers, many people are reconsidering buying (or upgrading to) a high definition DVR. But with all the different choices and various benefits and drawbacks of each, it's hard to choose the one that's right for you.
Do you go with a cheap $9 a month rental from Comcast and put up with all its flaws to save money? Do you plunk down a couple hundred bucks and a monthly fee for a TiVo Series 3 because it just works the way you want it? Do you go all out and spend a couple grand for a Vista Media Center that has every single extra feature you could possibly want in a PC? Or do you go to the other extreme and build your own MythTV/SageTV/XP Media Center machine out of spare parts?



Here are the eleven things you should know before you decide.

1.Do you have HDTV cable and an HDTV set? The pre-requisite to even getting an HD DVR is actually having high def cable and an HDTV. Make sure you're signed up for high definition cable from your cable provider (it's usually $5-$15 more a month) and have an HDTV to watch it on. The super-cheap EDTV sets you find at Costco won't support up to the 1080i resolution that HD cable brings, which means all those extra pixels are going to waste. Make sure you have the necessary equipment before you go and spend the money on an HD recorder.

2.Are you cheap? This is the biggest and most important question. Admit it, you're cheap. Hell, I'm pretty cheap too. Do you really need to spend $500 or $2000 for a system only to have to keep on paying rental or subscription fees of nearly $100 a month? Do you really want to watch that much TV? If not, then renting a HD DVR from your cable company or building your own Myth TV or XP Media Center Edition box with an over the air (OTA) HD recorder could be for you.

3.Are you familiar with Linux/PCs? If you are cheap (see #1), then you're probably contemplating salvaging an old PC and building a media center out of that. The only problem is that MythTV requires anywhere from slight Linux knowledge (installing some packages) to uber haxor Linux knowledge (recompiling kernels, fiddling with code and compiling), depending on what PC components you already have and which ones you can get your hands on. Even if you're going for a Windows XP MCE-based box, you might still have to go out and look for drivers and download updates to your current software. It's not nearly as easy as buying a TiVo or a pre-built Vista Media Center box.

4.Does someone nontechnical need to use it? If you or your wife/husband/roommates don't know the first thing about computers, you're going to want to go with TiVo. Although Vista's CableCARD HTPC is pretty easy to use (as we saw in our TiVo head-to-head), it's still a PC and still suffers from the same old PC problems like freezing or crashing. If you want the absolute simplest interface while still keeping features intact, you'll want a TiVo Series 3. Also, if you've already owned a TiVo before, you're going to want to stick with TiVo. Learning another system, even if it is easy like Vista's Media Center, is unnecessary if you're already an expert at one.

5.Do you need DivX/XviD playback? If you're often downloading TV shows and movies off of BitTorrent, you're going to want a way to watch them on your TV. And if you don't have an upscaling DVD player that supports DivX, a Vista CableCARD HTPC or a do-it-yourself Myth/XP machine can do the trick. However, most of the time HDTV encodes you find on BitTorrent are of poorer quality than the feeds you get from your cable provider—because they've been re-encoded, naturally. You'll want to watch most of your TV programming from your DVR instead of from BitTorrent if you can help it.

6.Do you have Satellite TV? If you have Dish or DirecTV, your own provider has a box made just to cram down your throat, so you're usually stuck with those. The DIY solutions like MythTV or XP MCE won't work with satellite, but Microsoft and DirecTV said they're going to integrate an app/plug-in into Vista Media Centers that allow reception of DirecTV. In this case, the receiver is your Vista HTPC, which brings with it all the benefits that HTPC systems have.

7.Do you need photos and music? Gaming? Internet browsing? Vista Media Centers trounce TiVo when it comes to viewing photos and playing back your music. To a slightly lesser extent, so do MythTV and XP MCE boxes. If you're going to want to play games or browse the Internet from your couch like some kind of non-shitty WebTV, a PC is the way to go.

8.Do you need On Demand? HD cable in general? This one's a little tricky. For On Demand, the only HD DVR that supports this is the one from your cable company. Both TiVos and Vista machines don't. Also, if you want HD cable, that totally rules out home-made machines like MythTV, which don't have CableCARD support and can only get cable over the air using an ATSC card. Depending on where you live, how big an antenna you use (yeah, you'll have to use an antenna), and what channels your local stations broadcast in HD, you may or may not have the same experience as HD cable.

9.Do you watch a lot of TV? If you record a lot of TV, you're going to need a lot of space. The DVRs from your cable company only have 120GB of space (the Comcast Motorola box), TiVo only has 250GB unless you upgrade it with an external hard drive, but Vista Media Centers and do-it-yourself solutions are almost infinitely expandable thanks to the fact that they're PCs. In fact, you could even store the recordings on another server over the network, or burn them to DVDs if you want to archive them.

10.Can you stand a PC in the living room? We're fine with it, but many people hate the sight of a PC in their home entertainment setups. This is a huge win for TiVo, since it looks like it belongs in your media center. However, you can technically get an extender like an Xbox 360 and get the exact same experience as if you had the Vista Media Center in your living room. This way, you can house your machine in another room and have a (relatively) quiet front-end. The same is true for MythTV systems, which can also be extended with smaller front ends and have larger servers in the back room.

11.Do you love Macs? Although we prefer to go with a TiVo 3 or Vista Media Center, we know of a couple people that are so tied into the Apple ecosystem of iTunes music and movies that they really want that experience in the living room as well. Using something like a Miglia TVMini HD+, you can turn your Mac Mini into a DVR that even records in DivX. Add to that the fact that you have a Mac with Front Row attached to your TV—so you can easily watch iTunes movies or listen to iTunes music—and you have the perfect setup for a Mac head who wants DVR features. The only caveat, like the issues MythTV systems run into on #7, is that you can only record over the air HD and not stuff from cable. (Of course, TiVo's desktop app is well supported on the Mac, so you can stream music and photos from your Apple, and a MCE PC can still run iTunes.)

With all these options, it's probably tough to decide which one is right for you. There's no perfect solution right now (neither TiVo nor Vista HTPCs are great for everyone), so you should pick the features you really, really need to have and choose the DVR that meets most of them. – Jason Chen

Although Apple's iPhone may be feature-packed and great to use, it, like every other product, has limitations. And that's why we're putting it through our Ten Things You Should Know buyer's guide series so new buyers and people who don't live and breathe the iPhone (your parents, your co-workers, or your wife) can be just as well informed as you. Here are the Ten Things You Should Know Before You Buy an iPhone.

1) Not all iPod Accessories and headphones will work with the iPhone: Unless your accessory specifically claims that it works with the iPhone, you're going to have mixed results when you plug in. Some work (but prompt you to turn on Airplane mode), some don't. So far our test show good results.

As for headphones, if you've got an L-shaped plug or a fat plug, you're out of luck. Thanks to the recessed headphone jack, you're going to actually have to buy an adapter to get some of your regular headphones to work with the iPhone.

2) AT&T is Evil: You know this. Being stuck on AT&T for two years is going to be horrible. This is the company that had managers forcing customers to buy accessories with the iPhone just so they could meet their sales quotas. Plus, their reception and customer service leave a lot to be desired.

3) No video recording or MMS: The iPhone's 2-megapixel camera is great if there's enough light, but there's no video recording at all. None. This is odd, since the iPhone has so much video playback capabilities in its iPod "app," but don't expect to make movies with this thing. And since you can't record video, you can't send any video messages (MMS) either.

4) No Instant Messaging: The SMS app may look great with its iChat-esque bubbles, but there's no IM app to be found anywhere. With the Helio Ocean and the Sidekick both featuring on-board multi-client IM apps, and Windows Mobile and Palm smartphones able to add them on later, there's no excuse for not having an IM client.

5) Not for business use: BlackBerry enthusiasts need not apply. In addition to the keyboard being totally different (we're already typing fast with two thumbs, but less "adaptable" people may not pick up on this as fast), there's no push email except for Yahoo Mail. There is Exchange support, but it's just using IMAP access. Good luck getting your IT department to hook this up.

6) It's not a full iPod Replacement, and it has no games: With 4GB or 8GB of storage, this is essentially an iPod nano. It's definitely not an iPod Video, both in terms of storage and functionality. You can watch videos, sure, but there's no TV out, and not nearly enough room to keep all the TV shows and podcasts you keep downloading. Plus, all those 5G iPod games that you thought were going to make it onto the iPhone? Nope. No games at all.

7) It's not a smartphone: As much as Apple wants you to think their "open application development" using webapps is actual apps, it's not. You can get some stuff done using webapps and Safari, but as of right now, support sucks. Until people start developing apps specifically customized for the iPhone's quirks, you won't be doing anything super fancy. And of course there's no way for you to get "real" Cocoa-based apps onto the iPhone.

8) The data connection is slow: Although the iPhone has both EDGE and Wi-Fi, you're probably going to be using EDGE most of the time. Why? Because if you're in Wi-Fi range, you're usually at home or at work, when you've got an actual computer in front of you. When you're outside driving or walking, you'll be on EDGE. If you're on EDGE, expect emails with large attachments and Web pages to download slowly. Unlike other gripes, this is something they can't fix with a software update. Real time traffic is nice though.

9) There's no GPS: The iPhone may have a Google Maps application with turn by turn driving directions, but there's no actual GPS in there. You're going to have find your current location yourself, plus tell the phone exactly when you're turning. Like the data connection, a software update can't fix this.

10) There are no custom ringtones: You can't use your own ringtones (whether they're MP3s, downloaded music, or iTunes tracks) as ringtones for your phone. Luckily for us, since the default ringtones are pretty lousy, custom ringtones may be coming soon.

As you can see, the iPhone has caveats galore. Even though we're still enjoying the iPhone, any prospective buyers should be aware of these limitations before throwing down $500 or $600. Many of these problems (video recording, MMS, Instant Messaging, custom ringtones) can be fixed with a software update, but if any of the other features are important to you, you may have to wait until iPhone 2.0.

Final Words

The problem with "entry-level" systems is that they aren't normally sexy or groundbreaking. PCs under $800 are therefore devoid of any of the glitz and excitement associated with the midrange to high-end market. Many consider low-end PCs to be just the Dell or HP special of the week - hardly worthy of consideration as a "real" PC. That perception is really a shame, because the sub-$800 market is where many computer buyers choose to buy - or they may be forced to buy in this price range with the strains of today's worldwide economic woes. Today, more than ever, you will get a lot for your money in this market segment. With entry choices like Core 2 Duo and Phenom II CPUs, 4GB of DDR2-800 or faster memory, and a starter $59 500GB 7200RPM hard drive there truly is value to be had at these price points.

Our base entry systems with decent integrated graphics are just $300-$320 for either Intel or AMD. Add a 1440x900 LCD monitor, keyboard and mouse, and the Vista OEM OS and the complete system build is still around $500, and decent integrated graphics were just $538 for either Intel or AMD. Even compared to just three months ago these entry PCs are faster and just as cheap. There has never been a time when you received better value for your $500. Indeed, the Intel/AMD wars in the CPU space and the NVIDIA/ATI wars in GPUs have created some truly excellent values. This value has been further enhanced by the AMD introduction of Phenom II and the worldwide recession. It is ironic that the best prices coincide with the scariest economic times, but that is how economics often works. If you are in the market for a PC, you will be very pleased with the values you can find.

If your budget interests extend to gaming, you can start with the AMD or Intel Budget PCs. Both feature a Viewsonic 21.5" 1920x1080 LCD, and you can add the well-regarded ATI HD 4870 512MB video card to bring your new system up to current gaming PC standards for only $155. That means you can build a 4870 gaming rig with a 1080P 1920x1080 HDMI LCD for around $940. That kind of value did not exist until recently, and that is why it is such a good time to buy and build a new PC.

Finally, you can build a powerful AMD or Intel HTPC 4GB of memory, processors and graphics fast enough to provide stutter-free and tear-free Blu-ray playback, 1TB of quiet hard drive storage, a combo 6X Blu-ray player/DVD burner, and HDMI capable onboard graphics in a quality home theater component or mini cube case with a PC Power and Cooling 500W Silencer power supply for a base system price of just over $600. Add a wireless keyboard/ mouse and Vista and you are still around $740. The end result again is tremendous value for the money spent.

As has been pointed out many times since the introduction of Phenom II, AMD and Intel performance is all but equal from low-end to upper midrange systems. That is to say a $120 AMD CPU is today pretty comparable in performance to a $120 Intel CPU. Intel still owns the very top of the CPU curve with Core i7, but those processors and systems are much more expensive in today's market. This CPU price/performance parity is part of the reason so much value is available at such relatively low prices, but it isn't the whole story. You can buy what we consider a top value GPU for around $150, and it will perform as well as or better than yesterday's $500 video card. 500GB is now an "entry" hard drive and 1TB drives offer storage at $0.105 per gigabyte, making 1TB at around $100 a reality. Memory has also reached commodity pricing levels when we can recommend 4GB of high-speed DDR2 for a cost of less than $40.

Put it all together and you can buy an excellent entry, budget, or HTPC computer for well under $800. You can even deck it out with a 1080P monitor and a good video card and still barely top $940. It is a good time to be shopping for a new PC. Value is the rule of the day as competition, a mature market, and a lackluster world economy has created great options in every computer component category - except perhaps the computer operating system, assuming you still plan on running Windows. Fortunately, you do have options available even in the operating system cost. Microsoft has kept the Vista OS "system" or OEM price for Vista Home Premium at $100, and it is even more expensive if you buy a full retail Vista. However, if you are good with computers you can install Linux for little or no cost at all. Even if you're not a computer whiz the Ubuntu flavor of Linux/Unix is still free and relatively painless to install. Drivers for new hardware remain the biggest Linux/Ubuntu issues, but even that has been improving.

When you build a new system for your mother, brother, nephew going to college, or even yourself, you no longer have to feel like the person on the other end got a crippled system with little upgrade potential. The systems in this sub-$800 guide are powerful, upgradeable, and capable of even more powerful performance with a careful selection of upgrades. Your friends and relatives will consider you a hero when you build one of these systems - so much so that it is a shame to consider them entry-level.

Intel HTPC

To be honest, if there's one system in this roundup that is likely to get a lot of comments and criticisms, it's going to be the HTPC configuration. That's not to say that our particular configuration is unreasonable, but in the HTPC market we will invariably encounter a lot of differing opinions about what is necessary and what is not. We detailed our assumptions about the HTPC configurations tin the introduction to the AMD HTPC system. You may want to look back at the considerations. We assume the end user has already selected an HDTV or monitor and a sound system. Very few end users need a TV tuner any more so we are not making that recommendation. We also assume the primary use of the HTPC computer is to play, store, and stream Blu-ray movies and other video entertainment.

Intel HTPC System
Hardware	Component	Price
Processor	Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5200 Wolfdale (2.5GHz x2 65W 2MB L2 800 FSB)	$73
Cooling	CPU Retail HSF	$-
Video	On-Board	$-
Motherboard	Gigabyte GA-E7AUM-DS2H NVIDIA GeForce 9400	$120
Memory	4GB DDR2-800 - GSkill F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ	$37
Hard Drive	Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EACS 1TB SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM	$105
Optical Drive	LG BD/HD DVD / 16x DVD+/- RW GGC-H20LK	$110
Audio	On-Board	$-
Case	Lian LI PC-V350A	$110
Power Supply	PC Power & Cooling Silencer PPCS500 500W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail	$50
Base System Total		$605
Keyboard and Mouse	Logitech Cordless Desktop EX110 Black USB RF Wireless Keyboard & Optical Mouse	$30
Operating System	Microsoft Vista Home Premium OEM	$99
Complete System Bottom Line		$734

As discussed in the Intel entry PC, the E5200 is an excellent value point in the Intel CPU line. Anything lower priced is generally a lot worse in performance, but higher priced CPUs do not gain that much in performance. At the new lower price of $73, the dual-core E5200 is also an excellent match to an NVIDIA 9400 chipset motherboard. It doesn't hurt, either, that the E5200 is rated at 65W, which will help in keeping the HTPC as quiet as possible.

The motherboard for the Intel HTPC is the $135 Gigabyte GA-E7AUM-DS2H featuring the NVIDIA GF9400 chipset. Our motherboard reviews found this chipset and the GF9300 a better choice than G45 in HTPC systems due to superior video playback and overall system performance. Some users have reported that the stock Intel CPU heatsink touches the chipset heatsink on this motherboard and they found the heatsink fit best and worked best by rotating the heatsink 90 degrees. For best results check the fit and best positioning before completing the mount of the heatsink/fan.

The HTPC case is one of those very personal options in building an HTPC computer. Some like the small cube form factor that can easily hide next to books on a shelf, while others prefer the audio component look. While it is fairly expensive for the actual size, we find the cube-like Lian Li PC-V350B a great small aluminum cube. The PC-V350A is the silver version and the PC-V350B is the black version. Both colors sell for the same $110. There is enough space for all the typical HTPC requirements, with good cooling and above all the important blessedly quiet operation. Only a Micro ATX motherboard will fit and there are two 5.25" external drive bays that can open right or left and two internal 3.5" bays for hard drives. Front ports for USB, audio, and FireWire (IEEE 1394) are featured behind a door to keep the appearance sleek and uncluttered. At just 10.3" tall by 11" wide, the V-350A fits in most bookcases just fine, but the depth of 14.7" makes the Lian Li most comfortable on deeper 16" shelves (279mm W x 262mm H x 373mm D).

The little Lian Li is coupled with a robust PC Power & Cooling Silencer 500W power supply that you can currently buy for a bargain $50. You can spend more on a PSU but you will be hard pressed to find a unit as quiet and reliable as the Silencer. It also has enough power for whatever video card you might throw in your HTPC in the future - though high-end GPUs are at odds with the silence most desire from HTPCs.

If you prefer the "audio component" look in your HTPC an excellent alternative is the Silverstone LC13B-E Media Center case selected for the AMD HTPC system. It is worth mentioning that if you choose a full size ATX motherboard for your HTPC, it will fit in the Silverstone but not in the Lian Li cube. The Silverstone is presently on rebate, so the normal $115 price is reduced to $100 after the $10 rebate.

The rest of the components are the same as those found in the AMD HTPC system. For detailed information on the rest of the components chosen for the Intel HTPC please refer to the detailed discussion on the AMD HTPC page.

AMD systems have held the lead for some time in HD video and HTPC boxes. The AMD advantage was large enough that AnandTech hadn't recommended an Intel HTPC build until last December. The NVIDIA GeForce 9300/9400 chipsets have done a lot to level the HD and HTPC playing field - but at a premium price. The Intel HTPC problem was never the CPU, but rather the motherboard chipset. That is the reason we can combine a cheaper Intel CPU with an NVIDIA GF9400 chipset motherboard to create a competent HTPC box.

While we can't tell you HD playback capabilities are completely equal between AMD and Intel today, we can tell you that both HTPC builds provided smooth, stutter-free Blu-ray playback. Certainly that is the primary concern of most HTPC system builders. If you're interested in doing video encoding/transcoding on your HTPC, however, the triple-core Phenom II setup is definitely faster than the E5200; such users would likely want to take a long look at quad-core offerings in all honesty, as encoding is one of the tasks that truly leverage the power of multi-core processors.