Cracking Open
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Zenbook teardown: Blatant copy of MacBook Air
By Bill Detwiler | February 15, 2012, 8:37 PM PST
The Zenbook is a solid, Windows alternative to the MacBook Air. But, it's also a near mirror image of Apple's ultra-thin laptop, both inside and out.
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Don't blame Motorola for not wiping returned Xooms
By Bill Detwiler | February 10, 2012, 7:12 AM PST
Consumers must take responsibility for protecting their personal data and stop relying on manufacturers or retailers to wipe returned devices.
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Asus Transformer Prime Teardown: Solid tablet, but not without flaws
By Bill Detwiler | February 9, 2012, 1:20 PM PST
The Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime is a solid Android tablet, but its case is tricky to open and quality control during assembly needs improvement.
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Cracking Open an ultrabook from 1999, the Compaq Armada M300
By Bill Detwiler | February 1, 2012, 1:00 AM PST
Ultrabook may be a new term, but thin, light laptops aren't a new. Bill Detwiler cracks open an ancestor of the ultrabook--the Compaq Armada M300.
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New Asus Transformer Prime comes complete with previous owner's personal info
By Bill Detwiler | January 27, 2012, 12:54 PM PST
Always wipe gadgets before returning them. Bill Detwiler shares a cautionary tale and steps for wiping iOS, Android, and Windows Phone 7 devices.
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Nokia Lumia 800 Teardown: Skip it, wait for the Lumia 900
By Bill Detwiler | January 25, 2012, 10:54 AM PST
Nokia's Lumia 800 is a solid Windows Phone 7.5 handset. But with the Lumia 900's release on the horizon, Bill Detwiler thinks you should skip the 800.
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Motorola Xyboard 10.1 Teardown: Overpriced, soon to be outdated
By Bill Detwiler | January 19, 2012, 2:00 PM PST
The Motorola Xyboard 10.1's excellent build quality and decent hardware are overshadowed by its high price and quad-core tablet competitors.
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Ultrabooks cheat sheet cuts through the hype
By Bill Detwiler | January 19, 2012, 10:58 AM PST
Are ultrabooks a unique category of computer or just the next step in the laptop's evolution? This cheat sheet helps you decide.
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G-Form Extreme Sleeve protects iPad from dropped bowling ball
By Bill Detwiler | January 17, 2012, 1:18 PM PST
G-From Extreme Sleeve lets you drop a bowling ball on you iPad and not crack it open.
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Cracking Open Live at CES: Samsung Galaxy Nexus
By Bill Detwiler | January 12, 2012, 1:51 PM PST
Bill Detwiler and Jason Hiner crack open the Samsung Galaxy Nexus live on the CNET stage at CES 2012.
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Five must-crack-open devices from CES 2012
By Bill Detwiler | January 11, 2012, 11:19 PM PST
From tablets to TVs, Bill Detwiler counts down the five devices from CES, he most wants to crack open.
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Toshiba Excite X10 tablet too thin for 4G
By Bill Detwiler | January 8, 2012, 11:13 PM PST
At CES 2012, Toshiba unveiled a new, ultra-thin 10" tablet. Dubbed the Excite, the Android device is a mere 7.7mm thick--too thin for current 4G modules.
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Acer Aspire S3 Teardown: Good hardware, lackluster construction
By Bill Detwiler | January 5, 2012, 6:36 PM PST
The Acer Aspire S3 Ultrabook is thin, light and feature rich. But, its build quality and battery life are less than one expects in a premium laptop.
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CES 2012: Ultrabooks and quad-core mobile devices likely to take center stage
By Bill Detwiler | January 3, 2012, 8:43 AM PST
Bill Detwiler shares his thoughts on the hardware trends that you should be watching for at CES 2012.
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Hottest Cracking Open teardowns of 2011
By Bill Detwiler | December 26, 2011, 1:33 PM PST
Bill Detwiler counts down the top five Cracking Open hardware teardowns of 2011.
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Motorola Droid Razr Teardown: Better hardware should anger Bionic buyers
By Bill Detwiler | December 8, 2011, 11:04 AM PST
The Droid Razr is thinner, lighter, and has better hardware than the Droid Bionic, which Motorola release just two months prior.
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Amazon Kindle Touch (2011) teardown: Replaceable battery, Neonode touch screen
By Bill Detwiler | December 1, 2011, 2:04 PM PST
The Kindle Touch is a definite step up from Amazon's base model Kindle. But, the Touch's hardware specs are very similar to another popular e-book reader.
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Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet teardown: Upgraded, improved Nook Color
By Bill Detwiler | November 23, 2011, 3:06 PM PST
The Nook Tablet is nearly identical to the Nook Color, both inside and out. This Android tablet also shares hardware with its chief rival--the Kindle Fire.
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Kindle Fire teardown: No-frills tablet filled with TI hardware
By Bill Detwiler | November 17, 2011, 2:57 PM PST
The Kindle Fire puts Amazon's store right in your hands. Bill Detwiler cracks open the Fire for a look at the hardware inside.
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Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 teardown: Unmarked processor, replaceable battery
By Bill Detwiler | November 10, 2011, 11:18 AM PST
From the outside, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 looks nearly identical to the larger 10" model, but there are significant differences inside the case.
