Coolpix slow but delivers quality, Gateway excellent all-around

Nikon Coolpix L1

The 6-megapixel Nikon Coolpix L1 is a pocket-size camera that delivers slow performance but very good photos for snapshooters who don’t mind the slightly high price.

Editors’ rating: 6.6 (out of 10), good

The good: Simple operation; excellent photo quality; long 5X zoom for such a compact package.

The bad: Slow operation; few manual controls; too expensive for what you get.

The bottom line: The Nikon Coolpix L1 is a bare-bones camera with slow operation but very good image quality that will please casual snapshooters.

– Shams Tarek and Lori Grunin, CNET.com

Gateway NX850XL

Though it’s not the fastest laptop on the market, the Gateway NX850XL keeps pace with some of the higher-end (and more expensive) gaming laptops we’ve seen.

Editors’ rating: 7.8 (out of 10), very good

The good: Excellent all-around performance; top-speed components; bright, sharp display; slim, relatively lightweight case; decent battery life for a desktop replacement.

The bad: No touch-pad on/off button; TV tuner is external and costs extra.

The bottom line: The competitively priced Gateway NX850XL’s decent graphics performance and big, bright screen will appeal to gamers and multimedia junkies.

– Brian Nadel, Michelle Thatcher, and Matthew Elliott, CNET.com