The Kobo Glo

What you should know: 
The Glo, which lists for $129.99, also features a 1,024x768-pixel-resolution, 6-inch e-ink display (yes, it's a touch screen) that Kobo says makes text and images appear crisper.
Like the Nook and the Kindle Paperwhite, the Kobo Glo uses front-lighting technology and has a thin layer film on its screen that aids in dispersing the light uniformly. Like the Paperwhite's, the Glo's screen is illuminated from the bottom rather than the top of the unit (as the Nook's is), projecting the array of tiny LED lights upward instead of downward.
The WiFi-enabled Glo is a touch smaller than the Paperwhite, both in terms of dimensions and weight, coming in at 6.52 ounces. Overall, its design is pretty straightforward, even slightly generic (at least from the front), though its textured back panel, which has a sort of argyle pattern and comes in various colors, gives it a bit of flair. My review unit was white with a blue back, but you can also get the Glo in black.

What it offers: 
Kobo Glo is an excellent Kindle alternative, especially for readers seeking EPUB compatibility and international options.
The advantage: 
Kobo Glo is a lightweight, WiFi-enabled e-reader that has an impressive front-lit, high-res e-ink display with a touch-screen interface. It also features an expansion slot for additional memory, supports EPUB files, and is compatible with any e-book store that uses the Adobe DRM format.
The unfavorable: 
Kobo's selection of e-books lags behind Amazon's and Barnes & Noble's. Loading library loaners and third-party e-book purchases requires tethering to a PC.
The price:
$129.99

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The Acer Aspire S3-391-6046

What you should know: 
The S3-391-6046 is more portable, with a 13.3-inch screen with a 1,366-by-768 resolution (720p). That is smaller than the 1,920 by 1,080 resolution (1080p) found on ultrabooks like the Asus Zenbook Prime UX31A-R5102F, but that's okay, since you'll pay quite a price premium for that 1080p screen, and it's not absolutely necessary at this budget price point.
The S3-391-6046 comes with a bunch of pre-loaded programs (Amazon, eBay, Evernote, newsXpresso, Office 201 trial, WildTanget games, Netflix, Skype, etc.), and while they aren't obtrusive in the new Windows 8 Start screen, they do clutter up the system's desktop mode (aka the screen that looks like your old PC). Connecting the system to our 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi networks were easy, as the S3-391-6046 support both 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi, giving you extra flexibility.
The S3-391-6046 comes with a second generation Intel Core i3-2367M processor, four GB of system memory, Intel HD Graphics, a 320GB hard drive and 20GB SSD for speed. The SSD is invisible to the user, it's here to provide speed in booting, launching apps, and waking the system from sleep. It's a little slower than an SSD-only ultrabook, but SSD-only ultrabooks like the Asus Zenbook Prime cost hundreds of dollars more.
The system's Core i3 processor is much better than the Intel Celeron processor found in lesser budget systems. For example, the S3-391-6046 got a modest 1,883 point score at the PCMark 7 benchmark test, but that's still better than the Celeron-powered Toshiba Satellite C655-S5542 and Acer Aspire 5349-2635 that couldn't run PCMark 7 to competition.

What it offers: 
The Acer Aspire S3-391-6046 gives you a full-blown Windows 8 ultrabook at a decent price. If you want a thin, light, reasonably fast ultrabook to learn Windows 8 on, this is worth a look.
The advantage: 
Inexpensive ultrabook. Light weight. Responsive multitouch trackpad. Two USB 3.0 ports. No confusing USB 2.0 ports. Full size HDMI port. 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi.

The unfavorable: 
Uses last generation Intel Core processor. Non DX11-compatible graphics. No touch screen. Small arrow keys.

The price:
$648.00

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The Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM

What you should know: 
The 17-55mm lens maintains an f/2.8 aperture throughout its entire zoom range—capturing four times the light as the standard 18-55mm lens when zoomed all the way in. Gathering this much light requires a substantial amount of glass—the lens is 4.4 by 3.3 inches (HD) in size, weighs 1.4 pounds, and uses relatively large 77mm filters. The front element doesn't rotate when zooming or focusing, so using a polarizing filter to eliminate reflections is possible, and the lens does include a hood to help reduce flare.
Canon EF-S lenses cannot be mounted to full-frame cameras, so you won't be able to take this lens with you if you decide to upgrade to a EOS 5D Mark III $2,679.00 at 42nd Street Photo—this is one area where Nikon has an edge, as its full-frame lineup can use APS-C lenses at a reduced resolution in a special crop mode.

What it offers: 
If you're looking to upgrade your 18-55mm kit lens, the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM is a good, but expensive, way to go.

The advantage: 
Very sharp at wider angles. Fast aperture. Minimal distortion.

The unfavorable: 
Big. Expensive. Soft at 55mm.

The price:
$1179.99

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The Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9"

What you should know: 
The Kindle Fire HD 8.9 is available in several models. Without cellular, the 16GB model costs $299 and the 32GB model costs $369. With cellular, a 32GB model costs $499 and a 64GB unit costs $599.
At 9.45 by 6.50 by .35 inches (HWD) and 1.29 pounds, it's smaller and slightly lighter than the Nexus 10, the iPad, and other 10-inch tablets, which makes sense; after all, its screen is a bit smaller. Like most larger tablets, it naturally orients itself in landscape mode, with the 1-megapixel camera at the top and the power and HDMI ports at the bottom. The headphone jack and very flat Power and Volume buttons are on the right side. The back panel is covered in a soft-touch material, which feels great, but shows fingerprints. There's also a shiny black stripe running the width of the tablet. The stereo speakers show at either end of this strip.
The 8.9-inch screen is a good-looking 1,920-by-1,200 IPS LCD panel with relatively deep colors. It's outmatched by the competition; the Nexus 10, iPad 4, and even the Barnes & Noble Nook HD+ all have even tighter screens that pop more.
AT&T 4G LTE performance on this tablet was solid, with download speeds averaging about 13.5Mbps and uploads clocking in around 6Mbps. The tablet really benefits from the dual-band 2.4GHz/5GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi. While connected to a fast corporate network on the crowded 2.4Ghz band, the Fire averaged 11Mbps down, but kicked up to 31Mbps when switched over to the 5GHz band. That means you can transfer a 1.4GB movie in six minutes as opposed to 16.

What it offers: 
The 8.9-inch Amazon Kindle Fire HD is the top low-cost large-screen tablet you can buy, but to get the best bang for your buck, go for the Wi-Fi-only version.

The advantage: 
Very easy to use. Least expensive tablet data plan available. Amazon Prime members get lots of video and book content. Multi-user parental controls.

The unfavorable: 
Other tablets have more apps. Speed is just okay, not great. User interface is very shopping-oriented.

The price:
$ 499.00
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The 2012 Volkswagen Golf R

What you should know: 
The Golf R comes with a direct-injection, turbocharged 2-liter engine producing 256 horsepower and 243 pound-feet of torque. Kudos to VW for getting that kind of power out of a production four-cylinder, then putting it in a car weighing just 3,325 pounds.

The Golf R looks good. Minimal contour lines and decoration give the exterior sheet metal a liquid smoothness. The clean design gets a subtle aggressive note with dual exhausts sticking out from the center of the rear bumper. The hatchback gives it good cargo space, while long side doors make rear-seat access easier. It is speedy and practical, all in one.

What it offers: 
The 2012 Volkswagen Golf R is a blast to drive on curvy roads, but can also handle the everyday routine, offering solid, if not cutting-edge, cabin tech features.

The advantage: 
The Volkswagen 2012 Golf R's 2-liter engine gives massive power while all-wheel drive gives it an edge in cornering. In everyday driving the Golf R shows fine manners. A touch screen comes standard for stereo and phone control.

The unfavorable: 
The available navigation system lacks real-time traffic data.

The price:
$33,990.00

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The Samsung Galaxy S III (MetroPCS)

What you should know: 
All of the Galaxy S III models look the same, except for the carrier logo on the back panel. MetroPCS's model comes in white plastic. At 5.4 by 2.8 by 0.34 inches (HWD) and 4.7 ounces, the GS3 is a large phone, although it no longer looks ridiculous in the age of the 5-inch HTC Droid DNA and 5.5-inch Samsung Galaxy Note II. That said, this is not a phone for folks with small hands.
Solidly built, and light despite its size, the Galaxy S III is dominated by its 4.8-inch, 1,280-by-720-pixel Super AMOLED HD screen.

What it offers: 
The Samsung Galaxy S III is the best phone for a network that's on its way out.

The advantage: 
Most powerful smartphone on MetroPCS.  Excellent call quality.

The unfavorable: 
Expensive.  If the T-Mobile merger goes through, MetroPCS will shift focus away from CDMA phones in six months.

The price:
$499

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