Mobile & Wireless

There are times when accessing another computer remotely can be convenient -- to check on the status of a download or code that is being compiled, to start or stop an application, or to load a document to view it. It can be really helpful to be able to do this from a smartphone or tablet. We tested three services that let you use your Android device to connect to your computer remotely.

Dedicated mobile hotspots have been around for a few years now, but they've gotten progressively easier to use. And with the advent of 4G service, they’ve become notably faster, capable of connecting to more devices, and just a lot more useful.

As Wi-Fi routers go, the D-Link Cloud Router (DIR-605L) isn't a top performer--it has the basic 2x2 antenna array required for 802.11n certification, and its LAN ports support only 10/100 (not gigabit) ethernet. But it boasts some easy-to-use remote-access features that should appeal to small businesses and consumers who want to keep close tabs on network activity without spending a lot of money.

The 10.1-inch Asus Transformer Pad TF300 aims to reshape the tablet market by delivering top-tier performance at a value price. It largely succeeds in this mission, delivering performance that's on a par with its pricier Transformer Prime sibling. However, the Transformer Pad had to make some compromises in components and display to achieve its goal. And more worrying than those compromises--which include a slightly heavier weight and different build materials than what's found on the premium Prime--were the frequent glitches I seemed to encounter, with no rhyme or reason, while using this Android 4.0 tablet.

Walking the line between "phablet" and phone, the HTC Titan 2 ($199 with a new two-year AT&T contract as of April 18, 2012) is a monster-sized Windows Phone handset. We first encountered the Titan 2 at this year's CES, and back then we liked its 16-megapixel camera and LTE connectivity. The Titan 2 is certainly an impressive phone, but it has a few quirks that you should take into consideration before you buy.

Samsung Android tablet hardware is essentially unchanged, but new UI is easier to use -- except for Web browsing

Sprint might not have an LTE network yet, but that isn't stopping the carrier from releasing new LTE phones. At an event Wednesday evening, HTC and Sprint pulled back the curtains on the HTC Evo 4G LTE. I got the chance to check out this dual-core Android 4.0 phone during a quick demo. Overall, I'm not blown away by the design, but the camera is impressive.

When I first saw the Nokia Lumia 900 ($100 with a two-year AT&T contract, price as of April 3, 2012) at CES 2012, I proclaimed that it was the Windows Phone I'd been waiting for: Offering a premium design, a high-end camera, a gorgeous display, and LTE data speeds, the Lumia 900 seemed to be giving Windows Phone the hardware it deserves.

In a world where smartphone displays are getting more and more gargantuan, the 3.97-inch display on the Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G is refreshingly compact. Not everybody needs a 5.3-inch display on their phone (Galaxy Note, I'm looking at you!), and it's nice to see a more pocketable phone for those consumers. In addition, the Galaxy S Blaze 4G ($150 with a two-year contract on T-Mobile; price as of March 20, 2012) has fast data speeds (thanks to T-Mobile's HSPA+ 42 network) and smooth performance powered by a dual-core processor. But regrettably, the phone is riddled with carrier and manufacturer bloatware that you can't easily remove.

The iPad has been a remarkable success story. Apple sold 15 million of the original model in the first nine months of the product's existence, a number that blew away even the most optimistic prognostications. With last year's introduction of the iPad 2, things kept accelerating. In a little less than two years, Apple has sold roughly 60 million iPads, dominating the market it created.

The new PlayBook software is easy to like. But it's definitely not perfect, and it's somewhat tarnished from its outset because RIM took so long to make it available.

HP's Folio 13, the first of a new product line designed to appeal to both mainstream and business users, isn't the thinnest or lightest Ultrabook around. But unless you're a fanatic about such things, it will probably fill your needs better than its thinner and lighter competitors. It offers excellent performance and battery life, a fetchingly minimalist design, and a typing experience that thinner units can't match.