300 2008
by Jeremy Kriegel on December 23, 2008

solo_tbltopThe Revolabs Solo USB microphone is a wireless mic/speaker for use in a meeting room setting. It can connect to a computer via USB, or to an A/V system with audio in/out. It consists of a charging base that connects directly to the audio source and a removable mic/speaker component.

by Doug Aamoth on December 22, 2008

51S2DJ7E5JL._AA400_Last week I mentioned this Golden Tee Golf CrunchDeal and said that I’d even buy it for myself. Well you may have thought, “That Doug, he’s all talk — sitting up in his mansion atop a pile of free gadgets, he’d never stoop low enough to buy a plug-and-play TV game for ten bucks.”

I’ll have you know that I did indeed purchase the game and I’m happy to report that it’s a perfect gift to give to someone that you HAVE to get a gift for but want to spend the absolute least amount of money possible while still making it look that you put some thought into it.

by Greg Kumparak on December 21, 2008

Short version: Don’t buy it at the MSRP of 70 bucks, but for around $40 bucks around the internets, it’s a great alternative to Apple’s own dock. You lose the audio line-out, but you gain an extra USB 2.0 port and a 6-in-1 card reader.

by Doug Aamoth on December 19, 2008

Short Version: The Philips DC910 is great-sounding system for playing music from your iPod, a USB thumb drive, an SD card, FM radio, or up to two external sources — all for under $150.

Review: Philips Streamium NP1100 network music player
by Doug Aamoth on December 16, 2008

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Quick Version: In a world chock full of streaming music devices, the Philips Streamium NP1100 blends into the crowd as a straightforward, easy-to-use network device.

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Review: Sleeptracker Pro
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by Doug Aamoth on December 15, 2008

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Quick Version: If you’re a light to moderate sleeper and you can’t seem to wake up on the right side of the bed, the $179 (MSRP) Sleeptracker Pro might be just what you need.

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Review: Targus File Share Cable for Mac
3 Comments
by Peter Ha on December 14, 2008

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Guest review: John Ha

I recently bought a Macbook to replace my aging Windows XP laptop. I figured that, like any new computer migration, I would load the applications I needed and then copy the data from my old laptop to the new one. I have a large USB thumb drive and a couple external hard drives, so no sweat – just use them to migrate everything.

So when my brother told me he would lend me his Targus File Transfer Cable for Mac, I scoffed. Who needs this unnecessary cable when I can just as easily use my external drive to copy data from one laptop to another. Plus, I was skeptical of the software. It would probably be crappy and limiting, when I just want file-level access to my data.
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Review: Quiksilver Opus jacket
7 Comments
by Peter Ha on December 12, 2008

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Quicksilver isn’t known for their technical wear outside of the water, but the Opus is one bitchin’ jacket with a couple nerdtastic components. It’s made from Schoeller fabric and Quiksilver’s own Quik Repel material; it’s water-resistant and shields the body from low temps and wind. I did a little bit of research into Schoeller and they seem to be pretty big in the performance/technical fabric world. It’s been chilly in NYC this last week, so it was a perfect time to test out the Opus.
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Review: Energizer 15-minute charger
9 Comments
by Peter Ha on December 12, 2008

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There are only a handful of gadgets in my possession that can’t be charged over USB: TV/Cable/Blu-ray player remotes and my DSLR. My Xbox 360 controller was a battery hog once upon a time, but the Nyko Charge Base took care of that. The remotes aren’t as taxing on batteries as my SLR — that puppy is constantly draining my supply of batteries. I could always cut back on the amount of photos I take, but life wouldn’t be as much fun and I’m all about fun.
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Review: Nyko Charge Base 360
2 Comments
by Peter Ha on December 12, 2008

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What’s worse than having your Xbox 360 controller die during the middle of a game? Not being able to find replacement batteries, of course. Rechargeable batteries are a viable option, but those don’t seem to last as long as we’d like, right? They can be spendy as well.

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Review: Targus USB Hub for Mac
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by Peter Ha on December 12, 2008

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Yeah, I know, it’s a USB hub. But this little guy from Targus is pretty neat. It’s geared towards the Mac crowd with its color scheme, but that shouldn’t deter Windows or Linux folk.
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Review: Sonos Bundle 150 with loudspeakers (and more)
27 Comments
by Scott Merrill on December 12, 2008

We’ve reviewed a lot of home audio solutions, and they all offer different benefits and drawbacks. The big trend is “music everywhere”, whether through powerline networking or wirelessly. Most of these products require a specific music source to feed into the system. Sonos brings something rather more complete to the goal of “music everywhere”. Read on for the complete review of the Sonos solution.
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Review: EOS wireless audio system
5 Comments
by Doug Aamoth on December 11, 2008

Short Version: The EOS wireless audio system is dead simple to set up and use, although a high price tag and so-so sound quality might keep some people away.

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Review: eStarling Impact7 and Impact8 digital picture frames
by Scott Merrill on December 11, 2008
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eStarling offers the Impact7 (7″, 480 X 234 pixels) and Impact8 (8″, 800 X 600 pixels), a pair of WiFi-enabled digital photo frames. They’re easy to use, functional, and nice to look at. They include a remote control, and each frame gets its own email address to which you can email photos. You can also easily subscribe to RSS feeds of photos (your own, or any public feed). Read on for the whole review.

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Review: JVC HA-NC250 Noise Canceling Headphones
1 Comment
by Jeremy Kriegel on December 11, 2008

Short Version: The first time you put on noise canceling headphones, you can’t believe your ears. When you flip the noise canceling circuitry on, it’s like hitting a mute button on the world (note: does not work on significant others, only constant noise. And no, your SO’s blathering does not count as a constant din.) I never realized how loud my office was until I put on these JVCs. Now it’s hard to sit at my desk without them.
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Review: Logitech QuickCam Vision Pro
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by John Biggs on December 10, 2008

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Quick Version: The QuickCam Vision Pro from Logitech is perhaps the easiest-to-use webcam I have seen in a while. There is no software required to run it, so you simply plug it in via the 6-ft USB cable, and you’re good to go. It works automatically with MSN Messenger, Yahoo, Skype, and other applications.
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Review: Xbox 360 VGA HD AV cable, Viewsonic VX2240w LCD monitor
10 Comments
by Peter Ha on December 10, 2008

I know, I know. The VGA HD AV cable has been out for three years, but I was in between TVs and only had a monitor to game on. I’ll keep this review short and sweet.
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Review: Dirt Devil AccuCharge 15.6 Volt Stick Vac
3 Comments
by Doug Aamoth on December 10, 2008

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Short Version: The Dirt Devil AccuCharge 15.6 Volt Stick Vac is a powerful, cordless, rechargeable vacuum cleaner that really, really sucks. It’s priced quite nicely at $65.99, too.

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Review: Casio G-Shock Classic, Gulfman, Riseman and MT-G
10 Comments
by Peter Ha on December 10, 2008

Casio’s G-Shock recently celebrated its 25th anniversary and for good reason, they’ve been constructing solid time pieces that are technically sound and built like tanks. Types like John won’t be giving up their fancy Omegas or whatever other watch that has a ginormous face, but they’re not meant to. Come along as I take a look at five unique pieces with varying degrees of functionality. My only problem with the G-Shocks is that I don’t know which one I want to wear when I get up in the morning.
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Review: Mophie Juice Pack for the iPhone 3G
11 Comments
by Peter Ha on December 9, 2008

Mophie’s Juice Pack for the iPhone 3G is without a doubt a must-have if you can swallow the high price tag of $100. But I’d gladly pay the extra $100 knowing that I can leave the office or my apartment and gallivant around town without fear of having to find a power outlet by mid-day.
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