Yamaha NS-SP1800BL 5.1 Channel

Yamaha NS-SP1800BL 5.1 channel home theater speaker package is a low cost, convenient way to enjoy the full benefits of 5.1 channel home theater sound. Yamaha NS-SP1800BL 5.1 Channel features advanced Yamaha active servo technology (Advanced YST) is a unique system in which the speaker and amplifier work together to cancel out impedance so the speaker unit has a perfectly linear motion. Advanced YST helps to ensure the highest levels of sound pressure and overall performance.

Product Specifications

• Brand Name : Yamaha
• Color Name : Black
• Speaker Type : Home theater speaker system
• Driver Configuration : 1x 2.5" Cone
• Frequency Response Curve : 28 Hz - 50 kHz
• Audio Sensitivity : 82 decibels
• Impdedance : 6 ohm
• Cabinet Material Type : Plastic
• Speaker Driver Material Type : Paper
• Price : $149.95

Logitech Rechargeable Speaker S315i

Digital music has revolutionized how you listen to music, because you can listen to your favorite songs anywhere. Logitech Rechargeable Speaker S315i will blow you away with 20 hours of music when you use the power saving mode. That's a full day's (or night's) worth of music without missing a beat. This little beauty powerfully reproduces your favorite songs with accurate highs and every note will be heard loudly and clearly.

A custom, full range driver brings you crisp, sharp sounds. And since it's rechargeable, this is a sleek and stylish speaker and goes with you wherever you go. You can play and charge your iPod or iPhone with a dock connector. The result is a product that makes the most of your music. Go ahead. Play a song or two or 300 without recharging.

Technical Details

• Rechargeable with up to 20 hours of listening pleasure (in the power saving model).
• Play and charge both iPod and iPhone.
• Weighs just 1.47 pounds, so it¿s easy to take with you.
• A 3.5 mm auxiliary input lets you connect and listen to other portable players.
• Fold-in foot makes it easy to take with you around town.
• Price : $114.00

Panasonic Pro AG-HMC150

The cooler than cool Panasonic Pro AG-HMC150 drew big crowds at the 2008 NAB Show. Why? Simply because it offers an unheard of Bang for the Buck, in a 1/3 inch three chip hand held tapeless HD camcorder, while retaining the core versatility of the DVX100B. Panasonic Pro AG-HMC150 sports a 28mm lens right out of the box and a new PH Record mode (21 Mbps) which offers higher resolution with a host of recording formats including 24p.

Add to that, amazing low light performance, long record and battery time and professional Audio capabilities at a price that will make it an instant hit with a wide range of AV Shooters, Indie creators and Event video professionals. Panasonic Pro AG-HMC150 represents a major step forward in the introduction of a next generation solid state HD camera that extends the six year successful track record of the popular DVX100 plus a lot more.

Panasonic Pro AG-HMC150’s lightweight (lightest 1/3 inch 3CCD available), well balanced professional design features a high performance wide angle Leica 13X zoom lens, 24 and 30 frame progressive capture, both in 720 and 1080 formats, making it perfect for even high level projects. Designed from a clean sheet of paper with much customer input to Panasonic's product development engineers, Panasonic Pro AG-HMC150 sports a Die Cast Alloy chassis and a Three year warranty (upon customer registration) that further endorses its reliability.

Using the latest in compression technology (AVC High Profile) and widely available SD memory cards as the recording media, Panasonic Pro AG-HMC150 is as easy to use as a digital still camera. The content recorded on the SD card can be directly played on a growing number of affordable consumer players, including select models of Playstation 3, Blu-ray players, plasma screens and PC’s. With most NLE systems now supporting AVCHD, content can be edited and rendered to play in any type of SD or HD playback system.

Dynamic Range Stretch
With DRS ON your customer can capture better Video quality when shooting bright, halftone and dark objects in the same frame. (Bride’s white gown details and the Groom’s shades of tuxedo black.) This clever circuit estimates the gamma curve and knee slope of each pixel’s brightness and applies the estimate on a real time basis. The result is more accurate Video with a visually wider dynamic range.

Features

• Full range of HD formats : 1080/60i, 1080/30p, 1080/24p (Native); 720/60p, 720/30p, 720/24p (Native)
• Higher bit-rate recording than consumer models (21 Mbps PH Mode)
• Three latest design 1/3 inch CCD Progressive Imagers
• 13X Wide angle 28mm lens out of the box (35mm equiv.), MOD .6 M, 72mm Ø (Shoot in confined spaces with no need to buy an accessory lens)
• Time Date Stamp for Legal Depositions or surveillance
• Waveform Monitor, Vectorscope plus two Focus displays for accurate, quick focus
• Professional XLR audio input connections
• Time code (DF, NDF, REC RUN, FREE RUN) and USER BIT
• HDMI out, Component Out (mini D terminal), Composite Video Out and RCA Audio Out jacks
• External Time Code Link (Slave & Master Preset) uses the Composite Video Out terminal
• USB 2.0 for file transfer (no need for a VTR)
• 3.5 inch LCD monitor displays thumbnails for quick non-linear access to clips
• Remote control connection for Zoom, Focus, Iris, and start and stop functions
• 14 bit A to D converter and 19 bit Image processing
• Cinelike Gamma &, DRS Dynamic Range Stretch (Filmaker requested features)
• Three Neutral Density Filters 1/4, 1/16, 1/64
• Pre-Record (3 Seconds), Digital Zoom 2X / 5X / 10X (in 1080/60i & 720/60p only)
• Three User Set Buttons with 11 choices for customizing Camera to Shooter

Panasonic Professional AG-HMC40 AVCHD

Panasonic Professional AG-HMC40 AVCHD handheld combines Full HD AVCHD video recording with high resolution 10.6 megapixel still photo capture, giving you the benefits of two professional cameras in one affordable package. Compact and lightweight, Panasonic Professional AG-HMC40 AVCHD is a versatile HD camcorder offering high quality AVCHD recordings, high resolution still photo capture, an easy to use SD card workflow, and professional audio capabilities for a wide range of applications and markets including schools, government agencies, event videographers, web designers and more.

With a full resolution 3 megapixel, 1/4 inch 3MOS imager, Panasonic Professional AG-HMC40 AVCHD produces stunning 1920 x 1080 video in AVCHD (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264), delivering images far superior to HDV. When used for digital still photography, the camera captures photos with 10.6 megapixel resolution directly onto the SD card as a JPEG image. The camera can also be connected directly to a PictBridge photo printer (no PC required).

And unlike HDV tapes, video and photos can be accessed randomly and immediately from the SD cards and played back on a number of consumer devices. With a full resolution 3 megapixel, 1/4 inch 3MOS imager, Panasonic Professional AG-HMC40 AVCHD produces stunning 1920x1080 video in AVCHD (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264), delivering images far superior to HDV. When used for digital still photography, the camera captures photos with 10.6 megapixel resolution directly onto the SD card as a JPEG image.

The camera can also be connected directly to a PictBridge photo printer (no PC required). And unlike HDV tapes, video and photos can be accessed randomly and immediately from the SD cards and played back on a number of consumer devices. The camcorder's advanced Leica Dicomar lens system offers 12X optical zoom, wide angle setting (40.8mm) and an optical image stabilizer (O.I.S.) feature for precise shooting. The compact camera is also packed with professional video and audio features (HDMI out, date or time stamp, remote zoom, XLR option, etc.).

Using high capacity SD memory cards, Panasonic Professional AG-HMC40 AVCHD provides hours of beautiful high definition recordings at professional level bit rates. It records in a range of 1080 and 720 formats with all four professional AVCCAM recording modes PH mode (average 21 Mbps or Max 24Mbps), the HA mode (approx.17 Mbps), the HG mode (approx.13 Mbps), HE mode (approx. 6 Mbps). AVCCAM offers the benefit of a fast, file based workflow using widely available and reasonably priced SD memory cards.

Technical Details

• HD formats : 1080/60i, 1080/30p, 1080/24p (Native) 720/60p, 720/30p, 720/24p (Native)
• Three latest design 1/4.1 Progressive 3MOS Imagers for full HD resolution
• Long record time : 3 hours with included battery (7 hours continuous with 5.800mAh Battery)
• Touch Panel 2.7 inch Widescreen LCD displays Thumbnails & Audio Metering
• HDMI out, Component Out (mini D terminal), Composite Video and Stereo Audio Out with included cable

Sony HVR-HD1000U

Sony HVR-HD1000U was created to meet the growing demand from users who are looking for mobility and professional appearance. This camcorder features a shoulder mount design and black matte body similar to that of professional camcorders making it perfect for weddings, corporate communications, colleges, universities, and sporting events where appearance makes a difference. Premium design characteristics and high definition HDV1080i recording are the main features of this new one piece shoulder camcorder, ideal for working videographers on a budget.

A built-in down converter creates DV material, perfect for standard DVD productions. Plus, a special still photo mode is ideal for producing DVD cases and making wedding photo albums. Whether you are recording weddings and corporate communications or helping students make a documentary, Sony HVR-HD1000U is the best choice on the market today as an entry level professional camcorder.

The next generation of Sony imaging sensor, the ClearVid CMOS Sensor used in Sony HVR-HD1000U camcorder, is quite unique and different from current CMOS technology. The ClearVid CMOS Sensor uses a unique pixel layout rotated 45 degrees to provide high resolution and high sensitivity. This pixel layout technology is also used in higher end professional camcorders. The ClearVid CMOS Sensor, coupled with an Enhanced Imaging Processor (EIP), generates stunning images. Moreover, thanks to the CMOS technology, bright objects do not cause vertical smear.

Sony HVR-HD1000U offers benefits for SD productions, as well as HD. It is easy to use HDV recordings for your current DV editing work. Sony HVR-HD1000U has a down conversion feature that outputs converted DV signals through the i.LINK connector to your current DV non-linear editing system, while retaining an HD master on the tape for future use. Furthermore, Sony HVR-HD1000U offers a DV recording mode (4:3 or 16:9), which can provide a recording time of approximately 120 minutes in LP mode.

Technical Details

• Enhanced mobility and professional aesthetic with this shoulder mount design and black matte body
• HDV1080i recordings can be captured on DigitalMaster professional tape as well as consumer MiniDV
• Built-in down converter creates DV material, perfect for standard DVD productions
• Easy viewing with this large, freely rotating 2.7 inch LCD screen
• Features a Carl Zeiss Vario Sonner T lens with 10x optical zoom
  

Price : $1,574.00

Sony HDR-FX7

Shoot like a pro with Sony HDR-FX7 High Definition Handycam(R) camcorder. Capture amazing video and still images in high definition with the first HDV 1080i 3 CMOS sensor consumer level camcorder and player in the world. The three 1/4" ClearVID CMOS Sensors provide stunning detail and precision, while a 20x Optical Zoom Carl Zeiss Lens maintains image clarity. Since Sony HDR-FX7 records video in high definition, you can dual record still images at the same time.

So no matter what the occasion, Sony HDR-FX7 is the perfect camcorder for the situation. A Sony developed Real Time MPEG Encode/Decode system with reduced energy consumption and compact size to fit inside a personal camcorder. This provides efficient MPEG2 compression, and recording and playback of clear HD images at the same bit rate of the DV format, so that High Definition video can be recorded on the same cassettes as are used for MiniDV recording.

From the authority in lens technology, the Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar T lens provides a high quality 20x optical zoom which maintains image clarity and color while reducing glare and flare. Dual independent zoom and focus rings provide precise and detailed control over the amount of zoom and the overall focus of the image with just a turn of the rings. Fast, intuitive framing when zooming, and finely detailed focusing is easy with the natural "feel" of the rings.

Easily adjust the amount of light entering the lens by adjusting exposure brightness in accordance with the iris and gain. The Iris control allows the volume of light to be adjusted (shutter speed and gain are adjustable). Though not small enough to carry with you to Disney, this camcorder opens up new opportunities for serious amateur and semi professionals to record videos suitable for play on new widescreen HDTV sets.

Technical Details

• Record and play back HDV 1080i video : switchable recording in standard definition
• ClearVid CMOS sensor : 20x optical zoom
• Wide 3.5 inch Hybrid Touch Panel Clear Photo LCD Plus display
• Capture 1.2 megapixel stills to Memory Stick Duo
• Professional 62mm Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar T lens

Canon EOS 7D

Canon basically ceded the entry level pro performance market to Nikon in 2005 with the arrival of the D200 since then, Canon's 30D, 40D, and 50D have taken the slower but less expensive road, with a relatively stagnant AF system, which Nikon leapfrogged. But with entirely new AF and metering systems, a new high resolution eight channel readout sensor coupled with dual Digic 4 image processors and a new 100 percent coverage viewfinder, plus 1080p video capture, Canon EOS 7D looks like an aggressive attempt to make a comeback.

In addition to a body only version, Canon sells Canon EOS 7D in a kit with the 28-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS lens (44.8-216mm equivalent). One of the heavier single grip dSLRs available, there are no radical design departures in Canon EOS 7D but there are tons of subtle, and a few conspicuous, interface changes that greatly enhance the fluidity of the camera's operation. The new viewfinder is great, comparable with that of the D300s big and bright, with an optional overlay grid.

It's also slightly more comfortable than the D300s' because of the larger eyecup. Adding to its traditional array of buttons for metering, white balance, autofocus, drive mode, ISO sensitivity, and flash compensation Canon EOS 7D now includes an M-Fn button used to cycle through the AF point options, plus Canon brings the LCD illumination button into action for registering the orientation linked AF points. Unfortunately, the buttons are very difficult to differentiate by feel, and the M-Fn and illumination buttons are even smaller and harder to use than the others.

Following trends in consumer dSLR design, Canon EOS 7D now also has an interactive control panel for changing frequently accessed settings, called up with the Q button. Canon went from very few AF options to a gazillion in one model. Of course, there's the veteran full automatic AF selection. Spot AF is a subarea of the traditional single point AF, and for both of these you can choose from any of the 19 AF points. AF point expansion uses the three or four (depending upon location) points surrounding the chosen one.

Zone AF is similar to AF point expansion in that it allows you to define clumps of points in the center, top, bottom, or sides of the full AF area, but in contrast to expansion, where you still choose the primary focus point and it only uses the other points if the subject moves, the camera automatically chooses points from within the defined zone. The bulk of these are really designed to improve focus tracking during continuous shooting, and, much like Nikon's AF system, you have to think very carefully about matching the AF choice with the shooting situation or you can end up with surprising results.

Ditto for the flexible global and lens specific micro-adjustment tools, which it carries over from the higher end models. Very few users need all of these options, and Canon provides a solid interface for enabling or disabling the choices to minimize on the fly confusion. In Live View mode you have three AF options Live mode (contrast AF), face detect Live mode AF, or Quick AF (the "traditional" faster Live View AF, which uses the faster phase detection scheme but requires more mirror flipping).

Sony PSP alike but it’s a PSP Mp5 4Gb.

At the first glimpse you may think this is a sony psp unit but it’s not. It’s a rmvb or more know as psp mp5 player. It’s a real gadget to with.

It had the common function of a psp but it does not play sony psp iso or umd games. The unit is transparently a sony psp unit. With the same function with sony psp. Psp Mp5 is a sleek and amazing portable play station whereby it plays games, movie, fm radio and more. Featuring an advanced LCD with anti-reflection technology that offers the highest contrast ratio, fastest response time and widest colour possible on a portable screen. PSP MP5 supports most of the popular movie formats such as RM/RMVB/, MP4, 3gp, avi and most featured format’s.

The PSP MP5 has a whopping 4.3-inch TFT High-resolution display similar to sony psp, undoubtedly it will rock your eyes and give you unusual view experience when you enjoy movies, it also supports TV-out. It can be used as a professional game player as it supports NES games, game boy or game boy advance. External TF card slot enables you to extend its memory for songs, movies or games. On the rear houses a high-definition camera as well as two stereo loudspeakers.

Features:

• Advanced LCD screen provides more natural and vibrant displays
• Anti- reflection technology enables you to see the screen more clearly in well-lit places, even when used outdoors.
• The functionality of the video-out port is expanded to allow you to also enjoy games on non-progressive TVs or LCD using the Component AV Cable (included).
• Internal Memory : 4Gb
• Supports multitasking operation
• Supports FM radio function
• Records voice with internal microphones
• Supports electric album function
• Supports text reading function
• Function: MP4 and MP3 media player with 4.3 LCD screen.
• Size: 4.3 Inch TFT LCD
• Resolution: 400 x 240
• External Memory: TF card Up to 4Gb
• USB: 2.0
• Music Formats: MP3, WMA, FLAC, APE, AAC
• Video Formats: 3Gp, MPEG4, AVI, RM, RMVB
• E-Book Formats: TXT, LRC
• Picture Formats: JPG, BMP, GIF
• Video Playing Hours: about 3-4 hours (headphone output)
• Audio Playing Hours: about 10 hours (screen off for saving power; headphone output)
• Camera: 2.0 mega pixel (options include white balance, effect, etc.)
• Built in MIC Record Format: WAV
• Earphone Jack Output: 10Mw + 10Mw (stereo) - 3.5mm Socket
• Built-in Speaker Output: 15 Mw
• SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio) : >90dB
• Languages: English, German, Italian, Portuguese, Hollands, French, Spanish, Russian, Turkish, Dansk, Japanese, Svenska, Korean, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese
• Systems: Windows 2000, XP, Vista
• MAC OS 9.2 and later
• Linux Kernel 2.2 and later
• Power Source: Internal Li-ion polymer battery
• Charging: Via Charger or USB
• Other functions: common games, Stopwatch, Image viewer, Auto shut time setting, etc.

Package Content:

• 1 x 4.3-inch MP5 Player with Camera-Black
• 1 x USB cable
• 1 x Earphone
• 1 x Charger
• 1 x User Manual
• 1 x TV-Out line
  

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• Free Shipping via Fedex
• Free Games worth $ 50.00 (80 Listing Games)
  
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Samsung Intrepid SPH-i350 (Sprint)

Samsung Intrepid SPH-i350 (Sprint) isn't much of a looker. It measures 2.4 by 4.9 by 0.5 inches (HWD) and weighs 4.3 ounces. It's finished in black plastic with a dark chrome band around the front panel edge. The 2.6 inch plastic resistive touch screen offers just 320 by 240 pixel resolution. It's small and stubborn enough that you'll need the stylus tucked into the bottom right corner for just about anything not on the home screen or main menu (more on that later).

Six function keys bracket a large, rectangular five way control pad all were easy to press in regular use. The four row QWERTY keyboard felt a little cheap, but it was fine for modest typing chores. As a dual-band EV-DO Rev A (800/1900 MHz), quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) and UMTS (2100 MHz) device, Samsung Intrepid SPH-i350 (Sprint) is a true world phone just as its namesake implies. It also includes Wi-Fi. Voice quality was solid in both directions, with a trebly, crisp tone in the earpiece and good wind rejection.

Reception was average. Annoyingly, the OS couldn't keep up with dialing numbers all the tone sounds piled up a second or two afterward and cut each other off. The booming speakerphone was plenty loud for outdoor use. Calls sounded fine through a Plantronics Voyager Pro Bluetooth headset. Battery life was excellent at 6 hours and 34 minutes of talk time.

Windows Mobile, Business Support, and Apps
Without the proper tuning a la HTC TouchFLO or Samsung TouchWiz, Windows Mobile looks archaic. Version 6.5 brought a much needed refresh to the home screen which actually looks and works nicely, with its larger buttons and clearer fonts. But the rest of the OS remains ugly and outdated right down to the old school touch screen calibration process on first start up. At least Internet Explorer Mobile 6 is slightly improved from earlier horrific versions, and even renders static

Flash content in a pinch. But it renders desktop pages very slowly and hangs up loading scripts, and the touch screen controls still feel like an afterthought. As a proper Microsoft powered smartphone, Samsung Intrepid SPH-i350 (Sprint) views, creates, and edits Microsoft Word and Excel documents, and views PowerPoint files. It connects to Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Exchange Server accounts for Direct Push e-mail.

The Intrepid isn't a bad smartphone for third party apps, thanks to its 528 MHz Qualcomm MSM7600 processor, 266MB of free internal storage, and 193MB of total RAM, with a generous 153MB available for user programs. A microSD card is located underneath the battery cover and off to the side. You have to pull the battery to swap cards, which is a royal pain. An ill fitting battery cover compounded the misery it always took five or six tries to seat properly. Multimedia fans get the usual compliment of Sprint Power Vision services, including dozens of Sprint TV channels (live and simulcast), Sprint NFL Mobile Live, and NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile.

The GPS radio hooks into the TeleNav powered Sprint Navigation for voice enabled, turn by turn directions. Samsung Intrepid SPH-i350 (Sprint) locked onto my location quickly and spoke clearly, although the low-res screen and Windows Mobile's fixed upper and lower UI bars made for a tiny map window. Sprint included quick links to Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr for social networking duties. Instant messaging was a disappointment, the tabbed interface works with AIM, Windows Live, and Yahoo accounts, but charges for each message as a 20 cent SMS.

Doro PhoneEasy 345gsm

Doro PhoneEasy 345gsm is a comfortably sized candy bar style phone at 4.9 by 2 by .6 inches (HWD) and 3.5 ounces, coated in a soft touch black or white plastic. The phone has huge rubberized buttons and a bright enough, basic 1.8 inch 128 by 96 colors LCD screen with large fonts. At US$40, with no contract service plans from Consumer Cellular starting at US$10 a month, Doro PhoneEasy 345gsm is extremely affordable.

Consumer Cellular uses AT&ampT's physical network, but charges less than the major carriers do per minute for light users (though they don't offer free nights and weekends.) But here's the design flaw. Doro PhoneEasy 345gsm has a "panic button" on the back that calls a user programmed number if you press it three times. The panic button is exactly where it put my index finger when I'm holding the phone up to my ear. This is very annoying. Now, not everyone puts their finger in that location.

Doro PhoneEasy 345gsm is a decent voice phone, but I like its stablemate the PhoneEasy 410gsm better. Like the 410gsm, Doro PhoneEasy 345gsm gets better reception and sounds better than AT&ampT's other simple phone, the Pantech Breeze. But Doro PhoneEasy 345gsm sounded a bit muddier, both on receive and transmit, than the 410 it was still acceptable, just not as good as its cousin.

The speakerphone was loud but sounded hollow. Like the 410gsm, Doro PhoneEasy 345gsm has a powerful vibrate mode and comes with 20 ringtones, including classical music and traditional phone rings. It connected with my Plantronics Voyager Pro Bluetooth headset without a problem.

Samsung Instinct HD (Sprint)

First of all, it has an awesome camera. Recorded HD (1280 by 720) and VGA videos were sharp, super smooth, and well lit only the flat colors and slightly pixelated look gave away the tiny cell phone lens. Photos taken with the 5 megapixel still mode looked very sharp outdoors, with plenty of detail in bricks, grass, and tree leaves. There was quite a bit of noise in darker rooms indoors, but shots were acceptably sharp and detailed with enough light.

Shutter speeds were about one second even with auto focus, and the phone recovered almost instantly after every shot. To play back HD video (either recorded or sideloaded), you have to attach a US$29.99 HDMI cable, sold separately. When do you want converted a few 720p movie trailers to MP4, sideloaded them to the microSD card, and hooked up the Instinct HD to a 42 inch plasma HDTV. The video even played simultaneously on the Instinct HD's screen. (The TV only shows video output, incidentally not UI graphics.)

Other media features here are flexible, but inconvenient and buggy at times. You need to pull off the stiff battery cover and remove the battery to replace the memory card. My 16GB SanDisk microSD card worked fine, and Sprint tosses a 4GB card in the box. The phone has a standard size 3.5 mm headphone jack. AAC, WMA, and MP3 music tracks sounded clear over Motorola S9-HD Bluetooth headphones. The music player displayed album art when available.

Various Sprint themed services like NFL Mobile Live and NASCAR come as part of Sprint's Everything plan, and you can buy music tracks over the air from Sprint's music store. I ran into several glitches playing music and video. The volume inexplicably started deafeningly loud on every track for the first quarter second, and the unit hard reset itself in the middle of an MP3 track.

Popping the battery and microSD card reset it. The video player oddly forced me into the TV app when it was done, even though I hadn't been using Sprint TV. The Instinct HD has the right hardware for gaming with its large touch screen and accelerometer. But it wouldn't run any of our Java benchmarks, and the one preloaded game demo ran poorly. It appears all that CPU horsepower is geared toward HD video.

My Life's Perception & Inspiration: We're Hang'n Mighty Low!

My Life's Perception & Inspiration: We're Hang'n Mighty Low!

♥Challenges Of Life♥: Learn.com -The Leader In On-Demand Workforce Productivity

♥Challenges Of Life♥: Learn.com -The Leader In On-Demand Workforce Productivity

RIM BlackBerry Bold - black (AT&T)

When you first lay eyes on RIM BlackBerry Bold - black (AT&T), the words "sleek," "sexy," and "cool" don't exactly to come to mind. At 4.5 inches high by 2.6 inches wide by 0.6 inch deep and 4.8 ounces, RIM BlackBerry Bold - black (AT&T) is bulky and wide, making for a bit of a tight fit in a pants pocket. It doesn't exactly take your breath away like the iPhone 3G, but that's not to say it's a bad looking phone. RIM BlackBerry Bold - black (AT&T) chassis and silver trim are attractive enough and the rounded edges give the handset a streamlined design.

Plus, if you turn the phone over, you'll notice that the back has a leatherette texture (no more slick plastic), providing a sophisticated look. If you want to customize your device a bit, RIM will sell replaceable backplates in different colors, including blue, gray, and red, for $29.99 each, which is a little pricey in our opinion. Now while the overall design isn't particularly flashy, the true beauty of RIM BlackBerry Bold - black (AT&T) lies in the display. The smartphone boasts a 2.75 inch half VGA, non-touch screen that shows off 65.000 colors at a crisp 480x320 pixel resolution.

It's quite possibly the best looking screen we've seen on a smartphone to date. The iPhone and HTC Touch Diamond come close, but we did a quick comparison between the iPhone and Bold and found that pictures on the Bold looked slightly smoother and crisper. Colors pop on the screen and video playback was truly impressive. With such a beautiful screen, we're glad to see that RIM BlackBerry Bold - black (AT&T) features an updated user interface, much like the RIM BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220.

Some of the new icons are a bit difficult to identify at a glance (e.g., downloads, applications, and settings), but as you scroll over, each item is identified by name along the bottom. As usual, you can customize the home screen with various themes, background images, font size and type, and backlight brightness and time out. Below the display, you get the standard navigation controls, which include Talk and End or power keys, a menu shortcut, a back button, and a trackball navigator. The one benefit of the phone's wider size is that these buttons are plenty large and easy to press.

RIM BlackBerry Bold - black (AT&T) has a QWERTY keyboard that RIM likened to a modernized Curve keyboard, but it reminded us more of the BlackBerry 8830. We know some 8800 series users had issues with the keyboard, but we didn't have any problems with the Bold. The keyboard buttons are of a good size and have a nice tactile feel to them. We were able to compose e-mails and text messages with minimal errors. They're also backlit for easy typing in darker environments.

On the left spine, you will find a 3.5 mm headphone jack, a mini USB port, a customizable shortcut key, and a microSD or SDHC expansion slot. The right side holds the volume rocker and another user programmable convenience key. There's a mute button on top of the handset, and the camera and flash are located on the back. AT&T packages RIM BlackBerry Bold - black (AT&T) with an AC adapter, a USB cable, a wired headset, a software CD, and reference material. For more add-ons, please check our cell phone accessories, ringtones, and help page.

HTC Imagio (Verizon Wireless)

Though HTC Imagio (Verizon Wireless) touts itself as a multimedia smartphone, it is not as flashy as other multimedia focused hand helds. This is not to say it isn't attractive indeed, we love the large touch screen display as well as the smooth edges and tapered corners. But the dimpled bezel surrounding the display, which doubles as the speaker, and the thick plastic casing gives it more of a hefty industrial feel. Measuring 4.6 inches tall by 2.4 inches wide by 0.5 inch thick and weighing 5.25 ounces, HTC Imagio (Verizon Wireless) has quite a sturdy construction and is not at all flimsy or cheap.

The back of HTC Imagio (Verizon Wireless) is partially covered in a matte black soft touch finish, which gives it a comfortable feel in the hand. By far the most stunning thing about HTC Imagio (Verizon Wireless)'s appearance is its large 3.6 inch WVGA touch screen. It has 65.000 colors output, 480x800 pixel resolution, and a smooth glass surface, which result in beautifully crisp images and sharp text. The extra screen real estate lends itself well to Web page scrolling and video viewing as well.

Also handy is the built-in accelerometer that switches the screen from portrait to landscape mode when you rotate the phone. This is only applicable in certain situations, though, like with the Web browser, e-mail, photos, and videos. Even though HTC Imagio (Verizon Wireless) does not have the Touch branding. Like that on the HTC Touch Pro2, you get additional tabs for the Calendar and Stock quotes, plus the ability to add and remove tabs on the Home screen. We also really like that the Start menu is presented in a grid view, which you can customize with different apps and settings.

HTC Imagio (Verizon Wireless) has a resistive touch screen rather than a capacitive one. We usually complain about this because resistive displays require more precision than capacitive screens, but in the case of HTC Imagio (Verizon Wireless), we were quite pleased with it. The touch screen felt responsive and easy to use, even when we were just using our fingers instead of the included stylus. We even liked the onscreen QWERTY keyboard, especially since it supports XT9 auto word complete and tapping the keys provides haptic feedback.

We do prefer using the keyboard in landscape mode rather than in portrait mode, however, as the keys are a bit bigger, thus resulting in fewer mistakes. The zoom in and out bar underneath the display helped a lot when reading and selecting hyperlinks in the Web browser as well, since you could just zoom in easily by sliding your finger on the bar. It does take a couple of seconds for the page to render when zooming in, though. Underneath the zoom controls are the Talk and End or Power keys, a media key, the Start menu key, and a back key.

The media key can be mapped to any media application, like V Cast TV, V Cast Video, or the music player. The keys are flat, but there is enough delineation between each key that they weren't hard to press. The volume rocker is on the right spine and the mini-USB port and 3.5 mm headset jack are on the bottom. On the back is the camera lens plus an antenna that doubles as a kickstand simply press the release button and it'll pop out. This way you can set HTC Imagio (Verizon Wireless) on a flat surface and watch videos as if it were a portable television. Also on the back toward the lower right is the stylus compartment. The microSD card slot is inconveniently located behind the battery cover on the right side.

Samsung Omnia II (Verizon Wireless)

Like many of the touch screen smartphones available today, Samsung Omnia II (Verizon Wireless) has a candy bar design but it is slightly on the bulkier side at 4.69 inches tall by 2.35 inches wide by 0.52 inch thick and weighing 4.76 ounces. However, there's good reason for the extra size and that's the gorgeous 3.7 inch WVGA (800x480 pixels) AMOLED touch screen. When compared with the first Omnia and other touch screen smartphones, videos and photos look amazing on Samsung Omnia II (Verizon Wireless).

It has a smoother picture, wider viewing angles, and higher contrast. Also, a built-in accelerometer changes the screen orientation when you rotate the phone for certain applications like the Web browser, messages, photos, and video. Also, while the smartphone's touch screen is resistive and requires a bit more pressure than a capacitive touch screen to move among various home screen panes, we found it quite responsive and didn't require the precision of a stylus to select items.

We should note that the touch screen was a bit temperamental when we first used it, but after realigning the screen with the stylus, everything was fine. Below the display, you get Talk and End or Power keys and a Main Menu key (more on this later). There is an OK button, but it's on the left side of the phone along with the 3.5 mm headphone jack and volume rocker. The microSD expansion slot is also located on this side but you'll have to remove the stylish red battery door to access it.

On the right spine, you'll find the stylus, a Micro-USB port, a lock key, and a camera activation or capture button. Last but not least, the camera and flash are located on the back. The only thing we missed was having a back button for returning to the previous screen, since an on screen option wasn't always available. While the physical aspects of Samsung Omnia II (Verizon Wireless) aren't radically different from the competition, the smartphone's does have some unique "design" features are beneath the surface.

For one thing, it offers an on screen portrait and landscape QWERTY keyboard with Swype technology, which Webware previewed a while back. Instead of pecking at individual keys, Swype lets spell out a word by dragging your finger on the keyboard from letter to letter. Swype's algorithm then does its best to figure out what word you're trying to input it also automatically enters a space after you complete a word and includes certain tricks, such as circling a key to input a letter twice. Admittedly, we were very skeptical of Swype.

However, to our surprise, it worked and was mostly accurate. We ran into some problems when entering terms that weren't true words, such as an IM handle, though Swype will try to come up a list of possible results. It also takes some adjustment to enter long words since you have keep your finger on the screen the whole time. Still, we were always amazed when it came up with the correct word. Samsung also completely redid the main menu page. Pressing the menu key below the display will bring up a grid view of all your phone's apps. There 12 icons per page and each page is customizable so you can rearrange the apps in the order you want.

All you have to do is press the Edit button on the bottom of the screen and at that point you can move the icons to any position on any menu page. Pages will be added as you add more applications to your phone, and you can move among pages by swiping your finger left to right or vice versa. Right next to the Edit button is one of our favorite additions the new Task Switcher function. This feature shows you all your running applications in thumbnail visuals and lets you easily switch between tasks, exit out of an app, or end all running programs. It alleviates one of the biggest problems of Windows Mobile, which was multitasking. In fact, TouchWiz 2.0 in general does a good job making the OS more easy to use, so much so you can hardly tell it's a Windows Mobile smartphone.

Finally, like the Samsung Behold II, Samsung Omnia II (Verizon Wireless) offers the 3D cube interface for the phone's various multimedia capabilities. However, unlike the Behold II, there is also a toolbar on the where you can launch the same entertainment apps with a simple tap, which is much more functional than the gimmicky cube. Overall, TouchWiz 2.0 makes much more sense and is more useful on Samsung Omnia II (Verizon Wireless) than the Behold II, as it provides the customization abilities that Windows Mobile lacks and offers a much more intuitive user interface.

Sanyo SCP-6760 Incognito (Sprint)

Sanyo SCP-6760 Incognito (Sprint) takes a cue from a few other cell phones before it. We've seen its horizontal flip design on handsets like the LG enV Touch, but this is the first time it's been on a Sanyo phone. The sturdy handset measures 3.7 inches tall by 2.2 inches wide by 0.7 inch thick and is a tad heavy at 4.3 ounces. Its reflective skin catches the light and doubles as a mirror, though it also attracts smudges by the ton. The flap opens just short of 180 degrees, but you can view the internal display at a slight angle when holding the phone in your hands.

Also, we like that Sanyo SCP-6760 Incognito (Sprint) doesn't wobble when you rest it in a table in the open position. The face of the Incognito is more than just a shiny surface it's also a large alphanumeric touch pad and navigation array. It's invisible when the backlighting is off, but a flick of the small switch on the left spine will activate the controls that include a standard 12 digit keypad, a back key, the Talk and End buttons, four directional arrows, and a central OK button.

The keys need just a light press and a vibrating feedback lets you know that your touch has registered. The arrangement is quite spacious so you shouldn't have a problem pressing the wrong key. Though Sanyo SCP-6760 Incognito (Sprint)'s design is unique, it's not always easy to use. As you'd expect, the touch surface is slippery and you'll leave a visible fingerprint with every press. We'd also like more customization options as it is you can't change the backlighting time, the touch sensitivity, or the intensity of the vibrating feedback.

We also didn't like the tiny external display. Not only is it monochrome so it won't show photo caller ID, but also you can access only a few menu options. Though we admit that we'd rather use the internal display under most circumstances, we'd like to see some color here at the very least. On Sanyo SCP-6760 Incognito (Sprint)'s right spine you'll find the microSD card slot, Micro-USB charger port, a voice dialing control, and the volume rocker. The latter is a bit small and located too close to the bottom of the phone.

The camera lens sits on the rear side next to a speaker. Sanyo SCP-6760 Incognito (Sprint) doesn't allow for self portraits. On the bottom of the device is the 2.5 mm headset jack; we'd prefer a 3.5 mm jack on a music phone. The internal display measures 2.6 inches and supports 262.000 colors (320x240 pixels). It's bright and vibrant with sharp colors and graphics and the menu interface is easy to use.

As on similar phones the display has a landscape orientation for easier messaging. Sprint also adds its own spin with the carrier's OneClick interface, which offers customizable shortcuts to favorite features. You can change the display brightness and backlighting time. Users with visual impairments should note that the font size on both displays can be quite small.

Motorola Droid (Verizon Wireless)

Officially announced on October 28 and set for a November 6 release, Motorola Droid (Verizon Wireless) delivers on much of the hype. The display is gorgeous, the Android 2.0 updates are excellent, and the handset is lightning fast, particularly for an Android phone. We'll refrain from using the dreaded "iPhone killer" expression, but comparisons between the two devices are obvious, and we see the Droid as a real competitor to Apple's device.

On the downside, Motorola weren't crazy about the keyboard and dial-pad accessibility, the calendars aren't fully integrated, and we'd prefer to see dual mode (GSM or CDMA) capability. But for Verizon's first pass at Android, Motorola Droid (Verizon Wireless) more than delivers. And even better, it's a clear departure from Verizon's locked down past. At US$199, Motorola Droid (Verizon Wireless) is on par with T-Mobile's Android device, but it's slightly more expensive than Sprint's devices.

At first glance, you might not think Motorola Droid (Verizon Wireless)'s design amounts to much. Its build is rather dull and the sharp angles result in a boxy look. But this is a smartphone with a lot of surprises, the biggest being the positively gorgeous WVGA display. At 3.7 inches, it surpasses even the iPhone and is firmly in the bounds of what we consider to be an acceptable size for a touch screen display. Color support is generous (16 million hues) and the resolution (440x854 pixels) is some of the richest we've seen.

We aren't kidding when we say that this display is bright and brilliant with vibrant colors and sharp graphics. It also lends itself well to the welcome Android 2.0 interface updates (more on that later). The capacitive display's touch interface is quick and responsive and we love the added multi touch capability. As with previous Android phones, there's vibrating feedback only for certain functions (like a "long press"), though you can turn off the haptic feedback completely if you desire. When we selected items and scrolled through long lists, there was no lag time in performing the command (more on that later, as well).

You also can customize the display's brightness, backlighting time, and animations. The accelerometer will adjust the display's orientation as you rotate Motorola Droid (Verizon Wireless) in your hands, but you can turn this feature off. Outside of the upgrades from Android 2.0 and Motorola Droid (Verizon Wireless) specific tweaks, the basic interface will be familiar to Android users. You get only three home screens we prefer the five we got on the Motorola Cliq but you can customize each pane with widgets. And, of course, the central pane has the Google search bar. The main menu is accessible via the pull tab at the bottom of the display. The menu's design is mostly unchanged. You can move icons around and add shortcuts and folders.

Samsung Moment (Sprint)

You wouldn't be off base if you initially confused the Moment with Samsung's other touch screen phones. Indeed, with its rounded ends and prominent display it looks a lot like the Samsung Rogue. Yet, a closer look will show that Samsung Moment (Sprint) is larger than its siblings and its color scheme and soft touch material on its battery cover put it more in line with the Hero. The result is a rather unremarkable design, particularly when compared with its Android counterparts, but the smooth lines give the Moment a minimalist appeal.

Samsung Moment (Sprint) is more than just large (4.6 inches by 2.34 inches by 0.63 inch), it's also quite heavy (5.67 ounces) for any kind of cell phone. The extra bulk is noticeable and Samsung Moment (Sprint) can make for a tight fit in some pockets, but the trade off is a solid device with a sturdy build. The slider mechanism is sufficiently stiff and the handset has a firm feel in the hand. We noticed, however, that when the slider is open Samsung Moment (Sprint) feels a bit top heavy. When typing, be sure to steady the back of the slider with your fingers.

At 3.2 inches, the Moment's vibrant AMOLED display is smaller than the iPhone's, but still large enough to allow for comfortable navigation. Though the resolution (480x320 pixels) is lower than on the Rogue, the rich color support (16 million hues) means that colors and graphics pop right off the screen. You can change the brightness, the wallpaper, and the backlight time, and you can adjust the accelerometer settings so that the display doesn't change automatically when you rotate the phone. A proximity sensor will switch the screen off when you're on a call.

Samsung Moment (Sprint) ships with Android OS 1.5 so its three home screens and phone dialer interface will be familiar to Android users. The dialer features round buttons and offers quick access to a list of favorite contacts, though it lacks the additional shortcuts we liked on the Cliq. The main menu is also unchanged from other supported handsets to access it, tap the small pull tab at the bottom of the display. Naturally, you can add or delete shortcut widgets and move them around the home screens.

But in a change from other Android phones, the display offers vibrating feedback for the virtual keyboard and keypad (you can turn this feature off). Fortunately, the physical controls just below the display are better. You'll find large Talk and End or power keys and a square OK button that doubles as an optical mouse. The latter is a unique Samsung creation that acts like a touch pad. By swiping your finger cross the control, you can move the cursor or swipe between home screens. Though the optical mouse is tiny, it works well. In fact, it's so sensitive that you need to use it carefully.

On the downside, we'd prefer to have a dedicated search control. Other exterior features include a volume rocker on the left spine and a camera shutter and a voice dialing button on the right spine. A Micro-USB port on the left spine accommodates the charger and a USB cable. We thank Samsung for giving us a standard charger port and the 3.5 mm headset jack on the Moment's top end. The camera lens, flash, and mirror sit on the rear side near a speaker. You will need to remove the battery cover to access the microSD card slot.

Essentials include text and multimedia messaging, a vibrate mode, a speakerphone, a calculator, an alarm clock, and a nifty "Device self Service" that allows you to, among other things, quickly activate your phone. Some basic apps like a world clock and a notepad remain absent, and we're a little perplexed by the new File Viewer feature. Though we welcome the capability to view files that are stored on the phone a feature not available on previous Android phones you can't do anything other than delete the files once you find them.

To be really useful, we should be able to move files as well. Beyond the basics, you'll have 802.11b Wi-Fi, USB mass storage, Google Talk, instant messaging, Sprint visual voice mail, stereo Bluetooth, PC syncing, and speaker independent voice dialing. The Moment also comes integrated with apps from Facebook, The Weather Channel, CNN, ESPN, and a demo version of Bejewled. Of course, Google voice search is also onboard and you can populate the home screen with a handy search widget.

Palm Pixi (Sprint)

A smaller, cheaper version of the Pre, Palm Pixi (Sprint) is aimed at a younger audience and to those who put a precedent on messaging or are making the jump from a feature phone to a smartphone. You can think of Palm Pixi (Sprint) as the replacement to the Palm Centro. Since it is a more entry level smartphone, you sacrifice some features, such as Wi-Fi and a better camera. In addition, Palm Pixi (Sprint) feels underpowered compared with the Pre.

However, what you do get is an incredibly sleek smartphone with an improved keyboard and enhanced contact management and messaging features. Plus, you still get 3G support, Bluetooth, GPS, and the great multitasking abilities of WebOS. For first time smartphone buyers and casual users, Palm Pixi (Sprint) is enough, but power users and tech enthusiasts should go with the Pre. Palm Pixi (Sprint) goes on sale November 15 as a Sprint exclusive for US$99.99 with a two year contract (it requires one of the carrier's unlimited data plans, such as Simply Everything or Everything Data) and after a US$100 mail-in rebate.

The price is OK, and Sprint offers some of the better valued voice and data plans. That said, to make Palm Pixi (Sprint) a real enticing package, it'd be great to see Sprint shave off even US$10 on the price, considering that the Pre is only $50 more and you can get the HTC Droid Eris from Verizon for the same price with Wi-Fi. While Palm Pixi (Sprint) name won't appeal to some people, we can certainly see where the inspiration comes from, as the smartphone is downright petite and dare we say, cute?

Palm Pixi (Sprint) is Palm's thinnest device to date and measures a slight 4.37 inches by 2.17 inches wide by 0.43 inch thick and weighs 3.26 ounces. It easily slips into a pants pocket and is incredibly light in the hand without feeling fragile. The back of the phone has a nice soft touch finish so it doesn't feel as plasticky or slick as the Pre. Plus, it has a more solid construction without any moving parts that come with a slider design. Of course, with the compact size and slate form factor, there are some trade offs, most notably, screen size.

Palm Pixi (Sprint) features a 2.63 inch capacitive touch screen with a 320x400 resolution, so it's a bit of adjustment coming from the Pre's 3.1 inch, 320x480 HVGA display, particularly when viewing Web pages and videos. The app panels can also feel a bit cramped when you've got the quick launch bar or an e-mail preview occupying the bottom of the screen. Like the Pre, Palm Pixi (Sprint) has multitouch capabilities so you can use the pinch gesture to zoom in and out of Web pages, photos, and maps.

In addition, there's a built-in accelerometer as well as a proximity sensor so the display will automatically turn off when you're on a call in order to prevent any accidental mispresses when holding the phone up to your ear. Below the display is a gesture area that's not visible to the naked eye. However, once you touch it, you'll see a single line in the center light up. This replaces the physical center button found the Pre and when touched, it brings you back to the deck of card view if you're working in an application. Swiping your finger right to left will also return you to the previous screen and dragging your finger from the gesture area up to the screen will bring up the launcher bar, just like the Pre.

HTC Droid Eris (Verizon Wireless)

In the hand, HTC Droid Eris (Verizon Wireless) feels like a solidly constructed phone. It measures 4.45 inches tall by 2.19 inches wide by 0.51 inch thick and weighs 4.23 ounces, so it's slim enough to slip into a pants pocket and feels comfortable to hold during phone calls. In addition, HTC added a proximity sensor, a feature that was missing on the Sprint HTC Hero, so now the screen will turn off when you're on a phone call to prevent any accidental misdials from a brush of your cheek.

Speaking of the screen, HTC Droid Eris (Verizon Wireless)'s 3.2 inch HVGA capacitive touch screen is hard to ignore. With a 320x480 pixel resolution, the display is amazingly sharp and vibrant. Text is easy to read and the colors of images are vibrant and rich. The Android interface, with its icon based main menu, is familiar, but we're disappointed that HTC Droid Eris (Verizon Wireless) comes only with Android OS 1.5. That means you'll have to wait for OS 1.6 and 2.0. In addition to a light sensor, the screen has a built-in accelerometer so the screen orientation automatically changes from portrait to landscape mode when you rotate the phone.

Be aware that the feature only works in certain applications, such as photos, the Web browser, and e-mail. The onscreen keyboard also will change depending on the phone's position. Just like the Hero, HTC Droid Eris (Verizon Wireless) uses HTC's own virtual keyboard rather than the stock Android one. We find it to be a little easier to use with its bigger buttons, white background, and more spacing between the keys, particularly in landscape mode. Even with those refinements, it's slightly behind the iPhone's in terms of precision, but it's responsive and provides haptic feedback.

The capacitive touch screen generally is responsive, whether you're tapping an icon to open an app, scrolling through long lists, or swiping through the various home screens. We love that HTC Droid Eris (Verizon Wireless) offers full multi touch support in the Web browser and photo gallery. That means that you can zoom by pinching your fingers and by double tapping the screen. It's a big improvement over the first-gen Android phones and it removes one of the last remaining advantages of the iPhone's browser. On the bottom of the display are three touch controls for the main menu, a home screen customization menu, and the calling menu.

The latter opens the phone dialer and offers access to your recent calls and your contacts list. There are other ways to interact with your device. Below the display you get four navigation buttons : Home, Menu, Back, and Zoom. However, unlike the Sprint and GSM Hero, these four navigation controls are touch sensitive rather than physical buttons. Like the keyboard, they provide haptic feedback and we preferred them over the Sprint Hero's since they have a more spacious layout and are more responsive. We occasionally had to press the Menu button a couple of times for it to register, but it wasn't a big problem. You also get some physical controls, including a Talk and End or power keys and a trackball navigator.

Sonos Bundle BU250

The latest Sonos adds a major upgrade the CR200 touch screen remote. If that wasn't good enough and the remote is excellent it can also be controlled by any iPhone or iPod Touch running a free app that's available via the iTunes App Store. The result is a whole house music system that's easier to control than ever before. The catch? The system costs a somewhat pricey $1,000. And while that may seem like a lot, custom installed systems can cost as much as $5,000 per room and they aren't as easy to use nor do they offer the level functionality found in this system.

We were always impressed by Sonos' capability to access your home music collection and a variety of online music options, but the addition of the slick new touch screen remote and the iPhone or iPod Touch integration gives the luxury digital audio system a compelling leg up on the competition. There are three main components of the Sonos Digital Music System two ZonePlayer base stations one ZP120, one ZP90 and one CR250 Controller (the remote control).

Each one is available separately as well additional ZP120s are $500, the ZP90 is $350, and the CR250 goes for $350 so the $1,000 price tag of Sonos Bundle BU250 represents a $200 savings versus buying them a la carte. Take one look at the silver and white color scheme (and that scroll wheel on the remote), and you get the idea that Sonos wants you to think its understated sleek components would fit right into Apple's iPod line and they would. We just wish a black option was available as well especially after seeing a custom painted version.

The ZonePlayer ZP120 houses a fully fledged, 55 watt per channel, Class-D digital amplifier and weighs 5 pounds. It fills out a 3.5 inch high by 7.3 inch wide by 8.15 inch deep footprint about the size of seven DVD cases stacked on top of one another. The ZP120's die cast, matte aluminum enclosure feels far more solid and substantive than most of today's all plastic consumer electronics. It sports two pairs of high quality speaker binding posts, one set of analog stereo inputs (for attaching and playing any external device through the Sonos system), a subwoofer output, and two Ethernet ports (more on those later).

On board buttons are limited to three volume up and down and mute because the main functions are controlled remotely. With its built in amp and speaker terminals, the ZP120 needs only a pair of speakers connected to fill a room with music no other audio equipment is required. (Sonos offers the SP100 speakers, but nearly any set of unpowered speakers will suffice.) But the ZP90 ZonePlayer is intended for those rooms where there's already an audio system in place. Just about anything will do a tabletop radio, a mini system, an iPod speaker system, or a full fledged AV receiver so long as it has an auxiliary line in jack.

Because it lacks the built in amplifier, the ZonePlayer ZP90 is smaller than its big brother it measures just 2.9 by 5.4 inches square and weighs a mere 1.5 pounds. As a result, it can fit in plenty of tight spots that the larger ZonePlayer can't. The front panel offers the same sparse volume controls, but the ZP90's tiny backside is chock full of jacks in addition to analog stereo inputs and outputs, there are also two digital audio outputs (one coaxial, one optical) for single wire all digital connections. Two Ethernet jacks provide network connectivity.

Features
Sonos Digital Music System can stream a wide range of file formats from your personal music collection. With the exception of lossless WMA files, nearly all other file format standards will stream perfectly : MP3, AAC, WMA (nonloss less), Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, Apple Lossless, WAV, and AIFF files are compatible, as are Audible audio books. Since DRM (digital rights management) is, thankfully, largely a thing of the past for music purchases, the wide file compatibility means that Sonos will stream downloaded tracks bought from iTunes, Amazon, Classical.com, eMusic, Napster, WalMart, Live Downloads, and Zune Marketplace.

The only caveat is for iTunes : most of the tracks purchased from the Apple site before 2009 will still be encoded with Fairplay DRM and will not be streamable by the Sonos until and unless you "upgrade" them via the iTunes Store to the DRM free iTunes Plus version (it costs 30 cents per track, or $3 per album). Perhaps more importantly, Sonos also offers a great selection of online music services from both subscription (paid) and free sources, each of which can be accessed from the Sonos Controller without the need to have the PC powered up.

The Rhapsody, Sirius, and Napster premium services each charge a monthly fee. (All of them offer a free 30 day trial through the Sonos, available at the touch of the screen no annoying sign up process or limitations.) Last.fm and Pandora are free streaming music services (with optional step up paid versions). Nearly all of the services offer access to thousands of artists, songs, and albums across a variety of genres, available on demand or via customized "stations." In addition to importing all of your iTunes playlists, Sonos also offers its own playlists. The advantage of the latter is that you can build them from the remote and (what's really cool) mix and match your own music with some of the "rentable" tracks from the likes of Rhapsody and Napster (assuming you're a subscriber).

Vizio VF551XVT

Vizio VF551XVT's big screen LCD looks unassuming for the most part, with the standard glossy black frame surrounding the picture area. But the nondetachable speaker bar along the bottom, with its silver coloring, reflective supports, bulbous shape and see through panel exposing the wall behind the TV, assumes a bit too much, and we predict you'll either love it or hate it. We fall into the latter camp. The only external difference between Vizio VF551XVT and Vizio VF550XVT is the former's addition of an illuminated row of "tech logos" on the left hand side.

There's a menu item that promises to disable the illumination, but it didn't work on our review sample. The 55 inch Vizio VF551XVT measures 51.5 inches wide by 36 inches tall by 13.5 inches deep and weighs a svelte 90.2 pounds with stand attached. Remove the nonswiveling stand and its dimensions become 51.5 by 33.9 by 5 inches and its weight 78 pounds. We liked Vizio's large remote, with its oversize chrome colored cursor pad surrounded by well spaced, easily differentiated, yellow backlit keys.

Highlights include a section that offers direct access to different input types, "A, B, C, and D" keys for other devices, such as cable boxes, that double as picture in picture controls, and the capability to command three other devices. Many of the keys double up, but the remote handles these well we appreciate that the oft used key to control aspect ratio shares the bright red "record" key, for example.

The menu system for the XVT models squeezes onto the left side of the screen, and it's hard to mistake the bare bones graphics for a Samsung or Sony menu. We found ourselves annoyed at the fact that you can only see one parameter at a time and that too much scrolling is required to access all of the settings. On the plus side we liked the text explanations of various menu items.

Panasonic TC-P50V10

Panasonic TC-P50V10 is one sleek plasma. Its main external differentiator is what the company calls "one sheet of glass" design, where a pane of glass extends beyond the edge of the screen and over the bezel itself, leading to a seamless look that's even more impressive in person than in pictures. (It's worth noting that only the 50 and 54 inch models feature the one sheet design; the larger members of the series have the more traditional, visually separate bezel around the screen).

Panasonic TC-P50V10 series eschews the relatively bright silver fade along the bottom of the frame seen on the company's step down TC-PG10 models, instead opting for a much subtler silver accent that arcs slightly upward in the middle. We think Panasonic TC-P50V10 looks more attractive and sophisticated than the G10, and indeed it's one of the coolest looking TV designs we've seen this year. The black frame around the screen is a bit wider than that of the G10 series, leading to Panasonic TC-P50V10's slightly larger height and width dimensions (0.2 and 0.9 inch larger, respectively, on the 50 incher, for example).

The panels' depth dimension, on the other hand, is just 3.3 inches not quite as thin as Samsung's 850 series plasmas or Panasonic's own Z1, but thinner than the 4.2 inches of the G10 models. If you're keeping track, the 50 inch Panasonic TC-P50V10 also weighs 4.4 pounds more than the 50 inch G10, which is probably due to that big pane of glass. We also appreciated that the 50 inch Panasonic TC-P50V10 model's stand includes a swivel, an extra not found on less expensive Panasonic plasmas nor on the larger members of the series.

Beyond the panels and stands, the V10 models are pretty much identical in design to the G10s. The remote differs from the one found on less expensive Panasonic plasmas, and in general we liked it. Panasonic's marketing guys got to the button designers, however, and apparently mandated that an unnecessarily prominent trio of keys Viera Link, VieraCast and VieraTools appear above the central cursor control.

Each provides direct access to functions we'll warrant most users won't access as frequently as the Menu key, and the trio relegates that button to an easily overlooked spot near the top of the clicker. We still like the feel of the keys, and appreciate the size, color and shape differentiation that helps us forget that only the huge volume and channel buttons are illuminated. The remote cannot control other devices via infrared (IR) commands, but it does allow some control of compatible HDMI devices connected to the TV via Viera Link (a.k.a. HDMI-CEC).

Panasonic tweaked its menu design for 2009. The same yellow on blue color scheme is in evidence (albeit a lighter shade of blue), and navigation is basically unchanged, but the main menu actually has a couple of icons now. Overall it's still one of the more straightforward, basic looking menus on the mainstream market, but we still wish the company would see fit to include on screen explanations of selections. A new Tools menu showcases some of the TV's functions, including THX mode, Digital Cinema Color, and VieraCast.

Why defragment your computer?

We always forget to defragment of the computer. But why we must defrag over the time over and aover again. Does it really help solves our computer problem's. Some do say it does but some just format's the whole computer.

But by defraging the computer informations it does help the computer to perform better in future. Defragmenting, also referred as "defragging," reorganizes the hard drive by putting pieces of related data back together so that files are organized in a contiguous fashion.

As a result, the computer system can access files more efficiently. By efficiently organizing files and folders, defragmenting will leave the computer's free space in one piece. This will allow the new files to be saved in an orderly fashion, thereby reducing the need for future defragmentation.

As the overall size of hard drive keeps increasing, defragmenting a computer regularly may even help to increase its life-span. A system needs to work quite hard in order to collect fragmented of information across larger disks. Considering the amount of work this takes, it seems likely that defragmenting can help a hard drive last significantly longer and efficeintly.

Though some computer experts argue that today's operating systems are efficient enough to eliminate the need for defragmenting It is generally recommended that computer users defrag their systems on a regular basis. Average users will probably find that bimonthly defragmenting produces sufficient results. Users who notice a frequent loss of efficiency and speed may choose to defrag more often.

But with windows defragment it takes ages to complete a cycle but another reliable program that can do it in a nick of time even you have a larger hard drives, smart defrag it's easy as you can spell it name.

Benefit's

1. Extremely Easy to Use
Install it and forget it. This powerful, free defragmenter works continuously, automatically and quietly in the background on your PC. Its intuitive interface makes Smart Defrag the ideal utility for complete computer dummies.

2. Exceptionally Efficient Defragmentation
Smart Defrag has the world’s fastest defragmenting engine. It’s been specially designed for modern, large hard drives, so it eliminates long waiting times.

3. Optimize Disk Performance
Smart Defrag doesn’t just use simple defragmentation. It also streamlines your file system, places the frequently used files and directories into the fastest area of the disk, enabling your computer to run at top speed with the most stability.

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Smart Defrag works automatically and quietly in the background, so it continually and constantly keeps your computer fragment-free.

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Smart Defrag uses the commercial-level standard to move data and does not damage any file in your disk. Besides, unlike other "Automated" Defragmenters, Smart Defrag does NOT constantly perform analysis and defragment, which does damage your hard drive and shorten its life. Smart Defrag has a "Safe Intelligence" technology that can assure the health of your disk by deciding When and How to start defragmentation.

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combo 3 in 1, Laser pointer flashlight, ultraviolet flashlight and LED flashlight.

Ever wanted to be a CSI investigator with neat little gadget's. Now there's a new gadget for those who want's it all.

The all new LED Flashlight not only a neat and slickly flashlight it's a combination of 3 in 1. The LED flashlight is equipped with Laser pointer flashlight, ultraviolet flashlight and also a bright white led flashlight.

A combination a Sophisticated flashlight.


Description :

* A variant of laser pointer flashlight, ultraviolet flashlight and also bright led flashlight.
* Combination of 3 in 1 that makes it the best combo flashlight.
* The LED Flashlight is construction with high strength aircraft grade aluminum.
* The LED Flashlight is Small, Tough, Handy, Lightweight, easy to carry.
* Assembled with a Magnetic compass at the rear end of the flashlight.
* Uses 3 x 1.5 AAA/ UM-4 alkaline batteries.

Combination of LED:

* Single LED for the laser pointer.
* Ultraviolet uses 5 LED's
* Bright white combination of 10 LED's.

Advantages :

• LEDs present many advantages over traditional light sources including lower energy consumption, longer lifetime, improved robustness, smaller size and faster switching.
• The LED can last up to 100,000 hours (about 10 years).
• The LED Flashlight withstands shock, temperatures extremes, vibrations and frequent switching.
• The LED decreases battery cost about 90%.
• With LED reduces maintenance cost.
• Efficiency of the LEDs produces more light per watt than incandescent bulbs.
• Shock resistance as the LEDs, being solid state components, are difficult to damage with external shock, unlike fluorescent and incandescent bulbs which are fragile.
• Suitable for heavy duty applicable.
  

Packing include:

* LED Flashlight
* 4 x AAA Battery

FREE:

* Lanyard or strap
* Shipping and handling

Get 1 Today:-

USD 59.90

More Slides for LED Flashlight:

IOBit Top 5 reasons why only the IT Professionals Using it.

IObit Security 360 is an advanced malware & spyware removal utility that detects, removes the deepest infections, and protects your PC from various of potential spyware, adware, trojans, keyloggers, bots, worms, and hijackers. With the unique "Dual-Core" engine and the heuristic malware detection, IObit Security 360 detects the most complex and deepest spyware and malware in a very fast and efficient way. IObit Security 360 has a real-time
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HP Mini 311

HP Mini 311 is what you would call an oversized netbook. It's about the same size as the ASUS EeePC 1101HA, Acer Aspire One (A0751h), and Gateway LT3103u in that they all have 11.6 inch widescreens. At 3.3 pounds, it's the heaviest among its peers, although the differences are small. HP Mini 311 is the prettiest though, as HP's signature imprints against a white background is delightful to look at. A black version is also available, though darker colors are usually a magnet for fingerprints and smudges.

Alternatively, the Toshiba NB205 and HP Mini 5101 use textures and metals, respectively, to enhance their looks, as well as repel unsightly smudges. HP Mini 311 is a bigger netbook than the Toshiba NB205 because it houses a bigger screen. Although 11.6 inch widescreens are building momentum in the netbook space, they, along with a 1.366 by 768 resolution, are still tough finds. Most 10 inch netbooks default to a lower, 1.024 by 768 resolution. Likewise, the Asus 1101HA, Gateway LT3103u, and Acer A0751h have matching screen sizes and resolutions.

They're not even the biggest netbooks screens. Both the Lenovo IdeaPad S12 and Samsung NC20 (21GBK) use 12 inch widescreens and 1.280 by 800 resolutions. What makes HP Mini 311 special is that it runs an Nvidia chipset instead of the Intel chipset found on every other netbook on the market. It still needs a CPU, though. The 1.66GHz Intel Atom N280 is a commonly used netbook processor, which means in terms of raw horsepower, the Mini 311 isn't that far ahead of other netbooks. Video encoding tests finished in 4 minutes 54 seconds, which is about as fast the Toshiba NB205 (4:45) and Lenovo S12 (4:40).

It's the fastest among its 11 inch peers, since the Asus 1101HA and Acer A0751h run on a more inferior Atom Z520 processor and the the Gateway LT3103u opts for an AMD low voltage CPU. HP Mini 311 has more oomph when it comes to graphics performance. The ION LE is basically a stripped down version of the Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics chipset the same chipset found in the Apple MacBook Air (Nvidia 9400GM). The "LE" portion means that support for Direct X is downgraded from 10 to 9.

Its scores on 3DMark06, which I ran just to see what the performance would be, were in the same ball park as the MacBook Air and annihilated those of its netbook counterparts. Despite these 3D benchmark scores, the combination of the Atom processor and lack of a Direct X 10 capable graphics chipset crippled games like World in Conflict and Crysis both of these games lagged to the point where they were unplayable. Games like World of Warcraft and Mini Ninjas, which have lower graphics requirements, were lag free and absolutely playable.

The gravy was supposed to be in high definition playback. I tested several HD movie clips on HP Mini 311, as well as playing them to the Samsung LN55A950 HDTV. It handled all of my 720p and 1080i (24 fps) clips with great color accuracy, good picture detail, and they didn't suffer from any lag. When playing 1080p (24fps) movie clips in H264 and WMV formats, however, there was noticeable lag. Let's just say it wasn't a smooth experience. And even though its 6 cell, 53Wh battery is roughly the same capacity as the one found in the Toshiba NB205 and HP 5101, its score of 5 hours 29 minutes on MobileMark 2007 is about 2 to 3 hours less than that of the competition.

Still, more than 5 hours of battery life is very respectable. By netbook standards, HP Mini 311 is reasonably priced and offers features most netbooks lack. You're paying a small premium for a netbook that has an HDMI port and can drive 1080p resolutions to a bigger display. Though it didn't deliver on 1080p playback, it handled 720p and 1080i videos better than netbooks with Intel based graphics. For those who were hoping to make a gaming netbook out of this, think again. High end 3D games are still best played on full fledged laptops.