Until recently, Blu-ray players have been unaffordable by most middle-class and lower-class consumers. But we’ve seen them dropping to the $150-$200 range of late, and now that Black Friday ads are busting out all over, it looks like the day-after-Thanksgiving is going to be most consumers’ best opportunity to jump on the Blu-ray bandwagon, with prices dropping as low as $100 and even lower. Which ones offer the best value? These are my three picks, but read carefully…
Costco is offering Vizio’s VBR110 Blu-ray player for $99 on Black Friday. It’s important to note that the VBR110 is considered an “entry …read more

Digital photo frames are a hot item this holiday season, and more and more, we’re seeing clever new twists on the concept that add netbook-like functions to the device. eStarling has announced a new version of its frame that adds the ability to receive video via WiFi in mere seconds.

The WPF-588 eStarling 802.11n Touchscreen Connected Digital Frame (yeesh, mouthful much?) comes with a unique Gmail address to be used for sending and receiving digital media. As the name suggests, eStarling has adopted the new WiFi standard, 802.11n, to allow connection speeds of up to 150 megabits and a range of …read more

I just watched an episode of Modern Marvels recently that was talking about 80’s Tech. Now I see an article on PC World about the 25 Funniest Tech Ads and it’s all like a flashback to some weird history experiment.

Can you believe how far we’ve come in such a short time? It really wasn’t "that" long ago that these ads were being seen in current issues of the latest magazines and newspapers. Oh wait, you remember newspapers don’t you? Maybe it was a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.
Get a good laugh yourself with PC World’s …read more

Though only a handful of tablet PCs have been released so far, everyone believes 2010 is going to be the Year of the Tablet. Apple’s long-awaited device will undoubtedly be at the forefront, though Microsoft’s dual-paned Courier project looks highly impressive. Manufacturer ICD has added a new entrant to the race that looks mighty impressive.

Boasting a huge, 15.6″ touchscreen and tons of powerful built-in technology, the Vega tablet has a lot to live up to. Plus, it’s got a sleek design that begs to be handled.
Let’s look at the specs:

runs on Android 2.0
1366 x 768 resolution
resistive touchscreen display
overall size: 373mm …read more

Don’t know about you, but I always find myself worrying about that 50 lb. weight limit for my luggage when I travel. It’s even more troublesome on the return trip, because I almost always wind up with more in my suitcase when I come home! Digigrip aims to alleviate those worries before you ever get to the airport, by weighing your luggage for you automatically.

An inventor named Niklas Danielsson came up with this clever idea. All you do is press a button on the handle, and lift the bag. A backlit LCD display shows you how much your bags weigh. …read more

A dedicated hardware box is on the way for open-source PC-to-TV media player Boxee. Details are few, but here’s what we know.

Boxee is a free software platform that combines your personal media (like photos, videos, and music) with Internet-only video and music (such as YouTube or Hulu content), and social networking. It’s touted as easy to use to access all different forms of media with a single remote control, but to do any of it, you first have to connect your computer to your television. The fact that it’s both free and open source has made it a fast favorite …read more

Panasonic has a new toy, just in time for Christmas. It combines an audio system with an embedded photo frame and an iPod dock.

The Panasonic MW-10 has a built-in CD player and an FM/AM radio tuner with a 45-station preset memory. It comes with a “universal dock” that works with any iPod, and will play your saved music and videos. It also has a remote control that can play your iPod when it’s docked.
What sets it apart is its 9″ LCD screen, which can display photos from a CD, SD card, or the MW-10’s own 4GB of internal memory. When …read more

Yep, I’ll admit it. I would peel the stickers off or completely break it apart to get it solved. The original Rubik’s Cube was all the rage back in the 80’s and now they’ve released a new version fit for the high-tech world we live in now.

The Rubik’s TouchCube brings the fun and challenge of the original Rubik’s Cube to the 21’s century. Using a grid of 45 LED backlit light squares, you can perform every action you could with the original cube, but with no moving parts. And in my case, no stickers or plastic blocks to take apart …read more

November 2010, for less than $100. Is it possible the holy grail of gaming peripherals known as Project Natal will be available at such a low price?
The November ‘10 release date lines up with information that’s been making the rounds since the device was first announced, but this is the first time a price has been mentioned.

This information comes from a spy report published by gaming trade mag MCV. The report goes on to say that Microsoft is readying 5 million units to meet the demand when Natal goes on sale November 2010, and that at least 14 game titles …read more

The idea is so simple and obvious, it’s a wonder no one thought of it before: a device that scans book pages and then reads them out loud. Sounds like a perfect marriage, and a must-have gadget for the visually impaired. The problem? Intel’s insane asking price.

The Intel Reader is a very smart idea. The paperback-sized device takes 5 megapixel images of any printed text and then reads them out loud. It runs on Intel’s Atom processor and is said to operate as simple as point-and-shoot. It’s designed for use by not only the visually impaired, but anyone with a …read more