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Maingear Axess-HD Gamer: Get your game on in the living room
By Darren Quick
21:34 June 21, 2009 PDT
Maingear has added some gaming grunt to its line of high end Home Theater PCs (HTPCs) in the form the Axess-HD Gamer. Just like its stable mates, the Axess-HD and HD PRO, the HD Gamer sports a low profile design with aluminum case and optional OLED Front Panel Display that is designed to blend in with other home theater components. However, behind that stylish exterior lies a system built for gaming, an intention made more obvious by the inclusion of the Phantom Lapboard as standard. Read More
Media streamers – the future of home entertainment
By Paul Lester
19:00 June 21, 2009 PDT
In the not too distant future, the most essential set-top box for the modern home will not be the Blu-ray player, freeview box or even a satellite or cable receiver, but the home media streamer. While still at a relatively early stage of development, a streamer offers a similar service to the humble MP3 player in its ability to support playback of digital media formats, most notably video. So what exactly do these devices do, why are they so special and what do you need to look for before making your purchase? Read More
No PC required: Brando SATA HDD adapter plays media straight out of the box
By Alan Brandon
18:29 June 17, 2009 PDT
If you like your gadgets to be functional but without all that fussy “styling” or aesthetic design, the Brando SATA HDD Multi-Media Player Adapter may be for you. This no-frills adapter is literally a black box device that lets you play media files from a SATA hard disk, SDHC card or USB storage device on your TV – without the need to use a computer. Read More
World’s first portable Blu-ray player claims a second first
By Darren Quick
03:16 June 17, 2009 PDT
The Panasonic DMP-B15, the world’s first portable Blu-ray player that first caught our interest at CES 2009, can lay claim to another first. It is also the world’s first Blu-ray player with DivX Certification. DivX compression technology enables over six hours of high-quality DivX video to fit on just one DVD without sacrificing visual quality. So even if your Blu-ray library is a little undersized, you might have to go for the optional 6-hour battery over the standard issue 3-hour job to make the most of your programming options. Read More
Toshiba introduces LED TV with local dimming and motion enhancement
By Darren Quick
00:34 June 15, 2009 PDT
Toshiba’s flagship REGZA SV670 series that first caught our eye at CES 2009 is set to hit stores alongside the REGZA XV648 and ZV650 series. The SV670 is Toshiba’s first-ever LED-backlit HDTV and incorporates the company's FocaLight Full Matrix LED with local dimming instead of the standard edge LED lighting used in many other LED TVs. This ability to turn off individual groups of LEDs where required allows the SV670 to achieve deep blacks without sacrificing peak brightness and according to Toshiba, delivers a dynamic contrast ration of 2,000,000:1. Read More
NEC puts the wow into work with its $8000 curved display
By Darren Quick
01:34 June 5, 2009 PDT
NEC’s CRV43 ultra-widescreen curved monitor is one of those bits of tech that's definitely drool-worthy and likely to put some real wow into the workplace. The 43-inch curved display is essentially four digital light processing (DLP) monitors stitched together with LED backlighting to deliver an impressive set of numbers - 2880x900 double WXGA native resolution, 0.02 second response time, 200 cd/m2 brightness and 10,000:1 contrast ratio. First unveiled at CES in January 2008, the monitor will go on the market next month. All you need is a cool USD$8000 and it's yours to drool over. Read More
PC-in-a-vase does compute
By Darren Quick
02:40 June 4, 2009 PDT
Here at Gizmag we've covered some unusual gadgets over the years, but a computer hidden in a vase? What at first might sound like a joke, actually makes sense when you consider the once-humble PC is arguably more at home in the living room than the study as digital content and media have grown. Computer manufacturers have obliged by producing PCs designed to blend tastefully with the décor – but none of them blend as seamlessly as the PC-in–a-vase from Taiwanese manufacturer ECS. Read More
Balancing act: Dell's new Studio 14z laptop
By Darren Quick
02:25 June 2, 2009 PDT
Dell has set out to strike a balance between portability and multimedia performance with its new Studio 14z laptop. The result is a 4.3 pound, 1.2-inches thick machine with a 14-inch 16:9 HD display, 4W audio output, dual headphone jacks, a choice of Intel processors (from Pentium Dual Core to Core 2 Duo T9550), integrated NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics, up to 5GB of RAM and an option of a 500GB HDD. Read More
JVC monitor fully in the picture
By David Greig
19:30 May 27, 2009 PDT
JVC has just released a 42-inch HD LCD monitor, the Xiview LT-42WX70, designed specifically for high-end digital SLR camera buffs and professionals alike. The 120Hz, 180p monitor lets pro or enthusiast see – and play with – the subtle colors, details and textures of their images. Read More
LG's Wi-Fi enabled BD390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player
By Darren Quick
23:36 May 21, 2009 PDT
At CES earlier this year LG signaled its intention to release stablemates for its first entry into the Blu-ray player market, the BD300. Having already delivered the BD370 earlier this year, LG continues to expand its Blu-ray offerings with the BD390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player. The new player includes all the bells and whistles of the BD370 and adds expanded online content, wireless connectivity and 1GB of built-in storage to the mix. Read More
PENTAX announces advanced K-7 digital SLR
By Alan Brandon
21:36 May 21, 2009 PDT
PENTAX has announced its new flagship DSLR camera, the K-7. The K-7 brings welcome updates to the PENTAX digital SLR line, and now offers many of the features that photo enthusiasts have come to expect from a high-end DSLR, including a redesigned body, a new 14.6-megapixel image sensor, and the ability to shoot HD video. Read More
Samsung’s 70 Series LCD monitors perfect for work and play
By Darren Quick
22:03 May 10, 2009 PDT
Samsung is definitely getting its money’s worth out of the manufacturing process that produces its proprietary high-gloss Touch of Color (ToC) finish. ToC can be found on everything from the company's latest TVs to its latest camcorders. Now computer monitors can be added to that list with the release of the 70 Series monitors. The new LCD monitors not only boast a crystal-like bezel with ToC finish, but also they feature the contrast and response of Samsung’s LCD TVs, making them ideal for watching TV as well as displaying the office spreadsheet or playing games. Read More
MSi gx laptops get turbo boost
By Darren Quick
04:53 May 7, 2009 PDT
If there’s one button that could possibly be more tempting than “do not press”, it's the one with “turbo” written on it. Perhaps recognizing this MSi has included a turbo button on its new GX623 and GX633 laptops that ramps up the speed of the CPU when the laptops are connected to mains power. If instead you’re looking for reduced power consumption and longer battery life, MSi’s ECO Engine can cycle through a range of power setting tweaks at the touch of a button. Read More
JVC launches flicker-free 3D TV
By Darren Quick
00:28 May 6, 2009 PDT
It certainly looks like those who enjoy a third dimension in their onscreen entertainment will be spoilt for choice in the not-too-distant future. Following the establishment of several full-scale 3D movie production and distribution companies in 2008, Hollywood has more than 20 3D movies in the pipeline this year. In the meantime, JVC has launched a 46-inch Full HD 3D LCD monitor – initially for professional use – that will deliver "a natural, flicker-free visual experience" in 3D. Read More
Genius G-Shot HD520 easy on the pocket in more ways than one
By Darren Quick
20:59 May 3, 2009 PDT
If you’re in the market for a camcorder that isn’t too hard on the pocket when it comes to both size and cost, then the Genius G-Shot HD520 could be just the thing for you. Capable of capturing 11-megapixel still images or 5-megapixel video in MPEG-4/H.264 format, the camcorder has a pistol-grip form that is compact enough to slip into a pocket and carries a comfortable USD$149 price tag that is sure to appeal in these economically uncertain times. Read More
New Samsung TV range promises to change the way we watch TV
By Darren Quick
23:13 April 13, 2009 PDT
Late last month Samsung announced the launch of a new LED TV category of flat-panel TVs that the company says marks a "transformative" moment in the TV industry, promising to revolutionize the way we watch TV. No, that doesn’t mean we’ll be standing on our heads or hanging from the rafters to get our TV fix. What has Samsung excited is the inclusion of a number of networking features that are designed to allow easy access to information and content either on the internet or stored on a PC. Read More
Timeline series notebooks lead Acer's product avalanche
By Darren Quick
01:10 April 9, 2009 PDT
Looks like Acer’s product developers have been slamming down the Red Bulls with a raft of new products being announced including the Timeline energy-efficient series of notebooks, the first small-form-factor PC based around NVIDIA’s Ion platform, a new netbook, and a notebook or three. Let’s get to it. Read More
Samsung launches first WiMAX-enabled mobile internet device
By Darren Quick
23:07 April 2, 2009 PDT
One of the new releases attracting a lot of attention at CTIA is the Samsung SWD-M100 Mondi, a mobile WiMAX enabled handheld device that is designed for use with the Clear mobile WiMAX service from Clearwire. The touch screen Mondi includes a slide out lower lip QWERTY keypad and, according to Samsung, ‘many of the powerful features and uses of a laptop computer or netbook,’ in a unit that fits in your pocket. Read More
AMD claims world’s most powerful GPU with the ATI Radeon HD 4890
By Darren Quick
19:57 April 2, 2009 PDT
To meet the ever increasing graphical demands of modern games AMD has introduced the ATI Radeon HD 4890 graphics card that boasts a staggering 1.36 TeraFLOPs of compute power, GDDR5 memory, and engine clock speeds capable of nearly 1GHz. Read More
OnLive streams HD games to any old PC or Mac
By Darren Quick
01:03 March 27, 2009 PDT
Cloud computing is a concept that has been touted as the next generation technology for some time and with major players such as Google, Microsoft and Apple now heartily embracing the idea it seems its time has finally come. While the advantages of the approach have long been recognized, the Internet speeds required to make it feasible have meant that cloud computing has remained a blip on the horizon until recently. But with high speed connections becoming more and more available around the world companies are rushing to get on the cloud bandwagon lest they be left behind and miss out on the ‘next big thing’. And it’s not just the standard office applications like word processing, spreadsheets and databases that are making the move. The world of gaming could also be headed for a shake up as Palo Alto-based OnLive tests the water in providing on-demand games streaming over a broadband connection. Read More
Canon EOS Rebel T1i: HD video at a third the price of the EOS 5D Mark II
00:05 March 26, 2009 PDT
Digital SLR cameras featuring HD video capture have burst onto the market in recent months and Canon has now put this functionality within reach of a much wider audience by including 1080p recording in the latest addition to its entry level Rebel range. The new EOS Rebel T1i Digital SLR sports a 15.1 megapixel CMOS sensor, DIGIC 4 Imaging Processor, nine-point Autofocus, a 3.0-inch LCD and shoots 1080p video at 20 fps and 720p HD video capture at 30 fps. The best bit - at USD$800 (body only) it's around a third of the price of the HD video capable EOS 5D Mark II released in September last year. Read More
Kogan announces Kevin37 HDTV to coincide with economic stimulus package
By Tim Hanlon
17:15 March 4, 2009 PST
Like many governments around the world, Australia's leaders are pouring taxpayer dollars into the economy via stimulus packages designed to counter the effects of the global economic downturn. In Australia, this translates to tax-free payments of AUD$900 destined for the bank accounts of those who earned under AUD$100,000 in the 07-08 financial year. The idea is for consumers to spend the money, and Kogan has cleverly capitalized on what's been dubbed the "flat-screen TV bonus" with the announcement of their "High Definition Stimulus" - a $900, 37-inch 720p HDTV called "Kevin37". Read More
Samsung launches AMOLED screened comapct digital camera
By Matt Kennedy
23:46 February 25, 2009 PST
Samsung Electronics seem to be busy beavers of late, with new products landing on the shelves all over the place. The latest releases, just in time for PMA09, are the TL320 and HZ15W, the former featuring a hi-tech, hi-res three-inch AMOLED screen and the latter, a class beating 10x optical zoom. Read More
The Allio Lite TV/PC combo
By Tim LeFevre
18:15 February 22, 2009 PST
Silicon Mountain Holdings has announced the release of the Allio Lite, the latest offering from their range of popular Allio converged LCD HDTV/PC... and it's at a lower price point. The Allio Lite is available in a 42-inch 1080p model or a 32-inch 720p model, and features the same selection of inputs (2 x HDMI, 1 x s-video & audio, 1 x DVI, 2 x component, 6 USB, 1 x eSATA) and outputs (1 x HDMI, 1 x optical audio) as the original Allio models. Read More
Dell adds a Mini 10 to the Inspiron Mini line-up
By Tim Hanlon
17:41 February 19, 2009 PST
Dell has announced a 10-inch model to join it's Mini line-up, the Inspiron Mini 10. Weighing in at 2.86 lbs (1.3 kgs), the Mini 10 features a multi-touch trackpad with gesture support, an HDMI output, and a 92% keyboard that solves two common netbook keyboard issues by adding a properly sized right Shift key, and not putting a Function key where you expect the left Control key to be. Read More
Celeste H Calabro
- July 5, 2009 @ 22:20 UTC
