DBC Network

Monday 8 November 2010

gadget maniac | HP Pavilion dv7t Core i3 laptop only $599 with free hard drive upgrade

HP Pavilion dv7t Core i3 laptop only $599 with free hard drive upgrade

Here’s LogicBUY’s latest gadget deal of the day for a HP Pavilion dv7t laptop. Equipped with a 17.3-inch diagonal HD screen, Dolby audio with Altec Lansing speakers, the Pavilion dv7 is ready to handle all your entertainment and demanding productivity needs.

The HP Pavilion dv7 laptop is fully customizable. This thin bodied notebook features an Intel Core i3 processor, 4GB DDR3 memory (support up to 8GB) and with today’s deal you will automatically receive a 500GB upgraded hard drive. Other key features include HDMI, eSATA, 5-in-1 card reader and TruVision HD webcam. Optional upgrades on the HP dv7 includes Core i5 / Quad Core i7 CPU, up to 2TB 5200RPM Hard Drive / 160GB SSD, Blu-ray ROM / Blu-ray +/-R/RW, 9-cell battery, and more.

This latest deal offers you a grand total of just $599 shipped. Click directly the link above for more pricing info on upgrades and customisable features.




gadegt maniac | New PMP enters Galaxy lineup: Samsung Galaxy Player 50

New PMP enters Galaxy lineup: Samsung Galaxy Player 50




It seems that the Galaxy brand from Samsung will soon be getting more devices in near future and the latest news suggests it will be a portable media player. Upcoming portable media player from Samsung named Galaxy Player 50 will have lots of features to offer and will also be powered by Android too.


The Samsung Galaxy Player 50 comes with a 3.2-inch display that will be able to handle all sorts of video files, and speaking of video files, Galaxy Player 50 will support DivX, H.264 video file formats as well as your standard audio and video formats.

As for the storage space, there will be two models of Galaxy Player 50 available on the market, the one with 8 GB of internal memory and the one with 16 GB of storage space. In addition, this device will feature a two megapixel camera and it will have 802.11b/g/n WiFi connectivity.

Of course, Galaxy Player 50 will have all sorts of Google apps available on it such as Google Maps Navigation and Gmail. In addition, there will be a ton of many other apps available as well since Galaxy Player 50 will have access to the Android Market.

As you can see, the Samsung Galaxy Player 50 will have plenty of premium PMP functions, there are not many portable devices at the moment that boast a combination of all these, probably the iPod Touch is one which will come to everyone’s mind. Unfortunately there aren’t many other information available just yet, therefore price and its release date will remain unconfirmed until later on.

[via Ubergizmo]


gadget maniac | Samsung Galaxy Tab

Coming Soon: Samsung Galaxy Tab


Many great devices have been seen from Samsung and now is the time for the Samsung’s new tablet Samsung Galaxy Tab. There is still no official release date but according to the JK Shin, president of the Samsung’s Mobile division we should see in the third quarter of this year.

So what will the Samsung Galaxy Tab have to offer? Samsung Galaxy Tab has a 7-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen display that should work perfectly both indoors and outdoors. This display should be perfect for this hot summer days because it works the same regardless of amount of light. This tablet comes with 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A8 processor that will handle all of your applications with ease. Samsung Galaxy Tab comes with 16 GB of internal storage space that will be enough for most of the users but if you require more space, you can easily expand it via a microSDHC card slot up to 32 GB. As for the battery, this model comes with 4,000mAh battery that should provide enough working hours.


When it comes to tablets not everything is related to hardware power therefore in order to provide decent competition to its rivals, Samsung has equipped this model with the latest version of Android OS 2.2. In addition, Samsung Galaxy Tab comes with ebook reader application and with magazine content.

Overall, Samsung Galaxy Tab looks like a great tablet with great specifications that will surely offer many things to its users. Price of this model is not available yet and we’re hoping to see this model before the end of June.

[via Techfresh]



gadegt maniac : Our iPod Nano free gadget giveaway contest ends tonight


gadegt maniac : Our iPod Nano free gadget giveaway contest ends tonight

Just a friendly reminder to anyone who haven’t yet taken part or used all of your ten entries that you still have sometime to take part. Our iPod Nano free gadget giveaway ends tonight 20:00 GMT. Remember this is the newly released, sixth generation, iPod Nano 16GB version with multitouch screen. Do let us know when you enter your comment the colour that you’d prefer! To take part or read the full instructions, click over to Free gadget giveaway: Win a new sixth gen 16GB iPod Nano.


gadget maniac | Pocket-lint Gadget Awards tickets go on sale



gadget maniac | Pocket-lint Gadget Awards tickets go on sale

The date of the 7th annual Pocket-lint Gadget Awards ceremony has been confirmed as 8 December 2010.

This year's event will be at the Apollo Cinema in Haymarket, as The Pocket-lint Awards - the longest-running in the UK - announces the world's best gadgets and gizmos from the past year.

Pocket-lint's vigorous vetting process means that all the gadgets up for nomination will have been seen by a member of the Pocket-lint team, and will have been available in the UK between December 2009 and December 2010.

The awards, voted by a panel of leading gadget journalists from around the world, including the staff from the Pocket-lint team, will decide the real must-have gadgets of the year, rather than those simply deemed cool or anticipated. This is the definitive guide for consumers looking to buy gadgets.

Nominations for the award categories are being taken now and the final list of nominees (five per category) will be announced on Monday 8 November. The winners will be announced at the Awards party on 8 December 2009.

Ticket details

Tickets are now on sale for the event, but, because the gala presentation is limited to just 165 places, it is limited to gadget, tech and other related industry members only.

Sorry, loyal Pocket-lint readers. However, we will be publishing the results after the ceremony for you to check out. And some of your own nominations have been well received, plus we will soon publish other ways that you can get involved, including voting for your favourites alongside the experts.

Industry members, however, are welcome to buy tickets to the Pocket-lint Gadget Awards as of now, and they can bring guests of their company (as long as they buy extras).

Do be quick though, as they will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

So, just to recap:

What: The 7th Pocket-lint Gadget Awards

Where: The Apollo Cinema, Haymarket

When: 5pm Wednesday 8 December

Dress: Smart casual (not black tie)

Price: £30 a ticket or £120 for 5 tickets.

Drinks/nibbles: Included

What you need to do now

Give us a ring or send us an email via feedback at Pocket-lint.com with numbers and invoice address, we can then invoice you for the number of tickets you need. Don't forget we've only got 165 spaces, so be quick.

Sunday 7 November 2010

gadget maniac | Powergorilla Portable Charger: Perfect solution for all your devices


gadget maniac | Powergorilla Portable Charger: Perfect solution for all your devices

If you’re using a lot of portable devices, a portable charger is the right thing for you to keep your devices filled with power even if you’re on a go. If you’re looking for a portable charger, check out this new model from Powergorilla.

Powergorilla Portable Charger is perfect for you if you’re always on the go because it can provide up to 20 hours of power for smartphones, MP3 players or portable media players. Besides that, you can use this charger with your laptop and provide it with two to five hours of power. Powergorilla Portable Charger is easy to use and it supports several different voltages: 5V, 8.4V, 9.5V, 12V, 16V, 19V or 24V. In order to use it, you just need to select the desired voltage, connect it to your charger and you’re good to go.

In addition, this charger comes with security features such as output auto-lock, voltage limitation, short circuit protection, protection from overcharge, and overheat protection. If you’re interested, Powergorilla Portable Charger is priced at £150 ($236).


gadget maniac | StumbleUpon app for Android updated with App Discovery Read more: StumbleUpon app for Android updated with App Discovery | GadgetLite



gadget maniac | StumbleUpon app for Android updated with App Discovery Read more: StumbleUpon app for Android updated with App Discovery

StumbleUpon is a popular service for discovering new sites on both computers and smartphones. Hence, StumbleUpon has released an App Discovery feature for Android OS, so let’s see how it works in actions.

As for this feature, you’ll get it right from the StumbleUpon app once it updates, and the only thing you’ll need to do is to log in with your StumbleUpon account and you’re good to go. After you log in, the app will ask you to scan your phone for existing apps, and after that, you’ll get the complete list of recommended applications along with descriptions, screenshots, and Android Market star ratings, so you can vote right from the app.


However, this app isn’t using your current topics from your StumbleUpon account. We’re hoping this will be changed in future. In addition, this feature comes with unresponsive UI. But with tiny touchscreen buttons, it really makes the usage a lot harder than it should be.

As for the App Discovery, it’s available on Android Market right now.


gadget maniac | Google Instant Beta available for Android OS and iOS Read more: Google Instant Beta available for Android OS and iOS | GadgetLite - L



gadget maniac | Google Instant Beta available for Android OS and iOS Read more: Google Instant Beta available for Android OS and iOS | GadgetLite - L

We’ve already seen how Google Instant allows us to perform searches faster on our computers. Now Google has introduced Google Instant Beta version for mobile phone, so let’s check out what it has to offer.

All you have to do in order to use this feature is to visit Google’s webpage and turn this feature on. Simply press the searchbox, it will snap to the top of the screen so you can see the results better. As you type, you’ll get a list of suggestions and a live preview of your search results down below. Thanks to the AJAX and HTML5 implementation, you’ll see the updated search results automatically without the need to refresh the page ever again.


Although Google Instant for mobile phone is still in the beta phase, it works great. It can save a lot of time when searching, and it’s completely free of charge. In order to use it, you’ll need to have Android OS 2.2 installed. Google Instant is available for iOS as well.


gadget today | Fake Steve Jobs Promotes New Macbook Air Wannabe

Fake Steve Jobs Promotes New Macbook Air Wannabe

After Apple launches the all-new Macbook Air, the knockoff makers today unveil their 10-inch Macbook Air wannabe, but it doesn’t get long lasting battery and flash storage. However, here we have a fake Steve Jobs introducing the machine. This is totally a piece of crap.

We don’t think we could call this machine as a MacBook Air knockoff. First, it does not come in 11 inch or 13 inch size, it just boasts a 10-inch display (1024 X 600), and powered by a crappy 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N450 processor with GMA 3150 graphics (what??), includes only 1GB RAM, 160GB hard-drive (WTF?), 1.3 megapixels webcam (sorry, not FaceTime), HDMI output (yeah!), 2 USB ports, SD card slot and supports 3G. For its battery, you can choose to have 2200mAh or 3800mAh but you will never get up to 30 days of standby juice. The price? Just 1380 yuan (around $197). That’s waaaaaaaay cheaper than the original.

It does not have an Apple logo, just a clean lid. Oh, it weighs 1.1 kg and measures 276 x 188 x 26mm.

It’s equipped with a black chiclet keyboard which looks pretty weird to us. Not as nice as the original.

Here’s the silly ad on its website.

gadget maniac | Cheap Android tablets for the holidays



gadget maniac | Cheap Android tablets for the holidays

Android tablets have been making their way onto the scene left and right. This holiday season, a lot of kids and spouses alike are going to be begging and pleading for a tablet of their very own. This leaves a lot of parents in a bind as many of the tablets making their way to the market are typically carrying a weighty price tag of $400 and up. Below is a list of Android tablets available for below the $300 price mark.

While the price tags may look lovely and have little effect on your bank account, these will not launch you into the future, and could leave you wanting for more. The higher up on the list you focus, the better the outcome will be. The lower you look on the list, the more sacrifices you will make for the more appealing price.


1. Archos 70 ($279 pending release from Archos, likely Best Buy)

Where it excels: The Archos 70 offers an affordable capacitive touchscreen, a front-facing camera, and Android 2.2 for a fairly decent price of $274.99. Archos is notable for their great hardware (minus the resistive touchscreens in previous models), and I expect this to be just as good or better. The 70 has a 7-inch TFT LCD display with 800 by 480 pixel resolution, an expandable microSD card slot, HDMI output, built-in kickstand, and offers comparable battery life to the iPad.

Where most sub-$300 Android tablets offer Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, the Archos 70 adds an additional support for Wi-Fi N. Also, where most of those tablets will be running Android 2.1 and below with little to no hope of ever getting a taste of that sweet, sweet Froyo, the 70 ships with it, and I wouldn't be surprised at all if it receives future updates as Archos has always been pretty good about updating their firmware.

Where it stumbles: The price, while still relatively cheap compared to many of the other competing Android tablets, is still pretty high. It's low enough to be considered “cheap” but in comparison to the other “cheap” tablets, this hits the high mark. Also, Archos has removed access to Android Market from the device. You are limited to Archos' lightweight market of their own by the name of AppsLib. There were ways to get around this and install Android Market on the previous versions, so there is always hope.

The verdict: For the price, the Archos 70 brings most of the things we were hoping to see in the other sub-$300 devices. The Internet browsing on it should be par and the battery life should be nice as well. Archos has removed the Market for their own library that lacks many features that most of you will be looking for in the tablet in the first place.

For $274.99, you can't really find better. The 70 is the only tablet in that price range running a current version of Android and sporting a capacitive touchscreen.

2. Huawei Ideos S7 ($299.99 from Best Buy on November 7)

Where it excels: For a decent price of $299.99, you're getting the closest thing to a higher-quality tablet that you can. It has a 7-inch HD display, 1 GHz Snapdragon processor, 8 GB internal memory with 512 MB RAM, Android 2.1, and a nice, sturdy built-in kickstand. It comes with a custom UI from Huawei that doesn't look bad at all.

The screen is clear and crisp and plays in HD. Other than that, it's hard to say due to very little specifications being listed about it. I have hit up the local Best Buy and snagged a Buyer's Guide which really doesn't tell a whole lot about it, so this one is a bit of a shot in the dark.

Where it stumbles: Rather than having a preferred capacitive display, it wears a burdened resistive touchscreen, but is apparently pretty responsive. Even Engadget mistook the resistive screen as capacitive if that says anything. It is also more expensive than any other device on the list and barely made it due to that.

The verdict: It comes in second due to its slightly higher price tag and running Android 2.1 versus 2.2. I know that's software that can ultimately be upgraded later on, but we all know how Android updates go. They're normally long and drawn out, taking months of push-backs before any real result occurs. The resistive touchscreen really is a tablet killer for me. I've had an Android tablet with a resistive touchscreen and it was a hassle a lot of the time. Also, there isn't any word on whether Android Market is available on the S7 or not.

3. Nook Color ($249 pending November release from Barnes & Noble)

Where it excels: E-reading is obviously this tablet's game. For $249, Barnes & Noble has ventured away from the sole e-reader and made this upcoming device into the perfect e-reader/tablet combo. Little is known about this puppy thus far, but there is talk of it having third-party application support. This will be primarily for the Internet browsing, word consuming, book worm.

There will also be support for children's books with this device. Where the Kindle and other e-readers fail with support for playful, colorful children's book, the Nook Color will dominate, for now. It comes preloaded with some Android applications out-of-box like Pandora and Lonely Planet.

Where it stumbles: Not being built primarily with e-reader in mind, we're not going to see that superior battery life that they have been known to sport. This device is rated at 8-hour battery life while reading with Wi-Fi off. It also isn't going to be for a power user. This is aimed mainly at people looking to consume whether it be via video, e-magazine subscriptions, books, or Internet blogs. Gaming and such will probably be doable with third-party support, but not ideal.

The verdict: For the price, it isn't bad. Generally, all I want a tablet for is browsing and reading anyway. Games are fun, but I buy them and never find myself using them. That's why I have a console at home. For tablet and reading purposes, this may be perfect for the college kid looking to save on book costs their next semester, middle to high school students looking for a personal media player with extended capabilities, or even mom and dad wanting to surf the web from the couch while listening to some Pandora radio.

It's a bit of a gamble to buy this hoping for a full Android experience, but it technically does run Android.

4. Cherrypal's CherryPad ($188 from CherryPal)

(Note: This is where the slope becomes slippery, the price appropriately represents quality decrease.)

Where it excels: For the relatively low price of $188, you can own Cherrypal's iPad-esque CherryPad. The CherryPad sports a 7-inch resistive touchscreen, 2GB of flash storage with an expandable microSD slot, a 800MHz ARM11 processor, with Android 2.1. The firmware should also be updated to 2.2 in the future, but with companies like this, you probably wont see any timely updates.
Within this price range, you typically see a 600 MHz processor, but the CherryPad is packed with a slightly faster 800 MHz. Still, it's nothing to write home about, nor are you going to be browsing the Internet at breakneck speeds.

Where it stumbles: The resistive touchscreen should be an instant turnoff to any self-respecting Android user, but for a sub-$200 price tag, that is what you have to expect. Resistive touchscreens with Android never seem to play well. It's usable, but in every way a nuisance. You have to use your fingernail or apply a lot of pressure to get the touch to register. Many times you will find yourself repeatedly pressing an icon trying to launch an application.

The design is a blatant iPad knock-off, but with much cheaper hardware. The bezel surrounding the screen is made of a cheap plastic and easily dented, and depresses easily with a press of the finger.

The verdict: If the name doesn't turn you away automatically, the cheap hardware and resistive touchscreen should. However, if you're looking below the $200 range, this appears to be your best bet.

5. Maylong M-150 ($129.99 from Walgreens online store)

Where it excels: The Maylong M-150 is fairly priced at $129.99, and you will definitely get your 130 dollars' worth, nothing more. This excels by keeping your wallet padded while getting your Android fix in your hands.

Where it stumbles: The specifications listed on Walgreens' website doesn't list what version of Android this wallet-friendly tablet sports, but it does show a custom UI in the picture. The UI looks very similar to the Archos 7 Home Tablet without the app drawer. The entire spec sheet is under-stimulating, but what do you expect for just slightly over one Benjamin Franklin?

This design looks almost identical to the CherryPad (save the iPad-like home button), and I imagine that the hardware is just as cheap as the picture makes it appear. This one also has its own app library, appropriately named “App Market” which leads me to believe that there is no Android Market support. With that being said, I highly doubt the Maylong tablet will round up a fraction of the development support the Archos tablets will, so if you're looking for your 100,000 Android applications, you might want to stick with a previously mentioned tablet.

The verdict: There are many other tablets available in this price range, I'm just naming one. It's impossible to sift through the hundreds available on eBay and determine which are vaporware and which actually exist and carry the specs they claim to carry. This should be your last resort to buying an Android tablet. The price tag seems friendly, but you are sacrificing a lot for the lower cost. This device will be good for someone who likes to tinker and does want something Android, but not for someone expecting a Samsung Galaxy Tab-like experience. If you're wanting to save a buck and give them that, look at number one and two in this list. Those will be the closest you will get in the sub-$300 range.

gadget maniac | Daily gadget deal: $400 off HP Pavilion dv7 Select Edition Laptop Read more: Daily gadget deal: $400 off HP Pavilion dv7 Select Editi



gadget maniac | Daily gadget deal: $400 off HP Pavilion dv7 Select Edition Laptop Read more: Daily gadget deal: $400 off HP Pavilion dv7 Select Edition

Here’s LogicBUY’s latest gadget deal of the day for a newly redesigned HP Pavilion dv7 Select Edition laptop. Equipped with a 17.3-inch diagonal HD screen, powerful ATI Mobility Radeon discrete graphics, and premium Beats audio, Pavilion dv7t Select Edition is ready to handle all your entertainment and demanding productivity needs.

The HP Pavilion dv7 laptop is fully customizable. This 1.25-inch thin HP dv7 Special Edition features Intel Core i5 or i7, 4GB DDR3 memory (support up to 8GB) and free 640GB Hard Drive upgrade. Other key features of the Pavilion dv7 includes brushed aluminum chassis in stream argento (metal) finish, Altec Lansing speakers w/Beats audio & HP Triple Bass Subwoofer, TrueVision HD webcam and optional 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 switchable graphics.

This latest deal offers $400 off the listed price plus free shipping, price range from $849.99 to $974.99.


gadget maniac | Gifts for Techies - 30+ High Tech Gadget Lover Gift Ideas



gadget maniac | Gifts for Techies - 30+ High Tech Gadget Lover Gift Ideas

Okay, here we go… locating gifts for techies that don’t make them laugh at your simple-minded gesture of good will, is easier said than done. If you can relate to this dilemma then you know techies and you need some help. They can make finding an impressive high technology gift unlikely without their prior approval, which eliminates the surprise factor. We all know the Christmas gift giving/receiving experience is enhanced by the anticipation of what the gift may be. So, naturally you want to surprise them but, you also want to thrill them with your gift selection. You can. Every gadget gift here makes the techie A-list. You are sure to bring a smile with any one of them.

Video, TV & Movie Gadgets

Video Glasses with 55″ Screen

The Portable DVD Player

Pocket Projector

Sony Wireless TV Headphones

  • Video Glasses with 55″ Screen - If the name alone didn’t interest you then check this out; virtual 55" wrap-screen technology plays 2D and 3D movies in 4:3 and 16:9 screen formats and it connects to any iPod®, iPhone™, iPod Touch®, portable DVD player, composite-video media player, digital camera, camcorder, mobile phone with video-out, game systems, and more!
  • Video Glasses with 46" Screenicon - You can enjoy Big-Screen 2D and 3D movies inconspicuously, anywhere you like with these Video Glasses that include noise-isolating earphones so, no one hears or sees the movie but you. They’re compatible with virtually all audio/video devices.
  • The Portable DVD Player - This portable DVD player is so compact it can easily be taken with you wherever you go and is compatible with most DVD and CD formats. View in 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratios for television programs or widescreen movies.
  • The VHS To DVD Converter - Convert your old VHS tapes to DVD format. It’s even compatible with Quasi Super VHS Playback tapes in addition to normal VHS tapes. Has MP3 and JPEG playback capabilities, copies DV/Digital8 camcorder videocassettes and even records high-definition broadcasts with its built-in HDTV tuner!
  • The Shirtpocket Digital Television - You know that guy at the game that has a pocket TV that everyone is gathered around? Yeah, that could be you!
  • Pocket Projector - Imagine giving your video presentation from a projector no bigger than a deck of cards yet provides a crisp, clear image up to 48” wide on any flat surface.
  • The Palm Sized DVD Player - It’s about the same size as the DVD it plays and has a screen built right in!
  • The Universal Video Converter - With the press of a button, convert VHS tapes, DVDs, DVRs, or TV signals into digital MPEG-4 format without a computer! Save to either an SD or SDHC memory card then view, organize, and edit your videos on your computer!
  • Sony Wireless TV Headphones - Infrared technology in your headphones! Go wireless and enjoy freedom from wires and have total control over the volume.

Music Gadgets

Noise Cancelling Headphones

Indoor/Outdoor Wireless Speaker

Touch MP3 Video Player

  • Noise Cancelling Headphones - You’ll fall in love with these next generation Active Noise Cancellation headphones that fit comfortably around your ears. Block out background noise and listen to nothing but the music!
  • The Pandora Internet Radio - This cool little Internet radio receives over 16,000 stations that allows you to customize your playlist to only play the songs you select and never play the songs you dislike!
  • Indoor/Outdoor Wireless Speaker - One of the best sounding indoor/outdoor speakers around and this speaker really pack a punch, even wirelessly! The sound spreads out too so, no matter where you place it the sound is great.
  • The Best Noise Cancelling Earbuds - Truly incredible sound reproduction and amazing noise reduction, cancels up to 85% (20 dB) of background noise.
  • Touch MP3 Video Player - The Touch MP3 Video Player with high-end headphones and built-in speaker. Loaded with features and priced right.
  • The Any Audio To MP3 Converter - Any source of audio with an earphone jack is converted onto an SD card up to 8-GB, to be transferred to a computer or MP3 player.
  • MP3 Music and Video Player Keychain - What a great idea! This MP3 audio/video player is also a keychain with a built-in transmitter that sends your tunes to the car’s FM radio! The 1.8” high-resolution color display and dual headset jacks and two pair of premium headphones make a nice addition to this compact feature-rich MP3 player.

Digital Cameras & Photo Gadgets

The Only Picture Taking Night Vision Monocular

  • The Desktop Photograph To Digital Picture Converter - Faster than a scanner, instantly converts photographs into digital images sent via USB to a computer in JPEG or TIF format. Uses the same type sensor found in digital cameras to instantly capture the whole image at once.
  • The Only Picture Taking Night Vision Monocular - Its light gathering qualities rival those commonly reserved for the U.S. military. You can manually adjust the gain or let it automatically adjust the gain based on the ambient light providing superior vision in all conditions. The included 512 MB SD card will hold up to 400 images.
  • The Slide And Negative to Digital Picture Converter - This is a great gift for techies that want to convert old 35mm slides and film negatives into digital images. Immediately preview them on its built-in 2 1/2" TFT color display and store them on its 32 MB flash memory in JPEG ready to transfer to a PC.

Techie Video Cameras

The Only 3D Video Camcorder

The Video Recording Sunglasses

  • The Only 3D Video Camcorder - Any techie would be proud to own this 3D video camcorder small enough to fit in a shirt pocket.
  • The Video Recording Sunglasses - These sunglasses actually record everything you see with the touch of a button. With a built in MP3 player and included earbuds they look like new hi-tech MP3 playing sunglasses. No one will know about the camera unless you tell them!
  • Mini Digital Video Camera - This Mini Digital Video Camera with manual or sound activated recording is perfect for meetings, lectures, in class or making short videos to post on internet video sharing websites.
  • Keychain Video Camera & Recorder - I found this, digital video camera and audio recorder cleverly disguised as a car keyless entry remote Fob, as an ingenious gift for techies.
  • Digital Video Pen Camera - This classy pen doubles as a digital video camera with a pinhole lens you can discretely record up to 90 minutes of video on the integrated 2GB memory stick. Upload to your computer and recharge the camera pen’s battery by USB.
  • The Video Camera Pen - Capture videos with sound or still images at the click of a button through a built-in video camera and microphone hidden in this working ball-point pen. Capture up to five hours of AVI video and up to 20,000 JPEG images, on its integrated 4 GB memory chip.

Unique Gadgets

The Astronomer’s Laser Flashlight

DocuPen Portable Scanner

DocuPen Portable Scanner

The Touchscreen Cell Phone Watch

  • The Astronomer’s Laser Flashlight - You will be amazed with this Laser Pointer Flashlight that combines the unmatched brightness of a green laser pointer that appears to reach the stars (20x brighter than red laser pointers), with a high-intensity white LED flashlight and red LED for ambient light capable of three levels of brightness.
  • DocuPen Portable Scanner - Here’s a full page color scanner the width of a document, and no bigger around than a Marks-A-Lot making it the most portable scanner around!
  • Digital Note Taker - This wireless Digital Note Taker looks like a pen, but actually captures natural handwriting or anything you draw on any surface and stores it on your computer. Connect to your PC via USB and download your notes with full editing capabilities. It’s that simple.
  • The Alkaline Battery Charger - This battery charger can actually re-charge standard alkaline batteries up to 10 times in addition to NiCd and NiMH rechargeable batteries. It senses battery types and their conditions for charging ease. Works with AAA, AA, C, D, or 9-volt batteries.
  • Travel Charging Valet - This lightweight portable charging station with protective travel case charges up to three electronic devices at the same time from the same outlet.
  • Power Miracle Universal Battery Pack - This battery pack can re-charge most electronic devices wherever you are. Comes with an assortment of adapters to accommodate most popular cell phones and MP3s.
  • The Universal Memory Card Reader - This unique gadget recognizes more than 70 memory card formats with six slots supporting 23 Compact Flash cards, 23 Memory Stick cards, 24 MMC and SD cards, microSD cards, xD cards, and SIM cards. Connects to your computer via USB port for universal compatibility.
  • The Touchscreen Cell Phone Watch - This watch is something right out of a science fiction movie with its built-in 1 1/4" touchscreen cell phone that includes a Bluetooth headset for "wrist-free" operation, built-in 1.3 MP camera, integrated MP3 player and 1/4" speakers at all four corners to provide clear sound for music and the speakerphone! Of course it uses the same tri-band network as other cell phones so compatibility is nearly a non-factor (will not operate with Sprint or MetroPCS).

Cool High Tech Clocks

Peaceful Progression Aromatherapy And Nature Sounds Wake-Up Alarm Clock

Sound Soother® With 20 Soothing Sounds

  • Peaceful Progression Aromatherapy And Nature Sounds Wake-Up Alarm Clock - Imagine waking up naturally to gradually increasing light, aromatic scents and the sounds of nature. The Peaceful Progression Wake-Up Clock does just that! Now, stop imagining and begin enjoying peaceful mornings when you wake up to this amazing alarm clock.
  • Sound Soother® With 20 Soothing Sounds - Fall asleep to one of twenty soothing sounds that are specifically designed to cancel out most ambient noise. This particular sound machine simply sounds better than any other, like a high-end sound system. Anyone that has ever used a sound machine to fall asleep to will agree, this one is superior to them all. Oh yeah! And it’s a clock!
  • Mist Clock Radio with Weather Forecast - You will never need to set the time on this clock because it auto-syncs to your time zone when plugged in! Includes Free AccuWeather.com forecasts, FM radio, two alarms, and “InTouch” messaging for school delay and email notifications and even set calendar notifications for your daily activities.
  • Clock Radio, Time And Weather Butler - Wouldn’t it be cool to have your own personal butler kindly awaken you every morning by announcing the date, time and outdoor temperature. Well, how about a Clock Radio that will? The Time and Weather Butler is an AM/FM Clock Radio with dual alarm that does that and even wishes you a good day!
  • Wireless Weather Station with Atomic Clock - This wireless weather station is loaded with features you normally don’t find in wireless units. Like a self-setting atomic clock, a warning system for heat, wind, storm, fog or frost, an ice-alert with a bright green LED to get your attention, indoor and outdoor temperature readings, humidity level and even tells you the date, day of the week and current moon phase and more!

Golf Gadgets

Golf GPS

Electric Golf Caddy

Golf Swing Video Recorder

The Laser Alignment Putting Trainer

  • Golf GPS - Golf loving techies will absolutely love this portable golf GPS with over 16,000 courses pre-installed and available with no fees. It features a unique “Walking Golfer” icon that tracks your moves in real time and its color touchscreen display allows you to touch any point on the satellite image and see your distance to that spot, and from that spot to the green!
  • Electric Golf Caddy - If you enjoy walking the golf course over riding a golf cart, but could do without the backache from carrying your clubs, then this is for you. The Electric Golf Caddy carries your clubs for you allowing you to enjoy your game with less effort!
  • Golf Laser Range Finder - Never misjudge distance again! Determine your shots with pinpoint accuracy and improve your game by focusing on flag distance, panning target distances, and tracking distance based on ball trajectory and the golf club you’re using.
  • Golf Swing Video Recorder - Record your swing in detailed high-speed frame rate and playback frame-by-frame forward and reverse to correct your swing at every possible point while still on the course or you can view/share on your TV, PC or Mac. Record precise sound with a built-in microphone powerful enough to even pick up ball contact.
  • The Gyroscopic Golf Trainer - Improve your swing with the golf club that has a built in gyroscope in its head that keeps the clubface on-plane, actively resisting any motion that takes it out of plane with your body. Promotes smooth takeaways and proper wrist alignment during backswings and helps you to drop your hands and club into the slot during downswing, and squaring the club face with the ball, for smooth releases.
  • The Laser Alignment Putting Trainer - You’ll know your putter is aligned with pinpoint accuracy when you use The Laser Alignment Putting Trainer that uses a laser to show you when your putter’s blade is perfectly square and level with the ground for optimal alignment.

It is my wish that you find the perfect Christmas gift for the techie or gadget lover in your life and that this article has helped make that happen.

gadget maniac | Review: Philips O’Neill STRETCH TR55LX headphones



gadget maniac | Review: Philips O’Neill STRETCH TR55LX headphones


‘The STRETCH’ is one of four in a series of headphones and earphones designed by the two brands. The others also have a trendy name which standout, the SNUG, the SPECKED and the COVERT, where the latter two are earphones. All of which have been given their ‘nicknames’ based on their features.

Design and Comfort

One of the more memorable headphones I remember testing here at GadgetLite were the premium priced Sony MDR-XB700, slightly dated by now, but they were extremely comfortable and had brilliant sound quality. The STRETCH here on the other hand don’t offer the same kind of comfort.

The STRETCH doesn’t have big comfy cushions in comparison nor does it have a metallic frame and instead a stretchable nylon headband (inspired by the materials used to make wetsuits) that stops your head from being restraint by the usual plastic headphone band on top of it. Plus it also stops your hair from getting caught in it!

The design feels sturdy and durable, we had no concerns for its build quality and it should even last long for those who will take it snowboarding – what its been designed to do. The material which the STRETCH is made of – TR55LX as you can see labelled on the headphones is apparently six times harder than the normal polycarbonate.

What I’ve always hated when taking PMPs to any kind of outdoor sports is that the wires, cables all get tangled up into a mess. This is no advertising message, but I especially liked the 1.2m tangle free cable that came with the STRETCH, its not ’stretchable’ but it is wrapped within a thick layer of fabric material which makes it feel durable and should withstand plenty of daily wear and tear (as you can see in the photos below).

The STRETCH therefore is still a very decent, comfortable set of headphones. With compact, comfort, stylish and a budget price in mind, we think Philips and O’Neill have designed a set of headphones which definitely appeal to the younger, sporty audience, who are generally less inclined to shed big money off their wallet.

Music Experience

We weren’t expecting a whole lot, afterall the STRETCH have been designed and destined to be sporty, rugged and thrown into a luggage bag. As a pair of over-head headphones, the STRETCH offer above average, reliable audio experience and by that, we mean it simply delivers whatever you throw at it. It can lack detail when it comes to high-end tracks but mid-range is faultless. With vocals and melodies delivered with satisfactory clarity.

From our testing, we don’t think the 40mm driver adequately equips it for very much bass performance, we’ve certainly reviewed much better headphones in terms of bass, but this isn’t to say this is non-existent. If you’re a bass junkie, the STRETCH may just be put out of its depth. Given the STRETCH isn’t supplied with giant headphone cushions, we were extremely pleased to find how good it was at cancelling noise from the environment meaning a significant improvement in your audio experience.

Conclusion

On balance, it would be fair to say that the Philips O’Neill STRETCH headphones deliver an all round above average audio experience, we especially enjoyed its noise cancelling ability, this should prove to be useful for those of you who plan on going snowboarding with it. Its been made to be rugged and should last. The headphones are stylishly designed which should also appeal to the younger age group even if sport is not intended. We would say that a pricetag of £75 is reasonable as it is an all round quality product from a reputable firm, experienced in audio technology and equipment.