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Archive for the ‘gift ideas’

Color Pattern Geek Clock08.23.08

The Color Pattern Geek Clock is the perfect geek gift. You’ve seen those crazy geek clocks and watches that display the time in hexadecimal format. Only hardcore geeks can read those. Why not have a clock that looks as “techie”, but anyone cal learn to read? This Color Pattern Geek Clock is the perfect solution! Everyone that comes over will talk about it - and everyone will be able to tell time using it! Cool and useful.

Check prices on the Color Pattern geek Clock

This would great to buy now and put up for one less Christmas present to buy later!

Posted in distractions, gadgets, gift ideas, household techwith No Comments →

50% Off Blu-Ray Movies Sale08.22.08

Amazon is having a 50% off Blu-Ray Movie sale! It’s really funny too, since just yesterday I blogged about the LG Blu-Ray player. I checked my email this morning and saw this sale, and wow - it couldn’t be more timely! I don’t know how much I’ll spend, but I think I’m going to get about 6 of these while I can. They’ve got some great titles on sale too, like No Country for Old Men, The Doors, Gangs of New York, The Bank Job, Pirates of the Caribbean, and my favorite “Crash”!

They have like 83 Blu-Ray titles on sale, but it only goes until August 29th. You can get a deal on the pre-order of Iron Man too while you’re in there.

Posted in distractions, gift ideas, household tech, webwith No Comments →

LG BH200 Blu-Ray HD-DVD Combo Player Review08.21.08

The LG BH200 Blu-Ray HD-DVD Combo Player is now much more affordable than ever before, and even though Blu-Ray is now pretty much decided on as the standard for surpassing regular DVD’s in HD format - having the “HD-DVD” format option available is a bonus! If you’re wondering what the big deal is about a Blu-Ray or HD-DVD disc versus a traditional DVD movie - all you really have to know is that it’s displayed at nearly TWICE the resolution! If you thought a traditional or progressive scan DVD movie was a pretty good picture - if you own a flat screen LCD or Plasma television, you OWE it to yourself to upgrade your DVD player to Blu-Ray and HD-DVD!

Having said that - the LG BH200 is the one we picked because it not only plays in full 1080p output, but this player upscales the picture of traditional DVD’s to Full HD as well! It’s already setup to handle the “BD-Live” features touted ahead for Blu-Ray discs, but the LG “Super Blu Player” will also do MPEG’s, H.264 Quicktime, and DTS-HD audio as well. Oh, of course it has HDMI 1.3 out too. It also has S-Video and Component outs, but who would want to use those?

Guess what - it has USB “media host” too so you can set it up to access digital pics and MP3’s. Plugin your external hard drives, portable drives, or flash sticks for quick access and review of your multimedia files. The one thing we noticed was that this thing was practically silent when playing discs. It even has a network ethernet jack!

This would be a good treat for yourself and the old home entertainment center before you have to start saving to buy other people Christmas presents! Or, you could even put it away as an early present for that special someone.

Here are the best prices you can get on the LG BH200 Blu-Ray HD-DVD Combo Player:

*** FACTORY SEALED *** LG BH200 BH 200 Blu-Ray HD DVD
US $499.99
End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 8:11:47 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $499.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list

LG BH200 Super Blu HD DVD Multiplayer w/ 1080p Output
US $205.50 (11 Bids)
End Date: Tuesday Sep-09-2008 9:44:34 PDT
Bid now | Add to watch list

LG ELECTRONICS BH200 Super Blu Player - Blu-ray Disc +
US $452.10
End Date: Tuesday Sep-09-2008 17:39:50 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $452.10
Buy it now | Add to watch list

6ft PREMIUM HDMI 1.3 CABLE for LG BH200 BLU-RAY PLAYER
US $14.25 (0 Bid)
End Date: Tuesday Sep-09-2008 18:16:48 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $14.75
Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list

LG BH200 REMOTE ONLY FOR BLU RAY HD DVD PLAYER ORIGINAL
US $22.95 (0 Bid)
End Date: Tuesday Sep-09-2008 20:57:39 PDT
Bid now | Add to watch list

LG BH200 Super Blu HD DVD Multiplayer w/ 1080p Output
US $135.16 (12 Bids)
End Date: Wednesday Sep-10-2008 9:27:07 PDT
Bid now | Add to watch list

LG BH200 Super Blu HD DVD Multiplayer w/ 1080p Output
US $76.00 (6 Bids)
End Date: Friday Sep-12-2008 16:01:05 PDT
Bid now | Add to watch list

LG Super Bluâ„¢ BH200 Blu-ray and HD-DVD Player + 3 Discs
US $449.00
End Date: Friday Sep-12-2008 18:31:35 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $449.00
Buy it now | Add to watch list

Posted in gadgets, gift ideas, hardware, household techwith No Comments →

Sata HDD Dock08.20.08

This “Sata HDD Dock” is one of the coolest things ever! I purchased some cables a long time ago where you can hook up a hard drive via USB, and I thought that was pretty cool. But you still have to deal with the cable. If you have hard drives laying around, or you repair PC’s for family and friends this is just the must have geek gadget tool! It’s a hot-swappable dock, and all you have to do is just plugin your drive in! That’s it! You can get them in Sata and eSata, and most will take 2.5″ AND 3.5″ drives - that means notebook drives too! The ones I looked at even had an eSata cable port on the back of the dock for even faster data transmissions! Who needs a flash drive when you have a port for an entire hard drive!

eSATA+USB to 2.5"/3.5" SATA HDD Hard Drive Dock Station
US $14.13 (1 Bid)
End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 8:00:00 PDT
Bid now | Add to watch list

eSATA+USB 2.0 to 2.5"/3.5" SATA HDD Dock Enclosure Case
US $14.13 (1 Bid)
End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 13:00:00 PDT
Bid now | Add to watch list

2.5/3.5 SATA HDD Hard Disk Drive Dock Media Player+USB
US $79.97
End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 19:11:33 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $79.97
Buy it now | Add to watch list

eSATA+USB to 2.5"/3.5" SATA HDD Hard Drive Dock Station
US $19.99 (0 Bid)
End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 19:30:00 PDT
Bid now | Add to watch list

USB 2.0 2.5" 3.5" Dock Station HDD SATA Enclosure Box B
US $98.70
End Date: Tuesday Sep-09-2008 11:16:30 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $98.70
Buy it now | Add to watch list

3.5/2.5" SATA HDD Harddisk Station Enclosure Dock USB
US $17.51
End Date: Tuesday Sep-09-2008 13:24:29 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $17.51
Buy it now | Add to watch list

3.5/2.5" SATA HDD Harddisk Station Enclosure Dock USB
US $17.51
End Date: Tuesday Sep-09-2008 13:27:05 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $17.51
Buy it now | Add to watch list

3.5/2.5" SATA HDD Harddisk Station Enclosure Dock USB
US $17.51
End Date: Tuesday Sep-09-2008 13:27:53 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $17.51
Buy it now | Add to watch list

Posted in computers, gadgets, gift ideas, hardwarewith No Comments →

Memory Card Case06.25.08

Memory Cards keep getting lost? Get a “Memory Card Case” to organize them so you have them all in the same spot - each and every time!

I can’t tell you how many times I went to the Camera case and all the memory cards were gone. Or the times that I grabbed my digital camera and either no memory card was in it - or the card in it was full of pics (I wasn’t sure if I could erase yet). Flash memory cards are small, and the microSD ones are smaller than a thumbnail.

Of course, there’s already something you can buy to fix this problem - and it’s a “memory card case”. There’a ton of ‘em on eBay - and they don’t cost that much at all. In fact, it’s probably more expensive to replace a lost flash memory card than it is to get the case, not to mention the cost you can’t put on precious memories and pics and if they aren’t on your PC yet. These would make excellent gifts for Christmas or any occasion - you should stock up now!

MEMORY STICK (PRO) DUO CARD HOLDER CASE FIT SONY PSP
US $2.99
End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 14:28:00 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $2.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list

MEMORY CARD CASE for Secure Digital (SD Card) Holder
US $2.42
End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 15:46:59 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $2.42
Buy it now | Add to watch list

NEW ALUMINUM SD SECURE DIGITAL MEMORY CARD CASE HOLDER
US $8.00 (0 Bid)
End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 16:07:18 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $8.99
Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list

MEMORY CARD CASE for Secure Digital (SD Card) Holder
US $5.99
End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 16:45:00 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $5.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list

MEMORY STICK DUO CARD HOLDER CASE FIT SONY SANDISK
US $2.99
End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 16:58:00 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $2.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list

MEMORY CARD CASE for Secure Digital (SD Card) Holder
US $5.99
End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 18:45:00 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $5.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list

Memory card case/holder SD CF MS SM with battery case
US $5.80
End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 21:28:47 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $5.80
Buy it now | Add to watch list

MEMORY STICK DUO CARD HOLDER CASE FOR SONY SANDISK
US $3.23
End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 23:14:00 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $3.23
Buy it now | Add to watch list

Posted in gadgets, gift ideas, household tech, resources and tipswith No Comments →

Gorillapod06.20.08

Gorillapod - the digital camera tripod with a twist

Looking for an innovative flexible tripod for your digital camera that will go anywhere and work in the worst of situations? I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to temporarity “mount” my digital camera for either a good picture or some short video.

gorillapod digital camera tripod

I play in bands out in the bar and you can’t always get right in front of the stage for good pictures or video. And who wants to hold the camera steady for 10 minutes or more anyway? They make these little flexible tripods you can wrap around a post, pole, or nearly anything and then mount your digital camerea temporarily on. If you use your digital camera a lot, I highly recommend you get one of these and stick it in your bag. It’s definitely worth the $20.

Gorillapod uses its 30 adjustable joints to grip to trees, fences or posts–anything it can wrap its legs around–to provide a steady and secure platform for your digicam! No more hunting for flat surfaces at eye-level: just wrap or hang Gorillapod on any handy object and get in the picture! tripod,”camera tripod”,”flexible camera tripod”. Click here for the latest price. This would make a really cool gift idea for just about anyone.

Oh - you can find (different versions and sizes) of them on eBay as well:

JOBY Gorillapod Original Flexible Mini Tripod GP1 Blue
US $17.99
End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 9:22:08 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $17.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list

JOBY Gorillapod Original Flexible Tripod GP1 Yellow
US $17.99
End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 9:22:13 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $17.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list

JOBY Gorillapod Flexible Mini Tripod GP1-01EN Grey
US $17.99
End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 9:22:13 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $17.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list

JOBY P&S Gorilla Pod Gripping Tripod FREE SH
US $9.50 (13 Bids)
End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 9:39:58 PDT
Bid now | Add to watch list

Joby Gorillapod GP1-0PEN POD 1 TRIPOD ORIGINAL Pink
US $17.49 (0 Bid)
End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 10:12:35 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $21.95
Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list

Posted in gadgets, gift ideas, household techwith No Comments →

Canon Vixia HF10 Hi Def Camcorder Review06.12.08

Looking for a “Hi Def Camcorder”? The “Canon Vixia HF10″ is not only affordable, it records direct to flash media - which is why we think it’s the best bang for your buck right now!

This post of part of The Smorgasbord Tech Reviews series!

I was shocked and amazed when I saw the Vixia HF10 for the first time. Weighing less than one pound and only a little less in size than a water bottle (3″x2.5″x5″ this little wonder is amazing. The one feature that makes it stand out most is the fact that it has an internal flash memory of 16GB. Wow! No more silly tapes, no spinning disk hard drives - none of that! And it has a slot for SD or SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) flash memory cards. You can buy a high capaticy SD card now for around $35, so that’s a big pro! Canon is not the first company to make a flash drive based digital camcorder, but they may be the first to do it as well as they have - especially at this price!

Here are the features of the Canon Vixia HF10:

  • 12X Optical Zoom (200X digital zoom)
  • 16GB internal memory and SDHD card slot
  • SuperRange Image Stabilization
  • 2 hours 1920×1080 Full HD Recording time
  • 2 Channel Dolby Digital Audio
  • External Mic Jack
  • Mini HDMI Out
  • 2.7″ LCD Screen

I’ve read a lot of really positive reviews, and it’s amazing to me that you can now buy an HD Camcorder for under $1,000! The Vixia HF10 got a 5 star review from c|Net - watch the video review:

One of the things that the video highlighted that I forgot to mention was the fact that you get about an hour of HD record time per charged (included) battery. What you want to do is order one of the double size aftermarket battery packs that will get you about 2 hours of recording time. It will stick out a bit and make the Vixia HF10 a slight bit more bulky - but it will be worth it.

Most places online are listing the Canon Vixia HF10 for $1,000-$1,200. The reason I wrote this review today was that I saw just this morning that Newegg (practially my favorite online electronics store) has it listed for only $829! I consider that a steal since my last digital camera was over $600. This would make the perfect gift for a birthday, Christmas, or Father’s Day! Newegg even has free shipping, how can you beat that with today’s price of gas?

Canon VIXIA HF10 Black High Definition Camcorder
Canon VIXIA HF10 Black High Definition Camcorder
Price: $829.0
Canon VIXIA HF10 2.7″LCD 12X Optical Zoom High Definition Camcorder

Like always - it’s always worth perusing eBay to see if you can get a deal. Here’s the latest eBay auctions for the Vixia HF10:

New Canon Vixia HF10 High Definition Camcorder
US $829.90
End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 8:23:15 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $829.90
Buy it now | Add to watch list

New Canon Vixia HF10 High Definition Camcorder
US $829.90
End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 8:33:48 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $829.90
Buy it now | Add to watch list

Canon VIXIA HF10 HUGE KIT W/LENSES BRAND NEW HF-10 HF10
US $849.99
End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 9:35:46 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $849.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list

CANON VIXIA HF10 +HUGE MONSTER KIT BRAND NEW USA HF 10
US $839.00
End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 11:45:58 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $839.00
Buy it now | Add to watch list

CANON VIXIA HF10 +HUGE MONSTER KIT BRAND NEW USA HF 10
US $839.00
End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 13:28:31 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $839.00
Buy it now | Add to watch list

If you’re looking for one of those double sized aftermarket batteries, eBay is a great place for that as well:

Battery + Charger For Canon BP-819 HF10 HF100 Vixia
US $35.00 (0 Bid)
End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 16:54:43 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $35.00
Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list

zc349 2X Battery+Charger For Canon BP-809 HF10 Vixia
US $9.80 (0 Bid)
End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 17:26:51 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $9.88
Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list

zb351 Battery+Charger For Canon BP-819 HF10 HF100 VIXIA
US $6.80 (0 Bid)
End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 17:29:48 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $6.88
Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list

Looking for one of the 8GB or greater SDHC flash memory cards? eBay once again to the resuce:

*Sandisk 8GB Micro SD SDHC MicroSD Memory Card 8 GB new
US $29.99 (0 Bid)
End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 7:29:50 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $30.99
Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list

4GB 4GO SDHC SD DIGITAL MEMORY CARD 4 GB 4 GO READER
US $7.72 (5 Bids)
End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 7:30:00 PDT
Bid now | Add to watch list

SDHC SD MMC MiniSD Memory Card Reader Writer USB 2.0
US $5.29
End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 7:30:32 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $5.29
Buy it now | Add to watch list

Posted in gadgets, gift ideas, household tech, tech newswith No Comments →

Eye-Fi Wireless SD Card Review06.10.08

Here’s something you may not have seen - it’s the “Eye-Fi Wireless SD Card”. Most of us have SD cards lying around because that’s what we store all our precious pictures on in our digital cameras. How many times have you taken pictures, and then waited days (or weeks, or months) before uploading them to your PC or laptop? I can’t count the number of times that I have gotten out the camera and realized that it was full of pictures from a month back. Even worse, that meant fewer pictures I could take - because I couldn’t delete anything off the card yet.

This post of part of The Smorgasbord Tech Reviews series!

Enter the “Eye-Fi”. Inside this flash memory card are some tiny electronics that will astound you. This SD memory card can connect to your WiFi network, without cables, or cradles - or anything! It can automatically upload all your pics to any PC on your network OR even upload them to Flickr, Fotki, Shutterfly, Webshots, Photobucket, Kodak Gallery, Sharpcast, Wal-mart, Snapfish, Phanfare, Picase Web Albums, TypePad, VOX, Smugmug, or Facebook! It can even resize photos before submission if you wish! What an unbelievably handy gadget to have!

This could possibly be one of the coolest gift ideas for just about anyone! Imagine giving this to Mom or Grandma - or anyone that hates having to get the cable or usb adapter out just to transfer the pictures every time!

Eye-Fi Wireless 2GB Secure Digital Memory Card SD
Eye-Fi Wireless 2GB Secure Digital Memory Card SD
Price: $99.99
Photos should not be trapped in your camera. Set them free effortlessly and wirelessly. The Eye-Fi Card is a wireless SD memory card for your digital camera. It stores pictures like a standard SD memory card, but also uses your home Wi-Fi network to automatically transfer images from inside your camera to your PC or Mac and to your favorite photo or social networking website for sharing or printing. No cables, no cradles, no fuss.

You might be able to find a really good new or used eye-fi in one of these auctions as well:

EYE-FI WIRELESS 2 GB Wi-Fi SD MEMORY CARD AMAZING
US $70.00 (0 Bid)
End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 15:42:53 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $79.99
Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list

SDHC/SD/Eye-Fi to Compact Flash CF TypeII Card Adapter
US $15.98
End Date: Wednesday Sep-10-2008 23:07:14 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $15.98
Buy it now | Add to watch list

EYE-FI WIRELESS 2 GB Wi-Fi SD MEMORY CARD AMAZING
US $47.00 (7 Bids)
End Date: Thursday Sep-11-2008 12:22:41 PDT
Bid now | Add to watch list

NEW Eye-Fi Wireless 2GB Secure Digital Memory Card SD
US $99.99
End Date: Thursday Sep-11-2008 13:54:17 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $99.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list

NEW Eye-Fi Explore Network adapter - SD - 802.11b, 8...
US $129.99
End Date: Thursday Sep-11-2008 14:11:45 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $129.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list

Posted in computers, gadgets, gift ideas, hardware, networking, webwith No Comments →

Flip Video Camcorder05.13.08

flip video digital camcorder The Pure Digital Camcorder by Flip Video is a “point and shoot” digital video camera that makes it easy to make quick videos for web use like YouTube, email, or your blog! They are very popular because they are so easy to use! Sometimes, the best kind of gadget is one that does one thing - and does it well! This is a thin, flat camcorder with a rubberized exterior and sleek look that almost appears to be an iPod or mp3 player of some sort.

This post of part of The Smorgasbord Tech Reviews series!

I see gadgets I like all the time, but it really struck me that you can’t really beat what you get for a little over a hundred bucks in this unit, it runs on 2 AA batteries, has a “flip-out” USB 2.0 port, and takes video at 640×480 resolution. You get 30fps in mpg4 format for really small files, and you can even use the devices internal memory as a “mass storage device”. It has a 1.4″ screen and very minimal controls - “play”, “delete”, and “record”. All you have to do is turn it on and hit “record”, and if you don’t like a video just hit “delete” twice and it’s gone. Even your Grandma could shoot video with this camcorder! That’s something to think about too - wouldn’t this make the perfect gift for just about anybody to quickly and easily shoot casual video?

Check out this video of how nice it looks and how easy it is to work:

You can find the Flip Video camcorder in 512MB, 1GB, and the new 2GB ultra models. Depending on what you want - you can find some really great deals on eBay in both new and used deals:

Pure Digital Flip Video Camcorder 2GB F260B Brand New!
US $127.99 (0 Bid)
End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 8:40:28 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $127.99
Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list

New F230W Flash Card Digital Camcorder Pure Flip Video
US $78.99
End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 10:51:25 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $78.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list

YouTube Flip Video Camcorder by Pure Digital
US $36.00 (10 Bids)
End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 13:15:18 PDT
Bid now | Add to watch list

NEW PURE Digital Flip Video Ultra F230W Camcorder 30 M
US $46.00 (10 Bids)
End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 14:56:07 PDT
Bid now |