The Smorgasbord

Check out my FreeAgent Theater review, I just purchased this thing! I’ve been wanting one of these for a really, really, long time – and finally I found one that does just about everything I want. I mean, I’ve had DVD players with USB ports, and TV’s with USB ports – and nothing seems worth a damn for playing downloaded movies or mp3′s with long filenames (or pictures for that matter).

Enter the FreeAgent Theater + HD Media player! You can get this thing for under $200 (sometimes under $100 if you don’t need the 500GB storage). What this little box does is allow you to move all your music, pictures, and movies from your computer (laptop or desktop) to your TV. No more having to store crap on your xBox 360 or Playstation 3. The media player has a dock for a 250GB or 500GB external hard drive. You also get a separate docking station to connect the drive to your computer. If you have a Windows or Mac based PC the included software will automatically copy your media to the drive. If you run Linux – you have to copy your own s**t to the drive. In either event, plug the drive back into the bay on the media player and voila! You have your content from your PC to the TV!

The media player will to 1080i and Dolby 5.1 playback. You get a remote in the box, and there’s a front USB jack if you want to plugin in a USB stick, digital camera, or camcorder. Connect to your PC with a composite cable or HDMI if you prefer (or S-video and audio jacks). It does play in NTSC and PAL – and it doesn’t say so on the Amazon page, but if you reference the Seagate web site you’ll see that it does play MPC, AAC, WAV, OGG, WMA (window media), JPG’s, subtitles, MPEG-1, MPEG-2 (which means AVI (windows), VOB, ISO), and MPEG-4 (which means both DivX and Xvid).

So download movie clips, trailers, rip DVD’s, record streaming video – move it all to the external drive, and watch them all on your PC without ever having to burn another damn DVD or CD! That’s why we bought it (lol)!

check out the FreeAgent Theater price at Amazon:

cheeck out the FreeAgent Theater price on eBay, I’ve seen it for as little as $50-$100, and many of them have the external drive included!

Seagate FreeAgent Theater HD Media Player - BRAND NEW
	USD 49.99 (46 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2010-09-07 15:11:00

Seagate FreeAgent Theater HD Media Player STCEA101-RK
	USD 21.01 (3 Bids) End time: 2010-09-04 15:09:13

SEAGATE FreeAgent Theater STCEB101-RK HD Media Player
	USD 49.99 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2010-09-07 04:30:33

Seagate FreeAgent Theater HD Media Player (STCEA101-RK)
	USD 5.50 (7 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2010-09-05 01:54:17

Is the Samsung BD-P3600 better than the Playstation 3?

Do you need a Blu-Ray player, but don’t want or need the gaming aspect of the Playstation 3? The Samsung BD-P3600 one of the highest rated non-PS3 Blu-Ray players on the market. The features on this player are a laundry list of what you will need to never leave your couch again (or so the marketing people say). According to cNET (the holy grail of tech reviews) “The Samsung BD-P3600 is a huge leap ahead for standalone Blu-Ray players with blazing-fast operational speed, tons of features and excellent image quality.” Well let’s see if this player reaches its potential, or lags back like the rest of standalone Blu-Ray players we’ve seen in the past.

The player claims to boast a new innovative Video Quality Enhancement (QVE) feature that further improves the picture quality by adjusting brightness, flickering and other visual “noise”. While this sounds like an awesome feature it really only goes so far to improve video quality. This feature is clearly targeting videophiles but most videophiles have manually tweaked their settings anyways. We’re talking about guys so geeked about their home entertainment that they’ll spend $120 on a single oxygen free gold plated HDMI cord. This is not a mark down, but a heads up.

Besides the QVE vido enhancement this player really shines when you see all the options for viewing your media. First it has your Blu-Ray player, of which the benchmarks of the loading times met or came close to the industry leader, PS3. Next, it has a Netflix instant streaming player, which in term of performance works only slightly as well PS3’s Netflix player (but at least it’s there). It also has a Pandora Internet radio player but it feels tacked on and load times are on the slow side. Finally, the player offers the ability to stream content from your PC or laptop. Once again the feature seems tacked on, and not as full featured as it could be. It seems like it is only there so Samsung can say “look what we did!”

I really wanted to like this player. It seems like for everything it does right, it does two things wrong. If you are in the market for a Blu-Ray player or you are looking to upgrade, get a Playstation 3. Its really easy and it offers all the features of this player and much more, but it does it all much better.

If you’re shopping for a “Dual Band Wireless Router”, I hope my review will help you. I decided that it was time for our family to break down and finally get a Wireless N router for the same of speed, but I had some questions to research first. Before putting out the bucks – I really wanted to make sure we got not only the most reliable product, but the fastest router we could find (our house is stacked from floor to rafters with wireless gadgets, lol!).

Can you get Dual Band Wireless N, both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz at the same time from one router? Is a dual band router twice as fast? Let’s find out!

Just about everyone who has multiple computers in their home have a wireless router. Most of those people bought theirs on a recommendation from [insert big box store here]. For most people these routers do their job and don’t give there “operator” any problems until it clunks out and you buy a new one. Well why not get educated on the new guy in the router game, IEEE 802.11n-2009, also known by its common name, “Wireless N”. The best way to take advantage of this technology are dual band routers as two is always better than one, right?

First off, if you go by CNET reviews (and I always do), no dual band wireless N router currently has above a 3 out of 5 rating, which if you’re not familiar with their system is only ‘good’. Okay, now that is out of the way, I rarely go with new technology or recommend it to others until it is completely fool-proof. I think that it just may be getting there now. Here are my recommendations of the best Dual-Band Wireless N routers.

Airport Extreme Review

Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station 802.11n ($175, although you could get it cheaper) – Don’t call me crazy until you have read all the features this little Apple that could offers. It has all the features of comparable features of routers of this type, but offer the ease that apple offers with all their products. If you run a mixed mac and pc network this router is perfect, if you however run all windows machines then you can find something a little cheaper with all the same features (it just may not be as fast). Believe it or not, you can use this Apple product as a router – even if you have no Apple computers in your house (it works just fine with Windows). This is a “true dual band” wireless N router, meaning it won’t make you choose between 2.5 and 5 GHz – you can actually use both. It will support printers and network storage, but it’s pick about USB external hard drives. It only supports 50 clients, which is more than enough for most households, just be forewarned there is a limit. Bottom line, I think most Windows users (advanced ones) will want more features).

Apple AirPort Extreme Base Router (MA073LL/A)
	USD 35.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2010-09-04 05:05:17

Apple AirPort Extreme MB053LL/A Wireless Router
	USD 75.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2010-09-04 22:45:26

Apple AirPort Extreme 802.11n Wi-Fi Wireless Router
	USD 61.00 (3 Bids) End time: 2010-09-04 22:53:41

AIRPORT EXTREME A1034 Apple MAC Wireless Router WiFi
	USD / 9.99 (0 Bid) End time: 2010-09-05 00:01:20

Linksys WRT400N Review

Linksys WRT400N ($120-149.99 just look around) – In our home we have almost exclusively used Linksys routers since we got our first high speed internet connection many years ago. They have always been easy to use and maintain and have that weird little purple-blue look to them. Well the WRT400N sports a new design but works as well as you would a expect a Linksys should. This router has true dual band support, but no Gigabit or USB support. The 5 GHz speed is a bit lacking.

Linksys WRT610N Review

Linksys WRT610N ($160.99-199.99 again look around) – This one is the next model up from the previous Linksys. The routers only major complaint is that the warranty is too short. Sounds like a good problem to have, meaning at least the complaints were performance related. The router offers a single mode, mix mode and simultaneous mode for sending the signal out. It support both 2.5 GHz and 5.0 GHz at the same time. You can attach storage devices to it, and on this one the mixed-mode throughput could be better. Other than that, it may be the best of the bunch, especially if you have external storage you want to make wireless.

I know most of these routers are more expensive than most routers you will find at Wal-Mart but as they say, you gotta pay for quality. One final note if your computer, laptop or wireless capable device is only wireless G compliant you have a few choices. First you could just stick with what you have as your new wireless N router does accept all incoming signals. Next you could buy wireless n adapters which are usb enabled, work as they should and are relatively expensive. The final choice is yours, the consumer.

Need a Blu-Ray player, but don’t want or need the gaming aspect of the Playstation 3? The Samsung BD-P3600 one of the highest rated non-PS3 Blu-Ray players on the market. The features on this player are a laundry list of what you will need to never leave your couch again. According to CNET (the holy grail of tech reviews) “The Samsung BD-P3600 is a huge leap ahead for standalone Blu-Ray players with blazing-fast operational speed, tons of features and excellent image quality.” Well let’s see if this player reaches its potential, or lags back like the rest of standalone players.

The player claims to boast a new innovative Video Quality Enhancement (QVE) feature that further improves the picture quality by adjusting brightness, flickering and other visual “noise”. While this sounds like an awesome feature it really only goes so far to improve video quality. This feature is clearly targeting videophiles but most videophiles have manually tweaked their settings anyways. This is not a mark down, but a heads up.

Besides the QVE this player really shines when you see all the options for viewing your media. First it has your Blu-Ray player, which benchmarks of the loading times met or came close to the industry leader, PS3. Next, it has a Netflix instant streaming player, which in term of performance works only slightly as well PS3’s Netflix player. It also has a Pandora player but it feels tacked on and load times are on the slow side. Finally, the player offers the ability to stream content from your pc. Once again the feature seems tacked on and is only there so Samsung can say “look what we did!”

I really wanted to like this player. It seems like for everything it does right, it does two things wrong. If you are in the market for a Blu-Ray player or you are looking to upgrade, get a ps3. Its really easy and it offers all the features of this player and much more, but it does it all much better.

Final Rating is a 6.5/10

The Logitech diNovo Mini is a living room entertainment PC mini keyboard for those of us that have home theater PC’s, living room computers that we use on the big screen, etc. The backlight works great, and it has a 30 foot range, and it’s perfect for typing while lounging on the couch!

You’re connecting your PC to your TV. You’re downloading movies and watching them on your big screen. Take control of your PC entertainment with the only palm-sized, cordless mini-keyboard optimized for the way you get your entertainment. Convenience and Style, Palm-sized mini-keyboard with backlighting: Fits in your hand. Backlighting makes text entry effortless, even in low light. Compact: Perfect size for your coffee table. (more…)

You might be able to find a good deal on a diNovo on eBay as well, here’s a few auctions ending soon:

[nms:logitech dinovo mini,5,0,0,smorgas.logitech.dinovo]

There’s been a lot said about Windows Vista, but even though many people don’t like all the different version choices many hail the Premium and Media Center versions of Vista for it’s capabilities. Linksys builds on that by creating a third part product, a “wireless media center” that you can access in your home from your Vista PC. Linksys was very smart by building the ability to have streaming movies, music, photos, and even 1080i upscaling to DVD quality by using the PVR features. It’s Wireless N (very fast!), and can send content to your surround sound and HDTV. If cable weren’t enough, since this is connected to the Internet – it can even access, stream, and download movies and TV from the web!

Access movies, your music library, family photos and HDTV programming from your Media Center PC and stream it all to your living room TV or home theater. New Linksys Media Center Extenders give you access to the entertainment content on your Microsoft Windows Vista Premium or Ultimate PC to enjoy in the comfort of your living room. Pause or rewind live TV, record sporting events or episodes of your favorite TV shows and save them for later viewing. Quickly naviga (more…)

You might be able to catch a good deal on eBay for a Linksys Wireless Media Center:

[nms:linksys wireless media center,5,0,0,smorgas.linksys.media]

If you get a wireless Skype phone chances are you’ll ditch your landline for VOIP (if you haven’t already). A lot of people have switched over to Vonage already, and it appears that the idiot proof gadget the “magic jack” has sold millions as well. Skype started years back and you had to hook up a headset with microphone to use it. It caught on in droves because you could “call” anyone anywhere in the world using the service for FREE (as long as they also had a “skype” account). The ability to call anyone anywhere in the world for free was quite the incentive to sign up. Then Vonage came along and made it easy to just plugin a tiny box to your router and use a regular phone to make calls over the web unlimited for just $24.95 a month.

Now it appears that Skype has kind of caught up, because you can now buy a wireless skype phone – so not only do you not need the headset, but the phone works automatically over the Internet just like your land line! They’re pretty reasonable too, I’ve seen them for as little as $30-50. Skype has been growing in popularity, but in the last year it’s probably exploded due to the constant promotion of “Oprah” – every time she interviews guests now outside of the studio they’re shown on video “Skyping” in.

Here’s some wireless skype phones in auctions ending soon:

[nms:wireless skype phone,8,0,0,smorgas.wireless.skype]

I heard about the Linux Game Console “EVO” quite a long time ago – and I guess I forgot about it. Looks like it’s finally ready for shipping on April 17th for $380. Seems like a lot doesn’t it? I mean compared to a PS3 or XBox 360 it seems like the price is pretty much the same.

So what do you get for $380 on a linux console gaming system? Here’s what I read on a recent post from Linux Devices:

• an Athlon 2.4Ghz 64X2 processor
• 2GB of RAM
• ATI HD 3200 graphics processor
• supports up to 1080i or 1080p for HD Hi-Def gaming
• DVI and HDMI outputs
• 120 GB Hard drive
• CD/DVD ROM
• Biometric scanner
• Two 10/100 ethernet jacks
• Six USB ports
• Mirrors Evolution linux (based on Fedora)
• Video on Demand
• Nearly unlimited storage through cloud computing

Here’s a video commercial I found on YouTube from December 2008:

With those specs, it seems to blow traditional main stream gaming consoles away – doesn’t it? Well after I watched the video I went to the EVO Smart Console web site to get the lastest info. The web site boasts a DVR to pause and record live TV, video on demand, and streaming of TV, photos, or music to any web enabled device. The web site says you can get “extras”, such as a logitech wireless keyboard and mouse, biometric fingerprint scanner, 10GB of online cloud storage, and play HD video games.

Then I click for “more specs” on the EVO web site to find that you can get the EVO smart console with all the “extras” for $599, but the big shocker was that you could get loaded with Windows Vista Home for $799!! WTF!? I guess the almightly dollar reigns supreme showing that (to stay viable) even people working 5 long hard years on a Linux gaming systems offer a Windows PC version in the end! It does list a “DVD burner” in both of these versions. I click one more time to find a smart console “HD” option for $699 that includes an SD card reader and wireless network, in addition to an HD tuner so you can record in Hi-Def with the DVR. You even get “Windows emulation plug and play software” to play PC games in HD. The EVO Game Store is now online as well.

I have to hand it to them, the EVO has come a long way in 5 years – but is it really competition to the XBox 360 and Playstation 3? It certainly doesn’t have game studios with million dollar budgets behind it. And really – it’s not a gaming console at as is it? It’s a fully fledged Linux PC in a small form factor box. The fact that it has windows emulation software to play PC games and makes it so. I think it’s a great idea, but maybe it should be marketed as the “Linux Living Room PC” or something like that.

This heated vest is just right for winter outdoor activities like hiking, skiing, snowmobiling, ice fishing and more! My wife and I have been using an electric blanket for the last few years in our bed – and I don’t know how we ever did without it! I’ve been snowmobiling plenty of times where I was just chilled to the damn bone! These heated vests run on lithium ion batteries no bigger than a pack of cigarettes and can keep you warm 4-12 hours! This is a great time of year to pick something like this up too – because you always get better deals at the end of the season! It might be a litle low-tech actually, but I love it!

[nms:heated vest,8,0,0,smorgas.heated.vest]

I’m always surfing eBay for weird gadgets and I came across these USB HD Receiver / Tuners that seem pretty cool. Most of them are under $50, and I knew that you could get TV tuners on a USB stick, but I hadn’t seen Hi Def ones before. I think to be able to watch, and in some cases record in HD quality from a USB key shows just how compact and small technology has become. They even come with little portable antennas (awww, how cute!). This would make a great gift for somebody that travels a lot for sure, it might make waiting in the airpot much more bearable!

Check out some of the ones I found:

[nms:hdtv usb receiver -captain -box,8,0,0,smorgas.usb.hd]