AudioVideo

The new BlackBerry Bold 9700 will be in stores from both AT&T and T-Mobile in time for the holiday season. It will be the first 3G-powered BlackBerry smartphone available from T-Mobile, and also the first smartphone from Research In Motion (RIM) that includes built-in support for both 3G connectivity and voice calls over Wi-Fi.

The BlackBerry Bold 9700 smartphone includes support for 3G HSDPA networks around the world, a next-generation (624 MHz) processor, 256MB Flash memory, built-in GPS and Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g).

It also has a full-QWERTY keyboard, a touch-sensitive optical trackpad, 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus, flash and video recording; and a music and video player. A hot-swappable microSD/SDHC memory card slot gives you additional storage for multimedia files. A 2GB memory card is included with support for 32GB cards. Read more

Best Buy and Netflix announced this week two new Insignia Blu-ray players with Netflix streaming capability. The new Insignia Advanced Series Blu-ray Player (NS-WBRDVD) and the Insignia Connected Blu-ray Player (NS-BRDVD3) are now available for $249.99 and $179.99, respectively, at all Best Buy stores and online at bestbuy.com.

Both models are Internet ready, with the Insignia Advanced Series model using built-in Wi-Fi to connect to the Internet and the Insignia Connected player using an Ethernet connection. Both players feature Dolby TrueHD and they up-convert standard DVDs. Read more

Epson just announced that their brightest projector to date, the PowerLite Pro Z8000WUNL, is now shipping to pro audio/video dealers and installers.

While this projector is designed for use in large venues such as auditoriums, we found it newsworthy for a couple of reasons – first, this projector delivers 6,000 lumens color light output and 6,000 lumens white light output and is the industry's only 3LCD WUXGA projector. Secondly, Epson delivers quality products. We have been fans of Epson's projectors, printers and scanners for years…and they haven't let us down yet.

On to the news…

The PowerLite Pro Z8000WUNL delivers 6,000 lumens color light output and 6,000 lumens white light output and features 1920 x 1200 native resolution, up to 5000:1 contrast ratio, an innovative liquid cooling system, durable optical chips, and a dual-lamp design. It includes LAN connectivity, a closed captioning decoder, and the latest Epson monitoring and control software solution. Six optional lenses are also available.Read more

Earlier this fall, Sony unveiled a slimmer 120GB PlayStation 3. Now, for those wanting a larger hard drive, the company announced they are adding a new PS3 with a 250GB hard drive to the lineup.

Available on November 3, the PS3 250GB system has the same slim look and features as the 120GB version, but with double the memory, you'll be able to save even more games to the device. And, don't forget about PlayStation Network's video delivery service. The 250GB system gives you plenty of room to save movies too...even those in HD!

The 250GB PlayStation 3 will be available on November 3, 2009 for $349.99. Get more information on Sony's blog.

Do you want to add some bass to your home entertainment system without the hassle of running wires throughout your house? Boston Acoustics has the solution to this problem. Just announced are three new Classic Series wireless-ready subwoofers featuring built-in wireless receivers. They include the 8" 200-watt (350-watt Peak) CPS 8Wi, 10" 300-watt (650-watt Peak) CPS 10Wi and 12" 400-watt (850-watt Peak) CPS 12Wi.

Each subwoofer has front-firing, front ported design, meaning you can actually place the subwoofer in a cabinet. All three also feature volume control, a phase switch, speaker-level inputs, line level input and LFE input. Read more

Samsung just announced that Amazon Video On Demand is available on select Samsung HDTVs via a downloadable widget. Also, Blockbuster's Video On Demand service is now on select 2009 Samsung HDTVs, Blu-ray Players and Blu-ray integrated Home Theater Systems.

Owners of Samsung LCD and Plasma HDTVs Series 650 and above and Samsung LED HDTVs Series 7000 and above can download the Amazon Video On Demand widget for free using the Internet@TV – Content Service feature on their HDTVs.

Specific models featuring the BLOCKBUSTER On Demand service include Samsung Series 650 and above LCD and Plasma HDTVs and Series 7000 and above LED HDTVs. The service is also on Samsung BD -P1600, BD-P3600 and BD-P4600 Blu-ray players, as well as select Samsung Blu-ray integrated Home Theater Systems (HT-BD1250, HT-BD3252, HT-BD7200 and HT-BD8200) via firmware upgrade.

For more information visit www.samsung.com.

We have always been huge fans of the Sonos product line. The company first caught our attention with the Sonos Digital Music System back in 2004. Now, they have added a new wireless music system for the iPhone loving crowd. The Sonos ZonePlayer S5 is a wireless music system controlled via iPhone (or Sonos controller) that brings music from your computer to any room in the house.

Priced at $399, with the new S5 you can control and play your iTunes library and online streaming services such as Pandora, Rhapsody, Napster, and SIRIUS Internet Radio. Plus, more than 25,000+ Internet radio stations and podcasts are free of charge and pre-loaded on Sonos. The S5 also includes an analog audio input so you can connect to an external audio source (such as an iPod, CD player, TV, DVD, radio) and play music on all ZonePlayers in the system.Read more

Owners of the Olive Opus Hi-Fi Digital Stereo now have a new way to control their stereo. The company just introduced the free iMaestro application for the iPhone and iPod Touch, giving iPhone users the ability to control the Opus Hi-Fi Digital Stereo from anywhere in the home.

iMaestro application features:

• Control the Olive Opus from anywhere in the home with access to their complete music collection.
• Control the Olive Melody multi-room players for easy wireless access to play music throughout the home.
• Find music in their collection easily with the full-color touchscreen. Select by artist, album, track or genre or tap a few letters to do a quick search.
• See album artwork and detailed information, including artist, album, release date, record label, instruments, soloists and more about the music currently playing on the Opus.
• Control music currently playing by adjusting the volume, repeating or shuffling tracks or rating a track to personalize their music collection.
• Create playlists to set the mood for any occasion. Songs can even be added to playlists while listening.
• Choose from thousands of free, pre-set internet radio stations or add personal favorites.

Available today from Sprint, the Motorola Debut i856 is the first vertical slider phone with Nextel Direct Connect push-to-talk service. It is also the first device to offer the upgraded ability to switch from an active push-to-talk call to a voice call by simply touching a button.

The Debut i856 includes a built-in MP3 player with external music controls, 1.3 MP camera with video capture and up to 4x digital zoom, Stereo Bluetooth and GPS. A GPS Tagging feature lets you tag a picture with the GPS information from the picture's location using the GPS receiver built into the handset. You can also send and receive messages, calendar events, pictures, location information and more, without interrupting a Direct Connect call, as well as play music while you text or talk.

The Motorola Debut i856 is now available from Sprint for $99.99 with a two-year service agreement and $50 mail-in rebate (excluding taxes). For more information visit www.sprint.com.

McIntosh has been around for 60 years, and to celebrate, they have introduced the 60th Anniversary MXA60 Executive System, the company's first standalone integrated audio system. This tabletop system features a high-performance 75-watt-per-channel amplifier, CD/SACD/MP3 player, vacuum tube preamplifier, as well as an AM/FM/RBDS Tuner and high performance, two-way bass reflex loudspeaker system.

McIntosh President Charlie Randall noted: "Our concept in creating the 60th anniversary MXA60 Executive System was to bring together 100% McIntosh performance in a single convenient and compact package, giving audio enthusiasts the opportunity to enjoy renowned McIntosh performance in a system that's ready to play right out of the box. The result is a unique McIntosh audio system with an amazingly big sound that defies its small size."

Not for the cost-conscious, the MXA60 Executive System is available for pre-order now with an MSRP of $7500. Just remember, McIntosh has a 60 year legacy of providing discerning customers the best. And if you want the best, expect to pay for it. Find out more information on this beauty at www.mcintoshlabs.com