Blogs

The latest in gadget news has to do with JVC's new tabletop home theater sound system, the NX-BX3 for iPods and iPhones. It's JVC's first 2x30W sound system for iPod and iPhone, and is designed to replace your actual nightstand!

Available in both black and white, the NX-BX3 has a weight of 20kg for a size of 500x300x110mm and offers all the features that can be found in other iPhone/iPod speaker docks. It sports an FM tuner and SRS StudioSound HD for around $400.

The next time you buy an iPod dock, ask yourself this important question: can I put a lamp on it? It can hold glasses or a flower vase on its top -- really, the sky's the limit (plus some general weight restrictions) when it comes to the things you can place on top of it.

The dock arrives in Japan this month, and will follow in the US this summer.Read more

Sony's newest handheld gaming system goes on sale February 22, but if you want to be one of the first to try out the device, you can head to one of more than 3,300 GameStop locations for a playable demo unit of this new technology. Decide you have to have one? GameStop also announced that they will give you $25 toward the purchase of the new PS Vita when you trade in your existing Nintendo DS, 3DS or Sony PSP system.

The PlayStation Vita features a five-inch OLED multi-touch screen, front and rear touch pads, dual analog sticks, dual cameras and six-axis motion sensing system. A variety of games will be available to demo, including:

• UNCHARTED: Golden Abyss
• Little Deviants
• Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational
• EA SPORTS FIFA Soccer
• ModNation Racers: Road Trip
• Virtua Tennis 4: World Tour Edition
• Escape Plan
• wipEout 2048

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Did you catch the Samsung Galaxy Note commercial that aired during the Big Game on Sunday? You can now pre-order the device at Best Buy, Best Buy Mobile, or online at BestBuy.com/Mobile and get a free Protective Flip Cover Case (value of $29.99) when you activate the phone (while supplies last).

The Samsung Galaxy Note has all the benefits of a tablet but the functionality of a smartphone. It features a 5.3" HD Super AMOLED screen, a dual core processor, 8MP rear facing and 2MP front facing cameras, and 16GB memory expandable to up to 32GB with optional microSD card. And, as seen in the commercial below, the device features a new S Pen stylus which can be used to write e-mails, texts and more in free-form handwriting.

Samsung Galaxy Note Commercial:

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February is in full swing, which means it's time to announce X-Rite's schedule of webinars for professional and serious amateur photographers. Four free webinars are offered this month – Editing Portraits in Photoshop & Getting Prints Back that Match Your Display!, Image Edits and Enhancements in Lightroom 3, For the Birds! Nature Photography with Maxis Gamez and Edit & Enhance Landscape Images in Photoshop – all which will help photographers gain new confidence and learn quick, easy and powerful ways to enhance their color workflow.

"This month, X-Rite hosts four completely new Webinars that will surely appeal to a range of photographers looking to improve their photography as well as color management skills," said Mark Rezzonico, vice president, X-Rite Photo Marketing. "And we're especially pleased to co-sponsor with Nik Software, professional nature photographer and bird specialist Maxis Gamez's nature photography Webinar."

February Webinar Schedule:

Thursday, February 9, 2012, 11:00 AM EST and 1:00 PM EST
Editing Portraits in Photoshop & Getting Prints Back that Match Your Display!

Spend an hour with host Joe Brady learning how to edit portrait photographs to create images clients will love. In this free webinar sponsored by X-Rite, Joe will share some of his favorite techniques, tips and tricks for adding shape, direction and finish to portraits. From simple blemish removal to complex reshaping of body parts, these step-by-step tutorials will enhance your Photoshop skills and improve your editing quality and speed.Read more

We all know that coffee warms us up. It has to do with the phenomenon of drinking something hot somehow warms up our internals. But what about wearing it?

Virus, a California based clothing company, uses the left-overs from coffee production, otherwise known as Coffee Char, or coffee charcoal to manufacture their clothing. That's right; they repurpose the coffee remnants to produce base layer clothing. This coffee substance can trap body heat providing up to 10-degrees of added warmth. The Virus clothing is extremely efficient at eliminating moisture and odor as well. The grounds are recycled and processed into a natural fiber to produce a comfortable base layer fabric that traps heat close to the skin.

According to Virus, tests have shown that the garments' heat trap increases surface temperature by 10 degrees Fahrenheit and no chemical treatments or applications are used to provide these insulation properties. When body heat turns up the temperature and perspiration levels, additional features of the garment kick in. These include UV shielding and anti-odor properties, a function that the company says is due to the selection of compounds woven into the fabric that deter the growth of microbes.Read more

When you position your camera vertically, getting the perfect shot can mean a stretch of the fingers to the shutter button when not holding the camera horizontally. PENTAX has the solution with its new Optio VS20 digital compact camera. The 16-megapixel camera packs an accelerometer, which will flip your image to the correct orientation and a second shutter release and zoom lever on the topmost side of the body for easier snapping. The company also thoughtfully included a second tripod mount, so there's no fussing with your stand required.

Other features include a 3-inch LCD, automatic picture modes including fish-eye. It'll capture 1280 x 720 movies with its independent video button (also recording in fish-eye) and variable aspect ratio.

Unlike most point and shoot, the two shutter release buttons - one on the top for landscape shots and one on the side for those portrait snaps - is a pretty useful invention. That said, don't mistake the VS20 as a one trick pony. It boasts a massive 20x optical zoom, which is very unorthodox for a camera of this size.Read more

Shopping for a new mobile phone? Best Buy has announced that they are giving consumers a $50 gift card to anyone who registers and then purchases and activates a mobile phone at Best Buy by December 31, 2012. The offer is valid on Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile phones activated with a new two-year agreement at Best Buy or online at BestBuy.com (excluding T-Mobile activations requiring a deposit).

The offer is simple:

• Step One: Consumers register their phone number at www.bestbuy.com/phonefreedom by Feb. 12, 2012
• Step Two: Consumers activate the registered phone number with the purchase of a new mobile phone with a two-year agreement at Best Buy or BestBuy.com any time before Dec. 31, 2012
• Step Three: Upon purchase and activation, customers will receive their $50 Best Buy gift card

There is no obligation once a phone number is registered. Best Buy Reward Zone program members may register their phone number online between Wednesday, Feb. 1 and Sunday, Feb. 12 to qualify. All other customers may register their phone number online between Sunday, Feb. 5 and Sunday, Feb. 12 to qualify.Read more

The Big Game takes place this weekend and we're still running across HDTV deals from retailers banking on that last-minute purchase. One company in particular, Westinghouse Digital, is being promoted now more than ever before, thanks to their wide range of affordable, yet high performance HDTVs. Check out the Big Game deals below…

Westinghouse specials this week include:

Best Buy:

• 60-inch LCD VR-6025Z $899.99 (Save $400)
• 55-inch LED LD-5580Z $849.99 (Save $250)
• 24-inch LCD VR-2418 $179.99 (Save $20)

Target:

• 55-inch LCD VR-5525Z $599.99 (Save $200)
• 40-inch LCD VR-4030 $349.99 (Save $50)
• 37-inch LCD VR-3710 $299.99 (Save $50)

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FUJIFILM unveiled the X-Pro1 interchangeable lens digital camera at CES last month, and now we know just how much this bad boy will cost. Available at the end of February 2012, you can pick up the FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (body only) for a hefty $1,699.95.

The FUJIFILM X-Pro1 boasts a brand new, custom developed 16MP APS-C X-Trans CMOS sensor, new color filter array and Fujifilm's EXR Processor Pro technology which work together, as the company says, "to deliver superlative image quality that will rival currently available mid and high-end DSLR models."

The camera also features a new 2nd Generation Hybrid Multi Viewfinder and three prime interchangeable FUJINON lenses – the 18mm (27mm equivalent) f/2.0, 35mm (53mm equivalent) f/1.4 and 60mm (90mm equivalent) f/2.4. Read more

PENTAX on Thursday announced its second interchangeable lens camera – the K-01. Designed by Marc Newson, the PENTAX K-01 features a 16MP APS-C CMOS sensor and is compatible with most of the lenses the company has ever made – and that's a bunch, folks – we're talking over 25+ million K-mount lenses!

This mirrorless camera also features a 3-inch LCD with 920,000 dots, sensor-shift image stabilization, it can shoot at up to 6 frames per second, and has an ISO range of 100-25600 for noise-free imaging in almost any lighting. In addition, the K-01 captures Full HD 1080p video at 30 FPS with h.264 compression (60 FPS at 720p). What you won't find on the K-01 is an optical viewfinder or quick-return mirror – the elimination of these components gave Marc Newson more freedom when it came to the camera body's design.

PENTAX is also releasing a new lens for the K-01. The smc PENTAX-DA 40mm F2.8 XS interchangeable lens is said to be the world's thinnest interchangeable lens (as of February 1, 2012). The PENTAX K-01 will be available in black, white and Newson's signature yellow colors, and it features the designer's autograph logo stamp on the bottom of each camera. Read more