jessica's blog

Philips Electronics just announced the new Wireless HDTV Link. This device replaces the cables that connect the HD cable set-top box, HD satellite receiver, Blu-ray player and gaming console to a HDTV. Using the Wireless HDTV Link, you can move your HD devices up to 75 feet away from the TV without signal loss or degradation. Up to four AV devices can be connected (two HDMI connections and two component connections).

The Philips Wireless HDTV Link is now available at amazon.com and dell.com with an MSRP of $799. It will be sold at Sam's Club, samsclub.com and Costco.com beginning November 2009. It will then hit retail stores in late fourth quarter 2009 and early 2010.

Windows 7 is being released today. Will you be updating your computer to the new operating system? If so, you will need to backup your data. This is especially important for XP users, as the hard drive will have to be wiped clean before installing Windows 7. Memeo has a solution to protect the sensitive data from your hard drive with Memeo Instant Backup and Memeo Backup Premium.

Memeo Instant Backup products give you a worry-free way to upgrade your system while keeping your programs, files and settings in a safe location- such as a storage device or online. Memeo also provides Windows 7 users with a way to restore any deleted files and photos that are no longer on your computer. 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

Barnes & Noble jumps on the e-reader bandwagon with the introduction of nook. The company states that nook is the first Android-based eBook reader and the first to offer a color touch screen for navigation in addition to the E Ink display. I guess this is true, since Alex by Spring Design (who also claimed to be the first) doesn't even have a release date yet. nook is also the first eBook reader to provide 3G wireless access on AT&T's mobile broadband network and access to Wi-Fi for Barnes & Noble in-store browsing. And, yet another first, nook lets you share your eBooks with friends for up to 14 days at a time. Just choose the book you want to share and send it to your friend's nook, iPhone/iPod touch, select BlackBerry and Motorola smartphones, and PC or Mac (loaded with the required Barnes & Noble eReader software).

nook will be available at the end of November for $259. Barnes & Noble is taking pre-orders now at www.nook.com and in stores. Barnes & Noble is also giving the first 10,000 customers who pre-order a free eBook of Malcolm Gladwell's best-seller, "The Tipping Point."Read more

Just announced today is the new Acer Aspire 5738DG 3D notebook computer. I know what you're thinking…"What, another new laptop?" This one is different, however. With 3D viewing technology, watching movies and playing games will never be the same.

The Aspire 5738DG features the TriDef 3D solution, which includes a 3D screen, software and glasses for viewing content in 3D. Not only does it handle 3D content, but it also takes 2D content and replicates 3D. You can also switch from standard viewing to 3D with a simple mouse click. Another plus, a special graphics card isn't needed for viewing content in 3D. Read more

Apple on Tuesday announced that they have updated their iMac desktop computer line, MacBooks, as well as introducing the new multi-touch Magic Mouse. They also boosted the speed, doubled the memory and introduced a new server configuration of the Mac mini. Just in time for the holiday season (of course).

The new iMacs have larger screens, 21.5 inches and 27 inches, up from 20 and 24 inches. Featuring a new edge-to-edge glass design and aluminum enclosure, the new iMac line starts at $1,199. Other features include Intel Core 2 Duo processors (quad-core processors are also available), 4GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 memory and capacity up to 16GB across four SO-DIMM slots. They also include choice of NVIDIA GeForce or ATI Radeon HD graphics, built-in iSight video camera, mic and stereo speakers, built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n Wi-Fi networking, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, Gigabit Ethernet, four USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port and a new built-in SD card slot.Read more

Ambient Devices just announced the Flurry Alarm Clock. Different from your standard alarm clock, Flurry displays weather forecast information for over 150 U.S. locations from AccuWeather.com. No internet connection is needed - just plug the clock in and automatically receive 2-day forecasts and accurate network time from Ambient's InfoCast wireless network. Forecast information includes daily high/low temperatures and detailed weather conditions.

Features include:

• Intuitive "Pop-Up" alarm buttons are visual status indicators, easy to set and use.
• Network connected clock is always accurate and never needs setting.
• Integrated 2-Day weather forecast provided by AccuWeather.com for 150 U.S. locations.
• 25 character text display provides additional weather information and details.
• No PC, Wi-Fi, or Internet connection necessary, automatically receives data from the free Ambient wireless network.

Flurry is now available at Best Buy, with an MSRP of $129.99.

Gateway just introduced the new EC Series notebook computer line. Available later this week, the laptops will come in two sizes – 15.6-inch and 11.6-inch ultraportable.

The 15.6-inch EC58 and EC54 start at 5.29 pounds, are an inch thin and feature an ultra-durable aluminum alloy design, Intel Core 2 Duo and Pentium Dual-Core processors, 802.11b/g Draft-N wireless, Dolby Sound Room audio enhancement and two built-in speakers. They run on Windows 7 Home Premium and have a Multi-Gesture Touchpad. The 15.6-inch EC Series also include a 6-cell Li-ion battery for up to eight hours of battery life, an integrated webcam and digital microphone. 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.