AudioVideo

Your novel may be a page-turner, but with the Amazon Kindle, you'll get to the next chapter by pushing a button.

The Amazon Kindle, an electronic reading device, lets you read that all-engrossing novel or your favorite newspaper on a stand-alone six-inch display screen about the size of a paperback page.

The portable device uses the same 3G network as advanced cell phones. Users can purchase books through the Kindle Store, and content is delivered over a wireless system called Amazon Whispernet through Sprint's EV-DO network, which is accessible at no charge. Read more

A must-have product for international travelers, the Macally PowerPal is a combination USB, AC charger and universal power adaptor that can charge virtually any USB device such as an iPhone, iPod, camera and PDA.

It provides interchangeable plugs for North and South America, Taiwan, Japan, Europe, China, Middle East, Russia, United Kingdom, Singapore, Hang Kong, Africa, Australia and New Zealand. The PowerPal also offers a fuse compartment (including and extra fuse) and a Universal pass through outlet—so users still have access to a plug, even when the adaptor plugged into an outlet. It comes with a standard iPod 30-pin to USB charging cable and a carrying pouch. Read more

Salamander Designs is now shipping their new Jump Seat Ottoman to dealers. What is it, you ask? This unique ottoman unfolds to turn into a theater seat, perfect for that extra guest that shows up unannounced, or junior’s friend who wants to play the latest video game. Of course, the Jump Seat is also a traditional ottoman.

The Jump Seat’s seat measures 22 inches wide x 17 inches deep, with the back rest 24 inches high. When closed, it measures 31 inches wide x 24.5 inches deep x 15.25 inches high. It includes a cup holder and a small compartment for remote controls or game controllers and is available in black or brown leather with a matching microsuede interior for $999. In mid-fall the seat will be available in 14 leathers, 10 microsuedes, or in a combination of both materials for a two-tone look. Read more

Most people know that the single biggest enemy of electronic components is excess heat. Yet many of us stack our expensive amplifiers, receivers, disc players and other valuable electronic paraphernalia into cabinets or closets with little to no ventilation. Think about it, have you ever put your hand on the top of one of your amplifiers and felt how warm it gets?

My components are in a cabinet and used to get quite warm. I searched for a solution and found some basic computer-type fans at RadioShack. I bought four of them and they did an effective job of cooling the equipment down. The only problem was that they were loud. Essentially I was trading the health of my equipment for these fans which were at best a short term remedy.

At the recent CEDIA (home theater) convention in Denver, I met David Lee, one of the principles in a new company (amazingly enough) named Cool Components. This company has an entire line of equipment cooling solutions that are made to not only provide quality and quiet cooling solutions, but also at very reasonable prices--especially considering the quality of construction and appearance. One thing to be aware of is that not all fans are created equal and Cool Components did their homework and had fans specially manufactured to balance the fan speed (the source of the noise) with the effectiveness of the fans. Read more

CEDIA is the #1 show in the residential electronic systems industry, with products being announced about the latest in custom home theater, audio, video and residential electronic systems. There was so much news coming out of CEDIA last week, we thought we would give you a rundown of some of the best (just in case you missed them):

Sony’s Super Slim LCD TV

Pioneer Unveils Flagship Blu-ray Disc Player

Hitachi’s New Plasma TVs

Sharp’s HD Liquid Crystal Display Lineup

Epson’s Less Than $2000 1080p Resolution Front Projector Read more

This week at CEDIA 2008, THIEL Audio unveiled zöet, a plug and play, multi-room, premium home theater system that anyone can set up and use in under an hour. Perfect for the non-technical but discerning consumer, zöet self-powered IP-addressable speakers can be located throughout the home and connected to the zöet dB1 distribution processor using existing in-home Ethernet, its own lossless proprietary wireless network, or both.

zöet requires no drilling and the entire system can be operated from a simple and intuitive remote control, eliminating the need for a specialist to get the system up and running. You can make changes and upgrades yourself via a web interface as well as automatic firmware updates, making visits by experts a thing of the past. Read more

You've got your new large-screen HDTV set up, and you have plenty of your favorite DVDs waiting to be viewed. Now all you need is the right sound. When you sit down to watch a movie -- or live music concert -- in your own home theater, you want to feel as though you're in a real movie theater. The audio is just as important as the picture quality, which means you should take great care in shopping for the right receiver and speaker pieces. As you shop for audio components for your home theater, first check out "HDTV – A beginner's guide." Then, consider the following points:

The AV receiver
Most average home theater users don’t need to buy separate tuners and amplifiers for the different channels. The easiest and perhaps most cost-effective way to get several pieces all in one package is to go with an audio/video receiver, which lets you plug in most, if not all, of the pieces in your system, including your television. Read more

Sonos Improvements Announced
New equipment ebbs and flows into a reviewer’s hands with such frequency that I have rarely purchased any such products—always expecting that a better device is just around the corner. The whole-house wireless music system developed by Sonos is one of those rare exceptions; after testing the product I actually bought a system with my own hard-earned money. I can truthfully tell you that when it comes to distributed audio throughout the house, Sonos is the best.

For those of you unfamiliar with Sonos, it is a simple, yet sophisticated and relatively inexpensive family of products designed to wirelessly broadcast your music throughout your home. It is so simple and easy to use that the complete installation of a Sonos system can be finished in less than an hour. Using an elegant, iPod-like wireless remote you have complete control over the music you want to hear and the rooms in which it will be played. Read more