Computers

Best and Worst Things to Buy in February

The short month of February is here, and just because it's a mere 29 days long doesn't mean it's any less chock full of deals. Check out the list of the best and worst things to buy in February, which the dealnews editors compiled after poring over their extensive archives of sales, coupons, and individual products from years past. If you're curious about Presidents' Day sales, gifts for Valentine's Day, or prices on electronics, outerwear, and more, then read on.

Valentine's Day Deals Are Predictably Not Great
Since this is the time of year in which jewelry, flowers, and perfume are in their highest in demand, it shouldn't surprise anyone that you probably won't get the best price possible on these items; perfumes, for example, generally see better discounts in late February after Valentine's Day and March. That's because there's less incentive for retailers to offer truly great deals on these items when they're selling so well due to circumstance. Try buying your sweetheart a less routine Valentine's Day gift in a category that's more likely to see a fair discount.Read more

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Sony "Springs it Up" with New VAIOs

by David Novak on Fri, 2012-01-27 11:09

After CES, Sony is still coming out with new announcements. The latest is a spring refresh for its line of VAIO laptops. The Z Series now sports a Carbon Fiber Silver option, and have LTE 4G radios as customizable options. The laptops also now feature the latest Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, and RAID solid state drives. Prices start at $1949.99 for the new Z Series.

The S series have been upgraded to the latest Intel Core processors, while the 13" and 15" models can be upgraded to a Core i7 processor. The S Series also includes Hybrid Graphics with an AMD Radeon HD 6470M (512MB VRAM) or AMD Radeon HD 6630M (1GB VRAM). The 15" model will come standard with a 15.5" Full HD display (1920 x 1080) with IPS technology. Prices start at $799.99 for the 13" S Series and $979.99 for the 15" S Series, and they will be available early February.Read more

iharmonix Q-i-sound Wireless Bluetooth Speakers Arrive in April 2012

by jessica on Fri, 2012-01-27 05:00

Over 20,000 new products were announced at the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES), making it impossible to cover each and every product the week of the show. One little gem we wished we would have experienced hands-on is the iharmonix Q-i-sound Bluetooth speakers by Qmadix. Not your typical boxy design, these ultra-portable wireless speakers deliver stereo sound for a better music listening experience and also feature microphones for hands-free calling.

Great for use with laptops, tablets, smartphones, or any other Bluetooth-enabled device, the speakers – once paired with the device – can be separated from each other by up to 15 feet, and can be placed up to 33 feet away from the tablet or smartphone itself. Each speaker is equipped with a rechargeable lithium polymer battery which charges in 3 ½ hours and lasts for up to eight hours of continuous playtime, 240 hours (10 days) on standby.

A handy zip-up carrying case makes traveling easy and keeps the iharmonix Q-i-sound speakers protected when you're on-the-go.Read more

Genuis DX-ECO Wireless Mouse Runs without a Battery

by David Novak on Tue, 2012-01-24 10:52

Wireless mice are great, but when that battery poops out on you, and you're without spare power, suddenly your entire business shuts down. You simply can't navigate your PC.

Genius' DX-ECO Mouse ditches the friendly batteries in favor of a gold capacitor. What does that mean to you? In just 3-minutes time this mouse can be charged to full and last for what the company says is a complete work day. Additionally, it can be recharged up to 100,000 times, which means that this mouse will be well outdated before its capacitor fizzles out.

And just because it doesn't sport a traditional rechargeable battery, or at the very least a slot for one, that doesn't mean Genius has forgone any of the standard features you've come to expect from your wireless mouse. It can work at up to a distance of 15 meters, includes a tiny micro receiver, 4-way scrolling, adjustable dpi (800/1600 dpi), next/previous page hot keys and a blue optical mouse, or as the company calls it, a "BlueEye" sensor, that is said to work on dusted glass, carpet and marble.Read more

VIZIO Getting into the PC Business this Spring

by David Novak on Thu, 2012-01-19 10:11

VIZIO has officially entered the computer market and will be releasing their all-in-one PCs and laptops this spring. Their all-in-one PCs will come in two sizes—24-and 27-inch versions—and feature a very sleek design (that's sharp and elegant at the same time) with an ultra-thin keyboard, touchpad and a base unit. The screen is said to be thinner than the iMac, only because the computer's guts are sandwiched on the aluminum base. It also features stereo speakers that are located on each side of the base and a subwoofer in the power supply. There's also an HDMI input, which allows users to use the display as a TV, but VIZIO isn't including a TV tuner with this device. VIZIO also hasn't released info on what Intel processor it'll use in its new all-in-one PCs, but more info will probably drop closer to its ship date, which is said to be around May or June.Read more

Adobe Releases Adobe Lightroom 4 Beta

by jessica on Thu, 2012-01-12 15:03

This week at CES, Adobe released Lightroom 4 beta for both Windows and Mac. Available as a free download from Adobe Labs, the digital photo management and editing software gives users a preview of the new features that will be offered in the final release, expected in March 2012.

What's new:

Highlight and shadow recovery brings out all the detail that your camera captures in dark shadows and bright highlights.
Photo book creation with easy-to-use elegant templates.
Location-based organization lets you find and group images by location, assign locations to images, and display data from GPS-enabled cameras.
White balance brush to refine and adjust white balance in specific areas of your images.
Additional local editing controls let you adjust noise reduction and remove moiré in targeted areas of your images.
Extended video support for organizing, viewing, and making adjustments and edits to video clips.
Easy video publishing lets you edit and share video clips on Facebook and Flickr.
Soft proofing to preview how an image will look when printed with color-managed printers.
Email directly from Lightroom using the email account of your choice.

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12 Things That Will Be Less Expensive in 2012

Does the sagging economy, national debt and the previous list of the 11 things that will be more expensive in 2012 have you feeling down? Well, here's something to look forward to: to help counteract some of that 2012 gloom, the editors at dealnews have gathered 12 items they predict will cost less in 2012.

From TVs to laptops, cash-strapped shoppers should keep an eye on prices for these items; even wine might see notable discounts this year!

So cheer up and read on for the good consumer news.

12 Things That Will Be Less Expensive in 2012:

1. Apple iPad 2
The iPad 3 will not feature a significant price drop (if any at all), but one thing is guaranteed — Cupertino's forthcoming tablet will most certainly bring down the price of refurbished iPad 2s.

2. Wine
With less disposable income, folks have left wines priced at $30 and above untouched on store shelves. So to move stock, retailers are expected to offer more sales and even flash deals on wines.

3. Desktop Replacement Laptops
Intel's Sandy Bridge CPUs may be dominating the laptop landscape, but it's AMD's recession-friendly Fusion APUs that are driving prices down, particularly in the realm of desktop replacements.Read more

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Logitech Cube- Presenter and Mouse in One

by David Novak on Mon, 2012-01-09 10:35

Logitech is releasing a new mouse called the Logitech Cube. The device looks like a small box and fits in the palm of your hand. What makes it unique is that the top side of it is a touch sensitive panel. When picking up the Cube it jumps into presentation mode and allows you to control a presentation from the palm of your hand.

Essentially, it's a wireless mouse / presenter hybrid in the same small package. As a mouse, the Cube scrolls via swipe gestures across the main panel via the company's Flow Scroll software with performance similar to scrolling on your touchscreen smartphone of choice. To engage presenter mode, all you'll have to do is pick the device up off your desk and the switch is made for you. The pocket-sized accessory connects to your PC using a diminutive Logitech Unifying receiver with 2.4GHz connectivity.

While in presentation mode the touch sensitive panel can be used to jump forward and backwards between frames. To do that it requires you flip it upside-down when going backwards and flip it back the other way to go forwards between slides. Logitech is also making a plugin available that allows for smoother scrolling.Read more

Back to the Future: Moving Forward by Looking Over Our Shoulder

Better Year – To know where you're going you have to know where you've been, what you've been through. Based largely on what we've been through, people are cautiously more optimistic about the coming year. Image – Universal Pictures

Imagine:

A global population of seven billion people … and growing.
More than six billion mobile subscribers … and growing.
More than nine billion connected devices (two billion machine to machine) … and growing.

We've become a mobile and open world, and there's no turning back.

Constantly Connected – Some feel at a loss if they don't have their mobile "tools" – smartphone, iPad, notebook – with them constantly. Admit it. You go back home if you forgot your phone. You're at a loss when your tablet/computer battery runs low. No wonder we feel we're always connected … we are!Read more

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Logitech Redefines the Mouse With Logitech Cube

Mouse Helps You Make an Impression, in a Size That Fits in Any Pocket

January 2012--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Once again redefining the way we interact with the digital world, today Logitech unveiled the Logitech® Cube. With a unique design that re-imagines what a mouse can be, the Logitech Cube offers everything you want in a mouse, and effortlessly becomes a presenter when you need it.

When used as a mouse, the Logitech Cube scrolls when you swipe your finger along the main panel, thanks to Logitech's Flow Scroll software that delivers a smooth scrolling experience similar to your favorite touchscreen smartphone.

"With its sleek design, the Logitech Cube catches your eye immediately," said Todd Walker, brand manager at Logitech. “But it doesn’t stop with distinctive design. The Cube has just the right set of features, whether you’re working through an international flight or making a critical presentation – all in a beautiful tiny package."

To use the Logitech Cube as a presenter, all you need to do is lift it in the air and moments later it’s in presenter mode. Clicking the top of the mouse advances to the next slide, and if you need to go back simply turn the mouse over in your hand and click again.

And, this pocket-perfect mouse travels light, so whether you’re traveling from your desk to the conference room or taking your computer from the living room to the kitchen you can easily carry your mouse with you wherever you go. Read more