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Dell SP2309W HD widescreen monitor with webcam |
If you’re in the market for a new monitor we’ve come across one you just might want to take a look at. Don’t let all the expensive-looking features scare you away just yet; Dell is listing this one at a mere $379.
The Dell SP2309W is a 23-inch Full-HD widescreen display with a 2048×1152 resolution and up to 80,000:1 contrast ratio. This resolution allows you to bring up two full-sized web pages side by side like you might do with dual monitors, but enough room on just this one (provided your vision is good).
The latest from Neuros is the Neuros LINK, which will let you watch videos from places like Hulu, YouTube and the like on your TV, subscription free, through courtesy of their own TV service. However, the LINK doesn’t appear to have any internal storage. It does boast six USB ports so you can attach your own drives that have photos, video or music. You’ll also get HDMI and optical S/PDIF outputs, a gigabit ethernet, 802.11b/g WiFi, and an included wireless “keymote” with trackball. The device is available now for $300, but it’s still in a “gamma release,” so early adopters can get one in exchange for a few bugs.
Most of us are probably familiar with the series of books called For Dummies. The books try to teach various topics in formats easy for the new user to understand. The For Dummies series is branching out with a new non-book offering.
When it comes to affordable, big picture widescreen movies and gaming the route to take is a projector. With a projector, you can get HD images as large as traditional HDTVs for a fraction of the cost. To get a 100-inch image on a plasma or LCD TV would run tens of thousands of dollars where a projector can easily do it for a few thousand dollars.
It looks like ASUS fans have another model to consider from the company, the new N20A model. At around 4 pounds, this one has a 12.1-inch WXGA display, described as “glare-type”, and it gets a boost in the performance as well. You can choose from four different Core 2 Duo processors, though it sports an integrated Intel GMA X4500HD graphics chipset. You’ll get up to 4GB of RAM, a max 320GB hard drive, and a DVD burner, built-in webcam, memory card reader. There are also HDMI and VGA outputs, three USB ports, an ExpressCard slot, eSATA port, 8-in-1 media card reader, and the Trusted Platform Module 1.2 in select models. No word on price yet.
I have a problem with the amount of HDMI inputs offered on most of the HDTV sets available today. Typically, you only get three HDMI connections and some TVs offer even less. That means for users with multiple game consoles with HDMI, Satellite boxes, Blu-ray players or an Apple TV you end up manually changing cables frequently.
Sony is offering this James Bond 007 Sony Vaio TT Series Notebook with carbon fiber black casing that also sports a 007 engraved logo and a leather case. The TT series features an 11.1″ widescreen LCD display, 2GB RAM, a 64GB Solid State Drive, HDMI out, and comes with a pair of noise canceling headphones. If you don’t want to dish out the $2,399 you can always get the Limited Edition 007 8GB Micro Vault Click USB Flash Drive for $29,99. 
Looks like Western Digital has entered the world of HD media streaming. The WD TV HD Media Player is said to “turn your USB drive into an HD media player, allowing you to watch your favorite HD movies on your TV.” So, basically it lets you plug in a USB hard drive and play multimedia clips up to 1080p on your HDTV via HDMI/composite outputs. Comes with a remote control and browsing software. The small 1.6- x 4.9- x 3.9-inch box is pretty portable and the $129.99 price doesn’t hurt too much.
Toshiba is laying the smack down on Alienware, revamping its 
Asus ups it’s LCD inventory with four new high-end displays arriving this month. The VK266H and VW266H are 25.5 inches, making them the largest Asus has offered. The VK246H and VW246H are the new 24 inch models. All feature the company’s new Splendid Video Intelligence Technology, 1,920 x 1,200, Full HD 1080p video playback via an HDMI input, with a 20,000:1 contrast ratio, a nice improvement over the current 3,000:1 of Asus’ flagship. Specs are identical on all four, with the VK266H and the VK246H having built-in webcams. No word on pricing just yet.
For certain users the desktop PC is still the way to go. These are people who don’t travel a lot and demand serious performance from their PCs. Two of the most common members of this group of power users not interested in a notebook PC are gamers and digital media enthusiasts.
Blu-ray finally killed off the HD DVD format early this year meaning that many were expecting to see Blu-ray players drop in price quickly. That didn’t really materialize with Blu-ray players staying at levels about the same as before HD DVD died. At least one Blu-ray player has finally come down into the reach of most consumers.
Desktop computers were once the computer of choice for the majority of users. Improvements in technology making notebooks cheaper and mobile Internet connections have turned the majority of users today to notebooks. However, there is still a market for the desktop PC, though it is shrinking literally and figuratively.
Looking at family photos has come a long way since I was a kid. My mom had volumes of photo albums with pictures crammed in slots. Inevitably, over time they would stick to the pages and ruin the pictures. Today for family photos, we store thousands of them on one tiny memory card or our computers and view them on a digital photo frame. The next evolution of viewing family photos will be looking at them on the big screen TV in the living room.
