If your loved ones still depend on cable, help them to cut the cord (or, at least, add to their cable experience) with one of these Wi-Fi-connected television accessories. Each of these devices adds tons of internet content to your television screen, and some do more.  

iPad and iPhone owners will love that the Apple TV can sync their photos and music, and the Roku 2 XS box includes up to 300 channels of streaming content, including access to familiar services like Hulu and Netflix.  With those options, there’ll always be something on their television sets worth watching. 

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Apple TV

Tightly tied into the iTunes store, Apple’s slick set-top box also offers Netflix and TV show rentals from partners such as ABC and Fox, but it has fewer independent streaming options (no Pandora) than the competition. On the other hand, only the Apple TV lets you stream music, photos, and video from your iPhone or iPad. A recent software update adds iCloud support, so your music and photos stay in sync with your iPhone and iPad.

$99; www.apple.com

Apple has refreshed its lineup of MacBook Pro notebooks with some speedy new processors, improved graphics chips, and a boatload of memory. As usual, the upgraded MacBooks were quietly released on Apple’s website without so much as a press release being issued. Unlike the circus-like atmosphere that surrounds Apple’s new product announcements, refreshes such as those made to the MacBook lineup aren’t met with nearly the same amount of fanfare. So what kind of improvements has Apple made to its MacBooks?

For starters, the $1,199 base 13-inch MacBook Pro now features a 2.4-GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, an upgrade over the previous notebook’s 2.3-GHz processor. If you’re looking for more power out of the same form factor, you can step up to the $1,499 13-inch model, which now includes a 2.8-GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 processor. Both models also get larger hard drives, with the $1,199 version getting a new 500GB drive and the $1,499 getting a 750GB drive. Read the rest of this entry »

This week’s tech news reached a fever pitch today, with the release of the iPhone 4S on three carriers. But that’s not all the news that’s fit to print. We have a whopping 10 product reviews for your weekend perusing. These gadgets run quite the gamut, too, from a remote control device for your entertainment system to a superphone from Samsung that might even give Apple’s latest handset a run for its money.

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Gigabyte P2532

With five dual-channel speakers, an Nvidia GeForce GT550M graphics card, and a 1080p display, the P2532 will appeal to gamers and media mavens. The only thing missing is a Blu-ray drive.

Read Our Gigabyte P2532 Review

Facebook members will have the chance to listen and chat about music in real-time with their friends via virtual listening rooms through a new social Internet radio service.

Facebook will be offering a new app from Myxer Social Radio to bring friends together through music as they listen at the same time in rooms they create or that are created by their friends, with music choices enhanced by Myxer’s recommendations.

After downloading the free app on Facebook once it hits the site later this year, users can log in and see which friends are also using the service. Similar to Pandora’s streaming service, people can join different listening rooms or channels based on musical artists, such as Lady Gaga or U2. Read the rest of this entry »

Netflix sent a statement and video message today (Sept. 19) to all of its subscribers apologizing for the “lack of respect” in the way it unexpectedly announced it would be separating its DVD and streaming services and upping its prices.

The company also announced it will be renaming its DVD-by-mail service Qwikster.

“I messed up,” said Reed Hastings, co-founder and CEO of Netflix. “I owe you an explanation.”
In July, Netflix took a bold step toward making streaming its dominant rental method by announcing with little explanation a new pricing plan that separates DVD rentals and movie streaming into separate accounts, unless customers pay more.

Previously, the basic Netflix subscription provided DVD rentals (one disc at a time) and unlimited streaming, with more expensive options for two discs or Blu-rays. Now unlimited streaming is in a subscription all by itself, at $8 a month, and single-disc subscriptions are also $8 but do not provide streaming access.

Customers can still subscribe to plans that provide both DVDs and streaming, but those plans are now $16 and up. For those who only stream or use DVDs, this actually makes a Netflix subscription a bit cheaper, and Netflix says that was one of the reasons behind this decision.

However, the pricing and rental strategy surprised and outraged many subscribers. Read the rest of this entry »

It may be Labor Day weekend here in the U.S., but over in Berlin, Germany, the IFA trade show is still in full effect. As part of the weeklong festivities, XtremeMac, a maker of chargers, cases, and audio units for Apple devices, has unveiled four new speaker systems for use with the iPhone, iPod, iPad, and iMac. 

‘The first device, XtremeMac’s Luna Voyager II allows users to set dual independent alarms and wake to their iPod, iPhone, iPad, FM radio, or a standard buzzer.  In included app also provides users with an FM radio tuner controller and multiple channel preset. Read the rest of this entry »

In addition to tablets, tablets, and more tablets, TVs loaded with extra features have a strong presence at IFA. Glasses-free 3D sets are rolling out from many of the major manufacturers, but–perhaps thanks to high-profile products such as the Samsung Galaxy Note–pen input for is also a noticeable trend. Take LG’s PZ850 Pentouch plasma TV, for instance: The $2,199 set lets users draw on the screen via a digitizer, and there’s also 3D capability and 2D-to-3D conversion. For those who don’t need 3D, there’s a less-expensive version selling for $1,699 and a 50-inch model for $1,099.

Once your computer is connected to the 60-inch monitor via HDMI, you can draw, scribble, and write memos on the display via the two included digitizers. LG includes a generous amount of programs optimized to work with stylus input: Gallery, Family Diary, Photo Editor, Sketchbook, and–of course–the Internet. There’s also one-click printing, assuming you have a printer configured and connected.

Doodling on the 60-inch PZ850′s monitor with Sketchbook is obviously a cute feature (see our best attempt at a flower below), but we found using the digitizers in a browser to be the most fun. We scrolled through Europe in Google Maps and added memos on top of web pages. Our gallery below has some more hands-on images.

Starting this Wednesday, we’ll be on site at IFA in Berlin, where we’ll be walking the floor and tracking down the hottest new mobile technology. While we don’t know the full list of new phones, tablets, and notebooks awaiting us in Germany, rumors are already swirling about product releases from Samsung, Viewsonic, Toshiba and more. Here’s a teaser of what to expect this week.

Based on info discovered in the Samsung Mobile Unpacked APK, tipsters such as This is my next are spreading the word that Samsung will be announcing the Galaxy Tab 7.7, a Wave 3 smartphone, and a still-mysterious device dubbed the Galaxy note. That’s not all, though: Word also has it that the company will be unveiling a dual-core Galaxy S II handset complete with LTE capabilities. Samsung also announced a new chat service for its lineup of feature phones and smartphones. 

Toshiba will add a new Android Honeycomb tablet to the party, according to reports from NotebookItalia and AndroidandMe. The rumored slate is poised to be a thinner, lighter alternative to the Toshiba Thrive, a 10-inch Honeycomb slate released earlier this year with an edge that’s thick enough to house full-sized USB, HDMI-out, and SD card ports. Early reports say that this new ultra-thin Toshiba tablet will include micro-versions of those same slots, as well as a brushed-metal chrome frame and a 1.5-GHz processor.

Hexus.net reports that Viewsonic will be showing off its latest tablet, the ViewPad 7x. The slate is said to run Android 3.2 and is already scheduled for a September release date in the U.K.—though there’s no word when it will hit the U.S. The company could also unveil the ViewPad 10 Pro, a device that dual-boots Android Gingerbread and Windows 7.

3D tech will reportedly have a strong presence at IFA, and PCWorld says Philips will be releasing a 3D TV, the 46PFL9706K, at the show. The TV reportedly lets viewers see two different screens while playing a game.

via Hexus.net, PCWorld, This is my next

Walmart is making a third go at joining the video rental game, with the launch of its Vudu-based streaming video on demand service. Unlike Netflix, Vudu is not a subscription-based service, but instead charges users for each movie they watch. Pricing depends on what movie you rent, with newer releases like The Lincoln Lawyer and Limitless costing $3.99 for a single 24-hour  standard definition rental.

If you are looking for a 720p or 1080p versions, you’ll have to shell out $4.99 and $5.99, respectively, for a single day. Other movies can be rented for upwards of 14 days. The service also offers a two days for $2 rental program for certain movies, as well as a $0.99 Movie of the Day. Customers can also purchase select videos through the service. Like Netflix, customers can access and watch movies on Vudu through their web browser. Walmart has also launched an app for the Playstation 3 console, however, there is no Xbox 360 app available at this time, something Netflix does offer. 

Read the rest of this entry »

V-MODA, makers of high-end headphones opened the coffin on new Revamp High-Fidelity In-Ear Headphones, inspired by the HBO vampire series, True Blood. The company also recently unveiled True Blood V-80 On-Ear Headphones, from the same line.

How do these ear-buds pay homage to one of cable television’s most popular vampire shows? Aside from the shiny black design with red accents, they also have the Japanese character for the show’s namesake drink for blood suckers (Tru Blood) on the base of each ear-bud. Beyond just the earbuds, the headphones include a skinny silver bullet microphone with the show’s name on it. The metal headphones also feature Kevlar reinforced fabric cables, re-mastered BLISS 2.0 (Bass Level Isolating Soft Silicone) noise-isolating buds, and ACTIVE FLEX technology that allows each bud to adjust independently and reduce cable noise.

The packaging also boasts “immortal durability” and “supernatural sounds” thanks to aluminum construction and V-MASQUE high-definition driver, which the site says delivers strong bass, as well as full mid-range and high sounds.

These extravagant in-ear headphones normally cost $120, but are available for $99 throughout season 4 of True Blood. That’s still a lot to pay for ear-buds, but at least it’s cooler than Twilight headphones. All those would do is glitter.