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LCD and Plasma TV’s Found to be Highly Reliable

December 10, 2007

Consumer Reports released a report which claims that LCD and Plasma TV’s require very few repairs within the first 3 years. Consumers who buy the extended warranties on Plasma or LCD TV’s this year will be wasting their money. It’s very unlikely that anything will happen within the first three years! Thats great news for people who are about to purchase these items for Christmas gifts.

LCD and Plasma TV’s have a 3% repair rate according to Consumer Reports Annual Product Reliability Survey for December. On the other hand, Rear-projection TV’s were found to have a much higher repair rate than LCD or Plasma TV’s.

Panasonic’s 50-inch TH-50PZ700U Plasma TV was named Consumer Reports’ best flat-panel TV ever tested. Overall, Panasonic flat-panel TV’s had a 2% repair rate.

Among those that required repair, the average cost was $264 on LCD TV’s and $395 on Plasma TV’s.

If you insist on buying the extended warranty on your new LCD or Plasma TV make sure it is no more that 15% of the total cost of the TV. Some retailers push you to buy this but remember the average price for a repair would be much less in some cases than the extended warranty.

Flat panel high definition TV’s were at the top of most peoples wish lists this Christmas. It was closely followed by a Windows based notebook computer and a digital camera.

Remember, before buying a big ticket item like a TV, read reviews online first. Just because the sales person says it is a good TV does not really mean it is.

Make sure to read our article:

5 Biggest Mistakes People Make When Buying a High-Definition TV

before you make your purchase this year.

-Travis

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Written by Travis · Filed Under General · Leave a Comment 

Western Digital WDXMS2500TN Passport Portable 250GB External Hard Drive

November 26, 2007

The Western Digital Portable 250GB Hard Drive is a nice little gadget for taking large data on the go or simply backing up your laptop or PC hard drive. Having an external storage device is almost essential today and provides a valuable way to backup your important things or to provide more disk space to an already full system.

First off let me say, I am a big fan of Western Digital hard drives. They are all I use. Why? Because most of their drives come with a 3 year warranty which in the hard drive industry is usually only 1 year. That means I get 3 times better warranty coverage than most of the hard drive manufacturers.

Also, I have only had one Western Digital drive die on me in the 15 years that I have been in the computer industry. It was mainly my fault because I did not provide the drive adequate cooling and crammed it between two other devices outside of the case design. That spells trouble. I called their warranty claims department, got an RMA number and returned it. To my surprise my new hard drive was back to me within a week. Not bad.

My experience with other manufacturers such as Quantum, Seagate, and Maxtor have not been so good. I have had many failed hard drives in the past. Although these manufactures are good and drives will fail, it is just my experience or just my good luck with Western Digital that keeps me buying only their drives.

Features

  • It is Smart powered which means you don’t need an external power source. The USB connection will take care of the power for you.
  • Ultra Light - It weighs only a few ounces.
  • Easy to Transport - Fit’s in your hand. Easily fits in your pocket or purse.
  • No CD to install - it automatically installs the first time you plug it in.
  • More Space - 250GB Capacity means you can take more with you.

Conclusion

This drive is an excellent choice if you are looking for an external hard drive. It has tons of space, it’s very reliable and is backed by a 3 year warranty. Also, the nice black housing looks really great on your desk! In our opinion, this is one of the better external hard drive solutions on the market and would be a wise purchase if you don’t already have one.

Price Comparison

$139.99

$195.96

$146.99

$149.00

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Written by Travis · Filed Under Computers & Accessories · Leave a Comment 

Top 10 Christmas Gifts Ideas for Men of 2008 - Christmas Presents for Him That Guys Love

November 7, 2007

Stuck trying to find the perfect gift for that man in your life? We are here to help! Take a look below at the top 10 most desired Christmas gifts for men of 2008!

#1…Samsung BD-P1500 1080p Blu-ray DVD Player

Experience the blu-ray difference with the SAMSUNG BD-P1500. The BD-P1500 lets you have it all - watch your favorite DVDs and blu-ray discs or listen to CDs with the highest-quality audio.

Full 1080p resolution gives you the most outstanding HD image quality.Enjoy a richer, bolder color palette via extended gamut YCC technology. HDMI 1.3 transmission bandwidth capabilities ensure the strongest signal fidelity, while the Ethernet connection lets you easily check for the latest firmware upgrades online.

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#2…Apple iPod touch 32 GB (2nd Generation)

The iPod touch has always been an amazing iPod. And with its groundbreaking technologies–including a Multi-Touch screen, the accelerometer, and 3D graphics–and access to hundreds of games, iPod touch puts an amazing gaming experience in the palm of your hand. It comes in 8 GB, 16 GB, and 32 GB models with new volume controls and a built-in speaker.

Play hours of music. Create a Genius Playlist of songs that go great together. Watch a movie. Surf the web. View rich HTML email. Find your location and get directions with Google Maps. Browse YouTube videos. And shop the App Store for games and applications.

#3…Garmin nüvi 350 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Text-to-Speech

What if one device could help you navigate anywhere in the U.S. and Canada, while offering travel tips, storing your favorite tunes and photos, providing translation assistance, and more? That device is here, and it’s not much bigger than a deck of cards. The Garmin nüvi 350 is set to revolutionize what we expect from a GPS navigation device, or from any device for that matter.

It comes preloaded with City Navigator NT for North America and Puerto Rico, Vehicle suction cup mount, AC charger, Vehicle power cable, Dashboard disc, USB cable, Carrying case and a Quick reference guide.

#4…Samsung LN46A650 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV

Samsung adds a Touch of Color to a blazing-fast 4ms response timeUtilizing the award-winning technologies found in all Samsung HDTVs, Series 7 HDTVs deliver unparalleled picture quality and enhanced connectivity and networking capabilities that create a true entertainment hub for any home.

Series 7 takes networking and multimedia management to a whole new level. Consumers can easily enjoy MPEG and JPEG files stored on external devices by connecting through a side-mounted USB 2.0, turning their LCD into a full-scale home viewing gallery, or connect their MP3 players for a dynamic audio experience.

#5…Specialty Gourmet Steaks and Seafood

It’s been said time and time again that the way to a mans heart is through his stomach right? Well, here is the gift that he can literally sink his teeth into.

Get him some of the best gourmet meat available. Omaha Steaks is one place that comes to mind. I have been a customer of theirs for years now. Their steaks are out of this world! Especially their bacon wrapped Filet Mignons. Plus, they have a ton of other meats, vegatables, seafood, etc. Just click on the link above to check out the menu.

All food is shipped in a special cold storage container to ensure freshness. This is one gift that you will know he will love. Well, unless he is a vegetarian in which case they offer great vegetable assortments as well!

#6…Casio Men’s Ana-Digi Electro-Luminescent Sport Watch

A great choice for sporty world travelers, this Casio analog-digital stainless steel watch offers a stylish black sports resin band that will stay comfortable during your most active sport outings.

The round silver stainless steel watch case features a black bezel framing a black dial face with dagger-style hands and small Arabic numeral display with small minute indexes. The center of the face sports a large digital readout that provides a view to a second time zone–a great feature for globetrotters. It offers an integrated world time function with 29 time zones (27 cities), city code display, and daylight saving on/off.

#7…Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Nearly 20 years after riding his last Crusade, Harrison Ford makes a welcome return as archaeologist/relic hunter Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, an action-packed fourth installment that’s, in a nutshell, less memorable than the first three but great nostalgia for fans of the series.

Producer George Lucas and screenwriter David Koepp (War of the Worlds) set the film during the cold war, as the Soviets are in pursuit of a crystal skull, which has mystical powers related to a city of gold. After escaping from them in a spectacular opening action sequence, Indy is coerced to head to Peru at the behest of a young greaser (Shia LaBeouf) whose friend–and Indy’s colleague–Professor Oxley (John Hurt) has been captured for his knowledge of the skull’s whereabouts.

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Written by Administrator · Filed Under General · 2 Comments 

Garmin Nuvi 350 Pocket Vehicle GPS Price Comparison & Review

November 5, 2007

The Garmin nüvi 350 Pocket GPS is the top seller this year of vehicle GPS devices, and with good reason. It shines above the rest of the bunch with the many features like turn-by-turn directions, automatic routing, and 320 x 240 color touchscreen display just to name a few. Not only that but the 700 MB GPS navigator comes bundled with MP3/audiobook player, photo viewer, and world travel clock. Plus, it comes preloaded with City Navigator NT V.8 with maps of U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. This is not just another GPS system. This is portable. It’s about the size of a deck of cards and very light. Plus the Garmin nuvi 350 has text-to-speech directions through which the actual street name is spoken, and you can hook up an optional FM traffic receiver to obtain real-time traffic alerts. Not only that but there is an optional travel kit, where you can just slip this thing in your pocket and walk the streets of Paris without worrying about getting lost. Included in the travel kit is also a language translation. The where to page allows you to search for points of interest including food, lodging and transportation, just to name a few.

Conclusion If you are in the market for a GPS system, get this one. It’s light and compact, easy to use, and it has a huge database of turn by turn directions that includes text to speech street names. This is the best bang for your buck model out there. We love it! This unit MSRP is $479.99 but we found it so much cheaper than that. Just look below at our price comparison.

Price Comparison

$354.51

$326.48

$399.99

$344.95

 

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