Zune HD Review: Music discovery at its finest

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Design, Features, HDTV, Microsoft, Portable Audio / Video

We’ve had the new Zune HD in our hands for a few weeks, and now that we’ve had the opportunity to thoroughly get to know it at an intimate level, we figured it was time to share - but first things first. We’ve gotta say it. Microsoft has been consistently wowing us over the last few months. Say what you will about Windows 7, Bing, et al, but at the end of the day, they are solid offerings that stack of well against their competitors. Then of course, there’s the Xbox 360, which just received a dashboard overhaul, making it even more useful and feature-rich, and there is even more to come this fall. For us to even be thinking about Microsoft in this way is a huge departure from even just one year ago.

So, all that said, where does the Zune HD fit into all this? Well, as we’ve posted previously, the thing has an OLED 16x9 display, and packs in the NVIDIA Tegra processor. Those two pieces of news has us super-excited to see if this thing would live up to the hype. Does it? Go grab a drink and get comfortable, because we are going to delve right in.

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Verbatim InSight portable hard drive with always-on display

Posted by Mark Rollins Categories: Accessories, USB, Storage

Verbatim’s newest product is designed for those of us who could use a bit more at-a-glance information from the USB hard drives strewn across our desks.  The InSight portable hard drive has a display that is always on, which shows important information such as the drive name and available free space. It runs at 5400 rpm with an 8 MB cache.  You should be able to purchase one for $120 for the 320GB model, and $150 for the 500GB version. 

Read More | PR Inside

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Zune HD footage shows off touchscreen interface

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: HDTV, Microsoft, Portable Audio / Video, Videos

Here’s a bit of Zune HD footage taken at the GDGT launch, where the Zune folks were on hand to give people a look at Microsoft’s upcoming iPod touch competitor. The rule was that no photos or videos could be shot, but you know how well that goes over in a room full of gadget geeks. Yeah. Over a minute of Zune HD interface footage is featured above, so go ahead and behold the beauty.

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What Super Mario Galaxy would look like on high definition Wii

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Adventure, Mods/Hacks, Nintendo, Platformers, Screenshots, Wii

When Nintendo announced the Wii initially, one of the large collective groans we heard from gamers was in regards to the lack of high definition output. Well, here are a few images to make you lust for that HD Wii even more. The images in our Super Mario Galaxy HD gallery are taken from a Wii emulator that is capable of outputting 720p video.  The images look great and all, but I guess Nintendo knows what’s best for us.

Read More | NeoGAF

Gallery: What Super Mario Galaxy would look like on high definition Wii

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Bleeding Edge TV 311: Hauppauge HD PVR 1212 review

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Gizmatic, Short Bytes, Features, HDTV, Home Entertainment, PC / Laptop, Podcasts, Product Reviews, Video Games, Videocasts, Videos

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We got our hands on the Hauppauge HD PVR 1212 personal video recorder, and we bring you a review of this unit in this episode. The Hauppage HD PVR 1212 connects to your HDTV peripherals using component cable, and then goes out to your display over component as well. It captures the video output live, and records it to a computer, which will then let you edit that video. It is fantastic at recording video game sessions in full HD resolution, as we demonstrate in the video. Take a look, and if you want one, you can pick up the Hauppauge HD PVR 1212 on Amazon.

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Pioneer In-Dash GPS Systems

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: GPS, Transportation, Wireless / WiFi

Pioneer has 3 new in-dash GPS systems. At the low end is the 4.3-inch AVIC-U310BT, a voice controlled 2-DIN model with wireless capability and iPod/iPhone control at a price of $700.00. The mid-priced 5.8-inch AVIC-X710BT goes for $1,000.00 while the AVIC-X910BT comes at a cost of $1,200.00. Both have RCA outputs and built-in Bluetooth. The top of the line AVIC-Z110BT $1,800.00 unit has all the features that the other three have, gives map and route info simultaneously with voice control, plus HD and satellite radio capability, and a 7-inch motorized LCD screen.

Read More | Pioneer

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DigiLife HD Camcorder/Projector DDV-JF1

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Cameras

DigiLife has a new pocket HD camcorder. From the outside, this camcorder looks like a dozen others. The DDV-JF1 shoots and displays 720p video on its 2.5-inch LCD display. As an added bonus, it has a built-in 640x360 pico projector. There is not much more information about the combo device, but the company plans to display it at Computex this month and no doubt we will hear more then.

Read More | I4U

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Amazon DVD Trade-In Program

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Hot Deals, Movies

Get rid of some of your old DVDs through Amazon and get a gift certificate. They will accept regular DVDs, HD and Blu-ray movies and TV shows with original container and worth at least $10.00. Shipping is free and your account is credited within a couple of days. Looking at their offer, we found the average price, no matter what format, was about $5.00, depending on age, but some were as low as $2.50. We found a Harry Potter Gift Set, that sells for $112.49, was worth all of $13.50. Still, it will give you the ability to buy a DVD you haven’t seen.

Read More | Amazon Trade-In

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Sony BRAVIA Z5500 HDTV

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: HDTV

Sony has a new BRAVIA to lust after, the Z5500. It features their Motionflow 200HZ with 200fps and Image Blur Reduction technology for smooth motion and sharper images. It also has been designed to go with their HT-CT500 Home Theater system. Add to that Engine 3 that analyzes and optimizes video signals from any HD or SD source and AppliCast that can connect to online services via Ethernet without having to switch on your PC.

Read More | Sony

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Samsung HMX-R10 HD Camcorder

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Cameras

Samsung has a nifty design with its HMX-R10 HD Camcorder. Flip out its 2.7-inch LCD touchscreen with TouchUI control that they promise to be responsive and simple to use. With a 5x zoom lens that angles up to 25º, it also has a flash, captures up to 600 fps in H.264 format, takes 9MP still photos and can store 1920x1080 videos on SD/SDHC cards. The cam was released this week in Korea with a price of ~$499.99, but we wouldn’t be surprised if it made it to the States this holiday season.

Read More | Samsung

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