Computers

Samsung 3D Starter Kit Specials

You could piece together your own 3D TV system or you could dive right into the third dimension with a Samsung bundle that combines a 3D-capable TV available in various sizes and display technologies, two sets of glasses, a 3D-capable Blu-ray Disc player and perhaps a home theater speaker system, too. You get $350 instant savings, but you need to act by July 10 to enjoy one of these Samsung 3D Starter Kit Specials.

 

SkyScout: Your Guide to the Heavens

Amateur astronomers, listen up: Imagine if you could hire an expert astronomy guide to accompany you on all of your stargazing field trips for only $212. The only catch is that you aren’t actually hiring the guide, you are buying the guide. 

 

 

Sounds Like Luxury

I love high-fidelity sound. I also happen to love great-quality headphones. The one issue I have with most high-end headphones is that the better they sound, the more the headphones look like something from a bad 1950s science-fiction movie. I'm not knocking high-end headphones, but nobody looks like a baller when they’re spinning at the club wearing headphones that would look happier on The Great Gazoo from The Flinstones.

Music for Wet Heads

Nothing beats floating in your pool or enjoying your hot tub unless you count the addition of music. The Grace Digital Aqua Sounder is a transmitting dock for your iPod, paired with a waterproof floating speaker. The speaker (left) can be up to 150 feet away. The transmitter is powered by four AA batteries or an included AC wall plug. The speaker seals in six AAs, good for up to 10 hours of your favorite sounds.

 

Samsung's 30 Ways to 3D TV that Saves $300

Getting started with 3D requires more than the TV. To see depth you need 3D glasses, and to be sociable, more than one pair. You may also opt for a 3D-capable Blu-ray Disc player. So, you can see why a bundle is a good thing. B&H has assembled 30 kits involving 3D TVs in different series and screen sizes. Grab a bundle by July 3, and you'll save $300 off the regular price.

 

Samsung Streams Hulu to TVs and Blu-rays

One of the best sites for catching up with your favorite TV series whenever you want is moving beyond computers to TV sets and Blu-ray Disc players. If you already own certain 2010 models from Samsung, you may be able to download an upgrade enabling free Hulu sample content and an invitation to subscribe to the new Hulu Plus service. If you're shopping for a set, BD player or theater system, Internet-connected Samsung models just became more fetching.

Skype Is No Hype—These Phones Save Money

Talking to someone on the phone anywhere in the world has never cost less since connections were rerouted over the Internet. The technology, called Voice over Internet Protocol or VoIP calling, no longer requires a computer. Moreover, voice-only calling is being usurped by video. Leading the switchover is the Skype Videophone Touch from Asus, a model that comes with a $43 instant rebate through July 15.

2-Way Radio Rebates Beat Mobile Phone Bills

Giving cell phones to your kids just to be able to stay in touch with them locally seems like a waste of money, considering the alternative—no-fee two-way radios. What used to be called walkie-talkies are now smaller, lighter and more reliable than ever. Transmission distances range from about two to 18 miles or more. Commercial-class models carried by employees in a sprawling enterprise can help a business watch its pennies, too.

Sony's VPL-EW Portable Projector: Big Picture, Small Package

Projecting a 40- to 300-inch picture from a computer or video source has never been as easy or affordable than with Sony's VPL-EW 3LCD Portable Projector. Producing WXGA (1280 x 800) resolution with 2000 ANSI lumens of brightness and a 1000:1 contrast ratio, the VPL-EW7 is about 200 times brighter than a pico projector. It's like holding a floodlight to a candle. Incredibly, the VPL-EW weighs only 6.1 lb and occupies a square-foot footprint.

Such a Deal on a Digital Picture Frame, You'll Buy One for Every Room

When it comes to framed photos, families are prone to show off printed images under glass sooner than digital versions on LCDs. That could be changing, though, as prices of digital picture frames sink to new lows. Take the versatile DPF-A72N/B Digital Photo Frame from Sony. The 7-inch screen used to be priced at $99.95. Now, with a $45 instant rebate, you pay only $54.95. The offer ends on June 20.

Moving into a New Production Computer

Here's the situation: you buy a brand new Mac with an empty 500GB hard drive. Your old computer has a smaller hard drive, but it's completely full and not very organized. You can use software that will transplant the chaotic mess from your old drive directly into your new computer, or you can take your time and manually move files over, organizing as you go. In this post I'll share some tips on how you can turn a new leaf when you get a new computer.

Can Noise-Canceling Headphones Save Us from World Cup Din?

The incessant buzzing of plastic horns, called vuvuzelas, at the World Cup has driven some soccer fans to mute the sound on their TVs. I thought there was something wrong with the audio when I tuned in to ESPN on my mobile Flo TV. I figured I could read the play-by-play while watching the action in silence, but closed-captioning isn't available on Flo TV. So,  I tested a set of noise-canceling headphones.

Best Deals for Netflix Streaming to Your TV

Western Digital has added a new model to its line of media players called the WD TV Live Plus HD Media Player, that does something its other models don't do: it supports Netflix movie streaming. With the Live Plus, B&H now offers a dozen products including media receivers, Blu-ray Disc players, DVRs and HDTV sets that stream Netflix movies and TV shows directly to your home theater instead of a computer.

 

A 152-Inch Display in My House? Some Day...

I remember, years ago, reading about a 40-inch CRT television set. It had a 4:3 aspect ratio, weighed several hundred pounds, and cost around $100,000. I think it was a Sony. It was completely impractical, but it got me to thinking that some day I wanted to own a TV set with a screen that size. Today I own a 46-inch flat panel, but I saw something this week that got me thinking again. Panasonic just announced its new 152-inch plasma display that should be available early next year.

Rating Three Generations for Digital Deftness

The triumph of digital TV broadcasting on June 12, 2009 (D-Day) was a defining moment for one generation above all others -- Baby Boomers. The growth of this generation closely tracks the rise of network television in the second half of the 20th Century. It's a generation I refer to as anadiggies and D-Day as a crossing over from the analog world, where they were born, into the digital world, where they'll expire -- no coupon necessary.