Audio/Video, Home Theater

Rē App turns your iPhone or iPod touch into a Universal Remote Control

2 Comments / Audio/Video, Home Theater, Gizmo of the Day, Phones, Portable, Software / By /

Re Universal Remote iPhone app/accessoryThe NewKinetix Rē iPhone accessory together with the Rē App turns your iPhone or iPod touch into a Universal Remote Control. If you haven’t gotten a decent universal remote (like the Logitech Harmony), then consider outfitting your iPhone.

The accessory plugs into your iPhone’s connector and the Rē App (free download from the App Store) makes setup easy with its database of IR codes so you don’t need to manually program it based on your other remotes. The app allows for macros so you for example, program one-button for turning on the TV, cable box, and DVR all in one go.

Maintain favorite lists, channels and take your universal remote anywhere you go.

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More info from the manufacturer
Price: $69.99
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

Grace Digital’s Allegro WiFi Internet Radio features Pandora, and over 16,000 stations

Audio/Video, Home Theater, Gizmo of the Day / By /

grace digital allegro internet radioGrace Digital’s latest Internet Radio appliance connects to your network via 802.11b/g/n WiFi.

It accesses over 16,000 Internet radio stations which are selectable by region, country, and genre; plays back Sirius radio, and of course, it also can be configured to play back your Pandora radio stations.

One neat feature is the ability to control via the included remote or with a remote iPhone app available from iTunes.

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More info from the manufacturer
Price: $154.00
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

Energy Sistem’s touchscreen MP5 players play audio, video, txt e-books

1 Comment / Audio/Video, Home Theater, Gizmo of the Day, Portable / By /

energy sistem mp5 touchSpanish consumer electronics company, Energy Sistem has a line up of multi-function MP3/multimedia players that fall into the MP5 category.

Their latest Energy 42 Touch series feature 2.4″ TFT touchscreens that can be used with either your finger or rectractible stylus pen, built-in FM transmitter, playback of multiple formats such as MP3, WAV, WMA and JPG and BMPs, as well as e-book reading (TXT format).

The Energy also plays back video including AVI, FLV and RM, and includes software to convert YouTube and Google Video videos.

PS> MP5 is not actually a technical standard, but rather a trade name that is being pushed by some vendors to indicate portable media players that go beyond just being able to playback MP3 and/or other audio formats.

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More info from the manufacturer
Price: $59.99 for 4GB 4020 model. Other Energy models
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

Invisible SHIELD protects your gadget all around, not just the screen

1 Comment / Audio/Video, Home Theater, Cameras and Photo, Computers, Gizmo of the Day, Phones, Portable / By /

invisible shieldHave you ever stopped and counted how many gadgets you have? I bet it’s more than you think. Some of them are probably pretty pricey so I’m sure you’d like to protect them as much as possible.

Now protecting your touchscreen device without affecting its touch ability can be tricky or at least can diminish its sensitivity. And you may not like gadget protectors that add to the gadget’s weight and size.

This is where Zagg’s invisibleSHIELD comes in – it’s a tough but clear screen protector that goes around the entire device and keeps it free from scratches, blemishes, etc. It comes with a squeegee and solution to apply the Shield, and if you decide against it, you pull it back off without damaging your phone.

It also has the advantage of being able to protect the screen of your device without interfering with any touch sensitivity. It’s strikes a nice balance of protecting your device while not interfering with the look and feel of it.

Devices supported include iPods & iPhones, PDAs, Laptops, Cameras and more. Even if your device isn’t supported, you may be able to buy an Invisible Shield skin for another device that is very similar in dimensions, but it’s best to talk to the vendor first.

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Price: prices range from $10 and up. As a GfG reader, you can get a 15% off discount with the coupon code of GizmosGeeks242.
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

Display your computer’s video on your HDTV with this VGA to HDMI scaler/converter

1 Comment / Audio/Video, Home Theater, Gizmo of the Day / By /

hdmi to vga converterGet your computer hooked up to your TV with this VGA to HDMI scaler converter from Altona. This converter scales whatever the native resolution of your computer is to 1080p and push that over via HDMI to your HDTV. In addition, since VGA doesn’t transfer audio, you can hook up the audio cable to the audio output on your computer to get audio as well.

That’s it. Nuff said. Go get one.

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Price: $99.99
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

EyeTV Hybrid – TV Tuner for your PC/Mac. Pause and Record Live TV

1 Comment / Audio/Video, Home Theater, Computers, Gizmo of the Day / By /

eyeTV hybridSure, it may look like only a USB Thumb Drive, but the EyeTV Hybrid is a TV tuner stick for either PC or Mac. That means it can let you watch over-the-air TV (both analog and digital) on your computer.

It also acts as a DVR, letting you pause and record live television (including HD TV). It can also capture video from a VCR or set-top box (like cable/satellite TV boxes).

Additionally, it comes with software for editing and managing your recorded content, as well as an IR remote control and a 1-yr subscription to TV Guide.

Buy now!
Price: $134.95
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

Google teams up with Intel, Sony to make Google TV set-top boxes

Audio/Video, Home Theater, News, Software / By /

Google is pushing to get Android into other hardware, such as set-top boxes, and in turn to get their ads into more markets and in front of more eyeballs. To that ends, they have teamed up with Sony and Intel to develop something called, naturally, Google TV.

google tvGoogle TV is pretty much a re-imagining of the ill-fated WebTV, where a set-top box brings the Web to your TV screen. Of course, today, there are many different set-top boxes vying for your dollars and space in your AV shelf, including but not limited to media centers, DVRs, place-shifting boxes (like the Slingbox) and much more.

Who knows? Perhaps this version could fare better (think Palm vs the Newton). Of course, the Internet’s pervasiveness is exponentially greater than when WebTV first appeared.

One additional difference will be that the Google Android platform will allow for the software to be embedded in more devices than just the set-top box.

Press Release

PowerGenix Nickel-Zinc rechargeable batteries are non-toxic, recyclable

Audio/Video, Home Theater, Cameras and Photo, Gizmo of the Day, Miscellaneous / By /

powergenix rechargeable batteriesNeed more power? Sure you do; we all do. But on the other hand, you’d still like to be environmentally conscious and friendly. That means if you need batteries you should opt for rechargeables. PowerGenix has a line of rechargeable batteries that are made of Nickel-Zinc (NiZn) and run at 1.6 volts vs the usual 1.2V that other rechargeables put out.

PowerGenix claims that this is the 1st new battery chemistry in over 20 years, and that they discharge a greater portion of their stored power before reaching the device cutoff limit, so they in effect would have better performance than say a NiMH battery with a higher capacity.

PowerGenix’s batteries are 100% non-toxic and non-combustible and are nearly 100% recyclable.

For a limited time, if you purchase PowerGenix batteries, you can send in your receipt and UPC to get free C or D adapters.

Buy now!
More info from the manufacturer
Price: $23 for 4 AA batteries & charger; $13 for 4 AA cells
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

Interface your Guitar to your Computer via USB

3 Comments / Audio/Video, Home Theater, Gizmo of the Day / By /

guitar to usb linkHere’s an inexpensive way to get your guitar ‘hooked up’ to your computer (PC or Mac) – a Guitar to USB interface. Plug your guitar’s output into this, and then plug the USB cable into your computer.

It comes with a PC software driver and has this variable speed playback function, so you can slow down those tunes to learn. It also has a headphone jack so you can hear your jams.

Buy now!
Price: $9.99
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

Panasonic SC-SP100 iPod/iPhone dock just looks cool

Audio/Video, Home Theater, Gizmo of the Day, Phones / By /

panasonic ipod dock sc-sp100Sure, there are a million different iPod docks out there, but we just had to feature this one as it’s so unique and cool looking. The Panasonic SC-SP100 (great model name, eh?) is a universal dock for iPod and iPhones (except for iPod shuffles).

Plug your iPod/iPhone in and get 20W of speaker goodness that even includes a subwoofer. Sweet. One nice feature is the ability to still update your Apple iGadget with the USB cable plugged in.

Buy now!
Price: $114.95
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

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