Harman Kardon SB 30 Soundbar and Wireless Subwoofer Review

 Harman Kardon SB 30 5.1 Soundbar and Wireless Subwoofer

Home theatre installations typically involve five loudspeakers, a subwoofer or two, and lots of speaker wire. Not every room can accommodate all that stuff - and not everyone wants to live with it. As a far simpler, more elegant solution, the Harman Kardon SB 30 home theatre sound bar system offers a single wireless subwoofer combined with an extremely advanced loudspeaker that connects directly to your TV, DVD, Blu-ray Disc player or game console.

Where the SB 30 primarily differs from its predecessors is in terms of its ultra-new and exclusive HARMAN Wave surround-mode technology - which ultimately delivers a compelling surround-sound experience from 13 transducers fed by 11 amplified channels. A classic overachiever, the sleek SB 30 sound bar exceeds expectations, delivering immersive, peak-performance sound for your films, TV shows and games. All from a system you barely know is there.

Product Features:

• Full 5.1 surround-sound experience from just one loudspeaker, no matter the shape and size of the room (exclusive to Harman)
• Wireless subwoofer delivers deep bass response and allows for numerous placement options, since it does not connect physically to the sound bar speaker
• Exclusive HARMAN Wave surround-mode technology uses extremely advanced digital signal processing (Triple DSP) to deliver a realistic surround-sound experience to multiple listeners, no matter the shape and size of the room
• Dolby Volume helps you maintain the same volume level - no matter what you're watching, be it a film, TV show or TV commercial
• Stylish, sleek sound bar speaker looks great in any room

Pros&Cons:

Pros

• Clear, crisp sound.
• Impressive imaging, at least in the front soundstage.
• Surprisingly good stereo music performance.

Cons

• Bass, while fast and tight, could use a little more power for movies.
• No LCD or on-screen menu.
• No HDMI ports.
• Remote is a little basic for the price. 

The Harman Kardon SB 30 soundbar isn't the loudest, but it strikes a solid balance between home theater dynamics and smooth, natural music playback.

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ViewSonic PJD5234 XGA DLP Projector Review

ViewSonic PJD5234 XGA DLP Projector

The ViewSonic PJD5234 is the ideal projector in the office or on the campus. It delivers amazingly clear images with 2700 ANSI lumens, 15000:1 contrast ratio and XGA 1024x768 native solution. The PJD5234 is packed with features including HDMI, multiple PC and video input options, 1.1x optical zoom, keystone correction, 3D Blu-ray ready, support HD signal, integrated speaker and DynamicEco.

With DynamicEco technology, presenters can put the projector in "standby" mode by reducing brightness down to 30% when they need to shift audience's focus or when the projector is not in use without restarting the projector. Filter-less design and energy-saving eco mode provide for virtually zero maintenance and product reliability. Slim design, 3.3" high with only 4.6 lbs, makes the PJD5234 the perfect projector for tabletop use or ceiling mounting in both classrooms and corporate offices.

Product Features:

• XGA 1024x768 DLP, 2700 ANSI lumens brightness and 15000:1 contrast ratio
• Dual VGA, HDMI, Composite, S-video, RS232, VGA/audio out, integrated speaker
• 3D Blu-ray ready, keystone correction, 1.1x optical zoom lens and remote control
• DynamicEco - brightness at 30% for capturing audience's focus & saving energy

Pros&Cons:

Pros

• Low price. Portable.
• Reasonably bright.
• Good range of connectivity choices.
• Good lamp life.
• 3D ready.

Cons

• Feeble audio.
• Rainbow effect in video.
• Lacks carrying case.

The ViewSonic PJD5234 provides solid data image quality and a good range of connectivity choices for an XGA data projector.

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HP SPECTRE XT Touch Smart Ultrabook 15-4010nr Laptop Review

HP SPECTRE XT Touch Smart Ultrabook 15-4010nr 15.6-Inch Laptop Review

Get your hands on the HP 15-4010nr SpectreXT TouchSmart Ultrabook PC, which has a Full HD touch display. Go beyond the keyboard and mouse, plus get more from Windows 8. Count on Beats Audio, designed to deliver the best-sounding, richest audio available on a PC. Also, boot up your laptop in seconds and transfer files quickly using Thunderbolt technology. Use the HP TrueVision HD Webcam when only a face-to-face conversation will do. And say hello to fast, personalized assistance with the HP 15 SpectreXT TouchSmart, an Ultrabook unlike any other.

Touch and see Windows 8 in a new way using the HP 15 SpectreXT TouchSmart Ultrabook PC. Swipe and tap using multi-touch gestures on the Full HD display. Take this thin, all-metal design on the go, plus count on fast response and performance. Creative software helps you edit photos and videos easily, right out of the box. With exclusive HP innovations, stay comfortable and keep data safe, too.

Product Specifications:

• Intel Core i7-3517U 1.90 GHz
• 8 GB DDR3
• 500 GB 5400 rpm Hard Drive, 32 GB Solid-State Drive
• 15.6-Inch Screen, Intel HD graphics 4000
• Windows 8, 5.25-hour battery life

Pros&Cons:

Pros

• One of the first Windows PCs with Thunderbolt.
• Has more storage space than SSD-only units.
• Full size HDMI and Ethernet.
• Good multimedia benchmark scores.
• Comes with Adobe Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements.
• Two years of Norton Internet Security.

Cons

• USB 3.0 ports are black.
• Middling battery life. 

If you share your household with Mac users, the HP Spectre XT TouchSmart 15-4010nr is a good buy if you absolutely need Windows 8 and need to trade files. It's a decent large-screen performance ultrabook made better with the addition of a Thunderbolt port.

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Samsung Series 7 All-in-One Touchscreen Desktop Review

Samsung Series 7 DP700A3D-A01US 23-Inch All-in-One Touchscreen Desktop Review

Simply put, Samsung Series 7 All-In-One PCs are absolutely beautiful. An elegant aesthetic and brilliant HD displays featuring touch screen technology garner ultimate style points for your home or office. And once you finally get beyond the cutting-edge design, you’ll discover a PC that offers everything you demand. From emails to multimedia presentations to Web browsing and more, Series 7 All-In-One PCs truly live up to their name.

Explore your favorite apps, websites and more with touch screen and gesture control technology. Access the Web, type and send emails, chat with friends and more with the simple touch of the screen.

 Product Specifications:

• 23.6-inch Full HD 1080p touch-enabled display
• 2.9 GHz Intel Core  i5-3470T processor
• 1 TB SATA2 hard drive
• 6 GB installed RAM
• Integrated Intel HD Graphics
• DVD±RW Super Multi dual-layer drive
• Wireless-N Wi-Fi + Bluetooth
• HDMI input and output

Pros&Cons:

Pros

• Looks like a HDTV. 1080p screen.
• HDMI-in and HDMI-out.
• Bright display.
• Quick Starter Start menu replacement.

Cons

•  No Blu-ray drive.
• Gesture controls are gimmicky.
• Inconveniently oriented back I/O ports. 

The Samsung Series 7 (DP700A3D-A01US) all-in-one desktop has a very good bang for the buck, and includes a lot of features we'd say are must-haves in a new midrange all-in-one desktop with Windows 8.

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Sony SLTA99V Alpha SLT-A99V SLR Digital Camera Review

The A99 gives very good image quality, particularly so at high ISO sensitivities, placing it among the best performing full frame cameras we've seen to date. And with 24MP resolution, only of the class-leading 36MP Nikon D800 resolves more detail. Dynamic range is equally impressive as well, easily on par with its peers. And the camera's multi-shot HDR mode provides JPEG shooters with an easy way to capture both highlight and shadow detail that exceeds single-shot capability.

There's a lot to like in the Sony SLT-A99. It's a camera that combines very good image quality with a high degree of camera customization and an ergonomically well-designed control layout. It incorporates all of Sony's recent technology advances in both stills and video performance. A900 users who've patiently waited for an upgrade and are amenable to using an EVF will be hard-pressed to find much fault with the A99, as it represents a significant step forward in just about every respect other than output resolution.

Camera Features:

• Full Frame 24 Megapixel resolution
• Uncompressed Full 1080 HDMI® output
• Up to 25600 ISO Range sensitivity
• World's first Dual AF system10
• The World's Lightest Full Frame DSLR Camera

Pros&Cons

Pros

• Excellent high ISO performance
• Fast focus for stills and video
• 5.7fps shooting
• Quiet
• Articulating rear LCD
• 1080p60 video capture
• Integrated GPS

Cons

• No optical viewfinder
• Lacks built-in flash

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Stellar Phoenix Mac Data Recovery Software for Mac OS X Review

Stellar Phoenix Mac data recovery software recovers lost, formatted or deleted data from Mac OS based storage systems. This Mac file recovery utility comes with a Boot DVD that helps in booting your system if the OS does not load because of file system corruption. It supports FAT, HFS, HFS+ HFSX and HFS wrapper. The demo version of Stellar Phoenix Mac recovery tools can be downloaded for complete preview of recoverable files, folders or any other kind of data.

Features:

• Stellar Phoenix Mac file recovery tool recovers data from SATA, IDE, EIDE drives and external drives like USB, eSATA etc.
• It supports Unicode Format. It supports KDC and CRW file formats as well.
• It gives you a complete preview of Audio and Video files that can be recovered. It is one of the safest Mac recovery software that can recover lost files with sector number, name, date and time of creation.

Pros&Cons:

Pros

• Easy-to-use interface simplifies the high-anxiety process of recovering lost files.
• Uses OS X's built-in QuickLook as a file viewer, for fast, reliable determination of whether a lost file is fully salvageable.

Cons

• Previewer requires selecting and clicking on each file; no automated preview.
• Optional feature for adding a new "file signature" didn't work in tests. 

Despite minor glitches, Stellar Phoenix Mac Data Recovery is a powerful tool for recovering lost data.

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Samsung Galaxy S III 4G LTE MetroPCS Review

The next generation of wireless technology, 4G (or "fourth generation") enables lightning-fast Internet browsing and multimedia applications, giving you instant access to the news, information and services you need to do more in your day from paying bills and booking appointments to shopping online or just watching your favorite shows.

The MetroPCS 4G service is delivered by a global-standards-based network technology called LTE, or "Long-Term Evolution."

Product Specs :

• 4G LTE connectivity
• 4.8 inches HD Super AMOLED display
• 1.5GHz dual-core processor and 2GB RAM
• 8MP camera with LED flash & 1080p HD video recording
• Network Compatibility: CDMA

Pros&Cons

Pros

• Most powerful smartphone on MetroPCS.
• Excellent call quality.

Cons

• Expensive

The Samsung Galaxy S III is the best phone for a network that's on its way out.

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Microsoft Surface Windows 8 Pro 32 GB Review

Who says that pretty can't be practical? It's time for a tablet that's more than meets the eye. Powerful processing and beautiful design unite on Surface. Whether you're working hard or hardly working, Surface's integrated Kickstand and revolutionary Touch Cover let you work, play, and connect with others like never before. Plug into external displays like projectors and HDTV, and share your world.

Product Specs :

• Windows RT; 10.6-Inch ClearType HD Display
• Quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3
• 32 GB Storage, 2 GB RAM, Up to 8 Hours of Battery Life
• Two 720p HD LifeCams, front and rear facing
• Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n); Bluetooth 4.0 Technology

Pros&Cons :

Pros

• Compact.
• Improved UI: Things don't look "too small" in desktop mode.
• Comes with pressure-sensitive stylus.
• Works with Surface covers.
• Truly Windows compatible.
• Ultrabook components.
• Full 1080p HD screen.
• 10-finger touch screen.

Cons

• Keyboard cover is an optional extra.
• Only one USB 3.0 port.
• VGA and HDMI require optional adapters. 

The Microsoft Surface Windows 8 Pro is the Windows 8 slate tablet to beat when you need the performance and convenience of a PC in a compact tablet form factor.

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