Techlore Holiday Guide - Portable Audio / Video

The Buyer's Guide to MP3 Players

Shelly S — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 14:28:21 GMT

Ask any teenager what the "must have" gift on their list this holiday season is, and you will undoubtedly have the majority suggesting the MP3 player. The Sony Walkman of today, MP3 players offer the convenience of portable music in a very small package. A Little Background At the heart of the MP3 player is a music file. Similar in some ways to a compact disc, which stores digital music in a disc format, the MP3 also stores digital music. The one big difference is that MP3 files are compressed to a much smaller size, which enables the player to store more files. The wonder of the whole operation is that the quality of the music does not suffer as a result. What makes an MP3 player different than the Walkman of the past is the fact there are no storage devices that need be inserted (such as a CD or tape) into the unit to play music. The player is essentially a mini computer that stores a digital file. When called upon, the file will play music. In addition, the player is much smaller, with most flash players similar in dimensions to a credit card. The components of a...

A Mom's Guide to DVD Players -- The good, the Bad and the Ugly

Shelly S — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 15:48:05 GMT

Keeping kids entertained in the car can be a monumental task. Whether you are running errands around town or on a cross country trip, keeping little minds occupied and little hands out of trouble can be a lesson in extreme frustration. Enter the portable DVD player. This handy little gadget has become a lifesaver for many busy families. While many laptop computers come with a DVD drive attached, the DVD player is smaller, lighter (most weigh less than 2 pounds) and much less expensive than a computer. In addition, it is safer than toting around your valuable computer files. Portable DVD’s also tend to have a longer battery life than laptop computers. While they were quite expensive when they were first introduced, portable DVD players have come down in price significantly, with basic units running less than $200. Shopping Considerations When looking for portable DVD player to meet your needs, it is important to consider how you will be using the unit. If the player’s main function will be to keep the kids entertained in the car, make sure the unit you choose has an AC / cigarette lighter adapter so that you can save the battery life. In addition,...

Daily Deal: Sansa Connect 4GB MP3 Player

Daily Deals — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 14:30:08 GMT

Sansa Connect MP3 player is the first Wi-Fi based MP3 player from SanDisk's audio line. Created by the leaders in flash memory for wireless entertainment, this flash-based player keeps you connected to your music, friends and fresh new entertainment streams wherever you are (where WiFi is available). All from one wireless mobile player, it plays music, photos and Internet radio. The very attractive, sleek design includes a 2.2? TFT color screen with advanced navigational features and an easy to use interface. The Sansa Connect provides superior sound playback and Microsoft PlaysForSure subscription music. The Sansa Connect provides a microSD card slot for additional capacity for your player. Connect to any open Wi-Fi network Get your music subscription library on the go Recommend songs to your friends Sleek, attractive profile with large 2.2? TFT color screen MicroSD slot for capacity expansion Internal speaker Standard Sansa 30-pin connector for compatibility with Made for Sansa accessories WiFi capability may require subscription to access content and an open WiFi network Unplug and Go Wi-Fi Connect wirelessly to Yahoo! Music's LAUNCHcast to start enjoying Internet Radio. Wi-Fi networks in range are automatically found and listed in order of signal strength. Browse through your bookmarked stations,...

Battery Buying Guide

Jesse F — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:44:48 GMT

Let's face it. Sometimes it's difficult to keep track of which batteries go with each individual battery-operated electronic gift or gadget. Most of the time the item will say something like, "2 AA Batteries not included." By this time there are probably a number of questions running through your mind like, "Which brand of battery is the best? Which lasts the longest? Would it be better to get a rechargeable or standard?" These are all great questions, and will be explored throughout this article. For starters, before you buy a battery, make sure you check for recommendations on the box your gadget came in. You may even be delightfully surprised - there are a few electronics which come with batteries included. If this isn't the case, at least you will know what type of battery it calls for: A, C, D, AA, AAA, or 9V just to name a few. The item may even recommend a rechargeable battery. Beyond what's on the box, here are a few general tips for choosing batteries... If you want to satisfy your electric device with a high drain (like a digital camera), use a lithium battery or an alkaline battery made for such a...

CompUSA - Black Friday Tech Specials

Black Friday — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 06:35:25 GMT

CompUSA Opens at TBA on Black Friday. Visit our Complete Guide to Black Friday Tech Specials for sale listings at other stores. * - Indicates Price After Rebate | X - Indicates Early Bird Item Computers / Laptops Allsop Cool Channel Laptop Platform - $19.99 Apple Computers - Save 5% on All Apple Desktops and Notebooks - 5% off Belkin CushTop Notebook Platform - $19.99 HP Pavilion 14.1" AMD Athlon 64 X2 Laptop w/ 2GB RAM, 120GB HD - $499.99 X HP Pavilion 17" Notebook w/ Athlon 64 X2, 2GB, 120GB, More - $449.99 X HP Pavilion Notebook w/ Core 2 Duo, 2GB, 240GB, TV Tuner - $2,599.99 Sony VAIO Notebook with Dual-Core, 1GB, 160GB, Vista Premium - $549.99 Computer Hardware Components Antec Notebook Cooler with Fans - $9.99 * Centon 1GB PC-5300 DDR2 Notebook or Desktop Memory - $22.99 X Cooler Master 690 ATX Gaming Case - $34.99 * Cooler Master Elite 330 ATX Case - $9.99 * X Cooler Master eXtreme Power 500W Power Supply - $16.99 * X Cooler Master eXtreme Power 600W Power Supply - $39.99 * Hauppauge HVR-950 HDTV USB 2.0 Tuner with PVR - $29.99 * I/O Magic 2.5" External Hard Drive Enclosure -...

Staples - Black Friday Tech Specials

Black Friday — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 06:08:02 GMT

Staples Opens at 6:00 AM on Black Friday. Visit our Complete Guide to Black Friday Tech Specials for sale listings at other stores. * - Indicates Price After Rebate | X - Indicates Early Bird Item Laptops / Computers / Accessories Acer 17" Widescreen Flat Panel LCD Monitor - $89.98 * X Brother MFC-440CN All-in-One Printer - $59.98 * Compaq Dual-Core 15.4" Laptop w/ 1GB, 80GB, DVD-RW, Free Printer - $349.98 X Maxtor 500GB OneTouch 4 External Hard Drive - $79.98 * X Western Digital 120GB Passport Portable Hard Drive - $49.98 * X Western Digital 400GB Internal SATA Hard Drive - $59.98 * X Portable A/V Disney High School Musical 2 1GB MP3 Player - $29.99 Flat Panel 32" Widescreen LCD HDTV - $449.98 X Flat Panel 42" Widescreen LCD HDTV - $749.98 X Omnitech 1GB MP3 Player with FM Tuner - $19.99 Omnitech 2GB MP3 Player with FM Tuner - $29.99 GPS Garmin nuvi 260 GPS Navigation System - $249.99 Magellan Maestro 3100 GPS Navigation System - $139.99 Navigon 2100T GPS Navigation System - $99.99 TomTom ONE 3rd Edition Portable GPS Navigation System - $124.99 X Home Office HP Photomart D7360 Color Printer - $59.98 * Panasonic 2.4GHz...

Top Ten Wireless Gadgets

Jeff Block — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 07:20:52 GMT

Wireless technology is fast becoming a necessity rather than a desired application on some of today’s hottest gadgets. We are developing into a society that expects to receive information or become connected wherever we happen to be at the time. With this desire is an influx of wireless gadgets to keep us in-touch, entertained and connected whenever we desire to do so. The following list represents the top ten eleven most popular wireless gadgets for today’s techno savvy consumer. Each could make an excellent gift for the mobile man, woman or child in your circle of friends and family this holiday! 1. The Apple iPhone - The Apple iPhone was the must have gadget of the summer of 2007 and still holds the allure of today’s gadget crazy consumer. The iPhone can be best categorized as a cell phone on steroids. The unit provides multimedia capabilities, including the functions of Apple’s iPod, a PDA and web browser. The iPhone also offers a camera function, email interface and instant messaging. The iPhone originally retailed for a whopping $600, however it can be purchased now for around $400 (for the 8GGB model). More Info on TechLore.com | Buy Yours Now | Buy...

Radio Shack - Black Friday Tech Specials

Black Friday — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 00:11:31 GMT

Radio Shack Opens at TBA on Black Friday. Visit our Complete Guide to Black Friday Tech Specials for sale listings at other stores. * - Indicates Price After Rebate | X - Indicates Early Bird Item Portable A/V and Accessories Accurian 2GB MP3/Video Players with Built-in Speaker - $59.99 Accurian FM Transmitter - $19.99 Accurian Universal MP3 Value Kit - $19.99 Apple 4GB iPod Nano with Free iHome 2GO Speaker - $149.99 Apple 80GB iPod Classic with Free iHome 2GO Speaker - $249.99 Axion 7" Widescreen Portable DVD Player - $69.99 * Microsoft Zune 30GB MP3/Video Player - $99.99 MyMusix 1GB Digital Audio MP3 Player - $19.99 * Sandisk Sansa e260 4GB MP3 Player - $79.99 Sony Superlight Travel Earbuds - $4.99 Zune Travel Pack - $29.99 Laptops / Computers Acer Aspire 14.1" Widescreen Notebook PC - $399.99 * Altec Lansing High-Powered Docking Speaker System - $79.99 HP Complete Bundle (Laptop, Digital Camera and 3-in-1 Printer) - $799.99 * Labtec Wireless Mouse and Keyboard - $9.99 Logitech V200 Cordless Notebook Mouse - $9.99 Mag Dog 3.5" USB Hard Drive Enclosure - $19.99 Maxor 160GB External USB 2.0 Hard Drive - $49.99 Netgear 802.11g Wireless Broadband Router - $19.99 Targus Universal...