Monday, December 8, 2008
ESPN’s Technology Gift Guide
Related entries: Electronics
Be sure to check out ESPN’s Gift Guide for even more great gift ideas. Today’s focus is Technology and I’ve expanded on my top five gadgets of the year with five more items!
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Monday, December 1, 2008
MAVROMATIC’s TOP 5 GADGETS OF 2008 / HOLIDAY BUYERS GUIDE
Related entries: Electronics
It’s time once again for Mavromatic’s Top 5 Gadgets Of The Year. Last year, the iPhone was the #1 gadget on my list and I even hoped that a V2 Windows Media Extender would be released for under $200 — it did in 2008 and made this years list! Due to the economic conditions I have selected gadgets that are priced less than $300. Again, these are gadgets that I have actually purchased and use myself.So here is my Top 5 Gadget List of 2008 / Holiday Buyers Guide:
#5 — Eye-Fi Explore Wireless 2 GB Secure Digital Card (EYE-FI-2EX)
Priced at $129 this little SD card packs a lot of features. My favorite is that it can Geotag (add latitude and longitude location) photos based on WiFi locations — even if you’re not physically connected to the wireless access point. The card is great for shooting photos around your house since they can automatically be sent to the host computer or even your online photo service like flickr automatically. The EyeFi software is a cinch to install and works with almost any camera available these days. I even used it with my Canon 40D which is a CF based camera using this adapter
.
#4 — Whirley-Pop Stovetop Popcorn Popper
Ok, this isn’t a gadget you’d typically see on Mavromatic — you can thank my wife (www.frillas.com) for bringing this into my life. What good is a home theater without great popcorn? For those of you that haven’t had proper popcorn the Whirly-pop makes the best popcorn around. I even prefer the popcorn made from this gadget over the theater popcorn my commercial popcorn machine makes — it’s that good! Priced at $20, this gift fits everyone’s budget in these tough times!
#3 — Linksys Media Center Extender (DMA2100)
Linksys hadn’t released the DMA2100 in time for last years top gadget list. When first announced it carried a $350 price tag, now you can get a V2 Windows Media Extender for $110! This small, compact device streams all your digital media from a Vista Media Center PC — full video review here. ‘Nuff said!
#2 — XBOX 360 Console w/60gb Hard Drive
Who would have thought a three year old gadget would still be relevant in today’s marketplace? Well, Microsoft’s XBOX 360 made it on this years top 5 gadget picks because of the recent price drop! For $299, you get the console, wireless controller, 60gb hard drive and a couple games. But, wait, there’s more! The XBOX 360 is a media extender ($110 value), a HD Netflix Streaming device ($100 value), a DVD player ($50 value) and a gaming/community platform (priceless). So if you have been holding out on an XBOX 360, there is no better time than now to purchase one!
#1 — TED 1001 - Electricity Monitor, Energy Monitor, Power Monitor
Lets face it, we all love electronics, but we also need to be responsible with the power they use. That’s why this years #1 Mavromatic Gadget Of The Year is Energy, Inc’s T.E.D. 1001. I originally blogged about this in Aug. 2007, and a full video review in Jan. 2008. This product allows you to monitor your power usage in real-time and ultimately cut back on your total energy use. The available API and TED Footprints allows you to monitor usage and log data to you computer and even my custom software, Myro Control, will be able to render data from the TED. This will be the best $145 you’ve ever spent — it may even pay itself off and make you money!
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Thursday, November 27, 2008
The Grouse Theater, Now Showing!
Related entries: Home Theater
It has taken a long time to get the resources together to finish up my home theater but I’ve finally got it done. You can see more photos and read about the theater’s specs over at the Myro Control Home Theater Forum.
If anyone is interested in any consulting, design, or purchasing home theater/automation products I’m a dealer for many lines. Feel free to contact me.
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Tuesday, October 28, 2008
MAVROMATIC Stroller Pick — 2008 Bugaboo Chameleon
Related entries: Kids
Well, it’s time to start a new chapter in my life… children. Yup! Now, I’m going to have to learn and review the best gadgets for kids. We’re expecting a little baby girl in January and to kick things off, I’ve done exhaustive work finding the best stroller.
The contenders were:
- Orbit — the stroller which is owned by many of our friends (and celebrities)
- Bugaboo Chameleon — the stroller which won the Mavromatic Pick
- Quinney — the stroller which was second on Mavromatic’s list
To keep this post short (need to finish up a bunch of things before the peanut arrives), we went with the Bugaboo Chameleon for the following reasons:
- Ride is smooth like butta.
- Looks, good looking and classy — doesn’t look like some crazy space thing like the Orbit
- Light, easy to fold — I know this depends on the person, but it’s really light compared to the others I’ve seen. Once you learn how to fold it, it’s really easy.
- Compact, when using the seat — You can adjust the baby at many angles.
- Best breaking system in its class… I really love the gear system.
- Customize interior and exterior colors — you can easily change them out, if you want to. The Orbits pale green accents are not really our style.
- Bassinet and Seat system included.
- Build Quality is superb!
- Foam wheels
- Cup holder — not really, but it came free
- Single handle… what’s up with the Orbit and the double handle system? I like to drive one handed…
All of those features made us a proud owner of a 2008 Bugaboo Chameleon. I put it together in about 15 minutes and was even tempted to put a watermelon in the bassinet and take it around the block.
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Monday, October 27, 2008
Samsung (MR-00EA1) MediaLive Windows Media Extender
Related entries: Home Theater
- Samsung Media Live MCX
- Linksys DMA2100 MCX
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Monday, September 29, 2008
VidaBox RoomClient HD Blu-ray Extender
Related entries: Home Theater
One of the drawbacks with a Linksys Media Extender is that it doesn’t have a built in Blu-ray player. Vidabox just announced and released the RoomClient HD Blu-ray Extender. This does everything you expect it to do… with a price tag of $2999.
- VidaBox RoomClient HD Blu-ray Extender
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Tuesday, August 12, 2008
EPSON Ensemble HD — A Proper Home Theater-In-A-Box
Related entries: Home Theater
Call me a Home Theater snob, but, I don’t think a room with any size flat panel TV is a “Theater Room”. There has to be at least a 100” screen (fixed or motorized) and a decent projector (I prefer the JVC RS2). Fully controlled lighting, motorized screen curtain, masking, tiered seating and sound treated walls. If the room doesn’t consist of all of these, then it’s just a media room.
EPSON is heading in the right direction with the Ensemble HD system. It includes everything you need to get sound and projection into your “Theater Room” on a budget. The system includes a 100” motorized screen with integrated speakers, projector (720p or 1080p) with ceiling mount that includes the rear speakers built into the mount. All the cables, a universal remote, subwoofer, and amplifier/receiver. EPSON designed the system so it can be installed in about 4 hours.
The 720p system retails for $5000 while the 1080p version goes for $7000. Not bad for a complete audio/video system… for more information check out the EPSON Ensemble HD website.
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Blueline Innovations PowerCost Monitor
Related entries: Home Automation
Last year I posted about a product called TED 1000, by The Energy Detective. It’s a power monitoring device that saved me $50 the first month of use. Blueline Innovations has released a similar device called the PowerCost Monitor. The PowerCost Monitor is a wireless device rather than wired like the TED and is about the size of a small digital clock which displays realtime power information. The system includes a sensor unit which attaches to the power meter itself. The PowerCost Monitor sells for $150 which is about the same price as a TED 1000 ($144). I still prefer the TED 1000 because it can be hooked up to a computer or home automation system but don’t let that stop you from purchasing a PowerCost Monitor because whatever we can do to reduce power usage is good for everyone!
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Sunday, August 3, 2008
Home Automation Forum : Now Open!
Related entries: Announcements, Home Automation
I get a lot of email daily asking me about my home automation system and the types of control, wiring, devices, etc. I use. I’ve decided as part of Myro Control to open up a forum that will allow for this type of discussion to happen in an easier and more efficient way than me replying back to hundreds of people. So if anyone has any questions about home automation please post them in the newly formed forum.
P.S. If there isn’t a forum topic that suits your question, please post it in the “General Home Automation” forum and I’ll create forums based on the questions.
- MAVROMATIC/MYRO FORUM
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Thursday, July 31, 2008
Cartell CP-2 — Automation with Driveway Detection
Related entries: Home Automation
Here’s another key outdoor automation component, the Cartell CP-2 Self Contained Driveway Sensor Probe. This is pretty self explanatory, your bury it about 6” away from your driveway, 18” deep and it senses when a car, motorcycle or other vehicle comes onto your driveway. This is a nice feature to automatically turn lights on, switch/record a video source (camera) or do something when a car approaches your driveway. The CP-2 is self contained and comes with a 4-conductor cable in lengths from 100-500’. You can even power it from your HAI OmniPro II since it takes low power 12v (via two conductors) and the other two conductors go to a zone. The CP-2 starts at about $200 for a 100’ version and goes up.
- Cartell
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