Posted 08/14/08 at 11:00:00 AM by Gordon Mah Ung

If you still get warm and fuzzy thinking about those James Garner and Mariette Hartley Polaroid commercials, it’s time to let go of the past. Traditional film is barely hanging on, and Polaroid has completely ceased production of instant film.

But Polaroid hasn’t abandoned its interest in prints. The company is trying to rekindle the instant-print picture industry with its new Polaroid PoGo portable printer. This 4.75”x2.75”x1” device is the first to use Zink Imaging’s Zero Ink paper. Instead of shooting dots of ink onto a piece of paper, the PoGo uses a thermal head to heat up tiny crystals embedded in each sheet of paper.

Sounds rad, eh? Find out the skinny after the jump.

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mobile, portable, hardware, reviews, polaroid, pogo, Photo Printer

Posted 07/31/08 at 08:11:55 PM by Michael Brown

Accell’s UltraAV HDMI 4:2 Audio/Video Switch is either a Dr. Jekyll or a Mr. Hyde of a home-theater product. The creature you’ll encounter depends on the video source you connect to it. Read on to find out just what we're talking about.

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Projector, HDMI, Home Theater, HDCP, EDID

Posted 06/26/08 at 05:21:28 PM by Steve Klett

Do yourself a favor: make sure your car is up to code by this July—no broken headlamps or taillights, up-to-date registration, etc. – and, oh yeah, make sure you pick up a hands-free Bluetooth device for your cell phone. On July 1st a new law will go into effect in California making it illegal to talk on a wireless phone while operating a motor vehicle. If you are 18 or older, and you want to use your phone while driving, you will need to use a hands-free device – no “ifs”, “ands”, or “buts” about it—and there will be no grace period either.

We put a dozen of the newest Bluetooth devices through the wringer to help you find the right one for your car-talking habits. All of the devices were tested with one phone along the same stretch of highway at the same time of day, and call clarity was compared via voicemail recordings.

Read on to find out which ones made the grade.

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cell phone, Bluetooth, car, roundup, consumer electronics, feature, reviews, headsets, speakerphone

Posted 05/07/08 at 04:29:41 PM by Tom Edwards

It’s estimated that two percent of the population suffers from OCD; IntelliScanner’s business model seems predicated on being able to capture but a small fraction of this fraction of the populace, for only the most compulsive of collectors—like me—will find a use for this product. However, if you are an obsessive collector of media—and you have a reasonable amount of disposable income—the IntelliScanner Mini might very well become a lifelong companion.

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music, books, hardware, consumer electronics, scanner, reviews, intelliscanner, consumer electronic

Posted 03/17/08 at 12:17:41 PM by Michael Brown

If you’re just dying to strap a display to your head, the Headplay Personal Cinema is your best choice. It’s comfortable, even for people who wear glasses, supports a wide range of input devices, and delivers relatively high resolution, and the only virtual-reality feature it lacks is head tracking.

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consumer electronics, wearable computer, headset, personal monitor

Posted 02/21/08 at 03:37:51 PM by Will Smith

We’ve long appreciated the concept of the eBook, but we’ve been disappointed in its execution. The old Franklin readers ate batteries, had small screens, and included only a meager selection of books. Sony’s Reader has a better battery life, but the selection of first-run books leaves much to be desired. Amazon’s new Kindle solves many of these problems but introduces an even thornier one.

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amazon, kindle, ebook, e-ink, reviews

Posted 01/30/08 at 04:33:11 PM by Michael Brown

You can take one of two approaches with the gear in your home-theater system: Put everything on display, or you hide your components in a cabinet or closet. If you prefer discretion over exhibitionism, Niles Audio’s Remote Control Anywhere kit lets you to control all your infrared-controlled components no matter where you’ve stashed them.

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remote control, Home Theater, DIY, consumer electronics, custom installer, reviews

Posted 01/17/08 at 02:51:00 PM by Michael Brown

Virtual reality refuses to die. Every couple of years, some new company enters the market with a new product that they claim solves all the glitches, drawbacks, and weaknesses associated with head-mounted displays. Vuzix is the latest; and like so many before them, they’ve made progress, but their iWear VR920 is as flawed and awkward as any of its predecessors.

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display, consumer electronics, reviews, virtual reality, Vuzix iWear VR920, vuzix