USB TV Tuner

What a great idea, I just bought a usb tv tuner for my wife's computer and it works great. If you are thinking about buying one, check out one my new websites, the links is above. Have a great day!!!

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Bench top Drill Press Stand

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Nu Flow

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In terms of hardware, the tablet might offer something qualitatively superior but it won’t offer much that a laptop doesn’t already. In fact, without a stand, or a keyboard that can be used with two hands while holding it, the tablet could be regarded by some as a willful, ergonomically unfriendly gimmick, one based on the idea that a digital newspaper doesn’t look right with a keyboard. Nonetheless, any sort of minimalist purity would cater to Apple fans.

Such minimalism, however, all but guarantees that Apple’s device won’t offer the ability to draw on it. That’s because drawing on a tablet would require stylus input (or at the very least, use of a regular pen) and the whole ethos of the iPhone-generation Apple interface is geared around using touch.

Touch-based computing isn’t just a feature; it’s a fundamental shift in the way we interact with computing devices in that it allows such interaction to be precise, subtle and direct. It’s why the iPhone version of the Apple OS represents the way forward for all devices, and why it will run on the tablet. But sadly, the inelegant Palm Pilot-like connotations of stylus input make it very unlikely that considerable design effort will be applied to making sure an already beautiful and precious screen doesn’t break when you apply 50 times more pressure on it than you would using a finger (which would be a shame, because precision is exactly what drawing offers over “finger painting”).

So while Apple’s new device will succeed where the Kindle will fail, delivering the most slickly packaged, optimally formatted media content to date, it may fail to take advantage of the one thing a tablet is made for: drawing. That being the case, who knows what sort of untapped potential Jobs & Co. would be leaving on the table?

David Galbraith is designer turned tech entrepreneur, and co-founder of Moreover, Yelp and Curations.

Apple took a direct shot at Amazon with the iBooks. The application looks like a bookshelf, showing the digital books owned by the user. And of course, a store (naturally, the iBookstore) along the lines of the iTunes Store, where book publishers (like, hey, McGraw-Hill!) can sell their virtual wares.

"We're going to open up the floodgates for the rest of the publishing world starting this afternoon," Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs said on-stage.

Prices shown in the demo appear comparable to Amazon's Kindle store. Amazon already has an app for its bookstore made for the iPhone, so the company can't be happy that Apple is stepping into its home court.

But the iPad is not just about digitizing the paper. Electronic Arts showed off Need for Speed: Shift, a racing game built for the device. Brushes, a canvas for drawing art (finger-painting?), was also demoed. And the MLB, which has been quick to jump on new application platforms, showed off its live video app.

[Updated, 12:13 p.m.: Fixed the name of the iBookstore, which was originally listed as the iBook Store.]

– Mark Milian

Follow the Apple event live!

Photo credit: Tony Avelar / Bloomberg

Electronic Drawing Pads

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French Press Coffee Pot

As a self-confessed coffee addict, my search for the perfect, yet affordable, coffee maker has been central to my life. I have tried a variety of auto-drip coffee makers, and while some were acceptable, I tended to run through them much faster than I thought I should. I know of many people who brewed more coffee than me, yet got a much longer life-span from their machines. I was growing weary of replacing my coffee maker, and still not finding the flavor I wanted in my cup. It wasn't until I was introduced to the Bodum Chambord French Coffee Press that I finally found the perfect coffee maker for me.

I first tasted pressed coffee in Australia, where they call the piece of equipment a “plunger” rather than a “press”. The critical difference between auto-drip and pressed coffee is instead of running hot water through the ground coffee, the coffee is allowed to steep, similarly to preparing tea, then pressed with a metal screen to separate the grounds from the coffee. No coffee grounds should come through the press, but you should expect to see a darker, stronger brew because you retain more of the essential oil of the coffee bean.

With traditional auto-drip coffee makers, I had very little control over the strength of the coffee I made, short of buying dark roasted, stronger beans. Even with the machines that have a setting on them for lighter or darker brew, I couldn't really tell a difference in the strength of the coffee. I didn't really want to keep a grocery shelf selection of coffees in my pantry in order to match my mood for flavor. With the press, I can steep the coffee longer for that first cup of the day, when I want a caffeine injection directly into my bloodstream, or for a shorter time in the evening when I want a nice warm brew to settle down with as I read for a while.

The initial challenge for me with the coffee press was to get the correct amount of coffee to water. This took a little experimentation, since the carafe has no measurement markings. After getting the general idea for how much water I need for the cup size I prefer, I've been able to experiment with the amount of coffee I use to again adjust strength and flavor. It is important to use coffee that is not too finely ground, as the smaller grinds can clog the metal screen, or even get through into your cup. If you grind your own beans, be sure not to over-grind.

I only have two complaints about my coffee press, and they are somewhat interrelated. It is a bit of a hassle to clean the equipment, because you have to figure out how to get the clump of wet grounds out of the bottom of the carafe. I use an oval-shaped wooden spoon for this task. I've seen people use paper towels, but I ended up with coffee on my arms every time I tried this. The second complaint is, I am actually drinking LESS coffee now (even though it is BETTER coffee) because using the press is more labor-intensive than auto-drip. From boiling the water (an electric kettle has made this process easier), to remembering to press it at the right time, to cleaning the old grounds out, it does take more effort. All things considered though, when I was organizing my belongings for a garage sale, the last auto-drip machine I owned went into the “to be sold” box. And on my “to buy” list is a small press to keep at the office, so I can enjoy the perfect cup of coffee at work as well as at home.

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Have you ever wanted a convenient, economical way to watch and record television on your laptop or desktop computer? Would you like to be able to capture still pictures of your favorite television show? If you have then you should check out the KWORLD V8-PVR TV 300U PC TV Tuner and Video Recorder. This easy to use and connect television tuner and recorder has a reasonable range of features considering the price which is around $40.

This television tuner requires the Windows XP SP1 operating system, a Pentium IV 1.6GHz or higher (recommended) with at least 256MB RAM and one available USB 2.0 port. A graphics card that supports DirectX 9.0 or above and an AC97 compatible sound card are needed along with 1GB free hard drive disk space.

For starters this compact unit measures about 3″ x 1″ x .75″ with two connections, an antenna input and the standard USB signal/power cable. It supports the USB 2.0 Plug-and-Play interface and works with worldwide TV frequency support for analog TV reception from cable/antenna TV. It has a resizable window or full screen on your PC or laptop. If desired you can hook up your home video entertainment system through the additional AV and S-Video input. A special adapter and port is provided for that.

The initial setup is straightforward and involves loading the drivers and application program on the supplied CD disc. A TV Setup Wizard is provided to set up the antenna type (cable or antenna) and sound source. This is followed by the channel scanning which sets the frequency range of the individual channels.

Following this setup you switch to the software Main Panel which allows access to the following features: antenna type, schedule recording agent, setup, channel preview, snapshot, sleeping timer setup, and TV sound switching. A channel tuning numerical pad also appears on the main panel along with a volume adjust slider. On the recording side there is the Record Function, and Playback Function which includes the standard Play, Pause, Stop, Rewind, and Fast Forward. The remaining feature on the main panel is the Time-Shifting Function. Still image capture in both JPEG and BMP formats.

In addition to watching television real time you can use the TVR application to pause live TV then continue from where you left with the Time-Shifting function. During the Time-Shifting mode it is possible to switch from current video to Time-Shifting video window.

Also included in the application is a MPEG Encoder, allowing the transcoding multimedia files between various video formats such as AVI, DV-API, MPEG 1, MPEG 2, ASF, WMV, Div X, and DAT. To use in concert with the Encoder a MPEG Editor is included along with a DVD burner. A complete hard copy manual provides details on using the TV tuner and recorder functions.

The overall performance of this system is quite good, especially considering the price. On occasion there may be a sync problem between the audio and video but this hasn't been a major drawback. The KWORLD KW-PVR-TV television tuner and video recorder can be purchased at several online stores and is an economical way to watch and record television on your laptop or desktop computer.

USB TV Tuner

What a great idea, I just bought a usb tv tuner for my wife's computer and it works great. If you are thinking about buying one, check out one my new websites, the links is above. Have a great day!!!

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San Francisco group Adventure Ecology took recycled materials to another level when they built the Plastiki, a durable ship kept afloat by recycled plastic bottles, ABC's Laura Marquez reported.

The group, spearheaded by David de Rothschild, used 12,000 bottles filled with carbon dioxide to construct the durable ship, and everything from the sail to the mast is made from plastic materials as well. The crew plans to set sail for a three-month voyage from San Francisco to Sydney, Australia, a trip they hope to begin within weeks, Marquez said.

De Rothschild hopes the ship's expedition will bring attention to the global waste problem.

“We're needlessly losing millions of seabirds and hundreds of thousands of marine mammals from ingesting plastic every year,” de Rothschild told Marquez. “I decided to take this 'out of sight, out of mind' problem and build a boat out of the very items that we were seeing ending up in our natural environment.”

One of the main sights they'll be highlighting along their voyage will be Great Pacific Garbage Patch, an unfathomably large stretch of trash that is twice the size of Texas.

WATCH Marquez's report on the Plastiki:

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Two Mexican nationals have been indicted on charges that could result in life in prison or the death penalty for the drowning deaths of two suspected illegal immigrants who were in a smuggling boat that capsized near Torrey Pines State Beach.

 A federal grand jury in San Diego delivered a 30-count indictment against Fernando Figueroa-Rodriguez, 50, and Javier Jimenez-Yucupio, 45, the U.S. attorney's office announced Thursday.

At least 16 people from Mexico and Guatemala were aboard a small boat that capsized in the early morning hours of Jan. 16, officials said. Eight of the 16 are being held as potential witnesses.

The two defendants are charged with bringing illegal immigrants into the U.S. in a manner that caused death. As the U.S. Border Patrol has increased surveillance along the border, more smugglers are using boats to haul passengers and drugs onto the beaches of San Diego County.

– Tony Perry in San Diego

More breaking news in L.A. Now:

L.A. chef to stand trial in slaying of popular waitress dumped in forest

Schwarzenegger faces tough choice: Release Manson follower from prison?

Officials raise fines for parking tickets, moving violations

Child porn suspect is found dead by FBI in Whittier

O.C. deputy pleads guilty in lobster poaching case

San Diego's Geezer Bandit hits 6th bank in 6 months

Manson family member Bruce Davis is recommended for parole in 1969 killings of musician and ranch hand

Body found on shore of Santa Ana River is identified

Captain Mike @
Boat Props

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Gadget and Gear Deals of the Day

We've got discounted laptops, HDTVs, all-in-one printers, and some free MP3s for the not-unless-it's-free Dealhacker fans out there.

Computer Gear!

• 15.6″ Lenovo IdeaPad Y550 Laptop for $569 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $998)
• 15.6″ Lenovo G550 Laptop for $449 + $9.99 shipping (Regular Price: $669)
• 12″ Lenovo IdeaPad S12 Netbook for $399 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $449)
• OCZ Vertex OCZSSD2-1VTX60G 2.5″ 60GB SSD for $179 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $230 – use this form)
• 25″ I-inc iH-252HPB Widescreen LCD Monitor for $189.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $253)
• 22″ ViewSonic VLED221wm Widescreen LED Monitor for $289.95 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $422)
• 500GB Fantom GD500EU GreenDrive External Hard Drive for $39.95 (Regular Price: $78 – use this form)
• Dell Vostro 220 2.6GHz Desktop and 20″ LCD for $389 with $35 shipping (Regular Price: $606)
• 20″ HP TouchSmart 300-1020 All in One Desktop for $849.99 with free shipping (Regular Price: $900)
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• WD TV Mini Media Player for $49.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $79)
• Epson R1900 Large Format Photo Printer for $444 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $484)
• Epson Workforce 610 Wireless Color Inkjet All-in-One Printer for $99.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $142.40)

Home Entertainment Gear!

• 55″ Samsung UN55B8000 1080p LED HDTV for $2,279 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $2,449 – use coupon code UN55B8000)
• Samsung BD-P4600 Blu-ray Player w/ Netflix, Wi-Fi for $249 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $299)
• 46″ Toshiba REGZA 46XV645U 1080p 120Hz LCD TV $898.00 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $969)
• 37″ Toshiba 37RV525R 37-Inch 1080p LCD TV for $499.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $550)
• 32″ Panasonic VIERA TC-L32S1 1080p LCD TV for $413.60 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $490 – use coupon code BONUSBUY)
• 52″ Philips 52PFL5704D/F7 52-Inch 1080p LCD TV for $999.99 (Regular Price: $1299)
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• 32″ LG 32LH30 1080p LCD HDTV for $421.12 with free shipping (Regular Price: $469.99 – use coupon code BONUSBUY)
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• 23″ Samsung 2333HD 1080p LCD HDTV for $218.65 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $250)
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• Flip UltraHD Camcorder + 2010 12mo Custom Photo Calendar for $149.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $189)
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• Archos 5 250 GB Internet Media Tablet for $199.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $240)
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• Saavn Celebrates Bollywood MP3 Album, 8 songs for $0 (use this form)
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• Download up to 116 MP3 Albums for $0
• DualSpinBall (iPhone) for $0 (Regular Price: $.99)

Thanks Dealzon, TechDealDigger, Slickdeals, Fatwallet, TechBargains, CheapStingyBargains, CheapCollegeGamers, and GamerHotline!

Send an email to Jason Fitzpatrick, the author of this post, at jason@lifehacker.com.

We know, enough already about the regular laptop stuff and tell us how Intel's Wireless Display technology works! Overall, we've got to say it's really impressive, though there are a few caveats. But the good news first – the out of the box experience couldn't be easier. Seriously, we're pretty sure any of our tech-challenged friends could figure this out without even opening the manual. It was as simple as plugging the Netgear Push2TV box (usually $99, but included with the E205) into one of the HDMI ports on our 40-inch Toshiba HDTV (you can also use component), and then pressing the wireless display button on the laptop's touch control strip. The Intel Wireless display software appeared on the E205, automatically found the Netgear, and within seven seconds of hitting connect the Win 7 desktop was nice and big on the TV. Because Intel's Wireless Display technology uses its own My WiFi technology, which creates a wireless N personal area network to connect to the Netgear adapter, there's no need to configure a router or network. We should mention that this requires an all Intel package, including the new Core i3 and i5 processors and HD graphics.

Once our desktop showed up on our TV it was smooth operating, though there's a noticeable two second lag between what happens on the laptop and what shows up on screen. That actually didn't bother us as much as you'd think since the video and audio on the TV were completely in sync. For instance, watching a 720p YouTube video of Miley Cyrus' “Party in the USA” at full screen was smooth and sounded great. It was the same case with a 1080p Iron Man 2 trailer in both QuickTime and Windows Media Player, but it was only output at 1280 x 768 since the technology doesn't support full 1080p HD playback yet — it's fixed at 720p. We didn't have much of an issue with distance given that our couch was only about 15 feet away from the TV, but even when we walked about 50 feet away from the TV the laptop's content showed clearly on the TV. By the way, the setup also works awesomely as a wireless music solution; playing our Pandora channel over our home theater's speakers sounded superb. Sonos, what?

Laptop TV Tuner

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Sony L Series All-In-One Touch-Enabled HD TV/PC At CES 2010

Touchscreen devices are all the rage right now and when you throw in a quad band processor, blu-ray and top notch graphics, what you end up with is a Sony All-In-One L Seriesd desktop that’s worth a closer look.

The Sony L Series All-In-One was shown off at CES 2010 and offers a blu-ray drive, while running on an Intel Core 2 Quad processor, showing off a NVIDIA graphics card and an NTSC / ATSC TV Tuner.

The screen in question is a 24 inch (16:9) Widescreen HD display that offers smooth touchscreen interfacing with quick response times and overall great output for both videos and desktop applications.

I'm sorry for the following rant but anything that does not get you premium HD content is a half-a$$ed device. unless of course your idea of HD is watching your local news team? Eyetv's entire lineup falls short of providing a path for accessing full HD TV.
s-video?! component?! are you kidding me? is this a tech blog or stay at home moms learning to browse the internets?
EyeTV is garbage, and you should be ashamed for using it for HD tv viewing. Although, their devices are excusable if you are encoding vhs or other media I suppose. I tried the eyetv 250 hdplus super duper blah blah and it was had a significant delay and was choppy at times in display the few hd cable channels it could carry. For anyone who is used to real hd content, this is a joke. I'll stick to fancast, hulu, netflix etc.
Additionally I think its ridiculous that I cannot play other sources on the imac- no real hd tv options (especially if your talking about HBO or NFLhd etc), you cannot hook up an xbox/ps3 to it. does apple really think I am going to go to the itunes store if they just lock out other sources?
as a pc user who wanted a new toy the 27iMac is beautiful but I feel handcuffed.

Pc TV Tuner

HP has come out with a very popular line of space saving desktops called the “slimline”. In this review I have gotten my hands on the S3420F Slimline and given it a spin. I will let you know if the reduction in size has reduced its abilities (which is unfortunately so often the case). Finally I'll let you know where this multimedia desktop will get the most use – in the office, living room, or a dorm room. First let me start with a few of the basics.

Hardware:

Processor: 2.8 GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 5400+ dual-core

Storage Space: 500GB hard drive

RAM: 3 GB (Expandable up to a 4GB maximum)

Optical Drive: a CD R/RW with integrated DVD +/- R RW burner

Tuner: Both ATSC and NTSC

Video Card: Nvidia GeForce Go 6150

Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium

Also Included in the box: Wired keyboard and mouse

This is another one of HP's slim line desktops. This desktop is designed for those that need a powerful PC but are concerned with saving space. This particular slim line has more integrated multimedia components than the typical slim style PC. This means it can seamlessly be integrated into the entertainment center and have a similar look and profile when compared to the other components. With the integrated Tuners this also allows a typical monitor to become a television, this is particularly appealing to a dorm room type of situation where space is at a premium. The video card is adequate however I would have liked to have seen something a little stronger. It does play moderately graphically intensive games just fine though.

Connectivity:

Integrated WiFi (for connecting to wireless networks)

1 Ethernet port (to connect to wired networks)

6 2.0 USB ports (to connect to any number of peripherals, like mice, printers, digital cameras, and iPods)

1 FireWire (This is used for high speed data transfer between other PC's or your digital camcorder)

15 in 1 card reader (so you can remove your solid state memory from your portable devices and insert it directly into your desktop)

2 PS/2 ports (this is an old school peripheral input for mice and keyboards)

1 VGA output (this is a typical monitor connection)

1 mic in and 1 audio out

56K modem

The connectivity of this small desktop is fairly standard. I would like to see a little more here in the way of video out. Especially with the integrated tuner and the more multimedia angle they've applied to this little space saving S3420F slim line. Otherwise this is a nice little PC. It is currently going for around $700. I like it at this price and don't expect any drastic price drops. You may look out for some sales this summer when the rebate checks come out and the computer sales slump. This would be a great option for a college student or for the office. I don't really like this as an entertainment center without a high definition output, but it is a great standard desktop.

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