There have been a number of new gadget releases and a whole host of gizmos released that you might want to get your hands on recently. Some get more fanfare than others, and deservedly so. Some are underrated, and it seems that even more are overrated. For today let’s leave that distinction up to you and just look at a few new gadgets that are being shipped out this week.
Some Love for Laptops
Maingear eX-L 15
This week Maingear finally introduced their eX-L 15 which is being dubbed the mini version of the previous eX-L 18. It does not necessarily hold onto and utilize all the massive applications and features that the eX-L 18 does, but it is no slouch when it comes to laptops. It still comes with NVICIA GeForce GTX260m and a Core 2 Duo Processor. While it may not be as top of the line as the Maingear eX-L 18, it sure is a lot more affordable. At just $1,899 the 15 inch version will end up saving you over $1,000 when compared to the mammoth 18 inch eX-L. I know some people say size matters, but this is an instance when I will be more than happy to take the short end of the stick.
Newertech Intelligent Battery Charging Stations
Newertech has just released their new charging stations that can boost up 13 and 15 inch MacBooks. Not only do these charging stations contain two charging bays in order to charge two different MacBooks, but Newertech claims that the second bay is more than just a simple charger; it is a “conditioning unit.” The station is supposed to supply power and help maintain top health for the battery. Whether that actually works or not remains to be seen, but the power to charge up two batteries at once is pretty intriguing. At the moment the stations cost around $150 and can only be used with MacBooks that were purchased before June of this year.
3 New LCD’s from Dell
Dell seemed to fly under the radar this week even though they released 3 brand new LCD screens. This was a product release where there was very little fanfare and maybe Dell did that not on purpose, because there really isn’t that much to say. Overall these LCD screens are nothing spectacular by any means, but are very reasonably priced. The 23 inch monitor comes with a 5 millisecond response time, 1080p resolution and is priced for just $229. The 22 inch monitor comes with 1080p resolution and is priced at $199, while the 20 inch screen only boasts a resolution of 1600X900 and is priced at $139.
Enough with the “Cutesy Cell Phones”
With cell phones like the Palm Pre, and its sleek but all too cute design, taking over a lot of mobile companies have forgotten about the people that don’t just sit behind a desk all day or blog about fashion. That is why Motorola has created the Motorola r7651S. The “rugged” handset is made to last through extreme temperatures, vibrations, blowing rain, fog, dust, and pretty much everything else that you COULD encounter throughout the day.
The r7651S comes with built in Bluetooth, GPS, MMS, and has the ability to connect with twenty different people at the same time. The problem is that even though you may be worried about a few scratches on your iPhone, you need to pony up big time for this phone. The Motorola r7651S comes in at right around $2,000. If you can afford that then couldn’t you simply afford to buy a new phone every time you broke one? Seems easier to me.
Relaxing at Home with Home Theater Gadgets
New Receiver from Onkyo
The new receiver from Onkyo is pretty cool, but is also missing a few features that would completely put it over the top. The TX-NR807 has all sorts of support for different connectivity options and comes with DLNA 1.5 streaming audio. The major knock against it is that it cannot handle video streaming and actually doesn’t even come with Wi-Fi. In this day and age there is absolutely no reason to come out with a receiver that is priced so high yet doesn’t even offer the Wi-Fi option. With that said the mass amount of streaming options for the Onkyo TX-NR807 and the codec support make it a decent purchase for people in the market for versatility.
High Speed Internet Connection for your Home Theater with Netgear
Netgear has released their Home Theater Internet Connection Kit which comes with an adaptor and a powerline to Ethernet switch. If your electrical wiring in your house can handle it the kit can help you get to transfer speeds as high as 200 mbps. To be fair wireless options are probably an easier choice but if you live in an apartment complex jammed with wireless signals or are working with a device that doesn’t have Wi-Fi, then this is your next best bet. At the moment the Home Theater Internet Connection Kit retails at just under $180.
