Dell Small Business has a real steal for anyone that’s in the market for a smallish high-def LCD TV. GearSponsor LogicBuy notes  the Samsung 2494SW 24-inch 1080p HDMI LCD Monitor is going for $259.99 – plug in the 20% off coupon code: K9K2253HCF96V2 (expires 11/11 or after first 1,500 uses) = $207.99 plus FREE shipping. That’s about $80 cheaper than what I could find on Amazon.

Samsung 2494SW 24-inch 1080p HDMI LCD Monitor

Sometimes there is much truth to the saying “the early bird catches the worm.” Take the Walmart specials occurring this Friday – weeks before the Holiday shopping season officially begins.

If you have an X-Box or a 15″ laptop on your list for a special person (maybe yourself!), then you must be at your local Walmart in time to snatch up one of these deals. Not only can you get an Xbox 360 for $199 with a $100 gift card, bringing the price to $99, you can get a 15″ HP laptop for $296. Granted, it’s not a gaming laptop, but it would be perfect for a high school student. Walmart is showing that they will have a minimum of 10 of each per store, and if you are looking for a deal on either, you can’t miss this event. If you miss those specials, you can sonsole yourself with the $29 DVD player or the $498 Sharp 42″ HDTV.

WOW!!

Update 11/06/09 from BFAds:

We’ve got an update about Walmart’s Saturday sale which we covered in our last email.

According to the online description, the Xbox 360 Arcade console is now going to come with an e-Gift Card in place of a regular Gift Card. The only difference between the two is that an e-Gift Card can only be used on Walmart.com and not at Walmart retail locations. Considering Walmart.com offers free shipment to stores, the deal is still really hot.

via: BFAds

When I saw the press release announcing that HAVA was coming to the iTunes App Store and that it was an application which allowed for live streaming of your home television, I was intrigued.  I like to think I’m pretty knowledgeable when it comes to the live TV options available for the iPhone but I have to admit I’d never heard of HAVA.

I’m currently running both a Slingbox Solo and an EyeTV Hybrid in my home office.  The Slingbox allows me to view live TV on my Mac as well as my iPhone and doesn’t require the connected computer to be on.  The EyeTV also allows me to view live TV on my Mac and my iPhone and it also allows me to record shows on my Mac just like a DVR.  The recordings are then available for viewing on either the computer or the iPhone.  But the big drawback to EyeTV is that you must have the connected computer on with the application running to view streams remotely.

Both of these setups combined meet my live and recorded TV needs.  But do I really need two systems running independently to satisfy myself?  Turns out I might not.

I might just only need one system and that system might just be HAVA.

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This Western Digital WD TV Live Network-ready HD 1080p Media Player has been updated and is in stock now at Best Buy for $119.99 plus shipping (or order online & pickup at your local store). This is an update to the popular WD TV HD (USB) Media Player, access web content such as YouTube, Flickr, and Pandora. Equipped with HDMI, USB 2.0, Ethernet so you can stream content via your network. Supports AAC, MP3, JPEG, H.264/AVCHD formats. Includes remote control,

Western Digital WD TV Live Network HD Media Player via GearSponsor: Logicbuy

Here’s an interesting deal to start your work week off. GearSponsor Logicbuy spotlights this 32-inch Panasonic VIERA X1-Series Black LCD Flat Panel HDTV with integrated iPod dock (model no. TC-L32X1) on sale for $415 plus FREE shipping. No tax in most states. This is cheaper by about $30 over Amazon. As an added bonus the included universal iPod dock provides a convenient way to enjoy music, videos and photos on your VIERA HDTV.

Panasonic TC-L32X1

Hot off the LogicBuy deal site – take $280 off this Dell Vostro 220 through 9/7/09. This rig includes a ViewSonic VT2430 1080p LCD HDTV (add it to your cart and instant savings will be applied at checkout). Also included is Windows Vista Business, SP1, 1GB RAM, 16x DVD-ROM, 250 GB 7200 RPM HDD. Add another GB or two of RAM ($32 or $72 for the boost) and you’ll have a nice little business workstation.

Dell Vostro 220

Did you wake up this morning determined to buy a large HDTV? Amazon is offering up to 26% off Samsung Plasma and LCD HDTVs. To enable the lower prices you’ll have to use the coupon codes . LCD and Plasma HDTV sizes are available from 40 to 63 inches and the offer expires 9/5.

Samsung LDC and Plasma HDTV deals

If you were to look at the HP Pavilion HDX18t offered today by GearSponsor LogicBuy and notice the 18.4″ screen you might think to yourself “that’s one big ass laptop”. And you’d be right. But did you know the reason that the screen is that big is because it can offer a 16:9 viewing ratio – which is the same as HDTV screens. That means using the included Blu-ray works perfectly on the high resolution (1080 p) screen. There’s even a remote control that parks in its own compartment and a sub-woofer in the laptop base. Granted, this is not a laptop for a plane trip – but if your looking for multi-media at an under $1,000 price point – how can you go wrong?

HP Pavilion HDX18t – $979 (expires 6/9/09)

Microsoft today made the long rumored touch screen Zune HD device official. Set to launch in the fall, it appears that Microsoft is smartly looking to leverage their large (17 million strong) XBox 360 community as one method of content distribution. Look for Zune to be a premium content partner on Xbox LIVE Video Marketplace where you’ll be able to obtain all sorts of exciting TV and film releases.

Zune HD comes with a built in HD Radio Receiver (??), as well as a 480×272 OLED touch screen interface (16:9 widescreen format). There’s an HD-compatible output to allow the Zune HD to playback supported HD video files from the device via HDMI (high-definition multimedia interface) docking station (sold separately) to a TV in 720p. Worth noting that supported 720p HD video files play on the device, downscaled to fit the screen at 480 x 272 — not HD resolution. Zune HD and AV Dock, and an HDTV (all sold separately) are required to view video at HD resolution. PS - Yes , there’s Wi-Fi – but HD Radio? Did I miss the resurgence of terrestrial radio? Pricing is TBD and Microsoft is expected to show this off at the upcoming Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) next week.

Zune HD

It’s big ass TV day here at GearDiary and our GearSponsor LogicBuy helps spread the fever with three coupons for $200, $300 and $400 off on different models of Samsung LCD (and one plasma) HDTVS. At the (more) affordable level is the $1,499 40″ Samsung LN40B750 with a $200 savings. The top end “screw the economy I’m getting a big TV” is the 63″ Samsung PN63B550 1080 Plasma priced at $2,574.99 less a $400 discount. Coupons are SAMSFOUR, SAMTHREE and SAMTVTWO for the respective discounts. Just think how crazy it will drive your neighbor to see the 63″ tv box sitting by the curb for trash pickup. Details on the coupon codes at the link below.

Samsung HDTV Coupon Codes (expire 5/23/09)

That sweet 47″ HDTV you’ve saved up for is lookin’ pretty nice.  Great picture, surround sound.  Hooked-up to the max with your Wii, XBox,  TiVo, the whole nine yards.   Life is good.  What could possibly go wrong…

Well, the folks over at TestFreaks.com are putting the TV Screen Protector through it’s paces to protect their home entertainment investment. Continue Reading

The idea for this post came from a little back and forth amongst the GearDiary team concerning getting better images to go along with our blog entries.

Specifically, some were looking for tips to producing better images of tech gear with monitor screens, i.e. multimedia devices, smartphones, laptops, video monitors, etc.

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With a plethora of media and Internet services demanding our attention, whether via mobile devices, computers or televisions, Samsung and Yahoo! may have created the solution for blending a rich media and interactive experience on one convenient viewing platform.

 At CES 2009, Samsung and Yahoo! have announced a new Internet-based service - Internet@TV – Content Service - that 
will be available this spring of 2009. The Yahoo! Widget Engine on certain models of new Samsung flat-panel HDTVs promises to “Open a Whole New World of TV Interactivity for Consumers.“

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I know it’s just the first week of 2009, but I suspect that when we are preparing to welcome 2010 in some 360 days, the Roku player that I purchased just over a week ago will be on my list of “favorite gadgets of 2009″.

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The Gear Diary Team is as opinionated and diverse as any I have worked with over the years, both in real life and on the Internet.  So we had to have a discussion on what we each thought were the best gadgets of 2008…

Joel McLaughlin

1. Neuros Link – Soon to be the mother of all set top boxes. With all the support it’s adding, it’s a matter of time where you can get rid of
your cable box.

2. T-Mobile G1 – The birth of a new phone platform. So far, it holds a lot of promise and is starting to deliver on those too.

3. Netflix Player by Roku – Now you can do the one DVD at a time plan and watch all the back catalog with this cheap little box. Continue Reading