And around $100, it may be the most expensive too! But come on, it’s R2D2, man! The only thing that would make this cooler is if it doubled as a trash compactor with swiss army knife attachments.

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A couple of years ago (it doesn’t seem that long ago…) I waxed lyrical about the advantages of using a modded Xbox with XBMC as a living room media adapter.

Unfortunately technology moves on and my trusty Xbox just didn’t have the horsepower to play back high definition content. The next gen consoles can do it but they still aren’t as flexible as I’d like (although kudos to Microsoft for finally enabling DivX playback on the 360).

So what do to? The Mac Mini stepped in to fill the gap nicely; the new Core Duo models are fairly powerful, it’s tiny and it’s almost silent running. It’s also surprisingly good value for money – I can’t build a PC that ticks all those boxes for the price of a mini.

It seems like the developers of the original XBMC software had the same thought and they’ve been porting the media player software to OSX. Over the past month or so I’ve been watching the OSXBMC project with interest and it looks like it’s finally become solid enough for general use.
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Considering that we are less than one year away from the big HDTV switch, it is not surprising that Sharp/AQUOS is prepared with the SE94 Series.

The SE94 series is designed with a “Cornerstone design” with detachable bottom speakers and a slimmer and lighter design. The SE94 also has terrific picture quality with 1080p resolution, as well as a Dynamic Contrast Ratio of 27,000:1. As for colors, the 10-bit ASV panel and 5-wavelength backlight system provides vibrant red and truer greens. In short, it is simply a better picture.

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Ever since Apple came out with the Mac Mini, PC manufacturers have been scrambling to come out with a “Mac Mini Clone” that will run Windows yet still have that “cool” factor that the Apple product has.

Hot on the heels of their great success with the Eee PC, Asus has come out with the Nova P22 series of computers to compete with the Mac Mini. Like most Windows PCs that try to compete with the tiny Mac Mini, the Nova P22 is just a bit larger. It weighs just over four pounds (a pound heavier than the Mac) and when you lay the Nova flat it measures 2.1 inches tall (just a hair taller than the Mac), 9.8 inches wide and 7.25 inches deep, making its overall volume larger (compared with the Mac Mini’s 2×6x6 inch measurements).

Sure it’s larger than the Mac Mini, but the Asus Nova P22 gives you a little more setup flexibility thanks to an included metal stand lets you stand it upright. Otherwise, your customization options are limited, as Asus offers no upgrade options for this system – what you see is what you get. Although nobody had a problem upgrading their Eee PCs, so the do-it-yourselfers out there can breathe a sigh of relief.

The system also comes with an IR Microsoft Certified Remote Controller, thus making it a potential machine to tie to your home theater equipment. Read the rest of this entry »

While I love my tech toys, I’ve not taken the plunge and purchased an HDTV. I can’t really justify such a purchase, as I don’t spend a ton of time in the living room watching TV. I have a 22-inch monitor in my office that I’ll play movies on and watch the occasional show on, but that’s about it. Thanks to Asus, I’ll be able to use that same monitor to enjoy HDTV if I choose.

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It’s hard not to see the handwriting on the wall. Literally. But let’s recap. First, it was select studios announcing the dropping of HD DVD and focusing on the better selling Blu-ray line. Then, it was Best Buy announcing it would only sell Blu-ray. Then, Amazon announced a 50% off clearance on 150 HD DVD movies. Microsoft drops the price of their Xbox HD DVD add-on player to $129. But the real killer was when WalMart announced it would drop HD DVD effective in June. So what to do when the war is over? Toshiba finally raises the white flag.

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When I was a kid my parents would load my brother and I up into the car and take us to the drive-in theater to watch a couple of movies. I honestly enjoyed that more than I’ve ever really liked going to indoor theaters. Sure, there are more bugs, but there’s just something about being outside that makes it more fun. Unfortunately when I was still rather young it closed down, and I haven’t been to another since. If you’ve been longing for an outdoor movie experience like me, why not make your own? This projector screen would certainly come in handy for doing so.

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I still want to believe that HD DVD is going to pull out of its slump and emerge victorious. Sure, it’s a pipe dream, but I can still hope right? I figured that with the cheaper players, they were sure to come out on top. Well, if you’re still convinced that they’ve got a shot, and you own an Xbox 360, now is a good time to get yourself and HD DVD player add-on.

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