Westinghouse VK-40F580D Television

There is not a plethora of large-screened flat panel televisions on the market that also house a DVD player. The Westinghouse VK-40F580D, however, is such an LCD. If you find the idea of combining two great things in one package intriguing, keep reading. We'll discuss the advantages and disadvantages, and see how this baby performs.

While having a combination television is not a necessity, some do prefer this option to having to buy an additional standalone DVD player. Of course, one possible major issue with buying a combination television is the always-present risk of the DVD player malfunctioning, causing you to possibly lose your television for a while until the unit is repaired. Those who consider the combination a luxury, though, will bypass the risk.

In addition to its integrated DVD player, the Westinghouse VK-40F580D also provides good image quality and decent picture controls, although it lacks a lot of connectivity as far as LCDs are concerned. The Westinghouse VK-40F580D can currently be purchased for around $1,100.

Panasonic DMC-FX500 Camera

Introduction

You may be asking, what actually makes a Panasonic digital camera a Lumix? It is a design and technology produced by Panasonic that makes digital cameras small and lighter, while still allowing them to produce high image quality. Also, the Lumix digital cameras haveinterchangeable lenses, which makes it easy for customers to operate.

The Panasonic DMC-FX500 is packed with a lot of features that you will find valuable. For one, it comes equipped with a 10.1 megapixel sensor, 5x optical zoom, and 4x digital zoom. You can take advantage of the shutter speeds that range from 60 to 1/2000 seconds. If you’re into shooting the highest quality video, the Panasonic DMC-FX500 can perform this function. However, you will need to use a fast card with at least 10MB.

A powerful feature you will love about the Panasonic DMC-FX500 is the Intelligent Auto mode. This “smart” feature can identify scene modes, such as portrait or landscape. Then it can automatically adjust to that mode. You no longer have to worry about manually changing it. Instead, you can focus on taking the picture.

Read on to learn about the features and storage capacities that the Panasonic DMC-FX500 offers. Then don’t be surprised if you decide you want to purchase one. The Panasonic DMC-FX500 retails for approximately $400.00.

Pentax K200D Digital Camera

Introduction

It seems as if the Pentax K200D digital camera has some stiff competition as it enters the ring to compete with the likes of theNikon D60, theOlympus E-520and theCanon EOS 450Din the entry level segment of the market, but Pentax has nothing to worry about. Aside from a reasonable price, the K200D also offers a range of more than desirable features, which include a "shake reduction" or SR system, dust removal and perhaps the most unique and unusual feature for this type of camera: a weather-sealed body and large viewfinder with 96 percent coverage and a magnification of 0.85.

The K200D's shake reduction system alone makes it worth its price. Photographers, both amateur and professional alike, can consider blurred hand-held photographs, particularly those taken with telephotos or long exposure times, a thing of the past. Two sensors are used by the SR system to detect any vibrations and compensate for any movements by the 10.2 megapixel CCD. This blurring protection system occurs directly at the CCD, saving the user from having to purchase special and undoubtedly expensive lenses. Even more impressive is the fact that the Pentax K-mount bayonet enables just about any Pentax lens to be used with the new K200D.

Design

Even amateur photographers know that you can't choose a digital camera based on how it looks in pictures, but rather what kind of pictures it takes. Fair enough, though it should be pointed out that the K2D00 is a ridiculously good-looking digital camera; much of its looks come from a very sturdy design, which features some of the heaviest construction in its price range. Its plastic body and metal frame make it the densestPentaxto date. Let's not forget the camera's dust sealing around the buttons and doors, gaskets and seals, giving it a soft, spongy feeling around those locations.

Silverstone LC20 Case Review

I’ve been tinkering with the idea of building an HTPC (Home Theater PC) for a while now. So when we received the Silverstone LC20, I leaped at the chance to write a review on it. Read on to find out how this HTPC case fared.

The idea of an HTPC is not brand new. Since video cards were created with TV output, people have been interfacing with their television sets. With the advent of TV Tuner cards, people have actually been able to use their computers as televisions directly.

But things change, and the area of computer and television integration has been no exception. New hardware and software allowed us to crawl out of the Stone Age and put one more foot into the Digital Age. Computers can now be used not only to display output on a television, but to act as a complete entertainment platform. You can watch movies, listen to Internet radio, and play PC games, all on your TV. In addition, your computer can act as a PVR (Personal Video Recorder), recording your favorite shows to hard drive for you to play back at a later time. All this is just touching the surface; there is much more you can do with your HTPC. You may even find yourself replacing some of your existing home entertainment components altogether.

The Silverstone LC20 is a computer case, designed to be used as the home for an HTPC computer. The case is sleek and attractive, so it won't look too out of place among all of your other home entertainment products. Before opening the box, I took a quick trip to Silverstone's website to grab the specs on the LC20:

Apple iPad Tablet Computer

Apple managed to redefine the MP3 player market with its iPod. It did it again for the smartphone market with its iPhoneNow, rumors are circulating that it plans to do it yet again for the tablet PC market. Should we believe it?

The Internet has been slammed recently with rumors of Apple releasing a tablet computer within the next year. Apple, of course, has remained quiet on the matter, but many media outlets are heralding the device as the "worst kept secret" in tech.

News outlets are predicting that the "iPad" will be similar to a large iPhone and would most likely sell for between $500 and $700. Sources have also revealed to the media that the iPad will have a 10-inch touch screen and use an operating system similar to that of the iPhone.

The tablet computer will also reportedly have music, movies, e-mail, and Web browsing capabilities much like the company's wildly successful iPhone. It is believed that all of the applications will be sold through the Apple app store, but that theiPad's larger screenwould enable multiple apps to run simultaneously.

he rumors, reports, and assumptions are swirling and sometimes it's difficult to tell fact from fiction. The sources for many iPad stories online are never revealed, and some of the information seems plausible, while other bits of news seem completely far-fetched. An interesting example of a story that substantiates the claim that there will be an Apple iPad comes from an unlikely source: a survey that was recently sent out to customers who shop at a particular bookstore.

Asus UX50V-RX05 and Sony Vaio VGN-NW125J/T Laptops

If you were to judge a book by its cover, you would think, after taking a quick glance at the Asus UX50V-RX05, that you have a powerful, top notch laptop at your disposal. While it is definitely a good-looking piece of machinery, with its glossy, jet black finish, the Asus UX50V-RX05 is lacking in the performance department, mostly due to its single-core CPU. Its underwhelming CPU churns out a performance you would expect from a much more portable laptop, not one with a 15.6 inch screen such as the Asus UX50V-RX05.

While it is not a processing powerhouse, the UX50V-RX05 does come with a 16:9 wide screen display and an honorable graphics engine. That being said, if you are in need of a multitasking juggernaut, stop reading now. Otherwise, if you are a casual gamer and like to pop a DVD into your laptop from time to time, the UX50V-RX05 may be the right choice for you.

The laptop is on sale now for a suggested retail price of $749. To protect your investment, the UX50V-RX05 comes with a standard one year warranty on parts and labor as well as telephone and online support.

As stated in the introduction, its processor is where the UX50V-RX05 falls a bit flat. It comes with a 1.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Solo processor and 4 GB of DDR2 SDRAM, much unlike others in its class which use dual-core processors. The result of this choice by Asus is an overall multitasking performance that is, in a word, sluggish, and lags behind the competition. This is especially true considering the Asus UX50V-RX05’s price and size.

The UX50V-RX05 also has a plentiful 500GB SATA 5,400 rpm hard drive. More impressive than its less-than-desirable CPU is the UX50V-RX05’s 512 MB NVIDIA GeForce 105M graphics processing unit, which allows you to play some 3D games on the laptop without too many hiccups.

Affordable HD Camcorder

It doesn’t matter what their age or background, lifestyle or profession, everyone enjoys the benefit of being able to capture life’s special moments on film, and sometimes digital cameras aren’t enough. Whether you’re a fourteen-year-old boy wanting to record your friends performing skateboarding tricks or a sixty-five-year-old-woman hoping to capture her grandchild’s first steps, an HD camcorder’s clear, crisp and vivid videos are worth every penny.

Let’s be clear: HD camcorders are still quite pricey; “cheap” ones are just south of a grand. That being said, some amazing deals can be found online with a little snooping, though consumers should be wary of HD camcorders that sell for anything less than about five hundred dollars. Some things, including the price of an HD camcorder, are too good to be true.

Truth be told, not everyone who purchases a pricey HD camcorder is in need of one. Sure, their video capabilities are amazing and sharp, but if you’re just looking to upload videos onto YouTube, a better investment would be a good point-and-shoot digital camera with video capabilities. Often, camcorders -- whether HD or not -- end up gathering dust in the closet.

Before you blow big bucks on one of these cutting-edge cameras, be honest with yourself. Are you really going to be shooting lots of video? It’s important to accurately assess whether you'll actually be using a camcorder frequently or just occasionally. Also think about whether anyone will be eager to watch your HD videos that you may not have the time or patience to edit. If you have a special event coming up, consider borrowing or renting a camcorder rather than blowing all your spare cash on a trinket that will be used once or twice and end up as shelfware.

If you’ve decided, after all of this, that an HD camcorder is for you -- well, then it’s time to get shopping. Here’s a look at four excellent HD camcorders that are in the sub-$1,000 range.

Other awesome features include a full HD CMOS sensor and an advanced DIGIC DV II image processor, which deliver breathtaking detail and some of the best in color reproduction. SuperRange Optical Image Stabilization and Instant Auto Focus also give users the shot control that HD demands. The HV30’s Genuine Canon 10x HD video zoom lens and its ability to shoot in HD and standard definition recording modes are just two more reasons the Vixia HV30 has loads of devoted followers.