Thursday November 26, 2009
By the time you read this post, your humble guide will likely be driving to California with a bunch of relatives in tow. I'm sure they're giving thanks for having a personal driver. (Somebody better be riding shotgun up front, darn it! My brother, for example, loves to sit in the back and leave the front passenger seat empty so I look like his "personal chauffeur." No wonder he's been cursed with always ripping holes in his socks.)
Being the pragmatist that I am, I figure this is as good a time as any to test some portable devices in my list of things to review. I got a set of portable DVD players designed for car mounting, a portable iPod speaker/case, an MP3 player, headphones — my cup definitely runneth over. With so many "toys" to test, this is certainly one of those times I wish I could be a passenger.
Alas, I have to drive so it looks like my passengers will be the ones having all the fun. Plus I'm leaving late so that means no stopover at Popeye's Chicken for this trip. On the plus side, it looks like I won't have to deal with snow showers up in the Sierra Nevadas, which is always good. Snow + mountain road + crazy SUV drivers who think 4-wheel drive makes them invincible = screaming relatives all around me.
On that note, I hope y'all have a screaming fun Thanksgiving this year. 'Cause as bad as things can get, there's always something you could be thankful for. And to my fellow road warriors, I hope you have a safe trip!
Photo © Getty Images
Wednesday November 25, 2009
Sony was basking in the limelight just a few months ago after it fielded three new entries in the eBook Reader wars.
But in a "What have you done for me lately world," August and September suddenly seem so long ago, especially after the announcement of Barnes & Noble's hot new "nook" eReader.
So in case you missed it, Sony recently started taking pre-orders at its online store for the top banana of its new eBook trio, the Reader Daily Edition. Compared to its two other siblings, this device's claim to fame is its wireless capability. Well, that and its pinky-raising price tag of $399.
You can take a sneak peek at the Reader Daily's capabilities in our Sony Reader preview. I also should have a review up of the Pocket and Touch editions soon.
In the meantime, you can pre-order the Daily version at sonystyle.com.
Photo © Sony
Tuesday November 24, 2009
As someone who typically ends up frustrated on Black Friday, I must admit that I couldn't help but check many of the Black Friday "leaks" that have been bombarding the Internet. It's like pressing a button that says "DO NOT PRESS!" I just can't help it.
Apparently, though, I'm not the only one. Google data shows that the "upswing" for Black Friday searches started two weeks earlier this year, according to an article in the Advertising Age. Meanwhile, the number of shoppers who plan to get their Christmas shopping started on Black Friday rose to 16 percent this year from 10 percent last year, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers (there's an International Council of Shopping Centers?).
Still, some are projecting Black Friday to be just that — black. Nielsen, the NPD Group and the National Retail Federation have all released buzz-killing predictions as far as sales. I'm no economist but I don't need to sleep at a Holiday Inn last night to figure out why. (As Bill Clinton once so eloquently put, "It's the economy, um, you not-so-smart person!")
Meanwhile, Retrevo's Director of Content Andrew Eisner is predicting many "mediocre deals" masquerading as Black Friday bargains. These include discounts that aren't as big as they seem to be and the pushing of outdated items.
Now, one can't fault someone for thinking Eisner's comments may have to do with Retrevo promoting its own product and pricing analysis (not to mention its Black Friday Real-Time Resource Center). Still, I know from personal experience that the man actually has a point. Fortunately, Google and the entire Interwebs is your friend so you can do your due diligence in researching products before pouncing on a deal.
As for me ... well, while I'm always tempted to line up in the cold with complete strangers just for a chance to get a good bargain, the reasonable person that resides in the little room in my mind always steps up in the end and tells me that it's better to go to bed and sleep on these things instead. Still, I understand the allure of the ever-powerful Black Friday deal. What about you?
Photo by Jason Hidalgo
Sunday November 22, 2009
In looking at portable DVD players as About.com's portables guide, one of the things I've learned is that companies who make the devices apparently hate names. And when I say names, I mean just basic names.
Forget simple names like Wii or Walkman. Instead, all you get is a mish-mash of letters and numbers that is just about as easy to remember as the name of that bad guy in the Superfriends cartoons who you have to trick to say his name backwards. Now, I'd tell you what the dude's name is. But I honestly can't remember it — just like the name of many of these portable DVD players out in the market today. I don't know about you but I'm guessing there's probably a reason why Apple didn't name its iPod the JXCSF1000945@.
Kindle, BlackBerry Bold, PlayStation — those are all easy-to-remember names that help establish mindshare within the market. But (insert generic letters and numbers here)? Hold on while I get a pen and paper.
Which brings us to my latest portable DVD review: Toshiba's SDP93S. Like the Sony DVP-FX930 I reviewed before it, the SDP93S is an excellent player. I just hope you can remember what either those two are called when you try looking for them at your favorite retailer. On that note, please feel free to check out the Toshiba SDP93S review.
Photo by Jason Hidalgo
