Whole-house audio isn’t new, and – as Sonos has shown – it isn’t necessarily complicated, but nor has it generally been all that affordable. Orb plans on changing that with the Orb Music MP-1, a $69 wireless audio adapter that – along with some free software to turn your Apple or Android smartphone into a remote control – promises Sonos-style streaming without the sky-high price tag. Check out the full review after the cut.
You can’t accuse Google of being unambitious. Not content with having their Android OS take great bites out of the smartphone market, the search giant has also put it to work as the core of Google TV, a new play for the home entertainment segment. Most early-adopters will dip their tow with the Logitech Revue, a compact set-top box with a not-so-compact $300 price tag. The promise is that Google TV harnesses the power of search and online media to the breadth of broadcast television, but does the Revue deliver? Check out the full SlashGear review after the cut.
We first came across SoundFreaq back at ShowStoppers at IFA 2010, where the company had brought their first iPod speaker-dock, the SFQ-01A, along to meet the crowded competition. Leaving nothing to chance, SoundFreaq have prepared a double-punch: the SFQ-01A itself, a monolithic block of a speaker system, and a companion Bluetooth app for the iPad that’s a free download from the App Store. Knock-out punch or freak of nature? Check out the full SlashGear review after the cut.
Just as CDs have quickly been overtaken by digital downloads, so the number of people wanting to get their music off the computer and through speakers in their living room, kitchen and bedroom has increased. Wading into that market is Raumfeld, promising “Hi-Fi for the digital age” with their eponymous modular system. Still, you can’t get far in multi-room audio without tripping over Sonos, so the question is whether the little-known German start-up can compete. Check out the full SlashGear review after the cut.
Sling Media’s Slingbox PRO-HD for the European market has been a long time coming, two years in fact, though the streaming media market has largely left its niche alone in the meantime. As with the US model, the PRO-HD promises to take your SD and HD video sources – cable TV box, DVR, DVD player or even CCTV hardware – and squirt it over the internet; however, this new version also includes a Freeview tuner to add free-to-air digital TV to that list. Check out the full SlashGear review after the cut.
Back when we reviewed the Seagate GoFlex HDD we concluded that, while the concept of an external drive with interchangeable cables was reasonable, we thought it would make more sense when used with the company’s multimedia docking stations. Happily that’s just what we have on the SlashGear test bench today, the Seagate GoFlex TV HD, a standalone media player that boasts compatibility not only with the company’s own GoFlex drives but with any USB storage.
Video glasses still haven’t caught on quite as manufacturers might like them to have, but that hasn’t stopped them from scaling up the specifications and the marketing hyperbole to try and tempt us in. Latest to cross the SlashGear test bench are Q-London’s 3D 80-inch Video Eyewear, billed as providing the same viewing experience as having an 80-inch TV two meters away. Bold claims; read on to see whether the Q-London system delivered.
Having used four generations of home entertainment projector over the last decade, I was skeptical of small-form factor pico projectors when they first surfaced. A pocket-size projector with dimensions similar to a remote control or a cellphone, running super-cool and battery-operated for up to an hour of continuous use. That’s all tempting stuff, but can they deliver? Last month, we reviewed the UK-based BeamBox Evolution R1 Pico-projector; today, we have a close cousin with the same LCoS microdisplay but in different outfit: the AAXA P1 pico projector. (video after the cut)
Head-mounted displays are one of those great ideas that, in practice, few people actually go for. Yes, having the effect of a full-sized TV with the bulk (and cost) of a set of chunky designer sunglasses is good in theory, but the look can put people off. Vuzix sent us their OLED-toting iWear AV230XL headset, which promises the experience of watching a 44-inch screen from nine feet away. Big-screen or big-letdown? SlashGear set to finding out.
Forget the iMac, HP Touchsmart, Gateway or Dell XPS “One”, we’ve got a powerhouse all-in-one multimedia PC from Sony; it might not have a catchy name but it sure means business. The Sony VAIO Sony VGC-RT150Y no ordinary PC; It is a top notch VAIO that combines the technology of an HDTV with the computing power of a quad core multimedia PC. Behind the 25.5-inch XBRITE Full HD LCD Screen there’s an Intel Core 2 Quad 9400 processor, 8GB of RAM and 1TB of hard-drive with built-in digital TV tuners, Blu-ray burner and masses of A/V input and outputs for full 1080p living room entertainment. But with the price tag of $4,000, can it live up to the hype?
These curvaceous and futuristic Micropod speakers from Scandyna look oddly familiar; in some way, the Kevlar drives and tube enclosure tweeter reminded me of the legendary B&W Nautilus 800 series speakers. I kid you not, the original pod speakers were in fact developed by the team behind the World-renowned Nautilus, but it was later licensed to a Danish speaker maker, Scandyna.
When it comes to appearance, you can either go with a distinctive frame (such as Samsung’s recent ‘Touch of Color’ sets) or one that attempts to slim down to the point of invisibility. The LT-46148 goes with the latter route, and is all the better for it; there’s a mere 3/4-inch at the top and down the sides, while the bottom bulges to 3-inches thanks to the speakers. Anybody expecting similarly waif-like depth will be surprised, though: at just under 5-inches (excluding the base) the LT-46148 is far from being the thinnest HDTV. Plastics are gloss-black and seem high quality, with no noticeable flex or creak when rotating the Mitsubishi on its swivel stand. You can twist the set a full sixty degrees (30 off center in each direction).
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