Archive for the ‘Electronics’ Category
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Saturday, May 30th, 2009
Pioneer DVJ-1000 Turntables & SVM-1000 Mixer
I’ve been known to DJ, more of a Wedding Singer DJ than Club DJ, however, when I saw Pioneer’s new DVJ gear (Digital Video Jockey?) I was throughly impressed. This $14k system ($3k for each DVJ-1000 “turntable” and…
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Thursday, May 28th, 2009
Top 5 Graduation Gift Ideas For 2009
It’s graduation time and you know how much we love picking gadgets and gift ideas here are Mavromatic! This year is a bit different as peoples wallets are a bit tighter so we’ve kept the gift prices under…
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Wednesday, May 20th, 2009
OLIMEX PIC-WEB - Compact Webserver For Your Projects
I’ve been testing an Olimex PIC-WEB Ethernet Web PIC Development Board for a bit now and this little board comes in handy for projects that need quick web access. The PIC-WEB offers a very small but powerful…
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Friday, May 8th, 2009
Russound RNET Touchpoint TCH1 - Control Via iPhone/Touch
If you have a Russound RNET capable (Russound CAA66, CAM6.6, CAV6.6, MCA-C5 or ACA-E5 multiroom controller) whole house audio system and would like to add control via your iPhone or iPod Touch, then you need the new Touchpoint TCH1.…
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Wednesday, May 6th, 2009
Kindle DX: Amazon’s 9.7″ eBook Reader (Pre-Ordered)
Now that’s what I’m talking about! A full 8 1/2″ x 11″ eInk display with Native PDF Reader!
Here are the full details:
- Slim: Just over 1/3 of an inch, as thin as most magazines
- Carry Your Library: Holds…
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Monday, December 8th, 2008
ESPN’s Technology Gift Guide
Be sure to check out ESPN’s Gift Guide for even more great gift ideas. Today’s focus is Technology and I’ve expanded on my top five gadgets of the year with five more items!
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Monday, December 1st, 2008
MAVROMATIC’s TOP 5 GADGETS OF 2008 / HOLIDAY BUYERS GUIDE
It’s time once again for Mavromatic’s Top 5 Gadgets Of The Year. Last year, the iPhone was the #1 gadget on my list and I even hoped that a V2 Windows Media Extender would be released for under $200 — it did in 2008 and made this years list! Due to the economic conditions I have selected gadgets that are priced less than $300. Again, these are gadgets that I have actually purchased and use myself.
So here is my Top 5 Gadget List of 2008 / Holiday Buyers Guide:
#5 — Eye-Fi Explore Wireless 2 GB Secure Digital Card (EYE-FI-2EX)Priced at $129 this little SD card packs a lot of features. My favorite is that it can Geotag (add latitude and longitude location) photos based on WiFi locations — even if you’re not physically connected to the wireless access point. The card is great for shooting photos around your house since they can automatically be sent to the host computer or even your online photo service like flickr automatically. The EyeFi software is a cinch to install and works with almost any camera available these days. I even used it with my Canon 40D which is a CF based camera using this adapter
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#4 — Whirley-Pop Stovetop Popcorn PopperOk, this isn’t a gadget you’d typically see on Mavromatic — you can thank my wife (www.frillas.com) for bringing this into my life. What good is a home theater without great popcorn? For those of you that haven’t had proper popcorn the Whirly-pop makes the best popcorn around. I even prefer the popcorn made from this gadget over the theater popcorn my commercial popcorn machine makes — it’s that good! Priced at $20, this gift fits everyone’s budget in these tough times!
#3 — Linksys Media Center Extender (DMA2100)Linksys hadn’t released the DMA2100 in time for last years top gadget list. When first announced it carried a $350 price tag, now you can get a V2 Windows Media Extender for $110! This small, compact device streams all your digital media from a Vista Media Center PC — full video review here. ‘Nuff said!
#2 — XBOX 360 Console w/60gb Hard DriveWho would have thought a three year old gadget would still be relevant in today’s marketplace? Well, Microsoft’s XBOX 360 made it on this years top 5 gadget picks because of the recent price drop! For $299, you get the console, wireless controller, 60gb hard drive and a couple games. But, wait, there’s more! The XBOX 360 is a media extender ($110 value), a HD Netflix Streaming device ($100 value), a DVD player ($50 value) and a gaming/community platform (priceless). So if you have been holding out on an XBOX 360, there is no better time than now to purchase one!
#1 — TED 1001 - Electricity Monitor, Energy Monitor, Power Monitor
Lets face it, we all love electronics, but we also need to be responsible with the power they use. That’s why this years #1 Mavromatic Gadget Of The Year is Energy, Inc’s T.E.D. 1001. I originally blogged about this in Aug. 2007, and a full video review in Jan. 2008. This product allows you to monitor your power usage in real-time and ultimately cut back on your total energy use. The available API and TED Footprints allows you to monitor usage and log data to you computer and even my custom software, Myro Control, will be able to render data from the TED. This will be the best $145 you’ve ever spent — it may even pay itself off and make you money!
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Tuesday, December 18th, 2007
VIDEO REVIEW: Nobu N8 In-wall Touchscreen Computer
Here is the video review of the Nobu N8WTS10 (I know it’s a long name, try memorizing it!). Overall, this is a great product. I know a lot of people have suggested a Tablet PC or a UMPC over the Nobu, however, those units are not design to be used 24/7 and are not rated for in-wall use. The Nobu unit also has Windows XP embedded OS which makes it much more stable. Also, since this unit has all the I/O you’ll need, it can act as your whole house control server, plus user interface controller making it worth the price alone. You will need to bring-your-own-software and the UI should be designed for touchscreen use since it’s a bit hard to use otherwise.
For more information and pricing visit www.nobu-usa.com
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Tuesday, December 11th, 2007
VIDEO REVIEW: Planet Waves Cabling System
If you are a musician you’ve probably heard of D’Addario & Company, Inc. They acquired the Planet Waves line in 1998 and I think it was a smart investment. Planet Waves really revolutionizes the way one terminates audio/video cables… I have a full video review, so check it out! For more information check out Planet Waves website.
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Wednesday, November 28th, 2007
ESPN’s Gift Guide Online!
ESPN just launched their Gift Guide in time for some holiday shopping… you might see some familiar products as I was a contributing member. There are also some other cool gadgets like the Eye-Fi and SleepTracker that you can buy your loved ones — or yourself… Enjoy!
About the archives
Welcome to the archives here at MAVROMATIC.
These are a collection of our previous posts. If you'd like to read about the latest and greatest, click here.
Welcome to mavromatic! My goal is to bring to your attention the latest DIY projects, the greatest home automation and home theater products. As well as, the occasional offbeat entry, to spice things up a bit.
