gadget news and reviews

OrigAudio Fold & Play Speaker Giveaway 31

Last month we gaveaway a Powermat wireless charger to one of our lucky readers. Today, we’ve got 5 OrigAudio Fold & Play speakers to hand out. If you haven’t heard of these, it’s a portable foldable eco-friendly speaker system that works with iPods, Zunes, or device with standard headphone jack. We’ve got our full in-depth review here as well. (Each cost $15) Here’s how it’s going to work:

Special thanks to Orig Audio (@origaudio) for sponsoring our giveaway!

How to enter the contest (TWO Options):

Option 1:

1. Become a Facebook Fan of Skatter Tech
2. Use Facebook Connect to leave a comment below

Option 2:

1. Follow @skattertech on Twitter
2. Click here to retweet the following message

Some Rules Apply:

• Don’t try to enter more than once. (We have robots!)
• Must live in the United States. 13 and older only.
• Winner is randomly chosen by computer auto generator.
• Entries close after Thursday 01/22/10 11:59 PM (PST).
• Winner will be announced on this post on the next day.
• Winner has 24 hours to respond to DM or Facebook Message.

That’s pretty much it. If you don’t know what Facebook Connect is, it’s simple. Just click on “FB Connect” next to the comment box and login with your Facebook Account. If you do that and become a Fan of Skatter Tech, you’re in! And for Twitter, if you don’t have an account, just get one! It’s quick!

UPDATE: Contest entries closed. We’ll be posting results shortly.

The Results: The winners are: Poline Chuon, David Chang, Dev Butt, Mariela Elizabeth Lopez, and Tuyen Nguyen! We’ll be contacting you shortly to get you your free set of OrigAudio Speakers!

Holiday Gift Guide: Smartphones 1

This year has been all about Smartphones. Every major cell provider has one whether it’s running on the iPhone OS, BlackBerry OS, Google Android, Palm webOS, or Windows Mobile. While availability is no longer an issue, picking the right one for you is the difficult part. Since most of you out there usually wish to stay with your current provider, here’s what’s best for each provider:

Verizon Wireless: Motorola Droid

The Motorola Droid is probably the most powerful phone offered through a domestic cell phone carrier. While there may be a few critics, the majority of reviews are favorable about the Droid and tout it as superior to the famous iPhone. While I could go on about the features it sports, here’s a few for starters: Touch Screen, QWERTY Keyboard, WiFi, GPS Navigation, Camera, and plenty more. While that’s my number one choice, if you’re looking for another good alternative on the Verizon Wireless network, check out the HTC Droid Eris. It’s lighter, looks friendlier, and costs a fraction. The Eris will be receiving the Android 2.0 update that the Motorola Droid uses early next year.

Buy: Motorola Droid $150 | HTC Droid Eris $10
Links: Motorola Droid Review | HTC Droid Eris Review

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Holiday Gift Guide: Performance Laptops 1

High end laptops are getting better than ever. This holiday season is a great time to find a good deal on one. I had a chance to browse through a variety high end laptops when I was on the search for one for myself. I’ve picked a few of my favorites. They include a few ranging from sub-$1000, to over $2000. While some of these might just be overkill for the average Joe, I’ve done my best to pick these based of quality, features, and the best bang for the buck.

< $1000: Dell Studio 15

The Dell Studio 15 is a great pick for an affordable performance laptop. For about $700 this 15 inch notebook with a default configuration features Windows 7 Home Premium, a 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6600, 4GB of DDR2 RAM, an Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500 MHD, and a 500GB 7200RPM Hard Drive.  You can even customize the appearance of the case. This a great deal for someone looking for an affordable entertainment center.

Link: Dell.com Studio 15 | Buy: Dell Studio 15

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Holiday Gift Guide: Netbooks +

Something that has been rocking the PC industry of late is the well-known device we now all own and love: the netbook. Seemingly being enhanced dramatically every few months we are also often sacking our older ones into photo frames and buying newer ones. If it is time to renew your netbook, look no further we have compiled a list of the best and the brightest available this holiday season!

Best Battery Life: Asus Eee PC (1005HA-EU1X)

One of the early companies to debut with the popular netbook market was ASUS and for the amount of time they have gained quite some experience in terms of their hardware designs and innovations. Enter: the Eee 10.1″ model available to customers in a spacious 160gb hdd. The display is a 1024×600 resolution WSVGA made for more ease in viewing your content. The core specs are similar to most other netbooks out on the market but perhaps what makes this netbook so popular today is the lightweight and professional looking design. The newly revamped keyboard is a great example of how far along their lineup of netbooks has come. This one also boasts a whopping 10.5 hr battery life!

Buy: Asus Eee PC 1005HA for $330

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Holiday Gift Guide: HDTVs 3

Recently, HDTV’s prices went down, and everyone throughout the nation wants to go out and buy one. However, because of the plethora of options, buying the “perfect” HDTV for your home can definitely be a challenge. Therefore, I hope that this quick guide helps you with your decision!

Things To Consider When Buying HDTV:

• Browse for TVs online using Amazon.com and NewEgg.com.
  Use the filters they offer to narrow down by price and size.
• Bigger isn’t necessarily better.
  Consider viewing distances when purchasing a TV.
• Which resolution? 720p vs 1080p?
  If it’s over 50 inches, get 1080p for sure. If under, consider 720p.
• What kind? Plasma, LCD, or LED?
  Skip to the bottom for more details!

Samsung PN42B450 Plasma HDTV 42-inch 720p

I am a student, so when I bought this TV for only $625, I was ecstatic. Now, this Samsung is once again around that price on Amazon, so I advise you to buy it! I love the quality when watching anything on this plasma. It does not have any internet connectivity such as the other two models listed below, but I can connect it to my laptop easily through either a VGA or HDMI cable and stream HD fine. If on a budget, pick up this TV!

Buy: Samsung PN42B450
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Holiday Gift Guide: PC Games +

Best Overall Game: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is the sequel to the popular game Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. It’s been one of the most talked about games this year. After having already sold over 4.7 million copies on opening day and over 9 million copies in the first 5 days, it’s broken just about all sales records for video games.

Buy: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
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Holiday Gift Guide: Headphones 1

Even before you hear the distant jingle of bells emanating from Santa’s sleigh, the one tell-tale sign that the holidays are quickly approaching is the sound of Christmas music. Whether through the radio or putting on your favorite mix of holiday music it’s a constant reminder us of the joyous days ahead. Luckily, Skatter Tech has some holiday headphone recommendations so you can get the most out of your music this season! Be sure to browse through these before giving someone a pair.

Budget: $0-$50

Koss KSC-75

Punchy, fun, and energizing, the Koss KSC-75 clip on headphones offer incredible value for the money. Utilizing the same drivers as Koss’ more expensive and popular PortaPro, the KSC-75 lets you listen to your holiday tunes with precision while on the go. The KSC-75’s have a rubber coated wire clip to secure them to your ears. This clip is bendable to be compatible with whatever shape your ear may be. While sounding fragile, the KSC-75’s are quite durable and will not cause a fit being tossed around. Sound-wise these headphones are very engaging and bright. They bring you into the music in an engaging and energizing way with surprisingly good bass impact for such tiny drivers. Mids are pronounced and forward. The only thing lacking with the KSC-75’s are slightly veiled highs. At around only $15-$20 however, the KSC-75’s have great bang for the buck!

Buy: Koss KSC-75 ($15-25)

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Holiday Gift Guide: Blu-ray Players 2

2009 has been the year of high definition. When Blu-ray players first made their debut, they ran you nearly $1000. For some time the PlayStation 3 was the best deal. However today, Blu-ray players are available for under the $100 mark. While quality won’t be on par, it’s still a big improvement over DVDs for those on a budget. So here are a few of my picks:

Best Choice: PlayStation 3 Slim (120GB HDD)

No surprise here. I would still recommend the PlayStation 3 as the best Blu-ray player. It’s now slimmed down and cheaper than ever before. Other decent Blu-ray players will cost nearly half as much, but lack can’t match what the PS3 offers. A standalone Blu-ray player will require purchase of an expensive WiFi adapter to get online. The PS3 has WiFi built in, plus it’s a media center too. You can playback music, photos, and movies on your PC on the big screen with the PS3. You can even store a local copy on the whopping 120GB HDD. It’s entirely upgradable with software updates too. NETFLIX STREAMING TOO

Buy: PlayStation 3 Slim | Link: PlayStation.com/PS3

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Holiday Gift Guide: PlayStation 3 Games +

Best Overall Game: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is the sequel to one of the most popular PlayStation 3 games, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. Uncharted 2 is a 3rd person shooter following fortune hunter Nathan Drake. Uncharted 2 has top notch graphics and overall a must have game. It’s one of top games on Metacritic.

Buy: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

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Holiday Gift Guide: Flash Drives 3

Are you looking to give someone a new flash drive for the holiday season? We’ve reviewed plenty of them and picked out a few. I’ve picked the best one in each category, so enjoy:

Backup Flash Drive: SanDisk Ultra Backup

The SanDisk Ultra Backup is a nifty little flash drive that lets you backup your documents with a click of a button. It’s a little more expensive than the average flash drive, but it offers the convince of creating a second copy of your files. Without the hassle of having to install any software, the backup tool runs right off the Flash Drive’s on-board memory, making copies of files that you select.

Buy: SanDisk Ultra Backup | Review: SanDisk Ultra Backup

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