Setup Process - 5/5 stars
This is where set-top boxes usually hit the first hurdle. Customers often have no choice but to return a product when they can’t manage to get it running due to overly complicated diagrams and wordy instruction manuals. Fortunately, getting the SlingBox started took just a few minutes with a simple step-by-step process accompanied by clean visuals. The package included the bare essentials: the SlingBox Solo, a power supply, composite video cables, an Ethernet cable, and an IR dongle.

The instructions walked me through wiring the SlingBox with Composite video cables from my Cable/Satellite box or DVR, draping the IR dongle over my TiVo, and wiring an Ethernet cable to my D-Link router. After powering it up, I headed over to my WiFi-enabled laptop and launched Firefox. I visited SlingBox.com, created an account, and installed their required Firefox plugin. The browser soon restarted and automatically detected my SlingBox on the network. I didn’t have to forward ports or do anything remotely technical. There was a notification regarding a new firmware upgrade for the SlingBox and with one-click, it began updating. After a few minutes, I was ready to continue with the setup process.

A walk-through wizard guided me through selecting the video source, picking the model of my TiVo, and keying in my ZIP code for a digital TV Listings Guide. There was even a live video preview and a virtual remote that let me switch channels during the setup process. Within just a few minutes, I was ready to go without any obstacles. If I had to suggest an improvement, the inclusion of Wi-Fi would have helped since my router was on the other end of the room. Also, despite the box advertising support for HD inputs, they didn’t include a set of Component video cables. However, on the bright side, the getting the SlingBox working will be easy and quick for the average consumer. Plus, if anyone needs help, SlingMedia even offers a phone number, email address, and website for support inquiries.

Streaming Quality – 5/5 stars
I spent a couple of hours streaming TV from one room to another at home on a high-speed local area network. Live content had about a 5 second delay and came in at nearly 5,000-6,000 kbps with both audio and video being crisp and clear. There were no pauses due to buffering and I never faced jitters or choppiness, which are generally common problems associated with streaming technologies. Switching channels or performing navigation commands took about 2-3 seconds on average and requires a good amount of patience if you enjoy channel surfing. Fortunately, once you lock onto a show, it’s no longer a problem. The picture quality is definitely a small step down from what you’ll see on your TV, but still quite watchable with a hint of “graininess” and “pixelation.” I was glad it worked, but I was cautiously optimistic as the true test would be streaming from a remote location.

Over the next few weeks I tried tuning into my SlingBox feed located in Davis, CA from a couple of locations: from the UC Davis campus with a super fast 80 Mb/s download speed, from a friend’s place with a 12 Mb/s cable service, and from my parent’s place nearly 150 miles away with a slow 1.5 Mb/s DSL line. While download speeds are important, I should mention that getting the best quality is highly dependent on the upload speed of the broadband connection powering the base unit. SlingMedia’s servers only take care of the technical aspects of forwarding ports and getting you connected to your SlingBox, not transferring video content. Fortunately, my upload speeds are about 4-5 Mb/s on average, which is plenty for handling streaming my TV content. After running tests in all three locations, I was surprisingly able to receive a high quality video stream despite varied incoming speeds of 1,700 to 2,500 kbps right in my Firefox browser.

As a geek, I naturally wanted to push streaming tests even further so I decided to give it a shot over Sprint’s new 4G network in Seattle, WA and on Verizon Wireless’s 3G network in the San Francisco Bay Area. After pairing Sprint’s 4G Overdrive mobile Wi-Fi hotspot with my Dell XPS Laptop, SpeedTest.net calculated my download speeds just short of 4Mb/s. The next generation of mobile broadband was more than enough to bring in my SlingBox stream at 1,500 kbps. I then took a step down using a 3G card that generally averages 2 Mb/s download speeds and it also surprisingly managed to open and maintain a steady stream at about 500 kbps. Although video quality become somewhat more pixelated, it was still decent enough to get a dose of TV when needed. On-screen text was most affected, but general video blending wasn’t at all an issue.

I am quite impressed with SlingMedia’s work to create a scalable technology that literally overcomes performance issues even with the bottleneck of slow bandwidth. I was further astonished to realize that both Hulu and YouTube often had to pause to buffer while my SlingBox live stream didn’t, though the quality is a step down. I don’t know the secret behind the SlingMedia compression code, but it works like magic. Even when you are on a slow connection, both video and audio keep running strong.

SlingPlayer iPhone App – 5/5 stars
If you are on a PC or a Mac, you can use a desktop SlingPlayer client or enjoy your SlingBox content right from your web browser. Both are free and fully functional solutions. However if you own a BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Palm OS (not webOS), iPhone/iPod Touch, or Symbian smartphone, you’ll have to pay a one-time $30 fee to grab the mobile SlingPlayer App. If it’s something you plan to use quite often, that’s a small price to pay considering there’s no monthly or yearly fees of any sort associated with any SlingBox service. The convenience of being able to access your TV broadcast and recorded shows from a DVR on a mobile device is quite frankly fascinating.

Streaming over 3G networks was initially disabled due to contractual reasons with AT&T when I first was given access to the App. Being restricted to a WiFi hotspot was quite restricting and a major setback for SlingMedia. AT&T made it sound as though the iPhone SlingPlayer App wasn’t optimized enough for 3G streaming, but it seemed to run smoothly with my Verizon Wireless 3G MiFi. A few weeks later, SlingMedia released a minor update in coordination with Apple and AT&T that enabled 3G streaming. I found that whether I was within the city of Davis, CA or hours away, the program was quite reliable. The video and audio quality was almost always clear enough to comfortably enjoy a show.

Each time you launch the App, there’s a few second delay since it assesses bandwidth speeds and optimizes the stream for the best performance. Once viewing your feed, switching channels is an easy swipe down or up. There’s a convenient favorites menu that allows bookmarking channels for quick access. A double tap brings up the DVR controls to play/pause or forward/rewind a show. There’s also a D-pad, numeric keypad, and a full menu of commands to control your TV. I wasn’t too particularly satisfied with the messy menu organization and found it to annoying to navigate. There’s also a fairly long delay after each command which requires plenty of patience. I was also disappointed to learn that there wasn’t a local digital TV Guide as found on the Mac and PC versions, but that I had to resort to using the TiVo Guide which was difficult to use on a small display.

Conclusion:
When it comes down to the bottom line, the SlingBox is an amazing device if you have times you need to get a dose of TV when away from your home. With support for both Macs, PCs, and mobile devices, it’s everywhere. The only major disappointment was when I learned that both the SlingBox Solo and Pro-HD only support streaming to a single device at a time even if they are on the same channel. However, with no monthly or yearly fees, a one-time hardware purchase makes this an amazing deal. If you have a broadband connection and a subscription to Satellite or Cable TV at home, this is a prefect solution to getting free access to live TV anywhere. While many shows are beginning to legally hit the internet through distribution mediums such as Hulu.com for streaming or iTunes for paid downloads, episodes often don’t appear for a few days after broadcast. In fact, sports fans have little to no options of when it comes to watching their favorite professional sports event live online whether it’s football, baseball, or basketball. The SlingBox is a perfect solution and when it comes down to the bottom line, it’s affordable, easy to setup, and simply works. I’ve never been able to watch TV this easily from so many places.

Links: SlingBox.com Solo
Buy: $149 for SlingBox Solo (ships free + no tax)

HD Radio Service
Founded in 1998, iBiquity Digital Corporation set out to create an In-Band On-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast system and today their product is called HD Radio. The technology offers a variety of benefits over the traditional analog radio. The receiver converts an analog radio wave signal into a digital one and even provides Program Service Data (PSD) such as a song’s title, artist, and album. If you are tuned into a weather or traffic station, it can even display condition alerts or simply a text advertisement during a commercial break.

The most noticeable benefit is the FM sound quality which gets a jump to CD-like quality while AM stations sound like FM stations. Audio quality is rather quite dynamic and clear, the quality generally associated with physical media. That’s because digital signals have fixed precision, factors such as temperature, interference, or weather won’t degrade the quality as easily. Plus as a bonus, the HD Radio can easily fall back onto the analog FM broadcast version of the same station if it happens to fail to establish a connection. The HD Radio technology let’s stations broadcast a digital version of channels of their choosing over the same frequency without effecting the respective equivalent analog transmissions.

View the 2010 HD Radio Station Guide (PDF)

HD Radio states they have over 2,000 stations across the country and over 1,000 HD2/HD3 channels. If you haven’t heard of HD2/HD3, it’s a method to let broadcasters transmit multiple streams on the same frequency. Supporting receivers can tune into channels that aren’t normally accessible to analog devices. HD Radio’s website stated that there would be about 36 channels including HD2 and HD3 in the Sacramento, CA area. I managed to find around 10 from Davis, CA including those multi-cast channels.

iBiquity has also opened the doors for more HD Radio features. For example, if the receiver manufacturers wish to do so, starting this year they’ll be able to integrate Album Artwork and have it automatically display while a song is playing. Devices such as the Microsoft Zune HD already support pausing live content. With support for Electronic Program Guides down the road, customers will have a TV Guide type interface to browse for content.

For the most part, I think HD Radio is on the right track. Their technology better integrates into existing infrastructures for stations versus Satellite Radio. While channels selection is still limited, it’s expanding quickly. Newer vehicles are likely enabled with equipment to support HD Radio stations. Unfortunately, your existing systems such as home theater receivers, audio systems, and portable devices will need to be replaced to receive HD Radio content. While I’m not going to go out of my way to go buy a dedicated HD Radio players, as the time to upgrade old equipment comes, I’ll like lean towards this over XM Sirius since there’s no monthly fees asides from the one-time equipment price.

Insignia HD Radio Portable Player
The device we used to test the HD Radio service was none other than Insignia’s portable player. I expected a fairly decent device, but was rather presented a cheap looking device from the 1990s with large plastic buttons and a low quality LCD display. To be fair, it only costs about $40 versus the $250 price tag of a Zune HD that can also access the same channels.

The Insignia player has a very simple and somewhat ugly-looking interface. It’s actually quite reminiscent of an early color cell phone. The controls are rather awkward and there are more buttons than probably needed. The display shows signal strength at the top left and will also show an icon when tuned into a HD station. I could quickly navigate trough stations using the up and down keys or use the auto scan feature to find the next channel with signal. Switching through HD stations had a noticeably larger delay than standard FM stations. Fortunately, the preset feature let me save 10 stations to speed things up.

There’s a 3.5mm headphone jack at the top and Insignia included a pair of headphones, which is needed since it’s the antenna. While the buds sounded about on par with the famous iPod headphones, I would still recommend grabbing a better pair. This unfortunately also means that reception will likely be poor if plugged into an AUX jack of a car since there’s no antenna. Despite the complains, I should mention that the audio quality was drastically superior to standard FM music stations. I didn’t feel like I was listening to radio which usually has a noticeable ring to it, but rather my own tunes.

Insigina includes an arm strap for joggers which was quite handy. I was disappointed to learn that they didn’t include an AC adapter, but rather only a mini USB cable for recharging with a computer. Unfortunately, I was further enraged to find that the device entirely lacked AM channels. Considering that cheap radio tuners cost just a few bucks and are often stuffed into free giveaway pens and trade shows, I don’t think it would have hurt to include AM.

This leads me to a tough call about the Insignia HD Radio player. While it’s one of the few affordable portable devices that can receive HD broadcasts, it’s still simply not worth it. I wouldn’t recommend spending $40 for a device such as this one, but rather save up to purchase a Zune HD. A more widely supported device will last longer and offers numerous features I could spend a few articles discussing. But that said, the HD Radio service is a great addition and is truly the next step to the current aging infrastructure of AM and FM channels.

Links: HDRadio.com | iBiquity.com | Insignia.com

Editor’s Note: This article was co-written by Alex Chan-Kai and Sahas Katta.

The franchise has struggled to catch up with the current consoles which has resulted in clunky, awkward controls for our favorite blue hedgehog. The new Sonic games have tried hard to look great and expand on the classic gameplay, however flashy changes have proven successful. The introduction of new gameplay elements have proven as overkill, changing the franchise altogether. If any ounce of high-speed gameplay is present in the newer games, it’s only there to tease on how great the game series was. Anybody who still owns a Sega Genesis knows how Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles work at their best.

It’s not that big of a surprise that Sonic the Hedgehog is getting a makeover, especially one that continues from the originals. After Mega Man 9 came out, it was obvious that some classic platformers just can’t be changed. Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 1 takes the same look and feel as it’s predecessors and has high hopes of returning the franchise towards a great gaming experience. Keep an eye out for its release in Summer of 2010 on Xbox Live Arcade, WiiWare, and Playstation Network.

Stay tuned as we’ll try to get our copy for a full review later this summer.

Links: Sonic the Hedgehog 4

Lost Planet: Extreme Condition held up well against competing titles like Unreal Tournament III and the original Gears of War. The game shined in its visuals and snow-themed environments along with addicting gameplay. It was an experience all in itself to simply get lost going through these lush backdrops with vibrant colors and aesthetically disturbing enemies. Lost Planet 2 stays true to the jaw-dropping visuals of the first game by including new types of environments to trek through. An unexplained rise of temperature in the plot accomplishes this. This gives way to areas such as jungles, deserts, and other diverse locations previously untouched by the series.

The enemies continue to look grotesque and it becomes a guilty pleasure to see what the next creature will look like in its own demented and beautiful way. The bosses will redefine epic for quite nicely. The most current generation of games coming out has put an emphasis on boss battles growing to immense proportions. Lost Planet 2 is no different. The demo boss alone takes up an enormous amount of space, traversing across the entire stage leading up to his encounter. Capcom assured me that each boss would be similar and continue to grow as you progress through the game and even informed me of one boss fight that you could go inside of to destroy due to its ridiculous size.

Besides the stunning visuals, the gameplay elements and new mechanics will keep you addicted and your controller busy. This time around even more character types are available and can all be customized as your experience progresses through the game. Along with the character adapting and becoming stronger, you also continue to unlock weapons and customize them in a similar fashion. Using a similar point system as its predecessor, Lost Planet 2 allows you to gain thermal energy and battle points as you play. Using these points also makes customizing your character and equipment a breeze. These RPG elements adds a lot more depth to this sequel and brings something for any veteran of any genre.

Outside the story, the multiplayer contains modes such as 4-player campaign, 16-player versus, and others included in the past Lost Planet games. With so many ways to play this game, competitive or otherwise, it’s a guarantee that you’ll be drawn into the world of Lost Planet. With Lost Planet 2 coming out this year, keep an eye on Skatter Tech for more news and a release date along with our review of the game.

Links: Capcom.com | Lost Planet 2 on Wiki

A new agreement between Nintendo and Los Gatos based Netflix will bring streaming movies to your TV through a Wii. The service will be available in the United States this spring at no additional cost. That’s if you are already a Netflix member, own a Wii, and have a high-speed internet connection. Netflix will be quite excited to have this new distribution medium since it’s the best-selling console on the market. Plus, the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 already have access to the movie rental service. With the cheapest Netflix membership starting at just $9 per month, the option to both watch streaming movies at anytime and receive DVDs in the mail is a bargain.

To get started, you’ll need to request a free Netflix instant-streaming disc. As with the PlayStation 3, the special Netflix disc needs to be in your Wii to gain access the Netflix service. The Xbox 360 is the only console with built-in dashboard integration. Nintendo claims that the Netflix experience on the Wii should have a native feel. Customers can navigate through the user interface using the Wii’s remote controller to browse through categories, popular genres, new arrivals, or even view their instant queue.

In the battle of next-gen consoles, the Nintendo Wii has its own unique attributes. The console focuses on family gaming entertainment than anything else. With that said, it does have a handful of excellent games that could only spawn forth from Nintendo. Unfortunately it does seem a bit out of its league when put up against Microsoft and Sony. The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 have a larger gaming library and can also double as a household’s entertainment device since they can handle high-definition content. The Wii is trying to makeup for lost ground for the time being, but as new upgrades reach the other two consoles, it will likely be left in the dust.

Links: Netflix.com/Wii

The game is visually stunning, definitely one of the best-looking on the console. There is a constant rush of color and animation in each level. Hyper Combos all add to the visual feast the player indulges in each match. The characters’ specials are usually a quick cinematic that enhances the overall “epic” tone while not interrupting the pace. The menus and interface also look and feel fantastic. The online gameplay also has an excellent interface and adding a friend online has never been easier for the Wii. Friend Codes are much shorter and can be added instantly after a quick match online, rather than manually going through the  settings and getting frustrated that you forgot to write it down in the first place.

It will be difficult for Tatsunoko vs. Capcom to challenge Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the most popular and competitive fighting game on the Wii. The visuals along with the fast-paced action assure that this game will get addicting quick and countless hours will be sacrificed. This game couldn’t come out fast enough for a lot of fans. Heres hoping that Capcom can deliver and not break our hearts. Stay tuned with Skatter Tech for our upcoming review for Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars!

Links: Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars

This is a personal favorite of mine. Mega Man 9 was such a huge success among fans of the “returning” series and the confirmation of a sequel at CES was truly exciting. Mega Man 10 plans to pick up on that 8-bit glory while changing some of the gameplay elements to further improve the overall experience. Mega Man 9 left newcomers crying across the country due to the excruciating difficulty that the series brings back from its roots in the older titles. To them I say, suck it up and earn the M. Buster. Capcom, however, has taken a more sympathetic approach and is bringing you a brand new Mega Man.

The difficulty levels of Mega Man 10 offers a more varied experience in response to the overwhelming obstacles in its predecessor. Each of the 5 difficulties, ranging from ‘Very Easy’ to ‘Very Difficult,’ change the level entirely. Capcom does this by adding new enemies, fewer platforms, and even alters your opponents’ attacks. This new style assures that everyone can beat the level. More experienced gamers will come back to these levels on more aggressive settings just to see how hard a level can get.

In addition, Mega Man 10 now offers the ability to begin story mode as either Mega Man or the prototype before him, Proto Man. This is great since you previously couldn’t use Proto Man unless you purchased him as downloadable content (DLC) in Mega Man 9. The plot will have more depth since it incorporates both these heroes’ story lines as well. Also, a secret third playable character was mentioned, but hasn’t yet been revealed. I’m crossing my fingers to see Zero in 8-bit, but with that said, it’s much more likely that Bass will be available. He did, after all, make a guest appearance at the end of Mega Man 9.

This time around, Mega Man 10 further adds to its replay value with new modes for players to struggle through. You will definitely be getting your money’s worth with modes like Mega Man Challenges that demand quick responses and even quicker footwork to complete. Also, even more achievements will be available to assure that you will want to come back for more. You are assured there will be much more to look forward to with this game even after you think you’ve mastered it.

This game is definitely one to look out for when it becomes available in March 2010 as a digital download on Wii Ware, Xbox Live, and PlayStation Network. Although unannounced, it is expected that pricing will be around the same as the wide range of DLC. Mega Man 10 is looking like it’s going to deliver quite well on the promised nostalgia and difficulty its unique gameplay provides.

Links: Capcom.com Mega Man 10

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!

Gamers rejoice, the inventor of The Peregrine, Brent Baier, has come from the future to bring you the latest in gaming tech. The Peregrine gaming glove is proof that the once thought Sci-Fi technology is coming closer and closer to reality. This device will immerse the gamer into a completely new gaming experience that has only before been imagined. The Peregrine is a comfortable flexible glove that uses innovative technology to completely replace the keyboard.

The Peregrine will definitely prove useful in PC gaming. Some computer games demand rapid response to hit keys spread across the entire keyboard. This can interrupt your pace. Imagine ordering squads around in your favorite real-time strategy games with simple swift motions of your hand. That’s exactly what the Peregrine gaming glove accomplishes. While it may be a great idea for some games, I could only image the glove being awkward for other genres of games such as first-person shooters. Peregrine hopes to adapt to a variety of gaming styles and possibly offering multiple products to appeal to different types of gamers.

The gloves sports sensors on a metallic strip on your palm, the thumb, and across your fingers. These sensors respond to contact made with your fingers, palm, and thumb with ease. Each touch will trigger a specific command. You can use preset mappings or customize up to 30 commands of your own. Although this can sound intimidating and a bit complicated at first, I assure you that it was actually quite a smooth process after testing it myself. There’s even a quick calibration upon start-up to help familiarize you with the functionality to avoid a frustrating start.

Visually, the glove alone looks pretty damn cool and will make you question where science fiction ends and reality begins. However, the product uses a standard USB port to connect to your computer. The USB cable attaches onto a magnetic break-away pod on the back of the glove rather than connecting directly to the glove. This prevents accidental damage to your computer hardware with sudden movements. After a quick one-time install of the software and walking through the calibration, the key stores any customs sets you create for the glove. Your glove’s custom settings will be with you where ever you go, irrespective of which computer you use.

The Peregrine, besides being a bit genre-restricting, is an extremely innovative device that will surely change the execution of competitive gaming. The technology makes room for plenty of future products that will likely adapt even better for new games. The Peregrine glove will render both the keyboard and mouse, let alone controllers, entirely useless. Although a bit on the expensive side, the gaming glove will enhance a gamer’s experience and change the way we play games. Stay tuned, for our upcoming review of the product as well.

Links: Pre-Order The Peregrine now for $130

It’s been a long and difficult year, from the worsening economic crisis, Michael Jackson’s death, swine flu, and the Tiger Woods media blitz. Despite that, YouTube kept us entertained. If you’ve been on the ‘internets’, you’ve probably seen all the videos below. But we’ve rounded up the most popular videos and search terms on YouTube for the year according to the owners Google.

Most Watched Videos (Global):

1. Susan Boyle – Britain’s Got Talent (120+ million views)
2. David After Dentist (37+ million views)
3. JK Wedding Entrance Dance (33+ million views)
4. New Moon Movie Trailer (31+ million views)
5. Evian Roller Babies (27+ million views)

Most Watched Music Videos (Global):

1. Pitbull “I Know You Want Me” (82+ million views)
2. Miley Cyrus “The Climb” (64+ million views)
3. Miley Cyrus “Party in the U.S.A.” (54+ million views)
4. The Lonely Island “I’m On a Boat” (48+ million views)
5. Keri Hilson “Knock You Down” (35+ million views)

Fastest Rising Search Terms by Month (Global):

• January: inauguration
• February: Christian bale
• March: the climb
• April: susan boyle
• May: pacquiao vs hatton
• June: Michael Jackson thriller
• July: Michael Jackson
• August: usain bolt
• September: kanye west
• October: paranormal activity
• November: bad romance
• December: tiger woods

Links: YouTube.com | Google Blog Post

Build Quality
The OrigAudio speakers arrived in a flat box. The packaging is made almost entirely from recycled cardboard. Once pulling the speakers out of the packaging, you’ll need to assemble them. As the name ‘Orig’-Audio implies, much like origami, you unfold them and shape them into cubes. There are pre-cut tabs that fit into slits and lock into place. The entire processes takes just a few minutes. There’s no need for a scissor, tape, stapler, or glue. The two cube speakers actually look quite unique and stand out from traditional ones. There’s a standard 3.5mm headphone jack that plugs right into an iPod, Zune, Netbook, or any device with a headphone jack. The cable is about 3.5 feet long. The speakers sit about a foot apart from one another. While this all seems neat, there are unfortunately a few drawbacks to the design. Since these are cardboard, they are not exactly too durable or stable. There’s an uneven distribution of weight due to the speaker being outfitted to the front face of the cube. The entire unit easily tips over with even the slightest nudge. The cardboard built also makes it susceptible to damage from water or moisture. But then again, I’ve never seen a pair of foldable speakers before. It’s easy to disassemble and pack away with your luggage when traveling. The unit we reviewed featured the Cityscape design, but the OrigAudio is also available in a few other varieties.

Audio Quality
If you like audio quality, you’ll want to pass on these. It’s that simple. While I’m not nearly a hardcore audiophile, even I found myself a bit disappointed with the audio quality. To begin with, I should mention these are entirely self-powered. OrigAudio’s speakers don’t require batteries or an AC power supply. While that’s a plus, it also means that these don’t get nearly loud enough. The speakers rely solely on the current provided from your MP3 player. While my Dell XPS M1530 was able to output enough power to get these 1 watt speakers loud enough, they were still fairly quiet when connected to my iPhone 3GS on max volume. While the speakers impressively didn’t begin to crack or hiss when maxed out, they still sound washed out and hollow. While these definitely can’t hit any highs, even the mid-range lacked a spark. Plus with nearly no bass, there wasn’t much of a wow factor. Fortunately, these stereo speakers sounded better than the mono speaker on my iPhone, which means I’d actually have a use for them. I wouldn’t mind using these to enjoy a YouTube video or listen to a podcast when I am traveling. As most customers don’t really care much for audio quality and since most traditional MP3 players don’t have built-in speakers, OrigAudio’s product will definitely be appealing to many.

Eco-Friendly Aspect
I never thought I’d ever be using a speaker that’s made from the same material as its packaging. The cardboard comes from recycled newspapers, phone books, and pizza boxes. With a large consumer base that’s focused on environmentally friendly and green technologies, it’s nice to see companies doing something innovative to appeal to them. While I doubt is possible to make high-end speakers from cardboard, I’m sure there are ways for companies to cut down on wasting new materials and leaving a lighter footprint on the environment. It would be nice to see others follow in this company’s footsteps. While OrigAudio does brand itself as “Mother nature approved,” that’s not entirely true. The actually speaker component and cables aren’t. The speaker is made from materials including plastic, metal, and magnets. As far as I’ve been told, none of those can be recycled. Despite that, these are still probably the most eco-friendly speakers out there and will be the biggest appeal for customers.

Bottom Line
There’s no question that the OrigAudio brings an innovative product to the market. They’ve been recognized by notable publications such as Time Magazine specifically for that. However that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily the  best bang for the buck. While these sell for just $16, there are some other products worth considering. Altec-Lansing’s portable battery-powered Orbit speaker sells for just $19 on Amazon. Brand-name companies including Sony and Philips also offer portable speakers for just a few bucks more and will probably sound a whole lot better. Unfortunately, none of those are as environmentally friendly as the OrigAudio. As these are compact, foldable, and cheap, you won’t go wrong. These make a great gift for just about anyone who has a portable MP3 player, music phone, or any other gizmo with a headphone jack. If you want to pick on of these up, they are available for purchase directly from OrigAudio.com for $16 per unit or in a 6-pack for a discounted price of $66.

Stay tuned as Skatter Tech will be giving away a couple of these guys in the coming days. I’ll also publish a few questions I asked Jason Lucash, OrigAudio’s founder, during a quick interview. I’ve also got the scoop on their upcoming product. Find us on Twitter and Facebook to stay updated.

Buy: OrigAudio Speakers

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

Sony BRAVIA Z Series KDL-46Z5100 LCD HDTV 46-Inch 1080p (240Hz)

The quality of this Sony impressed me from the start. In addition to its great quality, this TV features several HD inputs, internet connectivity, as well as online widgets to make your entertainment experience better. You can also connect your camera, USB storage device, or a mp3 player to the TV via USB ports.

Buy: Sony BRAVIA 46Z5100

Samsung UN46B8000 LED HDTV 46-Inch 1080p (240Hz)

Although this TV comes with a hefty price tag, no one can debate its quality. At Fry’s, when I saw this LED, the picture I saw amazed me. Even though I knew that the salesmen purposely set its settings to their best, it was beautiful. It includes everything the Sony features and more. Also, the 1.2″ depth and light weight definitely impressed me.

Buy: Samsung UN46B8000

My piece of advice:
Articles from different sources concerning the differences between 720p vs. 1080p sometimes give contrasting advice. Here are my 2-cents on the issue: after going into several stores and researching online, I found that unless I sat two to three feet away from the screen, I found little to no differences between 720p and 1080p on screens smaller than 50 inches. I bought the first Samsung on the list below, and the quality, when watching HD satellite, looks almost the same when comparing it to my other 46 inch 1080p Sony Bravia back at home. But again, go into stores and see for yourself.

Watch out for salesmen being bias, they might try to mislead you! Quick story- I bought my TV at Fry’s Electronics. When I went into Fry’s, I already knew that I wanted to buy this TV, but I browsed around anyway to see other comparable TVs. I bought this TV on a budget, so I did not want to spend anymore money than what I already allocated. Anyways, as I am browsing around, I notice that my TV looked terrible when compared to the other ones in the store. I began talking to a salesman about the differences between 720p and 1080p, but he only talked about 1080p and gave me cons to 720p TVs. As I moved in closer, I noticed that my TV and the other ones in that section (all of which were 720p) looked dusty and poorly lit. In addition, unlike the other 1080p HDTVs, the ones in this section hooked up to DVD players and not Blu-ray players. I asked the clerk why they did this, to which he responded “Oh, well, uh…the building wasn’t set up properly for it.” Okay, seriously? Do you really expect me to believe that? (I did not say that, but I should have!)

When it comes to plasma versus LCD, again, check it out at a store! In the TVs I saw, plasma’s give deeper black levels and provide better viewing angles. However, LCDs can be found in larger sizes, weigh less, and do not have the “burn in” issue that some older plasma TVs have. With the newer plasmas, burn in is not really an issue. What about plasma vs. LED? LED TVs usually come with internet accessible features, a good number of HD inputs, and incredibly thin widths. LED, a relatively new technology, performs better in some respects to plasma, such as depth perception and brightness, but for the most part when comparing a 1080p plasma and 1080p LED, the difference between the quality is not worth the price paid. But then again, I am a college student, so I tend to be very frugal with my money. Don’t get me wrong- LEDs are beautiful and great for anything, whether it be movies or gaming, but I feel that the current prices are too high.

This Gift Guide is a part of our ongoing Skatter Tech Holiday Gift Guide.

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)

Sennheiser HD201

For the more laid back and relaxed listener the Sennheiser HD201 full-size, circum-aural headphones are great for the house. The extremely lightweight (yet durable) HD201’s carry on the great Sennheiser-house sound-signature of its extremely well revered and more expensive brethren. The HD201’s feature a generous 9.8ft (3m) long cable along with a 1/8″ (3.5mm mini) to 1/4″ (6.3mm) stereo jack adapter for your high end audio equipment. The long cable allows you to move about a room while listening to your music unimpeded. The leather ear cups are adequate and don’t cause any sweating issues. While not the absolute cleanest sounding headphones, the HD201’s carry the Sennheiser house sound of being laid back. They offer a pretty decent sound stage with a neutral, unaltered sound giving you your holiday music just as the artist intended you to hear it. The bass extends accurately down well, although lacks slightly in impact (you definitely hear it, but doesn’t have the big OOMPH!). The midrange of the HD201’s is accurate and true, not recessed and not too pronounced. The high’s have accuracy and clarity that many other headphones lack, with a slight roll off. If your ideal holiday season is sitting bundled up in bed with a cup of hot chocolate reading your favorite Christmas story, the HD201’s make a great companion.

Buy: Sennheiser HD201 ($20-$30)

Midrange $50-$200

Sennheiser HD280 Professional

A common sight in recording studios all across the nation, the HD280 offers professional sound in an innovative package. The HD280 is very robust and durable headphone designed with sound accuracy in mind. With great sound attenuation (up to 32dB) the HD280’s will let you listen to your holiday tunes in peace even if family and friends are being noisy. Should you need to get on the go, the HD280’s conveniently fold up into the headband for efficient storage. To ensure recording studio accuracy, the HD280’s have a very flat frequency response. The bass extends down far and comes out tight, accurate, and clear, although slightly lacks impact. The mids are delightfully crisp, clear, and precise revealing every last detail. On the high side, the sounds are clear and articulate, a nice detachment from the airy and veiled sound from most headphones. Overall, the sound is analytical, while not injecting any extra excitement or energy into your music, the analytical sound lets you pinpoint every detail for the more accurate and true to recording sound.

Buy: Sennheiser HD-280 Professional ($70-$100)

Audio Technica ATH-A700

Accurate and precise like a samuri’s katana sword, the Japanese Audio Technica ATH-A700 features a space-age design that creates a functional and clean sound. The unique headband cushions and deep ear cushions on the A700 provide an extremely comfy experience complete with a great sound. With a broad soundstage, the A700 ensures a rich and full sound experience. The bass is deep, tight, and has an authoritative presence. Moving into the mid-range you’ll glide right through its smoothness and silky-ness which extends seamlessly into the clear and revealing highs. The sound is very articulate, letting you pinpoint all the different elements in the music. Overall, the sound provided by the A700 is a very passionately constructed experience.

Buy: Audio Technica ATH-A700 ($110-$200)

Audiophile $200+

Sennheiser HD600

If by chance you absolutely, positively cannot make the local and extravagant Christmas concert, sitting down with the Sennheiser HD600’s at home later is likely to make you forget you missed anything at all! The rich and enveloping sound of the HD600’s will instantly transport you to your own private concert giving you a front and center seat. Innovatively, the HD600 is constructed in an open backed design in oder to prevent reflected sound waves distorting the ones going to your ears. Large cushy velvet padding keeps your head and ears situated perfectly throughout your listening time. Being an audiophile grade headphone, the HD600’s require a headphone amplifier in order to be driven to its fullest potential. While still sounding great even without an amplifier, would you run a 91 octane sports car with only 87 octane grade gasoline? The wide soundstage of the HD600 puts you dead in the center of a broadway concert hall with the music flowing from all directions. Deep and clear lows contain the perfect amount of impact while staying tight and punchy. The mids come through richly, yet accurately and perfectly balanced. The singers sound as if you’re the only person in the auditorium and they’re singing just for you. Up high the HD600’s provide crisp and clear sound that brings through details that most other (including good) headphones recess. The combination of such a balanced and true sound is total audio euphoria.

Buy: Sennheriser HD600 ($350-$550)

This Gift Guide is a part of our ongoing Skatter Tech Holiday Gift Guide.

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

Most Affordable: Panasonic Blu-ray Disc Player DMP-BD60

Panasonic has always been a key player in the world of video entertainment. This particular model made our list for its straight-shooter build and features all contained in a competitively priced package. The HDMI+ and 24bit sound connections ensures that you will have a true cinematic experience, no strings attached. In addition to Blu-ray playback, this device will even upconvert your old DVD collection and playback CDs. (MP3, MPEG2, and JPEG supported too!) Most importantly it’s one of the most affordable ones out there. While there were a few sub-$100 Blu-ray players on Black Friday, this still offers the bang without leaving your wallet empty.

Buy: Panasonic Blu-Ray Disc Player DMP-BD60

Best Looking: Samsung Blu-ray Disk Player (BD-P4600)

This is probably the best-looking Blu-ray player out there. It won’t be an ugly box sitting under your fancy HDTV set. It’s also packing plenty of features most Blu-ray players don’t. It’s got built-in up-scaling and WiFi. That means old movies look better and you’ll even have access to Netflix and Pandora. Firmware upgrades are also just a click away. In addition it can playback DivX, MP3s, JPGs, and more.

Buy: Samsung Blu-ray Disk Player (BD-P4600)

Web Content: LG Network Blu-ray Disc Player BD370

If you are a fan of web content, the LG should not to be left out. In addition to High Definition 1080p Blu-ray playback, the LG player supports access to CinemaNow, Netflix, and YouTube. Of course, it also supports, now-legacy, CDs and DVDs. It’s priced fairly reasonably at around $180 and offers better playback quality than other cheaper models.

Buy: LG Network Blu-ray Disc Player BD370

Massive Overkill: Sony BDP-CX7000ES 400 Blu-ray Disc Mega Changer

Where do I begin? Yes, this is a Blu-ray player. Not just any Blu-ray player, probably the most massive one you’ve ever seen. It holds 400 discs and can switch through them automatically with your remote control. It sports a PS3-like cross media bar interface and will display cover art for every disc in the device through the on-screen visual browser. With 7.1 Audio, DVD up-scaling through HDMI, USB flash drive support, and even a quick slot for Rental DVDs this is probably the most hard-core player out there. But that’s only if you’re are made of cash and are a “movieholic.” This costs about $1,900. On the plus side, they include two AA batteries for the remote. ;)

Buy: Sony BDP-CX7000ES 400 Blu-ray Disc Mega Changer

This Gift Guide is a part of our ongoing Skatter Tech Holiday Gift Guide.

Our Tech Holiday Gift Guides:

• Flash Drives
• PlayStation 3 Games
• Xbox 360 Games
• Wii Games
• PC Games
• Blu-ray Players
• Headphones
• HDTVs
• Netbooks
• Performance Laptops
• Smartphones
  
• More Coming Soon…

Be sure to Bookmark This Page and head back here every few days to view the latest Gift Guide additions. Please feel free to subscribe to our RSS Feed or sign up for Email Subscriptions to stay updated. If you haven’t heard, we’re also on Facebook and Twitter!

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Check back soon to find out about the Top Downloaded Movies of the Week!

Hardware: 5/5 stars
Blue Microphones includes all the essentials to get started with podcasting or recording audio. The box includes the baseball-shaped microphone, a tripod stand, and a USB cable. The tripod extends upwards, rotates a complete 360 degrees, and even allows tilting the head back and fort. Rubber tips on the legs of the tripod are a neat addition as they offer a strong grip and reduce vibrations. The unit also has a standard threaded connector, so it can attached onto any standard microphone stand. There’s a red LED indicator on the front and the USB port resides right below the mode setting switch on the back. The unit stands sturdy and has a unique retro look that catches glances.

Compatibility: 5/5 stars
Starting with Windows 7, the Snowball was detected and automatically configured in seconds. Windows Vista was also able to recognize and setup the device instantly. Windows XP with Service Pack 3 took a bit longer, it required contact Windows Update before it worked. Mac OS X Snow Leopard also detected the device right out of the box. To use the external microphone, I had to either set it as the default device in the control panel or manually choose the device from within an application such as Audacity.

Sound Quality: 3/5 stars
There’s no question that the Snowball is a huge jump up from just about any integrated laptop microphone or cheap auxiliary jack one. It will definitely make podcast recordings, audio chat, and voice overs sound a lot better. In fact a co-worker and I used Snowball microphone to create a screen cast to show off Six Apart’s Movable Type last year. The microphone works great, but it’s still not on par with decent condenser microphones. There are three modes on the Snowball: Cardioid, Cardioid with -10dB to filter loud sounds, and Omni Capsule. There’s a switch on the back to choose between the three modes. If you aren’t too tech-savvy, the manual even has suggestions for which mode to use in which environment. The device does a great job of filtering out unwanted static, wind, and background sounds. Regrettably during the process, I also noticed that vocal sound also seems to be a bit lower. I found myself having to speak close up to the unit and even adjusting levels afterward in my audio recording program. But despite that, for the price it goes for, it’s satisfying.

Conclusion:
The Snowball is a great semi-professional microphone for anyone interested in podcasting or producing better quality audio. It’s also a great tool for video and audio conferencing in for casual and business users. As demonstrated in our video and emphasized by Blue Microphones, it has also been designed to record instruments such as Drums, Guitars, Saxophones, or the Piano in our case. Plus, one of these is available for as low as $70 if you shop around. And it’s an all-in-one solution as well, no other components other than a computer’s required. A decent condenser microphone and mixer will easily cost at least 2-3 times as much. If you are interested in doing any of the mentioned audio related activities, the Snowball USB microphone is a great place to start.

Buy: Blue Snowball for $70
Links: BlueMic.com Snowball

I’ll be switching off each week between the Top MP3s Post and this one, so check back next week!

Since launch, Sony has advertised the PlayStation 3 as a household center for entertainment. In addition to Blu-Ray playback, Sony soon took it a step further with a few software updates giving it access to tons of Movies and TV Shows through the PlayStation Network Store. It even supports DLNA streaming to share music, photos, and videos between computers on your home network. Despite those features, it lacked something that Microsoft was able to put into the Xbox: Netflix Streaming.

Fortunately Sony has caught up with the times and has partnered with Netflix. They plan to offer PS3 owners and Netflix subscribers streaming access to their library as early as next month at no additional cost. This will be a great complement to their snail mail Blu-Ray rental service.  To enable your PS3 for the service, you’ll need to get a special free disc from Netflix that will enable the service. Let’s hope there will be more features such as this one coming down the line. Hulu please?

Links: Netflix.com/PS3

Stay tuned for more updates including the top digital movie downloads of the week!