Shawn Oliver
Opinions and content posted by HotHardware contributors are their own.
Recent posts
The console wars just get hotter and hotter. Sony introduced its PS3 Slim and dropped the entry price, while Nintendo cut its already-popular Wii to $199, so now it's time for Microsoft to throw yet its own wrench into the mix. Starting next week, all Xbox LIVE Gold members will get access to a whole heap of new features--features that'll...
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Boxee has been on a wild, wild ride since debuting to the world last year, and for those looking for new ways to catch more content online, it has become the go-too application. And while it has certainly taken off, there's still lots of room to grow. One of the main reasons that it has yet to become a household name outside of the tech community...
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The day has finally come, folks. Dell is getting into the smartphone business. It's kind of tough to believe, actually. Dell has been a staple in the PC industry for years, selling customized desktops, notebooks, netbooks, all-in-one PCs, media centers and every possible PC accessory you could ever think of. But what it hasn't done is, well,...
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When you think of ViewSonic, you probably think of LCD monitors. Believe it or not, this company is actually pretty diverse, and its easily-recognized monitor division is just one of the many aspects where it to the larger realm of consumer electronics. Take the VPD400 for example, which is a rather robest media player that actually...
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It was certified without making too much fuss (maybe because Americans don't really seem that fond of watching TV on the go?), but at any rate, the ATSC gave the green light to the Mobile DTV standard just a few months ago. The result? A new protocol for companies to jump on, and in the end, we should be looking at a...
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Apple makes a lot of fine products, but what they don't do is offer true media PC solutions. One of the main reasons is that the company refuses to acknowledge the existence of Blu-ray. None of Apple's machines offer Blu-ray as an option, so anyone hoping to use their machines as the centerpiece of a home cinema system will be sorely disappointed....
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Ricoh isn't as big a name in the digital imaging arena as a company like Canon or Nikon, but it's still making some pretty big waves this year. Shortly after announcing its CX1 and GR Digital III, the company is now going after the Micro Four Thirds rivals with its GXR. The camera, which boasts both a simple name and a simple design, is most...
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AMD and Intel haven't been the best of friends over the years. Like any true rivalry, the two have seen things differently for about as long as we can remember, and today things have seemingly come to a head. Way back in 2005, AMD filed an antitrust case against Intel for their anti-competitive actions in the...
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Apple is a funny beast. We say "beast" because it's hard to deny that this company is ripping through the tech world like no other that we've seen in the last decade. Our television programs are laden with Apple ads poking fun at Windows and seducing you into buying yet another iPod, and every quarterly earnings report is filled with...
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Dell's pulling out all of the stops as it rolls into the holiday season of 2009, first with the Adamo XPS and now with the most powerful mini PC we've ever seen. The Inspiron Zino HD is small in stature but remarkably powerful, with options for up to 8GB of RAM, 1TB of hard drive space, a Blu-ray drive, TV tuner and HDMI out. The measurements
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Like the NFL? Who doesn't, right? Evidently Sprint is certainly expecting its own customers to dig it, as it has today announced that it will be the only wireless carrier to offer live NFL Network game telecasts via its exclusive NFL Mobile Live application and on Sprint TV beginning Nov. 12 when NFL Network televises the first of its eight-game...
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Let's face it: just about any gizmo worth using these days has a USB connector, and more often than not, it's actually charged over USB as well. But also, battery life has sunk in recent years as devices are made to be slimmer and hold less spacious batteries. The solution to this quandary? Sanyo's Eneloop Stick...
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The first thing that popped to mind when Amazon issued its Kindle DX was this: textbooks! The size makes it perfect for using in place of those dusty old books, and we're guessing that most students would much rather lug around a single electronic device versus a sack full of heavy books that they'll only read a page...
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It has been quite some time since Nokia issued a smartphone that was reasonably competitive with the slew of Android handsets on the market, Apple's iPhone and Palm's Pre. Granted, the company has never really had a huge foothold in the North American smartphone market, but with market share slipping away in other...
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It's tough to stand out in the USB flash drive game. It's easy to pick a favorite MP3 player, a favorite TV brand and even a favorite game console, but does anyone really pay attention to USB flash drive marketing? We'd argue that one company that has managed to stick out is Corsair, particularly with its Survivor...
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Bowers & Wilkins is a well known name in the high-end audio world. If you're spending big bucks on a new sound system, you're probably at least giving B&W a look. But if you're not one of those high rollers, you probably only know this company because of its Zeppelin iPod sound system (and its wild...
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Netflix is taking the world by storm. Blockbuster stores are shaking at the thought of being dominated by by-mail DVD outlets, and with "Watch Instantly" bringing Netflix titles to users on-demand over broadband, one really does have to wonder if there's any limit to just how popular this company will become.For the longest while, Netflix...
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Ah, the DVR. Easily one of the most game-changing devices to be created over the past decade or so. If you own one, you'd probably have a tough time going back to life without one, as there are few things cooler than being able to record shows when you're not around and watch them when you are. It's TV your way, and even though it seems that...
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HD Radio has been around in the United States for a few years now, but it is still struggling to gain mass adoption. Part of that has to do with the general decline of radio listening in general, as more and more individuals turn to their portable media players, iTunes accounts and subscription services. That said...
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The Major League Baseball season may be over, but you can bet fans of the New York Yankees won't be forgetting the 2009 season anytime soon. Just a few months after Dell announced that it was selling notebooks with MLB covers, along comes Centon Electronics with a ploy of its own to milk ardent supporters of the club (or any club, really)...
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While AT&T struggles to stop Verizon Wireless from calling out its 3G network on national television, the company is still plugging along by selling more and more devices that can be used on it. Sierra Wireless has had a long standing relationship with the US carrier, and that relationship seems to be growing with...
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Ever dreamed of connecting your Wii remote to your computer? We can't say that Gyration's latest device will give you the exact same experience, but it's about as close as you can get without hacking or modifying your Wiimote. The Air Mouse Elite, which was introduced a little while back, is finally making its way into retail stores.Available...
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