Wize Blog

Brookstone Inflatable Travel U-Pillow

Do you love listening to music while swimming? Are you afraid of ruining the radio if it gets wet? Do you have the radio on near the house and get tired of getting in and out of the pool to change the channel or volume, just to drag dirt and grass into the pool? These are problems that many people have experienced in the past. There is now a product that will solve all of these problems. Brookstone has developed an inflatable radio pillow for the pool!

Now you will be able to listen to the radio right there in the pool thanks to this inflatable, water-resistant pillow. These pillows are made by Brookstone. You will be able to pick up AM/FM transmissions, so you will be able to catch whatever type of music you love to listen to. The pillow combines technology with something that is comfortable at the same time. With just a simple touch of a button, you can change the channel or volume. These pillows are great for the beach or any pool. It can make your aquatic experience a happy and relaxing one. So lay back, relax and let the music take you to paradise!

This post was written by Devicepedia, guest author of the Wize Blog

Trekstor i.Beat Organix Limited Edition Gold MP3 Player

Music is something that is universally known and shared. The way we listen to music has changed from something big as a way of listening to something that can fit in your hand. We first only had big and bulky stereos but now technology has advanced to being able to listen to music on devices that can fit anywhere. MP3 players are widely found because they are small and can be taken anywhere. If you are one of the lucky few, you can order custom MP3 players that can be tailored to anything you desire. The Trekstor i.Beat Organix Limited Edition Gold MP3 player is an example of a custom order.

It was custom ordered by a Russian-Canadian billionaire. The MP3 player has 63 diamonds and covered in 18-karat gold. It is a 1 GB memory, can play multiple forms of music files (including MP3, WMA, WAV, ASF and OGG files), has two headphone jacks, a radio, alarm clock, stopwatch and a voice recorder. It is being sold on Amazon but does come with a hefty price tag. This MP3 player is considered the world’s most expensive MP3 player. They are a limited edition so if you want one, you must act now before they are all gone!

This post was written by Devicepedia, guest author of the Wize Blog

Yesterday's "Tape" Recorders are Today's "Voice" Recorders

It used to be that you needed a tape recorder to record voices. These days yesterday's tape recorders have morphed into today's voice recorders, small devices that record and play voices without tapes.

The top rated voice recorder at wize.com, the Olympus DS-2300 Handheld Digital Voice Recorder  (rated 95 at wize.com), is a USB supported device with 16MB of flash memory that uses DSS (a proprietary compressed digital audio format defined by the International Voice Association) standards.

You can erase, insert and record over voices using a voice recorder.

To play DSS files from the DS-2300 on your computer, all you have to do is download the player from the Olympus Web site.

Yamaha RX-397 Best Receiver on Wize.com

The best receiver on wize.com  (rated a 97) is the Yamaha RX-397 Natural Sound AM/FM Stereo Receiver 2 Channels.

The receiver sells for about $250.

Most of the reviews are great, such as the following by Dave, "I purchased this unit based on my needs to add additional equipment to my stereo system. This receiver had enough I/O capacity to meet my requirements, although I would have liked to seen at least 1 more set of input/output connections for future additions to my system. This system replaced a Kenwood receiver & the digital FM performs much better than the Kenwood's analog tuner. The adjustable loudness feature is a complete departure from the standard implementation of a loudness circuit; to date, I haven't found a situation or music source that warrants its' use. I've had the unit about a month now & I'm very satisfied with this product thus far."

With 50 watts per channel of full-bandwidth-rated power, Yamaha's RX-397 is a high performance machine that works well with highly rated speakers. The integrated AM/FM tuner features 40 presets. The RX-397 offers inputs for up to 5 components, including a turntable. Two sets of speaker outputs allow for music to be played in two different rooms at the same time. You also get a remote control.

Wize.com Best Alarm Clocks

Nothing can be more annoying then not having your alarm clock go off.

For those who need to get up and go in the morning, here's a couple of reliable alarm clocks for you:

1. Emerson CKS3020 Clock Radio Rated 92 at wize.com  About $33

2. Spectra Hello Kitty Clock Radio Rated 93 at wize.com  About $35  (Pictured above)

3. Sony (ICFC180) Clock Radio  Rated 91 at wize.com  About $27

Slingbox Top Home Entertainment Gift at CNET

Cnet.com makes some pretty interesting picks for home entertainment systems in their holiday gift guide.

Their top pick for 2007--a Sling Media Slingbox A/V. While CNET only gives this device an 8/10, Wize.com, a company that considers many sources for its ratings, came up with a 95/100, a pretty big difference.

The folks at Sling Media like to advertise their product in terms of channel surfing on your computer at the beach. They describe the box as follows: "The Slingbox™ AV allows you to watch and control your favorite TV source from anywhere in the world on your laptop or cell phone. So now you can watch your DVR, digital cable, satellite receiver, or DVD player wherever you see fit. With the Slingbox AV, you’ll never have to be separated from your favorite TV shows and sporting events again."

To use Slingbox, you'll need to install the Sling Player software into your computer. Here's a link that shows you what Slingbox can do.

PodBoxxtv Coming Out in Jan. 2008

Hello from BlogWorld Expo where CYTEC has their new PodBoxxtv on display.

PodBoxxtv brings the world of Internet based video podcast directly to your television in full high definition.

With over 300 Interent video channels currently available, PodBoxxtv provides a viewer experience that's based on Internet-based podcast videos and new media content that you can't get on traditional television.

To manage the vast amount of Internet-based podcast video content available, PodBoxxtv categorizes video content into topic areas and channels for easy navigation.

Users navigate and play videos using embedded Internet Video Channel Guide and a remote control--No PC, keyboard or mouse!

The box is designed to be an appliance. You connect it to your television using an HDMI or RCA connector, and, after you connect up the box to a broadband Internet connection, your television set has access to hundreds of Internet video channels.

The PodBoxxtv will be available to consumers in Jan. 2008 at samsclub.com.

XBox 360 TO Offer ESPN Programming Through Download Service

People who have Microsoft XBox 360 delivered through their cable company have enjoyed on-demand, pay-per-view movie and television service for about a year now.

This year Microsoft teamed up with Disney to offer movies with the Xbox's download service.

Today, ESPN joins the service, offering their programs through the Xbox. Viewers are offered NCAA football and basketball games and other sports related programming.

Miscrosoft offers the downloadable conent through its Xbox 360 Marketplace. It had previously teamed with six content partners for a wide choice of programming options.

Movies can be downloaded in standard-definition or in high-definition.

The service also permits viewers to much of the content from the television networks.

Last March, Microsoft introduced Xbox 360 Elite, which, according to their Web site has the following features:

Xbox 360™ Elite, a new model of the video game and entertainment system includes a 120GB hard drive, a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) port, a high-definition cable, and a premium black finish for the console, wireless controller and Xbox LIVE® headset. Xbox 360 Elite has enough space for a library of Xbox LIVE Arcade games and thousands of songs, as well as downloadable high-definition TV shows and movies available on Xbox LIVE Marketplace. The new 120GB hard drive also will be sold as a stand-alone accessory to give current Xbox 360 owners greater choice and flexibility in their games and entertainment experience. Additional Xbox 360 Elite accessories, such as the black Xbox 360 Wireless Controller, Xbox 360 Play & Charge kit and the Xbox 360 rechargeable battery, will be available separately.

Solar Wize

Four great new solar products are listed on Wize.com. They include Freeplay EyeMax AM/FM/Weather Solar & Wind-up Radio, Freeplay EyeMax AM/FM Solar & Wind-up Radio, KG Philmore Solar Radio [ Model PMX52 ], and Coronado Personal Solar Telescope.

All make great gifts for the upcoming holiday season.

Hmmm, I think I’m going to buy the AM/FM/Weather radio for myself!

Speaking of solar, Just recently a solar decathlon took place  at the National Mall in Washington D.C.
It’s a public awareness campaign for solar power. Here’s a preview of what went on.

PBS’s report on the decathlon is on the video screen below.

The Word of the Day is "Player"

That's right.  Between LG's new BH200 HD DVD / Blu-ray hybrid player which was debuted at CEDIA, Pioneer announcing their new BDP-95FD Blu-ray player today, and as random as it sounds, Bryston releasing their BCD-1 CD player (that's correct, a CD player) it seems only appropriate that today's word of the day should be "player." 

Taking a look at these new toys, we'll quench your thirst on the Bryston BCD-1 CD player.  It comes with the hefty price point of $2395 for the high quality player.  Surprising, yes, but if that price turns your face white, and you are one of those people who have yet to switch from the good 'ole tape player, why not try the Pioneer PD-M426 6 disc CD changer.  You can get it here on Wize.com for a mere price range of $149 to $199. 

Next, LG's new BH200 HD DVD / Blu-ray hybrid player is a 2nd generation player which was debuted at CES this past January.  It is due to be in stores in mid-October and has a price point of around $1,000.  The new version does adhere to all of the features mandated by the Blu-ray Disc Association. The difference here between the older version and this new BH200 is the ability to support interactive features in both HD DVD and Blu-ray.  Pretty cool, but our guesstimate is that soon there will be more on the market to push this price down a bit.

Finally, the Pioneer BDP-95FD Blu-Ray player is one of its kind, in that it offers all bit stream outputs of advanced audio formats.  You can also network a computer to the player, which in its own right sounds pretty slick.  As expected, it packs a price punch of $1,000 when and will be in stores at some point in October.   

If you still don't have player overload, have you ever heard of a company called Oppo? You may be surprised to find it has the top ranking DVD player on Wize.com.   Okay, so it's not Blu-ray, but see for yourself and check out the Oppo Digital DV-981 HD and others here.