We are big fans of the VUDU set-top box because of the quality of the SD content instant stream over a standard 1.5 mbps DSL line. While the set top box is for any movie fan, their new product, the VUDU XL2 is for the hardcore. The VUDU XL2 is designed for installation into rack-mounted home theater systems. It has 1 terabyte of space for storing up to 500 purchased standard definition movies and every output known to the modern man, including Component and HDMI. It has NetRemote capability along with remote control system integration. Cost for this kind of system? $1,200 USD.

Since living in a big city makes most of the stars fade away, I had forgotten about the dramatic theater above our heads. My cruise to the Caribbean reminded me of what I've been missing. I ran to the ship's library on my second night and picked up an astronomy book so I could identify the constellations. It was one of the most memorable events in that cruise. I only wished I had a telescope then.

I did some research for a beginner stargazer like myself and found the Bushnell 420x3" ALT-AZ Reflector Telescope 789669. It has all some cool features like, a Barlow lens, adjustable tripod with an accessory tray, a pinion focuser and even a built-in image erector for daytime viewing. If you are scratching your head, I didn't even know what that was either a few weeks ago, but it basically means this telescope has excellent features for a fair price -- only $80.

I encourage anyone with kids (or a kid's imagination) to go far away from civilization and stargaze.

Found at Optics Planet.

Polaroid camera lovers rejoice! Fujifilm feeds the need for instant photography in the digital age with their Fuji Instax Mini 7. The tiny lightweight compact camera prints credit card-sized instant color photos in a matter of minutes. The Instax Mini 7 uses Fujifilm's instax mini paper.

Found at Urban Outfitters for $130.00.

The Roku Netflix Player is a genius idea. In this day and age with media coming out your nose, it is easy to see how something like the Roku could come in handy. The Roku is simple device that allows streaming of movies and TV shows available through the Netflix instant watch service. With a valid unlimited viewing account of $8.95 a month or higher, you are granted access to a big library of content. For those of us on our computers the whole day or for those of us that can't stand watching movies on our PC screens, the concept is great.

IN THE BOX
The Roku includes a built-in ethernet port and 802.11g Wi-Fi networking options. It works with virtually all TVs with inputs like HDMI, component, composite, or S video. If you are an optical type of person it offers an optical audio port as well.

THE HARDWARE
The box is tiny and built very well with some nice design touches. The remote has a home button, rewind and fast forward along with a select button. Simple, but then again so is the Roku. There are no buttons on the box itself.

THE SET UP
When you initially plug in the Roku, it gives you an activation code which you must enter at your PC on the Netflix web site. A few seconds later a prompt pops up on your screen telling you the Roku has been activated and you are off. Very easy! After setting up our streaming queue on Netflix, we turned this bad boy on and started watching. Unfortunately, the Roku does not provide you the option to add movies to your queue from the device, so we had to go back to our computers to do so. That was disappointing.

THE INTERFACE
The menu is simple, but it works. It shows your movie queue, allows you to read a brief summary of the film/TV show, as well as ratings from other viewers. Once you are done watching, you can then rate the movie from your Roku or even delete it from the queue.

THE EXPERIENCE
Although the idea was great, the experience was not. After having reviewed players like the Vudu we can't say that the Roku matches it with the quality of service. When viewing the movies we never got above two out of four quality stars in our feed. This resulted in a video quality which felt only slightly better than YouTube quality on our TV screens. With a faster connection things get better (downloads over 3Mbs), but in average home speeds, the Roku disappointed. While we were watching a movie, one of our reviewers downloaded some specs from the web. The simultaneous download caused our movie to stop midway. It stopped playing because it ran out of data and had to wait for more of the movie to be downloaded (or streamed) into the device. This happened with our 3Mbs test various times. The Roku did not go above 1 quality star in our 1.5Mbs tests, the standard connection on most DSL lines. The video at 1 star quality was unwatchable on the 40inch television.

Another disappointment was the selection of movies titles. There are many older movies, but don't expect to see a new release on this device any time soon. The TV show selection was also geared towards older titles, with a few notable exceptions like season 2 of Heroes.

One thing we did like about the Roku is that it has upgradeable firmware, so new features can be introduced in the future without the need to purchase another device. The upgrade can also allow for bug fixes, although we didn't encounter any.

Overall the Roku Netflix Player was a disappointment. The lack of newer titles, might be a turn off for most people, but could be something that Netflix fixes along the way. The device does have an attractive price tag ($99 as of this writing), but unless you have an ultra fast internet connection (above 3Mbs), we simply can't recommend the Roku.


SPECIFICATIONS
- Currently over 12,000 movies and TV episodes available
- No change in monthly Netflix costs and you continue to get your DVDs by mail
- Easily connects directly to your TV
- Pause, rewind or play anytime - just like a DVD
- Lots of connectivity options for your TV

In the Box
- Netflix Player set-top box
- Infrared remote control
- Two AAA batteries
- A/V cables (composite video, stereo audio)
- Power adapter
- Getting Started Guide

THE GOOD
- Great price in comparison to similar devices
- Ease of use
- Simple setup

THE BAD
- Poor video quality at 3 Mbps Downstream
- Horrible video quality at 1.5 Mbps Downstream
- Not many new titles to choose from
- Unable to select movies from player without first having to go online and selecting title
- No hard drive (limited movie buffering)

WHERE TO BUY
Roku
Netflix

iPhone watch out! The G1 is here. HTC, Google, and T-Mobile have partnered up to bring you the G1 powered by the new Android operating system. With it's full qwerty keyboard, 3 mega pixel camera, touch screen, and integrated Google maps with street view, it's going to make some noise. Although the phone is a bit bigger than it's competition, the iPhone, there will be lots of hype for the G1.

The thing that makes the G1 special is the Android operating system. Android is based on the Linux operating system, so anyone will be able to develop applications for the phone using Google-developed Java libraries. Now those without a Mac, have a phone they can develop for.

The G1 has a plethora of connectivity options including: GSM/EDGE, CDMA, EV-DO, UMTS, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi.

If that wasn't enough to entice you then maybe this will: IT IS CHEAPER THAN THE iPHONE.

Beginning October 22nd, the device will be available at select T-Mobile retail stores at a price of $179.99 with a two-year voice and data agreement. There will finally be some competition. We can't wait to see what happens...

By the way the Android OS will be available on other phones in the future, so we the technology should get better with time.

Outdoor Misting Systems are a hit and miss for us. Most of the traditional systems spray a water-heavy mist and then has huge, clunky fans pushing the mist around the air. The result is a soggy experience that during humid days, can make the heat seem more unbearable. The Jetstream IJ Series Outdoor Comfort System (the name could use some work) changes that. Instead of obtrusive fans, the Jetstream system uses a high velocity, high pressure system that pushes water out of a ceramic nozzle at 1000psi, then the JetStream's DNA JetPorts take over and direct the cool air to the desired location at high speeds. The result is a 10-20 degree differential. At the show we noticed a comfortable cool breeze, which got cooler and cooler the longer we stood in the location. The Jetports can be rotated an entire 360 degrees so you can change where the cool breeze goes depending on the requirements for that day. Top that off with an energy star rating and the system feels even cooler (pardon the pun).

The average patio can be outfitted with the Jetstream system for about $4,500 USD.

We rarely speak about computer software here, so excuse us for a moment. MediaMall Technologies recently released PlayOn, a piece of software that allows you to stream Hulu video to your TV via a Playstation 3 or XBOX 360. Hulu is currently a view-on-computer-only affair, so this enables you to watch it comfy on your couch. The computer and gaming systems must be connected to the same network, and you need to follow a few steps to get it working, but the BETA worked well and it allows us to get more entertainment out of our expensive gaming systems. You can also stream YouTube videos with the software and the company has plans to stream Netflix movies as well. For those who felt left in the cold when Netflix announced XBOX 360 exclusivity, this might come as a welcomed announcement.

If you have no idea what Hulu is, visit the Hulu site. The PlayOn beta software can be had at the MediaMall Technologies web site.

It was rumored for months, but today makes it official, LG has announced that their LG BD300 Blu-ray player with Netflix streaming capabilities built-in will be available this fall. This is the third set top box to support Netflix streaming service at no additional cost to the Netflix consumer (the Roku Netflix Player and the XBOX360 being the others). The expected retail price is under $500, but nothing is concrete yet when it comes to price.

You'll be as impressed as we were when we saw the videos of Golden Shellback waterproofing an Apple iPhone. Golden Shellback coating produces a vacuum deposited film that is nonflammable, has low toxicity and has the ability to weatherproof electronic devices and other surfaces. The technology was developed by Northeast Maritime Institute in Fairhaven, MA and we don't really know exactly how it works (they are being tight-lipped about it). We will supposedly hear more in a few months time.

Check out the crazy video here and learn more about it here.

Unlike indoor cleaning robots like the iRobot, the Solar Breeze Skimmer benefits from being outside: it is 100% powered by solar power. And since this robot is exclusively powered by sunlight, you will never have to pay a dime to charge this. Best of all, it makes cleaning your pool easier since you won't need to constantly take it out of the pool to recharge it. Leave it overnight and in the morning it starts doing the work all over again. Such is the life of being a robot.

There is one downfall to the Solar Breeze Skimmer though. The robot does not clean what is in the bottom of the pool, just what is on the surface, so you will still need to use your pool pump for some of the time.

In addition to picking up the garbage, the Solar Breeze Skimmer also contains a chemical dispenser which uses standard pool chemical tablets.

At $450, the Solar Breeze Pool Skimmer does not come cheap, but it will help take care of most of your cleaning duties without taking a toll on your energy consumption.