Trendsetters.com

Best Remote Control

Posted on September 7, 2009 by admin.

It’s kind of amazing that the field of remote controls hasn’t drawn more attention from big players. After all, the remote is the “media wand” of the digital lifestyle. Logitech has finally introduced a remote that offers the best of all worlds: activity-based, color LCD screen, dedicated keys, with a simple interface, plus a low price: The Logitech Harmony 700 ($150).

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Best Blu-ray Player

Posted on September 4, 2009 by admin.

A California upstart with an impeccable reputation has once again proven that you can beat the Japanese at their own game. The Oppo BDP-83 ($500) not only plays Blu-ray discs using some of the best design specs, but also handles DVD-Audio and SACD. No wonder this is widely considered the best Blu-ray player to hit the market this year.

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Best Plasma TV

Posted on September 3, 2009 by admin.

While LCDs outsold plasmas about 30 million to 4 in 2008 in North America, plasma technology still outshines LCD in one critical area: image quality. The very best plasma screens continue to attract diehard fans because of their prowess in a number of areas, particularly deep, inky blacks. Panasonic’s latest “V10” series has been getting rave reviews by industry insiders: “The TC-P54V10 [has] so significantly raised the performance bar, HD Guru feels it necessary to widen the rating scale from this review forward from four to five hearts.

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Best GPS

Posted on September 2, 2009 by admin.

OK, we erred with the recommendation of the Navigon as the best GPS. It still is outside North America, but here we need a navigation device that offers support, so we recommend the Garmin nuvi 765t ($325) if you only need North America maps and the Garmin nuvi 775t ($400) if you need both European and N.A. directions. The nuvi 765t is widely considered the best GPS Garmin makes. The 775t ups memory to 8GB to keep those continental maps also instantly available.

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First $1,000 HDTV Projector

Posted on August 24, 2009 by admin.

A projector that can do 1080p for less than $1,000? Home theater you’ve come a long way baby! It used to be that this type of technology would set you back $5,000, but the Optoma HD20 ($999) proves that it’s possible. Early reviews suggests that the HD20 is a terrific performer too.

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Best Digital Camera

Posted on August 19, 2009 by admin.

Well, we’ve finally seen the replacement for the impossible to get Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3, our previous best point-and-shoot digital camera recommendation, the new Canon PowerShot S90 ($430). Industry consensus is that this may well be the best pocket digital camera when it ships this September.

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Best Digital Camera With Projector

Posted on August 4, 2009 by admin.

As you might surmise, Trendsetters.com has a penchant for products that rewrite the rules. And we can definitely say that the Nikon Coolpix S1000pj ($430; September) is the first, and best, digital camera with an integrated projector. The S1000pj features a 12.1-megapixel, a 5x wide-angle zoom lens (starting at a 35-mm equivalent of 28mm), plus an LED-powered projector that’ll put up a 40-inch image for slideshows complete with music, effects and transitions.

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Best Wireless Music System

Posted on July 27, 2009 by admin.

Since 2005 Sonos has set the standard in wireless music systems. The Sonos Multi-Room Music System now features the new touch-screen Sonos CR200 controller ($349 including charging cradle), which offers a 3.5-inch, 640 x 480 pixel touchscreen with on-screen keyboard, faster processor, and compact 2.9 x 4.5 x 0.7-inch /six-ounce dimensions. The best news is that the complete Sonos system is now $1100, including CR200 controller, ZP120 (amplified, just add speakers) and ZP90 (connect home stereo) ZonePlayers, plus a Wi-Fi bridge. It’s undoubtedly the best multi-room wireless music system, and certainly the easiest one to use.

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Best Blu-ray Changer

Posted on July 23, 2009 by admin.

There’s no doubt that the Sony Blu-ray MegaChanger BDP-CX7000ES ($1,900) is the movie junkie’s cat’s meow. The Blu-ray Disc MegaChanger stores and plays 400 Blu-ray Discs, DVDs and CDs. When a disc is inserted, information is automatically downloaded from Gracenote’s MusicID and VideoIDinformation, including title, director, cast information, year and genre information, navigable via the player’s xross media bar menu system.

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Best Netbook (Mini-Notebook)

Posted on July 7, 2009 by admin.

Sony has finally released a “netbook” (mini-notebook), the Sony VAIO W Series (starting at $500). The Series W looks ho-hum, by Sony standards, but you never can discount the company, especially considering the W’s gorgeous, 1366×768 LED-backlit 10.1-inch screen. Since this is Sony, the W series comes in three trendy colors: berry pink, sugar white and cocoa brown.

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Best iPhone Case

Posted on July 5, 2009 by admin.

Making sure your iPhone doesn’t get scratched is no easy task. Online forums endlessly debate hundreds of iPhone cases. Unfortunately, picking a “best one” is simply not possible, since each user has differing needs. So we’ve decided to list some of the highest buzz cases, plus our favorite one.

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Best Media Controller

Posted on June 30, 2009 by admin.

The Yamaha NeoHD is like the Apple iPod — it simplifies home entertainment. We like the simple remote, wireless integration of Web or PC content, the activity-based, on-screen menu that lets you choose between Watch, Listen or Play. There’s no doubt in our minds that the Yamaha neoHD YMC-700 WiFi Media Controller ($800) ushers in a new era in home theater. Expect many to follow.

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Best LCD TV

Posted on June 28, 2009 by admin.

This weekend a bunch of geeks descended on an upstate New York store to attend an HDTV shoot out. The top-ranking LCD TV was a big surprise, as Toshiba beat overpriced local-dimming LED competitors Samsung and Sony. The new Toshiba 55SV670U ($3,000), a 55-inch model also available in a 46-inch, the Toshiba 46SV670U ($2,300), was lauded for its accurate colors, excellent black level and decent off-axis viewing.

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Best Smartphone

Posted on June 19, 2009 by admin.

The Apple iPhone 3GS. What else is there to say? Best interface and surfing experience, and now super-fast too. Best-stocked app store, featuring more than 50,000 apps. But the icing on the iPhone 3GS cake is its stellar video capability, that new voice control and, OK, cut and paste.

The iPhone wins because the [...]

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Best Notebook Computer

Posted on June 8, 2009 by admin.

The aluminum Apple MacBook ($1,500) is unquestionably the best laptop on the market today. Apple has done a superb job creating what is not only a great-looking computer, but one that feels solid, brick-like in fact. And now that it is once again equipped with a FireWire port and also gains an SD slot, this package is complete.

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Best PC Notebook

Posted on May 27, 2009 by admin.

The thin-and-light Lenovo IdeaPad U350 is not only a terrific looker, featuring a textured rubber back and a ribbed metal palm rest, but also boasts a 13.3-inch LED-backlit display (1,366 x 768), HDMI out, Intel 1.4GHz Core 2 Solo SU3500, up to a 500GB hard drive and 8GB of DDR3 RAM, a multi-touch trackpad, plus an optional eight-cell battery rated at 10 hours, all starting at $649.

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Best Bluetooth Headset

Posted on April 23, 2009 by admin.

The new Aliph Jawbone Prime ($130) Bluetooth headset offers improved noise suppression, a better fit, all enhanced by four EARCANDY colors. What makes the Jawbone unique is its reliance on a sensor that uses the jawbone to dampen spurious noise. The first Jawbone received rave reviews when it was released three years ago, primarily due to its superb sound quality and eye-catching design. The new Jawbone is 50% smaller than the original and far superior.

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Best Pro Camcorder

Posted on February 8, 2009 by admin.

RED the company that changed the rules of the HD camcorder business has launched a new line of RED Epic and Scarlet modular cameras ($3,750 - $53,000), designed to let you flexibly configure the right gear by combining a “Brain” ranging from 3K to 28K pixels and then adding lenses and other modules to create a totally customized camera.

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Best Digital SLR

Posted on February 8, 2009 by admin.

The 12-megapixel Nikon D90 ($1,000 without lens) is the company’s first digital SLR with an HD movie recording mode, capturing 24fps movie clips with sound at up to 720p HD (1280 x 720 pixels) in motion JPEG format. Bottomline: the Nikon D90 is one of the highest rated cameras ever released.

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Best Camcorder

Posted on January 5, 2009 by admin.

The Canon VIXIA HV40 ($835) doesn’t have a hard drive or SSD, but produces super-sharp HD video in 1440×900 format. Until there’s an easier way to deal with the huge files HD produces, tape remains the most flexible storage medium.

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