Smartwatch Devices at a Glance

The smartwatch device market is gaining momentum. A number of players are joining the race. Among them include Sony, Nike, Seiko, Garmin, Motorola, LG, Hyundai, Pebble, Samsung and others. Samsung,  Sony and Pebble have the lion's share of the market. Innovation and development in the smartwatch is taking shape and today's smartwatch is equipped to do much more than when the first smartwatch was introduced by Seiko in 1982. Pebble's smartwatch for instance can;

• Monitor and track body health: You can track your body activity using apps such as, Runkeeper, Runtastic, Movable, and Let's Muv installed on your smartwatch, for information about steps, sleep patterns, calories burned and so much more.
• Text messaging: The e-mail to SMS app takes advantage of email-to-text services by cellular providers  to deliver short emails to mobiles as SMS messages. The Email to SMS app enables users create a few pre-written texts—such as "In a meeting!" or "Driving now. Will text you later"—that can be sent directly from your smartwatch. 
• Check sports scores: The ESPN Pebble app makes it possible to get a quick glance at NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, NCAA Football or NCAA Basketball scores.
• Act as a remote camera shutter: Your smartwatch can quickly be turned into a camera shutter for smartphones and cameras using a Pebble app. Similar features are also available on smartphone cameras through watch apps like PebbleCamera, Pebble Snap and PebbCam, among others.

•  Shake to get Yelp recommendations: If you're looking for loads of Yelp listings to evaluate, you'll still want to use your phone or laptop for that. But when you need a quick pick for a restaurant or bar, just open the Yelp Pebble app and shake your arm for a nearby recommendation. 

Samsung smartwatches have taken the market by storm. Realistically the gadgets are sleak and with a very beautiful cosmetic look. Samsung's recent Gear fit, Galaxy Gear and Gear 2 Neo smartwatches are the hottest selling from the Samsung brand.

With Samsung Galaxy Gear Smartwatches you can make phone calls, see messages as they arrive, take photos, Track your fitness and so much more.

If you plan to acquire a smartwatch, be ready to part with anything between $100 and $500. To read a full updated article, please go here.

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9.2 Channel Network AV Receiver - Onkyo TX-NR929

The Onkyo TX-NR929 is a state of the art AV receiver from the Onkyo corporation. It's built to impress and will turn a 'big room into a small one' by virtue of its output. It provides an 11 speaker jack configuration for a 9.2 channel output. It can be connected in a 3-zone installation, in which Zone 1 enjoys a 5.1 channel movie, Zone 2, a movie with stereo audio and Zone 3 stereo audio. It provides Infrared, Bluetooth, LAN/WLAN and RS-232 for interconnection with compatible devices for automation.

 

Amplifier Section

• All Channels: 160 W (6 Ohms, 1 kHz, 0.7%THD, 2 channels driven)
• Front L/R: 160 W (6 Ohms, 1 kHz, 0.7%THD, 2 channels driven)
• Center: 160 W (6 Ohms, 1 kHz, 0.7%THD, 2 channels driven)
• Surround L/R: 160 W (6 Ohms, 1 kHz, 0.7%THD, 2 channels driven)
• Surround Back L/R: 160 W (6 Ohms, 1 kHz, 0.7%THD, 2 channels driven)
• Dynamic Power: 300 W (3 Ohms, Front), 250 W (4 ohms, 1 Front), 150 W (8 ohms, Front)
• THD+N (Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise): 0.08%THD (20 Hz-20 kHz, Rated Power)
• Damping Factor: 60 (Front, 1 kHz, 8 Ohms)
  
• Input Sensitivity and Impedance: 200 mV/470 Ohms (Line), 2.5 mV/47 k-ohms (Phono MM)
• Rated RCA Output Level and Impedance: 200 mV/470 Ohms (Line Out)
• Maximum RCA Output Level and Impedance: 4.6 V/470 Ohms (Line Out)
• Phono Overload: 70 mV (MM, 1 kHz, 0.5%THD):Frequency Response 5 Hz-100 kHz/+1 dB, -3 dB (Direct Mode)
• Tone Control: ±10 dB, 30 Hz (Bass), ±10 dB, 20 kHz (Treble)
• Signal-to-Noise Ratio: 110 dB (Line, IHF-A), 80 dB (Phono MM, IHF-A)
• Speaker Impedance: 4 Ohms–16 Ohms or 6 Ohms-16 Ohms
• 9.2 Channels (11 speakers)
• Power Watts/Channel: 135W (8ohms 20-20kHz, 0.08% THD, 2 Channels Driven)
• THX Certified: Select2 Plus
• Continuous 6-ohms Rated and Certified 4ohms performance
• All Discrete Circuitry
• 3-Stage Inverted Darlington Circuitry: (All Channels)
• PUSH-PULL Design
• Independent Power Supply
• Bi-amp Capability For Front

Video and Audio Processing

• DTS Neo:X
• DTS Decoder: DTS-HD Master Audio
• DOLBY Decoder: True HD, DolbyDigital Plus, Dolby PLIIz
• ONKYO GAME Surround Modes
• THX Processing Mode
• Audyssey DSX
• Audyssey Dynamic EQ
• Audyssey Dynamic Volume
• Music Optimizer: (Advanced)
• 192K/24 Bit DACs:  (Burr-Brown)
• isf Certified Calibration Control

Connectivity

• 3/0 in/out Audio
• 1/0 in/out Phono
• 3/0 in/out Optical Digital
• 3/0 in/out Coaxial
• 5/1 in/out A/V 
• 0/1 Video
• 2/1 in/out Composite AV connection
• 1/0 in/out USB
• 9/2 in/out HDMI I/O
• VGA - PC Input (15 pin D-sub)
• 0/9 channel pre-outs

Features 

• HDMI Support for 3D, Audio Return Channel and CE
• HDMI Support for Deep Color, x.v.Color, LipSync 
• HDMI Support for DVD-Audio, SACD, Multichannel PCM 
• Analog To HDMI Upconversion: (from 480/576i) 
• 1080p Upscaling: (Marvell Qdeo) 
• 4K (up to 4096 x 2160) Upscaling: (Marvell Qdeo) 
• 4K Passthrough
• Powered Zone2 and Zone3 
• Zone 2 Line Out and Zone 2 Video Out 
• HDMI Zone 3 Line Out 
• iPod Ready:  (via optional DS-A5) 
• Airplay Ready: (via optional DS-A5) 
• Supports Onkyo Remote App: (iPod touch/iPhone and Android-Powered Devices) 
• Internet Radio Capable: (Pandora, Spotify, Rhapsody, Sirius/XM, Slacker, last.fm, Aupeo!, TuneIn) 
• Streaming Audio From PC / Network: (DLNA, Home Media) 
• Streaming Audio Formats Supported: (MP3, WMA, WMA Lossless, FLAC, WAV, Ogg Vorbis, AAC Stereo, Apple Lossless, DSD, LPCM, Dolby TrueHD 
• Wireless Network: (Wi-Fi-Certified) 
• Bluetooth: (Built-in) 

Networking and Integration Access

• IRS-232 
• IR Input 
• Ethernet 
• ONKYO-RI System Control 
• 12V Trigger: (Zone 2/3)

Video Input Sensitivity/Output Level and Impedance

• 1 Vp-p/75 Ohms (Component)
• 0.7 Vp-p/75 Ohms (Component PB/CB, PR/CR)
• 1 Vp-p/75 Ohms (Composite)
• Component Video Frequency Response: 5 Hz–100 MHz, -3dB

Tuning Frequency Range

• FM: 87.5 MHz–107.9 MHz
• AM: 530 kHz–1,710 kHz
• FM/AM Preset Memory: 40 stations

Power Supply

• AC  input: 120 V, 60 Hz
• Power Consumption: 9.1 A
• No-Sound Power Consumption: 120 W
• Standby Power Consumption: 0.1 W

Dimensions and Weight

• 17 1/8" x 7 13/16" x 17 1/4" (435 x 198.5 x 437.5 mm) 
• 40.8 lbs (18.5 kg)

Miscellaneous

• Learning Remote
• On Screen Remote Programming
• Activity Based Remote
• Color-Coded Speaker Terminals
• Auto Speaker Calibration W/Mic.: (Audyssey MultEQ XT32)
• OSD Out:  (Advanced "Home" GUI)
• Solid Aluminum Front

If you liked this article, you can read a full updated article here.

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19 inch Ultra Slim LED TV Phillips HDTV

This is the most coveted low cost HDTV from Philips. This TV screen can be got from as low as $120 USD. It is suitable for use in small living rooms. It's sound output is almost flawless and picture quality unrivaled achieved by Philips Digital Crystal Clear technology. The Perfect Motion Technology ensures that motion picture images remain undistorted while enhancing viewing experience. I bought this screen for my parents recently to replace their 20-year old Sony Trinitron CRT screen which they had refused to give up.They loved it what it can deliver! It's value for money! Some of it's features are listed below;

Video and Display features

• 19 inch LED HD Screen
• 1366 x 768p Screen resolution
• Aspect ratio: 16:9
• Screen Format Adjustments: 4:3, 16:9, Unscaled, Zoom 1, Zoom 2
• 1000 page Smart Text  Teletext feature
• Brightness: 300 cd/m²
• Digital Crystal Clear
• 100 Hz Perfect Motion Rate
• Supports Computer inputs up to a resolution of 1920x1080 @ 60Hz
• Supports Video inputs at 24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 Hz, up to 1920x1080p (Full HD)

Multimedia Applications

• Video Playback Formats: Containers: AVI, MKV, H264/MPEG-4 AVC, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, RealMedia (.rm, .rmvb, RV8-10), Motion JPEG
• Music Playback Formats: MP3
• Picture Playback Formats: JPEG

Sound

• 2 speakers with total RMS Output power of (2 x 10W)
• Auto Volume Leveller
• Clear Sound control
• Treble and Bass Control

Connectivity

• 1/1 in/out HDMI connections 
• 1/0 in/out component (YPbPr) connections
• 1/0 AV connections
• 1/0 USB connection
• 1/0 in/out RF Antenna IEC75
• 1/0 in/out PC-in VGA 
• 1/0 in/out Audio L/R
• 0/1 in/out Headphone out
• 1/0 in/out USB Service connector for firmware upgradeable

Tuner/Reception/Transmission

• TV system: NTSC, PAL
• Video Playback: NTSC, PAL, SECAM

Power

• Mains power: AC 220 - 240 V 50/60Hz
• Ambient temperature: 5 °C to 40 °C
• Standby power consumption: < 0.5W 
• Power Saving Features: Auto switch-off timer
• Power consumption: 35 W

Dimensions

• Set Depth: 38.3 mm
• Set Height: 302.9 mm
• Set Width: 453.3 mm
• Set depth (with stand): 128.5 mm
• Set height (with stand): 343.7 mm
• Set width (with stand): 453.3 mm
• Product weight: 2.4 kg
• Product weight (+stand): 2.6 kg
• Compatible wall mount: 75 x 75mm

Accessories

• Included accessories: Remote Control, 2 x AAA Batteries, Table top stand, Quick start guide, Legal and safety brochure, Warranty Leaflet.

You can read a full article here.

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