Yearly Archives: 2012
Rosewill USB 3.0 External Slim Aluminum 6x Blu-ray Writer Model RDED-12001
As laptops continue to shed excess weight in the pursuit of ever slimmer form-factors, the internal optical drive has undergone a dramatic role reversal from unimpeachable mainstay to card-carrying member of the endangered species club. For many users, the tide of change poses the worrying possibility that everything ranging from their older CDs and DVDs…
Denon Cocoon Portable
Lately, we’ve seen a slew of wireless speakers hit the market, be they Bluetooth options or systems that use Apple’s AirPlay. Several, like the Denon Cocoon Portable, attempt to sweeten the deal of wireless music even more by adding rechargeable portability as a feature, as well as Android and Windows streaming compatibility. At $499.99 (direct),…
NTI Backup Now 5.5 Advanced Edition
NTI Backup Now is a survivor in the local backup market. It’s been around for a long time, but it can perform impressively up-to-date tasks like continuously backing up document and image files as soon as you create or modify them—even when the backup app doesn’t appear to be running. When it performs traditional backup…
Apricorn Velocity Solo X2
If you’re still rocking the Apple Mac Pro because the Xeon(s) in it are more useful to you than the Core i7 in a new iMac, then you may want to add an SSD to keep your system feeling speedy. The Apricorn Velocity Solo X2 ($99 list) can add a speedy SSD to your Mac…
OCZ Vector Series VTR1-25SAT3-256G
When OCZ acquired solid-state drive (SSD) controller developer Indilinx, the acquisition was hailed as a positive development for both companies. OCZ is a well-known SSD company with a number of strong products under its belt, while Indilinx built the Barefoot class of controllers that popularized SSDs in 2009 and 2010. The new OCZ Vector Series…
Intel Next Unit of Computing Kit DC3217BY
Earlier this year we reviewed the Raspberry Pi, a $35, credit-card-sized PC system board kit targeting educators and the do-it-yourself crowd. The whole idea behind the Pi is to teach kids how to program PCs while having fun participating in a fun and extremely inexpensive build your own PC project. The innovative Intel Next Unit…
Asus VG2787HE
When we reviewed the Asus VG278H earlier this year we awarded it an Editors’ Choice for its overall performance and the fact that it was one of the first 120Hz monitors to support Nvidia’s 3D Vision 2 with LightBoost technology. However, we weren’t thrilled with its lofty price, lack of USB ports, and narrow viewing…
Dell C1660w Color Printer
The Dell C1660w Color Printer, compact and modestly priced, is a solid choice as a color printer for a home or micro office or as a personal printer for any size office. It is compact, has decent output quality, and its speed is passable for a low-priced laser-class printer. It’s a bit slower than the…
Klipsch HD Theater 600
Component-based home theater audio systems don’t get a lot of buzz these days, but they’re still the only way to get a true, immersive home theater experience in larger rooms. The Klipsch HD Theater 600 ($599.99 direct) strikes a nice balance between unobtrusive, stylish design and smooth sound quality, even despite its unusually slender satellite…
NuVo P100 Wireless Player
The NuVo P100 Wireless Player ($479 list) plays little brother to the flagship $600 P200 Wireless Player. Like its brethren, the P100 is a combination stereo amplifier and wireless media hub dedicated to music playback, with support for dual-band Wi-Fi and MIMO. The idea is that you buy P100s for smaller rooms with smaller speakers, and…