Axion Portable LCD TV
This is a 2.5-inch wonder. The US$ 79.99 Axion AXN–5327 would satisfy the cravings of any certified TV addict, whether it be on the road, on the field (camping, anyone?) or the auto. You can even watch DVDs–if you have a portable DVD player, that is (most portable players have their own screens, though).
The features:
- 2.5″ TFT LCD Handheld TV
- Built-in rechargeable circuitry
- Built-in battery compartment
- AC/DC 3-way power
- 6V DC input jack
- Bar tuning system
- Audio/video input jack
- Volume and brightness controls on the side
- Retractable recline stand and carrying strap
- Cabinet color: silver/gray combo parts
- Warranty: 90 days labor, 1 year parts
Freeview in a thumb-sized package
The Inquirer reviews the MSI Mega Sky 580 USB TV Tuner. The tuner basically lets your desktop or laptop computer receive freeview television signals. The USB tuner comes with the Presto PVR software that lets you record shows at programmed times. The included software also has a plethora of features, such as screen capture, picture-in-picture, and even HDTV support. You’d need at least a Pentium 4 processor running at 2 GHz or better to enjoy decent resolution and framerates. And if you want to watch and record into the PVR simultaneously, the Inquirer recommends a dual-core processor.
A very worthy nifty gadget, which comes just on time for the world cup. Pick them up before they are gone. I sincerely hope that MSI has more than enough in stock. Watching goals on your computer while working might not be work efficient but at least, you will be at your desk, not in the company canteen. But for it to gather more marks, I thoroughly expect the next Mega Sky to solve some of the problems I have encountered and to offer more functionality, even if it means a higher price.
Limit your kids’ TV time with BOB
Here’s something I’d like to have at home: BOB, the set-top device that lets you lock and limit television usage.
BOB helps parents manage the time their children use in-home media. BOB works with televisions, game consoles, and even computers. A parent is able to set the amount of time their child can use a media device during the week – a specific allotment geared to an individual child’s viewing habits. For example, a parent could give a child 10 hours of television per week. After the 10 hours of viewing has been accrued, BOB turns off the television. Simple.
That’s great. You can basically control how long your kids can watch in a day, or in a week. What’s better is that you can even set the times you’d rather not have the set turned on (say, you only let them watch during weekday afternoons and weekends all day).
If you have several kids, you can set each of them up with their own accounts so you can track and limit their usage. Of course, they can always circumvent this if they watch the same shows together. But still, it’s an effective means to limit television consumption among those whom you’d rather have their time spent on more pressing matters, like schoolwork and chores!
Many newer television sets have some locking features built-in, but I haven’t seen any that have a feature set as extensive as BOB’s. One thing though: with the way today’s kids are getting tech savvy, you’d wonder how long it would take before a 12-year old can crack or circumvent the security in these devices.
BOB has no pricing nor availability information yet, but you can get in touch with the creators for more inquiries or reservations.
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