Why You Should Never Spend More Than $10 On An HDMI Cable
To get the best out of your HD equipment, be it a nice widescreen television, a Blu-ray player, a PS3, or an HD streaming set-top box, you need at least one HDMI cable. Or more than likely, several HDMI cables. The thing is the pricing of HDMI cables varies wildly, from a few cents on one from the likes of Amazon to $100 or more from big-box retailers and 'boutique' manufacturers. Why does the pricing vary so wildly?
The 5 Best and Most Interesting Ultrabooks From CES
CES 2012 focused on the ultrabook. Nearly every major consumer electronics company had one to show – including companies that don’t have much presence in the laptop market, such as LG. Not every ultrabook was worthy of praise, but there were a few that stood out from the crowd. Some were notable for their build quality – others, for their unique design.
The Best Prepaid Cell Phones on the US Market
Mobile phone contracts suck. Everyone knows it, but we accept them because often we don’t seem to have much choice. The selection of pre-paid phones is poor and off-contract phones are expensive. But perhaps you simply aren’t willing to accept a contract, however, or simply don’t use much mobile data or many cell minutes.
Kindle Fire Review and Giveaway
It’s a brand new year, and I am proud to be part of something brand new here at MakeUseOf: An independent hardware review followed by a giveaway. Today we’ll be giving away an Amazon Kindle Fire tablet to one lucky reader, but we took the time to test it first, and we have a complete review of what it’s like.
3 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Buy A Cheap IPS Monitor
Computer monitor technology has long had a champion, and it’s called In-Plane Switching, or IPS. This display panel technology has often been praised because it is capable of fixing many issues found in cheaper TN panel monitors. Yet IPS also comes at a price, and as the technology has filtered down to less expensive monitors, some disadvantages have been exaggerated.
The Best Printers & Scanners For Your Scanning & Printing Needs [Gadget Corner]
Okay, I know what you’re thinking. Printers & scanners? Yawn. Who cares about those? They’re not thin, they don’t run apps (usually), and they’re made by companies like HP, which as a brand, is every bit as interesting as Tupperware. Yet most people with a computer need to at least have a printer, and there have been advancements in printer technology over the past few years.
Kindle Fire vs. Nook Tablet – Which Tablet Should You Buy?
For a time, it seemed that Amazon’s new Kindle Fire tablet would be launched without opposition from the company’s e-reader rival, Barnes and Noble. Not to be outdone, however, the retailer recently unveiled the Nook Tablet. Both of these tablets are from retailers, both will have built-in stores, both have seven-inch touch screens and both run modified versions of Android.
The 4 Best IPS Monitors To Buy This Holiday Season
Monitors are an important part of any computer. Given the widespread availability of cheap TN panel options, it’s easy to take the path of least resistance and purchase whatever looks like a good value. That, however, may not be your best option. A high-quality display using an IPS panel can provide far better image quality and offer improved viewing angles. Ready to take the plunge? Then check out these four options.
The Best External Hard Drives You Should Consider Buying [Gadget Corner]
Ah, the external hard drive. This unsung hero of the gadget world can be found on almost any geek’s desk, usually tucked away behind a monitor or stuffed in a drawer. Yet it’s of great importance, as it’s often used to back up critical data or store a library of music, videos and photos. There are plenty of drives available, but most of us only need one or two, so let’s narrow down the choices.
Should You Get A Solid State Drive (SSD)? [Opinion]
If you've kept up with some of the latest news about new computer parts, you may have heard about SSDs, or solid state drives. They are designed to replace your clunky, slow hard drive and give your system a major performance boost. However, some people have experienced some hiccups by using these new pieces of technology, including usage and price. Here we're going to discuss the exact pros and cons of owning a solid state drive and whether such an investment would be right for you.
7 Tips to Survive Your Move to a Smaller Solid State Drive
If you keep yourself updated with stories from the tech world, you will know that Solid State Drives are the future when it comes to storage drives in personal computers - especially in the mobile computing arena. SSD allows PC manufacturers to build much faster and more energy-efficient machines. But can we survive living with SSD's minuscule capacity?
The 5 Best No Contract Smartphones With Premium Data Features
Smartphones are great. They offer access to the Internet, to your email, and thousands upon thousands of apps. They’re basically pocket PCs, and for geeks, that’s only a step away from heaven. There’s just one problem though, and that’s contracts. The phones are great. The two year contracts with outrageous pricing? Not so much. There are however a handful of choices that are available without a contract.
Speck SeeThru SATIN Case for MacBook Air Review and Giveaway
Now that we're giving away a MacBook Air, it's only appropriate that we offer a nice case to accompany it, right? This week, we'll be giving away five beautiful SeeThru SATIN cases by Speck for the 11" MacBook Air.
ioSafe Bulletproof 250 GB Rugged Portable
If all you have ever wished for is a 250 GB portable hard drive enclosed in a bulletproof, crushproof, waterproof, and shockproof aluminium enclosure; you're in luck! We just happen to have one lying around -- it's the recently released ioSafe Rugged Portable hard drive. Retailing for $150, this virtually indestructible portable USB 3.0 hard drive was the talk of CES '11 in January. We're giving one away to a very lucky MakeUseOf reader to enjoy. We also have 10 licenses for Genie Timeline Professional (worth $60 each) as additional runner up prizes.