The State of Affairs » Tech Gadgets

Best HD LCD Monitor For the Price (Dec 2010)

Jeremy Winter — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 23:45:53 +0000

How many models of the same monitor do we need? If you’ve ever tried skimming though all of the monitors for sale on the web you were probably baffled by the endless number of monitors that appeared to be exactly the same price, size, and even brand. This can make the final decision on a purchase a chore. The trick is you need to know what to look for.

The obvious features that are important in a monitor are: the brand (not very important for some tech products, but definitely important for displays), the size, and the screen resolution. The other important, but not always obvious features are: the brightness rating, the contrast ratio, and the response time.

The following LCD displays are ranked according to the following performance metrics: Price << Size << Response Time. Most are full HD resolution (1920 x 1080), have average to above-average brightness ratings, and above-average contrast ratios.

Budget LCD Monitors

Hanns·G HW-191APB 19″

Features:

Size – 19″
Max Resolution – 1440 x 900
Brightness – 300 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio – 700:1
Response Time – 5ms
Led Backlit – No
Input\Output – D-Sub
Speakers – Yes

Street Price – $114.99
More info on the Hanns·G HW-191APB

Acer G215HAbd-1 21.5″

Features:

Size – 21.5″
Max Resolution – 1920 x 1080
Brightness – 300 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio – ACM 50,000:1
Response Time – 5ms
Led Backlit – No
Input\Output – D-Sub x1, DVI x1
Speakers – No

Street Price – $129.99
More info on the Acer G215HAbd-1

ViewSonic VA2231w 22″

Features:

Size – 22″
Max Resolution – 1920 x 1080
Brightness – 250 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio – 1,000:1
Response Time – 5ms
Led Backlit – Yes
Input\Output – D-Sub x1, DVI x1
Speakers – No

Street Price – $149.99
More info on the ViewSonic VA2231w

Hanns·G Hi-221DPB 22″

Features:

Size – 22″
Max Resolution – 1680 x 1050
Brightness – 300 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio – 1000:1
Response Time – 5ms
Led Backlit – No
Input\Output – D-Sub x1, DVI x1
Speakers – Yes

Street Price – $159.99
More info on the Hanns·G Hi-221DPB

High-End LCD Monitors

SCEPTRE X246W-1080p 23.6″

Features:

Size – 23.6″
Max Resolution – 1920 x 1080
Brightness – 300 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio – 1000:1
Response Time – 2-5ms
Led Backlit – No
Input\Output – D-Sub x1, DVI x1, HDMI x1
Speakers – No

Street Price – $179.99
More info on the SCEPTRE X246W

SCEPTRE X270W-1080P 27″

Features:

Size – 27″
Max Resolution – 1920 x 1080
Brightness – 400 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio – 1000:1
Response Time – 2ms
Led Backlit – No
Input\Output – D-Sub x1, DVI x1, HDMI x1
Speakers – Yes

Street Price – $279.99
More info on the CEPTRE X270W

ViewSonic X Series VX2739WM 27″

Features:

Size – 27″
Max Resolution – 1920 x 1080
Brightness – 300 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio – 1200:1
Response Time – 1ms
Led Backlit – No
Input\Output – D-Sub x1, DVI x1, HDMI x1
Speakers – Yes

Street Price – $349.99
More info on the ViewSonic X Series VX2739WM

Disclaimer: The State of Affairs received no direct compensation for writing this article and is in no way directly affiliated with Acer, Hanns-G, or ViewSonic. We are direct affiliates to NewEgg.com, but that affiliation does not sway or influence our recommendations.

Technorati Tags: best lcd monitor, best monitor, best monitor for the money, best monitor for the price, for the price, monitor for the price, best price monitor, best money monitor, lcd display, hd display, hd lcd display

Rock Paper Win Android™ App

Jeremy Winter — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 22:52:04 +0000

Introducing the Rock Paper Win App for Android. The Rock Paper Scissors App where you win, every time. Impress your friends with your psychic powers. Challenge your brother or sister to the game that’s fixed from the start.

The Rock Paper Win App lets you win every time. If you’re first player, you will win automatically every time. If you’re second player, make your selection and hit the hidden button towards the bottom of the screen (red box not visible in the app). You can tell when the second player is going to win when you see the discrete white dot in the upper left hand corner appear (see screenshot #2).

Buy your copy today and start proving your undeniable skill to always win at rock paper scissors.

Screenshots

Technorati Tags: android app, rock paper scissors app, rock paper scissors, mobile, rpc app, rpc android app, rock paper win, rock paper win app

Rock Paper Scissors Android™ App

Jeremy Winter — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 18:23:58 +0000

Now available for your Android Mobile Device or Phone. The classic 2 player, turn based strategy game, Rock Paper Scissors App is here. Challenge friends and family to the kid safe and friendly game anytime and anywhere.

The Rock Paper Scissors App is a 2 player app where you battle your opponent to see who is the true champion of rock paper scissors.

Technorati Tags: multi player app, multiplayer app, 2 player app, 2 player apps, new android app, android app games, android app downloads, non market, android app, rock paper scissors app, rock paper scissors, rpc app, rpc android app, rock paper scissors game

Best Gaming Laptop for the Money (Nov-Dec 2010)

Jeremy Winter — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 17:21:56 +0000

Gaming laptops are becoming increasingly hard to find these days. With the slowdown of mobile graphic cards production, laptop manufacturers are forced to choose from fewer and fewer models. Luckily, there are a still a few cards that appear to be in moderate production that can deliver a high quality gaming experience in a reasonably priced laptop.

A few of the better cards still being produced are the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650, the nVidia GeForce GTS 360M, and the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870. All are leaps and bounds a head in pure frame rate of other competing cards. I spend a good week researching these laptops and have checked every benchmark possible to guarantee the quality of these cards. For the price, these laptops can’t be beat.

As always, prices for gaming laptops can change, if there is a price change or the laptop is no longer available, drop a comment below and I will try to find a comparable model with similar capabilities.

Budget Gaming Notebook

TOSHIBA Satellite L655-S5111

Features:

CPU Type – Intel Core i3-370M 2.4GHz
Screen – 15.6″ Widescreen
Graphics Card – ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650
Video Memory – 1GB DDR3
Memory- 4GB DDR3
Hard Disk – 500GB SATA (5400rmp)
Native Resolution – 1366 x 768

Performance: Med-High Graphics Detail

TOSHIBA Satellite L655-S5111 comes with the new Intel Core i3-370M. For graphics, the screen is a nice 15.6″ led back-lit widescreen and the video card is the well respected ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650.

Will play most newer games on med or high detail.

Street Price – $699.99
More info on the TOSHIBA Satellite L655-S5111

Recommended Gaming Notebook

Toshiba Qosmio X505-Q885

Features:

CPU Type – Intel Core i5-450M 2.40GHz
Screen – 18.4″ Widescreen LCD
Graphics Card – NVIDIA GeForce GTS 360M
Video Memory – 1GB DDR5
Memory- 4GB DDR3 1066MHz
Hard Disk – 500GB SATA (7200rpm)
Max Resolution – 1680 x 945

Performance: High Graphics Detail

The Toshiba Qosmio X505-Q885 steps up to an NVIDIA GeForce GTS 360M graphics card for high quality gaming. The GTS 360M is a great card that will play most games on high detail and deliver consistent reliability with its updated NVIDIA drivers and 1GB of DDR5 memory. The X505-Q885 also has a few other really nice features. It comes with 1066MHz DDR3 memory, a 18.4″ screen, a 7200rpm hard drive, as well as a 1680×945 native resolution.

If your looking for the balance between price and performance, this would be the laptop to check out.

Street Price – $999.99
More info on the Toshiba Qosmio X505-Q885

Highly Recommended Power Gaming Notebook

TOSHIBA Qosmio X505-Q892

Features:

CPU Type – Intel Core i5 460M 2.53GHz
Screen – 18.4″ Widescreen
Graphics Card – NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M
Video Memory – 1.5GB DDR5
Memory- 4GB DDR3 1066MHz
Hard Disk – 500GB SATA 7200rpm
Max Resolution – 1680 x 945

Performance: Ultra (max) Graphics Detail

Sporting the top-of-the-line NVIDIA graphics card, the GeForce GTX 460M, you can’t beat the price and performance of this machine. The TOSHIBA Qosmio X505-Q892 is a killer deal at this price. Most NVIDIA powered high end laptops go for over $1,400, this one is less than $1,200 (for the time being, I expect that to change).

Expect to play most modern games on ultra (max) detail and have friends and family drool at the sight of your portable gaming experience.

Street Price – $1,079.99
More info on the TOSHIBA Qosmio X505-Q892

Power Gaming Notebook

MSI GX740-235US

Features:

CPU Type – Intel Core i5 450M 2.40GHz
Screen – 17.0″ Widescreen SXGA+
Graphics Card – ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870
Video Memory – 1GB DDR5
Memory- 4GB DDR3 1066MHz
Hard Disk – 320GB SATA 7200rpm
Max Resolution – 1680 x 1050

Performance: Ultra (max) Graphics Detail

The MSI GX740-235US is a definit power gaming laptop. Many owners have vouched that the Mobility Radeon HD 5870 is capable of playing Starcraft 2 on high detail with no problems. That is mighty impressive for a laptop.

The rest of the hardware is no better then the recommended gaming laptop I reviewed above, but the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870 is a step ahead of the GTS 360. If your willing to shell out the extra cash for the better graphics card, you won’t be disappointed.

Street Price – $1,099.99
More info on the MSI GX740-235US

Disclaimer: The State of Affairs received no direct compensation for writing this article and is in no way directly affiliated with MSI, Acer, Toshiba, or ASUS. We are direct affiliates to mwave.com and newegg.com, but the affiliation does not sway or influence our recommendations.

Technorati Tags: best gaming, gaming, laptop, notebook, gaming notebook, 2010, best 2010, best laptop 2010, best gaming notebook 2010, laptop computer, laptop for gaming, gaming notebook review, laptop for under, under 1000, affordable gaming notebook, notebook for price, cheap gaming laptop

Best Gaming Laptop for the Money (June 2010)

Jeremy Winter — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 12:50:27 +0000

Newest Gaming Laptop Reviews

Nov 2010
June 2010
Jan 2010

It’s time for some more gaming laptop reviews. It’s been 6 months since the last set of reviews and I must say I am impressed with the options available right now. 6 months ago in January, it was hard to come up with a list of good deals. This was in part because of the holiday season ending and a lack of new mobile graphics cards being released around that time. Luckily, ATI has released some great new cards that have created better competition with Nvidia’s aging recycled releases.

The baseline price starts off at ~~$850~~ $680 for the budget recommendations below. I always strive to come up with a sub $800 recommendation, but if the performance can’t match the price, I simply can’t justify the review. The top end price is $1400, but is a definite extreme gaming notebook in a class of its own.

Budget Gaming Notebook

Gateway NV7901u

Features:

CPU Type – Intel Core i5 430M (2.26GHz)
Screen – 17.3″
Graphics Card – ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650
Video Memory – 1GB DDR3 VRAM
Memory- 4GB DDR3
Hard Disk – 500GB 5400rmp SATA
Max Resolution – 1600 x 900

The Gateway NV7901u comes equipped with the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650, which averages 29FPS on high and 42FPS on medium in Battlefield Bad Company 2. The HD 5650 is a DirectX 11 compatible card, but unfortunately probably won’t have the power to use the new DX 11 features in upcoming games. With that aside, the Mobility HD 5650 is still a powerful gaming laptop card and a great deal in a $850 laptop.

The Gateway NV7901u also comes with the new Intel Core i5 430M at 2.26GHz, 4GB of DDR3 ram, a large 17.3″ screen, and a 500gb 5400rmp hard drive. With all of those features and the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650, this is definitely a great budget laptop.

Mobility Radeon HD 5650 Benchmarks on notebookcheck.net

Street Price – $849.99
~~More info on the Gateway NV7901u~~ *No longer available

Alternative Budget Gaming Notebook

Two great alternatives to the Gateway NV7901u are the Aspire AS5551G-4591 and the HP Pavilion dv7-4060us. They both come equipped with the same ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650, but come with slightly slower and older processors. If you’re on a budget, you can’t go wrong with either of these machines.

Aspire AS5551G-4591

CPU Type – AMD Turion™ II X2 Dual-Core P520
Screen – 15.6″
Graphics Card – ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650
Video Memory – 1GB DDR3 VRAM
Memory- 4GB DDR3
Hard Disk – 500GB 5400rmp SATA
Max Resolution – 1366 x 768

Street Price – $679.99
More info on the Aspire AS5551G-4591

HP Pavilion dv7-4060us

CPU Type – AMD Phenom™ II Triple-Core Mobile N830
Screen – 17.3″
Graphics Card – ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650
Video Memory – 1GB DDR3 VRAM
Memory- 4GB DDR3
Hard Disk – 500GB 7200rmp SATA
Max Resolution – 1600 x 900

Street Price – $849.99 ($799.99 after rebate)
More info on the HP Pavilion dv7-4060us

Recommended Gaming Notebook

Gateway P-7908u FX Edition

Features:

CPU Type – Intel Core 2 Duo P8700 2.53G
Screen – 17″ WXGA+
Graphics Card – NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M
Video Memory – 1GB GDDR3
Memory- 4GB DDR3 1066
Hard Disk – 500GB SATA 5400rpm
Max Resolution – 1440 x 900

The Gateway P-7908u is the same exact laptop I recommended in January of this year. Even though it’s been 6 months since I first recommended it, it’s still a killer laptop and still a great deal at $950. The one big downfall to this laptop is that the max resolution is limited to 1440×900. To me this wouldn’t be a deal breaker, but for some this may be an issue.

It still comes with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M, which is actually a bit faster then the GTS 360M in my next recommendation below. The next recommendation below is $150 more, but makes up for it with other great features.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M Benchmarks on notebookcheck.net

Street Price – $949.99
More info on the Gateway P-7908u

Hi-End Recommended Gaming Notebook

TOSHIBA Qosmio X505-Q860

Features:

CPU Type – Intel Core i5 430M (2.26GHz)
Screen – 18.4″
Graphics Card – NVIDIA GeForce GTS 360M
Video Memory – 1GB GDDR5
Memory- 4GB DDR3 1066
Hard Disk – 500GB SATA 7200rpm
Max Resolution – 1680 x 945

The TOSHIBA Qosmio X505-Q860 comes with a NVIDIA GeForce GTS 360M with 1GB of GDDR5 and beefy hardware to match. As I noted in my recommended gaming laptop above, the GTS 360M is a touch slower than the older GTX 260M, but this laptop comes with newer hardware to match the newer graphics card.

It comes with the new Intel Core i5 430M, 4GB of DDR3 ram, a 7200RPM 500GB hard drive and a massive 18.4″ screen @ 1680×945. The newer processor, faster hard drive, and larger screen with a higher max resolution can easily justify the extra $150 if you have it.

GeForce GTS 360M Benchmarks on notebookcheck.net

Alternatively you may be interested in ASUS G Series G51JX-X1 NoteBook for $1199.99. It also has the GTS 360m but comes with a Intel Core i7 720QM processor and a 15.6″ screen which is definitely more portable than a 18.4″ screen.

Street Price – $1099.99
More info on the TOSHIBA Qosmio X505-Q860u

Extreme Gaming Notebook

MSI GX740-079US

Features:

CPU Type – Intel Core i7 720QM (1.60GHz)
Screen – 17″ Wide SXGA+
Graphics Card – ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870
Video Memory – 1GB DDR5
Memory- 4GB DDR3
Hard Disk – 500GB SATA 7200rpm
Max Resolution – 1680 x 1050

The MSI GX740-079US pretty much speaks for itself. A fast Core i7 720QM, a blazing Mobility Radeon HD 5870, gigabit lan, wireless N, and bluetooth. You get the picture.

If you have the money, it’s a awesome laptop for the price.

ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Benchmarks on notebookcheck.net

Street Price – $1399.99
More info on the MSI GX740-079US

Disclaimer: The State of Affairs received no direct compensation for writing this article and is in no way directly affiliated with Gateway, Toshiba, ASUS, MSI or Newegg.com.

Analyze Your Sleep Cycle With The WakeMate

Jeremy Winter — Fri, 14 May 2010 18:42:10 +0000

The science of sleep is a fascinating subject that obviously, we can all relate too. Why do we wake up feeling exhausted sometimes and completely rested other times, regardless of how long we sleep? Do we transition from each sleep cycle seamlessly or do we waver from different “levels” of sleep during the night? These are the questions that I had and they are what lead me too this amazingly cool and scientifically fascinating device called the WakeMate.

What The WakeMate Is And What It Isn’t

In the most basic sense, the WakeMate is a alarm clock, but more precisely, it’s a alarm clock that learns your sleep patterns and intelligently chooses when to wake you. While you sleep, the WakeMate monitors you movement through a sensor that attaches to the wrist. This method is known as actigraphy and has been used by doctors and scientist for many years in the study of analyzing sleep.

Here are the basic steps in using the WakeMate

Slide the WakeMate around your wrist (like a wrist band)
Set the WakeMake alarm clock application on your smart phone
Sleep!

The WakeMate will then analyze you sleep pattern and will wake you at the optimal time during your 20 minute “wake up time” window. The fact is we don’t fall asleep and stay asleep at the same depth during the entire night, in fact there are many points during the night when we are sort of half-asleep. What the WakeMate does is trigger your alarm during one of those half-awake moments, thereby saving you from being woken during the deepest parts of your 20 minute wake up window.

Very cool indeed.

I don’t personally own one, so I can not speak from a user standpoint, but the science behind the process of using a actigraph is very sound. Traditionally you would go to a doctor who would then provide you with a actigraph unit to take home. After gathering some data at home, you would take the unit back to the doctor who would then analyze the data and give you more insight into your sleep patters. That same data can now be complied at home, without needing a doctors assistance.

Now, the WakeMate does not provide the same amount of information that a polysomnogram would. Polysomnography monitors many parts of the body while you sleep such as your brain waves, rapid eye movement, and heart rhythm. It’s a very involved and complex test that is usually used for patients with specific sleep disorders. A actigraph is a much more realistic means of monitoring our sleep cycle and circadian rhythm’s personally, yet effectively.

The WakeMate is only available for pre-order right now, but it should be shipping by September later this year according to their website. If you’re looking to get a better nights sleep and have something really interesting to talk about at work, check out the WakeMate website for more info.

Technorati Tags: wakemate, analyze sleep, analyze sleep patterns, analyze sleep cycles, actigraphy, how-to, sleep test, sleep research, sleep stages, sleep cycles, sleep solutions, sleeping better, restful sleep

Disclaimer: The State of Affairs received no direct compensation for writing this article and is in no way directly affiliated with the creators of the WakeMate, we simply thought it was a cool idea. Also, we are not doctors and don’t pretend to be, so if you feel you have a serious sleep condition, consult your physician.

Best Gaming Laptop for the Money (Jan 2010)

Jeremy Winter — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 12:13:28 +0000

Newest Gaming Laptop Reviews

Nov 2010
June 2010
Jan 2010

At last, there are finally some good recommendations for gaming laptops in 2010. I have attempted to come up with a list of gaming laptops for over two months now, but with the holiday prices bouncing around faster than an electron in a super collider, I just couldn’t recommend any solid deals.

Now that the market has finally calmed down, there are some pretty great laptops in the reasonable price range of $750 to $1000 dollars. I attempted to find a recommendation below $750 dollars, but the gaming performance of the laptops in that price range simply can’t compare to the laptops below, even for a casual gamer. If you are looking for a laptop over the $1000 price range, I would recommend pricing out a custom laptop through a company similar too Alienware.

The first two recommendations are great budget laptops that are each powered by a ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650 1GB card. The third is powered by a very fast NVIDIA GTX 260M 1gb card.

Recommended Budget Gaming Notebook

HP Pavilion DV6-2144NR

Features:

CPU Type – AMD Turion II M520(2.3GHz)
Screen – 15.6″
Graphics Card – ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650
Video Memory – 1GB DDR3
Memory- 4GB DDR2
Hard Disk – 320GB 7200rmp SATA
Max Resolution – 1366 x 768

The HP Pavilion DV6-2144NR comes equipped with a Ati Mobility Radeon HD 4650, which can run Crysis on high at a respectable 30fps average. Newer games coming out this year may test this card and push you settings back to medium, but for $750 dollars, this is a great gaming laptop.

Radeon HD 4650 Benchmarks on notebookcheck.net

Street Price – $749.99
More info on the HP Pavilion DV6-2144NR

Alternative Budget Gaming Notebook

ASUS X83VP-A1

Features:

CPU Type – Intel Core 2 Duo P8700 2.53G
Screen – 14.1″ WXGA
Graphics Card – ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650
Video Memory – 1GB DDR3
Memory- 4GB DDR2
Hard Disk – 500GB SATA 5400rpm
Max Resolution – 1280 x 800

The ASUS X83VP-A1 has the same Radeon HD 4650 as the HP laptop above, but does cost $849.99 out of pocket before a $100 mail in rebate. There are a couple other differences that I highlighted above. The processor is faster, the hard drive is bigger (but slower), the screen is a smaller 14.1″ (portable), and the max resolution is 1280×800 instead of 1366 x 768.

I would personally buy the HP Pavilion DV6-2144NR, but you may find the ASUS X83VP-A1 is more your style.

Street Price – $849.99 ~~($749.99 after Mail in Rebate Expires:01-31-10)~~
More info on the ASUS X83VP-A1

Recommended Gaming Notebook

Gateway P-7908u FX Edition

Features:

CPU Type – Intel Core 2 Duo P8700 2.53G
Screen – 17″ WXGA+
Graphics Card – NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M
Video Memory – 1GB GDDR3
Memory- 4GB DDR3 1066
Hard Disk – 500GB SATA 5400rpm
Max Resolution – 1440 x 900

The Gateway P-7908u FX Edition is definitely a gamers laptop and is a great deal at only $999.99 equipped with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M. The GeForce GTX 260M has a 256 Memory Bus which really separates it from most mobile graphics cards on the market now. It will run pretty much all current games on max and should keep up quite well with newer games coming out this year.

GeForce GTX 260M Benchmarks on notebookcheck.net

Street Price – ~~$999.99~~ ~~Now $1099.99~~ (sold out on Newegg.com) ~~now $1113.39 at bhphotovideo.com~~ now $950 through Amazon.com

More info on the Gateway P-7908u FX Edition

Disclaimer: The State of Affairs received no direct compensation for writing this articles and is in no way directly affiliated with Gateway, HP, ASUS or Newegg.com.

Get a Google Nexus One on a T-Mobile Family Plan

Jeremy Winter — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 22:31:00 +0000

The new Google Nexus One is all the buzz on the web. As of now the Nexus One is available for $529 unlocked or $179 with T-Mobile USA service plan (NEW customers only). One hitch now on the T-Mobile US plan is the fact that, you can not get your T-Mobile phone upgrade price on the Google Nexus One if you are on a family plan.

Many T-Mobile users are already digging up the scoop on this one though. According to many discussions around the web, the trick to getting the discounted price on the Nexus One is to pull your number from your family plan and move it to an individual plan.

This is where everyone one has said what? “It’s $10 month for the extra line on my family plan, if I move to an individual plan that is $50 a month more!”. Correct, but the trick is apparently after 120 days, you can move your individual line back to your family plan. I say apparently as T-Mobile customer service is giving different customers, different answers on this one.

Basically, you have three choices now:

One, buy the phone for $529 for your family plan
Two, move to a individual plan and pay around $380 ($179 for the discounted phone price + $200 extra for 4 months at the individual plan price)
Three, stick with the phone you got and wait for a better option on the price of the phone and the service plan restrictions.

I do recommend calling T-Mobile directly and confirming the above options before ordering. Try and get them to “leak” the truth about when you can switch your particular line back to your family plan. Also the new line will need to be placed under a different name as the $179 price is for new customers only.

I won’t be buying a Google Nexus One as of now, but I may soon, as I’m a Verizon Wireless customer. According to Matt Cutts, this spring the Nexus One will be coming to Verizon Wireless.

Did you get a Google Nexus One? If you did, leave a review below, if you didn’t, leave a comment about why you aren’t buying one!

**********************

Update I:
After looking at some prices for other unlocked smart phones online, it looks like the $529 regular price is on the upper end, but is still well within the reasonable price range.

Technorati Tags: google nexus one, nexus one, google nexus, nexus one tmobile, nexus one t-mobile, google tmobile, tmobile family nexus one, tmobile family plan nexus, family plan nexus one, family plan google nexus, nexus one price, individual nexus one, nexus one 120 days, google nexus discount, nexus discount

What Verizon Email Feature Required Means

Jeremy Winter — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:28:35 +0000

If you noticed the small gray or white print in your newest Verizon smartphone ad you are probably wondering just what is an Email Feature” and why is it required? We all love features for our phones after all.

Voice Plan Email Feature, a.k.a your Data Plan!

The required email feature for your new smartphone is simply a required data plan. Since these new smartphones need much more bandwidth then earlier phones, you will have to pay extra for a data plan. The data plan comes it at $30 dollars for most of us (family and individual plans) and $40 for the suits (business plans).

It would be wise to ask your Verizon representative if the phone you are thinking of purchasing this year requires a data plan addon. If your buying online, be sure to read the full print and call Verizon if you are unsure about the charges.

Phones that Require the “Email Feature”

When redefining a word or subject, it proves helpful to include the old definition to refer too. Renaming something akin to a “data plan” to an email feature” should be addressed with caution, to not cause confusion.

Here is a list of phones that require the email feature. If you know of more phones feel free to leave a comment below with the details.

Motorola Droid
HTC Droid Eris
Blackberry Storm2
BlackBerry Curve

Update 1: The $30 dollar data plan\email feature is per device. If your on an individual plan, no big deal, but if you are on a family plan with 3 people or more this is a huge difference. If you have a family plan with 3 lines for $120 a month and want to switch to Motorola Droids for all 3 lines, it will be an additional $90 added to you plan. For 3 Motorola Droids with Verizon that is over $200 a month. Wow…

Technorati Tags: email feature, verizon email feature, required email feature, data plan, verizon data plan, droid email feature, droid data plan, verizon, voice plan, blackberry data plan, blackberry email feature

Best Home\Office Laptops for the Money Nov 09

Jeremy Winter — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 08:43:12 +0000

We’re nearing the end of 2009 and just beginning the holiday season. Finding the best deal for a home or office laptop can be a bit more confusing this time of year with all of the sales and deals floating around, but I did the scouring and was able to come up with 4 great holiday laptop deals that would make a great present for anyone this holiday season.

The main concerns when choosing a home or office laptop is the processor speed, the amount of ram, and the amount of hard disk space. All of these laptops satisfy those needs and range in price from under $500 to just under $1500.

Budget Home or Office Notebook

Gateway MD7330u NoteBook

Features:
OS – Windows Vista Home Premium
CPU Type – Intel Pentium T4200 2.0GHz
Memory – 3GB DDR2
Hard Disk – 320GB 5400rmp SATA
Screen – 15.6″ Widescreen
Graphics Card – Intel GMA 4500M
Optical Drive – DVD Super Multi

The Gateway MD7330u NoteBook is a great budget home or office laptop and it is very reasonable priced under $500. It comes with Windows Vista Home Premium and has 3GB of DDR2 memory. For the price, this laptop is a great deal.

Street Price – Was $449.99 now is $599.95 (Amazon.com raised the price)
~~More info on the Gateway MD7330u NoteBook~~

NEW Budget Home or Office Notebook

ASUS P50IJ-X1 NoteBook

OS – Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
CPU Type – Pentium dual-core T4300 2.1GHz
Memory – 4GB DDR2
Hard Disk – 320GB 5400rmp SATA
Screen – 15.6″ Widescreen
Graphics Card – Intel GMA 4500M
Optical Drive – DVD Super Multi
HDMI Out – No

The ASUS P50IJ-X1 NoteBook is nearly identical to our Recommended Budget Laptop below, except the Asus P50 has no HDMI output, but is $50 cheaper.

Street Price – ~~$449.99~~ ~~now $599.99~~ now $499.99
~~More info on the ASUS P50IJ-X1 NoteBook~~

Recommended Budget Home or Office Notebook

Acer Aspire AS5738Z-4111

Features:
OS – Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
CPU Type – Pentium dual-core T4300 2.1GHz
Memory – 4GB DDR2
Hard Disk – 320GB 5400rmp SATA
Screen – 15.6″ Widescreen
Graphics Card – Intel GMA 4500M
Optical Drive – DVD Super Multi
HDMI Out – Yes

The Acer Aspire AS5738Z-4111 is a step up over our old budget recommendation to a slightly faster T4300 2.1GHz Intel processor, 4GB of DDR2 instead of 3GB, and a 320GB SATA hard drive. Alternatively, you can check out the Acer Aspire AS5536-5142 which is basicly identical and is the same price.

Street Price – ~~$549.99~~ ~~now $499.99~~ Now $569.99

More info on the Acer Aspire AS5738Z-4111

Power Home or Office Notebook

HP Pavilion DV7-2270us

Features:
OS – Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
CPU Type – Intel Core 2 Quad Q9000 2.0GHz
Memory – 4GB DDR3
Hard Disk – 500GB 5400rmp SATA
Screen – 17.3″ Widescreen
Graphics Card – ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650
Optical Drive – DVD Super Multi
HDMI Out – Yes

The HP Pavilion DV7-2270us is definitely a power home or office laptop. It’s highlights are a Intel Core 2 Quad Q9000 2.0GHz processor, 4GB of DDR3 Memory instead of the slower standard DDR2 memory, a 500GB SATA hard drive, and a Mobility Radeon HD 4650 that is capable of handling rich 3d animation software, as well as newer games at respectable resolutions.

Street Price – ~~$1,149.99~~ now $1,099.99 (after $50 mail in rebate)
More info on the HP Pavilion DV7-2270us

Extreme Home or Office Notebook

TOSHIBA Satellite P505-S8950

Features:
OS – Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit
CPU Type – Intel Core 2 Duo P8700 2.53GHz
Memory – 6GB DDR2
Solid State Drive – 64GB SATA
Hard Disk – 320GB 7200rmp SATA
Screen – 18.4″ Widescreen
Graphics Card – ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650
HDMI Out – Yes

The TOSHIBA Satellite P505-S8950 is a extremely fast laptop and the cheapest laptop I could find with 6GB of memory. Its strong points are a fast duel core processor running at 2.53GHz, 6GB of DDR2 memory, a 64GB solid state hard drive, a 320GB 7200RPM standard hard drive, and large 18.4″ widescreen display. The main additions that make this laptop so fast are the 6GB of memory and the 64GB solid state drive. It will also play newer games with it’s ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650 graphics card.

Street Price – ~~$1,449.99~~ Now $1,349.99
More info on the TOSHIBA Satellite P505-S8950

These types of deals tend to sell out fast, especially during the holiday season. If they do sell out, I highly recommend you use them as a benchmark comparison in regards to price and performance while making your holiday buying decision.

Update: Attempting to keep up with Holiday prices for Laptops is quite exhaustive. The price’s noted here may change.

Disclaimer: The State of Affairs received no direct compensation for writing this articles and is in no way directly affiliated with HP, Toshiba, Acer, Amazon.com, or Newegg.com.

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