As the Holiday Season approaches, we at DragonSteelMods.com have compiled a list of items we would like to open up during the giving season. Whether it is a tech gadget, some software or our personal favorite, PC hardware, this list will offer something for everyone.
For the Mac User:
Many Windows XP users were disappointed with the release of Vista due to its numerous issues. Apple has avoided this type of debacle with its release of Leopard. Although, there are some problems found with Leopard, for the most part it has been a successful upgrade.
Some of the highlight features include – Time Machine which is a simple intuitive GUI driven backup utility, Spaces, which allows the use of multiple desktops, Boot Camp to run Windows on a separate partition, Cover Flow in Finder which makes searching through your files, dare I say it, fun.
Leopard can be installed on Power PC G4, G5 (887 Mhz or Faster) and the Intel Macs.
For the Music Lover:
The folks from Sonos have built the wireless, multi-room digital music system – the Sonos Bundle 130. If you have a large library of digitized music, this is the ultimate solution for distribution of your music.
The Sonos Bundle 130 is comprised of a ZonePlayer 100, ZonePlayer 80 and a Sonos Controller 100. The ZonePlayers are small Linux based computers with a built in wireless network hub and analog audio outputs.
The ZonePlayer 100 is amplified, so you can connect directly to a free set of speakers. While the ZonePlayer 80 includes analog line-in, line-out connections, digital toslink and digital coax outputs and must be connected to a conventional amplifier.
Once one of the ZonePlayers is plugged into a wired Ethernet connection, you then will run a wireless mesh network with any other ZonePlayers at your residence.
The system can then be controlled from the Sonos Controller 100 or from the the Sonos Desktop Controller software on either a PC or Mac.
The New Sonos Bundle 130 allows music lovers to wirelessly play and control music in two rooms of the house. Besides the ability to play your entire digital music library, Sonos has partnered with audio services like Audible.com, eMusic, MTV Networks’ URGE, Napster, Pandora, Rhapsody, Wal-Mart, Yahoo! Music Unlimited, the Zune Marketplace, and more.
For The Console Gamer:
Maybe you heard of an under the radar game from a small studio named Bungie. OK, maybe Halo 3 received more hype than any video game in history. Even, if the single player version can not live up to the hype, the multiplayer portion of the game is worth the investment. There are three variants available, the Regular Edition, Collectors Edition and Legendary Edition. For the holidays, we would like to see the Legendary Edition of Halo 3 under the tree. This set includes a Master Chief helmet, a behind the scenes and making DVD, the game DVD and a third DVD with all the cut scenes from the previous two Halo games to make a two hour movie.
At one time or another, most of us have played air guitar to one of our favorite songs, admit it, you know you’ve done it. Well, for those air guitar virtuosos, the folks from Activision have the perfect game to scratch that itch – Guitar Hero III – Legends of Rock. This is the next version of the tremendously popular video game series. With versions available for pretty much any recent console system – PS3, Wii, Xbox 360 and PS2, no one will be left out. Some songs include – Rock N’ Roll All Nite, School’s Out, Cult of Personality, Barracuda and many more.
For the Portable Music Listener:
As an owner of an iPhone, I can attest that the iPod music and video components of the iPhone are top notch. Now Apple has unleashed this ability into an even thinner form factor: the iPod Touch. The iPod Touch uses the same integrated touch sensors as the iPhone. At half the width and twice the storage capacity of the iPhone, the iPod Touch is one of the ultimate portable entertainment centers.
For the PC user on the go:
Earlier this year, I went to the Pepcom Holiday Spectacular, where I was able to get my hands on the OQO Model 02. This Ultra Mobile PC gives desktop power in a small form factor. Featuring 1.2GHz, 1.5GHz, or 1.6GHz VIA C7M ULV processor and integrated graphics chipset together with OQO's patented subprocessor technology on a palm-sized motherboard designed for optimal performance per watt operation. With storage drive capacities of up to a 120GB HDD, you can store all your office and multimedia files on the model 02. The model 02 is available with 1GB of DDR2 SDRAM operating at 533MHz for quick system responsiveness.
You can also choose a 32 GB Solid State HD for lightning fast performance. The OQO model 02 features built-in wireless including EV-DO Rev. A. An incredible package in a tiny body!!!
If the OQO is too expensive for your budget, then a nice alternative is the ASUS EeePC which is a Linux based Intel PC weighing in at two pounds and can also run WIndows XP if so desired. The EeePC features a low powered Intel processor, 512MB of DDR2 and 4 or 8 GB of Flash Memory for storage.
Using Flash Storage, will protect your little PC friend from any falls or bumps. While it certainly is nowhere near as powerful as the OQO model, for it's $400 entry price, you can perform basic productivity functions as well as email and surf the web from the palm of your hand.
For the PC Gamer:
Lately the graphics card battle for supremacy has been mostly one sided, with Nvidia having the upper hand since the 7xxx series. AMD, the new owner of ATI has decided to get the ATI Radeon name back into the ring to fight its way back to the top. They have recently released the ATI Radeon HD 3800 series with the flagship model the 3870. The ATI Radeon HD 3870 features 512MB of GDDR4 clocked at 2400MHz with a 256 bit wide memory bus. The clock speed checks in at 775MHz and has a bandwidth of 76.8 GB/s.
These latest GPUs feature more power than some of my more recent PCs. Truly impressive! Priced below the 8800GT, this card gives great power for a great price.
While we are at it, why not grab the Razer Lycosa Gaming Keyboard to give you the extra edge when playing your favorite FPS online. This gorgeous keyboard features 10 customizable software profiles with on-the-fly switching, 1000Hz Ultrapolling / 1ms response time, gaming cluster with anti-ghosting capability and my favorite feature – backlight illumination with WASD cluster lighting option.
Plus it looks hot! Beautiful and deadly, a winning combination!
For the Home Theater Buff:
Logitech Harmony remotes are some of the most functional and adaptable universal remotes out in the home theatre market. The Harmony 1000 Advanced Universal Remote is the ultimate control center for ones home theater. This unit features one touch controls for up to fifteen components including appliances and lights, a 3.5” Color touch screen, charging station and has a 175,000 device database to program from. What doesn’t this remote control? NORAD?
So these are some of the hottest electronic and computing products that we at DragonSteelMods hope to unwrap this holiday season. Who knows, we may even bring you a review or two about these products. Happy Holidays!