Angry Bird Speakers

 

Millions of people love to play Angry Birds. Well, now you can listen to the Angry Birds sing (or maybe that should be squawk) with these new Angry Bird Speakers. For all those Angry Birds fans out there, these Angry Birds Speakers are a cool way to listen to your favorite music. Just plug these speakers into your favorite device (iPhones, iPods, iPads, MP3 Players, notebook computers, etc.) and enjoy the music audio.

There are actually three different versions of the Angry Birds Speakers. They don’t all work with the same range of devices so be careful and make sure you choose the right one.

Angry Birds Speakers Come In Three Different Versions

• Red Bird: Compatible with anything you can plug a 3.5 mm jack into. That’s just about any music player, any phone, any tablet, and any gaming system. If you can plug headphones into it will work with the Red Bird speakers. The included stand will hold up most devices, but isn’t necessary for the function of Red Bird as a speaker.  ($64.99 at ThinkGeek)

• Black Bird: Compatible with iPod, iPad, and iPhone only (specific models below in specifications). You can dock your iPod, iPad and iPhone device on the included stand and the Black Bird will amplify and play your music. ($84.99 at ThinkGeek)

• Helmet Pig: Compatible with iPod and iPhone only (specific models below in specifications). You can dock your device on top of Pig’s helmet to play your favorite tunes. ($99.99 at ThinkGeek)

The Helmet Pig model is designed for the iPod and iPhone only and comes with a built-in iPod and iPhone dock.

Angry Bird Speakers Specifications

• 2:1 stereo speakers, each speaker rated at 30 watts
• Adjustable volume and bass tone controls
• Stand for your phone, mp3 player, or tablet included
• Choose from three different versions
• Red Bird: works with any device that supports headphones with a 3.5mm jack.
• Black Bird: Only works with iPod, iPad and iPhone.
• Helmet Pig: Only works with iPod and iPhone
• Compatibility
• iPhone, iPhone 3G/S, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S
• iPod mini, iPod Classic, iPod with video, iPod Nano (1st-5th), iPod Touch (1st-4th)
• iPad, iPad 2 (Red Bird and Black Bird only)
• The Angry Birds Speakers are officially licensed Angry Birds collectibles

Available: ThinkGeek

Price: $64.99 to $99.99 (price varies by model, see above)

 

Roku XS 1080p Streaming Player

 

The new Roku XS 1080p Streaming Player builds on the original flagship Roku player with full 1080p HD streaming, faster wi-fi, and even motion-based gaming for plenty of exciting entertainment right on your TV.

But first, what is a Roku player?

The Roku XS player is a small add-on box that you attach to your home network, either by wi-fi or a wired ethernet port. This gives the box access to the Internet. Then you attach the Roku player to your TV or home entertainment system, preferably using the HDMI connection. The result is access right on your TV to an ever-growing lineup of streaming media including over 350 entertainment channels such as Netflix, Hulu Plus, HBO-GO, Amazon Instant Video, and much more …

In fact, if you’re interested in the full current channel lineup provided by the Roku XS 1080p Streaming Player, here’s the lineup (as of Dec 2011).

• Netflix
• Hulu Plus
• Amazon Instant Video
• Crackle
• HBO GO
• Pandora
• NHL Gamecenter LIVE
• Angry Birds
• Disney
• UFC
• WSJ Live
• Facebook
• MLS
• PAC-MAN
• CNBC Real Time
• EPIX
• Fox News
• GBTV

And the list is growing all the time …

Do keep in mind that some of the channel access provide by the Roku XS require a membership account, for example Netflix or HBO-GO.

The Roku XS 1080p Streaming Player is easy to setup. It’s compatible with virtually all TVs. It’s a simple connection to your home network (either wi-fi, wired ethernet or a USB port) and your TV preferably through the HDMI port (for full 1080p HD and Dolby 5.1 surround sound), but the device provides all the standard ways to connect including the composite A/V combo output ( composite connection limits you to standard-definition only). It literally takes just minutes to setup and you’re ready to go!

The device supports a Bluetooth enabled game remote. And a MicroSD memory card slot so you can add extra storage for channels and games if you need it.  The XS remote features motion sensors so you can play games with a flick of a wrist, like the included full Angry Birds game

Roku XS 1080p Streaming Play – Learn More

Ready for a little relaxing game entertainment. The Roku XS 1080p Streaming Player includes a Bluetooth enabled remote with sensors that support motion-based game play like the free full version of Angry Birds that comes included. The remote also sports game-ready buttons for responsive button action that will satisfy even the serious game players.

Some of the most popular games include Angry Birds, PAC-MAN Championship Edition, Galaga, and Storm in a Teacup. And the MicroSD slot enables you to add extra storage to hold more games in the future. New games are being added all the time.

There is a less expensive Roku LT (light) entry level device at $49, but we think for just a little more money, you’ll want to spring for the full Roku XS 1080p Streaming Player with all the features and capabilities. At under $100, this is the best value option to easily access an almost unlimited supply of streaming media over the Internet as well as an ever-growing list of popular games.

The Roku XS 1080p is the perfect gift for the holiday season this year, and something the entire family will appreciate and enjoy. Get your order in today at Amazon to arrive before Christmas (the $98 price qualifies for FREE super-saving shipping if you order now) .

Available: Amazon

Price: $98.00

The Kindle Fire Is On Fire

It would be almost impossible to have escaped the hype and buzz around the new Amazon Kindle Fire this season. And the buzz is not just about the great price of $199, which is half the price of an Apple iPad. It really looks like Amazon has hit a home run with the Kindle Fire. Maybe you just need to get one to find out what the fuss is all about!

Kindle Fire is Great For Travelling

If you’re on the go and do a lot of travelling, whether taking an extended trip or maybe just that long commute to work every day, the Kindle Fire will definitely keep you entertained and engaged. And the Kindle Fire is much more convenient to carry with you than a laptop, notebook or larger tablet device like the Galaxy Tab. The Fire has a larger sized screen and that means that viewing movies is a vastly better experience than with a regular smartphone.

And many people are saying that the Kindle Fire has a more convenient and easier to hold form factor than the 10 inch iPad.

Kindle Fire is Powered By Android

Did you know that the OS underneath the Kindle Fire is Android? What a powerful move Amazon has made building the Kindle Fire on top of the Android OS. Now mind you, some reviews out there have complained that even though the Kindle Fire runs on Android, you don’t have access to the Android Marketplace. But think about it, this actually makes sense. The Kindle Fire doesn’t have many of the hardware functions typically found on Android devices such as a GPS, accelerometer, camera, etc., so it really would be useless to download many of the Android apps that depend on these device functions.

Instead, what Amazon offers is the Kindle Store which provides many of the most popular apps that everyone is interested in such as Angry Birds, Plants vs. Zombies, Netflix, ESPN, Accuweather, and so on.  And Amazon assures that apps from the Kindle Store will run on the Kindle Fire. The apps in the Kindle Store have been thoroughly tested and optimized to function perfectly on the Kindle Fire, so you have nothing to worry about when you download or purchase these apps.

Running on Android, the Kindle Fire can multitask which means you can do things simultaneously like listen to music while browsing the Internet, reading a book or playing a game.

Amazon Prime Is All About Content

And have you heard about Amazon Prime? For a very affordable $79 a year subscription, you get unlimited access to over 100,000 movies and TV shows on demand at any time. A one time annual service fee, no further monthly payments to make. You can watch these movies anytime you want, on demand, directly from the Amazon Cloud.

The Kindle Fire uses a fast wifi connection to stream movies and music directly to your device. This is a key focus for Amazon to manage and deliver all of this great content from the Amazon Cloud. The idea is to make it easy and seamless to access the content and media you want without having to think about it. It’s not so much about the device, it’s all about the content!

For example, say you’re watching a movie and you your wifi connection gets interrupted. The Kindle Fire is smart enough to know where you left off and can resume the movie at a later time from the same point. We think Amazon Prime will revolutionize the way users seamlessly access digital content.

The Kindle Fire is A Tablet Too

Keep in mind, as we mentioned, the Kindle Fire is more about the content than the device. Again, the primary function of the Kindle Fire is to serve as a media consumption device and give you easy, seamless access to the huge media library licensed by Amazon.

But don’t lose sight of the fact that the Kindle Fire is a pretty smart and capable tablet device too!  As we mentioned, not only does the Android operating system allow you to download all kinds of apps including utilities, games, tools, office products, and more. You can also send and receive email, maybe check a presentation you have to make, or compose quick reports. You can do all of this on your Kindle Fire!

And how about Kindle Silk, the highly optimized browser that Amazon has designed for the Kindle Fire?  The revolutionary Kindle Silk browser harnesses the full power of the Amazon Cloud to make your browsing experience blazing fast. And with a Kindle Fire device, you have  free access to Amazon Cloud Storage to upload and store all of your media and then access it from anywhere. Very nice!

It looks like the Kindle Fire has really revolutionized handheld tablets and is clearly giving competitors a run for their money. But don’t wait for the competition to try and catch up, just get a Kindle Fire today!

Available: Amazon

Price: $199

Himedia Android-powered Media Player

 

The dawn of a new technological age foresees humans literally downing themselves in iPhone’s, iPads or even android based mobile phones and tablets, which can practically do anything under the sun. With the advancement in audio and visual devices such as the Himedia Android-powered Media Player, however, television sets are also moving towards a better future.

The Himedia Android-powered media player comes in two different editions; one with and one without (can be upgraded with a Wifi USB dongle) a built-in Wifi adapter. Both editions, however, come with a gigabyte Ethernet hub for LAN connections and an integrated web browser that allows you to surf the Internet once the device is connected to an Internet connection and a television set.

Enjoy playing your Angry Birds on your mobile phone? Well, you’ll be pleased to hear that the Himedia not allows you surf the internet but also allow you to download and run any Android application or games that can be found in the Android Marketplace. You might need a better remote control to play it though!

Besides that, just like an average media player, the Himedia can also play various video and audio formats such as WMV, DIV, RMVB, MP3, WMA and so on. It also allows playback for external video formats such as DVD iso and Blue-ray iso. Popping the top hatch reveals a dock which fits a 3.5” SATA HDD for extra storage. HDMI sockets and coaxial sockets allow for connections on different television sets.

Available: Amazon

Price: $169.99

Military Binoculars : No Area For Escape

 

Man’s desire to view distant objects from a closer perspective gave birth to the concept of a binocular. In ancient time, handheld telescopic monocular was used by sailors at the sea. Then came big telescopes which were used in observatories in the 17th century. The first binocular came in the form of the opera glasses, which were used to view theatrical performances from a distance. Then, one by one, several modifications like use of Keplerian optics, Porro prism, refinements by Carl Zeiss etc have made binoculars in the form we see and use those today.

In modern society, most common binoculars are almost toy-like binoculars. Apart from this, ornithologists and bird watchers use a little bit more powerful binocular to catch the birds in sky or tree. Moreover, law enforcing agencies and defense sector also have use of binoculars to protect law and peace in a country. From the Second World War, the military binoculars have undergone a good development, and in the modern terror infested world, these have been an integral part of a military of a country just like arms and ammunition.

In the Second World War, binoculars had 15 meters of separation between two objective lenses. These heavy binoculars which were called Naval Rangefinders were used to set the range of big naval guns from a distance of 25km. Moreover, in Cold War era, military binoculars could detect active Infrared emission via built-in passive sensors. In more modern military binoculars, special filters can block laser beams used in automatic weapons of the enemy.

As the complexity of keeping peace and law in modern society is continuously increasing, the need for this kind of binocular is more than ever. The modern military binoculars are made in such a way that they can withstand heavy ordeal and rough use. For this, the outer portion of the binoculars is made with materials which can protect it. Besides, in modern military, some special kind of binoculars are used which are called “trench binoculars”. These things are made in conjunction with a binocular and a periscope, and are used from trenches during war which keep the head of the user safe. Moreover most modern military binoculars have arrangements where a soldier can fit be into his/her helmet when necessary.

Most modern military binoculars which are used by army and navy are classified into Military Binoculars with 6×30 service glass, Military Observation Binoculars, 10 x 50 Military R, Military Night Vision Binoculars etc. Each of these comes with normal/wide 50mm optical lens for maximum field of view as well as with rain proofing, fog resistance capabilities. These modern military binoculars have more modern range finding abilities built in it and for using it in darkness, most of such binoculars have Infrared facilities also built in.

The ability which detects laser pointer from enemy weapons has been mentioned earlier. Companies like Leica, Canon, Nikon, Optronics, Pentax, Swift, Simmons and Zeiss etc are building and providing these binoculars, and thus satisfy the need of defense around the globe.

Binoculars may seem like a rather insignificant thing for protecting and maintaining peace in a modern society, but its significance under the lights of points discussed above cannot be ignored.

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About the author: Alia Haley is a blogger who always tries to keep up with the latest news in electronics and tech world. She is in awe of cars and considers Cadillac Converj ELR concept as the best when it comes to car design.

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