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On7 wired

By: Staff Writer

Posted: 05/2/2010 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

Reserved? says who?

Who says we Canucks are a reserved bunch? Just take a gander at the rather garish 5.1 PC Headset System recently introduced by Calgary's Psyko Audio Labs. Delivering the 5.1 channel surround sound serious gamers demand, this is one flamboyant headset. While it's lacking in duct tape the spirit of Red Green is alive and well in any contraption that straps five speakers on one's head. Selling through online electronics retailers (like Tigerdirect.ca), prepare to shell out $299 for the right to rock these bad boys.

Attractive piece of gear

I still think 3D TV is going to turn out to be a fad, but for those determined to pay the premium for potential headaches and nausea, Samsung's latest big screen is an attractive piece of gear. With a 55 inch (140 cm) LED backlit screen, 240 Hz 1080p, HyperReal Engine, 4 HDMI ports and an attractive, super slim case, it's capable of a very impressive picture even in old school 2D. Add 3D glasses (at $200 a pair) and track down a 3D movie and you're set to recreate the Cineplex experience, complete with inflated price tag. Available at electronic retailers for $3699, which -- for the record -- is roughly a $1,000 premium over a similar 2D set.

Interesting copycat

As of this writing, Apple is still playing coy about when Canadians will be fortunate enough to bask in the wonderfulness that is the iPad. If you're jonesing for a touch of tablet nirvana and don't want to embark on a cross-border shopping adventure or fork out a grand or more for one on eBay, you could go the questionable knock-off route. It didn't take long for copycats to hit the shelves and this is an interesting one: a clone of the iPad form factor, shrunken slightly and running Android instead of the iPhone OS. The manufacturer helpfully notes "not work iTunes," but for that tradeoff you do seem to gain a camera. And it's cheap. Available from madeinchina.com for $210 plus $29 for shipping and handling. Or you could just keep waiting...

Recycled chair

A plastic chair might seem an unlikely choice for a design or eco-awareness statement, but the 111 Navy Chair from Emeco is not the typical orange plastic school gym stacker. For one thing, it retails for $230. Exclusivity aside, the main feature is the fact that the chair is manufactured with a mix of 60 per cent rPET plastic (recycled polyethylene terephthalate plastic), which is a fancy way of saying each chair includes 111 recycled plastic Coke bottles. Better you sit on them than have the bottles joining the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Guaranteed for five years, the 111 Navy Chair is available in Red, Snow, Grass Green, Flint Green, Persimmon and charcoal. Sold in Canada through Vancouver's Inform Interiors.

An alternative remote

Remote clutter is on the rise in family rooms across the country and while there are plenty of companies wiling to sell you a universal remote, you usually have to choose between cheap (and bland) or expensive with an LCD display and fancy interface. The RedEye mini offers a third alternative that's cheaper than most full-featured universal remotes while offering a colourful multitouch UI and capabilities that rival expensive units. How is this possible? A small infrared receiver that plugs into your iPhone's headphone jack, the Redeye mini uses a free App to take advantage of your Apple device's touchscreen and capabilities to make a kick-ass universal remote you always have with you. Shipping in the next few weeks, Redeye mini will be available through canadacomputers.com for about $50, plus $6.99 shipping.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 2, 2010 ??65535

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