Posts Tagged Rumpus Room

CrunchDeals: Refurbished Averatec 18.4-inch all-in-one for $300

Posted by on Wednesday, 3 March, 2010

Looking for a decent web-browsing machine? Sellout.Woot! is selling the 18.4-inch Averatec all-in-one with Atom CPU and Windows XP for $300 today. I reviewed the model with the big-boy Athlon X2 processor and Windows Vista back in July, should you need more info.

Specs:

  • Intel Atom N270 CPU at 1.6GHz
  • Windows XP Home
  • Built-in Wi-Fi (b/g)
  • Built-in DVD burner
  • 18.4-inch screen at 1680×945 resolution
  • Five USB ports, card reader, built-in webcam
  • 160GB hard drive
  • 1GB of RAM (expandable to 2GB)
  • 90-day manufacturer’s warranty

That’s not a bad deal if you’re looking for a big screen all-in-one on the cheap. The N270 CPU is going to keep you from playing newer games and streaming HD Flash video easily but the whole package ought to make for a nice extra computer for the kitchen or rumpus room.

Averatec 18.4″ All-in-One Desktop with Intel Atom Processor [Sellout.Woot.com]



CrunchDeals: Refurbished 19-inch HDTV for $130

Posted by on Tuesday, 26 January, 2010

TVs Need a TV for the bedroom, rumpus room, or home office but don’t want to spend a penny more than $129.99 plus $5 for shipping? Then this is the perfect deal for you. Sellout.Woot! is selling a choice of one of three Philips/Magnavox 19-inch HDTVs for the aforementioned price of $129.99 plus $5 shipping.

Each TV has HDMI inputs and all feature 720p resolution and ATSC tuners. One carries the Magnavox name, while the other two are Philipseseses.

The Philips TVs seem to be a slightly better option due to higher contrast ratios, two HDMI inputs each, VGA inputs and lighter weights than the Magnavox, but if you’re related to the Magnavox family then you really have to buy the Magnavox TV in order to keep the peace.

Philips/Magnavox 19” LCD HDTV w/ HDMI [sellout.woot.com]



Gift Guide: Gadgets for the Home

Posted by on Tuesday, 15 December, 2009

Gadgets need not be relegated to the darkest corners of your home office or rumpus room. There are plenty of options that can easily blend in to the less techno-centric areas of your humble abode. In that spirit, here’s a list of relatively inconspicuous gadgets for the home.

Digital Photo Frames

iFrame_2 Digital photo frames have come a long way in terms of style and features. And while you can purchase inexpensive frames in just about any store that sells electronics, I’d personally recommend splurging a bit for one with a wireless connection of some type. A wireless frame allows you to do a few things that you can’t do with standard frames.

For starters, you can put it just about anywhere since you’ll be updating it wirelessly. With a standard frame, you need to make sure it’s placed in an accessible area so you can get at the memory card to add new photos. Secondly, many wireless frames let your family and friends add their own photos to your frame from anywhere in the world. And finally, if you’re interested, wireless frames can often showcase information like weather and news.

A few wireless frame choices for your perusal:

Solar Lighting

lampSolar-powered lights are slowly finding their way into the realm of normal-looking items. With the exception of not having a cord protruding from the base, there are more and more solar lamps coming out that’ll fit in just about anywhere.

I’ve been using the $17 solar lamp from Geeks.com seen on the right here and it’s been working pretty well so far. The batteries take a while to fully charge but once they’re ready to go, it’s nice to be able to use this lamp anywhere I need a little extra light. And aside from the little square solar panel embedded in the top of the lamp shade, it looks just like a regular lamp (again, without the cord, or course).

You’ll want to make sure to place your lamp in a spot where it’ll get decent sunlight and remember that these lamps are basically collecting sunlight and using it to slowly juice up rechargeable batteries, which are then used to power little LED bulbs. Current charge times may be long (9-12 hours) and actual usage time may be short (3-6 hours), but sunlight is free and free is good.

For the Kitchen

b40Add There are hundreds of potential kitchen gadgets, but here are a few I’ve personally tried and can recommend.

As far as coffee goes, some people get intimidated by fancy coffee makers. If there’s someone like that on your list, these Keurig machines are tough to beat – any of the coffee machines that use “pods” are actually pretty good. You fill the machine’s reservoir with water, pop a coffee pod into the machine, and put your cup or mug underneath the spout. Press the button and you’ve got near-instant coffee that tastes far better than instant coffee. And there’s basically no cleanup other than throwing the empty pod away.

Another fun idea, especially if you have kids, is a home soda-making machine. They can get a bit expensive but the idea is that you’ll save money in the long run, and the soda mixes for this Penguin machine I reviewed, for instance, don’t contain high fructose corn syrup.

For the germophobe in your life, there’s a new crop of touchless faucets on the market (see John’s review here) — “touchless” is a misnomer, but you’re able to control the thing with your wrist, forearm, or elbow.

And last but not least if you’ve got a pancake lover in your life, you’re left with little choice than to spring for a $5 can of Batter Blaster pancake mix. They’re pancakes in a can. Again, they’re pancakes in a can. See my review here.



Gift Guide: Gadgets for the Home

Posted by on Tuesday, 15 December, 2009

Gadgets need not be relegated to the darkest corners of your home office or rumpus room. There are plenty of options that can easily blend in to the less techno-centric areas of your humble abode. In that spirit, here’s a list of relatively inconspicuous gadgets for the home.

Digital Photo Frames

iFrame_2 Digital photo frames have come a long way in terms of style and features. And while you can purchase inexpensive frames in just about any store that sells electronics, I’d personally recommend splurging a bit for one with a wireless connection of some type. A wireless frame allows you to do a few things that you can’t do with standard frames.

For starters, you can put it just about anywhere since you’ll be updating it wirelessly. With a standard frame, you need to make sure it’s placed in an accessible area so you can get at the memory card to add new photos. Secondly, many wireless frames let your family and friends add their own photos to your frame from anywhere in the world. And finally, if you’re interested, wireless frames can often showcase information like weather and news.

A few wireless frame choices for your perusal:

Solar Lighting

lampSolar-powered lights are slowly finding their way into the realm of normal-looking items. With the exception of not having a cord protruding from the base, there are more and more solar lamps coming out that’ll fit in just about anywhere.

I’ve been using the $17 solar lamp from Geeks.com seen on the right here and it’s been working pretty well so far. The batteries take a while to fully charge but once they’re ready to go, it’s nice to be able to use this lamp anywhere I need a little extra light. And aside from the little square solar panel embedded in the top of the lamp shade, it looks just like a regular lamp (again, without the cord, or course).

You’ll want to make sure to place your lamp in a spot where it’ll get decent sunlight and remember that these lamps are basically collecting sunlight and using it to slowly juice up rechargeable batteries, which are then used to power little LED bulbs. Current charge times may be long (9-12 hours) and actual usage time may be short (3-6 hours), but sunlight is free and free is good.

For the Kitchen

b40Add There are hundreds of potential kitchen gadgets, but here are a few I’ve personally tried and can recommend.

As far as coffee goes, some people get intimidated by fancy coffee makers. If there’s someone like that on your list, these Keurig machines are tough to beat – any of the coffee machines that use “pods” are actually pretty good. You fill the machine’s reservoir with water, pop a coffee pod into the machine, and put your cup or mug underneath the spout. Press the button and you’ve got near-instant coffee that tastes far better than instant coffee. And there’s basically no cleanup other than throwing the empty pod away.

Another fun idea, especially if you have kids, is a home soda-making machine. They can get a bit expensive but the idea is that you’ll save money in the long run, and the soda mixes for this Penguin machine I reviewed, for instance, don’t contain high fructose corn syrup.

For the germophobe in your life, there’s a new crop of touchless faucets on the market (see John’s review here) — “touchless” is a misnomer, but you’re able to control the thing with your wrist, forearm, or elbow.

And last but not least if you’ve got a pancake lover in your life, you’re left with little choice than to spring for a $5 can of Batter Blaster pancake mix. They’re pancakes in a can. Again, they’re pancakes in a can. See my review here.



Woot! Refurb 19-inch Philips HDTV for $150

Posted by on Monday, 19 October, 2009

tv Maybe you need a 19-inch HDTV for your den, office, or rumpus room. I don’t know. I really don’t want to get in the middle of a conversation that should definitely be happening solely between you and your domestic partner. If price is a concern, though, then please feel free to reference this $150 TV from Philips being sold on Woot.com today (and today only).

It’s refurbished but carries a 90-day manufacturer’s warranty. Specs include the following:

  • 19-inch display, 1400×900 resolution
  • 2 HDMI inputs, VGA input
  • ATSC/QAM over-the-air tuner
  • 300cd/m2 brightness, 800:1 contrast ratio, 5ms response time

The deal is good today only, which ought to force you to finally have the uncomfortable “I’d like a new TV for the rumpus room” conversation you’ve been putting off for so long.

Philips 19-inch LCD HDTV [Woot.com]



CrunchDeals: 19-inch 720p LCD TV for $149 at Target

Posted by on Sunday, 30 August, 2009

TVLooking for an inexpensive TV for your den or rumpus room? Target’s selling a 19-inch 720p LCD TV for $149 this week — that’s just over $50 off the regular price.

It’s a Sylvania with two HDMI inputs, a 1366×768 resolution, 1000:1 contrast ratio, 280 cd/m2 brightness, built-in speakers, NTSC/ATSC tuner, and 5ms response time. I’m going to go out on a short limb and guess that this thing might be seen in many a dorm room all across the country this fall.

Sylvania 19″ 720p LCD TV (LC195SLX) [Target via FatWallet]