Archive for the 'Commentary' Category

Apple iPad: Epic Fail? Meh? 71% currently think so…

I don’t know about you, but I was underwhelmed by the new Apple iPad today.  Especially given the hype that we have been fed the past few weeks. I did a Google search under “iPad Epic Fail” and surprisingly, none other than MSNBC has a poll going using that same term… EPIC FAIL!   As […]

I saw Mary McDonnell last night

  Image: NBC Universal Publicity Last night I was sitting down eating pizza with some buddies when I saw someone who was an absolute dead ringer for Mary McDonnell.  She was sitting at a table across from us and looked over several times.  Battlestar Galactica fans know Mary as the actress who played Laura Roslin.  I thought, […]

A Star is Born

If you haven’t seen this yet, go directly to the links below for the feel-good story of the year, now sweeping the world… Britain’s amazingly talented, warm and wonderful Susan Boyle. Susan’s Debut A past recording of Susan singing Cry Me a River.  How did she go undiscovered for so long? I’m looking forward to […]

Watchmen Movie: Don’t waste your valuable time or money

The much-hyped Watchmen debuted a week ago.   I finally saw it last night and it was easily one of the worst movies I have EVER seen. Everyone knows big budget production Speed Racer bombed last year.  Well, Speed Racer is WAY better than Watchmen, and I didn’t even like Speed Racer.  When a movie makes […]

Buy Lance Snacks

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy Holiday season,  and thank you for your support this past year. I have lots of new things coming to the site soon, so please stay tuned.    I just came across a heartwarming story that is fitting in the spirit of the holidays and […]

DTVPal (Dish Network, Echostar TR-40) now available, sadly, not free with coupon…

  Dish Network finally has their DTVPal on the market, but it is not $40 as previously announced, but $59.95- comparable to most other converter boxes.  The bright side is that based on my review sample, it looks to be an excellent unit, one of the nicer ones on the market.  This may not be enough […]

Polk Audio tour and Jerry’s Records- a neat coincidence today

I’ve had a very relaxing and enjoyable Sunday. Paul DiComo of Definitive Technology is in town and we went shopping at Jerry’s Records, Pittsburgh’s legendary used record store. I first met Paul when he ran the marketing department for Polk Audio, and he is a great guy and a true music lover and audiophile. He […]

Philips BDP-7200 pictures online tonight

I am on vacation and didn’t expect my column on the BDP-7200 to hit just yet so I did not post the pictures, but the Miami Herald and Modesto Bee ran the column today.  As soon as I get home late tonight (the pics are on a different computer)  I will post the pictures of […]

Arirang

Arirang- watch the performance on YouTube (opens new window) Arirang is a Korean folk song that tells the story of a man and woman separated due to circumstances beyond their control. Besides being a musical metaphor for the two Koreas, it is known as one of the most beautiful songs in the world. On February […]

Does Monster Cable sound as good as wire coat hangers?

Apparently Monster Cable DOES sound as good as a coat hanger- but no better!    Consumerist.com:  Do Coat Hangers Sound as Good As Monster Cable? This is one of the best debunkings of Monster Cable I have ever seen.  In a blind test, a bunch of audiophiles couldn’t tell the difference between Monster Cable and wire coat hangers with […]

Reek Squad (Or more directly, something stinks at Best Buy and Geek Squad)

I came across this rather shocking article through one of my email alerts. Lately I’ve been expounding on why I believe locally-owned, independent retailers are a far better place to do business than big-box stores… this piece from MSNBC drives the point home. This is an extreme case but this isn’t the first time I’ve […]

Why I’ve been MIA: Another website on the way

Readers may wonder why I haven’t been updating my CES reports or making any new blog entries recently, though my column continues to run in newspapers every week.   I’m ready to announce I have a brand new website  under development, something new that  will be the biggest and best site of its type on […]

CES 2008: Legend Silicon

My first meeting  of day 2  was with Legend Silicon at a hotel suite.   You probably haven’t heard of Legend Silicon before, but they are incredibly important to the most populated country in the world- China.   Legend Silicon helped develop the digital television technology used in China and developed innovative circuitry regarding mobile […]

Interview with Greg Karp of “Spending Smart”

Syndicated columnist Greg Karp recently interviewed me and asked what I thought about expensive cables. You can read about it at the Chicago Tribune’s site, http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/yourmoney/chi-ym-spending-0113jan13,0,1923761.story

CES Day 1- Monday, January 7, 2008 HD DVD and Blu-ray, South Hall tour

Without question the big story of this CES is Warner’s dumping of HD DVD for Blu-ray exclusivity and the way the deal went down.   I have inside information and will be writing in greater detail about it in the near future, but suffice it to say Warner Bros. wanted to end the format war […]

CES Update coming soon

I’ll have a report on my first day at CES up later today.   Being on Eastern Time makes my days a little bit shorter than they would be otherwise!  

Greetings from Las Vegas: CES 2008

Sunday, January 6th… I arrived in Las Vegas this morning for the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show.   I’ll be posting every night with news and commentary, so be sure to stop back. After checking in to my hotel I went over to the convention center to get my badge holder and the free press bag […]

Reader comment regarding the 42HL167, and my response

Gotta hand it to my readers, they don’t miss much!   Soon after posting the 42HL167 deal, I received this email: Don, I am a little confused.  A while back you stated that 1080p was pretty much meaningless and now here you are recommending the Toshiba 1080p 42″ for $999.  Did something change other than […]

Which is More Consumer Friendly: HD DVD or Blu-ray?

This is a great piece by the publisher of HDTV Magazine, Shane Sturgeon.   He clearly “gets it” about why HD DVD is the clear choice over Blu-ray. Which is More Consumer Friendly: HD DVD or Blu-ray? Coming soon- some great new speakers worth a look, and more Q&A columns posted.  

A FANTASTIC piece about the expensive wire and cable scam

I’ve long said using expensive wire and connecting cables is like filling your toilet tank with Evian… it’s expensive and wasteful as tap water flushes just as well. If you buy expensive wire or cables, imagine yourself wrapping it around the figurative neck of your system and strangling the life out of it… because that […]