Tom Brauser

  I recently got my hands on the Acer Aspire S7 Ultrabook and was impressed the moment I took it out of the box, and continued to feel that way as I ran it through its paces. It is a beautiful machine with a stunning display, very speedy performance, all in a very thin and light form factor. It is no wonder they call it the “professional edition” as the design of the S7 Ultrabook is very sophisticated. This machine is an able competitor that is worthy of very serious consideration for your next computer.

  If you read the NY Times Bestseller Wild by Cheryl Strayed, then you will learn how not to pack as she did for her hike on the Pacific Coast Trail. If you haven’t read it, I would highly recommend this true story of her over 1,000 miles hike by herself to escape the loss of her mother and a broken marriage, all with no wilderness experience whatsoever. I don’t profess to be a wilderness expert although I have done a fair number of wilderness trips of at least one night, and usually more. The trick with overnight backcountry camping is not to take too much while making sure you have what you will need so you don’t get in trouble.

      Until now, if you wanted a large-screen curved TV you had to buy an OLED set at a premium price. Samsung has just launched their line of LED HDTVs and UHD TVs with curved screens and a ton of other features. Samsung’s H8000 series are their high-definition curved TVs, and their HU9000 series are their 4K UltraHD curved screen TVs. Samsung is always striving to stay ahead of the curve, no pun intended, and these fantastic TV’s will do just that.

  Sound bars have become the most popular way to improve your entertainment sound experience because they are reasonably inexpensive, simple to setup, and don’t take up much room. TV speakers are small and flat so they just can’t cut it, so a sound bar is a great way to get better sound. The good news is that there are a lot of bars to choose from, but how do you choose? Here are the factors that I think you should be considering in your purchase.

Logitech has been a long time leader in providing excellent universal remote controls. They provide such a wide range of universal remotes that you are sure to find the ideal remote for your entertainment system and budget. At the top end of their line is the Harmony Ultimate, which has amazing capabilities – in fact more than the average person will likely need. Logitech just introduced welcome additions to their lineup with the Harmony Ultimate One and the Harmony Smart Keyboard. They are both priced much more favourably than the Harmony Ultimate but have everything you will likely need. I got a chance to test them both so here is my full report.

    It‘s that time of year again when your thoughts turn to your outdoor space, thinking about entertaining in the back yard, only to realize that your outdoor furniture did not respond well to old man winter.  Rust and mildew have taken their toll.  The cure for this ongoing replacement of seasonal outdoor furnishings is to invest in quality pieces that will stand the test of time and weather. In comes Nardi (coming soon to Best Buy).

    I recently posted on what to look for when buying a new TV, which made me think it might be helpful to explain some of the TV terminology that you will encounter in your search. There are a lot of TV technology terms out there, but I will discuss those that I think are more important when evaluating TV’s.

    Roku recently announced the launch of their new streaming stick, which looks similar to the Google Chromecast dongle so I researched both and wrote a  comparison of the two, to figure out which one is better.  In my opinion they are both good, but felt the Roku Streaming Stick is a better value device. I now have my hands on one of the first Roku Streaming Sticks and can provide you a proper review to let you know if it lives up to those expectations.

  Sonos has been a leader in wireless modular home speaker systems that can deliver music throughout your home.  They have been the leader in this market because it is their singular focus. They have excellent products like the Sonos Play 1 and the Sonos PlayBar, which we reviewed earlier. But there are other excellent wireless systems, like Bose Soundtouch, that have entered this market. Sonos has recognized they need to continue innovating if they want to maintain its lead position, so they overhauled their app that controls their home wireless systems, making some major improvements that you can’t get anywhere else. 

    Roku recently announced their streaming stick, now available at Best Buy.  Google Chromecast has been in the US market for quite a few months.  But how do they compare? They look similar but which is the better device? Although I haven’t been able to test either one of them in my living room, I understand each of them well enough to give you a pretty good idea on how they differ.