In the last 2-3 years, tablet devices have made a dent in the once traditional laptop and PC markets. Of course, the Ipad is the clear favorite among most hipsters but we decided to take a look at another device that has been gaining lots of momentum and that’s the Amazon Kindle Fire.

Highs:
-Great price
-Solid build quality
-Easy access to lots of media
-One free book a month

Lows:
-Occasionally clumsy interface
-Low internal storage capacity
-No 3G or bluetooth
-Marginal battery life

The Kindle Fire is the first tablet device by Amazon to be in colour. It’s 7.5 x 4.7 x .47 inches in size and only features a power button and audio output for headphones on the side. This means that any tinkering will need to be done through the tablet’s software functions. Inside, you’ll find a dual-core 1GHz TI OMAP processor paired with 512MB of RAM and a mere 8GB of storage. We wish that there was more storage space so that we could load more multimedia content but the device is priced cheaper to compensate for the lack of storage space. In the future, we hope they release another version with increased storage space for those that like to watch more movies/audio on the device compared to reading with it. The tablet supports 802.11b/g/n but doesn’t have 3G or bluetooth. We’ll forgive them for leaving out bluetooth but 3G speeds are a must in today’s workplace. Also, the Kindle’s battery life can barely reach 8 hrs. This isn’t too much of a concern as 8hrs. is still a long duration but it’s low when you compare it to most other tablets that can go beyond 8hrs. with some even reaching 10 hrs. in battery life.
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Apple has been popping out iPads every year and we finally managed to get our hands on one. The third generation iPad, called ‘New iPad’, has been on the market for a few months already and we were able to have one for a week to see how good it really is and how different it is compared to previous versions already on the market.

Highs:
-Great screen
-Simple interface
-Excellent network compatibility
-Great web browser

Lows:
-Device can overheat
-Apps take up too much space
-No camera settings
-marginal battery life

The new iPad looks pretty much like the old iPad. It’s got a white or black bezel with a curved metal backing. The tablet still has a sealed-in battery and no ports other than a MicroSIM slot, a standard headphone jack, and an Apple 30-pin dock connector. The screen on the iPad is one of the best that we’ve ever seen. The 2048 x 1536-pixel Retina display helps to create amazing detail for almost any picture and makes looking at the old iPad very hard to do since the old iPad’s graphics will look much more grainier than they ever have before. One area where the new graphics display really is a blessing is on the Ipad’s web browser. Pages load up fast and you can see every detail of the text and pictures which were a bit grainier and harder to read with previous versions of the Ipad.
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We managed to get our hands on a PS Vita for a few days and were able to take the time to review it for this site. The PS Vita is the next generation successor to the PSP (playstation Portable System). The device tries to not only focus on games but also has plenty of cool hardware for taking photos or using the device as an internet browser. Sony is trying to sell the PS Vita as an extension of the PS3 – A device where you can play your PS3 games and then save them and take the game with you on a train or bus and keep playing and keep playing right where you left off before. You can then take the PS Vita and attach it to your PS3 and keep playing the same game on your television as you were doing earlier in the day. Let’s take a look at some of the good and bad things about the new portable device…

Highs:
-OLED screen
-New user interface
-Ability to use Skype
-Touch screen
-Remote play
-SIXAXIS, accelerometers and gyroscopic sensors
-Dual analog sticks

Lows:
-Sony’s own proprietary memory card that doesn’t work in any other device but a PS Vita
-Poor battery life
-Only one screen
-No TV-out functionality
-Buttons are small and cramped

The first thing that stands out with a PS Vita is the screen. The Vita contains a 5” OLED display that has a qHD resolution (960×544). This will help developer’s improve lighting effects in games and help not to lower the frame rate degrade the gaming experience. The Vita uses a touch screen which works decently. There’s no need to have to type text for long periods of time anymore.The user interface has been changed and is no longer using the XMB interface from the PS3. The interface runs smoothly (60fps) but the graphics could be a bit more polished (hopefully they fix this up with a firmware update). One cool feature that the PS Vita can do is take advantage of remote play opportunities with the PS3. Very soon, you will be able to download a PS3 or PS Vita copy if you own the same copy on one of the two devices. This means that you’ll be able to stream PS3 games to your PS Vita for a more portable experience or move a saved PS Vita game to your PS3 and continue the experience at home. Another concept is to be able to use the PS Vita as a touch screen controller when playing games on your PS3 device. So far, there is no game that has taken advantage of these opportunities but it’s definitely something that gaming developers can use to their advantage to make a better gaming experience for all those involved.
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Nintendo has come a long way with their handheld portable devices. Many competitors have tried to outsell Nintendo with flashier graphics, bigger hardware and cooler accessories but Nintendo has still managed to be the #1 selling portable device in North America. The Nintendo DS has been around for a little over 1 year already so we finally decided to review the system after having gotten our hands on one and been able to play it for a bit.

Highs:
-3D graphics
-Ability to enjoy 3D gaming without the need for special glasses.
-Backwards compatible with Nintendo DSi games
-New analog stick is tough and feels comfortable when using it
-Increased screen resolution

Lows:
-Poor photo resolution
-3D graphics
-Top lid is flimsy
-Directional (D-Pad) is out of place
-Poor battery life
-3DS is a little too heavy
-250$ price tag (has since been reduced to 150$)

When we first tried out the 3DS, the first thing we noticed is how much stuff Nintendo has thrown in for free inside the box that they aren’t overcharging you for. You get a 3DS charger, a memory card and some pre-loaded software to take advantage of the 3DS’ sound capabilities and 3D graphics. The other noticeable thing that stands out on the device is the system’s first ever inclusion of an analog stick. The analog stick feels heavy in your hand and moves 360 degrees very easily without too much pressure. Unfortunately, the new analog stick has forced the directional pad to the lower left corner of the device where it feels out of place and uncomfortable to use especially when a large percentage of the 3DS games use the directional pad only.
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We’ve written extensively about fridges on this website but we’ve yet to discuss a fridge that will send you a beer without having to get off the reclining chair. It takes about 30 sec.-1 min. to get off the chair and into the kitchen but this can be cut down to about 10 sec. with the help of the beer launching fridge. The Beer Launching Fridge is a modified mini-fridge that catapults beer to the desired drinker by use of a keyless remote system. John W. Cornwell is an electric engineer who graduated from Duke University and uploaded the video to the web in 2007 and has won over 10 000$ as part of Metacafe’s Producer Reward program. The device works by going up an elevator mounted on the outside of the device where it’s then inserted into a catapult. The user then has a remote keyless control which can determine and lock the speed, launch angle, and direction just by the press of a button. The device only cost a few hundred dollars to create and can hold up to 10 beers inside the fridge. The catapult can launch a beer up to 13 feet away. Cornwell has demonstrated his device on ‘The Late Show with David Letterman’ and ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ and has received media attention from web sites like Digg and Slashdot and a segment on the television program ‘The Colbert Report’. The only downside to this device is that the launching of the beer in midair might cause a bit of foam to stir up on the top of the bottle but aside from this issue the beer should taste fine and be nice and cold once it reaches your reclining chair.

[ratings]

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