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PriceSCAN Does Shoes!
Apparel | Mar 30, 05
We've been deluged with requests to extend PriceSCAN.com's famously unbiased price comparison service to footwear, and who are we to deny the will of the people.
As of now you can search for and price footwear for women, men and kids. We cover everything from athletic and outdoor models to dress shoes and boots. You’ll find scores of your favorite brands, Aerosoles to XOXO, Allen Edmonds to Zengara, Adidas to Zephz. And because its PriceSCAN.com, you’ll find those shoes will fit your budget as well as your feet. Take for example these Puma Criatura Casual Shoes, priced as low as $29.97.
So click, save and and enjoy....and look for more apparel categories to be featured soon (including handbags!).
PriceSCAN.com's Footwear and Shoes
Posted by jeffrey.trester at 3:51 PM | Comments (0)
Sony PlayStation Portable Is Released
Video Games | Mar 24, 05
The big news today is the arrival of the much–anticipated Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP). For Sony, under new leadership and reeling from a series of disappointing financial results, this is supposed to be the product that rights the corporate ship, a kind of multimedia iPod for gamers that redefines the industry.
So far the buzz is mixed. Proponents point to the brilliant 3.75in x 2.25in screen, the ultra-sleek chassis with clever placement of joystick and buttons, and the general thrill of being able to carry this much gaming power around with you. Yet Sony also wants to position the PSP as a player of music and movies, and here detractors have a few gripes. The PSP only plays movies and games from disks using Sony's proprietary Universal Media Disk format, which only Sony currently releases media in. What's worse, you can't even burn your own disks in this format. Further, this handheld has no internal hard drive, and the included 32 MB Memory Stick is a little skimpy in terms of tune storage.
Finally, there's the price. At $250, some may argue its not a bad deal given the amount of gaming power you can hold in your hand, while those more interested in multimedia functionality may find more value in other options. Either way, don’t expect deep discounting on the PSP anytime soon. People are currently paying a premium for the model already released in Japan, and strong initial demand, coupled with margins that are already fairly slim, will put a floor under the price for months. In any case, look for vendors on PriceSCAN.com to start carrying the PSP shortly, and they are already carrying PSP-compatible games.
Posted by jeffrey.trester at 4:15 PM | Comments (1)
An MP3 Player That Records AM and FM
Electronics | Mar 18, 05
I like the idea of using a digital music player to listen to, and possibly record, radio broadcasts, but I also like to listen to AM news. This has been a problem because no MP3 player on the market had an AM feature (not even an iPod!), and I don’t want to lug around a separate device just to get the news. Now my good buddy Thomas informs me that Pogo! is releasing its new Radio YourWayLX, an MP3 player that records live or via a timer feature.
It comes in 128MB and 512MB versions for 8.5 and 34 recording hours, respectively. The models should go for around $200 to $250, which is reasonable enough for news junkies to tolerate buying something from a company with an explanation mark in its name. Watch for even lower prices on these items from vendors on PriceSCAN.com in coming days.
Posted by jeffrey.trester at 2:47 PM | Comments (0)
Have iPods Lost Their Cool?
Electronics | Mar 9, 05
When something gets too hot, it just isn't cool anymore. That truism may be illustrated by the comments of one of our very hip early twenty-something employees, who informed me the other day that he was "against all things iPod". He's looking for a new digital music player; one that can play downloads from sources other than iTunes, which iPods can't because they only play files protected by DRM schemes Apple recognizes, notably its own FairPlay. That means an iPod won't play downloads from BuyMusic or any other source using a DRM method Apple does not recognize. Formats like WMA are not compatible with iPods, either.
I suspect, however, that the issue may be more than just digital rights management, per se. Apple has always tried to associate itself with rebellion, to be the brand of the nonconformist. But how can the purchase of a product everyone else is buying be an act of separating oneself from the crowd? And when item is bought from a company that would keep you from buying your music from anyone in the world but themselves, it doesn't just make you feel bad about your decision from an economic perspective, It also places you in opposition to the right to sell art as the artist sees fit. To people who really care about music, as my afore-mentioned young colleague does, that position is just not acceptable. As David Ness points out to me, this is a far cry from the ethos of those "1984" ads for the Mac. Cupertino can't really "stick it to the man" when its trying so hard to be him.
So if not the iPod, what? I'm reliably informed that the anti-iPods of choice are the iRiver H320 and Digital Networks' Rio Karma 20GB. The iRiver H320 plays up to 600 hours of music stored on its 20GB hard drive, and, with a rechargeable battery that lasts 16 hours, you'll have plenty of time to listen to those tunes. It sports a large, vivid color display that allow you to view digital photos in JPEG or BMP format – take that, iPod Photo! The H320 also includes a built-in FM tuner and supports USB 2.0 file transfers and MP3, WMA, ASF and OGG music file formats. You can pick one up for under $280.
As its name suggests, the Rio Karma also has a 20 GB hard drive allowing playback of 660 hours of WMA or 330 hours of MP3 music. Likewise, it supports USB 2.0, and its LiIon battery will go 15 hours of playback between charges. It also supports Ogg Vorbis and FLAC, has a backlit display with visualizations and even comes with a docking station for RCA Line-out and Ethernet connectivity. It's a bit cheaper than the iRiver, going for a bit less than $200.
Either way, you get alternative geek-chic at a low price. And Apple won't be able to tell you where you can and can't get your music.
Posted by jeffrey.trester at 2:24 PM | Comments (8)
