Stories by: Ankur Badhwar

Samsung's YH-J70 is a 20GB hard drive MP3 player with a few unique features that help distinguish it from the generic iPod copies we so often see. The YH-J70 includes line-in recording, a built in FM tuner, video/photo playback as well as 18 equalisation preset modes.

Optima are an Australian company who has been known to produce some very respectable products in both the projector and desktop PC markets. Earlier this year, the local manufacturer ventured into the plasma market, and we have reviewed their latest 42-inch display panel - a cleanly designed unit that looks to have some stand out specifications.

Recently, we here at the GoodGearGuide have seen a surge in portable media players in the sub 50 gram range, sporting both a screen and compact design, as rival manufacturers attempt to counter Apple's dominance of the market. Sanyo has now entered the foray releasing two flash based MP3 players, the larger and cheaper DMPM360B (256 MB) and tiny sized DMPM600B (512MB). We reviewed the DMPM600B which left us with mixed feelings. While we were blown away by its functionality and size, we were left disappointed with its complicated interface, low file transfer speed and cheap feeling construction.

We have been blown away with past Panasonic projectors such as the PT-AE700 and its successor, the AE900, provides all that the previous model was capable of and more. The AE900 has had an upgrade, sporting an increase of contrast ratio of 5500:1, a higher brightness of 1100 ANSI lumens, 2X optical zoom as well as a learning remote control. The result of all this is an impressive projector with a very competitive RRP, capable of producing some of the best visuals we have seen yet.

The LCD-32XR1, a 32" LCD panel, is apart of Sanyo's latest range of LCD's that have been marketed as quality displays without the high price tag. Although the image quality ranks right up there with other well known competitors, we think this particular panel falters with only a short warranty.being offered.

Mitsubishi Electric pitches the HC900 as a home theatre projector that can be used in a brightly lit lounge room or a dedicated theatre environment. It has a very bright image display--1500 ANSI lumens--along with a contrast ratio of 4000:1. This enables the projector to overcome the bright ambient lighting or sunlight commonly found in a lounge room.

Avatec, a local distributor of LCD televisions, have impressed us before with their outstandingly cheap range of LCD TVs, and their 32" model is no exception to this. The standout feature of this display is definitely its price. Avatec has one of the lowest RRPs available on the market, and the display qualities of the screen are satisfactory. We could see this screen being a great introduction for consumers on a budget, and who are new to the big screen, high-definition flat panel market.

There has been a great deal of progress in the home theatre projector market this year, providing consumers with excellent hardware options, at significantly lower prices. Epson's EMP-TW600 Dreamio projector is an example of this, with high definition inputs (HDMI and component), a high contrast ratio and a low-power, high intensity lamp. We have seen these features slowly become standard, and hopefully this will continue.

An innovation in synthetic biology by students at UC San Francisco, has lead to development of 'living' photographs that are up to 100 mega pixels per square inch each.

Without paying for a reputable brand name, consumers are often plagued with tacky looking designs when purchasing electronic goods. We have seen many TV's with enclosure designs resembling toys, with shiny metallic casing and distractingly large logos. Yet if you research enough, you can find some cheaper alternatives which avoid this gimmick design trend - Legend Digital's 30" LCD screen being one of them. Not only does this LCD model have a minimal and clean looking design, it also is backed up with a solid performance in terms of colour reproduction, viewing angle, sound quality and configuration.

We've taken a deep interest into 'Ubiquitous Computing' lately. For those not familiar with the term, ubiquitous computing is a form of pervasive and integrated information systems, where the traditional interface between a user and their PC is radically different.