AFTERGLOW CONTROLLER FOR PS3 Review

Reviewed by K.C. Kim
$19.99
http://store.pdp.com/p-717-afterglow-controller-for-ps3.aspx

The AfterGlow controller has now reached the next level of gaming for the PS3. This controller displays a new Night Glow LED system and a specialized glowing medallion for a cooler glow effect to really light up your gameplay. The AfterGlow controller is a fully analog controller that supports both PS2 and PS3 games played on a PS3 system. Added controller features include tactile rubberized grips for added comfort and step down trigger-style L2/R2 Buttons for increased gaming performance. Available in 4 colors (Blue, White, Red and Green).

If you just bought a new console then you’re going to want an additional controller when friends come over. Spending too much on a second controller doesn’t make sense for most people. They will probably be playing single player most of the time with occasionally playing with someone else. This is why I don’t dare to spend too much on a second controller for my PS3. The Pelican AfterGlow hits the sweet spot for me. It offers great features at a cheap price point.

While the price is cheap the quality it not. The Afterglow controller has a nice feeling in hand. While made of mostly plastic, it feels very rugged and can’t take some bumps. The controller has clear plastic that glows in a dark room with it are built in LEDs. The controller also has a dedicated Home button which some 3rd party controller doesn’t have.

I found the Afterglow controller to be even more comfortable than the stock PS3 controller. The controller also has a nice grip to it. The dual sticks work rather well and the top triggers buttons feel good too. The controller is wired but comes with a long wire so not a huge issue.

At under $20 the Afterglow controller for PS3 is the perfect second controller for your PS3. The money you save you can end up buying a game with. The controller works well and has a little flashy design with the LED lights.

8.9 Out of 10

Order now HERE

Pineapple’s Rumble Z Vibrating earphone, Ultimate Gaming, Movie watching – White/Green Review

Reviewed by K.C. Kim
$89.99
http://www.pineappleelectronics.com/

Mobile gaming has become more popular with cell phones, mp3 players, and gaming devices now with 3d gaming. I have both the Microsoft ZuneHD and Ipod Touch 2nd Generation and play games often. On these devices the effect is quite not the same as playing games on the big screen. One advantage is having several speakers with your home entertainment system. The good news is a new company is aiming to provide gaming earphones to the public.

The Pineapple design is similar to other earphones like the Apple iPod earphones. It does have silicone accents in green or gray colors. The earphones overall look good next to any device I use it with. I would also say the build quality it rather good that it should last a long time.

The Pineapple Rumble Z is geared towards mobile gamers. Apple with their iPhones and iPod Touch has brought good quality games to their mobile devices. What the Pineapple Rumble Z does is provide a more immersive game experience with clear sound and vibration feedback. The vibration function in the earphones is subtle yet effective in creating a new experience when playing games on your phone or mp3 player.

Overall I like Pineapple’s Rumble Z vibrating earphones for their good quality sound and game oriented feedback. These earphones can replace your stock earphones while providing better sound quality. Check out these earphones for something different. They will work great paired with your iPhone, DS, or PSP.

9.8 Out of 10

Buy it now on sale at Amazon.com for $39.99
Pineapple’s Rumble Z Vibrating earphone, Ultimate Gaming, Movie watching – White/Green

Rocketfish PS3 Rapid Fire Wireless Controller Review

Reviewed by K.C. Kim
$44.99
http://www.rocketfishproducts.com/pc-236-6-rocketfish-rapid-fire-wireless-controller-for-playstation-3.aspx

I recently decided to get a new console. The choices were between the Xbox 360 and PS3 Slim. I really liked the PS3 Slim with Blu ray player. And the price of $262 with Bing Cashback made it worth it. The only thing I disliked about the PS3 Slim was that I hated the controller. I am coming from being an Xbox user who always preferred their controller over the DualShock.

Anyone who has used the Xbox controllers knows the layout of the Rocketfish Rapid Fire controller. The controller felt comfortable in hand and comes in a glossy black finished. On the bottom you will find a physical on/off switch. The controller uses Bluetooth technology and has a built in 550mAh Ni-MH battery that rechargeable with the included USB cable.

The great thing about third party controllers is they come up with new features that even the first party controller does not have. The Rocketfish Rapids Fire has a turbo like feature that can turn a game with semi-automatic weapon into fully automatic. This can give you an advantage in some games. Also just like the Sony controller the Rocketfish controller has motion-compatible and works with SIXAXIS games. In addition you can get in the game with dual rumble motors. Especially with games like Madden you need the full effect of vibration effect. The two analog sticks feel good as my Xbox controller.

If you need another controller for when friends come over the Rocketfish Rapid Fire Wireless Controller is a good choice. Half my friends have 360’s while the other half has PS3’s. So when someone comes over to play some games they can pick from the stock controller or the Rocketfish PS3 controller. I’d say I’m more comfortable with the Rocketfish as it fits my hands perfectly. Go and grab the Rocketfish PS3 Rapid Fire Wireless Controller today at Best Buy.

9.2 Out of 10

Buy it now HERE

i.Tech Solar Charger 906 for i.CarKit and Other Mobile Applications Review

Reviewed by K.C. Kim
$59.99

i.Tech SolarCharger 906 Solar Charger Key Features:

* Discreet and elegant product design
* Highly efficient solar conversion due to a high-performance monocrystalline solar panel
* Comes with 10 adapter plugs
* Red light indicator to show the charging condition
* Separate row of four battery status indicator lights specifies the device’s charge level
* Dual mode charging: charged through a computer USB port and solar sunlight

I have been trying out i.Tech’s line of eco friendly products and I am currently checking out their latest offering. The i.Tech Solar Charger 906 charges your Mobile devices. I have seen solar powered products before but this one looks to be one of the best.

The Solar Charger 906 is small and compact that it can fit in your car. The kit includes adhesive to stick this in your car windshield. On the front you will find solar panels. The 906 comes in black with gray trim. The charger has glossy finished that would match perfect with your phone. The charger has a built in mini usb and you can add 10 different tips to it for a ton of various mobile phones, Bluetooth headsets and other devices.

The Solar Charger works well with high-performance monocrystalline solar panel. You mount the device with the included adhesive strips for windshield-cradle mounting and suction cups for temporary mounting. On the back of the device is a button that you press which shows how much the battery is left for the Solar Charger. So if the 4 blue lights show up the charger is fully charged. The charger can provide infinite talk time under sunlight.

I have often found myself with low battery life on my 2 year old cell phone. It only holds a days worth of standby time so I need to be alert and be ready to charge it. The Solar Charger is easy to keep in your car and charge my cell phone or Bluetooth headset. You can also detach it and take it with you as a backup battery charger. This is a great device that is worth getting for power mobile users. You can now charge your mobile phone, headset, mp3 player, and more in one charger.

9.7 Out of 10

Buy it here
i.Tech Solar Charger 906 for i.CarKit and Other Mobile Applications (Black / Grey)

Hauppauge 1192 WinTV HVR-1950 External USB HDTV Tuner/Video Recorder Review

Reviewed by K.C. Kim
$149
http://www.hauppauge.com/site/products/data_hvr1950.html

I was looking for a tuner that can view HD channels on my PC. Hauppauge is the leader in TV Tuners for the PC so that was the first place I looked. The Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-1950 was the model that I was looking at. I have tested 4 or 5 different TV tuners in the past but it’s been a couple of years since I tested one. So here is my chance to check out Hauppauge’s offering and find out if much has change or not.

What I like about the Hauppauge WinTV is that I don’t have to open up my computer. The Hauppauge tuner uses USB 2.0 to provide a connection to my PC. The tuner can view regular analog cable signals, as well as ATSC and Clear QAM. Clear QAM is a nice addition. Clear QAM channels are HD channels that your cable provider doesn’t encrypt. With all this talk about over the ATSC HD channels, Clear QAM is sometimes overlooked.

Setup was rather easy by installing several programs as well at the driver off of the included CD-Rom drive. I was up and running in latterly minutes. The tuner comes with WinTV V7 to view channels on. There is a new version v7 1.2a on the website that should fix some problems with the older software. Here is a list of fixes

* This version now supports FM radio (on those products with built-in FM radio). Listen, pause and record FM radio. You can also use the WinTV v7 Scheduler to schedule a recording of your favorite FM radio program on a once only, daily or weekly basis.
* Analog recording options have been added, allowing Good/Better/Best/Fair video qualities.
* Scheduling options have been added to allow shutdown/standby/hibernate at recording completion.
* This version fixes some QAM channel detection problems found in earlier versions of WinTV v7.
* This version supports the TitanTV Electronic Program Guide in the U.S.
* Any existing version of WinTV v6 will be deleted after installing WinTV v7.

You can also choose to use Media Center instead to view channels. For me using WinTV with Windows XP worked fine. I search ClearQAM channels and got over 40 unencrypted channels which included my local channels in high definition. But keep in mind your area would be different than mine. Plus I still got my normal analog channels as well. If you don’t have cable you can get a high-gain antenna (not included) and get over the air ATSC channels.

This tuner provides clear picture and performs the best I have seen on a USB 2.0 TV Tuner. It has all the functions to make this a perfect tuner for me. If you don’t have room to fit a huge Plasma, LCD, or LED-Lit TV in your room, then watching TV on your PC is the next best thing.

The Hauppauge 1192 allows you to watch high definition channels over the air with an antenna, clear QAM channels, analog cable channels and listen to fm radio too. You can also record making this a DVR solution as well. The built in MPEG2 encoder offsets the workload off your computer to the tuner. The tuner provides the same experience that my big screen TV does. I can watch all the same high quality, high definition channels but also record content. The WinTV HVR-1950 is well worth the price and I would recommend it to anyone.

9.5 Out of 10

Buy
Hauppauge 1192 WinTV HVR-1950 External USB HDTV Tuner/Video Recorder

Latte Café 32 GB Video MP3 Player with 4.3-Inch Touchscreen Review

Reviewed by K.C. Kim
199
Latte Café 32 GB Video MP3 Player with 4.3-Inch Touchscreen — Amazon.com Exclusive (Silver)

Here is an excellent selection for best anything but iPod mp3 player. The Latte Cafe has a massive 32GB of flash memory to store your entire library of music, videos, and photos. The player is an exclusive of Amazon.com and a worthy competitor to the iPod Touch and Zune HD. Check out my review here and see my reasons why this is the best choice for you.

The Latte Cafe is made of almost all metal which makes this have a quality feel that other players just don’t have. The front of player is dominated by the 4.3″ screen. This is the perfect size player for movie viewing on the go. It will keep your kids attention while you’re traveling on the road. Also the 4.3 is much bigger than both the iPods and Zune HD screens. Due to the touch screen the Cafe has a very minimalist design that looks quite attractive. On the back you will find an amplified dual speaker that provides nice sound for personal listening.

Now we move on to the features. The Latte Cafe can playback a large amount of video and audio formats. This includes direct playback of AVI, RMVB, RM, and FLV for video and MP3, WMA, FLAC, AAC, and APE for audio, and finally JPEG, BMP, GIF for pictures. I was impressed by the GUI of the Latte Cafe. Anyone familiar with a PC should have no problems with the Latte Cafe. All you have to do is simply double click on icons. I used my pointing finger and it was sensitive to my touch. Also includes is a stylus for no smudges on the screen. The 4.3 inch screen is absolutely beautiful and perfect size for movie viewing. I found smaller screens on iPods and Zunes to be harder to enjoy movies. The player has a huge 32GB of memory plus up to 16GB of expansion memory through the memory slot. This provides an amazing 48GB of possible memory for your collection. This puts this right up there with the top of line mp3 players with flash memory. Battery levels are also very solid at 4 hours for video and 10 hours for audio. The dual amplified speakers allow me to instantly watch my videos clips or music without bringing out the earphones. Also you can watch videos on the big screen with the built in TV out. And unlike the other players you don’t need a special pricy dock. You just plugged in the included cable and view all your content on your Plasma TV.

Other than music, video and picture viewing you will find a full calendar. The start menu actually shows the current date and time which is very convenient. In addition you will find a stopwatch and text viewer. Also included is a voice recorder for recording lectures.

I can’t say enough of this player. It is one of the best mp3 players on the market. I would put this right up there with the top end iPod Touch 3rd Generation and Zune HD. If you’re looking for large capacity solid state flash player that boots up fast, and has a unique and functional interface then look no further than the Latte Cafe.

9.9 Out of 10

The Latte Cafe is an Amazon exclusive for $199
Buy
Latte Café 32 GB Video MP3 Player with 4.3-Inch Touchscreen — Amazon.com Exclusive (Silver)

iTech Solar Voice 908 Bluetooth Headset Review

Reviewed by K.C. Kim
$74.99
http://www.itechdynamic.com/en/products_spec.asp?cid=1&pid=01200

Intro: What a cool idea adding solar charging to a Bluetooth headset. Most people who use their Bluetooth headset all day for business don’t have the time to plug the headset in for charging. With solar power this headset charges just by being outside in direct sunlight. In addition this headset looks attractive compared to other solar powered headsets.

Design: I was mainly impress that this headset looks like any other headset while having solar panels. I searched Google for other Solar charging headsets and found them to look clunky and unattractive. The Solar Voice comes in black with silver trim. Included are the headset, manual, usb cable, dock, ear hook and ear foam, and ac adapter. The dock is great to stick on your dashboard to charge your headset in the sunlight. The Solar Voice 908 felt comfortable in the ear and build quality is amazing as well. The package is made of 80% Post Consumer Waste which makes this eco-friendly.

Function: Like my previously headset review of i.Techs, the Solar Voice 905 uses the latest Bluetooth v2.1 +EDR. This allows easier pairing with your headset. The headset offers crystal clear sound for me and the other person on the line. The Noise Reduction provides less background noise. The headset also features A2DP to stream music to the headset from your phone like the iPhone 3GS. The Solar charger can be charged using the usb cable connect to your PC, use the included AC Adapter or simple be outside in the sunlight. Additional features include Voice Dialing, Call Transfer, Last Number Redial, Auto Re-Link and Call Reject. Also a 1 year limited warranty is included for added assurance.

Conclusion: I have been using a Citizen Eco-Drive watch and it’s great that I don’t have to change batteries every couple of years. In the same way the iTech Solar Voice doesn’t need to be plugged in. You just use the headset when you’re out and about and the Bluetooth headset charges in direct sunlight. There’s no doubt that this headset is great. The solar charging along with the design make this well worth the price. It is an excellent headset for business people.

9.6 Out of 10

Buy it now here
iTech Solar Voice 905 Bluetooth Headset

brite-View CinemaTube Review

Reviewed by K.C. Kim
$114.99
http://www.brite-view.com/cinematube.php

In the blogosphere the brite-View CinemaTube has been getting a lot of hype. The media player has a ton of features that put the competition to shame. Now will it live up to the hype or fall flat? The competition is stiff with the likes of Western Digital, Asus, Seagate, and others in this space. Check out my review and find out for yourself if the CinemaTube is worth your money.

The Cinematube is similar size and design to the CinemaCube with slightly different button and logo arrangement. But out is the white glossy finish(CinemaCube) and in is the black sleek finish(CinemaTube). I prefer all my gadgets in black since they hide more wear than the other colors so I appreciate the color change. The remote control is a full size version which is less likely to loose underneath a couch. It is very responsive as I tried it across a big living room and it would reacted instantly on the TV withou lag. Also included is an ac adapter, av cables, AAA batteries and cat5 Ethernet cable. Currently brite-View offers a free HDMI cable with purchase for the first 200 orders. In addition there is the option to choose the dedicated USB Wi-Fi dongle for a little bit more. Pretty much everything you need is included to get you started with options for more stuff.

Under the hood CinemaTube has been upgraded with improved performance and features to top the list of media players. The media player plays a ton of various codec’s including MPEG 1/2, SVCD, VCD, FLV, Divx, H,.253, RVMB which is a popular in Asian countries. The CinemaTube can do full 1080P HD video. Audio format include DTS and Dolby Digital. It can also stream content using the Ethernet cable or optional wifi adapter, and has a torrent downloader as well. The CinemaTube supports ISO files so you can play DVD menus. So now you can throw that old DVD player away and use CinemaTube for all your video needs. The Tube can also stream online content like YouTube, CBS, CNN, ESPN, and Hulu from UPnP using a 3rd party app like PlayOn.

The brite-View CinemaTube is my favorite media player to date. And I have tested a bunch of them from the WD HD TV player to the Seagate Theatre. It features a whole lot for not that much money. And I haven’t touched my Blu Ray player since getting the CinemaTube. This all-in-one media player replaces my Blu Ray Player, DVD player, audio player, digital photo frame, and more. It is the perfect time to upgrade to the CinemaTube. You will be happy you did and with top notch support you know you can trust Brite-View who knows about media players better than anyone.

9.8 Out of 10

Currently on sale now for $114.99 with free shipping.

Buy it now HERE

Blackfire CLAMPLIGHT Review

Reviewed by K.C. Kim
$29.99
http://www.blackfire-usa.com/proddetail.php?prod=001

I was looking for a flashlight that I can use around the house and take with me in my car. The Blackfire CLAMPLIGHT caught my eye almost immediately. The CLAMPLIGHT is the most unique flashlight you will come by.

The CLAMPLIGHT can clamp on to objects. It can also be prop up on a table. In addition the flash can swivel up and down. This makes this flashlight versatile and useful. You can pretty much use it anywhere. The light uses 3 AAA batteries to power the unit. This allows the flashlight to be light and thin.

The CLAMPLIGHT uses a 1 watt Cree White XR-C LED and I got to tell you it’s super bright. The bulb will last up to 100,000 hours. So pretty much this flashlight will keep going for a long time. It is rated at 65 lumens which stronger than a lot of flashlights.

The Blackfire CLAMPLIGHT is an amazing designed flashlight that works well for all your daily jobs around the house. I’ve seen similar snake like lights and the CLAMPLIGHT definitely beats them in construction. The flashlight is built with ABS plastic so it’s built to last. For just under $30 this flashlight is a steal for all it can do.

9.5 Out of 10

Order now HERE

CRKT Tuition Combination Edge 1161 Review

Reviewed by K.C. Kim
$49.99
http://www.crkt.com/Tuition

Specifications

* Blade: Length: 2.88″ (73 mm)
* Thickness: 0.12″ (3.1 mm)
* Steel: 8Cr14MoV, 58-59 HRC
* Closed: Handle length: 3.75″ (95 mm)
* Open: Overall length: 6.63″ (168 mm)
* Weight: 3.4 oz. (96 g)

We take a look at the CRKT Tuition knife with Veff™ Serrations combination edge. The knife was designed by Gerry McGinnis who has been making knives since his was 15. The now 20 something McGinnis has brought a nice offering to those who need a good working knife for outdoors.

The Tuition is not just any knife; it is well design and has excellent attention to detail. First the handle has a nice black and green pattern that is hard to see in photos but in person pop out at you. The front part of knife has rainbow effect while the back has two shades of green.

The 2.88″ blade is made of stainless steel and has a high hollow grind for fast cutting. The Tuition can be open one handed using the flipper. Simply push down on the back metal piece and the blade flips out. Once the blade is out the metal piece will also act a blade guard preventing from accidental closing. The knife comes in two blade types, either Razor Edge or Combination Edge. The Combination Edge or Veff™ Serrations provides faster cutting of rope, twine, netting, and vegetation.

The CRKT Tuition by Gerry McGinnis is definitely worth the price. Out of the entire knife collections of CRKT offers this one immediately pop out at me. And I’m glad I chose this knife. It has tons of features and design that you will want in a knife.

9.5 Out of 10

You can order the Tuition directly from the manufacturer HERE for $49.99.