extend

Geeks.com has a ridiculously good deal on a refurbished Xbox 360 Elite: $199.99 (after applying coupon code XDEALS at checkout). Shipping will run you about $16.

For those not thoroughly versed in Xbox models, the Elite is, well, the elite. The top of the line. The Xbox that normally sells for $399.99.

Like a new unit, the refurb comes with a 120GB hard drive, an HDMI port, a wireless controller, and a headset. Unlike a new unit, the warranty expires after 90 days.

On the cabling side, the Xbox comes with only the usual component-video cable. If … Read more

Are you an active iPhone user? Or a Twitter and e-mail addict? Does your iPhone battery never lasting as long as you would like it to? Want emergency backup power? Regardless of the circumstances, you need a battery pack.

Just Mobile's Gum Pro, which I tested this week, gives an iPhone a little more than two additional full charges. I have no complaints about it and I'll never leave the office without it.

The Gum Pro offers some advantages that other battery extenders (such as the Mophie Juice Pack Air or the Energizer AP1500) do not. For starters, … Read more

For users who need to type the same text over and over again or are repeatedly copying and pasting text between Word documents, TextBeast Free Clipboard+ will be a blessing. This powerful clipboard application allows users to manage large quantities of text and cut and paste with a single mouse click.

TextBeast's interface is not the most intuitive one we've ever seen, but the program's capabilities make it worth the effort to figure out. The Welcome menu attempts to show users how to get started, but it takes some trial and error to get the hang of … Read more

ClipMate provides users with an opportunity to store and edit thousands of items from their clipboard. While the program is cluttered, its excellent performance makes this a great download.

The program's interface is initially confusing, thanks to the overwhelming number of small command icons spread throughout the screen. Fortunately, ClipMate provides tutorials and a Help file to teach users how to navigate through the various options. With a little trial and error, users of all skill levels will eventually be able to handle this program. We were pleased with how simple and accurately this program functioned. Whenever we chose … Read more

Going to a retail store for consumer electronics purchases can be both exciting and frustrating. After working at Best Buy for two years, I have a few opinions to share that you might want to consider before your next shopping trip.

1. We have no formal training in the field of consumer electronics. Upon transferring to the computer department from home theater, I expressed concern to the manager: "Will there be time for someone to train me on laptops/desktops? What do these specifications mean?" His reply was simple: "Just do your best. A good salesperson can just read the labels and compare specs." Ouch.

Salespeople are not necessarily experts in the products sold in their departments, even if they are expert salespeople. Though many express a strong interest in the products they sell, your time spent at a retail store fishing for information about a future TV purchase could be better spent online researching the products yourself (I heard CNET has pretty great reviews).

2. We make little off the big-ticket items, so we smother you with accessories. Remember the story "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie"? Well, if you tell a salesman you're going to buy a TV, he's going to want to sell you a DVD player to go with it. Once he sells you the DVD player, he's going to want to get you to buy an HDMI cable, too.

Managers at Best Buy (and possibly all retailers) tell employees that the store profits surprisingly little from video game consoles and computers. Cables, accessories, mice, and other components, however, have a huge profit margin-- stores can make about $120 from a $150 Monster HDMI cable. Angry yet? The point is, we're going to work really hard to convince you to purchase that big item, but once you've said "OK" you've opened Pandora's Box.

Here's my advice: Grab the big item, and run. Purchase all accessories online, including memory cards, cables, traveling cases, and so on. Amazon, Monoprice, and Newegg are all reputable discount Web sites. You'll find what you need at a much lower price.… Read more

Not everybody may be thrilled that the new iPhone 3G S looks exactly like the old iPhone. But its unveiling brought some good news for iPhone accessory manufacturers, especially those that make iPhone protective cases: they won't have to retool and create new accessories for the iPhone 3G S.

Case in point: Mophie's Juice Pack Air, an iPhone battery extender that doubles as a case and happened to be last week's Crave Giveaway of the week. (You can flip the battery on and off, so it'll only draw power when and if you want it to.) … Read more

GM announced its development of a new, more efficient internal combustion engine that will eventually be used to power its lineup of hybrid and extended-range plug-in vehicles.

In the homogenous charge compression ignition engine (HCCI), the air and fuel mixture is compressed to ignite rather than using a spark. When combined with other advanced technologies, the HCCI engine provides up to 15 percent better fuel economy, according to GM. … Read more

Call it a one-two punch: Monday's news that HP is discontinuing its MediaSmart Connect line follows Friday's report that Linksys' line of Media Center Extenders is also on its way out.

While two announcements doesn't a trend make (you need three for that), I'm hopeful that one of my consumer electronics wishes is finally coming true. We may be seeing the end of the standalone network digital media player. And I say "good riddance." This is a product category that never really should've existed in the first place.

To be clear, I'm not talking about digital music players--those products like Sonos, Logitech's Squeezebox line, or the growing number of cheap (often sub-$200) Wi-Fi radios available. That's a maturing product line that's providing real value--allowing you to access your PC-based digital music, Internet radio, and the growing array of online music services (both free and premium ones).

No, I'm talking about video-enabled digital media adapters. (Which brings me to gripe No. 1: the industry couldn't even agree on a common terminology. The products were alternately known as digital media adapters, digital media players, network media streamers, set-top boxes--or some amalgamation thereof.)

There were three big reasons the product category continued to languish in the enthusiast realm and never really went mainstream.… Read more

Updated at 4:50 PDT: You can read the full review of the product here.

No matter how long your iPhone or iPod's battery life is, it's never long enough. (In the case of the iPhone 3G, it's not even long to begin with). So, it's natural that you'd want to get a juice pack, which will provide extended battery power that can double or even triple the amount of time you can use your device between charges.

Most juice packs work with only a particular model of a device. The Juice Pack Air from Mophie, … Read more