extend

When Hewlett-Packard showed us an early version of its $349 MediaSmart Connect digital media extender, our first reaction was, "It costs too much." Now that it's actually available, it appears the company has finally gotten the message. We're hearing from a source close to HP that the official price will drop to $299 in early October, and that "retailers are expected to offer instant rebates so consumers should find the product for around $249...maybe even lower."

Why the price cut? Remember that the Xbox 360 can duplicate much of the MediaSmart Connect's … Read more

Regular Cheapskate readers know that I love me some Xbox 360--not just because it's a killer gaming console, but also because it's a killer media center extender. In fact, I recently suggested buying an Xbox 360 Core system expressly for its extender capabilities.

But why buy a Core for $170 when you can get an Xbox 360 Premium for $150? Yeah, that's what I'm talkin' bout! There are some catches, however, so read on before you pull the trigger (or, um, click the mouse).

First catch: this is the non-HDMI Xbox 360 Premium, meaning that you'… Read more

I admit it: That headline is a bit misleading. But let me 'splain. Not many people know that the Xbox 360 can double as a media-center extender, meaning it can stream to your TV all the videos, photos, music, and whatnot stored on your PC. To my thinking, it's superior to all the standalone extender products because a) It's cheaper; and b) It's an Xbox! (As you might have heard, they're not bad with the games.)

All of which brings us to my bit of headline trickery: CompUSA has refurbished Xbox 360 Core systems on sale for $169.99 (… Read more

With every step forward, there's often a step back, and in the case of the new iPhone 3G, it appears that battery life has taken a hit. Of course, the old disclaimer that your mileage may vary with use is in full effect, but the early consensus here in the CNET New York office is that if you're a road warrior/power user, you better have some backup juice on hand or you may be looking at a dead iPhone before day's end.

The solution: an extended battery. The sexiest one we could find was the $40 … Read more

Bottom line: This update should be worthwhile for security-minded businesses and creative firms. With Acrobat 9, Adobe brings new Web relevance to print-ready PDFs by enabling embedded video and animation. Forms, security, and overall ease of use are also enhanced.

The introduction of Adobe Acrobat 9 document-creation software could do for PDFs what the "Jazz Singer" did for movies. For the first time, PDFs can "talk" via embedded Flash video and Shockwave animation. In turn, users of Version 9 of the nearly ubiquitous and free Acrobat Reader will be able to watch movies, play interactive games, … Read more

Hewlett-Packard's line of MediaSmart TVs includes the built-in ability to stream digital media from your home network and the Internet straight to their screens. But for the vast majority of us who don't own an HP TV, the company will soon have a second option: the MediaSmart Connect. The little black box connects to your home network (via its built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi or wired Ethernet) and streams a wide variety of digital audio, photo, and video files--including content from compatible Internet services (including Live365, Vongo, CinemaNow, and MovieLink).

The MediaSmart Connect should be able to pull digital … Read more

In ads for its watches years ago, Timex coined a slogan that we dearly wish would apply to each and all of our gadgets: "Takes a licking, and keeps on ticking." Sadly, that's not the case, and too often we're buying a new electronic gizmo to replace a not-so-old gizmo that gave up the ghost way too soon. Except sometimes.

Every once in a while, a favorite gadget lives on and on, well past the expiration date on the longest imaginable extended warranty. That's the subject of an item on the U.K. version of … Read more

There aren't many options for Windows users who want to alter Windows Explorer context menus. One imperfect, though reasonable choice is the CMenuExtender. The application lets users customize choices within the context menu.

… Read more

HP likes to hedge its bets. In addition to a couple of big-screen flat-panel TVs with built-in Media Center Extenders, the company is now offering a set-top box as well. Like the MediaSmart TVs, the MediaSmart Receiver x280N has the ability to stream a wide variety of video (including MPEG-2, DivX, WMV, WMV-HD, and H.264/MP4 files), audio (MP3, WMA, WMA-Pro, WAV, AAC/m4a), and images (JPEG, BMP, GIF, and PNG photos) from networked PCs to your living room TV via its wired Ethernet or wireless 802.11a/b/g/n connections. Local media playback is also available via … Read more