Having guests over? Expecting family for a visit? Asked the boss over for a game day or inviting that special someone for a casual movie night?   These tech toys can be conversation starters that make you look ahead of the curve, even with those aging velour pillows and dust bunnies lurking. But also for summer travel, group fun, work downtime and coffee shop bragging rights these gadgets are all “most wanted’.

1. Recharging Mats

Getting more charge in the garage was never more high tech than now. Powermat, PureEnergy Solutions, and Witricity are a few of the companies crafting brilliantly sleek power charging mats for pods, device, cellphones, and more. A black-on-black sexy look and feel gives James Bond upgrade to any room. Clean up your pod area and allow guests a handy place to charge up. Metal and magnetic technology make the options complex but appealing.

2. Sound Bars

Cables and wi-fi for the home theater got you down? Got better things to do with your weekend than a LCD TV installation and reading bracket diagrams? Attach a sound bar device under your new or existing LCD, LED or HDTV and enjoy the fascinating tech appeal of minimal audio footprint with maximum delivery of tonal depth and modular density. LCD TV never looked better. Guests will notice audio quality boost right away.

3. Super Mini Lav Mikes

Input microphones that capture sound quality for ad hoc videos YouTube moments, and brilliant off the cuff home karaoke have been the challenge for all miniature media recording formats and devices. Lavalier mikes get sound from more than one person and clean up those white noisy viral marketing videos. the James Bond factor? Portable use means getting what those people behind you in line said for all eternity.

Why buy a miniature lavalier mike? Fewer echoes, no garbling, better digital results. Clarify your presentation for upload to your site with the $25 Audio-Technica (or $450 wireless Sony ) lav mikes. Make your site videos and home entertainment moments more memorable and reproducible instantly. Condensing audio into amateur video painlessly just got easier. And home business deductible, too.

4. Pocket Projectors

Hone your elevator pitch with devices like 3M’s $395 pocket projector. Make your case to the microinvestor standing next to you at the airport or show the partner your quarterly statements waiting for the shuttle. Be the guy with the coolest gadget in the room. Imagine  projecting your pitch in a darkened movie theater before the previews roll an the captive eyes and ears listening.

If you party or entertain at sports venues or private homes, any blank wall in a dark room or exterior surface becomes a conference room. 3 gigabyte memory, Excel and Word, and 20,00 hours of lamp light life mean your message goes until you stop. Make nearby prospects, investors and sponsors speak up and ask to join the party and see the show. Did that Vegas airfare just become tax deductible for your home business?

5. Mini Book Reader

Sony ($400) and CyBook Opus ($199) make some slick little book devices that take the ouch from your shoulder and put that mission to finish “War and Peace’ back on the table. Orientation shifts and menu manipulation bring titles and documents into view. Tiny smart technology LCD screens allow for focused reading in small spaces. A mini book reader is the ultimate grad gift.

Ample space and media access make the sky the limit. The Opus is just over five ounces and the Sony needs a wireless network, but those casual book recommendations just got some instant traction. A USB cable makes reading list content accessible for parents, kids, and companions.

Google books and media card content mean plug and play digestion of the department’s updates and bulletins just got play-date friendly. Got some massive white papers to digest? Waiting for a flight an extra hour? Mixing business with pleasure? Get back to work Monday having done the required reading without lugging the computer bag around all weekend.

1. The Thin Man

The Thin LCD television is a goal of old timers who have put up with enough bad experiences with a bulky and meat-and-potatoes TV set. A Thin LCD TV can sit on a wall mount or be placed on a high shelf for support yet allow more room for seating and space planning. the thin fan has a sound bar thin enough to match the TV profile. With a thin TV unit there’s no more ‘there’s no space in here for the TV” noise. Wall mount friendly.

Recommended LCD TV Models: Sony Bravia, Panasonic, Mitsubishi, Samsung Ultraslim, LG LED TV

2. The Music Fan

Audio has differentiated into some serious tech pizzazz with subwoofers and multiple stereo plans optimizing any music fans’s lust for sound. The technical specifications of the TV must match existing or planned speaker units, boxes, and dynamics for best sound. The most audio friendly television with LCD, DLP or high definition can complement the average LCD TV unit. Motorized wall mount for screen control anywhere.

Recommended LCD TV Models: Mitsubishi Unisen, Sony

3. The Internet Watcher

Streaming video, on-demand movies, and purchase and rental sites and services are flowing to LCD TV owners at home. The internet watcher who owns a LCD TV can browse channels, expand viewing choices instantly and store movies and program viewing infinitely with no censorship or limit to extended viewing. Internet TV can be piped directly or channeled from the PC. Photo viewing and wireless keyboard connection is a must. Angled wall mounts allow for family viewing and room enjoyment.

Recommended LCD TV Models: Sony(KDL-52W5100), Samsung, Sharp, Panasonic

4. The Home Theater Gourmet

The home theater aficionado wants ti all. not just the LCD TV but the in wall stereo speakers, the midwaist high subwoofer and the padded walls to enhance the shroud of home entertainment altar. A custom curved screen for the home projection room may be in evidence. Impressive performance from the only the best audio products makes the grade. A private yet commercial-seeming experience is the goal.

The home theater enthusiast will have optimized room treatment, triangulated synth wave adjustments, and modal density organization that can punch a hole in the neighbor’s wineglasses. Brightness and color temperature will be factor in home theater installs. Dark and light palettes reveal accurately anytime. Speakers behind the screen, rolldown screen, video calibration, and 1080 hp resolution at least.

Recommended LCD TV Models: Sony, Sharp Aquos, Samsung

5. The Sports Color Fanatic

The LCD TV color fanatic wants the brightest greens on the golf course and the bluest skies above the surfing championships. the race cars must churn into view and scramble around corners brilliantly and horse show jumping must capture and convey every detail.Sport color fanatics want their graphic bold, their players bolder, and their animations and halftime shows bursting with wide viewing angles and crisp color detail. 1080 hp resolution at least.

Recommended LCD TV Models: Samsung, Sony, Mitsubishi LaserVue, Sharp Aquos, Also, LG LED THX. Clearscan 240 Regsa Toshiba LED TV.

6. The Gamer

LCD TV sets are not just for broadcast signals. Gamers need the responsiveness of a normal TV with the outstanding color rendering and quick reveal that serves instant touch video game play in high definition. Gamers want brilliant channels of color that immersively display as quickly as the game needs to move, over melee play and single player missions. 1080 hp resolution at least. Dolby 5.1 or enhanced sound is a must.

Recommended LCD TV Models: Sony Bravia with Motionflow, Panasonic Viera HDTV

7. The Movie Junkie

Black and white films, super action flicks, 3D dimensional special effects, as well as restored and digital films. DVD extras and extended scenes makes movies zap viewers until they say uncle. Picture performance and internet video access is critical, as well as fidelity to component input and backlighting technology.

Recommended LCD TV Models: Sony, Samsung, Toshiba

Some serious new tech is available in the LCD and 3DTv television watching space for home theater and personal viewing and listening enjoyment. Gear for the TV fan on your block gives bragging rights at the backyard BBQ or scout troop pizza run.

1. TV Clean

This product claims to have millimeter fine cleaning and dusting ability for these whopper new TV’s the consumers keep installing into their homes. It’s sort of like a mini-Swiffer for the TV screen but has a little more tech and lot more price tag. Cost can be $30-$60 depending on the source. Why the need for cleaning materials specially built for upmarket TVs? One damaging scrape and your $6,000 TV is over.

The TV Clean duster works using an adhesive that does not harm the delicate and technology rich monitor and LCD screen panels that can accumulate dust, air particles, chemical and pollutants in the air and age the TV screen and overall efficiency of the TV device prematurely. A must for all new HDTV and 3DTV owners.

2. The Stereo Soundbar (ZVox Incredibase)

The soundbar is the toy for LCD and 3DTv owners who want to have a little less footprint and widget heavy entertainment rooms. A slim design, awesome stealth footprint and a stunning Darth Vader visual impact don’t hurt either. Audio quality and design have advanced significantly in recent years, but TV’s have actually degraded unit audio quality on the expectation a sound system is an assumed covered bet.

This unit is designed to get installed then the sound can be operated and adjusted form the remote, which will give basis users a sigh of relief. The price can stretch to the mid $XXX mark, but the clean look and unhampered wiring might win the day.The jacks include an Ipod hookup, which means that music is now TV friendly too. While not a multichannel unit (it stems from analog signal), the soundbar also provides a TV base for those flimsy legacy TV stands everyone has.

3. DDD

The DDD software is available online and can convert 2D content to 3D content. This is called the Tridef experience. DDD also employs conversion for gaming and old movies as well, but also plays original 3D content too. Download the drivers at the DDD website to transform your 2d games into 3D powerhouse plays. Exploring Google Earth in 3D could be very fun for the whole family. $50.

4. Nvidia 3D Vision Goggles

Whether it’s fly fishing or navigating the space station, an extra piece of gear always seems necessary. The drawback to immersion in the new 3D technology is the 98 pound weakling’s answer to life: 3D specs. Plug into the USB drive and let the eye-to-mind TV collusion begin!

While 1950’s old-timers may roll their eyes give the kids the “are-you-kidding-me treatment, the 3D glasses are needed to deliver the 3D television picture impact. $199. 3D Glasses are the new RSVP. Going to a game viewing or big TV event at a friend’s? Bring Your Own Goggles!

5. Sleek Audio In the House

Get a slew of these headphones for the home theater and watch the encomiums flow. Pricey, at $350-400, the aptly named Sleek Audio S7’s have detachable cords and are made of crushproof aluminum. A $100 kit can render them wireless friendly. High octaves and room hi fidelity may mean an investment that repays itself in quality.

The Sleek Audio S7 is repairable, detachable, screwed in and shock resistant to 14,000 G’s, these puppies will outlast discovery of life on Mars. With soft tips, treble and bass attachments, and serious gadget cred, these headphones might outlast your HDTV. Some companies really take the brand to heart.

Honorable Mention:

Urbanears splittable headphones. $60 buys a pair of urbanears headphones with a sound splitter in it for a buddy to jack in and stretch back and enjoy the pet sounds. The sound is the same, but one device can pipe the tunes for two.

Compare our TV mounting systems. Click Here
Or visit our partners at: TvSwivelMount.com, FlatTvMount.com

You Need a New TV If:
1. You think a subwoofer is a miniature dog that barks a lot.

You Need a New TV If:
2. You think modal density is how stupid people start and run their computers in safe mode.

You Need a New TV If:
3. The house outlet serving your television has amperage for your set top box or your mono speaker, but not both.

You Need a New TV If:
4. You are a black belt in TV rabbit ears manipulation.

You Need a New TV If:
5. You can kick start the TV if you hitch up the horse and wagon.

You Need a New TV If:
6. The only people who know how to fix your TV are 6 feet under.

You Need a New TV If:
7. The grandkids can’t find the remote, because there is no remote.

You Need a New TV If:
8. You watched the Olympics, the Super Bowl, and every episode of LOST alone.

You Need a New TV If:
9. You still use the headphones you bought for your TV. In 1976.

You Need a New TV If:
10. When people say high definition you say you’ll be working out more in the future.

You Need a New TV If:
11. You didn’t buy a plasma TV because you’re scared of needles.

You Need a New TV If:
12. Your VHS collection is not aging as gracefully as you’d expected.

You Need a New TV If:
13. Changing the channel dial makes a clicking sound.

You Need a New TV If:
14. Your broadcast channel spectrum only has one set of “Seinfeld” and/or “Law & Order” reruns going.

You Need a New TV If:
15. After violent snowstorms the neighbor’s kids come over to watch TV. And leave after 5 minutes.

You Need a New TV If:
16. You enjoyed the last time you watched “the Tonight Show”. When Johnny Carson was hosting.

Using a consumer digest to guide your LCD purchase? Not so fast! Not all consumer reviews and buyer reports and evaluations are valid. I know this because I recently picked up a leading consumer magazine and was appalled to find the leading netbook was not even included in their ’substantial” overview of the entire product offering industrywide.

The competing publication, Laptop Magazine, had a comprehensive report on all the notebook brands including MSI. The rationale for the product ratings for different categories and subjects and consumer response across many categories was explained in detail. But consumers and readers reviewing the consumer magazine would have missed that fact.

With the television consumer product market the largest and most profitable big box universe going, the retail world depends on reviews and consumer ratings to drive demand and sales. But consumers need to know which units of LCD TV will mount on brackets, be flexible to swivel mounts, and work well wirelessly when elevated above the midlevel of a room.

Online ratings and test drives of technical devices should be reported by intelligent writers capable of knowing much more than the product range or likely uses of the device. Sadly, many online ratings writers and device analysis reviewers have very little experience simply producing an adequate review result. But readers may not know that, and readers who expect expert opinions and qualified judgements to guide their buying decisions assume a larger ability to judge technical merit than just “the man on the street”.

Someone experienced in installing bracket mounts and home theaters is the right person to judge a LCD TV unit’s fitness to be a functional part of the home entertainment area. They know which connectors and formats should be included, and when the placements of outlets and wiring housings is awkward.They can tell if the thinness of the device is vended with halts to visual quality, audio spectrum, and tuning performance.

As home theater troubleshooters, they know when subwoofers are hitting the floor more than the ceiling, when modal density is weak, and when basses are tinny and inconsequential. but the best person to write the LCD TV or accessory review may not work for a consumer magazine. Accessory components should be tested with the LCD TV model, even earphones.

Publishing, especially magazine publishing, operates under rules of its own. Print deadlines require less flexibility than online reporting. When a summary of opinions is slapped together to meet a deadline or make a cover story complete, the quality of the writing and the data is sacrificed.

But the masthead of a consumer or industry publication creates an aura of authority that underscores the written account regardless of its veracity. For advertising revenues and the magazine business model, this happens more often than readers might believe.

Publications compose LCD review features for press deadlines, not from expert judgement panels. The consumer reviews of the LCD market is much the same. Many of the consumer reviewers may be looking at “small” or “midsize” LCD television options when their reviewers want to write sexy text blocks about stadium sized LCD units like the new HDTV and 3DTV products, the Jumbotrons of the American living room.

These writers may know (or consider) the needs of the American reduced footprint green smart house, or the thrifty LCD buying habits of the retired senior citizen. With the reduced size of the high definition and LCD televisions now available, consumers have new choices about the new high quality LCD television they bring into the home. Online feedback, consumer based reviews, and YouTubes are all good legitimate LCD TV review sources.

Compare our TV mounting systems. Click Here
Or visit our partners at: TvSwivelMount.com, FlatTvMount.com