Archive for January, 2011

Oakley 3D Gascan

The world of 3-D technology, movies and movie players is clearly on its way to becoming a large part of the industry standard, and something is going to have to be done to mitigate the number of disposable 3-D glasses tossed out after every big-screen release. In fact, nearly 800,000 disposable plastic 3-D glasses were handed out each day during Avatar’s peak in popularity. No one wants all those 3-D spectacles winding up in their area landfill. So what’s the solution? It’s buying your own pair of stylish 3-D glasses and using them at home when watching a 3-D flick in front of your TV lift cabinet, or while you’re with friends at the local theater, or (before long)while you’re at the corner bar watching a 3-D sports event.

Oakley has been producing some of the most stylish sunglasses in the industry for a long time, and now with the release of their Oakley 3D Gascan, you can be sporting Oakley style day or night.

For something unique in the world of 3-D glasses, consider Look3D’s LK3D252GC, which takes off the fake tint on most 3-D specs and allows your date to gaze into your eyes. These also have some of the thinnest frames found on 3-D glasses to-date.

Polaroid will no longer be held hostage to its old-school pictures that turn from gray to milky white to a colorful image by whipping it back and forth through the air. The reason is because they offer Premium 3D Glasses for around $30. They’re lightweight and comfortable, too.

Probably everyone knows Calvin Klein designs, and if you like designer labels, check out the “ck3D” sunglasses that change automatically from day-wearing sunglasses to indoor 3-D glasses, but you will have to pay for the designer’s premium, as they run about $180 a pair.

Maybe not Top Gun-approved, the Moshka 3D Airframes are lightweight, aviator-style shades that are fun and come in black, white, pink or red, and they only run about $35.

If you really want to invest in a pair of designer 3-D glasses for home or away use, Gucci’s 3-D glasses (at $225 per pair) top the ticket. They might be exactly what you’re looking for, or you might want to go to the movies over 20 times for the same price.

Last but not least, the Look3D LK3D9042GC features a unique vintage design at a vintage price, $27.50 a pair. These glasses seem to honor the rich history of the cinema itself.

Are there any others we should check out? Let us know in your comments below.

At the 2011 CES, Mashable, a top source for news in social and digital media, took a moment to highlight where Panasonic’s 3-D future might be headed. As shown in the video above, Panasonic isn’t announcing when their new interactive 3-D TV will be available to mass consumers, but it is nice to see a fine 3-D flat-screen that will easily work in our TV lift cabinets. According to Mashable, Panasonic hasn’t traditionally been known for their software development or user interface, but staff at Mashable are excited about the way users can manipulate icons in 3-D space, and everyone else should be too.

Much like the Wii remote (and the upcoming Magic Wand for Apple TVs), Panasonic uses a special remote that controls on-screen elements and makes it faster and easier to access the content for which they’re really looking.

Since this 3-D TV debuted at the 2011 CES, it is likely that it will be hitting some stores’ shelves this year, but there are no guarantees. If you do find one, though, drop us a line. We’d like to know about it. And if you purchase one yourself, snap a picture of it in your TV lift cabinet and send it over. We may feature it in a future blog post or on our Facebook page.

Cachet TV Lift Cabinet

Are you looking for an expertly handcrafted TV lift cabinet for under a thousand dollars that will become the centerpiece of any room in your home? If so, look no further than the Cachet TV Lift Cabinet, a statement of impeccable craftsmanship at a terrific value.

The Cachet TV Lift Cabinet is built from select, kiln-dried hardwoods and veneers, and it is finished in a hand-applied amaretto stain. The cabinet pulls are solid brass and a heavy-duty rack and pinion TV lift system is preinstalled and ready for your TV, right from the box.

The Cachet TV Lift Cabinet can easily accommodate any flat-screen TV as large as 46” wide. The center TV lift is also spaciously designed to house two pieces of electronics with depths of 13” or less. The TV lift cabinet comes with its own surge-protected onboard power for the TV and two components, and like all ImportAdvantage TV lift cabinets, the Cachet has a full 1-year In-Home Warranty and is delivered to your house for free with our White Glove Delivery.

Take a moment to check out all that the Cachet TV Lift Cabinet has to offer. It’s perfect for your living area, your bedroom or against any wall in your home.

Smart, connected TVs clearly offer more entertainment options than traditional flat-screen TVs, and those who already own them seem to enjoy accessing their apps, favorite websites and watching 3-D movies, all from the comfort of their homes. In fact, smart TVs were (and still are) great companions to an innovative TV lift cabinet, which raises and lowers your flat-screen TV with the touch of a button. But some analysts worry that smart TVs could experience slower than expected growth because of customer “FUD” (fear, uncertainty and doubt).

When the first flat-screen and HDTVs hit the market in the last decade and then dropped significantly in price in the latter half of the last decade, upgrading one’s TV seemed to be an easy choice. Many customers were able to upgrade into a larger screen, better picture quality and a much slimmer unit (perfectly suited for a TV lift cabinet) without emptying their wallets. The features and benefits customers were getting were clear-cut and understandable.

However, with the multitude of smart TVs and 3-D TVs now available, customers are being asked (or bombarded with advertising) to upgrade their HDTVs and flat-screens to something that may or may not have a bigger screen or better picture quality, but it just does more stuff. This is harder sell, and with that comes, rightfully, some hesitance.

Customers might be confused if they will have to upgrade all their movies to either Blu-ray or 3-D (or both) if they want them to work properly on-screen, and will they have to also buy 3-D glasses? Also, savvy customers have come to learn that new electronics products tend to go through several updates in the first two years of their lives (for example, Apple is about to release the iPhone 5!). So many are waiting until all the electronic “kinks” are worked out in these new, “spendy” TVs before purchasing one.

Other things causing “FUD” in customers is that accessing the Internet on their TV sounds confusing. We’ve all been trained to happily use our computers to surf the web, so will a smart TV mean that the computer is on its way out? Most aren’t ready to rely on their TVs to connect to the web.

Some customers are concerned about customer support. Who will they call with questions or issues with an app, or with their Internet, or with their 3-D glasses? Many will be looking for that one customer support representative who can handle all their questions.

Customers who may have a degree of “FUD” are not timid because they lack knowledge. On the contrary, these are smart shoppers who are properly cautious of smart technology because they understand that the world of electronics can be fickle and they are looking more for a product’s benefits, not just its features.

What about you? Are you waiting to buy a smart TV?

Apple

Few would argue that Apple is a successful company. The company has given us the iPhone, iPad, iPod, iTunes and Mac computers. Apple iPads were one of the hottest gifts of 2010 and the company is on the verge of releasing the iPad 2. Verizon Wireless made headlines about two weeks ago when it announced it would carry the infamous iPhone and include the ability to use your iPhone as a mobile hotspot for computer internet access.

Now we know that Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO, is taking a permanent medical leave of absence, and he’s been a driving force of innovation for Apple, but many things have already been set in place to keep Apple moving forward without him, including the fact that Apple has been issued 563 different patents in 2010 for new products.

Of course, this doesn’t mean Apple will be producing 563 new exciting devices like the iPad, but some of them could change the way we interact with our environment, the way we “channel surf” and the way we enter our homes.

A couple of Apple’s most intriguing patents for TV usage are the “Apple TV” and “Wand Remote,” which allows you to gesture control images on your Apple TV. Imagine being able to pop-up an Apple TV in your TV lift cabinet and use a Wii-like remote to access apps, control your instant-watch media or flip through the channels by the flick of a wrist.

But before you get inside your home to watch TV, you’ll be able to use your iPhone by swiping it near a control pad outside your home (or car) that has a proximity-based PIN code system. And viola, you’re inside your home!

WOWee ONE

WOWee ONE is a compact, rechargeable and portable speaker that is producing some big sounds, and some big reviews. Different than other (cheaper) portable speakers, the WOWee ONE speaker can handle the “highs” and “lows” of sound through a hybrid technology, Gel Audio™, which delivers low end bass frequencies. In fact, it can produce sound about three octaves lower than traditional speakers. And interestingly, this portable speaker gives off slightly different sounds depending on where it is placed, as least according to Mashable’s recent review of the speaker.

As the number of iPods, iPads, mp3 and mp4 players, smart phones and computer applications continues to rise, the need for portable products is only going to increase as well. Today, it is estimated that nearly 30 million smart phones are used every day, and with applications like Pandora and Last.fm, people will appreciate hearing quality sound come from their streaming media player. Barely larger than an iPhone, the WOWee ONE portable speaker can be easily slipped into a back pocket, purse or backpack. However, many users of the portable speaker are primarily using it in their homes.

This is where Mashable’s recent review of the speaker becomes interesting. Reviewers tested the WOWee ONE Slim and found that its sound changed significantly depending on what type of surface it was laid upon. The reviewers found that the speaker “sounded best and warmest with wood.” So using this speaker with your mp3 player, iPad or smart phone while resting on a handcrafted, hardwood TV lift cabinet from ImportAdvantage could give your WOWee ONE portable, rechargeable speaker its best sound. Very interesting, indeed.

Using your TV lift cabinet to hold common goods like wallets, car keys or cell phones is not uncommon. In fact, since many TV lift cabinet models feature some flat “static” space (i.e. non-moving) on the cabinet top, it can be a convenient place to store your daily “grab-and-go” essentials. Now with the WOWee ONE portable speaker, your TV lift cabinet can be a truly versatile entertainment center.

The ImportAdvantage TV lift cabinets with the most static space include the Cachet TV Lift with Bookcases, the Banyan Creek TV Lift Cabinet and Banyan Creek XL TV Lift Cabinet, as well as the Seasons TV Lift Cabinet. Of course, you’ll find many more at ImportAdvantage.com.

So what other small items do you store on your TV lift cabinet? We’d like to know. Send us photos or comment below!

There’s nothing like getting the family together in the living room, pushing a button to raise your flat-screen TV out of an ImportAdvantage TV lift cabinet and watching your favorite film on DVD or in 3-D. The question we ask, though, is how did you rent your favorite movie in 2010? If you’re like most people, you probably didn’t get it from a brick-and-mortar movie rental store. It seems that they are things of the past, for now.

In a new study from the NPD Group, standalone movie rental kiosks, i.e. Redbox stations, surpassed the traditional retail store in the U.S. last year for movie rentals. As far the total market for movie rentals goes, Netflix still has the “lion’s share” of rentals, taking up 41% of all rentals by the 3Q of 2010. But now kiosk rentals take up another 31% of the market, leaving about 27% of the market to retail stores. That means that only one out of four films rented in 2010 came from driving or walking up to retail shop, perusing the walls of DVDs, picking one out, standing in line to rent it and driving back home.

This is a drastic change in the movie renter’s behavior, as early last year Netflix was in a dead heat with retail rental chains. Redbox’s increased presence really only took a bite out of the retail shops, and not yet out of Netflix. Blockbuster, who tried its hand at subscription movie deliveries, filed for bankruptcy protection in 2010, effectively being “finished off” by Redbox. Although Blockbuster’s last-ditch effort to survive is to now mimic Redbox, not Netflix.

The study by NPD Group only looked at physical movie rentals, not streaming services or subscription or video on-demand from cable providers. Nor did it consider digital movie rentals from places like iTunes Amazon or Vudu.

So how did you bring films into your home in 2010? Did you get one from a red kiosk after grocery shopping, or saunter out to your mailbox to look for a red envelope or head down to the blue movie store on the corner and pick one off the wall? Share your story with us here.

Ashford Manor TV Lift Cabinet

ImportAdvantage has brought back the classic bow front cabinet shape and given it a contemporary use and aesthetic in the timeless Ashford Manor TV Lift Cabinet. Honoring its namesake, the Ashford Manor TV lift cabinet is handcrafted from select Ash hardwood and is finished with stately brushed nickel drawer/cabinet pulls.

The espresso-finished wood provides three generous drawers and four large cabinets, perfect for storing media, keepsakes or movie players. The TV lift cabinet features two coats of clear protective lacquer and masterly crafted dovetail joinery on the drawers, giving it many years of durable use in your home and your children’s homes. The drawers are on heavy-duty drawer slides and the TV lift comes pre-installed.

The Ashford Manor TV Lift Cabinet also features ventilated shelving, keeping your media devices cool and protected. The TV lift cabinet can store and display a flat-screen TV measuring up to 53” wide and weighing up to 80 pounds. The TV lift cabinet itself measures just over 68” wide, 29” deep and over 38” high.

Take a moment now to check out one of ImportAdvantage’s newest TV lift cabinets and experience first-hand the unique beauty and history of this bow front, hand-crafted home furnishing. You won’t be disappointed.

YouTube recently released its list of most-watched TV ads for 2010. Many of them made their debut at the Super Bowl XLIV and have re-sparked or launched new careers for their stars. As we are only weeks away from the next NFL Super Bowl (XLV), which of the 2011 commercials will go on to live in infamy?

The list of commercials below was based on number of views, and though none has topped YouTube’s all-time winner, Evian’s Roller Babies (2009), which has received nearly 45 million views in both the U.S. and abroad, the 2010 winner did reach 24.2 million views to-date and is still going strong (no pun intended!). And that winner is Isaiah Mustafa’s portrayal of the “Old Spice guy” in Proctor & Gamble’s “Old Spice | The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” (see above).

The rest of the contenders are:

HD – Nike Commercial – Write The Future

Ken Block’s Gymkhana THREE, Part 2; Ultimate Playground; l’Autodrome France

NSFW. A hunter shoots a bear! [Warning: strong language]

Amazing Roger Federer trickshot on Gillette ad shoot

SWAGGER WAGON

NEW E*TRADE Baby – Girlfriend

Doritos® – Crash the Super Bowl 2010 Winner: House Rules (Doritos)

Piggy – GEICO Commercial

adidas Originals – Star Wars™ Cantina 2010

Google Chrome Speed Tests

2010 Kia Soul Hamster Commercial | Black Sheep Kia Hamsters Video

Although most of these videos are viewed directly on YouTube’s website or through their mobile apps, with the great number of “smart” TVs hitting the market, complete with YouTube video streaming, many of you can watch these videos on your flat-screen TV kept in your TV lift cabinet. How do you watch YouTube videos? Let us know.

Pac-Man

What other game shows come to mind when we say Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune? Before long you might think of the new reality game show, Pac-Man, as Namco Bandai Games, creators and owners of the most popular games of all-time, teamed with Merv Griffin Entertainment to produce the new unscripted television game show. Merv Griffin Entertainment is the same company currently producing Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune.

Do you remember playing Pac-Man, with the colorful squid-like characters, Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde, chasing you and blocking you from those tasty dots? Do any of you still own an Atari 2600 and play it on your modern flat-screen TV and store it in your TV lift cabinet? If so, please send us some pictures.

The new reality game show is still being shopped around at the networks, but there’s a chance ABC could be interested, especially given that they picked up I Survived a Japanese Game Show, which will have many similar qualities as Pac-Man.

Pac-Man will have contestants complete different obstacle courses or get knocked into muddy waters below. Sound a lot like Wipeout? It will be the second TV appearance for Pac-Man, which had a short-lived animated TV series in the early 1980s.

If Pac-Man makes it to the TV screen, we will keep you posted. Until then, tell us the highest level you have reached on this classic game!