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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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Last night, "The Social Network," a film about the controversial founding of Facebook by Harvard student, Mark Zuckerberg, walked away with several Golden Globe Awards, including the highly-coveted "Best Picture" award. Many in the film industry point to the Golden Globe Awards (in its 68th year this year) as an indicator for the Oscars, which will release its nominations on January 25. Others rely on the Golden Globe Awards to either add-to or check-off films on their "must see" list. And given that all these films will be, or already are, on DVD in 2011, sales and rentals of these films tend experience a notable spike post-awards. What about you? Will "The Social Network" be watched on your flat-screen TV and TV lift cabinet before winter's end?

At the 68th Golden Globe Awards, "The Social Network" had six nominations. The only film to best it in nominations was "The King's Speech." What the "likable" film won, in the end, were awards for Best Screenplay, Best Director, Best Original