Many see it as an excuse to get that big new flat panel screen but there are other smaller but “just as big” technologies to check out if you still have a post-holiday budget surplus.
Check out these smart gadgets for watching Super Bowl XLVI, available at major retail outlets.
Bell Mobility users with current smartphones can watch the Super Bowl on their phones by subscribing to Bell Mobile TV for $5 a month. You get five hours of impressive quality live TV and only one buck per extra hour of viewing time. The Bell HTC 4.5-inch screen Raider I tried looked drop-dead gorgeous. There are many news and feature channels to watch, including HBO, but sports fans get to watch ten exclusive live sports events like the Super Bowl this Sunday as well as Scotties’ Tournament of Hearts, Tim Horton’s Brier Cup, NCAA Basketball March Madness and the Stanley Cup playoffs and cup final.
Smart TVs are even smarter this year with social networking features that let you Tweet or Facebook while watching TV on the same screen. Most TVs that connect online have these application gadgets or widgets that also include YouTube, movies on demand and more.
Samsung’s Social TV, Sony Bravia’s Internet Widgets or LG’s Social Centre have a simple onscreen working interface for watching TV while keeping in touch with others anywhere. Can’t miss a second of football action? Samsung’s newest AllShare technology, available in selected newer models, lets you stream the same TV feed into Samsung smartphones, tablets and notebooks, anywhere at home – including the bathroom.
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The Slingbox $200-$300, from http://www.slingmedia.com connects to your home TV and Internet letting you share any TV channel to another TV at home. Better yet, you can see your home TV channels anywhere in the world through the Internet, on your smart phone or laptop. Imagine watching NHL hockey from your tablet on a WiFi equipped airliner or your hotel room in Singapore.
Universal remote controls can’t walk the walk like the powerful Logitech Harmony One Advanced Universal Control, $200, which lets you control all your RF gadgets, big and small, any brand, even your light dimmer in your entertainment room. It has a free online setup via USB that simply programs the controller with all your devices. You can set specific functions to either watch a DVD or Blu ray movie or listen to music online. The new Harmony Link Remote $99.99 lets you convert your iPhone, iPad, Android Tablet or phone into a large screen remote control with free downloadable software. Smart.
Adding a sound bar, a one piece horizontal long and sleek speaker system on the wall or under your TV will hugely enhance you TV’s speaker system, with minimal wiring, for several hundred bucks. Brand name TVs are often bundled with this speaker, including separate bass. Check out the Wireless HiFi Sonos system which offers exceptional quality sound through your home WiFi network for one or multiple speaker systems throughout your home. Speakers start from $330 in black or white.
OK, I can’t talk technology for the Super Bowl without mentioning the biggest TV screen you can buy right now in Canada. The 80-inch Sharp Aquos LED smart TV, available at Best Buy and Future Shop will set you back $4,999.99 – popcorn is extra.
Follow Steve’s weekly GlobalTV Morning News tech segments at www.techuntangled.ca
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