Monday, January 05, 2009

New Items at HPL We have updated our excel file of new items to include those received through December 2008. 2:55:08 PM     AntennaWeb Finds the Best Outdoor Antenna for Your House [TV] . If the upcoming switch to HD broadcasting has you considering dropping cable for the free stuff, the AntennaWeb site can help find the receiver that will net the most channels at your address. The free-to-use site only requires your street address or ZIP code and asks whether you've got any tall buildings or trees nearby. Based on your location (which it sometimes details down to the street level), it lays out how far each local broadcaster is from your house, what channel and signal type they're offering, and what kind of antenna will net you the best reception for the most HD channels. You can even get a map showing which direction each station will come to your house from, for those who need to point a directional unit (or plan to stick with a strategically-placed indoor antenna). AntennaWeb leaves the purchasing of your outdoor model to your own preference and Google abilities, but the site does explain the whys and hows of antennas pretty decently for those who haven't worked at a RadioShack. Confused in a more general sense about the Feb. 17 transition and what it means? Try the official DTV 2009 site. AntennaWeb [Lifehacker] 12:28:04 PM     Kallow Helps Your Non-Geek Relatives Select Electronics [Shopping] . Kallow is a web-based consumer suggestion service. Think of Kallow as a simplified Consumer Reports. They take enormous tasks like shopping for a new HDTV and reduce it down to the best value. From the about section on their site: We love technology, we love reading about it, we love playing with new toys, we love debating which new LCD is the best. Let us do the heavy lifting. We do the research, we compare each model, we balance performance, ease of use and price for you. We pick products that we find to be the best value. We cut through the crap. These are the products that we would recommend to our family and friends if they asked, 'What digital camera should I buy?' or 'We are thinking of getting a new HDTV. Which one should be get?' I looked over every category on their site, and while I disagreed with some of their choices, that's the whole point. I'm the kind of geek that would spend a whole weekend reading about HDTVs before buying one. Within my family and social circle I'm one of the few people who actually does—and enjoys!— that kind of thing. So while the recommendation of Kallow that my next laptop should be a macbook doesn't actually fit me, it does fit almost every friend and relative I have. Kallow just might save you from spending another holiday as Uncle Bernie's human-encyclopedia for the digital age. Kallow [via Profy] [Lifehacker] 10:27:08 AM

© Copyright 2009 Jocelyn Shaw. Last update: 2/2/2009; 12:10:59 PM. Photo curtesy of Marjorie O'Brien