What I Liked at CES 2013: BenQ (Very Much, Indeed)…

BenQ_XL2420T_Left (Custom)  BenQ_XL2420T_Front (Custom)  BenQ_XL2420T_Back (Custom)

Alright, I’m kind of slow at getting into new tech sometimes because if I buy something that works, I’ll stick with it until it gives up the electric ghost and will run no more. I still have a couple of “old” standard-def tube TV’s running here and my PC is still rocking Windows XP because most of the games I play are from the days discs came in boxes of assorted sizes with manuals. Anyway, I’m not THAT set in my ways when I see something that works for what I need it for and is built to last.

That said, I’ve been eyeballing a friend’s BenQ gaming monitors for a little while now, as I’ve slowly but surely been looking to upgrade my old (and I mean ancient) Dell CRT to something a bit more modern and flexible. He loves his because it’s clearly the product of a company that knows what it’s doing (and has so for years) when it comes to delivering a reliable product at an excellent value to consumers whether they’re gamers or not. That said, it looks as if we’ll both be upgrading to the RL2455HM, the company’s latest gaming monitor that offers stellar performance and features at a ridiculously affordable price. Continue reading

CES 2013: iPotty? Really? Argh in the Time of Cholera…

ipottyNow, I’m not one of those folks who believes dropping a kid in front of a TV playing PBS for an hour or two is a bad thing, but THIS crap? Or more precisely, THIS crapper? No. Hell no. No, No and NO. Sure, I get my best thinking done on the can, but dammit, a freakin’ TODDLER needs to concentrate on learning the basics of taking a good and safe poop, not helping his or her entire family contract a nasty case of whatever they deserve to get from handling an iPad that’s going to be Germ Central Station the minute some dopey hipster parent looks away at their phone (or lawd help them, reaches for that damn phone to snap a picture of the kid using the thing to post on Facebook) and Junior wipes a stinky hand all over the screen.  Eww (even if it has a screen protector included). What’s the shelf life on stupid ideas? Bet you a dime this gets recalled at some point or just tanks flat out.  Save your $39.99 and thank me later, folks.

And I usually LIKE some of CTA’s goofy but useful peripherals, by the way…

CES 2013: Land of the Giants (and Some Other Big Issues)…

CES_logo

Between the stupidly high-resolution TV’s that most average Joe and Jane consumers won’t care about thanks to sky-high price points and the fact that resolution means nothing if you’re just watching Honey Boo Boo’s Amish Mafia Fishin’ Moonshiner Auction Storage Hoarders all day on the couch and plenty of other useless but well-made tech goodies out of the price range of anyone but the seriously wealthy, it’s a wonder CES hasn’t sunk itself into the sands of Las Vegas this year like a truckload of Atari 2600 E.T. cartridges. Seriously, who needs a 20″ or 27″ tablet computer, a cell phone with a 6.1″ screen and some of those 100+” Super Ultra Mega Deluxe 4K screens? You want a Lamborghini with that order, mister?  Yeesh. Granted, it’s great that tech companies are “innovating” every year, but the yearly emphasis on size in some things makes you wonder if the Jolly Green Giant or 50-Foot Woman is the actual customer being targeted.  Well, they do make a cute couple come to think of it (and their kids are just lovely… and growing up so fast!)…

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