Things Not Available in the U.S.: Sony Walkman Returns on Steroids

Does the world need another portable audio player?

Sony of Japan thinks so. Earlier this year it introduced a new, seriously robust device aimed at the audiophile set. It's not thin and light, like the iPod. It's bulkier and heavier, because it is carved out of a single block of aluminum.

With 128 gigabytes of storage, it's aimed at those who want to listen to ultra-high quality uncompressed audio files – or high resolution audio, as it's come to be known. These recordings contain about three times the digital information of a CD.

Sony is marketing it under the long forgotten Walkman label, first introduced 35 years ago.

Further limiting the appeal of the new Walkman is a $700 price tag. But it does come with high-end Sony earphones, not the usual entry-level earbuds bundled with other audio players.

Right now the gadget is available only in Japan and Europe. Sony has not announced plans to sell the device in the U.S.

However, it's possible to have one shipped to you from Japan or Korea in a couple of days. You'll find  them on amazon.com.

This Just In: A TV That's Both Curvy And Skinny

Sometime in the last decade The Luxurist's television set underwent a near-miraculous transformation.

Whereas once it was just a bulky device for delivering news and amusement, manufacturers had  transmogrified it into a high definition, flat panel, surround sound, 16:9, 60-inch wide, micro-dimming, Internet ready, interactive electronic marvel, whose chief purpose now was to bring an approximation of the theatrical movie-going experience into our homes.

(And about time, too. Microwave popcorn had been around since 1981, so what were they waiting for? But I digress.)

Because the makers of TV sets want us to watch films at home, they make evermore boastful claims. Samsung, for example, says that their "smart" TVs offer viewers an "immersive television experience."

Not to be outdone in the exaltation department, LG announced a 55 in. curved screen ultra-thin model at the CES in January. Like an IMAX theater screen (or Cinerama for an earlier generation), the edges of the Model 55EA9800 curve ergonomically towards the viewer to provide – wait for it! – a more immersive feeling.

Also Read: Bang & Olufsen's Massive 85 in. 3D HDTV

According to LG, the benefit of the curvature is that "the entire screen surface is equidistant from the viewer's eyes, eliminating the problem of screen-edge visual distortion and loss of detail."

Oh.

Despite the prattle, this is a pretty nifty TV. For one thing, it's remarkably svelte at just .17 inch thick. And it features thin transparent film speakers in the crystal clear stand, "providing high-quality sound without compromising the TV's beautiful design."

If this all sounds too appealing to resist, consider this: the 55EA9800 is going for $13,500.

If you are game, LG is taking pre-orders, with deliveries promised for later in the year.

Very Hip iPod Speakers and Other Small Electronics for Very Cool People

When it comes to portable and home electronics, we sell some choice stuff.

We offer quality audio products from top lines like Sony, Zennheiser, Shure, JBL, and Apple.

We also sell several hard-to-find audiophile brands that make memorable gifts for your most important clients and VIPs. These are the kinds of things preferred by celebrities and other show business VIPs.

Introducing award-winning Tivoli Audio - the finest, coolest table radios, CD players, and iPod speakers you've never heard of.

Tivoli iPod speakers, alarm radios, and Internet radios come in multiple finishes

Tivoli products will please and amaze critical listeners and sophisticated design purists alike.

With exceptional tone, rich bass, stunning clarity, and handsome wood cabinets, they represent a level of sound quality, fit, and finish unequaled in their price range.

Every model begins with a handmade wood cabinet that is both beautiful and is the ideal acoustically inert speaker housing.

Tivoli uses cherry, ash, walnut and sometimes exotic woods, burnished to a lustrous finish or spiffed up in luminous stains or sleek enamels in shades of high gloss red, blue, silver, piano black, and others.

Each speaker contains a heavy-magnet, long-throw driver that is mated to a frequency contouring circuit. This automatically adjusts output over half-octave increments, resulting in musically accurate tonal balance and bass response.

Technical specs aside, the main thing is whether or not you like what you are hearing from any piece of audio equipment. Trust us, the folks you give Tivoli products to are going to like them a lot.

Tivoli CD, iPod player and radio component system.
Sounds great, looks smart, timeless at home or office

Tivoli's complete range of Internet radios, table radios, iPod speakers, and bookshelf component systems start at a very reasonable $200. Most cost no more than about $700.

They all make wonderful, appreciated gifts for start or end of production, awards recipients, birthdays, or other special occasions.

And, as we said before, they're not the same old, same old.

Call us at (310) 581-6710.

We will be happy to show you our full line of stunning Tivoli Audio products and help you select the ones that will make the impression you require.
 

This Just In: Bang and Olufsen's Massive 85" 3D HDTV

If you've done all of the research, agonized over your decision, and went ahead and spent $3,000 or $4,000 for a new, state-of-the art 55" 3D LED HDTV, prepare to be disappointed.

Those pesky folks at ultra high-end electronics manufacturer Bang & Olufsen have just introduced their super luxurious 85" 3D set, larger than anything else available for the home market.

The BeoVision 4:85 lists for $85,000. That's a $1,000 per diagonal inch. If you are waiting for a Groupon coupon, you cannot afford this baby.

What you get for the price of a well-equipped BMW is a mammoth TV that, according to the company's press release "incorporates state-of-the-art performance within audio, video, magical moving mechanics and intelligent home integration."

Huh?

Actually, there's a lot of advanced technology packed into this TV and its accompanying sound system. You will have to decide for yourself if it amounts to $85,000 worth.


To get one, you'll have to schedule a visit from a B&O custom install team who'll carry out an assessment of the structural strength of your floor and walls, as the plasma TV weighs nearly half a ton. It sits on a motorized stand that will raise, lower, turn and tilt the screen.

Following the visit you'll go over a multi-page checklist detailing the installation options. The set comes in your choice of colors — silver, black, red, blue, dark grey, or gold (with matching remote, of course) — since, as the editors of Sound & Vision magazine note, "if you're forking over this kind of cash, you want it to match your couch and curtains."

What you do not get for $85,000 are B&O's proprietary active shutter 3D glasses, which you must have in order to enjoy the full multi-dimensional experience. Those cost $149 each, and it's good to know that you can buy as many pairs as you want at any Bang & Olufsen store worldwide.

Sound & Vision's review is here. Bang & Olufsen's website is here.
 

This Just In! The Cool, New Must-Have Gadget Everyone Will Want This Holiday Season

Anyone can watch a movie on a television set. Big deal!

The lucky few soon will be able to watch movies and videos on any wall, anywhere with the aid of a 6 oz. device that is small enough to fit in your hand but powerful enough to project a crisp 60 in. image from eight feet away.

We're talking about the amazing Wowee Cinemin Swivel microprojector.What's a microprojector? These pocket-sized gadgets take video from an iPhone, iPod, DVD player (including portables), video camera (including the Flip) and laptop computer and play it on any surface, indoors or out.

The New York Times called them "the newest blow-away-your-friends devices."

We call them the perfect cool gift for your clients, business associates, cast friends, and family this holiday season.

Here's what New York Times tech reporter Bob Tedeschi had to say about the Wowee Cinemin Swivel:

In short, this is easily the coolest new thing I’ve seen since the iPhone...

The Swivel came in handy on a sweltering afternoon last week, when we retreated to my son’s air-conditioned bedroom, connected my iPhone to the Cinemin Swivel, and voilà! An instant big-screen matinee of “Cars.”

Score big points for the Swivel’s simplicity...

Battery life was just enough. On a full charge, the Swivel lasts about two hours and 15 minutes, but when our unit started to fade on an incompletely charged battery, we just plugged it in and cruised through the end...

The Swivel has an audio jack for connecting the device to external speakers. [It also has a small built-inspeaker.] We plugged in a lightweight speaker, and at full volume the experience was amazing — a portable big-screen movie with big sound to match.

Luxury campers, I know what you’re thinking. How will this setup work if you have no power outlets to plug in your speakers? Simple. Newer audio devices like the JBL On Tour XTB feature very good speakers, and they work on batteries or AC power... Purely battery-powered speakers like the Nokia MD-8 are easily loud enough for the task.

Another nice feature: the Swivel’s hinged design means you can flip the business end of the device upward, and the video plays on your ceiling.

As we said before, this is very cool. See for yourself:


At $349.99, this clever gadget is already often sold out on Cinemin's website and will continue to be in short supply through the holidays.

Please call us now at (310) 581-6710 to make sure that we set aside several for you in time for holiday gifting.

This Just In! Enjoy Music Anywhere In Your Home – Even Outside – Wirelessly

We've got more than 120GBs of music in our computer at home. Listening to it when we're not at our desk or don't want to walk around with an iPod and earphones is another matter.

Trust the good folks at Bose to solve that problem.

Their new SoundLink™ wireless digital music system lets us enjoy all of our digital music – iTunes, Podcasts, Internet radio – all around the house wirelessly.

It's easy: no wires, no software, no setup. We just plug the little USB key into any of our computers, whether PC or Mac. Voila! Music streams in high fidelity to the lightweight, portable speaker unit indoors or out, up to 60 feet away.

And the sound quality is robust, full, rich – as you would expect from any device produced by the famed engineers at Bose. In fact, the SoundLink will breathe new life into your music.

It has lots of handy features to make your listening super enjoyable.

Rechargeable lithium-ion battery delivers more power and longer playing time than other rechargeable batteries (3 hours at full blast, much more at normal listening levels). Charges whenever the system is plugged into a wall outlet with included power cord.

Built-in carry handle allows quick, easy transport from place to place, even outdoors.

Auxiliary input for playing an iPod or other MP3 player or DVD/CD player through the system.

Remote control operates power and volume, and can also play/pause and skip tracks within a playlist from almost anywhere in the room.

The SoundLink will be available in mid-September. If you order now, we'll send it to you as soon as it's in stock. Promise!

$549.95

Buy it now at www.shopjasperandjames.com

For more gift ideas, click right here.

Things Not Available in the U.S.: Philips 21:9 True Widescreen TV

A few years ago, you were in the vanguard if your TV had a 16:9 aspect ratio screen. Today, that's the norm, allowing you to watch most movies more or less in their original format.

But if you want to watch widescreen movies at home, you have to put up with those annoying black bars at the top and bottom of the screen.


Philips has solved this problem with the introduction of its 56 in. Cinema 21:9 HDTV, the first set with the same spectacular 2.35:1 aspect ratio as today's biggest films. Think Michael Mann's new Public Enemies or Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

The set also has a record number of pixels, at 8.3 million. To get the full benefit you'll want to play movies recorded on Blu-ray discs.

Philips hasn't set a release date yet. They have announced the price, about US$7,400.

The British TechRadar website said: "Four and a half grand [in UK£] is a lot of money, but then this is, in every sense, a lot of telly.

"If you are serious about video quality and have a substantial budget, then this set should be at the very top of your list."

The review added that the picture quality is "remarkable."

Sadly, Philips says they won't be selling the TV in the U.S. or Canada. Just in Europe for now.

Read more here.

Every Day Is Earth Day

Wouldn't it be wonderful to find a gift that is eminently practical, beautifully designed, earth friendly, and costs just $100?

Solio, the universal hybrid charger is powerful enough to charge your cell phone, Blackberry, iPod, iPhone, camera and all of your handheld electronic products at home or on the move, anywhere under the sun.

An Idea Whose Time Has Come

Used by people all over the world and now available in the U.S., Solio combines efficient solar cells and a high capacity battery to collect and store power – power that is ready for you to use whenever and wherever you are.

Imagine you’re out all day on business. You can fully recharge your both cell phone twice or your phone and Blackberry each once.

Suppose you’re spending the day at the beach or in the country. You can fully charge your iPod and your cell phone.

Wait a minute! Did you forget to charge Solio before you left your house? No worries. Just open Solio’s solar panels to the sun’s rays and begin charging your phone right away. While it’s charging, you can use your phone all day. Or your iPhone, iPod or Blackberry, for that matter.

Charge It From the Wall or the Sun's Rays

You charge Solio either by plugging it into an electrical outlet (in any country*) or by exposing it to the sun’s rays. When you choose to power up by solar energy, it’s free and you’re doing your part to reduce the pollutants that contaminate our atmosphere.

Solio is lightweight and compact; it fits in your hand. Tuck it into your briefcase or glove compartment. It holds a charge for up to a year, making it comforting to have around in case of an emergency power outage.

Get the picture? With Solio, you can leave all of your chargers behind while saving money and our planet at the same time.

Buy One For Everyone You Love

While Solio is handy for everyday use, it's also great during a power outage or other emergency.

Buy it now at www.shopjasperandjames.com

For more gift ideas, click right here.