Sony 52W x 4 CDXGT630UI CD Deck

Sony - 52W x 4 Apple® iPod®/Satellite Radio-Ready In-Dash CD Deck
Model: CDXGT630UI

52 watts peak power
Satellite Radio-ready
LCD display
HD Radio compatible
iPod ready
With front USB port and front auxiliary input for easy access to your portable MP3 player.
CD, CD-R/RW and MP3 playback formats
AM/FM tuner with 30 presets (12 AM, 18 FM)
EQ3 advanced sound features
Remote included

From the Manufacturer
Manufacturer's Review (October 15, 2008)
"It's all about connections--the CDX-GT630UI is Sony's first car stereo that can connect directly to iPod players, other digital music players and USB thumb drives. That's on top of 52 Watts high power through 4 channels, a full-featured CD player, MP3/WMA/AAC/ATRAC3 playback, AM/FM radio, and a front panel auxiliary input. For further expansion, the CDX-GT630UI is compatible with Sony's Satellite radio tuner and HD radio tuner. It's bound to become an indispensable tool in the fight against insanity during rush hour.

Sony's first car stereo that can connect directly to iPod players, other digital music players and USB thumb drives. Click to enlarge.

Detachable Faceplate
The CDX-GT630UI features a flip-down detachable faceplate with black 13-segment LCD display. Switchable blue or green key illumination makes control in the dark a snap, and lets you pick your style.

45 Degree Install
Most Sony CD receivers feature a 45 degree maximum mounting angle, allowing them to be used in virtually any custom or unusual installation.

Front Panel Aux In
The auxiliary input is built right in to the face of the head unit, so to use external devices like MP3 players, all you need to do is plug-n-play.

Features front panel auxiliary input.


Insert a USB thumb drive in the front panel USB port and enjoy your favorite digital audio files.


iPod Direct
By connecting an iPod to the USB port, you can listen to all your favorite iPod tunes on your car speakers. Once connected, the iPod will turn on, and it'll resume where you last left off. Enjoy full control of the iPod from the CDX-GT630UI, and while the car is on, your iPod will get a charge, so it'll be ready to go when you're back on foot.

USB Support
Insert a USB thumb drive in the front panel USB port and enjoy your favorite digital audio files.

The CDX-GT630UI gives you the freedom to choose your format. Whether it's burnt to disc or on your USB drive, you'll enjoy playback of MP3, WMA, AAC, and ATRAC3 formats.

You also get ID3 tag support--title, artist and album info will be scrolled across the LCD.

Get Zapped with ZAPPIN
While enjoying your iPod, or USB tunes, you can give ZAPPIN a try. Sony's unique ZAPPIN technology operates similarly to most car stereos' scan buttons. It continues to play a series of short music clips from your own music library until you can find your favorite song to match your mood.

Ready for SAT and HD Radio
Using separate Sony adapters you can add an HD radio tuner, or add Satellite Radio for a wealth of channels of music, news, talk shows, sports and traffic information with CD quality sound.

AM/FM Radio
Always have your favorite stations at hand with 18 FM and 12 AM presets.

Best Tuning Memory
Setting your radio presets can be a real pain while you're driving--especially if you're in an unfamiliar area. So, let the tuner do the work for you by activating the Best Tuning Memory (BTM) function. The tuner will seek out up to 18 of the strongest stations in the area and set them into the tuner presets.

Switch between blue and green key illumination.


Sound Performer
The CDX-GT630UI features a 24-Bit D/A converter, which oversamples the digital signal, creating a more natural sound and better imaging.

Dial in your sound using Sony's EQ3 parametric equalization, with 7 presets offering a wide variety of solutions, or make individual Low/Mid/High adjustments.

For more power, use the front, rear and subwoofer preamp outputs for use with external amplification.

Wireless Remote
Included is an ergonomic remote to be used while watching the road.

What's in the Box
Sony CDX-GT630UI, installation hardware, manual"

Samsung Messager SCH-r450 cell phone

QWERTY keypad
MP3 player
Camera
Bluetooth
T9
Hearing Aid compatible

The box contains:
Stereo wired headset
USB cable
Battery
Charger
Getting Started packet
User
Limited Warranty

This phone is very convenient for texting, with the full slide out QWERTY keyboard. The r450 is a little bigger than its MetroPCS predecessor, which works, especially if you have longer fingers. The Samsung Messager has a strong speaker and you will most likely hear it go off at its higher volumes. It can be easily heard in other rooms and can wake you up if you're sleeping. You can adjust the ringer on the upper left side of the phone with the button there. The only setting with both the ringer and vibrate at the same time is the highest volume.

With MetroPCS' more expensive plans you can get internet access, but I would not recommend this phone if you want to go online. The Samsung Messager is extremely slow in that category. Otherwise, the r450 works just fine for texting and phone calls.

Samsung LN55A950 55-inch 1080p LCD HDTV

16:9 widescreen aspect ratio
178° horizontal and vertical viewing angles
120Hz
LED backlight
Woofer and 2 built-in 15W down-firing speakers
WiseLink Pro USB 2.0
V-chip parental controls
PC input
4 HDMI inputs
2 RF, 2 component A/V, 2 composite A/V, and 1 S-video
Headphone jack
Picture-in-picture

The Samsung LN55A950 has a very nice picture, and for the price, it's definitely worth it. There are plenty of inputs for you to hook up to this tv, including four HDMI inputs, one on the side and three in back. One can connect this tv to the internet via ethernet as well as play music and watch pictures from your camera and set up slide shows. You can use the software that comes with it to access your computer's content, turning your tv or home theatre into a multi-media center. If money is no issue then the Samsung LN55A950 is a high quality product you might want to consider.

Olympus Stylus Tough 8000 12 Megapixel Digital Camera

12 Megapixel
2.7" LCD Display
45MB internal memory
3.6x optical/5x digital zoom
6.4 oz
Dimensions:2.4"x3.7"
Can withstand 220LBS of pressure

The Olympus Stylus Tough 8000 is built solid, made to be water proof up to 33 feet, drop resistant up to 6.6 feet and freeze resistant up to 14 degrees F(-10 degree C). Picture quality is decent, but not outstanding. Prints will look good as long as they're not too big. The Tough 8000 is meant to be able to take a beating, so it can handle one's active lifestyle. Keep in mind that you should replace the sealant on the battery door once a year(look in the manual for this). I would highly recommend buying the warranty for the Olympus Stylus Tough 8000, considering what you might be using it for.

Apple iPhone 3GS

AT&T service provider
5 hour talk time
Supports bluetooth
3MP camera with autofocus
4 1/2”x2 2/5” dimensions
Weighs 4.8oz
White and black models
32GB and 16GB models
480x320 Resolution
3.5” screen
Voice recognition

The iPhone 3GS is here, and faster than ever. It starts up quick, and loads games and websites considerably faster than it’s predecessor. The 3GS has a 600MHz CPU with 256MB of RAM, up 200MHz and double the RAM from the 3G. This iPhone’s voice recognition can be used for dialing numbers and accessing your music. You can say the name of the person, and if there’s more than one person by that name it will give you a list of those people so you can narrow it down. You can also speak the number and the phone will repeat it and dial for you. For playing music, you can specify artists, ask for the name of the song and also get your iPhone 3GS to play similar songs.

The touch screen of the 3GS is oleophobic, basically it has a coating that helps prevent grease from sticking to it. So you shouldn’t have finger print and oily face leftovers on your phone. Anything that does remain on the screen should wipe off pretty easily.

There is a compass app which you can use, and combined with the gps and map should come in handy for lost travelers. You can locate yourself through gps, and the map can orient itself to show which direction you are pointing. The iPhone can also display coordinates.

Another interesting feature is the ability to take movies with the built in camera, and right then and there be able to edit the movie. You can essentially “crop” it just by sliding different bars to select the region you wish to keep. You have several options like saving directly to your Apple 3GS phone, or uploading it to mobile me or youtube.

Canon PowerShot SD1200IS 10 Megapixel Camera

10.0 Megapixel
Auto setting selector
3x optical zoom
2.5 LCD screen
Lithium-ion battery/battery charger
USB 2.0
AV output
Wrist strap
Dimensions:3.5x0.9x2.2in
Weight:4.2oz

The Canon PowerShot SD1200IS digital camera is sleek, smooth, and small. Users might note the speed in which the camera turns on, and how quickly it takes a picture, and is ready to take another after it. It can be a little noisy when auto-focusing, as it adjusts every few moments. This camera can auto select to determine the settings for any given scene, but in some cases it might be better to manually pick the best setting to shoot with. The SD1200SI comes with a wrist strap so you can keep it from slipping out of your hands, as it is smooth and curved.

Apple MacBook Pro MC026LL/A 15.4-Inch Laptop

15in LED-backlit screen
Alluminum body
2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor
320GB Hard drive
4GB RAM
Built-in camera
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M and NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT graphics processors
DVD/CD SuperDrive
OS X 10.5 Leopard OS
5.5 Lbs

The MacBook Pro MC026LL/A has a thin, sleek design; this laptop has a hollowed alluminum body. The track pad responds to various multi touch commands. For instance, slide two fingers up or down the pad and you can scroll through whatever page you are looking at. You can also tap the pad once and it will respond as a click, as will physically pressing down anywhere on the mouse pad. Since the MacBook Pro is made of aluminum, it can be quite a shock to wake up and put this computer on your lap, as it can get very cold. At the opposite end of the spectrum, when the laptop is working hard it produces an incredible amount of heat, so your legs can get very warm. The keyboard is nicely backlight, so if you're working in low/no light conditions, you can see what you're typing.

Sony Bravia L-Series KDL-32L4000 32-Inch 720p LCD HDTV

32 in screen, measured diagonally
720p
2 HDMI
2 HD Component
30lbs
PC input

Good sound, great picture, works incredibly well with Blue ray. The KDL-23L4000 has lots of inputs in the back, which allows you to plug in multiple devices and leave them set up. Great for playing video games by yourself, but split screen might leave you with black bars on top and bottom or the sides. Great for watching tv, especially in a group, as everyone in the room can see it.

Gateway T-6836 Laptop

14.1”
Core2 Duo CPU
2.00GHz processor
4GB RAM
250 GB hard drive, 5,400RPM
64 bit operating system
Weighs 5.7 lbs
Wireless internet capabilities

A decent laptop from Gateway, very portable. Works nicely for college students. The track pad can be set up to respond to being tapped on and act as a left click. This is generally useful, but every now and then placing a finger on the pad activates a click, which can mean opening a link or file accidentally. On the right and bottom sides of the track pad, respectively, are areas where one can slide a finger up or down, or left or right to scroll in the desired direction. Volume control is activated by hitting the Fn key and the up, down or mute buttons on the far right side of the laptop. The brightness/darkness can be adjusted by hitting the Fn key with either the up or down arrows. The Gateway T-6836 also has a dvd and volume interface above the keypad for watching movies.

Toshiba Satellite Laptop Model #M505-S4940 Review

14” Screen
Intel Pentium dual core processor
2.0GHz Processor
320 GB hard drive
4GB RAM
2 USB ports
Weighs 5lbs
Microphone
Built-in webcam

This laptop seems to be a Best Buy exclusive. Considering all the features the M505-S4940 has to offer, for $649.99 it’s a pretty good price. Lots of space, and lots of RAM. The mousepad can get a little hot, and can be quirky, when you lightly touch it it goes into scroll mode, so you might need to get used to that.

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