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The Sharp SD-NX10 is a mini component audio system with features that are usually seen on audiophile quality systems with a similar price tag. The design of this brushed steel unit is clean and highly contemporary and underlines the fact that this is no ordinary CD and MD player. The suggested retail price for this audio system was about $1795 in 2000. Today, one of these gems can be had on eBay for under $200.

In terms of audio quality, this unit sounds better than mini-systems from several high-end audio manufacturers. I tested this with 2 sub $600 mini-systems and found the sound rendered by the SD-NX10 to be fuller and richer (I am not an audiophile but I felt this to be the case). I think the ‘Sharp’ name kind of held back this system as people tend to associate Sharp with ‘budget’ audio.

The point here is that if you want a quality product at a great price, it sometimes pays to look backwards for great deals.

Any YouTube addict should check out Stage6, the not-so-new service from the video company DivX. Although content on this site is tiny as compared to YouTube, it still has a lot to keep anyone entertained for at least a couple of hours. What sets this service apart from other video streaming services is that the quality of the video is a whole lot better than what YouTube has to offer. But you’ll need to download the free DivX web player available at http://www.Stage6.com.

Three videos I looked at:
Avril Lavigne
Weird Al Yankovic
Delerium

The other day (December 30, 2007) , I was looking for a good deal on a cheap but functional LCD monitor. After some research I settled on purchasing the Acer AL2216Wbd 22″ monitor due to positive reviews from a wide variety of sources.

While checking out prices at Amazon.com and Staples.com, I noticed that both places posted different warranty terms, different product dimensions and weight for the exactly the same product (with the same model number and classification). So whom should I believe? So I browse on over to the Acer USA site and the verdict is that Staples got the dimensions and weight correct but the warranty terms wrong. Amazon.com had listed many things incorrectly. TigerDirect.com incidentally had the correct specs.

So the lesson here is to check dimensions carefully while purchasing anything online that needs to fit into a fixed space. Better yet, sometimes it makes sense to see a product at a store and carry a measuring tape.

Please note that these are isolated mistakes. Both Staples.com and Amazon.com have been very good to me and mistakes happen.