For B & O, these amplified speakers are the first designed to be positioned directly on the wall. The idea is to harmonize audio-video units with an impressive digital wall mount that is unobtrusive, nice to look at and most importantly, offers high performance. The BeoLab12 are a perfect match for a television from the BeoVision series.

Each speaker is almost a meter high. With a width of only 20 inches, these accessories take little space, but are still somewhat imposing when displayed on each side of a TV. The aluminum finish and cylindrical shape give the BeoLab12 a great look.

As far as sound quality goes, 3 Class D amplifiers provide 480 watts of power. The frequency response extends from 45 Hz to 10 kHz. Each speaker contains two 6.5-inch speakers powered by a 2 x 160-watt amplifier, an 80-watt mid-range cone and a tweeter. The high-frequency speaker uses Acoustic Lens Technology to broadcast its unique sound in a 180-degree radius.

The BeoLab12 will be on sale in the spring of 2012.

To participate, all you have to do is go to the B & O Facebook page, submit a drawing or photo and get the most votes. The 12 entries that get the largest number of supporters will receive a pair of Form 2 headphones from B & O. After that, a panel of executives from the Danish company will select a winner. In addition to having their drawing commercialized, the winner will receive their own BeoSound 8 unit, featuring their artwork.

A special edition of this BeoSound 8 model will be launched following the contest and be available worldwide. It should be noted that this device, which sold over 55,000 units in its first year, is the most popular product in the history of B & O.

BeoSound 8 on Facebook

The 18.2 megapixel Exmor R sensor will surprise you. This is the resolution we are used to finding on the SLR models, now available for the first time in this category of compact cameras. The unique capabilities of the sensor, along with the new BIONZ image processing system, give clear results and show minimal noise.

To properly see the results, you can use the TruBlack 3.3-inch OLED screen on the back of the Cyber-shot. Directly from the unit, you can make changes, add personalized elements or program grouped effects. As all this is done from the touch screen, it almost seems like your handling a smartphone.

The metal case and rugged design of the Sony TX200V make it resistant to shock, dust, cold and water (5 metres).

Finally, the automatic focus provides breathtaking performance: 0.13 seconds in daylight or a fast 0.25 seconds in darker conditions.

The Sony TX200V will be available in February or March and offered in red, silver or purple. Price: $ 500.

Luckily, Sonos supports other music services, including Rdio. Like with Napster before it, you will have access to an extensive library of music for $ 9.99 a month. Sociability is still present on your system, so Rdio users can recommend songs and artists to other members and share their discoveries.

To register, visit www.rdio.com, available only in English. The button “try Rdio for free” will give you access to a 7-day trial period, during which you can consult the catalog of songs for free. All that is left to do is to activate a monthly service on the site. Once logged in with the user ID and password you created for the trial period, you can register by clicking on “subscribe” and choose the “unlimited” plan, which allows you to use Sonos. Payment is done by credit card. Next, add your new service in your Sonos system:

• Use “Sonos desktop controller” on your PC or Mac.
• Select “configure music services” in the “music” menu.
• Select “Rdio” in the list of services.

If you have already created your account, select “I already have a Rdio account.” On the next screen, enter your information. And presto! You now have access to the Rdio music library!

Based on both user experience and an article on CNET.com, here are 3 types of applications that are not worth the trouble using on a TV, although they are highly praised by companies.

Social Applications

Twitter and Facebook on a TV screen? The quickest and easiest way to stay connected with your social network is undoubtedly via a computer, tablet or smartphone. The experience is far from easy. Composing messages is labourious and you’ll be quick to give up the idea of writing tweeting through your new TV.

Online Games

Playing games that are simple, repetitive, minimalist or gently mind-numbing is a perfect activity to pass the time while waiting for a bus. But at home, there are few instances when we can afford wasting time like this. So, all these applications of downloadable games on television are not that useful. And don’t forget that you have to play using the TV remote control. Let’s just say that after PlayStation 3 and Xbox, the bar is high when it comes to home entertainment.

Current Events and News

With around the clock news channels, news alerts on smartphones and the ease with which one can follow the headlines on a tablet or a computer, the living room television screen is not about to become the main source of news in the house. On a television, navigation is slow and your screen is bigger, and the quality of the video clips is likely to disappoint.

In conclusion, if you plan on buying a smart TV to enjoy these applications, keep a cool head and carefully analyze your needs. Remember that the main benefits of televisions that connect to the Internet are still watching streaming videos, viewing photo galleries that are on your computer and easily navigating through your media library.

The design is clearly signed Bang & Olufsen: a mixture of aluminum and rubber, simple lines with a minimalist result. The headset that keeps the earpiece securely in the ear is actually a tiny strip of plastic. We wondered if it was enough.

There is a microphone and a remote control with three buttons directly on the connection wire. In addition to adjusting the volume and controlling playback, you can use the buttons to navigate through playlists on an iPhone / iPad / iPod.

Other than Apple, the product data sheet does not specify whether the EarSet 3i remote control is compatible with other smartphones. However, most headphones with control buttons work with both Apple and Android devices.

The suggested retail price is $199. The EarSet 3i are available in black and white.

EarSet 3i by B&O

You can use the Restio to listen to CDs, the radio, music stored on Apple devices or on a USB key. The only drawback is that the system is lacking when it comes to displaying digital files on a USB key, which are only identified by the track number and the folder where they located.

The alarm clock uses IntelliAlarm technology to provide a smooth wake up. Initially, the system will play the audio source selected by limiting high frequencies to avoid waking you up too suddenly. The high frequencies are slowly added as the song progresses. It’s an excellent idea.

The Restio ISX-800 audio system contains two 1.25-inch high frequency speakers and two 4-inch low frequency speakers.

Installing it is easy, just affix the Restio directly to the wall. Its square shape and thickness of 9 cm make it compact and nice to look at. In addition, the fact that the front panel of the Restio is available in black, white, green or purple leaves more options as to how much you want it to stand out in a room.

The elegant Restio can also be installed on a half moon-shaped pedestal directly against the wall, or you can use a more stable circular base for positioning that requires no other support.

Yamaha Restio ISX-800

In the laboratory, Sony is already able to create great 3D images without glasses. Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait a few years before this can be recreated in consumer products.

But at the last Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Toshiba and Sony presented their versions of 3D displays without glasses. So why wait until 2015 when laptops and cell phones are capable of generating a three-dimensional image that can be seen with the naked eye? It was explained that at the moment, what Sony televisions can do on big screens at the factory doesn’t meet the requirements of the general public. In other words, they are not ready yet.

But in the short-term, Sony has some nice surprises in store for us. In 2015, it is also planning on releasing the first large screen OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode). Just when we thought we had reached the summit of color contrast and absolute device thinness, it looks like we haven’t seen anything yet!

That said, two conclusions are: the best is yet to come … and don’t deprive yourself of the technology you crave that is available now. After all, it is Christmas!

The connected TV was the hot topic at the last Consumer Electronics Show (the largest international exhibition of consumer technology) this year in Las Vegas. And Samsung took the opportunity to launch its intelligent TV, the Smart TV. If it was the title of a film, it would be called “The Return of the Television,” finally solving the equation:

Social Networking + TV = Smart TV

The stunning screen design (less than one centimeter) plunges you into the world of 3D image and sound, and intelligent connectivity.

Television is becoming a platform (or Hub) for all of your content: photos, videos, music, applications, websites, online shopping and social networking, not to mention television. This product reinvents the home entertainment experience.

The Search All function gathers your TV channels, WiFi connected devices, your social networks (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and the Internet under one interface. Your TV looks for and collects all the media you have and, eventually, content you don’t know about. This feature didn’t exist for TVs before. Now, Samsung has made it a reality!

You will have access to 300 exclusive applications for the television at the Samsung online store, a figure that is expected to rise to 1,000 by the end of this year. All these applications can be downloaded directly from the TV and installed quickly.

Thanks to the 3D display, the combinations are endless.

These TVs can play all movies or shows in 3D. Add to this your Blu-ray 3D player, a Blu-ray 3D home theater system and the indispensable active 3D glasses. Think about it for a minute, close your eyes: no, you’re not dreaming…

Visit our magnificent dedicated area, the Samsung Gallery.

SMART TV video demo:

CinemaNow has just arrived in Canada. The service is similar to what NetFlix offers. By contrast, with CinemaNow you pay for each item, renting movies and television shows one at a time. Prices start at $ 3.99 for a film and $ 2.49 for an episode, or you can buy the digital version for $ 9.99 per item.

Already, at launch time, there are over 10,000 shows and movies offered to customers. Unlike other suppliers of entertainment TV, you don’t have to subscribe to CinemaNow. For those who do decide to register, they can store movies and videos virtually, in addition to having access to new and exclusive titles.

To install CinemaNow on your TV with Panasonic Viera Connect technology, visit the Viera Connect Market from the device. Most 2010 and 2011 Panasonic TV models are compatible with this new movie rental interface.

The CinemaNow service is powered by Roxio platform technology.