Decide what to buy | the Reevoo.com blog, featuring news on TVs, cameras, laptops, mp3 players & other gadgets, shopping tips and deals, reviews and more

It’s official. Women may like to spend money on expensive handbags and shoes but when it comes to the living room, boys shell out the most cash.

According to the latest research from Reevoo, kitting out a bachelor pad with huge plasma TVs, top of the range laptops, games consoles, high-end stereos and other gadgets puts the bill up to £4,678.97.

Reevoo looked at the highest rated products with over 30 reviews to compile the research. According to shoppers, the best wide screen plasma HD ready TV is the Panasonic TH50PZ70B which can be nicely accompanied by the top DVD recorder, the Sony RDR-HX510. Just these two cost over £1,500.

Every man’s need and desire to put as little effort into living as possible has been accounted for. There’s the Proline TTR 65 P mini beer fridge which can be plugged in right next to your sofa so that cold beer is only a short stretch away, the Hewlett Packard Pavilion DV9605 laptop, so you can check up on your stocks and shares while you’re watching the footie and an Xbox 360 Elite for when you run out of DVDs.

Other items to complete the perfect bachelor pad include the Philips HD7810/60 coffee machine, the Blackberry Curve 8310, and the Miele G1222SC
dishwasher, so that you don’t have to get involved in any of that mucky washing up.

So girls, next time you get an earful off him indoors, direct him to this handy bit of research before you head for the shops.

Here’s a full list for those who want to create the perfect pad:

Panasonic
TH50PZ70B 50 inch HD ready plasma screen TV £1,351.00

Xbox 360 Elite
games console £250.00

Panasonic FZ50 digital
camera £306.00

Sony DCR-SR 32E handycam
camcorder with 30GB hard drive £259.00

Blackberry Curve
8310 mobile phone £274.99

Denon D-m 35 DAB hi-fi
mini system £150.00

Apple iPod touch 16GB black
£229.00

Wharfedale
Diamond 9.1 bookshelf speakers £129.00

Hewlett Packard Pavilion
DV9605 laptop £699.99

Pure Talksport DAB
radio £40.00

Proline TTR 65 P mini
fridge £69.99

Philips HD7810/60
Coffee Machine £50

Miele G1222SC
dishwasher £493.00

Philips HQ8150 electric
shaver £78.00

Sony RDR-HX510 DVD
Recorder £299.00

I think I’ve discovered the dumbest invention in history. American firm Schlage have released plans to launch their Z-Wave Web-Enabled Door Locks by the end of this year. I’ll explain what all this Z-Wave business is in a minute but basically, they’ve decided to bring out locks that you can open and close on the internet.

Their line of conventional keypad locks proved very successful and wiped out most of the competition but they really should have stopped there. Following the locks’ success it was genius general manager Dwight Gibson who said "Wow, it would really be great to manage these things remotely!"Good move, Dwight.

Here’s how the burglar’s paradise ‘lock’ works: The battery-operated locks communicate with a Z-Wave gateway that connects to any broadband router (Z- Wave is wireless system that uses radio waves so that all of your electronics can ‘talk’ to each other.  You can manage it all remotely, for example, through your mobile on online, so that you don’t have to be anywhere near your house).

This gateway creates handy web pages so that you can manage your locks. You can lock and unlock doors and even keep an eye on your visitors.

I have to say that it does sound pretty useful…until you think of all of the hackers and generally unpleasant people that will be oh so happy to break into your system and help themselves to all of your hard-earned possessions.

Dwight goes on to say that this move is in line with the firm’s objective of "trying to pick up the pace in innovation" and when questioned on price, he ensures they’ll be "affordable". Well, it’s good to know that while you could lose everything you have, at least you’ll be able to save a few bob in the process.  Coming soon to a crime spot near you.

Find out more from the guys at Gadget Lab.

As the days are getting a little hotter, those who are lucky enough to have them will be will be looking to spend more time in the garden. I’ve been looking to see what outdoor green products we could all be making the most of.

First up is some garden lighting. Pretty essential if you decide to make the most of your garden throughout the summer months. Instead of sucking up power from the mains, why not tap into the good stuff and get yourself some solar powered garden lights? Easy as pie to set up and you can pat yourself on the back for all the energy you’re saving.

(more…)

Bendy TVs are on the way! Mr Tsutae ”plasma TV” Shinoda’s company have revolutionised their plasma screen. Their new design is a 1mm thick plasma screen which is thin enough to wrap themselves around bendy things. It measures a whopping 125 inches but amazingly, it’s only 3.6kg. Unfortunately they’ve only managed 960 x 360 screen resolution but with a 150 incher on the way, I’m sure we’ll be seeing more improvements.

If you’ve only just registered the plasma boom, ease yourself in by checking out the plasma tv reviews… slightly smaller than this one but still nice and shiny.

It’s nearly wind-down time. Here’s some funny reviews to help you out…

"Does not withstand being washed and tumble dried" Sony Ericsson Z530i

"My fridge magnets keep sliding down the smooth exterior"  FRIGIDAIRE FVE2199C

"I don’t quite see the point of all of the different
levels of ‘dry’ it offers (i.e. ‘bone’ or ‘cupboard’ etc.) I mean,
maybe it’s just me, but if I stick something in a dryer, it’s because I
want it dry" HOOVER HNC382T

"its not wide enough for  anyone bigger than a  uk size 10 to use as a sunbed" Folding Lounger

"I dont know that much about washing machines, and to be honest I dont
ever really want to. It basically washes and then drys my
clothes which is what I wanted and therfore is good" HOTPOINT WD640P

Are you sitting at your desk reading this with a sad, cold cup of tea, coffee or trendy hippy concoction at your side? Does it make you angry when you make yourself a brew, only to be called into an impromptu meeting and when you return, you’re left with a lukewarm offering? Well, I’ve found something that could help.

This handy little gadget sits obediently at your side to ensure your drinks stay hot. Just plug the mug warmer into your computer with the USB cable, go away and make your drink in the kettle, as normal but then pour it into the cup that comes with the contraption.

Place aforementioned cup onto your pre-warmed cup warmer and you’re good to go! Bring on the meetings and chats with colleagues you’d rather not interrupt your tea-break with because your drink will stay lovely
and hot for 60 minutes!

25 hot drink lovers have already tried out this little gem. You can find all the USB cup warmer reviews here. Most people seem to think that it should come with a bigger cup…

This week’s Green Piece is all about a humble backpack. Designed by Voltaic, it’s made from the fizzy drinks bottles that we recycle. Not only does this process save on materials, it also uses a lot less energy that if it was made out of something like nylon.

Think that’s it? Oh no, this is a backpack with a difference. It’s got solar panels sewn into it so that you can save even more energy by charging up your gadgets on the go. You can charge your smaller gadgets like MP3s, cameras or PDAs but the best bit is that Voltaic have managed to create a backpack that can also charge your laptop. Great news! Now if we only lived in Spain…and you have a spare £190 lying around…

It’s time for the indie games developers to show us what they’re made of. Nintendo have opened their doors with the confirmation that Wiiware will be launched in Europe on 20th May. Recently launched in the US, Nintendo hope that it will help developers get through the red tape that currently makes entry into the market a tricky business indeed. The new games or ‘channels’ are also hoped to target more of the ‘casual gamer’ market, one that has proved a big success for the Wii so far.

Laurent Fischer, Managing Director of Marketing & PR of Nintendo of Europe says "We hope that this opportunity and the inspiration to produce original and exciting games will allow developers of all sizes to bring new concepts, genres and game play experiences to Wii.”

So we can all look forward to some exciting new titles. They should cost around £3.50 or 500 Wii points. If you haven’t got a Wii yet and you quite fancy one, check out the Wii reviews from consumers at Reevoo. Jenny from Driffield reckons “This is the BEST and most fun I ‘ve ever had with ANY games console!” but don’t just take her word for it, there are nearly 1000 more Wii reviews to read.

It’s spring time and lots of people are having improvements made to their houses. If you’re looking to get a new kitchen, we’ve put together all the top kitchen appliances, rated by people who’ ve bought and used them, so that you can be sure you’re spending your money wisely.

We’ve concentrated on products with 30 reviews or more and have included even the little essentials like the all important kettle and food processor.

Let’s start off with the big stuff:

You can’t have a kitchen without an oven. We’ve gone for the top freestanding one which happens to be the Cannon C60DHK with 9.1/10. Purchasers love its value for money and performance. Richard from Surrey keeps things concise when he says: “Dual fuel, easy to keep clean, well built, quality materials, efficient.”

Reviewers name the Beko AB910s the best fridge/freezer. It gets 9.1/10 and a load of very positive comments. One review reads, “Excellent capacity. Very quiet. Attractive and functional.”

Miele have done pretty well with reviewers, they get top spots in the washing machine and dishwasher categories. Their W 3922 WPS SOFTRONIC washing machine not only scores an A-rating for energy efficiency, it also scores highly with consumers, one of whom says it “delivers the best wash I have ever seen.” Other purchasers hardly have a bad word to say about it and as a result, its overall score is 9.5/10.

With positive comments like “This is a high quality machine and is built to last”, and very few negative comments, Miele can also be proud of the G1222SC dishwasher’s 9/10 score.

As temperatures are getting hotter, you want to spend less time labouring over a hot stove, nuke your grub instead with the Panasonic NNCT766M BPQ. It apparently “has everything you could want from a multi-function microwave”, according to Alan in Whitley Bay. It scores 8.8/10 with particularly high scores in the performance category.

Treat your rosey lea to some top quality treatment with the Breville JK121 kettle. It gets 8.7/10 from its fans.

Mixing stuff has never been so fun and reliable…if you use the Kenwood FP 920, that is. With 8.9/10 and attachments and gadgets aplenty, you’ll ask yourself why you never invested in one before.

Hope you got all that. If you didn’t, here’s a recap:

Freestanding Oven – Cannon C60DHK
Fridge/freezer – Beko AB910s
Washing machine - Miele W 3922 WPS SOFTRONIC
Dishwasher – Miele G1222SC
Microwave – Panasonic NNCT766M BPQ
Kettle – Breville JK121
Food processor – Kenwood FP 920

It’s funny Friday review time. It’s going to be a lovely weekend so make the most of it and have a great one.

"Seems to take a while to dry the clothes but I think that is probably my missus being rubbish"

Zanussi TC7103S

"Chunky. Fat-electrician’s-fingers proof!  Fell on it and it still works" Ericsson W850i   

"It blew away on a day with no wind!!" Kids Weather Shelter

"Attracts dust like Elizabeth Duke attracts Pikeys" Kenmark KM-TS012M-K

   

"Slow to the point of brain damage" Vodafone USB Modem