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

I was having a look today at the top TVs on Reevoo for design - and it might be a slight suprise who takes the number 1 spot for the most beautiful TV…

We took a look at the top 100 TVs in 2008 as rated by genuine purchasers, and took a look in the monster Reevoo database to find out which set scored most highly for design. Although Samsung is the manufacturer with the overall top rating for design, they weren’t responsible for the best designed TV.

Nor were Sony, another classic make with a good eye for design.

In fact, coming top of the list with a massive 9.9 for design was the Toshiba 46XF355D.

This model will be well-known to many, as it features a distinctively thin bezel that seems to be responsible for most of the rave reviews:

I chose this product because of its sleek unobtrusive picture frame design. Most others have a huge amount of frame around the screen which spoils the whole look. It enhances the wall in new room we have just had built.

Apart from picture and sound performance which are top class, the bezel, which is claimed to be the thinest in the world, makes a tremendous difference to the size and appearance of the set e.g. my son has a Pioneer 40” which is actually wider than my 46” Toshiba.

this lcd tv does not look too big dispite the great 46″ screen , this is due to the fantastic slimline pictureframe which toshiba get top marks for !!!!!!

I think that send a pretty clear message to manufacturers looking to get amongst it in the design stakes: thin is in.

If you’re not convinced, you can read more reviews of the Toshiba 46XF355D over on Reevoo.

And it seems like the design eggheads agree with shoppers: the Toshiba was given an iF Product Design Award by German design gurus International Forum Design.

Do you agree? Would the 46XF335 be sitting pretty at the top of your design tree?

Some gems from the reviews over on Reevoo

"Utterly hopeless instructions (imagine Ikea on steroids)" Vogels Projector Wall Solution

"Fashion-wise, they’re possibly a bit risky…I think I get away with it because I have wild hair and a convertible, but I could be fooling myself" Cowboy Glasses

"Encourages children to saw things - legs, trees, etc" Chad Valley JCB Chainsaw

"I can only go what my wife says, The dust collects easier and more visible, So I have bought her an anti static duster and told her to dust more ofter……Whiner" Samsung LE19R88BDX

"Fridge magnets doin’t stick - now what are we going to do with them all … !" LG GR419BSCA

With households around the land worrying that it’s time to tighten belts, we thought we’d help show you how you can get the most from your purchases and do your bit to save the planet at the same time – after all, who wants another summer like we’ve just had?

In addition to Reevoo’s normal job, of using real customer reviews to help you decide what to buy, Reevoo now allows you to search by which household products are the most energy efficient. With energy prices up by 20% this year, we thought this was pretty smart, as well as green.

So, what difference will this really make?

We took one of the market’s top energy rated fridge freezers, the Indesit BAAN134, which has an A* energy efficiency rating and carries the Energy Savings Trust Feature, and compared it to your average light bulb.

At roughly HALF the power usage of a 60 watt lightbulb, not only will the Indecit keep your beers chilled but it might tempt you to live by fridge-light during fast approaching autumnal months.

We wouldn’t expect you to compromise on quality either, the Indesit scored 9.2 out of 10 by those that bought it and 93% of buyers would recommend it.

So, if you’re interested in making your home as cost and energy efficient as possible, or just want to find out which washing machine uses less power than your iPhone, check out the home product reviews on Reevoo.

[Guest post by Matt]

The Nokia N-series has a couple more handsets to add to the family. The N85 and N79 are different to each other in looks but pretty similar in terms of features. 

The N85 is a two-way slider with a 2.6 inch OLED screen. OLED - Organic Light-Emitting Diode, which basically means it uses less power, responds faster and has a faster refresh rate than a traditional LCD. This makes it particularly good for gaming, which is a good thing because there are 10 games included with the N85, one of which you chose yourself.

The N79 is a candybar handset with a 2.4 inch screen and Xpress-on covers. In fact, on the N79, the back cover will even change the colour on your screen so that your whole phone matches – brings colour coordination to a whole new level.

Apart from style, the main difference is the memory that comes with each phone. The N85 comes with an 8GB SD card whereas the N79 has been palmed off with a 4GB SD card. But both phones come with a five megapixel camera, FM transmitter, GPS, geotagging for photos, Wi-Fi and 3G with HSDPA.

The N85 is due to be released in September and the N79 in October.

Price wise, you’re looking at:
N85 - £358 (€450)
N79 - £279 (€350)

Take a look below for the main specs.

Download table

For more info, check out the Nokia website.

"It doesn’t make me breakfast in bed. That’s disappointing. I’m not asking for much, just a cup of tea and maybe some toast and Marmite" Logik HDWTH FR EADAP

"nobody cares like you do, phoning me to say one pair might be delayed a day…and the no-quibble refund policy. I don’t know how you do it; come on, share the secret… child slave labour…? prison industries…? stolen goods…?" Judge Glasses

"Best screen i have ever seen, makes our 2 Vista based laptops and desktop PCs look like satchels of Yak dung" APPLE I-MAC 24

"much quicker than battering them to death or using fly spray. Ethically by far the best option for the flies who refuse the option of leaving a clean kitchen of their own free will" Shock Bug Zappa

"Well lets face it, there’s only so much fun that you can have with a
plastic boomerang! I cant promise that it will change your life, but
you’ll have a few minutes fun a day with it" Indoor Boomerang

There’s no need to worry about being music-less when you’re on the move again. These solar powered headphones with FM radio will run for up to 20 hours when fully charged. And one hour of sunlight will provide one-three hours listening. There are no wires to get in the way of walking, running, or whatever you fancy doing. Just music. The radio has a powerful internal antenna and extended base so you can keep everyone else entertained at the same time – sure to be popular on trains. And it recharges itself even when you’re listening to it, as long as you’re in the company of sun.

Heads big and small will love these headphones because the adjustable headband will accommodate all sizes. Plus you’re doing your bit for the environment at the same time. You can pick up a pair here for £19.95 with global shipping.

LG shocked the world of washing machines in 2006 with the launch of its proprietary Steam Direct Drive unit. The range has continued to evolve, and since May it has been possible to purchase one of the new F1402FDS5/6 machines capable of washing 9Kg of laundry.

While fantastic to be able to wash so much in a single go, it’s still the technology behind the machine that deserves the most attention. Like Dyson introducing the bagless vacuum cleaner to the world, LG decided to throw conventional washing machine design principles out of the window and try something new.  By converting the water into steam before mixing it with your laundry, these machines are able to achieve the same or even arguably better cleaning results, whilst saving on the amount of water and energy used. This is a huge plus point, in a time when energy and water costs are rocketing sky high, and saving resources is high on people’s agendas. Another fantastic feature of a steam powered washing machine is its ability to rid your clothes of creases, so no more ironing!

All this does come at a price though, with the range retailing at between £600 and £700 from places such as Boots, Sainsburys and Currys. In the long run however, the extra initial outlay could pay for itself further down the line. For those of you out there that might not want such an expensive and feature rich machine, there are cheaper ranges also available that use the same core steam technology. If you are hungry to delve further into the world of steam powered washing machines head over to the LG website.

[Guest post by Andy]

We recently recieved the following question in our Inbox at Reevoo:

I’m in need of a remote control handset for the Pentus 27″ LCD Television - can you supply me with one please.
I thank you.

We get lots of requests for remote control advice, so I thought I’d answer on the blog.
One of the best remote controls on the market at the moment is the Logitech Harmony 525.

You can check whether your TV is compatible on Logitech’s site.

Our correspondent didn’t give the exact details of her TV, but the Harmony does support at least some Pentus TVs, so hers will probably work with it.
In general it seems to support lots of TVs - give us a shout if yours doesn’t work with it.
You can see more remote control reviews at Reevoo.

Not content with simple maps, Nokia have teamed up with Lonely Planet to create a mobile tourist map extravaganza.  Adventurers can download city guides to their mobiles for over 100 hot tourist destinations so that the “where shall we eat” question need never be uttered again. Among the restaurant recommendations, you can also find where to sleep, shop, visit and boogie. No more heavy books and highlighters to pack in with your toothbrush and sleeping bags.

There was mutual love-giving from Nokia and Lonely Planet with Maximilian Schierstadt, head of media partnerships, at Nokia context-based services, saying: "Lonely Planet is a well-known brand amongst travellers and stands for adventure and editorial independence.

"We are very excited to offer their expert local recommendations and itineraries to our Nokia Maps consumers, which will allow Nokia to continue to innovate and enable compelling location-aware experiences."

Stephen Palmer, CEO of Lonely Planet Publications, added: "This is a genuinely transformational deal, which makes Lonely Planet content available regardless of time or place… Together with Nokia we will help more travellers connect profoundly with their world, everyday."

You can get your hands on the city guides from today. They’re £5.99 / USD 13.99 / EUR 7.99, and can be found in the Guides section in the Extras menu. For more info, head to Nokia.

It seems that the iPhone has won even more fans in the shape of HSBC chiefs. The powers that be over at the global bank have decided to look into using iPhones as their executive weapon of choice. That would mean replacing their fleet of around 300,000 BlackBerry devices.

Now that the new iPhone 3G is compatible with Microsoft Exchange servers, it has become more attractive to business as well as consumers. Its larger screen and applications geared towards trading and accounting are adding to the iPhones capability to become a serious business competitor.

News from the BlackBerry camp is that the BlackBerry Thunder, equipped with a large touch screen, will be released later this year to go into direct competition with the iPhone. Watch this space for a smartphone stand-off…