E-Gear: Do It Yourself

Perhaps the reason Iron Man, a movie based on a superhero without the brand name recognition a Super, Bat or Spider-Man, opened to $100+ million this weekend is that he’s a superhero for the gadget generation.

One...

Hardware Mash-Ups 4/1/08 - E-Gear

Buglabs Founder and CEO Peter Semmelhack demonstrates a new product that allows you to build your own CE devices.

Install a digital home security system 2/29/08 - E-Gear

Tools Required:

-Computer

Top 25 Phone Applications 1/1/08 - E-Gear

It’s not a phone anymore. It is a platform. As more of us come to rely on our more sophisticated multimedia phones for everything from email to Web browsing, travel planning to shopping, the future has...

DIY: PlayStation 3 Hard Drive Upgrade 1/1/08 - E-Gear

If you’ve got a PlayStation 3, then you surely know that its potential goes way beyond gaming. Unfortunately, loading up the system’s hard drive with music, pictures and videos can quickly eat up space...

25 iPod/iPhone Tips 11/1/07 - E-Gear

Don’t get caught short with a dead iPod or iPhone. Carry an emergency power option with you. Our choices are the Energi To Go from Energizer ($29.99) or the iGo Power eXtender ($15.99 plus $12.99 for the...

Home Theater Solutions: Seating 11/1/07 - E-Gear

When designing a home theater, many people start by talking about screen size or how big the speakers will be. They decide which model DVD player will work best or which front projector will serve up the...

Submit Your Home Theater Tips! 10/18/07 - E-Gear

If you’ve read our 25 Home Theater Tips, you know we have our own ideas about how to improve your system’s performance, but we want to know what you think. Submit your handiest tips in our comments section...

25 Home Theater Tips 9/1/07 - E-Gear

1|For improved bass in most home theaters, move your subwoofer to a front corner of the room. If it sounds too boomy, try moving the sub off the wall or lowering the volume dial on the subwoofer.

2|To...

Crack Open the Black Box 9/1/07 - E-Gear

Setting up a new surround receiver has its challenges. But surmount them and the rewards are rich. For those who remain to be convinced, let me assure you that surround sound is a quantum leap over stereo,...

HDMI Cheat Sheet 7/1/07 - E-Gear

Since its introduction to the consumer electronics industry, the HDMI cable has been at the center of several controversies. Some parties see it as a link in the home theater chain, while others berate...

Omnimount PMD.5 Easy-to-Use Projector Mount 6/8/07 - E-Gear

I’m a big fan of home theater projectors. Point one at a big screen and you’ve got a video experience no TV can match. One a price per inch comparison, most projectors are a much better value than flat...

DIY: Build a DVR PC 5/1/07 - E-Gear

By now, most people have been exposed to life with a Digital Video Recorder (DVR). Whether it’s an official TiVo brand box or a TiVo knockoff from your local cable company, most folks realize the benefits...

Home Theater Solutions 3/1/07 - E-Gear

Having recently returned from the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, I can tell you one thing for certain: flat panel displays are everywhere. As I fought my way through the crowds, attending...

DIY: Calibrate Your Speakers 12/1/06 - E-Gear

I don’t know about you, but when I see a movie at the local multiplex, there’s an excellent chance that something will be wrong with the sound. Just as distracting as bad video (“Focus!!”), an improperly...

CONNECTING A HOME THEATER 10/1/06 - E-Gear

Now that a pair of movie tickets will set you back $20 – or more, if you splurge for a $7 popcorn and two $4 sodas – it’s easy to see why interest in home theater has exploded in recent years. If you wait...

Send Us Your Tech Tips and You May Win a Canon Digital Camera 8/25/06 - E-Gear

Have a DIY project you’re proud of or a tech tip you want to share with our readers? Send it to E-Gear. If it’s good, we’ll put it on our Web site. If it’s great you could win a Canon PowerShot A530 5MP...

Hang a FLAT PANEL TV 4/14/06 - E-Gear

One of the major appeals of flat panel TVs such as plasmas and LCDs is the space savings they create by hanging on the wall, out of the way. But do you need a pro to get that clean on-the-wall look? Not...

DIY Installing a Car Stereo 11/1/05 - E-Gear

By Jeff Dorgay

I had only owned my new Hyundai Tucson for three months when the stereo crapped out, which was a perfect excuse to install something better in the dash. I already had a new Alpine deck and...

How to Buy Your Next Digital Camera 11/1/05 - E-Gear

By Chris Stanley

If you find yourself asking, "I'm thinking about buying a digital camera, and was just wondering…" you're in good company.

Install Your Own Home Security System 10/1/05 - E-Gear

A home security system can run into thousands of dollars, involve miles of wiring, a professional installation and a monthly monitoring fee or it can cost a few hundred dollars and you can set it up yourself...

Build a Home Theater PC 8/1/05 - E-Gear

The home theater PC is a highly flexible platform that puts your music, games, DVDs and TV programming in a single box. If done right, an HTPC can do much more than an entire rack of A/V components. Besides...

Make a DVD, Step-By-Step 6/1/05 - E-Gear

Video editing, just 10 years ago, was a specialized art requiring expensive equipment and lots of technical know-how. Today, more powerful computers, bigger and less expensive hard drives, and the prevalence...

Back Up or Shut Up Don't Let Them Say, "I Told You So." 4/18/05 - E-Gear

A year ago, my friend Bobbi lost several years worth of files due to a computer crash that was so incurable, even the local PC specialist couldn't salvage the hard drive; all was lost. For her, the loss...

How to Buy an HDTV Antenna 3/1/05 - E-Gear

Odd as it sounds, neither digital cable nor digital satellite deliver all the local digital and high-definition channels that are available in most U.S. communities. The only way to get every available...