Hasta La Gadget!

The future for AV receivers: no S-Video inputs.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET Networks)

S-Video inputs are disappearing from AV receivers. Sony was one of the first companies to drop S-Video on the STR-DG810 in 2007, and in 2008, both the Sony STR-DG920 and Pioneer VSX-1018AH-K went without S-Video jacks. Yamaha’s new 2009 AV receivers …

The global economic crisis continues, which got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn’t want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back — so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We’ll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff / companies stop sending things. Today we’ve got an Ecosol Powerstick USB powered portable charger on hand and ready to send to you, the lucky contestant. Read the rules below (no skimming — we’re omniscient and can tell when you’ve skimmed) and get commenting!
Big thanks to Ecosol for providing the mouse!

The rules:

• Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for “fixing” the world economy, that’d be sweet too.
• You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you’ll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.)
• If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you’ll be fine.
  
• Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don’t make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
• Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one Ecosol Powerstick. Approximate value is $59.95.
• If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.
• Entries can be submitted until Monday, February 23rd, 11:59PM ET. Good luck!
• Full rules can be found here.

Filed under: Announcements

Engadget’s recession antidote: win an Ecosol Powerstick portable charger originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Feb 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Would you like to save $100 on a new iPhone? Sure, we all would, and Best Buy giving its Premier Silver Reward Zone members the chance to do just that; to knock a full Benjamin off the price of any 8GB or 16GB model. Meanwhile other, non-premier members (anyone who didn’t drop $2,500 at Best Buy last year) will have to make do with $50 off. This is in addition to the other discounts you’ll get when signing up for a new plan, and is a nice bonus either way — assuming you’re already a Rewards Zone member. If you’re not and still want to get in on the action, tough cookies. You should have joined prior to the 21st, when the retailer opened the window on this deal. It closes again on the 28th.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Best Buy shows membership has its benefits, offers up to $100 off new iPhones originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Feb 2009 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Recover from your case of the Monday blues with some sweet discounts. Check out Gearlog’s deals for Monday, February 23:

1. Woot’s deal of the day is the Philips Micro Hi-Fi System with Bluetooth, CD, SD, USB and iPod Dock selling for $99.99. The dock normally runs for around $175, saving you a large chunk off of the retail price. The entertainment system has a built-in mic and Bluetooth compatibility, making it possible to make phone calls through the stereo. This thing does it all, so click quickly, it’s only available today or while supplies last.

2. Looking for a cheaper way to play your music? Today only, get the Hi Fidelity Speaker System & Charger Docking Station w/ Remote for Apple iPod , iPod Touch , iPhone 3G, Nano for just $49.99 from Amazon.com. Normally $89.99, the speaker system offers big sound for not so much money. If you’re a Shuffle-owner, you’re out of luck, the speakers are only compatible with the above Apple products.

3. Need a way to plug all those gizmos and gadgets into your computer? The CyberPower USB Hub 7-Port 2.0 with AC Adapter and Flash Drive for just $25.95, down from $49.95. The USB hub offers connectivity up to 480Mbps, and has dual speed compatibility, which means the hub works easily with your USB 1.1 and USB 2.0 devices.

We heard that Amazon was already prepping the earliest Kindle 2 orders for shipment, but now we’re seeing a flood of shipment notifications head our way. So far as we can tell, the second iteration of the Kindle e-reader is shipping en masse, and Amazon even lists the thing as “In Stock” on its website. Of course, the original Kindle had that status for about 3.87 (okay, 5.5) hours before slipping into backorder land for far too long, but we’re hoping the supply chain’s a bit more ready for the rush this go ’round.

[Thanks, Dan]

Filed under: Displays, Handhelds

Amazon’s Kindle 2 listed as “in stock” — for now, anyway originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Feb 2009 11:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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