PCPer 10 Days of Christmas: Day 7 - Amazon Kindle

Subject: General Tech | December 20, 2014 - 12:00 PM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged: kindle, holiday, amazon, 10 days of christmas

Are you still hunting for that perfect gift for the hardware and technology fan in your life? Or maybe you are looking for recommendations to give to your friends and family about what to buy for YOU? Or maybe you just want something new and cool to play with over the break? Welcome to PC Perspective's 10 Days of Christmas where we will suggest a new item each day for you to consider. Enjoy!

Since the original introduction of the Kindle e-reader years ago, the Amazon-built device has been considered the best digital reading appliance on the market. That continues to this day, even with the release of the iPad, the widespread sale of Android tablets and even Amazon's own color screen devices like the Kindle Fire. The eye comfort, extended battery life and low cost continue to drive the Kindle's dominance in this market.

Newly revised with a touch screen e-ink display, the lowest cost Kindle device can now be picked up for under $60 if you are cool with some ads showing up on the screen while the device is locked, or $80 if you aren't. E-ink technology provides the key benefits that Kindle has over standard tablets for reading: no backlight is required and thus your eyes have much less strain to focus on the words and the ability to maintain an image on the screen without constant power allows Kindle to last "for weeks" without a recharge.

If you or anyone you love is a reader, then you owe it to them to buy a Kindle.

• Amazon Kindle (with Special Offers) - Amazon.com ($59)

If you are having trouble picking out a gift for a loved one, consider buying an Amazon.com gift card! Amazon has basically every product on the planet for your gift recipient to order and purchasing gift cards through these links directly sponsors and supports PC Perspective! And hey, if you were to buy gift cards for yourself to do your own Amazon-based Christmas shopping...that wouldn't exactly be a bad thing for us either! ;)

Did you miss any of our other PCPer 10 Days of Christmas posts?

• Day 1: Google Nexus 7 Tablet
• Day 2: Dremel 4000 Variable Speed Rotary Tool Kit
• Day 3: Intel Core i7-4790K
• Day 4: Google Chromecast
• Day 5: EVGA NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti SC Graphics Card
• Day 6: Anker 60W 6-Port Family-Sized Desktop USB Charger

PCPer 10 Days of Christmas: Day 6 - Anker 60W 6-Port Family-Sized Desktop USB Charger

Subject: General Tech | December 19, 2014 - 12:00 PM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged: usb charger, holiday, anker, 10 days of christmas

Are you still hunting for that perfect gift for the hardware and technology fan in your life? Or maybe you are looking for recommendations to give to your friends and family about what to buy for YOU? Or maybe you just want something new and cool to play with over the break? Welcome to PC Perspective's 10 Days of Christmas where we will suggest a new item each day for you to consider. Enjoy!

Chances are you good you are slowly collecting electronics that charge through USB. Chances are also good that are you are running out of outlets in your home or office and you would love a way to consolidate the powering of your tablet, your phone, your smartwatch, your wireless earbuds and your other phone. I have used Anker USB accessories for a quite a while with a lot of success but this holiday the company has an upgraded model.

The new 60 watt variant of the USB charger seen here can output 2.4A per port or 12A total. There are 6 USB ports that automatically detect the device power requested and outputs accordingly. The power cable is 5ft long as well, great for plugging it in behind your bed and leaving the charging base on your night stand or kitchen counter. 

If you or someone you know has just too much USB powered crap, this is the perfect add-on to their life. I know it has helped me clear up cable clutter at my house and while traveling with all my electronics.

• Anker 60W 6-Port Family-Sized Desktop USB Charger - Amazon.com ($35.99)

If you are having trouble picking out a gift for a loved one, consider buying an Amazon.com gift card! Amazon has basically every product on the planet for your gift recipient to order and purchasing gift cards through these links directly sponsors and supports PC Perspective! And hey, if you were to buy gift cards for yourself to do your own Amazon-based Christmas shopping...that wouldn't exactly be a bad thing for us either! ;)

Did you miss any of our other PCPer 10 Days of Christmas posts?

• Day 1: Google Nexus 7 Tablet
• Day 2: Dremel 4000 Variable Speed Rotary Tool Kit
• Day 3: Intel Core i7-4790K
• Day 4: Google Chromecast
• Day 5: EVGA NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti SC Graphics Card

PCPer 10 Days of Christmas: Day 5 - EVGA NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti SC Graphics Card

Subject: General Tech | December 18, 2014 - 12:00 PM | Sebastian Peak
Tagged: holiday, gtx 750 ti, gpu, 10 days of christmas

Are you still hunting for that perfect gift for the hardware and technology fan in your life? Or maybe you are looking for recommendations to give to your friends and family about what to buy for YOU? Or maybe you just want something new and cool to play with over the break? Welcome to PC Perspective's 10 Days of Christmas where we will suggest a new item each day for you to consider. Enjoy!

When the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti was introduced back in February it presented some interesting possibilities. Not only was it a low-cost GPU capable of 1080p gaming, but it was efficient enough that it didn't require an external power connector.

Ryan quickly ran out and grabbed three average, low-cost desktops and put the idea of transforming any OEM PC the test, and the results spoke volumes. The $150 GPU was able to turn boring OEM desktops into respectable gaming machines with some ridiculously good gains over integrated graphics, and no need to upgrade the power supply.

One of the most compelling version of the GTX 750 Ti comes from EVGA

The GeForce GTX 750 Ti SuperClocked sells for the same price as a stock 750 Ti, but offers a free performance boost with a 1176MHz core clock (stock 1020MHz) and 1255MHz boost clock (stock 1085MHz). Featuring 2GB of 128-bit GDDR5 running at the stock 5400MHz, this GPU is well suited to 1080p gaming - and it only requires a 300-watt power supply (and no external power connector)!

This would make a great gift for a would-be PC gamer in the family without adding the complexity of further system upgrades to get up and running.

• EVGA NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti SC - Amazon.com ($141.99) - BHPhoto.com ($144.99)

If you are having trouble picking out a gift for a loved one, consider buying an Amazon.com gift card! Amazon has basically every product on the planet for your gift recipient to order and purchasing gift cards through these links directly sponsors and supports PC Perspective! And hey, if you were to buy gift cards for yourself to do your own Amazon-based Christmas shopping...that wouldn't exactly be a bad thing for us either! ;)

Did you miss any of our other PCPer 10 Days of Christmas posts?

• Day 1: Google Nexus 7 Tablet
• Day 2: Dremel 4000 Variable Speed Rotary Tool Kit
• Day 3: Intel Core i7-4790K
• Day 4: Google Chromecast

PCPer 10 Days of Christmas: Day 4 - Google Chromecast

Subject: General Tech | December 17, 2014 - 12:00 PM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged: holiday, google, chromecast, 10 days of christmas

Are you still hunting for that perfect gift for the hardware and technology fan in your life? Or maybe you are looking for recommendations to give to your friends and family about what to buy for YOU? Or maybe you just want something new and cool to play with over the break? Welcome to PC Perspective's 10 Days of Christmas where we will suggest a new item each day for you to consider. Enjoy!

Getting media from your PC to your TV is still a feat that can often take complicated software and dedicated hardware. There are several methods for getting around this headache including things like the Amazon FireStick, Intel's Wireless Display technology and Miracast. But perhaps the most interesting, and one of the least expensive, is the Google Chromecast.

Chromecast is a small thumb-stick sized device that plugs into an HDMI port on your TV and then connects to your wireless network. From there you can connect to the Chromecast with your desktop, laptop or mobile device that uses Chrome as the browser. Essentially, anything that can you watch or read or stream in Chrome can be send wirelessly to your TV. In addition, for Android smartphone and tablet users, a growing number applications support streaming to the Chromecast directly including Netflix, YouTube, HBO Go, Hulu Plus, Pandora, ESPN, MLB.TV, Google Play Movies and Music, Plex, MLS, crackle, Vevo, Rdio.

The only annoyance in setup is that the Chromecast requires a USB connection for power - but most TVs today have the necessary USB port so you don't have to use an AC adapter.

But damn, for only $29, this is a neat gadget worth giving a try!

• Google Chromecast HDMI Streaming Media Player - Amazon ($29) - BHPhoto.com ($34)

If you are having trouble picking out a gift for a loved one, consider buying an Amazon.com gift card! Amazon has basically every product on the planet for your gift recipient to order and purchasing gift cards through these links directly sponsors and supports PC Perspective! And hey, if you were to buy gift cards for yourself to do your own Amazon-based Christmas shopping...that wouldn't exactly be a bad thing for us either! ;)

Did you miss any of our other PCPer 10 Days of Christmas posts?

• Day 1: Google Nexus 7 Tablet
• Day 2: Dremel 4000 Variable Speed Rotary Tool Kit
• Day 3: Intel Core i7-4790K

PCPer 10 Days of Christmas: Day 3 - Intel Core i7-4790K

Subject: General Tech, Processors | December 16, 2014 - 11:00 AM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: Intel, holiday, devil's canyon, 10 days of christmas

Are you still hunting for that perfect gift for the hardware and technology fan in your life? Or maybe you are looking for recommendations to give to your friends and family about what to buy for YOU? Or maybe you just want something new and cool to play with over the break? Welcome to PC Perspective's 10 Days of Christmas where we will suggest a new item each day for you to consider. Enjoy!

Today, we go from rusty gates (or rather cutting the bolts off of them with a Dremel) to tri-gates. Either way, you are probably looking for hardware that prides itself on variable speed. If you are looking to build or upgrade an upper-mainstream desktop PC, then the Intel Core i7-4790K is the last stop before Haswell-E.

The CPU, codenamed Devil's Canyon, was Intel's offering for mainstream gamers and non-Enthusiast (capital E) enthusiasts during their Haswell refresh. It is cooler than its 4770K predecessor due to an improved thermal interface under the processor lid. It is a deal this week because its price dropped down to $299.99, which is about $50 below Intel's list price.

• Intel Core i7-4790K Devil's Canyon CPU - Amazon ($300) - BHPhoto.com ($330)

If you are having trouble picking out a gift for a loved one, consider buying an Amazon.com gift card! Amazon has basically every product on the planet for your gift recipient to order and purchasing gift cards through these links directly sponsors and supports PC Perspective! And hey, if you were to buy gift cards for yourself to do your own Amazon-based Christmas shopping...that wouldn't exactly be a bad thing for us either! ;)

Did you miss any of our other PCPer 10 Days of Christmas posts?

• Day 1: Google Nexus 7 Tablet
• Day 2: Dremel 4000 Variable Speed Rotary Tool Kit

PCPer 10 Days of Christmas: Day 2 - Dremel 4000 Variable Speed Rotary Tool Kit

Subject: General Tech | December 15, 2014 - 12:00 PM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged: holiday, dremel, 10 days of christmas

Are you still hunting for that perfect gift for the hardware and technology fan in your life? Or maybe you are looking for recommendations to give to your friends and family about what to buy for YOU? Or maybe you just want something new and cool to play with over the break? Welcome to PC Perspective's 10 Days of Christmas where we will suggest a new item each day for you to consider. Enjoy!

Sure, computers are fun, but sometimes they need just a little bit of tweaking. Yes, we are talking about case mods. Far and away the favorite tool for this kind of work is the classic Dremel - a variable speed model that ranges from 5,000 to 35,000 RPM.

If you are unfamiliar with Dremel tools, these are really a jack-of-all-trades device. The kit that we are referencing at Amazon.com includes attachments for cutting, sanding, grinding, polishing and more. There are lot more accessories for the Dremel as well so it's a good idea to explore all of these options to see the breadth of projects it can be helpful on. And with a price tag of just $85 for this kit, it's a budget gift that you can get for just about anyone.

• Dremel 4000-2/30 120-Volt Variable Speed Rotary Tool Kit - Amazon.com ($85)

If you are having trouble picking out a gift for a loved one, consider buying an Amazon.com gift card! Amazon has basically every product on the planet for your gift recipient to order and purchasing gift cards through these links directly sponsors and supports PC Perspective! And hey, if you were to buy gift cards for yourself to do your own Amazon-based Christmas shopping...that wouldn't exactly be a bad thing for us either! ;)

Did you miss any of our other PCPer 10 Days of Christmas posts?

• Day 1: Google Nexus 7 Tablet

PCPer 10 Days of Christmas: Day 1 - Google Nexus 7 Tablet

Subject: General Tech | December 14, 2014 - 10:49 AM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged: holiday, 10 days of christmas

Are you still hunting for that perfect gift for the hardware and technology fan in your life? Or maybe you are looking for recommendations to give to your friends and family about what to buy for YOU? Or maybe you just want something new and cool to play with over the break? Welcome to PC Perspective's 10 Days of Christmas where we will suggest a new item each day for you to consider. Enjoy!

The original Nexus 7 launched in 2012 and the 2013 revision was a drastic improvement in style, performance and battery life. It was such a good tablet, that even a year later, it's very likely the most popular Android tablet on the market.

The Nexus 7 is a 7-in tablet with a 1920x1200 resolution IPS screen that holds up well in sunlight and has Gorilla Glass to resist scratches. The tablet is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro 8064 1.5GHz processor that is a bit long in the tooth but is able handle computing tasks quite handily. Obviously something like the NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet would be better for dedicated gaming, but the Nexus 7 will hold its own in that area as well.

Other specifications include 2GB of DDR3L memory, 802.11n WiFi, a 15 Wh battery and it was recently updated to Android 5.0 Lollipop, that latest version Android.

Though Google has removed the Nexus 7 from its Google Play store, you can still find it on Amazon and BHPhoto.com in both 16GB and 32GB variants.

• Nexus 7 16GB - Amazon.com ($179) - BHPhoto.com ($199)
• Nexus 7 32GB - Amazon.com ($251)

If you are having trouble picking out a gift for a loved one, consider buying an Amazon.com gift card! Amazon has basically every product on the planet for your gift recipient to order and purchasing gift cards through these links directly sponsors and supports PC Perspective! And hey, if you were to buy gift cards for yourself to do your own Amazon-based Christmas shopping...that wouldn't exactly be a bad thing for us either! ;)

Happy Holidays from the PC Perspective Family to Yours!

Subject: Editorial | December 24, 2012 - 11:36 PM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged: holiday

As we near the hour of Christmas here in the United States I wanted to take a few minutes out of the evening to write a short note to the many fans and readers of PC Perspective.  This past year has been one of wide variance both in terms of technology and the website.  Without our faithful readers though we would not have been able to get through the last 12 months in as good of shape as we have - and for that we are VERY thankful! 

We apologize for the slow release of new posts for you to read, but most of our staff is spending time with family, whether they want to or not, and while we have a couple of reviews queued up, it seems like a waste to post them when many of YOU are in the same boat.  If you are looking for some interesting topics to hold you over in the meant time, here are a couple of suggestions:

• The PC Perspective Holiday Gift Guide - Hey, better late than never, right?? 
• Building a Hackintosh - Step by step guide.  Ken and I walk you through the process of building a PC and installing Mac OS X.  Might be neat to try in some of your free time this holiday!
• Cutting the Cord Series.  Chris recently rebuilt his HTPC and walks through the decisions he made on the hardware, software and configuration.  Maybe you too are tired of your cable bill?
• PC Perspective Podcast.  What better way to waste some hours by listening to some our staff ramble about PC hardware for hours on end each week?  And if you are already a subscriber, maybe you should check back to some OLD episodes and see what hilarity ensued. 
• PC Perspective YouTube Channel.  Did you know we make videos as well?  Sometimes they are funny and sometimes they are about taking apart gadgets.  Most of the time they are about hardware.
• And finally, the PC Perspective Forum!  This community has some great people in it and if you are looking for help with a hardware problem are maybe just want to find some new friends for some PC gaming, we have a forum for you!

Again, regardless of what you celebrate and why, I want to wish you a great holiday season and be sure you join us on Wednesday night for the LIVE PC Perspective Podcast recording where we will very likely be a little drunk and will mix up the normal rants with some funny stories and predictions. 

See you soon!