Let’s begin from the basics. This is how the AirPlay technology works. You can use the AirPlay to stream music, video and other forms of media from an iOS operated device to AirPort Express enabled speakers or television. This way, you can play music or videos on your television by streaming the content from your iPod or iPhone or iPad, and it’s all wireless. That’s what makes it so incredibly cool.

So, basically, if one were to say it in simple words, AirPlay allows you to have music all over the house, streamed straight from your iOS enabled device. All you need to have is an iPod or an iPad or an iPhone and speakers or a television which support the AirPlay technology and you are good to go. In many ways, AirPlay is the future of the world of music. Apple made a big leap into the future by making way for a world where your phone or iPod will have all the data, but, you could send it over to better audio or video devices through a streaming friendly, wireless technology.

Now that we have laid down the fundamentals of the AirPlay technology, it’s time to look at some of the best AirPlay devices out there. We have already established the many benefits of an AirPlay speaker, the most prominent among them being that your music can literally be everywhere around your house. Ever since the AirPlay feature was introduced by Apple, all the major audio device giants have cashed in on the opportunity by releasing several models of AirPlay speakers. On the one hand, this means brilliant news, because, as a customer, you have all the options in the world. But, there is a tiny flip side as well. With so much to choose from, you might just go astray.

To make sure that you are on the right track, we have put together a list of the best AirPlay speakers in the market as of now. Here it is:

1. Audyssey Audio Dock Air- This is among the best AirPlay speakers out there. It is the size of a shoe box, but it can make a room come alive with its fantastic audio. The sound is sharp and crisp, both at extremely high and low volumes. The Audyssey Air Dock can easily replace your traditional speakers as the main audio device in the house. Besides the technical details, the design is simple and minimalistic, which means that the speakers easily blend into the décor of the room. In all probability, you won’t even notice them, except for the sound, of course.

2. Logitech UE Air- the Logitech UE Air comes with all features you would expect in a good AirPlay speaker- the sound is great and the design is sleek and simple. But the USP of this product is just how easy it is to operate. Unlike other AirPlay speakers, you simply have to download an app, fill in a few details and the set-up is done. That’s just how easy it is.

3. Philips Fidelio DS3881W- Philips made its entry into the AirPlay segment with these speakers among others. The Fidelio DS3881W speakers are shaped like doughnuts (yes, you got that right, doughnuts) and come with complete surround sound technology. They are very portable and they have a rechargeable battery. Did we forget to mention that the sound is great as well. So, if you are looking to spice your room up, get yourself one of these.

Most people will fall into one of three printer categories: the document printer, the photo printer, and the office All-in-One. There is, of course, a bit of overlap in each category, but we’ll let you know just what will work best for your needs.

Document Printers

If all you’re looking to do is print documents, such as for work or school, you really don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars on a new printer. Low-cost printing is the goal here, and there are a few things to look out for, most specifically, replacement ink costs.

The HP DeskJet 1000 – The DeskJet 1000 is not only an affordable printer, but its black and tri-color ink cartridges are affordable as well – something uncommon for inkjet printers. It’s nothing fancy, only printing about 16ppm (pages per minute), but it gets the job done.

For those printing in a bit higher volume, you may want to consider a laser printer. Toner cartridges used by laser printers generally last much longer than their inkjet counterparts, significantly lowering the cost per page.

The Samsung ML-1665 – The ML-1665 is a great place to start for an affordable laser printer. You only get black and white printing, but cost savings is worth it if you expect to print a lot.

Photo Printers

For people who like to print their own photos, it’s important to focus on print quality. Print resolution, given in DPI (Dots per Inch) is important, but one of the best things you can do is check how many color cartridges the printer uses. If it uses a single tri-color cartridge, it’s likely not worth it. Five color cartridges is a good start (commercial grade photo printers use upwards of 8).

Canon Pixma MG5350 – The Pixma MG5350 is quite possibly the best valued printer on the market, and is certainly the best choice for the avid home photo printer on a budget. Print quality is excellent, and it even includes additional features like built-in WiFi and a scanner.

Office All-in-Ones

In an office environment, scanning can be just as important as printing, and that’s where All-in-One printers come in handy. Most printers these days actually fall into the All-in-One category, so there is a huge range to choose from.

Canon Pixma MX885 – The Pixma MX885 (and really most of the Pixma MX line) makes for an excellent office All-in-One at a very affordable price. Its print quality is quite good, and it is also capable of duplex printing (aka automatic printing on both sides of the paper). It’s full of useful features that make it a great office printer.

While the examples we’ve given are great choices, there are plenty of other excellent printers out there. Check out our top ranked printers to get a feel for which might be right for your needs.

Smartphones and Tablets

Over the past couple of years, smartphones have been seeing explosive progress in everything from performance to functionality. At the start of every year, someone makes the claim that it will be the “Year of the Smartphone.” Well, it looks like we’ll be going on the third “Year of the Smartphone” in a row this year, and I, for one, am not disappointed.

Intel Enters the Race

Intel has been talking about developing smartphone processors for a while, but now it’s official. In the second quarter of this year, Lenovo will be launching the very first Intel powered Android phone, the K800. While not quite as power efficient as the traditional ARM processors, Intel’s Medfield chip, now known as the Atom Z2460, will offer a new level of performance in smartphones, tablets, and ultrabooks. It will definitely be interesting to see how it compares to Nvidia’s ARM-based Tegra 3.

Nvidia and Tegra 3

Tegra 3, the first quad-core processor to be found stuffed inside a tablet (the Transformer Prime) has been on the market since December, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t make an appearance at CES. Not only were there several Tegra 3 tablets from manufacturers like Toshiba, Asus, and Acer, but Fujitsu stole the show by displaying the first Tegra 3 smartphone. And in case you were curious about Tegra 3’s performance, a Tegra 3 tablet was shown playing Skyrim on an HDTV. So yes, current generation console performance has officially been achieved in the mobile sector.

Tons of New Smartphones

Just about everyone had a new smartphone to announce at CES this year. Samsung announced its Galaxy Note (as well as the Galaxy S II HD for T-Mobile); Sony came out with the Xperia S; Motorola had the Droid 4 and new RAZR MAXX (claiming 21 hours of talk time); and Nokia showed us the Lumia 710, as Windows Phone that might actually compete with the iPhone and Android for once. And that’s just to name a few of the big players’ announcements.

HDTVs and Entertainment

Apart from all of the fancy gadgetry, CES has always been a staging ground for home entertainment breakthroughs. HDTVs specifically, as well as other home appliances, have always been popular topics.

HDTVs

For the last year or two, HDTVs at CES were all about 3D. That phase is finally starting to die down (I personally say “Good riddance”), and the TV sector is transitioning onto the next big thing: OLED. LG wowed the audience with a magnificent 55-inch OLED TV that had some of the most vivid colors, deepest blacks, and sharpest image ever. Plus it was only 4mm thick!

There were of course plenty of other products on display, including Dish’s new wireless satellite receiver boxes, some fun remote controlled surveillance equipment, and a ton of talk about a new wave of GoogleTV devices.

Video Games

Even though video game-related stuff is more of an E3 thing, there was plenty to go around at CES. For starters, the Wii U got some demo time, strutting its upgraded graphics and tablet-like controller. The PlayStation Vita also got some valuable face time, with Sony announcing a planned launch date of February 22^nd.

CES 2012 continues through Friday, so stick around and we’ll keep you informed of all the cool gadgets and technology that are headed our way this year.

What is DLNA?

DLNA stands for Digital Living Network Alliance and is non-profit organization comprised of some 250+ consumer electronic companies.

DLNA compliant devices and software allow you to stream video through your home network from one device (a DLNA server) to another (a DLNA client).

The DLNA server transcodes whichever media you’re streaming, be it audio or video, into a universal and network efficient format, understood by all DLNA clients. This means that any media your DLNA server is capable of playing, your DLNA client devices will be able to play as well.

Some DLNA Devices

Finding DLNA devices is easier than you might expect. An absolutely necessary component to any DLNA setup is a DLNA server, but fortunately, your PC or Mac is actually already capable of being both a client and server through software means (more on this later).

There are also a handful of DLNA certified Blu-Ray Players which are capable of functioning as DLNA clients, our most popular of which being the Philips BDP8000. There is also a handful of DLNA certified HDTVs, like Philips’ PFL9705H series, another consumer favorite on alaTest (Philips seems to make popular DLNA products). If you plan to rely on your wireless home network, make sure to be careful when purchasing DLNA devices though. Not all will include built in wireless, and others only support the Wireless-N standard.

The most popular (and arguably the best) DLNA device currently available has actually been around for about 5 years: the PlayStation 3. The PS3 is a Blu-Ray player, gaming device, and George Foreman Grill (ok, not that last one), and it also makes an excellent network connected media hub with DLNA certification. If you’re in the market for a Blu-Ray player, the PS3 is an great place to start. And if you happen to prefer the Xbox 360, it is a DLNA capable device as well (though it doesn’t play Blu-Rays).

Setting up a DLNA Network

Creating a DLNA home network is really as simple as connecting all of the devices to your home network. Ideally, you’ll want to use wired connections for all of your streaming devices, due to the high network speed requirements of HD video. Of course, this isn’t always practical. You’ll likely want to use a wireless connection for your laptop and other mobile equipment, for which a Wireless-N router is recommended, though older Wireless-G units will still work. If upgrading your router, Netgear’s WNDR3700 offers a quality, feature rich solution, and Linksys’ WRT320N is a cheaper router with similar performance.

Next you’ll need to setup your DLNA server software. PS3 Media Server gives you just about every feature you could need, and it’s hard to beat the low price of $Free. Don’t be fooled by the name; PS3 Media Server works with many DLNA devices, not just the PS3. It also supports a very wide array of media formats, so you don’t have to fiddle around in the confusing world of codecs. Being free, it’s not the most polished piece of software, lacking technical support, and doesn’t always support all DLNA devices 100%.


If you prefer a paid solution, TwonkyServer is hard to beat. It offers all of the features found in PS3 Media Server, but with a greatly improved interface, as well as tech support and support for a wider range of DLNA devices

The result is a stronger, purer coffee flavor. Because of its concentrated flavor, espresso is generally prepared in one ounce shots, which, due to its smaller size, actually has about half the caffeine of a typical cup of coffee. The lower caffeine content and strong flavor make espresso shots ideal for making drinks as well (exactly why Starbucks uses espresso in its drinks).

Making the Perfect Espresso Shot:

Picking the right espresso maker has a significant effect on the quality of the espresso, perhaps just as much so as the quality of the coffee bean. You may think that an espresso maker with a long list of fancy features is evidence of a quality machine, but there is a lot more to it than that. Believe it or not, the most important features are going to be ease of use, build quality, and temperature stability.

A great espresso shot starts with a tight seal around the filter, and a steady temperature of about 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Having an espresso maker that is simple to use and sturdily built makes that tight seal easier to achieve. Just a quick tip: be sure to run hot water through the system to heat up all of the components before brewing your espresso.

Here is a quick look at some of the best espresso machines on alaTest:

Delonghi EC 155

While its alaScore is not particularly high due the product age, its affordable price and quality construction makes it a great buy for a first-time espresso machine.

Cuisinart EM-100

Again, not a very high alaScore, but it is still quite affordable and offers a few more features over other models in its price range.

Cuisinart EM-200

The EM-200 has several fixed programming options, great for those who like to enjoy different types of coffee, like espressos, cappuccinos, and lattes.

Some Great Espresso Drink Recipes

Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha – this is a great drink for the holiday season, and with the extra sweetness of the white chocolate, perfect for any sweet tooth.

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup milk (whole milk preferred, but skim works as well)
• 3 tablespoons white chocolate chips
• ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1 to 2 shots of espresso

Start by adding the chocolate chips to the milk and steam it until the chips are melted (note: some espresso machines may not steam hot enough to melt the chips. If this is the case, heat the milk/chip mixture on the stove until melted). Add the peppermint extract to the heated milk; feel free to use more for a stronger peppermint taste. Pour a freshly brewed shot of espresso (or two shots for a bit more of a kick) into a warmed cup and add the milk mixture on top of it. Stir gently, top with whipped cream if desired, and enjoy. You can also substitute vanilla extract for the peppermint if you don’t care for the minty taste.

Gingerbread Latte – Another perfect coffee drink for the holidays.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk (steamed with foam)
• 2 shots of espresso

Begin by making a gingerbread syrup. This is done by combining the water, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, and vanilla and bringing it to just under a boil until the sugar is completely dissolved (about 10-15 minutes). Next brew your double shot of espresso and steam your milk. Add the espresso to a large cup, followed by ¼ cup of the gingerbread syrup, and topped by the steamed milk. Stir gently, top with whipped cream if desired, and enjoy the warm taste of the holidays.