A quick market survey will reveal that a Netflix subscription has become a minimum standard with Blu-Ray players. Additionally, most of these players allow access to Pandora and Picasa and they also have some pay-per- view plan wherein you can stream movies from sites like Amazon or Vudu. Basically, every effort has been made to incorporate all modern forms of home entertainment into a single device.

What to look for in a Blu-Ray player?

One would imagine that video quality would be the key factor while choosing a Blu-Ray player. Truth be told, every Blu-Ray player out there excels in that department almost uniformly. Therefore, one can’t really make a decision based on just the picture quality. Interestingly, it is the additional features like Wi-Fi connectivity, ability to stream videos etc. which make all the difference. That’s why big players like LG and Sony have come up with innovative features to stay ahead in the competition. Price is also an important consideration when it comes to buying a Blu-Ray player. You can find a decent player for about a $100 while high end Blu-Ray players can cost up to $500. The choice will depend eventually on your budget and personal requirements.

Considering these factors, we have put together a list of the best Blu-Ray players out there. We have tried to choose players from different price ranges since this will help you compare their features along with their costs.

1. Sony BDP-S380- Priced at close to $110, the Sony BDP-S380 offers complete value for money. It has a sleek design with a matt black finish and the video processing is surprisingly fast. The networking options are great, you can access Hulu Plus, Netflix, Amazon, Pandora. Slacker etc. On the flip side, the video processing can get a little sloppy at times, but, it is still ideal for casual use around the house. You can also try out other Blu-Ray players like LG BP620 and Panasonic DMP-BDT 220, which fall in the same price range.

2. LG BD 670- The LG BD 670 has a very simple and minimalistic design, but it’s performance sets it apart from many others. Both the video processing and 3D are exceptional with no jerks or breaks in between. The player comes with in-built Wi-Fi connectivity allowing the users to connect to a variety of online streaming platforms. Price wise, it falls somewhere in the mid-range section (it is priced at close t0 $250), but we can assure you that your money will be well spent.

3. Sony Play Station 3- Yes, we know that the Sony Play Station 3 is a gaming console, but, the good news is that is doubles up as a Blu-Ray player as well. So, it has all the features of a normal Blu-ray player like Wi-Fi connectivity and other networking options. But, it goes a step ahead since you can use it for all your gaming interests as well. To top it all off, it is quite affordable at $250. If you are willing to spend some extra money, you can also try Oppo BDP-93 and LG BD 690, both of which come highly recommended.

Google develops Android such that anyone can build a device that runs it, but it’s up to the manufacturer to modify it and tailor it to run on the hardware they’re using. This process can take months, and it means that most Android devices out there are generally one or two versions behind. To get the most out of a new Android device, it’s important to know which are the most likely to be updated quickly.

Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean

The latest, and most relevant, version of Android are version 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and 4.1 (Jelly Bean). Ice Cream Sandwich brought all sorts of performance boosts and  new features to Android, and any worthwhile new Android phone should come with Android 4.0 already installed – or at least have an update expected very soon. Jelly Bean, the latest version released just weeks ago, expanded on the feature set of 4.0. If you expect to keep your phone for a couple years, you’ll want to make sure it has a high likelihood of receiving the 4.1 update as well.

Google’s Galaxy Nexus (and Nexus S)

The Nexus line is always the first to receive OS updates. This is because they are the only devices maintained directly by Google. The Galaxy Nexus is currently the only Android phone with Jelly Bean available. The Nexus S (which is well over one and a half years old, now) will likely be the second phone on the market to get the 4.1 update. If you want to stay as current as possible with the Android OS, Nexus devices are the way to go.

Samsung

Samsung started with one of the worst update records, taking ages to update its phones, if it updated them at all; however, Samsung listened to consumers and has completely changed its ways. This makes the Galaxy S III an excellent choice in terms of version longevity. Not only does it come with Android 4.0 out of the box, but should be updated to 4.1 by the end of the year. The Galaxy Note ought to see a 4.1 update around that same time, and the Galaxy S II is even a likely candidate, though the time frame on that may be a bit longer than is practical for a consumer.

HTC

HTC can be a little slow when updating its devices, but it does update most of its devices. The One Series (such as the One X, One S, and EVO LTE) are almost all certain to see a 4.1 update, with the exception of the One V which is a bit less likely since it lacks the power to fully benefit from an update. When will the One Series updates be rolling out? Hopefully before the end of the year. Older HTC devices, like the Sensation 4G and EVO 3D, probably won’t get the 4.1 update, though they have been updated to 4.0.

Motorola

Motorola does a solid job supporting its devices, as long as they’re still popular on the market. The Droid RAZR and RAZR MAXX have already started receiving 4.0 upgrades and should definitely be seeing 4.1 before the end of the year. The Droid Bionic and Droid 4, while still fairly current, likely won’t get a taste of 4.1, but should be upgraded to 4.0 before long.

Sony

While its devices start off great, Sony is disturbingly slow out of the gate. Because it takes so long to launch its products after announcing them, they’re often very behind once they hit the market. Sony’s brand new Xperia Ion is a perfect example. Despite its release on weeks ago, it’s only running Android version 2.3 (Gingerbread, technically 3 generations behind). Fortunately, it will be getting a 4.0 update, but that’s likely it. It doesn’t look like any of Sony’s other phones will be updated.

LG
LG likes to support its top tier devices, so long as they’re not too old. The Optimus 4X HD and Optimus LTE 2 are likely the only LG phones to get the 4.1 update.

Samsung and LG both demoed their upcoming OLED HDTV sets at CES 2012 earlier this year, and it’s a safe bet that we’ll see several OLED sets hitting the market before the year is up. What remains to be seen is how the entry of OLED TVs into the market will affect things.

What is OLED?

OLED screens combine the picture quality benefits of plasma with the space and power saving technology of LED. To better understand how an OLED screen works, let’s take a look at how traditional displays technology works.

TVs today use some sort of a backlight in order to illuminate an image on the screen. LCD screens have a CCFL (cold-cathode fluorescent lamp) in the edge of the display; edge-lit LED displays work similarly but use LED lights instead of the CCFLs. Backlit LED displays use a grid of LED lights directly behind the display, allowing it to adjust the brightness in specific sections. In a plasma display, ever pixel is made up of several champers of phosphorus gas that illuminates when charged; in other words, each pixel gives off its own light, with no need for a backlight, which is what allows for those deep blacks.

OLED displays work in the same sense as a plasma screen, in that each pixel is capable of emitting its own light. Alternatively, OLEDs are much more power-efficient and smaller than the plasma gas chambers needed for a plasma display. The end result is a super slim display with stunning color quality and perfect black levels that’s even energy efficient.

How Will OLEDs Affect Plasmas

Because the focus of new OLED displays will be picture quality, the high-end plasmas that videophiles flock to will be most affected. The most expensive plasma screens might see some price drops in order to compete with the superior OLED displays, but the entry and mid-range plasmas, like our current top-rated Panasonic TX-P VT30, should be fairly unaffected, at least for a year or two.

What about LED TVs?

Large LED TVs will also see some heavy competition from OLEDs since it’s expected that the first OLED sets to hit the market will be in the 55- to 70-inch range. Price will be the big deciding factor here. OLEDs will best traditional LED TVs in basically all categories, but they will be considerably more expensive. Samsung’s ES8000 series, Sony’s Bravia XBR series, and other “premium” models might see some considerable price drops when OLED TVs hit the market. Smaller, less feature-packed sets, like Sony’s KDL EX720 line, will be less affected.

And the LCD TVs?

LCD screens will remain the go-to flat panel TVs for anyone on a budget. It won’t be until a few years from now when OLED sets start challenging the prices of similarly sized LED TVs that we see the LCD sets start to fade from the market.

Conclusions about OLED TVs?

OLED TVs are a great advancement to HDTV technology, and they really will outperform any display currently on the market. If you’re in the market for a new TV today, is it work waiting for an OLED model to hit the market? Definitely! But only if you’re planning on spending upwards of $5,000 on something truly top-end.

Microsoft’s Windows Announcement

Windows 8 has been in the works for quite a while over in the secret labs of Microsoft, but rumor has it that we’ll get to peak behind the curtain. Microsoft has plans to release a “Consumer Preview” version following its presentation at MWC. And considering that this is a conference for mobile technology, there’s a good chance we’ll be seeing a lot about Windows Phone 8 as well; however, a Windows Phone 8 launch is surely still a while off. Any official announcements will likely be about the WP7 “Tango” update.

Samsung Galaxy S III

Ineterestingly, some of the biggest news so far is actually news about a smartphone that won’t be there – the Samsung Galaxy S III. It would seem Samsung will be opting to host their own product launch event for the successor to the popular Galaxy S II, and possibly even as early as March 22^nd. Not a lot is known about the SIII, but rumors are that it will sport a quad-core Exynos 4412 processor with unrivaled graphics capabilities as well as a 12MP camera.

Qualcomm’s Quad-Core Chips

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processor rocketed smartphones like the Nexus One and EVO 4G into the future with unheard-of performance at the time. Snapdragon S2 saw even more performance gains as well as major reductions in power draw. The S3 generation brought us dual-core, but at this point Nvidia had stepped in with Tegra 2. Once again, Nvidia has been first to the punch with its quad-core Tegra 3 processor, but Qualcomm has big plans for MWC this year. The next generation Snapdragon S4 will be grabbing a lot of attention this year. So far, we only know of dual-core S4 processor, but their performance actually competes with Nvidia’s Tegra 3. There’s a good chance MWC will give a glimpse at a few quad-core S4 behemoths.

HTC, Sony, and LG

With the exception of Apple, virtually every big mobile phone manufacturer will be attending MWC this year.

HTC in particular is expected to make a couple of big announcements. Not only do we expect to hear some official details on the upcoming Ville, a smartphone said to be only 8mm thick with some very attractive styling as well as power, but also the Endeavor, which is expected to be HTC’s latest flagship device, sporting a 4.7-inch 720p display and quad-core processor.

Sony should be busting out the Xperia U, which looks to be a slightly smaller version of the Xperia S. Its scaled down specs aren’t likely to steal the show, but Sony is also expected to showcase its updated User Interface for Android 4.0.

LG will likely be showcasing its new Optimus 4X HD smartphone. Like many other smartphones we expect to see at MWC, the Optimus 4X HD has a large 720p screen as well as a speedy quad-core Tegra 3 processor. It’ll also be showing the Optimus Vu, a 5-inch phone to compete with Samsung’s Galaxy Note, and the Optimus 3D Cube, an improved successor to the Optimus 3D.

Smartphones

There were more smartphones than you could shake a stick at this year, and a few really stood out, like Fujitsu’s quad-core Tegra 3 prototype featuring a 4.6-inch 720p display and 4G LTE connectivity, and Nokia’s newly announced Lumia 900 which is a Windows Phone that might shake up the competition.

What really stood out to us, though, was Lenovo’s K800. While Lenovo is best known for their high-end ThinkPad laptops, they’re really entering the smartphone market with a bang. The K800 is the very first Intel based Android phone, utilizing Intel’s brand new Medfield Z2460 mobile processor, a 1.6GHz processing behemoth, and possibly the fastest smartphone processor to date.

Tablets

Tegra 3 tablets were rampant at CES, from Acer’s latest IconiaTab and Pantec’s waterproof Element to the Asus 7-inch MeMO and Samsung Galaxy Note (which is technically a 5.3-inch smartphone). Out of all of the choices, the one we absolutely couldn’t overlook was the Transformer Prime TF700T.

The TF700T is just like the original Transformer Prime in shape, size, and even most of its components, making it compatible with the same keyboard dock; however, it has a few key improvements over the original Prime. Most noticeably, it has a full 1920×1080 HD display which is absolutely stunning. It wasn’t the only 1080p quad-core tablet at CES, but the Transformer’s great track record speaks for itself.

Laptops

Laptops are always popular at CES, and this year was no exception. AMD in particular had a very impressive booth showcasing its upcoming Radeon HD 7000M series graphics capabilities, which for the budget-aware mobile gamer, will almost definitely be the way to go once they hit the market.

But when it comes to feats of both performance and battery life, Samsung’s latest Gamer Series 7 notebook takes the cake. It will come with Nvidia’s yet to be released GTX 675M graphics core, which is expected to shatter current mobile gaming performance records. On top of that, it also features a dial that allows you to switch between the high-performance Nvidia GPU when you need it and the battery-saving integrated Intel HD graphics core when you don’t.

HDTVs

We saw no clear winner when it came to HDTVs this year. Instead, we saw three amazing models, all featuring some amazing technology that we can’t wait to see reach the consumer market. OLED TVs are definitely going to catch some attention over the next year. Both Samsung and LG demoed 55-inch OLED displays that would take your breath away. LG’s demo unit was only 4mm thick, despite looking better than any display we’ve seen before.

Sony was also turning some heads with its own 55-inch prototype. While Sony didn’t choose to go with OLEDs in which each pixel is its own light emitter, it did take a similar approach which it’s calling “Crystal LED.” Essentially, each pixel has its own individual LED backlight behind it. This creates the same effect as OLEDs, but with a greater potential range for color.

Cameras

There were a lot of interesting and impressive cameras at CES this year. In terms of specs, the Nikon D4 certainly holds its own, but Polaroid definitely wins points for innovation, showing the world’s first “Smart Camera,” the SC1630.

The SC1630 takes the guts of your typical point-and-shoot camera (3x optical zoom lens, 16MP sensor, etc) and pairs them with the smartphone based Android operating system. The result is a wonderful compact digital camera with Wifi, Bluethooth, and even the Android Marketplace at its disposal.

Dell XPS 15

Laptops are always popular gifts, and the Dell XPS 15 is one place where you can’t go wrong. It may not be the fastest laptop on the market, nor the cheapest, but its style, reliability, and balanced performance makes it a great buy. And today, you can get $100 off and a free Canon ELPH 100 HS digital camera if you order from Dell online and use this coupon code: 932N$0ZCCHWZB9.

Sony DSC-HX9V and Nikon Coolpix P300

Speaking of digital cameras, the Sony HX9V and Nikon P300 are both excellent cameras that can be found on sale today at Amazon.com. These two cameras have been among out top ranked ever since they were released. The P300 is a little more on the affordable side, and the HX9V offers a few more features for those who like a bit more manual control.

Smartphones

Smartphones are on sale today as well, and this includes the latest and greatest phones that have been recently released, such as the acclaimed Galaxy S II. The iPhone 4S has also gone on sale at various places, but finding it is a bit tough since it tends to sell out rather quickly. Both phones make excellent gifts, and with many retailers and carriers (such as Verizon Wireless), the return window extends into January, just in case something goes wrong with the device.

LG 47LW5300

If you ever wanted to get on the 3D TV train, now is your chance. Dell is offering an amazing deal on the LG LW5300 at $430 off, plus free shipping. Considering that it’s a 47-inch LED flat panel, the price is pretty amazing as is, but throw in a 120Hz refresh rate AND 3D PLUS a Blu-Ray Player, and you’ve got yourself a killer deal.

This is just a tiny portion of the deals that are out there today and will continue through the weekend. If there is an item you have your eye on, look it up on alaTest. Our price search updates in real time, so there’s a good chance we’ll catch the best sale price for you. Go ahead, give it a try.

Apple iPad 2

The iPad 2 is Apple’s successor to the original iPad, and despite many other tablets offering better specs and features, the iPad line is by far the most popular. Some argue that the entire tablet market simply has no useful place for the general consumer and that it’s Apple’s name alone that causes people to flock to purchase it. Still, it offers very fast hardware, a thin design, and Apple’s familiar iOS operating system. Its biggest shortcoming is its display, featuring a measly 1024×768 resolution, which, compared to the iPhone 4’s Retina Display, is quite disappointing.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is the iPad’s biggest competition. It 1-ups the iPad 2 in just about every aspect, from processor performance to display quality; it’s even thinner and lighter than the iPad 2, and unlike the original Galaxy Tab (which was a complete flop), this one is based on a version of Android that was meant for tablets – version 3.1 Honeycomb. If you’re in the market for a new tablet and can forego the Apple name, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is an excellent option.

Asus Eee Pad Transformer

Asus’ Eee Pad Transformer is similarly spec’d to Samsung’s Tab 10.1, sporting a 1280×800 resolution display, identical processor, and Android Honeycomb (though it ships with version 3.2), but what sets it apart is its optional Keyboard Dock, which effectively turns this tablet into a functional netbook. The dock not only adds a few USB ports, keyboard, and touch pad, but also ups the battery life from 9.5 hours to 16. The dock does up the overall price slightly, but for anyone concerned about the practicality of a tablet, it’s worth the investment.

Motorola Xoom

The Xoom was the first of the worth-while Android tablets (aka the first with Android Honeycomb). It originally shipped with Android version 3.0 but has since been updated to 3.1 with a 3.2 update in the works. It has the same 1 GHz dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor as the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Eee Pad Transformer as well as similar 10.1-inch screen and 1280×800 resolution. It has a slightly bulkier design, ideal for those who prefer a sturdy feel to their gadgets.

LG Optimus Pad/G-Slate

The Optimus Pad, also known as the T-Mobile G-Slate, is also a Tegra 2 powered Android Honeycomb based tablet. It comes in a slightly smaller size than its Android brethren, featuring a 1280×768 resolution 8.9-inch display; however, what really sets it apart from the crowd is its dual lens 5MP 3D camera. Yup, it can take 3D photos and video for playback on 3D TVs.

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Eee Pad Transformer are both selling quite well, but neither is seeing the sale volume of the iPad 2, despite offering significantly more features. It might take some time for the tablet trend to catch on for other  brand names, but for now, it seems it’s simply an Apple phenomenon.