Go High-Tech for the Super Bowl
Feb. 04, 2005 — -- The Big Game is a big opportunity to ramp up your home theater and get a few gizmos that will make your Super Bowl party truly super. According to the National Retail Federation, consumers will buy an estimated 1.7 million new TV sets in the weeks leading up to the big game. Another survey from the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association puts total Super Bowl spending at $5.3 billion. Here are some gadgets and high-tech devices for all budgets to spruce up Super Bowl Sunday.
Sony Location-Free TV, 7-inch size, $800
Don't miss a second of the game -- even when you are in the bathroom. Sony has released two wireless LCD TVs in a 12.1-inch size and 7-inch size. Using a Wi-Fi network, you can roam around your home watching TV. For the big game, I'd station this TV in either the kitchen or the bathroom (but wash your hands if you move between the two).
For $800, this TV does a lot more than just allow you to watch wirelessly in your own home. It does something called location shifting -- basically you connect the base station to your TV source at home and you can connect the Location Free unit to the Internet anywhere in the world to access and watch the media on your home system.
Logitech Z-5450 Surround Sound Speakers, $500
Logitech has taken the biggest hassle of surround sound and made it simple by making wireless. The front three speakers for this 5:1 surround sound system are traditionally wired through the system's powerful subwoofer. But the back two need only to plug into a power outlet and they receive an audio signal wirelessly.
To date, wireless speakers have been sub-par, but when I tried these I was pleasantly surprised with their easy installation, sound quality and consistent performance without interference. Before you buy these, find out what kind of audio inputs and outputs you have. Will you need a receiver to manage all your devices and input/output issues?
Vizio P50HDM, 50-inch size for $2,500
Vizio, a three-year-old company founded by the people who built a very reputable monitor company, Princeton Graphics, is making its grab at the plasma landscape with a price-conscious, big-screen display that brings quality and affordability into the same sentence. The P50HDM does not have an HD tuner built in, it's HD-ready, but this shouldn't be a problem for the serious HD football fan. Most high-def pigskin buffs are using cable or satellite HD boxes that will flawlessly pump ABC's 720P high-def signal right into an HD-ready screen. Vizio sells its monitors at Sam's Club and Costco.
Monday Night Football Remote Control, Excalibur, $24.99
If you are a football fan and you need a universal remote (and if you've got a serious home theater, you need a universal remote) you might as well get one that looks like a football.
Madden NFL 2006, EA Sports $30-$60
NFL players care deeply about how they are portrayed in Madden NFL 2006, it's that real. The Xbox 360 version sports the HD version of the game, but it's pretty darn compelling on the PS2 console. The game is also available on for Gamecube, PC and other platforms. EA Sports has even created a simulation of the actual Super Bowl where Seattle and Pittsburgh go head to head.
Ring Bottle Opener, American Tailgater, $10.95
Don't you love watching football analysts like Jimmy Johnson wave their Super Bowl rings around as they expound upon a point? You may not be able to win your own Super Bowl ring, but this bottle-opener ring is equally large and much handier. Just fit it over a bottle of suds, tilt your wrist down, and your beer is open. Now that's a ring!
The Ultimate High-Tech Couch, Domino's Pizza, $30,000 plus $5,000 for shipping
Never stand up again! Domino's description of this thing says it all: "The Ultimate Couch is a high-end entertainment and food-and-beverage center where everything is within hairy arm's reach." Domino's surveyed 500 guys to determine what features would make up the ultimate couch. The results are a testament to sloth and gluttony: The couch features two flat-screen TVs, built-in speakers, a mini-fridge, remote-control caddy, beverage cooler, bottle opener, two pizza warmers and a host of electronics that includes an Xbox with three controllers, MP3 player, cellular phone and DVD player.
Automatic Quarterback, Hammacher Schlemmer, $69.95
Need to work off all that pizza you consumed while lying on the Ultimate Couch? GO LONG! The Automatic QB throws a perfect spiral every time. How many of your friends can deliver that kind of consistency? From its fold-out tripod, the battery-operated launcher can lob a soft, polyurethane foam football up to 30 yards, and adjusts between lateral passes and long, high bombs. Receive and then retrieve a few hundred balls a day, and you might get fit enough to challenge Seahawks receiver Darrell Jackson for a spot in training camp next year.