Valentine’s is around the corner and to celebrate the romantic day we thought we would share a few quick and interesting Valentine’s statistics with you.

So here we go…

- 196 million roses were purchased on the day last year.

- 15% of women send themselves flowers on Valentines.

- Chocolate and Sweets in 2005 made profits of $1,011 Billion.

- And here’s the shocker for the guys (with American girlfriends) out there; 53% of women in America would dump their boyfriend if they did not buy them anything!

If you think your other half is in the lucky 47% then no worries, however if this is not the case or you do not want to risk it then Laskys have a few gift ideas for you…

http://www.laskys.com//tv_and_dvd/~for_the_perfect_valentine_s_day.html

Sources

Valentine’s Day Statistics             Squidoo.com

Valentine’s Day Floral Statistics     Aboutflowers.com

Valentine’s Day Statistics             allbestideas.blogspot

The Asus Transformer Prime is now is stock on Laskys.com!

Transformer Prime is one of the slimmest tablets on the market. It is just 8.3mm thin and weighs only 586g but the main benefit is that it comes with a mobile dock. The mobile dock offers a full QWERTY keyboard and touchpad along with a USB port and extends the battery life to a huge 18 hours.

The powerful quad-core processor supports 1080p HD video playback and all kinds of new 3D effects, offering superb 3D graphics performance previously unseen on a tablet. The Transformer Prime also features an 8MP camera with flash, back-illuminated CMOS sensor and large aperture design – ensuring that you don’t miss a  moment.

It’s a great all-round product at a great price.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The CES (Consumer Electronics Show) 2012 exhibition has recently finished, displaying some of the most recent and exciting new technology in the pipeline.

CES has been running since 1967 and has introduced such famous products as the videocassette recorder, camcorder, Nintendo Entertainment System and more recently 3D HDTV. CES 2012 didn’t pull its punches with introductions to loads of exciting and innovative technology. We share with you some of the highlights below.

OLED TV

One of the biggest releases and winner of CNET’s best of show award was the unveiling of LG’s 55inch organic light-emitting diode TV, the LG 55EM9600. The TV uses a film of organic compounds which emit light in response to an electric current. The Technology boasts such advantages as ultra fast panel, excellent viewing angles and absolute black levels; taking colour contrasts to a whole new level. And at only 4mm thick (thin) this TV makes even the iPad 2 look like it’s packing on the pounds.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Razer’s Project Fiona

Razer have bought out a gaming tablet that looks like it would be more at home at a NASA lab than at CES. Project Fiona combines a tablet with gaming control pads by integrating two gaming sticks on either side of a tablet screen. Probably one of the biggest surprises of this custom piece is a tablet with Intel’s latest Core I7 processor, making it more powerful than many laptops on the market. To sum up if you want a big PSP then you better hope this item goes from concept into mass production soon.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Lytro’s Light Field Camera

For the amateur photographers out there, the perfect product made an appearance at the show in the form of a Lytro Light Field Camera. This clever little device allows you to take a picture and then…   focus it afterwards! Now the user can capture the moment without having to wait for the autofocus to kick in. This is achieved by capturing the entire light field; meaning after the picture has been taken you can set the focus to any specific point in the picture. It would not be a surprise if this becomes a standard camera feature in years to come.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Overall a very eye-opening show with 2012 shaping up to be a year of great technological advancement.

Happy New Year! Hope everyone had a good Christmas and you received everything you wanted. I currently travel a lot and luckily bought an Asus 1011PX netbook. So far it’s been great with a good balance of power and portability which is much appreciated when having to carry a suitcase around everywhere.

If you have set yourself some new year’s resolutions here are the cold hard statistics – only 12 percent actually achieve their set out resolution. Some of the most common are to ‘get fit’, ‘get healthy’ or ‘lose weight’. If one of these is part of your New Year plan and you feel you are part of that dedicated 12 percent then Laskys is here to help. With our great range of products such as health grills, fitness equipment, juicers, smoothie makers and the Nintendo Wii Fit you are sure to find something that helps you become a successful resolutioner.

Sources: http://positivepsychologynews.com/news/emily-vansonnenberg/2011010715897

The countdown to Christmas is well underway – I have surprised myself and been particularly organised with my Christmas shopping this year. But for those of you that are still stressing about what to buy your loved ones, we have pulled together a collection of bestselling products that would make ideal gifts this Christmas.

http://www.laskys.com/ipod_mp3_and_gaming/~christmas_gifts.html

Laskys small item delivery slots will close on 21^st December and large item delivery slots on 22^nd so you still have time to order those last minute presents.

 Spending predictions for Christmas 2011

- British residents plan to spend an average of £560 per head celebrating Christmas in 2011.  Almost half are not planning to cut back on spending on gifts this year.

- The biggest spenders will be those aged 35-44 as well as those living in the North West of England.

- According to the HSBC Christmas Spending Survey 2011 20% of people say they will spend more this year compared to last year.

- The Retail Week Christmas Spending 2011 poll, however, gives the figure as only 10% and claims that people in the 45-54 age group are more likely to spend less than those in other age groups.

- The HSBC Christmas Spending Survey found that across the UK  people will spend an  average of £378 on gifts for their family members, and an additional £183 on food, drink and entertainment.

- On-line sales during the last quarter of 2011 are expected to be 16% up on last year partly because more goods are now available on-line alongside the traditional books, CDs, etc.   However consumers will still turn as much to the high street as they will to the Internet for Christmas gifts.

- 21% of people expected to borrow from one source or another to pay from presents.

- In a more recent survey – the annual Christmas survey carried out by the Co-Operative Bank – it was discovered that three quarters of adults would be cutting back on festive spending this year.  Of the three thousand people questioned, 55% planned to reduce the amount they spend on presents, but the majority refused  to pinch the pennies when it  comes to Christmas dinner.

Sources
Retail Week Christmas Spending 2011 – September 2011   www.icmresearch.com/tag/christmas
Brits Plan to Spend £560 Celebrating Christmas   www.newsroom.hsbc.co.uk/press/release/
Consumers to cut back on Christmas spending to avoid debt   http://eauk.co/us8LXD

Sony’s PlayStation 3 (PS3)
PlayStation 3 slim is the revamped version of Sony’s seventh generation video game console – PS3, which was launched by Sony Computer Entertainment in 2009. Other than the new sleek design, the PS3 slim console also boasts of potent mix of new (such as the removable hard drive) and old features (such as online gaming, a high-definition optical disc format and Blu-ray Disc technology), which make gaming easier and interesting. Previously the PS3 came with either a 120GB or 250GB HDD however they have improved on this with the 160GB slim and the 320GB slim in 2010. Just like their predecessors each model comes with a Blu-ray drive that can be used for multimedia purposes as well.

Microsoft’s Xbox 360
Nearly a year after Sony introduced PS3 slim, Microsoft was ready with a revamped version of its seventh generation video game console Xbox 360 named Xbox 360 S. This redesigned, slim version of Xbox 360 was launched in 2010. Other than being 17 percent slimmer than the previous console, Xbox 360 S also boasts features like five USB ports, integrated 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, a TOSLINK S/PDIF optical audio connector and XCGPU (CPU with integrated GPU chip), which – along with Xbox Live and other existing features, makes it a delight for all gaming fans. At present, Xbox 360 S is available in two configurations – 250GB Xbox 360 and 4GB Xbox 360. In 2011, Microsoft launched 320GB Xbox 360 consoles as a part of Limited Collector’s Edition.

Which is better: PS3 or Xbox 360?
In order to decide we will have to take some of their prominent features into consideration. While both these gaming consoles have cut down on size and weight; the relatively dull look of PS3 slim gives Xbox 360 S an advantage in the design department. As with dimensions the interiors of these consoles have been tweaked, this has made them a lot less noisy compared to their predecessors. To combat the Cell engine (microprocessor chip) in PS3, Microsoft has replaced the 65nm chip with 45nm XCGPU – a CPU with integrated GPU chip. As a result of this addition, the difference in the two consoles in terms of performance and graphics has reduced to a great extent.

Storage medium is an important factor, due to online game purchasing capabilities of both console manufacturers. Also, more memory ensures that the saved game data does not become a hindrance while downloading games. The primary storage medium in PS3 is the Blu-ray Disc (which is again a Sony product), with a storing capacity of approximately 54 gigs. The Blu-ray technology from Sony and user-replaceable hard drives continue to give PS3 an edge over Xbox 360. Almost all the tech experts are of the opinion that Microsoft is far behind Sony when it comes to this aspect.

Interestingly, PS3 has also caught up on Xbox 360 in the games department with quite a few exclusive games to its credit. These include titles like Metal Gear Solid, God of War, Killzone series. However, you also need to take into consideration the fact that the PS3 is not backward compatible to PS2 games where as Xbox 360 is compatible with original Xbox games. Some of the exclusive Xbox 360 titles on the other hand, include games like the Halo series and Gears of War series to name but a few as they are still ahead in terms of exclusive heavyweight titles. While Xbox Live service does have an upper hand over PlayStation Network (PSN) when it comes to online service, many people will opt to go for the free service offered by PSN than paying a monthly or yearly subscription fee for Xbox Live. Sony also offer a motion device called Move which is similar to the body movement used on the Nintendo Wii and tracks the motion of the user through a controller device. The Xbox 360 has a superior motion device that is called Kinect which tracks the full body movement through a sensor unit that tracks movable points on the human body.

To sum up, both Xbox 360 and PS3 slim seem to have their own pros and cons, which make it difficult to decide which is better of the two. Xbox 360 does have a slight edge as the price factor works in its favour as does the choice of titles, but the subscription fee of Xbox live is a big disadvantage. While the price tag is higher when it comes to PS3, the Blu-ray technology can tempt users to go for it. Even though it is very difficult to figure out which is better, the over view of this is that hardcore gamers will prefer the Xbox 360, while people looking for an all round entertainment device will find PS3 more tempting.

Microsoft have announced on the 5^th October that they are going to be rolling out the next generation of TV entertainment on the Xbox 360.

You can already download/stream movies, listen to music and create your own playlists and even update your Facebook and Twitter status. B this takes the entertainment side to a new level on par with the Playstation 3.

For the UK, BBC iPlayer, 4oD (4 on demand) Channel 5 and Lovefilm will be a number of channels available on the Xbox this coming winter. It hasn’t been announced when at the moment these features will go live, but it is rumoured to be the 15^th November with the new dashboard update.

There is loads more channels going to be available for different country’s which all information about this announcement can be found below:

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2011/oct11/10-05XBTVPR.mspx

The Amazon Kindle Fire will heat up the tablet market as it looks to offer an alternative to Apple’s iPad.  It will be entering the UK market at around £130.

Design

With the 7-inch screen, the Fire is considerably more compact and pocket-friendly than that of your standard 10-inch tablets in the current market. Measuring 119mm x 190mm x 11mm, its chunkier then Amazon’s standard Kindle eBook reader, but will still sit in your hand quite comfortably. It does feel slender too, with a matte plastic back. It is portable but not as portable as the standard Kindle due to it being double the weight. The Fire weighs in at 413g.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Specs

Inside it holds a dual-core processor which won’t challenge the iPad 2 or the Samsung Galaxy Tab on power or performance, but the price is significantly more appealing. The Fire only comes in an 8GB storage version whilst this may seem low in comparison, Amazon state there is no need for more storage space. Amazon seems unaware of the user who will be drawn to the product. The modern multimedia user wants TV, movies, books, music, games all at their finger tips which adds up to large storage demands which could be the tablets downfall.

Software

The Kindle Fire runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread which has been stripped of many of Android’s features to deliver a very clean, simple interface that will appeal to those who do not see technology as there friend or just don’t have the time to be multi-tapping to reach simple features which should be a single finger press away.

The Web browser has been self built by Amazon which they have named Silk.  It’s a mobile browser that’s able to predict which pages you might want to view and pre-load them, thereby offering a much faster browsing experience.  Also to note, instead of offering the Android Market with the Tablet, Amazon has put its own app store on the Fire. This is a vetted service so they can ensure they not only work as they’re supposed to but also that they don’t contain viruses or stuff that could give your new tablet a sickening feeling.

Screen

The Fire offers a full-colour LCD touch screen. It has a standard tablet resolution of 1,024×600-pixel. The iPad 2 has a screen resolution of 1,024×768 pixels and Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 7.7 has also upped the screen-resolution as they offer 1,200×800 pixels. However that may soon be beaten by guess who? Yes, Apple are rumoured to be adding a retina display on the iPad 3 which would improve the visual quality even further.

No cameras

That’s right, no camera here.  Amazon argues this is so they can keep the costs as low as possible which is understandable.  The lack of a camera may turn potential customers away as there are plenty of fun apps out there that are based on built-in cameras. The lack of a front-facing camera is also likely to be a problem for those of you who’ve grown used to video calling your friends and family.

Conclusion

The Amazon Kindle Fire doesn’t offer the same features as its premium rivals and certainly won’t offer the same powerful performance. But, with a considerably lower price tag and the already established Kindle name behind it, the Fire could be a strong seller.

Epic are back with a bang with their finale to the Gears Trilogy. As one of the biggest franchises released on the Xbox 360 and it delivers in every way possible. From every twist and turn in the single player campaign, to the Horde 2.0 to the newly refreshed multi-player.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The campaign now brings up-to 4 player co-op, which is brand new after the 2 player co-op from Gears of War 2. Also within the campaign is arcade mode which again is brand new and offers something completely different to players.

Horde 2.0 feels completely brand new compared to Gears 2, the principal is the same; survive as many waves as enemies as possible (up-to level 50), but the game-play is completely different. For every kill you get you gain points and with your points you can buy upgrades and loads more. It makes it much more fun and as you progress you unlock bigger and better things.

Multiplayer has changed with team deathmatch now having 20 lives for all the team. Once your 20 lives have gone its sudden death, this has vastly improved team deathmatch from last time. When it was 1 death you’d have to wait for the match to end. The usual modes like Capture the Leader, Warzone and Execution remain from Gears 2.

Beast mode is another new mode for Gears 3, it’s really a spin off to horde mode where the tables turn and you take over as the Locust and take on 12 waves of human survivors. It’s not as in-depth as Horde 2.0 but it is still a whole lot of fun.

Another addition to Gears 3 is the collection of ribbons and medals, where fulfilling tasks such as achieving a kill streak of 5 and getting the first kill in a match will reward you. There are also weapon skins and characters to unlock as you go along, with more addition items available to download at a cost from the Live Marketplace.

There is so much for everyone to do on Gears of War 3 that it will keep new players to the game and hardcore players occupied for a long time. This could easily be the best selling game of all time with over 1 million pre-orders, smashing the previous record!

Buy now from Laskys.com http://ow.ly/6IqUJ