The HDHomeRun Prime is a remote tuner, you connect it to your cable and your network and the tuners are then available for Windows 7 Windows Media Center PCs on the network to use for watching live TV or recording. You can get the full product details from the SiliconDust website. Today the HDHomeRun Prime officially requires a Windows 7 Windows Media Center PC, but I did just talk to SiliconDust at The Cable Show this week. They’re working on adding DLNA/DTCP-IP support which would allow any DLNA/DTCP-IP-enabled device to access the tuners over the network. I’ll get around to writing a post on that.

It is a simple device. There is a coax connection for the cable, a slot for the M-Card CableCARD, Ethernet for the network, USB to support a Tuning Adapter if required, and a power connection. The $129.99 price is lower than Amazon’s $149.99 new price, and nearly half off the full $249.99 MSRP.

This is a pretty good deal as the MSRP is $298.00, and Amazon sells these new for $233.46. The lower-end Slingbox SOLO model has a $178.00 MSRP and sells new for $142.76, and while it can handle HD input it does not stream in HD. It also only officially supports one input, while the PRO-HD supports two sets of A/V input – one HD and one SD, as well as having an internal ATSC/Clear-QAM tuner.

The Premiere works with antenna, analog & digital cable, and Verizon FiOS. It also supports a number of broadband content services: Amazon Instant Video, Netflix, Hulu Plus, Music Choice, YouTube, Pandora, Rhapsody, Live365, and web videos from a variety of sources such as CNET & Revision3. Stream music from your PC. View photos from your PC, or online via Picasa & Photobucket. You can control the unit via free apps for iOS & Android. Schedule recordings online via TiVo’s website.

Transfer recordings to your PC via TiVo Desktop, or a Mac with Roxio’s Toast or Popcorn. You can also move content to & from the unit, or stream video to the TiVo using third party applications like kmttg, Streambaby, or pyTiVo. And if you’re a Comcast customer, the TiVo Premiere is receiving XFINITY On Demand support. It is available now in the SF Bay Area and coming soon to Boston, with other service areas to come.

There is a reason TiVo is still the gold standard for DVRs, and this is a good deal on the current model.

The MSRP is $359.99 and Amazon sells these new for $217.95, so this more than half off Amazon’s price, and less than a third of MSRP. It is still a little pricey for a table fan – but it is the world’s coolest table fan! And how many table fans can do this?

It comes with eight iGo Green AA alkaline rechargeable batteries. Unlike most other rechargeable cells, these alkaline rechargeables provide the standard 1.5V output you get from standard alkaline batteries. And they store 2000mAh, so you have decent life. They’re also designed for ‘charge and store’, and will hold their charger for up to seven years. They ship charged so they’re ready to use out of the box. And because they’re alkaline cells, they’re non-toxic with no heavy metals – unlike NiMH or NiCad cells.

Amazon sells the charger and just four batteries for $13.30, here you’re getting the charger and eight batteries for $14.99. I have some ancient NiMH AA & AAA batteries that I’ve been meaning to replace for months, since they no longer hold a charge well, so I’m jumping on this deal myself – and picking up some more iGo batteries from Amazon.

The TouchPad has decent hardware – 9.7″ 1024×768 display, dual-core 1.2GHz CPU, front-facing 1.3MP camera for video calls, 16/32GB of storage, 802.11a/b/g/n dual-band WiFi, and more. The downside is that it is running webOS, which is a dead platform.

Yes, I know, HP is open-sourcing webOS and renaming it Open webOS in the hopes that developers will continue to work on it and that other hardware vendors might pick it up. I’ll believe both of those when I see them. I’m sure some developers will work on it, but I don’t expect a critical mass to really keep it moving forward. And I don’t expect any new hardware vendors except maybe some real niche players. Android and iOS simply dominate, and webOS offers little to attract a vendor instead of Android.

But the good news is you can turn the TouchPad into an Android tablet with only minor effort. So you can have an Android tablet with fairly solid specs for a lot less than the actual Android tablets go for, if you’re willing to do a little work to install it.

I say this is a good deal because the full MSRP is $499.99, and Amazon sells these new for $479.99. So you’re saving $180-$200 with this deal, for a solid tablet. Even the 16GB version has a $449.00 MSRP and sells for $398.99. So you’re getting 32GB at a big savings over the 16GB version. If you’ve been thinking about picking up an Android tablet, this seems like a good value.

The Thrive has specs pretty much the same as all the other Android tablets of the same generation. It has a 1GHz dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 CPU, a 10.1″ 1280×800 display, 1GB RAM, 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth, 5MP rear camera, 2MP front camera, 16GB of built-in storage, etc. It is a little bulkier than the other tablets – but that is due to its unique features. The back cover of the tablet is removable and swappable for different colors, though the main reason it is removable is to allow the battery to be swapped. This is the only Android tablet I’m aware of with a removable battery.

The bulk is also due in part to the inclusion of full size ports. While other tablets may have microUSB, microHDMI, microSD – or may even lack some or all of these features entirely, relying solely on a proprietary connector – the Thrive has a full size USB port, a full size HDMI port, a full size SD slot, and a miniUSB port, in addition to a docking connector. The inclusion of full size ports allows you to use standard cables, and to connect standard USB input devices (keyboard & mouse) if you wish. Connect a keyboard and mouse to the USB port (using a USB hub if you need to), and connect the HDMI to an external display, and you can use the Thrive like a desktop machine.

The 16GB Toshiba Thrive sells new for $399.98 at Amazon, so this is a pretty good deal.

As it is designed to be a TV companion it includes an IR blaster and, to take advantage of this, it includes a universal remote control app. So it isn’t just an Android tablet, it is a tablet remote for your A/V systems. As an entertainment focused device it includes SRS TruMedia Audio and an HDMI port for displaying content on your big screen. And the UI is based on the Vizio Internet Apps, or VIA, system found on their HDTVs. Connectivity is via 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth. Amazon sells the tablet alone new for $299.99 and the folio case for $32.61. So this is a $332.60 value for half price.

Like most of the first line tablets it has a 10.1″ 1280×800 display, a dual-core 1GHz NVIDA Tegra 2 processor, 1GB of RAM, and, in this model, 16GB of storage. It has dual-mode 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, front 2.0MP and rear 3.0MP cameras, and it is thinner, lighter, and narrower than an iPad 2 – it is just a bit longer. Normally these are somewhat pricey, with a $499.99 MSRP, even Amazon sells them new for $449.99. This may be the best price I’ve seen to date on the WiFi model. If you want a deal on a top quality Android tablet, this is it.

• 154CM Stainless Steel, Clip Point Knife
• Hard-wire Cutters
• Needlenose Pliers
• Regular Pliers
• Wire Cutters

MSRP is $72.00, and the best price on Amazon is $29.99, so this is a decent deal.

The Wi-Drive supports 801.11g/n networking so up to three iDevices can access content stored on the Wi-Drive simultaneously – iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad. It also acts as a sharing hub so you can share media from your device with the others connected to the Wi-Drive. You just need the free Wi-Drive app.

Kingston even put together a cheesy video showing how it can be used:

Today’s Woot! deal is a refurbished Panasonic Lumix 14.1MP Digital Camera with Leica 16x Optical Zoom, GPS & 1080p HD Video recording for only $169.99 + $5 S&H. And, as a bonus, you get an accessory pack with a 4GB SD card, leather carrying case, and a stylus. All together you get the Lumix DMC-ZS10 camera, a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, battery charger, carrying case, USB cable, AV cable, 4GB SD card, hand strap, and stylus pen.

MSRP is $349.99, and Amazon sells them new for $253.97, both without the accessory pack, so this looks like a decent deal.

The MSRP on this is $59.95, and Amazon sells it for $49.94, but Woot! is offering the L5 Universal Remote for iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad for only $19.99 + $5 S&H. That’s half of Amazon’s price – and this is new, not refurbished. $20 for touchscreen universal remote capabilities is not much to ask, especially when it is a $60 product.

It runs Android 3.2 and has a 10.1? 1280×800 display, a 1GHz dual-core Nvidia Tegra2 CPU, 1GB RAM, 32GB of on-board storage, a microSD slot for up to 32GB more, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, 2MP front & 5MP rear cameras, Bluetooth, and HDMI output. It supports video capture at 720p resolution via the rear camera which you can playback on the HD screen or via HDMI. And it runs Adobe Flash, unlike the iPad.

The XOOM is definitely a solid tablet, and while the main downside is normally the price, with this deal that’s really not an issue. It is a lot of tablet for a decent price. I expect these to sellout quickly, so don’t hesitate.

You can use it as a digital photo frame capable of so much more than the typical models. Or as a high-end alarm clock that you can roll over and check the morning news, weather, and traffic on. Or go to sleep while streaming Netflix. It has a 7″ 800×480 LCD touch screen display and 802.11b/g WiFi for connectivity. It is no iPad or Android tablet, but it also costs a fraction of what those do. It is inexpensive enough to leave as a dedicated Internet terminal around the house. Or give one to a less tech savvy relation for access to specific services made even simpler than a tablet, without a major investment.

This is 60% off the MSRP of $199.99, and Amazon sells these new for $92.95. And these are new, not refurbished.