If you haven’t gotten the chance to follow some of the trends that were set this year, here’s a quick recap of what went down. On this post we’ll focus on TVs, the centerpiece of our home entertainment system.

LG wins CNET Best of CES

At CES 2012 there was great buzz surrounding LG’s booth – and for good reason. The company’s groundbreaking 55-inch OLED HDTV, the LG 55EM9600, caught the eye of everyone, with its (nearly) borderless frame, vibrant colors, astonishingly bright and sharp screen, a virtually infinite contrast ratio, and superb performance of 4-color (red, green, blue, and white) OLED (organic light emitting diodes) panel. LG’s 55-inch OLED HDTV will likely set in motion the future adoption of OLED technology, which is actually designed to perform at a more cost-efficient level than your usual LEDs, LCDs, and plasmas. CNET awarded the LG 55EM9600 with the CES Best of Show 2012 title. The OLED HDTV is expected to be available by third quarter of this year.

Samsung not to be outdone

Actually, it wasn’t just LG who unveiled a 55-inch OLED HDTV. Samsung announced one, too, and it features the company’s so-called Super OLED technology. Samsung’s OLED pixel units consist of red, green, and blue sub-pixels, each emitting its own light and offering up to 40 percent improved color accuracy compared to LED. Samsung’s Super OLED TV also boasts of the company’s Smart Hub feature, the Samsung HDTV apps store, plus two microphones and a built-in camera, the combination of which enables users to leverage the company’s voice and motion control and facial recognition technology.

So now there are two brands competing for the world’s thinnest, lightest, and biggest OLED TVs. Certainly the technology promises to be the next big thing in home theater.

The rise of 4K

Manufacturers like LG and Sony also showed models of 4K TV sets, which offer four times the resolution of today’s HDTVs. By this, we mean that the displays have 4,000 lines of resolution (counting on the horizontal side of the screen) and about 8 million pixels. This represents a move beyond 1080p, and possibly the introduction soon of 4K Blu-ray disc players, gaming consoles, and, maybe, 4K broadcasting. Sharp even showed off an 85-inch 8K prototype TV (Ultra HDTV, or UHDTV), with over 33 million pixels and roughly the same resolution as IMAX.

Google TV is back

Google TV, the smart TV platform from the search engine giant, made a sort of comeback this year at CES, after its first-generation digital media system (launched in 2010) flopped in the market. This time, it’s gaining foothold thanks to a new partner: Samsung. (LG, Sony, and Vizio are also set to introduce Google TV sets later this year.) Google TV also has an enhanced set of features, including a new recommendation engine; integration with Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, HBO GO, and other VOD services; enhanced integration with DISH Network; streaming videos and audio via YouTube, Redux, Vimeo, Daily Motion, Pandora, Slacker Radio, Napster, and more; built-in Google Chrome browser; and smart TV apps from the Android Market.

CES 2012 Will See a New Motorola Droid

Expect to see the Motorola Droid 4 come to light during the days of CES 2012. This is the same event that Motorola chose to reveal their first tablet, the Xoom, to the world. The Droid 4 is not a “Google phone” per se, but is likely to get the update to Android Ice Cream Sandwich since Google is now the owner of Motorola mobile. The Droid 4 has a large screen and something that many people still want: a slide-out keyboard. It is going to be close in specifications to the already released Razr that Motorola hopes will help them get out of some sales doldrums.

Nokia Seeks To Renew Their US Market

Nokia is expected to have some units at CES 2012. The Lumia “Ace” 900 is expected to be launched in the USA at this event with some smiling AT&T representatives. Nokia seeks to spring back from a drastic fall in sales and popularity in Europe. They have not been that popular in the United States in recent memory. The Ace 900 will sport the Microsoft Windows Phone 7.5 “Mango” version and come with a large screen. It is considered to be a flagship smartphone from Nokia.

LG Has Some Bigger Firepower than Last Year

LG has gotten their hands on some processor goodness, thanks to Intel. They are going to unveil their first Intel “medfield”-powered smartphone at the CES event this year. It is a fast chip with specifications that so far beat Qualcomm and Tegra chips. The medfield effort is one of Intel’s first “system-on-a-chip” computers and LG will be debuting it inside one of their own. It will be running Android.

Samsung Is the Big Dog on the Lot

What will Samsung be bringing to the table? They have a huge Android smartphone they have called the “Galaxy Note“. This is an upper-crust smartphone with the size of a small tablet. If you prefer, it is a small tablet that also makes calls. The screen is absolutely terrific on the Note. It is 5.3 inches of bright Super AMOLED beauty. It has top notch wireless connectivity and a price to match. Their “next generation” 7.7 inch Galaxy Tab may also be at the CES 2012 event, but if not, look for it on the Verizon network.

About the author: This article has been written by Trevor Bishop who is a contributor to www.wish.co.uk, a leading site when it comes to choosing your favorite gifts.

This is why we came up with this list of excellent HDTVs under $700. In case you do decide to buy any of them, you can thank Hooked Up Installs by having our professional installation team set up your (or your kid’s) home theater.

Panasonic Viera Class X3 Series (50” Plasma)

If you’re looking for a high-quality and affordable plasma, this Viera HDTV is a great choice. It features 600 Hz Sub Field Driving technology (for full-HD motion and stills), Panasonic’s own image analysis technology, IPTV (Internet Protocol television) capability, and DLNA and Wi-Fi connectivity. It’s environment-friendly, too, with a mercury- and lead-free plasma display panel. The Viera Class X3 retails for about $650, and delivers great value not commonly expected from HDTVs in the same price range and with the same screen size.

LG 42PW350 (42” 3D-capable Plasma)

If you think the sleek and slim frame of this LG plasma HDTV is an eye-catcher, wait until you turn the set on. Like the Viera, the LG 42PW350 boasts of a fast 600 Hz refresh rate designed to eliminate motion blurs and deliver crisp, clear visuals. It’s also 3D-capable (with 2D to 3D conversion), self-calibrating, and energy-saving.

Samsung LN46D550 (46” LCD)

With a budget of $700, you might think it’s impossible to find a stylish, feature-rich LCD HDTV with advanced connectivity. Think again. Part of the Samsung LCD TV Series 5, the entry-level LN46D550 should be able to meet most of your home entertainment needs: a 46” widescreen display, full HD 1080p images, Samsung’s HyperReal Engine, DLNA technology, a Wide Color Enhancer feature, and ENERGY STAR certification.

Sony Bravia KDL46BX420 (46” LCD)

Another excellent choice for an entry-level LCD HDTV is the 46” Sony Bravia BX420. Aside from full 1080p picture quality, this baby also features Scene Select settings (for sports, photos, games, movies, and music), CCFL backlighting, Light Sensor technology (which automatically adjusts the picture based on your room lighting), ENERGY STAR certification, and five HD inputs (2 HDMI inputs, 2 component inputs, and a PC input).

Panasonic Viera TC-PST30 Series (3D-capable Plasma)

Available in six sizes (from 42 to 65), the Panasonic Viera ST30 Series is loaded with a rich set of value-driven features. These include: full HD 3D capability (with 2D to 3D conversion), 600 Hz Sub Field Drive, wide viewing angles, Infinite Black technology (for deep, rich blacks even when viewed in bright surroundings), DLNA and Wi-Fi connectivity, and Panasonic’s own Viera Connect IPTV service. And, if you know where to look, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find that a number of retailers are gearing up for the holidays and selling this series’ models for less than $700.

Smarter Smartphones and Tablets for your Home Theater

Smartphones are only getting smarter, and their evolution isn’t just changing the way we communicate; it’s also changing the way we consume multimedia content – movies, music, Internet videos, etc. On this post, we’ll highlight the kind of impact that present (and future) smartphones – as well as tablets – can have on your home theater.

Smartphones / tablets as universal remote controls: Smartphones and tablets, with their multi-touch screens and built-in wireless connectivity technologies, are also being used increasingly as universal remote controls. There are many ways of doing this: via an external infrared blaster/ receiver / transmitter (usually in dongle form), a Bluetooth-enabled media box, or dedicated apps for specific components (like the Xfinity app for Comcast-based DVRs). Some of our favorite universal remote apps for smartphones and tablets include: Thinkflood’s RedEye, NewKinetix Re, iRule, VLC Remote Free, Boxee Remote, and TiVo app for the iPhone / iPad / iPod Touch, RedEye for Android, Remote App for Samsung Galaxy Tab, Roku Remote for Android, Gmote, the Harmony Link and the Peel and VLC Remote Control app for multiple platforms.

Use of Language Processing and Voice Recognition Technology: Apple recently brought Siri – a voice-activated mobile assistant application – to the newly launched iPhone 4S. The app features natural language processing technology to let users send messages, schedule meetings, place phone calls, find all sorts of information, and more. After Siri, you can well expect that Android and other platforms will have their own voice recognition and mobile assistant apps soon – and that developers will find new ways to change the way we operate our home systems. Who knows? It’s not unlikely that soon we’ll be able to lower the shades or turn off the lights in the bedroom using just voice commands given to smartphones and tablets.

Wireless Sharing and Streaming: Do you have a home network of different media devices (phone, home theater, Internet TV, media servers and streamers, tablet, PC, etc.)? Well, there’s no longer any need for wires to connect all of them. With wireless sharing and streaming technologies like Apple’s AirPlay and AirPlay Mirroring, XBMC for Linux / OSX / Windows, or TVersity for DLNA-compliant devices, you can now put together a wireless streaming setup in your home theater and play your entertainment media (movies, music, games, pictures, etc.) wherever you want. It’s a trend poised to become even more mainstream as more DLNA-enabled smartphones and tablets and enhanced encoding technologies are introduced in the market.

3D Everywhere

One of the trends that we noticed in the International CES was the abundance of products and technologies designed to bring 3D to your home theater. That’s right: very soon there will come a time when we won’t have to spend on gas, go to the theaters, wait in line, put on silly-looking 3D glasses, and pay more money for popcorn – just to experience a 3D movie. Very soon 3D movies will come straight to our living room.

3D glasses: Manufacturers like Samsung, LG, Sony, Panasonic, Sharp, and Toshiba are already making 3D glasses for 3D TVs. Not only do these 3D active glasses not look silly; they’re also easy-to-wear, adjustable, rechargeable, and conveniently designed for use at home (some are even fit to wear over your prescription glasses).

3D TVs: Don’t like 3D glasses? Well, how about a 3D-glasses-free 3D TV? Sure, 3D TVs have certainly been happening at CES over the last few years, but this year, the prototypes are taking on a wider variety, such as those that feature passive technology: the industry calls them the “autostereoscopic TVs”.

3D Projectors: New home theater projectors with 3D compatibility are also being introduced. This year’s batch included: the Sharp XV-Z17000 3D HD Front Projector, the Mitsubishi Diamond HD9000, the Vivitek 3D-Ready Projectors, and the Samsung SP-A8000 3D Home Theater Projector; other manufacturers are also creating projectors that can transform existing 2D content into 3D. Next year, these projectors are poised to deliver even greater resolutions, come at more affordable price points, and gain more mainstream attention.

3D Cameras: In 2009, a USB webcam called the Minoru 3D – the world’s first stereoscopic 3D consumer stereo webcam – won the CES “Fans Favorite” Award. Two years later, more cameras with 3D shooting capabilities and modes are appearing on the horizon, enabling consumers (and not just James Cameron) to record content in 3D. (And more 3D content means greater 3D technology adoption, right?) Standouts include the Sony Bloggie 3D, Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX10, Sony Handycam HDR-TD10, and the Panasonic HDC-TM900 , HDC-HS900 and HDC-SD800 HD 3D cameras.

3D Audio: Surround sound systems are also getting a 3D upgrade. At the 2011 CES, DTS announced their new Neo:X 11.1 surround sound technology, the world’s  first 11.1 surround system, designed to deliver processor-enhanced 3D audio. It won’t be the last, and you can certainly expect home theater audio technologies to soon move beyond 5.1 and 7.1 setups.

3D Content / 3D VOD / 3D Channels: Content providers are also working to provide 3D content to your living room. There’s 3Net, a new 3D channel by Discovery, Sony, and IMAX. Video-on-demand companies like Vudu are offering more 3D movies. And media players and streamers like the Boxee Box are partnering with developers to bring 3D apps and menus.

It makes sense therefore to view the Internet as an essential component of any modern home theater. But how do you integrate it to your flat-panel TV, to your audio system, to your home storage and media playback devices, to the rest of your home theater system? Here are ways to do just that:

From PC, laptop, tablet, or phone to your HDTV’s VGA

No need to buy an extra device or gadget – just a VGA cable. Of course, be sure to check first that your HDTV actually has a VGA connector.

From PC, laptop, tablet, or phone to HDMI TV

HDMI is a great way to transmit uncompressed digital data, and it can carry both video and audio. Most new consumer electronic devices now support HDMI, but if your PC, laptop, tablet, or phone doesn’t have a port for it, you can still connect to your TV’s HDMI by getting a USB-to-HDMI or a VGA-to-HDMI converter.

TiVo

Digital video recorders have come a long way. TiVo, for example, doesn’t merely free you from fixed TV schedules and time limitations; the DVR solution also gives you a pass to millions of web videos, free music videos and thousands of professional and amateur webcasts brought right to your TV.

Use a media streamer / network media player / digital media adapter / digital media receiver / media extender / media server

Thanks to the popularity of services like YouTube, Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon, Pandora, Spotify, and Vudu (among many others), an increasing number of streaming and media playback devices are finding their way into home theater systems. Don’t get confused with all these variations of names; by these we mean the products that can connect to the Internet – either via Ethernet or Wi-Fi – so that you can enjoy online VOD and audio streaming services from the comfort of your home theater. Our favorites include: Roku 2 XS, Apple TV, Sonos Zoneplayer 90 (a wireless music streaming system), Logitech’s Squeezebox Wi-Fi music players, D-Link’s Boxee Box, Popcorn Hour C-200, Sony Network Media Player, and Western Digital TV Media Players.

Use your Blu-ray player / PlayStation 3 / Xbox 360

Why buy an additional box if you’ve got a Blu-ray player with network connectivity? Or a video game console like the PS3 or Xbox 360, both of which can connect to the Web? Xbox 360 in particular has a great home entertainment solution, Xbox LIVE, which recently got a TV programming boost from deals with major content providers and networks. Meanwhile, if you don’t have any of these, here’s some good news: more Wi-Fi enabled Blu-ray players are being introduced in the market, and they no longer cost as much as before.

Get an Internet-enabled TV

If you’re willing to invest in a new TV, why not make it a TV that actually connects to the Internet by itself – without the need for an extra box, adapter, cord, DVR, or Blu-ray player? Industry players like Panasonic (Viera Cast), Samsung (Internet TV), LG (Netcast), and Sony now offer Internet-enabled “smart” TVs (sometimes called “iTVs”), which enable you to stream content via Ethernet or your wireless network.

Jawbone Jambox Wireless Speaker

The Jawbone Jambox, a $199.99 wireless Bluetooth-enabled speaker, is a sweet-looking compact speaker that’s designed to work with a wide range of media players, including smartphones, Bluetooth devices, Windows PCs, and Macs. (It also includes an auxiliary input for a wired connection to MP3 players or similar devices.) The speaker’s portable size is deceiving: with an output capacity of 85 decibels, Jambox can deliver room-filling hi-fi sound, with the ability to produce tweeter and woofer frequencies from a single dome speaker. Apart from compatibility with third-party apps like AOL Radio, Pandora, SHOUTcast, YouTube, Last.fm, Dragon Dictation, and Spotify, Jambox also includes a built-in microphone that turns the speaker into a speakerphone – perfect for wireless conference calls (via your phone or computer) on the go.

Philips Fidelio for Android

Remember Fidelio, the iPad speaker dock by Philips that we featured a few weeks back? Well, the company is now showing some love to Android users, too. Very recently, Philips unveiled a set of docking speakers designed specifically for the Android platform, including the Philips Fidelio AS111 and the Philips Fidelio 351. A free dedicated Fidelio app for Android has also been developed, which enables Android smartphones and tablets to automatically be paired with the Fidelio speakers via Bluetooth. (The app also lets you set multiple customized music alarms and receive updated weather reports.) Moreover, both speakers come with the Philips Songbird media player for Android, which discovers, plays, and syncs your media seamlessly.

And yes: both speakers function as Android docking stations, too. The innovatively designed “FlexiDock” holds your Android phone in place, regardless of manufacturer brand, regardless of the location of your phone’s connection socket: at the bottom, on the side, or on top.

The Fidelio AS111, with its elegant 360-degree design and sexy form factor, is designed for the bedroom, but its neodymium speakers deliver omni-directional sound that’s rich enough to fill other rooms in your house. The Fidelio A351, meanwhile, lets you enjoy superb gaming sound effects with its extra-precise bass pipes and bass reproduction capabilities. Both also incorporate shielding technology to block mobile phone interference.

Bose SoundLink Wireless Mobile Speaker

Measuring roughly 5″ x 9.5″ x 2″ and weighing less than 3 lbs, the Bose SoundLink Wireless Mobile Speaker is a compact and lightweight Bluetooth-enabled speaker perfect for playing music wirelessly from your mobile phone, laptop, or tablet: iPhone, Android, Blackberry, and Bluetooth, among others. It looks great in the living room – the dark gray nylon cover model is $299.95, and the dark brown leather cover model is $349.95 – but it’s an ideal speaker for on-the-go users, too. The Bose SoundLink Wireless Mobile Speaker comes with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, providing up to 8 hours of non-stop listening. Plus: it’s compatible with streaming apps like Pandora and Rhapsody and a number of Internet radio stations.

Soundfreaq Sound Step

The Sound Step is actually an excellent iPad companion speaker, but don’t mistake it as something that can’t be more than that. The versatile $139 speaker dock features A2DP Bluetooth connectivity and an additional USB power jack at the back, which means that it also connects to (and charges) your Android smartphones, tablets, mobile phones, Nokia or Blackberry devices, PCs, and even Bluetooth headsets. Sound is excellent, too, thanks to a 2.1 speaker configuration with a dedicated sub-woofer and Soundfreaq’s proprietary UQ3 spatial sound enhancement, which is designed for natural bass and stereo separation.

But what if you just wanted to curl up in bed and read? Go simple instead of sophisticated? Shut down for a while and relax with the latest New York Times bestseller or award-winning novel? In that respect, have you got yourself covered?

If not, then you might find this list pretty useful. It’s a selection of today’s best and most trusted e-book (electronic book) stores, retailers, and services.

Kobo Books

Kobo is a global retailer of ebooks, supporting the free and open EPUB (electronic publication) format that’s used as a standard for e-readers and other electronic reading devices like tablets and smartphones. Kobo has over 2.3 million books (over 2,800 of which are free), and you can read them using whichever device you choose: the Wi-Fi-enabled Kobo eReader, Mac, PC, iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, Sony Reader, Nook (Barnes and Noble), and laptop, among many others. Kobo also has device-specific apps so you can read, shop, and transfer books from the Kobo store.

iBooks

iBooks is a built-in iPad app designed with a beautiful bookshelf display and page-turning animation. It also comes with instant access to the iBookStore, Apple’s own e-book sales and delivery system, which works with publishers such as Hachette Book Group USA, Macmillan Publishers, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, and Penguin Books, among others, to deliver “tens of thousands of books”. (No magazines yet, though.) The app itself, iBooks, supports EPUB, but Apple applies FairPlay DRM to books, such that you can’t read books you buy from iBookStore on non-Apple devices.

eBooks.com

Launched in 2000, eBooks.com is one of the first players in the ebook industry. It has over 200,000 titles to choose from – in PDF, EPUB, LIT, and Mobipocket formats (MOBI/PRC) – and even has a selection of academic e-books, professional monographs, and digital textbooks. Books purchased from the store are compatible with a number of devices, including iPhone, iPad, PC, Mac, Kobo (app/ reader), Nook, and Sony Reader.

Sony Reader Store

Sony actually has its own e-reader, but you don’t have to have that to buy e-books (available in EPUB and ACS4 formats) from their store: you can use your Nook, Android smartphone, iRex devices, PC, and Mac. The Sony Reader Store also works with Google Books, OverDrive, Library Finder, Romantic Reads, and Indie Reads to provide a wide selection of books, newspapers, and magazines.

NOOK Book Store

The NOOK Book Store is Barnes and Noble’s electronic-book store, designed to work best with the company’s own e-reading device, the Nook. It has a large selection, with over 2 million ebooks, magazines, and newspapers. The NOOK Book Store also features a pretty fast search engine for finding the titles you are looking for; compatibility with other devices, such as iPhone, iPad, Android, PC, and Mac; and the ability to sample all books free before you buy.

Google eBooks

Google is able to offer a million free books – including first run editions and most classics – because it supports the free and open EPUB format as well as PDF. Its cloud-based approach lets you save your purchased titles in your own Google account, accessible from any device with an Internet browser.

Kindle (Amazon)

Like Barnes and Noble, Amazon has its own e-reading device – the Kindle – and it created a complete store on Amazon for delivering e-books, magazines, and newspaper subscriptions to the Kindle. Over 950,000 titles are available, in Amazon’s own proprietary format, AZW. Apart from the Kindle, AZW books can be read using an iPad, iPhone, PC, Mac, Android device, Blackberry, and iPod Touch – just download the Kindle software for free. There are, however, no EPUB titles. If you’re a regular Amazon shopper, you’ll be pleased that the Kindle store integrates with the rest of Amazon’s shopping site; all you have to do is click and buy.

Harlequin

Harlequin, a Toronto-based publisher of books for women, releases 110 titles a month in 31 languages in 111 international markets on six continents. Its e-book store is equally impressive, with a wide selection of best-sellers, romance series, imprints, exclusive e-books, fiction, non-fiction, erotic literature, fantasy, and other kinds of subscriptions.

Zinio

Zinio is a service that offers popular print magazines in digital format – same content, same design. With over 1,500 titles to choose from, Zinio is one of the few dedicated e-magazine providers today. It also offers digital textbooks, non-fiction, and guides. Zinio is compatible with devices that have the Zinio Reader software, with a dedicated iPhone app coming soon.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that our team of installation professionals doesn’t have love for Android. We love Google’s mobile platform, too. And it is the most popular mobile OS in the world, by sheer numbers. So that’s why we came up with this list of today’s most useful Android apps (for your Android smartphone or tablet) – Hooked Up Installs Edition.

Plex for Android

Plex for Android serves as a mobile media center – right in your hand. The app allows you to browse and play your videos, photos, and music either from your device or on your Mac or PC (via streaming from the Plex Media Server). In that sense, the app helps bridge the gap between your Android device and your home theater – all in one neat and gorgeous interface. Plex also enables you to stream online media through Plex Channels for CNET and Revision 3, among other online content sources.

Sonos Controller for Android

If you have a Sonos wireless hi-fi system in your home theater or home entertainment room, then this Android app is a must. The Sonos Controller for Android is a free wireless controller that manages your whole library, performs library searches using your voice commands, and allows you to listen to your music from every room in your house. You can play a different song in every room or play your favorite single in perfect sync in all your rooms – using just your Wi-Fi home network. No cables! This Android app also works with AUPEO, Deezer, Last.Fm, Napster, Pandora, Rhapsody, Spotify, Stitcher, and other online services that offer DRM-free tracks.

PrinterShare Mobile Print

Working from home? Preparing a set of paperwork for your early morning meeting at the office? Use PrinterShare Mobile Print to print your documents – DOC, DOCX, XLS, XSLX, PPT, PPTX, PDF, TXT, photos, Gmail messages, SMS/MMS mesages – directly from your Android device to your home or office printer.

Pandora

We’ve featured this Internet radio app in our list of useful iPad apps, but Android users won’t have to feel alienated because there’s a version of Pandora made just for Android. Pandora is a free personalized radio service that streams music on your Android device. Start with the name of one of your favorite artists, songs or classical composers and Pandora will create a “station” that plays their music and more music like it.

Vlingo Virtual Assistant

Don’t feel like doing anything? You’ll be glad to work with the Vlingo Android app, which uses fast, intelligent, and accurate voice-to text technology to get things done using a personal virtual assistant. What can Vlingo do for you? Well, it can type, find restaurants, update your social networks, search the Web, look up travel deals, and find businesses, among many other things. The app was also recently significantly expanded to include a new beta feature called the “ActionBar”; there’s also excellent integration with the content and capabilities of KAYAK, Fandango, and OpenTable.

TuneIn Radio

Forget big, boxy, actual radios that take up precious real estate in your home theater or living room. Use TuneIn Radio instead. It’s an Android app that lets you listen live to your favorite radio stations, DJs, programs, talk radio shows, sports, news, podcasts. TuneIn has over 50,000 channels, featuring the best of today’s local, global, and Internet radio.

RemoteDroid

Developer Joshua Sera created this neat little (free) app, which turns your Android phone or Android tablet into a wireless keyboard and mouse with touchpad. RemoteDroid uses your Wi-Fi network to do that. Features include: touch-screen mouse control; two on-screen mouse buttons, with right-click and control-click functionality; portrait and landscape modes; and compatibility with Mac, Windows, and Linux operating systems.

SqueezeControl

SqueezeControl is a feature-rich Android app that enables you to control your Logitech Squeezebox Server, search your whole library, play Internet radio, view cover art, and download albums and songs to your device. It’s a really clean app that’s fast and easy to use. Best of all? It’s free.

Lightswitch

Fan of home automation? Lightswitch is an excellent Android app for connecting your HomePlanner, JB Lightmanager Pro, HomeDaemon, Heyu, ThinkingHome, zVirtualScenes, or Zwave Commander automation systems to your Android device. No more remotes or manual effort needed to control the lights and thermostat in every room of your house. With the Lightswitch app, you can start managing your home automation systems with the touch of a finger.

Lightning Bug – Sleep Clock

Forget alarm clocks, sleep timers, yoga, and desktop fountain thingies. A visual sound machine is what your home needs, and the Lightning Bug Android app delivers just that. Studying a new recipe in the kitchen? Setting up your home theater? Cleaning up on a lazy weekend? Looking to relax after a long day at work? The app is basically a simple but powerful ambience and white noise mixer for Android, and it comes with an expanding library of sound loops, samples, and sound visualizations ranging from the natural peace of rain storms and ocean waves, to pure white noise, city trains, meditation bells, acoustic and electronic instruments, and down-tempo break beats. Lightning Bug also integrates a sleep timer, an alarm clock with customizable snooze, a customizable digital clock, and a plugin architecture with which you can download premium stuff.

DirecTV Free

The DirecTV remote control is a free Android app that gives you full control of your DirecTV receiver. The app includes a status bar notification and auto-discovery of your receivers, so you don’t have to spend hours configuring you system and connecting it to your Android device. There’s also a Pro version of the app, which includes features such as the ability to create a favorite channel guide as well as access to full DVR playlists.

Shazam on Android

Love the music but don’t know the name of the song or the artist? Shazam is a music recognition and discovery engine that lets you identify what song is playing, preview it, read the lyrics, track and album reviews, see tour dates, buy the song direct on Amazon, and share it to friends. Here’s the coolest part of the app, which has free and premium versions: the sound doesn’t necessarily have to be coming from your Android device. You simply point your device towards the music source – be it your home theater, the club or the bar, at a pub, a speaker at the department store, an FM radio, or the soundtrack on TV. Shazam’s patented pattern recognition technology works in real-world environments – enabling you to identify music when you hear it.

Seekdroid

Lost your Android phone? No worries. With the Seekdroid app, you’ll be able to track it easily and secure your data before someone else gets to your device. This Android app costs less than a buck, but is priceless in situations where you can’t seem to remember, or find, where you last placed your phone. If it’s been stolen, you can wipe the data on your device remotely. Other features include: alarm with custom messages, remotely enabled GPS, map location display, and device lock with custom code.

Movie rentals stores have become a thing of the past. Well, at least those physical ones. As the Web continues to evolve and expand over time, we see new trends in where we get and how we watch our favorite movies and TV shows. One such trend is the emergence of online video-on-demand (VOD) websites.

VOD works like the old video rental kiosk, except this one is all online instead of offline. You select a movie or show you want to watch, pay to watch the rented title, and return it on the due date. Some VOD sites let you stream instantly as a way of renting movies or shows (stream to rent); others might also give you the option of owning the content by way of a direct download (download to own).

Let’s check out some of the major VOD providers in the U.S. today. Before signing up with any one of these, remember to check out all the features. A video-on-demand service that’s suitable to your viewing habits will certainly serve as a great addition to your home entertainment / home theater system.

Netflix

Netflix is one of the leading Internet subscription services for movies and TV shows. It offers a monthly subscription plan that costs $7.99, and with which you can watch movies and TV shows streamed over the Web to your computer, Mac, or TV. There’s also a separate subscription option for having DVDs (and Blu-ray) delivered by mail.

Like other VOD services, Netflix is designed to be compatible with Internet-enabled devices such as the Sony Playstation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, and the Nintendo Wii. You can also watch your Netflix content on several Blu-ray players, Internet-connected TVs, DVRs, home theater systems, Apple TV, Google TV, and even mobile devices like the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.

Netflix provides access to over 17,000 titles of movies and shows. One limitation, however, is that the number of offerings available on streaming plans is not as wide and expansive as those available on DVDs-by-mail plans.

VUDU

The recently launched VUDU – by Walmart.com – is another VOD service offering online movie and TV show streaming. Unlike Netflix, however, it’s available without a monthly subscription or contract: instead, you only pay for what you watch.

Because VUDU offers a wide selection that includes new movies and old favorites available for streaming (over 12,000 titles), pricing depends on what you actually rent. There are movies that cost $2 to rent for 2 nights; newer releases can cost $3.99 for 1 night. High-definition (720p or 1080p) versions – complete with Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 surround sound – are also available, but you’ll have to shell out a few extra bucks to watch them. VUDU rental periods range from one day to 72 hours (from the first time you press ‘Play’), and are available to begin watching for a 30-day period.

VUDU is available on Sony Playstation 3, Internet-connected Blu-ray players, HDTVs, Boxee, and, of course, your computer.

Amazon Instant Video

Not to be left behind in this VOD game between retailers is Amazon, which has a library of over 90,000 TV shows and movies in its Amazon Instant Video (formerly Amazon video-on-demand) service. Rental per film costs about $2.99, while shows are about $1.99 each. There’s a 24-hour window to view your rented titles, and just like with VUDU, you have press play within 30 days. To own a film, you’ll have to shell out about $15.

Amazon Instant Video, however, stands out not because of the price, but because of its high-resolution downloads / streams, which can be viewed in a variety of ways. You can watch directly from your Mac or PC using a Flash-enabled Internet browser (no need to download anything); watch on your TV through an Internet-connected device or computer; save the movie or show for later by storing it in your video library; watch anywhere using the free-to-download Amazon Unbox Video Player (not compatible with Mac or Linux, though) and from an enabled TiVo device.

Amazon Instant Video also works with several compatible HDTVs, set-top boxes, Blu-ray players, DVRs, and the Microsoft Xbox 360.

CinemaNow

One of the earliest providers of video-on-demand services, CinemaNow – launched in 1999 – is also one of the best and most highly recommended. It is now branded as the VOD service of another major retailer, Best Buy. Its rental library of films, shorts, concerts, and TV shows numbers more than 14,000, and includes a network of over 250 licensors, including 20th Century Fox, Disnet, ABC News, NBC Universal, the Sundance Channel, Sony, Lionsgate, and Warner Brothers.

CinemaNow has both stream-to-rent (from $1.99 to $3.99) and download-to-own (from $9.99 to $19.99) options, with movies and content available for viewing from home theater devices that include the HP MediaSmart TV, ARCHOS portable media players, EchoStar’s Dish Network 622 set-top box, the Samsung P2 portable media player (PMP), TiVo, Microsoft Xbox 360, selected DVD and Blu-ray players, and other media players from Archos, Dell, HP, LG, Microsoft, Nintendo, Pioneer, Samsung, and TiVo.

If you prefer to sign up for a monthly or even a yearly subscription plan, CinemaNow allows you to do that, too, at a rate of $29.95 a month or $99.00 a year.

Hulu Plus

Hulu is really more like YouTube in that it provides on-demand streaming of video content online, but its premium product, Hulu Plus, can be considered more strictly as a VOD service not unlike Netflix, VUDU, CinemaNow, and Amazon Instant Video.

How does Hulu Plus work? Well, it’s an ad-supported subscription service – about $7.99 monthly – that offers first-party exclusive streaming access to Hulu’s full-length movies, video clips, TV shows, from a variety of devices such as Blu-ray players, Internet-enabled TVs, home theater systems, Apple iOS devices, gaming consoles (Xbox 360 compatibility is coming soon, according to the company), and set-top boxes like Roku and Sony Network Media Player.

iTunes

If your home theater consists of a network of Apple devices like, say, a Macbook, an iPad, an iPhone or iPod Touch, and Apple TV, then your best bet is probably to hook yourself up with iTunes’ own VOD services. iTunes, of course, is a very easy-to-use system that has a library of over 15,000 titles of movies and shows.

Renting a film costs $3.99 for a typical new release and $2.99 for library titles; if you’re after a download-to-own option, expect to pay around $14.99. And while Apple’s iTunes isn’t exactly designed for playback on your living room’s big-screen plasma, a gadget like the Internet-enabled Apple TV can connect your Apple device to your TV via HDMI or via AirPlay Mirroring so you can enjoy a more cinematic experience. Apple TV, however, doesn’t have the ability to record your TV shows.

YouTube

It’s not exactly video-on-demand, because the selection is very, very limited, but YouTube Rentals is another potential gold mine for the world’s most popular video site. Right now, though, YouTube only has a basic pay-per-view model – about $1.99 per movie rental – and hasn’t really been promoted by Google yet, due to lack of studio-backed streaming.

Facebook

Currently, the VOD services industry is being dominated by online retailers, but don’t tell that to Facebook. Early this year, the social networking site premiered “The Dark Knight” on VOD – enabling users to watch the entire film on the movie’s official Facebook page. And not just watch it, but “like” it, comment on it, even interact with Facebook friends and fans of the film.

Rental costs 30 Facebook credits – about $3 – and Facebook users have 48 hours to watch the movie. Under its agreement with Facebook, Warner Bros. has also announced that it will enable five more movies for rental and streaming on the social network, which – while it can’t compete yet in the VOD landscape – you might want to watch out for in the future.