Various manufacturers like Whirlpool, LG, GE, and Maytag are coming out with front load washers and dryers with innovative features that not only save you money, but make your life easier. Front load washers use far less water than their top loading counterparts.  This saves you money in two ways. Besides the obvious cost of water savings, they also use less power to dry your clothes because they spin at higher rpms and don’t have to wring out as much water. Most front loaders spin at speeds of 900 to 1300 rpms, whereas top load models have spin speed of 300 – 500 rpms.

Front load washers are constantly evolving and ushering in huge advancements in laundry technology. Standard top load washers usually come with only a handful of wash cycles, like heavy-duty, delicate, normal, and permanent press. Some of the new front loaders, however, have as many as a dozen wash cycles. These extra cycles, like antibacterial, rinse and spin, express wash, stains, baby care, steam, and bedding will definitely come in handy.  Several models utilize steam features that allow you bypass the dry cleaner & their harsh chemicals.

Besides the digital controls that most front loaders utilize there are several other new technological advancements that give you more precise control over your laundry.  Some units come with data cables that connect the washer & dryer so that once you transfer your clothes the dryer already knows the weight of the clothes, what type of wash cycle they were on, and how long they need to dry.

One of the most useful new features is the pedestals that font load washers and dryers sit on top of.  Although sold separately, these pedestals provide several functions.  Firstly, they lift the washer & dryer off the ground making them easier to load/unload.  Secondly, they give you more storage for things like dryer sheets, detergents, & stain removers. But, the most impressive benefit these pedestals afford you is detergent storage tanks.  Although only available from select manufacturers, they give you the ability to store months worth of detergent & fabric softener so that all you have to do is put your clothes in and hit start!  The washer is connected to the storage tank via a series of tubes and instantly knows how much detergent to release and at what time depending on your cycle settings.

With more and more front loading units coming to market and their features constantly evolving, top loading washers and dryers might become a thing of the past. Besides the obvious technological advances that make your life (and chores!) easier, these new front load washers and dryers are ushering in a new era of energy conservation & savings.

Netbooks are mini laptop computers designed specifically for basic applications like surfing the web, reading e-mails, word processing, and watching internet videos. These small compact laptops are not as powerful in terms of functionality as laptop computers.  Traditional laptops use faster processors then Netbooks and therefore, have more computing capabilities. You can run advanced programs and heavy applications on laptop computers that would cripple most Netbooks. However, Netbooks trade these capabilities for several interesting features that are persuading more and more users to abandon the traditional brief-case sized laptop.

Netbooks have a compact form factor of seven to ten inches, which results in unmatched portability. This drastic decrease in size when compared to traditional laptops is mostly due to the fact that most Netbooks don’t have optical CD/DVD drives.  Netbooks also utilize less complex hardware components that produce lower power consumption, longer battery life, and most importantly save you significant amounts of money when compared to laptop computers.

Just because Netbook hardware tends to be less complex or not as powerful doesn’t mean that it’s old or boring technology.  Several manufacturers have started using solid state storage in their Netbooks as opposed to traditional hard drives.  These solid state drives work in a similar fashion as a memory card for your phone or camera in that they have no moving parts.  This produces several advantages over traditional hard drives. Since there are no moving parts they are harder to break and tend to be much more rugged than traditional hard drives.  When used as the primary storage in a Netbook these drives also offer much faster boot times making your computer to “turn on” almost instantly.

These hardware tradeoffs are not necessarily a bad thing.  It is important to understand that Netbooks are engineered for different purposes than laptops. Laptops are built to be “mini” desktops that allow you all the function of a desktop in a portable unit.  Most laptops can handle graphics intensive tasks such as video editing or gaming that Netbooks aren’t intended for.  However, the freedom Netbooks offer users is attracting more and more traditional laptop customers interested in portability and more affordable pricing.

Ever since Blu-ray won the format war, much has been said about Blu-ray discs. So, what exactly is a Blu-ray disc? It is nothing but an optical disc storage medium, which helps you record, rewrite, or playback high-definition video. It is called a Blu-ray disc because it uses a blue laser to read the disc.  It was originally designed, to replace the standard DVD format and was developed by the Blu-ray Disc Association, a consortium of makers of consumer electronics, computer hardware, and motion pictures.

You can save large amounts of data than traditional DVDs.  A single-layer Blu-ray disc can store up to 25 GB and a dual-layer disc can store 50 GB. The Blu-ray disc format can support multi-layer discs. You can fit about 9 hours of high-definition (HD) video and about 23 hours of standard-definition (SD) on a 50 GB disc.

Blu-ray disc players differs from a normal DVD player mainly in their ability to output video in high-definition format. They enable playback, recording, and rewriting of HD in all of the HD resolutions, including 1080p. All of the Blu-ray disc players are backwards compatible with DVD and will support upscaling of DVDs to 1080p/1080i. So you will be able to watch your old DVD collection.

In addition to all these, a Blu-ray disc player has a number of other advantages as well. With a Bonus View player (AKA profile 1.1) you can watch picture in picture commentary seeing bonus and making of content with out ever leaving the movie. Though an Internet connection is not needed for playback of Blu-ray movies, having a “BD Live” capable player (AKA profile 2.0) will give you access to extra features such as downloading bonus content, web browsing, or watching trailers.  Some manufacturers is are coming up with Netflix-streaming Blu-ray disc players today. So if you are a Netflix subscriber you can stream movies from the Netflix film library. Not only this, you can also access YouTube and Pandora content without using a PC. Most discs have “HD” audio as well, high resolution audio playback that is equal to the studio masters.

Flat panel televisions let you make maximum use of your space without compromising on picture quality. Our flat panel TV buying guide will help you choose the flat panel television that will best suit your needs. If you are trying to decide between Plasma/LCD/LED TVs, you should consider flat panel TV features like screen size, brightness and contrast, HD performance, aspect ratio, pixels & burn-in, flat panel resolution, and more.

TV Buying Tips

For those of you who are planning to buy small-screen flat panel TVs, LCDs are your best bet, seeing how plasma TVs start at 30 inches and LED TVs so far mostly available in larger sizes (40+ inches).  You should always choose a flat panel television that supports 720p or 1080i/p HD-resolution for better HD performance. If you want to get the most out of your HD content, LCDs are better because they support higher resolutions than most plasma TVs.

While LCDs score higher in brightness, plasma TVs have the upper hand when it comes to contrast and picture quality. For the best picture quality, look for a plasma TV with at least a 10,000:1 contrast ratio. If you watch a lot of movies on DVDs, then you should opt for a flat panel TV that features an aspect ratio of 16:9, else 4:3 televisions should do just fine.

One major disadvantage of plasma TVs is the burn-in effect produced by static images. If you are worried about this, then it’s better to go with LCDs. The risk of burn-in also makes LCDs a better choice for gaming than plasma TVs.

High altitudes of 6,500 feet and more can affect the performance of plasma TVs because the gas inside the TV’s pixels becomes stressed. Even though a few manufacturers have come out with plasmas that are specifically designed for high altitudes, you may have to dish out extra money for them. Unlike plasma TVs, LCDs are not affected by the altitude. So if you live at a higher altitude, then LCDs are better value for money.

If however you are interested in the newest technology available, you might want to check out LED TVs.  These Televisions are the “latest and greatest” to hit the market (also making them more expensive at this time).  LED TVs are billed as the sucessor to the LCD TV offering lower power consumption, slimmer sizes, longer lives, deeper & richer colors, as well as a host of next generation features such as UBS ports & Intenet connectivity.  You can read all about them in one of our previous posts, LED TVs – They are Here to Stay.

Do you feel that you have got what it takes to be a professional photographer and go about taking pictures with your camera, only to be disappointed with the poor image quality? Then it is time you replaced your old camera with one of the latest digital SLR cameras.

SLR stands for single lens reflex, a lens system that uses a mirror, which is positioned behind the camera lens. The positioning directs the light towards the viewfinder when you are trying to compose a shot. As soon as you release the shutter, the mirror in these new SLR cameras swings out of the way and lets the light from the lens travel straight to the sensor, blacking out the viewfinder. What this means is that, with a digital SLR camera, you see exactly what the lens sees.

One of the main reasons why you should consider these new, smart digital cameras for professional photography is because, they can accommodate lenses of different focal lengths in a single camera. Other cameras make use of complex and expensive viewfinder mechanisms to cover a wider range of focal lengths. In these new SLR cameras, the “taking” and the “viewing” lens are same. So you won’t have to match the angle of view every time you take a picture, which makes your job a whole lot easier. Digital SLR cameras also have large image sensors to produce high-quality photos. Since they have a near-zero lag time, these new SLR cameras are ideal for action photography.

Even though these new, smart digital cameras are a bit expensive right now, every extra penny means an extra benefit. The advantages of using these new SLR cameras include better performance, greater lens versatility, better image quality, greater shooting flexibility, and more. You can choose either fixed-lens digital SLR cameras or interchangeable-lens full system digital SLR cameras, whichever best suits your need.

If you are wondering what new technology or product is currently creating a buzz in the market, the answer is the LED flat screen television. LED TV technology is considered to be the successor of the LCD TV. Samsung is one of the first companies to have come up with a complete product line of LED flat screen televisions. Not far behind Samsung are their competitors, including Sony, Panasonic, and the likes. The new LED TV, although a bit expensive right now, has many benefits that make it worth every penny.

An LED flat screen television offers you many advantages, including improved picture quality, a slimmer design, longer life, less heat emitted, lower power consumption, and more. Its 1080p native resolution produces sharper images and its 120 Hz refresh rate reduces motion blur significantly. You can also connect your LED flat screen television to the Internet via Ethernet or a wireless USB modem. It offers plenty of other connectivity options, such as HDMI inputs for high-definition electronics and RF inputs for antenna/cable signals. Thanks to the LED lighting system, these new LED TVs are less than 2″ thick.

The fluorescent bulb used in the LCD has been replaced with Light Emitting Diodes (LED) in these new LED TVs in order to light up the screen. LEDs are used in groups, so even if one LED blows up, the rest in the group will still produce the light needed, thus resulting in system efficiency, reduced heat output, and maximum brightness. For a better picture quality they also produce deeper blacks and have a wider color range.

An interesting fact that all LED TV reviews talk about is the amount of money you can save if you use these LED flat screen televisions. In average US households, you can save a total of $22.40 per year, as LED TVs consume 40% less energy.

On the whole, LED TV technology looks like it is here to stay. So, shell out some extra cash and you will be delighted with the results.

It is hard to come across an average American family that does not own a camcorder. Leading brands like Sony, Canon, Hitachi, and Panasonic, which focus so much on innovation, keep churning out products with more advanced features. The latest in the list is the HD camcorder. Its high-quality output and user-friendly features make it one of the most sought-after products in the market today.

If you are thinking about buying an HD camcorder, you should do a lot of groundwork to know which camcorder will suit you the best. This HD camcorder buying guide takes you through different HD camcorder features to give you camcorder buying tips that will be of help to you.

Before buying a camcorder, you should look out for HD camcorder features like, video format, lens type, image stabilizer, LCD, focus controls, and more. One of the first things that you should focus on is the video format. If you want to shoot home or vacation videos, pick a 1080i or 720p high definition or standard definition HD camcorder. A budget buyer however, can do with standard definition. If you are tech savvy, you should settle for nothing less than a 1080i or 1080p high definition camcorder. Also see to it that the camcorder comes with a 10x zoom lens. No one loves shaky videos. So, make sure that the HD camcorder has either an electronic or optical image stabilizer.

Most camcorder models today come with a flip-out LCD viewer that ranges between 2 1/2 to 4 inches. Choose one with a 3-inch or larger LCD.  While buying an HD camcorder, look for the full-auto switch facility that automatically adjusts the color balance, shutter speed, focus, and aperture. The autofocus feature that takes care of the image sharpness, exposure, and white balance is another aspect that you should pay attention to.

You should also check the number of ports and connectors to make sure that you can connect all the accessories you need. With all these camcorder buying tips, buying an HD camcorder that suits your needs should not be difficult.

Every national election is historic and this week’s election was as well. Now that this election season is finally over We ELECT to pay your Sales Tax! This weekend at your local Electronic Express stores. That’s right we will cover your sales tax so come in and save big on HDTVs, Cameras, DVD players, Laptops and more. We can’t wait to see you this Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Nashville, TN – Electronic Express has celebrated it’s 25th year in business and from our humble beginnings as a retail store in Nashville we have expanded to 15 stores in the Middle Tennessee area. Today we sell consumer electronics at our stores with some of the best trained associates in the industry. We also make our expertise and great offers available online  to serve customrs all over the country.

This Sunday (10-26-2008) we have a great in store event, the Electronic Express Famous Half Price Fair.  Every department will have many items on sale many discounted up to 50% off.

Find the Nashville or Middle Tennessee store near you.

As always we have great offers and huge discounts on our website along with our everyday low prices.

Have a great weekend and happy shopping.

If you signed up for our newsletter you received an email earlier today letting you know about all the fantastic deals we have available this week. We are celebrating our 25th Anniversary by dropping prices on many popular items like HDTV’s, GPS devices, Blu-Ray DVD players and many other items. You can view the newsletter online but remember to signup for the newsletter to stay informed.