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In the past week, CNET has reviewed three separate media devices, each costing $300, and one of them was a television. And guess what: the TV wasn’t terrible.
The three products were the TCL L40FHDP60 ($309), the 3M Streaming Projector ($299), and the Apple iPod Touch ($299). Seeing them all together got me thinking: which one of these would I actually buy if I had the money? Is there something else I’d rather do with my $300?
Until we find out whether the Apple iPad Mini exists, I cast the net out a bit farther and two other products reviewed recently also came to mind: the Asus Nexus 7 ($275) and the Sony PlayStation Super Slim 500GB ($300).
Each of these products has its specific uses, and the decision to buy one depends on your needs at a particular time. The TCL TV is an interesting proposition — here is a TV that costs as much as an MP3 player, yet it’s actually pretty good. If I were looking for a gaming TV or a gift for Granny, I would consider it. I’ve played with all of the other four gadgets, and probably wouldn’t buy another iPod Touch — so expensive! — but I think that the Nexus 7 is probably tied with the PS3 as far as flexibility and bang for buck is concerned.
Meanwhile, my colleague Matthew Moskovciak reviewed the 3M Streaming Projector, which includes a 2-hour battery and a Roku streaming stick, and so I asked him about how he would spend the $300.
“I’m already set in terms of a TV and gaming consoles, and while the Streaming Projector is fun, I’d get a lot more use out of a tablet. Of course, if I could get an iPad Mini for $300…,” Moskovciak said.
Another product due very shortly is the Nintendo Wii U, which is the company’s most unconventional product yet: the company has always concentrated on “gaming,” and here is a device that not only includes a tablet, but also controls your TV. But Senior Editor David Katzmaier isn’t tempted by such frivolities; he knows where the serious convergence money should be spent.
“After all these years, the Sony PlayStation 3 is still the best jack-of-all-trades in the living room. This, plus a cable box, is all I have connected to my main TV at home. And with the new slimmer, top-load PS3 coming out, I’d grab a 160GB slot-load slim while I could — and spend the remaining $50 on the Logitech Harmony PS3 adapter,” Katzmaier said.
So let me put the question to you: If you had $300 right now, which entertainment device would you buy? Need a TV or perhaps a tablet? Either vote in our poll or, if the option you want isn’t there, add it in the comments below. But remember, we’re looking for media players here; cameras and other unrelated equipment we can cover in a different poll.
