Everything I want you to know about the iPad
Filed under: Apple Fanboyism, Opinion, Product Reviews, iPad
I love you.
You may recall when Apple first announced the iPad I was fairly dead set against getting it, more or less for one reason – no Netflix support. Well, guess who announced their iPad app a couple days ago, and guess who was waiting in line at Best Buy this morning? Yes, I’m not sure why I couldn’t get it into my head that Apple didn’t need to “build in” Netflix support – Netflix could at any time make an iPad app, but it seemed like a killer app Apple would have almost wanted to show off at the unveiling. Then Netflix came out and publicly said they had no plans to develop such an app… Anyway, they did, I got an iPad, and after playing with it I think I should share with you everything I feel you need to know about the iPad:
- Battery life lasts a very long time, but guess what else lasts a very long time? The CHARGING time. This makes sense, of course, but it’s currently 10:10 PM, and I began charging my iPad from 30% around 4 PM, and it is only at 83%. My iPhone would have charged TWICE in that time, so it seems like a full charge might be an overnight thing, unless I have a bum unit.
- The iPad seems to only charge form an AC outlet. I’ve heard some talk of it working off a new iMac or something, but when I plugged it into the front of my Mac Pro’s USB ports, the same ones I sync countless iPods and iPhones on, the battery indicator turned into Read more
Review: Epson WorkForce 610 All-in-One Printer
Over my many years as a computer nerd, remarkably I have never had a printer physically BREAK before. That of course doesn’t mean I haven’t bought my fair share of printers, however my buying decisions were for the most part forced upon me by “progress”. For example, when I bought my first Bondi blue iMac which only had USB ports (no old school printer compatibility), or the time my printer got so old that the manufacturer stopped making ink that would work in it… or the fact that with each Apple OS update (and further dwindling market share during the 90’s) Apple kept breaking printer driver support to the point where the manufacturer got tired of rewriting print drivers. In fact the only time I ever looked at one of my perfectly functional printers and decided I NEEDED to upgrade was when I got my first digital camera and wanted to start printing out “photo quality” prints myself to save money (and I was wrong on both counts).
Well, things have certainly changed since OS X. Somehow both my Epson Stylus and HP Photosmart printers have managed to not only still work flawlessly for over 7 years, but both companies have foolishly kept producing compatible ink for my machines, and the print drivers somehow continue to make it though each OS X upgrade unscathed. And while some say being content with what you have is the path of true happiness, it can also mean you miss out on a ton of cool new stuff, which is what I found out when reviewing the Epson Workforce 610 Wireless Color Inkjet All-in-One Printer
The 610 is my first foray into all-in-one printers (and a Wireless one to boot!), as I have traditionally not been a fan of combining my electronics. It all started with a CD “boom box” I bought as a kid that had THREE tape decks, one of which detached and could be used as a walkman. Within 2 weeks all 3 tape decks chewed up tapes, AND the CD player skipped. From that day forward I decided to buy dedicated gadgets that did one thing, and did it well. But a look around my crowded office showed me a printer, a scanner, and a spot where a fax machine once stood (unlike my printers, I think I have had 3 fax machines in my lifetime, and maybe sent a total of 3 faxes. Those things are the Pintos of the office world). Sure, conventional wisdom would have you thinking, if it ain’t broke, why spend money? But if you saw my office… let’s just say I apparently need every flat surface I own for the piling of large amounts of CRAP, and if I can combine my scanner, printer and fax into one square footprint of table space, I will have more room for that crap.
Setup
Setup was relatively painless for me, because I had my wife do it. I know this will come off as sexist, but given the wireless nature of the printer, I figured Read more
Review: Embarrass yourself thin with the Withings Body Scale
These days it seems there are only two things that will motivate Americans to lose weight – Money, and Embarrassment. Money (as in a reality TV show) or Embarrassment (like wanting to look good at a wedding or class reunion for people you haven’t seen in 20 years). Well, I’m happy to say I am not quite fat enough for someone to actually pay to watch me lose weight, so I decided to try the embarrassment thing. Unfortunately, being a geek with no friends, I had no upcoming social engagements or planned run-ins with high-school nemesis’ to motivate me, but what I DID have is nearly 1000 nameless Twitter followers who I figured I could count on to make fun of me if I didn’t lose weight. And that’s where Withings’ new WiFi/Twitter enabled Body Fat Scale comes in. After all, what could be more motivational than knowing that my current weight was about to be broadcast to the entire interweb?!
The Withings scale comes in a very Apple-like packaging – in fact I was tempted to use it to send out fake iTablet unboxing pictures back when I first got it (this was pre-iPad of course).
On the surface the Withings scale is simply a nice looking digital scale, but it has a couple cool things that set it apart from the competition. First, it uses Bioelectric Impedance Analysis (BIA) to calculate your Body Mass (both fat and lean mass). Basically it sends an electric current through your body (via your bare feet) to somehow get a rough idea (and by rough, I mean rough) of you current BMI. In my tests, my body fat numbers would Read more
How To: Fix a noisy car stereo iPod/iPhone connection with this Magic Box
Filed under: Awesomeness, Opinion, Product Reviews, iPhone, iPod Touch
I am a bit ashamed to admit it, but one of the few reasons I opted to spend $6,000 more for a Toyota Camry over a Toyota Corolla is the Camry had an AUX in port for my iPhone, and the Corolla did not. For years in my old Ford Contour I had to make due with horrible iPod FM transmitters that may possibly work fine in Nebraska, but which are more or less useless if you live outside a big radio market like New York City, as do I. And while at first I was overjoyed at my new found ability to enjoy crystal clear audio while driving, I eventually noticed that that crystal clear audio suddenly became decidedly LESS clear when I charged my iPhone while playing music. At first I chalked it up to the car charger (a Griffin) but when a Belkin produced the same problem, I was pissed. What I was experiencing was noise created from a “ground loop”, or sometimes referred to as “alternator whine”. But whatever you call it, it came through as a high-pitched, staticky sound that would vary in intensity depending on God knows what, but it was always present. If I unplugged my iPhone from the car charger, the audio was fine. Charge it, whine. I decided to do a test on my wife’s newer Toyota Sienna mini van, and she has the exact same problem, so maybe it’s a Toyota thing (Not that I want to accuse Toyota of having any type of manufacturing defects).
But thankfully that annoying sound is just a high-pitched memory now that I’ve found this magic box.
It’s called the PAC SNI-1/3.5 Noise Filter, and while with a name like that you would think it would sell itself, I’m so happy with mine that I figured I would give them a free commercial, and hopefully save some of my fellow car audio lovers some of the aggravation I experienced. Basically you just slip this box between your iPhone and your existing 3.5 mm audio cable (or if the Noise filter’s cable is long enough, you can just use it) and BOOM! Static gone. Unlike the iPad, this thing really IS magic!
If you do a Google or Amazon search for “Car Noise Filter” or “Alternator Whine filter” you’ll likely find a bunch of matches and prices, and almost all of them have both positive and negative reviews, but this one worked amazing for me, so I’m throwing it out there for what it’s worth. I did not notice any loss in audio quality, and I can now crank my music as loud as I’d like without hearing any of the previous whine. It’s $17.99 on Crutchfield’s site. Go get it.
Review: PhoneSuit’s Primo iPhone/iPod battery
Filed under: Hardware, Product Reviews, iPhone, iPod Touch
PhoneSuit’s been making a pretty decent name for itself in the “rechargeable external iPhone battery” game, and their latest offering, the Primo, is a welcome, if not pint-sized addition to the family.
Available in either black or white and costing $34.95 (PhoneSuit also offers a 3-pack bundle including 3 of PhoneSuit’s screen protectors as well for only : $89.95 – a savings of $15 over buying the batteries individually) the thumb-sized, “works with iPhone”-certified Primo contains an 800mAh battery, roughly enough power to get you up to a 55% charge from a dead iPhone in our tests. That’s enough for 3 hours of talk, or 45 hours of music.
Design-wise the Primo is pretty cool. It’s smooth, gum-sized form factor slips easily into pockets, and it’s small enough that you can attach it to your keychain with the included string loop. Being a man who fears things on his keychain, I’ve just been throwing them in my pocket. The top pops off to reveal a standard Dock connector which should charge just about any REAL iPod (obviously the shuffle doesn’t count) or iPhone. Read more
Review: Ultrasone’s Zino S-Logic Natural Surround Sound Portable Headphones
I often find it funny when I meet someone who is obsessed with their iPod or iPhone, yet continues to use the stock earbuds that ship with the device. Yes, they’re not the worst earbuds in the world (although they ARE some of the most overpriced if you need to buy a replacement set) but if you use them as your sole conduit of sound between your music player and your ears, then you are missing out on a large part of the music listening experience. To truly get the most from your iPod, you need to upgrade your earbuds to something a bit more professional.
The Zino S-Logic Portable Headphones
Privacy be DAMNED! This holiday season, Background Check App is the ultimate party game
Filed under: Apple Fanboyism, Awesomeness, Free Stuff, News, Product Reviews, iPhone
We’ve all been there: you’re young, hanging out with your friends, high on Mountain Dew, and then someone yells out “Hey! Let’s run some guns down to Cuba!” Flash forward 10 years, and you’re SURE that 5-year stint in the Federal Penitentiary will never come back to haunt you. But then you end up at a Christmas party with me, and I have the Background Check App (free) on my iPhone. You’re Busted.
Yes, Background Check App is getting a lot of hype, and it totally lives up to it. The free app allows you to run a background check on virtually anyone in a matter of seconds, and while it doesn’t give you a terribly deep (or sometimes even accurate) look into someone’s past, more often than not it gets the big stuff right. And it’s addictive. Read more
Review: Tyme Machines Star Wars flash drives come to a galaxy very, very close
When it comes to giving geeks presents, nothing says “I love you and respect your need to move large files quickly” like a USB flash drive. And nothing says “I am a geek too” like giving them a flash drive that looks like a bobble-head Star Wars character.
Currently the big name in Star Wars-themed flash drives is Mimoco, with their adorable line of smooth-headed characters. However the Star Wars flash drive arena just got a little more crowded with Tyme Machines’ new line of sculpted USB flash drives.
Unlike the super stylized Mimobots, Tyme Machines went for a somewhat more realistic, yet still comical look for their drives. The characters are more physically detailed than the Mimobots, from Boba Fett’s dented helmet to the “011″on the back of the Storm Trooper, there’s some pretty impressive detailing going on. The overall look is reminiscent of the dashboard “bobble head” dolls that I assume all of you have distractingly placed in your rear windshields.
Each drive consists of a 3-inch tall figure from the original Star Wars movies (aka, the good ones). Darth Vader, Boba Fett, Yoda, and a Storm Trooper are all available in capacities ranging from 4 GB to 16 GB, at prices ranging from $29.99 to $59.99. (Tyme Machines also makes a “Twilight” drive for Read more
Review: Konnet Shine case for iPhone
If you asked 10 iPhone users what their favorite iPhone case is, I think it’s a safe bet you would get 10 different answers. The criteria for what makes a good iPhone case is one of the more subjective discussions a geek can have. Take me and the decidedly less geeky Bride of Macenstein, for example. We received a duo pack of Konnet’s new ultra slim (and aptly named) Shine Metallic Case for iPhone
I was pretty surprised as I found I was liking my Shine case quite a bit (I had the mirror finish one), and in fact coming from a Speck Toughskin, you really couldn’t have made a bigger change in case styles. When I asked her what she hated about it, she said it was “too slippery”. I kind of let it go for a day or so, but then after realizing that the case is really anything BUT slippery, I asked her to explain. Apparently her issue is she wears stylishly tight pants without pockets, so she often sits and types at her computer or drives in the car with the iPhone resting on her lap. Apparently the ultra smooth exterior of the Sine case slides right off her legs at the slightest movement, and she had dropped her phone a couple times. Since the case is more of a “scratch protector” than true shock absorber, she decided to go back to something with more “grip”.
Now, being a big slob with pants which have more pockets than I know what to do with, this never would have occurred to me, and is likely the main reason why almost 1 month later I am still using my Shine case, long after she had given up.
Design
The Shine case is a self-described “Ultra Thin” case, and they aren’t lying. The case is pretty much Read more
Review: Livespeakr proves good things come in small, rotating, rechargeable packages
Filed under: Opinion, Product Reviews, iPhone, iPod Touch
If you’re looking for a pretty cool last minute gift for that iPod touch or iPhone user in your family, I would highly recommend the Livespeakr iPod/iPhone speaker by Livespeakr.
Costing only $40 and available in both White
Design
The Livespeaker consists of a rotating cradle/dock which can accommodate both the iPhone and the iPod touch (due to the different headphone jack placements between the devices, the cradle pops off and flips so you can change the orientation of the speaker wire). Sound is handled via a standard mini stereo jack as opposed to a dock connection, which is good for a couple of reasons. First, it means you can use the Livespeaker with pretty much any device, including a DS or iPod shuffle (although they will not fit well in the cradle). But the biggest benefit of a mini jack over the dock connector is you can use the Livespeakr to play the sounds and music from your iPhone’s GAMES as well as music and Read more
