Category — Product Reviews

These days, with all the docks, card readers, hubs, chargers, etc. desk space comes at a premium. To help free up some of that valuable real estate Griffin Technology has made a device appropriately named “Simplifi.” Think of Simplifi as a an iPod dock on steroids. In addition to charging your iPod or iPhone, it will read your digital camera’s memory cards, and give you two additional USB ports.

Simplifi is made from a brushed aluminum chassis that will look right at home next to your MacBook Pro (don’t worry it goes well with all computers, even PC’s!) On the top you will find a universal dock bay that accepts a number of plates (the plates are plastic pieces that snap in to the larger opening, each one made for a specific iPod or iPhone). Griffin supplies you with plates for all the most popular iPods and all iPhones. The front features two media slots, one for SD/xD/Memory stick, the other for Compact Flash. On the back you will find the power input (device is powered by a wall adapter as to not drain your computers USB bus power), mini USB to connect it to your computer with included cable, and finally two USB ports that can be used for a mouse, printer, or any other device you may want easy access to.

The device measures in at about four inches wide by three inches deep and features a rubber base which prevents it from moving around. Build quality is excellent, transfer speeds are fast, and the device is compatible with both PC’s and Macs. At $69.99, this gadget isn’t for everyone. However, if you are looking for a way to free up some desk space and get the added convenience of a multi-function dock, this is the product for you.

June 24th, 2009

Last Friday, more than one million iPhone 3G S models found their way into people’s pockets. It’s now been five days since I activated my 32GB model, and I figured it was about time to share some thoughts!

Let me begin by saying my previous iPhone was a first generation EDGE model (from original launch day back in June 2007) so making the step up to not only a 3G model, but one with faster hardware, was a giant leap forward. So what’s the verdict? Let’s just say it’s one that is accompanied by a Cheshire grin.

3G S is FAST
Between the new hardware and the new operating system, the iPhone has reached near perfection. This iPhone is fast. Every reviewer out there has been echoing this since launch, and boy is it true. Compared to the original iPhone, EVERYTHING is faster on the 3G S. Typing, web surfing, picture taking, app launching, and gaming are all done at speeds that bring a smile to your face. This is how a smartphone should behave.

Camera, Video, Voice Control, Compass
It wasn’t more than a days time before I found myself at a social gathering. Cocktail in one hand, iPhone in the other, it was time to experiment with the long awaited video capturing capabilities. Slide the photo/video select over to the right, press record, and you are good to go. Video is captured at an impressive 30 frames-per-second, however, it is not HD, and not even wide screen. I think Apple could have done better.

The camera, on the other hand, is fantastic. Low light picture taking is still a weakness, but the autofocus works extremely well. Click here for a sample.

I didn’t experiment with voice control until the latter half of the weekend. To me, voice control on cell phones has been too inconvenient to make it worth while. Is iPhone’s voice control a game changer? Not really. For dialing contacts it works surprisingly well. For iPod control, it works well in a quiet environment, but out in the noise of the city streets – not quite as reliable. “Play songs by Phoenix.” – “Playing songs by Akron/Family.” Yes, strange. But, sitting here at my desk, it was able to successfully select five artists in a row. This is impressive from a device that has not been trained to recognize it’s owners voice. But who are we kidding here, voice control is clunky and at this point in time I cannot really see past it’s novelty.

The compass is great. Never again will my friends and I be running around like headless chicken trying to follow walking directions in the city. Also, the compass app is just plain cool.

Other thoughts
Battery life – I am not impressed. My two-year-old 1st gen model had similar run times the day I took it out of commission. This really isn’t a fair comparison for a number of reasons (no push, no 3g, no gps) but I was expecting more.

Headphones – I was delighted to find a volume control in-line with the multifunction “clicker.” This brings me back to the days of MiniDisc (where nearly all the portables had fully functional in-line remotes). I was also impressed with the sound quality of the phones, seems like it is improved. Another pleasant surprise was the material the cables are made out of, it appears to resist tangeling. For anyone who has stuffed their headphones in a pocket while at the gym, then spent 5 minutes untangeling them – this is wonderful.

Screen – I don’t care for the yellow tint of the 3G and 3G S screens. I will take the original iPhone screen in a heartbeat. Though with the brightness turned up, it is less noticeable.

Built in speaker – Not a 3G S thing, but wow, I finally can use speakerphone, hear video clips, and use music clips as ringers.

Conclusion
Even though this phone keeps the same form factor as the two previous models, it’s faster processor and graphics capabilities really makes it something new. It is a huge improvement over the 1st generation iPhone, and in my opinion, if you could get the full subsidy, a worthy upgrade to the 3G.. However, with it’s faster processor I have to question Apple’s “one app open at a time” design. I see absolutely no reason why I shouldn’t be able to use my KCRW Radio app while I surf the web! For any first time iPhone buyers out there, I highly recommend scraping up the extra 100 bucks to get the 3G S model over the old 3G. As all the AT&T subscribers out there know, the initial phone cost is nothing compared to what you will spend over the course of two years on service!

So what can we expect next June? Aluminum case, OLED display, front facing camera, and 128GB disk space. Fingers crossed.

See below for a few photos:

Nothing beats seeing one of your favorite bands play live, especially if it is in a small venue. But when you leave with your ears ringing it is just not a good thing. Ear plugs stink. They block out all of the fidelity of the music, and while they will certainly save your hearing, you won’t get much enjoyment from the show.

In come a more sophisticated breed of plugs – known as “Natural sound earplugs.” Designed to attenuate evenly across the full spectrum of sound, these plugs simulate the sensation of turning down the volume. There are a few manufacturers out there that offer this type of hearing protection. The most popular brands are Etymotic Research and Hearo. Unfortunately, after trying both of them out I was left unsatisfied. They did not fit my ears well, were uncomfortable for long periods of time, and as silly as it sounds, they were quite conspicuous. Just when I was about to accept the Etymotic ER-20’s as my plugs of choice I discovered the Alpine MusicSafe Natural Sound Ear Plugs. These tiny plugs received glowing reviews across the Internet and only cost $30 bucks, the only problem, they are not sold Stateside. No need to fear, a quick Google search turned up a reseller called Earplug Superstore that imports them for sale in the U.S. Within three days they arrived at my doorstep, very nice.

The Alpine MusicSafe plugs feature butter soft rubber flanges, selectable levels of attenuation, a carrying case, AND an extra plug in case you lose one at a show. The thing I liked most about them was the ability to cut down the shaft of the plug, allowing for a lower profile. So far I have worn them to three shows and they have worked out very well. Anyone who loves live music and doesn’t want to get fitted for a hearing aid at age 50 should definitely consider picking up a set! You won’t be disappointed.

I’ve been an Amazon customer for quite a while now. In all the years I have done business with them, they have not once dropped the ball. Prices are generally the lowest out there, delivery is fast, and their web site is pretty much best in class. When I found out about their relatively new packaging initiative I thought it sounded like a good idea, but didn’t think much of it.

Well, a few days ago I received my first “frustration free” packaged product – an inexpensive 4GB SDHC card. Let me tell you, I am impressed. All it took was one quick pull of a tear-strip and the card was free from the CD jewel case sized cardboard envelope. Not only was it easy to open, it certainly looked to be more environmentally friendly. Some say Jeff Bezos is the “new Steve Jobs.” While I do not totally agree, I do think he is doing some amazing things with his little online bookstore.

About six months ago I decided it was about time to upgrade my toothbrush. It had treated me well, but the battery was no longer holding a charge for more than 60 seconds, and the heads were getting harder and harder to track down. Using Google and Amazon, I was quickly able to determine that the heavy hitters in the power toothbrush playing field were the Sonicare Flexcare and the Oral-B Triumph.

The Flexcare is Sonicare’s flag-ship model. Earning its moniker from the multiple cleaning modes feature, this lithium battery powered device is the Mercedes of electric toothbrushes. Alternatively, the Triumph is Oral-B’s “Most technologically advanced toothbrush.” It’s claim to fame is what Oral-B calls SmartGuide technology. Wirelessly, it transmits brushing feedback data (pressure, time, etc.) to an LCD screen. A bit over the top? Perhaps.

Both models offered top-of-the-line features and each had earned near 5-star reviews on Amazon. After reading through some of the reviews and pricing out each model I decided to take one last step before making my final decision: ask my dentist what they recommended. To my surprise they didn’t have a preference. I was instructed that either model would work great, so long as I brushed at least twice daily and flossed nightly!

I ended up purchasing the two-handle Sonicare Flexcare bundle with UV sanitizer. One handle for me, one for my girlfriend, and a super cool UV sanitization chamber to play with! Aside from the two handles (handle is really just Sonicare lingo for toothbrush) the box also contained: two travel pouches, one travel charger, and different color rings used to personalize each toothbrush. The colored rings certainly come in handy when two people living in the same household use the same model toothbrush!

Here are my thoughts after six months-

Build Quality:
Excellent. The Flexcare feels very solid in-hand. The buttons are all sealed, easy to press, and the head slides on and off with little effort. The charging station is fairly compact and interfaces well with the handle.

Ease of Use:
Pressing the mode select button will move through all available brush modes. Including: quick care, max care, massage, clean, and sensitive. Press the power button (with the toothbrush in your mouth!) and the Flexcare goes to work. After about 30 seconds or so the head will vibrate on and off a few times, this is a signal to move on to another section of your mouth. Sonicare calls this feature “Quadpacer” and claims it helps promote even cleaning. After two to three minutes the brush shuts itself off and you are done.

What I like:
-Keeps you honest. Turn the toothbrush off before the brushing cycle ends and you are only cheating yourself out of a thorough cleaning.
-Multiple cycles. I tend to use the quick care (one minute) cycle in the mornings and in the evening I switch off between the normal clean cycle (two minutes) and the “Max Care” cycle (three minutes).
-Newly designed head. Made to resist toothpaste build-up, it is easily removed for cleaning/sanitizing. The included heads are also very soft and extremely comfortable to brush with
-Battery life is amazing. We’re talking upwards of two weeks used 2 to 3 times daily.

What I don’t like:
-Splatter! Don’t think about taking this thing out of your mouth while it is on, if you do micro droplets of toothpaste will go everywhere.
-Cost. Price is high, but then again you can’t really put a price on healthy teeth and gums.

Conclusion:
What really triggered me to write this review is how pleased I have been with this toothbrush over the past six months. Yes, three minutes feels like an eternity when brushing your teeth, but fire up your cell phone and read news/twitter updates/email/etc. The three minutes will be over in no time – the beauty of multitasking! What does my dentist think? At my last cleaning I was told my brushing could not have been better. No plaque, no tartar, and most importantly, no cavities. I wholeheartedly believe if everyone brushed with a toothbrush like this, dentists would lose a great deal of business! Hats off to Sonicare for making an excellent product that needs no improvement. A+

Support Not Just Another Tech Blog If you are going to purchase this product from Amazon, Please use this link! : Philips Sonicare FlexCare Rechargeable Sonic Toothbrush with Sanitizer

The Kill-A-Watt has just been delivered. Less than 24 hours after ordering it, with free ground shipping I might add. Well done Newegg. Unit looks smaller than it does in the photos and is locked up good in it’s very user unfriendly blister pack- Amazon would not be pleased.

After wrenching through with a pair of trusty Fiskars, the device is finally liberated from its translucent enclosure. No battery needed for this gizmo, just plug it into a 120 volt outlet, plug in the device in question and you are good to go.

The first device I tested was a 1TB Lacie external hard drive – 10 watts, whether it was sitting idle or reading/writing data. This particular hard drive does have a small fan, but I have yet to hear it spin up.

The second device I tested was a Sony 40-inch 1080p LCD TV with fluorescent backlight (not newer LED technology). At its off or ‘standby’ setting, the panel used one watt – not bad. Turned on but without a signal power consumption was only 50 watts, I am assuming this was so because the backlight remains off in this state. After firing up the DVR and tuning to Food Network, power consumption increased to 200 watts, where it remained for the entire test. I figured that at a power cost of about $.197/kilowatt, it would cost $.95 to run the panel for 24 hours. Interesting.

Lastly, I brought the Kill-A-Watt over to the newest device in our kitchen: the AeroGarden. Running with its two fluorescent lights on for nearly 18 hours a day raised some concern about its novelty. To my surprise the device only drew about 40 watts with the lights and aerator on (aerator is similar to a fish tank bubbler). Given the ‘on’ time of the device, I determined it costs about $4.50/month to run.

In my short time with the Kill-A-Watt I have been very pleased with it’s ease of use and it’s ability to make transparent just how much energy all the devices in one’s household really use.
Click Here to see cost breakdown of tested devices! (Excel) — Also available as a PDF

April 11th, 2007

Just finished installing the D3 in my ’06 Scion tC this weekend. In addition to the head unit I also installed the Bluetooth adapter/iPod cable/PAC steering wheel control interface and XM tuner. At this point I am still unsure if I am going to install the reverse cam. This is my third Pioneer head unit, but first Navigation unit.

The unit looks very nice installed with the included mounting hardware, much better than in the photos, I might add. The screen is very bright, and the touch interface works very well. The XM interface is very nice, especially when the Nav disk is in loaded, as it will then display station and category logos along with the standard XM track/artist info.

Here are some of the pros and cons I have come up with in the two days I have had to fool around with it:

Pros:

• XM or Sirius, it stinks to have to make a decision on a head unit based on your sat. radio prefs (Eclipse comes to mind here)
• Superb XM interface
• Solid iPod interface with cool iPod scroll wheel on-screen image (although no search function)
• So far the Nav has worked very well
• Vehicle diagnostics are fun, although not for any practical purposes
• Pioneers parametric EQ has always been great, it is even better with the enhanced visualization of the large color LCD
• Great internal sub-woofer controls including high pass filters, as well as low pass output and sub level controls
• Customization options are nice as you can match your cars instrumentation color
• DVD quality is very good
• Phone call quality is very good from the feedback I have gotten from callers (mounted the mic on the right side of my visor with the included clip)
• Night mode: when you flip on your headlights you can choose how dim you want the screen to get, and the navigation screen has a night mode which uses darker colors for the map, and is much easier on the eyes

Cons:

• No ability to have different EQ settings for each source as far as I can tell (source custom EQ)-this is a major disappointment, i.e. XM output is usually very flat compared to CD/MP3 sources, requiring a lot of messing around with the EQ to get it sounding right. Having to change EQ depending on source is a major pain
• No automatic sound levelizer (adjusts volume level depending on road noise)-even my stock Scion/Pioneer head unit had this
• No remote ($15 dollar option at pioneer.com, come on Pioneer, I know it’s an inexpensive unit, but still)
• Some background noise at times, but I have concluded that it does not affect sound quality, as much of it only occurs when no music is playing (i.e. caused by the button tones or nav guidance)
• Having to use two little satellite antennas is silly- I don’t understand why they couldn’t have designed the XM tuner to be able to accept the sat. signal from the Nav antenna, i.e. pull the sat. signal through the IP bus
• I have still not been able to load my phone book into the unit and I tried both my Cingular SonyEricson and my Nextel Blackberry-have checked forums and others are having similar issues, I’m guessing there will be a fix out soon as this is a brand new Bluetooth module
• No HD radio support

Overall I am very satisfied with the sound quality, interface, ease of use, and ability to customize the unit. I just wish it had the source custom EQ and the $170.00 Bluetooth module would load my address book.

UPDATE:
April 15th, 2009

Two years have passed since I wrote this review, figured it was about time to provide an update on the old AVIC D3.

Does it all still work??
Everything works just as well as it did on day one. Aside from one minor occurrence of the nav not recognizing the DVD Map disc, this Pioneer has held its own through -5 degree winter days all the way up to 100+ degree summer heat. The satellite signal is found within seconds after startup, the XM reception never failed (though I dropped the service last month – another story), and all the peripherals are still functioning. I never did install that back-up camera, still in its original packaging, I should probably just list on eBay!

Other thoughts:
Having only one disk drive, occupied by the NAV DVD ROM 100 percent of the time, isn’t really a deal breaker by any means. However, there have instances (long road trip) where a guest would bring a CD (I know, a CD?!) and it was a pain to remove/stow the NAV disc in order to gain access to the drive. This really was not an issue due to the fact that the other 99 percent of the time music was sourced from an iPod. My only other complaint is the lack of a learning feature within the Navigation function. On this type of unit, it would be very easy to integrate some flash memory (512MB would be more than enough) in order to remember preferred routes. By 2009 standards, the iPod interface is a bit outdated. The XM graphics that were pulled from the NAV disc are mostly all now obsolete because of the Sirius/XM merge. Also, the FM radio interface gets the job done, but will not win any awards for usability or eye candy during the process. Even with 3-year-old maps the navigation still works well, and compared to all the portable units I have had the pleasure of using provides a much better experience. Overall, I am still quite pleased with the Pioneer AVIC-D3.

Photos of the Install