Accessories Interesting

So, here's a tip: this thing works for any audio device with a headphone jack, not just a Zune! I got mine this week, and it got its first test run today on a 2-hour trip to visit family. My Zune's on the fritz, so I experimented with plugging in my smaller Sansa e250, and it worked like a charm!

If you look around, you'll find lots of people noting that FM transmitters never have sound as flawless as a CD. Now, if you're like me, you might've wondered just what the heck that means. What standards are they going by? Well, I'm not an audio snob. I just want to be able to hear my music clearly. I don't care if it sounds crystal-clear to a trained ear, and in a car there's always some ambient noise so as far as I'm concerned there's no sense worrying whether it's perfect anyway. I'm told that in major metropolitan areas where the airwaves are crowded, FM transmitters don't necessarily work very well, but I live in a rural/suburban area (central Pennsylvania), and for the majority of my trip, my music was clear as a bell. Circling a couple of more urban areas, I got a hint of static around the edges--nothing major, but a bit of spitting. I might've been able to find a channel with less interference, but I didn't bother trying to adjust to a clearer channel, since it never got very bad and I knew it wasn't going to last very long anyway.

I don't know what the performance of other FM transmitters is like, but this one is a keeper! I am very satisfied!

Dengan Sensor dan Layar Baru
Setelah sekitar setahun lalu sukses meluncurkan Canon EOS 500D, tahun 2010 ini Canon kembali meluncurkan kamera baru untuk kelas entry-level melalui tipe Canon EOS 550D.

Dilihat dari kodenya, EOS 550D ini merupakan penerus dari EOS 500D. Perubahan apa saja yang dibawa oleh EOS 550D ini? Feature baru apa saja yang dibenamkan Canon pada kamera DSLR entry-level ini?

Canon EOS 550D ini masih memiliki tampilan fisik yang mirip dengan seri-seri sebelumnya (seperti 450D dan 500D). Namun ada sedikit perbedaan minor pada lekukan-lekukan tubuhnya yang kini lebih membulat. Peletakan tombol-tombol di sekitar badan kamera juga masih sama dengan seri-seri sebelumnya.

Yang berbeda adalah bentuk tombol-tombol yang ada di sekeliling layar LCD di belakang kini menjadi lebih kotak, tidak bulat lagi seperti seri sebelumnya. Knop yang mengatur modus pengambilan gambar tetap berada di sebelah kanan atas, berdekatan dengan tombol untuk mengatur ISO dan tombol shutter.

Karena diposisikan sebagai kamera DSLR kelas entry-level, Canon EOS 550D ini memiliki ukuran bodi yang kompak. Bagi Anda yang bertangan besar, kamera ini mungkin menjadi kurang nyaman digenggam karena grip-nya yang kurang besar. Namun bagi kebanyakan orang, ukuran grip yang dimiliki kamera ini sudah cukup nyaman. Saat dipegang pun, grip ini tidak terasa licin karena keberadaan lapisan karet yang menutupinya.

Melongok ke bagian belakangnya, terdapat sebuah viewfinder cermin yang ukurannya tidak terlalu besar. Viewfinder ini memiliki perbesaran sebesar 0,87x dan meliputi sekitar 95% dari frame sebenarnya. Di bawah viewfinder terdapat sebuah layar LCD yang berguna untuk menampilkan parameter pemotretan, melihat foto yang telah diambil, atau menampilkan obyek pada modus live-view. Nah, layar LCD yang digunakannya ini merupakan salah satu perubahan yang dilakukan Canon. Pasalnya layar berukuran 3 inci ini menggunakan aspect ratio 3:2, berbeda dengan model sebelumnya yang masih menggunakan rasio 4:3. Dengan menggunakan rasio 3:2, foto yang ditampilkan akan memenuhi seluruh layar sesuai dengan format fotonya yang juga 3:2.

Canon EOS 550D dipersenjatai dengan sebuah sensor CMOS baru yang mampu menghasilkan gambar dengan resolusi hingga 18 mega piksel. Sensor berukuran APS-C ini juga didukung dengan prosesor gambar khas Canon yaitu DIGIC 4. Sementara dalam hal kecepatan pengambilan gambar, EOS 550D memiliki kecepatan yang mirip dengan pendahulunya, yaitu sekitar 3,5 frame per detik, baik pada mode RAW ataupun JPEG. Kamera ini memiliki rentang ISO yang luas, mulai dari ISO 100 hingga ISO 6400 dengan kelipatan tiap satu stop. Selain itu, masih tersedia juga ekspansi ISO hingga satu stop lebih tinggi lagi hingga setara dengan ISO 12800.

Dari sisi dukungan lensa, Canon EOS 550D ini diklain kompatibel dengan seluruh sistem lensa Canon EOS, baik EF maupun EF-S. Selain itu kamera ini juga kompatibel dengan lensa dari merek pihak ketiga yang membuat lensa dengan mount Canon. Namun perlu diingat bahwa, karena kamera ini menggunakan sensor APS-C, terdapat faktor pengali rentang fokus sebesar 1,6x.

This product is solid, and it gave me no difficulty. It was perfect for hooking up to my roommate's old tube tv. That being said, if you have an HDMI input on your TV, or whatever you're linking up to, just get a DVI to HDMI converter. They're about 10 to 20 bucks on NewEgg and will give you a much better picture than this will. (Plus, most HDTV sets will talk to your computer and automatically set the display size when you use HDMI; this product will not).

My Prius has a rough dashboard and a windshield that slopes very sharply. Thus, the suction cup mounts are not good solutions. Fortunately, the friction mount is a great solution. It works much better than I expected. Very stable, does not slide, and lets me adjust my Nuvi to a variety of different angles. I can place the GPS anywhere on the dash or even on the center console. Also works great when transferred to my wife's Ford.

Only downside to the device is that it has a rather large footprint, but not prohibitively large. I like the fact that I can easily use this in both of our family vehicles depending on where we need the GPS.

UPDATE: Now that I have used this mount regularly since May, I have to say this is the best mounting solution I've found for a GPS or any other device for my car. It hasn't slid out of place once!! Given the rise in GPS units being stolen from cars, this mount allows you to easily stash your GPS Unit and mount out of sight and then put it back into position with ease.

2009 Update: Still using this in my Prius and my wife has one too. It's held up quite well. It IS a bit bulky to store out of the way when not in use, but still a good solution. I usually remove my GPS from the mount (a simple process) and then place the mount as far under the seat as it will go. Not perfect, but the best solution I've found to date.

I got this for the same reason anyone would want a charger/maintainer... and that is to charge a battery and keep it there. I have a classic British sports car that I rarely drive, and until I started using this charger I would return to my car to a dead battery. This charger/maintainer comes with everything you need to quickly connect and disconnect this item, in 3 different ways: eye hole connectors to permanently attach the quick connector to your battery for very easy use, large alligator type clips for temporary use on a car that you want to just charge the battery on, and for super easy use there is a plug for use in the 12volt power outlet or cigar lighter. It has power sensing, so you cant over charge, and it will maintain the proper voltage for as long as it is connected. The wires are long enough from the charger itself to stretch across any car, and the power cable is about 8 feet long. Great little charger/maintainer. I would recommend this to anyone.

Two weeks ago, I needed a new coffee maker. The Krups Aroma Control maker is in all the stores and catalogs, so I bought one in the local mall BEFORE reading the Amazon reviews. BIG MISTAKE. Lesson learned - read the reviews - many negative comments. I used it for 3 days, and readily understood the description (...) of "eye candy" (looks nice, but seems like cheap plastic) and weak coffee (what they describe as a feature - allowing the coffee to steep - is really a euphemism for a poorly designed system that is guaranteed to give you a weak cup of coffee). One redeeming feature - the carafe is very nice.
Within 2 days of having the Krups, i was on Amazon looking for a replacement coffee maker (a good cup of coffee is critical in the morning!). I went out on the risk curve and ordered the new Cuisinart - no reviews yet. The Cuisinart has a more classic brewing system (water goes through grinds via gravity), yields a delicious cup of HOT coffee, has a variable temperature hot place, and looks and feels solid. We happen to have stainless steel appliances (refrigerator, freezer, stove), and it matches beautifully. Best news - excellent coffee!. I would highly recommend the Cuisinart.

The F5914 really cleans carpets well. On my worst carpet area, the cleaner did as well as a commercial carpet cleaner. I recommend the following to make it a successful cleaning:
1) I supplement the hot water with some boiling water to really get the temperature up. By the time the water hits the spray nozzle, it has really cooled off so make it hotter. Bissell uses a heater, but it can't be that powerful without reducing motor power. Best to supplement.
2) Patience. Go slow and go over really bad areas. You will HAVE to pretreat and hand wash heavy stains, but so do the pros. Don't expect a diamond out of coal. You still have to do the work.
3) Clean often. I have one carpet that I waited way too long and it just won't come clean. The pros can't and I can't. BIG lesson learned there.

Have fun with this. I can't believe how much dirt there was in my "clean" areas, so it will be great to have this around to clean when I desire to. I saved more than the price of the cleaner this weekend.

This is very nicely built and a good size for the counter top. I was expecting it to be larger, but it is just the right size to sit next to your coffee maker. Much better looking than having stacks of keurig coffee containers sitting around the counter!! My only wish is that it had 4 rows of containers instead of 3 so my wife and I could split the space in half!!

UPDATE: We've had this for almost two years now. Still using it and it still looks great and we use it everyday.

My trackball on my 8100 pearl stopped scrolling up. I tried pulling it out and cleaning it, to no avail. I was a little suspicious whether this would fix the problem, but it did. It looks and fits just like OEM. It was pretty easy to install: just pry under the silver ring around the trackball, and the ring pops out. Then pry the smaller silver ring out, and then pop the trackball assembly out and pop the new one in. Not for those that are very technologically faint of heart -- but no harder than, say, adding memory to a computer. Google "blackberry trackball" and people have picture tutorials. I am just glad I did not have to get a whole new blackberry to fix the problem.

I've been using this case for two weeks now and I'm extremely happy with its functionality. The case is made from soft leather and has a clip and belt loops, so you have two options for carrying it. The cover closes magnetically. There's no need to fumble with velcro or snaps. When my iPhone is in the case, I can easily ensure that the sound is off with a quick glance. If I listen to music with earbuds, the iPhone fits in the case with the jack plugged in. There's an opening for the jack. The case holds the iPhone in place securely, but you can push it out with your finger using the slot at the bottom of the case. I would highly recommend this case!

After 2 dismal experiences with different "automated" coin sorters, I ordered this for my husband. No more buckets (literally) of change, no 9% fee, no frustrated hubby spending hours trying to accomodate the flimsy automated machines before returning them in disgust. Quick, easy...it works!