I am a
music fanatic, and many of these gadgets make it easier for me
to access my music. I spent many, many hours over several weeks
copying my music collection to my computer so that I could
access a particular song or artist without having to dig up the
CD. With some of the gadgets below, I was able to make my music
more portable.
I have written a lot about the iPad in my
blog, but I thought I would also
add it to my gadget page since it is my favorite gadget these days.
If you scroll down on this page, you can see that I have a fairly new laptop.
Unfortunately, the iPad has pretty much replaced it for 95 percent of my needs.
I have the laptop next to my favorite spot on the couch and I have used a laptop
for jumping on the web and doing stuff that my iPhone is just to small to enjoy.
However, the iPad does most of those things better. The main 3 reasons
are:
1. Form Factor - I can be sitting on the couch, then lay down, then take
the dogs out to the patio without ever putting it down.
2. Cooler nether regions :-) - the laptop gets HOT! When I have it
in my lap for long periods, it can get uncomfortable. The iPad is cool and
does not have to lay in my lap all the time.
3. Boot time - Faster boot time makes it easier to jump on the web
quickly. The laptop has to boot up, run updates...flash, virus scanner,
windows security updates, etc.. As a result, I was using my iPhone for
quick checks of email, checking forums and blogs, or for looking up stuff
quickly. The iPad does all that better thanks to the larger screen and it
boots up in an instant.
Iphone 3GS
It
has been a while since I updated this page, apparently. I have added a
Pioneer Inno 2 portable XM receiver to my list of gadgets and an iPhone 3GS.
The Inno is great for trips because I can pop it in my car and it rarely drops a
signal regardless of where I am headed.
I bought the Inno a while back to work
in my car and for taking into work everyday. I then bought an iPhone 3GS
late last year and it has pretty much replaced the Inno for using in Memphis.
It has XM, Rhapsody, Pandora and a bunch of other music apps that put the Inno's
one use to shame. Unfortunately, when I drive out of Memphis, AT&T's
coverage can be hit and miss, so I keep the Inno around for road trips.
You can see by the photo that I can easily mount both the iPhone and Inno in my
car at the same time.
I won't ramble on about how great the iPhone is because most people know
about all the apps and its many uses. I will say that it is a million
times better than my Treo, though.
AKG
K701 Headphones
AKG K701 Headphones - I got these for Christmas and I wanted to break them in
for a while before posting anything about them.
Compared to my trusty Sennheiser HD580s, these are very detailed and easier to
drive. They actually offer quite a bit different sound. The Senns
have a heavier bass quality and blend better with my X-can V3 headphone amp.
The AKGs do not exhibit as much bass presence, but every instrument is detailed
and transparent.
I also think they are more comfortable than the HD580s, but some have complained
about the strap that goes over the top of the head being too tight.
Personally, when listening to vocals, jazz, etc... The AKGs would be my
headphones of choice. For when I want more bass impact, I would pick up
the HD580s.
HP
HDX 18 Laptop
My old laptop kicked the bucket, so I had to get a new one.
While my old laptop was about 15 inches, I decided to go with a
sprawling 18 inch mammoth sized laptop this time around.
The main considerations for a new laptop was 18 inch screen and
Blu-ray disk drive. Sony had a similar model, but it was a bit more
expensive, so I got one of these. My main complaint is the
lack of a spdif digital output. While it does have an HDMI
output that will suffice if you want to watch movies and run sound
through an HDMI equipped receiver, it does not help a lot if you
want it for listening to music through a DAC (for improved sound
quality). I ended up buying a
HP Notebook QuickDock 2.0 that has a digital output. The
downside is that the dock is large, has a very, very short cord, and
is connected on the side of the computer that is farthest away from
a table when I am sitting at my usual spot on the couch. As a
result, I have the dock in a drawer and I don't think it will get
much time on my computer. I ended up unhooking the
M-Audio transit from my PC and using it. It is a device that
connects to a USB port and supplies a digital output. I have
it connected to my Behringer SRC 2496 and I have a set of Grado SR60
headphones running off of the SRC's headphone output. The
sound quality is pretty good.
I have watched a couple of Bluray discs on the laptop and they
look fantastic and they run without a glitch, even when the laptop
is not connected to power. The drawback is that it will eat
through the battery capacity at a blistering pace. We had a
blackout during a storm, so I watched "Kung Fu Panda" in Blu-ray on
the laptop and as the movie was climaxing with a great fight, my
battery died. I had to wait for power to be restored before I
could finish the movie. I have the 8 cell lithium battery, but
I think I will use less power hungry features of the laptop during
the next power outage.
I am a big guy, so I can handle the size of the laptop without a
problem. It is great for internet based activities and it
connects to all my music and movies on my network. It also has
a Netflix program built into WMC. In other words, despite the
lack of digital output and battery life, I am pretty happy with the
laptop. I use my desktop PC a lot less since I bought
it...which is the main reason I own a laptop.
Omega
Speedmaster Date Watch (3210.50)
The "Date" watch is fairly uncommon
because most Omega buyers seem to prefer "the moon watch" or the "James
Bond" watch. For me, that made this watch more appealing.
Anyway, I posted some pics below:
Garmin nüvi 780
I haven't posted anything new in a while, but thought I would
share some info on a Navigation unit I bought recently.
Many people get Navigation units in their vehicles nowadays, but the BMW factory
navigation has a lot of complaints and it seems overpriced for what I need on a
daily basis (it costs $2100). The Garmin 780 on the other hand has dropped
to $200, so I did not have to spend a fortune on it. I am sure the BMW
Navigation is better at integrating with the iPod, so I am not comparing the two
units, just explaining why I did not see that it was worth the extra money.
The 780 has a MSN Direct (3 months are free, but there is a charge for more
months) built in that is supposed to help with everyday traffic in certain
areas. However, the main reason I wanted the Nav unit was to be able to
find restaurants and other places of interest when I get to a new town.
Also, I have been stuck in Mobile, AL traffic because of a wreck and it would
have been nice to know where to get off the highway and how to get around it if
needed. The 780 will re-calculate a new path to your destination as you
get off the path they have designated.
I also liked the fact that I could send destinations to the Garmin over the
internet and change the Nav voice (I like the Australian female voice) and the
vehicle (I have R2D2 as one of my options). There are a lot of other
features on the Garmin, but I did not really need some of them since my car has
Bluetooth built in.
I also bought a
Garmin Portable Friction Dashboard Mount. It makes it easy to pull the
navigation unit off of the dashboard and hide it out of site. The downside
is the fact that my dashboard slopes a bit, so it does work its way down the
dashboard during a long trip. I guess it could fly off and hit me in the
head if I had an accident, but I would rather have that than a permanent mount
in the vehicle.
There are a lot of phones coming out with GPS nowadays, but for $200 I
thought it was worth the investment even if it only gets a couple years of use.
Porter Cable Detailing Kit
I got a Porter Cable 7424 Random Orbiter and kit with sponges for Christmas last
year. I finally got around to trying it out on Denise's car. While I
bought it for my car, somehow I ended up using it on her car first. ;-S
The process was made easier with the Porter Cable because it helped with the
polishing and the waxing of the car. I should mention that a proper
cleaning of a car from washing to claying to polishing to waxing is still a back
breaking affair even with the greatest tools in the world. The best
resource I was able to find that takes you from steps "a to z" is available for
free on the web. It is called the
Detailer Handbook and is specifically for New England S2000 owners but it
will work for any car on the market. I would highly recommend it even if
you only wash your car.
Anyway, I am glad I have the Porter Cable even if I will only use it about four
times a year. It should last forever and make my job easier. Of
course, you could just take your car to a detailer shop in your area, but to be
honest, I have heard horror stories about them ruining paint finishes and I do
not want to risk it with my car.
As I mentioned, the kit came with the sponges and towels like you see to the
left. They came in handy because I did not have to track down sponges to
fit the 7424. The kit was available from Palm Beach Motoring at one time,
but I think they have moved on to sell stuff from
Griot's Garage, which makes similar products. I also bought a
PC 7424 Microfiber Bonnet Kit to use for polishing.
As soon as it gets a bit cooler, temperatures below 70, I will actually get a
chance to detail my car. ;-) It was nice to have a car to practice on,
though. Just hope Denise does not need another detailing on her car by
then....
iPod
classic 160gb
Well, my new car has an
ipod adapter that makes
it compatible with my
iPod Touch and now my
160GB iPod.
Unfortunately, the Touch
only has 16GB of storage
and it was not enough
space for my tastes.
Also, I really like to
keep the Touch around
the house for surfing
the web, checking email,
and controlling a number
of my media devices, so
it was going to be a
pain bringing it in
every night and hooking
it up to my car every
morning.
The logical
choice for me was the
160GB iPod. While it may
be more difficult to
manage tons of music
with my car’s controls,
I elected to use Apple
Lossless encoding to get
the best quality sound,
which severely restricts
that amount of music
that can be loaded on it
when compared with
128kbps mp3 files.
Why choose Apple
Lossless over mp3 or AAC?
Well, I only have
128kbps files in mp3
format (that I burned a
long time ago and the
encoders are better
now), so it was a choice
of using those files,
re-encoding the lossless
files to something with
better sound quality
than my current mp3s
like 256kbps AAC files,
or to just use the
lossless files that I
have available. Even in
the less than
audiophile-friendly
confinements of a soft
top convertible, the
tinny sound of my
128kbps files is very
noticeable. I could not
live with that setup
very long, so I had to
go with a different
plan.
In the world of
digital music, as you
increase compression you
get farther away from
the sound of the
original source file .
So, lossless files take
up a lot more space than
highly compressed files.
This means that you have
to be more selective
when choosing what music
in your collection you
want to make portable.
Even with 160GB of space
to play with, there is
no way to get even a
third of my lossless
audio collection on my
iPod. However, for now,
I have chosen to use
lossless, but I will
probably convert all of
my lossless files to
256kbps so I can get
between two to three
times more music on the
player.
Since I am using
lossless for now, I had
to be selective with the
music I wanted to put on
the player. To make the
selection process
easier, I created
special playlists to
include the music I
thought I would need
with me (sort of an
emergency kit of music).
AC/DC, Beatles, Buffett,
Cash, Clash, Dylan,
Miles Davis, Ramones,
Rolling Stones, and
Sinatra (of course) are
all a necessary part of
my multiple playlist
setup.
In my car, I can
listen to my music by
playlist, artist, genre,
or album. However, the
playlist setup gives me
a lot of variety for my
current mood and “random
play” makes the
experience unique from
day to day. It is also
nice to have my
“emergency kit” with me
at work. I can plug it
into the aux port of my
radio and take a nice
break to the beach with
Buffett and the Beach
Boys playing in the
background.
All in all, I am very
happy with the the 160GB
iPod. A 1TB size would
be even more beneficial.
However, 160GBs is a
going in the right
direction!
iPod
Touch
iPod Touch 16 GB - I got one of these for Christmas and I
have been using it a lot. The web browser is very fast
and the ability to stretch the screen with two fingers to
anyt size you want makes it easy to read any webpage.
I also like to use it for controlling my Roku with the
slimserver internet interface.
The "Cover Flow" feature for looking through albums is also
pretty cool. The sound quality is also pretty good.
The player also comes with an iTube setup. I have
messed around with it and found a version of "It's a man's
world" with James Brown and Pavorati....awesome!
The photo ability is also great. I loaded it up with a
folder full of photos and it pulls the photos up very
quickly. I was surprised because my Creative Zen W
takes forever to read every picture into memory.
The video seems to work fine, too. I have not watched
a full movie, but I have seen part of one and it worked just
fine.
Treo 755p
Treo 755p - Well, it was time for me to replace my cell
phone (my two year contract with Earthlink was finally
over!) and the choices out there are more abundant than
ever. The iPhone, Helio Ocean, Blackberry, etc... made
the choice this time around much harder.
The one thing I like about the Treo phones is the great
choice of programs that are available. In the end,
this and EVDO is why I chose it over the iPhone and its
beautiful interface.
One of my main needs from my new phone was internet speed.
I have read that the AT&T network is much slower than EVDO.
This made me worry because one of the reasons I wanted a new
phone was to take advantage of streaming.
My second need was the ability to play Rhapsody-to-go music
files. While I could probably live with my own
relatively large collection of music, why should I?
With Pocket Tunes (Ptunes) and Rhapsody (or Yahoo Music), I
can choose from over 3 million songs to load onto my memory
card. The iPhone lets you play back your iTunes
files and such, but I prefer the unlimited variety (I am a
music freak - which is obvious if you look around this
website).
With the two issues above, my choice was made. The
Sprint service costs about the same as I was paying for
Earthlink, but they provide something called
Sprint TV and Sprint Music as part of the package that I
chose. While the streaming video quality has
more smearing/blockiness than I expected, it is still
convenient when I am in waiting rooms and such. Also,
when I was on Earthlink, the Treo 650 was never updated.
This was very aggravating because Sprint would provide
upgrades that would have really helped me out. The
Bluetooth on my Treo 650 never worked properly with my car,
so I had to actually pull the phone out of my pocket to make
a call (yep, I am THAT lazy ;-) ). The 755p works
better out of the box. I was actually surprised that
it worked with the vocal software on my car. Now I can
hit the vocal button on my steering wheel and tell it to
call any number I want. It will then dial and connect
me...Sweet!!
One of the reasons I wanted a streaming at high speeds was
to take advantage of a product called "Orb" combined with
Kinoma software. This allows you to login to your home
computer and access music, photos, movies, etc... It
even allows you to watch a TV tuner if your computer is set
up for it. I have never used the TV service, but the
music streaming is awesome. With my Treo 650, the slow
network speeds would cause it to cut out quite a bit.
With the 755p/EVDO, I can stream anything in my collection
to anywhere I can pickup phone service. For me, this
is much more effective than having WiFi built in. If I
am going somewhere with WiFi, the Sony PSP or a laptop would
be my tools of choice for streaming. Of course, my inability
to stream over the network at my job makes Wifi a feature
that would only be used on rare occasion.
The Treo 755p also streams XM radio if you have an XM radio
account (via the web) and works great. This is just
the advantage of faster speeds. My old Treo would play
for a minute and then cut out.
As you can see, there are many reasons I chose the Treo
755p. I am not knocking the iPhone. It has a
bigger screen and is really a marvel of technology.
However, I need the functionality that the iPhone could not
currently provide. Maybe someone will come along and
hack it to make it work for my needs, but I am happy with my
choice right now.
Roku
Soundbridge M1000
Oh Roku! I just bought a $99 Roku Soundbridge and the
thing is amazing. It will pull music off my network via
its built in wireless card. It interacts with Rhapsody
music and will also allow the user to configure different
servers for playback.
In the shot on the right, I am using my Sony PSP as a remote
way to control the Roku via a Slimserver interface. I like
Slimserver because it allows the player to be controlled via any
internet connection. Of course, the Roku remote will work,
too, but it lacks the coolness factor.
Another thing I like is the fact that it has several ways to
connect it to a system (coax, optical, and regular analog
connectors). This means I can connect it to a decent DAC
and get fantastic sound quality from feeding it FLAC files.
However, I can also take and plug it directly into my Tivoli
radio and it works in that application, too. The
flexibility is nice because I can take it from one room to
another and it will automatically pick up the signal using my
netwrok password within seconds of plugging it in.
The display is also pretty neat. It allow you to pick
one or two lines of data (for reading farther away). It
also has choices of different visuals.
I recently went on vacation to Orlando and wanted a way to store my photos
without dragging along my laptop. I found a few players that would
transfer files from the camera using the USB port, but I wanted one that had a
slot specifically for a CF card. Since I was looking for a player, I also
wanted something that would play Rhapsody Music Service files. The
Creative Zen W was the answer. The main drawbacks were the lack of direct
recording ability, which I do not need, and the inability to play compressed
lossless files (FLAC, WMA Lossless, Etc..). In the end, I decided to live
without the lossless music for the ability to play Rhapsody.
Anyway, the machine performed like a champ on my vacation. I was able
to collect 10GB of photos on the machine and transfer them to my computer when I
got home. My 2GB cards would download to the Creative Zen W while I
relaxed after a long day.
The ability to play Rhapsody music was also a big
plus. This gives me a selection of over 1 million songs, as opposed to the
paltry 17,000+ songs that I own. With this kind of selection, I can keep
busy during a long flight. As a matter of fact, I was able to listen to
Rush's new album, Neil Young's Live at Massey Hall, and a few others on my trip.
The video was also very good. I had a few Divx files stored on my
computer and it played them without any problems. When I tried to store a
video format that the player could not accept, the download program also
converted the files to a format that works with the Creative.
Finally, I know
you are asking yourself why I would bother with video when I have a PSP that I
already love. Well, the answer is simple: I have 8GBs (two 4GB
cards) for the PSP and 60GBs of storage space on the Creative. This gives
me much more space for storing video. The PSP has its place in the sun
because of its wireless internet abilities and its ability to play games.
They both have a nice home in my collection of gadgets and perform very
different tasks despite having some things in common. Both come highly
recommended from this gadget freak!
The photo to the left shows the size comparison of the PSP and the Zen W.
The PSP is a little longer and the W is a little thicker. The screen is
about the same size.
5/23
It was pointed out to me that this unit does not support RAW format. It
will allow you to copy RAW from the CF card to player, but it will not display
the files. Actually, it does not even list them and you cannot delete them
without your computer!! The way to be sure you are covered is to shoot in
RAW+jpeg format if you camera has that setting. This way you can view the
jpeg and have the RAW to manipulate when you get home. With 60GB of space,
you should be able to store several days of RAW+jpeg without issue.
Personally, I have never shot in RAW on vacation, but I may try the RAW+jpeg
format in the future to see how it goes.
One other note: You are able to see how much storage space that you have free on
the unit. If you shoot only in RAW, just make sure you check the number
before and after to be sure all your files were actually copied.
Waterproof Shuffle case, headphones, and armband - I have been
wanting a waterproof mp3 player for a while and decided to
just use my shuffle with a nice casing. After a lot of
looking around, I found this setup. Seems to fit the
bill, but I will know for sure this summer.
Koss
KSC75 Portable Stereophone Headphones
Koss KSC75 -After reading rave reviews on
Head-fi about these $13 headphones, I thought they were
worth a try. Definitely worth the money!
Super
T-amp with vintage Electrostatic headphones
This is my newest acquisition thanks to a member of the
Audiokarma forum. The headphones are one of the few easy
ways to get sound from the Super T to the ears. The
Realistic HP-100s actually hook into the Super-T with speaker
wires and they sound fantastic.
I wanted this setup for chilling in the bedroom, sitting in
my massage chair, and playing some tunes on my Linkplayer.
Needless to say, I am a very happy Tiger!
Bargain of the century
Sonic T-amp - Rarely does a product come along that
is so revolutionary that it excites everyone from the hardcore audio
freak to the digital gadget geek. That was until this
Sonic T-amp hit the market!
This amp is designed for running an mp3 player with
just about any set of efficient speakers. However, it does it
so well that people are modifying it to the hilt to get every last
bit of sound quality from the unit. Well, given the rather low
price of less than $30, I could not resist buying one for myself.
If you are interested, you can also read my extended
review:
I also bought some new
$39.99 speakers from Radio Shack to pair with a separate T-amp in the
kitchen. Additionally, I added an
Acoustic Research TDS 202 to the T-amp systems in the sunroom,
kitchen and to the Super t-amp in the main system.
Pocket Amp V2
Pocket Amp 2 - Version 2
- This item is for getting better sound
from portable devices like an iPod or other digital type of player.
However, I mainly bought it to connect between my Phatbox (car mp3
player) and the aux input in my car. The Phatbox/Music Keg had
a sound that was "tinny" and despite changing around the settings on
my car stereo, I could never get the sound the way I wanted it.
When I hooked this amp between the mp3 player and the aux
input, I was amazed by how much better it sounded. The
sound was fuller, the tinny sound is gone and the bass is
much more capable.
The reason I bought this instead of other
inexpensive amps was mainly related to the fact
the PA2V2 could be plugged in for home use and had long
lasting rechargeable batteries.
One other thing that should be mentioned is that I also
tested this with a pair of Grado SR60 headphones and a
Creative mp3 player. The sound is incredible with this
combination and should be considered by anyone that wants an
inexpensive way of getting better sound from their digital
players. I bought mine used off of eBay for $50, but I
believe you can buy them new for $60 if you contact
gary@electric-avenues.com .
Treo 650
I have had my Treo 650
for a few weeks now. This is one great little gadget.
Here are the highlights (so far):
Avantgo- This program enables me to get USA Today,
Bloomberg, Forbes, RollingStone magazine and many other media
updates on a daily basis.
Pocket Tunes
- This is a great music program with a ton of different skins.
It has Shoutcast & Live365 streaming directly off the net. It
also plays mp3s on the memory card and best off all it can play
Digital Rights Management (DRM) files. Now I can play songs
from subscription services like Yahoo Unlimited and Rhapsody-to-go.
Core
TCPMP - This allows me to play back entire movies on my Treo
650. I downloaded this program and a program called
PocketDivx
Encoder to shrink down the files. I can fit three or four
full movies on the 1GB memory card. I plan to get a 2GB card
when they come down a bit in price.
MobiTV
- TV right on the phone. This is an unbelievable service that
has access to 30+ TV stations. It is mainly for news and
sports, but it also has Cnet, Discovery and Toon World! Yay!
Mr. Peabody & Sherman right on my phone!
I also added some accessories.
The most important was the
headphone adapter that is needed to play music on a regular set
of headphones and through my car's aux input. I also had to
have an
adapter so I could charge it in my car and a
1GB SD card for all of the music and movies!
NEW
GADGET
This is the Creative Zen Media Player. I was able to get
this via Amex with member reward points. See what spending a
gazzilion dollars will do for ya?! Anyway, the reason I
bought this MP3 player was to get more out of my Rhapsody addiction.
Additionally, the player is also compatible with the much more
inexpensive music service by Yahoo.
Combined with Rhapsody, this player is absolutely awesome.
I can copy any of Rhapody's million albums onto the player and take
them anywhere. The process is not perfect, but it is good
enough for what it gives back in return.
Canon
EOS 20D
Canon EOS 20D
It is not fair to even call this a gadget, but I am
putting on this page anyway! I have been taking a picture a day
for months now and decided to get a new camera to reward myself. I have
taken some photos with it and so far, I am very impressed with the
quality. I still have a lot to learn, but you can see some of my first
pictures with the camera
here.
Ipod
Shuffle
Ipod Shuffle
This is my newest gadget. It is pretty cool because
it will fit in your pocket like a pack of gum. The player loads
music files in random from any of your Itunes' playlists or from your
entire library. I bought the 1GB model, but there is also a
512MB model available. The amazing thing is that the reviewers
are saying that it has better sound quality than any other portable
player (including the bigger more expensive Ipod). At work, I have
been treated to a montage of music ranging from heavy metal to
classical. If you are in the market for a small music player and
do not mind the lack of a display you will love this little gadget.
You may also want to pick up a
sport case to protect it from the elements.
XM
MyFi
XM Radio Delphi
The MyFi is a new satellite radio receiver for XM Radio.
It is the first product that makes satellite radio truly portable. I
have had XM radio for over a year and I love the variety of music and
talk channels. I used to take my Ipod to work every day, but it hasn't
been touched in months thanks to the ability to move the Delphi from my
car to my office without a problem. The biggest problem was the ability
to listen in areas where I could not get a signal. This problem has been
resolved with the new unit.
I-O Data Linkplayer
This player really belongs in a class by itself. It
will do just about everything you can think of with your digital files.
Therefore, I will include a small sample of what it can do in different
areas of this webpage. The reason I am including this on my gadget
page is because the player has a USB 2.0 port in the front and an
ethernet port in back. The cool part about the USB 2.0 port is
that it will allow the user to add different USB devices to it without
the need for a computer. The list of devices that is will support
are adigital camera, USB Memory, Hard
Disk, Memory Reader, MP3 player or USB storage devices. USB 2.0
high speed performance & regular formats FAT 16/32 are supported.
The player's Ethernet port gives it the ability to
hook up to a network and stream files. This means that
it will play back music (MP3, WAV, Ogg Vorbis, and WMA). It will
also stream back movies that you have on your computer
(MPEG-1/MPEG-2/MPEG2-TS/DivX® VIDEO/XviD/WMV9).The player will also play back photos that you have
saved on your computer.
The UHLD is a companion piece to the Linkplayer (above).
It is used as a network server and it can hold 300GB of data. Besides
being a network server for your computer, it also has special features for
compatibility with the Linkserver. The UHLD has a version of the
Linkserver (AVEL) software installed that gives it the ability to play a
screensaver while playing music. I am still learning how to get the most
of it, but so far I have moved all of my music from my external hard drive to
the UHLD. The process took a few hours, but it was moving over 70 GB of
data. One other cool feature is that you can network a printer, USB hard
drive, or other USB gadget to it. It has two USB 2.0 ports on the back.
I will go into a lot more detail in the future as I learn all of it's features.
Phatbox
Phatbox - This device uses a 60gb hard drive to house your music collection in your car. It also
has a feature that will say the artist's name, the genre, the
album, and/or the play list to help you navigate through your
collection. It will hold around 15,000 songs. Phatbox Review
Ipod
Ipod
- It's getting better all the time. It is great for working
out, airplane rides, or just about anywhere else that you
want to listen to music. I have one of the older 20gb
models, but Apple supplied a free update that made it
compatible with their new Itunes music store. Itunes has a
collection of music that can be legally downloaded for
around 99 cents a song.
Ipod
Review
T-Mobile
Sidekick II
T-Mobile
Sidekick II - I have had the Kyocera 7135 for over a year
now and loved it. However, I liked the price of the
unlimited data package and the 1000 minutes with T-mobile
so I switched. I thought about waiting for the Treo 650 to
come out, but I decided not to wait. I almost never use the
Palm functions on my phone and mainly used it for email,
phone, and web access. The Sidekick II has all of these
functions and does them very well! Recently named MobilePC's favorite phone
Tivoli
Pal
Tivoli Pal
- This portable radio also has an auxiliary input. It will
allow me to plug in my Delphi, MyFi, or Ipod and listen to them
without headphones. It also has a great tuner for picking up
distant radio stations.
Delphi XM
Receiver
Delphi
XM Satellite Radio - I listen to it almost everyday on my way
to work. It has never ending variety and is very portable. My
favorite channels are Frank's Place, 80s channel, Real Jazz,
Ethel, and many of the sports talk channels. You can find my
review here :Delphi Review
Canon S45
Canon
Powershot S45 - I chose this camera for the 4 megapixels, the
great reviews, and the rugged case. Since I bought the
camera above, I have not been using this camera as often, but I
keep it in my glove compartment for unplanned photos.
Don't leave home without it!
Canon
ZR60
Canon
ZR60 - I wanted a camcorder, but I did not want to spend too
much on it because I am sure they will come out with a better
camera/camcorder device in the near future. I was able to
make a movie and the picture quality is pretty good in bright
light. Indoor shots are grainy.
Accessories
Portable music also means that you need some accessories:
Grado SR60 - These are great headphones
for a relatively low price. I use these with my theater and
PC. I like the Sony MDR EX70 earbuds when I am
on the road.
Echo
Indigo PC Card - If you have a laptop, you need this add-on.
It plugs into the PC cardbus type II slot. It will then
transform your horrible laptop noise into wonderful sounding
24 bit playback.
already love. Well, the answer is simple: I have 8GBs (two 4GB
cards) for the PSP and 60GBs of storage space on the Creative. This gives
me much more space for storing video. The PSP has its place in the sun
because of its wireless internet abilities and its ability to play games.
They both have a nice home in my collection of gadgets and perform very
different tasks despite having some things in common. Both come highly
recommended from this gadget freak!
_regular.gif)
