Do You Roku?

** Please note the following is NOT intended as a product review. This is simply to share my experience of a new gadget. Thank you for reading. **

Since 2008 I have live without cable TV. My TV viewing habits continue to survive with the help of services like Netflix, Hulu, and even YouTube. My decision to leave cable TV behind was motivated predominantly by Steve Jobs who pushed the idea that in the future all conventional medias will become obsolete. Users will not desire their content to be delivered to them by the will of a TV network. Neither will users want to deal with physical media such as CD, DVD, even BlueRay (a media dead before it was born). Or even deal with useless equipment such as PVRs. The future of TV and movies rides on copper, fibre, and open space on a series of TCP/IP packets pipped directly into our desktops, laptops, and mobile devices. And I love it!

My decision isn't without consequences. In my living room stands a Sony 46” LCD TV that has been neglected by me, cause the only time it gets lit up is when I plug my laptop to it over HDMI. And it doesn't happen often. Most of my contents is delivered to my Mac Mini displayed over a 23” Cinema Display. Until recently....

My New HP Pavilion g6

** please note: the following is NOT intended as a product review. this is simply an attempt to share my experience of a new gadget. thank you. **


i have a new member of my digital family. no it’s not the powerhouse MacBook Pro that i wanted. nor is it the even more powerful Thunderbolt equipped iMac either, or the modest discless Mac Mini with the specs all maxed out (as i would have wanted).

no people, this new addition doesn’t run on Mac OSX. It runs Microsoft Windows 7. it doesn’t even have an Intel i(whatever) processor, but an AMD A4 Vision. what it does have is 4GB of memory, a 500GB HDD, and 15.6” screen. it’s got a bluetooth 4.0 adapter, an HDMI connector, and an SD card reader.

Jambox by Jawbone

** please note: the following is NOT intended as a product review. this is simply an attempt to share my experience of a new gadget. thank you. **


back in 2005 i purchased the JBL OnTour portable speakers, and since then they have been the only speakers that i have used for my iPod, iPhone, and Mac Mini. these, i have to say, have been the best sounding speakers i have ever heard coming from a portable set like these. i’ve taken them to work to enjoy some tunes, and its has traveled with me to North Carolina. its mostly resides under my 23” Cinema Display connected to my Mac Mini as part of my desktop setup.

but recently i have replaced it with something different. mostly due to the fact that portable speakers now-a-days offer so much more than just great sounds. many of them are powered with a rechargeable a battery. they have built-in microphones. they work wirelessly over bluetooth. the replacement is the Jambox by Jawbone.

My blog tools: iPhone + BT Keyboard

the last couple of blog posts (including this one) have been written on this set-up. nothing more than my iPhone 3GS and my Apple's bluetooth keyboard. and i love it.

i bought the Apple wireless keyboard along with the Apple Mighty Mouse when i purchased my second mac mini (the 2GHz Core 2 Duo), but i wasn't going to use them with the new mac. instead they were slated to be part of my TV PC setup in the living room with my first mac mini (1.66 GHz Core Duo) repurposed as my media center. but since Apple added the Bluetooth keyboard support to iOS 4 (a benefit reserved mainly for the iPad), it's become somewhat of a nifty novelty to be able to the type on my phone using this. i can control the screen's brightness and the volume control from the keyboard as well and use traditional cut & paste shortcuts.

my iPhone 3GS is powerful enough to run iOS 4 along with other apps i tend to run. as i type this on the Notes app i'm listening to audio being streamed via Safari/Quicktime along with Twitter, BejiveIM, and Mail app at this time.

it is a unique alternative and experience to using a laptop. admittedly the screen is a little tight to see the text - which can be fixed by going into in the accessibility panel and changing the font size to 24pt - but all i really need is to be able to quickly type out my thoughts. and the wireless keyboard makes the experience a little more effective than typing on the on-screen keyboard.

don't get me wrong, i still want a Macbook Pro. unfortunately i'm not in position to afford one just yet - especially one with the hardware config i want. still this is more portable than a nettop, laptop, or iPad. and more convenient and lighter to carry around. and unlike a MacBook or iPad i can make or take phone calls. i've taken this out public at coffee shops and restaurants. so far i've gotten a few compliments, but mostly curious eyes.

i have to give it to Apple for coming up with some really cools gadgets.

peace,

@riel

Why I won't be buying an iPad... any time soon.

this blog post is way over due, and the subject matter outdated, but in an effort to get back to writing i decided to go ahead publish my thoughts about Apple's new iPad, and why i'm not getting one. simply put i haven't found how to fit this into my current digital life. i can't even find a way to shoe-horn this thing into it either. but that's a personal matter.

still i can't help but wonder what Apple was thinking when they decided to release this product. they touted it as a universal device best suited for eBook reading, Internet surfing, gaming. and so forth. but when i think deeper into it, it seems to fail in comparison to devices that are designed specifically to address these areas of digital life. Apple uses words like "magical", "wonderful", and "boom!" to describe how awesome the iPad is. however during the introduction event of he iPad I could not help but wonder if anyone in the audience was actually impressed let alone marveled. after all it turned out to be a larger iPod Touch. and despite the mediocre functions of the iPad it has gone to sell millions worldwide. my curiosity can only assume those who have bought it have a far better or unique use for it than the average user.

here are some of the applications the iPad address and the reasons i feel they don't.

Reason 1, eBook reader:
one of the selling points of apple's iPad is that it servers as an eBook reader. however when i think of the ideal eBook reader the Amazon Kindle comes to mind. it's a thin device weighing in the ounces. it's large enough to accommodate the text of a typical book. it's black and white like most printed pages. it's ambient reflective background simulate as close to paper as much as possible so it's easy on the eyes thanks to it's E-Ink technology. and as a big bonus it's so good on the battery that a single charge can last it up too 300 hours.

the iPad fails in every aspect listed above. it weighs in at 1.6 pounds. and though that may not seem much, after 20 minutes it does start to put a strain on the wrist when maintaining it upright. the screen size as adequate for accommodating text of a typical book, but the LCD screen couple with a LED backlight can cause a bit of strain the eyes. lastly because the iPad is not a dedicated eBook reader but rather a general purpose device with a function to display eBooks, battery life is terrible; only 10 hours before it needs a charge.

best use of the iPad as an ebook reader is short term; perhaps 20 minutes at most. most avid readers (at least the ones i know personally) typically spend an hour reading text.

Reason 2, gaming platform:
the Nintendo gameboy, Sony PSP, hell, even the iPhone (to some extent) are typically the devices that avid gamers prefer when it comes to portable games. they are light weight, fast, contains an extensive library of games, and with exception to the iPhone, are equip with physical controllers that help add to the sensation of the game's experience.

games are being published for IPad. most of them were originally made for the iPhone/iTouch that have been adapted for a bigger screen. the problem is trying to handle the iPad while playing some of these games. i'm not entirely sure what kinds of games are being sold that would be best for the iPad, but i can't imaging that the arcade crowd is jumping on this. i downloaded Street Fighter IV on my iPhone, and though i hate the fact the 20% of my screen is taken up by my thumbs, I continue to enjoy it. to play this game on an iPad would seem clumsy considering the dimensions of this device. on top of that there's the reoccurring issue with the weight previously mentioned.

then only kinds of games that i can see passable on this platform are board games, and some puzzle games that may not required the iPad to be held up-right. in fact the one genre of games that would be quite impressive are the strategy role-playing games such as Final Fantasy, or even better World-of-Warcraft. you wouldn't need to hold the iPad upright; just lay it down on the table and use the the multi-touch feature to play the game.

Reason 3, portability/versatility:
it's portability becomes an issue with me as it's not as small to fit into my pocket like the iPhone, and not as versatile as a notebook.

let say i'm in some coffee shop (i know, it's always some trendy coffee shop) i can't whip out my iPad and start surfing the web with one hand while drinking my caramel latte (mmmmm, caramel ) with the other. nope, I'll stick to my iPhone, thanks.

let say i'm working on a blog post. to type on an iPad would require me to position it at a slight angle just to type. with the virtual keyboard and the screen on the same plane one of two things suffers: 1) your wrist due to the weird angle, or 2) your eye sight from the glare off the glass. it may be possible to suffer both. one solution is use a Bluetooth keyboard.... screw that! just use a laptop. at the very least the screen won't need to be held up with you hands.

Reason 4, an internet device:
this is by far the the most impractical reason. when is comes to the internet it only comes in two sizes; large (rather the full rendered web page) and small (the mobile version of the large size). that's what makes the notebook and mobile phone devices perfectly suited for this task. on top of that to sit and hold onto the iPad to read a web page... well see Reason 1 and 3. in contrast the iPhone (despite its screen size) can be palmed, and though navigating a web page with a thumb does require some practice, at least it's completely efficient.

Is there anything the iPad is good for?
the iPad suffers the same problem as most tablet computing devices; it's a niche device. however, I do believe the iPad can serve several functions. consider the following:
Any job that utilizes a clipboard:
take as an example a hospital setting where the ipad can be used in place of paper medical charts. the doctor walks into a room and the patient's charts appear instantly on the device.

Visual creation:

an electronic easel is an ideally suited application for the iPad. i've seen video of artists draw incredible works of art right on the iPad. very impressive.

Music creation:

people talented in the ways of music have used the iPad as an electronic instrument, part of their DJ'ing equipment, mixer. i mean there's all kinds app out their to help make music.

in an effort to live my life with the least amount of hypocrisy i will say this: i will not discount the possibility of owning iPad completely. as i've said before i haven't found how to fit this into my current digital life. after all despite the stated reasons, it is a pretty neat device, but completely useless to me at this time.

peace,
@riel

My Car Set-Up

just wanted to quickly share with you my car set-up of both my TomTom and iPhone sipping energon from a Belkin Dual USB charger.

what's really impressive is how fast the Belkin's QuickCharge USB port juices up my iPhone. during the course of a 40 minute drive the charger brought my iPhone's battery from 30% to near 60%.

it comes included with two USB cables; one with an iPod dock connector, the other with a mini USB. the iPod dock cable is of a thicker gauge. i'm guessing this is because the QuickCharge USB port provides a higher amount of current. it's also a fully functioning data cable so you can plug this into your Mac or PC.

the competing charger i almost got was Griffin's PowerJolt Dual Universal. but i much prefer Belkin's design approach with the USB ports off to the side.

now i can operate both devices and keep them charged. though, i am very impressed with my iPhone's GPS functionality, i still prefer the accuracy of my TomTom. also the iPhone currently lacks the ability of multi-tasking with third-party apps like Pandora or Slacker Radio while using Maps. so with this setup i can have both. plus i just found a neat way to integrate my TomTom into my car's dashboard. no worry's; it's only covering up the RPM gauge. besides, who really pays attention to that?

the only thing not pictured here is Griffin's DirectDeck Universal Cassette Adapter which was running within my cassette deck at the time.

peace,
@riel

Geek Combo: LEDs & BMX

another frequently visited gadget site, Boing Boing Gadget, has an entry describing a neat little accessory that attaches to the wheel of any bike. at an idle state it's just a row of bright LED lights flashing is an unsorted manner. that is until the wheel begins to spin. then something magical happens. an image appears. these images manifest in various patterns of light and colors, or even a 2D or 3D image. there are two devices; one is called "Video Pro", and the other is "Monkey Light" by MonkeyLectronic (clever, huh?). it's a row LEDs that when spun within a bike wheel the can create some visually appealing effects. check out the video below.

34 second into it you'll see a flatland rider pulling off some nice moves while making good use of the Monkey Light device. this looks like a great way to get some attention from a crowd during a street performance. i doubt, however, this would be acceptable during an actual competition. i can see how something like this would be too distracting and even annoying. still, it's a nice way to add some pizzazz to your routine.

peace,
@riel

Geek Combo: BMX & QWERTY Keys.

this is unbelievable! two posting of the same theme. who would have predicted it?

anyway...

one of my most visited gadget site, Gizmodo, has an entry posted regarding a line of BMX handlebar grips by Odyssey that resemble a QWERTY keyboard. Gizmodo is not the originating source, but the Gadget Lab over at WIRED.com.

the grip design looks to be that of a QWERTY keyboard fashion, but upon closer look at one of the rows of keys it spells out the name "Aaron Ross", a rider for Odyssey. the row just above it spells out the company's name.

it should come as no surprise that tech geekery and BMX goes hand-in-hand, but like this? this is completely unexpected. next thing we'll see is BMX frame with a printed circuit board design painted on it. i'd like to see that.

peace,
@riel

Geek Combo: OLED & BMX.

the following YouTube video combines two of my favorite things in the world.

first, the video is demonstrating a technology called OLED. a new type of display where the individual pixels (the little dots that make up the picture) are self illuminating. that is to say that they do not require a backlight, and therefor require less power than an LCD display of the same size. the future may have this new tech as the standard display panel for all TV's, laptops, cell phones & other small gadgets, and perhaps outdoor signs.

second, what is that being displayed 10 seconds into the video? why, it looks to be a BMX rider pulling off some half-pipe moves.

nice.

peace,
@riel

Griffin iTrip & PowerJolt Dual, iPhone 3rd Gen.

thanks to my folks for their recent gift of the TomTom (TT), i find myself having to think of future changes to a few things within my car to accommodate my toys. you see my car only has one 12V outlet. it seems that my iPod, and now my TT will have to fight over this outlet.

or...

thanks to Griffin Technology they have part of the solution that may just be the answer to my trivial dilemma.  the first is Griffin's iTrip. this is an FM transmitter that attaches to the dock connector of all current iPods including the iPod Touch. what's convenient about it - aside from the FM transmitter - is the conversion of the iPod dock into the universally acceptable USB connector for charging.

at this point i can make due using the TT's USB car plug to charge both the TT and iPod/iPhone simply by swapping the cable between the two devices to charge up the battery. however, in the event i find myself needing to charge both simultaneously the second solution is Griffin's PowerJolt Dual Universal, a 12 volt adapter designed to provide two 5 volt USB ports to charge any USB powered devices. one for the TT, and one for the iTrip attached to my iPod.

i have a Motorola RAZR cell, and from time to time i have run out of charge while on the road. however, i don't charge my RAZR in the car, because Motorola requires me to have a proprietary car charger; even though the RAZR is powered via a USB connector. simply connecting any USB charger will result in the RAZR reporting unauthorized charger. Motorola sucks ass. this is why i'm looking forward to dumping the RAZR, and replacing it with an iPhone. that plus the convenience of having both my cell and iPod in one device.

so the other part of the solution to my trivial dilemma is converging my cell with my iPod. hence the iPhone. though, not noted on their site, i suspect that the iTrip will work with an iPhone. this is based on the fact that the iPod Touch and iPhone are (for the most part) identical, and, therefore, should work fine. my desire is to jump on the iPhone bandwagon once the 3rd generation is released; assuming that Apple decides to increase the storage capacity to 32GB. which is more than enough storage for just my favorite tunes, pics, and videos.

in an effort to advise me on further convergence i know that someone can argue, "the iPhone can work as a GPS. no need for the TT." yeah, well, it doesn't. that is to say that it's positioning system does not work with a satellite, but triangulation system dependent on cell phone towers. so it's not that accurate or dependable unless you're in a heavily populated metropolitan area. i don't think it works very well if you go on a road trip across the county.

anyway, this is just me being a gadgeteer. i just love how this stuff works together.

peace,
@riel

A TomTom for my Birthday. Thanks Mom and Dad.

my parents are full of surprises. in recent years for Christmas or on my birthday they have always asked what i would like as a gift. i never ask for much except for their company, and (of course) food. but my folks being who they are (my folks) always came up with some gift to give me such as socks. this past Christmas they got me some after-shave splash by Adidas. my folks are modest people with little means to get me anything impressive for these occasions. i always accept their gifts with full thanksgiving along with their blessings. but this year my folks went way above expectations for my birthday. they almost convinced me that i was getting more after-shave, but after the first tearing the wrapping paper i began to sense some deception.

in my hands - after fully disrobing the box of its festive paper - was a TomTom XL 340-S navigation device. i was so stoked! first of all that my parent would ever get this kind of gift. they explained to me that it would be good for me to have one of my own instead of having to ask my brother the use of his Garmin. second the fact they they got me the top model from the XL 300 series. it just goes to show how much they know me.

this thing is so cool. 4.5" touch screen, voice assisted navigation... it does pretty much what most navi-gps's do. it takes on a simplistic look with nothing more than the USB connection for power and data transfer when connected to a PC to update the map. the absence of useless "bells and whistles" are fine by me; i don't care much for some models that utilizes SD card slots for MP3 or video playback. kinda defeats the purpose of what a navi-gps was devised to do.

there's a Windows app i'm, supposed to install in order to update the maps stored within the unit. i've yet to do that, but i will soon enough. my dad was a little concerned that the map installed wouldn't cover Puerto Rico (PR). on the box it clearly states US, Canada, Mexico. apparently some of the units at the store make the point to specify coverage over the tiny island; not this one. but after checking out the map my dad was pleased to see that PR was well covered.

my only concern is the power requirements to run this thing. i'm already using the 12V plug to operate my iPod's Kensington charger/FM transmitter. i have figured out a solution - i'll reveal it later - but until the need arises i'll simply keep the 340-S tucked away. besides, it has a built-in battery that will run for 3 hours according to the specs, and i doubt i have anywhere to go that requires more than a three hour round trip.

thanks Mom and Dad, i love you both very much.

peace,
@riel