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MacLife Magazine announces the Kanto SYD 5 as a winner in its “Gear of the Year” awards. The only iPod Speaker System to win an award. The SYD 5 combines superior performance, elegance, and craftsmanship into a powerful, hand crafted, feature-rich speaker system. This system is compatible with all iPods, iPhones and 99.9% of mp3 players! Here is what people are saying about the SYD 5… The SYD 5′s quality is evident even before cracking open the box. At just over 22 lbs, the unit proves surprisingly heavy. This is likely due to a combination of its real-wood cabinet, stout driver magnets and hefty amplifier. Once we opened the box, we found a gorgeous gloss piano black lacquer finish staring back at us. (The SYD 5 is also available in a glossy Blue, Green, White and Red.) The furniture-grade finish showed no streaking or haze either – an indication of Kanto’s high standards of manufacturing. — Digital Trends Review Apple’s iPod has spawned an entire industry of accessories, speakers in particular. Here at Mac|Life HQ, we’re constantly testing a stream of iPod speakers, ranging from tiny battery-powered portable models and alarm clocks, all the way up to models meant to pair with full-sized home stereo components. But rarely does something catch our eye like these speakers from Kanto — MacLife Review |
Category: Accessories
“Being Connected” at one time meant who you knew in a particular situation. Today, it means quite literally “Can you connect to the internet and do X, Y, Z or get 1, 2, 3…”
As the PC amplified our productivity, generated new interests [and at times, pitfalls] it also brought with it a whole other experiential existence bordering on a neurosis for some. Even though cell phones moved from basic calling devices to smart phones, and provided many conveniences such as modem capabilities, there still exists a need for the laptop or ultra mobile pc. With that need [whether real or perceived] comes a very real expectation: “Can I get to my inbox or send that spreadsheet on the fly, etc. ?”
Enter the Wireless Air Card. What a marvel of technology and innovation that can be. Let’s explore some of the advantages over the smartest of phones…
Greetings All:
In my last entry we touched briefly on the media differences between the Blackberry Bold 9000 and the iPhone 3Gs. Let’s explore it in slightly more detail here.
Although truly an e-mail powerhouse, some blackberry devices have a solid potential for media use should you be so inclined. The number of polyphonic chords used in the device dictates the richness of the sound when listening without headphones. The Bold 9000 will surprise you on both fronts, but especially when listening to music using the 3.5mm connection. While watching movies on the smaller of the two screens (but packing 480×320 resolution) you will notice amazing detail provided they were recorded at a good to better sampling rate [which is a larger file size].
How do we convert the movies for loading into the device(s)?
There are several pieces of software on the market capable of handling the task. My pick, for ease of use coupled with a relatively inexpensive purchase price, would be from Cucosoft. Not only will the DVD converter software allow you to choose your device and the size of the recording (MB), but also “how” you view it with respect to the type of original recording you own. IE: If it’s wide screen, you can crop the black bands and stretch the movie, etc.; you choose the look and the format. Once ready, hit convert and the computer does the rest.
I’ve used the program on a nine year old machine with 2G of ram, and a dual, dual-core Xeon workhorse with 16G of ram. More power makes for a quicker conversion but the quality is unaffected. Loading media into both devices is very straightforward. I recommend utilizing the micro SD card on the bold to keep your on-board memory free. This also allows for a better recording [larger file] when utilizing the additional storage capacity.
Bold 9000: open the viewer app, find the movie on your drive and proceed as normal. It will be worth the aforementioned work given the screens clarity and the audio reproduction [the included ear buds aren’t bad, but most audiophiles will upgrade immediately]. Music files can be loaded in much the same way; the recommendation still being to have them on your micro SD. Utilizing this media option, with purchases of an extra card or two, will provide many hours of viewing or listening enjoyment.
iPhone 3Gs: click the iPod button, move to Video’s (either go back if you’re in the “songs” section, or look to the bottom for the selection), swipe up or down, then simply click on your video. It will start in 1-2 seconds. The device is a fantastic video player; especially if you’ve taken a few minutes to tailor the movie to your particular unit. Cropping one black band on a wide-screen movie for example, then stretching it to fit puts the show in great perspective and fills the screen nicely.
One great thing about the iTunes software for an iPhone owner: they can have an enormous quantity of movies converted/saved, and then decide which ones to load onto the device at any given time – up to the device limits. [Rotating them out, much like a video library on the go, a regular user can have a constant flow of media to occupy a 2 hour commute/flight or that unexpected downtime.] Once your choices are identified, and the device connected, hit sync – iTunes will do the rest.
Summary: Which is best? The bold screen has greater definition. The iPhone screen is good, but larger in size. The answer then would be owner specific given this beauty is literally in the eye of the beholder 
Greetings All:
As this will be my first official post, please allow me to introduce myself. Dr. Bob, Pocket Geek here in search of the Holy Grail of Gadgets… What is that you might ask? Join me for a continued sampling of all things electronic and we’ll find it together!
With entry #1 into this arena, I’d like to address something I’ve often heard my compatriots discuss: “Should I move to the iPhone? or, (and oh no, Dear Hearts!), “Should I go back to a Blackberry?!?” The short answer is: “It’s a buyers market!” Ultimately both devices employ options that are really user specific and task based. Having a foot in both worlds, let me comment briefly here.
First: RIM has an e-mail M-A-C-H-I-N-E in the blackberry. Current devices are limited only by the 3M max download size (unless that’s changed with the most recent models) and some have an annoying inability to view a full detail PDF [we’ll cover that in future posts]. Then there’s e-mail: loading parts, pieces, bits and bites, until it has it all. When it’s finished, your note arrives ready to view. Sending the same way, just reversing the process. [That's about as technical as we need to be I'd think.] This sounds innocuous but is a supreme asset in low coverage areas.
It handles spreadsheets with ease, allowing for basic entries and updates accordingly. Use of the Micro SD provides virtually limitless storage options, especially when it’s external [if you shell out for an additional card(s)] Media coverage is device specific with some delivering stellar performance. My recent experience is with the bold 9000.
Brief highlights: High definition screen, and I mean clear as it’s actually half VGA (480×320). Micro SD card slot, multiple formats on the music and video; it views and manipulates all attachments with ease. Call quality is great (can you say Bluetooth headset excellence?) and it has voice dialing. Photos from this device never ceased to surprise me – they were simply great. We’ll go into more detail on future posts.
Next: Apple with a device of the ages…. iPhone {music plays in the background at the mere mention of the name}. Not having one can make you feel positively 2nd place when someone near you is using theirs to order dinner for two, valet the car and calculate the tip all while discussing the evening plans with the babysitter in full duplex communication!
In reality, it is certainly a multi-function device with many great features. I’m using the 32G 3GS version, have loaded approximately 45 apps (over half free, the balance 99 cents less two at 2.99!) Music and video are very good; photo and video record quality are great. But, the ability to handle attachments such as Spreadsheets, PDF files, photo’s, etc. is a hidden jewel; words can fall short when describing the use of the pinch zoom and double tap as these functions make it an excellent business tool. We’ll explore this in future commentaries.
However, it does have an annoying “tic” or two. You must have a good connection to send or download an e-mail absent any problems. Something I learned the hard way as a new user.
Delivering a rather direct note, with a photo to illustrate my point, to someone with very little sense of humor [and totally unaware of the previously mentioned condition] I hit send with one purpose in mind: “Keep it direct and to the point”. Some time later I received a short, but angry, response: “Quit sending me that picture…I get it!!!!” Yes, with four exclamation points.
My device had sent the same e-mail five times….whoa!! The recipient found zero comedy in this event, but it cracked me up once I realized what had happened. Apologies were delivered with heartfelt sorrow and respect… Downloading can be equally precarious: While traveling I once had the same e-mail pop up, only to disappear when I clicked it, 11 times in a row! As this was an important note, imagine the frustration; it eventually loaded. I’ve polled other iPhone users and found this is a systemic problem. Not necessarily network related, it appears to be a function of how this device performs the task at hand.
Summary: Know your limits, act accordingly!
Stay tuned for additional commentary (personal & professional) and comparisons.
If you have a laptop you have probably needed to put a book or a cushion between it and the legs to isolate the heat from the computer.
Precisely this is the problem that this elegant support LapDesk Comfort Logitech solves.
The base consists of a padded bottom surface that fits over the thighs and insulates from heat; plus a rigid surface over which place it on the laptop. Great for any laptop up to 17 inch screen. For computers under 15 inches this model may be too big. In this case the LapDesk N315 may be more appropriate, although a little extra space is a good option if you use a mouse.
LapDesk Comfort is a high quality product and its a big difference compared to the usual models as cushions or books.
