April 2008
Monthly Archive
COOL Car Cassette Adapter MP3 Player cum Card Reader
Roger 30 Apr 2008 | : MP3/ MP4, Product Reviews
Car Cassette Adapter MP3 Player cum Card Reader
Standalone mp3 player as an Audio Cassette Tape - Use it in a car anytime
Also a Memory Card Reader - Bring along your collection of files anywhere.
Review: iPod Power Adapters
Roger 29 Apr 2008 | : iPod / iPhone
Check Cheap iPod Power Adapters
Apple stopped including a power adapter with each iPod a while ago (though Apple includes an adapter with the iPhone), and as battery life shortens over time, it’s handy to have a power adapter at work or in the car. In this roundup, I tested three third-party power adapters for your iPod or iPhone. Griffin’s PowerBlock and Incase’s 2-in-1 Wall & Car Charger both participate in Apple’s Made for iPod and Made for iPhone licensing programs. PDO’s PowerTwo doesn’t participate in Apple’s licensing programs; PDO says it’s currently compatible with the iPod classic, older full-size dockable iPods, iPod nano models, and the iPod mini.
Griffin PowerBlock
If you need an iPod or iPhone USB Power Adapter, you can spend $30 on another Apple USB Power Adapter. Or, if you’re interested in giving your hard-earned cash to a company other than Apple, you can consider Griffin’s $30 PowerBlock.
The PowerBlock is your basic power adapter that comes with a USB dock-connector cable (like the one included with your iPod). An LED indicator shines amber while your device charges, and turns green when charging is done. The PowerBlock measures 1.25-by-2.63-by-1.13 inches; you can flip it upside-down and plug it into a top wall outlet, leaving the bottom outlet unblocked.
The PowerBlock’s prongs can fold away when not in use, a nice touch. One very good reason why you might opt for the Apple adapter instead of Griffin’s: The PowerBlock lacks the removable prongs that the Apple adapter has for Apples World Travel Adapter Kit ($40) or, if you have a MacBook, the power extension cord that comes with the laptop.
If you’re not a world traveler and just need a power adapter for home or work, the PowerBlock does the job adequately. Though at this price, there’s no compelling reason why you should opt for the PowerBlock over Apple’s adapter—or a more affordable adapter, such as PDO’s POwerTwo.
Incase 2-in-1 Wall & Car Charger
Incase’s $40 2-in-1 Wall & Car Charger works with both wall power outlets and car 12-volt outlets (a.k.a. the cigarette lighter). The base of the device has foldaway prongs for wall outlets, while the 12-volt plug extends away from the base. There’s a white indicator light to tell you the 2-in-1 is plugged in, but it doesn’t tell if you if your iPod is charged.
The 2-in-1 measures 2.19-by-5.00-by-.88 inches. When plugged into a vertical power strip, the 2-in-1 is long enough to block the two outlets below the one it’s using, so you’ll want to use the bottom outlet. When plugged into a power strip with a horizontal layout, the 2-in-1 encroaches on any adjacent outlets; if your power strip has outlets for wide power bricks, the 2-in-1 will need to use one of those.
Fortunately, the base of the 2-in-1 didn’t get in the way of plugging into the 12-volt socket in my 1994 Ford Explorer, which has the 12-volt socket recessed inside the front dashboard’s ash tray. This design can make it difficult to plug in 12-volt devices, and the 2-in-1 fit without a problem.
The 30-prong iPod connector and cable are permanently attached to the 2-in-1. Had Incase decided to go with a removable USB cable, then that cable could have also been used to connect your iPod to your Mac. Instead, you have to pack both the 2-in-1 and a USB dock-connector cable when traveling.
Despite its size, the 2-in-1 is a nice power adapter, and its ability to do double duty can be quite helpful if you use your iPod frequently on the road.
PDO PowerTwo
For $30, PDO’s PowerTwo includes two separate charging devices: a 12-volt charger that you can use in a car, and a wall adapter. The version I tested is compatible only with the iPod classic, iPod nano, and previous versions of those two iPods. According to a PDO representative, the PowerTwo isn’t compatible with the iPod touch and iPhone because those two devices have different power requirements. (PDO clearly lists its compatibility list on the PDO Web site.) PDO says that an updated version that’s compatible with all iPods and the iPhone will be released in “one to two month’s time.”
The 12-volt charger has a permanently-attached coiled cable. The cable has a 3.5mm audio-out jack so you can plug in a cassette adapter or auxiliary cable to your car stereo, or you can even connect headphones and listen to your iPod. The audio through this jack sounded just like the audio from the iPod’s headphone jack, but it’s not as loud. When the iPod is at full volume, audio through the 12-volt adapter’s jack sounds at about 80 percent when compared to the volume coming from the iPod’s headphone jack.
The 12-volt charger has a LED to tell you that the adapter is receiving power, but it doesn’t indicate when the iPod is fully charged. I was able to easily plug the 12-volt adapter into the recessed 12-volt socket of my 1994 Ford Explorer.
The wall adapter looks a lot like Sonnet’s USB Wall Charger for iPod ($20). It’s small enough (1.50-by-2.00-by-1.25 inches) to fit in a pocket, but it will block any outlets below it in a vertical arrangement on a power strip or wall outlet (if you flip it upside down and plug it into the top wall outlet, the bottom outlet is unobstructed).
The wall adapter includes a removable USB dock-connector cable that can be used to sync your iPod with your Mac. Like the 12-volt adapter, there’s an LED to tell you that the adapter is getting power, but it’s not an indicator LED to tell you when your iPod is charged. You can fold in the prongs when you’re not using the wall adapter.
The 2-in-1’s adapters don’t offer any special features, but they do the job, and they come at an attractive price—you get two adapters for the price of a single Apple iPod USB Power Adapter. You can leave the 12-volt charger in your car, and the wall adapter is small enough to carry with you.
Grand Theft Auto 4 - A Masterpiece Online Game
Roger 29 Apr 2008 | : Electronic News, Digital Entertainment, Wii PSP PS2 Xbox
Video gamers geared up on Monday for the midnight launch of “Grand Theft Auto 4,” as early reviews hailed the criminal action title as a brutal and satirical “masterpiece” equal to films like “The Godfather.”
Judging from early reviews, “Grand Theft Auto 4″ — made by Take-Two’s Rockstar studio — appears on track to be the best- rated video game ever and one that could cement video games as a serious art form.
“‘Grand Theft Auto IV’ is a violent, intelligent, profane, endearing, obnoxious, sly, richly textured and thoroughly compelling work of cultural satire disguised as fun,” The New York Times said.
Based on more than a dozen reviews compiled by Metacritic, a widely tracked aggregator of gaming reviews, the version of GTA4 for Sony’s PlayStation 3 game console has scored a perfect 100, while the one for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 has achieved a 99.
“Rockstar’s magnum opus is a modern-day masterpiece that could change the way the world views video games,” gaming news and reviews Web site GameSpy wrote, awarding the game a perfect five-star rating.
“You’ll quickly come to realize that the nuanced story telling and presentation is on par with the finest films by directors like Martin Scorsese or Francis Ford Coppola.”
The Tuesday launch of “Grand Theft Auto 4″ is expected to be among the biggest entertainment events of the year, with first-week sales forecast to be up to $400 million, beating those of last year’s “Halo 3.”
Many outlets of retail chains such as GameStop and Best Buy have taken advance orders for weeks and are throwing open their doors at midnight to accommodate gamers eager to be among the first to play.
“Our expectations are very high, higher than analysts give the game credit for,” Take-Two Chief Executive Ben Feder told Reuters. “All the analysts had a (sales) number, give or take, and I think we will be on the upside of that.”
“Grand Theft Auto 4″ casts players as an Eastern European immigrant who delivers drugs, shoots cops and beats up prostitutes after falling in with a crime syndicate, stuff that has drawn fire from family groups and politicians.
Entertainment website IGN praised “Grand Theft Auto 4″ for showing the effects of depravity on the main character.
“‘GTA IV gives us characters and a world with a level of depth previously unseen in gaming and elevates its story from a mere shoot-em-up to an Oscar-caliber drama,” IGN said.
Critics saved some of their most fulsome praise for the game’s setting, a fictionalized New York called Liberty City, with distinct neighborhoods and colorful inhabitants who react intelligently to the player and each other.
“The idea of a ‘living, breathing city’ has always been somewhat of a joke in gaming. Every city in the past has felt artificial in some way. But Liberty City feels like a real place,” IGN said.
Some reviewers said the game was not without its faults, with many pointing out some graphical glitches and difficulty completing some of the nearly 150 missions on offer.
“Flawless? No. But it’s about as close to a game can come to being perfect,” popular gaming blog Kotaku.com said.
Cheap iPhone sells out ahead of 3G launch
Roger 28 Apr 2008 | : Electronic News, iPod / iPhone
Check Latest iPhone Accessories
Carphone Warehouse and O2 have run out of 8GB iPhones after cutting the price by £100 to £169.
Both companies have reported selling out at the discounted price, although Apple still has units available for those willing to pay the full price.
Retailers in Germany and the UK are trying to shift stock as fast as possible before the expected release of the 3G iPhone in June.
The lack of 3G was seen as a major flaw in the iPhone and analysts have been predicting a new version for months.
The new iPhone is expected to be slightly thicker than previous models because it is rumoured to have GPS integrated in addition to 3G.
Miami 3.6″ 5.0 Mega Digital Camera with MP3 Player Review
Roger 23 Apr 2008 | : Product Reviews, Digital Camera
Customer Maurice’s Review
This Camera is absolutely GREAT! It says that it can take up to 2GB memory, but even more! 4GB to be exact! This LCD screen is phenomenal, shows great images as well as video scenes. The recording system is good as well. I use the 12MP feature all the time which compliments the 1GB and I have a 4GB as well. Pictures comes with clarity like other cameras, possibly better to me! I could literally go on and on about this item, but don’t take my word for it. Check it out for youself!
Model Number : dc0blk0500cm040
What is HDD Media Player?
Roger 23 Apr 2008 | : Electronic News, Digital Entertainment
For those who don’t know the answer, you may want to learn more by reading this post.
HDD (HDD stand for HarD Disk) Media player combines a hard drive enclosure with hardware and software for playing movies, musics and photos through a home entertainment system. It can be used either as a conventional external hard drive, or to play computer-based media files through external media devices without the need for a separate computer.
The devices can not able to play cds or dvds directly, they require user to convert these media into playable files using a separate computer and software.
To explain it simply, assuming you already got a hard disk and combined with the HDD media player, it works similar to a dvd player. But instead of input disc into player, what you do is to transfer the computer-based media files e.g. movies, musics and photos (have to be recognized by the HDD media player) to the player. After that you can connect your player to an output device such as TV, monitor or home theater system to enjoy the movies, musics or photos.
Typical HDD Media Players Features:
- Plays Media form: VCD, DVD, DIVX, AVI, ASF, VOB, DAT, MP4, MP3, MPEG, JPEG, etc
- Supports TV type: PAL and NTSC
- Supports files copy, rename, delete
- Play movies, photos on a TV, projector or monitor without the use of PC, notebook.
- Compatible with windows 98/ME/XP/Vista, OS-9/X, Linux or above
- USB 2.0 interface enable high speed date transfer rate up to 480Mbps
- File system: FAT32 / NTFS
- Input power: AC 100V-240V
In Uxell, HDD media players are sold as “empty shells” to allow the user to fit their own choice of hard drive. Click here to view HDD media players available in Uxcell.
SONYA 4GB 1.8″ MP4 Watch Review
Roger 09 Apr 2008 | : MP3/ MP4, Product Reviews
Customer Raymond Chedester’s Review
The excellent bass response surprised me. Operation is easy for 83-year old man with poor eyesight. Has the brightest screen of 17 mp3/mp4 players I own. Definitely a state-of-the-art top quality device. I usually tuck it in my shirt pocket to reduce cord exposure for work environments.
more review can be found here
Model Number : mv0blk4096mp085
USB Cup Warmer & 4 Port Hub Review
Roger 09 Apr 2008 | : Product Reviews
Customer Andre Klimov’s Review
No doubt, USB cup warmer became most popular USB-kind gadget at the office. This warmer pleasantly characterized by high quality and attractive exterior. In opposite to many other models it’s cable is soft and warmer can be easy positioned on the table desk. It’s very effective for “flatbed” glasses and ringed base mug as well. It’s my personal recommendation for this cup warmer model…
more review can be found here
Model Number : ac0usb0cupun001
3.5mm Stereo Earphones Golden Black Review
Roger 09 Apr 2008 | : Product Reviews
Customer Jeremy’s Review
Bought these headphones to see how they would compare to the real thing(which my friend bought) and I was surprised. They sound EXACTLY the same… both having amazing sound quality and a very strong bass. I would highly recommend these headphones to anyone who is considering buying them.
Model Number : a07020100ux0042
4 LED CMOS Surveillance Camera Review
Roger 09 Apr 2008 | : Product Reviews
Customer Jim Hodge’s Review
I bought one of these to use as a rear view camera on our car. I had previously fitted a purpose built reverse camera and found it to be unsuitable. This one does a great job of correcting the two main weaknesses of reverse cameras by having the image unreversed and also a field of view much more suitable than the too wide field of the usual reverse camera.
I’m also pleased with the low light performance and it also has a fairly heavy and good quality mount.
It’s not weatherproof so has to be mounted carefully.
Model Number : a07121800ux0038
