Recently in Gizmos & Gadgets Category

Recently, I downloaded the iPhone application Zumocast after hearing a recommendation from Leo Laporte on the podcast MacBreak Weekly. I installed the server at on my Mediacenter PC and my Mac. In no time at all I was listening to music over my network, watching videos and browsing through photos. This is an application that shines.

In addition to watching videos, viewing photos, and listening to music you can also view some of your files. Because the iOS includes the foundations of the MacOS there are some files that can be read natively like txt, pdf, doc, rtf. I haven't gone through all of them. Because reading all of that on such a small screen is futile. But it is nice the capability is there.

One of my favorite features is the ability to encode and download videos to your iOS device. I've already done one, the documentary "Gasland". I have queued up a few episodes of the third season of the Boondocks and eventually I'll see if it can also download songs and integrate them into the iTunes library. Something I've wanted to do but not able to try because the Mac was off.

So if you are like me and have lots of media and a few iPods, iPhones, and other devices around the house give Zumocast a try.

Well it's been a year and a half since I built the Mediacenter PC. So far everything goes well or mostly well. Hardware has changed in the mean time and my Radeon HD 2400 Pro is 2 generations old. The hard drive feels small with all the TV shows, movies, and music stored on it. And for some reason with very little actually installed Windows Vista has managed to chew through a 40GB partition. Leaving just under 6GB of free space. When I first installed the system it had ran consumed 20GB from a fresh install. This doesn't really bother me but, eventually, strange things start to happen when disk space gets really low.

As with all Windows system. The computer gets slower and slower from the accumulated sludge of system updates, software updates, restore points, and fragmentation. The only solution is to do a clean reinstall. But for a device that only does one thing, doing this can be really inconvenient. Even more so by the fact that I'm not the only one using the PC. My son has his cartoons and DVDs, my wife has her TV shows and movies. 98% of the time this setup works normally with no problems. It's just the last 2% that I can't stand. That really make me want to start over. But the family thinks everything is fine and for the foreseeable future that's the way it's going to stay.

The baby is on the way and in a few days (or hours) I will be a father. And now it's time to shop for baby things. As a true geek I'll leave the soft stuff for my wife. I'm interested in the hardware and for a baby stroller no ones puts in more time to Google for the top of the top than I. Yesterday we put down major coinage for the Cadillac of baby strollers, a Bugaboo. We were really set on getting our hands on a Stokke Xplory, but the price was a signifigant factor. And after testing one out in the store I would agree its nice, but $1K nice I'm not so sure of.
We are in Aubert to do our shopping and the bugaboo woman is showing it off to us. For at least an hour. She sees us wavering between the stokke, loola, and bugaboo. The saleswoman for Aubert says they are out of the blue stokkes and they take 2 months for blue. If I'm going to paying top dollar for a pushchair it's on my terms. No blue, no deal. The Bugaboo was looking more attractive by the minute and after a discount we really liked what we saw. Plus the fact it folds up small enough for travel and doesn't way as much as other strollers in its range was a plus. Now it will be Me, Mrs Chin, and Mackenzie. Riding in style.
I can't wait for it to get here. Him too.

I hate it when a device tells me it can't do something for no good reason. For printer makers this is especially true. They've gotten into the habit of squeezing you at the backend that you are left with 2 choices, buy a new printer or buy new printer cartridges that cost as much as a new printer. No matter what you're still getting screwed for that print. In my case I have an Epson Stylus Photo 790 that is refusing to print right as I ma printing some important documents. It's just a black/white form, the black cartridge is half full while the color is nearly empty. The great thing about this is I rarely print in color. I prefer to go to the photostation and get my photos made on their excellent FUJI.
The machine could just warn me and let me go about my business. Instead everything comes to a full stop until I replace that cartridge. How it managed to go empty while barely being used? I have my hypothesis. After searching the web I found a site run by some smart russians who have the answer.
Now the world is in equilibrium.

I bought a new phone the other day. I've been needing a new phone. The last one I had, SE Z600, had a broken backlight. Making it almost impossible to use unless under the best lighting conditions. And then the earpiece broke, so it made it impossible to have a normal conversation. Usually I would scream into the phone to call me back on the fixed line and hang up.
But it was a rock for a long time. I've upgraded to another SonyEricsson. The K610i. I wanted something that had 3G, because I might be tempted to use the phone as a highspeed modem if wifi isn't around. And thats where the wireless technology is going so why bother with last years tech.
So far the phone has worked out better than I imagined. Seemlessly works with bluetooth. I primarily use Floats Mobile Agent to handle phone management on the laptop. The latest upgrade has managed to hose Outlook synchronisation. Never one to worry, I know I can also use the tools included in the CD-ROM. In the box was also a USB cable for a wired connection to my laptop. For now, that can stay in the box. I'm pretty keen on bluetooth, unless the shit hits the fan, or I need to do a firmware upgrade.
The included internet browser is just so-so. I've downloaded the latest edition of Opera Minibrowser and will give that a spin later. And reception seems to be much better than the Z600. My flat must be made of steel because it is a wireless blackhole. No wifi from other places and no cell coverage, accept by the window.
The camera is nice. A little 2Mpixel Sony that is adequate in most conditions. It doesn't have a flash or light so it'll be useless in the bar. There is a smaller camera on the front for video conferences. One of the advantages of 3G that Edge and other highspeed mobile service are incapable of doing. It looks okay, good enough for a video conference on a cameraphone.
Some of the included applications are fun, helpful, or both. There is the DJ software for mixing your won ringtones. The included MP3 player is straightforward. Not as advanced as the Walkman phones but adequate. It has some photo editing software that is useful if you aren't near a PC. I haven't used the built in MMS functions, its cheaper to just send it to my laptop and Gmail the images. And there are the standard mobile phone applications that SE has included for years, phonebook, calendar, alarms, timers, calculator, and stopwatch. If you are familiar with these things then you'll feel right at home.
I love the screen. Its bright, has a good contrast, and the colors are crisp. As time goes on I'm sure I'l discover more to love and hate about this phone.

About two weeks ago I get a call from my wife saying the iPod had dropped out of her bag and the magic smoke came out. Normally this wouldn't matter to me but in this case in my infinite wisdom and rush forgot to backup my music. I wouldn't say I forgot to backup but the iPod was the only place I kept my music in addition to the PowerMac that is MIA at the moment. It was originally formatted for use on a Mac. Everything around me here is PC.
So I went on the hunt for a friend with a Mac and came to my good friend to Johanna. a budding movie director and wicked bartender. She let me use her ibook and we worked on the poor thing like ER surgeons. Unfortunately wanna has no broadband and her neighbors don't want to share. If there was a problem I had to stop, go home research it, get the proper software and come back the next day. The surgery took 3 days. Like Dr. Frankenstein I finally revived the patient but now the HDD makes the "clunk" of impending doom. Access to some of my files and music is no go now. Its a shame because some of my favorite music seems to be in the area of the "clunk". God must be punishing me.
I'm currently backing up 9GB of the 12 and low level formatting.

BTW. want to know how I got her spinning after a nasty accident. Beat the crap out of it. LOL some solutions never fail.

I admit, I'm a gadgaholic. If it was made in China, Japan, or South Korea I've probably played, sold, or bought one. I don't claim to have the biggest collection of electronic doohickies, but everyone knows where to go once I start the annual spring-cleaning.

This morning boingboing posts a blog from Which? magazine (UK) that Dyson vacuums break more often than other vacuums. This doesn't surprise me. I have one. I can take it apart in five minutes, but it works so good... I've never had so much fun doing a chore. Watching the dirt swirl around in the bin is Zen and rewarding.

Damned if it breaks, I'm keeping this one forever.