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Finally got myself a Zoom H1

Posted by admin - February 25, 2012 - Posted in: Reviews, Shows - Permalink

A while back I tried the Zoom H2 and felt is was way overkill for what my needs were. When the first H1 came out, I tried it at the store and felt it was sluggish and was missing the usb mic feature. Then later last year there was an 2.0 update for the H1. After watching quite a few Youtube videos of people update the software on the Zoom H1 it showed improvement on H1 boot up and now offering USB mic feature. The one key complaint that people had Zoom H1 was the cheap plastic feel versus the competitors.

Pro’s:
*Great Quality recording
*Lite and small(Great for DSLR recording and interviews)
*Easy to use
*Can be used as usb mic
*Micro SDHC
*External Line in/Mic
*External Line out/Headphones
*Level controls

Con’s:
*Plastic casing, battery door (wishing the threading for tripod would have been metal)
*Buttons on the side kinda small(people with bigger finger might have some issues)

Over all after the 2.0 improvements and the exception of the cheap plastic casing I really love the Zoom H1. The simplicity, ease of use and recording quality is what makes the Zoom H1 works for me. Now the Zoom H1 one is not everyone it really comes down what your recording needs are. For someone that need a recording device that is small, light weight, mountable to DSLR and quick on the run the Zoom H1 seems to be perfect for that.

iSight vs Logitech C910 Webcam

Posted by admin - February 25, 2012 - Posted in: Reviews, Shows - Permalink

If you have an older laptop, iMac, or PC and frustrated using the webcam for skype or vlogs because of lighting or not a clear picture. You might want to consider an upgrade. Technology with webcams have improved quite a bit since 4 years ago offering better High Def and clarity. If you have a Mac your selection is limited. The logitech HD Pro Webcam C910 is one that is compatible with Mac. Pretty much plug in play but I did need to install the logitech software. Screenflow seem to see the webcam with no problems. The clarity was very impressive, wider range and very clear picture. The built in stereo mic on Logitech needs major improvements, One word static. Since we use a Samson mic this is not an issue for us, but recommended to either use onboard or other mic than the Logitech C910 webcam mic. The current retail price is $99 but if you look around you can get it cheaper. Besides the mic issue this is a great webcam worth looking into.

Not into Wrap but I do Like Eppic

Posted by admin - February 25, 2012 - Posted in: Music, Shows - Permalink

I was directed to Eppic’s channel by another artist and was impressed. Wrap is not my usual cup of tea but his style is unique and clean. He collaborates with other music artist with different styles and makes it work. His channel is worth checking out.
http://www.youtube.com/eppictv

Think before buying a Android Tablet!

Posted by admin - January 22, 2011 - Posted in: Shows - Permalink

Android Tablets are like PC with Windows. What I mean is like HP vs Dell workstation which performs better with Windows. Android tablets are no different, Its like looking for the right laptop for your needs.

The last 3 weeks I have spent time playing with different Android tablets in different stores driving sales people crazy. From WiFi to 3G versions of different Android tablets. It crucial that the touch screen has to work smoothly or the device is useless. There is many low cost Android tablets (Mostly off brands) available online and in some electronic store, But be ready to be disappointed this is going of what I have tested in stores and the reviews I read.

It seems that most of the WiFi version tablet reviews seem to not get good review do to either touch screen issues, performance or version of Android that installed on the device. The 3g versions of the Android Tablet such as the Samsung Galaxy and the Dell Streak tend to get the better reviews (Thinking it due to the devices having the newer Android platform) .

If you are considering Android Tablet take your time to test device and read the customer reviews.

Goodbye Cable TV

Posted by admin - April 2, 2011 - Posted in: Projects, Shows - Permalink

After looking at our cable bill for the last couple of months we realized it was going up again. Me and my wife sat down and really thought about what we actually watched on tv this is what we figured out we only watch 6 channels that are mostly older episode of shows and movies. Really the only live show we watch as a family is American Idol. The other show I like to watch is Hawaii Five-O(The new one) that I end up watching on my computer. So it came down to why are we spending so much for cable tv.

Last month after I researched all TV streamline devices. I decided to purchase a Basic ROKU device, subscribed to Netflix and Hulu Plus. We spent 2 weeks getting familiar with it and made the family use just the ROKU for 1 week and not watch cable TV. The results; with the exception of missing American Idol this can work for us.

Project Alternative TV began in our household:
Phase 1: Eliminate Cable TV and Use ROKU – Done
Phase 2: Set up over the Air Antenna for TV’s( Check out TVFool.com)

Note: This is not for everyone. If you like watching live shows and sports as of right now its not fully available via internet stream.

Recommended min. internet stream: 6 Mbps download speed.
Stream TV Devices:
ROKU: http://roku.com
Apple iTV: http://www.apple.com/appletv
Boxee: http://www.boxee.tv

Bushnell BackTrack GPS D-Tour put to the Test!

Posted by admin - September 6, 2011 - Posted in: Reviews, Shows - Permalink

Bushnell was kind enough to send me there BackTrack GPS D-tour this last week to review.

Pros:
16-20 hour battery life and no special batteries just uses 3 AA batteries.
Easy to use
Decent weather construction(Can handle splashes and dust)
Pretty accurate
Logs data
Tells you the temperature and altitude.
Software application works on Mac OS or Windows OS, very easy to use and accurate.

Cons:
Software application only relies on google maps. Not saying this is bad thing the maps are current, but what if your an area that does not have internet access.

Overall I was very impressed with the BackTrack D-Tour. Rating from 1 to 10, I give it 9.5
BackTrack website: http://backtrackgps.com

My LG Thrill 4G experience

Posted by admin - November 13, 2011 - Posted in: Reviews - Permalink

Last month since I had a choice to upgrade my phone with AT&T. At the time I had an iPhone 3gs and been wanting switch to android based phone. Since budget was an issue with me I looked at the $99 smart phones ignoring the windows based phones. After 2 hours testing all the phones it was between the Samsung Infuse, HTC Inspire and LG Thrill 4G. LG Thrill 4G seemed to be best out of the 3 on responsiveness, screen and loudness.

The phone was loud I actually had to turn it down when driving(a first). As for a phone this phone was loud in every way, Speaker was loud but sometimes not clear, Blue tooth was loud and clear. Performance of this phone seemed to be quick on most apps. There was delay switching to the camera. The screen on this phone was beautiful. This phone was fast pulling websites and downloads. The 3D mode tended to be more clear than the 2d mode. The main flaw was the battery life and the self phone reboots. After killing all apps it still required a charge by mid afternoon if I was lucky. After putting a case on the Thrill 4g the phone felt like flat paper weight.

After a week and half of the LG Thrill 4G I was no longer thrilled with the phone. Even bought an extended battery with little improvement. After 28 days It was time to say goodbye to the LG Thrill 4G.

The video below was made a 7 days before I returned the phone

Samson Meteor Mic vs Samson Go Mic

Posted by admin - December 10, 2011 - Posted in: Reviews - Permalink

I picked up a Samson Go Mic for my parents. They needed a better mic for when we Skype. I was able to get refurbished one on ebay for $15. So it was good time to do a comparison to my Samson Meteor Mic.

Meteor Mic:
Pros: Built Solid, Stand built on Mic, built in stand mount, Quality recording, Volume control for headset, Headset plugin, no Software needed, Mute Button, comes with soft case.
Cons: Heavy, Wish there was a mic volume control, Little bulky

Go Mic:
Pros: Has its own quality stand/clip, built in stand mount, compact, Quality recording, headphone output, selectable cardioid or omni polar patterns, come with a nice case.
Cons: Plastic, no volume control

Personal opinion: I felt the meteor mic was a little louder and the go mic provided better quality when came to recording.

Hip Hop Violinist: Lindsay Stirling

Posted by admin - January 7, 2012 - Posted in: Music, Shows - Permalink

After watching her videos you want to learn how to play the violin. She brings the violin to new level for the younger generation. Now my daughter might consider playing the violin. Lindsay brings her classical training and hip hop to her videos. You know when she good when you buy music on iTunes like I did. My daughter is thinking of using one of Lindsay’s pieces for her figure skating routine. Check her channel on Youtube.
http://youtube.com/lindsaystomp

Make your Own Cardboard Plane with DynamAero

Posted by admin - January 7, 2012 - Posted in: Projects, Shows - Permalink

One project I have been working with my son off and on is building a hame made remote control cardboard plane. We came across DynamAero channel on Youtube. A great resource on this topic. He show you how to build and then he flies them. Check his Channel out!
http://www.youtube.com/DynamAero

Pentax K-x a fun camera.

Posted by admin - January 7, 2012 - Posted in: Reviews - Permalink

Pentax K-x DSLR not the most popular choice of camera since most people buy ether the Nikon or Canon. You can say I am somewhat a loyal fan of Pentax since I learned with Pentax K1000 and used variety Pentax SLR’s in the past. I have compact digital cameras but when I want to take real nice pictures that required different lenses I would use my Pentax SLR. As film gets expensive and you cannot really make mistake or you lose an exposure it seemed that getting a DLSR was a logical choice.

But being on a budget I had to wait for DSLR pricing to go down and wanted to stick with Pentax so the lenses from my old camera could be used. Finally 4 months ago I got great deal on uses Pentax K-x that was hardly used. It was fairly easy camera to learn especially using the lenses designed for the Pentax K-x, Now the manual lenses was different story thank goodness if you do a bad shot you can just delete it instead of waisting a roll of film. I am thinking of creating another video on using manual lenses with this camera.

This is a Great Entry to Mid level DSLR camera. For a beginner it can be a point to shoot camera but I recommend taking the time to learn the camera to excel yourself on taking pictures. It is a noisy camera when you focus and can be heavy do to the 4 AA batteries. The bad part is that you will not find Pentax in a majority of the stores most likely you have to go online to order lenses and the only place I have found where you can rent lenses and other accessories is Borrowlenses.com.

Overall my experience with the Pentax K-x has been a great one and fun camera to learn.