Archive for category Reviews
Review – T-Mobile Sonic 4G Mobile Hot Spot
Posted by chspera in Reviews, T-Mobile, Wireless Carriers on February 3, 2012
I’ve got a T-Mobile Mobile Broadband account. I got the account as an add-on to my already established T-Mobile wireless account. Initially, I established the account with a T-Mobile Jet 2.0 web stick. Initially, it worked well, but kinda required a USB extension cord in order to get a decent signal. I couldn’t help but feel as thought I were holding tin foil balls on forks as I stretched it down my cubicle wall, closer to the window.
About 8 months after I got the account, I got moved to a new location here at the office. While that’s the life of a contractor, it did sorta suck. I am no longer in a cubicle at the office. I’m currently stationed in a contractor’s bull-pen, and have a 36” lateral section of shelf to call home. I don’t have any room for my second laptop, and as such, I haven’t used my mobile broadband account, much.
The purchase of an unlocked iPhone 4S for Christmas has me living in the world of EDGE, and I don’t like it. EDGE works, but it is so slow. There are a number of applications and activities that you simply can’t complete or that time out due to the slow speeds on EDGE, and it totally kills the iPhone’s online experience. Knowing that I had the MB account, I tried putting that SIM in one of my 4G Android phones to activate it as a mobile hot spot, but that didn’t work. The SIM wasn’t provisioned for a smartphone, and the thing wouldn’t even get online with a data signal, let alone serve up a hot spot signal.
The solution was obvious to me – the T-Mobile Sonic 4G Hot Spot.
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| The T-Mobile Sonic 4G Hot Spot |
Review – OCZ Agility3 240GB SSD
This is an initial impressions post, really, as opposed to a full review. Over the past year or so, I’ve been through a couple SSD’s in my Early 2011 15” MacBook Pro. I bought the PC in April, shortly after the Early 2011 models were introduced. I also purchased a couple of DIY upgrades in the RAM and storage departments. The computer is the high-end 15” model, sporting
- 2.3gHz Quad-Core i7 Processor
- Anti-Glare, HD Screen with 1680×1050 native resolution
- 12GB RAM
- 240GB OCZ Agility 3 SSD – Boot Disk
- 750GB Seagate Momentus XT (Data Drive)
As you can see, its missing the Double Layer SuperDrive. I took it out of the computer and replaced it with Other World Computing’s DataDoubler (a hard drive caddy) and originally, OWC’s 60GB 3G SSD. Nice drive. Peppy…Way too small.
Anyway, OWC makes a nice DIY kit with their 60GB 3G SSD that includes their DataDoubler for about $165 USD, as of this writing. When you’re all done with the DIY replacement of your MBP’s SuperDrive for an SSD, you’ll need to find an enclosure solution for the SuperDrive. Thankfully, OWC also recently added the OWC SuperSlim for Apple SuperDrive USB 2.0 Optical Drive External Enclosure to its DIY catalog. With it, you’ll be able to take the SuperDrive and hang it off of one of your USB ports and use the drive externally. However, you’ll need to make a couple of binary modifications so that DVD Player (as well as other apps) work with an external DVD drive. Its a nice little setup; and one that makes the PC very green and very fast.
However, I almost immediately ran into storage problems with the 60GB SSD, and I began looking for alternatives. The problem is that SSD’s are expensive, and I was hooked on the SSD performance, which, unfortunately is like crack. Once you wrap your lips around that pipe, you’re never going to go back. Thankfully, I’m patient, and I know how to search the internet for deals.
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| The Patriot PS-100 3Gbps 128GB SSD |
Review – Mophie Juice Pack Air for iPhone 4/4S
As Managing Editor for BYTE, I see a lot of products and accessories for a number of different smartphones. The Mophie Juice Pack Air does exactly what Mophie claims it will do. It provides protection for your device, and it will charge the battery while switched on. However, there are a couple things you need to know and understand about it.
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| The Mophie Juice Pack Air is a decent case, that doubles your iPhone’s battery life. |
Review: The T-Mobile MyTouch 3G Slide
Posted by chspera in Android Devices, Reviews on September 20, 2010
The T-Mobile myTouch 3G was a huge hit. The touch screen device seems to have been promoted by Whoopie Goldberg, Eric Clapton as well as a number of other celebs in some pretty cool commercials. As a follow-up to the popular device, HTC released the Espresso or MyTouch 3G Slide. With a couple of hardware tweaks, including its most noticeable slide-out keyboard, the Slide is sure to be a huge hit; but is it the device for you? Let’s take a look at the device, and see if the MyTouch 3G Slide is what makes you, uh-hem… slide on over to T-Mobile’s Android camp.
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| T-Mobile’s MyTouch 3G Slide |
Myine Wireless Internet Radio
One of the things that I really miss about Nashville, TN is the country music stations. While I can get to the music via an individual website, I don’t always like playing music from a website on my PC. The sound sometimes interferes with system sounds from the PC itself, besides, I’d rather not have the processor busy decoding streaming audio while I’m busy doing something else.
Enter the Myine IRA Wireless Internet Radio. The device decodes and streams audio from broadcasting internet radio sites and allows you to play them anywhere your wireless network signal reaches. Is it worth the cost? Is it a decent way to play audio from the internet? Let’s take a quick look and see.
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| Myine Internet Radio and Remote Control |
Review – T-Mobile Motorola CLIQ
Posted by chspera in Android Devices, Reviews on December 31, 2009
As a product reviewer, I look at a lot of different items from a number of different genres and vendors. I’ve looked at everything from beer glasses to PC’s and mobile devices over the last 15 years. One of the things that I learned early on, especially with electronics, if your review is going to be value-added for ANYONE it can’t be done in a couple of days. That kind of “off-the-cuff” review doesn’t nearly give the reader the opportunity to see what the product is REALLY like after the honeymoon period or “wow factor” wears off.
That being said, let’s take a good at one of the newer Android offerings from T-Mobile – The Motorola CLIQ. The phone is supposed to be a social networking junkie’s dream. Everything that you would be interested in – Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, e-Mail, Text/SMS/MMS, Last.FM, etc., is completely integrated and available to you on one of five different home screens. Is the CLIQ for you? Does MotoBLUR live up to hype and deliver? Let’s take a look and see..!
Device
As you’ll see below in The Full 360, the device is comparable in size to the AT&T Tilt/HTC Kaiser, albeit a little taller and somewhat thinner than the Kaiser. Interestingly enough, I found that I could carry both the CLIQ and the Tilt in the same pocket in the SeV Quantum Jacket that I am also currently reviewing.
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| The CLIQ & the Kaiser in my Quantum’s Clear Fabric pocket |
Mobile Shell 3
Posted by chspera in Mobile Devices, Reviews on May 3, 2009
[Note: This is a three-way, multi-site review. Chris Spera (italics), Clinton Fitch (bold), and Doug Goldring (plain text)have all teamed up to review Mobile Shell 3 together. It is being simultaneously posted on Gear Diary, and Just Another Mobile Monday.]
It is hard to believe that it has been only a little over two years (February 2007) since Spb Software House revolutionized the way we use our Windows Mobile devices. Since that time, dozens of other software developers and OEMs such as HTC, Samsung, and Sony-Ericsson have adopted this same technique of replacing the user interface entirely. Through all of this, however, Spb Software House has managed to stay one step ahead of all the others by constantly refining and updating Mobile Shell. And just when it looked like some of the other shell-type programs might be gaining a foothold, Spb ups the ante again with version 3 of their award winning program. You are really going to want to sit down, hit the jump, and enjoy the ride for this one.
Vaja 4G Nano iVolution Grip Case with GoClip Review
Posted by chspera in iPod/iPod Touch, Multimedia Players, Reviews on February 21, 2009
I honestly think that Apple makes the best MP3 player on the market. I know there are a lot of people that would like to debate that point, but in my mind, and in my opinion, even though they didn’t release the first player, they were the first ones to get the experience right. They win; but again, that’s a personal opinion…
Recently I bought my daughter a 4G (RED) Nano for Christmas. Her grandparents “bought” her a white and red Samsung Propel (she got a Visa gift card that we used to purchase the phone). It was a, uh-hem… Hard Candy Christmas, as most everything she got was white and red.
Just before the Holiday’s kicked in here in The States, I was approached by Vaja and asked if I wanted to review their iVolution Grip Case for the 4G Nano, I jumped at the opportunity. Let’s take a quick look and see how things went with the case.
Corinex Power Line Networking Transmitters/Receivers Review
Posted by chspera in Accessories, Computers and Internet, Networking, Reviews on February 16, 2009
Broadband networking.
Its something that EVERYONE wants in their home…in every home across America… heck, in every home across the world. The biggest problem with getting broadband in your home is not necessarily availability (though that is an issue), but piping the signal though your home.
StarTech USBVGA Dock Review
Posted by chspera in Accessories, Reviews on October 27, 2008
I’ve been a portable computer advocate for YEARS. In fact, until my most recent job, every computer that I’ve used for work AND personal use over the last 12 years has been a laptop. Personally, aside from a cost perspective and justification, I don’t know why corporations continue to buy desktop computers. Laptop/portable computers tend to make a workforce more productive, and more efficient.
When I got my MacBook Pro in 2006, the one big problem that I thought I saw with it was the lack of a docking station for it. While its nice that its pretty much a desktop replacement in and of itself, using it in a desktop setting, with a desktop keyboard and mouse is problematic… you have to constantly plug and unplug peripherals from the computer’s expansion ports. Doing that over and over again can really stink, especially when you have audio and video involved as well.
Ener the USBVGA Dock from StarTech… Is it the solution that I’ve been looking for? Let’s take a quick look and see…
| The StarTech USBVGA Dock |
HARDWARE
As you can see from my setup, below, my MBP sits in the center of my desk. I’ve got a 4 port KVM that allows me to pop between my desktop, my old freelancing laptop, and my MBP.
If I want to use my MBP at my desk, with my KVM-A (which includes audio, but minus the "M" for my 19" LCD and the A for audio because there’s no easy way to connect the monitor) or the speakers without a ton of cables hanging off this thing), I have to attach my LAN connection, and a USB connection for my KVM. If I want to use my desktop speakers, I have to disconnect them from the KVM-A and connect them directly to the MBP.
I have to do this
EACH…
and…
EVERY…
time
I use my MBP at my desk, if I want to use my mouse, full size keyboard, monitor, and speakers. Plugging in and out all of the cables each time I use and am finished using my MBP is a real pain in the butt. Honestly, I put the full blame on Apple for this. They purposefully designed ALL of their laptop computers without a convenient way of connecting and disconnecting any desktop peripherals to and from them.
After a while, plugging and chugging all of the cables got really bothersome…AND as much as I wanted to use all my desktop peripherals, including a 320GB USB drive I use for Time Machine, I stopped doing it. After a little while longer, I really began missing those peripherals, too.
Thankfully, the folks at StarTech solved my problems…at least on the Windows side of my MBP; but more on that in a bit…
| The Dock behind my MBP (pay no attention to the HTC BlueAngel next to it. The Great Oz has spoken!) | The back end of the Dock. It comes with 4 USB 2.0 ports. Audio ports are on the right side. |
The dock is about 2/3 the width of my 15.4" MBP, and about as thick. The fact that this thing does everything that any other port replicator does, but pushes it all through USB is amazing; and I love the audio-video thing… totally awesome!
SOFTWARE
The Dock, in and of itself, isn’t all that compelling. There really isn’t anything to the hardware, in and of itself, that will compel you to pick it up. The goodies all come in the form of the drivers. This is where the Dock really shines. It supports the following features:
- Audio (including playback and record)
- Video (up to 1600x1200x32; up to 1280x1024x32 on my MBP) on both a primary and extended monitor
- LAN (10/100)
- 4 Port, USB 2.0 Hub
Pushing all of this via USB 2.0 is pretty cool. I have no idea what the divers actually have to do in order to get all of this to run through 1 USB 2.0 port, but its pretty cool. There are however, a few limitations. If you’re running Vista Ultimate, like me, and you use Windows DreamScene, and you try to push video to an extended monitor, it won’t work.
| If you’re running Vista Ultimate AND DreamScene, it won’t work with the Video driver enabled. |
Installing the drivers is pretty easy. Just drop the CD in the drive, and you’re pretty much set. The PC’s screen may flash a bit during the install, but don’t let that worry you. You’ll be good to go after its done and you bounce the box. After that, its pretty much just a matter of attaching your peripheral’s cables to the Dock and then plugging the Dock’s USB dongle into your computer.
You can see the Dock driver’s icons in the screen’s below.
| The Dock’s app icon is the UVD icon in the upper left corner of my System Tray. |
Right clicking on the app’s icon in the System Tray brought up this menu
If 1024×768 isn’t big enough for you, don’t worry…
I was able to push 1280×1024 with 32k colors with the Dock. Pretty cool!
Rotation – This function didn’t work for me, using ANY of the VGA settings.
CONCLUSION
I’m hooked… I really like this dock, and for the price, it’s not bad at all. However, there are a couple of problems that you need to be aware of. The dock functions as intended under Windows XP and Vista. All of my connections stay in the Dock, and I just plug in one USB connector into the left side USB port on my MBP. After that, I’m in business.
However, according to StarTech, there aren’t any Mac drivers available for this thing yet. You won’t have any trouble getting it to function as a 4 port USB 2.0 hub under Leopard or Tiger, but don’t think that the LAN, audio or video connections will work…they won’t. You’re going to have to pull the LAN cable out of the Dock and plug it into your Mac directly. Audio and video are non-functional until StarTech gets the Mac Drivers out.
I’ve had the dock for about 2 months now, and I must say I’m very happy with it. Windows is my default OS of choice, even on my MBP; however, I am very unhappy with the fact that StarTech still doesn’t have a Mac driver of ANY capacity available for the USBVGA Dock.
At the very least, I would have expected them to release a LAN driver for use with the dock. That way, I wouldn’t have to move my network cable, and I could at least use the Dock with my keyboard, mouse and network connection. I could "limp" along with my MBP’s speakers and screen.
Purchasing: The StarTech USBVGA Dock lists for $129.99; and can be purchased directly from their site.
What I liked: The whole sha-bang on the Windows side. It was pretty awesome.
What Needs Improvement: The Mac experience…not so much. The device works as a USB hub, but at $130 its a bit expensive for just that.
