A phone for mom part 2

Do you remember when I wrote about cell phones for women who are not convinced into smartphones? My friend and her mom chose Samsung but other than they planned. Samsung E2530

It is a lovely clamshell, I must agree. It looks very classic but the design is really unique. This is basically the biggest advantage of this phone. It doesn't have too many additional feature to praise.
About design: the materials it is made of are of really good quality. The phone does not make any "crunchy" sounds, it is light and perfect for a woman's hand.
The display resolution here is 96 X 96. The diagonal - 1,07'. 
Yes, it isn't smartphone size but the function of this phone is pretty clear: to call and to send text messages. There is obviously T9 function in the texting mode. Here is also a big minus: the function of canceling sending process doesn't work! (Though theoretically it exists).
The  phone has also got a camera (1,3 megapixels). The photos and the films are, however, of horrible quality - let's not fool anyone. 
What's cool, there is also a mp3 player with a loudspeaker (we don't need the headphones - obviously the sound quality is terrible then). 
The battery - 3 days. Average.
Also, if you are interested in using the Internet, you can use only GPRS technology, which isn't stunning.
Is it worth buing? Yes, if you are not interested in any gadgets and you like solid and pretty design. No, if you are a gadget fan. But if so, you already have your smartphone, don't you?
 

VLB 200 Loudspeaker wall mount VOGELS

We wrote about Vogels wall mounts few months ago. It was TV wall mount back then. Today we'd like to present loudspeaker wall mount - something which is a must when you think of your own home theatre. 

 

So...We like Vogels. I know this equipment is reliable and trustworthy... As the producer claims, you can lift up to 20kg withouht having it screwed to the speaker. Quoting the Vogels site: "
Clamping construction makes screw-less mounting of your speaker possible. Features a tilt and turn function to guarantee an optimal listening position"

What more can we say... Vogels things are visibly reliable.  The metal construction is performed with precision. It can be used to mound surround system freely, you can mount it as you like. Especially because the method of mounting is pretty universal, it's for dummies really. No way you can't handle it. You just get the drawing with the instruction if the placement of the wall mount. As much as the weight is not a great problem (up to 20kg is really a lot), the speakers shouldn't be higher than 50 cm. As the producer says, there are really no screws - clearly you don't have to destroy your speakers to hang these on the wall. What's really nice is Cable Inlay System, which allows you to place a cable inside the mount - you don't have to bundle it (we certainly love this).

Plus you get all you need in the set: plugs, the screws and bolts. 

Add a modern and minimalist design and you have the perfect wall mount. Really, if we were to evaluate that thing on a scale 1 to 10, it is a strong 10!

Optical or Coaxial cables for audio?

We've noticed a pretty common dilemma occuring among audio devices users. Some of them are followers of coaxial cables used to such purposes, and some of them are very much for optical ones. We would like to show you the difference today on the basis of two kinds of Connection LAB cables. 

 

Most of the enthusiasts of the coaxial cables are real audio sound tweaks. It is more difficult to find a really bad coaxial cable. Coaxial cables can run for longer time (especialy these, like connectionlab, monster or other good brands), however these are more prone to picking up interference from other RF cables or AC cables. Some say the sound from coaxial cables is warmer and more natural, closer to the vinyl sound. Also, these are more difficult to break. The users generally agree that better coaxial cables generate better sound than cheap plastic cables.

Optical cables are more expensive and more difficult to find, especially those better ones. These are also shorter - at least they should be. The best sound in case of optical cables is when they're as short as possible. ConnectionLab cables are sold in 1m and 3m lenght only and this is max you can get a good sound. You'd better not trust longer optical cables. A minus of such is the type of connector which easily disconnects, so you musn't move around much while using these. They are also less shielded from interference. Optical cables are also less durable. The connector is easier to break, as opposite to coaxial. As it may find they have a lot of minuses, some audiofils claim the sound is a lot better than from coaxial cables, this is why they are able to bear all the inconviniences.

So which one is better? Unfortunatelly the best and only answer for you is take those two and try. Listen to what your ears will find better. It's highly personal thing.

A phone for your mom who hates smartphones

That's challenging thing our friend had recently. And we think you can come across this dilemma pretty often... Some moms cannot deal with omnipresent smartphones and prefer something hmm vintage (yes!). Here are two models that our ladies considered after eliminating the rest. Samsung GTE 11509:

This one specification is:

Capacity:800 mAh, Run Time Details:Talk - up to 510 min ¦ Standby - up to 740 hrs, Technology:GSM, Band:GSM 900/1800 (Dual Band)
Display Resolution:128 x 128 pixels, Technology:CSTN, Diagonal Size:1.43", Type:LCD display - colour, Bult-in Memory:1000 KB, Cellular Messaging Services:SMS,

Besides it's got a power adapter, Personal Information Management: calendar, calculator, stopwatch, currency conversion, alarm clock, Phone Book Entries Qty:500, Ring Tone Formats in MIDI, MP3. This lovely samsung's additional Features are: intelligent Typing (T9), Polyphonic Ring Tone Voice Qty:40, Phone Functions:Call timer, conference call, vibrating alert. Which make it a decent phone, which (in this case) would be used only for calling and texting mostly.

The other one is LG Venus Phone:

I personally lean towards the first one, because I hold a strong grudge against slipped phones. But let me give you a detailed specification:

• CDMA
• Verizon
• Slide
• 1.3 Megapixel Camera & Camcorder
• Music Player for MP3, WMA, AAC, & AAC+
• Lower Screen with Interactive Touch Navigation
• One-Touch Speakerphone
• Version: 1.2
• Mobile Web 2.0†
• Hearing Aid Compatible (M3-Rating)
• 1.9 GHz CDMA PCS, 800 MHz CDMA (Digital Dual-Band)
• High-Speed EVDO†
• 4.00" (H) x 2.00" (W) x 0.62" (D)
• 3.79 oz.
• Upper LCD: 262K Color TFT, 320 x 240 Pixels, 2.00" Lower LCD: 262K Color TFT, 176 x 240 Pixels, 1.49"
• 800 mAh Li-Ion
• Up to 4 Hours*
• Up to 20 Days*

As you see, this one is more technically up to date. The ladies didn't make their minds yet. What are your opinions? We're more into the firs, lovely red one.

Tracer IQ-90 Laptop power supply

Hello again, after little holidays! During this time we had some problems which required buing a new laptop power supply. We've chosen Tracer and we are pretty satisfied. It looks like this:

What is the most visible: LCD screen. It's not common in case of power supplies, but it has got a specific and important function. It shows the voltage it adjusts to! The Tracer device has got twelve differend plugs and each of these involves different voltage. It is so, so you can plug it to as many devices as possible! Tricky! And it works. Most of the time. Because we wanted to try it on Dell Inspiron and... It can't happen. The plug is too weird and hexagonal. Anyway it works with my favourite Toshiba L-300. It also has got a USB reader, and, what's beautiful it has got: overvoltage protection, short circut protection and overload protection. 

We recommend Tracer. It's cool. As long you don't have a Dell.

Monoprice vs. Bandridge

Here's a comparison of two, probably the most common HDMI cables on the market. I've tried both of them and I have mixed feelings. Their popularity only keeps me thinking that people do not focus on quality of things they buy. Let me remind you. This is monoprice:

Monoprice worth 2$ and its cable looking like it's going to break tomorrow. Of course you may say: I am only going to keep it plugged in. There's a chance it will work. What producer says:

Connector Type	HDMI® male to HDMI® male
Connector Finish	Gold
Length	1.5 ft
Gauge	28 AWG
Number of Conductors	19
Conductor Plating	Tin
Shielding Level	Triple
Shielding Type	EMI
Ferrite Cores	Yes
HDMI® Connector Head Size	20 x 11 x 37 mm
HDMI® Connector Diameter	8 mm
Net Jacket	No
Built-in Equalizer	No
Supported Resolutions	480i to 4k
Bandwidth	up to 340 MHz per channel (1.02 GHz total)
Data Throughput	up to 3.4 Gbps per channel (10.2 Gbps total)
Deep Color	10-bit, 12-bit, and 3x16-bit (48-bit RGB or YCbCr), X.V.Color™
HDMI® Certified	Yes
Category 2 Certified	Yes
HDCP Compliant	Yes
CEC Compliant	Yes
ROHS Compliant	Yes
Supports DVD Audio	Yes
Supports SACD	Yes
Supports Dolby TrueHD™ & DTS-HD Master Audio™	Yes
UL File #	E119932
UL Style #	20276
CL2 (In-Wall)	No
VW-1	Yes
Voltage Rating	30V
Temperature Rating	80° C

[source: monoprice.com]

As you see, you can't demand a lot. Compare this for yourself with bandridge:


Actually these look as cheap as monoprice but are pretty good. Also the key features the producer gives us are more strict:

• HDMI Cable
• Connector 1: HDMI Male
• Connector 2: HDMI Male
• 1.6 ft Cable Length
• 24 K Gold Plated Connector Material
• 100% Oxygen Free Copper Conductor

It sounds good, yes, but it is nothing awesome, to write it shortly. I cannot criticize but if you are about to choose something frome this price level, please go with bandridge rather.

HDMI Switches: 3-In 1-Out HDMI Auto Switch vs Connection LAB

Ok, so, while I found comparison reviews pretty clear when you oppose two items, I decided it's time to show you a HDMI switch (splitter) difference. In today's episode there's again: Connection LAB and HDMI Audio Switch bought on Amazon.




Here's 3-In 1-Out HDMI Amazon Switch:

 

Connection LAB:

As Connection Lab has got several options in their offer, I chose the most similar 5:1 to confront it with 3:1 switch.

As the first producer claims "it expands the number of available HDMI ports on a high definition television allowing connection of cable boxes, Blu-ray players, and game consoles". The biggest advantage according to the producer is automatic  HDMI switch plug-and-play. But the producer also notes that the Auto switch function only works for components that do not output continuous voltage over HDMI port when it is  turned off ;)
Even if it is very high in amazon sells, the switch worked only when it was directly to the receiver. Using cables (which are added to the switch!) doesn't work. I cant understand why it is so high...

Especially that I had Connection Lab. The fact that I am fond of this company is known to you but their switch (with a pilot, which works!) is something completely different. It is more expensive, true that, but it also:
-looks much better and reliable
-it has more slots
-it WORKS :)

And the producer's note:

• Support HDMI resolution:1080P/1080i/720P/576P/480P/576i/480i
• Support video color format:xv-YCC/Deep color 8 bit / 10 bit/12 bit
• Support audio format:DTS-HD/LPCM/Dolby-AC3/DTS7.1/DSD
• Data transfer speed: up to 2.5 Gbpsper channel
• Input Video signal: 5.0Volts P-P
• Max working current: 300mA
• Power adapter supply: DV 5V. 2A
• Power adapter format: Input AC(50Hz. 60Hz) 100-240V; Output DV 5V
• Operating Temperature range: -15 to+55oC (5 to 131oF)
• Operating Humidity range: 5 to90%RH (No Condensation)
• HDMI output cable lenght: ≤ 15m (24AWG)
• HDMI Version: 1.3
• HDCP Version: HDCP 1.2
  
  If you ask me, don't waste money on amazon best ofs.