Julie,
I love this site :-)
PS- the avatar loves you back, lol
Hulu is a GREAT site and features some awesome content. the commericial interuptions were very reasonable( i do endeavor to go to the sponsors ' websites in an effort to support Hulu)
its been a month or two since i have been there, but i intend to go back soon; gotta love those Miami Vice episodes. truely something for everyone and i concur with Julie, you should go check this one out!
I was just checking out my sister's Zune this past week. I was impressed. As for your case - I'm not digging the stitching. It looks crooked on the front left side, around the screen area. White stitching on a dark material really jumps out and if the handy work isn't top notch, it will stand out. [/my two cents]
Titan Clear for iPhone can be used alone or with the included rotating belt clip holster. It is a tough, green, smoke, pink, blue or clear, polycarbonate shell that allows the Apple iPhone’s striking appearance to show through. Titan Clear iPhone Cases has many functions that enhance using, viewing and carrying your iPhone, while giving you access to important areas for the controls, camera and headphones.
Retractable horizontal and vertical kickstands are built into the iPhone Case and are stable as well as adjustable at many angles for optimum iPhone viewing.
Unlike the stick-on "signal boosters", something like this could actually work in theory. The builtin antenna and the electrode in the case form a capacitor with the iPhone housing as the dielectric. Through-glass antennas work this way, as do some of the FM modulator adapters that come with satellite radios these days.
The big problem with this approach, though, is that capacitive coupling is lossy. Thus, whatever you attach to it must have enough gain to be able to make up for this loss just to break even. And in an application like this, it doesn't just have to break even, it has to offer some overall improvement otherwise there is no point in using it.
It's not as if that sort of little nub is actually any better than the one inside the phone, so the only real advantage here is, most likely, moving it to what may be a better location. I'm not surprised to find out it doesn't actually help, especially when taking into account the loss from the coupler and extra feedline (all three inches of it)...
Shaped like a skinny black stick, the iPhone Bluetooth headset measures close to 2 inches long, 0.5 inch wide, and about 0.6 inch thick if you count the earpiece (It's about 0.125 inch thick without the earpiece). The headset is also remarkably light at less than an ounce, and we admit that we quite like its metal construction, glossy finish, and smooth, clean lines. Certainly, it looks more like art than a simple headset.
The iPhone Bluetooth headset is simple in design as well as features. You get the regular abilities to answer and end calls, but don't bet on anything like last-number redial or call mute. You can also switch calls back and forth from the iphone headphones to the iPhone and vice versa. Also, we should note that you can indeed use the iPhone Bluetooth headset with other phones, but the pairing process won't be as smooth.
The iPhone Bluetooth headset has a rated battery life of 5 hours and 29 minutes of talk time and 3 days of standby time. I hope it can be more longer...
After 2weeks use, would like to balance other very good reviews with these problems I have found.
I wanted a phone especially so I could update files as 4 & 5 above. Disappointed that local Vodafone shop miss sold me on this feature. Obviously they have never tried it.
This case has been an enigma to me since information on it started hitting the 'net. It seems entirely gimmicky, not unlike the free "cell antenna boosters" Chinese cell phone accessory vendors like to throw in on eBay.
Griffin is IMHO a very respectable manufacturer dedicated to (generally) producing high quality, reliable accessories for Apple iPods and Macs. When I need a charger, an FM transmitter, a laptop stand, etc. I tend to check their website first to see what their current offerings are before looking at other options.
A product like this case, though, runs the risk of blowing that reputation (as your tests show); beyond that, the market segment for iPhone cases is already packed with options ... if you're going to risk blowing it (and their design and marketing teams HAD to know this is near fraud), at LEAST do it on something that's worth taking the risk, not some dime-a-dozen iPhone case.
It just surprises me, I guess.
Hey all right, i didn't know there was a postable forum for this thing. Thanks guys! It just affirms my belief that 'disabilities' are often gifts in disguise for the type of audience they garner (plus, with the right attitude, nothing is impossible- go Oscar!). Cheers to John, Steve, and Maciej, i was sweating bullets waiting for the outcome since yours were great!
[Edited at May 18, 2008 17:57:10 PM.]
Julie: i think the HYmini has a mount for your car, while you are driving it would charge the built-in battery. But if charging through wind is a problem, the solar panel would cover the wind problem. and the price covers both the Wind generator and Solar....
[Edited at May 16, 2008 23:17:54 PM.]
Nice job, Ryan. What a cool idea to promote the site (and not a bad promo for your school either, with that nice scenery in the background :) MegaCongrats!!
Based on the review, I ordered the spotlight from JTSpotlight.com Through no one's fault but my own, I missed the spot in the specs that reads "Spotlight will not fit properly in the larger accessory style power outlets. Do not modify your spotlight in any way. If it does not fit your vehicle's cigarette lighter outlet please see the accessory section for an adapter. " So when it sort of rattled about in the non-cigarette-lighter outlet, I went back to the site, found out that it only fits cigarette lighters, and tried to order the adapter socket. It was listed as not being in stock, so I emailed to ask when they expected it in. I was informed that the socket isn't exactly out of stock, but it's "still in initial production" and they have no availability date.
People wanting to buy this should know that, not only does it apparently only fit cigarette lighters, the adapter for non-cigarette-lighter 12v sockets isn't even available yet. That said, JTSpotlight processed my refund promptly, less shipping - a small fee for my own failure to read the fine print.
[Edited at May 16, 2008 09:16:43 AM.]
Congratulations Shipwreck. I didn't know that you had a slogan. Pretty cool.
Roy: I have a feeling trying to charge via the wind would have more issues than sunlight... Unless if you were an avid cyclist or something, of which I am not.
William: Thanks for the info on the classic. One question for you... You say that you use the classic to charge your Centro. Do you use it as a top-off charger, or have you been able to use the classic for a complete recharge?
Maciej:
I really love your picture with the Tshirts. I'm actually thinking about making a photo montage video of all the entries. :o)
Unpleasantly for me little not I won it, because I still yesterday had huge hope that perhaps I will manage. But rivalry just relies on it:) congratulations for the winner :) Thx for fun competition Julie :)
Maciej.
Hi Julie,
I have owned a solio classic for over a year now. It is a fantastic bit of kit and I can tell you it is not picky about sunlight conditions like you describe with the H1000. It can charge even with very little sunlight. I charge my trusty Palm Centro with it every couple of days.
Keep up the great reviews !
Regards....Will
congratz dude , awesome idea.
Right On!!! (another leg joke?) Haha. This guy's got good humor. Ryan, cool nickname shipwreck, I am glad you won. As soon as I saw yours posted, that's when I got worried about getting bumped out of my first place spot...... ummm, maybe top 100? Have a giggity giggity good time with it!!! Congrats again, man!
Julie, the HYmini has a battery inside, while the miniSOLAR does not. if i remember, in the FAQ section, it mentions how much mAh the batter inside the HYmini is.
EDIT: Copied directly from the HTML version of the site:
1200 mAh built in lithium ion polymer rechargeable battery power bank.
5V adaptive 200~850mA output through USB 2.0. -----(output to device is USB) Built-in rechargeable battery inside the casing.
[Edited at May 15, 2008 22:06:31 PM.]
nice job! so simple but so cool! lol
Thanks for the help I got the app running on my Treo. I was a bit dismayed to see that it only works with accounts ending in @gmail.com and not the gmail for your domain accounts. Ahh well, back to the web interface.
Grats to you. I totally called that too. ^^
I figured I wouldn't win but it was fun anyways. Hope you enjoy your computer (Which I'm positive you will) and I am super envious now.
Steve:
Thanks for being a great sport!!!!
congrats man have fun with the computer. John and I had a lot of fun working on this.
Julie thanks for the opportunity!!!
Roy:
Unless I'm blind and missed it, there isn't any info about the power storage capacity of the HYmini and miniSOLAR products. Hmmmmm....
BL:
The Sunsei product does look very similar to the Solio. It says it has 135 mA. How does that compare to mAh? Hmmmmm....
322 and 329, in the final? I would of never imagined!
awww u got rid of my fav, the violin guy! lol
Thanks for the comments. Congrats to whoever wins. Anyway like Liz I am sitting at my computer hitting refresh. This is a pretty cool contest.
FYI the gadgeteer URL will be visible in the concrete that is poured using these forms. the only problem is that it will be backwards and most of the concrete work we are doing will be covered up by drywall.
Anyway congrats to whoever Julie picks as the winner.
[Edited at May 15, 2008 17:37:04 PM.]
[Edited at May 15, 2008 17:37:22 PM.]
Steve Thomas's submission is hard to top in both scale and effort.
I like the fact that the plywood used in Steve's photo can be used over and over again rather than being tossed into a trashcan as landfill fodder after the contest is over. The added benefit is "the-gadgeteer.com" as an advertising vehicle will also see repeated use.
way to go Steve!!
Even though i am a little disappointed that i did not get into the final six (starbucks entry), i think Ryan deserves to get the Dragon. Riding around Campus on a bike with a the-gadgeteer.com joke is great. But still, Thank you HP, Buzz Corp, The Gadgeteer and Julie for giving me a chance to win the Dragon.
[Edited at May 15, 2008 17:20:23 PM.]
The way I see is since this student (Me) isn't in the running let the other Student get it. Hope you win Liz!
i have been hitting refresh too often! haha. the suspense! also, i just noticed that i stupidly misspelled opportunity.
Liz Latsch and the Steve Thomas are my choice :) lets see who gets it
I checked out both websites mentioned in the 2 previous comments. The Sunsei looks like a scaled-down version of the hybrid Julie tested - wonder if it has the same limitations?
The HYmini looks like something I would definitely like to test to see if it really can power anything for very long. It's got solar power and wind power adapters, you can charge it on your pc/laptop, or in the wall plug. Heck! You can even hand crank the dang thing.
Now, all I need to know is if it is any better at powering up devices than the Solio.
yeah i know..... the rules said it was about getting attention to the site so i made a video that got over 1500 views in a few hours plus i posted bulletins on every site i could think of @__@ but i guess we had to do something crazy wish i would have known to start with -_- and to julie im sorry that my friend was driving you nuts with email, i didnt know that till now if it makes u feel any better i made sure hes not gonna bother you any more i changed his account password lol
[Edited at May 15, 2008 15:39:55 PM.]
Wow, I made the Top 25 with my cake!
Unfortunatley, well for me, I know I didn't make the final "cut" (<--cake humor) as the round of 12 is now out. To those in the top 12, I wish you luck.
I am rather sure that, if she could, Julie would have given everyone the HDX Dragon. But alas, her blessing is also her curse. Go easy on her and take your lumps like big kids.
I appreciate that I had the chance to participate in this contest. I am proud of my entry; it wont end up in a landfill, it stood out as a unique medium among other entries and I followed the rules. I had a blast designing it and though I didn't win the top prize, I feel as if I have won something through this contest. The cake was huge, too big for me (and man can i eat cake) and my family, so, i donated it to a local non-profit, public service agency. Nothing makes new friends like cake!
And speaking of new friends, I hope to make some here. Yes, I am setting up camp at the-gadgeteer.com! This site has a lot more to offer than just a chance to win a laptop. Pull up a chair and stay a while!
That being said, in closing, I offer the following advice; If you win, be humble. If you lose, be gracious. If you competed, be thankful!
shipwreckshipwreckshipwreck - most clever, imo
I had a pair of these which I loved. They sounded great, but the cloth covering is terrible about holding kinks near the plastic fittings and causing shorts in the wire. I' had to get my pair replaced once for that and it was ALSO the reason I quit using the replacements.
[Edited at May 15, 2008 15:10:05 PM.]
