Product Requirements:
Device:
Stowaway Folding Keyboard and various Palm and
Pocket PC PDAs
Are you one of the thousands of PDA users that also own the
Stowaway Folding Keyboard from
ThinkOutside?
Maybe you would like to replace the thin zippered pouch that was included with your
keyboard with something more substantial? Or maybe you would like to carry both
your PDA and the keyboard in one convenient case? If either of these criteria
fit you, then you might want to take a look at two cases currently being offered by
PDA BodyGuard.
BodyGuard Keyboard Case
For those of you that only need a case for your keyboard and not your PDA,
there is The BodyGuard Keyboard Case. This case is made of top grain premium
leather which is black in color with matching black stitching and a black zipper.
This case is simple and plain except for the TechMedia logo embossed on the
owner front corner of the case.
The inside of the case is accessed by a zipper which wraps around three sides
allowing it to open like a book. The zipper on my review sample had
smooth action and did not jam. The interior of the case is
also plain with a
black suede lining.
The back of the case has a belt loop so that you can transport the keyboard
on your belt. The bottom part of the loop is affixed to the case with Velcro so
that it can easily be removed or adjusted.
The Stowaway Folding Keyboard fits nicely in this case and is protected from
drops with padding and rigid inserts in both the front and back portions of the
case. I am confident that a keyboard housed in this case would survive a lengthy
drop to a hard surface without damage.
If I were to lose my original Stowaway zipper pouch, I would not hesitate to
purchase the BodyGuard Keyboard case as a replacement.
Price: $19.95
Pros:
Padded front and back
Belt Loop
Cons:
None
BodyGuard Keyboard Combo Case
For those of you that would like to carry both your PDA and keyboard at the same
time, there is the BodyGuard Keyboard Combo Case. This all-in-one keyboard and
PDA case looks like two of the keyboard cases reviewed above stacked on top of one another.
Like the keyboard case, this case is also made of top grain premium leather and
is black in color with matching black stitching.
Both portions of the case have their own access zippers. The top half of this
case is the PDA portion. It is lined in black leather and has two Velcro squares
to allow you to attach your PDA if you desire. The left half of the PDA case has
3 card slots and one large paper or currency area. A separate stylus pocket is
sewn into the middle of the case.
I did find a problem with the card slots. Regular sized business cards (3.5 x
2in) will not fit in the slots. However, plastic credit cards will work fine.
I tried all the PDAs that I had access to in this case. The Compaq iPAQ, Visor Prism,
Casio E-115, Palm m100, Palm VII and Palm m505 all fit just fine in the PDA area
of this combo case.
The keyboard section of this case is identical to the keyboard case reviewed
above. And like that product, this one also has an adjustable velcroed belt loop.
Due to the thickness of this case, I doubt if most people would ever want to
carry it on their belt, but that option is there if needed.
The BodyGuard Keyboard Combo Case is a simply styled case that will work well
for those of you that would like to carry both a PDA and keyboard at the same
time.
Price: $29.95
Pros:
Convenient way to carry keyboard and PDA together
Cons:
Thick
Product Information
| Price: | 29.95 |
| Manufacturer: | PDA Bodyguard |
| Pros: |
|
| Cons: |
|
Gadgeteer Comment Policy - Please read before commenting
Post your comments here on the FORYOU DV-200 In-Dash Car DVD AV Stereo.
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Just click the POST REPLY button on this page.
I can’t remember if this is Steve’s first review, but if it is, GREAT JOB.
Just what i’d expect from a gadget guy.
Where can I find your LCD monitor? Can you tell us more about it? It looks quite handy!
TIA,
-khom
forrman,
Yep, it was my first review. Thanks for the kind words.
khom,
Last month my mother-in-law bought a Mobile DVD player for $399 from either Costco or Sam’s Club for my stepdaughter. It came with a spare monitor that you can hang on the back of the seat, so that is the one I used.
The brand name is g2g GEAR and the Model# is TDB2568. I tried finding that brand on Costco and Sam’s websites and did a search on google but came up empty.
Here’s the Distributor info out of the owner’s manual.
Nissho Iwai American Corporation (NIAC)
645 Tank Farm Road, Unit 1
San Luis Obispo, California 93401
1-866-607-8867
Steve
hi,
its about time the gadgeteer got some ICE (in car entertainment) otherwise known as car gadgtes.
thx for the review.
mag,
I agree, there are plenty of gadgets for the automobile. Glad you enjoyed the review.
Steve
Hi
Does the FORYOUDV-200 display the ID3 tags when playing MP3’s
Great review by the way
Hanley
anyone???
Hanley,
I’ll make an Mp3 CD today and let you know. Sorry one of us didn’t get back with you sooner. 😮
Judie :0)
Bueller, Bueller? :confused:
Hanley,
I was unable to get an MP3 CD to play in the unit at all, much less display ID3 tags.
Try contacting the distrubutor,
http://merconnet.com/
huze24
I looked at merconnet.com and it states that it plays MP3’s on DVD-R so I’d assume it would play CD also!!!
However, if it plays MP3’s and doesn’t display the ID3 tag….what’s the point?
I’ll see if Judie can test it and may purchase one this week
Hanley
😀
Hanley,
I made the CD and Steve tested it, but it wouldn’t play MP3s from a CDR, much less display any tags…so that may be the one thing this unit can’t do. If it isn’t a deal breaker for you, then I think you will enjoy the DV-200 – Steve sure loves his.
Judie :0)
Taken from http://www.merconnet.com/products.php?ProductID=216
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
If what you want is good, dependable CD sound and video image in your car, the DVD 200 is ready to deliver. The DVD 200 is an in-dash CD/DVD deck with a detachable face design. It features 160 watts of power, excellent DVD image, radio receiver, and much more. Available July 16th. For those who want to know if this item plays MP3 files on DVD-Rs, the answer is yes!
Sounds a bit dodgy to me!!!
It is clearly advertised as an MP3 player.
Hmmmm – but it says it will play Mp3s from a DVD-R…is that the same as a CD-R?
Since I have had a few people email me with questions regarding this unit I thought I would post the Tech Support links for both the distributor and manufacturer of the DV-200.
Hanley,
In the past I have had car audio MP3 players reject some discs. Some CD players don’t like certain brands of discs. I don’t keep a supply of every manufacturer’s blank CD lying around so I wasn’t able to test the DV-200 with another brand/manufacturer’s disc.
When in doubt, I say go straight to the source. Here are the links to the Tech Support at Merconnet and FORYOU. One of them will be able to answer your question definitively. 😉
http://merconnet.com/support.php
http://www.foryouge.com/doce/contact.html
Steve
Just as an FYI, there’s a technical error in the FORYOU DV-200 review. Specifically, you (Steve?) mention that “DVD’s produce better sound quality than CD’s anyway” which is simply incorrect. The link is to DVD-Audio which is not the same as the audio portion of a DVD-Video disc. DVD-Audio is one of two emerging audio technologies (the other being SACD) which promise to provide both higher digital resolution than the 16-bit/44.1kHz CD standard and multi-channel source material. DVD-Video CAN contain stereo PCM audio (at 16-bit/48kHz) for the audio portion, but it’s VERY uncommon… generally only seen on concert videos, and not even most of those. (See “Ben Folds – Live” as an example.)
Most DVD-Video discs use Dolby AC-3 and/or DTS compression formats. Just like MPEG technology used for MP3s, these are lossy compression algorithms which attempt to throw away just the data we wouldn’t hear anyway… but while the audio on DVD movies generally sounds great, I wouldn’t go so far to say that it sounds better than CD. If you have a multi-channel playback system, then sure… hearing those effects panning around the room is awesome, and probably enough of a distraction that you won’t notice the subtle but very real loss of sound quality that the compression technologies give us.
And just in case this doesn’t sound right… think of it this way:
A single layer DVD could contain a 2 hour movie (or even more depending on the video compression rate). That’s 4.7GB. If we used CD-quality 16-bit PCM 2-channel audio, that two hour movie would use a little over 1GB just for the audio. And if we wanted rear channels, subwoofer and center channel all at the same bit rate… well there goes the room for the video.
DVD-Audio should be awesome since it’s dedicating all that space on the disc to JUST audio. 🙂 Unfortunately, most DVD players don’t play these discs. Those that do should bear the “DVD-Audio” logo and a significantly higher price tag. 🙁 Pioneer seems to be the one pushing DVD-Audio, and Sony is behind SACD (Super Audio CD). See http://www.hometheatermag.com/hirezaudio/ for an intro to DVD-A and SACD.
Sorry to pick nits… great review otherwise!
– Jason
Jason,
I have plenty of concert DVD’s that I listen to on a multi-channel surround system, and the DV-200 is capable of playing DVD’s in 5.1 DD or DTS surround sound. That is definitely my preferred method of listening.
So when I made the statement “DVD’s produce better sound quality than CD’s anyway” it was one of personal opinion. You know what they say, when it comes to personal opinion you’re always correct.
As for which format really sounds better, if you don’t have the proper stereo equipment and speakers to accurately reproduce that sound to begin with, (The average citizen falls under this category) then it’s a moot point. 😉
Cheers,
Steve
We bought it a month ago from merconnet after reading the review.
Now…
EVERY 5 minutes the radio does : “BAT ERROR” and resets.
Mail to merconnet is never answered, foryou doesn’t answer…
1 month and I will be with the rest of the garbage !! 😡
Here is the e-mail of a live human being at Merconnet: Irwin Loy,
ir***@me*******.com
It just sounds like you got a bad unit, I am sure that they will take care of you.
Judie :0)
mail is sended, now hoping they reply…:(
Thx in advance,
Jochen
jochenandries:
Send your email to : Johanna Garcia [jo***@me*******.com]
instead. Irwin recently left Merconnet.
Thanks Julie! :0)
done !
Well, what happend to the support question?
Is the receiver DVD-player worth the money?
BTW, does it come with a ISO contact used in modern cars?
I have been looking around for such a beast that has a DVD-player and can play MP3 from DVD-R, and everything else in the same class costs at least the double. I don’t care about video playing yet, as I don’t have kids 🙂
The nearest I can find that suits my taste is Pioneer DVH-P5000MP.
And interesting enought you can find it for $400 in US, but in Euroland you can only find it for €700 or more! And many of those US companies won’t sell it outside US/Canada. Free market? Where?
But if the DV-200 doesn’t work as it is supposed, its not worth a single pound/euro/dollar.
I didn’t get any answer at all :confused:
And no ISO-connectors ! But that should not be a problem at all.
But don’t expect any support 🙁
Jochen
Does the DV-200 can read all DVD Video ?
Hello,
I want buy a “FORYOU DV-200 In-Dash Car DVD AV Stereo
“. But some people told me that it’s not a good Car DVD AV Stereo.
Please, give me your opinion on the “FORYOU DV-200 In-Dash Car DVD AV Stereo
” !
Thanks,
Olivier