4 out of 5 stars

Originally designed and engineered to work with an Apple iPhone 3Gs , the Tiffen Steadicam Smoothee has filled the need for stabilizing video shot with mobile smartphones and pocket cameras. The Smoothee’s design is based on the same Steadicam technology used regularly in Hollywood and with handheld video cameras stabilizers like the Steadicam Merlin.

Selling for about $180, the Smoothee helps smartphone and pocket camcorder users improve their results by smoothing out any camera shake where movement takes place while capturing the moment. The Smoothee can be used with the Apple iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 (and now, iPhone 4S), the iPod Touch, and the Flip Mino pocket video cameras. Tiffen has also hinted at additional model compatibility planned which will make it advantageous for users of such cameras like the GoPro HD and Android users who would like to have a mobile stabilizer to help smooth out their video clips.

But while Tiffen claims that the Smoothee can be used right out of the box with great results , it requires some set up which may cause new users to feel frustrated with the learning curve. Here’s a few thoughts we have on the Smoothee and how well it works…

Setup

Tiffen says the Smoothee can easily be used to get perfect results “right out of the box and on the go.” But the Smoothee must be balanced and leveled once an iPhone or Flip camera is installed. Thankfully, that’s what the trim knobs on the side and back are for.  They perform this function well and there isn’t a shifting of weights to accomplish this balancing act. And every time you switch out cameras for a different model, you will have to re-trim the device.

Practice Technique

Additionally, the Smoothee does need some practice to refine the technique needed to control it and to prevent the camera from drifting on the gimble.   There are at least 3 different ways that you can control the Smoothee – one handed, one handed with the gimble resting between finger and thumb, and two handed.  Your mileage may vary as to which will work best, but once you have your technique down, with practice the drift is sure to be a thing of the past. It’s a very good idea to read the manual completely, watch some of the online videos, and then go out and do plenty of practicing before taking the Smoothee on vacation or for a family gathering.

Additional thoughts

A few thoughts on the custom Smoothee cradles …. it’s obvious that iPhones don’t come with a tripod mount natively, requiring some sort of cradle option to mount it on the Smoothee.  And the Smoothee’s cradle works really well. But the custom cradle for the Mino and other compact cameras (which sell for about $25 a piece) strike me as simply an attempt to make users buy more accessories. Cameras that already have a tripod mount could easily benefit from a universal, quick release mount, which is the accepted standard on tripods everywhere. And since today’s point and shoot cameras are rivaling camcorders with quality 1080p video, Tiffen is shortchanging customers by not having a point and shoot option.  That’s too bad.

The Steadicam Smoothee is a great mobile device, but it isn’t foldable, making it a challenge to pack when traveling. The ergonomic gimble handle can be stowed into travel position, but that doesn’t make the Smoothee any smaller in the suitcase.  And users hoping to push the envelope, and opt for a camcorder or DSLR, will need to spend a bit more and invest in the Steadicam Merlin as the Smoothee simply isn’t designed or balanced for anything outside the mobile arena.

Even with its quirks the Steadicam Smoothee can help video fans take better video by removing any camera shake when trying to capture a moment on the go. And with patient practice, it’s likely that even by pulling it out of the case, a user will be able to get a balanced, steady image, with a quick turn of a knob. But if you’re expecting to get instant results out of the box, you may be in for a frustrating beginning.

Pros:

• robust design
• balancing trim knobs
• works as advertised

Cons:

• Proprietary cradles, no universal camera mount
• learning curve
• a bit pricey ($189)

Final rating:  Even though it has some drawbacks, they aren’t deal breakers by any means, so we give the Smoothee a rating of 4/5 stars.

You can buy the Steadicam Smoothee at Amazon for $179.95.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Pros:

• Moving Swarovski crystals, who doesn’t like that
• Genuine leather strap
• Sturdy and hefty build

Cons:

• Too much bling (the cheaper model doesn’t have crystals surrounding the bevel)
• Heavy
• Only keeps the time

Into bling? Than say hello to Phosphor’s Appear watches, originally named Reveal. What makes this time piece unique is that the face of the watch is packed with Swarovski crystals that physically move to display the time. It works by emitting an electrical pulse that generates an electromagnetic field that changes the position of the crystals. A flicking noise accompanies the movement, which can be viewed in seconds or minutes, depending on your tolerance for such a sound.

In the hand the Appear watch is a sturdy and hefty piece of kit. The model I received included a strap finished in candy apple red. Mind you it’s genuine leather, – even says so on the back – despite the shiny look.

The watch itself is relatively thick and the bevel is finished in two rows of crystals, which for some will be appealing given it’s “blingy” nature, while others, me included, while find it off putting. After all, too much of anything can become a bad thing.
Two buttons on the side allow you to manipulate the watch’s display. The top button turns the display on and off. In off mode only white crystals appear, but from an angle it’s easy to see where the time, or the moving crystals, would appear. The lower button, when held down, enters you into clock setting mode, and also switches between time and seconds mode when tapped. After a about 20 seconds in ‘seconds mode’ the watch will automatically revert to the regular clock mode, which I assume is by design to save on battery life.

There is no disputing that bling is in. Chances are if you’re considering buying this watch you’re into to that type of look. So what I think it terms of aesthetics is moot. While the feature set is very limited of the Appear watch, it exudes a massive wow and cool factor that even the most decked out hip hop artists and media moguls will have a hard time eclipsing.

You can buy the Phosphor Appear watch direct starting at $199.

5 out of 5 stars

As a proponent of the medium, I find almost nothing better than listening to criticisms of gaming from those who rally against the activity. Misguided and uninformed opinions are often the loudest and most pervasive made via mainstream media, labeling videogames as gratuitous vehicles for violence and wasted time. Yet, it’s these very kind of slanderous attacks which don’t care to recognize and overlook games like LittleBigPlanet 2.

Well beyond a passive bit of entertainment, Media Molecule’s thriving franchise builds on a formula that didn’t really need much change with small tweaks and a few additions. It’s still not a perfect product, but thanks to its all-ages accessibility, quirky aesthetic and “PLAY, CREATE, SHARE” model, LittleBigPlanet 2 shows off how imaginative and interactive gaming can be, and why it should be an ambassador to show the mainstream public what it means to be a hardcore gamer.

More iteration than innovation, LBP2 is an evolution of a sequel when compared to the series’ premiere. Though most of the novel charm has worn off simply because the first game introduced so much new content and platforming ingenuity, LBP2 doesn’t fail to impress. Between a more story-driven direction and finely voice-acted cutscenes, the game comes together as a whole experience instead of a piecemeal collection of levels and mini-challenges.

This time around, Sackboy (sometimes referred to as a more gender neutral Sack-thing or Sack-person) finds a purpose in Craftworld by helping an alliance of Creative Curators (dubbed “The Alliance”) fend off an all-consuming evil force, The Negativitron. Hopping from one patchwork level to the next takes you across themed worlds culminating in a battle against the Negativitron itself. You’re still running from one side of the screen to the other to collect score bubbles, stickers and objects, but there’s more of a reason in doing so that fits in perfectly with the bright, varied and colorful decor.

While platforming is the mainstay, the new game engine allows for a change in perspective, making room for top-down and side-scrolling instances. LBP2 is easily a more comprehensive and nuanced action game than its predecessor, set to wonderfully amusing soundtrack.

To help get you to the final showdown, new gadgets continue to liven up the experience. A paint gun isn’t the Avatar Previously Known as Sackboy’s only tool this time around, as bounce pads, grappling hooks, power gloves, helmets that shoot anything but bullets, and lemming-like Sackbots create new ways to interact with the three-planed levels. Traversing the fore, middle and back grounds can still be a bit treacherous when pitfalls are involved due to some squirrely physics and automatic changes in plane placement, but the gameplay and gadgetry are anything but gimmicky. They also create a host of new possibilities in the game’s deeper, more involved creative side.

Fundamentally, playing LBP2 is much the same as the first outting, but creating levels and sharing them with a dedicated community is where the sequel really shines in its newness. Up to the game’s launch, Sony boasted there to be over 2.5 million levels created by gamers with LBP‘s in-game tools. It’s an impressive number with creations ranging from levels that play themselves to numerous “Star Wars” inspirations. More impressive, however, is all of that content can be accessed through the sequel and updated by their creators using its new tool set. Now, that entire level made just to play the Super Mario Bros. theme song can be consolidated into a single MIDI for an SMB themed level with a music sequencer using a range of instruments and a full scale. The game’s new engine also gives greater depth in visual fidelity and more textures to incorporate.

To find these user-created masterpieces, revamped interfaces are more functional in filtering through newly added, favorite, and featured content. Ultimately, it’s likely a day won’t go by where you can’t easily discover and play something fresh that’s made by someone not on Media Molecule or SCE’s payroll.

And just like its predecessor, LBP2 encourages friendly play. The addition of structured competitive and cooperative mini-games are obvious inclusions that may not be as addictive as, say, Fusion Frenzy, but they showcase what can be done. Not to mention, accessing these side-romps can require some partnering up in the story missions, which can be done with three other players either locally or through quick online matchmaking at a level’s entrance. Also, if you have a few extra Move units (five in total), you can play around with the PSN-released Sackboy’s Prehistoric Moves. More a tech demo of the Move with LBP, it’s easy to bypass, but not an unwelcome inclusion.

Between it’s age-appropriate concepts and deep creation mechanics, LittleBigPlanet 2 is the ideal family game—seriously. It’s possible someone out there could have issues with it, but how couldn’t a Sack-thing’s puppy-like grin break the staunchest of opposition? Fine, maybe those who didn’t find much excitement from the first game won’t be culled to the Imagisphere with this return to Craftworld, but even they should appreciate LBP2 for what it is and what it’s capable of doing.

You can buy the Standard Edition ($57.99, reg. $59.99) and Collector’s Edition ($69.99, reg. $79.99) of LittleBigPlanet 2 from Amazon.

MiLi’s latest battery pack for the iPhone 3G and 3Gs, the Power Skin, is black, simple and easy to use.  It has an on/off switch and four LED lights to indicate its remaining charge.  MiLi claims that it has 1200 mah, just 19 mAh short of the iPhone 3Gs’ battery.  During my testing, with WiFi and Edge connectivity turned on, I was able to recharge my iPhone to just 75% of its available capacity.  In the past we’ve tested MiLi’s other products and found some variability in the output.  Keep in mind it all depends on how much your taxing your phone’s battery, but 75% seems a bit weak, especially with a claim of 1200 mAh.

Battery juice issues aside the MiLi’s battery packs form factor is relatively slender and includes a complete case that protects the back and outer edges of the phone.  It’s not shockingly thin and won’t wow you over their other iteration or other battery packs on the market.  Included in the box is what MiLi is calling the world’s smallest iPhone plug, the Pocketpal, and we’d have to agree.

The Mili Powerskin and Pocketpal can be bought separately for $70 and $20, or together for a special price of $80.

Amazon has the case for just $37.

Pros:

• Slender and well built
• LED light show juice remaining
• On/off switch

Cons:

• Only charged 3Gs 75%
• Case doesn’t protect screen

NOTE: This review is very much subjective and does not include official screen tests and benchmarks.  The LG E2350 was tested using a Macbook Pro (pre unibody) and an Xbox 360.

The LG Flatron E2350V is a 23-inch LED backlit LCD monitor featuring a black glossy frame.  It includes a stand, a touch control system and DVI cord in the box.  The monitor’s depth is 17.5mm and weighs just under 7 pounds.  Inputs include HDMI, DVI and VGA.  There are no speakers.

Official specs include a 1920×1080 resolution, 250 cd/m2 brightness, 1000:1 contrast ratio, 5ms response time and 68% color gamut.

The lower right corner of the monitor sports 7 touch buttons, one of which is used to toggle the power on and off.  Touch any of these (except the power button) and it will bring up the E2350′s internal menu.  We’re not huge fans of most touch controls since we find them more challenging to use than convenient, but all in all LG’s version was relatively pain free.  In this particular instance the touch controls help maintain the monitor’s aesthetic by not disrupting the frame’s glossy black finish.  If you so choose you can turn off the power and menu button indicator lights, which stream lines the black frame all the more.

The included stand doesn’t offer much in the ways of adjustability.  You can’t rotate or increase the stands height.  What you can do, though, is tilt the stand back and forth.  There is a button locking mechanism which allows for about a 15 degree variability in angle.  Push the button at the rear of the stand and you can kick the monitor back up to 90 degrees making it parallel to the floor.  For what purpose we don’t know, but we guess it’s nice to have the option.  The stand won’t fall over from an accident bump, but will wobble around.

If you’re concerned about your energy consumption, and eyes, LG offers a feature that monitors the content being viewed and adjusts its brightness accordingly.  If this feature is enabled you will not be able to manually adjust the monitor’s brightness level. This feature will also monitor the ambient light in the room and should turn down the brightness if you go from a well light work space to a dark work space and vice versa.

As with LCD monitors viewing angle is always limited.  Surprisingly, the E2350 was still visible from about a 30 degree angle, although brightness and clarity were significantly diminished.

In terms of all over visual performance the E2530 faired pretty well.  The blacks were very black and the colors, while not eye popping, held up well and seemed to accurately represent the RGB spectrum.  For the most part, though, the E2350′s brightness was lacking, which ironically maybe a contributor to its solid black levels.

Visually text was not as clear when compared to my Macbook Pro’s monitor and appeared to have some convergence issues, displaying a slight ghosting effect.  Another hurdle we faced was finding a sweet spot for the contrast.  Set too high and the light grays were washed out of the screen.  Set too low and the monitor would become uselessly dark.

We connected the E2350v to an Xbox 360 and checked out MW2.  While useable for gaming, the colors and overall image were lack luster compared to some bigger screen LCD LED TVs, such as Samsung’s UN46C6300.

Overall the LG Flatron E2350v is decent monitor.  We largely used it a second screen and it served it’s purpose well.  Web videos, such as Youtube seemed to be impacted most by the screen’s lack luster brightness.  The text convergence issue made it challenging for long term reading, so if you’re a big blog reader or like to get your news online you might want to look else where for an LCD monitor.

Amazon has it for $280.

Pros:

• Good blacks
• Slim design
• Easy to use

Cons:

• Poor contrast ratio
• Text appeared to have convergence issues
• Stand lacks height and rotation adjustment

In the 80s and 90s Sony dominated the portable media player market.  Then Apple came along and released the iPod.  Ever since Sony has been scrapping to keep pace and finally, after many years of denial, started building iPod compatible stereos, docks and bedside alarm clocks.  So does the Sony’s NWZ-W252 Walkman even warrant a look?

Fortunately, the day after I ran my iPod Shuffle through the washing machine, the NWZ-W252 showed up at my door.  So there couldn’t have been a better time to review the MP3 player.  The first thing I noticed about the Sony NWZ-W252 is that there are no cords to manage.  I ride a bike and always listen to my Shuffle or my iPhone while commuting to and fro.  More often than not the cords get tangled in my helmet, which may seem like a petty concern, but when it happens time after time I assure you it is not.  Everything needed to listen to the NWZ-W252 is contained directly in the headphones themselves, which includes all the necessary controls as well as a USB port for transferring and charging the device.

Use a Mac and iTunes?  No problem.  The NWZ-W252 is completely compatible.  The included software doesn’t support Mac OS X, but fortunately you can just drag and drop tracks directly from iTunes to the player (it holds roughly 1.68GB of music), which mounts as a flash drive on your desktop.  That’s it.  There is nothing more to do or any drivers to install.  Sony tossed in some additional software to facilitate transfers, but it’s PC compatible only, so I couldn’t review that.

A 3 minute charge can provide the NWZ-W252 with up to 90 minutes of playback time.  However, a 1.5 hour charge, a complete charge, can provide up to 11 hours.  I used my NWZ-W252 10 times for an hour at a time until I had to recharge the player.  This is on spec with Sony’s website.  When the battery begins to die the LED light changes from green to orange to red and the headphones emit a beeping noise.

The NWZ-W252 weighs 1.6oz (43 grams).  While significantly heavier than most headphones, they’re surprising comfortable and remained in my ears through most activies, though this didn’t include running since I loathe that activity.  Sony has engineered the NWZ-W252 to with stand moisture, which means you can sweat all you want and they’ll keep pumping out tunes.

Since the NWZ-W252 lacks a display, Sony has built a proprietary music scanning system called Zappin.  When engaged – you press and hold the play/pause button for a second or two – a voice says “Zappin in”.  It chooses a small snippet from each track and plays it.  Once you’ve found a song of interest you simply hit the play/pause button to deactivate the option, which is followed by the same voice stating “Zappin Out”.  It’s all rather cheesy, but hey, it works.

You can opt to listen to all your music or shuffle from song-to-song.  During my experience both options produced a shuffle play, which leads me to believe that the NWZ-W252 plays music by the order in which it is added, not by artist.  I didn’t like this since logic says that ‘all play’ should group or play by band, which in turn allows you to find tracks by a particular artist more easily.

The sound quality of the NWZ-W252 is well on par with most of today’s top headphones and MP3 players.  Personally, it thought it lacked bass, while Jeff felt as though it sufficed in the lower frequency department.  Bass on ear bud headphones can be very subjective as each person’s ear canals are shaped differently and thus provide a different level of bass response.  Sony provides up to 3 ear bud attachments to help quell this problem.   To much dismay the NWZ-W252 lacks an EQ function so there was no help there.

The only drawback of the of the NWZ-W252 is the way it looks when worn.  Which I should note is a completely subjective statement.  It can be best described as wearing a bluetooth headset on each ear.  Yeah, it looks that bad.  But than again the NWZ-W252 is intended for working out, so really this is a some what moot point.

So despite Sony struggling to find their niche in the portable media player market, the NWZ-W252 receives high marks for a solid sound performance, a decent battery life and easy operation. While it won’t supersede my iPhone for day-to-day casual listening, it’s a exceptional device and should be considered well before Apple’s latest iPod Shuffle.

A variety of sellers on Amazon sell it for about $60.

Pros:

• Super easy to use, even with a Mac & iTunes
• Solid sound quality
• Decent battery life

Cons:

• No display
• Just 1.68GB of storage
• Shuffle function flawed

Is there a practical application to the portable projector? You bet your ass there is. But it all depends on who you are and what you’re doing.

For the last few weeks I’ve been testing out 3M’s Mpro150 Pico Projector. It’s a pocket sized device with its own UI and rechargeable battery. It has a mini VGA input, micro-USB port, microSD card slot and headphone jack. included in the box is a VGA to mini-VGA, RCA to mini-VGA, AC plug and tripod. The AC charger is modular and includes a variety of plugs for international travel.

The projector’s body is finished in a rubber coating and features a small kickstand on its stomach. From a portability stand point the projector is pocket sized and weighs no more than an smartphone with the battery installed, 5.6oz to be exact.

The top of the device sports a set of buttons for navigating the Mpro 150′s menus. In addition to a directional pad with an ‘ok’ button there is a back button as well as a focus wheel, which is situated next to the lens. There is also a small speaker, which lacks any level of fidelity but is great in a pinch.

The MPro 150 supports MS Word, MS PowerPoint, MS Excel and Adobe PDF files. That means you can copy your presentation to a microSD card slot or its 1GB of built-in storage, and without the use of a computer (or any cords) walk your clients through a ‘deck’. It also supports BMP and JPG files for picture viewing and a variety of video and audio formats (MP3, MPEG4, H.264, AAC and WMA).

In terms of specs the battery is rated for up to 120 minutes of continuos use with a 3 hour recharge time (90 minutes on high brightness). The LED lamp, which is good for up to 15,000 hours and can produce 15 lumens, can project up to a 50 inch image with a max resolution of 1280×800.

In use the Mpro 150 is very simple and straight forward. You can attach an external device such as a computer or iPhone (I bought the necessary cables) or just plug the projector into your computer’s USB port and transfer a variety of files to its 1GB of storage.

I loaded the following files on the MPro 150: Microsoft Word document, PDF, video file and JPG. They all worked flawlessly, though some took longer than others to load. If need be you can magnify the documents up to 3 times (2x, 4x and 8x) and pan and scroll using the directional pad. In the event the font used in the document isn’t supported, the MPro 150 will automatically substitute it for a compatible one.

Start up time for the MPro 150 isn’t instantaneous, but fast enough – probably about 20 seconds – which isn’t that much of a difference from a normal sized projector.

After about 5 minutes of use the MPro 150 activates an internal fan to help it keep cool. While I’m sure it is necessary it was annoying since it emitted a reasonably loud buzzing sound. Adding insult to injury if you move the projector while the fan is running it sounded as if it is was grinding plastic, leading me to believe that the fan would eventually wear down and break.

As with any portable you’ll have to be willing to make a sacrifice in terms of features and power. The MPro 150 has an extremely strong feature set which should appeal to any business class user. But where it falls short – when compared to a larger projector – is its brightness. There are two brightness settings, but no matter what lighting situation you’re in you’ll want to use the brightest setting, which will still require you to be in an almost blacked out room. Otherwise the images will be washed out and make it challenging to view what is being projected. And as with any projector, as the image size increases so does the brightness, so you’ll need a pitch black room to even think about displaying a 50-inch screen.

The battery life is on par with the manufacturer’s rating. I was a bit disappointed that the package didn’t include a more advanced computer (VGA) hookup. Although I didn’t drop the MPro 150 its build felt sturdy enough to take a few tumble and there is no doubt that the rubber finish would help soften the blow. I particularly liked that they included a mini tripod in the package, which can be used with other devices such as cameras anything sporting a standard tripod screw hole.

3M MPro 150 has all sort of practical business applications, which is clearly the market is targeted for. But that isn’t to say it couldn’t be purchased for personal use, though I think one would be hard pressed to use it on a regular basis. The rechargeable battery, microSD card slot, built-in 1GB of memory and variety of connectivity options makes the MPro an easy choice for anyone running around from pitch to pitch.

You can buy the MPro 150 at Amazon for $354.

Pros:

• Built-in battery and 1GB of memory
• Rubber finish
• Includes RCA, 2GB microSD card and VGA cords

Cons:

• Requires a very dark room
• VGA cord is antiquated
• High price tag

I covered the initial impressions in my last review so let’s get right to the 13.3″ touchscreen. It’s a non-glossy matte screen so glare is pretty much not an issue. Fingerprints? Not a problem, unless you’re touching the screen with your grubby little hands after a late night KFC 14-piece extra crunchy bucket binge. Screen images/text look good but there’s a certain “faded” quality that I can’t quite place–definitely not as vibrant as other laptop screens I’ve seen (an iPad it’s not) but it certainly gets the job done.

So what can you do with the touchscreen? Well, you can start/close programs by tapping; scroll through websites and menus using directional swipes; expand/shrink images using the multitouch “pinch” gesture; waste hours and hours oohing and aahing over the included touch-enhanced fish pond screensaver; or close your eyes, pretend really, really hard it’s an iPad and type messages using the onscreen virtual keyboard.

Now, this is all well and good but after using the touchscreen for a while I often found myself asking, “and exactly why would I want to touch the screen when I could easily click it with a mouse?” and, “why am I such a moron for smearing chicken grease all over the screen?” Definitely some valid questions when you consider Windows 7 wasn’t designed from the ground up to be a touchscreen OS. Sure, it’s cool using gestures to control the GUI but it gets old and tiring after a while–not so much Toshiba’s fault but more of a Windows 7 design issue, IMHO.

Application performance is decent but one would expect that with an Intel Core i5-430M processor and 4GBs of memory. Gaming performance is absolutely riveting…if you’re playing the original Doom or Pacman. In other words, this doesn’t run modern games all too well as evidenced by my feeble attempt at running the latest Command and Conquer RTS at full settings. Words such as molasses, wet paint, and “405 traffic” come to mind. Again, one would expect this due to lack of video processing power on the integrated Intel HD Graphic card.

One last thing I’m going to mention is the sound quality. The stereo speakers are actually quite good for a laptop and sound fairly decent but, again, they’re laptop speakers so don’t expect to be blown away.

To sum up, the Toshiba Satellite U505-S2010 with Touchscreen is a good multimedia-centric laptop with solid build quality, responsive touchscreen, decent application performance, and ok gaming performance. It’s a bit hefty and the fans are a bit loud but, hey, that’s what you get in a desktop replacement. If you’re thinking about buying one primarily for the touchscreen, don’t. Buy an iPad or wait until Microsoft incorporates better touch UI features.

Good day, all you GR fans. We got our hands on the new Toshiba Satellite U505 Touchscreen (literally) and here’s a few of our thoughts. My first impression after opening the nicely packaged box was, “holy five stacks of iPads, Batman!”, this thing is pretty thick! Then I realized it had a touchscreen, all kinds of glow in the dark multimedia buttons, and rather largish built in speakers with a snazzy ”Dolby Sound Room” label. “Ah, hah!”, I thought, this must be one of those rare desktop-replacing, skin-scorching multimedia laptops that’s meant to cut all blood flow to your lap. Very cool.

Build quality is excellent, I must say. The laptop body has a nicely textured finish with an almost leathery feel. When you pick it up, it just has that solid heft to it, sorta like picking up a concrete slab; you just know it’s not going to break (easily). The screen hinge is very solid as well–you’re not going to shake, rattle, or roll anything when closing the lid.

Feature-wise this thing is loaded with a very respectable Intel Core i5 processor, 13.3″ widescreen WXGA Touchscreen, 4GB DDR3 RAM, 500GB Hard Drive, an ultra-cool slot-loading DVD SuperMulti Drive, LED backlit keyboard, stereo speakers, webcam, and more.

My recommendation is to plonk it down on a nice, solid desk and leave it there to enjoy the performance of this very capable multimedia-centric laptop. Definitely not for the weak of mind…or lap.

Will keep you posted with updates on the touchscreen usability and performance on Windows 7.

Surprisingly the wireless charging market has not been over saturated.  Palm made big news two years ago when they announced the Palm PRE, a phone that included its very own inductive charging system.  This past year, at CES, Case-mate introduced their HUG case and charger for the iPhone.  It accomplishes the same feat at Powermat‘s solution, but is built specifically for the iPhone, though other cases are due.

I could sit here and talk about build quality and aesthetics, but there is one elephant in the room: does the Hug effectively charge the iPhone?  Not really.  In my testing, against the Powermat, the Case-mate Hug took more than 3o minutes longer to charge my iPhone from a completely dead battery to a full charge.

In both testing instances I drained my iPhone 3Gs’ battery to the point where the iPhone would no longer power up.  I then attached the case and placed it on the included charging stand.  I immediately snapped my first pic, which as you can see is time coded for proof.  Additionally, once the phone powered on you can see the time of day, which doubles as credibility to the amount of time the iPhone took to charge on both platforms.

Case-mate Hug

• Start time: 1:19PM
• End Time: 4:09
• Total time: 2:50

Powermat

• Star time: 9:19pm
• End Time: 11:39pm
• Total Time: 2:20

I’m not sure why the Case-mate took longer, but since it costs less and it isn’t their core business I can only assume that the components used are cheaper.  But, keep in mind that since Case-mate is part of the wireless power consortium, the Hug and the mat should be compatible with other products and manufactures that have joined this group.  Ostensibly, airports, coffee shops and more could adopt the same technology and then just by placing your phone onto a Hug compatible table/charger you could charge your device on the go without having to pull out a cord.

Pocket wise the Hug is a little bulky for my liking.  For that reason I didn’t keep the case on my iPhone unless I was charging it.  The bottom piece fixes to the phone by itself, though the top piece, a small piece of plastic completes the aesthetic and snaps into the bottom piece to form a complete case.  The top piece felt a bit flimsy and I got the feeling it could snap during one wrong insert (and it’s probably easy to lose).

Until Apple and other manufacturers build this functionality into the phone itself (like Palm) the convenience is very minimal (Powermat recently introduced a set of batteries that are compatible with their system).  And even then you still have to place the phone or device onto a physical mat, something that many will find is not all that convenient.  The Case-mate Hug all but completely failed me, and at an almost 4 hour charge time it might as well have.

Note: The Case-mate test is shown with just 3G connectivity while the Powermat test with WiFi. While a 3G only signal draws more power it shouldn’t cause such a vast difference in charge times, so I’d say the point is moot.

Pros:

• Part of Wireless Power Consortium
• Lower price than competition
• Protective case

Cons:

• Took almost 3 hours for a complete charge
• Top piece of case is flimsy
• Case is so bulky defeats iPhone slimness

Update: There is something wrong with the time lapse sequence – it’s cutting off the last frame so you can’t see the final and complete charge time.

I’ve never been one to stray off the path of the proprietary console controller, but recently I had the opportunity to test out the Thrustmaster Limited Edition Ferrari PS3/PC Gamepad.  While I enjoyed a couple key aspects of this gamepad, I think PC gamers will have a better time with this than controller, but that is probably based on sheer lack of better available controllers for that platform.

First off, the controller requires a USB dongle in addition to two AAA batteries to operate.  One or the other would have been cooler, but both is a little lame.  Without Bluetooth functionality you can’t turn on the PS3 so you’ve got to either turn the PS3 on through an additional controller, the Bluetooth remote or at the console itself.

The contours of the Ferrari Gamepad were sleek and welcomed, and the overall aesthetic is a red and black metallic gleam mixed with brand names and symbols.  The top half of the gamepad is constructed of a glossy smooth plastic, whereas the bottom half had a light sticky grip that was easy and comfortable to hold.  With the AAA batteries in place the controller felt a little front heavy but nothing that would really hamper gameplay.

What does hamper game play is the button layout.  The Shoulder buttons are too thin and the triggers are a bit too curved.  You can hear the trigger springs after each pull and it makes you think that they just might break if you get too excited.  Beyond that they were responsive enough, just a little too ramshackle for my tastes.

The analog sticks probably felt the nicest of the bunch.  While overly sensitive, they really felt at home under your thumb and played great across a variety of games.  Clicking them was tougher than on the Sony Ps3 controller, but it’s nothing you couldn’t get used to.  You could see the inner workings of each analog stick in terms of pieces and while it looked kind of cool, they are left wide open for liquid spills, dust, and boogers.

The symbol buttons (which are also numbered on the Ferrari Gamepad) are very round and bulbous.  They reacted fine but don’t give you the action as found in the original PS3 controller – I ended up just missing the flatter ones from the PS3 gamepad.  The “press distance” is about the same as the PS3 controller but it feels longer because the button is essentially taller and much more rotund.

The D pad, which is way nicer than the Xbox 360 isn’t nearly as responsive as the PS3 gamepad.  It’s loosely connected and requires concerted presses to get the action you want.  It doesn’t feel all that bad but in the end it just winds up being more frustrating than anything else.  The Home, Map, and Set buttons are tiny LED lights that bring you to the PS3′s function menu and the other two direct programming commands.  More on them later.

The Thrustmaster Limited Edition Ferrari PS3/PC Gamepad does have some controls that you won’t find on any other game controller.  Surrounding the D pad and off to the left is a trigger wheel with two paddles.  It’s basically used as an additional steering wheel and was quite responsive.  I wouldn’t say that it’s a better alternative to the analog stick, but what’s cool about it is that you can program it to act as shifters in racing games.  There’s also two extra buttons tucked into a not that convenient place underneath the controller.  They’re apable of being programmed as well, but are kind of worthless since they are jammed so close to the protruding battery compartment.

That brings me to the next section.  The programming should be way more intuitive.  The instruction manual isn’t clear and it took me a bunch of trial and errors until I got the buttons to perform as I wished them to.  More annoying than anything it was easy to give up on the programmable controls because I ended up just not caring enough.

What was cool about the gamepad – I wished PS3 and Xbox 360 controllers would do this – is that they do a great job of conserving the batteries’ juice.  They automatically sense when nothing’s going on and shut down in a couple minutes, unlike the PS3 and Xbox 360 controller which are content to to let the batteries drain on.

Well, that’s about it.  Upon unboxing the Thrustmaster, I was really excited to try a 3rd party controller.  Unfortunately, I was ultimately disappointed by the design and performance and didn’t really enjoy any of the games I played with it.  I tried sports, racing, action/adventure and in the end of it all I really just wanted to pick up my trusty PS3 controller.

If you so happen to hate the PS3 pad or need a game controller for your PC then I’d say give the Thrustmaster Limited Edition Ferrari Gamepad a try.  Oh, the limited edition part is just a silver sticker with a number plastered on the back.  However, buy a couple boxed ones, and you could maybe make some money on eBay in 30 or so years.

Pros:

• Relatively lightweight
• Nice contours
• Great auto shut off

Cons:

• Weak programming
• Odd button placement
• Needs batteries and dongle

Buy the Thrustmaster Limited Edition Ferrari PS3/PC Gamepad for $38!

By now there are about a gazillion iPhone battery packs on the market.  So when Dexim’s P-Flip showed up at my door I greeted it with skepticism.  In fact, so much skepticism I didn’t tear it open and plug it in for weeks.  But boy am I glad that I did.  The Dexim P-Flip charger has a massive 2000mAh battery and given it’s slender and small size surely packs a hefty punch.  In iPhone terms: at least 1.5 charges on a single recharge cycle.

Included in the package is a charger with a travel friendly flip plug. On the face of the device are three LED lights to indicate remaining charge and a small button on its side to activate them. Simple, right?

Built into the P-flip is cradle that must be used when you want to charge your iPhone.  It also works as a stand such that you can put your phone on display in portrait or landscape mode for photo and video viewing.  Unfortunately, the dock can’t rotate far enough to mount flush with the iPhone.  In other words it can’t comfortably fit into any pocket.

In my testing I found the battery’s charge to be consistent and iPhone charge times just as quick, if not almost quicker (maybe just seemed that way), than plugging it into the wall.

I was a bit frustrated that I had to use the built-in cradle to charge my iPhone since it required me to remove my iPhone’s case.  Also, the LED lights were confusing.  Plug in your iPhone and you’d expect the LED lights on the P-Flip to show it’s remaining charge.  Instead, they show how…well, I’m not really sure what it shows.

Final thoughts.  I like the Dexim P-Flip. It fits in almost any pocket, that is assuming you’re not currently charging your iPhone.  It holds a solid charge, even over time, and makes for a great travel companion on planes, buses and trains, especially if you plan on watching a movie.  The price tag is about $100 ($50 at Amazon), which is a bit much considering its limited functionality, but than again it’s a battery.  It’s definitely not a head turner and not a grand breaking device, but sometimes that just what the iPhone doctor ordered.

Pros:

• Lightweight and portable
• Holds a massive 2000mAh of power
• Charge lasts for sometime even when not in use

Cons:

• Must use the dock to charge your iPhone
• Won’t fit in your pocket while charging
• LED lights can be a bit confusing while charging

You can buy it Amazon for $50.

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of Booq Bags.  I absolutely adore their Viper sleeve for the Macbook and settled on it after finding nothing quite like it on the market.  So when I got word of a new line of bags I had to get my hands on one.

Enter the Mambe Shift Backpack.  It can hold a 13″ to 17″ laptop and includes an accessory pouch to keep all your gear neatly tucked away.  On the sides are two side pockets and like many if not of all Booq’s stuff is finished in durable ballastic nylon that has a water repellent coating.

So there isn’t much to tell when it comes to bag. But what I did notice is that the Mamba is great for toting around your laptop and your laptop alone.  But before I get into the drawbacks of the Mamba I will say that the laptop pocket is easy to access and even fit my Vyper sleeve with ease.  Alternatively, you could just toss your laptop in the bag sans case since the pocket is padded for your protection.

Now, back to the drawbacks.  While the Mamba appears large in capacity it assure it is not.  The side pockets could facility a water bottle and the middle pocket is roomy enough for a book or two, but that’s about it.  With that said, don’t buy this bag for its cubic capacity.  But do buy it for its durability and protection, surely a payoff most laptop carrying students and bloggers like myself can relate to.  Besides, I don’t want a massive bag hanging off my back.

Aesthetically, the Mamba is pretty good looking.  From a profile perspective I thought it was a bit bulky and no matter how much I tightened the shoulder straps it hung the same way. This can be attributed to the excessive amount of padding in the bag.  Which probably means I could get hit by a bus and my laptop would be intact, where as I would not – catch my drift?

Pros:

• Holds 13″ to 17″ laptops
• Specific laptop pocket with good padding
• Aesthetically cool

Cons:

• Deceiving cubic capacity
• Expensive

If you’re so inclined you can grab one through Amazon for $150.

The iPad’s arrival is just days away and already a handful of reviews have trickled out on the Net.  Why we don’t have one in our hands or why we haven’t ordered one is largely due to its lack of flash compatibility.  But if you still haven’t hit the order button, or started to stand in line here is the review breakdown by our friends at Gizmodo.

WSJ‘s Walt Moseberg iPad Review
USA Today‘s Edward Baig iPad Review
New York Times‘ David Pogue iPad Review
PC Mag‘s Tim Gideon iPad Review
Houston Chronicle‘s Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus iPad Review
BoingBoing‘s Xeni Jardin iPad Review
Chicago Sun-Times‘ Andy Ihnatko iPad Review
The Root‘s Omar Wasow iPad Review

PowerA has been kicking it on the iPhone block for a while, but a few weeks ago they launched their Universal Remote (Control) Case for the iPhone.  It’s not the first of it’s type to accomplish this feat, but one of the few that works almost right out of the box.  Intended only as a learning remote, the PowerA Universal Remote Case is certainly limited in functionality but what it lacks in feature set is made up for in simplicity.

The case itself consists of two pieces: the bottom which docks into the iPhone’s 30 pin connector and the top, which secures the bottom and protects the iPhone’s back and sides.  Accompanying the case is a free downloadable app, The Unviersal Remote App.

Configuring the application is just like any universal remote; point the bottom portion at the corresponding remote, select the button you’d like to program and that’s it.  Unlike other iPhone universal remote apps that I’ve tested, the PowerA app requires you to create separate remotes for each device, which you first select or create when you launch the app.  During initial setup the app will prompt you to enter a custom lablel – I choose my brand of TV, Vizio, as my label along with my other corresponding gear’s brand.  Keep in mind that every remote layout is exactly the same with no modification or deletion of buttons allowed – it’s intended as a catch all button layout, just like a physical, lower end universal remote.

The app quickly to learns new buttons and unlike the universal remotes of my childhood and teens, it was able to learn the commands in a second at most.  Once the commands are programmed you just need to save and then presto, you controlling your IR gear.  If need be you have the option to go back and amend, add or remove commands from each respective remote.  Buttons that haven’t been programmed will still appear in your remote during use, but will  be circled in blue during programming if they have yet to receive a command (a popup let’s you know you haven’t programmed the button during remote use).

The bottom of the case, the IR part, contains a small LED that glows blue when the remote is properly plugged in.  Because the bottom of the case is the infrared receiver and sender, you’ll need to hold the iPhone backwards or upside down to send commands to your gear.  Why PowerA didn’t channel the commands through the top of the case is beyond me, but my best guess is costs.  I found this ‘feature’ annoying since no other apps or the iPhone’s menu for that matter are set to this orientation.  So I constantly found myself rotating the iPhone 180 degrees to accommodate the PowerA iPhone Remote.  Also of note, the app’s universal remote does not fit on one screen, requiring you to scroll down to reach the input button in addition to other buttons.

It’s a bit hard to gauge what the battery drain is on the iPhone while using the remote, but from what I can tell it’s negligible, unless of course you’re doing some serious controlling.  With that said, the PowerA iPhone Universal Remote is as easy as pie to operate right out of the box.  Unlike my Redeye experience, there is no mulltistep setup process or WiFi to mess with.  Just pop on the case, download the app, program and you’re done.  Best of all, it’s just a remote, with no fancy macro settings to figure out, or button layouts to configure.

I’m a bit frustrated that you can’t download the app and play with it before purchasing.  Correction: you can download the app, but when you launch it you can’t interact with the remote, instead you can ‘learn more’.  As a consumer and reviewer this grinds my gears.  Of course I would like to try before I buy, even if I can’t control any physical gear.

So here’s the bottom line: you’re dropping $60 for a Universal Remote that doubles as a case, that is if you’re so inclinded to always walk around with some added bulk in your pocket.  The PowerA Universal Remote Case works almost flawlessly despite its aformetioned limitations.  But at the end of the day, putting aside the actual product, do you really want the iPhone to be your remote?  I’ve used universal remotes to change inputs, adjust volume but to channel surf, I hardly think so.  So if you’re cool with a zero tactical remote experience and want something easy and simple out of the box, the PowerA is for you.  But if you’re looking for a more robust remote experience with macros and perhaps even RF capabilities I suggest you invest in a stand alone device that can be pre-programmed using a library of codes.

Pros:

• Can be used right out of box; easy and simple
• Doubles as a protective case, dumby bottom included as well
• One remote layout for simple home theater setup

Cons:

• Limited functionality, no RF
• Learning remote, no library of codes
• Not good for advanced systems

Available at Apple retail stores only for $60.

When I saw I Make My Case at CES I was more than impressed, I was flabbergasted.  I know, who cares about an iPhone case that much?  Well, that’s exactly it.  Usually I hate all aftermarket cases since it defeats my purist attitude to the iPhone, plus most cases are an attempt to make you an individual but since they’re prefabricated it negates that.  So you see, the chance to adhere my own design to a case, and one that is super slim and svelte feeling, well, I had to jump at the opportunity.  Disclaimer: So I reached out to Case-mate and they hooked me up with a coupon code for one free case, which usually costs $40.  Yeah, it’s not cheap, but that’s the price you pay for individualism.

Due to copyright issues, and God knows what else Case-mate could get sued for, they’ve chosen to go the route of artist palettes only.  Basically that means they’ve commissioned artists to make some prefabricated cases – some cool designs I might add – as well as a set of palettes (think Photoshop custom shape tool) that let’s you make an almost 100% custom case.

The site is built entirely on Flash, so be patient and as with Flash expect it to be a big processor suck. My last gen 15-inch Macbook Pro non-unibody Mac would turn on its fan anytime I visited the site to build or modify my custom cases.  From a UI standpoint it’s all rather intuitive.  Just pick the artist that most represents your style, choose customize (Design your case with ‘artist name’) and you’re in.

There are three options: Backgrounds (the color of the case), Elements (shapes, paint splatters, etc) and Tools (mirror effect, Colorist effect, Kaleidoscope).  Designing your case is as simple as picking one or all of these options.  The real customization is in what you do with the Elements since these have the most variability in how they behave on the case and the largest palette of any of the three options.  Some, not all of the Elements allow you to increase/decrease size as well as rotate them 360 degrees.  Others, however behave like a spray paint can (numerous instances with one click) or appear just once.  I didn’t care for the spray paint can like Elements since they were difficult to control and tended to remove the custom feeling.

When it comes to designs, I prefer two colors max – just a personal preference.  But more often than not the Elements I wanted to use were available in more than two colors and left my case looking like a leprechaun had puked all over it.  To get around this I used the Colorizer tool to change my entire design to red.  The only downside to using this tool is that the more you use it the darker the colors become; kind of like layering coats of paint onto a white wall.  So I suggest you use this effect at the end of your design if you’re trying to achieve a uniform color.  Of note the Mirror and Kaleidoscope effects were useful, especially if you would like to have some sense of uniformity to your design.  In the end I didn’t use these tool, but still appreciated their abilities.

Once you’ve completed your design, which you can share on Facebook, Twitter and Flickr to get feedback, you just need to purchase the case.  I ordered my 7 days ago and today it showed up on my doorstep.  The boxing mimics the Apple iPhone, except it’s white and included is a screen protector, a cleaning cloth and an additional rubber case that has now alluded my presence (Jeff stole it from me).  I’m rather surprised they’d send an additional case with the package, but even if they hadn’t I’m very impressed with the quality and packaging.  If I had to complain about anything it’s the excessive amount of business sized cards contained inside the box, but a moot issue nonetheless.

As far as my custom case goes, I love it.  As you can see from the pics, though, the colors that are depicted online are much brighter than the actual case.  Also, you can see some printing defects on the top left and bottom right corners.  The volume opening looks a bit chewed up, almost melted, but nothing you could see from afar, which is really what this case is all about, right?  I did notice that there is some space between the back of the iPhone 3GS and the case, which allows the case to shift around ever so slightly if some force is applied.  I’d prefer a flusher fit, but nothing I’d return the case for.

So the final result: the I Make My Case is worth every penny. Even though I didn’t pay for it this time around, I’m tempted to order some of my other designs and have a case for every other day of the week.  The processing time is efficient, the printing, though a bit off in color is fantastic and the individualism is more than omnipresent.  It would be nice if I could upload my own logo, and lowering the price would no doubt attract a larger audience.

Update:  In the light of day we noticed that the case doesn’t fit 100% flush on the iPhone’s body. As a result I’ve lowered my score to 3.5 from 4.5 stars.

Update 2: Case-mate read the review and sent me a new one with the same design.  This iteration lacks the faded corners but still isn’t a complete snug fit.  With that said I’ve now given the case 4 stars.

Pros:

• Custom case that looks prefab quality
• Easy to use website and UI
• Wide selection of artist palettes and growing

Cons:

• Website colors don’t accurately represent print colors
• Flash based website is a processor hog
• Custom print fades at the corners
• Case doesn’t completely fit flush

Start your Case-mate custom case today at I Make My Case for $40!

The Jache (said in my best Sean Connery voice) J6 iPowerSpeaker is a European only dock at the moment and we’ve had the exclusive pleasure of being one of the 1st US sites to review it.  That being said, I was pleasantly surprised to find the J6 to be a competent speaker system from a design and aesthetic standpoint.

Designed to work with most all Apple MP3 players, we did suffer some slight incompatibility when it came to our 3G and 3GS iPhones.  Every time we were offered Airplane Mode but there were sometimes when the phones simply wouldn’t work.   After some futzing about, we were able to get them to work, but we couldn’t figure out why.

Aside from that, I really liked the J6.  It offered a very stripped down but contemporary finish that would compliment most any room and the black wood really helps distinguish the J6 from the herd.  Not one bit tawdry, the J6 could easily join the ranks of other home theater equipment in terms of symmetrical aesthetics.  While most docks out there will try and wow you with their weird shape and bloated appearance, the J6 takes a step back and is the better looking dock for it.  The dock itself folds back up into the unit when not in use, making the J6 that much more flush in its surroundings.

From there, the control scheme is rather simple as well, and I found it really easy to navigate the controls and inputs.  Each input is denoted visually by colored lights that surround the track controls.  When the iPod or iPhone is plugged in you’ll see white LED’s but when you are using the 3.5mm or RCA inputs you’ll see a green or blue LED.  Not essential by any means, but a nice touch nonetheless.  Also of note is that the J6 will charge your iPod/iPhone whether the power is on or off.  Always a nice feature.

The included remote control is small and responsive and my favorite feature is being able to fully navigate through the menus to change songs, artists, and playlists.  The range on the remote was also decent and the buttons were nice and plump to the touch.

From a sound perspective, the J6 sounded best when it was elevated at ear level.  I found that when placed on a counter top it didn’t sound as good, even with the surround sound feature on.  For whatever acoustic difference I was experiencing, be it the nature of my apartment or the dynamics of the speakers, it just sounded a lot better when raised up.  Thanks to the sub woofer encased in the bottom of the unit, the sound reproduction was lush and balanced.  My MP3′s and internet radio such as Last.FM and Pandora all sounded really nice.  The J6 could get pretty loud too.  I’m talking about party loud, without distortion.

The sound overall was pretty standout, rich bass response coupled with shimmering highs and polished mids, I never noticed anything I disliked.  But again, I highly recommend finding a sturdy high rise area for the J6 as it just sounds much better when propped up.

The J6 has a lot going for it.  A streamlined visual approached combined with easy controls and a tight sound could only be dampened by one thing.  Price.  From what I’ve gathered online it’s going to cost just over $200 for the J6.  That’s just too much.  It’s a good unit and all, but I hope they can find a way to bring it to the States at a more reasonable retail price.

In the end, the J6 2.1 iPowerSpeaker by Jache is definitely worth your attention if you are in the market for an attractive and great sounding iPod/iPhone or MP3 playing speaker dock.

Pros:

• Contemporary Aesthetic
• Easy to use
• Great sound given orientation

Cons:

• Price
• Iffy iPhone compatibility
• Sound quality depends on room placement

I’ll be honest, when I first saw the Screwpop I was skeptical to say the least.  But after using it for some odd jobs I’m pretty impressed.  The finish isn’t as superior as some might desire, but it’s solid build will last years to come, though it will be sure to get scuffed up.

The screw driver bit includes a philips end, a flat head end and a small ball bearing to keep it locked into place.  While it could be a tad tighter to prevent unwanted fall outs I never had a problem carrying the handy device on my key chain.  The bottle opener section double as a wrench.  While most will be popping cold ones with this part it is nice to have a 1/4″ hex at a hands reach.

So is the Screwpop worth $5?  Hells yes. My cable man agreed, especially when he borrowed it to install an additional outlet in my home.

Pros:

• Solid build
• Inexpensive
• Philips and flat head in one

Cons:

• Adds weight to key chain
• Ball bearing on screw driver head could be tighter
• Easy to lose

You can buy one here

Sonos has long stood in obscurity thanks to its multiroom, multiparty system and hefty price tag.  Now the company is looking to break down the complexity barrier with the Sonos S5, introduced just this past October for $399. In a nutshell the S5 is a speaker system that can stream your computer’s stored music, Internet radio and a multitude of music services (Pandora, Last.fm, Napster, etc).

Inside the all white box – it has a Bose like aesthetic – are five speakers: two tweeters, two mid range woofers and a dedicated sub, each powered by their own digital amplifier.  On its rear is a 3.5mm line input, two Ethernet ports and a power plug.  Wireless is built-in, but won’t work with your home’s WiFi router right out of the box.  Instead you’ll need to purchase a Sonos ZoneBridge, a $99 tax if you want to unhinge your S5 from the wired proximity of your router (note: check their FAQ on router compatibility; some don’t work).

To control the Sonos S5 you’ll need either a computer, Sonos CR200 controller or an iPhone/iPod Touch.  As mentioned, if you have intentions of placing your Sonos S5 wire free (with the exception of the power) you’ll need to purchase a Zonebridge.  By Ethernet wire it connects to your router and using a proprietary version of 802.11n it streams music to the Sonos S5.  I found this to be a disappointing requirement since it not only increases the price tag by 25% but partially negates the turn-keyness I expected from the S5, especially seeing as its intentions are to be an all-in-one music box.

Initial setup of the S5 isn’t a simple plug and play, but with a bit of tinkering I was able to get it to play nicely with my computer’s music and Pandora’s streaming music service.  I suggest using your computer for initial setup, especially if you want to stream your computer’s music.  Plus you’ll want to register your Sonos S5 if you want to access Pandora and the other compatible music services, otherwise they’re not available (you can register from your iPhone as well).

In order to stream your computer’s music, at least on a Mac you’ll need to turn on file sharing and enable “Share files and folders using SMB” under your system preferences.  I performed this operation a few times, but after unplugging the S5 and moving it I had to ‘re-add my music library’, which is just a few simple button clicks, nonetheless an annoyance.  Each time you add a music library the Sonos S5 indexes the information and provides the info to any controlling devices, such as the iPhone or CR200 controller.

The iPhone is very well suited to control the S5 and Sonos has gone to great lengths to emulate the look and feel of the iPhone’s iPod menus.  There a wide array of music options to choose from including Internet radio, local Internet radio (you enter your zip code during registration) and more.  You can also set an Alarm to ring daily, weekends or Monday – Friday.  It can either play the Sonos chime, playlist from your computer or your music service of choosing.

It was a bit of a let down that you can’t stream your iPhone’s stored music to the Sonos S5, especially since this would make the whole system much more turnkey, but again, Sonos has chosen a proprietary version of 802.11n limiting its wireless compatibility.   Of note, Sonos’ iPhone app’s menus are very speedy and I experienced no lag when trying to access my music library (once loaded) or music services.

What I didn’t do, but would suggest, is connecting the Sonos S5 to a NAS, otherwise known a network attached storage.  Utilizing this setup will mean that the S5 will always be attached to your music library and won’t require you to wake your computer from sleep, especially if you depend on the built-in alarm system.

Now down to the meat and potatoes of the S5: the sound.  Unlike some other previous speakers that I reviewed in the past, the S5 is L-O-U-D.  Sound quality is pretty solid, though at times some tunes were a bit bright and lacking what I would deem a wide spectrum of sound.  Fortunately, Sonos tossed in a manual EQ allowing you to adjust treble, bass, balance and even turn on ‘loudness’, which increases bass at low volumes.

I tested the S5 with a wide variety of music including rap (50 Cent), classical (Bach) and pop (Michael Jackson).  The classical probably sounded the most balanced since the sounds are largely mids and highs, while the rap tended to sound a built hollow and lack solid mids and the deep lows.  Michael Jackson’s Thriller album was very well suited for the S5, though it was a bit ‘bright’ at times.  For the most part the S5 can handle any genre of music, but shines brighter with select genres.

As it often does, it comes down to price.  The $498 price tag (includes $99 for the wireless ZoneBridge, $399 without) makes the Sonos S5 ZonePlayer an expensive, but convenient resolve for all your musical audio needs.  And since it boasts it’s own Internet connection, it doesn’t require your computer or iPhone to be turned on to emit audio, unless of course you want to switch stations or songs.

You can buy the Sonos S5 ZonePlayer from Amazon for $399

Pros:

• Nice minimalist design
• Good audio range for small footprint
• Compatible with wide array of music services

Cons:

• Doesn’t play music from iPhone
• Not wireless out of the box
• Requires iPhone or computer to control

Is there anything the iPhone can’t do?  Control a car?  No problem.  Feed the hungry?  Just build a successful app and donate the money.  But what about controlling your home theater gear, such as the TV, DVD player or cable box?  Well, now you can thanks to something called the Redeye (and a one other product that has since been announced since its launch).

The Redeye is an infrared transmitter that connects to your iPhone over WiFi (it also doubles as a charging dock).  You can either jack directly into the Redeye by selecting the SSID from your iPhone’s WiFi menu or bridge it to your home’s network during setup.  But, before you get started you’ll need to download Thinkflood’s Redeye app from the app store, which is completely free, but useless unless you have the Redeye hardware.

During the initial setup of the Redeye box I ran into a few problems.  First off, their ‘quick setup’ instruction manual lacks a complete set of steps on how to setup the box to connect through your home’s WiFi network.  I suggest using this method since lag time is mitigated and you’ll still be able to surf the web on  your iPhone or iPod touch without having to select a a different WiFi network.

To connect the Redeye to your home’s network – first select ‘redeye’ from your iPhone’s WiFi menu – just launch the app, click ‘setup’ located at the foot of the iPhone’s screen.  Then add a new room – I added ‘living room’ since that is where I would primarily be using the box, but you can call it what ever you’d like.  Next, click on ‘living room’ and under Networking select ‘network’ and choose your home’s WiFi network.  You’ll be required to enter your security key, that is assuming your network isn’t open.  Once you’ve completed these steps you’ll need to return to your iPhone’s WiFi settings menu and reselect your home’s network.  Now launch the Redeye app again and you should be able to connect to the box with minimal lag.

Once you’ve chosen your method of connection, and placed the Redeye box within an appropriate proximity to your gear, you’ll need to add the your devices to the app.  The Redeye box is also a complete learning remote as well, but if you want to forgo that arduous task I suggest using this method first since Thinkflood’s database contains commands for a wide variety of infrared based gear.  Once you’ve located the product of choice you’ll be presented with a set of test commands (it’s a bit unclear that they’re test commands in the menu).  Choose the one that works best with the selected piece of kit and save.

Unfortunately, for me, most of my gear was not compatible with the Redeye remote, with the exception of my Vizio plasma TV and Motorola POS cable box.  Most of my other equipment is about 10 years old, so it stands to reason that they might not have those codes, but you’d think that any Pioneer remote would work with any Pioneer DVD player.   Be careful when savings your new devices.  If your iPhone goes to sleep during the remote code download process it will freeze and require you to start again – this happened to me a few times.

As mentioned, the Redeye is also a learning remote.  So in the event that their database doesn’t contain the necessary commands for your gear this is a suitable, but somewhat tiresome process.  Fortunately, once it’s complete you should never have to perform the process again.  Teaching the Redeye to learn it just like any other remote: locate the corresponding button in the added device’s list in the setup menu, select the command and select ‘Capture New Control Signal’ and then, while pointing the remote at the Redeye push the corresponding button once.

I had a bit of trouble during my initial setup of the Redeye remote.  As a result I contacted their customer service by email and was told that the Redeye is largely an Activities based remote.  Don’t worry, I too was scratching my head.  As it turns out, Thinkflood is big into macros.  Hit one button and the Redeye can send your AV gear a multitude of commands.  Take for example ‘watching TV’.  You can program the Redeye to turn on  your TV, home theater AMP and DVD player with the push of one button.

But if you’re like me, you just want to control all your gear using your iPhone.  Macro controls are convenient, but in the case of the Redeye the only way you can access the actual universal remote is to create a set of macros or in the Redeye’s case ‘activities’.  To work around this I created macros that didn’t do anything, otherwise I would inadvertently turn off my TV, which doesn’t accept discrete codes (e.g. power on or power off, just power).  Once I selected the activity, or in my case a piece of gear, the universal remote would appear, letting me control my gear at will.

Activity issues aside, the Redeye allows for a completely custom button layout.  So once you’ve added the device and set the appropriate commands you layout your remote however you’d like.  One power button for the TV?  Not a problem or you can add a whole slew of buttons.  Personally, I enjoyed adding the buttons I only needed.  In fact, I was able to send my TV commands that I otherwise didn’t have access to with the device’s include remote, such as toggling between just the component inputs.

Laying out the button is as simple as choosing the command and then dragging it by your finger tips until you find an appropriate layout.  You can even change the icon, add a text label, increase the button’s size by three sizes and program gesture shortcuts such as a two finger swipe or accelerometer flick left.  In the case of pre-programmed commands the remote should come with a pre-populated universal remote, though at times I find that this wasn’t always consistently the case.

From a performance stand point the Redeye is not as fast as your gear’s included remotes.  I suppose this should be expected since it first has to send a wireless command to the Redeye box, which is then relayed by infrared to your home theater gear.  And of course it depends on your gear.  My Vizio TV and Pioneer DVD player seemed to work the best with the Redeye where as the B&K home theater remote was a bit slow to the gate, but still functional nonetheless.

Coming back to the initial setup; I had to perform a hard reset on the Redeye (just insert a paper clip into the reset hole on the bottom and hold until it blinks) due to a finicky WiFi connection.  But since using the Redye over a few weeks period I haven’t had any issues with connectivity.

So would I ditch all my home theater remotes in favor of the Redeye?  Probably not.  The lag issues don’t make it a practical option for channel surfing, but for turning on your AV gear, or adjusting the volume it’s a great solution, that is assuming you’ve got an iPhone or iPod Touch handy.

The setup of the Redeye is a bit cryptic but after spending a few hours with it I’m confident that most people can easily acclimate to the menus.  I’m still a bit disappointed that it’s not an immediate out of the box universal remote, but all things considered, a little tweaking and you can have a universal remote in your pocket at all times that works anywhere within proximity to your home’s WiFi network.

You can purchase the Redeye directly from Thinkflood for $188.

Pros:

• Learning remote means it works with all gear
• Doubles as a charging dock
• Drag and drop customizable button layout

Cons:

• Cryptic setup process
• Built around macros commands
• App crashes on occasion