MAVROMATIC » Electronics

Did you pre-order an iPad today?

Danny Mavromatis — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:14:45 +0000

Just pressed submit and placed an order for a 16gb iPad… it’s been a pain developing applications via the simulator so I can’t wait to get this device in my grubby hands. Did you guys order an iPad today? Why or why not? How do you plan on using it? I’d love to hear — lurkers, now’s your time to post a comment…

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

- Apple — Pre-Order iPad

Garmin ecoRoute HD bluetooth wireless dongle

Danny Mavromatis — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 02:29:32 +0000

The Garmin ecoRoute HD is a bluetooth wireless dongle which plugs into your vehicles ODB port allowing you to monitor sensors such as intake air temperature, coolant temperature, throttle position and engine load, intake manifold pressure, battery and charging system information, mass airflow rate, timing advance and emissions — you can even check and clear engine trouble codes without visiting the car dealership.

The ecoRoute works with newer Garmin Nuvi GPS units that feature ecoRoute firmware, but since this is bluetooth… A) is it hackable? B) will an iPhone App be released from Garmin to pair with the device?

At $149 (retail) the Garmin ecoRoute HD is a great feature to add to your Garmin Nuvi GPS. It’s available for pre-order now from Amazon.com.

Wicked Lasers – The Torch is “World’s Most Powerful Flashlight”

Danny Mavromatis — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 17:45:35 +0000

If you are looking for the “World’s Most Powerful Flashlight” then look no further. This is no joke, the Torch is currently being reviewed by The Guinness Book of World Records. With a retina damaging 4100 lumens of light, the Torch can also melt plastic, light paper on fire within seconds, and even fry an egg (as shown in the video above).

The Torch accomplishes this by using an halogen light bulb running at 100 Watts using a custom build high voltage circuit. To keep the front lens from shattering due to the immense heat generated, The Torch flashlight is equipped with a specialized heat resistant glass lens and is encased in a durable, military grade aluminum case.

The Torch will set you back $299 and is available now from Wicked Lasers.

DISCLAIMER: You probably won’t want to use this as a flashlight or around kids… plus it only runs for about 10 minutes and is recommended to be used for around 3 minutes with about 2 minutes of “rest” time to let it cool down.

Niles MS220 – The Best IR Sensor!

Danny Mavromatis — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 18:00:32 +0000

It’s freaking 2010 and we’re still using IR, WTF? Oh well… if you are looking to find the most reliable IR Sensor to connect to your IR connection block (used in applications where you want to put AV components in a remote area but still have control), I highly recommend the new Niles MS220. I have used different units by Xantech, Russound, even Niles and the MS220 is the most reliable. How do I know? For starters, all the others I have used you needed to choose between CFL/Plasma friendly and not. You’d get weird noise (the LED on the sensor would flash) from stray “IR” signals. The MS220 utilizes a “smart” electronic circuit to filter out noise and works with all IR formats. Check out Niles Audio for more information.

- Product Page
- Product Specification Sheet [PDF]

Quick Review: Kindle DX PDF Support Is Great!

Danny Mavromatis — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:15:36 +0000

Just got a Kindle DX in my hands about an hour ago and first impressions so far are quiet good. The first thing I did is load up a bunch of technical PDF documents (SDK’s) I have gathering on my desktop. I transferred them onto the Kindle DX via the USB cable and it mounted like an external drive. A simple drag and drop to the documents folder and unmount was all it took. All the PDF’s displayed on the main screen of the Kindle. The problem with the 6″ devices is that PDF support is not very good because of the eInk screen size. Scaling down a PDF makes it unreadable so the 9.7″ eInk display works out very good. Page flipping and search works and so far I’m quite impressed. The cost of the Kindle DX is $489 which is very high compared to the 16gb Apple iPad. I would say the iPad will be a better device to store/read PDF’s as you don’t typically read them from cover to cover. At least I don’t, I typically reference SDK’s so using a iPad would work. The DX or other 9.7″ eInk devices costing $489 (or higher) may not be a viable products once the iPad is released.

Debating the merits of Apple’s iPad…

Danny Mavromatis — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 20:56:37 +0000

CNET has a pretty good balanced article about the iPad. I know there are heated debates going on about the iPad and it’s purpose/uses. What do you guys think? Does having no Adobe Flash really hurt the iPad — my opinion is no — hasn’t really been a issue on the iPhone since there is an app for everything and I rarely launch Safari for surfing (here is Adobe’s response). Does the size of the device make this unusable for daily use? Would you use it as a work device? I’d love to hear your thoughts…

CNET - Debating the merits of Apple’s iPad

Why the Apple iPad is not an eBook Reader

Danny Mavromatis — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 02:44:17 +0000

I’ve been reading a lot about how the iPad could hurt sales of eReaders and quite frankly I don’t think this is the case. I personally own a Nook and I’m in love with the eInk screen technology. There is something about the non-glare screen that is very reminiscent of printed paper. You can read it in bed without blinding your spouse and the 6″ devices (Kindle and Nook) are easy and natural to hold. The battery life is amazing and you never have to worry about closing or powering up and navigating back to the last page you were on — the eBook reader experience seems pretty natural to me.

The iPad is a very innovative device that I can see serving a purpose in peoples lives but does not offer any compelling reason to use as an eReader. Sure, people are saying that you get more than an eBook reader, true. However, the key element in an ebook is the screen, otherwise, why don’t we all read books on our computers or iPhones/touches? The highly reflective glass screen used on the iPad/MacBook and iPhone is terrible (using a MacBook Pro with one right now) and will cause eye strain if used in areas where it can catch reflections — not good for reading a long book. Not to mention all the distractions fingerprints on the glass will cause while reading. The LED backlight will be too bright when used on planes and in dark rooms, when used outside in bright sun it will be worthless. The novelty of sliding to flip a page also seems like it will wear off rather quickly… there are no buttons to press to advance pages easily. The whole point of reading is to get enveloped in the story, not by visual elements that make what you are reading look like a physical book. I feel that the eReaders featuring eInk capture the analog pluses pretty well.

So where do I see the iPad fitting in? As a multimedia connected home control device of course! The form factor and price is perfect as the “second screen” we have been looking for in our living rooms and as this platform evolves I’m sure we will see more ways we can utilize this in our lives just not as an eBook reader — which is fine, because why is it bad thing to have a single purpose device that works very well?

Barnes & Noble Nook – The Unboxing!

Danny Mavromatis — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 04:59:15 +0000

I finally got the Barnes & Noble Nook in my hands and here is the live unboxing. It was a challenge but was well worth it! The fit and finish on the Nook is exactly what I expected. Like others have mentioned, the UI needs some refinement and optimization but for a v1 product, I’m extremely happy with it. I will load up my PDF’s (SDK and technical docs) and report back my experiences…

P.S. Sorry about the poor production on the video… I got lazy and tried out the Flipcam I bought my wife for Christmas. If you like the “rawness” of the Flip videos, I can do more of these types of posts as they are a lot easier to create than the edited ones. Enjoy!

2009 ESPN Holiday Gift Guide

Danny Mavromatis — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 02:18:50 +0000

If you are having a hard time figuring out gift ideas this year, head over to ESPN’s 2009 Holiday Gift guide. Ideas ranging from Technology to Gifts for the women, this guide is all you’ll need!

> 2009 ESPN Gift Guide – Technology
> 2009 ESPN Gift Guide - Golf
> 2009 ESPN Gift Guide - Video Games

(Mavromatic is a contributor in the technology gift guide section)

Panasonic 360 Quick Iron: Double Sided Iron

Danny Mavromatis — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 23:04:03 +0000

Panasonic’s 360 Quick Iron claims up to 25% faster ironing due to its double sided pointy edges. After looking at this iron for a bit, this should have been the original design when the first iron was invented. The traditional flat back side really doesn’t serve a purpose other than needing it to sit the iron upright. The Panasonic 360 model allows you to get into the tight areas like collars and cuffs without the need to turn the iron or yourself around. This goes to show you that you can reinvent things that have been around for a long time. Kudo’s to Panasonic!

The Panasonic 360 Quick Iron line ranges from $80 – $40 and are available at Amazon.com
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