Logitech Tablet Keyboard (for Android 3.0+) Review.

The most obvious feature of Logitech's Tablet Keyboard for Android is not the keyboard itself.  Logitech was smart to realize tablets go portable in briefcases or satchels or purses, and if a useful keyboard goes along it needs to be protected when inside that briefcase. This keyboard comes with a hard shell slip-case. Better yet, the case pops open and re-configures to become an adjustable stand for just about any tablet with Bluetooth.

The clamshell case stays closed with magnets. It will protect the keyboard keys but doesn't grip the keyboard in any way to prevent it from sliding out.  Once hinged open, a fold-out flange reconnects to form a triangular stand.  That flange will extend another 1.5 inches to allow adjusting the angle the tablet sits at by a few degrees.

The keyboard runs on two AAA batteries that were included. There is an On/Off slide on the top right, and a Connect button on the back. The bottom has rubber feet on each corner to keep it from sliding about.

Beside the normal alphabet and numerals, the keyboard has extra functions for android.  They include Volume up and down, Play/Pause, Forward/Previous, and shortcuts to Calendar, Browser, Music, and Email apps. There are also specific Home, Back, and Menu, and Search keys.  The Caps Lock key has an LED to remind you when it is ON.  Keys are normal size and spaced the same as the keys on my full-sized desktop keyboard.  The direction keys are the only keys that are smaller than usual.   Shift, Enter, Backspace, CapsLock, and Tab are all wider than a single letter key.

This keyboard even works with a PC. Not all function keys work as expected, but it'll do if you need a lighweight and wireless keyboard to get back from your PC a bit. I connect mine with my PC and have typed this review using it.  Media and volume keys work. The Home button will take you to your Home page if you have a web browser open. Back works like a browser's Back button. Search opens a search window, and the direction keys move your cursor in the expected direction.

Logitech also makes a Tablet Keyboard for iPad. This Android version does pair and connect to my iPad, but not all the Android-specific keys have a function in iOS.

All in all this is a great package.  The mostly plastic keyboard is well made with a matte black finish and has a nice action to the keys. It paired easily with both my Galaxy Tab and PC, and iPad2 (not at the same time), and had no problem maintaining the connection with either.  The case/stand is very useful and cleverly functional.  I paid $60 for mine, and that's the same or less than you'll pay for any Bluetooth android keyboard that doesn't include a case/stand.   If you're interested in a keyboard for your Bluetooth enabled Android 3.0+ tablet, I highly recommend this one. 

4D



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wiREVO A100 Review. A Bluetooth Stereo Adapter for your iPod.

I'm a big fan of Bluetooth technology. When I see a good value on something I can use I find it hard to resist. There is not much to say about this little Bluetooth adapter except that it works well, is inexpensive, and will eliminate the wires from your iPod. Apple doesn't seem to know the value of Bluetooth, but fortunately a small investment will overcome that shortfall. The wiREVO A100 is small, but is a holdover from earlier iPod design trends. It works just fine with my iPod Touch and Nano, but isn't the most stylish compliment to either. At 3/8" thick by 1.o625" by 1.5625" and only 12 grams in weight, you'll notice but not feel much addition to your iPod.
The A100 has it's own lithium battery and will charge from your iPod cable. You can charge it alone or charge both the iPod and A100 at the same time. Pairing is easy. The first time it is plugged into an iPod it will go immediately into pairing mode with it's led flashing blue and red. I had a little more trouble pairing it a second time to a different device, but it just took more careful timing. Once connected your Bluetooth headset will have control over the iPod. You can toggle between Play and Pause, and also go forward or backward one track at a time. Your headset will have volume control as well. Instructions are complete and easy to understand. It was well packaged.

I found mine at Buy.com. No tax and free shipping kept the final price below $20. MSRP was originally $99. I'll just warn you that free shipping wasn't the default choice, so make sure you look for it when checking out.

Sound quality is great. I challenge anyone to tell the difference between this adapter's wireless audio and the same source through a cable to similar headphones. Signal strength is typical. I could walk about 40ft away from my iPod outdoors with no obstructions before the signal dropped out. Indoors this adapter is the same as all others I've tested. The number of walls and your orientation to the source device will affect the signal distance. When signal is lost there is a quiet break, and the audio resumes once you move back into range.

I recommend the wiREVO (wireless Revolution) A100. It's a tremendous value at $20. You won't be disappointed.

4D

TV Out. Samsung P2 In!

I've had a great collection of music for a long time. I started buying portable media players a few years back. Despite ripping all my music to a hard drive and as such being able to put it onto any of these media players, music did not have an easy way to get to my home theater stereo speakers.

That was, until I bought the BlueTooth enabled Samsung P2. I have since added another BlueTooth player to my collection, the Philips SA5243BT. It is the great implementation of BlueTooth on the P2 that has won the day, though.

The secret to owning a BlueTooth enabled media device is in getting the right BlueTooth enabled accessories to compliment it. Yes, you can buy inexpensive (and really crappy sounding) bluetooth speakers at BestBuy to use with it. These are not right, though. The fact that BestBuy often gives them away "free" with the purchase of their Insignia bluetooth players should be a clue. You get what you pay for in this case.

So what do you really need? If you've got a great home theater or stereo amplifier with great speakers, you need a bluetooth receiver or transceiver.

If you already own a decent iPod speaker dock, like the Griffin Evolve, you need a Bluetooth iPod Dock adapter.

A great set of bluetooth headphones finish out the requirements. Not a cheap pair. Not that in-ear bluetooth phone headset. Get a full featured ear covering and sound cancelling bluetooth set if you can find one.

Today the music on my P2 won out over TV. The home theater amp has a bluetooth transceiver hooked up to it's MD/Tape input. That amp drives a 12" subwoofer as well as six 4"/1" 2-way (mid range and tweeter) drivers (speakers). My Griffin Evolve speakers have an iPod Dock bluetooth Adapter on them. I woke up before my wife, and had P2 music playing softy on the home theater system.

My wife wakes up, gets coffee, and usually wants to have the TV on while she reads the morning paper. I'm usually conceeding to give her the remote control then take my P2 with me somewhere else to continue listening. This morning the music was just too good. I asked if she needed the remote and she said "No, I like the music!".

It is great weather here, getting just into the 70's in the afternoon. We have a nice balcony deck outside, and decided to sit out there for awhile. My wife steps onto the deck, and realizes she won't be able to hear the music as well out there. "Just a sec", I said. I paired the P2 with the dock adapter on the Evolves' base, then picked the speakers up and carried them out onto the deck with us.

Here is where the P2 beats other bluetooth devices. The sound was too loud for the deck. The Evolves have their own remote, but I'd left it inside. I pulled out the P2, swiped down on the screen to lower the volume. Perfect! The Philips player does NOT control volume when paired to headphones or speakers. Volume control has to be handled at the headphones or speakers.

P2 in hand, I could skip a song we didn't like. If I found one my wife liked particularly well I could repeat it.

Today, P2 won out over TV. I still have it playing through the Evolves. TV is off.

Someday, the P2 may win out over the PC. Not today, though.

4D

Kindle Review

I couldn't resist. My wife was threatening to buy another book, so I broke down and let her open up the Amazon Kindle I'd bought her for Christmas.

Nice box! Very bookish. The packaging looks very well thought out. Inside we found the Kindle on one side and the cables (USB and Power adapter). The leatherish cover was wrapped in paper and also included.

There have been several reviews stating that the cover is poorly designed and that the Kindle falls out/off of it easily. I think those reviewers failed to look closely. There is a stretchy strap attached to the back of the cover, and many have shown it being used to hold the Kindle to the cover. If the user manual is examined, you see a picture showing the strap is there to hold the cover closed around the Kindle, and not hold the Kindle itself. The cover has a stiff plastic tab that engages the slight recess in the Kindle back plate. With the Kindle inserted thoroughly this tab prevents it from sliding back out easily. The cover is not really ideal as a way to hold the Kindle while reading it, but is perfect for protecting the Kindle when you're carrying it. I'll give the cover an A.

The Kindle itself was smaller and thinner than I had expected. It fits nicely into the cover and together they make a very easy-to-carry package. Form factor? A.

Setting it up proved very frustrating. As it turns out the wireless service used by the Kindle does not reach into my house very well. The Kindle has to be registered at Amazon, which you can do on the device itself using it's wireless connection. That of course assumes the Kindle can connect. Since my Kindle could not connect well, my initial impression was soured with unexplained freezes and "Cannot connect, try again later" messages. I'd like to point out that I had tried to determine if my house would be within the network service coverage area Kindle uses, and could not. Obviously the network does not reach everywhere. I sent off an angry email to Kindle technical support and went to bed.

It is amazing what a night's sleep can do for technology. This morning I woke up with the suspicion that the computer and cabling nightmare in my office may not have created the best environment for cell phone service reception. I took the Kindle into the living room where very little technology lives, and found that the Kindle would connect.

Within a few minutes I was checking out the "experimental" web browser. There is a basic and an advanced version, and JAVA is supported with the advanced version. Web pages would not load as they would on your computer's browser. The Kindle browser does something with the text on any page it goes to to try and optimize it for it's screen. There are several default bookmarks already listed, and most of them look fairly decent. I'm guessing they were included as defaults primarily because of how well they looked using e-ink.

The Kindle Store is well executed. I'm not much of a book reader or buyer, but it appears that anyone who would be should be happy here.

My wife is the book reader, and she was primarily interested in getting books on the Kindle. Within a few minutes she had found, ordered, and was reading one of two books she had bought. Ecstatic would be an understatement for the joy she was experiencing. The great price of the books impressed here. Although they have been advertising top-selling books for $9.99, there are hundreds of books available for less than that. My wife found a book printed in 2000 for $6.99, that was still $17.99 for the hardcover.

I love the concept, the technology, the product design, the networking. My wife sees immediately how great it is to have several books with her, with the near-instant ability to order and read any new one whenever she feels like it. She bought a new purse solely to have a way to carry her Kindle with her all the time. That purse, of course, has a pocket perfectly sized for a Kindle.

Conclusion? If you have a decent connection, the Kindle is an amazing product. With no or little connection it will become very tedious very quickly. The Kindle concept makes perfect sense to me, and I'm not a book reader. The Kindle itself makes perfect sense to my non-technical wife who IS a book reader. Wife Acceptance Factor (WAF)= 10/10.

I say the Kindle, this version AND the next one, will be/is a success. Get one if you can. If you really love a book reader, you have to.

4D

BlueTooth and Other Wireless Musings

I've got more than 30 devices using wireless radio frequencies in my house. The first thought I had when I realized how large the number had gotten was "Since Microwave ovens use RF to cook, perhaps all the other radio frequencies around us are heating up the world. Maybe THAT'S what's causing global warming!" Every one of those devices uses electrical power, and all generate some heat. Tripple whammy since in the summer that means my air conditioner has to work harder to keep the house cool, drawing even more electricity from the coal burning power plant that feeds my town.

The latest technology I've purchased uses BlueTooth. I've got bluetooth dongles on three PCS and a bluetooth adapter for my iPod. They all allow me to listen to music off themselves via bluetooth with my bluetooth headphones: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8480413&st=insignia+bluetooth+headphones&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1185267960408

I'm still looking for a bluetooth receiver I can plug into the rear of my home theater amplifier so my iPod can send it's music there. Any minute now. I love being able to walk about untethered while still listening to music, podcasts, or audio books. As such I will not give up my bluetooth devices for the sake of global warming. ;-)

Almost everything else that is wireless in my house could be wired. I may in fact go about running wires to those things that don't really benefit from their wireless ability. The garage door remote will have to remain, but it is only a momentary wireless signal. The wireless phones can go, and good riddance! I've worn out four different wireless phones in the last 5 years, and none of them worked well when they did work. The wireless router will stay, but mainly because it links my music collection to my iPod and a couple of laptops that don't always stay near a hard cable.

Clearly wireless technologies are becoming more and more prevelant in out homes. Cell phones are more boon than bane. They can stay. I imagine that all those RF signals are doing us some harm. Some day the medical society will get back to us on that one with "Oops! We didn't realize...".

My bluetooth headphones are what I call a "killer application" of the technology. Every technology needs a killer application, but not all RF applications are that useful.

I'll predict that the next version of the iPod Touch will have bluetooth. It would be even sweeter if it had a set of bluetooth earplugs with it. ;-) The only awkward thing about all the iPods is that danged cable you have to drape from your ears to the device. They already have bluetooth in the iPhone so it's not like the technology is beyond them.

One more thing the iPod Touch needs is a way to access shared music on the owner's home network. There is no reason why my personal music collection has to travel down a cable and is limited to the 8 or 16gigs of space on my iTouch. I can already listen to MP3s posted on the web without downloading them. If you're listening, Steve Jobs, get this done!