atrio PROFESSIONAL EARPHONES
MODEL: m8
Future Sonics
PRICE: US $199.95 List
http://www.futuresonics.com
If anyone has read my previous reviews on inner-ear ear phones (Shure, Etymotic, Ultimate Ears, and V-Moda), they would know that I’m not generally a big fan of those type of audio listening devices. It’s not about the sound, solely. It’s that, and fit and comfort. And ultimately, value. But because of the design of this type of product, fit and comfort are half of the sound coming back to the listener. If they don’t fit right, the sound is tinny, and basically sucks. I’ve had to try sleeve after sleeve, and take a short course in ear-canal exploration to get some of them to fit/sound right. Even then there were those phones which just would not cooperate.
I’m glad to say I’ve met my spiritual sonic in-ear guru, atrio professional headphones by Future Sonics. These phones are the first I’ve found that fit me the way I believe the company would have it. And the amazing part is that the silicone sleeves that were already on the m8′s I received fit perfectly. They were comfortable and I could hear/feel the bass frequencies without pushing and pulling and manipulating them until my ears were raw. What a pleasure. In case your ear is not the same size as mine there are many sleeves included with the set, both silicone and foam, to accommodate just about any size ear canal.
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eMedia My Piano
Company: eMedia Music
Price: $30
http://www.emediamusic.com/mypaino.html
eMedia Music released My Piano for ages 6 and up just as Jim Hilbert and I were wrapping up our review of the company’s My Guitar companion Mac/Windows CD. You can read our evaluation here.
My Piano uses Pam the Piano as cartoon tour guide, instead of Gary the Guitar. Irma Irene Justicia is the human tutor. Promotional material explains: “In eMedia My Piano, an animated character named Pam the Piano leads kids through over 100 lessons by Irma Irene Justicia, M.A., who has taught at the renowned Juilliard School of Music. Pam explains how, the videos show how, and the screens have the songs. Learn proper hand position, note names, how to read music notation, play accompaniments, and more. Learn many fun songs you and your friends can sing along with!”
More to the point is the presentation description, in which: “My Piano covers the basics, such as learning your notes, counting rhythm, and moves on to playing chords, reading music, playing songs, and much more. An animated keyboard shows you where to put your fingers as the live recorded audio plays. With MIDI tracks, the speed of the music can be adjusted so you can learn at your own pace. When My Piano is used with a MIDI keyboard, kids get instant feedback on notes and rhythms they played wrong and find out what they should have played instead. Additional features such as a metronome and digital recorder are also included.”
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Marware Sportfolio Sleeve for MacBook Air
Marware, Inc.
http://www.marware.com
US$ 34.99
Following my (bad) example of rushing in where angels fear to tread, my wife Nancy became an early adopter of the MacBook Air. She’s been extremely pleased with her purchase. Every laptop needs protection when it travels, so the Weeks Division of MyMac Labs reviewed the Marware’s Sportfolio Sleeve for the MacBook Air.
Sleeves are minimalist; the Sportfolio has no handle, carrying strap nor does it have a surplus of pockets. It has one just small flat pouch on the front. The zippered top has two solidly-built pulls.
The Sportfolio is made of neoprene, which provides a goodly amount of protection against everyday bumps and dings. Be advised that the Sportfolio is a sleeve, and sleeves don’t provide the sort of protection against, say, fifty-story falls that heftier bags might.
The neoprene is wonderfully grippy, so accidental drops should not be a problem.
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Juice Pack for iPhone
Company: Mophie Inc.
http://www.mophie.com/products/juice-pack
US $ 99.95
I was a Day One iPhone adopter, and can easily say that I’d buy one again, even though the first generation iPhone is clearly not perfect.
My main complaint with the iPhone is the battery life. Compared to other cellphones, the iPhone’s battery life can best be described as “barely adequate.” Only my long-discontinued Samsung phone/Palm device (don’t ask me the model number, as I’ve repressed all the bad memories of that gadget) had worse battery life. To be sure, the iPhone is smarter than any other cellphone, and all that intelligence needs electricity to feed it.
iPhone battery life is highly variable. If you surf wildly all day, check email every five minutes, and run the iPod at the same time, you’ll be lucky to finish the average day without eating up your battery. If you use just the phone, and don’t use the Internet, email or iPod, the battery will likely last a couple of days.
My usage patterns fall right in the middle, and I normally have about 25% capacity left at the end of the day. So, each night, I charge the battery.
mophie (no, there’s no capital “M“) sent me a review unit of the mophie Juice Pack for iPhone. Juice Pack is an external battery for for iPhone that seamlessly supplements the internal battery. After using Juice Pack for a few weeks, I am highly impressed with it.
Juice Pack is a lithium-polymer battery embedded in a sleeve. The iPhone slides neatly into the sleeve, which grips the iPhone tightly enough so the phone won’t easily slide out. At the base of the Juice Pack is a standard iPhone connector, albeit reversed. When charged, the dock connector at the base of the iPhone mates with the connector at the base of the Juice Pack. With the Pack connected, the Pack powers the iPhone until the Juice Pack is discharged, and only then is the iPhone internal battery used. It’s slick engineering, and works perfectly; no muss, no fuss.
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One reason people shop on the internet is to save money (at least I do). In these tough economic times wouldn’t it be nice to be able to save even more money? Here a few tips to do just that.
1. Shop for the best price Continue reading »
Sites like pricegrabber.com and resellerratings.com will search the internet with vendors selling the product you are looking for and give you a price list. Be warned- Some of the cheapest prices come with the most expensive shipping costs.
A.D.A.M. Symptom Navigator for the iPhone
Company: A.D.A.M., Inc.
Price: Free
http://iphone.adam.com/
There’s no question that the Internet has become a valuable source of health information over the past few years. Sites like WebMD, Yahoo! Health, Google Health, and others attract over 60 million visitors each month. Now A.D.A.M. Inc., another online health information provider, has created an application that allows iPhone users to quickly and easily access data from their Health Encyclopedia using the iPhone’s touchscreen.
ADAM’s Symptom Navigator for the iPhone presents an image of the human body and prompts the visitor to tap the affected area of the body to receive a list of possible symptoms. For example, touching the abdominal area of the body image generates a menu of relevant symptoms including (but not limited to) pain, increased or decreased appetite, indigestion, nausea, and heartburn. Selecting a symptom guides the visitor through possible causes, options for home care, and whether a doctor should be consulted. Visitors can choose from a male or female body image—as well as a front or back view—to ensure that gender-specific symptoms, as well as those peculiar to any area of the body, can be addressed by the software.
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Toon Boom Studio 4.0
Company: Toon Boom
$399.99
www.toonboom.com
There are many animation programs for the Mac and the problem is figuring out which one is right for you. Toon Boom Studio is one of these programs, and if you are looking for a full featured 2D animation program that gives you the professional animation experience this is for you.
Be warned, Toon Boom is not for the timid. It is a “heavy duty” animation program. In fact, the main interface can be intimidating even for the seasoned animator/digital artist. However, there are a ton of quick-start tutorials and an electronic manual that will help you get started. Once you start getting acclimated to the software you will really enjoy it. A lighter version called Toon Boom Express is available for $149.99. I did not have the opportunity to review this program, but a comparison chart can be found here.
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MyMac Podcast #403
Review
Review
Review
MyMac Podcast 400-5!