AV Adviser

Looking for a smartphone bike mount

I'm an avid bicyclist.  I'm not the guy in the professional riding outfit.  I prefer taking the bike trails and enjoying the scenery.  I move along at a steady clip, but I'm not racing. 

Lately I've been pondering a mount for my iPhone 4s.  Something that would allow me to see and touch the screen of the phone.  As it is now I either have it in my pocket or in the bike pouch.  That means stopping to change music so I don't accidentally drop the phone while riding. 

There's also plenty of apps that would help keep track of my biking and fitness.  To really appreciate them you need to be able to access your phone easily while on a ride. 

There's also the hassle of the earbud cord dangling and sometimes interfering.  That would mean some sort of bluetooth (wireless) headset. 

So I thought I'd share some of my findings with you. I haven't decided on anything yet but these are the items I'm looking at.

As far as bluetooth headphones go, the New York Times reviewed this cool headset with a controller in the back of your head, Ingenious New Earbuds From Arriva.

There's many mounts available on the market.  Some are good, some are lousy.  The best advice I have is to take a look at what's available on Amazon.  Read the customer reviews and decide from there.  I'm going to go for a more expensive model.  The last thing you want is to have the mount fail and your phone crash to the pavement. 

Lifehacker has a DIY solution for $5, Mount Your Phone to Your Bike for $5.  I'm wary.  It'll cost much more, again, if the phone falls. 

Here's an idea if you're not interested in controlling your phone or wearing earbuds.  It's a mount that'll hold a portable bluetooth external speaker.  It's from Soundmatters, foxL BKMT-2 Bicycle Mount Kit.  On the good side, it keeps you more aware of your surroundings whereas earbuds isolate you. The bad thing is that you may feel like a bit of a dork with your music blaring as you ride. 

If you have any questions or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmial.com

John Hannibal

iPhone 5, The First Time I'm Truly Exited About The Release Of A Tech Product

It's not so much about what features the iPhone 5 will have.  It's more about me and my stance on new products.  The fact is, for the first time, I'm truly excited about the release of Apple's new phone. 

If you read this blog regularly you know I'm not a fan of early adaption.  I don't need to impress.  I'd rather wait for bugs to be worked out and to see if the product is a winner before I buy in.  I didn't buy the first iPhone, waiting for the 3GS version. 

Well now that phone is two plus years old and my contract with AT&T is up.  So now I wait and read about all the rumors.  What will the iPhone 5 be able to do?  When will it be announced?  When will it be released?  There's plenty of places to whet your appetite with anticipation.  There's a plethora of sites with iPhone 5 in their web address like iPhone 5 release, iPhone 5 specs, iPhone 5 blog, iPhone 5 talk.  Just google iPhone 5.  It seems I'm not the only one that's excited. 

The latest rumor as to a release date is early October with a pre-order near the end of September.  Rumors as to what features it will have abound.  The iOS5 mobile operating platform which will also run on other iPhones and iPads is said to have good voice recognition and other useful tools.  The new phone is said to have a bigger screen, a better processor, and more pixels in the camera.

But I'm not hear to talk about all the heresay. I'm just excited about a tech product.  You'd think this would happen often for someone in my field.  Will I stand in line?  I don't know, but I do know that I'll be disappointed if I don't get one the first day or if they run out of the first shipment. 

I'm also planning to stick with AT&T.  When I first left Verizon out of neccessity to get an iPhone I was hugely ticked off at the dropped calls on AT&T.  Since that time they've put up more towers and I no longer have to go outside my home to ensure a good phone call.  AT&T's 3G service in Cleveland is great.  Rarely does that falter while I drive around the county.  I wonder if anyone can convince me otherwise?

If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal

How To Use A Smart Phone In Your Car

In my mind it seems a no brainer as far as using a smart phone in your car.  I can't believe I'm writing about it actually, but apparently a tutorial is in order. 

I'll bring up the idea of using your smart phone for music and entertainment in your car as opposed to satellite radio and people will ask me how you can do that.  Really?  Bear with me or simply move along if you're good.  If not, here's the knowledge you'll need.

Of course you'll need a smart phone, be it a Droid or an iPhone.  It has to be able to connect to the internet and have apps.  You'll also need to have 3G or 4G service. Ok, you've got one of those huh?  Good for you.

Now your car, depending on the year, may or may not have a mini jack built into it.  It's usually located on the dash near the radio.  If your car doesn't have a mini jack then you'll need to buy an FM transmitter made for just this use. 

An FM transmitter works like this.  You plug your smart phone into it, choose an FM frequency that has nothing on it in your area.  Most of these devices will scan for an open frequency by pushing a button.  Truth be told, in large markets unused frequencies are hard to find and in the best of circumstances you may get some interference or bleeding from a nearby frequency.  Once you've chosen the frequency on the FM transmitter you tune in that same frequency on your radio.  Now whatever is playing on your smart phone will be transmitted to that frequency on your radio.  Yes, you're broadcasting.  Some cars have lousy antenna locations and you may have bad results no matter what you do.  Make sure the store will take back the FM transmitter. 

It's much simpler if you already have a mini jack in the car.  You just need to get a cable with a mini male jack on each end.  Plug one into where the headphones go and the other into that jack on the dashboard.  I also have a DC iPhone charger which I plug in thus ensuring I don't wear down my battery. 

On your car stereo you'll now go to the aux input or whatever the car manufacturer calls it.  Now you're ready to listen to anything off your smart phone.  If you've got music or podcasts on the hard drive you can play those. 

If you want to hear a radio station from another part of the country or world you'll need to have a radio app.  There's plenty of them, and the better ones only cost a couple of bucks.  Popular radio apps include Tunein Radio, ooTunes and WunderRadio.  I have all three...and more.  Surprised, I know.

You'll want to set up some stations in your favorites before you're behind the wheel.  Now you can open up the app and choose, say, BBC Radio 2 (a favorite of mine), and cruise down the highway being entertained by witty Brits and a great selection of music. 

There's thousands of stations to listen to.  You can also use services such as the brand new (to the US) Spotify. 

My cell service is through AT&T and here in Cleveland 3G service is great.  I can ride all over northeast Ohio and rarely does the stream drop out. 

I also don't need Bluetooth for phone calls with this set up.  I'm sure my end of the conversation isn't pristine as I have to talk a bit loud in order for the iPhone mic to pick up my voice but I have both hands on the wheel and I'm not wearing one of those things in my ear. 

If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal

Paying Big Money For Headphones Makes No Sense

I just can't justify spending serious cash on a pair of headphones.  Ok, there's exceptions but as a general rule I just don't get it.

Let's talk about the exceptions first.  Maybe you're a frequent flier.  Investing in a pair of Bose noise cancellation headphones makes sense.  Or if the pair of headphones you plan on purchasing are strictly for home use.  Maybe you live in a small apartment with a roommate or live a transient lifestyle which has precludes you from buying box speakers.  Again, I can see the reasoning there. 

Otherwise, I will never spend, say, over $30 for a pair of headphones.  The only reason I use them is to listen to my iPod or iPhone.  That translates to alot of abuse for the headphones.  The cord gets caught and tugged, wrapped and tangled through the course of a day. 

I don't know about you but a pair of these headphones last me about 3 or 4 months before they break.  Either I loose a rubber tip of the earbuds or the wiring frays and one of the channels begins to crackle or totally looses sound. So why on earth would I spend $100 plus on a pair of great sounding earbuds when that is the outcome. 

Maybe I'm missing something.  If so, let me know.

If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal

 

Sony's Two New Sweet Sets Of Headphones

I don't talk much about headphones.  There's a couple of reasons for that.  Headphones are a personal thing.  Literally.  They're only for you. 

In a home environment the need for headphones only occurs when one person wants to listen to something while all others in the house want quiet.  Or if one person wants to hear something other than what everyone else is listening to.  In my world it just doesn't happen too often. 

In the portable environment, Cleveland is not a commuter city.  You don't see nearly the number of people walking around with ear buds the way you do in New York or Chicago.  And personally, it's rare that I wear ear buds other than for biking and yard work. 

There's those that swear by listening to music critically through headphones but I don't subscribe to it.  Sure, you can get lost in the sublime with headphones.  It's a real escape from reality.  Most of the time I'm not looking for that kind of immersion.  I love listening to a great pair of speakers with the subsequent ambient noise added into the mix.  Of course, living alone allows me to crank it up, drowning out any distracting sounds. 

Sony's announcement of two new headphones has me quite interested though.  Let's look at the set designed for the home environment first. 

They are the MDR-RF865RK wireless headphones.  And the big selling point is Sony's claim of a 325 foot transmission distance.  That's quite impressive.  In theory you could walk around your whole house, and I'm talking a large house too, while still enjoying your headphone experience.  I say "in theory" because anytime you're dealing with transmission and reception through the air you have outside elements that may interfere with the signal.  Stone walls between rooms could do it.  Or the crazy neighbors' basement experiments may be a cause for a lower distance of reception.

Add to that the fact that on a full charge the headphones run for 25 hours and you've got an appealing item here.  The price is around $160.

I travel quite a bit and once in awhile think about how nice some noise cancelling headphones might be.  In recent years this type of product has come out in ear bud form but until now the price on a good set has run upwards of $300.  Sony's new noise cancelling ear buds, the MDR-NC13, will sell for $70.  The trade off is 87.4% noise cancellation compared to 99% for the more expensive models.  I can live with that. 

If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal

 

Enhancing The Sound Of Your Portable Player

I miss the days of the boombox and the idea of sharing the music with those around you.  Turning Cleveland on to what you're listening to.  Now everyone is in their own little world via earbuds.  That's fine for the commute or walking through town but what about when you and friends are gathered in a park or backyard. 

Pull out your MP3 player of choice and play music off those tinny built in speakers?  Hardly.  You need some sort of augmented speaker system.  The trouble is which one to buy.

David Pogue at the New York Times has saved me the trouble in a spot on review of numerous such devices.  There's even a video.  Portable, but Not Puny, Speakers.

The Soundmatters FoxL

If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal

Major League Baseball Smart Phone App...How I Love Thee

I didn't bother buying the Major League Baseball app last summer since I didn't purchase an iPhone until early August.  Well, that was just stupid. 

This year I sprung for the app called At Bat 2010.  It runs about $15 and is actually available for other smart phones as well.  The way people gush about the app seemed a bit much until I began living with it myself. 

Is it the best app ever?  For a baseball fan it quite possibly could be.  Here's the deal.  It gives you news, scores, stats and schedules.  It has plenty of video clips of highlights from the previous days games.  It even allows you to watch one game live on your phone each day.  They choose the game and it's subject to blackout restrictions but it's pretty cool to watch a live ballgame on your phone.  By the way, live TV will be quite common place on your phone by years end.  

I haven't stated the main reason I've fallen in love with At Bat 2010.  It allows you to listen to any and every baseball game during the season.  That's right.  For $15 pick a game then choose which team's radio broadcast you want to listen to.  As a fan of radio in general, since I was a little tike, it's a thrill to be able to lie in bed and listen to someone like Vin Scully calling the Dodgers game on the west coast. 

Scan the scoreboard and determine which game is close and "tune in"to that one.  Maybe an announcer says that C.C. is pitching a no hitter in NYC tonight.  Time to tune in that game.  It's truly magical.  Sure, my allegiance is to the Cleveland Indians but let's face it, they are playing some boring ball. 

I have always found that listening to the radio broadcast of a baseball game can be therapeutic.  It calms me down.  It's escapism.  Simply plug in your iPhone to your distributed audio system and enjoy these ballgames anywhere in your house.  Or listen to a Cubs day game while making the sales rounds in your car. 

You see?  You, too, may be touting At Bat 2010 as the best app ever.

If you have a question or if I may be of service call me at 440.724.0558 or drop me an email at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal