What Do We Want From TV?

Google made a lot of noise recently with their announcement about Google TV. See their short concept video here:

 

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diTpeYoqAhc

 

This got me thinking about how I watch TV now and how much of it is on the computer vs. on my HDTVs. I probably have more vested in TV than the average person. I have multiple HDTVs, multiple TiVo HDs, multiple Apple TVs and a couple of Slingboxes. Yep, I like to get my TV on! The conclusion that I came to after watching Google's video is that while I definitely watch my share of "internet" videos, I don't think that my viewing habits will change all that much with Google TV. Here's my reasoning: when I watch a clip on YouTube, it's primarily because I'm already on my computer and it's an in the moment kind of thing. Someone sent me a link or it was embedded in a website that I was already headed towards. It's also like to be a SHORT clip (YouTube limits the clips to 10 minutes max). Each of my TVs already has either an Apple TV or TiVo HD connected to them (if not both) and both of those devices can view YouTube clips. However, I almost NEVER watch YouTube via those devices. I don't sit down to look for stuff to watch on YouTube or the internet. This might also be due to the fact that unless I specifically hook up a keyboard or run some type of App on my iPhone/iPad that searching with these devices via the onscreen keyboard is a royal pain. So If I sit in front of a HDTV it's usually to watch a longer show and probably one that I've already TiVo'd ahead of time. 

Continue reading “What Do We Want From TV?”

One Day Sale: Magellan Premium iPhone/iPod touch Car Kit

While I still think that these car kits cost more than they should, I must admit that the Magellan Car Kit (and Navigon App for iPhone AND iPod touch) is now my preferred Travel GPS! Amazon has the Magellan Premium Car Kit ON SALE for $99.99 (List Price $129.99). You can get it here for that price.

Speaking of Navigon Apps, Navigon still has their "MyRegion" Apps on sale for $15!!! Regular price is $29.99 so grab them here while you can. The Navigon GPS navigation Apps work great with the Magellan Car Kit and since they have the maps BUILT-IN, they don't require a data connection to use.

You can also check out my original video review of the Magellan Kit here:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTP34pSA6LU

Nikon DSLR GPS Smack Down Results

 

While there are are several ways now of geotagging your images and some don't care about this at all, I'm a fan of having this location metadata added to my photos as I take them. I applaud Nikon for building this important feature into their DSLR cameras and I also want to thank the various vendors that sent me units to review. However, like anything there are going to be some gadgets that I prefer over others. The good news here is that you really can't go wrong with any of the choices below. They all do what they say they do! While I've used them all and had good results, if I had to narrow it down to a single choice (and I do since I'm not going to carry them all), I would choose the Solmeta N2 GPS. Although I got off to a rough start with it and although I absolutely LOVE the di-GPS mini L and PRO series, if I had to only have ONE of these models it would be the Solmeta. Why? As I indicated in the Solmeta review. I have TWO Nikon bodies. The D700 and D5000. Unfortunately the connector to attach a GPS is different on each one. So while I do really like the di-GPS, the cable is hard wired into it. In order to use theirs with both my cameras I'd have to have two of them (one with each type of connector). The other reason I'd give the nod to the Solmeta is the fact that it does have a compass built-in for Heading. Again, not a big deal to me, but it is a feature that the di-GPS doesn't yet have. Now with that said, if I were only going to use this on my D700 (or if I replace my D5000 with a 300s), then I may lean towards the Dawntech di-GPS Pro L model. It has one feature that I love over all of these other ones and that is a built-in 10 pin terminal pass-through right on top of the unit. This way I can use the remote trigger and extension cable that I've already invested in. Lastly if you want ONE GPS that will work with both your Nikon DSLR AND any other camera, then I'd probably go with the Easytag. It has a generous 2GB MicroSD card and can be used directly with your Nikon OR capture the data and merge it with images from ANY camera later in post.

While I do like the compactness of the Nikon GP-1, it is my least favorite. It doesn't have any of the modern features of the newer models and feels antiquated when compared with the rest. Nikon, it's time to bring out the GP-2.

 

The GPS data is displayed in Lightroom with a link to the actual location on Google Maps

Continue reading “Nikon DSLR GPS Smack Down Results”

Easytag GPS for Nikon DSLRs

It's Geotagging week here on my tech blog. So today we'll take a look at the latest Nikon DSLR compatible GPS unit I've received and it's called the Easytag. 

The Basics

Like all the rest, you turn it on while you're outside and it picks up the GPS satellite signals and then adds the Longitude and Latitude to your shots so that you'll know where you were when you took them.

 

What I like about the Easytag… Continue reading “Easytag GPS for Nikon DSLRs”

Solmeta Geotagger N2 GPS for Nikon Cameras: Take 2

It's Nikon DSLR GPS review Week!

I'm a Nikon shooter (you knew that) and I have a fascination for Geotagging. I love the BUILT-IN support that Nikon DSLR cameras have for GPS modules. I've tried a few different ones and of course this lead to different manufacturers wanting me to review theirs. My policy has always been if you want to send me something I'll take a look at it and I'll review it honestly. So you may or may not like what I have to say and as long as you're OK with that, ship it! So I decided to dedicate today, tomorrow and Thursday's posts to this topic and on Thursday I'll declare a winner! By winner I mean that I'll put up a comparison chart detailing what you get with each of the ones I've tried and I'll tell you out of the 4, which is my favorite.

 

Let's start off with a second look at the Solmeta GPS

You might remember a few weeks back I reviewed (or attempted to review) the Solmeta Geotagger N2 GPS unit with direct support for Nikon cameras. My initial review was cut short due to a cable mishap. Turns out I had the wrong cable and while the cable that shipped with my first unit worked, it was in the wrong orientation and therefore caused unnecessary stress that ultimately broke the connector at the base. I reported the problem to Solmeta and they were very responsive and offered a replacement unit. The replacement has arrived and I decided to give it another shot.

 

You're not going to believe this… Continue reading “Solmeta Geotagger N2 GPS for Nikon Cameras: Take 2”

My iPhone 3GS has become my Travel GPS

When I travel I sometimes have to rent a car. Although in the past I had been simply adding on the Hertz Neverlost option (or as my buddy Scott refers to it as Everlost), I stopped doing that once the portable GPS units became good enough. My first one was the Garmin Nuvi 350, then the 360, then the 400 series and finally a Nuvi 765t that I love. I also briefly used the Navigon 2100. They are all great units and I really didn't have any complaints with them. The 765t has performed perfectly for me and never misses a beat/turn. Nonetheless, I was still very intrigued when Apple announced the iPhone 3.0 OS update and that it would allow 3rd party apps to have turn-by-turn navigation abilities. The first one that I tried was Navigon. It certainly had promise, but the 1.0 version was missing key features such as text-to-speech. TomTom also came out with their app and it was also missing many of the same key features in its 1.0 version. This kept me from wanting to go solo with just an iPhone GPS app. Well a lot has changed since then!

 

The iPhone 3G/3GS and even iPod touch GPS Navigation Apps are ready for prime time

Continue reading “My iPhone 3GS has become my Travel GPS”

Solmeta N2 GPS for Nikon DSLR’s Review

After writing my most recent review of the NEW di-GPS Pro and Mini GPS' a few readers suggested that I check out the Solmeta N2 GPS. which offered a couple of advantages over the di-GPS models and being the GPS freak that I am, I couldn't resist.
 

What makes Solmeta different?

solmeta

Aside from all the things you would expect and that I've covered before with the other units, the Someta offers a couple more bells and whistles. The big one for me and probably the reason I was anxious to try it was that instead of having to buy one model or another for either a Nikon DSLR with a 10 pin terminal (like my D700) or one that has a specific GPS port (like my D5000), this one comes with BOTH cables. This way the user can buy one GPS unit and use it with every Nikon DSLR that supports GPS units. Although that was a big plus for me having two bodies, the average user is probably only going to use one cable or the other as they will likely only have one kind of body. The only other feature that got my attention was that this one has the ability to know your heading. Definitely nice when you want to know what direction you were facing when you took the shot.
 

How well did it work?

solmeta-inuse

Luckily the unit arrived (after what seemed like forever!), the day before I was headed out on a business trip. So I was able to pack it for some real world testing. I still brought my other GPS as a backup since I hadn't had even a moment to make sure the Solmeta was going to work.
I connected the appropriate cable for my D5000 and stood outside my hotel to grab a GPS signal. I gotta say that it seems to take a lot longer to acquire the satellite than I'm used to. Not too long, just longer. So plan ahead!

HamburgGermany-Solmeta
Once it locked on, the light went from rapidly flashing green, to a slow flashing green to a steady green meaning that it had acquired multiple satellites. I started shooting and the information was captured as expected.

Lightroom 2

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom brought the GPS metadata in with the shot. You can click the GPS coordinates above to take you to this location on Google maps.
 

One major design flaw – see UPDATE 2 below

Continue reading “Solmeta N2 GPS for Nikon DSLR’s Review”

GPS for your Camera – di-GPS Pro L Review

If you've been following this blog you know that I'm a big fan of the Dawn Tech GPS units for your DSLR camera. Well Dawn Tech has improved on a good thing and I'm here to talk about two of their new models.

di-gps-pro-l

 

First up the NEW di-GPS Pro L

pro1_01

If you want a little background on the di-GPS Pro see my original review here. The NEW "L" model offers a "data Logger". The 8MB flash memory based data logger can track over 260,000 data points. While this is great for someone that may want to download this data later, I'm more interested in having my GPS location data input right into the meta data of the shots when I take them! That's what the di-GPS units have always done. However, what this feature does give me now is the ability to geotag photos where there is NO SATELLITE RECEPTION based on my last known location. This is very cool! So if you're out shooting a landscape or walking about a city scene and then you duck in to take some shots of a historic landmark your shots taken inside will still be geotagged with the last known position. VERY COOL!

All of the other goodness of the original di-GPS Pro are still intact and this GPS is hands down my favorite!

 

The NEW di-GPS Mini 3L D5000

M3_D5000_01

I bought a D5000 last year to basically be my travel camera. So unless I'm specifically traveling to do an important shoot, I'll most likely have my D5000 in tow. When I bought the D5000 I also bought the only GPS that worked with it at the time which was the Nikon GP-1 reviewed here. While the GP-1 does work there is one thing that drove me absolutely nuts about it and that is there is no on/off switch. Basically it comes on with the camera and goes off with it. Now while that doesn't sound like a big deal, it means that when the D5000 goes to sleep so does the GP-1. While the D5000 wakes at the tap of a button, the GP-1 then takes a few moments to re-acquire the satellite and therefore may not be capturing location information if you don't wait first before firing your first few shots. Like its big brother, the di-GPS Mini series has an On/Off/Auto switch. In the ON mode the GPS stays on even if the camera goes off/sleep. Granted this will drain your camera's battery quicker, but I've found the drain to be insignificant vs. the instant ready to shoot factor. 

Continue reading “GPS for your Camera – di-GPS Pro L Review”

Best of 2009: Terry’s Top 10 Gadget Picks

Happy New Year! It's that time once again to take a quick look at my favorite gadgets of last year. The gadgets I've chosen were the ones that I used the most and that had the most positive impact on my day-to-day life. These gadgets were either introduced in 2009 or had significant updates in 2009. These are the gadgets that I would recommend to a friend without hesitation. So let's get to it…

 

iPhone 3GS

iPhone 3GS

Anyone that knows me knows that the iPhone 3GS is my communications device of choice. The 3GS made my life easier this year with more memory, a faster processor, and graphics to run apps that I never dreamed of right from the palm of my hand. I use my iPhone quite a bit in my day to day routine. I actually get a ton of work/communications done with this device.  I get both work and personal email, SMS and MMS messaging, productivity and business apps, and yes even the ability to make calls. This is the one gadget that I now couldn't imagine being without. See my original iPhone 3GS review here. Learn more about the iPhone 3GS here.

See my Must Have iPhone Apps here.

See my favorite iPhone and iPod touch accessories here.

 

Logitech Harmony One Universal Remote

When I am at home and not producing content, I enjoy my home entertainment systems and home theater. The one remote that has worked for me better than any other remote I've tried is the Logitech Harmony One. This remote is configured from your computer to do exactly what you want. Anyone with more than a couple of entertainment components should do themselves a favor and check out the Harmony One. See my original review here. Get the Harmony One Remote here.

Continue reading “Best of 2009: Terry’s Top 10 Gadget Picks”

TomTom Navigation Apps for iPhone on Sale through 12/28/09

tomtom

As you know I reviewed the TomTom app when it first hit the App Store scene (see my review and video here). One of my original complaints has been addressed and that complaint was about the price! Competition is stiff in the iPhone Navigation App market and although TomTom's first release was less than stellar they have followed up with an update AND some sale pricing. TomTom has also added some of the missing features that I mentioned: they added Lane guidance, Text-to-speech and a Help Me! emergency menu.

So if you're a TomTom interface fan, now's your chance to get the app at a more reasonable price! Also TomTom has released a USA ONLY version for less as well (on sale).

 

TomTom USA Map ONLY for $49.99 here:

TomTom U.S.A.

 

TomTom USA and Canada for $69.99 here:

TomTom U.S. & Canada

 

I always felt that these apps should be in the $50 range (or less), so I'm glad that competition has put some pressure on TomTom.