Monday, November 25, 2013

How to Configure Outlook Windows Live MSN Hotmail IMAP in Outlook 2011 on Mac OS X

How to Configure Outlook Windows Live MSN Hotmail IMAP in Outlook 2011 on Mac OS X



After figuring out how to setup Outlook IMAP in Apple Mail, Microsoft Outlook 2011 comes in line for its share.
it's an even easier process than for Apple Mail.
1. Open up Microsoft Outlook
2. Go to tools then Accounts
3. Choose E-mail Account
4. Enter your E-mail address and your password, before adding an account read the next step
5. Uncheck the box that says Configure automatically
6. Next to type of the EMAIL ADDRESS Choose IMAP instead of POP3
7. Type in the incoming mail server of Outlook imap-mail.outlook.com and leave the port as it is
8. Type in the outgoing mail server of outlook smtp-mail.outlook.com and leave the port as it is
9. Add Account and you're done mate!
10. Congratulations now Send & Receive to activate your Account

Sunday, November 17, 2013

How to Fix No Linked YouTube Account issue when trying to export to YouTube

How to Fix No Linked YouTube Account issue when trying to export to YouTube




It might seem hard and for me it did too, I was looking for a solution everywhere but I didn't find.
The Fix is easy, just follow the instructions:

Go to your YouTube homepage and click on your username up in the right corner.
Under Google account there are settings, click there and it will take you to google+ settings
Under settings in google+ scroll down to Third-Party tools and there you are.
You will have :
Third-party tools
Your page's username is: username-number@pages.plusgoogle.com
Take advantage of third-party tools by setting up a password for this page.
Setup a Password

You will have to create a password for this username to work.
once it's done go to your Editing software and enter everything there and you are good to go!

Friday, November 15, 2013

Panasonic HC V210 Full HD 1080P Camcorder Unboxing

Panasonic HC V210 Full HD 1080P Camcorder Unboxing



While the Canon eos line DSLR Cameras provide a better, much better Video Recording experience and capabilities, it just gets annoying the whole time you need to focus on something, while the eos line has been upgraded to include a much better AF while video recording experience, it's still not there yet, it just needs improving, besides nothing beats a Video camcorder that was created obviously to record videos.
The Panasonic HC V210 gets you there, it offers an outstanding video recording capabilities for the the price (160 GBP/ 190 EUR) , it takes even stills at 10 MP but the sensor is 2.51 MP and the effective Pixels for the images are only 2.2 MP, means the 10 MP is just scaled. anyway, it's there but if you are looking to be impressed then you will be disappointed, let's leave that to the review.

in the box you get the Camcorder, instructions, battery which lasts up to 1.5 Hrs of video (amazing, isn't it?), you get a power supply, Mains adapter (EU, US, UK), HDMI cable and Mini USB to USB cable and that's about it. oh and not to forget some CDs (one for the Video Editing Software for windows only and some instructions CD).

First impressions:
great camcorder, outstanding zoom up to 72x Intelligent and 2500x Digital which is useless, but up to 100x is really fine and you can still see a lot of details, that's why I got it compared to similar Canon Legrias at similar price range.

if you wanna read the review, subscribe and stay tuned!!


Thursday, October 24, 2013

Mac OS X Mavericks - Finder Tabs

Mac OS X Mavericks - Finder Tabs



One of the most annoying things for me while using a Mac is the necessity to use a Multi Finder window, it's not enough for me to open one and it's inconvenient to change folders each time I want something, it was always cool to have tabs in Chrome and tabs in Safari, so why not get the same for finder? and that's exactly what Apple did, now by hitting Command & T you get a tab and the awesome thing about it is that you can have as many tabs as you want and what's even cooler is that you can close finder and reopen it and et voila!! the tabs are still there!

How to Maximize Windows on Mac by dragging them to the top

How to Maximize Windows on Mac by dragging them to the top




Would you like to maximize your Windows in Mac? and by Windows I don't mean the OS but the App's Window like Finder or Safari!
Have you ever seen some users drag the Window to the top of the screen and Window instantly becomes Full mode?

get bettertouchtool, it's a free app that could be downloaded from google, it does not only let you maximize the Windows but it has much more features and gestures to add to your Apple Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad

Once installed it's gonna eventually ask you if you would like to use the feature where it lets you to drag Windows to maximize it, be sure to accept and click ok.

be sure to make bettertouchtool Run on startup so you could use it everytime.

You are done, enjoy!

Configure outlook IMAP in Apple Mail on Mac OS X Mavericks, Mountain Lion or Lion

Configure outlook IMAP in Apple Mail on Mac OS X Mavericks, Mountain Lion or Lion



It's really easy and we didn't know it!!

Open Apple Mail
1. go to Mail, Preferences
2. hit the Plus button and add other mail account
3. Enter your full name
4. Enter your email address for example "redanddarkfire@live.com" don't enter .com at the end, instead enter some other ending like .mac or .weotrh or whatever, the reason you wanna do that is to stop Mail from detecting the settings for you automatically and that's because it's gonna be detected as a POP3 account and that's what we don't want.
5. Enter your real password and click continue
6. you will get a message that you have to configure your account manually, click next
7. Check IMAP and not POP3 and Enter the incoming mail server which is imap-mail.outlook.com , enter your full email address as the USERNAME "in this case it should be with the real ending and Enter your password then next, it's gonna sign in.
8. Enter your Outgoing mail server which is smtp-mail.outlook.com, your username "full email address" and password then next.
9. once we are done go to check the settings once again and change the ending of your email to the real one.

for example if you Entered redanddarkfire@live.mac change the mac to .com and you're done!

Congratulations, you have a working Outlook mail with IMAP in Apple Mail!!

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Novero Brooklyn in ear earphones

Novero Brooklyn in ear earphones



The Novero Brooklyn are not the best earphones out there but for the price they are unbeatable.
in the box you get the earphones with some extra sleeves/tips S/M/L size and an extension cable which is really short!

the Sound Quality is amazing for the price (15 USD) , the vocals are pretty crisp, the Treble is there and the Bass is not that dominant but you feel it.

Vocals are 9/10, mediums 8/10, Highs and lows about 8/10, Bass is 7/10

the Build Quality is also superb, however I don't like the cable the Dr Dre style which is anti tangle.
the Microphone is great for calls, the earphones come with a single End/Receive calls button and the microphone without a Volume remote which is too bad for me because I use it a lot on my iPhone, however for the price I cannot complain.

8/10 I highly recommend it!

Rode Smartlav Unboxing and review - some test results with the ZOOM h1

Rode Smartlav Unboxing and review - some test results with the ZOOM h1



I do a lot of interview for my job and I record with my camcorders but I was unpleased with the Sound Quality of a DSLR camera, especially that I have it on a tripod and I place it far away from my object. a Wireless microphone system is out of the equation hence they are very expensive if you want a decent Sound Quality, that's when I decided to look at the Smartlav from Rode microphones.

it's a Microphone that is designed and built for smart phones such as iPhones and Android devices, but the reason I say iPhone is not because I own some but because there is a dedicated app for iOS that works on iPads too and since I have a 3GS that is laying in my closet I decided to get his lazy ass to work, I bought a Smartlav from Rode and I was pleased with the Results.

I don't use Raw Videos, I always edit them so it's not a problem syncing the audio in post, keep that in mind because the audio is recorded on the smart phone and not on your Video camera / DSLR.

in the box comes the mic with a pouch and a windscreen which is awesome, everything is included, go ahead and download Rode Rec LE for iOS or SoundForge for android (because you get Gain control) I prefer SoundForge but it's not available for iOS.

you could however connect your smartlav to your DSLR directly with a cable if you wish to, but you have to use an adapter that converts TRRS to TRS otherwise it won't work.

in the Video you can find some test results of the smartlav Raw recording and synced in post with the video.
you could find ZOOM H1 recording and synced in post as well.
and there is a Smartlav to ZOOM H1 recording.

I personally prefer the ZOOM H1 anyday, but after all it's not a lav mic, the Sound Quality of the Rode Smartlav is awesome for the Price though (only 60 USD)

get it on eBay or amazon

Belkin Emerge 024 iPad 2 3 4 Hard Case Unboxing & Hands on

Belkin Emerge 024 iPad 2 3 4 Hard Case Unboxing & Hands on



For a long time I have been looking for a hard and inexpensive case to go on my 2nd Gen iPad, I didn't wanna invest lots of money and I had a couple of cases that are not worth 5 USD all together, anyway I was fed up with changing every couple of months so I decided to get the Belkin Emerge 024, I like to change colors every once and a while and that's what I liked about the Emerge 024, it has a hard shell that is built like a Tank literally, it's very sturdy and unlike any other cases that I had before it's almost unbreakable.

in the box it comes with different colors plastic inserts Pink, Orange, Green and Blue and it does work with the smart cover, in case you didn't notice I have the blue one which is a perfect fit with the Blue insert.
it's almost indestructible yet it's not that high profile, it's very tiny and Slim and you won't feel it's there.

get it, it's worth the money!

K1BO HDMI Mini Android 4.0 1080P HD TV Box WIFI USB IPTV Player PC 4GB Unboxing & Review

K1BO HDMI Mini Android 4.0 1080P HD TV Box WIFI USB IPTV Player PC 4GB Unboxing & Review



What is this thing?

it's a Mini PC & TV Dongle, it's basically a HDMI Stick that you put in your TV to have android experience on it. it does include wifi.

in the Box comes a USB cable, US power adapter and the stick itself, instructions are kind of useless if you are familiar with android.
it has a function key, microSD slot, DC cable slot and micro USB input and a dedicated USB for connecting a mouse/keyboard or both at the same time.
it's a dual core dongle 1 Ghz with 1 GB of RAM and 4 GB of Internal storage for apps.
it plays FULL HD 1080p videos flawlessly

it offers the same thing that an Android device would offer and the same experience of a tablet with android 4.0.4 offers

minuses? a bit laggy but it's better than the other one that I got it, it does not crash and it's a lot cheaper 35 USD 

it's pretty fast for a Chinese product.


I recommend and I don't think it's worth to invest more money in something similar that claims to be better, after all you will use it for YouTube, Netflix, Hulu and perhaps web surfing, micro SD is up to 32 GB which is awesome if you wanna load some HD movies! enjoy

iPazzPort Smart TV Box Android 4.1 WIFI RK3066 Dual Core Cortex-A9 4G HDMI 1080P Unboxing & Review

iPazzPort Smart TV Box Android 4.1 WIFI RK3066 Dual Core Cortex-A9 4G HDMI 1080P Unboxing & Review



What is this thing?

it's a Mini PC & TV Dongle, it's basically a HDMI Stick that you put in your TV to have android experience on it. it does include wifi.

in the Box comes a USB cable and the stick itself, instructions are kind of useless if you are familiar with android.
it has a function key, microSD slot, DC cable slot and micro USB input and a dedicated USB for connecting a mouse/keyboard or both at the same time.
it does have an Antenna for the wireless
it's a dual core dongle with 1 GB of RAM and 4 GB of Internal storage for apps.

it offers the same thing that an Android device would offer and the same experience of a tablet with android 4.1 offers

minuses?
Don't get it, it failed after a couple of days from this Review, however there is another similar device that you could get instead which is even cheaper and has the same User Interface. Click here to read the review of that Device!

incase hardshell case for Aluminum Unibody MacBook Pro 13 Unboxing and thoughts

incase hardshell case for Aluminum Unibody MacBook Pro 13 Unboxing and thoughts



The incase hardshell for Aluminum Unibody MacBook Pro 13 is the same case that was produced over 2 years ago with no change at all.

Why should you get it? ( at the time of writing this Review I had it for 4 months )
No cracks or any other inconvenience that you get from Chinese eBay products.

it's a has a matte surface that is not shiny but it does attract finger prints.

in the box is only the Case and to install it you have to put the back part first simply slide in the back first and slide in the front until it clicks, the upper part is the same as easy but you have to be careful while installing it that it won't scratch your MacBook.
to install it slide in the front first just like the video shows you then slide the back until it clicks.

that's how easy it is. Top Quality Product for your Aluminum MacBook.

don't be stingy and get a Top case for your over 1000 USD laptop! it's worth it.

Logitech m187 wireless mini mouse review

Logitech m187 mini Wireless mouse Review



The m187 is a mini wireless mouse that comes in different colors as Blue, White, Black, Red and some others.

It's kind of ergonomic because it's not a thin mouse however it's small and very portable.
It does have an on/off switch and the nano receiver could be stored inside the mouse itself from down next to the Triple A battery that is included.
It has a click wheel and two buttons and the battery lasts over a month with heavy usage and it's good for medium to small hand size. your fingers will lay on it and your palm won't so you might have some sort of strain, other than that, it's a fun mouse to use. love it!

you can get it on eBay or amazon

Saturday, May 11, 2013

LG M2252 TV and Monitor IPS LCD LED Walkthrough and Review

LG M2252 TV and Monitor IPS LCD LED Walkthrough and Review



The LG M2252 is one of the latest Monitors to have TV function, it retails for about 199$ which is not a lot for what you pay.

It's a 22" screen that is anti glare which means that it will not reflect light or shadows or any annoying objects during watching. The viewing angle is 178 degrees which will make it easier for you to watch from any place possible, the color depth is amazing, with 1080p Full HD on a 22" screen, you will experience magical colors.


This Monitor makes a nice addition to your Desk, you can connect your laptop or Desktop to the amazing IPS LCD LED FULL HD 1080p Display, Plus if you get bored you can switch the input to TV and watch TV.

There are two HDMI inputs, you can attach an Apple TV or android tv box, or your camcorder to watch your recordings.
you can watch a movie straight from a USB with the option for subtitles too.
even if you don't have a HDMI input / output on your laptop, you can still connect the Display to your computer with the RGB / VGA input.
There is a component, composite connection too if you don't have one of the mentioned above.

Accessories that are included in the Box:

- The Stand
- Remote Control
- Power Adapter
- RGB Cable
- CD & Instructions Manual


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Technical specifications:

General:


Screen size (inches)                             21.5
Type                                                     LED
Aspect Ratio                                        16:9
Resolution                                           1920 x 1080
Brightness (cd/m2)                               250
Contrast Ratio                                      5000000:1
Response Time (ms)                             5
Colour Depth (Num of Colours)          16.7M
Pixel Pitch (mm)                                  0.248 x 0.248
Surface Treatment                               Non Glare

Video:


H-Scanning Frequency                       30 ~ 83kHz (Analog / Digital)
V-Scanning Frequency                       56 ~ 75Hz (Analog/Digital)

INPUT / OUTPUT:


D-Sub                                                  Yes x 1
HDMI                                                  Yes x 2
Composite                                            Yes
Component Video                                Yes
USB                                                     Yes x 1
Audio Output                                      Headphone Out
DTV Tuner (MPEG4)                         Yes
PAL/SECAM                                      Yes

Audio:


Built-in Speaker                                   Yes – 2x5W

Features:



Picture Mode                             Vivid / Standard / Natural / Cinema / Sport / Game / Expert 1 / Expert 2
HDCP                                       Yes
Intelligent Auto                          Yes
Remote Control                         Yes
PIP                                             Yes
Plug & Play                               DDC2B
Key Lock                                  Yes
CI Slot                                       Yes

Stand:


Base detachable                         Yes
Tilt(Angle)                                 Yes: -5º ~ 20º Degree

Standard Certification & VESA Mounting:


TUV-Type                                Yes
FCC-B, CE                               Yes

Power:


Type / Input                                                              Adaptor / 100~240V
Consumption Power Save/Sleep Mode(Max)           1W
DC Off (Max)                                                           0.3W

Dimensions WXDXH (MM):


Set (with Stand)                                508.6 x 182.8 x 386.5
Set (without Stand)                           508.6 x 62.9 x 314.8
Box Dimension                                 578 x 126 x 384

Weight (KG)


Shipping Weight (Kg)                      4.9


Eco:


ErP Class                                                                               Class B
On Power Consumption (IEC62087 Edition 2) (W)             28.0
Stand By (W)                                                                         0.40
Luminance Ratio (%)                                                             70
Presence of Lead                                                                   Yes - This Monitor TV contains leads only in certain parts or components where no technology alternatives exist in accordance with existing exemption clauses under the RoHS Directive
Mercury Content (mg)                                                            0.0





Bottom line: It's an amazing Display that you will love for such money!

Thursday, April 18, 2013

How to burn iso image to a USB thumb drive on a Mac using UNetbootin


How to burn iso image to a USB thumb drive on a Mac


in one of my Previous Posts here, I explained how to burn iso image on a USB drive using Terminal. but it didn't work for everyone, and There is no specific way to get everything done.
There are some softwares but they work with certain iso files and don't with others.

In this Video I used UNetbootin which works with most isos, it's a free software that you can download here, it's available for Windows, Linux and Mac.


N.B. You have to be logged in as Admin otherwise won't work!!

How to burn:
1. Make sure your USB drive is formatted (FAT32 if you want it bootable on Windows)
2. Open up the software and go to tick DiskImage button down
3. select the ISO image that you wanna burn
4. The USB drive location is selected by default
5. Click ok and wait till it's done


That's it, it's that easy

Thursday, February 28, 2013

iOS 6.1.2 on the iPad 2 - is it slow?

iOS 6.1.2 on the iPad 2 - is it slow?



A couple of years ago, the iPhone 3G received its final iOS which was 4.2.1 and everyone was shocked of how slow and laggy it was, since then everyone asks himself twice before moving to a new iOS, is it worth to upgrade? will it slow down my device? should I say on my trusted & tested iOS?
The iPad 2 got the iOS 6 along with the iPhone 3GS and for everyone's surprise, it's really smooth, it's really fast and it's definitely not slow. The iPad 2 has a 512MB memory after all and running too many apps will slow it down you might presume but with the iOS 6, that's really not an issue, but if you open up too many apps then starting the apps might take sometime but the performance is really fast.

In the video up, I launched a lot of apps that are installed on my iPad 2 and you can see that the performance is really great, it's not slow or anything, in fact, I find it faster than the iOS 6.

What you get with iOS 6?
A bit better battery life & some new features like Do Not Disturb and some privacy settings.
Not to forget more apps support.

What do you lose?
YouTube app & Google Maps - but google has their own app in the AppStore for YouTube so that's not an issue & google maps for iPad is not available yet.

What to watch out for?
You cannot downgrade from 6.1.2 to 5.1.1 - so be careful, do you really want iOS 6?

if you are a jailbreaker then hurry up before Apple upgrades to iOS 6.1.3, there are rumors that it might not be jailbroken for a while.


bottom line: Fast and Smooth performance, I don't miss iOS 5

Friday, February 15, 2013

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 Mark II Lens Unboxing video

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 Mark II Lens Unboxing video



The Nifty 50 f/1.8 II Lens is the cheapest Lens that you can get from Canon for just about 100-130$ / 69-85 GBP.
But because it's cheap, does not mean that it's bad, In fact I love using it especially in low light & for videos.

Advantages:
- Price
- very light, it's the lightest Lens from Canon
- Excellent in low light
- Accurate AutoFocus
- it's quite Fast
- Perfect as a Normal Lens for Full Frame Sensors (6D, 5D) or Crop sensors (60D, 650D/T4i, 600D/T3i, 550D/T2i)
- Awesome Optics for the price

Disadvantages:
- It's total Plastic, even the mount is Plastic, but you cannot complain for the money that you are paying.
- You have to be really careful because it won't take much of a beating

bottom line: for a 100-130$/69-85GBP you can never go wrong with a great Lens like this.

where to buy?
Click for the best deal on Amazon UK
Click for the best deal on Amazon US

Philips ActionFit SHQ1017 Sports In-Ear Sweat Proof earphones - Unboxing and Review

Philips ActionFit SHQ1017 Sports In-Ear Sweat Proof earphones - Unboxing and Review



The Philips ActionFit SHQ1017 Sports In-Ear Sweat Proof earphones are one of the worst that I've ever tried in my life. I do know How earphones should sound (I have Sennheisers, AKGs, Bowers & Wilkins, Audio Technica).

It comes in the Box with a small Pouch, S, M, L ear caps & an extension cable.
The Build Quality is ok, it's not that good but it's not that Bad, it does feel kind of cheap though.
The sound Quality makes you dislike the Music that you like, I mean compared even to Apple earphones, it sounds really bad, Apple earphones were really good. I would rate it 3/5
The bass is terrible, the earphones sound like they are dying on you. I would rate it 1/5
The Treble is bad, I didn't even notice that it was there. I would rate it 1/5
They are not comfortable at all, the Plastic ear caps are painful & they are not that soft gum material and after a while you will have ear strain. I would rate it 1/5.


bottom line: I really dislike it & in my opinion get a 10-15$ Panasonic off eBay better. Apple earphones are even better.

whether to get them or not? uhm, That's up to you, I wouldn't.



Apple Nike+ iPod Sensor & Marware Sportsuit Sensor+ case - Unboxing & Demo

Apple Nike+ iPod Sensor & Marware Sportsuit Sensor+ case - Unboxing & Demo



If you workout and you have iPhone, iPod touch or any other iPod model, then it will be nice to track your steps & to check how many calories were burned.
That's what I did, I went and got myself Apple Nike+ iPod Sensor with a Marware Sportsuit Sensor+ case.
The Apple Nike+ iPod Sensor is compatible with Nike+ sneakers, I don't have one, and It will be ridiculous to buy Nike+ sneakers for my Sensor. That's Why I got myself a Marware sportsuit sensor+ case, which allowed me to attach the Nike+ iPod Sensor to my New Balance sneakers, and it allows you to attach the Nike+ iPod Sensor to any sneakers.

It's very easy to connect the sensor to your iPhone or iPod touch (there is a built in app) but if you have other model of iPod then you're gonna have get the Apple Nike+ iPod Sport Kit which includes the little attachment for your iPod. but you don't need it if you have iPhone or iPod touch because it comes built in so for iPhone or iPod touch, you only need the Apple Nike+ iPod sensor.

To connect it to iPhone or iPod touch go to settings then scroll down to Nike + iPod and enable the app, then scroll down & press on sensor and it will detect your sensor.

Other iPods, when you connect the little attachment, you will have a new app for the Nike+ where you can connect your sensor.



bottom line: great little gadgets for doing sports, get it if you do sports :)

HUAWEI E3131 3G USB Modem 21.6 Mbps - Unboxing & Demo

HUAWEI E3131 3G USB Modem 21.6 Mbps - Unboxing & Demo



The Huawei E3131 is a great little 3G USB stick that offers 21.6 Mbps on HSPA+ and 5.76 on HSUPA.
It works with modem Operating System like Windows & Mac.
In the box, it comes with Quick start guides & some IMEI numbers of the modem.
It's very small, neat & the build quality is sturdy.
The USB stick accepts up to 32GB of memory (microSD card only) which is a great feature to use it as a memory stick too.
& it takes 3G Normal Size SIM card.

It does have a SMS feature, you can send & receive from & to your USB modem.

It is very easy & simple to use it, just plug & play, and your computer will do the rest. Of course you will need to setup Internet settings in the modem itself, but nothing to worry about, it does not require a rocket science & a small child can do it.

When you plug the modem to your Computer, it's gonna detect it and do everything for you, in case it didn't, go to the modem in My Computer or in Finder & click the detected USB & the software should be there. Run it & that's it.
Now go to your Internet Browser & it's gonna bring up the Menu of the USB modem.
- go to settings
- go to profile management
- create a new profile
- Add your profile name & your Internet settings from your provider ( APN & Password)
- save it & connect

Of course you need a SIM card installed with a Service plan.
The Internet Speed depends on your Service plan & not on the Modem, if your plan allows faster than 21.6 Mbps then you will be stuck with 21.6 Mbps, because the Modem does not offer faster, & if your Plan does not allow a speed up to 21.6 Mbps & lets say that it's 1 Mbps then your speed will be 1 Mbps.


bottom line: It's necessary sometimes to have a USB modem while travelling, the microSD slot is a great feature. get it if you need it.

Apple Battery Charger - is it worth the money?

Apple Battery Charger - is it worth the money?



Apple Battery Charger comes in the Box with 6 NiMH rechargeable batteries. The charger itself has a very neat sturdy design, I know it's a charger & you are not gonna spend sometime staring at it just to justify the money that you spent on it, but one great feature that it has, is the ability to charge a single battery & not only in a pair.
Anyway, is it worth the money? If you live in a place where you have the Eneloop Battery charger + batteries cheaper than the Apple Battery Charger, then The Apple Battery Charger is not worth buying & that's because the eneloop batteries & the Apple Batteries are manufactured by the same Company "Sanyo", Apple batteries are just rebranded.
But if you live in a place where the Eneloop batteries are more expensive (like me) then it's better to get the Apple Battery Charger with the 6 batteries.
Both, Eneloop & Apple Batteries have 1900mah, so just look at the prices & get whatever is cheaper.

Why to buy?
I have the Apple wireless keyboard, Magic mouse & the Magic trackpad, and the batteries especially in the mouse and in the trackpad drain so fast, that's the only reason why I got it.
I had GP batteries with a charger but It was not as great as the NiMH by Eneloop (Apple Batteries), so I decided to get the Apple Battery Charger.


bottom line: get it if you need it and there is no any other alternative.

SAMSUNG DV90 Digital Camera Unboxing & Review

SAMSUNG DV90 Digital Camera Unboxing & Review

Unboxing



You get in the Box:
- The Camera itself
- USB to micro USB cable for charging & transferring your photos to your Computer
- Instructions manual & Warranty
- Wall adapter
- Hand strap
- Battery

Review


The Samsung DV90 is a very small Point & shoot stills camera, that was built for convenience & portability. Being small, you could take it wherever you go, just stash it in your Purse or bag or whatever you carry with you.
If offers great Photo Quality for a small camera, with Pixel count up to 16.1 MP & Dual LCD one in the Front with 1.5 Inch screen & one in the Back with 2.7 Inch screen.
The Front LCD is extremely handy if you want to take self Portraits & it does have Children mode, where it displays cartoons with funny sounds, so it could attract the attention of a child while taking a photo, which is a lovely feature for families.

It does record a HD video up to 720p which is extremely smooth & the Quality is nice with amazing colors. If you wanna use this feature, be sure to have at least Class 6 microSD card to avoid lag & frame drops.

It does not come with a microSD card, so that's something to keep in mind, if you wanna get this Camera.

It does have Smart mode, that detects for you the ISO, white balance & other simple settings for a perfect Photo. of course the smart mode can be used in the Movie mode or Photo mode.

The front LCD is not used only for Photos, you could take a video & it won't switch off (something that they didn't mention in the Manual). which is good for YouTube of family Videos.

32GB Class 10 microSD card will get you up to 2 hours and 12 minutes.

Where to buy?
64.99 GBP in the UK - buy from amazon
99.99 USD for the DV100 (the DV90 is not available on amazon US)
buy the DV100 from amazon - Click for the Black - Click for the Silver




Photo Sample



Video Sample





bottom line: great for families, as cheap as a 100USD / 64.99 GBP, you can never go wrong

Thursday, February 14, 2013

How to update Crucial Solid State Drives on Mac

How to update Crucial Solid State Drives on Mac


The same method applies for Windows users too.

Back up your data before anything
You will need a Blank CD & a CD ROM drive, it does not work with USB, trust me, I've tried

- go to Crucial.com
- go to solid state drives in the menu
- click on firmware under information
- choose your product
- scroll down & download the manual boot file for Windows & Mac
- download it & then burn it on a blank Disc using Disk Utility or other softwares

Once you're done, insert the CD that you made to the CD ROM and restart your system
It's gonna detect that there is a firmware update & it's gonna ask you whether to update it or not.
- Type yes & click enter

Wait till the update is done, eject your disc & restart your computer

enjoy :)

How to enable Zoom on Mac OS X Mountain Lion

How to enable Zoom on Mac OS X Mountain Lion


Press Command + Option + Function + F5 to go to Accessibility Options then select the Zoom Option that you want

to zoom using trackpad press control and with two fingers slide up or down to zoom in or out

How to clean Memory on Mac using Terminal

How to clean memory on Mac using Terminal




Open up activity monitor to check the memory as shown
launch Terminal and type Purge then enter
that's it

How to burn an iso, img or a dmg image using Terminal to a USB stick on a Mac

How to burn an iso, img or a dmg image using Terminal to a USB stick on a Mac


1.Download the .iso file. This also can be an .img file or a .dmg file
2.Rename the .iso file to .dmg.
3.Right-click on the .dmg file and select Get Info. Write down the full path name as mentioned in the dialog box. We will need that for step 9.
4.Start a Terminal window. The Terminal application is located in the folder /Applications/Utilities/ of your Macintosh HD volume.
5.In the Terminal window, type:
diskutil list
and press the Enter key. Now a list of your storage devices is displayed in the Terminal window, underneath what you typed earlier.
6.Put the USB stick in the USB port of your Mac.
7.In the Terminal window, type again:
diskutil list
and press the Enter key. Now you see the same list, but with an extra storage device. The location of that device has the format /dev/diskN, where N is a number. In my case it was /dev/disk1. Write that down.
8.In Terminal, type
diskutil unmountDisk /dev/diskN
and press the Enter key. Use the N from step 7. This will unmount the USB stick (it will disappear from your desktop).
9.In Terminal, type
sudo dd if=/path/to/file.dmg of=/dev/diskN bs=1m
and press the Enter key, where /path/to/file.dmg is the full path from step 3, and /dev/diskN from step 7. You will be asked to enter a password. This is why you must be logged in as an administrator, a non-administrator does not have to privileges to perform this operation. This operation takes quite a while (seconds in my case). Be patient and let it do its thing.
10.In Terminal, type
diskutil eject /dev/diskN
and press the Enter key. Again N is the number we established in step 7.
11. you are done

Unibody MacBook 7.1 - SSD vs HDD - boot, benchmarks & stress test

Unibody MacBook 7.1 - SSD vs HDD - boot, benchmarks & stress test

SSD vs HDD, Startup, Shutdown & Reboot tests



Stress test, SSD vs HDD




SSD - 2 mintues and 19 seconds
HDD - 9 minutes and 11 seconds




Disk speed & benchmark, SSD vs HDD



The videos say everything, if you are still here then you are wasting your time, get a SSD now, you are missing a  lot buddy.

Trim Enabling on after market SSD on a Mac

Trim Enabling on after market SSD on a Mac



When you get an after market SSD for your Mac, Trim does not come enabled, you have to enable it yourself.

What is TRIM?
TRIM command allows an Operating System to inform a SSD which blocks of data are no longer considered in use and can be wiped internally - (Wikipedia)


So, it's necessary if you don't want junk files to accumulate.


Download the Free software for enabling TRIM here & watch the video to learn how to do that.

Make a use of an old HDD - get external enclosure

Make a use of an old HDD - get external enclosure



Why leaving old HDDs laying around your house? get an external HDD enclosure & use it as an external HDD.

I had an Old HDD in my closet -  I found out that there is something called HDD enclosure, it's easy to install and it's useful if you wanna make a use of your OLD HDD. Now you have a portable External HDD. ain't that awesome?

Extra storage is never enough.

There are a lot of external enclosures that you can find on amazon or on eBay for  low prices (7-10$), that make you use your old HDDs as an external HDD, so why not?
There are even External enclosures that give you 3.0 USB which is fast if you have a USB 3.0

Watch the video

Crucial M4 SSD - unboxing and installation on a Unibody MacBook 2010

Crucial M4 SSD - unboxing and installation on a Unibody MacBook 2010

Unboxing



Installation




The main Point behind getting SSD for your Computer is Turbo boosting it. Once you get SSD you will feel the difference between HDD and SSD instantly, I mean the speed is amazing, you get 5 times faster performance, apps launch instantly, your Computer starts & shuts down within seconds & you no have to listen to that annoying mechanical, loud noise of the HDD.

Writing & Reading speeds get faster, editing movies, photos & music become a joy.
even battery life improves a little bit.

so why get SSD? the answer is simple, it's quieter, faster & better battery life & lower risk of failing unlike HDDs.

Watch the Installation Video if you wanna know How to install it.
You will need a small head Philips screw drive & Anti static wrist strap

YouTube app for iPad is here - December 06 12

YouTube app for iPad is finally here



When Apple upgraded it's iOS to 6, they ditched the YouTube & Maps apps because of the expired contract with google Inc.
Soon after that, google released Maps app into the AppStore & after a month they released the new YouTube app for iPhone, but iPad users were left on the side.
Some 3rd Party developers took the chance & started to develop their own until google Finally released their YouTube on December 06 12 & it's the same amazing like on the iPhone.

enjoy it.

Blaupunkt Comfort 112 Noise Canceling headphones - Unboxing & Review

Blaupunkt Comfort 112 Noise Canceling headphones - Unboxing & Review

Unboxing



Review




What you get in the box:
- a 3.5mm to 3.5mm gold plated cable with a 6.3mm gold plated adapter & airline adapter.
- a nice hard shell case for protection.
- a small pouch for storing the cable & the adapter.
- 2 AAA batteries.

The headphones are made of Plastic except the adjustable part around the head, but they don't feel cheap at all, they are sturdy, they have an amazing Plastic (fancy) Quality.
They have 40mm drivers, they are on ear headphones & they fit easy for most head sizes because of the adjustable band.
Around the arch, there is soft, leather cushion for the comfort of your head.

on the left cup there is:
- on/off button for active noise canceling
- active noise canceling level adjustment
- 3.5mm audio jack

on the right cup there is:
- it houses 2 AAA batteries for the active noise cancelation which last up to 20hrs

Cushions on the cups are very soft & they are made out of leather. The cups also rotate for flattening, it's handy if you want to move your neck freely.

Strong pro - the headphones work even without the batteries, which means you can choose whether to use the noise canceling or not & the sound Quality is amazing with noise canceling or without it.
The cable is detachable.

Sound Quality - it's amazing, great highs, mids & lows. It's kind of bassy, it kicks your ears when it's loud. But it gets muddy if you are using the Active Noise Canceling with a 100% volume level.
It's good for Rock, Pop, Trance or any kind of Music. Vocals are super clear.

Leakage is expected, after all they are on ear & not around ear. But with 50-70% volume, there is no leakage.

For the Sound Quality you have to watch the Review, or if you are lazy to watch all of it, you can skip to here which is the part where the Sound tests start.

bottom line: great headphones for the Price (~150$) , it's a bargain, I would buy them again, the best part that the cable is detachable which means you can get a cable with Volume & mic Control & use it with your Smart Phone.

Apple Magic Trackpad vs Apple Magic Mouse - Which one?

Apple Magic Battle - Magic Trackpad VS Magic Mouse - Which one?



When it comes to the two, I have a mixed feelings about both, I mean for a while I use only the Trackpad & for other while, I use only the Magic Mouse.

Pros of the Magic Trackpad:
- more gestures because of the size
- about 2.5x of the magic mouse
- more touch area
- a bit better battery life
- no laser in the trackpad, works anywhere
- it does not lag
- build quality is superb
- get BetterTouchTool & it's amazing to use
- both for left & right handed

Cons of the Magic Trackpad (at least for me):
- dragging files is a pain, you have to use both hands or two fingers, or 3 fingers
- you have to keep your palm up in the air to avoid unwanted pressure on the trackpad which can cause strain after a while.
- not ergonomic
- I have no other complaints

Pros of the Magic Mouse:
- low profile, very slim
- it's kind of eye catcher
- easy to drag files
- you can rest your palm but it's not the most ergonomic
- better for editing videos
- for both left & right handed
- get BetterTouchTool & it's amazing to use
- No USB cables, it's a bluetooth Moue

Cons of the Magic Mouse:
- small touch surface
- battery life is not that much
- it's not ergonomic
- it's not a gaming mouse (you might say it's not a Con, get a gaming mouse if you want to play)
- easily scratched
- easily gets dirty
- finger prints magnet
- does not work on glass, it's a laser mouse


bottom line:
so, Which one to get?
- well, both are great, I love both, if you have the money for both then get them.
- Get the Magic Trackpad if you are not a video/photo editor & you are not a gamer
- Get the Magic Mouse if you are a video/photo editor & you are a gamer (you can still play games with it, maybe not that games which requires a lot of buttons)
- You can get the Magic Trackpad & some other mouse with a USB cable or other Bluetooth or wireless mouse & you won't miss the Magic Mouse (if you don't mind a USB port occupied)

It's up to you!



Wednesday, February 13, 2013

How to Partition your Disk on Windows 7 or 8

How to Partition your Disk on Windows 7 or 8




To Partition:
1. go to start menu then right click the computer & select manage as shown in the video.
2. go to disk management under storage on the left menu.
3. go to the main Disk that has the larger size (in my case it's C:) & select it
4. right Click the drive C: & select Shrink Volume
5. in Shrink C: enter the amount in MB that you want to get out of it then click shrink
6. select the unallocated space then select new simple volume
7. in the volume wizard click next then next then assign the letter for the drive then next then format the volume using the default settings.
8. in volume label you can enter your name or whatever name you want then click next & then finish
9. once it finished formatting, go to My Computer & check if the new disk that you created is there.



How to create a bootable Windows 7 / 8 USB Drive

How to create a bootable Windows 7 or 8 USB Drive




To create a bootable Windows 7/8 from iso image to a USB drive, you will need WinToFlash software, you can get it from here it's free
1. Run WinToFlash
2. insert your USB drive & format it (at least 4GB of storage)
3. Select Windows Setup Transfer Wizard & click next in the following page
4. select the source of your Windows files, it should be in the field that says Windows Files Path
5. select the location of your USB drive then click next
6. accept the license crap then continue
7. then continue (it will warn you that your USB drive will be formatted) then continue
It will format your USB & copy your files
8. click next & then exit

Dual Boot Windows 8 & Windows 7

Dual Boot Windows 8 & Windows 7



This is a tutorial of How to dual Boot Windows 8 & Windows 7 on the same Computer.
Just be sure to follow each step & backup before your start.

Please Note that You are doing everything at your own risk & I am not held responsible if you caused to delete your Windows or Data files.

You will need Windows 7/8 installed on your system & Windows 7/8 Installation CD/USB

Steps:
You need to Partition your Disk that will let you to have the Second Windows OS, without partitioning you will risk installing 1 Windows on the other, which will not happen & it will cause you the loss of your current Windows OS.
To Partition:
1. go to start menu then right click the computer & select manage as shown in the video.
2. go to disk management under storage on the left menu.
3. go to the main Disk that has the larger size (in my case it's C:) & select it
4. right Click the drive C: & select Shrink Volume
5. in Shrink C: enter the amount in MB that you want to get out of it then click shrink
6. select the unallocated space then select new simple volume
7. in the volume wizard click next then next then assign the letter for the drive then next then format the volume using the default settings.
8. in volume label you can enter your name or whatever name you want then click next & then finish
9. once it finished formatting, go to My Computer & check if the new disk that you created is there.

To create a bootable Windows 7/8 from iso image to a USB drive, you will need WinToFlash software, you can get it from here it's free
1. Run WinToFlash
2. insert your USB drive & format it (at least 4GB of storage)
3. Select Windows Setup Transfer Wizard & click next in the following page
4. select the source of your Windows files, it should be in the field that says Windows Files Path
5. select the location of your USB drive then click next
6. accept the license crap then continue
7. then continue (it will warn you that your USB drive will be formatted) then continue
It will format your USB & copy your files
8. click next & then exit


Installing Windows 7/8
1. put your USB drive into your PC
2. start your PC & enter the setup menu (it can be the Delete button or the F2 or F8, it will say on the screen, in each PC it's different), in my case it's F2
3. using the arrow keys, move to the boot menu
4. select boot device priority & enter
5. under boot priority order move the USB disk drive all the way up using F6 (it moves it up)
6. select F10 to save & exit
7. it will restart & it will boot from the USB to the setup menu of Windows 7/8
8. select the language, time & format & keyboard then next
9. select install now then select the OS system that you want to install depending on your system whether it's 32bit of 64bit then next
10. accept license agreement then next
11. Pay attention here: select if you want to upgrade windows 7 to 8 if you don't wish to dual boot or if you want to custom install. (my advice is the custom install)
12. you have the different disks & one of them is the one we created earlier in the video with your name, select it & click next
13. it will copy the files & it will start installing & once it's done it will restart (at this moment you can take your USB drive as it's no longer needed)
14. before it will restart, enter the setup menu, go to boot, then boot device priority then move the USB drive back to where it was using F5 then F10 save & exit
15. it will restart & you will have two options to boot into Windows 7 or 8, select 8
16. it will continue the setup, from here you don't need my assistance :) all you need to enter is basic information about your preferences & so on.

For more info please comment!



Monday, February 11, 2013

Virtual CloneDrive - CD ROM alternative for Windows

Virtual CloneDrive - CD ROM alternative for Windows



For those, who are wondering what's is a Virtual CloneDrive, basically it's a software that was built for Windows users that gives you a Virtual Drive on your HDD, So if you were to download some software that requires an empty Disc for burning then installing the software on your HDD, here the Virtual CloneDrive comes in Handy, it's make your computer think that you inserted a CD in your Drive & it burns the iso Image of your software that you downloaded on the Virtual Drive & once the process is done, you can go ahead and Install the software from the Virtual CloneDrive on your HDD.

That means, no more CDs & no more wasting of money, You can see that this software comes handy especially for those, who use a mini laptop or any Windows laptop that does not have an optical drive. so instead of purchasing an external one, you can get the Free Software & you can save your money.

bottom line: It's a must for windows users

Roku 2 XS 7 months later

Roku 2 XS 7 months later



At the time of the video, It was 7 months later, but at the time of this Post, it's actually 10 months later.
As I said in the Video, I really don't watch cable, in fact I've terminated my contract as I don't use my TV anymore unless it's connected to my Roku.
I have the 2 XS model & I find the ethernet port very useful unlike the USB port which is useless because it plays only mp4 files.
I use Netflix & I managed to get hulu for free on my Roku, you could watch my Post here about how to get it to work for free on your Roku.
There are a lot of free channels and a lot of lists on the internet (search for free Roku channels) that let you enjoy. You could subscribe to HBO or amazon prime & some other paid channels that offer up to date contents, hell there are sports channels too. but one of my favorite Channels are PLEX for Roku, which lets you stream media from your Computer to your TV & you can add any content to it from movies to tv shows & songs. talking about songs, you can add Rdio or Pandora which give you a lot of songs that you love.

The gaming remote is amazing, but I don't use it. It's just that I am not into gaming, but it's great for kids, It feels like a Nintendo Remote with a superb motion sensor that is really accurate.

There is an iOS app offered for free by Roku which is a Remote control too & it offers the same functionality as the Remote with the physical buttons. but I don't like it & that's because I like to feel the remote in my hands, Clicky & gives you the feedback that a button was clicked, unlike the iPhone's touch screen.

This overview is conclusive for all Roku models, they are all great, from the LT to the 2 XS. you could save money & go for the LT if you don't need the gaming Remote & the Ethernet/USB ports.

bottom line: You will never go wrong with a Roku, it's amazing, I highly recommend it!

Logitech Z110 Speakers - Demo

Logitech Z110 Speakers



I cover my 13" MacBook's keyboard with some kind of rubber for protection & because of the rubber, it's kind of hard to listen to music on my MacBook, even before the rubber the internal speakers are shitty, so I decided to look for a powerful pair of small speakers that match the color & the Quality of my MacBook.
I got the Logitech Z110, they are small, portable & very powerful. of course there are not 2.1 or 5.1 stereo but still they can do the job if you wanna watch a movie in your students' dorms.
They are very cheap & they are worth the money. They come in a box with instructions & no need to attach cable or anything, the main speaker has a cable management system on the back. you can tie or untie the cable and get the length that you need.
It uses 1 USB port on your laptop & the 3.5mm audio port. no wall power plug or anything.
You can also connect them to your Phone or mp3 player or your Apple Airport Express.


bottom line: lovely, cheap, good Quality portable speakers, don't think twice

Anti Static Wrist Strap - How & Why?

Anti Static Wrist Strap - How & Why?



It's been a while since I made my first video regarding The Anti Static Wrist Strap, now obviously I failed to explain in the first video how to use it properly & why do you need it, that's why I decided to make another video & I tried to be as clear & simple as possible.

Now, like I said before, it's used for maintaining the same charge of your hands as your device, so you won't flood your device with extra charge & it wouldn't break beyond repairable.

How to use it? you have to connect it to the chassis, if not to the chassis, then find a simple way of grounding yourself, either by connecting your hand to another metal chassis that is connected to the ground or by placing your device on an anti static mat so that it won't touch the external environment.

You can avoid everything here & get anti static gloves which are simpler & easier to use.

Watch the video & for more info, leave a comment

read my previous post about the Anti Static wrist strap here

SAMSUNG Eddy E1230

SAMSUNG Eddy E1230

Unboxing



Review



It's a cheap phone, gsm dual band that has FM Radio, loud speaker & 3.5mm headphone jack.

Nothing is unique about this phone, it's made as a disposable phone or as a phone for people who are on a tight budget or for old people who dislike technology & like to keep it pretty simple.

It does not come with much accessories, only the power charger & the battery, there are no headphones or other stuff.

There is no memory slot, so you cannot download large ringtones or store MP3 music files.
The 3.5mm is useful only for Radio & nothing else.

bottom line: good phone with pretty basic functions, like alarm clock, calculator & such things. no other fancy stuff, no camera or other things that are worth mentioning. get it if you are on a budget.

Cleaning the Fan of a mid 2010 Unibody MacBook

Cleaning the Fan of a mid 2010 Unibody MacBook



Things that you need are:
1. a screwdriver
2. a brush

It's quite easy, watch the Tutorial & for more info please comment

ZooGue Tablet Stylus

ZooGue Tablet Stylus



The ZooGue Tablet Stylus is another one of ZooGue's Products, they were giving away some & all you had to do is pay for the shipping.

As said it's a pen & a stylus that works quite well on the iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Kindle Fire, Motorola ZOOM & others.

It's metal & it does not feel cheap, it kind of feels like an expensive pen.

bottom line: good for painting if you are bored, it's good that it does have a pen otherwise waste of the money that paid for shipping, I am not saying that I am disappointed with it, but it's the kind of thing that you are excited about it for a week or so then you place it on your shelf.

Zoom H1 Accessory Pack APH1 - Unboxing & Review

Zoom H1 Accessory Pack APH1

Unboxing



Review



If you value your time then maybe you don't want to read & you only want to know what I think of this Pack then my words to you: Don't get it, it's a waste of money, better get some eBay accessories. but the USB cable of this Pack is the only USB cable that works with the Zoom H1.

I got the APH1 Pack from eBay for about 29$ which was a good price, but I was disappointed with the whole Pack except for the Case & the USB cable, the rest of the items are useless, the Tripod is very cheap & in my opinion eBay tripods are better. The Windscreen is ok, the Mic adapter is also ok & you cannot find it anywhere else because it's not sold separately. The case is awesome & the USB cable is awesome because I couldn't find any other USB cable that could work with the Zoom H1 to transfer my recordings to my Computer.
I don't see what's the point of the AC wall adapter, I mean it does not charge or anything, it's only used to connect it to the Power so you could use your Zoom H1 without batteries? duh, seriously?!

anyway The USB cable is used also for connecting the Zoom to the Computer so you could use it as an external Microphone for your computer which is pretty darn awesome.

Bottom line: The USB cable, The case & the windscreen cover up for the Mic adapter, the AC wall adapter & the Tripod.

Zoom H1 Handy Recorder - Unboxing & Review

Zoom H1 Handy Recorder

Unboxing



Review



Actually I don't know how to describe this Handy Recorder, it's absolutely amazing for the money.
I got it as an additional accessory for my camcorder ( external audio is always better ).
In the box, it didn't come with much accessories, only the manual & the batteries, no case or cable or whatsoever, there was a 2GB microSD card though with an adapter.

It's a has a directional microphones at X/Y, it's made out of plastic & there are no menus, it's pretty easy & obvious of how to use it. it records in mp3 or wav with different frequencies that you can choose.

On the Screen we have the mic gain level, battery indicator. recording time & file format with frequency.
there is a red button which is used for recording, or stopping the recording. there is the PEAK light.
at the bottom there is the speaker, at the right side, there is the USB port, power on/off or hold button, trash button, previous track, Play/Pause, Forward, input level of mic & the Mic line in if you want to attach an external mic.
On the left side, you have the memory card slot, headphone volume level control & the headphone jack which can be used to monitor your recording.
On the back you have, low cut filter control, Auto level on or off & recording format WAV or MP3, we have the tripod mount & the battery compartment for a AA battery.

Bottom line: Pretty amazing & worth every penny, it's not heavy so you can take it everywhere & you can attach it to your DSLR or camcorder. get one


Sony ECM-CS3 Tie Clip Microphone

Sony ECM-CS3 Tie Clip Microphone

Unboxing



Review



I was looking for a lavalier microphone that is both good & cheap, I found the Sony ECM-CS3. the Main purpose behind buying it was to use it with my Zoom H1 Handy recorder, so I could put the Zoom H1 in my pocket (it's pretty small) & use it a kind like a wireless transmitter with the ECM-CS3 (audio syncing in production) & that's to avoid connecting it directly to my camcorder.

I got the microphone, it's made out of plastic, the cable was gold plated at the end and the clip is sturdy & does not feel that it's gonna break anytime soon. It has a chrome finish (of course it's paint) & it feels good, it does not feel that cheap. It has two channels ( it's a stereo microphone ) Left & right & the cable is about 1.2 m/3.9 ft.

The Hissing starts only when you set the gain above 50% , but it's ok, the sound Quality is pretty good for the price.

Check out the videos

bottom line: It's a good cheap mic & I do recommend it if you are on a budget. If you have a better money, get a better mic!

Nokia 112 Unboxing and Review

Nokia 112 Unboxing and Review

Unboxing



Review



The Nokia 112 is a dual SIM card mobile phone that simply does what it is supposed to do, its amazing battery life and talking time make it an excellent choice for new comers to the world of love and texting.
The battery life can give you a solid continuous 13 hours of talking and up to a month of standby time (like you will leave it a month without using it). anyway, The bluetooth is useful only for a Bluetooth headset but not for listening to Music. The 3.5mm headphone jack is useful for Music that are stored on the memory card and the Radio is ok.
The Plastic feels cheap but the phone is ok & performs quite fast even when it's full.

The Menu is a standard Nokia Menu, watch the walkthrough & Review for more info.

don't buy it for the camera, you will be disappointed.

Strong advantages:
- It's a Nokia, which means it's pretty solid and the Quality is pretty ok compared to other similar prices phones.
- Battery time is probably the best in it's category
- it does have gprs and edge

Disadvantages:
- to remove the 2nd SIM card you have to remove the battery which resets the time and date
- to remove the memory card, you have to remove the battery which resets the time and date
- there are no ports on the phone like a USB  in that could let you transfer music with a cable
- getting to the menu of the music player was an issue at least for me
- I wouldn't say that the camera is bad after all it's a cheap phone, don't buy it for the camera, stills are ok though but the video Quality is not, watch for yourself.


Photo Sample



Video Sample




bottom line: It's ok for what it's made for, but not for anything else.

Saturday, February 9, 2013

How to delete a backup from iTunes

How to delete a backup from iTunes



This is a tutorial and not a Review.

1. Disconnect your iPhone/iPad
2. Run iTunes
3. go to iTunes/Preferences/Devices
4. Select the backup that you want to delete then delete it & again delete
5. Select ok & that's it

Done :)

Rain Design mStand

Rain Design mstand



Probably the best Stand every for your laptop, the reason I say laptop and not specifically MacBooks, because you can use it with all laptops.

It's one solid piece of aluminum, you cannot fold it and it's not the most portable stand every, it's made to set on your desk and never leave it, but hell, it's worth the money and it's very sturdy and you know that your laptop will never fall.

It's very unique, and if you use it with a MacBook pro then it's very nice setup because it's the same color as the MacBook pro. it's very unique that it does give your laptop that iMac feel and the angle of viewing is very comfortable so you won't have to worry about leaning forward and about having strain in your neck or back.

I got it for my MacBook and I use the Apple wireless keyboard with the Magic Trackpad and Magic mouse and it's a perfect setup.

bottom line: a very nice addition to your beloved MacBook, get it if you can afford it. and by the way, if you are confused between the Griffin Elevator or this one, my advice is this one!

Apple Magic Trackpad

Apple Magic Trackpad




There is no secret that Apple has one of the best designs if not the best in the Market, The Apple Magic Trackpad is no exception, the unibody aluminum looks with glass coated on top is a brilliant multi touch, multi gesture Trackpad.
After getting the mStand from Rain Design, I had to get something to make it easier for me to type and to use a mouse. I already had the wireless keyboard, I got a magic mouse too, but I decided to get a Magic trackpad because I don't think that a mouse, even the magic mouse can replace my Trackpad on my MacBook, I mean the multi touch (I know the Magic mouse is a multi touch device too) feature on the Magic Trackpad is amazing, you have all the surface area, all the space and not limited to moving a mouse around, just use your hand and you are simply done.
The Magic trackpad is about 1.5 times the Trackpad on the MacBook, which is better for gestures.

I know that the battery life is not the best but who cares as long as you have a battery charger, besides I change batteries once every couple of months which is not that bad. (the reason I said that it's not that great because some people complain about draining in 4-5days).

Maybe the trackpad is not for everyone, I mean you got to try it at the Apple store, if you don't like it then get a mouse. I only use a mouse when I edit videos. I find the Magic Trackpad much more useful.

bottom line: Get one if you like it, or get a mouse and a trackpad if you can afford both.

Apple Airport Express 2nd generation

Apple Airport Express 2nd generation

Unboxing



Setup



Before I got this Router, I had a DLink DIR-300 which served me since 2007. For the past 5 years, I didn't believe that it was necessary to invest in an expensive router, I thought they all had the same function, they are routers, so why not to go for the cheapest?
That's what I did, the DIR-300 was really cheap at that time (25$ new).
So what made me change it?

It was old and for some reason my internet connection was resetting once a day for no reason, besides it didn't have the 802.11 n protocol for a wider Internet connection.
So, at the time when I was looking for a new Router, I had changed my system to Mac and I was getting interested in their Quality Product, and after studying the Routers they had, I finally decided to get the cheapest which was the newest in their line of Routers.
The Time Capsule was over priced, I have an external back up HDD from WD, so I didn't need the Time Capsule, and I didn't get the Airport Extreme because I thought that Airplay function for music on the Airport Express was really cool, I mean instead of connecting my iPhone using the 3.5mm headphone jack, I could do it wirelessly with the Airplay, and that's only the main reason why I got the Airport express.

It's a good Router, don't get me wrong, I never had any connection issues since I got it (7 months ago), besides you don't have to access the settings with your web browser, there is an app for that the Airport utility in the AppStore.

besides it's not that expensive, maybe you can find something that has a better features at this price range but I guarantee you won't find a similar Quality product and I am sure it will serve me a couple of years to come.

bottom line: It's a good Router for home use, The Airplay for Music is an awesome feature.

Plantronics MARQUE M155

Plantronics MARQUE M155

Unboxing



Review


The best Bluetooth headset ever, Period!.

It was summer and I was coming back home after holidays, I had to buy something from the airport because they had a great deals.
I found this little amazing bluetooth headset from Plantronics only for 59$ instead of 100$, I couldn't resist, I just had to buy it.

Since bluetooth headsets hit the market more than a decade ago, I started my journey searching for the Perfect one, I spent so much money on them and I was never satisfied, If you watch my YouTube Videos then You know that I reviewed a couple of headsets which I ended up not using after 2 weeks living with them, simply because I didn't like the Quality, the Microphone, the Weight, the design and the built in mic that over time had a lot of dirts (even with cleaning) the other side couldn't hear me properly.

That being said, my bluetooth headsets collection became ancient history lying in my drawer, I got that piece from the airpot and I didn't even use it until I was home.
After a couple of days, I started loving it, It was what I was looking for over the years, the build Quality, the Design, the Sound Quality, the microphone. Everything is simply perfect, very well made with great battery life of 5 hours of talking and endless time of standby. At the time of writing this post, I've had the headset for 7 months and I still use it everyday with my iPhone.

it does come with a free app for the iPhone but it's kind of instructions that you don't really need. The mini USB charging cable does a great job, it lets you connect the headset and your iPhone at the same time and ear caps are perfect for every ear. They do include Small, Medium and Large.

They do include ear hook as well, but you won't be needing it because the headset simply sticks in your ear and trust me, it won't fall. It is so light weight and you don't even feel it's there. That's the main point why i grew to like it a lot.
It does have three buttons, one for Answer/End and one for volume and one for switching it on and off.

The answer/end key has exactly the same looks like the iPhone's home button.

It does have a voice command too, when someone calls you, It Asks you whether to answer or to ignore. and when you switch it on, it tells you the battery lifetime in hours or whether it's connected to the phone or not.

when you connect it to your iPhone, just next to the battery status in the status bar, there is a new battery indicator that belongs to the headset, which is kind of cool.

and it does come in black & in white.


bottom line: the best bluetooth headset ever. It's a must! even for a 100$ I would buy it again.


ZooGue Social case pro for iPhone 4S

ZooGue Social case pro for iPhone 4S

Unboxing



Review



A company called ZooGue was giving away free cases for the iPhone 4S, all you needed to do is pay for shipping which ranges from 1$ to 5$ depending on where you live. So, I decided to give it a shot and I got one.
It looked like any Chinese eBay rubber case but it was not which was very surprising, eventually I grew to like the Case and I just couldn't take it because you don't even feel it's there.
If you are the type who does not like to have a case on your iPhone, making it look bigger than it is, I am not saying it's big, I am saying It's just perfect. anyway, You won't take it because you don't even feel it's there, and the Plastic rubber thingy, that it's made from, is very well made, I mean it does not feel that cheap.
Of course it does not offer that much of a protection but if you are afraid of scratches, then it's a good case.

if it's still available as free then get one, otherwise it's not worth the 15$.

FilMiC Pro with Apple iPhone 4S

FilMiC Pro with Apple iPhone 4S

I decided to go ahead and get the FilMiC Pro app from the Appstore after reading the reviews that keep complementing that app, and I was not disappointed.

It's one of the best apps for video recording on the Appstore, much better than the native app, it does not take photos but it's kind of a professional video recording app that takes the best out of the Camera that the iPhone has.

you can record with different settings, different frames and different Qualities with cinematic looks.
it does have 1080p, 720p, 24fps and 30fps and you can record in slo-mo which is cool. I am not gonna spoil it for you, go check it out.


Some samples

1080p 24fps



720p 30fps



VGA 30fps



bottom line: buy it if you will use it

Kodak PlaySport ZX5

Kodak PaySport ZX5

Unboxing



Review


So, I got this camera for it's capabilities, mainly for my videos and not for sports :) anyway, it's very sturdy, very well built and can take some beating, The Video Quality is awesome, that's the reason why I got it.
I got it after a long time looking for an affordable, cheap, yet very good Quality video camcorder.
at such price of course there are some minuses (100$), for example, there is no a mic input, so you are stuck with the built in mic, which is ok, but it could be better. let's not forget that, this camcorder is water proof, so it is very well ruggedized which reflects on the built in mic. anyway, if you use it for videos, you could always use an external voice recorder and sync your audio in production.
the battery life is about 2 hours or recording.
the camcorder can take photos up to 5 MP but it's not a Photo camera so don't expect too much out of it.
anyway, you need to watch the videos for yourself to judge :)
it does have macro mode and auto mode, and the video settings are VGA, 720p 30fps, 720p 60fps or 1080p 30fps.
if you want to record longer than 2 hours, you can connect the camcorder to the power and it can record while charging.
the device has mini HDMI and SD card slot and it can accept up to 32gb which is awesome.
the files are not large, if you are recording on a 32gb with the power connected, it can record up to 8 hours.

Video samples:

1080p macro mode:



1080p 30fps



720p 60fps



720p 30fps



VGA sample




bottom line: get it if you are on a budget and looking for a sport ruggedized camcorder, if you are not gonna use it for sports and have a better money then get the zi8

Friday, February 8, 2013

Apple wireless keyboard with iPad 2

Apple wireless keyboard with iPad 2




The iPad is an amazing device that can replace a mini laptop in terms of functionality. Yes, I think so, of course you cannot go ahead and use some professional apps but for what it's invented, it excels.
I use my iPad at the university when I take notes, yes it can take sometime to get used to a virtual keyboard, but you can get used to it. But of course, I would still like to use a physical keyboard with my iPad, that's one of the reasons why i got my apple wireless keyboard, not only for my MacBook, but also for my iPad.
As most of you know, the wireless keyboard has an amazing battery life, I use it everyday since the last 9 months with the same batteries. It's really great and comfortable, I wrote this Review using it; anyway, my point is, you can use it with apple iPad and it's a great addition, it's very light weight and portable and you can take it anywhere with you.
It's very easy to connect it, watch the video :)


Sennheiser HD-428 headphones

Sennheiser HD-428 headphones



The Sennheiser HD-428 is one of the most neutral headphones that i ever listened to. The Cable is really long (3m) gold plated on the end, cushions are soft. The sound quality is by far one of the best Qualities I ever listened on a headphone, It's neutral as I said but the detail is so rich, the BASS is 5/10 which is Neutral but you can use a headphone amplifier if you prefer a better BASS. Sound Quality is really nice, mids-highs and lows are Perfect. The headphones are very flexible, and that's a good point to avoid breakage, The Cabe is really flimsy and you should be really careful with it. The Plastic does not feel that cheap.
Your ears get really hot and sweaty if you use it for a long time, which I don't like, it does not give you space to breathe.

bottom line: amazing headphones, good value for money, amazing sound quality. get one.

Fiio E6 headphone amplifier

Fiio E6 headphone amplifier




The Fiio E6 Headphone amplifier is a small amplifier yet powerful that comes handy most of the time, in fact if you try it once, you will never use your headphones without it. It comes in the box with a clip so you can attach it wherever you want with a 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable & a mini USB to USB cable for charging, it does have a power on/off switch with equalizer and volume control.
If you are gonna use it with your iOS devices, I would suggest you to get the L9 cable, it's a 30-pin to 3.5mm adapter that takes advantage of the powerful audio out from your 30-pin and converts it to 3.5mm.
you can use it with any mp3 player or your laptop, it gives a rich sound and takes advantage of your full headphones potential so you could listen to a great details of sound when you use it.

bottom line: it's a must, get it.


Nokia BH-104 Bluetooth headset Review

Nokia BH-104 Bluetooth headset Review




It's a small device with a standard package, it comes only with the instructions manual and that's it, no charger or cables or anything.
The ear cap is made for medium or large ears as it didn't fit mine comfortable because my ears are small.
The Microphone is not that clear to the other side of the line, people were complaining that they don't hear me good (maybe my piece was defective, I don't know), at the beginning it was good, maybe something malfunctioned with it later.
It's pretty cheap, only about 15$ and it's made for both ears, right or left.
It does have a power on/off button, volume up or down & answer/End call key.

Pairing is easy, hold the power switch for about 5-6 seconds and it will enter pairing mode. the pairing code is standard 0000.

The battery life is not that bad, it's about 30 days of standby and about 5-6 hours of talking time.

bottom line: you can find better but for the money it's good if you have a medium to large sized ears.

Apple wireless keyboard unboxing MC184

Apple wireless keyboard unboxing MC184




In this video, I have got the Wireless Keyboard from Apple for my MacBook, which is a great addition if your MacBook is connected to an external monitor that is that away from you, so you can use it with the Wireless keyboard and with the Magic mouse from anywhere.

Fake or Genuine Smart Cover?

Fake or Genuine Smart Cover?




Here is a comparison between a fake smart cover and a Genuine one. You can easily spot which is fake and which is not. Nevertheless, it's a good alternative if you don't want to pay a lot of money for the genuine.

Plastic case for iPad that works with Smart Cover

Plastic case for iPad that works with Smart Cover




eBay Plastic back case for iPad that is compatible with smart cover, it's a good buy if you don't want to spend a ridiculous amount of money for an expensive case, costs only about 0.99-2.99 USD.
check it out.