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August 19, 2009
Umnitza Angel Eyes Orion V2
This is the first in a few review I plan on doing on bmw e46 upgrades.
I ordered the Umnitza Angel Eyes Orion v2 kit for my zhp.
1. the kit comes with little to no documentation, but there are plenty of documented installs for angel eyes all over the interwebs. Many of them come with pictures too. I followed the one from:
http://www.fastm.com/m3/angeleyes_orionv2.html
Note that I would recommend disconnecting the battery. This guide doesn't seem to mention that.
2. The lights are BRIGHT.
3. I thought the AE's would be flush against the headlight housings. They're a little bit of a gap. If you set them right, it looks ok. Maybe there's a technical reason
4. The remote trigger is pretty slick. I wired mine to the passenger footwell light under neath the glovebox.
5. The guides and the cables seem to indicate that you should tap power from an ACC line going into the control box. This concerns me a bit, but fortunately BMW didn't care when I went in to get my DME reflashed under warranty.
6. The cable lengths are perfect. Just get some plastic zip ties.
7. The whole install should take you about 45 minutes.
8. I'll post pictures
Posted by Bryant at 01:19 AM | Comments (2)
Kindle Gripes continued
After about a week of using the Kindle DX I've added some more thoughts:
1. This device REALLY needs some folders. This is starting to get really annoying.
2. Subscriptions to magazines and newspapers should really be a lot cheaper than their print counterparts. I need more incentive than just "saving the environment." I'd be willing to see a few ads in exchange.
3. Why the heck doesn't the mp3 player have a UI? It's like a giant ipod shuffle, except there isnt a random playlist, so its like a giant ipod "sequence"
4. I understand the convenience of having 1 cable for syncing and charging, but I'm quite paranoid about battery life. Especially when it comes to non-user replaceable batteries. I hate unplugging and plugging the charge cord in and out to sync files when I'm not actually going to put the battery through a full charge cycle. Could they add a way to let you sync w/o charging the battery?
5. Please release an API. There are so many cool apps that people could make for this thing.
- Unlike a phone/laptop, the battery lasts for DAYS if not WEEKS
- it has a DATA/GPS connection.
- Has a ginormous screen compared to a phone
- Has a qwerty keyboard
Some app ideas:
1. Word processor
2. Email client
3. Pandora
4. google maps / latitude
Posted by Bryant at 12:53 AM | Comments (2)
August 12, 2009
Kindle DX
I just got a Kindle DX today.
There seems to be a dearth of extended reviews and in depth information on this device so I'll start documenting my thoughts.
In my 6 hours of ownership thus far:
- Transferring files to the kindle via email is very cool, but totally not worth the pay per MB cost. Also if you upload a pdf that is 1.2 mb, it will get rounded up and that will get charged as 2MB.
- Why is web browsing still in experimental mode? Also I wish people would start formatting their sites for the kindle. If gmail worked well on the kindle, that would be killer. you can check gmail now, but i wouldn't recommend it unless you had to.
- Screen is absolutely amazing. Nothing like it today, but I can't help but feel that in a couple years, we're going to think that the refresh rate and dpi is going to make it look quite primitive. And I hope that i'll be able to get at least a couple years before I feel that way.
- If you're getting the kindle, get the case. It snaps in and really makes the reader feel protected and substantial.
- Speaker volume is quite impressive.
- FOLDERS. how do you not have folder support in a device that has 4GB of built in memory.
- So I know the old kindle's could get location based services in google maps. How the heck do you do that with the DX? With the new keyboard, you can't do ALT-number combinations
- GAMES. Sure you added minesweeper, but wouldn't a crossword/sudoku been a killer app for this device?
- The screen itself is amazing for reading.
- Native PDF support is quite good. It would be nice to have more zooming ability, but it renders stuff that was supposed to be on letter size paper quite well.
- Getting content from amazon's store is refreshingly fast and simple. There really is nothing like not having to wait a few days for your book to ship and be delivered to your door.
- Whispernet is really cool. Wikipedia at my fingertips all across the country?
Posted by Bryant at 11:23 PM | Comments (2)