One e-Reader to Rule Them All (Or . . . Nook's Last Stand?)

For about two years I've been wielding a dual-solution to my e-reading needs. For text-only books, I've been using the Sony Pocket (blogged back here) with it's super-sharp e-ink screen. And for large-format/color PDFs and magazines, I was rocking with one of the original Nook Colors.

But in one week, Barnes and Noble announced that they were adding Google Play -- Android's biggest app store -- to the Nook HD and HD+ and cut the price of the HD+ by $90 for the week before Mothers Day. So I decided to jump on it.

With B&N's Nook business on shaky ground these days, this may be the beginning of the end of Nook as we know it, as rumors have swirled about Microsoft possibly buying up the business.

But no matter what happens next, I think I'm pretty darn happy. The Nook HD+ has a color screen that's not only larger than my previous two eReaders, but plenty sharp for text. Not only that, but by opening up app horizons with Google Play, I can see this device capturing a lot of use cases that used to be given to my Intel Atom-based Windows 7 netbook.

More impressions to come....

Singing the Kenwood Bluetooth blues

I think I can squeeze a  few more quality years out of my old designed-before-the-21st-century car. But I also felt that I couldn't spend them with a 20th century car stereo. So I decided to operate the audio system under the new management of a Kenwood KDC-BT752HD.

It's mostly been a blast. The HD Radio hype is finally a reality for me. For capable stations where the Kenwood can get  a strong enough signal for a digital signal lock, the sound quality improvement is very noticeable.  The USB port and Bluetooth connectivity means that I no longer need to tether my phone with an AUX cable to hear digital music.

If everything was perfect, then I might not have even been motivated to type up this blog. But it hasn't and I'm really posting this to possibly assist others that run into Bluetooth issues with this stereo. You see, a few times while paired with my phone, the audio has started stuttering. Last night, the pairing completely failed, to the point where the display gave an "HF ERROR 68" which the manual instructed me to remedy by performing a factory reset. But I had remembered reading a couple of reviews (versus many, many positive ones) on the Crutchfield website that alluded to some Bluetooth issues on this headunit model.

Well, I hope I've fixed the problem in a more permanent fashion, because it turns out that Kenwood has released a firmware update that is supposed to address Bluetooth pairing and Pandora stability issues. Oddly enough for the year 2012, the firmware can only be updated via a file burned to CD-R, and not a USB flash drive. Luckily, I still had a few of those around, and I followed the instructions to the letter, including the part about idling the engine while parked during the upgrade. The instructions say that it may take up to 15 minutes, and I got my "COMPLETE" message after about 12. Checking the firmware version on the display again confirmed that the device updated from firmware version 3.00 to version 3.01.

If I never post about this again, then it's safe to assume everything's peachy. If you've come here via some sort of search engine link, then I hope I've pointed you in the right direction in addressing your Bluetooth issues.

A Six Weeks Report With The Nook Color

When I was "on the shelf" with a summer cold last month, I decided to distract myself from my otolaryngological misery by splurging on a Barnes and Noble Nook Color, my second e-reader.

What this new gadget brought is a larger rich color screen, a decent CPU, and a Nook Apps store from which I made ezPDF my first purchase. This will be perfect for the illustration-heavy tech reference material with which I'll cuddling up in the coming months. B&N pre-loads the Nook Color with a rudimentary PDF viewer, but ezPDF will likely save you two bucks worth of your time very quickly the first couple of times you flip back and forth through a long document.

I suspect that the big reason why B&N won't officially support the full Android Market on this device is that the thought of millions of Nook Color devices with the Kindle app installed gives them the creeps. B&N-centric features are configured to inspire loyalty to the retailer. Not only does the built-in Wi-Fi give access to purchase and download "Nook Books," but if the Nook detects that it's connected to a hostspot in a brick-and-mortar Barnes and Noble store, it can download any Nook Book in full and unlocks it for reading for up to one hour per day. So there's a little prodding to get out of your cozy reading chair at home.



Nook Books are EPUB files, but with a DRM wrapper unique to Barnes and Noble and only readable on their devices. Because I want the option of enjoying novels on either one of my e-readers, I will actually be staying away from buying from BN.com unless one of these factors is true:

• It's a title that greatly benefits from the larger color screen.
• It's a BN.com exclusive.
• BN.com offering the Nook Book version significantly cheaper than the counterparts being sold by Sony, Kobo, or Google Books.
• It's a Nook Book title enabled with LendMe that I predict other Nook oners will enjoy.

So far, it's turned out to be less of a substitute for my Sony Reader Pocket Edition than it has for my netbook PC. I am keeping both e-readers around. The Nook Color has capabilities that runs circles around the Sony RPE, but it also weighs a pound and isn't very pocket friendly, unless we're talking about a cargo shorts pocket. For most of my for-fun reading, I'll choose to pick up the five-ounce e-ink screen that is happy to go weeks between charges and promises not to distract me with any icons in a notification bar.

Incidentally, Barnes and Noble launched a new version of the e-ink Nook this summer, and it looks like a winner to me. I test-drove the "Simple Touch Reader" in a store and the weight and shape had good feel for a reading device. I would have given it serious consideration if I was shopping for another e-ink device.

Motorola Backflip: One Year Later

Last year, I bought a Motorola Backflip and blogged about my first impressions of AT&T's first Android phone. After a full twelve months of everyday use, these are the points that sum up my long-term user experience:

• Multitasking under Android sounds great, until a runaway app bottlenecks the already-underpowered CPU.
• The camera takes OK-looking still pictures but is no match for a dedicated digital camera.
• Attempts at shooting video at concerts result in garbled audio as the microphone seems overwhelmed.
• The reverse-clamshell design with physical keyboard is still AWESOME.
• The Backtrack has proved to be completely useless, probably because no programmers design an Android app with a trackpad in mind.
• It should have shipped with the then-current Android OS version from the beginning.

If you own this phone and haven't updated to Android 2.1, I highly recommend taking some time to visit the Motorola update site and get the new operating system. It runs smoother and sticking with the factory-installed Android 1.5 will mean missing out on some great apps.

Finally, one more tip for Backflip owners: I noticed that the phone would spontaneously reboot on occasion. This seemed to happen when the keyboard is folded out. I believe that this is caused by the battery moving around inside the phone, losing contact with its contacts. What I've done is wedge a folded-up piece of paper into the space beside the battery, causing the battery to fit more snugly into its space and preventing it from shifting around.

It'll do for now until I get the bug for the next upgrade.

Seven days with the Sony Reader Pocket Edition

This year, I felt that the time was right for me to adopt e-books as a way to kickstart a new reading habit in my life. As with other personal electronics, I wanted to get some hands-on time with the contenders. After pondering many online reviews, I spent an hour at a local Best Buy last weekend test-driving various e-ink screens from four of the big names -- Kindle, Nook, Sony, and Kobo.

I had entered the store thinking of the third-generation Kindle Wi-Fi as my first choice. But surprisingly, when the madcap page-turning battle among the endcaps had wrapped up I walked out with the Sony PRS-350SC, the company's second-generation Reader Pocket Edition.

I'm smitten with the Pocket's form factor. At roughly 4-1/8" wide it actually slips easily into most of the shirt pockets in my closet (nice dress shirts: NO, casual button-down flannel or Hawaiian print: YES) so I'm more likely to bring it with me. With a brushed aluminum frame it's really lightweight (5-1/4 ounces), with a "spine" bulge running down the left-edge that makes it easy to hold one-handed, leaving my right hand free to reach for the stylus tucked in the opposite side. Text on the "Pearl" e-ink display is suitably crisp and flicking the screen to turn pages feels quite natural. (There are also hardware buttons below the screen dedicated to page turning as well.)

Not choosing the Kindle meant forgoing advantages of the Kindle ecosystem, especially access to Amazon's vast e-bookstore and Whispersync. But the world outside of Amazon's "walled garden" has much to explore as well. Sony is a company with a history of locking in their customers with proprietary formats, so I'll give them credit for embracing the EPUB file format and Adobe's digital rights management (DRM) scheme for transferring copy-protected e-books. So far I've exercised this "freedom to shop and browse" to purchase or borrow titles from:

• Sony Reader store
• Kobo
• Google Books
• Houston Public Library
• Harris County Public Library

Not having Amazon or Barnes and Noble (which uses EPUB but their own unique DRM for copy-protection) as shopping options is a definite limitation. So is a lack of wireless capability, as the device must be loaded with content through a micro-USB cable attached to a PC or Mac loaded with Sony Reader and Adobe Digital Editions software. Finally, while the 5-inch monochrome screen is perfect for the text of paperback novels, it's not suited for larger books with illustrations, such as technical references or comics. That's an area where something like the Nook Color would be nice to have as a supplement.

A note from my test drives: I couldn't help but notice that one of the page turn buttons on the demonstration Nook (the original, not Color) was cracked at Best Buy. Previously, I saw a similar crack in the buttons on the demonstration Nook at a Barnes and Noble store. I suppose it could be just coincidence, and store demos do take a lot of abuse, but seeing this damaged my confidence in the long-term durability of that product.

With this blog post written, I'd better get back to reading. Next week my download of Helen Hollick's I Am The Chosen King will expire. Unlike a paper book checked out from the library, hanging on to this copy and paying a little overdue fine isn't an option. Welcome to the 21st century!

Seven days with the Motorola Backflip

My well-loved Nokia 6820 -- a text messaging powerhouse -- succumbed to water damage a couple of weekends ago. While running I got caught in a spectacular lightning storm and made the mistake of taking the phone out to reply to a text message. Oops!

While losing my phone was bad, in retrospect it could have been a lot worse. At the time another runner and I were running home along the trail on the top of the Addicks Dam, which is at treetop level. We remarked that we were some of the tallest objects out there when a bolt of lightning struck less than a half-mile in front of us. After seeing the resulting red sparking fireball in our path, I can honestly say that we were pretty foolish for not descending to lower elevation sooner. So here's my public service announcement for today: People and massive discharges of static electricity do not mix!

Returning to the phone discussion: In need of a new cell phone, I shopped for a new model just as I do for running shoes: I read reviews to develop initial impressions, then did a lot of test-driving in the store to select a final winner. After nearly thirty minutes of giving in-hand time to all the display models in the AT&T store, I had confirmed that my number one candidate, the Motorola Backflip was the right choice for me.

At first glance, the reverse-clamshell design struck me as odd. But the more I have handled it, the more brilliant this arrangment appears. Opened, the screen and keyboard are aligned at virtually the same angle as the two halves of the Nintendo DS Lite, and it's nearly as natural to handle. Closed, the Backflip operates as a simple touch-screen slab, just like the Apple iPhone.

By the way, I really wanted to like the iPhone, but a combination of three things put an end to that:
1) An iPhone (and Motorola's Droid for that matter) is a half-inch taller and a half-inch wider than a closed Backflip. The Backflip is a better fit in the palm of my hand and is better at sharing space with the wallet in my pocket.
2) After being spoiled by the old Nokia, I really do want a tactile physical keyboard on my phone, and it has to be well-sized. (I can't help but think that the Blackberry engineers at RIM are all dainty ladies with tiny hands.)
3) iTunes for Windows makes me want to tear my hair out. The less I have to see of it, the better.

In the closed position the Backflip's keyboard is disabled, so there's no worry about the dreaded "butt dialing" phenomena. And despite being always exposed, I'm not very worried about the keyboard. It has no discrete keys, having one imprinted and continuous sheath covering the keyswitches.

The camera in my old phone was terrible, so the Backflip's 5-megapixel camera with LED flash is a welcome step up for me. I discovered that the reverse clamshell design enables the use of the LCD screen as a viewfinder in both directions. Want to take one of those phone-in-outstretched-hand self portraits? The Backflip makes this easy. I'm surprised that none of the reviews I've read has pointed out this fun fact.

On the back of the touchscreen is a small trackpad called "Backtrack" used to scroll and select items on screen. I'm rather lukewarm about this feature. It sounds great in concept, but so far it doesn't seem to be much more effective to me than the arrow keys on the keyboard. Perhaps I just need more practice to appreciate its true value.

I trashed the Motoblur widgets that display by default on the home screen of the phone. It's supposed to be like a running ticker of social networking notifications, but I find it more showy than useful. In addition, the default setting of Motoblur to continuously get background notifications is a battery drain. Instead, I've installed full-featured clients for Facebook and Twitter (Twidroid) and just refresh their listings only when I want to.

I do like finding so many free apps in the Android Marketplace. So far the most expensive app I've splurged on is the MLB At Bat 2010. I'm listening to streaming audio play-by-play broadcast of a Cardinals-Braves game right now as I type this.

Now what I might really enjoy is a dependable Blogger app. I actually began composing this post originally in the application AndroBlogger right on the Backflip itself, but it crashed on me ("force close") right as I was nearing the end. AndroBlogger is a free app, and I suppose I got what I paid for!

Review: Roku Digital Video Player

YouTube proved that the masses were ready for Internet video. Every hour millions of people visit that site for a song, an informative message, or a quick laugh. But for a full-hour TV show or feature-length movie, I don't want to huddle around my laptop; lounging on the couch and watching on the 31-inch screen in my living room is a much better experience. This is especially true if I have company over.

For some time I had even been interested in the idea of building my own home-theatre PC (HTPC) to route streaming video to the television, but this summer I decided to try a cheaper and simpler alternative -- the Roku Digital Video Player. I've been living with it for three months and have had a positive experience so far.

The most important concern, of course, is exactly what programming is being delivered. The two main content partners at this time are Netflix and Amazon. As I've discovered, the two companies' offerings are plentiful and complement each other very well.

Netflix is most well-known for its DVD-rental-by-mail business, but it also makes a portion of its catalog available for viewing online by subscribers with one of the "unlimited" plans. Anything added to a member's Instant queue will show up as available to watch on the Roku player. (The queue can only be altered on the Netflix website, so I recommend having a laptop computer in the living room to fully enable the couch potato lifestyle.) The Instant selection seems dominated by older or more obscure movies and documentaries, but it does give members something to watch while they wait for the postal service to deliver the next DVD. Be aware that as Netflix makes and breaks deals for distribution rights, the list of titles available for Instant viewing is in a constant state of change. For example, I had added Happy Feet, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story and Eddie Murphy: Raw to my Instant Queue, but they were later made unavailable (marked as "Saved") before I got around to watching them.

For newer or more popular releases that are not available on Netflix -- or when I don't want to wait for a mailed DVD -- I can turn to Amazon and spend a few dollars with its Video On Demand service. Some titles can be rented for one day, others are purchased to "own" for permanent availability in "Your Video Library," and some offer both options. The available titles include both hit movies and television programs.

This brings me to my example of how the Netflix and Amazon selections complement: Thanks to DVDs from Netflix, I had gotten myself hooked on the drama Mad Men. I splurged and signed up for an Amazon "TV Pass" for the current season so I wouldn't have to wait for the DVD release to find out what happens next. Every Monday morning, the previous night's episode of Mad Men appears as available on my Roku player. Yes, it feels a bit strange to pay $1.89 per episode. But it is still cheaper than subscribing to cable just to get the AMC channel.

Earlier in the month, Roku added Major League Baseball as its third offering, letting MLB.com Premium members watch games online on their TV. At the price of a Premium membership, though, I can only see only die-hard fans of out-of-town teams finding this worthwhile. Roku has announced that it is working on partnerships to deliver more "channels" by the end of the year.

Physically, the Roku player is a very compact device, approximately the size of a small stack of CD jewel cases. Setup is as simple as it gets: Connect a cable to the TV, power up the Roku, and use the remote control to tell it how to connect to the Internet. There is an Ethernet cable port on the back, but I decided to take advantage of the built-in Wi-Fi adapter to join it to my my WLAN. (The longest part of the install was entering in my absurdly-long WPA key.) The remote itself feels like a "throwback" in its sparse design, being "chunky" in feel and sporting only nine buttons, but I like it. I'm still trying to figure out if I can use my universal remote instead. Once online, the setup routines for the Netflix and Amazon "channels" will display codes that are used to link the box to the customer's existing website accounts.

There is no internal hard drive to store programming. so the Roku player must always have a live broadband Internet connection to function. Every time a program is started, rewound, or fast-forwarded, a few seconds are needed to reset the buffer. (On the plus side, there is no hard drive to mechanically fail, either.) It will modify the video quality of the stream according to the bandwidth available. To my eyes the quality was very acceptable with a 3-Mbps downstream connection. Upgrading my DSL service to 6-Mbps enabled the device to achieve its potential of delivering high-definition video at 720p. Roku only packs a cable with RCA-style composite connectors in the box as standard, however. Consumers will need to bring their own HDMI or component cables to put the hi-def party into full swing.

There are other products on the market -- such as certain Blu-Ray players and TiVo DVRs -- that can also stream Netflix and Amazon content. But shoppers not interested in the other features that those devices offer may see the $99 Roku player as a do-one-thing-and-do-it-well alternative. I believe it's a compelling value for my readers that are Netflix devotees with broadband connections. Depending on the future partnerships Roku can forge, this little box could represent the beginning of a big alternative to the cable and satellite companies in the pay-for-TV market.

Stay tuned.

Gentle Leader Easy Walk Harness review

I introduced my warmup partner, Mimi, to the Gentle Leader Easy Walk Harness this week. It was roughly $30 from Petsmart, so it's wasn't cheap compared to other collars and leashes. Even fancy retractable leashes don't cost this much. However, already I can see it being worth every penny. Mimi had a tendency to get really excited at the start of a walk and pull herself silly against her collar. Sure, it would serve her right if she managed to strangle herself, but I didn't want to try to explain that to the rest of the family.

This product consists of three nylon straps. The first goes across the shoulders and the second goes across the belly, resulting in an encirclement of the torso just behind the forelegs. The key ingredient is the third strap, which runs between the shoulders by crossing the dog's chest. The leash attaches to this strap in the middle of the dog's chest. When the dog attempts to pull forward against the leash, the force slightly compresses the chest strap and redirects her to the side, avoiding the usual "pull-forward-hard reflex" that happens when a dog feels a collar tighten around her neck.

The first day I fitted the Easy Walk, Mimi actually refused to budge for a few minutes after I strapped her in. She was even reluctant to move when I opened the front door! But eventually, she realized that this change to our routine wasn't the end of the world, and she has really taken to it. Just as the product title promises, she's now striding contentedly beside me without placing any tension on her lead whatsoever. Both the belly and shoulder straps feature squeeze release buckles, giving me options on exactly how to fasten and unfasten the harness. Nice job, Premier.

This is actually the second Easy Walk I got for Mimi. At first I guessed wrong and purchased the small size, but I had to exchange it as it turns out that her fit is actually is at the tightest adjustment of the medium version. The Easy Walk is available in multiple sizes and all three straps are adjustable, so just about any dog can enjoy a custom fit.

Product: Gentle Leader Easy Walk Harness by Premier
Price $29.99 (local Petsmart)
Verdict: Buy