Chumby One Video Review

Last year, while reviewing the first generation of the chumby, I fell in love. In fact, as a full disclosure, I became a proud owner shortly after the review. Now the new chumby one is out, and there's very little not to love.

First, a quick explanation of just what a chumby is. The chumby essentially runs a series of flash widgets, allowing developers to do a lot of clever things, from stock tickers and RSS readers, to games that can take advantage of the built-in touchscreen and accelerometer. Make no mistake, this is not an iPhone competitor, nor is it any kind of computer replacement. It's really a new generation of product that can serve as an alarm clock replacement, desktop radio, and information appliance (a term which used to have a negative connotation, but not in this case.) At the office, I use the chumby to off-load items I would normally have to keep checking manually on my computer. For example, I can see at a glance what friends are saying on twitter and facebook, read my favorite blogs and see new stories as soon as they're on the feed. Sitting next to my computer, it becomes a productivity companion, freeing up the computer and me to get down to actual work.

However, there were some limitations to the first generation chumby (known as the chumby classic). First, it was strictly a plug-in device, meaning if there was something cool you wanted to share with someone else in the house/office, or you wanted to bring your tunes with you, you couldn't. Now there's an optional battery, allowing you to take the chumby anywhere you want (provided you stay within a setup wifi connection.) Another big improvement with the chumby one, is the inclusion of a large dial on the right to adjust volume. Previously, you would have to touch the screen then use an on-screen slider. The audio from the new device sounds a bit crisper, and louder. Bear in mind this is a small system, so don't expect Bose-like sound. There's a headphone jack in case the rest of the office doesn't appreciate your eclectic music tastes. The biggest improvement with this model though, is the price. Starting at $99, the chumby now can be a logical alarm clock replacement for many. In fact, this model includes an FM radio receiver for those who just can't wake up without their local "morning zoo" dj. This also means there's a wire antenna on the bottom of the device, but it can be stowed in the battery compartment if you aren't using a battery with the device. The FM receiver is a nice add-on, but it seems to have poorer reception than most FM radios located in the same location. Plus, the streaming music tends to sound much "fuller." The only thing missing from the chumby one compared to the classic, is the soft beanbag-like construction of the classic. The one features a quirky/futuristic white plastic look, that will probably prove far more friendly to office desks and cubicles the world over.

You really have to play with a chumby to fully appreciate what it does, and unfortunately, the device is currently only available online.

The bottom line is the chumby one is a unique device that improves on its predecessor, and is priced to make it practically a bargain. What it ultimately becomes for you (radio,clock,weather,news reader,twitter client, etc.) will determine how you use it, but with 1500 apps, you will find a way to make it your own, and probably love it in the process.

Here's a look:

Solio Solar Hybrid Charger Video Review

Call it a (quarter NOT mid!)life crisis, but I was recently thinking about taking a weeklong hiking trip, to get away from it all. Of course, being that it's winter, this is a pursuit best saved for spring/summer. And being that I run an Apple video channel, "getting away from it all" means still bringing the iPhone, just finding a way to charge it.

Enter the Solio Magnesium Edition Hybrid Charger. The Solio is a solar and conventionally charged battery pack for the iPhone/iPod, or just about any other tech gadget. (It includes a generic usb connector, so be sure to pack your device's cable, or use an iTip.) Really, it's more of a wall-charged pack with a solar backup option. Our experience, which doesn't seem unique from customer reviews is that relying solely on the sun to recharge the pack will be a LONG (as in days) process. Best to leave with a full charge, which the device holds amazingly well in cold weather, for several days, and rely on the sun to top off the charge.

The Solio has a distinctive fan-like look when it is in solar charging mode. The "magnesium" in the name comes from the tough, light material this model uses, rather than plastic. Unfortunately, one of the solar panels is exposed and looks like it could be easily damaged, although after a few weeks of normal use, there are no scratches on the panel.

At the list price of $169, the unit is priced a bit high for all but the most eco-friendly/adventurous lots, but it can be found online as low as $85 new, which makes it a good deal for a high-capacity battery and charger, that happens to have a cool solar option as well.

Take a look:

Orb Audio Classic Two Speaker Review

Full disclaimer: Speaker reviews are tricky. It is entirely subjective on our part: we don't care (or perhaps even comprehend) the importance of frequency response, timbre, etc. Also, we don't have any way for you hear the speakers in anything approaching what they would sound like in your home.

With that said, The Orb Audio speakers sound great, and have opened up our ears to focus on the finer points of audio once again. Our default speakers set here at hq is a Kilpsch woofer and stereo speakers from a few years ago. Plugging in the Orb Audio set, heck even using the left and right speakers with our existing woofer made a huge difference. The sound is fuller, and thanks to the design has a much wider stage (hey,we know some of the terms) than what you would expect from speakers this size.

In short, the $698 classic two set sounds far better than that price, and at that price, they are tantalizing for those of who have spent most of our listening time on $200-$300 sets. Orb Audio offers a free in-home trial, which is really the best way to check them out. And as noted in the video review below, don't forget this is a speaker set: you will need to connect them to your home theater receiver, and then connect your sound source (iPod, DVD, Blu-ray, etc) to that.

T-Mobile G1 Review

The quick review? No need to trade in your iPhone. The longer review? Well, first kudos to T Mobile for sending a review unit to an Apple-centric site. It would've been easy for them to pass, but clearly they're proud of their product, and there are some things they can be proud.

The best feature in which the G1 bests the iPhone is camera quality. Still photos look far better on the G1. Beyond that though, and it's hard to tell whether this is the phone's fault or the Android OS, but navigating is clunky. The biggest issues come from the home button, back button, menu button, clickable scroll wheel button at the bottom of the phone. Apple has shown that you only need one button (and maybe another for copy and paste).

It's not fair to compare the phone to the iPhone, as it's not so much a competitor, as a phone doing its own thing, its own way. Take it or leave it. It's good enough that many G1 customers who were thinking about leaving to go to AT&T for the iPhone could change their minds. I don't think many people will be trading in their iPhones for the G1 though.

We'll get a better sense of what the Android OS is capable of in the upcoming slew of other Android-based phones just around the corner.

Here's the full video review:

Snowflake Microphone Product Review

Adam Ford had a chance to give the Snowflake Microphone a try over his last two Ford's Focused podcasts. We were a little skeptical about this microphone based on mediocre ratings online. For us though, it worked great. You do have to select the microphone in audio system preferences, otherwise you're still using the built-in microphone, which could explain some of the issues other have had.

Below is the full video review, but the bottom line is, it's a solid microphone at a decent price to give you far better sound than the built-in microphone. Buy the Blue Snowflake from Amazon.