Monthly Archives: June 2012

Pogoplug Series 4 Multimedia Sharing Device

  By admin | June 30, 2012 - 3:59 pm | , ,
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Pogoplug Series 4 Multimedia Sharing Device POGO-V4-A3-01

review originally posted 2/23/12

WHAT IS POGOPLUG?

There have been some misconceptions in past reviews of Pogoplug devices, some of it really the fault of the company for making it so confusing. When we activate our Pogoplug, we also get Pogoplug Cloud storage — free storage provided by Pogoplug that is in addition to what we install on the Pogoplug device. Through the software, we access BOTH the Pogoplug Cloud and the memory we attach to Pogoplug (our personal cloud). Yes, there is a Pogoplug Cloud and our own personal cloud and they are different. If you do not want to provide your own memory (SD card, external hard drive, SATA drive), you can register for a Pogoplug Cloud account for FREE and get 5 GB of storage. The Pogoplug device is not necessary for that. In fact, it would be a waste of money.

The confusion comes in because the software is automatically set to load everything we sync to the cloud into the Pogoplug Cloud, not our personal cloud. We need to set the parameters manually, if we want to change that default. I’m not sure why the company does this, because people then think this Pogoplug only links to Pogoplug Cloud and they don’t understand why they need Pogoplug when they could just use Dropbox.

Pogoplug is for people who don’t want their data parked on someone else’s servers. If you want to keep control of where your information sits but you want to share it with other devices, this is where Pogoplug comes in handy. Put all your photos on a USB stick, plug it into Pogoplug, then access those photos from your iPhone, a netbook, or your office computer at work.

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SETUP

Setup is very easy. I basically plug it in, attach it to the gateway, install the software, activate the Pogoplug from their website. Any computer or electronic device I access my Pogoplug from must have Pogoplug software or app installed. The biggest drawback for me? There is no app for the Kindle Fire. Pogoplug support keeps telling me they are working on it, but it’s been a few months and still no go.

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COMPARED TO POGOPLUG MOBILE

I have both the Pogoplug Mobile and the Pogoplug Series 4 Multimedia Sharing Device . The difference is the number of ports and slots available.

Pogoplug Mobile has one USB 2.0 port (could be used for a USB stick or external hard drive) and one SD slot.

Pogoplug Series 4 has two USB 3.0 slots, one USB 2.0 slot, one SD slot, one slot for a 2.5 SATA drive.

I used USB sticks to test these units out and I don’t really notice much difference between the two Pogoplugs in terms of how the personal cloud itself performs. The short videos and photos I’ve uploaded stream back to me quickly.

Unfortunately, I don’t have any available SATA drives to test out the SATA port. I will say that the top of the Pogoplug series 4 needs to be popped off in order to access the SATA drive port and the USB 2.0 port. That was not easy. There were no instructions and no obvious buttons to push. I pressed on the slit that normally lights up when the Pogoplug is plugged in and hoped I wasn’t breaking anything. I had to press hard and really work it before it finally came off.

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PROS AND CONS OF POGOPLUG SERIES 4

Pros:
+ more ports than Pogoplug Mobile
+ can attach SATA drive
+ has two USB 3.0 ports and one USB 2.0 port

Cons:
- difficult to pop off the top to access SATA port and USB 2.0 port
- software automatically saves to Pogoplug Cloud unless manually reconfigured
- doesn’t work with Kindle Fire (** SEE UPDATE BELOW **)

This product was provided for review by the Amazon Vine program.
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SUMMARY

This product works well for what it is. Buy it if you want to know where your data resides, if you don’t trust it to someone else’s server, if you want to keep it all on your own hard drives or SD cards or USB sticks. Pogoplug Series 4 beats out Pogoplug Mobile for versatility. If you want to use more than one memory type at once, Pogoplug Series 4 is for you.

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UPDATE: As of April, 2012, we now have a Pogoplug app for the Kindle Fire. Yay! Just for that, I will raise the rating to 5 stars. I’m using a USB flash drive in the Pogoplug right now and the videos stream smoothly without skipping. Photos look great. I am very happy with this product now that it plays with my Fire.

Dimmable 9w Warm White E27 LED Light

  By admin | June 30, 2012 - 8:32 am | ,
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LED E27 Dimmable 9w Warm White E27 LED Light 3*3w 9w Lamp Bulb 110v-265v – SpotLight Replacement for Standard Household Base 60 Watt Incandescent Light Bulb

This little LED E27 Dimmable 9w Warm White E27 LED Light Bulb can put out a lot of light. It’s similar to the LED SpotLight 6 Watt Bulb, but this one is 9 Watts and dimmable.

I honestly wasn’t able to test out the dimmable feature. I do have a lamp with three brightness settings. I thought it would work there, but it will only give me one brightness setting for this bulb. I guess dimmable means gradually dimmable. I don’t have anything to test that with.

This bulb does provide bright white light. The beam is directional and tight, like a spotlight, and it’s even throughout with no dead spots. The bulb turns on quickly with no lag. It’s good for the lighting in my yard, which is where it’s going to live. I’m satisfied with its performance.

This product was provided for review by Innovative Digital.

LED Light Bulb SpotLight 6 Watt

  By Ani Fardreamer | June 29, 2012 - 11:08 pm | ,
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LED Light Bulb SpotLight 6 Watt, Warm White Replacement for Standard Household Base E26/E27 60 Watt Incandescent Light Bulb

This little LED light bulb can give off a lot of light. It’s quick on, no need to wait. White light, not yellow. Directional, meaning it’s best if you need light pointing in one direction, not good when you need to give the room a diffuse glow. Think flashlight.

The light bulb contains three small LED bulbs. I was concerned they would cast three corresponding shadows, but that was unfounded. The beam is even throughout with no distortion.

I’m very happy with this LED bulb. It’s perfect for the spotlights in my yard.

This product was provided for review by Innovative Digital.

Star Wars: The Black Fleet Crisis: Tyrant's Test: Book 3

  By Ani Fardreamer | June 29, 2012 - 10:10 pm | , ,
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Star Wars: The Black Fleet Crisis: Tyrant’s Test: Book 3

by Michael P. Kube-McDowell

Tyrant’s Test is the weakest book of The Black Fleet Crisis Trilogy.

Lando’s story, which meandered so much as it tried to build up intrigue, actually made me a little bored from the lack of action. When the BIG PLOT TWIST came, it fell flat. I accepted it with a yawn, rather than the awe that I’m sure was intended. It’s less a subplot than a mini-plot in its own right, which only crosses over and ties in with Luke’s story at the very end. This whole Qella thing is very sci-fi-ish anyway, and doesn’t feel like a part of the Star Wars universe.

If you’ve read the other two books in the series, you know where Luke and Akanah’s relationship is heading. I wish it didn’t go there, but I’m glad Luke observed the Jedi edict, “There is no passion.” Akanah did not endear herself to me any more in this book than she did in any other. She is very condescending to Luke, secretive, manipulative. I wish Luke acted more like Jedi Master that he is rather than little puppy dog student who accepted all the harsh criticism she had of his very essence. After all, she had revealed so little of herself and shown herself untrustworthy. The White Current thing is a mess. I would like to will it out of existence.

The battle scenes were long and drawn out and not as exciting as in Shield of Lies. I think this is partially because Luke’s story crosses over into A’baht’s story. Because Luke’s story was so weak, it loosened the plot of the war, which had been very tight until then.

Leia’s story was the strongest, but we saw so little of it. She had the most heart wrenching decision to make and I just wanted to say, “You go, girl!” Her arc was the best of the entire trilogy.

The ending was not as satisfying as it could be, with all subplots slowly fading to a whimper. No climactic victory anywhere. Luke and Leia’s relationship resolved a little too quickly. She forgave him a lot faster than she should have, considering what happened to her and Han.

To sum it up, I don’t think it’s possible to finish the other two books and not read this, but it was a little bit disappointing.

Star by Star: Star Wars (The New Jedi Order)

  By Ani Fardreamer | June 28, 2012 - 6:35 pm | , ,
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Star by Star: Star Wars (The New Jedi Order)

by Troy Denning

In the world of Star Wars, people die all the time, but Star by Star is one of the most depressing Star Wars novels I’ve ever read. It’s page after page of death and despair. Darkness is everywhere. There is no hope.

A group of young Jedi, including the Solo children, agree to get captured by the Yuuzhan Vong in order to go to Myrkr, where they are to destroy the queen voxyn that is being cloned by the Yuuzhan Vong. The novel focuses heavily on the Solo children. If I were to read the first 3/4 of this book, I’d say this book is about Anakin. In the end, it’s really a story about Jaina.

Meanwhile, Luke and the others attempt to capture a live yammosk to study.

Vergere is the most interesting character in this story. She is carefully drawn only in hints. No matter what she does, we always wonder whose side she’s on, what her intentions are, where she’s from, who she is. As much as we’ve seen her, we still don’t know her. She is very well portrayed.

Overall, it’s a good read, but it’s a downer. I hope the next book is a little more uplifting.

I.M. Healthy Soy Nut Butter

  By admin | June 28, 2012 - 2:54 pm | ,
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I.M. Healthy Soy Nut Butter And Honey Creamy

My son is allergic to peanuts. It makes is lips puffy and his mouth itchy, but he loves peanut butter. His after school program has a ban on peanut products, but they serve I.M. Healthy Soy Nut Butter. He loves it. I’ve tried it myself and think it’s not bad at all. It is nutty, with the same color and texture as peanut butter. In a sandwich with jelly, it tastes like a PB&J. On its own, I can tell it’s not peanut butter, but the difference is subtle. The kids can’t tell the difference, and I’m not going to point it out.

Seagate Expansion 2 TB USB 3.0 Desktop External Hard Drive

  By admin | June 27, 2012 - 11:02 pm | ,
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Seagate Expansion 2 TB USB 3.0 Desktop External Hard Drive STBV2000100

The first thing I noticed when I opened the Seagate package was the Seagate Hard Drive was a little heavy. It’s about as big as my Western Digital My Book Essential 2 TB USB 3.0/2.0 Desktop External Hard Drive and looks like a metal brick.

The second thing I noticed is this brick needs to be plugged into an outlet. I do have a powered USB 3.0 port, so I tried it without the power cord, but that did not work. I do have to plug it into an outlet.

Once it was plugged in and powered up, the drive was instantly recognized by my Windows Vista Home Premium system. No need for manual installation of anything. The drive did not come loaded with backup software. I like that. When it comes with software, I am loathe to delete it; but I don’t use it, so it sits there, taking up valuable memory and adding to clutter.

There is a registration setup that was automatically populated — so quick and easy. I normally don’t register anything because of the hassle, but there was no hassle here. Registration is not necessary to use this device. It’s completely optional.

For comparison, I copied a 1.71 GB file first to My Book Essential and then to Seagate. For My Book, it took 26 seconds. For Seagate: 27 seconds. They are comparable.

Next, I copied 151 GB of data to the Seagate. That took me 49 minutes. Not bad.

PROS:
+ fast data transfer rates
+ no extra software installed to clutter the drive
+ plug and play, no need to manually install driver

CONS:
- too big to carry around on a regular basis — about 1.7 pounds and the size of a small book
- needs to be plugged into an outlet
- no backup software included (could be viewed as a positive thing, see above)

Although it’s portable, it’s not really one I’d want to carry on a regular basis. It’s too big, heavy, and needs to be plugged in. For portability, I recommend Western Digital My Passport 2 TB USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive, which not only is small in comparison but also does not need to be plugged into an outlet. However, there is a price $$ to pay for portability. If travel is not your concern and you are planning on leaving this on your desk, the Seagate External Hard Drive is a great device.

This product was provided for review by the Amazon Vine program.

Max Force Shadow Hawk

  By admin | June 27, 2012 - 8:43 pm | ,
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Max Force Shadow Hawk

This Max Force Shadow Hawk gun was the envy of my 32 year-old brother. My ten year-old had no interest in it from the start, but my eight year-old daughter was itching to try it. So, we put it together, soaked the pellets, and brought it outside for some target practice.

The entire gun is manually operated. There is no trigger. It is spring-loaded and fired, which was very difficult for my daughter. She couldn’t do it without help, and we concluded that it would be difficult for most eight year-old kids to pull, regardless of the age recommendation of 8+ on the box.

My brother, who wanted to the gun when he first saw it, changed his mind. He said it was too difficult to aim with the spring action. Pulling the pump back moves the gun. My husband took a turn and I did, also. We all agreed it was not easy to keep straight when firing. The gun needs a trigger.

This toy gun works. It just isn’t fun. We were all a little disappointed.

This product was provided for review by the Amazon Vine program.

Capezio Girls Short Sleeve Leotard

  By Ani Fardreamer | June 26, 2012 - 9:09 pm | ,
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Capezio Girls 7-16 Short Sleeve Leotard

I just bought these Capezio Girls Leotards for my daughter. I chose navy blue and burgundy, which I think look beautiful. The tones are deep and rich. The material is thick and doesn’t feel cheap — 90% polyester and 10% spandex. My daughter is a size 8 and I bought medium, which fits her perfectly, like it was made for her. Cheap leotards will pucker in the wrong places. These do not. They are a very nice quality for the price. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy again.

Whiteboard Pro App for Kindle Fire

  By admin | June 26, 2012 - 8:50 pm |
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Whiteboard Pro

I love Whiteboard Pro. Amazing how something so simple could be so cool. The tools are very basic. Use freehand lines or the straight/square/circle tools. The color and width of the lines are adjustable. There is an eraser and an undo/redo function.

Doodle on it, write little notes. Then, save the notes, email or Twitter them. Post on Facebook or print them out direct from your device.

To print from the Kindle Fire, I use the iPrint app, a Google Cloud Print account and my Epson NX530 printer. Once I got it set up correctly, it worked. Facebook, email, Twitter all post almost instantaneously.