Monday, July 31, 2006
High Quality Headphones. Who Needs Them? You Do!
Fit: Fit can make a huge difference in terms of sound quality believe it or not. Ear bud headphones fit into the ear canal but don’t enclose the ear as a result of this other sounds can interfere with what your listening to. In turn ear bud users turn up the volume which damages the ears. Ear buds can also be rather uncomfortable. This type of headphone is the kind that came with your iPod.
An excellent alternative to ear buds are the enclosed model of earphones with padding. This type of headphone contains what is called a dynamic transducer, and in my opinion offers the best type of audio listening experience. Another type of headphones is headsets that fit tightly on the head or wrap around the head DJ style.
Another alternative are the Canal Phones. These are designed to fit comfortably inside the ear canal and provide better sound with more isolation and good bass. Canal phones are considered to be more effective and safer than other headphones. They are able to eliminate most of the external noise. Which in turn means you won’t have to turn up the volume in order to hear it, reducing the possibility of hearing loss. The lesson here is find headphones that block external noise, then you won’t have to turn up your volume!
A nifty feature on some enclosed headphones is a noise cancellation feature. This is used when there is a hissing, or you can hear external noises which lessens your listening experience. All you have to do is flip a switch to take advantage of this feature. The background noise will be cancelled out and all you hear is sweet music to your ears!
Wireless headphones are also another great feature available for people on the go who don’t want to be “tied down”. The one draw back is wireless headphones usually have a small broadcasting range. Try and find one that offers a good range so you can wander far and wide!
Digital phones lead the Internet phone revolution
With digital phones you are actually routing your conversations over the Internet, the voice data being sent through a packet-switched network, even though it feels like you are talking through an ordinary phone.
Digital phones and VoIP services are receiving a lot of attention at present; it is at once a promising technology and an uncertain one.
Regular VoIP phone services are free or at low monthly costs in comparison to regular phone companies. Monthly charges can be as low as $19.95 and international calls can cost only pennies per minute. Because of these pros, digital phones are considered a threat to regular telephone companies and even cellular companies. IP phones, or digital phones, (assuming you don’t opt for the analog telephone adaptor) have many additional features beyond just VoIP service, such as caller ID, back up numbers, telemarketing blocks and silent recording.
At this point in time, however, the world is not quite ready to replace standard telephones with digital alternatives. There are a handful of disadvantages. Not every location worldwide is available or priced fairly, with every VoIP provider; even some local area codes may not be available. Since a broadband connection is electronically powered, a power outage could take out your telephone, unless a universal power supply or battery is available for backup. Dialing 911 has also been a problem for digital phones.
Because IP phones are not able to easily track network users, the emergency number is sometimes incapable of being dialed with the connection. Even though top VoIP companies have worked around this problem by implementing artificial 911 connections that eventually connect to local emergency personnel, the lack of a reliable 911 connection is still considered a major drawback. Recently the top digital phone company Vonage was fined by a court in Michigan over the 911 matter.
IP phones can be affordable, from $70.00 for a simple cordless handset, to over $1000.00 for a four-port gateway voice over IP communication system for businesses. More advanced models for personal or small business use, might cost $150.00 for added features.
A digital phone might be a serious consideration, particularly if you have an Internet connection, a lot of local phone company taxes, and hefty long distance charges. A digital phone combines all these fees into one low monthly cost; and it is a substantially lower amount than a traditional phone company charges.
If you are seriously considering the idea of a digital phone check locally for a provider; not all areas are equipped to handle this technology yet.
Digital Memory Cards Explained
The nature of digital photography means that digital cameras have to store images differently to traditional cameras due to the physical absence of film. Instead of using rolls of film, which are then processed and developed to produce a photograph, digital cameras store their images on memory cards. The main advantage of using a card is that they are completely reusable. Simply transfer the images to your home computer, or erase them. The card is then popped back into your camera and off you go again! However, there are several types of card around, and your camera may even be compatible with more than one type. So, what exactly are you looking for?
What's Available?
As mentioned earlier, many good Digital Cameras (if not all!) are made to accept more than one type of compatible card. Unfortunately the particular one that may have been bundled in with your digital camera will more than likely be a very low capacity card, around 32Mb, perhaps even as low as 16Mb! So it won't be much use to you except as a backup. Do remember that your camera will have an in-built memory, but please don't think this a substitute for a memory card, apart from holding very few high quality images, if you have a problem with your digital camera it is likely the memory will become corrupt. You won't have the option to transfer your images elsewhere like you would if you were using a card. Here's the types of Card you can choose from:
SD Memory Card
XD Memory Card
Compact Flash Card
SmartMedia Card
Memory Stick The SD Memory card has proven a very popular in recent years, perhaps due to their small size and acceptable capacity. SD Cards hold between 32Mb and 2Gb! However, the price difference is certainly noticeable. There is a 3Gb SD Card in development, but it's unlikely to be in the high-street until next year.
The XD Memory Card is slightly newer than the SD Card, however, for all intents and purposes they are very similar in design and function. Many Digital Cameras from the Fuji and Olympus brand manufacturers favour this type of card, although the price can sometimes be a little higher. You will only find the XD memory cards with a 1Gb capacity, but to be honest unless you're a professional Photographer taking hundreds of shots per session, you won't need anything bigger, you simply wouldn't fill it up!
A Compact Flash card is an alternative method to store your images. At around an inch in size, CF Cards are used more and more. Because they are sold in a solid form, meaning no moving parts, they are robust and reliable. CF cards also come in substantially greater capacities than the previous two types and are available even up to 8Gb!! Some manufacturers produce not only differing capacities but also differing speed cards. This allows for images to be recorded quicker which allows the photographer a faster follow on shot. If your serious about digital photography, or need storage in a professional sense, a CF card is your best option.
SmartMedia cards have been in the Digital Photography market for a long time, they are reliable, reasonably priced and come as standard. However, of late, SmartMedia is quickly becoming sidelined for newer more advanced options of image storage such as the Compact Flash cards discussed above. You may find that your Digital Camera isnt compatible with SmartMedia Cards anyhow. Always check your manual for compatibility before parting with your cash!
Last but not least we have the Memory Stick. Originally used primarily in Sony cameras, you may recognise Memory sticks from other devices such as your mobile phone or personal computers. Again, Memory Sticks are available in several capacities and are also available from different manufacturers. As far as Digital Photographers are concerned, Memory sticks are legitimate options for storing images, however they are slightly more prone to becoming damaged due to Memory sticks being physically more frail than its Compact Flash counterpart for example which has a more solid and hardened plastic body.
What size Memory Card do I need?
That's a difficult question to answer in general terms as it depends on the Photographer, the camera you are using and for what purpose your photography serves. Let me explain.. Each and every digital image is made up of pixels, these together will eventually add up to a Megapixels. These large files are measured in Mb (Megabytes), so the more Megapixels your camera has, the more Megabytes you'll need to use to store it. To make sure your camera uses the Megabytes in its memory effectively it uses a process called 'compression'. You may have heard this term before. It is a shrinking process that ensures the memory card you are using fits as much on as possible. On some cameras this compression rate can be set manually, but beware that although higher compression rates mean you can fit more on, it also degrades the picture quality too. Find a happy balance, or better still, let the camera automatically set the rate.
You will notice that higher Megapixel cameras produce better image quality, but use more space on memory cards per shot. Therefore think carefully about how many images you would like to store at any one time, then check your cameras Megapixel rating. For example a 16Mb memory card would hold around 16 or so high quality images from a 2 Megapixel camera, but only around 6 from a 4 Megapixel camera. I would recommend purchasing a 64 Mb card, which would mean you won't ever find yourself missing a shot while fumbling to delete images to free up space!
Three Spy Gadgets Every Homeowner Should Have
GPS tracking system. Spy gadgets in the form of GPS trackers are immensely useful. You can keep them in cars so that if you know where your kids are driving. They are also helpful in the event of your car being stolen. You are much more likely to recover the vehicle if you can track where it is. And today there are GPS tracking systems that are small enough to be carried on a person. They even come in cell phones. Know that your kids are where they should be (and safe) with trackers. Listening devices. These are especially necessary if you are afraid that someone may try to take advantage of a conversation you have had. Recording your own conversations with the help of covert listening devices can help you protect yourself. Additionally, if you have these devices in the form of phone taps and cell phone bugs, you can keep tabs on teenager conversations that might tip you off to unsafe behavior. Devices planted around the house can provide useful audio to go with the visual images from your hidden cameras. These spy gadgets are quite useful for any home owner.
MP3 Players - Many Capable Underdogs vs. the 800-lb. Gorilla
VoIP: Good For The Home?
Normal phone bills can be minimized by using VoIP since it boasts extremely low rates, considerably lower than conventional telephone, whether the calls being made are local or to the other side of the world. Large corporations are taking advantage of this fact massively by installing the necessary software and equipment, loosing the old requirement for traditional conference calls, many faxes etc, whilst incorporating such media tools as streaming video applications. The recent explosion in VoIP use has hidden the fact that this technology has been around for many years waiting to become economically viable.
In terms of families now wanting to give this exciting new improvement on phone communication a go, mostly this concept is a full gone conclusion people are going stir crazy about it. Do they believe all the hype about how it will hugely improve their everyday lives? Is this technology really as impressive, reliable and affordable as is often touted by the sales pitchers? Any unanswered questions alongside possibilities you may not have realized yet are provided here in this article aimed at furthering your understanding of this new VoIP technology. Once you've read everything here you may be more inclined to get out there and purchase, then test run, this communications system.
Initially an internet connection to your residence must be present! This connection must be a high speed one, any of the following varieties i.e. satellite, cable or DSL, not 56K dial up. VoIP can only function properly and transform into your new calling station by following this important advice. Quality loss is just far too significant when attempting to use slower connections such as 56K dial ups. These now fairly antiquated connections simply don't have the speed or capacity required to transfer calls digitally. If DSL happens to be your choice of broadband service, and you're hoping to replace your existing phone service with VoIP, a company known as SpeakEasy has just recently created a VoIP product that doesn't require any already installed phone line.
The second most important requirement is a 'gateway', needing to be connected between your Ethernet modem and computer. Your phone line needs to be plugged into this VoIP gateway to then enable calling to be high quality, unhindered by any potential computer problems that may occur. Many computers have a variety of momentary unpredictable problems, e.g. slow memory or crashes which could significantly reduce quality calling time.
Adapters are available so that VoIP can fit any phone, old/ existing or new. Typically the promoters of VoIP provide sell adapters to reduce the time you may spend shopping around for one. Albeit a great money saving plan, not buying a new phone will probably mean you miss out on the next big VoIP move, video usage in combination with VoIP on phones, a trend that looks set to blow up everywhere. A company known as Packet8 VoIP sells a great video phone in addition to their usual services.
Phone services that have VoIP included typically contain the whole range of great offers and gadgets the current phone services provide. Details cover such aspects as three way calling, voice messaging, your own VoIP telephone number and call waiting.
Key aspects associated with this brazen new feature-full phone technology that you should be aware of are that local 911 emergency coverage exists. This feature may come as an additional extra charge on top of the basic package, hitting your wallet on a monthly basis. Don't commit to a calling contract until you have ironed out all the costs associated with what ever deal you choose.
Lastly, remember that electricity is the fuel your VoIP system uses and the occasional power cut will unfortunately put a stop to its functioning, momentarily. This is the one small aspect that traditional phone calls don't have to contend with, due in part to them containing their own small power supplies.