Simpletechworld this week:
Sirius Starmate 3 Satellite Radio Review & New GPS Features
Entertainment News & Reviews: This Week: The Movie "21", Pam Anderson & Superhero Movie
Music News & Reviews: This Week: New music from Gnarly Barkley & Counting Crows
Check out Simpletechworld E-Store: On sale now Apple Touch & iPhone
Product Overview:
- Wide-angle amber display
- Simple navigation
- All the standard features you need to enjoy SIRIUS in your vehicle
- Easily move SIRIUS from your vehicle to docking kits or audio systems for the home, office or other vehicles.
My Experience with the Starmate 3 Sirius Satellite Radio:
Pros:
- Great Price
- Easy to use - comes with a remote control
- Great sound
- Wide range of programing availible on Sirius - (I love satellite radio - and I constantly wish that I hadn't waited so long to get it)
- Subscription allows you to listen online using your computer
Cons:
- Does not record audio - like some of the newer models (Starmate 4 - this is the only real difference between the Sirius Starmate 3 and the Sirius Starmate 4)
- Is not portable - like the Sirius Stiletto
Why the Sirius Starmate 3 or the Sirius Starmate 4 are great buys:
- GREAT VALUE! The Sirius Starmate 3 was release in 2006 - and now is selling for very cheap. It does have all the feature the newer radios have, but for the price it is hard to beat the Starmate 3. I got mine for a little over $50.00.
- You may be able to find the Starmate 4 for a decent price as well... in which case I would go for the Sirius Starmate 4
Check out Simpletechworld e-Store's selection of Sirius Satellite radios - sorry I do not carry the Starmate 3
As GPS units get more and more popular, it has forced GPS makers to become more competitive and offer more features. This is great for tech loving people like us.
Have you every experienced the anxious feeling of making a expensive long distance phone call from another country while traveling? What’s worst is the fear of extreme long distance rates has frequently driven me to rush conversations and offend the very person that was important enough to call. I have been traveling a lot lately, and Skype has been amazing. Recently, I was in La Antigua, Guatemala, and Skype was a life-saver... not literally... but it made calling home a much better experience!
My Skype Device:
Netgear Wifi Skype PhoneHow I use it:
- Home: for my long distance line - $30/year for unlimited within North America
- Traveling: for my personal long distance calls - avoid cellular roaming charges and expensive long distance rates
Why it was amazing and why every traveler should have this device:In Guatemala (like many countries) there were many hotels and cafes with free internet wifi "hotspots". The cafes had a lot of backpackers / students using their laptops to call home - using Skype. What I like best about the Netgear Wifi Skype phone was that I was able to use it just like a cell phone. I did not have the bulk of carrying a laptop, or the worry of losing it.
Skype has come a long way with their call quality. On many calls people could not tell that I was calling over the internet.
How it works:
- Turn it on and the phone automatically finds and connects to a wireless network
- It will automatically sign you into your Skype account
- It will then load all your contacts
- Then you are free to make free or very cheap international calls*
* My plan "Skype Pro" allows me to make unlimited calls to anywhere in North America. I have made many Skype calls from hotels and coffee shops using my Netgear Wifi Phone and it has all been included in my $30/year Skype Pro Plan. Since I was last in Guatemala, I had to buy a little Skype Credit, but it was much less than any calling card.
Rate to Call Canada from Guatemala was $0.02 - My 45 min call home was $0.90
Where to get it:
Click here to buy the Netgear Wifi Skype Phone @ Simpletechworld E-Store
Talk of the tech world these days seems to be focused on the future of DVD formats. Blu Ray (Sony) vs. HD DVD (Toshiba) have been battling it out, like BetaMax and VHS did back in the day. Industry experts are now claiming that the was is over and Blu Ray is expected to be the format of choice. Based on what I know, this was more of a marketing war, as both Blu Ray and HD DVD offer very similar products.
As some one that always wants the latest and greatest, I am so happy I waited. To be honest I was leaning towards HD DVD, and nearly bought a HD DVD player for my XBox360 ($300). Now I just have to wait until Blu Ray players go on sale, so I can finally make use of the HD 1080p TV (Samsung LCD) that I bought almost a year ago in anticipation for the new high definition formats.
When I switched from a Palm Treo 650 to a Blackberry 8320 Curve the biggest trade off was in the GPS functionality. With the Treo I had a powerful TomTom based program on an memory card paired with a bluetooth GPS receiver. It worked amazing! No monthly cost. On the other hand, my blackberry does offer a GPS solution, however there is a monthly cost for the program, and it requires you to have a data plan. GPS solutions can get expensive with the Blackberrys, because not only do you have a $12 to $20 / month fee, but you will also use a significant amount of data - which is also an additional cost.
I still think that Blackberry Curve is a much better device, and I don't find myself missing the GPS capabilities of my Treo. I find driving GPS applications are best left to the stand alone GPS devices that you can buy for $150 to $250. I recently bought the TomTom One 3rd edition and the Garmin 250 Nuvi which I will compare in a head to head review in the next few weeks.
Here is an article I found discussing other interesting applications for GPS, apart from your typical driving applications.
For tech lovers - these gadgets can't come soon enough. Unfortunately if you want these product as soon as they are availible, you'll undoubtly have to pay the "early adopter" price premium.
More about a great alternative to traditional phone telephone service.
