Parrot MKi9200 Bluetooth Car Kit

August 27th, 2011 No Comments »

Time to update you on my hunt for a suitable car radio. I was after a car radio with a built-in Bluetooth hands free kit that was also capable of streaming music via Bluetooth AND had some sort of rear USB or SD card slot. I tried a JVC model, which kept disconnecting after a few seconds, then I went through every stereo on display in Halfords to no avail. So, I had a good think about my requirements: Bluetooth hands free kit, Bluetooth audio streaming, SD card or USB port for music storage. Then I thought, I know – a Parrot hands-free kit would do all that. Okay, so I’d end up with the same car stereo I had before and have to find somewhere to stick all the extra boxes / screens etc., but on the plus side it is listed on the HTC web site as the hands-free kit fully compatible with my HTC 7 Mozart and makes my car less desirable to thieves looking in through the window for a nice stereo to steal.

I chose the MKi9200, which is the top model in the MKi range (music and conversation) of Parrot products. It differs from the other models in the range by addition of a full colour LCD screen. Built in to the back of the screen is an SD card slot for storing your music which is one of the reasons I chose this one. The screen I also assumed would make operating the device a lot easier. Of course this gives me another problem: where do I mount the screen? I’ll come to that later.

Parrot - CablesIt arrived from Amazon nice and quickly so I pulled it out the box and took a look. Wow, what a lot of cables. Now, in most cars you’ll also need something called a SOT lead. This lead connects to the back of your existing car stereo and the wiring loom which would have plugged in to that stereo effectively allowing you to break the connection and plug the Parrot’s Blue Box in the middle. The Blue Box is the brains of the operation. It sits behind your dashboard and connects to all your cables as well as being the Bluetooth receiver.

Parrot - ScreenAll in all, it took me just over an hour to fit this. I should say that I was already quite familiar with pulling my dashboard apart. I squeezed the Blue Box in, fitted the SOT lead and the Parrot ISO cable as per the instructions. Now to fit the screen – I decided to hide it in the compartment in the centre of my dashboard. I figured my phone screen is always on view in the cradle anyway and that will display who is calling me or what music I’m listening to so the Parrot screen is only needed occasionally. I drilled a hole underneath the compartment lining to feed the cable through and pushed the screen inParrot - Microphone place. Next is the microphone, which turned out to be the world’s biggest ever hands-free microphone ever in the history of microphones, maybe – just check out the photo. I ran the cable under the passenger side glove compartment, up through the pillar and behind the roof lining to pop out of the roof light panel. I was concerned that there wouldn’t be enough cable for the microphone but it was more than plenty – I had a good couple of foot left over. Next came the specialist audio cables. The MKi9200 comes with a triple input cable for USB Parrot - USB Line iPod Cablesmemory sticks, analogue line input (3.5mm) and an iPod connector. This was the easiest to install – I just plugged one end in to the Blue Box and laid the cable straight in to the glove compartment with no drilling required.

The final task is fitting the remote control. Now, I fitted it to the steering wheel using the supplied strap. It does stick out a bit and gets in the way when parking, but I am starting to get used to it. I am considering moving it somewhere else and mounting it on the dash, but I’ve not decided where the best spot would be yet. For now I’ll leave it where it is.

Now it’s time to try it out – the first boot-up takes a few minutes while it sets itself up. Then you need to make sure that the device powers itself down properly when you switch the ignition off. It should display a ‘Goodbye’ message – if it just powers itself off then you need to swap the red and orange wires (the wires on the loom with fuses) around like I did on my 2003 Celica. Parrot - RemoteIt’s easy enough to do as long as you don’t lose the fuses.

Audio quality is great, it streams perfectly over Bluetooth, the iPod connector works with my Nano 3G, and it supports the various memory sticks and SD cards I’ve thrown at it. I have however come across one annoying problem. The device doesn’t recognise SD cards that were plugged in to it on power-up. If you eject and reinsert the card it works fine. My Parrot came with firmware version 1.83, and even upgrading to the latest (at time of writing) 1.95 didn’t resolve it. I’m sure it’s just a software issue though that will be resolved as it would be nice to put a 32GB card in there for my entire music collection. Navigating through the music is easy and simple (as long as you can see the screen!) using the wheel on the remote which is very intuitive to use. I’d definitely suggest getting the MKi9200 over the 9100 and 9000 because of this screen. I think you’d struggle with configuring it perfectly without a screen (MKi9000), and being able to see all your menu options at once instead of one at a time (MKi9100) is very handy when driving.


Wii 2 HDMI Adapter

August 13th, 2011 No Comments »

I was in real trouble wasn’t I! Do you remember my rant about the analogue to HDMI conversion fault on my Onkyo TX SR606 AV Receiver? It was well and truly broken and the only thing requiring that functionality was The Wife’s Nintendo Wii. So I had to come up with some sort of solution which didn’t require replacing the expensive and otherwise functioning amplifier. Luckily some clever chaps in China have come up with a small dongle which plugs in to the proprietary AV socket on the Wii, and converts that signal in to HDMI. HDMI output on the Wii is a feature which is badly needed in my opinion – I know it doesn’t support HD graphics, but HDMI is a far less complicated cable to use for the majority of people and it just works for video and audio unlike component and composite which both need separate cables (albeit usually combined in to one with multiple plugs) for these different signals.

This little dongle solves it all. There are a number of specialised HDMI adapters for the Wii, well, theyWii HDMI convert component signals in to HDMI and can be used not just for the Wii, but for other analogue devices like video recorders (remember them?) and DVD players. What makes this adapter special though is that it is passively powered. It doesn’t need a separate power adapter at all and given the cable madness and many different multi-way power strips behind my TV unit this is a very good feature.

Wii HDMI 2Installation couldn’t have been simpler. Actually, it could have been simpler, but my particular setup involved configuring the Game input on my Onkyo to use HDMI instead of component, but most normal peeps shouldn’t have that issue! Anyway, back to me saying installation couldn’t have been simpler, you just plug the adapter in to the back of the Wii, plug an HDMI cable in to the adapter and the other end in to your TV or AV Receiver. You’ll need to get yourself an HDMI cable because the adapter does not come with one – go down Poundland or a shop like that, and if you’ve spent more than a tenner on one you’ve been ripped off.

The adapter includes a 3.5mm audio output. I’ve not bothered testing this because audio is output over HDMI which is exactly what I require, but in theory you can output audio in ye-olde-fashioned analogue way to some headphones if needed.

To sum up, this gadget saved my bacon and is so simple to use. Why Nintendo haven’t bothered adding a few pounds to the price of a Wii and sticking this circuitry natively in an updated version of the Wii I don’t know, but until they do go and buy this!

Air Wick Odour Detect

August 13th, 2011 No Comments »

There’s nothing better than a free gadget, and being one of the first 100 people to get hold of this one was particularly satisfying. No, I didn’t have to queue for hours outside a store – I was simply one of the first 100 people to click on link in the Air Wick newsletter (don’t ask). They sent me a complimentary Air Wick Odour Detect Compact!

Air Wick Odour Detect

It’s so new that at the time of writing I can’t even put an Amazon link on this post to shamelessy flog a couple to you lovely readers, so you’ll have to make do with looking at the official website. So what makes this air freshener so special I hear you ask? Well it has a nose to smell you with you hear me reply. A nose I hear you say? Yes a schnozzel nearly as big as mine I say. That little grill on the front of the device somehow detects odours and activates the aerosol as required.

Now, I’ve tried the obvious trump and burp tests – these failed to set it off, however it does fire its payload when you start to cook something, or if you open up the garage and the smell of cat urine starts to fill the kitchen. I’d say the nose works.

The device has a selector switch on the side enabling it to spray on just the sensor alone, or whether you want it to regularly release a squirt regardless of room stinkiness. Personally, I find the sensor only option enough when it is placed in our kitchen. I’m not sure what that is saying about the smell in there though.

Our freshener came with the Cool Linen & White Lilac fragrance. It’s okay – nothing ground breaking but it is still a pleasant and acceptable smell. There’s a ton of different refills available and so far The Wife hasn’t complained about the smell so I see no need to change it yet. She has complained of nearly having a heart attack every time the spray activates. To be fair it is a little sudden and noisy, but then again it also seems to set off more often when she is around than I am (again, is it trying to tell her something?).

EA Sports Active 2 – PS3

August 6th, 2011 No Comments »

EA Sports Active 2 is the latest in EA’s personal trainer software. The original version, made for Nintendo’s Wii, used the Wii’s native motion controllers and Wii Fit balance board to put you through running, boxing and other aerobics workouts, keeping track of your progress and setting you goals and training plans. v2 brings this concept up to date and is still available on the Wii, but also on the Xbox 360 using the Kinect controller, and PS3 using the Move controller. However, this article is all about the version on the PS3 that DOES NOT NEED MOVE! Check out the package contents below:

It comes with three motion sensors: left arm, right arm, right leg. The sensor on the left arm also includes a heart rate monitor which allows the system to detect your workout efficiency with increased accuracy. This is the main reason I purchased this version. The sensors require a USB dongle to be plugged in to the PS3, which for me with an original “fat” PS3 and my 4 USB ports is not a problem, but a lot of you with newer versions of the console may have to juggle your cables around a bit. The kit even included a pack of Duracell AAA batteries so everything works straight out the box.

EA Sports Active 2 PS3

Now to the game – and I’m going to be brutally honest here – I think it’s the most evil thing ever invented. My first workout lasted 29 minutes and I sweated buckets, in fact I can’t remember ever feeling so worn out from exercise that much in years and to make it worse it tells me I only burned off about 150 calories in that time. The personal trainer put me through squats, lunges (to catch a basketball), tricep extensions, more squats and jumps and running under the guise of cycling, knee-ups, leg kicks, more squats (what’s the obsession with squats??), more cycling, running, side-planks, normal planks and a cool-down stretching which was very much appreciated. A lot of use was made of the stretchy thing (resistive band) for stretches and muscle workouts. At first I thought that the resistance wouldn’t be enough (which it isn’t for most men), but near the end of the torture I was glad to only have a light resistance involved.

The PS3 also connects through to an online portal where you can track your progress and share your workouts with the online world (obvious privacy settings are available to limit this). This introduces an interesting community allowing you to compete against friends, or even workout simultaneously with friends. This is a feature I haven’t tested yet due to my, err, lack of friends? (lack of friends with this game I should say!). Within the PS3 though little thought seems to have been paid to multi-user support and you have to create a different PS3 login account for each user of the game – you can’t just switch profiles within the game itself sadly. There’s also the usual array of PSN trophies which are given out generously at the beginning. Anyway, at the time of writing I’m already 5 workouts behind on my 9 week program and dreading starting the next session…

This game was released at the end of last year, and due to the newer version supporting PS3′s Move controller this special version with all the arm and leg bands is being sold off cheaply! Personally I’d rather have this version than the Move one, mainly because I don’t own a Move controller.

You’re not a criminal anymore

August 3rd, 2011 1 Comment »

Yup, that’s right – you remember when you ripped your CD collection to MP3 files, or in to iTunes to copy to your iPod? Well that was completely illegal right up until this afternoon. Vince Cable has finally announced that format shifting (as this is known) can now be performed in good faith without keeping one eye out for Constable Copyright coming to arrest you for backing up your back catalogue of Savage Garden and Lolly albums. This is a break-through, but one which should have been implemented years ago to be honest because I don’t know of anyone who has a digitised music collection made up purely of purchased downloads.

What makes this announcement even more interesting is that the format shifting of digital video is also included, meaning it is now legal to back your DVD collection to a video file such as DiVX or h264. Where this leaves DVD encryption technologies and their circumventing counterparts known as DVD Rippers (DeCSS and the various derivatives) I’m not sure, but certainly if the law now looks favourably on format shifting DVDs then it surely must follow that circumventing copy protection methods put in place to protect DVD copying is also no longer illegal? Whilst I’m of the opinion that the new updated copyright laws are a good thing, they have generally left me with far more questions. So, DVDs can be legally format-shifted but what about Blu-Rays?

Now, I haven’t seen the actual copyright law amendment itself, but I have read the Hargreaves report upon which recommendations the laws have been based. Hargreaves advises the government to align with EU regulations allowing format shifting. At one point he likens the situation to when a form of format shifting was approved in 1988 to allow broadcast TV to be recorded which didn’t specifically restrict the recording to video tape allowing future generations of recording equipment (PVR, DVD etc) to continue unrestricted – this is the approach Hargreaves suggests is taken with copyright law amendments, allowing the laws to encompass future technologies and media distribution as they evolve. Such as Blu-Ray. I’m not sure the movie studios will be too happy about this…