During the holiday season, a new player to the electronic book reader (eReader) Market, Pandigital, introduced the Pandigital Novel 7-inch eReader.  After a little bit of investigation, it became clear that the Pandigital Novel, powered by the Android OS, was a perfect candidate for a droid hack.  The Pandigital Novel eBook Reader runs a stripped down version of Android OS 2.0, Eclair, but is sporting a Samsung 800MHz processor, so with a simple hack, it can be converted into a full blown Android-tablet complete with Market access.  Will the hacked Pandigital Novel eBooks Reader replace your iPad?  I’ll leave up to you after trying the hack, but it certainly is a strong contender given the low cost of entry.

How to hack the Pandigital Novel eReader…

So you have this great new electronic book reader for less than $200, but with some simple hacks, it becomes so much more.  First download this file and copy it to your Pandigital Novel’s external SD card.  Turn off your Novel eBook Reader and prepare for the flashing process.  To initiate the flash, hold the volume up key on the right hand side of the unit while simultaneously holding the power on switch on the top left.  Hold both buttons for about 5 seconds until you see the small droid appear on the Pandigital’s screen.  The flashing process will take anywhere from 1 to 5 minutes and the device will reboot automatically.  When it reboots, you’ll be running a full-blown tablet that is already rooted with tons of driver and system optimizations.  From here, the possibilities are endless.

Technical Specs of the Pandigital Novel 7-inch eReader

• Built-In Memory Storage Capacity: 1GB
• Display Size: 7.0
• Maximum Resolution: 800 x 600
• Wireless Technology: Wi-Fi Enabled
• Input Medium: Keyboard Entry
• Input Type: Mini-USB
• Output Type: Mini USB, Speaker
• USB 2.0 Ports: 1
• Dimensions: Length: 7.52 “; Width: 9.53 “; Depth: 3.03″
• Product Weight: 2.22 Lb.
• MSRP: $199.99 (but can be easily found for $150 or less with stealthy searching)

If you need any help with this hack or future hacks on the Pandigital Novel eBook Reader, leave a comment.  I am actually the developer behind this particular hack, so if you need additional assistance or details, you can view the full release info and instructions over at Slatedroid.  Good luck and enjoy this simple droid hack.

After switching cars recently and noticing I had no MP3 player, no auxiliary input, and no cassette player, I was back to the drawing board trying to find the best FM transmitter to stream my iPhone mp3 music over the FM radio.  The last time I used a FM transmitter, the options were limited and quality was subpar, but the technology has certainly changed with options available for even bluetooth FM transmitters that will automatically find the optimal station.  Scouring the net for reviews on which mp3 FM transmitter was the best, I decided to give the GoGroove X2 Bluetooth transmitter a try (about $60).  While my goal was streaming my MP3′s and listening to Pandora on occasion from my iPhone, I had no clue how much I would love making bluetooth phone calls over my car’s radio.

Whats included with the GoGroove X2 FM transmitter?

• GoGroove X2 Bluetooth FM Transmitter
• MicroUSB cable (charging MicroUSB devices, including newer BlackBerrys, Motorola Atrix, etc)
• MiniUSB cable (charging popular devices using the MiniUSB interface)
• iPhone USB cable (charging the iPhone with the GoGroove X2)
• 3.5mm Auxiliary Audio Cable (connecting devices that do not have built-in bluetooth)

Setting up the GoGroove X2 FM transmitter

When you plug in and turn on your GoGroove FlexSmart X2 FM transmitter, it automatically enters pairing mode and can be searched for on your bluetooth device.  If you miss the initial pairing window, you can reactive pairing mode on the mp3 FM transmitter by holding the blue (call) button for about 2 seconds (pairing mode is indicated by the end and call buttons flashing).  If you device requires a PIN, it is set to a default value of 0000.

To take advantage of the automatic clear station finder, hold down the control knob until the station changes.  Change your car radio to the same frequency and you are ready to start enjoying music from your mp3 player with no wires required!  Note that the automatic station finder works pretty well, but check out my how-to on finding the best static free station for your FM transmitter for more tips.

So how well does the GoGroove X2 FM Transmitter work?

Pretty amazing if you ask me.  Within a few minutes I was listening to Pandora streaming through my iPhone, all with no wires.  I tried pressing the “Next Song” button on the X2, and sure enough, it skipped to the next song in Pandora.  While listening, my music suddenly muted and I was concerned there was something wrong with the X2; about a second later, my phone started ringing through my car’s speakers and pressing the “Call” button answered.  After a clear conversation, I hung up and immediately Pandora resumed.  This device has exceeded my expectations by far and for the price, really can’t be beat.  One warning to note – this is still a FM transmitter, so the audio quality will not be flawless, and certainly not as good as connecting your MP3 player or other device with an auxiliary cable, but for people like me without auxiliary inputs, it is a great substitute.  I happily give the GoGroove X2 5 stars.

So you did your research, read the reviews, and settled on the best FM transmitter, but unfortunately, you still aren’t thrilled with the results.  Fortunately with a quick visit to the radio-locator website, you can find the perfect station to optimize the performance of your new FM transmitter.

 

Optimize your FM transmitter

The key to good performance with a bluetooth FM transmitter (or any FM transmitter for that matter) is finding the right station to tune on your radio.  If you read my review on the GoGroove X2, you know that many of the popular FM transmitters have auto-tuners to try and find the best station, but those frequently fall short.  Thanks to this radio-locator vacant station finder, you can now find the perfect FM station by identifying stations that arent in use in your area.  In addition to being great for finding your station for local use, it can really come in handy when traveling and you aren’t as familiar with the radio space.

Browse to http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/vacant, input your zip code (or the zip code that you’ll be spending time in) and the state and you’ll be presented with the best, second best, and third best options for getting the most from your FM transmitter.

For people who have always wanted a second monitor but didn’t have dual video cards or available power supplies, the new usb powered USB Monitor devices have been filling the void.  Over the past year or so, the amount of available LCD USB monitors has drastically increased, and thanks to the DoubleSight DS-90U, you can get a second 9″ monitor to use with your desktop, netbook, or laptop without needing anything other than a single USB cable.  DoubleSight continues to provide the market with bleeding edge monitor devices, and with the announcement of the DS-90U and DS-90UC line of usb monitors, I’m looking forward to see how they perform.  The DS90-U USB powered monitor is a 9″ monitor that utilizes USB for both power and video.  No additional video port, video cable, or power adapter is required!  DoubleSight also has 7″, 9″ with webcam and 9″ with touchscreen options as well.  DoubleSight put one in the mail for me yesterday so check back in the next few days for a detailed review.

What are some good uses for a secondary USB monitor?

• Exporting tool bars and menus
• Monitoring email and viewing calendars
• Maintaining instant messenger and internet phone applications
• Watching movies and internet video
• Viewing photo slideshows and web-based photo albums

Tech Specs of the DS-90U USB Monitor

• Viewable area: 8.9″
• Response time: 30ms
• Recommended resolution: 1024×600
• Monitor stand: Adjustable height, tilt and pivot
• Interface: USB for both video signal and power
• Weight: 1lb
• OS: Full Windows and Mac OS Support!

For netbook users, you can effectively double your screen real estate by adding a USB powered monitor!  One unique benefit of the DoubleSight series of displays is the DoubleSight Display Link Software which allows up to six smart USB monitors to be connected to your PC at one time.

Leave any of your favorite uses for a secondary monitor in the comments below and check back next week for my hands-on review of the DS-90U USB powered monitor.

The iPhone has become a staple in modern society and it seems like everyone has one in their pocket today.  Here are a few quick iPhone tips and tricks that can make your iPhone even more of a productivity tool.

iPhone Tip #1 – Quickly scroll to the top of a page
This tip is so simple yet frequently overlooked or missed.  If you are viewing a long web page or towards the bottom of a page of twitter posts, you can use this iPhone tip to quickly return to the top of the page.  Simply tap the top of the status bar (where the time and battery indicators are).

iPhone Tip #2 – Enable and use caps lock on the iPhone keyboard
This one is a revisit to an earlier iPhone tips series that I posted where the caps lock key was disabled by default.  Fortunately in the newer iPhone iOS versions, caps lock is enabled by default.  If you are running v3.x, you can follow these steps for enabling caps lock.  For v4.x users, simply double tap the shift key on the virtual keyboard to enable caps lock.

If you don’t already have an iPhone, you can buy one contract free over at Amazon.

Check back for more iPhone tips.  If you have any specific questions or ideas you’d like to see for optimizing your iPhone or other gadgets and gizmos, let me know in the comments.

If you read my earlier post about my first look at the OBi110 VoIP / Google Voice adapter, you might be wondering how easy my description of “easy” really is.  The setup guide below to configure your OBi110 should convince you that ANYONE can do this!

Quick Steps to Configure your OBi110

1) Plug in your OBi110 or OBi100 to an open network port on your router.
2) Plug in a standard phone (corded or cordless) to your OBi110 or OBi100.
3) Ensure your Google Voice account is configured to make and receive calls:

Make calls with your Google Voice account
a) Sign in to your Gmail account that has a Google Voice number and call any phone number from your computer (under the chat section, you’ll see “Call Phones” – note that if you’ve already made a call, you do not need to repeat this step)
b) Configuration for making calls is complete

Receive calls placed to your Google Voice number
a) Logon to Google Voice
b) Select Settings in the upper left corner and choose the Voice Settings option
c) Under the Phones tab, check the box that is labeled “Forwards to: Google Chat”
d) Configuration for receiving calls with your Google Voice number is complete

4) Obtain the IP address of your OBi110 or OBi100 by dialing *** and “1″ from the phone you connected to the OBi device (you’ll need the IP for step 5)
5) Finish the OBi110 configuration by accessing the automated account configuration wizard.
6) Click configure and enjoy FREE incoming and outgoing calls using your google voice account

From here the possibilities are endless – if you like the service, you can consider porting your existing phone number to your google voice account for a nominal fee paid to google.  Let me know if you have any questions or need help setting up your OBi and enjoy!

So what is the OBi110 by Obihai technology? By now you’ve heard of Google Voice – if not, Google Voice is simply a phone number provided by Google to provide a centralized contact number for all of your devices (i.e. your Google Voice number can simultaneously ring your work, mobile, and home phone numbers and you answer wherever you happen to be).  While a central number is really useful, Google decided to change the game by allowing free incoming and outgoing calls using your Google Voice number.  Unfortunately, these calls must be made using your computer microphone and speakers; that is until Obihai Technology changed the game with the OBi110 ($49.99) & OBi100 ($43.99), enabling your google voice account to be used as a landline.

The OBi110 is a small device that has a standard phone jack input for your current home phone as well as an ethernet port for connecting to your high speed internet connection.  This device makes your google voice account even more effective by allowing you to make and receive calls on your home phone by using your google voice number, or more simply stated, getting rid of your home service with free inbound and outbound calls!  Upon receiving my OBi110, I expected a complicated setup, but my expectations were blown away.  It took less than 5 minutes to plug in my cordless phone, connect the OBi110 to my router, input my google voice username and password, and make my first phone call.

In the past, I’ve provided several reviews and how to guides related to the MagicJack $39.99 VoIP device (MagicJack Review), so you might be wondering how does the OBi110 really differ?  Well for starters, MagicJack requires a computer to be connected and online at all times, while the OBi110 connects directly to your high speed internet connection and can be used without a computer at all.  Additionally, your Google Voice account provides a plethora of features that the MagicJack service just cannot provide; one of the biggest being Google’s amazing voicemail transcription service where you can receive emails with the content of your voicemails.

Check back for detailed setup instructions and my thoughts on the OBi110 after a few weeks of use, but after my first few days, I am comfortable cancelling my landline and feel that I am really utilizing my google voice account to it’s full potential.

If you haven’t heard of the BACTrack S75 Pro, it is a portable and extremely accurate blood alcohol content (BAC) measuring device, recently revealed by KHN Solutions, LLC at CES.  If you want to read more about the product, you can check my detailed profile here.  After receiving my S75 Pro, I decided to put it to the test, so I called a few of my good friends who I knew would be up for a scientific experience.

The materials:

• BACTrack S75 Pro
• 1 bottle Smirnoff 100 proof vodka
• 1 bottle 1800 Silver 80 proof tequila
• 3 shot glasses
• Camera
• Tracking spreadsheet

I will keep the other participants nameless (John and Tom), but in the tracking spreadsheet, I am participant #1.  We started the night around 8:00PM – I started agressively and went with the 100 proof vodka, while John and Tom hit up the tequila.  The instructions say to wait 15 to 20 minutes after your last drink before taking your measurement, so after the first shot, the timer started.  19 minutes in we took our first measurements.  I came in at 0.018, or a little less than 1/4 of the established legal limit.  Both of my fellow scientists measured an astounding 0.000.  We were slightly disappointed by their measurements, but figured it was either a fluke, or due to the fact that they are both heavier or taller than me, OR that they started with 80 proof.

We moved on to tequila, tequila, and vodka respectively.  At the time of the second measurement, the results started to climb more appropriately.  I was measuring 0.036, John was 0.015, and Tom was 0.012.  Now things were getting interesting.  I’d like to note that at 0.036, I was questioning if driving a car was a good idea, and was really curious about what 0.080 would actually feel like.  Shot #3 came and went and put me to 0.049, John to 0.025, and Tom to 0.020.  At shot 4, I was confident that I definitely could not drive a car, and began to act a little silly (0.064).  My handwriting got sloppy enough where I could barely read the tracking spreadsheet, but the night continued to get more amusing.

Shot #5 was the lucky number for me to pass the legal limit.  15 minutes after taking a shot of tequila, I registered a nice even 0.080.  Now, I’m guessing that my judgement was slightly altered at this point, and I decided it was a good idea to continue.  John and Tom were measuring 0.064 and 0.071 respectively.  Shot #6 got my to a great place – 0.099.  I don’t blame my friends, but I’m wondering if someone should have stopped me

10:04PM – shot #7 is tequila across the board.  I hit 0.107, John 0.069, and Tom 0.088.  He is now in the legally drunk club with me!  We took those measurements about 15 minutes after taking the shot, and out of curiousity, I took one more measurement 5 minutes later (the story I’m told is that I forgot I measured and argued until I took it again); I was 0.108.  One important note – I do not remember anything after shot #5.  I found a handful of pictures of my camera in the morning that I cannot post on here.  Yes, they are really THAT bad.

10:37PM – shot #8 will be my last.  Someone pours the tequila for me, I take the shot, and get my final measurement of 0.140.  I was almost twice the legal limit.  John finishes the night at 0.087 and Tom at 0.108 (the 0.108 was scribbled through on the tracking sheet…  not sure what that means).  Is this irresponsible?  Yes, very.  Do I recommend anyone try this?  No, definitely not.  Was it worth it in the name of science?  Absolutely!

8:55AM the next morning – I wake up and still feel a little buzzed.  Curiousity got the best of me and I pulled out the S75 Pro for another reading…  I was still drunk!  9 hours after passing out and I still had a BAC of 0.037.  At 11:00AM, I took my final measurement and was 0.016.

Lessons Learned

• The legal limit should be lower than 0.08.  At 0.04, I started questioning if I could safely drive, and my answer is definitely no.
• Alcohol really metabolizes differently in everyone – one person who wasn’t on the tracking sheet was my wife.  After 4 glasses of wine, she passed the legal limit.
• You really can be still drunk in the morning.  I always hear people joke about this, but I can scientifically confirm that it does happen.
• Everyone needs an accurate breathalyzer, and the S75 Pro is a great choice.

If you are curious about the details, I’ve uploaded a typed version of the tracking spreadsheet here.

Buy the BACTrack S75 Pro

If you have any ideas for future topics, a gadget you want reviewed, or just want to say hello, you can always email me at paulfalor@gmail.com.

Blood alcohol content measuring devices have gained popularity over the past few years.  Some bars have them to allow their patrons to determine if they are above the “legal limit”.  Some people have them as reminders to be more safe when out on the town.  Some people even buy them as a fun addition to a household party, but I certainly can’t approve of them being used to facilitate irresponsible behavior!  Overall, they have begun to make their way into many facets of the consumer world, but accuracy was always lacking in affordable devices.  The game was changed, however, during this year’s CES when the company KHN Solutions, LLC, unveiled their newest model, the BACTrack S75 Pro.  The BACTrack S75 Pro is the first affordable portable breathalyzer that utilizes a electro-chemical fuel cell sensor to provide quick and very accurate results.  The majority of police BAC measuring devices rely on fuel cell sensors as well.

Whats in the box?
The BACTrack S75 Pro includes 6 interchangable mouthpieces (for sanitary sharing amongst friends), a sleek carrying case, and a set of batteries.  I’m not sure if the manufacturer recommends it, but the mouthpieces seem to wash fine in the dishwasher without altering the results, or you can buy additional from them.

What does it cost?
The BACTrack S75 Pro retails for $99.99, while the BACTrack S30 can be purchased for about $30.  The devices range from $30 for the lower end devices and around $200 for the top end professional series.  Personally, I think the S75 Pro is the best choice, and is a LOT cheaper than a DUI!

Where can I purchase one?
The BACTrack series can be picked up at a handful of retail stores (PepBoys, OfficeMax, Kmart – full list available online), and at an even large selection of online stores.  Ironically enough, most of the retail stores have something to do with driving…

Buy the BACTrack S75 Pro

Technical Specs

• Dimensions – 2.3 x 4.8 x 1 inches
• Weight – 4.4 oz with mouthpiece and batteries
• Sensor Technology – Xtend™ electro-chemical fuel-cell technology
• Detection Range – 0.000 – 0.400% BAC
• Battery Life – Approximately 1500 times
• Warm Up Time – 10-20 seconds, depending on last use
• Response Time – 10 seconds
• Sensor Accuracy – +/- 0.005 at 0.1% B.A.C.
• Operating Temperature – 32-104°F

Click for my Detailed Hands-On Review

I love being outside and love technology and gadgets, so when I can combine the two, it is utopia.  One of my favorite hobbies that combines the two is Geocaching.  If you are asking yourself what is geocaching, it is essentially a huge global outdoor scavenger hunt where small “caches” are hidden and coordinates are provided to the caching community.  The only geocaching gear you need are the latitude, longitude, and a handheld GPS, the geocacher will attempt to find the cache, sign the log book once found, and rehide it for the next person on the quest.  There is a TON more that can be talked about geocaching, so I’ll cover that in a separate article, but the most critical component to geocaching is having a good handheld GPS.  Whether you are a hiker looking for Glacier National Park hiking or just a city boy who wants to explore the great outdoors and find a few geocaches, the GARMIN eTrex Venture HC handheld GPS receiver is a perfect fit.

So what do I love above the GARMIN eTrex Venture HC geocaching GPS?

• Price – at less than $130 on Amazon, it fits many budgets
• Time to aquire signal – my first time turning on the unit, it felt like I didn’t have to wait at all to get a GPS lock (my older Magellan took upwards of 5 minutes)
• Accuracy – it brought me within 2 feet of my intended geocache, which is absolutely amazing
• Strong/Durable build quality – the unit just feels stury, and can survive a fall in water, which is very important for extreme outdoor geocaching use

Key features of the GARMIN eTrex Venture HC

• 1.3″W x 1.7″H TFT display
• Built-in GPS patch antenna
• Backlit LED display and keypad
• Up to 32 hour battery life using 2 AA batteries
• Can store 500 user waypoints (translates to at least 500 geocaches)

Is the GARMIN eTrex Venture HC the best GPS for geocaching?  I can’t say for sure, but it certainly is a great option for anyone from beginner to advanced!

On a side note, if you are interested in doing some great hiking you can head to Glacier National Park hiking for info on the best hiking trails in the Rocky Mountains.  If you’d like to pick one up, head over to Amazon for a great deal and free shipping.