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Posts Tagged ‘What’s’

What if you were able to get live traffic updates on you GPS every two minutes?  Yes, you heard me right, every two minutes.  This means no more getting stuck in traffic unwittingly, and wondering just how to get around the gridlock.  It also means actually getting to that important meeting on schedule no matter how busy your day is or how far away you are. 

In approximately mid-2011, TomTom will introduce its new Go 2505 M Live model GPS system. Hopefully Garmin will do the same.   Whereas in the past we could get traffic updates every 15 minutes, TomTom has raised the bar and will be giving updates to its users at a more efficient and workable 2 minute intervals.  The added convenience and reduction of stress levels brought about by this change will be welcomed by all; especially those of us living in crowded metropolitan areas where gridlock is a factor and where a single fender-bender could ruin a carefully laid out itinerary. 

But wait, that’s not all.  The GO 2505 will include other live services free of charge for the first year.  These additional live services include local fuel prices, local searches and weather reports.  Using standard verbal commands, you will get directions to the nearest exotic restaurant, coffee house or gas station.  Tom Murray, Senior VP for marketing over at TomTom, is quoted as saying that “The data is twice as accurate as Navteq”.  For a GPS device, that’s all I need to hear.  Keep in mind that these new gps features are in addition to all of the standard services and conveniences to which we have become accustomed.  Therefore the device is a bit more costly than its forerunner, but is well worth it.   Read more...

We all know the term ‘Hi Fi’ is an abbreviation of ‘High-Fidelity’. Fidelity depicts faithfulness; therefore the term ‘High-Fidelity’ defines the aim of the hobby which is to achieve, in reproduction, the highest level of faithfulness (or accuracy) to the original (live) sound as it was recorded.

If this is your own goal, then for a reality-check I’d suggest that you try to get an opportunity to listen to UNAMPLIFIED musical instruments and voices, your friends’ voices will do, church-bands, military-bands, orchestras, marching-bands, street-side minstrels, whatever – even the un-amplified instruments of a popular band in rehearsal, for instance. Listen also to solo instruments; drums, guitars and especially the piano. Compare the sounds of these live instruments to those of similar instruments and voices as reproduced by your system. If your system is like most HiFi systems, then the sound won’t even be close to the real thing. It isn’t your fault, really.

I blame this unfortunate state of affairs on the manufacturers of inadequate equipment (especially speakers) which have made a mockery of the term, High-Fidelity. The reasons for this are many and varied, in my opinion, with greed, ineptitude, convenience, incompetence and large measures of disingenuousness being prominent among them. Members of the press who knowingly recommend mediocre equipment are no saints either.

The corruption of HiFi is one of the reasons why, in my opinion, audiophiles have since coined the term ‘High-End Audio’ to describe the hobby and differentiate between the pursuit of the absolute sound, and the acceptance of mediocre fidelity.  Read more...

Being the leading group in the industry of mobile phones in the United Kingdom ever since 2001, 02 has indeed created a benchmark in the field of mobile phones. With its clique and stylish designs, O2 does not only attract their customers with the look of their mobile phones, but with its features as well. This is especially evident in their user-oriented XDA phones. o2 mobile is a section of the O2 group that is very much active in Europe. They provide wireless services both for business and individual use. Several plans and mobile phone packages are available for subscription and use.

In a statistical report given by O2 in 2003, mobile phone usage in the United Kingdom has indeed created a significant effect in the industry of telecommunications and mobile phone industry that contributed a lot to their economy. The contribution made by mobile phones to the country’s gross domestic product in 2003 reached over £22 billion. The year after, O2 has reached its peak when it belonged amongst the top 10 mobile phone service providers in Europe having more than 13.6 million o2 mobile phones subscribers.

O2 now provides various affordable mobile phone services as well as top-of-the-line chic handset model phones so customers have a wide range of options to choose from. Mobile phone brands such as LG Viewty, Nokia N95, and Sony Ericsson Cyber-Shot digital camera phones like the K850 are just few of what they carry. As part of being some of the best, these mobile phones also include Samsung and Walkman phones manufactured by Sony Ericsson. Whenever you need anything related to these, online mobile services of O2 mobile phones are available with just a click of the finger.  Read more...

Think about why this is true. A good appraisal is the best reassurance that the lender won’t lose its pants on the transaction. If the borrower defaults, the lender still has a marketable property that can be sold to recoup its losses. All of which makes it understandable why lenders are so picky about appraisals. And with recent changes in the industry, the focus by lenders to obtain good appraisals is at the forefront.

Appraisals typically cost anywhere from $350 to $400. However, if the house is gigantic, multi-unit or in the boondocks, it could run more. The cost varies on property type, location and square footage.

The most common type of appraisal is the Uniform Residential Appraisal Report (URAR). It consists of interior and exterior photos and sometimes (depending on the age of the home), a complete cost breakdown of the property and comps (comparison sales of homes nearby that meet the proper criteria). These comps help determine the “market” approach. Each comp sale is adjusted in value when stacked against the home being evaluated (the one you’re buying or refinancing). Usually you will see a comp below the value of your home, in line with the value of your home, and a third above the value of your home. Kind of like the three bears. But if the valuation gets tricky, you can see fourth, fifth and sixth comps. The net value of the comps is estimated based upon the approaches used to come up with the appraised value of your property (meaning the appraiser performs some type of calculation that’s kind of like an average, but not necessarily a true average. Confused yet?)  Read more...

Prior to 1797, the washing machine was little more than a rock against which laundry was beaten. In that year, the washing board was invented, making the process of cleaning one’s laundry astronomically easier.

Now, as we’re fresh into the 21st century, we cannot imagine scrubbing our laundry against a washing board, let alone stumbling down to the river’s edge and beating our clothes against a rock.

From piping audio and video through the home to automatically watering the lawn, there are scores of places where Smart Homes can make your life easier, or make it downright cool. If you’ve got the time and inclination, there isn’t anything that cannot be automated in your home.

It is not necessary to spend thousands of dollars on your home automation system. There are a number of very useful, utilitarian, and downright cool projects that you can implement without spending stacks of cash.

The thought of making your home a Smart Home might seem daunting. Indeed, when you start cutting into walls and pulling cabling through the void, it might seem like you’ve lost your senses. However, given an understanding of your needs and wants, adequate planning, and some research into the best solution, Smart Home renovation shouldn’t be too frightening. It’s even less disturbing if you employ some of the easier (and readily available) options. If you’ve ever thought about increasing the functionality, security, or wow-factor of your home,I’m here to walk you through the process of meeting your home into a Smart Home.  Read more...