Category: Electronics

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Best Instant Messengers

There are many instant messaging options for communicating with your friends and colleagues. In order for instant messengers to work together, they need to use the same protocol. To avoid interoperability issues, consider one of the messengers listed here that supports multiple systems.

Windows and Linux

Pidgin works with all the major IM systems: AIM, ICQ, Jabber/XMPP, MSN Messenger, Yahoo!, Bonjour, Gadu-Gadu, IRC, Novell GroupWise Messenger, QQ, Lotus Sametime, SILC, SIMPLE, MySpaceIM, and Zephyr.

It is also highly customizable with lots of plugins. Lifehacker.com lists their ten favorite plug-ins.

Mac OS X

By default, the Mac comes with iChat which is the best videoconferencing solution for Mac. Unfortunately, iChat only works with Macs.  It uses a Jabber transport and connects with AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), .Mac, ICQ and XMPP.

For instant messaging and more interoperability on the Mac, Adium is similar to Pidgin and works with all the major IM protocols.

IM + Video + Calling Land Lines

If you also want videoconferencing, Skype is the most popular solution. It works on Windows, Mac, Linux, and even some mobile devices like Windows Mobile PDAs and the Sony PSP (pictured). It also has the paid options of Skype Out (calling a phone) or Skype In (getting a phone number that rings your Skype account). On the downside, Skype is a proprietary protocol that only works with Skype.

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Powerline vs Wi-Fi

Just about everyone knows what Wi-Fi is and most people even have it at home.  Because wireless N is not yet standardized, most people are still using wireless G.  What most people don’t know is that there is an alternative that in many cases will work better than wireless G and it uses lines you already have in your walls.

Powerline

Powerline connections use your existing electrical wiring.  One huge advantage is the simplicity.  Plug one powerline box into your router with an ethernet cable and the power cord into an electrical socket.  Then put your other powerline box wherever you need ethernet and hook it up to your device with an ethernet cable.  That’s it.  You’ve got internet.  Because of the simplicity, companies like Sling Media sell powerline devices like the Slinglink Turbo Powerline Kit to make hooking up a Slingbox that much easier.

Speed

A big problem with wireless is that you never actually get the claimed speeds.  Wireless G claims a theoretical max of 54Mbps.  Cut that number in half if you have two wireless devices talking to each other. With expected interference, such as neighbor’s Wi-Fi, you can likely cut that number in half again.  In my experience, if you get 20Mbps from ethernet device to Wi-Fi device, that’s about typical.  If you’re trying to move some big data like an HD show from one tivo to another, then you’re going from Wi-Fi to Wi-Fi and only getting about 10Mbps.  This is painfully slow.

This is where powerline becomes very handy.  If you just move one of your TiVos to powerline instead of Wi-Fi, you don’t have to cut that speed in half.  Powerline can take some trial and error to setup but if you find the best plugs to use, you can expect to get near 20Mbps and some newer powerline technology claims even more.  The end result is you can double your TiVo transfer speeds because only 1 TiVo on Wi-Fi can use the full 20Mbps while 1 on powerline is also getting 20Mbps.

Placement

Finding the best places to put the powerline devices may be the hardest part.  If speed is not important, you can probably use just about any 2 plugs.  I have yet to see 2 plugs that didn’t work at least a little.  The closer they are physically on the wire, the better the performance should be so it helps to know how your electrical is ran in your house.  If you don’t know, trial and error is a must as well as bandwidth testing software such as Qcheck.

Excellent Alternative

Everyone has Wi-Fi but that creates even more interference that slows it down. Powerline is a great alternative or complement to help maximize your home networking. Once wireless N is standardized, it will be much faster than wireless G but it will never be as simple to setup as powerline.

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Hands-Free Headsets

When people ask me for hands-free headset advice, my first question is if they prefer wireless (using bluetooth) or wired (plugging a headset into the phone). Each have their pros and cons.

Wired:

  • cheaper ($10-$25)
  • no loss in audio quality
  • simple
  • no battery to charge
  • needs to have correct adapter for particular phone

Wireless:

  • More expensive ($80 for my favorites)
  • No wire to get in the way or take up room
  • Allows you to walk about 20 feet from the phone (helpful if your phone only gets reception in one spot)
  • Works with any bluetooth device, including computers (so you can use it for Skype calls)

Favorite Models

The exact model of headphone is a matter of preference because ears are different shapes and sizes. My current favorites are from Plantronics.

  • The Plantronics MX-505 (pictured) is an excellent wired headset. Make sure to get the correct version for your phone. Plantronics now also sells the MX-500i which includes both a 2.5mm adapter for most mobile phone and a small USB adapter for computers.
  • The Plantronics Discovery 925 (pictured) is a great Bluetooth headset. It has a case that has a built-in battery to charge the phone. As bluetooth headsets go, it sounds good and is simple to operate.

Your Preference

Much of the wired/bluetooth decision is preference. I think that both look dorky and I prefer the lack of any audio degradation by a wired headset. But seeing people on phones around D.C., Virginia, and Maryland, I think that I’m in the minority at this point.

Because of Washington D.C.’s hands-free headset law (July 1, 2004) and just to be safer, you should have a headset that you feel comfortable using.

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Zebralight H50-Q5 Headlamp

I was recently asked by a Washington D.C. customer about the headlamp that I wore when replacing a hard drive inside his computer. It’s the Zebralight H50-Q that I got from 4sevens.com.

The Zebralight H50-Q is amazingly bright and uses one AA batteries. I use it on lots of hardware projects where I need to see small parts clearly. It’s a great addition to any toolkit.

4sevens.com is the same company as fenix-store.com which provides Fenix lights such as the L2D. These have the latest high lumen Cree LED bulbs.

These lights are expensive at $50-60. You can find coupon codes such as CPF8 for readers of the Candle Power Forums.

If you need a bright light, give one of these a try.

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iPhone App Follows the Presidential Election Polls

Living in the Washington D.C. area, I meet a lot of political junkies. A great application for them is Election ’08 for iPhone & iPod Touch by Aaron Brethorst. It costs $0.99. While the information it provides is freely available from electoral-vote.com, Election ’08 displays the information well and is easy to browse. It gives you the polls and trends by state, as well as historical data for past elections.

I’ll be watching my state of Virginia because it is a close swing state. Election ’08 shows that Washington D.C. is the most skewed state with 90 to 9 currently for Obama.

If you are interested in the election poll results as they come in and you have an Apple iPhone or iPod Touch, Election ’08 is worth the $0.99.