OBDLink MX Bluetooth Adapter

For no particular reason other than curiosity, I decided to order and OBDLink MX adapter from ScanTool.net.
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OBDLink MX Bluetooth

What is it? It plugs into your vehicles diagnostic port (OBD/OBDII on all cars 2000 and higher) and streams the data from your cars computers via Bluetooth to an app on a laptop or phone. 

What can you do with it? You can reset check engine lights, see all error codes, fuel consumption, speed, rpm, hp, turbo boost.... a whole host of things.

Connecting it was easy enough -

• Install the software on your laptop (from download or included CD) or phone (From play store - link provided in the box)
•  locate the OBD port on your car and plug it in.  Turn on the ignition (don't need to start the car)
• Pair with your phone/laptop (Press the tiny button on the OBDLink, then scan for devices from your phone/laptop.) If you used Bluetooth anything, you know the drill.
• Start the app. Prosper.

The application starts reading the data immediately.

The a

OBD Free App

For Android users they also recommend Torque ( a paid app by a third party - about $5.00USD as of this writing).   It seems to have more bells and whistles than the included app, with custom layouts, plug-ins by other developers etc.   For a couple bucks, sure why not.  Don't bother with the free version of Torque - by all accounts its buggy and not as feature-rich.

If you want to know what's going on with your car, I highly recommend this product.  And you might even save the money you spend on it the next time your check engine light comes on.  There are cheaper Bluetooth (and usb) OBD devices, but I've read they are slower, have a high failure rate, and sometimes are not recognized by applications like Torque.  For a few extra bucks, I figure save the headache and frustration.  

Droid Razr Maxx Review

If you want a powerful phone with an all day battery, look no further.

Good:

• Easy all day battery, even with all the sensors turned on. 
• Snappy performance, decent camera that opens and focuses quickly. 
• Excellent voice processing.
• International capable.

Bad:

• Pricey  although now that its been out a while, it is coming down.

You be the judge:

• Size - personally I find it a little too big to be comfortable and would have given up 1/2" and a little battery life to make it smaller. But size is subjective so I won't say if this good or bad.
• My prior Razr Maxx HD could take an sd card but not this one.  There is noexpandable storage - but with 32 gb internal, I don't have the need for more than that.

The Maxx is a good looking, well built phone that feels nice and solid.  With its Kevlar back and huge internal battery it feels substantial and not flimsy.   The display, a 5" HD OLED screen, looks great and one would be hard pressed to find fault with it unless holding it side by side with some 1080p screens.

Motorola's decision to not compete on pure processing speed but rather on efficiency led to multiple dedicated processors for voice processing, graphics, and contextual computing. The result is very snappy performance - the best I've seen yet at voice recognition with little to no latency and a quick UI.

Preload bloat is always an issue with Verizon, and this phone is no different:  Unwanted preinstalled apps included (but not limited to) : Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Amazon MP3, Amazon App Store, Audible, Verizon Backup, Ingress, IMDb, Mobile Hotspot, Motorola Assist, NFL mobile, QuickOffice, Verizon Tones, Verizon Mobile Security, and Weather,   Since the first thing I did when I got the phone was root it, I was able to kill off most of this noise - I'm sure there is more I could do to pare it down but its a start.

The active display is a nice feature, using the screen to notify of messages and the touchless controls are awesome - especially with that processor dedicated to voice processing. 

If you are tired of hunting for charging stations throughout the day, I strongly recommend you take a peek at the Maxx.  You will not be disappointed.  I also did a quick comparison between the prior generation Razr Maxx HD which I had for a year over here.

Quasi Review of ASUS RT-AC68U router

I recently got an unsolicited new internet router from my cable company and with it a letter.  The letter basically said routers don't age well and they were sending a new one to replace the existing one.  Before replacing the router, I did an internet speed test and was getting about 15Mbs down, and about 8Mbs up.   After replacing the router, these jumped dramatically to 75Mbs down and 20Mbs Up.  This got me thinking - perhaps my wifi router (a Linksys by Cisco WRT320N router) wasn't keeping up with the times either.  

So I poked around on the net and saw the RT-AC68U was supposed to be one of the fastest out there. 

Installation was quick and painless - swapped the router, refreshed my internal IP, and was presented with a setup screen in my browser that walked me through the steps.

After completing the steps, I ran another speed test - My download speed jumped dramatically again: now I get 115Mbs down and 30Mbs up.  

Both tests were done using my computer connected wirelessly with its built-in Qualcomm a/b/g/n wireless adapter.  I was expecting faster but wow - a more than 25% jump.

Other nice features of the router are multiple wireless networks so I have my guest wireless network segregated from my personal stuff.  I trust my guests but its reassuring to know if their computers are compromised, I'm protected.

It also has a USB port for sharing files on the USB through the internet - I haven't played with that yet, but seems like a nice alternative to dropbox/google drive etc.

I've only been using it for a week but so far have been very happy with the performance improvements over my old setup.  Prior to doing the upgrades (both the cable modem and wireless router), when I streamed HD content to my television wirelessly using Amazon Prime, it would frequently complain about bandwidth constraints and drop back down to non-HD content.  Since doing the upgrades, I've never once been prompted about low bandwidth.

It also improved my wireless range throughout my house by a significant margin.  I now have a strong signal in areas where I was borderline-to-no-signal before.

If you've been running the same cable modem and wireless router for several years - I highly recommend looking to upgrade them.  You may be missing out on bandwidth provided by your cable company.

Pros

• Much faster than my old router
• Better wireless signal coverage
• Multiple Wireless network support for guests etc
• USB port to share your own USB drive on the internet

Cons:

• tall and only supports vertical orientation
• pricey

Review of Dynex USB to Serial adapter (DX-UBDB9)

4 out of 5 stars

Having no serial ports in any computers I found myself needing a quick solution so I could configure old routers and switches that had serial connection requirements.

I wanted a device that would work with Windows  7,8, and OSX (10.9 as of this writing).

I purchased Dynex usb to serial adapter rom Amazon for about $35.

Installation on both Windows 7 and Windows 8 was plug and play.  The Mac (as has been my experience with almost everything non-Apple connecting to it) was less so but still easy enough.  I found the drivers from the Prolific web site and after installing them and rebooting, it worked perfectly.

If the drivers had been included or it worked just plug and play with the mac it would have been 5 out of 5 for me... but it meets my needs and works with all the hardware I needed it for.

Review of Big Jambox Bluetooth Speaker

4 out of 5 stars

What was I looking for in a bluetooth speaker?  I wanted something that sounded decent that I could move around the house and stream music from my google play music collection.  I went to a big box store and listened to a few different models and settled on the Big Jambox.

When I purchased it, I actually didn't even realize it had an internal battery as that wasn't a feature I was looking for since I hadn't expected to move it that frequently in the house.  Once I realized it did - I found I move it all the time and just leave the charger in my office.   The battery life has been great - no idea how long it runs as I haven't done a full drain and it has yet to run out on me in my normal use of a hour or two here and there.  

Sound is as good as can be expected - a single small metal box pumping out compressed MP3's over bluetooth is never going blow your mind.  I actually find the sound similar to Bose in that it tends to be a tad muddy - not clear separation of dynamic ranges but not at all unpleasant.  Sound can be very dependant on the placement in the room and you can place it closer or further from walls to adjust the bass. 

It puts out enough volume to fill a decent sized room without distortion and could easily be used for cocktail parties etc for background music.  

Now that I am used to moving it around, perhaps I'd like it a little smaller and lighter, but I suppose to do that would require a smaller battery and probably make more concessions to sound quality than I'd like.  

Pros:

• Acceptable sound - especially if I place it near a wall or other reflective surface. 
• Easy to pair - paired quickly with all my Android devices (Galaxy Nexus, Razr Maxx HD, Nexus 7)
• Great battery life - I don't know how long it lasts because it hasn't run out on me yet.  
• Decent microphone for speaker phone use with cell phone.

Cons:

• Not a fan of the sharp corners 
• If I could get the same battery life and sound from a smaller package, I suppose I'd prefer a smaller lighter one.

Review of Belkin USB to Ethernet Adapter (F4U047)

2.5 out of 5 Stars

Well, I have both the Microsoft Surface Pro Tablet (1st Gen) and a MacBook Air (2013).  I like both of them but occasionally find myself needing a hardwired ethernet connection and neither has a built-in port.  So having poked around I settled on the Belkin USB to Ethernet adapter.

Why?  I've used Belkin adapters in the past and found them generally reliable, it was fairly inexpensive and was advertised as working with both Windows and OSX.  Yes its only 100Mbs, but I didn't need gigE.

Ordered from Amazon with the usual hassle-free delivery.  

First I tested on the Surface - plugged it in and Windows 8 immediately recognized it and installed drivers.  No installation disk necessary - just worked out of the box.

Next up - the MacBook.  Plugged it in - nothing.  Pulled out driver disk included with the adapter, and uh-oh, latest driver on that was for OSX 10.5.  Of course the Air is running 10.9.  Well, tried the 10.5 drivers, they installed and requested a reboot (i've noticed my Mac seem to require more reboots that windows 8 during software installations).   Rebooted - and VOILA! nothing.  no hardware detection, no link lights, and no connectivity.  Quick trip to belkin support and nothing - that 10.5 driver is the latest they've got.

Ended up having to drop another 30 bucks on the overpriced Apple thunderbolt adapter for the mac.  I'll keep the belkin as it works with my Surface, but overall only 2.5 stars out of 5 as it only 1/2 works as advertised.