I just received my Vulkano with great hopes of it replacing my HAVA box.

I was looking forward to recording my favorite TV shows and watching them at a later time on my iPad or the TV.

Here are the current feature limitations:

Record one show at a time

Can’t watch another show while it is recording

To watch a saved show, It must be fully downloaded to the iPad before you can watch it.

I have just finished installing the device, and turned it on.  Color bars appeared and then a setup wizard began after i hit the ok button on the supplied remote.  It scanned for wireless networks and found my access point.  I gave it my credentials to log in, and it continued on to the next section of the install.  I am using the Verizon Fios DVR with the componet video cables hooked up between the two devices.  I am using the HDMI out to my TV.  The setup wizard detected that a new firmware release was available and it began to download.  It said it could take a half hour to complete.  I was tired and just shut off the tv and let it run overnight.  I woke up to find that it was frozen after about 15% completion.  I had to power off the unit, and when it turned back on, it completed the setup wizard.  A simple menu came up and Live tv was the first option. I selected it and it began to show what was live on TV.  After about 3 seconds i noticed a pause, and that the video quality was less than desireable.  It looked like 320i or less on the HD TV. Then I noticed that it began to fast forward and then it slowed down.  I made watching live TV next to impossible.

I then went to my iPad and download the free Vulkano app, and launched it.  I loaded and found my Vulkano.  It started to buffer, and after about 30 seconds, I had a video showing on the screen.  After about 5 seconds it started to get pixialized and then paused.

I called tech support and they said they will work on it and get back with me, since it is a new product, they think the next firmware revision will solve my problems.

My first impressions, they took 10 steps backwards from the Hava, and 1 step forward with being able to record to the supplied esata 2.5″ 1tb hard drive.

I do not recommend this device at this point in time.  Wait till they get all the bugs worked out.

• Note Detective – Hum a tune and it will show you musical notes
• Omni Focus – Task Manager – $30.00 iPad app – Try pc version for 30 days free.

$6.00 Emergency Radio – Newsmax.com – Hand Crank, 2 AA NiCad Batteries

Want to install Froyo Leak on your Droid? Visit Droidlife.

Casey has installed Froyo leak – Android 2.2 and flash 10.1 on his phone.  He is able to watch all the youtube videos now.  However a lot of sites still don’t come up.  It could be that they redirect to a mobile version of there website, without flash.  He also tried Hulu.com and a message indicated that he isn’t licensed to view videos on Hulu.com.  Maybe it thinks he isn’t in the USA.

• Hava / Monsoon is releasing the new Myvulkano DVR on August 10th $279 or $379
• Android Tablet is available to be purchased at K-Mart only.
• Starcraft is released today by Blizzard
• Apple release’s new iMacs and battery solutions… Last up to 10 years?

Roku add ons.  Want to view your own external usb device on Roku.  Try this website out.

iPhone 4

iPhone4

1. Three black seams.
2. Top has headphone jack, second mic for noise cancellation and sleep/wake button.
3. Bottom has mic, 30 pin connector, and speaker
4. Going over external buttons, volume up and down, mute, front facing camera. Micro-sim tray, Camera with LED flash on back
5. 9.3mm thick, 24% thinner than current iPhone.
6. “Thinnest smartphone on the planet.”
7. Glass on front and rear with stainless steel running around the side.
8. “This is beyond a doubt the most precise things, one of the most beautiful things we’ve ever made.”
9. Retina Display – New display technology, dramatically increases pixel density. 4x as many in same amount of space.
10. Retina Display: 326 ppi.
11. 300 ppi is limit of the human retina when held 10-12 inches away from the eye.
12. 3.5″ display, same size, 960×640.
13. 326 ppi. 800:1 contrast ratio also 4x better than 3GS. Uses IPS technology for superb color and wide viewing angle.
14. iPhone 4 powered by Apple A4 chip.
15. Biggest component in iPhone is battery.
16. Bigger battery plus A4 processor, 40% more talk time. 7 hours talk time. 6 hours of 3G browsing, 10 hours of WiFi browsing, 10 hours of video. 40 hours of music. 300 hours of standby.
17. IPhone 4 environmental report card being showed, is highly recyclable and has nothing nasty in it.
18. 32GB of storage, quadband HSDPA/HSUPA
19. Capable of 7.2mbit down 5.8mbit up once carriers support that speed.
20. Dual mics, 802.11n.
21. iPhone 4 has a Gyroscope.
22. 3 axis gyro for pitch roll and yaw.
23. Gyro + accelerometer = 6 axis motion sensing.
24. New CoreMotion API’s for extremely precise location.
25. Gyro joins 4 other sensors, accelerometer, compass, proximity and ambient light sensors.
26. Feature 5- New camera system.
27. Backside illuminated sensor.
28. 1.75 micron pixel size in sensor.
29. 5x digital zoom in camera app and tap to focus with LED flash.
30. Camera records HD video! 720p at 30fps.
31. Tap to focus video with built-in video editing
32. One-click sharing.
33. LED flash can stay on during video recording.
34. Record, edit, and share HD video right on your phone.
35. iMovie for iPhone!
36. Camera records geolocation in to video.
37. Music cam be added, comes with a few tracks but any music from iPod library can be used.
38. Can export to 360p, 540p, and 720p.
39. Looks professionally done.
40. Low light video also looks good.
41. Three stores on the iPhone: iTunes, iBooks, and App Store.
42. Doing iAds for one simple reason: To help developers make free and low-cost apps for users.
43. 60% of revenue goes to developers. Paid via iTunes connect just like apps.
44. Nissan, Citi, Unilever, AT&T, Chanel, GE, Liberty Mutual, State Farm, Campbell’s Soup, Sears, JCPenny, Target, Best Buy, DirecTV, TBS, Disney and Geico all signed up for iAds.
45. Video and audio call shown.  - FaceTime
46. Call seemed to require WiFi, unclear if it works over 3G as well.
47. All you have to do is make a phone call.
48. Both front and rear camera can be used, switching is easy.
49. Portrait and landscape mode is supported.
50. FaceTime WiFi only in 2010, “Need to work a little bit with the cellular providers.”
51. Based on many open standards, h.264, AAC, SIP, STUN, TURN, ICE, RTP, SRTP, Apple going to standards body tomorrow to make FaceTime an open industry standard.
52. Price with 2 year contract: $199 for 16GB model, $299 for 32GB model.
53. Up to 6 months of early eligibility for an iPhone 4
54. On sale June 24th. Orders start June 15th.
55. iPhone 3GS will be $99.
56. New dock, Apple “bumper” case.
57. Case just goes around the outside, back and front are open. Comes in multiple colors.
58. iOS4 upgrades for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G (with not all features supported), and iPod touch (again with not all features and no first generation) for free on June 21st.

Do you have an Audible account and a Droid Phone?  Want to listen to your books on the Droid?  You can download the beta version of Audible from here

1. Download the file to your pc and rename the extension to .apk from .zip
2. Connect your usb cable to your computer and the Droid.
3. Drag down the top line of your phone and choose mount usb flash card.
4. On your computer copy the file to your flash card on the droid.
5. Disconnect your droid and mount the flash drive on your phone.
6. Use a program such as Astaro and browse to the file you just copied and install it.
7. Note: Settings > Applications – install applications from unknown sources must be checked.

All credit for this find and the download file goes to Corinacakes on DroidForums.

Jailbreak iPad

1. Spirit Jailbreak
2. Backup to server SHSH blob
3. Mouse on iPad – btstack mouse, btstack keyboard
4. Cracked Apps

Chrome

1. Evernote clipboard

Mozilla checks all browser plug ins.  Check yours here for the latest updates.

Remove shockwave – Bad plugin

Safari for Windows – Pop ups are abused. (Don’t use Safari for Windows) until updates are applied. Allows remote code execution from bad websites.

Webinized email could take you down if you are running Safari.

4.0.6 safari may resolve this.

Looking for an electronics kit to program?  Try http://www.arduino.cc/

Like ping pong ?  Try robopong.

Looking for an underwater camera?  I found two great cameras that may do the job.

Last minute, I found another Camera.  The Panasonic Lumix TS1 $229 (not reviewed here)

GoPro Hero $299

The GoPro Hero is an HD (1080p) waterproof video/camera that can go underwater up to 180 feet deep.

The camera can also shoot automatic 5MP photos at 2/5/10/30 and 60 second intervals during your drive or ride, hands free. Press the shutter button once and record up to 2.5 hours of poster-print quality photos.

Waterproof to 180’ / 60m and protected from rocks and other hazards thanks to its removable polycarbonate housing. Replacement housings and lens kits are available, making repairs or refurbishing your HD HERO camera affordable and convenient. It’s a GoPro…go for it.™

The Sanyo Xacti VPC-CA9 is an HD (720p)  waterproof video/camera that can go underwater up to 5 feet deep.

Xacti VPC-CA9 $299

The VPC-CA9 was awarded IPX8 certification (which requires the device to operate when fully submersed in water) based on JIS C 0920 waterproofing guidelines. Being waterproof down to 1.5 m (5 feet), the CA9 gives you the freedom to shoot the action in any weather and in any season, whether it’s a winter sport*2, a marine sport, or just a rainy day. Furthermore, it employs the advanced compression technology of MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, a video format that’s easy to handle on your PC and handy for web applications. The CA9 records high-definition 720p video in a waterproof body.