It’s been a while since I wrote anything on my blog, this time around, I want to share with you mummies (and daddies) out there – a product that I think is absolutely wonderful!

My son (Ethan) was born on May 19, 2010 – he’s my second one, and has since proved to be an easy going baby – THANK GOD! I enjoyed my moments with him and he is a definite angel – I know everyone says that about their child. But Ethan has good temperament, doesn’t fuss, doesn’t toss around, and his cries are not as annoying as his elder brother’s. LOL!

In any case, I heard from my cousin as we were about to play a game of futsal over the weekend that Oprah Winfrey, had a program on baby language. WOW! He said that a lot of parent swore by it on Oprah, so I went a-google-ing and guess what? It’s called Dunstan Baby Language — Learn the universal language of newborn babies.

According to Priscilla Dunstan (the program’s founder – read about her biography here: http://www.dunstanbaby.com/cms/index.php?page=nz-the-discovery) babies can make 5 distinct sounds right from the moment they’re born, so they can already communicate – parents just have to LISTEN for certain sounds that they make.

There are 5 sounds altogether:
1. “Neh” – Feed me!
2. “Eh” – Burp me!
3. “Owh” – I’m tired, lemme sleep!
4. “Eairh” – I have a windy tummy, help me get rid of the wind!
5. “Heh” – I’m uncomfortable (too hot, too cold, change my diaper)

The juicy bit – DOES IT WORK?

I’m half blind, so my hearing is better than your average guy – I could identify 2 distinct sounds without the Dunstan Baby Language program before, and I sorta guess that one cry meant “Feed me!” and another was for saying that he’s wet “Need Diaper Change” but I couldn’t figure out at times why he went “Heh!” when his diaper is not wet! Well, Priscilla identified that the baby is uncomfortable and needs perhaps less clothes or more clothes.

I saw the video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6CFSGAueyo

If you get the DVD you’ll be able to get:

1. All 5 sounds – with examples of (pretty noisy babies bawling their eyes out making the respective sounds) – so you can familiarize yourself with the various types of baby sounds.
2. Parents testimony on how it works.
3. Solutions on what to do when baby is doing a Neh/Eh/Owh/Eairh/Heh

The verdict, I highly recommend Dunstan Baby Language — Learn the universal language of newborn babies to anyone, and after watching the DVD, I can say that I understand Ethan better. Here’s an example – today morning, he went “Eh, eh, eh” a lot – not crying but rather, just making tiny cute noises. I remembered “Eh” meant that he needed a burp, so I picked him up, and started stroking his back, just like in the video. Thereafter, he burped 15 seconds later. I put him down and he just continued on normally.

That made me so confident and happy, now that I know what Ethan wants! Hope this works for you too

Logitech G35 7.1 Surround Sound Headset

VS

Razer Megalodon 7.1 Surround Sound Gaming Headset

The skinny is this: Logitech G35 while cheaper doesn’t lose out to the Razer Megalodon at all. In fact, if you’re purchasing a headset for the sound performance alone, the G35 is definitely better.

I’ll go over the scores in a minute… But here’s a table that I hope everyone can relate to

Note: I included the reviews on the SteelSeries Siberia which I hail to be the most perfect set of stereo headsets you can buy today as a control and baseline comparison for 2.1 / stereo.

All right you Razer fans out there, wipe away those murderous stares, give me a chance to explain.

I hope that you’ll agree with me that the main reason why we go out to buy a 7.1 capable headset is to enjoy the 7.1 or 5.1 experience to the fullest. Here is where the Razer ( sadly) did not live up to expectations. Stereo performance (2.1) on the Razer fell marginally behind the Logitech G35 due to its flatness, however, when it came to games, the Logitech G35 gave an impressive performance compared to the Razer.

The main reasons why I gave such a poor verdict for the Razer:

• In Call of Duty : Modern Warfare 2
  Razer Megalodon : There were lots of times when the radio chatter was turned WAAAAYYYYY below the background music it was muddled and downright annoying. I had to strain to hear what Captain Price or General Shepherd was trying to tell me. I couldn’t tell the directionality of the sounds a lot of it was muddled. In addition to that, certain sounds had a ghosting or echo like effect, when it wasn’t supposed to! Logitech G35: Everything was emulated nicely, I liked the punchy weapons fire, I could hear a lot of directionality of sound, radio chatter is even and clear enough, especially when entering and exiting buildings, the sound environment changes were clear and logically done.
• In Battlefield Bad Company 2
  Razer Megalodon : Again I couldn’t hear the conversations at all, the background music was so much louder compared to the music and the action, it was horrible and more pronounced in this game. I didn’t want to venture further than the opening and the first stage was sheer agony. Everything was confusing! Logitech G35: Almost PERFECT! It opened a new dimension in gaming for me. I could hear everything clearly and I felt immersed in the game.
• For listening to music
  Razer Megalodon : In stereo its performance is on par with the Logitech G35, except that the music sounded a little distant. The bass levels couldn’t keep up its punchiness as well. It’s felt like it’s been blurred out, and I had to turn up the volume to hear the music a little better. Saving grace however, the trebel felt a bit clearer and doesn’t feel as though it’s been prematurely ‘cut off’. In forced 5.1, the Razer fell flat, even though it tried to emulate some element of depth, all it succeeded in doing is making everything sound drowned out.Logitech G35: The bass is unbelievably punchy and I could really feel the waveforms hitting the eardrums however, at the higher trebels it starts to max out and some of the levels felt as though it’s been trimmed. The Razer doesn’t suffer from this at all. In forced 5.1, the Logitech immediately gives a lot of depth to the music, and the bass became even more punchier.

Conclusion

1. I find myself turning the Megalodon to stereo mode whenever I’m using it as the 5.1 / 7.1 is so horrible Sorry
   

   Razer Megalodon in its carry case

   Razer, I can’t really approve this for surround usage. But who knows, they might update the firmware again, and the results above may be VERY VERY different. Let’s hope so!

2. Razer Megalodon is a lot more comfortable compared to the G35 and I can use it for a longer period without feeling pinched by the headsets.
3. I like the Razer carry case though
4. The Logitech G35 would definitely makes you happier if you’re going to use the surround element a lot.
5. The Logitech G35 is cheaper by 40% in Malaysia — GET IT! In the US, the price difference is around 15%, so if you want something good for the money spent, definitely the Logitech G35 should be on your shopping list.

WINNER by SOLID SURROUND SOUND PERFORMANCE : Logitech G35

Hey! I’ll try to get a Razer Banshee StarCraft II Gaming Headset (See all Computer Headsets & Microphones)
to review next, I reckon the sound will be AWESOME. I tried it a little during the last PC Fair and I was amazed by the sound production over a short game of StarCraft 2.

Before Memory Fox installation - Task Manager showing 72MB of RAM being hogged by Firefox 3.5.7

Anyway, I searched high and low for a solution and upon the recommendation of a few friends in the know, I believe we found a good solution. Forget the about:config and cache:memory hack. This is much better!

After Instalaltion and Activation of Memoryfox - Only 28MB is used - a leaner meaner Firefox 3

Memoryfox will help to cut down and free up memory that Firefox is hogging.

Just install the MemoryFox Firefox add-on, installation is easy, straightforward and it frees up your memory almost immediately after restart. Don’t forget to ENABLE it by going to Tools > Memory Fox > Activate Memory Fox or just press ALT + A. So far I’ve been testing it for about 5 days, it’s stable and I’ve installed it across 5 computers over the weekend. All seemed to work well and less trouble overall.

Hope you found this tip and Memoryfox useful as I did!

E8GE 1000

GP Recyko

Sanyo Eneloop

Uniross Hybrio

What’s the Diff?

Some background on these batteries, basically, these batteries are different from your standard run of the mill rechargeables. They differ in several areas – Typical NiMH batteries will lose their charge relatively quickly, while these “Ready to Use” pre-charged batteries can retain their power for much longer. What this means for you and I is simple – it’s not a good idea to use an NiMH battery for say – an Air Condition unit remote control because it will be depleted within 3 months. The “Ready to Use” versions will service you for much longer, most literature on these batteries will say that after 3 months normal rechargeable NiMH batteries will be almost depleted but these hybrid rechargeable batteries can still retain about 85% of the initial charge amount.

E8GE Website: Low self-discharge capability - NiMH batteries completely deplete over 1 year, while E8GE 1000 batteries still retain their charge.

Testing Rig : Battery Characteristics

We got ourselves a Maha Powerex MH-C9000 WizardOne Charger-Analyzer tester and basically gone through the product guide! WHEW! It’s a helluva product guide. And basically used the “Discharge”, “Break-in”, “Refresh and Analyze” and “Charge” features a lot to determine different aspects of the battery. We used these features in this manner:

Feature	Does
Discharge	Discharges the battery at pre-described rate – can be used to determine: remaining charge operational voltage during high or low discharge rates
Break-In	This feature prepares the battery for actual use. It also is used to “revive” dead batteries.
Refresh and Analyze	Performs a series of discharge, rest and recharge cycles, this feature is used to determine the maximum charge of a battery.
Charge	Quite obvious, … this is used to CHARGE the battery

So after fumbling around for what seems like DAYS (Refresh and Analyze takes about 2 days to complete 1 test!!!) we got the following results from our sets of batteries:

Brand and Size	Battery 1	Battery 2	Battery 3	Battery 4	Advertised Level (mAh)
E8GE 1000 AA	2073	2107	2119	2106	2100
GP Recyko+ AA	1976	1980	1943	2006	2000
Sanyo Eneloop AA	1839	1610	1850	1553	2000
Uniross Hybrio AA	1447	1457	1528	1510	1900

Conclusion :

• In terms of maximum charge we find that E8GE 1000 batteries were tops and follows the rated and advertised charge levels accurately.

Test Result : High Discharge Flash

We rigged up our test machine comprising a Canon connected to our Sony Vaio with the Canon EOS Utility installed with a Canon 550EX Speedlite set to maximum exposure (+3) in our labs and started to fire away. The interval period is set to 5 seconds between shots. We save the shots collected into our hard disk space and we can then count how many flashes it can produce before the batteries go entirely flat. I have posted a short video on how we do the test and also how the test results were interpreted on YouTube.

Strong - Ability to continuously provide a steady charge up rate of 5 seconds without any loss in the brightness of exposure.
Medium – Batteries need about 15 seconds to charge between flashes
Weak – Batteries need more than 15 seconds to charge and fire between flashes. The amount of time can be nearly 1 minute between but as long as the battery does not run out of juice the count is continued.

Here are the results:

Brand & Type	Strong	Medium	Weak	Total
E8GE 1000 AA	1305	26	13	1344
GP Recyko+	173	121	6	300
Sanyo Eneloop AA	810	96	17	923
Uniross Hybrio AA	996	8	8	1012

Additional Notes:

• Tests were carried out on a Canon 5D camera with a Canon SpeedLite 550EX.
• GP Recykos performed the worst of the lot.
• I believe the usage of the flash overloaded the capacity of the batteries as they were hot to the point of I can’t handle them right out of the flash unit with my bare hands the first time around.
• The plastic packaging sheath of 2 out of 4 GP Recyko that were used in the test were visibly damaged probably due to the batteries expanding and material warping from the insane heat.
• All batteries tested are NEW.

Conclusion & Wrap Up

• I guess it’s pretty plain to see, the E8GE 1000 batteries came out tops in our usage tests.
• Performing 30% better than the nearest competitor, I am really impressed that the E8GE 1000s although they’re brand new in the market. The results above would make you photographers really happy as you can really count on the batteries to go the extra mile with every charge up!
• In Malaysia, the E8GE 1000 batteries will be retailing for :
  • RM30 for the AA versions that come in a 2 piece pack.
  • RM50 if you buy 2 packs with a single purchase.
  • This is very good value as it represents a minimum 20% saving per battery unit compared to the nearest competitor. Normally these batteries retail for about RM36 to RM42 for a 2 piece pack.
• To conclude: For batteries that are cheap and good – look no further than E8GE 1000!

The Winner – E8GE 1000 Batteries

E8GE 1000 - winner of the shootout, 30% better than closest competitor.

Before I go – Happy New Year 2010 – let me know if you have any stuff for me to review. Buying review items are expensive

Philips SHP2700 HiFi Stereo Headphones

If you’re wondering why I purchased these instead of the Sony, it’s because the faux leather on the Sony XD-200 caused my ears to be hot and sweaty only after about 5 minutes of testing. They also didn’t fit my big head quite as snugly as the Philips did. I could really see the sweat on the earcups and had to sheepishly wipe it away with my finger under the watchful eye of the Sony promoter.

What’s in the box?

Here’s the box shot! I got this from the Internet, the Malaysian retail box doesn’t have the French Puissance Sonore Exceptionnelle on it, and the background is clear transparent plastic.

Philips SHP2700 HiFi Stereo Headphones Box Shot

Additionally, there’s also a 3.5mm – 6.3mm stereo converter bundled together with the package.

3.5mm to 6.3mm Stereo Adaptor Bundled with the SHP2700

The headphones are attached to a 3m cable. No fancy schmancy product information booklet or instructions, haha!

Features

• 3 way adjustability : Adjustable headband, two-way pivoting ear shells
• Bass beat ventilation system for deep and powerful bass performance
• Single ear shell monitoring capability
• 40 mm speaker drivers
• Oxygen-free copper
• 3.5 – 6.3 mm adaptor included
• 3m cable length

Technical Specifications

• Headphones type: Open design
• Frequency range: 18 – 28,000 Hz
• Sensitivity: 104 dB
• Impedence: 32 Ohm
• Maximum power output: 1500 mW

Physical Product Review

Headbands are made from plastic and has a soft faux leather undercushion. It feels soft and rests on the top of my head comfortably, if you adjust the headbands nicely you will hardly feel the headband at all. I wear pretty thick spectacles and I dare say that this is the only headphone that doesn’t interfere with my spectacles nor does it further press the legs of my spectacles deeper into my temples (ouchie!). I can still adjust my spectacles while having the SHP2700 on. The fit is very snug and it doesn’t slip or relocate itself if I were to suddenly move or jerk my head around. In short, they’re very comfortable and natural fitting and I have a large head. After 30 minutes of testing I don’t even feel sweaty

Product Comfort Rating (for big heads!) : 9.5 / 10 XWARM points

These aren’t noise cancellation headphones so you’ll be able to hear ambient surrounding sound and noise. Tugging, blowing and rubbing on the cable does not produce those horrible sounds that get transmitted along often in the case of noise canceling or ear bud style earphones.

Most of the product is made from plastic except for the cushion that line the ear cups or shells. It doesn’t look cheap but it doesn’t look terribly expensive either but it sure is large.

There is no volume control unit on these headphones, so you need to adjust the volume from the main device or application itself.

Product construction rating : 7 / 10 XWARM points

On to the Product Testing!

I pitted these against the (gulp!) expensive Icemat Siberia, I believe Steelseries took over and rebranded them as SteelSeries Siberia now Hey, you need to understand that the SteelSeries Siberia of today is a little improved over the Icemat Siberia in terms of the volume controls, but I believe the sound production would still be the same. And did I mention that the Siberia is about 4 times more expensive than these? So let’s see how things pan out for the SHP2700.

Bass: SHP2700 produces a decent bass sound but it doesn’t quite match up the Siberia in terms of the punchiness of the bass. It does a fine job and produces a clean bass, but the bass doesn’t have the fullness and rumble that you’d be expecting. Sean Kingston’s – There’s nothing sounds OK but on the Siberia it sounded a bit better and definitely fuller. [ Rating : 8 / 10 XWARM points ]

Mids: The SHP2700 often maxes out at the midrange before the Siberia in many instances. So at times, crackles are very evident especially when listening to songs with a singer in them I tested with Taylor Swift, Colbie Cailllat, sometimes it sounds a bit tinny compared to the Siberia which is more mellow and has a better reproduction of the midrange. [ Rating : 7 / 10 XWARM points ]

Trebles: I’m a bit more impressed with the Philips SHP2700′s performance with the treble range. The high are crystal clear and mimics the Siberia’s performance to quite a high degree. The tinkles in Sean Kingston’s There’s Nothing sounded wonderful, full and crystal clear [ Rating : 9 / 10 XWARM points ]

The Verdict

They say you need to break in a pair of headphones before you give it a good go and compare it to your old favourite headphones but hey, I’m excited that the Philips SHP2700 are so VALUE FOR MONEY! Its more than decent sound reproduction won’t disappoint you unless you’re a real audiophile and generally are unforgiving and you won’t be satisfied unless a headphone produces great sound at all fronts. But then again, these retail for RM89. What’s there to complain? Come on, it performed admirably against the Siberia!

Value for Money Rating : 10/10 XWARM points

If you want a decent pair of comfortable headphones, go ahead, buy the Philips SHP2700, you won’t regret it, since you didn’t have to splurge on it in the first place!

What I like!

• Comfortable – fits snugly and has good ventilation
• Decent sound reproduction in the low and high range
• Adequate cable length – 3m!

What didn’t quite agree with me!

• Midrange crackling is audible.
• Cable bundle is quite thick and hence is heavy

Overall Rating : 8.5/10 – Highly recommended!

My readers, you can expect:

1. No-nonsense, honest to God reviews about well, everything!
2. Straight talk, no bull shit.
3. We’re all consumers, we expect the best! CONSUMERISM ROCKS!

So let’s start blogging, I’ll update my Review blog as much as I possibly can

Death to organizations that are not up to snuff!

Alex, the Consumer!