tl;dr: Besides practice, there's nothing else that will help your presentation more than a rock-solid, handy, simple remote. And this one shoots out LASER BEAMS!
I've been giving presentations here and there for the past few years, and in the past, I've been tethered to my computer as I've needed to present slides, play videos in slideshows, and generally control things.
(Embellished with my little 'property of' sticker.)
tl;dr: Likely the best interface for the iPhone headset jack, especially when considering the price. Hardware could use some improvement, but it works pretty well.
tl;dr: Almost perfect for people who use Apple's bluetooth keyboard on-the-go with their iPads. Pretty good for most other bluetooth keyboard users.
I've seen a few interesting Kickstarter projects in the past year or so, but none piqued my interest enough to consider committing some of my hard-earned cash until the TouchType iPad Case by Salman Sajid.
tl;dr: A limited range, inexpensive wide angle zoom that's very sharp on any Nikon FX or DX body.
I bought this lens after accidentally dropping my 18-70mm lens, because I wanted a lens with a little less distortion than the common kit lenses I'd been using for a few years, and I didn't want to spend a ton of money on it.
After receiving the typical deluge of 'new faith-based movie coming soon!' marketing emails from The Maximus Group, my wife and I decided to go watch October Baby last night.
I'll just offer a few observations here, as I don't want to get into a full-on review, especially since there are hundreds of more-detailed reviews online. To preface this review, I'm going mostly on techincal/production quality merit... the story was compelling, and the movie is worth watching, but I don't feel this movie was worth a full $10+ ticket price at a movie theater.
A great, decade old thread on The High Road forums prompted this article, which is my own roundup/review of different gun shops and gun ranges in and around the St. Louis area. I'm not an advanced shooter or anything, but I enjoy exercising the right to bear arms, and to take down paper targets with some friends!
I'm going to simply give a list of the ranges and shops I've been to (and some I haven't), and give the vitals and some brief impressions (this post will be updated over time as I visit more places on the list):
tl;dr: For stereo audio input, mic input, and guitar input, there's nothing better. Sound quality is excellent, and the unit is physically solid—almost too solid!
[Update on iPhone 5 compatibility: Sonoma says the GuitarJack works like a champ with the iPhone 5 if you use one of Apple's 30-pin to lightning connectors.]
In my quest to find the killer solution for audio recording/input on my iOS devices, I've tested a ton of different external microphones and audio interfaces for the iPhone 4/4S, iPad, and iPod Touch. One class of device—a multi-channel input through the iPhone 4's dock connector—has been elusive until just recently, when three different devices were introduced a year after the iPhone 4:
tl;dr: Very good vac for household cleanup, as long as you keep the dustbin clean.
The Black & Decker 15.6V Cordless DustBuster
My wife and I received one of these vacuum cleaners as a wedding present (we had requested a less expensive model), and there is probably no wedding present that gets as much use!
tl;dr: Five stars for the capabilities, four for the fit and finish. It's a great tool, but not without a few rough edges. (See note about iPhone 4S compatibility).
[UPDATE on iPhone 4S compatibility: I've heard many reports of people having trouble with the AR-4i and the iPhone 4S; my own usage indicates that there is one quirk with this combo: the wireless signals on my phone go away while plugged into the AR-4i. Example recordings with various firmwares below:
tl;dr: Five stars for sound quality (especially considering the size of the speakers), but a 3 for the price (you still pay for the Bose® name).
For a very long time, I've used my computer, with a 24"+ display, as my TV, computer, DVD/Blu-Ray player, Xbox 360 setup, etc. Because of this, I had my 5.1 surround sound system, with some very nice speakers and a great sub, plugged into and surrounding my computer. It enveloped me in the most amazing aural arena I've ever experienced.
However, after marriage, I moved the surround sound system into the living room, along with a new TV and the Xbox and and Apple TV. That means I went back to the stone-age days of computing sound, using the tinny built in speakers on my iMac (now MacBook Pro). For a while, I was satisfied with this, as I didn't do a lot of music listening or gaming on my Mac.