Motorola S305 Bluetooth Stereo Headset Review

Product: Motorola S305 Bluetooth Stereo Headset (Black)
Where I got It: Amazon.com

I wasn’t exactly in the market for a new set of headphones, but after several of my co-workers purchased these over the span of a few weeks, I figured I had to take a closer look. I’ve always liked the idea of having a wireless headset but have always been afraid of performance and connectivity issues. After purchasing and using the Motorola S305 Bluetooth Stereos Headset for about a month now, I couldn’t be happier with them.

I bought this headset to replace my wired ear buds that I wear each and every day at work. My ear buds sounded great, but being tethered to a laptop all day made it really easy to snag the wire on something ripping out your ear buds in the process. With a wireless headset you don’t have to worry about that pesky wire and can bring your tunes with you  on your many trips to the local whiteboard, office water cooler or printer throughout the day (I can make it about 40-50 feet through the office for a caffeine refill without losing connection.)

The Motorola S305’s are very light weight which makes them pleasant to wear all day long. They are comfortable and plenty loud. More importantly, I have had no issues with connectivity or performance with these so far. Even with several other pairs of these headphones and many other Bluetooth/Wifi devices attached to my laptop and elsewhere in the office, I’ve had no issues.

Another great use of this headset has been to replace my iPod Nano/armband combo that I have been using for working out for the past few years. I purchased an iPhone about a year ago and have never use it for working out for fear damaging it. Now I can keep my iPhone in a safe place while working without wires or armbands getting in the way or restricting my range of motion. It’s also a great way to stream slacker or Pandora from my iPhone while I workout instead of just using my MP3s.

I am definitely not an audiophile, but the sound on these headphones is definitely more than adequate. They are plenty loud and don’t sound flat at all. They have performed well in every situation I have used them in. The bass and treble are adequate and sound great even during vigorous workouts. Having built-in controls on the headset to interact with your music player is a definite bonus. It’s nice to be able to adjust volume, play/pause and skip forward and back without having to interact directly with my music player (assuming the player supports it.)

The only negative impression I had at first was how flimsy/cheap they felt right out of the box. I was really worried to shove them into my backpack with the rest of my stuff and was extra careful while pulling them out for a while. After getting used to them, I have realized that they aren’t quit and fragile as they feel and it hasn’t been an issue. If you are rough on your electronics, you might want to avoid these headphones.
Another small issue is that I’ve only been able to get 5-7 hours of use out of a full charge. I would have ideally liked 8+ hours plus to get through a full work-day without having to recharge them, but that would probably be asking too much from a Bluetooth device. At least they charge somewhat quickly.

Pro’s

• Light Weight and Comfortable
• Build-In Volume, Play/Pause, Forward/Back Controls
• Plenty Loud
• Good Sound Quality
• Adequate Treble and Bass
• Price isn’t Prohibitive
• Good Range
• Works with iPhone/iPod
• Includes a Mic for Taking Calls

Con’s

• Feel a Bit Flimsy
• < 8 Hour on a Full Charge
• Worried about their durability if I Continue to use Them for Workouts.

Runners Up

EatSmart Precision Digital Bathroom Scale Review

Product Name: EatSmart Precision Digital Bathroom Scale
Link: Buy it on Amazon.com

I bought the EatSmart Digital Bathroom Scale to replace our existing scale. Our existing scale would give you 5 different reading if you weighed yourself 5 times. These different reading would be within a 5-8 lbs range. Definitely not a product you could rely on.

The main reason I decided to buy this product, over others, is completely based on it's customer reviews. It sounds like very few people have had issues with the EatSmart scale and those few that did have problems were quickly contacted by the company to rectify the situation. I was very impressed and was able to buy with confidence.

The other reason I bought this scale was the reviews raving about how accurate this scale was. If I weigh myself 5 times on this scale, I get the same reading each time. If I drink a glass of water, my weight changes accordingly. Assuming this doesn't change as time goes on, I love it.

The price is affordable and lower than the price I paid for my previous two scales that broke within the 1st year. I have only had the scale for about 6 months now, and have no complaints so far.

Pro’s

• Accurate.
• Consistent!
• Appealing Design.
• Company seems to care about customer satisfaction

Con’s

• Dust shows up a bit too easily

Runners Up

Dynamics GP Tip - Changing Required Field Style

I have been working a lot with Dynamics GP lately and have found it fairly annoying to try and save a form several times to be prompted that I’ve missed a required field. This has mostly been in test environments where I’m playing around and am not quite sure what the required fields of a from might be.
A co-worker showed me how to change the style of required fields in Microsoft Dynamics GP and I’ve found that it helps quite a bit. You can see before and after images below to illustrate just how helpful this could be.

To do this, follow the steps below.

• Click on the Home section
• Click the Microsoft Dynamics GP menu item
• Select User Preferences
• Click Display
• Change the Color and/or Font under Required Fields
• Click Apply and enjoy!

Hope this helps someone.

Select a list of sales_order attributes from Magento

I was diagnosing an integration issue with Magento where the postal code validation on our side was failing on a few imported sales orders. It seems that the version of Magento our client is using thinks that “MI” is a perfectly good postal code for Lake Orion, Michigan.

No problem, just need to edit the order in Magento and fix the problem… Oh, wait, the original implementers of the client’s system figured it’d be OK to just disabled the Order Edit functionality because it was too much work to get it to work with their new “Features”.

Ok, looks like the only easy solution is to go straight to MySQL and make the change there. Not ideal, but will get this handful of orders to come through correctly. Playing around with Magento and the extensible nature of their database design, it’s a bit confusing to get at a list of the appropriate sales_order attributes. You can use the following MySQL query to get a list of the varchar attributes of a sales order.

select v.*

from sales_order s

    left join sales_order_entity e on (s.entity_id = e.parent_id)

    left join sales_order_entity_varchar v on (e.entity_id = v.entity_id)

where s.increment_id = 1

The results of the list will be returned in a flat list of attribute values associated with the entity associated with the sales order. With these results, I can easily find the value for the attribute I want to update.

value_id	entity_type_id	attribute_id	entity_id	value
796932	12	211	1	Shipping
796933	12	216	1	John
796934	12	218	1	Doe
796935	12	220	1
796936	12	221	1	1345 King Street
796937	12	222	1	Lake Orion
796938	12	223	1	Michigan
796939	12	225	1	MI
796940	12	226	1	US

IIS7 error when enabling Wordpress Permalinks URL Rewriting

I wanted to turn on Permalinks in Wordpress to use the following custom structure.

/%year%/%postname%/


I added the following section to my web.config file.

<rewrite>
    <rules>
 <rule name="wordpress" patternSyntax="Wildcard">
     <match url="*" />
     <conditions>
  <add input="{REQUEST_FILENAME}" matchType="IsFile" negate="true" />
  <add input="{REQUEST_FILENAME}" matchType="IsDirectory" negate="true" />
     </conditions>
     <action type="Rewrite" url="index.php" />
 </rule>
    </rules>
</rewrite>

After updating the web.config and browsing to one of my posts, I encounter the following IIS7 error:
Cannot add duplicate collection entry of type 'rule' with unique key attribute 'name' set to 'wordpress'


When I’ve encountered this error in the past, it hasn’t been a direct problem with my web.config, but has been a problem with inherited sections or values from a parent website config or one of the default environment configurations. With that in mind, I added the following line to remove any existing rules with the name “wordpress” before trying to add my own.

<remove name="wordpress"/>
The complete web.config section looked like this and cleared up the error.

<rewrite>
    <rules>
 <remove name="wordpress"/>
 <rule name="wordpress" patternSyntax="Wildcard">
     <match url="*" />
     <conditions>
  <add input="{REQUEST_FILENAME}" matchType="IsFile" negate="true" />
  <add input="{REQUEST_FILENAME}" matchType="IsDirectory" negate="true" />
     </conditions>
     <action type="Rewrite" url="index.php" />
 </rule>
    </rules>
</rewrite>

Hope this helps someone!

WPF Visibility Binding Not Working

I was playing around with WPF and binding to the Visibility property of a Grid. The examples seemed pretty straight forward, but for the life of me, I couldn’t get it to work! My test was setup like the following.
I was correctly referencing the BooleanToVisibilityConverter as a static resource.

<Window.Resources>
    <BooleanToVisibilityConverter x:Key="BoolToVisiblity" />
</Window.Resources>

My binding was correctly set to the IsControlVisible property of my ViewModel.

<Grid Margin="0,30,0,0" Height="63" VerticalAlignment="Top" 

 Visibility="{Binding IsControlVisible, 

 Converter={StaticResource BoolToVisiblity}}">
    <!--Content-->
</Grid>

The IsControlVisible property of my ViewModel seemed to be correct.

bool isControlVisible = false;
bool IsControlVisible {

 get { return isControlVisible; }

 set {
  isControlVisible = value;
  NotifyPropertyChanged("IsControlVisible");

 }
}

20 frustrating minutes later, I find the problem. 10 bonus points if you can spot it right away…

That’s right, I forgot to make the IsControlVisible property in my ViewModel public! *Face Palm*

bool isControlVisible = false;
public bool IsControlVisible {

 get { return isControlVisible; }

 set {
  isControlVisible = value;
  NotifyPropertyChanged("IsControlVisible");

 }
}

Perhaps this can save someone else some time!

How to Enable/Disabled Recording Devices in Windows 7/Vista

I had some strange sounds coming over my speakers and thought it might be one of my recording devices (my built in mic, etc) acting up. To troubleshoot this I brought up the Sound window, clicked on the Recording Tab and right-clicked on each of my recording devices to disable them.

It turns out my problem was caused by something else and was easily fixed, but now I have a new issue. How to I enable my recording devices. If you check the Recording Tab in the Sound window, there are no devices listed. Maybe I can enable them directly from the Device Manager. Nope, nothing listed there either...

The solution is fairly simple, but seems to be completely non-standard for windows. Go back to the Recording Tab in the Sound window and right-click in the now blank tab. You should get a context menu that has two options (Show Disabled Devices and Show Disconnected Devices.) Click on Show Disabled Devices and you should now be able to see and enable your devices.

Not a huge issue, but fairly annoying since it is done differently than most other places in Windows (i.e. The network device screen. Disabled devices are still visible but are disabled...)

Unable to Add user to SQL Error While Installing eConnect Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010

Problem

When trying to install eConnect for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 on a new Windows 7 machine, you might encounter an Unable to Add user to SQL error. I tried to fix the problem by using many combinations of local/SQL Server credentials during the eConnect installation process, but was unable to get past this error.

 

Solution

To get past the error I had to create a brand new Windows 7 user. I then had to use the new user when installing eConnect. It seems that the eConnect installation process is trying to setup SQL Server login information for the supplied user and has trouble if they already exist in SQL Server.

 

Hope this helps someone.

Services.msc – An error has occurred in this dialog. Error: 54 Unspecified error.

The Problem

Every time I brought up Services.msc and clicked on a service, I would get the following Internet Explorer error.

Windows Internet Explorer
An error has occurred in this dialog.
Error: 54
Unspecified error.

The Solution

To correct his problem, install the latest version of Internet Explorer 8 (not sure if it will work with Internet Explorer 9+. If it does, please post a comment and I’ll update the article.)

This problem was encountered on a Windows Server 2003 box with Internet Explorer 8 already installed.

Qwest Actiontec Q1000 in RFC 1483 Transparent Bridging Mode

I recently moved and was sad to find that my only internet option was Qwest DSL. I don’t exactly LOVE Comcast high speed internet, but it has always worked well for me in the past and I have had trouble with Qwest in the past. With Comcast, I have always used a cable modem to connect to Comcast and a separate wireless router to handle my home networking. With Qwest DSL, I had to purchase an Actiontec Q1000 Modem/Router which includes a four Gigabit switch and wireless b/g/n connection. Unfortunately, I had just purchased a Linksys E3000 router a couple of months before and would much rather use it.

I quickly found that I could setup my Actiontec Q1000 and then daisy chain my Linksys E3000 by connecting it directly to the Actiontec. I was then able to use the wireless of the Linksys E3000 rather than the Actiontec which seemed to work much better with much greater range. This seemed to work OK for most of my needs and I used it for about a month without a problem.

In this configuration the Actiontec would connect to Qwest and would assign IP addresses dynamically on the 192.168.0.1 network. My Linksys was setup to dynamically assign IP addresses on the 10.0.0.1 network. The Actiontec would assign the Linksys an IP address and the Linksys would then handle the needs of my actual LAN and all of my basic needs were met.

The problem came when I wanted to expose my server to the outside world and ran into a bit of a networking mess trying to expose by setting it’s IP address as the DMZ(There is probably a way to do it with this configuration, but I’m by no means a networking guru.) Fortunately, I found out how to put the Actiontec Q1000 into transparent bridge mode which effectively turned it into the modem I have been used to using with Comcast.

How to Do It?

 (note: You will need your PPPoE username and password from Qwest to do this. I had to call them to get it.)

1. On the Actiontec Q1000
   1. Log into your modem by entering the modem’s IP into the address bar of your browser (in my case, 192.168.0.1)
   2. Click on Advanced Setup
   3. Click on Wan IP
   4. Select RFC 1483 Transparent Bridging
   5. Save the Settings

1. On the other router (Linksys E3000 in my case)
   1. Log into your modem by entering the modem’s IP into the address bar of your browser (in my case, 10.0.0.1)
   2. Click on Setup
   3. Click on Basic Setup
   4. Change the Internet Connection Type to PPPoE
   5. Enter your PPPoE Username and Password acquired from Qwest
   6. Save the Settings

That’s all there is to it. Your Actiontec Q1000 should act as a Transparent Bridge and will assign your other router the external IP address and DNS information. With this setup I was able to correctly assign my server machine’s IP address as the DMZ. After updating my DynDNS, Viola, my server was exposed to the outside world.

Logitech Illuminated Ultrathin Keyboard Review

Product Name: Logitech Illuminated Ultrathin Keyboard
Link: But it on Amazon.com
I’ve always been a fan of simple keyboards. I would take a basic $4.99 CompUSA special without a single unnecessary key over the latest and greatest keyboard any day. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) my keyboard died on me recently and I had to find a replacement. I decided to take some time, do my research and find a worthy replacement.

After some thought, I came up with a couple of requirements for my new keyboard. I definitely spend more time actively working (coding mostly) on my home PC these days and need a keyboard that was quiet, preferably back-lit and with a minimum number of extra keys/functions to get in my way. My search led me to the Logitech Illuminated Ultrathin Keyboard and it has yet to disappoint.

The Logitech Illuminated Ultrathin Keyboard met my specific requirements based on the myriad reviews that I trudged through. It was quiet, back-lit (must not look like a spaceship,) had just a few extra function keys which were out-of-the-way and the overall design was pretty sexy IMHO! As a bonus, the keyboard was ultra-thin with a 9.3mm profile and keys that were very close to the keyboard on my work laptop. From the screenshots, I was worried about the soft-touch palm rest that comes built into the keyboard, but I have actually really enjoyed it as a feature and it hasn’t gotten in the way at all like most palm rests I have ever seen.

I have always been a fan of Logitech gaming mice, but this was only the 2nd Logitech keyboard I have ever owned. The 1st was a wireless Bluetooth keyboard and was fairly disappointing due to extra function keys and volume sliders that were always getting in the way. This keyboard was different. The minimalist design of the keyboard itself was great and the software was pretty awesome (just the the gaming mice I’d come to love.) The function keys were completely customizable and there was a section for Keyboard Inactive Keys which lets you completely disable certain keys that are prone to getting in the way. I disabled Caps Lock, Scroll Lock and the Insert key. I don’t think I’ve EVER really used any of them and it was nice to not worry about accidentally turning one on.

My only problem with this keyboard so far is that the front two pads on the bottom of the keyboard have come off when I slide my keyboard forwards or backwards on my desktop without lifting it. I think this is due to the hot weather and friction loosening the adhesive. The pads go right back into place for now, but I assume there will be a time in the not-so-distant-future where they will have to be removed or replaced completely. Other than that, the keyboard has been amazing.

Other Features

• Bright, laser-etched, backlit keys that let you type easily--even in the dark
• Cutting-edge, ultra-thin profile (9.3 mm) that adds an elegant touch to any desk
• PerfectStroke key system for typing that's silent, natural and fluid
• Sleek, minimalist design for the ideal combination of form and function
• Soft-touch palm rest and full-size key layout for enhanced comfort
• Convenient one-touch controls for volume and media playback are easily within reach.

Conclusion
The Logitech Illuminated Keyboard is a solid minimalist keyboard. There are function keys, but they definitely don’t interfere with every day use. The back-lit keys are great for working in less than optimal lighting or when gaming in the dark. The keyboard is thin, stylish and closely resembled a laptop keyboard (which is great if you are already used to it.) If you’re looking for a keyboard that looks great and performs even better, this might just be it.

Pro’s

• Quiet!
• Illuminated without looking like a spaceship
• Minimalist Design
• No crazy function keys that get in your way.
• Thin form factor
• Laptop Keyboard like keys
• Software/Drivers

Con’s

• Front pads on the bottom of the keyboard can come off if the keyboard is pushed forwards or backwards.

Runners Up

What is Pando Media Booster (PMB.exe)

A friend of mine has been telling me about the game League of Legends for quite a while now. I didn’t realize League of Legends was a free-to-play game, but since I’m always willing to play a Free game for a while, I downloaded their client and started the install.

Later that night, I happened to check my Task Manager and noticed an unfamiliar process (PMB.exe) running. Hrm. Like any unusual process running on my PC, I decided to look into it a bit. A quick Scroogle search later It was obvious what had happened…

Installing League of Legends also silently installed an application called Pando Media Booster without my knowledge (or at least it wasn’t obvious that it was being installed. Perhaps it was in that ToS that no one can ever quite bring themselves to read.) With a name like “Pando Media BOOSTER”, how could it possibly be bad. After all, who wouldn’t want their media boosted…!

What is Pando Media Booster? (Thanks for Sharing Indeed!)

PMB.exe is a small application that is installed along with some free-to-use software such as League of Legends, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Lord of the Rings Online, NBC, etc… PMB.exe basically helps the company off-load the responsibly of sharing their media files, patches or installations directly by turning their user’s machines into Peer 2 Peer clients. (Rather than having pushing you a 600MB update file, which actually costs the company money, the users might receive parts of the file from hundreds of other players.)

Is PMB.exe Bad?

PMB.exe isn’t inherently bad and is a valid way for a company offering free or discounted software or media to save some money in operating costs. “Isn’t inherently bad” is assuming that the company that installs this process on your machine has told you what it is and has given you the option of whether you want to install it or not. In my case, I had NO idea it was being installed and was just lucky to have found it the same day. (I’ve recently had to switch to Qwest “High Speed” internet and unfortunately have NO bandwidth to spare.)

And unsuspecting user that leaves PMB.exe running on their system is pretty much being forced to seed files to thousands of users ALL THE TIME (PMB.exe has been reported by users to use up to 80+% of their internet connection’s upload bandwidth.) For some users this could lead to their ISP throttling their connection and/or actually charging them extra $$$ for using more bandwidth than they knew they were using.

Conclusion

Pando Media Booster isn’t a virus but might well be considered malware depending on how it was installed on your machine, if you were aware of it and if you were given an option to install it or not. In any event, it is legit malware and getting rid of it is an simple as pulling up your Programs and Features (Windows 7) and uninstalling it. Just be aware that it might get reinstalled with future installations or updates to the product that originally installed it.

Then again, if you want to support the company and have plenty of upload bandwidth to spare… Leave PMB.exe up and running. I’m sure they would greatly appreciate it.

Hope this helps someone and clears up any immediate concerns you might have.

Other Companies Reported to Bundle Pando Media Booster With Their Product
Dungeons and Dragons Online
Lord of the Ring Online
Star Trek Online
All Points Bulletin (APB)
Other Games from GamersFirst?
Maple Story
NBC Direct
Flyff
Atlantica Online
Combat Arms
Dungeon Fighter
Games from gpotato.com


Any others? Comment below and I'll add them.