Things that work
by Volker Weber
It's the time for year end reviews and predictions, I am not going to try that. I can't see the future better than you ("Apple is going to ship new products") and you know all the old news (the "olds"). I want to talk about the things that worked for me:
- AVM Fritz!Box. I am depending on a 7390 which terminates ISDN and VDSL at vowe's magic flying circus. All communications run through this tiny powerhouse, whether it's Internet traffic or phone calls. It keeps the bad guys out and lets the good guys in. Anonymous calls get routed to voicemail, voice messages and fax transmissions get forwarded via email. This would be my first purchase, if I did not already have one.
- Dyson. A year ago we got this machine. If it broke, I would need to get a replacement the very same day. It did not break. It just works as the most used gadget in this household. Frankly, I did not expect this to be the case. Maybe I am too messy, and our house is too clean.
- Nokia. What a difference a year makes. As you know, I have an abundance of mobile devices. But the Lumia 920 continues to be my favorite. I can't really explain why, but this is my companion. It feels durable, it looks beautiful, it works without any hassle. I was briefly mad at Nokia for not delivering the latest update in time, but I was drawn back from the iPhone 5. While the 920 also calls itself PureView, I am still at awe with the original 808 PureView. What a camera! The 920 and the 808 are very different, but I love them both.
- Plantronics. I have yet to see a bad Plantronics product. I am getting to the point where I might dare to recommend their products without looking at them first. The Voyager continues to be my favorite phone headset. And the BackBeat GO continues to soldier on, even in wet conditions. The Callisto is still my favorite speakerless phone. I am really wondering how Plantronics is going to improve in 2013 from a level this high.
- Apple. That is a dead giveaway. The iPad is my work companion. Wherever I travel, the iPad is in my bag. Plus a 10W charger and the VGA dongle. It's now completed by a Logitech keyboard, to make it easier to type long manuscripts in iA Writer. It's the same program I use on the iMac and the MacBook. Work is all Apple.
- Sonos. It brought music back to my life. When I am traveling, this is the machine I am missing the most. In 2012, Sonos released their best product so far, the mighty SUB. It brought club level bass to my home. And they are about to make another big splash, which I won't talk about yet. Don't spend all your Xmas money. :-)
There is a common theme among the brands I just mentioned. They are not the cheapest offering. Which saves a lot of money, since you don't have to buy twice.
Which products will get the editor-refuses-to-give-it-back award in 2013? Can't wait to find out.
Comments
Thanks for the resume and have a happy new year.
Mostly your recommendations are responsible for the lack of money in my bank account.
I'm really curious what Sonos will deliver. So I hope that it doesn't take to long for showing up.
Thanks again vowe for your great reviews!! I think, this year will be my Sonos-Year. Just waiting for the big things to happen. Then I will go a step forward :-)
We know that you are not completely happy with Samsung TVs. Any thoughts on how to improve the sound output from Samsung or really any TV?
Yes. But I cannot talk about this yet.
Thanks, thought so. I'll wait spending my christmas money, then ;-)
Me too! ;-)
Can the Calisto work with Skype when using it with a PC/Mac? Or does it need a SIP VOIP connection?
This Calisto is a USB sound device. On a PC, it would be more. So, yes, It works with Skype. There is a variant that I don't have, which also has an RJ11 in and doubles as a landline phone.
I know you will not comment on that, whether true or wrong, but I'd put (and spend) my money on something like a sound bar from Sonos.
I tend to generally agree with you and several vendors are on my list too but I can't grasp your love for the Lumia 920. What is the difference between your Lumia 920 and mine (actually, several 920s around me)? My 920 has poor battery life, likes to spontaneously reboot itself for no apparent reason, sometimes 3 times in 2 hours, sometimes not for a week; putting it in my pocket randomly activates speech recognition, the camera will use the flash even when flash has been turned off (not for taking the picture though), when the flash is turned on but the distance is small, the flash will activate about a second before it takes the picture. It has really poor podcast support. It lacks all apps I normally use on a daily basis (not the phone at fault of course, but it reduces its utility): there is no Spotify, no Sonos controller to speak of (Phonos is not that great), no TripIt, no Lufthansa app. No VPN support. Native Excel, but basic things don't seem to work (e.g. adding a new formula to a cell and then transposing that formula to hundreds of rows below). The hardware surely feels nice but the software leaves a lot of room for improvement.
Well, some misconceptions on your side. The camera uses the flash LEDs as "Fokus-Hilfslicht", which can be turned off in the settings. Same goes for speech recognition "Spracherkennung bei gesperrtem Handy zulassen". Learn your tools.
I don't use podcasts at all. I don't like Phonos either. I have excellent battery life, certainly more than a day. I have seen four random reboots since I got the Lumia, which was a week before general availability. Not a single reboot since November.
Well, the thing I hope for from Sonos (if the rumors are true) is a 5.1 system. I know you can't tell us, but if it's what you are referring to, just wink now. ;-)
I actually bought two products after being "inspired" by your articles: The 808 Pureview and a Sonos system. I too like products that just work. (If only I could get upload to skydrive on the 808 :-/ )
I got my first Fritz!Box in ages too this year, and after using a Lumia 800 since the day it came out, getting a Lumia 920 as my US phone was a no-brainer for me. Hopefully, I can get it carrier unlocked in the no to distant future so that I can use it in Germany also.
For me 2012 was the year that I migrated off Apple products after 13 years of using Macs/iOS devices as my primary work tools. Purely subjective, but I am much more productive on Windows these days, including the Surface.
Connect your 808 to Nokia Suite. There is a minor update today. Maybe that resolves the issue.
I have an RM-807 059M958 with 113.010.1507. Others reported they are on 1506. The update takes you to 1508. No new features.
Ordered a dyson dc44 today thanks to this post!
I have just been one-upped. ;-)
referring to the Nokia 808: Sadly, the automatic sykdrive-uploader did not show up anymore after the last firmware-update. Which is a pity as all pictures taken with other phone seem blurry to me (íncluding lumia 920) after having used the 808.
Nils and Christian, maybe this does help.
http://www.808fanclub.com/2012/07/upload-to-skydrive-nokia-808-pureview-signed-download.html
Danke für den Link, Volker. Nachdem ich einige dubiose Download-Links umschifft habe, läuft das jetzt wieder prima!
Superbericht! Bin mit meiner 7390 auch sehr zufrieden. Kurze Frage, welche DECT-Telefone benutzt Du an der 7390, oder alles per Fritz-App?
@Olaf: also ich habe Gigaset SL78H an meiner Fritzbox dran. Das klappt ohne Probleme und alle Funktionen sind verfügbar.
Habe ein BackBeat 903+ für mein Lumia 820 gekauft. Leider sehen sie sich gegenseitig nicht.
Plantronics Support ist sehr gut erreichbar und bemüht zu helfen. Leider auch kein Erfolg.
Werde nun mal das BackBeat Go probieren.
Recently purchased a Plantronics Backbeat GO after all the positive reviews.
Wow! E-x-c-e-l-l-e-n-t!
And it's so light and tiny! Great product.
