Ipod question
 

The cassette adapter is generally going to give better sound and won't suffer from interference from other radio stations, although apparently the Monster one is crap. I have a Sony one that sounds decent. I've thought this one looks genius (though note it can't be used with a charger), but it's still not available, apparently.

The disadvantage is the cord winding up to the player, and the need for a separate charger.

Palm Treo 650
 

I recently won a Palm Treo 650 at a Christmas party. I don't need it for myself, because I am happy with my current phone and Blackberry, but the Mr. could use an upgrade. So yes, part of his Christmas present will be this. It's unlocked and says it will work on all major networks, so I assume it won't be a problem with our T-Mobile service. I am severely gadget challenged and have never had a palm pilot or anything and have a few questions about how to set it up for him.

First of all, is this a good gadget? If it weren't free, would it have been worth buying? Should we try to sell it on ebay and buy something else?

If we already have wireless internet, etc. on our current phones, can we just switch the SIM card over or do we have to go to T-mobile and have them do something? I assume we might have to sign up for their data package too. Where can I get the card that turns it into an MP3 player and how do I know what to get? What does the Multimedia/SD expansion card ability do for me?

Any other advice for taking advantage of its features?

Blackberry/Treo Question
 

I use Verizon. I am almost ready for a new phone and thinking about a Blackberry.

BlackBerry 7130e

Palm Treo™ 650

BlackBerry 7250™

What are the benefits. If I have Verizon can I use the thing on the subway still? Do I need a separate data only or broadband plam?

Palm Treo 650
 

It's a solid device that is probably the best integrated phone/pda device on the market. You can access corporate and personal email; listen to music; watch movies; browse the web, etc.

If you have any intention of using data services for email, I would strongly recommend getting the unlimited data package from your carrier.

You don't need a palm specific card. Any MMC or SD card will work. I use a 1gb MMC card in mine (king max, purchased from newegg.com), and I have had no problems. The card gives you the ability to download music, video, and programs in excess of the limited on-board memory. I also store all of my email on the card, as it takes up plenty of space.

eh eh eh
 

Has anyone installed a satellite radio in his or her own vehicle? From what I understand of the plug and play units, the installation difficulties arise when installing the antenna. I believe that I will be receiving eh eh eh for a holiday gift and wonder if I can do the job myself or if I should be ready to bring it into a shop to have it done.

aV

eh eh eh
 

I took my Sirius unit to the local Sound Blasters place. Took them about 20 minutes to install and I think they charged me less than $100. I could have never done it so quickly myself.

Turds
 

cnet lists the 10 worst tech products of the year.

IPod Battery Replacement
 

I'm irritated with my IPod battery's life (note that I was eligible for the damn replacement program from the lawsuit but was too busy to get around to using it). In the latest installment of "Do J. Fred's Research For Him", I'd like input on the various mail-in IPod battery replacement offers.

IPod Battery Replacement
 

You might start here.

http://forums.ilounge.com/forumdisplay.php?forumid=6

Squeezebox
 

Anyone have one of these?

http://www.slimdevices.com/images/hero/player.jpg

Evaluations?

Squeezebox
 

Interesting. Will it play ITMS music?

Squeezebox
 

No. Protected AAC files (those from the music store) can't play on anything other than apple equipment, becuse apple hasn't licensed anyone else to the decoding.

slim devices' answer

Squeezebox
 

Seems to me that you'd want to burn the ACC protected files anyways just to have a backup.

Squeezebox
 

Well, if you burn them for backup, you still have to reimport them to play them, and then you lose quality, because AAC is a "lossy" format, and then you reimport in an unprotected format you lose quality again, plus you have a second copy of the same song.

98% of my music is ripped from CDs (that I own), so it's not a big deal for me. But as Apple's success grows, it will become a problem for them that no other devices can play their music. I understand not licensing competing mp3 players, but it's a bit annoying for other products that apple doesn't make (and I presume does not plan to make).

Squeezebox
 

I'm about 90% done with ripping all of my CDs (a project that has taken about three months: I got a 300 gig external hard drive for Christmas), and I've sort of taken to considering the individual CDs to be backups.

How much quality are you losing? Enough so NFH and her brethren would notice or enough so everyone would notice?