Review: Epson Expression Premium XP610

This is the fifth printer I have bought in the last 11 years. I have enjoyed using every single one of them and everyone of them have all been well and truly utilized. When I finally upgraded to Windows 7, I had no choice but to retire my trusty HP Laserjet and my old faithful HP PSC 2310 inkjet. Both were still in good running condition but are incompatible with the newer OS.

So here comes my new "toy" - a spanking new up-to-date printer that has all the important and necessary features for modern home use. I won't list down all the features, but only the ones I am thrilled about.

Perhaps the most exciting new feature is the built-in wifi, which I have wanted for a long time. Setting up was quick and easy. I can now print straight from my smartphone, my laptop, or my PC. The printer sits far away from my PC. It does not need to be connected up with a PC. It is also compatible with Apple's Air Print and Google's Cloud Print.

I can scan by using the front panel, straight into a memory card, a PC, or to any cloud storage location. On my old scanner I had to launch a scanner program on a PC in order to scan. The scan quality is practically flawless, both in terms of sharpness and colour reproduction.

This printer has 5 separate ink cartridges, including a photo black. The ink levels can be viewed easily on the printer's front panel or on a computer. Third party (much cheaper) replacements can be bought from the Caribbean Market or on eBay. It has very good reviews for its colour prints. I have yet to try it out on high quality archival paper. I have quite positive vibes about it.

I would certainly recommend it to anyone for home use, especially due to the fact that it works almost straight out of the box (for heavy usage, consider the Epson Workforce series). Setting up was easy and hiccup-free. In spite of all the advanced wifi and cloud features, the front panel is very simple to use and a non-techie should feel comfortable with it.

My Yamaha RX-V473 AV Receiver

I have just bought a new AV receiver to replace my 15 year-old Kenwood receiver. My new Yamaha RX-V473 AV receiver is just a notch above entry level in its range (sale price AUD$420) but it suffices for my needs. My old receiver simply lacks the connectivity for modern equipment, namely: LAN, HDMI, optical port, and USB. The new receiver has all these plus the old component video and composite video connectors. I am pretty happy with it and here is why.

Without going into the technical details, suffice to say that my receiver is now connected to my home network router, which allows me to use my Samsung phone and iPad as remote controls. It is also supposed to allow me to access internet radio, but I have not been able to get it running yet.(19/Jun/13 update: my Net Radio is working now! It has something to do with the network connection)

Of course I can now properly connect my plasma TV to the receiver to make full use of my 5.1 surround sound speaker system for TV, thanks to the available optical cable feeding audio back to the receiver.

HDMI allows me to connect my Blu-Ray player to the receiver for better video output than the ancient composite video RCA connector.

USB port allows me to plug a USB stick into the receiver. My entire collection of MP3 music can reside in one 32-GB thumb drive. My Android app can remotely switch on the receiver and play any song from my collection .

Sound quality on the Yamaha RX-V473 is as good as the reviews say. Not exactly an audiophile myself, I must say the sound system is as good as I can ever tell. My system as it stands now consists of the amplifier receiver as the hub, 5.1 speaker system, TV, and Blu-Ray player. I am so blessed!

(Note: Smart TV is another way to get LAN connectivity. Multi-HDMI ports in the TV can also provide for various game consoles and disc players, like what the receiver does. However, it is doubtful that any TV manufacturer will incorporate a high end sound system into even a high-end TV, for cost reasons. Hence the need for an AV receiver if you are after a more satisfying home theater experience.)

Notes to myself: Sekonic light meter

Here's a small note to myself. You can read it if you like.

Today I learned a little bit more about my Sekonic light meter. The Sekonic light meter is supposed to tell me what speed/aperture setting is appropriate for a given ambient light. This is used by photographers to get the correct setting, espcially when you are dealing with films and not digital images. This gets a bit more interesting when you want to get the correct setting for flash photography.

In tonight's test run, at 1/60s shutter speed, the Sekonic was telling me to set the aperture at f1.0. I thought that was quite unusual. Surely I have been doing flash photography at the more usual aperture settings of between f5.6 and f11. Then I remembered that my camera flash was set to to TTL mode, meaning that the flash intensity was automatically adjusted by the camera. It was the same on my SB900 flash, which was automatically adjusting the flash intensity in the auto mode. In fact, in the TTL mode, I don't really need the Sekonic light meter to assist me. I can set the camera speed and aperture at liberty and the camera will automatically adjust the flash intensity. (Note: max sync speed is 1/250sec for flash).

To test this, I changed the flash mode to Manual. Sure enough, the light meter told me to set the aperture at f11 (whereas it was f1.0 before), as the flash was firing at full intensity in the manual mode. The picture came out correctly exposed.

New offer from MyNetFone

What you need:
You just need to have an internet connection, preferably broadband speed.

What to do:
Call MyNetFone at 1300 731 048. MyNetFone has one of the best VOIP plans. I go for the SuperSaver, which is $0 per month. You just prepay and then top up with Bpay when your credit is low.

Current promotion:
Yesterday (21st April 09), MyNetFone launched a promotion which ends on 3rd May'09. Go for the Linksys SPA2100 phone adaptor. It costs $19.95, inclusive of $10 credit. But you have to sign up for a plan. Go for the MegaSaver. It'll cost you $9.95 per month and the contract is 12 months, but you get a 100 free calls every month. At the end of the year, you can opt to get out of it. If you miss the promotion, then just pay the normal price of $69.95 and go for SuperSaver ($0) plan.

What are you waiting for?
Just call the number given above, and order what you need, and MyNetFone will send you the adaptor. Plug it into your internet, and connect your normal phone (cordless is OK. Just connect the base station to it) and you will be able to make your calls rightaway. If you want to read more about it, go to: https://www.mynetfone.com.au/

What you'll save:
After installing VOIP, I changed my landline phone to the cheapest ($20/month) plan. I use landline to receive calls only, and make all outgoing calls with VOIP. You'll easily cut your phone bills into a fraction of what it is now. The big telcos do not like you to use VOIP, so they'll try to tie you down with bundled plans. Don't fall for it.

Movie: Little Women

This is an old movie that I watched with my family last Sunday. The movie is about four sisters who grew up in a time of economic hardship, and ended with them each getting married, save for one who died of scarlet fever.

With that introduction out of the way, what I wanted to relate is that one of the sisters became a writer. While passionate about writing romantic novels, she found herself writing stories that would appeal to the public but not what she enjoyed writing about. She befriended a German professor who advised her to write what is in her heart. She did that and eventually became a successful writer. I believe blogging is the same. One should write about what is in his heart bursting forth to be heard. Otherwise blogging becomes a chore.

Little Women is a classic novel written by American writer Louisa May Alcott in 1868-9. The novel is based on the writer's own childhood experiences with her three sisters.

GPS: Garmin Nuvi 260

I bought this as a birthday gift for my son. This is the first time I have hands-on experience with a GPS and I am very impressed with the design of it. The overall design is very well thought out:

1. Size and weight: it is about 2/3 the size of a PDA, as light as a calculator, and does not have any protruding antenna. It does not require a special charger; it just uses a USB port which is almost ubiquitous nowadays.

2. Performance: The touch screen is very responsive. The screen is bright enough to use in bright daylight. Screen resolution is clear and appears more pleasing than other brands in similar price range. The in-built speaker is loud and clear and the volume can be easily accessed on the touchscreen menu. The soft buttons respond well and the pages open up quickly. The battery is specified to last 5 hrs, which is exceptionally high among its peers.

3. Features: The touch "buttons" are very simple to navigate. On the home screen, you just choose if you want to go somewhere, or simply look at the map to see where you are. No need to sweat over an array of choices. This model is a dedicated tool for GPS purposes and is not integrated with a camera, music player, etc., which is the way I like. You can set it to automobile, bicycle, or pedestrian mode, depending on how you move about. I took it to Jell's Park for a walk and it worked just fine, showing you all the trails in the park. When I drove home, I placed it backwards on the passenger seat and it calls out the directions with no problem (not that I expected any). Best of all, I like the fact that it calls out street names. Finally it has a picture viewer; not a fancy one, but it is good to have. I can imagine how useful it would be when going on a trip. It would be useful as a do-all note keeper: say a picture of your packing list, picture of someone you are supposed to pick up at the airport, a place you are supposed to look for, etc, etc.

This is a great gadget to have. It is not a "must-have" item, but it is great to have it around. At $242, I think it is at a decent price point where it will find its way into many pockets, homes and hearts.