Month: August 2012 (Page 6 of 11)

Product Review: Slingbox PRO-HD

August 17, 2012 / Jason Zingale

I’ve been interested in picking up a Slingbox ever since the streaming device debuted back in 2005, so imagine my disappointment when I finally got my hands on the new Slingbox PRO-HD for review, only to discover that it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Though there are some obvious benefits that come with owning a device that streams video content to your PC, smartphone or tablet anywhere with a halfway decent Internet connection (especially in the we-want-it-now era), the negatives outweigh the positives.

Design

This is one area where Slingbox has continued to evolve and improve over the years. A far cry from the blockier early-gen models, the PRO-HD has a sleeker look that blends in well with most home entertainment and/or office setups. The device is still pretty large compared to how much smaller everything else in the electronics industry is getting nowadays, but the number of A/V options on the back of the unit pretty much dictates its size. If there’s anything to hate about the Slingbox from a design standpoint, it’s that there are far too many cords for a device that you’ll primarily access wirelessly.

Functionality

On paper, the Slingbox PRO-HD sounds every bit as awesome as I’d hoped it would be. Not only does it let you access three different A/V sources (for instance: your cable TV, DVR and DVD player), but you can also tune in to 1080i HD programming when available. Some people have complained that this ties up your devices at home as a result, but the biggest issue is that the image quality is far from perfect. I tried hooking up the box to my Series 2 TiVo, and even while connected to a better than average Internet connection in the same room, the picture looked muted and pixilated. (I’d hate to think how it would look using shared bandwidth from a Wi-Fi hotspot.) Additionally, while the onscreen remote control works as expected, there’s some slight lag to its response, and every time you open or close the widget, there’s a hiccup in the stream.

Mobile Applications

Sling Media hasn’t done itself any favors on the mobile side of things, either. Despite offering users the ability to access their Slingbox on a variety of platforms (including the iPad, iPhone, Kindle Fire and Android devices), the company charges $29.99 for the software… for each device. That means that if you want to download the app for your iPad and iPhone, you have to pay an additional $60 on top of the already exorbitant $299.99 price tag for the Slingbox PRO-HD. That’s a pretty hefty charge for a service that should be free, and considering how much the box itself costs, it’s a massive turnoff.

Conclusion

Though consumers who travel a lot for business will be more forgiving of some of the Slingbox’s flaws, it’s hard to believe that there still isn’t a better option in this day and age. Anything that costs as much as the Slingbox PRO-HD shouldn’t be riddled with this much mediocrity, because while the device certainly has the potential to be a game changer in streaming video content, it has quite a bit of work to do before that happens.

Gadgets, Stuff to Buy

Slingbox Slingbox PRO-HD Slingbox PRO-HD review TV streaming

Drink of the Week: The Mariposa Mojito

August 17, 2012 / Bob Westal

There was a time many weeks back when I began to ask myself a question pregnant with meaning: “What happened to all the free booze?” It’s not that I’m greedy, particularly. Believe it or not, I actually spend a little money subsidizing this column. Of course, I get to drink those subsidies, but a guy still likes to make a profit on something he actually works on, so those freebies do help a bit.

In any case, in recent weeks the very nice freebies have been coming fast and furious and the latest is something pretty much completely new to me. Mariposa Agave Liqueur is made from the very sweet nectar produced from the agave plant, the not so sweet booze produced by the blue agave plant — I think they call the stuff “tequila” — and also some vodka. If you have a bit of a sweet tooth like I do, I have to say the stuff is not bad on it’s own over the rocks and with a splash of water. It’s kind of like drinking really good, boozy honey.

Anyhow, the Heaven Hill people who produce this stuff have been promulgating a few cocktails. Since we’re just seeing the end of a truly hellish week of record breaking 105+ plus temperatures here in vivacious Van Nuys, I went for the coldest, most refreshing choice available. This one is icy and relatively low on actual booze which, as you know, actually makes you feel warmer. (Of course, it also makes you care less that you too warm.) In any case, I rather like it.

The Mariposa Mojito

1 ounce Mariposa Agave Liqueur
1 ounce white (aka silver) rum
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
2-5 springs of mint
Club soda (roughly 2 ounces)
1/4 ounce agave nectar (optional)
Lime slice (optional garnish)

Combine all the ingredients except the club soda and the garnish lime slice in a cocktail shaker. If you’re going for the extra bit of sweetness with the agave nectar — this is my addition and not included in the original recipe, by the way — then you’ll first want to shake it without adding ice. Agave nectar has not only a honey-like taste but a honey-like consistency and it needs a bit of work to become properly dissolved.

Next, add lots of ice and shake like crazy. Strain into a large-ish Collins glass or something similar filled with fresh ice (i.e., not the same ice you used in the shaker). Top off with club soda, stir and remind yourself that the agave plant is actually not, as you might have heard, a member of the cactus family. Cacti are succulents; agave is a monocot, which I gather is closer to the yucca plant and, no, I don’t know the first thing about horticulture, except what Dorothy Parker said about it.

****

I’ve not much more to add to this drink except that I like it as a less labor intensive, somewhat less boozy, muddling-free spin on the classic mojito. I tried, however tweaking it a bit by adding more rum. Despite the fact that I was using some of the excellent Denizen Rum I have left over from when I was using to make such great classic drinks as the Mary Pickford a while back, the larger amount of booze really didn’t help the flavor at all and only diluted the already diluted sweetness of the Mariposa. A little extra sweetness from the increasingly popular cocktail ingredient of agave nectar was quite welcome however.

Those looking for a boozier drink to make with Mariposa however, won’t have long to wait. Stay tuned.

Food & Drink, Lifestyle, Vices

cocktails Denizen Rum Drink of the Week Happy Hour Mariposa Agave Liqueur Mary Pickford tequila

Stay Safe on Your Next Cruise Vacation

August 16, 2012 / Bullz-Eye Staff

Taking a vacation on the open seas can be an exciting adventure for anyone. But there is a lot of preparation that goes into making sure that you have fun on your vacation but stay safe as well. There are steps everyone should take to make sure that they are safe on their next seafaring vacation.

(image courtesy of quinet on Flickr)

A cruise is exciting, but it can also be a problem if seasoned criminals find out that you are out of the house with no real way back. To save yourself a lot of hassles, there are some things you can do while packing for your cruise that will make it a much more enjoyable experience.

Lifestyle

cruise vacations

Weekly Web Series Review: Jan

August 16, 2012 / Ezra Stead

The WIGS channel on YouTube could unkindly be called the online equivalent of television’s Lifetime network, specializing in stories of the lives of women that are, ironically, primarily created by men. The first of these web series is “Jan,” created, written and directed by Jon Avnet, who is probably best known for producing hit ’80s and ’90s films like “Risky Business” and “Fried Green Tomatoes,” the latter of which he also directed. Like the superior “Blue,” “Jan” is simply named after its lead character, Jan (Caitlin Gerard), an aspiring photographer who has just gotten what might be her big break, so long as her life doesn’t get in the way.

Jan works as an assistant to Mel (Virginia Madsen), an established photographer whose latest project is a book called “Afterglow,” which is a collection of shots of women immediately after the completion of sexual encounters. The first session features British movie star couple Gery (Stephen Moyer, best known as Bill Compton on HBO’s “True Blood”) and Andie (Jaime Murray, best known as Lila Tournay on the second season of Showtime’s “Dexter”). Gery seems to immediately like Jan and, when Mel is preoccupied with a phone call at the crucial moment, he convinces her to take the shots instead, which leads to Jan being fired. Luckily for her, deadline pressures from the magazine Mel works for causes her to rehire Jan, though Mel takes the credit for the photographs and warns Jan that she is on thin ice.

Jan also has a junkie boyfriend, Robbie (Kyle Gallner), who is constantly pestering her and her roommate, Vanessa (Laura Spencer), and complicating their lives. This subplot should make the series more interesting, but what it mainly does instead is make everything feel less focused. The tone of the entire series is very uneven, and quirks like Jan’s initial clumsiness and her habit of getting the hiccups when she’s nervous come and go without ever really going anywhere interesting. Likewise, the late addition of a new boyfriend for Jan feels inconsequential and tacked on, despite the conflict it would seem likely to create with Robbie, the ex, and Gery, who flirts openly with Jan and drops by her place to take showers (another contrived quirk that feels less than genuine). All in all, the stakes are never really high enough, nor is Jan a compelling enough character to make this series particularly worthwhile. Check out “Blue” instead, if you want to see what the WIGS channel is like.

Entertainment, Videos

Afterglow Bill Compton Blue Caitlin Gerard Dexter Ezra Stead Fried Green Tomatoes HBO Jaime Murray Jan Jon Avnet Kyle Gallner Laura Spencer Lifetime Lila Tournay Risky Business Showtime Stephen Moyer True Blood Virginia Madsen web series Weekly Web Series Review Wigs YouTube

Product Review: Philips Norelco BodyGroom BG2040 Grooming Tool

August 15, 2012 / Paul Eide

How else are you going to review a men’s body grooming product than by shaving every inch of hair on your body with it? It would be easy to just do chest hair, write a review and call it a day, right? Wrong, Buster.

I’m talking about all body hair below the neck. I would’ve shaved my head and face with it, but the instructions explicitly stated, “Do not shave your head or face with this.”

The sleek design of the BodyGroom BG2040 really appealed to me. It was silver, like the medal Michael Phelps collected in his “signature” event, the 200 fly. It was literally two grooming devices in one that fits comfortably into the palm of your hand. On one end is the shaving unit, and on the other end is the trimming unit.

So I will break it down, body part by soon to be hairless body part. As you’re reading this, envision Marv Albert’s voice reading to you, lovingly, tenderly. “YES! And the FOUL!”

Chest

I am not a “bear” like this guy, and I’m not hairless like Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte either, but I need to trim my chest hair on occasion. The issue I’ve encountered with almost every product made specifically for men’s body grooming, however, is that in the case of an electric, it can never give you that shave down to the skin; stubble is almost always visible. No chick on earth is attracted to chest hair stubble.

So, my gauge for the success of the body groomer was based on this. I trimmed the hair with the trimmer, and the built-in “hair length selector” worked to perfection. Then, I flipped the BodyGroom around and used the shaving head and was immediately impressed, because it got the hair down to the root, leaving behind no stubble. Afterward, my skin felt like I had used a razor because it was so smooth.

Forearms

I have forearm hair and I’m not afraid to admit it. There, I said it. Not as bad as this guy, but not hairless, either. And I like a crisp, trimmed look because it feels great. The slightly rotating head on the shaving unit was perfect for getting the hair trimmed around my wrist and elbow, and it ensured an even shave from wrist to elbow as well.

Armpit

Shaving,or even trimming armpit hair sucks, but it’s something we just have to bite our lip and do. Using the trimming edge of the BodyGroom made it very simple — no hair was ever pulled or tugged. It took maybe a total of three minutes and I moved on with my life.

Privates

Now the part everyone wanted to hear, the “money shot” if you will. This was maybe the easiest experience I’ve had trimming down there because the BodyGroom doesn’t have any sharp edges or razors that could potentially cut you, nor did it tug out any hair. It was painless and very easy to use.

Cleaning the BodyGroom was even easier than using it; the little rotating head on the shaver popped right out so I rinsed it, let it dry and re-inserted. Additionally, charging it only took about 20 minutes, which gives you just under an hour of usage/battery life.

No matter your personal hair situation, you can benefit from the versatility and ease of use that the BodyGroomer provides. In fact, we’re so confident you’ll like it that Bullz-Eye is giving one lucky reader the new Philips Norelco grooming tool to try out. Click here to enter for your chance to win. The contest ends on September 5th and the winner will be notified via email.

Contests, Grooming, Stuff to Buy

Philips Norelco