Sony XDR-S10HDiP HD Radio With Dock

This is a great HD table radio with a built in iPod dock, and perhaps the best iPod accessory I’ve come across yet.

I was looking for a replacement for the iHome iH5 that’s been our kitchen radio for the last couple of years. It still worked fine, but since it didn’t support charging on my 2nd gen Touch, and didn’t have a proper insert for supporting it (I hate it when your iPod is all wimbley-wombley in the dock, I always get a vision of snapping the dock connector off while pressing the iPod’s buttons.), I decided to replace it with a nice table radio.

I had made up my mind to go with a radio sans dock, because I was sick of getting accessories that became obsolete every time I upgraded my iPod. I have a universal dock, and I figured I’d just plug it in when I needed it. Then I saw the Sony XDR-S10HDiP HD Radio with dock, and fell in love.

It’s a great sounding AM, FM, HD radio with an integrated iPod dock that supports the new iPhone 3g, Touch 2nd gen and Nano 4th gen charging requirements (as well as all previous models), and it supports Apple’s universal dock adapters, so it will stick with you through all of them changes.

HD radio is fantastic, and free, and most of the Boston area stations are now streaming multicasts, giving you a plethora of crisp, clean, CD quality listening choices. Check out what’s currently available here. My favorite so far is WZLX’s Radio Mojo Blues Channel, but there are so many choices that for the first time ever I filled all 20 presets, and longed for more. Thank goodness it’s also got a scan feature!

Because digital radio can carry information as well as music, the radio gives you station, artist and song information in the display, and allows you to do iTunes tagging. Tagging is a cool feature that lets you “tag” a song you’re listening to by hitting the tag button on the top of the radio while it’s lit. The next time you dock your iPod, the radio transfers all the stored tags to it. When you sync, iTunes uses the information in the digital tags to retrieve the songs for you. How cool is that? It even comes with a full sized remote, so you can tag from the comfort of your chair.

Besides having all the bells and whistles you could ever want, this radio has excellent sound quality, and the clarity of the HD signal makes it all the better. Plus it’s a real looker, but you don’t have to take my word for it. Bring your iPod into an Apple retailer and plug it in for a test drive.

Note: You’ll probably need to use the supplied FM dipole and AM loop antennas for best reception, but it’s worth it. Although you don’t get static on digital radio, it will drop the link intermittently if you’re below 2 bars on the signal strength meter. Get creative; I have the dipole cleverly woven up the back of the baker’s rack it sits on.

The Faithful Cat

We lost our oldest and dearest pet last week, Zoë the cat. She was a loving and faithful old cat, and we started and ended just about every day with her for the past 15 years.

When she was young and spry, she would follow me everywhere, even getting mad if I closed her out of the bathroom. What a fuss she’d make, clawing and scratching at the door. She would not be denied, and it didn’t take her long to figure out how to jump up and flick the light switch off. The minute I’d open the door, she would scuttle in and sit on my feet, or jump into my pants, if the situation allowed. She was one smart cat.

She was also the self appointed mother to all of our pets, and when there was no one around to mother, or scold, she would drag various stuffed animals long distances just to place them by her bed and bowls. It took us the longest time to figure out what was going on with this one.

We’d see the stuffed animals in the kitchen, and scratch our heads. We asked the kids if they were bringing her the toys, and they said no, but we didn’t completely believe them. We even started to suspect each other. Then one day I came home early and caught her dragging a teddy bear down the stairs by the scruff of its neck. She had gone up to the bedroom and grabbed it off of the bed.

After that, we always made sure she had a few by her bed, and it soon became a family thing. My mother-in-law liked to bring her little stuffed kittens, and Zoë would move them from her bed to her food bowls and back again, clucking at them and cleaning them. Good old Mama Zo.

We recently had to travel, and Zoë went to our Vet for boarding and tests. She had developed diabetes in her old age, and it was the perfect time for a blood curve. While there, our Vet discovered that she had an infection. She and her staff treated and pampered the old girl until we got back, and she actually seemed to be getting better by the time we took her home.

She was incredibly active for the last week of her life, visiting with everyone and checking out every corner of the house, and in retrospect, I see it as her farewell tour. As the weekend came and went, she started to slow down, and by that Sunday night it was obvious that she really wasn’t getting better. I can’t believe that she fooled us so completely, but I think she was running on pure love.

So, here we are, adjusting to life without our old friend holding court in the kitchen. I find myself constantly glancing over at her “spot”, expecting to see her laying there contentedly in the sun. Her little food bowl and favorite rug are still there, we just haven’t had it in us to put them away yet, but she’s not. It takes a beat or two for the realization to sink in, but it does, and I’m left feeling both happy and sad.

Animals can be unquestionably faithful, giving you so much for so little. Zoë lived to be with us. That’s all she wanted, to be with us. Well, that, and a little kibble, of course. Ecstasy for her was being brushed while she ate. Ecstasy for me was having her snuggled up next to me, purring like a little motorboat.

I take comfort in the fact that she had a long and happy life, and in all the joy she gave us, and I smile when I remember one of the last conversations I had with my Dad before he passed.

He had grown up on a farm and loved animals, and he would cater to our pets when he was with us in the summers. “Can’t be bored here,” he’d say, “The cats won’t leave me alone.”

Anyway, he had just made the move from the hospital to the hospice, and once he was comfortable and settled in for the night, I asked him if there was anything else that he needed or wanted. He was on the cusp of sleep, and I wasn’t sure if he was even going to answer me, but after a pause he looked up at me and said “Get me a cat.”

I guess we know whose lap she’s on now.

Update On iPod, iPhone Syncing Problems

I haven’t seen much in the forums on the syncing problems that seemed to abound last week. Since users across multiple platforms were experiencing the problem, and Apple released a notice that users should deautorize and reauthorize their systems to clear the problem, I’m assuming that the root cause was related to changes in the libraries associated with DRM removal, not the 2.2.1 firmware, and that Apple has since cleared it up.

Although I didn’t experience the iTunes freeze ups, I had noticed an oddity in my syncs last week. iTunes showed a 1 on the app folder, indicating that there was 1 new app available for syncing, and after I synced by USB it was still there. When I disconnected, there was a corresponding 1 on the Touch’s app icon. I tapped it and the iPod told me that I had a version upgrade for Labyrinth to download. I did, and the app updated wirelessly and worked fine afterwards.

iTunes still showed 1 new app to download, so I synced it again via USB, just to see if it would go away. Nope. I did see a copy of Labyrinth in the trash though, indicating that iTunes had replaced it with the upgraded version.

Through subsequent syncs, the 1 stayed on the app folder in iTunes, but didn’t reappear on the iPod. This morning, I synced again, and once again there was no change to iTunes, but the iPod had now gotten its “1 app download” indicator back. I went through the steps to upgrade the app again, and viola, the “1 app download” indicator finally went away on both iTunes and the iPod. There was also another copy of Labyrinth in the trash.

Perhaps Apple has reissued certain downloads that weren’t playing well with the libraries. Who knows, I’m just happy that everything is working.

I’m still holding off on upgrading to 2.2.1 though, just in case…

Problems With The iPhone 2.2.1 Firmware Upgrade?

Whenever I get a notice that there’s a new version of iPod firmware or iTunes software, I postpone downloading until I’ve Googled for issues. Such was the case today, when Apple offered me the newest firmware for my 2nd gen Touch.

After seeing this posting on MacRumors.com, I was glad I did. It seems that some people are unable to sync their iPhone or Touch after the upgrade. iTunes freezes when the sync fails, and the system needs to be rebooted.

There’s a fix, which includes deauthorizing and reauthorizing your computer, and then downloading and running a free app, but as I prodded deeper in the forums, it appears that the problem may not be limited to the iPhone and Touch. Some users are reporting the same symptoms are plaguing standard iPods also, which would mean that the root cause may not be the 2.2.1 firmware. There’s conjecture out there that the problem may be due to changes in some of the tracks available in iTunes that have been upgraded to iTunes Plus.

Whatever the case may be, I’m definitely not downloading 2.2.1 yet. I’m also going to refrain from any track downloads until there’s more info available, and I suggest you do the same.

If you’ve been bitten by this bug, it would be greatly appreciated if you would post the symptoms, corrective actions taken, and whether or not you had success. Thanks!

Super Finish

Pretty exciting finish to a game I expected to be a snoozer. Man, I thought the Cardinals just might pull off an upset there.

Even though I'm not a fan of either team, I found myself pulling for Warner to make a comeback. It would have been a great storyline, and it would have been kind of nice to see the air go out of the Steelers balloon. But in the end, you have to give them credit. Roethlisberger stepped up, and Holmes' catch and tap-down was amazing.

Anyways, the game was great, even though the Steelers won. The commercials, on the other hand, were only so-so. My two favorites were the "Doritos crystal ball" ad, and the Leno "move to prime time" spot.

The Doritos ad was priceless. There's nothing like physical comedy when it's done right. "Free Doritos at the office today?". Beautiful.

The Leno ad was brilliant for it's simplicity. The car, the music and the camera work all fit together perfectly to convey an image and message without a word being uttered. Very smart.

I also liked the "SoBe Lizard Lake" spot at halftime. The 3D (did you have your glasses?) was very good, and Matt Light was a riot. He was really getting his groove on. It'll make great Jumbotron fodder for next season. We may even have seen the birth of the new Gino...

At the very least, it will probably earn him a berth on the next Dancing With The Stars.

The Fort Myers Area Dunkin' Donuts Now Have Free Wi-Fi!

Old berry has his traveling shoes on, and he's got big news for all you Red Sox Spring Training devotees; the Fort Myers area Dunkin' Donuts now have free Wi-Fi.

The Cleveland Ave. Dunkies has now become a full service pit stop for me on my way to and from the pahk. I can get my large iced coffee, make room for it, and check my email. How cool is that?

Don't be checking your email while you're emptying your tank though. Handhelds don't float...

Lost is back!

Sit down in your favorite chair and strap yourself in, because this Wednesday night (01/21) ABC kicks off season 5 of Lost with not 1, not 2, but 3 new episodes of our favorite show. Here’s the lineup:

8pm EST - “Lost: Destiny Calls” (An all new recap episode)

9pm EST - “Because You Left” (Season 5/Episode 1)

10pm EST - “The Lie” (Season 5/Episode 2)

Just to whet your appetite, check out the latest Doc Jensen column. Doc’s already seen both episode 1 and 2, and although he doesn’t give too much away, he does confirm my suspicion that season 5 will focus on time travel. He also recommends some previous episodes for rewatching, as they just might help you fit some pieces together in the coming months.

If you don’t have time to rewatch them all, you can check out the Lost section of our website www.berryjooks.com, for reviews of past season’s episodes and screen caps. And as always, we’ll be posting new reviews and screen caps following each new episode.

So, we’ll reconvene after the premier, and as our friend Dr. Candle/Wickmund/Holliwax/Chang (Phew, this guy’s got some serious identity issues!) likes to say:

“Thank you, namasté, and good luck.”

Thoughts While Mindlessly Moving Snow

I’m sure that there are some very good employees at Circuit City, and I hate to see anyone lose their job, but I think one of the main reasons that they’re going out of business is customer service. Every time I go in there and need help, I can’t get anyone to even acknowledge my existence, and I am not shy. There always seems to be plenty of sales associates, it’s just that they’re gathered in little clumps, deep in important conversations, working overtime at not making eye contact. I’ve never understood this, especially when there’s always a Best Buy within a mile that sells the same stuff for the same price.


Winter sucks.


People should stop demanding to know what’s wrong with Steve Jobs and let the man have some peace. I know he’s a huge part of the whole Apple mystique, and everyone is afraid that without him the company may stumble and fall, but come on people, get over it. He’s a large part of a small subset of people who are responsible for bringing us all into the digital age, changing the way we do business and how we interact with each other. He’s certainly earned my respect, and hopefully yours. I say if you’re concerned about his health, you should send him a get well card, or even just some good thoughts or a few prayers.


I LOVE my Toro Power Throw!


How about that, the craptastic Cardinals are headed to the Super Bowl. It kills me that a 9 and 7 team is off to the big dance, especially since they rolled over against our Pats just weeks ago, but I have to admit that I’m happy for Kurt Warner. Hopefully his wife has gotten over her feathered boa stage. I don’t think I could take seeing that again.


My back hurts.


Although I often feel overworked and underpaid, I’m really glad I have a job, and I really like what I do. A lot of people I talk to lately seem to feel the same way, and I think this bodes well for the future. When things are good, people move around from job to job, always looking for that next big pay increase. For quite a while now, loyalty and continuity have been kind of frowned upon. In the high tech world it’s almost a badge of honor to have a huge list of past employers, but to me, there’s no reward in that. If you’re changing jobs every few years, you’re definitely not focused on the long range plans of your company, and without people pushing and shoving their organizations into the future, nothing much happens, and consequently both business and the economy suffers.


My gloves are soaked through. I probably should stop and change them.


Tomorrow it will be one year since my Dad passed away, and the day after that, the country’s first black president will be sworn in. I really wish he was here to see it. He lived through a lot of changes in his 84 years; The Great Depression, World War II, television, space exploration, computers and cell phones, but with all the change he saw, he was still convinced that the country wasn’t ready for a black president. We started this debate in 2006 after my youngest son’s graduation. Barack Obama was the commencement speaker, and when he finished and walked off the stage, I said that the Democrats would be crazy not to nominate this man in ’08, that he represented their best shot at getting back to Pennsylvania Avenue because he had that indefinable power to move and unite people. Although my Dad agreed that he very well could be the right man for the job, he felt that people weren’t ready for it. He grew up in a very different world, a world in which racism was always present, and he just couldn’t see it happening. I think he would have really dug it.


S#*t, I can’t feel my fingers. Should a changed my gloves. Gotta go, but I'll leave you with one more thought:


Only 4 more weeks until pitchers and catchers show up at Spring Training!

Apple Gives Us A Reason To Whistle A Happy Tune In The Post Holiday Season

Earlier this week at Macworld, Apple announced that they would now be offering iTunes Plus versions of their music, which are better quality and DRM free, as their standard 99¢ download, and that starting in April they would be shifting to a tiered pricing structure, 69¢, 99¢ and $1.29 per song.

This is great news for me. Santa brought me a fresh iTunes card, and I’m snagging tracks as I type. DRM-less, 256kbs tracks. Sweet. iTunes also gave me the opportunity to upgrade some of my existing library, for a fee, to Plus, but I passed for now.

While this is a big deal for me, and from what I read in the forums, for a lot of you out here on the interwebs also, the major tech sites have been bemoaning what a drag Macworld was. It’s a veritable chorus of “I flew all the way here and there was no unveiling of the Next Best Thing, no Steve Jobs. What a drag, man.”

You know what? I don’t care. Boo hoo. Apple just had a major product release in September. The accessory manufacturers can’t keep up with all the product changes, and people don’t have the inclination or the disposable income to swap out devices every 6 months when the economy sucks. I say this was another great example of Apple understanding what the market can bear, and what the public wants.

So, hopefully these reviewers have refueled their company jets and bopped on over to the CES to drink their fill at the trough of excess. I hate to see them so unhappy. As for me, I got what I wanted, and I’ll be doing the iPod happy dance (when no one’s looking, of course) throughout the long cold winter months. Thanks Steve. Much love.

That is all.

Winegard RCDT09A Battery Operated DTV Converter Box

The February 17th shutoff of analog television signals is rapidly approaching, and one of the few actual casualties of the conversion to digital broadcasting is going to be your battery operated analog TV. The one you depend on when the power goes out.

There are currently only a handful of 7 to 10 inch LCD TVs with ATSC tuners available. They start at around $149, and are backordered on most sites. That’s a little pricey for me, especially when compared to my current 5” Coby set that I paid $20 for at CVS. Hey, it’s good enough to catch the news during a blackout, and that’s all it’s really for. It may seem like a little thing, but in an emergency it’s essential to stay informed.

Well, someone has finally come up with a solution. Winegard has come out with a converter box that has an optional battery pack and a 12v DC converter. It’s the RCDT09A, and although it’s not rated as “best of class”, it is a very serviceable little unit that features analog pass thru and a rudimentary program guide. Check out Cnet’s review here.

According to the manufacturer’s specs, it will run for up to 18 hours on battery power (6 D cell batteries), and it qualifies for the TV converter box coupon program. You can order it at Winegard Direct for $62.99, and the site is set up to credit your $40 coupon at checkout. Cool.

While the Winegard is the perfect solution for emergencies, for a straight up powered device I’d recommend the Zenith DTT901 converter. It rates highly in all categories on ConsumerReports.org, just look down the handy comparison chart for the device with the most dots. It has excellent reception, analog pass thru, easy channel tuning, universal remote and a much better guide.

I plan on using both coupons, one on a Winegard for emergencies, and the other on a Zenith for better reception in non emergency situations, like when the cable goes out and the big game is on. We’ve got a beautiful 27” Sony Wega flat tube analog TV that isn’t going anywhere until it dies of natural causes.

Be sure to check out our DTV transition survival guide for more detailed information on how the changes will affect you, and how you can get your coupons.

The Peyton Face!

And on the first day of wild card weekend, no less.

Maybe this won’t be so bad after all…

Eton/Grundig Microlink FR150 Emergency Radio

The best stocking stuffer I got this year was an Eton FR150 Radio from L.L. Bean. It’s a self powered emergency flashlight/radio/cell phone charger all in one neat little package. With all the extended power outages we've had in the Northeast lately, this little baby may come in handy.

This ultra compact emergency radio is made by Grundig and distributed by Eton through L.L. Bean. It’s an AM/FM Weather Band radio, with surprisingly good reception and sound quality for a radio this small.

The unit is covered in shatterproof polycarbonate, with rubberized buttons and port flap to protect it from the elements. It also doubles as a very bright 3 LED flashlight. The best part though, is that the unit can be recharged 3 different ways. Via USB cable, hand crank or solar power. Even better, you can plug your cell phone into the cell charger port and crank some life into it!

I love the set of 3 lights on the tuner window. There's one for tuning, it lights steadily when the radio is receiving maximum signal from a station. There’s also a light to indicate that the batteries are charging, and it goes on the minute you get the radio near sunlight or start spinning the crank. The third one indicates that you’re in the Weather Band mode. Small things, I know, but they indicate that a lot of attention to detail went into this little guy. Grundig really knows how to make a radio!

Two small caveats with this product. It doesn’t come with a USB cable, you have to supply your own, and it needs to be USB to mini USB. This isn’t too big a deal, as most people with a digital camera already have one. Also, the instructions seem to indicate that there’s a charger available, there isn’t. Doing some research on Eton’s FAQ page, I found a section where they clarify this by explaining that you plug the USB cable into your computer to recharge the radio, just like you would with your iPod.

The other confusing thing is that the instructions tell you to connect the tip that matches your cell phone to the included cell phone charging cable. I found the cell phone charging cable, no problem, but I couldn’t find any interchangeable tips. This time I found the answer in a user review. There’s a card folded up with the warranty info that you fill out with your cell phone type and return address. Mail it in, and Eton will send you the correct tip, and register your product for warranty purposes. It’s a pretty good way to get people to return their warranty paperwork, but the instruction booklet should be clearer.

So, the radio strikes out in the instruction department, but hits a home run as an emergency device. It comes in a variety of colors from L.L. Bean for $29.95.

You can also order a Red Cross version of this same product through the Eton site, or on Amazon.com.