In terms of performance, the Nissan GT-R is a genuine super car. As stated numerous times, the GT-R beat a Porsche 911 Turbo around the Nürburgring. But does the GT-R have that super car feel?

Jeremy Clarkson has stated that the GT-R is a technological marvel. He also stated that the GT-R was unable to arouse his wedding vegetables.

I’m guessing that the Nissan engineers went overboard with the technological innovations which in the end, produced a car with driver feedback that is overly neutral.

Also, the exterior is very functional in terms of aerodynamics but missing are the clean flowing lines we’re used to seeing on high-priced super cars. I’ve never driven any of the cars mentioned so I won’t go any further with the comparisons.

So is the GT-R a slam dunk purchase? Or would a car from Europe offer a better value in terms of excitement? Right now, if I had to make a choice, I would go with either the 911 Carrera S or a used 911 Turbo. Am I making a mistake? I’d especially like to hear from GT-R owners.

[Pic from Nissan USA]

Within the past several weeks, we’ve seen a fair number of GPS navigation apps show up on the iTunes App Store. TomTom [App Store Link] is the biggest name of the bunch. After saving up enough change, I pulled the trigger on the TomTom purchase.

Weighing in at 1.2 GB, it’s by far, the largest app on my iPhone. Map data includes the US and Canada, so this is not unusual. After downloading, installing, and doing a quick restart, the app was all set to go.

The main screen is what you’d expect from a TomTom. Clean with a simple view of where you’re headed. Once you input a destination, it will take the app a few seconds to calculate a proper route.

I tested all of this on a recent trip from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. At home, satellite acquisition was quick. The route I was given was a bit more complicated when compared to my usual route. Is it shorter than my usual route? I’m not sure but it didn’t seem like it was worth the trouble. On one part of the route, the directions got a bit confusing and I missed an off ramp. Thankfully, the TomTom did a good job of recalculating the route.

After about 20-30 minutes, I noticed that the app took a healthy chunk from my iPhone’s battery meter. Once I got to the boring middle of my trip, I exited out of the app. At this pace, no way would my iPhone’s battery survive the entire trip.

Once I got within 10 miles of my destination, I relaunched the app. Satellite acquisition was decent and the directions it gave were spot on.

The trip back to Los Angeles was similar. The only difference I noticed was the amount of time necessary for the app to get a decent satellite lock. Perhaps it was due to being surrounded by tall buildings? Seeing a dead gray screen with no idea of where to go makes for wasted time and frustration. I assume this has more to do with the iPhone’s GPS chip.

Overall, for a version 1.0 release, this is a decent navigation app. For the most part, it did a proper job of guiding me from point A to B. On extended trips a car power adapter is mandatory. With the GPS chip in constant use, I understand that the app shouldn’t be blamed for the crappy battery life.

The folks at TomTom promise future updates at no extra cost. If you have any second thoughts in regards to this rather costly purchase, I think it would be in your best interest to wait and see what these updates deliver.

It should also be noted that a competing app by Navigon [App Store Link] is available at a slightly cheaper price point. They recently released an update that includes text-to-speech guidance. Hopefully TomTom will eventually release an update that will put it at least on par with the Navigon.

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Due to a defect, I had to send in my Etymotic hf2s for repair. In the meantime, I wanted to try out the Future Sonics Atrio earbuds [Amazon Link]. After a few weeks of use, I find the Future Sonics offer compelling performance. Is it enough to replace the Etymotics? Read on to find out.

Build quality is a step above the standard iPod earbuds. Cables feel a bit stouter and the earbud assemblies look like they’ll last for a while. As with most third party earbuds, they come with a good selection of eartips that should satisfy 99% of the human population.

The sound is noticeably different when compared to the Etymotics. I almost consider it to be a polar opposite. The Future Sonics are able to present bass with a high level of fullness and clarity. It’s able to pick up the low frequencies in tracks that most earbuds will simply skip over. I include the Etymotics in this bass skipping category.

The Etymotics present bass in it’s neutral/natural form. The Future Sonics embrace the bass, and push it out to the user in a way that’s easy to consume. Think of it as sonic chocolate.

With this level of focus, there are going to be downsides. Mids sound good but not as good as the Etymotics. With the highs the gap starts to widen. They just don’t have the signature Etymotic level of precision. They’re not bad by any means. It simply comes down to the fact that the Etymotics are better optimized for this particular sound range.

If you love deep, rumbling bass with decent mids and ok highs, the Future Sonics should be your number one choice. Startling highs and accurate mids and lows are where the Etymotics shine.

[Image from Future Sonics]

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I first heard of this iPhone app on Daring Fireball. After putting Simplenote [App Store Link] through its paces, I agree. It’s a great notes application for the iPhone.

As the name describes, simplicity is at the core of this application. No confusing menus to navigate and most of the unnecessary extra steps have been eliminated.

What you have left is a fast, low-fat notes application that’s also able to quickly synchronize with its web app counterpart. Currently priced at $1.99, Simplenote offers exceptional value, especially when you consider how well the sync components work in tandem with the application.

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There are times when a free Japanese-English dictionary just won’t cut it. In the past, this would mean paying a sizable sum for an electronic dictionary. Instead, for 24 bucks, you can get yourself The Wisdom Japanese Dictionary for the iPhone [App Store Link].

Before going any further, users should have a good understanding of hiragana and katakana. A decent understanding of kanji helps a lot but it’s not mandatory.

Doing a search is straightforward and quick. The search results are what separate this app from the free alternatives. You’ll often get a rich selection of example sentences that show the proper usage of the word in question.

Is this a one-stop solution? Definitely not, but it’s a good foundation. Just for fun, I did a search for some common Japanese slang words. I got zero results. So hentai manga aficionados will want to look elsewhere.

But for general use, this app shines for individuals who have outgrown some of the more basic Japanese-English dictionaries. The price is a bit steep, but considering the alternatives, it’s money well spent if you plan on taking your Japanese studies to the next level.

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After two years, my Ultimate Buds are starting to fall apart. So an obvious replacement are the new Etymotic hf2s [Amazon Link]. These headsets combine the well-received Etymotic earphones with an integrated mic/control unit.

Starting with the good, these earphones offer a level of sonic precision that you typically won’t find in cheaper units. Highs and mids sound great and bass is neutral. Load up a particularly impressive audio performance and prepare to have the hairs on your arms stand up. Cord length is spot on and the selection of eartips should satisfy 99% of users.

Now for bad. The mic/control unit is a bit on the large side. During runs, I found the unit slapping the underside of my chin. At times this neutral bass can feel lacking. My somewhat clouded audio judgment is probably due to the years of exposure to Sony Mega Bass. In order to get decent bass response, you need to get a good airtight seal with the eartip. And even with a perfect seal, some will still wonder where all the bass went.

And finally, durability is questionable. After a little over one week, the driver in the left earphone started making crackling sounds. Not once did I subject these headphones to any sort of abuse. Could this be a fluke? Possibly. As stated earlier, I’ve owned a set of Etymotics that have lasted two years. I’ll make a call to customer service and see if this issue can be sorted out.

Overall, when they’re working, these headphones offer performance bordering on startling. People addicted to bass will want to look elsewhere. I suppose it’s just presenting bass in a more proper/neutral manner. They’re pricey, but in the end, they offer performance that’s well worth the expense.

[Pic from Amazon.com]

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With the release of the iPhone 3GS, Apple finally included an integrated Nike Plus receiver. All you need now is a 20 dollar Nike Plus Sensor [Amazon Link] and some way of mounting it to your shoe. After a couple of runs, I think this implementation works rather nicely.

To start off, I don’t own any Nike shoes. In the past, I never found them to be very comfortable. My preference nowadays is for Asics or New Balance. Ideally, you want to use this sensor with Nike Plus compatible footwear. There’s a cut-out inside the shoe where you’re supposed to insert the sensor.

I instead picked up a Marware Sportsuit Sensor Case [Amazon Link]. This allows the user to mount the sensor right above the shoelaces. It’s then securely fastened via Velcro.

In real world testing, I found this combo to be fairly accurate. I compared it with my normal GPS run tracking system and found the distant measurements to be only off by only 1/10th of a mile. This was without any calibration. There was only one occasion where the sensor briefly dropped its connection with the iPhone.

Aside from accuracy, I like how this system adds an interesting facet to what can sometimes be an excruciatingly tedious activity. Workouts can be setup as open or one of many goal oriented scenarios (time, distance, and calorie).

Once you’re done with your workout you’ll get a summary. You also have the option of syncing with iTunes and having your workout stats uploaded to the Nike Plus website where you can track your previous workouts and compare stats with friends.

Overall, this is a hassle free way of tracking work outs and giving individuals further incentive to pursue specific goals. On top of that, you get better than average accuracy without having to spend too much money (I’m assuming you didn’t get the iPhone 3GS just for this feature).

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Waiting in line for the iPhone 3G S last Friday was a mixed experience. I decided to head up to The Grove Apple Store which is located next to the LA Farmer’s Market. The store employees set up two lines, one for people who had reservations and the other for everyone else. Approximately 20-25 people were ahead of me in the reservations line. Even with this fairly short line, the entire process took over 40 minutes.

I chose not to get the iPhone activated in store. As you probably already know, the activation servers got beat up on Friday. However, once I got home later that afternoon, activation went through instantly.

After a couple of days with the new iPhone, I feel it’s a solid upgrade from the previous generation. The first thing I noticed was the screen. The fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating works as advertised and also feels great. The screen feels like a slick UV-coated magazine cover.

Thanks to processor, cache and memory upgrades, real world performance gets a noticeable upgrade. Apps launch faster and the more processor intensive apps get close to running in a manner befitting their desktop counterparts (Peggle is a prime example).

I purchased a 3G about a year ago so I had to pay the $500 early adopter’s tax to get this phone. But I do believe that all of the numerous moderate to tiny upgrades combine to add a great deal of value to the total package. Have any iPhone 3G S line experiences that you’d like to share?

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After watching 30 TV episodes and one HD movie, I have no problems recommending the Roku [Amazon Link]. I also give Amazon’s video steaming service a solid thumbs up. I was considering getting an Apple TV, but several days with the Roku has put those plans on hold.

Until Apple comes out with something more compelling, the Roku is going to be a close second to my PS3 in terms of taking on the role of media centerpiece in my home theater. Setup is dead simple and while the menus could use a bit more polish, they do get the job done.

On a crappy 1.5 megabit DSL connection, Amazon’s video quality is surprisingly good. Video is generally clean and in everyday usage, it’s not hard to confuse it with traditional non-streaming media. It’s definitely approaching the quality of an upscaled DVD.

Gran Torino HD looked decent. Crappy bandwidth is what kept me from enjoying the full HD resolution. A few extra megabits would have smoothed things out. But in the end, that didn’t keep me from enjoying this film. There were only two scenes where I saw some excessive pixelation.

The overall variety of titles is a noticeable step up when compared to Netflix’s streaming service. From a casual glance, I’d say that the iTunes store offers a much better selection of titles but I’m not fond having to manage a collection of large video files locally. If Apple wants the Apple TV to succeed commercially, streaming media will be the feature set that Apple needs to embrace going forward.

The Roku/Netflix combo was and still is a great deal. Adding the Amazon Video On Demand store to the Roku is another great way of tapping into your favorite TV shows and films.

Is there room for improvement? Sure, first off I wish they would put out a firmware update so I can add Netflix films to my queue without ever having to use a PC. Cleaning up some the menu kludge and adding 1080p support (maybe requires a hardware refresh?) would get this device into the land of near perfection.

As it stands right now, the Roku is a great home theater addition and the convenience of video streaming far outweighs its minor imperfections.

[Pic from Wired]

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Time to put some pep back into my network. After several years of mostly reliable service, I’ve thrown out my old Linksys router. An AirPort Extreme Base Station [Amazon Link] has taken its place and for expandability, I’ve attached an HP ProCurve 8-port gigabit switch [Amazon Link].

Why the upgrade? Well, I’m tired of my MacBook occasionally losing its Wi-Fi connection. I’ve also added a PS3 and Roku to my network, so I need more connectivity options. And finally, that 10 megabit WAN side connection is primitive by today’s standards.

This marriage of Apple and HP works great. After several weeks of heavy use, performance remains fast and consistent. MacBook Wi-Fi issues have disappeared and I have plenty of extra gigabit ports. Eventually, I’ll get some kind of home server (hurry up, Apple!) so I can stream videos to my HDTV.

If you’re wondering why I went with the HP switch, it mostly comes down to reliability. I was considering something from Linksys or D-Link but the reviews were lukewarm. The exterior of the HP has a sturdy old school feel and with all things considered, it’s not overly pricey. I’ve had zero performance/reliability issues with this switch.

With only two devices and some cables, my computers, home theater equipment, printer, and Nintendo DSi all work in harmony. If you want a reliable/simple home network, you might consider going with a similar setup.

[Pic from Apple.com]

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