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Showing posts from September, 2008

Using the Honda Fit audio system

One of my favorite features of the versatile and economical Honda Fit Sport is its 160 watt audio system. Not only does it sound great, but I can plug my iPod directly into the auxiliary jack and listen to music that way. The Fit combines the iPod integration with an interesting interactive console. It is designed well : the display is bright, easy to read and frequently used buttons are placed near the driver including a large knob used for changing modes (aux, cd, fm/am) and sound settings. When I first saw the knob, I thought it was a bit obnoxious but the more I used it, I realized that since I change modes often, it was nice to have it nearby and prominent. Also, the large buttons make it easy to hit the 'target' while driving. One gripe is that sometime my palm will hit the center button (used for volume and power) and shut the system off. I just wish I had waited longer for the available navigation system. Overall, the audio system provides a great music user experience

Pandora on the iPhone

I have been using Pandora for a while and their site is great. It's clean and easy to use and allows you to rate songs using a 'thumbs up/down' scale. You can also bookmark and purchase the songs you like (through iTunes). So, I thought I'd try the new Pandora application for the iPhone. Installing Pandora was easy . Although initiating the install was weird (you have to hit a 'Free' button which then changes to an 'Install' button), overall, the process was simple. One thing I really liked was being asked for my Pandora login to make the process easier. "Already a Pandora user?...even easier, just login...Pandora for the iPhone is fully integrated with Pandora on the Web". The application imported all of my stations quickly. Using Pandora was just as easy . Although functionality is a bit limited when compared to the web version (for example, song, artist and album info isn't available), it works great as a 'walk up and use' appl