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Comments
A little background:
You may have read about this in the news a few years ago, as it made international news. Koby Mandell, a 13-year-old and a friend of his both living in Israel, were ambushed and stoned to death by terrorists. The owner of a PR firm that I doing a lot of design work for at the time knew the family very well. In fact they were so close that you could almost call them one big family.
To make a long story short, this horrible event turned into something very wonderful. The parents of Koby (Seth and Sherrie Mandell) decided to set up a foundation to help support famillies who have also suffered from terrorism. They have set up camps for kids; counciling and support groups for kids, parents and relatives; and it's going worldwide. The PR firm owner that I know has closed his business to become the U.S. Operations Exectutive Director. There's also a branch in Canada, and it is certainly is very active in Israel.
Bob
Bob
You can get an EX coupe with NAV for under $20 grand, at least with a manual. I think I'd opt for that.
-juice
I drove it a few times for a total of maybe 75-100 miles. It's a great vehicle. It's far from fast, but it does make good enough low-end torque that the 5spd automatic's top gear keeps the rpm around 2400 when cruising at 70 mph. That explains the fuel economy!
She had the top stereo.. "360 watts" with tweeter and midrange up front, whizzer cone coaxials in the rear, and a small (6.5" I believe) "subwoofer". Those are my quote marks because they are what Honda advertises but I believe they are all pretty generous usages of the terms; it's a decent factory stereo, but still a far cry from the premium gear in luxury vehicles and a competent aftermarket system. Of course.
I liked the instrument panel. The over & under digital tach and speedo were easy to read at a glance and quite clear even in bright sunlight.
Good car for my mum. I'd prefer a sedan for commuting however.
~Colin
Sounds decent for the price, though. When you consider how many cars hit $30k these days...
-juice
Didn't think that the video pod would sell but developments like that are chaning my mind.
How soon till the stock splits again?
Voice commands are clear. Even though it is a compressed map format, it has every on ramp and every street locally. It gave me an accurate timing to the minute last week of the time it would take to get home from Clarksville, TN. It is no bigger than a baseball and is suction cupped to my dash and even with my bifocals I can read onscreen text OK.
True bargain if you can dispense with color (i3) which cost $80 more from GPS City online. If you are a Mac person like me ( I had to borrow my wife's PC laptop to load maps) there is an i5 with a preloaded hard drive for $400.
Believe it or not it is easy to use even though there are just a back button and a scrolling wheel with a selection button built in. Can't explain it but it is really easy.
Downsides are few but, I wish it would toggle its 2 data displays. In map mode it is mph and compass direction and in nav mode it is arrival time and distance to next turn. Other down side is that locally it tries to take me on some pretty strange routes that get you there but really are not logical. I wish it could go into a mode like my Garmin Legend where there are 6 displays of about 40 possible data fields. I love the elevation, GPS accuracy, vertical speed as fun things to keep you from getting bored on the highway. As small as they both are, on vacation I will probably use the Legend too. I bought topos for it but Susan's XP laptop can't find the legend to connect to it. I am going to try to find an older PC to experiment with. Love to have topos to use in Colorado next summer.
TWRX
So you did get the i2, eh? Price is great, that's amazing. Basically you bought maps and they threw the device in for free, almost.
I don't like the 3D view, though. I like it set to Direction-oriented (as opposed to North being up), but not the 3D. It shows less info.
Not sure if I'd miss having color. I have the c320, it's basically the same thing with a 4" screen. Mine uses an SD card. The c330 has a pre-loaded hard drive (Dennis had that one, and Hutch just ordered one).
Does the i series have a touch screen? Or do you use the scroll (sounds like my BlackBerry)?
I wish it would toggle its 2 data displays
Same here, mine does the same thing. It's like a heads-up display with speed/compass on it.
How do you see elevation?
-juice
Forester X ain't a bad choice, or an Outback Sport maybe (not sure if it'll take 2 wheel chairs, though). I also like the new Civic and Mazda3.
-juice
You have to climb in, turn, then sit down in the back seat of an Element. Anyone not very agile will positively struggle with that.
You want user-friendly. Good seat height. Wide doors (or sliders). Grab handles. Look for stuff like that.
-juice
TWRX
Name the movie.
Becky had a more sensual voice, I still miss her. But the Garmin has a better personality. LOL
-juice
So will the nav in the Legacy/Outback feature her wayward sister whose voice sounds like she drank a fifth of Jack and had a pack of Luckies before lunch every day for the last 10 years??
Hey Fool, you best make a right before I knock you out!
-juice
How about Darth Vader? (James Earl Jones) Or I would like someone with a British or Australian accent (Do their nav's get voices with accents?) Maybe one with a cute little Japanese voice too!
tom
Jim
It's already programmed for a lot of Subaru Crew members:
"Turn right at the next signal, Dave"
Cheers!
Paul
I use the British female voice on my Garmin 2610. It defintely sounds better than the default American male.
Mark
-juice
I have the same unit. I just wish the accent was a little stronger and more pleasant. Definitely better than a male voice though. I think of my cars as female. (dont' tell my wife!)
Maybe you could buy voices like buying cell phone ringtones!
tom
speaking of ring tones: a co-workers personal phone went off the other day. it was a female diva-style voice singing “the phone is ringing phone is ringing.. PLEeeeease pick it up” :P
~c
Anyone catch Access Hollywood last night? Where she downloads a re-run of a TV show for $1.99 and plays it on the tiny 2" screen?
I'm not convinced people are dumb enough to pay $2 to watch a re-run on such a tiny screen. It would be one thing to get TiVo, network it with your PC, and download first-run shows for FREE, but re-runs for $2? That's nuts.
I think they're trying to squeeze out every last dollar from the electronics consumer but it's getting to be a bit much, no?
-juice
I bet you that for a while at least, you'll see people doing it jsut so that they can be hip with the latest technology. I know a couple of co-workers who upgrade their cell phones about once a year so that they can have the "newest and hottest" phones.
Mark
Not really Subaru-related but nonetheless interesting for enthusiasts.
For some reason the GTI has always held a bit of mystique for me and I'm looking forward to see the new one. And with a 5-door version coming next summer, we're looking at a potential competitor for WRX buyers - especially those who prefer a hatch/wagon.
Oh yeah, that's because it is! LOL
-juice
And keep in mind the iPod still has the same capabilities everyone loved in the past... now it just adds video capability without adding to the price. Seems like a good deal to me. I don't think the video will take off like the music portion, but I don't have a problem with it. *shrug*
Funnily enough I was reading a VW magazine today and harking back to how much fun my 1990 Golf GTi Mk II was. Red three door and ideal for London and the lovely country lanes nearby. The blast of driving it hard through the beech hangers across the South Downs up and down through tight twisty lanes is one of those wonderful memories. i really regretted handing the car back at lease end and have regretted not buying out the lease ever since.
Ahhh, memories
Graham
Hitch (installed) $189
Wiring (installed) $41.95
Uhaul Lifetime warranty $5
Does this sound right?
TIA
Mark
Cheers!
Paul
Guess the better value would depend on how you used it. My point was you could combine TiVo and an iPod, network it all to your PC, and have as many programs as you wanted for the cost of your subscription. It's only $15 per month, or $17 with a free DVR (that was the deal we got).
swampy: sorry, we forgot to feed the gerbil. He went on strike.
Mark: seems OK given it includes the install. The OE hitch cost me about $180 and came with the harness, so figure they're charging about $50 extra for labor. Took me a couple of hours (but I installed the skid plate at the same time) so that's fair.
-juice
I do think that is kind of funny... We embraced the concept of cell phones fairly early (got them in 1996), but typically keep each model 2-3 years. Only change when technology dictates (like AMPS to TDMA), or until the battery becomes an issue. Now contemplating going to GSM as TDMA is going down.
Our phones even have basic black text! I keep reminding the store guy that it is a telephone (well, radio actually...), and not an entertainment device. Call me old fashioned....
Steve
-juice
I currently have a Canon A40 digital camera, but have been looking into the Canon Rebel XT. They have some decent rebates in effect until the begining of Jan if you buy the XT and one of their lenses, and even a printer. I want the capability of having different lenses for both distance (decent zoom lense) and wide angle.
Any opinions, or suggestions? I have read the reviews at Digital photography Review, and the different Electronic sites, but I always appreciate first hand experience.
Thanks,
Mark
The Rebel XT, Nikon D50 and D70s are all aimed at a similar market segment and offer very competitive price/feature combinations. Here are some good websites that provide in-depth reviews of camera models:
http://www.dpreview.com/
http://www.steves-digicams.com/
http://dcresource.com/
Quite often, the question comes down to which brand. It really depends on if you had any lenses/accessories that you want to leverage and just your own preference. In my case, I had both Nikon and Canon film SLRs in my arsenal. When I was shopping, it was between the D70 and the original Digital Rebel. In this case, the D70 provided a few more features as well a more solid "feel" than the Rebel.
Since then, the entry-level market has heated up and Canon revamped their Digital Rebel as well as Nikon refreshing the D70 and introducing a D50. Lots more choices today to better fit exactly your budget and needs.
Whatver you do, don't get sucked up into the megapixel war that has plagued compact cameras. Most entry level digital SLRs as well as compacts have far more resolution than most people will ever need. It's more about the quality of the glass and camera's ability to translate analog to digital. The websites above all have extensive comparision shots.
Read through the reviews, go to a local camera shop and play around and let us know if you have any questions!
Ken
It depents on what you plan to do with the camera. If you are a 'manual' person vs 'auto'. Also would you actually change lenses.
There are some High end ZLR's (non-interchangeable lenses- but good range from Wide to Zoom) which are less expensive than SLRs, although not much less than the new D50 or Rebel.
The Rebel is an excellent camera (I've used one) it takes good images and is easy to use- my only objection with it is the LCD screen is kind of dim.
If you don't have a backpack full of lenses from one company or the other, I would go with whichever one you can get the best deal on. If you are a serious photographer who wants a camera you can grow into, they might be a little lacking. But you could use this one now and keep it as a backup camera and buy something better when it comes out.
Good luck. Sorry if this is confusing.
tom
If you are starting from scratch, I really like the Olympus E-series. They are designed for digital, not film cameras adapted for digital.
Finally, I have a friend with an extensive 35mm system who shoots film, scans the negatives and prints digitally. It would have cost him thousands to get a digital camera with equivalent resolution.
Good luck ... it's a complex decision!
Jim
Some answers to your questions:
- The only lens I have from a previous SLR is from my old Canon T-50 lens. Some how I don't think it will work for the Rebel XT.
-I enjoy taking pictures where ever I go. A lot of my shots wind up being scenery shots. There are times that I wish I had the capability to change lens in order to get the detail shot, or the full feeling of the scene. I think only a SLR can give me that by offering the ability to change lens as needed.
-I figure that in order to do this correctly, budget wise I am going to have to spend around $1000, give or take a hundred or so. With that I will get into the Digital SLR field with something decent, without going to the professional level.
- Jim, you are about the third person to mention the Olympus E. The new e-500 sounds like a decent camera.
I guess I am going to have to find a good camera shop in NY to see and handle each one. I'll keep you folks up to date on it.
In the mean time, if anyone else has an opinion, please speak up!
Mark
Many of the newer digital cameras rely on additional features of the lens so unless you have some very expensive glass, it probably makes sense to start from scratch.
Based on your interests, a digital SLR will make you a very happy person. Not only is the ability to switch lenses there, but you just simply have more control over the shot with easy to reach controls. Some high end compacts provide lots of manual control, but you end up having to dive into menu after menu to chase them down.
New York has many camera stores, but be careful of which one you buy from. B&H is very reputable and often has the most competitive prices. I'd recommend them.
Yes, you'll probably need to budget about $1000 for body+lens+accessories, even with some of the more attractively priced models. Another reason why I went with the D70 is that their body+lens kit offers an excellent value. The 18-70mm lens that comes with it is a very solid performer on top of having a very usable zoom range (multiply by 1.6 to get the film equivalent).
Ken
You are correct that the T-50 lens (FD series) is not compatible with Canon's EOS cameras.
Jim
I can understand your feelings. When my Dad passed away, his camera collection was put aside for the time. My youngest niece has shown some real talent in photography where she will probably get at least one of the cameras. We're talking an old Leica, as well as some other "classical" cameras. There is something about working with film at times that digital just does not cut it.
Mark