And now for something completely different…A Car Stereo Review

April 18th, 2013 by John Mahlman IV 4 comments »

Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve updated.  I’ve just not had the desire to write too much about technology.  I was thinking about writing about my switch from Android to the iPhone 5, and I said “Naa, people see those all the time.”  And I’ve been having a fairly boring life technologically speaking, so I didn’t want to write about upgrading a lab, or using MDM systems.  Oddly enough, this review has nothing to do with computers, but my car.

My 2005 Mazda3 does not have the flip-up GPS option installed so I’ve been using my phones as GPS units.  I have a mount and a really kick ass bluetooth FM transmitter that’s worked so well for me, I bought one for my mother to use in her car and she loves it.  The sound quality is excellent and the mic is very clear.  Overall I was happy with it.  The mount was good, but often fell while driving which can be fun of course, and the bluetooth unit was obtrusive at times (they have a smaller one that doesn’t have the arm, but they didn’t have that when I bought it).

I decided to start looking at stand-alone GPS units, mainly because I didn’t want to rely on cellular data for navigation.  It became a problem while driving through Pennsylvania to Pittsburgh for work, and often while I’m working in the burbs I lose cell coverage and can’t navigate.  I was looking for units with lifetime map updates and traffic with a large enough screen to see easily.  The ones I really looked at would be between $150 and $200.  I didn’t want to drop $200 on a standalone GPS that I won’t use enough to justify the cost…plus I really didn’t want to have more wires and devices hanging around the car.  So I began thinking about in-dash units…

I was doing a lot of looking online for factory units, but those require so much altering and even then my car would probably not be able to use it without changing a lot of electronics, so that was out.  I went to look at fold-out LCD 1-DIN units, and in-dash 2-DIN units, but the cost on these are so high (the best price I saw was $700 plus the dash kit!) While these dash units are good brands and would probably be very nice, I didn’t have $700+ to drop on a unit.

After visiting some forums and even looking on eBay I came across a unit from a company called Eonon. The unit I saw was $270..still a bit much, but it was an entire stereo replacement with a 7-inch screen.  I read reviews and found that users were relatively happy but some of the weird issues put me off.  I decided to let it sit for a while and just continued with my phone.

A few weeks ago I found that Eonon released a newer updated unit for the Mazda3, and a forum I frequent was having a group buy.  After reading the reviews of the new unit being FAR etter than the old unit, and almost every user was happy I decided to bite the bullet and buy one.  Of course I was very hesitant to buy from some company in Hong Kong that I never heard of with a device running Windows CE 6.0, but I took a chance..besides, it comes with a 2-year warranty.

After a few days I received the unit (really fast, from HK!) in a really nicely packaged box.  First impressions: the build quality of the unit is pretty good!  It looks like it could be a factory unit, the buttons feel pretty nice, the screen is big, the knobs are solid, it just looks petty nice!

Eonon D5151 Out of Box

Eonon D5151 Out of Box

Looks 9/10

The D5151 looks really good in the car, it really looks like a factory unit.  The screen is not bad, in bright light it’s definitely difficult to see, but I’ve had similar experience in a Prius so I wouldn’t fault it too much.  You can chance the boot logos, backgrounds, and the LCD colors to help customize it.  The buttons are a little flimsier than the stock stereo, so I took a point off for that.

Stock on Left, Eonon on Right

Stock on Left, Eonon on Right

Radio (6.5/10)

The stereo is of course the base of the D5151.  The radio interface is far better than the old one, it’s easy to read and easy to use.

Radio Interface

Radio Interface

The sound from the stereo is pretty good; however, I did find some issues with it.  When you set a preset (say I set 93.3 on #1 and 104.5 on #2) it will play whatever preset you’re on just fine.  Oddly enough, when you switch to another preset for some reason the numbers that show what station you’re on (in the center of the stereo) will stay on the first preset.  Seems to be a small software bug that hopefully can be fixed.  The radio does play whatever station you’re tuned to just fine, it just shows a different number.  It’s not as bothersome since I use my steering wheel controls and don’t look at the screen much anyway, but it’s still an odd problem.

The second issue I found with the stereo is that the tuner seems to be either really sensitive, or really crappy.  I normally get perfect signal with the stock radio, and this one gets the same quality most times, but while driving I’ve noticed the signal dipping in and out randomly.  Not sure if this is hardware related or software related..but it’s a bit annoying so hopefully that can be fixed.

Finally, after some time the radio has some random pops, not very loud and no set pattern, just random clicks or pops.  I have read online that these go away after a bit of a “burn-in” period, so hopefully that is the case.

I have contacted the company regarding all of these issues and will update with any word from them.

Bluetooth/Phone (9.5/10)

I pair my iPhone with my car automatically.  I use it as a phone and for playing music a lot.  The sound quality of the phone calls is really good.  I can hear the person clearly and apparently they hear me very clearly.  Siri even works very well through the mic!  The music streaming is also really good.  I don’t seem to notice any issues with playing music via bluetooth, I wish the screen would show music info while playing, but it just shows a music note on screen.  I can control bluetooth audio via my steering wheel, which is nice, and if a phone call comes in it just rings through the speakers and shows the caller ID on my screen no matter what I’m doing (radio, gps, etc).  It’s really a nice step up from the old bluetooth FM transmitter.  I only took a half-point off because of the lack of music info on screen..nothing major.

Navigation (Stock: 5/10 Upgrade: 9/10)

This section is probably the most important one.  The GPS software that comes with the unit is KudosGPS, and I gotta say, it sucks.  The interface is very Windows 8 looking, which isn’t a problem, but it’s very simple and doesn’t function that well.  It was quick to load, and it did a fairly good job with navigation, but when you turn your car off and turn it back on it completely forgot that you were navigating somewhere and seemed to forget my state and city everytime.  It was only a $30 add-on, but I was very underwhelmed with it.

I decided to install iGo Primo on the unit right away and the difference is amazing.  iGo is really the way to go if you’ve got a Windows CE device and you want a good looking, very nice functioning GPS system with lots of points-of-interest and updated maps. It’s a little slower to load, but it looks WAY better, had many more points-of-interest, and it allows me to add so much to it (like better voices and themes).

iGo Primo GPS

iGo Primo GPS

Overall

I like it.  For under $300, I have a fully functioning touchscreen GPS, in my dash with bluetooth/hands-free capability.  It looks like it’s from the factory, it sounds pretty good for the most part, the GPS (once replaced) works really well, and the installation was a breeze!  Honestly, if they fixed the radio issues and replaced the stock GPS with a better one like I did I would totally say this is a 9/10, but overall with the stock GPS I’m giving it a 7.5/10 (8.5 with the new GPS).

Would I recommend this company to others?  Probably.  I’m going to give the radio a bit to see if any of the audio issues get resolved, I’m also going to see if their customer service gets back to me about anything (I’ve read online of software patches).  I will update as things progress.

4 comments »

Posted in Car, Hardware, Reviews

Tags:

Fridays in IT: Read-Only Friday

June 15th, 2012 by John Mahlman IV 1 comment »

Read-Only Friday.  It’s an IT tradition that I really think every company should abide by.  Seriously, I really think every IT company should have it in a contract or something.  What is it?  Well, Friday is the last day of the week…so you should do everything in your power to not have a terrible weekend by updating or making any changes to your production environment on a Friday.  Friday in the IT world should be for emergency calls and finishing up projects you had during the week…not for installing that new software for your users or installing that shiny new UPS to replace one that is working, just old.

Why the fuck is this important?

Well, if you install new software (or god forbid, hardware) on Friday you have to make sure that it fucking works by the end of the day for the user.  Now, using new software might also be easy for you, so after installing and testing it you’re done, right? NOPE! Remember, the user is used to the old stuff, so they’re not going to know a damn thing about the new software you just installed for them most likely.  They’re going to call you for every little thing they need help with..EVERYTHING.  And if they can’t get something working, you’re stuck helping them.  Now, if the program install doesn’t go smoothly…you’re screwed.  You’ve gotta make sure it’s working for Monday, so guess what?  You’re staying until it’s working.

It’s worse for hardware.  If that brand new thing doesn’t work right (and you know it won’t) you’re stuck there..and if you think you’re good on Friday..wait.  You’ll get that call on Saturday that you NEED TO BE AT WORK TO FIX THAT NEW THING CAUSE IT’S NOT WORKING RIGHT!  Yeah.  It happens more often than people think.

So..Friday is really the worst time to do ANY upgrades or installs in IT.  Seriously..I just was told by a client who isn’t here (sick) to install a new version of Adobe Creative Suite on a users’ computer.  CS6 changed a whole lot from CS5.  So, like a moron, I do it.  I’ve now been called 3 times already by this person because they don’t know the new layout of CS6.  I’ve had to go across campus 2 times for this person.  I’m waiting for the phone to ring again…I just know it’s going to happen.

Why did I install new shit today?!?

Well, being client work, I have to make the client happy.  If that’s what they want, that’s what they get.  One good thing though?  If something else goes wrong after 3PM (when I’m leaving) they have to deal with it themselves. :-)

So please, everyone.  If you work with IT people, don’t ask them to do major shit to your production environment on Fridays.  It’s a terrible fucking idea for everyone involved, especially the IT staff.  I’m not even joking when I say that if I ever have my own IT staff, I’m putting read-only Friday as a real thing, mark my words.  Friday is for planning, emergencies, and finalizing work. That’s it. Nothing else.

Now I’m going to get ready to go home and have a beer.

1 comment »

Posted in Life, Rant, Work

Tags:

A New Job, a New Life

April 13th, 2012 by John Mahlman IV 3 comments »

My last update back in February was going to have a follow-up post, but I got a little side-tracked with my life.  Without going into much detail, I had a big change in my life for the better and I needed to move away from New York in order to complete my change and leave all of my negativity behind.  In February I decided to move back to Philadelphia and with this move I would have to change jobs of course.  I was looking for work for a few months before I moved (I knew I was going to move back many months before I actually did I just needed the job to come in before I could finally do it), and I received several interviews from very reputable companies and institutions.  I was very close to working for another college, but due to circumstances that were beyond my control that job fell through.

I few weeks after that I applied for a job working for a technology consulting company that d0es work for independent k-12 schools in the Philadelphia Metro-area.  I received a call-back the very next day and set up and interview within the next week.  Three weeks later and I had a new job waiting for me on February 27th as a Senior Support Engineer for this company (I will leave my company name private for the time being).

My new job is similar to my work at Poly but also very different.  I’m working with multiple clients, visiting different schools throughout the week and basically solving their tech issues both big and small.  It’s a lot slower-paced than I’m used to, and the levels of work can range from basic software updates and printer repair all the way up to large scale wireless and network deployment and server room build-outs.

I have clients of my own (only about 2 right now) and in 6-months time I will be managing several more locations and possibly managing more of the company as a whole (scheduling, getting new clients, purchasing for schools, etc.).  Its a very small company, just 4 full-time guys and one part-time, but there’s usually always something to do or someplace to be.

I don’t want this post to be ALL about the new job, so I’ll deviate a bit from that and mention that I did buy a car.  It’s the newest car I’ve ever owned, and I love it.  I did have to buy it because of work, but I wanted my own vehicle for some time.  Anyway, it’s a 2005 Mazda 3i Sport, it’s metallic Grey with an interesting blue pinstripe.

Adzam the Mazda

My new ride!

I love driving, and this car is fun to drive.  It’s one of the smaller cars I’ve owned but I don’t need to carry 5 people around anymore..all of my friends drive now!  Hopefully I’ll be able to put some customizations in it; maybe an in-dash navi/screen, but for now, it’s prefect for me.

Anyway, I will try to update more with my new job fun.  I’ll probably have to be vague about some details of work (you know… k-12 schools and all) but hopefully I can sneak some writing time in more often and maybe some different types of updates (maybe car mods/work!).

3 comments »

Posted in Car, Life

Tags:

First Impressions on Lion Server

February 15th, 2012 by John Mahlman IV No comments »

I haven’t forgotten about the posts on upgrading my servers, I’ve just not had the time to.  I also got extremely delayed with getting the hardware itself.  Let me just give some first impressions on Lion server and the new hardware.

Hardware

The Mac Mini servers are very fast, quiet, and easy to store of course.  The Promise Pegasus is a great piece of hardware also.  Six SATA drives in a box smaller than a mini tower with a single cable for data.  Setting up the hardware was so simple it’s only one sentence: Take out of box, configure, plug in Promise, done.

Software

Now on to the bad part; Lion Server.  I like Lion as s desktop, I haven’t had any issues with it thus far, but I really dislike Lion Server.  Initial server setup was also very simple; it asks a few questions, configures some services for you, and you’re done.  After it drops you into the desktop, you’re on your own.  So manage the server in the past you had a few tools; Server Admin, the main config GUI for all services; Workgroup Manager, to configure users and computers on the network; and Server Monitor, a simple monitoring tool that gives you the server status at a glance.  Lion includes those tools with the addition of one more: Server.  Server is basically what separates Lion desktop from Lion Server, one single app to “control” the services.  This sounds great, but wasn’t that what Server Admin was for?  Yes..it was.  But now Apple decided that they wanted to make things more difficult and separate configurations into two programs, one of which (Server) is stupidly over simplified.

Server vs Server Admin

Server is basically a simplified version of Server Admin.  When I say simplified I mean VERY simplified.

Looks good, but wait until you go in more...

Now, compare that to the old Server Admin overview shown below.

Looks similar....but...

Now these two look like they give relatively the same information, right?  It tells you everything you need to know about the sevrer at a glance.  If you notice that on Server you have a lot more items on the sidebar though, and Server Admin has very little.  This is because Server Admin allows you to select what you want shown, so out of the many options (there are 11 total) I only need to show those 3; however, out of those 11, only 2 are available in Server also (Mail and Podcast Producer).  Why is this a problem?  Server Admin allows you to really edit lots of different settings with your services, it also allows you to edit more advanced services (DHCP, NAT, DNS).  Server allows you to edit the most used services (file sharing and web) but they are VERY limited in what you can edit.

For example, editing file sharing on anything other than 10.7 looked like this in Server Admin before:

10.5 File Sharing

This window gave you everything you needed to set up proper file sharing with users, home directories, NFS, FTP, SMB, AFP, and a bunch of other things.  It gives you great control over your network file system and user access.  This is what you get with Server:

10.7 File Sharing Configuration

That’s it.  Those are your settings you can edit. Notice the lack of FTP and NFS…as well as lack of a REAL permissions editor.  This is totally unacceptable in a server environment.  NFS is still there (it gets enabled when you use NetBoot) but where is FTP?  it’s not in Server or Server Admin.  Well, Apple decided FTP isn’t needed really, and basically removed it.  Let me rephrase, they didn’t REMOVE it completely, it’s hidden.  Apple’s basic FTP server is still there, but there are not settings in GUI for it at all, it’s all command based now, and to enable it you have to type this command in terminal.

sudo launchctl load /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/ftp.plist

Now, on a server, that’s pretty ridiculous, especially since FTP config was easy and clean in pervious versions of OS X Server.  To get around using the basic FTP, which has limited functionality, I decided to install a third-party server.  I will make another post on how I accomplished this and about the frustrations I had with it.  Long story short, went with PureFTP.

My frustrations with LDAP also came back.  I’m not sure if it’s an issue with our old LDAP database or setup, but I simply couldn’t restore the server LDAP backup for the life of me.  I tried several different methods but nothing worked.  I ended up exporting user data (without the passwords) to the new server using Workgroup manager.  This worked fine, but I lost every password. I was upset with this, but I knew it was the best method to try to get the LDAP working normally again (I constantly have trouble with the old LDAP server due to corruption…so this hopefully would fix that).  The user editing in Server is horrible.  It’s way too simplified, and doesn’t allow much configuration..thankfully, you can use Workgroup manager still.

After setting up a new image and setting shares for home directories and resetting passwords, I tested our lab with home directories and logins and SUCCESS!  It all worked!  So now the network accounts are faster, and the LDAP seems to be working fine now.

Moral: Lion Server sucks compared to older versions.

I’ll be updating again on how I got PureFTP installed on the server and configure it for LDAP.  I’ll also go over how I got SFTP working with users jailed to their home directories….but breaking AFP, then fixing it again.

No comments »

Posted in Hardware, Rant, Reviews, Software, Uncategorized

Next, on YOTG.

November 15th, 2011 by John Mahlman IV No comments »

It has finally happened.  My lab has finally gotten the funds to upgrade our aging G5 servers with nice, new, shiny Mac Mini’s and a Promise Pegasus RAID.

Currently, the lab I run has 10 Mac Pro desktop’s all running into a 6 year old G5 Xserve and Apple RAID.  The RAID uses 14 IDE drives that are basically maxed out.  We have about 4TB of storage on 14 drives..this is very sad.  Our G5 servers are not upgradable anymore, and we have limitations on the types of things we can serve on them.  They have lasted us this long, but it’s time to finally phase them out.

In the next 2-3 weeks I’ll be replacing our two G5 servers and our RAID with two Mac Mini servers and the Promise Thunderbolt RAID.  The servers will give us huge boost in performance and the RAID will bump us to 12TB of storage.  This will not be an easy task as our current systems all run 10.5 and the new servers run 10.7.  I will also have to migrate all of the user accounts and data to the new system without losing anything. Instead of removing our old servers I will use them only as basic servers; MySQL, Apache, Xgrid controllers, etc.  I’m also going to use them as tertiary backups for our user accounts and servers (backing up the new machines and user accounts to the RAID once per week).

Over the next few posts I will attempt to document the migration.  I’ll start with initial setup then go to migrating data/accounts then end with the final phase out process.  I hope that the next few entries may help people who get into a similar situation as well as keep a record for myself on any problems I might face.

No comments »

Posted in Hardware, Work

Tags: