PCWorld Reviews Samsung’s Lightray 4G With Live TV
PCWorld gave the Samsung Galaxy S Lightray 4G a 3.0 rating in its Samsung Galaxy S Lightray 4G Review by Armando Rodriguez. Rodriguez had this to say about the phone's live TV capability: “When I tried the service here in San Francisco, I was surprised to see how well it worked. Even in areas where I had little cell reception, the picture quality on the shows I watched was comparable to what a traditional TV antenna would offer. Occasionally the image would freeze or become extremely pixelated, but for the most part it was an enjoyable experience to watch bad daytime TV during my lunch break. The one drawback is that Dyle doesn't work everywhere, so you'll want to consult the company's website to see if it’s available in your area.”
The main criticism of the phone was its high price and similar specs to the older Samsung Droid Charge. Rodriguez commented, “In a time when you can buy a dual-core phone for less than $300, it's hard to justify paying close to half a grand for what amounts to a year-old phone.”
Solid Signal HD-Blade Indoor Antenna
Rachel Cericola's article Solid Signal HD-Blade Indoor Antenna Delivers Free HDTV for $28.99 on BigPictureBigSound.com alerted me to an antenna that looks a lot like the Mohu Leaf but claims to offer better VHF performance due to a larger antenna.
The “Specifications” tab on Solid Signal's HD-Blade product page shows the internal design of the antenna. It does not include a preamp. The antenna is priced lower than the unamplified Mohu Leaf, but comes with a short pigtail with a female F-connector rather than the longer cable included with the Mohu Leaf. While this may be a bit less convenient when the antenna is placed close to the TV, it makes it easier to add a longer cable and place the antenna in the optimum location--perhaps in or near a window.
Cericola's article doesn't describe any real world experiences on how it performs compared with the Mohu Leaf, but does note, “At first glance, this model looks an awful lot like the Mohu Leaf, but it doesn't act like it. According to a Solid Signal rep, the HD-Blade actually has antenna elements that stretch all the way to the edges of the device. This boasts a better performance, especially in the VHF-high range.”
CORRECTION
In last week's article ADS-B Hackers Pose Possible Threat to NextGen Air Traffic Control System I had the wrong first name for Canadian computer consultant Brad Haines (“RenderMan”). I apologize to Haines for the error.
