I was recently taking a drive with a friend of mine and he was carefully observing how my GPS navigation system worked in the car. We were exploring unknown roads and destinations and my friend was amazed at everything the GPS could do and how much easier it was to find your way around.  My friend is a die hard motorcycle enthusiast and he mentioned that motorcyclists really got left behind when it comes to motorcycle GPS navigation systems.

Being a tech buff I told him I recently saw an advertisement for a GPS navigation system which was designed with the avid motorcyclist in mind.  I decided to back track and find the GPS system that I had heard about so off I went to my local electronics store and found several motorcycle GPS systems to test drive.  The following information represents what I found during a Garmin Zumo 550 review which provides motorcyclists with just about everything they need:

Garmin Zumo 550 Portability

Listening to my friend I kind of wondered underneath if it really was possible to apply a GPS system to a motorcycle despite the fact that the unit was advertised as being designed for a motorcycle.  Hence the reason for me to pay a visit to the local electronics store to see for myself.  I looked at a few different units before coming across the Garmin Zumo 550 Portable which I found to be very portable and full of motorcycle friendly features.

The unit is designed to be very easy to operate while you are driving a motorcycle while containing most of the features installed on an automobile GPS navigation system.  I was impressed with the durable construction of the Garmin Zumo 550 with a touch screen that is made for gloves and left handed controls to make it easy and safe to use while on the road. The removable lithium ion battery lasts for about three hours and is rechargeable with an AC adapter.

Garmin Zumo 550 Navigation

The Garmin Zumo 550 is preloaded with a comprehensive selection of maps and many navigational features to allow avid motorcyclists to travel anywhere and still find their way.  Some of the preloaded features include housing accommodations, fuel stops, restaurants, ATM locations, and voice recorded directions that help you get to your location. Also the Garmin Zumo 550 provides detailed text and voice guided directions and offers a text to speech functionality.  You can also calculate your routes and find detours in the event of construction which is under way.  The unit can store many routes which you can download to Google Earth to visualize your trip.

If you have a motorcycle helmet or Bluetooth headset with a phone installed you can take advantage of the Bluetooth wireless technology which allows you to talk on the phone while you are driving or call points of interest with the easy to use Bluetooth interface. If you have a lot of contact numbers you can easily find what you are looking for by simply entering a few letters of the contact name. The phone options are easy to access safely while you are driving and the icons for operating the phone are large so you can easily find them without taking your eyes off the road to search for them.

There are over 6 million different points of interest in the database and you can also load the optional CD to add to the number of points of interest.  The software will also allow you to monitor when you are speeding, gauge your fuel supply, and receive notifications such as when you are getting close to your destination.

The mapping feature has 2D or 3D capability with customized colors to view the map by day or by night.  There is also a sensor feature that detects when it is getting dark and will automatically switch the maps from day mode to night mode.

Garmin Zumo 550 XM Antenna

You can also receive real-time traffic updates with the Garmin Zumo 550 XM Antenna which is an optional unit and comes with a subscription plan.  The antenna provides you with real-time traffic updates from Clear Channel Total Traffic Network and if you travel a lot the extra cost is well worth the investment.  You can also enjoy radio reports with this service and there is a built-in MPS player which will allow you to load your favorite media via an SD card and listen on installed speakers or through a Bluetooth headset.

Garmin Zumo 550 Manual

The Garmin Zumo 550 comes with a comprehensive manual and is also available in PDF format from the Garmin website.  The manual is about 70 pages and includes clearly explained information on how to get started with the device, where to find specific features, how to use the main pages, instructions for using the hands-free features, how to obtain traffic information, using the XM radio option, tips on managing your files, how to listen to MP3 files from the SD card, and how to customize the device to make the features you use the most readily available.

Overall, the Garmin Zumo 550 is a great buy for everything you are getting and since the unit is so portable you can easily use it to find your way around on foot or place it in your automobile.  I found it to be extremely motorcycle friendly with great mounting hardware, high quality waterproofing, and great functions with the latest software updates.  If you have been searching for a unit to use on your motorcycle and you have been shopping for a Garmin Zumo 550 best price I found a great deal on it here.

A friend of mine first bought an HDTV several years back and at the time it was considered a state-of-the-art unit.  Technology changes so quickly that he was already looking to update his HDTV which was only a few years old.  One of his concerns was the amount of time and programming it took to set up his HDTV so he was looking for a unit that delivers the latest innovations in HDTV technology without the headaches and fuss of setting up and programming the unit.

After speaking with my friend I began to focus on HDTVs which would meet my friend’s criteria and being interested in reviewing electronics products, I wanted to see if I could challenge myself to find a unit that delivered everything including easy setup.  As I spent time on research, I came across the Vizio vf552xvt which appeared to be close to my friend’s expectations so I decided to investigate further and give it a test run.  As long as I was investigating I decided to take notes so I could provide a vf552xvt unbiased review to help my friend and others make an informed decision.

Vizio vf552xvt Fast Setup

When I went to the electronics store the attendant demonstrated how fast and easy the Vizio vf552xvt is to setup right out of the box.  He took the unit out of the box and was up and running within 15 minutes.  I was quite impressed considering all of the features that are packed into the TruLED HDTV.  The Vizio vf552xvt also connected to a Blu-ray player with great ease by simply plugging in the HDMI cable and following the simple startup wizard.  Wireless connections are also fairly easy to configure and the unit comes with a rather substantial remote control device.

The remote control tends to be a little thick however this is due to the impressive Vizio vf552xvt qwerty keyboard which is equipped with a slide out interface.  The keyboard is quite comfortable to use when you enter text and works very similar to a smartphone which is really cool.  The remote control is also equipped with Bluetooth which enables you to operate the controls within a significant distance of the TV.  The Bluetooth capability also suggests that there will be new capabilities in the future such as using other Bluetooth devices to operate the TV controls.

Vizio vf552xvt LCD HDTV Picture Quality

Vizio seemed to go all the way with picture quality technology which creates a distinctive viewing experience thanks to the Vizio vf552xvt LED backlight made with 960 LEDs which are distributed to 80 control blocks with Smart Dimming so you can control the blocks according to what type of content you are viewing.  I was also impressed when viewing programs that contained dark scenes with the Smart Dimming feature.  This feature provides a 2,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio which makes viewing darker scenes a lot easier.  This technology is also enhanced by the Vizio vf552xvt 1080p high definition resolution which provides sharp imaging even in the darkest of scenes.

Vizio vf552xvt SRS Trusurround

The sound quality on the Vizio vf552xvt is quite acceptable thanks to Trusurround that does a pretty good job of filling the room with surround sound.  You can also opt to connect your own home entertainment sound system to improve the quality even further.  The sound is delivered through a sound bar that is positioned at the bottom of the unit making it appear a little bulky.  If you do not mind that the audio is very decent quality on this unit.

Internet Apps

The interactive apps platform on the Vizio vf552xvt is quite impressive and comes with Amazon Video on Demand, Flickr, Netflix, Rhapsody, Facebook, Twitter, and Yahoo Widgets with more being added in the future according to Vizio.  The Apps Dock appears on the screen with a simple touch of a button on the remote and the widgets are quite speedy when compared to Yahoo widgets.  You also have easy access to other features such as blip.tv, CBS, NBC, and the Weather Channel.  You can also use the iMemories feature which will convert all of your home movies and photos to digital format so you can enjoy them on TV.

The Vizio vf552xvt is also equipped with WiFi and an Ethernet connection.  There are four HDMI jacks on the 55 inch unit as well as a VGA output for connecting your PC, component video input, and three USB ports which are located on the side of the unit.

The apps are fantastic and the features you get on the Vizio vf552xvt are quite abundant for the price point of this unit.  You can always pay significantly more to go beyond the features of this unit however, it appears to be a very good deal for this level of consumer electronics.  I am glad I investigated this TV because it is a step above most of the other HDTVs and second to very few units which may offer more features.  What’s more is I was able to find a great price on this HDTV here.

Recently I was watching television and my remote control completely died on the spot.  I thought it was the batteries so I replaced them but to no avail.  It was as if I had dropped the remote control in a pool of water because nothing would function on it.  I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what was wrong until I decided in the time it takes to figure out the problem I could be in the market looking for a new remote control. 

I planned on replacing the remote control with the same exact one until I went searching and to my amazement found some very next generation remote controls which had more functionality than mine and were much easier to use.  I spent a lot of time test running different types of remote controls until I discovered the Logitech Harmony One.  I was so in awe of this remote control I decided to share my Logitech Harmony One review so others could benefit from this cool device. 

Ergonomic Design with Touch Screen 

The Logitech Harmony One has a very cool ergonomic design which feels comfortable in the palm of your hand and is easy to use.  The ergonomic design provides special shaping to allow easy access to functions and also includes nifty sculpted buttons with backlighting so you can easily find the controls.  What I also liked was the fact that you never have to purchase batteries since the Logitech Harmony One is completely rechargeable and comes with a convenient recharging stand and a lithium-ion battery. 

I was completely floored by the color touch screen which made my old remote look like a dinosaur.  The color touch screen offers one-touch easy access to all of your entertainment devices and multimedia.  I felt like the touch screen was doing my thinking for me because it was so easy and convenient to use. 

Compatibility with Other Existing Devices 

The Logitech Harmony One remote controls are designed to work with a wide variety of devices and are capable of learning the IR codes from existing remote controls.  The remote has support from more than 5000 brands to allow you to control existing entertainment devices with room left over for the devices you will likely purchase in the future. 

There are different models of Harmony One remote controls. Depending upon which one you have you can take advantage of the Logitech Harmony One RF Wireless Extender which will provide your remote control with the ability to control all of your devices through radio frequency instead of an infrared signal. 

If you are a gaming enthusiast you can add the Logitech Harmony One PS3 adapter to your arsenal of controls.  The adapter is very efficient when it comes to IR commands and delivering the necessary Bluetooth commands to the PS3.  The adaptor is quite responsive with full power control and XMB navigation.  What I also liked was the lag time was absent from IR to USB and there was no need to reprogram if you unplug the device and then plug it back in. 

Easy Configuration 

I decided to get the Logitech Harmony One and found that the setup is a breeze.  If you are not tech savvy this is not a problem since the guided setup that is provided online makes it easy for non-techies.  You simply set up the remote by connecting it to your PC and then access the Web-based application to enter the information for the types of entertainment devices you currently own.  Once you have entered all of the information you will be walked through the setup process for each entertainment activity such as “Watch TV” or “Play Games.” 

Once I set up the Logitech Harmony One remote I couldn’t believe that you could simply press the activity button and start participating in the activity you chose.  This is so much easier when compared to my old remote where you had to change the Input then switch to the activity, activate the entertainment device supplying the activity, and engage in a few other steps before you could enjoy the activity.  The Logitech Harmony One does all of this for you with one touch.  

Using the Logitech Harmony One 

The functionality and ease of use of this remote control is beyond amazing with the addition of the color touch screen function and number of function buttons which are positioned along the side of the unit.  The touch screen contains several pages of functions which you can customize the remote to your liking and if anything isn’t working properly there is a Help button that you can tap into to correct the issue.  Once you press the Help button you have access to extensive information and great troubleshooting procedures.  

There is also a nifty “Options” and “Devices” feature which is located at the bottom of the touch screen.  These features allow you to run tutorials or select any of your individual entertainment devices to control it directly.  All of the controls from your old remote are also located under this feature and if they are missing you can access the Web-based application to add them. 

The Verdict 

Although you could spend much more on a high end remote, the Logitech Harmony One is easier to use since it does not look like an oversized PDA unit.  Instead it fits comfortably in your hand and is designed for easy access to the controls.  

The Logitech Harmony One price is quite reasonable for all of the functions you are getting and the conveniences which are included in the device plus you can take advantage of the mail-in-rebate deal to reduce the price.  I found a great deal with a rebate here.