Did You Read Your Printed or On-Line Manuals Before Using?
It Might Not Have Helped!
By Richard Sherwin with Jennifer Auspitz, and Susan Davis

San Diego, California: My friends and relatives a

re always ragging me about not reading the directions of some new gadget before turning it on or connecting it. But it’s my feeling that if you’ve spent more than $50 and you have to learn to use it, the manufacturer is at fault. However lately, even the best designed products from the biggest names like Apple, Samsung, Sony, Electrolux, Maytag, Magellan, Vizio and Panasonic are too complicated to go it alone.

But, and this is the really annoying part, I have found that even if you follow the directions and do as you’re told, your newly connected gadget world can easily be disconnected. And if there’s no live tech support for these supposedly easy to use products, that might explain why returns at Costco, Walmart and Best Buy are at an all time high.

For example:

• Samsung’s industry leading Galaxy Android Tablet, considered by many faster and easier to use than competing tablets and generally a better all around unit than the IPad, says, after you’ve finished the built in tutorial, to just start using it. It fails to say you need to join or have a Google account before the device does anything.
• Sony’s wonderful new Cybershot DSC HX 10V digital camera, an outrageously high performing consumer camera that has some of the same features as pro cameras for half the price, makes it difficult to use those features because, instead of using plain English terms, it uses camera-eese or symbols that are foreign to any language.
• The Sony Play Station 3 does have built in directions that might be pretty easy to follow. That is, if you can read the teeny tiny what looks to be an 8 point typeface on the screen, especially if you’re over the age of 35.
• The Microsoft Xbox, both in its printed and its built-in directions, never lets the consumer know that some of the features of the unit, especially those with the terrific Kinect games add on camera, will not work unless your are Connected to the Internet and/or pay for an extra monthly fee for Xbox Live.

In general, we also found that any products that came from, or are tied to, the personal computer business, even though intended for the average consumer, sometimes forgot the simplest directions to get their products to work.

For example:

• One of my favorite products is Dane Elec’s My Ditto storage device. It’s one of the few external storage devices that lets you access your photos, videos, music and documents from anywhere and anytime with very little knowledge of computer speak. It actually tells you and physically shows you to plug a USB adapter into the wrong socket on the unit. This renders the unit useless until you call tech support where they immediately correct the situation.
• The extremely popular Boxee Box Internet TV device almost installs itself… until you are asked to set a name and password which seems to mean your email address, but actually requires a surname, an email address and a password.
• Magellan and Tom Tom, battling for the GPA top spot, both must have rushed through their new install and update procedures. Both companies have totally inaccurate directions on the printed directions inside the box and even more misleading information on the web site.
• Another group of computer based products designed for the average person, but required to get your home connected to anything, are router-modems from D-Link, Linksys, Belkin or any other home automation manufacturer. Most of them say in the directions, if you are having trouble installing these items, please go to the Internet to get more advice. You can’t get on the internet until you install one of these, so huh?

HDMI Oh My! Still Not Working

HDMI, which stand for High Definition Media Interface, has now become the industry standard for connecting everything from TVs to Blue Ray players and video games consoles to Internet enabled set top boxes like Boxee, Roku and Google TV. HDMI technology was supposed to provide higher resolution and better audio quality to the next generation of TVs, higher quality DVD players and Internet enabled video devices.

The road to compatibility has been a rough one. To this day, many cable company boxes conflict with Blue Ray players and other devices, rendering many devices unable to connect to your TV at all. While there is supposedly an industry standard that regulates what type of digital information is carried in the $8 to $80 dollar cables, it doesn’t seem to make a difference in the incompatibility issues. HUH??

Industry gurus still claim that set top box makers, from Samsung to Motorola, use different protocols than the TV makers, and devices like Blue Ray players, Roku, Google TV and Boxee use another. What’s worse for the consumer is many of the new devices don’t come with old fashioned and yet still terrific component outputs.

What’s the answer? We spoke to a cable company engineer, a TV and Blue Ray manufacturer executive and a computer engineer from one of the set top box makers. All three said, “when in doubt use component,” and if you have no choice make sure your Boxee, Roku, Google TV works right away and cab be returned.”

A source, with the consortium that monitors and sets standards for HDMI, acknowledged the continuing problem. “Every time a new device enters the retail mix, a new cable box is introduced or a new TV is launched, there seems to be an issue with consistency. One day the new device works well with your TV and then two weeks later you can’t get a sound or a picture,” he admitted.

“We are still working on a system that would encompass new and old devices and make them work seamlessly, but it just hasn’t happened yet.”

He also acknowledges by the time his organization gets it right, consumers will be using all their devices wirelessly. “Yes, wireless HDMI might be the cure, but it also might be worse than the disease, too.”

And, speaking of HDMI cables… have you noticed that you can buy one for from $8 to $80? Our engineer consultants say there’s really no difference. If your cable box or Blue Ray player were three to five feet away from your TV, there might be a very slight difference in quality, but if your HDMI input is working, I’d bet the ranch that the average consumer couldn’t tell the difference in audio-video quality.

Bytes and pieces:

Hundai Automotive, one of the first car companies to use a non Microsoft system to connect your phone, MP3 player and other devices to the car’s controller, has added its version of HD Radio….Sony, whose TV fortunes are in a bit off a slump, is doing gang busters in their sales of Digital Cameras for Prosumers and consumers. In addition, Sony’s four new models of ear bud in-ear head phones are giving Monster, Sennheiser and Bose a run for the money. A bit pricey, but the new Sony headphones, from their wireless Blue Tooth model to their high end noise cancelling comfort model, are superb… Magic Jack touted here as a terrific alternative to traditional phone services pulled a fast one last month, doubling their rate and not telling customers until they got their yearly bill. The fees are now $31 not $19 and at that rate, Skype and OoVoo are looking better. Of course the one advantage Magic Jack has is that you can attach it to your regular phones.

Samsung Unveils News Connected TV and Blue Ray line

Samsung’s 2012 TVs and Blue Ray Players are now available at many retailers. The TVs are priced from $549 to $4,999 and Blue Ray Players are $69 to $229 . The Blue Ray Players include Full HD 1080p playback, even for DVDs, non-HD media and low-resolution streaming video. The new TVs include improved picture quality with Real Black Pro and Dual-core CPUs for quick app launching and task-switching.

Many of the Samsung units include an integrated camera and noise-cancelling microphone and the remotes on the high end of the line have voice and gesture control as well as face recognition.

Samsung, taking a page from Panasonic, now also has AllShare Play with seamless connectivity to other devices and to cloud storage. The company’s remotes now include a New Smart Touch Remote and Smart Wireless Keyboard. Samsung is featuring on many of its models, the so-called Samsung Smart Hub that enables the consumer to get access to web-based content and services.

As with other smart home hubs, Samsung’s include Disc to Digital, which converts consumers’ DVDs or Blue Rays into digital content that can be accessed and shared on multiple devices. The company has also upgraded its Internet enabled devices so that all contain built-in WiFi for convenient access to a variety of web-based content and a full web browser.

Samsung will also be introducing new types of remotes from a basic handset to a sophisticated model that contains a full qwerty keyboard.

Samsung , for a long time a not ready for prime time audio product maker , has appreciably improved their home theater systems and speaker systems to compete with top of the line in the industry.

The elegant design of the DA-E750 exudes the highest level of sophistication by combining classic design elements with a touch of luxury. The high gloss wood finish is available in either mahogany or piano black, which is accentuated by the warm glow from the vacuum tubes inside the docks when in operation. For added convenience, the audio dock will simultaneously charge the Galaxy S II or iOS device while streaming music.

Samsung’s Crystal Amp Plus technology offers pure digital audio playback and quality while also protecting listeners from unexpected jumps in volume

There will be more on Samsung’s appliances and computer and mobile products and the Panasonic massive preview in next week’s roundup.