Sprenzy Shopping Blog

After 20+ years of doing straight-bar bench presses, swinging at tons of volleyballs and throwing too many footballs, my right shoulder is screaming… no más!!!

I’ve finally listened to my shoulder and quit bench pressing with a straight-bar and switched to using dumbbells, which alleviates the shoulder stress. When I can’t get to the gym, I like doing pushups but the simple pushup position still tweaks my right shoulder.

From the many ads and claims of the Perfect Pushup, I decided to buy a set and give them try…

“The Perfect Pushup puts a new spin on one of the oldest exercises, the pushup. Invented by someone who knows a lot about pushups, former U.S. Navy SEAL, Alden Mills, the Perfect Pushup’s rotating handles allow your arms to rotate naturally when you do pushups the same way they do when you throw a punch or press up a dumb bell. This unique feature accelerates results by engaging more muscles in the arms, chest, shoulders, and back. It also helps reduce strain on wrists and elbows, and helps to stabilize and strengthen the shoulder joint by engaging the scapular and rotator cuff muscles. You will notice the comfort and effectiveness of the Perfect Pushup on the very first try!”

When I opened the box, I was expecting a metal base but the Perfect Pushup is made of lightweight plastic. Despite the plastic build, they are quite sturdy. After using the Perfect Pushup a few times, I’m very pleased with them. The elevated platform provides a deeper range of motion and a better pump than regular pushups. More importantly, the rotating handles eliminate the stress and pain in my shoulder.

But is it worth the $40? Or should you just get a cheaper set of pushup bars? If you don’t have any joint issues, then go with pushup bars. They are cheaper, take up less space to store and you’ll get a similar pump from the elevated platform. However, I would highly recommend the Perfect Pushup to anyone with shoulder or wrists issues. The rotating handles put you in a much better ergonomic position than normal pushups and should reduce or eliminate joint pain.

I don’t know if it’s the perfect pushup device but compared to doing normal pushups it is perfectly better.

Over the last several months, I’ve been researching compact digital cameras to replace my current Canon S500. I find researching digital cameras as one of the hardest product categories to navigate. There are so many cameras available and it seems a new model is released every day. And once you are ready to buy, the questions come up — Should I buy it now or wait for the price to drop? Or should I wait for the release of the next model? This conundrum takes the fun out of buying a new camera.

My strategy to camera buying is to take the value approach. Buying the newest model might get you the latest features, but you’ll pay a premium price for the camera. I think it’s best to find a model that meets your needs, but isn’t the newest camera in the manufacturer’s product line. You’ll get the best bang for the buck with this approach and won’t have as much buyer’s remorse when a new model comes out. It’s too hard and expensive to keep up with the Joneses when digital cameras have such a short product development cycle.

Back to my camera research, I started a new food blog recently, which is dictating my camera requirements. Taking close up pictures of food presents unique challenges, particularly at restaurants. Obviously, a digital SLR with a macro lens would produce the best images but SLRs are expensive, and it’s hard to be discrete using a big SLR. Therefore, my key digital camera requirements are…

1. Compact or ultra-compact format - allows for discrete picture taking and ultra portability

2. Macro focus of 3 cm or less - macro shots are the best for food

3. Image stabilization (IS) - taking close up shots requires a steady hand and IS prevents blurry images

4. 2.5 inch LCD screen or larger - a large LCD screen allows better picture framing

5. At least 7 megapixels resolution - allows cropping of images while retaining picture quality

Based on these criteria, I have researched many cameras, including the Sony DSC-T100 and Nikon Coolpix S50. Ultimately, based on my biased towards Canon and their reputation for good color and image quality, I believe the Canon Powershot SD850 IS is the best camera for my needs. Here’s a review roundup for the SD850…

• Canon Powershot SD850 IS Review from Digitalcamerareview.com - “The Canon SD850 IS is a stylish, well-built compact digital camera that produces great quality images and color while requiring minimal involvement from its operator. The camera lacks manual controls, but offers a number of specialized scene modes in addition to the standard “auto�? shooting mode, as well as image stabilization, up to 1600 ISO sensitivity and good shutter response time. The 4x zoom lens lacks the focal length to bring distant objects truly close, but for normal subjects the camera performs admirably.”

• Canon Powershot SD850 Review by Steve’s Digicam - “the SD850 continues their tradition of stylish and durable cameras that capture great photos with fast performance and loads of appealing features (optical IS, 8-megapixels, 2.5-inch LCD, etc.) With 8-megapixel of resolution, the printing possibilities are almost endless, from tightly cropped 4x6s to huge poster size prints!”

• Canon SD850 Review from KenRockwell.com - “I use the older version of the SD850 every day and won’t leave home, or even walk around my home, without it. If I needed another camera today I’d buy an SD850 in an instant. Enough said?”

I’m pretty much sold on the Canon SD850, but I’m waiting for the price to drop to $300. Another popular Canon camera is the SD1000, which is slimmer and cheaper than the SD850. It has everything I need except for image stabilization. I’m sure if I wait a little longer, Canon will release a new model similar in size as the SD1000 with IS. There’s the digital camera buying conundrum again!

Tivo is releasing a new 180-hour Tivo HD at the end of August. The new Tivo HD offers almost all the same features of the highly praised Tivo Series 3 HD (S3), but at a more affordable sub $300 price. For the lower price tag, you’ll have to sacrifice THX certification, a larger hard drive and a back-lit remote control. It’s not much to give up, considering you’ll save $300 over the S3 and will still be able to record high definition programming.

Here’s a review roundup on the Tivo HD…

• Tivo HD review from PC Magazine
• Tivo HD review by PC World
• A Review of the Tivo HD by Tivo Lovers

For less than $300, the 180-hour Tivo HD makes it really compelling to upgrade my series2 Tivo. The primary reason I’m hesitating is due to the monthly subscription fee, which is $13 to $17 depending on the commitment time frame. I think I’ll wait a little longer and hope Tivo offers a product lifetime service transfer to a new Tivo HD.

However, if you are currently paying a monthly Tivo fee, upgrading to a Tivo HD is a good deal to be able to record and watch high-definition programming.

iPhone… Overhyped? Overpriced? Poor business phone? Bad network? Maybe. Is it the ultimate all-in-one converged device? I think it’s the best one available right now. Say what you want about the iPhone, just make sure you test one out to really appreciate its simple, elegant and absolutely amazing user interface (UI).

I have owned a Windows Mobile 5.0, a Pocket PC and a Palm device and it always took me a few days to completely figure out how to use the phone and operating system. The iPhone’s UI is so well designed, it only took me a few minutes to understand it. There’s truly no need for a user’s manual.

I can’t say enough about the iPhone’s interaction design and functionality integration (between the phone, iPod, Internet, etc.). Using your fingers to scroll, zoom and navigate is pure joy and puts a smile on my face each time I use the iPhone.

Here’s a review roundup:

• Apple’s iPhone: an initial (but in-depth) review from AppleInsider
• Apple iPhone review by PC Magazine
• Review: Apple IPhone Rocks, Rolls, and Doesn’t Disappoint by Wired
• iPhone Review at Engadget

I love my new iPhone, but it’s not without flaws, which are highlighted in most reviews. Despite these flaws, it’s still hands down the best and most entertaining phone I’ve ever owned. The beauty of the iPhone is that its deficiencies can be fixed through software updates. The only thing that can’t be fixed with the iPhone is 3G data connectivity.

I didn’t plan on buying an iPhone and was going to wait for the 2nd Gen phone. But after reviewing my Verizon bill, the $50 a month I pay for unlimited data and 250 text messages is a complete ripoff. So on Saturday morning, I went down to the Apple store in San Francisco and picked up an 8 GB iPhone. I’ll be saving $40 a month by switching to an AT&T plan, which means I’ll break even in 15 months compared to sticking with Verizon’s overpriced data plan.

Sorry Verizon and Motorola Q, it was fun, but there’s a better and cooler gadget that you can’t come close to competing with… Hello iPhone!

My girlfriend needed a new clock radio and iPod docking system. Her requirements were a dual alarm and a simple, aesthetically pleasing design. Sound quality wasn’t a top priority because we have a nice vacuum tube amp and Definitive Technology tower speakers in the bedroom. My requirements were a display dimmer and a gentle alarm.

I did some research and found iLounge’s clock radios ratings. Based on our requirements, I narrowed the products down to the Timex Ti700 and iLuv i177. My girlfriend preferred the iLuv i177’s design and appearance so we bought the iLuv.

After a week of use, we are both pretty happy with the iLuv i177. The i177 is intuitive to use. The volume of the alarm can be adjusted if waking up to an iPod or radio, which at the lowest setting is the perfect volume for us. It’s loud enough to wake the girlfriend but not too jarring for me. The LCD display has three dimmer settings and an off mode, which I prefer, because I like a completely dark room. The sound quality is more than adequate given our needs and actually better than expected from a small clock radio.

The only negative is the default buzzer alarm if you don’t have an iPod docked. It’s extremely loud and is piercing like a fire alarm. I highly recommend not using the buzzer alarm. Additionally, setting the time using the dial knob is annoying because you have to spin it until you hit the right time linearly, i.e. there are no hour or minute buttons. But this is a non-issue after the initial time and alarm setting.

Playlistmag.com has a good iLuv i177 review along with a review of the JBL On Time. Playlist concludes…

“Both the iLuv i177 and JBL On Time are nice clock radios, and each has strengths and weaknesses. In short: If it’s an alarm clock you want, the iLuv i77 is the best choice and includes nice extras such as a remote and an iPod shuffle port. If you desire something more akin to a small stereo, with the added benefit of a clock and alarm, go with the On Time.

Overall, I found the iLuv to be a better value, while the On Time had far superior sound. Yet, while I would highly recommend the iLuv—as an alarm clock—I can’t say the same about the On Time; although it performs well as both a clock and a stereo, it doesn’t truly excel at either.”

I agree with this conclusion. The iLuv i177 is a great iPod alarm clock, just don’t use the buzzer alarm unless you like be jolted out of a sound sleep.