usb

How To: Watch Movies in Your Honda Pilot or Odyssey Using Android TV

Mike ConnellyAutos, Connected Home

The 2018 Honda Pilot’s rear entertainment system accepts HDMI input but cannot directly play video files from a USB thumb drive. This article walks through five rejected solutions, including Chromecast and tethered smartphones, before settling on a low-cost Android TV set-top box. This setup works without an internet connection, letting kids watch libraries of movies on long trips. Continue reading How To: Watch Movies in Your Honda Pilot or Odyssey Using Android TV

How To: Playing a USB-connected Guitar in GarageBand for Your Mobile Studio

Mike ConnellyGuitars

The Epiphone Les Paul Ultra-III has a USB output built directly into the guitar body, eliminating the need for a separate audio interface. I describe the exact cables and GarageBand settings required to connect it to an iPhone or iPad for your mobile studio. What makes the setup work is a specific two-cable chain that sidesteps a gap in the adapter market no single off-the-shelf cable currently fills. Continue reading How To: Playing a USB-connected Guitar in GarageBand for Your Mobile Studio

Epiphone Les Paul Ultra-III Guitar Review

Mike ConnellyGuitars

Upgrading from the Epiphone Les Paul Ultra-II to the Ultra-III centers on one key hardware addition: a built-in USB output that connects the guitar directly to a digital audio workstation. This review covers what changed between the two models and whether that upgrade justifies the switch. New ProBucker humbuckers, patterned after Gibson’s PAF-style BurstBuckers, are a notable addition alongside the USB interface. Continue reading Epiphone Les Paul Ultra-III Guitar Review

Nikon D500 Camera: Review & Comparison to the Nikon D5, D7500, D7200 & D7100

Mike ConnellyPhotography

I upgraded to the Nikon D500, which carries the D5’s 153-point Multi-CAM 20K autofocus system in an APS-C body at roughly 30 percent of the flagship’s price. This review covers image quality, burst speed, video capabilities, and comparisons to the D7100, D7200, and D5. The resolution-versus-high-ISO trade-off relative to the D7200 is where the D500 either earns its cost premium or doesn’t. Continue reading Nikon D500 Camera: Review & Comparison to the Nikon D5, D7500, D7200 & D7100