Archive for March 18, 2014

Review: 2014 Mazda6 GT With Technology Package – Part 1

Posted in Products with tags on March 18, 2014 by itnerd

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This week I’m stepping into a 2014 Mazda6 which is Mazda’s entry into the mid-sized car segment. Now, the mid-sized segment is usually owned by either the Honda Accord or Toyota Camry and anyone else that tries to play in that segment usually ends up being an also ran. But rather than save my verdict until part 5 of this review, I’ll say this right up front. The Mazda6 needs to be on your shopping list as they have a winner on their hands that can compete with Accord and Camry. And I don’t mean that they have a winner from a metaphorical perspective. The Mazda6 is The Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) winner for the best family car over $30K. And if that’s not enough, the Mazda6 also took the award for Canadian car of the year. That’s just for starters. The Mazda6 has won a total of 170 awards worldwide. Not to mention that the IIHS considers the Mazda6 to be a top safety pick.

I bet that got the attention of some people at Honda and Toyota.

The Mazda6 I have this week is the GT variant with the technology package and it has every option box checked. So as a result I will get to write about a host of technology and comfort options. Now frequent readers of this blog will recall that I wrote about my experience with the Mazda6 GT previously. That one was without the technology package and I only had the car for a few hours. Thus it will be nice to do a more in-depth review and see if the impressions that I had last May are still true today.

I’ll be posting a multi-part review that will cover the following sections:

  • Engine, transmission, handling, fuel economy, and driving comfort
  • Interior
  • Technology in the vehicle
  • Wrap up

Now the picture above doesn’t really do it justice in terms of how good this looks. It’s long hood and short rear deck really makes the Mazda6 look fast even when it’s standing still. But there’s more to the look than that:

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You get great looking 19″ rims with the Mazda6 GT with technology package.

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The dual tailpipes let those behind you know you mean business.

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And the Mazda6 has Mazda’s groundbreaking Skyactive suite of technologies on board.

So without further ado, let me put the Mazda6 through its paces and find out how much “zoom zoom” this car has.

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Sonos Announces New Controller App

Posted in Commentary with tags on March 18, 2014 by itnerd

I’ve reviewed Sonos products before, and I’ve got some news from those who have and love their Sonos HiFi systems. Sonos is redefining music listening for the home, starting with their  new Controller App which is being announced today. The app, which will be available this spring for iOS and Android, has been re-designed from the ground up to be easier, faster and more flexible with a fresh new interface. All your music is now easier to access, with a universal search function that allows you to search across all your music services to find little-known covers, remixes and playlists you never knew existed.

I should mention one other thing. Android users don’t have to wait for the App to be released as a public beta will be available. To participate, sign up today on Sonos.com. Also, if you use the Sonos Controller App on your Mac or PC, you’re going to get some love too. Though you’ll have to wait until later this year for an updated version of the app to be available on those platforms.

For more info, check out the Sonos Blog.

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Canada’s Big Three Raise Rates At The Same Time…. Hmmmm

Posted in Commentary with tags , on March 18, 2014 by itnerd

The big three telecoms have always claimed that they are in competition with each other. But Canadian mobile phone users have a different opinion, and that was reinforced over the weekend when it came to light via the CBC that Rogers, Bell and Telus all raised rates by exactly $5 over the last couple of months:

Rogers, Telus and Bell Mobility now all charge $80 per month for new smartphone plans with a new contract, $5 more than those same plans cost when they were introduced last year. The prices for other smartphone plans with more data cost upwards of $145. 

The price hikes affect every province except Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

The $80 a month plan includes 500 MB of data, unlimited nationwide calling, unlimited messaging, voicemail and call display.

No reasoning was given for the price increase, and no press releases were issued. Existing plans are unaffected.

Lovely. Now I’m going to guess that some of this is to pay for their participation in the 700 Mhz auction. But I am also thinking that the big three might also think that with no real competition in the Canadian marketplace, they can grab a few extra bucks. Either way, something is really suspicious about the fact that all three of these companies basically have the same pricing at more or less the same time. That highlights why Canada needs a strong fourth option in Canada to compete with these three companies.

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Microsoft Really Wants You To Migrate From Windows XP

Posted in Commentary with tags on March 18, 2014 by itnerd

It’s in Microsoft’s best interests to move as many people off of Windows XP as quickly as possible before support ends in just under a month. This blog entry from Microsoft has a couple of ways that they are going to do that using the carrot and stick approach:

The carrot: Microsoft will soon let XP users download a free copy of Laplink’s PCmover Express to migrate their data to newer Windows releases. That way they can move their data easily. The Laplink software is aimed at home users. Corporate users should us the User State Migration Tool instead (and that’s free too).

The stick: Microsoft is using Windows Update to send an end-of-support notification to most XP users. So the next time they update their soon to be retired OS, they’ll get the hint that they need to move.

Now Microsoft can’t force you to move to Windows 7 or Windows 8, but this approach will at least make you think about doing so.

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