Music playback quality comparison Nokia Lumia 521 (520), iPhone 5, Sony MP3 Player

Since I got 3 Nokia Lumia 521 cell phones for my family, I was satisfied with their features and functionality, according with their price. Sure, the Skype uses the speakerphone so you cannot use it privately and Google Chromecast is not supported. But what about music playback quality through its 3.5 mm headphone jack?

I compared my T-Mobile Nokia 521 (same as AT&T Nokia Lumia 520) in terms of music playback quality with an iPhone 5 as well as a dedicated Sony NWZ-S639F MP3 player. Results were disappointing, albeit hardly surprising.

Setup

I used several headphones for the test. I used larger enclosed Creative Aurvana Live! as well as a couple of portable models, including Koss KSC75. I played the same music through all three devices, including Aram Khachaturian, Camille Saint-Saens, John Williams and pop music.

Results

Somewhat surprisingly, Nokia did rather poorly. Especially so with excellent Creative Aurvana Live! With all headphones, the sound lacked dynamic range, was lifeless and had noticeable holes in dynamic range. Instrument separation was bad also.

In contrast, iPhone 5 produced excellent instrument separation, dynamics and frequency response. It did have slightly lower ability than the Sony to drive larger headphones, especially noticeable in the bass region. At the same time, it sounded smoother than Sony, had better instrument separation and was more accurate.

Sony, for its part, although was less than $100 when I bought it 4 years ago, had no issue driving the Creative Aurvana Live! headphones as well as portables. It produced rich bass, dynamic sound and overall was pleasant to use.

Conclusion

The Nokia 510/520 is adequate only if you listen to music non-critically, listen to podcasts or listen in noisy environments where flaws in sound reproduction will not be as noticeable. iPhone is best in most other cases, as long as you don't attach it to large headphones that are difficult to drive and don't expect solid bass. And Sony is very good overall. It does not quite produce the last bit of excellence in the sound department, but comes close. Plus it produces excellent punch in the bass region, even when no equalization is set. And it has a custom graphic equalizer with presets as well.

For me, since I cannot use the iPhone, I will have to carry my Sony MP3 player in addition to the Nokia.

Nokia Lumia 521 (520) Windows Phone Compared to iPhone 5

I have recently bought Nokia Lumia 521 phones for my family to use them with T-Mobile. The phones were under $100 each and I never expected them to compare well to the iPhone 5 I have been using before. I was pleasantly surprised though.

Apple iPhones with 4-inch screens (5, 5s, 5c) sell (without subsidies or contracts) for $500-750 and purportedly cost Apple slightly under $200 to make. The $200 might or might not include the cost of software, I don't know. But regardless, even if you consider the cost to Apple, less than $100 including taxes and profits of the manufacturer should make for a rather shoddy and limited device. But somehow this Nokia Lumia 521 (T-Mobile) or Nokia Lumia 520 (AT&T) manage to deliver so much for so little. No wonder it is one of the most popular budget smartphones.


Disadvantages over iPhone 5/5s/5c.

Still, the switch from the iPhone 5 to this Lumia has not been painless. Although I read some online reviews of people who claimed that they didn't have to sacrifice much when they switched from the iPhone to this phone, I found this not to be the case.

1. The screen has no olephobic coating so you have to wipe it more frequently.
2. The screen has slightly lower resolution overall and per inch. The iPhone 5 is 640 x 1136 wherewas this Nokia is 480 x 800. The pixel density is 326 vs 235 respectively. The result is visible decrease in sharpness of the fonts. Whereas iPhone has fonts that are readable even when small, the Lumia 521 makes your eyes strain.
3. No front-facing camera (e.g. for Skype).
4. No Flash for back-facing 5MP camera.
5. No flashlight capability (see above).
6. No support for Google Chromecast. Aside from the Tubecast app that lets you cast Youtube content to Chromecast.
7. Limited Youtube app in comparison to either Apple or Android version. But see the point above.
8. Poor integration of weather/stocks/etc. In iPhone everything happens "automagically".
9. Flimsier construction.
10. Less easy to use.
11. Slower to power up.
12. 4G LTE is not supported (but 4G HSPA+ is).
13. Volume is adjusted for all sources with one hardware switch, meaning if you are changing the volume of the speakerphone, that changes the volume of the ringer correspondingly as well. This is no longer valid after Windows Phone 8.1 update. Separate volume control is there.
14. Music playback over the headphone jack is of noticeably poorer quality. Generally sounds muffled and lifeless with lower dynamic range and uneven frequency response. Can't drag the slider to navigate within a song either.
15. Downloaded MP3 playback is done through a screen that is very limited. You cannot drag the slider to navigate through a file quickly. But this improved after the Windows Phone 8.1 update.

Advantages over iPhone

1. Price.
2. Dedicated camera shutter release button. Not only it is located in a proper spot, it also has a half-pressed position for focusing, like in a real camera.
3. Standard micro USB interface for charging and data transfer.
4. WiFi calling available on T-Mobile (iPhone was not supported, but now is) which is a godsend for our concrete building where only Verizon allows some wireless reception.
5. Memory expansion using MicroSD cards.
6. Replaceable battery.
7. Exclusive Nokia apps such as HERE drive and HERE maps for true offline navigation.
8. MS Office integration.
9. Can transfer music and other files from and to the phone by drag/drop and overall in Windows Explorer. No need to install any software, unlike Apple products that require installation of iTunes bloatware.
10. More sensitive screen - can be used with gloves on.

Advantages over Android Phones

1. Security. Android devices are known to suffer from security breaches and malware. Windows Phone (WP8) and iPhone (iOS) not so much.
2. Maintains faster operation over time.

Disadvantages over Android Phones

1. No Google Chromecast support, aside from Youtube Chromecast support using TubeCast app.
2. Less polished apps such as Youtube app or GasBuddy.

The sound quality when speaking on the phone or Skype is excellent. Photos are very good, but in low light they are noisy, especially since there is no flash.

Overall, the device is responsive, easy to use and convenient to hold. The dedicated shutter release button for the camera has a half-depressed position for focusing.

When playing music through the headphone jack, the sound quality is adequate but not great. It is noticeably worse than that of the iPhone 5 or a dedicated Sony NWZ-S639F MP3 player. There is a general lack of dynamic range, resolution and some frequency ranges seem muted. Instrument separation is pretty low as well. The above applies both to portable headphones such as Koss KSC75 and over-the-ear Creative Aurvana Live!

I wrote a separate music sound quality comparison. Nokia's sound through the 3.5mm headphone jack is definitely sufficient for podcasts and when listening in noisy environment where the sound quality is not super-important. The volume levels are adequate for even low-sensitive headphones.

Screen Brightness

The screen is slightly too dim when set to adjust brightness automatically. When auto-brightness is turned off, it can be set to be quite bright.

Skype

There is no front-facing camera, so you can see other people in video calls, but they cannot see you. On the other hand, it used to be so that when you used Skype to call land lines, Skype app used the speakerphone only so you will got no privacy. It has been fixed, so now when you put the phone to your head, the screen dims and the sound comes out from the proper location.

Copying Contacts from Old Phone

It was very easy to copy the contacts from my old phone to this one using Bluetooth. The app installed on this Nokia guides you step by step and the 80 contacts I had were copied in a matter of minutes.

Wi-Fi Calling

The WiFi calling works very well. I am able to use the phone in all parts of our concrete-walled apartment and the sound quality is very good.

Windows Phone 8.1 Update

WP 8.1 update added more polished interface, Cortana and other features. But the phone became a little less responsive.

Bottom Line

It is unfair to compare an expensive flagship such as iPhone 5/5s/5c to device that is 1/10th the price. But surprisingly the Nokia Lumia has some advantages over the iPhone. And in case of T-Mobile WiFi calling was not available on iPhones (but now is).

For me the choice was simple. Because I needed WiFi calling, the phone had to be either Android of Windows Phone (WP8). And because Android phones are less secure, I chose an WP8 phone. Note that iPhones now support WiFi calling.

For a family plan with 3 lines, getting the cheap Lumia 521 results in significant savings and if any one of us drops or damages the phone, I can buy another for less than $80. The phone lets us check emails, talk, send messages, browse the web, navigate the city, use Skype and more. And when I need to use Google Chromecast, I can use the Tubecast app.

Google Chromecast, Kindle Fire and iPhone

I used to use a micro-HDMI to HDMI cable to watch Amazon Prime Streaming videos and youtube videos from our Kinds Fire HD as well as the Toshiba Excite 10-inch tablet. Somehow the cable stopped working, but even when it worked the process was convoluted. It was time to "upgrade" to Google Chromecast HDMI Streaming Media Player.

I got the Google Chromecast for less than $33, shipped. And despite my reservations about how easy the setup would be on our secure WiFi network, it actually worked like magic. Apparently, in the beginning of the setup process, the Chromecast does not try to connect to your WiFi router (for which it would need to know the WiFi password/key), but rather lets the Chromecast app connect to it directly and then lets you enter the WiFi password in the app.

But I am getting ahead of myself.

The Chromecast is a little HDMI dongle-like device. It comes with everything you need: HDMI extension cable in case you need to either reposition the Chromecast for better WiFi reception or to let you connect it so another HDMI jack nearby could be used, a USB cable to provide power to the Chromecast from the TV's USB jack or from the supplied AC-to-USB power adapter.

Since our Panasonic Viera TC-L32C3 32" IPS LCD TV has two HDMI jacks next to each other, I had to use the supplied short HDMI extension cable. And since the TV lacks USB, I connected the USB cable to the supplied AC power adapter.

The WiFi connection was super-stable even through a couple of concrete walls. I did have to move my TP-LINK TL-WR841N Wireless N300 WiFi Router slightly further from the wall.

The setup was a breeze, sort of. As mentioned before, I had to download the Chromecast App for Android and use it for entering the WiFi password and renaming the Chromecast. But after that, I could easily send Youtube videos from either the Toshiba Excite 10-inch tablet or the iPhone 5. But I cannot find the official Youtube app for Kindle Fire HD and Amazon Instant Videos (Amazon Streaming) doesn't work on Chromecast either. Netflix should work though.

I then enabled my Kindle Fire HD to install apps from sources other than Amazon and downloaded the official Android Youtube app. I think it means I "sideloaded" the Youtube app from the Internet. Now, I can easily send Youtube videos from the Kindle Fire HD as well. It even turns the TV on if it is off or switches to the HDMI input where the Chromecast is attached automatically when you select to cast to the Chromecast from the Youtube app.

Casting from Netflix

Streaming from Netflix works flawlessly. Not only is the playback responsive to commands (e.g. pause/resume), the picture quality is amazing in 1080p. While streaming Breaking Bad, you can see every little imperfection on the face of the main character.

Casting from the Browser

You currently cannot make videos from internet play on Chromecast from Chrome on mobile devices, only from computers.

It is frustrating Amazon doesn't support the device natively. But at least now I can send some youtube videos to my TV from the iPhone, queue them up and my son can enjoy a few of hist favorite cartoons on the big screen with excellent picture quality and without me having to deal with cables.

You can send Youtube videos from your iPhone or Android device to Chromecast (and consequently to your TV) to be played, pause and control the playback of those videos, add them to the TV queue, manage the queue and even play videos from the Chrome browser (with somewhat worse quality though).

Using Chromecast with Windows Phone

It used to be impossible. I got a Nokia Lumia 521 Windows Phone. Chromecast could not be cast to from this phone - the Youtube app provided by Microsoft didn't have the "cast" button and was, in fact, a wrapper around a mobile version of the Youtube web site.

But things changed. Now there is an app that lets you watch Youtube videos on your TV using Chromecast, Read my review of TubeCast.

Bottom Line

The Google Chromecast is excellent and easy to use. Not only does it let us watch Youtube and Netflix videos on our TV with no messing with cables, but it does so in excellent quality and lets us control the playback with a variety of devices. We use an iPhone 5, Android-based Toshiba Excite tablet and Kindle Fire HD to control it, plus even a Windows Phone 8.1. And certainly there will be more apps coming soon. I highly recommend this device if you don't have a smart TV.

Thank you, Google!

Kindle Fire Software Update Causes Streaking, Tiling, Strange Behavior When Scrolling

Starting approximately 12/13/2013, my Kindle Fire HD started behaving strangely when scrolling through web pages in its Silk web browser. The part of the page would get stuck and the new part would "accordion" over it, like a tile. It is difficult to explain, but very annoying.

I suspected a hardware problem or a software one. I was considering resetting the device and, failing that, getting a new one, but did some online searching and discovered that this issue started to happen about the same time for others using various Kindle Fire devices (HD, HDX, 7 and 8.9 inch size).

It appears that a recent software update is the culprit and Amazon is working on solving this issue. In the meantime, you can enable direct software installation and download/install Chrome or Netscape Navigator.

Update 12/26/13: my Kindle Fire HD fixed itself. Apparently a software update resolved the issue that was introduced by a previous automatic software update. Nice.

Pulse and Glide in Honda Accord Automatic

After achieving 39 mpg in our 2007 Honda Accord automatic without doing anything special, aside from using Marvel Mystery Oil in gas, watching the speed and doing a couple of things from my post on maximizing fuel efficiency, I decided to try "Pulse and Glide", a.k.a. "Burn and Coast".

The idea behind P&G is simple: the engine is more efficient at moderate throttle openings at moderate RPMs. There are so-called brake-specific efficiency maps for every engine, and the ones I saw show that the maximum efficiency was reached at RPMs close to the torque peak at throttle openings of 40-80%.

Pulse and Glide involves accelerating at moderate-to-high throttle in highest gear possible (to keep the engine in the most efficient range, close to its torque peak) and then, ideally, shifting into neutral. Then coasting for a while and repeating the process. So instead of driving, say 50 mph, accelerate to 55, coast to 45, repeat.

Some people even switch off the engine during coasting, but this is unsafe as the power assist in steering and brakes is lost.

The easiest application of the P&G is in a car equipped with manual transmission. Since the driver has a full control over the gear selection, you can push on the gas pedal almost all the way to get maximum efficiency at a high gear without the transmission downshifting. In the automatic transmission equipped cars, one has to be careful to just enough pressure on the gas pedal so that the transmission does not downshift.

Also, I have reservations about shifting into neutral in an auto-equipped Honda Accord. While some cars are purportedly safe to do so, the others aren't. Furthermore, I am not willing to conduct experiments that might result in a failure of a part that costs thousands to fix and would result in hassle and time lost.

As a result, here is my experiment: apply P&G for one tank of gas as follows:

1. Accelerate moderately
2. Coast with the transmisision in "Drive"
3. After the speed decreases 5-10 mph, repeat.

While not the most efficient P&G method there is, I suspect I might be able to finally get over 40 mpg. Stay tuned.

Update #1: I was unable to mostly drive in the manner described above for the first tank of gas and as a result got 34.7 mpg. I will try again with the next tank.

Update #2: Not really getting good results with this approach. Switched to mild drafting behind trucks instead :)

Another record - 39 MPG in 2007 Honda Accord

I am using the Marvel Mystery Oil again, in our 2007 Honda Accord. A while ago I got 38.5 MPG in out 2006 Accord, and a similar MPG number in the 2007 Accord. But now I deflated the tires back to factory-recommended 30-32 psi. Conditions: mostly long trips and about 10% A/C use. I would say about 90% highway at 55-65 mph.

I drove using techniques I outlined in my post on maximizing fuel economy, but with no tire overinflation. I added about 4 oz MMO to fuel (per 15 gallons).

I added the Marvel Mystery Oil (MMO) to the tank and filled it up with regular 87-octane gas. This time I drove 546 miles before refueling and refueled with 14 gallons of gas, averaging 39 MPG. This MMO test included a couple of short trips and about 10% of time I also used A/C. Without those, I probably would be able to get to 40 MPG. And I expect MMO to keep the fuel system clean, even when using semi-questionable (not "top-tier") gas. I will give MMO another try in my 2004 Infniti G35. The previous attempts did not achieve much.


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TP-LINK TL-WR841N Wireless N300 WiFi Router

I have recently replaced a 802.11g WiFi router with the TP-LINK TL-WR841N Wireless N300 Router . The reason was the fact that my old WiFi router didn't have enough range to reach through several concrete walls into our other bedroom. More importantly, its WiFi connection was somewhat unstable, resulting in pauses when using Skype over WiFi.

I decided to upgrade the router and get better range, more stable connection and not spend a lot of money. As a result, I got the TP-LINK TL-WR841N for $20 or so, shipping included. Not only was it super-easy to install and use, it comes with a 2-year warranty.

The router supports 802.11b/g/n standards, has the latest security features, including WPA2 encryption that I use. It has 4 wired Ethernet 10/100 ports and dual antennas.

I am happy with this router's stability, range, ease of use and unobtrusive design. The periodic connection dropouts in the WiFi are no longer happening. Ditto the Internet connection resets. Highly recommended.