Ionic Breeze Quadra ReviewedWritten by bradley james
For millions of people who suffer from indoor allergies, an air filter can provide a much-needed relief. There have been hundreds of air purifiers on market, but few have been advertised and praised quite like Sharper Image's Ionic Breeze Quadra. Some would claim that this is a revolutionary step in indoor air filtration.Before we do qualitative review of this device it is important to first take an in-depth look at technology behind ionic breeze. The science upon which ionic breeze is based is actually fairly simple. The unit pulls air in towards an electrical field that charges incoming particles. The dust, pollen, and other materials are given a charge that is electrically opposite that of metal core. As a result, dust, etc. is drawn electromagnetically towards metal rod (which as actually a flat steel bar, easily removed and cleaned when dirty). The term ionic in brand's name refers to charge given to incoming particles. When a molecule, or a lone atom, has either too few or too many electrons it will have a particular charge (+/-) and is said to be ionic. One of nicest features of ionic breeze quadra - and usually most lauded by its owners - is its quietness. The unit produces a noticeable breeze in order to trap airborne particles, but makes very little mechanical sound in doing so. The unit is approximately 2.5 feet tall, and can be easily placed in corner of a room, without taking up much horizontal space. In fact, in most cases it is hardly noticeable at all, even when running.
| | XM vs Sirius Satellite RadioWritten by bradley james
So you want to switch to satellite radio, but you aren't sure with which service to go with? Two of biggest names in satellite radio today, XM and Sirius, both offer a large variety of music stations that you would never hear on regular commercial radio. And most of music channels, for both services, are commercial free. Of course, nothing is truely free. Both Sirius and XM charge you a service fee to listen to their music channels - someone has to pay for those satellites!So what is difference between Sirius and XM? First of all, Sirius and XM both offer same commercial-free music service broadcasted via satellites. Sirius offers 120 channels, or feeds, of music, sports, and entertainment programming. For this service, Sirius charges a flat monthly subscription fee of $12.95 for residents of continental US. XM currently charges, on other hand, has 122 channels broadcasting similar content (68 of which are music channels), and charge a slightly smaller monthly fee: $9.95. XM currently has largest share in satellite marked with 2 million customers. So why does Sirius charge more? Sirius claims to have superior sound quality thanks to their statistical multiplexing technology, which provides additional bandwidth across all SIRIUS streams. This is supposed to increase overall sound quality and resolution. There has been little feedback however, to verify whether or not this system really enhances sound quality to a noticeable degree. In addition, Sirius is offering free audio feeds through internet to its paying customers, something XM charges a couple dollars a month extra for. So if you plan on listening to radio via net often, you can expect to pay about same no matter which company you go with. Sirius also claims to have 24 hour customer service - something XM radio has yet to fully achieve. Oh, and one more thing. Sirius has 2 NPR channels, for you NPR fans out there: NPR Now and NPR Talk. Pretty cool.
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