2017 Mercedes-Benz E300 with Apple CarPlay

My Mercedes-Benz Dealership, Mercedes-Benz of Burlington, gives out loaner cars when you get your car serviced. I asked for an E300, while my C300 was in for it's B service.

I got a 2017 Mercedes-Benz E300. What a sweet car.











It's a little bigger than my C300 and does away with the semi-floating 8.4-inch screen, replacing it with an inline 12.3-inch high-resolution central display.

Display


The 2017 E300 also has a USB plug in the cupholder section.


After I plugged my iPhone 7 Plus in, the car detected it and asked me if I wanted to connect to Apple CarPlay.

"A new Apple CarPlay device has been connected."


I accepted "Automatically" and the CarPlay display came up. It's impressive.  The colors are vibrant and details are very pronounced.



I saw Pandora on there, so I scrolled over to it using the COMAND system with touchpad controller.



It was easy to scroll around my artists.


I selected Paul McCartney & Wings.


Next, I selected Maps, and chose to browse local shopping, and my supermarket came right up, so I selected it, and navigation led me there.










The final thing I'd like to share is the 64-color LED ambient lighting. This was fun to play with and decide on a color.

A network of LEDs can create not just a soothing ambience in the cabin, but one you can alter to suit your mood, or even create one. An incredible 64 selectable colors and adjustable brightness let the driver control the atmosphere like never before. Edge-lighting glows from beneath the "waveform" dash trim and door armrests, and from behind the instrumentation screen panel. Even the footwells, door handles and rear overhead assist grips are bathed in a soft glow.

Disclosure: Mercedes-Benz of Burlington provided me with a 2017 Mercedes-Benz E300 as a service loaner. I have a financial interest in Mercedes-Benz of Burlington. I was not asked to write anything about the car and was not provided any other compensation of any kind. All opinions I express regarding the Mercedes-Benz E300 are my own.

PhotoScan from Google Can't Beat a Scanner

PhotoScan iOS and Android App for scanning photos, makes it easy to use your smart phone to scan in old photos, but it can't match the quality of a flatbed scanner.

Here's a test I did with an old wedding photo:

PhotoScan



Epson Perfection V850 Pro scanner (affiliate link) with Color Restoration

The Shure Documenter MV88 iOS Digital Stereo Condenser Microphone

The Shure Documenter MV88 iOS Digital Stereo Condenser Microphone joins the landscape of new microphones that utilize the iPhone Lightning connector providing a greater confidence that recordings will sound good, as opposed to using the headphone jack.

In all my tests, the MV88 worked well, without any problems. As you add on external devices to help you record, you usually add in the possibility of technical failure. Not with the MV88. I was confident to use it each time.



The sound quality was very good and I appreciated the ability to modify the direction of the audio capture depending on the environment. The app was easy to use.

Here are the features of the mic, some video examples recorded directly to the camera and through Facebook Live, some of my suggestions for the next version, and some photos.

Features

• MFi certi ed compatible with all iOS devices equipped with a Lightning connector
• Matched cardioid and bi-directional 1 cm cartridges for best-in-class audio
• Mid-side architecture for a phase-perfect, clear stereo image
• 5 DSP preset modes (Speech, Singing, Flat, Acoustic Instrument, Loud)
• Automatically adjusts EQ, compression and limiting for optimal results
• Innovative hinge/rotation design supports multiple recording angles, including video applications
• All-metal construction engineered to withstand the most demanding recording conditions

System Requirements
iOS 7.0 and higher: iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus; iPod touch 5th generation; iPad 4th generation, iPad Air, iPad Air 2; iPad Mini 1st generation, iPad Mini 2nd generation, iPad Mini 3rd Generation

ShurePlus™ MOTIV™ App Featuring:

–24-bit/48 khz .wav (uncompressed) recording
–Control over DSP mode selection, microphone gain, stereo width, raw mid-side adjustments, wind reduction, capsule selection, Left-Right Swap, 5-band EQ and compression/limiting

Buy on Amazon.com (Affiliate Link):


Testing:
iPhone 7 Plus Recording



iPhone 7 Plus Facebook Live Stream of Christmas Car Tree Review

ASSEMBLE


INSTALL ON CAR ROOF


A few notes that I would pass on to developers:

1. I would like the mic to be able to be adjustable 180 degrees. So it can both be pointed at an interviewee or the person recording.

2. OR All the microphone to twist so that the side pics work while in landscape mode, allowing both mics to work at the same time for interviewer and interviewee.

3. I’d like the mic to have a daisy chained lighting port on it so that I can plug in another lightning cord to power the phone while using the mic.

4. I’d like a longer lightning connector so that I can use the mic while keeping a case on my iPhone

Photos:

Christmas Car Tree Lit Up At Night.

Christmas Car Tree Lit Up At Night. #sponsored


Image: Christmas Car Tree Lit Up At Night.

This was fun to drive around with on the top of my car last night. Little kids were yelling, "Hey mom look at that!"
We also got a few "Merry Christmas" greetings.

It was very secure.

ASSEMBLE


INSTALL ON CAR ROOF

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