[montsnmags]

Originally Posted by huari

Gee whiz, sounds like the reviewer didn't turn off WiFi nor does not want to be bother to safe battery life.....

"The modem can be turned off with an external switch, and Amazon said that should allow the device to run for a week between charges. I didn't have the time to test this claim, but in any case, I don't want to be bothered with remembering to turn the modem on when it's time to download the day's newspaper, then turning it off."

I think flicking the switch to turn off the Wifi will go a long way to increase battery life. :-)

In other news...

Review: Bidet needs to dry-up

By I. L .B. INTHAJON

Making a successful receptacle for human waste disposal is one of the toughest tasks in modern day plumbing. Many have tried and all have failed, defeated by something that's thousands of years old - the hole in the ground.

This week, TheGanges.com Inc. (TGNG) released the Bidet, the best attempt yet at flushing the hole in the ground. It's in some ways an amazing device, but it's severely submerged by its poor drying ability, making it hard to see it becoming number 1.

The brilliance of the Bidet is the inclusion of a small water spout in the bowl, which is the size of a hole in the ground but above the ground. Through this water spout, the Bidet can stream cleanliness after you have downloaded, - all for a water usage fee - anywhere a connection to water is available. You don't need a seperate water supply - the plumber takes care of that.

The Bidet can clean the results of up to 200 varieties of dinner party - a full-house gathering with home-delivered Vindaloo, or a meeting, with nibblies, of the local chapter of the "We Love Fibre In Our Diets" IBS Society - all washed away in moments, if you have good water pressure.

It can clean your boots too, but those may require some brushing.

Apart from cleanliness, the main benefit of the bidet is its smooth sides, which leave little residue post-flush. In fact, it barely requires any cleaning at all. Nile Pty Ltd, with their FlushAir, claims that weeks can pass by before it is required to get the brush out.

The bidet, by contrast with the FlushAir, did not leave my rear-end dry at all, and I was required to use a nearby towel. TheGanges said that a supply of towels or paper towelettes should be all that is required for a clean *and* dry bottom.

But still, that's not good, and I think something is backed-up. Combining a white porcelain finish, and stream of clean water, and a comfortable seat shouldn't result in a device that leaves one with a wet bottom.

I can dry my bottom with a towel or paper towelette, and TheGanges said that this is a relatively simple matter that will leave my bottom dry, but, in any case, I don't want to be bothered with remembering to wipe my bottom when it's time to leave for work. I know I'd forget to and leave an unsightly wet patch on my trousers when I'm running out the door.

This is all a big pity, because the Bidet does so much else right.

The rest of the Bidet interface is not convincing. TheGanges has strained to make it easy to relax upon its device, but it's hard to grab for the push-button when you are reclined so comfortably.

It's also poorly configured for the cleaning function, requiring you to sit upright for a proper clean.

But I'm willing to overlook some of this crappy design, because the Bidet has some really cool features. For instance, a padded seat ensures that your legs don't go to sleep when sitting for a long time after a bad risotto. A magazine rack sits beside it. There is room for a pine-scented aerosol can on top of the cistern. There's even a floor rug for absent-minded misses.

The real reason I can't recommend the Bidet is the drying issue. It's quite possible that TheGanges could apply some simple fix, like an attached towel-rack or a jet of warm air, because we expect when buying into a cleaner backside, that we would also be buying into compensation for our inability to wipe our own backsides.

If not, we'll have to wait or the next attempt at making a great replacement for a hole in the ground. Like a great, brown whale of the plumbing world, it seems elusive.



Cheers,
Marc