Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Upgrading your car stereo's receiver is the one of the easiest ways to boost your dashboard tech. Here are the seven features we look for when making recommendations.

The Pioneer AppRadio series are among of the most fully-featured app mirroring receivers on the market.

When most people think about a "car stereo," they're actually thinking about the receiver. Also known as the head unit or deck, the receiver is both the brain and heart of your car audio system and the bit that you'll directly interact with from behind the wheel. When you choose a receiver, you're also locking in your available audio sources, features, and the expandability of the rest of your car audio system.

So what should you look for when choosing for a new receiver? Here are the 7 attributes that we consider when recommending a car stereo, along with a few of our top picks to get you started on your search.

The most important bits that you should look for are the audio sources that you most often use.

Do you need a CD player? Will you be using your receiver for DVD playback when parked? Have you ditched discs in favor of digital media? Depending on your answer, you'll have to decide whether to go with a traditional CD-receiver with a slot for your discs, a larger A/V receiver with a color screen, or a mechless receiver that ditches the drive and all of the moving parts that come with it.

Even if you still keep a book of CDs in your car's glove box, odds are good that you or a passenger will want to plug a phone or media player up to your car at some point, so make sure that your new receiver at the very least includes a USB port for MP3, AAC, or WMA playback from flash storage devices and a 3.5mm analog auxiliary input for universal connectivity.

The early adopters' choice: Parrot Asteroid Completely ditching its optical drive in favor of non-physical, the Parrot Asteroid is one of the most forward looking receivers that we've tested. Though its sometimes-buggy reliance on USB-stored, Bluetooth-streamed, and Web-connected media will appeal mainly to early adopters and tinkerers, this diminutive deck shows much promise thanks to its large (for a single-DIN) color display and Asteroid Market of Android-based applications for navigation and audio streaming.

You're a CNET reader, which means the odds are good there's smartphone in your pocket that you'll want your new car stereo to play nice with. Be sure to check out CNET's guides to using your Android phone or connecting your iOS device to the car for details. The broad advice is to look for the "Made with iPhone" badge to ensure that the USB port on your new stereo supports full speed access to your iDevice's media. Users of the iPhone 5S, 5C, or any of the iPads that use the new Lightning connector will also want to make sure the receiver uses a plain-vanilla USB port and not an older 30-pin connector.

Android, Windows Phone, and Blackberry users have no badges to look for. Either pick a receiver that uses A2DP stereo Bluetooth audio streaming for wireless media playback or make use of the aforementioned auxiliary input for the simplest connection.

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What should you look for when choosing a car stereo?

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1 21 14 Redwood siding, hot water heater install, drywall sanding, Michael and David SloFab

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29 volunteers help shovel out disabled Updated: 13 hours ago
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Published: Friday, Jan. 24, 2014, 8:57p.m. Updated 17 hours ago

Severe wintery weather conditions can create challenges for everyone, especially those whose job requires them to work outside in the elements. Postal letter carriers are among those who brave the snow, ice, sleet and freezing rain to provide service to the community.

Letter carriers can be the first to visit someone's home before snow removal or salting begins. That's why I'm asking all of your readers but especially Tarentum residents to include the regular upkeep of residential mailboxes as part of any snow and ice removal routine.

Maintaining a clear path to the mailbox including steps, porches, walkways and street approach will help letter carriers get those cards and packages delivered in a safe and timely manner. Residents receiving curbside delivery should remove snow piles left by snowplows to keep access to their mailboxes clear.

It is important to note that friends and neighbors also benefit from clear sidewalks and walkways as they travel to school, go to work and attempt to shop at nearby businesses.

And don't forget the physical, emotional and potential financial toll on anyone who slips, trips or falls in snow or on ice.

Taking the time and making the effort to keep walkways, steps and mailboxes clear of snow and ice will help your letter carrier deliver the mail, prevent injuries and make you a good neighbor in our community.

Peggy Stuckert

The writer is the postmaster in Tarentum.

You are solely responsible for your comments and by using TribLive.com you agree to our Terms of Service.

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Help out postal carriers

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Well Maintained and Updated Park Pacifica Home. Main level features 3 Bedrooms and 2 Full Baths, including a Master Suite, Living/Dining Room, and a Gourmet ...

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When youre thinking about tile installation, theres no better time to start your project than right now. Thats because tile floor installation from The Home Depot is a perfect blend of quality, selection and affordability.

Consider ceramic tile installation. Along with its classic beauty and superior durability, regular maintenance requires only occasional sweeping and mopping. And your installation specialist will provide you with full care guidelines to help you protect your floor tile installation for a lifetime and beyond.

Our specialists will also help you explore the nearly endless variety of shapes, sizes, colors and patterns of tile. Say, for instance, youre considering kitchen tile flooring. That high-traffic area calls for a durable solution, such as marble or porcelain. And since more than a few spills have been known to happen in kitchens, you may want to consider a naturally slip-resistant stone, such as slate.

As much as we pride ourselves for quality installation and wide selection, we also strive to keep down your overall tile installation cost. It starts with our handpicked, experienced installation professionals. They can provide you with floor plans and a single competitive price for labor and materials from start to finish. Plus, they save you time by getting the job done right the first time, installing to manufacturer specifications to uphold tile warranties. And finally theyre backed by The Home Depot, which offers one of the best tile flooring installation warranties in the industry and guarantees the lowest total project price.

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Regardless of the scope, a home improvement project takes planning and a budget, according to Jake Brown, second-generation owner of Winston-Brown Construction, of Topeka.

You dont have to blow the bank but come up with a number youre comfortable spending. We use budgets to guide you. We can add or subtract to meet your budget, Brown said. At the end of the day, if we cant work within your budget, youre not going to be happy. Have a good idea as to what you want, how much you want to spend and we can guide you through the rest.

Brown, 31, who took over operations of Winston-Brown Construction in 2007, has been around the home remodeling business his entire life. His father, Gary Brown, founded the business in 1974 in Topeka after starting smaller remodeling businesses in the early 1970s.

In the years hes worked with his father and now at the helm of the family business, Brown said most remodeling customers fall into three categories those you need to hold their hands, the weekend warriors and those who fall in between. Regardless of the type of customer or the scope, Brown said he and his staff try to take the same approach toward any remodeling project.

I ask them, what do you want and what can we help you with? he said. I let the customer explain what their vision is. I try to give them some ideas and believe it or not, try to save them money. We want them to have ownership and pride and that they helped design this because the project is in their house.

Brown said the majority of Winston-Browns projects are bathroom remodels.

Its our number one project. Big or small, it seems what we do the most, he said. That seems to be a project that isnt too far out of reach for peoples budget.

Brown said a standard bathroom remodel making cosmetic changes and installing new fixtures usually runs about seven- to nine-thousand dollars. He said a custom job - like installing cabinetry, tile work and other projects - can cost anywhere from 15- to 25-thousand dollars.

Although the majority of their projects are bathrooms, Brown said Winston-Brown covers the whole home spectrum of kitchens, decks, room additions and window replacement. He said hes seen an uptick in home remodeling projects in the Topeka area over the past couple of years, signaling a climb out of the down years of the Great Recession.

Interest rates over the years have affected the market, he said. I feel that now were on an upward trend. People are finally shaking off the rust, finally saying were going to spend some money.

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Home improvement: Let your budget guide your vision