Sunday, 1 November 2009

Cycling


I wrote a review on the front brake. Product is great, but comes set up with the wide spacers. I switched to the narrow spacers and it worked great. On another note, I bought the matching front and back brakes, and I could not tell the difference between them. Shimano BR-M422 Acera Bicycle V-Brake (Front, Black)

I replaced the old cantilever brakes on my bike with these V-brakes, and they've made a huge difference! So much easier to adjust and maintain, and a tighter grip on the wheel rims means better braking efficiency. Make sure that your brake levers can handle the longer travel required for the cables. If the levers can only handle short-pull cables, then you may not have enough control over braking, i.e. the brakes will come on too hard too fast.

Purchased these V-brakes to replace an older pair on a hybrid and couldn't be more pleased. Shipping arrived one day early, installation was easy and packaging provided easy to follow directions if needed. So pleased I purchased a second pair for a second bike. Don't waste any more time and money, buy these brakes, you won't be disappointed.

I wanted to replace my Cantilever Brakes with V-Brakes. After a little research, I pulled the trigger and bought both a front and rear set. I installed them with very little trouble on my Fuji AX-360 26" MTB. They aren't too heavy, look great, and above all function exceptionally well. The only think to be mindful of is that you will need a noodle and dust book. What you see is what you get: brake arms and pads.

The C-Star linear pull brake on the rear of my new Schwinn had a problem with a weak spring essentially not allowing the brake to be centered, instead of dealing with pacific cycle and probably having to send the bike back or at least the component back I ordered this. Out of the box you feel the difference in terms of quality construction and finish, additionally the design of the spring system makes so much more sense, allowing you to easily release tension without having a spring jam into your fingertip is definitely a plus. They came out of the box ready to go already balanced with plenty of spring tension and fit my relatively narrow aero rims (Tire size is 700*38c but I could easily get a 700*32c on) the pads are slightly thin but they have a large surface area and don't deflect as much as regular pads thus limiting mushy braking. The only issue was the noodle sleeve (e.g. round hollow thing that attaches to the plastic coming from the frame tube (tough to explain) was too small thus I had to reuse the ferrule from my old linear brake (no issue at all) once the brake was on though the difference was amazing tons of power (as you get with V/Linear Brakes)but with a fantastic amount of nuance plus it was nice to know on the descents you could really put some power into the rim. The front linears are fine on my bike but I am going to order an additional set for upfront once my pads wear down (brake caliper is only 6 bucks more than buying new pads. All in all buy these, they are well worth the 10 buck investment for a solid and effective braking system.

The existing brake on my hybrid bike will attach to the rim and will not release properly. I always had to adjust the brake shoe with my hand every time I press the brake.

I did not want to spend lot of money on a new brake. I came across this one in amazon and anted to give a try after reading other reviews. It worked to my expectations.

I spent a few more bucks on these over the other bargain brand. I gotta say that these brakes are perfect. Its as if they were designeed exactly for my bike. Installation was a breeze. Worth every penny! Definately recommend these brakes as a replacement set over the originals.'


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Laptop Battery Chargers


I ordered this product from Osprey Talon nearly six months ago. I bought it becuase it was a very good price when compared to the Toshiba made brand. Also, the product comes with a year-long warrantee. so I thought, hey-you can't go wrong.



After only several months of use, the metal piece that connected the adapter to the computer snapped off. i contacted osprey talon and they replaced the adapter with hardly any delay. but two months later, my new adapter started to come apart. all of the wiring connecting each piece started to come loose and eventually the adapter stopped working. when i contacted osprey talon a second time asking for a replacement, they told me they would issue me a refund. i responded to them, sent them the faulty adapter and clearly stated, in both an email as well as in writing with the adapter itself that i did not want a refund, but i wanted a replacement. two days later, osprey talon issued me a refund as well as an email confirming that the refund had been made.



This is poor service, poor equipment quality, and the only redeeming factors about this product is that it ships quickly and that you get a warrantee (that needs to be acted upon every few months due to the poor quality of the product). NEW AC Adapter/Power Supply for Toshiba Satellite A135-S4527 A205 P205

NEW AC Adapter/Power Supply for Toshiba Satellite A135-S4527 A205 P205



I was skeptical having read the reviews posted by others that stated that the power supply ran hot, even one who said he had a short in his (after 3 years of use). I figured I would give it a try for $20 if it lasted 3 years, I would get my money's worth out of it. The power supply does not get even close to as hot as the one that came with my laptop. It works great (so far). Definitely worth the money.

The cord is short and I had it for about 30 days before the cord started to fray and within 45 days it stopped working. I guess that is why they are so inexpensive. Spend the extra money and get a higher quality adapter.

Ordered this a couple months ago, and we're already having trouble with the wire. Both the brick and the wiring seem to be overly heavy -- we take reasonably good care of it, but the rubber pulls away from the brick and exposes the wiring.



Edited to add: after a few months, the cord has died -- the plug came off the wire completely. Huge waste of money.

Well it worked fine for a little while. Failed after 2 months. I shouldn't have expected too much from such a cheap power adapter. I also found the length of the cord to be too short for many usage scenarios. It's about 41 inches from the power brick to the plug that connects to the laptop. Many times the power brick was suspended in the air, which probably added to it's early failure. Sometimes it would not produce power even though everything was connected correctly. Not sure what that was about. I would recommend looking into a different AC adapter before trying this one if possible. You get what you pay for.'


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Microsoft Office - outlook, word


I've had an opportunity to use Office 2010 Beta edition for a couple of months now and now that I see the full, final, edition I can say that this is a very worthwhile upgrade. First things first, I am not a techie. I am someone who uses Word, Excel and PowerPoint on a very regular basis, who really liked some of the changes in Office 2007 but who thought some things needed tweaking, so when given the opportunity for the beta edition I jumped on it and have not been disappointed. Office 2010 is to Office 2007 what Windows 7 was to Vista; that is, there are not many breakthrough, drastically different features, but a whole lot of polishing and cleanup to make it easier and more efficient. Overall, the program seems to run faster, incorporates many of the most commonly used options and makes them more accessible (eliminating many dialog boxes and tabs) and allows for more customization.



At first glance it looks very much like its predecessor, the ribbon is back and it is now also found on OneNote. There are plenty of sites that will give you a play-by-play on all the features available in this new version, so I'm just going to mention some of the biggest improvements that I've seen.

1) The biggest change is the addition of the web apps. It may not be a true direct competitor to google docs, but it allows for easier sharing of documents, as well as making your documents more accessible.

2) The ribbon is back and it now includes the "File" option and a new feature called "Backstage view." Backstage view incorporates the most commonly used actions in one place (yay! no more dialog boxes with tabs). You get the usual open, save and print, but you also get several templates for new documents, print layouts and ways to share your work, all without dialog boxes and tabs, everything is much more easily accessible.

3) Another new feature is that the ribbon is now customizable so you can organize it according to your needs.

4) There is a Paste Preview which lets you switch between paste options so you can make sure that your work will be formatted correctly.



Changes in PowerPoint.

You can now edit video directly on PowerPoint. You can trim a video, add effects, fades and even triggers for animations for the presentation. Another new feature is that you can add effects and edit images without the need for third party software.



Changes in Word.

One nifty new feature in Word is called "Navigation pane," which replaces the old document map. It incorporates minor changes in design that make big changes in productivity and ease of use. It allows you to quickly rearrange the document. Take for example a document with several headings/sections. The Navigation pane provides a list of all the headings. The headings are live, so you can drag them up or down, thus rearranging the document. It also incorporates most of the functions that used to be available in the "Find" dialog box but now they are all visible so you don't have to go digging through several menus to find the option that you need.



Changes in Excel.

Most of the changes in Excel deal with very large datasets. There is a new PowerPivot add-in which works great if you are dealing with a very large dataset that does not fit in one Excel spreadsheet. PowerPivot pulls the data from multiple sources (several Excel spreadsheets for instance) to analyze it.



Changes in Outlook.

There is a ribbon, and this makes for a huge improvement. You can turn long email threads into conversations so you can find information from a specific participant without having to read entire threads. You can also filter out or ignore entire threads on a particular subject, including future emails. Be careful though, you can unknowingly eliminate important future emails because they have the same subject title as a conversation you ignored in the past.



Summary:

Overall this is one well planned and executed upgrade that essentially takes all the promises of Office 2007 and makes them a reality. Yes, some things are different, and it will take some getting used to; but, once you realize the improvement in efficiency you'll agree that the changes are mostly for the positive. Microsoft Office Home and Business 2010 (Disc Version)

I'm coming from OLD versions of these applications. I'm ashamed to say I was still using a version of Word 2002 on one of my computers...Yikes! I've been using Mozilla's excellent (and free) Thunderbird client for many years.



So the standout here for me, is Outlook. I honestly can't figure how I ever effectively used email before. If you've ever tried to configure Thunderbird for gmail access using either POP or IMAP, it is a multi-step process (by multi, I mean like 22 steps) to get to the end. Complete with re-mapping ports, changing TLS and server configurations, the whole deal. I could always get it to work, eventually, and once it's set, it just works after that. You only had to go through that process once. But since I do OS re-installs somewhat regularly, I had to go through this Thunderbird "initialization" process many, many times.



So I download the Office 2010 Beta. (the full beta that installs on your hdd, not the virtualization beta which was garbage and took forever to load up).



It asks me some pointed questions about my gmail account. Literally like 2 questions: my email address and my password. There might have been one other question or 2, but I don't think so. Outlook basically configured itself instantly after I entered my information, no port mapping or any of that other stuff. It just worked and immediately started synchronizing my folders. This was impressive in and of itself, but the conversation feature was great as well, where Outlook keeps threaded replies under one conversation heading. It just streamlines things and makes it much better. (note: I've discovered that the conversation feature "confused" a lot of users; it has therefore been disabled in the final product. Go to your view section of your ribbon and click the box "show as conversations" to re-enable. I honestly don't understand how this could be confusing, but ok. Just turn it on, any logic-minded person will like it.)



The Search option is invaluable as well. It acts like an index-able search and starts returning results as you type. I had a product that had failed on me, but that also had a 3 year warranty that was nearing expiration. I typed in the name of the product and outlook finds all pertinent messages in my Gmail account from 32 months ago...instantly. (actually before I even finished typing its name). Thunderbird has not replicated this functionality in any meaningful way, not even close. Normally I would be combing through pages and pages of emails trying to find the one I needed. This little feature has saved me so much time, I can't even tell you. And I just stumbled upon it, which makes it even better. You can type anything in this box: email addresses, names, words that may only appear in the subject or body. It finds it all instantly as you type.



So the big deal here is something I haven't mentioned which is called the Ribbon interface. This is the fancy menu-ing system at the top of each application. So where you would normally have static menu buttons as any browser/application does, the ribbon options change based on which heading you click. This is cool and is pretty well standardized between applications. Each application obviously has different needs for the major headings, but the functionality is the same. Outlook is a visually impressive app as compared to Thunderbird. Even my wife noticed something was different when she saw it on my screen for the 1st time. (I still had Thunderbird installed on her computer.) Thunderbird looks absolutely midieval in comparison. After months of using the Office 2010 beta, I was on my wife's computer and loaded up Thunderbird. The difference is big.



Though I have never used Outlook 2007, I have read this is a major upgrade in every way over it, and no question over Outlook 2003. I also loved the new Calendar system, again much better than what I used to with Thunderbird, which for a long time was an extra plugin, called Sunbird.



The other standout in my opinion is Word 2010. This is still the yardstick by which other word processors are measured. It's got insane functionality and can do things that I will probably never, ever have a need for. This seems to be more of several, tiny optimizations that are visible after a few weeks of use. Word 2007 also had the ribbon UI, but this has been refined. Word 2010's search/navigation functionality has been drastically improved: this is especially handy for long/multi-page documents. All the functionality you could ever want in a word processor is here and it is also a beautiful app as compared to something like Google docs or Open Office. Not picking on them or anything, because obviously you're gonna get more for a paid app vs. a free one. I have WordPerfect at work, and I can barely stand to use it in comparison. Not sure why, but no one can touch Microsoft as far as Word goes.



These 2 programs alone justify the $240 price tag here, since you will spend more than that by purchasing only those 2 programs as stand alone apps. So I figured I might as well get this one since it also comes with Excel, Power Point, and One Note.



On Excel, a big boost to graphing and charts is the ability to interact with them and have them change in real time so you can see what effects small changes may have on a given data set. Microsoft gives this addition a tech buzz word (pivotChart); but all it means is you can see the effects that data has graphically, and instantly. It also has had its ribbon interface heavily modified/tweaked as well. I'm really glad I got Excel with this package (I didn't think I'd ever use it.) I have since had a business opportunity and have had to draft a business plan, profit/loss projections, and month to month projections. Templates are super easy to find on Microsoft's website and the bank even sent me a template for a personal financial statement in Excel 2010 format. It was nice to have the necessary software load up and ready to go, when I clicked the attachment from my banker.



PowerPoint 2010: I've put together two presentations with it thus far. They seemed to go overboard with the picture/video options; video editing is kinda crazy with this. If you want to spend the time learning the ins and outs, it seemed quite powerful to me as far as that stuff goes. Photo editing has also been ramped up. You can basically do everything within the program now vs. having to use Photoshop or Adobe Premier/Final Cut to process the footage, add frames, effects, crop, fix audio, etc. Basically you had to do all this first in PowerPoint 2007 and then load it into your ppt file. This is pretty big if you do a lot of presentations or slideshows.



One Note is for online collaboration. You essentially share data such as class notes, etc. in the cloud with whoever you want. Schools and students may find this helpful, but I haven't really had a need to use it yet.



If you don't want/need Outlook, they have a home and student edition. You can spend more and get Publisher and Access in the Professional edition if you even need that sort of thing. I hope you don't since that'll cost you close to $500 for the entire suite.



As far as versions, obviously this edition (the Home and Business edition) is the best value for the money in my opinion. Also, definitely get the disc version since it allows 2 installs. That means I can give my wife the suite as well on her computer. So the key card option, which is basically just a product key that you would enter into a authorization box in the version that you download, will only allow you one install, but the price is $200! You get to install it twice for $240 with the Home and Business edition. It's definitely NOT worth saving $40 to only get to install it on one PC.



All the applications have attractive, animated splash screens and load extremely quickly on my 2 year old PC. Overall, I would say definite upgrade from Office 2003 and to atleast consider it if moving from Office 2007. Unless you're an Outlook user and that would become a "definite upgrade" as well.



Hope you've enjoyed this review from a user who's actually used the product for several months via the beta and then the final version (Amazon verified purchase), as I wanted to give some original feedback.



UPDATE 6/23/2010: So after using the Office 2010 Beta for over 6 months, I received my copy of the final version from Amazon several days ago. I just un-installed the beta and ran the setup from the DVD ROM. A little hiccup with the uninstall occurred where I received an error message of "could not un-install all components." A reboot solved that issue. Setup was fairly quick (between 5 and 10 minutes), and Outlook retained all of my email settings. Upon loading it for the 1st time, no questions were asked, it just worked like it always had. That is because uninstalling Outlook doesn't delete your Outlook data, it saves it in a .pst file. This gives your email/calendar/contact data persistence. I was impressed by this. No having to use a 3rd party backup utility like Mozbackup that I had to do with Thunderbird. There are other reviews that reference that pst file transfer should be a 5 minute process. Well, it is. Actually, it's more like a 2 minute process. But for a non-techie, it might be a challenge. Most of us geeks know that calling support for something like this will be a fruitless effort. Research online forums for quicker, more pertinent help.



Also, all the programs now run insanely fast. I guess a few optimizations have taken place since I originally downloaded the beta. You barely get to see the splash screen animate now before the apps are already loaded. I can confirm the key code that comes with this disc allows 2 full installs on 2 different PC's. Both suites have been activated with no issues whatsoever.



Furthermore, I wanted to let you know that you should not install the 64 bit version of Office 2010. Both my machines are 64 bit chipsets, but I installed the 32 bit version on both. Even Microsoft recommends installing the 32 bit version over the 64 bit version. It will likely introduce more problems than it solves with no measurable speed/productivity increases whatsoever. The only reason you would want to consider this is if you're dealing with massive (as in larger than 2 GB) files in Excel. So if you're not doing Godzilla-sized spreadsheets, leave the 64 bit version alone. PLUS the 64 bit version of Outlook is gimped because it loses the add-in functionality. Add-ins are helper apps just like add-ons are for Firefox. You don't want to use Outlook without them. - Microsoft Office 2010 - Outlook - Microsoft - Word'


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Electric Drill - electric drill


this was the one I chose. Price was right, two year factory warranty, and TWO batteries! Batteries came charged so I was able to use it right out of the box. Problem is, I haven't needed to use it since I bought it a month or more ago!



Product was shipped and delivered promptly and in good condition.



My only objection to this package is that the charger is not the robust device that I've seen with other drills. This one has an adapter that plugs into the wall, then a very light-weight plastic adapter that connects to the battery. My fear is that if the adapter that connects to the battery receives any rough treatment it could break very easily. So if you have a shop with lots of clutter or lots of activity, be sure you have a safe place to secure the charger. Factory-Reconditioned Black & Decker BD12PSKR 12V Smart Select Cordless Drill

I bought this cordless drill / driver for my father in law. I checked it out and tested it before giving it to him and it was all good. I have spoke to my father in law since and he uses it and likes it very much.

Bob

Purchased this yesterday to have it delivered today as I was in need of a drill for a project. Put the drill on the charger for 5hrs then went to use it. Tried to drill a single screw in to a wooden box and the battery died... WTH... so I plugged it up and left for 6 hrs to handle some-other things then when I returned to charger no the battery was warm. Tried to drill something and the drill didn't charge one bit. I am very aggravated and disappointed with this purchase and as such I'll be returning it and going down to a hardware store and picking up another.

It paid me to buy this. My car has sealed headlight assemblies with moisture inside. $300 for the dealer to replace. I bought this drill, a package of drill bits and taps and a couple of set screws, drilled a vent hole in the lens cover, turned the lights on to drive the moisture out and plugged the holes and kept better than $250 in my pocket. I have used the drill for countless projects since - works great, good balance, lots of power and enough torque settings to drive you crazy. Use it as a drill, power driver, forward and reverse. Great tool. - Electric Drill'


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Wood Chisels


I bought this set to start learning carving but when i actually opened i realized its of no use. All the pieces were rusted and non of them were sharp enough to start on. Lesson Learnt - Never start on cheap products.. you will loose the interest of learning... Spend a bit more and enjoy the things you love to learn. TEKTON 6742 Wood Carving Chisel Set, 11-Piece

These are garbage, from the plastic straight into the trash. There's no saving these as the metal is substandard and inappropriate for the purpose. Regarless of price a tool should be able to function as designed. These might work on clay, maybe.

This set has a good range of tools, but arrives only moderately sharp and appears to be just a little soft so will likely require frequent sharpening. That said, for a novice like myself who will likely slowly pick up higher quality (and more expensive) pieces as I develop a feel for preferred chisels and handle types, the only thing I could really see being an improvement at this price point would be a canvas tool wrap with slots for each chisel (to protect the cutting edges) staggered so handles are not all at the same height (so it would roll up smaller).

I used this set to strip an older, almost antique, piece today. The dresser was not in the best of shape as it was, but these chisels worked very well in the corners to remove the old stain and finish. Although, they did not come sharp enough and were not perfectly square,you can not beat the deal you get from this buy! A little fine tuning and they were pretty impressive!'


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Cargo Pants - tactical pants, cargo


it arrived a little larger than I wanted, but they are well made and I washed them once in cold water and they have not faded yet. I will wash them in warm next time and see how they stand up. I washed them last time inside out. They are well made and I have only wore them once. I need to give them a good pounding and see what happens. Military Authentic BDU Pants Black W/City Camo Accent Fatigues (3XL) - Tactical Pants - Cargo - Bdu Pants - Pants'


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Mechanical Scales - mechanical scales, good value


I've had 3 digital scales that quit working after only a couple of years, so I went back to the dial scale and I love it. Maybe it doesn't register every quarter pound, but it's cheap and as accurate as my last digital and I don't have to put batteries in it every other week; a big gain to my mind. Health o Meter SAB602-05 Dial Scale, Black with Silver Accent

I purchased this because of the price and the convenience of not having to change the battery! Scale is accurate - matches my doctor's scale. However, if you are looking for an exact reading without having to count tick marks, this scale would not be for you.

I do not reccomend this scale, as it is not accurate. For example, I will get on the scale and it will go to whatever number, I'll get off and get back on it will show a different number. It is off by upto 5 pounds. I am contantly reajusting the scale to zero. So to sum things up, I have no idea how much I really weigh.

This is a good scale - the dashes are very tiny so it is hard to read the exact weight from a standing position, but you can tell within a pound or two what it reads. It is accurate because I weighed myself before going to the doctor and the reading agreed to the doctor's scale. It also looks nice. I would recommend this if you are looking for an inexpensive non-digital scale and don't mind if it is hard to read the exact weight to the pound.

I just wanted a basic inexpensive and accurate scale, nothing fancy, and although the reviews were mostly mediocre I liked the way it looked and bought it anyway. When it arrived I found the quality to be much lower than what I expected...the platform was a hard plastic that did not feel sturdy when I stepped onto it; it felt very cheap, as if it were going to break. The scale was accurate for the first few days, but on about the 5th day my weight was about 20 lbs. off. I am dieting, but there's no way I could have lost 20 lbs. in less than a week. It's a good looking scale, but it feels cheap, not sturdy and not well made. I ended up buying a scale twice the price of this one; it's been about two weeks, and so far so good.

Upon receipt of this scale, I weighed myself 4 times in a row (within a span of five minutes) & the readings varied by as much as 20 lbs.



Each time I stepped off, the scale had to be zeroed again. I don't believe the dial was able to move freely.

Yes, the scale is cheap. I figured it would be good enough for me, since I don't need tenth-of-a-pound accuracy, but this scale just doesn't work. I got a different weight every time I stepped on it. I think the needle that marks the weight sticks. Thank you, Amazon, for your easy return policy. - Accurate - Weighing Scale - Good Value - Mechanical Scales'


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High Heels - pumps


Because of the reviews I ordered a size 7 instead of my normal 6.5 and the toe area was a little snug and the heel was a bit loose, but I put a heel cushion in and they fit good. They are very pretty. When I wear them I get lots of compliments. Very pleased with purchase. Pleaser Women's Seduce Pump,Hot Pink Patent,9 M

Although the shoes themselves are incredibly gorgeous, the comfort is not as great.. reason for my 3 star rating. The shoes were as expected in looks, but not in while wearing them. I am used to wearing heels, but these are not as comfortable as expected.

I ordered this one in the black velvet...beautiful, and packaged in nice protective fabric sleeves. The velvet is actually fairly plush, and I can imagine it would be easily scuffed up after a few wearings. The construction is typical Pleaser...good enough for play, or occasional evenings out in dimly lit clubs, and at this price, thats all you should expect. In larger sizes, it actually seemed to run a half-size bigger than expected...sizing can be a bit iffy with this class of footwear, so be forewarned. Overall, its a great value. - Pumps'


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Pocket Camera - leica lens, point and shoot


I am not a camera or photography aficionado, so I cannot offer a super technical review -- of which the electronics section here on Amazon is replete with -- however what I can say, from a layman's perspective, is that this camera is unimaginably magnificent.



I got this camera for my birthday and I simply wanted a camera that would provide a good, high-quality and affordable upgrade to my six megapixel Samsung camera that I bought three years ago - also for my birthday. Without even a modicum of hesitation, I can proudly say that this Panasonic camera more than exceeded my expectations.



The 14 MP camera takes clear and crisp photographs and has a smorgasbord of different settings to make the pictures you take precisely how you want it. You can adjust your camera setting before you snap your picture, and you can also conveniently edit it after you take your picture. So you can never really take bad pictures. I find the settings to be really great.



I also wanted a camera that would be good for action pictures. Often times, on my previous camera, I would take moving photographs and the pictures would come out blurry and you can tell that it was taken in motion. In contrast, this camera is wholly different. I tested out several moving pictures and the camera adroitly captures the moment I want captured beautifully, without any kind of visible motion blurriness.



However, I leave the best aspect of this camera till last: the unthinkably great HD video capture. When buying a camera I wanted something that could capture HD videos so I can record different moments in film and store them, and perhaps something that would be good for YouTube videos: I found it. This video camera records gloriously crisp and colorful 720p HD. As good as the quality of the photo camera itself is, I think the video capture function is remarkably better. You simply just cannot fault it.



I have never really been a Panasonic person. I know their stuff is purportedly of good quality and durable, but I have just never bought a product other than batteries. However, after buying this magnificent camera, I think I'll be investing in a lot more Panasonic products.



I went in with pretty low expectations, and came out thoroughly impressed.



Needless to say, I have been taking a whole lot of pictures on this thing.



By the way, for the record, I haven't yet read the instruction manual, yet I have no problem operating the camera. I think that speaks wonders of its ease of use. Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP3 14.1 MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0-Inch Touch-Screen LCD (Black)

Overall, this is a decent camera. I'm no camera aficionado, I was just looking for something simple to carry around for impromptu pictures. I'd say everything about it is okay, but I'm writing this review more for pointing out flaws for future purchasers to consider (isn't that how most reviews go these days? :)). Here goes: Don't buy this camera if you're the kind of person who wants to zoom into the picture after you've taken it to make sure the pimple on your chin isn't visible. The touch screen navigation is super slow and not exactly sensitive. After you zoom on a picture, you have to tap the screen relentlessly for it to recognize your finger and actually move to the area of the picture you're wanting to zoom in on. Secondly, and I know I'm not the only person experiencing this because I've read other reviews on the internet while I was searching for a cost-effective solution, if you drop the camera, it's pretty much done for. I'd had this camera for just shy of a month when I dropped it on the ground and the sliding lens cover malfunctioned. It's really frustrating, because everything still works, it just doesn't recognize that the lens cover has been slid open. I can still look at pictures that have been taken, etc. I sent it back to Panasonic in hopes that A. they wouldn't notice the scratch on the corner, or B. that if they did notice, it was warranty-voiding. No dice. They wrote me back with a quote to repair it, and it's actually more expensive than buying a new camera. So, in conclusion, if you have an iron grip and aren't obsessed with reviewing your pictures until you upload them to your computer, this really is a good camera for the price. Good luck to all!

I love this camera mostly because of its size, most other cameras of the same size don't take as nice pictures. Its super easy to carry around so you'll end up taking more pictures because you won't mind having it with you all the time. The Intelligent Auto works pretty well and it has face and scene detection which is great, along with really good image stabilization. Battery life on this thing is great too, You can take about 800-1000 pictures with this thing before you have to charge the battery.



My only con is the low-light capability, its pretty poor. Outdoor or indoors with adequate lighting makes for some excellent pictures, but in low light the pictures come out pretty grainy. And the flash on this camera is rather weak so that doesn't help much either. You can raise the ISO up and it has a High Sensitivity scene mode as well to try to help make the picture come out, but only adds to the grain. Now this is expected in such a compact camera so I'm not docking because of it, but its definitely worth noting if you're looking to take a lot of low-light pictures.



Overall this is a great buy, certainly not gonna take the same quality pics as its big brothers but if you want a simple, good quality compact then this is your camera.

This is a really good camera for a really good price. I was quite pleased with the quality of the photos and the overall look.



The touchscreen feature sometimes doesn't quite work as expected, but with patience it gets the job done.



The 14.1 MP resolution results in great pictures, but the functions are still a little complicated for me... There are many different combinations that can be used which becomes a little too much.



I highly recomend this camera. However, if you have issues with a touchscreen, this camera might not be the one for you, as the touchscreen on it sometimes doesn't respond.



I am really pleased with my purchase. - Lumix - Leica Lens - Digital Camera - Point And Shoot'


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Throw Blankets


Iowa Hawkeye Comfy was a Christmas gift for my grandaughter. It is a nice weight and she says it is very comfortable to wrap up in to watch TV. She plans on taking it on the bus with her when she makes her Band Trip to New York in March. Iowa Hawkeyes Adult Comfy Throw Blanket with Sleeves'


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Lets Read And Find Out Science 2 - childrens books, cience books for kids


If your child is interested in science, they will enjoy this book. It combines colorful drawings with actual photographs to explane the earth's rotation in a simple, understandable way. It is also a part of the Harcourt reading series for second grade, and a wonderful addition to your home library. What Makes Day and Night (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2)

I bought this book for my grandson who just started second grade. He said science was his least favorite subject. He was reading the book by himself when I visited. He loves to read and he likes the book.

I really like the "Let's Read and Find out Science 2" series. These are great science books for elementary school and they are perfect for my first grader. They use familiar examples to introduce basic scientific concepts in a simple but fun way. They are interesting for both kids and adults. I have found them to be a valuable tool to teach these concepts to my kids.



This book does a wonderful job explaining the earths rotation and the day and night concept. - Childrens Books - Astronomy - Solar System - Cience Books For Kids'


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Lets Read And Find Out Science 2 - childrens books, cience books for kids cience books for kids Lets Read And Find Out Science 2 - childrens books, cience books for kids

Lab Notebook - adventure, ap


This is really a great laboratory notebook. Though other reviews say that the pages are difficult to rip out, I disagree. If you pull away/sideways from the binding rather than down/along it, the pages will very easily tear from underneath the black binding cover. I am much happier with this notebook than the ones they sell in the college bookstore. National Brand Laboratory Notebook, 4 X 4 Quad, Brown, Carbonless, 11 x 9.25 Inches, 100 Sets (43649)

The notebook does everything it needs to do; lets you write on it and leave a copy behind. The only thing that bothered me was that the pages are not ripping friendly, not even the carbon copies. Which makes no sense if your looking to turn a copy in and keep the original to yourself. Other than that everything was fine.

I work for an analytical testing lab, and we've been using this same notebook for 20+ years. Since I don't need the carbon copy, I use a cardboard spacer between the white & yellow sheets and double the number of available pages.

This notebook is far cheaper and of much higher quality than those available at my student store. I like that it's not spiral bound and that it has a nice, thick cover which won't easily absorb water or other spills on the cover or back cover.

I received the notebook just in time to start Lab reports and it has been perfect. I am extremely happy with it and the results every time I use it.Thanks for fast, prompt, and perfect service and quality.

The notebook was better quality than the image gives it credit for. It is well made and does exactly what I need for my lab assignments. I would recommend this to anyone that needs a professional looking lab notebook that copies pages - Adventure - Notebook - Ap - Laboratory'


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Wandas Evil Scheme - science fiction, kids


Since I had to look elsewhere for DVD details (to decide whether to buy the 2-disc or one-disc film), I thought I'd post here:



1-Disc Wide screen and Full Screen DVD





*Includes both a wide screen and full screen version of the film.

*No special features

*RRP $28.98

2-Disc Digital Copy Special Edition DVD





*Widescreen version only

*Additional scenes (6:31)

*Close-Up with the Cast and Crew of Harry Potter special. Matthew Lewis ("Neville Longbottom") and Alfred Enoch ("Dean Thomas") lead us on an entertaining look at the cast of Harry Potter as they explore their interests away from acting and spend a day on set with the production team (28:30)

*J.K. Rowling: A Year in the Life: A fascinating and intimate look into the life of J.K. Rowling over the last year of writing "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." (49:32)

*One Minute Drills: The cast has 60 seconds to describe their character's personality, history, relationships and other traits before time runs out (6:43)

*What's On Your Mind: Hosted by Tom Felton, the cast is put on the spot when asked a series of rapid-fire questions on their likes and dislikes. (6:41)

*Universal's "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter" Sneak Peek: Get an "inside look" at the amazing world of magic and excitement being created at Universal Orlando® Resort in Florida (11:38)

*Digital Copy of the theatrical film (2nd disc)

*RRP $34.99



I can't believe the negative reviews. I read the book and thought the filmmakers did a fantastic job with it. Anyone who wants a film to be an exact replica of any book should do themselves a favor and just read the book again. Am looking forward to enjoying it again (and again) on DVD. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Warner Brothers is trying to fool us again - calling this an "Ultimate Edition" when it is NOT the extended version of the film. It comes with behind the scenes extras and commentaries, but the movie itself is the same! I expect this is because they decided after the first 2 Ultimate Editions that they would wait and re-release all 8 movies at once in another Ultimate Edition, but this time a Box Set with extended versions of all films - to entice everyone to buy all the movies yet again. Hold off for now and watch your DVD copies - next year we can all buy the REAL Ultimate Editions!

This is my second favorite of the Harry Potter books, but my absolute least favorite of the movies, by far.

Acting was stilted. Too many story changes. No "magic" at all felt during the movie. I know it should be dark because of the story line, but the director and whoever wrote the screenplay totally ruined it for me.



At the end of the book, when Severus yells at Harry... "don't call me coward!" That is a climactic moment and it was completely left out of the movie!

The whole backstory of Voldemorts mother and childhood are left out.



If it was too much movie for one book, then pick up the pace. It totally dragged. I will not watch it again.



If this same director is doing the next two movies, I won't bother seeing them. I would give the movie ZERO stars if I could.

This is not a review of the movie, but rather of the poor job Warner Home Video has done with the Blu-ray video transfer. There are horizontal bands visible in various scenes throughout the movie. They are not constantly visible, but appear primarily in scenes where there are large areas of darkness - though of course that means they are visible in quite a few scenes of this very dark movie.

The bands are not being produced by my player - I can see them on all three of my Blu-ray players, including my PS3 and two computers with Blu-ray drives. The bands are part of the image and are visible when the movie is freeze-framed.

I recommend that those considering a purchase refrain from buying this disc until and unless a replacement is offered by Warner Home Video.

I own over 200 Blu-ray discs, and this is the first time I have seen this issue on any transfer. It is obvious to me that this disc was mastered incorrectly.

I along with many other people bought year 3&4 expecting the deleted scenes to be added to the movies since year 1&2 had them. I was disappointed as most were that WB chose do not offer this option on further releases with out making their decision clear in the press release. If you offer something on the initial launch of a product you should make it clear if you remove a major selling feature of that product. It was not false advertising as WB never stated their would be extended cut of the movie on 3&4... but it is misleading.

The audio on the Blu-Ray set was perhaps the worst I have hardly heard. I should clarify, background and special effects audio was clear as far as I could tell but nearly all the voice audio was unbelievably bad - garbled in many places, muffled in others, too low to hear in other spots - I believe that less than half the voice audio could be understood - incredible, must not have had any test audiences.

AND the movie was so disjointed, and lack of intelligible audio so disturbing that finally the only thing left was to sit back and enjoy the video special effects (exception: try to take a close look at the mid-ground items in the storage room scenes ).

Half Blood Prince was one of my favorite books in the series so I was looking forward to finally watching the film which I just did. Sadly, even the 3 cups of coffee I had today could barely keep me awake for this dreadful, dull and horribly depicted film. How it is possible that a franchise with as much going for it as Harry Potter could allow this to happen?



My own two cents:

1. There was way too much time spent on and with Horace Slugworth. He had no fire and to watch all his onscreen time was an exercise in patience.

2. One of my favorite story lines in the book was Tom Riddle's family. They were so well written and interesting, they could have taken 15 minutes of time from Sluggy and that unfunny running gag of Ron's stalking admirer and invested us in getting to know Tom's people.

3. I understand the books/films get darker as they progress. I get this however one of the things I have always loved was the whimsical and magical objects and beings such as Nearly Headless Nick, Moaning Myrtle, moving staircases, howlers and talking paintings. It's like this was no longer Hogwarts, a school of wizardry but a broken down castle with no element of anything magical.

4. There are always going to be people who complain about what the film didn't cover and what was in the film but not the book but if you're going to tamper with a book such as HP, MAKE IT INTERESTING.



Let's do this one over. Can we please? I'd rather sit through a half hour with Dolores Umbridge, incessently meowing cats while she sips tea from her dainty teacup as her magic pen writes (painfully) on my hand one thousand time, "I must not write unkind reviews" (true as they may be). - Kids - Science Fiction - Fantasy - Adventure'


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