School Supplies

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These are fine for paper folders except that they are cheeper at Wal-Mart and Office Deport. However, the item description said "POLY". Poly implies the they are the polyvinyl folders that schools are requiring now. The description does not say paper but these are PAPER folders. Top Flight 2-Pocket Portfolio With Tangs, 11.5 x 9.4 Inches, Purple, Blue, Teal, Green, Yellow and Red, 6 Portfolios per Pack (4660250)

I wish I had ordered this after the others had written their reviews. They are not poly-plastic folders. They are very thin, flimsy paper folders! My boys have used them a week and they are already destroyed! Very deceptive.

I ordered this for my child going to school. We expected a 'POLY'vinyl as described or some 'POLY'synthetic product but we received cheap paper folders. In my opinion this is Deceptive Advertising. We are disappointed with Amazon. Amazon meeds to 'police' these descriptions better. Otherwise, all their other good and genuine products will become 'suspect'.

I bought this when there were only two five star reviews. My kids needed the plastic folders for school and everyone locally was sold out. The description implied that they were high quality and I trusted the reviews. Not only are these extremely low quality, they arrived bent, with creases down the middle. I was so disappointed. There is no way these are worth what they're asking.'

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Esata Cable - esata cable, hard drive

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This cable appears to be well shielded and has good length for the price. The only drawback would be the inflexible nature of the cable, making it difficult to use with a desktop replacement/notebook. If you have a desktop setup then the cable would be perfect since it would remain in nearly the same orientation but it is difficult to get the cable to change directions otherwise. StarTech 3-Feet Shielded External eSATA Cable M/M (ESATA3)

I bought this extra eSATA cable to go with a Western Digital DVR Expander even though the DVR Expander comes with a USB cable and an eSATA cable included. I had read in other customer comments on other external hard drive products that the included cables are usually "garbage". For the extra couple of bucks I ordered this cable along with the DVR Expander. I'm sure glad I did. The eSATA cable included would not plug into the DVR Expander or the back of the DVR, obviously from ill-fitting plugs. But this "3 feet Shielded External eSATA Cable M/M" fit perfectly and works beautifully. Good product and good reason to encourage honest customer comments. Thanks, Amazon!

Just be aware that eSATA does not carry power, only data - something i didn't know about previously. Therefore, for my external 2.5 inch drive, I had to also connect the USB cable simultaneously so it got power, which is kind of funny. That doesn't mean there is anything wrong with this cable. It worked perfectly.



Also, I have no complaints about cable rigidity or the cable coming out like others have mentioned. It seems fine to me.

I bought this cable to reconnect an external eSATA drive to my TiVo. At one point I had to move the TiVo and the drive. When I initially tried to reconnect them, I could not get the original cable to seat properly. Subsequently the TiVo would not recognize the drive or boot up. In order to get the TiVo to boot I had to disconnect the drive and lose all the shows I had saved to that point.



This cable worked great! It connected snugly to both the TiVo and the hard drive. Once I started the TiVo with this cable in place, the TiVo booted properly, recognized the hard drive and I was back in business.

I bought this to connect an external hard drive to a new e-SATA PCI board (which had been connected by USB 2.0). My aim was to radically incease read/write speeds and therefore accelerate the backups that I run.



The cable worked perfectly. The connections are a little fiddly, but that is the design of the connectors, not a fault of the cable manufacturer. I got exactly the result I wanted, which is a much faster backup process. I would recommend e-SATA connections to anyone writing large quantities of data to external drives. - Hard Drive - Esata Cable - Cables - External Hard Drive'

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Young Adult - young adult, maine

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Carrie Jones' "Tips on Having a Gay (ex) Boyfriend" adds a twist to the YA breakup novel.



High school senior and singer-songwriter, Belle Philbrick, is dumped. And not in your usual way. Her boyfriend Dylan--Harvest King to Belle's Harvest Queen--announces that he's gay. And, needless to say, dumps her. "Tips on Having a Gay (ex) Boyfriend" chronicles Belle's story in first-person narration over the course of the week that follows.



Why a week? In an inspired piece of character development, Belle doesn't want to turn into a Malory--a girl who whines about a boy for an extended period of time. Instead, she spends time with her best friend, Emily, and becomes closer to Dylan's best friend, Tom. And, because she lives in a small Maine town--her breakup and Dylan's announcement that he's gay remain their secret for about 24 hours before everyone knows everything. "Tips on Having a Gay (ex) Boyfriend" is a tale not just of Belle's coming to terms with her gay (ex) boyfriend, but also the entire town's adjustment to Dylan's announcement.



Carrie Jones has created an admirable heroine in Belle. While her breakup with Dylan is understandably painful, social justice and her true love for Dylan win over her pain. As one of the leaders of her school's Amenesty International chapter, Belle can't overlook when other students call Dylan "fag" (or her, weirdly, "fag hag"). Belle is a compelling character, very real despite the fact that her situation may seem unusual. One doesn't expect your first and true love to be gay. Fortunately, Belle has a good friend to turn to--a level-headed girl named Emily. Here is a revealing conversation between the two girls:



"'You know. It's a big deal what's happening to you and Dylan and everything. That's hard to adjust to. You love him for, like, forever and then--boom that love's gone.'



I stare into Emily's blue eyes. She stares back with sympathy. I say as undramtically as possible. 'It was a lie, Em. It was just a fairy tale. You don't have to recover from a fairy tale.'



She exhales, plucks off the lens cap again and twirls it between her fingers. 'Yes, you do.'"



Carrie Jones has teenage speak--even the discourse of smart, self-aware teens like Emily and Belle--down pat. "Tips on Having a Gay (ex) Boyfriend" is highly recommended for older teens. (There is some sexual content.) This is one smart book with one smart heroine. Tips on Having a Gay (Ex) Boyfriend

1. Keep a tissue handy because if you were ever a teenager, ever in your life, this story will touch your soul and you'll probably cry.



2. Find a comfortable place to sit because you won't be able to move until you've finished the book and unless you read very fast, your butt will hurt.



3. Build a small shrine on which to place the book when you've finished because it forced you to look inside and really see yourself and you don't want to forget that feeling. Ever.



I LOVED this book and I don't even read this genre! Carie Jones has joined my list of favorite authors and I can't wait for her next book!

Summary: Belle believes that Dylan is the one that she'll marry, but one day, Dylan tells her that he is gay. Belle wonders where does this leave her. Dylan and her have been best friends since they were little in their little town in Maine. Since they started dating, Belle has been known as Dylan's girlfriend or the other half of their couple hood.

Belle and her other best friend, Emily decide that she can only have a week to cry, because she doesn't want to become like Mallory. As the week goes on, Belle finds a possible relationship in a guy that she least suspects and it turns out that he has liked for her for a long time. Bella also finds that having a gay ex-boyfriend isn't so so easy. She starts to find that both her and Dylan are getting harassed. This story is original and amazing.



My Review: If you haven't read this, go pick this up and get somewhere comfortable. It is a fairly short, yet amazing read. The characters are really amazing and well developed. I could relate to them. This is amazing for a debut novel and I need to get Carrie Jones' other books, as soon as possible. If you like Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway, you will probably like this and vice versa. The characters are both getting attention for past relationships and it has similar humor.

I had the pleasure of meeting Carrie Jones at a convention. She was so funny and so nice that I just had to read one of her books. I started with her debut and am now eagerly reading through her growing catalog because TIPS was so good.



The plot of this book has been pretty well covered by other reviewers, so I won't rehash it. What I will say is that I teach high school English and I can assure you that Jones has captured the dialogue and emotion I see every day in the halls. Her characters are completely believable, if a bit more socially conscious and forgiving than many teens. The sexual content is not explicit and certainly won't surprise or offend kids in their mid to late teens.



You'll fall in love with Belle and Em, sympathize with Dylan, and wish your daughter could find a boy like Tom. Teenagers, especially the girls, will want to read this one again and again.

I just wrote a really nice review. Then when I tried to save it, the computer erased it. So, I'm a little irritated, but I'll try not to take it out on poor Carrie Jones. Instead I'll make a list of what I liked about this book.



1. It's poetic.

2. Inanimate objects seem to take on a life of their own.

3. It's heart felt.

4. It has some awesome laugh out loud parts.

5. The characters are quirky.

6. Belle has the best group of friends, ever.

7. It's tastefully done.

Wouldn't it stink to have a great boyfriend that you loved, only to find out that he is actually gay? Imagine that happening in high school and having to deal with everyone finding out. Belle, the main character, has to come to terms with this, learn how to get on with her life, and even start thinking about boys again. I mean, come on, she is in high school!

This book started out weak and ended up strong. The writing was a little different and took some getting used to, but it wasn't obnoxious. There seemed to be some editing issues. For example, the main character said that her friend liked to take pictures because her dad died and she realized she wanted to have pictures of everyone to help remember them. Then, a few pages later, she says that her friend likes to take pictures because her dad died and they help her remember people from all angles because she only remembers her dad when he was smiling. Then it goes on later to say that her friend has tons of pictures of her with her dad when she was little because her mom was always taking pictures. It was things like that which made it seem more like editing issues and less like she was repeating for effect.

That being said, I blew through this book. I literally did not want to put it down. I read more than 3/4 of it in one sitting and then got up and read the rest of it the next morning. It seemed like a pretty realistic story, and the random lists throughout were quirky. Overall a very good read with major editing issues that really bothered me. - Maine - Young Adult - Love'

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Backpacking Stoves - camping stove, camping

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I've owned this stove for many years. It is very reliable and and easy to use. It heats water and food very quickly, while going through fuel slowly. A single tank of fuel will typically last me 3-5 days of camping. Coleman 1-Burner Dual Fuel Sporter II Liquid Fuel Stove

Have used these little stoves for backpacking and camping for many years. Have never had any problem with one, but I keep giving them to friends. This is the first multifuel one for me, am using it on unleaded gasoline with no problems. Nobody gets this one.

This stove is a real powerhouse we use it to boil large pots of crab(3 at a time). We bring it with us in our westfalia as a third burner or a fast water boiler. This stove will not let you down in almost any weather conditions. Coleman makes a very solid well made unit that can take a beating and keep on heating. This stove can use coleman,white gas or unleaded fuel. Bring one on your next outing and be amazed.

I am a stove collector as well as a car camper. I have many stoves and use them all on occasion. I almost always bring the 533 along because it just works well. It burns hot with Coleman fuel but I usually don't actually cook on it, I boil water on it. The simmer function is marginal until it heats up and can sustain low fuel flow and vaporize it effectively. As for those of you who chose to use unleaded fuel and clogged your generator tubes, please send them to me, I will pay the postage. As soon as I take them apart, soak them in carburator cleaner and flush them clean, I will sell them back to you. :-) For those of you who want to backpack, this stove is probably a bit heavy. Check out an MSR or an antique Svea 123 but be ready for sticker shock.

I needed a one burner stove for car camping, and debated on this liquid fuel stove versus the Coleman propane single burner. Ended up buying both stoves just to test them out. I'm very impressed with the Sportster stove and it will be my choice for car camping. Convenient to operate, warms up quickly with a minimum of flaming, runs very hot compared to propane, and simmers reasonably well. Thee have been reports of problems getting it to simmer, but it simmered well for me after some experimentation. I think the secret is using reasonably fresh Coleman fuel (less than a year old), but mainly try approaching the simmer setting from the the "OFF" direction and not from the full on direction. Hard to explain, but when you turn the control lever fully to off and quickly back to on it will simmer very stably, but will flame out if you approach simmer from the full on direction.



Bottom line, a good price from Amazon, and no disappointments with this stove.

If you buy this stove, please stick with Coleman fuel. If you use gasoline, plan on the generator tube clogging up in a VERY short time, leaving you with an expensive paperweight.



Yes, it's dual fuel, as long as you don't really expect it to operate very long before dying.

I see a lot of reviews stating that the generator clogged up when using gasoline and I see a lot of others saying that they can't run the stove on any setting but full blast. I can only guess those users are using gasoline as well. If the generator gets clogged then the stove or lantern won't dial down much. I have a lantern that I used gasoline in that I can't run on much below high.



To get on with the review of this stove, I bought it somewhere else and not at Amazon. I filled it up with Coleman fuel, fired it up following the instructions and it worked great. With an adjustment to the knob and the pressure in the tank I can run this thing on extremely low to full blast no problem. I fired it up this morning to make my coffee and oatmeal as a test before I take it camping and it worked great. It will boil 2 cups of water very quickly. I was able to dial the flame way down to simmer the oatmeal for a couple minutes as well.



My advice, get this stove, use only Coleman fuel and enjoy many days and nights in the field.

This is a great little stove, I have 2, they make a great accessory to the 2 the burner stoves (425 or 413). While car camping I can make coffee on this 533 while the rest of breakfast cooks on the 2 burner one.

I have never cooked food with Regular Unleaded Gas (RUG) but I have used one of these stoves with RUG to melt wax for making candles it seemed to burn just as well as the camp fuel (aka white gas) .

This stove cranks out a lot of heat on high, too much really for the smaller pots that will fit on this stove. So I use it on medium to low mostly. Since this is a single burner it probably isn't to wise to use a big pot and have it tip over. I rigged up a home made device, from an old barbeque grate, to hold larger pots, but it is not foldable. I wish Coleman would design and make an accessory stand or stove grate for the Sportster II with collapsible legs that the stove could be placed under and a larger pot safely on top. Hey, Coleman I would be willing to test market such a device!

This is a great stove, not quite as well made as the old 502's but still very good. I have had one since '99 and the other since '05 w/ no problems and use them frequently. It is indeed a bit tricky to get this stove to simmer and it doesn't simmer very well, but it will simmer. Trick is is to get it hot first, then turn it down to a simmer, the generator (tube across burner) must be hot to vaporize the liquid. If the simmer does start to go out remove the pot turn it back to high for minute or so and then back down to simmer and repalce the pot or pan.



BTW if using unleaded gas in this or any Coleman Dual Fuel appliance use regular 87 octane or less b/c it has less addidtives than premium or super grade gasoline. Also buy the gasoline from generic stations that don't offer the additive packages like the name brand stations. You're operating a stove not a car. Think about it, Coleman fuel (a.k.a. white gas) is basiacly a pure unleaded gasoline (naptha) with out all the additives designed for automotove gasoline. These additives are what plug up the generators so the less additives the better. Coleman fuel only has an octane rating of 55, there is no need to use high octane gas. Besides do you really want to cook food with fuel that has more toxic chemicals than needed? Some reviewers that gave this stove low marks said they used 93 high octane and then complained when it clogged up! If the generator does clog it can be user serviced and cleaned or new ones are of course available. It's your choice. - Stove - Camping Stove - Coleman Duel Fuel Stove - Camping'

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Yoga Mat - bikram, gaiam

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I went from using a bath towel to the skidless yoga mat towel and it is awesome! I like hot yoga and obviously there is a lot of sweating, but no slipping at all with this towel. I am very happy that I purchased this towel rather than spending 3x more on a popular brand. The only thing.....I thought the color of the purple towel would be a little lighter, but no big deal...the color of the towel does not affect my workout :) Microfiber Skidless Yoga Towel Yoga Mat 24"x72" with Carry Bag + Gift Box Purple Color

I really like this towel. It is inexpensive but just as effective as a pricer option. It stays put and doesnt move until you are ready to move it. It really absorbs sweat and lets me focus on my practice. It is easy to care for and i just throw it in the washer. I highly recomend it! - Towel - Yoga Towel - Bikram - Gaiam'

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Ball Point Pen - great pen, ball point pen

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I like this pen so much I wrote a poem about it. It was a bad poem. It is a great pen.The only problem I can find with it is that when first used, the ink sometimes becomes over-exuberant and bleeds a little. I look past this slight to the pen's finer qualities--namely the thin-ness of line, the ease of scrawl and the capacity to endure lengthy rants. I also enjoy its retractability, a preference left over from my waitressing days. Better Ballpoint Pen, Retractable, Ribbed Grip, Fine, .5mm, Black Ink PIL30000 (sold as box of 12 pack)

I have been using these pens for three years and think they are absolutely fabulous! I couldn't be happier with them. As a teacher I have to use the black ink for official papers and forms. However, I love using the purple one too, as it is my favorite!



These pens are quality all the way. I have had my principals order them for me as they write so smoothly and flawlessly. They never get clogged and writing is a sheer joy with them. I must admit that my preference is the fine point as the line is true perfection.



My one regret is that I can't buy the purple in a box of 12 here at Amazon.

Not to sound like a broken record here with everyone else, but truly, this is the best pen I've ever used and I will not use anything else. I've written with everything from .20 cent pens to $100 pens, and this blows them all out of the water. Why this pen is so great:



1. No rubber on the shaft, so it slides in and out of everything smoothly.

2. The shaft is the same width along the entire length.

2. Not too thin and not overly thick, so it fits in small enclosures that are designed to hold a pen. (like in a daily planner, or a shirt with a one-pen pocket.

3. Writes incredibly smooth with no globbing.

4. No cap to keep track of.

5. Push-button mechanism does not screw off, so it doesn't get all jacked up inside.

6. Ribbed, for your pleasure.

7. Nice metal accents which make it professional looking.

8. Metal clip keeps it securly locked in place on clothing. It will not slide around or off.

9. Extremely lightweight.

10. Retracts effortesly everytime with a solid and secure click.

11. Fine point enables you to write very tiny and it is still legible.

12. Great for carbon copies. You do not have to write over the same spot, or write extremely hard, to try and get it to transfer to the other sheets.

Like all of us, I have used many pens, but for a cheap pen, these are my favorite. I own a couple expensive pens, heavy pens for clients to use when signing something, but for everyday use, I love Pilot's Better Retractable.



They write clearly, have a good light weight, don't feel as cheap as the rubber gripped or hollow thin plastic ones you find in a grocery store. They write cleanly and easily, and the different colors are sharp. My faovrite note-taking pen are the purple purple ones, although certainly these black ones see the most use in front of clients.



I also tend to loose them, so I would love it if these were available on Amazon Prime. As it is, I've never purchased these pens on Amazon, only purchased them direct at a brick-and-mortar store. Please, purchase them here, and let us know if the seller lives up to the quality of the pen.

I've been using these pens for more years than I can remember. I'm a nurse and I work in an old fashioned (but Harvard affiliated) psychiatric hospital that depends on written records to a great extent. I love the fact that I can copy medication administration sheets with very little downward pressure. The light touch and fine point also allow for incredibly small characters if needed. I am constantly puzzled by the fact that nobody in my social milieu seems to be aware of what a great pen it is. One of my motivations for writing this is my fervent hope that Pilot continues to make these. (See blog in today's NYTimes online edition about consumers in mourning over discontinued products!) I try to defend against this eventuality by purchasing several boxes at a time. If anyone from Pilot is reading this: PLEASE KEEP MAKING THEM AND DON'T MAKE ANY IMPROVEMENTS!

I love these pens so much - I love that there's no cap to lose, that they write evenly and clearly, and everything about them. I have just one at work that I guard jealously - I hide it in a drawer every night when I leave. If everyone bought them, more stores would carry them. Thank you Amazon for carrying on!

Started using these many years ago. I never liked fine point pens but I needed something to write in small boxes on a form I used several times a day at the hospital where I worked so I gave the Pilot Better Pen a try. I no longer use that form but have purchased several boxes of these pens since. I have noticed that many of my co-workers carry these pens (doctors, nurses etc.) and they all love them with an enthusiasm that seems out of place for a simple pen. Precise, clean, tough, reliable, long-lasting, professional styling. A top notch product. Pilot has perfected the ball point pen. - Retractable - Ball Point Pen - Pilot - Great Pen'

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16 Gb Flash Drive - usb flash drive, 16gb

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I'll start off by agreeing with the other reviewers here and say that this flash drive really is even smaller than I expected. The smallest I've ever seen actually. The casing is metal which makes this little guy very durable however it wont protect it from water damage. This drive can easily be attached to a keychain to keep it from getting lost which is nice. Write speeds are about average I'd say but that wasn't really a concern for me when purchasing this unit. I've copied a few movies from my PC and plugged this flash drive into my Samsung TV and they played back flawlessly. Overall I'm very pleased with this and will probably buy one or two more down the road.



Update 12-6-10: I've been using this drive every single day for about 7 months now and haven't had any problems to date. I've been using it mostly to play downloaded movies on my HDTV and it's been going through some extremely heavy use and still going strong. HP v115w 16 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive P-FD16GHP115-EF

HP logo is on it though, it's manufactured by PNY.

I gave 4GB version to my sister for her birthday present, and she loved it.

I ordered this 16GB version last week and I got it today.

Actual memory size is 15.0GB.

It was super tiny, cute, and tough enough carry every day on my key chain.

The only thing is the speed.

My PNY 8GB full-size version shows 12mb/s to write, but this one showed only 2~3mb/s.

Maybe it was mistakenly calculated, or something.



Cons - too slow

Pros - everything except the speed

Great drive, tough and very small. It's smaller than you think it will be. I am pleased, speed is pretty quick under Win 7 64... unlike many "keychain" drives that were really too big for your keys or not tough enough, this one is holding up and is not really noticeable on the key chain. I like it, no complaints.

I used this flash drive for a week and I am sad to say that it no longer works. I did not do anything that would break it, however I went to use it the other day and it was not recognized on any computer I plugged it in to (2 Windows and 2 Macs). I am having to send it back and buy a different one. I would caution anyone to be careful when buying this particular flash drive.

UPDATE: So I have had this thing for less than 36 hours and it is dead. Neither my laptop nor my PC can write to this thing or read from it. When I click on the Properties tab it shows that this usb device has a capacity of 0 bytes yet is full. Not sure what this means but I am returning it to the store today for a full refund. I should note, all I did was copy about 3.6gb of music on this and used it in my car stereo three times and now it is dead. I also safely removed the device after writing the mp3s to it and it worked just fine in my car but today it's just dead. HP really does make junk (well PNY but HP let them put their name on it).





My original review when it worked:



The main problem with the v115w is that there is no good way to attach it to your key chain, and this limits its portability, the only thing it had going for it. The little metal rings that come with it are flimsy and probably wouldn't last a week before the usb stick falls right off your key chain. I just removed the very flimsy metal ring and used the slightly sturdier ring and the metal clasp but I am still not confident this thing is securely attached to my keys. I spent about an hour trying to rig something better but the hole on the usb drive is so small that only very flimsy metal rings will fit in it. Poor design choice on HP or PNY's part (this is a PNY product with HPs name on it). If PNY would have made a larger hole so that we could use sturdier metal rings that would have solved this entire issue. But in the end, we are left with "portable" flash drives that will probably cause us more worry than it's worth.



I cannot comment on the write speed of this unit as my old laptop has usb 1.0 so of course it took about 2 hours to transfer only 3.6 gb of mp3s and wma files. This usb stick does work in the head unit in my car, but with nearly 4 gigs of music on this thing it takes my stereo about two minutes to begin playing, good for road trips, not so great for a quick drive to the store.



Also, confirmed that this drive will fail the Xbox 360's data loss test, which is not a great sign of things to come, but from what I can tell pretty much every usb stick fails this test, except for the severely over priced sandisk stick with the Xbox logo on it.



My only other comment (gripe) is that the contacts on the v115w are not durable. I plugged it into my Xbox and removed it about one minute later and the gold plated contacts were already scratched up. Not alot of scratches but two very deep ones. Then, I plugged it into my laptop and copied 3.6gbs of music to it, removed it, now all of the contacts were completely scratched. I have other usb devices at home and work that I have been using for years and the contacts on these are nearly perfect or with only a few light scratches. This is rather annoying since the main reason I wanted a swivel usb drive is so that the contacts would be protected when dangling from my key chain, but just plugging and unplugging this device is enough to scratch up the contacts. If I wanted scratched contacts I would have gotten a IamAkey, at least those can be securely attached to your keys!



Anyways, it is super cute and tiny and my old laptop was able to see the device instantly but unfortunately,the two main selling points for me 1) portable and 2)durable are not really something this device has to offer.

I was very excited when the v115w arrived, much smaller than I expected, very sturdy exterior, but w/o any really good way to put it on a keychain (the loop hole on the end is VERY small)



Of course, 35 days after receiving it (just outside the return/replace window), it just dies. I could glue a usb interface onto a rock and it would do the same thing as my little $40 waste of money.



I ordered and love Patriot X-Porter Mini 8 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive PSF8GMUSB



Having spent tens of thousands of dollars on HP items over the past decade, I was really disappointed with this product. Seems like outsourcing & rebranding are the wave of the future....Caveat emptor - 16gb - Flash Drive - Usb Flash Drive - 16 Gb'

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Hdmi Switcher - great price, auto switch

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This is a great switch at a great price. Most 5-port switches cost twice as much or do not fully support v.1.3 - a standard which Blu-Ray and some games consoles require to work properly. I have seen some where Blu Ray or PS3 will only work on one port. I have successfully tested my own PS3 on all ports.



Some do not auto-switch, and this alone is worth the asking price. I have mine set up without having to use the included remote. I simply have my Harmony universal remote switch each device off before switching on the one I want to use. The switch automatically finds the active port and moves to it. If you have a DVR or other device that is required to be "always-on", simply put it on port 5 - this way, if another port becomes active, it will prioritize a lower numbered one.



I should mention that the product page still claims to ship a mains adapter with this unit, which is supposed to enable the auto-switching functions. The mains adapter is not included anymore, but since auto-switching now works without it anyway, it is not required.



Something else to mention. The unit is about the size of a pack of playing cards. This is good since it is meant to be hidden away. Included is a remote receiver connected with a short cable which you can position in a place to receive commands from the included remote, keeping the main unit out of sight. Since you can use the switch without the remote, you can get by quite easily without hooking this up also.



Switching between two sources on this switch takes about a second, whether using auto-switch or the remote. While I'm sure there are some that are faster, I do not think this worth paying extra for. You may disagree.



There is a manual toggle switch on the top of the main unit. Since I use auto-switching and do not have remote connected, I have had to use this only once, and only when I unplugged my PS3 and then reconnected. For some reason the priority did not work. However, I have had this for 2 months without this happening a second time so did not see a reason to dock a star. 5 Port Smart HDMI Switch (Auto switch among 5 input sources, IR remote and AC Adapter included)

This cheap and tiny hdmi switch works great. It looks flimsy and cheap, and came packaged in a bag of plastic... but it works very good.



Did not have to use the power adapter to make it work. Just plugged the hdmi cables and when I power on a device the switch activates and makes the autoswitching between the devices.



The IR controller also works without the power adapter.

Great little device. Works perfectly. I did not need to plug it into power, it just works all by itself. Just plug in your HMDI imput sources, and hook its output to the HDMI on the back of your tv, and that is about it. It just plain works. Sits behind my TV and no one even knows its there. Great buy.

Pros:

Separate IR dongle means that the switch itself can be buried behind components, which makes the wiring much easier.



Cons:

Very confusing owner's manual, ports for power and IR dongle are so close together on the unit that they require some "persuasion" to plug in, IR receiver has a very narrow field of view. Auto switching doesn't seem to work.



This is a relatively inexpensive way to add HDMI ports to a home theater system, and it's working OK so far for me (after only 3 days). There are three ways to switch between inputs

1. a button on the top of the unit that toggles between the 5 inputs.

2. A remote control that has a button for each of the 5 inputs.

3. automatic switching, which will switch to the next active input port when the current port goes inactive.



The swtich will work without power, but the manual is unclear if all three of the switching methods will work without power. (It contradicts itself on that point, and appears to have been badly translated from another language.) You definately need power to use the remote control.



The IR dongle is a nice feature, but I have my system on a high shelf, and I find that I can't operate the switch while sitting on the couch -- I have to stand up and get right in front of it for the remote to work. I don't have this problem with any of my other components.



One of my sources is a Roku box, which has a "screen saver" feature that kicks in if the box isn't used for 10 minutes. This results in "snow" on my TV screen, even after the Roku box starts sending a picture again. (The switch does not auto-switch to the next source.) I usually have to select the source 2 or more times (with the remote) before I get the picture back.



There is no manufacturer information anywhere on the package or in the user's manual. This same product appears to be listed in Amazon's database under several sellers/manufacturers.



A side note: it took a little extra work, but I was able to get this switch to work with a Logitech Harmony Remote. I could not find the switch in their database, but I was able to "teach" the Harmony with the included remote control. I also had to manually edit the activities to incorporate the appropriate switch controls.

I have hooked up to 4 devices(Tivo HD, Wii, camera, Samsung blue ray) and the auto-switching is flawless and quick. However, after several days of use, I did notice a quirk with my TivoHD. I use the S-Video output on my Tivo to connect to another TV. This worked great until I put in this switch. Now, when the TV is off, Tivo gets the dreaded "HDMI connection not permitted" on HDMI AND my S-Video output. Unplugging the Tivo HDMI cable from the switch fixes the problem. What is happening is the Tivo thinks an HDMI cable is still connected and disables all video output (I know this is not an optimal implementation from Tivo, but it is what it is). When the TV is off, the switch should make the Tivo (or whatever device is connected) think the HDMI cable is not connected, or at least handle the HDCP handshakes correctly.



I tried using the supplied power adapter, but it did not help the problem. I also tried manually switching to an unused input, and this just give a stuttered video and audio from the Tivo. - Great Price - Auto Switch - Hdmi - Hdtv'

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A few months ago, I decided to upgrade from my current 32 inch Toshiba Regza to a slightly bigger TV. After aiming for a 40+ inch, I discovered this TV on Amazon for $600 and decided that this would be a great upgrade. A couple days later, and I received the TV and I have had a chance to test it out. Does it hold up?





PROS:



-The image quality is excellent and quite beautiful for 46 inches. Just make sure you are the proper distance away (About 8 feet).



-Sound is excellent. It is clear and the TV can be quite loud if you want it to be.



-HDMI cables are easier to plug in then my previous Regza. In the past, I had to plug them under the device at a downward angle, which was awkward and frustrating. This set allows you to plug it straight in.



-120 Hz mode is great for animated videos and if you like your shows or movies to run at a faster frame rate. It isn't so hot for games, but there is a game mode option that turns off 120 Hz mode and lowers it to 60 Hz if needed.



-The TV itself feels well built and has a nice black gloss look to it, while the back has a nice metal finish with quality looking ports.



-There is a USB slot on the side for viewing saved videos and pictures on the TV. Great for home movies or if you have some videos from the net that you want to watch.



-Somewhat of a small update, but I bought a Blu-Ray player and several Blu-Ray movies and tested them out via HDMI. It ran beautifully and had no major problems, so if you are in the market for HD movies and want to mainly use a Blu-Ray player to watch things, then this is a very decent TV.



CONS:



-You cannot sit too close to the TV without getting eye strain. It is generally recommended that you are at least 8 feet away from the TV to get the best viewing experience. I had to move my furniture around in my room. I tried it from 5 feet away, and games look pixilated from that close to the TV. This isn't too much of a problem if you put it in a living room or larger room, but it might be too big for a small bedroom or apartment.



-There are very few options with adjusting the TV. You can turn off the 120 Hz mode if needed, but the menus are a little confusing (They are set up like my old Regza) which is kind of disappointing.



-Not wi-fi capable, meaning no Netflix out of the box. You will need to get a blu-ray player, Roku, or video game console capable of using it.



-I am not a big fan of the stand that comes with it. It has a similar glossy finish to the rest and is in a football shape, but attracts dust like crazy. It also isn't the easiest thing to install and even with the screws it still jiggles around a bit too much.



-Even though there are 3 HDMI ports, one of them is on the side and does not look all that great if you have more then 3 devices. I really wish it came with 3 back ports and 1 side port and not the 2 back ports it comes with.



-I am not sure if I am just doing this wrong, but the game mode setting "resets" to off every time I turn it to another input. This might be able to be turned off, but is kind of important if you do not want 120 Hz mode for games.





OTHER:



-I tested my PS3, 360, HD Netflix, and several upscaled DVD on the TV. Like I stated above: my PS3 and 360 were great as long as you were roughly 8 feet away. HD Netflix worked just fine, but it depends on the show and when it was made. Animated shows tend to look better, while older shows might look a bit "meh", especially if they were filmed back before 2000. DVD, sadly, do not hold up nearly as well as they used to on my 32 inch. They are still quite watchable from 8 feet away, but you can defiantly tell the graininess now. To be fair, it depends on what movie and when it was made: more recent DVDs tend to look and play much better while older ones tend to look fairly grainy.



-This obviously does not have 3D capabilities, but at the moment it is not too much of a con to really count it as one.



-The TV is pretty big and heavy. It weighs about 50 pounds and is quite wide, so you might need some help if you cannot lift easily or have a smaller frame.



-If you want to turn off 120Hz mode, go to Menu > Picture Settings >Advanced Picture Settings > ClearFrame and turn it Off.







What is boils down to is this is just as it advertises: A 46 Inch HDTV. It is not a super TV that has internet and various other bells in whistles, but a TV for people who want a decent quality TV for a excellent price. This is a steal for the $600 I paid for it and I have no regrets whatsoever. Toshiba 46G310U 46-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LCD HDTV, Black

Slim tv with a great picture. I have dish network with an HD DVR box connected through the HDMI cable. I have also tried my new Blu-Ray player with HDMI cable. The tv has a great picture. I am very picky on picture quality and I would recommend this tv to anyone.



The tv screen also does not have a bad glare with room light or sun coming in from the windows. We have alot of sunlight that comes into our great room and the screen performs well. You can see the picture clearly day or night.



The only reason I did not give the tv a 5 star rating is for the lack of HDMI inputs on the back. There are only 2 on the back and a 3rd input on the side but you can see the cord when it is plugged in. If you have only 2 devices with HDMI cables then you will be fine.



Buy and you will enjoy!!!

The TV was to replace a 46" Toshiba DLP television.



I recently purchased the G310U and actually really enjoy it. So far, I think it's a great tv and has a good bit of potential. At the $599 price point, I think it's almost impossible to pass over when looking at other televisions.



Things I've noticed:

The stand is a little on the cheap side. It has two tabs that sit in the base of the tv and is secured with 4 screws. Even with the screws, it still feels slightly unstable. I do feel that it is secure, but I would feel better if it were a little tighter fit.



The tv will automatically adjust the picture size based on the incoming signal (native, stretched, 4:3, etc.) which is a very nice feature.



This tv is currently connected to a TERK HD antenna with a signal booster and out of the box, scanned and found 16 channels. I know that the channels depend on the closeness to the stations, weather, etc, but the time this took to scan, label, and setup was rather impressive.



The initial setup itself was rather simple, straightfoward, and easy to go with.



The inputs on the back are definitely further to the edge of the tv than they could be. Running the wires and attempting to hide them behind the small neck support was tough. With a simple 3' HDMI cable, one of mine felt a bit stretched and needed to be switched around. I can still see it from the front of the tv, but it's a minor inconvenience. I do think the inputs could be closer to the middle of the tv.



Being able to switch and dial back between 120Hz and 60Hz is a very helpful feature. It appears that the tv tries too hard at times to adjust the refresh rate, but having the feature is nice.



Overall, a good tv.'

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The hoses that came with my washer were marked "replace every 5 years". While few probably pay attention to such things, I know *far* to many who have had hoses leak, or worse, burst when they're not home and cause huge problems. Washing machines used to almost always be in basements, garages, etc. where a water leak might be onto concrete. That can still cause lots of damage to whatever is sitting on the concrete but the house itself is less likely to suffer serious damage.



But the trend in new homes is to put the laundry room near the bedrooms so it's often on the main floor or even upstairs. How much damage do you think might be caused if a hose bursts? It can easily exceed $100,000 in some houses. And the "pan" they sometimes sit under the washer on an upper floor won't catch more than a slow drip in just the right spot. When hoses fail they typically spray water several feet or more in random directions.



Long story short, it's cheap insurance to replace the hoses. And these braided hoses with right angle fittings are a significant upgrade over the plain ones that come with most washers. The right angle helps keep the hose from being kinked (which can make it fail) and reduces the stress on the hose if it's up against a wall (as most are) as the washer vibrates during the spin cycle.



The stainless hoses look nice but are kind of a gimmick in my opinion. The metal braid is just a sleeve over a plain rubber hose and water runs right through it. While it might help keep the hose from bulging and bursting under high pressure, that's not how hoses usually fail. Typically the rubber gets *harder* as it gets older and eventually starts to fatigue or even crack. They don't get softer and bulge out. So a stainless steel hose will probably leak just as easily as a cheap one.



These hoses, however, are different. The braided material is actually PART OF THE HOSE not just a sleeve slipped over the outside. So they're probably quite a bit stronger and less prone to failure than plain hoses. It's like the difference between a $5 garden hose and a $30 garden hose. The more expensive hose has a braided layer bonded into it that greatly prolongs its life.



The bottom line: These hoses are cheap insurance. They also come in a straight (vs 90 degree right angle) version. Whirlpool 8212638RP 6-Foot Industrial Braided Fill Hose with 90 Degree Elbow, 2-Pack

I have been a fan of the stainless external braid hoses for various plumbing hookups, but the price/length value that this set represented was compelling.



There's a lot of FUD about the stainless external braid being "just a simple hose inside a braided shell", but the fact is that the braid provides both abrasion protection and mechanical support for the internal tubing, and I have sections of it that have been in service under pressure for over 20 years without a failure -- and on hot water. I have never had any stainless-braided hose fail in service. I can't say the same for rigid PVC or CPVC plumbing, or even copper pipe.



I have no reason to expect this set to be superior to the braided stainless variety, and it certainly doesn't look as good.



But this set is definitely less expensive than a comparable length stainless-braided set, and I like the right-angle connectors on one end. The build quality appears excellent, and both ends were drip-free with moderate hand-tightening, indicating good mechanical tolerances and quality washers.



The one missing feature is a marker to distinguish the hot and cold lines. I marked the metal portions of one hose with red paint to indicate the hot circuit, but there really should have been a colored plastic sleeve or clip or tag or _something_. The lack of this feature (which is present in other washer hookup sets on Amazon) cost this set a star.

The 90-degree connectors (used on the machine end) provide a definite advantage, providing strain relief at the most critical point on the hoses. The hose flexibility makes installation easier and will help prevent damage which might be caused by any future movement of the machine.



The six-foot length seems optimum for most installations where the water supply valves are directly behind or very close to the machine. They allow adequate slack for easy movement of the machine away from the wall, when necessary, without having excess hose length to risk getting kinked or pinched.



Longer warranty than many other hoses. Only time will tell if they actually last as long as hoped, but they appear to be the best quality.

The elbow on these fill hoses allowed me to push my washer very close to the wall without any kinks or weird bends in the hose. Also if you are like me and like to forget about replacing these fill hoses, these will last you a while or until you need a need washer.

If you need this type of washer hose (90deg offset) .... then buy this one ..... great quality ..... elbow gives you additional clearance behind washer ....... cloth braid (not SS braid) but it just as 'burst-proof' ... nothing is burst-proof ... replace your hoses every few years, just as you would in your auto, and you'll be fine .......

Well, what can you say about a washing machine hose?

They should be replaced, whether leaking or not, about every 5-7 years, just to be safe (can you say flooded basement?).

After buying a new Whirlpool washer, I didn't want to use the hoses that came with it. The main reason that I bought this particular set is that they have a space-saving 90 degree elbow at the machine end, enabling the washer to be closer to the wall.

Oh, and I really dig the retro-looking black patterned burst-resistant cloth exterior! - Washer - Kitchen - Washing Machine'

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I bought the blue version of this item as a gift for my dad. When it arrived I was very surprised by the sturdy construction and overall quality of the product. The material is very smooth and doesn't show any seam lines so it looks very nice, it is a neat rubbery feeling material, not a hard cheap feeling plastic. The magnet with which you pull the paper clips from the toilet container is very strong (I kind of thought it would be weak for some reason). My dad absolutely loved the gift, it is definitely unique and great for anyone wanting to add a little conversation piece to their desk :) It's a great size and holds plenty of paper clips and pens, and it's a really interesting way to keep all of your commonly used desk supplies organized! CSB Commodities The Butt Station Desk Accessory Holder, Blue

Great gift. No, fantastic gift! All my co-workers are stopping by and asking where did I get it. It used to be my neighbor, the next cubicle who they love to say hello. All she has is a jar of candies on top of her desk - no fair. But now I got this butt station. They don't ignore me now like I stink or something. Who says tape dispenser can't be fun?



The butt station is made of quality thick plastic. Not the hard type but somewhat flexible. It is made up of 2 parts: The sitting figure which is the tape dispenser, and the toilet bowl for paper clips and a pen. The tape dispenser is surprisingly useful. I thought it will be just a novelty item that will sit on my desk as a mere decoration. It has a good grip, the cutter is on its feet and provide easy cutting for portions of tapes. Replacing a roll is also as easy as replacing a roll of toilet paper. Its butt is magnetized. No metal part is exposed yet strong enough to lift several paper clips from the bowl.



The thing that I don't like is that it is kinda light and tend to tip over. If the bowl is weighted at the base it would be perfect.

This desk accessory is hilarious and great! It's actually pretty bigger than it looks like and it's really sturdy. It comes with the tape and the clips so, a big plus there! Also, it fits almost any pen size in it's mouth (of course, not the chubby pen kind.

Great office decor!

Love the look of this item, but it's not at all practical. The weight and balance make it impossible to use the tape dispenser without holding the figure in one hand while pulling the tape...the 'mouth' is not pliant enough or properly sized to take pens/pencils of standard width...and overall the figure & potty aren't heavy enough to be stable on a desktop that's moved or jostled at all. It LOOKS very cute, and is a very amusing decoration - just don't expect functionality without frustration.

I bought it because bodily functions are amusing and I'm the resident weirdo in my cubicle world office. That said it holds up to its end of the bargain quite nicely. Functionally though I think it leaves a bit to be desired. The tape holder works as it should, no problems. The pen holder in the "tank" needs to be big enough to hold more than two pens (don't even think about putting a fat pen in there) and the the "bowl" should really be hollowed out more to hold plenty more paper clips. But, it makes me grin sitting there on my desk so I guess it does what I paid for.

I bought this has a gag gift for my boyfriend and he absolutely loved it. When I first saw this product I thought it was hilarious. It's functional and funny. I got the blue one, and the color is great.



It holds plenty of pens and paper clips and it's great with the tape as well. I am very satisfied with the product.

It gets the comments you are probably looking for. :) The tape cutter could be a little better. The little guy just sits on the "throne" and a pencil will fall out of his mount so you need like a thicker pen to stay in there. I added Resees Pieces to the "throne" for added effect :)

I purchased this item as a gift for a friend and she loves it. She uses it in her office right now and her colleagues also love it. The only problem she told me is that the tape dispenser is kind of hard to use. Other than that, it is a very cute item. - Fun - Desk Accessories - Office Humor - Office'

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