Monday, 8 November 2010
Accessories - accessories, apple
I was a bit skeptical about the purchase even when I placed my order. First, it took forever to get here. Second, the folio cover is cheap. Third, the silicon cases are ALL different. Not only by color but by style. Fourth, all the cables are adequate and do what they are supposed to. Fifth, I did get the promotional fish cord organizers and wrist band but they really don't justify the purchase. And finally, I got the Ultra Clear screen protectors. It just seems they put random things in there to fulfill this order. I still am waiting for the iPad to get here so I haven't put the accessories on the actual iPad.
My suggestion, get a sleeve (Skooba), screen protectors, and maybe a case for the same price. I personally love the Skooba brand and I haven't decided yet if I am going to see what other cases will work better with my new toy. I highly suggest you look for another product. Don't need to make the iPad look cheap. This bundle really doesn't want me to show off my iPad. Save your money for something else. CrazyOnDigital 15 Items Accessory Kit for Apple iPad
You truly get what you pay for!
1. The leather cover is leather and it is a cover but it offers zero support, straps around the corners of the screen and blocks buttons/speakers on the iPad.
2. The jell covers are supper cheap and the other pieces are as well.
3. The only part that seems of any value in this pack is the screen protectors that you can buy for $5 from another vendor.
4. Oh and they don't even send their (1)wristband or the (2)fish promo stuff with the order. So your 17 items are really only 15!
Then there's the slooooooooooooooooow shipping.
If I could give a negative rating I would have!
My iPad has been in the plastic wrap since I bought it to keep finger prints off my screen so I bought this for a few main reasons, first was the two screen protectors. The plastic wrapping the iPad came in would move and wrinkle. It started messing up the way the touch screen worked as I went over the wrinkles. Then there were the head phone splitters so my wife and daughter can watch movies in the car with out complaining because my music is too loud. There was the Aux cable I have needed a new one to plug my iPod in to my car stereo (my old one died). Last were the four silicone skins, I like to change it up every once and a while.
Shipping was Super fast I had the items a whole two days before amazons estimated time of arrival. When they arrived I pulled out the contents and went to put on a screen protector and noticed it was Mirrored NOT clear. I decided to try it anyway. It was very easy to place and the 2 or 3 bubbles I had were removed quite nicely. Then I turned on my iPad to see what it looked like. I now have a rainbow; it runs through everything and changes the colors. If I pull up a web site with a primarily white back ground (Like Amazon) all its all rainbow colored there is no white anymore. The silicon skins the ear bud I don't have any issues with those but now I have to find a new screen protector, meaning I have to drive 40 min to the best buy to buy clear ones.
Thanks for the stuff I needed, it was not to bad but the screen protector is CRAP.
I have owned this cover/case for over 2 months now and I am very satisfied. The leather cover is easy to install and protects the ipad on both sides. It is also aesthetically pleasing and gives it a book type feel. I used the other covers that came with the pack but I have settled on the leather over and have not used the others since the first day.
This set is by no means the top of the line, but I found it to be a good bargain. The leather cover, while somewhat cheap in appearance (and smell), actually functions quite well. I use it to carry my ipad around campus and on the bus, and this makes it more comfortable and less conspicuous. Folding the cover back also works well as a stand.
The protective covers that came with the set were nice, but were difficult to put on, and the slightest particle of dust left a giant bubble. I imagine they would work well if you can manage to apply it without dust interference.
The silicone molded shock absorbers are pretty lame. They don't fit well, leaving them feeling loose. I didn't find them useful anyway, since my ipad is always left in the leather folio (it will not fit with the silicone covers on).
The extra headphones, usb cable, etc. were a nice addition to the set. My package didn't include the cord winder or bracelet, but I doubt anyone really cares about that.
Overall I gave this package 4/5 stars. There are certainly higher quality ipad covers on the market, but this one performs well and comes with some handy extras for a reasonable price. - Apple - Bundle - Accessories - Ipad Case'
Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information
Two-way Family Service Radio
IMPRESSION BASED ON EXPERIENCE:
This is my second pair of Motorola 2-Way radios. I have tried other bands like Midland and been very disappointed, but Motorola has never let me down. I needed two extra radios for a fishing trip to Colorado so that my father, my brother, my son and I could stay in touch. I was amazed at how good these radios did in the mountains. At one point I was over three miles away from my father on the other side of a mountain and we could still talk clearly. Now I know 3 miles in not as far as the 23 miles range that is claimed these radios can reach, but if you know anything about how these radios transmit, then you know that for it to transmit clearly through 3 miles of solid mountain is close to a miracle. I have a pair of Midland G-300 Two Way Radios that claim a 10 mild range that cannot even reach 1/2 a mile through forest on straight level ground. I was also impressed with the battery life. Even after a long day of heavy use these units had plenty of power left. One was left on over night after being used all day and it still had power the next day.
Since I want this review to be helpful to people people wanting to buy these, I want to make something clear. The range claim that any 2-way radio manufacturer makes, is base on optimum conditions with no structural or atmospheric interference. In real life you can never expect to get those kinds of ranges out of any unit. Due to the curvature of the earth I would not expect that any radio could reach farther then 10 miles under normal conditions unless each radio is located in an elevated position with a valley in between, such as on either side of the Grand Canyon. So when you buy a 2-way radio, don't pay much attention to the range claims that are made. Just make sure that they will do what you need them to and don't expect a miracle that deifies the laws of physics.
PROS:
Motorola quality, great range and battery life.
CONS:
None that I can find.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
If you are looking for a good pair of 2-way radios for hiking, camping, fishing or similar, look no farther. If you are looking for 2-way radios for some sort of specialized professional use or something else these may or may not be what you are looking for. Motorola MH230R 23-Mile Range 22-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radio (Pair)
I bought 2 pair of these radios as well as 3 pair of the MR355s. They cost $20 less, so I could get about 3 pair of these for 2 pair of the MR355s. I distributed them to my supervisors, vehicle operators and field engineers in our open area shipyard.
The reception is fine, although you do notice the clearer sound and slightly longer range of the MR355s (I'm talking only a couple hundred yards longer).
The unit uses the supplied NiMH battery pack or 3 AAA's. Of course, AA's batteries like the ones used in the MR355 would have more power and last longer, but then, the MR355 has more features (like vibrate and an LED flashlight) that use up more power. Anyway, I knew the compromises when I got the units.
However, I wasn't ready for the MH230 to show 2 bars on the battery icon and yet the display wasn't functioning clearly. Some of the LCD lines were very faint or could only be seen at an extreme angle. For instance, the 8 looked like a 9 bcs the left lower LCD bar wouldn't light up. After trying out the features, I fully charged the battery. Wouldn't you know it, at full charge, all the LCD's work. At partial charge (or discharge, as you like it) some of the LCD bars would fade out. This happened with all 4 MH230 radios and didn't happen with any of the MR355s, even as the more expensive radio's would run out of juice. NOTE to Giant Electronics, fix this issue! You're ruining Motorola's rep.
Anyway, we use the MH230 in thick steel crane and payloader cabins, talking to people in the office 700 yards away with a couple 30 foot tall cargo ships and a few dozen welders doing their thing in between. The sound is mostly clear and everyone gets heard. The users wish they had the PTT earbuds that come with the more expensive units, but hey, you get the bright yellow ones, be happy!
The guys who crawl around inside the steel hulls get the MR355s with the PTT, vibra and lights. They're happy too.
4 stars for the unit performance, minus 1 star bcs of the LCD problems at half batt.
Can't complain I'm not getting the 23 mile range, or they would owe me stars. BTW, many 25 Watt vehicle or base station radios with 36 inch antennas won't get 23 miles, so don't expect these reach that far.
I've never written a review before - but was motivated to write this one. This is a great product. My fly fishing buddy and i use these in the mountains - and they are great. Very clear. My friend even fell into the river, and after drying out, the radio came back to life.'
Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information
Home Theater - hdmi, home theater
I have a DirecTV HR20 receiver and a Samsung TV that had a 50 ft run I was trying to split off in another room from the main TV. I tried the regular HDMI splitter but could only get video but no sound. After doing some research I found out I needed an active splitter. The original one suggested to me ran around $150. I came across this unit and read through the helpful comments. This unit worked perfect with no quality loss. Unit is very small as well which enables you to put it behind the receiver and you don't even know it is there. ViewHD 2 Port HDMI 1x2 Powered Splitter Ver 1.3 Certified for Full HD 1080P & 3D (One Input To Two Outputs)
Bought this item so that my son would have the option of displaying my PS3 picture on my computer monitor -OR- on our 46" Samsung 1080p TV set. We got tired of having to wait for him to "finish a game" or "just a moment" to watch our TV. But splitting the HDMI out on the PS3 two ways with this device, we now can direct him to just turn on the PC monitor to continue his gaming -OR- if we aren't using the TV, he can play the PS3 in it's much bigger viewing on the TV. You can also watch it on both at the same time, and both have an excellent picture with no loss of picture quality.
This is EXACTLY why I bought this, and it has worked flawlessly so far.
If you need to split one HDMI output for two possible HD screens, then I would highly recommend this device. If you are trying to use this item for some thing that this device clearly isn't designed for, you might want to try something else. But it works great for it's intended purpose!
I was skeptical when I bought this unit. I needed to split my HDMI in order to feed 2 CRT projectors in a stacked arrangement. I was also using custom timings at 1080p60, which gives some of my other equipment fits. To my delight, this splitter worked perfectly. I am able to run both pj's at the same time, or one at a time for independent convergence which has to be done periodically.
The only thing I don't like is the bright red led's. They show up too much in my very dark home theater. I would have liked a much dimmer led, perhaps in blue or green. Red means something is wrong in my mind, and in this case it indicates everything is OK.
I highly recommend this very reasonably priced item.
This items works great, and had a great price too. I used it to split the HD output of my TiVo, one for the Living room 1080p TV right near it, and one a 50 foot cable through the ceiling to the 720p TV in the bedroom so I can watch HD shows off my TiVo there too (controlled by remote via X10 powermid). The picture on both sides is beautiful.
I bought this item to send my Sony BluRay video to my Philips TV or to an Epson projector through a Sony AV receiver. The problem was that the sound through the Sony AV receiver always reverted to Dolby Prologic, even if the BluRay was 5.1 or 7.1. This was with the TV turned completely off. Somehow, the presence of the turned off TV on one output was affecting the handshake between the BluRay and AV Receiver through the other output. It may have been some fault of the TV maybe to affect it this way. But, I even tried unplugging the TV from the wall socket, to make sure it was all the way OFF. Still, the same result. However, if I unplugged the HDMI output to the TV, then the handshake was perfect and I was getting 5.1/7.1 sound. Their recommended config is to put the BluRay to the Amp first, then switch the video output to TV or Projector, but that does not fit my needs (I want to use the built in TV speakers when playing on the TV, and amplified sound when playing on projector).
To their credit, the support person worked with me on this promptly, had me try a few thing, and issued an RMA (this was all done via email, which I prefer). I had to pay to ship it back, but got a full and courteous refund, so I can't fault the seller (unlike some of the other posters here).
The solution to my problem was to buy an HDMI A/B mechanical switch. Not as elegant as having this automatic switch (I have to remember to switch it each time or face a blank screen wondering why!). But, it is a MUCH cheaper solution (got it from monoprice), and it works flawlessly every time with perfect handshake.
I'm running my PS3 into the splitter, with one output directly to a small Vizio TV and the other to my receiver (where it's then output to my 50" Sony SXRD TV.) I can have either on by themselves, or play games on the PS3 on the Vizio while my wife is watching a TV show or DVD on the Sony, and have no loss of signal. Works great!
Purchased Onkyo TX SR 706 which has a problem with clipping the video signal from my Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray in "Pass Through Mode". More specifically it was limiting the BTB & WTW portion of the Video signal. This maybe a marginal issue with most users, but I couldn't get past it knowing that I spent $550 on a receiver that couldn't pass through an unaltered signal back to my Samsung HL61A750.
After much agonizing research I found that the Firefold HDMI splitter may solve the problem. Purchased it . Effectively split the HDMI video and Audio to the TV and Onkyo and solved the above clipping problem. However, the overall picture and audio seemed to be lacking something.
Purchased this HDMI splitter and completely love it. HDMI signal split as in the Firefold product, except the video and Audio seemed much better! Would recommend it above the Firefold strictly on performance, but it costs $20 less too!
I don't know why other reviewers in this post say the HDMI Video & Audio signal can't be split with this product?
My biggest beef with this whole issue is Onkyo. The TX SR 706 and TX SR 806 cannot pass through an unaltered Blu-ray signal using HDMI. This is documented in a review of the TX SR 806 in the "Secrets of Home Theater" (Oct'08). Onkyo still denies this problem exists and keeps saying "We have never heard of this problem" even though it is documented that many customer have called to report it. Onkyo has moved on to the 2009 models and will not admit this problem with the 2008 lineup of receivers. Anyway, Onkyo offers no problem solving help for current owners and offer no firmware upgrade to fix the problem, because they stick to the claim the issue doesn't exist.
Wow.......what a stupid company! - Hdtv - Hdmi - Hdmi Cable Splitter - Home Theater'
Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information
Digital Camera Accessories - digital camera accessories, olympus
This product was more than I expected. I bought it as a back up for the battery that comes standard with my camera. I wasn't expecting anything special from a replacement brand, but I was shocked. The battery was about 1/10 the price of the Olympus brand battery, yet it had the same, if not a longer run time. I fully recommend this product as a supplement to the standard battery for extended trips. In either case, the battery life on a single charge for either product was more than enough for the excursions through the many different parks at Disney world. (my initial reason for buying the camera, an Olympus Stylus Tough 8000). Many of the excursions were over 15 hours, and I never needed more than one extra battery.
A very high quality product for an inexpensive price. Maximal Power DB OLY LI-50B Replacement Battery for Olympus Digital Camera/Camcorder
I purchased this battery to use as a backup for my Olympus Stylus tough 6000. As it is i never actually had problem with the standard Olympus battery that came with the camera, but i felt that it could not hurt to purchase a back up battery, especially when you consider the cost!
The product cam in a timely manner as with all amazon purchases and was packaged pretty neat.
I used the camera over the weekend for a Halloween party and i had this battery in use, and boy did it work well! I took about 60+ photos (all @ 10mp with the flash on) that night and (as with all pics) they were each reviewed a couple times after the photo was taken. I even used it a bit the next day and the battery still has charge. I'm going to use it some more today and see if i can drain the charge a bit to get an idea as to how many pics i can take on a full charge.
If there is any complaint at all, it's that when you first put the battery to charge it stops charging after about 2-3 minutes, this could mislead some into thinking it is fully charged at this point, when in reality it isn't. When this happens all you need to do is remove the battery and charger from the outlet and plug it back in and leave it for a few hours till you KNOW it should be fully charged. It should be noted that some people get this same problem with the official Olympus battery, so it's not a problem specific to this product.
Great item here folks; buy it if our camera uses it, at such a low price (i paid about $7. USD for it) you cannot go wrong.
Hey they came fast and the right model. I have used them and came to the following conclusion.
You get what you pay for. If you want to buy a batterie for $30 with the original manufacturers stamp on it you can, and if you want to spend the same amount on 4 batteries from a no name Brand, you can do that too. The difference was; Even so the no name brand is not holding the charge as long as the original batteries do, it still makes more sense to me to have rather 3 backups, which you should have at least one anyway.
Maximal Power DB OLY LI-50B Replacement Battery for Olympus Digital Camera/Camcorder (Black)
Wow!! What a great price for this battery! The Olympus branded batteries are 5-6 times the price. You just can't lose on this deal. I haven't used it enough to know how the over-all life will compare, but even if you have to but another it is worth it.
This battery works just like the original and was much cheaper. I have no problem using these type of batteries to save so much of the OEM. For the last 2 months this battery has worked just as well as the original in my camera.
Bought 2 spare batteries for my new Olympus camera and they had more mah capacity than the OEM original that came with the camera. Both new & OEM have performed well after about 5 recharges each so far.
After charging for a whole night, this battery didn't last longer than a few minutes. This is the 2nd non-big brand name I've bought & both were duds. I'm sticking to just the big brand names from now on, even for my backup battery. This was a bad purchase, not worth it. - Olympus Stylus Battery - Olympus - Li-50b - Digital Camera Accessories'
Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information
Great Value - 430, schwinn
I am a soldier who has recently returned from deployment. While I was deployed I injured both knees and am unalbe to run due to the impact. I had tried ellipticals while I was deployed and was quite impressed with the work out I got. When I returned I went out and started searching for one of my own. My goal was to keep it under $1000. I tried many different brands and discovered that not all ellipticals are created equal. Many of them are cheaply made and shake side to side or make alot of noise. The stride is very important. I am 6 foot tall and the 16 inch stride on some of them just didnt cut it. I ended up buying a Proform 160 from the Proform website since it had an 18 inch stride and seemed to be sturdy, however, after discovering how little they care about customer service, I cancelled my order. I ended up buying an Image 9.5 from Walmart. I used it for about 3 weeks and came to the conclusion that the foot pedals were spaced too far apart and it put pressure on my knees and made my hips hurt. After thinking about it for a minute it made sense to me, who runs with thier feet that far apart anyway. My feet almost land in a straight line when I run. So I set out to find one with closer pedals. Overall I tried almost 2 dozen different machines and finally found the Schwinn 430 at a fitness store. I tried the 418 and 438 also, but the 430 seemed to be the most comfortable to me. The 438 and some of the other brands seem to have a high arch on the upstroke. The 430 was very smooth and ultra quiet. It is very well made and should last for many years. Amazon had the best deal on it and had it to me in about 8 days. It is a very comfortable machine. After all of this I would say to anyone wanting to buy an elliptical, try alot of them, I tried all the ones at Sears, Oshmans, Academy and Fitness in motion. Make sure the stride length, pedal angle and pedal spacing are comfortable for you, after all, if its not comfortable you wont want to use it. The only thing I think could be improved on the Schwinn 430 is a backlit display. Luckily I work out with the lights on so its not a problem, haha. I tried many machines that were between $2-3000 and this one was still more comfortable to me. It is a heavy machine, so get help carrying it in, but you will be glad its heavy when you ride it. It is some assembly required, but it has fairly clear instructions, so there shouldnt be a problem with assembly. Happy Hunting! Schwinn 430 Elliptical Trainer
I didn't see many reviews on the 430, much less details regarding the differences between this stripper model and its big brother brethren. So here goes my first real Amazon review:
Why I chose the Schwinn 430
-Price (esp on Amazon w/ mat and shipping)
-Space saving
-ECB resistance
-Forward + Backward
-25 lb flywheel (per manual)
-18" stride
Why I'm happy after buying
-Feels solidly built, like it will last
-Relatively quiet
-Forward + Backward motion
-Bargain price, esp w/ Amazon mat + shipping
-I get a good workout
Why I'm not happy
-Manual subpar. Amazon acknowledges with email M8x25 error, but there are other (unrecognized by Amazon) mistakes.
-Fit is only 99% perfect. Some holes don't line up perfectly, but what can you expect at this price point?
-"Heel rising" during motion despite "articulating foot plate" was a little more than I expected, but not much more than other ellipticals
-I'm only 5'9", but I prefer a 20" stride (found on Sole Ellipticals), probly because I'm use to the gym but 18" is definitely ok
-Display is hard to read. Backlighting (on 418,438) would help.
-The "easiest" setting is a little hard for my wife, probly due to heavy flywheel
-My wife has tripped over the small power cord, so I can understand why battery power on the 418 is a nice option.
Differences between 430, 418, and 438
430
LCD display
AC Power
Grip HR Monitor
Preprogrammed Workouts 8
Max User Weight 275 lbs.
Warranty: Labor - 90 days
418
adds backlit LCD
adds Battery Power Option to AC
same Grip HR Monitor as 430
increases Preprogrammed Workouts 12
same Max User Weight as 430
increases Warranty: Labor - 6 Months; Wear Items - 6 Months
438
adds fan, multi grip handlebar to backlit LCD
deletes Battery Power Option of 418, only AC
adds Chest Strap HR Monitor to Grip Monitor
increases total Preprogrammed Workouts 21, 4 user settings
increases Max User Weight - 300 lbs.
same warranty as 418
Due to the price, I would buy the Schwinn 430 again in a heartbeat. Same award winning mechanics as the 418, 438 but a much cheaper price point. However, if you work out a lot at night and want a backlight, or don't want a power cord across the room, I would seriously consider spending the extra $200 for the 418 despite the problematic Amazon reviews.
UPDATE: Like others, I too had developed a small "squeaking noise" problem. However, my squeaking was located where the moving handlebars pivot, close to the flywheel. A quick call to Schwinn (hold time < 1 min) told me that I probably tightened the handlebars too much. I was told to back off by a quarter turn until the squeaking disappeared. Three quarter turns later, my squeaking is gone! Apparently my obsessive compulsiveness in tightening everything down was too aggressive. One month later, and I still love my Schwinn 430, and I was very happy with the customer service too. - Great Value - 430 - Schwinn - Exercise'
Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information
Bluetooth Stereo Headphones
I purchased this product with the intention of pairing to my phone for running and working out. Wired headphones and earbuds have a tendency to not allow for free motion and sometimes get snagged on weights, benches, etc. I had several primary concerns for these headphones, and couldn't find the information I needed anywhere else, so I hope this review serves to answer some questions for you. Please note that this details my experience after 30 days of use.
Quality of Construction: These headphones feel decidedly cheap. I have a pair of wrap-around (wired) headphones that cost $10 that seems to have sturdier construction. Upon taking these out of the package, I felt like taking them off too roughly, or something falling on them, could damage or break the frame. After 30 days of use, they still feel cheap, but I am not so afraid that I will break them. While it is a very real possibility that a less careful person (read: spouse) or accident will break these, extending some consideration to fragile electronics makes me think that the frames breaking is not how these will end their life.
Quality of Sound: When running or working out, I am content if the headphones are 1) loud enough 2) not flat and 3) easily adjustable for conditions. These do well on all counts. I have noticed that some songs are too loud, some not loud enough -- but this is because of the source, not the headphones. There is good range of sound, sufficient bass and treble to please my ears while I exercise. Further, the positioning of the volume controls allows me to make adjustments without breaking stride -- the placement of the Play/Pause and the Forward and Back controls allows me to skip songs without skipping a step. (Please note: if your device does not support use of the Play/Pause, Forward and Back buttons, it is not the fault of these Headphones. I suggest you consult your phone or device's documentation if you are not sure whether it supports AVRCP)
Sweat Resistance: This is the big one, and the one that most reviews don't touch on. As I was searching for something I could wear while exercising, whether it would stand up to some sweat is extremely important. These have done well so far. I have noticed some sweat on the lower half of each ear-piece during workout but have not experienced any problems from this yet. I have worn them on intense interval workouts and long runs (10 mile) and they still function as well as new. I would caution that these do tend to keep the ears quite warm, and do seem to contribute to sweating -- I would not wear these in the summer, or in warm climates. Your experience may differ, as I live in a state with high humidity. (Special Note: After feeling sweat all over my head and worrying about these breaking, I spent a few dollars for an Under Armour beanie that keeps the sweat from rolling down my head. Definitely a good purchase, as it helps regulate my body temperature and significantly cuts down on the moisture that accumulates on the headphones)
Minor issues: The headphones sometimes skip or gap, depending on the location of the broadcasting device. This rarely happens and is not too irritating when it does. Call quality has been praised and I have never had anybody guess I was using speakerphone, headphones, in a well, etc. Battery life seems good, I can use them for approximately 5 or 6 hours without needing to recharge them. Recharging takes a touch less than 2 hours with the Micro-USB adapter.
Overall: I am quite satisfied with my purchase. These are not exactly what I thought I would need, but are definitely functioning as I hoped they would. For the price paid, I do not expect them to last forever, but anticipate that when they do stop working, I will quickly order a replacement pair of the same model. In my estimation, of you are searching for a pair of headphones that you can use while exercising, if you are worried about sweating, and if you are not extremely demanding of your electronics, I would strongly suggest these headphones. I rate them 4/5 because of concerns about the durability of the frame - even a slight concern is enough to withhold a perfect score - but would give them a 4.5 if possible. Motorola S305 Bluetooth Stereo Headset (Black)[Retail Packaging]
I bought these music headphones/phone headset directly from Motorola when they first came out, so I have been using them now for five months. I was waiting a long time for something like this and they have exceeded all my expectations.
You can download the quick start user guide from Motorola here:
http://www.motorola.com/staticfiles/Support/US-EN/Mobile%20Phones%20Accessories/S305/US-EN/_Documents/Static%20Files/S305_QSG_EN_SP_68000201969A.pdf
Fit: 5 out of 5.
I wear glasses so fit was crucial for me, and they work perfectly fine while wearing them. I often wear them while riding my bike along the lakefront at Chicago, and they fit perfectly at the back of my head below the edge of my bike helmet.
Sound: 5 out of 5.
I continue to be amazed at the sound on these, deep rich bass and many subtle sounds.
Also they have lots of volume. I first set the volume at max on my cellphone, which is a free-on-contract Motorola EM330 music phone. At top volume these headphones are loud enough for me to hear them on Chicago's subway train (the EL). Some snobby audiophiles complain that these are not as good as their wired $200 headphones while listening in a totally silent room. Some people cannot be pleased! Also if you don't first max your volume on your cellphone you won't get the best quality sound.
Also since they are not in my ear canal, and not completely surrounding my ear to block out the sound, I find them to be quite safe since I can still hear the world around me while on my bicycle.
While on a call the person on the other end does not know I am using a blue tooth headset.
I hear the sound of the call in both ears and the microphone is high quality, and you have to search for the little elongated mic hole to point it out to people who ask about your headphones!
Features: 5 out of 5.
Your cellphone must have the correct bluetooth profiles for these to work fully: A2DP (Audio Profile), AVRCP (Remote Control Profile).
Many APPLE products DO NOT HAVE AVRCP and then their users INCORRECTLY COMPLAIN about the headphones missing the capabiliy of next track and previous track.
These headphones feature the following abilities:
* Take calls (press the telephone button at the top flat side to pickup).
* Make calls (press and hold the telephone button to call the last number dialled).
* Reject a call (press either the next track or previous track button)
* Mute/Unmute a call (press the Play/Pause button)
* Play music (press the play/pause button at the bottom flat side to play or pause)
* Pause music (press the play/pause button)
* Stop music (press and hold the play/pause button)
* Next track (press the next track button at the right flat side)
* Previous track (press the previous track button at the right flat side)
* You can also fast-forward or rewind by holding either the next track or previous track button.
* The volume controls are on the top edge along with the power button. The volume buttons have ridges you can feel with your finger, and when you increase the volume the headphones make a indicator sound increasing or reducing in volume/tone.
* Also depending on the capabilities of your phone you may be able to use these for voice control of your phone, by pressing and holding the make a call button.
Connection: 4.5 out of 5.
They receive the music through walls and even downstairs as I walk around in my condo listening to the music.
They actually do receive up to 33 feet away! So far away that I sometimes forget where I left my phone while I am listening to music on it!
When I am out walking and they are in my left side back pocket, I sometimes (but quite rarely) lose connection for a second, due I think to my body mass blocking the signal. I think the Bluetooth receiver is in the right side of the headphones, so if I move the phone to the front or right pocket, or even turn it over, the problem goes away. However, this rare problem may also be due to the phone not this headset.
Controls: 5 out of 5.
Having so many controls in such a small space is initially confusing, but you can soon the get hang of it and certainly is done by one hand. I do not stop my bike just to change tracks! I usually have no problems clicking the correct button with my right hand.
If I am slightly confused I can feel for lump where the headband is connected on the right, just beside this is the next-track button. Directly back from it is the back track, which I use to repeat a favorite song. Straight down is play/pause.
Usage Tips:
Set the volume of your music player to the maximum, and then control the volume using the headphones. In this way you get the best quality sound and the highest range of volume.
At the start of music day, I power up the headphones and they make a pleasing chirp sound in my ears.
Then I just press the PLAY button. The phone then communicates with the headphones making the two bluetooth connections (audio and remote control) while I hear a bleep each time. Then the music starts. At this point I lock the buttons on my phone to prevent it for switching tracks by accident in my pocket or bag.
When I am finished using them I turn them off completely, instead of leaving them on standby. Otherwise I might get a phone call that will ring in the headphones which are not on my head, so I miss the call.
When I power them off, I first stop the music, otherwise the music will suddenly start playing out of my phone speaker!'
Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information
Gps Dash Mount - dashboard mount, garmin nuvi
This GPS vent mount is absolutely perfect and fits great in my 2001 Honda Accord, but only after looking at it a few minutes until I found one of its super-flexible aspects. It seems extremely versatile and I could get it to fit exactly where I wanted and oriented the GPS exactly how I wanted. I almost thought it wasn't going to work without rigging up my own tether to the vent by a simple large twist tie until I just realized that the mounting bracket itself is really flexible to adapt, not just the mount plates. This thing is really ingenious.
First, it comes in 2 parts, first the mounting bracket itself which has a universal socket of its own, and then 5 mount plates which hopefully cover with all that you will need. The box lists Garmin, Magellan, and TomTom, and "fits most brands". I immediately recognized mine (TomTom), an O-shaped ring and connected mine on. The mounting bracket has a ball joint of its own and a knob that tighents or loosens. You might not realize it at first, but you can flip your whole mount upside down to make the whole mount higher or lower, such as the case for which way my O-ring hangs for my Tom Tom, up or down. Then the ball join lets you swivel and tilt, then lock it down once you have picked. So it doesn't really rely on your device-specific mount plat or device having its own swivel. I find the mount plate flexibility and stability to be absolutely stellar. I really am thrilled.
Second, something you probably will not realize at first, is that the connection to the vent itself is very flexible. you don't have to accept the prongs oriented as they are out of the box. The instructions are incredibly simple and without a good diagram to give you your options, so I didn't realize it at first and couldn't get it to connect and almost gave up. The prongs to the vent from the mount can be turned upside down to grab from under a blade on the vent or over the blade. By default it is over the blade. You can also slide them horizontally along a slot so that they line up with vertical blades in your vent. one thing you don't realize at first is the angle of the bracket depending on whether you put the hook over or under a blade. I couldn't get it to latch going over, then I realized it was because the angle of the whole bracket was too steep to fit. Flipping them around an clamping under worked easily. A simple trick is to just remove both prongs from the mount, and take one and try to hook one on its own which is super easy. Then you can try to connect the mount to it already affixed and you will see the angle of the prong connection to the mount which might not match depending on under or over. Then take it off, put it back on the mount, and hook both properly. The weight should actually rest on a lower lever that sits on the edge of the vent, not the blades, so it should just provide stability, not necessarily have to support weight. Another trick is that the prong might seem too thick at first for the fent. but you need to just hold back the spring and the piece it is pushing which stays on the outside of the blade and the rest of the arm is actually thin and hooks around. However, I could envision that some cars could still have entirely too narrow of slots, but it seems like most cars should work out.
Removing it isn't quite as easy as the box claims. I find it easy to put on, but takes a little more maneuvering to get it off. I have to hold back the edge of the spring-blocks on the 2 prongs which have a lip for you to hold onto, and then I have to hold my vents up which are pushed down naturally as I try to unhook it, then it unhooks. I think more practice will make it faster.
Limitation on Magellan: Check your Magellan to see if it uses a double or single-groove mount point. This has an adapter for double-groove, but not single groove. NAVGEAR 14027 Universal GPS Vent Mount
I have a 2010 Mazda 3 and wanted a vent mounting kit for a Garmin Nuvi 205W. This was super easy to install. And most importantly it is very durable and stable. There are so many different ways you can mount it depending on where you want it, angle, etc. Very happy with my purchase!
I used this in my 05 Honda Accord and it easily fixed on to the Air-Conditioner vent. Good view without attaching to the glass. Only -ve is the air-conditioner vents sort of point upward after fix it. Not a problem as i do not usually like blowing cold air on my face!
I bought this as an alternative to using the suction cup and dashboard pieces that came with my gps. I am very happy with this mount. It connected to my vents without any problems, I can leave it attached, and still get heat and air. When I am ready to use it, it sets up easily, and does not move as I am driving. I was able to put it in the perfect spot, so that I can drive and still be able to see my gps screen. Overall, this is a good buy, and it works perfectly. - Garmin Nuvi - Dashboard Mount - Ac Vent Mout - Garmin'
Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information
Power Plug Adapter
I've been using this model of travel converter for over 5 years, traveling all over the world. I have only a few 110V US items that I carry with me, the most important to me is an RCR123a battery charger. It has yet to fail me. I use just an adapter (not a converter) for my laptops and other items that have power supplies capable of handling 100-240 Volts at 50 or 60 Hz.
I paid $25 for mine, so the shipping charge doesn't seem terribly out of line. I would like to get it for less, of course. Simran 1875 Watts Travel Voltage Converter For Using 110V USA Products In 220V/240V Countries. Model SM-1875
Having gone through part of the reviews here, I guess some users might have misunderstood the application of this convertor.
If you want to use your electronic devices operated with a rechargeable battery (such as your iPhone, cell phone, ipod, ipad, laptop PC, digital camera) in another country where the household power supply is at 220/240V, you don't need to bother, because nearly all these electronic products are designed today to be completed with a battery charger suitable for a voltage range from 100V to 240V, in other words, people carry these electronic items and travel around in the world so these items should work properly anywhere at any level of voltage. Whatever you have and wish to use in a foreign country, just carefully check the marking on the battery charger about the voltage rating ... if the voltage rating is printed or embossed as "100-240V", then don't worry, simply connect the power plug to a socket to charge the battery after you get to the destination.
I also brought with me two laptop PC's, a cell phone and an SRL digital camera from China (at 220/240V) and have been using them here in the U.S. (at 110V) for almost half a year ... everything is okay as perfectly as they worked in China, because the battery chargers can work at any voltage from 100V to 240V. The applicable type of plugs may be different in a foreign country, as there are many types of plugs in the world. To make sure that your above-mentioned electronic products can be plugged in a socket in a foreign country, you should also check if you need a plug adapter. If you need a plug adapter, after getting to the destination you will first insert the plug adapter into a local socket, and then insert the the power plug of your electronic product into the plug adapter to charge the battery. You may search by googling "Worldwide Travel Plug Adapter Guide", and refer to the type of plugs that is used in the country you are going to visit.
However, if you want to use an ELECTRICAL item operated under alternating current (like a hair dryer, steam iron), you will need such a convertor, so that your electrical item for 110V can be used at foreign voltage 220/240V. If you don't, your electrical item will get burned from a voltage break-through. Some products sold in the U.S. are completed with a rechargeable battery (electrical toothbrushes, for example), but the voltage rating of the battery charger is subject to 110V, meaning that the battery can be charged at 110V only. So if you need to use such an electrical item outside the U.S. at 220/240V, you should also ask for such a convertor.
I ordered this convertor for my parents who are going to travel in China, as they'd like to bring a water flosser with them and that is absolutely an electrical item. I received this in a good condition, but couldn't find a better manual than the brief instruction on the box. The quality should be okay as it has adequate weight. Hope my parents would say yes to its quality after they use it.
Update on 04-28-11:
According to my parents, this converter does not work with a water flosser in China. It is too weak, and there is no water flush generated from the water flosser even at the 'HIGH' position of the converter.
It was a waste of money. I would not recommend this product, and hence reduced the rating to 1 star.
A very compact and lightweight converter to carry while travelling overseas. I have used it with my battery, cellphone and camcorder chargers. Also I have used it with my Shaver and toothbrush. I have owned it for two years and have used it on my trips to Europe and Asia. It has a thermal fuse which protects it from overheating. It is very reliable and has never failed on me.
I travel extensively overseas for work. This converter is the best travel companion! I use it for my iPod, iPhone, cell phone charger, camera AND my hair dryer. It is compact and easy to travel with. I highly recommend this converter for travel. I'm glad I found it on Amazon.
I cannot deal with a bad hair day. Even while travelling I must carry my own hair dryer & hair straightner. This converter worked great for me while holidaying in Europe & Asia. As per instructions I used it on the High setting for both the Items. It also worked great with my husband's shaver & iPhone on the Low setting. We were impressed that such a lightweight converter, worked so well for all our gadgets. We highly recommend this converter for travellers.'
Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information
Pull-up Bars - chin up bar, pull ups
I was a little leery of making this purchase. Normally, products that seem too simple for too reasonable of a price just never end up satisfying in the way you hope (e.g. The Dodge Neon, anything on Jack in the Box's value menu, my two years at DeVry). But this? Oh. Oh, my faith has been restored in cheap American products.
Because, you see, kids. This is a WELL ENGINEERED cheap American product. Yes, a rarity. I was worried that it would be difficult to assemble. I was worried that it wouldn't really hang from my door frame. I was worried that it would break under my underwhelming 155lbs. I was worried the Utah Jazz wouldn't be able to gear up and start winning road games as the playoffs grew nigh.
I mostly worried for naught.
I assembled the Iron Gym Extreme in about 15 minutes. Probably could have done so a lot more quickly, but I was distracted by Boston Legal on DVD, and by gunning my power ratchet wrench at my cat to stop her from playing in the packing materials.
(Note: You do NOT need your own tools to assemble this product. It comes with a little tool. But you can speed up the process with your own tools. You should have your own tools anyway, you know? Be a man.)
Once you assemble the Iron Gym Extreme, you'll need to pick a doorway. It seemed to fit all my doorways perfectly, but I have heard word of older houses having issues. You will need to insert a small metal wedge into the top of your doorjamb. This helps to secure the device and make sure it doesn't fall on anyone's head. It's not as scary as it sounds, you just kinda shove the thing behind the wood. Then you kinda wiggle it and say "Will that hold it?" Then a few minutes later you say "Gol-darn, it WILL hold it. Ain't that somethin'." Should any friends be standing nearby, this would be an excellent time to exchange high-fives.
I then chin-upped. Well, I tried. God as my witness I had no idea I was such a puss. I had like no upper-body strength. I'm pretty sure I heard my cat laughing at me somewhere down the hall behind me, but the blood was thumping in my ears so I can't be sure. But the bar sure worked!
I didn't give up and kept at the bar. Now, no, several weeks later I'm nowhere close to entering any Ultimate Fighting Competitions or anything, but I can do buttloads of reps now, and my cat has stopped mocking me.
This product has been excellent. Buy with confidence.
The Utah Jazz, however, appear to be headed towards a first-round sweep at the hands of the L.A. Lakers.
Crap. Iron Gym Total Upper Body Workout Bar - Extreme Edition
The big question when deciding to buy the Iron Gym Total Upper Body Workout Bar - Extreme Edition is...what will it do for you? Well buy this piece of equipment if you want to strengthen your upper body and stomach muscles. More specifically, you will be able to work your biceps (front of arms), triceps (back of arms), latissimus dorsi (the back muscle that give you that V-shape), pectorals (chest muscles), and abdominals (stomach muscles). Note I would not expect this piece of equipment to work any of your leg muscles- if used conventionally. Of course there's a lot of accessory muscles that might get a little workout too, such as your forearm muscles, because you're gripping a lot, and parts of your shoulder, but the major muscles that will get worked the most are listed above.
So how do you use it? You do a lot of the exercises hanging. Therefore, if you're not into hanging on to things to get your exercise in, skip this piece of equipment entirely. The first big exercise you can do on it is the chin-up, where you're pulling yourself up to the bar and then lowering. This will work you biceps and lats the most. BTW, chin-up, pull-up, they're both the same.
You can vary the grip, more so with the extreme edition. Know that using a palms up grip is best when doing chin-ups, simply because you'll be putting your biceps muscle in its most mechanically efficient position to contract- and so you'll able to pull up more times than if you used, say, a palms-down grip. Try it- you won't be able to do as many chins with your palms down, or in a middle position either for that matter. In fact, the palms down grip will work your biceps a lot less, so if you want bigger biceps, use a palms up grip! Switch grips for variety if you must- I'm just sayin' what's more productive and what works what the best...
The next big exercise is the dip. The dip will work your triceps and your chest muscles the most. Your front deltoid will get a fair workout as well. However, because the exercise is called a "dip", and setting this thing on the floor to do dips doesn't allow you to "dip" down very far, don't expect to get much of a workout doing a dip with the Iron Gym.
Next is the push up. You put the bar on the floor and do push-ups with it- which will work the triceps, as well as the chest. This is a good, productive exercise, and the Iron Gym makes it harder than a regular floor push-up- simply because you are up off the floor and can lower yourself lower- which gives you more range of motion, a good chest stretch, in addition to making the push-ups harder.
Lastly is the sit-ups. You can put this bar on the floor to anchor your feet to help stabilize your body better to do a sit-up. Contrary to popular belief, if you are doing a sit-up with maximal effort (i.e. doing them until you can't do another one), EMG studies have conclusively shown that your ENTIRE ab muscle is contracting. Sooo, know that you're not working the "upper abs" more than the "lower abs" when using this device to do a sit-up- rather your whole abdominal rectus muscle is contracting at once and getting worked and stronger.
Okay, so those are the major exercises you can do, although I guess you could pick it up and make up a few of your own moves if you wanted to. A few details. Some people have had trouble with this thing fitting in their doorway. My advice is to just try it- if it doesn't work, ship it back to Amazon for a refund and call it a day. If you're so inclined, look at some of the other reviews that have given precise dimensions, get out your protractor, and measure away to be sure it will fit. For me that's just way too much work...
Will this get you stronger? Absolutely- but only so much (which might be enough depending on your fitness goals). Anyone reading the strength training research knows that once you can do more than around 20 reps or so of an exercise in a row, you're going to be building muscle ENDURANCE more than muscle STRENGTH. That's the major beef I have with these kinds of pieces of exercise equipment- there's no way to "easily" make the exercise harder over time as you get stronger and the exercise becomes easier. And if you can't make the exercise progressively harder, the muscle isn't stimulated to get bigger and stronger as time goes on which means you will reach a point where you're simply maintaining - unlike exercise machines with a weight stack that enable you to gradually increase the weight to constantly challenge the muscle. Trust me, the guy in the YouTube Iron Gym video didn't get arms like that by just doing chin after chin using just his own body weight. Perhaps he had a small child grab his legs as he did the chins, or had his girlfriend sit on his back as he did pushups...
Overall this is not a bad piece of equipment, you just have to know its limitations- like how strong it can get you, and what muscles it works.
A few tips. If you can't pull yourself up and do a single chin-up (have your wife or girlfriend try one for fun), just use a chair to stand on to get you to the top position, and then slowly lower yourself to the floor while hanging on to the bar- then repeat until you can't do any more. You'll find that after a week or two of doing chins like this (just the lowering part), you'll soon be able to do a full regular chin-up where you can pull yourself up to the top position no problem. This works because you're about 50% stronger lowering something than you are lifting it. Exercisers who want bigger arms might also be interested in Smokin' Hot Guns!!: How an Average Guy Can Get Big, Muscular Arms In One Workout A Week. Stay fit. - Pull Ups - Chin Up Bar - P90x - Iron Gym'
Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information
Waterproof Camera Case - dicapac, photography
What a wonderful alternative to taking underwater pictures. No need to spend a couple hundred dollars on a underwater housing case or a few hundred for an camera specifically made for underwater. Also don't settle the the cheap one time use under water cameras. These cases allow you to take beautiful clear pictures using your own digital camera. I needed a waterproof case for my Canon PowerShot SD1100IS 8MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Blue) and since I already owned a Dicapac for a another brand of camera I knew there would be no other choice for me than the DicaPac brand. This is a terrific way to protect your camera from water, sand and even snow. The optical lens sometimes interfere with the camera's zooms lens, just make sure to hold the lens from the camera's view. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Check out the photos I attached to the product page so you can see yourself how clear and beautiful the pictures turned out.
Here is something I found that was helpful since the description does not list the camera's that are compatible:
DicaPac WP410 Case will fit the following brands:
Canon Powershot:
SD10/20/30/40/100/110/200/300/400/430/450/600/630/750/700IS/790IS/800IS/870IS/1000/1100/S200/230/300/400
Sony Cybershot DSC:
S40/500/600/650/700/750/780/W30/35/40/50/55/70/80/90/150/170/200/300
Kodak EasyShare:
C533/643/653/743/763/LS743
M753/763/853/873/883/893IS/1033
I have listed only a few of the camera brands this is compatible with. If you want to see if your camera is compatible, visit the company's website which I found very helpful. Amazon's price can not be beat. DicaPac WP410 160x105mm Small Zoom Alfa Waterproof Digital Camera Case with Optical Lens (Clear)
I recently purchased this product for use in Hawaii and it worked as expected. I used it with an Olympus FE170. Like another reviewed said, be sure you seal the ziplock part completely. Then just roll up and seal the bag and you're all set. I was able to take some pretty nice underwater pictures while snorkeling, as well as out of the water while kayaking.
I only have one very small complaint. The neck strap is fine out of the water, but once you're in the water, it doesn't provide much security. I basically had to hold the camera at all times in one hand and navigate with the other, which is pretty easy with fins on, but it wasn't ideal. I'd prefer a more secure wrist strap.
And one tip, if you come out of the water to take a picture back on the boat or beach, be sure you dab any water off of the lens. I came back with a few pictures that had big water droplets distorting the images, and when the camera is in the bag and the sun is shining you really can't see the LCD screen on the camera.
So to sum up, I highly recommend this product. Just plan ahead. Once we were in Hawaii we didn't see anything like this at any camera stores. All they had were the $100 + hard cases that only fit certain models.
I recently received the two DiCaPac WP410's I ordered and, after checking one out, was pleasantly surprised that I didn't waste my money. According to the instructions I tested the "waterproof" claim and found it to be as they claim, provided the ziplock type of seal on the opening is closed properly. I made the mistake of assuming I had closed the opening where the camera is inserted until I double checked it just before placing it underwater in my kitchen sink. For testing purposes I had placed a small toy inside the pack since it was more expendable than my camera. After being underwater about 8" for around 5 minutes I removed the pack, shook off any small amount of water and while holding the opening at a lower angle I removed the toy as dry as when I placed it in there. Following the beta test the camera was next and had the same dry results. The only thing different this time was that I was able to take pictures of the wall of my stainless steel sink and my face from underwater. While the plastic is a bit thick and can be a slight problem turning any buttons to activate a particular function, pushing buttons is not a problem and you can always activate the camera in the mode you want ahead of time. There is a glass lens that covers the opening where the camera lens protrudes and I was happy it wasn't made out of a cheap plastic prone to scratches. I would suggest using fully charged or new batteries in your camera so you don't have to worry about changing them right away. Other than that I would give this a big thumbs up and can't wait for next summer at the beach (I wouldn't leave this in direct sun since this would no doubt create a greenhouse effect and overheat your camera). In the meantime I'll settle for using it to protect my camera from the rain and the high humidity of an indoor pool.
Used it over the summer and fall while hiking in wet situations and boating (it got dropped in the water) and it did fine for that- clunky to use but the lens was very clear- Snorkling this winter was another thing- while it maybe rated for 16feet ,that does not take into account the pressures created by strong currents and waves I ran into and a small amount of seawater got forced into the case through the screw on lens killing off the display on my Canon SD1100-which will actually still take shots- I just cant select any functions. Pennywise Pound Foolish - Underwater - Dicapac - Photography - Waterproof Case'
Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information
Psp Accessory - psp, memory card
I bought this for my PSP to put some movies on it. Let's just say it does its job perfectly. After reading reviews from some of the gaming websites, SanDisk memory sticks actually outperform the Sony ones...(how ridiculous)
The great thing is the memory stick pro duo adapter is also included, so if you ever need to use it on another Sony product, the memory stick duo could work.
On a 2gb stick, I was able to put a high quality full length movie on it. Who needs to buy UMD movies anyways? SanDisk 2 GB MemoryStick Pro Duo (SDMSPD-2048-A11, Retail Package)
If you're looking for a PSP Memory stick, you should buy this one; not only for its good price, but also for its capacity and for being made for an excellent company: Sandisk.
Lets say it does the job perfectly. No problems with my PSP so far.
Another neat plus was that it comes with an MS Pro adaptor, so if you have a PC with a slot for MS Pro, you dont have to worry about buying an USB cable for the PSP, and you can also use them on cameras that use MS Pro.
Great product, highly recommended!
A couple of things to clear up about the item. First, the adaptor WAS included with my order (part of the package). Second, Sandisk duo sticks have faster transfer rates than the Sony sticks (even their high-speed line). The price can't be beat and although I selected the "super-saver" shipping (free) the item arrived within 3 days! Super cool.
For those of you utilizing your PSP to the fullest, it's a great thing to step up your storage to 2gb and this is the one to get. It wasn't too long ago that the 1gb sticks were at this price. Double your storage, double the fun.
I ordered and received this product on time - the first time. Read on though...
There are only a couple of manufactures of flash memory chips, all the brand names simply package them up and put their names on them. SanDisk happens to be one of the few manufacturers and they make a top notch product. SanDisk usually betters the Sony price for the same item.
Using this 2G card in the Sony W50 6MP digital camera allowed me to take 400+ photos AND two 1 minute long videos on half the storage. I like the largest card I can get my hands on so I don't have to worry about running out of space and not having to change memory cards.
Dec 25, 2008
I ordered a second copy of this product and the experience with Digital Media Source was not pleasing.
Digital Media Source shipped the wrong product on Nov 3, 2008. Several email exchanges later, which were all quick and polite, I still did not have the correct product in hand and had to go out to purchase from an alternative source to meet the Christmas need. Finally Dec 24 the correct product came in the mail with a return envelope for the incorrect 16gb micro SD they had shipped earlier.
I too was expecting an adapter but there was none in the package.
This is very poor service from Digital Media Source. I can understand the mistake of shipping the wrong product; it must be easy to do when shipping a variety of products. However taking 7+ weeks to correct the problem is quite poor customer service isn't it. Then to receive the product without the adapter is the final insult.
I have now mailed back the incorrect 16gb MicroSD card to Digital Media Source. I had opened the 16GB product and told them I would keep it and pay any difference in price. I told them to keep the 2GB Sandisk Pro Duo as I had solved my Christmas present problem. Still they insisted on shipping me the correct product, and a return envelope. I hope this turns out well as I returned an opened product. Will they accept the returned product or insist that I pay for it or attach a restocking fee?
I originally bought this for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) system. I wanted to listen to music and watch videos with the PSP, and the included 32mb stick could hold all of 3 songs. A 2gb Memory Stick is more than enough to hold even full movies and a bunch of music albums.
Transfer speed with this stick is fast, as is the initial format that is required to use. The included adapter for a regular Memory Stick Pro slot is a nice addition to the pack.
All in all, an excellent purchase, and it's great for use with the PSP.
Please be aware that SanDisk makes two version of the Memory Stick Pro Duo. 1) Regular Memory Stick Pro Duo with the adapter and 2) Gaming Memory Stick Pro Duo without the adapter (for the PSP). Amazon description is for the Regular, but they sent out the Gaming card (to me and probably others). I'm using this for my PSP so it worked out ok, but I would like the adapter as well. I have a Sony Vaio laptop with a built in MS card reader (not for duo) and it would be nice to be able to use the card with the adapter instead of plug the USB cable to the PSP and my laptop. Rating for Amazon: 2 Star for error.
As for the card itself, it's working great in my PSP. Transfer speed is good. I now have enough room for lots of music and movies. It's great. Rating for SanDisk card: 5 Star. - Memory Card - Memory Stick - Psp - Psp Accessory'
Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information
Routers - routers
I've used Linksys home routers for more than a decade and this is by far the best one yet in every respect. I didn't bother with their fancy new guided configuration software as I'm an experienced user. (I do suspect that inexperienced users might be almost as intimidated by the nifty new setup software, which transports the desired configuration to each new computer via a thumb drive, as they were by the older setup procedure; but that's another story). But I swear that the manual configuration took no longer than getting the shrink wrap off the outer box and undoing the twisty-ties -- reset the admin password, give the SSID a name, select security type, and set a network password. That's it -- all other factory pre-sets are exactly what you need and would expect. Total time for manual setup once the shrink wrap was off -- perhaps 3 minutes at most, and most of that spent crawling under the desk to plug it in. As I used the same SSID and network password as the old Linksys box I was replacing, all the machines actually rejoined the new network and router by themselves (and switched from G to N protocol) as soon as I entered the network password into the router control panel, with no prompting. And finally, the new packaging, even though it shouldn't really matter that much, is nothing short of breathtaking. If you're used to staring at the funny blue box on 4 legs with the two ear antennae, suddenly you enter the 21st century with this new box -- everyone familiar with Linksys products wants to touch it as if it's fine jewlery! It must be only 20% of the volume of the old box. A real triumph of industrial design, quite aside from the hardware and software. Linksys E1200 Wireless-N Router
As a certified 'senior' who's never dealt with a router before, I had absolutely no trouble setting up and getting connected. My 6 year old desktop is not wireless. My goal was to get a new laptop up and running via the router. By simply inserting the CD, I followed the instructions with no difficulty at all. I used a Memory Stick with data already stored on it, to then connect to my laptop. In less than 15 minutes both computers were up and running. The laptop is much faster than my desktop so I'm thrilled with that! (I live in a two story home and have had no connectivity problems from anywhere within the home; I haven't tried taking the laptop outdoors, but I doubt I ever will!)
Hopefully, my satisfaction is not short-lived and the router will give me a few good years.
I ordered this router after reading reviews of tons of other wireless routers available on amazon, and it works perfectly - it is easy to setup (no troubles at all whatsoever), no blinking lights on the front of the router, very lightweighted and compact. Couldnt have asked for a better router for someone who is not tech-savy and for someone who just wants a simple router that works as specified and as per its 5 star reviews!
First let me say it was very easy setup which is very important to me. I live in a long ranch so my expectation was that this would get a signal from one end to the other. The router is in the den and the living room in the middle and the bedrooms at the far end of the house down a hallway. Just as you walk down the hallway the signal is lost. Having two kids that will need a wireless signal soon this won't work.
I am returning it for a refund and going with the dual band e2500 in hopes that it will solve my problems. My work setup is in the den therefore I do not want to move the router and modem to a central location. Also the router is elevated and out in the open so that is not the issue.
I just set up this router and am very pleased with it. The setup process couldn't be easier and the total time was under 15 minutes to get a full wireless connection. I previously had a Netgear router that was just an endless headache with dropped connections and poor reliability. I can't speak for the reliability of this router yet but so far so good. Definitely recommend.
I just purchased one of these new Lynksys wireless routers and I find myself entirely satisfied. The installation was as easy as dropping in the inclded disk and then following the four or five steps of pluging everything together. It took me less than five minutes to have my wireless network up and running. The range of the router easily covers my whole house, including the back deck.
I don't even know where to start... it's basically a poorly designed router! Every time you change a setting you start praying for this to come back.. most of the time you have to reset it to the defaults and start from the beginning. Try changing the routers name after the initial setup.. it immediately quits working and you are back to the hard reset. Try changing the security mode after the initial setup.... it quits.. well you get the picture. I would stay away - avoid! The good part is that once it's setup the internet works well with very good range. I might return and get the 10 year old Cisco-Linksys WRT54GL with Tomato firmware... way easier to setup and operate. I am afraid of touching this crappy "router", god knows what it takes to add a printer to this - Another 3 hours waisted. - Routers'
Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information
Garmin 405 - garmin 405, running
Update: after two months of using the 405, I have some additional observations. Based on my experiences, I would lower the star rating to 3 stars. The decrease in rating is due to incredibly poor software and support from Garmin. The hardware is still extremely impressive, despite the software failings.
Software and Support:
The Garmin Connect (which allows you to track your training progress) is nothing more than a beta with limited functionality and slow response times. Moreover, it is still very buggy. The software which automatically uploads the computer data to Garmin Connect just suddenly stopped working a month ago.
Hold times to get in touch with Garmin telephone support is 45 minutes. Email support is terrible - it has taken a full MONTH to have two email exchanges with support. All this and the problem has not been fixed.
Moreover, the software is poorly designed. You have to constantly monitor Garmin's website for software updates (there is no "Check for Update" feature). If a problem occurs in the software, there are no features to aid in resolving the problem.
Hardware:
First impressions: the form factor is nice, but you need to be aware that the watch is somewhat "thick". If you are wearing a button down shirt, the 405 will not fit comfortably under a sleeve cuff. However, looking at it from above, it looks like a normal watch. Wearing it while running will probably not draw a second look from other runners. This is also a downside since you want people to notice your shiny new 405.
Setup - this took only a few minutes and was very easy. TThe 405 walks you through a brief tutorial. Overall, setup was very easy.
Navigation - this takes a few minutes to get the hang of. Once you have the buttons down, it is quite easy to navigate. The sensitivity of the touch bezel is adjustable for your taste. I've played with the 305 in the store and the 405 actually seems more intuitive to navigate.
Initial lock - finding the satellites takes a few minutes the first time. It will lock on much faster if you are not moving. Subsequent times to find the satellites was much quicker.
Use - After you have turned on the GPS and gotten a lock, all you need to do is press start to begin your workout. It was very easy to use. I basically forgot about it while I was running other than to check my pace every mile or so. Kept a lock the entire time (keep in mind this was in Chicago's Lincoln Park - roughly 2/3rds of the sky is clear (except for trees) so achieving constant lock-on should not be a problem for any GPS. I have not tested this downtown).
For those worried about water resistance, my first usage of my 405 was in the pouring rain. It didn't seem to notice (or care) about the rain. It can handle a good amount of water without issue.
Syncing - you need to download the software from Garmin (it's actually a web plug in). However, the manual was clearly rushed out the door. Not only does it contain typos (at one point it refers to the wrong step) but it is not clear from the manual that you need to download the USB drivers. DO NOT put the ANT USB key into the computer until you have downloaded the specific ANT drivers from Garmin (so you have to download two different pieces of software - the plugin and the USB driver). If you plug the ANT key into the computer w/o the Garmin USB driver, Windows will find what it thinks is the correct driver (which is the wrong driver). The syncing will not work if you do this. Just a heads up.
I wish I owned a 305 to compare it to. In the Garmin store, the 405 did not see that much smaller than the 305, although the 405 was clearly more elegant. Functionally, I hear that they are extremely similar. You just need to personally evaluate whether the 405 is really worth the increased cost over the 205/305. Personally, I plan on keeping the 405.
Battery Life - After playing with it for 30 minutes, taking it on an hour's run and syncing it with my computer, it only used 12% of the battery life. Garmin Forerunner 405 Water Resistant Running GPS With USB ANT Stick (Green)
I previously owned a Forerunner 201 and my husband runs with a 205. What I really like about the 405 is how quickly it finds the satellites and is ready for a run. I also haven't had any issues with reception, which I often had with my 201.
Unfortunately, that's about the only thing that's improved with the 405 in my eyes. Here are my main issues with it:
- There's no way to turn it off. Sure, it goes into a "power save" mode. In this mode, the battery lasts about a week. You're completely draining the battery every week when you could only be using the battery for an hour or so several times a week. Each time a rechargable battery is discharged and recharged, it uses up a cycle of the battery and there are only so many cycles a battery can go through. At this rate, the battery is going to get used up really quickly. This is poor design. (Or perhaps they're hoping to capitalize on the revenue from people having to replace their batteries more often...)
- If you have small wrists, the watchband is too large and can be uncomfortable. I preferred the velcro strap on the 201. The 205/305 models also have the option to purchase a more comfortable strap that fits small wrists better. I contacted Garmin and there is no such option for the 405.
- The touch bezel is overly sensitive. Yes, you can adjust the sensitivity, but then once you do, it's nearly impossible to use it while running because it's not sensitive enough. There's no happy medium. Sorry Garmin, but old-fashioned buttons work better for pushing during activity. I'm constantly accidently getting into "virtual partner" mode while I'm trying to push the lap button.
- The low battery indicator obscures the entire screen. I did an entire run the other day with text that said "LOW BATTERY" across the entire display. I knew the battery was low, but I wanted to see how my run was going anyway! I can't find any way to dismiss this warning. It also obscures all menus (when not in training mode). It's very annoying because the device has at least 30-40 minutes of charge left after this indicator appears, but it renders the unit nearly inoperable for it's last 30-40 minutes before the battery dies.
- The computer sync only works with PC. With Mac market share growing by leaps and bounds, it's very surprising when companies don't come out with simultaneous platform support. Shame on you, Garmin. The website does indicate that support is coming "Fall 2008." I guess we'll see. (EDIT: I've been informed that this model now syncs with Mac, which is great! I ended up returning this product so I cannot speak to how that works.)
I really wish I'd just stuck with my 201. I feel like this upgrade was a waste of money. - Garmin 405 - Running - Garmin - Gps Watch'
Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)