Tuesday, 12 April 2011
Kindle Accessory
First and foremost, Kindle is an exceptional product. That being said, the battery provided for it, is not. After less than three months of moderate use, the battery that came with the Kindle went from working great to flat dead. I would definitely recommend that you buy at least one extra battery to have around just in case you find yourself inconvenienced by this poor product. Fortunately for us, the pricing on this battery is fairly low. Hopefully, the manufacturer is looking into this and will be providing better batteries down the road. {ssintrepid} Amazon Kindle Replacement Battery (for 1st Generation Kindle)
My battery is dead after only 3 months as well. Based on the comments I have read others are having the same issue. Is Amazon looking into this? Are they going to make good on the replacement batteries for customers who have this problem? It's a shame, the device is great. I hope they don't let this issue overshadow the device's good points. Take a lesson from Apple when the iPod had battery issues when it first came out. FIX IT!
I don't consider having a swappable battery a feature - as much as a common sense engineering decision. I can understand to some small extent why the iPod doesn't - as they are shooting for extreme size reduction. However even in their case - it was a mistake.
The issue with the Kindle battery is that they die too fast - I'm getting 3-4 months before the battery fails to hold a charge - I just ordered two more because my last one after charging all night held the charge for almost 15 minutes - not useful.
I suspect this is either very poor quality control in the Chinese made battery or a design flaw in the charging circuit. In any case Amazon really needs to look into this.
I love my Kindle and use it almost every day. However, after 3 months, my battery just died. I expected it to last longer. Luckily I had a spare. I was reading and the text froze. None of the buttons worked. When I turned off the device the page I was reading stayed on. It did not go away until I took out the old battery. I love my kindle but it looks like I need to have spares all the time.
I have a ton of products with Lithium Ion batteries, but I don't think I've ever seen one die quite this fast. 3 months, and maybe 20-25 recharge cycles and I'm down to an hour or less of battery life.
While I love my Kindle, the original battery that came with it only lasted a mere three months (and not real heavy usage) and is now dead and won't recharge. And now I see Amazon is sold out of replacements!
I bought a replacement battery and it may prove useful BUT a longer lived battery is badly needed. When I connect to download, I can see the charge decreasing while I wait! Otherwise, in the course of ordinary reading I don't get much more than 4 hours (estimated) . The replacemant battery performs the same way. A longer cord on the charger would be helpful.
It was only two months before my battery would not hold a charge for more than a day. I would charge the battery and then when I went to turn it on later in the day, it would show only about one third full, then last only an hour. Very frustrating! This device was too expensive to have such a basic problem like this. When buying the Kindle, you must buy a backup battery! The reader is awesome--the battery--not so much.'
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Power Tools - staple gun, stapler
This tool is a good value, coming in at about half the price of the others offered on Amazon. It does the job just fine, and while the fit and finish is not equivalent to higher priced tools it will give good service.
My main criticism is the manual: it is obviously written by someone whose first language is not English, important details are left out, loading instructions very ambiguous, and none of the specifications (operating pressure, staple size, etc.) are given in units that an American would understand. This is OK if sold to someone outside of the American market but potentially dangerous for those who are and can't do the conversion. Staple size is obvious because they are standard and Amazon sells the Surebonder staples (which are a good product and value as well - I bought an assortment with the staple gun). Pressure: The maximum operating pressure in the safety warning works out to about 100psi. I get great results with 1/2" staples through loose weave fabric into pine at about 65psi - adjust accordingly.
Loading staples: open the hopper (they call it a "clip", like a gun!) by pressing the lever at the back of the gun and the spring will push it out. Turn the gun upside down, pull the pressure plate all the way out, then put the staples in the bottom of the opening and snug to the front of the gun. Push the pressure plate mechanism back in until the lever engages with a click. It takes a bit of jiggling to get the pressure plate to slide over the staples.
Oiling the gun: they tell you to put one or two drops in the "joint" before operation then fire it a few times without staples in the gun. I think the joint is the opening where the staples come out, what I would call the nose. I assume that this is a once when you first use the gun operation, but maybe I'm wrong. Like other pneumatic guns (nailers and staplers) I put a few into the air coupling at the back every use. HERE IS THE IMPORTANT PART: you need to shoot many (20-30) staples the first time out before the gun stops depositing oil next to where the staple is shot. Glad I found out on a cheap scrap and not $250/yard fabric!!!
Safety nose: this should be no big surprise to anyone but since the manual doesn't mention it I will. The gun needs to be pressed against the surface where you are stapling so that the little metal plate that comes out of the nose is pushed back in. This probably only matters when trying to fire it without staples per the instructions for first time use - nothing happens if you just pull the trigger with the nose not pressed against a hard surface. Note that the safety will easily mar a softwood surface, this should not be an issue with upholstery but I'm telling you now so you don't get an ugly surprise in the rare situation where that would matter. Surebonder 9615, Upholstery Stapler with Carrying Case
I love this stapler. I ordered it to do an upholstery job. My husband is in construction and has all the 'man-size' tools. His stapler wore me out and was too large to get in some of the tight spaces. This stapler is just the right size and strong enough to fire into the hardwoods. It's lightweight enough that I can use it without breaking my wrists. It's a great buy!
Using Crex 1/4 staples jammed the loading slide. Only one staple would feed because Crex staples clamped the slide too tightly. This staple gun worked without flaw when loaded with Surebonder staples. Very easy to load and position for upholstering a captain's chair.
This worked well until it jammed which unfortunately was only after about 300 staples. The gun itself was easy to load and the indicator window on the side was nice. I completely disassembled the gun but where the staple is lodged is not in a place that can be removed. I took a chance on this product from the good reviews, even after seeing the complaints about jamming. I wouldn't recommend this product.
I purchased the Surebonder 9615 becuase I was sick of pinching my fingers with a manual heavy duty stapler. I tried an electric stapler but it kept jamming. Since I have several air nailers already, I tried this. It works great: quiet, jam-free and never a staple head to tap in. It came in a plastic case, which is nice for the adjust tool, oil and manual. Can't attest to commercial use but as a weekend warrior, its perfect.
this is my first air powered tool. it works great. i used it with surebonder's staples and Campbell Hausfeld FP2028 1-Gallon Oil-Free Pancake Air Compressor. i am completing my fourth chair today and have used 5000 staples with no problems. it made this project sooo easy. it staples through layers and layers of heavy thick upholstery fabric and wood at only 60 psi and doesn't stop shooting until it drops to 40 psi. every staple seems to just go in so perfectly that i can barely see them afterward. i'm so glad i didn't spend on the more expensive gun that had all the good reviews. this one is a champ. i don't know how it works for anything other than wood and upholstery.
a couple quick notes if you hate instructions or are a newbee to tools like i am (also to correct an earlier reviewer's very bad info);
- the staples go in upside down, pointing away from gun.
- it works great with surebonder's 300 series staples. i haven't tried other brands.
- if your compressor doesn't use oil then you must put a few drops of oil in gun at the air connection (this is the little bump at the tail of the gun). do this every 4th or 5th time that you load a row of staples and at end of each work day. don't forget to do it but don't over do it or your air hose will get blocked and need to be wiped out.
- if your compressor hose will not connect to the gun, you'll need to go to hardware store and get a $2 quick connect. i thinks it's called a "male" quick connect. i just took the hose and gun to home depot and asked them which quick connect to buy.
- there is an air exhaust knob on back of the gun that you will want to point toward our hand. it doesn't spray oil all over the place or anything like that but after a few hours of stapling, you will notice your thumb gets a little oily. it most certainly does not come out on the staples as someone said in a review, he totally put the oil in the wrong place.
- the gun will not work unless you press it against something. it has a saftey on the nose of the gun for people like me that load the staples with gun pointing their face. - Staple Gun - Stapler - Upholstery Staplers - Upholstery'
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Droid Screen Protector
I have used many screen protectors, including the top of the line Seidio, and have applied them with no problem. This thing is absolutely terrible. I know exactly how to apply these and have done it many times, but this screen protector is worthless (even at $1). There were bubbles everywhere and there is a sticker on the outside of the protector that peels off, leaving sticky residue on the protector. So even if this applied perfectly, there would still be a bunch of stickiness on the lower corner. I can't complain too much since I didn't expect this thing to be very good, but do yourself a favor and save your dollar. Motorola DROID Screen Protector (Motorola A855)
I don't recall when i purchased this product, but i know the original protector has been on my DROID for over a year. AWESOME product, switched it out from the mirrored version which was difficult to view outdoors. Great product and very durable.
I would highly recommend that if you order this item get two. I've put on dozens of these type of protectors on various phones including the iPhone and most recently the droid.
Once you clean the screen, peel and then stick, if your off a couple of mm then try to take it back off it is ruined. In short, you have about a 10% chance of getting it on the first time and if you don't, then you would wish that you had ordered an extra. Even peeling and moving to adjust a bit, you'll end up with bubbles and lint that will not come out.
Another note, if you look very closely on the top front of the droid (where your ear goes) you may notice that your droid already has a protector on it, you can tell because it is slightly shifted. When I bought my droid, new in the box, it already had the protector but again I've never seen a phone with a protector already on it and ordered this item. Turns out, I didn't need it ~ on the other hand, if you need one, I can't emphasize enough that you really need to order an extra.'
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Horror Anthology - gary busey, tv series
The Hitchhiker (30 min.) HBO
Season 1 episodes 1-26 Nov 1983 to Apr 1986
Season 2 episodes 27-39 Feb - May 1987
Season 3 episodes 40-65 Apr-Dec 1989
Season 4 episodes 66-85 Sept 1990 - Feb 1991
This set, (Volume One) has 10 episodes:
24 Last Scene
14 Nightshift
46 The Miracle of Alice Ames
19 Ghostwriter
18 Man's Best Friend
17 W.G.O.D.
33 The Legendary Billy B.
31 Homebodies
30 Why Are You Here?
34 In the Name of Love
This series continued the 'wandering adventurer' style of storytelling wherein the main character is only a witness sharing his experiences. Like Route 66, The Fugitive, or The Incredible Hulk, to name a few, each story is unrelated to any other except by the conceptual vehicle of the perpetual wanderer. Like One Step Beyond or The Twilight Zone, The Hitchhiker himself is not a player in the tales. Occasionally stories involved supernatural forces, but most plot twists stemmed from the dark side of the human spirit.
In 1996, The Hitchhiker entered into syndication on the USA Channel and so was re-edited to remove the violence and/or nudity and sexuality that were featured on the HBO runs (and to make room for commercials). Originally the Hitchhiker was cast with Nicholas Campbell as the host, but Campbell was quickly replaced with Page Fletcher. In order to preserve continuity during the syndication runs, Campbell's scenes in the first three episodes were later re-shot with Fletcher. But because the character of the Hitchhiker initially had more interaction with the people in the stories, this caused certain scenes to appear very choppy.
There is a little confusion as to how many seasons the show actually ran since season one ran for two and a half years! The Hitchhiker ran for a total of seven and a half years with a ten month break between season one and two, and a two year break between two and three. There were a total of 85 episodes over four seasons on HBO (six seasons on USA Channel). The series is available on DVD in two different versions. The HBO two-disc sets for sale in the US contain episodes that are out of sequence to their original US broadcast order. The Canadian DVD box sets by Alliance Atlantis have the episodes arranged by season in the same order in which they were broadcast in Canada. The Hitchhiker, Volume 1 (HBO TV Series)
This was a spooky, gory and weird series that truly pushed the limits of HBO at the time. Kind of like The Outer Limits mixed with Tales From The Crypt, it features a hitchiker that kind of "introduces" a new story every episode. Many famous faces and directors got a start on this series. HBO used to run this show at about 11:00 at night to make sure all the kids were asleep!
Wow, there's a great collection of talent there! With episodes featuring award-winning actors such as Helen Hunt and Joe Pantoliano, and participation from fan-favorite director Paul Verhoeven, this surely is a must-have for any DVD collectorKoch Canada will release The Complete First Season on DVD April 20th. This 3 disc set will contain 26 episodes The show must have aired differently in Canada because what Koch considers the first season is actually the first 3 seasons according to the episode guide at EPGuides.com. It's not all good news though; the people at Koch Canada said that they don't own the Canadian rights to the second Canadian season so they're unable to release those episodes.
What a great volume and for the price it's available it's a steal!!!!
Well of course had to wait a year or two for it but I am a very patient person.
I remember this show briefly way before HBO was known as it today for their cable programs. This DVD set looks great the episode looks crisp and clear. The special features could have been better but we do get director's commentary on several episodes.
All the episodes were memorable. I liked the Paul Verhoeven episode, the Kirstie Alley episode "Legend of Billy B" I think it was called was a laugh a minute. I also loved the episode with Helen Hunt a pretty clever use of moving the camera on and off. What else the episodes with James Remar "Home Bodies" was also memorable. The episode with Joe Pantoliano "Miracle of Alice Ames" about the phony preacher was great. Margot Kidder as the diabolic nurse in "Nightshift" was also funny, realistic and entertaining. All the episode feature first rate actors who went on to do bigger things. I really do hope they continue to release more volumes.
I remember seeing this late at night on HBO, and not really liking or understanding any of the stories. I just tuned in to see some naked women. The stories? It was stuff that was over my head. I just didn't get how anybody could shoot this stuff, and why on earth anyone would make up these awful stories.
In retrospect it's a kind of criminal-drama meets the Twilight Zone. It shows people acting just plain wacky and insane. Driven way beyond sanity by something I don't think the lay audience member, me included, understand.
At least with Rod Serling you understood that normal people were in over their heads in extraordinary circumstances. In The Hitchhiker, it's like these people make these really psychotic circumstances for the sake of it.
Fond memories of naked women from my youth, but beyond that I think the drama is just out there. I bought the DVD set some years back thinking to relive some memories, and watching it with a more intelligent and critical eye I'm a little baffled as to who the target audience is. But, whatever. I tuned in for the naked babes, not the wackos which creep me out even more now than then.
In retrospect some of it is kind of hammy as well. An erotic thriller series, to me, wouldn't involve nut-cases and psychos. But I guess someone had to do it. - 1980s - Tv Series - Horror Anthology - Gary Busey'
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Touch Screen Stylus - ipad stylus pen, ipad stylus
The Kensington Virtuoso Touch Screen Stylus and Pen (i.e., the Kensington 2nd Generation Stylus and Pen, as Amazon lists it), measures 5 1/8" from the stylus tip to the end (by my own measurements). This makes it nearly an inch longer than my BoxWave Capacitive iPad Stylus, which is 4 1/4" from stylus tip to the end (not including the part protruding from the end that allows the user to attach a short string to the BoxWave at the other end of which is a plug that can be stuck into the iPad audio out port). Please note that BoxWave now has a stylus on the market that is virtually identical in appearance and function to the Kensington Virtuoso, called the BoxWave Styra. I haven't tried one and that is not the BoxWave model I'm comparing the Virtuoso with. I have big hands (x-large size gloves, larger if available), and the extra 7/8" in length really makes a difference in stylus holding comfort. Plus, it enables me to move my fingers back further on the stylus so that my fingers are further from the iPad screen, which is especially useful when I am using the SketchPad Pro app.
This is subjective, but it seems to me that the Kensington tip glides a bit more smoothly on the iPad screen than the BoxWave, but it also seems that I have to tap the screen a bit harder with the Kensington than I do with the BoxWave in order for the screen to respond.
Both styli are equally slim, and while I prefer fat pens (e.g., Dr. Grip) for non-digital use, the slimness of the Kensington and BoxWave styli seem to make them easier to use on the iPad's smallish screen, at least for me. I've tried grips on these styli and while this felt comfortable, I did not like how it affected my visual experience of my hand over the iPad (I'm left-handed and like most lefties I have to hold my hand above whatever I'm writing or drawing on - paper or touch screen, meaning that my hand is already in a position that tends to block what I'm working on, so this is a factor that may not be an issue for right-handers).
If I could only have one stylus, I'd choose the Kensington, because of it's longer length. That it has a built-in ballpoint is nice in that it's convenient, though the cap cannot be placed over the stylus end when the ballpoint is in use.
Another plus to this type of pen (this would apply to the BoxWave Styra, which is also a stylus/ballpoint, but not to the BoxWave listed at Amazon as the "BoxWave Capacitive iPad Stylus"), is that the cap that covers the ballpoint and that has a clip on it rotates, whereas the standard BoxWave clip does not. This matters to me because I find it uncomfortable to use the stylus when the clip is resting against the part of my hand between my thumb and forefinger, and because the clip on the standard BoxWave (and I imagine on other styli that are not stylus/pen combos) does not rotate, this means that the user is always applying the same part of the stylus tip to the iPad screen. It may take a long time for the tip to begin to wear to the point that it interferes with the stylus's functionality, but having to use the tip in only one position is kind of like having to use a pencil eraser on only one edge so that it wears down unevenly. (A user on an iPad app forum reports that he literally wore a hole in the tip of his iPad stylus after heavy use over time.)
Finally, I suggest that anyone considering this stylus check out the video review of it for which you can find a link (to YouTube) Kensington's page for the Virtuoso at their US website (Amazon deleted the link from this review, so you'll have to find it via a search).
I should add that it's a very nice looking pen. I have a pen collection, mostly fountain pens, and for a cheap pen (compared to the kinds of pens collectors tend to collect), this pen is good quality and looks like it's good quality. The no-name brand ballpoint ink cartridge is the fat type, and in the video I mention above the reviewer (Josh Smith from Notebooks dot com) says that the cartridge can be replaced with "a standard Parker refill." Kensington 2nd Generation Apple iPad 1 and 2 / iPhone / iPod / Motorola Xoom Tablet / Galaxy / Blackberry Playbook Virtuoso Touch Screen Stylus and Pen (Black) Newest Model
I use this pen with my ipad to take notes and do some sketches. I like that it's a little longer than other stylus pens. It has a reel pen feel to it rather than a short, difficult-to handle stylus. It looks nice and it very light. I definitely recommend.
This is my first stylus, so I don't have much to compare it to, but as far as I can tell, it works great and the pen on the other side is useful ... for the few times that I need to use paper.
What I like most about this stylus is when it's paired with the iPad 2 SmartCover. When moving around the office, I can stick the stylus to the side of the SmartCover and walk around without worrying about where I left the stylus. It relies on the magnets in the cover and since the stylus is steel it sticks to the cover.
It's probably unintentional feature, but very handy. - Ipad Pen - Ipad Stylus Pen - Ipad - Ipad Stylus'
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Cordless Tools - cordless tools, battery packs
I have the Skil 2887 18v cordless drill that uses these batteries. The drill is fine. (It's only 3/8", but it gets the job done most of the time.) If I knew then what I know now after having owned this drill for going on 3 years, I would have spent the [...] on a different drill that used lithium batteries. More on that later.
First off, if you buy the Skil 2887 drill for around [...], you get 2 of these [...] batteries. So, essentially you get a free drill and battery charger, which makes paying [...] for one of these batteries a bad idea. I say, take that [...] and put it away. Then next month, buy a completely new drill that uses better batteries like one of those lithium drivers that run around [...]. The batteries will serve you much better.
So, why does this battery suck so bad? For one, they're Nickel Cadmium, which is an older, cheaper battery technology that has memory issues. Basically if you don't completely discharge the battery every time, you will shorten the life of the battery fairly quickly. Also, if you leave it on the charger for extended periods of time, you'll find that it won't be able to hold a charge when you want to use it. They also have poor shelf life -- meaning they don't hold a charge for very long once they've been charged. These batteries in particular have terrible shelf life. If you charge it fully and use it, you'll get an hour or 3 of continuous use. But if you leave the battery sitting there for a day, it'll be dead when you go to use it. And it takes something around 3-6 hours to charge.
With my 3 year old skil drill, I have 2 of these batteries. One of them doesn't hold a charge at all so I'm forced to leave the other on the charger so that it's ready when I need it. That battery is on it's way out too. I absolutely refuse to buy a new battery because it's such a bad value. I'm saving up for a high torque lithium driver.
On top of being an under-performing battery, the clip these batteries use to lock into the drill is such a bad design. It uses a single release switch to unclip 2 locks. This is not only awkward to use, but it loosens over time and the single switch becomes inadequate for moving the 2 locks. It binds inside the battery shell. Essentially it becomes a wrestling match to get the battery loose from the drill. I notice that the new Skil 18v drills use 2 buttons like most other drill manufacturers. So it looks like skil addressed that issue with their new batteries, but if you own an older drill, you're SOL.
The charger that Skil provides for these batteries is a generic piece of junk charger. There is very little logic for preserving battery life. You can't "refresh" the battery. It's just a straight up charger, which is to be expected. If they gave you a good charger, you wouldn't have to spend $45 on a new battery every year. As many people are aware, inferior products and designed obsolescence seem to be part of the business plan of many consumer product manufacturers these days. That seems to be the case with these batteries.
So why lithum then? Well despite being a more expensive (and more prone to explosion) technology, lithium batteries have excellent shelf life. They have excellent energy density and they can handle quite a bit of charging cycles. The only drawback with lithium is that they don't like to be discharged fully or charged fully. 20-80% is their sweet spot. So if you have a charger that understands that, you'll get a nice long life out of lithium batteries. But the main feature to me is the long shelf life. I want to be able to leave my drill sitting there for a while and when I need it, I want it to be ready to go. I'm not a contractor for a living, so I don't use my drill every day, which makes leaving the batteries on the charger a bad idea. Lithium batteries are the way to go. Their high energy density makes them lighter and smaller, and their long shelf life helps them out perform larger, higher voltage batteries.
So, stay away from this battery. Buy a new tool if you have one that uses this battery. Skil SB18A 18-Volt NiCad Cordless Slide Style Battery Pack
This isn't really a review of the battery because, if you have a Skil tool that requires this type of battery then you didn't have much choice but to buy this batter. I've had mine now for a few years and they lasted almost a year and a half before they died on me. One big tip I suggest is to keep your batteries in a place with consistent and cool temperature. I used to leave my batteries in the garage or shed and I'm pretty sure that contributed to their short life.
The second point I wanted to make is that you can now buy a Lithium Ion replacement battery instead of this old Ni-Cad battery. I just got my new Lithium Ion battery yesterday so I can't comment on it in any meaningful way except to say that it has brought my tools back to life. I particularly like my Skil hand drill and Skil reciprocating saw so having those back is a great thing plus I get all the benefit of Lithium Ion.
These new Lithium Ion batteries require a new charger so you'll have to buy the battery and charger pack which runs about ninety bucks at Lowe's. Amazon carries this battery and charger pack for a whopping hundred and twenty! http://www.amazon.com/Skil-SC118B-LI-18-Volt-Charger-Battery/dp/B00213L52G/ref=pd_bxgy_hi_img_b
I had better luck with these batteries than many people seem to have had. The two batteries that came with the tool set gave good service for about eight years.
It is true that NiCad batteries self-discharge in storage and will degrade if stored on the charger, but I handled that by storing the batteries on the tools and charging them as needed.
I'd buy a new set of these, except that a Lithium Ion replacement (SB18B-Li) is now available so I bought one of those instead. I'll probably get a second one as a spare later.
The local Lowe's had the best price that I found on these NiCads, so it pays to shop around. - Cordless Tools - 18v - Battery Packs - Skil'
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Dell Latitude Adapter - ac adapters, notebook power adapters
i bought this "dell" charging cord for my wife for Christmas of 08. it worked fine at first but noticed it got pretty hot while charging but thought it was normal. Last night, 1/16/09 my wife asked me if i smelled burning plastic. after looking for the source i found that the cord on the outlet side had melted next to the transformer of the charger. This also left the copper cable inside the cord DANGEROUSLY exposed. It also melted onto my carpet leaving plastic fused in the carpet fibers! this seller is fraudulant and should be suspended from selling on amazon. the description is false also. the charger was discripted as a "genuine dell charger" and when i took it out of the box it didnt even have one of those FAKE dell stickers on it. It was not labled at all which SHOULD have thrown a red flag for me but i chose to ignore it. also the transformer was VERY light weight which should have told me something too. REAL dell charger transformers have some noticable weight to them. Im just glad we could this little problem before it started a fire in my house and Id have to be doing a LOT more about this then informing Amazon and wrighting this review. I have a 1 1/2 year old son and if he would have gotten hurt from this LESS THAN PROO QUALITY product someone whould have been in LOTS of trouble!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*****UPDATE*****after a threating email and bad review i was contacted by customer service and informed i was shipped the wrong charger. A new charger was shipped out to me right away and i just got it this friday. upon inspection i am happy to say that this is the real deal. i am sceptical if it was actualy a mistake being sent the "wrong" thing or the sellers "cheap" version of what i should have got in the first place hoping i wouldnt notice. all-in-all i have a neutral opinion of the seller at this moment and MAY consider doing future business... AC Power Adapter Replacement PA-10 for Dell Inspiron 300m, 600m, 700m, 6400, 8500, LATITUDE D400, D500, D600, X300, 19.5 Volts 4.62 Amps 90 Watts
After my Dell AC adapter broke on my Inspirion 6400, I first bought a universal adapter from a major electronics retailer. Although, the universal adapter would power my notebook, it would not recharge the battery. After doing some research on the internet, I found that many aftermarket adapters will not charge the Dell's notebook battery. The good news is that this adapter effectively powers the notebook and recharges the battery. It's a lot cheaper then Dell's OEM adapter and it has worked fine for me.
I bought this adapter about two months ago. Immediately, I noticed that the charge was not consistent and every 30 seconds or so, it would go between charging and not charging. Because of this, the battery rarely got charged above 10%. I contacted to company about the problem and they offered to replace it for me. After sending in the old adapter (at my expense) they sent me a new one with the exact same problems. I know it has nothing to do with my computer because I have another Dell manufactured adapter that works 100% of the time. AC Adapters should work 100% of the time and since this doesn't, I'm giving the product 1 star.
Updated: I'm surprised it took me this long to figure out but the problem is that the adapter cord doesn't fit snuggly in the power input. It will charge when it is situated perfectly but the smallest movement will make it fall out of place. Again, the dell adapter doesn't have this problem so my rating will not change.
I'll make this brief. I have 2 dell laptops that use this adapter. After having problems with my original adapters (I have 5 kids....) I decided to order this "replacement adapter" because it was a good price. I purchased 3 of them and I am on my last one right now. They don't push out 90 Watts as promised and they have killed both batteries on my laptops because they don't send consistent power to your computer. I am purchasing 3 new DELL 90 watt ac adapters and will never purchase an after-market replacement ever again.
This charger was $30 when I bought it in February, so I had moderate hopes. It stopped working in less than a month. Do not buy. I see that it is $3, so it is probably safe from being bought by anybody but an idiot.
I received this laptop power adapter in a timely manner from the seller, Westronics. It worked just fine when we got it (except the cord was a little short), but it completely died after three months. I wrote the seller about it and they never replied. Sadly, by then, it was too late to rate them down on the order. Perhaps the price was too good to last, but I'd rather they charge more and provide a product that lasts at least a year. It is difficult to know which product to order with so many adapter options.
If I could give this zero stars I would.
The adapter worked for ~1 week, then my computer stopped recognizing it, so my battery wouldn't charge (this is caused by a loose adapter connection where the plug inserts into the computer; sometimes wiggling it helps, but any disturbance can make it malfunction). Like the author of one of the previous comments,I have a dell-manufactured adapter that works fine all the time. This replacement adapter is definitely not worth buying. - Laptop - Notebook Power Adapters - Ac Adapters - Dell Inspiron'
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Motorola H680 Headset - Frost - noise cancelling, h680
I bought the H680 to replace an annoying Jawbone which does none of the things its manufacturer said it was supposed to do. The 'noise cancellation' feature is a total gimmick and does not even work.
The H680 is smaller and more aesthetic than the Jawbone and it performs exceptionally well (much better than the more expensive Jawbone). At first when I first started to wear the H680, it made my ear sore until I realized that I was not wearing it properly. It's very 'ear friendly' when you fit it properly and is 'transparent' even after a 10 hour day at work. As a technical courier, I rely heavily on my bluetooth headset and I'm convinced that this is the best one I've owned so far out of the 4 previous brands (Plantronics, O2 Blue, Jabra and Jawbone). I like the idea of a slide switch to turn the headset on/off. I prefer this to the general method of pressing and holding in the answer button to turn it on. The magnetic charging cradle with the contacts is really cool. It beats the plug/socket design by far. The only downside of the H680 is that I only get three days of standby/talk time (that's with switching it off overnight). The specs say that you should get up to 12 days standby or 9 hours talk time. This is not an issue though as I can charge it every second night. I find that the manufacturer's specs on bluetooth battery time is always exaggerated anyway. I highly recommend this headset and if you own a Jawbone, find a steamroller and place it under the drum or if you are a nice guy like me, keep it as a backup in case your H680 runs low on battery. Motorola H680 Bluetooth Headset (Midnight)
I bought this headset for use with a Motorola Slvr phone. I am female and have small ears and needed an ear piece that fits snugly and not flop around my ear. I love the small size and attractive appearance. The earbud is great and the loop is perfect. The earbud comes with two different soft covers. For the first few uses, my ear was a little sore but I have adapted. I do not think many other people would have this problem. The clarity and reception are very good for such a small device. The range is fair - if in same room, no problem. The charging base is fantastic. It has a neat little magnetic connection to the ear piece and is also small and attractive in design. The length of talk time per charge is very good, several hours per charge. I would absolutely recommend this product to anyone with small ears or anyone who prefers a small-sized ear piece. This device exceeded my expectations considering its small size and is fairly priced.
I bought this earbud from AT&T for about $100(Sorry I didn't check Amazon first!) and overall very happy w/ the performance. Liteweight, decent audio and battery life is 7-8 hours heavy use. Comes w/ two style of chargers.
Pairing was quite easy, but inconsistent quality results. Rotated and positioned the earpiece several ways, but just could not get consistent microphone quality results. Earpiece crackled periodically throughout a conversation. Maybe mine was a bad unit.
As another note, the comfort level was OK. The round earbud did not match the contours of my ear, the oblong one was a bit better. Could have gotten used to it, though.
I bought this headset after reading money magazine's review -- they found it to be the best of the tiny headsets they reviewed -- and the cheapest! I've been very impressed by sound quality and feel over your ear.
my favorite detail: there's a magnet in the charging station/carrying case that ensures that the earpiece "jumps" into just the right position for the contacts to line up. very nicely done.
The Motorola H680 Bluetooth Headset is an excellent product. It is small and discreet (for those who don't want a big, clunky headset) and easy to operate. The only knock on the product is that the phone cannot be much further from you than your pocket or purse or you will start to get static. Other than that it is a great product and is highly recommended.
This is my 4th Bluetooth earpiece and so far its been the most reliable and attractive one.
The pros:
- Small, attractive & the ear hook is very comfortable.
- Have had it for over a month & it has only lost the connection once. I had a Scala 500 that constantly lost the connection.
- Good volume & clarity. Previously I had a Motorola H350 and the volume (at Max.) was so poor I thought I was going deaf! Person on the other end also had trouble hearing me. I returned that unit.
- Good battery life.
The cons:
- It only comes with 2 different interchangeable rubber inner-ear pieces (boot?), neither of which fits my ear well.
All in all this has been the most dependable & functional blue-tooth headset I have used in the past three years.
i love my blue tooth. its so sleek & not cheap or plastic looking. and it fits comfortably in my ear. i have small ears, and usually when i put any thing in my ear, it feels uncomfortable. but this one is totally comfortable. i really like it. i recommend this to anyone! it also charges quickly. within an hour. and lasts about 4 Hrs. - Noise Cancelling - Bluetooth - H680 - Motorola'
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Compactflash Card - compact flash, compactflash cards
I originally bought this card as a cheapo backup for my much more expensive Sandisk Extreme 60MB/s CF card that I use in my 7D. However, I have not noticed a practical difference in speed between the two cards. I can count on both hands the number of times I've had to wait for the buffer to flush with either card and this is while shooting 25MB RAW files in 8FPS bursts. I just bought two more of the 8GB Ultras so I don't have to worry about running out of space when shooting on location. No need to spend extra on speed the 7D doesn't take advantage of. I highly recommend Sandisk in general and these cards in particular. SanDisk 8GB Compact Flash CF Ultra 30MB/s ( SDCFH-008G , Bulk Package )
I bought this card back in April for my Olympus camera and it has been messed up the entire time. I formatted it with my camera and proceed to take 800 photos with it and it instantly becomes unformatted when I plug it into my Macintosh. It's done this repeatedly (I know it's not my computer as I have an older Toshiba CF card that has never had an issue) and I've had to rely on photo recovery programs to try and get the pictures back; not the preferred route to go to say the least.
When it actually feels like working in the camera it functions beautifully, however. I think I just got unlucky with this card.
This review is for the Sandisk Ultra 8GB 30MB/sec card (SDCFH-008G), bulk package.
Superfast with the Canon 40D in picture taking and in downloading through the camera.
The 40D is probably too easy for this card. No complaint.
Works well with my canon 7D even if it's not UDMA. Like the manual says, I can shoot up to 96 jpegs or 15 raw images (up until the camera buffers fulls up). I can also take pictures while filming in full HD.
I have approximately oodles of these cards. I am a professional photographer and use only this card and size. I have purchased the ones in "bilk packaging" as well as those in standard packaging and they are reliable and consistent everytime. I do however label and date all of my cards as I purchase them and then pull them out of rotation after so many shots and re-formats.. (I reformat after every shoot)
I recommend these cards highly to anyone in need of the CF cards at a decent price!
No problems so far, great deal for the price. Use it with my Canon rebel which can't handle the faster cards, and honestly I have no problems with speed. I can take several pictures on continuous shoot before it needs to catch up.
I bought two of these. One of them works fine and the other caused issues with my Canon 5D. I took several pictures without any problems but then it locked my camera up when I tried to review some of the shots. I am also unable to move any of the images to my IMac using a card reader.
Both of the cards came in a plastic holder sealed with an adhesive backed label. This label was difficult to remove and left adhesive residue on the outside of the holder. This residue is probably not something that you want to get into a $3000 camera.
In the future I will stick with the retail packaging. I am not sure what "bulk pack" means but I now question whether the same quality standards are adhered to. Maybe these are refurbished in some way? If you do decide to save some money and buy these, test them thoroughly before using (always good advice but not always followed).
I am new to CF cards and maybe I was just unlucky, but if I were Sandisk I would be cautious about the use of my brand on items like this.
I use this card in my Canon 7D for extra video capture. It captures 1080p @ 30fps without a single problem. It just works perfectly. Make sure to format the card in your camera before you use it and only delete data from on the card while it is in your camera. I highly recommend this card.
Straight out of the package the card started giving me problems. I tried a test shot but had some weird issues when trying to use the card. When I finally was able to take a shot, I tried to read the card but windows froze until I removed the card from my card reader. After a couple of similar attempts I was able to format the card again. After this issues, my camera (Canon 7D) started giving me problems too. it wouldn't find the card, photos were lost and I had to fomat the card AGAIN. Card is obviously corrupt since now I can't do anything with it =/ Can't format it with windows or my camera. Couldn't even take 10 shots with it.
This is is the 8th or 9th Sandisk card I've bought in the past years and the first one to give me problems. I really wish SanDisk tested out their cards before shipping them out cause I bought this card for a special moment and had to use my supposedly, now a backup, old sandisk card =/ - 8gb - Compactflash Cards - Blueproton - Compact Flash'
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Personal Health - norelco, shaving
Received this shaver yesterday, and had a chance to play around with it. It is very ergonomic, easy to hold. None of my other electrics have ever done well on my neck, yet this 1150x has no problem. The head does a wonderful job of adapting to your face to get as many hairs as possible; you can even use it in the shower! The shaver gets 5 stars. However, to plug it in, you must dock it in the cradle. This may make it hard to travel with, although this is somewhat mitigated by a 40min battery. It also doesn't come with a case. One other qualm is the trimmer. The head of the shaver pops out and can be replaced with a trimmer instead of the trimmer being on the back of the unit. This however does make it a bit easier to use the trimmer, since the unit is so easy to hold. I love this shaver so much I am contemplating getting another for travelling. You won't be disappointed with this shaver, and if you are, Norelco offers a 45 day guarantee. Philips Norelco 1150x/40 SensoTouch 2d Electric Shaver, Metallic Blue - Norelco - Shaving - Philips - Mens Grooming'
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Canoeing
An extraordinary review of the company that truly made the word "canoe" mean somthing. The hundreds of hours of research plus a real-time understanding of canoeing by the author has produced one of the great books on and about canoes. This book belongs in every canoest, kayaker, sportman's library. The Old Town Canoe Company: Our First Hundred Years'
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Canoeing Canoeing Canoeing
Photosmart C6380 - hewlett-packard, 564xl
I purchased my printer in February 2009 and I believe that I have had to replace the regular size black ink cartridge at least three times. I would say that my print load is average. This time (the third time) I decided to get the XL size. I put it in April 10th and now (May 10th) the ink level is at 3/4. I am sure that with the regular size catridge I would be getting ready to change the cartridge again. I also like that the price via amazon was significantly cheaper than purchasing from staples or target. And it arrived quickly. I recommend using the XL no matter what, so that you don't have to change so often. I also recommend this vendor based on my experience with them. HP 564XL Black Ink Cartridge in Retail Packaging (CB321WN#140)
The starter cartridges that came with my HP C309a All-In-One were the standard 564 cartridges, which only lasted a couple weeks -- and I don't even print that much. I replaced the regular black cartridge with a 564XL, and even after a couple weeks of my usual (occasional) printing, the ink gauge is still at around 85%.
HP inks aren't cheap, but even worse is having to buy them so frequently -- I usually run out right before I need to print something important. The XL cartridge is a good value and lasts a good long time. This should be the standard HP inkjet cartridge.
The biggest complaint for personal inkjets is well.. ink. It's always expensive and you feel like you are spending the lionshare of your purchase on the fancy packaging and plastic delivery mechanism. We use our printer for casual use and a decent amount of photo 4x6 printing. These XL inks definitely last longer than the std versions that shipped with the printer, and yellow always seems to go first. But they work as advertised, and never last as long as you want them to. We've had our printer for 2 years and replaced inks once a year now.
The colors seem to pop when using the special 4x6 papers and drying time is very fast. I haven't seen any fading in pictures that were printed 2 yrs ago with these inks, and they are advertised to not fade, so i guess its working as advertised.
Office Depot and Office Max sell the 564XL for $10.00 less than what Amazon.com charges. At the time of review this ink cartridge cost ($32.00). I wish I had checked those places earlier than buying from Amazon
This is a warning to buyers of this product. First HP has changed the size of this cartridge, it is now half the size that it was a few months ago, so if you buy it you are now getting half as much ink as you used to. Second none of the sellers of this product on the Amazon website are advising buyers about the fact that you are now paying and will be receiving a cartridge that is half the size of the old one. Third if you want the best price deal it is no longer on Amazon but rather HP is now selling it directly from its own website at a considerably cheaper price.
I ordered HP black cartirdges from this site and was charged 2x the now "new" HP price for cartridges that print half as much!
I returned the cartridges and have not heard a word from the seller. HP holds us hostage to overpricing and now things are worse.
HP ripped us off again. Smaller size cartridge lasts less then 1/2 as long as the bigger fuller cartridge which was made for my printer when this printer first came out. Dumping HP and moving on.....
I find it very strange that this HP-564XL black inkjet printer cartridge is going for $30.93 on Amazon. I was at Best Buy only a few hours ago earlier tonight, and this very item is selling for $17.99 there, and it's not even on sale at that store. None of the items at Best Buy were marked for sale or on sale this week or in any other way discounted. All of the 564XL cartridges are going for $17.99 at Best Buy. I repeat, none of them were on sale. The cardboard retail packaging is exactly the same as pictured here. (These prices at Best Buy don't include the sales tax yet.) I thought Amazon was supposed to be cheaper, not more expensive. Am I missing something here?
My experience with 564XL Black has been fine so far, no issues at all, my five stars are for the quality of this cartridge and have nothing to do with Amazon or Amazon's pricing of this cartridge. - Photosmart C6380 - Hewlett-packard - 564xl - Inkjet Printer Ink'
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Articulating - tv wall mount, wall mount
This is a well built arm. It is intended to be mounted to a wall (just find a stud) and then your smaller monitor/LCD TV mounted to it. The arms swing nicely right to left. The 'tilt' on the monitor bracket is very stiff - a good thing if you don't want your monitor looking at the sky or the ground after a few hours! Just remember, when hanging a monitor you still have to deal with cables and power. It comes with mounting hardware (Screws, offset sleeves, and more.). I recommend it. Peerless PA730 Articulating Wall Mount for 10" to 22" Displays (Black)
I used this Peerless PA730 Articulating Wall Mount (black) to mount a 22-inch display (Acer V223w).
It's a great deal. I couldn't be happier. The mount is very sturdy--I don't doubt that it could handle a 24-inch display with ease. The joints of the articulating arm are perfectly torqued/tensioned, meaning that the display can be swivelled and swung easily with a minimum of pressure on your part, but will never move on its own. But what makes it indispensable is not only that it allows the display to be tilted as well as swivelled and swung, but also to be LEVELLED/ROLLED. This is a crucial feature, since without it, the only way to level a non-levelled display is to drill all new holes in the wall and start all over again (!). Many articulating arm mounts in this price range don't come with this feature, but the Peerless PA370 does.
For the price, it's an unbeatable value.
NOTE: though it is sturdy, a little sag is inevitable. Because of this, I would recommend mounting it about half an inch higher on the wall than you actually want the display to be--this will compensate for the sag.
This worked out great in our kitchen. Despite what I read in some reviews, the mount does tilt, as well as level. The only complaint I have is that it is not the most aesthetically pleasing mount I've ever seen. But a great value is impossible to beat in my book.
I bought this wall mount for a 19" LCD in the kitchen. It contained adequate instructions, parts and required tools for adjustments. One prior review said that it did not tilt, it does. It works well and I'm very happy with the purchase.
Bought Toshiba 19LV505 19-Inch 720p LCD HDTV with Built-in DVD Player and needed a wall mount for it. This wall mount was the perfect choice, it matches the color of the TV set (black) perfectly & it allows me to adjust the position for easy viewing. I would recommended to friends.
This is the 3rd mount I have bought each increasing in range of motion. I believe this is a winner. The only negative i have found to date is with pivoting the TV up or down; the hinge is soooo tight one really needs to adjust the angle before putting the TV on the bracket. I had to use both hands on the mount plate and just about all the strength I could muster to change the viewing angle. Hopefully it will prove to be a set it and forget it installation.
I used this to attach an 18" LCD to the wall above a desk. The articulation is very easy, solid and smooth. I push the monitor against the wall to get the desk surface back. It's sturdy enough for something larger - I have no doubt that it would hold a 24". It was also very easy, I didn't look at any instructions and it took my ~10 minutes to find the stud, mark the holes (use a level to make sure they're vertical), drill two holes - and that's the hard part. I was not sure if this tilted when I bought it - the PA730 does NOT tilt - not a big deal to me...
Substantial articulating arm that extends about 18 inches and swings 180 degrees; can rotate and tilt tv as well, although tilting screws are a little difficult to access. Also had to buy a separate metal stud plate which wasn't identified by Amazon when I purchased the arm. Added another 50% to he purchase cost of the arm. (This isn't necessary if you have wood studs or are mounting on a concrete wall.)
I bought this to hang my 19 Inch Samsung LCD T.V. next to my bed in my Rv. I needed nit to swing outover the bed in front of me to make my small T.V. look bigger and not be in my way getting in and out of bed. It works perfectly for my application and is substantially sturdier than nessesary for a 19 inch LCD. It took me approximately 1 hr to install, which incuded running all the cords neatly. mounting the tv and bracket took only about 3 minutes. The tension adjustments seem to be adequate as well. The zip ties they send were a bit flimsy for my purposes, but that is to be expected, I replaced them with a better grade tie. I found no negative points with this product. - Tv Wall Mount - Tv Mounts - Articulating Wall Mount - Wall Mount'
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