Monday, 13 June 2011
Home Office Supplies
I ONLY use the Paper Mate Flexgrip pens...I take my own to work, in fact, because they are the perfect pens. I've never had the ink run/leak, and I've been using these pens for almost ten years. I also do not have problems with them drying out. The size of the pens are also perfect and they write beautifully. I will be sticking with these pens until I die or they stop making them. Paper Mate Flexgrip Ultra Stick Medium Point Ballpoint Pens, 12 Blue Ink Pens (9610131)
Flexgrip Ultra pens are the best!! As Mr. Reade pointed out, they are always reliable and the ink doesn't glob up on you. You can always pick this pen up and write with it and right away you will have smooth ink flow, and the ink flow stays smooth right up until you run out of ink. The new ones look cool too, with the silvery-blue cap. Thank you Paper-Mate, for the perfect pen!!'
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Home Security Systems - liftmaster, remote
I replaced my Sears opener with this one.
It was delivered within 3 days, and I was able to use it right out of the carton.
It works very well, and is really no different than the Sears remote that it replaced.
Very well priced also..Like many others, I dont like buying something over the net, not REALLY knowing how it will work. This worked out very , very well. Liftmaster 373LM 315mhz 3-button Remote Control
Needed another remote for my two Sears garage door openers, this one cost half of what Sears wanted for their remote. It was simple to pair with the openers, and the range is about triple that of the Sears remote.
This remote control works great and is very easily programmed for one or two garage doors, with options for programming the garage door opener lights. Was reasonably priced by the Amazon.com affiliate that fulfilled the order--Cinderella's Cellar. Shipping time was satisfactory; and when notified that they had shipped the wrong model, they quickly sent the correct model without waiting for me first to return the wrong one they'd shipped.
I purchased this as an additional remote. It was very easy to program. Push the purple learn button on the main unit and release, LED comes on, then hold the big black button on the remote for a couple seconds, garage light opener blinks; let go of the black button on the remote and your good to go. I didn't program the lights since I don't need it for that so can't comment.
We have a Sears Craftsman garage door opener with a purple learn button (315MHz), and this LiftMaster remote worked perfectly and right away. Also, it has a very good range.
The original remotes are $40 on the Sears website, so I saved more than $20 with it. My in laws need a couple of remotes for the same garage door opener, so I have a placed them an order for two of these.
Recommended. - Remote - Garage Door Remote - Garage Door - Liftmaster'
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Security Systems - mace, home security
I live in a not so great apartment complex. I have lots of nice toys that would be very easy to hock at a pawn shop. I got worried everytime I left my apt that I'd come back to find the flimsy door kicked in and my goodies gone. I was able to install this in minutes. Two screws for the main unit and one screen for the motion sensor (mounted right above my door but out of reach to the average person. Now I can leave my place without worry.
Pro: Very easy to install, keychain remote means no running to the keypad.
Con: I found the working range of the remote to be about 30ft (through several walls though). Its loud but without an external siren I'm counting on my immediate next door neighbors to respond to the alarm before they disable it. Some of the setup menus are a little clumsy, but you only have to do it once.
I'd buy it again in a heartbeat. Wireless Home Security System
What I liked:
- Price of the kit;
- Easy to install and operate;
- Integrated phone call unit;
- Range of the sensors;
- No false alarms;
- WIndow/door sensor can easily be modified to control two or more wired magnetic sensors. All you need to do is connect the new dispositives in serie with the existing one;
- I can call the control unity with my mobile phone and disarm the alarm before get home when I'm not with the remote control;
- My phone rings within 9 seconds after the alarm is triggered;
- The control unity saves a history with the data and zone of the 5 last times it was triggered;
- Works with 9V batteries;
What I dislike:
- Only one remote control;
- Not very loud. I can barely hear it outside my apartment if the front door and the room door (where it is installed) are closed; Things get better if I install it close the door, but this way someone can easily smash it or unplug the phone cable in a few seconds. I'd rather to have an external siren;
- Manual have two different procedures for remote operation of the alarm. The correct is the second one in the end of the manual where you should press a number + # to operate the control unity;
- Extra accessories (especially the remote control) can be expensive and difficult to find;
- Window/door sensor could be smaller;
- There is a smal screw in the back of the control unity that entered inside it through a smal hole the first time I opened it to insert the battery. It was a pain to remove it later;
- I'd like to have a keyboard outside home so that I can disarm the alarm without the remote control.
- I didn't discover how to disarm zones without deleting the sensor from the control unity database;
What was a plus (features not informed in the manual or in the product description):
- Window/door sensor have a glass break detector. It triggers the control unity with impact;
- WIndow/door sensor have a switch to locally play an alarm sound even if the control unity is not armed.
- Control unity have 4 wire connections in the back: 1 for external siren and 3 triggers (1 normally closed and 2 normally open for extra sensors);
*Updated on 02/26/2011*
After 6 months, the 9V battery of the motion sensors are over. The battery of the window/door sensors are still OK.
This review includes the Mace Home Security unit PLUS the optional external speaker.
I bought this system about a month ago. It came with both an instructional DVD plus written instructions. Both were fairly easy to follow. It may take a couple of tries on some of the items to be programed because it will revert back to the main menu if you take too long but this is not a problem. Making sure the detectors are properly set up is a must otherwise it won't arm properly. Make sure the door/window sensor is no more than 1/4 inch apart. If either is set up incorrectly it will tell you on the lcd to please close and gives the sensor number that's not correct (included motion detector is #1 and door/window sensor is #2). It's wise to double check phone number entries,delay times, etc upon completion. I have the door/window sensor located in my outdoor shop about 125 feet away past three walls from the main control and it works fine. I've used motion detectors before and they can be a problem since they will detect pets or even rodents. It's best to locate them in narrow areas (such as a narrow hallway) to minimize the risk of a non human triggering it. The alarm is very loud and can be heard throughout my house but since I live in a rural area and also wanted to protect my detached shop, I chose the external alarm. I would say that when set up it may have an effective range of about 200-250 feet, depending on neighborhood noises. This hopefully would scare away intruders but not sure my neighbors (about 900 feet away) would notice it.
My only complaint concerns the instructions. During my initial set up I had problems arming the system and had to call customer support. The instructions indicated that troubleshooting information was available on their website but there was none. I was able to get a troubleshooting guide from tech support and he indicated that hopefully this would be put on their website in the future.
Also, the instructions for the external siren indicated there are three different versions of software developed over the years that required different programing methods and the serial number of the main control unit indicated which version I had. This proved to be incorrect and again I had to call tech support to get the correct programing procedure. The good news is that Mick at tech support was excellent. He responded quickly to my calls and walked me through the couple of minor problems I had. For me, it's not just about a great price (I paid about $72 including shipping for the Home Security package and about $42 for the optional siren) but customer support and I rate both at A+. Again, my only problem was with the instructions and hopefully these will be corrected by Mace. I decided it still earned 5 stars based on the great support they provided.
I researched a number of alarm systems and found this unit to truly be an excellent buy based on it's quality and features and I'm very satisfied with it. - Home Security - Mace - Security Systems - Security System'
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Lowepro - lowepro
This was a birthday gift for my best friend - one she had requested herself, for a new Kodak camera. I was wondering why this size bag for a small digital camera? This bag holds her camera (enclosed in a smaller, fitted case) a table-top tripod, memory card case, pens, pencils and small notebook! Perfect size to hold all of the important items and she loves it!
Nice product, well-padded and I'm considering one for myself... Lowepro Edit 130 Video Bag (Bordeaux Red)
Bought this from Amazon and AvidMax for 18.99(free shipping) which is below value for my daughter for Christmas. Then found it at same site for 14.99 (free shipping)for myself and got mine. Just gotta get my camcorder now.
Lowepro are great bags. My third purchase of Lowepro
I bought this for my panasonic HDC TM-60 and it fits nicely, but if I want to put the cords inside, the camera is at an angle and the divider has to be placed funny. Other than that it is very secure and still fits on my belt even though it is a bigger bag.
I use this bag to hold a Nikon 70-300mm vr lens. Great fit, with a little extra room for accessories. In particular, I like that the bag has straps and a belt loop -- much more convenient to carry around than regular lens holders.
I used to own a Lowel Pro 110 bag that protected my camera on several trips. Then I purchased an external flash unit... there wasn't enough room in the 110. I happened upon the 130 bag at a camera store. It's just the right size for what I take on a trip. Yes, it looks like a camera bag. Yes, it's dark blue instead of black. Yes, it comes with a wimpy strap. SO.... I put on a better strap with a leather pad. Put in an additional divider from my old bag and everything fit perfectly. Really, for the price it's a very good bag, it protects my camera while on vacation and holds all the camera stuff I like to use. I posted a photo of my camera bag on this amazon page.
Bought this to hold my Sony HD camcorder. Just the right size. Not a lot of room left over, but I didn't need that in a bag. Protects the camcorder and a well made bag. Great price. One of the few 5 star CC bags out there.
i bought this for the Panasonic HDC-SD60K Camcorder. keep in mind that this is a small camcorder but it fit perfectly in the bag. all the accessories that came with the camera also fit. along with a small tripod. and there's still room for a little more! it looks just like the images and seems sturdy and well made.
wait for a good price and grab this great little bag!!
I ordered this bag to carry my Sanyo Camcorder. It is good protection and room for some extras in the out side pouches. There was room for me to also include my Flip cam. Some may want a larger bag but I prefer to keep the size smaller. There is a moveable velcro iner devider and plenty of padding to protect my goodies. - Lowepro'
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32 Gb Flash Drive
This Kingston DataTraveler DT101 Gen2 32GB USB flash drive has a very nice compact design. It is about the same size as the SanDisk Cruzer Micro (with the USB port retracted). See the size comparison picture I uploaded to Customer Images section. What cannot be seen from the picture is that the Kingston drive is slightly thicker. That makes it impossible to insert two Kingston flash drives into two adjacent USB ports, whereas two Sandisk drives can be stacked one on top of another.
I benchmarked the Kingston DT101 G2 flash drive as soon as I received it. The initial result I got, using the free "Flash Memory Toolkit" program, was not very impressive. It shows that for smaller files of 1-5MB, the write speed is only 5.7 - 6.2MB/s (see the Customer Image section for screenshot). In contrast, the Transcend 16 GB JetFlash 500 was able to achieve higher speed of 6.8MB/s (for 1MB file) to 11.3MB/s (for 5MB file).
For transferring very large files, however, this Kingston drive really shines. I benchmarked its read/write speed using 1GB video files, and was able to achieve up to 11.4MB/s in write, and 20.2MB/s in read. This is over twice as fast as its rated speed, which claims just 5MB/s write and 10MB/s read. In contrast, the Transcend drive only achieved 7.5MB/s in write and 13.4MB/s in read, under the same test conditions.
In summary, the Kingston DT101 G2 flash drive may not be suitable for tasks which require frequent read/write of smaller files, such as using it for daily backup or as a 'ReadyBoost' device. But for transferring large chunk of data, such as storing temporary video files for playback on my WD TV Live Media Player, it performs the job really well. I consider this product a very good value, especially at its present low cost of just $1.60 per GB.
Some additional notes:
- The good thing about USB flash drive is that: the unit cost ($/GB) drops by half every year. So I can get this 32GB flash drive for about the same price I paid for a 2GB drive four years ago. The bad thing is that: no matter how large the drive capacity, I always manage to fill it up to the brim in seemingly no time.
- The capacity for this Kingston '32GB' flash drive, as reported by my computer, is 29.7GB. Note that this is actually normal, because 1GB to computer people means 2 to the power of 30, which is about 7.4% greater than 1 billion. So 29.7GB translates to approximately 32,000,000,000 bytes, which means '32GB' according to marketing people.
- This Kingston flash drive came pre-loaded with 'urDrive' software, similar to the infamous 'U3' software for previous generations of Sandisk flash drives. I have no intention to use urDrive, so I renamed the 'Autorun.inf' file (found on the root directory) to 'Autorun._inf'. That way, I don't have to be bothered by it ever again - but it is still available in case I changed my mind.
- The drive is pre-formated in FAT32 file system for maximum compatibility. That means its largest file size is limited to 4GB. If you need to transfer files larger than 4GB, you have to reformat this drive to NTFS. Be warned that doing so wipes out all existing files, including urDrive. Kingston Digital 32 GB USB 2.0 Hi-speed Datatraveler Flash Drive DT101G2/32GBZ, Purple
I got this flash drive as a gift from my aunt. It's 32 GB!!! Could you imagine it two years ago? I use it to store my school work, music collection, photo album, HD videos and so on. I would like to share my experience with everyone after using it for more than three months. This USB drive simply works!
Pros:
This flash drive is fast and huge. 32gb is a lot of space for a small device like this. Nice looking and elegant design. The most important one is its affordable price.
Cons:
None.
If you need a small usb flash drive that you can carry it every day in your pocket with huge storage space, this is the one.
This is an excellent flash drive! Kingston made a great innovation by integrating the cover for the usb port with a swinging metal shield. That way, I long longer have to worry about losing those small caps.
In the metal piece, there is also a hole at the top so that you can attach a string to it, some people like to hang their flash drives around their necks (so they are always sure where it is).
This drive is very reliable, the Reading speed is 10MB/sec, while the Writing speed is 5MB/sec.
I highly recommend this Flash Drive.
I've only been using it a few days, and I can already tell it's faster than any of my other drives. And for the price, ya can't beat it. Unfortunately, I could only find it in purple, but I can live with that. :)
I was looking for a capless flash drive with a lot of storage that I could attach to my keychain. This one seemed to be the only one that met that description, so I went for it. I've only had it about a week, but transferring my files to it was really fast and the design seems sturdy enough to last me a while. My only criticism is that the loop for attaching it to a keychain or something could be a tad bigger. I'm going to have to stop by the hardware store to pick up a slim keyring if I want to attach it and well, since that was part of the appeal of the design, I had to knock a star. Otherwise, I'd recommend this one. I looked at them all and for the price, speed, storage size, and design, well, this one's the clear winner.
The transfer rate may vary based on the capability of your computer and such. Mine writes to the drive at an impressive average of about 15MB/s and reads around 25MB/s. Presently, Amazon's description states much lower transfer rates, but it also appears to be referring to the 16GB model.
The form factor is nice. It's very compact and should work well even where you have relatively narrow USB port access.
The swiveling cover is an interesting concept. I think it would be greatly improved if it were designed to actually stop in the closed and fully-opened positions. Instead, it will spin a full 360 degrees without any "stops." It does have some tension, of course, so it's not just flopping around. But if you drop it in your pocket for instance, the cap may not stay perfectly in the closed position for long.
During drive access, there is a green LED that lights up in the center of the bezel (the round area in the middle of the drive where the cap is mounted).
There's not likely to be an offering of different colors for this drive, as Kingston has opted to utilize specific colors to quickly identify the various storage capacities of the product line.
The bottom line is that I'm very pleased with the drive overall - my minor gripe with the swiveling cover notwithstanding.'
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Accessories - hitachi, sata
First off I would like to say for anyone having doubts this is in FACT the latest version of this drive and I checked the numbers with the Hitachi web site after I received it so if you are worried about that have no fear.
Now before I sing the praise of this drive I will mention one concern and it has to do with noise.You can surely tell this drive is there as you can hear it working, for some like myself this is welcome as someone who has been computing for 23 yrs I like to hear my drive in action and have grown used to it.
With that said this drive offers rock solid reliability with excellent performance, so long as you do not mind a little noise. For just under $ 60 you get this in my opinion awesome drive with the added peace of mind that it came in retail packaging. This means factory sealed Anti Static bag and shock resistant packaging materials !!!
You would need to spend 80 to 90 dollars to get a Seagate Barracuda 1 Tb in a retail box and over 100 dollars to get a WD Caviar Black in a retail box.
At any rate if you need absolute silence the you will probably be disappointed with this unit and I suggest you look elsewhere. If you want both quiet and performance and it is a money issue, then I suggest you wait till you have the money for something more expensive like an SSD and then pair it with a low speed 5400 or 5900 RPM drive for quiet storage.
A good compromise would be to use a notebook 7200 RPM hard drive with one of the Silverstone 3.5 to 2.5 bay adapters which can be had on Amazon. The Hitachi 7200 RPM 500 Gb notebook drive is great I have one in my notebook so again I speak from experience. Notebook drives is where Hitachi is unrivaled in my opinion and their notebook drives run nearly silent while achieving near desktop 7200 RPM level drive performance.
Again this Hitachi Deskstar is an excellent drive and my Seagate Barracuda 1 Tb makes nearly the same amount of noise, yet to get a 1 Tb Barracuda in retail packaging costs 80-90 dollars while offering only a slight decrease in noise and no performance gain. A Western Digital Caviar Blue which my bother has in his machine is more quiet, yet does not have the same level or performance as this Hitachi Deskstar or the Seagate Barracuda from my testing using HD Tune Pro 4.60
If you want all out performance and bragging rites, then the only consumer grade drive which will flat out best this Hitachi is the Western Digital Caviar Black yet it uses nearly twice as much power, costs 89.99 and comes in a brown box. While it can be had in retail packaging it costs over 100 dollars for only a slight gain in performance, while using nearly double the energy.
THE BOTTOM LINE....
If you must have a silent drive then look to a notebook drive or SSD, otherwise suffer a performance penalty and buy a Caviar Blue or low speed low power desktop drive. If you must have the most powerful and best performance, then the WD Caviar Black is for you.
If you want the best of all worlds and don't mind a little hard drive noise, then this Hitachi Deskstar is for you. It offers performance that is on par or better than nearly every other drive, while consuming far less power than its competitors for offering nearly the same or better drive performance. It does this all with a best in class price point delivering it to your door in ( RETAIL PACKAGING ) with Amazon Prime for just under 60 bucks ! Hitachi Deskstar 3.5 Inch 1 TB 7200 RPM SATA II 32 MB Cache Internal Hard Drive 0S02860
This is my second Hitachi 1 TB Deskstar. This one replaces a 500 GB Western Digital that failed aged 20 months. The WD came in my Dell, so no warranty for me.
Onward to the Hitachi. This is a nice drive at a decent price. I have hopes that the reliability will be better than the more popular brands.
This drive is noisy when new. But it quiets down after a week or so.
Two other drawbacks. The retail box has mounting screws but no sata cable. Cheap.
Second, unlike the major brands, no migration software is included, nor can any be downloaded from the Hitachi web site. The Hitachi site refers customers to pay software such as Norton Ghost and Acronis True Image. Again, cheap. I ended up using Clonezilla, which is Free Software.
It arrived within 3 days upon I ordered it. Linux benchmark was showing it ran faster than WD's green and blue. The downsize were (1) it is a very noisy drive when READ/WRITE operation, and (2) there is a periodic humming sound, like every 5 seconds it max out then come down. It is annoying. Not sure if it is a defect or what?
I don't write many reviews, but I am writing this one because my experience with this product was different from many of the other reviews. Specifically, this drive is absolutely silent.
The drive produces no sound that I can detect. Even with the desktop case open there is nothing audible coming from the drive.
Pros:
- Best value in this class
- Retail package protects during shipment
- Completely silent even when stress-testing
Cons:
- None - 7200 Rpm - Hitachi - Sata - 1tb'
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Motorola Cell Phone Battery - motorola cell phone battery, battery
Battery arrived on time, but it was worse than the battery i was replacing. Didn't last -- I'm not amused with this service. Seller is not delivering what is advertised. The ad says "New" and this was clearly NOT new. Motorola K1m W220 W385 Z6m Z6tv BT51 Battery
After my cell phone was not even a year old, the battery was not holding a charge. It would die in about 5 mintues. So instead of going through insurance and paying for a new phone, I decided to try this battery instead. After about 2 weeks of use it has been working great! Holds a charge like a brand new battery and definately saved me money from purchasing an entire new phone or battery directly from the manufacturer. Recommend this product.
Yes, it says new, but it's not and don't kid yourself thinking that they can't falsely advertise "New" cause they do and Amazon lets them do it. For a handful of dollars, half of which is non refundable shipping you might get lucky and the battery you get won't be completely used up. Everyone gets lucky once in a while!? Right!? ...Now you know how all those old batteries get "re-cycled".
This new Motorola battery is clearly aimed at the shotgun approach - aim in the general direction of what the customers want (more minutes) ... make it cheap and make lots of them ... and when you can only talk for 200 minutes everyone should say, "well it works (good enough) not to throw it out this week."
Very poor performance. Purchased 2 batteries and both batteries lasts less than 1 day. I guess it should be expected from such a cheap product and if I had to buy more of these, these would not be my choice. - Motorola - Cheap - Motorola Cell Phone Battery - Battery'
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Cell Phone Charging Cup
Love this purchase. It mounted in the AC vent on the dash right where I needed it and the quality of the assembly and parts is impressive and unexpected in such an inexpensive item. I use it for my Droid Incredible, but it would work for any smart phone. USA Gear In-Car Auto Air Vent Mount for HTC , Motorola , Samsung , iPhone and More - 360 Degree Swivel Head **Includes Micro-USB Phone Charge Cable**
I use this in my 2003 Honda Accord with an iphone 3GS. Mounting onto the Accord's center AC outlet was very easy to do. My iphone is wrapped in a Defender case which makes it rather heavy and bulky, but fits right in very snugly. When I make selections on the iphone's touch screen I have to make very positive contact to get through the Defender lens, but this holder is up to the task. It stays planted very securely. The iphone charge cord fits easily between the bottom support feet. The mounted phone is easily adjusted for viewing angle and landscape via a ball socket that can be loosened/retightened. I doubt there is any cell phone that this thing couldn't hold securely. I'm thrilled with this purchase.
This thing is great, however I have a motorola Atrix and with the feet out, which I kinda want to avoid it slipping out (will have to test), I can not plug in the cable on the side, it would be nice if the feet would move down vertically, so the side of the phone would be exposed to plugging it in. I cannot keep it charged now while in this holder, unless the intention was to not have the feet out and let the phone move down more?
"Faux Leather" is all the rage. It seems anything with a french word and an English word is all the rage.
That said, this thing is trick. It works REALLY well and would work with any cell phone or iPod ... except the shuffle ... don't be a smart aleck.
It fits really well in my horizontal vents and it holds my phone snugly. Which is of utmost importance since I am convinced that I am taking part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans (ladies thats a "race car" event) every time I go to work. Everyone thinks this race is cool because it combines french words and english words.
One of the coolest features that you don't notice on the advertising is the holder has little feet that fold in and out. As I have a droid X I fold the feet in, which allows me to charge the phone while driving. If the feet were always out, I'd be in trouble.
In conclusion, your search has ended the product is the "Abeilles Knees" (the bees knees, but I have tricked you and now you are compelled to buy it).
I really enjoyed the product for the few weeks I was able to use it. However, after a month the product broke rendering it unusable. There are two buttons on either side that release the latch it has on the phone, the buttons stopped working so the sides that grab the phone are stuck closed.
Additional info: The return policy requires the box and I threw it away once I knew I was happy with this product.
Well designed and engineered, surprisingly decent quality, especially for the price.
Installation and removal instructions should be illustrated though. The product illustrations aren't consistent in how they show the spring clip orientation (should it be up or down, or does it depend on the vent design?) let alone show how the clips should be attached to the vent. Easy removal should be a selling point of a vent mount but there is no mention of how to remove the clips from the vent. If the vent louvers are narrow and deep, like mine are, removal is tricky. Each spring must be compressed while lifting the clip up and out. With narrow louvers it requires small fingertips, and probably removing the cradle from the clip assembly so you can see what you're doing.
Design is not ideal for MyTouch 4G, or similar HTC smart phones. With the phone mounted high enough to fold out the cradle feet for full support the USB port becomes blocked by one cradle wing and the camera switch is pressed by the other, though fortunately it doesn't usually activate the camera. By angling the cradle feet nearly all the way out so they just barely support the corners of the phone it can be mounted low enough to enable use of a charger. Though this does not provide ideal support it does seem adequate if the wings are clamped tightly. Unfortunately, even when mounted lower the camera switch can still be activated inadvertently by the clamping pressure of the wing.
I'd buy this again, but note there are some disadvantages with some phones. I also wish there was a suction base this cradle could be mounted on so I could use the same cradle in vehicles were I already have plate affixed to the dash for a suction mount.
I purchased this Universal Vent Mount for my HTC Evo 4g. My garmin was having bluetooth issues with my new phone so I decided to try mounting my phone and using the speaker function for hands-free calling. I had some trepidation when I first tried to install this product - it didn't seem like it was going to attach to my vent. I was ready to return it but gave it one more shot... I had to push it in more firmly than I would have expected - but it finally latched on and held. This holder works fantastically for me. I mount my Evo 4g and turn on my GPS function when traveling and the speaker for making calls. Being in the side vent of my car keeps it very handy for viewing and hearing. It also holds the Evo very securely - even in its hard case - and we all know the Evo is a very large phone. If you want to use this mount in a similar fashion - I highly recommend it. It does the job...
All I'm going to say is that this device claims "**Includes Micro-USB Phone Charge Cable**"... for whatever reason I suspected this to be a car charger, but for some strange reason they include a USB computer cord, not a car charger. I don't know, maybe I'm the only one who thought a holder designed for your car would come with a car charger instead of a PC cord? Kinda odd...
I like the holder a lot, so I'm not going to return it, just wanted to put it out there though.'
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Laboratory Notebooks - notebook, notebooks
I'm a genetics research assistant at a large university, so taking thorough notes is a daily requirement. I came across this notebook when reading a previous tech's protocols, and had to get one for myself. Here are what I consider to be the pros and cons.
Pros:
*Presentation - this notebook is nicely put together, which is an important if subtle aesthetic quality in approaching research.
*Orderliness - The grid layout of each page is great! Also, while I haven't really used them, the detachable carbon-etch pages would make for a great instant copy if you prefer keeping your notes in book and binder simultaneously.
*Size - Again, a crucial factor in taking clear and concise notes - even taping down printouts of various results - not a problem with this notebook.
Cons:
*One-sided Pages - {Not so much a flaw as a personal preference.} The pages have only one gridded side. While this is fine if you write in Sharpie, or never take notes on both sides to begin with, I've found it has me burning through this NB a little too quickly.
*Somewhat Inflexible Spine - Unless you crack the spine/binding of this NB, you'll eventually find your previous notes pushing back as you progress through.
Summary:
In all, this is a great notebook, and one of the finest I've purchased. In retrospect, I would have searched around more for my own needs, as I have essentially no use for the carbon-screen, detachable yellow sheet function that is so core to this notebook's design. I have since purchased another, much finer (and cheaper!) notebook from the Scientific Notebook Company ([...]) which has been fantastic. Explore their site if you're looking for the perfect fit!
Hope this helps. TOPS Laboratory Research Notebook, 9.25 x 11 Inches, Carbon, 100 Numbered Sets, 100 Sheets, White and Canary (35125) - Quadrille - Notebooks - Science - Notebook'
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Laboratory Notebooks - notebook, notebooks science Laboratory Notebooks - notebook, notebooks
Water Filtration - whirlpool water filter, pur
This is advertised as a "Whirlpool" 1/4 turn filter but it fits all 1/4 turn filters including Kenmore side-by-side models. I have been paying $30+ for Kenmore's 9010 filter and this filter is an exact replacement. PUR QTSS Whirlpool Quarter Turn Refrigerator Water Filter
Is a less expensive replacement for whirlpool filter #4396510 and appears to filter the same contaminants.
Original Whirlpool filter label claims: NSF/ANSI Certified against standard 42 for Chlorine taste & odor; particulate reduction class 1; certified against ANSI standard 53 for Lead, Mercury, Benzene, p-Dichlor., Toxaphene 2, Asbestos, Cysts, Turbidity, & Altrazine.
PUR replacement filter label claims: tested and certified against standard #42 and #53. Carton specifically mentions Chlorine taste/odor, Lead, Sediment, p-Dichlor., Benzene.
I'm always a little afraid to order substitute brands, but the price and the picture of the Pur Filter product gave me a little more confidence to give it a try. It took a little long to get delivered than I expected, but once here it fit my Kitchenaid Side-By-Side Refrigerator perfectly and was easy to install. Would recommend this replacement product to others.
Since PUR filters were the highest rated in my Consumer Reports, I decided to give this a try. I was pleased to see that the Sears filter I removed from my Kenmore side by side is made by PUR!!! Basically the same filter, only $15 less.
Another reviewer mentioned the cost of shipping but I got free shipping since it cost $25. A very good buy and still working great 4 months later.
Unlike the review below that states "Fits all Quarter turn refridgerators", this filter DOES NOT FIT LG Refridgerators quarter turn. The filter is too short and the connection head is too big.
Luckily Amazon was awesome enough to refund me, and I am stuck buying the expensive manufacture brand.
The pur filter is great in price and researched function though.... - Refrigerator Accessories - Water Filter - Pur - Whirlpool Water Filter'
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Water Filtration - whirlpool water filter, pur whirlpool water filter Water Filtration - whirlpool water filter, pur
Ipod Classic 160 Gb - ipod, 160gb
NOTICE: This review is for the NEW 2009 160GB iPod Classic, NOT the 2007 160GB iPod Classic!
The new 160GB iPod Classic is easily Apple Inc.'s best iPod to date, and out of all of the iPods that I own, this is my favorite.
First, the capacity of this iPod is simply unbeatable. I've yet to see another portable media player that can match the iPod Classic in capacity. I have a huge music library, and it's nice to be able to carry every song that I own on my person at all times. What's more, thanks to the iPod Classic's capacity, I also have room to carry a few videos with me, and some of my photos. If you don't like having to pick which songs to load onto your portable media player, the iPod Classic is the way to go.
The second thing that I love about this iPod can be summed up in two words: it works. The 160GB iPod Classic that was introduced in 2007 was extremely buggy, had a non-responsive Clickwheel on many units, crashed frequently, and required a hit-and-miss firmware update to stop the hard drive from spinning even when the device was "off," which often lead to dead batteries. All of these problems left the 2007 160GB iPod Classic warming shelves and earning it the infamous "honor" of being the "worst selling iPod ever," according to Apple. I'm pleased to say that the new 160GB iPod Classic released earlier this month has virtually none of these problems. There's no "spinning hard drive bug," the Clickwheel is incredibly responsive, and the device isn't crash-prone. While it's true that many of these issues were fixed with last year's iPod Classic, there hasn't been a truly functional 160GB model until now. To put it bluntly, this is the iPod that Apple should've released in 2007.
Another thing that I really like about this iPod, and the iPod Classic in general, is it's ability to double as an external hard drive. While I believe that the iPod Nano is also capable of this, the only iPod that really has enough space to function as an external hard drive is the iPod Classic. The hard drive functionality admittedly reduces the number of devices I have to carry on me at any given time. If you regularly work with large files and are considering a new iPod, the iPod Classic is the way to go, plain and simple.
So what are the caveats? Well for starters, as with every other iPod Classic, this is a hard-drive (rather than flash-memory) based device. As a result, it has moving parts which make it unsuitable for running or any physical activity that exerts mechanical shock onto the iPod. Unless you exercise constantly with your iPod though, this really shouldn't be an issue. The only other caveat, which is more of personal taste than an actual flaw, that I can find, is that Apple has not made any cosmetic changes to this device since they introduced it in 2007. Now don't get me wrong, the point of an iPod "Classic," is to retain the "Classic" design, but after seeing how much better a black Clickwheel looks on the silver iPod Nano, I'd have thought that Apple would have given the silver iPod Classic a black Clickwheel as well. However, I admit that this is entirely my personal preference and not a "flaw" per se. I've put a quick list of pros and cons together, which can be seen below:
Pros: Largest iPod Capacity-wise, long battery life, "Genius" feature, excellent value for your money, well-built, doubles as an external hard drive, and improvements to Cover Flow.
Cons: Hard Drive (rather than Flash memory) based storage medium; device is cosmetically identical to the 2007 80GB model. (I still don't understand why Apple hasn't colored the Clickwheel black on the silver model to match the iPod Nano.)
Finally, I would highly recommend this product, which is why it gets five stars from me. I don't like the iPod Nano; it's too small for my hands, and the screen is too small for my eyes. While the iPod Touch may have app store access and Wi-Fi, I find it to be a really gimmicky device, that makes for a poor portable media player, (Apple was wise to position it as a handheld game system,) and is really an "iPhone without a phone." In contrast, the iPod Classic is an excellent portable media player, it has an excellent interface, and it only costs $249 dollars. To put things in perspective, the 2009 160GB iPod Classic costs $70 dollars more than a 16GB iPod Nano, and $150 dollars less than a 64GB iPod Touch. All in all, I highly recommend this product. Apple iPod classic 160 GB Silver (7th Generation) NEWEST MODEL
This is the second iPod I own. The first one was a 30 Mb 5th Generation Ipod Video.
First, the plus.
There are many improvements in the 7th generation comparing it to the 5th, although I think most of them were introduced with the 6th Gen. The whole Cover Flow/Genius capabilities are definetly an improvement to the previous software. The games are a nice bonus. I've only had it for three days, but I can already see that I like the new interface a lot more.
And the disk space, I mean, WOW! The ipod is basically the same size as my 30 Gb one, but it's capacity is over 5 times bigger. I am an avid music fan, have tons of music, and my musical taste ranges from ambient to heavy metal, but I think it's going to be a long time before I fill this one up. I think this is the best feature of this iPod, and by itself, the reason you should buy it.
There are also video capabilities, which have always been a plus, and some other stuff, but I didn't see a major difference from the previous versions.
But then, why did I give it 4 stars? I wanted 4.5 stars, but Amazon doesn't let me do that.
Here are the cons.
First, as previous reviewers have stated, the sound quality seems to have downgraded from the 5th Gen iPod. The sound lacks depth, the songs sound more flat. I don't mean to say that the sound is bad, because it still has a very good sound, and I've tested it with headphones, computer speakers and my car stereo. I'm just saying that the 5th Generation iPod sounds better, and the difference is quite noticeable.
The other thing, which might be just my iPod, because I didn't see other reviewers mentioning it, is that the click wheel seems to be less sensitive/responsive than the 5th Generation one. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it is annoying sometimes that you try so select a song or an option on the menu and the wheel doesn't respond right away.
There's also the fact that using Cover Flow seems to make the iPod proccess slower, but then again, loading the covers of literally thousands of records is not a quick task, and you can always not use Cover Flow, so I won't hold this against the iPod.
To sum it all up. If you have a lot of music and want to carry it all with you; if 30, 60, 80 or 120 Gb is just not enough; if this is your first iPod purchase, or if you just really, really like the new interface and games (I know I did), then I highly reccomend it, and you won't be dissapointed. To me this is definetly the best music player on the market. You will need to sit down and learn how to use iTunes, but when you do, you're just going to love this little gadget.
However, if you have a 5th generation iPod that's working just fine, and you prefer sound quality to disk space, you might not want to buy this one. Just try to be more more picky with the songs you put on it, I guess. - 160gb - Ipod Classic 160 Gb - Apple - Ipod'
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Emergency Supplies - noaa, weather alert
I hope I can give you some useful information about this radio and give you new ideas on simplifying your emergency items. I have been reviewing emergency radios for too many days, I think for most of us we want something portable for emergency AM or FM weather information and NOAA information and alerts during a loss of power that might last for a few hours or several days, I'm not looking for equipment to survive without power for months in the wilderness, just keep in touch and out of the dark during the emergency. I was considering the Eton RH500 (cool factor) but after reading about all the Eton radio models, I could not help but notice one serious concern with all of them, most reviewers said the Eton radio reception was not very good indoors... which is where I'm going to be during bad weather; an emergency radio without excellent radio reception has little value in my opinion. I opted for the Midland ER102 and I am very pleased. I like having the Dynamo feature, but I do not put a lot of value in it as my thinking is that all the emergency products I purchase must use AA batteries; they have a shelf life for 6+ years and they are cheap... aprox. $10 for 24 name brand batteries at W. Mart... The idea; one battery that fits everything! As for this radio; I live outside of the city and the AM and FM reception inside my house is excellent even without extending the antenna it picks up well, I can pick up 3 NOAA weather channels, two of them loud and clear, and one NOAA channel loud and clear without extending the antenna. Some reviewers complain about sensitive tuning; as for the tuning... the tuner is an analog (not digital) tuner with a digital display and it scrolls very smoothly (all the emergency radios that I have found use analog tuners.) To get clear reception it is not necessary to hit your station exactly (but is easy to do), as with analog tuners we have always tuned into the general area of the station then moved the knob back and forth until the station is clear, you never thought about it being sensitive since you just listened for the best spot without observing a digital display. Is the dial sensitive... no more than any other analog tuner, it might seem that way if you are looking at the digit to the right of the decimal point while rapidly scrolling, however a light touch when fine tuning and I find the tuner actually easier and much quicker to tune than if the display was the old analog type display other emergency radios have. The 3 LED flashlight is surprising bright, the backlit LCD display is very bright, AC adapter is included, the alarm is easy to use and it's kind of neat to look at the display and see the current temperature constantly displayed. I will note that I have a newer Nokia cell phone and although the radio comes with several adapters mine was not in the mix. Again this is not important to me as I don't want to crank the Dynamo for 5 minutes to make a very brief call.... Better idea; buy a portable emergency cell phone charger that fits your phone. This $5-$20 device (you guessed it.... works on AA batteries) will allow you to start using your phone within 30 seconds of plugging it into a dead cell phone and talk say 2 hours on one AA. If you want to go all out you can purchase Lithium batteries which last longer than Alkaline and have about a 15 year shelf life. Storms and power outages are stressful enough and lots of work, I say keep it as simple as possible... and a bonus, all my stuff fits easily in a small drawer in the kitchen.
My 3 watt LED flashlight (about 80 lumens) lasts 2 hours on high, my Sylvania LED Mini Lanterns (L562) last up to 200 hours on 4 AA's and they are as bright as many large lanterns, and this Midland Radio all use the same cheap AA batteries.... $20 buys 48 AA batteries and will last me a long time, how about 72 AA's on hand at a cost of $30.... I can go for weeks. Midland ER102 Emergency Radio
Excellent AM/FM and NOAA weather radio reception. Decent sound for a small unit. Easy to use.
Some of the items in the Technical Details section on Amazon are incorrect:
1. There are only 7 NOAA weather channels.
2. The cable for the cell phone charger is not USB, it is a 3.5mm 2-pole connector with standard in-line plug adaptors for some cell phones.
The manual states that to charge the internal battery pack from the AC line or hand crank the "Power Selector" has to be in the "AC/DYNAMO ON". You need to either turn the volume all the way down or put the "Alert Type Selector" in "Alert" in the WX mode. The power has to be in the "OFF" position to charge a cell phone from the AC adaptor or hand crank.
The LCD display "Backlight" switch is in a funky place on top under the carrying strap so you tend to turn it on inadvertently. It shuts off after 3-4 seconds.
I have done a good bit of searching before getting this emergency radio. There are many choices out there for this type of radio. After reading many reveiws I picked the Midland 102. "Features" prevailed over weight. I will also be using this radio for backpacking/camping trips. The reception is great. Even indoors with the antena down it gets great reception. It's not the smallest radio. It is small enough to fit in my backpacks upper cover pocket. The LCD display is great. Along with the other many features it has. Tells Temp, alarm clock, weather alarm that can be set to silent flash warning. Light is small but ideal for searhing for something in a pinch. Three differnt ways too power the radio is great. I tested the lentgh of life with power on board before having to use the crank. It was atleast two days of near constant use. Or close to eight to ten hours. After cranking for three minutes. The radio played for close to an hour. The sound quality was exceptional for the speakers size. When holding the unit in your hands it won't feel like a cheesey piece of plastic. So far I am quiet pleased with the Midland 102. The only reason for four star rating is I can not attest to it's durabillity since I have only had the radio just over a week. If you get this unit you will have made a decent educated purchase, that was worth the effort in finding an emergency radio for your family. Hope my reveiw helps you out. - Weather Alert - Crank Radio - Weather Radio - Noaa'
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Portable Audio Speakers - exterior speakers, awesome speakers
When people say that these speakers are junk, don't listen. Sure Bose and Yamaha speakers sound better (especially indoors), but that's okay because these speakers cost 1/10 the price of those brands. When you live in a place like Wisconsin off the shores of a lake, there's no way one can pay the price for good speakers, so I thought I'd give these a try. A just one day after I received the pair, I ordered 3 more pairs.
Here's what I've found:
These speakers are absolutely amazing for the price! Outdoors, these speakers sound like they cost 5 times as much. They really do deliver good sound. (Note: these speakers don't sound too good indoors, but that's okay) The speakers (if used with the right gauge wire and according to specifications) Deliver excellent sounds and can actually pump out the noise quite well. There is little to no distortion, the highs and lows are great, and the fact that the speakers are 3-way is even better. The quality of the speaker itself is terrific. However, to be honest, the mounting isn't that good. But, its simple enough to reinforce it.
I have 5 zones around my house outdoors (one with rock speakers) and use 14 gauge wire, with my longest run being just under 100 feet. I'd recommend this gauge wire for any lengths 25'-200'. Coleman Cable 09504 14/2 Low Voltage Direct Burial Garden Light Cable, Black, 100-Feet Is an EXCELLENT wire to choose from. Do not waste money buying outdoor speaker wire, its a scam. Just buy landscaping wire, it is meant to be buried and withstand the outdoors. I cannot foresee the plastic on this wire diminish in any way. It is a great wire to use with speakers.
Specifications from Owners Manual:
Model: LU43P
Frequency Response 100Hz - 20kHz
Woofer: 4"(100mm) Polyelite PVA Surround
Midrange: 40mm polypropylene
Tweeter: 20mm Piezo Dome
Sensitivity: 85.5dB (2.83v @ 1 meter)
Nominal Impedance: 4-6ohms
Power Handling*: 50watts RMS - 100watts (IPP)
Dimensions (Inches HxWxD) 8.39" x 5.47" x 5.47"
Weight: 2.8lbs
Finish: White or Black
*Power handling is based on amplifier volume never being set above the point of audible distortion
In Conclusion:
-These are great speakers if used outdoors and under the specifications provided.
-I would not recommend these speakers to be used indoors.
-I recommend 14AWG landscape wire as use for speaker wire
-A 75 Watt receiver can really make these speakers sing at great sound
-As long as these speakers are out of the sun and direct rain, they seem like they will last long
-Not a huge investment, so If you live in a harsh climate, not a big deal
Why I am qualified to say this:
I am a computer engineer who uses Yamaha and Bose speakers indoors, nothing less! I have a very close friend who has 12 Bose speaker zones at her house (each with their own remote and 4 outdoors) and will admit they do sound better, but lets be realistic: you will be much more satisfied that you saved money on these great speakers and that you don't need to baby them. The sound difference is so small that for the price and correct hook up, I'd recommend these speakers over say Bose speakers because of the benefits possessed in the Dual speakers.
Hope you found this useful, and good luck buying. Dual LU43PB Indoor/Outdoor Speakers (Black)
These are my second pair. I have one set in my yard under a tree that's been outside over two years and they are just as good as when i received them.
this pair I put on my deck. The sound is great for such an inexpensive product.
I also have 2 sets of Bose speakers outside by the pool - I take them in during the winter because of the price, but the duals' sound is quite comparable; but I am not an audiophile!
Purchased a pair of 53's that worked good for 1 month then both went out. Returned to Dual`and was informed the 53's were no longer available but they could send me the 43's as a replacement. Not happy with my options I asked if the 43's were 8 ohm, the answer was yes so I told them to ship. One week`later I recieved a damaged set of 43's that when I hooked up did not work and are 4-6 ohm. Just ordered a pair of Pyle speakers, will deal with Dual tommorow.
Speakers are ok, Dual is a good company.
BUT, a little irritated because they are listed as 5 1/4" but are really the 4" set. Not just the size of the woofer too but, obviously, the wattage is lower. Expected better from Amazon.
At this price, under forty, I was just hoping I would get the Dual 5.25 speakers. But I suspected that they would be 4 in., and they were. Still they sound OK on my deck. No complaints, really, just be aware that these are mis-marked.
So I've had these speakers for three days now, bought them for my garage stereo system. For $30 I wasn't expecting much. But, for $30 they aren't that bad either. These speakers sound decent (key word is decent) which was really all I was looking for. They lack any real meaty fullness in the midrange and they don't provide thumping bass, but that's ok with me...I didn't expect them to. With that said, for the purposes of how they'll get used they will do the job fine. Every other speaker I own is a JBL from the Northridge series, including a pair of all weathers for my back patio. These Dual speakers don't come close to comparing to that kind of sound quality. If that's what you want, spend the money for it. If they're to get used in a secondary, or a third zone as I have these and sound quality isn't going to be a critical factor I would actually give them a thumbs up. As with anything, be realistic with your expectations, don't expect a full and perfectly natural sound, these will absolutely not deliver. If anything, think of these speakers as a set similar to what you'd find in a shelf system, yeah...it's that kind of sound overall. Not a ton of bass, weakness in the midrange and sharp highs; not smooth, but not overly brittle either. I won't call them awesome or great, good would probably be a stretch for me overall. However, given the price and my initial expectations from these I am happy with the purchase. - Outside Speakers - Awesome Speakers - Exterior Speakers - Outdoors'
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