Poor Construction - avoid, poor construction

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For 18 years I have used an old adjustable-length shoulder pod to help me brace and steady my camaera when shooting on multiple safaris in Africa. It worked, but sometimes the clamps would slip and the brace would telescope closed and I'd lose my shot. This pod is rock solid like a gunstock and has the added advatage of multiple ways to grip, sling, balance, and brace the camera with a heavy long lens attached. I am shooting a NIKON D-300 (wonderful camera) witha reletively slow 80-400 Nikon 5.6 VR lens and I still get clear shots hand-holding even with evening light. I would encourage anyone to try it and see if it suits their style. Stedi Stock Shoulder Brace Optical Stabilizer for Video, Spotting Scopes, and Cameras, Black

The unit arrived ahead of the scheduled ship date and I'm pleased with the product. It performs as advertised and is a good value. It is, however, not particularly sturdy, which is why I did not give it five stars. It will do the job for the price.

I just purchased this item, and find it quite uncomfortable to use, and also quite flimsy. Although this is advertised for use with spotting scopes which are fairly heavy, and long, it in my opinion will not last long in that use. The unit has a few design drawbacks that if I had designed it I would have tried to solve. It is TOO flexible in the area just behind where it bends to drop to the "stock" I Use a Canon XS with the stock AF lenses and the wobble is enormous. Also the stock portion is in my opinion not proper for photo use, it is positioned incorrectly for shoulder shooting, and the positioning of the Camera eyepiece while on the stock is awkward. Also the three piece arrangement for the hand grip is ridiculous, the screw keeps falling out when the camera is not attached,there is nothing to hold it in, and no clip or lanyard to keep the handle with the stock portion, and there is no way to secure the handle when the camera is not mounted.



As a stabilizer for a heavier camera this has a lot to be desired.



A real drawback is the lack of a pistol grip contoured grip for the fore handle, and inability to use the grip, trigger the camera and change focus at the same time. If this handle can be redesigned to incorporate a trigger release (preferably a two stage electronic one for Canon) it would be a better deal.



The serious photographer using telephotos or doing Macro work should give this one a pass by, save your money.



Its concept is a promising one - but it is cheaply made, burdensome and untrustworthy in strength - the promise of a steady platform falls far short of reality.

The item arrived in good time and in good condition. I was not happy with the size of the unit and tried it with my DSLR camera. It was not suitable for use with this unit, however, I am in the process of modifying it for my use. It might be suitable for some of the smaller, preset cameras.

I find the Stedi-Stock very handy when taking photos of wildlife from the window of a vehicle. I can rest my arms on the window frame, and hold the camera (Canon 40D) steady with the Stedi-Stock. It is very fast when shooting off hand in the field. However, using the Stedi-Stock off hand, I am not as steady as with a monopod, but the monopod is more cumbersome. The Stedi-Stock is very light, and easy to pack. Wish my Canon monopod head screw was longer so it would fit through the Stedi-Stock, and into my camera. This would provide a really fast, and steady set up. Although I do not really need it, the Stedi-Stock is very helpful in shooting with my camcorder.

This is one of the most overpriced piece of junk I came across in recent memory.



Plastic is cheap and VERY VERY flimsy, there's nothing "steady" about this stock.

Forward grip does not provide enough thread to attach to camera properly or securely.

VERY small and uncomfortable to use, almost a toy in feel and deploying it.



This is not event worth $1 IMHO, I would have given it -10 stars if there was that rating here.

Don't buy it or you will regret it.

This product was poorly constructed and cheep. Made of flimsy material, it isn't worth more than 3$. Anyone who actually shoots enough video to really need on of these things needs a better one that this.

Does the job but designers missed a biggy. When off the camera and carried, there's no place to attach the pistol grip. It would have been simple to ad a 'clip' or attaching nut so you did not have to stick the hand grip in a pocket or purse.



Update: Threw it away. - Avoid - Trash - Poor Construction'

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Digital Camera Memory - digital camera memory, memory card

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Standard SD and SDHC cards look identical in size and shape, only SDHC-compatible products will be able to accept the new SDHC cards. SanDisk differentiates its new cards with the new SDHC logo on the card and retail package.



Now my web research finds that at the time of its release Wes Brewer, vice president of consumer product marketing at SanDisk, said, "In order to provide the easiest and most compatible solution for 4GB and larger capacity SDHC cards in the market, SanDisk chose to bundle its new MicroMate USB 2.0 SD/SDHC compatible card reader, which normally retails for $19.99, with this new card."



Note this deal does not include a reader.



In my case the device I bought it for can read it. Without the dedicated reader my year old HP computer cannot . Sandisk 4GB Secure Digital SD HC Memory Card (SDSDB-4096, BULK, No Reader)

This is a must for loading music to listen to on my Palm TX. But BEWARE of eek Technoligies and buying at this price. They wanted $13.20 for shipping a 2 oz memory card? Buy from someone else even if it is a few dollars more and pay reasonable shipping rates. Don't be fooled by their cheap price they make it up 2x in shippoing charges. When I saw it I cancelled my order..

I played around with the prices on this and found out several things. If I order this item, $11 in shipping costs is added by the third party supplier! If I get the 2G version, even two of them, those qualify for free shipping from Amazon and come out much cheaper. So check your prices on these before ordering. My hunch is that you can probably pick this 4G up cheaper at your local electronics/computer store...

It's nice to have 4GB in your camera and be able to take pictures at max resolution and not have to worry about running out of space. I've been using SanDisk cards for 6 years now and never had a single problem. Be warned however, if you have a somewhat older digital camera, it may not recognize a card of this size and the card will be useless. I don't know why they don't mention this in the product spec, hence the 4 stars. Check your camera's user manual for max memory capabilities, if any.

I purchased this card five months ago and used it without incident. I was happy with the amount of space on the card. Suddenly today, for no apparent reason, a message came up saying "memory card error". I cannot access the photos on my card with my external card reader. I cannot use the card in my camera. The photos on the card are lost, and that makes me quite sad.

Finding that this product does not work in my one year old Canon camera I contacted the company and was given a list of cameras which do support it. This list belongs on the product description at the Amazon site. Besides the nuisance, I'll be out the $4.50 shipping cost for shipping an item requiring .59 cents postage.

The Sandisk site says this disk is compatible, and the user manual for the Canon Powershot 590IS says the camera can use SD or SDHC memory cards, so I assumed this card would be compatible. It wasn't. The camera says "memory card locked!" even when the card is unlocked. I'm giving this a one star rating because everything I looked at says this card is compatible, but it wasn't. For the Sandisk compatiblity site (which, of course, recommends their most expensive 32 and 16G cards first), see http://www.sandisk.com/Compatibility/Device(8725)-Canon-PowerShot_A590_IS.aspx . I haven't found a site so far that specifically recommends one card over another for this model of camera.

BAIT AND SWITCH ALERT! I ordered traditional blue normal San Disk 4 gb disks as advertised here for christmas gifts like digital cameras and to use myself with my camera. As of ten minutes ago, the ABX Protech listing (here at amazon.com) displayed the blue san disk memory card that I always buy from Best Buy, which is not a bulk item, and comes with a usb and reader. However that is not what this company sent. ABX ProTech pulled a bait and switch, shipping an entirely different product, that does not work with my digital items.



BEWARE! If you order this, you will not get the Traditional Blue San Disk memory card that they advertise and what they send will not work with your regular electronic devices.



Particularly problematic is that the ad- which was up until a moment ago when I complained- showed the standard blue memory card, and now they have changed it. Luckily I printed copies of my order and took a print screen image of their ad from today showing how they advertise one item and shipped another.



Even more shady, there was no packing slip or invoice in the package and they charged enormous shipping fees ($15.00) for a tiny envelope package weighing less than 2 ounces that they mailed first class.



I have requested a full refund- including shipping and handling, but have not heard back. ABX Protech has a very restrictive and laborious refund policy under which you may not ship anything back until you receive a "return" number from them.



Avoid ABX protech at ALL COSTS! - Sandisk - Sandisk 4gb - Memory Card - Digital Camera Memory'

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Rechargeable Batteries - emergency light, camping lantern

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I have been a long time believer in only using propane lanterns when car camping. Previous battery operated lanterns with florescent bulbs that I have tried have always lacked for sufficient light to eat by let alone cook or setup a tent with.



But, then I discovered the Coleman LED Quad Lantern and everything has changed. This is, by far, the best camping lantern I have ever used! Not only is it super bright, it is smaller and more convenient than a propane lantern - especially since I no longer need to tote around gas canisters.



But, this lantern is more than just a lantern; it provides for personal lighting needs as well. Each of the lantern's four light panels detach and work as rechargeable hand lamps for that rummage in the back of the truck for gear or the scramble to the bathroom site in the middle of the night. And, with a 1-1/2 hour charge time, that makes these light panels useful for reading in the tent, etc.



It is not only this lantern's overall design that make it great, but the attention to little things as well. For example, the rechargeable light panels are powered by AAA rechargeable batteries. Unlike other rechargeable light systems where the battery is sealed and inaccessible, if a battery eventually fails, it can be easily replaced with a matching, off-the-shelf rechargeable battery. The lantern as a whole is powered by D cell batteries.



No more propane, no more broken mantles, no more trying to light a propane lantern in the dark. The Coleman LED Quad Lantern is the lantern of the future that I bet all competitors will try to copy. Coleman LED Quad Lantern

I bought this for my father as a camping lantern, and he's been totting it around to family get-togethers, he likes it so much. We have NOT been camping yet, but we've tried it out in window-less rooms and I have to admit that it puts out quite the amount of light (which is a relief, since the lumen count is lower than the CFL Coleman lanterns), and it isn't too harsh to look at. There are diffusers over the LED's, so while they ARE bright, they aren't painful.



One interesting feature is the main base overrides the panel settings. Thus, if you have a panel turned on, plug it into the base, and turn the base off, the panel turns OFF. Then if you were to remove the panel from the base, the panel setting would kick in again, and it would flip on. Similarly, if you turn a panel off, and plug it into the base, it will use whatever setting the base has. This means that you can't turn off individual panels on the lantern BASE. However, this also means that you don't have to turn off the panels individually, so I guess that evens out.



As a previous reviewer said, the NiMh batteries in the panels will lose charge over time (NiMh hold charge for 3-6 months), which means there will be a slow but continuous drain on your D-cell batteries while in storage. If you are using this lantern for camping, simply remove the D-Cell batteries during storage and then load them back into the lantern when you are loading your car, SUV, RV, etc. By the time you reach the campsight, the panels will be charged.



You CAN replace the batteries in the panels, but ONLY put rechargeables in there! You might be tempted to throw in some alkalines in the event that the D-Cells drain (meaning, you used old D-cells in this, you aren't going to drain it in a weekend, even if you left it on all weekend), but don't do it. That's like throwing an alkaline in a battery charger (which causes it to overheat).



All in all, I haven't found any flaws yet. There is even a handle (you can see it in the picture) on the base unit so that you don't have to carry the lantern by the panels, though you'll find transporting without the batteries in it to be much more convenient. 8 D-Cells ARE a bit heavy.

Brightness:

When all four panels are attached to the base, the lantern puts out a great deal of light. It will illuminate a campsite with ease. The individual panels when detached put out an adequate amount of light. Great for a trek to the restroom or the back of the truck to fetch some gear.



Portability:

The 8D batteries in the base make the lantern a little heavy. But each panel when removed is extremely light, as they only contain a small rechargeable battery. There are plenty of handles at the top for easy toting.



Battery/power:

I've used my lantern several times and have been very pleased with the runtime of the battery. In addition, it seems to take a long time away from the base before the panels go dim.



Summary:

The lantern is expensive compared to other battery lanterns, but it is well worth the money. My family loves it!

I purchased the Coleman LED Quad Lantern primarily for use during power outages. (A timely purchase, as it subsequently turned out.) The quad configuration makes this lantern ideal for space illumination. The LEDs provide exceptionally bright and fairly uniform lighting. What really sets this lantern apart from competitive units are the four detachable LED panels. We used these panels for personal lighting during a recent trip to the mountains. Each panel provided superior general illumination as compared to the typical flashlight. We also own Coleman battery-powered fluorescent lanterns. This LED unit is no heavier (with batteries installed) and is a superior general light source.

I love this lantern, it's a little expensive but it's worth every penny. It lid up my camp site for 3 days straight with no problems. The lights are bright and durable, I drop this thing a few times and it kept working. The only negative is you can misplace an attachement easily.

I agree with the other great reviews about the design and but I feel the lantern has one fatal flaw. The plastic they used is cheap and brittle. If you try to pull one of the panels off without pushing the release button, the tab that holds the panel will break off and you will have a LED TRI Lantern + a lighted panel. This happened right when we took it out of the box. Granted, I know now you are supposed to push the button to release the panel, but keep in mind when you hold the lantern you are holding it by the panels, and with 8 D cells in the base it is only a matter of time before the tabs will break with normal use. The same cheap plastic is used at the base and I would bet a very minor drop would shatter the base. It is simply not durable enough as a camping lantern. - Emergency Light - Lantern - Camping Lantern - Camping'

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Samsung Plasma

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I've had this set for almost 3 weeks, and I absolutely love it. The picture is amazing; I compared it to sets with 1080p, and I like the picture on this one better. The sound is also fantastic; loud, clear, and with several different settings for TV, movies, etc. Speaking of settings, the menus are easy to follow and allow you to set the picture just the way you like it. The remote is easy to use, and the only thing I don't like about it is that it has a slightly curved shape and tends to fall off the coffee table or sofa from time to time. Otherwise, I'm really happy. I did research for about a month and had a hard time deciding between this set and a Panasonic, but I'm glad I went with this one because it's fantastic. One other note---do not buy overpriced cables for this or any other set! I bought a $4 HDMI cable from Amazon and it works perfectly. Why pay $20, $30, or even $50 for an overpriced cable that doesn't work any better?



UPDATE APRIL 18: I'm still loving this set, but I like it even more now that I've learned how to tweak the picture controls. The default settings have the brightness controls set very high; once I turned that down, the picture looks even more amazing. I also learned that I can set the picture and sound controls for each input device (cable box, dvd player, etc) and those settings will be saved and reappear each time that device is used. This is really handy if you like to use different settings when watching a movie, for example. My advice is to spend 10-15 minutes reading your manual carefully to learn what all the picture settings do, then adjust the picture to get it just the way you like it instead of using the default factory settings. It makes a big difference! Samsung PN51D450 51-Inch 720p 600Hz Plasma HDTV (Black)

I paid $679 for this 2011 model of 51". After my 100 break in period, i turned up the contrast, brightness, and sharpness levels. I absolutely love it, and the sound is really quite good to me. While watching a movie on regular DVD, there are about 3" of black screen on the top and bottem of picture. After 2 hours of watching this, I turned off the movie, and noticed some burn in from it. After watching regular HD tv for about 10 minutes, it was gone. I have watched or left the tv on cnn for hours on end, and the ticker going across did not burn in.. There is no ghosting on plasmas either. Gonna go get me a blu ray now.

I have bought a number of flat panel tvs in the past and was looking a new tv with decent performance with a small bezel and fairly light as I needed to fix the tv to a plaster/concrete wall. Plasmas tend to give significantly better bang for the buck compared with LCD, so while the LCD TV were typically 10lb lighter for a 50" screen, the cost was in the region of 50%+ higher for the same form factor.



I did look at the LG plasmas as I have a 60" LG 1080p in my main viewing room, as I found them to be solid quality and good value. I nearly bought the 1080p LG 50" which was only 10%-15% more than this unit, but was put off by the fact that it weighed 60lb v 50lb for the Samsung.



I don't need internet connectivity as I get internet content from my TiVo, so the base model suited my needs. As for 1080p v 720p, at my viewing distance of 12' I understand its not possible to tell the difference - this is certainly consistent with my experience. The picture quality is very good - the biggest constraint is the quality of the feed from my cable provider. I avoid watching SD content where possible so have limited experience of how the Samsung does here.



As for plasma burn-in issues, I have had a bunch of plasmas and have never had an issue with them watching regular TV. I can't comment on the sound quality as I use a separate receiver.



All-in-all, this is a great tv, with very good picture quality and smallish form factor for a great price.

I have tried to by a Plasma TV for 3 years now, but I always ended up with a LCD. I recently have been looking for either a Panasonic or Samsung 50" Plasma for either my office or bedroom. I have a 52" 650 series Samsung 1080p LCD in my Home theater Room that has great color, HD Detail and overall quality. I have done alot of research on Plasma TVs and found that the fore-mentioned brands above, are the best rated. I debated the 1080p VS 720p issue and came up with the truth that, 50" and below sizes,720p will give you as good a picture on HDTV as 1080p. Reason, most signals that are sent, are originally 720p anyway. If you are not using a blu-ray player often and if you are 4-5' away, you will tell no difference.



Finally, almost a month ago, I got an email from Amazon that had the 2 brands on their Sales Ad. I really wanted to try the Panasonic Brand, but the best deal was on the Samsung. Being that I have several Samsung Products now and know the top quality of the brand, I chose the Samsung PN51D450 51" 720p for under $700.00 and ordered it. Delivery was about a week, timed appointment, white glove delivery and a nice knowledgable friendly delivery person. I had read about the "burn in" issues with Plasmas, but with pixal shift and a scroll bar, that is not a issue any longer if you follow the 100-200 break-in period. Yes, it is a pain, but it is well worth it. You can find written instructions online on how to setup your Plasma before the seemingly, never-ending break-in time. You need to find a channel that doesn't have a logo in one place, like a cable information channel, and just let it run. I put mine in the bedroom, so I was running it 17 hours a day and with that, it was almost 2 weeks before the 200 hours was done. Most experts recommend the 200 hours. Once that is done, you may go in and adjust all of the settings to get the UNBELIEVABLE PLASMA PICTURE YOU HAVE HEARD ABOUT, from the experts !!!!!



The Samsung is about 20lbs lighter than the Panasonic and that is a plus. This Plasma is one of the lower priced ones that Samsung has, but you are only missing the "add on features" that have nothing to do with the picture. The most debate for me was, did I really need 1080p. For the usage I have for this set, 720p is great and it saved me several Hundred Bucks and that is a plus.



If you don't have the desire to wait a couple of weeks to "break-in" the set, buy a LCD. If you want to own and see why all of the experts say that the Plasma is the best picture, try this set. I think that you will be happy with the picture and I know you you will find a use for all of the money you are saving.



Overall, I believe I made the correct decision, 1. as good a picture as you can find

2. over 20lbs lighter than comparable brands 3.a 51" Plasma for under $700.00 !!!



Just another fine Samsung Product.'

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Reference - chemistry, notebook

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I have been using this same type of notebook for 5 semesters of chemistry lab and it works really well. There is a table of contents page at the beginning, and each page has a designated space to put the experiment number, the experiment/subject, the date, your name, lab partner, locker number, the course, a place for your signature and date, and the TA's signature and date. Each page is also numbered and the carbon copy page is perforated for easy removal. The only problem I have with this is that the price seems kind of steep, but it's definitely a high quality product. Haven't had any problems with pages falling out and the cover is waterproof which helps protect it. Student Lab Notebook: 50 Spiral Bound duplicate pages

This notebook is way easier to use than the top-bound one I had before, which became almost unusable after I got halfway through it because of all the previous duplicate pages either covering up the top of new pages if I folded them back or completely flopping back over if I didn't fold them. But with this spiral-bound notebook, I can just turn a page, and voila! A new perfect sheet, the entirety of which can be easily written upon without interference from other pages.



Yes, this notebook a little more expensive but it really is worth every penny. It's very well constructed and survived being tossed around my backpack and the lab bench without any visible deterioration. My only regret is that I used the crappy top-bound one for so long instead of just getting this to begin with.

the notebook is really great- it writes smoothly and without any bumps and the plastic insert prevents the carbon copies from gong through to multiple pages. The copy also looks very neat because it is on clean white paper with a light yellow "COPY" in the background, which is a neater copy than other notebooks

I had to get this item delivered overnight because I was starting my chem lab. It came on time and was as described. I would recommend this one if someone is looking to save money. My classmates had the 100 page on and they hardly used all their pages. Don't forget to use the fold-over periodic table between successive pages or the carbon copying will bleed into the next pages.

This a a great lab notebook if you need to turn in a copy of your lab reports but you also want to keep a copy for yourself. It is really durable and very well made. The periodic table on the inside is also great to have on hand.

I gave it four stars only because I was frustrated that you could only tear out the carbon copy. The original pages are not perforated so you end up making quite a mess if you try to tear those out.

Overall, this is a great product though. I have used this notebook for several chemistry courses and I love it. Highly Recommended! - Chemistry - Student Lab Notebook - Notebook - Lab Notebook'

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Over The Knee Boots - high heels, sexy

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I bought these boots for a costume and absolutely love them. I have a little bit larger calves and thighs and these boots fit both. I even had room to store my cell phone in the top of my boot (my costume had no pockets) because the fabric is slightly stretchy. After trying on many many knee high and thigh high boots that did not fit I became very frustrated, but these fit right out of the box. I wore them all day for two days and my only complaint was that my feet hurt (but that is because I normally wear flats). I would recommend these to anyone looking for a great pair of thigh high boots. I was also pleasantly surprised at how fast they arrived (within a week or ordering). Funtasma by Pleaser Women's Lust-3000 Boot,Black Str Patent,7 M

I bought these boots for my wife because she has larger calves and thighs and we have a HARD time finding knee high or (gulp) thigh high boots that will fit at all. These boots stretch nicely and they zip all the way up! My wife looks HOT in them and they are well worth the price! That's all I can tactfully say in review except that we both love these boots! Thanks Amazon! - Over The Knee Boots - Sexy - Thigh High Boots - High Heels'

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Streaming Video - 1080p, led

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*UPDATE* May 19, 2011

I've had this TV for over a month now, and just wanted to provide an update:



Picture: CUSTOM SETTINGS! Out-of-the-box, the picture isn't the best quality. There is some graininess, a noticeable soap opera effect and some blockiness with moving pictures. EVERY owner should calibrate the settings to their liking. Also, it's very important to turn off the ECO sensor -- your TV will be much, much brighter. I followed the custom settings on flatpanelshd.com, where the reviewer tweaked the settings for best picture output, down to advanced settings like B-Gain and R-Gain. From there I messed around with the other settings until I found a picture I'm very happy with.



Comparison: Two of my friends bought a 55-inch LG LW5600 and I've spent a good time watching their TVs. The LG uses passive 3D so the glasses are super cheap and comfortable -- I hate to say it, but the 3D on that TV probably looks better overall. They also brag about an 8 million to 1 contrast ratio whereas the Sony EX720 is 2 million to 1. What that means is the LG has a brighter range of vivid colors. BUT after tweaking my settings, I was able to get comparable color results AND the picture on the Sony is noticeably clearer -- you couldn't get a soap opera effect on the LG if you tried. The MotionFlow 240 actually seems to make a difference as I can see wrinkles on The Most Interesting Man in the World's face that I couldn't see on the LG. Plus the LG had a lot of choppiness when watching sports, it might have been the cable or the TV's 120hz processor.



Still a five-star rating for a clearer picture than the LG and enhanced picture with tweaked settings. Original review below.



*From April*

Picture: Very good. Granted I was watching a 37-inch LCD that was almost six years old, so even watching a crayon drawing on wax paper would be an upgrade. But I watched ESPN HD, Avatar HD in HBO and a bunch of other random things. There was no noticeable clouding (blobs of light on the screen) at all. I was pleasantly surprised that there really wasn't a soap opera effect on the movies and shows I watched.



More Picture: It's true that this isn't a "true" 240hz TV. It's marketed as a MotionFlow 240hz, which basically means that it's 120hz but has some sort of technology that Sony made up to "bring the frame rate up to 240hz." That being said, I probably wouldn't be able to notice the difference between 120 and 240hz anyway. I do wish the picture was a little bit brighter, but it's super easy to adjust the settings. Also, the black levels weren't as black as I'd like. When watching a show with a lot of black screen, it still looks a little gray compared to the black frame lining the TV.



Sound: GREAT. You know how sometimes you're watching a DVD or a TV show and the music and background noises are super loud and the voices and dialogue are super quiet, and then you have to turn up the volume to hear the dialogue, but then quickly turn it back down because some booming music scares the crap out of you? Not so with this TV. Apparently it's got some technology that detects dialog and will automatically soften the background sound and amplify the voices. Plus, when you change the sound setting to "S-Force Front Surround," there really is a noticeable difference in the quality, the sound does seem to echo more under this setting.



3D: Suh-weeeeet! Ok, there are definite cross-talk issues -- which is a term I learned by reading a bunch of reviews. You will see double images at certain points, but EVERY TV review I read suffers from this issue because it's a new technology. My DirecTV offered four 3D channels, one was a nature show channel that rotates shows about dinosaurs, ocean life, and space stuff. I spent four hours straight watching this channel and now know a bunch of random facts about dinosaurs, ocean life and space stuff. I invited three people over and the four of us watched this channel for hours. There were parts of the ocean documentary where schools of fish looked like they were a few feet out of the screen. And a freaking Brontosaurus totally peered into my living room -- I wanted to pet him. Even on large landscape pans, the depth perception was amazing.



Remote: Effin' BRILLIANT. I don't know why, but instantaneous response from the remote made me pretty damn happy. I had Time Warner Cable TV before, and it would do some crap where you'd be pressing the remote buttons and nothing would happen, and then like 15 seconds later everything you pushed would happen at once. DirecTV is better but would still lag sometimes. But this TV and it's default remote are like sweet lovers that orgasm at the same time. There is no lag time and the interface screen is ridiculously simple to use and navigate -- even for not-really-super-techy-guys.



Interface and Settings: Awesome. Navigating the settings is intuitive and simple -- it looks a lot like the PS3 interface. Everything's is laid out in Layman's terms and spelled out so clearly that even A GIRL would have no problems using it. There's even little features like naming the different display inputs AND ADDING AN ICON TO THEM?? So now when I change Display modes between DVD, DirecTV and Xbox, it very coolly displays those titles on the screen, AND HAS THE ICON I PICKED NEXT TO THEM! W00T! And changing the settings is cake. You can go directly into many of the main settings (like display, sound, etc) directly from the show you're watching instead of going into the menu.



Wireless and Internet Apps: This does NOT come in with built-in WiFi, but I plugged it directly into my router with a network cable. Done dada. I was getting good connection speeds with Youtube, Qriocity and Hulu. My only complaint is that it probably takes a little getting used to spell anything out -- kind of a weird alphanumeric style that you'd get when you spell something out using a numeric phone keypad. Sony BRAVIA KDL55EX720 55-Inch 1080p 3D LED HDTV, Black - 1080p - Led - Hdtv - 3d'

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Automatic Watch - dress watch, automatic watch

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This is a good looking and interesting watch. The band is very attractive. Unfortunately it has too many flaws for me to wear it very often:



1. It has no luminescence on the hands or face so it can not be viewed at night.

2. It has an exposed translucent gasket around both crystals giving the watch a "cheap" feel & finish.

3. The self wind mechanism doesn't move well, forcing a wind by stem or else the movement stops.

4. Movement is inaccurate. Gains about 2 minutes per day (if it stays running).



If you want this watch to view the movement, go with the leather (opening band) so that you can see through the watch. In all, this watch is a good "entry level" skeleton to be worn as jewelry. If you want a timepiece, I would recommend that you look elsewhere.



Update: 7 June 09. I have been wearing this watch on a daily basis and it is starting to function better (it seems to have needed a break in). If I wear it each morning, the self wind mechanism is now keeping the watch running. It is now only gaining 1 minute per day. These things make the watch much more acceptable. I would upgrade this watch to 4 stars.



I am still bugged about the lack of luminescence though. It looks like a manufacturing oversight as there are recesses in the hands to accept it. Stuhrling Original Men's 165A.33112 Lifestyle 'Winchester Elite' Skeleton Automatic Watch

This is a great watch for the price point and I have enjoyed wearing it. Other than some minor quibbles I'm happy with the way it looks, works, and feels. After reading a lot of the reviews I thought I would first lay out what you are and are not getting when buying, and then review a few things about this particular model.



1.Understand what you are getting: This is a great watch and worth the asking price in my opinion, but know that it is NOT Swiss made. Stuhrling did start as a Swiss watch company but their operations were moved to Asia long ago. Although the factory in Hong Kong may have Swiss oversight and use Swiss designs and vintage equipment, their watches are not made in Switzerland. Were this a truly Swiss made mechanical/automatic watch the asking price would be many times higher. Note the carefully worded history advertisement above.



2. Do not pay attention to the List Price. In the watch world MSRP and list prices can be highly inflated as selling point. This is not an $800 watch. Under $200 is about right for what you are getting. When buying watches if the savings are too good to be true...



3. This watch is a mechanical/automatic watch. It's made to be wound by hand the old fashioned way, however it will also be wound by your movements as you wear it. Even if you wear the watch regularly you will still need to wind it every so often (about 25-30 clockwise rotations of the crown). I've found that mine needs to be wound every two weeks or so with regular use. The automatic feature is there to augment hand winding but not replace it entirely. You will need to fully wind it out of the box before wearing. If you look at the picture of the watch taken from the back you will see a half moon shaped piece. This is what rotates with movement to wind the watch. It may not swing completely freely but this may be due to the torque needed for winding. (This is just a guess).



4. You will need to go to a jeweler and have the bracelet adjusted for your wrist. All the links will be in place when it arrives, so unless you have a massive arm you'll need to have links removed to fit. Although some jewelers will do this as a courtesy most will charge a fee between $10-$25. Always keep the extra links you get back.



5. Mechanical/Automatic watches are not as accurate as a quartz. As with all mechanical watches this one will loose some time. A high end genuine Swiss watch may loose 5-6 seconds a day, however this watch MAY loose up to a minute or more. This is to be expected at this price point and it doesn't bother me much. Again mine has done quite well since getting it and has lost very little time daily.



6. Stuhrling will give you an extra year on your warranty if you review the watch on Amazon for a total of 3 years. I've done that but kept it honest.



Despite my gripe about iffy advertising and list prices, I really like this watch. The bracelet and casing are solid and the the moving parts are fascinating to look at. The watch itself is not too heavy (hear this Fossil?) but you know you're wearing it. As one reviewer noted the clear gasket that the Stuhrling logo floats on could have been left out, but other than that the watch looks great. There is no date function on it as the information claims. One of the things that keeps this watch more affordable is that other than the time there are no other complications like date, moon phase etc. There are recesses on the hands to take luminescence but this has been left out. I prefer it this way as it would have taken away from the older vintage feel of it.



All in all I think this is a solid and attractive piece and worth the asking price. This is not an heirloom piece to hand down through the generations, but it's still a solid watch that should last you a long time and look great.

This was an all-around great experience! I was looking for an anniversary present for my boyfriend, and decided to get him a skeleton watch. I originally looked at a few at Wal-mart that were $100 cheaper, but had very poor reviews--they broke a lot, had to be repaired, and didn't keep time well.



When I saw this watch, it was perfect! A great price, with a great warranty, for a great quality! It was a very fast and speedy delivery, too. The watch was well packaged--the band was completely covered, as well as the face. The picture just doesn't do it justice.



Update: A few months later, a screw came loose in the watch, causing the entire inside to shake and move around way too much. My boyfriend called Stuhrling, and informed them what happened. They said to ship the watch back, including $20 dollars for shipping expenses, and it would be fixed. Very thorough, although a little disappointed we have to cover shipping expenses. Still love the watch! - Automatic Watch - Dress Watch - Skeleton Watch - Dress Watches'

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Cordless Framing Nailer - nail gun, hitachi framing nailer

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I owned a paslode clipped head and ordered this one hoping it would be as good or better. It did not come with the cartridge so I had to drive to town to buy one. I brought some scrap wood and shot five nails in the Home Depot parking lot and it performed well. When I got home it jammed on the third nail and I recharged the battery and it shot about half a clip before ceasing to fire. I wish I know why it is so picky about firing. I could almost pound as fast with a hammer when I account for waiting for the gun to work again. I have to admit part of my frustration was with the safety not firing the last few nails but even after I got used to that, it still wasn't much better. I played endlessly with the cartridge but it seemed like it was installed properly. I had similar problems with my old Paslode but it was after firing a box of 5000 nails. I gave up after about three clips on this nailer before I deceided to return it. Senco GT90FRH Full Round Head Gas Framing Nailer - Nail Gun - Hitachi Framing Nailer - Nailers - Cordless Nailer'

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Steelseries - steelseries, mouse pads

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This is my first SteelSeries (AKA Icemat) mouse pad. SteelSeries makes a variety of mouse pads and this is one of the few they make that is made of cloth.



I was fed up and sick and tired of my laser mouse making my wooden desks dirty, so I decided I DO need a mouse pad. After curiously researching about top of the line mouse pads (just to see if there were such a thing) the SteelSeries brand came up and I became very much interested.



Despite its name, the Qck Mini is a little bigger than your average "freebie" mouse pad most people use. I was willing to go with one of their more expensive hard options (aluminum, glass, et cetera) but because they only sell them in large sizes, I decided to settle on the cloth version.



The mouse pad comes rolled up in a tube. It takes about a day or so of use to get the pad fully flat because of that, but it's really not a big deal or anything to worry over. The mouse pad is extremely nice to look at in person because of the uniform jet black in contrast with SteelSeries serious white logo. Makes a great complement to your overall computer setup if looks are at all a factor.



I use the Logitech G9 Laser Mouse in conjunction with the mouse pad and it glides left to right, top to bottom, very well. The pad is just a tad small so sometimes I have to pick up the mouse and place it on the other side when I'm moving across large screens but it's really rare. The size is fine for your everyday needs, but for those working on really big screens you may want to go with a bigger pad. I chose the Mini because my setup is a small desk for a tiny 11.1" laptop so I couldn't afford the extra room nor really needed it for the screen size.



The pad does collect some dust and particles fairly frequently but all you have to really do is wipe across with your hands every once in a while and you got yourself a clean pad again.



I'm very happy with my SteelSeries mousepad and look forward to trying out their more expensive options down the road (some sell for upwards of $50!). I purchased it directly from the company in Denmark. I consider this a top of the line mousepad for its class and size, and I love how it looks. Recommended for those who want a small and sexy mouse pad with no worry about your mouse going crazy on you or losing any control. But is it worth the extra money compared to your generic 99 cent mouse pad? Probably not for most people; but hey, what's an extra $10 extra or so for this bad boy? I'd buy it again. SteelSeries QcK Mini Gaming Mouse Pad (Black)

The QcK Mini provides a good gaming surface for the money. However, there are some issues you must consider before purchase.



I game at relatively low sensitivity, and I don't have a lot of desk real estate. The size of the QcK Mini (about the size of a generic pad) is good for people who have desks that dont offer alot of room, or don't necessarily need a giant pad but still want a quality gaming surface.



The pad functions well. With the textured cloth surface, mouse-work is generally responsive and smooth. The styling is minimalist and black which I appreciate. Considering the price is less than many other gaming pads (which can reach $30+), I would say it is generally a good bargain.



While the surface itself is good, the bottom of the pad slides around too much. I have a laminate wood computer desk and my Keyboard/mouse are above elbow level. The pad is very light and the bottom is not quite sticky enough. These factors combined mean it just doesn't stay put. I am constantly having to readjust the pad during or after sessions, which is not good during intense gameplay.



Another thing you may be put off by is the lack of wrist rest, but I think those just get in the way. I cannot remark on it's durability, having it only for a week.



I doubt I will buy another due to my particular setup, but if your desk is more textured then perhaps it will serve you better.



Pros: Good price for a gaming pad. Smooth response from the surface.



Cons: The pad is too light and the bottom rubber doesn't stick well enough.



Verdict: With the right setup, this pad can be a low cost gaming alternative to your generic mousepad. However, if your desk is laminate or anything else relatively slippery, I suggest looking elsewhere unless you prefer to readjust your pad every 15 minutes.

The mousepad arrives in a small stylish package. As you can see the mousepad arrives rolled up, contrary to hard plastic mousepads this cloth mousepad is very flexible.





The mousepad's front is made out of black cloth material and features a small SteelSeries logo in the bottom left corner. The mousepad's size should be perfect for most people, it's not too small but not too big either.





The base of the SteelSeries QcK is made out of rubber and this works really well, while testing the QcK the mousepad never slipped away.





The mousepad is a bit thicker than most plastic mousepads but it's still pretty thin. If you prefer a thicker mousepad you should consider the QcK heavy which features a thickness of 6mm instead of 2mm.





The Good Stuff

- One of the better cloth mousepads available on the market.

- Slightly more comfortable than plastic mousepad.

- Cheap.

- Mousepad doesn't slip away.

- Very flexible

-does NOT curl up, layed flat on first opening



The Bad Stuff

- Tracking isn't as accurate as on plastic mousepads

- Less durable than a plastic mousepad

If you need a (cheap) mousepad, then don't hesitate to buy this one. It's not like I've owned some super expensive mousepads, but this one is simply better than all the other mousepads that I've bought (I've owned from "gel" types to some plastic-y surface ones). It makes the movement a smooth, flowing breeze and it simply makes the mouse a joy to use. Even if you found the mouse uncomfortable to use before, this mousepad might make you see the mouse otherwise. So before you change your mouse, you might want to consider buying this mousepad instead.



This mousepad is a "mini" size, but it was bigger than I expected. To me, it's about "average" in size. This mousepad comes rolled up, but I had no problem with it since the material is cloth and not like rubber. You probably won't find any trouble straightening it up by putting it on a straight, smooth surfaced desk. I had no trouble using it straight away.



My Razer Imperator mouse had trouble tracking a black "gel" type mousepad, but this one has no problems. I highly recommend it to anyone who needs a mousepad. If this mousepad wears out then I'll probably buy it again. Plus it's only like $7-$10! It just goes to show that you don't need to buy some super expensive mousepad to get a top-quality mousepad experience. Something about this mousepad just screams "professional" and "gamer-quality".



Sorry, but I feel stupid for reading all the negative reviews and buying some other mousepad instead. I should have just bought this one sooner. - Steelseries - Mouse Pads - Gaming Mouse Pad - Mousepad'

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Latest Generation Extended Warranties

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amazon's service net EW policy DOES NOT necessarily mail someone a new kindle before asking for the damaged one back. everyone really does need to read all that fine print on these contracts. for example: service net specifically says, 'We will replace the original purchased Product specified on your Amazon.com order with a new or REFURBISHED [my emphasis] unit, provided such replacement is authorized and necessitated by Product operational or mecanical failure during normal usage...You must obtain authorization prior to the receipt of a replacement Product by calling 1-877-441-3836...You will be REQUIRED to provide a credit card to secure the return of Your failed Product. If you do not return the failed Product within a reasonable time period (which will be communicated to you at the time of your claim, your credit card will be charged for the replacement unit. Once authorization is obtained, YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO RETURN THE PRODUCT USING A PREPAID SHIPPING LABEL PROVIDED BY US. At Our determination, You will receive a replacement Product of like grade and quality...We reserve the right to replace the Product with a remanufactured or refurbished Product.'



for ADH (accidental damage from handling) issues: service net says, 'ADH only covers operational or mechanical failure caused by an accident from handling and does not include protection against theft, mysterious disappearance, misplacement, viruses, reckless, abusive, willful or intentional conduct..., cosmetic damage and/or other damage that does not affect the unit functionality, damage caused during shipment between You and Our service providers and ANY OTHER LIMITATIONS LISTED IN THE LIMITATIONS OF COVERAGE SECTION. (there's lot of goodies there, so plz read that section)...



plz note that if you purchase the square trade EW (extended warranty, pronounced EWWWW) for your kindle (which is actually $39.99, only $10 cheaper than the service net policy), and you submit a claim for accidental damage (the operative word here after all is 'accidental' since both policies have disclaimers regarding 'reckless, abusive, willful or intentional conduct...cosmetic damage, etc.'), YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO PAY A $50 DEDUCTABLE. add that on to the $40 bucks you parted with for the EW and you have half the price of the kindle 3. also, square trade says, 'If protective items such as covers, carrying cases or pouches, etc., were provided OR MADE AVAILABLE FOR USE WITH PRODUCT, it is expected that You will continually use these product accessories for protection against damage to the product. Abuse is defined as Your intentional non-utilization of protective items during product use...Any resultant damage from this type of treatment in NOT covered by the ADH progam.'



so, gentle readers, it all comes down to that customer service rep that takes your call or handles your claim online.



you can expect your claim to service net to result in this: 'The use of this coverage (ADH) REQUIRES AN EXPLANATION OF WHERE AND WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED AS WELL AS A DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTUAL EVENT. FALIURE TO PROVIDE THIS INFORMATION WILL RESULT IN CLAIM DENIAL.' period, case closed.



be careful with your kindle, use a case or protective pouch, and keep your $40 or $50 bucks to buy new reading material or save up for the next generation. dealing with these EW claims will be frustrating at the very least. kudoos to those above who escaped the pain. 2-Year Extended Warranty for Kindle (6" Display, Free 3G + Wi-Fi, Latest Generation), U.S. customers only

In this writers humble opinion, and that of nationally recognized and syndicated consumer advocate Clarke Howard-- as well as Consumers Report-- this is a bad deal for you and totally unnecessary. First of all, IT IS NOT a complete 2 year extended warranty. Read the text carefully. They clearly say in print that it is only in effect AFTER your normal 1 year warranty that comes with the product. So, it is actually only a 1 year extended warranty for a mfg. defective product for $49 dollars. NOT a good deal on a quality product.

Now, with that said, if you are a person who breaks everything you lay your hands on and are prone to dropping things out of your hands ( you admit you are a clumsy person!) then this might be a good thing for you. For most of us however, this is too expensive to make it a good deal. If they offered it at $19.95, it might be something to consider. Maybe.

Consumer advocates say to carefully limit your extended warranty purchases to big-ticket items.

When one buys a quality product (like my Kindle--love it!)you will rarely need to even glance at these profit-making offers. Spend your money elsewhere.

Bought a Gen2 Kindle for my wife (she loves it) WITH an extended warranty ("EW"), on which I based my rating, but to be completely accurate, its true rating won't be known unless and until I ever have to make a claim. I have on order a Gen3 for my daughter and am debating (with myself) whether to order an EW for her Kindle. My general feeling about insurance (I know, I know, an EW isn't insurance, but I think the decision making factors are the same for both) is that one ought to insure only those risks one can't afford to assume. In other words, if you happen to be Bill Gates you don't have to insure your $20+ million house because if it burns down you can afford to replace it. Insurance is always a bad deal because (1) the premium is based on risk of loss, which the insurance company knows very precisely; (2) the premium includes its cost of doing business; and (3) the premium includes its profit. Therefore, the premium cost is greater than the risk of loss and you should not buy insurance if you can afford to shell out the cost of buying a new Gen3 should it break or be damaged.



So, for $50 you/I get "protection" (I'll use that word to avoid the "not insurance" argument) only for the second year, since the first year is covered by the warranty, plus Accidental Damage for two years. And keep in mind that the EW doesn't seem to include loss or theft, and only includes one battery replacement. For that you/I would be paying MORE THAN 25% OF THE COST OF THE GEN3 KINDLE!!!! Are one out of every 3 or 4 Gen3 Kindles going to break in the second year or be damaged in the first two years? That seems extremely unlikely to me and, since I can afford another $180 if I lose my "bet," I have made up my mind, as I write this, not to buy the EW and I will insure it myself. (I can call it insurance if I want to because I am the one insuring it. I can call it anything I want to, including "covering my own bet."



I have had the EW item in and out of my cart for a while due to my indecision, but I am now going to remove it permanently. Even if I have to buy a new one within the next two years, I think I will have won the "probability game," and I would not be surprised if a Gen4, at a lower price, will be available by the latter part of the two year period if I do have to buy a new one.



Thanks for helping me make up my mind.



BTW, in case you're wondering why I don't have an eReader, it's because I listen to audiobooks when I commute. I found it difficult to read and drive at the same time.'

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Fast And Furious - vin diesel, action

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After three high-octane rides on the street racing scene, the fourth film in the "The Fast and the Furious" series features a departure from the flashy, overblown colors, obvious CGI-enhancement, and at times over-the-top stunts of the previous two films. With "Fast & Furious" the series returns to its roots with a grittier, more realistic leaning tone and reunites the primary players from the original film's cast of gearheads for more high speed mayhem.



"Fast & Furious" finds Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) continuing his lawless ways in the Dominican Republic alongside his girlfriend Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) and a new crew of velocity addicted miscreants. When the law begins to close in on Dom and his crew, difficult choices are made, plans are put into motion, and a life is lost. All of this forces Dom to return to his native Los Angeles on a quest for answers and to ultimately deal with those responsible. While back in town, Dom is reunited, albeit begrudgingly, with his former friend Brian O'Connor (Paul Walker), who once again finds he is torn between doing what he desires most or following the letter of the law he's sworn to uphold.



With the slightly weaker feel of the previous two films in the series, I was kind of unsure of how good this fourth attempt would prove to be, regardless of the fact that many of the original film's cast members were reprising their roles eight years later. After seeing "Fast & Furious" over the weekend, I can honestly say that any misgivings I had regarding the film were easily blown away by the sheer entertainment value and superiority exuded by this film over anything included in the previous two films.



Besides the original film's primary cast returning to the series that made them stars, the writer and director duo of Chris Morgan and Justin Lin ("The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift") make their return to the series with a much more polished final product than what had been featured in their previous effort. The screenplay is a much more complex work than one may expect from this type of movie. Screenwriter Chris Morgan ups the stakes for all the players, delivering several twists along the way, and some very sharply written dialogue, all of which makes for a thoroughly entertaining ride from start to finish. The story really seems to focus on resolving storylines begun in the first movie, and creating a stronger link between all of the other movies in the series, especially "Tokyo Drift" (which has always felt a little bit like an outcast in the franchise). As a fan of the series, I believe that this film's more mature storyline and well-written dialogue showcases the time and effort that Chris Morgan put into this film, and the work definitely pays off by rewarding longtime fans of the franchise by interconnecting each of the films, while not alienating any newcomers.



Director Justin Lin shows an even steadier hand when it came to helming his second effort in the series. Even though Justin proved quite capable in capturing the high speeds and general fast-paced nature of the series with "Tokyo Drift", his work here is stronger even if it is with a little less flashiness. By approaching the film more in the vein of the original's look and tone, Lin imbues "Fast & Furious" with a grittier nature that cements its close ties to the aforementioned, along with having the slight feel of an urban crime drama (albeit without the same level of intensity inherent in most of those films). If there are to be any more films in this series, then I believe that the powers-that-be may have found a valuable asset in this director, and one that they should use whenever possible to maintain consistency between the installments (something this series has previously lacked).



As I've mentioned a couple of times already, the cast for this film features many returning members from the original film. Let's begin with one of the biggest breakout stars of the original, Vin Diesel ("A Man Apart"). In his reprisal as Dom Toretto, Vin gives one of the best performances of his career, if not his best yet (easily rivaling his work in "A Man Apart" or "Find Me Guilty"). In this film, Diesel is given more opportunity to explore Dom, whether it is his passion for the various facets of his life, personal loss, the issue of trust, or merely the unbridled fury that we had only heard mention of in the first film. Here we are presented with a much more layered and developed anti-hero than had been previously established, and one who is more weathered and world-weary from all of the experiences he has endured whether good or bad. If there are still some detractors of Vin's work out there, then the combination of his movies mentioned above should help convince them to the contrary, so long as they ignore his misfire with the dismal "Babylon A.D.".



Alongside Vin is Paul Walker as the other main lead for this installment. This film also marks Walker's second reprisal as the lead in this series, as Paul was the only main cast member to return for the initial sequel "2 Fast 2 Furious". To be fair, Vin has also appeared in the series three times, although his second appearance was just a cameo in the final moments of "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift". But I digress, now back to Paul Walker's performance as one-time ex-law man turned outlaw turned active FBI agent Brian O'Connor. It's a rather convoluted series of events that comprise O'Connor's storyline through the series, but it works. In the first film, Paul gave a fairly solid, if not flawed performance, which he proceeded to follow-up with a decidedly more surfer-esque, flat and stilted performance, replete with more "Yo's", "Bro's", and "Check it's" than one would care to count. Paul's third stint in the series, much like Vin's return, makes for his best performance of the series, not to mention his entire career. I used to think that he was one of those actors that merely skated by on his looks and onscreen charm, with very little acting talent holding it all together. With his performance here he is much more reserved and believable, even intense at times, to the point that one wonders if there may be hope for Paul's career as a serious actor yet. Gone are the various surfer boy idioms, replaced by a much more mature character who is still trying desperately to atone for past mistakes.



The final two returning characters are the two important female roles of Mia and Letty (Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez respectively). Both of these characters suffered from very little development in their first outing, a problem that has now been rectified by this film. The character of Mia is given a very emotional arc to go through over the course of the film as she is forced to deal with the return of her former lover and betrayer of her family, Brian O'Connor. Jordana proves with her more developed role and character arc that she has the acting chops necessary to handle more of the story should the occasion call for it, something that future writers of the series may want to take note of should her character make any more return appearances. Michelle Rodriguez has proven in numerous movies and on TV's "Lost" that she is a very capable actress, but in this series she has yet to really be all that important or necessary for that matter. In the first film she was merely Dom's girlfriend and not all that interesting beyond that; however, in this story her character is central to the film's main plotline. I have to admit that while I wasn't all that enthralled by Michelle's character in the original film, she definitely proved more interesting in this one, and was much more enjoyable to watch as she really seemed to be having a good time in the role.



Lastly, we have one key newcomer to the franchise. Actor John Ortiz ("Aliens Vs Predator: Requiem") plays a man named Campos whose job is to find and recruit drivers to smuggle drugs for a very powerful Mexican cartel. I haven't seen John in any kind of tough guy roles, mostly because I haven't seen too many movies he's appeared in, but I have to say he was very convincing in the role. He portrayed the character with a subtle hint of menace, never really overdoing it just keeping an obvious air about him that this guy is not one to be trifled with. While he wasn't given an incredible amount of screen time, what he is given John makes the most of. John delivers a strong antagonist that could have ended up being just another stock character, but became something a little more developed thanks to his work in the role.



"Fast & Furious" is by far the best of the sequels in the series, and easily rivals the original film, possibly even surpasses it. This is all due to a much tighter and more developed story, the best acting in the entire series, and a much more grounded sense of reality than the previous two films boasted. If you've been a fan of the series or have simply become disappointed by the direction it's taken in the previous sequels, then this is the movie to see as it undoubtedly kicks the franchise back into high gear.



As a side note, it's important to know that "Fast & Furious" occurs prior to the events shown in the third film, "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift".



"Fast & Furious" is rated PG-13 for violence, language, and sexuality. Fast & Furious (2009) - Adventure - Action - Fast And Furious - Vin Diesel'

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Inkjet - hp, inkjet

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Been using the HP02 inks for about a year and they have all been great (as expected). Just started using the HP 02XL inks this past month and am equally satisfied. Standard B&W text is crisp and the photos I print have that extra "pop" on the page. I have never used non-OEM inks and never will. I also like the fact that I can go to HP's web site and print off shipping labels to return the spent cartridges back to HP for "free". Original HP 02XL Magenta Ink Cartridge in Retail Packaging

While I'm very happy with the quality of the text and photo printouts of my C7250, I'm very disappointed in the waste of color inks when printing in just black and white. I print in black and white 98% of the time, yet I've had to replace the Magenta and Yellow ink cartridges almost as often as the black. This tells me that even though I've selected "grayscale, Black Ink Only" in my printer settings, the HP printer is still using Magenta and Yellow. I found this to be such a waste that I decided to buy a Brother HL-2270DW Wireless Laser Printer to offset the cost. My Brother HL-2270DW costs me less than 2 cents per page of B&W text.

As always and with almost all printer manufacturers they ink cartridges is where they take your money away. Hope to find some economical refill kit before I go broke. As always is practically cheaper to purchase an all-new printer instead of the consumables. Nothing wrong with the individual suppliers of Amazon for this items, the problem is the manufacturers.

I have never been let down by products bought from Amazon.com. That was true until I received the HP02 cartridge. As soon I installed the cartridge into the printer, I printed out a document that required only black ink. The document came out with a mixture of bluesh-pinkesh and black lettering. I ran the "Clean Printhead" feature of the machine and its result was a disaster. The coloring and patterns that were supposed to be the result of the cleaning were random at best and some colors were not present. As soon as I looked "under the hood" of the printer, I realized that the Magenta color (the color just installed) was all over the carriage and sides of printer. I honestly don't know what went wrong, as I installed the cartridge the same way as I have for the past year, but what I know is that my printer now is not working properly. The printout is in random colors and unacceptable. I would like to believe that this is a one time incident caused by a defective cartridge, but I am inclined to believe that this was not a brand new cartridge but a refurbished/recycled one. I requested a full refund from Amazon.com. - Inkjet - Hp'

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