Friday, 26 August 2011
Surround System - audio cables, home theater
There's not much to say about this speaker cable except that it works as advertised. This was the perfect amount to configure a 5.1 setup in my small living room. The cable is thick (definitely appears to be 16-Gauge) and it works. No complaints, especially for the price. RCA AH16100SN 16-Gauge Speaker Wire (100 Feet)
it's speaker wire, it's 16 gauage speaker wire. I bought 14 and 18 guage wire to make sure I was getting the right wire. I used the 14 for the longer wire pulls (greater than 12 feet) and 16 guage for the shorter 10' pulls. I didn't use the 18 guage at all. The wire has 2 (two) different colored wires, one silver the other is gold. I used some great banana plugs that screw on from a company called Sewell, the plugs were on sale for about 5 bucks for a pack of 10.( http://www.amazon.com/Pair-Banana-Plugs-Screw-Connectors/dp/B003EGIE2S/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1288442903&sr=8-3-fkmr0 ) I installed surround sound 7.1 speakers 8 (speakers).The banana plugs make changing the receiver around so much easier, you don't have to un-screw the speaker wires so much. The sound is great, it's so realistic, it fools my dog. Technology today has change so much, but speaker wire is still so important. You can't cheap out on speaker wire. That doesn't mean you have to buy super expensive wire. Amazon had/has the best price for great cable, they beat the big box stores prices and quality hands down. Everything I ordered came days before it was promised. Amazon does a great job even if the products are dropped shipped. When people ask what I want for my birthday or xmas I tell'm give me a card from Amazon, i'll find something there. Great store, great products, great prices.
Dan Hux
Raleigh, NC
grear wire,love how it has a white line so u can teel the difference between both wires,its a little to thin for larger speakers,i recommend the 14 ga., but its easy to hide and is great for satellite speakers
I couldn't believe the price on this speaker wire. I was setting up a home theater system for my parents and they wanted to run some speaker wires under the carpet before their new carpet got installed. I wanted 16 gauge speaker wire since the rear speakers were about 20 feet away from the receiver. I went to Lowe's and they wanted almost $70 for comparable 100ft. 16 gauge cable. I got the cable and paid the $4 to have it over-nighted (definite benefit of Amazon Prime account when you need it) and it still only cost me $22. The speaker wire has a white line on one side to help you connect the positive and negative connectors on your receiver and speakers so you keep the polarity correct. A lot of expensive speaker wires seem to be going away with this and making it more difficult to connect your devices. Great speaker wire for the price. I would definitely buy again when needed.
I used to have the expensive major brand cables to hook up my speakers, but when we moved to a new house I needed longer runs. To save on some of the cost I purchased this instead of the "name brand" speaker cable and I can not tell the difference.
Doing some renovation on an old home and needed to get a couple more wires run for my polk 7.1 home theater speakers before I started on the duct work....i unfortunately ran out of the good CL2 14 gauge copper wire I ordered from Amazon so I ran down to Slowes home improvement and grabbed the best looking roll of 14 gauge speaker wire I saw. I had to do a solder joint in one spot, while soldering I noticed the wire turned shiny silver. Turns out this is crap CCA wire, which stands for Copper Clad Aluminum. If you need to solder this stuff you are left with aluminum strands which are not nearly as good at conducing electricity when compared to copper. Im pulling all 100ft of this stuff out and replacing it. The sad part is I only spent pennies more on the foot for pure copper.
Ive heard to go down (up in cross sectional area) a gauge if you are set on using CCA...
It wasn't nearly as expensive as some other *cough*Monster*cough* wires, but is the same thing. Wire's a pretty simple thing - stranded copper in a sheathing. The sheathing on this wire was very nice and thick, and as for the thickness of the wire itself; I needed to use the 14 awg stripper if I didn't want to pinch off some wire strands. Some people will argue that higher strand counts will give you better sound, which is crazy talk. The physics of that just doesn't work, the cross-sectional area is the same and that's what matters. - Speaker Cable - Rca - Home Theater - Audio Cables'
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High School Life - daily planner, academic planner
This is an EXCELLENT Day Planner for Students! It is even nicer than the pictures! In the front of the planner there is some great information: class schedule pages, study tips and skills, goal planning, internet safety, test taking tips, map of the USA , and some basic information in Social Studies/English/Science/Math. There is also a middle school version that we purchased. I highly reccomend the Plan-It planners and our family will definately buy these again next year! 2011-2012 Plan-It Academic Student Day Planner - High School Edition - Student Planner - Planner - Daily Planner - Academic Planner'
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Paper Mate - paper mate, mechanical pencil
A friend let me borrow one of these pencils one day at school, and I absolutely fell in love with it. The grip is comfortable, but not too soft that it is hard to write. Papermate makes a .7 and .5 model of these pencils, and depending on your writing styles, they work differently to your advantage. I personally prefer the .5mm because I don't like my handwriting to be thick, but the .7 lead lasts longer and is more durable. The eraser lasts very long, and when you do run out (which takes a couple months), the pack comes with an extra. The starter pack comes with lead, but it is only about 12 pieces, so normally, when I buy a new pack of pencils, I also buy a 3 pack of lead. I burn through lead quite quickly, and 12 pieces only lasts about 2 weeks of school, so buying extra lead is very helpful.
My only problem with these pencils is, that when you load lead into these pencils, you have to take the top off, which isn't a big deal, but for every time you load the pencil, it wears out what holds the top, and after a couple of months, it doesn't hold the top, so when you go to erase, the top falls off. This is my only issue, and it is very minor compared to all the pro's of this pencil.
Overall, these are amazing pencils, and I can't use any other pencil. My mom tries to buy me the cheap bulk pack of mechanical pencils, and I won't use them! She has to buy me these!! =D Paper Mate Clear Tip 0.7mm Mechanical Pencil Starter Set, Colors May Vary (56047PP)
My son found one of these on the street and we both fell in love with it. Had to buy more so we each would have our own and actually bought 2 starter sets which comes with 2 pencils and extra lead and erasers. Comfortable grip - a bit larger than most mech pencils, which is nice for my old joints. Writes well and seems to be pretty durable.
I like the concept of these more than I like the actual pencils. You can see how many leads are left! You can twist out more eraser when you need it! The lead-advance button is on the side of the pencil, so you can easily use it while writing, and unlike the end-push ones you can't accidentally click out more lead while erasing!
So I got two of them -- different colors, at different times, so probably not the same batch. And yet they've both had the same problems.
* The clip piece broke off of each one, which I've not had happen with any other mechanical pencils.
* As others reported, the attachment for the eraser end of the pencil isn't very well designed, and after only maybe two lead reloads they've occasionally fallen out on both of my pencils. This is doubly annoying because even if you can find it and put it back in place, it's also the cap for the lead compartment so you've almost certainly lost any extra leads you had in the pencil.
* Also, when I erase, the eraser often retracts: it's a simple twist mechanism, so the back-and-forth motion and mild pressure of simple erasing is enough to twist it back in, unless you get the angle just right.
The grip is nice, the erasers are good, the pencils feel good in the hand and to write with, and the lead (.5mm, for mine) doesn't break much at all. There are some nice functionality and design innovations here. If Paper Mate fixes the design flaws, I'll happily buy this kind again and probably forevermore. I'm looking for a different model now, though, because I've already lost the eraser end from one of mine, and as the other also falls off, I'm sure it, too, will vanish permanently sooner or later (though I'll try a review commenter's wrap suggestion).
I have tried many, many varieties of mechanical pencils. Thin, thick, narrow, oddly shaped, metal, you name it, and no other mechanical pencil I have encountered even comes close to the quality of this one.
The innovative design was executed flawlessly; I'm very grateful it has the led dispenser near the grip-- that may be the best feature of it. The width isn't too narrow nor too thick, it feels just right, and the grip is gratifying to say the least.
Also, the eraser design was a definite plus! The erasers it comes with are well thought out and durable, and it even comes with extra ones! Your hand will be grateful if it ever comes in contact with one of these godsend pencils, and that is an understatement. Papermate surely makes the best mechanical pencils out there.
I have had four of these pencils, and they always break quickly. With the last pencil I used, the clip broke off after 3 weeks of using it, and the pencil would no longer hold lead refills after 6 weeks. No matter what I tried, the leads would just slide out of the point of the pencil.
I had the same problem with other mechanical pencils made by the same company--labelled as "Sanford". After a short time, the leads just fall out.
I had much better luck with the Pentel mechanical pencils I bought twenty years ago. They aren't as cute, but they both still work, and have metal clips that won't break off.
Bought 4 of these; 1 stopped working (won't push any leads through) in less than a month. Sanford guarantees satisfaction, but it's not worth postage and time to send it back for a replacement. So figure the cost of each pencil accordingly. We'll see how long the other 3 last.
These great pencils are very efficient and come in a variety of colors that include three shades of green, red, black, pink, purple, turquoise, and much more!!! They come with a pack of 12 pieces of lead and two back-up erasers.The very first time I saw these, I fell in love with them.
First of all, the erasers are wonderful compared to other mechanical pencils. Other pencils only have one short eraser that wears down after a while. Then they'll get on your nerves when you're tryng to refill you lead. These pencils have solved the problem. the erasers are huge and long-lasting. you can twist the top to increase the length or decrease it. To refill the lead, instead of taking the eraser out, you take the whole cap off! I thought that that was a very clever way to refill lead. To take the eraser out in order to replace it with a back-up (included), just gently pull the eraser out and easily put a new eraser back in the plastic tabs.
Secondly, I think the tip of the pencil holds the lead a bit stronger, because the lead never breaks (or hardly ever). To push the lead out, just push on the tab under the words "clear point. 0.5mm" even though it say 0.5mm, 0.7mm also works. There are these gel-like strips at the barrel, which prevents your fingers from sliding. It is #2 lead, so it is perfect to standardized tests. The tip is also retractable.
All in all, Paper Mate has out done themselves. I have used these pencils for a year already and much more to come! - Paper Mate - Best Mechanical Pencil - Mechanical Pencil - Office Supplies'
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Backpack Rod - telescopic fishing rod, fishing equipment
I recently sailed a 40 ft catamaran around the Florida Keys and wanted to do some occasional fishing.
We took the dinghy out to the #18 red marker just south of the Boca Grande channel, tied off, chummed with some shrimp and began fishing. We had stripped off the flimsy looking mono that came with the reels and replaced with 8.b test Spider mono. We used a swivel to some 30lb test leader and no weight. We baited with whole shrimp hooked from the tail up through the body.
Within 10 minutes we caught and landed 3 yellowtail jacks that were easily 8 to 10 lbs each. The fight was excellent with the fish peeling off drag from time to time. The rod was bent almost double as we turned the fish and wound down. Pretty good stuff for a telescopic device. The drag worked perfectly and was smooth. It was a good 5 minute fight as we gained back line only to lose it again with with furious runs by the jack. .....very fun..... With the last fish a 7 ft. shark actually chased the hooked fish up to the inflatable dinghy and that's when we felt it was time to go.....
This maybe isn't a rod to win a bass tourny with..... but for something to throw into your suitcase and take on vacation..... it's pretty good. Definitely switch out the line with your own and you are good to go. Shakespeare Medium Action Travel Mate Telescopic Kit Combo (6-Feet 6-Inch)
I bought this rod and reel to give to my grandson for our first fishing trip together. It turned out to be more then I expected and the case it comes in is just so practial alowing it to hold the rod,reel along with a few split shots,hooks,some clips,a lure or two.If need be It would also fit a little live bait in a plastic bag inside the carrying case. Making it easy to walk to your fishing spot carrying everything in the case. The case has a handle and measures about 16"x10" stepped shape and weighs in at (2 lbs.6 oz Thats case rod and reel)
Telescopic rod has pros and cons of any telescopic rod - will collapse by itself if you leave joints TAD loose, and might be difficult to collapse if you pull out sections very tight (especially on sea).
Reel: I used it on sea for fishing (trolling) from a kayak, and after 3 weeks all the screws got rusty. It didn't stop working, but the steel is not quite of outdoor quality - will corrode in fresh water too, only slower.
Overall the combo is usable, I don't complain, especially since got an open-box item for $18 - can't beat the price!
I got this rod for my husband for Father's Day since we are going to stay at a cabin. He loves it! It's surprising how compact it is and how long it gets. It seems sturdy too. The only thing was that we were sent a BLUE reel. Honestly, I prefer the blue so it was a nice surprise (our son's pole is blue and he loves that they match)... but I imagine some people might expect and prefer the red so I thought it was worth mentioning. I'd still recommend it! It's a very handsome blue.
I bought this Shakespeare kit because I wanted to be able to fish when traveling. This rig is light weight, compact and has storage compartments for lures,spinners etc. Best of all the rod is telescopic and gives you medium action. Good price and good service. They now call me "Gone Fish-in".
I bought this because I'm in the Navy and I move around a lot, so I needed something compact, yet still of good value.
It comes nicely packaged in a kit box. I found it surprising how small the box is, you wouldn't suspect a 6'6" pole out of the rod.
The quality of the rod seems sturdy and of decent quality. It's lightweight and I don't think you'd have to worry about rough handling. My boyfriend man handles anything he touches and my rod was still fine :-) yay!
I haven't used it yet since I'm out at sea, but once I get back to land, you betcha I'll be out on the water.
this is the most sturdy fishing rod i have ever used. this ro is also so portable you can fit it into a tackle box. the reel is very smooth to. i would recomend this for eneyone who whants a sturdy rod.
I have not had a chance to use the pole yet, I hope to soon and after I do I will update this post. First I would like to mention the pole looks and feels great. It seems to be of good construction. The carrying case is nice but I have one complaint ... the reel needs to be removed before placing it in the case. It think this was a bad decision just because it gets annoying to remove the reel to store it in the case. This is a small complaint but lets see how the rod performs ... stay tuned!
Happy Shopping! - Backpack Rod - Compact - Telescopic Fishing Rod - Fishing Equipment'
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Calorie Counting - fitness, hrm
Before settling on the Polar FT7 Heart Rate Monitor, I did a lot of research on the various types of HRM out there. I was looking for a HRM that wouldn't just give me my heart rate, but I also wanted a bit more features, but I didn't need a lot of features that the higher numbered FT models offered.
When I saw the FT7 model, I was surprised to see so little reviews or mentions of this model. I'm not sure why, maybe this is a newer model or Polar just prefers directing people to the more expensive models because I kept seeing numerous reviews for the F6 or F7, FT40, and FT60 models.
After comparing various Polar HRMs, I settled for the FT7 because it had all the features that I was looking for in a HRM.
Watch/HRM
- Monitors heart rates. I found the monitoring to be accurate except underwater. (I'll go into detail about that a bit later.)
- Counts Calories. The Calorie counter seems to be quite accurate. I have used it for walking, spinning classes, swimming, and strength training sessions and the calorie counts are reasonable.
- Target heart rate graph. The graph is useful for seeing where you are and if you're within your minimum and maximum HR "fitness" ranges during a session.
- Very user friendly. Even though there aren't any instructions on setting up the watch, I didn't think they were needed. I didn't even bother looking at the manual until I was done configuring the watch, but I've never been one to read manuals. However, others may find the lack of a detailed manual a bit frustrating.
- Stores Training Files. Which include records of session durations, calories burned, average HR, Maximum HR, and the amount of time your workout HR was spent in the target range.
- Weekly Summaries. This basically sums up the total amount of time spent training, the total calories during each session, and how many sessions during the week.
- Settings are very easy to change especially if you have any weight changes and want to keep an accurate count of calories being burned.
- There is also a backlight, which is quite handy if you're somewhere with minimal lighting.
- I also found out that if you hold the "down arrow" button, you can change the time to a second time zone that you can set by going through the "quick menu" which is accessed by holding down the "backlight button (*)" which also leads to the "button lock" feature. If you hold down the "up arrow" button, you can change the "Watch face" to just display the time and date or the time and date and logo, which is smaller on the face, but it includes seconds and FT7 logo along the bottom.
- The women's watch is black with a gold stripe down the center of the band. I found the design to be all right. It is less flashy and colorful as the other models, which is one reason I like this watch. I can wear it with my work clothes and it does not stand out much.
- User changeable batteries. This was something I really wanted out of my HRM. I never liked sending something to the manufacturer for replacements even under warranty. I just don't like dealing with shipping, waiting, and extra fees.
- Water Resistant. I have used this HRM in the pool and the monitoring is relatively accurate when it actually reads the transmitter. I believe the Polar website notes that in some highly chlorinated pools or seawater the transmitter will not be picked up underwater. The pool in my gym is very chlorinated and there were times when the HRM will not pick up my heart rate. But if I just sit still in the water for a minute or so the watch will pick up the signal again. Though this can get annoying if you are trying to swim laps for endurance. The watch still gives me a fair calculation of calories I have burned during my swim sessions. Though the calorie count is most likely lower since I'm not sure how long the watch is not reading my heart rate during times when I am swimming several laps nonstop. I also tried using this in a saltwater treated pool and the moment I went underwater the transmitter does not work at all. So I'm guessing that this HRM will not work if you are swimming in the ocean.
Chest Strap
- The Chest strap is very comfortable, and I usually don't feel it, but then again it might be because I'm used to having something strapped around my chest all day. And I have had no problems of it slipping. It is also recommended to wet the straps a little. I usually just wet my hands a bit and rub against the cloth area, and I'm good to go.
- User changeable batteries. The transmitter pops off easily from the strap, and like the watch, I can change my own batteries, but unfortunately the watch and transmitter use different types of batteries.
- Another perk is that most of the machines in my gym also pick up the transmitter readings, allowing me not have to keep glancing at my watch while I'm on the elliptical or cycling.
Overall, I really like this watch. For the price I paid, it was worth it and it gives me all the basic things I need to monitor my workout sessions.
If you want a simple watch that gives you fairly accurate heart rates, calorie burns, training records, and user changeable batteries the FT7 is a cheaper option to the FT40 and FT60 models. Polar FT7 Men's Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Black / Silver)
I've had the ft7 for maybe two weeks now, using it many times, since it is my first heart rate monitor. Overall, i think it is a good deal. It feels and looks like a high-quality instrument - solid, if not "flashy". It fits my wrists just fine and seems to have plenty of adjustment for larger wrists (I have fairly small wrists for a guy, at a "healthy" weight of 157 at 5'8", at age 40). I believe the watch band is anti-microbial (and anyway, has a cool yet subtle almost snakeskin kind of look to it). The band's connection to the watch seems quite integrated and sturdy, with the vertical thickness of the band being the same as the watch where the two meet. The watch's main body, while plenty large, does not dwarf my wrist or anything.
I understand that it is a fairly recent development for Polar that the chest strap and the watch will both take regular batteries, rather than having to order replacements from Polar. Certainly that is more convenient. Also as I reviewed potentially replacing my ft7 (see reason below), I found that it is also a treat to have a fabric strap for the heart signal transmitter, as a lot of manufacturers use plastic or rubber (?). I find the fabric strap to be no discomfort at all.
The "heart touch" (i think that's the name) feature, is at least a cool novelty - bring your watch close to your heart strap and the watch will beep then flash to show the time, then go back to the previous display after a few seconds.
You can manually rotate through several displays as you are training. I would prefer a display that shows the heart rate and the training time at once, but that combination doesn't exist. The heart rate is a part of one of the combo displays, but oddly, it is paired with the time of day rather than the training time.
Also, the timing functions are rudimentary. As far as i can tell (and i've read the manual too), there isn't a timer or stopwatch function separate from the heart rate training - to use any kind of timer you must "start training" which then looks for a heart signal. If you continue without the strap, it will warn you there's no heart signal, but once you acknowledge that, that warning disappears and you'll see the timer again. There is no interval or lap timing or countdown function, which seems odd to me as a newbie, for a $110 watch, even if lesser timer/stopwatch functions might be usual for this heart rate monitor watch industry. The watch just keeps track of your training duration, but you can pause and continue your work as many times as you want.
The recording of your training sessions is exceptional - the manual said up to 99 training files will be saved. I know i've already got over 20 that are definitely in the watch.
It also automatically keeps track of how much time you spend in "fat burning" or "fitness" zones during your workout. The calculation for that is automatic based on the input you gave when you set up the watch. (age, height, weight, maximum heart rate).
I'll emphasize that this watch will allow you to change your maximum heart rate setting, which presumably will change the watch's calculations for your different training zones (I'm not sure how big the effect is, having just learned enough about my probable true maximum heart rate to change it today). I've read that for similarly trained people of the same age in the same athletic endeavors, max HR can differ by as much as 60 bpm (!), so this feature seems very important. I seem to have a much higher max HR than what the usual formulas calculate. (That, or the watch doesn't detect HR well, which I don't think is the case, as I've noticed this tendency for a long time on gym equipment with pulse detectors).
Besides being able to set your own maximum heart rate, the ft7 has a zone alarm, that will beep when your heart rate has exceeded the limit (which you can set). UNFORTUNATELY (and this is why despite liking the watch overall, i will be taking it back), the sound the watch makes is very very low in volume. If I'm biking against the wind - I'll hardly hear it if at all. If I'm running on a quiet trail, I'll probably hear it if i'm listening for it. If i'm running on the sidewalk along a main road, I'll probably not hear it above the vehicle noise. As is, kind of defeats the purpose of having an audible alarm if despite having it I'm always having to steady my hand while running, or let go of the handlebars while riding to see what my heart rate is. I can find no volume adjustment, looking through the watch settings or reading the manual.
I'd like to say I know more about whether this might simply be a problem with my particular watch, or a design defect. I started a forum question at Polar's site, but got little response. One other person said they had the same problem there, last i checked. The watch's alarm-clock function also has a very low volume when it goes off, so perhaps that is an indication that is the particular watch and not a design defect.
The problem has turned what was an acceptable impulse purchase into a situation where I've investigated models much more thoroughly, and I think I'll try a Timex, mostly because they do tend to have much better timer/interval/stopwatch functions, and I'd like to see if they're cheaper prices, on the average, are worth it.
That being said, otherwise I am overall fond of this watch, and likely would have stayed with it. - Fitness - Hrm - Calories - Calorie Counting'
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Kitchen Tv - lcd tv, coby
Just as I was reading email confirming shipment of my tv, the doorbell rang. It was here already!Absolutely FAST order processing and shiping!
The Haier tv looks and feel solidly constructed. I hooked it up, scanned for channels, and BINGO!Perfect operation. This is a nice little television and I am very pleased with it.
thanks,
Thom Izbicki HAIER HLT10 10 PORTABLE LCD TV (BLACK)
I just recently went green in my studio's security desk. I now have four of these. One stopped working recently, and I had to return it. I'm still waiting for the new replacement. But the other three are working nicely. So far.
Bought one which worked OK for a week, then shut off on its own, and couldn't be revived. Returned it, for another, which worked for a week, then started turning itself off after 10-15 seconds after it was turned on. Returned to Amazon, I've given up on this model. - Haier Tv - Lcd Tv - Coby - Portable Lcd Tv'
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Cell Phone Accessories - fellowes, screen protectors
These work very well, for what they are, to protect your screen. They are slightly sticky (Think post it note) so it won't come off easily. But when you do peal it back to replace it does not leave any film behind. (again think Post-it-note) When you do put it on, be sure you do NOT touch the sticky side, it will ruin that piece as the oils from your finger will stick to it and it will not be as clean or transparent when put on the device. This is not hard to do, just cut to size and place using the peal-off backing to hold and the included plastic card to press down. Just make sure your device is CLEAN, any little flecks of dirt will also show up big time. Fellowes WriteRight Universal Screen Protector, 10 Pack
There seems to be a wide disparity in prices for small screen protector sheets, ranging from about $1 to $10 for just a single 3" x 5" (approx) sheet. The most expensive ones are custom-cut for your device. But if you are willing to do the cutting yourself, you can get away very cheaply with these Fellowes WriteRight Universal Screen protectors. They work great and are the cheapest around. Nice and glossy/slippery on the outward side, nice adhesion on the inside, with a nice stiff feel that seems to ensure they will last for a long time on your device. I put them on my kids DS and PSP, my cell phone, and my iPod about 2 months ago and they have been flawless.
I have trusted the Fellowes WriteRight line on my last 3 PDA's. Previously I used a hard green plastic cover that worked but was diminished the screen contrast quite a bit. This is different. The soft plastic is much like the type you peel off the front of new digital displays. I find they last for months even with heavy usage and do not diminish brightness or clarity to any great degree.
The only thing one must watch out for is the bubbling if the screen is put on carelessly. This is really annoying. An excellent product that only misses 5 stars due to the price for something so simple and inexpensive to make and distribute.
I have been using these for 2 years with good success. Cameras,phones,Ipods, even a small handheld television that use to be popular in the 80's.
As far as people complaining about the air bubbles, Dont fret it ! The small bubbles that are there slowly work themselves out and in shot while there will bo no bubbles.
Sam
This is so easy to use and has saved the screen on my digital camera. Wished I had known about this 3 years ago, my lasst camera screen got so scratched up I could hardly see anything in it. Have used it for my cellphone, and several other items. Doesn't cost much either.
I purchased this item to use on my blackberry curve. The 10 sheets have a handy grid underlay making cutting to size very easy. Very easy to apply. It is a great deal since I can get 2 applications per sheet for the Curve's screen. Will recommend to anyone looking for a great product to protect their phone/camera/ipod screens.
These of course work like they should.
They're clear and NOT matte so that's a huge plus.
I'm really picky about my screen protectors and when they come precut
There's always one corner that's not being reached and it just pisses me off
so I prefer these bad boys because I can cut them myself.
The graph on the opposite side definitely helps when cutting and makes sure
you're cutting straight.
If you love little project building with your hands, you're going to love putting your screen protector on.
Tip: Youtube how to do it.
If you don't have patience, repetitiveness, or simple eye hand coordination, you'll hate these and should
look for those precut ones.
Don't expect to put it on without bubbles the first time. It takes practice. I've put on about less than ten
screen protectors in my life and each time I get less and less bubbles. So expect them! And you'll see that you'll
get bubbles no matter the brand.
And with ten screens to go through at less than a buck each, you should have plenty of practice.
Sadly, the only con to these is that they don't cover my entire screen of my Evo4g. you could get away with just covering the lighted part of the screen and leave the 'home, menu, back, and find' uncovered, but I like the whole thing covered.
Oh well at least they weren't expensive.
five stars
tip: if you have dust in there use two pieces of tape to get it out.
first one on top to peel the screen off slightly, the other piece of tape, sticky side facing dust, dab, peel off, done!
Hope this helps.
I got these for my blackberry and ipod touch. They work fine and are easy to cut and apply. I was apprehensive at first with the number of so so reviews on Amazon, but what is a better alternative? Every screen protector gets so so reviews and some are much more expensive. When these wear out it is no big deal to slap another one on because they are cheap. Do not expect to have perfect application. The trick, IMO, is to start in one corner and carefully smooth out bubbles as you lay the plastic down. If you try and smooth them out from the center, it just doesn't seem to work as well and you scratch the surface in the process. The scratches do seem to happen, but I think that it is hardly noticeable at all once you turn the device on. It is noticeable if you are looking at the reflection off of the screen at a 45 degree angle. These are great and when I run out, I will buy more. BTW you can get two applications from one sheet and they last for a couple of months. - Screen Protectors - Photography - Fellowes - Cell Phone Accessories'
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Microphone Stand - home recording, mic stands
Not much to say about this standard "old school" mic stand. Durable - you won't believe how heavy this is - and serving its purpose well. The only drawback is there is no room to strum a guitar while singing with it! Musician's Gear Die-Cast Mic Stand Black
I've been looking for an inexpensive mic stand and this fit the bill perfectly. It may be inexpensive but it's certainly not cheap - construction is sturdy and it breaks down nicely for travel. The base is heavier than I expected, but not ridiculously so - this was a pleasant surprise, not an unwelcome one.
Although I assume it was probably an oversight on my part, I figure it's worth mentioning, this is the stand only, no clip. Nonetheless, I was very pleased with this purchase.
I got this for my daughter for Christmas...Thank Goodness I got the Mic Clip too because this does not come with one. It was exactly what my daughter wanted.....Day 3 and she won't stop singing....lol Good Product
Exactly what I needed...this is a very sturdy, well constructed and affordable mic stand. The cast metal bottom has three removable rubber nubs to prevent scuffing hard floors..nice! The base is heavy and stable, which is good, considering this stand is being used to mount a second Roland Cm-30 Cube monitor for stereo sound. Outer Box was torn up in shipping but the actual stand was well protected and arrived without damage or blemish. Overall, a great buy for something thats simple but has to work.
I purchased 4 of these microphone stands to use in our church for the Praise & Worship Team. They are very sturdy and have a high tech look. We don't have to move them around at all just up when we sing and down when we are done. We have no complaints. As our Praise Team continues to grow I will come back and purchase more. I have recommended this product to other churches and will continue to do so for all who ask.
I got this a month or two ago and thought it wasn't going to be super sturdy... boy was I wrong. It is great for holding my Audio Technica AT2020 and easy to clip a pop filter onto. At first I was worried about the height of the product, but I received it and can make the microphone go well above my mouth and I am 6' tall. Overall it's a great stand. The only thing that is not really a problem, but can be annoying is that when you try to un-tighten the joint to adjust the hight, it sometimes wants to unscrew from the base. At the time though I had a broken hand so I couldn't use two hands. So if you use two hands, your all good on that. The base is hollowed out on the bottom but pretty heavy and it makes for a great stand that you don't have to worry about tipping over by just a small impact or something.
Santa gave this to my daughter for Christmas, and she loves it! She loves to play with a microphone from a karaoke machine, but she wanted a stand so that she didn't always have to hold it. Now she uses the stand to pretend to be everything from a singer to a reader in church. The stand is sturdy and adjustable, and the base is quite heavy. I was amazed at the quality considering the low price. I highly recommend this stand! (If you do purchase this, you need to know that that you'll also need to purchase a microphone clip. I bought a heavy duty clip from a local music store for about $6.00.)
I bought this stand for a young artist I am working with so she could get used to handling a mic and a mic stand for on stage performances. I was extremely surprise at the quality of this stand. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a good vocal mic stand and doesn't want to spend too much. - Home Studio - Mic Stands - Home Recording - Microphone Stand'
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Vtech Cordless Phone - cordless phone, dect cordless phone
Pros: Relatively cheap, especially if you are not paying Amazon.com price. You can get these phones for 19.99 elsewhere. Small footprint. Looks good. Intuitive setup. Sound comes through loud and clear.
Cons: So far, everyone I have called told me that there is breakup and static and other artifacts on their end....worse than my dead Uniden cordless phone (also a cheapie.)
Summary: Decent for the price, but definitely not perfect. Vtech DECT 6.0 Silver/Black Expandable Cordless Phone with Caller ID and Handset Speakerphone (CS6219)
Just got this phone and set it up, so I can't really say yet how it will function as a phone. It looks like it will be fine ...
... Except that it would have been good to know that you can't use a headset with it. The handsets have no place to plug a headset in. (I like to wear a headset and slip the handset into a pocket, to be able to talk hands-free.) As far as I can tell (and if anybody knows different, please reply and let me know) you can't do that with this phone system. Since my prior cordless phone, which was ancient and cheap, had such a feature, I figured all cordless phones did.
Oh, well.
Bought it more than one month ago as a replacement of my previous 5.8GHz cordless phone. I had a gift certificate plus there was an on-line promotion at that time, therefore, it was a good buy for me. This is a DECT phone which works as a stand-alone phone (including the base station, not just a handset expansion). I tested with friends, all of them said that the sound quality was very good. Easy to navigate through the menu and settings. Provide "pause" which is useful when using a calling card. I haven't found any disappointment yet. So far, I am very pleased with it.
I am so happy with this phone. I have MS and have quite a problem pushing small buttons. This phone has really nice size buttons, so it is easier for me to use.
I really like the fact that it has an directory, so I am able to find the numbers that I use the most. It was quite easy to follow the instructions on how to put the numbers into the phone too. They are very clear and concise.
Because of my MS I am only able to whisper, but with this phone it doesn't seem to be a problem for other people to hear me. However, I tried using the speakerphone and the people could just barely hear me, so I think if I was able to speak in a normal voice, it probably would be just fine too.
I thought the phone was quite reasonably priced, and I highly recommend it.
I bought these for my mother for Christmas to replace her existing phones. She can hear without the static now, actual see the numbers on the keypad, and doesn't have to worry about the battery dying in the middle of a converstaion. Great price, Great Quality.
This phone looks great, and sounds even better. The call quality is exceptional, I have used it inside, outside, in my basement, and took it out to the mailbox and have never had any static or quality issues. It looks great and is easy to use, other people have complained about the menu, but I thought it was easy to navigate and have had no issues with it. The speaker phone is a bit touch and go, but I never really use that feature, but I tried it, and it was a bit spotty cutting in and out.
The only reason I gave this a 4 and not 5 was that the phone does not just slide right down into the cradle, and if you don't pay attention you can drop it in and it won't actually be charging, so you have to pay attention to the red light that lets you know that is it actually on the charger properly.
I was looking for a cheap cordless phone to use with my magic jack. The LCD on my old 5.8 GHz phone was going blank. This one sounds good, looks good, has digital technology, is easy to operate and a great price on Amazon. Had I to do over again I may have bought the model with a second handset so I don't have to go upstairs to my computer to put it back on the charging base.
Although the sound quality of handset is decent, the battery life is extremely poor. If the phone gets unplugged for only less than 12 hours, the handset will not make/receive calls without being charged again for quite a long time. Also, unless you make an effort to acquaint yourself (frequently!) with the buttons (e.g., phone number storage), you'll be tearing your hair out each time you want to store a phone number as it's not designed to be very intuitive at all. - Vtech - Dect Cordless Phone - Cordless Phone - Caller Id'
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Cable Ties - velcro, reusable
At first, what I really wanted was a cable organization system. Then I came across these ties, which I figured would be an inexpensive solution to tie my computer wires along the legs of my desk. Having done that, I must say it looks a lot cleaner. These sat on my desk for a couple of weeks when I found even more things to do with them... They're currently also holding up a rope light to the back of my TV (for some ambient light) and they're doing that job wonderfully. All in all, a great product, and definitely priced right for the amount of things it can do.
One thing to be careful of though, is that even though it is not the traditional "velcro" as you know it (e.g. hooks and a fuzzy cloth on the other side), these do still stick to a Swiffer duster if you take one over it. Velcro Reusable Self-Gripping Ties, 0.5 Inches x 8 Inches, Black/Gray, 50 Ties per Pack (90924)
I bought these ties to hold my computer against the back wall of my desk and they work well enough, but there's another product somewhere on amazon that gives you twice as much for a similar price. I didn't buy that because it lost its super saver shipping when i tried to buy it.
That said, this product serves its purpose and won't give out to a decent amount of force (pulling apart parallel to the adhesive).
I purchased these over a decade ago back when they sold them only in 10 packs (I bought three), and they've lasted for that time and still work today. Relative to those, these are a total steal in price. :-)
A few of these were in rotation for my daily travel bag's power supplies and such so don't worry about wearing them out. Granted they pick up lint and hair like nobody's business, but even now, when I've replaced most of their duties with CableBuddies, I still have need to cinch down cable BUNDLES in a few places and these do the job. And for that, the fancy "colored" ones don't serve half as good cable duty (you don't want to exactly draw attention to bundles).
Over the old velcro tape design that I used before that, these have a loop. The way you use it is to choose one "key" cable (or the end of a cable) and loop it around and threw the loop tightly. Then you wrap it around the bundle and velcro it down. Should for hundreds (or thousands) of adjustments.
So here is the low down. For 90% of what others suggest you buy these things for, you should get CableBuddies, if you can afford them. Remember CableBuddies bulk work to a little under $1 per, while these are a tenth the cost (then again, CableBuddies are made in the USA and have higher cost materials). On the other hand, how expensive are the devices and appliances you are bundling? Is $1/cable really going to set you back? But if you want to bundle cables or are on a tight budget, these are the best things going (if you are on a real tight budget, that you buy a roll of velcro tape and cut your own, I suggest getting out of the cabling business) . Also there are some things the CableBuddies are too small to chinch down and you are better off with these.
I think color is a personal thing, but if you are color coding, my thought is get something like a CableBuddy. And since most cabling is still black, these things will disappear. In situations where white cabling is involved, you will notice those are "single cable" situations (iMac/Powerbook, surround speaker wire, etc.). There are exceptions--my subwoofers are in my speaker set and the high end subwoofer cable is not black, XBOX seems to have a penchance for the color gray, etc.--but not enough to warrant actually getting any color other than what Henry Ford recommends (any color you want, as long as it is black).
For travel, other than power, look for retractable USB cables (MacAlly even makes one for the iPod).
I'd have given this 5 stars years ago, but since that time (cable buddies, cable boxes, retractable cabling), I feel its utility is diminishes it a star. Another star is because I think after a decade, they would have switched the the denser velcro design, so it won't pick up dust or carpet lint or hair. Some of my cable ties are little dust animals in their own right after years of service. :-)
The cable ties that I have used in the past are much thicker and look like they would hold up better. Initially these look very thin and like they would break easily and not hold tight. But, the velcro seems to hold well and pulling on one of them they seem to be stronger than they look.
These are fantastic ties. I have bought several packs. They are extremely useful and easy to use. They are also sold at some of the self-improvement stores and "Wally World".
Being 8 inches long, sometimes I cut these in half, which works better for smaller needs.
25 ties are black and 25 are gray. Also, these are "Made in USA". Highly recommended!
When I saw the price, I was expecting something much more cheaply made and designed than these are. They have a hole on one end that you use to make a loop than can be drawn very tight and then instead of just one patch of velcro, you can wrap these around on themselves several times to make a nice tight hold on your cables.
I can see lots of uses for these other than cables...put tags on things without worrying about them coming off, wrap up cords for travel, ...
This is a good product with lots of uses. Don't be put off by the low price, this is a quality solution if you have a lot of cords to get under control. - Ties - Reusable - Velcro - Cable Organizers'
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Cable Ties - velcro, reusable velcro Cable Ties - velcro, reusable
Concealer
This is the best of its kind that I have ever used. This particular shade matches my complexion beautifully - but for some reason I'm unable to find it in stores anymore. I was overjoyed to be able to purchase it on Amazon.com Neutrogena Healthy Skin Smoothing Stick Treatment Concealer, Medium 03, 0.10 Ounce
This product is crap. I bought this to try to camoflauge some serious purplish circles, but it is very thin and seems to just sink into the eye area and not conceal or correct anything at all. I just tossed it. I may go back to the estee lauder double wear concealer. I wanted to like this because it's cheap.'
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Accessories - accessories, audio
An inexpensive item can always be a 'bang' or a 'bust'. This being only a few dollars, I was not sure. But it is perfect for my needs...I don't like wearing the provided 'headset' which is provided with the dictation software, Dragon Naturally Speaking, and this convenient microphone sitting on my desk, on the left as the mouse is on the right of the keyboard, makes a nice complement to my workspace. The older style mini-plug will plug into any PC, new or old, in the Audio In port, and there is no setup - just plug it, reboot, and go! The computer recognizes it as a new device, and so does Dragon, and you are all set! A great value in my opinion. When not in use, I just turn it away from me, toward the computer screen, and it is out of the way, but handy. The voice pickup is perfect -- clean and clear. Logitech Labtec Desktop Microphone 600
First off, I'm surprised not many has reviewed this product. I bought this Logitech Microphone at Walmart for the retail price of $8.88.
-The microphone is virtually dirt cheap at $8.88 with the always usual reliable Logitech brand.
-It records what I need to record.
-Did I not already say it's cheap and does the job?
I'm sure there were better options out there, but I'm not complaining. I looked at the product at Walmart and said, "hey what the heck, why not? It's Logitech!" Then I came home wondering if I had actually invested my sub-ten-dollar money wisely. Turns out there was a disgruntled user who did not like this product.
-Anyway, I disagree. It works. It records. And DO feel better if you were like me, trying to feel better about my purchase through reading others' reviews on Amazon!
My PC has speakers on the monitor but no built in mic. I needed a mic input to use the pc with MagicJack. Having on my sound card a 3.5mm plug in provision, the simplest way was to use a "corded" as opposed to bluetooth mic. Nobody has ever commented about my "audio" - so I am assuming it sounds like a regular telephone. I use the desktop stand, but also supplied is a "stick on" mount to affix to the monitor or where ever you desire. Simple, cheap and effective.
I tried this microphone on two different computers with the same result. Sound was muffled and unintelligible when tested on Skype. When I did an actual call using Skype, I got nothing but complaints - low volume and muffled sound. So back to Amazon.com it went.
I purchased this microphone to be used with my Dragon software (speech to text software). It would only pick up my voice if I put my mouth about 3 inches away. So if you're planning on suicide or desktop, and sitting comfortably in your chair, it just doesn't work.
I thought it might just be the fact that I was trying to use it for the software, but when I tried it again using several other programs, the results were no better.
So, I would definitely recommend spending a little more money to buy a nicer microphone.
I bought one of these (from a supermarket, not Amazon) to use in making podcasts. I was hoping I could use it to record guest lectures and publish them online for a university student organization I'm involved with. Unfortunately, it did not work at all. I promptly tested on my 2008 model MacBook White when I got home. I plugged it in per included instructions (which were merely "plug device into line-in jack"). I ran two different open source recording programs (which tend to have the best compatibility in my experience) and neither of them were able to detect any sound from the device. There are no drivers or other installation software for this device. I returned it to the store the same day. I didn't test it on any other systems, since for my purposes I needed it to work with my Mac specifically.
I bought this little microphone with a bit of apprehension,since I needed a microphone for speech recognition. To my surprise it works extremely well! Despite the fact of being a desktop microphone it picks up sounds from ( at least from my experience) about a foot and a half away ( this is based on the fact that I needed for Rosetta Stone). However, it works from farther away for simple video chatting ( tested with the hotmail messenger). Another pro is that is within a relative low budget ( being a college student this is extremely important) and it works very well for the price. The only con that I could find for it, is that it takes space in my desk--so for space convenience it might be better idea to get headset.
I bought this to use with speech recognition in Windows 7. It sits on my desktop, about 2 feet from my face.
When training the computer (part of first setting up speech recognition) Windows warns you that a headset mike would be better, and desktop mikes aren't optimal for speech recognition. This mike, though, has been working perfectly; the computer has had no trouble hearing me.
The cord is nice and long, the stand is stable and sturdy and the mike angle is adjustable. Windows recognized it right away. It's a basic microphone, and it works just fine for my purposes. - Lecture - Accessories - Audio - Podcasting'
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Digital Camera Accessory - sd card, kingston
There are some things to consider before buying this particular card or any other 32gb SDHC card on the market:
1. This is NOT an ideal card for a digital SLR like a D80, D90, Rebel XT, etc... That is because it is a class 4 device. The class of a SDHC cards has to do with how fast they read and write files, not how much storage they have. For a digital SLR, you should purchase a class 6 SDHC card most of the time. Class 6 cards will allow you to take 'bursts' of photos and not be limited by the card's capacity to write them. Also class 4 cards are slower reading data, meaning they will take longer to upload files to your computer. Upload speed is convenient, especially when loading large batches of files.
2. This card has far more storage than most people will need for their digital camera. Unless you like to keep all your photos on a SDHC card and never move them to your computer, or are a high volume photographer, there is very little need for more than about 8gb of storage space for most caeras. The possible exception to this is if you have a professional SLR that shoots files in the 16-20mb range--but if you do, you'll likely want a class 6 card anyway. If all you intend to use this card for is a digital camera, save yourself a lot of money and buy a PNY 8GB SDHC Card. If you're worried about running out of space on a vacation, buy a few of them. Otherwise you run the risk of having 'all your eggs in one basket.' If one card fails, you lose all your pictures instead of only a portion of them.
This card is fantastic for use in a video camcorder capable of writing to an SDHC card. (Check with the manual first to insure that a class 4 card will be fast enough first). It is also perfect as extra storage for an ultra portable computer or net book like the Asus EEE pc. Another great application would be as added storage to a personal media player or MP3 player equipped with a SDHC slot such as the Cowon D2.
There are other good 32gb SDHC cards on the market, some at cheaper price points than the Kingston card. IMHO, brand matters very little with something like a SDHC card, since they all are made pretty much the same way. None of the brands currently offering them (Transcend, PNY, Kingston) have high fail rates with their other products, so I believe they are all pretty similar. What you decide to buy will depend on whether you trust a particular brand, or who has the lowest price. All of them will work equally well. Kingston 4 GB Class 4 SDHC Flash Memory Card SD4/4GBET
PREFACE:
I bought this card for extra disk space on my Asus EeePC netbook. I needed as much space as possible to supplement the very small SSD hard drive. I needed something with large capacity and relatively fast file transfer time.
PROS:
It shares the largest SD capacity on the market today with few others (Panasonic, Sandisk, and PNY) and is a quality name that I have had a good history with in the past. Its file transfer time is similar to the SSD drive in my machine so it basically acts as a second SSD for me at less than a quarter of the price!
CONS:
Its not the cheapest 32gb SD card(PNY) nor the fastest(Panasonic) but its good quality with a decent transfer rate.
CONCLUSION:
I'm very happy with its performance and capacity. I would like to see the price come down a bit, but that's the price of getting electronics of this caliber.
That's my input, take it or leave it :)
Excellent for the price. I give it a 4/5 because it performs slower than expected from a C4 SDHC card. I also have a Sandisk EIII 2GB. Although it doesn't have the class ratings because it's not SDHC, the Sandisk outperforms the Kingston in both read/write.
My test scenario: Using a Nikon D80 taking 6 shots continuously. The Kingston took considerably longer to write contents from the Nikon D80 buffer.
If you're looking for a high speed card in a similar scenario, then look elsewhere. However, if you want a good card and no particular need for speed, then I recommend getting.
I didnt realize how fast the point and shoot cameras are getting sooo many megapixels until I started looking for a good one for my mom... This card is no good for a 12 megapixel camera! It takes way too long to save each picture slowing down how fast you're able to take consecutive pictures! Go for the Sandisk extreme cards and dont look back!
I only have SLR cameras, and use the San Disk extreme cards because speed is crucial! Dont cheap out on a card after buying a nice camera, or you'll be sorry! Thats the first thing i noticed when showing her how to use her new Canon Point and Shoot camera is how SLOWWWWWWWW it took to save each photo before I could take another.. If waiting a few seconds between each picture is a non-issue, buy all means save some money and buy this card.
Bottom line: You're wasting your money buying this card to use in a high resolution point and shoot, which they all seem to be now days. Just too slow! - Digital Camera - Kingston - Sdhc - Sd Card'
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