Wireless Network Adapter - wireless network adapter, wmp54g

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Installation was a snap - a few minutes of one's time. Find an available PCI slot and load the included driver with the supplied CD. Once installation is complete, the card will detect all available networks in the area. All you have to do is enter the necessary WEP key (if enabled) in ASCI or HEX format, depending on the type of wireless router.In my case, I am using an Apple Airport Base Station for my two Apple computers. I recently added a Windows PC using XP. I initially had hesitations in wireless network compatibility for the "G" standard properly commuicating with my "B" standard Base Station. I finally decided on buying the Linksys and found that there was no compatibility issue at all.The signal strength is excellent. I never had any problems with my network status and online surfing experience.My only complaint is the unattractive long, generic-looking antenna. Compare this with other products like D-Link, Netgear and SMC Networks that have a short (flat/square design) antenna.Why did I settle on the Linksys brand despite the ugly antenna design? For one, I have great experience with their wireless router (BEFW11S4) which I purchased years ago during it's initial release and have not had any problem with it. Second, Linksys is the current leader in wireless technology. I am hoping that they will be able to provide excellent drivers should compatibility problems arise with the latest operating systems. Third, Linksys is owned by another leader in the networking industry, Cisco Systems. These factors should be enough to assure a sturdier product.But before you purchase on any product, do your own research for your specific system compatibility. Cisco-Linksys WMP54G Wireless-G PCI Adapter

This PCI card, installed in a 300Mghz Gateway tower, running Windows ME was a relatively easy install. A couple of glitches did occur though. When I first installed it, I followed the directions, and installed the software first, shut the computer down, installed the card, and rebooted. It auto recognized, and configured, and automatically found the signal, and it was done. Almost done. The signal was there, according to the icon at the bottom of the screen, but I was unable to log onto the internet. Additionally the computer was running super slow, way slower than usual, so I uninstalled the software, then removed the card, and it was back to running normally. Here is the fix, do not choose AD HOC as your system choice when setting up. Use the selection that allows, hard wired, and wireless devices, or any combination. Once I installed it that way, it worked perfect right away. Additionally, I removed the 56K modem via Control Panel, System, then Device Manager, then highlighting the modem and click on Remove. Then when I shut down the machine, I permanently removed the modem. It was useless anyhow, with a broadband wireless connection in the machine. Wah lah, great connections, and the computer was back to flying at full speed. Now I am super happy with the performance, and the ease of setup. One thing that should also be mentioned is that security with a wireless system is something to address. Anyone with a wireless laptop, can drive down the road, and get a connection. Changing the name from the default network name of "Linksys" is the first step. I would set your entire network up first, get it all running, then concentrate on keeping others out. Eliminates the confusion. Additionally, some firewall software, is also a good idea. When installing the card in the laptop running Windows XP it almost installed itself. XP has wireless network capacity built right into it. Wireless is the wave of the future, and it is here now. At the Comdex show this year, it was all the rave. The hardware manufacturers are working at a feverish pitch, in order to jump on the bandwagon with all kind of add on wireless devices. Definitely a cool tool, a must have add on.

I had a few problems getting the WMP54G to work using encryption with my router (WRT54G) under Windows XP. The quick installation guide implies Windows XP will detect the card and set it up automatically. It did no such thing for me; it wanted me to provide the driver manually. I highly recommend getting the latest driver from the Linksys website rather than using the one on the CD.I don't recommend using the Windows network wizard, or whatever the thing is called. It added a Network Bridge device with an odd IP address. I could not communicate with my router until I deleted this device. This was not intuitive at all, but again this is a Windows problem.On to the next problem: when I used WEP encryption (either 64 or 128-bit), the wireless connection would drop out at precisely three minutes. Everything worked fine with encryption turned off.I then decided to try WPA encryption, which is supposedly more secure than WEP anyway. There is a Windows XP update to add this capability to the operating system, which you'll need to install. Unfortunately I found that this didn't immediately solve my problem: WPA was not available as a selection in the wirless network setup. I then updated the driver for the WMP54G and I was able to use WPA with no problem! Again, a word of advice: do NOT use the driver on the included CD! Get the latest driver off the Linksys website. I would imagine this was the source of my WEP problems as well, but I never went back to try it. I'm happy with WPA.Also make sure your router's firmware is up to date. Some manufacturers have only recently added WPA capability.Other than these difficulties, this seems to be a great card. It works just as fast as my wired LAN connection.

I've looked around on various boards to see if anyone had a solution to the problem so often described with this product where you see a message "A wireless connection is available", and the SSID shows up as an available network, but then you can't connect to it. I don't think I've seen anyone write up the solution I found, so I'm going to give it a try here, hopefully it'll help reduce stress for at least a few other users...I messed around with this problem for HOURS yesterday, but decided to try fresh today... I'd decided that if I didn't get it all working today, it was all going to get boxed up and sent back tomorrow! The root cause was that the router was on one channel (6 I believe), and the WMP55G cards (at least when you install the new driver) defaults to channel 11. (I may have these reversed). In this configuration, the network SSID was visible to the client systems, but would NOT connect - at least not usually - they actually connected once or twice briefly with the channels mismatched, but with everything in close proximity. The WRT54G's channel number (assuming you're using the linksys router) is on the "setup" tab on it's web interface. (I had a PC hardwired to the router to do this - that's a good idea if you're having RF problems as I was). It's down near the bottom of the screen in the "Wireless" section. Remember to hit "APPLY" after changing it, so that it takes effect. The WMP54G's channel number (Windows XP - SP1 with the latest driver, anyway) is on the "Wireless G Notebook Adapter Properties" window under the "Advanced" tab. It's labeled "IBSS Channel Number". You must hit the "OK" for it to take effect. I THINK I tried changing the channel on the router yesterday, but failed to hit "APPLY"... I had been seeing the same thing over and over... the network was visible to the client computers, but wouldn't connect... Interestingly enough, my portable WOULD connect, but the two PCI cards would not. Once I got all the channels synced up, it was fine. You would expect that if the card and router were on different channels (especially as far apart as 6 and 11), that the network would not be visible from the cards, but that's not the case! They are visible, but just will not connect - usually anyway. I believe that any sort of RF problem might cause a similar symptom... a bad antenna connector, an interfering wireless phone, (another network next door?) or what have you. The first thing I did today was to disconnect all the wireless phones in the house BEFORE starting to troubleshoot. The next thing was to turn SSID transmit back on, and security off. Once we got the channels synced up, both PCI cards synced up right away... then I turned SSID transmit off, verified that it was OK, then put in a WEP key, verified again, then went in and restricted the mac addresses to those of my client computers. It's all working reliably now. - Wireless Network Adapter - Linksys - Wmp54g - Wireless'

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Fun With Kids - strategy, games

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I was trying to find a game to play with a client who has dementia and ran across this in an article. After I bought it I tested it out with my kids (25, 24, 19 and 11) and myself (47). We had so much fun!! It is one of those games that can be played at different levels. We started getting quite inventive on where and when to play to maximize our points and block our opponents.



I then played with my client. She and I did not keep score. We just made the chains with either shapes or colors and added wherever she first recognized a play. No trying to strategize where to build for future etc. We also played with both of our tiles up so we could talk about the best places to play. She likes this game and actually remembers having played before and wants to play again. The 'rules' have to be re-learned but the fun remains.



For one more note, we had a group of my daughters friends over and four of us played Quirkle. They were all 19 - 22. That got pretty cutthroat <lol> They all want to play again.



I HIGHLY recommend this game. I think I'm going to buy a 2nd one so more than 4 can play together (We played with 5 first night and it does work too). Qwirkle Board Game

Everyone in my family had the same initial reaction, "Looks lame." After all, it's just making rows of shapes or colors. After the first game we all figured out there's more to it. As my daughter said, "Well, checkers looks easy too; it's just moving pieces diagonally to the other side of the board."



On the downside, as another review mentioned, the pieces are cheaply made- low quality wood and paint, non-uniform size. But the most egregious design flaw is the selection of colors. For me, the red and orange are so close that even in good light I find myself holding them up at different angles just to make sure I don't confuse them.



I must compliment the author of the instructions. As you would expect on a game that appears simple on the surface but ultimately has many nuances, communicating those to the game player is essential. The directions walk through a hypothetical series of moves that pretty much cover any scoring or strategy intricacy that you might run into.



Bottom line: As long as you have decent color vision and are not a stickler for perfection in construction then put this game in your cart and check out right now. Your family will thank you. - Games - Strategy - Educational - Board Game'

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Latitude Wiper Blades - rear wiper, bosch wiper blades

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I'm really surprised at the negative reviews on these wipers. I bought two pairs of wipers just over a year ago, expecting I'd have the second pair as backup. I haven't needed the second pair - the first pair are still just like new - they don't squeak, chatter, or smear and are great for visibility. I live in Seattle, so it's not like I never use them either - we've been deluged by rain in the last year!



The only thing I can think is that maybe others are mistreating their wiper blades. Keep your windshield clean, and if the wipers are smearing, just wipe the cleaning edge off with a paper towel from time to time. That's not a problem with the blade, that's a problem with the cleanliness of your windshield and blade. Any wiper blade struggles when it's bogged down with dirt, pollen, and road grime.



I figure eventually I'll use my backup pair, but until then I'm happy. Rain-X Weatherbeater Wiper Blade - 28"

These blades are excellent, used it for almost a month (about 7 days raining) and no problem so far.



Maybe it's because I haven't used it much that's why it's not bad yet.



Just be careful when ordering multi-amounts. I ordered six for stock and they sent six HUGE boxes; each box containing ONE blade. What a waste of shipping costs, luckily i had free shipping.



I'll keep updated if anything happens with my blades throughout the year.

I purchased these blades on a prayer that they would actually be worth the extra money, and they definitely are. I've only had them on the car for a month or so now, but they work better than any blade I've had previously. It's saying a lot when your wiper blade cleans off your windshield and leaves it streakless and beautiful in the middle of a blizzard in Michigan. It's able to push off snow and wipe away water. basically, the best wiper I've ever bought. Go buy one right now.

Bought a pair of the RainX Weatherbeater 28" and am stuck now 3 1/2 weeks later buying different ones due to the WORST performance ever in slight snow or freezing rain they are like magnets to ice build up. The defroster can not keep up with the amount of ice these smear across the windshield and what they do clear on one pass they smear right back over on the return stroke. I have had many wiper blades and never have I had such a poor performing blade. Even in straight rain they chatter and streak. Buy something better since these are sure to disappoint you. - Wiper Blades - Rear Wiper - Bosch Wiper Blades - Wiper'

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Iphone Cable

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When charging with this my 3GS goes nutso, the screen gets super 'jumpy' (won't scroll smoothly, acts as if its being short circuited or something) and windows open and close by themselves. My guess is somewhere between the cable and the charger its pumping either too much (most likely) or too little juice into my poor phone... Not sure if I should continue using them or not. :( iPhone 3G, 3GS, 4 USB Wall Adapter Charger with USB to Dock Connector cable

These guys are really out there working for you. They literary responded to every question I had in minutes. Thats nuts haha. Green Dot charge cube like new just like they said. They saved me about $25!! Thank you so much Buyer Solutions I'll be back! 100%'

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Wire Stapler - wire stapler, best

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If you have to pull light cable around the house, this is your helper. Curved staple and a wire guide to help you hide phone wire, etc under your baseboards or over doorways. Makes a big difference and so much easier than individual wire tacks. Not a replacement for the regular staple T-50 (nor vise versa) - this is a specialized product and very good at what it is suppose to do. Arrow Fastener T25 Low Voltage Wire Staple Gun, fits wire up to 1/4-Inch

doesnt do flat staples. you shouldnt use a staple gun directly on a cable as it can still crimp the cable and damage it.



better bet is to buy a good flat staple gun that can be used for lots of different things and a bunch of zip ties. staple a zip tie where youre running cable and then tie it into place that way. keep it a little loose so you dont harm the cable.

This stapler is a fantastic time saver if you are installing TV cable or phone wire in attics and basements. It makes the job look finished. This will not work for 12/2 or 14/2 electrical wire. Arrow has the T72 for that, but I have not checked it out yet.

I bought this after buying the dual purpose 2025 Stapler. I used that one for about a half hour and got nothing at all accomplished. I was trying to staple round phone chord on top of some base trim and managed to get about 3 staples out of a hundred into the trim. They weren't even going straight down. They were going everywhere else though, up in the air, ricocheting off the wall, in my face and eyes, killing spiders in the corner. I had to keep clearing out the thing too. Jam after Jam and I wasn't making toast. Stick to the T25P Stapler if you want to staple round cable. It is precise and does the job as it's supposed to with no problems.

Staple video cable coax close to wall and corners. Staples did not jam at all. Very easy to use and to load staples. Unlike the square type staples, this also takes the rounded top to fit the coax and professional look.

WOW. I've done some stapling of wires over the years and was never satisfied with the results. I was using the standard square staples. This thing is awesome. I used it to secure a coax and phone wire and it did a wonderful job. One thing to note is that the the built in guide has to be pushed up into the housing before it will shoot a staple. I loaded mine the first time and to make sure it was working and to check the depth that it shoots I tried it on a blank piece of scrap and nothing came out and I got worried until I put the wires in and it worked great.

A sturdy, well built stapler that functions smoothly and feels comfortable in the hand. Staples are easy to load and clear if they jam. I used it to install and secure coaxial cable to very narrow baseboard where it performed well delivering staples to a tight surface area. - Best - Wire Stapler - Staple Gun - Staplers'

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Bookstand - bookstand, desktop

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I have gotten very frustrated when my textbooks broke several of the book stands I bought. However, this book stand is very sturdy since the support is made of thick wood. The incline is easily adjustable. It holds my 1000+ pages textbooks extremely well. If you are a serious student you should consider buying this book stand. I bet it would last your whole 4 years of college and beyond. It takes up a little more space than the usual stand (2.5 feet in slightly slanted position) but it's no big deal. Also the clip-on stand on top always stays upright so it might be a little difficult to stabilize one of your larger books. Although for small books they work fine. When I only need to read one book, I usually use the top stand to collage notes that I were writing off the book mentioned. Jasmine Plus Book Stand (Bookstand / Bookstands / Holder / Cookbook / Music)

Beautifully made and finished with decently and cleverly designed round corners. Page holding tabs are easy to control and easy to turn pages. Rubber backing on the bottom of the base keeps the holder steady on the desk or table. Overall, this is a very useful product.

My wife and I are both full time undergraduate students, and we are very much enjoying the book stands. The second one on top doubles as a stand-alone book stand, so the two for one thing is worth it. Furthermore, even the small one on top can hold our biggest textbooks by itself--1000+ pages and extra wide hardcovers. So i reccommend it. it's not the cheapest thing in the world, but my wife struggles with neck pain and headaches. It has helped both.

I purchased this a few weeks ago in preparation for paper writing season. I have since written two papers and used the Jasmine Plus extensively for both. My guy down the hall came into my room the other day and asked if he could barrow it while working on his Thesis. It is a big hit here at school. Highly recommend it.



The "page/book holders" are firm and work well holding bigger or smaller books.



The only downfall is the price. Even at the discounted price $50 is very expensive for us students and working class.

If you're doing a ton of studying this will totally save space for your book(s) and notes. And it'll help prevent neck strain from looking down for endless hours. Plus, the page clips kept everything from blowing away when studying outdoors. I definitely recommend this product. It got me through nursing school and will definitely help me achieve the next level. I only wish I'd have known about this product sooner.

I went back and forth a couple times trying to decide if I really wanted to spend this much for a book stand. I'm glad I did - This is absolutely the best stand I've owned. It's well made, looks good, and has many adjustments to get the exact angles you want when reading. The two arms used for holding pages open work well on all sizes of books & don't damage the pages in any way. All in all - Very happy with this purchase and seller.

Fine product as described in other reviews. I waver been three and four stars on this one due to the price being frankly too high - it's not like it's real wood or anything although it has a pleasant look about it - and they try to further mask the price by an exorbitant $13.31 shipping charge (shipping charge at the time of this writing). I see this kind of practice from time to time in the Amazon Marketplace and I hope feedbacks like this will weigh against the seller's perception which must be that masking the price as part of shipping so they look cheaper in search results comparisons is unethical. No complaints about the device, I bought a Jasmine plus with the piggy back stand on top and the largest stand, the "Freesia" see my comment there about that.

I have no idea why I never thought to use one before.

I love it. Good product. Does just what it saids.

I have novels, and school books holds both in place and upright fully adjustable

Recommend to anyone suffering from tendinitus.

These bookstands were exactly what I was hoping they would be. I use large reference books in my writing for school, and for church. The support is able to hold books well over 1000 pages easily. In fact, I currently have a 1150 page book on the top level and a 900 page book on the lower level. The articulation allows for many different configurations. You can use both stands separately, or you can mount the smaller stand on the top of the larger stand (as depicted). The page holders are solid, sturdy and made of metal with rubber tips to avoid book damage. The metal is flexible rather than malleable. Thus, it holds even large paperback books in place.



My only complaint is that the ledge at the bottom of each stand is slightly too narrow. If you put a large book (700 pages or more) on the stand without opening it, the ledge is narrow enough to allow the book cover/binding to sag. This is a minor critique, though, and definitely one that I can live with. Both stands, when set up individually or when combined, remain very stable.



This setup was exactly what I was looking for. I can set a book nearly 90 degrees to the side of my monitors, or I can set the book on a 20-degree slope in front of the monitors. Flexible, durable, useful, awesome! - Desktop - Jasmine - Book Stand - Bookstand'

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Canon Battery Grip - canon digital camera, canon battery grip

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AMAZING ITEM! I originally purchased a new Canon BG-E9 on January 15, 2011 from a well known camera shop in Boston and paid over $[...] for it after tax. I then decided to purchase this item and did it with skepticism because I figured, "How can an item which is about $[...] less perform the same?" Well my answer came today in the mail (fast shipping!). The item is almost identical to the over-priced Canon original. The grip is very comfortable. The batteries load exactly the same as a Canon, all accessories are identical, and all of the hand grip functions are identical. By adding a Canon hand strap, which I purchased separately with the Canon BG-E9, I now have a camera which I can strap comfortably around my hand and turn the camera counter-clockwise to shoot those tough vertical shots. The only way to describe this Meike Battery Grip is "Wow"! The original Canon grip has been successfully returned and this one will replace it! One last thing should be noted, this item, the Meike Grip is not like the Neewer grip as this loads batteries EXACTLY like the OEM grip and the Neewer loads like the old Canon grips, from the back. If you don't mind aftermarket knockoff's, then THIS IS THE BATTERY GRIP FOR YOUR CANON 60D! High Quality Battery Grip BG-E9 for Canon 60D Digital SLR DSLR Camera!

I bought one of these grips based on the stellar reviews here and elsewhere. It arrived today and I was pleased to see that appearance-wise, the reviews were true. It looks every bit as good as the OEM Canon item. I have to wonder if any of the previous reviewers have tried to use this device with the optional AA battery tray. I did and almost fried my camera with it, so I can only give it 1 star. I attached the grip to my brand new 60D and was impressed by how well it fit. I placed 6 brand new AA batteries into the grip's tray being very careful to notice the orientation symbols in the plastic. I slid it into the grip and proceeded to turn the camera on. Nothing. Confused, I removed the grip from the camera then removed the battery tray from the grip. It was so hot I couldn't even touch it. I had to bang the tray on the carpet to dislodge the batteries before the whole thing melted into a pile of resin. Obviously, there's a short somewhere in the tray that caused the batteries to heat up. I popped an LP-E6 battery back into the camera and it still would not turn on. Thinking the grip had fried my camera I was frantic and more than a little pissed off. Luckily, I determined that the camera will not work without the battery compartment door on. Once I reinstalled it the camera turned on fine. I tried the grip again, but this time with the LP-E6 battery tray and 2 batteries. It worked fine. If you have one of these I strongly urge you to try the AA battery tray and make sure there is no issue with it. Simply put batteries in it the proper way and see if they heat up. No need to install it on the camera unless it stays cool and appears safe. For me, the ability to use AA batteries when traveling was a real benefit of this device. I hope I just got a defective one and that no one else finds this same defect with theirs.



UPDATE: Since I was going to be sending this one back, I decided to open up the defective battery tray and test it with a meter. Underneath the cover for the main contacts are two wires going to each contact from the positive and negative of the battery supply. One of them had either been improperly soldered and come loose or never been attached. It was touching the opposite contact and causing a short circuit. Since the batteries are in series the short was not completed until the last battery was installed. The unit is now fixed and working properly, but this is an indicator of the poor quality control of this unit. Apparently, no final testing is done before packing and shipping. Another sub-par Chinese product, I guess. I'm going to keep it, but I can't give it more than 3 stars because I'm sure someone else will probably find a similar issue. Oh, and the smell is definitely a negative.

I received the Meike BG-E9 as shown on the product page even though the invoice did not mention a brand name and the vendor refers to it as the Neewer, which is a different model. It fits and works perfectly. It matches the Canon grip exactly in form and function. Except for a slight difference in the texture of the rubber it would be hard to tell the difference without actually handling it. It is lightweight but not alarmingly so, it's hefty enough to feel secure. The removable battery trays are built well.



The glue used on the rubber smells awful but has dissipated a lot in the two days I've had this. Hopefully the smell will be gone completely in another day or so. Since I haven't done any work with it yet I'm a little concerned about the security and durability of the metal tripod mounting screw although it feels good so far.



The 60D grip was so small I could only hold it with three fingers which felt strange to me. This grip takes care of that problem and adds a lot more useful function. I'm uploading a couple of photos I took of it mounted on the camera.



Update 3-8-11: After a couple of weeks of using the grip I can say I'm really glad I took a chance on buying it. I couldn't afford the Canon version and usually would just wait till I could manage it but this grip looked too tempting at its low price. I forgot I was using a knock-off immediately after putting it to work. There are no fit, finish or sturdiness issues at all. I compared the battery trays to the one in the grip from my EOS1N and was surprised that they looked like they'd been made in the same factory, plus the glue smell was completely gone in a few days.

I wasn't expecting anything remotely this well built for this price (another positive review lead me to give it a try), but I have to say that the build quality is quite high. It fits and functions with my 60D just like you would expect a genuine Canon accessory to at a fraction of the price. Buttons feel good, rubber grip material is very close to than on camera, batteries fit and place well. As somebody else noted, the glue has a unpleasant smell but I don't expect that to last long. Very pleased, would highly recommend. - Camera Batteries - Canon Battery Grip - Canon Digital Camera - Battery Grip'

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Aa Batteries - green 3, energizer

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All rechargeable battery manufacturers love to boast about their product's current capacity (mAh). But there is a dirty little secret that they don't want you to hear: self-discharge rate. Simply put: a fully charged NiCd or NiMH cell will gradually lose its stored energy over time. Technical papers I have researched typically put the self-discharge rate at 10-20% per month for NiCd cells, and 20-30% per month for NiMH cells. This kind of self-discharge rate is usually acceptable in applications such as digital cameras.



I bought 8 of those Energizer 2500mAh rechargeable NiMH batteries over one year ago. At first, I was very happy about the large current capacity offered by those batteries. But within a few months, I started to notice that they die very quickly in my digital camera. In fact, a set of Sony 2300mAh NiMH batteries I bought one year earlier seems to last much longer when used in the same camera.



I recently did some controlled experiments (using the LaCrosse BC-900 AlphaPower Battery Charger) and found out what's wrong: The Energizer NiMH batteries have very high self-discharge rate. After fully charging all 8 cells and left them on the shelf for one week, five of them lost over 30% of their charge, and the other three lost about 20%. In comparison, the set of older Sony batteries only lost around 10% over the same one-week period.



So what this really means is: if I charge up those Energizer 2500mAh batteries and leave them in my camera for three weeks, they will become totally exhausted. I found this kind of self-discharge rate completely unacceptable, therefore I strongly advise against buying those batteries.



[Update on April 9, 2007]

I have hardly used those Energizer 2500mAh cells in the last few month. Now they have deteriorated even further. Five of them can't even hold their charges for more then a day.



Instead of the Energizer 2500mAh cells, I recommend buying the Rayovac "Hybrid" 2100mAh cells. They have very low self-discharge rate (see my review on "RAYO 4PK AA") and are cheaper than the better-known Sanyo eneloop 2000mAh cells. Kodak also sells a "Pre-Charged" NiMH cell with exactly the same spec as the Rayovac Hybrid.



The bottom line: Low-Self-Discharge NiMH cells are your best choices. There is absolutely no point in taking chances with older generation 2500-2700mAh NiMH cells now.



[Update on Oct 20, 2010]

The product image of Energizer Rechargeable AA has changed. It no longer advertises '2500mAh'. I went to my local W*mart to check out the actual batteries. All Energizer rechargable AA cells are now 2300mAh. Evidentially, Energizer has 'rollled back' battery technology to 2004. This is actually a good move because the lower capacity cells do not suffer from hideous self-discharge rate. Contrary to popular belief, a 2300mAh cell is not any less capable in delivering high power than a 2500mAh cell. Just that the run time will be about 8% shorter. Energizer NH15BP-4 Rechargeable AA Battery 4 Pack

I've been using NIMH batteries from SANYO, NEXCELL, POWEREX and AccuPower for over 6 years. Use them for everything from high current drain digital cameras and high-end digital audio recorders to CD players, bathroom scales and flashlights.



I rely on two of the excellent MAHA MH-C401FSB smart 2-rate chargers. These charge and monitor each battery independently, not in pairs. Energizer 2500 mAH units were fine for about three months. Then I noticed that devices would be calling for new batteries with little to no use. This has never happened with other AAs NIMH, including those with less than half the advertised capacity. The MAHA charger also started reporting that some of the Energizer AAs were not taking a charge at all.



Kept finding that typically one out of four were the problem. Many of the 32 AA Energizers I bought have had problems. Repeatedly have had one battery run out of charge while others still test very strong. Felt pen dots put on discharged batteries showed it was the same batteries time and time again. Have reverted in some cases to 1600 mAH SANYO OEM batteries put in service in Feb 2001 and those provide longer and more reliable performance!



In my considerable experience with these 2500 mAH AA Energizers they have been a very big disappointment and, regardless of warranty, cannot be relied upon.

I bought a bunch of Energizer's AA ACCU NiMH rechargeable batteries to power a halogen bicycle light and LEGO Mindstorms robots. Their performance has exceeded my expectations.The bicycle light seems as bright as it ever was with alkaline batteries, affording good visibility during night time cycling. And stopping play---er, experimentation---with the LEGO robots for recharging has yet to be a problem.However, I do have to issue this warning: these batteries are slightly fatter than standard AA batteries. I tried using them in a Mini Mag Light. After I got one battery in the light's barrel, I realized---too late---that I'd never get the batteries back out. I ended up destroying the Mini Mag Light in order to retrieve the batteries.If your application is cramped for space, beware! If they do fit, expect good energy for a good long time.

I used to buy excellent Maha rechargable batteries, but finally Energizer attracted my attention. Great price, great capacity. After about 20 recharges batteries are strong and do not show any signs of problems.

I use them in old, power hungry and very demanding Olympus E-10 camera. It is known to draw up to one amper of current and to declare batteries empty as far as their voltage goes slightly below 1.2 volts. Considering number of pictures I can take comparing to Maha 2100 MAh batteries, I can say Energizer is very strong performer and 2500MAh is not just a number.



Some users complained about very bad performance for Energizer.

There could be couple things to consider:

- make sure you have decent charger: many high capacity NiMh batteries can be destroyed easily with cheap (<$20) charger - overheat and overcharge are usual suspects

- some devices expect 1.5 volts, not 1.2 that all NiMh normally deliver; in general freshly charged good set of NiMh has voltage around 1.4 volts - but it goes down very fast to 1.2 v and stays there until batteries are nearly empty. Most modern cameras have "cut off" voltage set to 1.1 v



Update on Feb 7, 2007

I should mention that 4 out of my 12 Energizer batteries suddenly stopped to work. Surprisingly these are four spares I have not used much. I suspect that these batteries may develop a problem if left uncharged for prolonged period of time. For now I have bought Sanyo slow discharge Eneloop batteries (available at Amazon) as a replacement. - Battery Aa Rechargeable - Energizer - Battery - Green 3'

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Media Center - hauppauge, dual tuner

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Wow, I really dont know if I should give this product a one star or five star. I'll settle for a three for the pain it caused me.



First, my system: Core 2 Duo 2.53GHz, 4GB DDR2RAM, 256MB ATI graphics card w/HDMI out, 640GB HDD, Vista Home Premium 32bit. I am located in the mountains of SoCal, where OTA doesnt quite work, and so ClearQAM from TimeWarner is my only option.



Let me start off by saying if you are looking for a dual-tuner for digital/analog viewing, this is one of your best choices. However, expect to spend a night or two of surfing forums, updating drivers, installing hotfixes, etc... The problem is that Vista Media Center (initially) doesnt recognize the ClearQAM tuner, only the analog tuners. How to fix this? Well, my 8 hours of pain can be your simple gain.

Disclaimer: you will be adding a value to Vista's registry if you follow this review, so anything you do is on you alone!



1) If you've been trying to get the tuner to work, wipe all the tuner's drivers off utilizing the utility on the CD (select total and the checkbox below it) and restart Vista.

2) Update Windows.

3) Install the HVR-2250 and the BETA drivers from Hauppauge's USA website.

4) Install TV Pack 2008 (search online for it)

5) Install PC Ready Play (from MS download site)

6) Install the 2 hotfixes (KB951585 and KB950754 from MS download site)

7) Update Windows. (there will be a cumulative update for TV pack)

8) Open the registry (run/regedit)

9) Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\hcw89

10) Add a new Folder (key) and name it: Parameters

11) Add a new DWORD to that and name it: AllowQAM_PowerToy

12) Make that value for the new string: 1

13) *Repeat 10-12 for: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\hcwPrx89

14) Reboot Vista

15) You should be good to go. When in Media Center, the automated set-up might still tell you that it found two analog tuners, which you then select manual set-up and go through the steps. You should see a choice for ClearQAM!



*Notes: the hcwPrx89 folder did not exist in my registry, so I had to create the folder and then add the DWORD.



For $130, I would expect Hauppauge to have either better drivers or better support. Scouring the forums will result in similar fixes like I describe above. I guess something similar to this works for Windows 7.



Oh, the good: it works like it's supposed to (after forementioned).

Hope this helps and GOOD LUCK! Hauppauge 1213 WinTV-HVR-2250 PCI-E x1 Dual TV Tuner

I had 2 requirments for a TV Tuner Card. It had to be half-height and it had to be a dual tuner (so I can record one show and watch another). This card meets the bill. So far it has worked great. Sometimes when I tune to a channel in Windows Media Center the screen is blue and I have to change channels and then go back for it to appear. I don't know if this is because of the tuner or because of something else. Other than that I really haven't had any problems. Possibly a driver update will fix that problem.

This product works perfectly with Snap Stream Beyond TV 4. [.........]



I have 2 digital tuners and 2 analog tuners on my pc. This records multiple inputs and automatically downloads the cable TV and local TV program guide. The picture is great. The software takes some time to tweek to your inputs and program guide. You must be willing to spend some time.

Ok, I ordered the Hauppauge 1213 WinTV 2250 on Amazon. The device arrived promptly and the price wasn't all that bad. However, this was to the full extent of my pleasant experience with the product.



The Receiver/Blaster would not work even after installing new drivers from the manufacturer's website. I called tech support (which, by the way, is available M-F 9 to 6PM ET only) simply to determine that the supplied cable was defective. The tech representative-a fella named Brice Junior-assured me that he would send out a new cable and I should be up and running in a 3 or 4 days.



Seven days came and passed. I received no cable. I called back tech support and stumbled on Brice Junior again. Except this time, he had no idea who I was and had no recollection of his promise to ship me a replacement cable.



So we went through the same diagnostics again-as if this time the repair fairy had come to my house and repaired the cable. Well, again the WinTV did not work. Then, Brice assured me, again, with absolute conviction that he would send a new cable and usb adapter for the device as soon as he got off the phone with me. Another two weeks went by, and...a BIG nothing arrived.



As I did some research on the matter on the Internet, I begin to uncover that the company engages in a policy of systematic lies to its customers to avoid honoring its obligations under its warranties. The technic is simple. They give the customer a round-around for a few weeks at which time it's too late to return the device to the store of purchase. And, since they are out reach, you, the unhappy customer, chase after them until you get tired and give up.



Meanwhile, Brice Junior, their scum tech support, is happily doing the company's bidding by lying to customers.



So in conclusion, buy the company's products only if you are sure (a) you can install them on your own, and (b) you can return them immediate if something is wrong them. Ignore the promise of the 2-year warranty that you read on the box. It is NON-EXISTENT.

This is the crown jewel in my HTPC project. It works perfectly with Windows 7 64-bit & Windows Media Center. I have basic cable with several standard definition channels, as well as several HD channels (the big networks/local channels). The dual hybrid tuners means that I can record any channel while watching any other channel without having to worry whether it's HD or not. I was surprised that all 4 tuners work off of the same coax cable. The other input is for the radio receiver. I thought I was going to have to go buy a cable splitter to take advantage of both tuners, but this is not the case.



I installed the driver only, Windows Media Center works so well on Windows 7 that there's no need to mess with the included WinTV, or any other software. - Dual Tuner - Hauppauge - Media Center - Hdtv Tuner'

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Game Cameras - wildlife camera, primos

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This is a great camera!!! Bought it thinking that it would be ok at best. Checked the pictures today and was absolutely amazed by the picture quality in both day and night. IT PICKED UP EVERYTHING MY $250 SPYPOINT WAS MISSING AND MORE!!! One thing I like about this camera is the 15 second intervals and the LCD screen on the front. The screen tells you how many pictures it has taken so there is not need to open it to check. Wild Game Innovations Red 6 Infrared Digital Scouting Camera

I picked this camera up a few months back, and have been real impressed with the increase in both picture quality and battery life compared to some of my other game cameras.



The infrared flash reaches out plenty far enough for getting some good shots of my locations, and has caught a few good pics of groups of deer feeding. I have another IR camera from another brand that gets "tunnel like" vision on a lot of it's pics, but I haven't noticed that with this particular model. So far so good.



As far as battery life is concerned, I haven't had to replace them yet, and I've gotten over 275 pics in the 2 months it's been up.



I might have to pick up a few more of these at this price.

I definately like these cameras. They are small, take good videos, are easy to use, and seem to have good battery life. You can also get a small security cable through them. But I would have to say that their best feature is that they only take videos if they sense motion AND heat. Unlike my Primos which takes videos of blowing leaves all the time. One downside to it is that the trigger speed is a little slower than I'd like to see. A 50' range is a little generous too. I'd say it's around 30'. Bottom line, for $75-$80, you can't beat this camera! I would have paid $125 and been fine with it.

Set it up in the back yard to give it a test before taking to the woods. Glad I did. On the fourth day the batteries were down to 1 bar and it stopped taking pictures. Installed new batteries and it still won't take pictures and now can't access the menu and holding in the button to turn unit off doesn't work. At least it quit long before the 30 day return time is up.

This simple infrared, motion sensor camera works as described technically. The motion sensor is not as sensitive nor long distance as stated.. But it works fine for simple purpose...set it, it senses something moving across near by it sensor then it takes a picture. It's an okay product.

Needing a new game camera, I carefully read all the reviews, did my due diligence, etc. Got the Wild Game 6 megapix scouting camera from Amazon. Observations: beautiful day pictures, pretty good night pictures in infrared- if you like infrared. Being somewhat curious, I compared this camera side by side with my one year old Moultrie D-50 Game camera (also sold by Amazon), and I was surprised that the D-50 is catching *many* more pictures than this Wild Game camera is (true, some are birds and coons). Also, I have to admit I am used to seeing flash color pics at night off the Moultrie, and so the infra red, while quite good for infra red, just isn't what I am used to (and want to) seeing. We are having a heck of a heat wave/drought here in Texas, so maybe the sensitivity setting isn't what it should be on the Wild Game camera- its on the default setting of medium. When it was cooler a few weeks ago it took significantly more pictures. Now my old camera at another location is going out, and the replacement decision will be between the Wild Game and the Moultrie. Right now I'm leaning to the Moultrie, but gosh, those day pictures of the Wild Game are just stunning (if taken - pics not always taken by Wild Game while the Moultrie does... which is NOT what I expected!)

Both are about the same price. I have never really seen indications that my critters get scared of a flash, so I am not really seeing the wisdom at the moment of the infra red. After being ruined by the wild game day pics, I might move up to a better camera with more megapix whatever the brand.

This camera was simple to set up. The pictures were outstanding. I set all at medium and the pictures, even at night, were very clear. I did research on just about every camera and chose this one and glad I did. - Game Camera - Primos - Wildlife Camera - Game Cameras'

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Memory Stick - memory stick, 4gb

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Even though I have been slowly weaning myself off of the newer Sony cameras, I still have some Sony devices that need memory pro duo cards. There are some advantages and a few disadvantages, namely the cost and availability. Sony's memory format averages 30 to 100 percent higher prices for the same capacity of SDHC cards. While that sucks, if you have a Sony Camera or a PSP there's not much you can do about it.



To that point, both the new Sony Cybershot DSCT300 Digital Camera and upcoming PSP God of War Entertainment Pack will benefit from any of these memory cards. Both of those devices, along with most Sony devices for that matter are only comaptible with the memory duo platform.



But like I said, if you need one of these cards, there are some advantages especially if you get a Mark II card. Namely, the performance speed of the mark II format is about 50% higher than the fastest available SDHC card at the moment. The rating is for 36 MB/s and what I've seen through some basic tests seems to indicate real performance close to this. In fact, the solid performance has to be the biggest pro for these cards. So while it sucks to have little choice, when you factor in the premium performance it's easier to swallow.



The 2 and 4 GB cards are a better value than larger capacity ones right now. Sometimes you want the largest card you can get, but till the 8 and 16 GB cards come down I see no reason to buy them. Not to mention, this isn't for my primary camera but for an older one that I use as a backup.



Make sure your device is compatible with the card. Some older electronics aren't compatible with larger capacities, although in general Sony has been better with making these guys backward compatible than others.



It's always a good idea to have several extra cards on hand just in case. This 4 GB card is a nice performer. If you have a high capacity camera (10 Megapixels or more) and are storing videos or RAW images, the extra cash for the 8GB card may be worth it if the price is right. Or you may want to step up to the larger 16 GB size that is now available. But if you wait a little longer you can save yourself some cash. I have to take off at least 1 star for value, but in terms of performance I couldn't be happier.



Enjoy! Sony 4 GB Memory Stick ProDuo MSMT4G/2NQT (Black)

At Least two of the Sony Packaged Memory's Pictured here on Amazon are FAKES or COUNTERFITS.



UNUSABLE MEMORY.



The people that make these are taking non-sony generic crap 512's, 1,2,or4 G size chips

and creating very elaborate nearly perfect (looking) FAKES! Zoom in and look very closely

at the model numbers for the 8 and the 16 Gig. In the third and forth images you can plainly see

the fake model numbers I have shown below.



Their numbers do not exist in the True Sony lineup.



for example: MSX-M8GST/X & MSX-M16GST/X do not exist <<< BOTH ARE FAKE



Dont believe me,, go look it up for yourself ,,, GOOGLE it or look at the links below.





THE NUMBERS SHOULD SAY



for MARKII MS-MT8G & MS-MT16G Also there is an 8g that is not MARKII it is MSX-M8GS/X << older model.



There is never a T toward the end of the model number in these particular Larger memories,

and NO MARKII's ever have a /X or a MSX !!! in the model # at all!

This fake erroneous numbering scheme was barrowed from the 1G MSPD which has the number > MSX-M1GST/X



and from what I can tell is the only Sony Stick to EVER have the T in that location!



Take the time to look at these links which are both VERY, VERY Informative on the Subject.

Look In Comments for them:



[...]

[...]





You should also know there not just doing these Sony Memory Sticks. Sandisk and Lexar as well as all forms of

flash memories and USB Thumb Drives including Kingston, as well as Many Others are being FAKED....

This 16GB Memory Stick Duo II card works great with the PSP portable gaming system. It comes pre-formatted, so all you have to do is stick it into your PSP and go. In fact, there is a picture of the PSP right on the packaging.



The usable space on this device is actually 14.9 GB, however.



The "Mark2" certification on the card has to do with higher writing speed requirements and indicates the memory is certified to operate with AVCHD recording products.

This is currently the only available 16GB Memory Stick. I bought it for my Playstation Portable in order to replace an 8GB Memory Stick.

Regarding the price you can easily argue that it is much cheaper to buy two 8GB Memory Sticks. And for any person who is concerned about spending money I would not recommend this product.

At the time I bought it, Amazon was offering the best price online. Regarding the fact that this Memory Stick is about $50 more expensive than the PSP itself, makes you think twice. But my sole purpose was that I wanted to keep things together: my music, videos and saved games etc.

This Memory Stick is large enough to satisfy my thirst for disc space with a single solution.



The Memory Stick works fine in my PSP. Before this one I used a Sandisk 8GB Memory Stick Pro Ultra and I cannot see a difference in read/write speed (while connected through USB to my PC).



Final thoughts:

If you are concerned about spending money and you can live with more than one MS for your gadgets, you should get two or more 8GB MS. If you want a single solution and price is of no matter, get this one. Since it is from Sony you can be sure it works with your MS-enabled gadgets.



Pro:

- high capacity

- read/write speed is up to par with other (higher ranked) memory sticks (using the PSP USB connection!)



Con:

- not cheap



5 out of 5 stars; simply because the price does not matter to me



(My guess is that the price will drop to about $150 once other manufactures offer similar capacity.) - Memory Stick - 4gb - Sony - Cybershot'

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