Guy Low Price Electronic: 10 Jan 2009

Saturday 10 January 2009

Panasonic Viera - 42 inch, panasonic plasma

The picture quality of this television is really outstanding. It is however compromised by an issue common to all 2011 Panasonic plasmas known as "Fluctuating Brightness". About a half of a second after a scene change there is sometimes an instantaneous change in the overall brightness of the screen. Full discussion of this issue can be found by Googling: "panasonic 2011 fluctuating brightness".

Panasonic, to their credit, has recognized this as an issue and has come up with a solution that eliminates it. All sets produced after August and have a serial number of "xx1215xxxxxx" or higher will have new software installed that eliminates these brightness fluctuations from happening. If you have an earlier model and notice these fluctuations, contact Panasonic and let them know. They should either schedule a Panasonic employee to flash the software to your EEPROM, or they will schedule a 3rd party tech to replace your A-Board with one that already has the new software installed. In my case, they replaced the A-Board. Since then I have not seen any fluctuation and I am now completely satisfied with my set's remarkable picture quality.

Otherwise this television is exactly what I was looking for. Great price, superb picture quality, good Internet connectivity and interface. 3D is nice for future-proofing but it wasn't something I was actively looking for, but Panasonic sets with the best 2D picture quality are all 3D capable. Panasonic's menu interface seems a little more dated than their competitions, but it is simple and straightforward which makes it very functional without any extra eyecandy. The ST series is a great value if you don't need the somewhat fancier styling of the gt or vt series, or the thx certified picture mode, or the extra connections (st lacks vga, and has 3 instead of 4 hdmi ports). Also the st is the only series to offer the 42" size screen. For me it all boils down to this being the perfect television for 2011 now that Panasonic has given us a solution to the problem of Fluctuating Brightness.

**COMMENT ON PANASONIC'S RESPONSE**

I think Panasonic really demonstrated how committed they are to their product's picture quality by addressing this issue. Instead of writing this off as only a minor issue, they stepped up and supported their customers. This is a great response that insures that without condition Panasonic's line of 2011 3D televisions have the best picture quality you can buy. THANK YOU PANASONIC! Panasonic VIERA TC-P42ST30 42-Inch 1080p 3D Plasma HDTV

OK, I figured since I've hit the 200 hour mark I will give more impressions of my P42ST30.

I highly recommend D Nice's panel prep method which can be found online by using Google. Even if you "accidentally" watched a couple of hours of regular content, just start it now and don't watch anymore. I know that the purpose is to get even pixel aging for accuracy of settings, but I think doing this also results in sharper colors, with less bleeding.

I read the entire thread over on High Def Junkies forum about the brightness flux. Now I've been keeping a critical eye on this TV since I bought it (it's my 4th counting returns of 3 GT25's) and I had not noticed a problem with brightness adjustments during viewing. However, after reading the thread I decided to pay more attention. To test whether or not my TV suffered from brightness flux, I watched a movie that I thought would be an excellent test, Dark City on BD, Director's cut.

All I can say is that I was very impressed with how my ST30 handled this movie. If anyone is familiar with it, you know that Dark City is filmed almost entirely in this eery night/twilight background. There are tons of scenes with inky black backgrounds, brightly lit lights, and plenty of shadows and contours. This TV really passed with flying colors. I actually got up several times to go stare at the screen during a particularly dark scene with good contrast of bright localized lighting and I could not see any brightness flux, or any light bleeding into dark areas, etc...

Tried that "binary butterscotch" hi def jpeg that someone posted a video of on You Tube with his GT30 doing obvious flickering, and the only thing I saw was a very brief moment of darkening of the blacks in the picture and then it was stable.

Watched the opening scenes of Inception because someone on the thread mentioned their set did a lot of this brightness flux on the first 11 minutes...nothing...lights and darks were rock solid.

Now, I thought that I encountered a very slight version of this issue one time when watching hockey in 1080i on digital network broadcast. But I watched hockey again yesterday, same channel, and I realized what I saw was the unit's interpretation of the camera flashes from people in the stadium sitting near the camera but out of view, adding a kind of backlighting effect with their flashes. Not once did the white ice rink alter brightness or shades.

As a matter of fact, the only thing I can produce that even comes close to being called this kind of problem is if I have the white slide on the screen from the D Nice panel prep method and I bring up the ST30's main menu. Then I can see the white dim noticeably. But again, that's only when viewing the slides.

Now again, I'm a newb and this is an uncalibrated set, but I definitely noticed the panel changing as I broke it in. The ST30's seem to be particularly...I dunno how to say it...stiff, out of the box. Colors looked a bit dull and it looked like the TV really didn't know how to handle gradients, etc...but after the 100 hour panel prep, I really noticed images looking very sharp, colors bright and well defined, no bleeding into each other. They seemed more accurate. Fast motion scenes held their color well as they quickly passed across the pixels. And then I really noticed another marked improvement right around 180 -190 hours.

Let's see...about the only other issue is when I choose 48hz while watching something on BD with the player set to 24p I can see flickering in bright lights on the screen. When I change to 60hz, it disappears.

The buzzing has not gotten any louder at all. It's quite soft. Heck, it vibrates at the same frequency as my fridge motor so for all I know it could all be caused by dirty electricity from the utilities. They operate at 60hz so there has to be some interference. Anyway, I can only hear the buzzing with audio off and sitting within 6 feet of the TV and even then the other electrical sounds in the house tend to drown it out. It does change pitch with different colors but since I can hear the high-pitched whine from a CRT tv from any room in the house it really doesn't bother me at all. Of all my electronics the TV is probably the most quiet of the bunch.

As far as dead/stuck pixels I only have two. One goes dark on blue slides and one goes dark on red slides. I can live with that because they both fire properly on all other colors.

I have not been able to watch any native 3D content yet (waiting for my Avatar BD), but 2D-3D is cool to see at first but after a while it's not really noticeable unless there's some kind of graphic up on the screen then you really get the depth perception. The TV syncs up easily with my Xpand active shutter 3D glasses.

Oh yes, I am getting audio stutter on Netflix, but that only started recently, so for now I'm assuming it can be fixed with a firmware update. Plus it's not that big of a deal for me because we have the DMP-BDT210 and that Netflix shows more movie choices anyway for some reason so we primarily use it for streaming movies.

In conclusion, I know the ST30 line is the lower, high end model and I know it is far from perfect. But I really think it is the best value on the market for a 42" full HD, 3D television for under $1000. I am definitely a happy ST30 owner.

UPDATE 6/1/2011: Over 400 hours now and I stand by my review 100%. Also, I finally received my Avatar 3D Blu Ray and I watched it using my Panasonic BDT-210. WOW! Great 3D picture, the sense of depth is amazing! Using the Xpand X103 glasses from Amazon. Don't be fooled by the naysayers, 3D is cool and it's not a gimmick. Every guest I've shown the opening scene of Avatar to has been very impressed. Audio stutter on Netflix seems to have been fixed via the 2.04 firmware update. - 42 Inch - 3d - Hdtv - Panasonic Plasma'

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Usb Cable - garmin nuvi 200w, garmin accessories

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When I first purchased my Nuvi 255W I tried connecting to my PC using a USB cable I already had that was for another GPS receiver. I was able to charge the Nuvi but I could not get my PC to recognize it and do updates to the unit. After receiving this cable I had no problems at all connecting and updating my Nuvi. Guess it goes to show that not all USB cables are the same. Garmin USB Cable

This is just a standard usb "Mini-B plug" - I bought it alongside my Garmin Nuvi 1350T GPS, but I should have just waited. I already have two such wires, one that came with a digital camera and another with a hard drive.

If you are not sure if you have one or not, do your research into the different types of USB connectors and see if you have one that looks like a "Mini-B plug" - it could save you the price of this product.

That said, this wire is high quality and works well. I have kept mine and it will be useful to me. I just know I wouldn't have coughed up the cash for it if I had known then what I know now.

After comparing this cable to others in my collection, I think it may be a generic USB A-mini-B cable, which would be available for less from a good computer discount warehouse. I gave this one only 4 stars because the mini-B end will bend if the Garmin is moved while the cable has no slack. However, this may be a fault of the mini-B design and not the cable per se. Overall, I am well satisfied with this purchase.

I think the USB cable bring the Garmin to full capabilities. It is a MUST inorder to register and / update your GPS with the latest data as well as to do some "fun"stuff like changing vehicles to a lot of choiices.. Good buy . - Garmin Accessories - Garmin Nuvi - Garmin Nuvi 200w - Gps System Accessories'

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Garmin Accessories - garmin ac charger, gps system accessories

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I ordered this along with my Garmin nuvi 765t and it never worked.

Thankfully, Amazon did it's usual superb job of replacing it with just a few mouse clicks.

When the replacement arrived it was of a much simpler design and worked just fine.

Detail:

The original version I got had a slot in the back of the plug-in unit into which various plugs could be inserted to adapt it for the appropriate country/voltage/etc. My guess is that the connection between the adapter and the unit were not good and so it just didn't work.

The replacement unit which I received was made with the North American prongs already built in and no adapter was necessary for use here. The unit was packaged with adapters for UK and European use if needed. The just plug onto the NA prongs.

If you order this, see if you can determine which type will be sent to you or if you get the older-style version try to exchange it. Garmin AC Charger with International Adapters for nüvi

I was happy with this product, the shipping time was quick and the price was great! When I searched for this product in several different stores, it was never available and if I wanted any of the stores to order it in for me, the price was much higher than what I paid for it on Amazon.

The back of the packaging lists: StreetPilot i5, i3, i2, nuvi 680, 670, 610, 370, 360, 310, 270, 260, 250, 200, 250W, 200W. Only by checking the Garmin website for the nuvi 750, and in particular the item number 10-10723-00, was I sure that the AC charger I received was in fact for the nuvi 750. It was a little confusing.

The charger is convenient since I use my Nuvi 650 most frequently as a pedestrian. Who wants to have to get it in and out of the car or keep the computer on for charging? So it is worth the price for me. Product quality is excellent - what can go wrong with a charger? It should have been included with the original purchase along with a carry strap and case since Garmin promotes the Nuvi for handheld use.

Very happy with this product. I charge my Garmin 260w at home and pretty much use it all day without having to hook up the auto power cable.Garmin A/C Power Cable for nüvi Portable GPS Navigators (010-10723-00)

Works fine, allow my Nuvi 760 to be used while charging, instead of going into USB mode.

One thing I have learned by chance is that when you use a standard USB cable to connect to a computer, you can get it to go into non-USB mode like the charger, but it's not always straightforward. I've done it by disconnecting, then reconnecting the cable after a few seconds - I guess it gets confused. - Garmin Accessories - Garmin Ac Charger - Gps System Accessories - Garmin Nuvi'

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Computer Accessories - pc speakers, laptop speakers

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I was looking around for a while for the least expensive and still good quality speakers on Amazon, and these seem to be them. These have great sound quality and get plenty loud. All you have to do is plug the power cord into the wall and the green audio cord into the computer and it works. And I have to say that i think they look better in real life than in the pictures. Good buy. I cant think of any bad things about them. Logitech S120 2.0 Multimedia Speakers

These speakers are small, stylish, high-performing, and most of all, cheap. Just like me! Only one oddity to report: the instructions refer to a pink plug and a green plug, but in reality there is only a green plug.

Living in a quiet college community I wanted to have access to music while not disturbing other residents. I wanted a nice quality sound for listening to music via the internet and I found it in my new Logtech Stereo Speakers. The sound quality is not unlike that from any good audio system. For such a compact size the sound is awesome. I would recommend these speakers for listeners who enjoy good music while working at their computer or just for listening to music on any computer. They feature adjustable volume, just so you know, and adjusts well to graphic equalizer preferences. It dosent matter the type of music or sound. Logtech speakers adapt well to heavy bass, R and B, Jazz, classical music, video, and/or even techno! Whatever your listening preference Logtech multimedia speakers require little space and delivers quality sound.

At $9.995 a pair, they are good buy, but they do have some very serious limitations. They are too bright, sounding a little tinny. The bass below 120 hz is almost nonexistent. The midrange appears fairly accurate and smooth. They are better than other speakers I have heard in this price category, but not comparable to many $20+ speakers. I own a Logitech predecessor, Soundman sLH2s, that I paid $20 for about 5 years and I was hoping I would get comparable sound, but no.

I wanted cheap speakers for my desk at work, I was never going to set the sound very high. For the money I paid, I expected some cheap plastic things that would fall over if I looked at them wrong and a volume knob that would fall off if it got the feeling I was thinking about turning it. Boy was I surprised when I opened these today.

Heavy enough to feel planted, solidly built, plenty of cord length (both power and pc connection), 3 rubber feet per speaker, and in my opinion, they look better than they do in photos. Sound quality is decent as well (it should be noted that, as I mentioned earlier, I'm at work and have not turned them up loud).

I think these are WELL worth the money.

These are OK speakers for casual music listeners, and are a great buy for non-music audio stuff, like the latest web ads from Obama or McCain.

These speakers are very small, and have an ordinary 2 prong electric plug, no external transformer. Nice.

As to music, for $11, pretty good, but I'd recommend you spend more like $20 if music is your main deal. I've been listening to some CDs that I'm very familiar with and the bass response with these little guys cuts off at the lower mid-range. Not terrible, but I think for a few bucks more, music reproduction would be better.

My musical test is The Flamin' Groovies, an ordinary rock band, in terms of frequency response. The speakers are light in the bass, and overly responsive on the high end.

BOTTOM LINE: Good value for the money, but for music, a few additional bucks will probably be worth the expense.

In hindsight it seems extremely unfair to expect a $10 pair of desktop PC speakers to have reasonably good sound, but based my excellent experience with the Creative T-20 desktop multimedia speakers, and the very high numbers of positive comments on the S-120s, that's exactly what I expected. The Logitech S-120s are essentially a self amplified low quality 2" tweeter in a lightweight plastic enclosure. The claimed 2.3 watts is highly suspect, and the stated 50hz to 20khz is simply a severe exaggeration.

For $10 the Logitech S-120s are a good buy on a fairly mediocre speaker. In fairness, they're a decent value and are clearly better than most of the PC/multimedia speakers that are often included in a PC package, but most of those are simply awful speakers that won't come close to satisfying a remotely serious listener. The S-120s are a step up to mediocre. This review may seem a little harsh considering the low price tag on the Logitechs, but had I read more realistic objective comments about the sound of these speakers, I would have passed on them, so I hope that someone gets a truer view of what they can and cannot do from these critical comments. There are undoubtedly legions of happy campers who own this little system, but you'll have to count me as a dissenter. On the positive side, they're small, easy to place, well constructed, and have an easy to reach on/off volume knob. If you have realistic performance expectations based on what these speakers really are, they'll be fine for many non-critical applications but there's no chance of these replacing a decent set of real audio speakers hooked to a real amplifier or receiver. Alas, the laws of physics remain unwavering! The S-120s reproduce sound with some minor semblance of realism, combined with a fair amount of not so surprising box noise and amplifier hiss. The end result leaves them sounding pretty much like any cheap boom box type radio/music player with poor clarity, weak bottom end, and no dynamic realism. Logitech does offer a version of these speakers with a subwoofer called the S-220 2.1 for ~ $25, which would add some weight to the bottom end, but won't cure the many other ills of the sound. - Desktop Speakers - Cheap Speakers - Laptop Speakers - Pc Speakers'

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Milwaukee M18 - drill, lithium-ion

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I recently owned a Makita set so I will compare the two. I use the tools every day in remodel and new construction work.

* The Milwaukee is slightly heavier, but still easy to use.

* The belt clip on tool base is very useful. Makita doesn't have same feature.

* Battery life seems to be the same. I love the charge level indicator on the battery, but when it is dead, it stops immediately, no gradual loss.

* The hard plastic carry case will last much longer than the Makita cordura bag, which was pretty beat up after six months of use.

* Both brands have a use light above trigger but Makita's will glow for a short stretch after trigger release whereas the Milwaukee turns off immediately.

* Makita also has the glow ring on the impact driver that makes finding it in the dark easier, very handy.

* The Milwaukee impact driver has a rubber bumper strip on both sides of the nose for friction protection [nice] but one end on both sides come unattached with very little use [annoying]. I had to super glue them in place and they have held for several weeks.

* I anticipate no difference in tool life and durability having used both tool brands for many years. Milwaukee 2691-22 18-Volt Compact Drill and Impact Driver Combo Kit

After owning two of the white Makita lith-ion drills I had to return both of them because the charger kept killing the batteries dead. From what I have read this is a known problem.

Here is what I like better about the Milwaukee.

First the charger does not kill the $80 batteries no matter how long you leave them on the charger. Second, the Milwaukee has a great battery charge indicator right on the battery. This is very important with Lith-Ion batteries as they have full power right up to the end and quit without warning. With is level gauge you know exactly how much battery life you have when you grab your drill. Third, the Milwaukee drill has bit storage on board, handy for philips and reg bits. Lastly the red color holds up much better then white.

Hope this helps.

Recently I've been doing a lot of work around the house getting ready for winter. I went to Home Depot looking for an impact driver (something that could easily drive 4-6 inch lag screws and 8-10 inch Timberlock screws). The Makita and Milwaukee impact drivers seemed to outperform any others available. I chose the Milwaukee based on prior experience with this brand AND final sale price of $225.00 for the set (versus $275 for the Makita). Right out of the box there was enough charge in the battery to finish driving several timber screws in a drain box I was repairing. I've been very impressed with the weight, durability, and performance of this set. The torque in the impact driver is eye-popping. No buyer's remorse for this tool purchase.

After having Makita products in the past, I chose to buy this Milwaukee drill after the Makita Lithium Ion drills had concerns about wobbly chucks and poor batteries. I received the drill and immediately liked it. The weight, size, trigger control, etc. were all fantastic. The best drill I ever handled. So I took my new drill to put up several blinds and thought the new quick change bit set I bought was junk. Everything was wobbling and it was even hard to put in the screws. I went down to the shop and started going through some other bits. Every one of them wobbled. So, I pulled out my old Makita and the wobbling was immediately gone. I was in the middle of a bunch of different projects, so I went to a local store and picked up another Milwaukee. I got it home and the same problem. They both wobble like nothing I've seen before. Beware, others say Makita has wobble problems, but in my case 2 Milwaukee compact drills from two different stores have suffered from wobbly chucks, while I've never seen a Makita with this problem. There's definitely some quality control issues at Milwaukee with these drills.

I'm a hobbyist...a retired car nut. I like good tools, and in this case, I wanted a cordless drill with lots of power, and a keyless chuck that would hold a drill bit without slipping. I haven't used my new Milwaukee drill and impact driver much yet, but my initial impression is very positive, with one exception: battery life. Both pieces have all the power you could ask for, and they're light and well-balanced. They feel good in your hand...not over-bulky or lop-sided. The chuck on the drill grabs great, and doesn't spin on the drill bits, but I noticed the battery charge getting low after about 30 holes in sheet metal. Battery charge lasted a little better on the impact driver...I don't know if the drill just pulls more charge out of the battery, or maybe my drill battery happened to be weaker than the driver one. In any case, the battery charge indicator lets you know where you're at (after you put the battery on the charger), and the batteries recharge in a relatively short time. I questioned at first, why I'd need or want an impact driver if I had a powerful drill. Won't they do basically, the same thing? The impact driver gives you much greater control in driving screws. I was able to drive about 75 sheet metal screws into thick sheet metal without boogering up a single phillips head or twisting off a single screw. I know that using a drill to drive those screws, I'd have had about a 75% success rate at best. For me, these are great...for a contractor or someone working for a living, you'd want to have a handful of batteries so you can keep going.

How could a craftsman who's bought Milwaukee tools for over 20 years, (and many are Still in constant use), mark a "one star"? Two reasons: very very poor engineering and cheap brittle plastic. First of all I should have realized a change when my trusty 'ol 18 volt nicad Milwaukee drill slid off a chair onto a wood floor - and the handle snapped in half! Luckily I could buy the case, and after 2 hours of reassembly it is functioning again. Their plastic looks maleable, it is an illusion - it is incredibly brittle. The opposite of what is needed in a 'Heavy Duty" tool. So I should have known better than to buy this new set. I could find nothing amiss with the impact driver - it looks like good ol Milwaukee quality. But, believe me or not, the driver drill snapped in half too! And this was one half hour out of the box, drilling studs with a 1" spade bit for wiring. The bit caught on a knot, I resisted, and the drill snapped. Same brittle plastic. But far worse is the engineering / design of the drill. On a cursory inspection it looks strongly built. It's totally an illusion. All that holds the drill motor to the handle is two tiny pieces of brittle plastic hidden under pretty coverings.

Amazon prime is wonderful, they refunded in full in short order. I so regret I did not take pictures of this pathetically designed tool broken in two in my hands! And I am no gorilla -( like those who still respect these Chinese made Milwaukees may need to presume). For me, 20 years of supporting them has come to an end until I learn they have recalled this tool And changed their plastic formulation. Next day I went out and bought a Bosch set, nearly the same price, with even better specs on torque. (Bosch CLPK23-180 18V 2-Tool Litheon Combo Kit) After careful inspection and hard use I can say they are designed very well. It seems Bosch hasn't gone the route of Milwaukee. Whew. My partner uses a Makita set, and as can certainly happen on a job site, eventually one fell a story and half. We just picked it up and kept going, as it should be. Makita is not quite as well built IMHO, but certainly a good second choice. I have never written a review before, hope it's useful. - Lithium-ion - Milwaukee M18 - Combo Packs - Drill'

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Point And Shoot

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This camera is amazing! I bought it based on the reviews I read, but had NO idea of all the different things this camera does! It shoots videos and it shoots in "sports mode" - taking many pictures one right after the other so you don't miss anything. We have used this camera at some multiple-day music festivals and are simply amazed at the clarity of the pictures and how easy it is to use! The sound on the videos is good (if your computer speakers are good) and a unipod solves the shake problem if you have one. The batteries last pretty long if you aren't shooting videos - that seems to use them up quicker. This is my first digital camera, and I bought it because 1) easy to use, 2) large preview screen and 3) uses AA batteries. I was absolutely thrilled it did all this extra stuff. Friends who took the same pictures with their cameras were surprised at the difference when the pictures were posted. Ours were much better. Highly recommend this camera - especially to the camera novice (like me). Nikon Coolpix L22 12.0MP Digital Camera with 3.6x Optical Zoom and 3.0-Inch LCD (Red-primary)

I bought this camera after reading all the + reviews on several web sites. This is a very good camera for the price.

Pro's: price, simple to use, slips right into you shirt pocket or purse, very good pictures, bright LCD (sorry Kodak), uses AA batteries, good video.

Con's: none! I highly recommend this camera.

This is a great camera for everyday use, vacation shots, sports photos, and more. We take low-light, no flash photos with this on the "sports" setting for dance recitals and plays. The photos turn out terrific, and people always ask what camera we use because they are so impressed with the clarity of the shots.

This camera has numerous features and settings. The navigation between settings is pretty intuitive, and the instruction manual has lots more ideas too. It has good video capability for capturing something in a video file when you don't have a camcorder handy. You don't need special software to upload photos from this camera - I have a card reader in my computer to do all that.

The camera does a good job conserving battery life. We use rechargeable AA batteries without any problems for hundreds of photos per charge. It's compact and fairly lightweight, and it fits into a shirt pocket with ease.

The large screen makes reviewing photos easy, and deleting ones from the camera is simple with just a touch of a button plus an "are you sure?" question to keep you from potentially erasing something in error.

The 3.6x optical zoom is an improvement over the previous Nikon Coolpix we had, so this is now the favorite camera in my home! If you've had a Coolpix in the past and are thinking about getting a newer version, definitely do it! You'll find the operations and menu choices very similar to what you're used to, but with added improvements that you'll appreciate.

We've not had any problems with the battery cover on this camera or the previous Coolpix cameras we still own. If you break the battery cover, it's time for a new camera, unfortunately. But it's very sturdy and reliable, so we've never worried about it much.

This is a fantastic camera. The macro feature is the reason I got this camera and it's great for taking pictures of my aquarium. The sports mode works great for capturing fish. It's super easy to use.

The only con is that there are many possible settings and most of them are pretty specific. If you get the wrong setting, then pictures will look odd (strange colors or incorrect focus). However, these were very specific situations (like the aquarium) and once I figured out which setting to use, it works great.

I originally bought the Coolpix S203 and LOVED it. Good quailty pictures, chargeable battery and very slim. Super easy to carry around. When it got wet and died I wanted to replace it with the same model. Alas, it is no longer made. So, because I enjoyed my first Nikon Coolpix, I bought the L22 and was completly dissapointed. It seemed HUGE compared to my tiny S203 and the pictures were always blurry. It took extra seconds to switch from camera to movie and even to take a simple posed picture required 2.5 seconds of holding the button. Not a chance you would ever catch a good candid shot. I returned it and bought the S3000. Best idea and worth the extra $15. Plus this one does not require AA batteries like the L22.

I'm a very loyal Nikon fan and have been using their digital SLR cameras for years. My "bar" camera has always been a Canon, but I decided to try the Nikon Coolpix since I have always trusted Nikon's technology.

The camera takes nice pictures and is a very good price for a 12 megapixel camera. There is a large view screen, which is also a plus.

However, there are two major downsides to the camera that I wish I would have known before purchasing:

1) It uses AA batteries -- NOT a rechargeable battery pack. This actually makes the camera more expensive in the long run, since you need to constantly purchase AA batteries. It also makes the camera wider than battery-pack cameras since there has to be room for batteries. Hence, a camera that doesn't fit in your pocket as well as other models

2) After hitting the shutter button, it takes a LONG time for the camera to actually take the picture. So being out at the bar, everyone has to wait a LONG time holding their smiles... almost uncomfortably long. So this camera is not recommended for use at sporting events where you are trying to capture fast-action motion

I am no "techie", but this camera is user friendly and takes beautiful pictures. It does all the adjustments automaticly. If you want a "point & shoot", no-brainer I recommend this camera. AND it is "pretty".

I simply LOVE this camera. I am an over 50 year old artist. I wanted good quality pictures but I don't really understand the new technology. This camera is so easy to use and gets the quality I want in the pictures. You can even adjust certain elements to improve the picture even more to your liking. I would recommend this camera to anyone.'

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Dw735

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I experienced a broken gear on my Dewalt planer. Since my planer was out of warranty, I went through the hassle of replacing it myself.Immediately after doing that, I put a set of these blades on.What a difference! I had not realized that my old blades had become dull. They were still doing a great job, but what I didn't realize is that the planer was pulling too hard now. It was working too hard to plane the wood with dull blades.Once I changed the blades, the planer had a completely different sound. Sometimes, the motor speed doesn't even change when the blades hit the wood... that's how much difference the blades made.And don't worry... the blade height measuring jig that came as part of your DeWalt planer makes the entire process easy as can be.Don't wait too long, or you may be replacing gears too! DEWALT DW7332 High-Speed Steel Knives

Purchased this planer a little over 1 year ago, like all of my DeWalt power tools an exellent tool at a reasonable price. (I sound like salesman) I've run about 450bf of 4/4 rough planed red oak through it, but I must admit it's about time for the knives to be sharpend, to no surprise. I work it like you would a much larger non-portable planer and it holds up to the test. The single most thing that impressed me is that straight from the box the factory set-up was perfectly within specs and has stayed that way to this day. It's paid for itself many times over, and if I ever had to purchase another planer, DeWalt would be the first I would consider. Yellow and black are becoming the dominant colors in my shop.

They are genuine blades so you know they fit and work well (although the same can't be said for "disposable" blades in the new 734). No surprise there.

These blades usually sit around $45-48 on Amazon. I kept them in my wishlist and when I noticed they dropped to $38 I bought them. After I made my purchase they immediately jumped back up to $48. The same product, both prices from Amazon directly. If you aren't in a hurry, you might try waiting around for a price drop and save a few dollars.

If you wanna cut something, this is kinda kool!Expensive a bit, but just a little bit (like mine after it touched the blade)I should have sharpened them myself with a big mac since the meat is so tough so it can sharpen the blade.Hasta la vista!Buanaserrata, bonsoirHave a good night!'

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Victorinox Swiss Watch - brown, swiss army

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I was wanting to buy larger faced watch so I searched for watches with a case diameter over 50mm. This was the only Swiss Army watch that showed up and I liked the look so I purchased the product. When it came I was surprised by the size. The product specifications say it has a 52mm diameter case but if you check the product description it shows that the watch has only a 40mm case. I have decided to keep the watch because I still like the look, but if your looking for a larger faced watch like I was this is not it. Victorinox Swiss Army Men's 241151 Chrono Classic Brown Dial Watch

I bought this watch as a present for myself after being promoted at work. The purchase process was smooth and the watch was delivered after a few days.

This watch is beautiful and very elegant. The box is also a plus. It's much, much prettier than the boxes of my previous watches.

I am really glad I got it!

My husband purchased it. It is one of the Best Watches he has owned! Extremely Easy to use and see! Second to none for quality at an affordable price. All the features of any high caliber watch, like a Rolex, without the price. This is a true Classic Time piece.

Would highly recommend it for a man on the go!

I fell in love when i saw this wath here on Amazon... i had it on my wish list for almost a year because i didnt want to pay that much for it($450), and then i saw it for $100 off and inmediatly bought it! I love the way it looks.. it's elegant, but at the same time, it's casual! it goes with everything.. the only little detail (thats why i gave it 4 starts) is the fact that the leather strap (great look), ripped after two years of constantly wearing it.. i do live in a tropical weather, so sweat + leather is something you should keep i mind.. as i write this down, i'm waiting for my new strap to arrive ($60). Can't wait to wear my watch again!!

Nice look, elegant, the definition of the colour is "polish brown". I like it. First, look for Tissot with metalic strap, between us$250 - us$350, but, when i see this watch i like it inmediatly, the combination of the dising and the colour remember me the antique watches mixed with today style, i dont know, but it's look better put in your wrist.

Great leather strap, excelent presentation in a big elegant box and the seller it too fast.

I have used for a month before making my recomendation. I do not regret at all.

I do recomend you the seller and Victorinox. - Classic - Victorinox Swiss Watch - Swiss Army - Brown'

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Rechargeable Batteries - e1505, laptop batteries

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Just a little tidbit for everyone using laptop battaries(specifically LI-Ion)

Most battaries that favor a constant charge and recharge capacity work in two different forms. Your standard Ni-Cd or nickel cadmium battery is a slow drain slow charge type battery, a complete drain and recharge is a standard that most of us know. Not the case with Li-Ion, the lithium battery, and newer Metal Hydroxide batteries work better and last longer using the 100-40-100-20-100-40-100-40-100-20% recharge plans. On your initial charge of 100% charging you let the battery drain to 40% and then recharge to 100% and then the second depletion to 20% and back to a full recharge cycle. This helps maintain the battery condition and in some aspects the "Brain" of the battery so to speak is set in motion and maintains battery health througout time.

I myself thought the cycle was complete depleation of the battery on each recharge which actually shortens the life of the battery.(learn something new everyday)

Another item to remember is that when you plug in your laptop, and the indicator says fully charged, the battery is still being used in most cases and recharging. A good note is to remove the battery while in use of a power outlet and set aside until going mobile. This will also help prolong the battery. Hope this helps anyone who may be having to replace batteries often.

(P.S.) also good for cell phone usage (have had my phone for 4 years with no problems in keeping a full charge of battery life for at least 2 days, havent replaced the battery yet)

Enjoy :) Laptop Replacement Battery for 312-0428, 0UD260, KD476, GD761, Inspiron 1501, Inspiron 6400, Inspiron E1505, Latitude 131L

Hi All,

I have been a great fan of all products and customer reviews provided at amazon. This is the first time that a product that had 17 4+ reviews failed miserably. The battery seems to be not recognized by Dell. Once I put the battery in my Inspiron E1505, on booting the laptop, i get the warning message stating

"Warning:The model number of the primary battery can not be recognized by Dell

The battery would not be charged."

I spent almost 2 hours trying to resolve this issue, upgraded my bios from A03 to A17 but still nothing changes. Either all the 17 4+ reviewers were affiliates of the seller and are bogus or my case is a one of scenario. Whatever be it, I am highly dissatisfied by the product and would appreciate if anyone knows of a valid solution for the 50$ spent on this item.

In spite of Amazon's product title, this battery is not compatible with my Inspiron 1505. The 1505 does not recognize this battery, and it does not charge. Save yourself the aggravation, and avoid this product.

I read all the favorable reviews about this "Laptop Replacement Battery" and bought this product on September 10, 2009. I received it via USPS on September 24th. The battery was about 62% charged when I got it. I have a Dell Inspiron E1505, and I had checked before buying that this battery was compatible with E1505.

Now the problem.

The battery is not recognised by Dell at bootup. I upgraded by bios, with the same result. After the complete charge of the battery was drained out, i have tried charging it, and it does not charge at all.

I think I have been thoroughly duped. I bought this for $51, and I now see that the price has been reduced to $39.

I am going to figure out a way to return this product and get my money back. A complete waste of time, and waste of money.

Save yourself $50 and don't buy this piece of crap.

The laptop battery arrived promptly with USPS priority mail.

I left it charged fully over night for about 6 hours.

It functioned for a full 3 hours before getting down to the 10% recharge level. The usage was heavy 2 hour disk and CD drive work as I was installing web cam software twice as I goofed it up the first time and had to unload the software and load it again. Last hour was email and web usage.

The battery performed better than expected. The battery meter at one point indicated that it had 5+ hours left. I am sure that would be just web usage.

Great deal versus the Dell $150+ price tag.

This battery is compatible and works well with the Vostro 1000. Instructions are confusing. I simply installed and followed good battery practices - completely charged the battery, completely drained the battery, then repeated.

UPDATE: One year later and this battery is still working like a champ! :)

--------------------------------------

I've needed a new battery for my Inspiron E1505 for several months, but just didn't want to bite the bullet and spend nearly $200 buying it from Dell. On a whim, I thought I'd check Amazon. I found this and saw that most reviews were good, so I took a shot.

I've had the battery for a little over a month now and it seems to be working well. I'm very glad I didn't spend the money buying a Dell battery when this one works just as well for 1/4 the price. Even if it doesn't last as long as a manufacturer's battery, it won't be that heart-breaking to lose $50 bucks.

The only VERY MINOR complaint, if you can call it that, is that the indicator lights on the battery itself (showing you how much juice is left when you press the button,) doesn't seem to work. I shaved off one star because of this, but it's really not a big deal to me.

This battery was received as advertised and it's fit and performance was and is as promised. The price was right too. Am using it now as I type this review. It is the same battery with all details except not having the Dell logo on it. - Laptop Battery - Dell Battery - E1505 - Laptop Batteries'

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Melissa Doug - wooden toys, wooden food

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I was very pleased with the food sets we purchased last year for Christmas. My daughter loves to play with them.

One note worth mentioning is that the "patty" started peeling paint. I know my daughter isn't chewing on it, so I really don't know what caused this.

With all the lead-paint scares, I promptly threw it away. This product is manufactured in China. I'm not saying that it may have lead paint or anything like that, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

All in all, they're very durable food items and fun. Just regularly check for chips in the paint to be safe. Melissa & Doug Wooden Sandwich-Making Set

I had a friend who's 2yr old child had a food cutting set, and I was skeptical of whether my 2yr old daughter would also like it. I picked Melissa and Doug's set b/c their quality is always excellent, and I am again impressed with the craftsmanship and detail of this set. I am also pleasantly suprised to find that of all the expensive electronic gifts my 2yo got for her birthday, this has turned out to be her favorite toy!!!! It keeps her entertained for quite a while, and is great for parent/child play together. I only wish it came with more pieces, as I run out of combinations of sandwiches to make for her (but she definately doesn't seem to mind, she just keeps cutting!) Excellent for hand-eye and fine motor coordination, educational (verbal, counting, colors, etc) skills, and withstands a significant toddler beating. Also handy to have the storage box for clean-up. I also strongly recommend Melissa and Doug's food cutting set, which makes a nice coordinated set with this one, and increases the educational value and variety (for mommy who seems to get bored more quickly than my daughter!)

My son couldn't get enough of the Food Box from the same company, so I bought him this and now he loves them both! These are great complimentary toys that play well together and give my son hours of entertainment away from the TV. At this price, I recommend buying this for any 3-5 year olds that you are shopping for (even for birthday party presents!)

My children enjoy making sandwiches for all. The product is life-size, extremely durable, and fun. They are able to velcro the cheese to the meats and the meats to the bread and cut them all apart with the wooden knife included. The tray is also nice to use to store everything inside the kitchen set. I highly recommend this product!

This wood sandwich kit is as sturdy and durable as they come. Excellent quality toy, and it gets 5 stars for that. I bought this for my daughter at 18 months.. she is now 22 months. She has loved it from the beginning. Have some drawbacks though:

- My daughter absolutely LOVES "cutting" the sandwich and hamburger.. but thats about it. She doesnt quite get the concept of making a sandwich, which means I have to put all the pieces together.. and she takes them all apart with the wooden knife.

- There's only so many sandwiches you can make with this kit! It would be nice to have more meats.. and fillings, but thats okay I suppose.

- The velcro is starting to wear down. I have this issue with the food cutting set as well - my daughter plays with this toy so often ("cutting" the sandwich), that the velcro is starting to lose its adhesiveness. So I question how long this toy will last if we've only had it for 5 months.. and its already started to wear down like this.

Overall, excellent toy, I highly recommend it - my daughter loves to cut the sandwiches, so it provides excellent playing time for her. It keeps her busy for a long time.. and she loves just loves this toy.

My kids have had fun with this set. It's been put through some serious abuse but has not experienced any peeling or chipping. The slices are thick -- approaching 1/2 inch -- so the resulting sandwiches often look absurdly tall like something Shaggy would swallow in Scooby Doo. The bread, cheese, pickles, and tomatoes are decent approximations but there are some pink lozenges that don't make much sense -- ham perhaps.

One issue that crops up, although I don't really know how it could be remedied, is the small velcro circle that binds the sandwich together while providing the gratifying chop sound when rent apart with the wooden knife. It quickly looses its effectiveness over time and attracts all manner of junk - hair and fuzz. I have this issue with most velcro-fitted M&D toys. Not the end of the world.

Melissa and Doug toys, even handsome wood ones like this, are made in China. That doesn't mean that it is laden with toxins -- the corporate site assures otherwise -- but I do find it disappointing. When I see a company like Melissa "& Doug with wood toys, cute, craftsy labeling, and words like "handcrafted", it evokes a feeling of refreshing escape from the great heaps of cheap, electronic plastic garbage flooding the shelves of the local super-store. There's not much of a point to this last paragraph except to say I'm sure M&D could manufacture their goods here and pay more for a union worker but gain so much more in respect.

Kids really enjoy playing with this and it helps to teach them how food is prepared. They really like putting together different combinations of the inside ingredients. I like the wood better than plastic. I babysit my grandchildren and they like to "make meals" for me.

Good food set, a million times better than the plastic food. I bought this along with the Melissa and Doug Pizza set and so if you only want one set I would go with the pizza set as my girls play with that way more than this but it is well made and the velcro is awesome. Definetly worth it and a great addition to the play kitchen.

We've had this toy for a few years now and it has held up so well! It has been well played with but looks almost new! We bought it when my son was a preschooler and now his little sister can play with it! We've had many "picnics" in our living room with this toy! A good buy! - Kitchen Sets - Wooden Toys - Melissa Doug - Wooden Food'

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Compression Stockings

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I'm on my third pair of these. They are nice and strong, but I have twice put my thumb through them. You'd think they'd be a bit stronger to hold up to wear and tear, but maybe I'm just rough on them. glad to find you can buy them on Amazon - my local med supply place charges $35 a pair. Oh, and the 3XL fit my legs (i was a catcher for years, playing ball, and I have really thick calves) - but the length is a bit long. i fold them down on top and they're fine. :] Truform 20-30 Below Knee Closed-Toe, Beige, 3XL'

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