Guy Low Price Electronic: 24 Mar 2009

Tuesday 24 March 2009

Wireless N - dual band, gigabit

We are a heavy intenet using famiily. If we aren't streaming Netflix or Roku, we have phones and computers all competing for bandwidth. I tried the new Linksys e4200, it was OK until too many people logged on wirelessly and started hogging bandwidth. The e4200 would really drop down in speed while it tried to deal with all of the wireless activity. So, I tried the WNDR3700 (v.98 firmware) The WNDR3700 has a fast processor and can handle a lot of wired and wireless users simultaneously. But, the WNDR3700 seemed to "hang" about once an hour for reasons unknown. When I say "hang", it might take 5 seconds to load a web page instead of the usually instantaneous load speed. It got a little annoying.

So, I picked up the ASUS RT-N56U router after reading all the reviews and tests on smallnetbuilder dot com. I have to say that this router is ridiculously fast (at least twice as fast as the WNDR3700) and has better reception throughout my entire house. In a location that I used to max out at about 7MB/s with the WNDR3700. I can now sustain 31MB/s in the same location. I have pretty much- 5 bars of wireless reception where I used to have 2 or 3 bars.

The ASUS RT-N56U is pretty easy to set up and I like the physical appearance too. Throw in the fact that it is smokin' fast and has great coverage and I think I got a heck of a deal for $127.

Highly recommended.

by the way, I just noticed that another reviewer was having problems with iPhones not connecting. Our iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPad, and Android phones are logging on fine, no issues.

*** UPDATE 3/28/11 So far, the RT-N56U is performing perfectly and all DD-WRT bridges are connecting at highest rate. I am running firmware 1.0.1.2

I tried to update to the beta 7.0.1.21 as well as the 1.0.1.3 firmware and all of a sudden some laptops had very laggy connections. Instead of instantaneous webpage loads, it would take literally 5 seconds to load??? So, I reverted back to 1.0.1.2 and all devices are running wide open again.

+++ UPDATE 4/30/11 Still running perfectly since new with no reboots. Simply awesome. ASUS (RT-N56U) Black Diamond Dual Band Wireless-N 600 Router, Hardware NAT, 5 Internal Antennas, AI Radar and Graphical Traffic Monitor

I have been in the market for an 802.11n router, and after having done some extensive research (as of April 1, 2011), I decided to go with Asus RT-N56U.

I can attest to the Asus RT-N56U being an excellent consumer-grade router even though it obviously falls short when it comes to more advanced enterprise-level features (where Cisco shines), which 99.9% of all users will never need or even know about. One of the excellent features of the Asus RT-N56U router (not often mentioned) is the fact that you can switch it to the AP (Access Point) mode. When Asus RT-N56U is switched to the AP mode, its WAN port becomes a switch port just like the other 4 LAN ports. You can utilize the WAN port to connect Asus RT-N56U to an external router, and thus not lose one LAN port for this. Therefore, when switching the Asus RT-N56U router to the AP mode, you retain all four LAN ports for the wired connectivity to other non-Wi-Fi devices at 1 Gbps each.

Asus RT-N56U supports concurrent 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radios and the combined throughput via the back plane close to 800 Mbps (per the review by smallnetbuilder.com). In my personal test comparing Asus RT-N56U (in the AP mode) with the Cisco 1131 a/g Access Point, Asus provides nearly the same range in the 5 GHz band that the Cisco 1131 provides in the 2.4 GHz band. Asus RT-N56U 2.4GHz-band range extends beyond the Cisco 1131's range in the 2.4 GHz band. The Asus RT-N56U 5GHz-band range extends far beyond the Cisco 1131's 5GHz-band range.

As for the connection download speed, I was able to get almost twice the download speed when connecting wirelessly via the Asus RT-N56U (in the AP mode) vs connecting wirelessly via the Cisco 1131a/g AP. The numbers were as follows: 11.8 Mbps via Cisco 1131 vs 19.6 Mbps via Asus RT-N56U. In both tests, I used the same Internet router (Cisco 871) and the same Time Warner internet connection. I never knew that my Time Warner internet connection supported 20 Mbps until I tried using Asus RT-N56U. Now I know that my Cisco 1131 - and not my Internet connection - was the bottleneck to the Internet.

Asus RT-N56U can also be used as a NAS by utilizing one or two of its USB ports to connect an external USB drive. I tried USB flash sticks on both ports, and was able to transfer files to and from those USB drives. Additionally, you can create local users on the Asus RT-N56U and provide different levels of access (r/w, r, none) to different shares for different users. This is normally called user-based access, but Asus calls this "user with account" access. Otherwise, you can enable access to the entire drive for everyone if you do not want to deal with user-based access permissions; Asus calls this "user without account" access. I am sure most home users will choose the latter access method to avoid complexities that come with having to provision local users on the Asus RT-N56U router. I confirmed both methods of access to work when a share is mounted in Mac OS X as well as in Apple iOS (iPad2). I have run into a problem accessing a 32GB flash drive that had about 16GB of space taken by various files and directories via the the "user with account" access method from both Mac OS X and iOS, but had no such problem accessing a 1GB flash drive with almost all space taken by various files and directories; neither did I have any problem using the "user with account" access method when I tried a blank 16GB drive after moving a few files to it and then creating a few directories(see below on creating directories in the root of a USB drive). I believe that if I were to reformat the 32GB flash drive and then move all of the current files it has on it back to it, the "user with account" access method would start working properly on it. As for the file system on the USB drive, so far I have only tried FAT32, which works fine, but imposes a limitation on the size of each file to be a maximum of 4GB. If you need to go above this limitation, you will have to go with NTFS, HFS (for Mac), or ext3. I know for a fact that the Asus RT-N56U is compatible with ext3, but I am not sure if it can work with NTFS or HFS. If you have found one of these three file systems to be compatible with the Asus RT-N56U, please add a comment to this review. However, even if they are, the only file system that is compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux is FAT32. So, if you are planning on running the Asus RT-N56U in a mixed environment and are planning to be able to read from and write to your USB drive directly from your computers as well as across the network, your common-denominator file system for the USB drive should be FAT32. If you are only planning on working with your files over the network, any file system that the Asus RT-N56U is compatible with would work for you as long as you can format your USB drive in that file system. As of this writing, the Asus RT-N56U cannot format a USB drive attached to it, so you would have to perform the formatting on one of your computers or use the default file system that your USB flash drive is formatted in, which is most likely FAT32.

It appears that even though you can manually mount USB devices connected to the Asus RT-N56U in Mac OS X (via Cmd+K in Finder), you cannot mount those drives by double-clicking the RT-N56U entry that pops up in Finder under Shared. I used the app called "Files Connect" on my iPad2 in order to enable Finder-like (or Windows-Explorer-like) file browsing capability. I was able to mount the USB drives by tapping on the Asus RT-N56U entry that Files Connect auto-discovers. I am not sure if Windows Network Neighborhood can auto-mount the USB drives connected to Asus RT-N56U because the manual says that you should enter the network path manually. If this is in fact the only way to mount an Asus RT-N56U share in Windows, you can always map a drive to the network path for the Asus RT-N56U in Windows.

Please note that you cannot create or delete any directory in the root directory of a USB drive connected to a USB port on the Asus RT-N56U while accessing the USB drive over the network. This is because the Asus RT-N56U considers the directories in the root of a USB drive to be network shares, and hence, it disallows the addition and removal of a share via the network. You will have to plug the USB drive directly in to a USB port on your computer (Mac, PC, or Linux) in order to create a directory in the root of the USB drive. Once you have done so, you can plug the USB drive back in to the Asus RT-N56U's port and assign the access permissions to this directory/share. You can, however, create and delete sub-directories of an existing share while the USB drive is plugged in to a port of the Asus RT-N56U, and the share is mounted via the network in Windows, Mac, or Linux. All sub-directories of an existing share inherit the access permissions specified on the share via the Asus RT-N56U's web GUI. The fact that you cannot specify a more granular access permissions to the sub-directories of a share is definitely a limitation for the enterprise, but should be no problem for a home or even a small-business user.

When you insert a blank USB flash drive in one of Asus RT-N56U's two USB ports, the Asus RT-N56U automatically creates a share (named "share") in the root of the drive and creates three sub-directories in that share (music, pictures, video). This is done in order to prepare the flash drive for the UPnP server that can be enabled in this router. I have tested the UPnP server, using Xbox 360 as the streaming client, and can confirm that the UPnP server works just fine in the Asus RT-N56U router. If, on the other hand, you insert a non-blank USB flash drive in to a port on Asus RT-N56U, no additional shares are created, and the access to all directories/shares in the root of the USB drive is provided as read/write. You can, however, modify the access permissions on a share-to-share basis and assign different types of access (r/w, r, or none) for different local users specified in the Asus RT-N56U.

Asus RT-N56U can be a print server, but this feature is of no use to me because for this feature to work, a Windows based program supplied by Asus is required. Because I use mostly Macs and Apple iOS devices, I cannot utilize the print-server feature of this router.

Last but not least, Asus RT-N56U can utilize one of its two USB ports to connect to a 3G or 3.5G cellular USB modem and share that connection among the Wi-Fi (and probably wired) LAN clients. I have not tested this feature, so I cannot comment on its usability and stability.

Overall, I don't think you can find a better consumer-grade 802.11n Gigabit Ethernet router as of this writing. Judging by the frequency of firmware releases for the Asus RT-N56U router, the bugs remaining in the firmware will soon be worked out, and hopefully, Asus will add additional features to this router, such as direct IP-based (or even Bonjour-based) print server so that Mac users can utilize the print-server feature of this router. Also, it appears that the "dd-wrt" team is working on porting their firmware on this router, so in the future, you may have a choice of replacing the stock firmware with "dd-wrt". - Gigabit - Wireless N Router - Dual Band - Asus'

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Harry Potter Books - boxed set, harry potter books

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I, like many other people, used to dislike Harry Potter. I had never actually read the books, but for some reason looked down on Potter fans, thinking them to be a bit off color. I was certain that the whole thing was highly overrated and that it had been blown way out of proportion (like Twilight).

I could not have been more wrong. I finally read the books at the continuous urging of a friend in my junior year of high school, and they have become my favorite books of all time. I have already reread all seven books and stood in line for hours to see the midnight premiere of the newest movie.

When is the last time you have read a book and instantly wanted to pick it up and read it again? It doesn't happen often.

I can't even begin to tell you how incredible these books are. Not only are they very entertaining, but they are filled with the important themes of good vs. evil, the power of love, and the value of good choices. The characters in this book have become part of my life.

If you are at all hesitant to read this series because of its classification as a 'fantasy' series, I can assure you that you will not be disappointed. Yes, the book is about wizards and magic, but you would be shocked at how quickly the story pulls you in.

I can only ask you to PLEASE read the first book. If you like it, keep reading. If you don't, keep reading. The books get better as they progress, and I feel that the final chapters of the last book are some of the best reading I have ever done.

Also, do not judge these books from the movies. Everybody knows that the book is always better than the movie, and it's the same case here. The movies are great, but you need to read the books to fully appreciate what's happening and become a true Potter fan. Harry Potter Paperback Box Set (Books 1-7)

There's no question that the contents of the books inside this so-called chest are of the highest order. The entire Harry Potter epic was ingenious, brilliant, engaging, and encouraged hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of young readers to read when they might have rather played with their Xbox.

But this is about the packaging, and the packaging is just horrid.

I wasn't expecting something that was as heavy and substantial as, say, a pirate's chest, but I certainly was hoping that the box was more sturdy than a few flaps of cardboard rather cheaply assembled, and easily DISassembled.

I bought this so that I would have a full set of unread hardcovers with the original artwork, for the sake of posterity. In one of the worst marketing decisions I've seen regarding the Harry Potter series, the publishers thought it would be a good idea to include the extras (decals and whatnot - things I'm not interested in) shrink wrapped with the books. To get at them, you have to tear the shrink wrap, and thus compromise the books over time (a long period of time, and admittedly not much would be compromised).

Also, the clasp on the box was cheap plastic. Horrible. I almost broke it when undoing it. Is a metal clasp too much to ask for? Apparently it is.

I'm not completely dissatisfied with the purchase, because the books are phenomenal. I would have purchased a compilation of all seven books at some point, but I wish I had waited until they offered such a product without the sadly and unfortunately shoddy "chest". When I bought this product, I absolutely, 100% was buying the packaging, and the packaging was dismal.

I am a big Harry Potter fan and am no less than thrilled to pieces to finally own the complete set of books. (and in hardback no less) The books in this collector's set are the same books (content, artwork, cover and all) that have been sold before individually.

Yet I'm somewhat disappointed, if not slightly disillusioned that the "special collectors case" was a huge letdown. Given the obvious fact that Harry is huge worldwide, it would had behooved the publishers to do right by this commemorative set and make the case out of engineered wood (at the very least!) Instead they opted for the cheaper route and decided to make it out of... drum roll please.... CARDBOARD!

I dunno, maybe I was expecting to much?! (sigh...) 5 stars for Harry & minus one for the presentation...

I ordered this set to complement my hardcovers. I bought and read them all with great anticipation as each was released, but figured having the entire set in paperback would make future readings less cumbersome and more portable for one who is on the go a lot. Plus the price is good. Also, there is nothing wrong with the physical quality of the set I received. I inspected each book and the case closely after reading the first review. All look good!

These are great books, and definitely worth having for the collector. This is not a review of the books, but a review of the price. You are getting ripped off if you pay over $200 for these books. You can buy this exact set on amazon.co.uk which is the british version of amazon for 120 pounds plus shipping (which at the exchange rate today is equal to $176 plus shipping). So please look at the amazon.co.uk website like i did and save yourself a whole lot of money. Buyer Beware of sellers like this trying to con you into thinking they are giving you a deal.

First off let me start by saying DO NOT buy from these sellers, they are con artists trying to make a quick buck. You can buy this same set from Amazon.co.uk and even with expedited shipping it is less than half of this price.

Now on to the books themselves; They are extremely beautiful books. Cloth bound with gilt edges and ribbon bookmarks. The books seem very sturdy and have nice pages, they aren't as thick as the pages on the american editions, but are not by any means cheap.

The only real differences between these editions and the american editions are the covers and just a few words that are slightly changed here and there, also these editions do not have chapter art work.

I would recommend these books to any die hard Harry potter fans and collectors, not everyone will appreciate them. Overall I love them and am very glad that I purchased them 5 star value for sure!! - Harry Potter Books - Fantasy - Jk Rowling - Boxed Set'

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Kindle 3 Cover - kindle 3 case, acase

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The leather on this case feels nice in the hand. There is a bit of a smell when you first take it out of the packaging, but it goes away very quickly. This is clearly actual, real leather, not fake imitation leather. The interior is a nice soft gray felt that I feel will protect my Kindle from scratches. The exterior of the case feels to have a little padding that, while adding a bit of bulk to my device, also seems to offer some protection from droppage.

The Kindle fits very snugly via two leather straps on the bottom and two elastic bands on the top. I can shake the case vigorously and there are no worries about my Kindle falling out. Even so, inserting and removing my Kindle are very easy to do, so this indicates a good design. The magnetic clasp on the front has a nice snap and is very strong, so there are no worries of the clasp opening while it's in your bag, etc. The cover bends backwards behind the Kindle very easily, and I've discovered that you can bend the clasp part back and the magnet will be able to hold the cover open (by attaching to the magnetic part on the cover. This creates a bit of an angle, but is nice because you don't have to physically hold it open.

I would definitely say go ahead buy this case. It's a great value. I liked it enough to get one for my mother-in-law's Kindle as well. They now even have the cases in different colors, although black is a very good choice, in my opinion. I actually had to converse with their customer service department about an issue I had with my original case. They were very responsive and eager to resolve my issues. This great service experience shows that these guys care about their product.

If you're thinking about the more expensive "official" Amazon cover, this is a wonderful (and much cheaper) alternative that you will not be disappointed with.

Feel free to ask me any questions in the comments. I promise to answer them. Acase Classic Kindle 3 (Latest Generation) Leather Case (Black) with Screen Protector Film Clear (Invisible)

Ordered 3 Acase Kindle leather cases on Dec 16th and arrived on Dec 20th via USPS very good shipping turnaround time and the seller updated shipping to expedite shipping free of charge. Case arrived sealed in shipping package and each case was in its own sealed plastic case that was easy to open. The case is light weight and holds the Kindle very securely in place. There are 2 elastic straps one on each of the top corners and 2 leather straps on the bottom that the Kindle slides into also the case has a magnetic locking clasp to keep case closed. The case has no problem protecting the Kindle from minor drops, my wife dropped hers down the stairs by accident with no damage and the case stayed securely closed. I'm sure that not having the Kindle in a case would have been the end of that Kindle. The case also came we a soft cloth for cleaning your Kindle screen. The clear screen protector went on very quickly and easy to do, I had mine on in about 2 minutes. The screen protector fit nice and to me was not really noticeable while I was reading. This is a really nice Kindle case for the money and I'm glad I bought one for each of Kindles so I definitely would recommend this case.

So I got my Acase today and immediately started putting my new 4G Kindle into it. The case itself looked okay, and I wanted to get the screen saver put on so following the directions I slowly attached the screen saver (which is nothing more than a sticky piece of clear plastic the same size as the Kindle screen), making sure not to touch and then commenced to press the bubbles out using the supplied cleaning cloth. Pretty simple, but I noticed I had about 10 small bubbles still showing up. I tried to press the bubbles out using the cloth, but they wouldn't move. I at this point was a little annoyed, no big deal, but they were a little smaller that a #2 pencil eraser and were annoying. Since I hadn't removed the black tab yet (final step), I pulled up the screen saver and found that the bubbles weren't bubbles, but actual discolorations on the kindle screen. I tried cleaning them off with everything I could come up with (windex, ect.) and they are permenant, nothing removes them. ENOUGH SAID. BE CAREFUL OF THIS PRODUCT, I HATE RUINING A BRAND NEW KINDLE SCREEN LIKE THIS.

I ordered this case because it was very inexpensive compared to the Amazon non-lighted leather cases. I wanted a case because I am going to be using my Kindle while traveling and I thought it would be easier to attach a book light to the Kindle if I had a case.

This case fits the bill perfectly. It is very lightweight, flexible and strong. The front cover folds back completely, so I can attach the booklight and swing the cover behind and still manage to hold the Kindle with one hand.

I also like the snap closure. It seats well and is easy to close. The cover is very slim and barely adds to the size or weight of the Kindle. Very easy to slip into a backpack or even purse for travel.

My only quibble is that I am pretty sure this isn't real leather. It had a very plastic-y smell when I unpacked it and the texture feels more like imitation leather. I think it is wrong to advertise it as leather if it isn't. Would love to see this cover offered in more colors, too.

As for the clear screen protector... I tried to apply it but was unable to get the bubbles out. Having successfully installed screen protectors on my iphone, I wonder if it is just that the Kindle screen is so much larger? In any case, I decided to skip the screen protector. I will say that it didn't seem to create any glare, so if you are able to get it on without bubbles, it looks like it will work well.

For the money, I think it is good Kindle cover.

When I bought a kindle for my wife, I spend almost $35 to buy a nice case for her. While the case was nice, I definitely thought that $35 was a bit much. The Acase is however a completely different story! Its a high quality product at an amazing price. I love the fit and finish of the case and its not bulky as well. Its an excellent complement to the Kindle 3G and I would recommend it very highly. This is excellent value for money and there's no way you can go wrong. - Kindle Accessory - Kindle 3 Case - Acase - Kindle Covers'

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Black Decker Battery - black and decker, charger

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If you have come to this page, you probably already know that the charger that comes with the black and decker batteries is useless. This charger goes a long way to regain some confidence in the Black and Decker battery tools. The light on the front of the unit will inform you of the following.. charging, charged, problem powerline or replace battery. Recharge time is 1 hour instead of the unusual 3 hours.

The only down side to the unit is that it does not charge the 18v batteries. If you have none of these, then I would rate this 5 stars and recommend. If you have some 18v tools, then I recommend: DEWALT DW9116 1-Hour NiCad Charger with Tune-up Mode (7.2-Volt - 18-Volt). Not only will this unit charge 18v batteries, but it will also `tune-up' some poorly performing batteries. Black & Decker PS1MVC 8.4-Volt to 14.4-Volt 1 Hour Pod Style Battery Charger

I've owned this charger for a while now, and it does a pretty good job of charging up my 14.4v Dewalt and Firestorm batteries quickly. I don't care for B&D's method of indicating the charge status on batteries. The flashing light is ok, but having some sort of series of lights or varying colors would have been a better choice. As mentioned earlier, this unit is not rated to charge 18v packs and does not "condition" the batteries as does the Dewalt unit.

The charger is leaps and bounds above the standard cheap charger that comes with most of the B&D tools, and for the money, its not a bad investment. If you are looking for conditioning capability or the ability to eventually move up to 18v products, buy the Dewalt.

If a rating system has five stars, three means an item is average-- not terrific, but not terrible. This product qualifies.

I bought it a year ago, for the same reason everyone does: the cheap charger Black and Decker includes with its tools died on me. I needed a replacement, wasn't sure if a charger made by anyone else would work with B&D batteries and didn't want to buy something and maybe have to return it.

This charger does its job in a capable, unspectacular way. It finishes about twice as fast as the factory charger. But it's never lived up to its "1-Hour" name. If my battery is totally spent, I find it takes at least an hour and often close to 90 minutes.

In fairness, this charger is for batteries with voltages between 8.4 to 14.4. I was charging 14.4; maybe smaller models get done in an hour.

It also might not be a problem if you don't use your tool a lot. But when I used my drill to install shelves or fix my deck, I drained my battery before this product had my spare fully charged. I ended up buying a third battery to avoid taking a break. And if I'd been using this in a cordless saw, I'm sure things would have been even worse.

Also, this product won't charge two common battery types (18-volt and 7.2). Black & Decker doesn't make tools that use those batteries; if you're only using this on your B&D drill, you won't care.

But if you're a novice trying to assemble a home workshop, you'll probably wind up getting a tool that uses one of those batteries, and you'll end up needing a second charger.

If I had this all to do over again, knowing what I know now, I'd get the DeWalt DW9116 7.2-Volt to 18-Volt Pod Style 1 Hour Battery Charger. It can charge any battery that this unit can (I've verified that), plus some that it can't. It charges my batteries in 30-45 minutes, it has a slightly better status light and Amazon sells it for about the same price.

That's a five-star product. This one-- which does a decent job, but no more-- is a three. You won't go wrong with it... but you can do better.

After unpacking my tools that had been in storage for a couple of years I discovered to my chagrin that my 14.4v charger and battery were not working. In addition to replacing the battery I opted to substitute the old charger with the new PS1MVC 8.4 Volt - 14.4 Volt 1 Hour Battery Charger.

I am very pleased with its performance. It charges so fast that with a little planning I can get by with one battery. In a nutshell, the charger does the job well and does it fast.

Rich M.

I must say that when the battery charger that came with my Hedgehog died after less than two years of use, I was extremely disappointed and a bit angry. The thought of purchasing a new one did not put me in the best of moods. However, once it arrived, I have to say I was impressed. It looked how a charger should look as opposed to the original (which did look a bit cheesy, to say the least). It takes less time to charge the batteries now. It is ten times better than the original design. I am very pleased with the product.

Got this for my husband to replace the one that came with his drill. Replaced the original one once before and decided to buy this one when we needed to replace it again. Very fast charge and love that it tells you when your battery is bad. Would definately recommend this product

My original charger quit working and I checked local retail stores for a replacement and found that a new charger cost almost as much as I paid for product initially. It would have been cheaper to just buy a new cordless drill.

I found this new charger at Amazon and the cost incl. shipping was very reasonable.

The item was shipped quickly and it worked right out of the box.

I actually like this charger better than the one that came with the drill. - Charger - Cordless Drill - Black Decker Battery - Black And Decker'

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Travel Guide - travel, architecture

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Given the enormity of the task of identifying 1,001 of the world's greatest wonders, the authors did a pretty good job. But they were clearly biased in their selections. This book was originally published in England. Not coincidentally, 54 pages are devoted solely to the British Isles. This represents about 6% of the book. This may not seem like that much until you consider that the Britsh Isles have about 0.2% of the world's land mass. Likewise, about 170 pages were devoted to Western Europe ... 19% of the book for 2.5% of the world's land mass. Other sections of the book seemed to be given disproportionate coverage as well. 10% of the entire North America section was devoted to New Mexico. The whole of Canada barely got more coverage than this. The enormous country of Russia got just 7 pages. New Zealand - an incredibly scenic country - got just 13 pages. The breathtaking islands in French Polynesia got 2 pages of coverage (and they completely ignored Moorea Island).

All of this being said, this is still a fairly impressive book that can be used to get a general idea of places you might like to visit. It has nearly 1,000 pages, so even with the disproportionate coverage, it still provides a pretty good glimpse at a lot of the natural wonders around the world. And there are some pretty nice photos, though I do wish there was a photo of every place, rather than a photo of about 1 in every 2 or 3 places. Photos can say more about a natural wonder than a couple paragraphs of text. Hopefully, the authors will someday come out with a new edition with more photos and less biased coverage of places throughout the entire world. 1001 Natural Wonders You Must See Before You Die: UNESCO Edition

Bought as a Christmas Gift for our family. The book is printed on high quality glossy photo paper with maybe more than 400 gallery-quality photos of the wonders around the world. Many are truely breathtaking. I was tempted to read it from cover to cover at the begining and it soon proved to be a daunting task to cover the 900+ pages. So I was content to flip from page to page glancing at the photos and occasionally read the descriptions, which are simple and to the point. This is truely a wonderful book to own. I'd keep it close at hand on a coffee table or a bed-side table and once a while pick it up and let myself wander among the wonders.

I love to travel and thus peruse lots of books to explore and plan my future trips. I liked "1000 places to see before you die" as it did decent job in describing places worth visiting in all countries and continents. This book is a very weak copycat.

It seems that the criteria for choosing "natural wonders" was their proximity to US and south US in particularly and/or availability of the pictures. For instance, the book has tons of places in Texas, Arizona, etc. Not that these places are not nice, but the book completely ignores Moorea in Pacific, New Zealand has only marginal coverage and there are only couple of places in the whole India worth mentioning.

The book does have nice pictures, so it would qualify as a coffee table book for people who do not travel further than nearest McDonald yet like to dream or talk about faraway places. But do not take it as a guide for places you must see before you die: you will miss much of the world then!

buy this book! quality book, full of breathtaking photos of incredible places around the world. whether you are a dreamer, traveler or adventure seeker, you will love this book. i purchased it as a gift but am keeping it for myself and ordering another one.

I will admit upfront: I have not read this book, I have only browsed through it for about 25 minutes inside of a bookstore I shall not name out of respect to Amazon. With that being said, there are some amazing pictures in this book. But there is one thing that REALLY bothers me. The picture on the front page is a FAKE! It is not in any way a real iceberg...it is TWO icebergs! The image was created by professional photographer Ralph Clevenger. Here is a quote from Mr. Clevenger converning this fauxtograph:

"I created the image as a way of illustrating the concept of what you get is not necessarily what you see. As a professional photographer I knew that I couldn't get an actual shot of an iceberg the way I envisioned it, so I created the final image by compositing several images I had taken. The two halves of the iceberg are two separate shots, one taken in Alaska and one taken in Antarctica (neither is underwater). The only underwater part is the background taken off the coast of California. The sky is the last component. It took a lot of research on lighting and scale to get the berg to look real."

There you go. This photograph is one part Alaska, one part Antarctica, and one part California. He doesn't mention where he gets the sky from. If I was a betting man I would say somewhere above Liechtenstein.

Now...how can I in good faith pay money for a book about the NATURAL wonders of the world when the first photo I am presented with is a FAKE?? How many other "natural" photographs does this book contain? Honestly I don't know, and don't care to do the research on. Hopefully in the future the author Michael Bright doesn't do a book about instects and animals found around the world. I can only imagine how many fake giant spider pictures THAT book would include.

So there you have it. A book about the "natural" world that has a faked picture on the cover. Way to do some serious research Mr. Bright. You are are superstar.

Some of the world's leading explorers lend their contributions and advice to the extensive travel reference 1001 NATURAL WONDERS YOU MUST SEE BEFORE YOU DIE, which holds very nearly 1,000 pages packed with photos and descriptions of such wonders. From Loch Ness in Scotland to Lake Natron in Tanzania or Daisetsu in Japan, the world's wilderness places are all under one cover, with extensive descriptions charting why they stand out. While some of these places pepper other books, no other coverage is so extensive - or so well laid out, blending modern color photos with cultural and natural insights. Very highly recommended indeed; way above any other 'natural wonders' guides, and perfect for both armchair travelers and travel planners alike. - Travel Guide - Art - Architecture - Travel'

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Kindle Games - kindle freebie, free

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I just downloaded and played the game. Your goal is to make a picture from numerical clues.

Using each number as a clue, you draw a sequence of consecutive black squares. The clues in a row or column are in the same order of black squares in the puzzle pictures. For example (2,3) on a row means there are two consecutive black squares, at least a blank square in between and three consecutive black squares on this row.

You use Next Page (>) key to fill squares and Prev Page (<) key to cross off squares with an X. To fill in many squares at a time, hold the Next Page (>) key while moving the cursor with 5-way controller. To cross off many sqares at a time, hold the Prev Page (<) key while moving the cursor. I found the key selection a bit awkward.

Starting with the largest clues is the key since it will eliminate the options available for the smaller clues. Also, make sure to mark all the blanks with an X. Marking constraints first like this is always useful in logical games.

There are 50 picture puzzles in the game. Time, hints used, and errors are recorded for each puzzle so you can compete with someone else.

Some pictures are quite complex so you may need hints to continue. Three hints are available for each picture for you to use if you get stuck.

You can find errors and erase them anytime. All errors are also recorded for each puzzle.

Amazon released another free fun puzzle game. Give it a try. It is free after all. Pixel Perfect Puzzles

This is a neat little game for your Kindle - not as addictive as some of the other games that are available as Kindle applications, but as I type this review it is free (and everyone loves free). The goal of the game is to use a certain number of clues for each column / row on the picture grid in order to figure out what picture is contained in the grid. You have numbers you are trying to connect, etc.

I will admit I wasn't able to identify a few of the pictures I played - there are 50 total in the series - but you can get clues. The keyboard does get confusing, so I wrote a few instructions down for which arrow key represents

I would agree with the game description if you like using logic to solve puzzles, you will like Pixel Perfect Puzzles (I substituted "like" for "love" in this case). Considering the game is free for your Kindle, why not give it a shot and see if you like it?

I noticed one flaw in the program -- it says to type ">" to make a black square. I didn't figure that out as "next page" until I saw another review here. I instead typed "z" for black squares, and "x" for squares known to have nothing.

These are all great puzzles, and well implemented. Nonograms, Hanjie, Paint by Numbers, Griddlers are some of the names for this puzzle type. It was originally developed by Non Ishida in Japan, in 1988. I would have paid for the program.

The logic aspects involve figuring out forced squares and unfillable squares, and continually going back and forth to figure out the status of more squares.

Picture types included:

Introductory 5

Animals 11

Electrical 10

Natural 7

Vehicles 8

Objects 9

Puzzle range from 5x5 to 15x15. This is a great free download. Other puzzle programs I recommend are NY Times Crosswords, Strimko, Futoshiki, and EA Sudoku.

Recommended.

This logic puzzle set is fun, smart and addictive.

Most folks want more puzzles, but my husband appreciates that there aren't more. For some reason he likes dinner and clean clothes.

Right now I have puzzles left to solve. If I have withdrawal when I finish, I might have to drop my rating to 4 stars. ;-)

With pixel perfect, you construct a picture of something using black squares and numerical clues.

Using the cursor buttons on your Kindle, you move around a game board that's made of squares that are stacked 10 by 10 or 15 by 15 and you make specific cells black to eventually create a picture. Just as the image for the game indicates, there are number clues on each column and each row to tell you how many sequential blocks there will be in that column, the number of black squares in each block, and the order in which they must be. Each block of squares must be separated by at least 1 empty square. For example, a row with "2 4" on a 10x10 board would mean that within that row, there will be two black squares together and then another block of four squares, separated by at least one empty square. This sort reminded me of "paint by numbers" - where you paint each cell a certain color based on a numeric code. One of the other reviewers mentioned that this was a nonogram, and, after looking it up because I'd never heard the term, that's exactly what this is.

This particular game includes 6 categories with 50 total puzzles that seem to get more complex the further down the list in each category you go. On the page that lists the categories, I liked that it tells you how many puzzles you've completed in that category and the total number so you can easily tell whether you need to skip that category. Categories include:

* Introduction - 5 puzzles

* Animals - 11 puzzles

* Electrical - 10 puzzles

* Natural - 7 puzzles

* Vehicles - 8 puzzles

* Objects - 9 puzzles

After you select the category in which you want to play, there is a question mark icon to represent each puzzle so you can't see the final image you should get for that puzzle. After you successfully complete the puzzle, the image is displayed on this selection screen instead of the question mark icon. When you place your cursor on completed puzzle, you can see the name of the puzzle, the time it took to complete, the number of hints used, and the number of errors found in the puzzle (based on, it seems, use of the "Erase Errors" feature).

The puzzles include the following features:

* Hint - You get 3 hints per game. Each hint will fill in two black squares for the 10 x 10 puzzles and 3 for the 15 x 15 puzzles. Depending on your settings in the game's "Options", it will either display a standard black box or it will display a small white box within the black one to indicate that the square was filled using the "Hint" or "Erase Errors" features. I found that on some of the larger, 15 by 15 puzzles, it didn't really help when you're starting out the game, unless you use all of your hints.

*Timed Game - The games are timed so you can see if you get progressively better as you play different puzzles or replay the same puzzle. The nice thing is that the timer doesn't start until you move your cursor or use the paging buttons, so you have time to review the clues and strategize a little before beginning.

*X's - In addition to highlighting a square black (which you do by clicking the "page forward" (>) button), you can fill squares with an "X" so you know that the square is not valid for play (i.e. you'd put an "X" in the cell between your two blocks in the previous example). To put an "X" in a square, use the "page back" button (<).

*Multi-fill - I don't know what else to call it. Holding down either the "page forward" (for black squares) or "page back" (for the "X") and the enter/select button on the Kindle, you can fill each empty cell in the row or column. It will skip any square that you've already highlighted black or filled with an "X".

*Undo - You can use your Kindle's "Back" button to undo moves. You can also reset the entire puzzle but this feature helps if you just screw up one row or something like that.

*Erase Errors - This feature will determine whether you have errors on your board and it will erase them if you do. Based on your settings in the game's "Options", it may display a little black or white box in the middle of the square to remind you that the game had to fix that square for you. There's no limit on the number of times you can use "Erase Errors" but the statistics at the end of the game will tell you how many total errors were found via this feature.

*Restart Puzzle - If you've royally messed up your puzzle, are lost and have used all your hints, or are almost done but your time makes you want to cry, you can reset the puzzle and do it again.

*Erase Player Records - Once you've done all the puzzles, you can pout and seek out another game, or you can delete all the scores and completed puzzles so you can do them all again.

I found the game highly enjoyable. It's the sort of thing you could accidentally play for hours. It engages your logical and deductive thinking skills. The graphics are clean, simple, and intuitive. The instructions for the game are accurate and helpful. Like all the other Kindle games I've bought/downloaded, you can stop a game and resume play when you get back to it. I've done about 15 puzzles but I'm enjoying them so much, I wish there were more puzzles. I'm a little competitive too, so it would be nice to know an "average" or "respectable" time to completion.

Overall, I'm sure I'll waste hours of my life wiling away with this game.

UPDATE: 7/14/2011 - I've now completed all the puzzles in this game, some more than once because it seems to erase some of your completions. I've noticed that when you finish the last puzzle in a category and use the "Select" or "Back" buttons that display on this little pop up, it may (maybe 50% of the time) delete your completed puzzle. Since I won't remember where all the black squares are versus the "X" squares, it's not a huge deal, but, as I mentioned earlier, I'm a little competitive and I like to finish what I start so it is a bit frustrating to have your work disappear. As a final note, I thought the puzzles in the "Animals" section were the most fun (in terms of seeing the end result), so enjoy those. - Kindle Freebie - Free - Kindle Active Content - Puzzles'

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Running Headphones

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Worth it!! I've been waiting for this item to come out on the market. I've gone through about 5-6 pairs of different headsets. Earbuds would ALWAYS fall out after the first 2 steps of running. I think I may have a small ear canal? I then tried ones that wrap around your ear. That was okay but then after long runs they would start to get uncomfortable and hurt also the cord would snag if I turned my head.

This headset was a Very well thought out design. It uses 1 cord not 2 like alot of headphones out there. The cord is short maybe 18 inches long. This is nice because you don't have to worry about a cable flopping around when you run. It also comes with an extension cable that connects to make it longer if you want and has a volume adjuster attached if you need to change the volume on the fly. It fits very well and is very comfortable. I don't feel it when I run. The sound quality is a huge bonus. I'm happy with this purchase and I know there are alot of runners out there that have the same problem I had. I hope this review helps. Sennheiser PMX 680 Sports Earbud Headphone with Volume control & Neckband

I had originally tried a pair of the Senheiser PMX80 headphones and they fit so terrible I had to return them. They were way too tight and gave me a headache. Other people said the same thing. These PMX 680's are a vast improvement in every way. They fit better, sound better, and look better. To clarify, these are not Adidas headphones, but are Senheiser with an Adidas branding.

The sound quality is great with strong base and crisp highs. They sound far better than your average headphone and light years better than crummy ipod buds. The fit is perfect and they are very lightweight. They are comfortable for long listening yet firm enough to stay put for vigorous runs. I wore them for over an hour the other day and they never moved and I hardly knew they were there. This is finally the perfect set of quality sounding headphones for exercising.

They come with a short cord for armband iPod players, and an extension cord with volume control if you want to pocket your player. The cord is strong and stays flexible even in cold weather. A couple things I should mention. While these are perfectly suited for aerobic type exercising, they don't work well for other types. Because of the neckband they will get pushed out of your ears if you lay back on anything, like a bench or exercise machine. Also, they will not fit with a snug beanie cap for running outside in cool weather, nor can I wear them under my snowboard helmet.

All in all these are fantastic headphones for what they are intended for, and are a vast improvement over previous Senheiser neckband headphones.

The first thing I want to comment on is the build quality. I have to assume people getting these headphones are probably running or working out with them. I have never had a pair of headphones that fit comfortably while running. Ear buds fall out (I swear my right ear is misshapen and pushes earbuds out), around the head headphones are uncomfortable and the earpads get hot and sweaty, and even a cheap set of earbuds I bought that are like the PMX680 and wrap around the ear didn't fit right and had a tendancy to fall out frequently.

The PMX680 is about as good as I can imagine for wearing while running. The headphones fit in the ear and do not budge, even if you give the cord a decent tug. The headphones themselves are made of flexible and light plastic that can probably take a pretty good beating but is fairly unobtrusive. The earbuds sit just outside of the ear canal and are made of a sticky (through friction) silicone like substance, but come with optional foam pads which I choose to use. The earbuds can cause some discomfort, they are a little tight in the ear canal and put a fair amount of pressure on it. I don't mind much because it isn't noticeable once I start running and even when I'm at work using the headphones at my desk it isn't much of an issue. The cord seems like its very sturdy at the connection sites to the headphones and the plug. I can't imagine it wearing out like other pairs of headphones have. The extension cord itself is also sturdy but the volume adjuster isn't terribly useful and feels a little cheap, however I wouldn't consider it a very important feature. The headphones come with a clip to pin the cord to your shirt and prevent it from pulling when you move, the extension cable also has a clip on the volume adjuster as well. Both of these can be handy.

The reason I give these headphones a 3 is the price and sound quality prevent it from earning a higher score. For $60 I expected better sound from them. The stock "premium" headphones that came from my zune sound better than these. The bass is nice and surprisingly punchy for earbuds, however the mids and high end sound weak and a little muffled. The sound quality is comparable, maybe a little better than an average pair of $20-$30 over ear headphones off the shelf at a Target or Best Buy (which are overpriced headphones to begin with).

In spite of the disappointing sound quality I'm happy with the purchase. The PMX680 should last me forever and sound quality isn't my number 1 concern when I'm running anyway. I just don't think they should be priced at $60. I expect more from Sennheiser based on the brand's reputation and other headphones I've had from them.

I've had problems in the past with other headphones falling out or being too tight and giving me a headache. Not so with these. I can barely feel them, and I don't have to worry about them at all. To try them out, I wore them in the office during several hours of online training. After a couple of hours, I did notice them there, but it was nothing compared to either of my other headphones (I have the standard iPhone set as well as a Motorola HT820 set). As one coworker stated the color of these is bright enough that I'd never misplace them.

I live in the desert and it isn't summer yet, but can still work up a pretty mean sweat while exercising outdoors. So far, I have had no problems with that being a problem for these headphones.

I love the short cord/long cord option since I hike and run with my iPhone on my upper arm. Other cords get in the way, even if I route them through my clothes or clips. The short one is just long enough to reach from my iPhone to the headphones with a little slack so I can still turn my head. If I had a complaint it would be that I had to move my phone to my left arm since the headphone cord comes out of the left side. Which reminds me of another bonus -- a single cord coming out of the headphones.

I'd hardly consider myself an audiophile, but they sound great to me, but I am still able to hear what is going on around me with the music at a reasonable volume.

For those interested, I went with these over Bluetooth-enabled headphones in order to conserve battery and not interfere with the iPhone's GPS.'

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Crossfit - exercise, fitness

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really easy to program. Works just like I wanted it to, I can set a different number of intervals as well as the "on" times and "off" (rest) times. I was tired of trying to look at the clock during my workout, allows you to just focus. It not only has audible beeps, but a flashing light as well. You do have to reset it each time when you turn it on, but a monkey can do it. Interval Workout Timer TMR05-B Black with Loudness Control: Boxing, Wrestling, Martial Arts, MMA, HIIT, Endurance, Strength, Fitness

This little critter has quickly become one of the most used pieces of equipment in our gym. It does exactly what we need. I wish there were a pause button, but that's nitpicking. There -are- a couple of tricks to using this timer, so do not throw the directions away until you got it figured out. - Fitness - Exercise - Interval Timer - Interval Training'

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Finish Nailer - nailers, finish nailer

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The DeWalt 16 gauge finish nailer makes an excellent addition to one's collection of finish nailers, either as a homeowner or a professional. One of the benefits of the 16 gauge nailer is that the nails are much cheaper than the 15 gauge nails. With that said, the 16 gauge nails lack some of the holding power and are more prone to blowouts (which can be easily avoided with correct usage) because they are stamped and rectangular instead of round. Don't let that discourage you, however, because the 16 gauge nails have plenty of holding power for applications like interior door jams or holding up heavy crown molding.

The DeWalt nailer is nice in that it can be used without oil; however, it is still best to give it a light oiling once in a while to ensure that it lasts. I have no doubts that it will last. The tool consistently countersets nails to the right depth and has plenty of power (I keep the compressor around 100 psi). I've never had a jam, but the release on the front for jams is easy to open. The depth adjustment is the normal wheel mechanism that allows for very precise adjustment. The no-mar pad works very well, and nail placement is easy to see. Case is sturdy and securely holds the nailer as well as some space for nails and safety glasses. I found the loading very awkward. The two methods used to load seem arbitrary and more of an advertising scheme than anything else. DeWalt could have designed this function better, but I've not found it too bothersome to deduct a star since the overall performance is excellent. Also, the manual is map-style instead of book-style (feels like 12 feet by 10 feet large), which is a real pain to use if you're unfamiliar with pneumatic tools, but this seems like a minor detail.

I highly recommend this tool. DEWALT D51257K 1-Inch to 2-1/2-Inch 16 Gauge Finish Nailer

I bought this for trim work for my home office remodeling. I have a Porter cable 18 awg and a Grex 23 awg. I am happy with this one also. It has plenty of power, but I can still use it with a three gallon compressor and get plenty of shots before the compressor recycles.

I used this nailer while installing 800 square feet of hickory flooring. It was used to face-nail the starting and ending rows, to get in closets where the flooring nailer couldn't reach, and to install the baseboard molding. I only had two jams out of 1500 nails. The jams were easy to clear thanks to DeWalt's easy opening jam clearing thingy. (that's the technical term!)

The depth control wheel right on the nailer makes it easy to put the nails where you want them.

I love this nailer, easy to use and dosent jam often. I have shot a couple thousand rounds through this gun now and I love it. I did have one jam in that time but the tip unlatches quickly making it simple and quick to unjam. Comparing it to my bostitch this one wins hands down. - Finish Nailer - Nail Gun - Finish Nailers - Nailers'

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Postage Scale - postal scale, postal

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I am really happy with this purchase. Super fast shipping and this is an excellent product. I just received this and it works great. Every thing seems to be very accurate and super easy to use. It is very compact and lightweight so I can take it out and put it away very easily, and it doesnt take up much space. I also don't have to run back and forth to the post office just to weigh something now. The price is a real bargain for a product like this. I would definitely recommend this product to anyone. Weighmax Electronic Postal Scale - Weighmax 2850-15

Product as described. Not bulky, which makes it easy to store when not in use. Fold up top feature very convenient for weighing large envelopes. Comes with both a battery and an AC adapter. AC adapter would be conveninet for someone who would use the scale every day.

Initially, I was looking to replace a digital scale from My Weigh that accommodated up to 15lbs and was a bit pricey at $40 without an AC Adapter. In looking at the various scales that were Prime eligible, I ran across the 35 lb version of the Weighmax, but on delivery the LCD was faulty and I had to return it. Then I found this 15lb version and it included an AC adapter and a 9 volt battery. It only has one read out in lbs & ounces and no tare button. The taring function is gotten around by putting whatever object you are going to place the item in and then turning on the scale. That amounts to a tare option. It works well enough for my purposes and now the question is the unit's durability that can only be determined over time. The lifetime warranty is better than nothing, but really somewhat worthless because you have to send the scale back at your expense and if it is past one year you then have to pay to get it fixed. At that point, you might as well as buy a new one because these basically throwaway electronics just aren't worth repairing. The unit is small enough, compact, and stable enough on a level surface (such as a ceramic tile). Hopefully it will last many years.

Extremely happy that I don't have to go to the post office every time I mail a package out now. The scale is compact but can hold a large package which is nice and you can flip the back up if you need added support. If you want to zero it out first, just put your object on the scale and then turn it on. Easy to use and saves me a ton of time/gas/effort!

Got this to replace my 10-yr old Royal that was starting to give odd readings (and does not have a replaceable battery). I never use grams for measuring, but I had noticed it was described BY AMAZON as offering that option. It does not. It has only an off/on switch, and the instruction booklet says it weighs in lbs and oz. I like the fact that it uses a 9v replaceable battery...which should last longer than those with AA or AAA batteries. Plus, if I had to, I could plug it in. very lightweight (feels cheap) but is quite accurate. A bit bulkier than the old Royal (which I loved until it started acting wacky this week) but easy to grab and put on the desktop when you need to weigh a small package or envelope. The flip-up lid is interesting..allows you to rest a large oversized envelope on it for weighing. Overall, seems like a good bang for the buck. Now if Amazon would stop misrepresenting its capabilities, that would give this 5 stars.... - Postal Scale - Postal Scales - Postal'

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Heart Rate Monitor - fitness, heart rate monitor watch

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I'd hoped that getting this new running gadget would encourage me to exercise more often. So far so good. I asked for this for Christmas and, well, it has accomplished it's primary function for me... I've been running almost every day since I got it. I was turned off by the gigantic size of some HRMs, and did not need something to keep track of splits as I run on my treadmill at home and the gym.

As a heart rate monitor, the functionality is pleasantly simple. It tracks your heart rate for the whole workout. You hit the big button to start, and it goes to work tracking the length of time, the average heartbeat, and the peak. While you are running, it displays your current heartbeat. That's it -- but sometimes it's better to keep it simple.

I should point out that, as a watch, the watch piece tells the time and date only. If you want/need splits and a stopwatch, you should look elsewhere.

Here's some other thoughts: I was worried that the strap would break but realized after a couple workouts that I was probably wearing it a little too tight. Since adjusting, it is much more comfortable, has not fallen off, and, as a guy, you *almost* forget that you have it on. My wife cracked up when I took my shirt off after a recent workout. She said that, from the back, it looked like I was wearing a bra (or Manzierre, or Bro, if you prefer).

I had no original intention of wearing it while NOT working out, but I've found it addictive, and have enjoyed observing how drinking a cup of coffee while sitting at my desk does raise my heart rate about 10-15 beats per minute on average. Also, as I've started to get in a little better shape over the last 3 weeks, I see that I have to run either farther or faster to get my heart rate up to certain thresholds. And, now my heart rate does not go up as high from merely climing the stairs at home. I believe that these insights, among others, are very encouraging for someone who is just getting back in shape. The encouragement aspect combined with the simplicity makes this a great starter heart rate monitor for anyone considering. Timex T5G941 Heart Rate Monitor Watch

My Timex Heart Monitor arrived today and, after a quick read of the enclosed instructions, I strapped on the watch and the sensor unit and headed for the Oz fitness center.

The Timex seemed to work perfectly. It was consistent first with my resting pulse rate. And at the gym the Star Trec Treadmill picked up the signal and registered the same as it did yesterday when I didn't have the Timex unit.

I'm 70 years old. It was really great to NOT have to grab the treadmill sensors with both hands to check my pulse while jogging 6+MPH. The new Star Trec treadmill picked up the Timex signal and displayed my heart rate so I didn't even have to look at the watch. Of course it comes in handy on the rowing machine and the torso machine, acting as an incentive to push to my maximum heart rate.

It may be that the watch battery (or more likely the sensor battery) will run down after a couple of months of daily use. I don't actually know how long the batteries will last or how resilient the unit is to abuse.

I hope it will outlast the cheap but comfortable plastic watch band. Now that I have used it once I don't want to jog, bicycle, or go the gym without it.

I wanted a heart rate monitor to use for general exercise and fitness. I bought four of the Timex monitors, one for myself and three for Christmas gifts. I have used mine several times and it works fine. The machines I use at my athletic club pick up the heart rate signal automatically so I can see the heart rate without looking at the watch. I wear the watch to record the length of the workout, the average heart rate, and the maximum. I like this amount of information; I don't want to download training information to a computer and I don't want calorie information since that would probably be inaccurate anyway; that is, you get the same calorie count for a 110 woman as a 230 pound man (me). There is a small exercise booklet that comes with the watch and monitor that gives some useful information to correlate your heart rate and length of workout with your fitness level. You can use this to calculate points for the workout and compare that with the range of points you should be accumulating every week for various activities like running a 10K or a marathon. Putting the monitor strap on is only a minor inconvenience. I have had no read-out problems. The wrist watch works as a watch when not showing heart rate. This is an excellent product for the price.

This is a very basic HRM

Pros

1. Simple to use

2. Works out of the box

3. user changeable batteries

4. INdiglo ---- to check reading in the dark

5. Has a stop watch

Cons

1. Stop watch starts as soon as you turn on HRM

2. You cannot use teh watch as a stop watch w/o the strap around your chest.

3. No split timing.

I had this HRM for about 2 months and it worked fine for during that time period. This is a low end HRM without a lot of features but it was all I really needed.

Recently, it has started to quit working during some workouts. During some runs when my heart rate is high (above 175) it just quits. Other days it seems to work fine. It is very annoying when it quits in the middle of a workout so you lose your time as well as the heart rate information. If it keeps acting up, I will probably return it to Timex. They charge a $7.00 postage and handling fee to return it.

I am very happy with my Timex heart-rate-monitor watch. I was considering a heart-rate watch that did not require a chest strap, but after a few visits to the health club, I realized that two fingers placed on a watch to get heart rate just couldn't do it. At my Bally's gym, there are several brand new $8,000 stair-climber and treadmill machines, with built in grips to measure heart rate. Yet even using these sophisticated hand grips, it takes sometimes 30 seconds for these multi-thousand-dollar machines to calculate and display my heart rate. That is with two sweaty hands and lots of contact on big metal plates. So my guess is that with a tiny watch and two dry fingers it would take even longer to get a heart rate. With this Timex watch, the elastic (back) and rubber (front) chest strap is comfortable and stays in place. Once it is on I don't feel it, and I forget completely about it. Then for the rest of the time I am wearing it, I have an accurate and immediate display of my heart rate on the watch, without ever having to touch the watch to see what my heart rate is. And all the machines at the gym marked "Polar" pick up on my chest strap radio transmissions and display my heart rate, even though the chest strap is Timex. Highly recommended. For the under-$40 price that I paid, I think this little gadget is terrific. - Fitness - Heart Rate Monitor Watch - Exercise - Heart Monitor Watch'

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Woodworking - nail gun, 23 gauge

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I am simply amazed by this pinner. I have used many others with less features and the Grex p635 is a hands down winner. Few manufacturers offer a 23ga pinner as versatile as the P635 with the capability to shoot 3/8 to 1 3/8 pins and self adjusting to boot. No splitting of crown or delicate hardwood mouldings even within 1/8" of an end mitre. I have pretty much retired my 18ga brad nailer for high end trim in leu of the Grex P635. I am impressed with the holding power of the 23 ga pins in hardwood crown on cabinet installs. As a professional wood worker I highly recommend this pinner. Grex P635 23 Gauge 1-3/8-Inch Length Headless Pinner

I was introduced to this nail gun at my last job. Now that I am in business for myself, I had to get one. I have used the Senco and the Grex 23g micro pinners. The Sencos that we had at the shop hardly ever worked properly. They weren't self-adjusting, so changing nail lengths was a pain. And, the nail heads almost always stayed above the surface of the material. The Grex, however is self adjusting, and goes all the way from 1/4" to 1 3/8" nail lengths. Even in the hardest wood it always sinks the heads. The only time it hasn't was when I was shooting into maple at a harsh angle, or when the compressor didn't come back on and there wasn't enough pressure. Also, I have had the gun for 2 months and used it almost every work day since then, and I have only had one minor jam. Plus, just the fact that you don't have to fill every nail hole with putty makes this tool a life saver.

I purchased Senco, Porta-Cable, Bostitch, Omer, and Grex. Grex by far is the best! It doesn't jam, or break down. Very reliable and saves me money over the long run from not repairing it every week. Before the P635 my porta-cable and omer both gave me the biggest problems. The Grex gets into the corners and doesn't leave a mark into the finished product. I have owned them for 2 years and now getting one for my father. Also, I have been burned by the big auction web site(won't name names)trying to buy this tool.

(see revision below) I wasn't led astray by others who raved about this 23 gauge pinner. It saved the day as far as doing an intricate exterior Ipe handrail with polyurethane glue. No other brad or nailer would work except my old Senco 1/2 thru 3/4 inch pinner and it leaked and didn't have the power of this new one. With no time to use small screws and countersinks nor tenoning, I found that using toe nailed 23 guage pins with polyurethane glue really held together this hard-as-nails exterior hardwood.

The only small problem was when adding a new shank of pins to a nearly empty gun.. that when the previous shank was used up the new shank due to the smallest misalignment wouldn't pin.. .not a biggy..It just meant one had to very carefully load the pinner and make sure the same size of pins was in-line with the prior shank of pins. Very hard to tell if the gun is firing or not. But minor concerns with such a Great Tool! It's very powerful judging at the strength of penetration into a wood (Ipe) that is very close to being the hardest of woods. 18 guage would shatter and split the wood and only my battery actuated Dewalt 16 guage gun would consistantly penetrate but only at a right angle and with occasional splitting. Only 23 guage pins would toe nail w/o bouncing off.

Someone described this as the "Lexus of pinners". Seems very true. Also the extra finger safety 'flipper' was annoying and my helper just taped it to the handle as we found that it was more likely to accidently fire with the intricacy of manipulating the safety on than having it taped off (down). Works now very well. No hitches. Comes with the usual leaky bottle of oil..but not even one pin in the box. Make sure you order some if you don't have 'em when ordering this gun.

after a month or so...revised review. Now the Grex no longer shoots pin to the surface...pins are proud a good 1/16. Opened it up and the first part of the pin driver is shattered. Thus needing a new piston pin, Amazon does carry it. But was the wood too hard (Ipe) on the pinner or is it just a bad design? Remember my old Senco still shoots pins but only is a half through three quarter pinner. I'd have to demote Grex to two stars. The pin driver seems only meant for softer woods. Need to find paperwork as no local dealer sells Grex or contact manufacturer.

I like the Grex pin nailer but I would like to suggest to all of the tool manufacturers that the form fitting plastic storage case would be much more useful if they left enough room for storage of the supplies (pins).

After asking around on woodnet i found that this one is the only one that does not leave a small dent from the driving pin( at least in this price range)

the one drawback to all of these micro pinners is that you cant control the depth of the pin

it will never go more than about a 32nd into the wood

not quite enough for filler

You may not 'need' one of these pinners to do trim work. But, if you are looking for a tool to help you do quality work in an efficient fashion, you really should have one of these tools. When working with stained trim, you can pin outside miters together and then fasten the trim to the wall quickly without a split or having to fill holes. Painted trim does require touch up, however smaller holes means less work to conceal and the 23 gauge pinner still has the advantage of being able to pin the actual corners without having to pre-drill holes.

This is an excellent product, comes ready to use, and works perfectly. Quiet, light, and well made. Feels better than the Porter Cable I tried out, and extremely accurate. I used it at 90 psi with the 1 3/8" pins, and had no issues with putting pins through shoe molding, corner molding, pinning crown miters, etc.

A very minor gripe: it is difficult to load a new clip of pins when there are a few still left on the old clip. The spring mechanism pushes the two clips together pretty hard when you close the magazine, and the ends of the clips can get doubled up, jamming the magazine. I was unable to fix this, so I just made sure I only refilled when it was completely empty. Kind of a hassle on the ladder, but there are so many pins in a clip it didn't matter to me that much. I don't know if this was a problem on the other pinner I tried out because I never thought to check.

If you've never used a pinner, you should know that it is NOT going to replace your finish nailer. In other words, don't plan on a pinner to hold up oak trim on a coffered ceiling. You can put the smaller stuff (cove, bead) up with the pinner, and you get perfect results.

Another great use for the pinner is holding the returns on small pieces of trim while the glue sets up. Things that you cannot clamp together can be pinned and you'll probably never see the tiny hole. Plus, no problems with splitting the end grains either! Saves me hours of hole-filling and irritation.

This pinner has the dual trigger, and it works well. One safety note, don't get complacent about holding the safety trigger down and waving the gun around at the same time (away from the workpiece). There is no safety tip to depress, so it will fire away. It's all too easy to slide one hand a little too close to the tip while you're positioning and give yourself a new body piercing. Didn't do it personally, but it can be done...

One thing this gun doesn't do as well as a finish nailer is shoot at shallow angle. There's no deep countersink to push the angled nails in, and the pins are so fine that the grain of hard wood will sometimes curve your angled shots and turn them out the side. If you're shooting near the joint between two pieces of wood, it will very easily just follow the joint instead of angling through them. Just take some care in lining it up before you pull the trigger and that issue goes away.

A minor gripe: it is difficult to load a new clip of pins when there are a few still left on the old clip. The spring mechanism pushes the two clips together pretty hard when you close the magazine, and the clips can get doubled up, jamming the magazine. I was unable to prevent this, so I just made sure I only refilled when it was completely empty. - 23 Gauge - Micro Pinner - Woodworking - Nail Gun'

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