Thursday, 14 April 2011

Compact Refrigerators - compact refrigerators, vemma


I needed something to fit in the old space where a trash compactor was in my kitchen. It looks very nice and sleek, better than I even expected. I am satisfied with my purchase, but wish it were a bit quieter and kept the drinks a bit colder. That being said, I am now used to it's "hum" and the kids and husband find the temp just fine. It is great for juice boxes, cans or wine bottles... the interior allows for a flexible arrangement. We even have oranges in there now. So overall, 4 stars as a second drinks fridge. BCA31SS Beverage Center

If you want a refrigerator, order one. This is a drink COOLER. It is quite tall so it may sit above the height of most office furniture if you plan to use it as a stand-alone. It is a very good looking unit. The LED lights on the inside don't offer a uniform illumination but do have a pretty blue hue.



The fridge itself will accommodate anything from sodas to full sized champagne bottles, however, you may want to get some additional organizer racks for soda vending as the unit is set upmore like a standard fridge than a vending machine.



The unit is quiet, elegant, and efficient. It does not make ice. Again, if you want something that gets your drinks ice-cold you will have to do without the glass front.

We purchased this product because the old fridge we were using broke down for good. Now with this new fridge they can see the sandwiches in the window prompting them to buy more sandwiches thereby increasing our profits to help with paying our bills/ This purchase helped achieve our financial goal and will continue to help us in the future I owe my thanks to Amazon and Avanti. - Compact Refrigerators - Vemma - Verve - Beverage Fridge'


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North America - 3d movie, canyon


I haven't seen that many IMAX films on the Grand Canyon so I won't be able to give any real comparisons, but I will say this one does at least deliver on what I was looking for: Nice wide footage of the Grand Canyon. Although most of the footage is personal shots of the expedition you do get some really good aerial footage as well as other impressive nature shots.



The difference between this particular documentary and what I would normally expect from a Grand Canyon is that it has a conservation message tied to it. Instead of focusing solely on nature's wonder there is a lot of footage on the effects of drought and siphoning of the Colorado River. So if you are looking for a full-on nature safari this isn't exactly it. At the same time it's not like you aren't getting any absolutely amazing footage either. Just not as much as I was expecting.



Like many IMAX films coming to Blu-Ray the AVC transfer is breathtaking. The 3-D on this release is indeed in full 1080p as opposed to the 720p some studios are mulling over for their 3-D BD releases. Every little detail will stand out, even on the included 2-D version (even if those details won't come out and touch you). The audio is equally immersive with the DTS HD MA 5.1 track getting you wrapped up in the sounds of the canyon all over. There is also a German DTS HD audio track. Unfortunately like the original Blu-Ray release I think there are no subtitles of any kind. There are a somewhat respectable list of extra features on this release, which I suppose is better than expected. Most of the extras are standard definition with the exception of one. Here is what you get:



- 30 Minute Making of Featurette chronicling the challenges of shooting in IMAX 3-D.



- Music video by Wade Davis' daughter, Tara singing "Water"



- IMAX feature trailers in HD



It looks like they took out some of the features that are on the 2-D only Blu-Ray released a little while back like the HD MFF IMAX Productions retrospective, conservation tips, fact sheet and trivia. I guess you can say it's small price to pay for the 3-D aspect. Still some will miss the retrospective.



Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk is a very worthwhile documentary that shows the real beauty of the Grand Canyon... if you don't mind the preachy parts. Of course conservationists will really appreciate the fact filled message as well as the eye candy. The IMAX theater release was also in 3-D so now you get the full experience of this 40 minute feature... well... aside from the massive IMAX viewing screen of course. IMAX: Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk [Blu-ray 3D]

My ratings are based mainly on the QUALITY OF THE 3D, not the video content.



Not counting a few shallow effects, there are 11 out of screen effects. 4 that extend about 10% of the way, from the screen to the viewer and another 3 around 25%. Bubbles float around extending up to 50% for 90 seconds. Grinding sparks shoot out for 15 seconds up to 50%. A fishing net hangs out 35% for 15 seconds and there is a floating window at about 20%. The effects in the menu are also very nice.



No real complaints about the in screen 3D. Most of the footage is clear and excess parallax only showed itself a few times.



*** Nice scenery and wild river shots ***

*** The bubbles floating around in mid air are pretty cool ***



MY 3D RATING = GOOD (poor, fair, good, very good, excellent)



Note: As far as the percentages go, everyone's eyes are different. What I see at 25% you may see at 15% or 35%. To fully realize how far something is out of the screen for you, pause on an effect and direct a partner with an extended finger to the tip of what you are seeing. You may be surprised.



Click on `See all my reviews' for the lowdown on other 3Ds

I just got a 3d TV in July 2010. This DVD is by far the best Bluray 3D to date. I am buying all that are generally released since so many are being tied to buying the sets now a days. (A practice that is hurting the very customers that support 3D by buying a 3D TV, then can only get certain movies)



An interesting story, that is a little one sided, but nevertheless truthful, tied together with breathtaking cinematography.



One of the few 3D movies released to date that not only shows 3D depth, but sends the picture towards you. Other 3D movies do this, but only for a moment or two. This production is great at that. The resolution is crisp and clear. The colors of the canyon really get shown off. Beautiful. Makes me want to go there on my next vacation.



A great film of one of our most treasured natural resources. The best 3D to date. You can't go wrong here...

The 3D isn't all bad, but if you are looking for some 3D material for the sake of 3D Blu-ray this is not it. Yes there is 3D and some short shots look decent, but all in all the 3D is poor and the story is even worse. I watched half the disc and couldn't make it through... put it on eBay and got it out of here. I am an environmentalist, but the doom and gloom and preachy story about water conservation was just over the top and incredibly lame. IMAX could have at least made the visuals good, but they failed on this as well. Don't buy.

This is a well done 3D disc. The video quality is fantastic. Discs like this should be included with every 3D tv to showcase the new technology and potential of it. If you own a 3d tv this is a great disc to showcase your tv to friends , its not too long , the video quality is great.

I figured that for $10.99, I couldn't go wrong. It appears I was right. The photography was excellent and the 3D effects very good, over all, having only a very few areas that seemed a little flat. I found it quite enjoyable and thought its message was pretty much on target.



I'd like to address those one star reviews. With the exception of the guy who didn't realized special equipment was needed to view the film in 3D, they all come from the political right. Mention conservation or ecology to them and they immediately foam at the mouth. They've bought the gospel of Exxon-Mobile, Chevron, et al, hook line and sinker. There was even one guy who declared global warming defunct. I wonder how he explains disappearing glaciers and melting polar ice caps. - Grand Canyon - North America - Canyon - 3d Movie'


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Ipod Touch Accessories - stylus pen, stylus


These stylus are very well made and work very well, if all you want to do is find an alternative to pressing the onscreen keyboard. However, these stylus are totally useless for use with a drawing program because the rubber tip will not glide across the screen. If you use your iPhone outdoors and you are wearing gloves, these stylus are for you. If you want to draw, then you'd be better off with a stylus with a soft foam tip. 3 Pack of Universal Touch Screen Stylus Pen (Red + Black + Silver)

Short and sweet:



I've tried three of the stylus brands offered on Amazon: The $15.00; the $11.99 aCase; and the cheap three-pack "Universal Touch Screen Stylus.".



It is easy to tell you which not to buy: the cheap ones. The rubber tips on them have too much friction. You can't write or draw easily; you literally feel like the Stylus is getting stuck on the screen. Guaranteed, one zillion percent, you will hate it.



Now, to the Boxwave vs. the aCase.



This isn't just a draw; there's not even a fight, because the two products are exactly the same (there's one subtle difference in the way the little headphone-jack string insert is attached to the pen. One uses a tiny, carbiner-type hook, and the other a ring. You'd probably never notice the difference, because there is non.



So, which to buy? The aCase is three dollars cheaper, but it only comes in black. That's it.



Boxwave: http://www.amazon.com/review/create-review/ref=cm_cr_dp_wr_but_right?ie=UTF8&nodeID=172282&asin=B000ETU944&store=electronics

aCase: http://www.amazon.com/Acase-Apple-Capacitive-Stylus-Black/dp/B003ULE6GU/ref=pd_sxp_grid_pt_0_1

Three-pack: http://www.amazon.com/Universal-Touch-Screen-Stylus-Silver/dp/B002BBJMO6/ref=pd_cp_e_3

I should have read the reviews carefully.

Do not buy this if you want to use it with your iPhone to draw, slide the screens or do anything cool.



The tip is very soft and you need to put some effort in pressing it against the screen. If you try to slide it, you are in danger of damaging the screen since the tip moves away and the hard plastic of the stylus can scratch your precious sceeen.



This is probably good if you are missing a finger or you are wearing gloves and your apps are in the main screen.

There are three (3) types of touch screens, buy the correct stylus for your screen.



From eHow:



Resistive-type screens lack the clarity of other touch screens but they tend to be very durable and can be used in a variety of environments. Resistive-type screens are the most common in use today.



Capacitive screens are resistant to outside elements, making them very durable, and they still maintain a high clarity. Unlike resistive and surface wave screens, which can be used with stylus, capacitive panels must be touched with a finger.



Surface wave touch panels are the more advanced of the three types, offering the highest clarity. But they are more easily damaged by outside elements.



[...]

The iPad has a capacitive touch screen, your gloves won't work, and that plastic stylus from your old Palm PDA won't work either. Buy a capacitive stylus for your iPad.

For reaching those peskly small areas on your iPod Touch screen, the Universal Touch Screen Stylus Pen does the trick! They are comfortable in the hand and helps to make some of those tasks easier on the iPod Touch. If you have trouble with fingers that don't quite work the way you wish, then this is another reason to consider purchasing these pens.Silver Universal Touch Screen Stylus Pen for Apple Iphone 1st Gen, 3G 2nd Gen, Ipod Touch

The price and shipping time on this item are great. Sadly, the item itself is basically useless. I bought this for my iPad and it works but you have to mash really hard and then it leaves a funky streak mark and it's hard to get it to work and then it isn't very precise. I bought it to have a stylus to use with a drawing app and given how big the tip is and hard I have to mash to get it to work it's much less useful than simply using my finger.

This is a very nice stylus with a soft rubber tip. They work great on my Instinct and with the rubber tip there is no fear of scratching the screen. My only "issue" is that the stylus are to thick to fit into the stylus pocket on the stock Instinct case... but the size does make the stylus much more easier to control so you're more accurate with them. I'm glad I ordered the three pack because I can just keep one at work, one in the car, and one at home.

With fat fingers and hands that sometimes shake, these styluses worked great on my iPad AND my DroidX phone. I often give them away to friends and have ordered about four packs so far! For the price, it's worth a try! - Ipad - Stylus Pen - Iphone Stylus - Stylus'


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Black Ink Cartridge - brother, inkjet printer ink


I cannot believe the quality of this ink at half the price of the brand name Brother ink. It's incredible. I was scared to order it b/c it was half the price. The Brother ink cartridges are [...] for black and [...] each for the other 3 colors. I was sitting here for weeks out of ink b/c I didn't have [...] to spend on ink.



It's funny too b/c I only bought the printer this spring and it was out of ink w/in 3 mos. The manufacturer knows they're doing that and that is the "scam" in my opinion.



I'm very happy with this ink and this distributor. Will always buy the no-name brand ink cartridges in the future. Thanks to all the other reviewers for giving their thumbs up and pushing me to take the chance too! You will not be sorry. Great quality. 10 Pack Of Non-OEM LC61 Ink Cartridges (4Blk & 2 Ea Of Cyan, Magenta and Yellow)

I have already reviewed the product once and gave not so much the product, but the supplier a low rating. The original issue was that there was no instructions provided with the product. The product had a slightly different packaging configuration from the original manufacturer. It was not obvious how to provide access to the ink, and removing the sealed cover was not an easy task. I was not sure if covering to the ink had to be removed completely or just some sort of hole made in the hard glued on plastic covering. I could not find easy access to the supplier, which after a lot of research on my part I determined was somewhere in mainland China. I then attempted to communicate with them to get further information. It was not until I left a low rating on their product that they contacted me, trying to get me to change my rating. This was a "fox was already let into the hen house" kind of thing. One does not change a rating just because the vendor wants you to do so. They seemed not to understand this rationale. I received a couple more emails requesting that I change my rating. For this new rating, I have increased my rating by a couple of stars due to the fact that the product seems to be functioning well. However, I am not sure I would order this particular product again due to the inability to communicate adequately with the supplier. They need a stateside customer relation and support group that can understand and respond promptly to any inquiry about the product.

I don't normally write reviews, but this is too good to be true. Low Cost, excellent quality and they last quite long. This is the second type cartridge from this brand that I have purchased (my previous Brother printer was struck by lightning) and both printed excellent quality and the price is unbelievable! I would say the quality is a little short of the brother brand, but I printed wedding invitations for my Sister's Wedding on a transparent material and they looked great! Incidentally, I tried to print the invitations on a similar HP multifunctional machine and a HP laser printer and both had problems with the ink/toner adhering to the surface. I am cheap so I love the fact that I can print with out a worry of how much this is costing me. Only reason it's not four star is because I don't believe in giving 5 stars and 4 1/2 was not available.

This is my second order on this non-OEM ink. I was very skeptical as I've tried other non-OEM inks in the past with little success. However, this stuff has worked great so far in the few weeks that I've had them installed. You cannot beat this price for a such a reliable product.

i just installed the black ink cartridge and at first everything appeared fine but a few hours later the ink LEAKED ALL OVER MY PRINTER!! on the instructions it says to remove only the yellow tape - but there was no yellow tape. since i ordered a multi pack, i opened another cartridge and this too has no yellow tape.

Is there anything i am missing here?

First the good. These are quality ink cartridges, vacuum packed as you would expect. They come in boxes marked www.gener-ink.com, and appear to be made by Zhuhai Reasson Electronic Co., Ltd. - China. See here: http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/275284288/Compatible_ink_cartridge_for_Brother_LC.html and here:http://www.reasson.cn/en/product/ink/2009/1207/51.html. They are sold here on Amazon by ink4print AKA: David & Jonathan Trade of FL http://inksellonline.com/.



Now the bad. I ordered 3 of these 5-packs. Unfortunately, they shipped the wrong ink cartridges (LC-51 instead of LC-61). They "don't do prepaid return shipping labels", so I had to pack them up, take them to the post office, and ship them back on my own dime. They DID credit my Amazon account for the return postage and DID ship the correct ink cartridges pretty quickly, so I'm only deducting one star for the mistake.

So far, this ink is a great deal, and I'm happy I bought it. I ordered this with my Brother MFC-490CW Color Inkjet Wireless All-in-One Printer, and it has worked great so far. Instalation of the replacement ink was a breeze, and the price was amazing. No complaints here, and I will be purchasing again. - Brother - Ink Cartridge - Inkjet Printer Ink - Ink Cartridges'


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Grant Wood - nike plus, shoe pouch


I was looking for a Nike + iPod sensor pouch that would attach to the velcro strap on one of my Vibram Fivefingers KSOs. Most of the pouches for this sensor are designed for shoes with shoestrings, and would either not fit or be so loose the sensor would flap around. This pouch fits tightly on the velcro strap, looks good, and is a good price. Highly recommended. iArmBands Shoe Pouch / Sensor Case for Nike + iPod Sport Kit for iPod nano / touch / itouch (Black)

The pouch itself seems to be made from a nice cushiony black material and I think that it should hold up well. The accuracy has been slightly variable but not enough for me to complain too greatly about it.



The problem is that after approximately 6 runs with this in two shoelaces, the red strip of material on the back became loose and the whole thing fell off. Luckily I was on the treadmill to recalibrate my sensor and it only flew back a couple feet. The stitching that keeps that strip attached is very weak. When I looked at it again it seemed to be attached about about 4 loops of stitches and it wasn't very sturdy.



Fortunately I've just looped the flap under my shoelaces and velcro-ed the flap over the shoelace to keep the pouch in place. The velcro has held on thus far for an additional 20 runs and I seriously hope it holds on for a while longer or else I will be extremely disappointed by the product.

I really like the the armband carrier. Stays securely

fastened on the shoe when you run it through your shoe laces twice.

The only draw back is that it's off a little with tracking your pace. It doesn't track as well as when the sensor is

embedded in the sole of a shoe. Overall it's a good product.

I purchased this sensor pocket used it, but found my Nike +iPod distance to be very inaccurate. Fastening it using the lace hoop through one set of laces didn't work well at all. Stretching it some and running two sets of laces through that loop caused me to be concerned. The small amount of hook and loop fastener keeping the flap closed seemed like it could let go. I stopped using it since even with both sets of laces holding it the accuracy was just so-so, and not worth loosing my sensor. - Running - Belkin - Nike Plus - Shoe Pouch'


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Lens Accessories - lens accessories, canon lens


I would suggest anyone who is considering purchasing this hood to strongly reconsider. A rubberized collapsible hood is the way to go.



While the 50mm f/1.8 is an exceptionally affordable lens and produces great photos, it has substantial weak points due to its plastic construction that prevent the use of a lens hood. The lens hood is very susceptible to sideways knocks which are exacerbated when the lens hood is attached. I bumped mine and as most people found, the front element dropped off. The interior of the lens is held together by four plastic clips. One or more of the tabs will be broken and while it is possible to re-attach it, the lens will be wobbly or have a much grittier auto-focus noise.



So, buyers beware: The increased leverage on the front element produced by this lens hood will break apart the lens upon a sideways impact especially when the front element is extended. Fotodiox Dedicated Lens Hood, for Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens as Canon ES-62

I read the reviews on the Canon ES-2 lens hood for the Canon EF 50mm lens. Some reviewers commented on it being a 2 part hood and having difficulty with the clips. So I ordered the Fotodiox instead and am glad I did. It simply screws on to the lens like screwing on a filter, easy on and easy off. I use a 52mm UV protective filter over my 50mm lens and the hood screws on to it perfectly. The Canon lens cap also fits over the lens with the hood on, so I can store my lens with the hood attached. The lens cap actually expands to the sides of the hood instead of going over the lens, but it works and stays in place. The Fotodiox hood is plastic but seems to be well made and serves the purpose of blocking light from the sides. Overall, an excellent product.

I purchased this hood thinking it was an identical-functioning replica of Canon's official 50mm hood. While it functions well and is a great deal for a much lower price (than Canon's), please be aware that you cannot easily "unsnap" it from your lens/filter; it needs to be screwed on or off. That being the case, you also cannot apply your lens cap without unscrewing this hood and removing completely (kind of a pain). Nor can you fit this hood on backwards; like you can with Canon's hood, in order to fit your camera into a tight case or compartment.



But again, for 1/3 the price of Canon's, it's still a great deal.

I went with this lens hood for its significant lower price than the Canon one. It screws onto my Tiffen UV filter perfectly and I find that I have plenty of room to access the manual focus ring. However, it looses one star because I can not securely attach my lens cover. It kind of sits on a small ledge in the lens hood and will stay in place with no jostling what-so-ever, but it does not "snap" on as it does to the UV filter or the lens it's self. If this lens was a more expensive lens, I'd probably send the hood back, but it will do for a $100 lens. (Canon hood 1/4 of the price of the lens???? They've got to be kidding)

I received the Fotodiox Dedicated Lens Hood, for Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens as Canon ES-62 today (March 23, 2011).

Installed directly on top of the Tiffen lens filter, the fit & finished are outstanding with a fractional cost

when compare to the original Canon ES-62 that is cost much more.



I also be able to use the original Canon lens cap that provided with the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens,

the lens cap is seated inside of the lens hood's bottom rim perfectly!



For the cost, finished and perfect fit it is an excellent product. Highly recommended!

Got it quickly from seller that I can say I was pleased. But the hood lasted 1 hour.. THATS IT!!!! The screw in part was no good it doesn't lock and I wouldn't recommend anyone buying it. I am careful person when it comes to using my camera, and very dissappointed in the quality of this product. Never going to use it again because it can't lock in or be used for anything else.. - Lens Accessories - Canon - 50mm - Canon Lens'


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Espresso Machine - espresso, expresso


I love espresso, and this little baby makes a great cup. Here are a few points that might be useful for you to know:



Good points:

*It doesn't take up too much room on the counter and looks nice with it's silver metal accents.

*The water reservoir is a good size, you can make about 8-10 shots before you need to refill it, which is very easy to do, and there is a clear section behind the basket which shows the water level.

*Fast heat-up time (only about a minute), good frothing wand, no wait time between frothing and brewing (though you do have to wait a little between brewing and frothing).



Be warned:

*Frothing wand is only 3 1/4 inches from the counter top. Not a big deal, I just went and bought a frothing cup that is about that height.

*Distance from grounds basket to tray is only 2 1/2 inches, I usually use a small espresso cup.

*Built-in tamper sucks, buy a good metal one.

*You don't end up with a nice dry puck, the grounds basket is a watery soup after your espresso is made, so I dump it down the disposal.

*You will end up drinking more espresso than you mean to, it's that good!



Seriously, I chose this machine after a lot of online researching, and decided on this one based on its outstanding reviews and great price. What led me to it were the reviews of another DeLonghi, the EC140B, which is an older and less attractive model, but had reviews from people who had owned theirs for 6 and 10 years! I'm hoping that this one will have the same longevity.



-----> UPDATE: I've now had this machine for 8 months and it started running very slow. I'd been using only distilled water, so I knew it wasn't a calcification issue, so I looked into it and it turns out machines like this one (no backflushing) need to be cleaned every month or so to remove built up grounds that work their way inside the machine. So I ran some cleaner through it and all this nasty brownish liquid came out, and now it runs great again! So remember people, take good care of your things and they will take good care of you. A lesson I am still learning...

- and to answer a question commented on this review, my tamper is 2 inches in diameter.



First, a couple of disclaimers:

1. This is the first pump-driven espresso machine that we have owned.



2. We generally drink cafe Americano, which is an espresso with a little added hot water (or cold water with an iced Americano). We make an occasional cappuccino and have thus used the steam wand, but not extensively.



After doing a cost/benefit analysis in regards to our current cafe Americano habit (~10 per week), we realized that there would be some justification to buying a home unit. We first considered the Breville ESP8XL Cafe Roma Stainless Espresso Maker, but reviewers consistently lamented the unit's tendency to clog the filter, necessitating time-consuming cleaning. Also, not being completely sure that we would actually use the espresso maker, we balked at the $250 price tag.



We also considered moving up to one of the superautomatico machines that grind, tamp, brew and dispose of the grinds, but we worried about the reliability of technology that had only recently hit the consumer-grade appliances. After reading zillions of reviews, we realized that every mid-priced machine had some glaring flaw and, in the end, we decided to buy an inexpensive pump-driven unit and wait for the technology to catch up before investing a huge chunk of change in an espresso machine. Moving our investigation to low-end espresso makers, we were impressed by the reviews of the DeLonghi EC155 and purchased it from Amazon.



I put off writing a review in order to make sure that the DeLonghi was going to last until we had at least broken even on it. We received it in mid-July and since then it has produced about 200 double shots flawlessly. By my reckoning, that's about $400 worth of Americanos at the local cafe. Even considering the price of the coffee, we have more than broken even. So, here's our pros and cons:



PROs

- Price--we paid $91.28.

- Crema Production--this unit consistently produces a thick layer of delicious crema.

- Powerful Stream Wand--Easily froths milk.

- Mechanicals--After six months of nearly daily use this mighty-mite works as well as it did the day it arrived.

- Easy Cleanup--Filter cleans easily.



CONs

- Ergonomics--As other reviewers have noted, there could be a little more room between the area where the cup sits and the output nozzle. Also the steam wand could be longer.

- Features--No cup warmer. Not a big deal to us, especially considering the price of the EC155, but it will put off some buyers.



SOME THINGS WE HAVE LEARNED

- Using a coffee especially made for espresso, such as Lavazza, produces a much better espresso. Lavazza has the added benefit of allowing you to go for hours without blinking.

- Preheating the unit for 15 minutes and warming the cups in the microwave improves the results and experience. - Delonghi - Cappuccino - Espresso Maker - Latte - Expresso - Espresso'


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