Wednesday, 22 June 2011

Blackberry - blackberry, battery


The product itself is no-brainer. A new battery can spring life back into your device.



But, I have ordered a few of these and just learned a valuable lesson. The first few I purchased I selected ZenithMobile and they all arrived Brand new and are great.



This last one however, I ordered it from Ace Photo Digital and they sent me a probably 3-4 year old battery with a new label.. The old label underneath was still visible and had hair sticking out of it! The brass contacts were dirty and wore badly. I'm currently waiting on a resolution from Ace Photo Digital, but for a $7 product I'm not expecting too much.



*UPDATE* 16SEP09



Ace Photo Digital has contacted me and is sending a new battery.



*UPDATE* 26SEP09



APD sent me another battery, which unfortunately turned out to be used again. I gave up. Maybe APD has a bad supplier... Who knows Blackberry OEM Battery

I know, it's just a battery and it does its job. What's to say on top of that? Well, for starters, Murphy's Law will say that your battery will go dead much more rapidly than if you had brought your charger along. Seeing how I've forgotten my charger the last few trips I've been on, I can certainly attest to this. And if you're on your Blackberry religiously like most people, carrying a spare battery is a great idea. After time, that battery will decrease in its ability to hold a charge. For under $15, it makes perfect sense to just buy one.



This battery fits the 8700x and 83x0 (Curve) series Blackberry devices. Both are amazing devices that just work. Keeping a spare battery around ensures that you'll have the device at the ready and playing/working hard as you do.

I've owned several cell phones (the 8820 Curve is the Best one yet) and I always get a spare battery for obvious reasons. Sooner or later all batteries fail, either from age, neglect or abuse. It's reassuring to know that you won't be a victim of a dead battery when you need your phone the most. At the time of this review the battery is priced at just over $6 and this is a GREAT PRICE! They generally sell for around $50 - a real bargain!

"Very FAST free shipping from Ace Photo Digital! Ordered 2 OEM batteries for Blackberry Curve 8330 for $7.65 each. One looked identical, the other slightly different. But both charged up to full capacity, and both are working as good as the original batteries. Highly recommend Ace Photo Digital, including their policies, and also this specific replacement battery!!!"

I DO BELIEVE THESE ARE REFURBISHED BATTERIES! For less than $1.50 I thought I was getting a steal, but in fact it was NOTHING like that. I have had my Blackberry for only 7 months and once I charged the batteries, it only last in my phone for a good hour if that and runs down very fast during non-talk time. Please pay more for your batteries because it is VERY FRUSTRATING trying to charge these batteries and then after having it on the charger for "6 DARN HOURS" it only had a half of a charge! The kicker is one of the batteries stayed on the charger ALL NIGHT AND NEVER CHARGED! I will not waste my money again. WISH YOU LUCK IF YOU GO THIS ROUTE.

The battery I purchased online said it was "new." It definitely was not new. The label was ripped and the connectors were dirty and used. False advertising 100% . If I wanted a used battery I could have purchased one for half the price of this one, which is used but labeled as new.

A few weeks ago, I ordered a replacement Blackberry OEM Battery from Accessory One through Amazon. It was a complete dud. Accessory One then sent out a replacement battery. I hardly use my blackberry (mainly for reviewing approx 10-15 short e-mails & approx 20 min. worth of phone calls a day) and this replacement battery loses all of its power w/in several hours of being fully charged. I would not recommend purchasing cell phone batteries from this merchant. - Curve - 8330 - Battery - Blackberry'


Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information


Blackberry - blackberry, battery blackberry Blackberry - blackberry, battery
Posted by at

Home Automation - dead bolts, keyless entry


The lock itself binds from time to time if you use it manually. You have to engage the electronic mechanism to unbind it. I had two of these and was only able to get one to work (the other had such bad binding issues that I sent it back). It works great with the MiCasaVerde Vera2. One big word of warning. This lock is a Kwikset authorized dealer only item. You cannot even get them at Home Depot or Lowes. If you buy one of these here, make sure you are buying from a Kwikset authorized dealer. If you are having problems and try to call Kwikset they will not talk to you if you purchased them outside of the dealer network. I had this problem with the marketplace vendor I purchased my locks from. Kwikset 99120-006 Venetian Bronze Lever DeadBolt - Keyless Deadbolt - Dead Bolts - Home Automation - Keyless Entry'


Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information


Home Automation - dead bolts, keyless entry keyless deadbolt Home Automation - dead bolts, keyless entry
Posted by at

Laser Printer Ink - canon ink, inkjet printer ink


So far I have only replaced the black cartridge. At first, the printer did not recognize it. I removed it, put it back in again, and all was well.



However, after a short time, the printer reported the ink tank as empty again. I contacted Toner Pals and they said this is normal; sometimes the printer does not recognize their cartridges. While I have had no printing problems, not having reliable information on the status of the ink tank is an issue. I have heard some reports that this problem occurs even with the manufacturer's tanks; one user recommended simply continuing to print until the ink runs out. However, others warn that this risks damaging the unit.



The problem may ultimately lie with the chip/sensor that monitors the ink tanks, but at this point I feel safer using the manufacturer's cartridges.



Update: A few days later, the printer now says the ink tank is dry. Looking at the color cartridges from Toner Pals, they come from two different manufacturers. Since I don't do a high volume of printing, I feel more comfortable paying a bit more for the name-brand and hopefully getting more usage out of the ink tanks. The Amazon price for the OEM is reasonable. 10 Pack Canon PGI-220, CLI-221 (CLI-221BK, CLI-221C, CLI-221M, CLI-221Y) Compatible Inkjet/Ink Cartridge Combo (with Chip) (Two each: PGI-220, CLI-221BK, CLI-221C, CLI-221M, CLI-221Y)

I purchased these replacement cartridges with strong reservations about non-oem ink and chipped cartridges in general.



I couldn't have been more wrong. They work exactly as well as the OEM product for significantly less money. For an ink-hungry printer like the MP620, this product makes printing much more affordable. The whole process from packaging to instructions to function are every bit as good as OEM ink. I very highly recommend this product.



UPDATE 10/10:



I can no longer recommend this product. Our last two orders (10-packs) both contained color and black cartridges that either printed poorly or not at all.

first review august 2009



i was skeptical because i have had issues with generic ink in the past on different printers ... this worked right out of the box.. i have printed a few things so far and everything looks the same as the named brand stuff at a fraction of the price... plus i live fairly close to this company (southern california) .. i ordered yesterday afternoon and this morning it is sitting on my doorstep... i have enough ink to last 2 full time students about a year ... what more could u ask for?... thanks guys



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



second review nov 2009



the first time i got this product it was from 77ink... product worked perfectly.. second time i get the product it is from toner pals... the boxes of ink look different.. the quality is not very good.. some of the pictures of the ppt handouts will print with a blurry yellow line across it (best way i can describe it) .. i have tried cleaning out my printer, adjusting, cleaning nozzles etc.. i think these cartridges the second time around aren't the same ,, and aren't as good ... wouldn't get again from tonerpals, because of the quality ... delivery was fast .. but not as fast as 77ink (so. calif delivery)...

I don't usually leave reviews, but in this case, I want people to know how well these things work... I have had bad experiences in the past with non OEM inkjet inks, but this one is TOTALLY different. The inks work great, and are well worth the money. You will not be disappointed.

purchased these based on the reviews, but they do not actually work in my canon mp620. it will print one page and then the rest will be blank or smudged or illegible. its a waste of time and money. its not the printer. it works fine with actual canon cartridges. right now i only have the black in and the other colors are real canon. the page will print all other colors properly except black. i am very disappoint. i contacted seller to see if there is a fix and am waiting for a response now. although it would be a tremendous boon if there were cheaper cartridges, these do not seem to be those. very disappointing. why are manufactures allowed to do this?

The non-brand ink is a terrific value. How can you beat a 10 pack (2 of every color, including the small black and big black), for about $25 bucks! The official Canon ink would be over $40 for just one set of colors.

HOWEVER, and this is a big however, the non-branded ink is inferior. Put your picture on the refrigerator or some place else where light and air hits the picture on a regular basis. The colors fade and a pink overtone starts to take over. It almost looks like developing pictures in a dark room when the colors start to come in, except this is in reverse. With the Canon ink, I never had a fading problems or color distortion and pictures stayed on the refrigerator for months until we popped them into photo albums.



If you put your pics in an album then they seem to be fine (so far about 8 months of testing this theory). . . went back and looked at some pics that were printed that long ago with the non-brand ink and they look okay. They did not go to the refrigerator first, rather straight to the album.



So, Yes, YOU DO GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. Canon still could still give us a break though! Over $40 for one set of inks is outrageous. Naturally, they will site quality, blah, blah, blah. Yes, quality, that may be true, but they are making out like Starbucks on a cup of coffee. Ouch! I just lost the Starbuck's fans.

I ordered a set of 10 cartridges for a Canon MX860. All 10 delivered to my house cost about the same that 2 or 3 Canon cartridges would have cost. They work just as well as the Canon ink that came with the printer except for one small thing -- when you open them up to put them in the printer you might get a tiny bit of ink dripping out on your hands. I've installed 6 of the 10 that I bought and 3 of the 6 had that little drop of loose ink that came out. But it's no big deal and still a 5-star product that I will definitely buy again.



UPDATE: Have since ordered two more 10-packs plus a 15-pack of these inks, and everything's been great. I look for the ones manufactured by Compatible and sold by 77 Ink. No problems. - Inkjet Printer Ink - Mp560 - Mx860 - Canon Ink'


Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information


Laser Printer Ink - canon ink, inkjet printer ink mx860 Laser Printer Ink - canon ink, inkjet printer ink
Posted by at

Iphone 3gs Charger - iphone charger, car charger


This charger is a little more cheaply made than I thought it would be. I have to continually check the connection to my phone because it seems like it keeps slipping. I use my phone a lot, so I require a car charger to keep it from dying on the way home from work. I may eventually replace this one with a more durable model. Apple iPhone 3G/ iPhone 3GS Black Car Charger/ iPod/ iPhone 4G Vehicle Charger

I only used this product two times. Although, it was two times over a period of two months. When I received it, I thought it looked a bit cheap but it worked perfectly fine when I plugged it in my 3G. I had no problems with it while it was working. Then suddenly, when I tried using it a third time, it had stopped working. Probably a connection problem because the red light indicator showing it was receiving power from the cigarette lighter was on.

The phone charger I received the part that plugged into the phone did not fit, it looked like it would fit , so as cheap as it was I threw it away, sent email to where I bought it , no responce.guess you get what you pay for.

I just received this charger. The end that plugs into the phone is square & the Otterbox case is oval, so it will not work with the case in place on the phone. I removed the case & it will charge the phone. I will have to trade with my wife since she has the ATT store charger & no Otterbox. Wish I had read ALL the reviews. - Iphone Charger - Iphone 3g Charger - Car Charger - Iphone Car Charger'


Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information


iphone 3g charger Iphone 3gs Charger - iphone charger, car charger
Posted by at

Blank Media - dvd, blank dvd


TDK makes a very reliable blank DVD-R that can handle up to 4.7 GB of data including up to 120 minutes of video with or without sound. Moreover, these blank DVD-Rs are capable of recording data at speeds up to 16x. These are very useful blank discs to record video. Great!



The DVD-R discs are compact and easy to store and easy to copy to another blank DVD-R if you need to do that. While the discs are still blank, store them in the circular case on the spindle that they came in. After your burn data onto them, I would recommend storing them in slim jewel cases instead of paper sleeves. It's just better protection for your DVD-Rs that have data stored on them. Don't store these discs, burnt or blank, in rooms that become very hot; this causes damage to any brand of this type of disc and you could lose data over time.



There are two caveats about any brand of this product: when you burn the data onto the blank DVD-R, don't be surprised if you see that the data is burning at a rate slower than 16x. This can happen if your burner doesn't have the capacity to burn faster, or it may be a quirk. I am not a professional so I cannot be certain of precisely what causes this phenomenon; but I assure you that the extra minute or two (tops) that you wait to get your DVD-R completed is worth the wait. In addition, DON'T write on these using Sharpie ink pens. The ink can seep through the top coating of the DVD-R disc and slowly but surely compromise your data--and you wouldn't want that, now would you? If you need to label the discs, label its' jewel case using a post-it note.



Overall, TDK blank DVD-R discs store data reliably over long periods of time. I believe that an extra minute to burn the data onto the blank disc is well worth it in the event that it doesn't actually burn at 16x. TDK 16X DVD-R 50 Pack Spindle

For general purpose everyday burning I like the TDK's. Probably not any better or worse than other major brands like Maxell and Fuji, but I like to stick to one or two brands to keep my collection consistent. For very special movies and music, I use Mitsui silver dvd's and gold CD-r's. These are reputed to be the best on the market. The have a 100-300 year archival lifespan. Kinda rediculous when you can burn a new copy of any disc if you're worried about losing information. Anyway TDK"s are great!!

While I'm not an expert on writable media, I've certainly used a lot of it over the past 10 years or so. In the past, particularly in my college days, I bought as much as i could while spending as little as possible. Over the years, i have found this to be a short-sighted strategy for backing up my important files. Many brands are not very reliable over long periods of time. I've also moved many times and my disks have suffered some abuse int he process.



In my more mature years, i decided to stop wasting money on cheap disks that often resulted in burn errors and easily scratched disks and find a brand to which I could be loyal. So far, TDK has been my brand. I have been through 3 spools of 50-dvd for this DVD-r type in the past year and have gotten great results with these disks. These disks seemed to have more substance (i.e, weight / thickness) to them than some of the flimsier generic brands often found online. The price is fairly comparable to many of the other brands of the same quantity and seems to yield more consistantly successful burning and more durable results.

For how little this spindle costs, I'm both surprised and delighted to report every single disc was written successfully. Used in an LG DVD burner and a Panasonic ES15 DVD Player/Recorder, there was no problem writing, reading, or closing any of the discs. Unless you specifically need +R for adjusting the book type field, this is a great value.

I used the whole spindle of 50 and I am back for more. These dvd-r dics performed perfectly without a single bad burn! I have never used a whole spindle of discs without at least one bad disc(often times there were many bad discs with other more expensive brands). So I give this product my full endorsement, for whatever it is worth. I hope this wasn't a fluke but we will see as I am placing another order.

Order this spindle and you will be getting a great value.

I have used Sony discs for for quite a while and saw these TDK discs on offer, so I thought I would try them. Out of 50 discs, 16 failed. I went back to the Sony ones and 1 disc has failed out of 15. I wanted to contact TDK about this, but they make it extremely difficult to make a complaint. I see other people had better luck, but this was my experience.

I barely find a coaster on the TDK DVD-R's. It is as par as with the Maxells, Sony's, Verbatims and RiDatas that I have used before. I am just trying to stay away from unknown brands that is kind of a hit or miss. The thing with DVD's or CD's is that when you find a bad one, it seems to be bunched into the same stack as they were manufactured at the same place and at the same time. My recommendation is not to burn DVDs or CDs using the maximum speed, the chance of a bad burn tend to be much much less if you use the next slower speed indicated on the media. Same as filling up the data capacity, 4200mb seems to work best for me as filling up the DVD to the edge may become problematic. - Dvd - Blank Dvd - Blank Dvds - Spindle'


Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information


Posted by at

Wireless Keypad - bluetooth, touchpad


The following are my conclusions and observations following several hours of testing. It is possible that I missed a feature or two but I am quite confident that I was able to test all the major ones.



The setup and first impressions:

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

I don't know why, I imagined a bigger device. I am pleased to note that the keypad is a lot thinner than I imagined - about half an inch thick and pretty light.



It fits nicely on top of any standard PS3 controller thanks to a clamp that, once it clicks in, it makes the keypad appear as if it was part of the controller's body. The three controller buttons that it covers: PS3, Select and Start are present on the pad at their expected locations but they only work when the keypad is attached to the controller. All other buttons work regardless of the keypad being attached or detached.



The keyboard is okay but it's better suited for larger hands (or long thumbs). As a Blackberry user, I find this keyboard less comfortable than that of a classic Blackberry - but I've been using Blackberies for almost 10 years already so I may be a little bit spoiled or maybe biased toward their ergonomics.



As far as workmanship is concerned, my impression is one of a well-built, durable device. It integrates well, visually and functionally with the PS3 controllers.



The setup:

----------

After a couple of hours of charging through the USB port (cable not included), the keypad is ready to use. Once the On/Off switch is set to On, all that's needed is for the keypad to be connected to the PS3 through a USB cable and the pairing is done automatically.





The workings:

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

The keypad operates in two modes: as a keyboard or, interestingly, as a touch pad.



In keyboard mode, you get a QWERTY keyboard with well separated, round little keys. The letters, numeric and punctuation keys are where you would expect them to be but the special keys are not exactly at their familiar places and some of the less essential ones (PgUp, PgDn, End, Home and the function keys) are missing. Special characters can be entered with the help of 2 modifier keys (the Blue and the Orange).



Three special keys allow you to enable the touch pad mode or quickly jump to your PS3 message box or friends list icons - I did not find the last 2 very useful.



Until you make yourself familiar with some of the less obvious key combinations it's a good idea to save the instructions pamphlet (a 17"x11" folded sheet) found in the package.



The touch pad mode is very interesting in that, after pressing the 'touch pad key', the keyboard is disabled and a section of the keyboard emulates a laptop's touch pad and the 2 cursor keys emulate mouse buttons and you can interact with your environment as if you were using a mouse.



I am a 'knob' person as far as mouse emulation is concerned but, based on my testing, the touch pad mode, while interesting and innovative, is not very well implemented. For example, while in Browser mode, it does not allow you to scroll down your browser window, something that is easily and intuitively accomplished with the R3/L3 analog sticks. The cursor, when controlled with the touch pad was jumpy, either moving from one corner of the window to another or, sometimes, not moving at all. The good news is that all the controller buttons, including the sticks, are fully functional all the time so, people like me, won't have to use the touch pad.



Brief evaluation:

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

+ Bluetooth device, does not require dongles or wires

+ Replaces a full-size keyboard, well suited for entering passwords or brief messages

+ Perfectly integrated, physically and functionally with the PS3 controller - generally, it does not interfere with game play

+ Rechargeable battery

+ According to Sony (not tested by me) it can be paired with other Bluetooth devices (don't lose that manual)



- Adds weight to the controller

- Some of the special keys are placed at unfamiliar locations

- Keys 'real estate' wasted by assigning 2 keys to jump to the message box and the friends list

- Touch pad does not work very well

- Small hands may find it a bit uncomfortable



Before I started writing this review, I thought I was going to award this keypad 3 stars but, once I listed the pros and the cons I see that the negatives are relatively minor. The major disappointment is the touch pad but it's not something that I am going to miss because I am already happy with the R3/L3. 3.5 stars should be the fair score but I am rounding it up to 4 because my overall impression is positive.



With HOME now a reality, this is likely to become an increasingly useful add-on. PlayStation 3 Wireless keypad

Once Sony flipped the switch on Home, I saw an ad for this keyboard in the Home mall. Two or three stunted interactions with fellow gamers (most likely teenagers who could kick the snot out of me in any FPS, with their eyes closed), I realized the hunt and peck method of data entry using the PS3 remote was aggravating at best, time-consuming at worst.



After striking out at all box stores in the days leading up to and after Christmas, I finally found the PlayStation 3 Wireless keypad on Amazon. Once charged up, I took it for a spin, using it to enter URLs while using the PS3 broswer.



Unless you have thin, delicate fingers, be prepared to fat-finger the hell out this thing... even with the extensive Blackberry Curve keyboard typing experience, I was a misspelling fool for the first day or two... My only complaint (aside from being cursed with apparently pudgy fingers, is that the alternate key values (accessed by shifting between two buttons on the top left and right of the device) do not "pop" against the black device background, forcing me to hold the controller to my nose to see if I was typing a : or a ;.



Pros: Device is well balanced and unobtrusive. I keep it on my controller even while playing games that do not require its use. Battery life seems to be of the same caliber of the remotes themselves, ensuring hours of uninterrupted play (or until the wife makes me shut down.) Pairing with the PS3 was quick and easy.



Buy it, get used to it, and you'll be typing away in no time... just be prepared to use the backspace liberally. - Touchpad - Video Games - Bluetooth - Wireless Keypad'


Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information


Posted by at

Computer Recording - cat5, ethernet


plugged my computer into the router. worked.



it was the length that they advertised.



it was blue, like the picture.



they even included a free zip-lock bag and a twisty-tie.



i enjoy using it. in fact, this review is being transmitted to amazon using that cable.



neat, yeah? Mediabridge - Blue RJ45 Computer Networking Cat5e Ethernet Patch Cable - (25 Feet)

I purchased this cable after searching many online stores and I could not believe the price was so LOW, I had half expected it to be of poor qualty, but much to my surprise it is top of the line with high end, ends and cable.

Pros: good, solid connectors, easy to insert/remove



Cons: the cable material is somewhat stiff and tends to hold its kinks and bends from whatever way it was stored, making the cable prone to tangle or snag and hard to route (it doesn't easily lay flat)

This ethernet cable was purchased because my dorm im moving into required it. I just tried it out twice today and i personally am big on wifi not really into having wires but i have to admit this ethernet cable met my expectations and standards required for my dorm room great product and glad it was not a trial and error experience with a wired set up

Absolutly what I needed, now I can sit at my desk and use my internet on my laptop without having to worry about the wireless adapter being stepped on by my cats (They have already jumped up on my desk and broken one adapter) Thank you for a wonderful product.

I normally buy yellow cable, it suits my taste and works. And when I need a decent length I prefer 24 feet. I was having coffee at the L'une in San Francisco when a friend told me about the new blue colored 25 foot cable made by Mediabridge. I was skeptical and filed it under "wild inventions of untested fancy". I thought no more of it until May of 2010 when I desperately needed a longer cable to bridge a router while simultaneously using the slack to wrap an errant FSL Lamp to a stairway banister. The extra foot was needed and yellow just wouldn't jive with my wall colors or the banister hue. I gambled on fate and ordered the Mediabridge cable. The package was smart and without the decadent luxuries of more ostentacious cabling firms. It was secured with two white twist wraps (crazy?). I spent the better part of the day arranging the cable from my Media Foyer to the venture parlor. I found that the cable was able to twist and wrap the post of the lamp to the banister and still had room to bridge the router to whatever. All fitting neatly under the Hungarian rug. If you are the adventurous type, and don't mind deviating from the norm in the face of ridicule, then the strength and adaptability of this cable will please you well.

Mediabridge - Blue RJ45 Computer Networking Cat5e Ethernet Patch Cable - (25 Feet)- It was shipped fast, but the first one had a twist. The merchant replaced it with the same product in perfect condition with an Over Night delivery at no cost. Highly recommend the selelr and the product. In stores locally it was 3 times the price at least.

I highly recommend this cable. The quality is good, cheap and it works. I use this for my PS3, WOW! what a change. Downloading movies & updates is a lot faster and online gaming seems smoother. The color is not blue though as seen in pic. I'm happy with this product. - Computer Cables - Ethernet - Cat 5 - Cat5'


Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information


Posted by at
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)