Product Description

iRiver (AFT-100) iRiver Mobile FM Transmitter ... Read more

Features

• Connects to the headphone jack of portable MP3 or CD players
• Easy-to-read blue LCD display
• Mobile FM transmitter for listening to portable audio devices through car stereo
• Transmits to all FM frequencies (88.1 to 107.9 MHz)
• Plugs into standard car power socket--no batteries required

Reviews (35)

this transmitter rocks....
I've used both the iTrip and the iRiver tranmitter with my ipod and was blown away by how much better the iRiver product was. The iRiver gave much better sound, produced less static and importantly, did not suck up my ipod's battery life. From the user's standpoint, the iRiver setup was also a breeze. You didn't have to fiddle with 'preset stations' or have to install software on your computer to sync the stations to your ipod playlist prior to using. You just basically plug it into the car cigarette lighter, hook it up to the headphone jack on the ipod, punch the buttons on the device to set it to a particular radio frequency (88.9 works great in the Chicago area) and set your car radio to it and hit "play". Though, make sure that the ipod vol is set to about 60-70% -- any more than that would produce static. Anything less will cause the transmitter to power-off automatically.

Shuts down after 30 seconds!!!
My buddy and I each got one and both have the same problem - the device shuts down after 30 seconds of normal operation, even though our MP3 players are cranked up to full volume to prevent it from turning off (according to the manual). iRiver support email bounces back an error and no one picks up their support phone line. Be wary!!!

The best
This is going to be a simple review because the product simply worked exactly as I hoped it would.The sound is crisp and I have not had any problems with interference even taking into consideration that I live in New York City and every single station frequency is basically taken.

I assume that the performance is better than others that I have seen/heard because it benefits by plugging into the cigarettle adapter.The stronger power must help it overwhelm the radio signals in the area.My brother uses the iPod iTrip configuration and he is constantly changing stations to enhance performance.Though the iRiver has 3 programmable stations, I have not had to use any but the first one to great success.

One more thing...people have complained about the auto off resulting in loud static when it kicks in; try this instead: use a station that comes on just somewhat poorly and the iRiver can still overwhelm its signal.However, when the auto-off feature kicks in, you don't get static; rather, you just get a pretty weak signal station.Food for thought.

I am completely psyched with this product and only wish that I had purchased it sooner.

FIVE out of FIVE stars.You can't go wrong with this product.

Just as expected
I had read the reviews here, before buying this product. I am glad that the product is functioning just as expected.

I was concerned that the transmitter might not just fit into my cigarette lighter, as it looked bulky in the photographs. But, in reality it is very small and light. I have added some images of the AFT 100 attached to my cigarette lighter.

The transmitter produces little or no static, except if you move the connecting audio cable a lot, while playing. The ability to set any desired frequency is very good. I have set it at 88.1 and never have had any interference.

Don't do it.
I use this with an ipod.In both of my vehicles, the unit continuously shuts itself off.Incredibly annoying.I returned the first unit thinking it was a lemon.The second does the same.I contacted I-River to no avail-no response.I dont get all of the positive feedback I am reading about it.Dont do it. ... Read more

Product Description

Toshiba Consumer (TV/DVD/etc) (RD-XS52) Toshiba DVD Recorder ... Read more

Features

• Offers HDMI direct digital connection with an HD-ready TV, as well as ColorStream component-video, S-video, and composite-video outputs
• Plays DVD-Video, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD-RAM, music CDs, CD-Rs, and CD-RWs; offers scalable digital-audio recording (Dolby Digital or linear PCM)
• Measures 16.9 x 3 x 12.6 inches
• DVD player with built-in 160 GB hard-disk drive (HDD) with DVR functionality--up to 135 hours of recording (in LP mode)
• Performs DVD-R and DVD-RAM recording; 32x transfer from HDD to DVD-R, 24x transfer from HDD to DVD-RAM

Reviews (10)

everything I could want
Have had this for several days... spend a whole day setting it up and configuring it, and learning and playing with it.

A few minutes after taking it out of the box, I was able to record (onto the Hard Disk Drive HDD) from cable, or DVD, or other sources; then able to edit the recording to remove commercials etc. (using playlist is the best way) and the quality is excellent. I've burn some DVD-R at high speed, and the work perfectly, with the same quality as the original source.

The DVD-Ram allows recording, erasing and re-recording, and you can record a program directly to DVD-R or DVD-RAM if you which (without recording to HDD first).

This is a great DVR, producing excellent quality DVDs. The ease of the HDD recording is great, and the ability to backup and watch the beginning while you are still recording the program is really cool.

I'm 100% happy with the RD-XS52 and will fill in more details as I gain more experience with it.

Had It For A Week Now, Used It Everyday So Far, Works Great
I haven't had any problems with this recorder. As far as I know there isn't any DVD recorder that will let you record to DVD-R if the movie is copy protected. I purchured a SIMA GoDVD Model CT-2 from Amazon.com for $75.00, in Circuit it listed for $125.00. I don't have any problems recording copy protected movies using the SIMA GoDVD, be it HBO or coping from another dvd player to my Toshiba RD-XS52. As far as being complicated, it does take a little time to get use to, I've had mine a week now and can use it now without the manual. This is a great machine and I have no problem recommending it.
I hope this helps.

Good Recorder
This is a good player, good DVD recorder and a good hard disk recorder.My only gripe is with the menu structure.

Since this DVD Recorder does so many things, the menus are complex.Although the you eventually figure out the menus, there are about three or four different menu buttons that send you in different directions, and sometimes intersect.This is a very confusing layout.It works - but it should be more consistent in the menu structure.(Examples - sometimes the blue button saves, sometimes the orange button saves.Other times the Orange button returns to the prior menu.Setting thumbnail is sometimes done from the quick menu button, but not other times...)One button that gets you everywhere would be better.

The folding remote is a nuissance.Most of the editing and setup funcions require you to unfold it.This is minor, but I thought I'd mention it.

I ran into an HDMI incompatibility.On a JVC 52 inch TV the HDMI reported an error and would not transmit sound or video.I I was never able to resolve the problem on the JVC 52 inch.Note that it worked fine on the JVC 61 inch.I exchanged TV for a 55 inch Sony TV.By setting the sound to PCM, the HDMI worked fine on the Sony.

Basic use for this product does not work.
If you are a cable subscriber and want to use the RD-XS52 to record and save your HBO or other premium service movies, you're out of luck.I had this unit out of the box 2 days and am returning it.

I will give it this - it was very easy to set up and use - I hardly had to refer to the manual.The problem comes when you want to record movies from pay channels.HBO and Max (I don't know about the rest, I don't subscribe) will not record onto DVD-R disks, due to a copy once protection that is in the HBO feed.HBO encodes their programming to be "copy once" -- Copy once should mean that you should be able to make 1 copy, but it will not work with the DVD-R disks on the RD-XS52.From reviews I read, it should work with DVD-RAM disks, but these disks cost about $5 each, compared to about a quarter for DVD-R disks in bulk.If you plan to record and save alot of movies, this will get quite expensive.

From what I read on-line - there are 2 fixs - 1, use the DVD-RAM, or 2, buy the SIMA CT-2, which will cost you around $100 extra.But my recommendation is #3 - what I did - return the unit (or don't buy it).From other reviews of other Toshiba DVR's, they all have this same problem.

Bought a couple days ago
Got mine a couple days ago.I bought a Fuji 10 pack of DVD-R disks to test with.The first one recorded.The second one started to copy but never left 0 % and gave an error asking for another disk.The next 7 disks I tried gave errors they weren't recognized or process can't be completed.I went out and bought a spindle of 25 Memorex DVD-R disks.Made 4 disks so far with no trouble at all.I'm not sure what the difference is but the Memorex disks I bought cost almost twice what TDK do.They just say DVD-R on the package (8x) same as the TDK.I'm not sure why but it was still under $1 per disk so I shrugged it of - at least it works.
The only rerecordable media this can write to is DVD-RAM.These disks seem to be about $5-6 dollars a piece.This is about 5x the cost of a DVD-RW disk.I went to a few local stores and found the selection almost non-existant.I didn't find a single DVD-RAM disk for sale that was in cartridge format - only loose disks in a jewel case.I'm not real keen on DVD recorder technology but this is starting to smell like VHS and Beta all over.There were dozens of DVD-RW disks for sale.
The manual has some grammar problems and made it difficult to understand.This is a very high end recorder with many fantastic features but has been time consuming to learn.When I burned my first disk I was pleased to see they had 8 or so different menu/title screens you could choose from. They had their own color schemes and were easy to choose from since a preview was available before committing to the copy.
The remote is a pain.The bottom half flips open to reveal about 20 more buttons.It's awkward to hold while open I might add.My biggest complaint is regarding the onscreen menu's.They put a legend at the bottom of many screens telling you what button to push to do something however in many cases it would be a LOT easier if you could simply use the arrow keys to select an operation like delete, rather than flipping open the remote and press the bottom right button - the most awkward button to press for us right handers.....
I realize most of my review is negative however I did give it 4 stars.Although there is a significant learning curve - this unit has a ton of features.Personally I am spooked by the limitation to DVD-RAM media and not DVD-RW which seems to have better availability (this isn't a disk cost issue, I simply didn't see hardly any space on store shelves for the few disks they had hanging).I plan to return my RD-XS52 and purchase the Toshiba RD-XS32 which can write to DVD-R, DVD-RAM, AND DVD-RW disks.As far as I can tell the only difference between them is the XS32 has an 80GB hard drive and this one has a 160GB.I can live without the extra storage space if it means I won't find myself hard pressed to buy rerecordable disks it can use in a year.I might be over reacting but then again I bought a Betamax back when you could still rent movies it would run. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Blending affordability with productivity power, the HP Pavilion dv4040us notebook PC is a great choice for both business road warriors and multimedia enthusiasts on the go. The 15.4-inch BrightView display looks good even in direct sunlight, and movies and games will look clear thanks to the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (with 128 MB of shared memory). And you'll stay productive with the battery-sipping 1.73 GHz Intel Pentium M (Centrino) processor. This notebook also features a 100 GB hard drive, 1 GB of installed RAM, built-in 54g wireless connectivity, dual layer DVD+/-RW drive, and multiformat memory card reader.

The Basics

• Hard Drive: The 100 GB hard drive (4200 RPM) is above average in size, and is befitting of such an entertainment-centric laptop. You'll be able to store a hefty digital audio library.
• Processor: The 1.73 GHz Pentium M (Centrino) Processor 740 is in the middle of the speed spectrum for this processor class (March, 2005). It is well equipped for office productivity software tasks, from complex spreadsheets to databases. The Pentium M processor is designed specifically for low-power mobile usage, and it features the latest in power-saving technologies--ensuring you push your battery and productivity to the max. It also has a large 2 MB L2 cache--which will help speed up your system's performance--and a 533 MHz front-side bus (FSB).
• Memory: The 1024 MB (1 GB) of installed RAM is a great start, providing enough power for today's demanding multimedia and business productivity software. For immersive gaming and video editing, you'll want to take advantage of the roomy 2 GB of total RAM capacity (2 x 1 GB) .
• CD/DVD Drive: Offering the latest in DVD writing technology, the dv4030us multiformat DVD/CD drive is compatible with both DVD+ and DVD- disc formats as well as dual-layer DVD+R discs, which can store up to 8.5 GB of data.
• Keyboard & Mouse: This notebook has a 101-key keyboard and a touchpad with on/off button and dedicated vertical/horizontal Scroll Up/Down pad.

Connectivity and Expansion Slots
The dv4040us has an integrated 54g wireless LAN that's fully compatible with 802.11b/g wireless networks. It also includes a next-generation ExpressCard 54/34 card slot, which lets you take advantage of thinner, faster, and lighter expansion cards for even more advanced wireless, networking, storage, and security features. You get a decent offering of connectivity options, which does include super-fast USB 2.0 and Firewire:

• 4 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players
• 1 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) port for connecting digital video camcorders and other peripherals
• 1 VGA monitor port
• 1 S-Video port for connecting to a TV
• 1 PCMCIA (or PC Card) slot (Type I/II, 32-bit)
• 1 headphone jack and 1 microphone jack
• 1 ExpressCard/54 slot
• 1 Expansion Port 2 connector
• 1 IR receiver
• 6-in-1 Digital Media Reader for Secure Digital cards, MultiMedia cards, Memory Sticks, Memory Stick Pro, SmartMedia, and XD Picture Cards

Preloaded System and Software
This system comes with the Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 2 operating system with Advanced Security Technologies, which helps to reduce unwanted downloads and pop-ups while surfing the Web. It also comes preloaded with Microsoft Works (for working with word processing and spreadsheet documents), Norton Internet Security 2005 (with 60 days of complimentary updates), Microsoft Money 2005, Sonic RecordNow, Apple iTunes, Adobe Photoshop Album Starter Edition, Intervideo WinDVD, Intervideo Home Theater, MuVee Autoproducer, and MSN Encarta Plus.

The included HP Image Zone Plus photo and imaging software makes it easy to organize, edit, share, print, protect, and store your photos and video clips. Organize and find your photos easily by timeline, keywords, and/or location using the unique photo-globe mapping tool. Remove red eye and fix other common problems. Share your photos quickly via e-mails that include thumbnails with links to the full-sized images--without downloading time-consuming attachments.

Dimensions and Weight
This notebook measures 14.1 x 10.16 x 1.67 inches and weighs 6.5 pounds.

Power
It's powered by a 6-cell rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which has a battery life of up to 3 hours (depending on usage).

What's in the Box
This package contains the dv4040us notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions. It is backed by a one-year limiited hardware warranty and 30-day free software support. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Really solid laptop!
Just got the HP Pavilion dv4040us a few days ago. Notebook looks sleek, had no dead pixels on the screen. Plus, it is fully loaded with all hardware capabilities one might need, including cool remote control that sticks into PCMCIA slot!
It is my second laptop of all (had Satellite 2805-S202, real great helper of mine).

Pros:
- Quickview capability (watch DVDs and listen to MP3s, plus control everything with remote at a distance of at least 15 feet)
- Large and bright screen with no dead pixels (at least on my machine)
- Nice software package coming with the computer
- 1Gb of RAM
- Great wireless (setting up a new connection with in-home WLAN was a breeze, once I had set up MAC permission on the router!)
- Holds over 3hrs with 6 cell battery. Get 12 cells for 6+ hrs
- Single push-forward, centrally located latch button (now that is a biased convenience thing that came from Satellite)
- Cool blue lighting
- All connections on the sides, none in the back
- Great CD/DVD drive that finally reads all CDs! My former computer could not (somehow it would not recognize) some CDs, including some National Geographic collection
- Delete button is placed in upper right corner of keyboard! No more need to look at the keyboard to find a Del. Before Del buttons were placed more to the left of the corner, thus making me uneasy getting an HP. This one is purr-fect!
- Thinner and lighter than zv5000 notebooks
- Very quiet

Cons:
- Quickplay feature would not recognize VCDs, DivX and other non-DVD movie CDs. It would also not play movies from your hard drive
- No AccuPoint (or similar) device, only touchpad.
- Touchpad's scroll area sometimes would let-the-scroll-loose
- Very little functionality could be added to the touchpad (I would like to see tapping on the corner open some program or maximize the window)


Overall, it seems to be a great notebook (I will use it for Office programs, some strategic games, movie watching, etc) for my purpose, and will update the info if something else comes up. ... Read more

Product Description

Sony (Camcorders) (DCRHC1000) MiniDV Digital Camcorder ... Read more

Features

• Capture MPEG Movies on Memory Stick DUO Media
• Intelligent pop-up flash for more light when you need it most
• Three Megapixel Advanced HAD CCD Imagers for peerless video and still images
• Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T lens
• 12X optical and 150X Digital Zoom with Super SteadyShot stabilization

Reviews (2)

Camcorder for the Prosumer
I bought this camcorder last December (2004) and it is absolutely the best picture I have seen out of a Mini DV camcorder.I originally bought the Panasonic 3CCD and returned it due to no ability to adjust shutter speed below 60 for low light conditions.This goes down to 4 fps which you better have it on a tripod or serious ghosting will appear.The perfect setting I have found for low light, for instance inside your home is 30 frames per second.This camera will also take MPEG4 movies to the memory stick for emailing.Overall, I must say this is the best camera on the market currently for the price.Buy one and you will not be sorry!!!Have fun shooting!

Super Quality
This is the best quality you can get in a semi-pro camcorder from Sony prior to the 1080i release, which has not been released prior to this writing. You just can't bet the 3 ccd quality. Just recently I shot a lunar eclipse with this little cam and as I was getting the cam out, I remarked that it probably wouldn't show-up, I was very wrong. At just the 12x optical zoom, the detail even on the 3.5 inch monitor was better then the naked eye. Amazing! ... Read more

Product Description

Toshiba Satellite A75-S211 Notebook PC The Satellite A75 Series combines a host of multimedia features with a series of productivity applications to create a complete mobile computing experience perfect for PC digital media enthusiasts, young adults, and families.Select models (A75-S231, A75-S2311) come standard with a 5-in-1 bridge media adapter which accepts various digital media including Secure Digital, Memory Stick, Stick Pro, SmartMedia, Multi Media Card, and xD-Picture cards to quickly transfer digital files. Rounding out the media transfer sources, an onboard i.Link (IEEE 1394) port is also included. Get the productivity edge: CPU power, memory for multitasking, unlimited storage, and a TruBrite, wide-screen display for viewing documents side-by-side! Enhanced high speed Wi-Fi (802.11g) for improved throughput. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

No original operating system disks provided
Toshiba does not supply the original Microsoft operating system disks with their computers. This is a huge negative! They only supply recovery disks from which you can only revert your system to the way it was on day one.

Full featured Laptop with Excellent Display
This is a fantastic laptop with a amazing screen.It comes with just about everything one would need.The build quality seems to be much better than Gateway, HP, Compaq on a side to side comparison, and about the same as Dell and Sony laptops.The computer runs fairly cool (much cooler than my old Sony P3 750) and also very quiet (much quieter than old Sony).So far, there are no problems.I have left it on for a week with no problems.The computer is well configured and runs very smoothly.

Now the negatives... The fixed 512mb memory is really annoying.This limits you to 1.5 gig instead of 2 gig of memory.Then, there is the mouse pad... the buttons are extremely small, and feel the same as its surrounding plastic (small, no height difference, no texture difference).This makes it hard to locate, even for an experienced mouse pad user.The mouse pad buttons are also not sensitive around the sides and feel really cheaply made on top of being tiny.For a well designed computer, this is inexcusable.I have never seen a laptop with a less ergonomic mouse pad!My third complaint with this laptop is that the chip seem to have a hard time hitting 100% performance no matter what I throw at it.This is rather different from a desktop computer where the chip seem to reach 100% performance easily.

The negatives are annoying quirks rather than performance issues.All in all, this is a nice computer at a competitive price. ... Read more

Product Description

The MFC-8840DN is a network-ready, 5-in-1 flatbed laser multi-function center combining performance, connectivity, and reliability. The MFC-8840DN is a full-feature fax, and an up to 21ppm laser printer, which prints at up to 2400 x 600 dpi (HQ1200).

Duplex printing for two-sided document printing, fax receiving and copy output as well as an up to 50-sheet multi-purpose tray are standard. Both an up to 21cpm, legal-size convenience copier and a 9600 dpi (interpolated) resolution color flatbed scanner are also standard. Also included is PC Fax capability, which allows you to send and receive1 faxes directly from your computer.

A second paper tray option makes this a superior addition to your business workgroup. USB, Ethernet and parallel ports are standard so the MFC-8840DN can work in virtually any environment.

... Read more

Features

• Parallel, USB, and Ethernet interfaces; PC and Mac compatible
• Multifunction office machine, prints, copies, scans, and faxes
• Up to 21 ppm printing and copying; up to 2,400 x 600 dpi print resolution
• 33.6 Kbps fax modem, 300 speed dial locations, up to 600-page memory
• Includes 50-sheet ADF; 32 MB memory, expandable to 160 MB

Reviews (8)

It's a great network printer
I am quite impressed with the MFC-8840DN.
It's loaded with useful features, and they all work.
The product is solidly designed, and there was obviously a lot of thought put into the mechanical design and control panel. The printed user manual is very good too.
The multipurpose tray is quite handy for keeping a few mailing envelopes or CD labels ready for printing at a moment's notice.
The duplexer has no problem doing two-sided printing, and there are options for straight through paper feeding and output.
The document feeder works well, and the software also handles using the flatbed scanner conveniently.If you don't use the document feeder, it prompts you for each page to be scanned on the flatbed.

I'm not using the fax at the moment, but that too has a multitude of useful features.If you do a lot of faxing, or have special fax applications this is worth looking at.You can do everything from fax relaying, broadcasting, and storing, to emailing faxes automatically to wherever you happen to be.

The network and software setup is in a separate manual, and may be a little intimidating, but everything works as advertised once you get it set up.If you want to use the scan buttons on the control panel, you will need to open some ports in the Windows Firewall.You can only register one computer to use the control panel scan buttons.The PC software scanning does work from multiple computers.You can buy a license if you need to have multiple computers appear in the control panel's scan button menu.

I ran into one annoying problem, but it isn't a big one.
There's a web browser interface that you can use to change the configuration.It sometimes freezes, and at that point I had to power cycle it to be able to use the web browser to configure it again.I don't expect to be changing the configuration a lot, and the problem happens infrequently.

This product supports an amazing number of network protocols, which makes it very useful for networks with a mixture of Apple, Windows, Unix, and other computers.About the only protocol it doesn't support is NETBIOS over IPX/SPX.That's a pretty unusual combination, but I did happen to be using it.I changed my configuration to NETBIOS over TCP/IP, and that is supported.NETWARE is supported with IPX/SPX protocol.

You can connect this to a 15 amp circuit, but don't be surprised if it dims the lights when you turn the power on.It's probably better to connect this to a 20 amp or 30 amp circuit.I had to relocate the printer because it was causing my UPS to detect a line voltage drop.That's really a problem with the UPS being too sensitive, but it's something to keep in mind if you have everything connected to the same circuit.

Absolutely Brilliant
I would give this device 6 stars if I could!! The Brother 8840-DN scans documents to PDFs at a rate comparable to the much more expensive Xerox Documate at nearly half the price. Plus you get a lightning fast copying machine, a fast fax, a network printer and a flatbed scanner. What an amazing product!!! I did a good deal of research prior to purchasing this machine, and almost cancelled the order based on some last minute that I read. (Luckily I changed my mind.) PC world said it scanned documents rediculously slowly, taking 33 seconds toat 100 dpi. This turned out to be absolutely NOT true!!! I managed to get through a stack of fifty documents at 300dpi in less than 120 seconds, and that includes creating the pdfs. (I am running an AMD64 3000+ with 1 GB of ram). The print quality is about average for a laser printer- it is nothing compared to the ultra-crisp text of the Minolta Color laser Engine (I also own a Minolta Magicolor 2350EN Color laser) but for less than half the price, I have no complaints. The network connectability is an added bonus. I can scan and even fax from my computer (without printing a hardcopy first) -all remotely. If you purchase this item, make sure to upgrade to the max 160 Mb of RAM (128 Mb DIMM available from crucial for 50 bucks) as this speeds things up even more.

I would recommend the Brother 8840DN to anyone looking for a well built and designed MFC device, and would take all the unjustified negative comments with a grain of salt.

Enjoy --

Prints fine, but unable to clear jam
Print quality and speed is great, doublesided and networking capabilities worked fine on Windows and Linux computers, however once this printer jammed (after 75 pages), it was impossible to clear. The little thumbwheel you are supposed to turn to roll the jam out is impossibly stiff and despite spinning it enough in both directions to raise a blister, did nothing to free the jam. The space between the rollers is inaccessible and without special knowledge of the printer, the rollers are impossible to separate in order to clear a jam.

I returned the printer - even if a service desk had been able to clear it, I do not want to be able to print at the convenience of a service desk.

Finally, a great Laser MFP!
My wife and I are both Realtors, working primarily from our home office.We already have a nice color laser printer (Konica Minolta 2300W) but needed something to replace our aged HP printer/fax.

After a ton of research, I settled on the Brother MFC-8840DN. Connection to our home network was a snap. The scanner function works great, and I can send the scans directly from the unit to any of the computers on the network.Scan quality has been great, and the legal sized flatbed is a necessity when working with real estate documents.The printer has worked flawlessly, as has the fax (and tons of memory locations).

The low price of consumables (a 6,700 page toner cartridge costs about 60 bucks) was another factor in buying.Beware though, the unit ships with a toner cartridge with far lower capacity.

If you don't need color from your MFC, check this one out. We considered inkjet models, but the lower print quality and much higher ink costs made a b/w laser a better choice.This is a great printer, at an even better price!

Meets all my expectations (mostly)
This printer (we got the DN model) does everything as advertised. The only thing I don't like about it is the scan and email function. The network settings lack SMTP authentication so I must send and receive the emails from the unit to a LAN pc using proxy software.

Otherwise we're completely satisfied with the printer, software, etc. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Compact design, affordability, and strong performance make the HP LaserJet 1012 laser printer a logical choice for home or small business users with moderate print demands. Powered by a 133 MHz processor and 8 MB of internal memory, the HP 1012 delivers crisp 600 dpi black printing at up to 15 pages per minute.

PC and Mac compatible, the HP 1012 offers USB connectivity and comes with a handy CR-ROM with software and simple steps for hassle-free setup. This model offers versatile paper handling from its 150-sheet standard input tray and also includes a priority input tray for specialty jobs. The HP 1012 comes with everything you need to get started except the printer cable itself; it is backed by a one-year warranty.

What's in the Box
HP LaserJet 1012 printer, HP print cartridge, Getting Started guide, software and electronic User Guide on CD-ROM, power cord, printer media input tray, printer priority input tray, tray cover; USB cable not included ... Read more

Features

• 150-sheet input tray, 10-sheet priority input tray
• USB interface, PC and Mac compatible; 1-year warranty
• Crisp, 1,200 dpi effective resolution
• Up to 15 ppm; instant-on fuser, first pages out in 10 seconds
• Compact design, perfect for small workspaces

Reviews (93)

Great for Grandma, uninstall the nagware
I bought an HP LaserJet 1012 for my 75 yo mother. She's been frustrated with cheap inkjet printers that never work for her (she prints so infrequently the cartridges clog or expire); I wanted something I could setup and forget about. The LJ1012 costs $175 to $200 or so, is utterly quiet and pretty compact, has a flat paper tray, is quite simple, and ought to do the trick for the next 5-10 years. So far, I'm pleased.

But it does include spyware - or at least "nagware". The standard installer adds a "reminder" utility on the sly. It pops up every two weeks and recommends buying printer supplies. True, it comes with an uninstaller and one can turn off the reminders without uninstalling, but it is fundamentally marketing software installed without my awareness that provides me no benefit. By some definitions, that's spyware.

It is hard for vendors to resist the temptations offered by an authenticated installer. I gave the printer 4 stars instead of five for that little trick. After you install your HP 1012, uninstall the nagware.

Other than the nagware, there's not much to complain about. This ought to be an 'install and forget' light duty printer. It is very quiet and includes a bypass tray (not tested). USB only of course, no parallel. I'm testing it on an XP machine, it has OS X support (for when I switch my mother's Win98 box for a Mac mini and a Dell LCD panel). The installer utility appears to support client network access to a shared printer (not tested).

There's almost no documentation with it. The documentation is on the CD. This may puzzle some people, it's not immediately obvious how to install the cartridge.

Absolutely Perfect - Great Value - No Brainer!
I bought this printer, set it up for home use, and then immediately bought 3 more for light office use!

The footprint is extremely compact; it is quite light, and is not big and ugly sitting on your desk. The printing speed through USB 2.0 is extremely fast - I have not experienced any jamming or paper loading issues. Unpacking and set-up is effortless.

I have had an HP 2200 for heavier office use for about 3 years. For the price I paid for that, you can buy 5 of these - and the print speed is only 4 pages PM slower.

This printer is perfect for general home use, and moderate small business office use. Great for college students. Unless you regularly print documents longer than 25 pages, this is an absolutely excellent buy. If you do print longer documents you should be aware that the printer will slow down production after between 30-50 pages, due to the lack of a cooling fan.

Otherwise, you will not regret purchasing this. Oh.. one last note... make sure you have a spare USB cable!

Fast, decent quality
I use this printer with an eMac running OS X 10.3 and primarily use it to print simple documents such as word processing files, web pages and e-mails.For that purpose it is great:very fast and high-quality output.However, if you work in graphic design you will find its lack of PostScript support disappointing.PDFs and print outs from InDesign are beautiful and very sharp; they just take a long time to render since the printer is "dumb" and the print driver has to draw everything.

But, unlike other low-cost laser printers, I have never had a problem with paper misfeeds or the printer loading multiple pages at a time.Like other reviewers have mentioned, this printer is not suitable for sharing and printing high volumes at a business.But it is great for home use.I've had it in my office for nearly a year and am still using the original toner cartridge.Try that with an ink jet!

Stop looking, buy this printer NOW!
This printer is half the size of my last one, it's very quiet, very fast, and prints are excellent. No bells and whistles, just quality prints, just like I wanted! Does NOT include USB cable, so you have to buy one! Had to install the driver software twice before I got my PC to detect and install it properly.

Great little machine
This is a great printer if you 1) don't print large volumes of and 2) you are limited on space.As an added bonus, original HP toner for this printer is pretty reasonable $62-65.

I am a small business owner and I probably print 10-20 pages per day.This unit is fast and the quality is excellent. It was easy to set up - got to love easy to install drivers and plug and play USB!

If you are looking to print a lot, I would look at a higher volume machine.One pet peeve is that HP, like many other companies, refuse to include a USB cable. ... Read more

Product Description

Utilizing the latest in cutting edge technology, the Uniden 5.8 GHz DSS phones transmit on frequencies that have less interference, resulting in maximum clarity and improved audio quality. The Uniden 5.8 GHz DSS phones also provide the convenience of up ... Read more

Features

• Supports 2 lines; dual keypads and displays; 10 speed dial presets
• Base duplex speakerphone, handset speakerphone
• 5.8 GHz digital signal; expandable to 10 handsets, 1 included
• Caller ID/call waiting, 100 shared caller ID and memory-dial locations
• Call conferencing, room/baby monitoring; tri-lingual menu options

Reviews (35)

Tried them all...this is the only one I kept
I have tried all the 5.8mhz 2 line phones. None really cut it in the quality/distance specs. This is a great performer for the price and I paid much more than what it is selling for now.

Pros:Read the other reviews and save me the time...they are all good and I put 8 hours a day on mine and after 9 months it is still going strong.Things I like are good display, best distance of the 3 phones I tried, easy to use without a long read of the manual, and great drop performance.I have dropped this phone many times from counter height to my hardwood or concrete floors with no ill affects.The belt clip is a great design and will not come off. The phone contacts are the best design I have seen as they always make a connection even if the phone is tilted.Having individual phone books is nice except if you syc them with the base you loose your individuality.Not one performance problem.I did order a 3rd handset a few weeks ago and the display was different (a later "imnproved" model)but I noticed a hum/hiss that was not on the other original hansets and did not exist on them when in the same location.I have returned this for exchange.

Cons: Like all 5.8mhz sets this one has limited range but a good 100 through walls.50 feet if you included an aluminum sided wall. Volume could be higher...what is it with all these phone people...they just can put enough volume in anything whether it be cell phone or wireless handset. Headset also left something to be desired.In ability to add just one contact to the general phone directory, in ability to use speaker phone on intercom mode.I just wish there was someway to push a little more distance out....

Good phone - shame about the speakerphone.
Got this phone to work from home, along with 4 of my colleagues. The phone offers a very comprehensive set of features. We were also told it would work ok with a wireless network.

The phone is difficult to use from the base station. The numbers are so close together it's easy to punch the wrong button. I guess that's the price you pay for having a small footprint, which the phone certainly has.

The biggest problem we are finding is with the base unit. The speakerphone on the base cuts out, meaning large parts of conversations are missed. If it was just my phone I would have tried swapping it, but it's three different phones being used in three different houses.

Uniden support suggested this was probably due to phone placement. They say the phone should be at least 5-6 feet away from electrical appliances. We're using the phones for work, which means within a few feet of a laptop computer. This seems to be the only common cause of the problem - unless the phones just have a flaw, but nobody else seems to have reported problems with the base unit speakerphone.

It seems very odd that the problem is only with the base unit. I would have thought electrical interference (from a laptop) should affect the handset more, since it's wireless, rather than the wired base unit. That doesn't seem to be the case.

One of my colleagues also reported 'garbled messages' when using voicemail. Interesting to see other comments here about voicemail not working.

The phone probably offers the best set of features compared to other similar phones. Unfortunately the speaker phone problem is proving to be such a pain we're contemplating our options for returning the phones - hence only a 2 star rating.

Very Nice - apart from the echo on line 2
I have the same echo-like sound when using the phone on line 2 as a previous reviewer described.I had read that review prior to purchasing the phone but didn't believe it.I wish I had.That said, only 1 of my 2 handsets has a bad enough echo that I don't like talking on it.Both handsets work great for line 1 - really clear sound and no echo.As with the other reviewer I swapped lines, phones, and various other combos but got consistent results.Uniden tech support had me do a "reset" of the phones and base unit - to no avail.They said a repair is the next step.

It's too bad, the phone has great features, feels nice, and all that.I'm not sure if I'll purchase the Panasonic (I've had bad luck with several of their phones) or try to keep swapping additional handsets hoping to get ones that don't echo.I don't use line 2 a lot so can get by for awhile.

The only other feature I didn't like was that the caller-id info is saved on each phone.If I want to delete a caller-id log record, I have to go to the base, its handset, and my extra handset and deleted from each one.Otherwise it shows "New CID" on the handsets as if there is a call needing attention.Something I'll just have to ignore because it's a nuisance going to each phone to delete them.

Great phone system
We have six of these handsets in our home, for over six months, and they work great! The sound quality, range, and battery life are superior to every other cordless phone I have ever used. The feature set is very well thought out, and the phones are extremely easy to use.

poor sound quality
This phones has great features,but very poor sound quality. Mostly sounds like you're in a tunnel even when in the same room as the base. The range is also extremely poor. Bought an extention to add on and can't use it in the next room without constantly cutting out. All in all, this phone stinks. ... Read more

Product Description

compatible with iPod models equipped with a Dock connector, including iPod mini * 3 programmable station presets (88.1MHz, 98.1MHz and 107.9MHz) * dimmable LED display * cigarette lighter adapter * 24k gold contacts maximize power transfer and resist corrosion * ... Read more

Features

• Compatible with all iPods with dock connectors, including iPod mini
• Wireless FM transmitter/charger for playing iPod through car stereo system
• Broadcasts iPod tunes through stereo via choice of almost any FM radio frequency
• Charges iPod during use while optimizing audio performance
• 3 favorite station presets; 24k gold contacts for max power transfer

Reviews (44)

Works greatunder diverse conditions
I have used this product in the San Francisco Bay Area and Toronto, Canada. In both cases it worked great! Considering the fact that both of these metropolitan areas are heavily populated and thus host countless radio stations I was happy to find that the transmitter is so effective.

Once in a while you will hear a little bit of static but switching to one of the other presets quickly does the trick. The only significant drawback is major interference when my cellphone rings.

The value of my IPOD has skyrocketed with this product and I would recommend it to anyone.

It's working for me.
I'm in Chicago, and can't imagine any area having more possible interference than we have here. I'm getting a great signal.(Keep in mind that this is the newer unit that has the user program in the frequencies to be used.). There are enough instructions on a plastic tag attached the wire to use this product successfully without ever looking at the enclosed papers. Once I punched in a number that wasn't carrying a broadcast, all was smooth sailing. I bought my ipod with intent to use it in the car only, so the -entire- setup was new to me. When I was fiddling around for songs, the radio would revert back to some static, but that is gone when the unit is actually operating. The convenience of having one cord to power -and- connect the ipod is so important; I'm in and out of my car , and disconnect/reconnect the ipodeach time. I've had the cassette-style connector to connect other products, and the mess of wires always made think twice before even bothering with it. Apparently this isn't the same for all users, but I wonder if some of them didn't program a clear frequency.

you can do better
For 70 bucks retail, you can do better.The sound is fine, but you are limited to to eight FM stations from which you may choose, so if they're all taken in your region, you're out of luck.I returned mine after a couple of days.

Far better than I expected
I bought this to use in the wife's mini-van, I liked the idea of being able to choose any station and having a built-in charger.

Overall I'm very happy with this, I tried the three pre-set stations and have had very good performance on 98.1, so I haven't neeeded to try anything else.I'm living outside of Washington D.C. where the airwaves are crowded, but I haven't had any static so far.

Sound quality is very good, it's not CD level or as good as the Sony tape deck I use in my car, but it is much better than I expected. I highly recommend this product.

Quite happy with my purchase
I tried this in both of my vehicles--a 1999 Chrysler LHS and a 2004 Toyota Sienna.It worked well in both, although I can hear a bit of distortion.My vehicles don't have concert hall sound quality when in motion even under the best of circumstances, so I'd say that a four star rating is fair. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Take your productivity to the next level wherever you roam with the Compaq Presario R4025US notebook PC. With a powerful AMD Athlon 64-bit processor and large 15.4-inch screen, you'll be able to effortlessly multitask. It also features a strong ATI Radeon Xpress video/graphics card with 128 MB of dedicated video RAM--great for multimedia presentations. It has a Firewire port for connecting an iPod and video camcorders, dual-layer DVD-/+RW drive (which also burns CDs)--wlhich can burn up to 8.5 GB of data to compatible DVDs--and a multi-format memory card reader. The R4010US also offers a large 80 GB hard drive, 1 GBof installed RAM, and 54g wireless connectivity with 125 HSM/SpeedBooster support.

The Basics

• Hard Drive: The 80 GB hard drive (4200 RPM) is a bit above average in size for notebook PCs, providing more than enough capacity for storing documents, digital media files, and productivity software.
• Processor: AMD's Athlon 64 3200+ processor is built for tomorrow's 64-bit applications, which will require a processor with significant power. This 2.0 GHz processor offers a system bus with speeds up to 2000 MHz and 512 KB L2 cache. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance.) It includes such AMD features as HyperTransport Technology (which increases the communication between integrated circuits) and Cool'n'Quiet Technology that conserves power while also keeping the notebook's decibels to a minimum.
• Memory: The 1 GB of built-in memory (2 x 512 MB, DDR SDRAM) is well suited to today's demanding multimedia and business productivity software, and it features a faster than average speed (333 MHz). It has two memory slots in total, with a maximum memory expansion up to 2 GB (2 x 1024 MB).
• CD/DVD Drive: Offering the latest in DVD writing technology, the V2220US multiformat DVD/CD drive is compatible with both DVD+ and DVD- disc formats as well as dual-layer DVD+R discs, which can store up to 8.5 GB of data.
• Keyboard & Mouse: This notebook has a 101-key keyboard and a touchpad with on/off button and dedicated vertical/horizontal Scroll Up/Down pad.

Connectivity and Expansion Slots
The R4025US has an integrated 54g wireless LAN that's fully compatible with 802.11b/g wireless networks. The 125 HSM/SpeedBooster support will enable it to be ready for tomorrow's 125 Mbps wireless LANs. It also includes a next-generation ExpressCard 54/34 card slot, which lets you take advantage of thinner, faster, and lighter expansion cards for even more advanced wireless, networking, storage, and security features. You get a very good offering of connectivity options, which does include super-fast USB 2.0 and Firewire:

• 4 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players
• 1 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) port for connecting digital video camcorders and other peripherals
• 1 VGA monitor port
• 1 S-Video port for connecting to a TV
• 1 PCMCIA (or PC Card) slot (Type I/II, 32-bit)
• 1 headphone jack and 1 microphone jack
• 1 Expansion Port 2 connector
• 6-in-1 Digital Media Reader for Secure Digital cards, MultiMedia cards, Memory Sticks, Memory Stick Pro, SmartMedia, and XD Picture Cards

Preloaded System and Software
This system comes with the Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 2 operating system with Advanced Security Technologies, which helps to reduce unwanted downloads and pop-ups while surfing the Web. It also comes preloaded with Microsoft Works (for working with word processing and spreadsheet documents), Norton AntiVirus 2005 (with 60 days of complimentary updates), Microsoft Money 2005, MSN Encarta Plus, Sonic RecordNow, Apple iTunes, Adobe Photoshop Album Starter Edition, Intervideo WinDVD, and MuVee Autoproducer.

Dimensions and Weight
This notebook measures 14.25 x 11.2 x 1.88 inches and weighs 7.85 pounds.

Power
It's powered by a 8-cell rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which has a battery life of up to 3 hours (depending on usage).

What's in the Box
This package contains the Compaq R4025US notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions. It is backed by a one-year limiited hardware warranty, 1-year technical phone support, and 30-day free software support. ... Read more

Product Description

Toshiba Satellite M35X-S161 Notebook PC Mobile Multimedia Now get maximum mobile performance and an intense multimedia experience from a notebook that's lighter, thinner and more powerful! The Satellite M35X is the ideal notebook for savvy professionals and students who want outstanding performance and advanced capabilities at an affordable price. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

piece of junk
Purchased M35x at Christmastime for my daughter to use for school - and we LOVED it for 6 weeks... just received back after being in the repair shop waiting for parts(motherboard) for 2 months (along with 60 other laptops) - Telephone customer support is outside of US and completely unhelpful and unwilling to move calls forward. VERY UNHAPPY with Toshiba - if you buy this buy the extended coverage so you can get a replacement immediately!

A Good Notebook for Everyday use
I bought this notebook primarily for web surfing, music management and for school. It has been sufficient in facilitating those needs. I have enjoyed its large wide screen. I don't play computer games, so I don't know how it does with that. I use it a lot for burning cd's and for the most part it does great. Occasionally it can be slow and can get hung up during the copying of music, but I think that is more due to Windows Media Player.

My one complaint about this notebook is its battery life. It seems to drain rather quickly. If I am to use it at school, I have to plug it into the wall to assure it won't cut off. It seems to drain dead in a couple of hours with regular internet use, and a lot less if you are using many programs, such as music copying, etc.

I find that is notebook is affordable and sufficient for the user who plans on using it primarily for office and internet use.Just make sure you keep it plugged in when you are using it at home to keep the battery from cutting off. Overall, its fast and worth the money. You can find them at BestBuy and Circuit City. I reccomend buying the extended warranty plan to ensure some sort of coverage should something happen to it.

Toshiba M35X-S161 is a great buy!
I was looking for a quality laptop for wireless surfing, office applications, and music management.This Toshiba fits the bill perfectly.The ONLY complaint I have is battery life.It is terrible!However, when you register the laptop with Toshiba they provide you with a coupon code.You can order the better 8-cell battery direct from them for a reasonable price.Heck, with the hundreds of dollars you saved by buying the M35X-S161 buying a better battery will still keep you well ahead!

Not bad if you don't need battery life
This is not a very "mobile" notebook computer because of the under whelming 4 cell battery (read the complaints below).If you are *sure* this is mostly going to be plugged in and only occasionally be used on battery power then you may consider this model (the price is great and other major components are first rate).If you need reasonable battery life and similar features at this price point I would suggest the HP4900 series or the Compaq 2100 series which have 6 cell batteries (FYI - HP/Compaq is the same company and these are same notebook platforms with mostly cosmetic differences).If you really like this model but don't mind spending a little more look at the Toshiba M35X-S3__ series (such as the M35X-S309 sold by Amazon) which have 8 cell batteries (the M45-S3__ series is just up the ladder from the M35 and comes in 6 and 8 cell variants).

One other small point that I don't like: no scroll bar on this (and many other) Toshiba's.If you aren't sure if this is important check it out in a store first.If you use the touch pad to do a lot of web surfing or document reading you will miss that scroll bar.On the other hand if you usually use a mouse with it this won't be an issue.(A small optical mouse will do the trick - you can set it on just about anything and mouse away.)

inadequate battery
I agree completely with the 2 previous reviewers.The included battery only lasts a little over an hour.I feel duped by Toshiba.One would naturally believe that a Pentium M or Celeron M laptop would give good battery life.I never imagined that Toshiba would include a dinky 4 cell battery.This laptop is not the bargain that it appears to be, because you need to spend another $90 to get the 12 cell battery, pa3332u, if you want your notebook to last over 1.5 hours on a charge.

Other than this glaring deficiency, the laptop is fine.It has a farely nice LCD (but mine had a dead pixel).The fan is farely quiet if you set it to the quiet option, but not as quiet as an HP notebook with Celeron M. ... Read more

Product Description

print resolution: 600 x 600 dpi black; 9600 x 2400 dpi color * direct photo printing with PictBridge-compliant cameras * two-sided printing * ContrastPLUS 5-color ink system * print sizes: letter (8-1/2" x 11"), legal, credit card (approx. 3-3/8" x 2-1/8"), 4" x 6", 5" x 7", envelope * ... Read more

Features

• USB interface, Direct Print Port; PC and Mac compatible
• Up to 600 x 600 dpi black resolution, 9,600 x 2400 dpi color
• Up to 25 ppm black, 17 ppm color speed; borderless 4-by-6-inch photos in just 36 seconds
• Directly supports PictBridge-compatible digital cameras and DV camcorders
• ContrastPLUS ink system for realistic tones and economical replacement

Reviews (25)

Driver doesn't work for Mac!
I am using an iMac G5 with OS 10.3.9.Due to a scripting error in the printer's driver, the printer is a gorgeous paperweight!Canon and Apple haven't figured out why the driver won't work, since it works for some other Mac users.I hope you Wintel users out there enjoy this printer, but Mac users BEWARE!

Niceo
There are many things I can say about this printer, but I'm not going to bother.Just buy it.:)

There's no reason not to.It prints documents good enough and fast enough, and it prints photos to the same amount of quality as the originals.

Good printer just don't use on Windows 64-bit
What I liked.
Print quality
Speed
Duplexing, wastes less paper looks nicer.
Separate ink tanks - $10-12 a tank, replace only the colors you ran out of.

What I didn't like
No drivers for Windows XP 64, there will be no drivers either. The line I got from Canon USA was buy a new printer. Don't bother buying if you are going to use it on a 64-bit Intel or AMD system, it flat out refuse to work.

2nd best Pixma printer
This one was ranked 7th overall in a recent Consumer Reports issue(may '05 pg.28) and scored only "fair" in graphics quality. It's lower priced cousin, the Pixma iP4000, was ranked #2, overall score in the excellent range and designated as a "CR best buy". The 5000 actually tested slower than the 4000 in both text speed(ppm) and 4x6 time. Admittedly, the superior 9600x2400 res. is impressive as is the 1pl droplet size. The 5 color ink tanks are a bit misleading as 2 of them are black. Canon printers are the best so don't waste money on HP,Epson, & Lexmark.

To the reviewer below that stated that everybody uses 20 lb. paper, I use a "bright white" 24 lb. inkjet paper for everyday use (20 is too thin- better for fax & copy machines). Also, the reviewer incorrectly states the 5000 does not use the two black inks, in fact it uses the same ink tanks with 2 blacks(BCI-3eBK/6BK), just like the 4000.

iP4000 may be a little better than iP5000
I'm repeating a post I made under the iP4000, the printer I bought, because these 2 printers are very similar. there may be something here that could impact your decision about the iP5000 (or be useful in your use of it) too.
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I knew I was going with a Canon printer because of their reputation for having reasonably priced ink compared to all the other manufacturers (hp being the most expensive to use). I intended to buy one from their PIXMA series (said to be the fastest printers on the market; all offer Duplex/two-sided printing which I wanted). I really struggled between their high-end iP8500 and mid-range iP5000 & iP4000. I ultimately eliminated the 8500 and 5000 because neither had dual black ink cartridges (4000 has a 13 ml. for photos, and a bigger 27 ml. one for text). In the 8500 I didn't want to have to be replacing 8 individual ink cartridges (some say those extra tanks don't really make much difference, just cost more). While the 5000 had greater resolution than the 4000, my decision was also impacted by what I thought was a reputable review (PC magazine, I believe). The review said that the 5000 generated better text and graphics than the 4000, however at the expense of photos that weren't as good and that printed slower. Another factor in my decision was that I could purchase the 4000 for 1/3 the retail price, dirt cheap compared to any other potential printer purchase out there. (Best Buy price matched with Office Depot, I had Best Buy RewardsZone certificates, a Best Buy gift card, and there was manufacturer rebate.)

After a solid week of Internet research, I ultimately did purchase the 4000 and I am very pleased with it. Below I've summarized my observations from my first week of usage of my new printer. Maybe I can save somebody from some of the research effort that I put into this purchase.

DESIGN: It's beautiful, but it's black shiny parts are potentially a dust-magnet. There's no printer cable included. I had a spare on hand (it uses USB 2.0 cable with A/B connectors). Radio Shack was less than Best Buy, at $24.99 for a 6-foot. You could do better on the Internet via Amazon.com or eBay.com. Error messaging is cool; just count the amber blinks of the usually green power button, then check your manual for what it means. This thing is FAST! Text ink is pigment-based (longer lasting, less fading, rated 75-80 yrs., I think) and the colors are dye-based (rated 25-30 years, I think). Duplex capability is awesome.

POWER: Canon says they only recommend plugging the printer directly into a wall outlet. I have a Curtis Command Center power center, under my monitor. It conveniently locates power buttons for all of my computer components, as well as offering surge protection. I've used it for years with no difficulties. While I can turn my new printer off via the Curtis power buttons, I can't turn the printer back on with it. The actual button on the printer must be pressed to turn it back on. My printer is not located immediately next to the computer, so I now have to stand up to physically hit that actual printer button.

QUIET MODE: For me, this feature is worthless. Canon says that using it will slow the print speed of the printer. Upon installation, this mode is turned off by default. In regular mode, this printer is pretty noisy when it starts out (much more than the hp DeskJet 825c that I just passed on to Mom), but when it's printing sounds like most every other printer I've used. When it's first starting out, some of those noises are a little scary, like something might be broken ... but it's not.

AUTO-FEEDER (top): It doesn't hold the advertised 150 sheets for most of us. Canon bases that particular estimate on 17 lb. paper! (Who uses that?! Almost everybody uses 20 lb.!) My very first text prints were from the Auto Feeder (top). They all printed extremely crooked until I reduced the paper stack quite a bit.

Standing in front of the printer, with a stack of paper inserted, it appears that the right bottom corner is forced to bend outward slightly from the printer design. Despite a number of attempts to reload the paper (after turning the paper various ways), this outward bend remained. (It can be kind of pressed into place though.) When I reduced the paper in the Auto Feed tray by half (that I'd previously filled to the capacity line marker), I still had the outward bend, but the crooked print problem was resolved.

The manual offers this work-around for a continued problem: Use only 1 sheet of paper in the Auto Feeder, or place multiple pages there, but by one sheet at a time (vs. an entire stack all at once).

PRINT SPEED: My printer is blazingly fast. I'm not experiencing any of the 15-second first page print delay that so many reviewers complain about with this printer. There's maybe a 5-second delay at most! Perhaps that delay sometimes occurs on the first print after you've switched between the auto-feed or cassette trays, but I am pretty much not experiencing any problem with this.

INK DEPLETION OPTICAL SENSORS: They'll monitor the individual ink tanks. When a cartridge has less than 20% left, you'll be warned. Canon's printers will work with an empty cartridge, unlike the Epsons (they lock up until you replace).

INK USE: This printer doesn't suck it down. I've been using it heavily for a week now, generating all kinds of highest quality 8x10", 5x7" and 4x6" photo prints on Canon's best papers, and all my ink tanks still look full. I'm amazed and impressed! Opened ink is recommended to be used up within 6 mos.

BLACK INK: Canon's advised me that unless in Draft Quality mode (the only mode in which the black text ink cartridge is solely used), a small percentage of cyan and magenta ink will be used (for high-density/high-quality black text or photo-realistic quality images).

DRAFT QUALITY DUPLEX TEXT IS FAINT: I can print Draft quality non-Duplex text that is perfectly acceptable. Despite numerous attempts to improve this for Draft quality Duplex, including trying a higher quality paper, there was no improvement. In Draft quality Duplex mode, the prints are almost like those from an old dot-matrix printer! I've only been able to get anything close to satisfactory when selecting Standard quality for Duplex printing. This doesn't make sense to me ... why should there be a difference just from selecting Duplex and changing nothing else. There has to be something different about the way the printer handles a Duplex vs. non-Duplex page. I sent an inquiry to Canon, and they really didn't explain why this occurs in their reply. "As Draft quality indicates sacrificing some print quality in order to achieve faster print output, if faster print output and duplexing are required, there may be a noticeable decrease in quality."

PAPER MEDIA OPTIONS: Some of the Canon info materials are not current, but Canon confirmed for me that this printer will print any media listed in the driver's Properties selection, including Transparencies and T-Shirt transfers. (The driver does not list Credit Card or Stickers media.) Because Canon's bundled software is distributed with a number of their printer models, media choices that will not work with your particular printer model could appear in them. The 4000, cannot print to Credit Card media (the 5000 may be able to, but I've already mentioned why I didn't select that model). I don't believe it can print Stickers either. I inquired with Canon about why they state not to print to postcard media, but they didn't answer my question. Note that while Canon recommends you not use non-Canon media above 28 lbs. with this printer, you'll find numerous online reviews that state this is incorrect. Perhaps Canon just wants to drive sales of its own media.

CANON PHOTO PRO & PLUS MEDIA: I printed 4x6 glossy media samples of both, the two highest levels in their line. While the Pro paper had a bit heavier weight to it, it didn't have much print quality difference from the Plus paper. I don't feel the Pro paper is worth its exorbitant price; there's just not enough of a difference. The Plus paper is a bit lighter weight, but it's nice too; and it prices out to match my local Wal-marts digital photo prints. I even used an 8x photo loupe to really examine them closely. A loupe's an inexpensive and really worthwhile purchase from your local camera shop (Natl. Camera Exchange, etc.) if you really want to look at a photo (or anything else) really up close. Amazing just how much texture you'll see when looking at a plain piece of copy paper!

BLACK & WHITE PRINTS: Some complain about the quality of these photos on the Canon printers. I read a recommendation to use Canon Matte Photo Paper for the best results. I also read that matte prints will last 4x as long as a glossy print, and when stored behind glass or plastic could potentially last forever (from fading, deterioration).

CD/DVD LABELS: I talked with an Epson rep in an Office Depot store a few weeks ago. He said that Epson holds the U.S. patent for direct-printing on CD/DVDs and that this is why Canon can't offer the feature yet (he said that patent would be expiring soon). You'll see that the Canon printers are almost set up for it (cover blocks area and parts are missing, except in the UK version which does offer the feature). Canon says that they just "choose" to not offer this feature in the U.S. market, although they know that "Epson and at least 5 other printer manufacturers in the USA are releasing direct CD/DVD print features." As an alternative, I asked Canon for a recommendation of a standard adhesive label media that would work acceptably, but they didn't answer my question. This isn't a feature I figured that I'd be likely to use a lot, so it's not very important to me. My research showed there are lots of disadvantages to using it anyway (takes forever to dry, not waterproof, doesn't look as good as adhesive labels). For info on this, check out nealslade.com. He's got an entire section just on this topic.

CASSETTE TRAY IS CONFUSING: It took me a bit to figure out how to operate this and I don't like how the sliders don't move easily. Pretty cheaply made. Hope it will be redesigned better in a future model, but this isn't a big issue for me.

WHICH TRAY TO USE: Many reviewers say they keep photo paper in the cassette to keep it protected from dust etc. Reputable sources say it is not a good idea to keep photo paper in the cassette for any length of time because the paper will begin to age (yellow). They recommend inserting photo paper into the auto feeder instead (top vertical tray), only on an as-needed basis. This also keeps photo paper from having to go through a tighter turning print path. The cassette's U-path can lead to jams and cracked paper coatings. The J-path of the auto feeder is a more gentle turning print path. I keep plain paper in my cassette and use the auto feeder intermittently for photo paper and other needs.

BUNDLED SOFTWARE: This stuff is usually junk, but I do like all 3 programs Canon includes: Easy PhotoPrint (no-brainer photo printing), Photo Record (scrapbook generator) and Easy-Web Print (no more Internet prints with a cutoff right margin!). Easy-WebPrint doesn't seem to have a way that you can designate a print page range though, which is it's only negative (especially when you're Duplex printing and there's a 3rd page with just a single line of text; the printer has to print that single line as well as pulling it back in for Duplex to print a blank page!). It does offer printing just a selection from a web page though (so I forgive it a little for that!).

MAINTENANCE: I haven't had any issues with nozzles clogging (Epson sounds like its notorious for this), but my ownership is early yet. NeilSlade.com recommends running a color print once a day to help prevent this. He also recommends not running the CLEAN NOZZLES function very often, because it moves some ink into the printers waste tank. If the waste tank gets filled, you'll need to pay to have the printer serviced to empty it. He says it's better to do some photo prints instead to limit the possibility of this occurring.

CUSTOMER SERVICE: Canon's replies to my e-mails have been unusually fast, which has impressed me. I made numerous inquiries and their replies usually came the very same day, often within a few short hours. They seem personalized too ... not the canned replies from so many others (that often don't really answer the questions asked). Terrific job on that, even though they ignored a couple of things that I asked. They even have a dedicated toll-free number than you can use as much as you'd like for the first 30-days you have the printer.
EXCELLENT RESOURCES: During my research, I found these websites to be particularly useful: steves-digicams.com, tomshardware.com and neilslade.com. Neil's got some excellent info on alternate sources of paper and ink, where you can clearly save some money. It's clear to me that buying from your local store is NOT your best option! Use the Internet. If you don't have much time for investigating, as usual Amazon.com can beat any local store on prices and product availability. eBay can have some great deals too. Of course Internet purchases require a little planning.

SUMMARY: There are good and bad points to all printers available, but I am very satisfied with this purchase. I tried to just detail the info that I wish I had found all in one place. Hopefully it helps you!
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Product Description

HDTV monitor (compatible with HDTV/SDTV formats--when connected to a separate HDTV tuner--and displays them at 1080i or 480p) * widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio * Digital Reality Creation (upconverts non-HD signals to 960i or 480p) * CineMotion 3-2 pulldown processing * selectable color temperature control * ... Read more

Features

• Stereo speakers with 15 watts per channel; SRS TruSurround simulated surround sound and BBE sound enhancement
• 34-inch Hi-Scan FD Trinitron WEGA television with widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio; 39.13 x 25.75 x 23.75 inches (W x H x D)
• Offers analog and digital (HDMI) high-definition inputs and a wealth of picture-enhancing technologies
• High-voltage regulator maintains consistent image size, despite variations in brightness during scene changes and channel changes
• CineMotion Reverse 3:2 pulldown technology lets you watch progressive-scan movies in their native 24-frame format

Reviews (7)

This is a great TV
I have to say that I was a little nervous buying a 200lb TV as a mail order.Even though I paid taxes and shipping, the whole TV by mail saved me a couple hundred dollars over retail stores in my town.Amazon and their shipper made the whole thing painless.
I expected the old TV shows in 4:3 format to look goofy, but I bought the TV to have the excellent movie experience.I was pleasantly surprised by the fantastic stretch feature that keeps the center of the image the same, but stretches the edges.Regular 4:3 things look great and the 16:9 DVDs are incredible.

Outstanding widescreen HD TV at a reasonable price
Contrary to popular opinion, you don't have to buy an expensive plasma or LCD (liquid crystal display) TV to get a great high-definition picture. In fact, many experts (including Consumer Reports) assert that high-definition TVs using traditional cathode-ray tube technology -- as this high-definition Sony does -- currently offer a sharper picture than plasma and LCD TVs, plus they are much less expensive and more reliable. This widescreen HD Sony TV has a very good picture with standard broadcasts and an outstanding picture with HD broadcasts and DVDs. If you'd like to get a widescreen high-definition TV now but you don't want to spend thousands of dollars on an expensive plasma or LCD set, please consider this 34" Sony. The picture is superb and the price is quite reasonable.

Set broke within 2 weeks.
I purchased the Sony Wega model KV-34HS420 on December 14, and it was delivered to my home on December 17, 2004.That was about two weeks ago and already the picture tube has failed.The picture in all modes (normal, wide, zoom) appears to be in an "hourglass" shape.I am trying to contact an authorized repair agent, but I have been told by Sony that even though the set is covered under warranty, I may still be charged for a housecall by the independent authorized service agent.

This is very frustrating, and I feel as though I have gotten no cooperation from the retailer or Sony.The authorized repair agent is not answering their phone and they do not even have an answering machine for me to leave a message.Frankly I had expected Sony to stand a little taller behind their product.

Phenomenal picture, great product!
I spent 3 months researching TVs before finally selecting this sony.I learned that CRTs still have some of the best pictures out there, particularly in this size range.My brother has a 42" rear projection HDTV and I have watched TV on some of the big plasmas, so I had some first-hand experience to compare this Sony.

In the end, my decision was based on a combination of size and cost -- 34" was the biggest I could go, $1500 max price.So, I took a careful look at many TVs and narrowed a list down to the following: Panasonic CT-34WX54, Philips 34PW8502, Zenith C34W37, Toshiba 34HF83.Several of those manufacturers have new models, so make sure to check on them.Each were around the same price (I got in on the $1350 deal for the Sony at Circuit City in July, as a previous reviewer noted) and had similar features.I picked this list as these manufacturers have reputations for good quality CRTs -- you can't go wrong with any of them.As many will say, you have to see TVs to really tell what you like.The Sony won for me.

I would highly suggest anyone buying a new TV also invest in AVIA's Guide to Home Theater or Digital Video Essentials.These products will help you calibrate your TV so you get the most out of your investment.

I have had this TV for about 6 months and I am extremely pleased with it.Everything works flawlessly and most importantly the picture looks fanastic.Watching the Sox win the World Series in HD was a great sight!

Awesome!
This Sony has the best picture of any TV under $5000 I've ever seen.

It's a conventional tube TV, so it won't get you the bragging rights of owning a sexy plasma TV.But who cares?The best plasmas cost 4 times as much per square inch of screen, and the picture is no better than a top-quality tube TV.The cheapest plasmas cost twice as much as a tube TV but don't have as good of a picture.And forget about LCDs - they cost more than tube TVs but have the worst picture quality.So, unless you have very limited space, or need to be able to move your TV frequently, you should go with a conventional tube TV, it offers the best picture AND the best price of all three technologies.

I have a cheap DVD player hooked up to this TV with component video cables (which are highly recommended, btw), and the picture is breathtaking.Once you watch a widescreen DVD on this thing, you will want to take the week off work to watch a bunch more.

The built-in speakers are fine for built-in speakers, and certainly fine for watching most TV shows.But watching movies in wide screen begs for bigger, better sound.I plugged mine into a bookshelf stereo system, and it sounds really great.A home theater system, of course, would be better, but more expensive.

This TV has enough inputs to plug in two DVD players, a TiVO, a digital cable box, a camcorder, an HD converter, and a VCR, all at the same time.Most of the inputs are on the back, a few are on the front (very discretely, as not to detract from the stylish look of the TV).

Conventional analog TV signals don't look nearly as good as signals from digital cable or HD-TV. This is true with all HD TVs, not just this one:The finer resolution of the set greatly exceeds the resolution of the source, so it's kind of like looking at a low resolution digital photo expanded to fill up a large, high resolution computer monitor.Well, not that bad, but that's the idea.You'll definitely notice the difference between analog cable and digital cable.But if all you have is analog cable, that's okay too.This Sony is better for analog TV than most other high-def sets (as well as most lo-def sets), according to Consumer Reports (November 2004).

There are a LOT of channels available in high-def.They include ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, ESPN, HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, Starz, PBS, Discovery, TNT, and several others (depending of course on where you live).Most cable & dish companies provide these channels for an extra $10/month.It's WELL worth it.
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Product Description

built-in digital camera (1.2-megapixel effective recording) * integrated Wi-Fi (802.11b) and Bluetooth wireless network capability * 3.5" LCD with Portrait and Landscape viewing modes * universal A/V remote control capability (using included HP Nevo software) * warranty: 1 year * ... Read more

Features

• Built-in 1.3 MP camera, 1280 x 960 resolution, 4x digital zoom, video record and playback
• 152 MB user available memory
• Integrated WLAN 802.11b, Bluetooth IrDA and USB
• Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition software
• Samsung S3C 2440 processor

Reviews (16)

(Almost) perfect although a bit pricey
I would give this iPaq five stars were it at least $50 cheaper. Seems to get in line with the competition it would have to be $100 cheaper. But price aside this is a wonderful PDA. I've had a range of PDAs from the first Palm Pilot, Apple Newtons, Philips Nino, Psion Series 5, Sony Clie, and more, and this is overall the best one yet. It's a very small and light package full of features. I love having wifi and bluetooth built-in and it works fine with our AT&T wifi at home and at a local coffee-shop. Battery life is amazing. I've easily watched two feature length movies without running out of battery, and I can easily go a few days of normal use without a recharge.

Is all good? Well, no... the case that comes with the iPaq is pretty much useless. You're going to have to spend more money on a decent case. I got a Krusell Multidapt case. The screen seems to scratch very easily but that's common among these devices and you need screen protectors anyway. The HP software is not the greatest and you're going to want to get some other software to do some things.

Overall, a very good PDA, albeit a bit pricey.

Excellent pda
Excellent pda. Love the wifi feature that allows me to sync with my mainframe computer and other digital devices. The large IPAQ memory is a plus and the camera comes in handy when you need to take pictures unexpectedly. It does not freeze up like my previous generation pocket pc. Absolutely love it.

amazing!!
This is an absolutely amazing pda!I love it.The processor (400mHz) is faster than half of my school computers.Taking and editing pictures on the go is a breeze!video capture is astounding.152 mb of memory!The wireless is better than my laptop!battery live is good enough for 3+ days of heavy use.landscape mode is great for viewing webpages.What more can I say?I am actually typing this on my pda right now!I love it!

I love this thing -- so what if the camera sucks
This toy is a blast. I love it, even at the outrageous $499 price tag. It's fast, bright and well-designed. I've had countless pocketPC's over the years and am quite pleased with the design, battery life, performance and form factor of this one. It goes with me everywhere. Just two complaints. First, the camera really is a joke, in that pictures are pretty low quality and it handles moderate lighting levels poorly. But, then, who really buys a PDA for a camera? It's nice having camera capabilities, even if they're not the best. Second, I've had just a wee bit of trouble with the wireless network streaming capabilities of the NevoMedia -- it doesn't work except for photos -- but I'm still happy with HP's hardware.

wonderful pocket pc
this pocket pc has it all, with plenty features and software. it has alot of things you need, and alot of things you dont, but we all use pda's for different reason, and its important to have something for everyone. i wish everyone would stop complaing about the camera, i mean what do you expect with a 1.2 camera. it is perfect for what it was designed for, quick snap shots! if you are looking for a do it all pocket pc, then this pda is for you. ... Read more

Product Description

integrated Wi-Fi (802.11b) and Bluetooth wireless network capability * iPAQ Mobile Media software for downloading or streaming content via your home network * 3.5" LCD with Portrait and Landscape viewing modes * universal A/V remote control capability (using included HP Nevo software) * warranty: 90 days * ... Read more

Features

• Control most home and office audio/video equipment with a single device
• 56 MB of user-accessible memory
• Integrated WLAN 802.11b, Bluetooth IrDA and USB
• Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition software
• Watch and listen to your favorite video and music on the go

Reviews (27)

Great and complete PDA for the price
After shopping for a PDA for a few weeks, I decided to trust Microsoft OS instead of Palm OS. This is my first PDA, so I can't tell everything about Palm vs HP. However, after a lot of reading and exploration I can tell you that this is a really great choice if your needs are met with the specifications (memory, wireless, programs, OS, etc.)

Even if you get 56 Mb of available memory (fills up quickly if you add programs, a lot on the web), it is a better investment to choose this PDA, and then buy a 1 Go SD memory card for less
than 80 $, rather than having the high performance PDA with 256 MB and 600 MHz processor that you're gonna pay a few extra 100s of $$$. The processor of the HP RX3115 has great performances. Loading of office applications is less than a second and you can easily play great games without lagging.

If you don't need the wireless feature, get the HP RZ1715. This product has about the same features than the 3115, exept for less memory (again, get a memory card), a bit slower processor (still veryu good), and no wireless/bluetooth connection. If you prefer going on the net everywhere you travel, this is a good feature and the connection is pretty good. It takes a few seconds for downloading a dozen of emails and you can connect on MSN messenger or surf on Internet explorer like on your personnal computer. This is one of the lowest priced PDA with bot bluetooth and wireless.

I personaly never use the media features like the universal remote control and media driving. However, it is a great innovation if you have modern electronic equipments at home.

If you listen MP3s, Media Player is really great and the sound quality is not less than usual. You can also store pictures. Viewing is not as good as on paper, but still details are great.

Voice recording at high quality setting is impressive. I even used it to record my personal music performances at home.

Quick buttons are preset for media applications, but you can set them for anything you want.

Batterie life is good, as long as you do not abuse of screen lighting intensity and wireless connection. For 8 hours, your daily use should be restrained to office applications like Outlook, calendar, contacts, Word, etc. Charging is really quick if the unit is turned off.

Overall, this is a really great purchase, both for media applications and organisation.

wonderful device !!!
Its just a wonderful device .... with great deal price !!

I'm a user for palm from more than 3 years ...

now I'm intering the pocket pc world with this great pocket pc !

it's my 1st pocket pc device and I love it !


If you are still thinking of a pocket pc device has wifi with low price go throgh this onoe !!!

Might have been good if it would turn on
I got my first HP iPAQ RX3115 as a gift and it lasted about 3-days at the most.It had this little qwirk about not wanting to turn on after being turned off.The battery was fully charged and I even had it plugged into external power and the little bugger still refused to wake up.Oh the little green and blue lights were glowing bright but the screen never seemed to wake up.I even tried a soft and hard restart, which did not work.I then exchanged it for another RX3115 in the hopes that this was a one-time occurance.Well I was wrong.I had the second unit for about 3-days when it to refused to wake up one day.Fortunatly I was able to get things working again with a hard restart.It then worked for about another 2 or 3-days when it again became comatose.I again tried the hard restart, but alas, it was not to be, and I pronounced it dead.I then returned it to the store for a full refund.I am now shopping around for another PDA, but this time keeping clear of the HP iPAQ's.

More of a Multi-Media handheld
WOW. This thing really has alot of great features. For the price you really will have a hard time beating it. Built In Wifi and Bluetooth. The Nevo software included is really cool. Use for PDA for a remote control.
Another really cool feature is the ability to stream MP3 files over your wireless network to your PDA. I have a Linksys wireless G network and everthing is working fine.
I actually bought it to get my more organized at work. The other multi-media things that it allows me to do is a bonus.
Right now there is a rebate that gets you a free 128 MB SD card.

Overall it has been a great PDA.

High hopes, but low on my list.
I saw the features in the rx3100 series iPaq and was really impressed so I bought it, but it was impossible to use!I was "trading up" from my Handspring Prism that had gotten me through the past three years.I was expecting the same reliability from a Windows CE pocket pc, but for the 25 days I was trying out this device, it required two soft and one hard resets from regular use, did not play a single piece of music, and did not connect to any of the numerous WiFi networks I am around.I even set up a wireless access point from my computer, but still nothing except a frozen Pocket PC.The preloaded applications and Windows CE environment caused some pretty poor performance and during the 25 days I was tring to "move in" to this Pocket PC, I kept going back to my trusty Palm OS handheld.I'm quite technically saavy and can figure out most of my devices, but even after reading both included manuals, websites, and help files, could not get any of the features advertised to work properly.Also, unless you want to USE all features, this device is useless as it requires full use for any functions to work properly, like always being around a WiFi connection and using music purchasing websites.

On the up-side, the display was beautiful and the remote control feature was very powerful and flexible.Out of the box it's a great little computer, and granted if I had about a year to troubleshoot it, upgrade the RAM, and change the OS, it's a good product, but for my money, I'm sticking to the Palm OS, it's a lot more reliable and delivers everything it promises.

-Jeremy ... Read more

Product Description

iSight Webcam v3 ... Read more

Features

• Autofocus from 2 inches to infinity
• Video conference easily over broadband Internet
• 640 x 480 resolution with 24-bit color at 30 frames per second
• Built-in noise-suppressing microphone
• Includes 3 stands and can be clipped to the top of an LCD display for a more accurate centered video image.

Reviews (4)

Also get the SightFlex
If you have an iSight, you might also be interested in the "SightFlex", which is a flexible mount for the iSight and allows you to position it pretty much anywhere you want.It's really nice.It costs $20, but Amazon doesn't sell it.Just do web search for "SightFlex", and you'll find plenty of sellers.

3 star camera, 5 star price
Fuzzy images and feedback.That's not what I expected with the iSight, but it's what I got.After months of holding off, researching and reading reviews, I finally purchased two iSights, the Cadillac of video cams."Like no other camera," the review says.As an avid Mac fan it pains me to say this, but I'd change that to "Like most other cameras."

When we took the iSights out of the box and installed them, my wife and I were very pleased with the ease of instillation.Plug and play.Simple.But there was noticeable microphone feedback on the sound.No problem, I thought--both iSights are in the same room.So the next day I took my powerbook and iSight to work.Same problem: An echoing feedback that you wouldn't expect from even a mediocre microphone. Also, we really had to speak up to be heard.

The other disappointment was with the picture quality.A little on the fuzzy side.Even when you reduce the viewing window, you never get a truly crisp image.Light helps image quality, but even under good lighting conditions the picture is grainy.

I am very pleased with the frame rate, which is snappy. It looks (and is) very real-time.I'm also happy with the size and weight of the iSight, as well as the carrying case that comes with it.And, of course, you can't beat free video conferencing, even if it's not everything you dreamed.

Note:The iSight comes WITH a mount for flat panel and laptop monitors.I've seen several review complaining that they had to buy the accessory kit to mount their iSight.Simply not true if you have a laptop of flat screen monitor.

Also untrue are any posting telling you that you need to purchase a $99 .Mac account to use the iSight.If you have OSX 10.3+ iChatAV is built in and ready to go.

simply outstanding
all in all, this is absolutely the best solution i've found for video chat, and i've tried a few web cameras over the years. with its 50mm f2.8 lens my new isight's low light performance is superb. one complaint i've had with webcams from other manufacturers is their contrast in low light situations falls off, and the image picks up a lot of noise. not so with this little gem. it's also light weight, compact, and incredibly simple to use. plug in a single firewire cable and you're done.

what about the built in audio quality? that's right -- no independent mic required! i often video conference for my job and i bought a coworker one of his own. somehow the isight is able to keep two independent streams of audio going (on both sides of the chat) while still suppressing "feedback" loops, or echoing that occurs if ambient sound bleeds across into an incoming stream. even overlapping dialog is handled well. sometimes i'll play music from itunes in the background as we work and my coworker hears it just fine, but my voice still punches through in perfect balance.

apple has done a brilliant job with this camera, on every count, especially given the price. 3 cheers!

check the picture
I just got my iSight today and guess what? I need to get the accessory kit to mount it on my flat panel display. If that requirement is in the above verbage I missed it, but the picture shows it happily on the top of the display. I'll add on to this once it's connected ( sitting under the display till UPS brings the accessory kit). ... Read more

Product Description

built-in 160GB hard drive for recording/playback (holds up to 200 hours) * TiVo Basic 3-day on-screen program guide * IEEE 1394 DV front-panel input for use with a digital camcorder * records to DVD-R & DVD-RW * plays DVD-Video, DVD-R & DVD-RW, CD, CD-R & CD-RW, MP3 and WMA CD-R & CD-RW, and picture CDs (JPEG) * ... Read more

Features

• Front-panel IEEE 1394/DV input provides a quick and easy connection with a compatible digital camcorder
• Measures 16.5 x 3.3 x 13 inches (W x H x D)
• DVD recorder/player with built-in 160 GB hard drive and free TiVo Basic service (pause, rewind, instant replay, 3-day advance recording)
• Up to 200 hours of audio/video storage on hard-disk drive (HDD); records to DVD-R or DVD-RW
• Component-video output for both DVD and TiVo content; DVD offers progressive-scan output for use with high-definition and HD-ready TVs

Reviews (8)

Various problems...
Just got my TX60 about 3 hours ago and am still in the initial setup phase.I have a Vonage phone and initial setup requires the use of a phoneline before setting up the USB wireless (which is what I intend on doing).So, having it dial successfully has been a real pain.I've read newsgroups on how to setup Tivo w/Vonage, but none seem to be working 100%.After attempting to complete the setup call about 15 times (2 - 3 minutes between attempts before getting an error), the download finally completed.My Motorolla Digital Cable Box has a serial interface, so I was attempting to use that.Unfortunately, the setup could not detect it so it suggested I switch to the IR controller.I BARELY lifted the TX60 to plug in the IR connection and it just shut off on me.Guess what....there goes my setup.Had to start from scratch.Now I'm still attempting to get a successful download to complete the setup.I'm on my 20th attempt.Sometimes it connects then fails while downloading, other times it says service is not answering.I hope if I ever do get the setup completed, this thing is awesome.What a waste of time!I've read other reviews from people saying that the power cable is touchy but I had no idea it would be that touchy!Don't ever attempt to move it if it's on.It also takes about 5 minutes to turn on after being shut off - I have Networked Servers that boot faster than that!

Beware - TIVO and HDTV don't mix!
While I am quite sure this unit is a great TIVO box, the problem is a TIVO issue. I had done a lot of research and was very surprised (and disappointed) this point never came out in any reviews. If you want to record HDTV - forget TIVO and these high priced (soon to be obsolete) DVRs. You may want to check into a non-TIVO recorder like Toshiba RD XS52, or a less expensive TIVO box to hold you a year or so until they catch up to HDTV. That is the decision I face this weekend.

I have a new Sony KDF- 42WE655 HDTV with cablecard and high definition cable channels. I was looking forward to recording them on my new TIVO to watch at my leisure. - wrong!

The cable company came out and installed the cable and cablecard on Wednesday, great High definition pictures. Thursday the Toshiba DVR box came. I thought is was odd there were no HiDef video outputs. Friday I started the TIVO setup. When I got to the part where it is supposed to find my channels, it only found about half of them - so I called TIVO support.

The TIVO rep explained two things:

1) TIVO does not work with cablecard. I still have to get one on those cable boxes, even though my TV doesn't need it! This adds another piece to my full system (and of course more wires) that I was trying to avoid by buying a TV that used cablecards.
2) TIVO cannot record High Definition channels. Period. What a disappointment!

Both of these things should be working next year (2006) sometime (???), but you will need a new DVR, not just a firmware upgrade. So, it is worth the money for this box that I will probably give away next year? Or do I send it back and go for one of the options noted above?

Excellent DVD Recorder and TiVo upgrade
I was an early adopter of TiVo about 5 years back and still have one of the original 30 hour units. I kept holding off buying a Series 2 as the capacity grew.

When I saw the Toshiba RS-TX60 with 160 GB capacity and DVD burning functionality, I figured that was the one for me, especially at Amazon's great price (made even better by a TiVo and Amazon rebate).

I've had the unit for a few days now and wanted to set down some impressions and correct a few FALSE impressions I believe have been written about the unit.

1) Firstly and most importantly, when burning a DVD YOU CAN CONTINUE TO USE THE UNIT FOR RECORDING AND PLAYING SHOWS. There was one review that seemed to indicate that you had to "time" your DVD burning when nothing else was going to be recorded. NOT TRUE. Just as you can watch one show while recording another, you can also (a) watch a show while (b) recording another show while (c) archiving another group of shows to DVD.

2) DVD burning is actually quite fast. I just burned 12 half hour shows for my daughter onto a single disk. These were recorded at low resolution. They were a bit pixelated but my daughter didn't care. She now has 12 shows she can watch in her bedroom on her computer's DVD player.

3) The only time you can't record Live TV is when you're capturing digital camera footage you've filmed to the hard disk. This makes sense, you're already using the HD recording capability - naturally you can't use the player to record any TV shows.

4) I'm not sure how useful the Toshiba RS-TX60 DVD recorder is for people wanting to put their own home movies onto DVD. Sure, it gets the job done, but I guess I prefer a more long-winded approach; I like to capture onto a computer, edit with Premiere, then export and burn to DVD for a more professional home movie. The RS-TX60 doesn't allow any editing, just a straight capture along the lines of recording to video tape without the ability to edit.

5) The 160 GB hard drive is a dream come true after having lived with a 30 hour unit. I'm trying to fill her up to see what it looks like with a full 200 hours maxed out.

Overall, initial reflection on this product is that it's a great upgrade for current TiVo owners. Switching my account to the new machine was painless. I decided to stick with the paid plus TiVo functionality rather than downgrade with the new machine to a Basic version.

Adam

I'm never leaving the couch!
I've had this machine for almost a month, and I'm hopelessly hooked!
I had the same problem with it telling me I had six days left of my free trial right out of the box, but they were very helpful when I called, so there's a plus for customer service. I also can't imagine living without some of the TiVo Plus options -- which is, of course, the purpose of the free trial...to suck me in!
The machine itself was incredibly easy to set up, and very simple to use. The setup manual didn't have any diagrams to do so, but I ran it through my stereo to get better sound, and it worked without a hitch. I encountered a couple glitches in programming the universal remote to work with both the TV and stereo, but those also work very well.
I, too, wish it would let me know how much space I have left before it starts randomly deleting programs to record others. This hasn't happened yet, but the threat that it might makes you stay on top of burning them to disk. Burning DVDs is a piece of cake, but it can't record anything while you're burning, so timing it between shows is key.
The only other feature on my Wish List would be that it would mark shows I've watched already. Otherwise, I'm very happy with this impulse purchase and would highly recommend it!

Nice recorder, but wish it had a couple of other features
Having used this unit for about 2 weeks, overall I'm very satisfied with it, and am glad I bought it.

Things I like:

1.The general concept of recording to hard disk.Pointing to the show I like on the TV guide and telling it to record, without going looking for tape, etc. is very convenient.
2.Screen-based programming is very easy to use.Much easier than your average old fashioned VHS recorder.Anybody can use it.
3.Ability to hit record button part way into a show, and if you have been watching it already, without channel changing, you can record retroactive to when you started watching the show.
4.Burning DVD's works well, and the DVD seems to be easily read on all other DVD players I've tried.

Things I wish it did differently or had difficulty with:

1.I wish it would display how much of the hard disk is in use.There is no way that I could find to tell how full it is.
2.The unit was supposed to come with a 45 day trial of Tivo Plus, the premium service for recommending what you might like, and that records all programs you like (even if times change).However, my unit counted down 6 days and cut me off.The person on technical support telephone said it would give me 6 days then an additional 45, but that didn't work.I've pretty much decided I can live just fine without the premium Tivo Plus service.
3.I have had trouble with it dialing in to update the basic guide service.Some days it works, and others not.I'm going to go to internet-based updating instead.(There are no local phone numbers for me in this area).
4.DVD's it creates have the Tivo logo and "look" to them (on the top menu of the burned DVD).Wish it had a more generic, plain look.(I'm using it to burn a lot of home videos on 8mm tapes to DVD's).

All in all, I recommend this unit, and I believe it will serve my needs very well. ... Read more

Product Description

Get the best of both worlds in one sleek package. This player not only plays DVDs and VHS cassettes but also plays WMAs, MP3s, JPEGs as well. Includes cool features like simultaneous DVD playback and VHS record so you convert all your DVDs to video. Model #TOS-SDV392. Limited 90 day labor warranty. One year parts warranty. ... Read more

Features

• Component, S-video, and composite outputs for video connection, plus coaxial and optical digital audio outputs
• MTS decoding, Dolby Digital and DTS outputs, and virtual surround sound
• Progressive-scan DVD player/4-head hi-fi VCR combo unit; 17 x 4 x 10 inches (W x H x D)
• Plays DVD-Video, DVD-R, video CD, audio CD, CD-R/RW, MP3, WMA, and JPEG formats
• 192 kHz/24-bit audio digital-to-analog converter delivers warm, rich sound

Reviews (42)

Pretty Good Product!
This is my first review, I realized that these reviews are extremely helpful when deciding to purchase a product blindly.

I bought this item several months ago, it has worked fantastically, although I did have some trouble with the VHS part of it, my suggestion would be to also buy a VHS head cleaner. I have not have any serious problems with it. That was my only disgruntle.

To this day it stills works fantastic and it will look wonderful on your shelf! It is a wonderful product! Its so good I purchased it as a gift!

Beware
I would strongly advise people not to buy this product. They are poorly made and the customer service is lousy. I'll be buying a different brand of electronics from now on.

Lines
I was very disappointed with the quality of this VCR/DVD player. When playing a DVD and VCR tape, it had LINES through it. If the tape/DVD had words, you could not read them. This included new VCR tapes taped from TV, and store bought tapes/DVDs.

The remote took some time to figure out how to tape TV shows.

But maybe it's just a lemon, I've order a replacement and hope this one is better.By the way, amazon.com return process was simple and fast.The unit was picked up on Wednesday and my new unit arrived on Thursday.

pretty disappointing
Gripe #1: Ridiculously bad user interface. Rather than come up with a big list, I think I can summarize the poor quality of the interface with a single point: when setting up a timer program, you can't use the number keys to type in *neither* the time *NOR* the channel. I have to press that stupid little up arrow/down arrow key over and over again to get to the desired minute *AND* the desired channel. Ooof what a pain. (Note: if you're smart and think ahead you can put the vcr on the channel you want to record on *before* you go into programming mode, but if you want to do 2 programs on very far apart channels....) In any case, what a lousy job of making it easy to use. This is just one of a bunch of little annoying useability problems.

Gripe #2: stuttering DVD playback. It's not the DVD's fault because it plays fine on other players. In fact, if you pause it for a moment, or rewind a little, it will play back the same part w/o stuttering, and then start stuttering again a few seconds later!

Gripe #2 was the last straw for me, I'm getting rid of it and getting a regular ol' dedicated DVD player.

One year later......
While watching a movie in the VCR I can see the bleedthrough
from the channel it happens to be on. Would never purchase
another toshiba product, ever... ... Read more

Product Description

Charge your iPod at home, on the road, or whenever your iPod is not connected to a computer with this convenient USB-based adapter. All you have to do to recharge is plug the adapter into a wall outlet and connect to your iPod. The iPod shuffle can connect directly to the USB Power Adapter or the optional iPod shuffle Dock. Also supports iPod mini, iPod photo and iPod with click wheel (all require the iPod Connector to USB cable). For world travel, convert the adapter with an optional World Travel Adapter Kit (sold separately). Imported. ... Read more

Features

• Connects directly to an iPod shuffle
• Convenient USB-based adapter to charge your iPod at home, on the road, or whenever your iPod is not connected to a computer
• Compatible with the iPod (with click wheel), iPod photo, iPod mini, and iPod shuffle
• Plugs into a wall outlet
• iPod mini, iPod photo, and iPod with click wheel also require the iPod Connector to USB cable

Reviews (2)

Great companion for your iPod Shuffle
This is an excellent way to recharge your Shuffle away from the computer in a hassle free manner. Just plug it into the wall and you are done, no wires. The plug also folds in for easy storage, just like any other Apple or Canon Elph charger.

Say you ran out charge in the gym or in a non-tech-savvy friend's house, just pull this out of your bag and ready to go in a few minutes!

It can also be used to charge any other device which has a USB recharging capability. I have tested in on Palmone's Zire PDA so far and it works great. I am already looking for a USB cable for my Sony Ericsson phone. A possible to solution to mutiple chargers on your next trip.

Maybe a little bit overpriced but it still is affordably priced. Nice addition to your iPod Shuffle!

Great Idea
Thisis a great thing for when you are traveling without your laptop. You can just plug it in at the nearest outlet, and charge your ipod (or whatever).
Great Idea ... Read more

Product Description

Command the skies with the king of flight simulator controls, the Flight Sim Yoke USB. This one of a kind yoke offers features that will allow you to fly with the realism you've come to expect from CH Products. The Flight Sim Yoke USB provides 5 axes of control including, pitch, roll, throttle lever, propeller lever, and mixture lever. It also features 20 button functions, including 2-way gear switch, 2-way flaps switch, 8-way hat switch, two 2-way rocker switches, and 4 push buttons. Pilots around the world applaud the comfortably placed prop, throttle and mixture levers. It's the closest thing you'll get to sitting in your own cockpit. ... Read more

Features

• Compatible with Windows 98, 2000, XP, Me, iMac, or Mac (with USB port)
• Designed for use with flight simulator games
• 5 axis of control including, pitch, roll, throttle lever, propeller lever, and mixture lever
• 20 button functions including, 2-way gear switch, 2-way flaps switch, 8-way hat switch, two 2-way rocker switches, and 4 push buttons
• 7 foot cable: easy setup

Reviews (13)

Great Training Tool
I recently bought the flight sim yoke and rudder pedals from CH Products. I was a bit hesitant because you really never know what you are gonna get online. However, the customer reviews tipped the scale and I decided to buy. The ship time was excellent and I received the items in a timely fashion. I use the yoke and pedals with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 and I LOVE IT! It was very frustrating flying with the keyboard buttons and not realistic flying with a fighter type joystick. The yoke and pedals simulate the flying conditions well and make the simulator very addicting. I am using this simulator to supplement my real flight training. Although not exact, it really helps reinforce previous lessons and allows me to fine tune my skills for free. I have noticed, as well as my instructor, my quick learning curve. GREAT PRODUCT!!! I Highly Recommend It!!!

Great but...
I really like this product. As a licensed pilot, this item gives a more realistic civilian PC flying experience then any joystick can. And for the price, it can't be beat. Sure, there are other yokes costing A LOT more, but unless you want to build a PC simulator you can log real time in, why bother?

My reason for 4 instead of 5 stars? The clamps are awful. They are designed only to fit really thick, flat desks. If your computer desk has a curved front, it's really difficult to get this to stay put.

The feel of the yoke is a little too plasticky. I would like to see slightly smaller yoke with a closer material feel to a real yoke.


This item is a MUST have for anyone who takes their civilian flight simulators ( Micrsoft flight sim, X-plane,Fly!) seriously. It's so much more enjoyable and realistic then using a joystick. Unless you have Airbus simulator add-ons!

The Best Yoke Ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was amazed how well this product worked! It's definaly is a part of the aviation family. So are all the other ch products. I love the throtle control. Before I bought this, I used a keyboard and believe me there's a really big differance!
The nice thing about this yoke, is that there really isn't confusion in remembering the buttons, and switches. The hardest thing to remember is which switch is the flaps and wich switch is the landing gear. The trick to remembering is that the landing gear is on the left because landing starts with L and so does left.
I hope you'll buy this yoke and some of the other ch products!!!

Good for the money
Good yoke for the price

I got this yoke a month ago and I love it.

It is the only simulator yoke that will simulate the realism of a an aircraft's yoke for this price. The functions of the three levers for mixture, throttle and prop. pitch are great to have and the two switches on the main body for the flaps and landing gear (if you configure them like that) are also really nice.

The negative points on this yoke are:
First, the really really really sensitive and hard to move trim wheel,
Second,the non smooth and full of friction yoke,
Third, the inability of the yoke to return to a single neutral position. It just stops wherever it wants.

Having said that, in order to get anything else with the features of this yoke would have cost you much much more.

I am currently flying a piper Cherokee and its counterpart piper warrior in the FS2004 simulator (in which the yoke intergrades seamlessly) and I find the whole thing really helpful.

Its not perfect but its really good for the money.
I have to say though that only a little extra effort from this company would have made this yoke much better.

Great Yoke
This Yoke is gr8. The clamps are very good, and the realism acquired in flight simulator with this thing is incredible. The price is very low, BUY IT ... Read more