Flashe Reviews

I ordered a SanDisk SDSDB-64R 64 MB Secure Digital Card for $[money]. I used it in my Magellan Meridian Platinum GPS. I use a Zio SD Card Reader to load up to 64 MB of maps and points of interest data from Magellan's newest street mapping software (as of 5-21-02) USA Streets & Destinations. The SD card works like a charm. On a recent trip I loaded maps (with street level detail) covering an area from Richmond, VA to Boston, MA. That filled the 64MB SD card. If you have a Magellan Meridian Model GPS you DO NOT need to pay Magellan's high price for SD memory. Buy SanDisk, save some money and HAVE FUN GPSing!

I love San Disk Products! Their smart media cards are the best. They are very reliable and I have never received a faulty card. You can use them over and over... I like the 64MB size, it's perfect to take on trips and holds a nice amount of pictures. The price has really dropped in the last six months. I just purchased my fourth card. If your looking for smart media, stick with the brands you know and trust.

I dropped my PDA and the MMC card popped out. Realized it was gone hours later, went back, found it. It had been run over by a truck or forklift, judging from the scratches. Popped it back in, it worked fine. I'd call that durable, wouldn't you?

I bought this card in early November, the first one quit working within a month, Netgear warrantied it, but now 3 and a half months later the new card is having the same problem. I expect it to quit working altogether soon. I know it is the card not my pda because I also have a CF GPS that has never given me a problem. I won't buy Netgear again when I replace this card.

I use this card on my Audiovox Maestro. It works fine and makes PDA really powerful and having a lot of fun. Potability and mobility, that is really PDA should do. But without internet connection, the functions of PDA are really limited.

Another great thing is it also works on laptops if you buy a PCMCIA to CompactFlash adapter (less than $10 anywhere). Netgear doesn't provide the driver of MA701 under Windows, but you can install MA401's driver for MA701. It works perfectly. If you have both laptop and pda, it will save a lot of money to buy another PC wireless card...

Problem I have met: sometimes it (used on PDA) takes long time (more than 1 min) to get connection while the signal is weak. However no such problem if used on my laptop.

Overall it is a good product and highly recommended.

I have to say that if you are out there for a compact flash wireless network card and have a Linux PDA such as Sharp Zaurus SL5x00 Personal Mobile Tool, then this card may just be what you are looking for. This battery hungry monster will work right out of the box without any need for additional software or drivers and what not. If all you care about is compatibility this card will eat-u your batteries in about 4 hours(fully charged brand new Sharp Zaurus). It makes me charge my Z every 4 hours or so. I usually charge my Z every couple of days or so. Not when on the network. So. MA701 does not use a Prism2 chipset and eats up the battery on my PDA if it was honey to mad Grisly Bear. My assumption is that this card is designed for a laptop user with more powerful batteries then PDA user is able to have but other then battery life while using this card I am very pleased with its performance and can't say that it's a bad product. So if you got extra batteries and need Linux compatibility on your Z this is the card that will allow you to have your Instant Messaging and all the Internet you can allow yourself to grasp with your mobile, or personal mobile pc.

Just another example of technology forcing us to upgrade. I have been uising SmartMedia for three years, love my Olympus Cameras and now we are going to have this forced down our throats?

Maybe PDA's and MP3's need this, but the camera format we had was just fine!

Do not succumb!

A new format is a good thing. If you dont like change then dont use it. There is no reason to complain. This is a fine way to store pictures, and there is nothing wrong with technological advancement. Good products live on (mostly) and bad ones go away.
The xD is smaller and faster, and has more potential in the long run. If a better one comes along, so be it. It seems to be reliable in terms of storing memory. Isnt that the most important thing?

The xD Card is super small and super cool. What I also like is the convenience of using the FujiFilm USB jump-drive available for $29 which allows you to use the card as a double for file storage, and is a great method of taking a fist full of pics to share with the family.

I'm definitely happy. Incidentally, I bought the FinePix S3000 camera which uses the xD card. There were consistent reviews about problems with indoor pictures with the camera in limited light. The flash does just fine indoors, and I was amazed with the battery life after so many flash shots.

The first time I used this card, it had card errors. 1 or 2 missing pictures. I reformatted it and kept using it without additional issues, but eventually it lost all my pictures on one shoot. I contacted Viking's 24/7 technical support, but they were closed, and I sent in the card for 24 hour replacement and received a replacement four business days later.

Though I am in the market for another 1 gigabyte card, and the Viking is presently the best price. I will not buy it.

I have CF cards from other manufacturer, including Viking.

Two things I noticed:

1)It used up the battery faster than other CF.

2)Response time to write is slower than others, so it is good for still pictures. I missed quite a few good picture moment for my 3 years old son as he played.

After upgrading from a 3.2 megapixel digital camera (canon S20) to the 4.0 megapixel (canon s400), it was time to eliminate the somewhat useless 16 MB, 32 MB, and 64 MB Compact Flash cards from my arsenal of digital photography gear.

I have kept 128 MB, 256 MB, and 512 MB compact flash cards, but have found the Viking 1 GB compact flash to write and read quickly (in part on canon's new image processing and buffering in the S400 powershot camera).

Although I debated using a multispeed USB enhanced "digital film" product, for the price this Viking CF card is the best value currently (12 June 2003) available given the rebate and free ground shipping at Amazon.com.

I would recommend this product to other digital photographers, especially with the latest 4 and 5 megapixel cameras.

Sony acts as if the ability to block MP3's is a virtue. Otherwise it functions like all of the other memory sticks out there.

The blue Memory Sticks by Sony or Lexar play MP3 files just dandy. I should know, I've owned a Clie the past 2 years and I have been enjoying MP3s on my 128 MB Memory Stick since I bought my Clie.

All you need to do is put the MP3s you want to listen to in the MSAudio folder on the memory stick. In fact, Sony's manual even gives instructions on how to do this! For the price of ONE Magic Gate Memory Sticks you can buy TWO blue Memory Sticks of equal size! Don't believe me, visit cliesource.com and ask all the Clie users there.

SONY has released MAGIC GATE for converting MP3 to ATRAC (especially designed by SONY for copy right control).
It stores up to 125 minutes with 132 bits recording on a 128mb MG memory card.
Everything went on fine until middle of 2003 when all CDs come with COPY RIGHT CONTROL. Then I have no more use for my MAGIC GATE MEMORY STICK. I think SONY should do something about this.
The only reason when MAGIC GATE MEMORY STICKS are more expensive than the blue ones is because SONY pays for the copy right.
Now, I don't know what will happen to all the NETWORK WALKMAN, or NETWORK MD WALKMAN. They won't be able to download from cds to their walkmans. What will happen to MG Memory Sticks?

This is a piece of junk.

The first time I inserted a smart media card, the card went all the way into the unit. To get it out, I had to call customer support who told me how to disassemble the unit so that I could extract it. Great start!

It does not consistently read CF cards.

Bottom line-stay away.

This was my first media reader/writer. Everything works fine with it and I was very happy with it for 6 months. Then I got another reader/writer (Compact flash only), which was free with purchase of a 64M card... both cost $$$. The new reader is made by PQI, P/N FPTS-C, which is a cheapie you can get for ~$$$ on internet). I tried it out and its speed blew away the Viking (~8-10 times faster). I tried the same CF card with the same data on it in both readers, and even tried the readers on another computer (both computers USB 1.0), but results the same. I also have a Smart Media card and its transfer is about same as CF on the Viking reader, maybe a little slower. Later I built an AMD 2100+ computer, Soyo Platinum Dragon motherboard, USB 2.0, with built-in CF/Smart Media reader. Again the built-in CF transfer rate is about the same as the cheapie reader on USB 1.0 (although USB 2.0 is faster, but the 12x card speed, =1.8M, doesn't surpass the USB 1.0 by enough to make much of a difference), but the Viking was just as slow on USB 2.0 as 1.0.
Luckily most of my media needs are CF, so I use the cheapie at work and the built-in at home. I have the Viking connected in case one of these days I run across need for on of the other formats. I only wish I hadn't bought it until now, now that they're 1/2 the price what I paid for it (50 vs 25).

This is a very cost-effective unit for reading multiple mediacard formats. I have used this unit in many computers and operating system and I found it very fast and portable.

I bought it to read my digital camera's MMC but right now I am using it to share documents, multimedia files (mp3 and videos) and to take this files from my office to my house (I have a 256Mb card).

The unit is plug and play and you don't even need the drivers with the newest operating systems. It creates 4 drive letters within your computer and you can use different memory slots at the same time. I moved files from a Compact Flash to the MMC slot once.

I've had problems with this unit with only one computer, it was a friend of mine who was using an old Windows version, but besides that, the memory reader has worked perfectly.

It was my first digital camera, and all I was looking for was something to snap pictures to send via email.

For that purpose, it's fine. Sort of. The images are consistently blurry and there isn't a lot of detail thanks to the low-resolution sensor.

I decided on a whim to buy a Kodak DX3700 3.1-megapixel camera, hoping to get higher-resolution images (I knew nothing about digicam technology last year...call it naivety). Okay, first of all the Kodak is definitely more expensive. Secondly, the Kodak's photos are light-years better than the Polaroid's. Period.

I have now shelved the low-resolution Polaroid and have used the Kodak exclusively.

If you're on a budget and don't mind inferior images, then the Polaroid is great. But if you plan on printing your pictures, then get at least a 3.0-megapixel digicam and ignore this Polaroid entirely.

If you use the program compatability wizard on the setup program on the CD the software for the camera will install and run fine in XP. I rated the camera low because mine too has the same issues with the lcd (mylar ribbon inside the camera loses contact) and I do agree that all serial port connected cameras are slow to transfer images(after all serial ports were only designed for analog modems anyway). My camera also has a single bad pixel in the center of the CMOS imager that is always black.

this was my first camera. Since then I have had the Polaroid PDZ2300 and HP Photosmart 435 (Check my reviews). I thought it was a good camera for the amount of pixels. But I was limited to wat I could do. I would defiently recommend at least a 1.3MP though. I found the software confusing too. I could only get 15 pictures though so that was a down. I have come along way since this camera, but this camera was a good beginner.

The Mag Instrument S3D016 Black Heavy Duty 3 D-Cell Flashlight was another of my past favorites that got a lot of use. Now a days, there is a lot going on with the technology of flashlights. LED, Lithium batteries, focus bezels, etc. The Maglight brand has fallen behind a bit technologically, but is still a great flashlight for minor emergencies NOT involving looking for criminals, terrorists or signalling for a chopper pick up. The Mag Instrument S3D016 Black Heavy Duty 3 D-Cell Flashlight is perfect for a tool box but a bit too big for a deep pocket. The product is very durable and they are proven reliable. Don't get me wrong. I've depended on Mag lites of all sizes for years. But head to head , the Surefire brands have quickly surpassed Mag lite in every important aspect of flashlights - usable light power, size, durability and weight. The Mag light brand just isn't keeping up with the new technology. And that's too bad for us who value product loyalty.
The Mag Instrument S3D016 Black Heavy Duty 3 D-Cell Flashlight is STILL a good value and I have several in the house and the vehicles. But they're being replaced by Surefires as they wear out.
John Row

I've bought some Mini-Mag's before, but even though Streamlight and Pelican were coming out with these new terrific lights, I realized that dealers were hard to find, and although Maglite is the older kid on the block, they are easy to find, and it's still a great light. I bought my second 3-D size at my local "Wally Mart" and went to work the next night (I do mobile security). I've owned a 3-D size before and always found it better than anything I've ever used, aside from a super Coleman 9-V lantern. Sometimes I end up in alleys, corridors, and even my favourite, fields that are growing new but under construction houses. Still, nothing makes me feel safer (super boof on the head if under aggresion by a hoodlum) and well prepared with it's great power, both in spot and flood modes.

Here comes the bad news. I almost forgot that my other light died from the same reason this one did. I have dropped both of them a few times (clumsy me), yet was reminded that these are shock resistant. Well, on a fateful day in an office building, with new batteries too, I accidently dropped my Mag and as it hit the 'carpeted' floor, it went off. I tried to turn it back on, but after a few tries and even changing the bulb just in case it was burnt out, I realized that my Mag had expired. Terrific. The other downfall is that if you drop it and it switches off while you're in the dark, good luck finding it if you're in the woods. That happened to me once, but I ALWAYS carry a backup Mini-Mag, so I found it later (it's black, and trying to find it in the woods with dark branches around isn't easy, so it's hard to find).

Take this as good advice: buy it if you are in the woods or on softer ground-two of mine died falling onto carpets. The other thing is to at least get the "silver" or "light blue" coloured versions. At least they're easier to find in moonlight. I just got the black since the black looks best. Ah, still. Hats off to Mag.

Come On!!! Many people have said that this brand is just ot heavy, and that you shouldn't by it because other brands are lighter. Well, unless ur a cop, these lights are great! Perfect for camping and blackouts, especailly the mini maglite. I would recommend the 3 Cell, its not to heavy, unlike the 4, 5 and even 6 cell ones. Also, remember to register yours at Maglite.com

I don't really use my memory stick for anything else than taking pictures with my sony DSC-V1. Maybe thats why I don't have any problems with mp3 and so on. Anyway, the memory stick works fine with me, and downloads pretty fast onto my computer. but there is quite a delay with the 3-burst setting since the memory stick takes about 6 seconds to load the pictures onto itself after the initial exposure. But I guess this is because I'm shooting with 5 megapixels.

My main problem is that in my school I have a memory stick adapter with a slot for sony memory sticks. it works with the purple sony memory sticks, but somehow it doesn't with mine. wierd huh? I tried it on two of the same adapters but to no different effect. I find this quite depressing in an age where technology is supposed to be getting better and more adaptable.

But otherwise, my memory stick is just fine.

To all you people out there who are looking at this review: My advice to you is to buy the purple sticks from sony, not the pro memory sticks from san disk. The choice is yours, and i hope you will make the right one.

cheers

The memory stick pro is just like its predecessor, the normal memory stick, a very small storage device for sony products. The 256MB one is in fact only 227MB because of MagicGate protection or something. Since most Sony products do not store data on anything other than memory sticks, the storage options are pretty narrow when buying a Sony product such as a digital camera. I think the price should go down a bit more and I think they should sell the sticks with an effective storage label (in other words when it can only store 227MB, advertise it as a 227MB stick). Other than those minor problems the stick works great, stores data and transfers quick and easy.

you people need to realize that this is a Memory Stick PRO, and not
just the ordinary kind. All memory stick pros won't work on your old cameras, so don't review this stick as bad just because you didn't notice that

Received the card in a reasonable amount of time. Put the card in the slot and it did not fit exactly like the HP 32MB digital card fit. In other words, the HP card has a "spring-like" feel to its insertion and extraction. The Viking card fit snugly in the camera and did not "spring". At first the camera did not recognize the card, then after taking it back out and re-inserting it, the camera did recognize the card. I was looking only for more memory space, so faster action on the camera is not of importance to me. This gives me 440 pictures at 1MB per picture with 2-stars compression. I am happy with the card at the price I paid (~$61.00 w/$15.00 rebate = $46.00).

Unlike other reviews on this product I found it to be a very good memory card. I use it in my Kodak LS443 digital camera and have yet to have a problem out of it. It saves my pictures quickly and has yet to lose anything. I think it's a good card with a good price.

Fantastic results in my Minolta Dimage G500! Speed, reliability, and the right price. Nary a problem from day one.