Apple Reviews

Installed this card in minutes including all the software upgrades available on the Adaptec website. Instantly hooked up all the existing USB peripherals and all worked just fine.

Hooked up a USB 2.0 peripheral and experienced the high speed transfer rates.

Bottom line? Nice card from Adaptec, well worth a slight premium over cheaper models.

I recently purchased a 4 megapixel camera, and I found that it took much longer to download the larger picture files it produced than the pictures from my old 2.0 MP camera, (using a CF reader with USB 1.1). I was also getting more errors, like refusing to open a preview picture, and occassionally freezing the whole system. Since I do a lot of photo editing, I decided to upgrade to USB 2.0. I installed this card in a 866mhz P3 Dell w/512mb RAM, running Windows 98SE. Installation of the card and the software was simple, and it works flawlessly. Used with a new USB 2.0 card reader, the speed is unbelievable, even when uploading images to a website and downloading and editing photos at the same time, with no glitches or errors at all. I had purchased a similar card (Belkin F5U220) from a different vendor, but it caused numerous system crashes, and when I called Belkin tech support, I found the rep to be inept and surly. I highly recommend this Adaptec product, and Amazon's service was superb, as usual.

The card itself is nice and there's a lot of documentation and support available at the company, which is a switch from the generics that I normally buy. This card is replacing a generic which didn't function all too well and had no support.

The USB view software is amazing. I now can see a map of all of my legacy and 2.0 USB devices, including printers, drives, camera, MP3 players, etc.

One point on installation: I have Windows XP Pro. During Plug and Pray, it automatically installed NEC drivers, not the Adapatec drivers. This is likely Microsoft's fault. Download the latest drivers for the 3100LP card from the support website, they are dated Dec 2002. You will have to go to the Control Panel, to the device and update drivers. When it asks you, specify a location where you installed the new drivers to, and ensure you are installing drivers for this card.

I just got this for Xmas to replace my undersized Belkin 4 port hub and it looks great. It works fine for most of my peripherals but don't bother hooking up your Soundsticks to it. The music skips about once every 20-30 seconds. It also requires a powercord (adding to the already overflowing powerstrip) unlike the Belkin which will work w/ or w/o external power (in accordance with USB specs I may add). So, I have the soundsticks plugged in directly to my TiBook and then the hub in the other port to all of the other peripherals. I debated returning it but the blekins are not stackable and take up a greater horizontal footprint. Sometimes I just wish I could find one product that did what I needed...

I had an old USB 1.0 hub that was not activating some of my USB devices when I booted my system. I researched the available USB 2.0 hubs and selected the Adaptec XHub7. I am not sorry I did. It was a snap to set up on my Window XP Home Edition system. all I had to do was plug in the USB devices, provide power to it using the included power supply and every USB device connected with no hithches.

It also fits nicely on my crowded desk, and I have not any problems with it like the ones I had with my old USB 1.0 hub. I plan to purchase another one as my system expands.

Not much else to say... It connected as soon as it was pluged in, I've got all 7 ports full, and everything works every time (fast). It's the most attractive piece of hardware on my desk. Benchmarking software shows it to be as fast as advertised. I have no problem with plugging it into AC, as I'd rather not have a laptop power supply running my accesories. I'm buying more.

I've had this printer for about a year now and it has been amazing. I work on private placements frequently and sometimes need to be able to print 100+ page documents at all hours of the day and night. This printer can crank them out amazingly fast, with great print quality and duplex printing to save paper. (I formerly used an old laser Multi-function device that printed at about 25% the speed, with no color, duplex or network connectivity - uggh!)

While I do not use the printer for extensive photo printing or other home/entertainment purposes, the color printing is excellent for business purposes - reports, proposals, etc.

The internal print server did burn out about 6 months after I bought it. HP Service was great - sent me a new part ASAP and I was up and running right away - very much unlike some of the customer support experiences I have had with other consumer electronic device manufacturers (Philips/TiVo). (The issue manifested itself by the printer "disappearing" from my available printers, needing to be reinstalled from time-to-time. I finally figured out what was going on after calling HP support when it happened a couple of times. All is fine now.)

(...)This printer is FAST! I use this printer for printing customer proofs (I'm a part-time professional photographer), and the colors are more accurate than photo-quality ink-jet prints (although ink-jet prints are generally more pleasing to the eye).

Setup was easy!
Menu selections are very easy to understand.
Output was outstanding!

I purchased the IRISPen II with the intent to use it for my Master's thesis. So far I am very pleased with it.

It was very easy to install- I simply popped the CD in my Mac (running OS X), installed the software, and then plugged the pen into the USB port at the front of my monitor. Immediately, I scanned a line of text and automatically it was displayed on screen and imported into my clipboard. I could then copy that text into any application. I tried scanning faster and it wasn't as accurate as my first line, but there *is* a learning curve with it and it still beats typing the text in. Just pass it over text and it automatically turns on and scans- no button to press or keystroke required.

At first it appeared that the pen didn't scan more than one line, and that I had to paste the text into my documents, but as long as the IRISPen software is running, and your doument is active, each line you scan is automatically inserted after you lift the pen from the page. When you are in the IRISPen software itself, the pen will only scan one line at a time.
The Standard model is very nicely priced compared to the other pen scanners on the market (and offers more accuracy and ease of use, PLUS Mac compatibility). I'd give it 5 stars, but I haven't used it heavily enough to know if the accuracy will improve with use or if it works with all the apps I will want to use it with. But so far, no regrets.

First, a warning. As I type this, Amazon's description states that this "Recognizes text, numbers, handwritten numbers, bar codes, and dot matrix documents." That description applies to the EXECUTIVE version of this product, NOT the Standard. Standard's software is NOT designed to output bar codes, handwritten numbers, and dot matrix documents. A test of handwritten numbers just now shows that it will read a few neat handwritten numbers, but only about 30% of them. As for dot matrix, the manual states that this WILL read good quality 24-pin printouts, but not poor quality 12-pin printouts and worse. If you need that kind of capability, buy the Executive.

Do note that the hardware -- the physical scanner itself -- is EXACTLY the same in both the Standard and the Executive (so for more reviews you might check out the reviews of the Executive version too). Only the software differs. You have the option of upgrading to the Executive version later if you'd like, and the software is available for paid download at the IRIS site. The Executive version also includes translation capability and supports text to speech so that you can hear the words as you scan. I chose the Standard version for budget reasons, and I'm quite happy with it.

The error rate on this pen is excellent. For example, if I printed out this review and scanned it, I would probably find two or three minor errors. The cord is distracting, but I've solved that problem by hanging the cord on a hook attached to my desk so that it's in the air and out of the way. Scanning does take just a little getting used to, but once you get it down you can scan quickly and efficiently. It helps if the book is flat. I tried scanning while a book was in a book holder, and that was too hard. I had no problems with installation on a Dell 4400 desktop running Windows XP. XP informed me that the IRIS driver was not approved, but I installed it anyway and had no problems.

The software is fairly thorough, including such thoughtful features as end-of-line hyphen removal and the option to set your button to tabs, enters, or other keystrokes. It also has a spacing feature to help you get around problems when you scan, say, short newspaper columns and accidentally scan a little of the adjacent column. You can set the scanner to ignore sudden jumps in space, etc., which is nice. However, there are a few irritating limitations.

First, there appears to be no way to turn off the prompt asking you if you really want to shut down the software. I have shut down my computer at night several times only to wake up to find my computer still on, locked and waiting for my response to the question. There should be a way to disable this nag without using third-party automation software, which I installed just to get around this problem.

Second, there is no easy way to have the scanner insert two spaces between sentences instead of the usual one. There is probably a way to do this through the character conversion feature, but as many papers and manuscripts are supposed to be formatted with two spaces between sentences, it should be a built-in option. It's a pain to go and add those spaces. I have resorted to turning on my word processor's built-in function for the extra space, but that means loss of control over my document (which is why I turned that function off to begin with), and is something that should have been addressed in the software.

But these are minor points that only partly detract from five stars (I'd give it four and a half if I could). Overall I'm very satisfied. I use this 1) To collect quotes, and 2) To insert long passages into a working outline I maintain that covers a specific field. I wish I'd had this when I was a student. It would have made typing up block quotes and class outlines much easier.

I have been using the IRISpen for about a year and have been extremely satisfied. It is particularly useful for taking notes and reads standard text from books with few errors (and very quickly too). It can be set up for left or right-handed use and can be adjusted for text that is light or dark. I have the executive version, which I believe adds some additional features (recognizes handprinted numbers, bar codes, and dot matrix text and can adjust for different shades of paper). Drawbacks: Must remain attached to a computer (it inserts text into an open application as it scans), many errors on some text--light printing, unusual font, etc. Overall, an excellent product that I would highly recommend for researchers, students, etc. I use it nearly every day.

The biggest draw of this printer is the price, which becomes very attractive after a rebate from Lexmark. The print quality seemed to me to be pretty much standard for mid-range inkjets. Black text appears dark and crisp, and basic colors on the Better or Best settings are comparable to HP deskjet series printers. I haven't yet tried photos on photo paper, but on plain paper they are passable. The biggest drawback is the cost of cartridges from Lexmark, at $30+ for each (black and color). The color cartridge seems to drain pretty quickly, but the black one, if mostly text is printed out, lasted me over 600 pages, which is not bad. All in all, a very solid buy for this price.

This is my 3rd Lexmark printer. All lexmark printers that I have owned have been wonderful. They have never broken, I just replace to upgrade. This printer is excellent. Extremely nice print with good quality print....(just make sure the ink is dry before touching the paper tray!) Small photos look super (4x6). Great price, but ink is very high $$$$$$$. You might want to try buying refurbished cart. available on web sites.

I just got this printer today after having an HP for a few years. Set-up was a breeze! (I have win98) I was very impressed with this printer. I'm a college student so I could not afford the pricey printers, but I wanted to print picures. The pics come out awesome! It has a lot of great features, which I was surprised at. I love the on-screen ink indicator, which you can even customize!! The printer even talks to you(not much just says that printing is starting or complete-but still a cool option). Also, when you go into print-properties, an "I Want To" list comes up, click on what you want to print and it walks you through everything. It also has auto printer head alignment and a feature that eliminates paper jams. A GREAT PRINTER!!

the picture on this monitor is great. everything is crisp and easily readable including text. The monitor itself is very bright (750 nits!) and displays all colors wll with no problems that i can see. All the connectors in the back make this a must have for any pc home theatre enthusiast, as the monitor connects directly to vcr's and dvd players (analog and s-video ports). Viewing images on the widescreen is great, as pages that require a scrollbar can now be viewed all at once. Not to mention how much difference a widescreen monitor makes for dvd's.

My only gripes with the monitor are that it does not have a dvi port, it doesnt tilt very much (just a little up and down) and the max resolution is 1280x768. But if you can look past these faults then this is a great monitor, especially with the 200 dollar rebate being offered at the moment. I found mine at a store known for its best buys, for 799, with a mail in rebate for 200 bux. So the monitor ends up costing me 600 bux, which isnt too bad for a 17 inch, widescreen no less

I love the design. The remote which controls sound volume and the screen comes very handy. SONY's contrast ratio of 500 makes the best picture quality. Some other manufacturers may not be able to match it even with 800 ratio. I am able to use it for everything - as a computer monitor, TV, connect to VCR and DVD players, digital camcorder. Great for watching TV over the Internet. Also, after 5 months the store price only slightly increased which indicates to me that it's a quality product.

I bought this with the sole intention of using it as a display for playing XBOX and PS2 games on. I find myself using it more and more every day for also watching DVD movies on.

The display is super, and having it in 16x9 mode is even better. Then you throw in HDTV capability and it totally rocks. Granted, it does not do true 1080i, but it will display that resolution.

I do have a few complaints though - For some reason Sony decided to put the manual on a CD. What, they could not spend the 10 cents to print up a stinkin' manual? It would also be nice if this thing had more inputs on it. I can't be the only one with more than one component video device to hook up. Junk the composite I say and give us another component in.

My next step for this thing is to get a HDTV tuner and see what that will do.

Have used six ViewSonic monitors since I got into computing and the 17" E771 is a terrific monitor. Built-in speakers save desktop space. On-screen adjusments are very convenient and easy to use. Built-in microphone is yet another great feature. And the picture is sharp and crisp. ViewSonic got my vote for the seventh time.

... i bought this moniter, and i think it is nothing but amazing! im just in love with it... i had to decide between this moniter (an extremly good 17") or one of those "ok" 19" moniters, i couldnt be happier with my decision. ..., the colors are bright, vibrant, no distortion, high refresh rate, very sharp (both graphics and text) and it is totaly flat (thats probably why there is absolutly no distortion).. i do some web design, graphics, cad, and other stuff, and its all great (im beginning to feel that i sound repetetive, but theres a reason for that, this moniter is great:), one more thing, i play lotsa games, 3d shooters, strategies, u-name-it and it all looks perfect... u r probably asking why this moniter isnt in pc magazines editors choice, or pc world, etc..well the reason is probably because it is [costly], and magazines are looking for a "good value product" well, if u apreciate good graphics, you will think of this as a "good value prodcut" :)

to some it up in 4 words: T-H-I-S M-O-N-I-T-E-R I-S A M-O-S-T

The PF775 turned out to be a very good purchase for me. I was a little hesitant to spend the extra money for the Viewsonic but the picture quality is top notch and I didn't see any other brand on display that had as good of picture quality as this one. The .25 dot pitch gives a very sharp picture. I do some Photoshop work at home and the color representation is very, very good. This one is the best of the perfectly flat monitors, in my opinion.

In the old days I used to own an Apple Stylewriter II inkjet printer (which for you PC users was just a Canon inkjet with the name changed). It would print 360 dpi at about 2 pages a minute. As long as you weren't writing a novel, it was quick enought to get the job done--but for $350 you couldn't get color in 1993 so that's what I had. When I bought the Epson Stylus 700 Photo printer, with its 1440 dpi printing etc. etc. I kind of expected it to change the way I thought about inkjet printers. Unfortunately, it did nothing of the sort. For 95% of my printing needs, I leave the resolution on 360dpi anyway because if you increase it to 720 dpi it will only print about 1 page every two minutes (text). If you turn it up to 1440, you're going to be there all day. I've printed several 8 x 10 pictures, and the printer does a great job at rendering the colors and making it look a lot like a printed photograph. So really, the only advantages I gained was that I could now incorporate color into my graphs and tables, and I can print an occasional picture. But beware! Photo quality paper is very expensive. Moreoever, it only takes about 4 or 5 large pictures to exhaust your color ink! Also, I find that I replace my black ink cartridge about once every two months--with the average usage of a college student. That's $25 bucks apiece times two... and ink costs really start to add up. On the upside, the printer makes very few errors, and it will do very nice pictures--if you're willing to wait long enough.

can't go wrong with this printer. I am very please with the way this printer prints in color and black and white.

We print letter sheet brochures by the hundreds and order cards by the thousands for customer mailings..

We used the HP line and it's gearing tore up. We went to Cannon Multipass and the Ink feed quit after only 3 months. when you call Cannon customer service they tell you not to work it so hard and there's nothing they can do, and if you wore it out that you should go and buy another one. Furthermore, the cannon driver disks were corrupt and they refused to even replace them!!

The EPSON Stylus Pro Ran 20 reams of paper and 6,000 4x6 cards before the ink even started running out !!!

The Stylys Pro printer ran for 3 months through an entire holiday season before the ink quit!! We were wondering if it was going to last forever!!

This printer has run 20 times the paper of the HP and Cannon combined, and it still keeps on ticking flawlessly !!!

Epson MEANS Performance! EPSON is the Absolute Best piece of hardware in existance.!!

Perpetual Reliability...

NO other printer will ever even be considered!!

When you call their 800 number for information, they are pleasant and spend as MUCH time as possible and then send you SPECIFIC information on your interest and NO junk mail thereafter !!!

Keep up with the Epson Excellence !!!!

GIBBS & Co.

One year and 40,000 printed documents later this printer still works as well as it day it arrived. I use the 2500 as my network printer as well as producing full color documents, flyers, posters, etc. My particular printer broke down the second week of operation due to a design flaw in a cam which pumped the ink jets. HP was aware of the design flaw and replaced the part within 24hrs and I haven't had one problem since. I still have other printers within my network which include other HP and Epson ink jets and have really come to appreciate the larger ink jet cartridges. The 2500 (as well as all 2000 series) use much larger ink jet cartridges which actually cost less than smaller Epson and HP cartridges. I haven't done a study, but I would suspect I may have paid for this printer already in per page cost (even after replacing the print heads three times). If you are looking for a high speed ink jet that can handle heavy volumes of printing you can't go wrong with the HP 2500.

Excellent print quality and very good print speed. However, the PCL 3 driver that comes standard with the printer is slow and error prone. We added the PCL 5 driver card and 32 MB of memory to get good performance out of the machine. We also added the Post Script card - but unless you absolutely have to have Post Script don't bother as it is also slow. If the machine had come with the PCL 5 card and more memory it would have been 5-stars.

I bought this model in April 1999. Almost a year later, I am still VERY pleased with the performance. I publish a weekly color newsletter, and print it on the 2500C, over 600 pages printed a week. It is a virtual workhorse! Downtime has been almost non-existant (one service call in a year, with the repair completed the day after I called for service!) The printing is crisp, the color beautiful, the best you can get from an inkjet. Ink cartidges are not all-in-one, so you only replace the color you need. I would recommend the 2500C to anyone. Two bugs: 1. The bottom tray frequently mis-feeds on the first copy of a print job. You have to pull out the bottom paper tray, remove the mis-fed sheet, then replace the tray. After that, the remainder of the job will print trouble-free. 2. On occasion, something wacks out with the tray selection. You will select which tray you want to print from via the print screen, but the printer does not obey. Only way to fix this is to turn the printer off and then on again to re-initialize.

I use one of the older Kensington trackballs at work and absolutely love the thing. I felt confident in buying this one despite some of the reviews knocking the lighter trackball and its effect on the movement of the cursor. I'm writing this review just a few minutes after installing the new mouse, and I have to agree with the critics. The trackball is lighter, and although the up-down movement is good, the side-to-side is quite spotty. I'm going to work with the Turbo Mouse Pro and see if it loosens up a bit for me and the movement becomes more fluid.
Otherwise, it's pretty nice. The scroll wheel works well, the buttons are a nice feature, and it's even kind of cool looking. I really want to believe in this product, so I hope it improves as I "work it in". I'll get back to you later on this.
UPDATE: I've been using this product for a few weeks now, and the movement is not as smooth as I would have hoped. It moves up and down okay, but gets hung up on the side-to-side motion unless I press down pretty hard or wiggle the ball back and forth. I'll use it for awhile longer, but I don't think this is going to change. If you can deal with this quirk, this is a pretty good product. If not, consider this a "ZERO STARS" item and don't buy it.

I have been using Kensington Trackballs for over 15 years. Kensington steps up to the plate, they stand behind on their products. Customer Service is Outstanding. If the product does have a defect, they will replace it just by an email or phone call.

For first time users, my advise is to read the online manuals and just relax your when you place your hand upon the trackball. This is the best tool, besides your computer you will ever use! You won't need to be running your hand all over the desk lifting it up etc like the old mouse movements you were doing. The trackball stays in place. It practically does the work for you.

Enjoy the additional six buttons, they are great short cut tools as well. Your wrist will thank you for the change.
Have fun!

This is Kensington's old Turbomouse, updated for the Web era. I use it on my OS X Mac, and I'm pleased to report it works just as well as the three other Kensington trackballs I've used over the last 12 years. They never break - they just go obsolete when Apple changes their connector.

This one is fully USB for modern computers, and shares the same easy configuration and good software as its predecessors. The heavy ball with progressive speed control is so good and so easy to use, you'll wonder why the mouse was ever invented. And with a proper wristrest, this thing is the carpal tunnel savior - it's so kind on the wrists; you have barely to flick your fingers to do all your mousing. And if you're a gamer, especially Quake or Unreal, you'll love how this improves your aiming accuracy!

What's new? Well, this trackball has 4 easy-clicky buttons, and you can set what each does - all the same (single-click), or different. I have mine set to singleclick (lower left), control-click (lower-right), double-click (top left), and I don't use the top right one, because my fingers don't naturally fall there.

There's also a rubberized scroll wheel, which is cool mostly for reading text. It's positioned right to roll it with your middle finger.

There are 6 'web buttons' across the top - you can set 'em to load various URLs, open apps, or pretty much do whatever you like - but I don't use 'em. Don't need 'em.

The unit is fully ambidextrous and has great ergonomics. It is heavy and sits on non-skid feet, but it does need a flat surface to rest on. There is also a wireless version available - but why?? I don't see the point - it's not like you ever move your trackball anyway. It sits there, so you might as well plug it in and save on the RF transceiver, which I hear is prone to interference from microwave ovens anyway.

Replacement balls are available; I've seen red, blue, silver, grey, and transparent ones full of glitter or plastic fish. The unit is fairly easy to clean, but it was easier when you could take off the backplate screws and get inside. Junk just tends to build up on the ball's contact wheels and they need to be scraped every so often. And you won't want to use this trackball while you're eating pizza with your mouse hand - it'll become slippery and start skipping.

In short, this is the only mousing equipment I'd ever consider using - the Cadillac of trackballs - and I highly recommend you buy it right now!