Apple Reviews

Here's what you get in the box: *The PCI Xclaim VR 128 Card *A Purple Video Breakout Box (about 6x3x1") *Proprietary S-Video Cable (goes to Break Out Box, for power) *F DB15 --> M HD15 Adaptor (For Old Mac Displays)

This is an all around good card. I have this card installed in my G4/400 withy no problems. I have my second display hooked up to it, which I occationally watch TV on (through the Coax. Connector on the Break Out Box).

Video capture is perfect for very small video snippets (under 30sec), but if you try to capture an entire music video, for instance, the sound will get out of sync with the video. I have found no way to correct this. Might have something to do with the compression, but I've tried many different settings.

Unreal Tournament runs acceptably well. BUT, if you are buying this card so you can play 3D Shooters on your nice, big TV, think again. This card outputs Video in 3D in ONLY GRAYSCALE. Just imagine how hard it is trying to figure out who is on your team in Quake3Fortress or Unreal Tournament when you can't see red or blue! This doesn't happen on a normal CRT Monitor though.

This card only outputs Video in Composite/Component Video, no Coax. Output. But there is Coax. Input.

This Card works wonderfully outputting DVD Movies to a TV. All I have to do is Pop a DVD into my G4, Open ATI Displays, and select 'Mac2TV' (outputs the the contents of the card's display to the Video Out), then the desktop shows up on the TV, then I hit Play, full screen. Ohhh, Ahhhh. If your thinking about watching DVDs this way, definetly buy come Audio cables to connect your Computer to your Home Stereo. Radio Shack has everything you need. The Thicker the better. :)

A Good Card, but could use a driver update of some kind to fix the small issues. 4-5stars

I installed this card in my G3. Wow, when you add an Xclaim VR 128 to your computer, you get what you always wanted in a computer. A fully functioning system, 2D, 3D(for games), the ability to record what is playing on your Mac to a VCR or display on the monitor and TV at the same time and did I mention record video or still shots from your camcorder.

I am having an absolute blast with my kids. Buy this and you will too!

I think this controller is pretty good. The size and shape of it is pretty cool and its pretty versitile. Use it for some flite simulators and Croc 2.

Reliable, operates without drivers or programming in Windows and Mac OSes. Good ergonomics, not much else to say, because it just works.

First of all, I believe this product should be complemented with a good joystick, CH Fighterstick being the first choice. Of course, it can function alone, but I really can't think of any situation where one would need a throttle without a joystick.

The device is extremely light compared to similar units. The resistance, however, is slightly stronger, making some kind of fixing it to the table almost mandatory. Either that or you'll have to push it down every time you move it, so the friction does the stabilizing.

The motion is linear rather than arcing, which requires some time getting used to. I'm still not sure if this was a good decision.

There is a number of hat switches and buttons on the throttle and you'll probably never run out of them. Their placing, however, is not as good as with Cougar's throttle, for example. In my opinion, an ergonomic rework of the unit would be beneficial. In any case, if you need more buttons, programming options make further possibilities almost infinite.

There is also a microstick which is quite useful, but there are no dials. A minus, as modern flight sims make good use of dial controls.

Programming abilities are exceptional and belong to the very top. Complemented with CH Fighterstick, there is no other equipment to rival it.

As with other CH gear, the feel is somewhat toyish, but don't be fooled by it - this is a quality product and it will last very long time.

Verdict: Fine product to complement your CH gear. Reliable, with great programming abilities, but it could have been even better with dials, arcing motion and somewhat improved ergonomics.

This is an amazing product, it truly transforms your flight sim experience. I had been used to the simple [$$] joysticks with the throttle as a little nob on the side of the thing. This, as part of a HOTAS system (like another CH products jostick), is just worlds apart -- they give you about a bazillion 4-way hat switches, which I use to increment prop pitch, fuel mixtures, supercharger stages, flaps, &c, and three buttons on the front. They also have an interesting mini-joystick, which theoretically one could use as a mouse, although I haven't gotten that to work -- but it is useful for other sorts of analog-action motions, such as the rudder control.

The motion is smooth and stable, and it has a large enough base that it doesn't slip around when you're

This was my first major purchase online. I had done quite a bit of research on the scanners, reading reviews, and talking to people at the computer stores. Once I saw the image quality, and the speed that it delivers the images in, I was hooked and stopped my search. I was also pleasantly surprised at the lack of errors when scanning text for OCR. Look for this product online, you will be able to find it MUCH cheaper than you could in a retail store.The only problem I have with it is scanning light remains on while power is on. Everything else is PERFECT! Now I am very happy with the scanner and would have no problem recommending it to anyone.

I have other scanners that cost under $500, and they do not compare to the Epson Pefrection 636. It is quiet, fast, and provides high quality scanned images. I have invested a lot of money on the commercial scanning of pictures, slides and prints, and I cannot tell the difference between Epson's work and that of a commercial scanner. It is not only easy to use, it is fun. I recommend it over more expensive scanners.

This is the second scanner I have owned that uses a SCSI card. I have never used a USB-connected scanner, so I can't compare the two types. I wanted to get another scanner that uses a SCSI connection, because they are said to be faster. The scanner works well and is very fast. I am pleased with the unit but I personally do not like the Photo Adobe software (which comes with the scanner). I have used it previously, and just do not care for it. I wound up using MGI Photosuite III software primarily (purchased separately), which I prefer. Occasionally when saving images with Adobe, the file would read "corrupt" when retreived. Using MGI, I did not have that problem. The scanner is very fast. The SCSI card was easy to install, but I did have some difficulty loading the (software) driver. I believe that resulted from my previous scanner software. I could not completely uninstall the software from my old scanner, so I think that caused my problem. I had to use the Epson tech-help phone line, which was an excellent experience. You pay for the call, but they knew their stuff (was never on hold). The scanner arrived in just 2-days as ordered, using express shipping (you can track it the whole way). Overall, I am very pleased with the scanner. The scanner has one-button operation, but that can not be programmed to open any software you desire.

This is the third scanner I've had to purchase, and so far it's the best. Basically just plug and play, and the software is very easy to use. High resolution scans are true to color and crisp and it scans quickly. I am very pleased! And Amazon delivered it next day!

The Zip 250 is perhaps the most rational choice for anyone looking to bridge the gap between Macintosh and Windows based machines. In both the SCSI and USB forms, it invites portability. It's the ideal solution for anyone who creates anything but video on one platform for use on the other. (For cross-platform video editing, a Jaz drive is more appropriate.)

It's also great if you're living on a budget. Though your initial purchase is more expensive than buying a Zip 100, you'll spend far less on disks. Since 250mb disks are essentially the same price as 100mb ones, your overall storage costs will be cheaper in the long term.

Perhaps more importantly, you won't have to abandon your existing Zip library to upgrade. The product's much vaunted backwards compatibility with Zip 100s is real and mostly trouble free. The only glitch with it is that if you're trying to save large (over 15mb) files to a Zip 100, it will take substantially-even painfully--longer than if you were using a Zip 100 drive. For many people, this won't be a consideration. But if you have large multimedia files in your 100mb disk library, you might consider transferring them over to 250mb disks. To put it simply, I definitely wouldn't recommend either version of this product if you plan to use only 100mb disks. The real question, though, is whether you should get the SCSI or the USB version. Out of the box, the SCSI external is twice as fast as the USB, but less portable. To use the SCSI version, you've got to have SCSI cards installed in every machine on which you're going to use the drive. Virtually no computers, PC or Mac, come with pre-installed SCSI cards, so you'll immediately have to spend money to bring your computer(s) up to speed. And you'll have to deal with the fact that most unknown computers won't have a SCSI card.

Meanwhile, the entirely more portable USB version, though slower by default, can be brought up to the same speed as the SCSI. With the addition of a FireWire adaptor, there's no difference between the two drives. All Macs since the G3, and an increasing number of PCs come with FireWire built-in. And if you happen to encounter a computer without FireWire, you can easily remove the adaptor and go back to the default USB connection-which isn't exactly "slow", anyway.

With either form, you're going to have to spend some more money to get both top speeds *and* portability. If you don't plan to travel outside computers you already know have SCSI capability, it's probably cheaper to go with a SCSI Zip. But if you want the fastest, largest-capacity Zip drive that you can use on the highest percentage of computers, buy a USB Zip 250, and add on a FireWire adaptor.

We are family with 2 PC's and a laptop. I bought an 250 MB Iomega Zip drive a few weeks ago, and found that it is a great tool for file sharing between our new and not so new PC's. I was able to transfer several programs between our computers; creating extra hard drive space on the older model by moving some programs to the zip drive and the biggest plus is being able to use the zip drive as a 'slave' drive on one of the PC's. I also was able to transfer several mailing lists from one computer (that took me 8 HOURS to create and write!) without having to re-enter all the information. This product has saved me money in hard drive upgrades, as well as time that I would have had to spend typing over 400 mailing labels for our local VFW post. A great tool. Thanks! Ed Rhoden

I just got this product, and it seems better than I imagined. As far as I can tell, it is very strong and trustworthy, the only problem I can see, is that it works perfectly until everything is lost. I have no expirience in laptop theft, so I dont really know how much of a detterent this is. I got it to avoid impulse theft, so if I still have my laptop in five years this product has done its job.

If you're looking for a security cable to protect your laptop or flat-panel monitor from theft, look no further than the Microsaver!

Almost every piece of computer equipment these days are already equipped with the Kensington signature lock, so with the Microsaver (made by Kensington) there's no worry that you'll order a lock that won't fit or is just too flimsy and untrustworthy to use. Companies such as HP, Compaq, and Dell detail their equipement with Kensington lock slots. Even these corporate giants trust this lock.

I suggest the Microsaver Slim, because these days, laptops are so small that you don't want to end up with a lock that lifts your computer off the desk or have to cram a larger lock into a small travel bag.

Kensington also makes a ComboSaver, which uses the same technology and is equally reliable, except that a 5-digit combo lock can be cracked in a matter of minutes. The Microsaver comes with two keys (both are identical with ID engraved; one for a spare), with a sleek design that looks cool on your keychain, too. :-)

You can register your lock at Kensington's website, so that if you lose a key, you can report to them and they'll send you a new one to match your lock.

Lastly, the cable is sleek and very strong, and will easily support a laptop's full weight. The locking mechanism even has a rubber stopper on the end to avoid scratching your equipment.

This is a great gadget for laptop users. It keeps your computer safe if you have to leave it alone. Just be careful, because the alarm is not so sensitive.. If you move it very slow it won't start. But nice tool.. I recomend it.

This is a very good item and it works great you wont beleive how good it works. If you are looking for a cool gift to give anyone or a neat thing for yourself this is the way to go!!

The first USB mouse that I connected to my Mac was the MS Explorer. You've seen it, the one with the evil red eye on the bottom. It's a very smooth mouse with a great look. I couldn't get all of my software to communicate with the MS Explorer mouse so I bought the iSweet.

Installed the mouse and was Oh So Happy with the performance. Finally, a mouse with all the buttons I want, with a pretty good feel and response to boot! However, the next time I attempted to wake up my Mac from sleep mode it hung on a gray screen. After some fiddling, I determined that I had an extension conflict between the MS Explore extensions and the iSweet extensions. I did my best to wipe out all the extensions but it ended up taking me several hours to work out the problem.

Who's fault was it? iSweet or Microsoft? Well I talked to the people at iSweet and was less than satisfied with their "tech support". I didn't even bother calling MS since I wasn't using their product anymore and it never really worked.

To summarize this extremely long-winded review, the iSweet mouse is great. I really like it. My only beefs are that it had some conflicts and the iSweet Techies where no help. Also, it is a bit light--I like my mice to have a bit more substance to them. All in all, I'm satisfied with this mouse. But did you see the new mouse Apple put out? You know the one with the matching evil red eye on the bottom.

This is a very good 3-button scroll wheel USB mouse. It's the old-fashioned rubber ball kind, but seems to require less frequent cleaning. Its shape is the same as the MacAlly optical mouse. I have one of each and have to say this old-fashioned mouse is slightly more reliable. I sometimes get strange results with the optical mouse, which is picky about your mouse pad or surface. In contrast, this one works perfectly on foam pads, formica, or wood tabletops and you get the physical feedback that is absent in the optical variety.

The Mac version of iSweetnet works fine on my Windows PC with no special software (also on OS X). The default acceleration and speed seem familiar. My biggest annoyance with mice is that some cause me to grip them tightly while trying to stop the mouse from giving too much movement when a very small (1-pixel) move is needed. The iSweetnet works well out-of-the-box for both very fine and rapid movements.

I would like to say that with this pack so far I have not experienced any problems, but I have previously experienced problems with maxell products on their older CD-Rs. Maxell isn't the greatest brand, but they do their job and serve their purpose. personally, I wouldn't buy maxell for an important job, for fear that it might screw up on me or not burn correctly. for a simple job for a friend (such as copying a cd or copying a file to a disc), look no further. these are great for semi-permanent files. for more trustworthy stuff, look elsewhere though. TDK, Memorex, Fuji, and Imation are good brands for burning media.

I have a Sony CD recorder and the thing is finicky. I tried Sony and Memorex brands and both ended up as expensive, colorful coasters. I never had a problem with Maxell, the reproduced sound is excellent and each and every disc finalizes with no problem. Playback on other machines is never an issue. I won't use anything else and I buy my blanks at Sam's Club, 50 discs including the slim jewel cases for $18.00.