Apple Reviews

The wireless revolution has seriously altered the way I work. It didn't seem like it was that big of a deal, to be able to work anywhere in the house on a laptop. And then I was home over Thanksgiving and tried my father's - it was incredible. So, soon after I had my own and I love it - I even ended up getting another one for my wife's laptop.

Whether it's browsing amazon.com late at night in bed, checking morning email in the kitchen while the kids run around, or being able to set up a writing desk anywhere in the house without worrying about an accessible internet port - the airport system is awesome. Even if you only have a desktop computer it's worth it - you can to put the computer in a place where there's no internet plug, without the 40 foot cord draping your wall to connect it. All in all, a wireless system may seem extravagant, but once you have one you'll wonder how you got by without it.

The airport card, along with the base station, allows you to connect several computers, even ones that don't have wireless cards in them (i.e., we have two laptops on the wireless system, and then one iMac that doesn't have an airport card is plugged directly into the base station). You can print, scan - anything - wirelessly, as long as those extra components are connected to the base station.

If you have a big house and the base station won't be centrally located, you may want to look into the antenna. I have a 2500 square foot house and the base station is at one end of it. I can get access from anywhere in the house without the extra antenna, though in one or two places it's a weak signal. My father's house, on the other hand, is over 5000 square feet and the base station is at a far end - you can't even get a signal on the other side of the house. However, he purchased the antenna and the signal is now very strong wherever you are. A warning - you should make sure your airport network is password protected, especially if you get the antenna. The signal will be broadcast through half your neighborhood and if not protected, people can get on and use your airtime, clogging up your bandwidth.

Make sure you get the right card! There's the airport extreme card and the regular airport card (I believe they are both compatible with either base station). Check Apple's website for direct compatibility between your computer and the two different cards. They are different sizes and will only fit in the right kind of slot.

One final word - I've heard from others that certain products from Net Gear or other wireless manufacturers accomplish the same thing as the airport card and base station for much cheaper. I can't attest to the validity of this, but it might be worth looking into. I'd exercise extreme caution, since if you go with Apple products it will be covered with tech support, even if it's more expensive. And putting third party hardware in your computer will likely void the warranty on your computer.

Recommend and rating, hard to say. My intent is to make sure that people don't make the same stupid mistake that I did! An Apple iBook G4 can only accept an "airport extreme" card. I suspect that most of the latest generation ibooks, powerbooks, and powerpcs and etc can only take the extreme card.

Do your homework beforing buying the M7600LL card.

Just to clear things up a bit further on the adapter business. When Apple started selling Airport-capable systems and cards, the cards could be used with the CRT iMac or an iBook or Powerbook. Rather than build a special slot in the iMac that you could slide the card into, the card came with a little wraparound bit that had a socket on it which plugged into the iMac. If you were going to use the card in an iBook or Powerbook, you didn't need the adaptor, the card slides into a slot. I guess after awhile they decided to including the adapter was a bit wasteful if a large segment of the buyers weren't going to use it, so they made it an optional extra. The fact that their newer systems didn't need the adapter, and that sales of the CRT iMac were slowing down probably had something to do with it as well.

I've bought 3 Airport cards myself for various systems, and have been very impressed with the ease of use and reliability of the product.

I really enjoy having this controller attached to my OS X iMac - the blue glow is very cool, and everyone who sees it says "Wow, what's that for?".

However, it's not as useful as I hoped it would be. I like to use iMovie and Final Cut Pro a lot, and hoped that the Powermate would work as a jog-shuttle contoller for quickly selecting frames and edit points. Well, the Powermate control software does allow mapping of keys to the left/right movement of the Powermate, but it's not quite enough to make it super useful. You can't set edit points for example, and the frame advance and rewind isn't very fast or easy to use.

Yes, it does make a great volume control for iTunes. BUT the nature of the Powermate is that it controls either the entire system or a specific application depending on how you have set it up, so it's possible to get confused and start scrolling through a webpage rather than adjusting the volume as expected. And don't forget that iTunes and the computer as a whole have separate volume settings - which one are you adjusting?

After a month or so of use, I find I use the Powermate to do these things:

1. Wake up my iMac when it's in Sleep mode
2. Impress friends with it's pulsing blue glow.
3. Er, that's about it.

It's still cool, but if you want a shuttle controller for video work, buy a dedicated shuttle controller, not the Powermate. If you enjoy having a lump of machined metal that glows on your desk (like I do) the Powermate is still worth getting.

Note: the driver software for the Mac was recently updated to version 1.5, which addresses some issues I listed above. For example, it's possible to make the Powermate ONLY work as a volume control, and avoid some confusing behavior.

I have a Wacom Tablet and just bought a powermate w/ the last drivers.It worked perfect with windows xp until i restart my computer.the powermate didn't work and i have to unplug and replug wacom to make powermate work.
Need a solution!

So many people are probably baffled by this device. They think it is just a knob that does nothing but look cool, but these people are WRONG. You can do so much with this device. It has per-application settings, so you can have one setting for iMovie and another setting for the Finder, etc... You can have this device alter your sound volume, scrub through movies, perform commands. For example, you navigate through your iTunes library. The software is so open-ended, you can have a click simulate a key combo. The software even distinguishes between click and "long click."

I recently purchased a network in a box kit. On the box it states it works with DSL and cable. I started out with a ME machine connecting to a 98 machine, after installation all worked fine. I upgraded the ME machine to win2000 and I now am having trouble configuring the 98 machines internet access, printer sharing works fine. I am sharing DSL internet access thru the 2000 machine. I have called tech support a couple of times but I always get a different answer, the last guy told me to buy a router without even asking what my configuration was. If he would have explained the reasoning for this he might have sold me. I had one guy tell me he didn't have time to help me configure this and he hung up on me. I am not happy with the customer service so far.... Maybe tech support should spend as much time with me as I do on hold and getting thru the phone system. If I have to buy a router I will, but I am not sure I would buy a product from them again.

I cringed when reading the review from the guy who bought this, then went through the painful process of setting up Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) in Windows just to connect a second computer to his cable modem. There is A BETTER WAY, people! Instead of this, get yourself a Linksys BEFSR41 4-Port Etherfast Cable/DSL Router. It has ports for up to four computers to plug in and go, plus you don't have to mess with ICS; it handles the connection sharing on its own, independent of the types of computers you plug into it (Windows-based PCs, Macs, Linux boxes, whatever). Additionally, a router such as this also contains a hardware firewall to keep hackers out. You may think that firewalls are only for corporate networks, but consider this: any computer connected to the Internet full-time--as with a cable modem or DSL line--is terribly vulnerable to getting hacked! If you want to share your cable modem or DSL line between two or more computes, do yourself a favor and get one of these Linksys routers. You may also need an Ethernet card (also called a Network Interface Card), but they can be had for under $30. THIS IS THE WAY!

The Linksys FENSK05 Network In a Box is easy to install. It worked immediately after reboot. Documentation was not clear when installing the driver from the floppy. You need to browse to the correct directory for the operating system being used. I specifically wanted share my cable modem connection. Configuring Internet Connection Sharing was somewhat of a problem since I had never done it, but it works great. Well worth the price.

I hade this printer for 4 years now. The first time my parents got it was working good for 3 Months. Then the paper started to get jammed and both color, black, and white ink cost my parents almost $50.00. This is the worst printer I have ever had Im thinking of getting a laser printer now or something other printer that will last longer.

This printer has fantastic output and is as fast as Epson rates it. I've purchased two 760's and one 860. They are quiet and start up quite fast compared to earlier Epson Models. I've had to re-install the driver at least once on each of the three computers to which they are hooked up due to some printer spooler hanging problems. The driver does not seem to be mature yet. This printer will NOT recognize Esc /P2 codes, DEC codes or HEX codes for print control when printing from DOS or using DOS to print via the Windows Print Spooler. Epson admits this, but there is no mention in the Epson specs or documentation about this, so beware if you use DOS to print other than std 10cpi font!

This printer is relatively quiet, and has very good image quality. For reports or personal use it's very good. It does guzzle ink a little, but the image quality is superior to other printers I've seen for the same price. I've printed scanned photos and completely synthetic pictures with no complaints about quality, and I'm glad that I bought it.

If your thinking about buying a ViewSonic, THINK TWICE!
And when you droul over the wonderful quality of what is before
you, and the screen goes blank (during a dead line) remember how much it is going to cost you when you have to ship it back to Calafornia. and when you get your replacement don't be so sure
that it is any better, (or the replacement after it!) And if you think that's alright viewsonic would never send me a defective monitor, I have a wonderful warranty and that's all I need, THINK TWICE!

The speakers and USB ports don't work in Digital mode, but if you attach both digital and analog cables and the analog signal is live, then you can select the digital input and the analog signal will keep the base unit powered up which will allow the USB ports and speakers to work. However, the analog signal must be up.

If you have defective pixels viewsonic will say that they will replace it if the panel has 6 bad pixels, or 18 bad subpixels. Buyer beware.

The Hercules Geforce DDR/DVI or the GTS may ruin this display...

Simply awesome. The ViewSonic VP181 has turned my long hours spent at the computer into a pleasure. This monitor offers more saturated colors than many other LCDs I have tried and has one of the best contrast ratios of LCDs in this class. A feature I am especially fond of is the ability to easily switch between landscape and portrait modes when working with graphics or extensive business applications. Furthermore, because of the built in speakers, I was able to free-up additional space on my desk. On games, I found the video to be smooth, quick and just as rich as when I am running simple business applications. This unit is attractively priced for the features it delivers.

I've never found Zip drives to be very speedy, despite the name, but this particular drive is quite slow and quite loud.

However, in its defense, it is extremely reliable even though I've dropped it and knocked it over several times. It doesn't take up much space on my desk. It is so lightweight and flat that I can throw it in the pocket of my laptop case and take it anywhere.

The Zip disk has been a good solution for me in terms of sharing files between my desktop and laptop, and this drive is an adequate, reliable, affordable way to do that.

The price is right and it owrk.s what else is there to say?

a very useful thing to have, it works beautifully and was very easy to install, a must have it you are intending to format your computer and have to move all your precious files to disk!

I'm quite picky when it comes to buying elections (especially computer components). I did a lot of research and it kept leading back to this monitor. Perfectly flat screen, .25mm dot pitch across the entire screen, fast refresh rates at high resolutions, not to mention it's a shadow mask monitor so none of those pesky lines at the top and bottom of the screen that apperture grille monitors have. I upgraded from a generic 17" monitor I had been using for about 5 years so purchasing this monitor made a huge difference in games (very immersive). After seeing and using the monitor, I would easily recommend it to anyone. It's Sony-level performance without the Sony price. ...!

Huge in size-but incredible performance.Easy to set up-clarity,brightness,color,high refresh rates & high resolutions-with right graphics cards untouchable yet-inexpensive 4 size &quality of display.None of problems apperture grill monitors have -no lines & uniformity of picture.Have 2 Viewsonic P815-4 monitors about 4+ years also 21" monitors-still work great dispite almost constant use 24/7 never had a problem+ they have topnotch support 4 CRT's -all fudge on flat panels&pixel problems.In Short 20" flat panel or trinitron Crt cost more {LCD over 2x}-&will not perform as well despite hype.This monitor is a bargain-blows away my older 21's at less than 1/3 the price.Amazed that no one has posted a review!! Bought 2-For less then price of 1 LCD. P.S. Also LOOK GREAT in BLACK!!

First I bought a Samsung 1100DF (21") it had nice specs .20 mm dot pitch, but the picture was not acceptable: it was dark and blurry, so I returned it back to Amazon.
Next, (figuring that I need to spend more to get an acceptable 21" CRT) I got a NEC-Mitsubishi MultiSync FP2141SB-BK 22", this one had those annoying AG lines and the picture was distorted. It also had a poor focus in the corners and a useless "superbright" mode which just dulls and blurs the picture IMHO. Supposedly this is one of the best AG monitors out there.
Then I thought: seems like I have to cash out for an LCD since I cannot find an acceptable 21" CRT. Well, in order to get one of these with the same viewable (20"), you have to spend at least 900 'rubles'. So I decided to give the G220f a chance. Well, let me tell you I am finished buying. This is as good as it needs to be. It's sharp, clear, and bright enough, and NO AG lines (being it's not an AG monitor of course)
Right now I have it running at 1600x1200@ 85 Hz. And I am happy with the picture. Had to do some geometric adjustments first to straighten the corners, but that's OK.

If you read one of the reviews below, a user complains that his is grainy. Well perhaps it's grainy if the he has it set at 800x600, in that case he should have bough a 14" or a 13" dumb terminal screen with that cool green text, nice and sharp at his preferred resolution. It would be ridiculous to buy this size display and then low ball the resolution.

Anyway, until LCD's are as fast as CRT's and have comparable price tags, I recommend this thing to anyone looking for a large display. Be you an editor, a gamer, a grapher or a lamer, you cannot go wrong here.

One thing I would change is the fact that the monitor cable is hard wired to the monitor. However, in the unlikely event that any part of the cable goes, I will have no inhibition of popping out the guts and re-soldering (but that's just me).

Just a week ago I read a polarized reviews of this monitor asking myself which opinion to believe. At the end I was stupid enough to make a decision based on the professional look and average high marks. It was a mistake. The screen is realy bad.

I used to order computer hardware for the company I worked in and saw lots of good and bad CRTs. This one looks like a cheep "Business" series of other brands. Terrible moire on the left curable only by 100% h-moire correction, which on the other hand makes it a bit blurry. It looks like you can actualy see the crt mask. Every line is comletely separate. Every black dot has a colored side shades.

Don't beleave your eyes. This screen looks very professional but it's not.

I purchased this monitor in December 2002, and by December 2003 the picture had turned green. Since that time the color has been on and off. Prior to this failure the color has always been beautiful, but I had hoped it would last longer than a year. I have been working with NEC to get a replacement, but in the end I will have to pay to ship the old monitor back, and they will only give me a refurb to replace my failed monitor. Not sure what to recommend instead.

I was shopping around for a 19'' monitor to replace my Dell flatscreen 17''. I stopped by in BestBuy and CircuitCity a couple of times just to check out what I should expect from a 19'' monitor, in terms of size and picture quality. And then, I read some of the reviews in amazon.com for this monitor, before finally decided to order one from amazon.

What can I say, this monitor is first rate. Color is accurate. Contrast and brightness quality is excellent. The black color suits my Dell PC and keyboard perfectly.

If you are shopping around for a 19'' CRT monitor, get this one. You won't regret your decision.

the vx2000 is clearer and brighter than my 21'' viewsonic CRT at work. my 1600x1200 linux desktop is easily visible, even in bright daylight. my laptop lcd pales by comparison, as do most CRTs.

this monitor weighs less than all of the other 20'' lcd's, but is well balanced and does not dislodge easily. the base lifts the image about 6'' above the desk surface (think about that if you like to stack your monitor on top of your desktop computer case).

to connect your vga, dvi, 1/8" mic, and 1/8" audio cables, the back cover of the vx2000 must be pried off. the back cover is pathetically cheap for such an otherwise high-end product, -- there's not even a diagram in the printed or electronic user's guide showing how to remove the delicate plastic pieces. be careful.

the speakers and microphone work as advertised, but i'm frequently muting the monitor speakers (convenient dedicated button for this) and putting on a headset to get better sound.

if you use x-windows to zoom resolutions, you'll want to stick to viewsonic's advertised resolutions for the vx2000. even at the supported dimensions, the monitor takes a lengthy pause to 'autoadjust' at each change of resolution (at least with the analog video card i am presently using).

one more thing worth noting is that loud, high-pitched chirp from the vx2000 monitor's on-screen controls can be silenced via the setup menu -> touch tone option.

Hello again i have now swapped my VX2000 for a VP201S and the following can be said.

VX2000 have a better image quality.
VP201S is alot better in fast paced games for example
Return to castle wolfenstien and Painkiller because its a 16 ms screen compared VX2000's 25 ms.

If you dont play games get the VX2000 its cheaper and better image quality. Also if you only play slow paced games like strategy games this is probobly ok. Movies if youre going to watch movies i still suggest the VX2000 its really good with Movies. However if your an avid gamer who plays all type of games alot then i have to suggest the VP201s or b since its better suited for that task.

Hope you find this info useful.

Since I got this monitor home and hooked it up to my GeForce4 with DVI input and set the "reccommended" display setting to 1600X1200. I was absolutely blown away by the graphics quality of this monitor. I have played games, DVD movies and online videos. All, are superb. Are you a game nut? This is the LCD monitor for you. I just played my purchased copy of "Call of Duty". AMAZING game but most of all, AMAZING monitor. The colors were rich, clear and precise. No fading or distortion af any kind. I bought this monitor on eBay for a much better price. But, it's well worth forking over the list price that you see for sale online. What a monitor!!! I've been looking at LCD's for quite some time now. I finally found one that blew me away. Go buy one...it's worth it!!!

The scanner is a great piece of hardware, but the included software, TwainScan L, is very limited. The user can't easily adjust scan resolution or control brightness or contrast. Default settings are quite dark and must be adjusted with software after scanning.

I read a few reviews about this product before I bought it. Most of the reviews were positive and this scanner has won best in class with various magazines.

I have to say I was not disappointed in any way. Sure, it's not the world's most attractive scanner, in fact it's on the ugly side of unattractive, however it does what it's supposed to. It scans at an incredible quality, and does it fast. I have yet to see a better scanner on the market for under $100.

I would recommend this scanner to anyone, unless you have money to burn and want to spend 2-3 times more money; this scanner represents exceptional value and quality.

My only reservation is that the accompanying software is not brilliant.

Having owned and installed many scanners, I wanted a new simple scanner for my private office. The Epson 610 installed instantly with the included usb cable, and I was scanning within 5 minutes. It's fast, and the bundled twain driver works well. Even the basic OCR software works well for basic word processing - but you might want to install a high-end OCR software like Textbridge Pro for more options. Color photos scan well, but you get far better color if you don't choose the 'quick scan' option.