Apple Reviews

My school owns two of these and they have worked quite well. We run an NT network and have 2 labs with about 50 computers in each. The computers in the lab print to these, and because we run a network and the printer can two, every classroom and can print to the lab printers. The printer is very versatile with 2 or 3 automatic bays for paper and 2 manual entry paper bays for large papers or envelopes and such. It prints extremely fast, but takes about 5 minutes to warm up in the morning, or 2 minutes to warm up if it hasn't been used in a couple hours. It rarely has problems, and when it does it is usually the kids' fault. It has worked extremely well for our school and has had only a few minor problems.

I don't think that this device's desription does it justice. It works in the _wall_socket_ (120v AC) and in the _car_ and in the _airplane_. That's worth [$] over the price of a new laptop adapter in and of itself. On top of that, it can work with your PDA and cell phone ...extra).

I'd give it 5 stars...

If you'd still like proof that the average human mind doesn't think in any manner resembling a computer's processor chip (even those computers we love that help us "think different!"), attempt to comprehend the challenge in how a computer "reads" a sheet of paper.

You and I read an article in the newspaper, skip over to a eye-catching advertisement, pull out our wallets and exchange business cards, and all the time, we have learned to scan the item of interest, pick out those words that are important, discard the rest as unnecessary, and go about our busy lives.

But not a computer. A computer lives for those details. And those same details can mire a processor down.

Which in a way is why the Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software engine used by ReadIRIS Pro 9.0 is a delight to work with. The people behind the software have helped to link the scanned data into basic patterns and formats ever so much more useful to the daily lives of the user (me, in this case!)

I initially looked into this review by getting my hands on the Business Card Reader (BCR) device, in this version, roman number II, so that I might make my life easier by managing the growing pile of business cards that I collect, and have collected over the past decade, and expect to continue to collect well into the future.

There is something wonderful indeed about business cards, especially in how succinct the summary of a person's relevance. But I digress away from attempting to deal with this growing pile of cards.

Card files don't seem to work for me. But I have enjoyed manually inputting some of my more frequent contacts into Address Books (both Apple's version and Microsoft's Entourage version.) So it seemed an obvious step to begin to input the business cards using a Business Card Reader!

I will warn you -- skip the software that comes "standard" with the current Business Card Reader II. An upgrade is promised, but in the meantime, consider using another ReadIRIS product -- Pro 9.0 (in my case, I tried the corporate edition).

ReadIRIS Pro is a joy to work with. The install was smooth and easy. The software engine (with all files and reference information) installed in less than 80 megabytes. I thought that quite good, especially with how the software promised to handle so many different fonts and language styles.

I tested the software with both a Hewlett Packard scanner and the BCR device. Switching between the two was very quick. I can see how the OCR software could pay for itself due to some of the vast amount of reference materials still unconverted to digital format (the software outputs in text, rich-text, html and pdf formats). Keep in mind however to put aside some time to proof your new documents against the old. If you have a set of material which needs OCR review, one of ReadIRIS Pro 9.0's benefit's shines -- the work you do to input corrections into a dictionary format can help similar documents in basic recognition of font and language skill.

In order to get back to my original project of dealing with my card piles, I was able to get cards read into Entourage's address book in an average of 3 minutes per card. I'm not too quick at typing, but I might have entered them only slightly faster just by doing it all manually. But -- I haven't done this over time. And, I was sort of mesmerized by watching the scanner process my business card stack. That is the fast part. The other portion of the three minute average was spent looking over the scanned data (automatically exported from ReadIRIS Pro 9.0 into Entourage) and "proofing". I was very impressed by the quantity of correct data, even with "pretty" photograph enhanced business cards.

My business card organization project will be ongoing. But now I have a much better tool set.

I definitely recommend the Iris Business Card Reader, but I also recommend contacting the company to see when the enclosed version of software is upgraded, since I didn't benefit from the full corporate version of the software at the listed price.

The 64 MB irock is the coolest, cheapest mp3 player out there. The player itself has good sound qual. you cant beat it! I do suggest you get a better pair of headphones, though. It's software WORKS WITH WINDOWS XP!! There are no drivers to install. You can also use MusicMatch to put music on the player. I had 26 songs on mine, in 10 minutes! This mp3 player isnt for those people who want the song title to appear on the LCD screen...because it doesn't. It runs on 1 AAA battery and is the size of a floppy disk (well a bit smaller)...Mario

APC/Kryptonite has a real winner with the 8mm lock. What makes this lock stand head and shoulders above the rest is the separate locking barrel that allows you to snugly secure the lock mount in the micro security slot. I have found that while the slot itself is the same size, the tolerances of the wall thickness on each device varies. The QuickMount barrel ensures a snug, secure grasp in the security slot. The lock housing securely attaches to the QuickMount barrel, but also allows the cable to swivel such that the cable is not in your way.

Kensington invented the slot and lock, but APC/Kryptonite now owns the best lock design--bar none; that's my opinion.

it works but if know one is around someone could just take it.

I'm a mobile user and I appreciate the well organized form factor of a retractable firewire cable. I especially like that the cable is 6 pins to 6 pins firewire and also includes a 4 pin converter/adapter that can be slipped over one of the 6 pin end to make the cable 4 pins to 6 pins firewire. Currently, I use it to connect my notebook computer to an external firewire hard drive or my iPod.

Pro's:
- convenient, small, retractable form factor...clean, simple design...no more cable messes

- easy to use...pull out the cable to desired length and it clicks into place...press a button to retract the cable
- both 6 pin to 6 pin, or 4 pin to 6 pin firewire capable (with included 4 pin adapter)

Con's:
- 4 pin adapter is a loose piece and could be lost/misplaced---this is the only reason I give 4 stars, instead of 5 stars
- labeling is a little cheap looking (stickers)...but that's being nitpicky
- a little expensive if all you want is a firewire cable but don't need the retractability

Very easy to install. I had to download the updated drivers for XP, but once I did that it was recognized at once. It replaced a USB hub and a smart media drive and also let me connect my zip drive, printer and scanner to my laptop at once. When I need to take the notebook with me I can disconnect two cords and fly knowing that I can reconnect it as easily when I get back to the office. Now I can take digital pictures, view them from the integrated smart media drive, edit them and back the whole thing up to the flashmedia drive for storage.

Life is good.

I recently purchased one of these for a new system I built. I am very pleased with it: sharp, bright picture, and excellent control over the image size and shape. It powers up with no distortions compared to previous use. It came with a three year warrenty. It is large and heavy (as most 19" monitors are), but if you are looking for a CRT that is a good compromise between price and quality this one is a good choice.

Let me start off by telling you that if you want top of the line performance, this monitor is not for you. This monitor has good refresh rates, dot pitch, and resolution compared to most others at the price, but it's not the best.

What IS good about this monitor is the glass. Multi-layered, and manufactured with high regulations, with great dark, it will give you great color. If you go to your local electronics shop, you will notice that some have much better color than others. The glass quality is probrably what makes that distinction.

Also, as I stated before, though the performance is not the greatest, it IS better than most. After all, it's flat screen, which means better picture clarity, and better viewing at an angle. The .25 dotch pitch is better than the standard .27, so text is more crisp and pictures sharper. And, since the average desktop uses 1024x728 resolution, the 1280x1024 it offers is more than enough.

From another point of view, this monitor is very nice looking. It has a very sleek shape, instead of the boxy look of alot of monitors designed without fashion in mind. And the black color never hurts :)

Conclusion: If you are a home user, use your computer for internet, games, and watching movies, this is a good looking monitor with a low price tag and good performance. Do not get if you're a hardcore gamer running 3D intensive applications. Do not get for professional quality image editing/CAD.