Apple Reviews

I use it to switch keyboard/video/mouse between two systems, but it's pretty flaky. Sometimes you have to hit the button several times to get it to switch, and since it takes several seconds for the switch to take effect, you have to click ... move the mouse around and wait to see if it worked ... click ... move the mouse around and wait to see if it worked ... etc. Annoying. It works okay except for that, but it's also on the expensive side. There's got to be something better out there.

Good: comes with all the cables you need to setup a switch for two systems to share a monitor, USB keyboard and USB mouse. Reasonably priced. Small size. Supposedly has hot switch capability.
Bad: Recognized desktop, but wouldn't recognize laptop and wouldn't switch between systems. Basically my primary system would work as long as it was the first and only system I used. As soon as I hit the switch it was time to shut down and reboot both systems. I'm a well-above average user and I tried everything I could think of to make it work, read the directions from the start, booted up separately to allow initialization, checked the knowledge base website. After several frustrating hours I returned it.

I bought this KVM a few weeks ago after scouring the web for USB KVM boxes. This was one of the few out there that qualified. The reason I needed a USB switch was for my wife's computer, which is an Apple Power Mac G4. The other computer hooked up to it is a clone Pentium 3 system. So far, we have not had any problems with the unit. In general, we tend to put the Apple in sleep mode when we shut in down rather then power it off altogether. When we switch back to the Apple after using the PC for a while, the Apple automatically turns on without having to wake it up. On the PC side, I am running Windows XP, and I normally shut it down in hibernation mode. Switching from the Apple to the PC, all I have to do is hit the power button, and I'm up and running with both the mouse and keyboard completely functional.

One side note - I am using the Macintosh USB keyboard that came with the Power Mac, and the USB mouse is a Microsoft Optical. So far, both of these devices have worked great between the two computers. Also, we have an HP DeskJet printer which we share between the two computers, and I plugged the printer into one of the two USB slots that are on the front of the KVM. So far, it's worked great.

Other then it being PC and MAC friendly, this is a great system if only for the fact that it comes complete with everything you need to set it up - no need to go out and buy more cables. The only drawback I could see is that you are limited to sharing the KVM between only two computers. But if what you are looking for is a good (and inexpensive) way to share one keyboard, mouse, and monitor with two computers (whether it is a MAC or PC), then this would be a sound solution for you.

I've got about 30 of them last year and after a year all of them are going blurry. Thankfully NEC has a good warranty program but it's a pain sending in and getting it replaced.

This is a very good monitor at a very reasonble price. This monitor family has been a mainstay for NEC for several years and it has developed into a good reliable monitor from slightly shakier beginings. It is not the best monitor for the price, but it is a very safe buy. The controls are fairly novice friendly and you won't have to worry about the quality of the product - NEC is first rate. Most people will be happiest setting the monitor to 1,024 x 768 were the 87Hz refresh rate will be very easy on the eyes. The .27 dot pitch is acceptable but I am disapointed NEC hasn't moved a better tube into this price range.

I would suggest looking at two other good canidates that usually are about the same price as this NEC:

Samsung 17" DynaFlat SyncMaster 753Df This monitor is the entry level for Samsung's new perfectly flat screens. Not eveyone likes the new super-flat monitors but personally I love them. This Samsung has superb resolution (.20 dot pitch!) and the usual refresh rate (85Hz at 1024x768). The controls aren't as easy to use at the NEC but most people won't mind. Samsung monitors are generally a great value when you compare price to performance.

Hitachi 17" CM615U-511 A good quality monitor (.23 dot pitch 1024x768 85Hz) the best selling point is the deep contrast - the best in this price range. A friend of mine bought one and I was very impressed. The controls are a little cryptic and pain to navigate. On the upside Hitachi just extended their U.S. warranty to 5 years (on monitors sold after 1/31/01)! Two years longer than most companies.

This monitor puts out a decent quality picture. Basically what you would expect from NEC. This is no trinitron, but it does the job. And the price is right.

I bought this as a way to upgrade my laptop so that I could run my new USB2.0 external HDD. The included CD doesn't even carry the needed software to run the card it instead directs you to Orange Micro's website to download thier latest and greatest drivers. On top of that for the past 3 weeks I have used this I still run across WinXP's warning boxes telling me that I need to reinstall the software since the drivers disappear. Finally the need to attach an external AC adapter to run anything attached to the cards ports is kind of hard to take as well. In my computer I need the AC Adapter plugged in to keep the card running or else WinXP shuts the card down since it is too much of a power drain. If you are looking for a way to upgrade your computer using a PCMIA card don't look at this one. Keep looking there have to be some better ones out there.

You've got to plug in the AC adapter if you're hoping to run a non-self-powered device from it. My mouse works with the built-in port in my laptop, but I get an error if I plug it into the cardbus port. I got it paritally cuz it's smaller than a hub which I currently need to run both my mouse and wacom. But since I gotta carry the AC adapter as well, I'm returning this product, will just go back to the hub, and will continue looking for a usb cardbus card that doesn't require an AC adapter for non-powered devices.

What a consolation to find a usb 2.0 pcmcia card that works so well after my disaster with the Adaptec 1420 card! (See my other review for that one if interested....)

No fuss, no difficulty in installation - simply downloaded the most recent drivers from OrangeMicro's website before buying it. Installed the drivers and then installed the card - voila! Four usb 2.0 ports!

I have a 48x24x48 Iomega external usb 2.0 burner; the card is completely backwards compatible and there is no loss of speed as far as I have been able to tell. (I am working off of XP Pro OS - no SP's installed.) And seeing as I have seven usb devices connecting to my notebook such a thing is very handy to have.

The accompanying external power supply could be a liability for those who need to travel with the card and some device or another, but I do not - mine is a desktop replacement and if I take it somewhere I unplug everything anyway before I go. So for me it is no bother.

I would highly recommend this card if you have several usb devices of both sorts (2.0 and 1.1) to your notebook if it is a desktop replacement like mine is. If you are a notebook user of the more mobile type, though, this card might not be for you.

basically, it stoped working, can't mount it, it [is bad], don't get it....\
a complete waste of money,
buy some books instead.....

A great little HD, but when thinking of a FireWire drive (VST also makes a nearly identical HD using FireWire) go with FireWire. While this is a small drive, it is dependent upon an AC adapter to run, while the FireWire version does not need a power supply. Nearly all new computers are being shipped with FireWire support, both desktops and notebooks. VST has great support and make a very durable product-- If a USB drive is a must, I would suggest this brand over any other.

I got this drive for less than 1/20 of the price Amazon is asking, which made the purchase at least seem a lot more worthwhile. The drive functions almost perfectly. It's a bit slow, but 12 Mbps can't really do much anyways. I would have rather had FireWire, but it's impossible to get cheap Firewire drives. This drive works fine for backup and storage.

Is there a better option for you than the Speck Products iPod Skin? Perhaps. Consider where/how you'll be using your iPod, and what features you'll need, and go from there.

This product offers basic protection for your expensive gem, however. If you'll be dropping it in a pocket, tossing it in and out of purse, or laying it in a cupholder or on a desk, you'll probably want an extra barrier to prevent scuffing and small scratches. This product will do that. The folding flap on the bottom will allow you to dock your iPod while in the skin, and all buttons are accessible.

Getting your iPod into the skin may be a little tricky, as it fits quite snugly. If you've ever worn a wetsuit, you're familiar with the wriggling necessary to get the skin on your iPod.

An unexpected benefit--because of the tactile rubber, I had more difficulty getting my iPod out of my pants pocket, as the rubber would tend to grip the pocket. I appreciate this, as there's much less chance that the unit will zoom out if I lean back in a movie seat, for instance.

I bought this skin for the sole purpose of preventing major scratches on the outside of my ipod, as it develops them quickly and they are not attractive. I also wanted an extra buffer between the ipod when it is in, say, a bookbag or purse. This skin is perfect for those purposes, as I took it on a two week trip where it spent most of the time in the bottom of my daybag or on my lap sitting in planes, buses, and trains. No major damage inflicted (yay!). I had no huge complaints, and have even decided to try to take it in the car, where it sits comfortably on the passenger seat WITHOUT SLIDING OFF when I have to make a sharp turn or sudden stop. The gripping ability is a perk for klutzes anywhere, as it is harder to drop. My only real complaints were that the buttons were harder to push with the skin on, and that when on, the ipod will not fit in my front jeans pocket, although that might be just from lack of trying. Overall, it is a good product, and I would recommend it for basic ipod protection.

This ipod case is nice... having said that I have a few editorial comments.
Negatives
1. The Case doesn't protect the ipod screen, something I am constantly scared about when the ipod and its case are in my pocket.
2. The case adds bulk to ipod
3.The buttons are harder to push, not too bad though.
Positive
1.OVERALL protection is given to my ipod (dropping the ipod has been absorbed by the mushyness of the case.
2.I can just set this on a surface in my car and IT WONT SLIP!!!

This Ipod skin is very useful for covering my ipod and protecting the body of it. Unfortunately I am still scared about the screen of my precious $318.57 (yes I still remember exactly how muhc it cost) GEM. I love this music cube, and this case gives my gem some protection!

Under most conditions, a great product. Fast, relatively affordable drive, compact media, convenient. But you have to consider replacement costs when you buy. I've had two of them fail -- one SCSI, one IDE -- both within weeks of the warranty ending (i.e. 13-15 months after purchase). Castlewood's fee to repair these things is $108 per drive, which is only [slightly] less than a brand new one! Factor in that you get a ...disc included when you buy a new drive, and basically it's a wash -- you might as well just buy a new drive! Competitor Iomega's track record isn't so great either, so I'm sticking with the Orb, but be careful -- the cost of this drive might be ...per year.

To date I've used the internal IDE version of the Orb drive in both Windows PCs and Mac G4 towers with good success. The drive functions as you'd expect. Performance is superior to that of comparable Iomega Jaz drives, though the Orb does have a much longer spin up/down cycle upon disk insertion / extraction.

The drive door is also a bit inconvenient, as it requires two hands: one to hold the door open and the other to insert the disk.

Mac users also take note that as of the time of this writing (Early June) no MacOS X drivers exist, but if you run MacOS 9.1 or earlier it works well.

For the price this drive performs well and I have no major complaints.

Very fast, very reliable, and your system sees it as another hard drive, which is much more convenient than CD-RW. Using Norton Ghost, I can back up 3gb of data to one disk in about 15-20 minutes. I can also back up my drive at work in 10 minutes. It is the only MR drive on the market, which makes it the fastest. ... The only drawback is that it isn't optical storage, so you have to remember not to subject the disks to static or other magnetic fields, but I've been using this drive for 2 years and this technology (starting with the Syquest Syjet) for 5 years and have never had corrupted data.

I thought that the monitor was great when I purchased it. Ordered Sony DeluxePro SDM-X72/B on Jan 21 and on Feb 7 had to contact Sony because the monitor went bad. All I could see on the screen were tiny vertical lines. Sony had no problem replacing the monitor but it took them 2 weeks responding to my original inquiry. I called Sony every day for a 1 1/2 week. After 2 weeks, they informed me that they couldn't replace the exact model since this model is not in production any longer but offered me SDM-X73/B. It is identical to the originally purchased monitor except for the design of the case. I expect to receive the new monitor next week according to Sony Rep.

I didn't have any problems with this LCD,every thing is just Perfect,high contrast images,dual inputs provide multiple computer support and Integrated speakers deliver superb audio for multimedia, music and Internet content.The only problem I had is the universal voltage so I couldn't take it back home.

This is a very good product from Sony,I didn't have any problems with it.resolution and colors are just perfect also the integrated speakers gives you a good sound.the only problem I had that it's only 110v so i couldn't take it with me back home.

Very noisy & slow scanner.
ADF unit stopped working after 6 months.
Scans not the best, would not reccomend.

When using the automatic document feeder, it produces document scans that are skewed slightly. HP technical support says this is normal. I find this completely unsatisfactory. You will not be able to produce accurate document scans.

Do not purchase this scanner if you intend to scan photographs. The scan quality if very poor. Scans appear with no contrast and overly pixelated in dark areas of photo scans. The colors do not appear correct.

The performance is also unsatisfactory. It is very slow and extremely noisy.

I love this scanner! I got it over a year ago and it is still working strong. I got it for the ADF feature. I use the ADF with Acrobat Writer. Very rarely does the ADF jam and when it does its due mostly to user error. When it does jam it does not eat the paper and it's easy to correct. The software that comes with it is simple to use. Make sure your computer has loads of memory if you plan on scanning anything over 600dpi. I've also used this to archive photos taken on the job and it does a great job at that. I don't suggest buying this scanner if your main requirement is film or slides. For that you should get a dedicated machine. I've used with USB and SCSI. SCSI is faster but usually I don't notice the difference unless I'm scanning over 600 dpi. The only bad thing I can say about this machine is that it can be noise. Good luck.

I thought that this product was a good buy. 5 USB 2.0 ports, and works with a Macintosh. However, the card I got did not work with my mac (Beige G3 with revision B ROM). Keyspan says that it is defective. I decided to try a different brand. The IOGEAR GIC250U 5 port USB 2.0 card is also supposed to work with the mac.

I installed this card on a Mac Dual G4 running Mac OSX 10.3 and also on a Dell PC running Windows XP. On both machines it worked fine with no need to download drivers.

I did have a problem when I plugged a Zip drive (USB 1.1 device) into the card and put my Mac to sleep. It would not wake up. I don't know if this is a problem with the Iomega driver or USB card. The computer sleep function worked fine with the Zip plugged into the Mac's built-in USB 1.1 port. I've heard there can be some problems with some devices or cards not being compatable with the sleep function, but when I sent an e-mail to Keyspan tech support to ask about this, I never received an answer.

1) Shut down computer
2) Open computer case
3) Put anti-static-strap on wrist and clip to metal on computer case (important any time you fool around inside a computer)
4) Insert card
5) Close computer case
6) Boot up computer
Done.

Works just great on my G4 Mac. No drivers to install, nothing to download or adjust, no jumpers, no nothing. Plug it in and it works. Another good experience with Keyspan (and Apple) -- I will continue buying their stuff as long as they keep putting out good products. :)

I've had only NEC's for over 10 years. My last 2 CRT's suffered severe distortion within the first year. Replaced by NEC, the same thing happened with the reconditioned they gave me in return. Went to this LCD 3 months ago, and while the pic quality wasn't the best, I still hung on to the NEC quality of old. Well, this one has died too! I have now given up on NEC. It might just be bad luck, but so many performance issues has made me wary.

Picture quality was poor, the fonts were less readable than on our old monitors. I don't think it was the fault of the video cards, my monitor had higher resolution previously. Also, installation was difficult (had to download drivers from the NEC site) and de-installation (under Windows98) was disastrous; an inexperienced user would have needed tech support to restore the system.

The guy that wrote the review below must of had a lemon because I think the monitor is fine. Of course there are better LCD's out there but for most people this is a great value for the price and I would recommend it to anyone. Before I bought it I looked at many different LCDs in computer stores and made my decision that way. I have even been running Win98 + Mandrake Linux and the monitor was very clear and flicker free and did not pose any installation issues.