Computer Reviews

I plugged it in and XP recognized without a problem. Very nice product. I tried a CompUSA model first and XP would not reliably recognize it. I would avoid CompUSA models at all costs.

This item works perfectly fine in all respects with my Presario 3045 laptop... just plug it into the USB port and XP auto-detects it immediately! Great item, great price!

I didn't even have to install drivers (Windows), it just comes right up and works perfectly. Be aware that it's a "high power" USB device so a bus-powered USB port may not have enough power to support it.

So far I am happy with Lexar's Sport JumpDrive. I have the 256mb and the 64mb versions. Once you get the rubber cap off it works well (many people knock the rubber cap but it is there for a reason).

I love the design of this drive. It is slim, and has a rubber cover. You can hang it around your neck, or stick it in your pocket. Very rugged, and as far as I'm concerned, it has the best design of any of the drives I have used. I would not hesitate to recommend this drive, as it has worked flawlessly for me. No drivers to install, just plug it in. I am thinking about getting the 512 Sport now!

I use this thing to carry files to and from work. It works flawlessly with no drivers needed on a PC running Windows XP and on a Mac G4 running OS9.2. I've also loaded it up with MP3 music to play on a portable jumpdrive MP3 player, which also works flawlessly. Unlike another review that I've read, this one works fine in the remote USB port on the Mac's keyboard, I don't have to plug it into the back of the G4. The slim design means it fits in easily beside other USB cables when the ports are spaced close together, as they always seem to be. File transfer is fast fast fast on a USB2 port. The rubber case is really sturdy--I've attached it to my keys so that I can dump it in my pocket and forget about it until I need it, and it's always right there. The "sport" concept is a really good idea--it's sturdy and rugged and can handle bouncing around with coins and keys as I go about my daily life. No special software needed, works on different platforms, rides in my pocket, tough enough that I can forget about it when I'm not using it--what more could you ask for? It's perfect.

The first one I had was black, just like Model-T. Being dark and inside my dark overalls pocket, I forgot about it until it fell. It fell couple more times since. It is still working. It is a good size to go inside the tool box permanently. The size is also small enough to go inside where only your hand can reach. Sometimes in my line of work in seismic oil exploration I need to do come cabling, the Mini helps to get the connection right.

Bought a few more Mag lights since the first one, seeing as it is tough and rain proof. But when I travel it is the Mini that comes along instead of the Mag Solitaire because the AA size batteries is the most universally available battery you can find in most countries.

Torch (flashlight to you guys in US) is like penknives, tend to need it in an emergency. So one lives with the Leatherman, one in the car glove box, the old one still in the tool box.

Yeah, I have held the torch in my lips too in the past but now recommend a headband by Nite Ize to turn it into a headlamp. Another item worth considering if you go hiking a lot is the Nite Ize "Pock-its". This is a holster for Mini Mag Light and Leatherman, spare batteries.

This very portable flashlight is heavy and sturdy. It has been dropped several times, with no damage to the glass. The illumination is also quite strong for the size of the flashlight, and will last for several weeks of use without a battery change. This is easily the most durable flashlight of its kind; you are likely to lose it before you damage it.

IT'S AN AMAZING FLASHLIGHT FOR THE SIZE. IT HAS THE LITE INTENSITY OF A ORDINARY TWIN D-CELL FASHLIGHT AND WILL LAST EVEN LONGER. THE ABILITY TO ADJUST THE BEAM IS FANTASTIC AND IT'S SMALL SIZE MEANS I CAN CARRY IT WITH ME CONSTANTLY. HIGH QUALITY AND VALUE FOR THE BUCK ARE IT'S BEST POINTS.

Boy was I surprised to see this on Amazon again when it was supposedly "discontinued" back in 2001. This is a very simple DVD rack but it is very effective in limiting space usage and combining quality and durability. It is very sturdy and is stackable (althought I don't recommend stacking more than two.) No double DVD case storage but its a-ok, the majority of DVDs are single case.

I love this organizer! I have bought the CD Organizer for my 3 brothers. I also bought them the DVD organizer. The only thing I don't like about it is does not fit double DVD cases because it has slots.

My DVD collection began to pile up around me and I knew I had to buy and organizer soon. I saw the Meade/Laserline DVD30ND for a relatively cheap price and decided to give it a shot. I had already purchased a couple of the Meade/Laserline organizers for CD's and was glad to see you can snap them all together. This is a great space saver for me. My DVD's slide in nice and easy and it can accept some of the larger mult-disc sets too. You can keep them out of the way and can mix/match the interlocking organizers with other organizers of various sizes. I'm very happy with the bang for the buck I got on this one.

This film has great color reproduction and performance. I would give this film 5 stars except for the fact that Fujifilm Superia X-TRA 400 provides similar performance for a cheaper price.

I am not a professional photographer. I just happen to be a grandson of one. I use a fully manual Canon TX SLR for my work. So far I've shot 5 rolls of this stuff. Every time there has been something wrong with the camera/me/lighting. Every time I got a usable, and sometimes, great print. This film has a huge exposure latitute (you can really screw up and still get an image) When I show these prints to others, they look at me funny and say, "This is ISO 400?" It has REALLY fine grain. And because it's ISO 400, you can use it for almost anything (I got usable prints after shooting a soccer game: My camera was set at ISO 100 and there were light leaks in the camera door). It's a great film, although I'm told the Royal Gold it replaces is still better. Pick up a pack of this and see what you get. You'll be amazed.

I have not been a huge fan of 400-speed film in the past. It could be that I'm not a professional photographer and therefore have not been using it properly (I have been using it primarily in shade and somewhat low-light situations, both in my point-and-shoot and SLR), but no matter how I've tried to use it, I've always found it to be grainier than I would have liked it to be, regardless of the brand I selected. I decided to try this film on a whim, as I knew I would be taking some pictures in a situation where the Kodak 200 Gold just wasn't going to cut it (fairly subdued light action shots, no flash allowed), and lo and behold, this film did the trick. Granted, I was using a fast 50mm lens with the f-stop generally set between 1.4 and 2.0, so I had speed on my side, but what really impressed me was that this film showed virtually no grain. I really had to look for it in some poorly exposed images. Also, the colors were very true to the setting.

The most recent role of this film I shot in the Rushmore Cave in South Dakota. As you might imagine, it was pretty dark in there, with ambient light coming from strategically placed lightbulbs here and there. I loaded this film by accident, instead intending to load a roll of 800 I had (I will review the Fuji 800 (NPZ, I believe) I used at another time - the best 800 I've ever used). However, after I discovered I loaded the wrong film I decided to give it a try, especially considering that the mid-roll rewind on my camera had failed me a few hours prior. So I went into the cave with this film loaded and the same Canon 50mm 1.4 lens I mentioned before hoping to be lucky and get something out of the pictures. It ended up being a most auspicious mistake, and those pictures are amongst my favorite of the whole trip. I took a few pictures using a flash, but I wanted to try to make the most of the ambient light. I was amazed to get back these crisp, clear photos with colors so warm and vibrant, and again, very true to life. To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure if the photo lab pushed the film or not. I did not ask them to. So if you try this film in a very dim/dark situation, you may want to experiment and ask your lab to push a role or two, and process a role or two as they normally would. Somewhere you will find a result which is most pleasing.

I have yet to try this film with a point-and-shoot, but I expect it would produce excellent results, as well. Finally, for those of you who like to shoot 200-speed film, Kodak's new High Definition 200 is excellent, as well. I am now using it as my general purpose film, and even favor it over Kodak's 100 Gold. When Amazon starts carrying it, I will be reviewing it, too.

I like this stick much better than the equivalent Microsoft offering. It is more comfortable and has a good feature set for the price. It is a little big and it doesn't have a rudder control, though.

DON'T TRUST YOUR LIFE TO PLASTIC GEARS. This joystick uses steel cables for the control motors. There is a sensor in the handle that powers up the motors to center the stick. This is an award-winning handle design for comfort, and all the newer joysticks are some minimized version of it. It uses a 16 bit Intel processor for the force feedback and a 10 bit processor for the sensors.
These were discontinued because of the lack of torso-twist/rudder control, but it seems to me that the newer joysticks are sloppier, wear out quicker or just break because of this added function. Also were complaints about the large footprint, but this only makes for the most stable joystick you can buy, especially if you like the heavy feedback effects. The force feedback feature in joysticks has lost favor somewhat, with the more popular FPS games not supporting it anymore, but in this case, the force feedback motors still use the joystick software to control centering, even in non-force feedback games, so there is no slop in the middle. This is easily the best joystick ever for those who are still devoted to force-feedback effects, and one of the most accurate and stable for the money. I recently bought three of these for my LAN setup, two for christmas presents and one to replace one that was stolen. You can still find these on ebay, and I have yet to see one that shows any effects of wear.
If anybody ever makes a joystick as good as this without the cons, I'll buy it. The current reality is just a trade-off, and I'm not trading. Logitech has gotten worse, Saitek has unstable little bases, and the Thrustmasters are overpriced and still not as good as they should be unless you put aftermarket parts in them. I've been looking for a significantly better joystick for years since this one came out, and as of 2004, there still isn't one.

I had this Joystick for about 3 years. It is very good, im am amazed that they are still selling it. I dont know if the usb works, it never worked for me. But if you use the other port it works fine. The force feedback can be very weak or strong depending on your settings. This is the best joystick imho, if you dont mind that the joystick takes up a lot of space.

I purchased this bag for a Sony TRV30 camcorder and overall am happy with it.

Pros:
- small
- light
- weatherproof (havent actually tested it yet, but the retractable hood is a nice touch)

Cons:
- small
- not enough pockets
- when wearing a T-shirt, the hairs on my hands get caught up in the strap attachment (painful and annoying and I am not even that hairy!)

Overall, if the constraints dont scare you away, I think its a pretty nice bag.

This is the best bag for the money available! Nothing else can be said.

This bag is smartly designed...many compartments to put your camera stuff. In my bag, I have just enough room to put my digital camera and a point and shoot film camera in the main compartment (which is separated by a divider). The inside is plush so there will never be damage to your LCD display.

There is also an area in front of the main compartment with two plastic pockets. In one, I have a smartmedia card and extra batteries...in the other, I have jammed in a lens cleaning kit.

I really like the two straps (one shoulder and one for being hand held) and the weather hood that is hidden in the bag for rainy days. The only complaint I have is that the bag takes a dip in the front where the zipper comes down (for style probably...look at the grey area on the photo). If it just came straight across instead of dipping down, there would be more vertical room in the front area.

Overall though, great bag which can hold lots!

I was caught by surprise by the illuminating power of this little Mag Lite. Originally, I thought it'd only be good in a pinch if the power went out in the house in the middle of the night (being a California resident, I'm all too familiar with blackouts). However, I discovered that the light beam has a significantly longer range than I originally anticipated-- that tiny little bulb puts out an unbelievable amount of candle power for its size! Now I know it's good to go both inside and out!

The on-off switch is as easy as a turn of the flashlight's head. Turn it further and you can make the beam as wide or as narrow as you need. Or twist the head completely off, and you've got the 'candle' mode mentioned in the item description. Not only is this good for illuminating a fairly large area, it's also a safer alternative at those candlelight vigil memorials!

Unfortunately, I can't personally vouch for the toughness and durability of this product-I handle my mini Mag with as much care as possible, and I've yet to drop it on any kind of hard surface. You'll have to read the testimonials of the other Amazonians regarding this nifty little illuminator if you want to know about it's ability to endure the worst a person can dish out!

One drawback: the model I own has a smooth-finish handle, and isn't too easy to hold when my hands are sweaty, wet, or (in case I use it for nighttime emergency auto repair) oil-soaked. So be sure you get one that has the diamond-knurled grip finish etched on the handle!

'Late!

The AA Maglite is very bright for its size. With fresh batteries, it has the potential to lighten up a moderate sized room under very dark conditions. Mine has been 100 percent reliable, even when DROPPED several times. Accidents happen, and my Mini AA is all scratched up and beaten up (the black finish has partially come off from being dropped so often), yet it continues to work (even when dropped on cement from 5 feet up on multiple occasions). The only part I've had to replace are the bulbs. While not as bright as higher tech Surefires and similar flashlights, the Maglite AA is the MOST reliable and toughest flashlight I have owneed.

This little flashlight has been a great help in many situations. I keep one in my purse and one in the kitchen drawer with the dog's leash and drop it into my pocket before taking my dog for walks at night.
It not only lights my way, but helps me find the droppings as well as the key hole when I get back to my condo.
The candle mode has come in handy during several blackouts.

This is a great part of your home audio system should you decide to hook your computer or other device with a minijack plug in to it. A good long cable (other lengths are sold both in a M HP-10 and in the THX series). If you are unsatisfied with your current speakers, and have a good hifi system, but lack the digital connections such as S/PDIF out or Optical on your system, this is the way to go.

I previously had tried to connect my PC sound card to my stereo receiver in order to play my MP3's on a real system and not my subpar computer speakers...but the sound I got from those cables, was absolutely horrendous. I quickly did more research and discovered Monster Cable's 20' minijack-to-RCA cable (perfect since my PC and stereo are on opposite sides of my room, I still have cable length to spare) and I was pleasantly surprised with the quality sound reproduction. Of course, the sound coming out of your stereo will depend on the quality of that component itself, but with Monster Cable's dual cable and single length (no extension cords to cause dissipation of the sound signal) you too will want to get this equipment...Especially, if you're an audiophile and listen to MP3's all the time, like me.

If you're like me, you are probably wondering if these little cables are actually worth the money. I was using cheap thin wired connections before, and my receiver would have LOTS of background noise and buzzing, so I thought I'd go ahead and give these things a shot. Afterall, I listen to MP3's all the time on my computer through my high end receiver. I'll tell you what, these things work great, and are worth the extra money. Now keep in mind, I'm an audiophile who is very picky about sounds. So for the casual listener who doesn't mind occasional background hissing or lack of crystal clear sound transfer from your computer to your receiver, you might be able to find a cheaper connection. But once again, I think the extra $$ is well worth it and I HIGHLY recomend these. Your only concern here is an economical one. As far as the product is concerned, these things are top notch. Get the 20 feet if you have to go across the a long wall or room to connect your computer to the receiver, otherwise the 10 ft should suffice.

A good solid performer, does what it is supposed to do. I have been using its "baby brother", the DS104, for several years... just needed a couple of more ports. Entirely suitable for home networking, home office or small office use. Very heavy users would be better off with a switch rather than a hub, but this will be fine for most.

An earlier review stated "this hub only appears to provide half-duplex support".This is part of the definition of a hub vs a switch, thus the product is not flawed. A switch will provide full duplex and is more appropriate for multiple high bandwidth devices. If you're attempting to decide HUB vs SWITCH, do a google search before you buy.

I have been a fan of Netgear products since they were originally under BayNetworks. They make high quality devices, attractive design, and they normally offer long warranties. This product is no different. I've had it serving up a couple of machines now for over a year without incident. It's remained on 24 hours / 365 days and performs nicely.

The only downside I've seen with Netgear is their on going support (Firmware upgrades, etc.). Obvisouly that won't be an issue with this device, but something to consider if your also looking at them to provide a router solution. Also, the power adaptors seem to go a little too often.

All and all, this is a great hub and wonderful price. I can think of no reason for some who needs a hub to not pick this up.

Great performance and stability - installed it in the ceiling of a middle school. Highly recommended for 5-6 computer systems.