Computer Reviews

After years & years of carrying a planner (I'm pretty much a completely obsessive-compulsive person when it comes to organization - at least that's what I've been told), I finally decided to break down and try an electronic organizer. It just seemed like it would be so much easier to grab and go instead of my big planner (which I love by the way.) I knew I couldn't afford a Palm or any similar PDA so I decided to do some research. Realistically, I figured I wouldn't need to do 1/2 of the stuff some of the more expensive PDA's were offering - I really just needed the basics - telephone/address, to do, memo, and a calendar - which was everything my paper planner had.

If you're this type of a person, this organizer is probably for you! Another review suggested checking out Radio Shack, and I'm glad I did. There happened to be 2 more left on clearance for $17.97 (I also got a basic leather case there on clearance for $9.99). It's only been 1 day, and I'm so glad I bought this model. What a great value for the price!

My only complaint is exactly what another reviewer said - you can only put the address on one line. Once you get used to that, it's pretty much a breeze to figure out. I've only looked at the manual (which is pretty comprehensive) briefly because a lot of the functions and buttons are pretty self-explanatory. All-in-all, I'm so happy with my purchase!

You can also purchase this organizer at RadioShack for $19.99.. and also save money by not paying shipping & handling

This is so great. i got it for Christmas. It is educational because of it's english to spanish translator and calculator. It's fun because it has 2 games. It is easy to use. You can store all of your friend's and family's adresses,phone #s and e-mail adresses. and store peoples's web sites. You can also write memo's and to-do's. it is so cool because not only do you have a clock, but you have a world clock which shows times in New york, Paris, Rome ect. as long as you put in the correct time with the 3 letter abbreviation that is closest to where you live. Overall this product is AWESOME! i recommend it to anyone.

Being that I only had the 8 MB that came stock with my camera the switch to the Simpletech 64MB cf card was a huge difference. I have always been happy with Simpletech products. My last purchase of the 64MB CF Card re-assured my faith in ST.

I bought the Simpletech 64 MB compact flash card and was instantly impressed with the added storage capabilities. It's inexpensive and definately worth the added functionality to use with digital cameras, PDA's and MP3 players!

I don't know about you but a mesley 8MB CF card really doesn't allow for many photos to be stored. Got one of these cards, and now I can get a decent amount of images in one shoot. Thinking about getting the 256MB CF so I can even take more images and want to also get the Flashlink reader so I can get my photos to my computer fast!

At this price, the card alone is a good deal. However, this pkg includes the USB minidrive, which allows you to use the card as a highly portable storage device that is recognized by WinXP without any drivers or installation required. This is really handy for many things, such as moving MP3 files (say to a friend's PC) or for copying .txt files for papers that need editing or safeguarding.

XP recognized and installed flawlessly. No digital signature required! Handy 4 foot USB cable for connecting behind pcs. I've looked at many sites that sell this drive and it was never obvious if the 256mb flash card was included. It is. My unit was gray (not blue like most ads show) with a green led. It's a versatile drive because the flash cards work with other devices, like my Rio S50 MP3 player. And different sized cards can be used, 64mb, 128mb, etc. Hardest thing was getting the package open! No different than any electronic gadget. Be careful with the blister plastic. 2 year warranty on the drive, lifetime on flash card. Highly recommended.

Executive summary: 1.44 floppies are just not cutting it. I work with clients and don't want to lug around a CD burner to move files from my laptop to/from their network. I also don't always want to lug my laptop home. Enter Simpletech's Bonzai USB mini drive. It is awesome. If you are looking for high capacity and expandable computer storage in a small, portable, USB-based, no install hassle package, buy the Bonzai USB mini-drive now.

A few details . . .

Insert it into a USB port, wait about 2 seconds and WIN2K and WinXP (home and professional) pop up an acknowledgement of a new removable disk that it found. You use the USB drive just like a hard drive (drag and drop, etc.).

Here are some factoids I wish the product description (or picture) would have told me:
1) A 4 foot USB extension cable is included, which in my book eliminates any negative dealing with the fact that the USB ports on some computers are close together or very tight. (BTW I have a Compaq Presario with 2 USB's on the front and although it is tight the Bonzai works fine there without the extension, even with my mouse plugged in right beside it). Having to carrying a small cable is just not that big of deal folks.
2) It is very small. 2 1/2" long including the USB plug. 1 1/4" wide. 1/2" deep.
3) It is very light. About the weight of one Oreo Double Stuff cookie :)
4) The USB plug has a cap.
5) The case is heavy plastic.
6) A lanyard (i.e big shoestring looking thing that goes around your neck like a Referee's whistle) is included.
7) I have a 60MB zip file on my Bonzai right now which unzips faster than those on my hard drive. Did I mention the Bonzai is fast?
8) The whole thing seems solid and well made.

BTW, a guy I work with and I did some research. We both concluded that Bonzai is the answer to our goal of a slick way to quickly move files between computers, with zero install requirements (at least on Win2K and WinXP). He is very envious of me right now since he opted for the Sandisk Cruzer instead of the Bonzai (because Best Buy didn't have the Bonzai). I picked Bonzai and was delighted to find that amazon.com has it. The Cruzer is about 4-5 times bigger, and doesn't feel nearly as solid in my view.

I opted for the 128MB model instead of the 256MB or 512MB models for two simple reasons: 1) 128MB is enough for me for now (equal to 88 diskettes), 2) the price of Secure Disk (SD) is bound to keep tumbling so I'll pick up a 256 and/or 512 once the 1GB (and beyond) SD's come out and drive down their cost of their little brother and sister :)

Enjoy the Bonzai!

Several years back, my dentist and also my periodontal specialist both recommended I consider using an electric toothbrush to help clean my teeth. It also helps fight for my gums against periodontal disease. I wasn't so sure about investing $100 more, especially in a toothbrush. My wife finally bought me one and I have never looked back. My teeth look better. I have less plaque, less bleeding gums, less problems, less cavities. I don't think $10 every six months for new heads is too much to invest in keeping my natural teeth as long as I can.

Wonderful tooth brush...Change the head every 6 minths

The biggest complaint I hear from people about electric tootbrushes is that the replacement heads are too expensive. Come now, that was the type of thinking that would have killed the Industrial Revolution!

For anyone who really cares about dental hygeine or even just the way they look to other people, you can't not use an electric toothbrush anymore. I laughed at the idea at first, but once I began using one I will never be able to use a regular toothbrush again without feeling like my mouth isn't clean. When you go to the dentist--what type of toothbrush does he/she use on you? Electric--for a reason, because it cleans better.

The marginally higher cost of replacing the heads rather than buying an entirely new disposable toothbrush is insignificant when you actually feel as clean as you can when you use an electric brush. Personal dental care has evolved to the next step, and you don't want to be caught be the last person using a slide ruler because you were too frugal to purchase the more expensive but more effective calculator.

Your teeth (and anyone who comes in contact with them) will thank you.

Well, despite the price (it's 499 dollars in my country) this is an excellent camera. If you are a newbie like me with digital cameras, you're starting with a monster.
This baby can take beautiful pictures, and offers options never before seen in P series. Manual control is superb.
Cons: It needs Memory Stick Pro to save video... agh!

It's my first Digital camera, and I must say, "It's perfect & worth every penny!"

With its 5.1 MP Sony lens, the photo quality is amazing! Crisp, Sharp, Colorful and very detailed.

I have to say, it works better than some CANON models! I took a photo of a same stationary subject with both cameras. I found out that the SONY's output was better than the CANON's. So I went for Sony.

The camera has various features to enjoy including Video recording and OPTICAL/DIGITAL Zoom.

Well done SONY! :)

I just bought this camera and I have had the best time using it. It takes wonderful crisp pictures and is easy and fun to use. It works great in all conditions. This camera was a great buy at 5 megapixels at a great price...better than other cameras that were more expensive at 4 megapixels with features that an everyday user would not need.

I bought it for my Palm m125 and it works super fine. The main problem is that manufacturers misinform about their calculation of mb's. It's called mebibytes. Yep, 1mb=1million bytes. Altough mine had 29.1mb(mega), my other card(Lexar) was 30.5mb(mega)...

Still, the price is twice an compact/smartmedia at the same size.

I wouldn't argue with the speed since I can't calculate fractions of a second. It seems inconstant from card to card. I'm going to check out if I can get something normal...

I bought a san disk 64mb for my viewsonic v36 pocket pc. I keep my games on the card and my pictures from the built in camera. The best thing about it is that it is the size of a postage stamp. The transfer speed is fast for something as big as a postage stamp.

Being old enough (cough! cough!) to remember foot-square memory cards with a whopping 4KB (yes, KB, not MB), the fact that 32MB fits in a card the size of a postage stamp is just amazing. And this isn't even the highest capacity available!

I inserted the card into my Palm i705 (another Amazon.com purchase) and instantly quintupled the amount of storage I had available. I moved some large programs over to the card and used BackupBuddyVFS to do a daily backup to the card - if I ever lose the RAM away from my office, I have EVERYTHING I need to restore it right in the palm of my hand.

It works - what more is there to say?

This was my first LCD TV purchase and I'm extremely impressed with the sharp and crisp picture quality. The size is perfect for a bedroom or kitchen tv. Setup is a breeze. It accommodates component, composite and s-video. It's great for hooking-up a DVD player, VCR, Game Console, etc... I have it hooked up to my Tivo and it works awesome. I'm truly happy with my Sharp TV. Highly recommend buying one !!!

Excellent television! The picture is beautiful and it was a breeze to set up. From box to counter and we were watching tv in 5 minutes. We purchased this tv specifically for use in our kitchen and its perfect for that use. Highly recommended.

Its simply marvelous. I am not an LCD fan and Actually I have been very disappointed in the technology until I watched the 13inch screens and my faith was restored. When I saw that Aquos was in the 15" I snapped it up. Its sound quality is excellent great workmanship, the picture speaks for itself. I am thrilled with the performance as my CD/DVD player worked so well. and had the Good fortune of witnessing Josh Groban on PBS
belting out some wonderful music in stereo from those powerful little speakers it was like a concert hall. I am very pleased with the Sharp Aquos and the talent I was able to receive over it. Best to Josh Groban his talent is a very rare Gift from God.

I was just commenting on the previous review, questioning why a reviewer would copy/paste info and submit it for three different cameras. What I found was that the reviewer was trying to explain the differences between the three cameras, so that the consumer can make an educated decision as to which camera suits them best comparing features and price. I found the reviews very helpful, and it actually helped me to decide which model I wanted to buy. I'm sure that is what makes this individual a reviewer in the top 100 at amazon.

While the price is higher than other camcorders on the market, I think this product is worth it. It's easy to set up and use, the editing software for the computer is decent, and I'm able to get high quality footage and share it with family and friends.

One note of caution: the software really does require a higher speed computer and/or updated platforms like Windows XP. It ended up leading to the demise of our old computer (a Windows ME), but functions much better on our new one that has XP.

This camera made it to Oprah's 2003 Favorite Things List. That prompted me to take a look at it, and I was really impressed! We ended up buying it, and we're so glad that we did. Wow, what a great video-camera! It's compact, quiet, and very easy to use. We were able to set it up & record without even opening the instruction manual. The playback quality on the LCD screen is amazing, and the sound quality is near-perfect. I'm so happy with this camera. I highly recommend it for its ease of use, light & comfortable size, and the simplicity of recording directly onto a dvd. No more copying from small tapes to larger VHS tapes for me! That was such a frustrating experience and the editing quality was horrible.

I'm really pleased that I'll be able to share video of my daughter with friends and family who have dvd players, or video viewing capability on their computers.

FOLLOW-UP: We took this camcorder to Sea World and the footage was excellent. It was nice not to have to lug around a heavy piece of equipment while trying to transport a toddler, stroller, etc. Once we got home, I put together a 5 minute edited video using the ImageMixer software from Sony (included when we purchased the camera). Wow, it was so user-friendly! I added some of my own music to it, as well as some text to some scenes. Then we burned the edited project to a simple, inexpensive CD-R instead of DVD-R, for family/friends to view on their computers. I checked, and many in-home computers have some sort of video viewing software such as Windows Media Player, or another compatible program.

Excellent case, soft, protects the camera. But it is a little to big for my model, the Cybershot DSCP8. The camera bounces in the inside.

Maybe it's the camera, that is to small?

When I pulled it out of the Amazon box, I thought it might be too small for the V1, but I like the fit! Its compact size works great with one of the best new generation 5MP digital still cameras. I like how the fabric gussets on the sides of the main compartment only allow it to open far enough for camera access(nice on the belt). Its smaller front compartment has both a regular pocket and another facing compartment with a full length zippered close. Both are made from that net type material. Very slick, functional design from Sony.

I ordered this case as an international customer and had it delivered to a hotel in the USA where my family was staying so I couldn't go to a store to see in person how the case looks. The case is advertised as a general carrying case for the P-series (P72, P92, P10) and it has the round edge just like the P-series. Since the P-series is a bit smaller than the SONY DSC V1, I was scared that my V1 wouldn't fit into the case. I received both the case and the camera yesterday and I am extremely pleased. The camera fits like a glove and there is enough space to put in a few extra things such as batteries or memory sticks in the front. I was also scared it would have a cheap look to it, seeing as it is only $... It actually looks really stylish and I would definitely recommend it to anyone with either a P-series or V1 CyberShot.

My V505AX is from the first batch released from Sony that had a defective touchpad. After some lengthy investigation, I finally called Sony. They verified my warranty, and arranged for a local tech to perform an on-site repair. The tech person told me that some of the first V505AX's had been built with touchpad parts sourced from India. He showed me that the back of the touchpad membrane had been made with a metalized foil. This foil was grounding itself to the metal shielding that surrounds the parts beneath.
After a 10 minute replacement, I was back in action!

I applaud Sony for owning up to its mistake and fixing the problem on-site.

The best notebook tha I ever had!!

So you want to buy a notebook, and you want one that is fast, small and packed with feats? If you're like me and did your homework, you'll find that this one is hard to beat. While the reviews at other places online may complain enthusiastically about a faulty mousepad and a poor graphics card, let me point out a couple things: 1) the touchpad works like a charm on my pc, and on several other people's so I think the problem is with a certain batch ( my condolences to those with that batch ) 2) on a 12.1 inch screen, the resolution boost of a snazzy 128MB Radeon 9000 mobility aint gonna do a whole lot of jack. 3d Gaming is the only place this laptop wouldnt shine - so use your desktop. If you are looking for a fast, reliable machine capable of some hard core number crunching (burns through tons of MATLAB code)or waveform editing (Cool Edit runs like butta) this babys got what you need. The Keyboard is nice and solid as well as well laid out. Sony has improved over its earlier 505 models in adding the dvd/cdrw on board as well as better caps for the modem and ethernet ports. also, the power cable stays in. The price of this machine is lower than it shud be because of sony's entrance into centrinoland. For under 2k, theres nothin like it (nless u go for the mac, which is always an option, if you like to be softwareless). The design of the machine is also "legacy free" meaning that there are no old clunky interfaces to bog you down. 2 usb 2.0, 1 firewire. nice nice nice. Oh and the sound card sounds really good too, very surprised about that. all three thumbs up.