Computer Reviews

I started out with a Rio Volt to play my MP3s on the go. What a piece of junk. Then I purchased a Nomad Jukebox. It holds 10gigs of MP3s, but the battery life is short, and I wanted something relatively cheap I could afford to leave in my car. Enter the Samsung MP3 CD player which I found on sale and with a substantial rebate that rivals the price of other portable CD players. It plays my CD-Rs and CD-RWs almost flawlessly. (I blame the few glitches I've encountered on scratches and cheap media.) I listen to audio books and text-to-speech MP3s (as well as music) in my car during my commute, and the last track memory (a.k.a., resume) feature is an absolute must. This player also starts up a lot faster than any other portable MP3 player I've seen. Battery life is good...maybe 8 or more hours using rechargeable batteries. I've owned enough portable music players to know to just throw away whatever headphones/ear buds that are included, and use my own. I'm going to buy another one of these players for use around my house as soon as I see it on sale again and throw out my Nomad.

I bought this player to use during my daily 4 miles of walking around my neighborhood, so the anti-skip feature was important. The player does a very good job with the anti-skip protection. As long as I carry the player above my waist so that my leg movement doesn't jostle it a lot, the player works quite well, with only an occasional minor glitch. If not moving, the player works perfectly.

The player has a 4-line display that gives you a lot of information, particularly with mp3. Battery life is excellent and the display shows you when the batteries are getting weak.

A lot of people complain about the cheap headphones that tyically come with portable players. I personally found the Samsung's headphones (they're the clip-over-the-ears type) to be pretty good.

The player handles my homemade CD-R disks and the commercial CDs flawlessly. It did not work well with my CD-RW disks. I suspect that the problem lies with my old H-P CD-RW drive rather than the Samsung player, since I've had other problems with the drive.

One feature I really like is the "hold" switch. Turn it on and none of the other buttons on the player will work. This prevents accidentally pressing a button (such as the "off" button!) while I'm out walking and it's bouncing around a bit in the carrying case.

In summary, I'm very pleased with this player. For the price I paid, it was a great deal.

Fully satisfied. Outstanding sound quality. Addition of FM would have been better.

Great picture and great sound. Especially when you hook up a subwoofer to the set. I also purchased the optional speakers which have good overall quality. I have read some other reviews regarding some buzzing with the set but I have found that when I have hooked up the speakers there are 3 screws on the side of the set. If these are overtightened this could cause some buzzing noise. By loosening the screws you can make the buzzing go completely away. It worked on my set. hope this wil help if you get some buzzing on you sets enjoy

I purchased this Plasma for a friend and have had it in my home for 2 weeks. I too have looked at many plasmas in the stores and compared. I have to say this one has a beautiful picture. Compared to true HDTV plasmas in the store, this EDTV has a great picture. It is hard to spend the extra money for subtle differences that are hard to see even side-by-side. Most of our viewing is cable or DVD movies so I can't rationalize the extra money. Even with a cable input, the picture is great. It is clear and has little "noise" or "graininess" considering it is a cable signal. Friends come over and remark what a great picture.

Internal amp for speakers is fine. The Virtual Dolby does give good impact to the 2 speaker sound. For DVD's I use my separate surround sound system. One thing Samsung forgot on this model are audio output jacks to connect internal tuner sound to your surround sound system. So many other inputs, I don't know why they forgot those outputs.

This is one of the few Plasmas that comes with a 2 year warrenty in home! The appearance of the TV is perfect in our home and looks great on or off. We are likeing it soo much, I will probably buy one for myself now that I have seen and used it my home.

I was considering (having narrowed it to) a couple of different well known brands in the six thousand dollar price range. Having started out leaning towards the bigger name brands the service tech did a fine job trying to keep me in the higher priced models. I'm not sure who wore who out. As I read more about the different models I found them to be very similar in their offerings, however, I kept leaning towards not what the descriptions said, but where I felt it mattered most, in the visual presentation of the picture I saw. I also found that visual presentation to be equally as personal. I asked others (in the showroom) their opinion and no surprise, I got as many differences as there were people. For example, I viewed some that looked to be naturally lighter and some darker and some with the hues more sedate than others that were more brilliant. We all saw them differently, yet the specs were all the same. My decision to buy this Samsung plasma screen wasn't scientific, I bought it because I've had great success with Samsung products in the past and I found the picture to be as pleasing as the more expensive models. With the money I saved, I upgraded to the Bose audio system and still had plenty of money left to buy DVDs and the popcorn to go with them. I would strongly recommend this plasma screen and feel confident that you made the right decision. PS, don't let those clerks up-sell you, let your eye decide, after all it's you that will be watching it!

This is the best monitor I have ever had. I compare it in clarity to Sony. Who knows, maybe the internal components are identical.

I received mine about a week ago, (they're going fast!!) Believe me, if your out looking for a TFT, look no further. This thing is beautiful, it's very bright and the colors vibrant. It's got .26 dpi, <25ms response time, DVI & Analog. (You can switch between two displays.) Watching DVD's is a wonderful experience on the 172T. I received it in perfect condition, no dead pixels. This is my very first TFT and I wanted to get something worth all the money. Stop comparing and get this one!!!

My husband has bought the screen SyncMaster 172B LCD 17" today so my rate of this product is only formal. My question is: has this screen been designed also by Porsche as is the model 171P TFT? Just matter of curiosity because we love that skinny screen anyway.

Thank you.
Anna Stewart

I recently bought a Nikon Coolpix 4300 along with this 256MB Ultra card. The card is much about twice as fast as the non-Ultra one.

If you take lots of pictures, it's well worth the little investment....

Just purchased this card to suppliment a standard 128 SanDisk CF and noticed that write times to my Canon G2 were literally cut in half with full resolution images. In my opinion it's worth the slight increase in cost.

This card is spectacular... I have had a Minolta Dimage 5 for a few weeks now. This card has very good download speed. For a camera with slow downloads this makes them fast. I have a jumpshot from my old camera and it is even faster. Worth the extra little bit of cash for a great card. I will be getting 256mb one next... Absolutely worth the cash...

Whoever designed this thing was thinking. Given what's likely to happen to these things in use, I think Sandisk hit the nail on the head. A metal device with a clear plastic overshell. It's small, and it will hold a ton of pictures or files, whatever you need to drag around. I could put this on my keychain and not have to worry about it breaking. If this device is as good as the other Sandisk flash products I have from an operating perspective, this will be a real winner for them.

Nice job Sandisk....

If you need or want a USB flash drive, get this one...

Sandisk's site claims you only need drivers for 98SE. I have only used it on XP and a co-worker's 2000 Pro. It plugs in and works the first time without a reboot. Sandisk claims Windows ME will also use it without drivers.

The loop-hook is metal inside the slightly soft plastic covering, so it's not going to break. You are far more likely to break the included string lanyard or plastic quick-disconnect hook for the included necklace. Put this on something with a good metal ring and it's not going to break and fall off.

The Blue LED is bright, and stays on when idle (in the computer, see below re: MP3 Companion). That helps you remember to take it with you. It blinks when read/write operations are happening, reminding you not to pull it out until it's done. There is a note in the included quick-start guide about which operating systems you should use the "remove device" tool with.

The MP3 Companion works well, I gave it 4 our of 5 stars. The blue LED is only on when the player reads in the whole track as it starts to play it, otherwise it's off to conserve the AAA battery's life.

All guys have a minimal set of items that are always with them, for me these are: keys, wallet, glasses, and cell phone. Since the number of items in the set is directly proportional to the comlexity of a guy's life, adding an item to the list requires life-altering benefits in return. For example, adding a wedding ring brings with it a wife, 2.7 kids, and one more anniversary date to remember. As convenient an USB drive may be, it doesn't meet the requirement to become a "minimal set item".

So I took a look at the existing 4 items and determined that my keychain is the thing that can be "enhanced" with a USB drive, and for that the small and rugged Micro Cruzer is the best choice out there. At just over 2" long, it is only slightly longer than a standard house key, and that length includes the integrated key chain ring. Combined with .75" width and .3" thickness, it is one of the smallest USB drives you can find on the market.

You can find smaller USB drives out there, but they are simply too fragile. The Cruzer Micro has a brushed stainless clam shell steel body that extends from the keychain ring to the USB connector in one continuous and seamless slab. And over this steel body is a thick plastic jacket that has a slight rubbery texture to it. Two USB connector covers are included, a thick one and a slim one - choose your level of protection. The thick one pretty much sleeves the entire drive and make it impervious to anything this side of tank treads.

Add to this tidy and tough package the speed of USB 2.0, 512MB of storage, and a very bright blue status LED, it's a complete package that simply outdoes any other USB drive out there, including the Cruzer Titanium, which incidentally looks more like a mini cigar sleeve than a proper USB drive. Dont be a poser - be a guy - buy the Cruzer Micro.

Do not bother with this program the same program different name.I would highly suggest this if you do not have Acid Music 3.0.One of the most stable music programs around.Alot better then any Magix program I have used. The publishing to the net is unbeatable and a great file rendering program too boot.

It's great software at a great price. I bought the program so I could rip and burn CD's but soon found that using the ACid program (2 software apps come in the box- Acid and Siren...I think these are the Sonic Foundry engines)I could also add a soundtrack to my home movies. The box also came with audio clips that I used to sequence a Blues song and that was fun too.

Creating music has never been easier. The interface is very clean and easy to follow. This is a great product if you want to make music. The editing tools are great. This program even comes with some cool loops to get one started. Check this product out!

I think this label printer is tops. I've worked with sheets of labels through a printer, the DYMO label printer, but this one is really tops. It's easy to use, fun, and you can print out one label at a time as needed or 50. The ease and versatility make it a favorite in the office. Switching among file folder labels, address labels, and shipping labels is a task that has become simplified via this machine.

The only drawback I have is that the Seiko labels are thermal and fade after 1 year. I haven't seen anything to replace these, either, but have mentioned my concern to the manufacturer.

The Smart Label Printer 200 is a dream come true. The software is very easy to use, and the labels that are printed are just awesome. Talk about fast... much faster printing that I was expecting. This is one of life's "must have" luxury items. If you are in business for yourself (Like I am), this printer, and the ability to produce beautiful quality labels which can be used for a variety of purposes requiring "stickers" is a must. I would most highly recommend this label printer to anyone.

This nifty little printer is an amazing timesaver and a really useful tool. I'm constantly setting up files for my office or making mailing labels, etc. I used to use the Avery page sized labels, but would end up wasting so many because I only needed one or a few labels. This machine will print the labels as you need them! No more piling up lists of labels and saving them up until you have enough. No more using up a whole sheet of labels for just one label. This machine is extremely easy to use. It has many different fonts to choose from. It will automatically shrink the font size to fit the label if you have lengthy text. You can add graphics, frames, etc. Its software saves the labels, so that you can just click and print on often used labels. One piece of advice -- I would definitely purchase at least the SLP200 (I think there might be an even newer one out there...) I've had both the 100 and the 200. The 200 prints quicker and cleaner and has more options. It also will print both the 1 and 2 inch labels. The difference between the two models is huge and well worth the money. Happy printing!

this is very versatile,handy and practical organizer.I am very satisfied,its very confortable to use and also its very,very practical to wear it in any pocket

I love this product! The instructions were clear and the functions were intuitive and easy to use. If you know how to use a scientific calculator, that makes it easier to understand the organizer. I just wanted a basic organizer, in which I could store e-mail addresses, IM screen names, addresses and phone numbers- and this organizer is great for that purpose. It also has helpful memo, anniversary, schedule functions and more! It is a nice size and the cover prevents damage to its face.

This is cool! I take it everywhere witn me! When I first got it for my birhday. I played it all the time. This is the best,if you dont already have it then buy it!

Just began taking pictures with my Minolta Maxxum 5, which came with a lens up to 90mm. That was great but I wanted more. Since I like taking nature pictures, and portraits, I needed a macro lens. This one fit the bill. I highly recommend it to anyone. With the lens that came with the camera, and this Sigma lens, I will be set for a long time. It is also very easy to use in both Automatic Focus or Manual, and it's not heavy or cumbersome to carry.

Great buy!!!

This lens was an upgrade from my old Sigma 75-300 zoom, which was fine in it's time but just plain worn out. For those who aren't familiar with the Minolta Maxxum series, be aware that this lens has a pretty slow auto focus, but that is a limitation of the body and not the lens and it is still usable. You'll get more satisfaction from going manual focus.

I love this lens. Very accurate at all focal lengths, below average lens "flair" even without the included lens hood, and very comfortable in the hand. The ergonomics are first rate; you can hand carry it all day without much discomfort unlike the new Canon USM lens's, which are truly excellent and fast but Really Heavy.

The best thing is the Macro feature, which at 300mm gives a 1:2 ratio. This translates to incredible close-up 300mm shots at just 9 inches away!!! Fantastic, but bring your tripod (which you should have anyway).

Not a second of regret for this one.

This is a magnific lense for your photos with a great price and high quality.

I've had this Simple Tech flash drive unit for about four months, and much prefer it over a flimsy competitor I also use to back up files.

This is sturdy, durable and of very good quality.

I just bought another one -- this time from Amazon -- for about $25 less than I paid for my first one in a national store. I'm thrilled!

This is a nice tool to add to your gadget toolbox. I also have a lexar 128mb jumpdrive and it is garbage. Cheap construction etc. Also, I recently lost everything stored on it! Go with the Simpletech Flash drive, you won't be disappointed!

I just started using the SimpleTech USB 2.0 Flash Drive with 256 MB this week, and I'm a convert already. This "thumb drive" offers enough storage capacity to stash some decent sized files(if you compress big file first)---digital images, music, PhotoShop files, PowerPoint presentations---that used to require you to burn a CD or scurry about hoping you found a Mac or PC with a Zip drive. Look at it this way: one of these compact drives will hold what you could have put on 256 floppy disks! There is no power cord to plug in.

Thanks to Apple's heads-up introduction of USB technology several years ago, it's a snap to port data from almost any computer around these days if you have one of these sleek numbers tucked away in a shirt pocket or satchel. So far, the "plug and play" feature of this USB drive has worked in half a dozen computers, and I've been able to store and retrieve files, plus print from the Flash Drive, on both Mac and PC platforms.

The one nuisance I've encountered, and the brief instructions with the Flash Drive do warn you, is that it may only work with the USB ports in the backs of some computers. For instance, the Flash Drive works only in the main USB connection on my IMac, but works in multiple ports on the G4 at work.

It's hard to beat the convenience and ease of these sleek drives. As their capacity grows and their price shrinks, these Flash Drives will soon be as common as cell phones and not nearly as obnoxious.