Computer Reviews

If you're thinking of get either this or a keyboard from M$ or IBM, don't even bother with the M$ model. This keyboard, and any Logitech keyboard for that matter, offer second to none key feedback.

I have own three of these. It is great for using a computer with your TV. You can sit in a chair 15' away from your computer and play a game or watch movies. Add a M$ or Logitech opital wireless mouse and you never have to leave your couch.

Anther great aspect of this keyboard is that you can two of them side-by-side and they won't interfer with each other. Each keyboard syncs to each hub offering the ability to have multiple kewyboards in close promiity.

The two batteries that it comes with will last you 3-6 months of constant use. With good batteries, the keyboard will type away for years w/o need for new ones.

If their is a weakness in this keyboard it is if you spill something inside, it done. You will have to buy a new one.

Once you use this thing, you'll never used a corded keyboard again. Go ahead, put it on your lap, hold it sideways, type your e-mails from the couch 4 feet away - it'll work great. Logitech is making some nifty gadgets that make computing a whole lot more interesting. Have fun!

This keyboard is an excellent example of Logitech's attention to fine craftmanship. The keys have just the right resistance and responce. I have been using the keyboard for over a year now, and have not experienced any problems with it. None of the keys have stuck, and I have yet to change the batteries. This keyboard will help reduce the clutter of your desktop, and even permits one to work away from the desktop. The range of the keyboard is very good, and I can even use the keyboard with a few objects inbetween the reciever and the keyboard. I would also recommend the Logitech cordless optical mouse to round out the cordless desktop

I love this case.

I own three Lowepro cases; a "Topload Zoom 2" (which I use whenever I take any of my SLR cameras in the field), a "D-Res 8" for my Canon S400, and and a "D-Res 10 AW", which I use with my Fuji MX-1700 digital camera. I think that all of them are exceptionally good. They are well-made, durable, good looking and functional. Before settling on Lowepro a couple of years ago, I went through dozens of bags, and was never really happy with any of them.

The D-Res 10 AW is the perfect size for my Fuji MX-1700. It is over two years old now, and looks as good as the day that it arrived at my door via UPS - despite the fact that it has seen LOTS of abuse over the last few years.

I just recently got a Powershot A80, which I love. I got the Canon PSC-60 soft case sight unseen since it seemed like a nice complement for the camera. The quality of materials is good, but the design seems simplistic and minimalist to the extreme and leaves a lot to be desired in terms of functionality.

I moved on to the Lowepro MX10 (which is now called the Lowepro D-Res 10 AW, only the colors have changed a bit). For about the same money as the Canon case, I get:
-a reclosable belt loop (with strong velco attachment)
-removable neck strap
-soft tricot lining (no scratched LCDs with this case)
-room for an extra compact flash card (a bit tight with a CF plastic cover, perfect fit with just the card)
-room for 4 extra AA batteries, even with the extra compact flash card in the case as well
-a weatherproof and durable fabric
-wide top-opening full zipper top
-reasonably thick padding
Overall, the Lowepro bag looks like it was made for the Powershot A80 (and presumably the A70 and A60 as well), the camera fits just a little loosely by itself, but perfectly with 4 extra AA batteries and a spare compact flash card.

I can't say anything negative about my Canon camera, I love it. The PSC-60 case, however, leaves a lot to be desired, and much better options exist out there. I highly recommend the Lowepro case.

One final note: Lowepro has a "matrix" on their website to match many different camera models with the appropriate bag. For the Canon Powershot A60/A70 (similar size as the A80), the matrix recommends another bag (the D-Res 8S), but I tried both in a store and the MX 10/D-Res 10 seemed a better fit, with more room for extras (CF card and batteries).

As I ordered the camera on line, I wanted a case to fit snugly, but couldn't try them on for fit. The choice of camera was directly related to the size, so I didn't want a big bulky case. The Lowe website tells you exactly which bag to buy for a particular model of camera, which is great, otherwise I probably would have ordered the wrong one. But just like they said, the camera fits snugly inside, there is a bit of room for a couple extras. For traveling, hiking, cycling, and whatever else I can get myself into, this is a great little case that protects well.

I've owned this monitor for about three months now, and I must agree with Scott Pope's review in toto.

It IS quite heavy, but I don't mind this so much since I don't move my monitor very much, as a rule. It is also deep, but if you have the space for a 21-inch monitor, then you'll have enough space for this one.

I, too, use the 1920 x 1200 resolution, as I've been unable to find a card that supports the 2304 x 1400 res. Currently, I use an ATI Raedon 9700 Pro and am quite happy with the results. This monitor also supports inputs from two boxes, someting that may be of interest to people like me who have a small LAN but don't want the clutter of multiple monitors.

The controls on this monitor are quite easy to use. I quite agree with Scott that, although the monitor is targeted for CAD pros and such, there are many advantages for the more "casual" user: DVDs are SUPERB in widescreen mode (the monitor having a true 16 x 10 aspect ratio), desktop space is greatly enhanced; and applicatins like Adobe Photoshop and Pagemaker are greatly benefitted by the additional workspace that this monitor affords.

Web pages are no problem, either. Given browser controls, text size etc. are easily controlled, and surfing is actually more pleasurable.

In sum, don't worry about the weight or the space required of this monitor. They're not so much an issue. Just get a friend to help move it, and a sturdy table to put it on, and you'll be fine. The rewards this monitor offers more outweigh (pun intended) the physical proportions of the monitor.

Oh, if you do buy the monitor, be sure to visit the Sony site and get the .inf file.

Full Review
I purchased the Sony GDM FW900 as part of the ultimate personal computer, which would double as a business and entertainment machine. The picture is INCREDIBLE. The picture quality is superior to anything I have seen, including the Apple 22" and NEC 21".

There is one problem, however, size. It weighs 95lbs dry and is very deep. Moreover, I have not had any luck finding a graphics board or drivers that go up to 2304 x 1440. Yet, the 1920 x 1200 is still pretty incredible.

There are two items besides size and quality, that really make this a profession piece of equipment. First, there is a nice cylindrical control panel (must see to understand) and the use of a profession five BNC video cable. The latter seems to improve image quality (not exactly sure why besides the shielding).

While the monitor is targeted to engineers and researchers, it makes an excellent piece of entertainment hardware that can be used to watch DVDs and HDTV signals.

I've had this monitor for about a week now and I'm thoroughly happy. You haven't played a game until you've played it on a 24inch monitor! Also, the pitch is .23 - .27, anyways! The screen functions are accessed from a console that rotates the buttons in to view from the bottom of the screen. Altering the look/appearance of your screen is a snap. Also it's possible to have multiple computers hooked up to this bad boy. ... You can have two word documents open and on screen at the same time without having to squint and break out the magnifying glass. If you want the best and don't mind dropping the dough, this is your best bet.

The Intuos2 is WELL worth the expense, if you are planning to be/are already a digital artist. Now that I own it, I cannot imagine how I ever got along without it. At first I had doubts about
1) whether it would be comfortable to work on,
2) whether I would be able to use it with a stylus comfortably and
3) whether I would be able to switch to mouse mode just like a regular mouse,
4) and most important of all, whether this would be significantly useful to me as an artist. The answer to all these is YES. The pad is slightly elevated, but has the same comfort as if I were resting my arm on a table. Using the stylus (pen) is great when I use Photoshop, and after just ordering Painter 8 this is really coming in handy. (For those of you who haven't ordered hardware or software yet I recommend buying a bundle of the Intuos and Painter with a discount if possible, Painter is an awesome program) I ordered the 5x8 inch version. Drawing with this was strange at first, but I got the hang of it after practicing for a bit, and it was like a LIBERATION from the mouse, which used to make my right index finger numb and sore from constantly clicking. the pen us completely customizable, which I take advantage of in Photoshop and is VERY helpful in drawing, makes things much quicker. the mouse was set to a weird speed at default after installing, but the control panel was self explanatory and I got the mouse to move like my old one in a matter of seconds. (I was a middle schooler who was ok w/computers when I installed it so trust me this thing is very easy to set) I use the pen for drawing anything on the computer now with ease, but I also use the mouse a lot as it is more convenient to move across the board when not drawing. Basically, if you are an artist, you MUST buy this, I gaurantee you'll feel like you grew a new arm once you do ;)

It was really hard deciding between the Intuos2 4x5 and the 6x8. In the past I've used these tablets both at home and at work. I mainly do photo retouching in Photoshop. The 4x5 is pretty expensive for a little tablet and there is a great deal on the 6x8 Platinum (cheaper than the purple 6x8). At these prices I can only afford to get one tablet. I want it to be the right one. I picked both of them up at a local electronics store and have them side by side in front of me now for testing. I'm only using a single 19 inch monitor. The 4x5 is a little small. You have to be more accurate with it to select menus, click icons etc. This accuracy requires you to make very small and precise hand movements that I'm finding makes my hand a little stressed and tired. You have to remember that a pen is not like a mouse. With a mouse you can move over an icon and hold it there without clicking on it. With a pen you have to have the tip hover over the pad in that location. If you touch the pad it means you clicked something. Any little movement of the hovering pen causes the cursor to move around. You are much more steady with a mouse. The 6x8 tablet is physically twice as big as the 4x5 and thicker. It is a bigger commitment of desk space. I must say that it feels more comfortable than the 4x5. With the 4x5 my hand would have to go off the right edge when I wanted to select something all the way on the right side of the screen. With the 6x8 the cursor isn't as wobbly when hovering over a point. My hand movements are a little looser since the tablet's active area is bigger and my hand is not as stressed when trying to click a tiny button on the screen. If you ever want to go with dual monitors forget about the 4x5. It would be way too small. Don't even think about getting anything bigger than a 6x8 either. Many have forked out the dough for bigger tablet and live to regret it. I'm keeping the 6x8 and returning the 4x5. If you can afford it, get the 6x8. If you can't afford the extra cost, you can make due with the 4x5. Where I would recommend the 4x5 is for laptops.

First off, I have to say that this really is a top notch product. I really "trust" Wacom, and they've made a really outstanding product with the Intuos2 6X8 tablet.

I would list the pro's and cons, but honestly, I don't have any cons. I've never had a single problem with it, it just always works. I've been using one at work for a year, and I bought one for home use about 6 months ago. I use mine with Adobe Photoshop 7, and all around, it does everything that I want it to do and more.

All of the great reviews on this site should tell you, this is a great product, that is worth every cent. I have no question about getting one, and everytime I do artwork for work or for myself, I'm extremely glad that I own one.

Just get one!

I simply love this case. Great air flow and room to work. The side latch is tough and has held up over the 2 years I have had it. I built 2 systems around this case and passed my old mobo and cpu and built another system with a new case of which has been nothing but a headache. I will never buy anything other than Antec cases. The only thing that has started to fail is the removable hard drive tray latch. It sticks now, but still works. I will prolly have this case until mobo designs change.

i used to believe that what really mattered about a computer was the "stuff inside" and the case didn't matter really (except the power supply that is.) however my old case was starting to get a little cramped with all the cords running around. my pc is mainly an extremely high quality audio workstation and can get quite hot sometimes when multiple inputs and such are live at once along with playback and effects running, this case kept everything quite cool the whole time and had plenty of space for all of my cords. another nice feature is it's detachable hard drive bay, which pops out, with the hit of a switch. there are two fans included with the case along with three more slots for optional fans (2 blowing air into the case and one to cool off the HDD's) the case itself is very well built, it is extremely sturdy and has no rough or sharp edges. i would highly recommend this or it's big brother the sx840 (same with 400w power supply) to anyone looking for a new case.

I read rave reviews of this case on amazon.com several weeks ago while looking for a cpu case. I fortunately was able to use my employee discount through my employer to get this case at near cost. Let me say this is perhaps the finest design and construction I have seen in a product in some time. Removeable front panels make putting in IDE drives a snap. The roomy inside makes installing everything a breeze. I absolutely love this case. The only thing I found lacking though, was a very detailed instruction manual, namely wiring info. However, few people skilled enough to build their own computer would read the manual anyway. Overall I rate this product a 4.95 out of 5.

I have bought several other "quality" matte photo papers that are nothing more but a sheeny paper, stopping short of glossy. Or else just a heavier paper, but not photo like at all. This HP premium PLUS photo paper provides QUALITY matte photos. Like the real thing, only immediate at your own home rather than the store. I used the HP 7550 photo printer and print pictures that are top of the line photo quality. I will never use another paper again for photos. It's definitely worth the extra cost.

I got this paper with my hp psc 2210 all in one printer fax scanner and copier and it worked great. Nice thick paper and i printed a photo on it and turned out excellent - looked as good as the original picture or better. Very clear and nice. Highly Recomended.

HP Premium Plus Matte Photo Paper is the best photo paper I've used so far. It's thick, durable and professional looking.

I just got the CCD-TRV-308 camcorder and it is awesome!! The only thing is is that you cant edit your film on your computer you can just play it back. I give 4 - 4 1/2 stars

I've been trying to buy a video camera for the past 6 years (ever since my first monster bought in 1990 died). I finally bit the bullet since this camera seemed so reasonable and so highly-rated. I'm happy with every aspect of this camcorder. The bells and whistles are surprisingly complete, and it's so lightweight that I can (and do) spend the entire day with it in my hand.

One caveat...a wide angle lens would be a smart purchase. It's difficult to get far enough away from the action and still hear what is going on.

We purchased this camcorder for the holidays, selecting the CCDTRV308 over the CCDTRV108 due to it's added features such as image stability and auto-light. It arrived within three days - amazing! With my son's birthday coming up at the weekend, and the speedy delivery, it was a real test as to whether I could read the manual and become comfortable in the camcorder's use before the big day. The instructions are clear, concise and easily referenced.

We chose official Sony cassettes for this first run to ensure optimal picture quality and compatibility. Image quality is excellent, but we did notice that it performs better after it has 'warmed up'. This might be due to cassette stability or electronics temperature, but in no way detracts from this product's quality. Fade in/out options are excellent and with the 'cinema' setting gives your production that 'ER' feel.

I suspect that upgrading to a higher capacity battery may be a next step, but it lasted through the kid's party with ease. About 30 minutes of shooting remained, even though we used the LCD the whole time.

Title use is a little confusing, but you do get the option of creating two custom titles in addition to the standard fare.

The tripod was prepared, just in case the weight of the camcorder became tiring, but it was not needed. The lightness of these new camcorders over the ones of yesteryear makes life much easier, and is not burdening.

We researched considerably, before purchasing this product, which is no guarantee of success, but I have no hesitation in recommending it to those considering a Hi-8 camcorder.

Ok, I never thought I would write this about computer speakers.. If you dont have a woop (...) set of computer speakers, then buy these.. if you have to wonder if you do.. then you dont. If you have these Altecs you will understand that... Now down to the details, amazon.com got these to me ASAP and for free.. thanks amazon. Next, let me tell you that my first pair came from circuit city but i paid about fifty clams more:( but i have now purchased 5 yes 5 more pair from amazon. I gave them to a few emplyees as a gift. and another pair for my home computer. Dont sit too close to these and crank them as hard as they will go. They can play clean and undistorted to a higher level than your ears can bear. I first opened them, disappointed to see MADE IN CHINA after about 3 minutes of listening I have changed my opinion of MADE IN CHINA. Stop reading this and buy a pair. (...) gosh my ears are ringing..

Just got these speakers from Amazon and I have to say, "Wow!" I'm a music lover/stereophile who is picky about sound quality. These speakers replaced an aging set of Altec Lansing ACS53 speakers from the mid 90's. I used to be a snob, doubting that a set of computer speakers could measure up to the sound I got out of my high-end home system. Boy, was I wrong. I base this review on how it sounds with music, everything from classical, piano, vocals to rap and techno. I didn't try it with movies or games... they're not my thing on my computer.

The difference between the old and the new speakers is night and day. The highs and the mids are crystal clear without harshness, buzziness or coloration. The lows are powerful, punchy and tight, not boomy or muddled. Amazing 2.1 sound quality. Not nearly up to par with the high end rig that I have in the living room. But for a small fraction of the price, to even be mentioned in the same sentence is truly amazing. Plus, I can enjoy them while working on my computer instead of having to take time out to enjoy the home rig.

I was debating between these and the the Klipsch ProMedia GMX A-2.1. Though I can't comment about the Klipsch speakers, I have to say that, if you value music, for the price you can't go wrong with these Altec Lansings. Great for the computer/music lover or iPod user.

Three warnings:
1. The satellites are tippy and may fall forward if not secured.
2. You will want to start ripping songs at higher bit rates. Lower bit rates won't do them justice. You'll be able to hear the difference. Crappy recordings will sound like crap. High quality will sound like high quality.
3. Your neighbors will hate you from all the loud music coming from your place.

Good luck and enjoy.

Before buying these speakers I read just about every review on every speaker on Amazon. You have to be very skeptical about reviews because some are shills (from the competing manufacturers). My first set of Altec Lansing speakers for my home stereo system I bought 14 years ago with 15" subwoofers. I haven't purchased a pair of Altec Lansing since so I wasn't sure if they retained their standard of perfection. But I can see that my worries were unfounded. The sound is absolutely crisp and as clear as you'll get for computer speakers. I listen to everything from classical to hard rock to Ottmar Leibert (except rap, which I refuse to de-genius myself by doing) and the sound quality is consistent. I was considering Klipsch speakers, but after hearing them at the store there was no doubt that Altec Lansing was the clear winner for my ear.

The palm rest hooks into the underside of the keyboard with four thin plastic strips, but mine broke off within the first week of purchase with casual usage.

The buttons to the left of the keyboard are not very useful. The cursor needs to be moved over a window before the keyboard wheel can be used to scoll the window. Instead of doing a maneuver with the mouse and the keyboard, one can easily accomplish the same task with arrow keys. Below the keyboard wheel button is a back button (not configurable, works only with Internet Explorer) and a Go button (which can only launch web pages). The rest of the progammable keys have more option as to what it can do, including multimedia/internet functions, launching folders, menus, and applications.

Speaking of programmability, the F1-F12 keys by default come with email functionalities, such as new, reply, forward, and send. If this is an inconvenience, these keys can be de-programmed to act like the F1-F12 keys by assigning them the "transparent pass-through" function. The Go button is easy to press by mistake when holding the keyboard by its left side, so in addition to the "transparent pass-through" function, a "do nothing" function for the go button would have been nice. The F-lock key works like the caps lock key, except when the F-lock is on, it forces the F1-F12 keys to behave like F1-F12 keys instead of like programmed keys. There is no option to have the F-lock turned on by default upon Windows startup.

This is a very nice, well designed keyboard. The keys are very comfortable and quiet. The construction looks and feels very durable (not cheaply made). The extra keys are well placed and easy to program. I did have some problems with the iTouch software using Windows 98 SE. Using iTouch 1.83 (which came with the keyboard) works fine except the keyboard resets when you log off (switch users) Windows and the num lock light goes out when num lock is still set. Annoying. I tried downloading the latest version 2.13. That has more features but worse problems. With Win 98, it crashes when you use the Media key. Then none of the programmable keys work until you reboot. It's a little disappointing to pay so much for such a nice keyboard and have such annoying software problems with it. Perhaps it works better with newer versions of Windows, but many people don't by a replacement keyboard for a new computer. Logitech should test it's products better with older versions of Windows.

This is my first multimedia keyboard and I really like the way it performs. The keyboard looks pretty sleek as well. It has a good design and many multimedia buttons. Installation of the keyboard drivers is easy and configuring the hot keys is fast and simple. The only thing that I don't like about this keyboard is that if you are using Windows XP, the sleep key takes you to the user screen instead of going to low power mode. Oh well, I can live with it.

I bought this fan to replace the Antec "ball baring" fan, which is very noisy (see related review). This fan is smooth and much quieter. However the picture of this fan on amazon.com is wrong. The picture shows that this fan has a power pin and another pin, which goes to the "system fan" plug on the motherboard (so you can monitor the fan speed if your bios support this feature. The Antec ball baring fan has this pin). But this fan actually has only the power pin. Although I will not return this fan, I want to point out that if you want to monitor the fan speed, this fan will not work.

Cheap, quiet, reliable... Need I say more?

What more can I say. I bought 4 of these for my case and they are rock solid.