Desktop Reviews

I still remember when I bought my first Palm III: it was a cool product, but the replacement of batteries made it a very annoying toy. I also find it very un-ecological. Fortunately, the Palm V eventually came out, with a rechargeable battery built in. That made the whole difference to me.

Any cordless device is bound to have this problem, since we haven't yet discovered how to transfer power through airwaves (wouldn't that be a great invention).

The Logitech Cordless Desktop MX for Bluetooth is a perfect example of the above. The mouse ahs a built-in battery that can be recharged in a station, just like a cordless phone. More unfortunately, the keyboard uses four AA batteries.

Any desk product that trades off batteries for a power cable is very questionable in my opinion. If it was hardly justifiable for a Palm, I just can't find a reason to do so for your desktop keyboard. The mouse, on the other hand, is an excellent item. I see that it can be bought without the keyboard--probably a smart trade-off.

The set itself is very beautiful and sturdy, and the installation on XP was extremely easy. I cannot wait to use Bluetooth with my Palm m515. Whether it will drain the battery in two hours is a question I would like to know the answer to.

I bought this set after a long search for a wireless set with a USB keyboard connector for my laptop (thanks to Toshiba for not putting one on my P10). When I opened the box and installed it on my laptop (prior to installing the drivers, which I had to download from Logitech's website) and no problems of detection (both on my Windows XP and Gentoo Linux systems). And everything worked like a dream after installing the software packages. If you take to time to play with the iTouch settings you can create a monster of the keyboard (attaching menus (instead of direct commands) to the hot keys, etc.)

I actually had no intentions of writing a review for this set, I didn't even buy it from Amazon but some of the reviews here gave such a bad impression that I had to. First the bluetooth hub works fine with non-Logitech devices, however if a bluetooth hub or similar device is installed prior to this set, the setup utility limits the hub to the keyboard+mouse set in order not to screw your existing Bluetooth configuration.

Someone made a point about the hotkey icons.
"Shopping Cart" for Shopping

How can you better describe shopping. The same goes for all the other hotkeys. I'm starting to doubt that you are talking about this particular product.

Also the keyboards battery consumption is quite economic, compared to my heavy usage (about 10-15 hours per day)

Why 4 stars? No users manual or software is included with the box. Downloading the software (around a total of 40 MB) can be frustrating for people using Dial-up.

I purchased this product due to its Bluetooth capabilities. While it takes a bit more setup than your standard keyboard and mouse, it works extremely well. The keyboard and mouse work very well and have a great feel. The keyboard is extremely comfortable. The mouse charger also acts as a Bluetooth hub, which I used to connect my Palm Pilot and hope to use with a Bluetooth enabled phone soon.

The software also provides a few nice extras, such as onscreen volume display. Cap Lock/Num Lock/Scroll Lock onscreen display.

It came down to this product or the Microsoft Bluetooth setup. I chose Logitech both because of my previous success with their products and because the keyboard is a standard layout. The Microsoft version moves the Insert/Delete// block of six keys into a two column formation and doubles the size of the delete key. As a programmer, this frustrated me to no end.

Overall I am very impressed and I am planning on purchasing a duplicate set for my home.

Even though this kit clearly advertised that it contained "Everything you need to create a wireless network for TWO desktop computers" that turned out not to be the case. Because my current modem connected via the USB and not an ethernet card (like the majority of cable modem installations lately), I was told by microsoft that I would need to go out and purchase an ethernet card and an ethernet cable before I could use this kit to hook up both computers.

System works fine now that it's up and running, but since we already had a router connecting our computers, installation became incredibly tedious. The instruction manual gave basic instructions but left out important aspects (like in which spot to connect the cable to the original router).
Tech support was not good at all the first two times i called, and great the last time i called.
Microsoft tech support is kind of annoying overall because you have to go through a lot just to get to tech support (asking for your full name, address, phone number...then they give you a case number, and when you get connected to tech support, you have to repeat all of this information). It was kind of a pain.
The first tech support person wasn't helpful and had a pretty thick accent. The second got angry with me (she had no reason to because i'm harmless and don't get angry), and i'm pretty sure she hung up on me.
The third guy told me exactly what i needed to know, so if you can recommend which tech support you want to use, say Jed!
Anyway, after three days of messing around with all the cables and setting up everything, we finally got the base station running. The adapter was incredibly easy to set up.
If you know anything about network settings, you have no reason to use the software, and therefore no reason to update anything. We didn't end up using the software because it kept detecting the router instead of the microsoft base, so it didn't work. Even when setting up the adapter, the software was only needed to get the necessary driver. You can put in your own network settings.
This set is good if you don't have a lot of networking skills and only have the two computers to connect. That's pretty much the only reason to get this. I got it because it was pretty much the cheapest thing there, but in hindsight, i would have bought something that was easier to deal with.
Other wireless base stations can pretty much be plugged in and work without all the horrible installation problems, so i would definitely recommend something not by Microsoft.
As said in other comments, don't buy it just because it's Microsoft brand, because it is probably one of the worst brands out there.
In conclusion, get this if you're really concerned about the cost, looking for something simple to connect only two computers without an existing network, and not looking for something that's top quality.

If you have a broadband internet connection and multiple people in your house who need access to it... rather than fight over one connection, buy this kit! It's cheap, works great, and supports up to 4 additional remote desktop or notebook PC's (note: PC's only, non-Wintel, e.g. Apple computers, are not supported). The install was not quite as smooth as I would have liked. I got what turned out to be a phantom error (a false negative on a standard test built into the install program) and had to call Microsoft support. But they quickly realized the error was false and I completed the install with a little help from them. The end result is fabulous! My wife has high speed access from her office just below mine and we didn't have to pay the cable company for a second hookup and another cable modem. Now I can add a couple laptops and another desktop should the need arise by purchasing only the wireless adaptor and installing the software and putting in the encryption key (which you get at from your wireless base station using the included software). Performance is great... sitting at her desktop, I quickly forgot I was accessing the net wirelessly via my desktop one floor up.

I bought the 2502 powerline ethernet connector and the 2521 powerline access point. I was adding them to a network which is using two NetGear XE-102 powerline connectors. The Netgear products installed instantly without any software (except to add encryption, if you want). After several hours neither Siemens/SpeedStream product worked. Passwords are required for each device. You have to match to the default settings on the access point for all your devices. Forget it. It's a nice idea to have a powerline access point and I hope Netgear develops one. The instruction booklets are cryptic and useless.

Worked right out of the box for me. The literature for configuring the "network" password is wanting, but with the help of a web search I was able to do it.

I bought the SS2502 and the SS2510. They work fine. Never a problem. They are fast and reliable. I'm going to buy more SS2502s. A great, inexpensive way to wire the house.

GOOD:
I bought this set from Compusa for about $70 and it was totally worth it. The keyboard/mouse looks great (black and silver styling), and the wireless transceiver seems to have a very good range. I use rechargeable batteries that I switch out every couple months. The media control keys at he top of the keyboard are really cool. They work with whatever application is currently open with no configuration required. If nothing is running they will launch the default media player app. This means if winamp is the default player, you can control volume, track, pause/stop, etc... and later if you are watching a DVD through powerDVD or something like it the keyboard will control powerDVD instead with no config. changes. It's really pretty smart. I highly recommend this product :)

BAD:
Mouse light stays on at low setting all the time, mouse battery must be switched every two to three months with normal use (not too bad). Also, the caps lock, numlock, and function lock (special function keys on this keyboard) are all located on the transceiver base (not on the keyboard). Since I keep this thing behind my desk, I can't always tell which lights are on. Oh well... :)

Ok, let me start by saying that like most other human beings I don't like Microsoft, but lets not allow this to prevent us from judging a product objectively.
This keyboard-mouse combo does exactly what it should do, nothing less, but a few things more.
The keyboard is excellent. Reception is perfect, and the extra multimedia keys work well and are programmable with the supplied drivers. The fact that the CAPS/NUMLOCK lights are on the receiver haven't bothered me a bit so far.
The mouse is simple yet efficient. It does what it should, a bit heavy and most be used from a shorter range than the keyboard (but still surpasses the 6-foot specification), but other than that very good.
Installation couldn't be easier, unless you're a complete newbie to computers. Battery life is good, channel switching is possible (though I didn't need it at all), and the design looks great.
The price is very cheap, what more do you need?
Very recommended.

It sounded like a good idea to clean a laptop keyboard (I thought that would solve some problems), but let me tell you once you put all the lovely little keys back, nothing works. So, I figured it was either time to get a new laptop, deal with waiting days and days while the keyboard was repaired or find another solution.

It took a few hours and suddenly I decided to go look for a keyboard and try to plug it into the laptop. The thought really didn't cross my mind before or I would have bought this amazing keyboard months ago. Not only can I type way faster, I love the freedom of the cordless world. Plus, hey, hey, I can now see the letters on the keys. My laptop has a few keys where my nails literally clawed through the top of the key. It is funny, but true.

The "Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop" is quite a sexy system with a sleek look and plenty of style. I really haven't used all the features because mostly I just type and type and type some more. This is a nice package deal with one-touch features. The customizable keys will amuse anyone who has the time to figure everything out.

If you love to listen to music while you are at the computer, there is a Media Center so you can open, play and navigate music with the touch of a few buttons. I was trying to figure out why you would want a keyboard that works within 6 feet of the receiver and then I figured it was for the music functions.

The Wireless Optical Mouse is shaped for comfort and can be used by right or left-handed users. The clear/wider scroll wheel allows you to move quickly through web pages. I noticed that the scrolling was much faster and there is no need to click on the scroll bar. Basically everything works faster with this keyboard. I'm quite impressed.

This works with PS/2 or USB. 4 AA batteries are included. Two for the keyboard and two for the mouse. They seem to last quite a long time.

The Software installation and setup was so easy, I thought I was dreaming. Within hours of finding out I was not able to type, I was suddenly back in the review-writing mood. Although my husband says I sounded like someone had died when I told him I could not type. Talk about feeling helpless. Since fixing a computer is a few hundred dollars these days, I think we really lucked out by buying this very affordable desktop system. When I comparred prices, I saved myself over a thousand bucks. Well, if I had to go buy a new computer.

The reason I chose this particular keyboard is because it has a palm rest, which makes typing very comfortable.

~TheRebeccaReview.com

Sorry folks.. this clock just doesn't set itself! It's as simple as that. You will find no support for this product.

This clock is accurate, but not very accurate. While looking for a clock I thought it would be great to pick up one of these atomic clocks so I can synchronize all my clocks together.

Just one problem, though... when I went to pick it up and I noticed they had two of these sitting next to each other as a display. They were over 30 seconds different!!!!

There are other ways of setting a clock atomically. I bought a regular wall clock instead and now I just synchorize my watch and all of my clocks with a program I bought on the Internet.

The temperature features are nice and this does keep pretty close time. The feature of it setting itself is handy. I'm sure it makes Day-Lights savings time a bit easier. But I'm not going to pay extra for an atomic clock that is incorrect. You can do it cheaper other ways.

I received a similar (but not identical) SkyScan clock from Sams Club about 1.5 years ago. It's worked great up until last week. The outside temperature sensor stopped working. I replaced the batteries and that didn't seem to help. After contacting Eddie at Impact Merchandising (the distributor of SkyScan products) he emailed me with a fix. What you have to do is take out the batteries from both the clock and the temp sensor. Leave them out for AT LEAST 15 minutes. Then make sure you place new fresh batteries in the temp unit first. Then place new batteries in the clock. (DO NOT TRY TO SET THE TIME OR PRESS ANY BUTTONS ON THE CLOCK). Place the two units 3-5 feet apart. You should get a signal within 15 minutes. If not repeat the process once. If that doesn't fix the clock you can purchase a new temp sensor for $5 directly from them. Their contact info is :
Equity Time
6262 Patterson Pass Rd. Suite C
Livermore Ca 94550
(925) 373-9700

Never worked properly in windows 2000, but that could be due to something else. However:

If you have this MA311 card in a Windows 2000 computer then upgrade to XP, IT WILL NOT WORK!

I have tried this process on two separate PCs; the card is then unusable in that machine afterwards, no amount of changing PCI slots, un/reinstalling drivers helps, you just various annoying windows errors such as 'driver installation was unsuccessful'.

Tech support are quite useless and sound very much like they're reading from a script, mainly because that's exactly what they're doing.

Software & support 1 star, card 5 stars. I have two of these, and they work quite well with M$ generic drivers for Windows 2000 & XP, and Linux Orinoco drivers.

Netgear's own software is lousy on Windows- aside from the installer corrupting my registry once and putting a bunch of icons on my desktop, it doesn't add anything beyond Microsoft's. Their drivers don't even exist for Linux, but since they use a generic chipset, most distributions can support it. Their telephone support doesn't exist, and it is nearly impossible to find any helpful information on the MA311 on their website.

Those negatives aside, the card works quite well, which is the most important issue for me. If you're technically competent and don't need any handholding, this isn't a bad card.

I use this card with the Netgear MR814 802.11b Wireless 4-Port Cable/DSL Router and they work together flawlessly.
I've had my network up since November every single day without spending more than 2 hours to set it all up. The signal strength I get is really good even with two floors between the router and the wireless card.
For those of you interested this card works great with Linux as well. I use kernel 2.4.24 and I never have a problem, while I had some issues with versions up to 2.4.20.

It works equally well with XP and 2K as well.

man i thought this computer was good times when my father first bought one... for about 4 months. then i became technicaly competent and discovered that the power supply is a TURD, the graphics card was an easy replacement (on the grounds that it blows), and the dvd-rw is god awful. save a few hundred and buy sonys 21" crt and make a custom from tigerdirect...

i wish i could rate 0.

The Sony Vaio PCV-RZ14G is a great pc for just about anything out there right now. Digital video editing is fast even when processing through hours of footage! And the 120Gb hard drive is plenty of space for this Video Studio machine. The format of the 120 gb is set up nicely so that if for some reason a virus takes over your system you can use the restore disk on the system partition and not loose possibly hours of footage stored on your whoppering 120gb hard drive. The NVidia GForce4 video card included is great and sure does bring games to live. Unfortunately the 64MB may fall behind with the new Video cards with 128MB. However not to worry the video card is not intergrated and you can upgrade it whenever you feel its outdated. The soundcard is integrated. Its a Yamaha Ac-XG WDM. I honestly dont know the capabilities of this card for surround sound however it sounds great with the two speakers the system comes with. The tv tuner included is just pretty nifty to have. This computer is ideal for a dorm room without a tv. Make this computer your super workstation. Games, TV, Homework, and Movies. Its pretty awesome.

The RZ14G system is my latest computer system in my networked home. I've been home-brewing PCs for years and got tired of the headache side of the support equation. It was fun, but enough is enough. So I bought this one as my first OEM system in years. Fantastic! Why did I select this one? P4 2.53GHz. 120GB drive. 512MB fast RAM. Lots of software included for just what I will using it for, digital video editing (ballroom dance videos, family stories, etc.) A good, complete solution to my current home computer wants (and needs...sheesh!)

After setting up the system and connecting my network, it worked right away. Fast and to the point, great! After downloading a few updates to current software, I ran some benchmarks (graphics, RAM speed, etc.) This machine is ranking very high on every scale.

The GeForce4 MX card looks great with digital video, Tribes2 and Unreal Tournament, with nice FPS performance. The internal sound card is a Yamaha device, so it'll do for awhile until I upgrade to a Creative Audigy card. As for the PC's own speed when doing video capturing and graphics, this PC has all the gozintas and gozoutas I need! I shoot using miniDV, so the iLink ports are great and fast. I added another 80GB HDD to acccommodate my video capturing, saving the D: 95GB partition for production copies. As for the included software with this system, MS Office would've been nice, but the Wordperfect Suite is very complete and fully functional. Sony included Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 and Premiere 6.0 LE, a great compliment to what I bought this system for, to edit videos and make DVDs! I added Premiere 6.5 to the mix and it is now very fast and very functional.

When I saw this system at a local store, I pondered buying another Sony. My other Sony, their older TRV9 miniDV camera, -never- gave me problems. Would their computer systems do the same? After going online for reviews, I found -very- few negatives. Great!

If I had only one problem, it would be the lack of technical information on their Giga Pocket personal video recorder system. It covers a lot of ground and having the docs online only just makes it that much more difficult to "put it all together" and use all of it. But the docs online are good and the system DOES work!

Am I happy with this system? Yes! Is there room to grow with it? Yes!

I bought this system with the intention of putting my videos on dvd. There is no support to do this with analog videos without extra hardware. The software programs they give won't allow you to do it for digital videos either. I streamed my digital videos onto the system and I can create digital videos, but not the kind the the dvd producing program likes. In order to produce video input for the DVD-it! program supplied, I need to by additional software. Why would Sony sell a system that supposedly is it be used as a "digital studio" without giving you the software to burn a dvd with the dvd burner provided?

A word to the wise on Sony's Vaio line: I purchased one of the Sony slimline computers a year ago and had a hard disk failure within the first 9 months. This was covered by the warranty, so Sony replaced the drive at their expense. The replacement drive failed in about 6 months (when it and the system were off warranty). When I replaced *that* drive I discovered that Sony had given me a used disk when it did the warranty work.

I have owned my PCV-RX580 for less than thirty days. The minute the computer arrived at my front door I removed the modem and installed two network cards. One network card is a standard CAT5 LAN card while the second is a telephone line network adapter. The installed Windows XP Home operating system quickly found the new adapters and allowed me to configure them while automatically setting up a bridge to my DSL service and a firewall. I must admit that although I am an experienced computer user, I am not well versed with using Windows XP at this time. I was very impressed with the installed OS. I did not buy this unit for the strengths of video or music composition for which it was designed but more for the known reliability and compatibility of my installed networked PC's. I was less impressed with the overall performance of the Pentium 4 1.8GHz processor and 512Mb PC133 SDRAM. I have a networked PC with an AMD 1.3GHz processor and 512Mb DDR RAM that seems much snappier with response to loading programs and running multiple tasks. I expected this Pentium 4 to respond equally as well or better than my AMD 1.3GHz, but that was more an anticipation than a factual conclusion. My PCV-RX580 system came very well optioned with software, much of which I will rarely or never use. As previously mentioned, this unit is my main link to the internet and host to seven networked computers making this computer the heart of my system. My Vaio is the only Sony product on my network resulting the trusted link for my remaining system. I think that says it all for my confidence in Sony's reliability. I have all the big names linked to my home network yet one Sony got the leadership responsibility as a file server and key link to the outside world twenty four hours a day seven days a week. I am very pleased with the installed hardware along with the added ability to burn a DVD should the need arise. The PCV-RX580 is partitioned and tuned for the video and music afficionados however it is also perfectly suited for my needs as well

Everything I need In One Sony PC!! It is a sleek slim-line PC. The only problem is that the case is pretty cramped and not much room for expansion.

Let's skip all the standard PC junk (the processor, RAM, disk space, etc.). After all, this beauty is marketed as a "state-of-the-art multimedia computer with a powerful, entertainment package" - in case you happen to believe manuals. The PC features of VAIO PCV-MXS10 are impressive, so is the fifteen hundred dollars markup as compared with a similarly equipped COMPAQ or an HP. Would you like to know where the money went (I did)?
Lets break it down.
Audio:
1. The two 20W large speakers look good. The sound quality and power, however, could have been better. Any hundred bucks boombox beats them hands down.
2. Remote control - looks intimidating for a week or two, especially when you pull the lower lid down to open up the A/V recording buttons (concealed). Then you begin to wonder why on earth no other PC maker had thought of this before!
3. This is very annoying - if you happen to adjust volume (on the reflective front panel or the remote) while the computer is executing even a basic task, it will appear not doing anything for a few seconds, then will hit you with a loud volume increase which was running in the OS background.
Graphics/games:
4. Game card - not bad for an entry level multimedia computer, less than adequate for the "state-of-the art" machine. Don't get me wrong - all my games worked perfect - for now. But what happens in a year or two with all those Internet enabled graphic card power-hungry games that are coming out?
Video:
5. DVD - no composite output, but S-VHS jack for an outside TV. No S-VHS cable, plenty of RCA and coaxial cables. The playback tolerance (DVD body scratches) is impressive - beats home DVD players for sure!
6. The multimedia software - Giga Pocket Personal Video Recorder, DVgate, Media Bar, Movie Shaker, PictureGear, Smart Capture, VisualFlow, SonicStage Premium - all worth the stretch price-wise.
Customer Support - excellent, to say the least! Had a problem on the very first day - resolved within a few minutes with 3 (three!) levels of escalation. Outstanding!
Summary: Don't consider Sony VAIO PCV-MXS10 a desktop with a good multimedia package, because it is not. You will be better off with a fifteen hundred dollars shy COMPAQ or HP. Spend the difference on additional software and hardware upgrades - makes perfect sense.
Do consider this wonderful machine (has its drawbacks - yes!) if you want to get a PC-centered all-in-one multimedia center connected to an outside high end audio and digital video (satellite, HDTV, DVD(-R(W)) player, etc.) components. Only then then this overpriced under-developed mis-marketed Sony PC becomes what it really is - a multimedia dream machine that is worth every penny!
Would I buy it again - given another choice? Definitely!

The MXS10 is a great all around machine that truly shines if you are interested in TV/Video and audio/music functions. Not only can you watch TV on your monitor with the built-in tuner you can also record video directly to the hard drive using the integrated Personal Video Recorder (similar to Tivo). The MX also has S-Video out and Optical out to watch that same video on your home entertainment system.

Have a digital camcorder? Import and edit your video using the built-in firewire port, Even better once you are done editing burn your results to DVD. The DVD-RW that comes standard will record a DVD-R disc that is playable on most (read sold in the last 12-18 months) consumer home DVD players. (...).

Like Music? Not only does the MXS10 include CD-RW capability, a PC card slot and a memory stick slot it also includes a Mini-Disc Audio drive. Copy and create you own MD discs. MD is a high quality portable music technology pioneered by Sony. The MX also has an integrated FM receiver for listening to the radio.

All this and a great looking package that includes shelf size speakers.

This thing is just too cool…..

I have linksys 4-port router and 8-port hub at home. Both has the capacity for 100MB ethernet. But when I transfer files from two computer locally, the maximum speed I can have is 10MBit although the 100MB LED indicators are on for both computers. I tried to call Linksys many many time, but never got through. I really hate their customer service. It seems they never want to provider technical support to customers. I strongly recommend not to buy any network products from Linksys.

Linksys is an extremely unreliable company that does not want your business. I would never recommend a purchase of any product from Linksys. I purchased a Linksys Etherfast 8 port 100 Base-TX Hub Model No: FEHUB08W that recognized both my computers, but not my SURFboard cable modem. So, I think to myself, "This has to be a compatibility problem."I began by checking the Linksys web site. I could not find any indication that there might be compatibility issues with this hub. It was then, at about 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time on February 6, that I decided to call the technical support number. I called the technical support number - which by the way is not a 1-800 number - and got the message that things were busy, "please hold." I patiently waited on hold for several minutes when another message informed me that technical assistance is very busy. They would return my call later. I was given the option to leave a message, or to remain on the line and speak with an operator. I decided to remain on the line and talk with the operator. The phone rang for the operator several times and then went to the message system. I was determined to speak with someone in person, so I hung up my phone and called back. The phone rang. I again got the message that the technical support people were busy. After several minutes I was again presented with the option to leave a message or speak with the operator. I again selected to speak with an operator. When the operator answered the phone he did not say, "hello." The line was simply open, so I spoke to see if anyone was there. He stumbled several times, placed me on hold and then finally came back to get my information. Interestingly, he called up my record from the previous fall (I was impressed), called me by name and I gave him the details of my new problem. He assured me that someone would return my call. I asked how long the return call would take, figuring that I could give him my work number for a call-back the following day, but he assured me that it normally only took a couple of hours. And so, I confirmed with him by saying, "Someone will call me back this evening?" He replied, "Yes." I kept the phone line open all evening, but I did not receive a return phone call. At about 9:30 p.m. that evening (February 6) I decided that I would also send an email in hopes that it would prove more efficient. At least I could more completely explain my predicament. I also included on that email my home phone, work phone and email address. The return phone call from the Linksys technical support finally arrived the following day, Wednesday, February 7 at 3:22 p.m. Eastern Time. The message said, "Linksys technical support returning a call for Bill regarding the hub. If you're still having a problem give us a call back. As a reminder always verify that you're getting a link light on the hub and that you're using the category 5 straight through cable. If you're still having problems give us a call back. Thank you." Well that seemed pretty straightforward. I was using a category 5 straight through cable and my problem was that I could not get a light at the uplink port on the hub. I decided that I should call back, so at about 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, February 7 I made another long distance telephone call to Linksys technical support. Yes, you guessed it. I waited again patiently only to discover that all the technicians were busy. An operator came on the line and offered to take my message. I explained to this young lady that I had called the previous night. She was unable to find my information, so she took the information again. I asked her how long it would take for a return phone call. She responded that I should receive a call in about an hour. I chuckled, but took her at her word. At 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, February 7, I decided that I was not going to receive any assistance from Linksys technical support. I decided instead that I would go online and purchase an Asanté 10T Hub/8 of my own. I had borrowed an Asanté hub. It worked like a charm. It might be older technology. It might be a slower hub technology, but it's hard to beat success, right? I did receive a return call from Linksys technical support finally. They called me back this morning Friday, February 9 at 11:15 a.m. Unfortunately, I was at work and so I discovered the following message on my answering machine when I returned home this evening. "Hi this message is for Bill. Bill this is Linksys tech support Call us back at 1-800-326-7114 reference number 0103-0337 and when calling us back please have the model number of the Linksys product ready." Well, finally a 1-800 number to call and actually, I'd already supplied the company's technical support personnel with model number of my Linksys hub three times now. My new Asanté 10T Hub/8 arrived and it works fantastic, so I packed up my Linksys hub accompanied by a long letter detailing my experiences and I mailed it to the company president, Mr. Victor Tsao, on February 10, 2001. Guess what? I have never received a response from him either. Linksys is an unreliable company and it does not want your business, so I would never recommend that you purchase anything from Linksys.

First of all, the current picture of a black hub is mistaken - the box looks like the other current linksys routers / hubs with the bright blue and black plastic box design.

That having been said, this hub worked perfectly out of the box. It is used to network among machines running Windows 98, Windows 2000, and Linux, using a variety of ethernet cards (3Com, Linksys, NetGear). It has been used several weeks now without a problem. Setup took minutes!

Besides this item, I have bought and used several Linksys products before, including several 4-port hubs, a 4-port router, PC network cards and a laptop card. All of these have worked flawlessly with the other network equipment I have used. In some cases they replaced an item that cost 3-6 times more yet did not work as well!

I noticed some other users have had issues with this product, so here are a few pointers about networking that might help:

1) Hubs allow computers to talk to connect to each other on a local network. All a hub does is allow a computer which is set up to be on the network to talk to another computer.

2) To create a local network that can talk to the internet, you either need to buy an IP address for every machine and use a hub, or use a router to allow multiple computers on the internal network to look to anyone on the internet as having a single IP address. (Don't forget the cable/DSL connection & modem.)

3) The maximum speed that the hub supports may be 100 Mbps, but the speed is limited by the speed of the ethernet card as well! Some ethernet cards are only rated for 10Mbps - so that is the maximum connection speed you'll get using them.