Motorola EM326g Prepaid Phone (Net10)

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $99.99
Sale Price: $36.00
Today's Bonus: 64% Off

I bought this phone from Target after I inadvertently cracked the LCD screen on my LG 300. This phone has some very nice features: Bluetooth, Digital Camera (1.3 Megapixels), microSD Card Slot, MP3 Player, and FM Radio. It also has a Browser, but you can only access the Net10 site with it; access to all other sites are restricted.

I'll briefly touch on each of these and other features:

Bluetooth

The bluetooth works surprisingly well. I can connect the phone to my iPAQ 111 Pocket PC using bluetooth for transferring files between the units. I also have no trouble connecting the phone to my Garmin Nuvi 360 GPS unit and my Plantronics Headset. Once my Nuvi is connected to the phone, I can use the Nuvi as a speaker phone. I can also use the Nuvi to dial and receive phone calls. SWEEeeet!

Digital Camera

The quality of the picture taken with the 1.3-megapixel camera is pretty good. Each JPEG file is typically less than 100 Kb.

microSD Card Slot

The microSD slot will only read a microSD card (2 GB or less), not a microSDHC (microSD, High Capacity 4 GB or more). If you insert a microSDHC card, you will get the message: Please remove card and insert again.

MP3 Player

The sound quality through my Sony earphones is decent enough. The MP3 player, unfortunately, doesn't have an equalizer.

FM Radio

The FM Radio reception is as good as any portable radio. Since your earphones function as an antenna, the FM Radio won't work unless you have your earphones plugged in.

Browser

Internet access is restricted to only the Net10 Web site. (Interestingly, some people reportedly have full (unrestricted) Internet access on the browser.) I tried a few URL's (e.g. google) but each time I got the error message: HTTP error forbidden.

The Net10 Web site has links for Sports, Weather, and News. The page loads are excruciatingly slow! It can take a few minutes for a page to load, if at all. Sometimes, the page just hangs. You would have to be pretty desperate to want to use the browser!

e-mail

I tried to e-mail an attachment a couple of times but had no success with it. 3.5 minutes (1 minute standard rate + 2.5 minutes e-mailing rate) were deducted from my account on _each_ attempt, even though the e-mail failed to get through! The error message: Sending failed: Connection error.

o Miscellaneous Features

The phone has all the "standard" features that come with most cell phones: polyphonic ring tones, games (e.g. Need For Speed Carbon), and tools (e.g. calculator and alarm clock).

o Usability

Service: The standby battery life is about 2 to 3 days. Cell phone reception from the Net10 service is decent enough (Net10 actually uses the AT&T network). It comes with 300 minutes of free airtime (a 30-d0llar value).

Volume Control: I really like the volume control buttons on the left side of the phone. You can quickly set the phone to Silent, Vibrate, or one of seven volume levels without having to wade through the menus.

Form: The phone is very compact. It is the same size as the LG 300.

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The biggest gripe I have about the phone is the crippled browser. Other than that, I don't really have very much else to complain about it. For me, an absolute must-have on a phone is bluetooth and this feature works flawlessly on the EM 326g. Overall, I'm quite happy with it. For the price, it's really not a bad deal. If you're looking for a prepaid phone, this one's definitely worth consideration.

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LG Xenon GR500 Unlocked Phone with QWERTY Keyboard, 2MP Camera

Customer Ratings:

I have had this phone for about 6 months now and have had NO problems out of it. I read reviews that talked about the screen freezing up but this has never happened to me. I would recommend this phone to anyone.

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Bose® Computer MusicMonitor® -- Black

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $299.00
Sale Price: $269.00
Today's Bonus: 10% Off

Notes: I don't work for Bose, and I "paid for" these speakers with AMEX credit card points.

To compare these speakers to 3-piece computer speakers makes no more sense than comparing a computer subwoofer to a high-end audio subwoofer. The only similarity is that they produce sound, with varying levels of fidelity.

I'm comparing the Bose MusicMonitor to the few very small desktop speakers that provide a decent sound. Not necessarily an accurate sound; I've heard systems in the $250,000 range that provide excellent sound -but it is still not accurate sound. If you're expecting the full sonic equivalent of a 3-piece system, you won't find it in the MusicMonitor. You also won't find the thumpy, tubby overpowering "bass" those cheap subwoofers produce. And in home theaters, all but the very best subwoofers are often paired with infrasonic transducers which, when screwed to the bottom of the floor, can take the output frequency down to 5 Hz or so (and tickle your feet and your butt in the process).

Granted, there's not much low bass so beloved of video explosions and certain types of music. But neither is there the strident blaring that often comes from small speakers whose speakers are driven well past the point of linearity. What the MusicMonitors provide is a well-balanced sonic field I would rate similar to some professional near-field monitors. Being small speakers, they do best in near-field positions not more than a foot or two from your ears. Still, there's enough clear volume that you can walk around a room and the music won't seem too weak. My impression is that the bass tends to rise slower (maxes out) than the rest of the audio range as volume increases. But at lower volumes there's plenty there to give a good feel of solidity to lower notes. You will not get an extreme dynamic range, but then that's not what they're designed for either.

Some studies in the '50's showed that many people didn't notice the loss of extreme bass as long as their higher harmonics were reasonably loud. I'm sure that's at least a part of what gives these little boxes a sense of weight to music. The mid-and higher ranges all seemed well executed, with none of the stridency I associate with small-diameter speakers forced to do more than their design allowed for.

I was frankly surprised at how much I enjoyed the MusicMonitor's sound. I expected something a little better than the competition; what I heard was an order of magnitude better. They sound very good at my normal listening level and if I turn the volume up for a song that deserves it, I'm not disappointed by that presentation, either.

A fair review would pit the MusicMonitor against a 2-piece speaker the same size. But as far as I can tell, there isn't one. So I'll give the speaker 5 stars based on what it does with what it has. I don't think there's a better very small speaker out there. There are bigger and cheaper ones, but they're not really the same class of speaker I'm reviewing.

The Bose MusicMonitor is an excellent close-field speaker system that produces a broad, relativley flat sound with a wide variety of music. The speakers are unobtrusive, nicely finished, and would look good on any desk. An optional carry case lets you bring them along on a trip to listen to mp3 music in your room.

So, possibly aside from the price, these are definitely 5-star speakers. They play music and audio, in a small package, with no obvious audible distortions or other significant problems. Sure, tradeoffs were made, as they always are in design and manufacturing. But Bose has clearly hit a home run with this little jewel.

If you have reservations about buying and trying one, Bose and Amazon normally have very good return policies, but be sure to check before ordering. If you're looking for something small, look to the MusicMonitor first. You'll quickly see how size, weight, number of components and sound make them an easy first audition choice. You may decide that there's no reason to go on and audit your second choice.

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Samsung LN46B750 46-Inch 1080p 240 Hz LCD HDTV with Charcoal

Customer Ratings:

If you are seriously consider purchasing this tv, please read this review completely. This is a bit critical in nature, but I hope to provide a balanced review based on my experience with this unit. Depending on what you are looking for, this set may or may not work out well for you.

Just for background context, I mainly watch HD content hooked up via hdmi on my PS3. This includes bluray movies, hd content and some gaming. Regular tv and sd viewing were not as much of a concern to me. I own a 3 year old 26 inch sony lcd, and have also more recently owned a vizio 42 inch xvt, and samsung's latest 40 inch b550, which is the non 120 or 240hz model of their current lineup, and most recently the 50 inch Panasonic G10, which I purchased after returning this B750 that I am reviewing. I may refer to some of these in the review.

As you will read there are a few major issues I found that made me return. If you feel these wont be a problem for you, this model should work great for you. After all if you are going to pay a little under $1,700 for a tv, one should be completely satisfied with it.

Design

This tv looks beautiful, understated, elegant and simple. It has a very slight touch of gray at the bottom that you can barely notice, and it should complement pretty much any decor in your home. The unit is quite thin at around 3 inches, and I was able to lift and set up the tv myself. Cheaply made screws, almost as bad as ikea used to setup the stand were a bit of a pain to put in and remove when I decided to return the unit. After a correct assembly, the tv still sort of wobbles around and generally doesn't feel like it is solid on the stand, though it shouldn't pose any problems. I noticed the same thing on the Samsung B550 by the way. The swivel design works smoothly and easily, and though I didn't use it at all, I could see how it would come in handy.

Picture Quality and Viewing Experience

The picture quality in general on this unit is gorgeous. Nicely saturated colors and comfortably deep blacks for an lcd. I tested several blurays and they all looked excellent. You will definitely need to dial back the setting to get a more realistic picture, as much of the regular setting have over-cranked saturation, brightness and contrast to impress in stores like best buy. Overall, I can say even the most discerning movie goers and enthusiasts will find it hard to really put down the picture quality itself, though there are definitely better sets out there for the money. The picture was definitely an improvement over the cheaper Samsung B550, but wasn't drastically better. i think much of the sense of better picture over the b550 was the glossy screen and better motion processing. It supposedly has a better/newer panel (10-bit vs 8-bit) over the b550 and other cheaper model lcd's. I guess the difference between very good and very very good is a subtle one.

You are given a bevy of picture tweaking options to adjust the picture to your particular room and your eyes. If you are like me, you will fiddle at least a little bit with these, and will switch between settings depending on what you are watching.

The 240hz processing to my eye, and many other reviewers will not provide any visible difference from 120hz. But the manner in which it is implemented is really nice. You can adjust judder and blur separately to get the picture to the way you like it. I felt this worked well, and really helped in the overalls smoothness and motion intense scenes. I had blur at 10 and judder between 3 and 6 depending on what I was watching.

However, this was all marred by a few issues, the worst of which was auto dimming. I had read about this on the led side lit samsungs 6 & 7000 series (which you can also find at your local best buy and amazon as well), but did not know this was included with the b750. Gizmodo did a feature on this for the b7000 with the phrase "avoid!" in the title. Basically, anytime the scene gets dark, the tv will sense that and automatically drop or dim the backlight dramatically to get deeper blacks. The problem is that is happens usually a split second after the scene has already started and it is extremely distracting. It also darkens many bright spots in the picture somewhat, like city lights over a dark sky, or stars in a dark sky. This is very noticeable for example on the Dark Knight bluray. The more I watched, the more annoying it got. The fact that the lcd already does a good job of getting very black without the dimming is what makes it really unnecessary. It also does this while flipping channels on tv, and pretty much anything you watch. There is no way for the consumer to switch this off, as far as I know. I tried everything in the menu, from dynamic contrast to eco mode etc. There might be a more techie way, but I am pretty well versed in tech, and was not able to turn off this distracting feature. It is possible the autodimming wont bother you, but if it sounds like it might, please take note. This was a bit hard to swallow for me, because almost none of the reviews mentioned this on the b750, including cnet. This also may be solved by a future firmware update from samsung, but don't hold your breath for it. (UPDATE: Apparently this can be fixed from the service menu. However the average consumer should understand that this could potentially void your warranty and mess up your tv. If you are confident though, search some forums online and try to fix this yourself.)

The next issue was what appeared to be slight "clouding" or patches of grey-whitish color on the panel. I didn't notice at first, but once a few black screens or dark scenes came on, it was both noticeable and distracting. This could be just my specific unit, or a defect. I had read that the b750 was very good in this respect and had a uniform screen, but the whitish patches became very noticeable, and in dark scenes, it looks like there were subtle hints of cloudy patches on top of the screen. I have read that this is a common issue with many lcd's, so it depends on what you end up with. But you do run the risk of this problem with the b750 or maybe any lcd. Still, my old sony, and the samsung b550 never had this problem, so it was a little disappointing.

Another issue was a thin flickering white/silver line that would flicker on top of the screen right under the bezel during many dark scenes. It was not too noticeable, but enough to become a slight nuisance. This was really obvious on dark knight, and also the Planet Earth bluray during the immersive underwater scenes.

I know the issues of glare on lcd's has been addressed ad nauseam, but I just thought I should chime in. The screen is pitch black and VERY reflective, to the point of acting like a mirror. I have a room that gets ambient, not direct, sunlight and it was quite distracting during the day. It is rather difficult to see, so you need to crank up the brightness, which helps a bit. The display definitely gets as bright as you need. In the evening, with very dim lighting, it is still possible to see yourself reflected in the tv when it goes black in between scenes. The Samsung B550 (a cheaper tv), has a sort of matte-glossy hybrid display that I thought worked much better when compared to this one. But, the glossy display is partly responsible for the richer color and deeper blacks you get on this unit. Always tradeoffs. If you are ok with glossy screens on tv's, you will be ok with this one too. P.S. best buy is not a good place to figure out if you are ok with glossy screens. They don't look the same at home.

Off angle viewing on this unit is just not very good. The moment you move even a little bit away from the sweet spot of the couch right in the center, the blacks start to wash out, and the whole picture starts to look different. Not necessarily terrible, but different. The cheaper B550 had much more consistent viewing angle experience for some reason, I'm not sure why. Basically, if you have 3 or 4 people over for a movie, some will probably be seeing a slightly different picture.

Gaming

Reading several reviews of the b750, some said gaming was too laggy (ie: when you press a button it doesn't register right away) on the it, some said it was fine, so I had to give it a shot. I felt it was far too much lag to play games well. In other words, you will die or miss more often. You wont know why, you just will. The lag is on a millisecond level, but much of the twitch response in gaming is that way. Your eyes wont really notice that it is lagging, but it is definitely there, and significantly I might add. The "Game" mode does a little to remedy this, but it is still not perfect and the picture a bit harsh in game mode, since you can't adjust any picture settings. If you are a very casual gamer and are playing games that don't really require good timing, then the lag wont really bother you. For me, I can't really recommend it for gaming. For reference, I was playing games like Resistance 2, Little big planet, Street Fighter 2 hd remix, guitar hero etc for testing. The lag is much better, almost nonexistent on the Panasonic G10, which is a plasma. For lcd, I believe the Samsung B750 gives average or maybe below average performance. Strangely, the Samsung B550 for comparison was a little better in my experience and so was my old sony lcd.

User Experience, Menus and extra features

Going with the theme of lag, I have to say Samsung's menus are extremely slow to respond and laggy. They look ok I suppose, with a blue graphical touch. All menu navigation has extra animations and movements that make them less responsive (reminds me of a Samsung cell phone I used to own). Compared to other tv's I have used, Samsung menus tend to cover more of the screen, which I feel is also a bit of a minus when you are making adjustments based on what you are watching.

If you are the type to change picture modes often (like movie, vivid, standard etc) depending on what you are watching, you may be a tad annoyed to learn that Samsung removed the picture mode toggle button from the remote, which they have on the cheaper b550, so you have to dig into a submenu just to change the picture mode. The remote is pretty easy to use, but I feel it is not naturally intuitive compared to some other brands, but this may just be personal preference. For example, the context of the tools and menu button seem to change and give you different options depending on what you are doing, and not necessarily in a logical manner.

The picture mode button was replaced with a "content" button that takes you to Samsung's "content" if you can call it that, in one press. Samsung's content, is really inane and pretty useless. It's actually kind of funny. It has recipes, nature sounds, and some random children's songs. They are all very slow to load and extremely average to poor in quality. You might take a look at it once or twice just to see what it is, but I wouldn't imagine that anyone would use the features frequently.

The internet widgets by Yahoo! widgets I would say are pretty close to unusable. I don't factor this much into the review or my decision to return the unit, because I didn't buy the tv for these features. I used to use Yahoo widgets some years ago on a windows computer, and the were pretty good, so I think it is just a poor implementation. In keeping with the menus, the widgets are extremely slow and unresponsive and feels like a very slow computer using a dial up connection, when you are actually using an expensive new piece of equipment with a broadband connection. For the record you get weather, stocks, flickr etc. No youtube, but it may come soon. For comparison, the Panasonic G10 has a few internet features that are very responsive and easy to use like youtube, weather, stocks, and picasa. All of this could also be improved with a firmware update from samsung.

Content can be played on the tv via plugging in a hard drive or usb stick to the usb port on the side of the tv. This feature was my favorite and has been implemented extremely well. It plays nearly any filetype, including the commonly used but rarely supported mkv format. The picture quality is good, very smooth and best of all it supports subtitles! The subtitle has really nice looking text and you can adjust the size and the sync time of the subtitles. This usb feature really surpassed my expectations and it was really tough to let this one go when I returned the unit. People who download alot of video, especially mkv could potentially buy the B750 just for this feature, its that good. Of course all the picture issues I mentioned before still stand though.

I did not try the dlna networking features, because they didn't support mac out of the box, and I didn't have a real interest to try it at the time.

Overall, I would say many things about this tv live up to the positive reviews. Beautiful picture quality and design really shine. But unfortunately I just couldn't live with the the issues that I noticed

extremely distracting auto dimming feature that can't be turned off in the unit i received (trust me, i tried every option in the menus!)

whitish, cloudy patches that are apparent during dark scenes

significant gaming lag making most action-oriented games difficult to play

These three were my main issues for returning the unit, the many other things I highlighted just added to my decision though they were not deal breakers (or deal makers for that matter). I feel that if you can live with the issues I highlight you will really like the tv as the picture quality really is excellent. As a side note, I jumped into the plasma world with the Panasonic G10. While it's not perfect, I feel it worked out much better for me than this particular Samsung and am very happy with it. If you are in the market of this tv, I highly recommend checking out everything that is out there.

Amazon was easy to deal with. The unit arrived on Friday after ordering it Monday morning via Pilot shipping. The Pilot folks did not help me setup the tv as other reviews mentioned. They were in a real hurry to leave the moment they dropped off the tv, but no big deal for me -could be for folks that need more help. When we decided to return, Amazon was cooperative and helped us with the procedure and is already processing the refund. Someone is supposed to come pick up the tv in a day or two. This was my first time ordering such a high ticket item from Amazon, and though it didn't work out for me this time, I think it is pretty safe to do so.

I gave it 3 stars because the actual picture quality was very good some of the issues could potentially be fixed with a firmware update.

Good luck! I hope this helps you make a decision on this tv. If I had read a review like this, it might have saved me some time. But ultimately you have to see for yourself.

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LG VX8300 CELL PHONE VERIZON CDMA VX 8300 CAMERA EVDO

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $299.99
Sale Price: $85.55
Today's Bonus: 71% Off

The LG VX8300 is the latest offering in the market for do-(almost)-it-all cell phones. It combines all of the standard phone functionality with music and video playback and phone, making it a media powerhouse considering that it's such a portable, affordable package. The next step up would be a smartphone, but at significant extra cost for the addition of more well-rounded PDA functions.

THE PHONE

The first thing you'll notice about the 8300 is that it's a great-looking piece of tech stylish and modern yet also subdued enough that it won't embarrass you in business settings. Some pictures make it look black, but it is actually a deep metallic pewter color. It's roughly the same size (3.5 x 1.9 x 0.9) as LG's other recent clamshell phones, although a little slimmer for easier pocketing. It feels solid but not heavy at 3.9 oz with the standard battery. The plastic case feels softer than prior models, so it may be more susceptible to scratches and scrapes over time. There is a leather case for it, but I doubt you could bear the idea of covering up this good-looking unit.

The 8300 runs on Verizon's CDMA all-digital network, so coverage may be an issue if you live in rural areas. I've been a Verizon customer for years with LG digitals and never run into any dead spots around town and while traveling, but check Verizon's coverage maps on their website beforehand.

Voice clarity is superb, both for you and for the person you're calling. The 8300 has speakerphone capability, but amplified through the external audio speakers, it tends to be so loud that it may distort set your volume appropriately low.

The phone has a wide array of conveniences, including numerous handy voice-activated commands (send messages, check voice mail, look up contact, examine wireless account, etc.), one-touch calling, unique rings and photo IDs for different contacts, an address book with room for 500 contacts, and so on. I'm a huge proponent of the voice-activated commands, and while the 8300 is very easy to set up, the long-term downside is that instead of matching up your command with your own prerecorded voice as prior models did, this phone tries to actually phonetically "read" entries from your contacts list and find a match that way. So, if you have unusually-spelled names with silent letters in your contacts list, the 8300 will have a tough time making a match. Plus, when it repeats the name back to you, it generally mangles the pronunciation, making that form of caller ID undesirable. It's too bad that the contacts list doesn't have a separate "nickname" field so that you could accurately store the contact as say, "Mike Krzyzewski" but have the voice-activated commands look the entry up as "Coach", for example.

If you're obsessive about ringtones, then you'll be disappointed with the default offerings. They play back with great quality, but they're pretty boring. Verizon clearly wants you to go to their GetItNow service to purchase the latest and flashiest ringtones. It's not documented in the manual, but it is possible to use MP3s loaded into the phone as ringtones.

The phone supports Bluetooth v.1.1, which makes it easily compatible with many wireless devices like headsets/earpieces. You can also use this to wirelessly transmit and receive contact information with other Bluetooth devices.

THE CAMERA

I bought my first digital camera about five years ago a 1.3 megapixel Olympus for about $350. Now, for a fraction of the price and space, the 8300 delivers that same picture quality. It's also got additional features that make the results actually worth viewing/printing, including flash, white balancing for a variety of lighting conditions (no more washed out or oddly-tinted phone pics), a four-position digital zoom, and night mode. There are also some capabilities for having fun with your photos such as special effects (negative, posterize, etc.), self-portrait capability using the external screen as a viewfinder, and a timer. You can take pictures from 160x120 thumbnails all the way up to print-quality 1280x960.

The camera can also take videos, although the quality is predictably choppy and the largest clip that can be sent via email is only 15 seconds. Like any of the phone's media, larger clips can be stored to the phone's internal memory or onto an optional microSD card and then copied to another device or PC.

Photos taken can be used as contact IDs or wallpaper on either the external or main screen. Both screens are breathtaking in their brightness, clarity and resolution. They never fail to register the initial jaw-dropping compliment when someone sees the phone for the first time.

MUSIC PLAYER

You can't really say MP3 player because the 8300 wants to only play files in Microsoft's .wma format. This is because Verizon wants you to use their VCast online music store. I purchased the Music Essential Pack with my phone and was sorely disappointed in this the VCast software wouldn't load (it kept trying to roll me back to Windows Media Player 10 even though I'm on 11), the USB cable kept losing connection (crummy driver software), and the headphones were just so-so. I recommend instead investing in a big MicroSD card and using it to store and transfer all of your music, photos and videos. This is clearly the easiest way to load information back and forth between the phone, although Verizon won't tell you that since it cuts their overpriced music store out of the loop. And if you do prefer MP3s for playback, the 8300 may not be configured out of the box to play them, but it's a simple change to make just search the web for instructions.

The sound for playback is very good, again considering that it's not a dedicated music device. The external stereo speakers are on either side of the clamshell hinge and they pump out a lot of sound for their size. The 8300 has a very good ergonomic feature in the form of player control buttons (play/pause, fast forward, rewind) on the outside face of the phone. So, you can keep it in the palm of your hand rather than flipped open while listening.

BUSINESS/PRODUCTIVITY

The 8300 comes with the standard roster of business apps dumbed down for cell phone usage: calendar, world clock, calculator with tip macros, etc. At this time, I haven't found an easy way to sync data back and forth with any desktop apps like Outlook or Notes. There are open source apps on the Web like Bitpim that can do this, but the 8300 is currently too new for that software to handle. That gap should be remedied soon.

Verizon offers wireless broadband via an EV-DO network that includes most major metropolitan areas and airports.

One exceptional add-on that Verizon offers is VZ Navigator, which turns the 8300 into a GPS-driven navigation device. You can purchase the add-on either monthly if you do a lot of traveling by car or even day-to-day if you're just taking a short trip. It works well, looks great, and really boosts the usefulness of this unit.

CONCLUSION

The LG VX8300 combines a great phone, a camera that's actually useful and some pretty cool media capabilities into one compact unit. There are of course some trade-offs for each, but the convenience of only having to carry one slim item in your pocket is invaluable. It really is a marvel for the price.

PROS

* A very clear phone with many convenient features like voice-activated commands.

* A 1.3 megapixel camera capable of taking pictures you'd actually have printed thanks to 1280x960 resolution, flash, and color effects.

* A good-sounding music player that, when combined with your own library on an optional microSD card, puts hours of entertainment in your pocket.

* Bluetooth capability for wireless add-ons and communication with other devices.

CONS

* Incompatible with existing accessories get ready to buy new chargers, sync cables, etc.

* VCast music store is overpriced and not easy to set up (just get a microSD card and use it to store/transfer media instead no problem).

* Initial selection of ringtones is pretty dull another attempt by Verizon to squeeze extra charges out of you.

* Some of the external buttons are awkwardly sized and/or placed people with larger hands may cramp up after prolonged periods of use.

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Dell Inspiron 660s i660s-3854BK Desktop

Customer Ratings:

This computer is exactly what I was configuring on Dell's own website but during checkout at Dell I ran into a problem as they wanted to charge me $70 to ship to Hawaii. I did the Dell chat thing to ask why it was so much and the chat support person was so slow and asking so many unnecessary questions that I did a quick Amazon search and found it for around $150 cheaper on Amazon with free shipping to Hawaii no less!

Good old Amazon coming through yet again. I feared it would be lacking something because it was cheaper but it is exactly as described, had the extra ram in it, wifi IS included, etc. Very fast, minimal bloatware from Dell, super quiet and fairly small (not as small as the old Dell Studio Hybrid series but smaller than a normal desktop).

I would highly recommend this computer for anything expect high end video games.

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Digital Prism ATSC-710 7" Portable Handheld LCD TV with Built in

Customer Ratings:

Well, the digital switch wasn't without problems! This TV has a wonderfully clear picture for the stations that you can receive. There are a few things to consider though. You will probably need another different antenna because the one provided doesn't get many stations. I had to purchase an amplified antenna (bought 4 of them and eliminated them one by one) to get my local stations. If you live in an area with tall buildings, mountains, etc. you will no doubt have issues. Apparently, digital signals are not as strong as analog signals and reception is poor because of this. You will also need a tripod to stand it on (like the small ones for digital cameras) as it does not have a base that stands up easily. You also have to have a lot of patience to locate a signal as moving even slightly makes a big difference. It's a bit clumsy with the external antenna attached. I think we were used to the mobility of the old analog type products and this technology is a bit quirky. So if you're the impatient type, this might not be for you.

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Panasonic AJ-P2C032AG 32GB P2 High Performance Memory Card

Customer Ratings:

Leave it to Panasonic to charge $1500.00 for a souped up memory card. This item is essential to an owner of a P2 camera, can't shoot in HD without it, but something has to be done about these prices. Works as it should, no complaints so far.

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Canon C100 Cinema EOS Camera (Body Only)

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $7,999.00
Sale Price: $5,449.00
Today's Bonus: 32% Off

There's a lot of talk around the net about how it's missing/has crippled features from its bigger brother the c300. But it can't be denied that you're getting the same sensor as the cameras costing many times this little guy, and the low light ability of it is arguably unrivaled.

When looking at the competitors, there's really nothing that's similar. You have the FS700 which is a nonstarter for me due to its ungainly form factor. DSLRs work great, but lack basic things that professional video cameras such as this have, namely XLRs, proper monitoring, and built in ND filters.

I do have my nitpicks, so i'll rattle them off:

-The LCD is in the wrong place, should be farther forward, and cannot turn to face forward.

-The EVF is not very good at all, but i'll take a mediocre EVF over no EVF at all. I use it frequently, and a large eyecup helps a lot.

-No true 1080 slow motion, the 60i isn't terrible by any means, but if you want good slow motion, it's just not quite there.

-The darn thing is just a half an inch too large in all directions to work with nearly any of the great photography cases out there.

-LCD screen reflective, not great in sunlight. Sony's lcds for the longest time have had amazingly visible lcds in sunlight, what's wrong canon?

I could go on, but it's really nitpicking. The plusses far outweigh the minuses:

-Unrivaled low light up to 20,000 ISO. And yes it's USABLE up to 20K, not that you should, but you can if really needed.

-Small formfactor, with all the expected video necessities. Can handhold it all day long no problem

-Practically zero artifacting. No Moire, no alaising, true 1080 sharpness.

-Battery life that makes RED shooters weep. Nothing against red, it's just Canon gave us a small, 4 hour battery.

-The AVCHD codec is NOT weak. It holds up great, the only exception being high motion scenes such as water or leaves in the wind.

-Uses any Canon or Nikon lens(with adapter)

again, i could go on, but it's just a lot to list out. If your in the market for a camera in this price range and this form factor, you'll be thrilled with using this little chap, i have zero regrets from nearly a year of use.

if i were to have one wish, it would be for canon to take a damn hint from sony and make a powered, constant aperture zoom lens.

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Brother MFC-6490CW Wireless All-in-One Inkjet Printer

Customer Ratings:

I use AutoCAD at work and occasionally at home. My hubby and I jumped when we saw this printer: just had to get it! The print is as good as on the 11x17 HP inkjet at work, and this 11x17 scanner is a better size than any of the workplace ones (although I haven't used that function yet).

Hubby managed to hook up the 6490 to our home wifi without help, and no, he didn't set our wifi up originally, and no, he doesn't really understand how wifi works. In fact, hubby is visually handicapped! I'd rate ease of installation to wifi as 5 stars. The only glitch we had was that we didn't know we had a firewall, but the install disc talked us though that step too.

So now I'm sitting in bed typing on my Dell 1520 XP and sending to the printer in the other room. I don't know how it goes through ink, but will post back if I have an issue about that or anything else in the future.

Edit added 9-6-08: We just changed the first ink cartridge. I've been printing mainly with black, but also did about 300 very small (2"x3") photos with lots of sky. We managed 700 copies on the first black cartridge as far as I can tell. Cyan is at 50% and magenta and yellow don't really show as being low yet. The machine has been beeping for the last week warning us black was low, but only today did it quit printing due to lack of ink. The last page it did was as good as the first, so I have to wonder exactly how low that ink was when it quit on us. At any rate: we had no wasted prints from low ink and it was nice enough to tell us it had stopped. Can't say that with the HP at work!

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Canon Waterproof Housing WP-DC44 for Canon PowerShot G1 X

Customer Ratings:

The Canon waterproof housings for the G-series cameras are fantastic! They are relatively cheap as housing go--brands for other kinds of cameras can cost 2-4 times as much. I've owned Canon G-series cameras with underwater housings for the G-8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and now the the G1X. I've been on many dives with them and had other divers drool over them including some very advance divers especially once the find out what a value they are.

They are easy to use, but you have to follow instructions carefully. A Camera under 2-3 atmospheres of pressure will be ruined in a second if the seals fail.

This is a great camera, housing and a super value if you dive and want to take easy-to-use pictures underwater. This isn't professional grade gear but it's great for what it is.

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Olympus PT-EP01 Underwater Case for PEN E-PL1 Digital Camera

Customer Ratings:

The camera housing is perfect for my needs, I was looking for a package that was light, yet with possibilities of having near professional level options.

Both the E-PL1 camera and the PT-EP01 fit the bill perfectly. Shooting in RAW with no extra light made it possible to correct for the lack of colour on 20m, although a flash is recommended.

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JuicedLink RM222 Riggy-Micro Dual-XLR Preamplifier with Phantom

Customer Ratings:

I shoot DSLR videos on my Canon t2i and enjoy it very much because of the ability to have interchangeable lenses, but the only downside, is that the t2i (and most DSLR cameras) has very shoddy built in pre-amps. If you have tried recording with these cameras, then you know what I mean. To hear any decent amount of sound you have to turn the gain way up and this also increases the noise signal. The amount of noise you get from recording directly through your on-board microphone is just terrible and unusable. Because of this, I have to dub music over all of my projects and mute the audio that is recorded along with the video. This virtually limits my ability to film anything with dialogue.

If you use a Rode Videomic, or a Rode Videomic Pro that plugs directly into your camera, then yes, it is better, but there is still bit of noticeable noise. Also, because of the nature of the shotgun-microphone's pick-up pattern, it will pick up, not only your actor/actresse's voice, but also everything behind him or her (cars, people talking, etc) when it is mounted on the hot-shoe and aimed directly at your subject. Is not ideal to capture crisp dialogue. To really get nice audio and emphasis the dialogue, you have to have a boom mic operator that can hold the microphone pointed down and close to the actor/actress's mouth (without being in the shot).

So why am I telling you this? I'm telling you this, because I'm suggesting that to get better audio, you should mount a videomic to a boom pole and get it close to the actor/actress. But, do realize that there will still be a little noise. If you are on a tight budget, I recommend this route. Or, you can always use lapel microphones (I don't like this option because the mics don't capture the atmosphere very well; inside or outside, the captured voice always sounds the same (it's a little bit too crisp).

If you have a bigger budget and can get a XLR microphone, then this will ensure nice audio. Problem is that, you need XLR inputs, and that, to get nice audio, you need clean gain (lots of it, if you are using a Rode NTG-2). Enter the JuicedLink RM222. The RM222 lets me plug my NTG-2 into it and use the RM222's preamplifier to replace my noisy on-board preamps. This allows me to still have audio while recording and makes it actually usable when editing in post. This eliminates syncing in post and is a HUGE time saver, especially if you are recording a bunch of super short clips. Zoom H4n or Tascam DR-40 users know how annoying it is to synch short clips.

It's made out of aluminum that is anodized (I think) black. It looks really nice, but when you hold it, it does feel fragile. Still, I prefer it to be made of aluminum, because it is much lighter and doesn't get as hot as steel. The battery compartment is VERY cheap. It is made of plastic and is probably the most fragile part of the device. It's ergonomics are definitely lacking also. If you want to replace a battery, you have to use some sort of tool (or in my case, my finger nail) to open it up. Same applies to the switches on the bottom, I use a pen cap to switch options on and off. I really wish the battery compartment designed differently and was made of something a bit stronger.

There are a lot of switches on the bottom of device that let you control a lot of things like: which XLR inputs are active, how much phantom power they get (none, 12v, or 48v), hi gain or low gain, lithium polymer (not lithium-ion) or alkaline battery metering, and whether or not you want a -16db audio duplicated track that serves as back up track in case something causes a spike in audio on your main channel (I think this requires turning on another XLR input, which will drain battery, so be careful).

It's default position is to be mounted on the bottom of your DSLR by it's 1/4 20 bolt, but if you want to slip it into the hot-shoe you can buy a hot shoe to 1/4 20 bolt on eBay and attach it there (if you do, make sure you switch the position switch from "norm" to "lift").

The gain knobs are very nice and and firm, but are a bit small. And the battery meter indicator should have at least three dots, instead of just two.

The box is a very plain white, and comes with an allen wrench, a preamp to camera cable, a piece of cork strip, a card telling you were to find the manual online, and of course the device itself.

With so many faults, you're probably wondering why I still gave this device 5-stars. I give it 5-stars because it does what it's supposed to do, and that's to provide clean gain preamps. The imperfections are minor compared to this. I could have chose something from Beachtek or Tascam, but all the devices that had on par or better audio quality, were way out of my price range.

For the audio comparison: youtube.com/watch?v=KKVeBqhXMvM (yes it's conducted by the maker of this device, and I realize it could be rigged, but still I took a chance, and this device definitely worth it).

If you're wondering how I monitor audio levels, I use a mini HDMI to female 3.5 adapter with the Magic Lantern firmware. If it wasn't for Magic Lantern, I would have to get the RA222, which has audio metering and a headphone monitor, and costs a whole lot more. If you don't want to install Magic Lantern then DO NOT buy the RM222 and get the RA222 instead, because without Magic Lantern, you don't have audio metering and monitoring on your camera like the Canon 5d Mark III does, in which the product was created for.

If I didn't buy this device, I would have filmed without audio, and then would have had my actors/actresses come over to have an extensive ADR (additional dialogue recording session), but that isn't always convenient, because of scheduling and post audio syncing. I'm really happy that I bought the JuicedLink RM222. I do think it is overpriced at $330, but it is made is the U.S.A., where labor is expensive. This is a very nice preamplifier, and I highly recommend it for DSLR shooters.

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Olympus PEN E-PL3 17mm 12.3 MP Interchangeable Lens Camera

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $399.99
Sale Price: $356.49
Today's Bonus: 11% Off

Updated 4 June 2013: I bought this product on Amazon US, but the product shuts off after every photo or two. Checked with Olympus customer service in Netherlands (as I am currently located here). They say I need to pay 160 EUR for repair and shipping cost. I just checked that on Amazon, the new EPL3 product is selling for 350 USD with 17mm lens. The 17mm 2.8 lens sells for 300 USD if separately bought. So the new body cost is 50 USD, but to repair old one it is 250 USD :).

In any case, I read several forums that many EPL3 are affected by the same issue. There is some capacitor which dies after few months and this problem comes. So it is all luck based. Anyway bad customer service from Olympus is bad. I

-------------------------------------------------------

Original review in Dec 2011:

I have been a user of Olympus E-520 for three years and used Nikon D60, Canon 450D few times as well, besides trying out LX5 and other P&S.

I like EPL3 mainly because compared to my existing E-520, it is half the size and weight but performance has doubled or tripled, though price remained relatively constant. (Good Technology PLC management I guess)

My requirements were small size/weight, good quality JPEG photos (no time for RAW). Options were Sony NEX's, Nikon's new J1/V1, Panasonic's GF3's, Fuji X100's

After going through the detailed JPEG comparisons on dpreview.com among the different options, to my Olympus trained eyes, I found the quality of EPL3/EP3/EPM1's much better for photos in the range of ISO 100 to ISO 800. Beyond ISO 800/1600, NEX rules. Some may find the quality of NEX in the lower ISO range preferable but I found they are bit soft and also NEX lacks much needed lens support. Fuji though better was beyond my budget and it had issues of focus and only fixed lens support.

Considering my usage is mostly during daytime for streets and scenery, I went for EPL-3 with 17mm lens. Among EPL3, EP3 and EPM1 though image quality is same, I chose EPL3 because it has just enough number of buttons, movable LCD for street photography, and due to the single 17mm lens that came with the deal. I wish if someone sells PEN's with 20mm Panasonic lens then it would be an ideal camera.

After using the camera, I found the fast focus quite good, also as expected very good JPEG daylight performance and more than expected night time performance.

I did not like the camera grip though, as the 400 grams camera is quite slippery due to the smooth metal finish. So, I am thinking of taking a Flipbac FBG3 grip for it and paste it on the front. Video auto focus is also a bit jerky at the start of a shoot. May be I have to still fidget with some settings.

For cover, I have taken "OP/TECH USA 7401114 Soft Pouch -Digital D-Small", but it was too loose for it. I have ordered Marumi 37mm circular Polaroid filter and yet to receive.

Finally, I think, P&S with small CCD lens will soon die except the ultrazoomers. M4/3 will do well, due to the small package size, excellent lens support and day time performance. For professional photography, DSLRs and lens from Nikon's and Canon's are still THE gear. Sony's NEX have some work to do in terms of lens support. Fuji is for the rich. Samsung is still new. Not sure who buys Ricoh/Pentax/Leica's

Update: It is not ergonomic to my hands. I have modified the camera design and uploaded to the product pictures. See Amazon's product picture for more info.

Update: I bought an mft 45mm Oly f1.8 lens in Singapore Airport for around 350 USD :-) (lower than Amazon). The portraits are coming out rather very well.

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Leica 18734 D-LUX 6 EVF 3 (Black)

Customer Ratings:

This viewfinder is rich with features and in technology. I find it more than optional for me. It is unexpectantly bright, for low light situations as well as more than usefull in bright sunlight. You can turn off all information to provide a clear and clean view of your subject or turn on all information to use as a guide for exposure. The 90 degree swival offers additional shooting angles that heretofore I would not consider. My only caution and it's a big one, is not to be careless with such a small and valuable addition to your camera. It can be easy to misplace. I know because I had to buy another one because I lost the first.

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Sony Xperia ZL LTE C6506 Unlocked Android Phone - US Warranty

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $759.99
Sale Price: $514.99
Today's Bonus: 32% Off

(Copied from here)

With all the attention is on its more flashy sibling, the Xperia Z, the ZL is actually more capable in many ways. In particular, many reviewers tend to compare the Xperia Z with the HTC One, and the latter tends to be favored; however most of the complaints against the Z are actually improved in the ZL.

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Size

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To start off with, both the Z and the ZL have a 5" screen. The resolution is 1920x1080 (aka 1080p) too ridiculously high to even care. The ZL is more compact though; it is basically all screen! It has the highest ratio of screen surface to overall phone size of any smartphone in the market, and is in fact slightly shorter than even the HTC One (with its smaller 4.7" screen).

That said, the HTC one, although slightly longer, FEELS smaller and easier to use with one hand. It has a more curved surface on the back, and so the side edges appear much slimmer than the ZL. And it's slightly narrower as well.

I did a side by side comparison with my ZL and a HTC One in a nearby AT&T Store. Yes the screen is visibly larger on the ZL, but you mostly notice that in terms of the width. That's because the Xperia (both Z and ZL) have "soft buttons" at the bottom of the screen, whereas the HTC one has dedicated capactive buttons below the screen. So the larger screen is mostly noticable when you use all of it, e.g. watching movies.

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Screen

======

That brings us right into the screen itself. Much noise has been made about "poor viewing angles", noticeably in Xperia Z reviews. And to be sure, when viewed from the side, you do see a slight dulling of the colors but hardly anything I would notice unless it was explicitly pointed out. I also tend to use matte (anti-glare) screen protectors, which seems to slightly improve (!) the viewing angle.

Now, my previous phone was a Nokia 808 PureView, which despite its smaller screen and much lower resolution, actually had by far the best contrast ratio of any phone on the market (incl. Samsung Galaxys). So side by side, the black is not quite as black on the ZL, and the white is roughly comparable. But the ZL screen is perfectly crisp as it is, and outdoor legibility (in sunlight) is great!

So even though many reviewers seem to prefer the screen on the HTC One, I would actually go for the ZL one as it is noticeably bigger and still very crisp!

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Sound

=====

Another point reviewers tend to bring up when comparing with the HTC One is the quality of the loudspeakers since the HTC is quite extraordinary in this regard. As said in the introduction, though, most reviews compare the One against the Xperia Z, which has a noticeably poorly placed and tinny speaker (its design is focused on water resistance/IP57 certification). The ZL in contrast has a pretty capable speaker thank you very much! I did a quick test vs. the HTC One in the AT&T store, and could really only tell the difference in clarity when held very close. Of course, the HTC One has stereo speakers, so in close proximity you get extra depth as well.

I compared also against my Nokia 808, which also has one of the better speakers on the market. The 808 can go slightly louder without noticeable distortion, but again, I rarely need volume cranked up that much. (In situations where you want to listen to music or play movies, you usually do so via external equipment anyway...)

The Xperia ZL music player has some sound controls (loudness, equalizer...), which can improve the sound even when playing to external equipment. The HTC has none.

Phone/Voice clarity on the ZL is excellent! Actually in GSMArena's test, it outclasses most other current phones out there, including the HTC One.

(Actually, according to their test, the ZL also has better dynamic range for music playback! At moderate volumes, of course.)

======

Camera

======

This is one area where I am very picky. Realizing that no other phone (now, or ever!?) will replace the Nokia 808 PureView in terms of photo and video recording quality (Even Nokia's own forthcoming "EOS" or "Lumia 1000" phone won't be able to match it), I definitely had lower expectations for the ZL.

And yes, those lower expectations were appropriate. Sony have pretty much been the driver in the "megapixel race" in smartphones; they had the first 12MP phone (known as "Sony Ericsson Satio") out some 4-5 years ago now. But in terms of actual optical resolution, dynamic range, and nearly every other quality metric, all of their recent smartphones have been somewhat disappointing in that regard.

It's hard, I know... Manufacturers have pushed onto consumers an irrational obsession with slimness, which is quite counterproductive as far as the camera optics (Sensor size, lens) is concerned.

The Xperia Z and ZL were the first smartphones to include the Sony Exmor RS sensor, where the "S" indicates that it uses backlighting to improve low light performance. And to be sure, indoor photos are slightly sharper/richer than with the predecessor, Xperia TL (which I previously purchased/returned).

Also, compared to the HTC One, it definitely has more resolved detail in good lighting conditions. Again, in my in-store comparison tests, I could make out small details/prints to a much higher degree with the ZL than with the One.

Perceived image noise is the biggest culprit. Part of this is probably due to sub-par image processing with the phone's firmware, which means it could be fixable with a future firmware upgrade. To illustrate this, if you take pictures in "burst" mode, they often look crisper and less noisy than in regular mode! (The "burst" mode does away with much of the processing that otherwise takes place). For this reason, a workaround may often be to use the "burst" mode even for regular still shots.

This is one area, though, where despite its lower resolution and lower detail, many will opt for the HTC One. That phone has gone in the opposite direction in terms of megapixels (4MP), focusing instead on larger photo cells for improved dynamic range/low light performance. What REALLY sets it apart, though, is its innovative capture mode, "Zoe", which once you push the capture button takes not one, but a series of 20-30 pictures in rapid succession starting as early as 1 second BEFORE you push the button! That gives you a lot of extra options to work with you can pick out the best of these pictures, you can remove moving objects (e.g. a person walking by in the background), and in its built-in album/gallery application, you'll see images not as static tiles, but movable ones (Harry Potter style...)

The Xperia ZL's answer, albeit more primitive, would again be the "Burst" mode.

One advantage the ZL has over both the Z and the HTC one is a physical shutter button, complete with half-press-to-focus. Even if you use a PIN code to lock your phone, you can go straight to the camera (if enabled in settings).

As for me, I'll definitely keep my 808 PureView around for travels and other occasions where I want to have a compact phone/camera solution without sacrificing image quality...

=======

Network

=======

There are actually several flavors of the Xperia ZL, like the Z. This phone (C6506) is the only one among them to support AT&T's LTE network and unlike the HTC One, it also supports T-Mobile's 3G/4G networks. Otherwise, what's the point of buying an unlocked phone, if you were to be tied to a given carrier's network anyway?

That said, there are some AT&T policies you need to be aware of. Even though this phone supports their LTE band, it does not qualify you for one of their LTE data plans. So unless you already have an AT&T branded LTE capable phone, you will need to get the IMEI (serial number) off one and use that one to register for such a plan with AT&T. (In my case, I went into a local store, where the sales clerk was nice enough to use the IMEI from his own AT&T branded Xperia TL to give me such a plan...)

AND this is important BE SURE to specifically request an LTE plan, not simply a "4g smartphone data" plan. Without an LTE plan, you will be limited to HSPA+ speeds. Even though they like to call the latter "4G", it actually a "3G" technology, running on the same frequency and air interface as UMTS and HSPDA. (I blame T-Mobile mostly, they were the ones who started marketing this technology as "4G", mainly because they did not have immediate prospects of getting LTE like the big guys...)

Implicit in all this is that yes, with AT&T you do need a "smartphone" data plan with this phone, whether you use 4G or not. AT&T have recently started to compare the IMEI (serial number) of connected phones with vendor models, and ANY Android phone will automatically "qualify" you for such a plan. Meaning, to serve you better, they will automatically "upgrade" your $10 or $15 "data unlimited" plan (if that's what you currently have) to a $30/month "3GB smartphone data" plan. So if you are buying an unlocked phone in order to avoid this tax, better look at something like the Nokia 808 PureView instead.

=======

Battery

=======

Android sucks juice through triple straws. No two ways about that.

The ZL has a slightly larger battery than both the Z and the HTC One. However, since the screen is also larger than the One (and with the same resolution), it does consume the battery slightly faster when in active use. Since most people interested in this phone are likely to be "power users" that play with their phone a lot, this should be of some concern.

Sony has added what they call a "Stamina Mode", where data connections are turned off for most background applications while the display is sleeping. You can add exceptions (e.g. the mail reader, WhatsApp/Viber, etc). And yes, this DOES help the standby life to some degree.

With or without Stamina mode, the ZL lasts a bit longer than both the Z and the HTC One when idle. (Again, how often will it remain idle in playful hands though?)

This also brings me to one of many things I don't like about Android. The GPS is enabled or disabled by you, the user. While it's enabled, the battery runs out pretty fast. When it's disabled, navigation (e.g. Google Navigation, WisePilot also included) don't function well. I wish they could fix some of these obvious shortcomings (I'll get back to more) from the Symbian playbook. Maturity counts, you know.

==============

User Interface

==============

The world of Android UIs is gradually coalescing around the "stock" interface provided by Google. By now, Sony is in most respects more "in line" with the stock experience than Samsung or HTC, and so there should be no big surprises (that's a good thing!)

They've added a few bells and whistles here and there, though:

* In the task manager, you'll see a few "mini apps": A calculator, a notes application, etc. You can download additional ones, such as an "IR Remote" application to control the built in IR blaster and thereby your TV. These are miniature overlays on the screen, similar to e.g. the "Dashboard" in Mac OS X. Quite handy for quick access to these functions.

* The drop-down notification pane includes toggles at the top (WiFi, Bluetooth, Mobile Data, Silent Mode, and a Settings icon). This being Android, though, you don't get the quick access to specific settings (e.g. Bluetooth connections while a Bluetooth is active, USB modes while a USB cable is connected, etc) the way Symbian does. Instead, you get a bunch of noise each time an email arrives, each time an application has updated itself, etc... Ah well, c'est la vie.

* The "WALKMAN" music player it's nice!

* Extra homescreen widgets: "SociaLife" for a quick summary from FaceBook, Twitter, news sites, etc.; Image gallery where you can quickly flip forth/back among your recent pictures; Toggle bar to quickly turn off/on various things (WiFi, HotSpot, Bluetooth, Flight Mode, GPS, etc..), and a few more.

There are also some Sony services, for instance to access the "Sony Entertainment Network" (Movie rentals, etc). Most users will use Netflix instead of course.

=======

Storage

=======

The phone has 16GB of storage built-in, but supports SDXC cards (currently the largest one available is 64GB).

This was one of the main selling points for me vs. the HTC One, which does NOT take expandable memory. With the latter, you are stuck with the 32 or 64 GB in the phone itself whereas for the ZL, you can upgrade once 96 GB or 128 GB cards become available. And more importantly, if the phone dies (say, water damage), you cannot get your data off the built-in memory (HTC One), but can easily retrieve it from a removable µSD card.

That said, the Xperia Z and ZL have issues with certain µSD cards notably the SANDisk Ultra class 10 cards. I had been using such a card for a year on my Nokia 808 without any issues, but in the ZL, I would get frequent "disconnected" errors when writing large chunks of data (e.g. music/movie synchronization). I now placed that same SANDisk card in my wife's Samsung Galaxy Note phone, also without any issues.

Ironically, ZL works fine with a SAMSUNG 64GB, as well as earlier generation SANDisk Class 6 card.

=====================

Media synchronization

=====================

I use a Mac, so one important selling point for me vs. a Samsung Galaxy was the availability of the Sony Media Bridge application, to synchronize media (photos/videos with iPhoto, music with iTunes), browse the filesystem, etc. HTC also has such software at least for iTunes synchronization I find it rather ridiculous that Samsung does not. Animosity, perhaps?

That's the theory. In practice, I also found that the Sony Media Bridge appellation chokes on large synchronization jobs. I have been trying for several weeks to synchronize a few playlists (a total of ~3000 songs), and while some of the issues were related to the SANDisk µSD card incompatibility, the Media Bridge application also errors out quite frequently. On top of it, it consumes ~300% cpu (3 full cores), 5GB of physical memory, and makes other appellations on my Mac run very slowly.

3rd party applications do exist to do such synchronization, though with Android, this is quite clunky. It involves either mounting the µSD card in "Mass Storage" mode (dumb!), or syncing over WiFi (slow, battery draining, EMR inducing...) I eventually got the job done using "TuneSync", available in the Android store. Still, this is one area where manufacturers (incl Sony) could do a better job. (The now-defunct Symbian OS does this much better...)

============

To sum it up

============

The Xperia ZL is a very nice phone! The screen is incredibly crisp, if not with quite as vibrant (or gaudy) colors as OLED displays like on phones from Samsung or Nokia. And with the highest ratio of screen to phone on the planet, this is definitely a phone that appeals if you want a large screen but still pocketable device.

I ended up returning mine, mainly because of the disappointing camera -I said I was picky! The "Sony Media Bridge" fiasco did not help. I may yet get a HTC One, though I am not too thrilled about Android in many ways (mainly for small details such the way multiple email accounts are handled, difficulty in importing photos to a Mac, etc), and certainly would want to have a way to disable the "BlinkFeed" feature in that device. But in the meantime, I have returned to my Nokia 808, which lets me use a cheaper data plan, and which on balance has fewer annoyances...

So the Pros over the HTC one are:

Larger screen (Noticable!), while phone is nearly as compact

Removable memory better for post-mortem data recovery

Longer battery life when idle/in your pocket

Less annoying UI (no BlinkFeed, toggles in notification pane, better widgets)

Higher resolution camera/more detail.

Camera shutter button.

Pros of the HTC One over the ZL:

More classy construction; aluminum body. (But the ZL is no slouch; also you'll probably want a case around it anyway...)

Faster processor (but the ZL's is ridiculously fast too... you won't notice)

Better viewing angles on screen (but again, you won't normally notice)

Better battery life when in active use (e.g. watching movies)

Crisper sound, especially with higher volumes; stereo front-facing speakers

Some nice HTC customizations in the default email reader, incl. more professional quoting style in replies

ZOE! That's the ONE thing for which I may get it!

I should also mention the Samsung Galaxy S4, which many will choose based on marketing and the spec sheet. For me, that is not an option, for these reasons:

Very cheap plastic construction. The phone feels cheap.

No FM radio. I use this while commuting to work by train or bus. Internet radio is not as versatile, and eats up data.

Poor/no Mac support.

Inferior reception/call quality.

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Canon EOS Rebel T3i 18MP - Canon EF-S 18-55mm IS II - Canon EF

Customer Ratings:

All of the items are brand new and in the box. The only complain have is the camera bag and the tripod. The tripod is junk and dangerous to use with any DSLR camera. The bag is small and not enough space for what is needed. All of the extras except the telephoto lens and the camera are all off brand items, but work just fine. I recommend this setup as you get all you need. Just buy a good tripod and a good camera bag for your nice new shiny camera. Good luck

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