Canon PIXMA iP100 Mobile Photo Printer

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $249.99
Sale Price: $166.16
Today's Bonus: 34% Off

We bought this little gem to take to Europe. First impressions are very favorable. It's small, reliable, and prints beautifully. At just over four pounds, it's perfect for travel.

The little Bluetooth adaptor also works very well. Reading the manual (!), I discovered it is possible to mount the adapter permanently inside the printer so that it's not exposed and doesn't need attachment every time it is used. This is a simple procedure, and enhances the usefulness of the Bluetooth capability that is all but de rigueur when traveling. The installation / setup information is also in the electronic manual that comes on the CD.

But as good as the printer is, it does not come with (nor does Canon offer) a case of any kind. I found the perfect solution from Case-Mate: go to and buy the 'Glovez 15"' sleeve (like a large envelope with a velcro closure / flap). It comes in an assortment of colors and is a skin-tight (but very workable) fit in the 'length' direction. When inserted, the printer doesn't take up every bit of the case in the 'width' direction, meaning there is just enough room to also accommodate the cord and AC brick. Throw these in, close the flap, and you're always ready to roll.

Best part: this 'Glovez' sleeve is only $9.99 + $3.99 S/H, and gets to you in a few days. It's not bulky just what one wants to protect the printer but not take up room. (As an aside, the Case-Mate Glovez 13" [for the MacBook 13" and Air] fits the Lenovo ThinkPad X300 perfectly).

March 8, 2011: Came back (for the first time) to look over some of my reviews, and thought I would update this one. We took the printer to Europe for a month in the summer of 2008 (and, as noted by one of the commenters, it does indeed have a built-in usable voltage range of 100 240V, 50 60 Hz, so one needs only an adapter for local outlets, and not a transformer of any kind). It performed flawlessly then, and continues to do so today.

We take it everywhere. It goes in the bag wherever we go on vacation, or on business, and has never missed a beat. It sets up in an instant as soon as you get to your hotel room so easy to use. As stated before, I highly recommend the internally-mounting bluetooth adapter; it's never in the way, impossible to lose, and reliable. OK: Canon gets a small demerit for not building it in in the first place, but... With today's wireless-built-in portable PCs and other devices, it's a snap to hook up to the Internet within moments of arriving at your hotel, then send maps, proposals, anything else, etc. to the printer with no cables whatever. Especially good when both of us have our laptops out at a hotel room: we can both send jobs to the printer across the room without getting in each other's way. It's quick, reliable, durable, with various 'quality levels' available and I highly recommend it for mobile use.

I know Canon also makes a battery that 'bolts-on' to the back of this printer. For my application, the additional $100 wasn't worth the extra bulk to achieve a freedom from the electric grid that I didn't need. But if you conduct business in your pickup, or out in the field, it would certainly make sense: put the printer on the passenger seat and produce a customer invoice, etc. on the spot.

I seldom wax so enthusiastic over a product, and have been known to be excoriatingly critical of poor designs / execution. But Canon hit the nail dead center with this product: if you're in the market for a genuinely useful, rugged, portable printer get it. You will not regret the decision.

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Dell Inspiron 660s i660s-3848BK Desktop

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $400.00
Sale Price: $383.98
Today's Bonus: 4% Off

It's a Dell and I have always found them to be reliable.

It has tons of memory, some added software for a trial basis such as Office 2010, Skype and Media software I never heard of, Cyberlink they call it. Since it's Win 8, which is the hardest part. The cons are that to open or close the DVD drive, you have to get to control panel. NO button, only power button exists. But for the most part, I only need this machine for email and some creative writing. It was less than $500, so it is worth the price. It has 6 USB 2.0 ports and 4 USB 3.0 ports.

It has everything as described.

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Acer Aspire P3-171-6820 11.6-Inch Convertible 2-in-1 Touchscreen

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $899.99
Sale Price: $769.95
Today's Bonus: 14% Off

This computer is great. It is what I have been waiting for, a fully power windows PC in tablet form.

Pros:

The computer is relatively high powered for a tablet and a computer of the price.

The keyboard is great, this tablet is very widescreen which means the keyboard has the space to be less compact than most 11 in keyboards.

The keyboard feels great while typing.

The tablet comes with a bluetooth mouse which is not always necessary but handy at times.

The touch works great.

There was not much bloatware preinstalled

The case with the bluetooth keyboard has a little notch/slot system to allow the user to type and use the computer in their lap as a laptop unlike most tablets/cases (this is my favorite feature).

This is extremely lightweight which is great for school.

The screen powers off when you shut the case and powers back on when the case is opened.

Cons:

So far I have not found many, I sometimes wish there was a touchpad built in to the case in addition to the keyboard.

There is only one USB port which is a bit limiting.

The keyboard is very thin and as a result has a tendency to move with typing.

The keyboard is micro USB charged the included cord is incredibly short as it is intended to be used to power the keyboard from the computer. However I wish is had come with a decent length cord.

The computer came with an adapter for the microHDMI but is goes to VGA?

The case is a little inconvenient when you wish to use the tablet as a tablet, you can't just flip the keyboard behind (or rather you can but you will hit keys as the keyboard remains on) and the case is a little difficult to remove.

I previously bought/returned the surface and I actually like this device more than the surface.

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Canon Pixma MX410 Wireless Office All-In-One Printer (4788B018)

Customer Ratings:

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program I got this printer not as a replacement, but a supplement to the brother laser printer I already have. It also pretty much replaces my old Epson scanner, which is showing signs of aging.

PROS: Amazingly easy to set up. I own a Mac, and it's basically plug n play like most Mac compatible products. My OS immediately recognized the new hardware and prompted to download the necessary software which is very intuitive and easy to understand.

The onboard display is VERY easy to understand and most of the commands can come from the printer itself without having to open any programs on your computer. For example, you want to make a simple copy of something press "COPY" and it will do so within seconds. Scanning, same thing but it will automatically open the appropriate program for you after you press "SCAN" ... it works in reverse as well, so you can always open up the program manually.

It does seem to be an amazing value for getting a 3-in-1 deal. I have not used the fax feature yet, but I imagine that it would deliver similar results to the scanner and printer.

Scanning quality looks good. I do some pretty basic scans for web-view type of imagery so I think most scanners suffice for this purpose. If you plan on scanning things for larger blow up or printing, then this probably won't do it for you. The scan area is only a little bigger than letter size.

CONS: As far as amazing resolution, this printer will not necessarily give you that. For standard copies and documents it will get the job done and then some. If you are looking for a printer that can give you really nice images (something that you will use specifically for photo printing) then you might as well splurge and get something that will give you amazing resolution. While this printer is not bad at all, you will be much more satisfied with splurging a little more for DOPE resolution.

So, this combo is very nice. I honestly don't see myself using it to print (as in word documents) as much as I will use the copy and scan features. But, if you have a small office or even want this for your small business it seems like it will do the trick for you. At this price, it seems really hard to beat.

I own a fair number of Canon products now, and they all have stood up to their reputation. They are durable and seem to have lasted all this time without breakage. You can probably expect this one to last you quite a while.

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Samsung BD-E6500 3D WiFi Blu-ray Disc Player (Black) (Old

Customer Ratings:

On the same day I received this bluray player, I was informed by Samsung that neither this BD-player nor any of this year's bluray players (announced so far) will support 2D to 3D conversion. I was really let down by this, as my previous bluray player (the 2011 BD-D6700) was a sleeper hit as one of the BEST 2D-3D converters out there! Some have even said the 2011 Samsung 3D BD players were as good, or better than a 3D Bee stand-alone converter

One comparison that showed how good it was, is that I could pop in a 2D bluray and take turns converting it on both my 2011 D8000 Samsung 3DTV, and on my 2011 bluray player. The bluray player would always win hands down and the 2D to 3D conversion process was done 10x better by the D6700 than by the TV. If the result on both were supposed to be "near 3D results" I'd say the conversion on the TV was almost 2.5D while the BD player converted to a stunning 2.9D

So Samsung confirmed my fears that this player (the BD-E6500) would not convert 2D material, and I later found that this is also stated somewhere within the first few pages of the manual. I was very, very much looking forward to seeing how Samsung could have further refined the 2D-3D conversion process, and now I find out that my most beloved feature got the ax! If you're not a 3D junkie, you may not care, but why spend 200+ on a 3D! blu ray player unless you actually care about the 3D features! Apparently Samsung never considered that!

So here's what you do get with the E6500:

You are getting 1 gb of memory on board (pretty standard these days)

More way to connect with your other devices (Soft AP etc)

Disc to Digital feature (supposed to be the big feature $this year$)

2 HDMI INPUTS and 1 out (instead of 2 HDMI OUT as I loved having last year)

Functional Web Browser

3D playback from a 3D bluray

Up to 7.1 HD Audio

So when I first opened the box, I noticed that the BD player's black/grey design was nice as expected. But unfortunately the remote looks small and cheap now. They changed it and made it a lot more compact, but even my wife thought it just looked cheaper

Ok, so here are some notes I made when I first got it, and added to later on. They cover pretty much everything you would like to know:

Product updates upon setup

Smart Hub updates upon setup

Several/almost all Apps update upon selection of an app (when you first use that app)

Feels like a step down from last year's models, for being the highest model released this year

The BD player's menu is a little faster/smoother to navigate than last year

The menu system has been overhauled and is now identical to last year's Samsung HDTV's menus

I was not impressed by the Web Browser. In fact I couldnt' stand it after about 1 minute of use with the directional pad of the remote as my "mouse". There is an option to use a wireless keyboard or mouse with this player and I did and went back and found the browser quite usable. It even lets you move the mouse around within the Smart Hub itself which is nice. I'd say the browser speed and functionality are comparable to the browser's on last year's higher end Samsung Tv's. Browser could be and should be faster for the price point. If they added a dual core processor to these bluray players (like they are doing with the 2012 high end TV's and like even most smart phone's these days include) it might make their web browsers worth using everyday. As is, it's not

The Youtube function seemed to work well enough

When entereing text with the remote, an onscreen keyboard pops up instead of the horrendous numerical pad of pre2012

The Family Story and other "BIG" primary features seem lost in translation. Give this thing some more processor power and speed and maybe then your whole family might consider making it the "hub" of their network

I see a lot of people getting excited about the Disc to Digital feature. I'm not and never have been impressed. Could it be handy to have digital copies available on the go? Yes. But isn't that why most blu ray combo packs already come with "digital copies?" If you already have those, why the need to pay around $1 for each movie that you want to use the disc to digital feature for? It's no coincidence that it's not free, and that it's this year's big feature

2 HDMI in. Why? For those who don't have a sound receiver? Why would you want to spend $200 or more on a blu ray player that puts out 7.1 sound if you don't even have a sound receiver as your "hub" with hdmi inputs anyway? Dual HDMI OUT would have been more useful, both for those whose receivers aren't 3D capable and for those who just want to send a separate hdmi out for their video pristine and untouched directly to the TV

I could not find an HBO Go app (but it is an available app on my Samsung tv for some reason)

There is still no Amazon video app (Come on already!)

So there it is. I hope this helps you make a better informed decision than I did. I had no reviews to help me decide, and there was very little detail on the features of this player. But so goes the fate of the early adopter

In conclustion let me say this: This is a good 3D blu ray disc player. The areas where it fails, are where a lot of bluray players fail. But I shouldn't expect to get the processor speed and features of a PS3 at this price point...or should I? (bit of sarcasm there) This newly released bluray player and me just don't get along because I know that it is a step down (even with the new features) from my 2011 Samsung bluray player and at times it just seems cheap (the remote for instance)

Why couldn't they have kept ALL of the previous features AND added the new features on top of that. That's all I was asking of Samsung. That's all I AM asking. Of the announced list of Samsung BD Players, this one (E6500) is top of the line. There has been no mention as of yet of a E6700, E7000, or E7500 to match those higher end models of last year, and there may never be. I'm hoping they will be announced and address some of these issues mentioned and create the PERFECT blu ray player (It may not be perfect but it would be pretty close :) Until then, I'll keep on dreaming that next time they won't take two steps forward and three steps back

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Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 (8-Inch, Gold-Brown)

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $299.99
Sale Price: $249.00
Today's Bonus: 17% Off

Updated Review October 31, 2013 (after 3 ½ Months of ownership): Since I have been using this tablet for over three and a half months, I have found that this tablet CONTINUES to exceed all of my expectations and more! If you are looking a high quality eight inch tablet, this may very well be the once for you as the superb improvements in this Tab 3 8.0 over the older Tab 2 7.0 are just fantastic with more internal RAM Memory and more internal storage (double) and this is just a couple of improvements as there are MANY improvements in the Tab 3 8.0 that has truly has given this tablet that WOW Factor. So below, I am listing the many Pros I personally have found while using this tablet:

PROS:

+ Overall Speed And Performance and Android OS:

With the fast 1.5 GHz processor, I have found this to be a very fast tablet and for me, all has been running so smoothly on this tablet. Love that this tablet has 16GB Internal memory.

The Android OS is 4.2 and inside it has Samsung TouchWiz overlay which is beautiful and user friendly. In fact, if you have used a Samsung Galaxy device as S2, S3, S4 or other Galaxy type, you will love the OS and the Samsung TouchWiz interface on this. Perhaps you have never used Android OS or even a Samsung device? No worries, as this tablet is easy to learn in my opinion.

+ SCREEN SIZE IS JUST RIGHT SIZE VERY CLEAR/SHARP SCREEN FOR READING eBooks or VIEWING WEBPAGES. (Screen in my opinion is large and has superb clarity/clearness for reading eBooks and webpages as the print is so readable as I find it VERY CLEAR/VIVID. This is a great in-between size tablet to use. And I found that the screen was large enough to read webpages easily or watch videos. The screen has a PPI (pixels per inch) of 189, which renders a crisp and clear screen. **There is a new selection under Settings and Display, under Font, an option to Increase legibility of fonts. I check marked this and noticed that the fonts/letters on the screen, internet and more are very crystal clear. Also, there is in Settings/Display Screen Mode, with choices of Dynamic, Standard and Movie. And I selected Dynamic and found that the colors are super vivid and very colorful.

+ EXTERNAL SLOT FOR MICRO SD CARD You can add a 64gb SD card for personal files. However, keep in mind where External SD cards are concerned: They are JUST for your personal files: music, videos, photos, and other files. When you install apps from the Playstore or other sources, they store either in INTERNAL SD Card area or the main internal area. This is the law of the land where Android is concerned and ALL newer Android devices (including Samsung) work this way where storing your downloaded apps are concerned.

+ WiFi Connecting/Speed of WiFi Setting up WiFi and keeping a great signal and long distance WiFi strong signal is one superb feature on this tablet. So I compared the signal strength with the Tab 3 vs my regular Android phone. The Tab 3 had about 35% stronger signal then the phone. I believe it is because there is a very strong WiFi receiver in this tablet. At home or on the road, I am able to connect to many free WiFi hotspots very easily with great signal strength.

+ Internet/Watching Online Flash Videos: After I installed Adobe Archived Flash I can watch internet (flash) videos directly (including Amazon videos) directly from STOCK BROWSER. Because this is archived flash it does take a little longer to load flash videos. If you need instructions on how to do this, please ask in the comments and I will answer this or any questions.

*Viewing of webpages in browsers on this tablet: Reading/viewing a webpage is OUTSTANDING using this tablet as the fonts, pictures and videos are very crisp and clear as well as the colors are very vivid.

+ Reading/Creating/Editing Word, Excel, Text Files and much more on this tablet: This comes with a OK app for reading Office documents, however, I prefer Kingsoft Office which is a free app from Playstore. It is the best I have ever tried and I am very picky about so called Office programs. It is very compatible with MS Office as it reads, edits and creates Office files and reads PDF files, and it has more features of any other Android Office program that I tried. This app is a MUST have for tablet owners in my opinion.

+ Home Videos The stock video player is OK and plays MOST home videos, however, may I suggest QQ Player, this is a free App from Playstore and it plays every home video I tried). Also MX Video Player is very good, however, I prefer QQ Player.

+ Music Player/Sound Quality Stock player has clear sound through the outside "speakers" are really OK. Better with good quality headphones or a BlueTooth Speaker. To sync easily with Windows Media Player may I suggest the Playstore app free called WinAmp for the tablet as it is very highly rated and the sound is SUPERB!

+ Battery LifeExcellent, so far, however, this is what I have found: When I am on WiFi, I go to the websites I need and then as soon as I am done (reasonable time), I exit the browser (or YouTube, etc) and TURN OFF WiFi. However, I run my brightness at 100%. So this seems to keep the battery going longer. *In addition, I have found that my battery life is improved over the Tab 2 7.0 and the Tab 2 10.1.

+ Kindle App I installed the Kindle App and synced my Kindle books. Began to read a new book and was very impressed with how exceptional the book rendered using this Tab 3 8.0. Very impressed as the text was very crisp and clear.

+ Camera The 5MP rear camera has improved over the Tab 2 line. There is no flash on the camera, yet there are several helpful modes to enhance your shots. For me, I use Auto mode. And I tried the camera and video and was happily surprised in the quality it is pretty good. However, I will continue to use my regular camera for serious picture taking and videos.

+ OTG USB Compatible You can add an optional OTG (On the Go Micro USB adapter cable to the Micro port for copying files to your flash drive and from your flash drive to the Tab 3). I already had one from my Note I and it works great on the Tab. You can also plug in a mouse, I tried it and it worked. *Note that portable external hard drives and portable DVD/CD drives will not work using OTG in the Tab 3 as I discovered when I tried to read my hard disks via OTG in the Tab 3. However, it is still good to know that you can easily plug in your flash drive and copy files to the Tab 3 and from Tab 3 to PC--what a time-saver.

+ Bluetooth Speed and Performance The Bluetooth paired quickly with several devices and copied files at a great rate of speed.

+ Screenshots: There is no ICON for screenshots, however, to take a quick screenshot, hold down home button and power button (at the same time), and then it will take a beautiful screenshot. You can find your screenshot in MyFiles, Internal Storage, Pictures, and Screenshots. I use this sometimes for a map on the internet it saves time and this way it is SAVED for later viewing when I am offline.

+ MICRO USB PORT No more having to use the old type of (non standard) USB charger/cable that the Tab 2 line had. However, this tablet requires a 2 AMP USB Charger to charge the tablet so it will not charge on a standard 1 AMP (phone charger) as I tried and only the 2 AMP one will work. This tablet uses the same Micro 2 AMP type of chargers that the Galaxy Note 8 uses.

CONS: (There are TWO, but the first con is NOT the fault of Samsung):

Just one con/concern: New Adobe Flash is not supported, however, I found that archived flash gets the online videos to play and they even play in the stock browser. So I downloaded the older archived flash which gives me the ability to view many internet videos. If you need instructions, just ask me in the comments and I will answer.

* Bottom line: Would I buy this WiFi only model over again? Yes I certainly would. So if you are looking for a superb Samsung Tab 3 8.0 tablet and you have great access to WiFi, this is the one I will suggest to you.

Also, since I am somewhat of a techie person, I will be glad to answer any questions that you may have. Just ask in the comment section and I will answer promptly.

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Samsung UN46EH6000 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz LED HDTV (Black) (2012

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $1,079.99
Sale Price: $899.00
Today's Bonus: 17% Off

UPDATE:

The picture settings that I previouly stated in my review were made while the `Eco Solutions' settings (found under the `Plug & Play' tab) is set to `On'.

However, I found something very interesting. If you change `Eco Solution' setting' to' Off', it dramatically changed the picture. When you first turn the setting to `Off', the picture turns exceptionally bright. However, it is not as bad as you think. While having the `Eco Solution' setting set to `Off', I made the following changes to my settings and I'm updating my review to allow for a choice between the two options. No matter which setting changes you choose, your picture will be greatly improved. It's just a matter of taste.

Again, my goal all along was to get the clearest, most stunning picture that the set had to offer without comprising the beautiful blacks, nor the brilliant colors, nor the outstanding 3D like effects you can sometimes perceive, all while never having to change the settings between channels or sources, no matter what the lighting of the room may be. I believe that I succeeded in this endeavor.

If you choose to set the `Eco Solutions' setting found under the `Plug & Play Tab' to `Off', then try these settings. I recommend that you do a `Picture Reset' first. This is found under the `Picture' settings.

Under The `TV Picture' settings, I have the `Picture Mode' set to `Standard', the `Backlight' set to `10', `Contrast' set to `80', Brightness set to `45', `Sharpness' set to `50', color set to `50', and tint (G/R) set to `50/50. Under the `Advance Tab' settings, I set the `Color Space' to `Native', the `Dynamic Contrast' to `Low', the `Black Tone' to 'Dark', (and here is a big change), the `Flesh Tone' to -3, and the `Motion Lighting' to `Off'. Under the `Picture Options Tab' settings, I set `Color Tone' to `Standard', the `Digital Noise filter' to `Auto', the `HDMI Black Level' to `Low', The `Film Mode' to `Auto', The `Auto Motion Plus' to `Clear' and the `LED Motion Plus' to `Off'.

If you choose to set the `Eco Solutions' setting found under the `Plug & Play Tab' to `On', then try these settings. Once again, I recommend that you do a `Picture Reset' first. This is found under the `Picture' settings.

Using the `Standard' viewing mode settings for everything, I made the following changes. Under `Picture' settings, I changed the contrast from `100' to `85'. Under `Advanced Settings', I set the `color space' to `native' the Dynamic Contrast to `medium' the Black Tone to' Dark' and turned the motion lighting `Off". Under `Picture Options', I have the color tone at' standard', digital noise filter at `auto', HDMI Black level at `Low', Film Mode at `Auto', Auto Motion Plus at `Clear', and turned the LED Motion Plus to `Off'.

ORIGINAL REVIEW:

First I must say that I didn't purchase this TV from Amazon. However, I love Amazon and I love this TV!

PROS:

This TV is aesthetically gorgeous and made a solid hand shake with my receiver. It has surprisingly smooth sounding speakers that I can finally hear over my loud AC. The colors are vibrant, vivid, actual, and true. The picture can, at times, appear to look like a 3D TV when viewing certain movie sources. It quickly powers on and off and plays a sweet sound. It comes with a perfectly sized backlit remote that has a sleep button on it. It does not use Edge lit or ARC channel technology. Yea!

CONS:

I had a dickens of a time tweaking this set. Initially, it gave off a bright, 'reality' type look. My circle of people thought that this was a cool thing. However, I hated it with a passion and spent the last two weeks trying to get rid of it.

These changes made all the difference in the world and now there is uniformity between all of the source material. Movies, be it cable broadcast movies or Blu Ray movies , as well as primetime cable shows including cable news, all look the way they were intended.

SUMMATION:

In my quest to find the best TV for the money, I've discovered that most of today's LED TV's are challenged with the aforementioned "soap opera' effect. In a way, it's understandable. Networks broadcast their shows using a multitude of lighting choices. That alone can be problematic. Add to that the commercials that are broadcast in a non-HD format and then throw in the desire for TV makers to make TV panels super thin and you get too many options for your backlight to choose from. All I know for sure is that I love the fact that, with this TV, Samsung chose to put the backlights across the whole of the back of the TV and not around the edges. Also, please know that, in my opinion, this TV is easily thin enough, takes up surprisingly little space and has the audacity to look beautiful.

I actually HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS TV and think that it is a fantastic TV and it is being offered at a fantastic price. YOU JUST GOT TO TWEAK IT. I'm also writing it so that the next person doesn't become discouraged and want to immediately send it back. They would be making a HUGE mistake. I was about to return it myself because of that crazy REALITY look that it had on certain stations and formats. To my mind, my initial tweaking should have done the trick and solved the lighting problem. It is, after all, my fourth owned HDTV, one being a Sony XBR full array set, so I'm no stranger to tweaking.

MORE THOUGHTS:

The changes I eventually made was just counter-intuitive as first choice changes, hence, it took me two weeks to get it right. I don't have a college degree, but it seems to me that, if it took me two weeks to tweak the TV, Samsung could have, and should have; done it themselves before they put it out on the shelves. They know, or at least they should know, about the various swings regarding lighting amongst the various media sources. It just shouldn't be rocket science.

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Night Owl Security APOLLO-45 4-Channel H.264 DVR Surveillance

Customer Ratings:

Setup all 4 cameras around the house. Colors are not very realistic but ok for surveillance purposes. Motion recording works good and it has captured several critters walking around in my yard I didn't know about! Networking access works well and I've opened ports on my DSL router to allow access to the cameras and recorded video from anywhere (internet explorer needed some tweaking added the ip of the DVR to trusted sites list did the trick).

Apps for my iPhone and android phone work good as well and I can view live cameras from my phone anywhere (required some tweaking on the dsl router as well).

All said and done this system is good for the price. I got the extended warranty as I've heard the cameras don't last too long? Time will tell.

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Apple MacBook Air MC506LL/A 11.6-Inch Laptop (OLD VERSION)

Customer Ratings:

I've gone through more Apple computers--desktop, laptop, Power Macbooks, iBooks, iPads--since 1990 than I care to count. Out of all of them my favorite was easily the previous Macbook Air (the flash memory model). Forget about the specs. Once you get your hands on one of these, the specs on paper mean nothing. Suddenly every other Mac product seems clunky, overly hot and heavy. The Air is the only model I want to use, and actually do use--day after day. And in no time at all I discover how little use I actually make of a built-in CD/DVD drive or an extra USB port. (Granted, there are times you'll want to insert or burn a disc. I've had better success with $40 non-Apple external drives--currently, a Samsung--than with the Superdrive that Apple makes available for the Air at twice that price. Discs have a tendency to get stuck, and Apple leaves you no provision for mechanically ejecting a jammed disc.) As for a single USB port, a seven-buck 4-port Belkin hub solved that occasional limitation in an instant, though that may no longer be necessary since Apple has provided 2 USB ports, one on each side (the 11" model lacks the 13" model's SD card slot, which makes sense since those preferring the smaller model are less likely to be attracted to it for video/audio storage and editing).

The only product I was awaiting from Apple was a quality "netbook," so what did they do? They produced the wildly popular iPad, which I barely use at all (for the grandkids' visit is about it). Why, I thought to myself, couldn't Apple at least include a keyboard with it and put a cover on it? Well, they did--and they have delivered in spades with this most recent MacBook Air. If you want all of the features of a conventional Macbook minus the weight, look at the 13", slightly more expensive, model. If you want the lightest, most practical machine available (for a writer--not a film editor or audio engineer), stick to the 11.6" model--and be sure to ignore the specs that suggest the common entry-level Macbook is faster, more powerful, etc. When it comes to the "unmeasurable" qualities, the immense satisfaction of writing with a full-sized keyboard on a featherweight machine, the Air is in a league of its own. (I tried a couple of non-Apple "netbooks" and sent them back because they felt like plastic toys made for munchkins.)

The one thing I didn't like about the previous Air--and it cost me in time and money--was the ill-conceived design of the hinges attaching the two halves of the machine. If you knicked one, the entire mechanism began a slow process of erosion, eventually affecting the entire internal circuitry of the machine and leading to repair costs practically equal to the price of the new Airs (the original flash drive models cost over 2 G's). Thank goodness Apple has re-designed the hinge mechanism, making it possible to open the cover some extra inches and without fear of damage to the hinge, the machine, or the user's wallet.

Battery life on the previous model was noticeably limited, especially to someone like me who likes to run a bright screen. The extended battery life of the new Airs (again, the 13" model's is "more" extended) makes it practical to leave the AC adapter at home--maybe for the entire day. Also, speed and graphics resolution, which I thought could not be improved upon, are better than the first model, both seemingly as good as it can possibly get. (Admittedly, the extra time is due, at least in part, to my not using an Air for storing photos, audio and video files and messing with gizmos like "Face Time.") The onboard sound is 50% better, with greater frequency range and authentic stereo sound rather than a single tiny speaker.

The concessions Apple has made for an improved Air are almost too insignificant to be worth mentioning. The machine no longer has the curved edges, which required a cute little trap door that you flipped open in order to connect a USB item, external audio device, or video display. Also, the keyboard itself no longer has backlighting, which was marginally useful at best (since the light could not shine through opaque keys).

Since I've made a couple of references to advantages of the 13" model, I'd better insert here that, as lightweight as it is, it still feels like a tank compared to the 11.6" model. Or to put it another way, the 13" Air is to the 11.6" Air what a conventional Macbook is to the Macbook Air. If I needed a 13" Air, I could probably still live with the first model if the price were right. The excitement, the break-through, the most desirable model, it seems obvious to me, lies with the new 11.6" Air, which is even priced lower than its bigger brother.

Finally, configuration and price. Even with the educational discount from Apple Store, Amazon's is overall the better deal. I probably would be happy with the Mac Air's most basic, least expensive configuration (which brings the machine in at under a G-note). For some reason, Amazon has chosen not to offer through Prime the several different configurations available for this model, but it makes sense that most users are likely to order the pictured version with 128 gigs of memory rather than the standard 64-gig model. Because of my last bad experience with breaking an Air hinge (and, even before that, the previous Air that I received from Amazon arrived DOA) I know I "should" order the warranty. But if Americans did that for every item they purchased, we'd all be in deeper hock than is already the case. Besides, as a second release of what was formerly a new model, the Mac Air has by now had time to work out the bugs. If not, I've never had any problems returning a defective product purchased from Amazon.

They say that the time of the "Netbook" has come and gone. Maybe so, but that's just quibbling about names. I predict the current "iPad" and computer tablet craze will turn out to be the real fad. (You can watch videos on a TV, for Pete's sake, and as clever as some of the thousands of "apps" are, unless you're a committed, 24/7, life-time gamer, they soon lose their allure not to mention actual "use" value.) The Mac Air, which was so maligned upon its first appearance, is one of the most useful, well thought-out, carefully designed and assembled products Apple has come to market with. It's here to stay--and for good reason. Don't wait for Steve Jobs to convince you that you need one, as was pretty much the case with the iPad. This is one machine that makes its own case, and if you've read this far, you probably deserve to have it under your fingers the sooner the better.

[2nd thought re: the Apple warranty. There's no getting around the fact that the Macbook Air is more about convenience than savings. In fact, the necessity of having Apple replace a worn-out battery (it'll happen sooner or later) may be sufficient reason to purchase the warranty (Apple gives you a time-frame for doing so, should you have ordered the machine without the warranty.)]

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Midland Consumer Radio WR-120B NOAA Weather Alert All Hazard

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $39.99
Sale Price: $30.75
Today's Bonus: 23% Off

I have been dreading purchasing a weather radio for some time because they all seem too expensive for just a radio that receives the weather band. But, I figured out that it is time to take this out of the "family" budget. I literally looked at every single weather radio on Amazon. I found out that I want a radio with SAME (Specific Area Message Encoding) so it will alert for inclement weather. (tornadoes at night are an issue where I live) Most other radios seem to have issues with reliability, reception, or construction--issues I want to avoid. So, I narrowed it down to the Midland radios: WR-100, WR-120, and WR-300.

I was leery of purchasing this at first because of the limited review at the time. I found at that this is just the updated model of the WR-100, which seems to be one of the more popular weather radios. I went to Midland's website(to lookup the WR-120) and saw that the item was just released, hence the limited info.

I would consider this a great standard/staple alert weather radio. The SAME technology lets you setup your county, or multiple counties. You can find your county codes online at NOAA (search: national weather service radio codes to be taken there directly).

I really like the backlight on the display--a nice cool blue with easy to read lettering. The interface itself is great, it lets me flip through all current alerts with the up/down buttons, so I don't even have to listen to the radio to get the most up to date status. It is simple enough that my 4 year old could easily figure it out.

The alarm has 3 settings-tone, voice, and display.

-The tone alarm is loud! -Which is great, not an annoying sound, just loud. It will wake you up. We can hear it all through our house.

-The voice alarm plays the loud tone for about 5 seconds and then goes into the radio broadcast(at the volume you set). I wish that the voice setting played just the radio, as I am used to a clock-radio alarm clock. The loud alert startles me out of sleep! I want the alarm to wake me, not scare me.

-The display just illuminates the backlight. Not useful for me at night, as I would not wake up to a soft blue, glowing light. I am sure this is plenty useful for some, and I will probably change the radio to this once we are out of tornado season.

Personally, I have not seen the multiple alert lights (5 for each-alert, watch and warning) to be all that useful because every message that my local weather service puts out does not code to the varying degree levels. I am sure this is useful for some, but I live right next to the NOAA station and they do not take advantage of this feature.(more a complaint against my local NOAA than the radio) -ps the reception is great....because I live right next to the NOAA station, so my review of that is biased. :)

The radio runs on three AA batteries for backup. Not sure how long they last. There was no difference in reception, backlight, and radio functions when I unplugged it. This seems like this might be a great radio to do some light traveling.

I could not justify spending the extra on the WR-300 to get any additional features. (Maybe Midland can include a tone volume option in the next release model that lets you choose between several volume levels for any alert? Then the radio would be perfect.) I would have rated this 4.5 stars because the voice alert is not pure voice, but half stars are not an option, so I rounded up. Midland's Research and Product Development team seems to listen to customer reviews, so maybe the voice alarm can be fixed.

Definitely a must have family radio for safety, and the best value out there--I am glad I purchased it.

Phew! What a lengthy review! :)

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CamRanger Remote Nikon & Canon DSLR Camera Controller, Wireless

Customer Ratings:

What is it?

The CamRanger app and hardware enable wireless remote control of supported cameras over a private wi-fi network. It can be used simply as a remote shutter release. However, it is actually much more powerful than that because it can be used to remotely control a wide range of camera settings and shooting behaviors, as detailed below. Currently, a number of Nikon and Canon DSLRs are supported. I have tested CamRanger on an iPhone 4S with a Nikon D90. Most of my observations probably apply to other Nikon models. There are some differences between Nikon and Canon implementations, as described in the CamRanger user guide. I refer to the hardware component as the CamRanger "pod".

Addendum: after publishing the first version of this review, I discovered that focusing was not working properly with my D90. After a couple of e-mails with Dave at CamRanger, he agreed that things were not as they should be. He fixed this issue promptly in an updated version of the CamRanger app. Needless to say, I'm very happy with the customer support. Also, focusing now works properly with my D90.

A small bit of terminology

CamRanger can be used in Live View or non-Live View (Dead View?) modes. In Live View mode, the image being recorded by the camera sensor is streamed in real time (with a delay on the order of hundredths of a second) to your iDevice screen (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch). Touching the screen on your iDevice will cause the camera to focus on that part of the scene, provided of course that you are using an auto-focus lens and AF is enabled on the camera. With Nikon cameras (but apparently not Canon), you have a choice of two connection modes: PC or Camera. Camera mode means that you can interact directly with the camera controls, and can see all the usual information on the camera's top LCD (provided that Live View is NOT also enabled). In PC mode (and Live View mode), the camera is unresponsive to direct manipulation of camera controls, and the top LCD simply displays "PC". PC mode enables remote control of the camera shooting mode (P,S,A,M). In Camera mode, you must rotate the dial on the top of the camera to change shooting mode. (It should be noted that turning on Live View while in Camera connection mode effectively changes the connection mode to PC.) If you want to use touch focusing with a Nikon, you will probably need to be in PC mode (see discussion below).

Basic Camera Settings

Unless otherwise noted, the following applies to both PC and Camera connection modes.

Shooting mode (P,S,A,M,Scene): as noted above, this can be controlled remotely only in PC connection mode (on Nikon cameras). A tiny glitch is that in Program (P) mode it is not possible to remotely alter the shutter speed/aperture combination selected by the program. That is, one cannot remotely engage what Nikon calls Flexible Program. This seems a minor point: people who use CamRanger are unlikely to use Program mode in the first place.

Aperture: full remote control

Shutter speed: full remote control

Image format: remote selection of RAW, JPG, RAW+JPG, and JPG quality -but NOT JPG size. JPG size will be as last set on the camera.

Metering mode: full remote control in non-Live View mode

Drive mode (single-frame, continuous low speed, etc.): full remote control -plus the ability to set the number of frames in continuous shooting mode

White balance: full remote control

Auto-focus mode (AF-S, AF-C, etc.): full remote control

Exposure compensation: full remote control in 1/3 EV increments (up to ± 5 EV on a D90)

Exposure bracketing: full remote control three exposures (± 2 EV in 1/3 increments on a D90). Note: the exposure compensation and bracketing options available in the CamRanger app are the same as if the D90 were being operated manually. This suggests that the available CamRanger settings will depend on the camera being used.

Focus mode (AF, MF): remote switching between auto focus and manual focus available in PC connection mode only. This is perhaps the least intuitive control. If you are in Live View, touching the screen will make the camera focus on the part of the scene that you touch, regardless of the AF/MF CamRanger setting (provided the switches on the camera and lens are set for AF). However, if CamRanger is set to AF, the camera will re-focus before making an exposure, using the focusing area last selected on the camera. In other words, CamRanger must be set to MF in order for remote touch focusing to work properly. In effect, this is remote manual focusing (MF) by using a touch screen, and it overrides the AF camera/lens settings. You need to be in PC connection mode in order for the switches on the camera and lens to be set to AF while at the same time being able to be set CamRanger to MF. At least that is how it works on the D90. I don't know how this works on Canon bodies, and even other Nikon bodies may work a bit differently.

Live histogram: in Live View mode only

ISO: Full remote control, with the caveat that Auto ISO must not be enabled in the camera menus. Unfortunately ISO selection is NOT disabled on the CamRanger when the camera is in Auto ISO mode. This gives one the false impression that ISO is being controlled remotely. Auto ISO cannot be turned on and off remotely.

Focus Control

See the discussion above about MF/AF focus mode. Remote autofocusing is accomplished in Live View mode by touching the image on the iDevice screen to place a focus point. Furthermore, remote focus can be fine-tuned by pressing six upor down-pointing triangular touch-screen "buttons" in the CamRanger UI (rather than by touching the image). In non-Live View mode, the camera will focus automatically according to the settings made on the camera (single-point AF, etc.), with the obvious caveat that AF must be enabled on the camera/lens. It is not possible to remotely select the focus point in non-Live View mode.

An automated focus stacking feature is also included. It is possible to set the number of shots in a sequence. One is also given the option of small, medium or large focus increments between captures. But there is no indication of what small, medium and large actually mean. A sequence is started from the the closest focus point, which is chosen in Live View mode. However, there is no way of knowing, except by reviewing images, how far the focus stacking sequence progresses. In other words, getting reliable results will involve some trial-and-error tinkering. An alternative is to do focus stacking manually by touching successive focus points on the iDevice screen. Hopefully, this feature can be be improved in subsequent software versions.

Time-lapse Photography (Timer and Intervalometer)

CamRanger can be used to control a time-lapse sequence of exposures, or to make a single exposure at some point in the future. The user sets the number of exposures, the time interval ("shot delay") between exposures, and the delay before the first exposure. The number of exposures can be set between 1 and 10,000, and the interval between shots can range from 1 sec to 59 min 59 sec. Once a sequence is initiated, the communicating iDevice can be turned off and/or disconnected from the CamRanger wi-fi network. The CamRanger user guide states that the interval between exposures is not precisely controlled, particularly when it "is only a few seconds or less." It's not clear how long (in time) that a sequence can be, given that the limiting factor will be battery life of the CamRanger "pod".

HDR Sequences

CamRanger can control automated HDR exposure sequences. Steps between successive exposures can range from 1/3 to 3 EV (in 1/3 EV increments). The attribute being varied can be aperture, shutter speed, or ISO. The number of exposures in the sequence can also be set, within a range that is determined by available camera settings (e.g., maximum shutter speed), the step size between exposures, and the settings for the initial exposure. The initial exposure is the "darkest", as set within the CamRanger app. In my tests, the time between exposures was about 2 sec, which is rather long given that subject movement is generally undesirable in HDR images.

In some ways the CamRanger implementation of HDR is an improvement over the native implementation on the D90. In particular, a native "automated" HDR sequence on the D90 is limited to no more than three exposures with a maximum range of 4 EV between the lightest and darkest images. However, if the drive mode on the D90 is set to continuous (high), those three exposures will take less than 1 second.

I tried to see if I could work around CamRanger's slow HDR shooting. Using CamRanger, I remotely set the camera drive mode to continuous (high) for seven exposures. Then I used CamRanger to set up a 7-exposure HDR sequence. I ended up with 49 exposures, seven taken at each step in the HDR sequence! Hopefully HDR sequences can be sped up in the future.

Image Review

With Nikon cameras, you must shoot JPG or RAW+JPG in order to review images (other than thumbnails) on your iDevice screen. (With Canon, you can just shoot RAW). You cannot review images on the LCD of your camera as long as the USB connection is maintained between the camera and the CamRanger "pod". This is true even if the connection mode is set to Camera. Image review on your iDevice can include a three-color histogram as well as blinking highlight and shadow clipping warnings.

Small Irritations

1. Almost every time I want to establish a wi-fi connection between my iPhone and the CamRanger, I am prompted for the network password. The "fix" is to simply try again. It always seems to work on the second try -no password needed. (This is a known "bug".)

2. On an iPhone, the CamRanger app does not switch to landscape view when the phone is rotated. (I believe this is NOT the case on iPads.)

Conclusion

Overall, CamRanger is truly impressive from both software and hardware standpoints. The variety of camera settings and shooting behaviors that can be controlled remotely (wirelessly) is astounding, especially for a third-party implementation. Certainly, nothing made by Nikon comes even close. All features seem to work quite well, although focus stacking is a bit crude, and execution of HDR sequences is slow (as detailed above). So far, I have only used the CamRanger "pod" within a few feet of my iPhone, so I cannot speak to the communication range. Nor have I made explicit tests of battery life, or tied to shoot video sequences. I have not tried using the CamRanger app in bright sunlight, where visibility of the the iDevice screen might be an issue. Finally, I'm guessing that the Live View capability with touch focusing will be very impressive on an iPad, with its much larger screen (compared to the iPhone). Finally, I've had excellent customer support from CamRanger.

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Lenovo Yoga 10-Inch 16 GB Tablet

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $299.99
Sale Price: $259.99
Today's Bonus: 13% Off

I got my lenovo yoga 10 a few days ago, and I must say so far it has been excellent. Before buying this tablet I had significant concerns about the screen, as it got blasted in several reviews for having a horrible quality screen that isn't even suitable for watching standard definition shows on, has horrible colors that are washed out and text that is barely readable. The reality is none of this is the case. There are obviously better displays on the market that look incredible, but that is to take nothing away from the Yoga 10. I have found the screen to be crisp and clear with good color reproduction. Furthermore, the resolution of the screen is better than that of an iPad 2, which continues to be on sale by Apple. I have never seen one comment complaining about how poor and unwatchable that screen is. Another major complaint was gaming and how the Yoga is underpowered to the point where it can't handle games. Shadowgun,both dead triggers, spiderman, minecraft, iron man, and gta3 are the games I've played on it so far. None have had a problem with dropped frames and are completely fine. The load times might be 10 seconds longer than on my droid DNA, but also my phone drops frames on nearly all these games when this thing runs them all fine. My only complaint so far is the overlay on Android Lenovo decided to go with. Its awful. Not slow, but just ugly. I replaced it with Nova launcher and now we are good to go. Battery is incredible, construction is great, and I have zero regrets on this purchase. Dont listen to the reviews and I promise you won't be disappointed. Most reviewers only like the best spec thing out at the moment and don't take into consideration price or what the average user might want in a tablet. This tablet does everything I could possibly ask of it with no issues. This review was written on my Yoga tablet with the onscreen keyboard. I ordered the matching keyboard from lenovo but it didn't come in yet. Thanks for reading and I hope this review helps.

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Tamron 18-250mm F/3.5-6.3 AF Di-II LD Aspherical (IF) Macro Lens

Customer Ratings:

I've had this lens for about 3 months and it has been even more satisfactory than expected (and I ordered before it had been reviewed). I wanted a reasonable quality, small, lightweight "walk around" lens, at a reasonable price, and it has been great for me. As an amateur photographer and using a Nikon D50 SLR, my acceptance level may be limited, and someday I may want better glass. But for now I am very very happy. After receiving it and using it for a while, a very positive review appeared in Popular Photography magazine.

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Pentax SMC DA* 60-250mm f/4 ED IF SDM Telephoto Zoom Lens w

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $1,399.95
Sale Price: $1,299.99
Today's Bonus: 7% Off

Pros:

Sharp throughout the zoom range, even wide open it is great, by 5.6 it is simply astonishing

Versatile range (90-375mm Full frame equivalent, fairly close to 100-400mm)

Relatively Compact

Full weather sealing

Tripod mount with removable foot

Cons:

No zoom lock, could creep.

Some softness on one side of frame at 200-250mm and f/4 (rarely visible above f/4.5)

Tripod mount with removable foot

Verdict:

Superb lens worth the asking price. Image quality and bokeh is in league with most primes of similar range and aperture. Who should buy this lens? Anyone who needs an extra sharp, sports, wildlife, or general purpose lens with f/4 at the long end.

Review:

The lens is superb. SDM focus is silent and seems reliable with my K-7. It goes to its target and stops. It is not extremely fast, but not slow either. It seems to work well enough for some birds in flight tracking and other continuous focus activities. If you do use screw drive focus with this lens, it is fairly loud as typical of other DA* lenses running screw drive.

The sharpness of the lens never ceases to amaze me. Zooming in to 100% view and the pixels are still sharp, even on my K-7 which is 14.6 MP. It seems to peak about f/5.6, but is really very good from wide open. This behaves a lot like 70-200mm f/4 lenses in this regard. Since this is internal focus, the focal length is measured at infinity. It seems to be significantly less than that at close focus as typical of all IF lenses. Unlike some cheaper lenses this lens does not disappoint for distant subjects.

The lens is targeted for someone who is used to a 100-400mm for full frame. It has a tripod mount, and speaking of which, the foot of the tripod mount is easily removeable if you find it in the way (the ring remains on the lens), but I like to use the foot as the handhold when shooting, it makes a nice balance point. The ring has detents every 90 degrees so it is easy to rotate in 90 degree increments. My only word of warning is make sure you keep the tripod mount tightened, use a coin or something. If you only hand tighten the screw, it could work its way off, which would be unpleasant to say the least. The lens is actually not large if you are used to lenses like the Sigma 100-300mm f/4. It is small next to that lens. It is fairly close to a 70-200mm f/2.8, and maybe even a bit smaller.

Most of my minor complaints with this lens are mechanical. Don't get me wrong, it feels great, but it lacks a lock or anything to hold the extending barrel in place while you hike around. The weather seal helps keep the barrel from extending, but it doesn't take a lot to pull it out. There is also a small amount of barrel wobble (only if you push on it). There is also no focus limiter to help speed up focus, good thing it doesn't hunt often.

My minor issue with the left side being soft had me a slightly concerned initially, but it really only is noticeable in brick wall shots and appears to go away when stopped down at all. This mirrors what SLRGear saw with their review as well.

Optically, there is some visible green/magenta bokeh CA, but it is fairly minor and easy to correct in post. You will see some occassional fringing near the extreme edges of the frame too in high contrast situations, but it is still better than average in this regard and not to the point of systemically hurting contrast (like in most of the 70-300mm lenses). Overall contrast is superb with this lens.

The question I always hear is why should I buy this lens when I can buy the 55-300mm a quarter the price? Trust me, this lens is worth every penny. It really is in a different league than the 55-300mm, which is a great lens, but you do get what you pay for. Looking at uncropped images there will be only slight differences, but looking at 100% crops or large prints the difference is clearly visible.

I almost gave this lens 4 stars because of the minor complaints I had with mine, but the lens always makes me smile when I see the results. For that reason I had to give it 5 stars. This lens combined with the K-7 make one unbeatable all weather camera kit.

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Apple iPad 2 MC984LL/A Tablet (64GB, Wifi + AT&T 3G, White) 2nd

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $829.00
Sale Price: $579.00
Today's Bonus: 30% Off

For anyone out there who is considering whether or not to make the leap and purchase the iPad 2, this review is for you. If you're still debating between the iPad 1 and the iPad 2 check out my review of the first generation iPad right here on Amazon to see a discussion of its strengths and weaknesses with a number of people commenting (both positively and negatively) over the past 11 months.

Let me begin by saying this upfront, I don't work for Apple, I don't own Apple Stock, and whether you buy an iPad, Xoom, a laptop or a pad of paper and pencil I don't get anything for writing this. I'm not an Apple "fanboy" although I can give credit where credit is due and lately Apple has deserved a lot of credit for some of their products.

Physical Characteristics

The iPad 2 is absurdly thin. More importantly than it's thinness is its tapered edge which feels more natural in your hand. One of the biggest complaints about the original iPad was it really wasn't tremendously comfortable to hold for long periods at a time. For a tablet device designed to be held, that's a pretty big deal. Apple really has done an amazing job of cramming everything into an even smaller space than before and the difference is really noticeable when you're holding the device. In addition to the tapered edge, Apple managed to reduce the overall weight of the iPad 2. That might not seem like a huge deal to most, especially when you consider the weight difference isn't tremendous when you're already under 2 pounds, but I spend a good part of my day holding the iPad in my hands and the weight difference is surprising by the end of the day. The first generation isn't heavy by any means, but the iPad 2 outshines it.

New and "Improved"

Apple doubled the RAM in the iPad 2 from 256MB to 512MB. What does that mean? For most casual users, probably not a whole lot. There is a performance bump that everyone will see the effects of in things like loading times for webpages that are open in the background, but 256MB was sufficient for most daily use and games. If you're planning to use your device for some of the more graphically intense games the iPad 2 does offer a better method of graphics processing that'll help deliver faster images with fewer jerky movements. If you're just playing Angry birds and reading e-mail you're not going to know the difference.

The screen is the same for all real purposes. It is technically a "new" part in that it isn't identical to the old, it's a bit thinner and more efficient, but it's the same resolution. The Glass is thinner though, and this amounts to a fair bit of the weight loss from one generation to the next. In playing with the device it seems surprising but despite feeling lighter it actually feels more sturdy in your hands. I still wouldn't suggest dropping it, but if it were to fall the iPad 2 certainly feels like it might stand a better chance to survive. Try not to drop it though.

The addition of 2 cameras was expected. Some were a bit surprised to see the first generation released without the cameras. Whether it was for a price point consideration, or a means to get people to upgrade, Apple held off until iPad 2. The cameras do a reasonable job, but they're not going to replace a dedicated digital camera, or really even the camera on your phone for most still images. The cameras do a substantially better job with video, and FaceTime is probably one of the best reasons to get the iPad 2 over the original iPad. For those who might not be familiar, FaceTime is Apple's face to face conferencing system, kind of like Skype, or if you'd rather, kind of like the Jetson's TV/Phone. With the push of a button you can be having a face to face chat with a loved one just about anywhere in the world (provided they're on a wireless network at the time). FaceTime doesn't work over 3G natively (it can be used over a wifi connection created by a 3G device however) so you're not going to be able to use it in your car anytime soon. This is probably a good thing though. It is incredibly easy to use and if you know other people with an iPad 2, iPhone 4, or Mac it's a lot of fun.

Smart Covers aren't really "smart" but they're really very useful. Not only do they provide a stylistic enhancement of the device, but they serve a practical and functional purpose of doubling as a screen protector and stand in 2 configurations. You can find them in a variety of colors and from third market suppliers, and it's a safe bet that more will be out soon to capitalize on the magnetic sensors in the iPad 2. It's unfortunate that this same feature can't somehow be retrofitted to the iPad 1, I wouldn't have thought a case would be a compelling reason to consider a product over it's competitor, but these covers are really so useful it's hard to understand why they've not been there since the beginning.

Multitasking Support

One of the biggest knocks against the iPad when first released was the lack of native multi-tasking support. Jailbreakers added the feature quickly and Apple soon realized it would be a requirement for any future device's success and released an OS update that included the feature. The iPad 2 capitalizes on that progress and takes it a step further with the increased RAM enabling more open applications to be suspended at once, and the time to open or close an application has improved as well. That said, even the first generation managed to open and close apps faster than most people would be used to on their computers, so while this is an improvement it's more akin to showing off.

Apps

One thing that Apple has clearly the advantage in for the moment is app availability. The App store has close to 70,000 iPad specific Apps, all of which will work on the iPad 2. The new cameras will undoubtedly see this list expand rapidly, as will the inclusion of a gyroscope for gaming and motion based uses. There are also a substantial number of professional applications ranging from document creation to photo editing and vector drawing. Chances are if you can dream it, there's an App for that (and if not you might want to get started on one to fill in the gap). The Android market is making a strong showing, and ultimately it'll likely be a strong competitor, for now it still has a ways to go, but any potential buyer should consider the strength of the application market before buying a tablet.

Pros:

Weight. Seriously. The minimal weight of this thing is by far the most impressive feature about it in my opinion. It seems to defy physics and logic that so much could be in such a small space working that hard for that long.

Battery Life. From full to dead my iPad 2 went just over 11 hours with the movie Robin Hood showing twice during that time, the screen at half brightness, wifi turned on, an Angry Birds marathon and a good portion of a book in ibook. That's better than a work day and that's constantly on.

Books. This is definitely a Pro, but reading itself could go either way. The great benefit to the iPad is having access to Google Books, ibook, Nook, and Kindle. This allows for some comparison shopping and price competition (although for the most part they're all usually about the same). Reading in the evenings in bed is great as the back light means you don't have to worry about keeping others awake, but the glass screen causes some glare trouble when trying to read outside or near a sunny window. If you're an avid outdoor reader the Kindle might still be your best bet.

Cons:

Still no dedicated USB support. While there is a camera add-on that allows for certain USB devices to be used there is no option for mass storage. Some of the Android Tablets allow for this and if you find yourself wanting to use your tablet as a standalone storage device this might be something to consider. The device can read from certain flash drives though, but is largely limited to photo and video files. Jailbreaks offer solutions to this, but those come with their own issues as well.

Still no dedicated SD card slot. This is troublesome on two fronts. First, if you want to import pictures from your camera you have to have an adapter which is just one more thing to carry around. Second, the lack of expansion means you're limited to what you purchase in terms of storage. I purchased a 32GB iPad last time and never filled it up completely, so for me capacity wasn't an issue. If you want to be able to have your entire movie collection with you though... you may want to consider whether the iPad 2 can meet your space requirements.

HDMI output. Really this is a Pro and a Con. The iPad does allow for HD output over HDMI but again it requires an adapter. All of these adapters are additional purchases for features that some tablets offer built in. This can be a pain, but then again if you're not likely to ever use HDMI Output then you're not paying for something you won't use.

No Flash Support. This is becoming less and less of an issue as the internet and web developers are moving away from Flash for many websites, but there are a lot still out there relying on Adobe's Flash to run properly (including a lot of web based games). Before you pick a tablet consider what kind of websites you frequent and try and determine if they are Flash driven or not. If they are you may really want to consider something from the Android offerings as it is expected that they'll have at least some Flash support.

If you're in the market for a tablet device the iPad 2 should definitely be on your short list. If you're uncertain it is always best to go and play with these things hands on first if you can. Best Buy is a good place for that, so are Verizon Stores since they have the Xoom and 3G iPad. Don't get pulled into the hype and mania that comes with an Apple release. They're exciting and new, and they're impressive enough to warrant some excitement, but it will die down and there will be other products that prove a strong competitor to the iPad 2. If you're looking for right now though, this is probably your best bet. I gave the device 4 stars, as I did the iPad 1. I did this in contemplation of the features offered by competitors that are absent from the iPad, most notably the requirement for adapters for USB/SD/HDMI. While these features are there, they aren't as convenient as in other tablets. With that in mind I firmly believe that the iPad more than makes up for this in usability, reliability, and design and in those areas far exceeds its current competitors.

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Samsung NX2000 Smart Wi-Fi Digital Camera Body & 20-50mm Lens

Customer Ratings:

I was very reluctant at first to order this as I had never heard of the seller and read some sketchy reviews. Item shipped almost immediately and I received the tracking info. Granted I had to wait for UPS to sign for the package, but I understand the reasons. Was somewhat leery as the camera was priced more than $200 less than it was at BestBuy or other like retailers, AND came with ALOT of stuff. Was very worried that it would be an out of box refurbished item. Package came as expected as per tracking info. All items are brand new in their original packing. And again, it came with A LOT of stuff!!! Got too tired to unwrap everything and put it away. If you want to buy this camera, BUY IT HERE! Plus with Amex points which I could use through Amazon, ended up paying only $100, when I almost paid $650 at a retailer just for the camera. Looks like it finally pays to be a shopaholic.

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Panasonic AW-HE50HN - network camera

Customer Ratings:

does everything a pro camera should do with remote or computer computer control...it even pans diagonally!...there isnt much more needing added above the top specifications it comes with...60 frames per second is a must...no blurr here...and the zoom will capture the nose hairs on your neighbor from a house away...simply a well designed unit...yes a bit on the expensive side...but considering it has no competition...they got me

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