Onkyo BD-SP809 Blu-Ray Disc Player - Black

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $599.00
Sale Price: $398.97
Today's Bonus: 33% Off

The brand Onkyo has been around almost as long as some of the other great Japanese Hi-Fi companies (Sony, Pioneer, Kenwood,etc). they have a great reputation as builders of fine quality stereo gear, as far back as the 1970s.

I havent had alot of experience with all their current product line, but checked out some of their AV multi-channel receivers, and WOW, they are built beautifully...I was very impressed,everything weighs like, 70 lbs, the cases are metal, well sheilded, the face plates are heavy machined aluminum, etc...Im happy to see that there is still HIGH QUALITY stuff being built out there, when most mass market brand equipment you see at Best But is just lightweight, cheap, plasticky CRAP. I am a vintage stereo/ hi-fi collector, and was determined when I went shopping to find a Blu-Ray player that had the quality look and feel of a high-end stereo product.

i have some very cool vintage Pioneer, Kenwood,Dual Turntables,that kind of cool, OLD SCHOOL gear...and this stuff is made like a tank...its from the 70s, before the motto became "Lets build everything as cheaply as possible" and most of the DVD or BluRay players, or low priced receivers you see out there are CRAP...they feel like cheap, plasticky junk.They work OK (or NOT LOL), but they just dont look like they fit in with a nice stereo or High End Home Theater system.

If you care about this, and have a high quality stereo /home theatre system, and want a BluRay player that matches the SOLID old school feel of VINTAGE quality gear, or high quality MODERN home theater gear, then this player will probably appeal to you. Its built like a friggin TANK! It has a nice, THICK, black, adonized aluminum face plate, and the whole unit feels like its very well designed and the build quality is fantastic! The whole case is solid metal, and according to most reviews Ive read, the unit is very well damped, and immune to external vibration. it also features a very advanced D to A converter.

Quality wise, Its like an AUDI or Mercedes...or a Lexus...it just feels RIGHT! Its like when you slam the door on a lightweight, crappy cheap car door, and the whole car rattles. Well, there are plenty of DVD/Blu Ray players the mass market stuff you see at Best Buy, Im sure you know what Im talking about! This piece feels like high end VINTAGE stereo gear, heavy and beautiful to look at, and it feels nice, even the controls, everything, has that mmm....nice!....feel to it.

So far, Ive found it works beautifully, both with streaming ( Netflix, etc) as well as playing BluRays and DVDs. The picture is gorgeous, with rich vibrant colors, and the sound is also excellent!

One thing Ive found, none of the higher price,better quality players are "WI-FI ready", you have to pop an extra 60 to 80 bucks for a "wireless bridge" which is just a little box, like a ROKU box size, that basically connects the internet in your house, to the BluRay player. You just plug it into the BluRay player with an ethernet cable, and thats pretty much it: youre ready to GO!

I know some people think this is kind of a pain in the ass...When I first realized NONE of the better quality players have this feature, I was confused...but now, I get it. The cheap players have it built in. My LG BD 590 has WiFi built in, and I actually think that is a real nice player for the money (Theyre still out there, brand new, even though discontinued, for like, 200-230.00 bucks on Amazon.) But this Onkyo player is a whole different thing. Its like comparing a Kia to a BMW! Any of the top players, by Oppo, Denon, Marantz, Yamaha, or Onkyo, DONT have the WI-Fi "built in", so you have to decide if buying the wireless bridge is worth it. At first, I was pissed off, then I said, Ok, WTF, and bought it and hooked it up, and Im very pleased!

People complain that feature for feature, this player doesnt have every single bell and every single whistle it could...so, I suggest compare each player, and then decide what features you really need...for me, again, priority is i wanted a nice, SOLIDLY BUILT quality player, that plays DVDs, CDs, and Blu Rays effortlessly and brilliantly, and with the addition of the necessary WIRELESS BRIDGE, BAM! This player plays virtually anything you can throw at it. So, i would say, this player is DEFINITELY worth checking out! Good Luck, you guys! Sincerely,Bbopman

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Canon PowerShot ELPH 500 HS 12.1 MP CMOS Digital Camera

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $279.00
Sale Price: $150.99
Today's Bonus: 46% Off

Please note that for a point and shoot, this camera deserves a 5-star review. But in fairness to certain small details, and Amazon's inability to allow users to give partial stars (e.g. 4.75 stars), I will have to settle for 4-stars.

Cosmetic PROS: Unlike some of the SD and Elph cameras in the past, this one feels solid. Canon even improved, to some extent, the flimsy-feeling battery door. It is a HUGE improvement over the previous flimsy plastic doors on earlier models. The large 3"x1" screen is sharp and beautiful and gives an accurate depiction of what your camera will capture. Switching between full program mode and full automatic is a simple slide button on the top of the camera allowing an advanced user and a novice to both have their options easily. This also prevents any accidental mode changes that can happen with setting-wheels or external buttons.

Cosmetic CONS: The lens cover seems a touch too loose, at least on my specific camera. It rattles and moves slightly when handling the camera after the power is off and the cover is closed. Not a deal breaker by any stretch of the imagination, but you might notice this rattle too. The card slot, at least on my specific camera, is strangely snug. When I slide the card into place, there is some friction that made me question whether I was forcing it into the slot in the wrong direction. I pushed the card in until it clicked into place, but then it did not rebound like normal (like when clicking the top of a retracting ball-point pen.) Again, it may just be my specific camera. (Edit: I forgot to mention that while the battery door is now more durable, the A/V door feels very flimsy. It doesn't swing out like a door. Rather, like the cap on a tupperware drinking bottle lid, the door detaches from the camera but remains linked to it via a moderately flexible piece of plastic. And because the door snaps firmly in place when closed, you really need fingernails to get any sort of leverage to open it. For what its worth, if I had to choose only one, I still much prefer the more durable battery door than a durable A/V door.)(Edit: Also, while I love the huge screen, please note that if you wear polarized sunglasses, you may have issues shooting on a sunny day with the screen appearing to disappear. This is more of a problem of the polarized lenses than the camera, but its worth noting.)

Touch screen: Personally, I prefer standard buttons. However, this touch screen is fine. It is big enough that my fingers are able to select menu items easily. For those of you coming from touch screen cell phones, you may find this screen less sensitive than your phone, thus requiring you to apply more finger pressure than you are used to. This isn't a flaw in my mind, but I can see where others may think the screen is being non-responsive. The lanyard comes with a tightening slide. And this slide also has a fine point on it to help you make selections on the touch screen if you are having problems--similar to the stylus of the old palm pilots. Hard to use if your hand is in the lanyard, but hey, its a start!

Features: My main reasons for purchasing this camera was to get aperture priority, shutter priority, and a macro setting as options. Unlike the Canon's S95 with an external ring control, the aperture settings on the 500HS are buried in the touch screen menus. That is fine for my uses and will be fairly intuitive to previous Canon users. The f2.0 aperture setting DELIVERS! For those wanting shallow depth of fields on their point and shoot...wow! I loved this! I haven't had any problems (yet) with the camera focusing on the wrong subject even in macro setting. And because this comes with Focus Lock, you will probably be able to work around that problem if it ever arises. Strangely, but not a deal breaker, the camera doesn't seem to have a BULB setting for shutter speed and maxes out at 15". I don't use that setting and speeds enough to warrant complaint, and maybe there are slower shutter speeds and I just missed them, but I figured I would share that tidbit with others who may be needing those speeds. It is just odd considering my old-old Canon SD630 had bulb setting and I think 2 minutes (but its been so long, I may be mistaken.)(edit: Just realized that this camera doesn't have exposure bracketing (where it takes three automatic shots with different exposures.) It still has exposure adjustment allowing you to +/exposure stops, but I am a little surprised to not find this previously included feature. There is something called Best Image where the camera takes 5 continuous shots but automatically keeps only the best shot, but this seems to be geared toward facial expressions/blinks/etc. and not exposures. The lack of bracketing is only a minor drawback for me--heck, its taken me a couple of weeks to realize its not present--but its worth mentioning.)

Video: Because I didn't buy this for video, I cannot well judge its abilities. I will only say that the few test videos I took were sharp, with decent sound. However, the volume of the voice of the person holding the camera will be noticeably less. Whether thats a good thing or bad is up to you. Note too that the video is recorded in stereo sound. But I can't gauge its quality. (edit: Having tested the video out more, the sound from the person recording the video (i.e. behind the camera) is actually much better than I originally thought. Apparently, I had the volume turned down too low. But once I adjusted the setting, the sound was rather clear and crisp. I was very impressed.)

Review pics: Everything on this camera is on the touch screen EXCEPT for the review button. The lone, solitary button on the rear of the camera is dedicated to allowing you review your shots in one touch. After hitting the review button, you can either slide your finger across the screen, tap an arrow on the side of the screen, or even BUMP the side of the camera with your finger to see the next shot! There is also a motion detector or internal accelerometer of some sort that allows you to quickly scan through your review pics by tilting the camera slightly on its side. Those last two features are very reminiscent of smartphone technology and makes the camera feel that much more advanced than others. (edit: After more use, I *really* need to emphasize that I like the bump feature! It makes reviewing a bunch of pics really very easy!)

Compared to S95, the 500HS is in the lead in my opinion. The S95 was supposed to be the intermediate step between point and shoot cameras and DSLRs, giving some advanced features without the expense of the DSLRs. The 500 HS is $100-$150 cheaper, more compact, and has a ton of settings and features--yes, it does have miniature model shooting mode and 1080p HD video. I think this camera is the new intermediate step to the DSLR. To give you more perspective, my other option to fit my needs would be either a DSLR Rebel or D50 or D60...$500 at absolute minimum for the body, plus another $299 for a macro lens. In other words, $800 minimum to get me the features I needed. Compare that to the 500 HS at $299! BARGAIN!

Now, I haven't had time, yet, to see if the image stabilization and low light settings are better than in cameras past--especially since I normally have "IS" turned off. So if those features are important to you, maybe visit a camera store and see the camera in person. But since the release of this camera was supposed to be March (if I am not mistaken) and since the earthquake hit Japan in March, you may have a heck of a time finding this camera in stock anywhere. I know there are a few pink colored models for sale. And I completely lucked out with finding this silver model, but keep trying! It seems that a few more stores that I frequented started getting these cameras trickling in over the past 10 days. But they seemed to be getting only 2 or 3 cameras at a time.

Good luck!

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Canon PowerShot SX280 HS 12.1 MP CMOS Digital Camera with 20x

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $399.00
Sale Price: $239.00
Today's Bonus: 40% Off

Initial indications after taking just a few photos at different settings left me very impressed with the SX260. Picture quality and zoom are fabulous. Startup is quick as well as the speed at which it focuses and ultimately takes the photo. Finger grip on the front is a nice touch for a camera of this size and weight. It can easily slip out of your hands and this certainly helps (I always struggled with this on my smaller, lighter Canons).

Some annoyances are the flash on the top where you tend to place your finger. Not sure about the "easy setting" on the dial for taking pictures. I understand the overall point, I just don't know how it makes things any simpler than the full auto function. I would have liked to see them take this off the dial and replace it with a pre-programmed scene setting or the capability to have a fully programmable setting. Along those same lines, there appears to be a couple "empty" spots on the dial that I think could have been reserved for the ability to pre-program some settings.

I would probably give the camera a 4.5 rating given the flash location, but the picture quality and zoom for the price make this an awesome point and shoot.

I have not yet used the GPS, but will try this weekend to see how it affects the battery.

UPDATE April 27, 2012:

Went on a 7 hour hike with the GPS on, took 80 photos and a couple videos and battery is still at full strength. Very happy with the photo quality. Still highly recommend this camera.

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Nikon COOLPIX S3100 14 MP Digital Camera with 5x NIKKOR

Customer Ratings:

this camera is for you. This camera does have some great features, some of which I have not even had time to use yet. The main draw, however, (other than the size) is that it is simple and easy to use. There are tons of point and shoot cameras out there, and there is no use being snobby over which one you buy, because they all do pretty much the same thing. This one is great for the price. You could get a nicer camera, but for 90% of the people in the market for a digital camera, this will do what you need and want it to, and more.

I use mine mainly for snapshots and spontaneous pictures with friends and the like. However, I do enjoy photography, and I have experience with SLR cameras as well (and I own one). Therefore, I also sometimes take artistic shots. This camera does it all unless you are a professional photographer, in which case, you already know you need a different camera.

The size is perfect. This will even fit in small pockets on skinny jeans or whatever. The case I bought with the camera adds some bulk, but the camera is so slim, even the case fits in my pockets comfortably.

I use Amazon Student Prime, so shipping is never a hassle. I can't really comment on other shipping speeds. The package was simple, but the camera box protects the camera with styrofoam and cardboard, and the shipping box used inflated plastic bags to keep the camera box safe. Someone would really have to try to damage the camera to manage it.

Amazon lists plenty of features of this camera, but here is my list:

RECHARGEABLE!

Records HD movies with one button

Big LCD screen on back to help compose pictures in a size you can actually see

19 scenes to choose from to assist in getting a better picture

Pet Focus will find your pet's face and once focused, will shoot the picture

There are several cool filters like selective coloring, a miniature effect and a fisheye effect

Is tiny and lightweight

Comes in cool colors

This camera will even warn you if it thinks someone blinked.

Bottom line: This camera is what you want. I search for weeks or longer before deciding to buy something, and I chose this camera. For a point and shoot, it has everything you need, and so many things you didn't even know you wanted. Unless you don't actually know what you're looking for, you won't regret buying this camera.

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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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Gitzo GT1830 Series 1 Basalt 3 Section Tripod (Replaces GT1932)

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $500.00
Sale Price: $324.90
Today's Bonus: 35% Off

I gave 3 star for the fact

-Good design...it's a Ferrari look on a tripod

-Good price

-Very light weight

-Very good locking system

-Nice accent color

The bads:

-Cheap wimpy bag

-The bottom leg is weak and flimsy, making the tripod wobble

-When the wind blows don't expect it to stay stable! I use Nikon D300s with 80-400mm and it made the camera and the tripod wobble.

If only the bottom leg was as thick as the center I think this would of been a stable tripod. I recommend Series 2 instead of Series 1. Series 1 the bottom legs are too weak and flimsy. Series 2 weight is not much more than Series 1 but at leaast it is stable.

I resold mine and bought an Induro CT214 Carbon Fiber Tripod instead. I did not want to spend $650-700 for Gitzo, this Induro was actually more stable than Gitzo Carbon in similar series. And it also comes with spikes and a padded bag with 5 years warranty for no additional charge. It cost me $400.

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AmScope 3.5X-90X Digital Zoom Stereo Microscope with 144-LED

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $2,800.00
Sale Price: $689.98
Today's Bonus: 75% Off

In order to analyze the traces of writing, buy this microscope. It has good optical and camera with 10 mp give appropriate image to present a report on the case studies. The offer would have been better microscope with incident and transmitted light, in spite of this, research is done well with AmScope 3.5X-90X Digital Zoom Stereo Microscope with 144-LED Light + 10MP USB Camera.

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HP H470wbt Officejet Mobile Printer

Customer Ratings:

The HP H470wbt is HP's answer to the "on the go" printer. If you haven't read the spec you will see this particular incarnation comes with a battery for on the road use. The battery is charged while on the printer much like a laptop.

The overall quality of print is passable but not top of the line nor a good choice if you want nice photo-quality prints.

However, if you need to print normal text or perhaps a page from the internet, it does fine. The pages come out at a fair pace (better than one would expect from a small printer) and the quality is acceptable.

The footprint is relatively small and if you plan to carry around with you, expect to use something like a backpack or camera style backpack for your laptop and the printer.

The blue tooth that comes with it works well enough. Just remember to install the blue tooth drivers then deal with Windows itself (in that order).

The one real caveat relates to small printer small ink cartridges. One has to realize to keep this unit small and consume little power, the cartridges are on the small side. Fortunately, they are easily found at various merchants and not an odd special cartridge(s). There is the option to get slightly larger ones but again, the larger ones are also fairly small in output.

Last on the not so good list HP insists on some of their inkjets to use flimsy mechanisms for housing the ink cartridges. In this case they have some "wires" bent to work with the install assembly of the cartridges. This is asking for trouble sooner or later.

I have not ran enough paper through to experience any paper feed problems and thus, cannot comment on this. This is an important part and as those who have had laser printers and inkjets know this can be a problem that occurs over time.

Overall the unit is passable and in some respect very nice. I give it three stars rather than four because of the ink install assembly. The blue tooth, compactness, reasonable output are all to be appreciated.

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Canon PIXMA MX512 Wireless Color Photo Printer with Scanner

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $149.99
Sale Price: $70.99
Today's Bonus: 53% Off

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program Nine month update:

After nine months of use, this printer has not stood up well to the test of even light household printing tasks. It is chronically afflicted with difficult-to-clear paper jams and print cartridges require regular alignment/nozzle cleaning. Consider other options for your all-in-one printing needs.

Original review follows below:

-----

Overall --and especially at the nicely discounted price as I write this review-this is a decently performing all-in-one. No major issues noted with any of the print, fax or copy functions. However, I was not able to use the scan functions using either WiFi or ethernet connections. Attempts at both yielded error messages from the scanner software that simply provided a laundry list of all possible problems ("the printer is not connected to the network...") while doing nothing to diagnose the actual problem. These disappeared and scanning was successful when I used a USB cable instead of either wireless or ethernet connectivity for scanning. Go figure.

PROS:

-Relatively easy set-up. Although documentation is limited to a quick start guide for printer unpacking and set-up, the printer offers sufficient additional detail both from its own LCD menu display and from the included utility software.

-Copy and fax functions are simple and intuitive.

-Double sided printing is possible without having to manually turn the paper over...yes!

-Easily adjustable paper guides.

-Relatively quiet operation free of harsh printer head movements.

-Satisfactory text and photo hardcopy quality.

CONS:

-Unable to scan via ethernet or Wifi; had to use a USB cable to complete scan jobs.

-Limited scanner output options (.jpg or .pdf).

-Scan to email option supports creating attachments direct to Outlook only.

-Complicated menu options for switching between wired and wireless network options.

-Glossy black surface is dust and fingerprint magnet.

IF you have a non-negotiable requirement to scan via an wireless or ethernet connection, then this all-in-one may not be for you. But if you're willing to default to a USB connection: at this price, it's hard to go wrong.

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Canon PowerShot D20 12.1 MP CMOS Waterproof Digital Camera

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $299.00
Sale Price: $269.99
Today's Bonus: 10% Off

I preordered this camera when it was first announced. I was a little disappointed when Amazon dropped the price before it even reached my house. I anticipated this camera not only for the waterproof capabilities, but also because it is shock proof...and probably because it was a Canon. I live in Hawaii and intend to take this to the beach to take photos and videos in and out of the water. I'm a special education teacher and wanted to have my students to create their own learning stories with photos that they took themselves. I am very reluctant to have them use a DSLR or even a regular point & shoot camera with the fear of them dropping $1000+ worth of equipment.

When I got the camera, I quickly looked over the manual for any waterproof information that I might need to know. Everything was straight-forward with no hard-to-find switches to lock any waterproof seals. In other words, feel free to take this out of the box, put in the card and battery, and take underwater photos. I didn't even charge the battery and was able to take about 100 photos and 15 minutes of video right out of the box. I used this opportunity and the next 2 days to extensively test my camera in order to create this review.

DESIGN: 6/10

It's feels very sturdy like it should. The blue metal panel on the front is very nice to look at. Unfortunately, I think the shape is a little too "showy". If you want to show off the fact that you have a waterproof camera then this is the one for you. (I sort of liken it to a Prius, which everyone knows is a hybrid. At first glance, many people will know there is something special about this camera.) I'm a little confused about the left-hand side of the camera which is a little curved. You can put a strap there, but I don't really see the functionality of it being that shape.

My biggest gripe is that the included handstrap can be "twisted" on and clicks into a metal plug. It can be EASILY removed with a very light press on the button and twisting it off. It gives me the fear that it could be accidentally bumped and twisted and the camera will detach from your wrist (though you'd probably have to be mighty clumsy to do so). I would have wished that the strap attached directly to the camera instead of this metal knob. The strap clip also protrudes diagonally out of the bottom corner and you need to remove this if you want to lay in on a flat surface to take photos or video.

IMAGE QUALITY: 9/10

I am a camera enthusiast and mainly use Canon DSLRs (5D, 7D, 1D series, etc...) with L lenses. I also have an Olympus micro 4/3s camera and even have a Nikon D2x, so I'd like to think I know my stuff. Prior to this point & shoot, I used a Canon SD1100 before it got stolen. With this SD1100, I took over 10,000 photos and took hundreds of hours of video (which I made into DVDs to view on TV, or straight from iTunes to a TV...it's only 480p) edited with iMovie. I've always gotten compliments on the video quality of this older model P&S, and was quite impressed with it myself.

As far as photo quality of this camera, I've got to say that it's good, but nothing more than what you'd expect from a P&S camera from 2012. Color is nice and even zoomed in at 100%, the image quality is as great as one might expect. As with any camera, keeping the ISO as low as possible will keep any noise or grain to a minimum. Remember, you're paying a premium because this camera can go underwater or in the snow. It would be unfair to expect DSLR quality from this camera because that's not what it's meant for.

The same goes for video quality: the reason you bought this camera and paid more for it than another P&S is because it is waterproof. If you want that IMAX look, you've got to spend thousands of dollars. If you can't afford that, this is the next best thing. The quality of the out-of-water and underwater videos was superb. I took it to our pool and took videos of various colorful toys underwater. It was a sunny day and the quality was great, vibrant, and clear. I wasn't able to test it in low light situations. I also have a Panasonic TS-10 (underwater camera from 2010) and the Canon D20's video and image quality is surprisingly better.

For on-land videos, the microphone is not as good as normal P&Ss. I'm assuming that it has another waterproof protective layer over it. I don't think this should be surprising to anyone.

One last note on video. This camera has a 5x zoom. When shooting video, it can optically zoom in and out. It will also focus all the way from macro to infinity while still recording, which is different from other cameras that I used in the past, where if you started your video, it couldn't refocus or optically zoom. It even adjusts exposure, meaning that if you're recording in a bright area and come into a dim area, it will adjust automatically while still recording video. Thank you Canon!

ERGONOMICS: 8/10

Buttons are nicely spaced. There is a large thumb rest button that I just can't figure out why it's there except for cosmetic purposes. I thought the playback button on the top was a little strange, but the shutter button is much larger and protrudes so you shouldn't get them confused. It's somewhat on the larger side for a point and shoot, but it probably has something to do with the waterproofing, shockproofing, and freezproofing. It can still fit in pants pockets. I thought the black parts of the camera would have a little more grip, but they are plastic and not rubber. I have no complaints about the design or shape and it felt comfortable to hold. I was able to press buttons underwater very easily.

The screen is very bright at the default middle setting. It is bright enough that it was not necessary to brighten it while underwater. It is very clear and easy to look at. I hope sand or other earth elements don't scratch the screen since I don't know if I'll be able to apply one of those protective sheets over the LCD as it might fall off while underwater.

Snowboarders or divers with gloves might have different experiences than a casual user like myself as far as the button spacing is concerned.

The lens doesn't have a cover. It is in the upper corner, similar to other waterproof cameras. Not much out of the ordinary to comment on this. I got some sunscreen on it and wiped it off harshly with a t-shirt. No scratches at all. I'm hoping it's made of durable glass like other waterproof cameras.

The flash is moved to the middle. I find this makes it easier to avoid covering it with my fingers as I do with other cameras where the flash is in the upper corner. Definitely a plus.

BATTERY LIFE: 9/10

With a full charge I took 150 photos and about 30 mins of videos and still had 1 of 3 power bars leftover (approximately 33%? remaining life). If this is a vacation camera, it should easily be able to last a full day before you need to charge it at the hotel. If you're taking this camping or somewhere with no power, practice using it to gauge how long it will last. When the battery starts flashing, you still have about 10 minutes of video left before it completely dies.

In comparison, the Panasonic TS10 seems to die out before taking even 200 shots with no video. I am not pleased at all with the Panasonic's battery life.

WATERPROOFING: 10/10

I've used this only a few times so far (though intentionally submerged it in water overnight for this review) and have experienced no leaks. I have never experienced leaks with my Panasonic waterproof camera either. If it did leak it would get a zero, but for now, I can't say. It seems to be waterproof. I was a little skeptical about the latches on this camera and felt that there might be a chance that they could get accidentally opened since they only require one flip rather than use a 2-step safety switch, but I tried rubbing it and dragging it over areas that could possibly open the battery and input/output latches but they seem to stay closed as expected.

As with other waterproof cameras, be careful when taking this out on a boat or to the dock where you aren't in the water yourself. In my pool it took only 4 seconds for it to fall 8 feet. They don't float! Imagine if you're over the edge of a pier in 30 feet of murky dark water. It will hit the bottom before you can take your sunglasses off. The detachable strap (as mentioned above) is so easy to intentionally remove that I feel that it could also be easily removed accidentally. I am highly considering a floating strap.

SHOCKPROOFING: ?/10

Uh, I'll trust Canon and not attempt to drop this camera just for the sake of this review. The box says it can withstand a 5 foot drop and I'll take their word for it.

BELLS AND WHISTLES: 7/10

GPS: Works I guess. It has a little trouble getting a signal inside, and this is my first camera with GPS, so I'm not sure how accurate it should be. But it was able to record the coordinates of my outdoor shots (though not all of my indoor shots).

Camera features: It has SMILE DETECTION that seems to wait for the whites of the subject's teeth to snap the photo (a big grin doesn't seem to work). This will work great with my special needs students, who can just hold the camera and ask for the subject to smile. SUPER SLOW MOTION is pretty cool. It needs a lot of light and can only take it at low resolution. It also includes other more commonly included effects such as FISHEYE and MINIATURE. I don't think I'll find myself using these effects quite often. You can go to Canon's website or other review sites to find out more.

Playback features: Includes commonly found features such as slideshow functions and a photobook set-up. What confused me was the ACTIVE DISPLAY which lets you scroll through photos by tapping the corners of the camera with your index fingers during playback. A cool gimmick perhaps meant for snowboarders with thick gloves. I found it easier to scroll with my thumb on the directional keys.

Macro: (added this part in later) Forgot to mention the macro capabilities of this camera. It is unbelievably versatile. It can clearly and easily focus on items even 1cm away from the camera. And it's smart so you don't have to change settings from normal to macro modes (although it does have that capability if it can't detect it automatically). I haven't used any of Canon's newest P&S's, so don't know if this is normal to be this good. Feel free to take macro pictures of bugs, wet plants, or rocks, without worrying about the camera getting wet, dirty, or knocked around.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS

This is a very solidly built camera that is very eye catching. Image quality is EXCELLENT for a point and shoot camera. After using a waterproof Olympus, as well as a Panasonic one, I would definitely recommend this Canon D20 for the superior image quality. I was originally going to give this a 4-star rating, but that would mainly be because I thought the strap placement and it's funky non-rectangular design were huge issues. However, after reviewing my photos and videos, this is definitely the waterproof camera to buy! The image quality is very exceptional for a point & shoot. If you're trying to capture those underwater photos during a trip-of-a-lifetime, spend a little more and get this camera.

Update: 5/31/2012

I'd like to add just a few more things since using this camera for about a month now.

Image Quality: No RAW. There are a number of mid to high-range P&S's with RAW. This does not have RAW. I don't want to get into a debate about the necessities of RAW on a P&S. This is what you get with this camera.

I took this to the beach and had it around my wrist for about 3 hours in salt water. The water was shallow, but I did not feel like I might accidentally undo the strap like I had originally thought. I also took it into the pool as well as in a jacuzzi (for about 30 minutes). No leaks, no indications of leaks, no water issues. I've had smaller P&S cameras before, and when looking at the size of this thing, it's quite large for 2012. However, I had it in my pants pocket and swim trunk pocket, and I didn't notice or mind the weight. I was able to take a number of low-light video...of course there's noise, but it was very acceptable and looks great in HD. Over 3 days I took about 12GBs of videos and photos. As I had guessed earlier, the battery should last the whole day until you're able to charge it overnight. I feel that the GPS sucks a lot of battery power, as I did get the flashing red battery towards the end of each day. And I couldn't get any videos of fish. They kept swimming away from me and I didn't have a snorkel. I will try to go to Hanauma Bay one day with this camera.

Students in my class have been able to use it, and it just feels so much less stressful letting them use a shockproof camera versus even a $90 regular P&S. It really allows them to experiment in their own way without restrictions or having an adult pay more attention to the camera than anything else. It's a pricey investment for children (so don't get one just because you'd like your 3 year old to become a photographer), but we used our other P&S for 3 years+ very diligently (until it got stolen) and know that we will use this one just as much as the other one.

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Sony Handycam HDR-PJ650V 32GB 1080p HD Video Camera Camcorder

Customer Ratings:

A simple and easy to use camera. The image stabilizing capability is amazing, the motion is smooth as if mounted on a moving tripod. Playback is crystal clear against

a wall or vertical surface.

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 10.1 MP Digital Camera with 12x Wide

Customer Ratings:

I have owned two prior digital camerasthe first was a Canon that took good pictures, but was too bulky to pocket around and required AA batteries to power it. The second was a Sony CyberShot DSC-W150 that took crappy, blurry pictures in low light. Needless to say, I felt an upgrade was in order.

So I'm going on an east coast trip next month. My buddy and I are avid baseball fans. One problem: as we do not always have great seats, taking close-up pictures of ballplayers is a real pain with 99% of the compact point and shoots out there. This is because the camera's size will only allow it 5X optical zoom. You can combine this with digital zooming, but I don't need to tell you how terrible and pixilated this looks. Thus my conundrum. So I really wanted a compact, pocketable camera with a long range optical lens, without having to lug around an expensive digital SLR.

Enter the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3. When I read the specs on it, I was in awe. 10 megapixel, 12X OPTICAL zoom. Here's the sweetest part about the zoomif you planning to use smaller prints (i.e. 4X6), you can quickly adjust the camera's Megapixel (MP) count from 10 to 7, 5, and 3 to yield maximum OPTICAL zooms of 14.3, 17.1, and 21.4 respectably, without much loss of detail on such prints. I wish Panasonic would have allowed the camera to adjust the MP count automatically as you zoom, but it's not too much trouble to change the MP settings manually from the quick menu.

Another great feature: the camera's screen is beautiful at 460,000 pixels, twice the count as the rival Canon Powershot SX200 IS (more on that camera later). From the moment you view your first picture, you'll quickly notice how much sharper photos look on this camera. It's a nice convenience to view photos on the camera in a manner closer to the quality that will actually be seen when you're viewing them on the computer (and ultimately printing them).

I also want to give Panasonic kudos for the build quality and compactness of this camera. The ZS3 is a replacement for the popular TZ5 model, which was 9MP and 10X Optical Zoom. So they increased the resolution, and added a wider range lens, and REDUCED the size by .4 cubic inches. Specifications aside, I was more than pleased that this camera will comfortably fit inside my jeans pocket. It's a bit bulkier than an ultracompact for sure, but not objectionably so. Note that the SX200 is a full 2.0 cubic inches thicker, another reason I passed on the Canon. Here's a few more reasons the Canon falls short: the Canon has a cheesy looking popup flash that sticks out at the top of the camera, whether you're using flash or not (bad design decision). It has less rated battery life than the Lumix. Also, when shooting video, the Canon does NOT allow you to use optical zooming.

Photo quality on the Lumix is excellent, although I've only snapped samples around my place so far. However, I've taken quite a few pictures at low light, and at maximum zoom levels to try to get a bad shot. So far, there's none to be found. I'll put this through its paces more when I travel next month, but I'm extremely pleased so far. As for video shooting, I've sampled it a bit, and it seems pretty solid. The camera gives you the choice of shooting video in its touted AVCHD Lite format (ideal for watching it on your TV in HD with an optional mini to standard HDMI cable), or JPEG if you prefer to email video clips to friends. This year's model also added stereo sound on video playback versus last year's monaural effort. One thing I found a bit strange, was the incredibly slow zooming when shooting video. I guess Panasonic was trying to give the user a more controlled, deliberate zoom, but unlike the snappy photo zooming, it's a bit slow for my liking.

Some other minor quibbles: The dial that controls the shooting mode is extremely loose. If you lightly rub it against anything (a camera bag, your pocket), there's a good chance it will shift. When you turn the camera on, it will digitally tell you what mode you're in, but it's still annoying when it happens by accident. Second, when making a quick zoom on an object, it will appear blurry on the camera's screen until the shutter button is pressed. There are modes to continually focus the object when zooming, but this drains the camera's battery life more rapidly. It would be nice if this feature was incorporated automatically without any such sacrifice.

Also, I'm not a huge fan of the included PhotofunStudio software bundled with this camera, as there are other, more compelling programs to view, edit, and print photos (I like Canon's Zoombrowser program better). Finally, this is not the camera to buy if you're into manual controls. There's a ton of preset scenes that can be used (nighttime, portrait, baby, sunset, food, etc.), and you can adjust items like flash, white balance, and max ISO level, but this is meant to be a simple point and shoot for casual photographers. Note that the Lumix has an intelligent auto mode (IA) that will analyze the shooting conditions and pick the right scene, flash, and exposure without any adjustments by the user. This camera screams simplicity, but there's enough tweaking on the Normal and Scene modes to keep the vast majority of amateur photographers happy.

Regardless of these nitpicks, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 is an awesome camera, unbeatable for those that want the best of both worldsa great zoom lens and compact body. It's a bit pricey at $399, but you're getting quite a lot of camera for your hard earned dollars. I have no doubt that my third digital camera is a terrific buy and a long-term staple for my travels.

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K-Tek KE79CCR Avalon Series Aluminum Traveler Boom Pole

Customer Ratings:

I spent two weeks abroad with this pole. It packs easily into a checked bag and extends suitable for all my needs (one and two person interviews). The build quality is outstanding. The side exit design is a must have. I will never need a boom pole again but if I did, it would have a side exit design.

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Boston Acoustics TVee One TV Speaker Base with Bluetooth

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $349.99
Sale Price: $299.00
Today's Bonus: 15% Off

I looked at ZVox and Bose speakerbases and was ready to purchase the ZVox (the Bose was a bit to bright sounding for me) when I came across the TVee One at Amazon. It had literally just came out 2 days prior and the dimensions were perfect for my new 55" Sony. Yes, I said 55" and it fits perfectly under it. You can put up to 60lbs on it and as long as the base for your TV is less than 22" wide it will fit. My TV only weighs in at 46lbs.

Sound is amazing and there is enough bass to warrant your buying decision plus it is good looking in lines of the Bose. You also get controls for 5 different soundfields and a nightmode. An added bonus is that it has Bluetooth and it took all of about 30 seconds to hook up my iPhone 5. If your in the market for a pedestal style soundbar and don't want a lot of clutter, put the TVee One on the shortlist.

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Nikon 50mm f/1.4G SIC SW Prime AF-S Nikkor Lens for Nikon

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $582.00
Sale Price: $439.00
Today's Bonus: 25% Off

This lens is very well-made and takes wonderful pictures. To address the most common questions people ask before they take the plunge:

Price: No, it's not usually this expensive. I paid around $400 for mine, but I got it a couple of months ago. Apparently Nikon is having a hard time making enough of these. Rather than rewarding the greedy opportunists who are now charging exorbitant prices for this lens, I suggest calling local and smaller camera shops they are much more likely to have one sitting on the shelves. It's absolutely worth about $500, but I wouldn't pay more than that. The Sigma (very similar, see below) is a better value at that point.

Image quality: Great. Slightly soft and glowy at 1.4, but that's to be expected. Gets quite sharp at 2.8. The Sigma is even softer at 1.4 than this lens, so if wide-open sharpness is important to you, this is your lens.

Bokeh: Nice, but a little jittery at 1.4 on specular highlights. This means that if you have any light sources or sharp point reflections in the out-of-focus area behind your subject, you will see little light rings around the round blob. These disappear at f2, and they don't really bother me. They are a side effect of correcting spherical aberration in the image lens manufacturers have to make tough choices sometimes, and Nikon apparently chose wide-open image correction over the absolute best bokeh possible in this circumstance. Compared to other lenses: not quite as nice as the Sigma 50/1.4 wide open, but you get a sharper in-focus area, so it's a trade-off. Not really able to compete with the 85/1.4 or the 105/2 DC, but that's not surprising those lenses have a much longer focal length.

Focusing: Fast and precise. To be sure, at 1.4, the depth of field (especially at closer focusing distances) is RAZOR thin, so focusing just isn't possibly going to be spot-on every time. I frequently use manual focus, and even a TINY, TINY nudge on the focus ring moves the plane of sharp focus about one-half inch at those distances, so it's extremely hard to get perfect focus exactly where you want it to be. Be prepared to have some patience, or use live view, if you plan to take close-up shots at 1.4 and you want perfect focus. Most amateurs won't notice if things are slightly out of focus, so not generally a problem unless you're a perfectionist. If you're a constant autofocus user you will not even be aware of this issue. Speaking of up-close focus, I will mention that I feel this lens has a fairly short focusing distance, which is nice you can really get in nice and tight on subjects and come up with some really attention-getting compositions with neat depth-of-field effects. It's no macro, but I'm constantly amazed at just how close I can get to things.

Low-light performance: Stellar. That's really why I bought this lens, as I already have several amazing lenses for portraiture/bokeh. I love this lens for events where I have room to move around (it's a little long in focal length for tightly-packed spaces) because I hate using flash if it's not necessary. This lens and a slight ISO boost is all you need to take flash-free pictures in many settings.

Build quality: Good. Not like Nikon's professional-grade lenses, but very sturdy I can't foresee any possible problems. The plastic hood is a twist-on bayonet type, and it works well but can be slightly annoying at times.

Lack of VR: Not a big deal you shouldn't need VR for a 50mm lens at this aperture; it is easily possible to get to a reasonable shutter speed so that shake isn't a problem. On an APS-C sensor, I'd aim for at least 1/60 second if you want blur-free images. At 1/125 second, you'd have to be going through an earthquake to see any shake with this lens, because it just doesn't have enough focal length to make that a problem. Besides, would you really want to pay $200 more for a 50mm prime? Nikon would have to make this a 1.2 for that to make sense to most people. I think the decision to leave VR off this lens was a good one.

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TomTom VIA 1505TM 5-Inch GPS Navigator with Lifetime Traffic

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $179.95
Sale Price: $129.85
Today's Bonus: 28% Off

**UPDATE**

July 12, 2012

After having the Nuvi 1490LMT in my car for the longest time, I finally took it inside the house a couple of days ago and updated its map/software. In the update, they took care of the "disappearing map" glitch for this particular unit. They also updated some of the map graphics, especially the junction and lane assist views they have a more polished look (they look better IMO).

I tested the Nuvi and happy to report that the "disappearing map" glitch is indeed fixed. I did not experience a map reload during the entire 1-hour drive.

**ORIGINAL REVIEW**

Garmin Nuvi 1490LMT vs. TomTom Via 1535TM

I purchased both units to compare them and in the end pick the unit that best suits my needs and preferences. I wanted to get a new GPS unit because the built in unit I have in my SUV is outdated. The portability, being able to use on another vehicle, and the free lifetime maps are really what I'm after but decided that lifetime traffic alerts is not a bad option either. I would like to point out that whatever you chose between the two, the decision will not be a mistake as they are both good GPS units, they both have their own strengths and weaknesses, but it will come down to what you really prefer or your comfort level.

I tested both units driving around where I live and when we went on vacation in Las Vegas. I had them mounted next to each other most of the time.

TomTom Via 1535TM

PROS:

By default, provides more info (speed, distance, time etc) on the status bar, located on bottom of screen, compared to the Nuvi. And just above the Via's status bar, it shows the street name that you are currently on (I find this very helpful), the Nuvi does not have this feature while navigating. The Nuvi will give you the option to display the same info on its status bar, but it will place the status bar vertically on the right side of the display that makes the main screen smaller (like an old 3.5" GPS screen) I really really like this feature and how it's displayed on the screen, it's really cool to have all this info ready at all times. Something you might say, "Honey, I'm about 65 miles away and will be home in about 50 minutes, by 2:30pm, I should be pulling up by the driveway." All this info is displayed on the unit at all times, you don't have to calculate in your head.

Consistently finds POIs faster than the Nuvi. It's almost instant whereas the Nuvi could take seconds, sometimes even several minutes to find its first POI (this really sucks when you are so ready to go, even a minute feels like an eternity!). But this also depends on how popular the POI is, if you're looking for McDonalds or something well known, then both units will give you an instant list.

The voice command feature is great when it works and it works most of the time. I really like this feature especially when driving to a new address; it is so much easier saying where you are going instead of manually inputting everything onto the unit. It's also great for looking for a certain POI while driving, I love how you can just say "Go to the nearest Starbucks" and it will get you there with just a single button input! The voice command feature is not perfect though, as some POI names, no matter how your pronounce it, just won't get recognized by the unit. I tried IKEA and 7-ELEVEN numerous times with no success. I was driving on the freeway one time and my low fuel indicator flashed and in a city I'm not familiar with and all I have to say was "Go to the nearest gas station" and within minutes I'm filling up my gas tank! This is so cool! I didn't have to fiddle with the unit to input and chose where I needed to go, keeping my attention on the road where it should be. Even with the feature's shortcomings, I found this feature to be a deal breaker!

I also like the fact that you can still access the device while connected to the computer. This is helpful if you wanted to change settings or play around with the unit. The Nuvi locks you out the minute you plug in the USB cord.

The voice on the unit sounds a lot better than the Garmin Nuvi. The voice sounds more human, better to the ears while the Nuvi's voice sounds too robotic. The volume on the Nuvi is much louder than the Via though.

Preloaded speed traps/traffic camera POIs. The unit will beep to alert you of incoming traffic cameras! It'll make you rethink about running that red light!! The Nuvi does not have any traffic camera POIs preloaded, although you can download these from online.

CONS:

The Via takes a long time to acquire a satellite signal! It takes anywhere from 1 to 4 minutes just to get a lock on a signal! You're probably saying, what's 1-4 minutes?! Well, I had the Nuvi next to it turned on the same and it acquired a signal in less than 30 seconds! The 4 minutes of waiting feels like forever! And this is not sometimes... this is all the time!!

Like a lot of people say, the LCD screen of the TomTom Via is inferior to that of the Garmin Nuvi's. And I have to agree! The display gets easily washed up under the sun! There are times when you have to really focus on the screen just to read what is on there. It also doesn't help that the letters and graphics on the screen are smaller and the colors are not that vivid! The icons look flat as well. I was shocked when one day I was driving (almost sunset) when the sun's rays coming from the rear window hit the Via's screen and I totally couldn't see it, while the Nuvi sitting next to it was still visible!

The unit is not very responsive, very sluggish... You press an icon and it almost takes a full second to respond! There are also no beeps when you click on something, unlike the Nuvi that responds faster and gives you an audio cue every time you touch something on the screen.

Although the unit generates a POI list very fast, the list it provides shows very little info. It will only list found POIs and the distance in miles away from your location... Drilling down further will only provide a phone number and a mini map of its location. I found this very annoying as I always like to know the address of where I'm going, what city, what street it's on etc. I live in the Bay Area (California) and would always like to know the city of my destination since I would rather travel more miles than to cross one of the bridges, deal with the traffic and pay toll! I find it uncomfortable to just drive to a location xx miles away and with no other info... The Nuvi provides the full address, phone number and more info of all its POIs.

Voice Command when making calls is almost useless. If you have an iPhone, use its Voice Control feature to make calls instead it will give you better results. The Via has a hard time recognizing names, so when you say "Call (insert name here)", it'll give you a list of your contact info, and you have to scroll down to get to the person you want to call then say the number of the contact before it'll dial. And given how the unit is very unresponsive to inputs, this little call could become very annoying fast!

There is also a bug that they need to fix. After updating the maps, all your favorites get deleted! This can get frustrating if you end up doing these four times a year (number of times they issue map updates in a year). MyTomTom, their online support, is still not fully functional. The only thing that it really does is update maps; you can't download extra voices, extra POIs and other things.

Garmin Nuvi 1490LMT

PROS:

The LCD Screen on the Nuvi shows very well under the sun. The colors pop and you won't get the washed up colors you get with the Via. The display is not cluttered with unnecessary info, very easy to read with big letters, better contrast and vivid colors. This is one of the main selling points of the Garmins, they are very easy to understand and use! You glance at the screen instead of "focusing" because of how easy it is to digest. The Garmin just has a better GUI (in my opinion) compared to the Via. I find the icons on the Nuvis looking better compared to the Via's flat look. The Nuvi just displays everything better, it's "prettier" and easier to look at than the Via. The Via is like reading a book where the Nuvi is like reading a book with pictures. The presentation is just better with the Nuvi.

Detailed POIs. The Nuvi generates POIs with complete addresses, phone numbers and how far it is from your location. I really like that Garmin included the complete address instead of just the distance. It gives you a better sense of direction and the comfort of knowing where you're going. The downside is that the Nuvi takes longer than the Via when looking for POIs that are not very common. It is also very convenient when saving these POIs to your favorites as you don't have to enter/edit too much info.

Acquires satellite signals very quickly compared to the Via, which usually takes 1-4 minutes. The Nuvi usually takes less than 30 seconds to lock on a signal, a minute at the longest. The GPS start up is also very quick. The unit is also very responsive to your commands; it gives you audio cues when inputting commands. It seems that the Nuvi just does everything a tad quicker than the Via.

I actually like the fact that Nuvi will say "Recalculating" when you miss a turn. I like to know when I make a mistake, so for example, when I come back to the same place without the GPS, I'm not taking the "wrong turn" and thinking that it's the correct way... The Nuvi recalculates fairly quickly and usually gets you on the right track right away. The Via will not give you an audio cue if you miss a turn, it'll just instantly recalculate and show you the next correct turn as if you were on the correct path all along. Some people actually prefer this as they are sick of hearing "recalculating".

When you put an entry in your Favorites, the Nuvi will actually pronounce the name you give it. (BTW, the Nuvi does this for all destinations) For example, if I name my friends address as "Fat Joe's House", the Nuvi will actually say "Arriving at Fat Joe's House in .5 miles" or "You have arrived at Fat Joe's House on the right". Just imagine the possibilities... hahaha! It's surprising how many words and names the Nuvi can pronounce! The Via, on the other hand, will just give you the default message "You have arrived at your destination on the right". Some folks might not find this as a PRO but I sure am entertained by this!

CONS:

I wished that they could've added the same info on the status bar like that of the Via. On the status bar on the bottom of the screen, it only shows the estimated time of arrival on the left pane, the current speed and the speed limit on the right pane, the middle pane shows the lane assist feature when needed. The Nuvi also does not show the current street you're driving on, and if you have forgotten, the only option is for you to look out the window and look for street signs.

Looking up non-common POIs can be very frustrating! My family decided to check out the Boiling Crab, a very popular restaurant that serves mostly seafood (super yummy!). Upon entering the name, the Via showed 2 Boiling Crab locations instantly while the Nuvi was still "searching". We decided to just go and not wait for the the Nuvi. 50 minutes later, we are parking the car and the Nuvi is still "searching"! C'mon Garmin, if it's not in the POI database, then just make the unit say "not found" or something like that, instead of making us wait! The Via will show you "not found" if it didn't find the POI in its database, it won't make you wait forever!

The traffic alerts comes with its evil twin advertisement! If the TomTom Via can give you lifetime traffic alerts without ads then why can't the Garmin Nuvi? I found that the ads will pop up when at a complete stop and when your are driving on unmarked roads, like parking lots, the ads do not block too much of the screen to become a safety hazard but still annoying to some people (it doesn't bother me at all). There's an option to disable the ads but doing so will also disable the traffic alerts.

While navigating, the Nuvi's display would all of a sudden turn blank (white screen) for about half a second and it then quickly "re-draws" the map. It seems like it "reloads" the map at certain points. This reload does not affect the navigation in any way but it's just odd that it does this. I'm not sure if it's a defect on my unit... I will contact Garmin about this and will keep you guys updated. This happens at least once every time I use the GPS unit! I find this annoying as I never saw this happening with the Via. Anyone else experiencing this on their 1490LMT? Please comment...

MORE STUFF:

These two units will get you to your destination one way or another. I drove with these 2 units around my neighborhood and found that both make "mistakes". Mistakes, meaning they will take me to longer routes or make unnecessary turns... From South San Francisco to San Francisco The Nuvi made me drive on El Camino Real, a long boulevard, (after purposely missing some turns) before making me hop on the freeway (I-280) at the end, while the Via kept directing me to hop on the freeway entrances along the way. From SF to SSF I'm driving down 10th street towards the I-280 freeway entrance when all of a sudden the Via told me to make a left, then a right, another right and finally another left to get back on 10th street! WTF?! Bottom line, they will both make navigation mistakes but they will both get you where you're supposed to go.

The traffic routing is hit or miss. If the accident or the delay is not reported then there's no way for you to find out or avoid it in time. There was only one time in which the Nuvi gave me better traffic routing than the Via. Most of the time, both of the units, gave me the same routing. I also found that both units also report delays inaccurately... for example, both units will say a 2 minute delay (afternoon traffic) along my route but it really is more like a 10-15 minute delay!

Both units monitor how fast you're going compared to the speed limit. The Nuvi's display will turn red if you surpass the speed limit even by 1mph, the Via will only turn red if you go 5mph faster.

The Nuvi always shows an earlier estimated time of arrival compared to the Via. There's usually a 10-minute gap between the two units. For example, the Nuvi will estimate a time of arrival of 2:30, the Via at 2:40 but you actually get there by 2:35 The Nuvi seems to base its estimate as if as though you will not encounter traffic delays and the opposite can be said about the Via.

The Nuvi shows a very accurate picture of the junction views it will actually show you all the signs like how you would see them on the actual freeway. It grays out the signs that you are not suppose to take. The Via only shows the sign that you are suppose to take, it's as if it is the only sign on the freeway. I wonder if this might confuse some drivers. They both do a great job at illustrating which lanes to take. The Via shows the junction views longer than the Nuvi. The Nuvi shows the picture for about 7-9 seconds while the Via shows it close to 15 seconds.

Updating the maps on these units are very straightforward but the process is much quicker on the Nuvi that that of the Via. The Via took hours to complete! Close to 3 hours if I'm not mistaken. Updating gadgets should not have to take that long...

Both units paired with my iPhone 3GS without a hitch. Both units automatically pair up with my iPhone and downloads my contact info upon boot up. Receiving a call is easy with both units but found that the Nuvi is easier at making calls. You have to use the Via's troublesome Voice Command feature to make calls while the Nuvi uses the iPhone's Voice Control feature that is so much easier to use. I find the bluetooth functionality very convenient as it makes making and receiving calls that much easier while driving.

It took me almost a month to decide which one to keep... and in the end I chose the Garmin Nuvi. I went with the Garmin because of its LCD display and it's GUI (Graphic User Interface) it's simple, easy to read, understand and use. It puts me at ease that my wife can use it without asking me how to use it! I like the fact that the display stays sharp and vivid under the sun. I like how it gives the full addresses on POIs and how easier it is at making phone calls. As much as I like the Via's Voice Command feature and its included traffic/speed POIs, I can't overlook the fact that the Nuvi is a much "polished" product. I really don't care that the Via's MyTomTom online support is non-existent at the moment (it's still in beta) as long as they can provide me with updated maps, which they can. Although, it made me smile when I could download my little kids favorites Spongebob and Dora, as Voices and car characters from the Nuvi's online support page.

I really really like all the info that the Via shows on the screen but I find myself looking at it too much instead of the road! I like computers, so I like data and info as much as the next nerd but my wife had to tell me to keep my eyes on the road a couple of times while on a long drive... the Via became somewhat of a distraction. I really miss the Via's Voice Command... it is soooo cool! It doesn't work sometimes but when it does, I feel like Captain Kirk! A couple of updates on the voice command feature and it'll probably work much better! If I were given a few more days with the Via, I would have probably picked it over the Nuvi... I don't know, it's just a super cool device for the same price!!

I'm a family man with wife and kids. So in the end, I chose a unit that I feel is very safe on the road that could easily aid us in getting where we need to go. The less distraction the better... '

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Midland GXT1000VP4 36-Mile 50-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radio

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $89.99
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The radios by themselves are good, but be careful to read the fine print. The first time I went to use the radios one of them didn't have a full charge on it. No problem, I just used AA batteries. Then we realized we could barely hear each other through the headphones even with the radios turned to max volume. I thought it might be the headphones, but they were very loud when plugged into a friend's radio made by a different company. Midland blamed it on the headphones anyway, but they were not covered under the warranty. So I didn't use the radios again for a few months until we went on another trip and I made sure to place the radio on the charger a day early this time so it would have ample time to charge. Same problem one radio didn't take but half a charge. I contacted Midland on Friday explaining my situation, they got back to me on Wednesday to say there was probably an issue with the battery pack (No duh). I emailed back around 10:30 am and said I figured that much, but how do I correct it. They got back to me on Thursday night saying I needed to buy another battery pack because they are not covered under the warranty either. So what is covered? Turns out not much, not the headphones, not the battery packs, not the charger, not the adapter and not even the antennas. In short if all you need is just the radios and there isn't a problem with them, the radios are OK, but heaven help you if there is a problem with them. It will take forever for someone to tell you that's not covered under the warranty. That large 3 year warranty logo needs to include an even larger asterisk. Radios get 5 stars, everything else including the warranty and service gets 1 star for an average of 3 stars. If I need to buy all new accessories to replace all these defective ones I just bought, maybe I should consider a different brand radio.

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