Pioneer AVH-P3200BT In-Dash DVD Multimedia AV Receiver

Customer Ratings:

I hadn't installed car electronics in ages, and just decided it was time to replace the factory stereo in my 2002 Toyota Highlander. I was sick and tired of juggling with the lousy sound and wires all over the place, cassette adapter, iPhone charger, Sirius radio... it was time for an upgrade. With Amazon running a sale on Pioneer car audio, it seemed it was time to jump. In the process, I learned a few things that I hope will help you make the right decisions.

TIPS

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1) Pioneer sells a $35 "Double DIN install kit". I'm sure it's needed in some cars, but the 3200 was a perfect drop-in in my Highlander, at least as far bolting it to the equipment chassis. The screw holes are exactly in the same place as on the Denso factory double DIN stereo it replaced,.

2) Getting a wire bundle adapter (available from Amazon, cost is under $10) simplifies the installation tremendously and makes it easy to put the original stereo back in. It's basically a connector that looks like the one on the factory stereo and has a color coded bundle of wires attached. You solder or crimp these wires to the bundle that comes with your new stereo and you're in business: it's now a perfect drop in substitute for the factory stereo. The bundle adapter is specific to your car, not the stereo you're installing.

3) Lock-out of some features (movie playing, phone number pad dialing...) is done by detecting the state of the parking brake. If you don't connect the parking brake wire, you will not be able to use these features, ever. Of course if you were a bad person you would just attach this wire to the ground somewhere, which would disable the lock-out. I'm just sayin.

4) Why are there so many iPod cables for this family of receivers? It's infuriating! There's the CD-IU50, the CD-IU50V, and the CD-IU200V. The IU50 is just a very expensive iPod/iPhone USB cord like the one that came with your iPhone. Despite what its description says on the Amazon page, it will not provide video. The IU50V will play video from the iPod (it has a USB jack and also a minijack for the video, which both plug into the front). The IU200V is similar to the IU50V but is for the 4200DVD only (according to the manual). If you want to play video from your iPhone on the 3200BT or 3200DVD, get the IU50V.

5) There's a hideous gap of 3/4" to the left and right of the receiver, and a smaller one at the top and bottom. Once again, Scosche to the rescue; they make an inexpensive kit that fills the gap. It was harder to find than I would have hoped.

Now that this is out of the way, how about performance and ease of use? Well, here goes.

PROS

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Sounds great, lots of equalization options, easy to configure, lots of power.

Great user interface, very responsive and easy to use.

Displays all songs in iPhone (I used with iPhone 4), allows browsing by artist, record, song, even displays the album artwork!

PACKED with features (supports rear view camera, second zone video, HD radio, Sirius/XM, etc...)

Customizable theme

Plays DiVX

Bluetooth phone feature very easy to setup and works like a charm. Loaded the contact list from my iPhone 4 in seconds, and people I have been talking to can't believe I'm using a hands free system in a car, it's just that good.

Convenient USB and A/V inputs in front.

Convenient SD memory card reader

Charges iPod/iPhone during use. You can still use your iPhone while music is playing.

Available AVIC-U220 navigation option

CONS

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Screen washes out in sunlight and can get very hard to read

Must use front connector for iPod/iPhone, so leaving a discrete connector permanently plugged in is not an option with the 3200BT model.

No stereo bluetooth, if you need that get the AVH-P3200DVD and purchase the pricey CD-BTB200 option

Remote control is optional

Options are prohibitively expensive (Navigation, Bluetooth for 3200DVD and Sirius satellite radio options cost way too much)

CONCLUSION

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Love, love, love this receiver. It's a lot of functionality for the price, easy to install, easy to use, iPod integration is top-notch, and the minor flaws don't really warrant not giving it the five stars it deserves, considering its very reasonable price. Highly recommended.

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Pentax K-x 12.4MP Digital SLR with 2.7 inch LCD and 18-55mm

Customer Ratings:

As soon as I saw this red camera, I absolutely had to have it. I did tremendous amounts of research to figure out if it was actually worth upgrading from my D40, then ordered it the day it became available on Amazon. While a few things might have been nicer on the Nikon, this camera is a wonderful upgrade. If the color isn't enough (this is for the red model if reviews become merged later on), it has some very nice specs to it. Ability to use essentially any Pentax lens ever made (and auto-focus), ISO 6400, 1/6000 shutter, many built-in imaging features(HDR, filters, color tweaks). This thing is truly a beast!

Body; When I first pulled it from the box, I was a little discouraged. While it is a well made camera, it does have a much lighter and cheaper feel than the Nikon had. The over-all fit and finish is fine, but the plastics don't feel as high quality. Perhaps it's because they're smooth, but it's also just my opinion. A slight concern, too, is that the red appears to be "painted", seeing as the inside of the doors are white. Overtime there's a chance the color could rub off, but I'm hoping this does not happen. Materials aside, the camera does have a nice feel. I have large hands with very long, slim fingers and the grip fits my hands great. The primary controls are within easy reach, with only a couple odd deviations(such as the flash and green soft-button).

The LCD on the back is average. It's your typical resolution, but works fine for previewing. Now the viewfinder I find to be more difficult to use than the Nikon. The focal point does not illuminate, making it both difficult to find and difficult to tell what's being focused. Also I can't seem to see all the specs in the viewfinder. I do wear glasses so I can't press my eye right against the eyepiece, but this wasn't a problem with the Nikon. While this certainly isn't a deal killer, it would be something to keep in mind.

Shooting performance is great. This camera is very fast. Start up time is essentially instant, focusing is lightning fast and it can take nearly 6FPS at it's peak. I have found low-light focusing to be a little worse than the Nikon, but that's also because the Pentax lacks an AF assist light. While it can use the flash, it still isn't quite as accurate as the Nikon and it's little light.

Image quality is very nice. Noise is well controlled under most all ISO settings. ISO6400 is very usable in average lighting conditions. But as light decreases, noise becomes more apparent. Many images from this camera do seem a bit more noisy than other cameras at similar ISO settings, but it still can produce comparable prints. Colors tend to be on the flat side using default settings, but with insane amounts of tweaks, this can be changed to whatever you please. White balance is managed very nicely too, with much better auto WB under incandescent lighting than the Nikon (though manual setting is still the best). The stabilizer works well. It's not as apparent when taking casual shots, but when using liveview, it is very easy to watch (and hear!) it working. While still on image quality, the movie mode actually astonished me. The quality is very sharp. While this is not a movie camera, the videos produced are supurb. Just realize AF is disabled and the stabilizer does interfere with the audio.

Honest, I suppose my only real complaint about this camera are the batteries. Why Pentax decided to go with AA's rather than a lithium pack is beyond me... Aside from being a bit clunky (4 batteries over a single pack) the system is rather buggy. I have been told the "batteries are depleted" but then restart the camera and continue to shoot for hours. Even after upgrading to firmware 1.1, the battery meter tends to jump around. If Pentax had gone with a lithium pack, this camera would be perfect 5 stars.

So to sum up, if you want a camera somewhere between the Nikon D90 and D5000 that strays away from the "normal" brands, this is a camera to consider.

--Update--

After having the camera for almost a month, I figured I'd post a little update. I still love the camera. I've had no problems to speak of. Pictures are looking very nice; people are always complimenting me on the camera and the photos it takes :)

I guess my only real complaints would still be the batteries and the white balance. The battery meter, as mentioned above, is very off. But all in all it works well enough to guess how much juice is remaining. As for the white balance, I've noticed it tends to be a bit more off than the Nikon was. I have a couple flashes, and it seems to be more-so with the Pentax 360FGZ so I'm not even sure if I should blame the camera or not...

These things aside, I'm really loving this camera. I'm a very difficult person to please but I'm exceptionally happy with my purchase.

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Grace Digital GDI-IRA500 Wireless Internet Radio Adapter

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $119.99
Sale Price: $88.47
Today's Bonus: 26% Off

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program Update: It appears this unit has been revised to include wireless N which was not available in 2010 when I received my device.

This wireless internet radio has far surpassed my expectations. It has so many features that I cannot imagine what the more expensive units can do. There are several well written reviews that go into considerable detail already posted. So I thought that I would comment on the more negative reviews instead.

A couple of reviews mention static background noise. I own a new pair of Bose QC 15 $300 headphones and I plugged it into the headphone jack to listen carefully for static. I even turned up the treble to enhance static if it were present. There was absolutely no static, zilch. I listened during the quiet moments between music on numerous stations and modes. The sound is very clean and pure. I am a career electrical engineer and home theater is my passion. So I can say that with the unit I received, the sound quality is extremely good. It even offers numerous equalization settings. I am indeed impressed. I turned up the volume control to maximum to determine if I could detect any distortion. The sound seemed just as clean as it was at lower volume no hiss, static or distortion that I could detect.

Some mention weak wireless reception. I own a two story 3400 sq. ft. home so I went diagonally to the opposite side of the house and on a different floor. I could not tell any difference in operation. I have a Black & Decker DC to AC converter with an internal battery. So I walked around the house to determine if the wireless connection dropped out of service. Again, it worked fine as I walked around inside the house and even into the front and back yard. This test may have more to do with the network wireless router, but both ends need to perform. I have a three year old Netgear wireless G router plugged into one of the ports of DLink Wireless N router. I did not want to degrade my wireless N network by connecting it to this wireless G internet radio. And that brings up a point I do not like so much. I wish there was a wired connection available. But they chose to be wireless only and wireless G at that. People with wireless N will not be happy to drop their entire network speed down to wireless G just for the sake of having an internet radio.

I tested power interruption as well. I set the internet radio to a FM station and pulled the AC plug from the wall to turn it off. I plugged the AC adapter back into the wall outlet to see if it would remember the station I had selected. After less than a minute, it had regained the wireless connection and started playing the same radio station I had selected prior to power down. So that worked well I thought. So I decided to test the range of the remote control. It worked reliably up to 35 feet. The test was across one room, down the hallway to the opposite corner of another bedroom. There was only a very narrow field of view and it still worked quite well. It will probably work at a greater distance if it weren't as obstructed as my test case was.

The built-in clock radio works quite well. I chose the central time zone with automatic daylight savings time setting. The time was set automatically via the internet. The sleep timer works well. The alarm clock time setting was easy and intuitive. In fact, everything is very intuitive. I have not even looked at the manual yet. When I set up the wireless G router, I did not create a password, but I will later. I plugged in the internet radio and it set itself up without any intervention. It just worked. The most difficult setup effort was finding my old wireless G router and setting it up again. The wireless radio setup was for the most part automatic. I checked for a firmware update, but my unit was already at the latest revision. The firmware update is very easy to do.

I do not plan to subscribe to Sirius Internet Radio because I only plan to use the free stations. And there are so many stations available that it is mind boggling. It will take a while to learn all the functions available on this unit. I think it is very attractive with a high polish black color. The display is very good and readable. You can adjust the backlighting to whatever you prefer. Power consumption seems to be only 2.5 Watts using my Kill-A-Watt digital power meter. The back of the unit feels slightly warm after it has been on for a few hours. I measured the temperature and it was only 10 degrees F above ambient room temperature.

I tried not to repeat what others have already written. You can read those reviews to get a very good idea of functionality.

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Canon EOS 1D Mark IV 16.1 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3-Inch

Customer Ratings:

I had the Mark IV on order with Amazon since Canon's product announcement on October 20th of 2009. Since my local camera shop received the unit on Monday January 4, 2010 and Amazon still listed it as "Not Yet Received" I purchased mine from the local retailer despite the additional $464 in sales tax.

I have been a Mark III shooter since June of 2007. For my professional work, my primary subject matter is live theatrical performance which includes acting as well as dancing ranging from ballet to traditional Tango to the very fast paced ballroom, specifically shooting Burn the Floor, which is just completing their Broadway run this month. Live performance shooting has many of the same elements of sports photography, except the lighting is much lower and at times more severe due to stage lighting. My Mark III performed well in most instances although I did have occasions where the autofocus did not perform as well as I had hoped. But to be fair, I cannot say with 100% certainty that it was the fault of the gear or the user, me.

For my non professional work I utilized the Mark III for extensive street shooting in the rain, high wind and many other adverse conditions. In all cases the camera performed well enough that I could only blame myself in those instances where I didn't get the shot. This includes night shooting of high movement subject matter.

I have never been concerned about the 10.1 MP size of the Mark III having had many of my images blown up to 6x8 feet posters used on the outside of theatres and large shots used in four color programs. I had several concerns with the Mark III which I had hoped would be addressed in its successor, the Mark IV:

1. A higher ISO range with equal or less noise

2. The ability for the focus point to switch when changing from landscape to portrait orientation. Although the Custom Function allows one to change the rear wheel to adjust the focus point, I prefer to use that dial to adjust for exposure. Having to switch in a very fast paced situation caused me to miss some great shots.

3. More selection of focus points for manual focus point adjustment

Other than those three wishes, I was happy with my Mark III. In all three cases, the Mark IV met my wishes. I have done a comparison in low light, low contrast situations with both Marks at ISO 6400, which for the Mark III was considered H1. As such, adjusting the ISO from 3200 to 6400 was not possible in 1/3 stop increments. More on that later. In the comparison, the Mark IV handily beats the Mark III in terms of detail and noise at ISO 6400. Much more detail is visible which has something to do with a higher MP count, but at 100% crops, there is a marked difference. The noise on the Mark IV is less and of a different quality than the Mark III, more film like than digital.

During performances I had only used ISO 6400 in conditions which made lower settings impossible. I have always thought that a noisy shot is much better than one that is blurred beyond usage. My clients agree. One of my favorite lenses to use while shooting on stage as well as from the house is the EF 24-105mm f4.0 IS L. The focal range on a 1.3 crop sensor is just PERFECT, but the slowness of the f4.0 kept me from utilizing that lens with the Mark III unless lighting was sufficient. This will all change with the Mark IV as ISO 6400 is just fine using a f4.0 lens in my conditions.

Keep in mind that everyone needs to decide how a camera is to be used, under what conditions and it is naive to think that an investment in current glass won't influence a decision to stay or leave any brand of camera. I am heavily invested in Canon glass and all of them are L series lenses. I find that the color and sharpness of L series lenses are worth the investment, especially since I purchase most of them on the used market. There are folks who love to go back and forth on brand, pixel snooping, stats, etc. in hopes of proving themselves 'right.' I am NOT one of those people. To me a mediocre/poor/boring image is the same whether you take it with film, a full frame DSLR or medium format camera. (BTW, I'm not sure why 35mm is considered FF anyway. I consider 2.25x2.25 my idea of full frame!) My personal opinion is those who often argue ad naseum about camera stats take the lousy or boring pictures anyway.

I have NOT been able to use the camera in high movement, low light performance photography as I write this. My first opportunity for that comes this weekend. It will also be the first time I have the chance to shoot with two separate cameras with different lenses attached. That will give me a good, but not scientific comparison of the cameras, but more important for me is whether keeping both is worth the effort. I will decide if the Mark III gets a new home or not.

My advice is to base your hard earned purchasing dollars on what is right for your situation. My Mark III has performed well in the past and I'm confident after some of my own testing that the Mark IV is even better. Time will tell and as I gain more experience shooting with this new tool, I may add my insights here in the future. Best of luck with your own shooting!

UPDATE January 9 2010

Today I had my first opportunity to shoot in low light with the Mark IV. Although it was NOT as high movement/low light as I am accustomed, it was a very good initial test. I shot a choral group with musicians, so movement was nice and slow, except for the conductor. It was also the first time I was able to use two camera bodies without switching lenses. On the Mark III, I used a EF 70-200mm f2.8 L IS and on the Mark IV, I utilized the EF 24-105 f4.0 L IS. This focal range allowed me to cover all that was necessary. Obviously I used the f4.0 on the Mark IV because of its higher ISO range and noise performance.

I want to say that it will take some adjustments moving to the Mark IV. As I reviewed some images from other photographers using the Mark IV prior to receiving my own camera I had no idea what conditions the photographer's lighting conditions presented. I can say that because of the new sensor and ISO performance, it makes scenes appear MUCH more well lit than I experience with my human eye. In the past I have run -1/3 to -2/3 EV when using my Mark III to prevent blow out in highlights even using Highlight Tone Priority. Tonight I set both cameras on 0 EV to compare. The Mark IV presents a brighter image, about 1/3 stop brighter than the Mark III.

Because this was not a paid gig, I took more chances with the imagery than had it been for pay. I found that in camera Noise reduction of 1 Low suits my taste much better than -0 Standard in the Custom Settings function. There is a different quality to the noise produced at Standard over Low. I prefer Canon's Low setting, but your preference may differ. The highest I found it necessary to set the ISO tonight was at 10,000. Upon examining the images on my monitor, there is the most noise in the subtle shadow areas around the subject's chin and lower neck. This is normal in my experience along with noise in large solid color backgrounds. But the noise at 10,000 is easily much better than the Mark III at ISO 6400. In addition the detail that remains at 10,000 eclipses the detail, or lack of detail in the Mark III at 6400. I measure my detail in the hairline wrinkles around the eyes and in the forehead of my subjects. The Mark IV sustained those details where the Mark III at 2/3 stops lower ISO did not.

Also the noise produced by the Mark IV is more chroma than luminance. In my workflow, chroma noise is MUCH easier to reduce than luminance noise. The dynamic range of the Mark IV in terms of color is FAR superior to the Mark III, but I attribute this to a new sensor and new processors. Camera bodies are really just like computers, as soon as they come out they immediately begin to become obsolete. The color and white balance are MUCH better than my Mark III. It still takes some adjustment, but much less than the III.

The automatic focus point association between landscape and portrait is a God send! Also the Mark IV takes advantage of UDMA card speed. I purchased a 32gb Sandisk Extreme CF card for the Mark IV and it's rated at 60mb per second. In shooting RAW burst, the ability of the Mark IV to write to the card after the buffer is full is easily three times as fast as the Mark III, but to be fair the III doesn't have UDMA capability.

So far so good. I plan to keep my Mark III simply because shooting with two cameras with different focal length lenses is the only way to go for my work. At some point I will replace the Mark III with another IV, but that will take time and a few more clients. It will be interesting to see how the images look at high ISO in large format, which much of my work is used as with clients. I'm happy with my choice so far and anticipate that more work in my normal venues will continue to show favorable results.

My issue is now how to build up my neck to support two 1D bodies with a 70-200 on one and a 24-105 on the other! When I use my 28-70 in place of the 24-105 it's going to be a real pain!

FINAL UPDATE: January 17 2010

Tonight I had my first opportunity to shoot a theatrical performance with the IV. I can only say that Auto ISO along with AI Servo will change how I shoot theatre. The settings I used tonight were Highlight Priority On, AI Servo, single shot, Auto ISO, ISO range L to 12800. The lenses I used tonight were the EF 24-105 f4 L IS and the EF 70-200 f2.8 L IS. Anticipation is such a major part of theatrical shooting, waiting for just the right expression, gesture and moment. I was able to capture images tonight with a clarity that I have not experienced with my Mark III. Auto ISO constrained within the parameters I wanted left me free to concentrate entirely on capturing the moment while retaining a speed proportionate to the focal length. By freeing me up from keeping an eye on the shutter speed, which was set by the Auto ISO, I was able to compose my shots more accurately. Using AI Servo for my focusing also allowed me to follow the subject and keep them in focus just before pressing the shutter. I watched and anticipated their expressions like never before.

The ISO varied between a low of 800 in very good stage lighting to a high of 12800 in those scenes where it was too dark for me to know the actor's expression. I ran an EV value between -.33 to -1.0 to compensate for harsh spot lighting, so common in stage work. In those cases where the shot was very dark, where the actor's face was shaded in a very dark manner, ISO 12800's noise is very visible, but not to the point where a noise processor will bring the image back to usefulness. In those cases where light is medium, I will NOT have to use noise reduction post processing for printed images in large format.

So with my last entry I will simply say that I am pleased to have made an investment in the new Mark IV. It surpasses my Mark III in a way that will now allow me to press the limits of my ability to capture even more compelling imagery. And in my work, an image that moves the viewer is one I'm proud to produce, regardless of the equipment. The Mark IV will certainly push my own skill limits in a way I'm happy to undertake. It's a tool that will help expand the level of my own creative process.

Best of luck to all of you in whatever you decide to purchase and shoot. It's time for me to get back to work.

UPDATE February 28 2010

I'm not sure how many of you who own the Mark IV have upgraded your firmware to 1.0.6, but if you haven't, I would recommend the update. Although Canon has not released specifics about the update I can tell you that from personal experience, it helps to track objects that pause for 1-2 seconds before moving. Prior to the update I noticed that when a performer paused, the AI Servo mode hunted a bit attempting to stay on the same trajectory as the subject's last known movement. With 1.0.6, that pause causes the camera to hunt much less than before. I have now had the chance to use the Mark IV in two live theatrical performances, one publicity shoot, low light street shooting and one wedding. (My gawd I hate it when I get coerced into shooting the occasional wedding, but when my regular clients 'ask' what is a guy to do?) and the image quality along with high ISO performance is remarkable. In real world applications ISO up to 10000 is very usable for print in large format.

In addition, having studied Canon's guide for AI Servo and High ISO usage is necessary in order to customize the camera for specific applications. I highly recommend reviewing the material. You can download the PDF from Canon Rumors at this link:

You'll have to scroll down a bit for the link to the PDF.

UPDATE May 4 2010 Noise performance with Adobe Photoshop CS5

Having used this rig for quite some time now in various low light/high movement situations I wanted to comment that I have avoided the use of the higher range of ISO, specifically H1, 2 and 3. In those cases where I wished to reduce the noise levels in post processing taken at ISO 12800 I had used Noise Ninja with good results. I recently purchased Adobe's new Photoshop CS5 and decided to process some images taken at H1 and H2 through their Camera RAW noise reduction scheme.

Obviously the quality of light has a large bearing on the amount of noise in any high ISO image. But I can say that using the new Camera RAW noise reduction in CS5 now allows me to use both H1 and H2 ISO on many more 'non emergency' situations. In the past Noise Ninja did not yield acceptable results at H1 or 2, blurring the detail beyond my acceptance level. CS5 removes that obstacle and I now find that shots taken at H1 (ISO 25600) are VERY useful both in print and on the web. H2 at 51200 are also useful when run through the noise reduction program. Yes, there is noise and if one is expecting a very low level of noise I would recommend you NOT venture into those ranges. But if like me you are sometimes REQUIRED to get a shot that captures the moment in more than acceptable fashion, I highly recommend the use of CS5's Camera RAW noise reduction with the Mark IV. It is a combination that has allowed me to capture and produce imagery like never before.

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Casio Exlim EX-Z1200 12MP Digtial Camera with 3x Anti Shake

Customer Ratings:

Fantastic take everywhere camera. Standout features are (i) excellent image detail (ii) tremendous auto white balance, best appreciated on a calibrated monitor (iii) very easy to use (iv) highly portable and unobtrusive. If the camera is held super steady, the pictures can be sharp too. At the highest quality settings, the files allow for significant crops and enlargements.

The lens is competent enough and does the job. The let down is that it's not wide enough at the wide end and is pointlessly long at the long end. In 35mm terms, it is a 37-111 zoom; a 24-70mm would have been more useful for day to day and travel snaps. The longer focal lengths are unusable handheld because they greatly magnify vibration and the really unimpressive anti-shake system is of little help there. A shorter, wider, optically superior lens would have given the camera more bite. To be fair, though, most comparable compacts have the same lens coverage; even the Canon G9 does not go much wider, but Casio could have been more innovative and daring.

The packaged software transfers images to a computer but does nothing beyond that. For non-destructive jpeg editing, Picasa is necessary and is brilliant.

My unit persistently overexposes so I routinely reset exposure to EV -0.7 or more before each shot. The -0.7 setting is lost at power-off and has to be reset at each power-on which is very frustrating. If there's a way to store this setting, I still haven't found it.

The z1200 gets 5 stars because if I were buying again today, this is the one I'd get. Used with discipline and imagination, the results are frequently breathtaking.

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Pogoplug Multimedia Sharing Device

Customer Ratings:

I work out of town a lot and want to be able to transfer large files back and forth to a remote site. Also I collaborate with other professionals and need to share large files with them. Pogoplug is my solution. It works great. I have 2TB drives connected to it and, rather than trying to e-mail large files, I just upload to my pogoplug and share them with whoever I want. Also, whenever I have questions, the Pogoplug customer service is quick to respond and very helpful. I have been very pleased.

Eric

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XIOS DS Streaming Media Player for TVs (with XBMC capability)

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $114.99
Sale Price: $94.90
Today's Bonus: 17% Off

This unit CANNOT run Android and stream xbmc video content over the web.

It CAN play movies if you have them on a local hard drive.

The way it ships, it has Android running. But if you run XBMC server on top of Android... the processor goes to 100% max and the Frames Per Second goes from 29 fps down to 10 fps.

The video sort of moves at 1/10th the speed it should.

I contacted tech support, and they had me delete Android, and run a pure XBMC over system ... no android.

It still didnt work... because it wouldn't recognize my wireless Ethernet.

Also, the XBMC isnt even loaded when you get it. You have to load all that stuff yourself. I am a geek, so I managed.... but non-techy people would NEVER succeed.

I returned it, and got a GBox Midnight MX2 . It is strong enough to run Android AND xbmc...

XBMC was loaded out of the box (unlike the Xios).

Plus the Gbox controller is far better.

Very frustrating to take all this time and effort on an underpowered box.

Give it a pass.

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Latte ICE Tab2 Android 4.2 7" HD IPS screen quad core tablet

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $169.99
Sale Price: Price Unavailable
Today's Bonus: 18% Off

Can't beat it for the price.

I've had a few tablets, including name brand and so far this is very impressive.

The display is outstanding. The graphics speed very good.

It reminds me of my old Asus. The construction is solid with a metal backing. I personally like the little extra heft.

I've put a 32GB card in it for extra storage, you'll need it.

Battery life so far is good.

It's running android 4.2.2 and I like that.

No issues with compatibility on any apps I've run so far.

Bluetooth 4.0. Works flawlessly.

Connected quickly to my wireless and see's all my network devices.

Wireless speed is very good and so far so it the distance on it.

Ran some of the speed tests and it comes out in the middle of the pack, not bad when it's half the cost!

I had an issue with the first charger with it and their support was very responsive. That's a plus! I had the same issue with my Asus.

Folks, for the price, comparing the features it's hard to beat. I like it!

To sum it up, put a 32gb card in it, speed is very good, battery life is good, it's smooth, construction is very good, the display is great. Hard to beat the price and performance. I'll update as time goes on!

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INTOVA Digital Waterproof Camera + Deluxe Kit

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $499.99
Sale Price: $439.99
Today's Bonus: 12% Off

Great deal for the price. Easy set up. Takes good pictures and video. Control buttons are easy to use even with gloves on. I have recomended it already to other divers in our group. We've taken it on 4 shore dives to 40 ft with no problem, it is rated to go to 180 ft. so I can't see where it can't go anywhere a diver would want to go. Strap on the camera case makes it easy to move without holding onto it when your in the water. Wish I could post a few of the pictures and video that we've taken so you could see for yourself!

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Sony DCR-HC1000 3-CCD MiniDV Digital Handycam Camcorder w/12x

Customer Ratings:

I bought this camcorder last December (2004) and it is absolutely the best picture I have seen out of a Mini DV camcorder. I originally bought the Panasonic 3CCD and returned it due to no ability to adjust shutter speed below 60 for low light conditions. This goes down to 4 fps which you better have it on a tripod or serious ghosting will appear. The perfect setting I have found for low light, for instance inside your home is 30 frames per second. This camera will also take MPEG4 movies to the memory stick for emailing. Overall, I must say this is the best camera on the market currently for the price. Buy one and you will not be sorry!!! Have fun shooting!

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Everfocus Ultra 720+ Surveillance/Network Camera EZ750

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $458.00
Sale Price: $331.99
Today's Bonus: 28% Off

Excellent feature set for what this is.

I have no problem with the set up, nor using this indoors or out.

I can't complain about the features not the quality. Excellent.

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Lenovo S400 14.0-Inch Laptop

Customer Ratings:

Originally, I had wanted the ultrabook from Lenovo but it was way out of my price range. This laptop was my alternative choice. I love that it's super lightweight and easy to carry around school. It reboots quickly, has a decent battery life of 3~hrs, never overheats, and is pretty quiet. Sound is ok (more details down below). I use this laptop to do normal, everyday student activites: write papers, browse the web, listen to music, watch movies and the i3 processor is good enough and fast enough for me.

Some things took me a while to get used to (i.e. very sensitive trackpad as mentioned in another review, typing on a new keyboard, Win8). I had to mess with the sensitivity settings for the trackpad for a while until it was to my liking. I don't really like the size of the BACKSPACE key. For some reason, they made it smaller than a normal size and placed PG UP/PG DOWN keys next to it and I hit it by accident all the time. It's a pain and I'm still getting used to it after a few weeks. Windows 8 was a bit overwhelming at first but I found a really helpful guide to explain what had changed and new features:An issue I had was that the speakers are located on the underside of the laptop...never really knew of any laptop that did that but it's a problem if you're in bed and listening to music. Blankets obviously muffle the sound so I usually hook it up to an external speaker. Just wish the speakers weren't impeded by anything but when it's on top of a desk, sound is clear and good. Final thing is that the webcam and microphone are pretty awful. I had issues when using it to Skype. Webcam quality just sucks and for some reason, the microphone never picks up my voice so I just end up using my old laptop that I was supposed to replace with this one (Sony Vaio 4 yrs old).

Overall, I like this laptop for it's ease of travel and battery life. It performs well while being extremely affordable. Just a few things you should be warned about beforehand and where some things could be improved.

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Denon AVR-E300 5.1 Channel 3D Pass Through and Networking Home

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $449.99
Sale Price: $349.00
Today's Bonus: 22% Off

This receiver does everything it's supposed to, sets up beautifully, sounds great, is perfect, etc, except for one thing that (in certain specific cases) will really let you down. Denon receivers (not just this one) seem to have a problem decoding Dolby Digital Plus. What is Dolby Digital Plus (or DD+) you ask? Well it just happens to be the audio compression used by Netflix for 5.1 surround sound. If you plan on watching your Netflix videos through any devices that have HDMI passthrough (Playstation 3, WD TV, Chromecast, etc) then you will find your movies and shows sounding pretty crappy.. hissing, audio dropoff, artifacts, garbled dialog, etc.

I've been in contact with Denon, who say they are working on recreating the problem, but even if they do identify it, then you're gonna be waiting for a new firmware to be written, proofed, developed, tested, and rolled out... that's up do you, but I think it might be too much for me.

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Swann SWDVR-16300H-US 16-Channel Trublue DVR (Black)

Customer Ratings:

Unit keeps rebooting constantly, no HDD flashing unit dead-on phone with operator that is "trying" to help ( I am an electronics tech) and I have explained that I have done everything with the unit as she has requested-It took an hour on the phone waiting for some one-plus the 1/2 hour "troubleshooting" the unit to get her to send me an email with the return authorization info...we'll see...

Now I am without a DVR for the 3 days to ship it and the 3-5 business days for Swann to look at it and repair it, and the 3-5 days of return shipping...

Just letting you all know what happens when the 30 days return time runs out of Amazon return policy.....

Worked great for 45 days! Would not recommend unit-who knows if I got a lemon but If I have to base it on mine it gets 1 star....

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Motorola Additional Camera for Motorola MBP36 Baby Monitor

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $99.99
Sale Price: $94.95
Today's Bonus: 5% Off

First thing I want to say is that this camera also works with the MBP33 baby monitor as well. We bought the MBP33 baby monitor for our 3 month old and we bought an additional camera to keep in our toddler's room. We are pretty happy with it so far. I love the two way communication function and the room temperature feature. My only complaint is that we keep the camera across the room on his dresser, and the night vision light is not very strong so we can not see clearly all the way to his bed. It is about 7 ft from the dresser to the bed. If we adjust the light contrast on the parent unit we can see, but it is pretty dark and grainy. We previously has a Summer Infant video monitor and did not have this problem at all, but then again, the night vision feature broke after 2 years on that monitor. We keep the other camera above the crib in our baby's room and haven't had any problems at all. Overall, we are happy with the monitor and the additional camera.

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Nintendo DS Lite Coral Pink

Customer Ratings:

People will no doubt find the Nintendo DS Lite to be a way for Nintendo to sucker people out of their money. It can be that way, if you think of yourself as a sucker, but for me the DS lite is a little better. Simply put, if you're content with your original DS, then don't even waste time to buy this one. If you don't have a DS period, the DS Lite is a much better investment than the original bulky one.

With the DS Lite, gameplay is made a little simplar. The button placement and brighter screen make the gameplay a little better. For one, the start and select buttons have been moved to resemble where they were on the original Gameboy Advance. This makes handling some of the functions (especially for GBA games) a lot easier. The buttons, sadly, are a still a little small for guys with big hands like myself.

The DS Lite also comes with a phony GBA cartridge (called a "cap"). If you don't have a GBA game plugged into the system, you can put in the phony cartridge to keep it from collecting dust in there. However, when you do stick in a GBA game, it sticks out by about a centimeter. It just looks weird. The cap does, at least, keep the system looking good.

Perhaps the most welcome change to the DS Lite is the screen. The original DS screen was not exactly bright. In fact, it was, in comparison the DS Lite, rather dark. Games like Metroid Prime Hunters were darker than they had to be. On this new screen, the difference in how bright the games appear really shows. Not only that but, you can adjust the brightness if need be. It doesn't really affect the battery life, either. You can play the DS Lite for as long as you played the original. And also like the original, it charges while you play.

Another welcome difference is the touch screen itself. These screens last a lot longer than the original DS. Those who have an original DS no doubt experienced a lot of scratches on their screen from their stylus. To the point where it was noticeable. You could still see the screen, but it was apparent that the stylus was doing a number on it. The screen is more protected here. The stylus doesn't scratch the screen quite as easily. In other words, the touch screen lasts a lot longer.

The DS Lite also looks better, and fits in your pocket better. It also performs all the tasks of a regular DS. For example, if you're playing a game and you suddenly have to go, just flip it closed and it sleeps. There's also a place to store the stylus, and the stylus is better too. It's a little bigger and thicker, so it's not quite as easy to lose.

Some problems with the original DS still plague the DS Lite however. You still can't play Gameboy Color or regular Gameboy games on the DS Lite. Also, you still can't configure the controls to play a GBA game much easier. In other words you can't configure "X" and "Y" when you play a GBA game. This probably won't bother you in the long run, however. Also, the touch screen still has its sensitivity. Touching the touch screen with your bare hands is more dangerous than the stylus scratching the screen. The oils from your fingers might damage the screen and therefore, it won't respond to the touch of even your stylus.

When the original DS launched, owners will note that there were not very many good games availible. About the only good game during its launch in 2004 was Super Mario 64 DS. Now there are plenty of games out there (and not all of them are ports), so if you do want a DS, this is a great time to get one, and the DS Lite is a better investment than the original one by far.

The DS may not play movies, or MP3 players, but to be honest, that almost defeats the purpose of a gaming system. Am I looking to buy a portable entertainment center? Of course not, I'm looking to find a system to play some of my games on, and the Nintendo DS delivers. Real gamers know it's about the games, not about the bells and whistles of a system. For the casual gamer, the Nintendo DS delivers, and the DS Lite is a fine improvement.

The Good

+Vastly superior to the original DS

+It fits in your pocket easier

+The Screen is much brighter

+Touch screen is more durable

+The placement of the Start and Select buttons is easier

+A better stylus

+The battery life is unchanged

The Bad

-Those with an original DS, who want a DS Lite will have to spend more money for yet another DS

-Some of the cons of the original DS are still here

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Sony NEX-7 24.3 MP Compact Interchangeable Lens Camera - Body

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $1,099.99
Sale Price: $948.00
Today's Bonus: 14% Off

A little background to give you perspective on the review. I'm an advanced amateur shooting for about 10 years. I also own a Canon 5D Mark II with some L Zoom lenses (24-70 F2.8 and the 70-200 F2.8) and the very good 50mm 1.8 prime and a Fuji X100.

I spent a lot of time (probably over 40 hours) researching this camera, reading reviews etc. before buying it on Amazon from a third party seller. I've had it about a week now and shooting with with the Sony 18-200 Zoom Lens (SEL18200). Below are my observations:

Good:

1. Very small camera body, smaller than my X100 and feels a lot like my old S90 compact in terms of size (this is of course without the lens). With the 18-200 lens its no longer pocketable but still small and very manageable compared to a SLR.

2. Great build quality, tough body, I like the styling and I love the handgrip. Just the right size.

3. Probably the fastest shutter I have ever used, very little shutter lag.

4. Easy to use menus/interface etc. Lots of options and things like sweep panorama and other "gadget" type things work well although unlikely that I will use them much.

5. Good battery life. I'm easily getting the 400 or so shots per charge its rated for.

6. Electronic viewfinder The good part is that it works really well, focus is fast even in low light, for the not so good part relating to the viewfinder see below.

Not so good

1. The electronic viewfinder that gets rave reviews is simply not as good to my eyes as looking through glass. Its a far cry from an optical viewfinder and I find the little "noise/dots" in low light distracting. Images even when blown up don't seem to show the same noise so this is definitely a viewfinder issue. To give you context even with a lens cap on when the LCD is completely black the viewfinder has tiny dots dancing on it sort of like static on a TV screen, this doesn't go away.

2. Internal Flash design needs work. When used with the SEL18200 lens there is noticeable shadow in images due to the lens blocking some of the light, to the point where I am currently not using the flash at all and will eventually invest in an external or wireless flash. Just simply providing the ability to bounce this off the ceiling would have helped. UPDATE: Someone in comments just pointed out and I verified that you can manually tilt the flash while shooting. Solves my issue with the SEL18200, thanks.

In the end what I really care about though is image quality. In this the camera does not disappoint. It does indoors just about as well as my Fuji X100 which to me is the best low light, auto WB adjustment under any kind of light shooter I have ever used and for landscapes and nature its almost as good as my 5D particularly in good light. I suspect with a better lens I would be hard pressed to see the difference, right now while the 18-200 f3.5 is very versatile my Canon glass is definitely a little sharper, but at its size and lightweight appeal by guess is that the Sony will get a lot more at bats than the Canon. Even when blown up to the size of a modern day LCD TV pictures look great and the zoom lens is great at bringing far away details closer. The 24MP señsor does capture a lot of detail and does well in low light situations as well. I'm not really a high ISO shooter preferring flash or faster lenses where this becomes required but up to ISO 1600 have not noticed any issues with the picture quality even on a 63" screen.

All in all I am very happy with my purchase and look forward to many years of shooting with it. I'd recommend it along with the SEL-18200 lens for anyone looking for a second camera as a go anywhere alternative to a SLR and lenses or as a very significant upgrade from a compact. This could also very easily become the only camera for an enthusiast/advanced amateur type who would be willing to trade in the bulky DSLR. I definitely hope they make more high quality lenses for it as time goes by. I was also looking at the 24mm F1.8 Carl Zeiss prime (36mm equivalent) but in the end opted for the versatility of the zoom particularly since my X100 gives me a dedicated 35mm point of view for about the same price but with camera body attached.

Update I did some more comparisons to my X100 and liked the Nex 7 enough to sell the Fuji. I used the proceeds to purchase the Carl Zeiss Sonnar 24mm F1.8 e mount lens. I'm finding this lens to mitigate some of my viewfinder issues since its bright enough and the little dancing dots seem at bay but not totally gone. Also finding this lens to be of very high quality, auto-focus is very quick and indoor low light shooting a breeze. Portraits are sharp and background is pleasantly de-focused, even in dimly lit rooms I am not using flash or high ISOs and outdoors or in good light its beautiful.

Update 2 I have now been using the Nex 7 for almost three months. I have to say I love it even more. Its become my go to camera for a lot of different occasions and I recently travelled internationally with this and the Zeiss F1.8 lens as my only camera. Pictures of the trip came out beautiful, although I'm not much of a dedicated 35mm shooter I found that there was enough there to make me very happy and in some cases crops etc. taking advantage of the ample resolution the Nex offers strengthened particular images. I have also added the HVL20 flash to my collection and find it to be useful in low light, indoor types of situations and pretty compact still and recently added the Tamron 18-200 lens which I am liking a little more than the Sony SEL18200 since its a little smaller, lighter and produces about the same image quality. Vain I know but I actually like the black of the Tamron lens more.

I have been doing some tests also of portraits compared to my 5D Mark II and for me at least the Full Frame bokeh of the 5D can't be beat. I don't have a great portrait lens for the Nex yet so will reserve final judgement until I acquire one (50mm F1.8 on pre-order) but at near identical focal lengths and apertures the Canon 5D images have the 3D like pop to them that the Nex is missing ONLY when compared side by side, i.e. the Nex does render a little more detail in the background. Outside of this extreme bit of detective work that likely has very little value in actual use I am extremely happy with Nex for portraits and for all others types of shooting including landscape with the Zeiss lens.

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