Motorola Atrix 4G MB861 Unlocked GSM Phone with Android 2.2 OS

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $479.99
Sale Price: $124.40
Today's Bonus: 74% Off

I can only speak to the version sold by Accessory Distributor (there are 10 or more vendors offering "new" phones) but exactly what flavor of "new" this is I am not sure. It came in a generic Motorola box, no model number or other labels, and contained no warranty, safety, or manual documents, at all. Battery, back cover, and phone all came separately wrapped and "looked" new. But clearly this is some sort of re-packaged or perhaps re-furbished phone. Worse (as I found out when the screen started to time out and not wake up using the power button at all -battery pull and reboot required every time the screen times out for 1st time) Motorola has no intention of honoring a new warranty on these phones. After hassling for 3 days with Motorola tech support via chat messages, phone calls to some Caribbean country, and multiple case numbers, I was finally told that the IMEI for this phone had a warranty which expired in July, 3 months before I bought the phone. No Motorola service even for an out-of-box problem on a "new" phone. Motorola would not honor an Amazon original invoice. Accessory Distributors said they would grant a 30day warranty and repair the phone, with all shipping at my cost. Amazon offered arbitration with the vendor, but ultimately my only recourse was to accept having a non-authorized vendor repair the phone up to 30 days out, then I was on my own. A service plan would have cost $130 a year. OR return the phone. The only good thing about this deal is that the vendor accepted the return (not the shipping, but Amazon picked that up except for the return). My theory (no one said this) is that these are bundled unsold OEM phones from 2011(new or refurbished) bought from either Motorola or ATT, unlocked, and repackaged without an original warranty, and that Motorola has no desire to keep 1-year old models on the market cutting into their new-model Atrix sales. And ATT likely has no interest in doing favors for people who plan to use the phone with service from a competitor provider (as I did). I emailed 6 other vendors in the Amazon list selling them as new and none would include a Motorola warranty. This being advertised as "new" doesn't mean much, and there is no proof they are. So after all was said and done, I was out $6, plus about a week of hassle with Motorola, the vendor, and Amazon (latter was the only easy one to deal with -I am still an Amazon fan). Plus still looking for a non-plan smartphone

My recommendation is to avoid this particular phone deal unless you find a vendor who promises a 12-month Motorola warranty, as all new Motorola cell phones are supposed to have. I am OK with people selling used or refurb items without a warranty, but to bill these as "new" without such a warranty is deceptive consumer advertising and should be an FCC issue. I am surprised Amazon allows it, even on purchases they fulfill. C'mon guys, repair this ad. These are new phones.

Addendum: as also observed in other reviews, the phone also came with a 1500 mAH battery not the stock 1930 mAH one that came with the original phone. Whoever repackaged this shaved about $10 off the cost of the package by cutting this corner on a power-hungry dual-core big-screen smartphone

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Samsung HMX-H304 Full HD Camcorder with 30X Zoom and 16 GB

Customer Ratings:

I spent a long time researching camcorders, read a lot reviews and looked at a lot of test footage before ultimately buying this model.

Many of the better reviews I read compared this model to models several hundred dollars more expensive, which I took to mean that this model was a significant value at this price.

It was a gamble on my part that I think paid off as I am very happy overall with this unit.

There are thee consistent criticism I have seen for this camcorder. I took them very seriously when I was deciding what unit to buy. Now that I have hands on experience with the unit I wanted to share my experience regarding these criticisms:

The camera records its own zoom: This is true but I don't find it distracting. In fact I find it to be a cool effect. You should really only be zooming with the camera on if you are intentionally calling attention to the camera anyway. This is a consumer camera. It is not intended for professional use. The "zoom sound" is really only audible in a very quiet room. I recorded some footage outside on a non-windy day and the ambient noise outside covered up the sounds of the zoom. For reference, I watched some footage I took with my miniDV camera and noticed that on all of the footage you could hear the whir of the tape motor. Probably the zoom would be more noticeable if the tape motor wasn't constantly going. At any rate the noise doesn't bother me on either camera and the miniDV footage was far noisier. I don't see how this issue would be a deterrent. If you are shooting a movie or any professional product you need a professional camera anyway and you also would be using a separate sound recording system.

The camera isn't great in low light: This is also true. The camera produces a better picture with more light on the subject. This is true of all cameras. Cameras record light. This camera doesn't come with a light for dark settings. If you want a camera with a light on it don't buy this unit. This also didn't bother me. I just turned a lamp on and the video quality was fine. Again, this is a consumer camera. Professionals bring their own lights anyway. To be fair though the camera performs much better in daylight than it does indoors.

There is no viewfinder and there is a glare on the LCD screen in sunlight: These things are also true. There is no viewfinder. If you want a viewfinder, buy a different model. As for the glare, you may have to put your hand over the screen to reduce the glare. Easy enough to solve.

A final note. I ran some basic tests and found the 720p to be sharper than the 1080i footage. It's super easy to switch back and forth (even on the same memory card) so play around with it and judge for yourself. I'm sticking with the 720p to because it looks better to me and it takes up less storage space.

I have also been having a lot of fun with the time-lapse setting a function I wasn't even interested in when looking for camcorder.

Overall I found this to be a great little camera. It records quality HD video has a great optical zoom and can be bought for under $300. The camera is tiny. If a viewfinder were added and the microphone was snaked further from the zoom lens it would be a larger camera. I found the issues above to be legitimate but not large enough problems to be a deterrent.

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Kensington Keyfolio Bluetooth Keyboard Case For iPad 4

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $99.99
Sale Price: $67.02
Today's Bonus: 33% Off

There are some good reviews here, but i wanted to respond to the few negative reviews. First, there may be some people who don't know how to set up a bluetooth connection properly, and they need to get some help, because this is a great little keyboard and case. If you still have troubles, once it is set up correctly, then you likely have a bad unit and should return it for a good one. This types and protects wonderfully.

Next, do NOT expect this (plus the iPad2) to be a laptop. Some reviewers seem to think that all they need to have a good laptop is to get a keyboard. No, not even close. Most tablets are designed to be, well, tablets. Extra light and small Mobile computing platforms for doing light computing tasks, especially for times that a full computer (laptop, whether Mac or PC) is not needed. By definition, it is not going to work or act like a full laptop... in other words, I don't run Final Cut Pro on the iPad, nor do I want to. This product WILL allow you to type up emails and word processing documents (if you have the apps, obviously) like a dream. I rarely get a letter that doesn't "connect" right while typing. But, no, this is NOT the same as having a laptop... it is better in some ways and it is worse in some ways. I use a notebook computer and an iPad and I bring along the one that makes the most sense for what I will be doing (software wise). I am shocked how often it is the iPad2.

In addition, make sure you are ordering the newer product if you have the iPad2 (its worth the extra 6 bucks)as the fit will not be good with the iPad2 if you buy Kennsington's iPad1 case... it won't be snug. Personally, I don't mind taking the iPad2 out of the case for pictures or video, but (of course) with the correct case you won't need to do so.

Lastly, ask yourself if you really NEED a bluetooth keyboard for your iPad? If you type a lot, you are going to love it. But if you only type on a rare occasion, you will find a thinner case and the virtual iPad keyboard will be more fitting for you. I really like this case, obviously, but it is the right thing for me. If you understand that this product will not give you a full PC or MacBook Pro notebook, then you too will love this nice little devise and case.

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Casio WQV3D-8BNDL Camera Wrist Watch

Customer Ratings:

I'll admit it up front: the camera watch is tons of cool, but it's expensive and you may not use it as much as you'd think. Of course, it's a watch with alarms, so at least you are not spending your hard-earned money on a gadget you would use only once every 6 months. As a watch it's pretty basic and accurate, but also pretty large, so if you have small wrists, this product will look ridiculous and ridiculously bulky on you. In other words, this is a gadget for grown men with big wrists.

Of course, the reason you'd buy this product is the built-in digital camera, which sports a resolution of 120x120. This isn't much in today's world with 6 megapixel cameras, but we are not talking a professional camera here, or even a prosumer one. 120x120 is not too bad when you remember that most webcams have native resolutions of about 170x140, so this is just a bit less refined than webcams, in a package 1/5 the size or smaller. You can take up to 100 pictures, which you'd then transfer via the built-in IR to a PC. Unfortunately, you'll need to buy a separate IR sensor and upload software kit to do this, although some online shops give this away for free.

How's the image quality? Obviously you have to keep your expectations reasonable. After all, this is a cool gadget, not the digital camera to bring when you go on exotic trips. You need plenty of light, I think it's rated at 100 lux minimum. You also need to learn not to move the watch when you press the shutter button, or the picture will come out blurry. It's a focus-free camera, so everything will be in focus as long as you are at least 1 foot away from the subject (or is it object?). Finally, be sure not to take pictures of people from an angle that's too low, because most of us don't look great with our chin in the most prominent part of the picture.

Since it doesn't have flash, you can rule out taking pictures in a bar or club; besides, do you really want to snap the moment when you are drunk and look ridiculous? Not really, in my experience. So you'll probably use the camera only occasionally. For me, I caught a few heart-breaking moments on mine on Sept. 11, when the World Trade Center collapsed. Those blurry pictures caught the frenzy moment of a country in crisis, as well as the heroic efforts of New York's bravest and finest. Of course, you can't (and don't want to) expect to run into crises like this, so you can probably use the camera to spy on that cutie in your office (don't over do it!), or catch your friends in awkward manners (and risk losing their friendship!). Anyway, you can be creative, and that's what's ultimately cool about this gadget which you can carry everywhere, even in bed.

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Samsung Series 7 XE700T1A-A02US 11.6-Inch Slate (128GB, Win 7

Customer Ratings:

I'm a work at home programmer, and a dad. It's been my eternal quest to seek the most portable (yet powerful) device to do my job while on the go with my family. One morning, I was talking to my wife about how awesome it would be if I could take my MacBook Air, remove the keyboard/trackpad and embed the display there -essentially an iPad that ran a real OS. Then have a docking port, so you could pop it in to get an external display/keyboard/mouse for a real "workstation" feel. I quipped that no one would make such a niche market device, as I did a Google search -and lo and behold, I saw this tablet and was amazed.

On the surface, this tablet is a marvelous assembly of technology practically something that I would dream of as a kid.

Specs nearly identical to the 2011 MacBook Air 11" 128GB of SSD space, 4GB of RAM, and a 135.09 PPI display.

Dockable to be a full workstation, and almost as light as an iPad. Lighter than any other laptop I've owned.

A real pressure-sensitive Wacom tablet. Not as accurate as my wife's Cintiq 21UX even after 3 calibration attempts, but still very decent.

Let's start with the conclusion: I returned mine. Why?

1) Use the right tool for the job

As unfortunate as it is, this is the wrong tool for a programmer. I try adhering to the academic mantra: Programming is 90% thought, and 10% typing (I realize this is only applicable for certain situations, but humor me). Physical input shouldn't be a big deal as long as you think things out first, right?

Indeed, editing code wasn't terribly difficult with the on-screen keyboard. It just took a lot longer for typing symbols; however, losing half the screen is a major detraction. Imagine you have your keyboard on the bottom of the screen -the bottom of your document is going to be covered by the keyboard. You either have to move your keyboard to the top of the screen, or dock it and permanently lose half your screen.

A large portion of a developer's working day is collaboration. I didn't realize how slow conversations would get from the lack of a physical keyboard. Enabling Pen-flicks for copy/paste/undo did help to a degree. Handwriting was amazingly accurate, but how many WPM can you actually write? Maybe someone in or fresh out of college would fare better, but for not having written much with a pen in the past decade, I noticed that I did far more WPM with a virtual keyboard. I don't get along with Swype (it doesn't mesh with programming very well), so I can't comment on if this would change your use of the device or not. In the end, a Bluetooth keyboard outperformed all other input methods by far.

This begs the question: How do you use a Bluetooth keyboard at the park bench, while balancing/tilting a tablet on your knees? It looks ridiculous!

Bottom line: If your primary use of the device requires heavy typing, and you're not part of the younger generation that can do 50+WPM on mobile devices, you will most likely regret it.

Advice: Go to your neighborhood tech store and demo any 10"+ tablet with an on-screen keyboard. Google for, and take a WPM (typing) test. Your frustration levels will be inversely proportional to your score. YMMV.

2) Do you really need it?

Let's be honest here. With a 3rd generation iPad having fairly decent specs, what's the point of paying 2.5x to get this tablet? If you need the CPU power/real OS but need a keyboard/mouse to be effective, do you really need to pay 1.5-2x of an equivalent specced laptop/ultrabook for the select few situations that you're away from a desk?

Think about what you would do with this device *without* a keyboard/mouse, as opposed to an iPad/Android tab:

Word processing/Presentations: iPad does just as decently, especially with the 4-finger swipes for multitasking.

Internet browsing: iPad does an almost better job, with the exception of lack of Flash and some JS incompatibilities. Windows 7 touch browsing has quirks with scrolling, and zoom is nowhere near as usable as iOS/Android, which means a lot of missed clicks.

Email/Chat: iPad has push notifications even when in sleep. You put the Slate to sleep, and it's out until you turn it back on -just like a normal PC. Personal preference favors the simple iOS mail client above Outlook/Thunderbird for most usage scenarios.

Games: Most Windows games are not designed for touch. StarCraft II with touch was "fun" to try. But inaccurate right clicks (cascading double-taps are the only way to pinpoint, and even that is often unreliable) pretty much kills your APM. Playing WoW on Low settings was pretty neat, although nigh-impossible to navigate without a mouse. In contrast, iOS/Android games are designed for tablets and touch and "just work" for the most part.

Artists with a need for pressure sensitive digitizer: Perhaps the best usage scenario for this device. Photoshop/Painter runs decently fast, and I can see how this would be an awesome portable sketchpad.

Note-taking: OneNote on this tablet takes the cake here, because of its superior text recognition.

Truth be told, the majority of users I know of would benefit more from a cheaper laptop/tablet instead. In my opinion, until they can come up with a better input method, I just don't know of many user demographics that would prefer this tablet over other form-factors. If you are seriously considering this product, please carefully think about your usage criteria so you don't make the same mistake as I did.

3) Hardware problems

You may or may not get a model with the commonly reported "screen lift" bug, where the adhesive holding the display glass to the chassis becomes loose, letting debris inside. Mine accumulated 5 pieces of small dust between the glass and the LCD panel in 3 days of desk-only use (not putting in bags or anything). They weren't that big, but they also don't come out. Against white backgrounds, they stand out quite a bit. Quite the eyesore, and who knows how many more would sneak in there in the coming years had I kept it?

I was relieved to see that my Samsung logo on the back of the tablet wasn't "a sticker" like another reviewer was claiming. I thought maybe I had a new hardware revision. Then one day, my wife was asking me about the unique logo on the back, with the "A" floating above the rest of the letters. Upon closer inspection, I realized I misunderstood the other reviewer the individual letters themselves are stickers. The adhesive gets loosened from the CPU heat, and the letters start turning and moving. Great design, Samsung! Couldn't you just have engraved the logo or something?

LCD panel is not the best. Definitely not IPS, and subpixel RGB rainbowing on anti-aliased text is obvious when you rotate the device to Portrait mode. Black levels are sub-par, and often looks purple from any slight angle.

Cameras are both terrible. Included utility only lets you take 320x240ish* resolution videos. If you have an iPhone or any recent Android phone, it'd easily outperform the rear-facing camera. Low-light pictures are unusably noisy. Front-facing camera is at a perpendicular angle to the tablet, so you have to lift up the tablet (held at a fair distance away), and look unnaturally "up" into the camera for the other side to have a decent/comfortable view. Otherwise, to them, it looks like you're looking down on them, which you quite literally are. Who holds tablets up to face-level like that? I guess they probably designed it for use while docked or set down with their folio case.

With only Windows 7 HP installed, and given how portable it is, it would be silly to carry around work/financial information unencrypted. TrueCrypt's System Encryption works great, but you have no Bluetooth stack at the pre-boot stage meaning you can't enter the password without a USB keyboard (Park + No USB Keyboard + Windows Update = locked out tablet). Yes, it's painful -but it's just the cost of security. One disaster I had was when I installed some Samsung driver updates, and it somehow disabled USB during the BIOS/pre-boot stage -meaning I couldn't use any keyboard until the OS booted (which is locked with the password). I had to look through the Samsung site until I found that you could go enter/navigate the BIOS with the side buttons, and re-enabled Legacy USB support, which brought back the USB keyboard. Wish there was an easy way of making Full-Disk Encryption happen with virtual/Bluetooth keyboard like in OS X, or a USB token, but that's not necessarily this product or Samsung's fault.

A hint to all owners that are complaining about slow/missed keys: The on-screen keyboard is resizeable (drag bottom right corner). When your keyboard size is small, Windows 7 will get confused where your finger landed, and quite often pretend it didn't notice the tap. Make the keyboard bigger, and not only will your accuracy increase from physical ease of use, the software will have less sensor ambiguity to deal with, leading to less headaches.

To wrap things up, this is a great tablet, no doubt. Hardware has come so far in the past decade, that it's nothing short of amazing. However, when you compare this tablet to other offerings in its price range, it's unfortunately nothing special that also may not benefit you. I used this tablet with the dock with dual (extended) displays, a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, and it was indeed a very "cool" setup if I was not a programmer. But then again, if I wasn't a programmer, an iPad would have probably sufficed.

I'm pretty disappointed that my quest ended with a dismal conclusion like this, but it was certainly a good learning exercise about portability and usability. I guess I'll wait, once again, for the next generation of MacBook Air to come out. Thank you for taking the time to read my rant-filled review.

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ASUS VK246H 24-Inch Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black with Webcam

Customer Ratings:

I bought this even though I saw a lot of people complaining about getting the WebCam working. I am happy I did. As part of the install, you must attach the included USB cable to the monitor. This will allow the WebCam to be recognised by the PC. In XP, the WebCam worked just fine without installing any additional software. I decided to try the ASUS software anyhow, and it includes a bunch of nice extras (special effects, overlays, etc...) I am positive that all of the negative reviews regarding the camera had to do with not attaching the USB cable.

The monitor itself is great. Now we play Lego Star Wars II at 1920x1080.

Update 12-2010:

After upgrading to Windows 7 Professional, I downloaded a new version of the software and it did not want to work anymore. I was receiving the same error that told me it is only for a LapTop.

Luckily, I had an older copy and once I installed that, it worked.

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Zoom R8 R 8 Track Multi-Channel Digital Studio Recorder

Customer Ratings:

It had a very nice condenser mic and I don't feel I need an external one.

Also drum machine has a lot of patterns which I liked a lot.

In addition, it has a tuner and it can be used as an audio interface between your laptop and your instrument and voice.

This is all-in-one machine.

If you don't need 8 channels of simultaneous recording this is a perfect machine!! (this can do 2 channels of simultaneous recording)

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Pentax WG-3 Shock & Waterproof GPS Digital Camera (Green)

Customer Ratings:

Camera itself is a brute tough, durable and taskes great pics. The package was not great camera bag is for big cameras and film and other junk. Camera strap with D-Ring (what is that for). Needs a strap you can put on your wrist and not drop it or loose it when underwater scuba or snorkling. FYI battery drains fast when GPS is active.

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Sony Bravia EX700 Series 46-Inch LED HDTV, Black

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $1,699.99
Sale Price: $998.00
Today's Bonus: 41% Off

I've had this TV for a couple of days and it exceeded all my expectations. I have been in the market for a new TV since November of 2009. I have done a ton of research and I believe that for the money this is one of the best TVs in the market. I looked at the Samsung LEDs and while they are good TVs, I find the glossy screens are distracting with all the reflections it creates. This can definitely be troublesome if your house has big windows next to the TV like mine does.

At the end, the Sony KDL-46EX700 was the perfect TV. Some of the great features include: ambient light sensor (the backlight changes depending on the amount of light source in the room), internet capabilities (Sony has a ton of widgets), exceeds energy star ratings, presence sensor (turns TV off when it does not sense a person in the room), motion flow control and finally a attractive modern clean design.

As for picture quality the TV shines on all level. I have U-Verse cable and the picture looks great in HD and SD. The picture quality on DVD is great, as well as, the Netflix streaming. Blu ray quality is out of this world.

As for sound quality, I am uncertain as my TV is connected to a home theater system. I really have nothing bad to say about this TV. The only knock that I have on this TV if any, is that the remote looks cheap. It does work, however, so I really can't complain. Plus I plan on replacing it with a universal remote.

In the end, If you are in the market for a new LED TV I highly recommend this TV.

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Nikon D300s 12.3MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with AF-S DX NIKKOR

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $2,549.95
Sale Price: $2,546.95
Today's Bonus: $3.00 Off

Hello everybody, My name is Daniel and I am about as serious as you can be and still be considered "amateur". I have been taking photos on SLR's since I was 10 years old on an old film Minolta and I bought my first DSLR (a Nikon D50) and since then I have owned everything from a base line Canon XSi all the way up to the the best camera I have ever handled... the D300s. I have operated the D3, D3s, D3x and the top of the line professional $10k Canons, and this is still my favorite ALL AROUND camera. So here is the break down to why I love this camera and I will give you a list of pros and cons. I love this camera for many reasons... ... not many people can justify spending another $4,000 (2-3 times the money) when they are looking to spend around $1,500$2,000 for a good DSLR. So here is the benefits that I see to D300s over the other great Nikon models.

1. if you are into sports the D300s has a higher continuous frame rate than other models including the ever so popular full frame D700. With it's DX sensor it has a crop factor of 1.5 which means more bang for you buck when using a telephoto zoom lens. If you purchase the MB-D10 battery pack it will shoot at even higher speeds of 8fps when using continuous shooting and also allows for up to nearly 5,000 pictures to be taken on one charge (when upgraded battery is purchased). With 51 auto-focus and 3-D tracking you are almost guaranteed to have your subject in focus every time you take a picture. The D300s also features Active D Lighting which makes to so your pictures end up properly exposed so you don't end up with areas of under and over exposure which tend to be common in sports and in shadowy landscape photography

2. Freedom: although all Nikon DSLR's allow you to manually adjust your settings they are difficult to change until you get to the semi-pro D300 model. If you understand f-stops, DOF, aperture, shutter speed, ISO, focus points, light metering and other technical jargon and really want to experiment with all of these then a D300s is the camera for you. with shooting modes including: single, cont. low speed, high speed, timer, quiet, and mirror up mode this camera gives you all the freedom you could ever ask for.

3. Learning: this camera will make you learn the true in's and out's of photography. With the very accurate light meter it's not very hard to get the exposure right. No matter what your ISO and f stop is at.

4. User interface. With the dedicated live view and info button new to the D300s over the original D300 it cuts menu times down significantly however it no longer has the memory card hatch release switch. The D300s includes great features such as custom menus, easy to understand menus with the classic (?) button which will explain every camera function in easy to understand terms. On the fly changes include ISO, WB, Quality, shooting modes, a user adjusted fn button, AF/AE lock, light metering, and af adjustments. So the only limitations are your imagination. Selecting your focal point is as easy as looking in the viewfinder and pushing the directional button and watching the selector move around until you have exactly the right spot selected. With two selectors (one for shutter speed and one for f stop) it allows you to never have to take your eye out out of the viewfinder.

The bottom line (why you would choose this over any other Nikon DSLR):

why you'd choose this over the D90: 51point AF w/ 3D tracking, more fps, control of image adjustments, not much more money for a lot more freedom and creativity, contrast auto-focusing during movies, ability to utilize dual card slots (CF and SD), 14bit RAW, Active D Lighting.

Over the D700: full 12MP when using DX lenses rather than 5MP, more fps, $600-$1,000 less, movie mode, smaller pixels for more refinement at low ISO, 100% viewfinder coverage

Over the D3 and D3x: A ton of money, shooting speed, optimization of DX and FX lenses and movie mode, and built in flash, 100% viewfinder coverage which allows for better framing.

This is a great camera HOWEVER NOTE THE FOLLOWING!!!!!

The D700, D3,x,s have FX photo sensors which allow for a much bigger and brighter view finder, it also allows for a wider view (no crop factor instead of 1.5x like the DX) which means if you want more area in your pictures for such things as landscapes then the D700 or the D3 lineup maybe a better option because a 50mm lens in a DX camera looks the same as a 75mm lens on an FX camera.

The D700 and D3 lineup (minus the D3x) utilize the large FX sensor and still only have a 12MP capacity which means that the pixels are larger which allows for better depth of color, better definition in shadows, and better high ISO clarity. The D300 can go to extended ISO of 6400 however the image quality is poor at best when the D3 can shoot ISO 6400 all day long and look great. The D700 also does better at high ISOs than the D300 does because it has the same sensor as the D3 however the D3 still does better than the D700 at extreme ISOs. However also consider the fact that the smaller the image sensor the larger the depth of field so the D700 and the D3 are better for macro or portrait photography and the D300 will give you a larger DOF equivalent to about one f-stop.

THIS IS NOT A VIDEO CAMERA video is pretty good and the utilization of lenses is a great feature however if you want good video spend the money on a video camera. Even a Flip HD does better. The camera produces good video but it doesn't do well during panning if you plan on putting the camera on a tripod and filming then by all means its fine and with the option for an external mic to give you stereo sound is nice.

When it comes to portability, price, features, weight, usability, image adjustments ect. I personally believe it doesn't get any better I hope this review helped and I hope you get one too and really enjoy it as much as I have. This camera is the best of all worlds. I say save the money from an FX camera and buy a really nice lens or two or three for that matter. Anyway here is the camera of my dreams and hopefully the camera in your bag shortly I promise you'll love it, I know I do.

UPDATE: For all you HDR photographers look no further than the D300s you can easily create HDR photos by selecting "multiple exposures" and then setting up multi-step exposures for + or EV per exposure and after the exposures are done voila you have a beautiful HDR photo. Keep in mind however: you will need a cable release (I recommend the MC-36) for the multiple exposures. OR take a few pictures at different exposures and overlay the photos in the in camera retouch menu and there you have it perfect HDR photos every time! Goodbye Photoshop (for HDR anyway)

The D300s and flash compatibility: I have noticed almost no one has talked about the fantastic flash compatibility with the D300s over many cameras. I figured it needed to be covered so here it goes: The D300s is a DREAM to work with when paired with any Nikon Speedlight Dynamic Lighting System. My favorite and most frequently used flash is the SB-600 Speedlight which can be wirelessly operated for NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE with the D300s, you just have to know what settings to change. Unlike the D3 which has to either have a hot shoe flash controller unit or an SB-800 ($900) the D300s can operate a nearly unlimited number of flashes wirelessly without any accessories. So if you are like so many other Nikon users and own an SB-600 just push and hold the "Zoom" and the "-" button at the same time until you get to custom menu and cycle through until you can adjust the squiggly Z shaped line and turn it to on and it defaults to channel 3 then either push and hold the "zoom" and "-" button to get out of the menu or just push the power button. Then go to the "Custom Setting Menu" (the pencil) on your D300s and change "e3" "flash cntrl for built-in flash" to the Commander mode and set to channel 3, and pop up your built in flash and there you go...ABSOLUTELY FREE WIRELESS FLASH with perfect exposure compensation every time using a $250 flash unit. Hope it helps someone I know it helped me so have fun and remember to change it back to TTL flash when you're done.

UPDATE #2: I have had a lot of question on why you would get this over a D300 and here you go the main reasons for buying the D300s over the D300 is the designated info button, and live view button, movie mode, designated okay button instead of one crappy directional selector, quiet mode AND dual memory card slots. It's also 7 months newer so you won't have an out dated camera as soon. It also has slightly different menus and new software for shooting modes including landscape, and portrait modes.

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Bower SLY650C Long-Range 650mm-1300mm f/8 Telephoto Zoom Lens

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $419.99
Sale Price: $259.00
Today's Bonus: 38% Off

The item arrived on time and the packaging was okay, but not great. Nevertheless, the lens worked as advertised. When ordering this lens make sure to note which camera the adapter mounting ring is for as there are more than one being listed on Amazon.com. This is as stated in the ad a manual zoom and focus telephoto lens. If you want an auto focus and zoom lens (wouldn't we all) you will have to pay a lot more than the asking price for this lens. The lens does take clear photos. The few I have taken shown no evidence of poor image resolution near the edges. As with any telephoto lens you will need a good tripod or mono pod to steady the image. If you're looking to take pictures of celestial objects you will need a tripod with a counter weight system, if not don't let go of the camera after positioning it.

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Canon PowerShot SX500 IS 16.0 MP Digital Camera with 30x

Customer Ratings:

I bought this to replace my old Canon Powershot. This camera is amazing. It offers all the features that I need without adding so many extra options I dont know how to use. It also takes fantastic pictures in low light situations. I also feel that it does a good job taking fast moving pics without the blur. I'm not a technical camera goo-roo, but this camera has done very well for me

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Canon EOS 7D 18 MP Digital SLR Camera with Canon EF-S 18-55mm IS

Customer Ratings:

I just received my Canon 7D Kit, I was attracted to the Idea of getting mostly the camera + 3 year extended warranty for that price.

Everything came in its original box, everything in order and my package arrive about 3 days before I was expecting it. That feels good!!!!

Best of all, They were very professional and considerate in answering my concerns about re-arranging the kit so I get exactly what I needed and liked!

Service and support was premium. Definitely recommended!

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Logitech S150 USB Speakers with Digital Sound

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $14.99
Sale Price: $14.40
Today's Bonus: 4% Off

I generally place a lot of stock in the customer reviews, as for the most part I have found the majority of the ratings to be accurate indicators of product quality. Accordingly, I purchased the Logitech S150 USB powered speakers based on relatively strong reviews. The first pair that I received rattled terribly and I thought that I just got a bad pair and ordered a second set. The second set is slightly better than the first, but the right control speaker to both sets rattle, sometimes excessively. The speakers will play adequately at low volumes, but if turned up to even a moderate level to overcome normal background noise, the right speaker will rattle, at least two for two for me. My recommendation is to purchase a different speaker. However there are some positive aspects to these speakers they are attractive, small and the sound quality is not too bad, if the right speakers did not rattle, the S150 USB speakers would certainly rate at least a 4 based on the price.

Update, Fix: The source of the rattle is the three control buttons at the base of the speaker, to eliminate the rattle, place a piece of 3M magic tape over the buttons,cut slightly larger than the width and length of the buttons, just make sure there is enough tape to keep the buttons from vibrating in the speaker housing. The tape is elastic and permits the buttons to function, and if done carefully, doesn't detract from the speaker's appearance. The sound is now quite good,even at loud volumes.

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Hello Kitty 87009 5.1 Megapixel Digital Camera

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $89.99
Sale Price: $46.42
Today's Bonus: 48% Off

I bought this for my 9 yr old daughter. I thought with the higher pixel count it would take a decent picture but not so. You could have twice the pixels and would still take a lousey picture because there is no image stablization software. Even if she holds it as still as possible we have a hard time getting a decent image.

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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:

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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 EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Lens

Customer Ratings:

I have owned both this and the original version. The new lens is better in the corners and flares less but the corners are still a little soft at f2.8 and you can get the lens to flare a little if you try. I haven't seen the loss of clarity above 20mm that others reported. Perhaps you would see a slight difference in eyelashes if you did a lot of portraits but this is probably not the best choice for a portrait lens. It is a somewhat better lens for shooting landscapes and other shots where edge to edge clarity is important.

But the differences between the two versions are minor and in some instances irrelevant. If you don't shoot a full frame camera the soft edges don't appear in the photo. And flare is a minimal issue at most. It rarely appears and is easy to fix in Photoshop if it does. I would opt for the original if I didn't shoot full frame based on the price difference alone.

My only problem with the original was when I had to shoot hand held. Sometimes you can't bring a tripod along which rules out shooting at f16 or 22 so I occasionally ended up with shots that were soft in some of the edges. The new lens will solve that. That is the only reason I decided to upgrade.

I haven't used many other lenses in the same range so I can't compare quality with other makers but I'm not aware of anything reputed to be better. I have Canon primes as well as other Canon zooms and in actual use all are generally close in quality. I use the primes if possible when I plan to crop or enlarge a lot but I could still get by nicely with the zooms.

So, if you shoot less than full frame or if price is an issue, get the original. If you shoot full frame but need maximum clarity in the center (portraits for example), test both versions first. If you shoot full frame and need maximum edge to edge clarity, go with the new lens.

Update: Having shot this lens for a long period I would discount the comments about problems above 20mm. I owned the first version as well and I don't see a difference in the 20mm to 35mm range. On the contrary, I am increasingly impressed with the image quality and sharpness of this lens throughout the range. I recently used it into a very narrow slot canyon where I couldn't take more than the camera and the lens attached to it and took shots from 16mm up to 35mm that all came out very sharp and rich. Granted I wasn't shooting wide open because I needed lots of depth of field but the point is the lens delivered the best shots of that trip. In terms of versatility, this lens is unmatched for wide angle use by Canon owners. I also have the 14mm f2.8 II, 17mm f4. TS/E and 15mm fisheye for comparison. This is the one wide angle lens I always take along.

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