Transcend 4 GB Class 6 microSDHC Flash Memory Card TS4GUSDHC6

I specifically ordered this memory card for my Blackberry Curve 8330 with two goals in mind.

1: Store videos and music on my phone

2: Expanded memory for applications and documents

On both counts I have not been let down! This card is wicked fast when it comes to file transfers via the Blackberry software. I had expected, indeed planned, for a bit of a "hit" when using the RIM software to expedite file transfers (play lists, music, and videos) but if there is one I am not seeing it.

The included adapter is a handy add on bonus as I do have quite a few microSD cards lying around and can now use those for other devices that accept SD cards.

Oh, and it IS a Class 6 card.

I purchased this 8GB Class 6, upgrading from an 8GB Class 4, because I needed the faster read/write speeds on my cell phone.

After installing it, I immediately noticed a faster response in the data transfer speeds. My ringtones, music, and pictures loaded faster, even when receiving a call.

I recommend upgrading to the Class 6 to anyone wanting/needing fast transfer rates.

The data transfer rates of SD Cards are:

(Read Speed of a Standard CD-ROM = 150 kb/s)

Class 2 (Equivalent to ~13x the read speed of a Standard CD-ROM) 2 MB/s

Class 4 (Equivalent to ~26x the read speed of a Standard CD-ROM) 4 MB/s

Class 6 (Equivalent to ~40x the read speed of a Standard CD-ROM) 6 MB/s

So, as you can see, the Class 6 is approximately 50% faster than a Class 4.

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I own 6 micro SDHC cards which I use to store a variety of images and files for access on a number of devices. I have 4 Transcend Micro SDHC 16gb cards which are clearly the fastest (data transfer, class 6) and most reliable cards that I have used.

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My overall view of the Transcend MicroSD card is that the product itself is good; however, the adapter that comes with it is not HC compatible. I have contacted Transcend directly about this shortfall and they are replacing the adapters as we speak. I do not blame the vendor that sold the card as the package was sealed and it was not a pirated version of the product. There are many different products available through the Amazon website that are also not HC compatible but sold with high capacity markings. If I were to purchase more cards from Amazon.com I would ensure the vendor tested the functionality with HC cards before I ordered them or allowed them to be shipped to me. I suggest dealing direct wth the manufacturer for these VERY FAST MicroSD Cards as they are now available directly on their website.

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I can confirm that this is a class 6 8gb card. I bought for $16.99 and couldn't be happier. It's working perfectly with my T-Mobile G1. I highly recommend this product.

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Zoom R8 R 8 Track Multi-Channel Digital Studio Recorder with Carrying Case, 8GB SD Card, Headphones

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)

Really....WHAT'S to think about? $15 bucks more gets you more than started with this breakthrough device and package deal.

Granted: the headphones are about as entry level as you can get for "home studio recording" but, you'd easily pay as much for just ONE set OR,

an 8 gig SD card.

Just make sure Amazon's fulfillment department gets the "PACKAGE" right and just doesn't send the R8.

I haven't yet recorded on this device yet but, there's a Russian guy on YouTube who goes through ALL the motions, step by step on the drum sounds, the effects (HUGE amount of high quality effects for guitar, bass, keys and vocals....HUGE!....did I say...uh....HUGE?) and then, step by step song construction, recording, drum programming, etc. HE'S actually a major part of what sold me on this breakthrough box. He's a good guitar player but, not a "hired gun" for ZOOM...just a regular "Joe"...uh..."Boris"....

For this money: you could never find anything more powerful and portable....I can't get over how SMALL this thing is yet...SO functional and accessible. You could even just use it as an effects box for recording or, through to your amp with your axe. Sounds are stellar, bright...some great amp modeling and effects for whatever your music is...from acoustic to Metal, its all there.

Sounds seemingly-specifically designated for, let's say vocals or, mastering or drums (some truly great creative effect, could definitely be used on other instruments, drums or, voice. "AM RADIO" simulations....I mean...REALLY unique stuff....

LINE 6 could probably be designated as the guitar-amp-effect modeling masters, as could Roland/Boss but, ZOOM is NO slouch in this area at all. VERY competitive....

The manual is quite small for my aging eyes so, I printed out the entire manual for larger type and easier reading.

IF THIS R8 was the only recording item a person had for demo-making...IF you really "got in bed" with the device and the manual, there is no doubt in my mind that you could make VERY polished and presentable finished sounding works with it. UP TO YOU to master every nuance. It's all in there....

OH: Sonic Sense and staff just made a major friend for life with its stellar, caring, human, customer service and satisfaction.

They "did me" a very excellent turn with fulfillment of the entire package/order. They care about their customers (CLEARLY) and should always be a top of mind consideration when shopping for pro audio related items....right up to the top of their organization.

Uh....NO: I'm not a "paid endorser/brand ambassador"...just a wittu wittu customer....BUY THIS THING and get it from Sonic Sense and Amazon for this package....What are you waiting for?....that's it...just take that wittu plastic card out....punch in the numbers and...hit...."Submit your order"....

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The unit is pretty cool, but it is so hard to just get a recorder that will record with a push of a button, give you a click track with the push of a button, playback with a small speaker....what was so difficult with the old technology where you could do all that and a little more without having to be a techno genius and have to remember "how did I ever do that?" when you were done. Using this machine is having to have the instructions handy at all times...when you get used to it and step away from it for a month, you need to re-learn it all over again. Now I have been in a hundred recording studio's all over the world and have used many different kinds of recording tools and to have something this small be so complicated is just too mind boggling....If you have the idea and remember how to use the recorder, you're all set, but if you have that 100 million dollar idea and want to put it down instantaniously......you better have yourself together or you're going to lose your moment of brilliance....jmho

P.s. A speaker and a cd burner would have made this product worth the money!

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Remanufactured Magnavox MSA2025 2GB MP3/WMA Digital Audio Player

• Direct USB for easy file transfers without cables
• Stereo earbuds included, and an equalizer for optimized sound to suit your music style
• MP3 and WMA playback, voice recording to take notes or record anything, anytime, and an FM radio with 20 presets for more music options
• Drag and drop your songs easily (no software needed) with plug and play functionality with fast downloads from your PC via USB 2.0
• Manufacturer refurbished with 90-day manufacturer warranty; includes earbuds, quick start guide, AAA battery and user manual on CD-ROM

This item worked for one week, then died like the hopes of a first time voter.

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During the time that I had this device, it was reliable, easy to use and an inexpensive music player. 2GB is definitely adequate for the good majority of us. I highly recommend it. Although this device does not support playlist functionality, this is one product Magnovox succeeded with. (Their DVD players suck; stay away from them.) This thing is also suprisingly durable. I had dropped it dozens of times and it even went through both the washer and dryer! I accidentally left it in the pocket of my jeans; it survived and still played as well as it always did. Unfortunately though, it just died today. I believe its something to do with the firmware. When I tried to reload the firmware... my computer did not detect it. Hard to fix if you can't pull it up through the only repair channel. Overall, its a good getting started device if you are a person who doesn't want anything too fancy or complex or if you want to teach kids responsibility. Once they have proven themselves... you can always upgrade to something more fancy later on. Only other thing is to make sure that the firmware stays up to date otherwise risk having it die out on you like it did to me. Would have probably lasted years more if I had kept up to date with it.

Belkin AV22305-12-WHT HDMI to HDMI Cable - 12 ft in White

The HDMI cable is great, I use it for my macbook pro, with an adapter, and the picture is lovely. I don't regret getting it, and it's not too pricey either. Much cheaper than store prices for graet quality. 4 stars.

Can't believe I almost spent $170 at Best Buy for a very similar cable! This cable works great for what I needed. I used it to connect my HDMI Apple TV to my HDMI Visio TV. Download speeds are fast and without slowdown. Delivery was as promised. I would highly recommend this company and its cable.

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This is a great quality cable by Belkin. I use it personally to connect my PS3 and TV. However i have also tested it on my computer monitor and my desktop and it works great as well!

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Cable works great for HDMI uses. I use mine for my Apple TV. The price on Amazon makes local stores look like thieves!

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I've had problems with this product connecting my TV to my Apple TV. The contact points always seem to be loose. I frequently have to plug and unplug the cable to get it to work properly. Belkin usually makes good stuff, but this doesn't appear to be a great product.

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Samsung DVD-V9500 DVD/VCR Dual Deck

• Space-saving, multiformat DVD/VCR combo
• Plays DVD movie, CD audio, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, CD-R/RW, MP3, WMA, and JPEG
• Up-converts standard DVD signals, improving them to near-high-definition quality
• Outputs: 1 composite, 1 S-Video, 1 component
• 16.9 x 3.4 x 11.1 inches (WxHxD)

I bought this unit about six months ago because I wanted to simplify the connections and use the HDMI cable. At the time, this and the Toshiba 593 were the only units available with an HDMI connection.

If you want upconversion from the DVDs 480i scanning to 720p or 1080i, then you must use the HDMI connector. Conversely, any DVD unit with an HDMI connector is an upconversion unit. Got it? The VCR will only play through the RFI or composite video connection. HDMI does not support VHS, nor was it ever meant to (ignore the other reviewer that had this "problem" and thought it was a bad unit).

The unit itself has functioned well. Once you wade through the thick owner's manual, understanding how the unit works does not seem to be a problem. Could the oncreen menus and programming functions be easier -yes. But it is not bad, and every manufacturer does it a little differently. One great thing about the remote is that it is a multi-brand remote and is usable with most brands of TV sets. I hate having to use multiple remotes to turn on or operate this and that. Most other DVD/VCR combos have a single brand remote. Beware of this. Another minor nit is that when you have programmed the VCR for recording, there is no indicator light on the front panel. It will record as programmed, but you do not know if the timer is set. Annoying.

The upconverted picture is nice -no more black bars on the top, bottom or sides. No more flattened images that look unreal. It is not true HD, but I'm not complaining. I refuse to jump on board Blu-ray or HDDVD because I hate these freakin' format wars.

I've got some nitpicks that may or may not be a big thing for you. The resume function only works if you keep the disk in and the power on. Its annoying to do a chapter search and find the place you left off at the next day. I've got a JVC DVD/VCR combo that will remember where you left off even if the disc has been removed and the power turned off. And it will do it for the last THIRTY discs. IMO, Sammy dropped the ball on this one. Also, in order to program or navigate the menu, you must go through the HDMI connection and select the appropriate TV input. Not a big problem, but why must I do this if I'm programming the VCR?

Reliability still remains to be seen. Nobody, I mean nobody has a warranty longer than 90 days for labor or parts for one year. Lets face it. DVD players and VCRs are now considered throwaway commodities. They are built cheaply. What manufacturer will build it like a tank and then sell it for $100-150? And I don't like the rip-off extended warranties. Maybe the best you can do is buy it with a credit card that has an extended warranty benefit, but those cards are getting scarce.

All in all, if you need a DVD/VCR combo with upconversion, this is the unit. Its not perfect, but it will do the job well.

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To save space, I was looking for a combo unit with the HDMI connection for superior video from DVD's. I have a 46" DLP and it performs beautifully. I bought it for $150.00 including shipping which is a very good price for this unit. It works flawlessly with great video clarity. The VCR section is similar to any other VCR out there but the overall quality is pretty good considering it's a VCR. A previous reviewer stated that with just the HDMI connection, the VCR would not work. This was NOT my experience. They both work fine with just the HDMI connection. My component cables are now in storage. I am very happy with this unit and highly recommend it.

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I just purchased the DVD-V9500 about a week ago. I have a DLP TV which allows for connecting via HDMI, which when paired with this combo unit, should have performed well. I hooked up the combo to the TV via the HDMI cable and played a DVD at the 720p setting, and so far, so good. I then tried playing a VHS tape after switching modes over to the VCR, and nothing happened. I tuned my TV down to the 480p and then 480i settings, thinking that the VCR part needed to see an analog output stream, but that didn't work either.

I then called customer service at Samsung, and they told me that if I wanted to use the HDMI interface for my DVD, that I had to ALSO use the composite connections (red,white,yellow) in order to use the VCR part. This is NOT what the product description from Samsung advertises and is as far as I can tell, false advertising. Even the manual for the player states that all youo need once you hook up the HDMI cable is that one cable and nothing else. Samsung claims that when the manuals were translated from Korean to English, that part got messed up. Okay, so why still advertise the product that way?

Overall perfromance from the DVD was good to excellent. Overall performance of the VCR was poor to fair because of the limitations of the connection output, which looks terrible on a widescreen HDTV. Not that I watch VHS much anymore, I got this so my kids could watch those evil Disney movies the have. "Piece of junk" would be a generous way to describe the remote; and forget about trying a universal remote to learn this unit's codes Samsung already says that it can't be done (hopefully that's just another one of their false statements).

If you're looking for a space saver, have a regular CRT TV, and don't watch a lot of VHS tapes, this may be okay for you, but I still wouldn't get it when you can get something similar for half the price. If you're an HD enthusiast, thinking this is the answer to all your problems, it may come close if you hardly ever watch VHS tapes and don't mind the poor quality of the video from them, but like good quality from your DVD's; I for one was disappointed in the product.

If you are buying this unit, or any other that promises that the HDMI connection is all you need, you're better off going after something else.

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Item shipped to me without a Remote. I have contacted Amazon Warehouse and am awaiting their response, but as of now: I'm not very happy

Hewlett Packard - HP Pavilion dv7t dv7tqe Quad Edition, 2nd Gen. Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2630QM (2 GHz

When I purchased this laptop it was advertised as having bluetooth. That was not the case. The seller definitely did right by me by refunding the cost of the internal bluetooth kit and cable.

I should note that installing a bluetooth kit yourself is not for the faint of heart as you will have to disassemble the laptop to install it. The module goes just underneath the two mouse buttons on the touchpad.

The previous laptop I had was a DV6 quad which just ran too hot and loud. I'm pleased to say that this is quieter.

The fingerprint reader is a nice addition as well, but it doesn't work with digital persona, so you'll have to do with hp simplepass 2011.

The sound out of this laptop is surprisingly good. Beats audio is basically a built in 2.1 speaker system. (there is a sub underneath the laptop, two stereo speakers at the screen's base plus two tweeters at the front corners). I never cared about sound though as I always use headphones with laptops.

There are a total of 4 USB ports, two on each side. on the left side, the two USB ports are 3.0.

Video: There is 1 HDMI and 1 VGA port.

There is a 10/100/1000 ethernet jack.

two RCA audio jacks as well as 1 microphone jack.

the webcam is "hp trueVision HD" which is basically a webcam that records up to 1024x768 resolution.

The built in microphone is a stereo mic.

The screen is bright as heck, and darkens enough. Even at its darkest level, it's too bright at night though.

Battery life is what you expect from a quad core, 2 hours average.

There is a slot for a second SATA hard drive that can be configured to support RAID 1.

Performance according to windows performance index:

The video card has two modes: high performance or long battery life with an auto switching feature whenever an A/C adapter is connected.

What happens when the mode is switched is that the drivers are swapped between ATI's drivers and Intel HD video drivers.

When on ATI's driver set, the video card performance is rated at 7.4, when on Intel's set, video is at 6.2.

I've upgraded the RAM, but if I remember correctly, the 6gb configuration rated at 7.4

The processor shows 7.0.

Hard drive is highly subject as well. Unless you upgrade to a SSD, expect to acheive a 5.9.

It does support hardware virtualization just note that USB3.0 does not virtualize so you won't have access to 2 of the USB ports in a virtual machine.

The card reader faces the front and only accepts cards half way, so an inserted card does not fit flush with the front of the laptop. A huge annoyance in my opinion as I like to leave an SD card inserted for readyboost and can no longer do so.

No real opinion on the optical drive, but it runs quietly at least.

There is no remote control as with previous hp laptops.

The connector for an HP docking station has been removed so you can't use an HP dock on this sucker. (CRAP!!!!)

There is 1 media key and it opens a web browser.

there is an air intake vent in the upper left corner that you've got to keep clear. so it's another example of a laptop that you can't keep on your lap.

I hope I've covered anything, but comment if you have any questions.

[Update] I was actually asked about installing the internal bluetooth module, so here's a bit more on the subject:

The internal bluetooth is a very small chip with a built-in antennae. It's about the size of a house key without the head. The cable itself has tips that at one end, insert into a specially shaped recepticle on the bluetooth chip and a different tip for another recepticle on the motherboard. I had to pull the keyboard and top plate off of the laptop to insert the bluetooth module. It fits in a small groove that sits underneath the mouse buttons on the touchpad. I really like its position as it gives great bluetooth reception, the best I've seen on any laptop. [/Update]

This item was returned because it was advertised as having bluetooth, however it didn't. In my search for the bluetooth the laptop performed wonderfully. I thought the laptop was great. It was fast, and had tons of room. The speakers sounded really loud and clear. Blu-ray player was incredible. It just didn't have bluetooth and that's one feature I wanted in my laptop. Other than that it was a great laptop.

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Hitachi DZMV550A DVD Camcorder w/18x Optical Zoom

Decided to buy the DZMV580A just before my wife's birthday so we had great quality movies during our 8 day Mexican Riviera Cruise. Regretfully, I have had to twice exchange my camera for a new one (Thanks to Circuit City's 14 day exchange policy.)

Had two problems: The first camera failed to finalize two irreplacable discs citing disc errors in Memorex (1 disc) and Maxell DVD-Rs (1 disc.) Two other Memorex discs wouldn't work in the camera even though initialized OK supposedly. For both the finalizing and initializing, I did just as the manual says and used the charger and power adapter and not the battery.

Circuit City said had to be a camera problem so gave me a new one. That on just went back last night after I found my Christmas video going in and out of focus, even though my wife was sitting in one spot taking pictures of our grand daughter decorating our Christmas tree in the same location. The new camera we picked up seems to have overcome that auto focus problem.

But for solution to the Finalizing issue; RECOMMEND STRONGLY THAT NOBODY REPEAT NOBODY FINALIZE A DVD-R ON THEIR HITACHI 550A OR 580A OR ON A PANASONIC V50 OR V70 UNTIL THE IMAGE IS TRANSFERRED TO YOUR COMPUTER HARD DISK. DON'T COUNT ON BEING ABLE TO FINALIZE THE DISK AND MOVE THE IMAGES TO YOUR COMPUTER BY THE DVD IN YOUR CAMERA.

THERE HAS TO BE A FIRMWARE OR HARDWARE PROBLEM IN THE CAMERA.

Other than that, I am continuing to fight out of sync audio with video recorded on a DVD-R. Seems like the sound starts recording immediately when a scene starts, but the video is delayed, and the video when it starts up is exactly the same point as the audio which recorded a couple of seconds sooner. Take a picture of somebody talking and see what I mean.

Chuck

I purchased this on a lark at a Circuit City store that was closing, so I only paid $450 and could return it with no restocking fee (because it was "open box"). For taking movies I really loved it. The image quality was very nice, the controls were fairly logical and easy to figure out, and the image stabilizer worked very nicely. On a cold Chicago day (20 deg F) I brought it into a butterfly garden (78 deg F and VERY humid) and the lens defogged faster than any other I've owned and the recorder was unaffected. The only problem was what to do AFTER shooting the video.

If you use the DVD-R discs (about $2 each at Sam's Club), you need to "finalize" the disc before it can be played in a regular DVD player. This takes 23 minutes and requires using the AC adapter, which is unacceptable. And you get poor DVD menus. Or, you can use the re-usable DVD-RAM discs ($18 each in stores, $6 on the internet) but these discs won't work in most DVD players or computer DVD burners.

So, I took some video with DVD-R discs, and it came out fine, but I didn't like spending $2 apiece for discs that held 30 minutes of video with poor menus.

And I took some video with a DVD-RAM disc. This video came out a little nicer, but was a little more work. First I had to download the video onto my computer (a late 2002 model Celeron). That was easy enough through the USB cable. If I updgraded to USB 2.0, it would be even faster. Then, on the computer, I loaded the video files into the DVD burning program. This was very un-intuitive, but I figured it out. Then the program burned my DVD. It took almost an hour, which is unacceptable, but the result was a beautiful and professional looking DVD disc. A more up-to-date computer, with a Pentium 4 processor and faster hard disk, probably would have done this task in much less time.

So I reluctantly returned the camcorder. I say reluctanly because it fit my hand almost perfectly, and I really enjoyed the quality of video produced by the DVD-RAM disc and software. Really it was much nicer than my Sharp VL-NZ50 camcorder. However, I didn't like time consuming requirements to get a disc that would play in a DVD player. Also, my old camcorder works fine, so it was hard to justify buying another one. I gave it 4 stars because of the price I paid. After I returned it to Circuit City, I looked at the regular price for this model and it was $699. I wouldn't pay $699 for this. In fact at $699 I would only give this 3 stars. For $699 I expect a 5 star++ experience.

My advice If you want a DVD camcorder, and you have a good computer with a DVD burner on it, and you are computer literate, and have $700 to burn, then you will be able to enjoy using this camcorder. Otherwise you will hate it. I'm going to hold out another year. By then the price of this model will be much lower, and there will be new models much easier to use.

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I bought this camera with high hopes as it was recommended by Consumer Reports. I have had very mixed results. Using the camera is easy. No problems there. However, as soon as I am done with a disc the problems begin. First of all, I have had 4 out of 12 discs not finalize correctly. This causes the DVD to NOT be copyable. Basically, if my DVD ever scratches or gets lost, my video is gone forever. Big problem.

I just videotaped my daughter's first birthday. Got 27 minutes into it, when the DVD gave me an error message and the disc is officially done. I can't ever get this video back.

In summary, if you are willing to lose your most precious memories every so often, and don't mind not having a back up copy..this camera is great. Otherwise, you might want to shop with some other vendor.

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We ordered one from QVC last September 30th. I just started to use it in December 25th 2005. I have been having trouble with buying -RW and -R discs. It came with Maxwell -R and one -RW. I purchased -RW Sony and it would not read any of the three discs. I Purchased -R Memorix and out of 10 discs it was able to read and format only 6 in the package. I suggest to be careful when buying discs and opening carefully. Check with the stores return policy. Other than this concern the camera functions well. Amazon has a better price than QVC also.

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I like it for what it is. It can't use the DVDs I would like it to use and the one I got didn't have the remote or the software, but I guess I have to find a way to compensate.

RP3536 Mini Cassette Recorder 5 Button Silver

Average but suitable for job intended, Average but suitable for job intended, Average but suitable for job intended, Average but suitable for job intended

Livescribe 8 GB Echo Smartpen

I love my Pulse 4GB. This Echo 8GB is just that much nicer more comfortable to hold, more memory, better uplink connection than the Pulse's standard cradle, which is a little too easy to knock the pen off from. The Pulse's pro cradle (upright) is very nice, though. The new Mac Desktop update (2.2.1) is a very good one, with a much easier interface for sharing pencasts, pdfs, and AAC files. Like the previous reviewer, I had difficulty at first, but ended up manually downloading and installing the latest software update (my software kept telling me I had the latest, but it was 2.1). It replaced my previous version(keeping all the Pulse files intact), and after the quick install, it began to recognize the Echo without any problem.

The new pen cap is little and fits tight I suspect it will be lost quickly. It is different than the Pulse caps smaller, and fits on differently. I don't notice much difference at all in using the Echo vs the Pulse, but I do find it more comfortable and less dorky-looking. I never considered 4GB to be too little storage, but 8GB certainly allows me to record everything at the highest quality without concern. Interestingly, this pen didn't come with the recording headphones which are nice, but way too dorky to actually use. If you are looking to buy a first Smartpen, you really can't go wrong with either the Pulse or the Echo. If you are a student or an attorney or anyone who needs to recall detailed discussion points, you won't be sorry. The variety of notebooks now is fantastic.

Note: EVERY high school and college student with learning disorders involving processing speeds, slow writing, Asperger's Syndrome, or attentional issues should have and use this product. I suspect this will replace "note takers" eventually, as this is FAR less expensive and more effective (see 2008-09 research study from Rochester Institute of Technology).

I received my pen yesterday and installed the software onto my Mac. I could not even setup my pen because I keep getting the following message on the pen's lcd screen, "Please update your smartpen's software to use this dot paper". Well, when I go to update software it says that I can the most current firmware/software installed. After thinking I received a defective pen and doing lots of research, I found out that there were a lot of reported problems with the latest firmware so the company had to take it down for the time being. As of last night, they said that we should expect to see it back up within the next 48 hours. In the meantime, we are stuck with an extremely expensive inoperable pen that can barely function as a paper weight! I'm extremely frustrated and wish they spent sufficient time testing the latest firmware before bringing it and the pen out to market. If you are looking to purchase this pen, I would hold off for a little bit until the firmware issues have been resolved. Once this issue has been resolved, I will update my review.

UPDATE: So it looks like Livescribe acted fast on the firmware issue. The latest firmware was posted as a manual install option on the forum site a little while ago. It installed properly and is working flawlessly so far! First impression, FANTASTIC! The pen does exactly what it is supposed to do. It syncs the audio to your writing so that when you go back and tap on a word you will hear the audio that transpired at that moment in time. I have yet to test out the audio in a lecture hall setting but general conversations are picked effortlessly. Sound quality is even better when the 3D headset, which was purchased separately, is plugged into the pen. The feel of the pen itself is also terrific. The new rubber grip on the Echo is very soft and comfortable. I thought the pen would be a little too wide for comfort, but in fact I find it to be the perfect size. The fact that the Echo, unlike the Pulse, was made in plastic does great things for its weight. It feels substantial like a good quality pen should without feeling too bulky. The shape of the Echo is also an improvement over its predecessor, as it is designed to sit flat on a desk a feature that I think a lot of previous Pulse owners would be happy about. I would definitely recommend the Echo over the Pulse pen. It provides a much more comfortable writing experience, which is important when using for extended periods of time, in addition to an anti-roll design feature, a larger hard drive, a new standard micro-usb port, new standard 3.5mm audio jack for utilizing any pair of headphones, and the ability to protect your pen from unauthorized use via password protect. You also no longer need to carry around a charging cradle in order to remove the ink. In fact, the Echo has completely foregone the need for a cradle given its anti-roll design so it doesn't even ship with one. With the Echo, you can easily replace the ink cartridge by pulling it out with your handsa terrific improvement over the Pulse. I am now a very happy smartpen owner!

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I originally ordered a 4 GB Pulse from . Upon receiving it I immediately noticed that it was really thick and because it was a polished metal type of pen, it was very unstable to hold in my hand. That prompted me to research Smartpens a little more and I elected to buy the 8 GB Echo two weeks ago. The Echo is far superior to the Pulse in terms of comfort and stability.

I'm blown away by the technology advances and this pen is, to me, a cutting edge technology. I'm 55 years old and retired but if I were a student or still working and regularly attending meetings then a device such as this would give me a tremendous edge. The other reviewers have written accurate descriptions of the attributes and flaws of the pen (e.g., the cap could get easily lost). One other thing I think the pen could really use is a clip so it could be held securely in a shirt pocket. My biggest concern with an item like this is that it could be easily lost. For practical purposes, I recommend buying the Livescribe Smartpen Portfolio Livescribe Smartpen Portfolio, as it has a pen holder in it will hold the Livescribe Journal Livescribe ANA-00004 Lined Black 1-2 Journal 2 Pack or the A-5 spiral notebooks (Available from Brookstone or Livescribe's online store.

Another great accessory if you are going to use it in large meeting rooms or a college lecture hall is the earphones Livescribe AAA-00014 Echo 3D Recording Earbuds, well really they are microphones and they record the event exactly as you hear it but they are smart microphones and they eliminate much of the ambient sound that you don't need or want.

This technology is truly amazing. It's like having a perfect memory. I used it at a doctor's appointment last week. My wife always asks me "What did the doctor have to say" and I usually remember about 25% of the appointment. Well now, she and I both get total recall of what was said and, furthermore, the audible recording synchronizes with the note taking so you can watch your notes being written while listening to what was said at the time you wrote the notes!

It will be interesting to see how this product and competitor's products evolve over the next few years. I am confident the smart pens will end up being owned by a large percentage of the population, much like the iPod and the PC.

One more thing, the paper refills are reasonably priced but you can print your own paper if you have a good color laser printer.

Read Best Reviews of Livescribe 8 GB Echo Smartpen Here

I was an early adopter of the Pulse, the first product by Livescribe, after seeing it at the DEMO conference. I convinced at least a dozen people to buy one. One of the (few) problems with the Pulse was it was round, and unlike a regular pen it weighed more on one side than another. That meant it would roll off flat surfaces like desks. Ultimately, my Pulse died from the resulting impacts to the floor.

Given how satisfied I was with the Pulse's ability to capture my notes digitally and the reliability of it's software/hardware I decided to go with the latest model from Livescribe, the 8GB Echo as a replacement, noting that the Echo's new design solved the rolling issues. Sadly, it was a mistake. Here's why:

First, the Echo would not synch with the latest version of the Livescribe desktop. After many long hours troubleshooting, including dealing with a disorganized set of responses from their support organization (telling me to do things that I had already done, or asking me the same questions every time I spoke to them), I figured out the Mac version of the desktop was not upgrading the firmware and that it would not synch with the Mac app. The firmware on my new Echo was clearly buggy, it wouldn't react to the dot paper correctly right out of the box. In an act of desperation, I installed the desktop on Windows and sure enough the firmware upgrade worked and I could actually use the thing. So I kept it...

Now the next problem. Assuming all was good, I started again trusting the Echo to capture my business and personal notes (the Pulse never failed to do so). Now I find after reviewing my notes that two problems exist that didn't with the Pulse notes. Sound captured with notes now has gaps in it, a problem the Pulse never had. Worse yet, many of my notes now have what looks like scribbles all over them, like someone crossed things out. These scribbles do not appear in the paper copies of my notes. This last problem renders my electronic copies of my notes illegible.

The main reason I purchased Livescribe's Pulse and Echo is that I wanted to have a way to capture notes that I normally don't capture via a computer. I don't want to have to fire up a laptop every time I'm trying to make a note, and many of my notes contain drawings that I would prefer to sketch quickly, in context with the text. Finally, I wanted to convert those notes to digital. While I've often scanned notes from my paper journal, that's time consuming and I liked the idea of just synching the pen when at my desk and having a reliable digital backup of all that paper, with the intent I could even throw out the paper when done.

The Pulse worked well. The Echo does not. I'm not sure how others Echo's are working but mine does not. Hopefully the same people don't screw up the Pulse. I may try to sell my Echo via eBay and buy another Pulse. However, I'm tempted to just give up and try another solution. I've lost faith in Livescribe's ability to ship quality products.

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I have used the Livescribe Pulse for about 10 months and quickly became a huge devotee. I am a journalist, and think anyone who takes notes as part of their work should pick up a Livescribe pen.

I was torn however on whether the Echo upgrade is worth it. Based on some of the reviews of the Echo, I held off when it first came out. But after the recent price cut on Amazon, I picked one up.

I am happy that I did and was pleasantly surprised by some of the small improvements with the Echo.

The pen feels noticeably lighter, and is more comfortable to write with over a long period of time. This may have less to do with the overall weight and more to do with the balancing of the internal parts of the pen. Whatever the reality is, the result is good. I have a huge writing callous from the Pulse. I think the Echo will be less abusive on my hands over time. (One think prospective buyers might note: The pen appears to have a rubberized grip, but it is still a pretty hard plastic. So do not expect a squishy feel.)

The quality of the recording, particularly with the new headset microphones, seems to be better. I am not a fan of in-ear headphones, I find them uncomfortable, but it seems to me the microphones work better, and that is what I mainly care about, since any headphones now work for listening. (Note the headphones are now sold separately. Mildly annoying, but I suppose some people do not require them. I think all journalists and students recording class in a large lecture hall will want to get the Livescribe recording headphones.)

The pen turns on much quicker and the power button easier to click. For someone who has to start writing quickly, at sometimes unpredictable times, this is very helpful.

As frequently noted, the Echo is not as nearly as prone to rolling. It also does not look quite as dorky as the Pulse.

Moving away from the cradle to a universal Micro-USB connection is a critical improvement.

Some things that frustrated me with the Pulse still need to be fixed on the Echo.

The lower barrel of the pen is still too think, and hopefully will be shrunk in the next model smartpen.

The ink cartridges still do not fit in snuggly enough. If you have a heavy hand, as I do, the slight give contributes to excess pen on paper scratching that is picked up by the recorder. The headphones avoid this problem, but are not appropriate for use in many situations.

The ballpoint ink cartridges are not the world's finest writing instrument. I would love to see a rollerball cartridge option in the future, if the technology allows it.

It would be great if there was a way to turn off the illuminated display all together, for times you do not want you pen to glow. Hopefully a firmware upgrade will add this in the future.

Still, none of those complaints is a deal breaker. If you use your Pulse everyday and are a fan, I think it is likely you will be enthusiastic about the improvements introduced in the Echo.

SanDisk Sansa Fuze 4 GB Video MP3 Player (Black)

• Listen, watch, and play all day with 24 hours of battery life and room for up to 1,000 songs
• Watch your favorite video clips or share your photos on the 1.9-inch color screen
• Digital FM radio with 40 preset stations
• Voice recording with built-in microphone
• Expand your existing 4 GB memory with the microSD/microSDHC slot

This little device is a high quality and very easy to use 'MP3' player. Of course it does more than just play music. From a usability perspective, I think it rivals the iPod interface and provides more feedback. While I really love the device, there are some things that I wish were a little better.

Pros

----

Very nice screen and just big enough that if you were stuck on a plane, watching a movie still is an enjoyable experience.

Simple and very intuitive interface. I love the fact that the iPod-like wheel actually rotates.

Expansion via MicroSD cards is a great feature. I was able to swap the MicroSD card between my BlackBerry and the Fuze and be able to share images, and music.

The FM Radio and ability to record from it is one of the coolest features. There's something about the randomness about radio that I still really like. And the ability to record a song that I don't already have can save you some money.

I haven't used the external mic yet, but I think that's a neat feature to have when you have a thought and want to record it. I can think of several times where I've had a thought and wasn't able to write it down.

Cons

----

The most frustrating experience I've had with the Fuze is the ability to get Video transferred. I've tried multiple formats and have been very unsuccessful in finding the right format to use. This is the main reason I've not given it a full 5 star review. Of course it's ridiculous to think that this would be a 'Movie' player. However, I have some great concerts that I would love being able to watch as well as listen to. I'm not interested in watching a movie.

The on/off switch is great if you want to make sure that you don't accidentially turn on/off. However, I think it's overly difficult. Especially if you have large fingers. I would have preferred to press the Play button for a couple of seconds.

The device 'hiccups' when scrolling through music that has album art. For some reason, when you get to the list of albums, the select button doesn't work until the album art appears. Often requiring you to double-click. Not a big deal, unless you're quickly trying to find a song to add to the play list.

Finally, the device is either too new or not popular enough to warrant accessories. I really want to buy a protective cover, but they don't exist. I've read that some people are using Nano covers, but they don't fit well enough. This is really bad if you want to use the Fuze while exercising or cutting the lawn.

Overall, I would highly recommend the Fuze to anyone looking for a low-cost small media device. The cons shouldn't sway you away from buying it, but they are good to know. I'll update my review when I figure out the right combination of video formats for the device.

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This player has really just become available. I ordered thru an Amazon seller, before it became available. Shipping was a little higher. But I wanted it right away. This thing is a perfect size, but beware..little if any accessories exist for it at the moment. I am sure this will change. A skin would be nice to protect the front face..which is very attractive to scratching. The thumb wheel works great, and I have big thumbs. All the menus are easily accessible and it syncs with Windows Media

Player 11 quickly and easily. I have mostly older CD's that I wanted to rip to file and then sync. Most all of the cover art was available with WMP11 and it rolled seamlessly into the Fuze. Several view modes while playing , one with the EQ, one with the cover art enlarged, one with time of song and time left etc;. Screen is big enough to suit my needs and it plays very well through the aux jack in my car. Battery seems to last longer than some. I would say the only drawback is that this battery is NOT replaceable according to Sansa, so hope it lasts awhile. Overall the price is great and the ease of carrying a few Micro SDHC cards give it unlimited potential. Great unit.

UPDATE: After having this a couple weeks, I would give it 5 stars, GREAT little unit...With the Fuze itself and the 4 Gig Micro SDHC card, I now have 2163 songs on it. I also had a 2 gig card with a 150 songs on it and counting. Performs flawlessly.

UPDATE 2: Dec.19,2008. I still have had no problems with mine. No skipping, or ticks. And no problem with a myriad of different headsets.

I'm sure its possible to get defective units, as anything produced in mass quantity is going to have a few slip through with a defect or two. But, from my point of view.....no problem

UPDATE 3: Jul 10, 2009. One minor drawback. With the Fuze volume all the way to max and my car volume on max, it still...on some songs is not loud enough for me. Some rock music, you know.....you just might like loud. This does not always allow that, especially over road noises. Sitting still it is fine, but if you like loud music through the car stereo, this could be a little lacking.

Read Best Reviews of SanDisk Sansa Fuze 4 GB Video MP3 Player (Black) Here

Before my purchase, I compared the Sansa Fuze with the iPod Nano (3G) and came away thinking the Fuze has a number of advantages. Its very nearly the same size as the Nano but the screen is negligibly smaller. The resolution is also a bit less (220 x 176 vs 320 x 240) but I think it is more than acceptable for most purposes. If you are going to watch a lot of videos you might want to opt for the Nano. Personally, I don't anticipate watching many videos on such a small display. The scroll wheel is also similar to the iPod but has a more tactile feel since it is mechanical and actually moves. Overall, the user interface is very responsive and easy to use. Advertised battery life is virtually identical. Some of the features that pushed me over to the Fuze are: Micro SD card expandable memory; built-in Audio Recording and FM radio; ability to use subscription services; works with MS Media Player; and, of course, significantly lower cost. The only disadvantages I can think of are the much more limited availability of accessories compared to the iPod. At this point I am very happy with the features, build quality and sound quality of the Fuze. I would highly recommend it.

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The Sandisk Sansa Fuze is a quality MP3 player. I've had the 4GB model for about a month. I've got about 1500 songs on it, with about half a gig of space left. I only use it for music -I don't have any need or desire to see pictures or movies on a less than 2 inch screen. Paired with a pair of Audioengine 5 speakers Audioengine 5 PC multimedia speakers for iPod 45 Watt (total) 2-way black, it now serves as my primary stereo system. The sound is as good as or better than any component stereo system I've had. It plays for hours -I think the claim of 24 hour battery life is probably reasonable, although I haven't let it run the battery all the way down before recharging. You can get a wall charger for it for next to nothing -I got this one:SANDISK SANSA Premium Black Travel Wall A/C Charger for SanDisk Sansa c100 / c200 / e200 Series (although the Fuze is not listed, it does use the same input connection). This charger works great, and it's never taken more than a few minutes to charge the Fuze, much faster than using the computer to charge via USB connection.

The display is plenty large and legible. The controls have a good, solid feel, and navigation is really fairly intuitive once you get used to using the thumb wheel.

Although you can drag and drop music to the Fuze using Windows Explorer, I recommend creating playlists on Windows Media Player 11 and syncing them to the Fuze. The output leveling capability of WMP11 greatly reduces the problem of different volume levels among music files so you can shuffle your music without having to constantly adjust the volume.

I definitely recommend the Sansa Fuze. It's a bargain for its quality.

I graduated from college a couple of days ago, and as a result, I received quite a bit of cash from various family members and friends. I wasn't planning on spending it right away--until I came across the Sansa Fuze at Radio Shack.

Previously, I had been an iPod owner for about three consecutive years. I had owned the first generation Shuffle, the first generation Nano with a 1GB capacity, and the second generation Nano with a 4GB capacity. After only owning my 2nd Gen Nano for about a year and a half, it completely stopped working on me, and I was out of an MP3 player for a while.

I could have bought another iPod, but I am oh-so-glad I bought this little baby instead. First of all, it's considerably cheaper because you're not paying for the 'name.' But, more importantly, it has a ton of features that the iPods (for right now) could only dream of having. Most notable are:

1. FM Radio and the ability to record songs from it. When I first started using the Radio portion of this device, I was a little wary of how the reception would sound. I was pleasantly surprised--the sound is clear and beautiful, and it's less fuzzy than if I were listening in my car or stereo in my room. I haven't tried out the recording feature yet, and not sure if I ever will--I own a lot of music and don't really feel the need to do this.

2. EXPANDABLE MEMORY. Hallelujah! This factor is the reason why I owned so many iPods--I would fill one up too fast, and want more space...so I would have to go out and buy another one, and ended up wasting a lot of money. The Fuze is much like the iPod in the fact that it is offered in different capacities (2GB, 4GB, 8GB) BUT, if you find that your capacity of choice isn't enough space, you have the option of buying a microSD card to increase capacity. I'm going to do this tomorrow; my 4 gigs is already almost filled up and I still have a ton of music I'd like to have on it. The Fuze is capable of using microSDHC cards, so I plan on buying an 8GB one.

3. You have the ability to delete songs/photos/videos/recordings/audiobooks/podcasts DIRECTLY from the device. With the iPod, you must plug it into your iTunes library on your PC/Mac to delete items. (I'm not sure if the newer generations of iPods have this capability or not...I'm only speaking for the older gens. here)

4. Synching is SO much easier than it was for the iPod! With the iPod, you were basically limited to synching with one computer, and only with iTunes (There IS third-party software that you can use to synch your iPod with, but it's not very attractive and it tends to format songs differently than in the standard mp3). The Fuze, however, can be synched to any computer (and multiple computers at that) with no problem, and there are multiple ways to synch. Windows Media Player 11 is the fastest and easiest way to synch, but you aren't limited to it. You can also drag and drop your files directly into the device's directory in My Computer without even NEEDING specific software to synch, which is incredibly convenient.

5. The Fuze comes with a built-in mic so you can record your own memos, or whatever else you might need. I haven't tried this feature out yet, so I can't comment on if it does it well or not, but again, it's something that the iPod doesn't have, so I had to point it out.

Those five features are what makes this product stand out from the iPod. Now I'll move on to the technical side of the device.

The screen is fairly big and the color is vibrant. The sound is clear, and the device comes with decent headphones. The Fuze is also very quick to charge. I can't comment on battery life just yet, but it hasn't drained in the day that I've had it, so that's good. :) The wheel is nice, and in my opinion, better than the iPod's--it's not as sensitive and it actually turns when you scroll.

And, as with anything that is great, there are a few things that I don't like about the Fuze:

1. Adding videos and photos. To do this, you have to download the Sansa Media Converter from Sansa's website. Even after you do that, however, some video formats are STILL not compatible with SMC, which is a bit frustrating. It took me a while to figure out that avi files worked best with this program. However, I'm going to stick with using the Fuze primarily as a musical device, so it's not that big of an issue to me, but I thought I would point it out.

2. This is a minor quip, but all the same, I'm not that fond of the graphic interface. This is something that I feel the iPod does better. I DO like the scrolling animation through the main menu, but I wish the icons, background, and menus looked a bit more sophisticated. Maybe I'm just being picky because I was a design major in college. At least you can change the color of the wallpaper. :)

3. Finally, I dislike how shortly the device remains on any screen other than the default menu or the 'now playing' screen. This is a feature about the iPod that I do miss. With the iPod, I was able to find the next song I wanted to listen to, and leave it on the screen so that when the current song was finished, all I had to do was press the menu button and the center button and voila!--my song of choice starts playing. Not so with the Fuze. Yes, I can still 'set up' my listening experience the same way, but the Fuze spends little to no time on these 'secondary screens' so that not only do I have to move fast to find the song I want, but to locate to that song again I have to hit the home/menu button and go through all of the motions again. Also, if I'm just perusing through the device (like on settings, info, etc), I have to constantly keep turning the wheel or hitting a button of some sort or the device quickly reverts back to the default or now playing screen. This is my biggest qualm and the major thing that I think the iPod is superior in: interface and usability.

However, the pros far outweigh the cons and I'm extremely happy that I chose this over and iPod. Granted, I've only owned it for a day, but I've still had plenty of time to test most, if not all, of the features and get a feel for how it works. I highly recommend this product if you've owned iPods for a while and you're looking for something fresh that has more features than what you're used to. And, if you're someone who's new to the whole mp3 scene and can't decide if it's worth spending the extra money for the iPod, or saving it for something that's not necessarily name brand but works just as well (if not better)--I'd say give the Fuze a shot. You won't be disappointed. And, if you are, at least you didn't spend $150+ on it like you would have the iPod. :)

Sony DVP-S9000ES Progressive-Scan DVD Player

• Progressive-scan DVD/SACD player compatible with CD, DVD, and Super Audio CD formats
• 480p progressive-scan rate displays crystal-clear images on HD-compatible TVs
• Digital video equalization custom tunes brightness and contrast, then saves settings for up to 300 discs
• Component video, 2 S-video, and 2 composite video outputs, plus optical and coaxial digital outputs
• Dolby Digital and DTS outputs; virtual surround sound

Bought on C.L for $50. He was asking $35. I couldn't do the absolute wrong thing so I gave him all of the cash in my wallet,($51)US.

After I brought it home, I plugged it in and it worked like a charm.(remote too) I have a ton of SACD's so I put one in, (Dark Side by Pink Floyd) and I couldn't believe my ears! It sounded 100x better than my Oppo that took a dive on me a month ago. I paid over $700 for the Oppo and it lasted only 3 yrs. I can only hope that this last a lot longer as the sound is STUPENDISLY real. Only one problem, it's a Sony:(,,

I hate Sony but this thing is built like a tank! The bottom of it is solid brass and the thing weighs about 25Lbs. One other thing, the cord is a 3 prong and is super heavy duty. My Oppo was built like a Mexican's messed up bicycle, cheap and ugly!

If you see one of these on C.L. or a yard sale, GET IT!!!! You will not be sorry!

P.S. Even the little crystal thing in the middle lights up blue as to tell you that it's ready to ROCK! & rock it does. BoBoBoski. Austin Tx.

Intelligent Recording Digital Telephone Phone Call Recorder SD Card USB Call Logger

Works perfectly and perfect for recording conversations. This is a must buy for your recording needs, it is only comparable with a windows machine. Thank you!

Absolute TOP QUALITY AND FAIR PRICE. GET YOURSELF ONE! Best on market you will be pleased with ease of use. No computer required

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I purchased one these a few months back because i needed to record myself talking to perspective clients. Being able to easily play back my conversation really helped me improve my technique and get new business. I tried another more expensive unit by another company but it was to hard to setup. The SD Call Recorder is much easier and perfect for what i needed.

Read Best Reviews of Intelligent Recording Digital Telephone Phone Call Recorder SD Card USB Call Logger Here

I bought mine over a year ago when they were $200.

In that time it as only successfully recorded about 15% of my calls. (fyi my average phone usage is 5 calls per day) The other 85% were lost in a black hole.

The unit goes through all the motions of recording the call except when you discover nothing was saved to the sd card.

I've tried various things to attempt a fix but none have worked.

The unit is really cheaply constructed using the lowest grade plastic and fit and finish is poor.

The SD card is nearly impossible to remove because it inserts to deeply into the slot to grip it. You'll need tweezers.

The display is so tiny its nearly impossible to read without a magnifying glass.

The audio files require special software to play back. The sound quality is really poor and crackly..

Its as though the technology used in the design is over 15yrs old.

If you need reliability I'd suggest looking for something different.

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Didn't worked as expected and advertized.

Did not have complete part.

literature said it works with batteries but couldn't get to work.

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RCA RCRC36BGR Combo Pack with 6 and 3 Function Univerasal Remote Control

I had to downgrade to three stars because it really is annoying not having the ability to scan the channels with my remote so I am back to using my old Sony universal remote. If you like to use the circle controls to scan channels and times, etc., pass on this remote.

Well, you can't beat the price folks, that's for sure. They are easy to code, I coded my TV, DVR and cable box in less than 10 minutes, all automatically. I tried entering the codes manually but that did not work with the codes on the sheet and tried auto. They are fairly ergonomic and the keys are relatively easy to manage with one hand. I also like that I can bounce off the ceiling/walls, which means I don't need line of site any more. Woo Hoo! The biggest peeve is that it does not have buttons like my other remote or cable remote to scroll through the channel information without changing the channel. If it had this, it would be a 5. As it is, I need to go to the information which takes me to the channel guide and then scroll that. That is like taking the long way around. Btw, one of my TV's is an old 36 Sony CRT, and the remote works perfectly on it. The cable box is a Cablevision Scientific American box, and the DVR is a Philips. No backlight here, no fancy stuff, but you get what I think are good, solid remotes. There is tremendous value here. One remote controls 3 devices and the other controls 6 devices. In Auto mode, you have to do a little bit of work going back once it turns your system off, kind of like backtracking, and when it turns back on you hit stop and you are done with that device. I would recommend you check as many functions as possible as you might have to keep going to find another code that works better. Luckily, I did not have to do that. Button placement is also very good and easy to get used to.

These are great univerasl remotes from the folks at RCA.

This comes with two remotes, a 3 function, and a 6.

I found these easy to progarm.

They work great, and I can recommend them greatly!

Compatible with many of the top brands

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This RCA universal remote came today, and I couldn't wait to get it out of the box and working. You see, just weeks before my daughter tested our prior remote to see its resistance to hot tea ... the remote failed the testing process miserably. Since we were without a functioning remote, my wife took it upon herself to program me to be the interim remote. Every so often I'd receive a tap on the shoulder and and a request to change the TV to channel 23 (this usually happening around 11p just as I was nodding off to sleep).

This universal remote worked great!!!! I was able to easily program the remote to work on all our devices (TV, HD over Air Converter, Tivo, and a BlueRay player) within minutes. The buttons glow in the dark, not enough to see what each button does, but it is a handy function once you memorize the button layout. No longer do I need to get out of bed to change the channels!! Yay me!

Oh yeah, did I mention that this remote pack also came with a spare??? So I'm prepared for the next time someone in my family decides to float test the remote!

Read Best Reviews of RCA RCRC36BGR Combo Pack with 6 and 3 Function Univerasal Remote Control Here

These remotes are GREAT I needed one that would work the converter box and all the other things my girlfriend has. She as 5 remotes and can't remember what goes to what and the R C A 6 function was just what she needed it was easy to program and works like a dream!!! Now she has everything on one remote and is very happy this is a great deal.

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There are expensive remotes, like the Logitech Harmony series, mid-range remotes, and low-price remotes. This set falls in the last category. Heck, you get two remotes for a price that is barely enough for a down payment on a Harmony remote.

But are they cheap? No. They're just inexpensive.

There's no online programming. There's no ability to learn new devices not already programmed in. There aren't any macros that will perform a series of actions in succession. No, nothing like that here.

The remotes each come with their own huge sheet of codes that you can directly punch in, but they also have the ability to try successive codes until you find the one that works so you can lock it in. This is really no different than any other low-end, or mid-range remote. I find it tedious, but I can see how some folks may find it daunting. But if this is the case, just find someone to do the programming for you as you're not going to escape this necessary evil unless you spend enough to get a remote that, while easy to program, will be hard to operate.

To make a long story short, if you just want an ordinary universal remote to either replace your regular remote(s), or a pair of remotes so everyone can have one, go ahead and get these.

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Archos DVR Station Gen 5 for 405, 605, and 705 Players

• Play back on TV in DVD quality (in video formats supported by your ARCHOS) through the composite, S-video, RGB or YPbPr video outputs.
• Listen to music on your stereo system. Listen to 5.1 sound included in videos on your home cinema system through the SPDIF output.
• Connect your PC, hard disk or most mass storage devices to play or to transfer content (video, photos,music).
• Charge your ARCHOS device.
• Stream Media from your PC to your TV using your WiFi home network.

Yes, the station is a must have for the 05 series, but be seriously warned . . . . I have had three stations, 2 of the remotes have died so far, and both after the 30 day warranty, and ARCHOS tell me that since I did not purchase it from them it is not their problem and I am waiting to see if any Amazon merchants will source or sell the remotes only . . . . by the way, just in case you don't know, the station is all but useless without the remote.

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A "DVR" without a tuner seems hardly worthwhile. You can't connect your cable to the unit, you're going to have something else to tune and convert your cable signal to composite, RGB, or S-Video. Then you're going to have to carefully position the IR emitter of the Archos DVR station so that it's pointed into the IR receiver of your tuner. In all likelihood this means you can't put the DVR station where you want it.

You'll be better off without this. Get a tuner for your computer, use it as your DVR and transfer the recordings via USB.

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The DVR Station works as described. The DVR function is a significant portion of the 605 capability. It was a snap to cable it, and the IR setup, to control the S-Video source, was one of the easiest yet. The programming guide was also easy to configure, and use (not sure about the fee structure after the "free" one year period).

I also liked the external charger (didn't have to wait 24 hours to charge before "playing with it"). The docking station makes it easy to connect & disconnect, which is often during the setup phase.

I gave it only four stars because of the lack of a Tuner.

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overall, the DVR station is very good at its jobs. as a video recorder, it is excellent. there are some learning curve items, but once you get smart, it works as advertised. the only issue i have is the charging side of the DVR station. my Archos 605 gets very warm while charging. this heat will cause the battery to have a reduced lifecycle.

since it is the only game in town. you will have to get one.

i am not a crackpot.

I needed to copy content from my cable DVR box to the Archos for viewing on business trips. The 'Travel DVR adapter' would have done the job, but for $25 more, you get the full DVR docking station. This provides a nice, stable place to leave the A605 while it's charging, you get AV output connections as well as input, AND you get the QWERTY remote control. Buy the travel DVR and you're paying nearly $60 for nothing more than a socket that does input only. I'm now $500 into this system, what with the browser, codecs and input adapters.

It's kind of clunky looking very square and a weird, slope-like design. I found the 'DVR adapter' in the original A605 box luckily the misses hadn't thrown it away. This is a piece of silver plastic that you have to clip onto the top of the DVR station to enable your particular type of Gen5 Archos to sit on top. It's quite tricky to dock the A605 without straining the connectors you have to insert it into a channel between 2 pieces of plastic with about a +/2° tolerance. if you get it right, it drops straight in.

I haven't even bothered trying the DVR functionality yet, since I already have a cable DVR box. All I do is set the cable DVR playing and make the Archos do a manually started but timed finish record from its A/V inputs. Incidentally, according to Archos tech support the Travel DVR can do the timed manual recording that I wanted; it just doesn't enable the DVR scheduler. This isn't mentioned at all in the ridiculously sparse user documentation.

Once the A605 is docked, it enables the 'Recorder' menu icon. The choice of encoding options is rather limited, with only AVI files with compressed WAV audio possible. I leave the aspect ratio settings on 'Auto' and it seems to figure out what size the input video signal is. Video bitrate choices are 500, 1000 or 1500kbps. Audio is either 32k or 48k. On the highest quality setting, files aren't that small about 700MB for a 30 min TV show. I can get a whole DVD movie into that space using Handbrake. I will do some experimenting with settings and post results...

I have tried using the video editing features built into the A605 firmware. This enables you to remove sections from media e.g. commercials from a TV program. You have to manually scroll through the video file and set a start/end point for each section you want to cut out. You can only set one pair of start/end points at a time. When viewing the edited content, I notice that it always fails to cut the last 0.5s or so of video even though I placed the marks accurately. At that point you can choose whether to save your edited file to a new file, which takes AGES since it's reading and writing several GB from/to the same HDD lots of head movement.

Olympus DS-2300 Digital Voice Recorder

Received the DS-2300 yesterday. The machine is a keeper. However, if you are thinking of buying this because of it's Mac compatibility, read on.

The DSS Player software installs OK but the first time you connect the recorder with the supplied USB cord, an error pops up that the system extension was not properly installed, that it should be either reinstalled or a replacement obtained from the vendor.

Many of the software functions do not work because of the issue with the extension. Although you can see the device as a drive and the file import function works, none of the functions in the download area of the software are available. You cannot download a folder from that menu, you cannot change the user name, rename a folder on the machine, set the time from the computer, etc.

I paid to activate DSS Player Plus so I can use the software to either split or join files. I tried to split a file a couple of times. It doesn't work, the software crashes and in the process only one half of the split is completed.

I spoke with Olympus tech support on the phone about this hoping to find out there's a replacement driver. No. They confirmed the DSS Player does not run well with Mac OS X (10.4+). No information on when there may be an update.

An email 5 days later from Olympus Tech Support in answer to the same question basically claimed the problem is Apple's fault.

Next question. I can find nothing in the documentation that indicates whether the unit will work with the new M-type XD cards larger than 512MB. On the phone, tech support said I could run the firmware update that's on the OlympusAmerica website and that the unit would work with the 1GB XD card.

However, the email from tech support 5 days later says there is no firmware update for the DS-2300 (it's on their website as an EXE file I could do the update with a PC), and that the M-type XD cards cannot be used with the DS-2300.

Today I noticed that the description for the firmware update on their website has been changed and now lists the 1GB M-XD card as one of those that can be used.

Sounds like a case of "your mileage may vary".

If you are doing professional dictation this is the best machine for the job. Each time you stop to listen and possibly edit or continue, this machine does NOT create additional files/folders! Many recorders automatically create a folder which becomes a secretaries nightmare. The 2300 is easy to use and the dss file format is a high compression which means the files are much smaller than wma. Quality of sound is superb. I would highly recommend this recorder. Mark

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I started with the DS-2300 a month ago. I have also been using the smaller WS-100 for some 10 months but let me confine my comments to only the DS-2300.

It is my habit to download instruction manuals and read them thoroughly before I buy them. The DS-2300 was no exception. At the risk of repeating what others have already written, let me be brief in my comments:

Pros many:

Sound quality, clear display of various info on the LCD, features like Appending additional recording to the end of the current or an old file, Inserting recording anywhere in the middle of an existing file, Reviewing recording while recording, Overwriting existing recording, CUE function, the extremely useful VCVA (no sound, no recording) function and the unlimited storage facilities by the use of xD cards.

I am not qualified to comment on the additional functions that are said to be available by the use of optional software as I have not bought any.

Cons only a few:

1. There is no choice of playing a file fast or slow in addition to normal playback. 2. One has to play the files one by one in a folder, but cannot play all the files in a folder continuously one after the other. This feature, available in the WS-100, would be useful to play songs.

3. The DSS-format is not suitable for sending recordings by email. It cannot be read by the universally available Windows Media Player. Although the recipients of the emails can download the free "mini-player" software from Olympus to open the emailed files, it is cumbersome. It would be ideal if WMA format is also made available in the DS-2300 or a firmware be made available to convert the DSS-format into .wma format.

I bought a one-GB xD picture card, type H. My DS-2300, which was among the later batches, recognized the card. However, the use of type H, which is very fast, is an overkill and waste of money. It is more suitable for DSLR cameras. I had originally thought that I could use it both in the DS-2300 and in my Evolt E-500 camera. I now find that it is not practicable to use the same card in both the equipments.

For the DS-2300, the M type card would be ideal if this recorder is also used to store songs and the recorder used like a music player. If only voice recordings are to be made, a standard type card with say 64 or 128 mb would more than suffice. Generally, it is advisable to download the recordings to the computer often.

Although, the DS-2300 is not meant to be a music player, I use it as one. I play a CD or a downloaded song on the computer, for example, and record it through the microphone jack of the DS-2300 connecting it to the computer. The DS-2300 records the music as if it were a voice recording in the DSS-format. I record several songs consecutively in each file. I enjoy the music anywhere I like. A one-GB card should accommodate a few hundred songs depending upon the sizes of the songs. I have already saved some 50 songs.

Incidentally, during my travels with my family, I used a cassette recorder to record the voices of my family members even some 25 years ago. I now replay some of the recordings, save them in the DS-2300, replay any particular file and add my comments where I want. It is not only fun but also recording of family history like photographs except in this case voice recordings.

Unlike camera forums, I have not come across any forum dedicated to voice recorders. It would be useful to discuss issues in such forums.

Summing up:

The DS-2300 has many features. I tested all of them. Everything worked fine. Print the manual and study it thoroughly. You can then squeeze the entire juice out of it. I like this model.

ameer

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The quality of sound and manufacture of this unit is unacceptable. It was made in China. Although it has an attractive design, the outside is made from the same inexpensive plastic that my $29 Panasonic DVR is made from. The recorder has two modes, SP and EP. SP is the highest quality, but playback still sounds cheap at the highest quality. There also are two microphone settings, Dictation and Conference. In Dictation mode, the microphone can only pick up what is said within about 12 18 inches. The quality is audible, but not great. Conference mode only works when one person is speaking in a completely quiet room, something that is not realistic with people shuffling about. Any background noise will render the recording inaudible. Even in a quiet room, the quality is muffled and unacceptable. The high price for this unit definitely is not indicative of its quality, which appears to be low. I have other, less expensive units, that are better built and have a higher audio quality. I do not understand the other reviews, other than to believe someone with less experience using DVRs would have a different expectation. Perhaps it works better with an external microphone or when used solely in a closed environment (such as a quiet, closed interrogation room), which I believe defeats the purpose of a small pocket-sized unit meant to be carried around.

A 1 MB XD card gives 168 hours in SP mode or 358 hours in EP, which would be great if the product worked. Similar to other brands, the controls are not intuitive, but can be learned easily and are not a drawback.

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I bought this DS-2300 to replace my DS-330. The 330 had internal memory and I had to download every night after my 3-hour lecture. The 2300 has external memory so that I can separate items (personal, school, work, etc) and it stores much more than the limited amount of memory on the 330.

It has a nice size that is thin and fits into your pocket. The memory life also seems to be pretty good on this. As I had read on other reviews, the placement of the buttons might be a tad tricky, but so far no problems.

My one complaint is that this recorder did *not* come with a case/pouch like the 330. I went to the Olympus site and they offer one to European customers, but not U.S.

Other than this drawback and the price, I am pleased on upgrading to the 2300.

BOCS Xtender Whole-Home Entertainment System

I have lots of DVDs but not enough time to watch them. That is, not enough time to sit at one location to watch all of them. I can rip the shows onto my IPod Touch and take them with me wherever I go. This works well when I'm traveling but not ideal when I'm at home. The 3.5 inch screen and tiny speaker of the IPod is just too difficult to enjoy if I am doing work at the home office, cooking dinner in the kitchen, folding laundry, doing work in the garage workshop or in the bedroom before I go to bed in the evening. So, I have been taking the DVDs with me to play back at different parts of the house. The inconvenient part is I need to remember to bring the DVDs with me as I move around the house but also to find the spot on the show where I had left off when I pop the DVD into another player.

I came across the BOCS Xtender while surfing on the web. The interesting thing that caught my attention was I don't need to run new wires all over the house nor have to mess with setting up a wireless video distribution network. The ability of the Xtender to use the existing antenna cable network already inside my walls and the ability to use each TV's built-in tuner without requiring an additional set-top decoder box for each TV location sounded really promising.

The Xtender arrived about 2 weeks ago. Installation initially appeared challenging but the quick-start guide made the process manageable. I had some problems initially in locating the central distribution of the antenna cable network but a call into the support number helped me locate it. I was glad the rep on the phone was very knowledgeable, courteous and spoke English that I can understand easily!

The unit retails for $500 but I got mine for significantly less searching around the web. Housing for the unit is a sturdy cast metal enclosure about the size of a hardcover novel. One way to describe how the unit works is to think of it as having 3 miniaturized TV broadcast stations. Each one of these broadcast stations will take any composite audio/video signals (typically these are the yellow for video and red/white for audio connectors located in the back of DVD players, DVR, VCR, camcorder, etc.) and broadcast these contents all over the in-house antenna cable network without interfering with the normal cable TV or over-the-air TV receptions. Quality of the video signal is quite good and is comparable to other over-the-air channels coming from my rooftop antenna.

The Xtender broadcast is based on the NTSC analog standard instead of the ATSC digital standard. This actually worked towards my favor since I still have a few older TVs with only analog tuners. The one in the kitchen is the type that mounts underneath the kitchen cabinet with a flip down screen. There is really no room in the kitchen counter to add a digital tuner box. I hooked up my Channel Master CM-7000 digital tuner to the blue channel of the Xtender and now I have access to digital channels with my all of my older TVs. Which means I don't need to get a separate digital tuner for each TV!

Each of the mini broadcast stations are color coded. For example, you can hook up your DVD player to the red channel with the supplied set of red A/V cables. If you are in front of your bedroom TV, pressing the red channel button on the remote will automatically tune your bedroom TV to the channel assigned for the DVD player and simultaneously send an RF signal to the Xtender in the other room telling it that subsequent button pushes such as play, stop, ff, rew, etc. will access the DVD player connected to the red channel. Same thing applies for the green and blue channel so the remote can control three additional devices besides your TV. The unit is really easy to use and not much different from using a standard TV remote. With the Xtender, you are getting 3 additional TV channels (red is channel 14, blue is 96 and green is 98)with whatever audio and video contents you wish to put on them as long as the sources comply to the composite a/v standard.

Everyone in the family including the kids have been delighted with the Xtender. I am using a single-disc DVD player hooked up to the red channel but I am seriously considering getting a 300 discs player and load up a good part of my DVD library in order to have instant access to any one of the 300 DVDs in the player anywhere there's a TV in the house. We no longer need to argue about what to play on the big screen TV in the family room. The kids can go to another room and access the cartoons recorded on the family room DVR while my wife and I watch our High Def. shows there.

Pros

-Share 3 audio/video sources all over the house. I no longer need to have a separate DVD player at every TV.

-Hit pause and go to another room to continue where I had left off.

-No more arguing what to play on the big screen after dinner just because the kids' shows are on the family room DVR.

-3 new channels simultaneously. Kids can be watching cartoons on the green channel while I am catching up on last night's Tonight Show or viewing the latest rental from Netflix on the red and the wife is catching up on episodes of Grey's Anatomy on the blue. Everyone is happy!

-Good video quality as comparable to good NTSC OTA reception.

-Really simple to use. Even the kids can do it.

-Using Picture-in-Picture capability of my TV, I can monitor what the kids are watching without having to get out of chair/bed.

-I can easily play the same music all over the house when having a house party.

-Connect multiple analog TVs throughout the house to a single digital tuner.

Cons

-Quite an investment at full retail price. For me, the added convenience was more than worthwhile.

-Programming each remote for each TV took some effort. Luckily you only need to do it once.

-No High Definition support. Would be nice to be able to broadcast High Def contents.

-Installation requires some work. May want to hire an electrician if you are not handy

-Only 3 channels. 4 or five would be nicer.

-Description here at Amazon is not very detailed. Just go on the web and Google XSB08-01

-Extra remotes are kind of pricey. Only one remote is included with the Xtender.

We recently installed the Xtender and just wanted to share a quick note about how much we look forward to using the system! We're just about finished with a grueling home remodeling project, so we haven't had a chance to really get everything we can out of the device yet. That said, after having run the system through its paces and looking at a number of different options to get our cable, DVR and DVD content throughout the house, we're confident this system will provide us with both better picture quality and a significant cost savings relative to its competitors.

Our main system is a very modest setup, consisting of a Sony 60" LCD projection TV with an HD cable box and DVD player as source components. But now that we have the remodel out of the way, we plan on upgrading our cable service to include DVR capabilities, and with good quality LCD TVs getting less expensive every day, we're really excited about having whole-home TV without breaking the bank.

One of the features that really attracted us to the Xtender was its ability to integrate into our existing coaxial cable wiring. As part of the remodel, we had new coaxial wiring routed throughout most of the house, but the upfront costs and high monthly fees associated with having to place a cable box and DVR at every TV was a real deal breaker for us. Renting cable and DVR for three bedrooms, the kitchen and an office would have cost at least $600 a year in fees, not to mention at least $100 in equipment deposits, whereas the Xtender allowed us to save over $300 in the first year alone. Also, we were looking to wall mount the TVs without unsightly cable runs and clunky boxes in every room, and the Xtender gets every TV access to the components in the main living room setup using just the regular coaxial wiring.

Although I was initially attracted to the Xtender based on the cost savings, I have to say that I really was genuinely amazed at the picture quality. Compared to having a cable box hooked up to each TV, I was definitely expecting to see a discernable difference in picture quality. And while I wouldn't consider myself to be a videophile by any means, I'm really not sure I could even tell any difference between the different setups.

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This is a spectacular product I actually put two in my home I have two TiVos, a Windows Media Center, and a security system. Now I can see and control all those items from every TV in my home.

And most importantly I'm saving over $50 a month by getting rid of most of my cable set top boxes. I have 7 TVs and now I don't need a cable box under each one.

Full review on AVS

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Mine is still working awesome and I have had it since the release! I am concerned about the company and the future of the product. Maybe the product hasn't taken off, but I really don't see an "alternative" out there. Things like the Slingbox, Boxee, Media PC's are all great. Combine them with and Xtender and get them on all your TV's and they melt your face with awesome. Their website hasn't really been updated since 2009 and they have been talking about an HD version since the release, but nothing has changed. It appears to still be available and as of writing this it looks like they are offering a half price discount for Christmas.

I love mine and if it dies I will be trying to buy another one.

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I have had this product for over a year now, I couldn't imagine my house without it! I have the digital cable box from Comcast on the red channel to get on demand choices anywhere in the house without having to rent 7 set top boxes. On the green channel I have my TiVo premier, now I have access to that on every TV! The blue channel I have my Blu-ray player, so I get pretty close to blu-ray quality on every TV in the house! It also solves the problem that when Comcast went all digital you had to have a converter box on every TV to get basic channels, now however all my wall mounted TVs are still box free!