Philips M100/37 Wireless Home Monitor

The Philips In.Sight home monitor is a stylish and simple way to watch over your home while you're away, but be sure to check the limitations before you buy.

For starters, do not bother purchasing this device unless you have at least one iOS device, preferably an iPhone. Do not purchase this device as a long term security solution unless you're going to stick with iPhones as your current and future cell phone. Also, as of mid Oct 2012, this camera doesn't really work with iOS 6. It worked under iOS 5, and I'm sure they'll eventually update the app, but if you need a security camera to work right now, I would check to see if there have been any app updates in Oct 2012 or later.

HARDWARE

As for the In.Sight itself, it is a rather nifty looking camera. It feels solid and durable, and it was thoughtfully designed. It comes with two bases, one that can be installed on side walls, and one for a ceiling/table. It also comes with mounting drywall screws. The camera has strong magnet on the bottom of the unit, and that allows it to magnetically connect to the ceiling/table base. It can also be tilted and swiveled to any desired viewpoint with ease thanks to these magnets. The side-wall mount comes with a ball joint arm, which also permits a range of viewpoint possibilities. A long micro-USB cable (included) is used to power the camera. A electric wall adapter is supposed to be included in the box, but it was missing in my package. Luckily I have several wall-to-USB electrical adapters and one of my replacements worked. Anyway, as long as you mount the camera anywhere near an electrical outlet, you'll be fine.

INSTALLATION

Installing the In.Sight couldn't be easier. Just plug it into the wall and then download the Philips In.Sight app from the Apple App Store. You will not be able to install the camera without getting the iOS app. Fire up the app on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch and then create a Philips user account (Name, email, password, and security question are needed). You will also need to be on the wireless home WiFi network that you want the camera to connect to. The SSID and WiFi passkey will need to be entered into the app's software. Once you're logged into your account, a Qcode will be displayed on your screen. Place the Qcode a couple inches away from the In.Sight camera and after about 1 minute, it should connect. It's incredibly simple and takes the guess work away from trying to assign IP addresses to individual devices.

PERFORMANCE

The camera's performance can be best described as "limited." Again, you need to install the device with an iOS device. I currently have a WiFi-only iPad 2, but no longer have an iPhone. Installation was a snap and I could see through the camera while I'm on my home network for 2 hours straight. While I'm away from home (when I actually want to use the camera), I can only view it for 5 minutes at a time when I can connect to a WiFi network. There are no Android or Windows Phone or Blackberry apps for this thing. Additionally, the app is not optimized for iPad usage, meaning you have to look at it with the "mini-iPhone" screen transposed onto the iPad's screen. If you want to be able to view your camera for longer than 5 minutes, you'll have to pay a premium for the app ($25). Depending on when the box was put on store shelves, it may also advertise that you can set your camera to begin recording when it detects motion and upload a clip to your private YouTube account. Well, sometime in June this feature was disabled. Recently, Philips lets you record these motion detected clips to your DropBox account instead. I don't have a DropBox account, so I don't know how well this works. But there are no alternatives to record to say, a SkyDrive account. The video itself is passable, if there is some light around, but it's only VGA quality. The darker it gets, the grainier the picture. Don't expect an HD video to be played on your RetinaDisplay. Finally, as mentioned above, it's not really compatible with iOS 6. All I can see are updated snapshots, the streaming video does not consistently work.

SUMMARY

The Philips In.Sight camera is a simple security solution for iOS users. Yes, there is a webpage Java app that you can use, but you still need an iOS device to display the initial Qcode to set up the camera. And the webpage display is even more limited, as you can't really adjust any camera settings with it; so don't think about using this camera primarily with the web browser, it isn't a viable choice here. This camera should only be purchased by iOS users (I would almost say, only iPhone users, as my WiFi iPad is limited here) who want an incredibly simple security camera solution. The draw here is an easy set up for brief, 5 minute house checks. There are other networked cameras out there that do more for a comparable price---they're just more difficult to install. And unfortunately, until this thing works smoothly with iOS 6, it's difficult to give it any stars.

I picked up a 2 pack at the apple store yesterday, I was kinda hesitant after reading the reviews here, but I needed a camera that could do sound on an iPhone and record events to the cloud. After hearing that Dropbox support was released I decided to bight the bullet.

I've use many IP cameras and they all have there issues, but Philips has done a great job hiding these issues from the user.

Network configuration was very simple, plug it in and point the iPhone screen at the camera, the camera then configured itself. All I had to do was give it a name.

Streaming video via wifi and 3G on Verizon worked without a hitch, I did notice on 3G that video was delayed about 15 seconds, and on the same wifi about 2 seconds.

I configured the camera to my dropbox account and turned on the motion detection and to my amazement video clips and thumbnails were being uploaded to my dropbox account. Nice!

You can view your dropbox thumbnails and videos from the app, which is nice.

All and all I'm fairly impressed, this is a huge evolution from other cameras I've used. Now they just need waterproof outdoor.

Things to note:

You can view the camera on a computer, but the experience is not the same as the app, it is much more limited.

I haven't been able to find an android version of the app to try yet, I don't know if there is one.

I don't think you could setup this camera without a iPhone/iPad/iTouch.

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I was just as frustrated as many of the One Star raters when I first got these cameras. However, I must say that since they have updated the software, the camera firmware and added Dropbox support, I am now pretty happy.

I think people that are complaining that these are not good for a security system do not understand what they really are. They are simply home monitors and they are always going to be at the mercy of your home network speed and internet bandwidth. If you want a truly reliable internet security camera you are going to have to spend A LOT more money.

I have been using these to keep an eye on some home contractors, the housekeeper, my pet sitter and just see what the cats are up to while I am at work. They work great for that. I would NOT rely on them to alert me to a break-in. I have a separate (much more expensive) monitored security system to do that.

I really like the motion sensor feature. I know immediately when someone comes into the house. However, I really wish there was a way to set up times to stop the motion sensing. The thing alerts like crazy when I get home from work until I reduce the sensitivity. Then I have to reset in the morning.

I have only had these a few months and in that time Philips has made HUGE improvements in the functionality. I am hopeful that they will continue to do so.

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I liked the look, price and simplicity & purchased 3 monitors. Of the 3, only one has been successfully connected to wifi. I have contacted Philips, but to date, they have not provided any additional information that has been a help. The first one connected so easily, that I thought the others would be a snap as well. Not the case. The second one took a few hours over several days to connect, trying many resets & relocations. Then after about a day, the first one cut out & after numerous resets & reconnect attempts, still have not been able to connect it despite strong wifi strength & Unobstructed path. The third never did connect.

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Purchased two-pack from Apple store. Setup was easy and I can view video/sound with both my IPad and IPhone with wifi and 4g. I also upgraded for the annual plan to get more streaming view time for 24.95 annually. Synced to my Dropbox was no problem. Now, it would be nice when the price comes down on single cameras..that are battery operated or have a battery backup..you have to power the cameras using the USB cord plugged into the wall. Battery operated would give you more options form mounting camera.

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Motion Detect Car Dash Video Camera Recorder DVR

• 2.5'' Big LCD Screen
• Video recording with sound,Photo taking
• High speed recording,Motion detect function,HDMI output
• Real Time & Date display on video/photo
• 3 file playback modes: On camera, on Computer, on HDTV

This camera had a good price, but it is a disappointment. Note that this is an older model; the latest models have an HDMI port and fewer bugs.

* Not 720p / JPEG encoding artifacts: -1 Star

The CCD in this camera is natively 640x480. If you choose the 720p recording mode, then the camera just does pixel-doubling in software.

This dashcam records to MJPEG files. You won't be able to read license plates or recognize most faces because of compression artifacts. The firmware lacks an option for changing JPEG quality.

* Stops Recording When SD Card Is Full: -1 Star

When the dashcam needs to rotate files on the SD card, it stops recording for up to two minutes, but an entire accident can happen in less than two minutes. The actual amount of offline time seems to depend on the speed of the SD card.

* Can't override poweroff: -1 Star

This dashcam always powers off when external power disconnects, even if the internal battery if fully charged. I want my dashcam to continue recording after an accident.

* Can't run from a USB Port / Can't be used as a webcam: -1 Star

Connecting the USB port puts the camera into disk mode, which means that you must power it from the 5v connector. You cannot power this dashcam from an in-vehicle USB port. You cannot use this dashcam as a webcam.

* Can't invert or rotate the video: Annoyance

The firmware doesn't have an option for changing the recording orientation.

* Can't change the recording overlays: Annoyance

The only overlay option is a timestamp.

* Nearly ideal form factor: +1 Star

The size and shape of this dashcam is nearly perfect, and it uses a standard threaded mount, like on a regular camera tripod. It is much smaller than the stock photography makes it seem. The built-in folding LCD is probably the best feature.

* Adequate performance in a variety of lighting conditions: +1

Sun flaring is minor. Quality is okay at night with street lights and head lights.

* Additional Notes

This camera records to MJPEG AVI with 8 kHz PCM mono audio. Audio quality is poor; you can't hear conversations over white noise while driving, and it is unlikely that you would get all of a conversation while stopped with a traffic cop.

Wake-up on motion detection is pretty good.

In standard quality, this camera uses 2GB per hour.

Power draw is less than 5 watts at 5 volts, so you can run this camera off of a car battery for a long time.

This camera seems to be running an embedded BSD. A firmware update could get me to add one or two stars to this review.

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I use this camera to protect myself from the lousy/agressive drivers in our area that seem to be growing by leaps and bounds. I have been using the camera for about a month now with an 8 GB card. Using the default video settings (mid range for capture) the 8 GB card stores about 3 hours of good quality video. The 120 degree field of view can capture the traffic lights even if you are at the stop line. Very Strong Sun Glare did not harm the camera although the objects were all darkened since they were all backlit. Night time capture is adequate based off of the headlights but don't expect daytime capture. (The IR cameras are described as not being able to go through the glass windshield so not much of an option.) The auto start/stop and auto rollover works as advertised. The products instructions are really poor. (I suspect that the unit is made in Russia since the only other instructions are in Russian, but so is the Mig-29!) If you want to change the defaults (e.g. I wanted a 15 min. capture window and setting the date.) You need to fumble with the buttons on the left first pressing MENU twice and then rec/snap to get the camera into the change mode and then use the buttons on the right to get the values to change. If you miss the right year you need to go past 2034 and then it rolls back to the start year. They need a definite rewrite.

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I bought this camera to protect myself against reckless and aggressive drivers and liars in San Antonio, where most drivers don't have insurance and drunk wrong way drivers are # 1 on the list. This camera works great as described, very good video and sound recordings. Very recommended at this great price. The video was edited with Nero and lost some Quality, also if I cleaned my windschield before the view was much better, at the video you will see a vehicle turned to the right on red, and almost was hit by another driver. Just be prepared and protect yourself :-)

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I bought this Car DVR recorder with fairly low expectations, both given the very low price and the very mixed reviews at Amazon. After a thorough test and break-in, I am positively surprised. I would recommend this as a low cost way to record evidence for unexpected cases where it is useful to replay the past accurately.

The DVR is produced by an unidentified Chinese company. It is surprisingly good for something that's made and designed in China. There is a flip-down LCD screen of decent quality that can be used for setup and instant playback. Opening up the small unit revealed a clean printed circuit board with just 2 chips: a Korean memory chip and a CPU chip of unknown origin. Control is through 6 buttons on either sides. Its not as convenient as a touch screen, but it does the job. The included suction mount was bulkier and less flexible than the one on the picture. This design does not allow mounting the using behind the rear-view mirror, so I need to look for some more compact suction mount.

The unit runs on it built-in battery power for at least an hour. This allows the camera to be used in the same was a a flip camera. Its small and light enough for use as a spy cam or on board of a model airplane. Plugged into the cigarette lighter adapter, the DV starts recording automatically when the car starts, and stops about 30 seconds after the ignition is cut. This is the desired behavior for a 'black box'.

The included manual is terrible, as expected. Special highlight is the final section "Small tip to save you big headache" which describes the many blessings of the reset button. The manual is not adapted for the different versions on the product, describing features that do not exist (such as HDMI output, frame rate selection, audio on/off) and omitting some useful options that are supported. Using some trial and error, however, its not too hard to find your way.

Video quality is indeed nowhere near HD standard. I could not see any difference in resolution between the 'XVGA' and 'VGA', so its best to stick with basic VGA which results in a 30% smaller files and a higher frame refresh rate. The camera sensor is likely the culprit. The lens is wide angle, producing a decent panoramic view with the usual distortion around the corners. Color reproduction is weak. Given the 'black box' application we don't care too much about that. Low light performance is passable. Though not HD, the quality is still better than the standard resolution camcorders of only a few years ago. Sound quality is poor, with lots of hissing, but conversations in the car are easy to understand.

The DVR performs decent image stabilization, which causes the movies to be quite smooth, even on bumpy roads. That is a very useful undocumented feature. Other undocumented features include digital zoom and a few image viewing options. The picture includes a date and time stamp for record keeping. The built-in clock turns out to be stable and accurate.

The DVR records .avi movies in segments of up to 15 minutes. There is only a short 1 second gap between the segments. The gap was a major complaint in most other reviews, but its pretty good on my unit. Apparently the new firmware improved this. Each 15-minute .avi file is about 720Mb which should yield about 11 hours of total recording on a 32G SD card before old files are overwritten. The LCD display shows the estimated remaining recording time, though the value is on the optimistic side.

Playback on the built-in LCD screen is decent. This feature could save your day, for instance instantly proving to a cop that you are not on the cell phone while driving. There is no fast forward, unfortunately, which makes it a pain to find the proper scene. Plugging in the unit in a computer mounts the SD card as a hard drive. The USB data transfer rate cannot keep up with the video bit rate in my experience. I am not sure whether this is caused by the SD card I am using or whether its due to the USB interface. Its not a big problem, as files can be copied to the PC for smooth playback. Playback on using video signal on a TV possible, but its just not very useful.

Overal, this DVR does the job for very little money. Compared to the other options (such as Itronics), it does nearly the same job and sports a built-in screen at a fraction of the price. It lacks HD and GPS, but neither of those are really essential for a car 'black box'.

Update May 2013 (1.5 year later): The dashcam is still working flawlessly, faithfully recording whenever my car drives. Same product now costs even less.

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I have been using this for a few days now. First, it took them till the end of the 3rd day to ship it which caused total delivery time to be around 9-10 days. I received it and it is one of those Chinese drop ship items. It has a surprising range of features for the price, such as auto on/off and auto record triggered by power from the cigarette lighter adapter. When the sd card is full it will loop the record and overwrite the oldest files first. The built in battery allows it to properly close out the files when the power from the adapter is cut so, in an accident, losing power will not cause you to lose the current file; which may be the most important one. The unit I received did not have a hdmi port like the photo but the opening is still cut into the casing; found this after the inspection sticker fell off after the 2nd day of use. Playback is not possible on this device. I have used 2 sdhc cards which says on the box are supported; one Kingston class 6 4gb card and one transcend class 10 16gb card. Trying to initiate playback with either card results in "one moment" appearing on the screen followed by the word "one" disappearing leaving half of the "o" yet, nothing else happens(waited up to 5min). Occasionally it will indicate "fwd 1x" but still not play, pressing the up button sometimes causes it to display "bwd 1x" but nothing plays. In the whole playback attempt process it will randomly give 2-3mm wide vertical lines of distorted picture over the still image of the first video frame. Another thing to note is the video format of the files it creates are AVI. A 4gb card will give 2:20 hr:min of record in VGA format and 1:22 hr:min in D1 and SXGA. 16gb card increased the VGA to over 9 hours. When transferring the video files to your computer you better use a sd card adapter because the maximum transfer speed that this thing can handle is apparently 1 mb/s. The video seems clear enough to see what is going on in a wide angle area in front of you but is not sharp enough to read the license plate off of the car in front of you sitting at a traffic light. I have not used when fully dark but twilight recordings are good in detail except oncoming headlights cause moments where the camera is basically blinded. The video displays on the lcd so it is right side up when the unit is mounted with the lcd folding down when opened, with no option that allows you to change this if you choose to mount it in any other orientation; like mounting it to your dash with the lcd folding up when opened. Conclusion, it's much better than nothing at all in providing piece of mind, but you get what you pay for in the quality of the video and craftsmanship.

CiragoTV Pro Multimedia Center 500 GB Store and Play

We got a problem with this item, after one month. Remote controle stop working and without remote controle, this box is dead, because it's has just one bottom on/off. I tried to replace remote controle, by using warranty, but Cirago International co. does not want to do it. I bought remote controle for $ 15.00 trough Cirago Co.

Hidden Mini DVR Spy Cam for Use with House Plant

Seller's writeup states: "With just 8GB of memory, you can record up to 90 minutes of high-quality full color video. Use a 32 GB Micro SD Card to store several hours of crisp and clear video."

This can be construed to mean it comes with the 8GB Micro SD Card but one may purchase a 32GB Micro SD Card in order to record more and/or longer video.

As of this review, ITEM DOES NOT COME WITH A SD MEMORY CARD!

You can, for the same price, go to seller's website (electroflip.com), search for iSpyG1 and see this same item which per the "Features" tab of the item description DOES come with an 8GB Micro SD Card. I quote: " MicroSD Memory Included included is a bundled Micro Secure Digital Memory card. With this card you can store up to 10 hours of video clips."

I purchased this item thinking it would come with at least an 8GB Micro SD Card and was surprised and disappointed when it did not.

To the seller's credit, after contacting them, and after only 2 emails (through Amazon's "Contact Seller" option), they agreed to send me an 8GB Micro SD Card which arrived about a week later.

The iSpyG1 does what it says it does. It records pretty good video as long as the light is good. Poor light = poor video. The only thing I didn't like was when you turn it on, LED's light up and flash and continue to flash as long as it's recording (I suppose that way the user knows it's doing what it's supposed to do, but if you are using it for covert surveillance and don't want flashing LED's to give it away, you'll have to put opaque tape (I used duct tape) over the device.).

Overall, I had to give it 4 stars because of the confusion about the inclusion of an 8GB Micro SD Card and because of the blinking LED's while in use, which would probably rate only 3 stars, but seller was very accommodating with SD Card issue, hence the 4 star rating!

Insignia NS-DCC5HB09 - Camcorder - High Definition with digital player/voice recorder - widescreen

I wouldn't pay too much attention to the negative reviews on this camcorder. It's obvious they are not using it correctly. Granted, this item does not come with a great manual right off the bat, but the full manual is located online. Just google it.

A couple of things I've noticed people are forgetting to do before making a review on this product. There is a protective clear sticker on the actual lens. It's virtually invisible. You need to take this off before shooting this camcorder. Trial and error on my part. My first few videos looked like web cam footage only a little better. I was dismayed and thought I had crap in my hands. Then I took off the sticker and it made a world of difference. Talk about clarity!

On the side of the camcorder is a switch for macro, portrait, and landscape. I've found the landscape setting to be the most clear, while the macro setting does nicely on your close up shots. I have not had a need for the portrait setting just yet.

The image stabalizer works mostly, if you remember to turn it on. For some reason, for me when I shut down the camcorder and turn it back on, it doesn't stay on. So I have to manually turn it on each time. Not a big problem, and I plan on using a table tripod for many of my shots anyways.

Sound is loud enough and clear, and it'll do for now. Can't get it all for a hundred bucks, you know?

If you're on a budget, but you've got that creative bug inside you, you will really enjoy this product and if done correctly, can put together some real quality videos.

So after long hours of trying to decide between the mino HD flip(209.99$) and Kodak Zi6(159.99$), i went to best buy to actually hold them in my hands and see if that made a difference. I didn't want to pay $210. for the flip, since it's sound wasn't as good and it worked better inside then the Kodak Zi6 but not as well outside. but i liked that the flip was soo small and battery life was supposed to be oustanding. As i am pondering which one to choose my husband, being the curious person he is points out the Insignia 5.0 megapixel camera.

I was a little scared because it was insignia but decided to look at it anyway. (not that insignia is bad, but i had read reviews on here)Boy am i glad i looked at the insignia.

I love the fact that it has a big screen that flips a lot of different ways. UNLIKE the other two it has a light you can turn on or off when recording, It has an 8X zoom, it can be changed from sepia, to natural, to black and white, it also has white balance, sharpness and image stabilization. It is roughly the size of the old flip and extremely light. It also comes with all the cables, to hook it up to your tv, to charge it in the wall or by computer. also you can do still pictures with 5x megapixels, but i won't be using it for that so i don't care. Nice that the option is there though.

I've read that a lot of people don't like it because it is grainy when watched inside. I don't believe it is any worse then the other two (mino HD and Kodak Zi6) plus it's considerbly cheaper. 99.00 and around 20. for a 4gb sd card. The camera may not be AS easy as the MINO hd but nothing of 5 minutes of playing with the buttons won't fix. If you are looking for a superior camera this isn't for you. but if you are looking for a gift for a teen grandchild or somthing to record random stuff for fun then this is perfect for you. i'll update the review later to see if i can find any negatives.

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After spending a little time working with my Insignia (it was a gift), I think that the issues the negative reviewers raise can be resolved.

It does good quality video and sound for a very cheap price. The still pictures are as good as most consumer point and shoot 5.1 mp cameras.

As far as HD or 720 dpi is concerned, it blows up okay on my 32 inch wide screen. Would I call it "high def"...of course not. Is it adequate? Absolutely.

The AVI video format clips can be converted with freeware to another format. So you just convert to a format for which you have a codec.

The one problem I've had is that there is no optical viewfinder, and the lcd does not stand up to sunlight. So shoot carefully. Also, when you use the digital zoom, you get artifacts. So don't use it.

What you get is a camcorder, still camera, mp3 player, and voice recorder for $100.00. With your SD card, you have infinite capacity.

Best gift I can think of. I'm going to use this a lot on my vacation.

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The product works ok, given the price. All I really want to do is use the video file that it produces in a digital video editing software program. Simple, but after researching online and being on support for an hour, it appears this file format (MPEG4 (H.264) in AVI wrapper) does not work with microsoft movie maker or ulead video studio 11. I downloaded every know codec and still nothing. This is a problem with the file format and codec. This needs to be resolved by the manufacturer or someone who produces codecs for video editing software. If you don't plan to edit this video, good product.

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I bought one of these expecting it to be at best mediocre, I was wrong.

This camera takes great video. I can edit the video with Nero 8, Pinnacle Studio 11.1 complains that I don't have enough graphics memory. I am going to upgrade my video card and see what happens (wanted an excuse to do that anyway). But I have no problems viewing video on my Vizio HDTV.

I am running a sandisk ultra II 4GB card in it. I have tried various light conditions inside and outside and it does well in all of them. I am going to get hold of some cheap sdhc cards and try them.

I have pinnacle studio 11.1 and it really would not edit the Insignia video. I bought a little program called movavi video suite and it does a great job of editing. I also have ffdshow MPEG-4 codec pack installed on my machine.

VideoSecu 4 Channel DVR Audio Video H.264 Network Embeded Stand Alone Security Digital Video Record

No problems with it. Meets expectations. Picture is clear and the interface is intuitive. Unit is quiet and the remote works across the room. I'm very happy with it.

Hardware seems to be fine, but we now have nearly a week invested in trying to get the included software to run properly (still no luck). VideoSecu has been worthless, finally formally giving up by saying they won't support the software at all and we're on our own. Manuals are written in English by non-English-speaking writers and they are a nightmare. For instance, once you change settings in one area there is no option to save those settings. Hours later we accidentally figured out that they labelled the "save settings" button as "setup". The software and manuals are riddled with this crap. Our advice is to find a company with a full support structure and a history of support. You'll be glad you did.

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I had this unit for 1 year, I'm experiencing multiple network issues, I recently updated to windows 7, and a new cable modem, and since have not been able to connect from LAN, or WAN. The tech support offered very little support.

I will be going with another system other that this brand

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I bought this thinking it would be easy to use. Its quite complicated! There are so many features. Its hard to keep up with them all. Setting it up to cameras is a no brainer but when it comes to programming and just plain using it its confusing. If you dont have a lot of time to learn the system it can be a pain. But I am not giving up, I am studying the manual and eventually will know how to do it all!

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This DVR had the best price, and setup was a breeze. I haven't hooked it up to the network yet, but after looking over the instructions, I don't expect any problems.

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Sandisk Sansa Clip 8GB MP3 Player (Black)

• Plays your MP3, WMA, secure WMA and Audible audio file formats
• FM tuner with 40 preset channels
• Up to 15 hours of play time with internal rechargeable battery
• Voice recording with built-in microphone

About this reviewer: I listen to Lossless music (Flac) and tons of books (200/year) a lot. I use this SanDisk 8GB Clip player about 20 hours a week.

PRO:

1. Sound quality. Not only does this support MP3, OGG, FLAC (the lossless format of choice) WMV, secure WMA, podscasts, & Audible files, it plays them with perfection. Now this is objective, not a "whatever ***I*** buy and review sounds better than what you have" crap. The sound quality is scientifically top notch. I don't know if the URL I put in this review will get killed, but go to the reviews section on cnet.com or Google the article entitled "Audiophile MP3 players, by the numbers."

Let me summarize the article: they found out that Sandisk *did* put an expensive sound processor in this one (apparently unlike the other Sandisks) and used actual scientific hardware measuring frequency response deviation, and signal to noise ratios, etc. the SanDisk Clip beat out everything that Creative, Apple (iPod), Insignia, Sony, Microsoft (Zune) makes.

reviews.cnet.com/8301-12519_7-9968448-49.html

I know it's an odd thing to talk about lossy (Mp3s) quality, but for the sound quality peeps, you will have zero complaints here.

2. Flash based: Meaning no HDD spinning around thousands of times a minute, movable parts=easily breakable or they wear down. Meaning you can also jog with it. I'm from the computer world, and us cats know that all HDD's fail, period. *Especially* if you're moving it all the time. We, who want something that lasts, universally stick to solid state; ie FLASH based mp3 players.

3. Connectivity: No stupid proprietary cable. Standard Mini-USB cable, I'm sure most people have at least a half dozen from various cameras, etc.

4. Physical Size: This thing is small, there are various pictures here, but this one is about the height of an AA Battery and about 3/4 as thick, one inch wide. This is great for jogging, it's weightless. Clip it anywhere without any huge bulge or weight. It weighs less than an ounce.

5. Compatibility. You DO NOT have to use some weird 3rd party DRM CRAP software like iTunes or Windows Media crap (like you do with Ipod's or IRivers) just drag, drop & GO! If you want some of your friends' songs, you don't have to load up itunes, then some hack, or your mp3 player's proprietary software cluttering up your friends computer to get his or her songs. I recall a conversation I had with a friend trying to get the songs of another mp3 player, "FREAK, it took me 40 minutes to find the right software that world work to get the songs off" -and that's not some newbie. All the software to use this mp3 player is on every computer (with a USB port) and operating system on earth. Also, I didn't install any of the included software. No need.

6. Non music Storage: You plug it in you not only drop any of your mp3s/FLACs on it, you can throw some pictures, some huge files, documents, anything, and use it just like a thumb drive. And still listen to your music, it just skips the non-audio files, etc.

7. Mic. The mic is great for recording class, or conversations; just throw it on your desk or shirt pocket and there you go.

8. Fast listen mode KILLER AWESOME if you listen to books, you can turn it to fast mode which speeds up the audio a bit. This means you can listen to books a good bit faster without it sounding like chipmunks. There is only one mode though, (also a slower mode too) but it's so cool if you want to listen to books faster. Your brain can easily understand, so why not save yourself 1/3 of the time -eh? Awesomeness.

9. Radio: And you can record the radio. Built-in FM tuner with 40 presets Awesome.

10. USB 2.0, it transfers mp3s at a rate of 5.67MB/second per my own rough stopwatch method. Mathematically, this would take about 23 minutes to fill up the thing full.

Have you noticed all of creative labs MP3 players also claim to have USB 2.0 but really transfer at speeds at 1.1 speeds. The Creative flash based stuff transfers at less than 500K/sec, usually 120K-400K averaging at 230K. 230K!!! Do you realize this is slower than download speeds at broadband? 4.83 hours to fill up a 4GB Creative Labs mp3 player? forget that.

11. Memory Size, 8GB (They make a 1/2/4GB version too) this holds:

Books at 64Kbit/sec/mono equals about 266 (~11 days non stop) hours of books.

MP3's @ 128kbits/44.1/Stereo about 128 hours (5.33 days non stop) of music (maybe +/1,900 4 min songs).

Flac's (Lossless) ~21 hours (non-stop) ~315 songs or 20-25 Full CD Albums.

That's quite a lot of listening before you need to get to a computer again. 8GB is plenty for music on the go.

12. Screen, the screen is great, mono color, has some graphics, I don't need nor want some huge stupid color screen sucking down my battery. Which is cool because this MP3 Player does go blank after a minute of inactivity, which is PERFECT! Just what one wants. Touch a button again, it comes back up.

13. Yeah it has other features I don't use much, WMA playback, Audible playback support, graphic equalizer, nifty navigation scroll, blah, blah, blah.

14. Updating firmware is super easy, (and you may have to to get FLAC support) just load the Sandisk auto updater, it figures out which mp3 player you have plugged in, checks for firmware, any updates, then updates them and then restarts. Super easy.

Up in the Air: (Pro or Con depending on how you look at it)

-Comes in cool colors, silver & black, but it is a fingerprint magnet as most electronics with a shiny screen are now-a-days. Finally an mp3 that isn't in "I'm-a-lemming" stupid trendy "ipod white". Other colors are probably coming.

-Proprietary battery. It'll do 15-20 hours of books, take in mind books are less "demanding" on a a battery. But you really can't have anything this small and use any standard battery for any usable time. But it may be a con or a pro. I just don't like the fact I can never easily replace this one and we all know how integrated batteries after a few years start to slowly lose their charge. The Pro is that you can use any old mini-USB wall/car charger that if you have bought a few cell phones in the past few years, you'll have one kicking around your junk drawer somewhere.

Con:

-No Bookmark feature. I listen to books for 20 hours a week. This would be nice, as I could have used it a few times. This is just a software item, Sandisk program it up!

I have no comment on the included earbuds. I'm 6'6" and figure that's why no earbuds bundled in mp3 players did anything but hurt my ears and/or seemed to fall out randomly due to poor fit and rotation of the earth. I have my own headphones as most people who are serious listeners do. Earphones are a matter of personal physiology and audio-snob preference. :)

I don't hate ipods, they are really sessy, but they are just not for me. I could list reasons why I can't like ipods but they are just too freaking expensive for too few bells and whistles. I mean, if you look at my "pro" list, the ipod shuffle is small and flash based, but that's it. I don't want to use some crap software, crap dock/cable, expensive battery, short battery life span, can't store anything else, why should I pay twice as much more for an ipod, when it doesn't even get close to HALF the features?

So, I will give it a 9.5/10. But in reality, nothing else touches it. Nothing has the sound quality, space, battery life, size, & FLAC support on the market for any price.

Buy Sandisk Sansa Clip 8GB MP3 Player (Black) Now

Hands down the best mp3 device for the money out there.

With 8 gigs at roughly 80 bucks, how can you not get this? I agree with the other reviewer. This device is an audiophiles dream. For me, personally, this is also a dream for Audiobook lovers. For once, a device gets bookmarking perfect. Sansa really knocked it out of the park with this one. Plays Audible files perfectly, with bookmarking and chapters. Additionally, if you don't go through Audible or have your own Audiobooks, just drop the mp3's in the bookmark folder, and they are bookmarkable. I previously owned the e280, and it did not have bookmarking at all. With the help of Rockbox (), I was able to get bookmarks and a ton of added features, but even then, I was not happy with the bookmarking implementation. I am happy now with Sansa's own Firmware. Additionally, in the past, people like me would opt to install Rockbox because the original firmware was junk, or lacked something like bookmarking. This is the best bookmarking implementation I have seen aside from Apple's Ipod (which is pretty good in my opinion for Audible and m4b files). For once, I do not have to tinker with a device, although Rockbox should be portable to this device soon from what I hear. I think the firmware that comes with it does everything you need for such a small device, and does it awesome. I would recommend this to anyone, and since they are so cheap, have already bought several. I own the 8gb, the 4gb, and the 1gb. This is also the perfect workout device. If you are on the edge about getting something like the Shuffle for working out, skip it and get this. It has more features, more space, and has the clip that you can clip on to your shirt or wherever you want. The Shuffle does have a good build quality, but it is way overpriced, and it terms of features -this blows it out of the water. Like the shuffle, it is perfect for working out.

Pros:

For me -Top One -Very Workout Friendly, On The go, friendly.

For Me -Top one -Bookmarking feature.

I know I go on about this a lot, but for years and years and years, the device makers, aside from Apple's Ipod, never really put much attention into a good bookmarking feature. Even Sansa's e280 was complete garbage. For audiobook lovers, this was a critical feature, espescially if you have a large library from a site like Audible. Sansa got it right with this device.

(Note: The Old Rio Players had it from the start and did it well, but I think the company went bust and they are no longer being made ... I think.)

Supports Audible, Rhapsody, Overdrive, and I think a a couple of other services

Multiple file formats (mp3, flac, ogg, wav ... I think a couple others, but not sure?)

Built in Radio ... not that I use it a lot, but it is nice from time to time. One can also record songs from the radio and then copy them to the computer.

Built in recorder ... Don't use it often, but is great when my digital audio recorder runs low on battery or if I am in a bind.

Clip ... the clip allows you to clip it to a shirt or pants while working out or wherever

Sound Quality ... Awesome. Literally. I am not an audiophile, so I am not an expert, but this is a good sounding player

Screen ... yes, it has a screen, and when you compare it to its chief rival, the Apple Shuffle, this is a big plus

Space ... 8 gigs for such a tiny thing ... what are you waiting for?

Adapater ... mini USB ... no strange connector.

Charger ... usb or a usb outlet charger. I just use my GPS charger, works fine.

MTP or MSC support ... big plus -you can you a program like Rhapsody or just drag and drop like a Flash drive. I hate Itunes, although I live with it for my Ipod 120 gb, because I haven't seen anything as good, aside from this, at bookmarking. This is great if your on the go, deal with a mac at work, a PC at home, and other computers at friends or girlfriends houses. Plug it in anywhere.

Support ... Sansa has thrown a lot of support and updates to this device, I'm guessing, due to its popularity. There are numerous software updates that fix problems with the device. You would think this would be a given for all devices, but for some makers it takes forever to update a critical problem.

Cons ...

Control ... pretty simple, but people with bigger fingers may find it a little more difficult

Build ... the build overall is good, and I have dropped mine a ton of times, and they are still kicking, but it does feel fragile. But what can you expect for so many features and such a lot price? I've handled the new Nano from Apple, and that is probably a lot more fragile than this.

No video, but really, is this a con? Who is a going to watch on such a small screen.

In sum, perfect workout device, or on the go device where you don't want bulk. Has all the features one could want for an on the go device and does them great.

Five stars.

Note: the USB cable that comes included isn't that great for some reason. Don't bother using it. Use a cable that you probably already have or get one for 5-10 bucks. In my experience, it seemed to have problems connecting sometimes, and then at other times, it wouldn't show up at all. Most likely you already have a spare one, but if not, most stores carry them now.

Note: I usually don't write reviews, but I felt compelled to provide a little bit more detail because this is such an awesome device and some of the questions I had when I first bought one were out there but not in as much detail as I would have hoped. So hopefully this is helpful. This review is coming from a person who primarily cares about audiobooks/podcasts/spoken word content. I care that my music sounds good, but it does not have to be perfect. This device sounds great to me.

Read Best Reviews of Sandisk Sansa Clip 8GB MP3 Player (Black) Here

(2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)Sansa's 8GB Clip MP3 Player came out about a month ago, right after I bought several extra 4GB Sansa Clips during Black Friday's holiday sales. I already have two I still have and use from the many I have bought, many of which have been given as gifts. I knew that the larger size was coming out, but wasn't sure if I would pull the trigger based upon the list price. After all, about $30 to $40 more gets you an 8 GB Zune or Sansa Fuze. (I already have a Zune, but that's another story). Yet even though I couldn't really find this on sale, I ended up pulling the trigger near the list price anyway. Why? Because this guy is the best compact MP3 player that includes a voice recorder out there, and I have found that no matter what capacity player I buy I will always end up needing more space. All of the other great features are still here, and with this added capacity even the higher price isn't enough to deter me from adding this to my MP3 player family.

This is still one of my favorite MP3 designs. As far as I could tell, little of the basic design has been changed relative to the smaller capacity units. There are more color and size options now in the smaller capacity, though this black one is the only option in 8 GB that I have seen. While the product picture makes this black version look the same as the 1 GB black players, it is actually shinier akin to the silver version.

This unit will come down in price, as all the models do eventually. It's still a great value at any capacity. For quick music play-lists this is one of the better optinos, and for the voice recording feature I think this is still THE best option at least of the ones I own. The other added features, like a screen, FM Tuner, and more, make this compact player much more feature-rich than the similarly sized iPod Shuffle. The iPod Shuffle is a little bit more durable though, or at least it was till they got rid of the metal body. Still, the point is the same: even with the cons it's hard to argue against how great this player is.

With sizes for MP3 players growing, buying the largest size you can is probably a good option. You can definitely get better value looking at the smaller capacity 1 GB, 2 GB and 4 GB units, but this guy gives you a little more capacity to grow into. After all, these super compact players are not expandable. So you can try to get the biggest you can find, or be like me and just buy extras whenever they go on sale. Then keep one for recording, one for your workouts, one for commuting ... you get the picture.

Being able to drag and drop your music is a big convenience, and another strong plus in this player's favor. Check out the pros and cons.

PROS:

+ Nice new capacity gives you room to grow

+ Very Good combination of features, design and value

+ Decent sound quality for a small MP3 player

+ Nice capacity for a decent price

+ Very light-weight

+ FM tuner with 40 presets!!!

+ Voice recording

+ Nice design and color options

+ Nice format compatibility (MP3, DRM WMA, WMA, Audible, etc)

+ USB 1.1 and 2.0 connectivity

+ Can be used as a USB drive / mass storage

+ Can sync music with drag & drop or via software

+ Great 15 20 hour battery life is better than Creative Zen Stone Plus or iPod Shuffle

CONS

Newer shiny body does attract fingerprints and smudges more, so invest in a silicon cover

Slightly larger body than the 2nd and 3rd generation iPod shuffles

Some durability questions linger

Like most of these mini-players, the capacity is not expandable

More low cost options and competing feature rich players make it less of a slam dunk

Still priced near the list price, so less of a value than the smaller capacity units

Included buds will not be enough for most people (almost not worth mentioning, but just be aware of it)

The new Sandisk Sansa Clip may not be as durable as the iPod shuffle, but it still has the advantages of the iPod shuffle with some of the features and benefits of other MP3 player brands. Unlike the Sansa Fuze which has a screen for video, this guy is really meant for audio only. The trade-off is really in the smaller size and integrated clip. The Fuze, iPod Nano, and Zune are all pretty small too and include a video feature. So if you think you really need video, you will want to look to some of those units.

The Clip is a little bigger than the iPod shuffle, but not by much. It has a great feel and a nicer clip. It's perfect for a starter MP3, workout unit, or gift. And now with the added capacity, you can really use this for recording meetings and other such things more than the prior models.

The rechargable battery appears to have been improved a little. It always seemed better than the Creative Zen Stone Plus. The earbuds are passable for beginners but most people will replace them. Check out the skull-candy's for a cheap alternative

I definitely recommend the larger size, especially if you can get it on sale. For those needing more space, Sony, iPod and Zune units are available at 16 GB and up. All of those units have higher price tags.

You may even want to check out the SanDisk Sansa View 16 GB MP3 Player.

CONCLUSION

The trade-offs between size and features are getting more difficult. For those who use the recording and need a smaller size, this deserves consideration. Even for music only this is still compelling, but you may want to widen your search to include those other models as prices fall. This is a great starter unit for yourself or to give as a gift. Hopefully the new batches have improved durability. The same great features are all here that will keep this design around for a while.

Enjoy!

Want Sandisk Sansa Clip 8GB MP3 Player (Black) Discount?

I needed a new MP3 player. I had originally used a 1st gen iPod Shuffle, but really disliked not having a screen to help navigate the device. I decided against another iPod because I dislike how Apple doesn't support older iPod accessories whenever they come out with a new model. So my search began for my first Windows Media Player MP3 device.

I looked at multiple devices, including the Creative Zen, Sony Walkmans, and even the Sansa Fuze. All are excellent players and deserving of hard consideration if you want a non-Apple player. The Creatives and Walkman boast a reputation for excellent audio quality out of the box, as well as intuitive GUI's. And the Fuze is a lot of player for not a lot of money.

However, I chose the 8gb Clip. The player works perfectly as an exercise companion: it's lightweight, holds quite a few songs, and sports surprising audio depth with the right aftermarket headphones (I bought Koss KE295 noise cancellation earbuds, and they sound wonderful).

I decided against the Creative products upon reading that their music-loading software is difficult to use. With the Clip, its either Windows Media Player 11, or even simpler, dragging and dropping through Windows Explorer. The only reason I nixed the Fuze was that I didn't think I'd ever want to watch videos on a portable device (one big point in the Fuze's favor, however, is the port for a MicroSD card, making it a tough choice for me).

Anyways, the Clip's GUI is a blue and yellow OLED, and quite bright in low light levels. It's a bit small, but still legible and reasonably attractive. Getting to your music, FM radio, microphone, etc., is easy and intuitive. If you ever get into some weird submenu, simply hit the 'Home' button to return to the main screen. Great feature. The clip on back is removable, and has a strong spring hinge. Clipped to a waistband, it feels like nothing at all, which is great when wearing lightweight exercise shorts. The dedicated volume rocker on the side of the player is quite handy as well.

The Sansa Clip can be summed up for me in one word: surprising. The amount of features you get for the price point is quite impressive. The unit seems fairly sturdy overall, BUT this is my second 8gb Clip. I returned the first to the big box store I bought it from when I discovered that both the power and volume buttons on either side of the unit were quite loose and rattled with little motion. Fearing a hardware failure, I got a new one and it seems to be much tighter than the first.

I still wonder if my choosing the Clip over the Fuze was a prudent one; if the Clip had expandable memory than there would be no contest. But all in all, this is a fairly inexpensive model that gives you quite a few options to fool around with. Its a solid choice for joggers, bikers, anybody who exercises. And its so small and discreet, it would never be in the way tucked in a pant's pocket for everyday use. Plus the sound quality cannot be overemphasized. Check one out and see what the Clip can do for you.

I bought my Sansa Clip in November 2008 and enjoyed it until it died forever just a couple of days ago. As far as how well it worked for me, I'd want to give it a 4 or maybe even a 5 star rating, but the amount of frustration I went through when it periodically froze and deleted all of my songs kind of killed that. I frequently got an error message on the screen (by frequently, I mean every few months or so) saying that I need to free 30mb of space. The only way I was able to access the player after that was to hook it up to the computer and reformat it which took forever, and then of course, I had to reload all the songs. Sometimes it would just freeze and delete everything without the error message, and I could format it through the player (without hooking it up to the computer) so at least it was courtious SOMETIMES (when it wanted to be a jerk).

Just recently, it became unresponsive, freezing up at the start screen and the computer won't even register that something is plugged into it. After scanning the Sansa FAQ and forums, it has become clear that my clip is dead forever. It was a good, long haul and I'm going to miss it... even though I ended up smashing it with a crowbar after ordering a new one (different brand). Would I recomend it? Yes, as a matter of fact I would. 7.5gb (the actual amount you can use) is a lot of space and the price isn't bad. I'm guessing what happened to mine is the battery finally wore out (even rechargeables die eventually). A way to help extend the battery life is to NOT keep it plugged in too long. Just allow it to charge or load your music/audio books and then unplug it. I didn't do that. Now it's in pieces.

Sony DVP-FX700 7-Inch Portable DVD Player

• 7-inch TFT LCD screen with 16:9 aspect ratio to match the dimensions of your favorite movies
• Includes built-in stereo speakers with simulated surround sound
• Dolby Digital and DTS passthrough with optical digital-audio output
• Rechargeable battery with 3-hour playback ensures uninterrupted viewings of 1 to 2 movies
• Includes remote control, AC power adapter

I bought this unit 3 weeks ago from Best Buy. I had previously purchased a Mintek 1710 (7 inch screen) from Best Buy in August 2002. The Mintek had a sharp picture but its build quality and its battery were exceedingly poor. I had two Mintek's go bad on me until Best Buy simply asked me to apply my initial investment towards any new DVD player.

Next, I acquired a Toshiba SD-P2500 with an 8.9 inch sceen. This unit has fine build quality and the sound is superb. However, after 2 days of fiddling with its controls, I could never get a good picture in lowlight scenes. The blacks were too milky. I watched the DVD of TWISTER and was really disappointed with the experience. Finally, I took it back to Best Buy and got the Sony.

The Sony is a beautiful unit with a 7 inch screen. It lacks the progressive scan feature (no use on the built-in screen) of the Toshiba and the component video outputs it does have an S video out. The sound from the tiny speakers is nearly as good as the Toshiba. However, this unit has the finest build quality (quite unlike the Mintek which would get dented with the slightest bump) of all the portable DVD players that I have seen. It is made in Korea and not China (not sure if that has anything to do with it).

The picture quality is simply superb with deep blacks. It has two buttons right on the LCD that allow you to adjust the brightness and contrast very convenient. I also love the tiny blue LCD display that gives you information on the track number etc. So far the battery appears to perform well. It has only one headphone out unlike the Toshiba (which had two) but this can be rectified with a $5 split cord from Radio Shack if you need it. I have had no problems with DVD's slipping in my car over road bumps. The manual is well written as you might expect from Sony.

I must confess that I miss the 8.9 inch screen of the Toshiba and also the ability of the Mintek to play PAL DVD's. (Neither the Toshiba or the Sony will play PAL DVD's).

Finally, I would highly recommend that one get a product replacement plan with these players. Although, I am so far very happy with the Sony, I just have a feeling that portable DVD players are still not quite robust enough for the use that our children subject them to in the course of travel.

Buy Sony DVP-FX700 7-Inch Portable DVD Player Now

I compared the Sony with other available units costing half as much or less and bought the Sony based on picture quality alone. I figured the Sony would be worth the additional cash. Well, I was wrong. The price has been steadily dropping since I bought it so if you really want it, I suggest waiting.

Picture quality is good, but the resolution isn't anything spectacular. I'd never seen the specs listed anywhere but the owner's manual says it's 234x480. If you try to view JPEGs from a CD, it becomes painfully obvious the resolution isn't up to the task. DVD's look pretty good though and ultimately that's what this thing is for.

I'm content with the picture quality for DVDs but I am disappointed with this player's feature set. First, you absolutely can NOT fast forward without the remote control. I'd read that on someone else's review and couldn't believe it...well BELIEVE it. It's absurd that Sony left that feature off the console. You can fast forward with the remote but the console only allows you to skip chapters. This becomes incredibly annoying when watching a DVD like Sex and the City where chapters are entire episodes. Want to skip the opening credits of each episode? too bad, unless you have the remote. The remote control is nice, but why should I have to lug that around to accomplish a basic feature?

Second, most home DVD players today will remember where you left off on a certain number of DVDs so you can resume later without having to skip forward to where you were. Unfortunately, this DVD player doesn't have that feature as it remembers nothing once the DVD is removed or the unit is powered down.

Also, the headphone volume is weak and further weakened by a headphone splitter which is necessary for two headphones because Sony only provides one headphone jack. On a recent flight, I had to unplug the headphones and listen with the speakers because the max volume was too low for two sets of headphones. I'll concede however that a good pair of noise canceling headphones would solve this problem.

One other thing, not only does this unit not come with a car adapter, Sony does NOT make one for it! The $10-20 adapters at Circuit City/Radio Shack do NOT work. Come on Sony, what a joke!

Battery life is on par with compeition (2.5-3hrs). Recharge time is a respectable 2.5 hours, but you can NOT use the player while recharging.

Overall, picture quality and construction are better than the competition, but this is far from the perfect player. My recommendation would be to wait for the price to continue dropping or better yet, wait for the next generation of portable DVD players. They are bound to get cheaper/better than this.

Read Best Reviews of Sony DVP-FX700 7-Inch Portable DVD Player Here

This is one sleek sexy little gadget with a tremendously beautiful screen. With excellent sound, its a perfect tool for those long car/plane trips so you can watch those big screen blockbusters anytime,anyplace without losing anything. Its also perfect for use as your home DVD player as it hooks up easy to your home TV. It has a good battery life so you could watch almost any movie and then watch the extras on just one charge (which is about 3 hours so it would be hard to watch the Lord of the Rings extended versions and the extras too lol). But as i watch Spider-Man on it right now it is just an amazing little thing.

Want Sony DVP-FX700 7-Inch Portable DVD Player Discount?

as noted in other reviews, maximum volume is not loud enough when using this player on an airplane with inexpensive noise-cancelling headphones. Based on a prior review and recommendation, I bought the Boostaroo amplifier from cyberguys.com for about $30 including shipping. While I haven't used the amplifier in the air yet, it clearly does amplify volume with no discernable loss of sound quality. This product makes a major disappointment in the sony dvd player disappear.

Thank you "electronics fan" for the tip.

I purchased a Sony portable DVD player this time last year. Big mistake. It stopped working shortly after the 90 day warranty and Sony would do nothing but let me pay them for a repair/exchange. So I paid for an exchange + Shipping. Then the replacement they sent (same model) would not even turn on. Then they offer to let me pay to send that one back too (months have transpired because they do not send a replacement until they have logged in and assessed the one you send back). Meanwhile, I still have nothing. Sony charge me $500 for a lemon product and will not stand behind it. I will never purchase a Sony product again.

Aurum Ultra Series Toslink Cable - Digital Optical Audio Cable - 50 Feet

Since this was a gift and the guy on the receiving end didn't say there was anything wrong with the product and he is very picky I guess it works well.

I just installed this cable to connect the TV and amplifier for my home theater setup.

It is well made and works great.

It shipped and arrived on time as expected.

Buy Aurum Ultra Series Toslink Cable - Digital Optical Audio Cable - 50 Feet Now

4 CH USB 2.0 DVR PC Digital Audio Video Security Camera Surveillance Recorder

This is not a cheesy DVR. Construction and materials look and feel top notch. I set up a small camera system for my home, (3 cameras). I had no problems getting the software to work with windows 7. When I plugged in the USB connector, at first my computer did not recognize the devise, it said "unknown devise" or something to that effect. After restarting and plugging it back in, then my computer saw the devise as "QQDVR" and windows installed the drivers for me. I tried other DVRs in the past, like the one from Sharx Security that installs into a PCI slot and had to return it because it was not compatible with Windows 7. This one works great with windows 7. Other great features include 4 channels video with their own audio jacks, so 4 channels audio/video (4 BNC Video jacks,4 Audio RCA jacks). Frame rates are great even with all three cameras running. Cameras are independently fully adjustable. Setting up the remote surveillance feature was easy and I was able to monitor my property as well as motion record while I was on vacation 1100mi away from home. I was able to monitor from my laptop at the hotel I was staying in. This DVR takes up no space in my computer case allowing my computer to run cooler because there is no warm/hot, air blocking PCI card in my PCI slot. This would also be a great product for someone who wants to use it with their laptop. Note: When you configure the software, you will be asked what signal type your cameras are, your choices are "PAL" and "NTSC", if you are in the United States choose "NTSC". Don't select "PAL" I did this by mistake and I had no signal. Also, if you put your computer into "sleep mode", that will disable the DVR software temporarily until you do a restart and open the program again. When I record, I disable my "sleep" function. If you get confused installing the QQDVR, someone posted a video on YouTube explaining the install.

Well, I thought this was going to work, but I keep having problems getting more than one camera to work at a time, and the program could be more user friendly. I can't get it to minimize and then come back to full screen, which means I can't use my computer for anything else once I launch the program. I've been working with computers since 1980, and have used DVR security devices for over 10 years, but all I can say is that you get what you pay for. If anyone else has had experience with this USB DVR device, I would love to hear from you.

Buy 4 CH USB 2.0 DVR PC Digital Audio Video Security Camera Surveillance Recorder Now

K-Tek KTDR40 Topper Fuzzy Windscreen (for DR40)

• Black short faux fur construction
• Reduces unwanted wind noise

This is the first windscreen I've used with the exception of the foam windscreen that came with an inexpensive lavalier microphone designed for use with voice recorders. So while I cannot compare it to other "dead cat" type windscreens, I can at least comment on the difference it makes vs no windscreen on the TASCAM DR-40. And I can make a few general comments about its fit and quality. I should mention that because I am an amateur at making sound recordings, my comments will be non-technical.

Fake fur toppers or windscreens for portable recorders like the DR-40 and the Zoom Hn4 usually run around $40, so when I saw this one for $26.10, I decided to check it out. Prior to this I spent the better part of an afternoon looking for fake fur in the small city in which I live, with no luck. I now realize that even if I had found some fake fur, the effort I would've had to put into turning it into a DIY fuzzy topper would not have been worth it. For one thing, not all fake furs are equal where fuzzy windscreens are concerned, and a DIY fuzzy windscreen could easily turn out to be less than effective for its intended purpose.

But before placing my order I looked for reviews online. In addition to the only other review on this page (at present) than mine, all I could find for this specific model was a one-liner at the B&H site, which said, "windscreen is short and tends to slip off the recorder very easily." That made me hesitate to order it, but I figured I could always return it if I was in any way unsatisfied. I also read reviews for K-Tek toppers for recorders other than the DR-40, and those were overwhelmingly positive.

While it's true that the K-Tek KTDR40 is short, in my experience it does not slip off easily. The elastic on the topper I received is extremely tight, and the width of the elastic is about 5/16 of an inch, while the area on the DR-40 where it can grab onto is just about 1/2 inch wide. The other review on this page says that the topper may fly off if you use it when using headphones to monitor your recording. While I can see how this could be a problem, I find that as long as I am gentle when pushing the elastic out of the way of the headphone jack, this is not a problem at all. When the elastic is pushed up enough to permit access to the jack, there is still enough area on the headphone jack side of the DR-40 to allow this topper to have a tight fit.

When I want to use the DR-40 with the microphones in the AB position (extended outwards) with the topper, I have to move the microphones after the topper is in place. This is a bit of a hassle but a topper would have to be needlessly roomy for this to be otherwise.

Turing the KTDR40 inside out, it appears thoroughly well made. I cannot see the stitching on the seams, though the seams appear to be very well stitched, as does the elastic. There is a small tab on the outside that says K-Tek on one side (white lettering on black) while there's a full color US flag on the other (bordered by black).

How about the sound? Before getting this fuzzy topper I used my DR-40 to record the sounds of a nearby river on a breezy day, and the result was worthless, as even the slightest movement of air is picked up by the DR-40. Even moving it indoors while recording, e.g., while walking with it in hand from point to point, results in an obtrusive wind sound. (Being an amateur at sound recording, I don't yet know how to make adjustments in the recorder itself that might help make wind sounds less of a problem, but based on everything I've read, one must use a windscreen wherever there is any wind regardless of the recording settings.)

With the fuzzy topping on my DR-40, recording the same river in the same spot on a windy rather than merely breezy day resulted in a fine recording, with no obtrusive wind sounds. Recording indoors with the topper on the DR-40 while moving about eliminates air movement sounds that the DR-40 mics pick up when used without the topper. The difference is really night and day and I am quite satisfied with the KTDR40, though I won't deny that I'm curious to hear what kind of difference a more expensive fuzzy topper might make.

K-Tek products are manufactured in the US, and K-Tek Boom Poles has been providing audio production accessories to professionals for nearly two decades, and was founded by the late Manfred Klemme. Klemme was honored with an Outstanding Achievement in engineering development award by the 1999 Prime Time Emmy Awards, and in 1998 the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored him with a Technical Achievement Award for the K-Tek boom pole that he invented. K-Tek has a solid reputation and the very high quality of this fuzzy windscreen shows why.

It came in a heavy plastic bag (inside a bubbly shipping envelope), which I now use to store it when it's not in use. I'm more than pleased with this purchase.

Buy K-Tek KTDR40 Topper Fuzzy Windscreen (for DR40) Now

I bought this windscreen primarily based on the price, and it had few, but good reviews. My experience after giving it more than a fair shake, is it's incredibly difficult to put on, it's just too small for my Tascam dr-40. Not just occasionally, but every time I attempt to use it, I struggle for several minutes and countless tries to get the darn thing on. I have very dextrous fingers, no arthritis, but it just plain doesn't fit well. And yes, as another reviewer commented, it can and will shoot off if you're not super careful handling your unit. When I place it in my pelican case, it comes off every time. Another reviewer made the comment that the mics can be adjusted pointing outward once the windscreen is in place. This is wrong. You can manage finagle them to point straight forward, but mine is too small for the mics to point outward, and once they are adjusted to this position, it easily pops off because they are pushing against the end of the topper. Yes, it works as described, no problems there. But after using it a couple of dozen times now, it just never seems to get any better, I hoped it would stretch out or something. I'm sending it back, despite the fair price, to get one that I don't struggle with every time I try to use it. Very frustrating, and worth the extra $15 to avoid. I could have gotten a blem or something, but not going to risk getting another. Good company, good booms, poor windscreen for the dr-40.

Read Best Reviews of K-Tek KTDR40 Topper Fuzzy Windscreen (for DR40) Here

By all means this windscreen isn't professional grade...you can still hear winds that are moving fairly fast. However, on the average day with winds moving relatively calmly the windscreen does exactly what it should: Block unwanted wind noise. I saw that there was no review so I thought I'd give my brief review of this product. First off, I would definitely order from K-Tek...they got the item to me within a few days and to be honest, it was in very good shape when I got it. I was also surprised to find it had more hair than I thought it would. Now onto the short review: The windscreen has a very tight grip on it, and a loose end so the bars aren't effected by the screen. The only thing that keeps this from getting a 5 start review is that if you plan on using monitor headphones with it, be prepared for it to fly off. The band is strong but it covers the line in for monitor headphones. That's really my only issue with it

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Honestly, this is a piece of furry fabric with an elastic band. I absolutely cannot see why I paid $26.10 for it! It is worth $4.99 at most. It can't take more than a dollar to make. My advice for anyone who is crafty is to go to the fabric store, buy the materials and make your own. The only reason I gave it 2 stars and not just 1 is that is does appear at least well made and fits nicely. My issue is the highway robbery price! I honestly feel robbed!

I struggled to put the windscreen on . Once I got it on it popped off with very little movement.

Not a good product for a quick application when you're under the gun.

Motorola RIZR Z3 Unlocked Phone with 2 MP Camera, MP3/Video Player, and MicroSD Slot--International

As a long-time owner of Sony Ericsson and Nokia phones; I was a bit hesitant to buy any phone outside of those two familiar brands, but after my last phone got lost, I needed a replacement and needed a good phone fast.

You know know Motorola's popular Razr line dominated 2006 and is still a strong contender for 2007, so with that popularity, it seems the company is not going to venture too far from a line that really sky-rocketed them to the No. 1 spot. From the Razr came the new Krzr and Rizr line and so we will pick on the Rizr at this time.

I have had the phone for 3 days know, and I am really impressed with this little thing. The hardest thing for me was just geting use to the Motorola interface (this is my very first Motorola); but besides that, it had all the features I craved...

P..R..O..S......

1) WORLD PHONE Baby I love Ericsson phones, but they are usually tri-band phones...I needed a quad band phone with all the travelings and phone calls I make, and I knew Motorola is very consistent with this modality.

2)CAMERA & VIDEO basedtelephone I love to take pics and I love recording capabilities on my cell phones, so when I found that this nifty devide has a 2MP camera and an un-timed video recorder (both of which can be accessed with a dedicated button), I was very thrilled..It has full-fledged camera and video options, so you'd never need to carry a separate camera or video camera when you have this phone

3)MP3 Player I already have a dedicated music player, but it is nice to have the option to load as much as 40-50 songs on this phone ( with its included 128MB micro-SD card).

4) Great battery management You'd think with a gadget that boasts to be a phone, MP3 player, video and camera will die in few hours right...wrong..I have only charged it once (I love having my phone fully charged before I leave the house) and it is really good with its battery management ( definately squashed my last cell phone which boasted all the same features Sony Ericsson K700i)

5) EXPANDIBLE The phone only has around 24MB of memory, but with the included 128MB card, and the ability to upgrade the phone yourself and get a 2GB card, there is virtually no way to ever really run out of space

6) STEREO Bluetooth HEADSET anyone? Ok...so I havent purchased it yet, but because this is a Music player phone and because it does have Bluetooth, you can buy a Bluetooth stereo headset so that you can jam to your music and be totally wireless...NiCE!!

7) Perfect for NON-FLIP Lovers I have a thing for bar/candy bar phones...I never cared for flip phones, so this is a real treat for both the lovers of flip phones and those of us who still like the European-type non-flip phones...

ALSO, voice recordings & voice note-talking capabilites, JAVA-enabled, standard productivity suite (Calendar, Alarm, World clock), Instant Messaging ( if you are on the T-Mobile network), Ability to use your MP3s as your own ringtones...

C..O..N..S......

1) What? No Infraread Although I will miss having the IrDA technology, everything seems to be moving to a Bluetooth connectivity world, so I am not too sad about it.

2) No FM Tuner I didnt really need this feature on a phone, but I did have it on my last cell phone and it was great to have. This phone's other features do make the lack of a FM tuner bareable though, so its all good.

that's it...I am really enjoying this phone. I am glad I got it. Thanks T-mobile. LOL

Let me know if you have any questions or want to know anything else about this wonderful product!

Motorola RIZR

First blush, day 1: Attractive phone, feels good & sturdy in the hand, buttons are very responsive, slide function is easy to use and graceful, GUI is not exactly pretty but mostly very intuitive. Rather well put together phone.

Why'd I get this phone: quad band, Bluetooth, good camera, a music player (or two actually, confusing) which seemed decent in the store. And because it was NOT a flip phone (which I loath), Tmo didn't have a decent candy bar (which I love), and ... it was not a Samsung (take that for what it's worth).

Pros:

1. Great camera compared to what I've had (SE T610, Samsung T809) with very strong flash, actually, it's like a flash light. Can I smart button this function anyone?

2. So far, reception is pretty good, antenna stronger than my old & beat up SE t610, and comparable to my Samsung t809 (which broke), but sometimes the call is scratchy or does that computer reverberation like sound (which I've never experienced on my other phones).

3. iTap text message entry is pretty impressive/smart (this is my first Motorola phone). I'm not sure of how it is implemented on other Motorolas but I like it on this one. I miss a few choices of T9 on my SE t610 (w/ Tmo) but iTap is cool.

Cons:

1. No timer or stopwatch

2. No analog clock option (but Moto if you're going to design one, make it look like the Nokia analog clock for the 6133 or the s60 menubar clock)

3. No mirror on the back for self pics like many Sony-Ericsson bar phones have

4. Placement of memory card: buy yourself surgical tweezers or hemostats to get this sucker out

5. Mac/Bluetooth/iSync: iSync does not work for me despite having first dl'd an iSync plug in which purports to doing so. With my Samsung this made me irate, but Moto has a good track record with iSync support so I'm waiting.

6. Headset has better mic, so others hear me better even than when I'm using the phone regularly. BUT, there's often (65% of the time) a buzz that either I can hear, or both my caller and I can hear.

7. Cannot access full menu when on a call, only some menu functions (but not text or call recording)

8. Cannot record calls

9. Some functions & settings hard to find (or completely lost)

Tmo has crippled this phone in some ways:

1. no MotoReader like the Moto site for the product says (which opens MS docs)

2. the option to save text messages to the SIM card has been removed. Tmo support says they can't control this. Moto says Tmo has removed it and thus controls that aspect.

3. cannot install Java apps like the Moto site says.

What? I thought this was MY phone now. Silly consumer, Deutsch Telecom owns it.

Comments:

1. screen is tiny compared to others, but still is very resolute and pleasant to look at

2. camera is great, doesn't have as many fun options as my old Samsung t809 (which I really didn't like but which did have lots of ways to play with your pics when taking them like comic bubbles etc)

3. my RIZR was set to display only SIM card contacts when I first got it from Tmo which frustrated me for a while since the phone kept telling me that the newly BT transferred contact was "outside current view"

4. I have decided to keep the phone with Tmo despite the drawbacks I've listed.

After long term use:

1. key pad lost responsiveness, would not enter some numbers, some numbers would enter two or three times, scrool pad lost sensitivity on one side.

2. after moving on to other phones, the features i miss are

flash light (simple feature, but once gone is missed)

iTap. going back to t9 is painful now! iTap took a little adjustment but once adjusted is far superior

Buy Motorola RIZR Z3 Unlocked Phone with 2 MP Camera, MP3/Video Player, and MicroSD Slot--International Now

Ok so I have the a Unlocked Black Rizr I got off of ebay since amazon is still so high. That will probably drop before too long. But keep in mind amazon has warranties and protection compared to the hassles ebay can ensue. So heres my take on it after a couple weeks.

The good and bad of this sweet phone!

1: Mp3 player. I love having this in my phone! I have a separate one but

this is so much better if you just want to pack light. The interface isn't the best on the media player but its bearable. It allows playlists and sorts by artist, album, and song. Only thing that really bugs me is no link to the now playing. It has one when you just let it play but once you leave that screen your s.o.l. Overall decent though, however you can't do other things and keep the music playing. You can suspend it, but that still pauses the playback. You can also add a 2gb microsd card to really make it worth while. Just make sure you have a card reader to speed transfers to the card.

2. Bluetooth/Stereo Bluetooth: Whooh, this may be my favorite new gadget! listening wireless like never before. I have a Motorola S9 headset and a SonyEricson. The S9 really makes me never want to use wired headphones again. However, the sonys are more comfortable but you have something hanging down still. I love both though. Definitely worth the money. Just hope you have gotten used to pairing headsets. Sometimes the phone likes to play games with me and make me repair them. Especially if you switch headsets a lot. Also, you can use the bluetooth and the motorola software to backup your contacts, make ringtones, and sync calendars with your computer. You just have to get the software.(I suggest checking forums for it but you can always be honest and actually buy it and keep motorola in business.) The software is nice but beware paying much for it. Theres many other ways to do the same thing. Thats all for that.

3. Camera: I love having the camera but beware its not going to blow your mind or anything. Good lighting though so it will get decent pics when you want it to. So generally it serves its purpose of getting you a pic in the spur of the moment. The video camera is awesome however. You get a clear picture with as much recording time as you memory can hold. SO you can catch not just that one moment but the whole thing. Just don't think the 2 mega-pixel camera will look as good as the a good digital one.

4. Ok here's a few little random things: Expect moto menus. Not a whole lot has changed here however the voice dialing on mine was like the British version. Just a couple more weeks and I'll have my accent perfect to use this feature. Hopefully =). The amazon versions are probably more the american version than mine. A drawback to ebay but hey it proves this is truly a world phone. I'm using t-mobile and get good reception pretty much everywhere. Battery works good I usually charge it like every other night or so depending how much I listen to the mp3 player. Good battery life considering all thats packed in it. Screen is good. Would recommend a screen protector to keep it looking good.

Overall, I'm very happy with it. It works great as a phone or mp3 player or camera. Just watch the price. Thats the only reason I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars. Also, get the black or red. The blue is sadly, real ugly.

Oh almost forgot, make sure you go to carriers website and get the download for the internet browser. Internet won't work without it. At least, not with t-mobile. Found it in faqs for phones not purchased through t-mobile. Don't worry, its free to download.

Read Best Reviews of Motorola RIZR Z3 Unlocked Phone with 2 MP Camera, MP3/Video Player, and MicroSD Slot--International Here

PLUSES:

Looks futuristic, up to date, cool. Menu is easy to navigate through, phone is pretty user friendly. Great display and graphics. Cool ring tones and backgrounds. 2megapixel camera, light. Good reception.

MINUSES:

Here is what I just don't get: Sony Ericsson has this and I think it is one of the most useful features. This phone nor any of the other motorola one I know does not have the ability to light up the main display when a button is pressed. When the screen goes blank, you have to press something for it to light up, but any button you press will perform that button's command. If you press any button on a Sony Ericsson while the screen is black, it first goes to the main screen. This is VERY inconvenient. If you are on a call, the screen goes black, so if you want to check how many minutes you've been on the call, or see what number it is, or what time it is, you can't, unless you press a command key, in which case you'll end up in that command. Sucks. Also, the speaker is shoddy, sometimes it just breaks up and sounds muffled, as well as the ear phone. I don't think the people on the other line sound as clear as they should, I often find myself asking them to repeat thmselves, but not on my Sony Ericsson. The picture quality is OK, not good, not great.

Bottom Line: Cool, but far from great. A few tweaks to the interface would make this phone much better, but Motorola just didn't hit the mark yet.

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I have had my RIZR from T-Mobile for a few weeks now after switching from Verizon. I was originally considering the Nokia 5300. But when I compared the 2 phones side by side, the RIZR seemed more solid, more durable and less flimsy than the Nokia 5300. So I chose the RIZR and I could not be happier. The phone is easy to program and a breeze to use. The display is bright, clear and very easy to read (even without my bifocals!). So far the sound quality and reception have been outstanding. The best feature for me is the mp3 player. With my new RIZR I can transfer mp3 songs directly from my computer to my phone with a simple drag and drop (the 128 MB card is not very large, but enough for my needs). I can then select the songs to act as ringtones. Being able to assign a song/ringtone to a certain phone number is a really cool feature, at least for me.

The mp3 player included with the phone is very easy to use too.

My only "minor" gripe is the screen goes black during calls. But I found pressing the volume up button, which displays the volume screen temporarily, brings the main screen back fast enough for me.

All in all a great phone and highly recommended.

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