Motorola KRZR K1 Unlocked Phone with 2 MP Camera, MP3/Video Player, and MicroSD Slot--International

I just upgraded from a RAZR phone, and this new KRAZR is exceptionally nice. The phone has great reception, the sound quality & volumn are very good, the menus are very easy to get around,it fits your face well (not too short as many phones now are) and operating the phone is simple. This phone is clearly evident of Motorola's evolution in the cell-phone industry. By the way, you can customize the "soft-keys" to be whatever you want them to be. Likewise, you can customize the menus to appear as you would like. They have really thought of the user and have made this phone very User Friendly as well. It seems that the majority of the people I talk to aren't as interested in "whistles & bells" as much as they just want a plain old GOOD phone. This is it! However, if you want more, you can load your MP3 music on to it, you can use the calendar, you can take a picture, and if you are really adventurous, you can access the internet, and also retreive your email! By the way, this phone is capable of taking advantage of the Cingular/AT&T EDGE network which gives you 'faster than usual' internet. I highly recommend this Good Looking, Well Working phone.

Pros:

Exclusivity. Nobody has this phone/color combo.

Killer looks. The glass front is mind-blowing. Photo doesn't do it justice.

Killer size. Left to right it's thinner than the RAZR but slightly longer and slightly thicker front to back.

Sturdy. This is where it shines. When you close it, it feels like a luxury car door. Very solid; lightyears ahead of the RAZR.

Sound quality is top-notch. Excellent reception.

Camera is actually very, very good. I was very, very surprised.

Works with all my old RAZR accessories.

Cons: (barely justifiable to even call them that)

A couple of the included games/java apps were in Chinese.

The phone language. "Centre" instead of "Center", Personalise instead of "Personalize" Not really a big deal. Must be a UK English vs. a US English thing.

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I hung on to my old v60i in the hope that Motorola would fix their user interface, this one is substantially different, but the bad features of the v60i remain. The side buttons.

As of 5/22/08 I'm about ready to hurl this from the roof. The UI is just too inconvenient. I've also had to replace the battery once.

6/13/08 Enough already! I replaced it with a Nokia E51. On the E51 the side buttons are not too sensitive, they require deliberate use, and all buttons are automatically locked after a timeout period anyway. The E51 is nearly twice the price now but 10 times the phone (GSM quad band, WCDMA dual band, 802.11g an FM radio and god knows what else that I haven't found yet). I have temporarily given the KRZR to my significant other, but I'll be replacing that and the daughter's phones with Nokia phones when we change the plan to use the E51's data capabilities; why would I inflict on her what I wasn't happy with myself?

Let's do the good first: The voice quality in both directions is good, the talk time is good and the standby time is good enough that I am surprised when it needs recharging. I use it quite a lot and that still only seems to be twice a week. The ring tones are the usual selection but the maximum volume is considerably higher than in my old phone. Signal handling is much better, it holds on to calls that AT&T could previously be relied on to drop, but there are still issues where it fails to roam to the next cell, though I strongly suspect that is due to lame network software rather than the phone (symptoms are that after a dropped call with no signal the signal strength immediately maxes out). For someone who travels to Europe the quad band GSM is indispensable, I keep a spare SIM for UK visits because it gives me calls to the US for about 1/10th of the cost of allowing AT&T to roam to Europe. The music player is fine, but you are going to have to either buy bluetooth headphones, which you can't use on a plane, or buy the USB adapter which should have been included for the trivial cost in such an expensive phone. It makes an excellent alarm clock and is loud as hell.

The not so good: The iTap text entry is slow and not as good as the old version, whatever that was called. I guess I'll eventually get used to iTap, but the old predictive text had some advantages.

The Ugly: the joker who came up with these side buttons that can't be disabled should be fired. It's the easiest thing in the world to brush against the phone and fire up the crummy voice entry (below) or, with a bit more of a rubbing motion, switch the ringer from one more to another. So you can silence the phone and drop it in your pocket only to find it ringing in the middle of a movie. Or you eventually notice nobody is talking to you and check the phone only to find you have a couple of missed calls and the phone has been set to silent. Somehow. Then there's the voice entry, the best you could say is that it's not good. If you brush against the voice button it thinks about it for a good while and then some awful woman say "say a command". Now you have to try and convince it to call someone based on the phone's attempt at pronouncing the name you used in the phone book. Since I work with a load of Indians and Chinese that's about as much use as a chocolate fireguard. It was much more useful to be able to program the nicknames.

But would I buy it again? Yes. There aren't many neat phones like this and if there's another one with quad band GSM too I didn't find it.

But if someone comes out with a quad band GSM phone with good signal handling and no side buttons you'll see my KRZR on Ebay the next day.

Read Best Reviews of Motorola KRZR K1 Unlocked Phone with 2 MP Camera, MP3/Video Player, and MicroSD Slot--International Here

This is a great phone. What impressed me most about it was several things. One was its sleek design and feel. If you liked the RAZR, this phone will really knock your socks off. It's not quite as wide as the RAZR, which makes it easier on the hands, and it's solid construction makes you feel like you're holding a quality product. I love how it snaps shut after you finish a call. It's satisfying. Two, it has better reception than the RAZR, or at least it seems that way to me. I don't have any data to support this claim, but I have fewer dropped calls on this phone, and the volume is much better. I don't find myself pressing the phone against my ear like I used to do with the RAZR, which is really nice. Three, I dig the MP3 and multimedia features. I popped a 2GB card in the phone and loaded about 50 of my favorite songs and about 75 family photos in it. It's great because now I can set the phone alarm to wake up to my favorite songs, or set ring tones to whatever tune I have loaded on it. Also, I setup a playlist and listed to it while jogging the other day. I was most impressed. I also created a family album on the phone and showed it to friends in a slideshow format. It was funny. Rather than complimenting me on my beautiful family, they focused their comments on the photo quality of my phone. I was like, dude. Anyway, if you like cool phones, I totally recommend this one. Yeah it's pricey, but from my perspective, it's worth it. One last comment. I'm a Cingular customer and they, if you haven't noticed, haven't offered the KRZR K1 phone to their customers yet. Well, that's okay. You can still use this phone on thier network. All you have to do is take the phone out of the box, pop in your old SIM card from your previous phone, then call Cingular and ask them to activate it. They will ask you for the IMEI number located on the box and within minutes, you will be connected. It was a snap. Enjoy!

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This particular unlocked version seems thinner than the ones being sold by cell phone carriers. My initial impression was this phone was very tiny. It is smaller than the RAZR V3 in overall dimensions. I use this unlocked phone with Cingular in the Los Angeles area.

The good:

1)Small and cool looking. Most people who have seen it seems to be enamored with its design and form factor. It is definitely an eye catcher.

2)Call quality is great. The volume can be turned on VERY loud. So if you are hard of hearing or just like to hear loud voices over the phone, then this phone will probably fit the bill.

3)Speaker phone. Motorola managed to incorporate a great pair of speaker phones. It is loud and clear enough to have a conference call in a small room full of people.

4)Comes with more than basic ring tones. It comes with several (around 12) musical ring tones. Better yet, the ring tones comes out in a full stereo mode (or at least sounds like it).

5)Camera is good (2MP). Although it will not replace your digicam, it will be more than adequate for emergency uses.

6)Battery life. My informal test on this is that it can handle upto 4-5 hours of talk time.

The Bad (mostly due to it is unlocked):

1)You need to configure EVERYTHING on the phone. Nothing comes preconfigured. This includes the default language, time, date, voicemail, email, IM etc. This can get rather tedious since Cingular does not support unlocked phones.

2)You may lose some functionalities. For example, I have noticed my web browser functionalities do not work with my cingular SIM card. This is no biggie for me since I never browse the web using my phone

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Samsung BD-D6500 3D Blu-ray Disc Player (Black)

• Samsung Smart TV with built-in Wifi
• Samsung BD-D6500 3D Blu-ray Disc Player
• It has enhanced picture qaulity
• It has slot-in loading mechanism
• Power:AC 120 V

I needed to replace an aging Panasonic DMP-BD35K, which had decided to become selective as to which BD's it would play( typically newer titles wouldn't load, I'm not sure if it's a question of a lack in newer firmware, of which Panasonic hasn't released an update in about two years, or if it just isn't working any longer.).

I had researched extensively on the purchase of the Panasonic reading many reviews from several websites, but on this purchase I just decided to take a chance with Samsung. I do own a Samsung television which I really like and the reviews of Samsung's 2010 Blu-ray player were also good. Nearly as good as the 'King of the hill' Oppo( according to cnet video test scores. ). I was also aware of the many negative reviews of the 2010 BD-C6500 and I also noticed that they were mostly in regards to the web enabled apps, and not in regards to video playback. I have an Apple TV which I use for Netflix streaming( it does an excellent job of that, 720p only, but no biggy for me ), and I don't really have any use for the other apps.

So in comes the BD-D6500, I unpack it and connect it in about five minute. The set up is basic with many of the menu selections being 'Auto'. I'm still playing with the set up to see if anything looks better/more accurate. I pop in a disc( Avatar ) and wow, it just looked better. I start going through several BD's and they all look great. The blacks are darker without an over zealous increase in contrast. I run it at 24Hz and it appears to do that better as well( it was always so-so on the Panasonic. ). The Imax shots in The Dark Knight look awesome. And all the while as I am going through several BD's I notice how fast this player loads the discs. Really fast compared to the much older Panasonic.

I'm really impressed by this player. I also played some old DVDs to see how well it upscaled and it did a great job. Again it clearly out performed the Panasonic.

Now as far as the Smart TV apps are concerned I did try to watch a movie on Vudu as it gave me a free rental, and after I selected a movie( Machete ), the player locked up. Maybe it didn't like the movie I picked, but it still shouldn't have done that. I did notice that after I registered the player, the Vudu, along with all the other apps that I went through seemed to work. Perhaps I needed to register the player before I was able to use the apps? And there isn't any built in memory for BD-Live which is kind of lame. You need to use an external USB drive.

In the end I am very happy with this purchase and to be completely honest, a part of me was hoping that this player would have sucked just so I could justify the $500 purchase price of the Oppo BD-93. But it doesn't. It's just a really good Blu-ray player and that's what I wanted. So if your not too concerned with Smart TV apps( which are now working for me ), or too worried about playing files off of your PC( which I think it does, but I haven't a use for. ) then buy with confidence, as I am sure that once the different review sites get their hands on the this new BD-D6500, the results will be stellar.

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I been using the Samsung BD-D6500 unit for a month now and found the picture and color rendition to be great. 3D viewing through my Samsung 3D ready HDTV and optional 3D glasses works well. The wired and wireless connection work but I found myself resetting the unit's network interface on occasion in order to get the unit to function. I strongly recommend using the wired connection for speed and reliability. The standard remote control works fine but the "EXIT", "RETURN", "INFO i" and "TOOLS" buttons are crammed too tightly around the navigation buttons causing inadvertent button depressions. Also, I would have preferred if the "EXIT" and "RETURN" buttons where interchanged. The "Smart Hub" Internet applications are fine when they work. I have found that the "Netflix" application interface is limited compared to the "Netflix" PC interface. If you plan to use the "Smart Hub" applications extensively you may want to consider purchasing the optional "QWERTY" remote control. The BD-Live feature was a challenge to setup and I have yet to get it to work reliably without hanging up the unit. Instructions on how to get the BD-Live feature to work are spares and unclear. However, it is a feature I can live without and of questionable use and value. You will need a thumb drive or external hard drive to get the BD-Live feature to work. Also, you need to let the unit know that you are using the external drive for this purpose. Try the "Digital Data Management" function on the on-screen menu for this.

Overall, if you own a Samsung 3D ready HDTV and 3D viewing is important to you consider this unit. The picture and color quality is great. Otherwise, if 3D viewing is not important consider other Blu-ray (BD) units that may do a better job of network applications. Note, this unit does not provide for direct 5.1 speaker connections.

Now for the tips!

As soon as you connect your unit out of the box and configure your network performed a "network" firmware update! Look in the manual for instructions or under the "Settings" then Support menu on-screen.

If you find yourself resetting the unit's network or having network problems try manually assigning a static IP network address above your router's DHCP addresses or range. To do this first perform a "Network Status" on your unit and note the submask, gateway and DNS server addresses. Now "login" to your router and find the range of the dynamically assigned DHCP addresses. For example, on a Linksys router it is usually 50 addresses starting from 192.68.1.0 to 192.68.1.49.

Pick any address above this range, say 192.168.1.160 for example. However, any address above the DHCP IP address range will do for your specific router. Next, return to BD-D6500 and press the following sequence of remote control buttons for a wired connection: "Menu", select Settings on the screen and "Enter", select Network and "Enter", select "Network Setting" select Wired and "Enter", select IP Mode then select Manual and "Enter".

Finally, enter the IP 192.168.160 and then enter the noted submask, gateway and DNS server addresses your recorded previously. Finally, press "RETURN" your done. Wireless connection is similar to the above press "Wireless" for "Wired" above. You should perform a "Network Status" to make sure all is well.

If you unit is hung after using the BD-Live feature or a "Smart Hub" application try the following:

1. Power off the unit. 2. Disconnect the Ethernet wire from the unit if using a wired connection. 3. Unplug the power cord of the unit. 4. Press the "Power" touch button on the front of the unit and hold in for 20 seconds. 5. Release and reconnect the Ethernet cable and then re-plug the power cord.

If you were using the "Netflix" Smart Hub application you may need to re-activate it after resetting the network on the unit.

Hope this help! If not, contact Samsung and alert them of problem you are experiencing with the unit. I've been able to reach Samsung support in several occasions without much delay.

Read Best Reviews of Samsung BD-D6500 3D Blu-ray Disc Player (Black) Here

I bought this after returning a sony google tv blu ray player. After opening the box, I had the basic set up finished within about 5 minutes. The set-up of the blu ray player took a little bit longer because I had to create new accounts for samsung smart tv, not a big deal just takes some time to finish. Once set-up, I loved it!

PROS:

1. GREAT content offered: Hulu plus, netflix, blockbuster, vudu, MLB network, local event listings, tv listings, and much more!

2. Easy to navigate user interface. Lots of graphic content, large print, items are grouped in a logical order so you can find them easily.

3. Good basic search feature

4. Picture quality on netflix and hulu plus is excellent

5. Price...compared to the sony google-tv, which has less content and a higher price, I was VERY happy with this price tag.

6. Sleek design, front-loading dvd player without a tray. Also, it is lightweight and does not take up much space in my entertainment center.

CONS:

1. No QWERTY keyboard slows down your typing a little, not a big deal though

2. Response time in the user interface and for loading features like apps and netflix is a little slow, but again this is not a big deal.

3. The unit did freeze a couple of times on me, but a simple shutdown and reboot seems to solve this

4. The remote included can function as a basic universal remote, but the codes did not include my tv model so I had to go through all of them until one worked. Cumbersome to accomplish, but ultimately I found a working code...again, not a big deal.

5. Does not come with an HDMI cable. Depending on what you are connecting it to you will need at least one HDMI cable, or as many as three if you are like me: blu ray player, cable box (I am dropping cable service now that I have this), TV, and an AV receiver.

I know that is not the Porsche Boxter of internet blu ray players, but I feel VERY good about this purchase and the content offered.

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Samsung has consistently ignored broken software upgrades, abandoning its customers who have no option but to buy a new player, all the while touting their corporate "leadership" in Blu-ray technology.

I've been a loyal Samsung consumer for many years, buying three TV's and four video disk players. Two of those players are now all but unusable. One Blu-ray player stopped being able to read DVD disks, forcing me to connect two players to that set one for DVD's and one for Blu-ray disks. This latest Blu-ray player purchase, the BD-D6500, stopped being able to effectively stream Netflix after the last software upgrade. Since Netflix streaming is what I use the player for 95% of the time, this means I'll have to get yet another player. I guarantee you it will not be a Samsung product.

If you search on-line, you'll find others with the same problem. Samsung itself has no response to this issue, continuing to claim their leadership in the field, but saying and doing absolutely nothing about the problem. CNET even did an editorial highlighting the significant discrepancy in their own review ratings versus customer reviews of Samsung products. Obviously, Samsung only cares about pleasing reviewers and couldn't care less about the people actually buying their junk. As for me, I'm done. I'll never buy another Samsung product. It's too bad they used to be good.

Plays .avi .mp3 .mp4 files either on a cd,dvd or usb drive. Plays my old store bought cd's too.

Has a shuffle option for playing music files.

Pioneer Elite BDP-23FD - Blu-Ray disc player - upscaling

• BD-Live Compliant With 1GB Internal Memory
• PQLS For Jitter-Free 2-Channel And Multi-Channel Playback
• BD-R/RE, DVD-R/RW, CD/CD-R Compatible
• Dimensions (WHD): 16 9/16 X 3 1/4 X 11 In.

Pioneer Elite BDP-23FD.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002BGXP1M/ref=cm_cr_rev_prod_title

I decided on another Pioneer Elite DVD player because the DV-45A that I've enjoyed for several years has worked flawlessly (and still does). The Blu-Ray Elite Player is more than I require... (I will not likely use the Ethernet or USB ports). I have not found a flaw with the BDP-23FD (as I expected, from experience with the DV-45A, which I think is the best "quality/price" for a DVD-A + SACD player glad I have it !).

Picture quality, Audio quality are superb, regardless of media format (plays the home-made variety DVDs just as well as the store bought varieties).

Although it's nice to have 'controllability/customization' features found on this player, the default set-up "out-of-the-box" is perfect for me. It's just a really nice player!

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Unfortunately, this player is not offered at too many places and it seems to mark one of the last of the "true" original Pioneer Elite Blu-Ray models. Apparently Sharp has bought Pioneer and their newer models tend to represent the Sharp styling and internal workings moreso than Pioneer. This is one of the reasons I bought this player as I already own a Pioneer DVD 49-AV which is awesome for a standard upscaling dvd player in its own right. The DV-49 is possibly better at upscaling than the 23FD is, but that is not what I bought it for. I bought this player for its outstanding Blu-Ray picture and quality sound and that is exactly what I got. Let's get the negative out of the way immediately. It does take some time to load, and that is even with CD loading as well as standard dvd and blu-ray. Right out of the box I upgraded the firmware (as directed by Pioneer Elite was simple and painless), and part of that upgrade mentioned faster loading times. Since I didn't compare and upgraded immediately, I wasn't able to measure but I will say that if this upgrade fixed loading times then I can't imagine how long it took to load initially. That being said, the load time is well worth the wait.

I can compare this model for you to the following brands and models that I own or have onwed: Oppo DV983H standard, Panasonic DMP-BD60 blu-ray, Denon BDP-1610 blu-ray, and the Pioneer DV-49av standard dvd player. In the standard / upscaling mode, can this 23FD measure up against the Oppo and the Pioneer players ? Yes to both, although I'd have to give the best upscaling nod to the Pioneer Elite DV-49av player for best overall upscaling player I've ever seen, and I still use this player for upscaling standard dvd discs to this date. I thought the Oppo was the best ever until this player came along. Compared to the other Blu-Ray players, the Pansonic is probably among the best I've ever seen video wise, but in audio, this Pioneer 23FD cannot be beat. The Denon had great sound, but no match for Panasonic or this Pioneer Elite in video quality.

Since the player is no longer manufactured or hardly found anymore, I won't go into the spec comparisons. Suffice it to say that this player is among the best Blu-Ray player I've ever seen or heard, and it upscales wonderfully. The user choices to tweak it alone make this more than worth the price not to mention the gorgeous Blu-Ray picture it provides. I have thrown every movie that has been known to give players problems, and this machine played them with no problem at all. I have the unit hooked up via analog to play my CDs, and HDMI for Blu-Ray / standard DVD. The sound is warm, rich and full. The unit itself is fairly heavy, and lets you know that this is a quality machine outside as well as inside. Pioneer Elite has always been about classy looks as well as performance and this machine excels in both. It is a shame that Pioneer Elite allegedly doesn't make their own players anymore, and that this is one of the last of the "true" Elite players. If you can find one of these players, don't hesitate to grab one. I have not seen or heard a better Blu-Ray player and I can't imagine anyone not being happy with the audio / video quality of this player. If you are an avid fan of great quality, look no further. This Pioneer Elite machine offers it all.

Update: 11/7/12 My unit has developed an error message when you turn the power on that reads "SD Not Found". It flashes and you can't shut it off, you have to unplug the power cord to reset it and hope that it turns on again. Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't. This problem seems to be common but no one has answers to it. Pioneer never heard of it, and they want me to ship the unit to California at my expense. FIX: Use the remote to turn the power on; works every time. It must be the power button itself that has the problem. Unit still plays fine and gives outstanding picture, I didn't expect it to malfunction this soon.

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Stylish, beautifull design, tray opens in silence quietly, gently like a queen. Video and music reproduction is superb, but you must hook it up to a monster receiver like Pioneer Elite SC27 to fully enjoy its own potential. Over the years I learned that every piece of you equipment must be of equal quality, otherwise something will be missing.

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I just bought one of these players refurbed for 125.00 and they are still available brand new from J&R for 299.00 delivered.

This player easily beats my Samsung 1600 and PS3 for picture quality especially for blacks and contrast which makes the picture look sharper and more accurate.

It also beats the Samsung AND ps3 for audio quality using HDMI to the matching Pioneer Elite SC 35 I recently purchased both with and without PQLS turned on.

This player is quiet , and I have yet to have a playback issue before or after upgrading the firmware via online.

This player has a far better build than the Samsung , and is the best looking BD player I have owned out of 6 players including 1k players from Samsung , Sony , and Phillips first gen players.

If you can get one new or refurbed grab one while you can.

I am very happy with the picture quality on this set. It definitely has the best picture of any of the Blu-ray players I have seen recently. Audio is good as well, though not as good as a Cambridge blu-ray player I heard recently. Of course the Cambridge goes for twice as much.

Very happy with the unit.

I believe this unit was made by Pioneer before they started letting Sharp make them.

Funai Sv2000 Dvd Recorder Player Tuner Wv10d6

i love it works just like any other recorder clear picture set up chapters the way you want them

Three and 1/2 years and working great. It has never failed to play any DVD I have trued. I would recommend that if you can find one buy it.

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Seller was great! As described all parts were included and had original manual. It's the best DVD recorder on the market. I have one and purchased this one for my mother. She is 65 and has a hard time with the newer DVDs to program. This one is so simple. I've had mine since 2005 and have Never had a problem with it. I trust this one will last a long time as well.

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I own this DVD player/recorder and it has been very reliable as a recorder and a player. My first recorder was an RCA that took only DVD+RW's ( The most expensive of the lot). I stress this in capitol letters BUY-SONY-DVD's. Both my RCA and this SV2000 record every time with the white Sony DVD recordable discs ( The SV2000 records perfect on SONY DVD+R 16X DISCS). I have had very little, to horrible, to no success at all with Maxell, Memorex, and TDK brands in all varieties of recordable DVD's. when trying to record on both the RCA DVD recorder and the SV2000. If you look closely at all of the brands you will notice that the Sony discs have the recordable surface much closer to the center on the disc as compared to the others. Maybe the laser can't detect the reflective recording surface at the beginning of the formatting cycle??) Bottom line BUY SONY they always work. Something else to point out, always try your disc a couple of times when recording. I've noticed with both recorders often times I had to press stop after getting a ' This Disc Is Unable To Record' message, and pressing record once more it recorded fine, but press stop first. I suggest experimenting both Writable and RE-Writable Sony discs. It took me two weeks to figure out that you can set your record time by pressing the REC MODE button on the front of the SV2000. Watch the bottom corner of the screen as it goes from 1 hr up to 6 hr's when pressing the button. A usb computer interface would be nice, although these days you can get tuner cards for your computer that have coaxial or S-video plugs that you can easily use with your on board DVD burner ( 'My crow sinner' $30

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AT&T Corded Phone with Digital Answering System, White (CL4939)

This AT&T Answering System CL4939 was easy to set up and I love the large buttons and large desplay screen. I was also pleased with volume control for listening and speaker. The only problem is that there is no battery backup for the time and date clock and we lose power a lot. However, the directory listing of stored phone numbers is never lost so I can live with this. Overall I would recommend it for people who need a wired/corded system.

This phone works just like a phone should clear sound. I like that it uses A/C power and not batteries. Easy to use speed dial and directory updates. Display is big and easy to read, and the tilt helps too. I've only had this for a few weeks now, but so far, so good.

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My mom was looking for a replacement for her simple old wall phone/answering machine. We thought we had found the answer in this phone, nice big buttons, and a handset that felt like a phone. What a disappointment! First, the screen is not backlit and almost impossible to see. We adjusted the contrast, moved lights in the room to get more light on the screen -no matter; the screen is dark and very hard to read. The answering system controls are small-not easy to navigate. Why have big buttons to dial and little, hard-to-read buttons for the answering system? Frustrating set-up process, the answering system does not display what the manual says it should, recording the announcement takes 3 separate buttons. Navigating messages requires you to press back or skip ONLY when the date is being announced. The answering system sound quality is PITIFUL! Mushy & inconsistent. When you talk into the handset, you faintly hear a tinny version of your own voice very annoying. Sorry A T & T, this phone is going back to the store tomorrow.

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I got this telephone in August 2007, for less than it was then available at Amazon. For some weeks, it seemed fine.

But my previous two AT&T phones were not so hot. On both models, the caller id LCD screens died within two years of purchase. And on the previous model, with a built-in answering machine, there were two other problems as well. The digital voice recorder went kafflooey, and was barely audible after a couple of years. Worse, the calls could not always be answered immediately, as the receiver button became quite temperamental too.

On this one, the number buttons sometimes stick, making for extra long dialing tones that stop only when one fiddles with the button edge. Additionally, the directions to enter numbers into phone memory, and even to record an answering message, are overly complex.

While this model cost about half what I paid for the last AT&T office speaker phone model, I'm not a huge ATT fan.

This phone is just okay. And I am pretty sure I've bought my last AT&T phone.

In answer to a request for other phone brand options, I'm more pleased with my RCA 2 Line Speakerphone. It has a lot of bells and whistles I do not use. And the speaker does not always transmit the greatest sound quality. But the caller ID screen has held up nicely, the price has come way down, and the phone is generally more sturdy than the AT&T brand items I've purchased before --including this model.

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All I want to say is that I have had this phone for about 2-3 weeks now and I like it. Big buttons for dialing, built-in digital answering machine, and one feature I consider the most important, hands-free speaking via the built-in speakerphone. No complaints here. I might buy another one for matching phones. I like corded telephones. You never have to worry about the batteries dying on you.

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LG RC897T Multi-Format DVD Recorder and VCR Combo with Digital Tuner

• Super multi DVD recorder/VCR with digital tuner
• 1080p up-conversion via HDMI output
• Digital cable/satellite box controller
• Digital Camcorder input for convenient recording and editing with DV 1394
• LG Simplink connectivity of other LG products using HDMI connection

As a satisfied owner of an LG HDTV, I bought this DVD/VCR combo recorder fully expecting to be likewise happy with the quality of the images produced by another LG product. Unfortunately, I had to box it up for return the same day I got it. The problem with the product is one that I hadn't anticipated, but which further very specifically-targeted reading online revealed as a known problem with LG's DVD recorders. That problem is what various message-boarders and bloggers call "image over-processing". Translate that as "too much anti-aliasing" (image-smoothing) or "too much blur". And it was not just on the recorded images. For the minute you switch from the LG TV's internal tuner to the LG recorder's internal tuner, there's an instant layer of "smoothing" that is pronounced enough to be distracting. ...I am talking, depending on your threshold of sensitivity to such things, a potential headache-inducing level of fuzziness.

If you purchase this product hoping to use it to archive your family videos, no way it can do them justice. If you plan to use it as a down and dirty digital era VCR, grabbing episodes of shows you intend to record over once you watch them a single time, it is really not quite servicable for that. All this keeps pulling me back to one head-shaker of a question: What were the people at LG thinking? At nearly three hundred bucks, the quality of the LG RC897T is a major disappointment.

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Not long after purchase, I had to return the unit because the DVD drawer kept popping open on its own. Once I received it back, I kept noticing major problems attempting to record on the DVD side -the unit would either record for two minutes and turn itself off, or record for over an hour (on a 2 hour show) and then turn itself off. When I phoned LG, I was near the end of the warranty period. They claimed that there was nothing wrong with the recorder. The issue was caused by the fact that the tv stations were now transmitting "copy protection signals" that prevented you from recording. This did not explain why the recording time varied, but if they were correct, this was being done by ALL networks -from HBO to channel 5 and channel 7. It did not explain the fact that my Panasonic DVD recorder never turned off in the middle of a show. LG's tech sent me on a two-week wild goose chase for DVD-RW's with special markings (CPRM). She claimed that if I ever found these, I would have no further problems. I never found these DVD's and my warranty ran out in the meantime. In addition to all the above, the upscaling takes forever when you insert a VHS tape and you are constantly adjusting the tracking to get a clear picture-especially after fast forwarding. This is an unqualified piece of garbage. Don't waste your money. It's a shame because it is very user friendly and Go-Video (the original manufacturer of this product) used to make excellent products. This $280 product is now being used solely as a VCR.

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LG RC897T Multi-Format DVD Recorder and VCR Combo with Digital Tuner

I bought Re-Furbished,The recorder funnctions well with modest to good results, depending on what you choose for length. I usualy use 4hrs LP mode on the DVD, and VCR slp. This is reasonably OK and quite watchable.

The machine does what I need,and discs are playable in my other machines and my computer.Digital tuner, is what I bought this for and works great.

CONS: Small unfriendly remote, but you get used to it. Timer recording not user friendly,so I dont use it.If you have to pay the full retail price,not good value.

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This is a review of the LG RC897T, it was mistakenly first posted as a review of the LG RC797T in error, I actually like that model]

Do Not buy this product till they release a fix for it's problem with "CPRM protection". Many on air broadcasts are sending out a "copy once" protection signal that the unit honors. In order to be able to record these programs you need to get special "CPRM DVD-RW" disks and format them in "VR" mode.

The biggest problem with this is that the disks are Very Hard to find and Very Expensive. In addition to this the "copy once" protection signal is being sent out randomly by various stations Without Warning!. You have no idea what programs will contain it or not. I was told they might even have it during commercials! When the signal is encountered the recording just STOPS !

I have just got off the phone with LG. The support person, who was very up to date and nice, knew just what I was talking about! There have been many complaints about this. He said that there was basically nothing that could be done. I suggested that at the very least LG should buy a bunch of these special "CPRM DVD-RW" DISKS and make them available at cost. He said he would pass that on, and I really believe he will, but I am not holding my breath that they will do it.

Just so you know, the earlier model, the LG RC797T does not have this "feature" and is a better machine because of it. I would have brought it but it is no longer available.

This is my first review, but I was so pissed I had to say something, this product should not be sold if it can not be trusted to record a simple off air TV program, Period.

Respectfully submitted

My RC 897 T just died after only 8 months. The tuners LG use are shoddy and last just enough to make the warranty mostly useless.

They use Korean labor to exploit the extreme poverty and it shows.

As for Customer Service. Despite having a warranty and determining that my DVD recorder was a lemon (poorly made swindle) she told me to call a local repair shop whose phone number she supplied. Of course I'd have to pay for the repair.

When I called the repair shop it turns out they only repair TVs.

Google "LG sucks" and browse through the over 1 1/2 million hits you'll get.

Avoid LG like the plague.

Vivitar DVR-560G 5.2 MegaPixel 6-in-1 Multi-Functional Camera with 2.0" LCD

Vivitar DVR-560G is a super-compact digital video camera addressing some of the needs that more expensive cameras don't. After receiving and briefly testing it I was so excited I purchased 3 more as gifts!

Here are just a few advantages and features that I like:

Decent video quality. The video quality is somewhere between a webcam and an average video camera, keeping in mind that its recording at 640x480 resolution and 30 frames-per-second, while some Webcams are still rated at 320x240 and 15 fps. I do treat it as a portable Webcam that I can take with me and record videos to a removable memory card. This is awesome for non-critical videos that can be quickly shot in everyday situations. Though recently I was attending a wedding where no one was recording video and now I wish I had at least this little Vivitar with me.

The only problem is that video can be smudgy/blurry when you move the camera too fast, especially in low-light.

I also uploaded a test video to YouTube and you can find it by searching there for "Vivitar DVR-560G". I may upload additional videos as well.

Decent video quality in low light when compared to standard video cameras. This doesn't mean that this camera takes good videos in the dark, but it's probably not worse than most webcams out there. (I also have couple miniDV cameras like Samsung and JVC that don't perform much better). However, the smudges intensify in low light due to longer exposure, therefore this camera really needs to be positioned statically in low light.

Note: there is a "night-mode" option in this camera, but I didn't notice a difference in quality when using it.

Take-anywhere video camera. Great portability through its ultra-compact size, smaller than even most digital photo cameras. Can be easily put in a larger pocket or small purse. The size is actually quite similar to the extra-slim digital photo cameras Casio Exilim. Vivitar is only 25% thicker.

Portable, reusable & removable media (memory) that can be easily copied to computer (although the memory must be purchased separately). You can also purchase multiple memory cards at 20 bucks each. Compare this with almost as expensive miniDV tapes, or cameras that have built-in hard-drive that is not removable and may require slow data transfer to computer via cable.

Data compression. Movies are compressed in MPEG4 format and 1 hour movie takes about 1 GB, thus there is 2 hour recording capacity on 2 GB SD memory card. Compare this with 12 GB of your computer disk-space eaten per hour of an AVI video recorded with miniDV digital cameras. (unless you spend time re-compressing miniDV AVIs).

Motion detection mode. This mode is not very usable due to the default setting that usually records only a few-second long clips after detecting a movement for 3 seconds. This means that many times the camera will start recording only after something happens, without catching the actual event. However, this feature still enhances the camera's use and can be interesting to some. For example you may leave your camera on for the whole day or a week and let it record short clips of your family's life throughout that time.

The built-in 8x digital zoom is actually usable and up to 4x doesn't produce "digital quality" when taking videos. This might be because the camera has much larger resolution (5.2 megapixel) than it records on video. (the higher resolution is used for taking photos)

The built-in voice-recorder is basic feature-wise but records decent audio quality. And hey, dedicated memory-based voice recorders can cost 50 bucks or more, even without removable memory.

Now for a few negatives:

The built-in speaker is not too loud and low-quality. Actually one time it was making such a strange clicking noise when playing videos that I was afraid that the sound didn't get recorded. Later it turned out to be a temporary problem, possibly with the volume set to maximum on such a low-quality speaker.

The built-in MP3 player is very basic. The DVR-560G didn't seem to recognize my music folders, and it has not categorized my MP3 files. This means that I have just a long list of MP3 files to scan through. I won't comment on the music quality as for me all MP3 players sound the same.

The built-in digital photo camera mode takes only mediocre, video-like photos. I'd rate these photos at only 25% quality of photos taken with a dedicated digital photo camera at the same resolution. Therefore I would carry a separate digital photo camera for taking static pictures. However, possibly Vivitar could be useful as a photo browser, just like some MP3 players currently have (although I haven't tested this).

The built-in 20 games look cool, but are quite nonsensical and you'll get bored after trying each one for couple minutes.

Holding the camera when taking videos is little awkward therefore you may consider the DVR-550 model instead. I chose DVR-560G mainly because it is approx. 40% less thick (0.88 inch vs. 1.35 inch) and therefore provides maximum portability. Also, I was interested in using it as an MP3 player and photo camera, but now little disappointed with these features.

Short battery life, about 40 minutes. I've purchased couple spare batteries on eBay at 8 bucks each.

This camera could be incredibly more useful if it had just a little more video capture customizability/options/features. I won't get into details, but with a just a few more features I could probably write an article about many uses of Vivitar DVR-560G. The voice-recorder also lacks voice-activated recording and is too slow to start for taking quick voice notes.

In summary, don't buy this camera for taking photos, but you won't regret taking videos with it, or give it to your kids. You may also like to use the built-in basic MP3 player and voice-recorder. I rate this camera 5 stars only for it's video features, small size and low price. Many other features are extras that can't hurt either.

This is a very stylish camcorder. But, as I wanted only a camcorder, for me it has too many left and unnecessary features (PC camera, MP3, etc.). I tried it right away and was a little bit disappointed. It is not usefull indoors or at night (do not have night shot features), and if the objective moves (or you move), the recorded image blurs also (do not have steady shot either). Maybe the producers can remove the PC camera, the MP3 and the voice recorder, and improve features more needed in a digital camcorder, such as the night shot and the steady shot.

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My DVR is amazing. I take it with we when im out. It is so portable.

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This camera is not that great. It clips while recording and I actually have better video clarity on my cellphone. If I had a choice, I would not buy this camera again.

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This for my 10 year old Son, and he loves it. This is his second video camera. He gave his input for this review, and he couldn't think of anything negative.

HONEYWELL INTRUSION 5898 WIRELESS DUAL-TEC MOTION DETECTOR

This dual-tec device is one of the best. You would have to do something pretty stupid to get it to produce a false alarm. You can test both the PIR and the microwave functions separately if you need to. During normal use they work together prefectly. The microwave is k-band so it stays in the room really well...and no there is no way it produces enough energy to hurt anyone no matter how long it's in service. This is the best motion sensor technology to date.

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Olympus AS-2400PC Transcription Kit

Ended up returning this product because the files I needed to use were not compatible with the software, and the foot pedal is not compatible with any other software, so the whole thing was useless. The software only supports a few types of audio files and there is no capability to support video. I was working on transcribing focus groups with at least 6 people so I needed to be able to use the video for reference. Olympus does not even sell a software that supports video. Olympus uses proprietary coding to communicate between the foot pedal and the computer, so it is impossible to set up the foot pedal to work with any other program and no patches are available. When I called customer support to find out if there was a way to convert the files to a supported format, they told me that the format I had (asf) did not exist, which of course is ridiculous. I ended up going with an Infinity foot pedal and the free software ExpressScribe, which supports video and many different kinds of files. In the end I spent less than a third of what I spent on this kit. Quality-wise, the foot pedal was good and the headset was cheap.

The transcription kit works well. The foot pedals are a bit small, making it difficult to control. The software is great and user friendly. It definitely makes transcribing recordings much, much easier than trying to work from a recorder or computer media player.

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Essential to transcription. Very versatile, works as advertised. Helps transcriptionist to organize work and know the status.

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I recently purchased the Olympus Transcription Kit AS-2400 to perform my new job as a medical transcriptionist. I had no clue what to expect. I had no clue how much science and techniques have grown over the years. This kit had all that I was required to have.

Thank you Olympus. And thank you to Amazon. I feel that I have made a purchase for all the right reasons and I don't regret it at all.

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We recently upgraded from cassette to digital in my office and this is the equipment I chose to use with our Olympus Voice Recorder DS-71. It works just as I need it to. If your pedal is backwards when you connect it, simply go to the tool bar in the software, click on device, and select "foot switch settings." You can put your rewind, play and fastward in the right order there. I also learned to connect the foot pedal and software first, then connect your voice recorder. Great product that does what it should...play dictations!

RCA DRC8000N Progressive-Scan DVD Recorder/Player

I've used several different makes and models of DVD recorders, and this is one of the best!

First off, the person who said you can't play DVDs made with these on other players is VERY mistaken. The DVD+R and erasable DVD+RW formats will play on the vast majority of DVD players with no problems. Players older than 3 years may not be compatible, but this is minor. 99% of players on the market today will play DVD+R and DVD+RW so compatibility is not an issue.

The machine records in DVD+R and DVD+RW formats but can also play back DVD-R and DVD-RW, as well as VCD and SVCD and of course CDs.

Recordings look quite good, especially at the 1 or 2 hour speeds. The 8 hour picture isn't much good for anything except maybe timeshifting daytime soaps, but since discs are dropping in price so quickly most people will use the better quality modes for keepsake material anyway.

The menu system could use some improvement/streamlining but it isn't hard to use once you figure it out.

For the price, this is the best DVD recorder I've encountered.

I have owned the DRC800N now for 4 days. I have used the timer record successfully 3 times. Any familiarity you have with

VCRs and/or DVD players will be helpful in the operation of this unit, but having said that.........it's not rocket science.

The improvement of video quality alone when recording broadcast TV is nice, but like most people my main reason for this purchase was to put treasured family videos onto DVD. I'll

be starting that project soon.

In the course of researching this unit, you may come across a

dissenting opinion about the unit being noisy due to a small cooling fan on the back. Yes it is on constantly, and yes you can hear it. My furnace makes noise too.

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I bought this as a refurb for $130 and cant believe I didnt buy one sooner. I have had it about a month with no problem and make a recording probably everyday. The guideplus did not work with digital cable but it has its own guide so not a big deal and the small buttons on the remote could bother some. It records off the premium channels just great. It has a input door on the front which i can hook my computer into. Great for making dvd slideshows of family pictures. I have not had any clock trouble like another reviewer. I have 3 other dvd's players in the house, all play the recordings and quality is great.

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I purchased this unit a year ago. It has performed great. I have dubbed VHS tapes to DVD and they come out better than the original. My only complaint is that when I erase a DVD-RW disc the system erases then says please wait,but nothing happens. It never finishes what it is doing, and it locks up everything. The only way to get it to unlock is to unplug the unit and plug it back in ! I don't know if it's something with my machine or a defect in the model.

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this unit has been the worst for the money.. i already had the remote control die, and it hard to shut off when it is on a timed recording!!! the customer support for RCA was a bunch of jerks to me, but i finally got them to send me a new remote (supposidly).. still waiting for it.. i won't buy any more RCA PRODUCTS after they way they treated me and screwed me around..

Kaito Electronics Inc. KA801 DSP Shortwave radio with MP3 Player and Recorder

• Powered by a high-capacity rechargeable Li-ion battery pack with DSP.
• FM Band - 87.00 - 108.00 MHz
• AM/MW Band - 522-1710 KHz
• Shortwave Band - 2.30- 23.00 MHz
• Keeps you connected to a comprehensive frequency range including FM, AM, shortwave.
• Four options to tune your radio stations- Auto - Scan , manual tuning, digital tuning and ATS (Auto Tuning Storage).
• Stores up to 255 preset stations using memory tuning feature.

I currently work on the midnight shift and needed a radio and recorder(to tape some talk shows and sport games), and the Kaito KA801 performs exactly as advertised. Not only will it record FM stations, but also AM radio, which there are not many recorders that will do both. The radio DOES NOT have a recorder with a start/stop timer, however it has EXCELLENT battery life, which allows you to tape a program, let the recorder keep taping until you get a chance to stop it, then you can delete what you don't want to listen to. I actually had the recorder taping over 12 straight hours on one day, and the battery was still good. The radio has powerfull sound, just in case you want to hook it up to some larger speakers. The only negative about this radio is, it does not have any equalizer settings, so if your using headphones or the main speaker on the radio, you don't get to customize your bass and treble. The radio is of good strong construction, does not seem to be made of any cheap plastic, all in all, a great radio/recorder for the price..

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If you need to record FM or AM radio speech programs, it doesn't get any better than this. It can record continuously for days, on one charge, using the built in memory. But you cannot set up a time for it to record in advance--you have to push the record button. I have not done much recording audio speech through the air, though, but it seems as ok as you can get by recording from your seat.

The reception is better than any other FM radio I've seen, regardless of price. The earbuds are miserable, but if you use a different set, the sound quality is as good as it gets for FM, and extremely good for MP3 (play only). Recorded speech quality is very intelligible, rather good. But the speaker on the front is not loud, and the speaker's sound quality is terrible--like the transistor radios of yore. It works great with MacIntosh Apple OS X as well as Windows.

However, you have no control of how to name the audio or Radio recordings you make (file001.wav, file002.wav, etc.) so it is hard to locate the file you want to play, and you cannot control the order, unless you select the files one at a time. It is also not very easy to find the place you want in a recording. You can rename the files in the Radio while connected to your computer, though.

The recordings are Windows WMA files, which means that on a Mac, only QuickTime will handle them. However, ALL2MP3 is a free MacIntosh program that converts WMA files quickly and easily to MP3, and then you can import it into Itunes, and even burn multiple Audio CDs from a long file. If you study the manual carefully, you will find it is easy but not obvious to manipulate all the functions.

I have tried other products, but for recording long talks or speech, this radio towers over them. If you want to record music, use something else. I generally do not favor Chinese products, but this one is well engineered, over all.

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Is good because it's small enough & light enough to keep with you.

Am Reception is good enough, even away from citys. FM is even better. Shortwave: not much without an add on antenna....

Bigger radios may get better reception, but if you don't take it with you it doesn't matter....

Very Good:

Size

Weight

Rechargable battery life ((Note: The old Nokia BL-5C battery & desktop charger work for this, (EBay $10 to $20))

Nice to have a spare charged battery for outings, even though the battery is good for 1520 Hrs.

Usability (Impressed by the many features of this small wonder)

Quality (still like new even after carrying it in my shirt pocket for 6 months)

Backlight

Memory for stations is permanent (no cussing & re-entering all your stations if battery goes out)

Recording interesting programs

Not as good as some larger radios:

Pulling in really distant stations (smaller radio=shorter AM antenna)

Bottom Line: If I didn't have one I would want one....

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This is a great radio and a great recorder, but you cannot preprogram it to record a specific radio program at a specific time in the future. You can program it to start recording sounds in the area at a specific time in the future, and you can record a radio program that is playing at the current time.

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Instruction booklet is a little hard to follow. I deal with computers all day long but the supplied manual leaves much to be desired. I had to read again and again to understand each mode. Company needs to have someone that can create the manual for an non-geek, Took about 1 hour to understand what I needed to do. Unit is good and very nice design but again instructions need improvement!!!

Stealth Cam Jim Shockey "Sniper Pro" 8.0 Mega Pixel Digital Camera

Nights shots are TERRIBLE! Overexposed, all pink and blue, blurry. Most animals come out at night, so if you can't get a decent night shot, what's the point? I would not recommend this stealth cam. No response to email questions about resolving this issue from the manufacturer.

Since I evaluate a lot of my purchases using Amazon.com reviews, I feel I should give my opinions on this trail cam. When it comes to trail cams, you pretty much get what you pay for. In the $1-200 range, it's gonna either be hit or miss among the same type of unit. If you want a good one, I hear Reconyx makes the best. Don't know from experience though. I know a lot of people have problems with this particular unit, and I am one of them...sort of. I had gotten this thing as a package with a First Champion 2GB SD card from Dick's and just opened it the other night. I popped the SD card in and took some pics. When I plugged it into my comp, the pics wouldn't load ("unable to view image" error). I took the memory card out, and took some pics having them save to the built in 38MB memory. This time I could view the images on my computer. I intially took the pics inside my white-colored rooms and they were very washed out due to the very bright flash, so I took it outside (where it was dark) and shot a few. In my opinion, the outodoor night picks turned out great, even on base (1.3mP) settings. Yes there was some white out on lightly colored objects. but it does what it needs to do.

So then I had to figure out the SD card issue because what's the point of using this thing if it can only hold 38 pics? After searching for people who had similar issues (seems to be problematic in other brands as well) and calling Stealth Cam, I figured it was the SD card I was using. Apparently, trail cams are very finicky with the types of SD cards they can read/write. It was recommended from Stealth Cam to use a SanDisk 4GB SD card with this unit. I got one and went home to try it out. Sure enough, the pics and video were now viewable on my computer. The daytime video turned out quite nice, too.

I can't give a review on durability, lifespan, or range since I only had it working since today. I will be testing it this coming season, so if anything breaks down or doesn't work properly I'll be sure to let you know.

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This camera sucks. The flash images are washed out. I ordered a lock system for my 1850 and the lock system sent fits over the cord to hold it to the tree and the lock system is sloppy and still had to go buy a pad lock. Pictures are grainy for a 8 mm. I've called the tech line at Stealth and it busy day and night and they won't answer my emails for the last three weeks for help.

Julie

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THIS THING DOESNT EVEN WORK THE BATTERIES DONT STAY IN PLACE IF YOU MOVE IT IT SHOUTS OFF CANT KEEP THE DATE AND TIME ON IT I WOULD NOT RECOMEND THIS CAMERA SPEND THE MONEY FOR A BETTER ONE AND HOPE IT WORKS TO

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It just doesn't do anything. It doesn't take pictures, doesn't store pictures, and "doesn't work with MAC". Look elsewhere.

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Sony DCRTRV38 MiniDV 1Megapixel Camcorder with 3.5" LCD

I have been video taping since 1982, so here are my observations after a week with the TRV38.

LOW LIGHT: much better than expected after reading negative reviews on it everywhere.

STILL PICTURE QUALITY: better than expected for a quick and easy shot.

MPEG VIDEO QUALITY: mediocre as expected

DIGITAL ZOOM: worse than expected after reading very positive comments on it.

SOUND QUALITY: better than expected; virtually zero motor noise

DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION: excellent as expected; a bit heavier than expected

LCD: excellent as expected; 3.5" is wonderful, and this one is beautiful

LCD TOUCH SCREEN: excellent and a great idea; works beautifully even with a protective plastic sheet on it.

BATTERY LIFE: too brief, as expected

EASE OF USE: complex but well designed as expected; easy if you just want to shoot video without fussing with settings; much for advanced photographer.

ZOOM CONTROL: very sensitive as expected, takes getting used to

PICTURE QUALITY: excellent, but not amazingly better than 3 year-old cheap Sharp hi-8. I was expecting it to be worlds better.

SIZE: smaller than expected which is good; excellent even for big hands like mine.

INPUTS/OUTPUTS: All work great and allow for virtually every

comgination of input and output.

CONTROLS: control for off, VCR, camera is much too small and awkward to use. Others are great, except for zoom sensitivity as noted above.

REMOTE CONTROL: better control than expected.

OWNERS BOOK: well done for the most part, but with omissions and errors; obviously written by non-native speaker.

Reviews do not mention that this is an excellent TV, digital VCR, video editing studio, still camera (no competition to good 2 mp still digital camera), and advanced camcorder. The bottom tape loading is horrible but it is really the only big negative.

Comparing the footage to a friend's 3 chip Sony shows little difference on a TV or LCD monitor. Colors are very true and the tiny speaker sound quality is surprisingly good. This is a well-designed camcorder that does a great job at everything it is supposed to do. The LP setting is a great feature for recording TV shows from the satellite, and movies directly from DVD or VCR. The software is worthless; Sony should have included Pinnacle software, considering the price of the camcorder. I would not hesitate to recommend this camcorder, TV, VCR, digital camera.

The DCR-TRV38 is in the mid-range Sony's 2003 line of consumer camcorders. It is similar to the DCR-TRV33 but has a larger LCD screen, which is a nice plus. The DCR-TRV70 and 80 have higher resolution, but at significantly higher cost. The reviews I've read state that the DCR-TRV38 hits the sweet spot in terms of video quality and price. My impressions are as follows:

PROS:

-Build quality and performance are excellent. The video is very clear and sound is pretty good. Low light resolution is much better than competing camcorders in the same price range.

-Compact size

-The SteadyShot function works exactly as delivered. The motion sensor method that Sony utilizes is superior to the digital method used in competing products (such as the Panasonic GS-70).

-The Carl Zeiss with 10x optical zoon is great.

CONS:

-The main negatives of the DCR-TRV38 really deal with the overall cost of ownership. In addition to purchasing the camcorder, I ended up buying the following:

-A larger battery (the included one is woefully underpowered)

-A protective lens filter to shield that great Carl Zeiss lens

-A charger to quick-charge the larger battery

-A firewire cable to connect the camcorder to my PC

-A camera case (Sony only includes a strap)

-A tripod, which some people might not need

As you can see, this made the camcorder really much more expensive than I initially expected. (Reminds me of buying a car.)

-Having the MiniDV tapes load through the bottom means that you can't keep the camcorder on a tripod and change tapes. Not a major inconvenience.

-As with most camcorders, the still picture function is a joke. You'll get better pictures from a disposable Kodak digital camera.

-You have to use the touch screen on the LCD to navigate through many of the camera's functions. This can get the screen dirty or can actually damage the screen if you are too forceful.

Overall, I think the camcorder is a very good product. Just plan on spending $100-200 extra to make it worthwhile. At least Sony gave a 20% discount coupon for accessories when I received the camcorder. The other camcorders I considered seemed to have one or two areas superior to the DCR-TRV38, but the overall package fell short. For instance, the Panasonic GS-70 has the highly touted 3 CCDs for better color representation, but resolution suffers due to the smaller CCD sizes. (The digital motion stabilization was another negative). The Canon camcorders in general are tidy and inexpensive but seem to suffer from poor low light capabilities. I'm happy with my purchase.

Buy Sony DCRTRV38 MiniDV 1Megapixel Camcorder with 3.5" LCD Now

As most people on the web do, I did a lot of reading, and comparison shopping, before settling on the Sony TRV38. This camera has more features than you will get to use, but I was looking for video quality, ease of use(point and shoot), and price. TRV has all this and more. True to the other reports, you need to buy a larger memory card, and a back-up battery...at least the NP50, or NP70. Once you have everything, you are ready for some neat features, and quality video.

My favorite one is the VCR feature, through which you can rewind the tape, use the LCD touch screen, and view the footage you just shot. Many people talk about low-light footage, and rightfully so, but unless you are shooting in very dim situations, this camcorder does a great job in low light. This is actually one of the reasons I chose the TRV38, over Canon, Panasonic, and JVC.

If you are buying on the web, all the vendors include extra "packages". Be carefull... a $600 camera can wind up costing you $900. I only bought the AC/DC charger, 30mmm UV filter, and a nice bag. The other items you need you can find cheaper elsewhere. Sony batteries are expensive, but there are generic, cheaper batteries that will work just as well

There is a sea of good camcorders out there, but this Sony is at the top of my list.

Read Best Reviews of Sony DCRTRV38 MiniDV 1Megapixel Camcorder with 3.5" LCD Here

the sony trv38 is one of sony's mid-range miniDV camcorders. it's a solid camcorder but i believe you can do better in this price range.

pros:

very good video quality colors are reproduced accurately.

1 megapixel still capability.

miniDV media is widely supported.

great connectivity options: firewire, USB, S-video, headphone, mic input, etc.

carl zeiss lens with 10X optical zoom.

steady shot and night shot.

ability to record mpeg videos directly to memory stick.

progressive shutter system.

supports exif 2.2.

the 3.5" LCD screen is great.

very clean design (controls are accessed via the touchscreen lcd).

low motor noise.

intelligent accessory shoe.

allows some degree of manual control.

cons:

no pop-up flash for taking stills and no built in video light but you can get a flash/video combo light for less than a hundred bucks.

you could do better on the still photo department. for example, sony's trv80 and trv70 have 2 megapixel capability but those camcorders are more expensive.

as with most sony products, you pay a premium, pushing up the price.

navigating menus on touch-screen LCD isn't terribly intuitive.

don't expect miracles from 1 megapixel stills.

short battery life with included battery (you'll want a spare battery anyway).

bottom loading cassette can't remove tape while camcorder is on a tripod

not as compact as i would like. dimensions are 3-5/8"H x 2-7/8"W x 6-3/8"D, and it weighs 1 lb 7 oz without tape and battery.

the included 8MB memory stick is unacceptable. be prepared to shell out more money for at least a 32MB or bigger memory stick.

this is a solid camcorder but i would recommend three sonys (trv33 or pc105 or trv70) and the panasonic gs70 over this camcorder.

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This is an amazing camera for it's price. It has a carl zeiss lens which is a must-have if you want your video to end up looking profesional. Personally, i like it even better than the model above this one. This one not only has a 3.5 inch LCD compared to a 2.5 inch LCD on the more expensive model, but it also has a better feel. In the model above this one, the only thing "better" is it's smaller size. But i don't like that smaller size. It makes it feel too delicate. I may be only 17, but i've been into videography for quite awhile, and i would say, this is my favorite camera, for it's price. It's obviously not as good as say... the VX 2000 which... i think costs something over 2000. But for my purposes, and the majority of the public's, i'm sure it's the best choice.

iriver 5 GB H10 MP3 Player Lounge Grey

• Compact, lightweight 5 GB hard drive multimedia player in Charcoal finish--weighs only 3.4 ounces
• Compatible with MP3 and WMA; also Secure WMA from online services
• View JPEG photos and album cover art via 1.5-inch LCD
• Built-in voice recording and FM tuner with FM recording capability
• Swappable rechargeable lithium-ion battery with up to 12 hours of battery life

I've been looking for a new replacement MP3 player for my Ipod 3G 30 Gig. I was thinking about Ipos Shuffle, Ipod Mini, or Zen Micro (or Zen Micro Color). Then by accident, I stumpled upon Irivier H10. It is very small, stylish, and easy to operate. It's got FM radio, voice/FM recording, color screen (to view pics), and other standard MP3 functions. It's only $30 more than Mini, but has so much more to offer. The sound quality is great (but not w/ the included earpiece) and there are 40 sound presets (including your own setting). In the package, you will also receive a transparent plastic skin. It fits the player perfectly and easy to remove if you choose to. This usually goes for $8+ for ipod, and you get it free. Sure, you can't view those pics on TV like Ipod Photo, but who cares? What's the chance of you carrying a cable w/ you at all times? The battery life is around 12 hours per charge and it is replaceble as well. That means you can buy an extra battery for your long trip to extend the battery life or change it when the battery dies in a year or so. It is a true Ipod Mini killer and I've used 2 Ipods, Sony MP3 player, and a Samsung MP3 players. Strongly recommended!

Edit 1:

*After I went to Apple Store yesterday and played around with Ipod Photo, I'm even more impressed with H10 color screen. On Ipod Photo, you have to view the screen directly (right in front of the screen) in order to see the photo clearly. Otherwise, the photo/lcd will look dim. But, Ipod Photo has faster photo browsing speed. As I said before, viewing photo on mp3 isn't a priority for me and I'm very happy as is right now.

*I haven't have much problem/bug with this machine yet as others have described here. The only thing that I've experienced is that once I connect the player to my PC, I can't see the "remove this external drive icon" in the taskbar after a while. So, I simply unplug the connection cable/usb. Luckily nothing has happened yet.

*Many people asked me about the skin, well, it is just the Ipod skin you buy in Apple store but fits much nicer on the player. I can't stress how nice it fits on H10. For my Ipod, I litterally have to force it onto my ipod (because it sticks to the player so much that the friction is making it hard to do). And yes, it will attracks dirt just like other skins. If you worry about the look of it, don't use it. If you want a good protection for the player on the go, this is a good choice.

Buy iriver 5 GB H10 MP3 Player Lounge Grey Now

Pros: great build, feels nice and solid;

the touch pad is excellent very precise movement: tapping the top and bottom of the strip or simply holding it down allows excellent precision and accuracy.

great feedback with the buttons (you don't have to wonder if you pressed a button when it's in your pocket).

sound quality is excellent volume from 0 40. around 20 is already loud enough for me.

color screen; big pictures will appear blurry, but it's expected with a small screen

very intuitive controls. the back button always brings you back to the last screen no matter what the last screen is. example: while in the picture browser i wanted to change the song click FF then click back and i'm back in the picture browser.

excellent shuffle mode algorithm: you will not hear the same song twice as it the player takes the played songs out of the algorithm

MTP = drag and drop if you prefer it more than windows media player. there is no propietary software (but drag and drop is slower than syncing with WMP. it's still not UMS)

excellent FM tuner

battery life is excellent, it actually gets about 12 hours as advertised

removable battery

comes with a iskin like case (but the case attracts a lot of dust)

CONS

IRIVER hurried to release this product; thus, the software isn't complete. there are A LOT OF BUGS. Hopefully, these bugs will be fixed soon with a firmware upgrade. here's some of the bugs

1. some might encounter problems with syncing with wmp i/o error

2. albums on player plays in alphabetical instead of by track number

3. the clock on the player might not work

4. the back light turns on and off randomly in some units.

there are some more bugs... visit www.misticriver.net

you can rate songs on the player but it doesn't integrate with windows media. so a rating of 5 on a song does not update your library on windows media. the player just put the 5 stars first and 1 star last in a list.

for some, this might be a con but not for me once the backlight is off the screen is pitch black, you can't see anything. press any button turns the backlight on then proceed with function. so if you want the player to FF you got to press it twice.

file browing is slow in browser mode (not the music browser but the file browser the music browser by artist, title.... is nice and fast)

horrible tech support. expect long wait time. (called around 4:30 ish, never answered...finally at about 5:05 got a voice mail saying their hours are from XXXX to 5:00pm)

conclusion. i'm giving a 3 star because at $280 there are simply too many bugs with the player right now; with time IRIVER will release upgrades to fix these issues because it's their new flagship model. the functions and features of the player beats any player out there within the same price range. be patient with this player, it will be an excellent product if IRiver fix all the bugs.

for more research info goto www.misticriver.net click on forums then the H series

it's an excellent forum for support and faqs.

EDIT: regarding "tommygman" i'm glad your player works perfectly. and no i did not simply read something negative. I have a H10 myself and i'm waiting patiently for an upgrade. furthermore, i can tell you that the Korean version of H10 (UMS) which came out a month before the us version (MTP) already had 2 firmware upgrades while they're on FW1.10 the us is still on FW1.00 IRiver has a list of bug fixes which you can find at misticriver.net

Read Best Reviews of iriver 5 GB H10 MP3 Player Lounge Grey Here

This is written from the perspective of a first time MP3 player owner... I've owned several MiniDisc units in the past, some of which made me happier than others. I am somewhat computer savvy and I've never played with an iPod. Basically, I'm pretty darn satisfied... vs. other competitors in its class (not the iPod itself) it wins in several categories.

1. Oh-so-sleek look. It doesn't have the same minimalist/modernist design of the iPod, but that's something I never wanted in the first place. Its appearance seems to suggest it's a distant relative of the PlayStation 2. The battery recharges quite quickly, about 2 hours on average.

2. SIMPLE and easy to figure out interface. Menu system is very logical and it's easy to choose songs to listen to based on artist, album, genre, or playlist. Touch bar has just the right amount of sensitivity and appears to be pretty rugged. Great fit in the hand.

3. Windows XP compatible. Plays most, if not all, common forms of MP3 and WMA files. I haven't tested how well it handles media with Digital Rights Managment, but that's just not in the cards for me.

4. Great sound. Has around 20 preset EQs for all genres of music, including a Custom EQ. Haven't used the headphones but I hear pretty good... I use my own pair of earphones and the sound is many times better than even the MiniDisc units I've had (by Sony!).

Alas, there are a few downsides...

1. The silicone case hides the beauty of the player, attracts dirt, and the clip is somewhat awkward. It's good for protection, if you're on the go.

2. Though it has photo capabilities, the size and resolution of the screen don't yield very good results. Text interface also has its quirks, but it does its job. Same could be said about the FM radio... it picks up only the strongest stations in your area, but when it does, sound is good.

3. The player (out of the box) and its computer interface has a few minor problems. Best recommendation is to get the latest firmware upgrade ASAP. It still doesn't solve a few things... sometimes I've gotta Refresh the music database to maintain the order of music listed the same as inputted. Also recommended is to use Yahoo! Music Engine, although no program is really required (ie. drag-and-drop files onto the player in Windows Explorer).

It does require a little tinkering to get it set up the way you want it, and therefore requires a bit of computer savvy as well as patience. But once you get used to it, it's a truly high quality and convenient item to have. Also, I found a sale here for about $50 off (I paid $199). Definitely affordable and great quality for the price paid.

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I researched this purchase extensively and finally chose this unit after trying to wade through all that crazy, confusing info out there on digital music players. I wanted something I didn't need to mess around with much but just load, go and enjoy all my favorite music on that's stashed away on all those buried cd's. I LOVE THIS THING !!

I didn't need 1,200 songs so I chose to input my music in at the highest quality option. I'm astounded at the sound quality of the playback. I don't want to hear the music in my ears I want to feel it between my eyes and this lovely little unit does that well without having to max out the volume. I have over 680 songs, photos of my baby grandson and the text file of the itinerary of my upcoming trip in it and there's almost a full gb of room left!!

If you have (you must have) Windows XP and the latest version of Windows Media Player... loading your files into this unit is sooo easy. Make sure before loading your files to download the updates at iRiver as the formatting will wipe out what you've put in. Updates are easy and the PDF manual is helpful and easy to read. The battery lasts a good long time and is removable and rechargeable. A spare is a bit pricey but affordable if you need more than 12 hours of playback at one time. The controls are pretty much self explanatory and I find very easy to use. I have a number of custom playlists and it handles them all with ease and like a champ. I've had none of the problems reported by other reviewers. That could just be from clean livin' (yurite) but so far so good!!

I found this at a great sale price too but even at full retail I think this unit is well worth every dime!! I'd recommend it for sure!!

OK first off, i will tell you that all the pro's people suggest are true. the SRS Wow feature is amazing, and i like it very much. It really adds whatever you are looking for.

now to address the cons that people have put forth.

1. The Headphones. The Headphones are Sennheiser MX400's, which are about 10.99-19.99 depending on where you buy them. I believe they are nice, but i would buy a nicer pair. They are by far higher quality then any other out of the box headphone, but i just prefer something nicer.

2. You can't play files in track order.

NOT TRUE! the current firmware fixes this, BUT, you MUST put the file tracks into WM10 and then load them onto your iRiver. You really think its going to magically fix them for you? (you may need to refresh the database after doing this).

3. Slow. I do admit, it is slow, but as with all MP3 Players, there is always a downside. My previous player, the Creative Zen 40GB Nomad Xtra, was a complete and total piece of crap. i used to, but now will never buy another mp3 player from them. Their cheapness comes at a price (a low one as a matter a fact)

4. Takes a while to turn off. It depends. sometimes is lightning quick, other times it takes about 10 seconds. Like its going to affect you anyway, when you press the button to turn it off, it will, and 10 seconds really doesn't kill the battery or damage it, does it?

5. Pictures suck. THEN DON'T USE IT FOR PICTURES. simple as that. The Radio, Radio Record, Voice Record, Line-In Record, Music should be enough for you, dont you think?

COMPARISION:

iRiver H10 20GB 299.99

iPod 20GB 299.99

Creative 40GB Zen 235.99

The iRiver is the SAME PRICE as the iPod, but it has these advantages:

Color Screen

Sennheiser Headphones (14.99 Value)

Pictures

Text

Music, No programs needed to transfer

Napster to Go

Plays WMA, MP3, Protected WMA

FM

Fm Recording

Voice Recording

Line-In Recording

Smaller

SRS-Wow and Custom Equalizer

FM in Korea, Japan and European Regions.

FOR THE SAME EXACT PRICE?

and as for the creative...i'm sorry, but its just a piece of crap.

HOW MINE DIED:

because of its huge bulkiness, i dropped it 2 ft. onto carpet. The hardrive broke, and after i smacked it (no joke) it turned on to work again. Then, about 3 weeks later, i was listening to it, and it just died. Completely, i tried everything, and i decided i didn't want to wait 2 hours to call them (it took that long).

iRiver support is ok, and they have a good online system. They also have smart tech support, but as with everyone, it takes a while to reach them.

I stand by iRiver, and i promise if you buy this product you will be satisfied.