Sony DNE509 ATRAC3PLUS CD Walkman

• Sonic Stage Simple Burner Software Icluded.
• Bookmark playback fuction for easy programming
• 1 line dot matrix display
• Supports ID3 tagging and CD Text
• Up to 490 Songs on 1 CD

The previous review was just dissing the small display, he/she was ignoring everything else this player has to offer. I bought this player mainly because of its 490 song cd capacity, but also because I trust the Sony name. It has a dot matrix display, a display that uses a number of tiny dots to show the letters and numbers, instead of the usual long, parallel, and perpindicular lines. This means you can put more than just letters and numbers on your MP3 or atrac files. The display is small, which is still very readable thanks to the dot matrix, to conserve batteries. This is one reason for its 77 hour atrac3plus battery life, untouchable at this price range. Battery life is 72 hours for Mp3 cds recorded at 128 kbps and 48 hours for regular audio cds. The main reason for it's remarkable battery life is, this CD player just spins for the first 15 seconds of an MP3/atrac3/atrac3plus cd to read the rest of the song, and then stops turning the cd completely, really! It stops reading off the cd and starts reading from its memory. It takes about three seconds to read every new song since it has to start spinning the cd again. That is about the average of regular cd players. I played an atrac3plus cd with the lid up to see if this was true, and it did exactly as I described. There is no way to make a atrac3/atrac3plus cd skip after the first 15 seconds because, well the cd is not spinning! Even taking the cd out won't make it skip. Trust me, it is very hard to make a a MP3/atrac3/atrac3plus cd skip for even the first 15 seconds. There is also 2 modes of G-Protection for regular cds.

Ok now about the software. I installed it cleanly on xp home. I started putting in my cds and converting them to atrac3plus 64 kbps, equal to 128 kbps MP3 quality because of atrac3plus' higher sound quality. Those who are stuck on mp3s don't know what they're missing out on. You can have an atrac3plus file with the same sound quality at half the bit rate and file size as an mp3, plus retain cd quality sound at 64 kbps. In other words, you can double your song capacity and still keep the same quality as an mp3 that is twice the bit rate and file size of an atrac3plus. You can convert your mp3 collection to atrac using SonicStage. SonicStage only burns atrac cds, so you have to use a another program to make mp3 cds. It takes a long time to convert cd tracks to atrac3plus. I got to my about 10th cd and then it wouldn't read the cd because it was too scratched. I pressed "stop", and tried to put in a different cd but it wouldn't read it either, even though the cd was not scratched. I wound up having to restart and start all over, very annoying. It took me a little over three hours to convert 22 cds to atrac3plus, including the restart.

When you start SonicStage, there are two columns. The left side where you get your music and the right side for the atrac cd. You have the choices of atrac3 at 132, 105, and 66 kbps, or atrac3plus at 64 (the default and recommended) or 48 kbps (to get about 490 songs on a cd). Atrac3 compresses your music roughly 1/10th its original size, while atrac3plus compresses your music about 1/20th its original size. Remember, atrac is very high quality music compared to mp3 at its bit rates. You start at the left side, where you have the choice of getting your music off of a cd or from an mp3 folder on your computer. You must register with CDDB to have your ID3 tag information entered automatically when you put in a cd. You can edit the track and artist info after they appear on the left side. When you have the music album you like, then you convert them to atrac. Your music then gets moved over to the right side. You can keep adding as many albums as you like. Once they're on the right side, you can make your final touches with your artist and track info and then burn to cd. Please note, you can't change ID3 tag info after its burned to a cd, but can come back to SonicStage with a cd that already has atrac songs on it and keep on adding music. This player can handle up to 99 sessions per cd. A session is the number of times a cd has been through SonicStage to add music. A handy, accurate meter at the top tells you how much of the cd you have burned and how much music is to be added.

Back to the player, the sound quality is unbelievable. The bass is really emphasized on the "Sound 2" mode using the supplied headphones. You can really turn this player up, too, unlike the panasonics. The battery compartment is under the cd player lid, which I find to be useful if you seem to have your batteries popping out of your cd player. There isn't really any other benefit for that except I fooled my cousins that it didn't have any batteries when I showed them the bottom of the player. Talking about the bottom of the player, the hold switch is there, don't know why. It could have easily would have fit under the open button. When you close the cd lid, the player automatically reads the cd. Don't worry if there is no cd in it, it will read for a few seconds and then turns itself off. You then have to press play to start playing your music. You could of had it off and pressed play and it would have started playing. You have to press play either way. The "Auto-Read" feaure is also a possible energy waster. For example, if you had a cd in the player, close the lid, and put it up, the player would be on for quite sometime without you knowing it. When I had my cd player put away with a cd in it, the cd started reading and spinning by itself, and nothing pressed any of the buttons. Luckily, I was there to stop it. I don't recommend leaving your cds in this cd player, unless you put it on hold. I think that is ridiculous though, turning on hold to put your cd player away. I think the "Auto-Read" feature is something I can do without.

You can search backwards and forwards through an mp3 file as smooth as a cd audio track. You can't say the same for the other mp3 cd players near this price range. You can do the same with an atrac, but it won't be so smooth. Sony has brought back the pause button some users complained about Sony players not having, but it keeps its resume feature, which I like. You can now turn off those beeps you hear when you press a button. There's AVLS for which I have no reason to use. This cd player does have programming. Sony calls it the bookmark feature. You can program your favorite songs and this player remembers them on your cds. You can program a cd in any order you like. The bookmark feature eliminates the need for having to program your favorite songs everytime you put in one of your favorite cds. When you put back in a cd with favorites on it, this player will remember the favorites you picked, and can play them back if you like. You can program up to 99 songs for each regular cd, and this player can remember your favorites on up to 10 regular cds. For MP3 cds, you can program up to 400 files and this cd player will remember your favorites for up to 10 MP3 cds. For Atrac, you can program up to 999 songs per cd, and it'll remember your favorites for up to 5 atrac cds.This is CD-RW compatible unlike my previous Sony cd player, the D-E220. It also plays MP3 cds from 16-320 kbps, including variable bit rate (VBR). Yes, it is ID3 tag and cd text capable, not seen on some other players for around this price. Overall, tremendous quality and value.

Buy Sony DNE509 ATRAC3PLUS CD Walkman Now

IMPORTANT: For some reason this CD does not appear in the MP3 CD Players page. Do note that this is a MP3/CD PLAYER!

Choosing the right MP3 CD Player was a pretty tedious task for me. I went through so many CD players, comparing prices, features and reader reviews, but I could never find something that fit my needs. I was ready to get a Panasonic, but by reading some of the reviews and speaking with some friends I was informed that they generally have lower sound quality, and most important, lower volume power. Being the music freak that I am, volume level is not something to underestimate. My trusty Sony Minidisc (MZR-55, ancient history) was always suplying me with just the right volume, but how do I know if I can trust Panasonic? So I held myself from getting one, and again was very perplexed by which model to choose.

That was all over when I stumbled upon this Sony's model, the DNE-509. I was very surprised to see that Sony actually made an affordable model! This is a relatively new one, and when I came across it I just knew this was going to be exactly what I needed.

So on with the review itself.

Features/Pros:

* 77 hours of playtime in MP3 with only 2 AA battaries!

* 12 play modes, including shuffle through whole disc or folder only, repeat, favorites play (you can tag your favorite songs, and program the CD to play those only! It'll also remember your favorites in up to 10 CDs!). You can also play MP3 list files, which comes in very handy.

* Will read just about any MP3 file, from 8~320kbps, including VBR!

* An awesome design :)

* Has 2 G-Protection modes, "Mode 1" and the enhanced "Mode 2". Mode 1 is for walking and Mode 2 for more active sports. Basicly, you won't be able to make it skip. I am fully content with Mode 1, it had never skipped for me even once.

* You can enhance your bass with "Sound 1" and "Sound 2" mode. Very high-quality boosting.

* An outstanding volume output and sound quality. Make sure you burn high level MP3 for best results!

* Hold button :) (yeah, some CDs don't even have THAT).

* You can flip through albums (folders) with ease. Also, you can Fast Forward or Rewind in the song itself (yup, many CDs don't have that function as well! Just check the reviews on some of the CDs here).

* Sturdy! Being the dumbass that I am, I've managed to drop it on the floor it twice from the table, and nothing happened.

* If you're worried about what type of CDs the player would read (I know I was), then fear not. It reads just about any CD/CDR/CDRW. I use some cheap korean CDs and the player reads them wonderfuly well.

* 1 line Dot-Matrix display, that supports all ID3 versions. In MP3 CDs, you can view the song's name, artist and album. Very comfy :)

* Such an affordable price! This is absolutely the best you can get for that price.

This CD supports ATRAC3 and ATRAC3plus formats. Those formats undoubtly have better quality over MP3, but generally it is a pain to start converting all your MP3 to ATRAC3. When you want to rip some CDs though, better encode them to ATRAC3, for best quality. The DNE-509 comes with a software called SonicStage. It's an easy-to-use software that enables you to convert your CDs to ATRAC3 files, and burn them. The only disadvantage of this program is that you can't add files after you burn them (no multi-session support). But with regular MP3s it's just fine.

Cons:

Basicly, I fount only 1 cone that is disturbing at times. There's this 1 second delay that the player adds between each track, so when you hear tracks are are supposed to be connected (many CDs have these "connected" tracks). This only happens in MP3 CDs though.

Some people might dislike the fact that the CD has no Radio, and no wired controller like some expensive CDs, but I personally think these features aren't really needed. The CD lacks a backlight display as well.

Note also that the player, like the other ones, does not recognize *.mpc files. You will have to convert them to MP3 or ATRAC3.

So, to be conclusive, if you don't really need a controller or a radio, and not that high on budget, this is absolutely the thing for you. You will not get dissapointed, that I promise :) This proves again that Sony quality is not to be underestimated.

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Sony DNE509 is a great product and is worth buying. It plays normal cds, MP3 cds, and Sony's proprietary technology Atrac 3Plus. However, the only problem with this equipment is lack of backlit display! I am sure whoever buys this player will agree on this part.

Anyway, you take this point out of your mind and Sony DNE509 comes out to be excellent product in terms of build quality as well as sound quality.

Atrac 3Plus software supplied is something that really adds the worth of this product as it very easy to use and make Atrac format CDs. I personally found the Atrac format's sound quality much better than MP3. Also, a regular 700 MB blank cd can hold music playable up to 77 hours unlike 52 hours of MP3 format.

The stereo headphones supplied are exceptionally good and prevent from buying more expensive additional headphones. However, they are not much useful if you plan to use these headphones for workouts or brisk walking. "Behind the neck" earphones are better option for that.

Again, the placing of buttons is very thoughtful and easy to operate. The " Hold" feature on the back side of the player makes things perfect as it disables all the other buttons and prevent the player from getting accidental button-press during movement or walking.

I checked many options from Koss, Panasonic, and iRiver but the Sony DNE509 comes out the best in terms of :

1.Build quality

2.Sound quality

3.Atrac 3Plus music format Sony's proprietary technology

4.Battery backup. (lasts almost 65 hours of non-stop play on 2x Duracell AA size)

A quality and value for money product! Happy Buying

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The reviews that gave this Walkman less than 4, even the ones who gave them 4, are mentally ill. The LCD screen uses a dot matrix, which lets it display much more than numbers. I, personally, don't think it's too small. I can read it from a few feet away. Here's a list of pros and cons

PROS

------------------------

great sound quality

can store a bunch of CD's (I have 30 in 1 with room)

great info display

can crank the volume way up

lots of dif. play modes

3 sound modes, with dif. bass

AMAZING battery life

a hold button

CONS

------------------

display could have been backlit

it takes about 15 seconds to load a CD when you put it in

it takes about a second for an atrac3plus CD to change songs

The sould quality is great, and this CD player, if you are playing an atrac3plus or an mp3 CD, NEVER skips. The CD doesn't spin! That's why it has over a 70 hour battery life playing atrac3plus CD's. It's also why it has to load for 10-20 seconds before playing the CD, but it's definitely worth the battery life. You can easily look through your CD's stored on an atrac3plus or mp3 CD without any hassle.The last review said that he couldn't push the buttons easily. This person must have in the words of The White Stripes, "a brain that felt like pancake batter." They can be pressed as easily as you can on any Walkman. The last review also mentioned that there was an annoying beeping sound when you had it on pause or if you pressed a button it would make an annoying beeping noise. That's true, but you can easily turn it off. I think that people should learn to read the manual. For the people who don't know what it is, it's the freakin' booklet that comes with it! Anyways, for $60 this is probably the best choice of a Walkman you can get. In fact, I think it's probably the best for up to about $100 or more! If you have even the SLIGHTEST intrest in getting a Walkman, get this one.

As many have said, this is a very nice CD/MP3 Walkman.

Pros

+ Very solid and reliable, in a small package.

+ The battery life is amazing. I use NiMH batteries, and they last for days.

+ Very nice full sound.

+ If you hit the Stop button, it powers down in 10 seconds. When you power back up, it remembers the spot where you left off, even in the middle of a cut. I like this feature a lot, as I listen to a lot of recorded messages.

+ It's a Sony! They're always great.

+ It WILL play MP3Pro files, and they sound great, even though MP3Pro is not necessarily supported.

Cons

Display is ridiculously small. I don't know what Sony is thinking on this one. If you want a similar Sony CD walkman with a very good display, try Sony's Psyc® ATRAC® CD Walkman®

D-NF400PSGRAY (check Sony website). I wish I knew about that one before buying this one.

By default beeps with every button press and beeps constantly on Pause. However, this CAN be easily disabled, as documented in the instructions.

EXTREMELY slow FF and RW functions. This is irritating if you want to skip forward or backward in an extended recording.

Further observation

I haven't tried the SonicStage software, based on the very negative reviews here. I'm using MusicMatch Jukebox Plus, encoding everything MP3Pro 96 khz with great success.

Overall, I'm very pleased with this player. Yeah, you need an electron microscope to read the display -but beyond that it's great.

Sansonic FT-300A Digital To Analog TV Converter Box

• Allows older TVs not connected to cable or satellite to receive new digital TV (DTV) signals
• Simple plug-in RF coaxial cable connection; composite video (yellow) and audio (red/white) outputs
• Selectable channel 3 or 4 analog output
• Supports channel display, closed captioning, and V-Chip parental controls
• Coupon-eligible converter box (CECB)

It scrambles the tv signal on and off. Sometimes the picture is ok, sometimes (most of the time) it is completely scrambled and unwatchable. I have a really good antenna as well. Buy something else. This is getting returned.

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The unit is small and the picture and sound quality are excellent. We wanted a conveter on a fairly new TV that we use in the kitchen and this fits the bill. We can receive all of our local channels on a rabbit ear antenna with only ocassional pixelization and drop-out (I've had a DTV for a couple of years and I think the general digital scheme, if you're using an over-the-air antenna, is marginal at best).

This unit is digital only; there's no analog pass-through. That won't matter in the future, though.

I've also noticed our unit regularly turns itself off (after several hours). I can't find anything in the manual about this other than the unit being "energy complaint". If I were using a VCR with this, I'd never know if the unit would still be operating when the VCR was set to record. Maybe our unit is defective in this regard.

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This product is a waste of money. I have owned one for a few months and have not been satisfied with it performance even when it was working properly!

I purchased this DTV converter several months ago and I was able to receive a few channels from local TV stations with transmitters ca. 2 miles away with minimal problems, but stations more than 10 miles away have always been a problem to receive. Within the last week I have been unable to receive any stations! I tried a new antenna with no success. I tried going to the second story of my house with no success. I have tried many times to scan for channels with no success.

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I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS DIGITAL CONVERTER... IT SHORTS OUT EVERY FIVE MINUTES, REBOOTS, AND THEN JUST SHUTS OFF WITH NO WARNING... THIS WAS A TOTAL RIPOFF AND I AM FURIOUS THAT I BOUGHT TWO OF THESE!!!

I BOUGHT THESE DURING THE ANALOG TO DIGITAL CONVERSION SCAM THAT CAUSED PERFECTLY GOOD ANALOG BROADCAST SIGNAL TO MY HOME TO BE REPLACED BY THE NEW DIGITAL CRAZE, WHICH WORKS TERRIBLY!!! I DIDN'T START TRYING THESE CONVERTERS UNTIL I STOPPED SUBSCRIBING TO CABLE -AND THEY HAVE BEEN AN ABJECT DISASTER!!!

WHOM EVER SOLD THESE SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF THEMSELVES FOR PUTTING OUT SUCH A LOUSY GODDAMNED PRODUCT, ESPECIALLY SINCE THE GOVERNMENT SANCTIONED THEIR USE....

AND SHAME ON AMAZON FOR NOT SCREENING THEIR PRODUCTS!!!

I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER PRODUCT OF ANY KIND FROM AMAZON!!!!!

This box does what it's supposed to most of the time, but there are some major issues. For one, it changes the channel randomly. I can have the remote sitting on the table, not even pointing at the box, and the channel will just change randomly. The remote itself is a piece of junk (goes through 4-5 sets of batteries in the time it takes my DVD remote to go through 1 set even when I'm watching more DVDs than TV, has to be aimed just right or it doesn't work, buttons have to be pressed just right or nothing happens) and it's the only way to change channels! There are no buttons on the front of the device other than the on/off button, so if the remote gets misplaced or isn't working, you're out of luck. The box also takes forever to turn on and off. You have to press the power button and wait a few seconds to see if the light on the front is actually going to turn on/off. This wouldn't be so annoying if the remote actually worked, but since pressing the power button on the remote only works 2 out of 3 times, it can get very annoying to press the button, wait, press the button again, wait, etc. until the device actually decides to turn off. I think the "signal scrambling" issues other people are talking about have more to do with reception than the device, but this thing still isn't that great.

Fotga Mini Camera Suction Mount Tripod Holder Car Wind Screen

The tightening knob on the one I got was useless, even after tightening it all the way down it still would not tighten

As a side note the seller spammed me some 10 times trying to bribe me with a $3 offer to remove my feedback.

Go ahead, send me another spam and I'll report you to Amazon

Update this spamming inconsiderate seller continues to spam me to change my review some 15 dam times now and has been reported to Amazon in violation of seller rules

I will NEVER purchase anything from this jerk seller ever again!

This holds on to my windshield pretty well most of the time. It has fallen off a few times, but for the most part its a great buy.

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The top came off and the ball moves no matter how tight the screw is. Waste of $5. No reason to buy this.

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In itself the mount is OK. The real problem though is that because of the length of the mount all car vibration is grossly magnified making my recording very shaky. The idea behind the mount is good, I guess it's just not suitable for mounting a video camera which is attempting.

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I give it 5 stars no complaints what so ever. decent product and it gets the job done. I use this for my car, I have it mounted on the upper part of my windshield near my rear view and it hold my camera no problem. Midwest weather approx. 30 degrees right now. ps it holds up to vibration, I have a 150+ db sound system = everything flexes

Pyle Home PTCDS5U Vintage Turntable with CD/Cassette/Radio/Aux-In/USB/SD/MP3 and Vinyl to MP3 Encod

• Two Speed (33/45 RPM) Turntable - Plays CDs and MP3s from USB/SD - 3.5mm Auxiliary Input Jack - 3.5mm Headphone Jack
• AM/FM Radio (FM 88 - 108 MHz, AM 540 - 1600 kHz) - Extra Bass Control System - LCD Display With Blue Backlight
• Cassette Playback With Single Key Design - Dial Scale With Illumination - Power Source: AC 110 / 220 V
• USB/SD Card Slots - Play MP3s or Encode Vinyl to MP3 - Rotary Volume Control - Dimensions: 15.98'' (W) x 13.62'' (D) x 8.66'' (H)
• Converts Vinyl, Cassette Direct to USB/SD Card - Remote Control for CD with 12 Buttons

Okay this is my video review of the pyle home PTCDs5U. It is basically an all in one sound system which has virtually every kind of playing device imaginable. All the way from Lp's and casettes to mp3. For a bedroom or living room this has adequate sound power. I am impressed by all the featureseven 1/8 jack or usb for your mp3. Quality of build is above expectationsin a matt black wood with a sort of 20s-30s vintage look. Radio dial even moves like an old time player. I am back to playing my lps againvery happy.

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I couldn't be happier so far with this purchase. Despite the small internal speakers, the volume and quality of sound is more than ample to fill our 2 bedroom apartment and probably annoy the upstairs neighbor on occasion. It is no thumper, and it lacks the fullness an audiophile would cravebut for the money and size it is sufficient.If you wanted a be-all end-all system, you wouldn't be looking at this happy little thing anyhow, you would be over in Sony or Jensen building a piece-by-piece rack system. My intent here is value for the dollar and between the media options offered and the quality of the device, this was a good buy.

It is getting hard to find a quality vinyl player these days that has more to offer than just the turntable itself. This unit covers all the major media bases. I have not used the conversion to mp3 yet, but that was a big plus in my consideration. Get that vinyl onto digital so you can have the good old stuff everywhere you go without repurchasing it. Don't let your musical roots fade away with the media it is stored on RIAA be damned (literally).

The only con I have found so far is a double edged sword while the ability to tune in AM/FM stations is lacking a bit due to its manual nature (the tuner is the white oval you see in the image) that is also a good part of it's charm it is a mix of old school and modern, and it does so in a classy manner. I would sooner have that white oval manual tuner than a second digital display (such as the one below it which is the control display for CD's and USB device folders).

Good device, I would give it 5 stars but it would have to deliver above dollar value to rate a 5th one. It does great at being what it is but more speakers (perhaps side mounted) and a fuller quality would have gotten that 5th one nailed down.

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I'm no expert, but I absolutely love this record player. It looks even better in person, and I love the old style mixed in with the new. I can even hook it up to my Bose mini sound system and it sounds great!

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I was very pleased with the Pyle PTCDS5U stereo. It did everything I wanted, play music from my flash drives, micro SD cards, cassettes, records, CD's, and from the AM/FM radio. I really don't understand the poor feedback people give because they are not satisfied with the sound from the internal speaker. If you want better sound, just plug this unit into external speakers. I don't see the big deal. I'm just glad I can finally play all of my music media with one small compact unit instead of separate components for everything.

I was disappointed to find out that this unit only plays records at 33 1/3 and 45 RPM speeds. I neglected to check on the record speeds as I figured since this was a newer model than the Pyle PTCDS2UI, it would still have the ability to play records at 78 RPM speed. The Pyle PTCDS2UI also has a dock to play music from your iPhone or iPod. I'm just not sure why a newer model would have less than the previous model.

This unit also comes with a remote control, which really comes in handy when you are playing tons of music from your flash drives in the USB port. The remote and the unit itself has buttons to allow you to skip to the next song or skip to the next folder of music on your flash drive. It comes with instructions on how to get started with the unit but it was pretty easy setting everything up and using it. Overall, I am very glad I bought this.

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Well, all i can say is....if you have one of these and it actually works the way it's supposed to....count yourself lucky! I got mine today and it will not read ANY of my cd's! I've tried 20 different cd's, store-bought and cd's i've burned myself, and this unit will not read ANY of them! The record player and tape player both work ok. The auxilary option will play your ipods but the play-back volume is quite low, even at the highest settings (this also goes for the phonograph playback). My advice? Stay away.....there's about a 50% chance you will get a defective unit.

Panasonic DMR-ES20S DVD Recorder Silver

• Multi-format, progressive scan DVD recorder/player in silver; measures 16.9 x 2.5 x 13.3 inches (WxHxD)
• Records to DVD-R/RW, DVD+R, and DVD-RAM; plays back DVD+RW, CD-R/RW, MP3, and JPEG
• Built-in analog TV tuner with 7-day electronic programming guide; chasing playback record function
• Video connection options: composite (2 in, 1 out), S-Video (2 in, 1 out), component (1 out), RF (1 in)
• Digital optical audio ouput for Dolby Digital and DTS surround sound

I needed something to offload my Tivo recordings onto and searched the various reviews for a good quality unit that would record and play in multiple formats. Rather quickly I narrowed it down to Panasonic (Sony had some attractive offerings but I am concerned about their obsessive digital rights management and so they were taken off my list) focusing on their ES10S model but found that it had been replaced by the ES20S. Some Googling revealed that the most significant differences appeared to be in fewer outputs on the newer model plus the addition of a cooling fan. Since I was planning on rather limited applications this was not an issue so I popped for the ES20S. After having used it for 3 weeks I must say that I am impressed overall with recording of DVD-R and DVD-RW discs. I also found that I did need to read the instructions to obtain the results I desired most specifically finalizing the disc after recording so that you can play it in most any other player. I now prefer recording with the DVD-RW in the 4 hour format and can usually get 2 Tivo movies on one disc that play well on my laptop. The remote is very good and can be coded to operate with my Sony XBR WEGA TV. I would have given it five stars if the user interface had been a bit more intuitive but overall I am very pleased and would purchase the same recorder today if I had to do it all over again.

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I bought this unit to save programs from TIVO my Onkyo 6DVD Changer is about the most sensitive / intolerant units to burned CDs/DVDs there is so I was really concerned, if the burned DVDs would work. The answer is: THEY DO! Reading some of the other reviews, the feeling I get is "forgot to finalize". There is a "Finalize" menu function (I admit it's somewhat burried in the manual), which closes out the DVD and makes it ready to be played on other devices. Used Memorex DVD+R disk, saved two shows of "24" from TIVO to disk, finalized: works like a charm on the Onkyo, works great on my PC, great picture quality.... what else do you need?!!!

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This is my first DVD recorder. I have used VCR's for the past 20 years so that's what I am used to.

My current over worked 5 year old VCR started to act up, so I started looking for a replacement and decided to go with the Panasonic DMR-ES20. The price was right, $180 at Circuit City.

I needed 3 things; to replace my aging VCR, to dub old VCR tapes I made before they deteriorate (some 20 years old) and to archive video shot from my digital video camera on an almost daily basis.

I won't talk much about the quality of recordings because my source (Adelphia cable) is so bad. Thankfully Time-Warner is supposed to take over early in '06.

My equipment and hookup: Panasonic DMR-ES20 DVD Recorder, Panasonic 27" standard TV, Panasonic PV-V4540 VCR , Panasonic DVD-RV27 DVD Player, Adelphia basic cable (no box). The ES20 will replace the VCR and DVD Player. I split the cable, one directly to the TV, the other to the ES20. S-Video from the ES20 to the TV since that's the best hookup this TV has.

Tuner. Yes, it has one. I think it's a bit weaker than the TV's tuner which is weaker than the tuner in the VCR. Probably won't matter if you have a good signal.

I have read reviews that state you cannot change channels using the numbers on the remote. Yes you can but you have to hit the 'Enter' key if you only enter 2 digits and it's a long reach from the numbers for my thumb. Also, the TV and VCR change channels instantly when surfing using the up/down buttons. The ES20 has a delay. It's not as slow as satellite though.

Playing. I popped in Spider-Man 2. Looked great to me, black level really good. My current player, the Panasonic DVD-RV27, has some features this recorder does not, the most notable instant replay and position memory. The position memory allows me to hit a button, then the next time I play that DVD it starts at that spot. This recorder does have a nice 1.3x speed playback. The benefit is that the audio is still understandable. It also has a 1 minute skip feature, good for passing over commercials instantly.

Recording. Let the fun begin. You can use DVD-RAM or the other non-ram formats it supports. I will be using both depending on what I am doing.

I plan on using non-ram for archiving from my camcorder and for dubbing old vcr tapes. I will be using the -R format as I will not need to write over them. They are permanent and that's what I need. They should also be very compatible with most other players.

Recording starts within 1 second of hitting the record button. It will not record over anything currently on the disk, it automatically finds empty space, instantly. No need to worry about recording over something.

I bought some Philips DVD-R disks for about $1 a piece. I dubbed a couple of classics (Near Dark and The Hidden) I taped off of Cinemax 18 years ago onto 1 disk using LP mode. When you start to record a new title is created. You can change the title, change the thumbnail, and add a disk name. I saw no way to add chapters. However, when I finalized the disk (it took 4 minutes) chapters were created automatically at 5 minute intervals. CNET's claim in it's review that you cannot create chapters is a bit misleading. You cannot do it, but the recorder does it automatically when the disc is finalized. I then tried playing this disk in a memorex player and a symphonic player. Worked just fine.

Using DVD-RAM gives the most options. The disks are about $2 a piece, not bad considering the claim you can record over them thousands of times. You can add chapters after you record. While playing you can hit the 'create chapter' button on the remote and it instantly creates a chapter. While playing you can hit the 'erase' button on the remote and it instantly erases (it asks for confirmation) that title. You can combine adjacent chapters. You can delete chapters. So, you could make a commercial break a chapter, then delete it. No more commercial.

Coming from the world of VCR's, a DVD-RAM recorder definitely has some benefits. I no longer have to find a spot on the tape to record a tv show on, the DVD-RAM does it automatically and instantly. Just hit the record button, it does the rest. It tells you how much time if left based on your recording mode. LP mode gives you 4 hours and is fine for cable / sat recording.

I have always had vcr's that had indexing. The difference now is instead of waiting for the tape to move forward or backward, it's instant.

You can view 6 titles or 12 chapters of a title at a time using the Navigator. Which ever title or chapter you have selected in the Navigator plays while the others are static. You can also easily erase these using the erase button on the remote (it asks for confirmation) without diving into a sub menu.

The time slip and chasing playback are really interesting and easy to use. You can watch something you already recorded while you are currently recording something else. I know, sounds odd, but it's handy. I was recording an episode of Boston Legal at night and while that was happening I was able to watch the episodes of ER I had recorded earlier. If I choose to I could stop watching the ER episodes and start watching the Boston Legal episode while it was recording, from any spot in the episode. Very nice.

Now, for some things I don't like or am not used to.

It does not display record, play, pause, FF, etc.. on the TV screen like a vcr does. I hit record but have to look at the ES10 or hit the status button to see if it's actually recording.

Can't add chapters while recording, have to wait until it's done.

There is a 10 second delay adding chapters. It adds them instantly when while you are playing, but when you hit stop there is a 10 second delay. I only notice this after I have added a chapter so I assume that's what it is.

The remote is a bit cumbersome. To change channels using the numbers you have to hit the 'enter' button and it's not near the numbers. The erase and create chapter buttons are next to each other and feel the same. The record button feels the same as the buttons around it. I like to work the remote by feel without looking at it or having to turn on a light.

To flip between title and chapter views you have to go into a sub menu.

Summary. I really like it. Last year I paid $125 for my dvd player, now I paid just $55 more for a recorder. Unlike a unit with just a hard drive, I can pop these disks out and save them forever if I choose. Camcorder plugs in easily with the front DV input. It's easy to use just like a vcr but with many more benefits. It's fast and fun. Go get one.

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Cannot believe that no one else has reported a problem trying to record TV pgms.

Panasonic tells me this is a known bug: when I try to record a number of pgms on the same day/or not, many will not record. or it may record the 1st and 2nd,only to skip the 3rd (leaving it gray) and record the 4th.

if I am trying to record a 1 hr. show and have 3 or even 4 hrs free on a pana dvd-ram disc, it will not accept the pgm in the Schedule section. it places an exclm pt ! next to the item.

Many, many shows have been skipped or whatever with AMPLE space on the disc. last night, with 4:01 hrs of free space, as shown in Scheduling, at 7:57PM I manually set it to record a 1 hr show, which began at 8:00PM.

set channel, start time, end time, mode =EP with 4:01 hrs of ep tim left on disc.

8:00PM came and went nothing happened! when I flipped the disc and gave it 6 free hrs, then it did record!

that is NOT a Scheduling bug, to my mind.

the cpu just does not deal with avail space/time on disc at all properly.

After first call on 11/01/05, pana says a FIRMWARE UPGRADE disc si in the mail, but I have no real confidence that this will correct problems. And have still not rcv'd disc, even after second call, 2-3 weeks after my original call...

will update...

1/03/06 UPDATE #1 STILL NO FIRMWARE DISC! Maybe I Should Just Get A TIVO... would now give ZERO stars.

pana has record of my 1st call/complaint on 11/01/05. Called back 2-3 wk's later w/same problem & disc. not rcv'd. was told disc would be forthcoming. it's now 1/03/06 and STILL NO DISC!

Placed 3d call and spoke to supv. bad machine and bad service.

1/06/06 UPDATE #2 FINALLY!! After speaking to a supv. and getting a bit irate, the firmware disc arrives.

Disc is clearly labelled "dmr es40". Instructions state to only use a disc having the same id number as the unit it's to be used with. I use it anyway, since no damage can result, (according to instructs.) Comes with 2 pages of photos of the display as firmware loads. Words such as "load, firmwre, etc" appear. NOne of these words appear on my unit. Another 50-60 min wait on pana 800-question line. (at least they do provide one with a real person on the other end!). Rep goes to secondary group; tells me that the es40 frimware and es20 is the same, but has no idea why I see none of the msg's as provided with the disc.

Have finished a little bit of recording: am now (at last) able to completely fill up a 6 hour side of a disc with normal recording of TV. did a bit of a torture test by leaving 3 minutes blank on disc, then recording 3 separate 1-minute pgm's to complete the 6 hrs.

Everything appears fine so far... In other words, it is now recording in the way it should have, all along.

My only question: HOW COULD PANA HAVE ALLOWED A PRODUCT TO BE SOLD/SHIPPED IN SUCH A DEFECTIVE STATE FROM THE START?

Update #3 1/27/06 STILL BUGGY!

Firmware still leaves a bug. with a ram disc that has 6 free hrs., if one recrods tv pgm's using the record on "day of the week" setting, say Saturday... I record 3 pgm's on a Saturday, each of 1 hour length. these are set to record every sat., and I have now used 3 hrs on the disc BUT going to the SCHEDULE function, I see that the 3 pgm's do NOT go away. they are at the bottom of the Scheduling area, but the date, saturday's date, is till next to them even though they have already finished being recorded.

Now, NOTHING ELSE WILL RECORD ON THIS DISC ON THIS DAY, (SAT).

The machine sees that 3 hrs of the 6 hr disc have been used. then it sees/thinks that there is/are still another 3 hours to be recorded (these are the same 3 pgm's already recorded, but which continue to show up on today's schedule). This gives us 6 HOURS!

The disc is maxed-out, so nothing furhter will record. If I record pgm's as a on-time-only deal, not as a repeating day of the week item, then the pgm disappears and it does not create a doubling of time used/needed. but then, I have to re-program to record that show every week, rather than just once, and foget it.

Once Sat. turns into Sunday, those 3 pgm's (and the time the machine is mistakenly reserving for them) go away till next week and those 3 "lost hours" are once more avail. to be used for recording.

suppose I could go on the 50+ minute wait-que, but would the info ever really get to the appropriate Pana technical staff, and does anybody really care anyway? Not that I can tell, or how could they have let this thing go out the way it was and is?

Update #4 2/15/06 It's going to "repair" shop.

got hold of Pana again. took 15 min or less! product specialist had me do a "re-initialize/reset" of machine. says my unit's firmware is/was already at the newest level of issue. the reset did not help when recording tv pgm's using the repeating day-of-the-week scheduling, the pgm's already recorded on a given day stay on the schedule as active, until Midnight of that day. pana rep tells me it's time to dig up receipt and make a trip to the shop.

We'll see... (I really have my doubts)

I purchased the unit in December for the purpose of copying about 25 8mm tapes to DVD and using this unit to make DVD's from my new mini DV Camcorder.

Before I updated the firmware (a process that took only 20 minutes), I had the same problems others have indicated. The machine would freeze and would need to be unplugged. Even with this issue, all the DVD could be finalized and work in the 3 DVD players I have. The remaining comments assume the firmware has been updated.

I have have been very pleased with the quality of the recordings and I'm picky. Thus far, I recorded 7 or 8 2 hour 8mm tapes without too many issues. I do not find any difference in the quality of DVD when compared to the original 8mm tape when the DVD is played on a DVD player connected to a 36 inch TV using component video. Before I started making copies, I purchased a high quality camcorder cable and I believe this makes a difference in the overall quality. In fact, comparing video quality is very depandant on the TV, how the unit is connected to it and the quality of the cables.

I have recorded one TV show and the quality was acceptable but not as good as recording the 8mm move. I wouldn't purchase this unit for this purpose that probably goes for any DVD recorder.

I have also recorded from my mini DV camcorder using the DV input jack. The quality of this recording was fantastic. Digital input recording is awesome.

This unit, like all DVD recorders on the market, has is flaws. A couple of times, it stopped recording for unknown reasons. In those cases, I found where it stopped and restarted the recording process and in the end had a good DVD.

This unit does not make it simple to create chapters. The only way to stop stop recording and restart. It does create 5 minute invisible chapters enabling you to jump to the next section on playback. I find this acceptable.

I have read the reviews for all the major brands, Sony, Toshiba, Samsung, etc. and all seem to have some problems.

This unit is very acceptable for recording 8mm and DV tapes to DVD. Using a DVD Recorder is much more convienant than using the computer. I suspect the only reason to use the computer is if you plan on doing alot of editing.

I would recommend this unit only because I'm satisfied with the results and all the other brands seem to have their own problems. If a problem free unit can be found buy that one. Be sure to purchase a unit with the DV input jack for best results.

Probably the best feature is having the old 8mm tapes on DVD. I find it more fun to watch the old home movies on DVD.

Redhead Windscreen for Zoom H4n (Midnight)

• Where's your Redhead?

I've tested this windscreen in many different conditions, much better protection than the foam factory windscreen. Doesn't muffle the sound at all like some windscreens. Offers adequate protection in most circumstances except the most extreme cases. Good price, high quality, FITS MUCH BETTER THAN OTHER CHEAPER MODELS (cough*MicMuff*cough). Highly recommend!

Morris Mini DC Slave Flash Wide Plus with PC Cord, Guide Number 24 with ISO 100 in Feet.

This thing packs a big punch to be so small! I like the angled bottom, and it's only about the size of a tennis ball, and I even glued some Velcro straps to it so I and mount it about anywhere needed when I am outdoors.

Q1C1 Day Night High Resolution 1/4" color CCD, 420 TV Lines, 24 IR home surveillance camera

i can mount the camera on the wall or on the celling. the camera looks good.

reasonable price for a very good camera.

plus the seller was very helpful.

Sony TCM150 Cassette Voice Recorder - Portable

I've been using this Sony for recording church services for a couple years now. Obviously, this is not a high-tech operation. I convert the tape into digital format for editing on my PC to create CD's. I've been able to make some great tapes so far and I'm recording in a huge "cathedral" type church. For the size and cost, I think it's great. I don't think I'd use it for listening to music as the microphone is rather "noisey". I recommend this for persons who aren't ready to make a major investment in high-tech recording equipment.

The Sony TCM-150 is about the cheapest cassette recorder on the market at this time. For five to ten bucks more you get voice activation, an external microphone jack, a tape counter, and extended play/record. The models with these features are the Sony TCM-200DV (without the tape counter) and the Panasonic RQ-L31. Of course, in all these cases, you're getting a cheaply made recorder intended for lectures, notes and inteviews. If you want something for music or that's built to take some punishment you'll have to pay more.

Last word on the 150: The odds are you're going to need at least one of those extra features especially voice activation. Pass on this one and pay just a tiny bit more for something better.

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This is a terrific tape recorder.

I've always found that bells and whistles like voice activation don't work. This one does. You want it on, you turn it on. You want it off, you turn it off. It's recording quality is very good for this medium. We're not talking digital sound, of course, but no magnetic tape machine will deliver that quality.

I've used probably a dozen recorders over many years, and this is one of the best values out there.

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My new car doesn't have a cassette player, not even an option, so I decided to try a portable cassette player and see how cumbersome it would be. It's great! This little Sony T150 stores in my center console, has loud volume if I need to hear it heavy traffic, and it's clear as a bell. Now I carry it back and forth to house and car just easier than my plug in boom box. the 2 batteries are supposed to last for 26 hours but actually lasted 34 hours in play mode. Am very happy with this Sony.

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I WANTED A NOT TO EXPENSIVE CASSETTE RECORDER. I WANTED A BRAND NAME. I SAW THE SONY RECORDER FOR A GOOD PRICE,AND I FOUND IT. RECEIVED PRODUCT VERY QUICKLY. RECORDS FULL LENGTH CASSETTES. EASY OPERATION. PLAY, RECORD, STOP, REWIND AND FAST FORWARD. LARGE SPEAKER, WHICH IS IN THE FRONT, WITH THE CASSETTE WINDOW DISPLAY. THIS HELPS ALOT. SOME CASSETTE RECORDERS HAVE WINDOW ON ONE SIDE, WITH THE SPEAKER ON THE OTHER. WITH THIS RECORDER, YOU CAN LISTEN AND RECORD WITH THE PLAYER ON IT'S BACK. YOU ONLY HAVE TO USE THEBACK SIDE TO CHANGE BATTERIES. RECORDS CLEAR VOICE. PLAYBACK FINE. THANK YOU

LG Electronics BP530 3D Smart Blu-ray Disc Player with Wi-Fi

• Easy access to thousands of movies, customizable apps and videos.
• Wirelessly send the audio from your TV to your smartphone so you can hear the TV without disturbing those around you.
• Perfect for playing all your 3D or 2D Blu-Ray and DVD movies.

I bought the LG 3D Blu Ray player because of quality and price. Also it has wireless updating which eliminates having to hook a network cable to it to update the software. One surprising thing I found is that it will play regular Blu Ray discs that are made for Region 2/B which is Europe, the Middle East, Africa and so on where as Region 1/A is the USA and Canada. I accidentally bought a disk for Region 2/B and it wouldn't play on my regular Blu Ray Player so I upgraded the player and it still wouldn't play it. I put it in the LG 3D Blu Ray player and it played great. I suspected it was for the wrong region since it didn't play after upgrading my Sony Blu Ray. I looked on my orders from Amazon and sure enough my disc was for Region 2/B. I am pleased that I didn't have to return the program. I usually look at the region but usually Amazon sells Region 1/A but this time I didn't check and sure enough got a program for the wrong region. Enough on that. The 3D picture produced by the LG Blu Ray player is second to none for a passive 3D machine (you don't need wired 3D glasses. It uses the same 3D glasses as theaters use for 3D features). I have it connected via a HDMI cable to my 3D Toshiba LED 240hz tv which puts out the best tv picture I have ever seen. I found out you have to be careful about 3D LED tvs because a lot of them are 120hz which is a slower refresh rate and produce a lesser quality 3D picture. All in all I am even more pleased with the Blu Ray player since it will apparently play any region disc.

Buy LG Electronics BP530 3D Smart Blu-ray Disc Player with Wi-Fi Now

I noticed one reviewer pointed out that this player, doesn't support Amazon's streaming service. I wanted make people aware, that when you go into their premium services option, that there is a Amazon logo reporting that sometime in the future they plan on making that an option. I choose this player as LG has always been very good with supporting many codecs, and is a real solid player if you use DLNA, basically the ability to play compressed video and audio files on your computer's hard drive to your TV via you wireless network. I have a lot of family home video's video's and video I've downloaded from YouTube that I like having access to watch on my big screen TV. Another feature and I haven't tested this out, is in the past I found in previous LG players I've owned, you could often play DVD's that where in recorded in PAL, I have a few DVD+R with video encoded in PAL, which is basically the standard that most European countries particularly the UK use. So if you have friends living across the pond this feature can come in handy. I haven't tried playing any of my PAL dvds with this player, so it's something you might want to check out if that is your reasoning for choosing this player.

As far as speed this players is very responsive compared to a Samsung player I bought a few years ago, and it's faster loading the Netflix app that than my VIZO TV, and my former Samsung Blu-Ray. It does have the latest Netflix interface which is nice, so this is a very solid player. If I had a complaint regarding this player, it has a very limited number of apps, and services that you can choose from compared to other players. So if your looking for a fast solid not to expensive Blu-Ray player and plan on using DLNA, you could do worse. Sony I've heard is good at DNLA, Samsung is OK although the DNLA software that comes with it is very annoying as it goes in and relabels all your xvids and other compressed video files with an additional file extension that is very annoying if you choose to change to a different brand for your DLNA uses, because you have to go in a relabel them to make them play properly.

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A few years ago we stopped paying for cable, so video players became our main source of television watching. Our family always seemed to be watching shows on Netflix and we bought lots of DVD/Blu-Ray disk sets of television series, so we decided to cut the cord with out overpriced cable company. Turns out our TVs still pick up many of the local channels, but we still hardly ever watched them. So for the last few years, pretty much everything we've watched has been on Netflix, DVD or Blu-Ray.

So when I received this LG player, I was eager to set up the wi-fi in it to see how well the Netflix steaming played. Keep in mind this player does not come with a HDMI cable, so you'll need to buy one or use one you already have. After plugging everything in, I turned it on and it prompted me to go through the simple wi-fi set up process. It detected my routers signal and I just entered the password to connect it.

I then navigated to the video streaming section of this player's home page and opened up the Netflix application. After logging into my Netflix account, everything from my watch lists came up. It streams video well and I had no issues with buffering or lagging. After the movies load up, it plays from beginning to end without any freezing.

We play both DVDs and Blu-Ray disks on this player all the time, and they've been working perfectly. The only problem I've had is with the remote, when using it at different angles. If the player is set up higher than where you're sitting at using the remote, the player doesn't always receive the signal from the controller right away. The sensors need a good line-of-sight to one another, and if you're using the remote pointing upward at the player, you'll find you need to raise your hand (that's holding the remote) up to get the player's sensors to receive the signal of the remote. The two need to be close to level with one another for everything to work best. However this is a very small gripe I have with it, and I still enjoy how well this player streams videos and plays disks. The positives I've found using it outweigh the angle issues I've had with the remote control. I've had a lot of luck with LG products, and this one has done a nice job of living up to my other experiences with the brand.

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The first unit I received (from Amazon) worked for about 20 minutes. I hooked everything up and when connected (via WiFi) to the Internet, it showed an icon to upgrade the software (firmware?). I click on this and the download proceeded normally. When I went to power off, the unit tried to update the software (a second time?) and locked up about 80% through the update (status bar is the only indicator). I waited 2 hours and the status bar did not move. I could not power off. I ended up pulling the plug. That killed the unit. It would never again power up.

I contacted Amazon and they sent a replacement unit right away (Prime customer) and I sent the defective unit back.

The replacement unit works fine, but I am leery of updating the software again. For now I will just leave the update process alone.

The unit plays DVD's flawlessly. Nice output. I have yet to purchase a BluRay disk as this is my first player.

The TV control buttons worked without additional programming of the remote (TV is a Olivia 37" from 2006). The HDMI worked with my old TV just fine. The unit is compact and easily squeezes on top of my TiVo.

I gave the rating of only 4 stars because of the software update seemed to be the reason the first unit died.

Hint: how to test an infrared remote. Use a digital camera. Hold the remote in front of the lens and press any button on the remote. You should see the light emitting from the remote displayed on the camera's viewer.

I think I got a defective unit.

I was thrilled to get this blu-ray player, because my old one, a Samsung, is noisy when it loads up a disc. This unit is smaller and quieter but it doesn't always work. When I first got it and plugged it all in, I tried turning it on with the remote. Nothing. I fussed with all the cables, and pressed the buttons on the front of the unit. Twice I got some static on my screen. Bizarre that there's no power button on the front of this thing (at least none that I could see!). I took out the battery that came with the remote and put in a new one I happened to have (AAA) and finally managed to turn on the blu ray player. There was some lag using the remote. Sometimes when I chose an item, it would respond quickly. Other times, it would sit there. Or pause. Annoying.

It loaded up a Blu Ray just fine and the quality was good.

I also chose the menu item which allowed you to play other media, and it did a software update. Then on the main menu I noticed at the bottom of the screen it had the blue button displayed with "Software update" next to IT so I did that too.

I have a hard drive that plugs into the wall for power, and I tried to use this blu ray player with it but it wouldn't read it. As soon as I plugged the hard drive into the USB port on the front of this unit, the blu ray player would power off. It did this again and again.

One feature I do love is the ability to listen to the audio via your iPhone. That's very cool. I downloaded the app(s?) it's not clear what apps to download I ended up downloading two from the itunes store but once that was done I managed to get it to work. You can control the blu ray player from your phone, but not control everything. I couldn't see where you would fast forward or pause a movie. But the audio portion is cool. As long as your phone is on the wireless network that the blu ray player is on, you can listen to the audio on your phone (I use good headphones I have). That's pretty awesome.

One thing I could not figure out for the life of me is the part of the remote that claims to be for the TV. The bottom part of the remote has 4 buttons dedicated for the TV power, input, volume up, volume down. They don't work and for the life of me I cannot locate ANYWHERE online where to find out how to program this remote so it will work with my TV.

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To summarize, I would not recommend this player because:

1) Remote doesn't always work for me

2) Unit is unresponsive at times and either pauses when you make a selection or simply doesn't turn on.

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Although I think the audio-via-iphone feature is great, if I can't quickly turn on the unit, I'm not going to use it. Also if I can't get that TV portion of the remote to work, then I have to keep the old TV remote around, which I didn't have to do with my old blu ray player.

****

UPDATE

So after looking at the manual online I do now see where you can progam the bottom section of the remote. YAY. They don't include a manual with the blu ray player: they include a DISC but you need a computer to use it. Anyone here use a computer anymore? Don't we all use iphones and ipads? No CD drives on them!!! Anyhow it was incredibly frustrating to not be able to program this part of the remote when I first got the unit. I did stick the CD it came with into the blu ray player hoping they would have included a version of the manual that you could view via the blu ray player but no dice. Still, the unit responds sporadically if at all, so I can't recommend this unit.

*****

UPDATE 2

I was watching a movie on Netflix via this device and halfway through the film, it started stuttering and freezing and stopping and starting. It was incredibly annoying and didn't resolve itself. I switched to my Roku box, which also has Netflix on it, and resumed the movie almost immediately with no more issues.

This device is really far too buggy for me to recommend that you purchase it.

Panasonic RR-US350 Digital Recorder Voice Editor (Silver)

The recorder comes with USB cable and and PC sofware to download the recording. It's great for recording lectures.

There are three recording modes: EP, SP and LP. EP provides high quality recording with a very short recording time. SP provides good quality recording for about 60 minutes. LP provides extended recording (210 minutes). However, the recording quality was not usable.

Sony ICD-P17 costs 20 dollars more. Comes with USB cable and PC sofware to download the recording. There are no different recording mode. It provides over 4 hours of recording capability at a great quality! Check it out. I am sure you will find it worths the money.

I carry it everywhere. It is VERY light. The software is easy to use. I record a lot of project ideas, transfer them to my PC and convert it to a .wav file if I like with the software.

And delete the files from the recorder and start over with an empty recorder.

I've recorded several hours of a musical rehearsal and it played back very clearly.

If you are recording things that are quiet, at a great distance, of course it will sound bad. It would with any but the most expensive pro audio equipment. But if you are dictating, singing, or recording something that has a moderate signal level, this thing will capture it clearly.

I've used it nearly every day for a few months now. I even jog with it. Never had a problem with it.

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The "stop" button failed after about two months of moderate use; I took it to the indicated repair place, they took 3 weeks to decide they couldn't fix it, gave me an address to ship it to for warranty repair, two months later Panasonic said they could fix it for nearly the price of the unit. I wrote back pointing out that it was under warranty, they didn't respond, just shipped back the broken unit.

I'll never buy from Panasonic again.

The device was okay while it worked. Of course the "LP" mode is completely unusable, apparently true for most devices of this class (why do they bother?).

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Panasonic voice recorders have a proprietary software with VM1 files. So if you lose the disc, get a new computer, whatever, and you have the old vm1 files, YOU'RE OUT OF LUCK! To read the files anywhere else, you have get conversion software to change it into an MP3 or Wav, but it still requires the original software to do it! It's a mess. To buy the software from Panasonic, you have to have the serial number on the device. So if the device broke and you threw it out (as IU had done) they wouldn't sell me the CD with the software to read the old files!

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I was very dissipointed in the recording time versus quality.

On the best quality recoding mode the results were dissappointingly poor.

I could not get the included software: Voice Editor 3 to work. Worse yet,I can not get the program off my PC.

Bottom line, I would not buy it again and I do not recommend this recorder.

Visual Land V-Touch 2.8-Inch Touchscreen 8GB MP3/MP4 player with Camera including In-Ear Headphones

• 2.8" Color TFT Touch Screen
• Built-In 2.0 Megapixel Camera for Stills, Video and Webcam
• Video Support: AVI, 3GP, MP4 / Audio Support: MP3, WMA
• Picture Viewer, FM Radio, Voice Recorder and E-book Reader
• Expandable MiniSD Card Slot and Built-In Frontal Speaker

My 10 yr. old, of course, wanted an iTouch for Christmas but at her age, it would either get lost, broken, or left on a shelf to collect dust so this was the perfect substitute. The addition of the FM radio and the camera (2MP; typical cell phone quality) with the ability to take video via the camera was the icing on the cake. The eBook reader is another nice feature.

She can't put it down. She's used the voice recorder, the camera, the radio, and obviously, the MP3 player. She really wants to download a book and what parent can argue with a child wanting to read a book whether electronically or not? At Christmas, all her "older" cousins asked her "Is that an iTouch?" and she proudly stated "No, it's a V-Touch..." (Whew!)

Pros:

-8GB is 8GB. Plenty of space for everything. (Plus it's expandable.)

-Camera/Video Recorder. (Big plus for non-cell phone carrying kids.)

-Nice size screen and the colors are sharp and bright.

-eBook capability.

-Stylus included. (Which allows even me to use it.)

-Computer connection and file transfer is very simple.

-Price. For memory size and functions I don't think you can beat it.

Cons:

-At first look, it seemed fragile to me ("cheap"). After more use, it's not so bad. It is obviously not as solid as an iTouch but it's more than 2 1/2 times cheaper. Unsure if a 3 foot drop would be it's demise and hopefully I won't ever find out.

-Charger cord is extremely short.

-Battery life(???). It seems that the charge doesn't last as long as I think it should but my daughter is using it all the time so maybe it's fine.

-Headphones. Not the highest quality but those can be replaced.

Unkown:

-eBook. Have not used that feature yet.

-Movies. We have yet to put an AVI/MP4 on it but I am confident it will be fine and the screen size should be perfect for viewing.

It's a great buy in my book! No, it's not an iTouch but it's a perfect little MP3 player with a ton of extra features and functionality. We haven't had it very long so I will update if things change but so far, so good.

*****************************************************************************

UPDATE: 12/19/2009

Well, what I figured would happen, happened... My, now 11 year old, daughter has lost ("permanently misplaced") her "V-Touch". Almost made it a year. Up until she lost it, she used it often. Never had a problem though. She was afraid to tell me that she lost it until after a couple weeks; it must have been tearing her up inside. In any event, I am glad I didn't get her an "iPod Touch" (Wouldn't want to offend anybody by calling it an iTouch...) It worked perfectly and was a worth while investment.

However she has iPod Touch on her Christmas list again... Oh, boy.

*****************************************************************************

Buy Visual Land V-Touch 2.8-Inch Touchscreen 8GB MP3/MP4 player with Camera including In-Ear Headphones Now

The first two days I owned this device I was pleased with it. The touch screen is not very responsive but for the price I could hardly complain. On the third day this device refused to power on. I hit the reset switch on the side which seemed to fix the problem . . . but not for long.

Two weeks later this device is in one of two states:

1. Frozen at the "Please Wait" (Load screen)

-or-

2. Dead and not responding to the "On" button.

While the device was working I enjoyed its features, though the AVI video would record in XVID or H263 making it unplayable on the Windows Media Player without a plug-in. There is no menu system for navigating through MP3's, so if you have a lot of music be prepared to do a lot of scrolling through your massive song list.

If the product had lasted longer it would have probably been worth the price.

Read Best Reviews of Visual Land V-Touch 2.8-Inch Touchscreen 8GB MP3/MP4 player with Camera including In-Ear Headphones Here

Perfect for those shoppers looking for an inexpensive MP3 player. I purchased the 8GB V-Touch for 70USD.

Pros:

Nice, easy-to-use interface. Small form factor. Touch screen is responsive. Lots of nice features (audio/video record/play, camera, FM tuner). The camera is acceptable for 2MP.

Cons:

Sound is average at best. Some slight delays when loading play lists, etc. Selection is made by double-touch would rather have single-touch selection.

Overall nice media player for those who are on a budget.

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I bought the v-touch for Christmas. It does take video, play video. You can put a slideshow of digital pictures on it and take pictures, although it's not a great camera. Pictures look grainy. It does everything it's supposed to do.

TWO BIG HANGUPS:

1. the volume is terrible. the lowest setting is way too loud. I'm going to have to buy new earphones with a volume adjustment built into them.

2. it doesn't read, genre, artists and albums. the only way to categorize things on the v-touch is to put in on different favorites lists, but you can't name them, so you just have to remember which favorites list is which. Maybe it's because syncing with WMP is a real problem. It'll sync, but it would literally take 6+ hours. I don't have that kind of patience.

Unless you're just in love with the touch screen technology, get something else or pay more for something better. These two quirks will drive you nuts!!!

My daughter bought this item with her Christmas money; she had wanted a touch screen mp3 player. With her limited money, this appeared to be suitable. She has treated this product with kid gloves; yet it has had bits of trim fall off, and continual problems that require the device to be reset. The sound is poor and has now ceased functioning with headphones connected. This product is bad enough, but the customer service from Visual-Land is just dreadful. Impossible to contact unless through e-mail, and then be prepared to play e-mail tennis without any resoloution. I would not recommend this product or the customer service, at all. Save up for something better.

Samsung SCD6550 DuoCam MiniDV Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom & 5MP Digital Camera

The SCD6550 is a great idea, but just doesn't preform as I had hoped. I was looking for one camera to take on vacation, replacing carrying a 2 year old Sony MiniDV and a 5 MP Sony CyberShot. My Sony takes 1 MP stills, has excellent video, but @ 1MP, the stills are not nearly print worthy. This camera is actually smaller and lighter than my Sony.

The 5MP still camera function gave excellent results, both with flash and with natural light and outside. Shot for shot it produced either as good or better prints (4x6) than the Sony CyberShot.

Digital video is this unit's short coming. I did identical shots inside and outside with the Sony and Samsung. The Samsung's video quality was very poor, looked more like analog or standard 8mm quality. Inside, with natural room lighting, it was pretty much unacceptable. Outside, the shots lacked the crispiness of the Sony. I took it back, will keep the Sony's and hope that Sony comes out with a greater than 2 or 3 MP model soon.

Anyone who says this isnt a great piece of equipment is talking complete rubbish! For the price and size it's excellent. Good quality stills and camcorder for when needed.

Yes, if you want a very small and very high quality camera then simple, buy a camera!

But for 2 in 1 this is the best on the market.

I took my one for first real use to Disney, Florida recently and it lived up to all expectations and was easy to carry, did all I asked and I came back with some very good shots (482) and a great deal of footage which is easy to play around with through my pc. 99% of shots of perfect and as good as my small canon SD400.

Yes, in a year or two I am sure something better will be around (as a previous reviewer says) but isnt there always???

Go for it.

Buy Samsung SCD6550 DuoCam MiniDV Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom & 5MP Digital Camera Now

I would recommend this to anyone looking for a way to take video and pictures without the hassle of lugging around (and charging) two separate gadgets. It takes excellent pictures, just as good if not better than any other digital camera I have seen. I am also very pleased with the video I found the software very user friendly and video was easy to transfer and edit on my computer. The battery has a good life, I have had no problems having to stop and recharge it. There is a nite mode that compensates (very well, I think) for low light video. The camera is easy to carry around (it is smaller than my 35mm) and I am having no problems with the functionality all in all a great idea and easy to use with great pictures and great video.

Read Best Reviews of Samsung SCD6550 DuoCam MiniDV Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom & 5MP Digital Camera Here

I have many pet peaves about this camera.

a) the video showed untrue colors and came out rather dark----don't try to record indoors

b) didn't fit into my hand naturally and had to use two hands to navigate the menu and even the record button. NOT GOOD

c) didn't start up fast enough---I always missed the shot

d) the camera photos aren't of good quality

e) microphone not that great---you couldn't even hear people that were standing ten feet away from the camera.

f) if your laptop is over 3 years old, even if you've got Windows XP, don't expect the software to be compatible.

g) the zoom lens zoomed to fast at the movement of my finger. I'd lightly press the zoom button to one side and it zoomed too fast and it did the same for zooming out. I felt like I had to just manually zoom----ie. walk up closer to the subject

I honestly say stay away from the Samsung's and the Sony's aren't much better and they have a monopoly on the matching accessories, ie. only Sony products are compatible with the camcorder.

I finally bought a JVC and they are awesome----the take more light in, better acoustical recording, better zoom function, quicker start up, and lighter. You can even buy the cheapest model (which is pretty much what I've got) and the picture is great! My parents commented on how they thought I must have a camera like the News reporters, as it's the same quality.

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To add on to the previous reviewers, I was very disappointed with this camera's performance. I compared the "5 megapixel" photos with photos taken with my Canon, PowerShot G3 (4megapixels), and the SCD6550 simply did not produce the same quality stills. The camera itself also seemed flimsy. The idea of having a two-in-one camera is so attractive. But another attractive concept, Canon's Elura50, offered a camcorder with a compact design. In the end, however, it broke down only after a year and a half. For a $500 purchase that is not a durable lifespan (cf. reviews for Elura50 and you will see that many are having hardware problems). This camera seemed less durable than the Elura50 as I maneuvered the various parts and dials. Of course, I am returning the camera before it can prove its durability. Nevertheless, maybe the folks at CNet can stake their money on it. Lastly, I should add that the positioning of the record button and function dials are poorly placed. I found that I had to use both hands when switching back and forth from camcorder to still cam modes as well as simply engaging the record button. This definitely takes away from the idea of a convinient solution for capturing those special moments.

Again, this camera is a great idea. But, I suppose we should wait until the manufacturers make one that has both solid hardware and quality image recording. This one is on the right track, but, still so far from accomplishing a quality product.

Complete High End 8 Channel H.264 Network DVR (1T HD + DVDRW) 6 Security Camera CCTV Surveillance V

Directions vague. Cameras are excellent. Very good night time view even in complete darkness, excellent range. Easy plug and play. Would be nice to have more choices for monitor connection.

Save 42% Off

VideoSecu Outdoor Infrared 700TVL Security Camera Built-in 1/3" SONY Exview CCD II EFFIO-E Weatherp

This is the first of 4 cameras I have purchased to replace older security cameras. I decided to replace my older cameras after some one broke into my wifes car and we could not even tell if he was wearing a hat or a hoodie sweat jacket much less what his face really looked like. I found this 700TVL Sony CCD II and love it. The camera is 5 stars compared to the other 700TVL Sony CCD II I've purched. My grass is green and my truck is bright red. The other cameras the grass is more brown and my truck more burgandy colored without adjusting anything on the camera. I did not pay much attention to the 9-22mm which I should have, I've found that I needed a 2.8mm which is the widest angle camera I could find to put over the garage to monitor 1 car and it is going to take 3 cameras to cover the driveway since I own a truck. The microphone is a home made looking job plastic heat shrink no hard cover and no instructions on how to connect it which took me an hour to figure out to plug it in line like a christmas tree lights with the DC cable. There is a blury spot in the top center of the camera that I cant seem to find any smug or scratch to clean. I ordered a 2nd camera 2.8mm because the color and night brightness which is your "LUX" value is so good. the new camera was missing the power supply. So to wrap up the camera is the best one I could find for the price but they need to work on there quality control. Like no spots on the image, Power supply with camera. I never tried to contact the company to fix these issues I just moved the camera so the blury part was in the sky and had a old power supply. I've found that all these company have issues of getting the orders correct, whats the saying they always get you in the drive thru. Good Luck!!!

Used this camera indoors to replace a cheap ZMODO IR camera. Much better video quality and much better IR illumination. Not the highest mechanical qualities but a great camera for the price.

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This is by far a great buy. After setting up the camera I was totally amazed at the resolution and clarity of the cameras! The lens in this camera is adjustable, from a wide range of view to cover a wide area, to a long zoom in for details.The camera does excellent in dark. It gives me bright, clear images of the faces, I can definitely tell who's coming. I recommend this camera because of the lines of resolution and it has more leds.

Read Best Reviews of VideoSecu Outdoor Infrared 700TVL Security Camera Built-in 1/3" SONY Exview CCD II EFFIO-E Weatherp Here

Motorola KRZR K1m (Sprint)

• Elegantly Engineered With Distinctive Metallic Gloss Finish and Precision Touch Keypad
• Experience Streaming Sprint TV or Sprint Music Store With Power Vision Add-on Plan Feature
• Bluetooth Wireless Technology
• Built-in MP3 Music Player With Touch-sensitive External Controls
• 1.3 Megapixel Camera Takes Print Quality Photos and Short Video Clips

The less than perfect rating reflects my disappointment with the Sprint software, not the phone. This is a spectacular phone, and I cannot find anything that is even remotely disappointing about the phone itself.

Sprint, on the other hand, needs several months to be ready for the release of this phone. I should note that I bought my phone directly from Sprint, not from Amazon. The software on the phone made in conjunction with Sprint is idiotic at best. On the side of the phone is a USB connector, which is the only port on the phone. A logical outcome of this (Verizon did this with their software) is to use this USB port to allow direct connection to your computer. After several hours with Tech Support at Sprint I finally learned that this was a feature missing in the Sprint version of this phone. As such, in order to transfer data between the phone and your PC, you must have a card reader and remove the Micro SD card (you must remove the battery cover to do this).

Additionally, when I called to activate the phone I had to speak with 3 Sprint reps before I found one that had any idea how to activate the phone. The first two I spoke with did not believe me that Sprint had service for this phone. Keep in mind I ordered this phone from Sprint directly.

Yet another gripe about Sprint is the (lack) of what comes in the box. With the Verizon version a small adaptor comes in the box so that you can directly connect a 2.5mm headset to the phone. This is handy considering how much the phone is touted for its MP3 capability. The Sprint version does not come with this. At first Sprint reps told me it was an accessory, so I asked to purchase it and then found out that it is not available and they do not plan to stock it anytime soon. I called Verizon and they only have the adaptor with new phones. The result is that you can ONLY use bluetooth headsets with this phone until an adaptor becomes available.

My last gripe about Sprint. When I went to my local Sprint store to have the phone numbers from my old phone transfered to my new KRZR, they told me they could not do it. Apparently Sprint has not sent out the cables needed to do so yet, and the manager told me they expected to get it in a few weeks to over a month. A few weeks? A month? I have settled with the painstaking task of manually transfering my 250+ contacts to the new phone.

My advice is to switch to Verizon if you plan to get this phone. I have had Sprint for 7 years and have been happy until now. They are completely unprepared for the release of this phone and I forsee a less than stellar effort to correct these problems. Verizon also offers the phone at a lower price for anyone willing to sign a contract. Why deal with the hassle of searching out several accessories that should come standard with a phone?

Buy Motorola KRZR K1m (Sprint) Now

The Motorola RAZR got an extreme makeover in order to reveal this must have mobile phone/fashion gadget.

This phone is perefected in such a way that all the little things that I didn't like about RAZR where taken care of.

PROS:

1. Of course it is the most stylistic phone that I have seen so far.

2. Call quality is very good.

3. Broswer is very practical and usable.

4. Playing music using the touch controls on the flip is very practical and serves like an mp3 player.

5. What I like very much is that I accidentally dropped this phone two times and to my surprise it with stood the fall both the times. I actually was very surprised that it only made very minor scratches which are barely visible. This actually proved that the material is of very good quality.

CONS:

1. The games provided (demo version) times out almost immediately. This defeats the whole purpose of experiencing the game before actually purchasing the full version.

2. The front plate requires cleaning on daily basis as it catches finger prints very easily.

Read Best Reviews of Motorola KRZR K1m (Sprint) Here

I just got my first plan, being on a Pre-paid plan with Boost Mobile before this. Paying 20 bucks every 3 weeks was starting to bug me, and I was beyond paranoid about my minutes. So I decided to get the lowest plan at 30 bucks and get a new phone as well. I looked around and first decided on the Samsung M500, but it wasn't available in the store(I didn't want to put my SSN over the internet). So I went to Best Buy and saw that the KRZR was on sale for half price at 40 bucks. I heard about the lag etc, but decided to give this a try since I heard it was pretty popular. I am really glad that I did buy this phone!

Alright, on to the phone itself. Most importantly, the reception is really good on this phone. I almost always have a clear signal and always have a good quality receiving of calls. Listening to someone talk is always clear, but sometimes I do break up to others when I have 0 bars but still have connection. Overall reception is excellent (4.5 stars).

This phone doesn't look just hot, it is downright SEXY. Put this next to a RAZR and it definitely shows that it's made better, with the glass on the front and chrome body. The back is actually rubber, making the phone really comfortable in your hand. I didn't know this until I actually got the phone. I have never gotten so many compliments about my phone, a lot of people already know it by name yet it isn't very popular yet. The displays are amazing, with full color, and the blue touch screen music icons are pretty cool when you are using the mp3 function. More on that later.(5 Stars+)

The actual firmware on the phone is really cool. I love the way the menus are set up with the transparancy so that you see part of your wallpaper, it makes the menus look more modern. Like people have said, there is lag on this phone, but if you already have a Motorola then you should be used to it, as all of them have lag. NO its not like 2 seconds of lag, its a few milliseconds. The most lag I have is with pictures and the tab menu, but the tab menu can be changed to a list or grid, making it faster.

Construction wise the phone is very well made. The only complaint I have is the cheap usb door on it, since mine broke off on the first day. I can still put it back on, but I'm afraid I'll lose it. Other than that its very well made.(4.5 Stars)

The Mp3 Player and ringtones on this phone are awesome. This is probably going to replace my Toshiba Gigabeat since it's so easy to carry around. I ordered a 3.5mm adapter for the phone, but so far the speaker is really good quality for listening to ringtones, mp3's etc. It get's really loud and is better quality than the RAZR, which is really cool. You can do what I did and get a 1 gb Micro SD card(up to 2) for like 10 bucks and store a little more than 16.5 hrs of music on it, close to 500 songs at 64 bitrate. Also, you can get a data cable for a small fee and Motorola Phone Tools to get free Ringtones and convert video for your phone.(5 Stars)

The camera is pretty cool for the KRZR. The quality isn't amazing, but it is really good for the small lense it has. I took a pic of myself and edited it a little with Paint Shop Pro Photo and it looks like it was taken from a camera. Overall verry good (4 Stars)

I love the BlueTooth capability of this phone. It was nice and easy to set up my headset. All I did was click and hold my Jabra headset until the light turned solid blue, then searched for handsfree on the device. Voila! The headset works! This is an exceptional feature and I highly recommend it for anyone that needs handsfree while driving.(5 Stars+)

I don't have Sprint PowerVision so I don't know how good those features are. The game demo's are sub par, as you get like 2 minutes with each of them, and I don't want to spend the money on buying a new game. Same goes for texting, since I didn't sign up for that either.

Overall, I love this phone! I really can't keep my hands off of it, with its sexy styling, good reception, and good features such as camera and mp3 player with touch screen. The lag doesn't bother me too much, and I bet you'll get used to it, and with the right software this phone is really customizable. Buy a Blue Tooth headset and a memory card and you've got the ultimate phone, complete with mp3 and handsfree communication. Lets recap shall we?

Pros

-Downright SEXY styling-will most definitely grab others' attention

-Very good reception, except for areas of no bars (which seldom occurs)

-Comfortable to use with the rubber on the back

-Mp3 Function will probably replace my 10 GB Gigabeat

-Camera convenient unless you need perfect quality prints

-Good firmware, love the functions

-MicroSD and BlueTooth a good addition to an already amazing phone

-Amazing display, looks sharp

-Good quality construction, looks better made than current RAZR

Cons

-Little bit of lag, but easy to get used to

-Flimsy USB door, gotta watch out not to break it off

-Wierd place for MicroSD, under battery door, hard to open etc.

-Game demos a joke-only 2 min. of trial. Games too expensive

-Waste of money to pay for ringtones etc. from Sprint.

As you can see, my Pro's most definitely outweigh my cons, and my cons are not substantial. A few firmware upgrades can probably solve some of the lag, and the other things aren't too much of a pain. I would recommend this phone to ANYBODY that wants more than just a plain phone and is looking for something exciting and cool. If you don't like it, you do have 30 days to cancel without penalty, according to Sprint. So give it a try! What's there to lose?

*EDIT* I just got my headphone adapter and the Audio quality is amazing! It is as good if not better than my Toshiba Gigabeat, which is really saying something since its from a phone. I strongly suggest you pay the extra 5-10 bucks to buy this add-on.

Want Motorola KRZR K1m (Sprint) Discount?

First of all I didn't buy this phone from Amazon.

I bought it at Christmas and have had nothing but problems with it. Sprint has been NO help. I have wasted hours on the phone with customer service and have been to three Sprint Repair Centers. One was going to charge me $35.00 just to look at the phone. This phone is 2 1/2 months old and it was an expensive purchase.

There is a serious problem with lag with this phone. You don't see any numbers on the screen until what seems like seconds after you press each number key. It is so frustrating.

Text messaging is a joke. I used to have fun txt messaging. Not anymore. The default of multi-tap will switch to something else after 2 or three entered messages and there is no switching it back to multi-tap. I have to shut down the phone and restart to get it to switch to multi-tap.

I can't wait to get rid of it. I am so thoroughly disappointed with Sprint but I'm stuck in a 2 yr plan now. I wish I had bought the Treo.

Don't make the same mistake I made.

The only thing that this phone has going for it is the looks...it is VERY stylish and i get complimented on it every time i use it.

I bought this phone directly from sprint and it has been a complete nightmare!

First of all the phone is rediulously slow as far as when i dial numbers i am on the fourth or fifth one before they come across the screen. Also, when i press any button the response is maybe three or four seconds and i am talking 1-one thousand 2one thousand...

Second, i was playing a game on the phone and the circular plastic piece in the enter of the navigational keypad came off on my thumb as if it was glued on with elmer's...

and i am not rough with phones. i don't know if it was the sprint version or motorola, but i am ready to throw this phone against the wall, but since i am so vain i give it 2 stars just for the looks. but i am getting rid of it because looks ain't everything.