Philips M100/37 Wireless Home Monitor

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

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

HARDWARE

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

INSTALLATION

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

PERFORMANCE

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

SUMMARY

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Things to note:

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

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

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

Buy Philips M100/37 Wireless Home Monitor Now

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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LG BD650 3D Network Blu-ray Disc Player with Smart TV

• Enjoy 3D Blu-ray Disc movies in Full HD 1080p
• Smart TV enables an easy way to access limitless content, thousands of movies, downloadable apps, videos and browse the web all organized in a simple to use interface
• Standard DVD Up-Scaling delivers exceptional image quality from standard DVDs with 1080p up scaling via HDMI output
• Dolby Digital Plus lets you experience all of the enveloping surround sound that Blu-ray Disc, high-definition (HD) broadcast, and streamed and downloaded media make possible
• WiFi ready: connect to your wireless network via LG's wireless dongle (sold separately)

I've had this unit for about a month now. I agree with the other reviewers that state that they released this product too soon, without the proper software in place and tested. For instance, up until a few days ago, I constantly had problems with it loosing it's connection to the internet, even when it was connected via ethernet cord. However, since an automatic firmware update a couple of days ago, the player has worked flawlessly via the WiFi connection. (Please note: with the 650, you DO need the separate WiFi dongle, which plugs into the back of the machine). The last firmware update also added several new apps, such as Amazon VOD. It appears that new apps will be added in the coming months, including a web-browsing app, which I read about previously online (search for info. from the launch of LG's entire SmartTV product line to find this information).

The Netflix application is easy to use and fast. It also allows you to update your instant queue.

The Blu Ray function is fast-loading and I haven't had any problems. Good upscaling of DVD's as well.

Overall, I give the unit a 4/5 stars based on it's current performance and previous software glitches.

Buy LG BD650 3D Network Blu-ray Disc Player with Smart TV Now

Unfortunately, I bought two of these.

The good news:

1) Of the two I bought, one is still working.

2) One is on it's way to LG for repair under warranty (and within 90 days so they will not charge me $70 for labor).

The bad news:

1) I bought these to play movies from my media server and Netflix. While this feature DOES work, the sound doesn't synch with the video while playing mp4's. When played on any other player device, the mp4 file sound synchs perfectly.

2) For some blue-ray disks, it takes about 3 minutes from the time I insert a factory blue-ray until it shows the menu.

3) These are downloading updates weekly. The updates fail more often than they succeed.

4) Tonight, while I was watching a movie from my server, I paused the movie, fed the dogs, and came back to a bricked BD650. Hard reset doesn't work. LG is nice enough to offer to fix it after 20 minutes on the phone.

Wow, what a dismal failure from LG.

The "customer service rep" told me that it was likely bricked because of the mp4 file I was playing. OMG.

I will be searching for a different player for my media library. These will be up for sale soon.

It's a shame I waited longer than 30 days to decide to get rid of them.

---edit

I am editing this to provide three more details:

To elaborate on the sound sync issue: when played with VLC, Windows Media Player, XBMC on Apple TV, iPad, the sound synchs perfectly. When played on the BD650, the sound out of sync on all mp4's.

I'm preparing to ship this back to LG. Unfortunately, there's a (not cheap) blue-ray disk in the player and I CAN'T GET THE DISK OUT. There's no "emergency eject" hole into which you can insert a paper clip. So I have to send this in with an expensive movie and cross my fingers that they will return it.

The warranty is effectively 90 days. After 90 days, there is a $79 "inspection" charge for warranty service and you pay shipping to LG AND return shipping. It's anyone's guess how much more the repair labor will cost after the $79 inspection charge and $30-40 shipping both ways. Since the unit cost about $100 brand new delivered, consider it disposable after 90 days. I'm undecided if this is praise for the purchase price or a complaint about the repair price.

----Update.

The bricked player has been replaced. It works fine and the DID return the disk that was stuck in the device. However, I still can't recommend these devices because occasionally, they refuse to interact on the network. Just last week the both stopped interacting with the network, so I ordered a 2nd Roku to stream content. As soon as the Roku arrived, they both started working again. I didn't change anything!

----Update 2013-03-01

One of the players now has a disk clamping problem. You can hear the disk slipping when it spins up and it ejects the disk while the disk is still spinning at a high rate of speed. Yes, I said I would be replacing them, but haven't done so yet. The Rokus are effectively replacing them. Rarely do I need to play a physical disk.

Read Best Reviews of LG BD650 3D Network Blu-ray Disc Player with Smart TV Here

I purchased this player mostly for its DLNA and Smart TV (Pandora, You Tube, etc.)

I have had this player for barely 3 days and there were already 2 automatic software updates. The first software update failed 3/4 times and then it succeeded after some stars aligned. I could enjoy pandora and you tube and a movie in the last 3 days. This morning there was an update forced on the player. I don't clearly remember how that happened but the update was forced on it. After that whatever smart (??) operation is performed (opening pandora or you tube) the player informs me that the software needs to be updated.... but when it tries to update the software it pops up another dialog box stating that the software is already the latest one. Essentially the player is unusable.

A little browsing of online forums revealed that this sw update was forced on all 6xx players and most of them have this problem. It clearly reveals that there was inadequate quality testing performed on this player and it is nowhere near being market ready.

I called up LG customer support. The support rep asked me to downgrade the player to previous version, but that trick did not work. It again got stuck in that forced upgraded and dead state.

[I will wait for a couple of days to see if this thing gets fixed quickly. If it does not, it is still in return period, the player goes back to amazon for being defective item.

If I keep this player, I will update this review with my experience.]

OK -I decided to keep this player now. LG pushed out a new update within 2 days of the problem. The problem is fixed (for now). I will stick with 2 stars and the comment about inadequate software testing. I will update the rating based on my experience over next few weeks.

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This DVD died within 6months of purchase after playing just 3 or 4 DVDs. Any time I put a DVD or a Blue Ray Disc in the player, it will just make a loud grouting noise and display an "ERROR" message. I usually stream my movies online from Amazon or Netflix, so I didn't play the disc very often. You would expect the player to be ready when you need it, but this player is extremely unreliable.

This is a common problem with the LG players. When I called the LG customer service to explain the situation, they seem to be very aware of this situation and confirm this as a common problem with the player. In fact, once I gave the agent the model number and said the DVD is broken, she went on to say "the player is on, but making a grouting noise, right?" Then I went on to confirm that this is a common problem with this model. LG customer service said since the purchase is over 90 days, I would have to pay $69 service fee and they will change the parts for free. Imagine! In summary, this is the worst DVD player I have ever bought!

I have had good luck with this Blu-Ray player. This is not the most expensive unit on the market, but it met my requirements for doing a good job playing Blu-Ray disks, as well as having network applications that will enhance your viewing and listening experiences.

It does a wonderful job playing the movies, with the sound handling being just as good as the visuals. I have had this for about a month, and I have used it on 6-7 Blu-Ray movies, as well as some standard DVDs. It does a good job of enhancement of DVDs, and the Blu-Ray is all that I could ask for.

One of the bigger reasons that I got this player was for the network capability. I do have a wired connection at my Television location. I have had no experience with the Wi-Fi portion. (It might not have Wi-Fi, please check the posted specifications.) I have a very adequate Internet connection and that all helps for the network applications. I can see if using Wi-Fi which has less access to the full bandwidth of your Internet connection that it could slow things down.

I do love the compliment of applications provided. One of my requirements was that it had MLB.COM available, and it does. Some other applications included are Netflix, Cinema Now, Vudu, Accuweather, You-Tube, Pandora, and a lot of new entries into this field.

This is my second LG player and the last one was last year's model. One of the additions for this year is something that I have tried and it works well too. That is the Amazon service for movies. If you are a Amazon prime member, you can watch some of the movies free. You can also make purchases from Amazon from this unit.

Some of the applications will require that you set up an account on a computer prior to using the service. Most of us have a way to do that, so the main thing when setting up is that you have to enter in the user name and password for each respective service to get it to log into your account. Once that is done, the player remembers it for later. This is a one time setup.

Netflix works quite well on it, and they are adding new services all of the time. I do enjoy the Internet Radio application as well. It plays stations of all genres and from all over the world. The quality of the music is more than adequate played through my sound system connected to the television. It will also tell you how the station is streaming, for example in MP3 @ 128 or WMA @ 96 (bps). All of the streams that I have listened to are more than adequate to have great sound quality through my component system.

All of this is simple to hook up if you have HDMI connections. Basically, there are three connections for this, power, ethernet network and HDMI. And then you are ready. However, when I first got my system, I allowed myself the time to go into setup and tailor the system to work well with the equipment that I have. My amplifier for example had recommendations on how to set up external devices that connect to it for the best performance. Another thing that I allowed myself to do was to update the software on it, just as soon as I hooked it up.

Most of these units sit in the box long enough that there will be a software update for it by the time that you get it. I recommend that you consider downloading that just as soon as you hook it up. It will remove many of the bugs in the original software that are likely there. I do know that many manufacturers release products quickly and will find bugs in the system. But since I downloaded the new software, I have not experienced any. This might not have been the case with some of the earlier reviewers.

This weekend, there was a software update pushed to the system, which I found a bit aggravating at the time. I didn't want to stop and be forced to download an update as I had done in the past. But it seems that the ones that they push are very quick and not for the same purpose. After the short download was complete, there were several more applications that appeared in that area, including HULU and a new music service.

The main software updates for the drivers and the core software will have to be requested, which is easily done. You just hit a button to check and see if there are any updates available, and it will let you know if there are and offer to download them. If you choose not to, you can do the same thing later when you have a few minutes (it doesn't take that long, but it does take a reboot of the system) to spend doing this.

My friends have been impressed with the video for MLB and some other functions. I have no issue with Hi-Def video over the network. However, I believe that it is a benefit to have a wired network on these if it is available. If not, there should still be enough bandwidth on Wi-Fi to do the trick. However, I can not verify that.

Overall, a pleasing purchase for the money.

Sony DVP-FX700 7-Inch Portable DVD Player

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thank you "electronics fan" for the tip.

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

Flip Video Tripod

*****

This tripod is the perfect accessory to the Flip Ultra Video Camcorder. I only wish I had ordered it sooner. It is an incredible value and greatly expands how you can use your camcorder. On this video, which is less than two minutes, I show you the tripod and how it can attach to various items. Then I let you see it work in action as I use a tripod for the first time. It will especially appeal to novice vloggers (like me) because it is so very easy to use!

*****

UPDATE: 7/17/08: This tripod also works with the new Flip Mino---YAY!

This is a good tripod for the Flip Ultra, but why not buy either of these two instead? They are a lot less money and is pretty much exactly the same thing!:

Vanguard VS41 Flexible MiniTripod

Sunpak 620-786 Mini-Spider Tripod

Really the only difference is the Vanguard model doesn't come with the different color feet and it doesn't say 'Flip'.

Or you could get the Gorilla Pod:

Joby GP1-01EN Gorillapod Flexible Tripod (Grey)

which is a bit more versatile in that you can attach it to a pole or edge of a chair, etc.

A mini tripod really makes it easier to do videos since you can put it almost anywhere yet still get your Flip Ultra level. It also provides more stability to better prevent it from toppling over.

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(2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)You can't own a Flip Video (or any camera) without this nifty, lightweight tripod. It's a sturdy metal tripod that weighs about 12 ounces. The interchangeable rubber tips are a cool idea, but not really necessary unless you are a total "mix 'n match' freak. The legs are really flexible, which means you can mount this on just about any uneven surface. It would have been nice if they included a clip for vertical surfaces, but hey, for the price, it's a steal.

Read Best Reviews of Flip Video Tripod Here

Having a tripod with any model Flip is a great idea. There are several kinds available, some costing far less (like the Sunpak 620-786 Mini-Spider Tripod) and some costing a bit more (Joby GP1-D1EN Gorillapod Flexible Tripod (Grey)). I like this best. The less expensive ones I've seen all have a terrible smell. The odor is a cross between oil and burning plastic and it doesn't go away. Better still is it gets on whatever touches the tripod. The Joby is OK but it doesn't look as good on a Flip camera, the mounting plate sticks out a bit. By contrast, this tripod looks, works, and smells just fine.

A handy accessory to whatever tripod you choose is something that will help you level the camera. That avoids having people leaning to one side in your video. The Opteka Hot Shoe Two Axis Double Bubble Spirit Level for Digital and Film Cameras will help you solve that problem. All you do is set it on top of the camera and adjust where it (the camera) is pointing until the two bubbles are between the lines. (And when you're not shooting videos it's a handy way to make sure pictures hanging on your wall aren't crooked.)

BTW, I feel that honest, effective reviews take the place of first-hand experiences that are lacking in online shopping. I've always appreciated the help I've gotten from other reviewers and continue to return the favor as best as I can. If you thought this review was helpful please let me know by clicking on "Yes" button where it asks. If there was anything you thought was lacking or unclear leave a comment and I'll do what I can to fix it.

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Honestly this thing is pretty silly. Yeah, its pretty much a necessary purchase if you plan on making vblogs with the Mino or any other sort of video where you need it to be still... I'm not upset with the product. However, you will laugh when you how small this thing is. I think calling this a tripod is a bit misleading... Mini tripod is more like it. Its barely any taller then the mino itself. Never the less.. it does its job well and the bendy legs help with certain surfaces. The price is awful though. 15 dollars for this? There is a 3rd party version that is exactly the same for 3 dollars.. i'd say grab that one instead if you get the chance. This is a over-priced, small accessory that at least does it's job well.

Riptunes 4GB MP3 Player - Red

• Riptunes 4GB MP3 Player - Red

I use 2 of these RIPTUNES 4GB players with one for working out, walks, bed, etc.. and the other for studying. I also use a CREATIVE 8 GB for larger volume music files.

These RIPTUNES devices are small and handy for casual use. They do crash on me from time to time and I had to reset them quite often when I first got them but I've learned their capabilities and gear their use to what they do best and I haven't lost any files yet.

So far, they've been great for rotating a small library of MP3 tunes every month or so and they work great for several audio lecture series I use them for. In fact I'm leaning toward keeping the lecture series on them (long term) and picking up a few more for new lectures.

It's not an IPAD, tablet or large volume storage disc but it works great for a $30 4GB MP3 player. You can forget using it as an e-reader. Sure, the utility works fine but how many words can you fit on a 1.25" screen.

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I bought two of these MP3 for my twin boys for Christmas and neither one will work correctly. As long as I have if plugged into the computer it operates. As soon as I remove the players from the power cords it goes blank and wont come on. I tried to get a refund on my money but the store I bought it from wont refund my money. I HIGHLY recommend you do not buy this product. You will be disappointed.

Olympus DP-10 A Digital Audio Recorder That Merges Simplicity with Technology

Not sure why someone would develop a recorder that you can't download to a computer or any other device. You can record on this, but then what? I recorded meetings, but have no way to save it to my computer for future reference or backup. You can either A) record and save it on the device forever, or B) hold the device up to something the can convert and save to your computer. Seems like a lot of work, so this product really is more for simple dictation to yourself that will get deleted and NOT for important meetings you will need to save for backup.

I'm a truck driver and have to keep track of how many miles I drive in each state. For such things this is the ultimate little recorder. It has big buttons, is totally intuitive, and records and plays back over the noise of the diesel truck I'm in.

Some great things about it are: it goes to sleep without having to turn it off, and wakes at the press of any button.

It stores recordings according to date, which is perfect for what I use it for.

You can erase entire batches of recordings by date. (Be careful you're on the right date :(

Great Battery life (So far)

What could be better? A back lit display, and it could wake up faster. But neither of these are substantial complaints. I plan on buying these for my friends who drive truck.

I've owned a lot better recorders, and frankly this could be priced lower... and as another review said it is limited in the area of linking to a computer to save the files, you just can't with this. But it's not made for that. If you have a need like mine to record frequent data that you will transfer into notes or logs, this is the bomb.

Enjoy.

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This is a very simple unit. It does the job quite nicely. There are certainly better units available, but this is very good for the money. Fast shipping. A+

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This voice recorder is good for kids, or at least for my autistic teenage son. The buttons are large and easy to see, the universal meanings are kept: triangle = play, square = pause/stop and circle = record. The screen is easy to read with large print and there are not a lot of switches. The speaker works well and plays back the recorded noises well. It is not like the modern voice recorders and is likely not suitable for college or high school as there is no USB port or storage media which may be used to transfer your recordings to a computer. But for an autistic teen who records over it every day as part of his routine, this is a good find. It is sturdy and can stand up to anything but my son. My son bit the screen so it took on the whole broken LCD look. Then he tore the screen off. The thing still worked, and still does, but with no display. So on the replacement one I purchased I decided to glue a poly-carbonate sheet over the screen, and it withstood his biting. Now it is a bit uglier, but at least he has a screen on this one. He still uses the old one sometimes without a screen, but prefers the protected new one.

PROS: Easy large controls, clear voice recording, loud speaker, sturdy

CONS: No way to transfer to a computer, larger and heavier than newer models, difficult to find other than refurbished.

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Its great and best fidelity that I have heard. But with no aux input its not as useful to me.

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OLYMPUS AMERICA 147581 AC ADAPTER, A-328, RECORDER ADAPTER

For some reason, neither Olympus nor anyone else on the net seems to post the specifications of this adapter, which replaces the original A-321 power plug. In fact, while the A-321 is big, thick, heavy, and supports only 110v, the A-328 is smaller, lighter (less than half the weight) and supports 110-240v. As the A-328 costs the same as the A-321, the choice between them seems obvious.

Here are my measurements of the two different adapters:

A-321 (110v/60c)

Height 2.5 in

Width 1.625 in

Depth 1.5 inches

Weight 8.5 oz

A-328 (110-240v/50-60c)

Height 2.75 in

Width 1.625 in

Depth 1 inch.

Weight 4 oz.

Olympus AC Digital and Analog Adapter (A328) is the only way to be sure you will not run out of power when using this recorder. The only way to get one is online, which is unfortunate. Olympus should sell the Recorder with the Adapter.

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This AC adapter for my Olympus A-328 Digital Voice Recorder works great. Convenient for those times when you don't have the AAA batteries handy. I ordered it simultaneously with my Olympus A-328 Digital Voice Recorder and am glad I did.

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The adapters arrived before scheduled arrival date. They were in good condition and work well.

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It is what it is. Nothing complicated about it. It works and does what it is supposed to do.

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Verbatim Premium 4 GB CompactFlash Memory Card 95500

I'm not a professional photographer who earns a livelihood from photography. I just takes lot of pictures with a 10.2 MP D-SLR in RAW mode, so I need a lot of storage when I'm shooting. This seems to work well, although I'm sure there are faster cards. I haven't had any problems so far. The price was right, too.

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Sony MZR70 Minidisc Recorder

• 40-second shock resistant memory and high quality recording with digital automatic gain control
• Dual headphone jack allows use of remote control while listening
• Up to 17 hours of playback with one AA battery
• Digital bass-boost for richness of sound
• Includes a remote control, connecting cable, AC adaptor, rechargable battery, carrying pouch and battery case

I've been putting off buying a portable listening device since my last '90 Aiwa tape player. But after seeing the Minidisc in action it's a definite buy and constant use gem.

First, do the math if you're seriously comparing MP3 format vs. Minidisc. A single MD at 74min costs 2 dollars at most Read/write capabilities, move tracks, edit, `tMark'=index songs, etc. You don't need a computer either use your existing AV setup to record while having the option to use PC, DVD, etc.

Sound quality? Can you say OPTICAL input. You cannot get any better sound resolution than this; any decent DVD player has an optical out; decent CD players too. RCA IN is a plus (not included) and the PC IN option is mediocre it is convenient with all the CD-R/PC/MP3 formatted music. It's got a two-stage added-bass feature that works quite well. The standard headphones are excellent an updated version with position detents for fixed fit. The remote fob device is essential for total playback+record control once your MDplayer is tucked away in the pocket. (look for the RM-MZR55 remote with backlighting if you want to upgrade)

The unit has never skipped even with major motion, jostling, or shock. I haven't done a drop-test, but I'll skip it for now. The biggest drawback is the lack of a custom case/holster for the unit; it does come with a bag, but it isn't adequate for protection or carrying with any confidence. Plus, the lack of backlighting on the main unit is a bummer.

It comes with it's own AA ni-cad battery and charger, and runs for a prolonged period of time ~ 6 hours playback, 1.5-2x as long on a regular AA. The half-sized ice cream sandwich form kicks the CD portable players to the curb. It isn't as ubiquitous as some MP3 players but why would you want to drop several dimes on something invisible. Personally, the anodized blue colored one has more impact than the silver, but the form and interface overall is a delight. The battery bulge just slightly cants the display up, the button separation and placement works great for easy access. I find excuses to block the world out and listen to high-fidelity music on the go.

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This mini-disc player has to be one of the best on the market today. (if not the best)It is easy to use, small in size, and much more practical than a CD burner (it's like a portable burner/player)

Positives:

#GREAT sound quality (like CD)

#easy to set up, only takes about 5 minutes

#it makes recording simple, without the need of a HUGE system attached to your home stereo

#PC USB connected

#software is already on your Windows computer

#looks cool, and is very light and rugged

#regular AA battery last 17 hours!

Negatives (there aren't very many)

#long recording time (but it goes by faster than you'd expect)

#Inserting title takes a few seconds

# included rechargeable battery last only 6 hours

Overall I give it a 5 because it was well worth the money and is better than a CD burner, MP3 player, and definitly better than a tape player!

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This is an excelent little machine. I bought mine from a friend... with 20 disks, and it's worth every penny. This little rig is small, light weight, and has excelent sound and battery life.

To start, it's small. It's about the size of the palm of your hand, with a bump on the back where the batery goes. it fits in ANY pocket, unlike most CD players. it weighs very little, so it doesnt bother you by pulling on your cloths like some CD players.

The sound is great. The only problem is that it has a low record volume, and gets fuzzy when you turn it up too much. If you have the mega bass on while you recond on high, it gets fuzzy also. At low and medium volumes though, it's got crystal clear sound (that also depends on your headphones, and what kind of music... rock is less fuzzy than Rap) I like my music LOUD. I ride a bus one way to or from school, and that gets awfull loud. I have several "buss disks" that are recorded on high volumes, and they work fine when you are being bombarded by background noise, but are a little fuzzy when you run it through a car kit or stereo. This machine has over all good sound though, and with a little fine tuning of bass and volume you get great sound.

Battery life... what can i say, it lasts. Even on regular duracells, i can get almost a whole school week on and off, and the provided rechargable battery last even longer.

Besides the sound glitches here and there, it also makes some noise. When skipping tracks, rewinding a few seconds etc. it has to think for a couple of seconds. It's not a major problem, but it is somewhat slow here and there. It will skip too. If it is riding in your pocket where it can bounce, it'll skip. Not as much as a 40 sec asp cd player though. it'll freeze for a second, then you will stop, wondering what went wrong, then it goes again. not a mojor problem, but if you jog or run, i suggest you upgrade to an MD with the same G-protection of a CD player.

For the money... it's a great buy for people who want small portable music, that can come from anywhere, (even MD to MD.)Hope this helped

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I know the item is currently out of stock, but this little machine works up to its name. The outer shell of my player/recorder is blue like the MZR90 model. I do all my recordings in half the time I'd do them with an audio cassette recorder. There's no comparison in quality and efficiency with the latter equipment.

Best features are: 1) Is very compact, it fits in my shirt pocket 2) The remote comes in handy when my coat is closed 3) It fits in a standard discman accessory case with discman 4) Included phones are enriched with amazing bass boost sound 5) The best of all is for skipping a track takes about 3 to 4 seconds. This feature is convenient for me when I only want to hear certain songs. 6) The shock absorbtion is great. Never to worry about a song skipping again. 7) The adaptor comes in handy for recording while saving on batteries 8) With accessories, you can record from phono, CD, cassette, and from your VCR hookup on the stereo. With all that, you can't go wrong. SONY has lived up to its name in quality.

My MZR70 works like a charm. I won't upgrade yet, as this machine meets my expectations. I quickly bonded with such a quality item. For someone looking for a unit with the equivalent in volume to a Discman, the Minidisc has a softer sound. You can't obtain with this unit the same volume strength as the Discman, but for the amount you can get, you have the most out of the 1.2 volt battery provided with it. If the volume is up to about 85%, it's enough for me. I say this because some songs are recorded louder than others. The battery life is normally ( 7 to 8 hrs. ).

In my accessory kit, included with the player was among others, a rechargeable Ni-Cad battery ( NC-WMAA DC 1.2V 700mAh ) that lasts the said amount. SONY does offer a DRY battery, not available here in Montreal. IF SOMEONE CAN LET ME KNOW WHERE I CAN GET ONE??? at mailto:woof1@sympatico.ca .

As soon as this item is available, get it!

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I'm surprised that mini disc hasn't caught on. It's small, you can record MP3s (the reason I wanted this in the first place), and it's easily concealable. The only problem I have is that recording takes forever, it's second-for-second (meaning that the time it takes to record is the amount of time the song lasts), and pre-recorded mini discs are hard to come by. Not even Amazon sells them. Other than that, it's a great player. I don't have this particular model, but mine's very similar. I like the fact that you can assign names to each song. Another big, big plus is the cost of the discs: $2 a piece. It doesn't skip and you can record and re-record several times over. I could go on and on about how great mini discs are...

Sony RDRVX515 DVD Recorder

• 4 Head (19 Micron Heads) VHS VCR with Stereo
• S-VHS Quasi Playback
• Easy to Use Graphic User Interface
• VCR-Plus+ Timer Recording
• One Push Dubbing - DVD to VHS or VHS to DVD

This is my second dvd/vcr combo and I primarily wanted the ability to convert VHS tapes to DVD but also was looking for a better DVD player. I found just about everything I was looking for. Recording to DVD is very easy, and you have every conceivable format (-+R,RW). I've tested whether the recorded DVDs work on other, older players and they do. The DVD player is a little slow to load, but picture, sound, and controls are outstanding. VCR is fine, though we don't use it much other than for transferring home movies to DVD. Caution I have not found the remote for this system to be compatible with "universal remotes" even for my Sony surround sound system! But overall, a great spacesaver that doesn't make you sacrifice quality for the various components.

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We bought this model for the ease of dubbing VHS tapes to DVD. Dubbing was very intuitive. Despite some other reviews that said the color was washed-out, we didn't have any problems with color issues. However, the audio function was terrible. While playing DVDs (which is most of the mileage we would put on the machine) the audio sounded hollow and tinny -like an echo chamber. Neither my wife or I are audiophiles -this just sounded bad. We tweaked every setting, and triple-checked all the connections, but nothing helped. Finally, we just hooked our old player back up and the sound was fine. Ultimately, we returned the unit.

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This unit is so full of features that I eagerly purchased it, but I returned it due to two fatal flaws. First, the VCR performs poorly. When playing older tapes, they look noisy, not nearly as good as several other VCR's I have. Since a prime use for this unit is dubbing VHS to DVD, I was very disappointed. Second, you can't select the thumbnail picture for the titles menu. I couldn't believe this! The titles screen would be better with just text titles, rather than include the first frame that the machine automatically selects, which is usually not a good choice! (But allowing selecting a title thumbnail, is such an obvious feature to include, I just can't believe they didn't include this option.) Otherwise, this machine has more features (many DVD recording speeds, many editing options, support for + and R disks and new double-layer disks, etc) than any other machine I am aware of. Nice layout and functionality (except the two dubbing buttons are dangerously close to the two eject buttons, I see mistakes happening here all the time! I returned my unit and am waiting for someone to come out with a unit with this many features (or maybe the next Sony version!).

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I have never been disappointed in a Sony product until trying the RDRVX515 DVD/VCR recorder. I currently own and use two other Sony DVD recorders. The RDRVX515 is totally inferior to the other two. The signal and recording quality are frankly not acceptable the definition is just not there. Also, when I tried to record a movie on several of the cable premium channels, it recorded for a few seconds and then stopped and a message came up saying that "you cannot record copy protected movies". This makes the recorder totally useless to me.

Well, I impulse spent and bought this from the J&R Music World website and phoned in my order for a HP Pavilion Widescreen Flat Panel and this DVD Recorder/VCR Player by SONY. I RARELY impulse purchase by the way. However, when I saw this thing on J&R's website I was like wow and the price was great too! After I purchased it I searched for reviews on my new TV and this Player. The HP TV got excellent reviews while this got nearly horrible reviews by almost everyone that's reviewed it here at Amazon.com. Well, now that I have unpacked it, set it up and actually have used it and dubbed a few DVDs from VHS Tapes I have to say that I must be one of the few people who are actually having a great experience with this player thus far. Every negative thing I have read on this site regarding the player are understandable. But only because you REALLY need to sit down and UNDERSTAND how this thing works! I have successfully dubbed 9 episodes of a TV Series I recorded onto VHS in 1997. The quality of the (SP) recorded DVD-R was just as it is on the VHS. And speaking of the VHS playback...it is not as bad as some people are saying. I compared it to my Sharp VCR WITH the fine tuning mechanisms turned on. This Sony VCR plays back that 9 year old VHS tape with ease and the quality is the same. The playback of the finalized DVD-R on other DVD Players (and PC DVD DRIVES) looks just as good as it does in this Sony player. I don't know but maybe some people just need to actually sit down and just work with the features and settings and options a little more. The manual was a but confusing with how to work some of this Players primary features. But once I figured it all out it was a breeze. I don't really care much about the fact that you can't record from TV if the signal will not allow you to. My main concern is just getting rid of all these freaking VHS TAPES! And so far I think that it will be a wonderful experience as it has already been. I will be chucking ALOT of old VHS tapes in the very near future. :)

BestDealUSA Telephone Recording Adapter for Digital Voice Recorder Black

i bought this and i hooked it all up but when i picked up the phone it was shorting my line and holding the line open!

Worth every penny if recording c;;s is what you want to do. The quality of the recording was worse than I anticipated, but you get what you pay for

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Livescribe Smartpen Portfolio

Check description carefully, it only takes the starter book size, so your letter or A4 don't fit. There should be 2 sizes!

I had been looking for a way to protect my pen when I take it out and about, since I used to take it out in a little pouch I have which did not offer a lot of protection. I was returning a pen case, which did not fit my pen since it was an Echo and the case was for the Pulse, to Best Buy when I saw this case. Since I prefer the small A5 notebook to the regular sized single or three subject notebooks, this case is perfect for me. A word of warning, this portfolio only fits the smaller notebook and journals, since Livescribe has not made one for the bigger notebooks. Then again, there are already portfolios for regular sized notebooks, so if you truly need one, you can find one.

Material: I give this a 5/5. The outside is a sort of faux leather material that has a nice feel to it, it is mostly smooth with a slight texture, and it looks nice. The inside is a sort of smooth, but slightly rough fabric. This fabric gives enough cushion and smoothness for the pen to go in, stay in and get out of the holder without the back of the pen being scratched or damaged in anyway. The portfolio looks and feels nice.

Notebook Slot: This gets a 5/5. It is strong enough to hold the notebook in place as you write, but it is easy to slide the cover into and out of the slot. Also, the notebook will not jerk up and down in the slot to any kind of movement, it is stuck in place which is nice because you do not have to worry about it working itself out of the slot.

Side Slots: I give this a 2/5. The slots in the front cover of the portfolio are too small to really hold anything that I need. It would have been nice if they were at least big enough to hold one of the flip notepads or if they were big enough to hold pages from the A5 notebooks. You could put the ink refills there but it was so tight I was afraid they might break. So, for me, these slots are useless because they are too small to hold anything I would like it too.

Bookmark String: This gets a 5/5. This is a nice feature that I have never seen in a portfolio before. The ability to mark where you are in your notebook without having to flip through a bunch of pages is a good feature. I like it and use it a lot.

Elastic Band for the Pen: I give this a 4/5. This does the job of keeping the pen secure to the portfolio. I have not dropped the portfolio yet, but I have walked with it in my hands and the motion of my hand did not cause the pen to move out of the slot. However, the roughness of the band gave me concern when I first saw it and my concern was right on. On the rubber grip, I can see tiny scratches from the band. I would have liked for there to be a smooth cushion to protect the pen from getting scratched. As long as you do not let the band anywhere else but the rubber grip, the rest of the pen will be fine.

Elastic Band for the Covers: I give this a 4½/5. The band keeps the portfolio closed just fine. There is enough elastic in the band for it to hold the portfolio closed if there was nothing in it or if there was more than just a notebook in it. The only thing I would have liked was either a slightly raised area or a small strip to the side that would give you a better grip to remove the band from around the cover. I have really short finger nails so it is sometimes hard to get a grip on the band, it just more annoying than a defect to me.

Cost: This is a 4/5. It could have been cheaper, but the convenience in carrying a notebook around with a safe place to put the pen made it worth the price. It is a nice looking, feeling and well put together portfolio that is worth the price.

Protection: I give this a 5/5. The notebook has held up for the last four months I've had it. I've carried it around in my hands and in my backpack, and the portfolio protects the notebook and pen just fine. I have yet to drop it with the pen inside, so I cannot speak to that. If I ever do, I will edit my review to include my opinion of that. But, I think that the pen will be well protected form a fall.

Overall, the portfolio is a nice accessory for the pen that will allow you to use one item to transport both the pen and the notebook at the same time. It is a good buy at a slightly expensive price that that reason alone.

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After reading other reviews here, I said "No way!" Then, while at the LiveScribe store, saw this and went "Yeah. A portfolio AND a pen holder. That's what I need!" Somehow the similarity of the two never connected and so I paid the higher price and the shipping charges there. What others have written is instructive: the SMELL is the first thing that hits you. It is strong so if you've got any type of sensitivity to scent, this is NOT the thing to get. After several days, it's much less but it's still there. Don't marginalize this: I did, to my regret. The size is the other factor. For years, I've taken an 8.5x11 pad portfolio to meetings: this is MUCH smaller you will be buying the 'single subject ring notebooks to fit (the same size as your starter book) but it does hold the pen at least. (LiveScribe owners know there's no pocket clip on the pen so carrying it around with the possibility of it getting lost is a large concern.)

Overall, I could have found other things to spend nearly $30 on frankly but this does fill a niche for a meeting-saturated exec who will have colleagues without a keen sense of smell. Be careful and play with other LiveScribe toys first.

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This portfolio makes it simple to carry your LiveScribe pen and your notebooks all in one. I also keep a little packet of refill ink cartridges in one of the business card pockets so I'm never caught without ink. :)

I don't think this is "real" leather, but it looks like leather and so far it's held up very nicely. The LiveScribe journals and spiral notebooks both fit in here perfectly snug, fits like a glove. There is a nice elastic band that holds it shut. Overall, I'm very happy with this!

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Very small, normal paper wont fit such as printer paper for contracts or school work. Has pockets for business cards which is a plus. Material seems to be somewhat durable, shows scuff marks on the outside leather and the felt inside gets dirty quickly.

looks very professional but keep in good condition to maintain the right "look" Needs specific sized journals and holds pen snugly. Would definitely recommend it for people who need to keep a professional appearance or don't want to carry a bunch of notebooks or loose leaf papers.

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Eclipse Mach Speed 4 GB MP3/Video Player with 1.8-Inch Touchscreen, Voice Recorder and FM Radio - (

• 1.8 inch color touch screen display for showing menu and lyrics
• Plays music and video, has an FM radio and also functions as a digital voice recorder
• 4GB of internal memory, built-in rechargeable battery
• Drag and drop file transfer
• What's included in the package: Media player, USB cable, and earbuds

To begin, let me explain that this was purchased as a gift for my 4-year-old.

I bought it with the intention of it being a miniature way for her to watch her videos (and thus leave my cell phone alone!) I have not tested out the ease of the mp3 portion, only the video. That's where it gets tricky.

You can only use AVI files of a certain size. While it is easy enough to add content to the player (drag and drop works just fine), making sure that your file is usable is the trick. There are several pieces of software that are on the internal drive of this player. After a failure on the first, I decided to try to download any number of free-ware (partly due to the fact that the 'converter' was only a trial edition!) Even though I was following the specifications included in the documentation, I would drag and drop only to get a 'format error' show up on the screen.

I was ready to leave a really negative review.

Finally I went through the tools on the player one more time and discovered one I'd missed. It's called mp4 tool, and it really DOES work with a practically one-click setup. Dragged and dropped and FINALLY got a workable file.

So do be prepared for some trial and error as you figure this out.

The interface on the screen seems pretty simple. I was a little disappointed to discover that even though the front screen is picture-driven, once you are in the video's folder the files are textual ... this is not a problem for me, but remember that this is a present for a four-year-old who does not know how to read yet. She picks her movies based on picture and graphics clues. I see a lot of "Mommy can you put (insert movie name here) on for me?" in my future.

I did not test this with the included earphones, because I didn't want to disentangle them before gifting this. I used a pair of dollar-store earbuds and the sound was okay. But please bear in mind I am not a huge audiophile who has to have the perfect surround sound and am satisfied with mediocre!

I will probably update this after my daughter has had it for a while to comment on durability.

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Its no iPod, but for the cost it does everything i need. i take this to the gym, so i just set the thing to random and listen. the headphones are decent, not great, but decent, and pretty loud. i have no issues hearing anything over the sound of the machines.

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This product is a really cheap buy, I used to own a few cheap iPod nano knock off MP4 players back when the iPod video came out and wrote a top 100 guide for them on ebay back in the day. I bought this expecting to get a similar product but boy was I wrong.

Lets start off with the design. It is shaped like an iPod shuffle but boasts a touchscreen with an AM radio and video playback. The constuction is bottom grade. It makes those Mp4 players I used to own look like like top of the line products. It uses low quality plastics and it looks like it was designed in a hurry. The metal portion of the player is low grade aluminum but is sturdy enough for normal use. The touchscreen is less then usable. The touch layer sits too high off of the display and you have to do finger smashing to get it to register. The display has poor color reproduction and is such a low resolution that watching videos on this is little more then a novelty trick.

Software

The interface is severely limited. The arrows do not do anything, it's a cheap trick to make you think it does more then it really does. It says it supports folder browsing to organize your music but only makes a list of all the songs on the device with no folder browsing. The radio does ok but it does not pick up radio stations very well. for a 1.8 inch screen it should have enough space to browse your music with no problem, but the resolution is so low that you cannot even read half of the song names.

Audio The audio amplifier is so low powered that even at maxed out volume the audio can barely comfortably be heard in a slightly noisy place like a gym. The signal is dirty as well. As mentioned the Audio player does not even allow folder browsing. It just loads a single list of all the songs onboard.

This product is little more then a scam using outright lies to get you to fork over some cash. If you want an overglorified iPod shuffle then you should be happy with this product, otherwise if you are looking for a feature rich device at a steal of a price then you can do way way better for about 10$ more. I would give it a little higher reguards if the touchscreen wasnt an absolute pain to use. The only person I would consider giving this to would be a young child looking for a toy to play music and videos, that is if they can muster up the strength to press the touchscreen.

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It is only built for music. That's not so good for me because I listen to a lot of audio books. So the music and the books all get lumped together with no way to seperate them. No playlists. It is not even your standard touch screen but it works well. All in all though it is a good player.

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This Mp3 player is a pure knockout. It works and exceeded my expectations. It has so many functions for a really good price. Everything about it is perfect, from design to functionality.

HQRP AC Power Adapter for Samsung SC-DC173U / SCDC173U Camcorder - (incl. USA Plug & Euro Adapter)

HOLA PERSONAL o INTERESADO EN ESTA CARTA DE OPINION.

QUE BUENO FUE EL PRIMER LUGAR EN BUSCAR MI CARGADOR PARA MI CAMARA Y UDS LO TENIAN ALA MANO

UN POCO ALTO DE PRECIO PERO HAY ESTABA , LA ENTREGA FUE MUY BUENA EN LA CONPRA UTILIZAN UNA MUY BUENA SEGURIDAD

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This item was priced very low compared to local retailers. It shipped on time and works well. I would recommened it to others.

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CIB R401W500G8401 4CH Network Security Surveillance DVR w/ Four CCD Indoor Do...

This product is absolutely AWESOME!

I purchased one of these systems for my home, about 4 weeks ago. The installation took a little bit of time, but was well worth it. After I install this system, my house keeper was cleaning my house, while I was at work. I logged-in to my house to see what the house keeper was doing. To my surprise the housekeeper was stealing my money from by bedroom. Of course they don't work for me any more. Plus I was able to save the video and forward it to all there customers, to warn them too. Trust me, the investment was worth it. This product really is great, I fully recommend buying this. Here's why:

1) You get 4 Color camera's that auto adjust to the light, also provide night vision (It really works)

2) The cameras provide motion detection. The wired setup provides both video and power to the each camera.

3) The DVR stores more than 1 week of stored video on a 500 gig hard drive. It can store more if you setup the DVR to motion detection only.

4) The DVR has TONS of settings and features to adjust the camera's recording, network and much more for your custom needs.

5) It will notify you if there is activity.

6) You can login with the special secure software that is provided.

7) You can remotely control the DVR from your computer ANYWHERE.

8) You can login to see all 4 zones from your Android and IPHONE.

9) You also can record audio from all 4 zones.

10) You get everything you need to setup this product. There is no gotchas or extra things to buy, everything is included.

This is a high quality professional setup for home and business. Plus it's affordable. These folks put together truly awesome!

Ryan C. Knaggs

I picked up this system after doing some research on what was out there. The features all lined up with what I was looking for.

The only thing I had to buy additional was extended cables as 2 of my cam ocations were far away.

The power is routed back to the DVR wihich simplifies the camera instal. If the cams were wireless each cam would need a power source or batteries. Much easier to route all the wires back to the DVR.

The camera quality was great. Very crips. The user interface and set-up was surprisingly easy. I did not expect that refined of software in a product at this pricepoint.

The only thing I wasnt real happy with was the lack of audio. They ad never said directly that the camers had audio, although it noted the audio inputs on the back of the DVR. I would hav e upgraded to one with sound. Now I am struggling with a way to addd audio.

All in all a good product.

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I purchased this 4 camera system for my new retail business, as I live 50 miles away and needed a way to monitor remotely. My contractor installed the cameras (all of them upside down :-) and ran the wires to my office, where the DVR is located (note: you will need to buy your own monitor). The first unit I received was defective, but Peter at USA Security exchanged the unit immediately and the second one worked like a charm. The in store set-up could not have been easier plug it all together and turn the unit on. The system includes a remote control, but between the front panel & mouse, it's rather redundant. The remote set-up is a bit trickier (for both my home PC & iPhone), but with some guidance from an IT friend of mine, we got it up and running in less than an hour. The images are crystal-clear and it gives me an immense sense of secuirty to be able to monitor from anywhere I may be. This is a very good system, and I would highly recommend purchasing from USA Security.

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I have installed this product. Everything is good untill I want to set up network installation. Uptill now, I have not figured out how to set up the network.The manual is not great and I was not able to obtain customer service phone number yet.

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Had a problem when two cameras stopped working after less than a year but am happy to report that CIB Security/ USA contacted me promptly after I posted a review and sent two replacement cameras. Great Service.

Coby DVD-283 Upconverting DVD Player

• HD upconversion for enhanced high definition video
• DVD, DVD+R/RW, CD, CD-R/RW, & JPEG Compatible/NTSC/PAL Compatible
• HDMI output for perfect digital signal transmission to Home Theater Systems - Dolby digital recorder
• Convenient on screen display/Parental lock control
• Multiple language, subtitle, and camera angle support

I got this player for its up-conversion feature and HDMI outputs. It worked fine for a while, but broke down after 2 months. I contacted customer service and they suggested I send it back (with a $13 S&H charge) and they will replace it.

I did just that, but got a player without the HDMI output nor the up-conversion feature. After writing to them again and some phone calls, they agreed to send a unit like my original one. At that time, I had two units (one without HDMI, one with HDMI) and was happy.

A couple of months later the non-HDMI unit broke down. Like the first unit, it just stopped recognizing disks. Thinking that I still had the third unit, I did not contact customer service but instead opened that third unit and started using it.

Guess what? After 4 months, it broke down. I'm using it for 2-3 hours a week, inside a home, in a fixed location nothing extraordinary.

So, within a year, I have THREE units that are all bad, and am out what I paid for the unit plus $13. I contacted customer service but they said that since 4 months have passed, the unit is no longer covered, and that I'd just have to fix it someplace else. My complaints that they have sold me a lemon did not help.

My next unit will be a Phillips, not a Coby.

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I bought this player because I bought an HDTV and want to take advantage of the HDMI input and surround sound. It is about the cheapest unit you can find, especially with HDMI input. I found that DVD players break rather easily, regardless of brand, and new HD DVD's have not come down in price enough, so I brought to this unit to hold me over for a few years.

The unit works as what you expectbrilliant picture and good sound. The picture is close to HD quality, but not quite there. I bet it is no different than any upconverting dvd player. It is smaller than the picture suggests. It is almost like a portable unit.

The downsides:

The Coby unit cannot be used with a univeral remote. There is no digital display on the unit, and it looks low priced. The remote has a cheap feel to it, but is intuitive and easy to use. The unit feels warm to the touch in "off" mode. It is probably one of those energy sapping devices.

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I do not recommend this player. Within a couple months it broke to the point where it will not even recognize any DVDs that are put into the player. The warranty is awful considering I have to pay shipping both to and back from the company. At which point I would be paying as much money as I paid for the player itself. Basically it's wasted money.

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I had the similar experience with this product. Within five months it broke to the point where it will not even recognize any DVDs/CDs that are put into the player. Actually I used only about 10 times. When I called Coby, they told me that the warranty for replacement is 90 days and the unit cannot be repaired. In other words, it can only be replaced but your warranty is expired. The only thing I can do is to throw away this piece of junk.

So, don't buy this product (probably other Coby products too). They may be cheap but you may just waste your money.

Movie doesn't play in sync. Sounds/voices come after the actions. Very distracting to try to watch...looks like a really bad lip sync job. Plays fine on other DVD players. I'd pass on this model..you get what you pay for!

VideoSecu High Sensitive Pre-amp Microphone Audio Pickup Device Tiny Spy Kit for Security Camera CC

It is easy to use, high quality and very competitively priced. Easy to hook up, sturdy. It picks up voices clearly. I give this product a 5 star rating.

Does exactly what I needed it to. For the price it is perfect. I wouldn't use it to record a choir, but to pick up conersations in my showroom for the security cameras it is great!

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The mic didn't even work. It just fed back sound as if it was a speaker. Don't waste your time.

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Canon XL1 Digital Camcorder Kit

The Canon XL1 is a great piece of equipment. My company uses this very same camera to do most of our commercials. Since its got such great graphic quality (~360,000 pixels per frame) and can capture at high speeds, its the clear choice for our high-speed shooting. The sound quality and zoom on the mic is also incredible. If youre still not sure on buying it, I suggest you find a local video or camera store and rent and play with one for a day, its a tremendously worthy investment...

For high-end amateur applications, I returned my XL1 in favor of the Sony DCR-VX2000. The XL1 image quality is superb; however, the image quality of many less expensive cameras these days is so impressive that after shooting a lot of test video at various lux, close-up and zoom scenarios I was hard pressed to see *any* difference between the XL1 and my Panasonic DV600 and Sony PC-5.

Online reviews typically give XL1 and Sony VX2000 image quality equal ratings.

Although my XL1 was manufactured in August 2000, the model itself appears to be a couple of years old and lacks some of the Sony's electronic features and an LCD viewfinder.

I was also disappointed in the XL1 still photo quality. Most Sony models perform much better in this area.

The XL1 zoom motor is so loud as to interfere with sound recording, and the manual zoom apparently invokes a proxy mechanism rather than controlling the zoom directly, resulting in a latency which is perceived as lack of responsiveness.

Several online DV sites mention rumors of a Canon XL2. I wouldn't be surprised to find that the XL1 is near the end of its product cycle.

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I've used Digital Betacam that isn't as nice as this puppy. Recently shot behind-the-scenes at an Indy Racing League event, and this camera easily kept up with the 220+ racecars. I can't say enough nice things about this camera!

The only negative... I think it could be a little more comfortable to shoot with. Get a better shoulder brace or the balanced audio input, the Balanced Audio adaptor makes a better shoulder pad than the standard one... and gives you better sound quality to boot! That's saying a bunch cause the standard mic is pretty damn fine!

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I have owned one of these for over a year and a half and love this thing. I work at a full digital TV station with a the latest equipment and the first thing I did was do a side by side comparo against a ...Panasonic DVCPRO broadcast camera. The technicians and cameramen were shocked at the image being equal to their cameras. When we explored the camera further and found the ability to also use the ANTON BAUER battery packs it only got better. They looked at the lens quality and lens swapping ability, plenty of manual setting available for video and audio, hundreds of accesories for the proshooter, and the frame mode made it shine brighter in their eyes. The general manager and chief engineer evaluated the camera and said at the same time "imagine what this could do for our budget!". I use this camera for personal use and have also used it for news gathering, Many requests from the news department have come my way to go on a shoot due to lack of cameras. If you are looking for a camcorder to have many bells and whistles, this is not for you. This is a serious tool. I have read reviews where it dosent take very good still pictures, it lacks the LCD viewer!, It wont shoot in total darkness or see through womens clothes. They forget serious shooters have a main priority in their camera and that is the choice of different lenses. No current consumer camcorder has a interchangable lens system. Something to remember many tools have the ability to do many tasks but they never exceed at one. The Canon XL1 EXCEEDS at shooting video to a professional level....

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Design and construction is first class. I use it as a "point and shoot" but it is fully equipped to handle heavy pro work. Flip-down shoulder brace, variable speed zoom and excellent mike are great features. Can't say enough about the quality of workmanship.