5 comments about ATLANTIC 1386 Wave Innovative Modern-Style Steel DVD Storage Tower.

1. I like this item because of the amount of DVD's it holds and it doesn't take up much space.



2. I guess it's decent considering the price, but it certainly didn't meet my expectations. I received it as a gift. When it arrived I was so excited to put it together right away. As one reviewer already mentioned, it defies assembly. The screws that connect the bottom part with the base are impossible to put in. Either the manufacturers didn't test the product at all or they tested with the incredible hulk. If there isn't a strong man in your household, I suggest you pass up on this one. And how come there's nothing to bolt the connection between the top part and the bottom part?
   Having said that, it holds many DVDs and looks pretty nice. I guess you really get what you pay for.



3. It took about 10 minutes to assemble this stand. I didn't have any problems other reviewers mentioned with the base plastic screws, although the included tool they give you is a little awkward. To install the wooden balls at the top of the stand I HAD to widen the holes; there was just no way they were going to fit over the metal rod any other way. Another reviwer recommended a utility knife which would work fine; I used a cordless drill with a bit just barely larger than the hole already there and that did the job.
   
   If you have a box set where the actual box is a a little larger than the dvd case, it will have problems fitting in this stand: my Lord of the Rings box sets fit just fine, but for Star Wars and Indiana Jones I had to actually pull the metal rods apart and force the box set in.
   
   Other than those minor issues, the stand serves it's purpose and looks great.



4. The dvd stand was exactly what I ordered. If was in perfect condition. It arrived on time.



5. I own seven of these DVD Waves. Great for an apartment where space is at a premium.

2 comments about Maxell Video VHS HGX T120 (3-Pack).

1. Video tapes from Maxell's product line are among the best consumer grade VHS tapes available to the public and the preferred choice among video archivers. When used in conjunction with a high-end VCR, Maxell Gold provides an excellent picture, even when used in the extended play / super long play speed and is incredibly durable. I have never experienced color bleeding or noise problems, even after years of storage. This is an excellent tape for a reasonable price and one of the best choices for archiving your most precious memories.



2. I ordered three 3=packs of the Maxell VHS HGX T-120, as pictured even now, and got three 3-packs of a different Maxell VHS product.
   Now that I've found out on my own that the original item is no longer produced as such, it would have been appropriate to inform me of that fact...I could have purchased them locally and saved a rather hefty $11.95 shipping & handling.
   I was assured an "RA" for return, but have never seen it.
   At this point I will keep the items...someone should update the pictorial advertising to avoid this minor confusion and disappointment. - M.

5 comments about Elgato EyeTV Hybrid (NTSC).

1. At first I hesitated buying it - I thought it would be blurry at full screen and not pick up as many channels. But I was pleasantly surprised! I tried it out on my powerbook first with an old rabbit ear antenna that I found laying around the house. I have no room to install a professional outdoor antenna and I am on a budget so I figured I would try this first. It picked up over 38 channels! Once I got my iMac - same thing - 38 channels! The antenna stands on the floor at a 45 degree angle toward the north east (I'm in chicago). I bought an amplified antenna - and it didn't find as many channels. The quality of the shows is amazing - It picks up all HD channels and analog channels that are available in your area. Even on full screen you can sit back and it looks better than on a regular tv. (That may also be contributed by the iMac video card...) It comes with a remote and it also updates a program guide to see what's coming up over the next few days! I have not tried it with a satellite or cable box - so I can't comment on that. But with an antenna, I am very pleased with my purchase. I would highly recommend it - especially to those who don't have a TV in their computer room. It's worth a try and it's a great product!!!



2. I love products that just work out of the box.
   My activation key was blurry but I figured that out .
   This is just a great product. I don't record programs but watching TV on my iMac with EyeTV is great. I like the menu setup and program lineup list. The picture looks very good.
   Setup was 5 minutes.
   Good job Elgato.



3. This thing is awesome! After pluggin it in, and setting up an account on titantv (took about 10 min total) I was recording/watch live tv. The only downfall I've seen so far is that I'm on Comcast, and with the recent channel changes, without me knowing it, I recorded about 7 hours of baseball games instead of the cartoons and sci fi shows I intended. After running setup again, I was back in business. Many complain about how hot it gets, but seriously, how often are you going to touch it? I have mine hooked up to an iMac, and it works great. It's a shame that I cannot record the "cable" HD channels, only the OTA ones, but it's not a huge loss. I'm using this in tandem with a modded xbox running XBMC (which cannot playback HD content anyways) adn it works fantastically. strongly suggest this product!



4. Bought it to use on my macbook pro, didn't really use it that much. After 14 months I had an error that it was connected to USB 1 (which it obviously wasn't). Further investigation & emails to elgato reveal that the unit has failed & as it is more than 12 months old..... tough. I'd be very wary before spending money on this company's inferior products



5. This product does everything I would was expecting and hoping for. Since owning it, I have stopped using a DVD recorder. Clearly, it does not have the automatic "find similar shows" that is included in Tivo, but the advantages outweigh this loss:
   1) near limitless recording capacity - constrained only by capacity of hard discs you wish to hook up
   2) very easy to jump/scroll/scrub through recordings to find a particular part.
   
   A bonus I was not expecting was the ability to transfer my old copy protected VHS tapes to the Mac (for subsequent transfer to iPod or DVD) with ease and at pretty good quality.

2 comments about Duracell MN1400B4 C Cell, (4-Pack).

1. I've used many batteries by various manufacturers but these were a real treat. From the start they were full of energy -- so powerful that the volume dial had to be kept to a minimum. Though their intensity lessened as the hours passed, by the the time they were expended, I couldn't help myself from buying more.

   Tip:
   If you are willing to purchase several cassette players and enough of these batteries, you can exeperience many books on tape simultaneously. This saves time while exposing you to more literature that your friends would be able to digest if they devoted all of their waking hours to reading.




2. Its true these battery do have energy inside them, its another marvel of modern science. Personally I noticed that the flow of electrons were very strong, a nice change after years of dealing with batteries that only had strong to moderately strong electron flow. You mainly notice this when you bridge the terminals with your mouth (dont try this at home, well, actually if you do try it, it will probably be at home. But dont try it at WORK you will look like an idiot)
   
   I did notice however that the longer I left the battery bridged in my mouth the less painfull it became, this was over a period of like 3 days straight though which was promising. At first I didn't know if it was just my nerve endings getting fried off or if this behemoth of a battery was actually losing power. But after a couple more days I started to regain feeling in my lower lip and I knew the ride was almost over and the battery was indeed growing weeker. Overall this was the longest lasting battery I have personally experienced. I would recommend it to anyone with a taste for adventure!

1 comments about Sanyo Xacti VPC-E2 Digital Camcorder and 8 MP Digital Camera (White).

1. Before purchasing E2 I was torn between E1 and E2 but decided to go with a new model. There were no reviews on E2 other than a single one for Euro/Japanese/Canadian version of E2 called CA8 and that review blasted the camera's new sensor. Nevertheless, with Amazon's liberal return policy, I decided to take my chance and to get E2 instead of E1. After all, it is a second generation of this waterproof camera, and I thought the second generation is typically better.
   
   If you are trying to decide between E1 and E2, here are the major differences:
   
   The most obvious is a change of sensor.
   E1 uses 6MP CCD 1/2.5 sensor
   E2 uses 8MP CMOS 1/2.5 sensor.
   
   E2 adds a 60 frames per second movie option (E1 was limited to 30 frames per second)
   
   E2 adds face recognition mode. E1 has no such face detection mode
   
   E2 adds a dedicated 'underwater' mode among several others. E1 did not have a specific 'underwater' mode.
   
   First, I tried both the new 60 frames per second mode and the old 30 frames per second mode and I decided that I will be using 30 frames per second, I actually like the quality of 30fps mode better.
   
   I then tried the photography mode. I took most photographs inside in tricky low-light incandescent and florescent light conditions, because I know these give ANY camera, including DSLRs such as my Canon 40D $1300 camera, the most problems. I upped the ISO to 200 and then to 400. You can see samples I posted here. BTW the macro mode on this baby goes to 1 cm!!!! I don't know if E1 had such super-macro to 1 cm. I found the photo quality acceptable and similar to that of other point-and-shoots using the same 1/2.5 and similar sensors. I felt that ISO400 was acceptable. I have not tried ISO 800 and 1600 yet.
   
   E2 has following ISO range: in photo mode 50-1600
   in video mode: 100-3200 in high sensitivity mode (3200 I don't believe you can select, but it does it).
   
   The image stabilization feature is tricky, it is EIS, Electronic Image Stabilization, not Optical Image Stabilization, so when you use it, it crops a little bit on sides of your video and photographs, depending on which mode of EIS you use.
   
   The sound is stereo and the quality is acceptable. The camera is tiny btw, I fit mine in case logic case I had from my Canon A75 camera.
   
   I tried this camera underwater in my pool, both video and photographs. All worked fine, even shoots photographs with flash underwater, which makes for very freaky results.
   
   ---
   Finally, some people complained that Sanyo has their own unique USB cable which is a pain if you lose it or don't have it with you, and cannot read it in ordinary card reader. WRONG. I did not even bother taking the proprietary Sanyo USB cable from camera packaging. The card works easily in my HP (windows vista) desktop's card reader. I downloaded PICASA 3 which I recommend. Picasa 3 will find, download, and play all photos and every video you shoot with this camera easily and quickly, just take the SD card, put it in your card reader and Picasa will do the rest. Very easy, so don't need to bother with this cable that comes with it.
   
   Problems: Battery life is not impressive. Battery is tiny. I am used to Fuji F30's 500 shots per charge. This battery sucks. I charged the battery fully. I then took 80 photographs (some with flash), 4 or 5 2-minute videos and my battery showed 70% gone. You need a second battery, and hopefully there are some with more juice in it that the Sanyo one that comes with the camera.
   
   I also wish the lens would start at 28mm and not 38mm as it would make easier to take pictures/videos of oneself without need to stretch your body away from the camera. Also my belief is that the flash only operates in photo mode and not in video mode. However, it is much better than its only competitor, Panasonic SW20, which does not have any flash at all
   
   I will add more photos later.

5 comments about Philips HS500 Behind-the-Head Sport Headphones with Neckband.

1. These are my favorite set of headphones to use with my laptop! They are so comfortable that I often forget that I even have them on. Great sound quality too. I've gone through 2 sets in the past 5 years, and when I wear out my current one in another year or two, I am going to be buying these headphones again!!



2. I ordered the Philips HS500 headphones and instead got the SHS5200 headphones. I did not want the SHS5200 because they are significantly worse headphones from my experience (the sound sucks compared to the HS500 and the reflective coating on the neckband melted and rubbed all over my clothes and my neck).
   
   Target did not notify me that they were sending A DIFFERENT ITEM that I DID NOT WANT.



3. Brought it 5 years ago from Amazon/Target. It has always been in my gym bags with me. After all these years, there is only a tiny tear on one cover of the ear piece.



4. Just as few people before me I also got HSH5200 (much worse headphones) instead HS500. Target or Amazon refused to give any compensation.



5. Like several others have experienced, Target sent me the SHS5200 headphones instead of the HS500 headphones I ordered. Now I have to go through the whole returns ordeal because of their careless "mistake," although judging by how many people this has happened to, I have a hard time believing it's truly a mistake. If they didn't have the headphones I ordered in stock, it was NOT ok to just send me whatever they please instead!
   
   VERY disappointed - thought I could trust Target, but apparently I was wrong. If you're thinking of buying these, order them elsewhere or go out and buy them at a store. Don't take the chance of Target "accidentally" sending you inferior headphones in place of the ones you really wanted.

5 comments about Caselogic SNMB-15F 15.4-Inch Fullsize Canvas Messenger Bag with Laptop Storage (Gray).

1. The bag is not what i expected, it is realatively heavy, and does not have enough space. one the laptop is in, the cord, the mouse... you can barely fit books in.



2. The bag is somewhat bigger than I thought. It's nice looking and looks like good quality. Laptop fits perfect, is great for carrying books too. It looks great with this extraordinary buckle but I am a little worried about wear and tear of it. One thing that bugs me a little is that it doesn't have a handle.
   All in all though, well worth the money.



3. This messenger bag its huge. I have had bags before, but they felt more corporate, and this one gives me a more individual feel and look.
   
   My one complain is the closing method, its too much of a pain to close it using the lock, so I usually end up just using the velcro, which can lead to a constant clanging noise as your walk (Which can get irritating)
   
   Pocketing info:
   
   There is a large pocket on the back with a Velcro close, Its large enough for papers, and can fit wider things but they will bulge.
   
   At each end there is a Velcro pocket, fairly deep, and the one at the back is wider (good size for sunglasses)
   
   Under the main flap is space for three pens, an ID badge, and two other pockets. The main compartment is vary large, it is divided into one space for a laptop, with a cloth strap that Velcros in to better hold the laptop, and the rest of the compartment is just as deep and I have used ti to hold upwards of 3-4 big books with out issue (Although they are still heavy :) )



4. I bought this bag for my 15.4" laptop and office stuff.
   it looks great and has a very good build quality.
   overall this is bigger compared to other messenger bags.
   if you have lot of stuff to keep besides your laptop then go for this otherwise opt for a smaller bag.



5. This bag is awesome. I know its labeled for a 15.4 inch, but acording to the mesurements, it actually fits my 17inch HP laptop. I had a hard time finding a bag for my laptop since mine is so large, but this one is perfect. it slides right in (norrower side down for better fit) and has plenty of room for books, accessories and lots of pocket space. the padding is good, and the bag seems very durable considering what i put it through. I use this bag both for school and work, and had it loaded fully with cords, mouse, 4 class books, sketchbooks and art suppplies and my photography equipment, and still had some room to spare! I have no problem with the buckle, my 8 year old daughter can do it, (and she loves my bag too). SO glad I baught it!

2 comments about Etymotic Research HF5 Portable In-Ear Earphones (Blue).

1. I have a number of different earphones/headphones, including Etymotic ER-4P, Jays Q-Jays, Ultimate Ears 5 Pro and 4vi. The ER-4Ps sound the best to me (but lack in the design category -- they stick out too far when inserted in your ear and the cable feels somewhat flimsy). The ER-4Ps have a level of clarity and detail (and treble) that the others do not match.
   
   I bought these headphones thinking that I would now have the best of both worlds: the sound of the ER-4Ps with a better design. I was wrong. The design of the Hf5 headphone itself is better than the ER-4P, but the sound of the Hf5 does not match the ER-4P. To my ears, the ER-4P and Hf5 are very similar at the low end (neither is particularly strong in bass). However, at the mid-range and especially the high end, the ER-4Ps have more detail and clarity between different instruments and vocals. The Hf5 tends to sound more muddy IN COMPARISON to the ER-4Ps and the high end of the Hf5 has more roll off than the ER-4Ps (i.e., the highs on the Hf5 won't go as high as they do on the ER-4P). Vocals and mid-range on the ER-4P sound so much better than the Hf5 that I wonder whether I had a bad set of Hf5s.
   
   Looking at Amazon's prices, the ER-4Ps are only $20 more than the Hf5. If you are spending that much money on headphones, the ER-4Ps are a better deal.
   
   This is not to say that the Hf5s are a bad set of headphones. To the contrary, I found them to compare very favorably to the Q-Jays. The Q-Jays had better low end (bass) than the Hf5, but the Hf5 was better than the Q-Jays on the high end and the Hf5 seemed to have a better soundstage (more clarity and detail). The Q-Jays are smaller and fit better than the Hf5; HF5 are slightly better than the Q-Jays at blocking external noises.
   
   The Ultimate Ears 4vi are a good set of headphones. With respect to sound, I would give a slight edge to the UE 4vi over the Hf5 (the UE 4vis have better low end and maybe slightly better soundstage than the Hf5...though not by much). The Hf5 fit better than the UE4vi and block more external noise.
   
   The UE Super 5 Pros are muddy and pale in comparison to any of the other headphones.
   
   So, the Hf5s are a good set of headphones...but they do not match the great sound quality of the ER-4Ps.



2. I can unequivocally recommend these earphones. I have used a broad variety of earphones, including the Shure se530's Ultimate Ears triple-fi 10's and several Sennheisers. For this price, I've never heard sound so balanced, and with such clarity, coming out of an iPod. I feel like I'm in a sealed sound chamber when I listen with these, even when I'm on the bus. It's almost too isolating - sometimes I really lose touch with what's going on around me. I am a musician, and when I've done studio recordings, we listen for nuances in the instrumentation and music that you typically do not hear when playing back an MP3 file or CD. With the Etymotic hf5's, I'm getting the kind of clarity I get in the studio. And for just $150! There's no over-exaggerated bass, and I can hear every instrument and every voice. There's nothing like listening to an a capella group like Take 6 with the hf5. Or to an unplugged session where all kinds of things can happen in the tracks - if you can hear them. Oh, and the blue and red ones are cool-looking. Pretty much everyone replaces the earphones that come with your MP3 player, and you can spend a lot more on earphones than this, but I recommend $150 spent on these earphones as the biggest bang for your buck.

5 comments about Lx Dual Desk Mount Arm, Black.

1. I have two Dell 19" LCD monitors and I wanted to set them up so that I could use the deskspace the monitors stand on for more important things.
   
   This LX Dual Desk Mount Arm set worked perfectly! It took me about an hour-and-a-half to set up but it was time well worth spent. Besides looking very slick, it cleared up alot of desktop space and it pains me to think about my setup before.
   
   Warning: do not set your tension too low when it comes to the drop-down on the extension arms. It will mostly set itself just fine. All you will need to do is adjust a little bit. Even if you do set the tension too low, you'll realize this very quickly while attaching the back plate to the monitor (does it move around too much?) and should tighten it up a few turns.
   
   I do recommend loosening up the screws some though in almost all of the joints. They come a little tight from the factory. Just loosen a little though and don't mess with the phillips screws on the monitor attachment plate (that's not needed at all)! All other screws with the included wrenches are fine to play with. Mess with them too much though and your monitors will droop. Too little and you can't move them. It made it easier to adjust though when the screws were already loosened when I installed.
   
   Over all, I highly recommend this setup for anybody with 2 monitors.



2. I'm very happy with this item. It's amazing what a difference it makes to have this much more desk space - very cool. Also, the ease of positioning the primary display and the ability to rotate 90 degrees easily - changes the way I work. Green too- I print much less now that I can read PDF files in full screen rotated.



3. Bought this for my work at home computer set up. Extremely well built and easy to assemble. I highly recommend this product.



4. Easy to assemble and supports two monitors well. (I didn't use the second arm for a laptop or keyboard, but rather have a dual monitor setup) I love having the extra desk space under the monitors. I chose not to use the extension arms. Because of my desk setup, the arms interfered with the back of the desk hutch. But honestly I don't have much need to adjust the position of the monitors...I mostly wanted the extra space under the monitors!



5. I bought the dual arms. They connected easily to my two Apple 23" monitors using the Apple plate (bought seperately) in the back. Now the monitors can be moved down all the way to the desktop, as needed.

5 comments about IronKey 1GB Secure Hardware-Encrypted Flash Drive.

1. I have been searching for a solution to my need for security of very large number of confidential files, that I really need to carry with me much of the time. Iomega Jazz and then Zip worked very well, but they keep changing hardward and don't update the software, and I am tired of buying all new portable drives for all my computers.
   
   But this product is great, and it has the convenience of a flash drive, th security of a really good, open source encryption program, and good, simple, basic software for dealing with it all. Plus a very good web site for storing and changing passwords and security information.
   
   This is a great, reliable, and reasonably priced solution. I am 100% happy!



2. The Ironkey works exactly as described by the companies video. This small creation has simplified my life if for nothing else by securing and organizing all the passwords one gathers over time. It's simple, secure and reliable.



3. First time I've done a review here but wanted to put a good word in for this product. I bought this to secure my passwords and other important files that I need to carry around. It has worked without a hitch and lives up to all of the promises on the Ironkey web site. (Well, I haven't tested the self destruct feature fortunately.) The secure sessions service is very cool and the fact that you don't need admin rights on the client computer is a big plus. I considered just using something like TrueCrypt for securing my files but it doesn't provide the security of hardware encryption. Highly recommended!



4. This little fellow has lived up to everything I expected and more. In my line of work you need high security mobile storage. This guy has gotten wet, hot, dirty and still works like a charm. It's security features are top shelf and I am very confident using it anywhere. Great buy for anyone with law enforcement / military work!



5. Ironkey's website wasnt very clear but once i got the dongle i found out that it only works on Windows based computers.
   
   No use to me as i only have a Mac.....