1 comments about On Stage DS7200B Adjustable Desk Microphone Stand, Black.

1. I purchased this microphone stand to use with a large diaphragm recording microphone in a shock mount. While it only functions moderately well for this purpose, as the base is not heavy enough to completely counterbalance the microphone and microphone mount, I would have to believe it was not designed for the purpose I am using it for, so I'm not judging it based on my "off-label" use.
   
   That said, the base is plenty heavy enough to hold a lighter microphone, or a microphone who's weight is centered more over the staff of the stand. The manufacturing was flawless and the stand works exactly as advertised. Overall, this stand is good value for the money.

1 comments about Belkin F8Z249-KG Sport Armband for iPod Touch/iPhone (Black/Gray).

1. The plastic cover came loose from the leather after owning this for less than two months during which it was probably not used more than a dozen times. I sweat hard, and it got wet regularly, but it still seems it should lasted longer than it did. Also, the plastic tends to adhere to the glass front of the iPhone, making it aggravating to remove sometimes. I cannot recommend this product, although I've so far been unable to find one I can. The last Belkin one I had (a different model) lasted a year before the metal clip broke.
   
   This armband does have one good design feature. It has two different slots to put the end through, dramatically increasing the range of arm sizes it can handle. Only if you are at the extreme ends of the range of human arms would you have a problem with it not fitting.

2 comments about Harman Kardon HTFS 2 Black Lacquer Speaker Floor Stands.

1. Really attractive stands and easy to assemble. Very stable and hides wiring. I noticed that there was a 25% Savings from Vann's if you buy two pair. I do not know if this will continue. I may have just been lucky. Great for the HKTS 15's or 18's.



2. I ordered 4 of these for each of my main channel speakers. The bases are very heavy and will keep the speakers steady.
   
   It comes with floor studs for either hard wood or carpet. The carpet ones are pretty neat little cleats that stick into the carpet to give it even more stability. The hard floor studs are some little rubber nubs.
   
   The base of the stand is made of aluminum it seems, with a high gloss paint job that matches the speakers surprisingly well. All very modern looking.
   
   I'd def. recommend these for your HKTS systeam.

5 comments about IronKey 2GB Secure Hardware-Encrypted Flash Drive.

1. I have purchased my second IronKey Secure flash drive. They are everything claimed, and more. Good tech support (through forum - all that's needed), responsive staff, great flash drive, durable, wonderful security. Everything I wanted. I'm replacing my Iomega Zip Drives with these handier, more dependable, more secure products.



2. I purchased this drive 3 weeks ago to replace my semi-secure U3 drive. While the speed of the device is somewhat less than the max rated speed as advertised (at least on my 3 primary systems), it is every bit as secure as advertised and works very well on both XP and Vista (it clearly stated that it is NOT supported on Mac's, though a beta Mac client is available). As previously mentioned, the support forum is great. You also have the ability to securely back up your drive to a local PC---the backup is encrypted and secure as well.
   
   This is a must have device for professionals who need to ensure the confidentiality of customer or business information, or the individual who makes regular use of a thumb drive for password storage, or personal or financial information storage.



3. I was more than pleased with the Ironkey. I work in legal investigations and I feel very comfortable transporting files back and forth from my office to use on any computer I come across. I downloaded OpenOffice in case the computer I use doesn't have MS Word and and I THINK I can download my MS OFFICE onto the key but haven't experimented yet.
   
   The secured web access has been fantastic although I do notice a slight slowdown on the loading of web pages...not a big deal. The only drawback is occasionally opening up Google in french...one of the drawbacks of the secured network is that the sites you are on think you're logging in from another country.
   
   The password saving feature is awesome and its good to finally have a place to have all my passwords backed up.
   
   Sure you can have a basic, plain old flash drive...but why?



4. This is the best encrypted flash drive on the market.Not only is IronKey always encrypted and cannot be turned off or disabled it's password protected with a 10 failed try SELF-DESTRUCT!An on line back up of your drive is available if you lose it you can restore your data on a new one. A secure version of Firefox is also on the drive.Steve Gibson of GRC gives it a great review that's enough for me!



5. An excellent way to have a secured form of holding onto your files. Acually, very simple to use. I use mine for files that I wish to keep to myself such as my personal diary. No one will be able to read it.

5 comments about V-MODA Vibe Earbuds - Gold Edition La Mocha.

1. As the other reviews state, these earbuds sound great, however, I've found that they are not very durable. Within two weeks of enjoying them, I began to notice the cable near the 3.5 mm jack beginning to fray. Two weeks after that, sound in the right earbud was gone, never to return. I've just purchased the Shure EC2-n earbuds, hoping they last longer.



2. I initially bought these headphones soon after their initial release, before all the fancy colors after first having the cheaper V-Moda Bass Freqs. I broke the Bass Freqs about 9 months after i bought them, but it was my own fault as i accedentally pulled on the wire on a rowing machine while wearing them...stupid me. I really enjoyed the quality of sound of them, and most people said these were superior sound to them...not just bass but midrange and treble...and they were built from metal so they were more durable...i would believe. (When i pulled on the wire the plastic head casing broke in half and ripped some small wires out, not easy DYI repairing :( ). So i bought these through amazon and was impressed with the sound they produced. The bass was not as present as the aptly named bass freq, but the midrange and treble was not even comparable. I was pleased with my 30 dollar extra spent. (Both sets block out the sound more than you can imagine. My colleagues got mad at me not hearing them.) However, after about 6 months of use, the left headphone stopped working! Well it is EXTREMELY faint. I cannot stand listening to music with only one side so i began looking for new headphones immediately. Because i was pleased with the quality of the sound i decided to include these in my search for new headphones. Thinking it was going to be an easy v-moda vibe buy again i came to amazon, shocked to see the number of reviews 3stars and under. after reading the reviews i noticed many other people have had this same problem and i decided it wasnt a coincidence that a lot of people were losing sound in the left ear, so i shied away from them and decided to look else where. Unfortunately i could no longer go down to the $50 bass freqs because i both enjoyed the improved sound and they were made by a company with a huge design flaw in a higher grade product. I've decided to buy the Westone UM1's because of their great reviews everywhere.



3. Despite having absolutely no interest in cosmetic design of earbuds, I have great interest is functionality and performance, and the Vibes shine in these areas.
   
   Thanks to the (relatively few) negative reviews, I have found several plausible solutions to the cord failures, microphonics and one-side loss of audio for this otherwise outstanding product. I also propose likely solutions to some confusion about tonal characteristics.
   
   Preventing cord failure at the ends
   The simplest preventative is minimize movement of the cord. At the 'bud ends, this is easily done by wrapping the cord around the ear instead of just letting it hang (heck, at this price you might even prefer to lose an ear than damage the cord). A big additional benefit of ear-wrapping is that noise from cord movement is practically eliminated.
   The durability of the cord at the stress points at the plug and earbuds can be easily improved by applying a small drop of 'Liquid Electrical Tape' (Star Brite, Ft. Lauderdale, FL) for about 2 mm (3/16-inch) along the cord from the existing rubber strain reliefs, using a toothpick. I obtained this from the Ace hardware store for about $5, and have used it successfully for several similar jobs, indoors and out. This liquid vinyl gradually stiffens over time, but retains flexibility and durability similar to that of the existing rubber reliefs. It adheres very well to the black rubber cord, but I can't speak to the clear insulation on some models (although this may not impede its effectiveness). Of course this doesn't make the cord any stronger, but may increase durability by increasing the minimum bending radius.
   
   Fixing loss of sound on one side
   Near the bottom of the FAQ on the V-Moda website is the description of this problem being often caused by foreign matter entering the earbud and physically obstructing motion of the transducer. The FAQ recommends blowing gently into the business end of the earbud to clear the obstruction. Perhaps some of the negative raters might have solved their problem this way.
   
   Distorted audio characteristic
   The Vibes are the first earbuds that I find allow me to completely disable all equalization and hear much of the definition that the sound engineer intended (when listening to an appropriate sound source*). However, the downside to this level of quality is that the distortion introduced by equalization can become glaringly obvious. Perhaps some who don't observe the richness of the Vibe's audio may be hearing the real effects of some equalization or audio processing they have enabled to improve the sound of weaker devices. Try disabling all equalization and see what happens. I found that most SRS and DFX features, while still functional, tend to obscure the superb definition that these 'buds can otherwise provide. If distortion remains, check for dirty connectors.
   
   * For example, when listening to 'Music Choice' 48-kHz PCM from an SA digital cable box via S/PDIF decoded with the Intel ICH4 AC'97.



4. I purchased these in January of 2008 (I'm writing this review on 7/21/08). The headphones for the most part worked, noticed I said worked, fine, but since I use them a lot and they are in and out of my cargo shorts pockets they need to address a very important durability issues. The wire just above where you plug them into your iphone must have broke as only one ear piece works unless you jiggle it and then don't move. I was going to call them, but they don't have a phone number on their website or at least I couldn't find it (that should have been my first clue), so I had to email them only to get a automated reply that they'll contact me. Overall they are very good, but quality and customer service are my most important criteria when choosing products, so I think V-Moda has some work to do here.
   
   If you use your iphone headphones a lot I suggest you save up or spend another $70.00 + and get the Etymotic's HF2's. They have some of the best reviews (they have a phone number) and as an example of impeccible service I had a pair of ER-6i's (white) that had issues and when I called Customer Service they said they changed their end to right angle as they had problems and if I'd mind black instead (which I wanted anyway). Boom less than two days later I had them. IMPORTANT NOTE: These headphones where past the 1 year warranty NOW THAT'S SERVICE!!!
   
   The long and short of it is if you're looking for high quality headphones or iphone headphone/mic combos look no further than Etymotics. You won't be disappointed.
   
   Etymotic Research HF2 Hands-Free Earphones / Headset (iPhone Compatible)



5. The voice from right-hand earbud becomes much lower than the other 1 month after I got it.

No comments about Kroo Screen Protector for iPhone 3G (Clear).

3 comments about ARCHOS 704 Battery.

1. Battery works for around 6 hours when playing movies on the Archose 704 as the specs state. Wonderfull addition for long haul 16 hour flights.



2. This is the Archos 704 Battery but I'm using it for my Archos 705 and it's working excellent
   thanks



3. Light, easy to carry battery. A must have since it last less long than advertised. Be sure to carry it in some protective soft pouch to protect the ends. The absolute cheapest pricing is here on Amazon.

3 comments about Brother 1/2 Inch x 9.8 Feet Navy Blue on White Fabric Iron-on Tape (TZFA3).

1. This product is a bit pricey, but it is so much quicker to use when I had to label my daughter's school items, including my daughter's tennis shoes and jazz shoes. I printed up her name and was able to use the tip of my hot iron to transfer the name label onto the inside tongue of her shoes. I've also used it to label the inside of her ski gloves, socks, just about everything that she has to take to classes....easier to use than a fabric ink pen and you can place the label in a discrete place on the item.
   
   I have even used it to label many of my rock and mineral specimens. Those labels have stayed on so far. I'm curious to see whether they stay on those rocks or not.



2. My husband needed to label his mother's clothes as she was in a nursing home and labeling clothing is the only way to prevent property loss. I designed one label and printed it out about thirty times. Then, he ironed them on to her clothing, typically affixing the iron-on label over the product label inside the garmet. We were impressed that the iron-on labels survived laundering and remained affixed and did not fade. This is much quicker than sewing name tags onto clothing. I think the fabric tape will come in handy for labeling jackets and the like for our kids.



3. I add a little personal touch to my sewing projects using this easy to use fabric tape. By typing a personal message then sewing it to the project, you give each gift a unique touch. It was too bad that I ordered and paid for two but only received one. I emailed the company but never received a response. The product is great though.

5 comments about Belkin F8M026 TuneBase FM Transmitter for Zune.

1. The transmitter itself works awesome, Its nice to have all my albums on my Zune available to me on the go. The transmitter itself has no problems working, the only problem I have found is that there are TOO MANY RADIO STATIONS IN PHOENIX. I have only been able to find about 3 reliable frequencies and I have to adjust it based on which part of the city I'm in. Works well in a place where there are fewer signals going through the air. Overall its a good product, just if you live in a crowded city beware that finding a frequency to use might be a challenge.



2. My FM Transmitter stopped working about a week after I bought my Belkin Tunebase FM for Zune. Not a great loss though since the sound was terrible to say the least. At least it charges my zune and functions decently as a place to mount my zune. Still, I am very disappointed this product broke after just one week.



3. Doesn't function on any other zune than the 30 GB. It doesnt say anything about that in the specs, so avoid this one if you have the 4 GB or 8 GB. I ordered 2 and neither one worked for me.



4. I've used other FM transmitters for years. When my latest one broke though, I decided that it would be nice to have a place to store my Zune other than my cupholder or lap. This product does hold and charge the Zune without problem, but the FM signal it puts out is so weak that I have to turn my radio all the way up to barely hear it. I tried the Belkin recommended stations as well as the other stations I sucessfully used in the past and use with my Sirius radio, but nothing would work. I emailed Belkin; I tried different lighter plugs. It didn't matter.
   
   I ended up buying a tape adapter to use with this. The nice thing is there's a plug on the bottom to use it.
   
   I live close to the middle of nowhere and that doesn't seem to matter with signal, so I would only recommend this product if you plan on buying a tape adapter or some other way of transmitting the signal manually and using this is a stand. It would have been nice to be able to easily move from car to car though.



5. We can't win, can we???
   We, the people who just don't want ipods cannot win, can we?
   I bought the Belkin FM Transmitter for the Zune. I'm in the suburbs, in New York. Power lines are everywhere. I try the default stations, nothing but static. I look for a random station with nothing on it. I can hear the music, but there's static over the music. It's like listening to AM radio. I unscrew the antennae from my car (not all cars have these, I got lucky), and I get much better reception. . . . .but only for SOME music. God forbid the album you're listening to was recorded before 1987 or has a lot of cymbals. You'll just hear a bunch of noise.
   It's really a shame. It's possible to make a good FM Transmitter. Look at iTrip. Theirs work great. If only they'd make one for the Zune.
   Don't bother with this one. It doesn't work well enough for it's price at all.

5 comments about Universal Remote Control MX-850 IR/RF Aeros Remote Control.

1. This is the second Universal Remote Control I have purchased. I originally bought the MX-800 and liked it so well, I decided to get another when I bought a new HDTV. The MX-850 is very similar but with a better "select" button. You have to be somewhat technicly inclined to set up and program the device. However, if you are willing to spend the time, you will find the control very powerful in what it can be programmed to do. It is very well made and has a good feel. These units were initially released before USB became the standard, so you will have to purchase a USB to RS232 convertor. They are not expensive and I have had no trouble using the conversion device. My MX-800 is also still in use for a second DVR/TV configuration. Both models use the same software.



2. If you are a professional installer or plan to hire a professional installer then this might be for you.
   
   I originally paid someone to install a home entertainment system and everything including the remote was working fine...
   
   ...until, I wanted to add a blu-ray dvd player. Getting something added to work with this remote is a major hassle. There is no online pdf available. To get the software, you have to register your remote and then wait...and wait some more until they accept your registration.
   
   The apparent strategy of the company is to make this remote installer friendly. A regular joe is helpless with this. Therefore they gain the allegiance of installers to recommend and sell this product for them. Anyway, I had a guy out today to reprogram it, figured all of this out, and now will have to have him come back later in the week. Today is a Saturday so contacting the company was not an option as they were closed.



3. I found the programming software easy to use. (Check to make sure the software ships with the unit or is downloadable.) Everything is laid out nicely and the customizability is fantastic! You'll need to buy a USB/RS-232 interface cable if your PC is a recent model that lacks a 90's-style serial port.
   
   The one big gripe I have with this remote is that it guzzles batteries like a marathon runner in the Sahara. A set of four AAA's only lasts about 3-4 weeks, plus there's no low-battery warning before it stops working. When the batteries are almost gone, it will suddenly run a power-on self-test every other time you press a button. You'll definitely want a set of rechargeables for this one.



4. I received the item within a few days. After several days of trying to get the program to download to the remote, no instructions where included, and a call to the seller, I contacted Universal directly. They told me the program was too outdated to update, so they emailed me a new program and pdf instructions. Fantastic remote. Very Easy to program. This thing can do anything. I also bought the MX 200 Sidekick today for the young one.



5. Easy to program and very responsive. We're back to a one remote household with multiple devices to control. My favorite aspect was the ability to use my PC to set up the commands which sends them to the remote. Any future changes or additions will be a breeze.