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Razer Naga MMOG Laser Gaming Mouse Product: Razer Naga MMOG Laser Gaming Mouse Review. List Price: $79.99 Amazon Price: $79.89 Click Here To See Amazon Sale Price Add to cart to see low price@ Availability: In Stock Usually ships in 24 Hours Free Shipping Available

Compare Prices on Razer Naga MMOG Laser Gaming Mouse

The Razer Naga is the ultimate Massively Multiplayer Online Gaming mouse that shifts the balance between keyboard and mouse by putting an unprecedented number of in-game commands in one place. A multi-button thumb grid and Razer’s MMO game interface add-on combine to place every command you need in the palm of your hand. An ergonomic form shaped to maximize ease of use lets you game in comfort for hours on end. With the Razer Naga, you will Get Imba.

• Color: Black
• Brand: Razer
• Model: RZ01-00280100-R3U1
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 6.30″ h x 8.60″ w x 2.60″ l, 1.00 pounds

Features

• 5600dpi Razer Precision 3.5G Laser Sensor
• 17 MMO-optimized buttons (including 12 button thumb grid)
• Optional MMO-specific software AddOns
• 1000Hz Ultrapolling / 1ms response time
• Unlimited character profiles with AddOns

Now with macro support!
** This review has been revised for the release of the 2.0 drivers, which enable full key remapping and macro support. THANK YOU RAZER! **
** Please consider this a 5/5 star review. For some reason, Amazon isn’t allowing me to change that aspect of my review and I would like to keep the comments on this product review rolling. Sorry for any confusion this may cause. **

My first impressions review of the Razer Naga was pretty grim. Having come from using a Logitech G7 for years prior, the Naga felt clunky at best and the complete lack of any key rebinding support for a mouse intended for MMO use left me scratching my head. In the days following that initial review, Wave of team Naga left me a comment (as seen in the comments section of this review) stating that they were intending to address the later with an upcoming driver release. A few months later, just as he had promised, version 2.0 hit… and it hit hard!

Before I get into all that, let me tackle the ergonomics. As I mentioned, at first I felt this mouse to be very clunky. Now, months later, I could not have been more wrong. When they said this mouse was designed for long gaming sessions with minimal hand fatigue, they meant it. My only real complaints in this department is about button placement. No, no, not the 12-button thumb pad… those are perfect! My beef is with the two additional index finger buttons, which for me, are at best awkwardly placed and at worst completely unusable.

But lets cut the nonsense, if you are reading this you care about one thing and one thing only… the 12 buttons on the side of this bad-boy.
I’ll be straight with you, at first it is awkward as hell and comes with a bit of a learning curve. Don’t expect to pick this mouse up and be some kinda of button-pressing Mozart by morning. Now months after my purchase I am still second guessing myself from time to time when reaching for the 8 and 9 key, mostly because I don’t use them in very many games. As I alluded to earlier in this review, they are placed such that I don’t have any issue at all reaching any one button (though 11 and 12 require a funky move that can mess with my cursor precision.)

The 2.0 driver also brought with it two additional features that came as a bit of a surprise to me… profiles and macros! The profiles are just what you would expect and though very basic in their functionality, the macros should get the job done nine times out of ten. If you are familiar with the Logitech G15 or Nostromo N52, then you know what I am talking about. If not, well, it’s little more than pre-recorded keystrokes with custom delays between them. Nothing fancy, but far from useless.

Now that the issue of rebindable keys has been taken care of, I struggle to find anything at all wrong with this mouse.
If I absolutely had to give it a con, hmmm… I suppose it requires a bit more care than other mice in order to keep clean. Lots of buttons means lots of places for build up. Fortunately the fit/finish on this mouse is tight enough that cleanup is a breeze.

Happy grinding/fragging/whateveryouneed17gloriousbuttonsfordoing!

Finally, the mouse I’ve been waiting for!
Edit: I’ve stopped playing WoW so much and have been playing other types of games recently. Now that the buttons can be remapped this mouse works well for any game. It’s great for shooters because I can swap weapons without having to reach for the F-keys. I’ve grown to appreciate how ergonomic it is. It fits my hand perfectly. I’m fully acclimated to the button placement and can hit the right one without thinking. Razer was right that it takes 15-20 hours for it to become second nature. I have found that for my short fingers only 9 of the 12 thumb buttons are an easy reach. I try to put the less important functions on the top row.

As an avid WoW player I’m always on a quest for mice with more buttons. MOAR! Most mice are limited to 5 mappable buttons that my fingers can actually reach. Some do cram more buttons on the mouse but place them in awkward locations that are only practical for infrequently used functions. I had high hopes for the SteelSeries WoW branded mouse but it’s built poorly and the thumb buttons are hard to press individually without fat fingering the next button. Another mouse I wanted to like was the Sandio 3D but it’s way too large for my hand. Plus, the hat switches are good for movement but not so good for mapping to four individual functions. I’ve been using Logitech MX series mice that have 8-9 mappable buttons. These are comfortable and the software is very flexible in how the buttons are mapped. I’ve been content with them but am always looking for more.

Enter the Razer Naga. I thought this was a Photoshop joke when I first saw the picture. But they really have put a cell phone style keypad on the thumb side for a total of 17 buttons. What’s amazing is they’ve done this while keeping the mouse a reasonable size and having all but one button within easy finger reach. The mouse feels very high quality. It’s very comfortable with good tactile feel. The scroll wheel is the nicest I’ve ever used. It’s clear that Razer puts a lot of effort into creating a functional design, not just something that looks good in the box. My only complaint about the physical aspect is that it’s rather lightweight.

The thumb buttons will take getting used to and I’m still working on it. I’m not going to raid with it out of the box because I don’t want people to die. But even after a short while playing around with it in battlegrounds I’m improving and I can tell that the muscle memory will build up quickly until it feels natural - just like with a keyboard or gaming pad. Thoughtfully, Razer includes rubbery stick on nubs that you can place as tactile landmarks to train yourself. Razer claims 88% of gamers are fully comfortable after 18 hours of play.

The Windows driver is simpler and less flexible than I expected. The thumb buttons map to either the number row above the keyboard or the right number pad. The 5 main buttons map to the standard windows Left/Right/Middle/Back/Forward actions. There is no custom button mapping. Razer expects you to use an in game interface to map your actions to the fixed buttons. This is fine for WoW but could be a limitation on other games.

Razer supplies a custom WoW addon that is available at […]. It’s just a branded version of Dominos - an established addon. It’s good that Razer licensed something that is fully featured and well tested rather than creating something new that probably wouldn’t be as good. I’m unable to use it, however, because it conflicts with Bartender4. There is no need to use the Razer addon as the mouse is just acting like 12 keyboard buttons. Since the default behavior is to just map the 12 numbers above the keyboard you could just use standard WoW action bars and keybindings with zero configuration.

If it’s not clear by now, I think this is a great product. I’ve been waiting for a mouse like this for 5 years and Razer has delivered!

Awesome mouse, wish it was cordless
Being a mac gamer (is that an oxymoron?) I play a lot of World of Warcraft. I had previously considered the Steelseries mouse, but after trying it in the store I found it to be very uncomfortable (lots of sharp edges) and hard to use (oversensitive buttons in hard to use positions). Topping that off they don’t offer OS X drivers (booo Steelseries).

I was thrilled to hear of Razer putting out a MMO gaming mouse. I had always thought the Razer design was kind of minimal or old fashioned having used a lot of Microsoft mice. That was until I tried a Mamba in a local store and realized how comfortable and well designed they were. So I put in my pre order for the Naga and just got it yesterday.

First of all the mouse is smaller than you think. The pictures make it look massive when it is really not larger than a standard mouse. The extra space on the left side for the 12-key pad gives it a more ergonomic feel (sorry lefties). The second and 4th rows of buttons have a raised ridge helping your thumb find the right button. So far I have only used a few options in the first two rows, but I can easily push all 12 buttons using the end of my thumb for the first two rows and the “knuckle” of my thumb for the bottom two rows.

By default these buttons duplicate the numeric keys 1 through = at the top of your keyboard. You can also switch them so they duplicate the numeric keypad instead. Using them under the default you can use the alt and control keys for additional bar rows. I play a rogue and have the standard bar mapped to my most used actions and the alt number actions mapped to my secondary lesser used actions.

The dpi and polling rate can be easily adjusted from the driver up to a very high 5600dpi and 1000Hz polling. Since I’m not gaming in an FPS situation I don’t really make use of that high a spec, but it does make for smooth mouse operations. I’m running at the default 1800dpi.

The mouse itself is very comfortable. There is a glossy texture to the sides and a rubbery texture to the top. It feels soft and natural in my hand. The buttons click solid and are not so sensitive that they accidentally click. The teflon feet are nice and the mouse slides very smoothly on my wooden desk. I’ve not bought a mousing surface for it yet.

I am very impressed by their attention to detail down to the packaging. Razer knows what they are doing and do it well.

So my pro’s summary is:
Feels and looks great!
12 button keypad is unusual but well done and usable
Cool blue lights (if you don’t like your mouse lit up you can turn these off)

For the con’s my first one is this is a wired mouse. I haven’t used a wired mouse in 10 years I think. It is weird going back. Of course it is a well designed wired mouse with a braided cable. I still wish it was wireless.

The lights under the 12-key pad make the surface there warm. Not too warm but you will definitely feel some extra heat.

The other reviewer mentioned Bartender4 compatibility. I’ll admit I don’t use that, but I am hesitant to use the addons if they remove the standard UI bar at the bottom of the screen. Right now I’m just using it as the 1 through = number bar and am very pleased with it. I may try the addon soon but I am really happy with my current UI and addons and don’t want to change it.

Note that you can’t map macros or assign different buttons to the 12 key pad in the mouse driver. They are either duplicating the numeric row or the numeric keypad on your keyboard.

Finally if you are used to the side buttons on your current mouse (mouse button 4 and 5) these will take getting used to as they are located at the upper left edge of the left button. This frees your thumb up for the 12 key pad, but means you use your index finger to hit them instead. They have a firmer click to avoid accidental pushes.

Con’s summary:
not wireless
12 button keypad does get heat from the LEDs (you can turn the lights off to avoid this if it bothers you)
possible addon compatibility if you want to customize it

Overalll:
If you are a WoW player get this mouse! You will love it.

If they made it wireless and either put synapse memory in it for button macros or let the driver configure the 12 buttons for anything at all this would be my one and only mouse. For now I’ll plug it in to play WoW and be very happy with my purchase. Very well done Razer!

Sony NPFH70 H Series Actiforce Hybrid InfoLithium Battery for most Sony Camcorders Description:

Be sure your camcorder is always ready to capture just about anything with an extra Sony batteries. The compact NP-FH70 rechargeable battery pack features InfoLithium(R) & ActiForce technologies which ensure maximum power, minimum charging time and excellent battery performance. It’s the perfect battery for newer, ultra-compact camcorders. Compatible Models - DCRDVD508, DCRDVD408, DCRDVD308, DCRDVD108, DCRDVD505, DCRDVD405, DCRDVD305, DCRDVD205, DCRDVD105, DCRDVD403, DCRDVD203, DCRDVD103, DCRDVD92, DCRHC48, DCRHC38, DCRHC28, DCRHC96, DCRHC46, DCRHC36, DCRHC26, DCRHC42, DCRHC32, DCRHC21, DCRHC85, DCRHC65, DCRHC40, DCRHC30, DCRHC20, DCRSR300, DCRSR200, DCRSR82, DCRSR62, DCRSR42, DCRSR100, DCRSR80, DCRSR60, DCRSR40, HDRHC7, HDRHC5, HDRHC3, HDRUX7, HDRUX5,HDRSR-11

• Brand: Sony
• Model: NP-FH70
• Released on: 2007-02-15
• Dimensions: 1.30″ h x 1.80″ w x 1.30″ l, 1.00 pounds

Features

• ActiForce technology ensures fast recharge rate, extended power & optimal performance in all weather conditions
• Compact and lightweight InfoLithium(R) H Series Rechargeable Battery Pack
• Compatible Models - DCRDVD508, DCRDVD408, DCRDVD308, DCRDVD108, DCRDVD505, DCRDVD405, DCRDVD305, DCRDVD205, DCRDVD105, DCRDVD403, DCRDVD203, DCRDVD103, DCRDVD92, DCRHC48, DCRHC38, DCRHC28, DCRHC96, DCRHC46, DCRHC36, DCRHC26, DCRHC42, DCRHC32, DCRHC21, DCRHC85, DCRHC65, DCRHC40, DCRHC30, DCRHC20, DCRSR300, DCRSR200, DCRSR82, DCRSR62, DCRSR42, DCRSR100, DCRSR80, DCRSR60, DCRSR40, HDRHC7, HDRHC5, HDRHC3, HDRUX7, HDRUX5,HDRSR-11
• Dimensions - Approximately 31.8mm x 33.3mm x 45.0mm
• Weight - Approximately 95 grams

Customer Reviews:

Must get for camcorder
I recently bought the HDR-SR11 and was recommended to buy this battery. The battery that comes with the camcorder is the FH-60, but that only lasts 96 minutes if you use it for continuous recording, and while using the viewfinder and not the lcd screen. On average, the stock battery only lasts about 40 minutes.

The FH-70 lasts up to about 150 minutes. It doesn’t stick out the back of the camcorder (at least for my SR11), looks exactly like the stock FH-60 battery. The FH-70 usually lasts a whole day for me, and I use it to record basketball games, swimming, skateboarding, and everything in between. With both the FH-70 and stock FH-60, they should be able to last for a whole day of recording.

Great product, 250 minutes of recording time
I got this for my DCR-SR42 hard disk camcorder. Great product, works as expected. It gives me 250 minutes on a full charge. It charges very fast when using the camera as a charger.

great battery
For it’s size, this battery packs a long charge. i now have two of them and use my sony Hard Disk video cam for wedding videos….and two of these batteries easily get me through long catholic ceremonies plus the entire reception and dance afterward.

Schumacher SC-600A SpeedCharge High Frequency Battery Charger Product: Buy Schumacher SC-600A SpeedCharge High Frequency Battery Charger At Amazon! List Price: $63.35 Amazon Price: $26.54 Click Here To See Amazon Sale Price Add to cart to see low price@ Availability: In Stock Usually ships in 24 Hours Free Shipping Available

Compare Prices on Schumacher SC-600A SpeedCharge High Frequency Battery Charger

High-frequency charger uses advanced technology to charge up to twice as fast as conventional chargers. 5-year limited warranty.

• Amazon Sales Rank: #120 in Automotive
• Color: Black
• Brand: Jensen
• Model: SC-600A
• Dimensions: 11.00″ h x 3.00″ w x 6.00″ l,

Features

• Fully automatic
• 6 amp medium charge monitors battery condition and adjusts charge rate downward to prevent battery damage, for car, truck, motorcycle, ATV, snowmobile, lawn tractor lead acid
• 4 amp medium charge has self-adjusting charge rate ideal for everyday charging needs and keeping your battery in peak condition
• 2 amp slow charge for charging small batteries and maintaining large ones, charges motorcycle, ATV, snowmobile, and lawn tractor batteries
• 50 amp clamps for top and side-mounted battery posts

Good Choice For Antique Car Owners
This little charger works equally well when charging and maintaining both 6 and 12 volt automotive batteries. It’s a good choice for maintaining batteries in cars which are driven only on special occasions.

SC-600A Speed Charge on small batteries
I used this charger on 7 to 9 amp/hour batteries. At first it charged the batteries fine but I started to notice that when charging at 2 amps it wouldn’t register as fully charged sometimes. It would stay to 4 bars but not go to the charged light even after a longer than normal time. I would change to 4 amps and then it would be fully charged. I worry that it may be overcharging some batteries.

I also noticed that it couldn’t read some 6 volt rechargable lantern batteries (4.5 amp/hour). This is the main reason I bought this charger. I have a automated Schumacher 1.5 amp charger and thought well of the company, that is why I wanted to buy another Schumacher.

The charger seems to work fine on larger batteries automotive or motorcycle, so it is good for that.

Same as the one offered by Sharp Image
It can charge both 6V and 12V batteries, with different amp selection. Different from some of the older style charger, this one will automatically shutoff when charge is full. So you can plugin, clamp on, turn on and walk away doing other things. Never worry about overcharge the battery.

It is light weight and great tool to have, if you have a lot of batteries around. We use it to charge and check the batteries for the large UPS power supplies in our office. Properly maintained battery can extend its life so much, worth many times the cost of this charger.

Apple iPod classic 160 GB Silver 7th Generation NEWEST MODEL Description:

• Amazon Sales Rank: #62 in Consumer Electronics
• Color: Silver
• Brand: Apple
• Model: MC293LL/A
• Dimensions: 4.10″ h x .41″ w x 2.40″ l, .31 pounds
• Display size: 2.5

Features

• 160 GB capacity for 40,000 songs, 25,000 photos, or 200 hours of video
• Up to 36 hours of music playback or 6 hours of video playback when fully charged
• 2.5-inch color LCD with LED backlight and 320 x 240 pixel resolution
• Supports AAC, Protected AAC, MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible, Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV audio formats
• Supports H.264 and MPEG-4 video formats; JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PSD (Mac only), and PNG image formats

Customer Reviews:

My favorite iPod to date. (A.K.A. The iPod Apple should’ve released in 2007.)
NOTICE: This review is for the NEW 2009 160GB iPod Classic, NOT the 2007 160GB iPod Classic!

The new 160GB iPod Classic is easily Apple Inc.’s best iPod to date, and out of all of the iPods that I own, this is my favorite.

First, the capacity of this iPod is simply unbeatable. I’ve yet to see another portable media player that can match the iPod Classic in capacity. I have a huge music library, and it’s nice to be able to carry every song that I own on my person at all times. What’s more, thanks to the iPod Classic’s capacity, I also have room to carry a few videos with me, and some of my photos. If you don’t like having to pick which songs to load onto your portable media player, the iPod Classic is the way to go.

The second thing that I love about this iPod can be summed up in two words: it works. The 160GB iPod Classic that was introduced in 2007 was extremely buggy, had a non-responsive Clickwheel on many units, crashed frequently, and required a hit-and-miss firmware update to stop the hard drive from spinning even when the device was “off,” which often lead to dead batteries. All of these problems left the 2007 160GB iPod Classic warming shelves and earning it the infamous “honor” of being the “worst selling iPod ever,” according to Apple. I’m pleased to say that the new 160GB iPod Classic released earlier this month has virtually none of these problems. There’s no “spinning hard drive bug,” the Clickwheel is incredibly responsive, and the device isn’t crash-prone. While it’s true that many of these issues were fixed with last year’s iPod Classic, there hasn’t been a truly functional 160GB model until now. To put it bluntly, this is the iPod that Apple should’ve released in 2007.

Another thing that I really like about this iPod, and the iPod Classic in general, is it’s ability to double as an external hard drive. While I believe that the iPod Nano is also capable of this, the only iPod that really has enough space to function as an external hard drive is the iPod Classic. The hard drive functionality admittedly reduces the number of devices I have to carry on me at any given time. If you regularly work with large files and are considering a new iPod, the iPod Classic is the way to go, plain and simple.

So what are the caveats? Well for starters, as with every other iPod Classic, this is a hard-drive (rather than flash-memory) based device. As a result, it has moving parts which make it unsuitable for running or any physical activity that exerts mechanical shock onto the iPod. Unless you exercise constantly with your iPod though, this really shouldn’t be an issue. The only other caveat, which is more of personal taste than an actual flaw, that I can find, is that Apple has not made any cosmetic changes to this device since they introduced it in 2007. Now don’t get me wrong, the point of an iPod “Classic,” is to retain the “Classic” design, but after seeing how much better a black Clickwheel looks on the silver iPod Nano, I’d have thought that Apple would have given the silver iPod Classic a black Clickwheel as well. However, I admit that this is entirely my personal preference and not a “flaw” per se. I’ve put a quick list of pros and cons together, which can be seen below:

Pros: Largest iPod Capacity-wise, long battery life, “Genius” feature, excellent value for your money, well-built, doubles as an external hard drive, and improvements to Cover Flow.

Cons: Hard Drive (rather than Flash memory) based storage medium; device is cosmetically identical to the 2007 80GB model. (I still don’t understand why Apple hasn’t colored the Clickwheel black on the silver model to match the iPod Nano.)

Finally, I would highly recommend this product, which is why it gets five stars from me. I don’t like the iPod Nano; it’s too small for my hands, and the screen is too small for my eyes. While the iPod Touch may have app store access and Wi-Fi, I find it to be a really gimmicky device, that makes for a poor portable media player, (Apple was wise to position it as a handheld game system,) and is really an “iPhone without a phone.” In contrast, the iPod Classic is an excellent portable media player, it has an excellent interface, and it only costs $249 dollars. To put things in perspective, the 2009 160GB iPod Classic costs $70 dollars more than a 16GB iPod Nano, and $150 dollars less than a 64GB iPod Touch. All in all, I highly recommend this product.

New To iPod - A Review for People with Large mp3 Collections
I am quite new to the portable mp3 world, although I have about 250 gb of music on my computer. The only mp3 player I own is a 1 gb Samsung Pebble, which I use at the gym. This was the only mp3 player I thought I needed since both of the stereos in my vehicles have mp3 disc players. But then I started thinking…since my new Camry has an auxilary jack to hook up an mp3 device, wouldn’t it be great to have one and get rid of those giant cd wallets?! The first task was to get permission from my wife to spend 250 bucks. After a little hesitation, she agreed. And then it was on to the research. Since I have such a large collection of music, the capacity of the device was number one on my list (as well as positive reviews & quality). I was pleasantly surprised to see that Apple had reissued the Classic in 160 gb form instead of the 120 gb. So after much personal debate between the Zune and the new 160 gb iPod Classic, the iPod won out.

Although the iPod is a fantastic little device with a large capacity, the software is not without its troubles. I downloaded the most current version of iTunes (verison 9) and immediately began importing my mp3 files from my hard drive. This process can take some time, but not much longer than any other media player. I was so excited to finally have the majority of my music all on one device; and have the cover art as well (I just think that is awesome)! After loading a large chunk of my files into iTunes, I noticed that only a handful of the albums had the cover art. I attempted using the “get cover art” function, but it didn’t work. My only option was to track down the cover art online, right click, save, and then add the picture to the album file in iTunes. I know that it’s not such a huge deal, but when you’re dealing with A LOT of music, it can become quite a pain & time consuming. I later learned that the files have to be spelled exactly like they are in iTunes. And if they didn’t come from iTunes in the first place, 9 times out of 10, the album art won’t come up anyway. I would like to see a function that gets the cover art from other online sources, not just iTunes; and without a strict spelling criteria. There’s no reason that the way I name my “The” bands should restrict the retrieval of cover art. An example being “Animals, The” instead of “The Animals.”

So other than the minor annoyance with the cover art, the player itself is fantastic. I found the interface very user-friendly and intuitive, without much of a learning curve. Again, I am new to the world of iPod, but I can honestly say that I am very pleased. I wanted to write a review for people that have a large digital music collection that came mostly from ripping cd’s to their computers. I am one of the people who still enjoy listening to an entire album, and is not satisfied by just downloading the single, so I still buy physical cd’s & collect vinyl. I would definitely recommend the 160 gb iPod to any music fan with a large collection. Just remember to be patient when getting the artwork for all of those older albums. If you don’t have a collection full of Taylor Swift, the Jonas Brothers, or Beyonce, iTunes just may not recognize your music!

Great iPod, great upgrade, but you might not want to throw away you 5th Gen Ipod yet…
This is the second iPod I own. The first one was a 30 Mb 5th Generation Ipod Video.

First, the plus.

There are many improvements in the 7th generation comparing it to the 5th, although I think most of them were introduced with the 6th Gen. The whole Cover Flow/Genius capabilities are definetly an improvement to the previous software. The games are a nice bonus. I’ve only had it for three days, but I can already see that I like the new interface a lot more.

And the disk space, I mean, WOW! The ipod is basically the same size as my 30 Gb one, but it’s capacity is over 5 times bigger. I am an avid music fan, have tons of music, and my musical taste ranges from ambient to heavy metal, but I think it’s going to be a long time before I fill this one up. I think this is the best feature of this iPod, and by itself, the reason you should buy it.

There are also video capabilities, which have always been a plus, and some other stuff, but I didn’t see a major difference from the previous versions.

But then, why did I give it 4 stars? I wanted 4.5 stars, but Amazon doesn’t let me do that.

Here are the cons.

First, as previous reviewers have stated, the sound quality seems to have downgraded from the 5th Gen iPod. The sound lacks depth, the songs sound more flat. I don’t mean to say that the sound is bad, because it still has a very good sound, and I’ve tested it with headphones, computer speakers and my car stereo. I’m just saying that the 5th Generation iPod sounds better, and the difference is quite noticeable.

The other thing, which might be just my iPod, because I didn’t see other reviewers mentioning it, is that the click wheel seems to be less sensitive/responsive than the 5th Generation one. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it is annoying sometimes that you try so select a song or an option on the menu and the wheel doesn’t respond right away.

There’s also the fact that using Cover Flow seems to make the iPod proccess slower, but then again, loading the covers of literally thousands of records is not a quick task, and you can always not use Cover Flow, so I won’t hold this against the iPod.

To sum it all up. If you have a lot of music and want to carry it all with you; if 30, 60, 80 or 120 Gb is just not enough; if this is your first iPod purchase, or if you just really, really like the new interface and games (I know I did), then I highly reccomend it, and you won’t be dissapointed. To me this is definetly the best music player on the market. You will need to sit down and learn how to use iTunes, but when you do, you’re just going to love this little gadget.

However, if you have a 5th generation iPod that’s working just fine, and you prefer sound quality to disk space, you might not want to buy this one. Just try to be more more picky with the songs you put on it, I guess.

Amazon.com Product Description
The new iPod classic comes with 160GB of storage in the same compact size, making it the take-everything-everywhere iPod. It’s available in quintessential silver or striking black. iPod classic also has plenty of battery life (up to 36 hours of audio playback or 6 hours of video playback), good looks (a sleek, anodized aluminum design), and other great features (Cover Flow and Genius playlists for creating perfect playlists). You can even rent a movie from iTunes and watch it on the go.

iPod classic is the take-everything-everywhere iPod. Click to enlarge.

Up to 40,000 songs, 200 hours of video, 25,000 photos, or any combination to fill your pocket with sight and sound. Click to enlarge.

160GB at under a half-inch deep. Click to enlarge.

Available in quintessential silver or striking black. Click to enlarge.

Your Top 40,000

Meet a Musical Genius
Say you’re listening to a song you really like and want to hear other tracks that go great with it. With a few clicks, the Genius feature finds the songs in your library that go great together and makes a Genius playlist for you. You can listen to the playlist right away, save it for later, or even refresh it and give it another go. Count on Genius to create a mix you wouldn’t have thought of yourself.

Hold Everything
iPod classic gives you 160GB of storage capacity, good for up to 40,000 songs, 200 hours of video, 25,000 photos, or any combination. And you get up to 36 hours of battery life, so you can keep on rocking for a long, long time.

With 160GB of space, iPod classic means you can always have your entire music and movie library with you. Carry it from the living room to a party in the backyard. Or take it on a cross-country road trip and never listen to the same song twice.

Click to Enjoy
Finding exactly what you want to watch or listen to is easy. Use the Click Wheel to browse by album art with Cover Flow or navigate your songs and videos by playlist, artist, album, genre, and more. You can also search for specific titles and artists. Want to mix things up? Click Shuffle Songs for a different experience every time.

Watch Movies and TV Shows
The vivid 2.5-inch display makes video come alive. Purchase or rent movies, buy TV shows, and download video podcasts from the iTunes Store, then sync them to your iPod classic to watch anywhere, anytime.

Play iPod Games
Put hours of fun at your fingertips. iPod classic comes with three games–Vortex, iQuiz, and Klondike–and you can purchase games such as Cake Mania from the iTunes Store. All iPod games are designed specifically for the iPod interface.

Share Your Photos
iPod classic uses iTunes to sync the photos you have in iPhoto on a Mac. You can view photo slideshows complete with music and transitions on iPod classic, or play them on a TV using an optional Apple component or composite AV cable.

Reduced Environmental Impact
iPod classic embodies Apple’s continuing environmental progress. It is designed with the following features to reduce environmental impact:

• Arsenic-free display glass
• BFR-free
• Mercury-free LED-backlit display
• PVC-free
• Highly recyclable aluminum and stainless steel enclosure

What’s in the Box
Apple iPod classic 160 GB Silver (7th Generation), Earphones, USB 2.0 cable, Dock adapter, Quick Start guide

Sony Walkman NWZE345BLK 16 GB Video MP3 Player Black Product: Buy Sony Walkman NWZE345BLK 16 GB Video MP3 Player Black At Amazon! List Price: $99.95 Amazon Price: $86.18 Click Here To See Amazon Sale Price Add to cart to see low price@ Availability: In Stock Usually ships in 24 Hours Free Shipping Available

Compare Prices on Sony Walkman NWZE345BLK 16 GB Video MP3 Player Black

Enjoy your favorite music and videos wherever you go with the full-featured E series Walkman video MP3 player. Boasting long-lasting battery life, the slim and compact E345 Walkman player delivers up to 30 hours of music or up to 4 hours of video playback on a single charge. In addition to supporting multiple audio codecs and video formats, you can listen to your favorite FM programming via the built-in FM tuner. Plus, a user-friendly interface makes navigating through your music, pictures and videos a breeze.

• Amazon Sales Rank: #259 in Consumer Electronics
• Size: 16GB
• Color: Black
• Brand: Sony
• Model: NWZE345BLK
• Platform: Windows
• Format: CD
• Dimensions: .35 pounds
• Display size: 2

Features

• 16 GB capacity for about 4,000 songs
• Up to 30 hours of audio or 4 hours of video on a single charge
• 2-inch, 262,144-color LCD with 240 x 320 QVGA pixel resolution
• Supports MP3, WMA (DRM), AAC, and Linear PCM audio formats; AVC, MPEG-4, and WMV (DRM) video formats; JPEG image files
• One-year limited warranty

Not bad, decent value, but a few flaws
[Edit: Upgrade from 3.5 to 4.2 stars; see below]

After my poor experience with the Phillips GoGear mp3 player (reviewed here last week), I thought I’d see what Sony can do with an mp3 player.

I bought their first (excellent) FM walkman in 1980 but haven’t used one of their portables since. I am in general a Sony fan, and my 1986 Trinitron is still running like new. Gotta love that kind of quality! But do they still have it?

First, the good:

-Excellent battery life: 30 hours for music, and it does get close to that if you don’t do much scrolling. Nice.

-Lots of gigs for a c-note: about 6 bucks per gig, once you realize that it’s only 14.4 gb. I hate the way companies do that, btw. Don’t tell me I’m getting 16 gigs and then give me ten percent less. Be honest! Stuff like that loses customers, savvy ones at least.

-Good sound…but with that traditional Sony eq curve: very flat. I’ve had a few Sony receivers and cd players and tape decks over the years, and they are all very flat across the ranges. This makes for nice tight bass and decent mids, but the top end is always a little compressed and lacks shimmer and overtones.
Still, a solid tone, not tinny.

-You can use folders, saves a lot of scrolling time. Put jazz, metal, etc into their own folders. Nice. Any smart mp3 player does this.

-Nice, simple drag and drop of files right out of the box, with no need to install the software. That’s sweetness, because almost every problem I’ve had with mp3 players stems from badly written software, and avoiding the need for it altogether is preferable. If you can avoid installing your included software for any player, do it; it only causes hassles in the long run unless you need a certain feature. Drag and drop is where it’s at: quick, simple, efficient. And no adware etc installed surreptitiously by the software cd, a newly common scam.

-Gets good and loud. Helps with certain headphones. Sounds good on my Koss PortaPros and great on my AKG K701s. The phones that come with this are cheese, as usual. Buds will never compare to real cans.

-Excellent for running, my main use for mp3 players. It hasn’t skipped on me once and can take all sorts of shaking and bouncing. Very nice.

-Very thin, light, sleek. Takes up almost no space in any pocket, purse, etc.

-A strange design touch that I haven’t seen anyone mention, but which struck me right off: the control buttons on the front panel are shaped almost precisely like Mickey Mouse’s head! This can’t be coincidence; surely someone in design did this on purpose. So is Sony in bed with the Mouse, or what’s up? In any case, sometimes I see it and hear Mickey’s estrogenic squeal in my inner ear saying, “Pluto! Punch me in the nose and let’s get this party started!”

-Along with the essential external volume buttons, there’s a manual lock switch on the side of the unit. Very useful to not have to scroll to make this go on and off. A good design feature that all mp3 players should have. You might want to use this when it’s off and in your pocket, as the unit turns on with only minor presssure on the front panel button…but that leads to:

-Another major plus, this unit starts playing exactly where the last tune you were playing stopped, in about a half second after the button is touched. Some players take ten seconds. This baby rips right into the music in a flash (literally; flash drive players have so many advantages). Excellent.

But, the bad:

-the screen is waaay thin; it’s already covered with scratches after only a few days in my empty pocket. Not good. I don’t care about the aesthetics, but do need to see the screen!

-to ff or rewind quickly, you must first pause the track: took me a while to figure this out. Not a big con, but could have been been done without needing to pause.

-and the one thing that will make me return this item next week: you can’t delete songs or files from the player. You must first hook it up to a computer! Terrible design. My years-old Muvo deletes on the fly, as do my Dell DJ and other players. This is a huge mistake: with 4,000 songs, how can I remember all the ones I need to dump? Very major flaw, and a deal breaker for me.

But, for those who only transfer stuff they already know and love, this is a pretty darn decent player. I don’t know who wants to watch movies or vids on a thumbnail-sized screen, but as a music player, this offers good sound and plenty of storage for a good price.

At this rate we’ll get a terabyte for a c-note within a couple years.
Can’t wait! Then we can put everything on in lossless FLAC files, the only real way to go. MP3 is okay, but still a compromise.

Hey Sony: not bad…but how can you leave out such a huge feature as deleting on the fly?

[Edit: 12/30/09. I now have to give this little thang a little more than four stars…and hooray to Amazoon’s code writers: we can now finally change our ratings after the original review. I returned my original to the mallwart (so nice of them to let us try stuff out! And so unfortunate they can’t pay living wages so I might feel bad about costing them restocking fees…), but after looking around for a few weeks I realized this Sony unit offers far more bang for the buck than any other mp3 player out there. So I picked one up here, saving twenty over the mallwart price, and am very happy with it, barring the above caveats.

The best way to deal with no delete feature seems to be to mark the tracks you don’t dig with the “wishlist” feature on the options screen, and then when you charge the unit you can open the files and delete tunes you’ve wishlisted. Much more hassle than deleting on the fly, but at least a workable solution to my main negative about the product.

If Sony releases a firmware update that lets us delete on the fly (not sure if that’s possible or not; hope so), then I’d have to give this thing an almost perfect rating.

Pair it with Koss Portapros and you will be blown away by the sound.]

Excellent First Impression
I’ve only had this puppy for a day, so I can’t comment on the very important subject of its reliability. Also, I don’t have much interest in using the Walkman for video replay, so I don’t have much to say about that, either. But my first impression is favorable. The design is sleek, the controls are intuitive, the interface is efficient, and at 16GB the storage capacity is as large as you’ll get in a sub-compact flash drive player. The FM radio tuner is surprisingly sensitive.

The obvious point of comparison is to the iPod Nano, which also comes in a 16GB version. The Walkman is a bit wider, thicker, and heavier than the Nano, but it’s also a bit shorter. There are three big differences in my view: the Walkman has a radio, it has much better audio quality and it’s significantly less expensive. To me those differences are absolutely decisive, especially the difference in audio reproduction: It takes the Sony to make you realize how truly mediocre iPod sound is.

If you want this thing primarily as a sub-compact MP3 player for listening to music I can recommend it based on a brief acquaintance so far. I’d also recommend springing for a really good set of earbuds (Shure, Ultimate Ear, and Etymotic are among the better producers). The earbuds shipped with the Walkman or an iPod are pretty miserable.

Great sound marred by bad install software
I almost hate to give this thing only three stars because it has great
sound and hardware features. One the other hand the Sony Windows installer is so bad
it deserves negative stars. But there is a workaround - just use simple drag and drop,
and don’t even run the Sony install or media software on your windows machines.

Since Sony’s famous root kit fiasco (Google “sony rootkit lawsuit”)
infected thousands of customers computers via anti-consumer software,
I should have known better than to ever
let Sony software run on my PC. But I wanted to get my new MP3 player to
working fast, so I followed Sony’s instructions. Bad idea!!! They want
you to plug the Sony into a USB port and then run the install
software that’s already in the Sony. I tried this on my old XP (SP2)
machine, and the Sony installation tried to “upgrade” my windows Media
player. There was no benefit to me for this “upgrade”, Sony’s
“engineers” we apparently too lazy to design an installer without this. Or
maybe they’re still trying to infect their customers with rootkits.

Anyway, the install of the new MS media player failed, and in the deal
corrupted my old MS-media player. Since I primarily use VLC media
player the was just just an annoyance, not a fatal problem - but now my
old XP PC has no MS media player. Thanks, Sony

Being stubborn (and a geek) I then decided to examine the Sony MP3 player a
bit more carefully on my work Windows-7 machine. The Sony mounted as a
USB device named “Walkman”, but instead of just running Sony’s toxic
installer again, I poked around in their file system and found
the music folder. It had a few mp3 files in it, so I decided to see
what would happen if I copied in a few more mp3 files. I did a drag &
drop with windows explorer, the Sony rebuilt the playlist with them.
There they were, playable - it worked! I then select all my mp3 files, about a
100, and dragged them over. Thanks to the magic of USB 2.0, in 10
minutes I had 100 tunes loaded - without running any Sony Windows software. They
all list and play just fine. Why did Sony provide that destructive
install and “Content Transfer” software when you can just drag & drop
files? Why not just tell customers how to load up the files in one easy
step like I did? Write a simple GUI for those who want elaborate
play-lists or auto-synch with an online service, and let the rest
of us just load & go.

But once I had some files in place I discovered the upside of this
device - It sounds great! My kids all have iPods, and this thing sounded
at least as good right out of the box, and at a fraction of the price.
I’m something of an audiophile and plan to experiment with upgrade ear
buds (the ones that come with it are pretty tinny) and maybe a headphone
amp. Just for grins, I put a pair of Sennheiser HD280 studio headphones
on the Sony - and it sounded really good! Like most MP3s the highs where
a bit slurred and mushy, but the mids and bass were clear and as loud as
I could want, even without a phones amp. The dinky Sony could drive the
large form-factor Sennheisers just fine :-). The better MP3s sound
almost like WAV files played on real high-end audio equipment. I’m
optimistic than when I get some lossless formats in there I’ll have a
really good sound.

I’ve tried hooking my kids iPods (Nano and classic) to real stereo
equipment and never had results like this. The Sony/Sennheiser combo
beats the pants off any iPod I’ve heard hooked to anything.

When I was done setting it up I unplugged the USB I’d been using to
charge the battery, and tossed the player in my backpack, without
thinking to turn it off. That night I got another nice surprise - it was
still playing (4 hours later) and the battery was still fully charged.
I’m not sure how many hours they claim, but I didn’t really believe I’d
get more than 5 or so in actual use. I’m now sure I’ll get 10 or more.

In fairness to Sony, I must add that we’ve also had Apple software
nightmares with my kids iPods, like the time one kid went to
“synchronize” and iTunes erased her entire mp3 collection. She was
in tears! I write software for a living, and bugs like Sony
and Apple have should never get past QA.

Bottom line is this unit will give you great sound for cheap; but you
have to be either very lucky or willing to move files manually to use
it safely.

Sandisk 32GB ULTRA SDHC SD Card Class 4 SDSDH-032G Hassle Free Packaging Description:

When speed really matters, serious photographers choose SanDisk Ultra II SDHC. So fast, you’ll never miss a shot. So rugged, environmental conditions are never a problem.. This card is perfect for advanced photographers who require high-performance cards to quickly shoot many high-resolution images. It is ideal for photos of moving cars or trains, sporting events, sprinting animals or any other event that requires fast snapshot and recovery time.In advanced cameras, these cards have been developed to save large image files to the card as quickly as possible so the camera will be ready to take the next picture.This memory card comes in easy open packaging that minimizes using PVC and difficult-to-open plastic blister packs normally found in traditional retail packaging. (This card is not in a retail package)

• Brand: SanDisk
• Model: SDSDH-032G-bulk

Features

• The most popular, most compatible memory format for digital cameras
• Get the best from your high end camera or camcorder with better performance and higher storage capacities
• Fast read/write speeds of up to 15MB/second
• Ensures all your memories are a safe and secure

Customer Reviews:

Sandisk 32GB ULTRA SDHC SD Card
To date, the Sandisk 32GB ULTRA SDHC SD Card is the largest SD Card available for space-conscious users. This card will work well for simple powershot cameras, recorders, mp3 players, and much more. In fact, we use this card specifically with a Canon EOS Rebel T1i 15.1 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3-Inch LCD and EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens.

Unfortunately, this model is 15MB/s, which is rather slow for higher-capacity devices, like the Edirol R-09HR High-Resolution WAVE/MP3 Recorder. When using this device, we used to get the message, “Memory Card Slow.” However, after switching to a faster card, such as the 30MB/s, which is offered at 16GB: SanDisk 16gb Extreme® III 30MB/s Edition SDHC High Performance Card, our recorder worked perfectly. Note that most electronic devices will not encounter slow-errors, but the possibility was worth mentioning.

San Disk sdhc class 4 card for use in hd camcorder
I used this card in my canon vizio HD camcorder. I had only great video and pictures with no problems at all. I would recommend this card highly for anyone wanting to use it for video or still photos.

Lots of room & dependable too
I’ve never once had any issues with any sandisk cards. Never had any pictures or videos lost. I bought this because I intend to increase the amount of video I shoot. I thought the price was right for the quality I’ve always gotten.

Update 4/15/2010

I used this card on a recent trip to Disney World. I recorded full parades, illuminations, the festival of the lion king and the Osborne family spectacle of dancing lights. This was used in my Canon Powershot sx10is. All videos and pictures turned out just fine. I’ve never had any problems using any sandisk ultra 2 cards.

Belkin Wireless G 4-Port Router Description:

The G Wireless Router is perfect for setting up a simple wireless that has the speed for handling basic networking applications such as sharing broadband internet connection with multiple computers, surfing the web, e-mailing, and instant messaging. The G router has the wireless range to easily cover a apartment or small office. The G wireless Router also has 4 10/100 Ethernet ports on the rear of the router for the optional wired connection for your PCs. The G router also can be configured as a Wireless Access Point, which lets you connect your wi-fi devices to the network.

• Color: Black
• Brand: Belkin
• Model: F5D7234-4
• Format: CD
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 2.50″ h x 8.00″ w x 10.00″ l, 1.10 pounds

Features

• Wireless G router for creating Wireless G home networks with enough range to blanket apartment or office
• Wireless G offers 54Mbps wireless bandwidth; backwards compatible with 802.11b networks
• Strong network security includes WPA, WPA2, WPS, and 64- and 128-bit WEP
• Four 10/100 Mbps Ethernet ports built-in
• Backed by 1-year warranty

Customer Reviews:

Not a single problem…
I set this wireless router up for my non-techy parents around Thanksgiving. The setup was probably about half-an hour if you’re overly-thorough like me with wanting to check everything out. After the initial setup, the ‘rents have not had a bit of trouble connecting wirelessly. I noticed another review (and a comment) mention not being able to make changes to the settings. I didn’t experience any of their woes. However, I do remember logging in to the router not being very intuitive and I wonder if that could be causing the issues. I was able to change the default SSID, login password for the router, and setup WPA easily. I set everything up by connecting my laptop directly with an ethernet cord and going to the router’s IP address. I didn’t use the included software, so I have no idea how well that works. As far as speed goes, I can’t tell a difference between this cheapy router and my nice expensive one at home. My parents are only using it for browsing/email, and since they just upgraded from dial-up, they feel like they are flying.

***Update 01/20/09
I just wanted to state that my positive review of this product was not paid for, in light of Belkin’s recent pay for reviews scandal (65 cents not really worth my integrity). And my parents still haven’t had any problems with this router.

Fast, Easy Setup using the IP address given. Good Value for the money!
Just purchased this modem from Wal-Mart for $29 (+tax). After reading the reviews here, I decided to try it out myself. Used the Non-routable IP address (192.168.2.1) to configure the router (since others here had suggested it), used the wired connection first. Then had the wireless up and running. Took about 15-20 minutes. Like any G router, the range is limited, but serves my purpose. Video streaming is excellent. Using WPA for Wireless Security. Was able to change the SSID (problem mentioned by another reviewer). Wired and Wireless working fine so far. Will update if things go bad or SSID disappears (mentioned by another reviewer).

Wired setup, is a breeze…just plug and play…after configuring the LAN using IP address.

The wireless setup is a bit more challenging…for a non-tech savy person like me, but after some trial and error things are sorted out.

Overall, very pleased with the buy. Excellent coverage. Ease of setup is the only drawback, however once done it is easy to use.

Seriously buggy for handling LAN gaming; perhaps okay for simple web browsing
I have been setting up both personal and business networks since 1999, using the same settings on many brands of routers. This Belkin is the most frustrating device I’ve come across. Not because it’s completely bad, but because on the surface it appears to be working just fine, but then your Internet goes down. Fortunately, I was able to reproduce the problem. Belkin’s phone support was friendly and wanted to help, but they were completely unaware of the issues I found. That tells me there is something seriously wrong with their quality assurance program as a company.

This hardware has convinced me to never buy Belkin again.

It’s actually quite easy to set up, similar to every other router on the market. You can either use the install disk, or use your web browser to connect directly to the device. I used the web administrative interface.

Once set up, it goes through the normal motions of connecting to your ISP to get its settings and then handing out its configuration to every computer you have on the network. (This happens automatically using what’s called DHCP.) But every time I launched Age of Empires — a classic Microsoft game that every networking device should know how to handle — and set up a multiplayer game, the game locked up with an error saying that my computers weren’t talking to each other properly. (The dreaded Ping 30 error.) It didn’t matter whether it was Age of Empires I or II, this device was equally confused and the game wouldn’t work.

Worse, whenever I ran a game, the router lost its ability to route DNS (domain naming system) traffic. Every time. That meant that not a single computer in my network could go to a web site they weren’t already connected to, because the names directory appeared to be offline. As always, turning the device off and back on fixed the DNS problem, but the game never worked.

So I pulled out another Belkin router I had been using as a wireless access point and set it up as a router. The same problem occurs on both devices. For reference, these are the model numbers:

F5D7234-4 v 4 (this device)
F5D8233-4 v 3 (the older Belkin wireless router I was using as a wireless access point)

When I called Belkin tech support, I explained the issue in technical detail. The person on the line was doing his best but all he had was a rote answer for online gaming that didn’t even acknowledge the problem I was having. The Belkin seems to mix up the traffic that should go internal and external (all my gaming is inside my home network), and their tech support “answers” reflect that fundamental flaw as well. (They told me to put my PC in the DMZ and enable port forwarding for the game — a total security risk — and missing the point that the gaming traffic didn’t need to go to the Internet!) When I tweaked the router a bit, trying different options, the Belkin’s security logs indicated it thought the game was a denial of service attack, apparently because of the sheer volume of traffic during a game. More evidence that this device is not designed for anything more than basic web browsing and email.

So I returned the newer Belkin router and bought a Linksys. It took 2 minutes to set up with the exact same configuration and works just fine. With the Linksys, Age of Empires is playing multiplayer. Browsing appears to be snappier. I feel much more safe and secure knowing that my network traffic is being routed properly by a device that knows what it’s doing, and knows the difference between what’s inside and outside my personal network. I’d return the older router as well if I could, since I now know where the random connectivity issues I’ve been having for the last 3-4 years came from — that older Belkin device I was using as an access point. Read some of the other reviews to know more.

Footnote for the techies out there: the Linksys handles DHCP and DNS much better than the Belkin, and provides both the primary and secondary DNS addresses to the client machines. The Belkin hands off its own IP address as the DNS server. It’s like the Belkin folks over-engineered the product and introduced a bunch of bugs thinking they were helping.

These appear to be universal problems with the Belkin software/firmware, as I reproduced the exact same problems on two different Belkin devices that were bought years apart. (I can’t believe it hasn’t been fixed given the years between these devices and their respective firmware versions, specifically 2008 and 2005 based on the serial number stickers.)

I hate to spend more for an equivalent product, since Belkin had the lowest price. But sometimes you get what you pay for. D-Link and Linksys have worked just fine for years; I’ll stick with those brands and leave the Belkins on the shelves.

Amazon.com Product Description
Amazon.com Product Description With the Belkin Wireless G Router, you can quickly set up a wireless network for an apartment or small office, letting you share a broadband Internet connection with multiple computers. The Wireless G Router gives you the performance you need for handling all your basic networking applications, such as surfing the Web, emailing, and instant messaging.

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The Belkin Wireless G Router: Creates a Wireless-G network with up to 54Mbps data throughput. Is backward compatible with 802.11b networks. Has four 10/100 Mbps Ethernet ports for wired connections.

Easily create a Wireless-G network to share an internet connection with the whole family. View larger.

The router also includes four wired Ethernet ports. View larger.

Smart Design with Wired and Wireless Connections
The Wireless G Router has a striking, vertical enclosure that is both handsome and space efficient. By standing vertically, the router takes up less desk space, giving you more room to work. The built-in external antenna provides the range necessary to easily cover an apartment or small office. Six LEDs for Power, Wired, Wireless, Modem, Security, and Internet let you know the status of your network at a glance, making it easy to troubleshoot any problems.

G Wireless relies on 802.11g technology and provides a wireless speed of up to 54Mbps. This means that you can surf the Internet, check emails, and chat with friends from the comfort of your kitchen table or couch.

You can also share networked peripherals such as a Wi-Fi printer, hard drives, and DVDs. The router is compatible with any 802.11g wireless products and is backwards compatible with 802.11b networks. But for maximum speed and range, the use of Belkin’s G Wireless USB Adapter, Notebook Card, and Desktop Card are recommended.

In addition to G Wireless, the router also has four 10/100 Ethernet ports at the back, giving you the option to plug in for a steady and secure, fast connection running at up to 100Mbps.

Thanks to the strong built-in security, including support for WPA, WPA2, Wi-Fi Protected Setup, and 64-and 128-bit WEP encryption, you will be protected from hackers and intruders trying to gain access to your sensitive files. The router also supports VPN for making secure connections between home and office.

Easy to Set Up
Belkin designed the Wireless G Router to be as simple to use as possible. Simply connect your wireless router to your cable or DSL modem, plug the router in, and connect your computer to the router. That’s it. To help monitor your network performance and usage, the router includes Personal Network Assistant software, which runs on Windows XP/Vista and Mac OS X 10.4/10.5.

The Belkin Wireless G Router is backed by a 1-year warranty and includes free 24/7 technical support.

What’s in the Box
Wireless G Router, quick installation guide, Personal Network Assistant CD, user manual on CD, power supply, RJ45 Ethernet cable.

The vertical enclosure looks elegant and conserves space.

JVC HANC250 High-Grade Noise-Cancelling Headphones Description:

The new JVC HA-NC250 combines outstanding sound quality with advanced noise-canceling and isolation technologies to provide a superior listening experience. The HA-NC250’s noise cancellation circuitry includes feedback technology that constantly monitors the noise cancellation process. As a result, the headphones eliminate up to 85 percent of extraneous background noise. To further block noise, the HA-NC250 offers two JVC innovations that help isolate the listener from outside sounds. First, each earpiece employs a double housing structure for an extra sound insulation layer. Second, JVC developed a new technique for attaching the headphone’s smooth memory foam cushioned ear pads to the housing that helps isolate background noise. The smooth pads also enhance comfort. These sound isolation features, for which patents have been applied, are especially important since the HA-NC250 can be used with the active noise cancellation switched off. For the best possible sound quality, the new headphone uses a 40mm neodymium driver in each earpiece. For comfort and portability, the JVC HA-NC250 is one of the lightest headphones in its class, weighing just 5.3 ounces. It folds flat, and when folded is slimmer than most competing models. Included with the HA-NC250 are a slim carrying case, a four-foot detachable cord, airline dual plug adapter, and ¼-inch plug adapter for use with many home audio and video components. The headphones use a single 1.5-volt AAA battery for powering the noise cancellation circuitry. Battery life is rated at about 50 hours.

• Color: Black
• Brand: JVC
• Model: JVCHANC250
• Dimensions: 2.25″ h x 7.75″ w x 8.25″ l, 1.15 pounds

Features

• Advanced noise-cancelling design offers 85% noise reduction
• Double-housing design for extra sound insulation
• 40mm Neodymium driver
• Memory Foam cushion earpads
• Only 5.3 ounces

Customer Reviews:

Excellent performance, comfortable, great value for money
I travel fairly frequently on work and the long international flights were getting to me. I’d originally bought a Solitude Plane Quiet II headset which I was fairly happy with except for:
1. Quite tight around the head, difficult to wear for long periods of time.
2. Good sound quality, particularly bass, but an annoying hiss and missing treble and highs during audio playback.
3. Fairly heavy owing to needing 2 AAA batteries.

A colleague at work bought the JVCs and we did a comparison. Initially I was skeptical because my Solitudes were around the ear vs the JVCs which are over the ear. We went into a very noisy server room to do the test and I have to say the performance of the JVCs was astoundingly good.
All three issues that I had with the Solitudes were absent.
1. Extremely comfortable and light. Great build quality.
2. Even better noise canceling performance despite the over the ear design. Even with the active noise cancellation off, merely wearing the headset provides good sound insulation.
3. Great sound quality, very balanced bass and treble, zero hiss.
4. Better battery life than the Solitudes despite needing only one battery.

In addition, the JVCs have some of the benefits of the Solitudes over the industry’s most famous headset (Bose).
1. Conventional cable (not proprietary like Bose).
2. Audio passthrough even when the battery dies.
3. Single AAA battery, non-proprietary (if you forget to charge your proprietary Bose battery, your headphones are dead).
4. Great price/value tradeoff compared to the Bose QCII or III.

The only negatives of the JVCs I could perceive are:
1. No volume dial control on the headset itself which is less of a convenience as you now have to turn down the volume from your ipod or computer rather than just reaching up and dialing down.
2. Headphone cable is fairly short (43in) so its difficult (not impossible) to use it with home stereo equipment.
3. Replacing the battery is a bit difficult and involves popping the right earpiece out.

Update (Jan 2008): I was able to compare these against the Bose QC3s. The Bose sound quality (you will not believe this) is really bad compared to the JVCs. Specifically the sound of the QC3s is muddy with extremely muffled treble. I am even happier now that I bought these instead of the Bose.

Excellent for long plane flights
I recently purchased the JVC HANC250 headphones after researching the options on the internet. The Bose were an obvious option, but the price could not be justified.

I have always been thinking about buying noise cancelling headphones, and with a pending trip to Australia (from New York) I decided that now was the time.

Pros:
Great sound quality
Excellent Noise Cancelling
Very comfortable
Long battery life (changed the battery 2X over a 48hr use period)
Nice looking
Excellent value

Cons:
Changing the battery under the ear cup is not the best design, but not that hard to do either

Tips:
1. Keep a couple extra batteries in the accessory pouch inside the headphone case
2. Put a business card in the same pouch in case of loss

UPDATE: Feb, 2009

After owning the JVC HANC250 for a year they are still the best headset I have ever owned. I travel by plane almost every week, and they are always along for the ride. The hard cover case has well protected them and the headphones look like new. I comfortably wear them for hours at a time and use them with the airline sound system, my BlackBerry and notebook PC. There is no hiss and excellent sound quality.

Amazing noise blocking, but lots of small problems
I work in a noisy lab, so I wanted noise canceling headphones that could reduce the distraction of nearby chatter as well as the usual airplane engine sounds. After a bit of searching, it seemed like these JVCs and the Panasonic RP-HC500 were the best all around choices. So I bought both pairs and borrowed a friend’s Bose QC2’s to do a comparison.

*Noise Cancelling:
Although I did not have as much time with the Bose, I was able to use all three pairs to listen to city street noise outside my building as well as co-worker chatter in my office.
Although all three pairs did a fantastic job of removing the low frequencies (the ventilation system hum, etc.), the Bose really excelled here. It’s really true that speaking while wearing them let’s you hear your voice absent its lowest octave! The JVC and Panasonic pairs could not quite compete in that sense.
But for blocking higher frequency sounds, the JVCs were the winners. With the noise cancellation turned on, but without any sound playing, the voices of my office mates were muffled to the point where I could hear that they were speaking, but often could not make out what they were saying. The others muffle the chatter as well, but to a lesser extent.
Interestingly, it was sometimes hard to compare the Panasonics, as they produced audible hiss when the noise cancelling was turned on. The hiss was low, and wasn’t distracting with even soft music, but the JVC’s near-complete lack of hiss sometimes made me question whether the Panasonics were blocking as much sound as I thought, or just masking it.
But overall, the Panasonics and the JVCs were very comparable. There was a noticeable difference for office chatter, running a dishwasher, and air blowing, but the difference was always subtle–even factoring in the hiss issue. I was only able to try the QC2’s in a couple of situations, but on the whole, they were not sufficiently better than even the Panasonics to justify their price tag.
-The Winner for Noise Canceling: JVC.

*Comfort:
Since I only had 20 or 30 minutes with the Bose, I can’t say too much about them, except that they seemed typical for circumaural headphones. But I was able to try out the Panasonic and JVC pairs for several hours each.
The JVCs are incredibly comfortable at first; they’re small, light, and even look decent. But I wear glasses, and after a while the pressure they were applying to my ears against my glasses’ frame started to hurt.
The Panasonics, by contrast, apply far too much pressure to my head at first, and seem big and heavy. But after gently stretching them apart, they actually feel alright. They won’t win any awards, but I could wear them–with my glasses–for probably at least an hour without them hurting. Although I may still need to stretch them out again, every so often.
In terms of strange sucking feelings that some people describe with noise cancellers, I did not experience anything like that with any of these headphones. But of the three people who also tried them out, one said that the Panasonic pair made an unpleasant sensation in her ear and she did not even want to try them out again. The others did not seem to notice any problems, though.
It’s also worth noting that the Panasonics and Bose are circumaural (they go around the ear, and rest against the head directly), and the JVC’s are supraaural (they rest right on the ear). So after a lot of use, I imagine the JVC’s would be least likely to make your ear feel hot or sweaty, since they cover the least amount of your head. But also, if you have large ears, the fairly small space that the Panasonics expect your ears to fit into may be too small and therefore uncomfortable as well.
-The Winner for Comfort: a tie between JVC and Panasonic, but it depends on your ear size and whether you wear glasses.

*Sound:
I didn’t really listen to music with the Bose, so I’ll keep this section only to the Panasonics and JVC’s.
I listened to a handful of styles on both pairs of headphones; mostly rock, folk, and even some an capella solo. Consistently, the Panasonics sounded better. As one friend described it, the JVC’s didn’t have tight bass. I would add the highs weren’t that great either. They’re fine for occasional use on a plane, but were surprisingly poor compared to the Panasonics.
The Panasonics aren’t a panacea either for sound quality. No one will confuse them with high end headphones (say, Sennheiser HD-590’s); particularly, they have a fairly narrow sound stage.
-The Winner for Sound Quality: Panasonic

*Other Issues:
In spite of the poorer sound quality, I was still going to keep the JVCs, until I discovered that I could not use them with my laptop! For some reason, as soon as I plug the JVC’s into my laptop (with the noise canceling on), they make a strange hiss, and I also hear a 60 Hz hum from the electrical outlet. I have a Dell Latitude D820 (not exactly known for its sound card), so I figured it was the computer. But I experienced the same problem with other people’s laptops as well. And none of my other headphones (even with comparable or lower impedance) make any audible hiss or buzz at all. I exchanged the JVC’s, but the replacement was the same. For what it’s worth, there was no hiss or hum with my friend’s mac, or with any of my portable music players.
Some reviewers also mentioned the poorly designed battery replacement scheme on the JVC’s. I agree that it’s an odd design, but I personally didn’t find it a problem at all. But speaking of batteries…
The battery life on the JVCs was significantly worse than Panasonic. I don’t recall just how long it went, but it was probably about 15 hours or less. The Panasonics, by contrast, were used many hours more, and still haven’t used up a battery. Both headphones use a single AAA.
-The Winner for Other Issues: Panasonic

*Conclusion:
The JVC HANC-250 headphones are very, very nice and have really remarkable noise reduction. If the Panasonics weren’t available, I’d have gladly kept the JVCs. But not being able to use them with my laptop, a well as the mediocre sound quality, pushed me to Panasonic instead.

Audio Technica ATH-AD700 Open-air Dynamic Audiophile Headphones with 53mm Drivers with Neodymium Magnet Systems Description:

With a lightweight honeycomb aluminum casing and magnesium frame structure, these open-air headphones produce no sense of pressure on the ears, offering a completely natural listening experience. The sound is smooth and relaxed, with deep resonating bass and vocal projection. The self-adjusting wing support automatically adjusts to your head size for easy-wearing listening comfort. A straight cord at the left earpiece terminates to a mini plug with included ¼” adapter.

• Brand: Audio-Technica
• Model: ATH-AD700
• Dimensions: 11.30″ h x 4.80″ w x 8.30″ l, 1.25 pounds

Features

• Air Dynamic (open) headphones for natural and high quality sounds with deep resonating bass and vocal projection
• Full open-air type headphones produce no sense of pressure on the ears, resulting in a completely natural sensation
• Lightweight honeycomb aluminum casing and magnesium frame structure
• Large-aperture 53 mm drivers with neodymium magnet systems and CCAW voice coils for superior sound reproduction
• Self-adjusting 3D Wing Support Housing provides comfortable support for a more enjoyable listening experience

Customer Reviews:

Remarkable product for the money
These are very comfortable. The headphones are big. They fit completely over the ears rather than on the ears. They earpads are made of a soft fabric that feels like velour. The frame of the headphone is a magnesium alloy and the outside of the earcup is aluminum. The wires to the individual earcup appear to be hidden inside the frame of the headphones. I think it makes it less likely that they will somehow be pulled, stretched to cause a short. I mention this because I have read in a number of customer reviews that after a short period of time, one side of the headphones shorts out. Perhaps this will be less likely. These headphones like most of the Audio-Technica headphones currently being marketed have these “wings” that A-T designed to give you the feeling that the headphones float on your head. The phones fit very lightly and are very comfortable. What I cannot say is whether the “wings” will be fragile if dropped. They look as though they might be fragile. Only time will tell.

The sound of the headphones is excellent and probably closer to nuetral than many of the other headphones that I have. These phones provide for excellent separation and clarity of sound. It is not clinical sounding,but really very precise. I have the current top end models of headphones for practically all the major headphone manufacturors so that I can make some valid comparisons. The midrange is beautiful, the highs are very good, and the bass is clear and tight, but not really punchy. They are neutral sounding. For some, the bass might not be enough. Occasionally, I have thought the phones could use a little more bass which will be assisted by a headphone amplifier. The battery or AC driven Airhead amplifier is reasonably priced and small enough to fit in a large shirt pocket is perfect for adding a little bass to these headphones. It really steps up the bass in a clean, clear manner. (I have found that using a headphone amplifier–particularly at home where it is convenient is the best choice to ensure full, rich sound on all of the headphones that I have).

The headphones can be easily powered by an Ipod and they sound very good. These phones are on the efficient side when comparing impedence. You can get a lot of volume with a free-standing mp3 device. The headphones come with a 1/8″ headphone jack with a 1/4″ adaptor. While they sound even better with a headphone amplifier, it is not necessary like with the Sennheiser 600 or 650 which sounds anemic without the power provided by a separate headphone amplifier.

I think that the open-backed headphones sounds better than the closed-back headphones. If you want a headphone that is more punchy for rock and roll, consider the Grado SR-80 which is within approximately $10.00. The price for these headphones on Amazon Marketplace is approximately $100.00. The Grado’s come in at approximately $95.00 at fair trade price (meaning no discount pricing). For many people the Audio-Technica will be more comfortable than the Grado. If you get the Grados which are really great, they are more comfortable with an insert called “comfort rings.”

Audiophile Quality
I recently just recieved these pairs of headphones after a couple weeks of research. After truly starting to get into music and trying to get the most out of my cd’s (without putting up a loan) I started looking within the 100-200 price range. I stumbled upon 3 major choices: ATH AD-700, Sennheiser HD-555 and Sennheiser HD-595.
First, price was a big issue for me….
I didnt want to spend too high on the headphones, and the HD-595’s were quite expensive, but I went to my local audio store and really felt that the 595’s put up an overall better sound than the 555’s. The soundstage was also amazing for both, but again, the 595’s were superior.

The Audio Technicas however, was compared first to the 555’s and I already amazed by the difference. They achieved far better tone in each note, and was able to go much “higher” and “lower” than the 555’s making the Sennheisers almost seem flat. When compared to the 595’s, it was definitely more difficult to distinguish a difference, but the tones were still clearer in the ATH’s, but the 595’s seemed to have a slightly better soundstage, and a rich, ringy sound vs the clearness of the ATH’s. Because I listen to classical, jazz, rock, and a moderate dash of techno once in a while, I thought that the 595’s would probably sound better with the rich, full sounds of classical and jazz, but fare far worse against the 700’s in rock.

After again looking at the price, I decided on the ATH’s

The 595’s howerver, did look slightly better and may have felt more comfortable. The ATH’s didnt feel quite as secure, but it seems to be doing alright up till this point.

A highly reccomended buy.

-Kevin-

Inexpensive, comfortable, audiophile headphones
There is no negative to this product. The only thing you could possibly say is that they’re not as good as the more expensive ATH-AD900. But they both have a completely different sound-stage so even that is arguable.

Bottom line is these headsets look, feel, and sound incredible. Couldn’t really be sure from the picture but you really can tell these are high end by just looking at them. The build quality is first class and the wing design distributes the weight very well and results in the most comfortable headphones I’ve ever worn. Very light and the huge velvet ear-cups will fit around the biggest of ears.

Audio-Technica’s AD line may have very well been the reason Sennheiser dropped the prices on their HD models. And still many owners prefer these over other brand name headphones that cost twice as much.

There is one review here that says these headphones are too big. Well, they are indeed large but I find that it adds to the comfort. They don’t clamp onto your head like some other brands. They rest very lightly around your head but I’m sure most people won’t have any problems with them falling off.

If you’ve got a good soundcard in your PC and you’re looking for high quality, comfortable headphones, look no further.

ULTRASHIP 55 lb. DIGITAL POSTAL SHIPPING And KITCHEN FOOD SCALE BLACK Description:

With a HUGE 55 lb weighing capacity, a hold button, and a large easily read display, the ULTRASHIP postal scale is perfect for shipping via UPS, FedEx, DHL, First Class, Priority or Parcel Post mail! Reads in grams, ounces, pounds, or kilograms — you choose! 30 Year Limited Warranty Included. Operates on 4 C Batteries (not included) or optional AC Adaptor (not included).

• Amazon Sales Rank: #49 in Office Product
• Color: BLACK
• Brand: Ultra 55
• Model: Ultra55
• Dimensions: 10.00 pounds

Features

• Huge 55 lb / 25 kg capacity
• Tare, Hold, and auto-off feature
• Removable flex face display for weighing oversized boxes
• Letter Tube Holder and Mail/Envelope Holder - Even weigh Kitchen Food Items!
• Lifetime / 30 year International Warranty

Customer Reviews:

Great item, easy to use…fast to ship!!!
I ordered this scale to use at home with ebay. It’s compact and really easy to use!!! The front is detactable so you can read it even when weighting an oversized package. Arrived amazingly fast…I think for the price, it’s a great deal!!! Don’t mess with the other similar models available on Amazon, you just found it!!

Perfect scale
This scale is perfect for any applications I can think of. Staples didn’t have anything close, and the price is a real baragin. We’re using it to weigh a baby to monitor weight gain, so the low-range accuracy is important. We brought the baby home from the Dr’s office and weighed him again within half an hour and this scale weighs the same as the Dr.’s scale. Especially useful for this application is the tare button, the hold-the-number-on-the-display button and the unit conversion button, so we can track weight in grams but easily tell family about pounds and ounces. This seller got a shipment of the black units in instead of the silver and sent that with a note offering exchange if the color wasn’t satisfactory - I was glad to get the scale right away and must say the black color is probably the best one (see the rightmost picture above).

great product
I bought this scale for weighing packages for shipping, but I’ve also found it extremely helpful in the kitchen. I love that it ranges from 0.1 oz to 55 lbs. An excellent product.