Electronics - 2gb

Canon PowerShot 10.0-Megapixel Digital ELPH Camera - Silver

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Sandisk Sansa View SDMX10R8192 2.4-Inch Color Video and MP3 Player

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player is easy to clean with a soft cloth (like those glasses ones). When it comes to the design, I like the View over the iPod because the back of the View is a very comfortable soft rubber grip that doesn't attract ugly fingerprints and isn't cold to the touch, and the menu wheel actually turns, which just feels good when you use it (you'll understand...)

When it comes to their interface, I'd say they're very much alike. The menus are self explanatory, and both have their pros and cons about their menus. One notable thing about the View is that you can choose your background color on the View's menu screen, which to me isn't very important, but when I'm bored it's one more thing for me to play with.

Now, the controls. After using the iPod for so long, it took a bit of time to adjust to the View. For example, when using the iPod, you simply press the up key to go back one step in the menu no matter what you are doing, but whenever I press the up key while something is playing on the View, it will play/pause it. If you press left or right on either players, it will go backward or forward in the track list. So then that leaves the down button, which on the iPod pauses or plays what you are playing, and on the View gives you the song/video/photo menu (it adjusts to whatever you're doing) and from there you are able to get back to the music list. What will really spin your head about the View though is that when you're not on the "now playing" screen, you use the left/right buttons to navigate the menus...so it keeps your mind sharp. So sometimes, it's one more click than necessary to navigate the View, but once you're used to it, there really is no difference. Plus, whenever I'm lost in the controls, I simply hit the handy home button and start over again.

One cool feature from the View which doesn't exist on the iPod is its voice recording. I am in college and I use this feature to record lectures, or simply to punk friends. The sound quality from the recording is amazing, and unlike other recorders, it doesn't alter the voice being recorded. Also, if you are listening to the radio on the View (yes, it has an FM receiver), you can record what you are listening to, which is pretty cool also. For me, voice recording and radio are the most used applications on my View, and maybe that's because I've never had an mp3 player with those options. Whenever I'm like "darn, why do I love all the songs on my View? I want something to compare it to so I don't get used to all this good music", I simply switch to the radio.

When it comes to battery life, I would hands down give the award to the Sansa View. I've never had an iPod whose battery lasted over four hours on one charge. The View can last me a whole week without recharging, as long as if I control its volume, backlight, and be sure to turn it off when I'm not using it. I use my View for at least 2 hours everyday. But one thing about these players' battery is that it all depends on your luck or willingness to ask. Lithium Ion Batteries will die when its time comes, so when you purchase one, you can rely on luck to get a fresh battery, or you can ask them how long this player has been sitting on the shelf. Of course, if you're buying from Amazon, you won't have that option. Therefore, I bought my player from Best Buy.

Now, to the most important part of this player: actually getting music/photos/videos on there. Let me tell you, there is nothing simpler for the View. Plug your View into the computer (be sure you switch its USB mode to MSC, or it won't let you do anything but charge), and drag and drop your files into the correct folder. If you know how to use an USB, you'll have no problem with putting music on your View. Also, the SUPER BEST part is that you don't need another program like iTunes on your computer to do it. I almost cried (in joy) at its simplicity and how much time this feature has saved me. Also, one very good feature in the View is its ability to delete songs from the player itself. So if you decide that you've outgrown one of your songs and you never want to hear it on your View again, you don't have to go to the computer to delete it, you can do it right then and there wherever you are.

Other stuff:
The View will bookmark your podcasts and audiobooks as long as if you don't switch to another podcast or audiobook in between pausing it and going back to it. There is also video bookmarking.
For the best sound quality, I strongly recommend you adjust the EQ settings and get new earbuds.
There is a hold button, power button (which I find more convenient than iPod's "push and hold the play button for 3 seconds" way of turning off the player), memory expansion slot, and allows you to reset your player in times of freezing
There is a power saver option that will turn off your player automatically if it's not doing anything for a set amount of time that you choose - however I found out that turning off your player is still the smarter option if you are not going to be using it for a while.
You can adjust how long the backlight stays on, and of course, the shorter you set it, the longer your battery will last on that charge
You can find the shuffle/repeat options on the music menu or the settings menu
There is a slideshow option for photos, and you can even tag a song on it
There is a quick list option called "music go" and "photo go"
Charging takes about 3 hours if your battery is low
There is a "refresh" screen after you disconnect your View from the computer, but it only last for a couple seconds - it's updating your music, and it will still do it even if you don't change anything
You won't be able to listen to music, or do anything on your View while it is charging
When you're viewing photos and videos, you will have to turn your view horizontally, but Sandisk had you in mind when creating this player, so the button functions will automatically shift places so that up is still up, down is still down, left and right are still left and right when it's being used sideways...i really like this feature, lessens the confusion

Tips for optimizing your View's potential:
1. Before you even attempt to use your View, download the free firmware from the sansa website. This will solve the freezing and charging problems.

2. Charge your battery to full before using it for the first time, and NEVER let it completely run out from that point on- that is the quickest way to kill your Lithium Ion Battery

3. If you watch videos, download their free photo/video media converter. It's not as much of a pain as everyone makes it out to be. Just be patient, you don't have to stare at it while it's working =), go eat or something

4. Get an AC adapter, it will speed up your charge and provide a more complete charge. When I use USB charging, the battery hops around after a couple hours, which kinda drove me crazy, because then I didn't know when I actually needed to charge the thing.

5. If at first you can't view your photos, go to more>settings/options>system settings>display>TV out>off, if you still can't see them, try using the media converter

6. LOVE IT!

I hope this review helped. I'm still learning about my View, but I pretty much got all the features I frequently use down, and I hope it will be the same for you!

Canon PowerShot 10.0-Megapixel Digital ELPH Camera - Gold

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figure out how to force the flash for fill flash, take decent night photos and do some panoramas.

I do have one small nit about wrist strap that came with the camera, it is the first one I have EVER got that was not adjustable to hold the camera firmly on my wrist. I ended up using the old one off my broken SD700.

I can recommend a nice case for this camera, the Tamrac 5204.

Pure Digital Flip Video Ultra Series Camcorder - White/Silver

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figure out how to force the flash for fill flash, take decent night photos and do some panoramas.



I do have one small nit about wrist strap that came with the camera, it is the first one I have EVER got that was not adjustable to hold the camera firmly on my wrist. I ended up using the old one off my broken SD700.



I can recommend a nice case for this camera, the Tamrac 5204.

Nikon Coolpix 8.0-Megapixel Digital Camera - Ruby Red

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"eye hole," which is fine with me because I rarely use it anyway. I'll take the larger LCD. Red-eye was always a problem with my Fujifilm, but this Nikon did a great job of eliminating it; every photo seemed very clear and bright.

I've also used the video feature a few times. Unlike my Fujifilm, you can actually zoom in and out while taking video. Video quality is nothing spectacular, but it is tolerable for short clips.

Downloading the pictures and videos to my computer was a snap. Again, Nikon won big points with me because this is the easiest camera I've used... and one of the cheapest too.

However, as I mentioned earlier, there was a catch. After only 4 months of use, my photos began to have a hazy ring around them. It looked like there was some fog or a smudge on the lens. I've wiped the lens carefully, but the problem remains, causing me to believe that this problem somehow lies inside the camera lens - a problem I, of course, can't solve without having to call the distributor and get the run-around on how to get it fixed, despite my free one-year warranty-with-purchase. A digital camera that takes blurry photos is no better than a paper weight, even if the paper weight is colorful and shiny. Either the lens is out of alignment or my entire family has developed astigmatism.

FUJIFILM FinePix 10.0-Megapixel Digital Camera - Black

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to come out "decent." Since the AUTO setting was poor, it was too cumbersome to take pictures. I had to take the camera back and ended up spending more for a 10 Megapixel Canon Powershot. The Canon is slightly bigger and heavier but well worth it. I figured that it is an investment spending more for a higher quality image, especially if oyu have kids. You cannot put a price on memories. I am completely satisfied with the image quality and functionality of the Canon.

Nikon COOLPIX S610 10-Megapixel Digital Camera

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inside shots. Tryng to give the camera the benefit of the doubt, maybe it was the lighting in my home, but most of the inside pictures had the same yellow cast that I saw on the screen. On the plus side, the outside pics I took seemed fine.

Needless to say, within hours of purchasing the CoolPix S610, I was ready to return it. Four days later after giving it a chance, it is packaged back up and will returned tomorrow....even with a restocking fee.

I would not recommend this camera to anyone with children that wants to catch all of those precious moments!

Canon PowerShot 10.0-Megapixel Digital ELPH Camera - Gold

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inside shots. Tryng to give the camera the benefit of the doubt, maybe it was the lighting in my home, but most of the inside pictures had the same yellow cast that I saw on the screen. On the plus side, the outside pics I took seemed fine.



Needless to say, within hours of purchasing the CoolPix S610, I was ready to return it. Four days later after giving it a chance, it is packaged back up and will returned tomorrow....even with a restocking fee.



I would not recommend this camera to anyone with children that wants to catch all of those precious moments!

Canon PowerShot 10.0-Megapixel Digital ELPH Camera - Gold

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images with the SD880 even near the edges of the frame. Although the Fuji is just 6MP, it is closest in sharpness to the SD880, but only in good light at lower ISO.

The SD880 produces lower image noise at high ISO's (400 and up) than both the SD450 and the LX-3. Beating the LX-3 in this test at ISO 400, 800 and 1600 was also surprising given the LX-3's slightly larger sensor size. The Fuji has the lowest noise level at high ISO BUT images become overly smoothed with less sharpness than either the SD880 or the LX-3. The SD880 retains more sharpness than the Fuji as ISO is cranked up to 800 and 1600, but did have more noise. ISO 400 noise is low with the SD880 and images are usable at ISO 800. ISO 1600 should be reserved for low-light emergencies where flash is verboten and if prints are kept 6" x 4" or smaller.

Another low-light advantage of the SD880 (at least for nearly stationary scenes) is the optical IS. This really works and allows lower ISO values to be used with longer shutter speeds. My wife often blurred shots on the SD450 due to camera motion. The IS has helped a lot to reduce this.

So, although the SD880 is not equal to a 3 pound Canon 5D in a small 5 oz package, it does provide unexpectedly good image quality and low noise for a tiny camera, one that can always be with you, just when you need it.

2GB ZEN Stone with Built-in Speaker - Champagne

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images with the SD880 even near the edges of the frame. Although the Fuji is just 6MP, it is closest in sharpness to the SD880, but only in good light at lower ISO.



The SD880 produces lower image noise at high ISO's (400 and up) than both the SD450 and the LX-3. Beating the LX-3 in this test at ISO 400, 800 and 1600 was also surprising given the LX-3's slightly larger sensor size. The Fuji has the lowest noise level at high ISO BUT images become overly smoothed with less sharpness than either the SD880 or the LX-3. The SD880 retains more sharpness than the Fuji as ISO is cranked up to 800 and 1600, but did have more noise. ISO 400 noise is low with the SD880 and images are usable at ISO 800. ISO 1600 should be reserved for low-light emergencies where flash is verboten and if prints are kept 6" x 4" or smaller.



Another low-light advantage of the SD880 (at least for nearly stationary scenes) is the optical IS. This really works and allows lower ISO values to be used with longer shutter speeds. My wife often blurred shots on the SD450 due to camera motion. The IS has helped a lot to reduce this.



So, although the SD880 is not equal to a 3 pound Canon 5D in a small 5 oz package, it does provide unexpectedly good image quality and low noise for a tiny camera, one that can always be with you, just when you need it.

SanDisk SDMX11R-2048R-A70 MP3 Player (Refurbished)-SanDisk SDMX11R-2048R-A70 MP-3 player

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images with the SD880 even near the edges of the frame. Although the Fuji is just 6MP, it is closest in sharpness to the SD880, but only in good light at lower ISO.





The SD880 produces lower image noise at high ISO's (400 and up) than both the SD450 and the LX-3. Beating the LX-3 in this test at ISO 400, 800 and 1600 was also surprising given the LX-3's slightly larger sensor size. The Fuji has the lowest noise level at high ISO BUT images become overly smoothed with less sharpness than either the SD880 or the LX-3. The SD880 retains more sharpness than the Fuji as ISO is cranked up to 800 and 1600, but did have more noise. ISO 400 noise is low with the SD880 and images are usable at ISO 800. ISO 1600 should be reserved for low-light emergencies where flash is verboten and if prints are kept 6" x 4" or smaller.





Another low-light advantage of the SD880 (at least for nearly stationary scenes) is the optical IS. This really works and allows lower ISO values to be used with longer shutter speeds. My wife often blurred shots on the SD450 due to camera motion. The IS has helped a lot to reduce this.





So, although the SD880 is not equal to a 3 pound Canon 5D in a small 5 oz package, it does provide unexpectedly good image quality and low noise for a tiny camera, one that can always be with you, just when you need it.

Creative Zen 2GB Digital Multimedia Device-ZEN 2GB BLACK PERPMP3 PLAYER FOR MUSIC VIDE

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for diagnostics and repair was a month long ordeal with limited results at best. Once returned, the player worked for a awhile until the same evil gremlin raised its ugly head.

After repeated attempts at resolving this problem with an almost non-existent customer support center, I was informed the item was no longer under warranty and that I would have to foot the bill for any future repairs. The Creative Zen 16GB Mp3 Player would have been an outstanding purchase if it had only operated for at least one year before biting the dust. Bottom line is, I am left with a very overpriced paper weight.

Canon PowerShot 10.0-Megapixel Digital ELPH Camera - Gold

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for diagnostics and repair was a month long ordeal with limited results at best. Once returned, the player worked for a awhile until the same evil gremlin raised its ugly head.



After repeated attempts at resolving this problem with an almost non-existent customer support center, I was informed the item was no longer under warranty and that I would have to foot the bill for any future repairs. The Creative Zen 16GB Mp3 Player would have been an outstanding purchase if it had only operated for at least one year before biting the dust. Bottom line is, I am left with a very overpriced paper weight.

Sandisk 4 GB Sansa Fuze MP3 Player - Black (SDMX14R-004GK-A70)

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for diagnostics and repair was a month long ordeal with limited results at best. Once returned, the player worked for a awhile until the same evil gremlin raised its ugly head.





After repeated attempts at resolving this problem with an almost non-existent customer support center, I was informed the item was no longer under warranty and that I would have to foot the bill for any future repairs. The Creative Zen 16GB Mp3 Player would have been an outstanding purchase if it had only operated for at least one year before biting the dust. Bottom line is, I am left with a very overpriced paper weight.

Nikon Coolpix 10.0-Megapixel Digital Camera - Black

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for diagnostics and repair was a month long ordeal with limited results at best. Once returned, the player worked for a awhile until the same evil gremlin raised its ugly head.







After repeated attempts at resolving this problem with an almost non-existent customer support center, I was informed the item was no longer under warranty and that I would have to foot the bill for any future repairs. The Creative Zen 16GB Mp3 Player would have been an outstanding purchase if it had only operated for at least one year before biting the dust. Bottom line is, I am left with a very overpriced paper weight.

Sandisk 2 GB Sansa Clip MP3 Player - Pink (SDMX11R-2048P-A70)

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for diagnostics and repair was a month long ordeal with limited results at best. Once returned, the player worked for a awhile until the same evil gremlin raised its ugly head.









After repeated attempts at resolving this problem with an almost non-existent customer support center, I was informed the item was no longer under warranty and that I would have to foot the bill for any future repairs. The Creative Zen 16GB Mp3 Player would have been an outstanding purchase if it had only operated for at least one year before biting the dust. Bottom line is, I am left with a very overpriced paper weight.

Canon PowerShot 10.0-Megapixel Digital ELPH Camera - Silver

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for diagnostics and repair was a month long ordeal with limited results at best. Once returned, the player worked for a awhile until the same evil gremlin raised its ugly head.











After repeated attempts at resolving this problem with an almost non-existent customer support center, I was informed the item was no longer under warranty and that I would have to foot the bill for any future repairs. The Creative Zen 16GB Mp3 Player would have been an outstanding purchase if it had only operated for at least one year before biting the dust. Bottom line is, I am left with a very overpriced paper weight.

Canon PowerShot 10.0-Megapixel Digital ELPH Camera - Silver

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button. All I have to do is to point the camera at the white ceiling, press the printer button, and the camera is white-balanced exactly for that specific lighting.

Face detection works great, and I really like the TV - self-timer - Face detection combo: I hook the camera to the TV, put the self-timer on Face detection mode, press the shutter, and nonchalantly walk to the spot of my choice before turning to face the camera. The camera reads my face and multiple shots of me are made.

This camera takes BEAUTIFUL indoor photos -- with a flash, that is. (The Fuji F30 had been able to take all sorts of great indoor photos without flash.) The Canon engineers have done a great job with post-processing to get such nice even lighting on indoor photos, especially with such a tiny flash.

I take photos with i-Contrast off. In the playback mode, I can apply the i-Contrast as I choose. And speaking of i-Contrast, I find that the SD880 tries too hard to second guess what photos I want, and the photos tend to turn out a bit flat. The photos all improve tremendously when I use Picasa or Photoshop to deepen the shadows. This is especially true with indoor photos.

The video mode is not so useful. There is no optical zoom with video. The camera fakes a video zoom by doing a digital zoom. Of course, if the video is already only 640x480, doing a digital zoom will get you horrendous resolution. So just pretend that there is no video zoom. The microphone on the camera is bad.

The handling of the camera is very good, and it is a beautiful looking gem. And I hope that its being "Made in Japan" will at least buy me more years than my two terrific but unfaithful Fuji F30's. Now if Canon were to come up with a 28mm F2.8 camera that had the same CCD-sensor philosophy and the manual controls as the F30 (fewer Megapixels for superb noise control), I would really PAY for that camera, bad economy or no.

Canon PowerShot 8.0-Megapixel Digital Camera - Black

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button. All I have to do is to point the camera at the white ceiling, press the printer button, and the camera is white-balanced exactly for that specific lighting.



Face detection works great, and I really like the TV - self-timer - Face detection combo: I hook the camera to the TV, put the self-timer on Face detection mode, press the shutter, and nonchalantly walk to the spot of my choice before turning to face the camera. The camera reads my face and multiple shots of me are made.



This camera takes BEAUTIFUL indoor photos -- with a flash, that is. (The Fuji F30 had been able to take all sorts of great indoor photos without flash.) The Canon engineers have done a great job with post-processing to get such nice even lighting on indoor photos, especially with such a tiny flash.



I take photos with i-Contrast off. In the playback mode, I can apply the i-Contrast as I choose. And speaking of i-Contrast, I find that the SD880 tries too hard to second guess what photos I want, and the photos tend to turn out a bit flat. The photos all improve tremendously when I use Picasa or Photoshop to deepen the shadows. This is especially true with indoor photos.



The video mode is not so useful. There is no optical zoom with video. The camera fakes a video zoom by doing a digital zoom. Of course, if the video is already only 640x480, doing a digital zoom will get you horrendous resolution. So just pretend that there is no video zoom. The microphone on the camera is bad.



The handling of the camera is very good, and it is a beautiful looking gem. And I hope that its being "Made in Japan" will at least buy me more years than my two terrific but unfaithful Fuji F30's. Now if Canon were to come up with a 28mm F2.8 camera that had the same CCD-sensor philosophy and the manual controls as the F30 (fewer Megapixels for superb noise control), I would really PAY for that camera, bad economy or no.

Canon PowerShot 10.0-Megapixel Digital ELPH Camera - Gold

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button. All I have to do is to point the camera at the white ceiling, press the printer button, and the camera is white-balanced exactly for that specific lighting.





Face detection works great, and I really like the TV - self-timer - Face detection combo: I hook the camera to the TV, put the self-timer on Face detection mode, press the shutter, and nonchalantly walk to the spot of my choice before turning to face the camera. The camera reads my face and multiple shots of me are made.





This camera takes BEAUTIFUL indoor photos -- with a flash, that is. (The Fuji F30 had been able to take all sorts of great indoor photos without flash.) The Canon engineers have done a great job with post-processing to get such nice even lighting on indoor photos, especially with such a tiny flash.





I take photos with i-Contrast off. In the playback mode, I can apply the i-Contrast as I choose. And speaking of i-Contrast, I find that the SD880 tries too hard to second guess what photos I want, and the photos tend to turn out a bit flat. The photos all improve tremendously when I use Picasa or Photoshop to deepen the shadows. This is especially true with indoor photos.





The video mode is not so useful. There is no optical zoom with video. The camera fakes a video zoom by doing a digital zoom. Of course, if the video is already only 640x480, doing a digital zoom will get you horrendous resolution. So just pretend that there is no video zoom. The microphone on the camera is bad.





The handling of the camera is very good, and it is a beautiful looking gem. And I hope that its being "Made in Japan" will at least buy me more years than my two terrific but unfaithful Fuji F30's. Now if Canon were to come up with a 28mm F2.8 camera that had the same CCD-sensor philosophy and the manual controls as the F30 (fewer Megapixels for superb noise control), I would really PAY for that camera, bad economy or no.