Tagged Products - hdd

HP Pavilion tx2510us 12.1" Touch-screen Entertainment Laptop

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ASUS Eee PC 20G (8.9" Screen, 900 MHz Intel Mobile CPU, 1 GB RAM, 20 GB Solid State Drive, Linux Preloaded) Galaxy Black

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and that's with playing a DVD (external drive). That would be great on an airplane. I wish they had internet access on the plane :b...

Microsoft Zune 80GB MP3 Player - Red

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are essentially the same products.

This is why I beg you not to buy this product, please give Bill Gates et all a shock and let them know that America won't eat their crappy moldy pie offerings.

My major problem with Zune is the software. You cannot create a smart list. You can create something they call an autoplaylist, but because Zune, unlike WMP, won't let you change the genre or whatever on your rented music, the only filter by what they've tagged it as. There's no extra field in the properties by which you can add your own criteria at all. This means you can sort by artist, year, genre, which if you have a huge collection is useless. I would have settled if they'd even given more than 3 stars to rate with because at least then I could have used the stars as my own code to sort by, but they didn't.

Another huge problem is that on the scroll, you can't jump from one letter of the artists name (or album name) so if you have a huge collection and you want to play something that starts with p, you will scroll and scroll and scroll and scroll and scroll, every time you want to get to it.

Windows Media Player, ironically, is the program of choice. It's one of the few programs MS has out that is worth using. However, they apparently have some deal with someone that keeps them from using it with Zune. So what does MS do? Instead of seizing the opportunity to put their vast army of workers on creating something entirely new, or even just the same but better, they give you this crap fest software.

In conclusion, if you care about what you will pay for in the future, please don't indulge them now by buying this thing. and keep your eyes open for all the great up and coming open sourceware word processors and spreadsheets. We don't need MS kaka! let them earn any money we give them!

Apple Mac mini 1.83GHz

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were selling...I got the feeling they were truly interested in making sure I understood the differences between Windows Vista and Leopard and spent a great deal of time showing me features in ilife and Leopard in general. This made a difference to me in that the APPLE store staff exhibited such "refreshing" professionalism. I think that in itself made a big difference in helping me make a decision to try APPLE products. Their support was top notch compared to the experience I had received in the past from other vendors.

After I picked up my Mac Mini...set up was a breeze. I had a Dell 17" 1703 monitor that was formerly coupled to my Dell Dimension 8300 that I hooked up to with no problems. I had a made a decision to get the APPLE keyboard due to the Command features and the fact that I liked the way the keys felt and am glad. Dell speakers and a Logitech wireless mouse completed the set up and I was off and running! The OS booted up so quickly that I immediately thought I'll never be able to go back to VISTA again..LOL! And setup was effortless..wireless..email..all very intutive and painless. No wonder APPLE has so many people switching!
Once everything was set up I was working within the OS within minutes and what's cool is on the APPLE website there are many informative video tutorials as well as written support that helps a lot.

For video & pictures the OS recognized both my Sony digital & video cameras and I was able to download all my files seamlessly with iphoto and imovie. Here is where I can see the advantages of having additional memory but generally it wasn't too much of an issue..I will eventually upgrade my memory in the near future..

Overall for the weekend spent acclimating myself to this amazing little computer, the experience has been pretty darn good! I still have much to learn and will follow up with a more detailed review further on down the road...

But for first impressions I'm pretty happy! The bottom line is...look at your computing needs and budget and work within those parameters. You don't really need to pump out a couple of grand for an ideal APPLE experience..If you have a good monitor, keyboard and mouse..and are looking to change to the APPLE OS this would be the best and economical way to go!

ASUS Eee PC 20G (8.9" Screen, 900 MHz Intel Mobile CPU, 1 GB RAM, 20 GB Solid State Drive, Linux Preloaded) Galaxy Black

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hot spot reception.

The cons: You know by now the keyboard is small. Battery life is this side of 3 hours (haven't run this one down yet). And it gets warm. I would add that Linux has the downside of not being compatible with Windows based programs. There are a couple things I use (e.g.Quicken) that I'd run also on my laptop. Tough call here. I debated, chose the 20G, then around the replacement/return, debated again and still went with the 20G. I use a Treo for my very mobile needs (recipes, lists, contacts, scheduling, etc) and keep all that backed up on the desktop. I ALWAYS have the Treo with me, so I don't need all that on the mobile Eeee. I will back up Quicken elsewhere. I can opt to install Windows or Windows lite if this incompatibility bothers me later. For now I am liking Linux.

I have run into one insurmountable compatibility problem around a mapping project. A solution workable with Treo Palm OS, Eee Linux, desktop Windows and my GPS unit appears beyond my capabilities. I can live with that, same as with the lack of Quicken backup.

Last, why not the 901? Well, the Atom is unproven, and I am cynical and wary of first generation efforts. Also the 901 weight is inching up there a bit. Why not the Wind? Processor and weight again - to me every ounce matters. And the Wind weight appears to be with the 3 cell battery.

I'm traveling this weekend and again for 3 weeks in September. No question the Eee is going along. I will have my files, photos, music, email, Skype and Internet all right there, trouble free, for under 2 pounds. Wonderful!

Sony 5.0MP Handycam High-Definition Camcorder with 60GB Hard Drive - Silver

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out of pocket about $1200-1400, on top of the $1200 I spent on the camera. Sony does not reimburse anything.

The customer relations representative was incapable of comprehending the bitter irony that Sony was willing to restore my camera to the very same "factory settings" that put my vacation memories at risk.

Unless you plan to back up each and every video clip as you take them, do not buy this camera. Do not assume that your experience will be any different.

Philips DVDR3576H/37 160GB Hard Drive ATSC DVD Player and Recorder

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system, but it's really not that hard to do manually. It records HD signals as SD (standard definition). Of course, to record in HD will require much bigger hard drives.

The listing of programs ("Titles") that you have recorded are clearly shown and easy to navigate to. But it is best to put a rudimentary title on the TV programs right after you record them. Otherwise all you have is the date, time, and channel of the recording. You have to add titles by a clunky texting method, requiring multiple presses of numbers 1-9.

Playback
I use an HDMI cable between this unit and my TV. Playback from the hard disk is a joy. Access is immediate. The unit remembers where you left off watching last time on each program individually. You can manoever around the recordings with an (adjustable) 30-second skip forward/backward button, or with an adjustable-speed fast forward/rewind, or with a chapter-jump ("next") which uses the (optional) 10-minute auto-chapters that are inserted.
Playback from DVD is fine, but loading a DVD is slow (perhaps because it can handle so many different DVD formats).

Aspect Ratio
Fiddling with aspect ratio (4:3 vs. 16:9) is a hassle that we will be dealing with for years. This unit, unfortunately, records digital programs as 4:3, even when they are transmitted as 16:9. Translation: when displayed on a 16:9 widescreen TV, you get black borders at top and bottom AND at the sides. This is satisfactorily fixed by zooming the picture on playback. I found it best to zoom from my Sony TV, as the zoom on this Philips is limited and clunky. You have to cancel the zoom the next time you watch a 4:3 program, however, and you can't see the Philips' "information" display when in zoom mode.

User-friendliness
Most functions are well thought out and the software is good. But you will have to read the manual.
The remote control has the buttons needed, but several important ones are badly laid out. The STOP button is tiny.
Since it's a multifunctional device, you have to tell it what component you want to use. If you have been watching a TV show recorded on HDD, then insert a DVD, if you just press "play", it will resume playback of the HDD unless you press "DVD" first. It's not smart enough to realize you want the DVD now.
The 122-page instruction book is detailed. It is fairly well written. Mine is very well-thumbed and dogeared. To get the most out of this complex unit, you will need to read it carefully.

Editing
For copying from old VHS tapes or home DVD's, I find it best to record first onto the HDD. Then use "deleting a scene" to remove unwanted sections. The software for this is pretty user-friendly. Then transfer the cleaned-up version to DVD. You can in theory record directly to DVD from VHS, and delete unwanted sections on the DVD directly, using "Hiding Chapters" but this is clunky (first you have to define the section as a chapter), and these deletions, and added chapter headings, were ignored when played back on another unit.

Downsides
It can't record HD programs.
It's slow to load a DVD.
The remote buttons are poorly laid out.
Widescreen format shows must be zoomed on playback to fill a 16:9 TV screen.
Titling tracks is tedious.
DVD edits may be ignored in other DVD players.

Summary
This is a really fine and extremely versatile unit, at a bargain price. It is a leapfrog into the digital age. Finally here is a device with the versatility to fully supplant S-VHS VCR's.
The next step will be when this kind of device is upgraded to record HDTV on its hard disk AND to record Blu-Ray DVD's. Don't hold your breath.

(This review is based on the predecessor model, DVDR3575H, similar except for the tuner).

Western Digital My Book Essential 1TB External USB 2.0 Hard Drive

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system, but it's really not that hard to do manually. It records HD signals as SD (standard definition). Of course, to record in HD will require much bigger hard drives.



The listing of programs ("Titles") that you have recorded are clearly shown and easy to navigate to. But it is best to put a rudimentary title on the TV programs right after you record them. Otherwise all you have is the date, time, and channel of the recording. You have to add titles by a clunky texting method, requiring multiple presses of numbers 1-9.



Playback

I use an HDMI cable between this unit and my TV. Playback from the hard disk is a joy. Access is immediate. The unit remembers where you left off watching last time on each program individually. You can manoever around the recordings with an (adjustable) 30-second skip forward/backward button, or with an adjustable-speed fast forward/rewind, or with a chapter-jump ("next") which uses the (optional) 10-minute auto-chapters that are inserted.

Playback from DVD is fine, but loading a DVD is slow (perhaps because it can handle so many different DVD formats).



Aspect Ratio

Fiddling with aspect ratio (4:3 vs. 16:9) is a hassle that we will be dealing with for years. This unit, unfortunately, records digital programs as 4:3, even when they are transmitted as 16:9. Translation: when displayed on a 16:9 widescreen TV, you get black borders at top and bottom AND at the sides. This is satisfactorily fixed by zooming the picture on playback. I found it best to zoom from my Sony TV, as the zoom on this Philips is limited and clunky. You have to cancel the zoom the next time you watch a 4:3 program, however, and you can't see the Philips' "information" display when in zoom mode.



User-friendliness

Most functions are well thought out and the software is good. But you will have to read the manual.

The remote control has the buttons needed, but several important ones are badly laid out. The STOP button is tiny.

Since it's a multifunctional device, you have to tell it what component you want to use. If you have been watching a TV show recorded on HDD, then insert a DVD, if you just press "play", it will resume playback of the HDD unless you press "DVD" first. It's not smart enough to realize you want the DVD now.

The 122-page instruction book is detailed. It is fairly well written. Mine is very well-thumbed and dogeared. To get the most out of this complex unit, you will need to read it carefully.



Editing

For copying from old VHS tapes or home DVD's, I find it best to record first onto the HDD. Then use "deleting a scene" to remove unwanted sections. The software for this is pretty user-friendly. Then transfer the cleaned-up version to DVD. You can in theory record directly to DVD from VHS, and delete unwanted sections on the DVD directly, using "Hiding Chapters" but this is clunky (first you have to define the section as a chapter), and these deletions, and added chapter headings, were ignored when played back on another unit.



Downsides

It can't record HD programs.

It's slow to load a DVD.

The remote buttons are poorly laid out.

Widescreen format shows must be zoomed on playback to fill a 16:9 TV screen.

Titling tracks is tedious.

DVD edits may be ignored in other DVD players.



Summary

This is a really fine and extremely versatile unit, at a bargain price. It is a leapfrog into the digital age. Finally here is a device with the versatility to fully supplant S-VHS VCR's.

The next step will be when this kind of device is upgraded to record HDTV on its hard disk AND to record Blu-Ray DVD's. Don't hold your breath.



(This review is based on the predecessor model, DVDR3575H, similar except for the tuner).

Western Digital My Book Home 1TB External FireWire/USB 2.0/eSATA Hard Drive

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system, but it's really not that hard to do manually. It records HD signals as SD (standard definition). Of course, to record in HD will require much bigger hard drives.





The listing of programs ("Titles") that you have recorded are clearly shown and easy to navigate to. But it is best to put a rudimentary title on the TV programs right after you record them. Otherwise all you have is the date, time, and channel of the recording. You have to add titles by a clunky texting method, requiring multiple presses of numbers 1-9.





Playback


I use an HDMI cable between this unit and my TV. Playback from the hard disk is a joy. Access is immediate. The unit remembers where you left off watching last time on each program individually. You can manoever around the recordings with an (adjustable) 30-second skip forward/backward button, or with an adjustable-speed fast forward/rewind, or with a chapter-jump ("next") which uses the (optional) 10-minute auto-chapters that are inserted.


Playback from DVD is fine, but loading a DVD is slow (perhaps because it can handle so many different DVD formats).





Aspect Ratio


Fiddling with aspect ratio (4:3 vs. 16:9) is a hassle that we will be dealing with for years. This unit, unfortunately, records digital programs as 4:3, even when they are transmitted as 16:9. Translation: when displayed on a 16:9 widescreen TV, you get black borders at top and bottom AND at the sides. This is satisfactorily fixed by zooming the picture on playback. I found it best to zoom from my Sony TV, as the zoom on this Philips is limited and clunky. You have to cancel the zoom the next time you watch a 4:3 program, however, and you can't see the Philips' "information" display when in zoom mode.





User-friendliness


Most functions are well thought out and the software is good. But you will have to read the manual.


The remote control has the buttons needed, but several important ones are badly laid out. The STOP button is tiny.


Since it's a multifunctional device, you have to tell it what component you want to use. If you have been watching a TV show recorded on HDD, then insert a DVD, if you just press "play", it will resume playback of the HDD unless you press "DVD" first. It's not smart enough to realize you want the DVD now.


The 122-page instruction book is detailed. It is fairly well written. Mine is very well-thumbed and dogeared. To get the most out of this complex unit, you will need to read it carefully.





Editing


For copying from old VHS tapes or home DVD's, I find it best to record first onto the HDD. Then use "deleting a scene" to remove unwanted sections. The software for this is pretty user-friendly. Then transfer the cleaned-up version to DVD. You can in theory record directly to DVD from VHS, and delete unwanted sections on the DVD directly, using "Hiding Chapters" but this is clunky (first you have to define the section as a chapter), and these deletions, and added chapter headings, were ignored when played back on another unit.





Downsides


It can't record HD programs.


It's slow to load a DVD.


The remote buttons are poorly laid out.


Widescreen format shows must be zoomed on playback to fill a 16:9 TV screen.


Titling tracks is tedious.


DVD edits may be ignored in other DVD players.





Summary


This is a really fine and extremely versatile unit, at a bargain price. It is a leapfrog into the digital age. Finally here is a device with the versatility to fully supplant S-VHS VCR's.


The next step will be when this kind of device is upgraded to record HDTV on its hard disk AND to record Blu-Ray DVD's. Don't hold your breath.





(This review is based on the predecessor model, DVDR3575H, similar except for the tuner).

Western Digital My Book Essential 1TB External USB 2.0 Hard Drive

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and says there is nothing he can do. I said to him because I buy the complete package the WD makes I get punished. and if i went out and bought a internal hard drive and put it in a case i'd get a 3-5 year warranty? he responded back, yea. I said dont you think this is a little unfair? and he said sorry. So then trying to be slick I said ok so what if I take the Hard drive out will i get the 3-5 year warranty? he said no you'll void the warranty because they marry the case and the hard drive as 1 unit so they know the hard drive came out of it. But his way of solving the situation he said is they offer a service to recover the data, I asked how much does that cost. he said about $3k. I asked to talk to his manager and he sad it would take 48 hours for them to call me back. (still waiting)
Long story short, if you are interested in buying a western digital I recommend buying a internal hard drive and putting it in a case which are very cheap. Just search external hard drive case, and tons will pop up. by doing this you'll get a real warranty.
I hope this helps others from getting screwed. Good luck

HP Pavilion dv6870us Notebook-Turion 64 TL-64 Gold 15.4

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screen.
4. At least 1.6 GHz dual processor, preferably AMD.
5. Infrared/bluetooth connectivity.
6. DVD burner
The DV6810US met all the requirements except the HDD one.

At 160 GB, the HDD is SMALL! Especially with Windows Vista hogging so much disk space, you can feel the need for additional space. I still decided to go for this one because I have a spare 500 GB external HDD. I use the external HDD to store my multimedia files. The laptop HDD will be primarily used for loading software and temporary storage. Do keep in mind that the external HDD will take up one of your USB ports!

Although, I was looking for anything that had 2 GB or more RAM, I m glad that I bought 3 GB. I strongly recommend at least 3 GB with Vista. Again, although Vista looks smart and has some cool features, it eats any amount of memory you give it! So more the better.

The 15.4 in widescreen with the cool remote and touch-sensitive multimedia controls is one of the best things a multimedia buff will enjoy on this laptop. Watching movies, viewing pictures and playing music is as easy as 1-2-3. Now although, there are 17 in laptop screens out there (and all that real-estate can be pretty useful to artists who edit photos and movies), the factors to consider are cost, weight and portability. DV9810US gives all the same features of a DV6810US on a 17 in screen, and the cost-difference in Apr 08 was only $150. I would have gone for it in a heartbeat had it not been for the weight and portability aspect. A 17 inch laptop will barely fit on the tray-table of an economy seat in an airplane!!! It also consumes that much more battery! And if you don't need 17 inch worth of real-estate on your screen 100% of the time, I would rather buy a 20 inch flat-screen for around $200 and sit it on a table at home!

The DV6810US is powered by 2.0 GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 dual-core processor. Though this is on of the faster processors in the market, Vista seems to slow it down (Only if Microsoft could have gotten out a better OS!)

I often connect my cell-phone to my laptop using infrared. This was a decisive factor when choosing between this one and Toshiba A205, A215 and P305 models. All of these are slightly superior to DV6810US on some other factors but lack infrared connectivity.

The Toshibas also lost because of the LabelFlash technology they used in their DVD burners. My study showed that HP's LightScribe was a better technology because of the availability of media and performance.

Most other laptops in its class feature a webcam, while this one does not. Again, I already had a good Logitech webcam, so I dint care a lot for the in-built one. Although, it will take-up another of your USB ports, it gives your more portability without having to move the entire laptop.

The weaknesses like only 3 USB ports (against 4 in some other models) and lack of webcam are pretty small, and are heavily outweighed by its strengths. The other OS related problems are inherent to Vista, and I believe would come with all laptops.

The other laptops I considered in my study were...
HP DV9810US
HP DV9820US
HP DV9830US
HP DV9720US
HP DV9730US
HP DV9740US
Toshiba Sat A215-S5848
Toshiba Sat A205-S5863
Toshiba Sat A215-S6804
HP dv6748us
Toshiba Sat A205-S5859
Toshiba Sat A215-S5849
HP DV9812US
Toshiba Sat P305-DS8818
HP DV6810US
HP DV6833US
HP DV6751US
HP DV6830US

Smart Buy 2133 VIA C7-M ULV 1.2GHz Mini-Note

...

screen.

4. At least 1.6 GHz dual processor, preferably AMD.

5. Infrared/bluetooth connectivity.

6. DVD burner

The DV6810US met all the requirements except the HDD one.



At 160 GB, the HDD is SMALL! Especially with Windows Vista hogging so much disk space, you can feel the need for additional space. I still decided to go for this one because I have a spare 500 GB external HDD. I use the external HDD to store my multimedia files. The laptop HDD will be primarily used for loading software and temporary storage. Do keep in mind that the external HDD will take up one of your USB ports!



Although, I was looking for anything that had 2 GB or more RAM, I m glad that I bought 3 GB. I strongly recommend at least 3 GB with Vista. Again, although Vista looks smart and has some cool features, it eats any amount of memory you give it! So more the better.



The 15.4 in widescreen with the cool remote and touch-sensitive multimedia controls is one of the best things a multimedia buff will enjoy on this laptop. Watching movies, viewing pictures and playing music is as easy as 1-2-3. Now although, there are 17 in laptop screens out there (and all that real-estate can be pretty useful to artists who edit photos and movies), the factors to consider are cost, weight and portability. DV9810US gives all the same features of a DV6810US on a 17 in screen, and the cost-difference in Apr 08 was only $150. I would have gone for it in a heartbeat had it not been for the weight and portability aspect. A 17 inch laptop will barely fit on the tray-table of an economy seat in an airplane!!! It also consumes that much more battery! And if you don't need 17 inch worth of real-estate on your screen 100% of the time, I would rather buy a 20 inch flat-screen for around $200 and sit it on a table at home!



The DV6810US is powered by 2.0 GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 dual-core processor. Though this is on of the faster processors in the market, Vista seems to slow it down (Only if Microsoft could have gotten out a better OS!)



I often connect my cell-phone to my laptop using infrared. This was a decisive factor when choosing between this one and Toshiba A205, A215 and P305 models. All of these are slightly superior to DV6810US on some other factors but lack infrared connectivity.



The Toshibas also lost because of the LabelFlash technology they used in their DVD burners. My study showed that HP's LightScribe was a better technology because of the availability of media and performance.



Most other laptops in its class feature a webcam, while this one does not. Again, I already had a good Logitech webcam, so I dint care a lot for the in-built one. Although, it will take-up another of your USB ports, it gives your more portability without having to move the entire laptop.



The weaknesses like only 3 USB ports (against 4 in some other models) and lack of webcam are pretty small, and are heavily outweighed by its strengths. The other OS related problems are inherent to Vista, and I believe would come with all laptops.



The other laptops I considered in my study were...

HP DV9810US

HP DV9820US

HP DV9830US

HP DV9720US

HP DV9730US

HP DV9740US

Toshiba Sat A215-S5848

Toshiba Sat A205-S5863

Toshiba Sat A215-S6804

HP dv6748us

Toshiba Sat A205-S5859

Toshiba Sat A215-S5849

HP DV9812US

Toshiba Sat P305-DS8818

HP DV6810US

HP DV6833US

HP DV6751US

HP DV6830US

ASUS Eee PC 12G (8.9" Screen, 900 MHz Intel Mobile CPU, 1 GB RAM, 12 GB Solid State Drive, XP Home) Galaxy Black

...

screen.


4. At least 1.6 GHz dual processor, preferably AMD.


5. Infrared/bluetooth connectivity.


6. DVD burner


The DV6810US met all the requirements except the HDD one.





At 160 GB, the HDD is SMALL! Especially with Windows Vista hogging so much disk space, you can feel the need for additional space. I still decided to go for this one because I have a spare 500 GB external HDD. I use the external HDD to store my multimedia files. The laptop HDD will be primarily used for loading software and temporary storage. Do keep in mind that the external HDD will take up one of your USB ports!





Although, I was looking for anything that had 2 GB or more RAM, I m glad that I bought 3 GB. I strongly recommend at least 3 GB with Vista. Again, although Vista looks smart and has some cool features, it eats any amount of memory you give it! So more the better.





The 15.4 in widescreen with the cool remote and touch-sensitive multimedia controls is one of the best things a multimedia buff will enjoy on this laptop. Watching movies, viewing pictures and playing music is as easy as 1-2-3. Now although, there are 17 in laptop screens out there (and all that real-estate can be pretty useful to artists who edit photos and movies), the factors to consider are cost, weight and portability. DV9810US gives all the same features of a DV6810US on a 17 in screen, and the cost-difference in Apr 08 was only $150. I would have gone for it in a heartbeat had it not been for the weight and portability aspect. A 17 inch laptop will barely fit on the tray-table of an economy seat in an airplane!!! It also consumes that much more battery! And if you don't need 17 inch worth of real-estate on your screen 100% of the time, I would rather buy a 20 inch flat-screen for around $200 and sit it on a table at home!





The DV6810US is powered by 2.0 GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 dual-core processor. Though this is on of the faster processors in the market, Vista seems to slow it down (Only if Microsoft could have gotten out a better OS!)





I often connect my cell-phone to my laptop using infrared. This was a decisive factor when choosing between this one and Toshiba A205, A215 and P305 models. All of these are slightly superior to DV6810US on some other factors but lack infrared connectivity.





The Toshibas also lost because of the LabelFlash technology they used in their DVD burners. My study showed that HP's LightScribe was a better technology because of the availability of media and performance.





Most other laptops in its class feature a webcam, while this one does not. Again, I already had a good Logitech webcam, so I dint care a lot for the in-built one. Although, it will take-up another of your USB ports, it gives your more portability without having to move the entire laptop.





The weaknesses like only 3 USB ports (against 4 in some other models) and lack of webcam are pretty small, and are heavily outweighed by its strengths. The other OS related problems are inherent to Vista, and I believe would come with all laptops.





The other laptops I considered in my study were...


HP DV9810US


HP DV9820US


HP DV9830US


HP DV9720US


HP DV9730US


HP DV9740US


Toshiba Sat A215-S5848


Toshiba Sat A205-S5863


Toshiba Sat A215-S6804


HP dv6748us


Toshiba Sat A205-S5859


Toshiba Sat A215-S5849


HP DV9812US


Toshiba Sat P305-DS8818


HP DV6810US


HP DV6833US


HP DV6751US


HP DV6830US

HP Pavilion Tx2120us Entertainment Notebook PC

...

or flimsy.

4. DVD Eject Button: Now I understand that as a manufacturer you need to put the button in a place that if it accidentally gets bumped it won't pop open your drive but if you have big hands like I do than you might want to consider creating a DVD eject shortcut on your desktop like I did by downloading nircmd.dll. There are tutorials out there if you need help.

Now for the positives.

1. Screen: 5/5 Bright, clear, responsive to the touch and large enough to satisfy any user.

2. Battery: 4/5 I have read many places that the battery is only good for 3 to 3 1/2 hours of batter life but after I purchased mine and conditioned the battery (correctly) I was able to get between 4 and 4 1/2 hours of battery usage on "BALANCED" power setting.

3. Processor, RAM, and HD: 5/5 As far as a pc/notebook I don't think I could have asked for more in such a small machine. AMD Core Duo 2.20ghz / 4GB RAM / 250G HD... compare that to other machines in $1150 - $1400 dollar price range and you might find something with 160G HD and 2 maybe 3GB RAM. Not to mention the added bonus of having a touchscreen. ;)

4. Keyboard, and Ports: 5/5 I have read other reviews calling the keyboard "Cheap" or stating there aren't enough ports on the tablet but when you consider the size and portability of this machine it has more than enough to do the job. This machine has 3 USB, 5in1 Reader, 34mm Express Card, Expansion Port 3, Ethernet, Tele, S-video out, 2 headphone, and 1 mic slot. It also comes with a remote control that easily stows in 34mm express card slot.

5. FingerPrint Reader: 5/5 Before I purchased this machine I thought to myself what a waste this addition would be... WRONG. With the additionof the fingerprint reader it quickly and efficiently gives you access to your computer, files, email, banking, etc... and is easily programmable with their preloaded DigitalPersona software.

6. Loaded Software: 5/5 The reason I am giving this a 5/5 isn't because the software is so good it's because there isn't much "bloatware" at all. ;)

Final Thoughts:

This is an excellent machine for the price and I had been hard pressed in finding a machine that had as much goodies packed into it for the price. Whether you use it for business, education, or just for leisure I think you will find this to be more than a suitable choice for all of your pc needs.

I hope this helps!

Western Digital My Book Home 1TB External FireWire/USB 2.0/eSATA Hard Drive

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also said that numerous customers have had similar issues if they plug the drive into a UPS or power strip. They recommend plugging the drive directly into a wall socket, but that didn't seem to help me at all.

I have another external eSATA drive from another vendor on the same computer (plugged into my UPS, no less), and it doesn't have this issue at all. I've left it connected for days not using it and the drive doesn't disappear. So it definitely appears to be an issue with this model of drive.

Sony 4.0MP Handycam High-Definition Camcorder with 2.7" Widescreen LCD - Silver

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printed manual / comes on CD, I couldn't even find it online. My Macbook Air has no CD drive.
-It sometimes does not save the setting changes if allowed to power down on it's own. You have to press the power button after you are done making setting changes.
-No remote control included. Makes it difficult to watch clips on the TV unless you have a Sony Bravia TV which can control the camera.
-HDMI cable not included. It uses a mini HDMI cable as well.
-HDMI port is not on docking station, Mini HDMI on camera, so you have to plug it in every time instead of just docking it.
-No ability to change volume while playing a video on the camera. You have to exit out and go into a menu to adjust the playback volume.
-Playback screen only shows three thumbnails at a time, I couldn't figure out how to show many thumbnails at once.

Panasonic Digital Camcorder with 60GB Hard Drive and 2.7" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black/Silver

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printed manual / comes on CD, I couldn't even find it online. My Macbook Air has no CD drive.

-It sometimes does not save the setting changes if allowed to power down on it's own. You have to press the power button after you are done making setting changes.

-No remote control included. Makes it difficult to watch clips on the TV unless you have a Sony Bravia TV which can control the camera.

-HDMI cable not included. It uses a mini HDMI cable as well.

-HDMI port is not on docking station, Mini HDMI on camera, so you have to plug it in every time instead of just docking it.

-No ability to change volume while playing a video on the camera. You have to exit out and go into a menu to adjust the playback volume.

-Playback screen only shows three thumbnails at a time, I couldn't figure out how to show many thumbnails at once.

JVC Everio Digital Camcorder w/30GB Hard Drive and 2.7" Widescreen Color LCD Monitor - Ruby Red

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printed manual / comes on CD, I couldn't even find it online. My Macbook Air has no CD drive.


-It sometimes does not save the setting changes if allowed to power down on it's own. You have to press the power button after you are done making setting changes.


-No remote control included. Makes it difficult to watch clips on the TV unless you have a Sony Bravia TV which can control the camera.


-HDMI cable not included. It uses a mini HDMI cable as well.


-HDMI port is not on docking station, Mini HDMI on camera, so you have to plug it in every time instead of just docking it.


-No ability to change volume while playing a video on the camera. You have to exit out and go into a menu to adjust the playback volume.


-Playback screen only shows three thumbnails at a time, I couldn't figure out how to show many thumbnails at once.

ASUS Eee PC 20G (8.9" Screen, 900 MHz Intel Mobile CPU, 1 GB RAM, 20 GB Solid State Drive, Linux Preloaded) Galaxy Black

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printed manual / comes on CD, I couldn't even find it online. My Macbook Air has no CD drive.



-It sometimes does not save the setting changes if allowed to power down on it's own. You have to press the power button after you are done making setting changes.



-No remote control included. Makes it difficult to watch clips on the TV unless you have a Sony Bravia TV which can control the camera.



-HDMI cable not included. It uses a mini HDMI cable as well.



-HDMI port is not on docking station, Mini HDMI on camera, so you have to plug it in every time instead of just docking it.



-No ability to change volume while playing a video on the camera. You have to exit out and go into a menu to adjust the playback volume.



-Playback screen only shows three thumbnails at a time, I couldn't figure out how to show many thumbnails at once.

HP dv9830us Notebook Computer - Intel Core 2 Duo T5550(1.83GHz) 17.0 4GB Memory 320GB HDD Blu-ray Disc / Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GS

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if you are young and in good shape, this will come back to haunt you in later years when you are surprised to learn that your rotator cuff is shot.)

The mouse has a mind of its own, the cursor mysteriously disappearing and reappearing elsewhere on the screen during use.

But most bewildering of all is the placement of the pad-mouse itself, toward the left side of the unit. Since most people are right-handed, it would only make sense to place the mouse to the right side of the machine, or at the very least, in the middle. Its placement on the left makes balancing the large and heavy machine on a lap challenging, plus one's hands feel crowded to the one side. The opportunity to provide a roomier feel, as in a desktop, was sadly lost.

I would never purchase this computer again, even at a much lower price.