Kindle Wireless Reading Device, Wi-Fi, Graphite, 6" Display with New E Ink Pearl Technology

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Buy Kindle Wireless Reading Device, Wi-Fi, Graphite, 6" Display with New E Ink Pearl Technology Now

Amazon Review

Kindle (Wi-Fi) is a great choice if you already have a high-speed internet connection and wireless router set up in your home and do not need the added convenience of a 3G connection. 3G enables you to download books anytime, anywhere, while on the go. If you do not have Wi-Fi set up in your home, Kindle 3G may be a better option.

Kindle 3G (Free 3G + Wi-Fi) is the easiest option because there is no wireless setup—you are ready to shop, purchase, and read right out of the box. Built-in Free 3G connectivity uses the same wireless signals that cell phones use, but there are no monthly fees or commitments—Amazon pays for Kindle’s 3G wireless connectivity. The added convenience of 3G enables you to download books anytime, anywhere, while on the go—without having to find a Wi-Fi hotspot connection. With wireless coverage in over 100 countries and territories, Kindle 3G is a great option for travelers.

Customer Review
by C. Vincent (Rochester, NY)

I woke up to a nice surprise this morning: a new kindle as a gift. I have an iPad and a Kindle DX, but I guess someone heard my complaints of them being too heavy and difficult to do extended-reading on. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my iPad and DX, but this new generation of Kindle is perfect for reading outside and for long periods of time. The iPad gets completely washed out in sunlight and often irritates my eyes staring at it for more than a couple of hours. The DX was my go-to device for those extended/outdoor reading periods, but now I have a new friend for reading novels. Instead of a replacement, this one seems more like a companion to the other devices and is a different class. The iPad works great for web browsing, shopping, productivity, games, etc while the Kindle falls short in those areas. The Kindle works great for reading novels, where the iPad falls short. For those that love to do extended-reading of magazines, newspapers, research articles, etc, I find that the DX is the go-to device.

Without a doubt, the size and weight of the new kindle is the biggest draw for me. It's smaller than the last edition by a significant margin. I've played around with the Kindle 2 and was impressed, but now looking at the size of the new Kindle, I'm blown away. It's the absolute perfect size. Smaller would be unmanageable and larger wouldn't feel nearly as good. This is a device that you can hold up, read, and just forget that it's there. Compared to other e-readers I've tried, it's much smaller and much lighter.

One of my biggest complaints about the previous generation Kindles and the DX is the speed. It sometimes takes a while after you push `next page' for it to actually change. In addition, the web browsing feature was so slow and clunky that it is really unusable in my opinion. Two additions to the new Kindle have helped attenuate these issues. First, the pages do flip quicker (albeit, still slow in my opinion), and the addition of wifi has allowed faster connection for wireless activities (much better than only relying on 3G). I still can't see myself using the Kindle as an internet browsing tool or really doing much online aside from purchasing reading material, but the faster connection at least opens up the possibility - something that would only frustrate me on previous editions.

The new Kindle also offers a better contrast than previous editions and it looks fantastic compared to every other e-reader I have seen. I have no trouble seeing the screen in dim light or in bright sunlight - it really opens up the ability to read almost anywhere you are. Of course, you'll still need a separate light for extremely dark areas.

Another big addition to the Kindle 3 is that it offers double the storage compared to Kindle 2. I've never had a problem with the amount of storage since I can't possibly see myself filling up that much space (I don't put mp3's on it), but perhaps in the future, if certain applications or media files are put on the kindle, it could have been a problem. The additional space in the new model is definitely a welcome addition, but bringing back the memory card slot that was included on Kindle 1 would have been an even more welcome addition in my opinion.

Among e-readers, I definitely recommend the Kindle 3 if not just because it has a better size/form-factor, contrast, battery life, and speed compared to every other e-reader I have tried. On top of that, you get the wonderful amazon buying experience and selection for all your literature and can keep your kindle library intact between whatever other device you want to download a Kindle application onto.

The question of whether you need a Kindle vs another type of device for reading becomes a little more tricky and really comes down to what you want to use it for.

Do you want a device to read novels on, perhaps read outside, and have something very light that you almost forget it's there? Buy the Kindle.

Do you want something to lie in bed with for short periods of time while surfing the web? I might suggest going with the iPad, a different tablet, or a netbook.

Do you already have a Kindle 1 or 2? That's a tough one.... I don't think the new edition has enough `new' to it to warrant the upgrade in my mind, but some might value the new size and wifi capabilities even more-so than I do. For me, the new Kindle was a welcome addition to my family of devices since I didn't have anything anywhere near its form factor and convenience.

Should you get 3G + Wifi or just Wifi? I think this question can be answered simply by asking yourself if you travel a lot. Being able to buy books and access wireless content on the road is an indispensable option and well worth the extra money in my mind. Keeping the device mainly at home or near wifi hotspots really negates the need for 3G though.

Overall, I have to give the Kindle a 5 star rating because it does what it was designed to do very well, and in my opinion better than any of the competition. While the new features and capabilities aren't game-changing and truly outstanding, it is smaller, more capable, and better than any other e-reader out there. If you want `one device to handle it all', this isn't the place to look, but If you want a fantastic device solely for reading books, this is what you want.

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The Beatles Stereo Box Set [BOX SET] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

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by The Beatles

Review & Details

Buy The Beatles Stereo Box Set [BOX SET] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED] Now

Customer Reviews
By Sarasotan (Florida)

I was disappointed with the 1987 CDs, so I put my Mobile Fidelity albums (state of the art record albums back then, from the master tapes) onto CD around 1992 and have been listening to those since. I long since sold my 1987 CDs. Now I can get rid of those Mobile Fidelity CDs because the sound quality of these remastered CDs exceeds even them.

For those 1987 CDs the first four albums were in mono. I can sort of understand that for the first two, with their distinct, wide 2-track separation. But the second two had four-track and sounded great in stereo. At any rate, I preferred all four in stereo. So went to extreme measures to get it, in quality. Now those are all here in glorious stereo in this set.

I was afraid that they would narrow the separation on the first two albums. Fortunately they did not. If you want to listen to those two with headphones, you may be disappointed with the sound -- get the mono, but listening to them through speakers, several feet away, the stereo adds an outstanding dimension to the sound.

Throughout this set, the bass is more evident, the drums are sharper - the quality just jumps out at you throughout -- a testament to the much more sophisticated digitization techniques they have today than in 1987. A job well done!!

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Garmin nüvi 760 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Automobile Navigator

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by Garmin

Review & Detail

Buy Garmin nüvi 760 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Automobile Navigator Now

Customer Reviews
By J. Yin

I own both the Nuvi 660 and the 760, I'm writing this review for people having trouble deciding between the two as the price difference between the two products at the time of this review is about 100 dollars. I'm not going to focus on the feature differences, as that information can be easily obtained from specifications and online reviews. The 660 was a fine product back in 2005-2006, but the new 760 outdoes the 660 in practically everything, but there are some key usability fixes that make the 760 a better buy for the frequent user.

1. 760 has much better fonts for street names than the 660. This may seem like a trivial update to some, but the 760's fonts greatly improve visibility. The 660 uses all capitalized text for street names on the map, and the font is incredibly cartoonish and unaligned, something like the scribbling Comic Sans font on the PC. The 760 uses your standard Verdana-like font with street names in capitalized and lowercase letters. The fonts on the 760 are smaller, cleaner and surprisingly much easier to read while driving. The maps end up looking professional, and not some cartoony children's video game.

2. 760 has better rendering in 3D map mode than the 660. In the 660 when you are zoomed in under 3D map mode, the roads close to your car are displayed incredibly large, so large that they run into other roads, making the zoom function essentially kind of useless for dense roads. The 760 does not oversize your roads just because you zoomed in to view smaller roads in detail. This fix is very nice for those who drive in places with dense roadways, like New York City.

3. No antenna on the 760 makes hooking up your Nuvi to the cradle one step easier. On the 660 you need to flip up the antenna before attaching the cradle. For people who park their cars on the street overnight, removing the GPS from the cradle for storage in the console or glove compartment is a must, and it's a lot easier hooking up the 760 to the cradle than the 660. It's hard to aim the 660 to its cradle in the dark as you have to align both the bottom edge and the charge port under the antenna. In the 760, the charge port is directly on the bottom of the unit; you can attach it to the cradle with one hand in the dark easily on the 760.

4. It takes the 660 a good 45 seconds on average (sometimes longer than 2 minutes) after boot up to locate the satellite on a cold start. If you have firmware 2.6 installed on the 760, the satellite acquisition time after boot up is between 10-20 seconds. After the firmware update, my 760 also holds a stronger lock to the satellites than my 660, I can get satellite lock inside my house with the 760, whereas I can't get a lock with my 660 (adjusting the antenna does very little).

5. The ability to set multiple ad hoc viapoints on the 760 means it's a lot easier creating alternate routes (very handy to avoid a specific interstate or a high traffic road). Whereas the 660 gives you just one viapoint.

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Zinwell ZAT-970A Digital to Analog TV Converter Box

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byZinwell

Review & Detail

Buy Zinwell ZAT-970A Digital to Analog TV Converter Box Now

Customer Reviews
By couchbum "couchbum"

I only have an outdoor TV antenna. No cable or satellite. I too bought this converter for the built in timer. You can record different channels at different times while you're away from home with your VCR and TV antenna (However, you can not record one station and watch another station "at the same time"). You have to set your TV and VCR to channel 3 (always) and the timer in this converter is what you set for the time and channel to record. Make sure the clock time on the converter box matches the clock time on your VCR. Or you may miss part of your show. There is one problem that I haven't figured out yet. I hooked this converter to the TV in my living room. My outdoor antenna cable line continues on and goes to the bedroom and the TV in the bedroom only plays the channel that the converter box is on in the living room. I have 2 of these converter boxes and so I hooked the second one up in the bedroom. It receives no channel signals. Well, that didn't last long since I received my DVD recorder in the mail (Toshiba DR560 1080p Upconverting DVD Recorder with Built-in Tuner, bought on Amazon) and this DVD recorder has a built-in ATSC/NTSC/QAM digital/analog tuner. Meaning, I don't need a converter box in my living room now. This DVD recorder allows me to record one station and watch another station at the same time from my over the air, outdoor antenna. Just like a VCR. Awesome! Now the converter box works on the bedroom TV. Since the DVD recorder is allowing the signal to continue on through to the bedroom. I am a happy camper. I now have an extra converter box. Maybe I'll sell it on Amazon.


Over 3 years ago, I got rid of my cable (yes, the first 3 months was very difficult). I bought an outdoor TV antenna and lived with that for about a year. The reception wasn't good, lots of white specs or lines. Then I bought a "booster" for the antenna. A big improvement almost like receiving paid cable. This converter box allows me to receive more TV stations then the outdoor TV antenna alone. I haven't figured out yet what these stations are. I think they're cable or satellite channels. This converter box also improved the reception of all the TV stations. My new DVD recorder, as I mentioned above, also improved the reception even better then this converter box.

By the way, so far I've saved over 2 thousand dollars by getting rid of my paid cable and going to an outdoor antenna. Add up your monthly cable bill and times it by 12. That's what you're paying a year for paid cable.

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Garmin nüvi 260 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

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by Garmin

Review & Detail

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Customer Reviews
By Writesoon
The Nuvi 260 is a Nuvi 250 with the addition of text-to-speech (speaks actual names). Other than the text-to-speech (TTS) feature, the units are identical in appearance and operation.

Why did I buy this?
1)Many GPS models have features not needed for navigating (such as an MP3 player or Bluetooth). The 260 only has what I really think is necessary in a portable GPS. It's sleek (fits comfortably in your pocket), easily transportable, has preloaded maps with a tremendous database, and a fast processor which calculates and recalculates routes in seconds. Eliminating unnecessary features reduces the cost, plus makes it easier to use.

2)The touchscreen interface in the Nuvi 260 is so intuitive, many people can skip the short instruction book altogether. Ten minutes of just "playing around with the unit" after taking it out of the box is all you will need to be navigating. That's the mark of a great design.

3)Unlike the flip-up antenna found in Garmin's 300 series, the 200 series has an internal antenna...a big plus. (One less thing to break.) In addition, the screen in the 200 series units is significantly brighter and sharper than Garmin's older 300 series.

4)Speaking street names is a tremendous asset. Units that don't have TTS only say "In 500 feet exit right". That forces you to glance at the screen to see what street/exit/etc you need to navigate to. A unit with TTS says " In 500 feet take exit 52, on right, to Route 80 West". You keep your eyes on the road with this feature. So besides the convenience, TTS is a safety feature that is worth the extra dollars.

What do I dislike about the Nuvi 260?
1)I am not a fan of the windshield suction mount. In many reviews people have said that the mount is not reliable in the long term. It randomly falls off (this happened to me a few times). On a hot day the suction cup can soften and is reluctant to come off at all, or it leaves a telltale ring on the windshield. That's not good. (As an aside, there has been a significant increase in the thefts of portable GPS devices from cars...even when the devices were not in plain view. Police have stated that thieves assumed there was a GPS unit hidden in the car if a residual ring from the suction cup was seen on the windshield.) Save yourself from the inevitable and buy the beanbag dash mount.
2) The information in the database and maps can be a few years old. This problem is seen in ALL brands of GPS units, not just Garmin. There are millions of points of interest and roads to keep track of. It changes by the day. By the time the final product makes it to market, some of it is already outdated. But, for over 99% of the time, it is correct and it finds what I looking for. Until the manufacturers figure out a way to update their databases and maps in real time, this is what we have.

Once you think about what the really important features are in a portable GPS unit, you will realize that the Garmin Nuvi 260 is a wise choice.

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Western Digital Caviar Green 1 TB Bulk/OEM Hard Drive 3.5 Inch, 32 MB Cache, 7200 RPM SATA II WD10EADS

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by Western Digital

Review & Detail

Buy Western Digital Caviar Green 1 TB Bulk/OEM Hard Drive 3.5 Inch, 32 MB Cache, 7200 RPM SATA II WD10EADS Now

Customer Reviews
By T. Anderbery "-Simplistik Software, Co." (Central Pa. USA)

WD engineering continues to impress me and I've been in the IT business for 20+ years as an engineer on all levels. When used in an Apple computer these drives impress with the hardware and OS ability to control the drive for increased performance. Some PC's are being built with this capability as well, but even without it the on-board processor performs fantastic. I would however not recommend this drive in a server due to it's variable spindle speed.

In an external enclosure SATA II through Firewire 800 sustained speeds matched a WD Black 1tb drive, basically maxing out the FW800 bandwidth. Through USB 2.0 they both performed identical as well but USB speeds are based on the external enclosures chip and since it's Serial (USB) it's ONE WAY at a time which makes it slow when compared to FW400/800.

Temps in an iMac were less than 109* at most times, rarely exceeding 110* which also resulted in lower fan noise.

Lower Heat, Less power generally equal longer life and higher reliability however these drives are still new. But as of this review our company has 2 in a NAS Enclosure running in RAID1 for the last 4 months non-stop without any issues.

The WD Black drives would be ideal when performance is what matters but in situations where energy consumption and more importantly heat is considered the ideal attribute these drives are best. The WD black is about 30% faster overall on either Mac/Pc.

Spindle speed varies from 4200rpm-7200rpm on newer models, first generation varied 5400rpm-7200rpm. Both are able to stop altogether through a spin down feature however this will never "spin-down" on a windows based machine due to the indexing Windows employs that access's the drive once every 3 seconds.

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Garmin nuvi 265WT 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Bluetooth & Integrated Traffic Receiver

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by Garmin

Review & Detail

Buy Garmin nuvi 265WT 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Bluetooth & Integrated Traffic Receiver Now

Customer Reviews
By John S. Dean "jdthird"

Spent a weekend reviewing various GPS devices to replace my less than 1 year old Mio C320 (avoid these like the plague) that had its battery die about 4 months after purchase. Went back and forth along the entire line of Garmin devices, and finally settled on this one for the blue tooth and traffic, neither of which I'll probably hardly ever use, but nice to have when I want them.

I was disappointed with the map, the "new" 2009 one, because I have some streets in my neighborhood that have been around for over four years and they're not to be found on this unit. Even the piece of junk cheap Mio had these streets.

But that's about the only downside there is to it, the only reason I haven't given it 5 stars.

Having been used to the MIO, and the horrible refresh rate, it is a pleasant change to see smooth scrolling as my vehicle moves. The ability to change the car icon is nice, especially with the plethora of icons available on the garmin website.

Accuracy is very good as well, and even in turns the unit isn't so laggy that it becomes annoying. And also unlike what I was used to with the MIO, when I come to a stop at the intersection, the map doesn't start rotating randomly on me.

Speaker is about as I expected, won't hear much over a loud stereo but crank it up enough you can at least hear it if you keep the music down a bit.

The option to easily download voices is also appreciated.

It did well with my testing of going point to point, following the instructions, and for the most part you're given the instructions in plenty of time. only once or twice did it not tell me "turn right on such and such" until I was about 20 feet from the street, but that was when I was coming up on stop signs and had slowed down, so it may be compensating for the speed factor.

Recalculation notice is a bit annoying, my MIO would say it once, sometimes this says it three times before it starts to display the alternate route.

Still has about 900MB free on the internal memory for additional voices, icons, maps, and such, and with the SD slot there's plenty of room to grow.

I have a Verizon XV6900 phone with Windows Mobile 6.1, and while the bluetooth paired well and it can see the phone status, battery power, signal, even dialed and missed call lists, it never does get the phonebook. it gets a random entry and that's it - so whenever I turn it on, I have just one user to select from, and it's different each time. Still haven't tracked that one down yet. But every other bluetooth option worked just fine.

I'm not a fan of the very thick double power cable for it though, and it would be doubly annoying (no pun intended) if I were mounting this somewhere higher up on the window to have that double cable dangling down.

I can see how the ads would get annoying sometimes (the free traffic is because it is advertising driven) but you don't get them at all if you turn off the traffic feature, and since most of my driving isn't around times that traffic is a concern, i can just leave it for when I really have a use for it.

Good response to finger input, and while the unit is overall much better quality than the MIO, I really do miss the MIO's ability to have an info pane down the last third of the screen and the map on the first two thirds of it when desired. But there's some of that info available in the data bubbles on the bottom and top so I'll survive.

Overall happy with the unit, it works well and was worth the cost.

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Apple iPod nano 8 GB Black (4th Generation)

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by Apple

Review & Detail

Buy Apple iPod nano 8 GB Black (4th Generation) Now

Customer Reviews
By antibambi

this is my 6th portable digital music device so far, and i tried to avoid ipods because they always got bad reviews for malfunctioning and lacking features. this on is a different story. not only is this ipod the thinnest ipod ever made (you can stop here, apple, any further and it will vanish), its made smart, and so far its a very good buy for me. unlike everyone thinks cover flow cant be turned off, it can. instantly after i connected my ipod to itunes a new firmware update popped up, and one of the updates was an option to turn off cover flow, among other things.

+ pros
-incredibly thin. i cant even tell its in my pocket
-aluminum casing and glass screen offer excellent scratch resistence
-very light
-very competitive pricing - 16 gb for what the nano offers is the most affordble nano ever. the apple reputation has never been so attainable.
- accelerometer - this adds a few fun touches to operate without pressing buttons, is very useful for rotation on the screen when viewing pictures or watching videos. games are now actually very interesting
- screen clarity
-simplicity of use
-lots of colours to choose from

- cons
ITUNES - as usual itunes is very frustrating and needs redesigned. itunes 8 is dependent on quicktime! any quirks at all with it and your back to reinstallation. expect to encounter problems
- battery life - below average for me so far, no big deal though. just dont mess around with the thing so much
-everything is automated - when i put the headphones in the jack, or disactivate the hold button, it shouldn't automatically turn on.
-Apple is NOT doing the 3rd party crap. all apple accessories for ipods here on out must be apple brand or apple certified. depressing...

er, then i suppose theres a "both" category
-genius- theres something i havent noticed people mention, or if they do, its complaints. Genius is an absolutely worthless feature when used on the ipod. It works with only about 25% of PURCHASES. And it doesn't make a very satisfying playlist even when it does work. But honestly who should expect that? When you use genius on, itunes, yeah it still sucks at making playlists, and it is frustrating, but it's an excellent tool for finding new music, because it reccomends a huge list of new songs and different artists that usually appeal to your taste.

overall a big improvement compared to other ipods ive seen. the pricing and compactness, features and ease of use stand out. (get the 16 gb if you really want movies, or go for the classic or touch) i give it

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Garmin nüvi 360 3.5-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Text-To-Speech

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by Garmin

Review & Detail

Buy Garmin nüvi 360 3.5-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Text-To-Speech Now

Customer Reviews
By Earl E. A. Dopter

Previous to this, I had the Nuvi 350, which is also an excellent device. Since the function is identical in nearly every regard to the 350, there is little point in covering the basics in much depth, but it's worth re-stating some of them. I will go into great detail on the Bluetooth functionality below.

This is such a handy device, and is so well executed, that you would be hard-pressed not to love it. The first thing I noticed about the Nuvi was its incredibly small size and weight. I could not believe how light it was. I literally expected it to have at least twice the heft when I went to pick it up the first time - it was like picking up a deck of cards, but lighter.

The antenna is a flap that is raised from the back, maybe about the size of a matchbook. When raised the Nuvi immediately starts locking in on satellites, when lowered, the unit knows you are through navigating for a while. Intuitive and effective.

Navigation on the Nuvi is very good, fast, and intuitive. It's no different from many of Garmin's other offerings in that regard. Some buildings and businesses that you would expect to be shown as POIs are not there, but most are. One thing I would suggest: when a route is less than ideal, Garmin should allow you to correct it permanently so that it does not re-suggest the non-preferred route each time.

I had a problem with my old Nuvi 350 that I have not observed on the new 360. Sometimes the 350 would not lock onto the satellite signal. Once it went into this mode of searching for, but not locking in, for over a minute it just never found anything. The only way I found to correct this was to push the small reset button under the antenna. I notice that another reviewer found that his new 360 had the same problem. This must be a bug in some Nuvi units that would be worth following up with Garmin on. I can tell you that my 360 NEVER has required a reboot, and I've been using it continuously.

I did not test the MP3 functionality beyond verifying that it plays back the songs that are pre-loaded for demo purposes. I didn't care about this feature; I'm very happy with my iPod for song management and playback. I can verify that you would not want to use the Nuvi's internal speaker for song playback, though. It's good enough to use as a speakerphone and for voice prompts, but it's not a hi-fi.

Now, for the fun part: Bluetooth functionality. I have been using it with my BlackBerry 8700c with excellent results so far. I had no problems with the initial discovery and mating process. The interface is robust. What happens is that once your phone has made the connection with the 360, a phone icon appears on the Nuvi. You can now use the 360 to call ANY POI directly from the screen! This is truly amazing; you are now walking around with the yellow pages in the palm of your hand, sortable by your current location, or any other location you choose. I just find the Point of Interest, and touch the phone number of that POI, and the phone starts dialing it. The sound comes out through the speaker of the Nuvi, and conversations have been natural so far. It's working like an absolute charm, and this single feature moves the device beyond anything else available right now.

When you select the phone icon from the main screen, several phone-related icons appear. From the phone screen, you can make a call manually, access your address book, call a POI, etceteras. The manual dial function works fine from the touchscreen. The really cool news: Nuvi automatically downloads your phone's address book to its database when it makes the initial Bluetooth link. So, if your phone supports this functionality, you can use it for all dialing functions, since the display is so much nicer than most phones, and the touchscreen works really well. You can always break the BT connection once you get the number dialed if you want a private, non-speakerphoned conversation. I have done that many times already. Once your call ends, the connection to the Nuvi is reestablished automatically. One word of warning: BlackBerry does not support sending its addresses to the Nuvi, so I was unable to test the download feature, but this does not surprise me given BlackBerry's security obsession. I am confident that it would work fine with other supported phones.

Overall, the device is a joy to operate. The battery life is good, although I would not call it excellent. The menus are very intuitive. The accuracy is very high. Even the windshield mount earns my praise. I did a lot of research on the Nuvi, comparing it in excruciating detail to the latest Tom Tom 910, the Magellan Roadmate 800, etceteras. The 350 was a great unit, the 360's Bluetooth functionality makes it even better, and worth the extra money for me.

UPDATE (7/28/06): I just returned from a 4 day trip to Banff, Canada during which I logged another 20 hours of driving. The unit continues to perform perfectly, including comprehensive POIs in the Banff/Lake Louise area. I also discovered an amazing feature I had not noticed before. I was unfamiliar with the Lake Louise area and had three hungry kids in the car. I pressed Where To, then Restaurants, and the list appeared, in order of proximity to my moving vehicle. Each listing showed the distance to that restaurant, with a little arrow next to it showing the exact direction to that restaurant. I just left it on this page and drove around, following the arrows, which moved as I did, until I found a restaurant that looked good. What an amazing device. I also have nothing but praise for the window mount. Seems like a small thing, but it's so solid and well-designed I had to make special mention of it. It has a lever to easily create a large suction force, the ball joints are very solid, and the method of attachment to the Nuvi is just extremely well designed.

Update (9/2/06): I have now owned the Nuvi 360 for about two months. It continues to exceed my expectations in terms of reliability and accuracy. So many nice touches that you don't notice right away but that are executed so well. The auto brightness level, for example, is perfect. The night mode changes the color scheme and the background goes black, highlighting the roads well and keeping the light emissions at a pleasant level, where the day mode would have been too bright. Everyone I demo it for wants one. My next step: buy stock in Garmin?

Update (9/14/07): The unit continues to operate flawlessly. I have now bought this machine for several employees of my company, each of whom love it. I also followed through on my impulse to buy Garmin stock, which has more than doubled since then! I now also own a Nuvi 660; it's fantastic. However, with the wider screen it's a bit bulkier to carry around, so my wife and I trade them back and forth depending on what we are doing. I still say that the 360 is the best bang for the buck if you want the Bluetooth functionality, and the 350, which is now selling for only $370, is every ounce as good if you don't care about the Bluetooth.

One other point - I now drive a BMW 545i with integrated GPS. I bought the car used but I know that the option costs a bundle. I never use it because the Nuvi is so much more user friendly and fast. So for anyone out there who is trying to decide if they should spring for a very expensive integrated GPS system in their new car, here's one vote to save yourself the money and get the Nuvi. It's easier to use and you get to carry it around with you to boot!

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Canon PowerShot SD1100IS 8MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Blue)

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by Canon

Review & Detail

Buy Canon PowerShot SD1100IS 8MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Blue) Now

Customer Reviews
By Garrett Lowenthal

If you need a solid, reliable, and stylish point-and-shoot ultracompact digital camera that produces high-quality images, then the new Canon PowerShot SD1100IS may be right for you.

I am an advanced amateur photographer and own 2 Canon digital cameras (G2 and 20D). Both have served me well over the years but recently I have found myself needing a decent ultracompact camera that I can easily carry with me at all times for unexpected photo-ops.

Other current Canon models that I also researched before my purchase of the "bohemian brown" SD1100IS included the SD950IS and the SD1000.

Here is my take on the SD1100IS:

Strengths:
- 8MP CCD sensor with DigicIII processor (excellent resolution images with good dynamic range)
- Solid construction (most of body made of anodized aluminum)
- Feels sturdy and well-balanced in the hands
- Easy to use (logical user-interface) with minimal need to consult owner's manual for basic operation
- Multiple shooting modes to fit variety of situations (action/sports mode is a glaring omission but read section below to see possibly why)
- Advanced metering system with accurately exposed pics in even "tricky" situations (great balance of highlights and shadows)
- Tack-sharp images (much more so with sufficient lighting and use of built-in flash)
- Macro mode can result in stunning close-ups with outstanding level of detail
- Optical IS feature helpful when shooting in either low-light conditions with flash off or at telephoto lengths
- Fast start-up with acceptable shutter-lag (when not using flash)
- Bright 2.5" LCD monitor (100% coverage, 230k pixels) made of polycrystalline silicon; fairly scratch-resistant (can't vouch if this applies to keys and coins)
- Optical viewfinder (though only a tiny peephole, it is essential when LCD glare and washout become an issue shooting in bright sunlight or when LCD cannot be used as battery power is nearly depleted)
- Camera made in Japan (at least those from the 1st shipment; this easily may be subject to change)

Limitations:
- Lack of manual control over aperture, shutter speed, and focusing (for the obssessive control-freaks)
- Noise is noticeable beginning at ISO 400 (ISO 800 still useable but probably for only 4x6 images; ISO 1600 mostly unuseable)
- Fastest shutter speed is 1/1500 sec (not fast enough to stop action for some sporting activities)
- Auto-focus speed inadequate to follow fast-moving subjects
- Shutter-lag accentuated with flash on (precious Canon moments lost while waiting for flash to recharge)
- Cannot adjust focus or optical zoom while shooting in movie mode (focus is fixed for distance selected at first frame, and digital zoom is permitted instead, resulting in significant image quality deterioration)
- Battery/memory card cover and hinge made of plastic (no safety latch that needs to be de-activated first before sliding cover out, in order to prevent accidental opening)
- Minor vignetting and chromatic aberration (albeit, difficult not to expect from compact p&s)
- Pincushion and barrel distortion at the extremes of the focal lengths
- No RAW shooting mode

Battery power in camera mode with LCD monitor on is mostly as advertised, allowing for approximately 240 images. If your budget permits, I recommend investing in a few spare batteries as backups and replacing the supplied 32MB memory card with a pair of 4GB SDHC memory cards--vital purchases if you plan to use the movie mode frequently.

Overall Impression:
Even with some serious limitations inherent to virtually all digital cameras in this class, I am recommending the Canon PowerShot SD1100IS. It does what it's supposed to do. This camera allows one to take beautiful photographs in an ultracompact, reliable, and elegant device that is both easy and fun to use.


[UPDATE: Since this review, Canon has recently announced 3 new ELPH models that will be released soon....in time for Grad & Dad's Day: the PowerShot SD770IS, SD790IS, and SD890IS. All are redesigned 10MP digital cameras with Optical Image Stabilizer. The saga of the MP race continues. If the same sensor is found in these units as their predecessors and without improving the noise reduction technology, then adding a few more MP can potentially result in noisier images. We'll have to wait and see. The most intriguing of the bunch appears to be the SD790IS, which replaces the SD750 by adding the very useful Optical IS feature and showcasing flat control buttons. Hopefully, the QC has been remedied on this unit as many consumers experienced the dreaded "lens error" nightmare. The SD890IS replaces the SD850IS and may appeal to vacationers and wildlifers needing more reach at the telephoto end. The SD770IS seems a bit curious as it may be in direct competition with the new SD1100IS (which is the natural successor to the wildly popular SD1000); it has 2 additional MP but the feature set appears at first glance to be nearly identical to the less expensive SD1100IS. I would've preferred to have seen upgrades to the SD870IS and the SD950IS, but those will be rolled out undoubtedly later this year....conveniently before the Holidays.

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Kindle DX: Amazon's 9.7" Wireless Reading Device (Latest Generation)

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by Amazon

Review & Detail

Buy Kindle DX: Amazon's 9.7" Wireless Reading Device (Latest Generation) Now

Customer Reviews

Slim: Just over 1/3 of an inch, as thin as most magazines

Carry Your Library: Holds up to 3,500 books, periodicals, and documents

Beautiful Large Display: 9.7" diagonal e-ink screen reads like real paper; boasts 16 shades of gray for clear text and sharp images

Auto-Rotating Screen: Display auto-rotates from portrait to landscape as you turn the device so you can view full-width maps, graphs, tables, and Web pages

Built-In PDF Reader: Native PDF support allows you to carry and read all of your personal and professional documents on the go

Wireless: 3G wireless lets you download books right from your Kindle DX, anytime, anywhere; no monthly fees, no annual contracts, and no hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots

Books In Under 60 Seconds: You get free wireless delivery of books in less than 60 seconds; no PC required

Long Battery Life: Read for days without recharging

Read-to-Me: With the text-to-speech feature, Kindle DX can read newspapers, magazines, blogs, and books out loud to you, unless the book's rights holder made the feature unavailable

Big Selection, Low Prices: Over 275,000 books; New York Times Best Sellers and New Releases are only $9.99, unless marked otherwise

More Than Books: U.S. and international newspapers including the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, magazines including The New Yorker and Time, plus popular blogs, all auto-delivered wirelessly

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Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000 (Black)

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by Logitech

Review & Detail

Buy Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000 (Black) Now

Customer Reviews
By Robert L. Stinnett

The Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000 is one of the better webcams I have had the opportunity to use over the years. Its stylish design fits easily on top of my LCD screen, while its functionality and features continue to impress. However, Vista functionality can be an adventure at a few times.

First, let's talk about the good -- picture quality. Let me put it to you think way: This webcam works better than my high priced Sony Camcorder at picking up video in low-light settings. I was simply amazed the first time I used it in a room with compact flourescents in the middle of the night and had such remarkable clarity and picture quality. Logitech credits this ability with something they call RightLight technology (in the video review I get it backwards -- sorry Logitech!). Whatever you want to call it, it's one of the features that definitely makes this webcam stand above the rest.

Next, the optics themselves are impressive. The 9000 utilized Carl Zeiss optics and you can tell the difference between this webcam and others. If you want to find out what makes Carl Zeiss optics so good, I encourage you to do a quick internet search or visit Wikipedia to look it up. It's hard to describe in text how this optics setup helps -- this is definitely something you have to see to believe.

Overall, I found it worked well with all the major instant messaging applications -- AOL, Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo. It also worked very well as a stand-alone camera taking incredible video and decent still shots -- but remember, if you want to take a lot of still shots the quality you get from a product like this is fair at best compared to what you will get with a decent digital camera.

Now, let's talk about a few things that weren't so good about this webcam. The biggest struggle I had was with Windows Vista. Even though the box proclaims it is certified for Vista, I had numerous driver issues. The Logitech 9000 worked in Vista just fine, but for some reason at random intervals it wanted to re-install its drivers. One thing you should know if you purchase this camera is that when installing it you will want to make sure you have the installation program check for updates. I found there were two driver updates for the camera during install. However, even with these updates I continue to have that random re-installation issue.

The "helper application" that comes with the 9000 lets you do a lot of things -- such as configure the webcam, add effects, etc. Although I had no problem configuring it I never got the effects to work. However, this wasn't a big deal for me as I have no use for the special effects.

Overall, if you are looking for a quality webcam that can produce terrific results I highly recommend the Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000. Just be aware of potential Vista issues (which hopefully Logitech will solve). Other than that it's so easy to use even beginners to computers will be able to get it up and running in no time. A quality webcam at a good price considering all of its features.

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Nokia BH-503 Wireless Stereo Headset

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by Nokia

Review & Detail

Buy Nokia BH-503 Wireless Stereo Headset Now

Customer Reviews
By N. Jenkins

I feel like the quest for a decent pair of bluetooth stereo headsets is about like the search for the Holy Grail. Most of them don't sound very good or talk quality is terrible or the battery doesn't last or they are very uncomfortable.

I'm happy to say that these were definitely worth the money and a big step up from anything else I have used.

Comfort -- I was concerned about the "secureness" of the fit and the comfort since I had tried a couple of the "back of the neck" styles before and they really didn't work for my head. These are a smidge too big but overall, they are very usable while I'm driving etc. You would not want to work out wearing these, though -- they would bounce right off and if they did stay on, the sweat would probably destroy them.

Incoming Sound quality -- Very good. I'm using this with a Nokia N96 and they get LOUD if you aren't careful. If you are on a call, the extra volume really comes in handy if you are in the car with wind and road noise.

Outgoing sound quality -- I'm taking this on "heresay" since I have not actually listened to anyone talk through these BUT the calls I've made -- no one has complained about the way I sound. When I have used a BT headset in the past, I would often get complaints that there is an echo or I sound like I'm in a wind tunnel. Today I used these on a conference call for work and nobody new (and they are a pretty vocal bunch if there is any extraneous noise -- they'll tell you to mute yourself!)

Battery life -- About average. You'll probably need to charge them every night but they should get you through the day.

Ease of use button control placement: The great thing about these headphones is that the buttons are big. Once you have the lay out memorized, it is hard to make a mistake. Of course, you can also use the controls on the phone if that is handy but you don't have to have the phone in hand to adjust.

Construction: Very solid construction -- some might find them a bit too heavy. However, the documentation is very specific on a list of no-nos for what not to do with these headphones (mostly having to do with protecting them from extreme weather elements or extreme movement). They do provide a nice little draw string bag to store them in which is a nice touch. I probably wouldn't throw them in your backpack to be crushed by a bunch of text books. However, I don't think you are going to have to baby them too much, either.

Overall, these are the best bluetooth headphones I've tried and I've tried them all!

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Nokia 5800 XpressMusic Unlocked Cell Phone with U.S. 3G, 3.2 MP Camera, GPS, Wi-Fi, 8 GB MicroSD Card--U.S. Version with Full Warranty (Black)

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by Nokia

Review & Detail

Buy Nokia 5800 XpressMusic Unlocked Cell Phone with U.S. 3G, 3.2 MP Camera, GPS, Wi-Fi, 8 GB MicroSD Card--U.S. Version with Full Warranty (Black) Now

Customer Reviews
By Ali K. (NY, USA)

Ever since I have used smart phones, nokia and symbian s60 has been my favorites, my last two phones being the n95-3 and the e71. I was hoping to hold out until the n97 but decided to give the 5800 a try.
The phone itself is built very solidly for a midrange phone, there's no worry about dropping it and having it break on you, the screen is also very nice, this may not be the slimmest phone out there but it feels very comfortable in your hand, and the resolution looks amazing. I have a minor concern with the battery cover, it seems like it was more of an afterthought in the design of the device, there is no buttons or latches to secure it, just a few tabs that u click it into...I hope this doesn't break on me quickly.....but I don't see a need to be removing the cover very often, as the memory card and SIM card are inserted through the side, meaning this phone can have its memory cards switched very easily.
The user interface seems like a quick and dirty job, it is basically the s60 v3 operating system with some bigger icons to make selection by touch a little easier. Not a major overhaul on the operating system basically everything looks the same as previous nokia smart phones, the camera, video, and music interfaces could have made better use of finger controls in my opinion.
Another major concern that hopefully will be alleviated soon is the lack of third party apps, I'm assuming this operating system is still an infant and over time developers will start adapting their existing apps to use on touch devices.
Handwriting recognition is my favorite input methods, although the full screen QWERTY comes in a close second. The t9 keypad works great for one handed operations, and the mini QWERTY keyboard is a joke.
I was disappointed to see that the US version does not ship with an extra stylus, NOR DOES IT HAVE A CARRYING CASE.

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3 in 1 USB Charger Kit for iPod and iPhone: Travel Charger, Car Charger, and Retractable USB Charger and Data Cable

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by Next Web Sales

Review & Detail

Buy 3 in 1 USB Charger Kit for iPod and iPhone: Travel Charger, Car Charger, and Retractable USB Charger and Data Cable Now

Customer Reviews
By Nathan Robinson

I wanted to get this product for my iPod touch so that I don't have to turn on a computer every time my iPod needs to be charged. I was going to pay $20 separately for a wall charger and car charger at a store, until I found this on Amazon. As is described, the wall plug and the car adapter have USB docks in them. iPods aren't the only things that these things can recharge, though. I plugged in my phone via USB and it worked as I expected. This is a nice feature because it will save me from having to buy a new car adapter for every new phone I get, so long as I have a USB cable for said phone, that is. It'll even recharge my Xbox 360 wireless controller! Sometimes I need to recharge my Xbox 360 controller but the Xbox 360 is annoyingly loud, turned on, when you're not using it. Such a pleasant capability!

Aside from the wall plug and car adapter, the USB data cable works just as well for syncing iPods as the one that comes with them. The fact that the cord is retractable is very convenient because it eliminates any tangling of other cords and it's easy to just slip in your pocket in case you're planning on recharging your iPod somewhere like at school. It isn't as long as the one that came with my iPod, but it certainly is nice to have because sometimes I need to recharge my iPod with my MacBook, but have a hard time bringing that long messy cord that comes with the iPod.

All in all, the wall plug, the car adapter, and the retractable USB data cables defeat messiness and will save you money on extra junk that you think you may need. It's a must own for ANYONE who needs to charge a device via USB. Did I mention that it'll even recharge Xbox 360 or PS3 wireless controllers? Whether it's an iPod, a phone, a game controller, or whatever that needs to be recharged via USB, I highly recommend this product to anyone.

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Mighty Bright XtraFlex2 Clip-On Light (Black, Kindle Version)

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by Mighty Bright

Review & Details

Buy Mighty Bright XtraFlex2 Clip-On Light (Black, Kindle Version) Now

Customer Reviews
By Greg Banks (Atlanta)

One of the downsides, such as it is, about the Kindle: Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device and any other device using the revolutionary eInk display is that, just like a paper page, you need external light to read it. By far I think that a non-lighted display is a great thing as it seems far less tiring to my eyes, but it also means that one must have decent lighting in order to read the screen comfortably. This is even more important since, for some, the contrast of black text on a gray background is hard to get used to.

That's where having an accessory like the Mighty Bright XtraFlex2 Light becomes really important. The light is by far the best reading light I personally have seen, with it's long flexible neck which makes finding just the right position a breeze. The wide mouth clip is strong but not overly tight, making it easy enough for me with my limited strength and manual dexterity able to open it, but also leaving more than strong enough to attach firmly to any surface. In my case, I place my Kindle in the Kindle Reader Stand, so I attach the Mighty Bright to the back of the stand.

I love that the lights are LED. A previous reading light I've owned had a small traditional light, and it got hot very quickly. Being disabled and therefore normally using the light on a bed, trying to stand it next to my book (as it had no clip on mechanism) always left me worried about it falling over and burning me, or my inadvertently touching the exposed bulb. Not a problem with the Mighty Bright LEDs, which always stay cool to the touch. Also the ability to use either one or both of the twin LEDs is very useful, as one can (presumably) cut down on battery drainage when the brighter setting is unnecessary.

As for glare on the Kindle screen, a problem other reviewers have mentioned, it is a minor annoyance, but I found the simplest solution is to position the light so that it extends around or just below the Kindle's upper corners to rest off to the side of the screen, with the light itself angled more directly toward the Kindle itself, or perhaps aimed toward a point just to the side of the screen. That seems to keep enough light on the screen to read while keeping the reflection of the bulb off the screen itself. But I am lying down on my bed with the Kindle in its stand beside me more on eye level. Your experiences may vary as you will likely be viewing from a different position.

I can't speak to battery life as of yet as this is an early, first impressions review, after having owned and used the light for a few hours as I write this. But the Mighty Bright looks and feels solid and well made, and with that and its usefulness to me in helping me to further enjoy my Kindle experience, I'd say it's well worth the somewhat high price of $17.99.

Even if this isn't a product you will use every day, for anyone who wants to have the full range of "must have" accessories, you should put the Mighty Bright at the top of your list.

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Garmin Portable Friction Dashboard Mount for nüvi Series and StreetPilot C5XX Series GPS Navigators (C530, C550, and C580)

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by Garmin

Review & Detail

Buy Garmin Portable Friction Dashboard Mount for nüvi Series and StreetPilot C5XX Series GPS Navigators (C530, C550, and C580) Now

Customer Reviews
By A. Stagg (Virginia, USA)

My Prius has a rough dashboard and a windshield that slopes very sharply. Thus, the suction cup mounts are not good solutions. Fortunately, the friction mount is a great solution. It works much better than I expected. Very stable, does not slide, and lets me adjust my Nuvi to a variety of different angles. I can place the GPS anywhere on the dash or even on the center console. Also works great when transferred to my wife's Ford.

Only downside to the device is that it has a rather large footprint, but not prohibitively large. I like the fact that I can easily use this in both of our family vehicles depending on where we need the GPS.

UPDATE: Now that I have used this mount regularly since May, I have to say this is the best mounting solution I've found for a GPS or any other device for my car. It hasn't slid out of place once!! Given the rise in GPS units being stolen from cars, this mount allows you to easily stash your GPS Unit and mount out of sight and then put it back into position with ease.

2009 Update: Still using this in my Prius and my wife has one too. It's held up quite well. It IS a bit bulky to store out of the way when not in use, but still a good solution. I usually remove my GPS from the mount (a simple process) and then place the mount as far under the seat as it will go. Not perfect, but the best solution I've found to date.

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Tivax STB-T8 Digital to Analog TV Converter Box

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by Tivax

Review & Details

Buy Tivax STB-T8 Digital to Analog TV Converter Box Now

Customer Reviews
By Mr. Simon

The previous reviewer was upset about the high price Amazon charges - not about the converter's performance. I purchased two of these from another online vendor using the coupons and ended up paying an additional $45.00, so about $60.00 a piece. If you want quality, you have to pay for it. This model received high praise from Consumer Reports and I agree with them. The picture is as clear as a DVD and the sound is really good too on most stations. The stations without super sound probably has more to do with the broadcaster than the box. The remote has a number of useful buttons. Very simple to set up. The colors are a bit more intense so you may need to adjust your TV set again. I received about 30 stations initially, but deleted ten or so since they were in other languages. Very happy with my purchase. Highly recommended.

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Apple iPod classic 120 GB Black (6th Generation)

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by Apple

Review & Details

Buy Apple iPod classic 120 GB Black Now

Customer Reviews

By Stephen Hall "books911" (USA)

The updated iPod Classic was probably the least exciting of the new iPods announced in the September 2008 update, but that does not mean it should be dismissed.

I own the 160 GB iPod Classic that has now been discontinued, but there are few differences (perhaps the biggest being the much slimmer shape of this 120 model), and I did get to check this updated 120 GB version out at the store, when picking up the new nano and touch.

Firstly, the 120 GB version is again smaller than the largest capacity available last year, but it is a single platter hard drive, which allows it to maintain the slim shape of the 80 GB version from last year. More storage, a hundred dollars less, and just as small. That is progress despite calls from others that the classic isn't exciting. It still serves its purpose as the original iPod idea. Big capacity in a simple to use device.

Next, the software has been slightly updated on the iPod Classic. It now includes Genius, like iTunes and the other new iPods. This allows you, when on a song you enjoy, to select the genius feature. The iPod will then compile a list of songs (playlist), which goes together with the original song you were listening to. This helps you rediscover music in your library, with a playlist to fit your mood at the time. I have been using the genius feature for a few days now, and it is impressive the way it compiles these playlists. I was skeptical, but overall, it does a good job. Furthermore, as another review mentioned, the iPod does seem more responsive with this update from what I saw at the store compared to my original 160 GB iPod Classic. Some speculation has been that the older iPod Classics will receive the software update of this new one, but I'm not holding my breath on that.

Overall, the original iPod concept was so good, and that is why the iPod Classic is still a solid choice for a music and media player. It will hold thousands and thousands of songs (up to 30,000 according to Apple at 128 bitrate). I also backup some important files to my iPod Classic, in disk mode, so that I have that additional extra copy of my most vital files. When you have such a large iPod, you can do that. It shouldn't be forgotten either that while the display of the iPod Classic isn't as good as the iPod Touch or iPhone, it is still quite good and you can play music videos, TV shows, and movies purchased on the iTunes Store.

Battery life for this new 120 GB model improved over the 80GB model from last year. Apple now estimates it at 36 hours audio and 6 hours video.

I'd recommend the iPod Classic without hesitation, to those who have more than 8 or 16 GBs of music in their iTunes library and want to carry their entire collection. Furthermore, if you have videos and video podcasts you want to always carry with you, again, you can't beat the storage. I have the lower capacity flash devices as well, but the big hard drive based iPod Classic continues to play an important role in my iPod Collection.

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Yamaha YAS-70BL Front Surround System (Black)

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by Yamaha

Review & Details

Buy Now

Customer Reviews

By Randy M "rdm" (Des Moines, IA United States)

I was tired of speakers and wires all over the room just for Surround sound for home theater. Then I came across this sound bar. It was perfect!
A sound bar plus woofer speaker is all that makes up this system. But it somehow sends great sound all around the room. And the quality of sound is like nothing I've gotten from many other tested multi-speaker wired systems. Bells and high sounds sound real. Storms make you want to look outside to make sure its not real. Explosions, gun shots, you name it, very realistic.
I'll never go back to a wired multi-wired speaker system. Why bother?

My only issue is it has only three connections. One digital optical, one digital coaxial and one analog rca L/R (I don't use).
I added a digital optical switcher, to solve this issue. But they could have designed at least 3 optical and three coaxial as standard inputs.
This system sounds so good, why not complement it with more than enough inputs? However, they did not skimp on sound quality in any way.
Highly recommended! Fits perfect above plasma or LCD wall mounted HDTV's.

Go to Amazon.Com

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