Olympus Camedia Digital Camera

Olympus Camedia C-4000 4MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom Pros Easy-to-use, excellent quality digital camera. Cons 3X zoom is limiting. The Bottom Line Versatile, digital camera with all of the features a point-and-click photog could want.

Full Review This is my first digital camera. I've had it for about four years and I'm still crazy about it. I use it for everything from taking quick snapshots for eBay to taking pictures for printing and framing. When I bought it, 4.1 megapixel was as high as you could get. Now, of course, higher resolution cameras are the norm. But the output is great up to 8 1/2 by 11 inches. (I haven't printed any larger than that.) I've had Shutterfly print some and I've sent some to my Canon i960. Both look terrific The Setup The unit plugs into a USB port on your computer. You plug your guitar or bass into the Tomeport and the signal is routed to the software that Line6 ships with the unit. There are a couple of stereo line ins and line outs so you can monitor an external sound source or send your guitar to an external source (like a PA). There is also a mic input with a built in preamp, but I haven't used it. The Software Line 6 ships a good software package (Gearbox) with this unit. It contains a bunch of very usable amp models, speaker cabinets, preamps and effects. I play a combination of rock and jazz and I can usually create a tone that meets my needs. You can tweak any and all settings for the canned sample sounds and save them as user sounds. I used to use my own custom sounds exclusively, but the latest version of Gearbox has a really cool Tone Library button which links you to a whole bunch of on-line tones that emulate sounds from people like BB King and other well-known player to staff members from Berklee. These tones are awesome! They really expand the usefulness of the software. Speaking of which, the latest version also includes a cool little metronome which was sorely missing from the last version. You can use it to provide a simple click-track or use one the provided drum grooves. It even does 5/4 time. Very nice. The effects are standard issue - Reverb, Delay, EQ, Chorus, Flange, Fuzz, etc. They are all serviceable and virtually noise-free. The Sound This thing sounds great for the price! The modelled amps are quite authentic. The only sound I haven't been able to reproduce is a Marshall Stack, but I think if I spent the time, I would be able to get just what I was looking for. I was afraid before I got it that it might track poorly or there might be a latency issue, but the thing is spot-on. I can bend, hammer, tap, pull, pop, mute, chicken-pick, etc and it doesn't miss a beat. Another fear I had was that the character of my guitar would be lost in all of that electronic processing, what with the modelling and all, but that is not the case. I'm happy to report that my semi-hollow-body retains its clear harmonics and subtle, round tones while the Strat chunks and crunches away. Keep in-mind, however, that this isn't a studio-level piece of equipment. It's great for getting a guitar or bass signal into your computer. And the Gearbox software is terrific for a consumer-level signal processing, amp modelling tool. But don't expect pristine, high-end output. It's good, but keep the price in-mind when you form your expectations. Some Drawbacks There are a couple of minor drawbacks. First, you can't really use the thing on-stage because it has no foot-pedal. That means that you have to use your computer's mouse every time you want to select a different sound or change a setting. Second, I wish there were more options available for it. For instance, if people could write plugins for it, a whole world of effects or amp sounds might blossom. As it is, we're stuck with the options that the vendor puts out.

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Line 6 TonePort UX1 Product Review

LINE6 UX1 TONEPORT Music Computer Interface Pros Excellent way to get your instrument or voice into a computer program. Cons No footpedal, limited effects and amp models. The Bottom Line Very good consumer-level interface to the world of computers for the traditionally analog musician.

Full Review

I've played guitar for 30 years and worked with computers for twenty. In that time I've always resisted the push to marry the two. To me musical instruments have always been the antithesis of the 'Moore's Law' way of thinking that prevails in technology. I love the fact that the guitar and amp that I've owned for decades are as good or better than most of the stuff that's being made today. So, as I said, I've always resisted the move to plug the guitar into my computer. Then, one day I was messing around with some recording/sampling/mixing software and I realized how powerful, clean and accurate it was. There, on my computer and at very little cost I had software that would allow me to record, bounce, mix, punch in and out, time-stretch, detune, sample, and on and on. It was a revelation! Turns out the computer and music ARE well-suited to each other. (Check out http://flstudio.com/ if you want to get a look at some really fun and hip software.) So I had to find a means by which to plug my Strat and ES-137 into my laptop and get my playing into the mix. I did a fair amount of research and the Toneport was exactly what I wanted. The Setup The unit plugs into a USB port on your computer. You plug your guitar or bass into the Tomeport and the signal is routed to the software that Line6 ships with the unit. There are a couple of stereo line ins and line outs so you can monitor an external sound source or send your guitar to an external source (like a PA). There is also a mic input with a built in preamp, but I haven't used it. The Software Line 6 ships a good software package (Gearbox) with this unit. It contains a bunch of very usable amp models, speaker cabinets, preamps and effects. I play a combination of rock and jazz and I can usually create a tone that meets my needs. You can tweak any and all settings for the canned sample sounds and save them as user sounds. I used to use my own custom sounds exclusively, but the latest version of Gearbox has a really cool Tone Library button which links you to a whole bunch of on-line tones that emulate sounds from people like BB King and other well-known player to staff members from Berklee. These tones are awesome! They really expand the usefulness of the software. Speaking of which, the latest version also includes a cool little metronome which was sorely missing from the last version. You can use it to provide a simple click-track or use one the provided drum grooves. It even does 5/4 time. Very nice. The effects are standard issue - Reverb, Delay, EQ, Chorus, Flange, Fuzz, etc. They are all serviceable and virtually noise-free. The Sound This thing sounds great for the price! The modelled amps are quite authentic. The only sound I haven't been able to reproduce is a Marshall Stack, but I think if I spent the time, I would be able to get just what I was looking for. I was afraid before I got it that it might track poorly or there might be a latency issue, but the thing is spot-on. I can bend, hammer, tap, pull, pop, mute, chicken-pick, etc and it doesn't miss a beat. Another fear I had was that the character of my guitar would be lost in all of that electronic processing, what with the modelling and all, but that is not the case. I'm happy to report that my semi-hollow-body retains its clear harmonics and subtle, round tones while the Strat chunks and crunches away. Keep in-mind, however, that this isn't a studio-level piece of equipment. It's great for getting a guitar or bass signal into your computer. And the Gearbox software is terrific for a consumer-level signal processing, amp modelling tool. But don't expect pristine, high-end output. It's good, but keep the price in-mind when you form your expectations. Some Drawbacks There are a couple of minor drawbacks. First, you can't really use the thing on-stage because it has no foot-pedal. That means that you have to use your computer's mouse every time you want to select a different sound or change a setting. Second, I wish there were more options available for it. For instance, if people could write plugins for it, a whole world of effects or amp sounds might blossom. As it is, we're stuck with the options that the vendor puts out.

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Mercedes-Benz 2003 E-Class Auto Review

Pros Best looking mid-sized Mercedes to come down the pike in decades. Cons A bit sluggish off the line. The Bottom Line I really like this car. It drives wonderfully and it's luxurious without being flashy.

Full Review

The E320 is my fourth Mercedes sedan. My first and favorite was a 1968 250S. It was an absolute classic. Wonderfully rich interior, excellent handling, but a bit underpowered. The body style was instantly recognizable as a Mercedes with a slight Pagoda design to the roof, the huge expanse of hood and a trunk that reminded me of a boat's deck. The E320 reminds me of that classic sedan from days of old. It has the most luxurious appointments of any Benz since those from the '60s. The body styling is distinct and, like my old 250S, the car is slightly underpowered. Still, I really enjoy this car and I'll tell you why here: Interior The interior is what ultimately sold me on it. As I mentioned above, the appointments are pure luxury. Swooping wood trim surrounds the driver and front passenger. The best woodwork I've seen in a Benz in 30 years. The leather seats are supple and supportive - much more comfortable than those in the Jaguar X series that I test-drove. In fact, these seats, while not as roomy as the ones in my old 250 are better than those in any of the Mercedes that I've owned since then. The back seat is roomy and the trunk is huge. While it's a subjective judgment, I'd say the controls are laid out well for the most part. I like the analog speedometer and other gauges. But I have a couple of minor complaints in this department. First, telephone dial pad is too far away from the driver to quickly dial while driving. If I have to manually dial a number, it takes a lot of concentration and carefully looking back and forth from the road to the phone pad. I'd have liked a little easier means by which to dial manually. My other complaint is that the menu system which is accessible through steering wheel controls is a bit clunky. I rarely need to change the time or set the interior lighting options while driving, but I have to wade through those menus to get to the few options that I use frequently while at the wheel. Speaking of the interior lighting, I like it. Lots of ambient light available at night and plenty of task lighting when needed. Exterior Gone is the boxy look that started appearing on MB sedans in the '80s. The body sits on its haunches and looks like a cat that's ready to pounce. A sloping roof and hood make the car appear to be in motion even when it's parked. The raked headlights and grill give it a very aggressive 'face'. Very nicely done. Performance As others have noted here, the E320 is not the quickest car on the road. It's heavy for the size of the engine and it doesn't jump off the line. When I get in my wife's Maxima after driving the E320, I have to consciously back off the throttle so I don't over-do it. I've had the E320 up to 115 MPH on the highway and it felt very well-grounded. I think there was a good deal more speed left in her, but I understand that they install a governor at the factory that tops out at 130. But the best place for driving this car is on twisty two-lanes. It sticks to the road and corners tightly and is very much at-home carving out swaths through the back roads. The ride is pure Mercedes - comfortable without being too soft. I get about 30 MPG when driving conservatively on dry roads. I don't drive it in snow, so I can't comment on how she handles under those conditions.

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Sennheiser MX 500 Earbuds Product Review

Sennheiser MX500 Earbuds (White) Pros Excellent sound, decent comfort and great price. Cons Needs a longer cord The Bottom Line Absolutely the best earbuds I've found for the money.

Full Review

I bought these as an interim set after giving up on my Shure E2 in-ear set. (You can read my review of the Shures at E2 Product Review). I had intended to just use the Sennheisers only until I found a better set. But after using them for a couple of weeks I am extremely pleased and I don't plan on giving them up. In fact, they're so affordable that it's easy to justify few more sets for home, office, etc. Comfort The very first thing that I noticed when I put these in my ears was how much more more comfortable they are than the Shures. These have standard earbud-style drivers with foam pads that sit lightly in the outer ear. The Shure's are inserted into the ear canal and, as I mentioned in my E2 review, I found them very uncomfortable. These Sennheisers are far more comfortable. Sound These phones sound great! I am still knocked out by them. They blow the Shures away in all respects. The high end is clear, bright and a little breathy like a set of well-tuned studio monitors. The mid range is full and well defined. And the bass is great - better than the Shure's which are renowned for their bass response. These are as loud as the Shures are, as well. In case you can't tell, I am supremely happy with the Sennheiser's sound. Isolation This is the one area where the Shure's win out. The Sennheisers do not seal you off from external noises the way the Shure's do. If that isn't a concern for you, it won't matter. But if you want to hear less of the world around you, and you want the world to hear less of whatever you're listening to, the Shures are a better pick. Minor Annoyances Nothing is perfect and these phones would be even better if they had the following: 1) A longer cord. You'll probably need an extension. 2) Better foam pads. The supplied pads are cheap and fall off easily. 3) How about a volume control on the cord? It's a lot easier to turn up the tunes with an on-cord control rather than fumbling for the volume on an MP3 player. Bottom Line Absolutely the best earbuds I've owned. Disclaimer After reading this, I realized it sounds like an advertisement. I just want to assure you that I have no affiliation with Sennheiser and no axe to grind with Shure. These are just my opinions.

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Shure E2 Earbuds Product Review

Shure E2 High Energy In-Ear Earphones Pros Good sound Cons Uncomfortable, poorly manufactured The Bottom Line If these were more comfortable and better made, I might recommend them. But as it stands, I don't think they're worth the aggravation.

Full Review

I bought these because they received good reviews from the industry press and because, as a performing musician, I used Shure microphones for years and loved them. First thing I noticed when unpacking them is that they came with a little case. You are supposed to roll them up and store them in the case when they're not in-use. It's a good idea, but I wonder how many people will do this in practice. I keep my headphones attached to my MP3 player and at-the-ready. I suspect others will, too. Next thing I found was three sets of foam and three sets of plastic ear pieces. Each set is larger than the next and the idea is that one of them will fit your ear relatively well. One ear piece goes on each speaker and they are inserted into your ears. It took me a LONG time to finally settle on the large plastic ear pieces. They weren't the most comfortable, but at least they didn't come off in my ear like some of the others did. Comfort Wearing these things definitely takes some getting used-to. I found myself fiddling with them a lot to try and get them to sit in my ear canal tightly. They always seemed to want to fall out unless I really crammed them in there. I found them to be uncomfortable and annoying. Sound But, when they were nestled in my ear correctly and I had the tunes cranking, they sounded really good. The low end was better than any other earbuds that I've had and I've had a few. It isn't like listening through a set of big studio monitors, but the response in the low range is pretty impressive. The rest of the spectrum is also nicely covered. Isolation Another plus is that other people can't seem to hear the music, no matter how loud it's cranked. You can be wailing to Van Halen's 'Eruption' turned up to 11 and the people next to you won't hear a thing. Another side effect of using them is that you can't hear a lot of what's going on around you either. These are no open-air style headphones -they seal you off nicely. Bottom Line But alas, I'm giving them up. Yesterday, after only about 8 months of use, one of the plastic driver casings broke for no apparent reason. I'll probably glue it back together and use these as a backup, but they just aren't worth the annoyance factor to me.

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Gibson ES137 Semi-Hollowbody Electric Guitar Product Review

Pros Versatile, nice tone, pretty Cons Heavy, not perfect for jazz, fit and finish are sub-par The Bottom Line Nice instrument, but shop around

Full Review

This is the only guitar I've ever bought online. I bid on it on eBay never thinking I'd wind up with the winning bid. But lo-and-behold, I am now the proud owner of this very nice, one-year-old guitar. Overall Gibson is clearly aiming this guitar at the player who has a variety of musical demands. It works well in any rock scenario and it holds its own in a jazz context. I don't play country, but the instrument is very versatile and I imagine it would play well in that arena in the right hands. Playability First, let me tell you that this guitar is heavy. It weighs about three pounds more than my Fender Strat. If you will be playing the instrument on a stool, perhaps in the studio, this won't be a problem. But if you plan to use it for live gigs, the weight will take a toll over the course of a night if you stand. The neck feels like the Les Paul I've played. It has an ebony fingerboard and a fairly wide radius. The neck is relatively thick - kind of feels like the Taylor acoustic I've had for years. The cutaway allows unimpeded access to the upper frets. My two main guitars are the 137 and a Fender Strat with a maple neck. I probably play each one about 50% of the time. I have to say that the Fender has much lighter action and the notes fairly jump off the guitar. The 137 requires a lot more coaxing and the notes don't jump as much as you have to squeeze them. I know this is a nebulous description, but it's the only way I can describe the action of each instrument. Fit and Finish The ES-137 is fairly well-made. The purfling is nice, the frets are fairly finished and the varnish is highly polished. Having said that, I have a couple of minor gripes. First, the finish is pretty, but soft. I found that the spot where the neck meets my guitar stand has formed a bump. It will probably rub out, but I really don't like feeling that every time I play on the upper frets. Second, there is a loud rattle that comes from the front of the guitar whenever I play it. When it's plugged in, it's no big deal - you can't hear it. But if I sit and play it without an amp. it drives me nuts. I've tried tightening or pressing on very piece of hardware on the instrument, but I can't stop the rattle. Third, the fret work is a little sloppy and the high 'E' string frequently gets caught in a gap between the end of the fret and the neck binding. It's maddening and I'm getting the guitar refretted just to correct the problem. It's an expensive solution, but I can't gig with this guitar in this condition. Tone It has a nice overall tone, full of harmonics, richer than most 335's that I've owned. But the ES-137 is better suited to rock than to jazz. I bought it hoping that it would serve me well in both arenas, but it simply plays better in the rock world. Having said that, I pick it up every time I have to play in a jazz setting. It is head-and-shoulders above the Strat in that regard. It may not mimic the sound of a hollow-body, but it does a respectable job. Don't mistake this for a jazz guitar, however. It is really a rock animal. (I play through only one amp - a Mesa Boogie combo that serves me well in all genres.)

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Magellan Meridian Color GPS Product Review

Magellan Meridian Color Handheld GPS Navigator Pros Low cost, color is great, pre-loaded buoys, cans, nuns and lighthouses. Cons Short battery life. The Bottom Line I highly recommend considering this unit if you're looking for a handheld GPS.

Full Review

I use this unit in the US North Atlantic. I have a 17 foot Newport daysailer that I take from the mainland New Hampshire coast to the Isle of Shoals, around Portsmouth Harbor, into Southern Maine and around Hampton and Rye NH. Before I had the Magellan, I had charts, a magnetic compass and dead reckoning to determine my whereabouts. I still use those methods, but not because I have to - I just like to keep the skills up. Benefits on the water Using this unit makes sailing much less stressful. I no longer have to scan the horizon for landmarks, buoys or lighthouses when heading for a particular destination. I simply set it, and various way-points, on the Meridian before leaving shore and it guides me in effortlessly. Color or Gray-scale Before I bought the Magellan, a friend who has a much larger boat and far more money than I do strongly recommended getting a color unit. He pointed out that color images impart more information than gray-scale. After using the color Magellan for a couple of months, I have to agree - color images, especially when on the open ocean, are more informative at a quick glance than gray-scale. It's easy to see if an approaching buoy is red or green, for example, with a quick look at the screen. Compared to other brands I checked out Garmin and Lowrance before settling on the Magellan. Both of those manufacturers offer color GPS units, but the price-point for color is considerably higher than the Magellan - at least $100 more than the Meridian. And those other units didn't come with oceanic aids to navigation installed. They had to be purchased separately and loaded from a CD. The Magellan has preloaded all of the buoys, nuns and cans that I'm looking for in coastal waters. It also comes with the standard GPS bells and whistles. Knot-meter, trip planner, ETA, miles off-course, etcetera, but they are well-documented and I won't reiterate them here. Suffice it to say that it has everything necessary to conduct a coastal cruise in US waters. As I understand it, there are different areas of the US coast loaded on each unit depending on where you buy it. So if you're purchasing on-line, be sure that the one you're buying is loaded with the coastal area that you are planning on cruising. Downside of a backlit screen Others have noted the short battery life and they are not exaggerating. 6 hours is all you can expect if you use the back-lighting. But I find the non-backlit mode readable, even in bright sunlight, and the batteries last about 10-12 hours in that mode. Just be sure to carry extra batteries when you head out. The unit comes with a serial cable to connect it to a PC. The documentation calls this a serial/power cable, so I believe that it doesn't use the batteries when it's connected in this way. There is no connection for on-board power. In-use It takes about 2 minutes to lock onto satellites the first time it powers up for the day. I'm not sure why, but it is much faster locking on when I power it up if it's been off for a short while. It tracks very well whether I have it zoomed in all the way or zoomed out fairly far. The menus and interface are extremely easy to use, even under adverse conditions. I was fighting 5-foot seas and 20 knot winds one day recently and I had no problem moving quickly between the different screens when I had a free hand. Setting way-points, destinations and icons is very easy and intuitive. It's a lesson in effective user-interface design. Form Factor The unit is light and the buttons are placed below the screen on its face. This allows you to manipulate the controls without blocking the display with your hand. It's also quite light-weight so it doesn't weigh you down if you keep it on your person. After using the Meridian for a couple of weeks, I purchased a mounting bracket for around $20. It's very helpful to have it at-hand without digging it out of my pocket while sailing.

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Sansui LCDVD150 15 in. TV/DVD Combo Product Review

Pros Very compact, full feature set, good audio and video quality. Cons Washed out picture in bright sun, relatively low resolution compared to analog picture. The Bottom Line Good second set for any home.

Full Review

For years, my wife and I have wanted to be able to watch movies from our bedroom. And since we use Netflix, we also wanted a DVD player. The main detriment has been the lack of space in our bedroom. It's small to begin with and, after furnishing it with a queen-sized bed, an armoire, two side tables and a bureau, there was no room for a standard television and DVD player. We were in an electronics shop one day and we came across the Sansui LCDVD200. It was exactly what we needed. At a mere 23 1/2 inches wide, 17 1/4 inches tall and 8 1/2 inches thick, including the integral DVD, and speakers, it fit nicely on top of our armoire. The 20" flat panel LCD has a good, if not remarkable, picture with 640x480 resolution. The Digital Dolby sound is very good with DTS digital output for external processing. And the built-in DVD player handles standard CD'(DA) and CD-R/RW (MP3) formats. Features The viewing angle of 80 degrees horizontal and 70 degreesvertical allows you to see the image from just about anywhere you'll probably want to. Additionally, the screen tilts 15 degrees back and 5 degrees forward to increase the effective viewing range. The included stand is sturdy and doesn't take up much room. It also helps manage cables with a built-in cable channel. There are a wide range of options for both picture and sound, all controlled by the remote. (Power, volume and channel selection are also controllable from the set itself.) Along with the standard brightness, contrast, color, tint and sharpness, the set offers: * Closed captioning, * V-chip, * Channel memory so you can skip the shopping channels while scanning * Set a sleep time * Freeze-frame * Second audio program (SAP) * Bass, treble, balance and Surround sound * Dynamic range control * Aspect ratio selection (16:9, 4:3 Letterbox, 4:3 Panscan) Performance We really like the set. The picture is acceptably sharp and bright. It's especially suited to our use which is almost completely at night with the lights out. We find, however, that the picture washes out considerably in direct, bright sunlight. It's not unviewable, by any means, but it is less than optimal. The DVD performs admirably. Nothing earth-shattering, just good solid performance as you expect from any quality A/V gear. The set plays nicely with other equipment. The Video/S-Video inputs allow you to plug in your camcorder, VCR, external DVD, etc. There are also Digital Audio out and RF input jacks. Summary We really like this set. It takes up very little room, offers a wide range of controls and viewing options and is easily configured using the on-screen menus. It suits our needs perfectly. It's also quite portable. We had a Super Bowl party and hung the set on our living room wall for extra viewing capacity. It was a breeze and took no time at all. Having said that, I wouldn't replace my analog set with this one. The picture just can't stand up to a good, old-fashioned cathode ray tube. Additionally, HD sets have come down in price enough to make this non-HD TV a bit of a dinosaur.

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American Musical Supply Online Store Review

Very fast delivery, excellent return policy, superb pricing, broad product selection and great customer service.

I've purchased a handful of relatively expensive items from them, used the stuff in my studio and returned those things that I didn't want within the 45-day return period. Essentially, this allows in-home 45-day trial, and all you pay is the return shipping. Even my local music store charges a 'restocking fee' and their return policy is much more restrictive.

Their selection is much broader than that which I can find locally. The TC Electronics G Major was impossible for me to get my hands on locally, but they had it and a lot of other effects. (They also have a lot of different guitars, but I wouldn’t buy an instrument without playing it first.)

I like their easy payment plan, where you can opt for them to split up the charge to your credit card into 3 equal payments. This is, in essence, an interest-free loan. A nice way to be able to afford an item that might otherwise be too expensive.

I also like the fact that you can buy factory seconds or 'dent-and-scratch' items from them at substantial savings. These items carry the full manufacturers warranty as well as the American Musical 45-day return policy.

Another plus is the free shipping on orders over $200. I've always chosen this option and my stuff shows up within two days! That's great service, for free!

I've returned more stuff than I've kept and I've never had any trouble reaching a courteous customer service rep. They are very helpful and have never made me feel like I was in any way out-of-order in returning something. Excellent!

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Canon i860 InkJet Photo Printet Product Review

i860 Desktop Photo Printer, 4800 x 1200 dpi Pros Not bad for the price. Good mileage from the ink tanks. Cons Unreliable color saturation. The Bottom Line Wouldn't recommend this if you need accurate color photos.

Full Review

This printer seemed very good when I first got it. The setup was straight-forward and the included software was good for organizing and printing photos. As expected, no USB cable was included. It weighs about 13 pounds and it has a fairly large footprint - 12 1/4" x 16 1/2". Once it was installed, I printed a couple of 4-megapixel digital color photos that looked as good as or better than the same photos that I had developed at a Ofoto. For the test, I used Canon's 4x6 Photo Paper Pro ($9 for a pack of 20.) The prints took less than a minute at the highest resolution from the time the paper loaded to the time it finished. Paper handling is good. The standard paper tray holds a thick stack of 8.5" x 11" paper. There is also an attachment that holds a stack of 4" x 6" photo paper. The attachment and standard paper tray remain in the printer together. When you want to print in the 4" x 6" paper, you just turn a dial and the printer feeds photo paper. Turn the dial in the opposite direction and the standard paper tray is selected. I had a little trouble with the mechanism that engages and disengages the 4"x6" paper feeder. I would have to jiggle it when I turned the selection dial in order for it to work. The printer was very noisy when loading paper. It sounded like the whole thing was going to erupt. I thought I must have mis-assembled it. But once the paper was loaded, printing was quiet and fast. My next task was to print some photos I had taken at an outdoor summer party in Connecticut. The setting was surrounded by green trees, grass and shrubs. These were 4-megapixel digital color shots and I used the same Photo Paper Pro. This time, the results were disappointing. The greens were completely oversaturated and far too yellowish. I tried printing one of these photos on a Canon i960 and it looked much better, so I have to blame the i860. I cleaned the print heads and tried printing some of these shots again with no better results. A couple of weeks later, I needed to print some full-color real estate listing sheets. I used plain Canon Matte photo paper ($10 for a pack of 50) and printed lower resolution than I had with the photos. Again, the prints were very good. Exceptional, even. I printed more than 100 8x11 sheets and didn't run out of any of the 5 color cartridges. Quite impressive. These prints took only about 20 seconds as only about 30% of the page was taken up with color images and the rest was text. Next I printed some 4x6 black-and-whites that I had scanned from negatives. I tried a couple of different papers this time: HP and Kodak. Neither produced results nearly as good as those that I printed on Canon paper. There was a fair amount of banding using the Kodak paper and the HP paper seemed to have bumps on the printed surface. By this time two of the ink tanks were empty. I felt that I got a great deal of mileage out of the tanks and I was glad that I only had to replace two colors rather than a single tank that contained all colors. Changing the ink cartridges was a snap - literally. They pop in and out very easily. I spent $12 for each of the tanks. After a couple more weeks of printing various sizes photos and business material, I decided to return the printer. I was seeing the over-saturated greens too often and that was unacceptable. Two days ago I went out and got the i960. I'll write a review for it once I have a little more experience with it.

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Adobe Photoshop Elements Product Review

Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0/Premier Elements 3.0 Pros Powerful, intuitive image manipulation, relatively easy to use Cons Canceling some menu options closes menu rather than letting you select other options. The Bottom Line Hands down best image editing software that I know of.

Full Review

General I found out about this program by Googling 'Digital Photo Software' and following various links. I read many reviews and compared features of those programs which were available for trial on the Web. You can get the trial version from http://www.adobe.com/products/tryadobe/main.jhtml#product=40 After testing a number of them, I found that this tool is far-and-away the the best available in the $100 price range. Here's why. Vastly more powerful No other program that I tried was in the same league as Elements II. The wide array of manipulation that's available blows away all other $100 image editing software that I found. You can do all of the usual stuff like image rotation, cropping, redeye correction, etc. But Elements allows you to perform some pretty fancy digital editing. You can easily correct lighting problems, manipulate contrast and colors, apply filters and special effects, save pictures in various formats and sizes, walk through 'layers', edit out of or add images to a shot, etc. Useablilty Digital editing software is notoriously difficult to use, but Elements II defies that traditional wisdom. The key word in the above paragraph is 'easily'. All of the features would be useless if you couldn't get to them quickly and intuitively. The UI is full of menus, palettes and tabs that help you quickly find what you're looking for. It's fairly configurable, so you can have as many or as few tools floating around as you like. And, the accompanying help/tutorial is well-done, if a little dry. One thing I'm not crazy about in the UI is that, when you cancel a filter or effect operation, you're thrown back into the image. It would be more useful if the program left you in the effect or filter tab so you didn't have to reopen it and return to the area that you were experimenting with. Widely Supported One benefit of using this program is that there is a whole slew of books out on how to use it. I searched Amazon and came up with 145 entries. The one I selected and have used happily is called 'Photoshop Elements 2 for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickStart Guide'. With it, I very quickly got up-to-speed on the basics and was using some of the more advanced features, like using layers, within days. Some neat features One feature that I use a lot is 'inverse selection'. Say I want to brighten the contrast of everything in a photo except for one particular item - a person's face, for example. With Elements, it's easy to select the face using the selection tool (There some some creative selection tools, as well, which make it easy to select unusual shapes in a photo. ), and then choose 'inverse selection' from the menu. This selects everything that wasn't selected initially. Then I adjust the levels of the selected section and, that's it. The face remains the same and the adjustments are applied to everything else in the photo. There are dozens of filters and effects that can be combined to give you and infinite number of special effects. You can use a tool that 'liquifies' sections of the picture to slightly alter the look on someone's face. Or the 'artist's brush' tool to make your photo look like a painting. You control how intense these effects are and to what section of the picture they are applied. There are also plenty of levels of undo, in case you don't like what you've done. Liberating I've found that having this software has allowed me to worry less when taking photos. While there is no substitute for a well-framed, properly lit picture, I know that I can correct a good deal of problems using Elements II. I believe this is software at its best. It has changed the way I use my camera and made using the computer fun again.

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Micro Innovations IBM Optical Wireless Scroll (31P6662) Mouse Product Review

Pros No cord Cons Lag when moving or clicking the mouse The Bottom Line This mouse doesn't have enough going for it to warrant a recommendation. I much prefer the Gyration optical that I use at home.

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General This IBM-branded mouse is made by MICRO Innovations. It appears to be relatively well-made and the price is fairly low for a wireless optical mouse. When I bought mine, there was a $20 rebate offered which made them even cheaper. It works with Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT Workstation, Windows 2000 and Windows XP. I'm using it with Win2K on an IBM desktop and I also have one on my IBM laptop. Setup The base station, which is about 1" high, 2" deep and 4" wide, plugs into the PC either through a USB port or, with the included adapter, to a PS/2 port. (My connection on both machines is via USB.) One real plus for my cluttered desktop is the absence of a power cord of any sort. The mouse itself takes a couple of AA batteries which are supplied. Just put the batteries in and it's ready to go. When I plugged the base station into the USB port on my laptop and put the batteries in the mouse, it just started working. I didn't have to install the setup software or do anything at all. On my desktop, I had to install and run the setup software before it recognized the mouse. No big deal, it took less than 5 minutes. With the two mice within 25 inches of each other, I soon realized that whenever I moved one mouse, the cursor on both my PC and laptop would move. Luckily, the manufacturer allows you to run in what it calls ID mode. That way you can isolate each mouse to work with its own base station. Enabling ID mode is very easy. Simply push a button on the base station and then push a button on the mouse. Within a couple of seconds they synch up and no more interference between devices. One annoying aspect of the ID mode is that you have to reset it when you change batteries. I'm sure I'll forget to do that and wind up controlling both machines for a while. Performance The mouse itself is a little bit larger than an MS mouse and a good deal larger than the Gyration cordless mouse. (See my review at Liberating mouse.) It has a good feel to it with a decent amount of heft. I prefer a mouse with a little weight to it and this one has that. It's an optical mouse and as such it doesn't suffer the problems associated with a trackball. It does, however, have a few problems of its own. When not in use, the mouse enters 'sleep mode' to save battery power. The manufacturer claims that simply moving the mouse is enough to wake it up, but I find that I often times have to click a button in order to get it to move. This could be a problem if I inadvertently clicked a button (say an inappropriate URL link) while trying to wake up the mouse. It seems to go into sleep mode very frequently and I'd like to be able to be able to increase the interval, but that's not configurable. When it's awake, the mouse responds fairly well to my hand movements. It usually acts as I expect it to, but there is a little lag, at times, when I wind up waiting for the cursor to catch up with my hand. Features It comes with the standard feature set. You can adjust the double-click speed, motion, etc. It also allows you to set the orientation - a plus for lefties. One nice feature is the ability to assign a function to the scroll wheel click. I have mine bring up a browser. You are limited to the predefined functions that come packaged with the mouse. I'd like to be able to assign my own key combinations to it. Other features include slow motion for more precise movement when you hold down the shift key; pointer vanish which hides the pointer while you type; X-focus makes a window active when you hover over the title bar; and sonar which finds the cursor for you when you hold down the control key.

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DeWalt Heavy-Duty 3" x 21" Electronic Variable Speed Belt Sander DW431 Product Review

DEWALT DW431 3" x 21" Heavy Duty Variable Speed Electronic Belt Sander Pros Well balanced, light, powerful, cord guide, effective dust collection Cons Position of speed control The Bottom Line This is a great sander and it's less money than others in its class.

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I bought this sander on the advice of my favorite power tool guy at the local woodworker's shop. He hasn't steered me wrong. Here's why. Form I almost didn't buy this sander simply because it seemed too small. It is smaller than any other that I looked at with a 3"x21" belt. But that turns out to be a big plus. Because of its size, it's easy to use either on the bench or holding it in less comfortable positions, like vertically above my head. My only complaint with the way that it's put together is the position of the speed control dial. It's right where my thumb holds the handle. Until I got used to it being there, I'd wind up turning the speed down from time-to-time. Power This is a fairly powerful sander at 5.2 amps. I owned a Porter Cable 3x21 machine with 7 amps, but I don't notice the difference. It starts smoothly and stops quickly. Dust Collection The dust bag sits at the very front of the sander attached to a rectangular port directly above the front wheel. It's compact and doesn't get in the way. The placement and shape of the port mean that you can't use a vacuum hose on it, but the good news is that you don't need one. This is far-and-away the most effective dust collection on any sander I've ever used. Belt Changing and Tracking An easy to use lever releases the tension between the front and rear drive wheels. You simply flip the lever, slip the old belt off and slip the new one on. Tracking is very good and not as touchy as on my old PC. Balance Because belt sanders are so aggressive, a wrong move can take a pretty big divot. But I find this sander less likely to cause such a move. After using it for a variety of jobs, I've come to love the solid, balanced feel of it on the work piece. Unlike my PC belt sander, this one doesn't tend to tip to either side. It is also very steady at the beginning and end of a board when half of the belt isn't in contact with the wood. The Cord The long cord makes going from end-to-end of a long piece a breeze. There is also a cord guide that keeps it out of the way. I find it to be effective and I don't spend near as much energy trying to keep the cord away from the belt as I did with the Porter Cable

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Gyration Ultra Cordless Optical Mouse Product Review

Go Air Mouse & Compact Keyboard Pros Light-weight, easy setup, no cord, works in three dimensions Cons A little awkward to use The Bottom Line A great tool.

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I'm not the type to run out and buy the latest tech toy just to say I have it. I'm not sure why, but the idea of a mouse that could be removed from the desktop and waved around in mid-air really appealed to me. I found one locally and plopped down my $75. Installing the mouse is easy. You plug in the cradle that holds the mouse when it's not in-use and charges the battery. A small receiver, which picks up signals from the mouse, plugs into the USB port on your machine. Once the battery is charged (8 hours), you simply pick up the mouse and press a couple of buttons. This 'teaches' the receiver how to communicate with the mouse. There are no drivers to install and it works right out-of-the-box. (On Windows XP Pro, anyway.) Using it is different than what you're used-to. It can work like a regular wireless mouse, if you want it to. Simply take it out of its cradle, put it on your desk and do what you usually do with a mouse. It's optical so there is no track-ball to worry about. It tracks well and responds similarly to my Microsoft optical mouse. The magic starts when you pick it up and start waving it around. It's strange to see the on-screen pointer following your every move (at least in two dimensions.) You may be inclined to make big movements with your arm to get the cursor to go where you want it to, but small wrist movements work equally well. It operates in two modes - free-form and restricted (my terms). In free-form, the cursor doesn't stop moving until you stop moving your hand. That's how a standard mouse works, but it's a little different when you're holding it off of the desktop. It is difficult, for me at least, to hold my hand perfectly still in mid-air while clicking the mouse button. Luckily, in restricted mode, the only time the cursor moves is when you hold down a button. When it's time to click on something, you release the button and the cursor remains where you left it while you click away. This is the mode I use most frequently, but once in a while, free-form mode works better. Ergonomics I give Gyration high marks for the comfort and useablilty of this device. It feels good in my hand while holding it on the desk or in the air. My fingers must be just the size that they designed it for because they curl around it exactly where they should. It has enough heft to not feel cheap, but it's also light enough so that it doesn't tire your wrist after using it in free-form mode for a long time. Will it change the way you use your computer? I was hoping that getting the mouse off of the desk would free me from the surly bonds of computing. It seemed like once free of the desktop, I could move anywhere within 25 feet. (They also make a professional version that sells for more and covers 75 feet, if memory serves.) and surf the web, scroll through documents, build presentations and do other mundane tasks from anywhere within range. The truth is, however, that most of the things I use a computer for require a keyboard. (Gyration makes a wireless keyboard, too.) If I have to have a keyboard, I need someplace to put it, like a desktop. Additionally, when performing keyboard-intensive tasks, I find it inconvenient to put the mouse down and type and then pick the mouse back up. Leaving it on the desk and using it like a plain old mouse is usually easier. Addendum After using this mouse for almost a year, I've come to really like it. I've tried three of four different cordless mice since I first wrote this review and I always come back to the Gyration. In fact, I've bought two more for my office where I use two machines regularly. It's very comfortable to sit back and navigate the web or other applications without having to lean onto the desk. The mouse itself is also very comfortable and tracks very well. Not revolutionary, but better than any others I've tried.

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Taylor 912c Grand Concert Guitar Product Review

Pros Beautiful instrument Cons Thin sounding The Bottom Line When I sit down to play, I pull out one of my other instruments and the 912C sits in its case in the closet.

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I've owned my Taylor 912C for about 5 years. I use it for finger-style playing in the vein of Alex-DeGrassi and Ed Gerhard. I've recorded with it, used it solo on-stage and in small groups with other players. Here's what I think of it. Fit and Finish This guitar is splendidly made. Everything from the purfling to the gold-plated tuning pegs says quality. The flawless Englemann Spruce top has very tight grain. The two-piece Rosewood back is beautiful with pink, purple, gold and green highlights. All joinery is flush and trim - no rough edges anywhere. The finish on the body as well as the neck is clear with no bubbles or rough spots anywhere. Understated inlays along the fingerboard complement the mother-of-pearl and abalone trim around the top and soundhole. All-in-all, it's a piece of fine craftsmanship. Playability Here I've always been a little disappointed. I hold my fretting (left) hand in the classical position and after about 30 minutes of playing, the muscles at the base of my thumb start to throb. I have to rest frequently when using this instrument, especially when I'm practicing difficult pieces. To try and remedy the situation, I've brought the guitar to a Taylor-certified luthier to adjust the action, the bridge and nut. I also had him re-fret the neck, all to no avail. Nothing seems to help the playibilty of the guitar. On the other hand (no pun intended), the small body is perfect for the type of playing I do. It's easy to sit with the instrument rested on my left knee in the classical position, or on my right knee in the usual position. The cutaway is very effective in that it allows unrestricted access to the upper frets. But be advised that there is no pickguard, so if you use a pick, you should either get one installed or look at other instruments. Sound Quality This is, of course, completely subjective, but once again, I'm a little disappointed. As I mentioned, I'm a finger-style player and I crave that clear, bell-like, sometimes crisp, sometimes lush sound that is full of overtones and rich tonal quality. The 912C has an acceptable tone, but to my ear it's a little dry and one dimensional. The high's are thin and reedy and the lows, because of the small body, seem poorly defined. The mid-range is probably the best tonal range of this instrument, but even it seems nondescript. After years of use, the tone hasn't improved noticeably. I expected better from a guitar in this price range.

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Toshiba Satellite Pro 6000 PC Notebook Product Review

Pros Fast, relatively lightweight, beefy hard drive, built-in 802.11b, good tech support Cons Fit and finish somewhat rough, fuzzy text, lower RAM capabilities than advertised, no diskette The Bottom Line I might reconsider this purchase and spend a few bucks more on a better machine.

Full Review

After owning a 450 Mhz IBM ThinkPad, I decided it was time to upgrade to something faster. I liked my IBM and wanted to stick with that brand, but as I explored different machines, I found the Toshiba Satellite Pro 6000 had the best specs for the dollar. It came with a 40 gig hard drive, 256 meg of RAM, 15" display, CD/R-DVD, built-in Ethernet, modem, 802.11(b) and Bluetooth connectivity. A comparable ThinkPad was close to $1,000 more, so I bought the Toshiba. In addition to the specs mentioned above, the machine had Windows XP Professional, Quicken 2001, Norton Antivirus, Easy CD Creator Basic for making CD's, SPANWorks 200 and some Toshiba utilities installed. It also included a set of 5 CD's for system recovery and application drivers. (View the complete specs at http://www.csd.toshiba.com.) Not included in the package was a 3.5-inch diskette drive, which I would have expected but I guess they are becoming less useful with the propagation of writeable CD's. Since most of the people with whom I'll be sharing files don't have that capability, I will have to depend on e-mail and on-line storage for file exchanges. Out of the Box When I unwrapped the machine and turned it on, I was able to quickly get connectivity to my SMC 802.11(b) WAP. The laptop found it and connected on the first try. I've had no problems whatsoever with it since then. I’ve also brought the machine into my office and connected it via an Ethernet cable with no problems. It switches back and forth effortlessly between wireless and wired connections . I haven't tried the Bluetooth or modem connections. As I emptied the box, a single-page leaflet fell out that was an addendum to the documentation. It informed me that rather than the advertised capacity of 1 Gig of RAM, the machine will only hold 512 Meg. This was certainly a disappointment. NOTE: Since I wrote this review, I spoke with Toshiba tech support and they assured me that the computer would handle 1 gig of RAM. I ordered two 512 meg DIMMS and it does indeed work. The only downside is that the machine holds only two DIMMS so I now have the original two DIMMS that I'll have to sell on eBay. I would recommend that anyone purchasing this machine get it with 1 gig of RAM installed. Speed As you would expect, the machine is far faster than my old IBM. Windows loads much quicker and applications start up faster as well. I didn't have a chance to do a benchmark comparison, but my guess is that this box is fully 4X faster than my old ThinkPad. Display The 15" screen is noticeably larger than my old 14.1". The graphics are bright and fairly crisp. My only complaint with the display is that on-screen text appears slightly fuzzy and is a bit uncomfortable to look at. I've gotten used-to it, but whenever I look at a different machine, I'm reminded of how text SHOULD appear. It's a minor issue, but a constant one. Note: Since writing this review, I turned off XP's font smoothing and the screen text looks much better. In-Use I often sit on the couch or in a chair with the machine on my lap while I work. The Toshiba is relatively light-weight (about 6.5 Lbs.) and sits comfortably - at first. After a few minutes, the bottom gets really hot and I have to position it so that a portion of it is not in contact with my lap. It's not a big deal, and I guess it's to be expected with a 1.2 Gigahertz CPU. I've run the battery for as long as two hours without having to plug the machine in. My guess is that it wouldn't last much longer, but I'm happy with that. Layout, Fit and Finish Overall, the machine feels solid and well made, but I have a couple of minor gripes. First, the keyboard layout takes a bit of getting used-to. There is only one Ctrl key on the left-hand side of the keyboard. If you're used-to pressing Ctrl on the right side of the spacebar, this will take some adjustment. Also, the Home, End, Page Up, Page Down, Insert and Delete keys are scattered around in, to my mind, a completely unintuitive fashion. After a month of using this machine, I still have to search for them. Another minor complaint is with the case. It isn't flat and when it's set on a flat surface, it rocks like a chair with one leg that's shorter than the others. Also, the latch doesn't catch solidly when I close the cover. I have to be sure to finesse it just so, or it won't completely close. Support Finally, I'd like to give a plug to Toshiba's tech support. When I had trouble installing a piece of software, I was able to reach a technician fairly quickly. He was familiar with the problem I was having and he immediately walked me through a change in the registry, which took care of it. Update After about six months of using the machine as my primary computer, I started having trouble shutting it down. It would just freeze and I'd have to pop the battery and unplug it in order to get it to turn off. After a while, I couldn't get it to power up and I had to send it off to Toshiba. It turned out that they had to replace the motherboard. Because they didn't have one in-stock, it took more than three weeks for me to get my computer back. To me, this was an unacceptably long period to wait for a repair. I was lucky to have a backup machine, but I would not want to risk such a long wait again. I Contrast this with a similar situation that I had with my IBM Thinkpad. They had the machine back in my hands within 5 days. I'll be sticking with Big Blue in the future.

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Litter Maid Mega Advanced Deluxe Litter Maid Litter Box Product Review

Litter Maid Mega Deluxe Pros Keeps litter box odor to a minimum, works as-advertised, good customer service Cons Expensive, still allows for some litter 'blow-out' The Bottom Line This system keeps cat odor to a minimum and makes litter cleanup much easier than normal.

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About a year ago, when my wife brought home TWO kittens, I was glad to have them, if a little surprised. Never having owned a cat in my adult life, I wasn't prepared for the amount of work required in keeping the litter box clean. As they grew, cleaning the cat box became an unpleasant daily chore. If we let a couple of days pass, the odor started to permeate the whole house. Eventually, we decided to try out the Litter Maid system and we haven't looked back since. Because we have two cats, we decided to get the largest model available - the 'Mega Advanced Deluxe'. We find that it keeps up with our two fairly well, but a smaller model almost certainly would not. Assembly is simple. Just remove the packing material, clip a couple of the components together and plug it in or insert the batteries. Daily use The Litter Maid system works with most types of premium clumping cat litter. (We like Arm & Hammer after having tried a variety of different brands.) To start, spray the bottom with vegetable oil to keep stuff from sticking. Then pour about 1 1/2 inches of litter into the box and put a fresh tray into the compartment that holds the refuse. Next, just turn it on and walk away. (We haven't tried using batteries - only the wall plug for power.) The device senses when your cat steps into the box. About 10 minutes later, after the clumping litter has had a chance to do its work, a comb rakes through the box gathering clumps of any sort and depositing them into the refuse tray. Once the rake retracts, a lid drops on the tray closing off the odors. The rake then combs back through the box and sits waiting for the next round. Cleaning A couple of times each week we empty the refuse tray and add litter to the box. Then about twice each month, we'll dump the litter, clean the box with soap and water and replace the tray. All-in-all, it takes about 10 minutes and isn't much more work than cleaning any other type of litter box. Service After using the box for about six months, we had a problem with sensor that triggers the rake. It suddenly stopped working and we had to clean the box the old-fashioned way with a scoop. We called the toll-free number which is printed right on the unit and they had us mail them a small piece of the rake mechanism. One week later, we received a whole new system! We were thrilled with their customer service and quick response.

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Polaris 380 Pool Cleaner Product Review

POLARIS 380 BLACK POOL CLEANER Pros Easiest way to vacuum a pool Cons Doesn't handle stairs well, slow, can't spot-clean The Bottom Line We're thrilled to have this thing. It's almost worth the money just to see the cat jump when the tail squirts him unexpectedly as he's lounging poolside.

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UPDATE - After 5 years of using this product, I thought I'd post a quick update. I've had no problems of any sort. It works as well today as it did when we first installed it. I use it less now then I used to, though. At first, I put it in the pool whenever ANY level of vacuuming was in-order. Now, I'll do quick clean-ups with the manual vacuum rather than using the Polaris. I can get the pool pretty clean in 15 minutes if it is just a matter of spot cleaning. But I put the Polaris in about once each week for two or three hours. It does a great job of getting the leaves and dirt that blows in. I'm glad we got it and I still recommend it. This tool came recommended from the guy who renovated our gunite pool. He said it was the best tool of its kind. I was dubious, but he hadn't steered us wrong before so we told him to go ahead and install it. Once again, he was right. The Polaris is easy to use - just connect the hose to the dedicated outflow port in the pool, switch on the pump and walk away. It takes three to four hours to thoroughly clean our 30,000-gallon pool. When it's finished, just turn off the pump, disconnect the hose and pull it out of the water. The bag that holds the junk that it sucks up is large enough so that you only have to empty it roughly every third time. (Your mileage may vary depending on how much stuff falls into your pool.) Using the Polaris is far easier than doing the job manually, even if it takes much longer. We tend to turn it on when we won't be using the pool and pull it out whenever it's convenient. But I won't leave it on if we're not at home. When we first started using it, one of the fittings failed on the pump, and our garage, where the filter is installed, began filling with water. I happened to be home and turned it off as soon as I realized something was wrong. It would have been a disaster, though, if we hadn't been home. I know this isn't the product's fault, but it's just something to think about. A minor drawback is the fact that you can't use it to spot-clean your pool. Leaves and dirt tend to gather in a couple of areas in our pool and I wish you could manually control the Polaris and direct it to the areas that need work. I bought a manual vacuum just to be able to do a quick cleanup from time-to-time. I also have to use the manual vacuum or the brush on the stairs as the Polaris won't go up higher than the first step. One final caveat - if your filter is on a timer, be sure to have your electrician wire the Polaris pump to the timer as well. If the filter pump goes off and the Polaris remains on, the Polaris pump will be ruined.

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Microsoft Intelli Explorer (B75-00001) Mouse Product Review

Microsoft B75-00001 IntelliMouse Explorer Pros No trackball, works on any surface Cons Scroll wheel click doesn't work, a little light, annoying red light The Bottom Line A functional mouse that would serve most business users well.

Full Review

The Microsoft Intellimouse Optical works very well for every application that I use. Word processing, web browsing, Java IDE, Windows navigation, Visio, remote PC control, etc. - it all works fine. (I haven't used it for any games.) It's as effective on a tabletop or notebook cover as it is on a mouse pad. It doesn't skip, freeze, jump or otherwise misbehave. This is the primary selling point for me. It also has a couple of extra buttons that are easy to get used to. I use this mouse at home and, when I'm at work with my plain-old mouse, I miss the ability to navigate web pages from the mouse buttons. (Hey, I'm a Java programmer and I am SUPPOSED to navigate web pages at work, okay?) You can assign different actions to each of the mouse buttons like Click, Back, Forward, etc. Unfortunately, you can only choose from approximately 45 predefined actions. You can't assign your own. For instance, I sometimes like to SHIFT-CLICK a web link to open a new instance of the browser. I wanted to assign that key combination to one of the buttons, but it's not an option. MS should allow used-defined keystrokes be assigned to each button. I imagine some users would benefit from assigning a commonly typed string to a mouse button and having it available with a single click. Another disappointment for me was the fact that the track wheel is supposed have a click action, but I haven't been able to make it work. It may be a defective mouse, but it's not worth sending it back for. Another gripe, albeit a minor one, is that the designers must have wanted to add some "gee-whiz" factor. They decided that a red light on the back where you rest your palm would be just the thing. Unfortunately, I find it distracting and, being prone to understatement in these types of things, a little too "too". Not to mention that fact that it's wastes electricity. Finally, I wish the mouse were a little heavier. I prefer the heft of the old kidney shaped MS mouse. This one feels a bit insignificant in my hand.

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Makita 6 1/2" Cordless Circular Saw 5630DZ

Makita 5630DZ 6-1/2" 14.4V Cordless Circular Saw Pros Powerful, high-quality, Cons Haven't found any yet. The Bottom Line Well-balanced, powerful cordless saw.

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When I first set out to buy a cordless circular saw, I intended to use it for rough-cutting sheet goods before final dimensioning at the table saw. In my small shop, it's tough for me to get a whole 4'x8' sheet of plywood through the table saw, so first I cut it with a circular saw to about 1/2" larger than the final size. I wanted the Makita from the start, but the salesman at my local tool shop, whom I've learned to trust, talked me into buying a different brand with a lower voltage. (I don't want to mention the name, but it uses 15.6 volt 3 amp hour batteries.) From the start, it seemed too weak. It cut the wood, but not without protesting and bogging down from time-to-time. I used the saw throughout the project and on some other small jobs around the house until I finally brought it back. The salesman balked at my claim that it was underpowered, but he reluctantly exchanged it for the Makita, and I couldn't be happier. This saw has plenty of guts for anything that I've thrown its way. Plywood is a piece of cake, but the real test came yesterday when I had some 6/4 poplar that was too big (12" width and 10' lengths) to get onto my mitre saw stand. That Makita cut it with no problem. I was happy that I had the right tool for the job.

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Porter-Cable Plunge Router 7529 Product Review

Porter-Cable 7529 2 HP Heavy-Duty, Electronic Variable Speed Plunge Router Pros Relatively quiet, powerful, slow start, stops quickly and smoothly Cons Fidgety trigger, micro adjustment takes a lot of getting used-to The Bottom Line If I had it to do over, I would look at the more powerful 3 HP plunge routers and more closely examine their plunge mechanisms before buying one.

Full Review

This is the third of three Porter Cable routers in my shop. I bought it for the micro adjustment feature, the extra power that it offers over my 690 and the smooth start and stop. Over-all, it's a decent machine. It runs smoothly and is more powerful than the other routers in my shop. The base has an attachment that allows me to use the template guides from my 690 and the locking collet makes bit-changes fast and easy. On the downside, though, I find it clumsy to maneuver on my dovetail jig. I know it's bigger than the 690, but to me, it isn't as well balanced. Also, the trigger lock is a little tricky to engage. You hold down the switch with your thumb and engage the lock with the finger of that same hand. I find that sometimes the lock just doesn't want to hold. It disengages with just the slightest pressure, which may be a safety feature, but it is annoying. And because the plunger is released with one thumb and the trigger with the other thumb, I sometimes inadvertently release the plunger when I mean to turn off the router. This is only a problem if I haven't set the depth stop. Granted, it's my own fault, but I wish it weren't so easy to make this mistake Also, the micro adjustment mechanism is, to me, really a pain, to the point where I avoid using it. You have to turn the knob over forty rotations in order to move the base. The manual warns you about that, but it is still a big deterrent for me. Unfortunately, one of the reasons I bought this router was for the alleged fine adjustment control. I also find that the main plunge control is hard to use. The springs tend to stick and then push up quickly and jerkily when they finally release. It's difficult to get the right depth for this reason. Finally, the machine is just not big enough to use large router bits. If you need a router to make raised panels, a 3HP machine will do the job where this router isn't designed to. This isn't a criticism, just a point-of-fact.

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First Post

Hello and welcome to my product reviews. I've been on the planet for almost 50 years and used a lot of stuff in that time. Much of it has been crap, some of it has been good and occasionally, I'll come across something that is really exceptional. In this blog I plan on chronicling my experience with various items large and small and I welcome your input. Please let me know when you agree, disagree or couldn't care less.


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