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John F.

John F.

Joined on 05/14/03

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 6
Most Favorable Review

Perfect for photography

AFT PRO-57U USB 3.0 5.25" Bay, CompactFlash/ SDHC/ SDXC/ microSD/ microSDXC/ miniSD/ miniSDHC/ MultiMediaCard/ Memory Stick/ xD-Picture Card. All-in-one Internal Media Card Reader
AFT PRO-57U USB 3.0 5.25" Bay, CompactFlash/ SDHC/ SDXC/ microSD/ microSDXC/ miniSD/ miniSDHC/ MultiMediaCard/ Memory Stick/ xD-Picture Card. All-in-one Internal Media Card Reader

Pros: VERY fast transfer of data. I bought this to allow quick access to SD cards and use with USB devices - instead of having to fumble around in the back of the PC. The USB header works well - even in a very tight space, such as on my ASUS Sabertooth Z77 motherboard. It handles even the SDXC cards!

Cons: The memory card slots are "tight". Nor do you get a clear sense the memory card is fully inserted. It's not a big issue, but it definitely will take a little while to adjust to the feel. Though having too short a cable is a nuisance, these cables are almost too long.

Overall Review: Not quite plug and play. You do need to load the drivers before the memory card slots are recognized. The driver assigns a drive letter to each of the memory card slots, rather than dynamically assigning a drive letter as a card is inserted.

Great sound, Great price

Mee audio Air-Fi Matrix2 AF62 Stereo Bluetooth Wireless Headphones with Headset Functionality
Mee audio Air-Fi Matrix2 AF62 Stereo Bluetooth Wireless Headphones with Headset Functionality

Pros: These headphones have great sound capability. While I am not a fanatic about it, I have very good hearing and enjoy good quality sound. These headphones deliver on that promise. Sure, some reviews complaint that these headphones do not completely dampen all outside noise. I consider that a plus, since I sometimes walk with these headphones. I want to know what's going on around me. But they do tamp down the outside noise. Additionally, these headphone do provide some headset capabilities. If your phone supports it, it allows you to listen to music (or an audiobook), automatically pause, receive a phone call, and automatically resume (after the phone call ends) .. all without taking off the headphones.

Cons: These are on the ear, rather than around the ear, headphones. The manufacturer claims these are over the ear, but I'm sorry. These rest on my ears, not around them. This might be an issue for some users (with glasses with thick frames or with behind the ear hearing aids). Also the headset capabilities seem to be somewhat limited. I've not fully tested it, but they don't seem to allow two devices to be connected at once (I admit it might have been a driver problem, since I was twiddling with the bluetooth driver on my Windows PC at the same time). However, I do know they are not as functional as my Plantronics Voyager Pro headset. Still, they are not intended to be a dedicated headset. As such, these do adequately without requiring juggling the headphones when taking a call. If you are just looking for headphones, these might be a bit pricey. However, I find they deliver really good sound. That combined with a promotion made it an exceptional value.

Overall Review: The audio fidelity of a pair of headphones is - for most of us - a very subjective thing. If you are a full blown audio junkie you can measure their quality. However, I use a simple rule that if I can with a new pair of headphones hear new sounds on a familiar sound track, then that pair of headphones provides good to excellent sound fidelity. The more detail, the greater the sound fidelity. And that's definitely the case with these headphones.

Put some ZIP in your gear!

SanDisk Extreme 64GB MicroSD Extended Capacity (Micro SDXC) Flash Card
SanDisk Extreme 64GB MicroSD Extended Capacity (Micro SDXC) Flash Card

Pros: This little beast is just that .. a beast! With 80MB/s read speed, your electronics (camera, phone, etc) will not lag behind waiting to get at the data. And at 50MB/s write speed, storing data (photos, video, songs, etc) won't take but two shakes of a dog's tail.

Cons: Unfortunately, TANSTAAFL .. There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch!! This little beast is pricey. If you don't need the speed for your device, then look at a lower performance MircoSDXC card.

Overall Review: It's not really a negative, just something you need to remember. This is a MicroSDXC card. You need to be certain your gear can handle this card. If it's an older piece of tech, then it might only read a MicroSD card. Though the same size and shape, a MicroSD card reader can not read a MircoSDXC card. In the industry speak it is not "backward compatible". But there might be an adapter to allow you to read and write it on your computer. For example, enter "MicroSDXC adapter" in the "Search Newegg" box above.

Speaking of speakers ...

APEVIA CVTCSPK 2 in. Case speaker cable for computer cases that connects to the motherboard
APEVIA CVTCSPK 2 in. Case speaker cable for computer cases that connects to the motherboard

Pros: Small size. Fits just about anywhere! Adds speakers to those cases built without one.

Cons: Not the strongest construction. But at the price, who cares.

Overall Review: It's amazing how many cases are built without any speakers. It's not as if they are terribly expensive. Trying to save a penny might be important, but so is hearing the POST code beeps!!

Sturdy, quiet backplane cage

ICY DOCK 4 x 2.5 SATA 6Gbps HDD / SSD Mobile Rack / Cage in 1 x 5.25 bay - ToughArmor MB994SP-4SB-1
ICY DOCK 4 x 2.5 SATA 6Gbps HDD / SSD Mobile Rack / Cage in 1 x 5.25 bay - ToughArmor MB994SP-4SB-1

Pros: With the gradual move to SSD and laptop drives, this offers a good step toward those devices. I installed this in my Zalman Liquid Cooled Mid Tower case. It fits well in this case, which is a plus, since slight deviations often mean I need to modify something to make it fit. The front of the cage has small LEDs to show the drive status (Green = drive present; Yellow = drive activity). Being able to leave the fan off is a plus. Since they are small they are noticeable, but not intolerable (noisy). The solid construction is a BIG plus. No flimsy parts that mean the drive might not engage with the SATA backplane. Also, support for SATA III is a HUGE plus for SSD owners. I had no need to remove the top of the tray for my laptop drives or my Samsung SSD device.

Cons: As the other reviewer noted the screws to hold the cage to the case are much too short. My case has thicker than normal metal construction, so the screws that case with this cage are ridiculously small. But with my case, I have learned to expect the need to modify connecting hardware.

Overall Review: This cage does not have a SATA power connector. It uses a molex connector. It might be an issue with some power supplies. Also, this cage does not have any keys. Of course, lost keys are a major nuisance, so that might be a plus for some of us! 8^) .. This is the perfect add-on for for a high end case. Just attach the drive (SSD or HDD) to the tray, insert the tray, and go!

Blazing through routine activities !

SAMSUNG 830 Series 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) MZ-7PC256B/WW
SAMSUNG 830 Series 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) MZ-7PC256B/WW

Pros: Installation was simple. Not really any different than a laptop disk. I have an Icy Dock 4 in 1 how swap backplane cage (New Egg Item: N82E16817994142) to hold this drive and the two laptop drives I use for backups. SATA III and this drive make a huge difference in performance. I am so impressed by this that I will purchase a smaller unit to act as a buffer in front of my HDD stripeset. I can't wait to dive into some of the multimedia work (PC and video editing) that I have waiting for me.

Cons: Expensive! But the quality seems to be worth it. I don't use the Norton Ghost software. I will purchase an Acronis upgrade for this system. It would have been better if it had better drive backup software.

Overall Review: This drive almost makes the installation process for Windows 7 a snap. It will shut down and reboot in a snap. The Samsung SSD Magician software is easy and intuitive. The nice thing about it is its ability to help tune your system to get the most out of the SSD.