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Michael P.

Michael P.

Joined on 02/18/02

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 7
Most Favorable Review

Happy so far

SAMSUNG 27" LCD Monitor 2ms(GTG) 1920 x 1080 DVI-I, HDMI P2770H
SAMSUNG 27" LCD Monitor 2ms(GTG) 1920 x 1080 DVI-I, HDMI P2770H

Pros: Attractive design, it's nice to look at even when it's off. HDMI in and audio out jacks. I use this as the main display for my laptop when I'm at home, all I have to plug in is a USB hub and the HDMI cable. Matte finish screen, much better in an office setting.

Cons: It wobbles a bit on it's stand. The stand isn't going to break, its just all plastic and has a bit a flex. If you bump your desk, the monitor will wobble back a forth a couple times.

Overall Review: Power, video and audio jacks are rear facing, not downward facing as they are with many other monitors. Base of stand is a large oval that projects about 6" behind the monitor, meaning you can't push it up against a wall. The stand tilts back, but not very far. It does not tilt forward past vertical. I also own an HP 2709m. The HP has built in speakers and a glossy screen, but overall its a better looking monitor. The stand is much better (no wobble at all) and the image is just crisper and brighter. Don't get me wrong, this Samsung will blind you with the brightness turned all the way up, there's just something intangible that makes me like the HP slightly better.

Most Critical Review

Not much benefit

Kensington K33419US Sd100 Notebook Docking Station
Kensington K33419US Sd100 Notebook Docking Station

Pros: Small size, works great as a USB hub

Cons: No video, no laptop charging, not a"real" docking station. Needs its own power source so you lose another plug in your power strip.

Overall Review: I'm used to Dell or HP propriety docking stations, so when trying to find a universal one for a new Gateway laptop, I was surprised to find a lackluster assortment of devices with poor reviews. It's simply too much to ask of a USB port to run network, video, audio, and multiple USB device traffic through it. I'll simply be using a USB hub and pluging my network, video, audio, and power directly into the laptop. It's really not that much effort since you have to plug the power and video into the laptop even with the docking station.

Perfect

Philips AmbientLED 8W 2700K A19 Dimmable - Energy Star LED Light Bulb - BC8A19/AMB/2700K DIM
Philips AmbientLED 8W 2700K A19 Dimmable - Energy Star LED Light Bulb - BC8A19/AMB/2700K DIM

Pros: When turned on you cannot tell the difference between this bulb and an incandescent. I replaced the bulb in our family room end table lamp that gets used daily. After 2 weeks I took it out and showed it to my wife, she had no idea I had replaced the old one! (I got it at Home Depot for $11)

Cons: It gets a little warmer than I expected. Not as hot an an incandescent but still hot to the touch.

10/11/2012

Works great

Linksys WRT54G2 Wireless Broadband Router 802.11b/g up to 54Mbps/ 10/100 Mbps Ethernet Port x4
Linksys WRT54G2 Wireless Broadband Router 802.11b/g up to 54Mbps/ 10/100 Mbps Ethernet Port x4

Pros: Simple design, plug it in and go. Stock firmware has enough options for most people.

Cons: Signal strength is spotty compared with my old Belkin router. There are certain places in my house where the signal drops off significantly, and it's consistently in the same places. I'm sure there's some kind interference, but the old Belkin was not bothered by it. The Belkin had 3 external antennas, this Linksys has internal only.

Overall Review: It's been nearly a year and it's still working fine. Have to reboot it once in a while, but I always blame it on Comcast. (Actually, I'm blaming all my life's problems on Comcast at this point!)

Hardware & software both have issues

Kensington Orbit K72337 Black Wired Optical Trackball
Kensington Orbit K72337 Black Wired Optical Trackball

Pros: Scroll ring is a brilliant solution to the lack of a scroll wheel. The included wrist extension is a nice bonus, especially for someone with larger hands.

Cons: The ball is a little smaller than I'd prefer. The 2 buttons have a cheap feel to them when they click and require a little too much pressure get them to click. You can also click both buttons simultaneousness to simulate a middle click, but button placement makes it awkward to do that and them move the ball while holding both buttons down. Finally, the trackballworks software is awful. It spawns more instances of itself over time causing the trackball to go haywire. You have to plug in a mouse or know your keyboard commands to kill the rogue instances and regain control. Nothing on the Kensington website helps with this problem. (I'm running Windows 7 64bit)

Overall Review: Overall I don't use this trackball much at all. The button clicking is too difficult an obstacle to overcome and the trackballworks software is annoying at best.

I like it

AMD FirePro V4800 100-505606 1GB GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Workstation Video Card
AMD FirePro V4800 100-505606 1GB GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Workstation Video Card

Pros: Low cost, small card, no separate power needed, very quiet fan.

Cons: None for me

Overall Review: I use this for powering an older Acer 22" monitor and a new HP 2709M 27" monitor for large format PDF and CAD drawings. The ATI Catalyst software is unnecessary but does make changes to the system easier than using windows built-in display settings. It installed easily and has performed perfectly ever since. I may not be a demanding user, but for my needs it's been ideal.