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Brent M.

Brent M.

Joined on 06/07/05

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 7
Most Favorable Review

Great!

Kensington  2-in-1 Car Charger and AUX Audio Cable Model K39204US
Kensington 2-in-1 Car Charger and AUX Audio Cable Model K39204US

Pros: Works as advertised. Compatible with iPhone 4. Power adapter is very low-profile and doubles as a charger for any USB device. Heavy-duty fabric-wrapped cables. All components seem sturdy and well-made.

Cons: None. Just get it.

Overall Review: It would be awesome if the kit came with Kensington's dual-USB cigarette lighter adapter, but I'm just being greedy. Apparently the dock connector won't fit if you have one of Apple's Bumper cases. I use a 3rd party case, so I have not experienced this issue.

Most Critical Review

You can do better

TRENDnet TV-IP310PI (v1.0R) Indoor / Outdoor 3MP Full HD PoE Day / Night Network Camera
TRENDnet TV-IP310PI (v1.0R) Indoor / Outdoor 3MP Full HD PoE Day / Night Network Camera

Pros: Solid construction. IR illumination appears to be decent. An outdoor PoE camera for under 200 bucks.

Cons: Unfortunately this camera has lots of issues: - Configuration software is a joke--it couldn't even find my camera on the network. I used the web configuration tool, which is not much better, but is at least serviceable. - Image quality is mediocre, even at high quality settings. Tons of motion blur makes the image a smeared, ugly mess. - Manual claims that the device supports passwords up to 16 digits long, with a limited set of special characters. I input a 16-character password using only the specified special characters, and the web config software went completely haywire. It went into an infinite "Enter Password" loop, which I eventually escaped from by clicking Cancel. After that, I couldn't configure the camera at all, and had to do a factory reset. By the way, any Joe off the street could factory reset this camera by unplugging it, holding the easily-accessible Reset button, and plugging it back in (you don't even need to unscrew a panel, like you do with most other outdoor cams). Not the best feature if you're using this item as a security camera. - Network storage configuration pages are terrible; the web UI doesn't even include a Test button to tell you whether or not the network information you entered was valid or recognized. I couldn't get it to work at all using NFS or Samba. - Other reviewers have commented on the dimness of the power LED; it was so dim that I honestly couldn't tell if it was on. - Not compatible with my home automation system (Vera/MiOS), but that's more of a knock against MiOS for not supporting RTSP. Overall, this camera seems like a decently-built piece of hardware that is completely crippled by unfinished firmware and software. Additionally, it doesn't seem like the manufacturer thought much about security, which doesn't fill me with confidence when I'm using this as a security device.

Good, but loud and not secure.

ICY DOCK MB876SK-B Aluminum 3.5" SATA I, II & III Hard Drive Mobile Rack Enclosure
ICY DOCK MB876SK-B Aluminum 3.5" SATA I, II & III Hard Drive Mobile Rack Enclosure

Pros: Drive trays are interchangeable with the Icy Dock external enclosure I already own. Well-made, except for the lock. Comes with screws.

Cons: The fan is bloody loud, and spins at a constant speed regardless of whether or not a drive is currently in the bay. When a drive is installed, it gets even louder. Not a big deal for me, but the security lock is a joke. I inserted a drive and turned the lock, and was still able to remove the drive using only slightly more pressure than is normally required. At least nothing broke when I did that.

Overall Review: Because of the fan noise, I'm keeping the drive bay unplugged, which kind of defeats the purpose of a hot-swap bay.

Western Digital WD Green WD10EADS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive
Western Digital WD Green WD10EADS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive

Pros: Very quiet, energy efficient, and more than fast enough for my MythTV backend. I've been running this drive 24/7 for about a year and have not had a problem. Since the price has come down so much in recent months, I bought a second drive to back up the first one, just in case.

Cons: None.

Overall Review: This is a great drive at a great price. It may not be fast enough for your fancy gaming rig, but it's great for media servers or just general use.

12/28/2009

Antec Earthwatts PSU

Antec earthwatts EA380 380W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.0 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
Antec earthwatts EA380 380W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.0 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply

Pros: Quiet, efficient, great price.

Cons: None.

Overall Review: Using it in an always-on MythTV setup. Love it!

12/14/2007

Rosewill IDE-USB adapter

Rosewill RCW-607 USB 2.0 Adapter for 2.5 & 3.5" IDE Device (Include Protection case)
Rosewill RCW-607 USB 2.0 Adapter for 2.5 & 3.5" IDE Device (Include Protection case)

Pros: Works perfectly and doesn't require any drivers. Silicon cases are a nice touch.

Cons: I certainly can't think of any.

Overall Review: I use it with my Mac running OS X 10.5 Leopard to wipe hard drives removed from from old PCs. I've left drives running for hours on this adapter while Disk Utility performs a 7-pass zero-out. Works very well!

12/14/2007