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Hector E.

Hector E.

Joined on 09/10/10

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 13
Most Favorable Review

Well worth the money

TOSHIBA 1TB USB 2.0 / eSATA 3.5" External Hard Drive PH3100U-1EXB Black
TOSHIBA 1TB USB 2.0 / eSATA 3.5" External Hard Drive PH3100U-1EXB Black

Pros: Quiet, sleek, eSata option, purchased before the hard drive crisis, but it's still worth it.

Cons: Not out-of-the-box friendly. It goes to sleep if you're not actively using it, which renders it worthless for remote access if you don't hire someone to sit right next to it and press the power button whenever you want to access it.

Overall Review: Went to the toshiba website and downloaded the tool to remove the sleep option and connected it as an eSata. Doesn't go to sleep anymore and boots up with the computer from a complete power off state. I simply love it now. Here's a link for the Toshiba website for those who encounter the same problem: http://www.csd.toshiba.com/cgi-bin/tais/support/jsp/modelContent.jsp?modelFilter=PH3100U-1EXB&rpn=undefined&category=&selCategory=2756711&moid=2409112&os=&ct=SB&selFamily=2409110

Most Critical Review

Substandard

MSI Laptop AMD Athlon 64 X2 QL-62 4GB Memory 250GB HDD NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT 15.4" Windows Vista Home Premium GX630-028US
MSI Laptop AMD Athlon 64 X2 QL-62 4GB Memory 250GB HDD NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT 15.4" Windows Vista Home Premium GX630-028US

Pros: *Nice looking. *Built-In Camera works well. *Handles video well (with exceptions noted on cons**) *Easy-to-use touch menu to activate/deactivate hardware. *Bluetooth.

Cons: *Cheap keys, you can tell when something gets stuck underneath them and you have to remove them, it's a scary feeling that key will break. *When you call tech support, you get the feeling you're calling someone's house. Way below the quality of name brand companies. They promised an RMA box but never sent it, I had to call NewEgg for service instead. **Windows Media Center and Media Player freezes the computer randomly when you use them for video purposes. I had to download a 3rd party video player. *eSata port doesn't recognize anything other than USB2 connections and not eSata. *I play Final Fantasy XI (A game that's several years old) and some applications that work with other computers (windower) freeze computer. *Battery drains too quickly (less than 2 hours in its most power saving mode). *Speakers are too weak.

Overall Review: I wish I could say you get what you pay for but this computer falls below those standards. Keyboard feels very cheap, every day I find out about appolications it cannot run that I could run with other "less powerful" computers. I wonder just how long this thing will last with just wear and tear. This is my first and last MSI computer. I won't recommend it to anyone. Newegg has many other computers to choose from at great prices. I suggest you browse a bit more before spending the money.

Quick points

SAMSUNG Digitizer Pen AA-DP0NE2B/US
SAMSUNG Digitizer Pen AA-DP0NE2B/US

Pros: Eraser capability. Full size pen as opposed to what my Ativ 700T included.

Cons: The tip: It's fully plastic. Not like the higher quality tips that the compact stylus comes with which has a rubber-coated tip making it much more accurate and comfortable to use.

Overall Review: Not a good option for anyone who owns either an Ativ 700T or 500T. The compact pen they come with are much more accurate and comfortable to use.

Pragmatic user perspective

Samsung ATIV SmartPC Pro XE700T1C-A01US 11.6-inch Windows 8 Tablet – 128GB
Samsung ATIV SmartPC Pro XE700T1C-A01US 11.6-inch Windows 8 Tablet – 128GB

Pros: Keyboard Dock: Sturdy. Succeeds in making this a laptop when needed. Speed: This thing is fast. Boot time is less than 10 seconds. I'm talking about a cold start here, not a wake-up. It's almost like driving a sports car. Ask it to do something and it replies to you "Is that it?" condescendingly. Extra storage capacity: Installed a 32 gig MicroSD to alleviate its limited HD capacity (listed as a con). However, wanting more than a 128 primary makes no sense unless you're a software-install packrat, or someone who likes to hold months worth of movies you'll never watch on the C drive. USB3: Neat little feature. Not sure as to call this a plus as much as I'm unsure whether to call the 2 USB2's on the keyboard and 1 USB on the optional cradle a Con. It depends on the use. An average of 400 megabit/s bottleneck is not a big deal when dealing with about 80 gigs free storage space. However, it's understandable if you anticipate being in enough hurry most of the time. Touch/Inking: Unparalleled. And don't under-estimate the size of the wimpy stylus it includes like I did. Because like me, you'll drool when you first use it. Some people claim it's cumbersome to take the stylus out of its slot. I haven't come across this problem and even think had they made it any easier, it would be falling out on its own by force of gravity alone. Win8 (Also listed as a con): Very touch/tablet friendly. Solid feel: Although mostly plastic exterior, it's high quality plastic. WiDi and TPM security: I'm not sure how this works or if this model includes it so can't express my thoughts on these features.

Cons: Optional Dock: Overpriced and missing practical features essential to making this thing a true desktop replacement. Among these are HDMI, Sound, USB3 (only has USB2), 10/100 Ethernet (outdated technology for those aware of Gigabit). Last time I checked, Samsung's website states this thing has Gigabit Ethernet, but nor the tablet, keyboard or optional Dock (capping at 100 not 1000 gigabits) have that option. Storage Space: Although 128 GB might not bother many, the fact that it's really around 120 gigs might, or the fact that 120 gigs gets partitioned to 110-ish by the restore partition, and 110 loses about 30 gigs to OS making it about 80 gigs left. No Eraser on stylus: Although there are cheap knockoff styli out there with erasers, they sacrifice their inking accuracy substantially. Luckily, item N82E16834989138 on NewEgg solves this problem for those whose wallets have more fight left in them. Win8: If you're the type of person who disliked Windows 8 before testing it, you'll like it less after you do. It has a considerable learning curve our touch-and-go generation can find overwhelming. The Infamous Keyboard Disconnects: Most talked about con. Did happen to me the first few days, but not anymore after a 2 week break-in. Your experience might vary. Other keyboard disadvantages: Top-heavy. Take my word on it and don't learn this the hard way. HD/Ram/Battery upgradeability: None. The device is designed as sealed as most tablets out there. Not that many aftermarket options available yet: As of the writing of this review, there are no 700T-specific protective cases out there available for it. The price of the hard-cover sold by Samsung will likely give you a case of buyer's remorse. The 500T version already has options, but that model came out earlier, so we'd just have to wait and see. Exposure to insults: You'll have to learn to keep your cool when someone refers to your system as "Just a tablet", or even worse, tell you "Oh, my iPad can do that." I've found that taking a few deep breaths and turning the other cheek -sometimes- works. Lack of "cool" factor: Not backed by any good looking celebrities in tight jeans or bathing suits, but geeky average-looking (at best) business type guys. The Samsung brand on the back is too long for you to cover up with, say, the iconic Apple sticker.

Overall Review: Final thoughts: Got from MS Store, that's why I'm not listed a verified owner. I was too dumb/impatient to wait 2 days. The extra money I spent in taxes could have easily covered the yearly Shoprunner membership. If you're looking to email, watch movies, and just play, this is not for you as you'll only be taking advantage of about 10% of what this thing can do. If you want to do more, here are some ideas off the top of my head: Can replace a desktop PC (if you're not into heavy games), replace your iOS/Android tablet, the need for pen/paper, sometimes replaces need for a printer (i.e. if someone emails you anything to sign you can do so on the screen itself and email back), replaces a conventional laptop, you can use it to jailbreak your iPhone/iPad or sell your iPad and replace it altogether (too big to replace your iPhone though), you can even run a business if you install MS Office and know Excel/Access etc. The lack of aftermarket options is the price one pays for owning a product that's practical as opposed to popular. Didn't mention PRICE as a con because, to be fair, there's nothing out there in the market which can match its features at a better price. Closest I found was the Surface Pro, which is at the same price range. Any other device you can -fairly- compare today with this is either more expensive or lacks key technology (i.e. stylus). You can't compare the battery life this thing has to an Android or iOS device any more you can compare 10 hours of movie-watching to 6 hours of productive work. Furthermore I'll add that after selling everything this thing replaces, some can recover a considerable amount of the investment. This is without including the potential for this thing to pay for itself when used to produce content that can be sold. Took one egg out more out of principle since I found the cons have available workarounds. Even the missing HDMI on the optional dock can be alleviated by an aftermarket USB2-HDMI adapter, and the missing audio jack can be addressed with Bluetooth Speakers/headset. As far as the gigabit is concerned, you can try to convince yourself that you shouldn't be in such a hurry to transfer large amounts of data especially since this thing has relatively small storage space anyway. At the end of the day, if you experience buyers remorse after buying this thing, you likely had more important places to send your money and/or didn't need it in the first place. After three weeks, I have yet to regret my purchase, but needs vary. Either way hope this review helps anyone.

Not worth it

Rosewill RCM-3640HD 3.0M pixels WebCam
Rosewill RCM-3640HD 3.0M pixels WebCam

Pros: Has cool lights when it is active. Good still photos.

Cons: Framerate abysmal unless you're on direct sunlight. Otherwise 2-3 FPS

Overall Review: Too expensive for its actual performance. It's not an outdoor camera and it's alleged "HD" experience only works in full outdoor.

12/31/2011

Great router

Linksys E2000-RM Gigabit Advanced Wireless Router IEEE 802.3/3u/3ab, IEEE 802.11a/b/g, IEEE802.11n
Linksys E2000-RM Gigabit Advanced Wireless Router IEEE 802.3/3u/3ab, IEEE 802.11a/b/g, IEEE802.11n

Pros: Very cheap for what it's capable of. Set up my network as gigabit and can never go back to standard. Ended up buying 3 of these and replicated their SSID settings and now have 100% wifi coverage all over my house.

Cons: DYNDNS won't update on any of these routers. They "fail to resolve host name" while this isn't a problem for the other Linksys, Dlink, Belkin routers I tried in the same location.

Overall Review: DynDns problem was resolved by installing the update client from DynDns on my server, however it doesn't excuse the router for not being able to handle this feature, so one egg off for that. While another option might be to DD-WRT it, I have yet to find anything in that website that claims to fix this through their scattered disorganized documentation. I did find 80% of it was warnings about the many ways you can fry your router (brick) by changing its firmware, so no thanks.

12/21/2011