Pros: AOC is an excellent brand in general. The display is sharp and the contrast is alright. The color accuracy is appropriate for the price. The inclusion of DVI is a plus. The included VGA/D-Sub cable is nice. Quick response time.
Cons: It would have been nice to have included a DVI cable. The display looks washed out unless you turn the brightness way down, and even then, it is still not the best color accuracy (but what can you expect at this price point/from a non-IPS monitor?).
Overall Review: For everyday, standard use, this is a great monitor. For gaming or graphics design or even simple media viewing (Netflix, etc.), this is not a great monitor - but I would expect someone wanting to use a monitor for said purposes would be willing to spend more. We bought 5 for several The UPS Store locations. It is far and away significantly better than the 4:3 aspect ratio, 19 inch LCD it replaced.
Pros: Relatively easy to set up.
Cons: Terrible throughput. We have 50Mb/s down through TWC and use the Motorola SB6141 modem so the internet connection is fairly consistent. When I attempt to use WD MyCloud (connected directly to the router via ethernet) to do a TimeMachine back up of my MBP, Netflix becomes SUPER grainy. Even when these are the only devices actively using the network. I am extremely disappointed. I had the EA6500 for a few weeks before deciding to step up to the EA6700. Then the EA6900 came out but had horrible initial reviews, pending an update to the firmware. So.... I suppose I am out of the ~200USD. Thanks Cisco/Linksys. Hopefully under Belkin's supervision/control, Linksys will cease making half-baked products.
Pros: Faster than hdd.
Cons: This particular unit seems to be cursed - OCZ has offered to replace my Vertex 2 with an Agility 3, with which I have used before and have, thus far, not had problems.
Overall Review: OCZ gets a bad rap sometimes - I have had one successful RMA and one rejected rebate. Depending on the results of this RMA is my continued business with them.
Pros: Better than freeware - but, as with all antivirus, slows down the computer somewhat.
Cons: As far as rebates and McAfee, they are on the slower side of getting them out to the consumer. However, I did eventually get it (Purchased in 2012 with rebate making total cost 0USD).
Pros: I purchased two of these cables to connect my new Retina MBP to two HDMI Asus monitors. The cables work perfectly with the Thunderbolt outputs, INCLUDING sound. The quality of the picture was just as good as the dual link DVI connection from my Alienware desktop (after I turned mirroring off, as this interfered with the retina display, set at 1440x900, and the monitor is 1080p).
Cons: None so far; although it seemed like there was some sort of sticky residue on the HDMI output on one of the cables when I removed the cap.
Overall Review: I recommend these cables highly. I have only had them for a few days, but they have worked splendidly and are an excellent alternative to purchasing name brand thunderbolt/mini displayport to HDMI adapters and then purchasing HDMI cables.
Pros: Relatively thin, works well enough. I was concerned about how well the pink would show up, considering it is translucent and the physical keys are black. To my surprise, the pink seems to be the perfect opacity. Also, typing using the keyboard skin is not nearly as bad as I anticipated.
Cons: First off, and I assumed this when I made the purchase, the top right hand corner key is an "eject" key, rather than the power key which is what it was changed to on the Retina MBP. The printed key markings for the letters and symbols of everything else match up, but they do not line up perfectly, creating something of a ghosting experience.
Overall Review: The skin is a bit too large for the keyboard of the Retina MBP, but all the keys seem to align. I'm actually using the skin right now. If aesthetics are more important than price/functionality, don't buy this skin. But for all intents and purposes, I will use this if I am in public (I am a college student) or if I unwittingly allow someone else to use my precious (I'm paranoid, somewhat deservedly, as my brother spilled beer all over my previous HP laptop, which, although it did not harm the computer, rendered the keyboard sticky and smelly).
Pros: I purchased two of these with the original intention of running them in RAID-0, but decided to just put Win 7 and programs on one and my games on another. Relatively decent speed, maybe 45 seconds to load Win 7 Ultimate. These haven't died yet, yay.
Cons: You know what? I've been busy. I've been sick, I'm a full time senior in college, I've got a job, I've got 3 other *independent consultation* jobs. I'm sorry I didn't send my rebate form in "within the time limits" - by less than a week. Seriously? OCZ Technologies, F * * * you. I will not be purchasing any of your products ever again. That is all.
Overall Review: Honestly not that much faster than the WD VelociRaptor 10k RPM 320g it replaced. Also, I had to RMA a Vertex II which was DOA when I bought it more than a year ago. Alienware Aurora/Win 7 Ultimate/1600MHz 12GB RAM/Core i7 920
Pros: Completely protects the phone. 3 layers of protection, the silicone outside case makes for an easy grip. I am much more comfortable letting my nephew play with the phone since I know it is protected.
Cons: As everyone comments on the Otterboxes, it is bulky. However, having already known that before I ordered it, I was pleasantly surprised at how small it really is; it isn't nearly as think/large/bulky as some would make it seem. One issue is the depth of the case around the screen, making it difficult to touch input on the outer edges of the screen. Also, and this could be user error, I can't seem to get the "kick stand" function of the holster to actually hold it up. I can get the clip in place, but then I try to put it on a level desk and it tips over. This is particularly bad in landscape, although to a lesser degree in portrait. I rounded up to 5 eggs, but I would dock 1/2 an egg for the kick stand.
Overall Review: One thought is that if you are purchasing the OtterBox (at least the defender series, I'm not sure about the commuter) you don't really need a screen protector. I had previously used an invisible shield (full body kit) on my original DX, and went ahead and got the screen protector when I upgraded to the DX2. The defender series has a built in screen protector. I'm not sure about the durability/quality of the OB built in screen protector, but having 2 sometimes messes up input and also obstructs the view to an extent. I would definitely recommend an OtterBox for anyone who is accident prone, clumsy, or ever interacts with children.
Pros: Military grade, easy to apply if you read the directions and have some patience, Zagg stands behind their products.
Cons: It wasn't free? However, it was cheaper than Best Buy, even with shipping. Shipping was a little slow, tbh, but it came in a timely manner.
Overall Review: I will use Invisible Shield on any mobile product with a screen for the rest of my life. I had the full body kit on my DX and was extremely satisfied, but when I upgraded to DX2 I decided to just get the screen protector, because I was getting an otterbox as well. One point though... if you do opt for an otterbox case, at least with the defender series, you may not want to waste your money on an Invisible Shield. I knew the defender came with a built-in screen protector, and unfortunately it doesn't play very nicely with my Invisible Shield. However, I can still see the screen well enough, and would rather leave it doubly protected than worry about the minor lack of clarity.
Pros: Easy to install, great brand (I have a DLINK DIR 855 router), excellent signal on the opposite side of the house at all times.
Cons: It doesn't cook my dinner?
Overall Review: I would recommend this for any desktop user... I've personally had bad experiences with the USB dongle type wireless adapters most people use for desktop computers, this, with dedicated external antennae, is the way to go.
Pros: I love the screen. I love that it has 3 antennae, dedicated externally. I love simultaneous dual band, although the only thing which picks up 5 GHZ at my house is my Xoom. 2.4 GHZ range is excellent. I love the customization aspects, I don't know a great deal about netowrking, but I've read around in different forums and learned a lot of cool stuff which has allowed me to optimize the settings of this router, settings which don't exist for other routers.
Cons: COST. This router has been around for awhile, it should be sub 200 by now. 5 GHZ range is not good at all... but from what I've read, that's how 5 GHZ works. Throughput isn't quite as fast as I was hoping, but still kicks the DIR 628's rear (the router the 855 replaced). I also wish there was a setting to keep the display on constantly, or better yet, during specific times, like 9AM to 9PM.
Overall Review: I highly recommend purchasing this router if you have a lot of devices in your home. I have 6 computers personally, a tablet, a DX, a ps3, a wii, and my two siblings' laptops and my mom's netbook, oh, and my dad's desktop, running at my house. And this bad boy can handle them all.
Pros: Price & number of ports. I'm going to say the automatic switching is a pro, but the included remote is a Godsend, because I often have my computer on as well as my DVD player (HTIB) for audio AND PS3 for netflix... so it wants to use the port for the computer... but easy switch with the remote!
Cons: Automatic switching.
Overall Review: Great price. Great product. I would highly recommend it. I was skeptical because I've never heard of this brand, but it's worked great so far!
Pros: The 8 ports are very useful considering I live in a relatively small apartment and my smart tv, Apple TV, smart blu-ray player, WD MyCloud, and Steam Link, Xbox One, and PS4 all have ethernet, and wired is always better than wireless. I really like the customizability of the network. Having 2 USB ports is beneficial. The 4 antennae provide for excellent coverage. The processor allows for great throughput.
Cons: Something I've noticed a lot of routers with multiple USB ports incorporate is one USB 2.0 and one USB 3.0 port. This is, in and of itself, somewhat annoying, but to add insult to injury, the location of the USB 3.0 port (on the front of the router, behind a removable panel-like thing) is not ideal.
Overall Review: I have recommended this, and will continue to do so, to my friends and family. It is actually, to me, aesthetically pleasing. To others, like my wife, who want to live in "Pottery Barn"-like homes, I can definitely see how it might clash with the decor; it is quite large (we have it on top of an armoire next to our tv, so you can't really see it unless you're looking for it). I purchased this router specifically because of the 8 ethernet ports and the glowing review from D.ong Ngo of CNET.