Joined on 09/26/04
Great scanner, super detail and color! Watch out for software limitations though!
Pros: -Powered by USB -Thin, low-profile -Quick
Cons: -Software isn't really that great. (read more in the details) -Dramatically adjusts color on 'Auto' mode.
Overall Review: I'm giving the scanner a 4 out of 5 for the software limitations. The hardware is great. I bought this scanner to use for my photography business. The colors and resolution are great. When running in full manual mode it's perfect. When I turn it to full auto, the image cropping is fantastic, but the system automatically adjusts the color and I haven't figured out how to change that in the full auto mode. I had to scan 30-40 items at once, letters and envelopes with historical data, and the full auto tries to adjust the color of the old paper which has yellowed with age. I'm not going to manually crop and straighten a whole lot of items. But there's no option to automatically crop & straighten, but not color adjust. So long story short, you can't change the manual settings to mimic the full auto because there is no option for auto crop / straighten in manual mode.
DO NOT REGISTER YOUR GPS.
Pros: Worked when I got it. Then I decided to register it online for software updates and everything went downhill. 'System software missing" is the only thing I get on the GPS screen now.
Cons: Takes 30+ minutes to get ahold of customer service representative to fix the "system software missing" issue if you try to register your device on the Garmin website.
Overall Review: I'm rating this honestly as a 1 because I firmly believe the customer support should be on par with the reputation of the brand name. It took me 30+ minutes to get ahold of anyone, and then they said they would send an email to me with a program that would fix this issue. I spoke with 2 reps and received ZERO emails from either of them. I'm not sure what I'm going to do next.
Convenient, easy to use, doesn't last as long as AA's
Pros: Easy to use, just plug into your xbox and charge while you play. Then you can unplug when it's fully charged. You can leave it right in the controller all the time and never have to swap it, unless you have more of the battery packs and just rotate them.
Cons: Mine doesn't last anywhere near 35 hours of play time. I've got about 100 hours into battlefield 3, and technically that would mean only 3-4 charges on this battery during my entire duration of playing battlefield 3, and that is not the case. I charge this thing about once a week on 2-3 hours of playtime per day. for a 7 day week. So that's about 20 hours of play time on one charge. I used to be able to use regular AA batteries for at least 2 weeks.
Sharpest lens I own
Pros: Super sharp, image stabilization works well
Cons: Somewhat expensive, but considering this is without a doubt, THE sharpest lens in my kit, it's worth it.
Overall Review: You can use this lens for almost anything: macro, portraits, everyday shooting. It is super sharp, the sharpest lens in my kit which includes the 70-200 2.8 IS, 85mm 1.2, 50mm 1.4, and some others. It's a very lightweight lens too, compared to some of the L series. It actually feels nice on a smaller camera body (I have the 5D2 and the 7D, I prefer this lens on the 7D-- plus it gives a little more 'reach' since the 7D is a crop camera) I would highly recommend this lens.
Crystal clear, especially if you bi-amp them
Pros: Loud, Clear, good price
Cons: Front grills crack during shipping, but chances are you won't notice it during normal usage.
Overall Review: I've only had these speakers for about 2 weeks and they sound amazing. I previously had Bose 201, with single wire running. I would suggest you bi-amp these Polk Monitor 60's because it will separate out the highs/lows and really give you crystal clear sound even at really high volumes. I have the Yamaha V867 receiver which is 7.2 channel, with a dedicated setting to bi-amp speakers. This receiver separates the high and low frequencies, essentially adding to the capability of the speakers and giving my crystal clear sound at really high volumes. When you bi-amp these, remove the small clips between the wire posts. Enjoy!
Came here to say this mouse is the best
Pros: This mouse is super simple, works well and has very smooth action. I've been using it since 2001 without a problem. The scroll wheel is very reliable and the two side buttons work great for forward/back - which is great for both browsing the internet and navigating through windows explorer. The buttons can also be programmed to do other functions instead of forward/back.
Cons: none.
Overall Review: I came here just to say I've owned this mouse so long that it's turning that ugly cream color which you commonly see on old computers, monitors, keyboards, etc. This mouse is awesome and works great.