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Brian V.

Brian V.

Joined on 07/17/04

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 6
Most Favorable Review

Solid and flexible mount

Kensngton Black Windshield/Vent Car Mount for Smartphones (K39217US)
Kensngton Black Windshield/Vent Car Mount for Smartphones (K39217US)

Pros: The window mount is very sturdy, and the clamp design is great (squeeze the ratcheting sides around the phone to lock in place; push a button on the back to release). The vent mount seems somewhat more fragile, but is very solid when mounted. Vent mount also has a nice ball joint so you can adjust the angle of the cradle.

Cons: When I bought this, I intended to use the window mount. However, because of the long arm, it tends to bob up and down - which can be somewhat distracting, and also annoying if you're trying to look at a map. I only really notice it on surface streets though - on the (relatively smoother) highway it's much better.

Overall Review: This is the first car mount I've owned, so I'm guessing that any mount with an adjustable arm will bob a little bit.

Most Critical Review

Not good for fast typists

Adesso ACK-595UB Mini USB Keyboard (Black)
Adesso ACK-595UB Mini USB Keyboard (Black)

Pros: Compact, which is exactly what I was looking for.

Cons: If you type faster than about 50wpm, it begins to transpose keys. I repeated this test many times, and with other standard keyboards - so it's not because I was accidentally transposing them myself. If you type too quickly, it really will flip two keys once in a while!

Overall Review: After a while (usually a few days, sometimes only a few hours), the keyboard stops working (a message pops up that says something along the lines of "An unrecognized USB device has been inserted"). Unplugging and replugging fixes it most of the time. I leave my computer running all the time, so maybe turning it on and off each day would reset the keyboard frequently enough that this wouldn't happen. I was going to RMA, but it's already been a few weeks.

Unreliable

IOGEAR GUC3C3H USB-C to HDMI / USB Multiport Adapter
IOGEAR GUC3C3H USB-C to HDMI / USB Multiport Adapter

Pros: One HDMI and one USB-A port are all I need to make my MacBook (with USB-C ports) usable again.

Cons: It often stops working after about 30 minutes. Overheating maybe? It does get quite warm, even with only the HDMI connected (so, not even passing through power via the USB-C port).

Overall Review: It's virtually impossible to find a reliable USB-C adapter for *anything* these days. Perhaps the ultimate failure is USB-C, but at any rate, throw this one into the pile of unusable devices.

Disappointing

Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000
Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000

Pros: Split design allows better wrist positioning, which is the only thing I bought this keyboard for.

Cons: Almost all the ergonomic benefit this keyboard might have had is lost by how stiff the keys are. The spacebar especially requires far too much pressure to push.

Overall Review: I didn't notice how hard it was to push the keys in the store, but it was immediately apparent when I opened the box at home. I am used to Logitech keyboards, but unfortunately they do not offer a good ergonomic keyboard (the "Wave" doesn't count). I can only hope the keys on this one loosen up after a few months...

Excellent power supply

Enlight EN-5602443 300 W ATX Power Supply
Enlight EN-5602443 300 W ATX Power Supply

Pros: This is my second Enlight power supply, the previous I've had for several years. No problems whatsoever with either. BIOS health monitor shows that voltages are almost exactly what they should be, down to a few hundreths of a volt.

Cons: None

Solid enclosure

AMS VENUS DS-2316B2BK Aluminum 3.5" IDE USB 2.0 Black External Enclosure
AMS VENUS DS-2316B2BK Aluminum 3.5" IDE USB 2.0 Black External Enclosure

Comments: I got this enclosure after returning a crummy plastic one made by Ultra (which cost $12 more than this one). All I have to say is that this enclosure is sooo much better, and it cost less! It has a fan, though it blows air *away* from the harddrive, which seems somewhat counterintuitive to me. However, it does keep the drive cool, and when it is being accessed constantly it only gets moderately warm. Transfer speed is also decent. I average about 19MB/s. Changing the harddrive is also very simple. Overall a great deal!