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May 26, 2008

Kindle Review - One Month In

The Amazon Kindle is a significant product- it is the first e-book reader to offer a built-in wireless network connection and integrated book store. You can wirelessly buy books, newspapers, and magazines from the Kindle without a computer. I for the most part have given up reading physical newspapers, having switched to electronic, web-based news sources. My hope was that the Kindle would be a nice alternative for my information sourcing needs when away from my computer. Here's what I found:

Continue reading "Kindle Review - One Month In" »

Posted by spotsearch at 02:53 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

June 18, 2007

Review: LG Tromm SteamWasher WM2487H

One of the best things you can do for the environment is upgrade your aging washing machine to a new energy-efficient, water-efficient front loader.  With much research, I did exactly that, and learned quite a bit from the process.

Continue reading "Review: LG Tromm SteamWasher WM2487H" »

Posted by spotsearch at 08:25 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

December 04, 2006

MacBook Core 2 Duo (C2D) Battery Life

I tested the battery life of my MacBook Core 2 Duo (C2D) under various operating conditions.  Overall, the battery life is pretty good.  Here's what I found:

Continue reading "MacBook Core 2 Duo (C2D) Battery Life" »

Posted by spotsearch at 12:38 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 12, 2006

Review: MacBook Core 2 Duo (C2D) - Part 2 - Performance Benchmarks

The most notable new thing about the latest MacBook is the Intel Core 2 Duo processor.  It's a dual core processor, and, even more notably, it's a 64-bit processor (in terms of its instruction set, but not its address bus).  Let's see how the MacBook performs on super_pi and CineBench....

Continue reading "Review: MacBook Core 2 Duo (C2D) - Part 2 - Performance Benchmarks" »

Posted by spotsearch at 09:36 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Review: MacBook Core 2 Duo (C2D) - Part 1

MacBook Core 2 Duo After much deliberation, I decided to purchase an Apple MacBook Core 2 Duo (C2D), black version. It is not my first Mac, but I have been away from the Mac world for over 5 years. Herein are my impressions of the MacBook Core 2 Duo.   In this section, I'll talk about the unusual keyboard, the issues with CPU temperature and fan noise.

Continue reading "Review: MacBook Core 2 Duo (C2D) - Part 1" »

Posted by spotsearch at 04:25 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 07, 2006

MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo (C2D) Review Roundup

Apple's MacBook Pro laptop, with the new Intel Core 2 Duo (C2D) laptop is out.  For the first time in years, I'm considering switching back to the Mac.  Why?  Well a number of reasons:

  • Intel's Core 2 Duo is a great processor.  It's a 64-bit processor, dual core, supports virtualization, and is blazingly fast.
  • MacBook Pro is in its 2nd revision, so hopefully Apple has fixed most of the manufacturing bugs.  The 1st version had excessive heat issues, for instance- the new version is supposedly much better.
  • Added Firewire 800, upped the clock speed of the graphics card (so now it's a decent gaming machine)
  • Parallels virtual machine software - so I can run Windows and/or Linux.

In mulling my decision, I have gathered a list of recent reviews of the MBP C2D.  Here they are....


Continue reading "MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo (C2D) Review Roundup" »

Posted by spotsearch at 09:32 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 04, 2006

Review: iPod Nano 2nd Generation (2G)

iPod Nano, 8GB, 2GFinally, Apple has fixed the problems with its iPod nano and produced a worthy upgrade to the iPod mini.  With up to 8GB of flash memory, and an estimated 24 hour battery life, and redesigned case, it makes a great portable music companion.  

Continue reading "Review: iPod Nano 2nd Generation (2G)" »

Posted by spotsearch at 04:36 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

September 24, 2006

Fuji FinePix F30 Review

Fuji F30 The FujiFilm FinePix F30 has a remarkable feature- it is the first compact sized camera that can take full resolution ISO3200 pictures.  This tops the ISO1600 of the previous Fuji F10 and F11. I ran some tests to see how good it is.   So, is it good enough to use?  That depends- read the full review and find out.

Continue reading "Fuji FinePix F30 Review" »

Posted by spotsearch at 09:05 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

September 18, 2006

Review: iTunes 7 - Apple Cripples Movie Downloads

iTunes 7 was just introduced last week, along with Apple's enhanced Video iPod and G2 Nano.  iTunes has always been the shining star of how music management and purchasing can be done.

The main new attraction to iTunes 7 is movies.  Movie downloads from the iTunes store are priced at from $9.99, $12.99, and $14.99 depending on the title.  In addition, movies are at a very nice 640x480 resolution (they call it near-DVD quality). 

Continue reading "Review: iTunes 7 - Apple Cripples Movie Downloads" »

Posted by spotsearch at 11:54 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

September 15, 2006

Review: iPod Video 5G 1.2 bios upgrade

The original Video iPod (i.e., 5th generation or 5g ipod) has just learned a few new tricks.  Apple recently unveiled the enhanced 5G video iPods.  They're mainly an incremental improvement over the original video iPod released a year ago in the fall of 2005.  For those that bought the original video iPod, Apple has released Firmware version 1.2 that gives you some of the features of the new iPod.  Firmware upgrading is now integrated directly into iTunes 7 (or later), and when you sync your iPod, it will allow you to upgrade your iPod's firmware.  Here's what you'll get if you upgarde:

 640x480 movie support:  The iPod screen is fixed at 320x240, so there's no changing that, however, now the built-in movie playing software can support playing of movies that are encoded at up to 640x480 resolution.  This is important if you buy movies from iTunes, which now support this higher resolution, giving near-dvd quality video.  At last, a reasonable movie resolution!  It was inexplicable why Apple's original software would not play much higher resolution videos.

Games:  The new firmware brings support for new games that can be purchased on iTunes.  These games include classics such as PacMan, Tetris, Bejeweled, Mahjong, and others.

Gapless playback:  Support for playing back with no pauses between files.

Adjustable screen brightness.

Improved scrolling speed - Scrolling through very long playlists is improved.  Also, as you're scrolling, it superimposes a large letter representing the first letter of the songs it's currently at.

Note, some people on the web have reported problems when upgrading to 1.2, so be cautious.  My iPod upgraded with no problems.  One feature that IS missing is the search-by-letter feature of the enhanced 5G ipods.  There is really no good reason why Apple left that feature out.  We can only hope that they'll change their minds and add it to a future firmware upgrade.  Overall though, this upgrade adds a few nice features and it is worth getting.  Also, as an owner of the original video iPod, with the new firmware, I feel that there is not compelling need to buy the enhanced  5th generation video iPod.

Note, see also:  my iPod Video review (5th Generation version)
How to fix: "I tunes could not be opened - unknown error (Ox666D743F)"

 

Posted by spotsearch at 09:02 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

April 29, 2006

Review: Panasonic Lumix TZ1

Review: Panasonic Lumix TZ1
The first compact 10x zoom camera. Image stabilization, ISO 1600, 35-350mm (35mm equil) zoom, 5 megapixels. Is this the ultimate travel camera?

 

Posted by spotsearch at 12:27 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

March 19, 2006

Review: Fuji Finepix F10

Review of the Fuji Film F10
The Fuji F10 is a compact camera notable for its high ISO capabilities. See review for examples of its ISO 1600 performance.

Posted by spotsearch at 12:23 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

December 05, 2005

Review: Logitech mm50 Portable iPod Speakers

Review of the Logitech mm50 Portable iPod Speakers
A well-designed, portable speaker system for iPods. Read more to find out if they're right for you.

 

Posted by spotsearch at 12:16 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

October 25, 2005

Review: iPod Video 5G

Review of the Apple 5th Generation (5G) iPod
The world's been waiting for a video iPod. Find out if it's worth the wait. See also, the iPod Help Center.

 

Posted by spotsearch at 12:19 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

July 23, 2005

Review: iPod Nano 6GB (G2)

Review of the Apple iPod Mini 6GB 2nd Generation
Does this MP3 player live up to the hype? What's the hidden dark side to owning this player?

 

Posted by spotsearch at 12:07 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

April 25, 2005

Review: Canon EOS Rebel 350D XT

Review of the Canon EOS Rebel XT 350D
A great entry level digital SLR with some annoying flaws. Canon makes key improvements upon their previous model but cripples its ergonimics.

Posted by spotsearch at 12:33 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

January 23, 2005

Review: IBM Thinkpad T42

 

Review of the IBM Thinkpad T42
New 15" FlexView screen, good ergonomics, and a good feature set. Can this notebook replace your desktop?

Posted by spotsearch at 12:47 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 23, 2004

Review: Toshiba RS-TX20 and RS-TX60 Tivo DVD Recorder

Review of the Toshiba RS-TX20 (and RS-TX60) TiVo DVD Recorder
A brilliant combination of TiVo features like pausing live TV and hard drive recording capabilities combined with a DVD burner makes your VCR obsolete.

Posted by spotsearch at 12:43 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

October 20, 2004

Review: Sigma 18-50mm F/2.8 EX DC Lens

Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 EX DC Lens
Sigma's bright f/2.8 18mm to 50mm zoom for APS-sized digital SLRs is compact and light, but how does it perform?

Posted by spotsearch at 12:41 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

April 25, 2004

Review: Konical Minolta A2

Konica Minolta A2
The Konica Minolta A2 8 megapixel prosuer camera comes packed with features like Anti-Shake (AS) image stabilization, and a fast 28-200 lens. How does it fare in real world use?

Posted by spotsearch at 12:04 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 10, 2003

Review: Sony TR2A

Sony TR2A

Sony TR2A
Sony's hot ultralight computer, successor to the PictureBook and TR1 series. Read on and see if Sony's light weight, great screen, and long battry life claims make for a great laptop or not.

Posted by spotsearch at 11:50 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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