Driveway Alert System

• Works up to 200 feet away
• Wireless installation
• Wireless infrared alert system
• Weather resistant design
• Receiver chimes when sensor is crossed

My husband just past away around 3 months ago and I had people trying to steal his tools and things but with this product I put it out and its small where it is not so noticeable and if anyone trys to come across it either by car or walking it sets of a alarm in the house and lets me someone is messing around outside... Only thing is I learned if you live in a area where you have alot of wild animals around it needs to be mounted above say where a racoon, possum or even a cat or dog can set it off... I am going to get a few more and put them in different areas for extra safty, Plus it has a really good price and the alarm that goes off is loud enough to hear it though the whole house.....

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UPDATE: This is the BEST INEXPENSIVE security device I have ever owned! It's now 8-25-12 and I have had two of these outside in the New England winter, spring, summer heat and pouring rain. If you have two sensors outside, either will sound both receiversso it's hard to tell which area has movement. I don't see any way to get it to discriminate which zone is causing it to sound. This alarm works well and is well worth the $20 investment. There have been no failures of it working. It does pick up my next door neighbor pulling into his driveway about 50 feet away but that's ok. There have been a few instances when it went off repeatedly for no apparent reason. This seems to happen in full direct summer sun. But it does not happen consistently. There have been times I switched the receiver off (mowing the lawn and tripping it repeatedly annoys people indoors) and forgotten to turn it back on. So I recommend if you switch off the receiver, leave it on a counter top or somewhere you will see it and remember to switch it back on. So far I have not had to replace batteries either!

A total two thumbs up.

ORIGINAL REVIEW

They sell these locally at Harbor Freight stores, so if you live near one just drop in, they are $17.99 plus tax. I was having problems with my wireless doorbells working reliably so it occurred to me that one of these would cover both my front doors plus let me know when the mailman or UPS had been by. Also, from a security standpoint, hearing an alert when anyone was on the property approaching my front door was a big plus. For $20 I honestly didn't expect much.

The sensor and receiver are nothing fancy but SURPRISEthey work perfectly! In fact, the sensor was TOO sensitive and was picking up cars going by in the street (about 20-25 feet away). I had to change the sensor position to facing across the property in front of the house instead of facing the street. So far it works flawlessly. It was been out in the bitter New England cold about a week. Give yourself a day or so to test it out before permanently fastening it in one location. That way you can be sure it is adequately covering the area you want it to without a lot of false alarms.

I secured it to a railing on the front steps with two plastic locking cable ties. If you are worried about someone removing it, use a metal clamp from the plumbing section in Home Depot. It comes with two screws and a hole on the back of the sensor to mount it on a wall-that didn't look very secure to me at all and it would be too easily removed. There is a small flashing red light on the front of the sensor that gos off when it "sees" you. If you like, cover it with tape to make it less visible especially at night). I bet you could hide one of these in a bird house or something like that if you really wanted to conceal it. It didn't try this though as its not necessary for me.

The receiver is pretty loud on the high setting and can be heard through the house. It has a low and off setting too so you or whoever's in the house don't go insane if you are using a monitored area a lot for the day. (Just ask my teenager who was "trying to sleep" during my installation and testing phase on Saturday morning).

I realize this unit is still new and has not been through any major rain or snow yet. I will return in a few months to update this review. I was happy enough to buy a second one to put on the back deck that has a glass sliding door. I read there is a way to get two sensors to sound on one receiver but I figure if I leave one set on high volume and the other on low volume, I will know which one is actually sensing something. I hope this helps you decide. Don't let the low price fool you, this thing really works!

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I just wanted to post a review/comment because I see people making reviews and comments that are rediculous. These units are an excellent low cost security motion sensor unit.

I use these in the mountains and most are there 6 months out of the year and they endure all the weather the mountains can throw at them. To this day I have never had one gliche yet and some of mine are over 3 years old. Battery life with them is also excellent.

You need to pay attention to the product information, the motion sensor is NOT water proof, they are weather resistant. that means DONT put them where they will get soaked or filled with rain or water....DUH...

Also, people mention that it will continue to chime or alarm, the sensor has a wide angle fresnal lense, that means it will pick up motion in a very wide area horozontally and vertically. Also, they are heat sensitive, so if it is in direct sun light or where it will see moving shadows from the sun it will trigger the motion sensor. It will trigger from motion and heat, a small tree branch moving to a butterfly flying across in front of the sensor can and will trigger it.

Here is a tip, you can cut down the amount of area the motion sensor picks up by just putting a couple small strips of masking tape vertically along the edges of the motion sensor fresnal lense, you can also do this across the top and bottom of the lense to narrow the detection field vertically. Simple thinking and it works like a charm.

To water proof a sensor, use some silicone around the outside of the sensor casing along the seam, then put a small bead of silicone around the outside edge of the fresnal lense. this will help protect it even more from wet weather. The best way to protect it is to place it under an eave or under some sort of cover so it doesnt get soaked. very simple.

These units also come in different channels, so you can get many units using the same frequency. Place one chime/reciever where you want to hear it and then place as many of the sensors outdoors as you want, you will have extra chimes/receivers but who cares, for the price you cant beat these units.

For the record, I would not buy any other type, these have served me well over the years and I will continue to use them as long as they continue to make them. An excellent product and I recommend them to anyone that is on a budget for security or would just like a low cost peice of mind for around there home or business.

Ya gotta be smarter than the box they come in.

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This driveway alert works great. Has already worked for us when a person was trying to sneak up our drive way to check out our vehicles with robbery in mind. Worth every penny.

I purchased this unit about a month ago. For the first couple of days, the unit worked fine, and then it rained. The unit filled with water and stopped working. I took the battery out and let the unit dry for a few days, and it did work again, briefly. It stopped working again, and after checking, moisture again....would not recommend for outdoor use unless you have the unit encased in something to protect it from the elements.

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D-Link DCS-930L mydlink-Enabled Wireless-N Network Camera

• Easily view & manage you camera from mydlink.com
• Sleek and compact design that fits in the smallest corners of your home
• Wireless connectivity
• Ready to use in 3 simple steps
• Works with the mydlink iPhone app for on-the go viewing
• Easily view & manage you camera from mydlink.com
• Sleek and compact design that fits in the smallest corners of your home
• Wireless connectivity
• Ready to use in 3 simple steps
• Works with the mydlink iPhone app for on-the go viewing

I purchased this camera to use as a cheep wireless IP webcam. It offers the ability to hook into your network either with the wireless WSP functionality or with an ethernet connection. It is fairly small with the camera being about the size of an iphone (maybe about 80% that size). The base allows for you to mount it in multiple settings, but be clear, this is a very simple design...not rocket science by any means. The ac power cord is about 4 feet long.

Setup: I ran into an issue when I was trying to set up the wireless connection. I could not get my camera and wireless router to talk at all. I called tech support (the free version) and they were useless. The rep had no clue about the specific devise and it is clear that he was just in a large call center that probably supports dozens if not hundreds of products. I had NO problem when I hooked it into my network via an ethernet cable. The set up application runs very nicely and easily gives you the option to select either wireless or wired set up as needed.

Back to my wireless problem. I decided that I would pay $32 for D-Links premium support for 30 minutes of help...I rolled the dice, as they do not guarantee they will fix your problem for your investment, but I had a feeling my issue was something simple with my network configuration...and I was right. The rep was great, she remoted into my pc, checked out my wireless settings on my router and determined that I had a bad character in my site name. None of my other wireless products had a problem with the character, but the D-Link cam did not like it. She changed the name of my wireless network, we restarted the router,and instantly the camera linked in wirelessly.

I am absolutely convinced that if I had not had a dash in my wireless network name, then this wireless set up would have been a breeze. So, I can't place blame for this issue on D-Link, but it was interesting that no other wireless device I use had a problem with the naming convention of the network.

Once that hurdle was cleared, it has been smooth sailing. I really like the ease of use and the functionality included with the set up...through a web interface, you can control video size, audio (yes it has a mic and sends the audio over IP in realtime), you can set motion detection, auto emailing on detection, and it even has a built in ftp server to send the images where ever you like.

Simple camera that does exactly what it says...it provides decent video and audio wirelessly to your network and then you can do with it what you want.

Pros: Simple, straight forward, nice setup application used on your pc, D-Link offers free remote viewing via their web portal MyD-link, and they also offer a free iPhone app (no audio on the iPhone app).

Cons: Seems somewhat fragile...I would not want to drop it form more than a foot off the ground. A fall from any higher seems would shatter it.

Overall I think this is a really good value.

((Update Dec. 18, 2011)

So I have had this camera in service for over a year now...and it has been installed outside, under an eave of my house. It has no additional protection from the elements...just its own casing and the few inches of cover provided by the eave. It has been subjected to all the weather Atlanta receives in a year...heat 95+, cold 9, wind, rain, humidity, etc. The verdict...GREAT..not one issue with it. So, I just purchased three more for outdoor viewing around the house. I put one into service yesterday and had NO problems with setup at all. Used the auto network connect feature on the camera and my Netgear router and it hooked in within a minute. Great little camera and with the price dropped to $70, I think it will be hard to beat it.

Buy D-Link DCS-930L mydlink-Enabled Wireless-N Network Camera Now

This is the easiest way I found to monitor our home remotely.

I was pleasantly surprised with how quickly everything came together I had the camera installed and transmitting in less than 15 minutes. I plugged the camera into a power outlet, popped the CD in (on a Windows 7 64-bit computer), entered my wireless network credentials, set up a DLink account from which to monitor the camera, and presto!

What works well:

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1. The lens is reasonably wide angle it can cover most of a normal size room.

2. It has audio! And it works very well.

3. Image quality is decent you can recognize people, but it isn't broadcast quality by any means.

4. Moving the camera kills the feed for a couple of minutes, but it's back on the network in less than 2 minutes.

5. The iPhone app is cool! We were able to watch the camera just as well on an iPod Touch. As another reviewer suggested, Tiny Cam (the free version is sufficient) worked great for me on Android.

6. The admin interface for the camera is stellar. You can control the refresh rate and resolution of the camera; the saturation, brightness, and contrast of the image; and the volume for the audio. You can even turn off the annoying LED light on the front of the unit!

7. Setting up motion detection is also really easy. You just pick the sensitivity of detection, and click on parts of the frame where you want detection to trigger. That's it! When motion is detected, you can ask the camera to email you the images.

8. Setting up email notification is simple too. I looked up the SMTP address and port for Yahoo, entered my email address and password, and was soon receiving emails from my camera!

9. This device supports WPS. What this means that you can automatically configure it to access your router, with just a couple of button presses. You press the WPS button on this camera, and within 60 seconds press the WPS button on your router (or in your router's admin screen). Then, magically, within about a minute, your camera configures itself with the SSID and password required to connect to your router.

10. It connects via Wireless-N and has an awesome range. It connects without problems to my router from across the house, through multiple walls.

What doesn't:

##########

1. The camera does not work in low light conditions as it does not have infrared capabilities. You need at least a 40W lamp for it to be functional. This tends to be a bit annoying for me, as the camera becomes fairly useless once evening falls. The infrared-capable DCS-932L may be a better choice in this regard.

2. No pan/tilt options on this camera. For me, this is not as big a deal as the low light issue, especially given its wide angle of view.

3. The camera feels a bit delicate, but should hold up well given that it isn't going to be handled much. It did take a couple of falls and has survived.

4. The camera needs to be plugged into an electrical outlet. Its short power cord does limit the locations where it can be placed.

Conclusions:

########

Overall, this was plug and play installation at its best.

I also can't believe there is a simpler way to get all of this functionality in a single unit. This device is extensively customizable. I was particularly impressed that the designers had thought about putting in a way to turn off the blinking LED in the front of the camera. This LED is a very useful diagnostic tool (it flashes amber when it is setting itself up, and green when it is broadcasting), but it drove me nuts, until I found this option in the admin panel.

Updated Feb 06 2011:

##############

Okay maybe I spoke too soon.

Access to the camera that I tested when I wrote this review was from within my internal network. Unfortunately, the feed from this camera was not visible from outside my home network. My router and this camera were UPnP compatible but that didn't seem to help.

Networking Primer:

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Before you begin, remember that you only have one publicly visible IP address and this is allocated by your ISP, and is assigned to your router. Inside your network, your devices are allocated private IP addresses, in the range 192.168.x.y. These addresses are termed "private" because they only make sense within your own internal private network.

A computer outside your network only recognizes the public IP address of your router. It has no idea how many devices you might have on your internal network.

The workaround below, lets you use the mechanism of [port forwarding] to uniquely identify one of your internal devices, and make it addressable over the Internet. You do this by reserving a particular port (say, 81), and telling your router that any attempt to access that particular port on the public IP address, should actually be sent directly on to the internal device (say, a camera) identified by a given private address (say, 192.168.1.5).

You have roughly up to 65535 ports that you can forward, though many of these ports are reserved for well known applications (such as a web browser on port 80). Ports between 49152 and 65535 are considered private and usable for reasons such as this one.

For each camera you want to expose externally, you'll need to pick a port number, and then add a port forwarding rule to your router.

The workaround:

#############

1. Log in to your camera's settings page:

...a. on the Network Setup tab > set Port Settings to listen for HTTP requests on port 81.

...b. Disable UPnP

2. On your router

...a. Turn off UPnP

...b. Add a new Port Forwarding Rule

.....Service Name: DCS930L.

.....Protocol: TCP/UDP.

.....Starting/Ending Ports: 81.

.....Server IP Address: set this to the internal network address for your camera.

.....This will be of the form 192.168.x.y, where x usually is 0 or 1, and y will vary.

A port forwarding rule causes any request coming to your router's IP address at this port to be forwarded to the server IP address that you specify.

3. Now access the camera using your static IP address as assigned by your provider @ port 81.

...This will take the form: . Note this is your externally visible IP address (not of the form 192.168.x.y)

...Provide login credentials.

If you want to get really fancy, and are tired of keeping up with changing IP addresses, then you might wish to register at dyndns.org. My router Netgear N600 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR3700 actually keeps dyndns informed whenever my ISP changes my IP address. You can then use a simple textual host name and it will be automatically converted to your IP address whatever it may be set to currently.

Hope this helps.

Happy Monitoring!

~Damodar

Read Best Reviews of D-Link DCS-930L mydlink-Enabled Wireless-N Network Camera Here

I purchased one of these cameras several months ago and it worked so well for the first month that I decided to get a second one. I have now had both for about two months and am finding that my first camera's wireless connection has slowly gotten less and less reliable. It had been in a fixed location the whole time with two walls and a floor between camera and wireless router (about 25 30 feet away). Router settings have not changed. I have performed extensive diagnostics, i.e. went through camera setup several times, changing router settings (removed all wireless security, used fixed IP) and nothing worked. Reset button on camera did not help. Firmware update did not help.

I have finally found that the camera now only works within 15 feet or so of the router, and it must be on the same floor as the router with no walls in between. This is unacceptable for a wireless camera, and my concern is that the wireless card within the camera is losing strength. The other camera I own once worked outside of the house entirely and now will no longer work there nor in the location of the first camera (which is closer and less obstructed than being outside). All other wireless devices we own have ample wireless signal throughout the house, our garage, and most of our yard, and as far as I can tell none of that has changed.

As I am using an Airport Extreme router and thought that there might be some sort of compatibility issue I have even tried running the camera wireless through my old D-Link DIR-615 wireless router with a fully open wireless connection and have not had any luck...the signal range for the camera is the same. DLink support has been no help, other than suggesting only using their routers (which didn't help) and rebooting everything and reconfiguring the camera (also did not help).

I cannot recommend this camera to anyone due to this reliability issue. It is fairly easy to set up and has a useful iPhone app available, but will likely be no use to anyone unless they can keep the camera within 15 feet of their access point with no obstructions in the long run. All I can do is wait until I have the money to replace these cameras with something better. Don't let this happen to you. Start with a different camera first.

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I'm really digging this camera. If you have some basic networking chops then setup is a breeze and can easily be done on any operating system with a web browser without using the CD. Here's what you need to do.

1) Plug the IP Cam directly into your router with an ethernet cord (there should be one provided in the box).

2) Plug the power cord into your camera. =D

3) From a web browser, log into your router and find the IP address of the camera. Finding the IP address is probably the hardest step. On my D-Link router the IP address can be found in the Setup -> Network Settings tab.

4) From another browser window, enter the IP address of your camera. If you successfully entered the right IP address then you should see a login window. The default username is "admin" and the password should be left empty.

5) Now you are at the setup page and you can add your wireless router and modify various settings.

Here are a few extra steps that I highly recommend.

On your router, set up a DHCP Reservation to your IP camera or if your router doesn't have this feature then set up a static IP address on your camera.

Create a free dyndns.org account and set that up on your router, NOT directly on the camera.

Once you have dyndns setup on your router, set up a virtual server to forward a specific port to port 80 on your IP camera. (For instance yourname.dyndns.org:4444 will point to your ISP's DHCP IP address and then forward port 2000 directly to port 80 on your IP camera. This allows you to see your camera from any browser on any internet connected computer.)

If you have an android phone, install Tiny Cam from the Market and you should be able to see a live video feed on your mobile phone from anywhere you have wireless access.

Setup was a very straightforward breeze for me. It took approximately 15 minutes to set everything the way I wanted it and I never touched the CD or instruction manual.

For the price, the camera quality more than met my expectations. This is a perfect camera for me to monitor my dog on my phone or laptop while I'm away from home.

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I purchased four DCS-930L cameras to set up a DIY home surveillance system. Overall I am happy with what they can do with such a low price tag.

The installation was easy. After opening the box, I connected cameras to my router with network cables. And after I inserted the CD into my computer, the auto-run program led me through the entire process step by step. The program had no problem finding the cameras, and registered them to mydlink.com.

That was the only time I needed that CD-ROM. Any additional setup, such as wireless, video, audio, motion detection, email, or ftp, etc, could be performed via mydlink.com. I could change the settings from anywhere with internet connection. And unlike other products, mydlink.com is free. This is indeed terrific!

Setting up the wireless for DCS-930L was not difficult either. If you have the experience of adding a few window-based PCs into your home wireless network, you will find the process to add DCS-930L is exactly the same. I entered the SID and the WEP password, disconnected the network cable from the cameras, and unplug/plug the power cord. In about 1 minute the cameras (now wireless) showed up on mydlink.com!

The wireless range on this camera is very good. I think D-link really listened to their users, since there were lots of complaints on the poor wireless range of its previous version DCS-920. I have a big house with many rooms. In a few remote rooms with many walls in between even my itouch cannot find wireless signal. But DCS-930L can! And the connection is always stable. So far I have never lost any video feed yet. Without wireless connection concerns, I can put the cameras anywhere there is a power outlet. (Yes, DCS-930 does need a power line. So it is not completely wireless. But I could always find outlets close enough to plug my cameras in.)

A new feature you cannot find in DCS-920 is the motion detection. Again, via mydlink, I turned on motion detection, adjusted the detection sensitivity, and then selected the areas in the view point to be on/off motion detection. The sensitivity and the areas depend on what the cameras point to and the lighting condition of the time. So it took me a few days to experiment different settings in morning/evening sun-light, etc.

After that, I went to the email setup page and select "motion detection" so that emails will be triggered by the motion detection. I intend to use it when I am away from my house. Again, DCS-930L has an enhancement over DCS-920: I can set up SSL emails so that my email password is always protected.

The video quality is 640x480, which I believe is the same as the DCS-920. However, DCS-930 has an enhancement: Audio. I could hear the sound from the camera even when I clap my hand in a different room! Of course the quality of both video and audio is no where near HD. But given the low price tag, I have no complaints.

The only major issue I can think of is the lack of the night vision. Without it the camera can hardly see anything during the night, and the entire surveillance system is therefore useless. (However, no camera in this price range has night vision, at least I could not find one.)

Overall I am very happy with the camera. And I will not hesitate to recommend it to anyone.

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Apple iPad 2 MC979LL/A Tablet (16GB, Wifi, White)

• Apple?s newest generation of iPads.
• 9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology.
• 1 GHz dual-core Apple A5 custom-designed processor.
• Forward facing and rear facing cameras.
• Apple?s iOS 4 and access to Apple?s app store.
• 1 GHz dual-core Apple A5 custom-designed processor
• 9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology
• Apple's iOS 4 and access to Apple's app store,Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• Designed for Apple's 2nd generation of iPads
• Forward facing and rear facing cameras

For anyone out there who is considering whether or not to make the leap and purchase the iPad 2, this review is for you. If you're still debating between the iPad 1 and the iPad 2 check out my review of the first generation iPad right here on Amazon to see a discussion of its strengths and weaknesses with a number of people commenting (both positively and negatively) over the past 11 months.

Let me begin by saying this upfront, I don't work for Apple, I don't own Apple Stock, and whether you buy an iPad, Xoom, a laptop or a pad of paper and pencil I don't get anything for writing this. I'm not an Apple "fanboy" although I can give credit where credit is due and lately Apple has deserved a lot of credit for some of their products.

Physical Characteristics

The iPad 2 is absurdly thin. More importantly than it's thinness is its tapered edge which feels more natural in your hand. One of the biggest complaints about the original iPad was it really wasn't tremendously comfortable to hold for long periods at a time. For a tablet device designed to be held, that's a pretty big deal. Apple really has done an amazing job of cramming everything into an even smaller space than before and the difference is really noticeable when you're holding the device. In addition to the tapered edge, Apple managed to reduce the overall weight of the iPad 2. That might not seem like a huge deal to most, especially when you consider the weight difference isn't tremendous when you're already under 2 pounds, but I spend a good part of my day holding the iPad in my hands and the weight difference is surprising by the end of the day. The first generation isn't heavy by any means, but the iPad 2 outshines it.

New and "Improved"

Apple doubled the RAM in the iPad 2 from 256MB to 512MB. What does that mean? For most casual users, probably not a whole lot. There is a performance bump that everyone will see the effects of in things like loading times for webpages that are open in the background, but 256MB was sufficient for most daily use and games. If you're planning to use your device for some of the more graphically intense games the iPad 2 does offer a better method of graphics processing that'll help deliver faster images with fewer jerky movements. If you're just playing Angry birds and reading e-mail you're not going to know the difference.

The screen is the same for all real purposes. It is technically a "new" part in that it isn't identical to the old, it's a bit thinner and more efficient, but it's the same resolution. The Glass is thinner though, and this amounts to a fair bit of the weight loss from one generation to the next. In playing with the device it seems surprising but despite feeling lighter it actually feels more sturdy in your hands. I still wouldn't suggest dropping it, but if it were to fall the iPad 2 certainly feels like it might stand a better chance to survive. Try not to drop it though.

The addition of 2 cameras was expected. Some were a bit surprised to see the first generation released without the cameras. Whether it was for a price point consideration, or a means to get people to upgrade, Apple held off until iPad 2. The cameras do a reasonable job, but they're not going to replace a dedicated digital camera, or really even the camera on your phone for most still images. The cameras do a substantially better job with video, and FaceTime is probably one of the best reasons to get the iPad 2 over the original iPad. For those who might not be familiar, FaceTime is Apple's face to face conferencing system, kind of like Skype, or if you'd rather, kind of like the Jetson's TV/Phone. With the push of a button you can be having a face to face chat with a loved one just about anywhere in the world (provided they're on a wireless network at the time). FaceTime doesn't work over 3G natively (it can be used over a wifi connection created by a 3G device however) so you're not going to be able to use it in your car anytime soon. This is probably a good thing though. It is incredibly easy to use and if you know other people with an iPad 2, iPhone 4, or Mac it's a lot of fun.

Smart Covers aren't really "smart" but they're really very useful. Not only do they provide a stylistic enhancement of the device, but they serve a practical and functional purpose of doubling as a screen protector and stand in 2 configurations. You can find them in a variety of colors and from third market suppliers, and it's a safe bet that more will be out soon to capitalize on the magnetic sensors in the iPad 2. It's unfortunate that this same feature can't somehow be retrofitted to the iPad 1, I wouldn't have thought a case would be a compelling reason to consider a product over it's competitor, but these covers are really so useful it's hard to understand why they've not been there since the beginning.

Multitasking Support

One of the biggest knocks against the iPad when first released was the lack of native multi-tasking support. Jailbreakers added the feature quickly and Apple soon realized it would be a requirement for any future device's success and released an OS update that included the feature. The iPad 2 capitalizes on that progress and takes it a step further with the increased RAM enabling more open applications to be suspended at once, and the time to open or close an application has improved as well. That said, even the first generation managed to open and close apps faster than most people would be used to on their computers, so while this is an improvement it's more akin to showing off.

Apps

One thing that Apple has clearly the advantage in for the moment is app availability. The App store has close to 70,000 iPad specific Apps, all of which will work on the iPad 2. The new cameras will undoubtedly see this list expand rapidly, as will the inclusion of a gyroscope for gaming and motion based uses. There are also a substantial number of professional applications ranging from document creation to photo editing and vector drawing. Chances are if you can dream it, there's an App for that (and if not you might want to get started on one to fill in the gap). The Android market is making a strong showing, and ultimately it'll likely be a strong competitor, for now it still has a ways to go, but any potential buyer should consider the strength of the application market before buying a tablet.

Pros:

Weight. Seriously. The minimal weight of this thing is by far the most impressive feature about it in my opinion. It seems to defy physics and logic that so much could be in such a small space working that hard for that long.

Battery Life. From full to dead my iPad 2 went just over 11 hours with the movie Robin Hood showing twice during that time, the screen at half brightness, wifi turned on, an Angry Birds marathon and a good portion of a book in ibook. That's better than a work day and that's constantly on.

Books. This is definitely a Pro, but reading itself could go either way. The great benefit to the iPad is having access to Google Books, ibook, Nook, and Kindle. This allows for some comparison shopping and price competition (although for the most part they're all usually about the same). Reading in the evenings in bed is great as the back light means you don't have to worry about keeping others awake, but the glass screen causes some glare trouble when trying to read outside or near a sunny window. If you're an avid outdoor reader the Kindle might still be your best bet.

Cons:

Still no dedicated USB support. While there is a camera add-on that allows for certain USB devices to be used there is no option for mass storage. Some of the Android Tablets allow for this and if you find yourself wanting to use your tablet as a standalone storage device this might be something to consider. The device can read from certain flash drives though, but is largely limited to photo and video files. Jailbreaks offer solutions to this, but those come with their own issues as well.

Still no dedicated SD card slot. This is troublesome on two fronts. First, if you want to import pictures from your camera you have to have an adapter which is just one more thing to carry around. Second, the lack of expansion means you're limited to what you purchase in terms of storage. I purchased a 32GB iPad last time and never filled it up completely, so for me capacity wasn't an issue. If you want to be able to have your entire movie collection with you though... you may want to consider whether the iPad 2 can meet your space requirements.

HDMI output. Really this is a Pro and a Con. The iPad does allow for HD output over HDMI but again it requires an adapter. All of these adapters are additional purchases for features that some tablets offer built in. This can be a pain, but then again if you're not likely to ever use HDMI Output then you're not paying for something you won't use.

No Flash Support. This is becoming less and less of an issue as the internet and web developers are moving away from Flash for many websites, but there are a lot still out there relying on Adobe's Flash to run properly (including a lot of web based games). Before you pick a tablet consider what kind of websites you frequent and try and determine if they are Flash driven or not. If they are you may really want to consider something from the Android offerings as it is expected that they'll have at least some Flash support.

If you're in the market for a tablet device the iPad 2 should definitely be on your short list. If you're uncertain it is always best to go and play with these things hands on first if you can. Best Buy is a good place for that, so are Verizon Stores since they have the Xoom and 3G iPad. Don't get pulled into the hype and mania that comes with an Apple release. They're exciting and new, and they're impressive enough to warrant some excitement, but it will die down and there will be other products that prove a strong competitor to the iPad 2. If you're looking for right now though, this is probably your best bet. I gave the device 4 stars, as I did the iPad 1. I did this in contemplation of the features offered by competitors that are absent from the iPad, most notably the requirement for adapters for USB/SD/HDMI. While these features are there, they aren't as convenient as in other tablets. With that in mind I firmly believe that the iPad more than makes up for this in usability, reliability, and design and in those areas far exceeds its current competitors.

Buy Apple iPad 2 MC979LL/A Tablet (16GB, Wifi, White) Now

People need to be aware that the reviews you see for the iPad often reflect the old Mac/PC platform wars with some people making comments who simply don't like iPads from a distance, without actually owning one, because they see it as part of the deplorable Apple mania they find so distasteful. They're entitled to their opinion, of course, but it is unfortunate they skew the evaluation of this product without the deep acquaintance one needs in order to give it an insightful evaluation.

I have taught computer science at the college level for 26 years and have had computers with all kinds of operating systems. I don't own Apple stock and have never known anyone who works at Apple. I therefore have no connection to Apple.

I have had my iPad for about a month and read a fair number of reviews before I purchased, spent some time using one at the store, and thought about what I might use one for, in contrast to my laptop with which I am well satisfied. People too often think of computers in terms of hardware, the specs and looks, instead of the software and the functionality. You should ask yourself, "What will I use this for that solves a problem I would like to have solved?" Software is always more important than hardware, even though it is the hardware that makes an impression.

The iPad is not a laptop and is not principally a production computer, that is, a computer on which you are going to develop web pages, do serious graphics editing, or write a book. You could use your new Taurus to tow a trailer, but that is not what it is designed to do well. These things can increasingly be done on an iPad, but I don't believe they will ever be what it is best at. It is a portable media machine with an inviting touch interface that requires a somewhat different set of skills, which take a modest amount of time to learn. Surfing the web, checking email, watching movies, playing games, looking at new cars, reading the Economist magazine, all work better on an iPad than a laptop. It does these things very well indeed. There are now 80,000 apps for a wide variety of activities--given its design intent. The apps are either free or reasonably priced, so you can get a bunch from the "app store" for little investment. As with Amazon, you can see what other people think of an app before getting one.

This would be a splendid acquisition for small children, for teens deep into social networking, for an adult wanting to drop into the love seat for a quick look at what is happening in the world, for a senior citizen who wants a simple, inviting system with few hassles, to stay in touch with grandchildren. The iPad is not a light laptop; it is instead a different way to use computing to do a wide variety of consumption and communication--not principally production.

In my experience, its wi-fi is adroit from one environment to another. It "knows" where it is geographically, scans its environment for wi-fi, and accesses wi-fi seamlessly. At this point in time, we should expect no less. I cannot address the 3G communications since I have a wi-fi only (I am not convinced of the value of the 3G and I can use my phone as a hotspot). I have never had it crash, though I have had to back myself out of apps that seemed to have no logical next step. This was the result either of my ignorance or the fact that there is less of a standard user interface from app to app than there is in classical GUIs such as OS X and Windows.

For the laptop lugging road-warrior, it should be noted, this is not going to be a full replacement. I now take my laptop and my iPad when I go into the college. But much of the time there, I use my iPad because it is so light, convenient and useable. I use it to teach my classes and often reference traditional texts from the iPad instead of lugging them along to class. I develop my own web pages on my 27" desktop which is the right environment for such development; I wouldn't expect to do that on an iPad. In education (and evidently in medicine), it is proving to be a real boon. The enterprise situations where portable information access and transmission are critical will find this a compelling solution. The heavy Photoshop user or music track editor will still need a conventional computer, either laptop or desktop.

I purchased the 64GB version, which may be more storage than I need. But since it will drive my 50" screen downstairs I figured I would begin to load lots of pictures and favored music, so it may prove a wise choice in the long run. It can swallow up entire evenings with the music-augmented slide shows it can do. In fact, you may begin to wonder if you need cable TV. Conventional content providers should be worried about the iPad since it provides yet another way for the user to determine viewing experience. But if you are still drawn to cable, it makes a fine remote control.

Before people evaluate this new kind of computing, they need to spend a month or so with it to identify what it does well and what would be better left to other kinds of computing solutions. I fear some of the evaluations here (both glowing and critical) are not well informed and so do not serve the readers well. So read these reviews with a critical eye.

October 18 2011 Update:

I continue to find my iPad remarkably productive and productive in ways I would not have anticipated. It does indeed redefine how we can use computing so that it does the work we want to do with minimal impediments. I now leave my laptop at school and take my iPad back and forth since 80 or 90% of the time the iPad does all I need to do. I use it 3 or 4 hours a day.

I just ordered my wife an 11" MacBook Air with the larger RAM and storage, which might seem to contradict what I said in my review. I don't believe it does for the following reasons. She needs to do serious editing of Word documents for the volunteer work she does for the college and still wants the joys of a 2-pound piece of elegant hardware. She is an excellent typist and likes the feel of the Air's keyboard. A keyboard can be added to an iPad, but it's a kludgy add-on that compromises the point of the iPad: an ultra-light slim, touch-interface device that does most of what traditional computing does without the impediments of mouse and keyboard and weight. The 11" Air is a gem of engineering with many of the advantages of the iPad but it is more capable of the production I spoke of in my review since it is a full OS X Lion machine--so it is fully capable of running traditional production software such as Word or Photoshop or, for that matter, Windows.

The Air and the iPad illustrate the difference between a consumption device (iPad) and a production device (Air). Much of what is appealing in the iPad can be had in the Air, but at the cost of an additional several hundred dollars. It's not the solution I want since I don't want the keyboard getting in the way when I want to curl up with a consumption device in my favorite love seat or use it to assist my teaching in class. My wife prefers the Air since email and other typing-intensive production activities are so important to her. In a word, the iPad is distilled essence of computationally assisted consumption.

I guess we will give the phrase "mixed marriage" new meaning!

Read Best Reviews of Apple iPad 2 MC979LL/A Tablet (16GB, Wifi, White) Here

I have purchased both an iPad2 and Xoom for different family members. I thought it worth comparing the two devices for anyone interested. Many of my comments are subjective so bear that in mind when reading the review.

External appearance and feel:

The iPad2 screen has a different feel from the Xoom screen the iPad2 is a bit slicker, less likely to stick when moving short distances. The screen on the Xoom tends to show fingerprints more than the Ipad2 for some reason. Everyone in this family thinks that the iPad2 looks sharper than the Xoom.

Both weigh 1.6 lbs. Subjectively, the Xoom feels heavier than the Ipad2, but it's an illusion perhaps caused by it's slightly smaller size. UPDATE: I need to learn to use the scales the Xoom is about 3 ounces heavier than the iPad2.

Both have a similar size screen, measured diagonally. But the aspect ratio is different 4:3 for iPad2, 16:9 for Xoom. This means that the iPad2 actually has a larger viewing area, and this makes a real difference when scrolling through a web site. The iPad2 screen is brighter than the Xoom screen.

Hardware performance:

The Xoom feels a bit faster than the iPad2, and the specs show that it is faster. Both have dual core processors based on ARM designs. The Xoom seems to be able to handle graphics better than the iPad2. As far as connecting to Wifi networks, both seem to have this one down pat they both just work.

User Interface:

The iPad2 is just like a big iPhone. Whether this good or bad is subjective. For me, it's good polished, flexible and can be customized to my needs. The Xoom user interface is totally new, and unfortunately it shows there are many rough edges. Some examples: moving icons around to group programs together is not intuitive and they keep moving back; you can see the first 5 applications running on the Xoom and select one, but the list doesn't scroll so applications that don't show in the list can't be selected; you can't close applications (except by a force quit that can lose data) as the Xoom decides when to quit an application; customization is possible but more difficult than the iPad2. In short, the Xoom user interface is a work in progress great potential but currently quite flawed.

Operating System:

The iPad2 uses Apple's IOS. It works, but it uses cooperative multitasking which (in theory) is less effective than the full multitasking on the Xoom which uses a version of Google's Android designed for tablets. In practice, they both work fine and I doubt anyone would notice the difference.

Applications:

iPad2 has 70,000 apps available from the Apple App store and it also runs the 300,000 apps available for the iPhone. Xoom currently has around 60 apps and it can run Android phone apps (but they are stretched in one direction which makes them look strange). Some of the iPad2 applications are pretty impressive GarageBand for example. There are many games on the iPad2, and just a few games made for the Xoom. If this doesn't improve quickly, the Xoom is sunk. After all, applications are generally the reason people buy these devices.

Browsing:

Because of the screen aspect ratio that I mentioned, I prefer browsing on the iPad2. The Xoom has Adobe Flash and the iPad2 doesn't, but so far I haven't come across a single instance where this has been an issue. I'm sure there are very many sites not compatible with iPad2, but I haven't browsed to one of them yet.

Camera:

I don't use the camera much, and I'm not really sure if either is better. In the family, the Xoom owner says the Xoom is better, the iPad2 owner says the iPad2. The Xoom has flash and iPad2 doesn't which is a win for Xoom, but the Xoom seems slower to take a picture.

Speakers:

The Xoom has two small speakers, iPad2 has one slightly larger speaker. The sound is somewhat better quality on the iPad2 and the Xoom cannot achieve the same volume as the iPad2. But they are both pretty poor use earphones or an external speaker if you want decent audio.

Battery life:

Difficult for me to give an exact comparison, but based on family usage it seems the iPad2 has the edge here, but not by much.

Internal storage:

The Xoom has 1GB of RAM and 32 GB of flash storage. The iPad2 has 512MB of RAM and 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of flash storage I bought the 64GB model.

External storage:

The Xoom has an external card slot that supports SD cards, but the software was not ready in time for the product release. The slot is inoperative until Motorola releases an operating system update. The iPad2 has no external storage support.

User Experience:

The iPad2 was up and running quite quickly. I connected the device to iTunes and it automatically updated to the latest version of the operating system. I was then able to select and download Apps immediately and start using them.

The Xoom was not so easy. For some reason, I was not able to install the latest version of Google Maps or Adobe Flash. I was able to download the apps, and the install process appeared to work without errors, but the new apps just were not installed. After some time trying I finally returned the Xoom back to the factory settings and started again, and this time both the installs worked. Of course, this wouldn't be a good solution if you had a ton of applications and/or data on the device.

Support:

Apple has their retail stores. You can get a huge amount of help from these stores from people whose only job is to support users. Both iPad2 and Xoom users have web sites available that support their products but you have to spend the time digging for the sites and digging through the sites. You can also purchase an Applecare support package which gives you a couple of years extra support for the iPad2.

Bottom line:

I believe the Xoom hardware may be slightly better than the iPad2 (apart from the screen aspect ratio and the speakers), but the software is terribly lacking. The Xoom was released FAR too early, it's just not ready for primetime.

If I had to pick just one, I'd pick the iPad2 less hassle, apps for everything, better browsing experience, better support options. The Xoom needs less buggy software and more applications; it has potential but it's not there yet. And by the time it gets there, there will be something better available.

Update 7/5/2011

We have now had the two devices for over 3 months. During that time Motorola released an update to fix some of the issues with the original Xoom. It's somewhat faster, the problem of only seeing the first 5 applications is fixed, there are some extra capabilities for USB, and most importantly, the Xoom doesn't crash every few hours.

However, the biggest issue with the Xoom is still the number of applications available to run in native tablet mode, as opposed to running Android phone applications. I've read that there are 300 applications available, but it's hard to find them. The Android Market doesn't distinguish between phone applications designed for a small screen and tablet applications. You have to read the description of each application to see what it is designed to run on, and finding 300 apps in 200,000 is very time consuming. Apple claims to have 100,000 iPad specific apps in their store.

Another problem with the Android Market is the complete lack of supervision. I understand that anybody can put any application there without any review, and I've read there have been a few problems with malware. Recently I saw an article that claimed there are spyware applications on the store, which worries me a little. I'm not saying you can't get malware from the Apple store, but Apple does look at the apps first I'm not aware of any malware getting into the Apple store.

The iPad2 does have some downsides I wasn't aware of when I wrote my review. It would be nice to have a general purpose USB connection and a card slot. There is an extra-cost adapter available from Apple that supplies HDMI out and a limited function USB connector. Also the keyboard attachment made for the original iPad doesn't work on the iPad2.

For us, the iPad2 is the winner. The Xoom is sitting on a shelf and I don't think it's been used over a week now. In contrast, iPad2 is in use every day and continues to be a big hit. The primary problem with the Xoom is the lack of tablet-based applications.

Update 7/7/2011

The Xoom has been sold to a colleague who wants an Android tablet. I think the Xoom is better than most of the Android tablets currently available. However, the Honeycomb software feels so unfinished, and the paucity of available tablet-based applications was a major issue. I lost several hundred dollars on the sale, but nobody wanted to use it and there was no point in letting it lay around unused. I'm already under some pressure to buy another iPad2, but I want to wait to see if the rumors of another iPad version in September are true.

Want Apple iPad 2 MC979LL/A Tablet (16GB, Wifi, White) Discount?

First things first: I consider myself relatively unbiased on Apple products. I received the original iPad as a gift (which I was able to return once I saw the iPad 2 announcement) and I have an old iPod 4th gen with color display which is still going strong after a few years, but aside from that I typically use Windows PCs and my phone is Android.

If you don't have an iPad, and you're trying to decide whether you want one or not, ask yourself: What will I use this for?

This is meant to be an overview for the uninitiated, since according to initial news reports, 70% of people who have bought the iPad 2 so far didn't own an original iPad.

Advantages:

If you want it for web surfing, a portable Netflix or other video screen, gaming, or FaceTime/Skype video chat, it's definitely adept at all of those things. I used to read books and magazines in my bed before going to sleep, and I still occasionally do, but now I've found that surfing with the iPad is just as convenient and relaxing.

The iPad is all about the apps, many of which greatly expand the native capability of the iPad. You can get Microsoft Office clones, remote desktop, second screen, calculators, alarm clocks, remote apps for cable boxes and disc players, and more. Some are free, many are not. I'll get into some of those a bit later, but keep in mind this isn't intended to be a review of apps. If you want to see what's out there, you can search the App store on the web or in iTunes. If you expect the iPad to be able to do something not in its specs, check the app store first.

The only difference I've seen with the iPad 2 is that now there are a few games out there that are optimized for iPad 2, or have improved iPad 2 modes. Lots of games are free and those that aren't occasionally go on sale. The only two I've bought are Scrabble HD and Dungeon Hunter 2 HD, both when they were $1 each. (I've played many more free ones.) I recommend both. Dungeon Hunter 2 HD is a great 3D game that tries really hard to be Diablo 2, with character classes, customization, and online play. It looks great and has never crashed or had a framerate stutter. The iPad 1 had problems with crashing and low framerates with games occasionally, and this version seems to be a much better gaming system. That's the only big difference I noticed between the iPad 1 and iPad 2 so far though.

For me, having a huge array of apps to play with, many of which are free if you don't mind ads here and there, and the convenience of being able to web surf without having to drag out my laptop makes this worth having. Plus the battery gets 8-10 hours on a charge, which is a far cry better than any laptop I know of. It's a great e-reader for airplane travel, even really long flights, though you can't use it on take-off and landing of course.

Wi-Fi performance is flawless and the range is excellent. More than once I've pulled up in the driveway and before I'm even in the house, I've heard my iPad's ESPN ScoreCenter app go off to inform me of a score. I can't speak to the 3G quality, though, as I don't have that model. Frankly, I don't think most people need it. If I'm out of the middle of nowhere and need the web for something, I'd much rather pull out my phone than the iPad. If you just have to use the iPad, tons of public places have Wi-Fi these days.

If you want to be able to print things, you might think at first that you need an AirPrint compatible printer. Fear not! A simple Google search for "AirPrint any printer" will show you how to configure your PC or Mac to broadcast its printers with AirPrint. I have Brother and Canon printers and they both worked with it. It took some time to download and install the AirPrint service and then configure printer sharing options on my network, but that was a far cry better than buying a new printer or an expensive printing app! Still, I've found that my printers occasionally disappear from the list, and the only way to get them back is to shut the iPad down completely and power it back on. Annoying.

Limitations:

The iPad 2 still doesn't support Adobe Flash. Some websites are adapting to this and adding HTML 5 video. Many aren't. Keep that in mind if you're a heavy web video user. I love to watch web shows like the Nostalgia Critic and the Angry Video Game Nerd, and most web show hosting sites are still in Flash. Also, some sites have flash menus, making them completely unusable to you if they don't have a mobile version. It's this that prevents the iPad from being a true laptop replacement, regardless of how much you spend on apps. I still end up having to fire up the laptop to use several websites I enjoy.

The screen is supposedly oleophobic but gets fingerprints all over the place in mere minutes of use. I find that extremely irritating. If you feel the same way, get a screen protector like the ZAGG InvisibleShield (though if you get that particular one, be VERY careful when you install it, it's extremely difficult to get it on there with no air bubbles). You will thank yourself when all it takes to clear fingerprints is one wipe, plus it protects from scratches to boot. To get fingerprints off the screen itself took vigorous scrubbing and left streaks, which needed isopropyl alcohol to remove. Also, in direct sunlight, the glare off the screen makes it hard to see. Add fingerprints to that and it's practically impossible.

Although the iPad 2 has two cameras, one on the front and one on the back, I haven't found much reason to use them other than for video chat. The cameras are terrible quality and the iPad 2 just isn't portable enough to drag around everywhere for camera usage. You can get an excellent digital camera for $150 or less, and most smartphones have much better cameras than the iPad has. Use one of those instead.

If you don't own a laptop, don't expect the iPad 2 to do everything a laptop will, especially if you plan on doing any work-related things. Office applications are not included. Pages, Numbers, and Keynote, which are like Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint respectively, are available for $10 each. I don't own them, but apparently they work reasonably well. However they are not 100% compatible with Microsoft Office documents, especially if you have more complicated formatting, macros, or animations that don't translate directly. Plus, the virtual keyboard is a bit more tiring to type on and definitely hinders typing speed. I average about 45-50 WPM on it, where I can get 80-100 WPM on a normal keyboard. You can be a little lazy with it to increase your effective typing speed, though; you can leave out apostrophes or required capitalization and the iPad will nearly always fix it. That also mostly takes care of my fingers occasionally hitting the wrong keys due to the lack of tactile feedback, but I still end up having to go back and fix words sometimes. Also, sometimes it fixes things that don't need to be fixed. It always seems to correct "its" to "it's", but what if I mean "its"? I know the difference!

A lot of other features that you would expect a laptop to have are not here, though, or cost more. For example...

You can give slideshow presentations or display video on external monitors, projectors, or TVs with it, but that will cost you $29 for a VGA adapter plus the price of a cable and DVI to VGA adapter (monitors or projectors), or $39 for an HDMI adapter plus the price of an HDMI cable (newer TVs), or $39 for a composite or component video cable (older TVs)

You can transfer photos from a camera directly without having to use iTunes, but that will cost $29 for a camera adapter kit

The iPad is terrible at file storage for things other than music, videos, photos and apps, and with no USB or SD card slot, can't easily use external storage. If you want to store documents or need external storage for anything you'll need a file management app to keep track of them, and an online cloud file storage service like MobileMe (expensive) or Dropbox (free but limited to 2 GB, or pay for more)

Where you can just close a laptop to protect its screen, you'll need a case to protect the iPad. I highly recommend getting one. To save some money, try a cover/case intended for iPad 1, assuming you don't care that the rear camera will be covered up. A lot of them still fit and work great, such as the Griffin Elan Passport for iPad Black, and since they're for an old model they'll be discounted

You can watch videos/TV episodes/movies on it, but unless you bought them in iTunes, it's a big fat pain to find a converter for them and transfer them to iTunes. This is especially annoying for DVDs/Blu-Rays that have digital copy. You've already paid for the movie and have a digital file but you can't transfer it to your iPad without having to jump through a ton of hoops or buying expensive programs or apps! Not all media companies have this problem, though. When you redeem a digital copy from Disney, you can choose to get an iTunes version, which is perfectly compatible with the iPad. I have Up, Toy Story 3 and Wall-E, and getting them on the iPad was hassle-free. Conversely, Warner Brothers only offers Windows Media versions of the Harry Potter series for digital copy. Transferring to iPad is possible but you need to find programs that remove the DRM, resize to iPad resolution, and convert to Quicktime format. Good luck with that.

Despite all that, the iPad 2 is worth getting if you can spare the cash, and more importantly, if you anticipate actually using it. I don't think it's worth getting for games alone, but if you're a gamer, there are lots of great, cheap games out there. Many of them are even multiplayer, though I haven't tried it, since most of my friends don't have iPads and interoperability between iPad and iPhone versions of games is slim to none (board games like Scrabble and Carcassonne tend to support iPad/iPhone interoperability though).

The thing is, though, I got this as a gift. Would I have gotten it if I actually had to plunk down the $500+? Honestly, probably not. The lack of many features without having to buy expensive apps and accessories is a real deal-breaker for me (and subtracts a star from my rating). Plus, though I understand why Apple doesn't like Adobe Flash, they really need to get over it since there are large parts of the web that don't work without it. It may be bad for battery life, but why not just have the option to turn it on and off as needed, then? Still, if money is no object for you, it's a slick, entertaining device, and you'll enjoy it quite a bit. Just don't expect it to replace anything you already have; the iPad is in a niche market that the iPad itself created.

SUMMARY: White iPad 2 64GB Wifi-only

A really wonderful electronic device for media consumption with some moderate content creation potential. This will likely change as more apps focused on content generation are created. I find myself using it more and more simply because it is "always ready" and small enough that it is always near. If this device had a better file management system and a more robust way to share printers it would have gotten 5 out of 5 stars. As it is, the iPad 2 is a solid 4 star device.

DELIGHTERS (Current features that exceeded my expectations)

FORM FACTOR: Thin and comfortable to hold. Small enough to toss in a bag or carry around the house so you find yourself using rather than trying to "remember" to do "that thing" the next time you're at your computer. Still has some weight to it (1.3lb) so prolonged reading in certain positions will cause fatigue.

APP ENVIRONMENT: Really excellent variety and quality of applications for a broad range of uses and a broad range of prices. Also plays nice with content providers like amazon kindle, Google docs, and lots of news outlets.

SLEEP MODE: It is seemingly "always ready" as it wakes from sleep very quickly.

HDMI OUT: Granted there is a $40 accessory required it is nice to have the option of showing what's on your iPad 2 to a larger audience.

iOS: Overall the operating system is "cleanly" designed, features are easy to navigate and find.

PROCESSING SPEED: Remarkably quick to load apps, web pages, pdfs, etc.

SATISFIERS (Current features that met my expectation)

HOMESHARING: Being able to share my iTunes library (music, movies, podcast, etc) across my wifi network is wonderful and saves space on the iPad 2.

SCREEN: Bright, good touch sensitivity, "flips" between orientations well, handles pictures and text with aplomb.

PRICE: Reasonable considering the competition but nearly high enough to justify a "real" laptop

AUDIO: Speaker is quite good for a handheld device, placement in portrait mode ends up in your lap but you can invert the iPad so not a huge deal. Also speaker faces rear of device instead of forward meaning you need to crank it louder than maybe otherwise necessary if it were forward facing.

BATTERY LIFE: Battery holds up well even after a day of heavy usage, charges up easily over night. Can go 2-3 days without charging with moderate to light usage)

WIFI: This simply "works". turn it on, detect a signal, and go. No messing around with complicated network settings.

ONSCREEN KEYBOARD: Its responsive and surprisingly easy to use. However, scrolling to a separate numbers keyboard and lack of a "tab" button really disrupts workflow.

DISSATISFIERS (Current features that did not meet my expectations)

FILE MANAGEMENT: File management on the iPad is Byzantine. You use iTunes to "attach" files to apps or email them?

PRINTING: Unless you have an AirPrint capable printer (new hardware to buy) or one of a handful other printers you will need to use the atrocious "file management" system above to get the docs on you computer to print. Double whammy of pain!

CAMERAS: The two cameras are adequate for video chatting but taking stills is a joke. True I wouldn't want to shoot a lot of birthdays holding an iPad but I would like to use a program like "GeniusScan" to photograph documents for later reference. The 0.7Megapixel camera is capable of "barely legible" documents.

COST PER GB: Paying >$3 per GB ($100 more for 64GB than 32GB) is nearly twice what you'd pay per GB for the difference in a stand-alone USB thumbdrive.

TOUCH NAVIGATION: Ok so this is a general criticism of any touch device and there is no way to get around it really. Having "grown up" using keyboards and mice to interface with computers I am having to learn how to do tasks differently. Press-Hold, Swipe, Two vs Three fingers. All for tasks I was so used to doing with a Tab or Right-click.

WISHLIST (features I'd like to see in the next-gen iPad)

Touchscreen: The capacitive screen works fine for many things but writing notes with a "fat" stylus isn't one of them. Having a touch screen that doesn't require the "fat" stylus would greatly improve handwriting and note taking.

USB or SD Card ports (never gonna happen as Apple uses memory as a price differentiator but it doesn't hurt to dream)

Retina display

Infrared receiver/transmitter (Can anyone say universal remote!)

GPS

Cheaper 3G antenna: $130 bucks extra for a 3G receiver plus I gotta buy a plan? ugh.

Smartcover: Would like to see this included in the price of the device

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Cheetah Mounts APSAMB 32-65" LCD TV Wall Mount Bracket

• Collapses to less than 4" from the wall
• Extends to a full 26" from the wall
• High quality powder coat finish
• Built-in bubble level in wall plate
• Dual safety screws to lock TV Position

I just installed this wall mount for use with a 42" Philips plasma screen TV. As you can see from the picture, the mount basically consists of two plates connected by an articulating arm, which provides the swivel action. The TV is secured to the larger of the two plates via the supplied brackets, which provide the tilt action. The mount itself comes pre-assembled and thus requires only installation onto the wall; similarly, the brackets are also pre-assembled (with the exception of a pair of adjustment knobs for the tilt mechanism which for some reason are not mentioned at all in the installation instructions), and need only be screwed into the back of the TV.

Despite some headaches presented by the construction of my wall (I rent an apartment in an old building in Brooklyn where there is apparently an inch-and-a-half of plaster overlying drywall and studs), I was able to install the smaller plate into the wall using some cheap-but-sturdy toggler anchors from the local hardware store, without a problem.

Where I did run into a problem was when I mounted the TV to the larger of the two plates. Basically, though the mount seems solidly constructed and holds up just fine, it seems as though the articulating arm isn't strong enough at the joint, which causes a distinct and noticeable (about 3-5 degrees or so) right-sided droop to the TV; this despite the fact that the smaller plate affixed to the wall is perfectly level. Now, given that the mount is rated for TVs up to 55", I don't think my 42" TV is outside of its reported weight range. So, given that the wall plate is level, and eliminating the weight of the TV as the source of the problem, I can only chalk it up to a design or manufacturing defect.

Now, the droop makes the whole thing look kind of sloppy, though in truth it doesn't really affect the viewing experience all that much; it's slight enough so that you don't notice it at all once you're engrossed in whatever it is you're watching. And this is definitely the cheapest tilt-and-swivel mount I've been able to find, which offsets a little bit of my disappointment. In sum, I'd say I'm satisfied enough that I won't bother to go through the hassle of trying to return it, but if I were to do it all over again I might have saved up for a slightly more expensive model from a different manufacturer.

Buy Cheetah Mounts APSAMB 32-65" LCD TV Wall Mount Bracket Now

I just finished installing this mount and my 50" Panasonic plasma. I bought the articulating mount so I could position the TV in the corner. This means I mounted it towards the corner of one wall and used the articulation to move it to a diagonal position where the edges are flush against adjacent walls.

This mount was very easy to install. Instructions were great. I really liked the built-in level. It was easy to get the plasma on the mount with two people.

The one issue I had was with the tv actually being level. The tv is level when it's flat against the wall. When I articulate it out a bit and to the right, the right edge dips. It's obvious enough to bother me. What I did was adjust one of the brackets that bolt to the tv. I purposely had one bracket one position different (higher) than the other. This resulted in leveling the tv when articulated. However, when I put the tv back against one wall, it's grossly off level. That's ok for me because the permanent spot is in the corner which is level. I think the problem is due to the weight pressing down on the arm. Not much you can do about it.

Read Best Reviews of Cheetah Mounts APSAMB 32-65" LCD TV Wall Mount Bracket Here

Although I'm not a "Professional" installer, this installation makes the 8th Plasma/LCD wall mount installation I've done over the years. I've often spent over $250+ on previous wall kits and thought after reading the previous customer feedbacks; I would save some money and try something new.

In the past I've almost always bought OmniMount wall mounts, primarily due their ease of installation. This product was NOT easy to install, and had I not had prior experience hanging TV's, this COULD HAVE proven to be a disaster.

For starters, there is no "Template" to assist with hole drilling, not even a listed measurement to show how much space to drill the upper and lower holes. This is something that is standard with OmniMount and something I missed having. Holding the mount on the wall to Pencil or mark the holes can be a chore unless you know EXACTLY where the studs are and you have more than one set of hands. If you have some carpenter skills, you'll be able to measure and mark your spots easier than someone who doesn't.

Second, don't buy this mount if you DON'T have a "specific" place where you want to mount your TV. The main bracket is just over 16" wide and HEAVY. I wouldn't count on this holding a TV unless you're drilled into two studs and using all 4 Lag Bolts. Seeing that most studs are 16" on center, there is no wiggle room to install the bracket left or right. Other mounts I've worked with are about 20" wide to allow for a greater range of installation.

Third, the mounting bolts that came with the kit are only 1.5" long. In my opinion, to properly hold the mount AND TV, I wouldn't go with anything less than 3" bolts, anything less could be a risk.

Forth, the bolts used to mount the brackets to the back of the TV were way to short, especially if you have to use the included spacers. Finding longer bolts was NOT an easy chore as both the size and type of thread are not common. I was fortunate to have extra bolts left over from prior installations, however I still wish I had longer bolts. Neither Home Depot nor Lowes had the right thread type.

Fifth, the brackets that mount to the back of the TV have "pre-drilled" holes on the top, and "oval" type holes in the bottom. The PRO: It's very easy to make sure that the right and left brackets will be installed evenly and there is no need to run a level to make sure the TV will hang correctly. The CON: Because of the design and where cross brackets are installed on the mount, you may have to settle for your TV hanging higher or lower than you originally wanted. I would HIGHLY suggest installing the TV brackets FIRST, so you can find a true center for mounting BEFORE you mark and drill anything on the wall. This is completely opposite of the installation directions that come with the mount. Installers beware for sure.....

Overall this is a very solid product and for the most part I'm happy with the quality. The TV is hung, and with my past install experience, this install went fairly smoothly. I'm quite confident that had this been my first install, I would've had many errors and A LOT of holes to patch. If you're good with a tape measure, know how to find the studs in your wall and have an extra set of hands, this mount will be a good value for the money.

If you've never attempted this type of install before and you think a stud finder is a cougar in a bar, get a professional to help you with this or spend more on a name brand mount.

Suggestions on having a smoother install (some were already listed above)

Install the left and right TV brackets FIRST. 1) To make sure the brackets will fit your TV. 2) To make sure the bolts are long enough (won't be if you have to use the spacers). 3) To find the true center so you know just how high or low you need to hang the TV. Had I not followed this step, I would have ended up 3" off center and I would've had to patch four rather large holes in the wall.

When installing the mounts to the back of the TV, make sure you have AT LEAST a half inch screws into the back of the TV. Make sure your thread size matches the bolt that DOES work with your TV to avoid stripping the thread on the inside of the TV.

Purchase longer Lag Bolts to mount the main mount to the wall (wait till your mount arrives to match the right diameter).

Remove the bracket that the TV hangs on from the wall mount (four screws covered by black plastic caps) prior to marking and mounting the wall mount. This will reduce some of the weight and will make your install go a little smoother. CAUTION: There are clear NYLON washers that sandwich the plate so be careful when removing the bolts so as not to lose them. Remember the order of the washers as it's designed to allow the TV to swivel along its horizon. When reinstalling these nuts and bolts, it should be tight but not OVER tight. The TV may be level when pushed up against the wall, but due to weight, will become un-level when pulled out... This is common physics and NOT a flaw of the mount and why you will need to tilt the TV to the left or right to maintain a level reading. Over tightening these four bolts won't give you the ability to adjust the balance.

I wish everyone that buys this mount well and I hope that my information will help with your decision as well as to provide a smoother installation!!

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I purchased this mount for my 47" Sharp Aquos LCD TV. After visiting Best Buy, and seeing that the cheapest feasible option for a swivel-mount for a TV of my size was upwards of $200, I came to Amazon and found this Cheetah Mount. I am a VERY picky shopper, and make pro/con & side-by-side comparison lists for almost all of my "important" purchases. After doing the same for TV mounts, I decided on this mount. For the price I paid (around $60 all said & done), I feel that I absolutely STOLE this mount!

When arriving, I was very surprised at how heavy this mount is. Taking the parts out, they are all of very sturdy construction. Still, I doubted if they would be able to hold my 88lbs TV out from the wall without breaking.

Installation was about an hour long process if you understand the instructions. The printed instructions were perhaps the only weakness of this mount. They are not really worded correctly, and rather difficult to understand. Simply look at the pictures to learn how to install, then just do it. Use a laser level to drill the holes into the studs. The most difficult aspect of mounting, in my opinion, was lifting my 88lbs TV up to 7' tall to hang on the mount by myself. Highly recommend having someone help you with the install, as the parts themselves are very heavy as well.

I don't see how folks are having problems with their TV's appearing cock-eyed on the wall after mount. Even if the holes are not drilled perfect, the TV can be adjusted for right & left tilt on the mount itself afterwards with sliding allen screws. They thought of everything with this design. The TV fit well.

The function of this mount is incredible! It pulls out almost 3' from the wall, swivels far enough to view the TV perfectly from any area in my living room, and the tilt function is awesome as well for those of us having to mount the TV rather high. After a month on my wall, there is no signs of any stress to my studs, wall, mount, or TV itself.

I could not be happier with this mount. If you are looking for a strong, sturdy, and highly functional way to mount your TV on the wall, this is for sure the answer. It has held my 90lbs TV up with absolutely no problems at all. For $60, you would seriously be crazy not to purchase this mount. I can assure you that you will be satisfied with the mount.

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TV: Panasonic Viera 42" 720p plasma (52.9 lbs. without stand)

This was my first TV wall mount that I've purchased. Upon my initial search, I was shocked by the prices of wall mounts, especially ones that not only pivot up and down but swivel out and side-to-side. When I came across this model by Cheetah Mounts, I thought this had to be cheap and I'd be regretting my purchase. I read the reviews and even though many had issues with the TV drooping to one side slightly when extended, I basically just had to bite the bullet and accept that if I want to save money, this product was my best option. Boy, was I wrong.

I unpacked the box and immediately could tell by the weight of the product that this was not cheaply made. The components were tight/solid and the design was simple. There was nothing cheap-feeling about the mount, including the supplied nuts, bolts, washers, etc.

I will admit that the directions were not exactly clear, but if you just take your time and read through completely (a few times) before actually performing a step, it will all come together.

In my particular setup, I was installing onto 2x4 studs 16" on center (standard wall stud configuration). I can't imagine installing into a concrete wall as described in the directions, if you needed to. This seemed much more complicated.

The one place for improvement I could see in the instructions was the placement on the wall and how to decide how high to hang the mount and how to go about making sure your 4 holes you pre-drilled in the wall line up properly to keep the wall mount level once hung. If you have a stud-finder, a level (supplied with the mount) and common sense, you will have no trouble. If you get this part right, the rest will fall into place.

As described in the directions, it's recommended that you use two people to hang the TV once you've attached the part of the mount that goes on the TV. The wife and I had no troubles getting the TV up and mounted together. We've been known to bicker back and forth on projects and I think the only thing we bickered about was how high the mount should be hung! Amazing!

After installation was complete, we gave the unit some test runs by swinging out the arm in different directions and angles. The mount maintained it's center level through-out the complete range of motion... even fully extended. Again, I owe this to patience in the beginning to ensure the lag bolts that were screwed into the 2x4 studs were level. I experienced zero-droop fully extended and turned to either side. I was very impressed. I'm still not sure what other product reviewers had trouble with.

I am VERY pleased with this product and will buy it again when ever I get my next TV that I want to mount.

[UPDATE: I bought another smaller Cheetah Mount for 32" LCD. Works great! See my review!]

I know usually you get what you pay for. In this case, I feel like I got a great deal for the money. Maybe if I could compare this product to a higher priced product that can perform the same motion, I'd have more negative comments, but I don't plan on ever looking for a different product/model again.

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Pyramid MDC7 6.5-Inch Marine 120 Watts Dual Cone Waterproof Stereo Speakers

• 6.5 Full Range Dual Cone Speakers
• Completely Waterproof
• For Marine or Car Door Use
• Polypropelyne Cone w/Cloth
• Built-In Molded Grill

Bought to replace OEM speakers on a boat. Cost far less, fit the original bracket, and sound better than the old ones/

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I bought these speakers for use as outside speakers on my camper. They installed easily, though no install template comes with the speakers, and work well at the low volume levels that you would use in a campground. I do not turn them up loud so have no idea if they distort when pushed. They appear to be well built for the cost. The only 2 items that are sub-par are the connections on the speaker you attach the leads to. Be very careful they are weak. I had read this in another review and was aware but still cracked one of the boards. It was a minor crack and did not affect the installation. Second, the screws do not appear to be stainless steel. I have noticed that after several weeks outside one of the screws is starting to rust. If purchasing these speakers buy some stainless steel screws and throw away the ones that came with the speakers. Overall I am happy with my purchase and would recommend them to anyone looking for speakers to use for low level listening in a campground.

Read Best Reviews of Pyramid MDC7 6.5-Inch Marine 120 Watts Dual Cone Waterproof Stereo Speakers Here

I installed these in the Shower... for the price I cannot complain they are ok, sound a little flat, but fine for the shower hehe.

I would opt in for a 2-way next time.

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Makes noise as if bumps into grill. W/in a month plastic around screws securing broke and speaker fell. Didn't even use on a boat but on Jeep's sound bar. This is not a good buy.. Not even for the $

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This is a very good deal for what I paid for them. I put 4 of these on my pontoon boat and they sound better than the original stereo speakers.

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Samsung UN32EH5300 32-Inch 1080p 60 Hz LED HDTV (Black)

• Smart TV
• Signature Services
• Smart Hub
• Built-in Wi-Fi
• TV with stand (Width x Height x Depth): 29.1-Inch x 19.6-Inch x 7.6-Inch, TV without stand (Width x Height x Depth): 29.1-Inch x 17.5-Inch x 3.7-Inch

Samsung's 2012 line of LCD televisions focuses primarily on switching their backlighting from CCFL to direct-array LED. Unlike CCFL lighting, LEDs don't diminish in brightness over time and have an incredibly long lifespan. Additionally, these sets are significantly lighter than their old CCFL counterparts which makes moving them around easier. However, this model is not edge-lit which means it's not really thinner despite the weight savings. The lights are directly behind the screen (i.e. direct-array), which many video purists prefer since it makes the lighting more even. This model does not support local dimming.

Pros:

1080p

Direct array LED lighting

Deep blacks

Built-in WiFi

Very lightweight

3 HDMI ports

2 USB ports (including 1 that has extra power for portable hard drives)

Great DLNA support and file playback support (including 720p MKV files!)

Keyboard and Mouse support via USB

Cons:

Semi-glossy screen

Lackluster sound

Lack of swivel base

No S-Video port

U.I. is consistently clunky

Some important settings are made obscure

Display

To start off, the display is fantastic. Colors are rich and the blacks are deep. The set only supports 60hz, but I have never really found myself needing more than that. The lighting is mostly even, but there is noticeably dimming in the corners of the set. The screen is semi-glossy, which I dislike greatly because I can see reflections of myself or the room in darker scenes. Glare from windows is also pretty obvious, so definitely factor that in about where to put this set before you buy it. The bezel which actually makes it look smaller than it is for some reason. The controls for the set are a 4-way joystick hidden under the bottom right side of the bezel.

Sound

The problem with thinner TVs is that sound suffers. My last LCD TV was a regular CCFL set and it had excellent sound. I am not an audiophile at all, but I can't find an audio setting I like for watching regular TV or movies. Either the dialogue is drowned out by music with heavy bass, or you can hear the dialogue (with added bass) and the music is barely audible. I fiddled around with a lot of settings and I just can't find one I like. After a few weeks I've gotten used to it, but for the first time ever I'm considering getting a stereo system to get "normal" sound back.

Connectivity

Samsung has reduced the number of HDMI ports on their cheaper, no-frills models to encourage people to upgrade to their more expensive lines. The "dumb" models only have 2 HDMI ports, this one has 3. Additionally, it seems as though no models support S-Video any more, and this set integrates composite and component into one set of ports. There are two USB ports, one of which is labeled as the "hard drive" port because it supplies extra power. WiFi is built in, and I'm able to stream content from YouTube without stuttering or buffering. The TV can download and apply updates very easily, too. After the last update, file playback includes 720p MKV files, although options during playback are limited. DLNA support is fantastic, but refreshing of file lists doesn't work very well. The menu has settings that allow for mouse and keyboard control via USB, which is useful if you use searches a lot in the smart TV apps. It would be great if you could sign into Samsung's app site and click which ones you want to download rather than doing it from the TV. The interface in general is kind of clunky.

Overall

It's a great buy. Lots of connectivity, access to smart apps (I enjoy the YouTube one, Netflix is also available and they are adding more). Definitely recommended.

Tips and Caveats

If you plan to use this as a monitor, make sure you label the source as "PC" of some kind. This removes a lot of post-processing. There is also a "Game Mode" under general that makes the display more responsive, but the downside to using this mode for me is that audio is stuck in "movie" mode which is very bass heavy.

Buy Samsung UN32EH5300 32-Inch 1080p 60 Hz LED HDTV (Black) Now

I really love this TV. This is my first flat screen TV. I did a lot of homework before zeroing on this TV.

I purchased it based on the following features:

It is a smart HDTV, LED 60Hz and this year's model available at considerably better price as compared to even last year models with similar features. Though, I would have been very happy if I could have closed the deal at $ 650 :-p

I did see the earlier reviews for this TV but most seemed like user training issues.

The sound/picture quality is excellent. Picture quality will seem dull with the eco friendly setting of Standard. However, it is configurable per your liking and the user manual is very effective in identifying and setting up your needs. 3 HDMI + 2 USB available

Setting up Network/WI FI is also very easy.

Depending on Internet speed, the smart TV works good. Youtube videos does not stream so fast for me directly through the TV but when I connect to my laptop through HDMI, it just works fine.

Movies through Netflix are great. No 3D but I did not want it. The LED TV comparison chart that Amazon provides is very helpful in determining what features you need and what you do not need.

The Kids stories is very useful for my 3 yr old son. Recently saw our first 1080p HD movie "Journey to the center of the earth" and it was GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Movie files with .vob,.avi and .wmv works perfect. I have not tried others yet. Even, if some do not work, there are many sites where we have converters available. So this is not a big deal too.

On the whole, it is a great TV with very good features. Its a good tradeoff between the basic models this year and the higher end versions which made it attractive for me. I did not have to settle for a lower less feature version nor wanted to go for umpteen number of features with a higher version costing above 1000 bucks.

Read Best Reviews of Samsung UN32EH5300 32-Inch 1080p 60 Hz LED HDTV (Black) Here

As many others have pointed out, this set has great picture quality. However, you will really have to work at it. Out of the box the picture looked awful and I was ready to return this set. Then I was lucky enough to find a review by "Gordon" for the Samsung UN32EH5000. I used the exact settings he specified and now the picture looks great. His settings are:

Mode: Dynamic

Backlight: 18

Contrast: 85

Brightness: 50

Sharpness: 80

Color: 70

TInt: G/R 50/50

Standard color tone with screen fit in the additional options, with HDMI black level set to low.

I just finished the latest software update and Amazon Video on Demand has finally been added!

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SAMSUNG DOESN'T SEEM TO KNOW THIS, BUT YOU CAN OPERATE THIS TV WITH A KEYBOARD. PURCHASE A LOGITECH K-400 KEYBOARD, PLUG THE LITTLE USB ANTENNA INTO THE USB PORT, AND, IN SETTINGS, IDENTIFY THE KEYBOARD. IT WORKS PERFECTLY. THE KEYBOARD HAS A TRACKPAD THAT MOVES THE CURSER.

PLAY WITH THIS AND YOU WILL FIND USING THE INTERNET ON YOUR TV A JOY.

The TV is amazing. Retailers such as Best Buy, Walmart etc don't display this TV in their stores because they want you to buy the higher priced LED TVS... This TV is a well kept secret and has all the "next gen" features of a SMART HDTV.

Without getting much into the technical details of the TV..

1) Great Picture Quality... Samsung is the best in the business and lives up to it's reputation.

2) Amazing surround sound.. you won't be disappointed

3)High number of HDMI and USB ports.. You can plug in your Roku, DVD Player, Cable Set top box connection.. etc without needing an adapter to increase HDMI ports

(4) Best of all.. I have lots of movies on my Portable USB Hard Drive, I plug it in the TV and *BOOM* I am able to watch ALL the movies from my USB Drive.. All popular formats supported including avi.

(5) This TV has built in apps for Netflix, youtube etc... Roku.. Who needs Roku?? Sell it off in eBay and pocket the Money!

The setup was easy.. piece of cake. Also, it's easy to install the TV stand (included with the TV) and get started right away. Buy this one compared to the other Smart TVs which Samsung sells.... You won't regret this purchase!!! (3D.. Who needs 3D?...Meh.. I surely will look stupid sitting in front of the TV with those ugly 3D glasses.. Still a long way to go for 3D to catch up)

One small thing which I need to mention.. When I ordered the TV, the bezel was cracked below the SAMSUNG logo. I called amazon and they immediately arranged for a new TV to be delivered for free the NEXT DAY and my old TV got picked up from my apartment by the UPS guy..No hassle to drop it at UPS office, etc.. Amazon returns department is awesome.

Go get this TV guys.. This TV is a hidden gem.

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