Audio Technica AT-LP60 Fully Automatic Belt Driven Turntable

• Fully automatic operation
• 2 speed turntable - 33 1/3 and 45 RPM
• Professional aluminum platter
• Switchable pre-amp
• Integral Dual Magnet stereo cartridge with replacement stylus
• 2 speeds - 33-1/3 and 45 RPM
• Integral Dual Magnet stereo cartridge with replaceable stylus

You really can't get a better turntable for this price. It wasn't broken or cracked when it arrived, it was easy to assemble, and it sounds great. For under 100 bucks that is more than I expected. The other cool thing about this turntable that is not in the description is that it's easily upgradeable. The turntable comes with a ATN3600L stylus. You can replace that stylus with the ATN3600DLX stylus for even better sound quality and performance. You can also get a better belt for it too but I haven't looked into that yet. It's not going to get any better than this until you hit about the $300 range.

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I ordered this turntable so that I could (hopefully) listen to LPs I haven't been able to hear for the past 25+ years. (Old turntable broke; CDs were the "in" thing at the time, so I never replaced my old turntable). I'm not an audiophile as some are, plus I have hearing loss in one ear, so all I know is "Does it sound good?" Well, I can tell you that I am pleasantly surprised at the quality of sound that I heard from LPs that are old, and some not in the best of condition.

First, the set-up. I worried a bit about putting the belt on. (Did I also mention that I'm a klutz?) However, when the package arrived, I took everything out, read all the directions first, and within 2 minutes after that (that is not an exaggeration), I had the turntable set-up accomplished. It couldn't have been easier!

Initially, I hooked the turntable up to a pair of miniature speakers I bought for my iPod. I just wanted to make sure the records would play. I put the first album on the turntable, cleaned it with Discwasher cleaning kit, and pushed the Start button. I actually got tears in my eyes when I heard the LP play. Even with the miniature speakers, the music sounded pretty darn good. However, the miniature speakers do not have sound control, so I attached a pair of computer speakers (Altec). The music sounded even better. Today, I believe I'm going to bite the bullet and hook the turntable up to the stereo component (I still have one that has Phono input). I'm anxious to see what the music sounds like coming through a Bose speaker system.

Some reviewers commented on the short phono plugs that are permanently attached to the turntable. They are short, but 2 different types of extensions are shipped with the turntable, so I had no problem attaching my speakers, and I don't believe I'll have trouble when I attach the turntable to the stereo system.

I've only used this turntable one day (but I played albums for 4 hours last night!), so I can't comment on its longevity. However, based on what I experienced last night, I believe this turntable, especially for the price, is great. An FYI: This is the first review I've ever written for a product, so that says something about how I feel about this turntable.

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I bought this when the stylus on my old Soundesign turntable and saw that for $20 more than buying a new stylus, I could upgrade to a better record player. The player itself has 2 settings for autostart" 7" and 12" which covers most of my records. Unfortunately, there is no 10 setting. There are also only 2 speeds: 33.3 and 45 RPM. No 78 RPM setting, so older records will not play on this turntable. Sound-wise, this record player is a big improvement over the player I was using before. Unless a record is very scratched up, you will not hear crackling when using this turntable. Overall, if you want an inexpensive turntable you can't go wrong here. This is definitely the best turntable in its price range.

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I needed to replace my year-old Sony so I was pretty discouraged when I started my search. I was pretty much settled on the Pioneer and was researching reviews on the net when I stumbled on the Audio Technica AT-PL60 reviews that were so positive. So I switched and researched the PL-60 and decided to buy. Don't let the low price scare you off! It Sounds way better than my Sony which cost three times as much. It took two minutes to set up to my system and my vinyl came to life again! Family, Love and the Electric Prunes never sounded so good! I would Highly agree with the other reviewers that this is the best turntable under $300!

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sounds and looks great. easy to use. i love my vinyl and i would much rather listen to it in its original form rather than transferring it into my computer.

this player meets all my needs. it plugs directly into a set of speakers, no stereo needed.

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LG Electronics Tone+ HBS-730 Bluetooth Headset (Black)

I own both the 700 and 730 models. I purchased the 700 3 weeks ago and used it extensively. I love the 700. The sound is not stellar, but it isn't totally crappy. The sound lacks depth, like the difference between AM sound and FM sound, though not as extreme. The sound also distorts on the loud end. However, it worked great.

The 730 has a few extra features that make it better, like the voice battery status and other messages. The sound is much better. The sound quality now rivals mid-tier phones that would please the average user who likes bass and mostly clear sound. It's full sound, but not audiophile quality. I am no audiophile and do have mild-medium hearing loss. I hate total flat response, anyway, even if it is "pure." I like good clean sound with a little extra nice, tight bass. Compared to my Bose QC15s, this is not too far off. I'd say this is pretty darn good for BT headphones. This would be worth the upgrade hands down if not for one big flaw.

The range of this is far inferior to the 700 I own. It drops out sound and makes it choppy after 10 feet. With the 700, I can be 2 stories down, 20 feet away, and choppiness is minimal. Not so with 730. Just turning my back to my phone from 10 feet away and sound drops. Knowing the battery life is a little better on the 730s, it makes me wonder if LG didn't simply reduce the BT radio power for more efficiency? I hope not. I was perfectly fine with the battery life of the 700s. That's just speculation, but the radio performance between the two headsets is huge.

What I love about BT headsets is the freedom I have to leave my phone down and do things. With the 700, I had this freedom with OK, but nothing special sound. With the 730, I have great sound with good bass, but can't go more than 5-10 feet without having annoying drops in sound.

Which one to send back?

Update 9 OCT 2012:

I really love the sound improvement over the 700. I find I am using the 730 all the time and have modified my behavior in order to prevent the dropped sound. One thing to note is that these in ear phones are comfortable, but are so because they don't jam all they way in the ear. There is a little more air that gets in. In the office or at home, no issue, sound and bass is great. While driving in the car, I lose a lot of bass and have to turn it up more and stuff them tighter in the ear. It is still a clearer, more open sound.

Based on the few comments left, I will be calling LG to see if my unit is defective.

I also want to note that the color difference where the buds attach is much better. The silver color is less obnoxious. I tend to be more conservative in dress and don't like loud colors that scream, "look at me."

I do wish the wires were a more flexible as the stiffness causes them to stick out. Thankfully, the wires are very thin and most people won't notice them from a distance.

I also wish the magnets were a little stronger. It's easy to knock them out of the holder area.

In spite of these other little points, I still think this is the best BT headset I've ever had. The biggest advantage is that they are "there." With my past headsets, once they are out of the ear, I kept losing them all the time. Not so with these. It's also way better for listening to music, way better. I also like that when it's loud, I can put both buds in and actually hear the conversation I am having.

Update NOV 27 2012:

I ended up keeping both. I'm using the 730 less and just starting going back to the 700 because of the better range. The big reason for this is because the 730 began dropping out in the middle of a longer phone conversation. This was getting very annoying, especially with my 35 minute each way drive to and from work. I'd have to scramble to turn on the speakerphone. All it took was a shut off and turn back on to make it connect, but this is not good. It does this even being fully charged. I wanted to send back the 730, but with my busy schedule, I unfortunately missed the deadline.

With the latest problem, I can't recommend these. Short range for music is one thing it won't matter in certain situations. Drops during calls is a deal killer for me.

I am also finding the magnets to be more of an issue, though more a minor annoyance. I tuck everything in under my collar and fish out the ear buds by pulling on the wire. I'd rather just go to where it is supposed to be seated. This is true of both 700 and 730.

UPDATE 19 FEB 2013:

After several more months of use, I almost exclusively use the 700s while the 730 sits collecting dust. Why? The only major advantage the 730s has, with its range issue, is the sound quality. So, if it's just going to be headphones, I'd rather use good headphones. That's what I've done first with the V-Moda M-100 (which include a mic, a great portable headphone with really good sound) and now the HiFiman HE-500, which gives me awesome premium sound, though no mic and not really portable.

I still use the 700's paired to my phone because it is more reliable. Still, it does drop on me, an issue I'm going to blame on my phone, as it has other quirks that lead me to believe that.

After reading some comments below, those who were in the same boat as me, until LG offers a fix, or a better model, go with the 700s. If sound is really important to you and you are just going to sit in an office, buy yourself a nice in ear buds or headphones with great sound quality and a built in mic. There are a lot of choices that way.

I was asked to try out the LG TONE+ stereo headset. I have the previous version of the LG TONE and enjoyed that one but this one has really nice updates. The first one I noticed was a call clarity has gotten even better. The previous one was good too but this one is exceptional. I also like the fact that when you turn it on there is an automated voice telling you that the power is on and the battery level. This is nice when you are driving and you have it on your neck and flip the switch that you do not have to look to see whether the power is on or off. There is also the capability to have it speak to you your incoming text messages, and voice activated dialing. It is comfortable to wear and I had no problems pairing the Bluetooth to my phone. I use it at the gym when I am exercising and have no problems with it. I can't wear it running however since it bounces around but its perfect for the elliptical and weight training. The ear bubs that were on it were too big for my ears but it comes with three different sizes so it wasn't a problem to switch it out.

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I generally do not review products but I was compelled to write a review about this one mainly because it is such a good headset and yet fails in the basic bluetooth function. I bought one, returned it and bought a second one that I will return soon.

In this review I will analyze the entire product name and you will get a good idea of what to expect. This product is called "LG Electronics Tone+ HBS-730 Bluetooth Headset Retail Packaging Black". Here is my review of each portion of this title (not in order):

Headset: The music and phone sound is REALLY great (even when biking). I struggled a bit with the ear piece sizes as I run, bike, and workout with these on. I finally settled for the smallest size but it still slips out once I start sweating or if it is raining/misting not that big a deal when I am running but REALLY annoying when I am biking. The controls are accessible but not very easy to find when you are biking in the winter with gloves. The fit is pretty comfortable and I don't feel it for the most part. It even hides inside my collar (with a little bulge). When not hidden, it looks like something out of stat trek.

Bluetooth: WOW how could LG MESS this up so badly. The headset cuts out on a regular basis (every few mins). I can't put the phone in the back pocket (think biking, running). I can't hold the phone the "wrong way". I can't walk more than a few feet away from the phone (10 ft). All these were NOT an issue with my MOTOROKR S9-HD.

LG Electronics: I called and talk to the LG customer (twice). They were not very helpful. Both times they insisted that they have NEVER heard of this problem. I even asked them to go and look at all the reviews on Amazon and other sites as well as the note that Amazon had on their site about this product being under review due to excessive returns. But they just asked me to send it into LG at my own expense. I told them "No, I would rather return it for a replacement and then LG can deal with Amazon". But they would not acknowledge that there is a problem and blamed my iphone, HTC phone, and iPad. REALLY bad customer service.

Tone+ HBS-730: I tried my friends HBS-700 and it did NOT have ANY of the problems that this one has. Bluetooth works exactly as you would expect. No problems on bike or run with the HBS-700!

Retail Packaging: Contains headset, 3 sizes of ear buds, power supply, and manual

Black: Yup I can confirm, its black!

After all this I have gone through 2 of them and had to return them. I am tempted to order another one just to see if the same problems persists. If nothing else it may force LG to take some action if they see so many returns from so many customers.

1/3/13 UPDATE: I ended up returning the second one and bought a third one (also from Amazon) and tested it out for a month to see if I could root cause the issues. This one holds the connection better than the other two (but still far worse than my Motorola S9-10 both in terms of distance from phone and placement of the phone).

What I did find is that the problems with connectivity get worse as the battery hits "medium" power. Sometimes it will be connected playing music for 30-40 mins with the phone sitting right in front of me at my desk and then suddenly start skipping and dropping the connection even though I have not moved at all.

The other thing I wanted to comment on is that the ear gels don't really stay in during bike rides or runs. I have tried all three pairs that came with it but no luck.

Unfortunately, I will have to return this set also. I may try the Motorola S11-HD (although it is >2x the price).

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I had the hbs 700 for a couple of months and the blue tooth worked as advertised up to a distance of about 30 feet before it got flaky. I was and am very pleased with it. I got the 730 because of the new features. The sound quality is significantly better but the first day I had it, with the headphones around my neck and my droid razor max on hip, the blue tooth disconnected constantly, only staying connect for 10 or 12 seconds. I wondered if it was the phone so I paired with my nexus 7 and had the same experience. I processed a return with Amazon but while waiting for the new on I continued to use it. I found that if it has line of site to the phone it stays connected. Anything blocking the path including your hand or arm (or turning your head as another review mentions) causes the blue tooth to drop.

Another intertersting development, after using is for 4 or 5 days, the range and stability seems to be improving. It will stay connected now at distances of 8 or 10 feet as long as line of site is not obstructed. I have no idea what causes this and customer support from LG is non-existent at this point. Buy at your own risk.

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I had the LG HBS-700 blue tooth headset and loved it. Unfortunately, I lost it.

The LG HBS-730 is better in every way. I like the white inserts better than the orange. The sound quality is better and the battery life is longer.

Unlike some other reviewers, I have had no problems with the blue tooth. I get good distance with it.

This headset is so comfortable that I have it on most of the day. I just put some relaxing acoustical music on low volume and work away. When a call comes in, I answer it on my headset. The voice quality on phone calls is excellent.

This is the perfect headset for exercise. No wires. This is a great headset. It's literally like having a soundtrack to your life.

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PYLE PLMRA420 4-Channel 1,000-Watt Waterproof Marine Bridgeable MOSFET Amplifier

• Waterproof four-channel, bridgeable MOSFET power amplifier with 4 x 250 Watts maximum output
• Variable high- and low-pass filters with crossover mode selector
• High-level MOLEX and gold-plated low-level RCA inputs with adjustable input level
• Overload, Short Circuit, and Thermal protection with LED indicator
• Variable bass boost of up to 18dB at 60Hz

Good amp for the money, definitely not a true 1000 watt amp as I already knew before hand. Amp is new but I am impressed it looks great and puts out enough power to run all my speakers!

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This is the 2nd time we have purchased this amp. Had one in our old boat and just put 1 (may put a 2nd one in as well) in our new boat. You get a lot of bang for you buck with this amp, you will not be able to beat the quality for the price!!

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I purchased this amp after reading the reviews to power my 4 6.5 inch speakers and 12 inch sub. This thing works amazing! Granted it's not a true 1000 watt amp as stated here already, but it puts out plenty of power. I have my 4 6.5 inch, 4 ohm speakers wired in parallel to get the 2 ohm wattage for my 4 speakers on two channels, and I have my sub bridged on the other two channels. with the crossover capability I am able to select high frequencies for my speakers, and low frequencies for my subwoofer. My speakers have clear mid tones and high's and my sub hits hard with clean low bass.

All in all, if you are looking for an amp to run speakers and subs in one application, look no further. This is the amp for you.

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My only compaint is that it has on the front (in the blue part around the logo) it has 5 led lights per channel that light up blue. They light up in ascending order with the music, but I think there should be a switch to turn them off if you dont like them.

But for the money, this is a great amp. I have one channel driving an PYLE PLMRW8 8-Inch 400 Watt White 4 Ohm Marine Subwoofer, which was also purchased from amazon for $20. I was going to run my door speakers on other 2 channels but havent decided yet. I put the amp and speaker\box under the driver seat of a Rhino side-by-side fourwheeler so I will update the "marine" quality if it holds up to the water encountered on my rhino. Not that it will be submerged (hopefully not) but it WILL be splashed frequently. But it runs the 8" sub perfectly and makes it hit hard. If it breaks for some reason, Ill deffinetly buy another one

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Bought this amp to drive 2 10in subs in my boat....wasn't looking for a high end clean sound. just something cheap and with enough power to push some bass out over the sound of my motor while wake boarding. Good deal for the money!

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Garmin Approach G3 Waterproof Touchscreen Golf GPS

• The Box contains: Approach G3, Belt clip, USB cable, Owner's manual
• The detailed golf course maps will provide golfers with precise distance information about fairways, hazards and greens from any point on the course
• As you move about the course, the unit will continuously update your position and show you the distance to each target
• The Approach G3 steps away from our traditional recreational product line to bring something brand new to the golf market at lower price point

I did a lot of research on golf GPS devices and finally settled on the Garmin Approach G3. I couldn't be happier with my decision. What I would recommend to anyone searching for a golf GPS device is to ask yourself: "What do I really want in a GPS device"? This is what helped me decide on which GPS device to buy. The main reason I purchased the G3 Approach is it is one of the easiest devices to use. When out on the course, the last thing I wanted to do is fool around with a device. I wanted something very simple to use. The Approach is just that! No buttons, no sequences, just touch the screen for what you want.

The distance to the pin is always displayed in the upper right hand corner. If the pin is up front or in the back of the green, just touch the upper right hand corner to zoom in on the green. Touch the location of where the pin is on the green, and the display automatically gives you the new distance to the pin! Touch anywhere on the fairway, and the unit instantly gives you distances to that point. Nothing could be easier! The unit also measures any shot very easily. Touch "Measure Shot" on the screen and begin walking to your ball. The Garmin begins counting the yardage as you walk! It's also very easy to keep score for each person in your foursome. The batteries last two rounds. Rechargeable batteries are highly recommended. The unit is waterproof, so don't worry about it getting wet! It fits easily in your front pocket. I also bought the Garmin clip for my golf bag, but haven't tried that yet.

Some reviews put down the Garmin because they said it was hard to see in the sunlight. However, I have not seen where that's true. Just a little tilt to the screen one way or the other and it becomes easily viewable, even in direct sunlight. I've used other GPS devices but this one is just plain simple and easy to use. Only the Garmin and the Golf Buddy have no annual subscription fees. I chose the Garmin because I love the way is shows you a very clear visual of the whole fairway when standing on the teebox. The Golf Buddy doesn't do this. Also, most GPS devices use an installed rechargeable battery, so if it goes dead, you have no way to replace the battery on the course until you get home to recharge it again! The Garmin uses 2 AA batteries, so I always keep an extra set in my bag. If the batteries die during the round, just pop in two new ones. All data for that round will be saved if you need to change the batteries. One click of the on/off button and it shows you the amount of battery power left. I looked at several other GPS devices: Golf Buddy, Callaway, and the SkyCaddie, but the Garmin just seemed the simplest and easiest to use. And once you get out on the course, you'll realize how important this becomes!

Only one Con about this item that I can think of: At the end of the round, it gives you your score in how many over par your are (ex. +8). I would prefer it actually gave you an actual number (ex. 80).

I would definitely recommend this product to a friend.

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I just finished a trip to Myrtle Beach with the G3. It really made the rounds that much more enjoyable. I own a Bushnell Tour V2 scope and have preferred it in the past over GPS devices because of their simplicity and ability to get the distance to any target. Here are two reasons why I am going to only use the G3 from now on.

1) If you can't see the target, you can't scope a distance. Let's say you are playing a course where you know there is water in front of the green over the hill. If you can't see the water, you can't scope it. Or a hazard around a dog leg. True, these situations don't happen often but it is certainly an advantage of the GPS device.

2) I like just looking down at the device to get the yardages. No fussing with trying to hit the spot, plus I get front, middle and back of the green yardages. In the green view, in a single glance I get more information about yardages than the scope can give me.

If you are thinking of getting a GPS device where you need to download course to it, consider this. I thought we were playing Grande Dunes as one of the courses but we were playing Dunes Club. The courses are actually near each other and if I had to download the course before going down to Myrtle, I would have downloaded Grande Dunes. When I went down, I found out we were playing the Dunes club and because I had a device with all courses loaded, it wasn't an issue.

Notable features of the G3

No fees: All US & Canada courses are pre-installed. I also downloaded an update to the courses for free. Included all trees too.

Battery life: I got 3 full rounds on a pair of Duracell alkalines. I plan on using NIMH rechargables going forward.

Screen: People have really over analyzed this. The screen is a color LCD touchscreen. In daylight, you don't need a backlight. In fact, the last few holes the device would not use the backlight to save power and I didn't have any issues. It isn't an iPhone screen with a strongly backlit display. It's the same kind of screen that you would get on a Garmin GPS device for your car but the backlighting is not as strong in order to save power. I have GolfShot on my iPhone and it wasn't perfect either.

No buttons: This is 100% touch. Turn it on, select the course and play. It automatically changes the holes. The backlight is off unless you touch the screen so it doesn't drain the battery. I keep this on my bag and just look down at it when I need a yardage. Simple.

Course detail: It has a zoom to any point on the course and it has a separate green view.

Size: It was smaller than I thought it would be but I wouldn't put this in my pocket.

Durable: I like the fact that I can bang this around and not worry about it.

Compared to the Bushnell Neo (which offers no graphics and very basic) the G3 is much more useful and worth the extra cost. The G5 has a higher resolution and larger screen. The practical difference is that you see more of the hole and green but the points that you get numbers to are the same. The G3 and the G5 use the same maps and work the exact same way. The G5 is larger overall. I would go with the G5 if you regularly play courses you are unfamiliar with. Note that the size of the numbers are exactly the same on the G3 and G5.

What I don't like (but am willing to live with) about the G3?

The trade off for this being a durable device is that the screen is recessed making it sometimes tricky to click on the corner buttons. People with fat fingers may have an issue.

I wish the screen was bigger but I know that a big screen comes with the tradeoff of requiring more battery power. The G5 is a larger device but the graphics are the same size, you just see more of the hole. Check out the images on their website. They are an excellent and accurate representation of the difference between the screens.

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I purchased the Garmin G3 for only two reasons. The price and lack of subscription. I got more than I paid for. The features of the G3 definitely give the average golfer the best bang for his (or her) buck. I read many reviews on many different GPS systems. Initially, the GPS that I was leaning toward most is the SkyCaddie SGX, but when I considered the price and subscription cost of the SGX the Garmin became that much more attractive. I learned my lesson trying to go from an automotive Garmin GPS to another brand. Just wasn't the same. Not only did I read the reviews, but I went into the local golf stores to get a good idea of the user ability and to compare the reviews I ahd read of both the SGX and the G3.

Many of the negative reviews for the Garmin focus on the screen and the glare. While the system can "maybe" have a little glare at times, it is nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be based upon the reviews I read. I have no problem reading the screen and knowing the location of hazards. For people who are vision impaired or would normally have to wear reading glasses to see particular colors or fonts, this may make reading the screen a little more difficult.

I greatly enjoy being able to navigate through the courses prior to arriving at the course. To some extent I already know which clubs I plan to use for each hole. It doesn't always work out that way, but arriving at the course knowing you'll tee the first hole for a 4 hybrid (my 190 yard club) because of the hazard at 205 yards builds a little starter confidence.

Inputting in the scores and players are also relatively easy. I particularly like moving the pin around on the green to make my club selection a little more accurate. I often used the markers on the course to verify the accuracy of the GPS, and it is almost always right on target. I've only been off by a yard once or twice. While the GPS does use AA batteries, it easily lasts at least one round. This was a problem for me given that I have other electronics that use AA batteries. Therefore, I already have quite a few rechargeables. I usually put two extra in my bag for safe keeping, but I have only had to change the batteries once while on the course, but that was during a second round and after playing with the system while off the course. Another good feature that I like is that while I browse course on the system I can get the address and phone number right off the screen and call to set up a tee time. My thought process is typically, "this traffic sucks. I wonder if there are any course nearby where I can grab 9 or more holes in the next few hours. I know! I'll check the garmin GPS, browse for nearby course, check out the 1st few holes, determine if I like the course, call them up." I know I shouldn't be doing any of this while driving, but hey I love golf, and most of us who are golfers are strategic risk takers. There is always that hole on which we know we shouldn't pull out of driver, but we do it anyway, only to end up in the water, or searching through the bushes looking for a pro v1 ball, only to find a few other balls that aren't yours. All those other balls represent the people who shouldn't have pulled out the driver. I only wonder how many of them actually did the right thing and took that extra stroke.

Overall, I am very pleased with the Garmin G3. The score taking, accuracy, pin location, look, fell, durability, and did I mention the tough screen. The touch screen is perfect. I definitely think that I got my money's worth.

If I had to change any features, it would be the ability to input the clubs that I use for each hit and keep track of my club distances to get an accurate idea of which club I should be using and when to use it.

Most importantly, go out, buy it, enjoy it, and have fun.

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Just finished 1st round with my new G3. It took about 5 minutes for it to get a GPS signal the first time, but performed like a champ once it did. The scorecard feature is great and really easy to use. I stood on the red, 100 yard marker in the middle of the fairway on 3 holes and each time it read from 99 to 101. 1% margin of error is better than I experienced with my old skycaddie. The touch screen was calibrated perfectly. I had no trouble with the cursor. Using rechargeable duracells, it shows about 60% power remaining after 18 holes. I'll carry an extra set of batteries just in case. This is replacing a skycaddie sg2.5 that had the screen go out after about 6 months. I won't miss paying for their yearly subscription either. As long as your favorite courses are available, I'd highly recommend!

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Have played a dozen rounds or so, and I love my new Garmin. At first it didn't have a particular course pre-loaded, but after downloading the quarterly update there it was! The Garmin was better than expected since some said the screen was not bright enough. But I have had no significant problems reading the unit in any lighting condition.

Some have said they don't like that AAA batteries have to be used, but I believe that perceived negative is actually a feature! (since carrying spares takes care of forgetting to recharge ). Running out juice on the golf course was an issue with my old Sky Caddy. With the Garmin, rechargable AA DuraCells last a little more than a full round. Have found that Energizer (Ultimate) Lithiums last about 7 rounds. (comes out to about $.60 round for the Lithium option).

*****************************

Pros:

Easy pop out AA batteries with spares in golf bag = unit not dying in the middle of the round

Ease of use

Garmin reliability

No annual fees

Ruggedized and water-proof construction

Simple glance to get distances to bunkers, front, middle, and back of green

One touch zooming feature for targets and the green.

Don't have to hassle with battery chargers if Lithiums are used

Huge memory that holds 1000's of courses...most pre-loaded.

Quarterly free updates to golf course database

Cons:

none

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Humminbird 4084801 587Ci HD DI Combo DualBeam Fishfinder and GPS

• Depth: 1000 ft
• Mounting: Quick Disconnect or In-dash
• DualBeam PLUS SONAR with SwitchFire
• Precision GPS and built-in Unimap
• SD Card Slot

I got this for my husband for our anniversary to go in our new boat. We both love this handy fish finder! It's accurate for speed and water temp and we can plot our favorite fishing hot spots and look them up with ease while in the boat. Hooking it up took no time at all once we decided exactly where we wanted to mount the transducer. Love the dual screen feature! Can't say enough good about this unit! So glad we got it! Once we got back home, we had recieved a catalogue from a local competitor and they had the monochrome version "on sale" for just about as much as we gave for our awsome unit plus paying for overnight shipping. Thankyou Amazon for giving us the best deal for our money!

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Myself and my sons are completely happy with this product. It has great resolution and is quite easy to use. The inclosed Cd is extremely helpful.

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I just hooked up my 587ci HD DI and couldn't be happier. I noticed a few reviews saying the down imaging is not as advertised, but I found it to look and function even better than advertised. The 4" screen is fine for me, but of course 5" would be nice (at least $100 more with 597ci HD DI). The split screen views are great. Installation was straight forward. I took my time and spent a couple of hours tying cables and getting everything just right. Only complaint I would have is that it seems to have no data on the lakes that I fish. I ordered the Navionics Hotmaps Premium 2012. This finder can only run Lake Master software, or Navionics: Gold, Hotmaps, or Hotmaps Premium. Premium means the software is the most up to date. It's too bad Humminbird discontinued this product. It was very hard for me to find at a reasonable price since they replaced this unit with the 587ci HD (no down imaging).

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awesome fish finder! great price for a great finder! screen is a little small but for my budget its perfect! i love the down imaging it offers! good luck with you and your fishing!!!

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Got this as a gift for my GF Dad and helped him install this on his 17ft boat. This has a great screen and very clear. Install was extremly easy to do and only took 40 minutes to do. Onced installed only takes 10 minutes on the water to set up to your preferances. You could spend hours playing with all the features that this has to offer. I love that you can turn off the views you dont like or use in the menu so you only see the ones you want. I will be getting this one or the one bigger when i get my new boat. i would recomend this to anyone with a boat. We spent like 4 hours driving around the lake playing with the down imaging.

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Viewsonic VX2450WM-LED 24-Inch (23.6-Inch Vis) Widescreen LED Monitor (Black)

• 24" (23.6" Vis) Widescreen LED monitor with up to 50% energy saving
• 1920x1080p full HD resolution, 20,000,000:1 MEGA Contrast Ratio, 5ms Response Time
• DVI and VGA Inputs For Diverse Connectivity Options
• Integrated Stereo Speakers
• VESA mount compliant 100mm x 100mm

I bought twelve of these for my digital arts studio. Overall, I'm very happy with them and even more happy with the excellent sale price I got at Amazon.com.

Pros:

* Rock-solid, beautifully saturated and bright image quality.

* Easy to use controls and driver disk (which you may need for optimum resolution on some computers)

* Kinda sexy multi-colored indicator light below the screen changes from blue (on) to amber (sleep) to off.

* Sturdy, adjustable stand which attaches easily.

* Just the right amount of "matte" finish to avoid the annoying glare and "mirror" effect that some screens have, without any sacrifice of brightness or clarity.

Cons:

* As with most LCD screens, colors shift somewhat with viewing angle. If you are a graphics design or video editing shop with exacting color calibration requirements, buy a (much) more expensive IPS screen if you can. (I couldn't afford a decent IPS screen, and this inexpensive monitor reproduces color BETTER than many "bargain" IPS screens.)

* I find the (permanent) large white lettering on the lower bevel rather annoying, even though you stop noticing it after a while.

* The screen is actually TOO bright for most environments even in daylight. I turned the brightness down to zero and it's acceptable, but only because I never use the units at night or in a dimly lit room. You may want to use gamma correction software (such as adobe gamma or the Windows 7 settings) to dim the screen more than the monitor controls alone will achieve.

* One out of twelve units I ordered was dead on arrival. (Amazon promptly refunded my money.)

* Because the touch controls are on the corner of the screen, the screen wiggles when you use them. Not a big problem (how often do you use them anyway?) but mildly irritating.

* Be aware that some older video cards may not support 1920x1080 resolution. That's not a problem with the screen, but be sure you have an appropriate driver before you upgrade to any new screen!

Overall, I did a lot of shopping around and this is a terrific deal if you can get it for under $200. I couldn't find anything comparable in quality for that price.

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I purchased this monitor because I wanted a 22 inch monitor and I didn't want to spend more than $200.

Initial impressions.

This thing is light in weight. Very light. I was able to hold the monitor in one hand/arm and use my other hand to set the base and plug in the power and dvi cable without a much strain. The base is made of plastic and feels cheap. That was my first reaction, when I unwrapped the base. Once I had it on the monitor though it did it's job. This combination though makes the monitor easily wobble if it is not sitting on a sturdy desk/table, keep that in mind. (My desk is very sturdy, so this wasn't an issue.) It comes with a VGA/DVI cable, which was a pleasant surprise.

I'm a programmer.

This monitor arrived at my place of work and as soon as it came, I immediately replaced one of my monitors and worked the whole day with it. It was easy on the eyes and I could see myself using this as my daily programming monitor. It also made my other Dell monitor look old because this monitor has great contract and was bright. Pictures and text looked great on the screen. At the end of the day I did notice that this monitor gives off very little heat, very nice. Had I based my purchasing decision on this experience, it would have been a keeper.

I'm delving into web/print design.

Here's where I have an issue with the monitor. I'm working on some website and print designs and I need the colors to reproduce accurately on the screen. I know that all LCD monitors change color saturation/contrast when looking at the monitor at an angle, however, I noticed that when I look at this monitor directly, the color was too washed out, where to me, it didn't accurately reproduce the color at the angle that it should produce the color contrast/saturation the best (or really close to it). Normally I wouldn't care for this, but I need the color to look accurate. I played around with the monitor brightness/contrast/color and that didn't fix the problem. I played around with my NVidia desktop color settings and I couldn't fix the problem. Lastly I compared this monitor with another 22 inch LCD and it only confirmed my findings.

Conclusion.

If you are considering purchasing this monitor for normal use, i.e. web surfing, document editing watching movies, then by all means don't hesitate to purchase it, it's a good monitor for the price. As a programmer/normal user, I would give this monitor 4 stars. As a web/print designer, I would give this monitor 3 stars. Since I have to use it in designer mode, then I could not keep the monitor, so I returned it.

Read Best Reviews of Viewsonic VX2450WM-LED 24-Inch (23.6-Inch Vis) Widescreen LED Monitor (Black) Here

: 0:40 Mins

First of all the video doesn't even come close to showing the clarity this screen provides, but I hope it's slightly helpful in that you can see the size better in comparison to a desk and stuff.

Now about this beautiful monitor. I admit I've only been looking at it for about a week, but so far my eyes couldn't be happier. LED screens are clearly going to be the future. They look beautiful and save energy and space, and the screen is SO thin! Setup was a breeze I just connected it to my desktop. The monitor comes with both DVI and VGA cables, but since my desktop had an HDMI output I bought a Premium High Resolution 10FT / 3m 24K GOLD HDMI TO DVI M/M CABLE FOR HDTV PLASMA DVD that uses the HDMI from my Desktop into the DVI in the monitor. I doubt I really needed to buy this, compared the cable with just the regular DVI to DVI and it still looked great, though it did seem a dash clearer (it could be my imagination).

Also, when shopping around and reading reviews of other monitors (especially LED) I noticed several customers complaining that it took a lot of setting switches to get the screen to look right.. with this monitor (at least for me) the picture looked perfect right from the start up. It does let you change the contrast and such, but I haven't dared to mess with them because I think it looks perfect as is.

About the sound.. I watch a lot of movies on my computer and listen to a lot of music, so imagining using a monitor's built in sound system horrifies me, but if you don't care about a high quality stereo system, I listened to the speakers and they'll do just fine.

So my overall review is an A+ thumbs up. I spent hours looking at monitors at Best Buy and on Amazon and anywhere else that sells them and I think I made a great choice with this ViewSonic. Granted, I've only had it a handful of days, but hopefully I won't have to revise this review for at least 3 years (that's how long the warranty is). If you have any other questions about the screen or would like to see a different video just leave a comment and I'll try to help you out!

**4 Month Update**

Just thought I'd let you guys know it's been nearly 4 months now and my 5 star review still stands so far. Absolutely no dead pixels, and absolutely no problems. Unlike other LEDs I've seen in the store, the stand on this is very sturdy and has never even hinted at falling over. My comp doesn't have a blu ray player, but I watched some 1080p stuff online and it is noticably spectacular on this screen. And now I see Amazon is selling it even cheaper than what I paid for it ($189) so I can't recommend it enough!

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I just received an order of 2 of these. I've been using them for the past couple of hours. The screens are absolutely beautiful.

Pros

-Great color, perfect picture

-First screen I've never had to change the color settings on.

-Sturdy stand, minimal screen wobble

-Perfect size

-Easy on the eyes

-Great brightness

-No dead/stuck pixels

-Windows 7 automatically installed the driver for the screen

Cons

-The speakers are awful (what did you expect?)

-The screen didn't look perfect before the driver was installed, definitely install it

-The menu is not very intuitive, took a few seconds to figure out

-Changing volume is a pain

-When screen is completely black, there is a little bit of light bleed on the edges

Notes

-Don't buy these for the speakers, unless it's an office environment

-If using speakers, just turn the volume up to 100 on the screen and control it from the computer

-Remember to install the monitor driver

This is really a great monitor! As a programmer, I'm extremely happy to have two of these when working on projects.

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I bought this monitor in Oct 2010 and it worked fine for 1 year. It is supposed to have a 3 year warranty. Then the display from the VGA input on my ViewSonic 2450 WM LED monitor changed and suddenly was not allowing me to view the highest resolutions that it used to be able to handle. I tried it on 3 different computers, and had the same problem, so it was not an issue with the video cards (2 were a laptop, 1 was a desktop). I have a 2nd monitor of same type and it worked fine on these 3 computers. I contacted customer service, and after deciding it wasn't my video card that was a problem (took 45 minutes of discussion), they had me send it in on my dime. 6 weeks later, I got it returned to me and alas, it was not fixed. I contacted customer service again and the agent I spoke with for 50 minutes adamantly declared it was my video card even though I have the same monitor that works and the damaged one does not. He said I needed to contact the manufacturers of my video card and download updates. When I questioned what had been done to the monitor that I sent in, he could not provide any description of any warranty work that Viewsonic performed just that the monitor arrived and then was shipped back out. He also would not allow me to send the monitor back in so that it could be replaced arguing still that it was a video card issue even though the a 2nd copy of the same monitor works fine on these 3 computers. I finally gave up not worth another hour long phone call with another agent, and sending it back into the service center when they don't even have policies to monitor what service work was performed. ViewSonic you make nice shiny monitors, but your customer service sucks quit trying to pass the buck on your customers and realize when you have need to replace a broken product.

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Polk Audio PSW505 12-Inch Powered Subwoofer (Black)

• Single powered subwoofer in black for use with stereo or home theater speaker systems
• Equipped with one magnetically shielded 12-inch long-throw woofer
• Slot-load venting minimizes turbulence, noise, and distortion
• Rated to 300 watts of continuous power (460W peak)
• Measures 16-1/8 x 15-1/8 x 18-3/16 inches (HxWxD)

Bass is clear, deep, oh, and LOUD! If you really want your HT to sound like an IMAX theater, then I whole-heartedly recommend this sub. It fills in the low end seamlessly. It also takes the burden of reproducing low lows off of your other speakers (which aren't nearly as capable as the PSW505). This is not a cheap "rumble box". The first movie I watched with this sub connected is Peter Jackson's "King Kong". The raptor/bronto chase through the gully is off the hook! The 30-ton bronto's gallop will set up a standing wave in your intestinal tract!!! But loud does not mean muddy or rumbly with the 505. I was pushing the sub to about 50% volume and I thought my house's windows may break. And like I said, that was only at about 50% volume. Besides, you want to be a good neighbor and not max this thing out cuz it can be heard clearly from a good 50 feet away. I find that it performs exceedingly well at about 15% of its capability in my medium/small sided living room. At normal/reasonable volumes, this sub recreates the super lows that truly make the difference between listening pleasure and listening rapture. No HT is truly complete without a sub and this one fits the bill to a tee.

a) I definitely WOULDN'T recommend this product if you live in a dorm/apt/condo/townhouse. This thing has the sonic capability to really anger your neighbors.

b) This sub is one of the few in its price range that actually has an LFE input (Low Frequency Effects) in addition to LL & speaker-level. I you didn't know, LFE & Line-Level (LL) inputs both use an RCA connector. The difference is that the LFE channel carries only low freqs from source whereas LL carries the entire sound spectrum. The LFE goes straight to your sub's amp whereas LL first goes through your sub's built-in crossover and then from there to your sub's amp. If you plug LL into the LFE input, you'll be asking the sub reproduce the full sound spectrum. Not what you want, of course. Probably not a big deal whether you use one or the other. The Polk's built-in crossover is fine, i'm sure, but I'd rather do the crossing-over at the A/V unit level.

c) Apparently, a good powered sub has an ON/OFF/AUTO switch, a 180-degree phase-change switch, a volume control, a cross-over level control (this control is not functional if you are using the LFE), a LL input (or two), an LFE input, and a Left/Right channel speaker-level input and corresponding outputs (for a total of 8 speaker wire connectors).

d) The unit seems very well built with what feels like sturdy wood (or MDF) and is somewhat heavy. Which is a good thing. It feels reassuringly sturdy/massive.

e) Would I buy this sub again? Well, I've discovered that many of the wonderful items that are for sale at Amazon are no longer being produced. IE, they are discontinued by the manufacturer. Do a product search at polk.com and you will no find this sub (you can do a search in the product support section to find its corresponding literature pdf). I just guess that that is the nature of the beast. Great products sooner or later get replaced with even newer & greater products. The older and merely "great" (not "greater") products still need to get cleared out of the inventory so they wind up at amazon.com or other e-tail sites. So, despite the fact that this sub is no longer in production, no longer supported, and is probably a year or two or three (or more) old... would I still buy it again? HELL YES!

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Was very iffy on this sub since I was going from a $1,000 Velodyne to this, but let me tell you I am not disapointed.Low tight bass with no distortion or rumble, sounds much better playing music than the Velodyne did,even though I use it mainly for movies.In my opinion you are getting a high end sounding subwoofer for $300, there is no way you can beat that!Tried to see how loud I could take it to see at what level it would start to distort, but could not get there because my windows were about to pop And my nose started to itch from the tremendous vibration, teeth rattled a little too! trust me I am not exagerating! BUY THIS SUB!!!!!

Update: YES March 10 2012 and this sub is still going strong....Amazing!

Read Best Reviews of Polk Audio PSW505 12-Inch Powered Subwoofer (Black) Here

Polk Audio is still making great speakers. I bought my first pair almost 30 years ago in 1978, had them for almost 25 years till I replaced them with smaller ones with a Velodyne sub. When my overpriced Velodyne sub went out on me last month, I decided to give Polk Audio a try since my first experience with Polk was so good. All I can say is that I'm glad I went with the 12" and for the approx $300 price tag, it sounds as good if not better than my high end $800 Velodyne sounded. For the extra $75 or so, get the 12" as opposed to the 10", you'll be glad you did.

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This is a great budget sub for those looking to get their feet wet with home audio, for someone that has never had a sub before, or is upgrading from a HTIB (Home Theater In a Box). I currently have this sub and have been using it for 2 months. Polk has a longstanding reputation for building quality products and for excellent customer service. If you're considering the PSW10, don't as for a little more money this sub is in a completely different league and I have owned both.

Pros:

Price

Good sound for the money

Decent looking sub

Decent sound quality for home theater or music

Provides a good amount of bass for a medium size room (20x15)

Cons:

Doesn't go very low. I believe this sub is tuned at 35Hz from reading reviews, and it drops off sharply after that. Unfortunately, this is where a lot of the sound is in movies where you'd want a sub to perform well. For music, it's less likely going to be an issue. In my own experience, I played a couple of bass test songs (Bass, I Love You and a frequency sweep) and found the same to be true. On the lower notes this sub simply loses it's composure under the tuning frequency, which is to be expected as there's no acoustic load for the driver under that. The end result is that the driver flaps freely and there is concerning port chuffing (noise) and simply a lack of output.

Suggestions:

At this price point there are few competitors to this sub. The BIC America F12 12-Inch 475-Watt Front Firing Powered Subwoofer has gotten better reviews than the PSW505 and will play lower and likely sound better doing it. If you catch it on sale it will cost less than this sub, otherwise expect to pay a little more. Another option would be the Lava Subs 12" 250 Watt Home Theater Powered Subwoofer which has gotten great reviews on the A/V forums and is a new contender, but costs a bit more.

If you have more money to spend or can wait, and you care about true performance, save up and buy a better sub. Some internet direct companies (Elemental Designs, Hsu, Epik for example) all offer great values and will provide performance in a completely different league from this sub.

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** boy does time fly ....3 Jan 2013 update....my two PSW505's still amaze me.......that is all.....

**Update, 28 Dec 2011, still flexin' my windows in my basement and taking names....just ordered another one because was running this and a 6.5 klipsch sub in each corner, will go 2 PSW505's. Tip...you can catch them onsale late at night like one day a month for $170. Oh also 2 weeks ago the pizza man said "last week what were you watching?? When I came to the door I could fell the bass in my chest." That would be dark night with a PSW505 and an Okyno 809 reciever....thanks

Purchased this sub at the same time I purchased a BIC F12. Will update with

more info but basically ran them the same hours before testing (about 15 on music and movies), watch same 20-30min of exact movie scenes(Inception, Star wars, Matrix reloaded, Dark Knight, did testing "slow, C weight, blabla with meter from my friends father who is "Carver, Paradigm" Audophile type.

Design: The PSW505 is built a little better and the grill doesn't vibrate when bass is loud like the F12. The F12 is a little higher but the PSW505 seems about 15lbs heavier.

Bottom line, this PSW505 produced a way higher SPL with the same settings than the F12, much higher.

My basement theater room is 25 wide by 40' deep. Placed both subs in same location, 1 foot from intersection of north and west walls. Sony 820 receiver connected subwoofer out, receiver on -3db SW setting volume 32, 40 and 42.

This Sub is powerful enough to overpower my BIC LRC (Left right center) Formula speakers. The F12 couldn't do that without going to 3/4 volume and shaking the grill and sounding like it was working 2 hard. The PSW505 at about 5/8 volume shakes my entire north wall, the window, the ceiling and the south wall about 35 feet away from the sub.

F12 did sound a bit better for punch deep bass songs like "murder gram" by LL Cool J, and "eat em up L". On movies F12 sounds nice, but PSW505 sounds like IMAX.

It's like comparing a 50 cal. to a cannon (PSW505). Both will do damage but the PSW505 does the most. Also with the PSW the bass is "thick enough" to where the M16 shots in Inception kinda scares me, with the F12 no.

F12 is good tho' but the Polk, you can play that thing and your walls will submit before the sub.

So anyway the F12 is going back to Amazon tomorrow.

FYI most people who review subs are upgrading from a HTIB (home theater in a box) so they will like the sound of anything, I have a 8" Klipch, sub12 Klipsch, 6.5" klipsch from my 300 HD surround system, some 8" off brand, 2 subs in my living room, 2 fosgate punch classics in my car, etc, etc, so I know what Im talking about when it comes to bass.

Like someone said, this Polk isn't something for apartment dwellers or people who share walls with neighbors! It actually shakes my ceiling. No picture falling off the wall and all that other crazy stuff but once again, my theater room is 25x40.

I will edit with db meter readings I did over the last 2 days.

One more thing, you can run 2 subs from 2 dif manufactures at the same time, did it with the Polk and F12 and the Polk and one of my Klipsch subs. Just place them in a room perpendicular to each other and also one will have to have phase set to 0 and one to 180.

5 starts because for a $200 and something sub this thing scares me. Not 5 stars compared to $900 600watt RMS subs.

Polk Audio PSW505 12-Inch Powered Subwoofer (Single, Black)

BIC America F12 12-Inch 475-Watt Front Firing Powered Subwoofer

edit: When I first connecting this sub, I got little bass and port noise, took about 5 days of playing it about 1-2h a day before it started to really "do work" but every day it got better and better with thicker bass at a lower volume.

26 Oct 2011 edit:

Ok so here are the SPL readings I took:

with Sony 820 receiver vol at 32 the F12 produced 91.5db the PSW505 94db SPL....SPL w/o a sub on my system at vol. 32 is 65dba. That's with the subs hooked up exactly the same way but polk just under 1/2 volume crossed over at 90 and F12 just over 1/2 gain crossed over at 90. Location was each sub 2ft from Northwest corner of theater room (25x40)

with polk at 1/2 volume, and vol. 40 on sony receiver Polk hit 101.5 SPL, little over 1/2 (like one dash) hit 105 SPL. F12 same Vol hit 95 SPL both crossed over at 90 htz.

just as a comp, my HD300 6.5 sub at 40 hits 82db SPL.

at vol. 20. the Polk hit 92db SPL, the F12 86 db

at vol 30. the Polk hit 103 db and F12 98 db (sitting slightly to the left of test done at vol 32 above).

Songs to test: "respect" by Notorious BIG (should here a low to high rumble on each bass hit)

"Murdergram" LL cool J

"Eat-em Up L" LL cool J

"phone numbers" Whiz Khalifa this song has some fast low bass hits that the F12 got each one clearer than the Polk.

"get em girls" Cam'ron

"booming system" LL cool J particularly the part where he spell "C O O L I N"

a bunch of random top 40 songs and a few limp biskit songs and the movies above.

So anyway I got this to feel the bass in my chest while watching movies and provide some low end for music. If you're only listening to music get the F12, if you want to feel gun shots in movies get the PSW505. I couldn't even imagine using 2 PSW505's!

**Update 28 Oct 2011** Switch my output on my bluray to bitstream HD versus PCM to let my sony 810 reciever decode the sound and the LFE signal came on the reciever when watching movies and the bass just got real!!! Now run it at little over 1/4 sounds nice. Gets better by the week. Prob had it 2 weeks now listing at about 1.5h/day av.

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TP-LINK TL-WR841N Wireless N300 Home Router

• 2 fixed Omni directional antennas Supports PPPoE, Dynamic IP, and static IP broadband functions
• Standards: IEEE 802.11n, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11b Interface: 4x 10/100 Auto-Sensing LAN Ports(Auto MDI/MDIX), 1x 10/100 Auto-Sensing WAN Port(Auto MDI/MDIX)
• Antenna: 2x 5dBi fixed Omni Directional Antenna Wireless Signal Rates:11n: Up to 300Mbps(dynamic) 11g: Up to 54Mbps(dynamic) 11b: Up to 11Mbps(dynamic)
• Frequency Range: 2.4-2.4835GHz Wireless Transmit Power: 20dBm(max. EIRP)
• Modulation Technology: DBPSK, DQPSK, CCK, OFDM, 16-QAM, 64-QAM
• 11M: -85dBm@8% PER 6M: -88dBm@10% PER 1M: -90dBm@8% PER
• Power Supply: Input - localized to country of sale; Output - 9VDC /0.6A Switching PSU
• Receiver Sensitivity:270M: -68dBm@10% PER 130M: -68dBm@10% PER 108M: -68dBm@10% PER 54M: -68dBm@10% PER

This router is great. I bought one about 4 months ago and it has been running since the day I got it. No freezes, lockups, no drop in speed.

The only things about this router is, do not use the CD that comes with it. Manually set the network up in the router. If you have a basic knowledge of routers/networking it is an easy setup. Also, it does run a little hot. However, if you elevate it to allow air to pass under it as well it keeps it considerably cooler.

I would buy this product again.

Buy TP-LINK TL-WR841N Wireless N300 Home Router Now

I am really impressed with this router and I am very pleased with this purchase especially at this price!

I wanted a low-cost replacement and got tired of spending a lot of money for routers that worked "okay". I have owned three Linksys routers: BEFW11S, WRT54G and WRT54GS; all had problems requiring constant physical reboots at least every day (even with DD-WRT isntalled). Eventually replaced these with an Airport Extreme Wireless N a year ago. The AE was a HUGE disappointment and for $199 I was severely irate that the Linksys had MORE controls and features for 1/3 the cost. Unfortunately the AE did not need resetting like the Linksys'. With my bad experience I wasn't about to drop another hundred for a Buffalo or Asus either.

My original intent of this router was to install OpenWRT and Gargoyle for the bandwidth monitoring and control so the pricetag of $35 was my deciding factor --if I screwed up flashing it, I would only be out a small chunk of change... However, if you do want to run custom firmware, this router is (generally speaking) unsupported; mine shipped as v7.1 and thus far v5 is the only supported/released version.

Upon physically installing the router I immediately noticed the webadmin IP address, username and password printed on the identification sticker located on the bottom of the router. Wow, no needing a manual just to login; what a great start! The remaining portion of router setup was extremely simple and if ANY of the options did confuse me, the webGUI's right-side contains well written and detailed help info.

The biggest bonus (for me) that came built in this router is bandwidth control. NICE! Just the feature I was wanting. And to think I only bought this to install custom software. I will say that bandwidth control setup is intuitive and works great. Keep in mind though that you MUST bind the IP address with the MAC address of the computers you wish to control or setup static IP or something. Binding is easier, but that's your choice. Bandwidth control is configured by creating rules; rules which can be applied to a single or IP range. Each rule can also specify min and max upload and download speeds.

The only improvement I would love to see (which is available in Gargoyle) is bandwidth capping based on usage as opposed to overall limits. So, if your ISP gives you 10GB per month and you want to limit each PC in the home to 2GB per month, than this router (unmodified) is not for you. However, if a user is always downloading something and you can't stand all the bandwidth hogging --than you should find this router acceptable.

Another nice surprise was in the Security control with which I can limit local web setup to specific MAC addresses; great if you do not want other computer users to try and access the web setup page and WLAN bridging.

More features I have yet to try:

Parental controls: The Router, providing convenient Parental Control function to control the internet activities of the child, can limit the child to access certain websites and restrict the time of surfing. On this page, you can create the ruleaccess control.

Access Controls: The Router, providing convenient and strong internet access control function, can control the internet activities of hosts in the LAN. Moreover, you can flexibly combine the Host List, Target List and Schedule to restrict the Internet surfing of these hosts.

[edit 1Feb2011]

Okay, I have owned this router for one week now and thought I would do an update:

1WiFi hangs or does not always restore itself following a software reboot -have to power cycle to get WiFi back online.

2With that said, the TP-Link does come with a power button! Much easier to click-off-click-on than to unplug and hope the cord doesn't come out all the way. Very very handy when the router is shoved under a desk or some place painfully inaccessible and a power cycle is necessary.

3The parental and access controls have me thoroughly confused. There are 4 pages (maybe more) that deal with setting up these controls; very convoluted. My attempt to time-lock one computer at a specific time apparently knocked everything offline.

Other than these (3) problems, I am still really happy with this router

Read Best Reviews of TP-LINK TL-WR841N Wireless N300 Home Router Here

For the money you couldn't ask for a better router, easy to set up, great security features and great price. Had it up and running in a matter of minutes. It is wall mountable, has 4 ports in back, compatible with my wireless G devices and arrived 1 day ahead of schedule. If you can read and follow the simple quick install guide, you should have no problems. Would recommend this router to anyone wanting to go wireless N on a budget.

Want TP-LINK TL-WR841N Wireless N300 Home Router Discount?

The router now sits in the corner, and I almost forgot about it. The reason it just works with no issues so far.

It was easy to set up, it automatically found all the right settings to connect to my cable modem (once I figured out that I needed to power cycle the modem after I connected the router to it). I manually changed all the WLAN security settings to use an advanced encryption. Similar to the previous reviewer, I did not use the installation CD.

Now the router pairs nicely with a laptop (WLAN N) and a desktop (using another great TP-LINK product 150Mbps USB adapter TL-WN722N). Desktop reports 150Mbps link all the time (about 30 feet distance), and so far I experienced no dropped connection, despite having many active WLAN routers around my apartment. During installation, I looked for the least used WLAN channel and set the router to use it.

I did an extensive research to find the best moderately priced 300bps WLAN N router before choosing this product, and so far I am very happy with my choice.

Save 32% off

If you need to send signal all the way down the block. If you dream of aiming signal right where it is needed. If you need a little less signal, take off one or more antenna.

This thing broadcasts 100 yards on the maximum setting. It broadcasts a signal 60 yards on Medium and about 100 ft on low. If you need less, as I said, they recommend removing an antenna.

Don't get this for a small apartment or small house. It would be overkill.

But if you have a place of business and you want to offer WiFi to your customers, this is the fast wireless router you have been looking for. All sorts of option in the configuration, or just use their wizard to configure it simply. You don't need to know anything about installing WiFi to get this up and running.

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Kindle Fire HD

I've been an iPad user since the original came out. I also have an iPad 3. I have worked in IT for the past few years so I would say I am pretty good with technology and fancy new devices. With that introduction out of the way, I will be reviewing key points that I have seen touched upon in other reviews. Here goes...

BUILD

The device feels nice and solid. I'm a little surprised at how heavy it is, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The rubberized backing is always nice for added grip. It's not as nice as say unibody aluminum, but it's not $500 either.

SCREEN

The screen is fantastic. But my problem is the same as when iPad got Retina Display, other than the OS, most apps look rather pixelated. A lot of the games I tried are not high definition, at least not high enough to look smooth on this screen. Hopefully apps get updated to higher resolutions.

LOCK SCREEN ADS

Yeah there are ads on my lock screen. I'm not sure why this is such a big deal. How much time do people really spend looking at the lock screen? The first thing I thought when I saw the ads is WOW the pictures are really crisp! The ads are there to subsidize some of the $200 price tag. I might pay the $15 to get rid of them so I can customize it, but I might not. I feel like this has been blown out of proportion by other customers.

SOUND

The sound from the speakers is great. Much better than you would get from more expensive devices, very crisp and clean. I have the official Amazon case on and it has not affected the sound at all. Nothing much else to say, I doubt anyone will complain about this.

CRASHING

I've had two apps crash on opening. I don't know if it is the app or the OS. It's probably somewhere in the middle. Again, not a big deal for me. If it crashes, then I just tap it again and it works. I've also watched a few movies using the built in player as well as Netflix and Amazon Prime. No crashes for me at all. I'm sure OS stability will be improved as time goes on.

OVERALL SATISFACTION

Compared to my iPad 3, obviously the Fire HD is not as "good" so to speak. I mainly got it because I wanted something smaller. I also mainly used the iPad to surf the web, watch videos, and play some simple games. The Fire HD accomplishes this and does so much more. If you are expecting an iPad killer, or a desktop replacement, or a productivity machine, then you should look elsewhere.

I bought this to be a media device, and I believe that is what Amazon meant this to be. In this regard, I think this is a great device. In fact, I decided to keep this and sell my iPad 3, which will give me another $200+ to spend on other things. Just remember, this device is not for everyone. If you want a media device, you will be happy with this. Do not expect an iPad for $200.

UPDATE 9/18/12

Just wanted to add a few more things I have noticed over the past 24 hours.

Power/Volume Buttons: There are a bit hard to press, which is somewhat alleviated by having the official case. Maybe it's because I'm a longtime iPad user, but this will definitely take some getting used to.

Screen Glare: It took me a little while to notice, but I was playing a Seek & Find game while on Caltrain, with the bright Palo Alto sun shining right on me, and didn't have any trouble seeing the screen. I remembered that Amazon mentioned how the screen was changed to reduce glare, and they did an amazing job.

UPDATE 9/20/12

Two days later and I am still very happy with the device. Here are some more thoughts from me:

BATTERY LIFE

I have been playing Enigmatis (a hidden object game) for about an hour and a half each day on my commute. This drains about 15 20% of the battery with the screen brightness almost at the highest setting. Again, not iPad gold standard, but still very good.

SYNCING MUSIC

I have a Samsung Galaxy S3 and used an app called Easy Phone Transfer to get all my music from iTunes onto the phone. It transferred everything, including album covers, and I was hoping to find something like that for this device. I tried iSyncr, a $3 app, which did the job, but did not sync over album covers. I uploaded all my music into the Cloud, then downloaded it from Amazon, which increased the audio quality for a lot of my songs and added artwork, but this still did not show up on the device.

I got very frustrated getting all the album artwork over and eventually just gave up. It's not a big deal but I am kind of anal about those kinds of things. Just a heads up if anyone else out there is crazy about it like I am.

UPDATE 09/21/12

I got a call from Amazon Customer Service about this review, which surprised me very much. They advised me the best way to get the artwork to show up is have the songs in both the Cloud Player as well as the device, which I know does work fine. I was hoping to have the artwork show without needing things in the Cloud, but not a big deal any more.

I am more impressed with the fact that Amazon called me to give me advice on how to remedy the situation and ask if there were any other questions I had on the Kindle. The representative said he wanted to make sure I was happy with the Fire HD. This is one of the big reasons I went with the Kindle, and with Amazon in general. I have had great experiences with their customer service, who have always been able to handle my issues quickly and efficiently. No need to set up an appointment days later with a wannabe IT guy with a hugely overstated job title.

So this update is not really for the device itself, but sometimes it's not just the device, it's the company that offers it that makes a difference. This is why I no longer have any Apple devices, as cool as they may be. But it's not 100% gravy, as I have noticed lately that the keyboard keeps popping up randomly on screens where there is nowhere to enter text, ie. while playing a game. I just have to press the Back arrow to get rid of it, but maybe a bug the Amazon engineers want to take a look at.

UPDATE 10/05/12

So I don't know if it was always there, but over this past weekend I noticed a dead pixel on my Kindle's screen. I called Kindle Support and after a short 5 minute call, they sent me a new Kindle, no questions asked. So once again, very happy with Amazon customer service. I am still very happy with the device, and have some more thoughts on it:

HDMI CONNECTION

I bought an HDMI cable to hook up the Fire to my 46" Samsung and was quite impressed with the results. The quality was very good, not Bluray quality of course, but better than SDTV on an HD screen. You actually see every single thing you do on the big screen, like you are using a giant Kindle.

GOOGLE PLAY APPS

One of the main drawbacks in my opinion is, or should I say was, the lack of all the Google Play apps available on the Kindle. With a little research, I found out how to add apps that are not available in the Amazon store. It is pretty easy to do and works very well with the apps I tried. This greatly improves my opinion of the Fire HD.

PLASTIC AROUND THE SCREEN

The outer most edges of the Kindle are plastic. I noticed some kind of discoloration on the corner of mine, and just thought it was some dirt to scratch off. So I rubbed my thumb nail on the area, and noticed there were visible marks on the plastic. It appears this plastic can scratch some what easily, but I think this is just cosmetic as not of the plastic actually flaked. If you are not very anal about how your stuff looks, you probably won't notice it.

OS CHANGES

Here are two small gripes I have with the OS that I'm sure could be fixed with an OS update:

Battery Meter: It would be nice if the battery meter could show percentage instead of just a graphic bar. Some people have mentioned Battery HD, but you still have to swipe down to see the percentage, so this makes it easier but does not solve the issue I had.

Personal Videos: The mp4 videos I put on the device are located in the "Personal Videos" app, which shows screen shots of all the videos I put in. The problem is, all that is shown are the screen shots. You can get more info by holding your finger down on each video, but when you have multiple seasons of a show on the Kindle, it can get confusing. Ideally we should be able to look at videos in a list like our music.

UPDATE 11/15/12

Still very happy with the device. Here are some more thoughts:

LEFT HAND MODE

I did't think this would be a problem until I played a Solitaire game that DID have a left-handed mode. As a lefty who usually uses the Fire in landscape, I often have to reach across the screen to access the Settings or Home button in the menu. It's a small grievance, but can be really annoying when watching a movie or reading something. If there was an option for a left-handed layout with the menus on the left side of the device, that would be great.

PERSONAL VIDEOS APP

I had earlier complained about this app, as it did not list my movies and crashed playing a pair of them. I recently drove down to LA from SF, and put 5 movies on device, only to find that 4 of them would not play! I was pretty mad, until I remembered a simple solution, download another app. I downloaded Avia Media Player, which is not the greatest either, but it played all the movies I put on the Kindle. My faith was restored.

GOOGLE PLAY APPS

A lot of people have asked how to do this. If you are not having luck with Google searches, try this:

I have been an Amazon customer for years having owned the first gen Kindle and currently the 6" Kindle. I have purchased the 1st gen Fires for my children for Christmas last year and I have purchased both the touch and 1st Fire for my father.

I already own an Ipad and did not feel the need to own a Fire, since I believe they duplicated the same purpose. I did however place an order for the Paperwhite, but after thinking about it, why not own a full functional device that is more than just an ereader.

I love the eInk displays and how light the regular Kindles are. One of my main gripes about tables are that they are heavier and you cant read the screen in bright daylight. I'm not really sure why the daylight is such a big deal for me, since I probably only read outside when I'm on vacation (2x a year).

Anyway, I cancelled the Paperwhite and ordered the Fire HD. I love it. It is portable, I never take my Ipad anywhere, just too big. I uploaded my entire music library from Itunes to Amazon Cloud, (so much for being locked down Apple!) and of course all of my books are on it. I regularly borrow books from my local library and was often frustrated that when I was away from home I could not search for books on my regular Kindle, becuase the experimental browser was just not functional enough.

The sound is amazing as everyone has said, as well as the display. No need to go into detail about what everyone else said. My only gripe is that the touch screen is not really as responsive as I would like, but it still works fine. The display does cut the reflection and you can read out doors. That is not to say there is no glare, it's just not an unreadable LCD screen any longer.

As far as the ads go, I don't find them obtrusive. I like knowing what other people bought or may have looked at. What's the big deal? If your friends recommend something to you, do you get mad? Same thing here to me.

I like that I can sync my email and now, actually use the Prime streaming video service. Yes, I know I could use the app on my Ipad, but like I said, I like it all packaged neatly here.

My only question is how many HD movies/TV shows can you download to the device? I like to download them when I travel and delete when I get home.

If you are an Amazon user, you should know that this tablet is no different that any other device (Apple?) that tries to get you completely integrated into their system. Should not really be a surprise to anyway that all of the shopping experiences point to Amazon.

I am pleased to have a tablet that is portable and easy to use.

Great job Amazon.

My word to the rest of the "reviewers" don't actually own the product, but write reviews on products that you don't own, to grip about a feature you read about. It's silly and clutters the reviews for those of us that actually like reading what other people are saying about a product.

**Update 10/1/2012**

After having my fire for a few weeks I still have very few complaints. I pretty much carry it with me whenever I am out of the house. I love having the option to read or if there way available wi-fi watch a movie. I wish it came with 4G but I bet it would make the price out of line with other small tablets.

The only cons I have is the typing experiences. It seems there is not predicitive text for the Silk browser which makes typing a little tough. I hear though there will be an update.

I dislike fingerprints on the screen when reading, but easily remedied with s soft cloth.

I have read 3 books and I am on my 4th and the screen is no issue whatsoever. This was my biggest concern before purchasing. I have no issue whatsoever. Just so you know, I read a lot and love the Eink Kindles, so this was an experiment to see if I could read for long periods of time with no eyestrain. Not an issue at all.

All in all I still love it. I have not used my Ipad since getting my fire.

Buy Kindle Fire HD Now

I purchased the original Kindle Fire on release day last year. It served me pretty well but was extremely glitchy. It would freeze, restart and stutter while playing games. For what it was, an entry level device, it wasnt bad.

So when the Kindle Fire HD was released, I decided I might as well give it a go as well. So far the Kindle HD looks to be twice the machine the original was. I am gonna keep this short and sweet and just create a pros and cons list for you guys. I dont want to be too long winded, but if you have questions you post in the comments, I will try to respond to them for a little while today.

PROS:

1. Vibrant Screen

2. Much more responsive to the Touch than the original Kindle ever was.

3. Games that stuttered on the Original, play flawlessly on the HD.

4. The speakers are awesome, Loud, clear and crisp. No need for the Volume + app like on the original fire.

5. The device is slim, sleek and sexy. Really like the curves on the back and the styling.

6. Front facing camera works great for SKYPE. Quality was better than that on my SIII phone.

7. Wifi seems a bit faster, but not by much. Silk still isnt an optimal browser though. I have 65Mbps Download and 15Mbps Upload subscribed service.

8. Cloud sync worked like a charm, almost everything from my old fire is now on my new Fire HD.

9. The device feels sturdy and well built.

CONS:

1. The "Customers Also Bought" on the bottom of the home screen is terrible. I can care less about what others bought. The advertisements on the Lock Screen are fine and understandable, they really dont bother me at all or with the function of the device. The CAB on the home screen take away from having your favorites immediately accessible and are extremely intrusive with no option to remove it. I would gladly keep the ads on the lockscreen and pay 15 bucks to get rid of the CAB on the homescreen. Enough on that.

2. I work in a hospital and I know 11 people including my wife who now is a proud owner of a Fire HD. One thing we have all noticed is that sometimes when you unlock your device, the speakers will make a popping sound, sort of like a static or feedback. Hopefully this gets fixed.

3. Compared to the Original fire, there is a noticeable delay when clicking on apps or games. It seems more prevalent on certain apps but the same apps have no issue on the original Fire. More prevalent on the HD than on the original.

4. Magic books. For some odd reason, things I remove from the carousel magically reappear to irritate me constantly. I am a bit OCD and only want what I use to be on my carousel and nothing more. Hopefully this will be fixed as well.

5. Certain apps that were available on the Kindle Fire, are not available on the Kindle Fire HD. Accuweather for example is no longer a free app on the HD neither is ScreenDim.

6. I do not understand why we cannot use a different keyboard like Swiftkey. That would be a massive upgrade over the stock keyboard.

NON ISSUES:

1. Flash Player It isnt so hard to get this to be a flash device. First you need a browser that allows flash to operate. Download a browser like Dolphin 8.8.1 to begin with. Not only does Dolphin perform better than Silk, it is more intuitive as well. Next download Flash Player 11.1 for ICS, make sure its for ICS. Once both are sideloaded, install, and flash should be working. It works on mine. CHECK MY COMMENTS FOR A STEP BY STEP

2. Charger not included Again, in this day and age, most cellphones and other electronic devices use a mini usb charger. Just use the same plug for the Fire HD. I use my old Fire charger just fine.

3. Carousel While most agree customization of the carousel skins would of been a nice touch, it still isnt a deal breaker and I didnt buy it to stare at the carousel.

I probably have over 20 hours on the Fire HD right now. From my memory that is all I can recall. If I remember anything or run across anything, new I will just edit in an update below. Any questions just ask in the comments. Overall, this device seems like a great deal. It should be much stronger once a patch is released to fix some bugs, but what doesnt need a patch these days once a product is released. Overall great showing by Amazon. Good Luck

Update #1 9-17-2012

So this is the second time that I have come home from work and the wifi on my Kindle Fire HD is acting wonky. It worked fine at work, then I got home and if I wasnt in the same room as the router, I couldnt get a page to load even though I had full bars of wifi. A reset of the Kindle HD completely fixed this and now I am outside on my front porch, far far away from my router. Hopefully an update will fix the wifi steadiness. Not sure if its because I switched to a different network or what, but I am gonna submit feedback to amazon regarding the issue.

Update #2 09-19-2012

So the issue occurred again. My Fire HD wifi worked this morning at home. I went to work, it hooked up to the public wifi at work no problems. I get home and unless I am right next to my router, pages will not load. Instead of restarting the entire FIRE HD, I went to options, turned off wifi and turned it back on. Problem was solved. Everything then worked as it should. I am not sure why I am having these issues with Wifi as I am a gaming geek and have brand new equipment and top of the line router and modem. I have the Asus RT-N66U router and Motorola SB6121 DOCSIS 3.0 modem. All other devices and the original FIRE work fine, no issues. If anyone else has these issues try turning wifi off then on again.

Update #3 09-20-2012

So it occurred again. I emailed Kindle Feedback with the issue to hopefully have them fix it in an update. By the way, if you guys want to report issues with your kindle fire, email: kindle-feedback@amazon.com

09-22-2012

So it has been a full work week of use for the Kindle Fire HD. I have probably used the device now for about 50-60 hours of web browsing, shopping, posting on forums, playing games, skyping, watching movies and reading. What is nice is one of those Advertisements on the lock screen that so many people complain about gave me a free 5 dollar credit to rent a movie on Amazon Instant Video for nothing at all. How could they? LOL. Overall the Kindle Fire HD has been a superb device for me. Only a few apps have forced closed on me during this time, just as often as on any other device. I am used to the "Customers also bought" section on the homepage already, I dont even notice it anymore. Like I said before, the advertisements are really a non issue, and actually have paid me by giving me free MP3 credits and free movie credits. Wifi speed is good, picture clarity is great, sound is in a class of itself for tablets.

10-27-12

Update 7.2.1 finally enables us to get rid of the pesky "Customers Also Bought" that many of us were complaining about. Now we have just our normal carousel without anyone trying to get us to buy something that we do not want. The patch still did nothing for the popping noise that the speakers make randomly while using the tablet. I have now noticed it makes a popping noise sometimes even during games, not only when sliding the open bar on the lock screen. This doesnt happen often, but when it does, it is annoying. There are still instances where the wifi drops out or says it is connected and doesnt allow you to surf the web. You must then turn wifi off then back on again on the kindle fire and everything is fine. Amazon says they are working on a fix and I have sent my data log files to them on numerous occasions to help with this issue.

I really dont think you can beat this at its price range at all especially if you are an avid Amazon shopper. The Amazon Prime subscription ($79.00 a year) basically gives you a subscription to a "netflix-like" streaming service (netflix is $96.00 a year for streaming), access to tons of books and free 2 day shipping on most amazon purchases. That benefit right there is what seals the deal, no other tablet provider can lump together all those services at a low price like Amazon. I am really happy with my choice, but sure there are things I would love to have on this tablet, but I knew that before buying it. If anyone has questions just post them in the comments. I do my best to answer them. Also if you see a question on there you feel you can answer, by all means please do. Its nice to help others get the full potential out of their purchases. Have a good one.

I will continue to update this thread with all my findings and hope to help people make an informed decision. Thanks

Read Best Reviews of Kindle Fire HD Here

HelloThis is taken from the perspective of a very dire hard Apple/iPad fan. Here goes.

First, this product is absolutely incredible. I really went into it expecting to dislike it. I even tried to cancel my order, but I was too late and it was delivered. Thus, I opened the package expecting to have nothing but complaints compared to my iPad3 (or whatever its called).

Pros:

Image quality is stunning. Really really terrific

Build quality is, I think, actually better than the iPad (which shocked me)The reason is that I HATE holding aluminum in my hands for a long time. It doesn't breath and when I'm on a hot airplane, I really hate it.

Form factor is FAR FAR better than the iPad. Keep in mind, I travel to China and back all the time, so I really want something that is very portable. The form factor is 100% perfect for traveling.

Flawless integration with Amazon's ecosystemThis is really the reason I bought it (and size). I actually sit there and smile when I use this to get to movies, tv, and all my books and magazines. SMOKES the iPad.

Usability it terrific. I just turn it on and it works.

Why only 4 stars?

5 stars to me means 100% perfect. This is not 100% perfect, but its pretty darn close

No charger? Really? C'mon. It takes hours to charge via usb. I just sort of feel short changed a little. I just used my iPad's USB charging plug and it works great.

I've had to restart it 2 times in 4 days. It seems to just sort of get confused when I'm really hammering on it. Restarts take about 30seconds so its no biggie.

Amazon needs more apps, badly. Granted, all I want is books, video, web browsing, email, and calendar. It does all this perfectly. But more choices would be nice.

Overall, I'm guessing my iPad will make its way to the kids now over time. If you travel a lot, want your amazon content, and do basic email/web/calendar, etc... this device smokes the iPad. I can't believe I'm saying this.

Hope this helps.

Want Kindle Fire HD Discount?

First: I love it. It's almost too much fun. I go to read, but wind up watching a movie. There are so many choices, I get distracted. For the money, for its intended purposes, assuming you understand what it does and doesn't do, it's the best deal you can get. It's an entire entertainment system in one affordable compact package. As a reader, it's great, although adjusting it to the level of brightness that suits you is a bit of trial and error. It's easy to adjust, but my eyes are picky. For just plain reading, my older 2nd gen Kindle is easier.

The sound is very good. Hard to believe you can get that much sound out of such tiny speakers. Impressive. The quality of the video is superb, much better than I expected. I find that I actually do watch movies in bed with my little 7" Fire HD. Because I was already a Prime member, they have so much available for free it will be a long time before I feel I need to buy anyhthing more. I have a huge library for Kindle which I can use either unit or any of my three computers. These migrate automatically.

The new Kindle HD links to the older of my 2 Audible accounts. They cannot yet link an Audible account that isn't under the same email address as your Amazon account NOR have they the technology to link multiple Audible accounts, period. IF you have mulitple Audible account under the same email address as your Amazon account, they can consolidate the libraries, but it will be one single account. They said they are working on this ... and you have to call Audible for this help, though Audible is very good about tech help and always have been, even before Amazon bought them. Audibleis working on solving this, but don't hold your breath.

The device is great for listening to audiobooks, far better for me than an MP3 player because I hate earphones. The Kindle is small enough to carry in a purse and not heavy.

Issues: 16GB is plenty ... unless you want to download HD movies. Streaming them (what I have so far done) uses no memory, so no problem. Regular "print" books are small; you can carry a whole library with you if you want. It's when you get to music and audiobooks (or the aforementioned HD movies) that you realize there's a a bit of a problem. You cannot stream audiobooks: you have to download them to the device. Nor is there any way to add memory. Kindle has no slot for an SD chip or port for a flash drive. Why not? Wouldn't it have been a no-brainer to include a port or slot for a card or flash drive? That, in my opinion, was a bad mistake. You cannot expand beyond the device's embedded memory. Period. No options. Buying the 32 GB version moves the wall, but doesn't remove it. Amazon should add a port for memory, either flash or a card. They should address this issue soon.

You need to understand the limits of the device, what the advertisements don't explain.

Audiobooks can be large. A really long book takes up quite a bit a space. You can load a few books at a time if they are normal-length books, but not 57 hours of "Lord of the Rings," for example. After you listen to a book, delete it. Then download the next. Unlike when you download to your computer from Audible, you cannot download a multi part book in sections. It's all or nothing. A book that is in your Audible library in several parts, which these days is any book longer than 11 hours, will download in a single piece to the Kindle. If the book you want to load is LOTR or Winds of War, make sure you have enough room.

You can store everything you aren't actively listening to, watching, or reading on Amazon's (free) cloud servers, so deleting content isn't losing it, just moving it off the device. This is well and good as long as you have WiFi. It gets stickier if you are on the road and WiFi connections are not available. If you travel a great deal, road warriors may want to wait and get the version that comes with 3G (available in late November I believe). If you are mainly looking to use it on the road, get the 3G. I have 3G on my older Kindle; it's great when you want a book, but don't have a WiFi connection. It will automatically switch to 3G in the absence of a WiFi network. But older Kindles don't do all the other cool stuff. They are strictly e-book readers. Very good ones, but dedicated to a single purpose.

You can pretty much whatever you want to do on your new Kindle (not writing or editing beyond email length), but you can't store everything on the device. You can't download your whole Audible library to your Kindle or download lots of HD or other movies plus miscellaneous other content. One or two movies, max, a few audiobooks, plenty of regular books ... and other content as needed ... but not everything. It's not meant for that anymore than is an iPad, which has similar space limits. If you are in range of a WiFi connections, it's no problem. At home, it's a non-issue. When/if we are traveling, I will have to choose what I want to take with me.

The manual is poorly written and incomplete. As a professional tech writer, I will say straight out that they need to hire a professional and do it right. There's no excuse for not having at least the basic information available in the online manual. If the device was more intuitive, if the menus (such as they are) were logically arranged, they might not need it, but as it stands, they definitely do need a manual. Most things are very easy to do, but finding the menu that does it or the information on how to do it is NOT easy. Yes, Amazon has great customer and tech support. Real life peoople who really know the device and will stay on the phone with you until your battery runs out ... but who wants to have to call customer service to figure out how to delete a book or movie? Or for that matter, turn the unit on? It's stupidly simple to do all this stuff, assuming you can find the manual at all (I had to call for that, too), you will not find any listing under the words "delete," "remove", "turn on," etcetera. It's the first rule of tech writing to explain the basic stuff up front without having to search for it, and certainly should not need to call a hotline for this information. Just hire a competent tech writer. We work cheap, really. Give employment to someone who needs it!

I'm still figuring out where various functions are and how to make them work. They do work, but the figuring them out is anti-intuitive.

I bought the $199 version that has advertising. I'm not finding them intrusive. You can get rid of them, even after you've bought it, for $15 if they annoy you, but they only show up as an offers menu or on the splash screen before you open to the contents.

If you already are a member of the Amazon community, if you have Prime, already have a Kindle library, and/or an Audible account, it's the best deal in town.

I have yet to want something that Amazon doesn't have, usually cheaper than anyone else, so for me, it was ideal. Absolutely no reason for me to look elsewhere, though I did actually look at everything else before I bought this. If you want everything, spend some much bigger money and get a tablet. Go for broke and get an iPad. They're cool.

But remember: if your primary issue is READING, a tablet computer is not as good for reading as any reader is. Tablets are shinier and more reflective; they are useless in the sun. Any Kindle, is better for reading. Decide what you want to do. Many people have a tablet AND a Kindle (or other reader). One size may not "fit all" for you. The Fire is not a iPad, but it's pretty close and a heck of a lot less money.

If you want to read, watch a movie or TV show, listen to audio, do email, see what's happening on Twitter or Facebook -or any website, really -it will do that and more. You can transfer content directly to the Kindle USB cable from your computer or store it in Amazon's cloud, then move it to your Kindle. I've got three computers: laptop, desktop, and mini, so I am not going to worry about storing documents and photographs on my Kindle, though I may take them up on using some of their storage space. Photographs are another thing that can overload a small device fast. Be sensible and reasonable in your expectations.

It's a fine device, esecially for the price. It really does 95% of what Amazon promises, though not necessarily quite the way you expected. Plan on calling at least once or twice, if only because the menus and manual are inadequate. This problem is NOT unique to Kindle. I have some expensive cameras I still can't fully use because the manual is useless and they don't have friendly 24/7 service.

Thumbs up for quality, sound, video, speed (download and delete speeds are breathtakingly fast). It's also a nice looking device, compact and the accessories, finally, are affordable, even cheap. You will NOT have to pay $50 for a case this time. You can find nice ones for as little as $4 or $5 dollars. Buy the Quick Charger ($9.99). Worth it. Whether or not you'll need a stylus? I bought some inexpensive ones, but I never use them. The touch screen is sensitive (sometimes too sensitive) and easier with fingers than a stylus. If you have big hands, the stylus might be easier for you. It's a personal thing. Try it before you make a big investment. A cheap stylus will work just as well as an expensive one.

Fingerprints: not bad. I got lens wipes at Walmart. They are great for the Kindle, my camera, my computer AND my eyeglasses. Protective screen? There goes your HD and the sensitivity of the touchcreen. I can send you a bunch free; they came with other things and are pointless. Don't bother.

Absolutely do get a case for protection if nothing else. I recommend one that turns into an easel so you can watch movies or TV hands free and prefereably, also turns it on when you open it, turns it off when you close it. The on-off button is small and hard to find. My $8 case turns the whole unit on and off and is a standing easel. Problem fixed. It cost $7.99. The Kindle wakes instantly; a zero second startup.

The touchscreen is sensitive and I often find that I've started downloading when all I was trying to do was navigate. Amazon needs to address this. It's annoying. Getting information about a book or movie is tricky and to avoid the issue, I go to the Amazon store and look it up there. They need more and better menus.

And it's still the best deal in town!

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