Touch Screen Phone - touch screen phone, blackberry storm

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I got an email from Verizon today. It says I am eligible for my "New every Two". I will have a nice new phone before the week is over.



I got my first Blackberry (the Curve) two years ago. I absolutely loved it! I told my husband it would be the last phone I ever had (as he shook his head, yeah right). But this review is not about the Curve, it is about the Storm- so here goes.



When I saw all the commercials and ads for the Storm, I was excited, since the iPhone was not available to me as a Verizon customer (and I am a Mac user). I researched and compared the two phones, and found they both had pros and cons of their own, but were fairly comparable depending on what you wanted it for.



Last Mother's Day, my husband came home with a brand new Blackberry Storm for me- paying... (and please don't shake your heads and roll your eyes- IT WAS MY GIFT!)... paying FULL RETAIL PRICE for it. Okay, so I thought of returning it... but I really was looking forward to using it, plus I was the only person I knew who had one! I gave my Curve to my husband. After the one month honeymoon of loving all the features and apps.... it takes great pictures and looks slick.... the honeymoon ended (of course it was also after the return window was no longer an option.)



The first thing I realized I hated was if you were talking hands-free by resting the phone between your shoulder and ear, the screen would depress and either mute or put the other party on speaker. I paid for an app to fix this (BerrySlider). In August, less than 3 months after owning this phone, I would hit the green talk button and the camera would start up; I would hit the lock button on top and the camera would start up; I would dial "one" for voicemail and the camera would start up. So I paid the 70 or so dollars for my "copay" under the warranty to have a new one sent to me. Great!



The new Storm worked great for about another month (although I still had the issue of not being able to rest the phone between my ear and shoulder, and I was getting tired of spending money on it, so I didn't repurchase the BerrySlider). Now my issue is that it freezes. CONSTANTLY. Let me repeat that. CONSTANTLY. It will work fine, then I'll get a phone call that I can't answer because I have the stupid ticking clock symbol in the middle of the screen. Let me also say that I do update my phone when it calls for an update, not that I think it has helped! I clear my internet cache, cookies and history as well.



I went into a Verizon store last month with a friend who was purchasing a new phone. She needed her work email address, which I have stored in my contacts. Guess what? It froze when I tried to go to contacts. I put my phone on the counter and told the rep it was the worst phone EVER. He said I just had too many things on the screen, so he moved a bunch of apps (like Facebook, Amazon, [...], Maps, etc) to the Downloads folder. Yeah, okay. Guess what? It seems to freeze even more now. I am now at the point where I am pulling my battery out AT LEAST once a day.



Would I recommend a Blackberry to anyone? Definitely! Would I recommend the Storm? Not to my worst enemy. If you don't believe me, check out the reviews on Verizon's own website. There are only a few that gave good ratings, and many owned it from one day to less than a month. I've put up with two of them in the past nine 1/2 months.



As for my "New Every Two", I am probably going to go with the Motorola Droid. I've owned Motorolas in the past and was not impressed, but it has great reviews, and I have a friend who has one and LOVES it, which says a lot to me. Hopefully, I will too!



Pros:

Sleek

Touchscreen (but nowadays, so many are!)

Pictures look great, especially on the big screen

The music player sounds really good

Lots of memory with the included 8mb mini SD card





Cons: It freezes constantly

Typing is not easy. I use landscape, which is easier, but it's still not great.

Software glitching a lot

Phone doesn't always ring, or freezes when you try to answer



Hopefully, this review helped. I'm a little sad to switch from Blackberry, plus their forums are great (Crackberry), but RIM, you lost me after the nightmare this Storm has been. I'm ready to try something new....



Now if I can just figure out what to do with this ridiculously expensive phone when I switch it out...... BlackBerry Storm 9500 Unlocked Phone with 3.15 MP Camera (Black)

Well, i purchased this item about a month and a half ago. At fist, I wanted to use it with my att company and it didnt work at all because Att doesnt offer this phone, but anyways, three days ago i came home ¨"Venezuela" for a family emergency, so i brough the phone with me to use while im down here, and now the phone is presenting problems with the battery, which i thought it was new, i guess not and the screen doesnt either, Im extremely disatisfaced with this phone and i want to get in contact with the company I bought it from because it isnt possible that in less than 2 months the phone is falling apart.



I am looking forward to hear back from you guys as soon as possible. Blackberry storm 9500



thanks

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Touch Screen Phone - touch screen phone, blackberry storm

Electric Pencil Sharpener

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I bought this pencil sharpener for use at home. We are a large homeschooling family, so as you might imagine we go through pencils pretty quickly.



Unfortunately, the sharpener only worked on about half of the pencils I tried. The others were all sharpened so unevenly that they were unusable. The wood went all the way down to the point. I tried 20-30 pencils of all different types, including quite a few brand new ones.



I contacted Bostitch customer service, and I was informed that the PENCILS were defective, not the sharpener! But the pencils are not sharpened symmetrically. One side is slanted much more than the other. I tried every one of the different sized holes, pushing up on the pencil, pushing down on the pencil, using more pressure, etc., and nothing worked. Customer service informed me that I could send the unit back to them at my expense, and they would send me a replacement. But as I have no confidence that another unit would work any better, I don't want to spend any more money on this, and am returning it to Amazon. Stanley Bostitch QuietSharp Executive Electric Pencil Sharpener, Black (EPS9V-BLK)'

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Electric Pencil Sharpener

fitness ball - fitness ball

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I got the 10 lb ball and the weight is accurate on my digital scale. The handles on the side are convenient for any exercise that you would have to grip the ball.



My only complaint is that the black color seems to rub off the ball. The gloves I use to handle the ball and the carpet I store the ball on are now slightly black. Body Solid Tools BSTDMB8 8-Pound Dual Grip Medicine Ball

I used one of these (sans handles) in a gym every other day for a year as part of my ab workout. Once I left the gym due to moving and using the apt. complex gym, this was one item I was missed (along with a bosu).



Great addition to my home gear.

I've been working out with this ball for a couple of months now, and I'm not at all disappointed with my purchase. I could tell as soon as I removed it from the package that this was a high quality item... not cheap and poorly made like some of the other medicine balls I've used. The grips are nice and comfortable and it can take a beating. It cost a little more than I originally wanted to pay, but it will without-a-doubt pay off in the long run.

The dual grip medicine ball is an excellent product for your at-home workouts. This was recommended to me by a personal trainer and I really like the ball. It does smell strongly of rubber, so you may want to air it a while before use.

I really like the construction of the ball, but I ultimately found it unusable because of the overpowering smell. Be warned, you will literally be knocked over by the odor when you open the box, and it does not go away. The manufacturer should consider a new source for the materials in these products, because this outgassing cannot be good for anyone, especially someone working out and breathing in these toxins.

Having the handles on the side is great. The overall size of the product, however, is a slight drawback. I find that it's a little larger than I had expected and would have liked the overall circumference of the ball to be a little more compact than what it is. Nevertheless, I do not regret the purchase at all.

If you do not like to go to the gym (that's me), or cannot get to the gym as often as you would like to, well, this is the perfect addition to your workout. No need to fiddle around with the loose weights, everything you need is right at hand. Great for the beginner, intermediate or expert workout maniacs. - Fitness Ball'

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Lightscribe - dvd dl, verbatim

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I have bought and burned over 200 of these discs and I have never had a bad disc! Today the blank media market has been flooded with cheap discs that won't work after a few uses or even burn properly! However, this specific blank media is still high quality and won't fail. Verbatim 95484 8.5 GB 8x-10x Double Layer Recordable Disc DVD+R DL, 15 Disc Spindle

This was my first experience using double layer media for burning, so while I have no reference points to go by, I must say I've not had a bad disc so far. I promise to update this review if things begin to change.



I have two versions of Nero (6 and 8) on two very different computers, and I've noticed that they both automatically lower the burn rate to 4X (though I can pump it up to 6X on Nero 6) and wonder if speed accounts for the fact that "lesser" brands fail more often. I even have one of the hated Sony burners in my Core Duo 2 laptop with Nero 8, and it works, despite being HUGELY slower than with a Lite-On drive installed in my ancient AMD64 desktop.



My only gripe with this product is, oddly, what drew me to it in the first place: the price. At $40.48 for a 30 pack you're looking at $1.35 per disc. I find it hard to believe that in this day and age, when the product cycle for optical discs of this sort is quite mature, that it costs this much to produce them. Can it really be more than double the cost of two single layer discs which can be had for 20 to 30 cents each at fairly reliable quality? Perhaps...I've never made them myself. I will conclude in Verbatim's defense that this is the lowest price point short of the widely maligned Memorex discs. That's why I chose them, and all in all I'm quite happy.



P.S.--It might be interesting to hear from those who have used both these and the cheaper Memorex discs to see if patterns in why things head south do so. I'll let you know if I decide to bite the bullet and try the competition at some point.

Verbatim has changed the manufacture process of their discs with the 8x. The dye has serious flaws in 80% or more of the discs. Normally I would recommend these to anybody interested in backing up data. Now I say stay away from these. Out of 15 discs only 3 are barely readable. 12 coasters. I would expect this from Memorex but not Verbatim. Stick to 2.4x discs if you can still find them. I used a brand new Pioneer burner with all of these so I know my drive is not failing. It burns everything else very well including the HP Dual Layer discs. Extremely disappointed.



Please take note I am referring to the purple box not the orange one. Never had a single problem from those. Depending on your chosen software for burning check and see if the disc ID number MKM-003-00 (or something close to that - must have the 003) appears. If it does.. do not even attempt to burn or else you will have just lost an hour of your day and a very expensive disc.

I do a lot of DVD burning, I won't mention any competitors all I will say is that I NEVER have had a Verbatim disk fail on me. If it fails its usually my fault. I have had great success with the Verbatim +R DL disks.

Don't let the price scare you. Verbatim DVD's are worth every penny! Use the other brands for frisbees and never worry again about your media. These babies burn clean without any discards. I've used a few hundred and haven't thrown out any! My only disappoinment is the 8x dual layer doesn't come in a pack of 100 spindle(hmmmmmm). I have reliably used them at different speeds with no difficulty. I have tried other brands, NONE COMPARE!!!

Discs performed perfectly--I'd heard stories of lost or contaminated data with 'bargain' or other cheaper Double Layer discs...I decided to go with the Verbatim discs based on reviews and the experience of friends, a little more co$t, but worth it in the long run....GH

My friends and I have a lot of experience writing DVDs. Even with a top rated DVD burner, the double layer writing is a little tricky and, as far as I am concerned, Verbatim is the ONLY choice. It works almost every time with very few failures. One time I bought a 50 stack of another brand because they didn't have the Verbatim in stock. I gave up trying to get a good write and threw them away. Don't waste your money on any other brand. - Verbatim - Dvd Dl - Blank Media - Verbatim Dl Dvd'

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Lightscribe - dvd dl, verbatim

Easy To Assemble - indoor, exercise bike

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I read a lot of reviews of other bikes so I was on the look out for problems. So far we have not run into any. The setup was very easy. Schwinn provided the parts laid out on a printed piece of cardboard and all the tools necessary to do the job. The assembly "manual" was a pictogram with few words but easy to understand. The entire setup took 45 minutes because I took my time and very methodically laid out each step. If I just jumped into it, it probably would have taken 20-30 minutes. A second pair of hands would have helped align things quicker. One hint I will give you is to make sure you tighten the seat. I thought I had it tight and after riding it a few times, the seat started to swivel. As far as operation goes, we could not be more pleased. It is extremely quiet! In fact I have to almost strain to hear it. It has more whistles and bells than we use (we just jump on and ride for a specific duration). You can set up a "course" where it get progressively harder then easier. My wife likes the fact that it shows the number of calories burned too. The only thing I do not like (but my wife does) is the over the shoe strap on the pedals. My shoes are too wide and it is difficult to get them in. If my wife did not like them I would remove them. I wish Schwinn would make it easier to get them on and off. Overall this is an excellent bike and we are extremely pleased with it. Schwinn 120 Upright Exercise Bike

Bought the Schwinn 120 Upright a couple of weeks ago. Took about an hour to assemble. Unlike some of the other reviewers experience, all the parts were in good condition. I am extremely satisfied with the product. It is very well constructed and stable. I am 6'2" and my knees don't hit the center console (unless my knees are angled inward, which is not how one should pedal). I am an avid bicyclist and find the ride very smooth and whisper quiet. I like the variety of programs included as well as the option of creating my own. All in all, this is a great product at a very reasonable price.

I looked at a lot of bikes at a lot of stores and couldn't find anything else under $800 that wasn't a rickety pile of garbage. This Schwinn stood out because it was virtually silent, most of its important parts were metal and the seat was easily replaceable with no special adaptors necessary. I've been using it for about a month now and can't say I'm disappointed with its performance in any way.



I think the worst thing about it is the computer. The UI is beyond incomprehensible and I honestly have no idea what it's even supposed to do. I just keep pushing buttons until it starts letting me adjust the resistance and ignore its continually blinking segmented displays. I'm pretty sure it doesn't measure much of anything very accurately, so I don't really care to learn more about its eccentricities. I have a watch and I know how to take my pulse--all I want on an exercise bike is a simple knob, thanks.



Just be warned when ordering from Amazon: it will almost certainly arrive damaged in some way as it ships from the factory in a pretty flimsy box that is held together with staples and plastic straps. In my case I didn't realize that a couple parts were cracked until I already had it 95% assembled, and there was no way I was ever going to get it to fit back in the demolished box FedEx dropped it off in. Amazon set up an exchange for me when I complained, but spending another hour disassembling it and taking a day off from work to wait for the UPS guy to come get it didn't make a whole lot of sense. Luckily, Schwinn/Nautilus' customer support is better than Amazon's, so I nabbed the replacement parts I needed for a few bucks' worth of shipping.

Item arrived very promptly after placing order but it arrived damaged. Apparently this has been a fairly common problem shipping this bike. Amazon offered to refund the entire amount if I returned it. They offered a 30% refund if I kept it. I did the latter, then called Nautilus/Schwinn. They are honoring the warranty and sending me the replacement part necessary to repair the bike.



Otherwise, bike is operationally fine. Instruction manual for programming various exercise regimens is very poorly written. Twice I spent about 30 minutes on the phone with the Nautilus/Schwinn customer service people before I finally got the hang of it. The customer service people were very nice but actually didn't know much about this particular issue. We just worked together over the phone as we both read the manual and tried to figure it out.



I think I got a good bike for the money--really good considering the 30% refund from Amazon for the damage goods!

My item arrived in the 2 days it said but the box was halfway torn open, tattered and distroyed. it had rained so now I thought my product had gotton soaked. It came via UPS. Well I read all the reviews prior to purchasing this as-well-as other models. I am totalling satisfied!!! It doesn't rock, it's sturdy, the seat is big enough for anyone and the post can accomodate any bike seat you wish to use like a racing seat for road bikes. My buttocks and knees did hurt though but after constant use and a little adjusting, they should be fine. So far the electronics are great. It plugs in so no worn batteries to worry about. I went from my bed, to the bike, and straight to the shower and to work. I have cycled for years but now I can ride all winter long and at any hour. There is no noise. Completely quiet. Just hang a bag to it for your t.v. remote and your Ipod and enjoy! Some people rated the setup confusing but if you have ever put anything together in your life, you should be fine. Just have patience. It's an Hr and a half tops! I'm purchasing another one today for my 78yr young Mom :-)

Comes with necessary tools and took me only 45 min to assemble it. Seat is too wide for me to work out for more than one hour. Foot strap design is not very good, it touches axis as you pedal.Otherwise this is sufficiently good for its reasonable price for the purpose of moderate indoor exercise during winter time. - Exercise - Indoor - Exercise Bike - Highly Recommended'

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Security Camera With Audio

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For the money, this is a great little system. Easy, out of the box setup, nothing to it. Video was surprisingly good. I checked it out on two different TV's. One is an older 36" CRT Panasonic, the other a 32" LCD Sharp. No interference from the interior of the home was detected. (You know, it transmits through walls, ect..) Got this to keep an eye on the teenagers still living at home. Man, they are going to think I have a 6th sense! The audio works great too. Wish I would have bought a larger multi-camera system. In fact I am considering that now for other projects. For under $40 bucks, I don't think you can go wrong. Don't expect Hi Def, but it really is quite good. Mini Wireless Color Camera with Microphone

I picked this unit after much research, for a home-made robot (class project). Here's the scoop:



For the price, it's fantastic!



Performance: Our best results, with a fresh battery, camera unit transmitted ~200' of open parking lot AND ~75' of industrial building w/ lots of flouro/wifi etc. with minimal interference. However, signal strength fell off with batt pwr. Unfortunately, we used a variety of 9Vs at various stages of use or I'd have a lifespan for you. Best guesstimate is minimum 30 minutes full strength from fresh batt.



We also played around with it indoors, with the AC adapters on both units.



Either way, you'll occasionally have to tweak the RX tuner for best reception if the camera is mobile, or the environment changes (body blocking the antenna of the Tx etc.) See that little knob by the Rx unit's antenna? That's the tuning knob.



How does it work?

Camera unit powered by AC adapter, or 9V battery (short life as expected) sends audio & video to receiver unit.



Receiver unit->RCA cables->TV/VCR/whatever (I used an old portable TV/VCR combo from a junk sale). No "Wifi" here.



If this thing had night-vision AND digital tuning it'd have 6 out of 5 stars. Speaking of IR, this camera will detect IR like most digi-cameras. The only test I managed to do before it's demise* was to point a TV remote at it in a sealed darkroom, and it did register the IR LED.



*The TX unit was smoke-checked by an idiot miswiring an improvised AC adapter after we lost the first one, but I'm definitely getting another.

I bought this setup for birding. Installation was a breeze. One bit of confusion was the manual which stated the power adapters for the camera and transmitter should not be interchanged and could damage the equipment if hooked up wrong; however, the adapters were identical. I installed everything and had it working in less than 10 minutes. There is some interference as others have pointed out, i.e., occasional lines and jitters, but all in all a very good color picture for the price. I do not see a problem with low light conditions - I have a robin who built a nest under my deck, and was hoping to watch the babies hatch. Today they did within half an hour of my installation of the camera. The camera is tucked up underneath the joists and there is no direct sunlight, yet the picture is clear and bright. This may not hold true for dusk, but for use in normal daylight, I'd highly recommend this system if you're on a tight budget. I couldn't ask for more considering cost/performance ratio.

This little camera works great for keeping an eye on things. A word of advice, be sure to set the channel on the camera so as to not interfere with any wifi network you are running. The switches are on the camera. two tiny white switches on the side of the camera, then adjust the reciever to that channel with the adjustment knob on the top. Once that was don, all of my wireless stuff was happy and working well.

Image with the advertisement shows a 9 volt battery adapter which was NOT included with the item, so NOT wireless as the (included) AC power adapter must always be connected. The description does not mention it, but the included instructions say the camera is not for outdoor mounting (but they offer a version that can be mounted outdoors and will work in day-night conditions). CAUTION: Make sure the correct AC power adapters are used as they are DIFFERENT, one is 5 volt (for the camera) and the other 8 volt (for the receiver).

We got this rather than spend $140+ on a baby monitor for our child. We always swore we'd never get a video monitor as it seemed like an invasion of our child's privacy. However, she is now 2 years and 3 months and we are in the process of transitioning from a crib to a bed, and we have quickly learned that we need to see what she's doing during nap times. We thought we'd try this out. Granted, it only broadcasts to one TV, but we mostly sit downstairs and fold laundry while the kiddo sleeps, so we just set the TV up (Picture in Picture) in our living room.



Pros:

- We were impressed with the small size of the camera.

- Field of View - For the most part, it captures most of our child's room. We have vaulted ceilings and placed the camera at the highest place (14 ft). From here, we can point it down and capture most of the room (room measures 16 X 14). If we had shorter ceilings, we probably wouldn't get a good areal shot.

- It was easy to set up. We had to buy a RF modulator since our TV has already used up all of the RCA inputs in the back.

- The picture is mostly clear as is the audio. There are a few interference issues (see the Cons section). Our daughter's room is upstairs and the TV we attached the receiver to is directly downstairs. In all, I'd say there's about 30 ft from transmitter to receiver. It seems to do ok transmitting through the floor/ceiling. I didn't test it to see how far I could go before the picture got bad.

- Doesn't affect our home phone (5.4 GHz) nor our Wireless Internet (ATT Uverse - whatever band they use). Cell phones didn't bother it either - even in WiFi mode.





Cons:

- This device does not like our microwave. I'm unsure if they are on the same circuit, but when the microwave runs we get lots of interference. This is a minor inconvenience though since we don't usually run the microwave for more than a few minutes. We could probably try an AC interference adapter, but we don't want to spend the money on something that isn't that big of a deal for us.

- The camera only tilts up and down. The arm the camera sits on does allow you to twist the camera, but the picture twists with it. What this means is that you can easily tilt up and down, but you can't go left to right when you're trying to set it up. In order to get the camera to look slightly left, I had to twist the camera mount. This means our picture isn't exactly level, but again, it doesn't bother us too much.

- Battery life is pitiful. I decided to try a 9 volt to see how long it would last. It was a matter of hours before our picture started degrading. Once I attached the AC adapter the fuzziness went away and the picture got much better. Don't get this for it's battery operation option; be prepared to always use the AD adapter.



In all, I'd recommend this. At least try it before you spend $140 on video baby monitors. Worst case scenario you return it and are out only the shipping.'

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Security Camera With Audio

Kitchen Electronics - small appliances, smoothie maker

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There are two types of people I feel sorry for. The one type are the people who give this product a negative review because they can't follow some simple instructions, and the other being the people who will be put off buying this blender because of the first. I have been using this device a lot for a while now and the bottom line is that it works great. Just as with anything else, as long as you take care of it properly then it will last a while. The whole thing is extremely easy to put together and take apart. I was able to figure it out with common sense and not even reading the directions the first time I put it together. I later went back and read the instructions to confirm what I had already figured out. I have blended using both the cups and the big blender jar and I am proud to report that it has fully blended all of my fresh AND frozen fruit until totally smooth with no big chunks of fruit. As a lesson to the other negative reviewers here are a few common sense points I have put together for you and others that may have problems. #1 - A blender is supposed to be loud (in case you have never used one before) #2 - If you are blending a smoothie, the more you blend/pulse the smoother it will be! If you only blend for 10 seconds then you will have a lot of chunks of fruit. There's a reason why most if not all of the smoothie recipes tell you to add liquid as well. I RARELY write reviews on amazon but I felt compelled to after reading the ridiculous negative reviews of this blender. Enjoy! Hamilton Beach 52147H Dual Wave Versatile Blender, Silver

As with any kitchen appliance... you must know how to properly operate it to give a fair evaluation. I couldn't undertand how people reported having "chunks" that could not blend. Sad to say...I now realize that most of the poor reviews were from people who don't know how to properly make a smoothie...



I purchased this blender for a 4th of July outdoor event where I sold smoothies to the public.... I sold 230 ea. (20 oz.) during the day. This machine worked perfectly... blended smooth, powerful, 80 oz. capacity pitcher is a huge bonus for parties but can also blend single 20 oz portions without a problem.



BIGGEST ADVANTAGE.....

NO AIR GAP !!! Most blenders create an "air bubble" when blending...Some Smoothie machines have a "Wand" that helps you stir while blending, to keep from the Air Gap from happening.... The Twin Blade system creates a smooth distribution of liquid and keeps the mixture moving.... This is a definite advantage over a single blade smoothie...



I love this machine... Was actually very inexpensive compared to a commercial blender I was considering for my event. On July 5th... I purchased one for my home !!!



As a professional chef, I would highly recommend this blender...

Chef John

I dont know what everyone is complaining about, this is the best dang thing I've purchased in a long time! I use it only for smoothies. I bought it because it has dual blades, dual chambers, separate cups - but you can do 2 cups at a time if you wish. The whole process to make my protein smoothie takes all of 3 minutes. I am 9 1/2 months pregnant, and trust me, if it were difficult to use, I wouldn't use it! The cleanup is amazingly simple. I just rinse the removable blade in hot water and replace. I simply rinse the cups and caps the same way, and it's ready for tomorrow. I make my smoothies with frozen and fresh fruit, juice and protein powder. I think the people who say it doesn't work well dont make smoothies correctly - you need a liquid in order for the ice or frozen pieces to rotate around the blades - this is true for even the very best blenders. If youa re like me and want a smoothie daily, with minimal work, mess or clean up, and only want to use a small bit of counter space... It's PERFECT!

I didn't buy this from Amazon. I am happy with how it works. I haven't used the large size one, but the smaller smoothie cup sizes and convenient and do the job. It blends everything pretty well, fits a large/wide sized straw in the little drinking hole, and fits in the cup holder of my car. I've used it several times now and have not had any problems.

Cant imagine someone complaining about the noise. Its normal and works great. Best blender ive ever had. My wife Karen loves it for smoothies, and also rates it good. Easy to put together, and built well. I also like the fact that you can push the cord up inside it, so you dont have extra cord on the counter. signed Oregon Couple

I've owned the Dual Wave blender for over 18 months now. I use the small containers to make individual smoothies. The larger container gets a workout making malts for the whole family once a week. It's large enough that I only have to make one container full. Other blenders don't hold as much and I'd have to make 2. I had the Magic Bullet before this and the motor burned up within a year. This unit is still going strong after a year and it gets used on a daily basis. I wouldn't hesitate to buy it again.

I don't usually write reviews for products, but I felt compelled to do so after seeing the relatively low star rating.



I think this is a great blender. It pureed a soup with whole tomatoes quickly and beautifully, and also made great smoothies. It blends ice wonderfully; it does a much better job than my old blender.



The option of using either the large canister or the individual canisters is convenient.



I also love the cord storage, although I must note that it's a bit difficult to push the cord back into the cord storage. (It works, but it would be nicer if the cord rolled up into the body of the blender with less effort).

We are a two chef household and never without the latest kitchen gadget. We've had this about a year now and I think it has both advantages and disadvantages.



We bought it primarily for making smoothies and for that it served its purpose well for a long time. I found that it blended them smoothly and was convenient if you wished to just to one at a time or do two different flavors. While the cups didn't hold up longer than a year, I still found this to be a great advantage while we had it.



The only thing that has stopped me from replacing the cups and not buying this again is that we do also like to use a regular blender for certain things as well like margaritas during a party, soups, etc. The problem is that when you replace the two smoothie cups with the larger capacity one unit blender function it shows you why most blenders only have one blade at the bottom...it just doesn't work well for one large batch. The food or drink or ice cant go down to the bottom blade (as there are two blades on each side) so if caught in between the two it just won't mix well. Then we had lots of leaks from the spigot and the only way to pour it out easily is from that easily and sometimes you just need to pick up the blender cup and pour which you can't do from the spigot.



So, while we've enjoyed our smoothies for a year, it's time to replace it with a regular ol blender. For us, for it's multiple uses, it just was a better match and has less parts to keep up with and this takes up quite a bit of room in the cabinet with all the parts when I could just pour from a regular blender into a cup.



That said, if you only make smoothies? It will mix them well in the small cups...just be aware you may need to do some frequent replacement of the cup parts in which case buying a delux blender could pan out cheaper in the long run... - Smoothie Maker - Small Appliances - Smoothie - Hamilton Beach'

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Kitchen Electronics - small appliances, smoothie maker

Video Games

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As a PES (Winning 11) fan since 99 and a very pissed Konami customer in the last couple of years, I am very happy and pleased this year. This PES by far better than any other PES on the current game console generations..+ The graphics is revamped and stunning, beautiful.. (still some minor animations issues can be seen but you will not notice them)+ The attack feels solid, passing is improved.+ Team AI is unbelievably better than last year.+ The defence system is changed than last year but it feels better (Still you have to redo the learning curve which might upset some customers.)- Same cheesy menus/ soundtrack --> who care about the menus/ sound track!!!!!- Some licence are missing .. this might be bad for those team fans.In my opinion even this is not the most polished game but it is the most solid authentic football (soccer) game.. Pro Evolution Soccer 2012

There are some improvements made on Pes 2012. The graphics are better with the players having some facial expressions, also the fans look better than they did in PES 11. The movements of the players are more realistic with each player having his attributes as in real life. There is this new thing that wasn't previously present in PES, you can instruct your teammates to move forward with the R3 button and choose them in corner kicks as well. One other thing I noticed is that it's harder to accurately tackle compared to PES 11 and it's also harder to get the ball from the opponent. PES has always, in my opinion, been steps ahead of fifa (although fifa has lately made some improvements) because of the fact that the game was never foreseeable (since Iss pro and pro ev 2 on ps1, where I remember in fifa 99, 2000, 2001 you almost knew what was going to happen) and it's getting better every year. PES is even better for people with high knowledge of football and that also play or have played in real life.

Of course, highly recommended.

I wanted to wait and play the game before I gave a proper review. Let me start by saying this game is great in the ways that are important for a videogame. The gameplay is awesome. The passing and shooting and most importantly; the AI. Konami boasted about the AI as being the most important feature worked on for this iteration and I must add, they did not lie. The AI for both your teammates and the opponent are incredible. Your players make runs when you have the ball and stay in a solid formation when on the defensive. It just makes playing the game a pure pleasure and you are no longer yelling at your virtual teammates. If you do feel the need to make your players make more varied runs, Konami have added the feature to take control of two players at the same time. It's difficult to get to grips with, but once mastered, it adds a huge dimension to your game.Playing against the AI is in a whole other league as well. I consider myself a seasoned PES player and I always begin the game on Top Player level because in the past, I've found the AI too easy on any other level. I did the same this year but I was constantly getting beat so I have lowered the level to Professional. It's still difficult to win. They have added an unlockable "Superstar" level this year and I can only imagine how difficult that will be to win consistently. The AI is tough but not in a frustrating way, it's been done in a realistic way. Each team you play doesn't play the same way, so it's like playing against another person. Which leads me into another great feature in PES. Individuality of both players and teams. Konami always pays attention to the details of each and every player playing differently than another. But, this year it's even more pronounced, maybe due to the AI advances this year. Bottom line is that playing Barcelona on PES is like playing Barcelona in real life. They pass the ball around and maintain possession throughout and you have to beat them on the counter when you get the chance. It's very challenging.Now onto the negatives. I think the graphics have taken a step back from last year a bit. It's not such a bad thing but you do usually expect the graphics to get a bit sharper each year rather than regress. Maybe it has something to do with the tragedy in Japan this last year, not sure. I also have to say that the atmosphere in the stadiums and the commentary are dour to say the least. This is something that has plagued PES for years so I don't know why I am even mentioning it to be honest. I hope that Konami can put forth a little focus on these issues for next year because I feel it would add so much more to the experience. It can be done too as FIFA have nailed it pretty well. I also think that the animations are still lacking and stuck in the PS2 days. They're not terrible but they are behind the competition. These are the biggest negatives I can think of at this time but maybe I need to play the game longer to find more flaws. But so far, I have played this game non stop since 9/27/2011. It's that fun. If Konami make PES 2012 the base for their future iterations, I think that PES will take back the crown from FIFA. PES lacks all the glitz that FIFA has, but PES represents football more realistically on the virtual pitch. Most importantly, PES is fun to play and that will always make me come back. Well done Konami!P.S.I also wanted to mention that Amazon saved me on this purchase. I initially (ignorantly) pre-ordered this game from Best Buy. I then checked on the status, the day before release, and found out that it was backordered! Backordered? How can a pre-order be backordered? So, I canceled from Best Buy and ordered it from Amazon and received it on release. Kudos to Amazon. I will always order from Amazon if I buy a game online. Thanks again Amazon!

Gameplay is awesome, the way players shoot and score is so real... The player's movements, dribbles are greats and they are fully controlled.. The only minor thing I have experienced is that, sometimes players automatically make tackles leading to red card and penalty. This really need to be fixed..'

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Cards - cards, cardstock

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I've been looking for just plain cards to embellish. This comes closest to being something that an embelishment can be added to without crumpling. Although the weight is fairly decent the color is not ivory, it is sort of a muted yellow. I will order from these folks again, but will see what they have in white. 50 Blank Greeting Cards & Envelopes 5x7 A7 Ivory

the envelopes are very flimsy and the ivory is yellow. very disapointed i bought them to make sets of photo cards for gifts and they were not usable. i went to a local print shop. i paid twice the money and got three times the value.

It took a number of returns to Amazon website before this product was available for sale. I had previously purchased the white version of the blank cards, which were consistently available.



I found the weight of the card itself to be excellent for my purpose, which is to make photo cards. The envelopes were of lesser weight, but I do not think that the lesser weight will be a problem in the long run. I have purchased blank Ivory cards from at least two other vendors, and the color of "Ivory" has been fairly different overall, with the Darice product being more yellow, but not unattractively so.



The only complaint I have is that the plastic wrapping for the envelops was very tight and resulted in many of the envelopes being turned up at one of the narrow sides. I have tried to use weights to straighten them out, and whether that works is yet to be seen.



I do have one real irritation with either Amazon or the dealer. The price for the Ivory cards was approximately $2.00 more than for the white, and after I purchased three packs of Ivory cards, within a day or so, the price went up another dollar. I know this is business, but it was disheartening to see business principles applied so quickly.

These are BUTTERCUP not Ivory, if you plan to print an image on them it they may not be suitable. I had planned on printing a photo on them but got around the problem by printing the image on photo paper and getting the kids to "volunteer" pasting them onto the cars. Looks great, the envelopes are decent too.



Worth the money if you don't mind the color!

I bought these cards to draw holiday flowers on them with colored pencils. The smooth surface does really work well with color pencils. Very satisfied with my purchase. I will definitely buy these again!

These cards are a decent value for the price, but I agree with other reviews that the ivory color is not very nice. It's kind of yellow, and doesn't really look good with any embellishment I've tried yet. - Paper - Cards - Cardstock'

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Gold Toe Dress Socks - socks, amazon prime

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These are nicely made socks. They're attractive & thin - just slightly thicker than some of the dressy pant socks I've purchased.



As the name implies, they've got gold thread reinforcing the toe area. It's really brightly colored thread which shows up dramatically on the darker colored socks. I think it's ugly. But, of course, no one sees it if you keep your shoes on. Gold Toe Women's 6 Pack Ribbed Crew,White,9-11

If I could have seen the socks in person, I probably wouldn't have bought them. Very thin. I guess it's fine for the summer but I usually like my socks with a bit of a cushion. These don't have any at all. It also doesn't stay up when I wear them. Socks keep sliding down to my ankles. I've bought gold toe socks in the past and have liked them a lot. The quality for this one isn't good at all.

I'm really "hard" on socks, and so far these are good quality for the price. You get 6 colors: light beige, light tan, light and medium brown (which are "tweedy" or "oatmeal-y") dark brown and black. The beige and tan look good with most tan or khaki colored pants, and the light & medium browns work well with olive and taupe colored pants. They are on the thin side (thinner than crew socks but thicker than "dress socks (which are more like really heavy stockings) but that's just the weight I was looking for.

I am very pleased with these socks. I ordered the white and black combo pack. I wear the white pairs with tennis shoes and the black pairs with dress shoes. They feel great and seem to be really good quality! - Amazon Prime - Crew Sock - Socks - Women'

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Large Screen - bluetooth, tomtom

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I am writing this review in the hopes that it might save others some of the difficulty I've had setting up this GPS Navigator. There are many great features inherent in the 2535 TM WTE, which are discussed in these reviews and which I won't repeat. That does not imply that I dislike or prefer another unit. My issue has been associated with the update function of "MyTomTom" software. The original unit I purchased from Amazon.com and the subsequent replacement unit both failed after connecting and completing an update through MyTomTom on my home computer as the instructions directed. (not that it is part of the issue, but for reference, I am using a Mac running Mac OS X ver-10.6.7). On both occasions after the update completed there were no longer maps found on the 2535, and map updates are not yet available for this unit online. I spoke to TomTom tech support who tried their best to deal with the problem, but could only offer to replace the units. Today, with the second replacement unit, I contacted TomTom support prior to running an update to make sure I should be doing this. Fortunately the tech support person told me they are having problems with updates through MyTomTom and these units and suggested I not complete an update until the updating software is fully functional. He mentioned they have been experiencing the same problems I've described. I think the 2535TM WTE is a great unit with many excellent features and hopefully will be more functional once the online software is fully developed. It's regrettable that it is not at this point, but again, others have voiced their opinions in that regards. I will say that the TomTom support people tried very hard to fix the issues I was having. I've concluded they only became aware of the root of the problem recently.



On another note, I can't speak highly enough about the service and support Amazon.com have provided regarding this purchase. Their concern for these problems was genuine and without question they went above and beyond the normal response to remedy them. This, in part, is why I am writing this review. In the hopes that, not only will I save other customers the hassels I've dealt with, but to prevent inconveniences and needless returns on the part of Amazon. In my opinion, Amazon provides excellent service. TomTom GO 2535TM 5-Inch Portable Bluetooth GPS Navigator with Lifetime Traffic & Maps

First things first. I've been a Garmin guy since 2000 and have owned several Garmins. So I base my review on my comparison of features against Garmins. I've also used this unit for the past month in the US for a trip from Dayton, Ohio to St. Louis, Missouri and also in Europe so I've put it through it's paces.



PROS:

- Lifetime Traffic and Maps (No lifetime maps for Europe though). Don't understand why not, but that's the deal.

- IQ routes...money and a common sense feature

- Quick startup; gets right to business and GPS acquisition is pretty quick

- Traffic feature is accurate and detailed (shows animated/colored traffic congestion on maps). You can set it to recalculate route automatically if TomTom determines the route you're on, with the delays included, is too long. Nice feature. It will even tell you verbally whether or not you're still on the fastest route in case you weren't sure.

- Seems to have everything I can search for in it's list of POIs. Much better than Garmin's in this area and much more relevant.

- POIs show up on map as you drive, i.e. no wondering if there's a gas station along your route because you can see the icon miles ahead before you reach it. You can even tell it to alert you within so many yards with customizable alerts.

- Tons of customization options. Everything maps color prefs, warning sounds to safety settings. If you're techy, and you like to dig through each option available, it will probably take a good 20 min to get a good grip on all that features.

- Speed warning. I've seen GPS that put the speed info on their units, but this shows max speed compared with yours and ties it in to a warning sound that's customizable. Window where speed is displayed goes red too if you go over 3mph over the limit. Good if you have a wife with a lead foot. ;) If the sound annoys you, you can choose not to have it.

- The status bar on the bottom of the GPS is customizable and you can choose what features you want on it from the list of choices available.

- Magnetic mount is AWESOME!! Clearly above Garmin and past TomTom models. It clicks in place easily and is solidly locked in until you pull it off. The power cord itself it also magnetic in how it interfaces the unit.

- Beautiful 5 inch screen. Thought it would be too big since I've always had 4x3 GPS', but it's great.



CONS:

- Maps on the TomTom aren't as accurate as Garmin's, but you can correct the maps. You can change POI locations, speeds/directions of the roads and the list goes on....AWESOME feature!! If you go to a POI and it's not there or moved, change it. You're not stuck with it. You can also get other users updates to your TomTom aside from the company's changes.

- Compared to the Garmins, Favorites aren't the same. On a Garmin you can have an unlimited amount of Favorites and you can change the name, icon, phone number and category. On this TomTom, there can be only ~90 Favorites...ever!! And of those, you can edit the name and place into groups...and that's about it. No phone number?? No custom icon? Why? TomTom instead uses POIs like Garmin uses it's Favorites in that you can have an unlimited amount of POIs, but the same limitations of icons/phones/etc still exist. Bummer. In addition, the POIs while very extensive aren't grouped like Garmin. For example, want Chinese food? On a Garmin, you look under Restaurants/Chinese/search. On TomTom, Restaurants/search. Big pain because unless you recognize the name, you won't know if you're getting restaurant type you're looking for. Dumb not to have them categorized.

- On a Garmin you can simply select the car on the map to save the current lat/long as a Fav. On a TomTom, it's a couple of layers into the menu before you can do it. Bit of a pain. I also noticed that it didn't want to save a location if I was off a road. Got the error message, poor satellite reception even though I was in a parking lot?? On a main road, no prob.

- MyTomTom is VERY limiting. You can upload the latest maps/updates, but at the time of this review, no ability to add additional car icons, no ability to add additional voices, no way to customize startup/shutdown images, no way to customize really much of anything. I was able to upload some converted Garmin waypoints through the software so that was good. MyTomTom does say it will be adding more capabilities later. Hopefully they follow through.

- I was hoping for the ability to point at an upcoming POIs on the map and it would ask if I wanted to route to it, but no go. If you touch the screen, it takes you into the menus. You can get into the menus and do just what I said, but it's deep in the menus and the view is 2D. When you're driving, it's just not safe to mess with the menus to try and get to this feature.

- While the unit gets to the main page quick at startup, I've noticed the unit is sluggish right at first and takes a couple of seconds to go from one thing to another. Compared to a Garmin, the TomTom is slower. However, the TomTom does calculate routes very quickly with a great summary of the route before it starts routing.

- When you miss a turn, you don't hear anything. It just reroutes. I personally like to know I hosed up the turn, but that's me. The reroute is very quick though.

- Was hoping that with Bluetooth, I would be able to sync POIs with other TomToms, but so far I have yet to see that option.



Overall, solid GPS with tons of features, but not without it's compromises. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a fully featured GPS, but if technology is daunting to you and you just want to get from point A to point B choose a Garmin. This TomTom is for the person who not only want to get to a destination, but want's to be "plugged" in to all what's going on and enjoys getting the data that this GPS offers. It's a very good GPS with a great amount of information provided to the user. If that sounds like something you like, this GPS is for you. - Portable Vehicle Gps - Gps - Bluetooth - Tomtom'

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Real Estate Investing - manufactured homes, mobile home

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This book has everything but the kitchen sink! I have been to two seminars costing over $350 each and they didn't cover half the stuff this book does. The home work he gives you at the end of every chapter goes a long way in getting you started. I read the book cover to cover the first time. Then I help a friend who went chapter by chapter doing the home work the second. By the time he was done with the book the second time (5 months ago), he had everything in place and have been purchasing one mobile home a month ever since to great success, with a positive cash flow after expenses of $1,500 a month so far and plans to keep going. Mobile Home Wealth: How to Make Money Buying, Selling and Renting Mobile Homes

If you're looking for a 'cheerleading' book about how great real estate investing is or how easy it is to do no-money-down deals, there are plenty of choices. If, like me, you want to see a book that gives real, practical advice on how to invest: finding and evaluating good deals, checking out the property, getting it financed and managing it, buy this one.



This is not a light read, but it is easy to follow and it lays out one of the clearest and most complete paths to investing I've seen anywhere. I read it quickly, but will also use it as a reference as I begin investing in mobile homes. If you plan to invest in mobile homes, any one of about fifty tips in this book is going to save you way more than the book's cost. I wish there was a book like this for every real estate investing sector.

This book doesn't provide high level topics with vague details, like you get at most investing seminars. It covers each topic thoroughly down to boxed and highlighted equations, where necessary. The book contains 3 key sections: Profit Strategies, the 5 Green F's that tell you have to actually execute each deal, and the basic principles of wealth. Another HUGE perk is that this book contains many example forms at the end from contracts, Leases, FSBO call sheets, inspection sheets, etc. For less than $20, this book is an enormous value. Not only does it motivate you but the topics are so clear, it almost takes away any fear you might have about starting in investing. Lastly, the author speaks in a clear, simple, and easy to understand voice that is quite humorous at some points.



As you can tell, I can't say enough about how awesome this book is

Great info for mobile homes as well as real estate investing in general.

I've read a lot of books on investing and this one gives some ideas I haven't heard of before.

The only problem I have is with the Lease Option chapter. As with many investors, they recommend giving a rent credit for each month of payment by the tenant/buyer. Check with a local attorney but this can lead to equitable interest in the property, meaning that you would have to foreclose on the tenant instead of just evicting them.

Not very many investors are aware of mobile home investing. They mainly focus on single-family or multi-family properties. Because mobile homes carry certain amount of stigma among the general public, many investors shy away from it, but they have no idea how profitable they can be. In this book, you will learn how to find deals, analyze them, obtain financing, and manage them. However, if you are looking for a get-rich-quick scheme, this book is not for you.



- Mariusz Skonieczny, author of Why Are We So Clueless about the Stock Market? Learn how to invest your money, how to pick stocks, and how to make money in the stock market

Most of the book can be applied to any area of real estate investing, not just mobile homes. There are some very interesting strategies tailored to just mobile homes that are worth the read. Saw author in person at a local club. He was really fantastic.

This book is worth every cent of its selling price. I am wonderfully satisfied with the simple method the writer uses to explain the ins-and-outs of securing a good, stable income. This book will be my instruction manual for years to come.

The information in this book about mobile homes seems solid, such as land leases and maintenance. I have no reason to doubt that content. I am, however, worried about the advice given on buying/selling property in regards to the various seller financing methods (aka "no money down") as well as the seemingly manipulative behavior when approaching community banks.



In one section of the book, the author recommends going to the president of the bank, talking to his/her secretary and finding out who the VP of lending is. So you will have an "in", when you sit down with the lender and say "the president's secretary sent me to you." That may very well work, but crosses ethical boundaries that I'm not comfortable with.



In addition to that, the author suggests seller financing for purchasing property with no money down. One method is for the seller to give you a second mortgage for the down payment, which you use to secure the mortgage from the bank. So the seller provides the 20% down payment mortgage while the bank provides the 80%. If you search around for "silent second mortgage", you will see that this is a common type of mortgage fraud. You are misrepresenting your finances to the bank! The bank thinks you put down your own money, when it was actually borrowed.



There are also recommendations for 100% seller financing, to avoid down payment. Ask yourself this one simple question: if a professional bank requires 20% down to offset risk, why wouldn't the seller want such a thing? The only answer I can come up with, is that you are taking advantage of an unsophisticated investor. The seller doesn't know the real risks involved.



I would see a lawyer before touching any advice this book gives. - Mobile Home - Manufactured Home - Manufactured Homes - Real Estate Investing'

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Kindle Reading Lights - m-edge, kindle reading lights

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UPS just delivered my M-Edge Executive cover for the Kindle 3 about an hour ago, and I promptly put it to work. I previously had the leather version of the Executive cover on my Kindle 2 and really liked it, so it wasn't too hard a decision to go with the new model. Functionally, it's virtually identical to the previous version. The tab used to keep it closed still works the same way - you can fold the front cover back and use the tab to hold it in that position, which provides a very convenient handle to hold while reading. I was really hoping there would be a leather version of this cover for the Kindle 3, but my wife emailed M-Edge and they said they were sticking with a synthetic material that was still durable and would help keep costs down. It does feel very close to leather (if someone insisted it was real leather you'd probably believe them), and the inner lining appears to be the identical suede-like material as in the previous version. Unlike the old leather cover, though, the new cover has a stiff spine piece very much like a hard-bound book, so the front and back covers fold at well-defined corners between the hard spine and the covers. The previous leather version had a soft spine that folded in more of a curve. The new system seems like it would provide a little more crush protection when closed, at least along that edge, and I think I actually prefer the new design. The fabric trim around the middle of the cover has a very nice feel to it, and helps provide yet another edge for your fingers to hold when either carrying the Kindle or reading it. I also ordered a new M-Edge Illuminator 2 light for the new cover and I'm glad I did rather than re-use the light from my Kindle 2, since the new light is almost 1/2" shorter than the old one (the old KIndle 2, cover, and light are going to be a gift to my wife's mother, so I needed a new light anyway). If I put the old light in the new cover it sticks out the bottom just a tad. I've also noticed that the stiff spine doesn't allow any flexibility for the hinge of the light to swivel up, so if you choose to use the light in that way (my wife doesn't) then you have to slide the light out of it's mounting sleeve about an inch. Again, it's not a problem, but it's a little different. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the little straps in the corners do an excellent job of holding the Kindle 3 snuggly in position without getting in the way of any of the controls. I have no fear at all of my Kindle 3 slipping out of this cover accidentally. I specifically wanted to avoid any covers that use the little mounting notches in the Kindle 3 because I don't trust the durability of that system.



Overall I am very happy with the new M-Edge Executive cover for the Kindle 3. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because it's not genuine leather, which is a feature I would have gladly paid extra for and which would have resulted in a perfect 5-star rating. I really like the feel of the previous version of this cover, and I know how leather is going to wear over time. The new synthetic material feels almost as good (but not quite), and I don't know how well it'll actually hold up over time and use. If I could give 4.5 stars I would. Also, if I notice anything significant that affects my opinion after I've had a chance to live with the new cover for a while I'll post an update. M-Edge Executive Kindle Jacket, Purple (Fits 6" Display, Latest Generation Kindle)

I'll just re-post this here, as the review is as much about my M-Edge cover as it is about the M-Edge light. Comparison of the M-Edge to Amazon's lighted cover below the fold.



I've had my Kindle 3 since September, and I've already read more that I used to on my old Kindle 1 (now retired to a backup device). I was an early adopter of the 1, and it came with an Amazon cover (which after a week, I customized with white velcro.. still works well to this day).



The Kindle 3, obviously, came without anything, and after carrying it around, I grew more nervous about what would happen if I dropped the thing, and it landed on a corner, or if something heavy fell onto it while in my service truck...



... so when I spotted an M-Edge executive cover in a local shop, I was able to test it's fit & finish before purchase. I loved it, even though this would be the 3rd cover I purchased for my K3.... the first being a simple nylon zipper cover, the 2nd being a Speck-brand cover, and now the M-Edge (bright purple, to be easy to spot among clutter... <grin>).



Although I liked the Speck cover (red), and I loved it's built-in bookstand, it was too bulky-- I suspect it was simply a reworked Kindle 2 cover-- there was simply too much excess cover between the plastic cradle (that held the K3) and the actual cover itself.



The clincher for me buying the M-Edge was the light I could get to go with it. In fact, I purchased the M-Edge light first, and used it for several days with the Speck cover.... it worked well enough with it wedged between my K3 and the ABS plastic shell that cradled & held the Kindle. But it was not tucked neatly away when closed, and I was afraid the lovely little light might get snagged and lost. At $20, I was not casual about losing it, either.



So I got the M-Edge executive cover, which has a place to hold the light between the spine and the Kindle. The M-Edge was thinner when closed than my Speck cover, another plus. I especially liked the M-Edge exectutive's closing strap, keeping my K3 and my light securely in place when closed.



The light is quite bright-- too bright to look at directly for long, even with the dim setting. It uses a single AAA battery, available anywhere, which I consider a plus. There is just room at the spine in my cover for a spare battery, which I will do as soon as I can come up with a way to keep it there securely (Take note, M-Edge-- a pocket for a spare battery in the spine would be a real plus-- say a loop of elastic sewn in?).



I'm still on my first battery, after using the light several times for reading in darkened restaurants-- my favorite pastime, reading my K3 and eating. :)



The light has to have some sort of circuitry in it, to keep full-bright even after several hours of use-- and indeed, no LED lamp can run on less than 4 volts, so there must be some sort of voltage amplifier, to boost the 1.5v from the AAA. I have any number of LED flashlights, including industrial and professional ones costing $60 and more, and this little M-Edge is made as well as those, for the task it was created to do-- light up books for reading in dim light. I suspect it will keep the light on, until the AAA is dead-flat-- as many of my better flashlights (those with circuitry) do. There's no warning, either--no gradual dimming of the light output, just suddenly it won't light. I expect that from this little gadget, but as I said, I've yet to run it out. I'll report again when I do.



Strongly recommended as a general reading light, and especially with the M-Edge executive cover (also available from Amazon, as well as more and more frequently in local shops).



I would point out, that M-Edge markets a fairly wide range of covers, including several that put the light into an external pocket. While the light's little tab fits snugly into it's pocket, I, for one, would not be happy with an external pocket while carrying and/or traveling. I'd be afraid I'd snag the light and lose it. I'd look for an external zippered pocket, or a larger, over-cover in that case.



..........



One more thing I will add: A close friend of mine also has a K3. He also purchased a cover--only he opted for the Amazon's official lighted one. We got to visit last night, and compare the fit and finish of each of our purchases.



His official Amazon cover is a teensy bit thinner when closed, and certainly not as wide (mine needs the room to stow the light when folded down along the spine). The height for either is the same, and the weight of each is too close to tell without instruments. The Amazon's light was elegant-- it turns on when extended, and the K3 is not asleep, then politely shuts off when you do put the K3 to sleep. But, I do not like the notion of the light draining the K3's battery; some consider that a plus, but I do not. The M-Edge's light uses it's own battery, and I suppose if you wished, you could opt for rechargeable AAA's... these are as common as dirt nowadays. If someone ever produces a LiIon rechargeable in AAA form-factor, they will have a sale. I remain unimpressed with NMH and even less interested in NiCd rechargeable AAAs... 1.2 volts is too low to start. I've not had good luck with rechargeable alkalines either, so it's disposables for now.



The clincher for me going the M-Edge route against Amazon's cover (the price was the same) was the holding method between each design. Amazon opted for the (to me seriously flawed) little metal hooks at the edge of the Kindle device. Amazon's engineers came up with this kludge (as far as I'm concerned) with the K2 and the DX models, and carried it unimproved to the K3. A plastic shelled device (all Kindles) has no business trying to keep in place with tiny metal hooks at the very edge. The forces are too great, and easily breaking the shell is a distinct possibility.



My M-Edge holds the K3 by 4 corners, with color-matched, covered elastic loops. It holds it quite securely-- I tested it over my bed by holding the cover open and giving it a hard shake-- the kindle wiggled a tad, but never came close to dislodging--- perfect.



If you consider the forces involved in a dropped kindle? The elastic is perfect-- the initial shock is taken by the cover against the hard floor. As the forces are transmitted up through the cover, it must pass through the elastic bands--which will absorb more force, before the kindle itself strikes the floor. By that time (hopefully) the energy is low enough, that the Kindle emerges unscathed.



My whole point of having a cover, in the first place... - Kindle Reading Lights - M-edge - Kindle Accessory - Kindle 3 Covers'

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