Electronic Shop: February 2011

Monday 28 February 2011

Business Startup - print on demand, book design

As an experienced desktop publisher, yet a fledgling desktop publishing business owner, I found Kursmark's book to be absolutely indespensible to me.

Who knows how to start doing business? What do you do first? What next? Kursmark outlines every step of the process with her folksy "been there" writing style. I have read and re-read the book so many times, the cover has gotten frayed. This book hops, skips and jumps over just about everything I have found in the library on the subject.

She covers the DTP world from top to bottom without delving into the seemy technical world that would have turned many readers off. The genius of Kursmark's book is that it is based in sound business practices and could theoretically be applied to any business. Who needs Harvard Business School when we've got Kursmark?

I have already recommended this book to several professional acquaintances, and I will continue to do so. If this book isn't next to your Pagemaker guide on your bookshelf, you might want to put a phone book there instead -- to call your unemployment office. How to Start a Home-Based Desktop Publishing Business, 3rd

As a pro DTP & graphic artist, I didn't think there would be much more to learn to eliminate my employer and sell the services I did already directly to customers. In fact, thinking I was an expert of graphic design & all of the software made me mistakenly believe I was ready to pass out biz cards and start selling my services and wondered how this book could possibly be 200 pages for something so simple. I was quite wrong, however, and I'm so glad I read this book and got aware of how much more successful I could be by following the author's plan. There is a lot of lessons learned the hard way the author shared which would save anyone a lot of money and a lot of trouble, not to mention lost business. There is a lot of planning that needs to happen before one passes out there first bizcard and I would not have had a clue were it not for this book.

The author of this book has done an excellent job in providing the 'would-be desktop publisher' with lots of great information on how to get started in this business. The book is very clear and concise, with a sense of humor. It provides information step-by-step so it's very easy to follow.

As the previous reviewers have written, this book covers day-to-day information you need to run a DTP (or graphic design) business.

Have you thought about creating a policies & guidelines sheet for your customers? If you don't, you'll be sorry after a client blames you because they didn't proofread their job before it went to the printer. If you had the P&G to review with them, you would be able to bring it up BEFORE it becomes a crisis.

This book is loaded with examples like this; not just the ancedotes, but the forms that help your business run smoothly. As I mentioned, this book was lacking in only one area--financial recordkeeping was a mere two pages in this book. That subject could be a 200 page book in and of itself. Kursmark is so clever at writing about this subject in a friendly and conversational manner, I found myself disappointed not to get her help on recordkeeping.

That said, this book is highly recommended based on what it does cover, and I'm off to find a book to explain how to track expenses and the like.

Well written and packed full of information! Very helpful, I wish I would have bought this before leaving my full time job to start my own business. So many things that I wish I would have had set up before hand. I am implementing much of it now. I have bought several books regarding running a design business from home, I recommend this one over all the others!

I have only had time to read about 15 pages of this book, but so far it is fantastic! When I read more pages I will rate again, but like I said, this book is great. From what I have read so far, I would highly recommend this book. The author is very straightforward and her writing style is wonderful - easy to understand and down to earth. - Print On Demand - Book Publishing - Book Design - Business Startup'

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Usb Hard Drive Adapter - usb, ide adapter

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I bought this after an old laptop stop booting. I didn't want to buy an enclosure and this adapter was the best choice after I opened the old laptop to extract the hard drive. It was very easy to work with this USB adapter since it gives you a lot of connection choices, virtually to are able to connect any ATA or SATA drive through it, after open the package it took me couple of minutes to hook up to my other computer and start to recover my data. I highly recommend this not only to recover data but if you have a hard disk around now you can use it without to buy an enclosure. One more thing, this adapter works with Windows and Macs. SATA/PATA/IDE Drive to USB 2.0 Adapter Converter Cable for 2.5 / 3.5 / 5.25 Inch Hard Drive / Optical Drive with External AC Power Adapter

The price was great and the shipping was fast.

My only problem was that the device didn't come with instructions and I think that may have caused me to corrupt one of the harddrives by unplugging it before turning the computer off. I recommend finding some instructions online before using but the product was exactly as advertised and simple to connect.

I needed a way to connect a 2nd hard drive to a laptop that had operating system problems. This kit did the trick perfectly. I was able to format and load Windows on to a new hard drive and then connect my old hard drive to the USB port to copy my important files to the new one. Great product.

Had an elderly IDE drive (10GB). Plugged the data/usb adapter into the drive, plugged the power cable into the drive, plugged the brick into the wall (let the drive spin up), plugged the USB cable into my PC and 20 seconds later viola! There was the drive in XP.

Idiot proof.

Take your time. It's easy to bend IDE connector pins. Old lab trick: use the opening of a Pentel mechanical pencil to straighten them out if you got cocky.

Cheers.

Jim

I got this for transferring data from an older laptop ATA hard disk to my new laptop. It worked great. The power supply didn't have anywhere to attach for the small laptop drive but it worked well anyway on USB power only. I had already bought an enclosure previously, that didn't work, and this was the replacement. The data transfer is slow but that's not a problem for a use like mine. (dumping the old hard drives info onto my new computer)

No instructions were included with my order, but thanks to the helpful reviews for the cable package and the WD SATA hard drive I was able to successfully use these products to bring my son's PS3 back to life. The promised manual would have cut down on the installation time. I researched every part to make sure I was using it correctly. The enlarged photos of each on the Amazon product page helped a lot.

At first the power connector wouldn't work...frustrated I finally shoved and pushed really hard cramming it together and it finally connected. I could hear the drive making noise as it spun. However, Windows XP Professional 64 wouldn't recognize the drive..(My PC is new even though I'm using XP so not sure what the problem is)..I messed with it for an hour or so and then tried my daughter's pc which has Vista Basic and it worked perfectly!

Bought this to access old PATA drives that would no longer fit in my new PC. The drives booted up immediately (several different ones) and was able to copy all the essentials off just like downtown. Why pay more for crap you dont need? Its not built to last forever - but Jeez ! look at the price ! works just great for what I needed and now it goes into the drawer for the next time. - Ide Adapter - Sata - Pata - Usb'

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Usb Hard Drive Adapter - usb, ide adapter

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Online Communication

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This is the platonic form of a USB sound card. It works well in Windows XP and Mac OS X, has clearly labeled inputs, decent build quality, and has no unnecessary features, at a very affordable price. We bought it to use stereo jack headsets with Skype on Mac computers that don't have microphone jacks, and this adapter fits our needs exactly. This also resolves a problem we have when using Windows XP on our iMacs - Apple doesn't provide the correct sound drivers in Boot Camp, and the built-in iMac headphone jack doesn't work in Windows - the USB adapter works perfectly.

In Mac OS X 10.5 and 10.6 (tested in both) the device is identified as a "C-Media USB Audio Device". Installation was plug-and-play, the device was immediately recognized after plugging in, although I had to manually select it as the input/output device in the Sound preference pane. After selecting it and setting the input levels, OS X and Skype both automatically switched back and forth between Built-in Audio and C-Media USB when it was plugged/unplugged, and remembered the input levels last used on each (although not the systemwide output levels).

A sticker on the outside of the box identifies the chipset as the C-Media CM119, and it is a USB 2.0 device.

Physically, the construction seems plenty robust for a $10 device. The mic and headphone jacks are color coded in standard pink and green, and have large white icon labels that are easily identified. The case is darkly translucent black, and a green LED inside blinks when sound is being transmitted or received, and otherwise glows steady when plugged in but not in active use. It is too thick to plug into the USB ports on the edges of the 2007-2009 silver aluminum iMac keyboards. On our aluminum iMacs it has to be plugged into the back, where it doesn't block any other ports (as long as other connected USB devices are not also thick). However, it can easily be connected to the USB ports next to the cord on the rear of the older white Mac keyboards from 2003-2007.

Drawbacks?

The microphone input is mono, which is fine for voice headsets, but probably not great for pro audio recording, which probably wouldn't be done with a $10 device anyway. I could do without the blinking light, but as it will be out of sight when connected behind my iMac, it's not a big deal.

Comparison

We also bought the cousin to this product, the 7.1 Channel USB External Sound Card Audio Adapter with external volume control buttons. The 7.1 version uses the same CM119 chipset, but was inferior to this Syba model in all respects.

- The 7.1 model has a thicker body, making it more likely to block other USB ports.

- The buttons on the 7.1 feel very flimsy, and are mostly useless as they only change the computer's software volume settings.

- The 7.1 inputs are not correctly color coded (yellow and black) and the icon labels are tiny and hard to distinguish.

- The 7.1 is identified by OS X as "Unknown USB Audio device"

- The particular 7.1 unit we received was assembled with its USB port slightly angled off-center.

The only supposed improvements in the 7.1 version are the flaky exterior buttons and that it comes with a mini-CD of Xear "virtual surround sound" software for Windows only. Surely you could use some other "3D sound simulation software" with this Syba unit, and there are several reports of the buttons/housing breaking on the 7.1 version. I strongly recommend avoiding the 7.1 model at all costs, this one is simpler and sturdier. Syba SD-CM-UAUD USB Stereo Audio Adapter, C-Media Chipset, RoHS

If you need a basic stereo speaker output and a mic input, this will probably suit your needs well.

-Pros:

It's inexpensive, and it works as described.

Installation couldn't be easier - just plug it in, and a driver is set up automatically. It works equally well with Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Ubuntu Linux. I have used the 64-bit versions of each on my PC, and each recognized and set up this device when I plugged it in, without any extra effort on my part.

This device is also thin enough that it doesn't block USB ports that are above or below, unless they're using a thick USB plug. However, it could block USB ports to the sides.

-Cons:

The audio output has a little bit if distortion, at least in my experience with it in Windows Vista 64-bit. Fortunately, at least in Windows Vista, you can use a different audio device for audio output.

Also, the microphone input is mono. For musicians, this wouldn't be suitable for making stereo recordings.

-Other Thoughts:

I bought this to use primarily as a microphone input, since the microphone input on my new PC does not work well. The microphone input on this device works very well. The microphone signal is loud and clear with no noise.

I had initially thought that this USB card was an incredible bargain. After more use and a comparative test, I started to believe that it is just an OK product.

The biggest attractions of this are its compact size, solid build, reliability, simplicity, clear markings (with the right colors), absolutely no installation requirement (on Windows 7), and low price.

However, I discovered some shortcomings of this product which may or may not matter, depending on your use.

First, the noise level isn't the best. It is very usable, but not as good as a decent built-in sound card. At least a laptop (Lenovo X200 tablet) I recently tested has noticeably cleaner builtin sound than this USB card.

Second, the microphone input of this USB Sound card is not powered. Most USB sound cards are insufficiently powered, but I suspect this one is particularly bad. This means that the sound card may not work with many condenser microphones that require power. I just tested with several microphones including an Audio Technica AT9842 lapel microphone, which works perfectly with the built in PCI soundcard of my desktop computer, but absolutely not with this USB Sound card. For your information, this microphone does not even require a very high voltage for power (I think it requires less than 5V). So you can forget about it if you want use some of the professional microphones that may require a phantom power much higher than 5V.)

All in all, for very simple use, this is a very good choice thanks to the several advantages mentioned above. But if you are going to use it for more advanced functions, you may find this sound card lacking.'

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Fish Finder - midway, locator

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Got this as a gift for Christmas when I was shopping with the wife at BassPro here in Orlando. I had been researching these units for a few days after reading about one online. The fact that I could cast out from the shore appealed to me so I chose one of the smartcast models. BassPro had the RF10 on sale and the R15 was the price I had expected the R10 to be so I went with the R15. It includes grey scale and water temp as part of the upgrades from the R10 series.

Over the past two weeks I've taken the R15 out to 4-5 lakes around my area to test it out. Provided I do a nice steady retrive a smooth display of the bottom is presented. I have also seen a fair amount of fish on the display using the Fish ID function. From what I have read on various newgroup posts this feature should generaly be turned OFF. Instead one is supposed to learn how to identify fish using "raw" sonar returns. So far I have not seen any "fish arches". I have a feeling I might need to be in deeper water for this to occur.

Overall the detail is nice and there are four options for displaying the 4 gradations of grey in ordet to highlight either weak or strong returns. One of the limilations of using this near the shore is that is does not do well with shallow depths. It lists 2 feet as the minumum but even depths of 3 feet and a bit more seem to confuse it, giving false returns. I have not tested its actual ability to recognize a return as a fish yet. I say this becuase so far I have not taken my tackle out, just the fishfinder in order to concentrate on learning it. I think I will try adding some bait to a line and attaching this to the small hole provided on the bottom of the RSS to see if it will show any fishing coming up to check it out.

I have had the unit lock up here and there, but unpluging the power cable and reinserting it and then turning on the unit again seems to have solved it. The other day I was getting some weird temp readings, it went from 40F and then back to the correct temp of 71F a few times. I also expienced an anomoly with the display. When set to "Black" mode for bottom detail the unit was only displaying 10H/6V pixels of resolution. Not sure what was up with that and I haven't tested it since then. Perhaps its a battery thing.

Overall I'm really happy with the unit. Sure is nice to be able to see contours of a lake as well as know if fish are in the area. Although the Fish ID might not be perfect you at least know that if nothing is showing on the screen at all to move somewhere else so as to not waste time. Humminbird SmartCast RF35 Wrist Mount Waterproof Fishfinder

I've now had this little guy for a year and with the exception of the green transducer dying in the first week (replaced immediately by Humminbird), it works like a charm. It's been in both frest and salt water repeatedly without a hiccup. I've had it in as much as 60 feet with fairly good resolution, discerning between weeds, rocks and fish

well for the price. Great little unit for the money, for sure-especially if you have a kayak like me. You won't be disappointed.

Typical of electronic watches has more features than necessary. By accident and reading the instructions in a canoe it started working in about 5 min. Works great shows fish and structure gives depth and water temp even tells time. Only thing I would change is buttons can get pushed accidently while sleeping or doing everyday chores this throws it into a mode other than time. Usually it goes to fishing mode which according to the instructions runs down the battery at a faster rate as it must act as a radio reciever. If the buttons had been shielded it would be a perfect product. Customer service was great they told me it was water resistant some thing I couldn't find in the instructions. Eventually I plan to use as a bobber/sonar buoy and see the crappie taking the bait how cool is that.

WORKS AS SPECIFIED I HAVE USED IT 6 TIMES NOW AND HAVE HAD NO PROBLEM WOULD DIFFERENTLY RECOMEND THIS FOR THE SHORELINE ANGLER IT IS EASY TO READ AND USE JUST MAKE SURE YOU SHUT IT OFF AND YOU SHOULD HAVE NO PROBLEMS LIKE OTHER PEOPLE HAVE SPECIFIED DEFINTLY LIVES UP TO THE HELP ANF THE SHIPPING WAS GREAT

The first day I used the RF-35 unit, I was very happy with it. It was accurate on the depth and water temperature. I used it from my fishing kayak and when the fish alarm sounded I immediately cast and pulled up a crappie. They swim in schools and I was thrilled that it worked.

On my second kayak fishing outing a couple of days later, the watch receiver kept saying "no signal". I made sure I was using the correct channel, the distance wasn't too far, etc. It turned out the transmitters battery was dead. I had a second transmitter with me (the RF-45) and that one gave me a signal, but its non-replaceable battery also died by the end of the day. At $25 per RF-45 transmitter unit, I realized it was cheaper to buy the Norcross Hawkeye F33P Fish Finder that I can use with rechargeable triple-A batteries Norcross Hawkeye F33P Fish Finder. I have used the Norcross only once so far and am happy with it.

Well I've used this thing. As a depth finder it works well. As a fish finder I found it useless. It confuses weeds with fish, and as a test I used the finder as a bobber (you can do that!) with a worm hanging about six feet below it. A fish was yanking on the line, but the finder never saw a thing!

The batteries are expensive and it will burn through one in a day of fishing.

I'm going to give the Norcross Hawkeye FF3355P a try, see if it works any better.

I'll tell you i did alot of research on this product before i finally decided to buy it, You know how you can always get caught up in the hype of good reviews and bad reviews. which in a lot of cases can sway your decision on buying a certain product. Well I bought it, ive taken it out on 3 fishing trips so far. all freshwater lakes. i dont have a boat so im always hoofing it along the shoreline carrying my 3 poles and backpack full of tackle. if this sounds like you, then i highly recommend you get yourself one of these. We all know when your at a lake and you cant just cruise around in the middle it can be hard to find that perfect spot where the fish are. this thing has helped me in that. no longer do i have to move around all over and still have nothin to show for it. this allows you to at least find those underwater ditches or deep cover that you can never normally see. you can fish everywhere on a lake all day and by the time you get to your new spot the fish have already moved.I got my package and there was nothing wrong with the RSS or the fishfinder unit. it mounts great to the fishing rod and ive had no problems with the unit dieng or rusting or screen cracks. nothing. i wanted to submit this review because i know what a negative affect negative reviews can cause. so please. if your interested in buying this. i suggest you do so. a must for the shore tracker. good fishing! - Gadgets - Locator - Midway - Hummingbird'

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Outdoor Deck - outdoor deck

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The BTR7 has been a great add-on to the receiver I selected for my outdoor deck sound system.

It is a shame that this is an add-on and didn't come with the original purchase of the receiver, but oh well, it still has been worth it.

I can sit outside my house with my phone that has Pandora on it and instantly the music on my phone is playing outside on the deck. Sherwood BTR7 Bluetooth Receiver (Black) - Outdoor Deck'

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Charlie 1 Horse

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After wanting "cowboy boot mules" for years, I finally bought a pair from a local vendor ... wanting another pair I searched online for a better price and now I am the proud owner of 3 pairs! Comfortable and good looking, especially with boot cut jeans! Charlie 1 Horse by Lucchese Women's I6030 Mule,Black,5.5 B US'

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Happiness

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Change Your Habits, Change Your Life will truly do what the title says. This book does not reveal any weight loss secret and doesn't miraculous present anything you haven't heard before or know is true ... but what is does is deliver the message in a practical way, as if it were presented by a true and trusted friend over the kitchen table. Danna gives real life information backed up by God's truth. For once I have read a book that not only enforces what I know is the right way to lose weight (eat less, move more, duh!), but gives direction on how to trust God to provide the transformation into knowing what to do and DOING IT! Change Your Habits, Change Your Life: A Proven Plan for Healthy Living

I ordered Danna Demetre's book after attending a Womens conference where she was the guest speaker. She is dynamic in her presentation and very motivating in her ability to spur us on in order to make changes in our life.

The biggest change in my life is knowing I am a child of GOD and from that flows how I think of myself based on what GOD says about me. We are what we think and Danna reminds us that healthy living both physically and spiritually is the key.

We learn how we can change our habits by changing our old "thought tapes". She has some very helpful guidelines to effectively change us for the better and more happier self GOD meant us to be.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone looking for an effective way to change old habits.

I am almost done with my second time through Danna's book. The daily readings are encouraging, both spiritually and health-wise. Danna is very encouraging about celebrating every small victory and change because they truly add up to become lifestyle changes. I am exercising regularly, eating in a much more healthy and natural way, and encouraged to know and believe the truth about God and myself...the way to truly change and renew my mind. I highly recommend this book for anyone seeking to change unhealthy physical habits, as well as unhealthy thinking. I'm going to go through it a third time!'

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Power Adapter - cable, apple

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Something that comes along with every "cool" device out there are the overpriced accessories and this power adapter is no exception.

In owning my iPad for a month, I've spent about half of what the device costs just on accessories for it. Most of them are to add functionality (camera kit, keyboard), some add security (case, bag, screen protector), some add convenience (bluetooth headphones, dock/stand).

This device fits into the last category. Unfortunately you do pay for the convenience and the looks of the device (something that looks sleek and matches your iProduct). It's very similar to the power adapter your iPad comes with, except this one has a 6 foot "cord" attachment. (basically the prongs on the power adapter pop off and a 6 foot extension cord plugs in where the prongs used to go - you can try it on your included adapter). The included adapter (with the iPad) is about 3 feet long which just isn't enough if you plan to plug it in and set the iPad on your desk. Most of the time its just SLIGHTLY too short - another 6-12 inches of cord and you'd be fine. If you're in that situation where you need just a little more reach, this is your "official" option. The bonus is that it gives you an extra power adapter (good for keeping at work or with you in case you need to charge it). I was a bit disappointed to see that the cord isn't a perfect match for the power adapter (color is a bit off, it's thicker than the USB cord, etc..) - something you'd figure would be "perfect" for the premium being charged. Also of note is that it used a 3-prong plug (2 and a ground) opposed to the 2 prong piece included with the flip-out 'default' power adapter - this can be an issue for anyone who doesn't have a 3-prong outlet available.

In the end, if you don't need a second power adapter or you just don't care how "nice" it looks, a simple RiteAV - 6 ft. Power Extension Cord will do the same thing to your current adapter at 1/10th the price. If you'd like a "nicer looking" option, or simply a 2nd power brick to take with you, this is the way to go. Apple iPad 10W USB Power Adapter (MC359LL/A)

First of all, there are some 1-star reviews for this item based on a $60 price that someone was trying to gouge months ago. That's no longer the price you pay on Amazon, it's about $30 as it should be. It would be nice if people would update their reviews, but that's life.

Second, what makes this charger different from any other USB charger out there is that it delivers up to 2 amps of current to the device it's charging. This lets it charge the iPad fast, and other appliances (iPhone, iPod) even faster. You can plug your iPad into an ordinary 0.5-1 amp USB charger and it will charge, but it'll take many hours.

When I travel now I bring this charger along with my trusty Belkin Mini Surge Protector Dual USB Charger. If my phone is low, I plug it in to the 10W charger, sleep the screen, and it's 100% in less than an hour. The iPad takes a couple of hours. If I need two devices at once, the Belkin's twin USB ports provide 1 amp each, plenty for all the smaller gadgets.

I got this Apple iPad 10W power adapter and it came with the apple USB cable and an AC power extension cable. As a 10W power adapter, it provides enough power for the Apple iPad. And it does. It charged my iPad. And since the iPhone has lower power requirements, this power adapter also charged my iPhone. Although the iPad already came with a 10W power adapter and USB cable, the iPad did not come with the AC power extension cable. Getting the AC power extension cable with this 10W power adapter will come in handy for me. Anyways, I wanted to get a second 10W power adapter to put in my bag for charging both my iPad and iPhone - while leaving the original 10W power adapter at home. I already had a bunch of apple USB cables including six-foot apple USB cables, but getting the AC power extension cable is a nice bonus for me.

I bought this 10W power adapter as "used like new" (like an "open box" return) from amazon-seller SaveCentral for thirteen bucks plus shipping. (Check with the different amazon sellers as to their different prices.) This power adapter, with the USB cable and the AC power cable, came in a real Apple product box that was sealed and therefore was practically brand new as far as I can tell. By the way, the side of the box says that this 10W power adapter is: "Compatible with iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, and iPod nano." I compared this 10W power adapter with my original 10W power adapter for the iPad, and they looked and felt exactly the same. I note this because you do have to be careful when buying Apple accessories like these power adapters because some sellers may be selling knock-off shanzai fakes. (I have several non-real Apple 5W power adapters for iPhone and iPod that fortunately all work, but you can tell the difference.)

Based on my experience, I would say this: if you want a 10W power adapter for iPad, then you need to get the real thing. This is because, elsewhere, others may be selling iPad power adapters but are erroneously selling the 5W power adapter that looks the same until you try it out and see the 5W in the small print labeling on the power adapter. I took a risk in buying this power adapter from a third-party amazon marketplace seller, but I was fortunate to happily get the real thing.

This was the real thing, is brand new, and I am happy. - Ipad Accessory - Cable - Apple - Power Adapter'

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Component Cable - hdmi coupler, hdmi

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I purchased two of these connectors in order to string together a long line that I needed to run. They have worked brilliantly.

I don't understand why anyone would pay the prices that the big box stores continue to charge for this type of equipment. These adapters have worked well and seem to do the job that I have asked them to do. HDMI Female to HDMI Female Adapter Coupler

This is a good product for connecting two HDMI cables. I ran a total of 85' from a HD dish network receiver to a second TV--with no degradation of quality. The connector was very good. I wrapped it with electrical tape after making the connection-because it would end up inside of a wall. great company, fast service--quality all the way.

Tried to use this coupler with several different cables and two different TV sets. Without the coupler signal was fine, but with the coupler the signal would not go through, no matter how I rearranged things. For me it's useless. At the price it was no big deal, just a time-waster.

This is a great solution for extending an HDMI cable. I hooked up my PC to my HDTV, but the 25' cable I ordered wasn't long enough. I ran an extra 6' cable to the pc, using the connector, and it doesn't lose any signal strength. This was a great purchase, and you can't beat the price!

Although a caution sticker indicated that connecting lengths of HDMI cable over 15 feet was not recommended, I connected two 25' lengths from my desktop to my televison with no apparent degradation. Works great.

With 6' HDMI cables showing up for a buck seemingly every week, this is a perfect tool for linking the short ones together to span greater distances. I haven't pushed it to see whether the coupler loses anything from the full HDMI bandwidth, but it works great for hooking up the hdtv or an hdmi-capable monitor to the computer for streaming hulu. Well worth the itty-bitty price.

This thing was supposed to extend two HDMI cables together but for me it did not work. I tried it with several cables and three TVs to no avail but for $2 who cares. I have a 25' cable that stretches far enough so I'm good. - Hdmi - Hdmi Coupler - Hdmi Cable - Connector'

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Computer Add-ons - camcorder, jvc

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There are three choices for everio...

VF808- Very small, but only lasts around 1 hr.

VF815- Not to big, lasts around 2.5 hrs.

VF823- Lasts between 3.5-4 hrs...., but it very big for this samll camcorder...

In muy opinion, get two 815 for long recordings. JVC BN-VF815U 1460-mAh Rechargeable Data Battery for JVC MiniDV and Everio Camcorders

This battery is definitely bigger than the battery my camcorder came with but it does the job. I have all three batteries: BN-VF808, BN-VF815, and the BN-VF823. This (the VF815) is the happy medium. You have to sacrifice the size and compactness to get the battery life you need. In my opinion, just get 2 of the medium batteries.

Also, I suggest getting the charger so you will always have the second battery ready to go.

I've been using this extra battery for more than 2 weeks and it's definitely replaced use of the original battery (half the capacity of this model). The only downside to using this is that it isn't as flush with my MG330 JVC Everio camcorder, but I've got nicely-sized hands and the battery doesn't have any impact on how I hold the camera.

I recommend this model (medium) out of the 3 capacities available (small, medium, large).

The VF815US is just the right size for your JVC camcorder it allows for 3.5 hours of filming while naot adding excessive weight to the camcorder. I was able to accutally allow the battery to operate for the full 3.5 hours while filming a class trip to a village and was able to create two DVD's with over 135 minutes on them. - Camcorder - Camcorder Battery - Jvc - Camcorder Batteries'

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Dvd Writer - acer, netbook

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I bought 3 Acer Aspire One computers as Christmas presents this year and needed at least 1 external drive to share between them. 2 of the computers had Windows 7 Starter as the operating system ansd the other had Windows XP. The drive was basicly plug & play on the XP computer, but would not work on the Windows 7 computers at all. The disc that came with the drive had old drivers on it that didn't include Windows 7. The instruction sheet was of no use at all. There was no manufacturers name or model number on the drive, nothing I could reference any kind of a search with. I downloaded several different codec's but none would operate the drive. Fianally I called Acer for help and found out that they hadden't released any drivers for the Aspire One with Windows 7 Starter. The reason, "Windows 7 is too new, and to keep checking back with them."

The seller of the drive wasn't aware that it was not compatable with Windows 7. I gave it 3 stars overall rating because it did work fine with XP computer. I only gave it 1 star for ease of use and ease of installation because I had so much trouble with it trying to get it to work. I don't think the vender screened the product for compatibility with Windows 7. USB External CD DVD RW Burner Drive For Acer Aspire one

Ok, This is a great little CD-DVD player and burner. it does not required to install any CD it install by it self, true to the Plug and Play :D This DVD Player is able to play CD and DVD without any problems, You can view your DVD with free software like Windows Player or Real player, or with tons of freeware DVD players. It also can burn CD and DVD with free software like Windows, Itunes, Zune or any other free software. The Only bad thing is that this little monster will drain you laptop battery fast when burning a CD and DVD, it takes some power to do. Which its fine. Plus its really small and kinda hard so you can carry it with you.

I'm pleased with it, it's the best you're going to get out of USB 2.0, and it works as well as the drives twice the cost. It looks the same as the $100+ drives too.

It requires either a second USB port, or an external adapter (not included) so factor that in. It's not a criticism (it takes that much power to burn a DVD), it just may not be obvious beforehand. USB 1.x is acceptable for power, if you're using it on a machine that has both types or have a spare "charging" hub. Not surprisingly, it does not play nice with my unpowered hub -- it needs a full 500 mW to each port.

My drive was shipped with no software or drivers and it did NOT come with a DVD decoder. I installed it on an Acer Netbook with Windows XP Home Edition. Initially Windows did not recognize the drive, so I had to uninstall the device using Windows Device Manager and rebooted the computer.

Once I did that Windows successfully installed the drive and I was up and running. However I was not able to play DVDs and had to purchase a $[...] DVD decoder download to play DVDs with Windows Media Player. After that, the drive functioned normally and produced smooth video on my netbook screen. In order to burn CD's and DVD's I believe most computer users will want to buy third-party software which should be considered in the total cost. This bare-bones package includes no disks, no external power supply, no carrying case and scant documentation. More expensive drives include those extras.

To burn disks, the drive requires connections to two USB 2.0 ports to get enough power. Total travel weight of this drive with both cables is 11.6 ounces. The drive is just a fraction of an inch wider and deeper than a DVD or CD and is just thick enough for the drawer to accommodate a disk. If you're looking for one of the least expensive external DVD/CD reader/burners you can buy, this drive may be just the ticket. However if you need a complete package including movie-making software, DVD decoder, carrying case and external power supply you might want to buy a more expensive drive that includes them in a bundle. That would probably be cheaper than buying this drive and all of those other items separately.

I'm stuck using a little netbook while my desktop is in the shop. But, this little DVD reader/burner hardly makes me miss my desktop at all. It's been great for watching movies, and burning info to CDs and DVDs. It's small enough to take along for travel and road trips if need be. I have NO REGRETS at ALL with this purchase and highly recommend this product!!

I got it for my HP Mini that came with Windows 7. I plugged it in and in under a minute the pop-up said that my device was installed and ready for use.

I popped in a DVD and it wouldn't play. Yikes! one may think, but this is not the fault of the player though; I needed the codec that is easily downloaded from the internet.

The player itself gave me no issues and I would recommend it for the HP Mini w/Windows 7.

I have a netbook, so there is no optical drive. I needed to upload some software plus some music and this drive fit the bill perfectly. It worked as advertised, I plugged it on to the USB and started using it immediately.

In order to watch DVD's I did have to download a DVD decoder, it was Microsoft approved and cost $14.99. It downloaded easily and I was able to test out a few DVD's and they worked fine.

I can't comment on the burn ability, since I would use my desktop computer for that, but I found this a very inexpensive way to get software onto my netbook.

Yes, you save some bucks, some weight, and a lot of battery life by buying a Netbook over a conventional laptop or notebook. But you really need one of these drives. The good thing about getting one external burner like this is that you can bring it with you if you need it; and it can double for so many further uses. This one has no connectivity issues at all. Just plug it in, and you're working. - Acer - Netbook - External Drive - External Dvd Burner'

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Envelopes - envelopes, hallmark

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I had been searching for a replacement for the Hewlett-Packard card stock, which is no longer available, and decided to try the Hallmark brand, expecting to be disappointed because I didn't think I'd find any product I liked as well as the Hewlett-Packard Linen card stock. I was very pleased to find that I was able to make beautiful cards with the Hallmark card stock. I'm very pleased with the quality and have actually reordered since my original order. Hallmark Blank Greeting Cards Half-fold Matte Premium 20 Count

This premium quality 85# matte blank greeting card product produced stunningly beautiful, brilliant and crisp text and graphic images using my injet printer. I have tried similar products, but Hallmark clearly stands out among its competitors.

The product is economically priced and you receive a bonus trial edition Hallmark Card Studio software CD, which makes this deal hard to beat.

These are the only foldable greeting card sheets I've seen on Amazon that are scored. If you care enough to send not necessarily the very best but something that looks reasonably professional, these may be the only choice. (Look carefully in the description for some reference to the paper being scored.) Also, after comparing the results achieved with these and those printed on textured Avery's (at more than half the price), I'm all the more impressed by Hallmark paper. (5 stars if you can get a box for under $15 and avoid postage.)

This paper works exceptionally well with Hallmark Greeting Card software and quite well with American Greetings Greeting Card software as well. I particularly like the weight and brightness of the stock. It works well with my HP printer and doesn't jam like other papers I have used.

I could only get this paper to feed correctly through my HP 7310 inkjet printer about 50% of the time, thereby causing me to go through an awful lot of paper... even after cleaning my printer. I much prefer the Hallmark Traditional Card size, which doesn't appear to be available anymore, and didn't give me nearly as much trouble as this paper. Plus, after printing, the card just didn't look as nice. It didn't stand as straight up as straight as the previous Hallmark card stock... I'm not sure that the other was thicker or anything, it just seemed less flimsy. For the cards that did print, the ink saturation looked good though.

I took a bunch of pictures of my Mom's pansies, then made a card with a collage of the images. I gave it to her for Mother's Day. She LOVED it! She recognized the flowers as hers, and now has a permanent image of them.

Just follow the instructions, and the paper stock will go through your inkjet just fine. I used the matt finish paper, because I didn't know if the glossy would smear.

They are comletely blank on both sides (unlike "photo paper" that always has the mfg name on the back, making it useless for 1/2-fold cards).

I was printing my Christmas cards and decided to add a picture of the family to it. I first printed five or so cards using some other brand Avery/American Greetings Half Fold Blank Cards, and everything looked OK. Then, I used the Hallmark Premium Blank Greeting Card paper. The colors were so much deeper and bright.

I've uploaded scans of a picture using both papers. While the card stock is a little fuzzy on both, you must remember you are not printing on photographic paper, you can see that the Hallmark paper looks richer.

When I checked the prices, they were almost the same, with the Hallmark cards costing less than a nickle more per card. For that amount, it's no contest. People are going to look at my cards and wonder how they look so rich and alive. It will be our secret. One suggestion, though: if you print any of your cards on this Hallmark paper, please make sure you print all of your cards on it. I ran out and just hope no one notices that their card is not a beautiful as another person on my Christmas card list.

WHEN I FIRST BOUGHT MY HALLMARK CARDMAKER DELUXE 2006 SOFTWARE I BOUGHT THIS TYPE OF STOCK PAPER. THEN IT RAN OUT ON THEIR WEBSITE! I WAS REALLY DISAPPOINTED. WHEN I FOUND IT AT AMAZON.COM I WAS THRILLED AND AM STILL USING IT! PERFECT SIZE FOR THAT PERFECT CARD! I USE THIS SIZE THE MOST OF ALL FOR MY CARDS WHICH I MAKE! TRY IT!!!

The cards are flimsy, not thick paper and have a poor print surface. Almost like printing on plain paper.

The envelopes are thin, pretty much bottom of the barrel.

Software (a 'trial version') only works on PC, MAC users need not apply.

You get a fancy package with cheap product inside - Hallmark has a lot of nerve calling this 'Premium Blank' and 'High Quality', unless they are describing the box it comes in.

If you are trying to make first rate greeting cards, this is not your solution.

I spent my entire career in the graphic arts, so I know paper.

This is the second pack of IDENTICAL Hallmark cards. They are IDENTICAL boxes - 85lb (per box label), but clearly the second pack is a lighter weight card, it feels too flimsy. I bought the first box about 1.5 yrs ago. I will not buy these again, as I would be just as well off buying heavy 8x10 stock paper from the art store. Someone at Hallmark should be embarrassed. - Greeting Cards - Blank Cards - Hallmark - Envelopes'

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