Excellent for the price, comparable to much more expensive versions
924234
This is legitimately the first product I have ever reviewed on Amazon. After years of wear and tear, my ~40 dollar Incase case gave way. I can sincerely say this case is pretty much 90% as good. I liked the Incase one because the plastic felt soft and had a matte color to it. Previous cases I have purchased in this price range feel like a tupperware lid for your MBP, the plastic looks and feels cheap, and they fit poorly. This one pretty closely recreates the nice feel and matte look of the expensive Incase alternative. Very well worth the money!
67229
Build quality is amazing, especially at $135 (the price at the time of my purchase). Really appreciate that it's matte as well. The bottom of the display stands about 3.5" above the base. It can't rotate downward much at all but it can rotate upwards fairly generously. Included speakers aren't awful at sound quality but they seriously struggle with frequencies below even 150 Hz, so everything coming out of it has basically no low-end. Whether having built-in audio (super weak, but still built-in) is worth $10 to you vs. the version of this without the speakers is a personal decision. (This version is ostensibly .8" bigger than the non-speaker version according to Amazon's specs, but i doubt that.) Contrast/gamma options could be a little better as well, but oh well.

Despite the speakers, this is the best confluence of design I found in this price range and I recommend it. Having just got it today, I've found the optimal settings to be: [Brightness: 100, Contrast: 90, RGB: (250, 250, 255), Dynamic Contrast: Off, Black Stretch: Low (compensating for a general lack of black contrast, adjust to taste), Video OverDrive: Off, Sharpness: Soft (why is this even an option on any display...), Overscan: Off, Video Level: Auto].
1661723
I received this laptop yesterday, so these are my first impressions. First, pleasantly surprised by the build, sleekness and especially the light weight of this device. It is incredibly thin, yet has a full-size keyboard, a 14" screen AND ultra-high definition (1080) instead of the usual 760 pixels of most laptops in this price range. Believe me, the extra pixels make a huge difference in viewing webpages, and when I look at my previous laptop (Toshiba Satellite, also a great laptop), the difference is huge. The setup of my windows account was seamless, the computer is very responsive, and the 4GB RAM is more than enough for my typical uses (Word processing, spreadsheets, web surfing and e-mail). Also, programs load very quickly, much more so than with my 2-year old Toshiba. Despite its small size, the Asus E403SA is very functional, has a regular size hdmi port (for projectors or a TV screen), plus 3 usb ports and room for an SD Card (which may come in handy given the relatively small hard drive space). The only con is the touchpad, which is ultra-sensitive -- too sensitive for my taste, since sometimes it jumps from one page to another for no reason. But I suspect this just takes some getting used to, and of course you can buy a mouse for $10. Overall, for under $400, this is a great laptop, and the only *real* laptop in this price range with a full HD screen. A great alternative to the Macbook Air if you prefer Windows and don't want to spend an arm and a leg.
615717
I am greatly enjoying my Zen still after a month. It's thinner and lighter (and cheaper) than the competition and the software and interface are all easy to use. It sounds great through my premium $350 and $150 earphones. The video screen is nice for a 2.5" and just barely big enough IMO to actually watch video.

All of these PMPs have oddities and this one does too:
- I have had to reset it twice now but lost no data.
- It occasionally loses connection with the PC and USB needs to be reconnected.
- It does not support AC3 sound. This is a bigger problem than you might think as most .mp4s from the iPod world have AC3 sound.
- As per the .mp4 problem expect to convert most video. All video must also be 320x240 or smaller.
- It only supports iTunes AAC, not Nero.
- The media transfer program will deny many Xvid and avi videos but they play fine if transferred manually.
- The button clicking noise is actually a little loud, use care in libraries!

I give it 4 stars due to these but I have no plans to get another and will keep using my Zen.
2482142
I bought this over half a year ago and it's still working perfectly! Pretty much as functional as you can hope for. I use 3 of the 4 primary settings (you can also toggle brightness within each of the 4), starting from Relaxation in the mornings and working up to Reading at night. It's easy to adjust so there's really no way you can't get it pointing exactly how you want it. The stand is great, too - sometimes I prop it on my couch's backrest and it balances nicely.

However, one caveat is the $99.99 I paid for it at the time was reasonable, but even though the price has gone down there seems to be cheaper alternatives on the market now. On the Amazon market, that is - I went to a physical store for lighting and this was cheaper and better than anything I saw!

In terms of quality, this is top-notch. RECOMMENDED
1047685
I used to use the RMAV2100, a 2-pound, large, square remote that costs $200.  The RMVL610 (whether B--bright--or N--neutral) does everything the old remote does, and does a better job.  Plus, it can be held and operated in one hand.  The learning function made it possible to use my Blu-Ray player (programmed as though it were a DVD); I have yet to find a universal remote that has the Blu-Ray controls built in.  Although the description says "black," there is no black back; it comes with red, blue, and pink (the RMVL610N comes with brown, beige, and gold).  Since it sits face-down, the red (in my case) color is visible.

This remote does everything I can think of, and still has several unused buttons.  I'm buying these as presents for all my family that have multiple remotes.  It's easy to use and has good feel on the buttons.  The manual misses one point, though:  in many cases, when there are several possible code numbers for controlling a device, one of them is a reduced set (and it won't learn the disabled buttons).  On my satellite TV, for example, the reduced set basically has on-off, channel, menu, and program guide.  The full set has DVR controls, skip forward and back, PIP, etc.  So if you are using non-standard devices, you might want to try more than one code number, even if the first one works.
627434
Well-made and high quality, best in class for the price
4082103
I bought this racket together with&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/DHS-Table-Tennis-Racket-TP6006-Ping-Pong-Paddle-Table-Tennis-Racquets-Penhold/dp/B001E197NU/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">DHS Table Tennis Racket #TP6006, Ping Pong Paddle, Table Tennis Racquets - Penhold</a>. Both are excellent rackets for the price. This 4006 is a particularly good value, costing just around $20 and yet coming with a very sticky rubber that produces great spin. Compared to the more upscale 6006, the 4006 is not as fast but has much easier control. Overall, an incredible bargain.
425741
Whether you buy this is determined on the features you want, but for how much you pay, it will be very hard to find any competition.  The most similar competitor is the Panasonic ES15S.

What you get:
- Ability to dub your home movies to DVD
- If you have a Sony camcorder, you can do 1-touch dubbing and receive additional features due to the iLink interface (I purchased the additional 6ft iLink/4-pin Firewire cable for $2 at an online retailer).
- Support of most DVD formats
- Chasing playback (rewind-pause-fast forward, while recording), when using the DVD-RW (vr formatted by the recorder).
- Analog cable input
- Component video input, so you can output from your digital cable box and record those digital channels.
- Digital audio (coaxial) output, for dolby digital (incl DTS) output.
- The on-screen displays and some menus are translucent (see-through black), and extend on the bottom or right edge.

All of this for around $100 is a steal, and is slightly less than the Panasonic ES15S.  If you purchase, view your available buying options (retailers), and choose one with a price and review rating that satisfies you.

Notes on the chasing playback:
- While recording, you click Options, a menu extends from the right
- You hit Enter to select the default highlighted item, which is chasing playback.

Other notes:
- The slow load times (60 seconds) occur when you have a disc in the drive, but you can watch TV and do other functions while your disc is being read.  It isn't like you have to wait for a frozen device.
- Those who want to finalize the disc and make it playable in other devices... you probably are recording to take the disc with you, thus won't care about chasing playback, so you won't be using the VR formatted DVD-RW discs anyway.
- For me, unless I'm recording my home movies to DVD-R, I plan to keep my DVD-RW disc in the drive all the time and use the device like a Tivo.
- Note that if you want to use a dual layer disc, only the +R format is supported, not -R, -RW or +RW.  This isn't much of an issue, but be aware of what media you like to use, and if you need to buy additional storage media.
- Lack of a rec pause button is a little annoying, but I don't care much, because I can edit out commercials afterwards or simply buy a cheap replacement remote for the GX300 (the predecessor to this model) and program the button into my universal remote.
641106
I'm using a Chromebook as a supplemental computer for writing and heavy web browsing, and it's an incredible deal for the price. Most others have explained the Chrome OS well, and the limitations of such. I accepted them when I decided to buy it, but I wasn't expecting how high quality it was.

It's literally a $250 11" macbook air in terms of style. The build quality is very good, with large keys, a responsive trackpad, and a decent screen. If you are used to netbooks and low-end laptops like I am, you'll really be surprised at how solid it feels. The screen is very crisp for text, although the viewing angles are slightly odd. Rather than too dark, it seems too washed out at sub-optimal angles. For the price though this is one solid piece of gear.

What's also surprising is how fast and responsive it feels. It awakens instantly from sleep, and boots from powerdown to log-in in about six seconds. Tabs open quickly, and saving JPEGS to the SSD literally was instant. While watching full screen video from Hulu worked well, with no stuttering, the display felt only average, with slightly washed out colors and muddy edges.

The power brick is tiny, and from initial power on to use took all of five minutes. It really doesn't feel like something that is based on a tablet chip, and if you are okay with not being able to use dedicated programs, it works very well. It's possible to use the web for a tremendous amount of things, like basic photo and video editing, as well as lite productivity software through Google Docs.

The only downsides I have had is that there are no buttons on the trackpad. While right clicking is absurdly easy (just click with two fingers slightly spread apart instead of one) selecting large blocks of text is a little less so. I also had one game's sound not work well, and saving to Google drive didn't work on one photo app; instead, I had to save locally. Considering how many benefits counterbalance this, I can give it five stars easily.

This is probably the perfect computer to give to a senior; it just works at what it does, has no security issues and is far better built than the price would suggest. It's also an ideal computer if you want something portable do to light work on; small, good battery life, and nimble enough to do work on. Some issues you would think aren't even any. Yes, without an internet connection it's useless, but your average laptop or home computer is almost never without it, and the internet makes up a majority of the average user's use. You can't do Netflix on this one, due to the CPU, but given its poor streaming library, I don't miss it.

I recommend it, and I'm really loving it now. It's nice to be surprised above your expectations for a product, and this one does so.
1348565
A terrific value - just don't expect all the bells and whistles at this price.  Has performed flawlessly for over a month, with daily usage, as of this review date.
1995381
excellent remote for the price.  i used to have a pronto ts1000 but found that we were using the original remotes most of the time.  the lcd was cool, but not being able to use it without looking at it was a pain.  the mx-500 has both so it's easy to change channels or volume by feel.  i did find that manually programming it in learning mode was a lot better than using the codes.  which is probably the way to go anyway since you can design the remote exactly how you want it.  joystick can take a little getting used to.  it's pretty small so when you press the middle button you can accidentally roll it to the side.  it'll save you a lot of batteries and also, i think it has more power than your normal remote.  it's also easy to use program and use.  if you have a lot of money, i guess there are better remotes, but for under $100 i think this is the best.  under $70 at amazon.
2983152
Great value for the money (got a 50% off coupon for it = $20 !)

FYI :
- This is a SJ4000 clone, using the same base hardware.
- You can use any of the apps meant for these, not just the one recommended
- You can connect with a computer over wifi.
> To access files : go to ftp://192.168.1.1
> to get live view, use VLC and open a network stream to : rtsp://192.168.1.1/MJPG?W=640&H=360&Q=50&BR=3000000

Enjoy !
3331593
simple to use, good quality vs lesser priced units, and/or higher priced units
710842
I am currently a graduate student, and needed a recorder for data collection and classes. Alas, because I am a graduate student, I am also poor and could not afford to spend a lot of money on an expensive recording device, and I do not like the sound quality when I record using my computer. I found that this option was well-reviewed, and many people seemed to like it. I was pleasantly surprised by the battery life, ease of use with computer (the attached USB is just about the best thing ever). However, using it is not intuitive. I usually can figure out how to use devices without reading the manual, but I was very glad that I didn't throw that little white book away, as I usually do. I had a hard time figuring out how to switch between high quality and regular audio files (an important consideration for using the files with computers), and some of the switches and options are also difficult to find and manipulate.
The sound quality is excellent, and you really can't beat this for the price. I would recommend it to anyone who needs an inexpensive recorder, but doesn't mind having to fish around to find out how to work it.
2284212
First, I should mention that I have not seen any of the other TVs in this price range and size range.  This TV replaced a 25-year old TV the same size (which still works), which I use next to my PC.  (I also have a modern set in the living room and have used a variety of 19 inch TVs in hotel rooms.)
I'm quite pleased with the performance of this TV.  The color rendition is excellent - I'm sure that this aspect of the performance is as good as you can get in this price range and comes close to more expensive sets.
The detail and clarity are good, but do represent the limitation of what you can get in a low-priced set.  I'm sure the high end 13-inch sets that cost about twice as much would give better resolution, and a flat screen would provide that life-like, three-dimensional quality that I see in my living room TV.
If there is any flaw in the picture of this set, it is the *slight* "buzzy" quality to the image.  If you visualize the difference between a scene lit by fluorescent lighting and one lit by incandescent lighting, then you understand what I mean.  But again, it is slight and undoubtedly found in most or all sets in this price range.
The sound on this set is cleverly engineered.  The amplifier has very little power, due to the cost limitations, and the speaker is small, due to the small size of the TV.  So, Toshiba engineered the sound to have great clarity.  Speech is very intelligible, and music is clearly heard, although far from impressive or loud.  The result is entirely adequate for the usual living room/office/bedroom use - if you are going to use this to view movies in your (small) living room (or dorm room), get one of the sets costing about twice as much instead.
NOTE:  In order to get a good picture with this set, you are going to need to turn down a lot of the settings (which is not unusual - factory settings are solely designed to make the set stand out in showroom lineups).  I had to turn the sharpness down to zero, and even then, I think that I would like to have it yet lower than that (to help with the "buzzy" quality).  I also had to turn down the contrast setting to "8", although I sit close to the set and so need this a little lower than if I were sitting across the room - but even then the setting would need to be significantly lower than the factory setting.
2845703
I've been waiting for two years for the quality to get high enough and the price low enough to purchase an LED light. I finally took the plunge and bought a CN-900, and wow, I'm impressed. The case build is excellent (with a couple of caveats momentarily). The accessories are mostly useful. And the light quality itself is very nice. Not perfect with CRI of 75, and there's a definite green cast to the light (easily removed by clipping a 1/2 minus green to the barn doors or by using the included frosted minus-green filter, which does the job nicely as well as adding a bit of diffusion). I was worried that CRI of 75 wouldn't be good enough to render skin tones well, but I've used it on four commercial interview shoots and it looks fantastic and grades to perfection.

One issue: the power cord with DC power supply puts too much weight on the unit where the power tip plugs into the light's back panel. I accidentally almost broke it off when I tried to adjust the light upward when the cord hooked on the c-stand. This problem is fixed by tying a loop in the power cable near the plug tip, and hooking that around the stand knob, so that the weight of the cable is carried by the loop rather than the plug itself.

The other thing: the CTO filter provided results in tungsten filtration that is too yellow and too green. To correctly filter this unit for tungsten, use a full CTO with 1/2 minus green, and you're good to go.

Battery: The included v-mount is fine if you've got a v-mount battery. But v-mounts are very expensive. A more affordable alternative to use with this light is the Tekkeon myPower All Plus MP3450i, which your can get for about $140. In my testing it powers this light for about half an hour at full power (though others report getting up to an hour), and comes with the tip you need to plug it into the CN-900's DC power input.

I bought one of these lights and find myself wishing I had two, so I'm going to buy another as soon as I can afford it.