pretty good, best option currently that I researched
585817
Overall pretty great for a home security and webcam unit.  I am using one as a baby monitor and there is a small delay BUT that is to be expected with streaming the content over the internet and back.  The recorded video is great quality, live video is good but a little grainy at times, even over wifi.

I love being able to control it all myself though with no fees and third party monitoring.
4919395
Bought this together with a Audiovox Onyx XDNX1V1 radio unit.  (NOTE:  The XMBB1 does NOT include the radio!)  So far, I am pretty happy with the performance of both.  Although not obvious from what I could find in the descriptions, the XMBB1 does include an AC adapter, and also an antenna (see my uploaded pictures), and it does seem to work with the Onyx XDNX1V1 despite not explicitly listing it - perhaps because that radio head is newer?

The XMBB1 is nicely built and works well, but has a few issues as others have mentioned.  The sound is pretty good.  I tried it with both the XM radio head and with an Ipod.  Not perfect fidelity, but pleasant.  There is no tone control (unless the radio head you buy has one), and the volume control needs more resolution.  With the iPod, this was not an issue since I can control both tone and volume from the iPod unit itself.  But with the Onyx radio, the volume in the radio seems to be linked to by the XMBB1, so that you can't use both.  And what you get is something that cannot be turned down to a very low level.  Low, but not real low.  So if you want whisper-level sound, you'll have a problem.  At the loud end of the range, I felt there was plenty of volume for indoor use.  The fixed tone from the combined XMBB1/Onyx is OK, but I would like it somewhat brighter and I feel there is a bit heavy weighting in the mid-bass region.  But it's fine for most listening...

Reception indoors with the antenna mounted on the back of the box is mixed.  I tried it in several locations in our 1-story ranch house, and it worked in most, though you have to have the antenna tilted up and you need to have the back of the radio facing somewhat south.  In the basement where it had to look through more wood and carpet structure (or though cinder-block) it was *very* marginal (not receiving in most locations).  But that is to be expected for a satellite receiver.  That's why you get a really long cord on the antenna ;-)

Overall, if you are Ok with these imperfections, I feel like this is a solid unit and worth the price.

(One side-note about the reviews saying they could not control the volume.  I had an odd problem the first time I tried the radio with the XMBB1.  I had reception, but no sound.  Re-seating the radio fixed it and it has worked since then.  Maybe there is a connector issue with some units??)
4242925
Like many, I wanted to exhaust connectivity options for my home theater gear (Panasonic plasma, Blu-Ray player, WDTV Live) before running ethernet cable in my walls, patching drywall, texturing and painting. Just before going the wired route, I bought the ASUS (RT-N10+) 150 for it's repeater mode. It's been weeks and I'm thinking this might be one of the best values out there.

Setup was easy. The various mode options (router/bridge/repeater) are not only obvious but simple to configure. I'm using mine in Repeater mode which essentially rebroadcasts the wireless signal but the killer feature here is how the four ethernet ports are enabled and can be used to connect to non wifi enabled devices; my TV and BRD player. How cool is that?

Regarding throughput, it seems to fall halfway between wireless G and Cat5e cable; much like N does but I think this might be better than embedded N in components. The higher end power line ethernet devices are likely still better but only in optimally wired homes which mine is not.

Prior to using the ASUS, I was relying on the embedded wireless G on a Mac Mini to stream HD video from the embedded wireless N on a different and newer Mac Mini. Before rolling out the ASUS, I was limited to 720p and it was often choppy but now buffering has been nearly eliminated and streaming compressed 1080p video is now possible. Again, this setup still lacks the performance of wired but it's a winning compromise.

Okay, now let's talk value. Many wifi adapters for flat panels and BRD players cost $80 and provide connectivity to one device each. The ASUS provides 4 ethernet ports which could save hundreds if one has a lot of components. I plan to eventually move to an internet capable AVR or surround processor/pre-amp and I won't need to concern myself with connectivity.

It really does deserve 5 stars.
2365696
This is pretty much configuartion that I got and performance is pretty good with this laptop.
Lighted keyaboard had an impact on decission when I decided to buy this laptop and it is really nice and usefull feature that I was looking some time for it.

Pros:
- Very stable, no reboots and doesn't get frozen even when moving/shaking it
- Good metal construction --> no flexing
- Good set of connection slots for perrifferrals
- Backlit keyboard
- Very bright screen but not the best color rendering
- e-SATA external connector
- Internal Intel wireless 5300 AGN WiFi card is excellent

Cons:
- LCD display is somewhat washed out although very bright
- It gets very hot even just browsing internet after relatively brief period. Poor ventilation.
- Somewhat heavy for its size
- Average battery life (little bit over 3hr of usage when just browsing internet via WiFi with standard battery)
- Proprietary HDMI connector (need to buy separate pigtail adapter)

I have it almost for a year now and no crashes or some issues or glitches so far.
Overall very good business laptop.
4177867
I have done a lot of research on the different options (Roku, Apple TV, and the boxee box) and I must say that so far so good.

My main concern was being able to stream my personal collection of movies and TV shows over a hard line (powerline network). I have a lot of 720/1080p that requires a lot of bandwidth. As such, I was playing with the idea of building a home theater PC, but the cost/benefit is not great.

The things that sold me on the boxee box are as follows:

*  Local file playback
*  File format support
*  Ethernet connection
*  Cost
*  Ease of use

I did a lot of looking around and I was stuck between this and the Roku. I decided to go with the boxee box because of its local streaming ability and I have been pretty happy with it thus far.

There are a few things that I am not too happy with, which is why I deducted a star. They are as follows:

*  No Amazon Prime Compatibility (this is pretty big)
*  It takes a long time to scan and ID my media library
*  It did not recognize a lot of TV shows that I arranged by folder/season/episode and named 1, 2, 3, etc.

In all fairness, I can still go to files and browse them manually, but it doesnt have the cover art/information as when it is identified. That makes it harder for my technologically challenged better half to use.

I have started to manually identify files, but that is more difficult as it does not show the folder path so I have to play an episode, figure out what it is, and have it try to ID the rest of the folder. It would be so much easier to be able to see the file path and ID it as such.

These complaints are fairly minor and there are workable alternatives. I must admit, the boxee box is the best thing short of a HTPC. The cost and ease of setup/use make it a much more viable option for me. As of right now, it is the sole thing that is streaming my media and I am pretty happy to have it. I would recommend it for those who are looking for a similar set of requirements.
3358320
I have had this installed for a few weeks now. So far I have very few complaints with it. In fact, I'm pretty impressed with it's feature list for the cost!

Things I like about it -

Screen responds quick to your touch.
The screen has a nice picture when playing a DVD.
GPS function works great.
Pandora function works great when my iPhone is plugged in.
Intuitive enough that my wife wasn't intimidated by it, and picked up it's use pretty quickly.

Features I wish it had -

Dual zone capability. I would like to insert a DVD, and send the video to our rear screen so the kids could listen to it with the IR headphones, and still play music up front.

Custom wallpapers. The stock images it comes with are what your stuck with. Not bad, but choice would be nice.

The Pandora feature is really cool, if your phone is plugged in. It's a full featured Pandora experience that way. If your connected via BT however, you can't control Pandora at all with the stereo.

Things I wish were better -

Honestly I'm underwhelmed with the BT hands free setup. Maybe it's just the location of the microphone ( I mounted it above the rearview mirror) but it's very noisy when making calls. You hear a lot of road noise and it's just not a good as experience as I had hoped.

I am happy with the purchase though, and would recommend it!

BTW, don't pay for a parking brake bypass. Just connect the parking brake wire to the stereo itself. It just needs to be grounded.

Also, I integrated my vehicle's steering wheel controls with the Axxess ASWC-1 adapter, and it works great!

*2017 Update. The unit has started to become glitchy. When a phone is connected via USB it does this strange fast forward thing while playing music. You have to start and stop the music and plug the USB in and out to get it to work.

It no longer retains the radio station it was on after turning the vehicle off. It will always advance the station by a few channels. For instance. If it is on 93.1 when you turn the car off, it will be on 93.3 when you turn it back on.

The clock gains time. I don't know how a digital clock gets the time wrong but over a couple weeks it will gain about 10-15 minutes.

I tried updating the firmware but it hasn't helped. I will probably be looking for something else to replace it soon.
363504
I did quite a bit of research to find a decent-quality tablet for around $250, and this one delivers.  The size and form factor (very thin) is what I would expect and want from a 10" tablet.  It feels sleek and is very light.  The build quality seems quite good for a device housed in a plastic shell.  The screen is great -- extremely clear and vivid, with an easy-to-access brightness slider control, which you'll want to use, because I've found that screen brightness has a lot to do with how long the battery lasts.  You can turn off the "auto" brightness and extend the battery life quite a bit.  Keeping the wireless feature "on" will also drain the battery quickly, so I only turn on wireless when I need it, and otherwise turn it off.  Overall, I feel the battery life is good, albeit a bit shorter than I might have expected.  It will last the better part of a full day, even with heavy use.
The processor is quick; I've had no issues with download speeds and my kids have had fun playing games on it with no issues.  It hasn't crashed or stalled at all in nearly 4 weeks of fairly regular daily use.
The only knock on this tablet is that its wireless antenna seems a bit weak -- my phone can pick up a stable and strong wireless signal throughout my house, on every floor.  This device struggles to find a usable signal if I go to another floor, or if I get more than about 20 feet from our wireless router -- and I have a fairly high-end router.  So, I can't give it 5 stars.
But, overall, I'm very happy with the purchase and can give it a strong recommendation.
UPDATE, 9/11/13
Not thrilled with the wireless reception I had been getting on the ASUS, I switched to the other "band" (frequency) of my wireless router (I have a dual-band Netgear 4300 that uses both 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz standards) and was pleased to see that the signal strength improved noticeably on the ASUS tablet.  I had been using the 5G signal, but the antenna seems to do better with the 2.4GHz signal, and I can get a usable wireless signal throughout my house now.  Very happy about this -- tempted to revise my 4-star rating to 5-stars.
2010416
sturdily constructed, functions well, red/green option a very good idea
490883
Good quality, personally a little pricey, but overall a good purchase
2683533
I have been using the Poin2 for screenwriting and pre-production on a film for about a month now (using the cloud-based WriterDuet) and it has served me well.

PROS:
-Boots up really fast.
-Good battery life.
-Ultra portable.
-I hadn't used Google Remote Desktop before this, but it actually works really well. Very helpful if you forgot a file on your home computer or if you want to use a simple program on your computer.
-Quite a few good Chrome Apps out there like Spotify to make this feel more like a higher-end laptop.
-Keyboard works just fine for me. Probably much better than using a 2-in-1.

CONS:
-The speakers suck, really tinny sound. Works just fine with headphones though (which most of the time I need anyway if I'm at a coffee shop).
-Sometimes it sort of...freezes. I've noticed that this is more prone to happen on certain sites and especially on Facebook where there's a lot of stuff going on. Suddenly I won't be able to move anything, after about 5 seconds the screen will go black for just a second and then everything will return to normal.
-This next one may just reflect my personal situation, because I use Spotify a lot. Sometimes when I bring this to a coffee shop where the wireless speed isn't as fast as it is at home, the Spotify app will have streaming issues. However, if I switch to using Google Play music at this same place it works just fine. Not sure if the Spotify app just requires a faster speed or what. Google Play lets you add your own music, so I've uploaded a couple of my favorite albums to always have on hand if Spotify isn't working well.

Overall the issues are minor. This is a great, affordable machine if you want mostly want to browse the internet or write.
2837995
Good news: First off, let me say that I am very happy overall with my Internet solution, the MiFi 4G from Verizon. In rural areas, it's MUCH better than sattelite internet (the only other game in town here besides dial-up), and this little device gives me decent Internet service even in my strictly-3G location (although not as fast as standard Internet). Once I got it connected up, it has worked well and it always remembers my computer. It is small enough to be easily portable. Battery life seems to be about four hours of use between charges, but I nearly always have it plugged in and it might last longer for others. I'm visiting a 4G network area as I type this and the 4G is nice & speedy - I could totally get used to this. C'mon, Verizon, please hurry up and give our cow pastures 4G!

Bad news: my device HATES to be moved. Really, really hates it. The connections on the battery must be incredibly delicate; pretty much anytime I toss it into a computer case, something inside gets disconnected. It will power on, and give me cell tower "bars", but the little light on the side, which should blink purple (3G) or green (4G) will stay solid, which is bad. The computer can find and connect to the device, but NOT to the Internet. (This is not mentioned in the "troubleshooting" section of the users manual, by the way.) I finally figured out to open the back and play with the seating of the battery a few times, and then it works fine as long as I don't move it again.

So if you want to use this while on the go, consider another solution, or be prepared to open up the back of the device every time it can't find the Internet and reseat the battery. This is not hard to do, but it really annoys me that it has to be done.

On the other hand, it's really the only problem I've found. If you plan to set it in one spot and use it, it's an excellent solution that seems to be priced at around the same (if not lower) as the other options. If you live somewhere with 4G (you lucky person), it would be an even better deal, because then the device becomes faster than standard internet at roughly the same price. Plus, it's a wireless network by proxy that can connect to multiple devices thoughout a house (I've used this and it works extremely well). Finally, it has the advantage over the other types of Internet that you can pick it up and take it with you if you go on vacation, and get Internet anywhere you can get Verizon cellphone service*.

*Assuming, of course, that your battery is seated properly.
2359460
I like it BUT... I am a little concerned about RAM, especially if we upgrade to Win 10. i don't know what windows 10 will take as far as resources, and i am seeing this uses about 65 to 70% of the RAM just to run system functions in windows 8.1. DO NOT get a windows tablet that has less than 2GB of ram.
That being said, I think you could run 7-9 apps at the same tme and not run into ram issues. Might be a good idea to use Firefox or explorer. Chrome can sprout enough processes to fill a half a gig of ram or more.
Got 8 hours video playback on a YouTube test, and charged it from dead in 3 1/2. I was moderately impressed by that.would have been blown away if Microsoft didn't brag it got 10.
Altogether i like the surface feel.cameras are both good, was pleasantly surprised at the front camera clarity. The type cover is neat too, I lime the adjustable back lighting. It all feels good quality, sturdy, and elegant. The new ones are grey, and I can only say I liked the slick black of the rt.
It's a good price if hardware. Not cheap, but cheaper than an ultrabook, and much more powerful than a cheaper tablet. More laptop then tablet really at this point, but very convenient.
1189295
These are my initial thoughts as I have just gotten it and been playing with it for a day so far. I'll update this review as I discover more about it.

It was easy to setup and I really like the remote control. The remote is simple, small, and light. The set-top-box itself is small. The remote control isn't just IR, it's RF (probably Bluetooth), which means the box can be easily hidden.

My biggest gripe with this is that the USB port is useless. I can't play media from USB. I have several different devices like this (Roku, WD Live TV, etc). All of the other devices out there allow you to connect a storage device via USB. Granted, there are ways to do this by rooting the device, but this isn't a possibility on new devices since they come with updated software to block the user from rooting. What this means is that any media files I have can't just be thrown on a flash drive or portable hard drive and hooked up. If a friend comes over with some family videos on a flash drive, or some new music s\he's recorded, I have to put it in my computer and share it over the network.

THE USB PORT NEEDS TO BE ENABLED.

The device only comes with 8GB of storage, which by the time everything is put on there, you're left with between 4-5 GB left. Most decent games will take up 1-3GB of that storage, so you're left with the ability of only having a few games on there at a time.

Sideloading of applications is possible without rooting, which is a good thing. The pain though is that none of the sideloaded apps show up on the main menu, and in order to launch any of them you have to go through the settings, then applications, then down to the application, then select launch. Or there's another process of using Llama to basically use another application as a "shortcut" for one of the sideloaded applications.

It seems like Amazon focused way too much on making something family friendly, and in the process has created something that isolates those looking for something more. They are not mutually exclusive. You can lock the thing down with parental controls when enabled, or give the user more access when parental controls are disabled. You could setup a profile system. The adult profile could require a password or PIN, have access to any sideloaded apps, utilize the USB port, etc.

Again, I'll update/edit this as continue to use it. But quite honestly, this would probably go up to a four star review if USB was enabled, and probably hit a five star review if there were shortcuts for the sideloaded applications too (and an easier process for those unfamiliar with using a terminal).
1061589
There are many good aspects of this case, definitely not perfect but after looking at all the options available, I think it is the best one for me at this time.

I really like the concept of being able to use the iPad mini as a little laptop and still be able to use it for its other purposes without popping the iPad out of the keyboard case and into another one.

I just got the keyboard case in the mail yesterday and I am typing this review with my keyboard and iPad.  It definitely will be a learning curve, but I do seem to be getting used to the keys for the most part.

What I was looking for when buying the case:
Something sturdy - wanted to be able to type sitting on the couch with the iPad on my lap (didn't want a leather folio where the iPad just rested in a little ledge because it seemed like it would slip out)
The ability to either rotate the screen to hold the iPad flat or detach the screen from the keyboard while still having it in the protective case.
Something that would protect my iPad
A manufacturer that seemed to stand behind their product (based on other reviews - and posted warranties)
I really wanted something lightweight.

This keyboard has many pros:
-easy to pair with your iPad
-if you leave the Bluetooth on it will remain paired with your iPad, so you can use it to unlock your iPad and type in your code or password.  (Not sure how long the battery will last if this is done frequently)
-it pairs fairly quickly each time Bluetooth is turned off - I've found that I have to go into settings and choose to connect the keyboard after it has been off, but it still works.
-very functional - makes the iPad so much more usable for taking notes, etc...
-well made - all the ports line up correctly with the iPad mini
Cons:
This is HEAVY. I think most keyboard folios are, so that's something I'm willing to work around.  I definitely end up just propping my iPad on my lap while using this even in the "reader" mode.
There are a few strange key layouts  - here are the ones that have stood out to me so far:
- the question mark and the apostrophe must be reached through the function key (as well as the brackets and backslash).  I know there is no other way around this because the keyboard is so small, but it is definitely going to take some time to get used to that.
- the delete key seems to be too far down for where my finger wants to press, so I am constantly typing "+++++" instead of deleting.
- I often hit caps lock instead of shift.
- when I am searching for the apostrophe I often accidentally press enter - which isn't a problem unless I'm using messenger - then it sends the message too soon.
- my thumb wants to hit the option key instead of command
The hinge is very tight right now.  Hopefully it will stay that way so it will stay closed when needed and open to the right place when needed.
-Not sure how protective this case will be.  I was actually expecting more of a rubbery/slightly squishy exterior.  It was very easy to pop the iPad in, hoping that doesn't mean it will fall out.  I will still be very cautious when carrying the iPad in this case - I definitely thought it would be more protective than it appears to be.

The function keys at the top seem to be very intuitive and helpful.  (Dedicated home key, copy, paste, play, pause, volume, etc...) You can also scroll through your open apps using "command tab" which is very fun and helpful.

Overall I am happy with the functionality so far.  We'll see how it holds up - and how quickly my fingers adjust to a new normal.
3254611
I'm coming to one of the devices from an iPod 5G 60GB, and two Creative players prior to that.

First, the device itself. Sleek, slightly fingerprint prone on the front and fairly intuitive. The screen is beautiful and the built-in speaker is a plus. As for the touch screen itself, it's not quite as good as the iPod Touch's but it's good. For maneuvering around your media your finger works fine, however for web browsing you may want to pick up a stylus since some links can be very small. The 5's biggest setback, if you've read other reviews, is the beta nature of it's software, but it has come very far in the last few months.

My device has been fine except for not recognizing files. I have about 1300 tracks under one artist (Various Tracks) and the Archos only sees 1013, as well as other albums with missing tracks here and there. Hopefully it's something that will probably be fixed in the upcoming firmware update.

The device itself plays almost any audio and video format, however for certain file types you'll need to buy a plugin depending on the type of file you wish to play. It can handle SWF internet Flash files, PDF and the Opera browser supports Flash Video, but not every site. So far I've only used YouTube and Google Video, as well as a few others you can see in the comments below and they've worked great (the ones that worked).

Charging can take a long time, so a dock purchase is recommended when they're released or a USB charger at 5 volts with at least 1A. A small problem I have is foreign language character support in a different default language. Example: My device is set for English, but songs I have in Russian Cyrillic appear as random characters (but display perfectly if you make Russian the default language).

-------
Update: Device works fine (apart from beta features/ads for upcoming products). Be sure to charge fully before using. I repurchased and still had the cataloging problem, but I re-converted all the problematic files which took a while and now all is good. Apart from that, it's a good device. 4-Star rating still stands as that problem shouldn't even be an issue these days.

If you'd like me to test any Flash-based websites for compatibility on the Archos, write your inquiries in the comments.
4633999
I bought a 16gig V30 (purple trim) over a month ago, and after reading people's comments here, I've been cautious about not using it for critical information.  So far it's fine and hasn't glitched on me yet.  I must say that it's not overly sturdy and feels like it could be broken - like if sat on the wrong way?

Still, It's worked fine for me, and I even installed a bootable Linux on it for fun & to see if it would work.  Was much faster than running Linux off a "live cdrom" - but that's not saying much for those who understand the reference.

Speedwise, for reading, it benchmarked (hdtune 2.55) -
13-14MB per sec at 64k block size reads
1.7-1.9MB per sec at 1k block size reads

I have a much older 500meg CMB usb stick, and it's 15MB/sec and 4MB/sec, respectively.  Not an awful lot faster.  Sorry, I didn't do any write tests, and it has a non-windows File System on it for a bit longer.

edit (april 20th):
I've been using this for a few months testing Linux distributions - installing them to the USB drive - and I must say it's been fine for me, so raising to 4 stars.  It still feels a little flimsy at the base, and most the other ones I have are about 10% faster, but this works fine.  Besides, 10% speed isn't all that much considering how slow USB drives are compared with hard drives.
4457496
I purchased this to go along with a 61" DLP TV. For the moment I am using only the up-converting features of this set; I'm awaiting my first blu-ray disc!

I am using the HDMI for video and the optic connection for sound, and both work very well.

I am pleased with the setup options, which are very extensive and easily understood, and especially the capability to enhance the output of the center speaker so that spoken words come through. I don't know if it is the optical connection or this setting, but when we watch movies, we hear words and sounds that we never noticed before.

The up-converted picture is really amazing, especially when the scenes are bright. Some of the dimmer scenes appear a bit grainy, but I suspect that may be the fact that high ASA film was used to capture these shots. So maybe there is nothing for the player to up-convert in those cases!

The remote is fairly easy to use, with larger buttons than many remotes.

I have noticed a couple of drawbacks so far:

One issue I have had so far is the setup. For whatever reason, in order to access the setup, one has to hit STOP, then enter setup. I would rather be able to change the settings without stopping. It isn't too large a problem, because hitting PLAY goes right back to the same point in the movie.

The other issue is the the ROOT menu will not bypass the previews, even though the DVD says to go to the root menu. I get past this by hitting the FF button. In the same area, none of the menu buttons on the remote seem to get me to the root menu; I have to select a different button and then navigate to the ROOT menu - which then doesn't work during previews...

However, in general, this is a well designed and inexpensive Blu-Ray player and a good choice for the budget minded shopper.