Kingston Digital 16 GB microSD Class 10 UHS-1 Memory Card 30MB/s with Adapter (SDC10/16GB)

Kingston Digital 16 GB microSD Class 10 UHS-1 Memory Card 30MB/s with Adapter (SDC10/16GB)..

GET Kingston Digital 16 GB microSD Class 10 UHS-1 Memory Card 30MB/s with Adapter (SDC10/16GB) By Kingston

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76 of 79 people found the following review helpful.
Too slow to be class 10
By BobbyA
I tested the Kingston 8GB class 10 micro SD card using ATTO Disk BenchMark v2.46
Write speed was approximately 7.5 MB/sec, Read speed was approximately 12 MB/sec.
I requested an RMA from Kingston and returned it for an exchange. The new one measured:
Write speed approximately 7 MB/sec, Read speed approximately 13 MB/sec.
Compare these to a Kingston 8GB micro SD class 4 from 2 years ago, which measured:
Write speed approximately 9 MB/sec, Read speed approximately 16 MB/sec.
Or an ADATA 8GB micro SD class 6 (FWIW 1st one of these had to be exchanged too):
Write speed approximately 7 MB/sec, Read speed approximately 16 MB/sec.

Conclusion, unless an application only needs to read quickly, where cameras for instance need to write quickly, I would not buy this SD card again for class 10 performance, since I can get the same result with cheaper claas cards, or better performance with another brand. I also tested each card in my Nikon DSLR, results tracked the Benchmark testing, measured as number of pictures in a 20 second period with the shutter button held down.

Update:
I recently bought a Wintec 16GB class 10, same measurement setup indicated 12 MB/sec write, 16 MB/sec read speed. Besides the wintec actually doing what it was advertised to, these results indicate nothing in my hardware was keeping the Kingston card from achieving 10 MB/sec if it had been good enough.

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful.
Returned 2, didn't meet class 10 rating minimum. My class 6 whooped it.
By Amazon Dealfinder
SD cards have a universal standard they have to meet to get a class rating. The class number guarantees a minimum write speed. MINIMUM being the point, it is NOT an average.

This card is highly rated by numerous computer hardware websites that benchmark flash card memory. On all of those sites the benchmarks show this card exceeding it's rated write speed of 10MB/s (most by double the rated speed).

This particular card is rated as a class 10 and therefore have a minimum of 10MB a sec. After using 5 different benchmark programs on 2 computers and an Android phone my results were: Writing speed: 6-8.6 MByte/s, Reading speed: 15-18.2 MByte/s.

At this point I still trust the Kingston name so I have opted for an exchange.

UPDATE: Got the replacement, tested with the same 5 programs and pretty much got the same result (ever so slightly higher average). So I am returning it and going to try another brand (keep reading).

On a side note. I decided to test my Lexar Professional Series 8 GB 133x Class 6 SDHC Flash Memory Card SD8GB-133-381 that I bought here on Amazon back in Mar09. That class 6 card, with the same benchmark programs were: Writing speed: 16-17.8 MB/s, Reading speed: 19-21.2 MB/s.

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful.
Failed and "Lifetime Warranty" is pretty useless
By Mark Edelstein
I bought the card and it worked fine for about 3 months than completely failed. Since it has a "Lifetime Warranty", I took advantage of that, returned it to Kingston, and since have had to follow up every step of the return process.

I got delivery confirmation from the Postal Service, then had to send Kingston an e mail two days after the card was delivered to find out what the status was on the order. Their website said they'd be a little more speedy on processing warranty claims. Two days later I got a note that they'd get the mailroom to move the package through, which they seem to have done, although it should have already moved through based on what their website says. I waited a day for an update on their website as to the status of the return and checked it this morning.

They finally processed the return, but DARN THE LUCK, the replacement item is BACKORDERED. I called customer service, and the lady was very nice, but told me the item "Just went on backorder" so she had no idea as to when it would be coming in and would have to check with their engineers to find out. Engineers? She didn't offer a replacement product or any other solution other than to wait to hear back from the engineers.

The card was OK, but when it failed I lost everything on it. Now I'm waiting longer than I should have to for a replacement. What good is a warranty if you can't replace a defective product? I'm not a happy man.

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Canon PowerShot SX170 IS 16.0 MP Digital Camera with 16x Optical Zoom and 720p HD Video (Red)

Canon PowerShot SX170 IS 16.0 MP Digital Camera with 16x Optical Zoom and 720p HD Video (Red)..

Special Price Canon PowerShot SX170 IS 16.0 MP Digital Camera with 16x Optical Zoom and 720p HD Video (Red) By Canon

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397 of 420 people found the following review helpful.
Great Compact point & shoot for the money, battery is a non- issue
By Amazon Customer
Technology marches on. I am an avid amateur photographer with 50+ years of experience with every film and focal plane technology ever created. This camera is my latest "pocket camera" to have with me 24/7, it's for those unique unplanned shots that always pop up when you least expect them and when your DSLR is just not an option to lug around with you all day.

Some have criticized the change from AA sized batteries to a Canon propriety battery pack. Hogwash. Technology is going to move forward and the use of a battery pack simply does not mean this camera is any less useful. When you travel into the great whatever with an older camera you thought ahead and took extra batteries with you. Now you think ahead and make sure your battery is charged and yes if you will be away from an outlet you take as many extra battery packs as you need. I am guilty of not thinking ahead plenty of times with the AA technology with no means of stopping into a store to buy more, this camera is no different.

The feel and user friendliness of this camera is outstanding. The controls are simple, the instructions (PDF on-line only) are clear and easy to follow, and the image quality is great. You are not going to shoot that perfect close-up shot of a running back diving across the goal line with this camera, but for every day snapshots it offers a nice, cost effective solution to carry in your pocket every day.

It's not a DLSR. If you want a full featured high performance camera you'll need to spend a lot more money!

9/30/2013 addition- the more I use thus camera the more I like it. The autofocus feature is very fast, and images shot at max optical zoom are beyond my expectations, far superior to earlier Canon point and shoot products.

48 of 56 people found the following review helpful.
Great!
By begoodorbegoodatit
I was sketical about buying this camera. It should be stated that I am not an owner of a DSLR or Nikon, although I've used those before so I know how some who may own those and buy a camera like this may be disappointed or find it less than great. I don't really think it's fair to rate this compared to those kinds of cameras so I am comparing it to my previous "point and shoot" camera.

We had some traveling coming up and wanted a new camera since my current camera looks in really bad quality at night time or dim lighting (like concerts). So I opted for this camera with the Black Friday sale. I've taken multiple shots with this camera and my old one to see what the difference really is and I will say that this camera shoots way better. My old camera in natural light in my home would be dark, this one is naturally very bright. If I took a photo of a carrot peel with my old camera it would just look like some orange thing, whereas with this camera the carrot peel looks way brighter, the image is sharper, you can see the details such as texture or drops of water on the carrot unlike the old camera. I did go outside and try to take photos and while this does shoot better at night than my other camera, there isn't even a night time option so I'm still having that issue of the photo comes out with the bright lights looking hazy, but it's an improvement from the other camera we owned.

Overall, if you just need to update your "point and shoot" then I recommend this camera. My old camera only had a 10x zoom and it was 8 MP so this was a really nice upgrade. I take photos of animals, food, and landscapes and have been really pleased with the outcome. If you own a fancy camera, you probably won't be impressed with this camera.

326 of 413 people found the following review helpful.
The Day the Last 2-AA Battery, Travel & Field Camera - Died
By John Sturgeon
As some of you know, the Canon SX100 series are my favorite cameras. I always carry the latest model with me in a video-camera-shoulder-bag (i.e. - "purse" for dudes,) everyday, wherever I go. I have owned and used all of them from the SX100 to the SX160. I have long-considered the Canon SX100 line of cameras to be "The Best 2-AA-Battery All-Purpose Travel and Field Cameras Ever Made." I have posted 5-star reviews of both the SX150 and SX160 here on Amazon during the last two years, and I have made it abundantly clear why I feel so strongly favorable of them.

Accordingly, I bought a new Canon SX170. I tested it out to compare it. For sentimental reasons, I intend to keep it. But for the most obvious of reasons, which I just indicated in the above statement, I'm not pleased with it. To the contrary, I am deeply saddened about what has now been completely lost to all consumers, worldwide - The day the last full-featured, full-manual-control, compact, 2-AA battery, travel & field camera left on the entire worldwide market - Died.

Here is a summary of my comparative conclusions.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&
SX160 IS vs. the SX170 IS - A CAMERA COMPARISON - THE BOTTOM LINE

The Canon SX160 runs on 2-AA rechargeable batteries.
The Canon SX170 runs on a Canon NB-6LH proprietary battery.

Other than the battery, the two cameras are virtually identical.

I will start with the conclusion first - There is no serious reason even to consider buying the new Canon SX170 instead of the previous model Canon SX160 ... unless you absolutely HATE using 2-AA rechargeable batteries in a camera.

Both cameras have exactly the same features, the same functions, and the same specs - except for the batteries. Cosmetically they are virtually identical cameras in almost all respects except for a small change in the shape of the grip on the right side of the SX170 camera. Functionally they both work exactly the same, and they both produce identical quality pictures. No changes were made to either the sensor or to the DIGIC 4 image processor to bring any improvement to the final images produced.

The initial Amazon release price of the SX170 is $179. (Sept. 2013)
The current Amazon price for the SX160 is $144, about $35 less. (Sept. 2013)

Literally, you have to HATE using 2-AA rechargeable batteries in a camera to want to pay $35 more for the same camera with a mini-sized proprietary battery that will only take about half as many shots with each charge, when the quality of the pictures you get will be absolutely identical with both cameras.

SPARE BATTERIES. Amazon is currently selling official Canon brand NB-6LH spare batteries for about $38 apiece. (Remember, people, your camera warranty is now VOID if you use a "cheap Hong Kong knockoff" proprietary battery in it. You do so at your own risk.) A spare pair of top-quality Sanyo brand "eneloop" rechargeable AA batteries can be bought on Amazon for about $4, but even "cheap" AA batteries won't void your warranty for the SX160.

CAVEAT EMPTOR.

That is the bottom line.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
SX160 & SX170 - BACKGROUND INFO & THE "2-AA" BATTERY CAMERA.

The SX170 is the seventh model of the Canon SX100 line of cameras. This series began with the SX100 in the year 2007. From the beginning these cameras have always run on 2-AA rechargeable batteries. That has always been their strongest selling point - the fact that they use 2-AA batteries. If you happened to run out of rechargeable AA batteries, you could always buy spare AA batteries for them to keep taking pictures.

That is the main feature which made them ideal travel & field use cameras literally anywhere in the world.

The cameras of this SX100 series were all full-featured, with full manual control, and a good megazoom. They were also very affordable. Spare batteries for them could be purchased easily and economically. So these cameras were also inexpensive to use, too. And if you bought a new camera, you just transferred the rechargeable AA batteries to the new camera. You never had to buy any new (and much more expensive) proprietary batteries each time you bought a new camera. So in the long term, the AA battery cameras were always much less expensive for people to own and operate.

The new model SX170 no longer uses AA batteries. Instead it uses a mini-sized NB-6LH proprietary battery. These batteries are not readily available except by mail order unless you happen to live near a very large city. If you are traveling, the situation gets much worse. In many places the NB-6LH batteries will not be locally available at all. So the usefulness of the SX170 as a travel & field camera worldwide has been negated. If you are stuck in the middle of nowhere with dead batteries, then you are just stuck with no more pictures!

During the last couple of years, these Canon SX100 series cameras were the only full-featured, 2-AA battery, travel & field cameras still left on the world market. The SX160 was the last one. Now the consumer can no longer buy a full-featured 2-AA battery camera at ANY price, except for a few leftover models from previous years. And soon enough they will be gone too.

Some of you may realize the gravity of this loss, others may not. Most people don't miss things until they suddenly realize they can no longer buy them, because "they" don't make them anymore. And that is exactly what has just happened here. The day the SX170 was introduced was the day the last full-featured, full-manual-control, compact, 2-AA battery, travel & field camera left on the entire worldwide market - Died.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
ERGONOMICALLY - THE "NEW" GRIP

There is a "not-so-new" larger grip on the right side of the SX170 camera. Canon claims it has "introduced" a design change with a larger grip on the right side of the camera for better one-handed shooting. Ergonomically. This will indeed be a fine feature for many people. I agree. But Canon's P.R. department says this was only made possible by using the new smaller proprietary battery. No. That is not true.

The original camera of this line, the SX100, had that same style, larger right hand grip on it, and it used 2-AA batteries. Canon removed that feature from the next model, the SX110, and made the overall camera flatter. Some of us would have preferred that Canon not make that design change, but that was Canon's decision.

Now Canon is "reintroducing" that larger right hand grip feature with the SX170, but it has nothing to do with having to drop the 2-AA batteries. I measured the two cameras with a set of calipers. The dimensions of the larger grip on the right side are very similar on both cameras - the grip on the original SX100 (using 2-AA batteries) and the grip on the new SX170 (using the new proprietary battery.) Canon could have "reintroduced" this same design change all along on any of the other SX100 series cameras, and still kept the 2-AA batteries in the camera just fine. So the justification Canon is giving for being able to make this design change is completely bogus.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
RATING THE SX170

I'm giving the new Canon SX170 IS a 3-star rating only for sentimental reasons - it's still a Canon. It is still an excellent camera in many ways. It still has all of the same excellent features. ... But I won't recommend the SX170 to anyone.

Since it now runs on a proprietary battery, then it has to be compared to all of the other similar cameras today that run on proprietary batteries. And in that comparison, it does not measure up very well.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
WHAT THE SX170 IS NOT

The Canon SX170 is not a fast-action camera, and it never will be. It still has all the same problems of the previous models. It has a noticeable shutter lag, a slower focus, a slow image processor, a slow maximum shooting speed of 0.8 fps (less than one picture per second,) a very slow flash recovery time, it doesn't work very well indoors or in low light, and it does not shoot full 1920x1080 HD video, either, only the older 1280x720 quasi-HD video.

The SX170 is not a good camera for taking pictures of fast-moving children or pets, fast-action sports moments, or fast-focus views of flying birds. The SX170 simply won't work for that kind of photography.

There are literally dozens of other more modern proprietary battery cameras out there today that can run circles around the slow-performing, antiquated design and performance of the older-design SX170. So if you really want a modern, fast-action camera that works well in low light and that also shoots full 1920x1080 HD video, then why would you even consider buying the SX170?

Canon designed the original electronics for the SX100 line of cameras way back in 2007.* These cameras were originally designed as, "Stand here while I take your picture" cameras. And basically that is what they still do best. Changing the battery isn't going to change the primary use for which these cameras were originally intended. No more than injecting "energy steroids" into an old dog is going to teach it to do new tricks.

If you want a modern, fast-action, full-HD video camera, then the SX170 will simply not work for you.**

* Actually it was released in 2007. Design precedes release by about 2 to 3 years, so essentially these cameras were designed almost ten years ago. Remember what that world was like? Digital cameras were low quality and high priced. Most people did not have PCs, and fewer still knew how to use Photoshop. Computer hard drives were 30 gigabytes - smaller than a standard 32 GB SDHC camera memory card of today. Photo paper for printers was terrible and would begin to fade out within months, gone altogether in a few years. .... Most people were using 35 mm film cameras with 36 shots for each roll of film, paying $27 or more at 75 cents per print each time for all the photos, both good and bad. (There was no "preview" feature before they were developed and printed. Besides, you could not "preview" photos very well by squinting at a tiny, color-reversed film negative.) ... Most people could not AFFORD to take more than a few pictures each month. Taking pictures was expensive! Every single picture had to count, so yes - literally - using a camera back in those days meant, "Stand here while I take your picture!" It didn't MATTER if they were slow. Getting your "36 prints" back from the developers at Long's Drug Store took two to three days anyway. That is the world in which the electronic circuitry for these SX100 series cameras was originally designed.

** (If you do want that however, which obviously many people do, then for a short list of modern, fast-action, full-HD-video cameras in a similar price range of the SX170, please see my post of suggestions in the Comments Section, page 1. For a comparative list of (almost all) current Canon point-and-shoot and bridge cameras, please see my post in the Comments Section, at the bottom of page 4.)

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
FOR A CLASSIC CAMERA WITH FULL FEATURES, USING "2-AA" BATTERIES, CONSIDER THE CANON SX160.

If, on the other hand, you do like the classic Canon SX100 series camera line - as I do very much - you have to like it for what it is. It is an older style, classic design, point-and-shoot camera. As such you simply have to accept the fact that it has some very real limitations. And those limitations are not going to be "fixed" simply by putting a different battery inside the same camera.

It makes no sense to buy a camera first, expecting it to meet your wants and needs, and then end up being disappointed when it doesn't. It works the other way around. You find the camera that actually does fit your personal wants and needs first, and then you buy that camera for yourself and enjoy it.

If you do prefer the convenience of owning a classic design, 2-AA battery, travel & field compact camera, then I suggest you consider buying the Canon SX160, on sale now, while the supplies still last. That is what I chose to do. I bought two more SX160 cameras, and tucked them away safely in a storage box for my future use and enjoyment for the time when my current SX160 either wears out or breaks down. If you are interested in the SX160, please see my own previous Amazon review of it - 5 stars and more, if I could.

The Canon SX160 is still my number one favorite camera I have ever owned, and I still plan to keep right on using it for many pleasant years yet to come.

Sincerely, and with best wishes to everyone, John AKA SLOphoto1

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
POST MORTEM - USING "AA" BATTERIES AS A RELIABLE POWER SOURCE.

Energy independence. That is one of the main reasons why some people - like me - have been fighting so hard for so long trying to keep the last remaining full-featured AA cameras on the market - If you can choose your own AA batteries in a competitive market, then you have total control over your own power source. And there is no future time limit for being able to still use your camera, either. ("They" don't make that battery any more.)

I still have my original digital camera, an Epson PhotoPC 600, from 1997. It runs on 4-AA batteries. It still works well, and it still takes some interesting pictures. They are particularly interesting because the pictures have an "older" look to them, because of the older camera technology. I don't have to fake this "older" look with special effects in a modern camera or with Photoshop manipulation. They genuinely look older because they really are "older," due to the older technology actually producing them inside the original camera right now.

Imagine trying to locate a proprietary battery for a fifteen to twenty year old camera? The only reason I can even still use that camera at all is precisely due to the fact that the camera was originally designed to run on 4-AA standardized batteries. The same thing will be true of the SX160 cameras of today. Fifteen or twenty years from now, they will still work just fine, because they were designed to run on AA batteries.

AA batteries were standardized way back in 1954. Almost 60 years later, in 2013, they are still the most widely used standardized battery in the world. And especially now that they make rechargeable AA batteries (as in "green" - reusable and even "renewable" if you use a solar-powered AA battery recharger,) there is virtually no doubt they will still continue to be very popular for at least another 60 years into the future, too. They are and will continue to be a very reliable source of power - for millions of different items. This will still be true long after the proprietary - and non-standardized - batteries of today will only vaguely be remembered as a passing fad (and expensive folly) of the early 21st century.

Non-standardized products have no long-term future in an increasingly globalized world.

That's my personal opinion about it, but speaking as a retired history teacher I am also asserting that based on actual and repeated long-term historical patterns and precedents.

Again, best wishes to everyone - John AKA SLOphoto1

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

UPDATE: A FEW WORDS ABOUT BATTERY USAGE - HOW MANY PICTURES PER CHARGE?

I've been asked to comment on battery usage. How many pictures should a person expect to take with each charge? Here is some data on that. This includes an actual field test I did myself of the earlier model SX150.

The proprietary battery in the SX170 - the Canon brand NB-6LH - is rated at about a 1060 mAh (milliamp hours) charge. The preferred, high-quality Sanyo brand "eneloop" rechargeable AA batteries are rated at about a 2000 mAh change (or about twice as much.) There is no great mystery to it. 2000 mAh of power will take about twice as many pictures as will 1060 mAh of power.

The SX160 and SX170 each require about 2.1 to 3.7 volts to operate the cameras. That requires either one NB-6LH proprietary battery (at about 3.7 volts) or two "eneloop" AA batteries at 1.5 volts each, (two for a total of about 3.0 volts.) The NB-6LH costs about $38 on Amazon. A pair of "eneloop" AA batteries costs about $4. Either system requires less than one cent of electricity to recharge each time. However, the NB-6LH will probably recharge only about 700 times, based on typical lithium-ion battery life spans, which have a pretty high burn out rate, whereas the "eneloop" brand AA batteries are advertised as being able to take at least 1500 recharges.

I haven't tested the SX160 and SX170 cameras yet for the number of shots they will take per charge in actual field use (where you are actually using the camera under field use conditions,) but I did do just such a test earlier for the SX150, and here are the results. (Reprinted from my earlier review of the SX150.)

&&&&&&&&&
"On a recent field trip to the local mountains near Monterey, CA, I set out with a fully-charged pair of eneloop AA batteries in the SX150, and I carried a backup pair of eneloop AAs just in case. I did a full day of shooting with 425 full-sized JPEGs and 8 minutes of HD video, and I used a lot of zoom and frequently turned the camera off and on too. That is a LOT of battery use for one set of AA batteries. The batteries finally ran out early the next day as I was testing some of the features on the camera."
&&&&&&&&&

Based on previous experience, when I actually get around to doing an actual, full-day field test of the SX170, I anticipate the results to be about half the amount of the results I obtained for the SX150 (or would similarly expect with the SX160, since the electronic circuitry is basically unchanged in all these SX100 series cameras.)

&&&&&&&& PLEASE NOTE: These cameras all show a "low battery" indicator based on a sensor which looks for a voltage drop. In the SX160 and in previous models, these cameras were designed to use regular Alkaline AA batteries which start out at about 1.5 volts (3.0 volts for two of them.) When they begin to drop too low, the low battery indicator appears on the LCD screen. Rechargeable AA batteries like the Sanyo brand "eneloop" type only recharge to about 1.2 or 1.3 volts (or 2.4 to 2.6 volts for two of them.) The internal sensor will "think" that they are running "low" long before they actually run out, once they begin to drop below the "warning point" for the internal sensor in terms of "low" voltage. They are not actually anywhere near "out." My advice is just to keep right on using them until the LCD on the camera finally tells you to "change the batteries," as it shuts down on you.

I hope that gives everyone a fairly good idea of what to anticipate with both the SX160 and the SX170 cameras in general terms of the number of pictures to expect per charge.

Again, best wishes to everyone, John AKA SLOphoto1

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
UPDATE: Sept. 30, 2013 - DESIGN FLAW DISCOVERED IN THE SX170. POTENTIAL DAMAGE TO THE CAMERA.

Recently while testing the Canon SX170 camera in the field I discovered a serious design flaw. This flaw became apparent entirely by accident through normal use of the camera. It seems that the camera suddenly and unexpectedly turns on or off simply while handling it in a routine manner. This is especially true when trying to pull the camera out of a coat pocket, purse or camera carry bag.

Apparently in one of the few design changes, Canon has now relocated the On/Off power button almost to the very end of the right-rear-top of the SX170 camera (literally, only about 1/4" from the right rear corner of the top of the camera.) This is the side where the new larger right-hand grip is also located. It is the natural hand position to reach into your coat pocket or carry bag and grab the camera by the main grip in order to pull it out. When you do, if your thumb happens to be on the top of the camera, you can very easily activate the camera and possibly jam or even break the lens-extension mechanism.

When the lens pushes out against a resistance (like still being confined partially inside a coat pocket,) then the lens stops and retracts, and there is a series of several quick "beeps," similar to those of the time-delay shutter release. The more serious aspect of this is that each time this happens it puts stress on the delicate gears inside the lens-extension mechanism. Eventually this type of stress can cause the lens-extension mechanism to fail, and the camera will no longer work. (You see them on eBay, "Lens won't extend outward.")

Back in 2008, Canon faced a similar problem - and a number of lawsuits - over this very same problem with one if its "G" series cameras. If the extending lens hit an obstacle, the extending lens would sometimes jam and the camera would become altogether inoperable until it was factory repaired. (And the warranty only lasts one year.)

The SX160 did not have this design flaw, nor did any of the other previous SX100 series cameras before it. All six of the previous models of the SX100 series cameras had the On/Off power button located safely inward toward the center of the camera by at least 3/4" to 7/8" from the right end of the camera.

I've taken a total of 58 shots with the SX170 camera so far, and this "accident" has already happened to me three times. This same easy activation has also suddenly turned the camera off twice while I was simply standing there holding it. This design flaw is an accident waiting to happen.

I don't know how much of this type of stress the lens-extension mechanism on the SX170 can take. I have never encountered this problem before with any of the other six models of the SX100 series that I have owned and used previously. They all had the On/Off power button located well inward at a safe distance from the right end of the camera. So I have never previously encountered this sort of "activation by accident" with the SX160 or any of the other previous cameras of this line. But this flaw does have the very real potential to cause serious damage to the camera, and even render it completely inoperable, just by the ease with which the SX170 can be so readily activated just by complete accident.

Earlier I said that I would not recommend the SX170 over the SX160 to anyone. Now I must say that I specifically recommend against it.

Once again, best wishes to everyone, John AKA SLOphoto1

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& FIN.

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SOLO Classic Collection Colombian Leather Executive 16" Leather Briefcase Portfolio, Dark Brown (D535-3)

SOLO Classic Collection Colombian Leather Executive 16" Leather Briefcase Portfolio, Dark Brown (D535-3)..

GET SOLO Classic Collection Colombian Leather Executive 16" Leather Briefcase Portfolio, Dark Brown (D535-3) By SOLO

Most helpful customer reviews

71 of 72 people found the following review helpful.
Good for the price but has a few issues.
By J. R. Willette
The look of this bag really appealed to me it is a really sharp looking bag. Functionality wise, I think they could have made some improvements without effecting the cost very much.

The buckles and straps for both the front and back compartments are mainly decorative, there is no way to adjust them without modifications. There is plenty of expansion room in the compartments themselves but if you put too much stuff in them the buckles won't snap, defeating the expansion of the compartments. I don't always need the extra room, but when I do need to stuff a few extra things in the bag it is nice to know it will be secure.

To remedy this problem I took the bag to a local cobbler and had him modify it. He added two holes to each of the front buckle straps and installed two magnetic clasps to the ends of the decorative straps on the rear of the bag. This allows both compartments to be secured when at full capacity. The price of the modification was $12 and makes the bag much more versatile and doesn't impact the look.

Other than that, I really like the bag. I'm finding it a bit difficult to organize all the various electronic gadgets I carry with me, but there would be no way to remedy that without making the bag more bulky and that would defeat its style.

46 of 48 people found the following review helpful.
Amazing while it lasts
By Fred Manley
I put this bag through about two years of serious use without a problem. It fit my 15" macbook pro perfectly. It was so stylish that my father trashed his more functional company provided briefcase and bought one for himself. Last year I would have given this bag 5 stars, with the only complaint being it's a little too small for serious school or business use. It basically fits a 15" laptop, the AC adaptor, a mouse, and a couple of folders or thin books. Anything more and it begins to bulge and look rather ridiculous, the buckles won't close, and you worry about breaking the handle which doesn't seem altogether sturdy.

This year, however, I have to take off two stars. It ruined two pairs of pants, and the silver ring that the handle was attached to (one of them) fell off without me noticing while I was only using the shoulder strap. How did it ruin two pairs of pants? It starts to bleed after awhile. For light pants, when this happens, its a complete disaster. Brown streak marks on your pants is never flattering, especially ones that don't come off all the way in the wash.

So would I recommend this? Only if you're planning on buying a new briefcase in a year or two. If you're looking for something to last a few years or longer, get something else.

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful.
Stylish Briefcase.
By B. Martin
I have been using this briefcase for several months now and I am very happy with it. Looks great. Fits my 15.4" laptop very nicely. Has a bunch of compartments that can hold pens, cell phone, pda, power adapter, a few thin folders, pads of paper etc. If you are looking for a laptop bag that can hold large amounts of files, folders, other computer equipment, this is not the bag for you. However, if you want a stylish briefcase that can hold a laptop and a moderate amount of documents and accessories, I think you will be very happy with this one.

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS25 16.1 MP Tough Digital Camera with 8x Intelligent Zoom (Blue)

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS25 16.1 MP Tough Digital Camera with 8x Intelligent Zoom (Blue)..

Grab Now Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS25 16.1 MP Tough Digital Camera with 8x Intelligent Zoom (Blue) By Panasonic

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117 of 119 people found the following review helpful.
Great Waterproof Point and Shoot
By Jamie
I have only used this camera underwater once so far, but it was absolutely fantastic. I took it to the swimming pool with my daughter and niece as a test run, and got some great shots of my niece swimming underwater, and alternated with underwater shots and above the water shots. The camera is made to slough off the water as soon as you pull it out, so the pictures out of the water don't have spots or water drops on them. It seems like a minor thing, but it really made a huge difference. As for being waterproof, it seemed to hold up great. After we got home, I noticed it had some chlorine spots on a couple pictures (after I tried to use a dry cleaning cloth on it) so I soaked it in a sink full of clean water for about 5 minutes, and voila! Perfect photos again. I've seen some reviews that say this camera doesn't work well inside, haven't noticed a problem myself. Pretty much every single picture I've taken with the camera has turned out with great color balance and good lighting. I have had a couple overexpose a bit with the flash, but hey, this is a point and shoot camera, not a professional grade camera. The overexposure can be fixed on the camera itself with the offered image editing or with editing software on your computer.

We'll be taking the camera on a trip to the lake in a week, so we'll see how it holds up with the sand and murky water, but so far I am more than pleased with this little camera, especially for the price! Can't wait to take it out and play with it some more.

EDIT: Used this camera on a trip in pools, lakes, and rivers. Had a blast. Got some great shots in the water, above the water, canoeing, kayaking, and even in a water feature fountain thing for the kids to play in, all with no worries about water leakage. I do recommend purchasing a floating wrist strap because the camera itself doesn't float if you drop it in deep water. Even in the lake and river the pictures came out great, though you need to be close to your subject in dirtier/murkier water. After a month and a couple weeks, I'd say it's already earned its keep for the price I paid. I think we took somewhere around 1600 photos on a two week trip with this little camera, and 99% of them were fantastic. I also bought an extra extended life battery, and with constant shooting, I did need to change the batteries about once a day. But, I take a LOT of photos.

EDIT2: After reading some of the other reviews here, I think something needs to be said - this is NOT an expensive, professional level camera. It isn't being sold as one, because it's not. No, you are not going to get perfect pictures every single time. You're not going to get perfectly clear-as-day underwater photos (although you will get some awesome ones). This is a point-and-shoot camera that you can take in the water with you. If you expect more than point-and-shoot quality, you should not buy this camera. But understand you will spend more money on something else. For the average user, it is an absolutely fantastic camera for the price. You can take it anywhere, it fits in your POCKET (how nice is that?) and it will stand up to being dropped, getting wet, getting cold, etc. Take it on your family vacation without worrying about it. Now try to do that with a $3000 professional camera. Also, for people saying the quality sucks, I have blown up some of the photos from this camera to 16x20 prints and hung them on the wall. I certainly can't tell they were taken with a $140 camera, and neither can anyone else.

72 of 83 people found the following review helpful.
Don't know much about cameras but I like this one...
By Mike Jacobs
UPDATE 2: Just noticed another issue. The flash sometimes causes a bit of reflection the color of my finger along the right side of the imate, evidently becuase my fingers are too close (to the flash). This isn't an issue, I just move my fingers a bit. Good thing I preview work-pictures, though. I can't tell you how much I am appreciating the water and dust-proofing in this SE Florida monsoon season! No change in the rating.

UPDATE 1: Since purchasing I've used this quite a bit for work and personal photos. I still love the camera - I've been able to take pics in rain, around water and with a 4 year old hanging all over me without worrying about dust, water or dropping it. However, there are a couple of issues I haven't seen in other reviews: (1) the lens is easily "dirtied" by a finger print when you take this out of your pocket (no cover), and (2) I have to be more careful about taking photos in the direction of the sun or I sometimes get a big glare-streak... don't know why my other cameras didn't have this problem but it sometimes requires two hands (one to block the sun). These issues have not changed my rating.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: Lots of camera-geek analysis here, and from what I read Panasonic meets my criteria - fast cycle after shooting, wide angle, durable and mainstream ("reliable") manufacturer. I mostly take photos for work, and any modern camera is satisfactory for family use.

This has a wider angle than my Canon PowerShot, which I am replacing, and no moving parts. I can shoot in the rain and carry it in my shirt pocket, neither of which are feasible with the Canon. The unit is "closed" so that I won't get construction dust or lint inside the lenses, which is why I need to replace my Canon.

Other than that, it's just a nice camera that I can get wet or drop, with all the usual bells and whistles (90% of which I'll never use). The price:value ratio is very good for my needs.

72 of 87 people found the following review helpful.
Works Well.
By DianeB
I took this camera to Mexico with us on vacation. The camera worked well and took some good pictures in and out of the water, as long as you used the normal optical zoom. My only complaint would be that the Intelligent zoom does not work very well, it's a bit grainy, especially in low light and under water. Saying that it has an 8X zoom is a bit misleading, since it is not a true optical zoom. Had no problems with leakage and we snorkeled for a couple of hours. My husband has an older model that has manual modes and a lot more picture options. Next time I would go with a higher end model to have those options. This camera is very small which can make it a bit hard to hold on to and the movie mode button is so small it is hard to push, especially if you had larger fingers. All in all I like the camera, but some small changes could make it much better.

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Google Nexus 10 (Wi-Fi only, 16 GB)

Google Nexus 10 (Wi-Fi only, 16 GB)..

Special Price Google Nexus 10 (Wi-Fi only, 16 GB) By Samsung

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583 of 611 people found the following review helpful.
Phenomenal consumption tablet, but bide your time and buy elsewhere!
By Christopher Lee
Before beginning this review, here are products that I own that I have used for comparison (most of which I have reviewed on this site): the ASUS Transformer TF300 T-B1-BL 10.1-Inch 32 GB Tablet (Blue) with the matching ASUS Transformer Pad Mobile Dock TF300T (Blue), the Apple iPad MC705LL/A (16GB, Wi-Fi, Black) 3rd Generation, the Asus Google Nexus 7 Tablet (8 GB) - Quad-core Tegra 3 Processor, Android 4.1, Windows RT Surface 32 GB Tablet, the HP TouchPad Wi-Fi 32 GB 9.7-Inch Tablet Computer, and the venerable Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. I love mobile devices, and have plenty of experience with Android, iOS, Windows RT, and webOS devices. Now for the review.

PROS
+ Dazzlingly sharp screen. If you're looking at the Nexus 10, you've likely seen this specification front and center. The resolution handily beats that of Apple's third and fourth generation iPads, but in practice it's hard to see the improvement. That's not because the Nexus 10's screen isn't an improvement-- if you look, it's there, and reading web pages is truly a joy-- but after a certain point, you really run into diminishing returns.
+ Rich content experience. While you do hit some diminishing returns, the Nexus 10 has quickly become one of my favorite tablets for content consumption, whether that's watching video or reading books. While both the newer iPads and this tablet (and really, a number of other excellent Android options, like the ASUS TF700T-B1-CG 10.1-Inch Tablet (Champagne)) now come with 1080p or better screens, Android tablets tend to have the edge when it comes to YouTube and video content due to their 16:9 aspect ratios (although they all do quite well, really). The Nexus 10's screen helps make web and text reading great, which is important considering many find the 16:9 ratio awkward for such tasks (more below).
+ Sleek, svelte build out of great materials. The backing is soft-touch and ever-so-slightly rubberized, and while not quite as easy to grip as a Nexus 7, the device sticks in the hand. Perhaps more importantly, it has a nice, warm feeling to it-- one complaint I've had about all-metal tablets like the iPads and premium Transformer Pads is that holding cold metal in your hand feels premium, but often uncomfortable. There's zero flex in the chassis anywhere, nothing creaks, and the slim, trim profile looks great. I personally think it looks friendlier than an iPad, but I will note that if you're fond of angular and straight-edged designs, the Nexus 10's pronounced curves may throw you. On the other hand, it's thin and light, and comfortable in the hand.

Oh, and branding is minimal. Most of the required stuff is under a neat little panel that snaps off to let you attach cases and keyboards and such (although said accessories are noticeably missing at this time-- someone dropped the ball on this one).
+ Excellent performance. Performance is really determined by both the hardware and the software, and for now, I'll look at the hardware. Powered by a new chip of the A15 "Eagle" variety, Samsung's Exynos 5250 destroys basically every Android tablet chipset out on the market (note I am not including the Snapdragon S4 Pro, as it's not really available on tablets yet outside of Qualcomm's reference build). Zero lag, zero stutter, fast and snappy graphics playback, and fluid gameplay (but take this last with caution: while every review I've seen has praised its gaming ability, I myself play relatively simple games like Steambirds or Anomaly: HD). Sometimes the tablet will run a little warm, but none of this lap/hand burning people complain about so much these days.
+ Android 4.2 under the hood. Android's come a long, long way in recent years, and even if you're a dedicated Apple user, you should at least look at Google's latest offering with an open mind. Stock Android has morphed from (what I believe! Important caveat!) a gaudy, neo-futuristic mess (Gingerbread) into a sleek, industrial, polished, and smooth system (beginning with Ice Cream Sandwich). In more recent releases, the OS has become far more understated visually, serving only to help you navigate your apps and content and getting out of your way besides. Android 4.2 has released several new features of interest to most buyers, but I'll look at two in particular. The first is multi-user support: now, you can have one tablet service multiple users, with a tap on the lockscreen switching between them. That means a "family" tablet can also hold your personal work e-mail, with no fear of other family members accessing your data. The second is a quick settings toggle. Android OEMs have long built in Wi-Fi/GPS/Bluetooth and other switches into their devices, but until recently you would need an app like Power Toggles to replicate the same on a stock Android device. While Google's implementation of settings toggles leaves a little to be desired, at least the functionality is there (unlike a certain fruit-named brand-- seriously Apple, all I want to do is toggle Wi-Fi. Do I really have to jailbreak for that?!)
+ Great connectivity. You get a micro-HDMI out port and micro-USB, and it's the latter that really opens up the device's capabilities. Buy a cheap USB OTG cable from Amazon (you can get them for south of $2 with free shipping if you look), and hey presto, your Nexus 10 can work with USB keyboards, mice, and with a little tinkering, flash drives. Good way to solve the limited storage issue (see below).
+ Sound sound sound. Taking cues from Samsung's Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 and Galaxy Tab 10.1N designs, the speakers are now on the front panel of the device. The stereo set pushes out quite a good bit of clear, loud, audible sound. For a tablet, the only device I've seen that comes remotely close is the HP Touchpad. But as with all things, keep in mind that the device is ultimately a tablet, so don't expect too much in the way of bass. It's plenty loud though-- I can't fathom why reviewers complain about volume.
+ Dual NFC receivers, one on the front, one on the back. While NFC is just emerging as a technology, if you have another Android device with NFC, you can easily throw links and such between devices (although Chrome sync handles that quite nicely as well), or buy some NFC stickers and play around with an app like NFC Task Launcher for some automation fun.

CONS
- No microSD slot. Personally, I don't find this an issue whatsoever, but if you're a big fan of local content then I can see how this might bite you. Google has long refused to put microSD on its Nexus devices, citing a number of technical and usability challenges (both sides of which I happen to agree with, but I won't go into detail here). If you're really out of space for the road, see my above section on USB OTG cables and use a cheap flash drive to expand your storage. It looks a little silly, yes, but for movie watching on the go, it'll do quite nicely. Google's on-demand download for its streaming services (Play Music, Play Movies, etc.) has so far let me keep what I want on my device.
- New layout. Again, not a huge issue for me, but if you've used Android tablets before, you will have to relearn a few things. Navigation softkeys have been moved to the center, and notifications moved to a notification bar at the top. This change has grown on me with time, since it preserves muscle memory between my phone and tablet, but some of Google's justifications just don't sell me. For one, center navigation softkeys leave a huge amount of wasted space floating around the bottom of the screen, and I liked having those keys and notifications in the bottom corners so I could hit them with my thumbs. Good thing that screen is so magnificent, aye?
- Aspect ratio. Android tablets are notorious for being landscape-only beasts, and although this device is quite tolerable in portrait, everything about it screams to be used in landscape. While this is usually fine, when reading scrolling content (such as books, web pages, and so on), sometimes Apple's 4:3 ratio is far more pleasant on the eyes, especially as such content is usually vertical, not horizontal.
- Cameras. Pass please. Tablets do not make good shooters, and while this one has an LED flash, it's thoroughly unremarkable.
- Somewhat understated buttons makes for some frustration. Power, volume up, volume down-- three buttons with distinguishable functions. So Google/Samsung, why put them all right next to each other with such low profiles? Sometimes I sleep the device instead of turning down the volume, which is just silly.
- Battery life. Please read this one with care-- the Nexus 10 does have a great battery and it lasts quite a long time. Rigorous tests have shown it lasts just as long as its competitors (the iPad included) in usage scenarios. But I have always (subjectively) found my iPad lasts longer in standby than any of my other Android tablets. Take what you will from that, but again, ultimately it does its job quite well.
- App ecosystem for tablets is a bit underwhelming. Again, please read this one carefully-- this is often leveled as a make-or-break charge on Android tablets. While I agree that the market is a little underwhelming, let's be real-- we don't ever have hundreds of apps on our tablets, and Google Play now has more than enough to cover most of my needs. In addition, the Nexus 7's enormously successful launch saw a huge wave of new, 7"-optimized apps. I expect to see increased interest in the 10.1" form factor with the Nexus 10. I've found the apps to do everything I want to do, and with some digging, I believe anyone could.
- Consumption, not production. While you certainly can use this device for production (particularly with a Bluetooth or USB keyboard), and Android gives you real filesystem access, you can't really escape that the Nexus 10 is a content consumption device. So are the iPads. In fact, the only two tablets I've seen and used that took productivity seriously were the Transformer Pad series and the Microsoft Surface RT. The Transformers destroy most Android tablets when it comes to productivity, and (I believe) are in turn destroyed by the Surface when it comes to serious Office-work and overall versatility. Obviously this is a point for debate and contention, but this is my stance based on my experiences with these devices. Feel free to comment if you disagree!

On the whole, do I recommend the Nexus 10? Wholeheartedly. Absolutely. With one little problem. The price. The Nexus 10 is excellently priced at $399 on Google Play for the 16GB Wi-Fi variant. So why is it being sold at $549 and above here on Amazon? It's quite simple-- third-party sellers routinely exaggerate the list price so that they can comply with Amazon's "list price or lower" rule, while still turning a profit on flipping an in-demand device. You can argue it's supply and demand-- I think it's dishonest marketing. Buy from Google Play if you can, or see if you can wait just a bit for the vultures to be brought down by more legitimate resellers.

Either way, I hope this helps, and just comment if you have questions!

185 of 209 people found the following review helpful.
Nexus 10, Best In Class? Absolutely!
By Perry
Let me start by saying I have owned an iPad, iPad 2, iPad 3, iPad Mini, Asus Transformer TF300T, Sony Tablet S, Toshiba eXcite 10.1, Motorola Xoom, Nexus 7, and Nexus 10. There are different reasons I have continued looking fo the best Tablet Possible for my needs. Oh and my wife has a Samsung Ativ Smart PC Windows 8 Tablet (Great device).

BUILD QUALITY

I know a lot has been said about the quality of the materials and how it is plastic; Let me say I have seen all different builds and while the back might not be as high quality as the aluminum of the iPad, the Gorilla Glass 2 screen is miles ahead of the Apple offering and is almost completely resistant to scratching. Overall I feel that the build is very good and I like the no slip backing more than any other tablet I have used.

SCREEN QUALITY

The screen is flat out amazing! The Retina iPad has a 3 MP screen, a 1080P display is about 2 MP so, at 4 MP this screen even has your TV set beat! Contrast is good and color favors accuracy over pop. In short, you likely will not find a better screen on a tablet for some time to come but, the iPad Retina and Transformer Infinity Displays are as close to this screen as you're going to get. Still, there's not a lick of aliasing on this screen even when zoomed in.

SOUND QUALITY

For some reason most tablet manufacturers decided that the side and back of their tablets were the best place for speakers and the results have been mixed. The Nexus 10 has them bookending the screen and it delivers sharp, crisp, full sound where others fall flat. This is another area where this tablet tops the competition.

PERFORMANCE & STABILITY

The combination of a light weight OS and top notch hardware have made this possibly the fastest tablet on the market. At the very least it on par with the iPad for all around performance. For the most part the tablet is a pleasure to use but, there are times when the unit locks up for no apparent reason and yet, I don't consider this a deal breaker as the other 99% of the time it performs flawlessly.

If I cannot resolve the issues with the locks, it could become an issue quick.

Updating the Review as it appears that others were right, Google Currents is now disabled on the Tablet and all of my Lock-ups are gone! I will be bumping the review up to 4 stars until I get more familiar with it. Who knows, maybe in a week this will be a 5 star Tablet.

OS & APPS

Obviously this is a Nexus product so it will automatically be updated whenever Google releases a new version of Android, an this is a huge strength for the tablet as it will likely get at least two operating system updates per year.

Apps are scalable in Android so they will most likely scale just fine but lower quality textures will make for a slightly less than optimal viewing experience. As things mature, we will likely get some very sharp and nice looking graphics.

I have heard claims that Android is not good for Productivity but, it isn't accurate. A few of the Apps I like for Productivity Purposes are...

Kingsoft Office - Awesome Office Suite Free On Android!
Magisto - Video Editing
Mint - Financial Management from Intuit
Sketchbook Pro Tablet Edition - Excellent Drawing App
Pen Supremacy - Doodle, Jot, make Notes or Diagrams
AutoCAD WS - Autodesk CAD App
Google Drive - Cloud Data Storage
Photoshop Touch - Decent Photo Editing On The Fly
Kindle - eBook Reader
Play Books - Google eBook Reader (Best Available Period)
DeuterIDE - Supports 40 Languages And Feature Built-In Compiler
Maestro - Musical Note Taking App

As you can see, you can pretty much do anything you want with this Tablet and it might not be as powerful as a Desktop but, it is every bit as productive as a Windows RT tablet or an iPad.

Media Consumption is decent but, not great. You do have multiple music sources, movie sources, and book reading apps but, movie and TV apps tend to be lower quality than what I get from my Apple TV (This is a problem to me as I would prefer not to support Apple at all).

CAMERAS

With a 1.9 MP Rear Facing Camera and a 5 MP Front Facing Camera, this tablet does quite well, and although the front facing camera doesn't match that of the Transformer TF700 it is on par with the iPad 3 and 4.

GPS

Very solid but, not as fast as the Nexus 7. Still very good over all and there isn't an iOS device on the planet that would be as good without Google Maps.

CONCLUSION

I really like the Nexus 10 and at 32 Gigs it really is hard for me to beat at $499. With that said, I will keep it and rate the device a Cautionary 4 until Google fixes the issue with Google Currents Locking the Tablet Up. Yes it is about once a day but, it really shouldn't be happening at all and there are several complaints on the Android Forums regarding the issue. Anyway, once that is taken care of, it will be the best Tablet on the block.

Also, I walked into Staples and Bought my 32 Gig model without any waiting so, don't pay these crazy prices because they market doesn't bare the weight of this sellers asking price!

UPDATED 3-23-13

It appears that 4.2.2 has indeed fixed everything that has caused the Tablet to lock up and I couldn't be more pleased with it. This tablet is extremely fast and stable now, I would recommend this over any tablet on the market.

176 of 212 people found the following review helpful.
Great tablet, but too many small flaws to overlook
By Andy
I bought the 32G version of this tablet 6 weeks ago and have been enjoying it, for the MOST part. I will not cover anything spec-related (processor, lack of SD card slot, brilliant screen, etc) but will focus on my general user experience.

Let's start with the good. Even though there is a bit of a learning curve for 1st time Android users, multitasking and feeling in control of your experience is phenomenal. What I mean by that is you feel like you are taking the most efficient route to get to where you want to go, made possible by the multitasking button, Google Now, and the notifications bar. The tablet is also very sturdy and ergonomic and the speakers are just awesome to listen to since they're front-facing. Battery easily lasted me 2 and a half days of moderate use and no charging.

There honestly are not any huge issues with the product itself, just many little ones that accumulate and severely bring you out of the great user experience Google has provided with Android. After a day of use, my tablet froze and restarted itself. I thought I was using it wrong, but this kept happening at least once a day for the next two weeks. The restart only took 15-20 seconds but completely took me by surprise. There is a bit of light bleeding in the lower right corner of my screen. Again, not a big deal, but it makes the N10 not feel like the premium product that it tries to be. Wifi connection, when compared to my laptop and Galaxy Note 2, is inconsistent even when right next to my router. I've stopped watching youtube videos altogether because of this which is a shame since the screen is so beautiful. There are plenty of apps for Android phones, and even for tablets, but not for 10 inch tablets. Half the apps I use on a daily basis are just blown-up phone apps, especially Facebook, which looks absolutely atrocious on such a large screen. The list goes on and on, but you get the point.

As an avid Android enthusiast, I really really wanted to like the N10, even getting a replacement thinking it would fix the problems I was having with my first one. But the problems kept persisting and though they could be fixed by OTA updates, I couldn't help but feel cheated. This hardware-software combo was clearly not ready for prime-time and at the end of the day, I was the guinea pig. I will be using my replacement for the next week and will try to cling to a reason to keep it but if you're on the fence about getting this product or an iOS tablet, I would go with the latter.

---Update---: After a full month of using my tablet, I stand by my original review, for the most part (I never caved in to get an iPad). I've found that the app selection isn't as lacking as I thought and many popular apps available for iPad have near-clones on Android. What is still very annoying is the constant restarts. I don't think I've ever been able to use my N10 for more than 2 hours before the tablet either decides to freeze or restart spontaneously. So, as of right now, this is still a 3-star product.

---Update 2---: It's been a week and a half since my N10 device received the update to Android 4.2.2. The performance is slightly better with freezing being less frequent, but the problem still appears from time to time. (About once every 2 days of medium use). After using it to take notes in some of my classes, I recognize that it is not a BAD tablet. However, everything is relative, and the value proposition of the N10 compared to some other tablets (iPad, Windows 8 tablets, Note 10.1) is noticeably inferior. It's the jack of all trades but the master of none.

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Nikon COOLPIX L830 16 MP CMOS Digital Camera with 34x Zoom NIKKOR Lens and Full 1080p HD Video (Red)

Nikon COOLPIX L830 16 MP CMOS Digital Camera with 34x Zoom NIKKOR Lens and Full 1080p HD Video (Red)..

Special Price Nikon COOLPIX L830 16 MP CMOS Digital Camera with 34x Zoom NIKKOR Lens and Full 1080p HD Video (Red) By Nikon

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143 of 144 people found the following review helpful.
Awesome Price for a Great Camera!
By Billy's Mom
First, let me say that I am not terribly techy. I can barely turn on the TV anymore. So please, read the specs on this because I can't explain what they mean anyway. This review is based solely on my experience with the camera.

We took this great little camera on a trip to Mexico not long ago and it was awesome. So easy to use that even I managed to get some spectacular photos. My eyes are over 40 years old (the rest of me feels 29) so I have some trouble seeing up close. Therefore, the pictures I took with this camera were kind of just point, shoot and pray. Well the prayers were answered because when we looked at the pictures later on a screen I could actually see, they turned out super crisp. In fact there was a topless sunbather in one that I hadn't seen and my son was delighted that I got such a sharp, focused shot! Ha.

The HD video is also super cool. My son is using it to launch his youtube career -- he really needs to focus on college. -- lousy content aside, the videos turn out great. I haven't used it for video, but he does and loves it.

This camera is really sturdy and well made. It bounced around in my bag, got knocked off the table a time or two, and overall wasn't treated as well as it should have been. It didn't miss a beat or even get a scratch.

The zoom is amazing. The display is great (or so I am told since I can't really see it). This is an all around great addition to the amateur photographer or as a basic family camera. Highly recommend!

43 of 45 people found the following review helpful.
Nikon L830 Great Camera....No Zoom Noise whilre Recording Video, Fantastic Purchase...Better on sale......
By Kimberly Perry
Nikon L830 DOES NOT HAVE ANY ZOOM NOISE WHILE FILMING A VIDEO. It's easy to use in auto mode or has plenty of settings for the novis/hobbist that doesn't want to invest a couple of grand in lense's and bodies. My fujifilm S8200 had terrible zoom noise. That's why I took it back!

This camera has far superior clarity in still pictures compared to the Fujifilm S8200 and when filming in HD, this camera has no interlacing issues when moving the camera like the Fujifilm S8200. I like the ability of just buying AA batteries and not being tied down to a lithium battery pack. I like the RED body although it shows fingerprints more than a black camera....no biggies! I've never used a View FInder so I don't miss that. I am on the fence about the settings buttons and not having a rotating selector switch. I do like having the saturation button at my fintertips though so maybe i'm really not on the fence.

I do have only 1 issue. On my old Fujifilm S700, the flash auto popped up when needed. The L830 has to be manually released to function, but knowing that.....I just release it most of the time.

MSRP was $299, Sale was $269 and Got it from Walmart for $229, I think she quoted me the wrong price over the phone and had to get a manager override to give me the quoted $229.

I'm using a 32Gig Class 10 SanDisk HC Ultra Memory card from Best Buy for $24 and it will allow me to take over 3000 photos. I think I should have went with a 8Gig SanDisk Ultra PLUS that had a faster transfer rate. I think I'd do more research on the SDHC Cards before I buy one.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful.
Very Amateur Photographer
By Bohemian Girl
My husband and I travel quite a bit. I wanted a camera I could be comfortable with, not spend too much time setting up my shots, and still get a great picture in the end.

My last camera was a Canon power shot. After my grand daughter dropped and broke the lens and telescope, I put it away and just used my phone for the past year. We leave for my nieces wedding in Ireland in August. I want to make sure I get tons of great pictures. I want to take classes and become a better photographer. So based on the previous reviewers who give their pros and cons, thank you so much.

I like the weight and feel of my camera. I like the ease of selecting the shooting mode, switching between the various menus, and the playback mode is similar to my old Canon. I also like the lens cover. It is like a little magnet gadget and has a tiny cord that holds the cap while it is off the lens. I lost so many lens caps in the past:

One tiny thing I am not crazy about: having to pop up the flash. I rather liked the old lazy way of the auto flash happening when I needed it.

I am going to work on my picture taking skills, and report back to you after I know what I'm supposed to do with all these bells a whistles. Thank you.

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Fujifilm X-T1 16 MP Compact System Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD and XF 18-55mm F2.8-4.0 Lens

Fujifilm X-T1 16 MP Compact System Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD and XF 18-55mm F2.8-4.0 Lens..

Grab Now Fujifilm X-T1 16 MP Compact System Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD and XF 18-55mm F2.8-4.0 Lens By Fujifilm

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94 of 100 people found the following review helpful.
Incredible
By JonShar
Just fantastic. If you're looking at this camera then you've probably already done tons of research, so I'll just leave bullet points. I've only had this for 4 days, but have spent about 35 hours with it by now and feel like I know it pretty well!

Pros -

- It's TINY. I was expecting it to be bigger, but it's barely bigger than the X-E1/X-E2.
- Fits in the hand beautifully. Fuji have put a rubber "nub" on the rear top right corner, and it's perfect for one-handed shooting.
- The knobs on top are great, everything is intuitive. I actually bought the Nikon Df in December and returned it after a couple of weeks, it never became intuitive. The only thing I would change is not having to press the button in when changing ISO every time.
- Rear screen is big and bright. Seen many comments saying it should be a touchscreen (it shouldn't) and it should flip sideways (it shouldn't) - touchscreens should stay far, far away from cameras!
- Build quality is ace. Feels rock solid, but weighs practically nothing.
- SD card slot is on the side, helps with not having to take off tripod to change card.
- OHMYGOODNESS THE EVF! I've never been a fan of EVFs, but this is incredible. The first day I shot with it, I loved it, but I knew I needed to wait until shooting at night until I got the full picture - it was fantastic. Helped me see things in the dark that I never would with an OVF, it's going to change the way I shoot night photography. Being able to see exposure and WB changes in the viewfinder before shooting is fantastic - and the auto-rotation when shooting vertical is genius.

Cons -

- the buttons are just a tiny bit TOO indented on the rear of the camera. I'm sure there's a reason for this - weather-proofing maybe, or maybe during testing having looser buttons resulted in too high an occurrence of accidental button pushes, I don't know - but they're a little too indented for me.
- battery life, but if they'd have used a bigger battery they'd have had a bigger camera.
- no 2nd memory card slot, but same as above - would have resulted in a bigger camera.

That's it. I absolutely love it. I've got a couple of Nikon D800s (always been a Nikon guy), a Mamiya RZ67ProII, a Rollei - but I'll shoot more frames with this camera than I will with almost all of them combined this year. Fuji is doing incredible things - if they can add to their speedlight options they're going to have the perfect setup.

And seriously, this price is phenomenal for the camera. You won't regret it! (But get the body only - the kit lens is really good, but the primes are breathtakingly good.)

52 of 56 people found the following review helpful.
Simple and Advanced? The camera that molds itself to YOUR style of shooting.
By Chris R. Field
I wont bother with image quality, it is the same as the XE-2, basically the same as the Xpro-1. This is a hit or miss with some people, i wont waste any time as this is not what makes this camera unique in Fuji's lineup. Read any Fuji X-trans review for image quality. All I will say is it is top notch.

I have been shooting with the XE-1 and OMD EM-5 for the last year or so. I primarily do timelapse photography which is comparable to landscape photography, also studio plant timelapse and macro work. General photography is a hobby of mine. I am not a professional photographer but do use photography professionally, if that makes sense. I moved from Nikon pro gear to mirrorless cameras to save weight for extended hikes to remote areas.

the XT-1 is about as perfect as a camera (for my purposes) as i have ever found, it certainly sets a new bench mark.

I doubt I will be using my XE-1 much at all for general photography. I have had this love hate relationship between the OMD and the XE-1. I liked the output of the XE-1, but found the AF to be terrible, the EVF was decent, but nothing to scream about. Everything the XE-1 did poorly the OMD excelled at, everything the OMD fell short in the XE-1 excelled in.

The XT-1 is so much faster in operation than the XE-1. the AF is very fast, it seems to be very accurate. Compared to any other mirrorless camera on the market the AF-C tracks like a bloodhound. Which to say it is about as good as a prosumer level DSLR. The viewfinder is not only usable, it is darn good.

I think the XT-1's EVF is probably the first one that really starts to threaten the OVF. Looking through this one, I would suspect the EVF is only 2 maybe 3 small generations to outperforming an OVF in every way imaginable. Not quite there yet, but that gap between the XE-1 EVF and a solid 100% view pentaprism OVF just got a lot smaller. And dont worry, the EVF future is looking incredible! There is NO percieveable lag in the viewfinder, I would suspect the lag is insignificant compared to the average persons response time. meaning, you wont lose the shot due to lag, even in low light scenarios.

For the build quality, i would say using a DSLR comparison it would be like a D800 vs a D7x00 series. Or a 5Dmk3 vs a 60D. Where you pick it up and are somehow immediately able to recognize it as something that is very well crafted and designed, and that it is a thing if quality. The knobs feel fantastic, the textured faux leather is far nicer than the XE-1's, it feels like it was machined out of a solid piece. Even the LCD screen feels solid and confidant. That is how the XT-1 not only feels compared to the XE-1, but it also looks that way too. I'm not 100% how to describe it, but I'm sure everyone understands exactly what I am talking about. This is a serious camera, I have owned and enjoyed the Fuji XE-1, first gen Olympus Pen, Olympus OMD, Sony NEX-3, Sony NEX-5N, and Nikon J1, I have handled the NEX6, and NEX7. I liked all those cameras, they all had thier strengths and weaknesses, however this is the first mirrorless camera I have ever held that feels like a professional grade tool. It looks great in the pictures, it looks and feels amazing in your hand. I would be wary of the opinion of anybody who says this is anything but a solidly constructed tool.

well, except for the side door which feel as cheap as ever. and the unlock buttons on the dials are"ok". And of course, the rear buttons sure are flush. so its not all puppies and sunshine, but those seem awfully insignificant in the long run (to me at least).

The flash they give in, well, i havent used it yet, and i probably wont. But it feels nicer than the clip on flash that came with the NEX3, NEX5, and OMD, which all felt like junk to me.

(I have not used or tested the SONY A7(r) or A6000, Olympus OMD EM-1. Sony and Olympus both make fantastic gear, i love all brands, my raving about the XT-1 should not be viewed as an attack on these fantastic cameras, to be honest though, I have yet to hold a mirrorless camera from ANY brand that feels as good as this)

This is NOT a light camera. For some reason everyone seems way too zoned in on the fact a camera CAN be smaller when mirrorless, and yes, it can, but I would think the larger benefit is the ability to go with smaller lens elements, reducing the cost for high quality lenses. I mean come on, we are all adults here, garbage in, garbage out. That is what lured me into the Fuji system is the excellent optics, the 35 1.4 is every bit as sharp as the Nikon 24-70 f/2.8 which i owned for years, but costs a fraction of the price (different lens different purposes i know, but the idea remains the same). I cant say enough about the Fuji lenses that i have used. Currently my lineup includes the 18-55 (best kit lens ever made period) the 35mm f/1.4, and the 14mm f/2.8. All three of these lenses have strong reputations for a very good reason.

Im handling mine right now with the 14 f/2.8 and i tell ya what, I cant imagine this was any lighter than my D7000 and the 35mm 1.4 lens. This is NOT a pocketable camera. Even with a pancake lens, unless you have comically large pants with giant pockets full of ipads and animals.

As for customization, that can all be found online as well. You can customize the crap out of this camera. The manual focus assist options are fantastic, the response time is near instant, the back LCD looks fantastic, and the Wifi works like a champ. Where as the first Fujis were a bit limited in options and gimmicks, this thing has the whole catalog and more. And the best part is if you dont like that junk, and just want to use it as a manual camera, well, go ahead. None of that stuff gets in the way. This camera can be as basic, or as advanced as YOU wish. It is a camera that easily molds itself to your style of shooting.

As for the XE-1, it will probably be kept as a backup camera, but live most of its life on one of my motion controlled time lapse rigs with my OMD. I just got the parts to build out a battery adapter so i can run it with large capacity batteries for extended timelapse in the field, or plug it into the wall if needed.

This is hands down the best mirrorless camera i have ever held. (as mentioned before, i have NOT used the Sony A7(r), A6000 or the new OMD Em-1 all of which seem to draw most comparisons)

69 of 76 people found the following review helpful.
The Small Camera that Has and Does it ALL
By L. Rothman
Having had many a pro DSLR camera body and lenses as well as a complete Micro 4/3rd system over the last 5 years (EM1 Olympus) I fully understand the compromises that can come from a "non" DSLR system. Slower focus, lessor color depth, slower shooting ability, poorer build quality, and the list goes on
Now having said that I sold ALL my camera gear off in the anticipation of this camera and lens system. I researched till I could no longer find a competent review and photo taken with this amazing X-Trans sensor. After a week of ownership I can say without hesitation THIS is the camera that will set some benchmarks after time. The Sony A7's get their accolades, but the Fuji's present something "different" intrinsic to the photographic picture. A nearly 3D look to their files that can hardly be explained. Their colors are simply yummy and are so pleasant to see. The files are also virtually devoid of ANY sensor noise or artifacts. Sony has noise reduction built in and compression you can NOT turn off. The Micro 4/3rd bodies unfortunately possess noise at ALL ISO sensitivities. This camera I can shoot right up to ISO6400 and see nearly NOTHING noise oriented 100% on screen. There is NO noise or artifacts in the blue sky shots.

Moving along to the other aspects that are amazing. This camera is fully capable of 8fps while focusing continuously. And frankly having owned a venerable D700 full frame Nikon, this camera will keep right up with it in the tracking arena. Even just spur of the moment mashing of the shutter button will render you an IN focus shot, so being spontaneous is rewarded. The build is rock solid and the switches are very tight and are not likely to be mistakenly moved. Even the back "D" pad of 4 buttons won't work by accident, you have to purposely push them. No surprises in that area with this camera. It even comes with a competent fill flash you can snap onto the hot shoe. Surprisingly it is quite powerful and will provide plenty of flash power for an average room.

Now to the LCD and the Viewfinder, which is a HUGE (largest view on the market) OLED with rich brightness and color, suitable for eyeglass and non eyeglass wearers alike. It is configurable so as to see a 100% view across from one side to the other, looking more like an IMAX theater than a standard movie screen. It has a unique split screen mode for manual focus providing a 100% view on the right and showing where in the shot it is showing in that box, allowing for pinpoint precision manual focusing. I've found the battery life to be quite surprising. I charged up on Thursday and now its Monday and I'm still shooting. It is highly configurable in general to one's specific needs with many custom function buttons you can set to what you want. ALL of the Fuji lenses are like top line quality found in the Canon L or Nikkor pro series at half the price in some cases. Sharp corner to corner with large apertures available. I use the kit 18-55 but don't be fooled, this is a "PRO" lens all the way in build and performance. I also recommend the 23mm f1.4 for outdoor and indoor walk around shooting with great subject isolation capabilites. Lastly one of my favorites and a Must Have. The 55-200. Built like a tank, still lightweight and solid and super sharp and fast to focus. This system is a amazing photographic tool. Don't miss out on not having it.

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AOC E1649FWU 16" USB-Powered Portable LED Monitor - Glossy Black

AOC E1649FWU 16" USB-Powered Portable LED Monitor - Glossy Black..

Special Price AOC E1649FWU 16" USB-Powered Portable LED Monitor - Glossy Black By AOC

Most helpful customer reviews

127 of 135 people found the following review helpful.
Great 2nd "productivity" monitor
By Adam Flath
Pros:
1. USB ONLY! No power cord, no VGA cord, just a single usb cord.
2. Super Light. I weighed it and it is the exact weight as my IPad 1.
3. No Lag, seamlessly extend your desktop
4. Great resolution
5. Easily plays youtube videos (not full screen though)

Cons:
1. Doesnt come with a pouch to protect the screen when transporting it.
2. You can almost "see" the pixels when the screen is all white.
3. Don't expect to use this for any type of photo editing... you could use through for your pallets or other windows.
4. Glossy screen has a lot of reflections.

Primary Use:
1. For work, mostly uses Excel, Outlook, Word, etc.

So this is just an initial review and will update if things change, but so far it seems like it is going to exceed my expectations. My biggest concern was that there might be type of "lag" with the monitor. Nope, it feels and acts like any other 2nd monitor attached to your computer. It even plays youtube videos very nicely, however it could not play them in full screen. So if you have a horrible screen, and planned to use this one to watch videos... it wont work, full screen that is.

As you can see from my picture, it aligns very nice with my Lenovo T410s. It is actually about 1.5 inches shorter but still much better than any other 2nd monitor I use. One problem I do see is actually transporting the monitor. The monitor is MEANT to be transported and easily connected on the go, yet there is no protective cover for the screen. I might have to make a custom pillow case or something, otherwise I am afraid I will scratch it.
Another negative is their decision to go with a GLOSSY screen instead of a tft or anti glare type of screen. When working at the office the overhead lights really cause a pretty significant glare if you do not angle it.

Ultimate Monitor (2nd generation of this should be)
- Have a cover almost like that Ipad2 cover
- Be thinner. The weight is perfect, but the screen could be just a hair thinner
- NO GLOSSY display!

I will update this review as the weeks go by, but really, I don't think I could have asked for anything else (besides a screen protector).

PS, pick up one of these 3 ft. USB 2.0 A Male to A Male and Mini-B 5-Pin Male Y Power Booster Cable for 2.5" External Hard Drives and Hubs, Manhattan 306041 for six bucks as a backup power cord.

UPDATE: 12/3/2011. Everything still working great. But wanted to add the following:
- Make sure to INSTALL THE drives on CD that comes in the box. That driver is what allows the monitor to automatically rotate the screen when you physically turn the monitor portrait or landscape. If you don't install it, you will have to manually change the settings for it to rotate. (I love reading PDF files in portrait mode)

57 of 60 people found the following review helpful.
Great Way To Add Screen Real Estate On The Road
By Kerton
I use two 28" screens with my desktop computer, so it's always been a big hit when I go remote and need to work on my awesome laptop. No matter how good this laptop is, it still only has a 14" screen. With the smaller single screen, I estimate I can be about 70% as effective as I can while working at home. This AOC screen allows me to take *some* of the benefits of a big desk setup with me on the road. I don't carry this for meetings, conferences, or for using at the coffee shop or on the train! But I DO take it when I'm likely to be in the same hotel for a few days, or abroad for a few weeks. It helps me set up a remote office without a big productivity hit.

Pros:
Simple USB-only hookup
can work off laptop batteries, which drain faster, but still no plug is required
I plugged it into Windows 7...it found its own drivers, then just worked
Light
nice built-in stand
easy for portrait or landscape
same resolution as my laptop
For sales guys, or people making presentations, it's easy to point one screen at the customer, and the laptop at you.
I plugged a single plug into a single USB 2.0 port, and that worked (no second USB plug needed for power.)
Easy to share

Cons:
thick
not protected for travel, you'll need to get a bag or some container, or fit it into your existing briefcase
I don't like the location of the USB port, which is hiding in the slot where the stand retracts. You need to remove the wire to fold in the stand.

Some of the ways I use two screens to be more productive:
1) I can have email on one window, and a browser on the other, when I click news links in newsletters, it opens a browser and loads the page while I can still continue reading the newsletter. This way, I'm not waiting for web pages to load, I only look at them after they are ready.
2) I can be writing one document while viewing source information on the other screen instead of needing to flip back and forth.
3) Multitasking, such as viewing a video while managing files or cleaning up an inbox.
4) I put one in portrait to view a full paper page of a document, instead of a partial page.
5) There are many more little ways two screens helps. It ends up saving a few seconds at a time...but it does it over and over, ALL DAY. It adds up. I put two screens on the desks of all my staff, so they can work better and the response is universal: Day 1: "I don't really need 2 screens, I work fine with one." Day 3: "I see what you mean, there are a few things I can do faster." Day 30: "I will NEVER go back to working with one screen on a regular basis."

49 of 54 people found the following review helpful.
Does what it's supposed to
By andrew
My business is retouching and post-production. So wherever I go I have to carry a mobile workstation with me in case my clients call and see they need something unplanned in a hurry. When you are used to working with 3 or 4 displays at the office, it's irritating to be limited to one. This guy has been great so far. I use it for my tools and panels when in Photoshop. It's also great to use on a daily basis with my laptop for my orders screen or email. I also like that it auto rotates to portrait. This is great for some of my long excel sheets or when I'm writing code. Even if I decide to do paperwork downstairs in front of my TV, it's great that I can take this and my laptop and get some work done outside the confines of my office.

Pros:
small
thin
very light
USB only (no extra power adapter)
bright (from what I've read the Lenovo portable and toshiba are not bright at all)
landscape or portrait

Cons:
Uncontrollable brightness. For my eyes this is too bright, especially since I work in a very dim room 90% of the time. I contacted AOC and they confirmed that you cannot control the brightness
Not great for viewing video or images on.
The odd ration bugs me. 1366x768. Windows minimum recommendation is 1280x960. I don't understand why all three of the portable displays out right now have this super skinny dimension.
No case (i just went and got a laptop sleeve that fits though)

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Sony NWZE385 16 GB Walkman MP3 Video Player (Black)

Sony NWZE385 16 GB Walkman MP3 Video Player (Black)..

Special Price Sony NWZE385 16 GB Walkman MP3 Video Player (Black) By Sony

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96 of 98 people found the following review helpful.
Solid Long Lasting and Great Sound
By Zombie4Life
I've had my for almost 2 years and it still sounds great. I don't have a problem shutting it off, you just hold down a button to do it. If you do add video files the screen is crystal clear. However, the screen is tiny and does tend to get scratched easily. However, who buys a mp3 player to watch videos? If you aren't a snobby apple product owner and actually just want to listen to music this player is great. I bought two as presents and will continue using mine until breaks which I doubt will be anytime soon. The sound quality is great with a comprehensive EQ manager that can give you whatever sound you like the most. The automatic mood radio feature is great so if you wanna only listen to certain tempo, mood, style or whatever you want to call it you can fairly easily. The battery life is great and it hooks up easily to my car mp3 player port so I can listen in my car as well. There are better mp3 players out there I'm sure, but if you want a no nonsense bare bones mp3 player that plays mp3s that is more affordable than it's bigger name competition than this is one for you.

59 of 65 people found the following review helpful.
Excellent audio quality and physical construction
By H. Navarro
SONY Walkman NWZ-E384 / 8GB (Made in China)
Rear Pinhole Reset System Button

Actual Drive ~ 7.18GB; as we all may know Electronics functions are based on mathematical precision so rounding the memory drive capacity to 8GB is misleading and as well a grade school math absurdity.

Access PDF GUIDE at: [...]

Must power charge via the computer USB/ alternatively can select a "Compatible" AC/DC wall power charger.
*Battery quality and life is exceptional; I have many MP3 players containing a diversity of music genres; so I often do not use various players for days or weeks at a time. In the case of the Sony NWZ-E384 the Power Bars have indicated “No” idle battery drain or loss! This player is a new device nonetheless the battery is obviously made of top notch quality material.

*The Screen is 1 and 3/8 of an inch high ~ 1 and 1/8 inch wide & 1 and 3/4 inch diagonal
*Cabinet is 3- 1/2 inch tall ~ 1- 3/4 inch wide and 1/4 inch thick
*Weigt is ~ 1.9 oz
*Functional with Windows XP SP3 / Vista/ Windows 7 and 8
*Specifications indicate Device is also functional with “Mac OS X v.10.6” or later
*Alphabetical Album/ Artist search (easy to use)
*Date and Time (during music play the screen goes dark and the T/D flash displays)
*FM Radio (never listened because I’ve no use for it)

Easy to learn and use Radial - up- down- left - right directional click control. Within the radial clicker is a main select Play/ Pause duel function control. At the left of the radial clicker is the OPTION” /PWR/ HOLD triple function control and to the left is the “Back” and "Home" duel function control.

MINOR ANNOYANCE: When Powering up the player a “HOLD” screen displays which indicates you must press and hold the OPTION button for a second time to access the MP3 Library (Why? makes no sense to me it’s just one of those stupid things I often experience in manufacturing designs); To turn the player “OFF” we must first place the MP3 on Pause then press and hold the OPTION button.

*POSITIVE: So far the Audio 3.5mm plug in component appears to be of very good strong manufacturing design quality.

In my opinion the “3.5mm audio jack” is the weakest mechanical part of many MP3 players. In the decade plus years of personal experiences Audio Jacks have always been the main MP3 component to easily malfunction. It is obviously due to poor component quality and/or poor circuit board solder(ing) techniques and installation control.

After repeated removals and insertions of earphones or whatever we plug in, even accidental drops and falls we sometimes lose the left or right Audio capability and in some instances all sound. In such cases better to just simply use the player as a Photo Library Dispaly or USB Data Flash Drive as opposed to getting it repaired because we all know it’s always cheaper to buy another MP3 device model or brand.

Anyway as indicated, I’ve yet to experience poor craftsmanship here as the NWZ-E384 ~ 3.5mm Audio Jack seems to be of excellent solid state electronic component and solder quality.

Nonetheless that doesn’t mean we can abuse the Jack by forcing, shoving and yanking audio plugs ~ in and out, willy- nilly. Eventually carelessness will destroy the device. Therefore gentle insertion and removal is always more sensible as it will extend the life of any audio jack.

*I listen to very loud open air MP3 music when I exercise in the freedom of my home.

I connect the player to my quality home stereo using a 3.5mm to RCA Audio Plug in cable. The sound reproduction is excellent. This SONY device model is a sensational audio power house! It has various player music modes and even an equalizer but my personal favorite is the “Rock” listening mode simply because it provides the best quality sound for the array of music I listen too on this device; both Modern and Classic ~ Heavy Metal/ Pop Rock/ Country/ Pop Culture it all sounds great! I’m not really disappointed in the 7.18GB memory drive limits because my particular music library fits perfectly with 1.2 GB of free memory leftover. In addition I’ve no need or desire to expand my SONY player library so . . . it’s all good.

Over the last decade I’ve owned and experienced various MP3 music players. Many have failed to withstand time, wear, accident falls and drops. Recently as of this writing the Sony NWZ-E384 so far has only fallen “twice” from desk height onto a hard wood floor. Unfortunately that’s all it sometimes takes to dislodge/ weaken internal/ external components, and/ or cause cracks. Surprisingly the Sony NWZ-E384 remained undamaged; the outside is unscathed and still providing great music sound quality reproduction.

This SONY media player I believe was manufactured to last, it is clearly constructed to withstand a reasonable number of minor accidental falls or drops. With a little conscious effort I hope to prevent it from crash landing again (so I hope).

In any case I use various MP3 music players to listen to a large diversity of genres. And as far as the various music types I sync record to my Sony Walkman NWZ-E384 the audio capabilities is one of the best I’ve had the pleasure to experience free air or with earphones on.

34 of 37 people found the following review helpful.
Very compact, reasonable price, some limitations
By YeahSoMaybe?
Just got this today from a big box store in Portland. I've only been using it for 4 hours. I * was * going to buy from Amazon but for some reason the projected delivery time was 3 weeks from now, that was too long for my purposes. I didn't want to go Apple. I wanted at least 16 GB. This is 14.1 GB formatted which is not surprising.

PROs: It's teeny tiny. It may be smaller than some Apple Ipod Nanos.
Minimal controls but the menus seem to be well thought out.
You attach it and "it's just a drive" - no iTunes crapola to deal with. I drag and drop MP3 folders with band /album titles and pre-named/numbered MP3 file and I'm good to go. (I have Microsoft Windows 7 Pro computer operating system).
I get good sound with my Sony MDR-300 headphones (cost $22.50 , 24 ohms impedance 1 kHzSensitivity (db) : 102 dB/mW
Is capable of putting out more volume that I can stand.

CONs: File copy is fairly slow. But once you do inital setup and copy, that's not so bad.
While is will drive my larger 63ohm Sony studio "cans" headphones - it does not produce a good sound with them. Bass on the larger headphones is weak / unsatisfying. So I'm not using those headphones with this - was hoping to do so for plane flight travel.
The EQ is fairly limited 5 band. Doesn't have a lot of precision or major change effect. Yes it does "something", it's just kind of minimal.
The instructions for how to actually , fully shut this MP3 player down (powered off) are a bit cryptic. They say it goes into "standby". It may be that it never shuts off in the normal pull the plug NO Power sense. It's do able, you put it on pause and then hold down Option button for awhile. I guess a better way of saying this is the manual is minimal.

________________________________

Other info: Charges by USB to mini-USB male connector. 2 hours for full charge. Built in, non-user replaceable battery.

Overall you get a compact system.

I'll report back later on how long a charge lasts and durability.

NOTE: You can supposedly play back pictures and movies with this. It does display the MP3 album graphics fairly clearly. I didn't buy it for video/still display, can't speak to that.

I have put many albums of MP3s on here and still have 4GB of space remaining.

If you can swing it, buy at least a device with at least 16GB pre-formatted storage. That gives you enough to cover a lot of moods/ genres of music without being forced to delete this to make room for that.

Currently listening to Moody Blues "In Search of the Lost Chord" - it sounds good / satisfying.

I give this a solid 4 stars at this time of initial impression.

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