Belkin 8 Outlet Home/Office Surge Protector with Telephone Protection

Belkin 8 Outlet Home/Office Surge Protector with Telephone Protection..

Special Price Belkin 8 Outlet Home/Office Surge Protector with Telephone Protection By BELKIN

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1179 of 1253 people found the following review helpful.
Two thumbs DOWN to the surge protector and its "warranty"!
By T. Rosenbalm
I had a power surge in my house. The only thing items that got damaged were the ones on this surge protector. It made loud pops, smoked, and arced until I unplugged it. I called file a claim but the policy is such that

1) you only get reimbursed for the value you could resell your damaged products before the damage occurred
2) you have to go to a repair store (lugging your tv and electronics) and pay the repair store to give you a quote ($40 fee) just to have a chance at a refund
3) you have to pay to mail back your surge protector
4) Belkin may request you to mail your damaged devices for them to check at your own cost (seriously, mail my dead tv?!?)

After multiple phone calls with Belkin (whose customer service is polite), I've come to the following conclusions. This is a scam. The $5 surge protectors did their job. My laptops were fine. The expensive surge protector made a mess, let my equipment get toasted and resulted in a lot of hassle that didn't even help me get a replacement tv.

I wouldn't recommend this to an enemy!

457 of 483 people found the following review helpful.
lightning strikes
By wogan
There are a lot of reviews on this product, but I had to add mine. After lightning struck a tree next to our house, our neighbors suffered several appliance failures, including a blown TV. Ours, including our computer survived (plugged into one of these). More amazingly, the outlet this was plugged into blew out of the wall, frying the protector, the TV lost its color for 3 days, but then popped back in and we are still using it. Our electrician says, he's never seen anything like it, but he's recommending this surge protector now.

93 of 97 people found the following review helpful.
Met most of my needs and expectations
By A. Dent
Brief evaluation
----------------
This surge protector allows for up to 8 devices, including 4 'wide' DC adapters to be plugged in. It will protect them against power surges and, in addition, it can protect one phone line (RJ-11) and one coax wire if they are connected to pass through the Belkin surge protector.

My personal experience does validate the claims the manufacturer makes for the features that I am using and I can verify at this time. So far, I am happy and, in my opinion and based on its meeting real needs, good design, features and low price I recommend it as (in my view) one of the better it its class.

Soon after purchasing this unit I learned that for very little extra I could get and, in fact, I purchased the Belkin 12-Outlet Home/Office Surge Protector with Phone/Ethernet/Coaxial Protection and Extended Cord which has 4 extra outlets and comes with a true RJ-45 Ethernet support.

More details
------------
The following are noteworthy, in my view.

Positives:

+ TRUE 8-outlet capacity. Unlike the traditional surge-protected power strips where one beefy AC adapter would cover 2 slots, Belkin's device truly accommodates 4 AC adapters and allows for 4 more plugs to fit in.
+ 'Protected' green light (must be on) provides assurance that the surge protector is operational. When the green light stays off it usually means that the surge protector 'expired' while protecting your device from a power surge and it must be replaced ASAP. [The Belkin warranty promises a free replacement under its warranty terms if you meet the requirements and, it seems, you pay for shipping the damaged unit to Belkin and, possibly, the new unit to you. That's likely to add up to the price of buying a new unit from Amazon and, if you factor in the hassle, probably not worth it.]
+ 'Not grounded' red light (must be off) will warn you when there's something wrong. Belkin's warranty won't apply if the light was on when your devices got fried. I don't know if for a fact but I assume they have a way of telling if that was the case.
+ 10 ft. long chord. This is very important to me and it was one of the criteria that had to be met when I ordered this item.
+ 90 degree plug allows you to easily plug it into a busy 4-plugs wall outlet.
+ Clip for cable management. I find it useful.
+ Thin (one inch) and flat shape. Stands well on a table or on the floor.
+ Telephone and coax cable pass through for surge protection. I don't use these but I'm surprised that something this inexpensive has them.

[NOTE: The 'phone' jacks are RJ-11 (phone), not RJ-45 (Ethernet). I heard of installations where RJ-11 connectors are used for Ethernet but that is not the norm.]

Negatives:

- Other than encouraging the unrealistic expectation that Belkin would pay you big $$$ on connected equipment warranty, I can't think of anything bad.

Warranty
--------
On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is a worthless warranty and 10 is one that's unbelievably generous, Belkin's should be somewhere around 2 or 3 - 95% of all warranties on devices this cheap are likely to be a 1.

They do promise to replace the item if it sacrifices itself while protecting your devices for as long as you can prove that you didn't do anything stupid, you have a purchase receipt and you ship the damaged item to Belkin at your own expense. It's not clear if they will charge you for shipping you back a new item. This may or may not be something worth pursuing. My impression is that you are not going to save a lot of money to get a 'free' replacement from Belkin and you are likely to waste a lot of time in the process. I'd probably buy myself a new one if the one I have now stopped working but it's good to know that they do have a 'lifetime' warranty. By 'lifetime' they mean the natural life of the product but 'natural life' is not precisely defined.

As far as being reimbursed for damage to devices that this surge protector was expected to protect, my impression is that you are not likely to get much if anything unless you can afford a lawyer and you are willing to sue. You have to meet a long series of requirements that are expressed in several paragraphs of techno-legalese.

Rating
------
I will have to repeat myself stating that, in my view, this is one of the better surge protectors in its class. It loses one star for the 'Ethernet' confusion. I could have and maybe I should have removed one more star from the over-hyped warranty statement printed on the box but... as sad as it is, everybody does it and Belkin's warranty is better than most so, I am awarding 4 stars on an item that inexpensively addressed real issues I had with protecting several devices clustered in a corner of my basement.

________________________________________________________
Disclaimer:
I would call myself the opposite of a Belkin shill. After reading the news stories concerning some Belkin employees' attempts at promoting their wares at this site via employee-written reviews and other unethical practices I tended to stay away from the Belkin brand. In this instance, the price and the promised features were hard to resist and, to my surprise, I am very happy with my purchase.

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Boogie Board 8.5-Inch LCD Writing Tablet, Red (PT01085REDA0002)

Boogie Board 8.5-Inch LCD Writing Tablet, Red (PT01085REDA0002)..

Buy Boogie Board 8.5-Inch LCD Writing Tablet, Red (PT01085REDA0002) By Boogie Board

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213 of 228 people found the following review helpful.
This is an excellent tool.
By Victoria MacKenzie-Richert
Back when I worked at Staples, this was literally the first thing that I bought. $40 out the door. But it was the best $40 I ever spent. Now there are a few things that you have to know about my particular product:

1) It was the last item on the shelf and it was in a disheveled box, so it was by no means "Factory Fresh".

2) I am a technology geek, so out of curiosity, I ripped the top plate off the rest of the board less than 10 minutes after I bought it. The top plate doesn't reattach, so don't do that to yours. On the plus side, the circut board is showing, so extra geek-cred to me!

This is an excellent product that I would buy again in a heartbeat. Basically it's a black tablet with a type of screen that you draw on with the included stylus. However, you can write on it with anything that doesn't scratch the surface. I lost the stylus a while ago, and I've been writing on it with the back side of a wooden crochet hook for ages and it works perfectly. I'm sure you could also use any old DS stylus for it as well. (Current cell phone styluses won't work because they'll get stuck on the surface due to friction)

Like, do you remember those toys from the dollar store that had the paper, and a layer of plastic and you drew on them? Now take one of those and add an etch-a-sketch to it. Now take that concept and apply it to an old calculator screen LCD interface. Taa-daa, you have this product.

The website has said that the product will last approximately 6 years. I don't use it nearly as often as the website suggests in that equation, so I'm sure it will last me much longer.

Seriously, if you like strange gadgets, are part of the "green" movement or just want a nifty new way to write notes, then get this tablet!

(PS. You can't transfer anything over to the computer or anything like that, so if you're doing major work, use a real Android tablet/iPad or some paper. This is mostly for temporary stuff like lists)

133 of 146 people found the following review helpful.
one thing wrong with these....
By Anita Drost
Bought these for my grandchildren after they went crazy over my son in laws tablet. When I saw them in color on line I thought all the better for 4 girls of varied ages. Plus, they were less expensive that the plain silver one. Was delighted when they arrived, until I did a bit of research to find out why the silver ones were more expensive. They were the newer models. The "original" boogie boards did not have a "replaceable" battery. There was a limited amount of erasures and then you had to throw it away. So I sent them back and got the newer models that sold for around $40, but you can replace the battery.

42 of 45 people found the following review helpful.
My kids love this!
By Mary Stewart McGovern
My kids love this so much. I love the fact it doesn't require batteries. I only wish I could save the pictures, notes, etc. to my computer.

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Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9" Standing Leather Case, Royal Purple (will not fit HDX models)

Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9" Standing Leather Case, Royal Purple (will not fit HDX models)..

GET Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9" Standing Leather Case, Royal Purple (will not fit HDX models) By Amazon

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1301 of 1375 people found the following review helpful.
Fantastic Case With A Few Flaws
By Rick Mallory Jr.
So I've had over a week now to spend some time with both my Kindle Fire HD 8.9" and this particular leather case and I have to say, I honestly do not understand why it received so many negative reviews. However, that's not to say that this case doesn't have some issues (some more obvious than others).

Durability (5/5): You know, part of me wanted to make a video review showing me hurling this case straight down onto pavement. Could I do it? Sure! Do I think the Kindle would hold up if it were inside the case while I conducted this experiment? Yes. The reason why I didn't though is because I can only imagine how many people would cringe at the idea of looking at such a scene. Plus, while I am confident in the strength of the case, I'd rather be safe than sorry in this particular matter. Still, it does feel quite sturdy and I suppose the reason why people say (in other reviews) that it "feels cheap" is probably because it is so thin (which in my opinion is a good thing). If you're gonna spend this kind of money on a tablet AND get a bulky case for it, then why not just get a laptop at the same cost?

Weight (5/5): One thing that this case has going for it, is that it doesn't add too much weight to the Fire HD. As far as I'm concerned, it's at just the right weight for me to hold up with one hand (or at the very least two hands) for a decent amount of time. So overall, weight is not an issue here and this is a good thing!

Stand: (5/5): I've just recently had new hard wood floor installed in my house and so I was eager too test out the stand on different surfaces. I tried plastic surfaces, slick hard wood surfaces, suede surfaces, a memory foam mattress, and my own belly (just to name a few). I've yet to have an issue with the case sliding or toppling out of place. So I'm a bit confused at some of the reviews that state the stand "doesn't work." Maybe I got a lucky unit, but as far as I've gathered, it does it's job for me.

Design (4/5): Alright, I like the way it looks, it fits very well and is very slim (as I stated earlier), however it does have one flaw (that may not pertain to some of you). I happen to have a cat, so sometimes stray hairs can hover or linger in the air here and there. What does this have to do with anything? Well when you open up the case, the interior is made of some sort of material that tends to "cling" to hairs. This would be alright except for the fact that when you close the case, this material touches the screen. So the next time you open it, you may be welcomed with a hair or a crumb, or something of that nature. Just a simple wiping would do, but it's just something to point out (as I haven't seen any other reviews make note of this). Aside from that, everything is fine. I love how when the cases closes it's magnetic and automatically turns the Fire HD off when closed and on when opened. The only other issue I should discuss is that (and others have already pointed this out) when plugged in, the case is designed so that the cord comes out on the bottom. So if you're using the stand feature, it can get kinda weird, however I've actually noticed that this doesn't necessarily put a damper on the sturdiness of the case, in fact sometimes it adds extra balance. Overall, the design is very convenient.

Price: 3/5): This to me is the biggest flaw. I truly believe they could have faltered or lowered the price a bit for this product and maybe someday they will, however at the time of my purchase (and of this review) the asking price is a little steep. Do I think they could have sold this cheaper? Yes? Am I upset that I paid this much for it? No. After having spent some time with it, I am not enduring a feeling of "ugh...I wish I hadn't spent so much on this piece of crap." I'm pleased with the product and it does what it says and for that, it's worth the price, yet I wouldn't complain (and I'm sure neither would any of you) if they took it down a notch.

Overall (22/25)

I could have easily given this 5 stars instead of 4, however it's not necessarily a perfect product. Would I recommend it to Fire HD users though? Yes I would. The slimness and good fit alone are enough appeal for this product (as it sure beats some of the bulkier cases out there). I certainly hope that my review may help give you some insight, and if you have any questions, feel free to comment! Thank you for your time! :)

828 of 898 people found the following review helpful.
I'm surprised by some of the reviews
By Nobody
I don't think the cover seems cheaply made, nor have I had any trouble with the Fire falling over (I've used the stand only in the landscape orientation). I like the sleep/wake function built into the cover, the leather looks good, it adds very little weight to the Fire, there's no chemical smell, and the fit is snug without resorting to the use of corner straps or having to slip the Fire into a holder that covers the bezel. I like the cover so much I'm thinking of buying a second one in another color.

551 of 615 people found the following review helpful.
The Thinnest case I have seen, with some cons
By DR-J-J
OK, I could have given this case 3 stars for some of the cons. I did not because of the way Amazon markets the case on their site probably clarifies what you are buying. The key here is THINNESS! And many people love a thin LIGHT case. Amazon designed this case to be the thinnest, and Amazon may very well have achieved that. I think this is a good thing. So good, that I have given this case 5 stars. Just know, you are buying thin.

5 stars for thin and protective case... about half an inch with the FireHD 8.9. (hard to measure, I need calipers!). I will tell you why I think some of the one star ratings are given...and they fall in two areas: One, the case looks cheap when you see the lower half inside. Two, the case can not be propped at a low angle to one's desk and still type well on it. We will look at both of these items... there are, I am sure, other reasons for low rankings, some due to perceptions of "a good case."

First, everyone has (perhaps) their own perceptions of what a good case is: My brother has a big Otterbox case (sturdy, shock resistant case) on his thin cell phone. I do not... I have a thin, easy to grip case. Why? Is it because I don't want my phone (and tablet) protected? Sure I do. But I am an adult, and I know how to take care of things. The case is there, just in case. :) But, I don't need to protect it to the level of an OtterBox case, in my view. So that is my preference. If this is not your preference, you are going to hate this thin, beautiful case.

Amazon advertises thin, and they deliver thin. And I agree with those who think if they wanted a one inch thick case around their tablet, they would have a netbook or similar, not a tablet (since tablets should be thin and light). But... but... but... (you may object)...

Yes, I know. This case doesn't look like a 50 bucks+ case. In fact, many have said it is not even leather. I don't know for certainty, but I don't doubt that it is leather. But let me describe the construction and you will see. And why does the bottom half look like it is just plastic!? Read on.

The case is a very light plastic shell... and this very thin shell can be seen on the inside of the lower half, so the perception is cheapness. But, the question should be, what is the purpose of this case and what is being accomplished by this plastic? In short, it is providing needed protection and absorbtion for drops around every square inch of the tablet... notice the complete wrap around, form-fitting shape on the bottom half. Look closely at the bottom half, which has been structured to fit the Fire HD 8.9 like a glove, with perfectly cut openings and stylish design), on the outside of this casing is a wrap around leather covering. Once your tablet is in this case, you never see the plastic, as it is holding your Fire HD 8.9. Then, on top of the shell is a thin, very thin, leather covering that looks like it has been steam fit and glued on top of the plastic. Then a black thread has sewn the edges down so I doubt it would ever come loose. By necessity then, the leather is not soft to the touch, since it is attached to a plastic shell. But, it is very likely leather and the reason some think it is all plastic is because of the shell material.

The sizing to the actual Kindle Fire HD is what is so amazing. The bottom of the plastic case just snaps over the bottom of the Fire and then the top lays on the glass of the tablet. Magnets (with Auto Wake and Sleep) keep the case shut (though it might not be good enough to stay shut in a fall).

THIN AND LIGHT?
Now, I purchased a Moko Case from Amazon too. It was thin, as was my preference. My Moko Case is about 5/8 of an inch with tablet). This case is 1/2 inch, plus maybe a tad more than half an inch. But, clearly, this case is thinnest of any case that I have seen.

Is it lightest? IT IS NOT. My Moco case is lighter, even though it is tad thicker. Why? This Amazon case wraps completely around the entire tablet (it doesn't leave any edges exposed. My Moco case does. Still, the slightly thicker padding on the Moco probably provides a bit more protection... but who knows... I am not going to drop test. :) Suffice it to say they are both thin and light weight. One a tad more than the other in each area.

THE STAND:
The stand on this case has been where many people have commented. Here is my take.
First, the stand does work well. It may not be the best if you like to type on your tablet in a standing mode (as finger pressure would certainly knock the stand over on some surfaces).

Remember thin? Well, one thing that makes many cases thicker is the stand mechanism. Make the stand (or base) too thick and it adds bulk. Make it too thin and it just doesn't stay up. So, this was the design challenge. Amazon went with a LACK OF A BASE for their stand.... as well as a lack of a Kick-0ut stand mechanism. How does it work? Simple, just fold it over and let the case form a A shape that supports the tablet to stand. Oh, I can hear it now. "That won't work reliably!" Well, what they did is make the outer edge side out of a sticky, rubbery material, so that when you prop it opens, it holds quite nicely. This saves them a lot of weight and thickness. Some don't like it... but I imagine it is people that want to type on the tablet with it propped up in standing position. I think that if the feet are kept fairly clean, they will grab onto any descent surface and hold the tablet upright... and at about any angle that you want.

I like this case. I like the design. I like the thinness. The jury still out on the stand (over time) and the magnetic closure (during a potential fall). I can't do less than five stars, because it does everything it states. Yes, I like my Moco case a bit better, but I bet this case will still be going strong long after my Moco case needs to be replaced. And now I have a wonderful replacement.

JJ
I will update this review over time.

Update: One con is the interior material of the case (the part that hits the screen)...it is not super-soft Micro-fiber cloth, rather a thin cloth that doesn't scratch the screen. A Microfber cloth interior might help keep the screen cleaner, but it would have added thickness. I have seen one reviewer say that cat hairs stick to it. I have not had that problem, and we do have a cat.

Update: Price vs. Quality. Boy, I really wanted to stay out of this discussion. Everyone has their own comfort level with price, so I just try to review the product. But yes, if you are looking at cases in the sub-20 market, this case is pricey in comparison. But, I doubt that anyone who wanted the features of this case, would then think the given price was too much to pay. Key features again?
Protective covering that covers the entire tablet
Connects to the tablet all the way around, so it isn't going to pop out.
Very thin (the thinnest?) and exceedingly light
Extremely easy to open, use, get access to all ports... and even easy to remove, if needed... all while being thin and attractive
Love the wonderful design for the volume rocker and power button. Nice design makes these a breeze to use (unlike my cell phone case).
Leather coating (though not soft) seems durable and easy to grip.
Speaker vents are perhaps the best I have seen on any case... it doesn't limit sound.
Stand is simple and quick to use, because it uses a rubbery material that simply clings to most (but not all) material (I have tried on wood and formica top desks, table cloth, papers on top of a desk (not as good, but works), glass top tables, and wood and ceramic floors). The only time this failed was when I had it on the side of some rubbermaid containers... slipped on that slicker, dustier surface). You can get a nearly straight up position fairly readily, the only real issue is with a low angle such some people like for typing on a tablet. If the surface isn't ideal, the tablet will simply slip down to the table (flat), when you try to type. The benefit is that you have just about every other angle (degree) that you might want to have. That is great if your trying to avoid a glare on the screen, for instance.

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HP Color Inkjet Paper, 96 Brightness, 8.5 x 11 Inches, 500 Sheets (20200-0)

HP Color Inkjet Paper, 96 Brightness, 8.5 x 11 Inches, 500 Sheets (20200-0)..

Buy HP Color Inkjet Paper, 96 Brightness, 8.5 x 11 Inches, 500 Sheets (20200-0) By HP

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful.
great paper for the price
By Amazon Shopper
This paper works very well with my Dell Photo 926 printer and text and images show up clearly. It's not the best paper there is but for the price it does it's job quite well.

The paper is not glossy so if you need gloss paper look elsewhere but it does have a nice bright white that makes blacks and grays pop on the paper.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful.
Opacity
By John H. Adams
I bought the paper to be able to do double side printing without show through. Needless to say it was very disappointing to see that it performed no better than lower priced 24# papers.

17 of 21 people found the following review helpful.
Disappointing for my purposes
By John R. Samsen
I purchased this paper for double sided printing, and found too much see-through, despite the claims in its description.

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Intel Core i7-4770 Quad-Core Desktop Processor 3.4 GHZ LGA 1150 8 MB Cache BX80646I74770

Intel Core i7-4770 Quad-Core Desktop Processor 3.4 GHZ LGA 1150 8 MB Cache BX80646I74770..

Buy Intel Core i7-4770 Quad-Core Desktop Processor 3.4 GHZ LGA 1150 8 MB Cache BX80646I74770 By Intel

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60 of 69 people found the following review helpful.
Even less improvement than expected
By CRT
Quick Review:

While the i7-4770 is a solid processor for desktop users seeking power and bang for the buck and not concerned about the highest clock speed, it is not worth the upgrade if you are on a Sandy Bridge or newer CPU. I upgraded from a much older platform and I would have waited for the 2014 Haswell-e/Haswell refresh chips if the capacitors in my old motherboard had hung in a little longer.

Pros:

+ Supports Intel's Transaction Synchronization Extensions (TSX): This is not supported by the initial K series Haswell offerings and represents a capability that, as an executive responsible for software development, I would leverage in any effort where I could not justify the investment in fine-grained thread synchronization. I expect that game, CAD and multimedia developers are going to be looking to leverage this. As of this writing, this is the fastest consumer chip that supports it.

+ Good performance relative to current offerings: Stock i7-4770 chips do well on benchmark and real world tests. As of this writing (July 10,2013), cpubenchmark.net reports an average CPU Mark of 10,126. That is higher than any stock chip under 580USD, even beating the 4770k at stock speeds.

Cons:

- Surprisingly high retail price at introduction for what it is, I paid 310USD with an Intel box price of 312USD - expect prices to drop as initial fervor dies down and the Haswell line matures.

- Potentially superseded quickly by the i7-4771 (same capabilities with higher speed, possibly driven by improvements in binning with process maturity).

- Surprisingly disappointing performance improvement over previous generations (particularly memory operations).

- Extremely limited overclocking.

Neutral:

o Requires an LGA1150 motherboard - you can't reuse your old one if you wanted to, but LGA1150 chipsets natively have greater peripheral support

BACKGROUND

If you are reading this than I expect you either typically build your own PCs, are considering your first build or are considering upgrading an existing LGA1150 PC (assuming you are reading this in 2014 or later). In each of these cases, you are not the typical user so I will not waste time on basics or information that is available elsewhere. I will give you my opinions and the reasoning behind them and hope they will help you making your own informed decision.

I have been building and tweaking PCs since the early 1990's, but I have only done a half dozen builds for personal or family use. For my primary desktop I tend to build 1 tier from the top (enthusiast, high bang for the buck) and keep it for a long time. It takes me about a day to build a machine and get the OS to boot, but it seems like it takes months before I have the applications fully configured. This build replaced a late 2003 Pentium 4 3.2GHz Northwood Socket 478 build. Yep - almost 10 years. And I actually use my machine - Catia, heat transfer simulations, photoshop CS, HDTV video capture and editing, large MS project plans, various SW development environments and the standard Office applications. I do occasionally game, but not a lot of FPSs. The Socket 478 machine performed as needed until late 2012 when the lack of 64bit and being limited to 2 concurrent threads became an issue (I have access to other hardware, so it was never a road block).

While the new i7-4770 based machine is faster, I am surprised by how little improved it is in real world applications. The most conservative general application of Moore's law says that the new machine should be able to process about 30 times as much information (double every 2 years over 10 years). Having lived with the new machine for few weeks now I am convinced that it is not that much faster. I have used PassMark's Performance Test to benchmark and maintain my personal machines since 2001 so I can provide some objective comparisons in addition to a thumb in the wind estimate...

Using Performance Test v5 with the 4770 machine running 8 threads vs. 2 threads on my old 3.2GHz P4

CPU Mark: 7146.7(i7-4770) vs 665.0(P4) - about 10.75 times the CPU Mark of the old machine

With the 4770 machine running only 2 threads its rating drops to 3343.3 (~5x)

With regards to the built in 4600 graphics - the P4 at the time of testing was sporting a Radeon HD 3800 AGP 8X...

3D Graphics Mark: 2415.0 vs 2358.8 (almost no change)
2D Graphics Mark: 260.8 vs 114.3 (2.25x)

This is a bit of an unfair comparison as a midrange modern dedicated graphics card would likely improve the new machine's performance by an order of magnitude, but it does put Intel's onboard GPU in perspective.

And the real disappointment - memory...

Memory Mark: 992.7 vs 564.9 (~1.75x)

The new machine has much more memory and PerformanceTest 5.0 is 32bit so the new machine has considerable addressing overhead handicapping it, but this really shows how little difference there is between ancient low latency DDR-440 and comparatively high latency modern DDR3-1866.

There is one category where we see the type of improvement we would hope for after 10 years - storage performance. Disk access has always been a bottle neck for me so the P4 was loaded with two Raptors in a RAID0 configuration for the primary boot and application drive. The 4770 machine has a single SSD. The result:

Disk Mark: 19406.6 vs 418.2 (~46x)

The overall PassMark rating of the new system in PerformanceTest v5 (running 8 threads) is 6322.9 versus 677.3 or slightly over 9 times the performance of the old P4 machine.

These numbers back up the way the new machine feels - much faster, but not shockingly so. In fact, shockingly disappointing would be more accurate.

Did I get a bad 4770? Bad motherboard? Bad memory? Should I give up my job as an engineering executive and go back to playing with Legos because I can't even build a PC? To answer that, let's see how the new machine compares against modern machines. Using the current version of Performance Test (v8.0) yields the following results...

PassMark Rating: 3,227
CPU Mark: 11,114
2D Graphics: 1,120
3D Graphics: 559
Memory Mark: 2,961
Disk Mark: 4,266

These numbers are solid. In fact, with the exception of the 3D Graphics, this machine outperforms the other 71 i7-4770 based systems on cpubenchmark.net as of this writing. And the i7-4770 is arguably the fastest stock chip you can get for under 580USD. This makes the lack of progress over the past 10 years even more clear.

My take is:

Unless you have to have a new desktop now, you really should sit this round out altogether - Intel did. The lack of TSX support on the K-series takes them out of play. I am doubtful of the real world improvements of the Ivy Bridge-e as well. If you have a Sandy Bridge, or a Sandy Bridge-e - in my opinion you built at the right time. We have two 2600K based machines and they will serve in their roles well for many years. My plan for my personal desktop is to take a good look at the Haswell-e chips after the prices stabilize (along with DDR4) - maybe sometime in 2015. If I like what I see, the i7-4770 will be transitioned to our HTPC and I will build a new desktop then. That will give me 2 years with this hardware on my desk - about 1/5 of what I got out of my last desktop build.

40 of 45 people found the following review helpful.
Solid Processor, Modest jump from Gen 3, Not for overclocking
By Amadeus B. Klein
This is Intel's 4th Generation i7, the 4770 is a direct replacement of the 3770. This CPU is not meant for overclocking (does not have an unlocked multiplier), you want the Intel Core i7-4770K Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80646I74770K for that.

That said you will need a new motherboard to upgrade from any of the earlier generation CPUs as this generation uses the 1150 socket while the other 3 used different ones. One nice thing here is aftermarket CPU coolers that fit 1155/1156 sockets will work on this CPU.

This CPU is a Quad Core, 8 thread running at 3.4GHz with boost to 3.9GHz as needed.
It is an 84 Watt CPU. The only currently available faster Intel 4th Gen CPU is the 4770K running at 3.5Ghz (and able to be overclocked thanks to the unlocked multiplier).

It comes with HD 4600 integrated graphics which is an upgrade over the HD 4000 in the 3rd Generation 3770.

Depending on what site you read for technical reviews this processor will give an improvement of 1%-20% over a 3rd generation CPU. Personally it seems about a 5%-10% increase in performance in most bench tests I have seen...

When looking at this consider some of the following things:
1) This will require a new motherboard ($100+)so budget that in
2) This does not have an unlocked multiplier, so overclocking is out.
3) With a $300+ price tag and a minimum $100 for a motherboard you will be spending at least $400+ to upgrade so even assuming the best performance increase that's $20 per % of increased performance.

If the price fits what you are looking for and you have no desire to overclock then this might be a solid choice of CPU...

I personally decided on the i7-4770K because if I ever choose to I can overclock it. I upgraded from a 3770K (not overclocked) and didn't really see any real world performance increase (Not overclocked).

I am using it in my media center PC which serves 6-8 TVs, streams music and maintains my media collection. so I am not pushing it with extreme gaming, but I do have it running without a hitch while streaming 1080p 3D movies to 6 TVs at the same time...

If you absolutely must have a 4th Gen i7 Processor and price is a major concern then this might be a good fit, but if top performance is more what you're looking for go with the 4770K... The performance bump over the 1st/2nd gen CPUs does seem worth the price.

If you are happy with your 3rd Gen i7 I would skip the upgrade since it's not that large of a performance boost overall...

Components in my personal Build:
Silverstone Tek GD-08 Case
ASUS Z87-PRO Intel Z87 4DIMM ATX
Corsair Enthusiast Series TX850 V2 850W 80+ Bronze
SAMSUNG 840 250GB 2.5 SATA III
Intel Core i7-4770K 3.50 GHz LGA1150
Kingston XMP 16GB 1866MHz DDR3 CL9 (Kit of 4) XMP
Blu-ray Optical Drive
5 Western Digital Red 3 TB NAS Hard Drive: 3.5 Inch, SATA III (12TB Usable with Raid Config)
ARCTIC Freezer 7 Pro Rev. 2, CPU Cooler
EVGA GeForce GTX 650 1024MB GDDR5 DVI mHDMI Graphics Card

Just my Thoughts,

MG

28 of 32 people found the following review helpful.
A better deal than the i7-4770K
By coder
This processor is fully featured, unlike the i7-4770K which lacks support for TSX and costs more. The TSX instruction set extension will make multi-threaded applications faster, so despite the i7-4770K's extra overclocking abilities (which are not guaranteed), it may not be the faster processor in all cases.

So just get this i7-4770 instead and get what you pay for. You can also save money on a cheaper motherboard. This processor offers a lot of bang for the buck and still has untapped potential thanks to the AVX2 and TSX features which will be used by future software and thus extend its longevity.

I've observed a fairly consistent 20% higher performance in multi-threaded applications over an i7-2600 so far. AVX2's doubled vector processing power should increase that gap even more once multimedia applications and games make use of it.

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Rokinon FE14M-C 14mm F2.8 Ultra Wide Lens for Canon (Black)

Rokinon FE14M-C 14mm F2.8 Ultra Wide Lens for Canon (Black)..

Buy Rokinon FE14M-C 14mm F2.8 Ultra Wide Lens for Canon (Black) By Rokinon

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146 of 151 people found the following review helpful.
One of the best wide angle primes at a bargain price.I
By K. Dardashti
I am using this lens on a Canon 5D Mark II. I have several zoom lenses in this range, but was looking for a fast, superwide prime. The choice would be this or the Canon 14L II. This is the same as the Samyang, rebranded.
After receiving the lens, I ran some tests against 16-35 2.8, and sigma 12-24, and was floored. The corner to corner sharpness of this lens is fantastic. I peaks at around 5.6, but the corners at 2.8 are better than the other 2 lenses at f11. the microcontrast and color is very good. The barrel distortion is hefty, and complex with a mustache distortion, however, often not well visible in landscape, but visible in architectural images. It is correctable using a $25 program called ptlens, and there is also a profile for acr 6.1 out there, which works great. It is an absolute bargain. I purchased a focus confirmation chip for 14 from ebay, glued it on, and I get focus confirmation too.

feb 2012 update
I have had this lens along side Nikon 14-24 2.8, adapted to canon with use on my 5d2, and at 2.8, the rokinon is sharper in the corners has less flare and less CA than the mighty Nikon. However the nikon has less distortion, and catches up by f 5.6 even in the corners. Additionally, do not rely on the distance markings on the focus ring. On my copy infinity focus is achieved at the 3 meter marking. 3 meters is achieved at 2m. for my style of shooting I dont find this troublesome at all. for landscape shooting I focus with live view anyway. for hand held, my focus is between 1 and 2 meters most of the time and it works fine.

71 of 77 people found the following review helpful.
Sharpest lens I ever used, but check for issues
By J. Kim
This is the new version with the auto-exposure chip (only for Nikon mount) and UMC coating. My impressions:

Pros:
-Sharp, sharp, sharp. Even at f/2.8, this lens is sharp. At its sharpest aperture, f/5.6, it's sharp corner-to-corner on an APS-C camera.
-Very good build quality. Solid weighty feel, brass mount, and smooth dampened focus ring.
-By far the least expensive 14mm around.
-No problems with auto-exposure or focus confirmation (including the electronic rangefinder function on newer Nikon bodies)
-FX or DX

Cons:
-Cheap rear cap fits a little loose. I swapped mine with a Nikon cap.
-Has significant mustache-type barrel distortion in the middle of the frame. Not a lens for architectural photography. However, this can be mostly corrected in post-processing (with the $25 software PTLens, or user-created Lightroom profiles on the net).

Some considerations:
-Like some other ultra wide-angle lenses, the front element is large and bulbous, and the hood is integrated and non-removable. You can't attach any filters, so this lens requires more care to avoid scratches on the front element. The lens cover should be kept on at all times when not in use.
-Although the lens works great with my DX camera, it's really meant for FX cameras. On my DX Nikon the full-frame equivalent focal length is 21mm, which sits in an odd space between UWA and WA. DX users should probably consider the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 or Sigma 10-20mm instead for their UWA needs. However, this lens beats both for corner-to-corner sharpness.

UPDATE:
I sold my Nikon AE copy and re-purchased this lens for Canon mount, for a Canon 5D body. My new copy was just as sharp as my previous copy in the center. However the lens showed de-centering on the right side, which was significantly blurrier than the left even when stopped down to f/8 or f/11. This area would not be visible on an APS-C body, but was visible enough on the 5D that I returned it for a refund. I deducted one star from my rating until I can test another copy.

68 of 78 people found the following review helpful.
Excellent Value - the best in its class
By Sanity Advocate
I purchased this lens several months ago to use on my Canon 5d mark 1 camera. This is by far the sharpest, most flare-and color fringing-resistant lens in its class. I owned the Nikon 14-24mm lens and this lowly lens beats the Nikon hands down on all counts, exept vignetting (easily correctable in Photoshop) and distortion - but get a PT Lens software, which has this lens correction pre-programmed in its database and distortion becomes a non-issue.

Advantages:

Solidly built, operates smoothly, light (under 450 grams), much more compact than Nikon 14-24mm, incredible resolution, color balance and color fringing resistance - simply crushes Nikon 14-24mm (my personal experience and comparison and also see independent reviews on the Net), no flare, even when shooting straight into the Sun.

Disadvantages:

Fully manual - no auto anything, including the aperture (not an issue for this ultra-wide lens and actually is an advantge, since it greatly improves reliability).

No depth-of-field scale - not an issue for this ultra-wide lens; setting the focus to 1 meter and stopping down to f11 gives you the maximum depth-of-field (o.5 meters to infinity) at best optical performance. For wide-open shooting focus the lens manually.

Vignetting, especially at wide apertures - easily correctable in Photoshop, and gone by f11.

Significant complex distortion (5%) - get a PT Lens software, which has this lens' complete correction pre-programmed in its database and distortion becomes a non-issue.

Aperture blades may become sticky in temperatures below 32 degrees F (0 deg. C) - no significant impact, because the aperture control is fully manual. If this occurs, rotate the aperture ring back and forth a few times to take care of this in the field; there is no need to even remove the lens from the camera.

I highly recommend this lens.

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Corsair Vengeance Blue 8 GB (2X4 GB) PC3-12800 1600mHz DDR3 240-Pin SDRAM Dual Channel Memory Kit CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B

Corsair Vengeance Blue 8 GB (2X4 GB) PC3-12800 1600mHz DDR3 240-Pin SDRAM Dual Channel Memory Kit CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B..

Buy Corsair Vengeance Blue 8 GB (2X4 GB) PC3-12800 1600mHz DDR3 240-Pin SDRAM Dual Channel Memory Kit CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B By Corsair

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35 of 36 people found the following review helpful.
Corsair Vengeance Blu 8 GB PC3-12800 1600mHz DDR3 240-Pin SDRAM Dual Channel Memory Kit
By W. Rehs
Purchased this kit to compliment a new build using a Gigabyte GA-890FXA-UD5 m/b, AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition CPU. Common to this and many other m/b's bios, the ram is initially recognized in bios as 1333MHz rather than this rams rated 1600MHz. Going into BIOS, 2 clicks of the mouse rectified that. For those only wanting or just starting out with 8GB of ram this kit is ideal. Two 4gb sticks using only 2 memory slots is more efficient than spreading the 8gb's over the four slots. My most immediate concern was compatibility with my M/B for it was not one listed as being tested for compatibility. I'm happy to report it is fully compatible with no issues. It thouroughly passed memtest, and my system has been running fast and stable since the day my build was born, about 2weeks now. O/S boot up is fast, opening applications is fast and multitasking is not a problem, but then I am running a 6 core CPU as well. I rather like the blue colored heatsinks, matches my board quite nicely but that's only cosmetically important, what counts is my PC's processing speed and stabilty and that earns this ram 5 stars, I couldn't be more pleased. I don't ever see the need to add another kit to make it 16gb but if that day should arise I would not hesitate to make this purchase once again. I highly recommend it. Fast, stable, fair price,the best warranty, no need to say more. Other than go ahead, buy it.

Update: 8/17/2011 I've added another one of these kits to my system to max out my board at 16gb. As expected, the additional ram did not notably increase my system performance. My reasoning behind adding the extra ram was because I could and I got a gold box deal on it. That being said, my initial review still stands in every aspect. Corsair ram rocks.

47 of 51 people found the following review helpful.
Good
By Andrew kuppinger
no problems. To be honest, I bought these because the internet told me to. I do everything the internet tells me to.

30 of 35 people found the following review helpful.
Good Value Computer Upgrade
By Shooter12point7
I just got this kit today to replace a 2GB single-channel module, and I am very pleased. Boot-up of Windows 7 home Premium 64-bit is much faster on my machine now. The two 4GB modules were easy to remove from the box, and the plastic cases simply snapped open. No box cutter required. I was initially concerned that the new modules wouldn't fit under the power cable for my Micro-ATX motherboard because of the added height of the aluminum heat-dispersing shields. However, they will apparently fit anywhere a normal DDR3 desktop module will fit. Just as a test after booting up, I began rendering a quick 720p video, creating a home movie DVD, playing music, playing a DVD, playing two separate 720p videos, playing a random Youtube video, and browsing pictures on my hard drive all simultaneously. I was limited only when after a few minutes my Athlon II X4 2.9GHz Quad-core reached 100% load and 125 degrees F, causing the fan to run loudly. I decided to close some things at that point. Memory usage in Task Manager never got above 50% though, so I can't imagine ever needing more than 8GB of RAM for daily home use. Most programs have a barely noticeable load time now. Smaller programs that used to require a few seconds of load time now run instantly, and all programs run smoother and faster than before. If you have the money, your system supports 8GB of DDR3 RAM, and you want to improve your computer's performance, you can't go wrong buying this RAM kit.

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AmazonBasics USB 2.0 A-Male to Mini-B Cable (6 Feet / 1.8 Meters)

AmazonBasics USB 2.0 A-Male to Mini-B Cable (6 Feet / 1.8 Meters)..

Buy AmazonBasics USB 2.0 A-Male to Mini-B Cable (6 Feet / 1.8 Meters) By AmazonBasics

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205 of 209 people found the following review helpful.
Reasonably priced, gets full Amazon support behind it but makes sure this is what you need
By A. Dent
This is the most common USB cable these days for connecting 'something' to your computer but... beware of the 'Micro-B vs. Mini-B' interface confusion (read below) - if you are to use it with a phone or some other small and 'new' gadget, you may need a 'Micro-B' cable instead.

On this specific cable, everything is done right, including the price. It is USB 2.0 certified, meaning that it supports data transfer rates of up to 480Mbps and, if your device accepts a Mini-B plug, this is the cable to get. Maybe the 2-meter length (6+ ft.) is a little bit too much but it does not bother me a lot and there may come a time when a cable this long may come in handy.

While USB cables are clearly a commodity item these days, AmazonBasics does have a couple of advantages over the competition.

- EASY RETURN - I know because I had to return quite a few items for various reasons. Amazon makes it very easy and, if you are returning the item because it came defective or damaged Amazon pays for shipping.

- WARRANTY - these wires come with a 1-year warranty (talking about future-proofing). If a cable performs for one year, the odds that it would stop working after that are pretty close to zero. It's possible that the other vendors back their inexpensive cables too (I never checked) but I am highly confident that Amazon will be around to honor its warranty and I'm not so sure about vendors I know less.

- QUALITY ASSURANCE - I've never had any problems with 'cheap' USB or HDMI cables but it may be reassuring to have Amazon's name on a wire. My assumption is that Amazon did insist on some quality checks before they stamped their logo on the product.

- PRICE - This cable may appear more expensive than others but keep in mind that, unlike most, it qualifies for SuperSavers and Amazon Prime free shipping.

I am awarding this item 5 stars for price and quality - there's nothing to complain. However, I suggest that you look around before you place the order because you just might have one of these already as they tend to ship with many electronic gadgets these days.

______________________________________________

Notes:

Anyone in the market for a USB cable should be very careful because there are at least 6 kinds of USB connectors. If you are buying a cable that connects 'something' to your computer or laptop, the computer end of the cable will always be a USB-A or 'Type A' connector. At the other end, you may have a USB-B/Type B - a nearly square shaped connector used mostly to deliver power to a device but this is rare. Most likely, you will have a Mini-B or a Micro-B. The difference between the 2 is that the Micro-B is half as thick while the width is the same - Mini-B is 3x7mm while Micro-B is 1.5x7mm.

If your device (phone, PDA, camera) is a 'new' one and it's using USB, chances are that they will need a Micro-B connector because the industry seems to be adopting the 'Micro' form factor as its standard. If the above sounds simple, you should keep in mind that some devices require Mini-AB or Micro-AB connectors, also known as USB OTG (OnTheGo) devices.

My advice: before ordering any cable, make sure that you clearly understand what type of cable you need.

Whenever in doubt, do some more research and keep in mind that the 'Micro-B' (very small) is the emerging standard and it's likely to be found on the newer and smaller gadgets - phones, cameras, etc. but, before it we had the 'Mini-B' (this specific cable) so the older devices will need the 'Mini'.

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful.
Worked on with my WD Portable Hard drive
By Kaja27
After searching Amazon and ebay...this cable work on my Western Digital hard drive. Thank goodness!! Get this one if you are looking to replace your WD Hard drive cable!!! Thanks Amazon!!!

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful.
Great USB cable!
By Michael Sena
The debut of Amazon Essentials could not have been better timed for me. I have three portable hard drives (the kind that are powered solely through usb cables) and all of my existing cables were missing. Somehow over the summer they got thrown away or misplaced, so getting to my files on these portable hard drives was impossible. Even more frustrating was the fact that on my MacBook Pro from 2007, there's only one powered hi-speed USB port. The other one isn't hi-speed. So I had a USB hub that I couldn't use either.

Anyway, along comes Amazon Essentials with these amazingly cheap USB cables. I was cautious about buying USB cables from any place else because I could have just gotten normal USB cables, not ones that I could use to power my external portable hard drives and my USB Hub.
As soon as I saw these from Amazon though, my problems were solved. They're 6 feet/1.8m long, which is long enough to suffice for almost any application. The cords have gold-plated connectors - I'm not sure if that makes them USB cords from the high heavens, but it sure does make them look a lot nicer than the other ones I have lying about. And these cords are dirt cheap - Less than $3.75 for 6 feet... try getting something like that at a normal electronics store.

To close off my review, I'd like to say how happy I am with my purchase, and that I'll definitely be buying my future USB cables through Amazon Essentials!

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Dell Venue 8 32 GB Tablet (Android)

Dell Venue 8 32 GB Tablet (Android)..

Special Price Dell Venue 8 32 GB Tablet (Android) By Dell

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197 of 203 people found the following review helpful.
DELL has a WINNER with the Venue 8" android!
By DigitalGurl
I ordered this from DELL and have had it approx. 2 weeks. I am more than pleased with the build quality of this device. The back has a nice rubberized texture which makes it quite easy to hold. The display is nice and bright (actually it is VERY bright) and the colors are OK but not as vibrant as my Samsung devices.

This tab is very fast and snappy which is due to the intel processor and 2 gigs of RAM. All apps open fast and run perfect. I haven't had any glitches with any apps that I've installed from the Play Store. Netflix & YouTube work perfect!

I was pleasantly surprised by the minimal amount of apps that was installed on the device. I was expecting a ton of bloatware as that is the norm for DELL on their desktops and laptops. There is only a couple of DELL cloud apps installed and you can easily disable these if you don't want to use them. In other words, this is as close as you will get to a "pure" Android OS without buying a Nexus 7. So, a big thumbs up for DELL on this point.

What you won't be pleased with is the cameras. But, who uses a tablet to take photos? Your phone will produce much better images. So, this is not a deal breaker for me and shouldn't be for anyone interested in buying this tablet.

The speaker is quite loud (much louder than any of my Samsung devices). Plug in some headphones and you will be impressed!

The micro usb port will work with an OTG cable. GPS works great. It does have an ambient light sensor for automatic brightness. This device does NOT support haptic feedback ... so if you are a gamer and need this feature, look elsewhere.

The only thing that I have to gripe about is Adobe Flash Player ... sideloaded it and can't get it to work in any of the browsers that support flash. Maybe it has something to do with Android 4.2.2? The only reason you would need "flash" is to watch Amazon Prime (since they refuse to give us Android users an app). If anyone has been able to install flash and get it to work, please share :o)

For $199 you won't find a better tablet that has 2 gigs of RAM, 2.0 GHZ intel processor and an almost pure Android system.

I will update this review if I have any major problems with the DELL Venue 8.

90 of 92 people found the following review helpful.
BEST 8 inch TABLET FOR THE PRICE, HANDS DOWN. WE LOVE IT!!!
By Amazon Customer
*******************
UPDATE (12/19/2013):

I've had the tablet now for a month and I'm loving it more everyday. Here's why:

1. MUTI-USER ACCOUNT SUPPORT has arrived!!!: Today (12/19/2013), Dell released Android Jelly Bean 4.3 update. For those who need or want multi-user account support, it's available. You can now set up a separate space with/without password protection for each member of your family that shares the tablet. Each user can have their own login, email accounts, notifications, app space, homepage, wallpaper, etc. You can even create Restricted Profiles. I've tested it and it works perfectly. Thank you Dell!

2. Battery lasts me about 8.5 hours of straight use with Wi-Fi and GPS enabled. I set the screen to low since I use it mostly inside and the screen is too bright for my eyes. The screen is the biggest battery drainer.

3. Screen resolution is excellent for an 8" screen. You don't need anything higher for a screen this small. I haven't had any problems with dead pixels, screen lock-ups, or touch sensitivity. In fact, the screen continues to respond to touch despite the fact that I haven't cleaned it once. However, if you get dirty residue on the screen, e.g. from food on your fingers after eating and touching it, you will lose some sensitivity and will need to clean it. But that's true of all tablets. If the screen is clean and you're noticing that it's not responding, make sure that NO OTHER part of your body, i.e. other fingers, thumb, etc., are touching another part of the screen. This screen is 5-point sensitive. That means that it can detect up to 5 fingers/skin touching simultaneously. If the app you're using is not written properly to handle accidental multi-touch, the screen will appear unresponsive when you tap with your dominant finger, e.g. index finger, while holding/touching it with your thumb on your other hand. This is NOT the fault of the tablet. It's caused by a poorly written app that doesn't know what to do when the user accidentally and simultaneously touches another part of the screen, e.g. with your thumb, as you are holding it in the palm of your hand. The glass (even on the edges) is very sensitive to your skin's capacitance/charge. Be aware of this before you conclude that your new tablet is defective.

4. The 2GB of RAM makes a difference. With my Samsung Tab 2, memory would fill up after opening 3 apps and it would slow down to a crawl. Download a Task Manager app, and make sure you close apps that you're not using. This will free up memory and speed up other apps. Most FREE apps are designed to stay open or re-open automatically after you close them so that they can collect as much information about you as possible, or serve you as many ads as possible. Be aware of this. Also, rebooting the tablet while it's recharging overnight helps to clear up any running or hanging apps and will clear the memory and speed up the tablet for the next day's use.

5. The 2GHz CPU makes a difference. It's zippy. My Samsung Tab 2 was much slower.

6. You can install up to a 128GB microSD card, for a total of 160GB of storage with the 32GB version!! Download a good File Manager and try to keep the folders, specially the Download folder clean of installation packages after you've installed them. With the right File Manager, you can even move some apps to the external microSD card to keep the usage of internal storage to a minimum. NOTE: Some apps are written to disallow you from moving them to the external SD card. This is not Dell's fault. The newer versions of Android allow app developers to decide whether or not they want to allow users to move their apps to the external SD card or not. As such, some apps cannot be moved to the external microSD, unless the tablet is rooted. Just remember that.

7. If you're having Wi-Fi problems, install the inSSIDer app and analyze your Wi-Fi coverage, as well as competing interference from other Wi-Fi's on the same channel. You may need to change the channel on your router, or buy a higher gain antenna. This can make a huge difference. I've had EXCELLENT results with my $20 TL-WR841N TP-LINK router. It's flawless, with bug-free firmware. I haven't had to reboot it once in a month, unlike my Linksys router which required daily rebooting, and constantly dropped my VOIP calls.

8. GPS works flawlessly, and along with a good Map/Navigation app, it's one of the best and most powerful uses for this tablet.

9. It's worked flawlessly everyday since I've had it, and I use it 11-16 hours per day. I do everything on it. The only apps that have crashed are a few poorly written apps, mainly free children's games. These apps are written by programmers who do not know how to handle exceptions and memory allocation/de-allocation properly. That's not the fault of Dell or the tablet.

In summary, this is the best tablet on the market at this price point, without question. When Dell releases KitKat Android 4.4, it will be that much better. Buy it, try it, and don't listen to the negative reviews. You won't regret it. I don't believe any of these negative reviews after my experiences with this tablet. And you won't either.

ORIGINAL REVIEW:

Bought the 2GHz CPU, 2GB RAM, 32GB storage Dell Venue 8 on Thanksgiving for $159. I had also bought the Samsung Tab 2 7.0 with 1GB RAM, 1GHz CPU and 16GB of storage for $149, so my expectations for the Dell Venue 8, for just $10 more than the Samsung were very low. After all, how could I get 2x the hardware and 30% more screen for just $10 more. It doesn't happen. Well, I was wrong. I've been VERY pleasantly surprised. It's faster, hasn't run out of memory or storage, the screen is more responsive despite the fact that I haven't cleaned the oily fingerprints once! I love it!!! The Samsung stopped responding to touch by the 2nd day of intensive use, and I had to keep cleaning it. After receiving and using the Dell Venue, I'm returning the Samsung, it simply cannot compete at this price point. Dell hit one out of the park with this device. The best value hands down. I highly recommend this tablet and I'm not easy to please when it comes to hardware, as I am a computer hardware design engineer. Don't pay attention to any low reviews that you read. They all have an agenda to promote a competitor's product or are just ranting because they expect too much. Instead, buy this from a vendor that has a good return policy like Amazon. Try it, compare it, keep in mind the price that you're paying, and I'm sure that you'll be very happy with your purchase. I know we are and we're picky when it comes to technology.

96 of 105 people found the following review helpful.
Where's the LTE option? Still a great device but would have been nice to be able to order the mobile modem
By S. J McCartin
This is my second tablet, the first was an android 4.0 cheapie off ebay with 512k ram and a 1 ghz processor and a seriously poor screen but what do you want for seventy bucks? That tablet is stuck in a boot loop (common problem with some units) and it's not worth the repair to reload the OS from scratch, it's a future project to try to get a generic android os like uberoid installed on it. I can't find out if the venue has a hardware factory restore mode outside the OS, but for the price I'd think it should.

What's in the box?
Tablet
2Amp power adapter (usb non hard wired micro usb cable)
setup sheet

Setup:
Plug it in
Turn it on, asks for language, time zone and google account information.
Immediately updates the firmware to latest, restarts and downloads updates. (It saw my wifi immediately, I didn't have to do anything at all because I have no security on my access point.)
Automatically connects to google and downloads all your apps and calendars, contacts etc. Anything not compatible with android 4.2 is not downloaded or installed.

Connectors:
Micro usb for data and power adapter, OTG capable
headphone plug, also works for external amplified speakers etc.
micro SD aka transflash card slot

Buttons:
Volume up/down
power (hold down several seconds for hard reset, no reset hole)

I loved this thing from the moment I turned it on. The decent amount of ram and fast cpu makes it positively zippy. The decent quality screen (I understand there are better) really makes it wonderful to use. So far I've watched movies, played a lot of candy crush, did my banking, used the online gateway for Neverwinter and the mobile utility for RIFT, used a kitchen measure conversion utility from the android play store and played a dungeon crawl android game. This tablet handled it all speedily. I did find a game that ran awful slow, probably needs an update for the newer OS. From what I've read Dell has promised that we'll get the newest android KitKat when it is released for everyone other than the test sites, lol. When I ordered this the beginning of November they were saying early december delivery date but I had it in less than two weeks, was I happy! Someone made a comment about flash player, I couldn't get it installed either. But that is really minor, most web pages run great even without flash support. Maybe kitkat will resolve the flash player issue. Battery life is what dell claims, around four hours of continuous use, about two full length movies and maybe a little more. When the screen is off, the standby mode is really efficient, I left it in standby all night a couple of times and the battery was only down a little the next morning when I turned it on; really impressive!

Dell offers extras that you don't need like stylus, etc. The difference between 16 and 32 gb onboard storage was $20.00 so I ordered the bigger storage. Micro SD cards are currently available up to 32 gb and the micro usb slot is OTG (on the go), so with a cable you can plug in any usb drive/zip drive or an external self powered OTG compatible hard drive even. You can buy a usb thumb drive/zip drive on ebay with a regular male usb connector on one side and a micro usb male connector on the other, so you don't even need an otg cable with those. I would really prefer a separate AC plug instead of charging from the usb but few are doing that, my old chinese tablet did but that's apparently not the usual. There are cables on ebay that split with a male and female to let you charge and use the data connection simultaneously. The cables are a few dollars, I think dell should have included one of those in the box myself. Cases are under ten bucks on ebay and you'll probably want a screen protector to protect from scratches and little peanut butter fingers.

The only big thing that aggravated me when I ordered this was the complete lack of the LTE (3g cellular network) modem option. It's mentioned in one place, but never made available during the ordering process. I found some pictures of the internals online, the motherboard has the circuit traces for the sim card slot but there is no hardware for the card to slide into at least on the android 3830 version motherboard. I was also pleasantly surprised to see that the battery plugs into the motherboard, it's not hardwired like my cheapie that you'd have to unsolder to change the battery out. Any tech savy type could disassemble this in their sleep, so maybe after the warranty is out i'll see about a new motherboard with the sim card slot. It's really not that big of a deal, most carriers have those wifi hot spot things that act as an access point for several devices. Virgin mobile has one for $70.00 for the device and enough data to do a lot of small things is about $25.00 a month, that might be where I end up going in the future.

After a 9" tablet I was afraid smaller would be annoying but so far 8" is fine, I don't think I'd like the 7" version. This is a great product and you can't do any better on ebay for the same specs. Dell is also providing support in the way of auto updates over the internet instead of download. For the price recommend this to anyone. I looked at the pro but I had to ask myself why you'd want to run a resource hog like windows 8 on so little hardware resources...why? Android is so much more stable and better support and more free apps in my book. Love this thing!

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AmazonBasics Hi-Speed USB 2.0 A-Male to B-Male Cable (6 Feet / 1.8 Meters)

AmazonBasics Hi-Speed USB 2.0 A-Male to B-Male Cable (6 Feet / 1.8 Meters)..

Grab Now AmazonBasics Hi-Speed USB 2.0 A-Male to B-Male Cable (6 Feet / 1.8 Meters) By AmazonBasics

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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful.
The best possible
By David Porter
Very high quality item at a very low price. I was impressed with the quality and packaging. I highly recommend it.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful.
High Quality AmazonBasics!
By Amazonian Consumer
I bought this cable to connect a laser printer to my computer. It is pretty well-made and the price is great. There is no need to buy more expensive brands.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful.
Well-made Cable
By Thomas E. Richardson
I bought this cable as part of my attempt to solve an EMI (electromagnetic interference) problem with my laptop. The cable was of higher quality than I expected; but most importantly, using it helped address my EMI issue.

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NIX X08D 8 inch Hi-Res Digital Photo Frame with Motion Sensor

NIX X08D 8 inch Hi-Res Digital Photo Frame with Motion Sensor..

GET NIX X08D 8 inch Hi-Res Digital Photo Frame with Motion Sensor By NIX

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398 of 414 people found the following review helpful.
Surprisingly Awesome, Amazing Picture.
By G.B.
First let me say I am a tech nut and have a good eye for flaws in technology products. Upon booting this up with an SD card inserted, it immediately starts playing my pictures. So even if you're an idiot, using this should not be difficult, at all.

The screen is VERY high quality for a photo frame. Colors are vivid and the viewing angle is VERY good. You will notice almost no degradation in the image at any left or right angle, or from the top. The only time the image degrades is if you look at it from below - almost every photo frame I've seen does this though. Make sure the frame sits at or below whatever level people will be at when they look at it and you're fine.

Another note, when I received the frame, photos were sharp but dull. I turned the Saturation setting all the way up and now photos have perfect color (not oversaturated, the way they should look). So be aware of this if colors look a bit dull upon first use. I didn't need to change any other settings.

Of note too is that this frame does a phenomenal job of shrinking down large photos to fit the frame. It uses 'bicubic sharper' reduction so the images retain incredible sharpness when reduced in size by the frame to fit the screen.

The motion sensor works perfectly. No false alarms and no having it turn off when I'm sitting right in front of it.

Having used Sony and a host of others in the past, they aren't even close. I highly recommend this frame.

EDIT: It came across my attention that NIX is asking people who buy this to rate it 5 stars on Amazon for a chance to win something. Mine did not come with this card asking for a review nor was I asked to or paid to post this review. I posted it simply because the frame is very nice.

Also some people mentioned the transitions on this frame are bad. I don't use them so I have no idea. I'm more concerned with the photos than some effect to change the photo. Buying a photo frame because you like the transitions is like buying a car because you like the sound it makes when you put the key in.

332 of 370 people found the following review helpful.
"ok" digital frame, but they game dumb Amazon.com customers
By Christos G
Cheap frame, almost all of the transition effects look like a 486 dx2 66mhz PC trying to run Crysis at 1080p.

You have to display this in landscape, horizontal has a viewing angle of "stand still and stare right at it, not even a degree off".

Oh, and the final thing, the first thing that pops out of the box, is a large printed card that says, "if you rate us 5 stars on Amazon, email us your review on Amazon.com and you may win another free picture frame!"

So, take every single review here with a grain of salt. The frame works, sort of, but all of these reviews are biased due to this cheating system they've implemented. They get 2 stars for being clever with marketing. Don't sell yourself out for a poor product, it isn't worth it.

88 of 102 people found the following review helpful.
Great! Very easy to use
By Leo
Purchased this for my father for his birthday. Incredibly simple to use!

1. Adjust the settings(time, motion sensor, brightness, etc)

2. Fill SD card with pictures(I haven't yet used it for videos)

3. Place it somewhere with a power outlet.

That's it! You don't need to do anything else! The motion sensor is great, the frame automatically turns itself on when it senses something moving in front of it. You definitely can't go wrong with this, especially at this price!

They do include a remote to control the settings and things from a distance, though personally I don't have a need for it.

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Corsair Apple 8 GB Dual Channel Kit DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) 204-Pin DDR3 Laptop SO-DIMM Memory CMSA8GX3M2A1066C7

Corsair Apple 8 GB Dual Channel Kit DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) 204-Pin DDR3 Laptop SO-DIMM Memory CMSA8GX3M2A1066C7..

GET Corsair Apple 8 GB Dual Channel Kit DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) 204-Pin DDR3 Laptop SO-DIMM Memory CMSA8GX3M2A1066C7 By Corsair

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29 of 30 people found the following review helpful.
Great Product, & Easy to Install
By NetworkWraith
I have used lots of Memory modules over the years, and Corsair has come to be one of my top choices when making a purchase. I recently obtained the Corsair [Apple Approved] 8GB Dual Channel DDR3 1066 PC3-8500 DDR3 Memory for my Macbook Pro 13" (Late 2009 - 2010 model). The memory itself worked on boot up no issues, and as far as the installation on the macbook pro, its not so bad. Granted the install is a lot different than that of the white MacBooks, but it is still pretty simple. All that is required is a small screwdriver and some patience. There are many tutorials on how to do this on Youtube, pretty much its as simple as removing 10 little screws (I would highly recommend keeping them in order, as at least 3 of the screws are longer and must go back in specific holes) and having somewhere to place them safe so they don't fall or get lost. ** Of course as always due care is required when touching or changing components inside your computer, things like a simple static charge on your fingers can be an issue (like when you rub your socks on the ground and shock your friend... not so funny with a computer) **

One thing that I noticed while installing my memory, is that the memory type required by the macbook pro changed sometime between 2010 and 2011 so you may want to verify your memory type in "System Profiler" which can be found in your Utility Folder on your Mac. That will usually tell you how much memory you have and what type (i.e. DDR3 1066, or some other type). If you need to know your maximum allowable/recognizable memory, I would recommend searching your model number on Apples Support page.

As to system speed improvements going from 4GB to 8GB of memory, I have noticed that my multi-tasking does not slow my computer down as much, and some programs seem to work a little bit better with the extra memory.

MacBook Pro 13"
2.53Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo
8GB 1067 MHz DDR3 (The RAM I purchased and took out of my laptop was "1066", but the OSx calls it "1067" not sure why)
Lion OSx

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful.
Dead after two weeks
By JD
RAM worked very well in my MacBook Pro, easy installation, went without a hitch. Two weeks later I'm watching a movie and my computer goes into Kernel Panic, giving me a flashing grey screen and to restart. Turns out the RAM died WAY too quickly-and I'm very careful with my computers. Amazon was great about the exchange, had new parts to me the next day. Nice memory, pretty cheap, but definitely buy from Amazon and keep your package around...

26 of 32 people found the following review helpful.
Great Memory From Corsair, As Usual
By Ed
Does your Mac only have 4GB of RAM? Upgrading the memory in your system is still one of the quickest and easiest ways to boost its performance. Buying it from a memory company instead of Apple will save you TONS of money. Though, unlike high performance desktop memory, there aren't as many distinguishing factors when considering which SODIMM to buy. Pretty much all the major manufacturers have similar stated performance specs, so why would you choose Corsair's Mac Memory Kit over the others?

PROS:
- Great price
- Tested at Apple's compatibility lab
- Proven reliability
- Excellent support
- Lifetime warranty

CONS:
- Hard to remove from packaging

INSTALL & MEMORY TEST
Installing the Corsair Mac Memory kit in a 15-inch MacBook Pro was quick and easy, though I struggled a little bit trying to remove the modules from the plastic packaging. The memory was immediately recognized by OS X and everything ran quickly and smoothly. Rember verified the memory size, type and speed. The Corsair kit also passed memory tests with flying colors. Check out the Rember screenshots I uploaded to Amazon.

RELIABILITY, VALUE & SUPPORT
The timing for the CMSA8GX3M2A1066C7 is 7-7-7-20, which is the same as the kits offered by the other manufacturers. So then why would you consider the Corsair memory kit over the others? The most obvious is price. The Corsair kit has a very competitive street price. Did you know that Apple charges $400 for an 8GB memory kit?!

What might be less obvious is that the Corsair kit has been tested at Apple's compatibility lab. This ensures that the memory you buy has actually been tested to work with Apple's products. Though I'm sure that kits by other manufacturers have been tested for compatibility, the fact that Corsair went through the trouble of testing their memory at Apple, provides extra peace of mind and tells me that Corsair is willing to go the extra mile for their customers.

Additionally, Corsair's top notch support is always something to consider. Sure, like Corsair, many memory makers provide lifetime warranties, but how good is their support and how simple is the RMA process? If your Corsair memory goes bad, getting a replacement takes just a few short steps and their turnaround time is very reasonable. If you're in a hurry, you can even request an advance replacement (provided that you give them a credit card #, just in case you don't return the defective memory).

CONCLUSION
You can buy memory for your Mac from anybody, but why would you? You'd might as well get it from a company known for high-performance, reliable memory, who actually tested their memory at Apple's lab. The 8GB Corsair Mac memory kit is a terrific value and I recommend it to anyone looking to maximize their Mac's performance without sacrificing reliability or top notch support.

* Review sample provided by Corsair.

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Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM Lens

Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM Lens..

Grab Now Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM Lens By Canon

Most helpful customer reviews

276 of 287 people found the following review helpful.
At long last, a Canon pancake lens for SLRs.
By Rick
"Pancake" lenses have always had an appeal to SLR shooters. Their dimunitive size and weight, as well as overall simplicity, make them ideal as walkaround lenses, and many find the focal length of 40mm (give or take a few mm) much to their liking for general photography. Contax, Pentax, Nikon and other manufacturers have produced their offerings throughout the modern photographic era. Panasonic and Olympus have pancake lenses for their micro 4/3 lenses. For some mysterious reason, Canon has remained silent on the issue since 1965, when it produced the FLP 38/2.8 for a limited time. Until now. Let the celebration begin.

I had the pleasure of owning the Pentax and Contax Zeiss lenses in the days of film. I loved them both, and they were never far from reach. When I bought Canon dSLRs, due to lack of any Canon pancake lens being available, I adapted both the Contax Zeiss and the Pentax pancakes to work on my 5D, 5D2 and 40D. Of course, this arrangement has serious limitations, as both the autofocus and the aperture have to be set manually, making for a slow, awkward shooting experience. At very long last, Canon has brought its own pancake lens to market, in the form of the EF 40/2.8 STM.

It is strikingly small and light, and if you've never seen or experienced a pancake lens before, you're likely to wonder how a lens can be so small and even work on full framed dSLRs. Despite its size, there is pleasing build quality to be found. Built nothing like the EF 50/1.8 II, there is a metal lens mount and a solid lens barrel, short as it is. Canon was barely able to fit the AF/MF switch on the barrel, the barrel is so short. I would compare build quality to the EF 50/1.4. Aesthetically, the 40 has a sex appeal all of its own. There's always been something about those pancakes and they way they look and feel. Canon certainly does not disappoint here.

Optically, I have found the 40/2.8 to perform in excellent fashion. CA is well-controlled, I have not experienced problems with flare, and I do not have a hood attached. Center sharpness at f/2.8 is excellent, and I have uploaded a photo here to help demonstrate. Corners look very good as well. Color rendition is excellent, and bokeh is much to my liking.

Mechanically, the AF is fast, quiet and accurate, and the new STM focus stepping motor technology is employed here. I don't shoot video, so I couldn't care less about the lens being quiet for filming of video, but that may we a huge deal for those of you that do use the video features of your dSLR.

While Canon points out that this lens makes it possible to shoot more discretely, I suppose that's true to a point. But it's rather difficult to achieve shooting discretion when the lens is mounted to the larger non-Rebel Canon bodies, being the big black blobs that they are. However, the pancake design does make your shooting experience very pleasant in that there is not a long lens sticking outing of it. Combined with the weight reduction, the shooting experience with this lens mounted to your camera is bliss. I will be using it a lot as a walkaround, and for vacations.

A possible issue with this lens concerns its use with a cropped sensor camera body. The crop on the 1.6x bodies results in a 64mm effective focal length. I'm not sure how useful a 64/2.8 lens would be for most shooters. For me, that's not very useful. You may disagree. I'll vouch for the usefulness of this lens on a full frame body.

I highly recommend this lens, and at this price point, it's a no-brainer to click the Buy button.

Happy snaps!

198 of 209 people found the following review helpful.
Great Lens (Even Greater for Full-Frame Cameras)
By Cinnamon
Before going into the details of my review, I'd like to start off by saying...if you have the money on hand, you should immediately buy this lens. I am extremely pleased so far - this is a lightweight, yet solidly built, and extremely affordable performer. While two hundred bucks doesn't seem "affordable" at first, it delivers very solid results that you could expect from lenses that cost several times as much.

To give some background: I do shoot professionally, but got this lens mostly for personal use - I simply prefer the versatility of a zoom lens for professional work, although seeing the impressive results I might incorporate it for future assignments. I currently own two bodies, a 5D Mark II and a 7D. While my main lenses are high-end (the 24-105L, 70-200L 2.8 IS II, and 100mm Macro), since I started off with a Rebel series body I also am familiar with a lot of the cheaper lenses Canon sells, including the 50mm f/1.8. I really liked the 50 f/1.8 because of its convenient size - but by comparison to this lens, it now seems big!

I love this 40mm f/2.8 lens on both of my bodies, but find its focal range to be much more useful on a full-frame than crop-sensor body. Keep in mind that if you have a crop body, the effective focal length of this lens comes out to 64mm! Even at that length, you can still get impressive shots with beautiful bokeh, but in my experience 64mm was more inconvenient to work with than 40mm. I'd still recommend it for APS-C bodies though, because the image quality thus far has been very impressive.

PROS
* Very small lens, which allows for much more inconspicuous shooting if you want to blend into the background. This lens is tiny! Yes, mounted on a battery-gripped SLR you still stand out a bit, but not nearly as much as you do with most other lenses
* Very light - this is much more portable than any other lens I own. You could even carry it in a pocket.
* Great image quality. I really am impressed at the results based on the low price point
* Impressive build quality. This lens might be inexpensive, but it doesn't feel cheap.

CONS
* Hard to manually adjust focus. This is my only major gripe with this lens. It is doable, but it definitely takes getting used to. This is especially pronounced if you have big hands. That being said, I think the convenience of the small lens size makes up for this minor inconvenience.
* Yes, as some other reviewers have already mentioned, there is some vignetting wide open. This doesn't bother me too much as I find the vignetting to be acceptable, but some others might not like it even if it can be corrected in post-processing - it depends on personal preference

CONCLUSIONS
I will try to upload photos demonstrating this lens' ability in the next few weeks; in the meantime, some people have already added to the gallery here, and undoubtedly many pictures will start appearing on Flickr.

Some people will inevitably find the need to ask why I gave the lens 5 stars if there are some cons. For the price I paid for this lens, I am very happy with my results, and think the cons are outweighed by the pros. The size and weight of this lens are remarkable, and its optical performance is great for the price. Sure, you could compare this lens to much more expensive ones and find more shortcomings, but I think for most people's use, this lens is a terrific buy. The other reviewers thus far also seem to be happy with their purchase, which I think is a testament to the performance of this lens. I highly recommend you go for it!

167 of 184 people found the following review helpful.
Small in size but great in features and quality
By Gil De Sousa, LensTests-com
Please don't take the Amazon star rating too serious - every lens has its pros and cons that I wouldn't want to squeeze into a single one-dimensional figure...
A quick note about me: I have been into SLR cameras and lenses for more than 20 years - as a hobby in the beginning and professionally later. Maybe because of my technical background I started testing my own lenses quite a while ago. I have a (no longer so) little test lab of my own where I do 6 different image quality tests (after taking a lens out for a while).

Canon's first-ever "pancake" EF lens is a real treat. It's so small that it looks like a 20 mm extension ring rather than a lens and yet it feels solid as a rock and delivers very respectable image quality. It comes with Canon's stepping motor technology (STM) that allows continuous AF during video recording or live-view mode (when used with a hybrid CMOS AF system) and that gives the lens a fast, silent and accurate autofocus performance. The EF 40mm f/2.8 STM is best used for street and travel photography but can also make great portraits or other things. Its maximum aperture of f/2.8 is great but not good enough for available light photography (which requires even lower f-stops i.e. wider apertures) and I would have loved to have an image stabilizer - but of course that would have been very difficult to build into a 2.7" x 0.9" (68 mm x 23 mm) lens.

In regard to image quality the EF 40mm f/2.8 STM is really a high-end lens. The difference is most apparent if you compare it to a zoom lens but also amongst prime lenses of similar focal length the EF 40mm f/2.8 STM is a high performer. The resolution is great straight from f/2.8 both in the image center and corners. If you use a fullframe camera the EF 50mm f/1.4 USM is a little sharper and the EF 50mm f/1.8 II is about as sharp as the EF 40mm f/2.8 STM (compared at the same aperture). But if you shoot with an APS-C camera the EF 40mm f/2.8 STM easily outperforms both of those lenses (apparently it can cope better with the usually higher pixel density of APS-C cameras). It is roughly as sharp as the APS-C-only EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM (which is more than 3 times its size).

While the EF 40mm f/2.8 STM shows only very little distortion it does express some serious curvature of the focal plane ("field curvature") on a fullframe camera (none on an APS-C cam) but whether that's really visible in an actual image depends a lot on the subject you are shooting and the aperture you are using. Color fringes ("chromatic aberrations") in focused parts of the image ("transverse CA") are noticeable and so are the ones that occur in out-of-focus parts of the image ("axial CA"). On the good side, the nicely shaped aperture creates evenly smooth background blur but if you are bothered by corner shadows ("vignetting") be aware that the EF 40mm f/2.8 STM shows quite intense shadows up to about f/5.6 (with fullframe cameras).

Overall the image quality is quite astonishing for a lens that's as small as the EF 40mm f/2.8 STM and that comes at such a low price tag. This also means that from now on you can always have a decent f/2.8 prime lens with you that virtually needs no space in your camera bag!

Canon set out to create their first pancake lens and they did it the right way - combining great features with an incredibly small size at an acceptable price. I am sure many people will love the lens just for its size and the way it feels but even beyond that the EF 40mm f/2.8 STM has a lot to offer.

A much more detailed review of this lens together with all test shots, sample images and technical data is available on my website LensTests_com.

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