PlayStation 3 Dualshock 3 Wireless Controller (Blue)

PlayStation 3 Dualshock 3 Wireless Controller (Blue)..

Grab Now PlayStation 3 Dualshock 3 Wireless Controller (Blue) By Sony

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378 of 437 people found the following review helpful.
Tested on Playstation 1, 2, and 3 games - it works GREAT on all of them!
By The Matrix Fan
Well folks, now that the dust has settled from the Sony vs. Immersion lawsuit, Playstation 3 owners are finally able to feel the vibe again!

I purchased this controller today and I knew the only way to properly road-test it was on the game that made the Dualshock famous, Metal Gear Solid. After booting up the game, I walked down the hallway and got spotted by a guard. As he shouted, "WHO'S THAT?" the controller jumped in my hand - and I knew this was a smart purchase. As the guards shot at me, I felt the feedback of the bullets, just as I had 10 years ago on my Sony Playstation.

I picked out another old school Playstation game, Tenchu: Stealth Assassins. From Ayame's blades to Rikimaru's sword, each sword swipe and jump had excellent feedback.

Okay, so my Playstation games worked out. But what about my Playstation 2 library?

I popped in God of War, knowing I had to feel the swing of the Blades of Chaos. The controller vibrations felt a little lighter here, but the vibrations still occurred at the appropriate times.

Then I chose Incredible Hulk Ultimate Destruction. Who better to test a vibration controller than the Sultan of Smash? All the power jumps and smashes had the vibrations intact, but they still felt a little on the light side.

All right, so far I was two for two with my Playstation and Playstation 2 test subjects. But what about my Playstation 3 games? Could I possibly hit a trifecta?

I put in Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and I decided to jump right into a heated firefight. The controller gave me feedback while shooting weapons and getting hit by enemy fire, but I knew my purchase was justified when Drake was near death: I FELT THE DUALSHOCK 3 PULSING IN SYNCH WITH DRAKE'S HEARTBEAT. It's one thing to hear that noise and know he's near death, it's quite another to feel the pulse in my own hands.

Okay, so the feedback on the older games was there, but a little lighter than I remember. The reason? Well, when I decided to go wireless on my Playstation 2 system, I bought a Logitec Dualshock controller. It turns out, that controller takes two "AA" batteries, and the vibration motors inside the controller handles are slightly larger than the ones in the Dualshock 3. That's where I felt the difference.

The Dualshock 3 vibrations may be slightly less than the Logitec controller, but it doesn't require the purchase of batteries.
The Dualshock 3 may be slightly heavier than the SixAxis, but it doesn't take up any extra space at all.

Sure, the price is about $15 more than the SixAxis, but it's a worthy upgrade for the Playstation 3 gamer who kicks it old school as well as new school. The only other drawback is the lack of an additional USB cable - but we can use the one that came with the system itself.

So what's the final verdict?

Order it, plug it in, charge it up, and get ready for the inevitable downloads from the Playstation Store to make the older PS3 games Dualshock 3 compatible.

I wouldn't recommend a feedback peripheral without providing my own feedback...

Enjoy!

172 of 206 people found the following review helpful.
Get ready to rumble, even with PS 2 games!
By Sebastian Fernandez
I was already extremely happy with the Sixaxis controller, but I could not resist getting the DualShock 3. Not only do you get the rumble, but also, it feels much better in your hands, even for those games that do not use this feature. The rumble function is fun, but on top of that, it helps with gameplay, because "feeling" what is happening provides a lot more feedback than just watching how your character or car reacts to the environment.

The biggest surprise of all was that the rumble works with PS 2 games in the PS 3 system. I am currently playing through "God of War", a game which had the rumble capability in PS 2. I thought that it was unlikely that I was going to get this feature with this new controller in the PS 3, but it worked perfectly.

I know that having to buy a new controller and basically discard the one that came with the system is not the ideal situation, but I have to say this product is really worth shedding the extra bucks.

128 of 157 people found the following review helpful.
Should've been rumble from the start.
By The Gifted One
The Playstation 2's highly regarded DualShock 2 controller was considered by many to be the best videogame controller of all time. So when you've got a winning design there's no need to change anything. However, because of a legal battle with Immersion over rumble technology, Sony was forced to offer their Sixaxis controller without rumble. The Sixaxis had the same Dualshock design but it felt too lightweight and cheap. Thankfully the lawsuit has been settled and rumble has come back to the Playstation.

For the most part, the DualShock 3 is almost identical to its PS2 precessor. But it has all the features of the original Sixaxis controller in addition to rumble. The controller is still wireless, can be charged by plugging it into your PS3 (or PC), rumble is compatible with all PS1 and PS2 games, and the PS3 supports up to 7 controllers at the same time via bluetooth. Rumble in the DualShock 3 seems more responsive in regards to the location of its vibration depending on which side you get hit on during the games. I don't know if this is something in the design or if it's the developers doing it for the games but I welcome it.

All in all this is currently the best designed controller on the market right now. The PS2's DS2 was incredible so "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" applies here. I'll be enjoying rumble in my PS3 games from now on.

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Cooler Master NotePal X3 Laptop Cooling Pad with 200mm Blue LED Fan (R9-NBC-NPX3-GP)

Cooler Master NotePal X3 Laptop Cooling Pad with 200mm Blue LED Fan (R9-NBC-NPX3-GP)..

GET Cooler Master NotePal X3 Laptop Cooling Pad with 200mm Blue LED Fan (R9-NBC-NPX3-GP) By Cooler Master

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454 of 471 people found the following review helpful.
Cooler Master - The Best
By Vince
I didn't purchase this product through amazon but I wanted to add this review regardless as I often do use amazon to either purchase products or read reviews about products that I am interested in buying. I thought this review might help someone else out just as the many reviews I have read here over the years have helped me out on occasion. So here's my story.

I went into the store to get a laptop cooler for a laptop who's gpu runs very hot. I brought the laptop with me of course so that I could make sure whichever cooler I got would be the best fit and provide the best cooling to the affected area. The guy that was helping me was kind enough to let me try a few of them out right there in the store. I narrowed it down to two, this Cooler Master X-Slim and a Thermaltake Massive 23. While the Thermaltake looked very cool with its blue leds and seemed to be pretty well made, the Cooler Master was the winner. It cooled the laptop down a good 10 degrees more than the Thermaltake. Not to take anything away from the Thermaltake, it was also a very nice product, but I have been very satisfied with the products that I have gotten from Cooler Master and this is no exception. I am pleased with the peformance of the X-Slim. It is a great cooler for a great price.

P.S. There are two other things that I liked about this product, one is that the laptop fit very snugly on it, and two is that it has flip down tabs on the back with rubber feet, similar to what you would have on a keyboard for a desktop computer, so you could either lay it flat or have it on a slight incline.

79 of 84 people found the following review helpful.
Looks Nice/ Works Nice Too
By Shadow
i have gone through 3 other cooling pads, the coolermaster U2, the thermaltake massive, and this other unbranded one that had 2 big fans, well this looks a lot nicer then the thermal massive one, and it cools a looot better. the way the blue LED's light up the fan looks pretty sexy actually, now it is very big, and it isn't very portable, now if you don't care about looks then get the u2/u3, those fans are actually really strong and are a little more quite then the fan on this one, they basically cool the same though, its just the base isn't as nice. Some people say they have a laptop slipping problem but mine doesn't slip off... also the "palm cooler" dosn't really blow out too much air, but it keeps the hands a little bit cool, especially if your laptop gets hot... but overall the product is really nice, a little pricey but good non the less

edit/week 2
-well some things i have noticed in the past week, the first think is the serial number sticker came right off, the rubber feet on the bottom of the laptop are unsticking and are somewhat fallng apart, and now when i have it on full with my laptop on it makes a weird sound... im sure it is fine but the sound scares me

edit/week 4
-well i have noticed that the fan is actually supposed to make that sound when it is on full blast so that's fine, also the rubber feet aren't glued on the bottom they are actually clipped on in some way so that's why it looked like it was unsticking, i have moved it around a lot and it still works great, but another thing thing bad that i noticed was that it makes a nasty burning plastic smell, i don't know if its just because it blowing the hot air and it just smells like it or not, but whatever, also the metal top on it is actually getting quite slippery, when it is at the normal angle it is fine, but when you raise it with the pegs it slips very slowly down it, which is quite dangerous, overall i'm happy with this product, Definitely the best laptop cooler i have used

i would also like to add how well the fan works so here are the temperature of my CPU's 4 cores (in Fahrenheit)

W/O Fan (Regular Use)
Core 1- 100-110
Core 2- 93-109
Core 3- 97-109
Core 4- 104-112

W/ Fan (Regular Use)
Core 1- 93-102
Core 2- 84-100
Core 3- 90-102
Core 4- 93-106

as you can see in terms of everyday regular use like watching videos on youtube or just surfing the web it did keep the laptop about an average of 8 degrees cooler

W/O Fan (Gaming Use)
Core 1- 156-176
Core 2- 154-174
Core 3- 153-174
Core 4- 151-180

W/ Fan (Gaming Use)
Core 1- 140-163
Core 2- 135-158
Core 3- 140-165
Core 4- 140-172

As you can see the fan does help when you are hardcore gaming, keeping it around an average of 10 degrees cooler, which is significant

I would also like to add that this is not very comfortable on the lap with the back pegs sticking out, but with its regular position it feels okay, overall i lowered the rating to a 3 because this basically cools a little better thn the u2 that i had bought for 12 bucks, the only difference is that this cooler looks very cool and works when its on the lap, i will update this review next week as well if there are any other problems that arise

edit/ i have done some more tests on how well the fan works, i have updated the above information

115 of 127 people found the following review helpful.
Excellent as a 'passive' cooling pad.
By 80sGuy
I've been using an Xpad Slim for some time but they were cheaply made and broke in less than a year. After months of looking for something similar I came across the Coolermaster X-Pal. I received it today and out of the box it works just the same 'passively' except it also gives me the option to turn on a fan. Although the X-Pal is a bit thicker, quality is much better and the mesh surface is flat all across thus gripping my 17.3" laptop a lot better compared to the X-Pad slim -- which is 'arched' up on the center of the pad and makes my laptop spin around. The 'passthrough' USB-powered fan is approximately 6 inches in diameter and housed inside the center of a heavy-duty plastic base. There are also multiple cooling vents on all angles from the bottom and sides. The USB plug is neatly tucked away flushed underneath to the base, and the cord is managed and conceals in the same manner. This is excellent for someone (like me) who chooses not to power the fan as often and uses the pad as passive cooling. The only time I use the fan is when I do home video renderings with Sony Vegas Movie Studio, this will help cool my CPU and Memory modules. Depending on your type of machine (I have Dell XPS17 w/ Intel Corei7, 8GB RAM), under normal usage with the fan on, this helped cool my laptop on average of about 4-6 Celsius during normal tasks....and I'm ready for summer!

The good:

- Quiet! You can hear the air but not the fan, and the air passes 100% through the meshed surface.
- USB power plug/cable conceals neatly without any obstruction.
- Very lightweight
- Tilt-able

The negatives:

- There are not enough internal support for the fan in between the mesh grill surface and bottom base. The fan is sandwiched between them and has less than 2mm of play reaching the surface. If the fan is turned on, it can easily be pushed upwards while moving around which can cause it to scrape the inner upper surface and produces a pretty nasty grind.

- The X-Pal itself has an overall rounded edge and corner design, but there ARE sharp protrusions stemming from the USB pass-through plug. The edges from the female end of the plug is not as sharp per se but the corners of it are very pointy which can give you a 'kitty scratch' if your hands are accidentally swiped. This can also damage your fabric or upholstery if not you're not careful. Again, I'm not worried because I will not be using the feature as much.

Overall this is an excellent product, so far it has served my purposes and I'm happy to have purchased it.

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Corsair Vengeance K70 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard - Black/Cherry MX Blue (CH-9000066-NA)

Corsair Vengeance K70 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard - Black/Cherry MX Blue (CH-9000066-NA)..

Buy Corsair Vengeance K70 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard - Black/Cherry MX Blue (CH-9000066-NA) By Corsair

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114 of 115 people found the following review helpful.
Beautiful keyboard, buttery smooth key movement
By erikiksaz
From an aesthetics view, Corsair just gets it. Simple designs with high quality materials. In this case, I purchased the black aluminum version with the red backlight (unfortunately there's no blue backlight option for the black housing). Unlike its competitors, who often use overly aggressive or pseudo-futuristic designs, Corsair opts for sophistication. I prefer computer peripherals that are not marketed towards tweens.

And this aluminum keyboard is definitely not priced for tweens. I bought mine from corsair directly, so you're paying ~130 before any taxes or shipping. It's expensive for sure, but for being full mechanical and being of such high build quality, to me it's worth it.

Now, the PROS:

-Keys are buttery smooth. I'm currently using an older Razer Tarantula with membrane keys and the difference is HUGE. The K70 only requires slight, even pressure to actuate the keys. My old tarantula took a bit more force and the actuation was gummy instead of smooth and light like the K70.

-Wrist rest is MUCH better than the old K60. The K70 wrist wrest is like the old K90, it's as wide as the keyboard with a slight inclination. I've used the K60 in stores and the wrist wrest was too high relative to the keyboard and forced you to place to keyboard too far away from the edge of your desk due to it's front-back length.

-Individual key backlighting. You hit the backlight program button, then select the keys you want lit, and done. Simple.

UPDATE 4/27/13:

Reactive key lighting. Turning this feature on is not in the quick start guide (and mine didn't come with a manual). To turn it on, hold down the right control button and the backlight on-off button at the same time. Now every key you hit will light up temporarily. UPDATE 4/30/13. Reactive lighting is disabled every time you shut down the keyboard. Can't get it to stay on.

-Media controls and volume dial. The aluminum volume dial is GREAT, there's a perfect amount of resistance. I really wish my Logitech G500 had the same type of scrolling resistance. It's firm, unlike the loose-feeling scrolling of most computer mice. And you've got all your media controls in tow as well.

Cons:

-The pass-through USB female connector is a downgrade from the K60. The K60 female USB plug was NOT flush with the back of the keyboard, it was on a slightly lifted off island on the back of the unit, which made it easy to find. The K70 female USB port is somewhat flush with the rest of the keyboard = more difficult to find. There is a little bit of a notch to the right of the connector to help guide you, but it's still not completely separate like it was on the K60. I personally don't use the pass through either way, but would see this being more of a minor nuisance (and downgrade).

-In the mean time, availability. I purchased mine at corsair, which released it first. I believe NCIX has them in stock, and Newegg should as of this review's posting date. Other than that, good luck finding it.

Cons (update after 2 days of use):

-With full key backlighting, everything looks great except for keys that have symbols above them. Namely the numeric keys above the letters. The backlight illuminates the symbols 100% due to the positioning of the LED, but the actual numbers are only about 30% lit. To me it's not that detracting from the appeal, but it is a shame that it was overlooked. Note, this only applies to the 1-0 keys above the letters. For some odd reason the numeric pad on the right doesn't have this problem.

Undetermined:

-It's still new so the quality and durability of the lettering on the keys is yet to be determined. I'll update if any discernible fading is noticed.
-I've also ordered some 50A o-rings to see if they dampen the bottoming out of the keys. I'm hoping to shorten the strokes of the keys, I don't really mind the mild clack from the key bottoming out on the aluminum backplate.

UPDATE 5/1/13:

-The 50A orings from amazon are in (Buna O-Ring, 50A Durometer, Round, Black. I installed them on the central keys of the keyboard. Easy install, look up the older K60 keyboard on corsair.com for an install video, then insert each oring on the underside of the key. I just used a pen to push the oring deep into the key.
-Technical data states that cherry reds take 2mm to actuate from the upper position, then another 4mm to bottom out after the actuation point. Installing these orings makes it feel about 2mm on both sides of actuation.

-Ok, so enough of the technical mumbo jumbo. These orings make the keyboard feel GREAT. The movement of the keys was always super smooth, but the problem was that after activation, the amount of travel to bottom out felt VERY long (it's the 2mm vs 4mm discrepancy that you feel). With the orings, the whole key travel is shortened. In essence it feels like my old tarantula's short-travel keys (which is a positive thing!). Travel to actuation is exactly equal to actuation to bottoming out.

-As for bottom out, you don't hear the loud *clack* of plastic upon aluminum anymore, it is much more muted with the orings. If not having orings equaled a clack of 100 points of loudness, installing orings literally halves the noise to 50. Bottoming out the keys is no longer the loudest aspect of the keyboard. When the keys rebound into their upper position, there's another *clack* noise, but this one is ~70ish points of loudness relative to the original bottoming out noise. This rebounding noise is much more livable, I don't think your significant others in the next room will complain.

-And I type more accurately/faster with the shortened throw of the keys, which is what this thing is meant for, hah.

UPDATE 5/2/13:

I just finished replacing all the larger keys (enter, shift, space), and I found out that Corsair is AWESOME, they did away with the stabilizer bars. So, in order to pop these keys off, you just center the key remover and pull. No need to fuss around with the steel bar that's under other cherry red keyboards. +1 for Corsair for easy key cap replacement.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful.
The Perfect Keyboard for gaming...!
By Mu'ath Mohammed
The Perfect keyboard. Excuse my grammar mistakes .English is not my tongue language.

Pros:

+ the build quality is outstanding.
+ the look of this keyboard is one of the best I've ever seen, the red back-lights is sexy, the keyboard surface is luxuries. even the keys is a higher from the surface of any other keyboard that gives it more of an under glow effect which is amazing. Everything about the look is amazing.
+ the red cheery mx is awesome, it's a lot better than the regular (not mechanical) keyboard, Once you go mechanical you never go back :)
+ the rubbers below the keyboard is very very strong. It will not move from the ground without force.
+ the extra gaming keys (the red A W S D & 1 2 3 4 5 6 keys) & the "space" key has deferent texture for heavy using & also they're less slippier than the regular keys. & the amazing thing about them is that the "A,W,D & S" keys are curved so that you can find during the game easier without looking down. Also another great feature is that they come with a thing that make you switch those keys back & forth within few seconds.
+ it comes with a wrest rest that has a special texture that make it less slippier.
+ some other great features:
The sound scroll is awesome, the back-light has 3 different brightness levels, it also has windows key lock.

Cons:

- it works with 2 USBs .
- the keyboard wight is a bit heavy.

Important notes:
* This is the newer version of the previous one (the k60)
* this version is called k70, it comes with tow colors : black with red Leds, silver with blue back LEDs.
* the red extra keys come in both keyboards (the black & the silver).
* i think they're also available with a cherry mx blue & brown.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful.
Don't double think just buy...
By Uzumaki Karin
I always had my eye on this keyboard because of the material it is made of, and the color scheme. This keyboard did not disappoint me. Being able to choose what keys you want to light up on the fly is a amazing feature. ( One thing they should have done to make the keyboard even better, is to have to media keys light up with the rest of the keyboard) The volume rocker is a nice addition along with the very thick braided cable. MUST buy keyboard, Corsair doesn't disappoint.

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Blue Microphones Snowball USB Microphone (Brushed Aluminum)

Blue Microphones Snowball USB Microphone (Brushed Aluminum)..

Grab Now Blue Microphones Snowball USB Microphone (Brushed Aluminum) By Blue Microphones

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340 of 343 people found the following review helpful.
VERY nice mic
By Bob Tobias
I've been using this Mic a little over a month and am very impressed with it. What I want to do is add some value to the many reviews that have already been posted. But first, let's get past the obvious good points:

This thing looks way cool. It's a nice techno-retro mix that I really like. It sounds great (with one caveat mentioned below. The price is very reasonable. The build quality is solid. They evey provide a heavy duty USB cable. If you need a mic and are looking for tremendous value this will fit the bill.

The audio issue I had, and I'm not alone, is that while the quality is outstanding the output level is a tad low. I contacted Blue support and learned that a fix will be released soon. Until then it's a matter of speaking up a bit or turning up the gain on whatever audio processing software you're using.

Now, to address some issues raised by other reviewers... My mic was new stock, serial number 092xxx. I plugged it into my Windows 7 (64 bit) system and it "played" right away. The stand is fine. (If you want to replace it then the On Stage DS7200B Adjustable Desk Microphone Stand, Black seems like a nice option. However, I like being able to keep a pad of post-its on my desk below the stand :)

Finally, some suggestions. I've been using audacity, a free, feature rich audio editor. Windows recorder is fine and I can't see any reason not to use audacity instead. Also, while a replacement stand is a possible add-on to consider, you should first look into a pop filter. I use the Nady MPF-6 6-Inch Clamp On Microphone Pop Filter If you check out my audio/video review which accompanies the product listing (it's somewhere near the top) you can hear a comparison of the Snowball with and without the filter. You even get a chance to guess which is which before I tell you.

Another small issue besides the slightly attenuated output is the selector switch. There's a three position switch that allows you to select cardioid (directional), -10db cardioid, or omni-directional. Unfortunately it's labeled 1, 2, and 3. I wish the manufacture had done a better job of labeling that switch.

One final comment is it would have been nice to have an analog output available. I'm no engineer (actually, I am but not that kind) and don't know if it's possible. However, if it was it would be nice to have.

Those minor issues and my hallucination about the analog output aside, this is one fine mic and you would have to spend lots more to get something even approaching this level of quality.

UPDATE: I've been using this mic for several months and continue to be impressed. One "enhancement" I've used and suggest you consider is to replace the really nice looking stand with one that I've found works a bit better: On Stage DS7200B Adjustable Desk Microphone Stand, Black. It allows the mic to be raised a bit higher and also locks in place much more firmly.

UPDATE 2: I've also started using a Blue Microphones Yeti USB Microphone. My review for it, a few down from the top, provides a comparison between the Snowball and the more-expensive Yeti.

BTW, I feel that honest, effective reviews can take the place of first-hand experiences that are lacking in online shopping. I've always appreciated the help I've received from other reviewers and work hard to return the favor as best as I can. I hope you found this review helpful and if there was anything you thought was lacking or unclear leave a comment and I'll do what I can to fix it.

870 of 902 people found the following review helpful.
Impressive
By Robert Taylor
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3A3NPEGALRHJK Always hold it close to your mouth to eliminate echo and get that deep, rich satin voice you're looking for!

441 of 464 people found the following review helpful.
Blue Snowball USB Microphone Review
By Michael D. Normington
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3CV80WS11R2Q8 Blue Microphones Snowball USB Microphone Bundle

This video demonstrates how the Blue Snowball microphone sounds and its different modes.

I have read some reviews that stated that the microphone had problems working with Vista. I did this review on a Vista PC. There is a product FAQ for this mic on [...] that states that after a certain serial number (starting in 2007) the mic was updated and now supports Vista. I can attest to that as I had no problems setting it up. I just plugged it in and it worked.

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Wahoo Blue HR Heart Rate Monitor for iPhone and Android

Wahoo Blue HR Heart Rate Monitor for iPhone and Android..

Grab Now Wahoo Blue HR Heart Rate Monitor for iPhone and Android By Wahoo Fitness

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142 of 147 people found the following review helpful.
Wahoo Blue review
By frmark
My 1st review after careful deliberation
After careful consideration of the reviews, I decided to try this device on my I phone 4s. I had been to both the web-site and multiple sites reviewing this product. I decided to order through amazon because I can just return the product if it doesn't work. I am training with coach for 2 Iron man races in 2013. Heart rate stuff important. reviews made me very cautious. I did double check all sources to make sure I have an I phone 4S as described on wahoo blue site. This is important.
GOAL
My goal was to be able to utilize my Iphone 4S to capture heart rate information, training zones, cadence, speed, etc. and to upload to my training peaks account online. I already use multiple APPS to get most information. My dilemma, Buy new Garmin watch or use I-phone 4S (either Ant+ or Bluetoothe). Decided to use bluetoothe and return if it does not work. I decided I would try just the heart rate monitor and see how it goes, then move onto the Speed/cadence later if all goes well. If it doesnt work, I could just return and not waist alot of time. Thanks Amazon.
SHIPPING
Shipping was very fast thru amazon prime..... in 2 days.
SETUP...easy
The product came in a box with few instructions (Slight negative), so I did go to the website to make sure that I followed the directions on the wahoo blue site [...] then followed link to "BLUE HR getting started guide" near the bottom of the page.
Next,
I went to the apple I-store and downloaded the wahoo fitness app prior to trying anything. Wet the transducer, put on the strap, and opened the Wahoo fitness app and followed the directions. this is the sequence... Run settings, heart rate, add a new device. and it paired. back to start page.....push GREEN (get ready) and the heart rate was displayed and it was working. Similar process with Endomondo pro.
Adjustable strap comfortable and adjustable. electrode pads stand out from the rest of strap, easy to wet.
HEART RATE INFO
I a drawer full of Heart rate straps, wore the Wahoo Blue heart rate monitor at the same time as my Polar FT1 and FT4 Coded on multiple 6-8-10 mile runs and 25 mile rides. Virtually identical information with both. Max on the Blue was 2 beats more than the Polar 1 and same on Polar FT4 coded. Average Heart rate the same on all. Have not worn this in the pool. Zones change smoothly and quickly. no lag time with heart rate changes.
UPLOAD
I found that the App that you use will determine upload to training peaks. With Endomondo, when you finish the workout, you must go to the website and upload from Endomondo. With Wahoo fitness you are given the option to upload each workout from either the iphone from workout history or at the end of the workout. Both are very easy. This is nice but will upload to a bunch of other apps also.
Not all apps worked with the Blue HR, some apps do not work. Sport-tracker does not work, you must use their heart rate strap. Conclusion is that some apps work and some do not, but I think that each app may or may not work, double check the list on the website for training peaks and wahoo blue. I know that Wahoo fitness does work. All data including heart rate zones uploaded along with maps and data. Conclusion, the apps control this heart rate monitor. Make sure the app you use is listed with wahoo blue Compatible Apps: Wahoo Fitness, MotionX-GPS, RunKeeper, Runmeter, Cyclemeter, MapMyRUN, MapMyRIDE, 321run, Endomondo, and more!
BATTERY USE
Been using for 2 weeks now, no problems.
All heart rate zones transferred to training peaks. Went on a 2 hour run yesterday and started at 80% battery on the I-Phone 4S. Turned off WiFi and closed all apps except both Endomondo and Wahoo Fitness. Left Blue tooth on obviously. Listened to music, had a 10 minute call while running, and had a set of headphones plugged into I-phone, I also turn off the display most of the time. Battery left after 2 hours.....65% (15% battery Usage). Did another similar 2 hour run and left the display on the entire time and I used 28% of battery over 2 hours . Conclusion, blue tooth isn't using much battery, screen monitor does.
CONCLUSION
I will move onto the Speed/Cadence and see how that works. So far very pleased with this heart rate monitor. Do not need to pair each time. once it is set up it seems to work. Have also used simultaneously with a Bluetooth headset, all works well. 2 Bluetooth devices at once. So far.....I liika dis.
Hope this helps

70 of 73 people found the following review helpful.
All of the good and bad reviews are correct!
By PrimeAddict
Right off the bat, I'll say YES it was an "out of the box failure." But I'm rating it good anyway.

First things first - it came out of the box with a dead battery. Oops. Yeah, that's a bummer, maybe they got a bad batch of batteries from Sony or maybe these have been sitting on a shelf too long. Fortunately I have a drawer full of CR2032 cells for various other devices, so replacing the battery was a simple matter.

Upon inserting a new battery, it IMMEDIATELY paired with the open Wahoo Utility app on my iPhone 4S.

Now for the other weird stuff. I hope this can save others some confusion. And I blame this not on Wahoo or the device, but on Apple's implementation of Bluetooth 4.0 or possibly on the BT4 standard itself.

BT4 devices need to be paired not with the DEVICE, but with the APPLICATION. So logically, once it was paired with the Wahoo Utility app, I switched to the Wahoo Fitness app. It wouldn't pair. Because the Wahoo Utility was still sitting in the background, paired with the heartrate monitor. I had to pull up the task switcher on my iPhone, KILL the Wahoo Utiility app, and then try pairing again with the Wahoo Fitness app, and it worked immediately.

Same thing happened when I tried pairing with Runkeeper. Because the Wahoo Fitness app was still maintaining a connection in the background, the app had to be killed before Runkeeper would pair. But ultimately, it did pair, and once paired it was accurate and responsive.

The device works fine, but the technology is not intuitive, and Wahoo does a poor job of providing documentation or support, which prevents me from giving a 5 star review. But with a little bit of effort, I think this is still the best option for someone looking to integrate a heartrate monitor with their iPhone-based workout tracking routine.

If you buy one and have trouble with pairing, first make sure you're wearing the monitor - if it's not on your chest, it's probably asleep. Next, try swapping batteries. Next try killing any apps which have attempted to pair with it. Next try restarting your iPhone. If it doesn't work after that, send it back!

87 of 93 people found the following review helpful.
Very Nice, but I Prefer the Polar H7
By Joseph
Summary: This is a nice bluetooth heart rate monitor that uses the low energy bluetooth standard to communicate with the iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, or 3rd generation iPad. It's a great choice, particularly if you like Wahoo's free fitness app. However, after trying this unit and the similar Polar H7 Bluetooth Smart Heart Rate Sensor, I personally prefer the Polar. I'll break down some of the similarities and differences so that you can make your own choice.

1. Fit: The Wahoo unit is an elastic belt with a snap on each side, plus a small transmitter. You dampen the contact points on the belt, wrap it around your chest, then snap each side into one side of the transmitter, which then holds the belt closed. (It's hard to describe, but the belt doesn't literally connect - it as a gap which is bridged by the transmitter.) The belt has two slides that let you size it to fit, and is comfortable. I like that you can unhook the transmitter to turn the belt off, which saves power -- in older HRMs, the transmitter was built in and did not turn off until the belt lost contact.

The Polar unit is similar, except that the belt has a hook that holds it closed, then you snap the unit onto the belt after that. (Again, it's hard to describe, but with the Polar, the belt itself goes all the way around your chest and connects with a bra-strap style hook on the side. The transmitter then clips on top of the belt.)

Result: Tie - both units are comfortable and work well.

2. Compatibility: Both units use low energy bluetooth, which saves power, but is only built into the newest generation of devices. They both work fine with my iPhone 4S and my 3rd generation iPad, and are both rated compatible with the iPhone 5. (Some of the reviewers have complaints about the Polar's compatibility with some iPhone uses, but I've never had a problem).

Unfortunately, neither one is rated as compatible with android or windows devices, even if those devices have low energy bluetooth built in. That's unfortunate, and I hope that it gets resolved soon. (A few people have reportedly gotten the Polar to work in limited cases, and the Wahoo might too, but I would not count on it without a lot of research.)

The Polar does win on one compatibility issue -- it also transmits standard HRM data on a 5 gz band. As a result, it will show your heart rate on gym equipment that accepts standard HRM data, and works with my basic Polar watch, my rowing machine, etc. (In fact, maybe it works too well -- last week at the gym, it put my HR on my machine AND on my neighbor's!) I haven't been able to get the Wahoo monitor to show up on any of my non-bluetooth receivers, so if backwards compatibility is important to you, take a look at the Polar.

Result: Slight advantage to the Polar on backwards compatibility.

3. Apps: In my tests, both the Wahoo and the Polar work with Runkeeper. I don't have Endomondo, but understand they both work with that too. If you prefer one of those apps, then it's a wash. However, Wahoo's app works with Wahoo (obviously), and Digifit currently works only with Polar. I like Digifit a lot, so I prefer the Polar on this element, but your preference will obviously affect your vote. (Note that it costs a few dollars to activate cardio monitoring in Digifit, while the Wahoo app is free, but IMHO it's worth it).

Result: Depends on your app preference.

4. Price: The price of both units is likely to vary over time, so I'll let you do the comparison. As of the time of this review, the Polar is slightly less expensive, even if you are going to buy the full version of Digifit, but definitely check before you make your decision.

Summary: This is a great unit for a user with a newer iOS device, especially if you like the Wahoo app. The Polar H7 is a very close competitor though, so your choice will probably come down to which app you like better.

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Blue Microphones Snowball USB Microphone (Gloss Black)

Blue Microphones Snowball USB Microphone (Gloss Black)..

Buy Blue Microphones Snowball USB Microphone (Gloss Black) By Blue Microphones

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340 of 343 people found the following review helpful.
VERY nice mic
By Bob Tobias
I've been using this Mic a little over a month and am very impressed with it. What I want to do is add some value to the many reviews that have already been posted. But first, let's get past the obvious good points:

This thing looks way cool. It's a nice techno-retro mix that I really like. It sounds great (with one caveat mentioned below. The price is very reasonable. The build quality is solid. They evey provide a heavy duty USB cable. If you need a mic and are looking for tremendous value this will fit the bill.

The audio issue I had, and I'm not alone, is that while the quality is outstanding the output level is a tad low. I contacted Blue support and learned that a fix will be released soon. Until then it's a matter of speaking up a bit or turning up the gain on whatever audio processing software you're using.

Now, to address some issues raised by other reviewers... My mic was new stock, serial number 092xxx. I plugged it into my Windows 7 (64 bit) system and it "played" right away. The stand is fine. (If you want to replace it then the On Stage DS7200B Adjustable Desk Microphone Stand, Black seems like a nice option. However, I like being able to keep a pad of post-its on my desk below the stand :)

Finally, some suggestions. I've been using audacity, a free, feature rich audio editor. Windows recorder is fine and I can't see any reason not to use audacity instead. Also, while a replacement stand is a possible add-on to consider, you should first look into a pop filter. I use the Nady MPF-6 6-Inch Clamp On Microphone Pop Filter If you check out my audio/video review which accompanies the product listing (it's somewhere near the top) you can hear a comparison of the Snowball with and without the filter. You even get a chance to guess which is which before I tell you.

Another small issue besides the slightly attenuated output is the selector switch. There's a three position switch that allows you to select cardioid (directional), -10db cardioid, or omni-directional. Unfortunately it's labeled 1, 2, and 3. I wish the manufacture had done a better job of labeling that switch.

One final comment is it would have been nice to have an analog output available. I'm no engineer (actually, I am but not that kind) and don't know if it's possible. However, if it was it would be nice to have.

Those minor issues and my hallucination about the analog output aside, this is one fine mic and you would have to spend lots more to get something even approaching this level of quality.

UPDATE: I've been using this mic for several months and continue to be impressed. One "enhancement" I've used and suggest you consider is to replace the really nice looking stand with one that I've found works a bit better: On Stage DS7200B Adjustable Desk Microphone Stand, Black. It allows the mic to be raised a bit higher and also locks in place much more firmly.

UPDATE 2: I've also started using a Blue Microphones Yeti USB Microphone. My review for it, a few down from the top, provides a comparison between the Snowball and the more-expensive Yeti.

BTW, I feel that honest, effective reviews can take the place of first-hand experiences that are lacking in online shopping. I've always appreciated the help I've received from other reviewers and work hard to return the favor as best as I can. I hope you found this review helpful and if there was anything you thought was lacking or unclear leave a comment and I'll do what I can to fix it.

870 of 902 people found the following review helpful.
Impressive
By Robert Taylor
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3A3NPEGALRHJK Always hold it close to your mouth to eliminate echo and get that deep, rich satin voice you're looking for!

441 of 464 people found the following review helpful.
Blue Snowball USB Microphone Review
By Michael D. Normington
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3CV80WS11R2Q8 Blue Microphones Snowball USB Microphone Bundle

This video demonstrates how the Blue Snowball microphone sounds and its different modes.

I have read some reviews that stated that the microphone had problems working with Vista. I did this review on a Vista PC. There is a product FAQ for this mic on [...] that states that after a certain serial number (starting in 2007) the mic was updated and now supports Vista. I can attest to that as I had no problems setting it up. I just plugged it in and it worked.

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Cooler Master NotePal X2 Laptop Cooling Pad with 140mm Blue LED Fan (R9-NBC-4WAK-GP)

Cooler Master NotePal X2 Laptop Cooling Pad with 140mm Blue LED Fan (R9-NBC-4WAK-GP)..

Buy Cooler Master NotePal X2 Laptop Cooling Pad with 140mm Blue LED Fan (R9-NBC-4WAK-GP) By Cooler Master

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1071 of 1099 people found the following review helpful.
Really Cool!
By Johnny thunder
Currently, I own a 2008 Dell Latitude E6400, which always gets the "blue screen of death" from over-heating. Keep in mind, I often crossed my legs on my lap, allowing sufficient airflow to the cooling vent. I honestly thought notebook coolers were a niche product. Having had experience with the awful Targus PA248U1 Chill Mat, I had virtually given up on a notebook cooler being able to solve my alarming heat problem. However, I perused Amazon's site for a few hours and did my homework. I soon discovered the criteria that my prospective cooler needed to fit:

-College student's meager budget
-Solve severe laptop over-heating problem
-Style wasn't important. An ugly/effective cooler is better than vice versa.
-Casual web-surfing/movie-watching/paper-writing use. I don't need a gaming cooler, since I don't leave my laptop on for like 6-8 hours at a time.
-Ability to be used on the lap. I do lots of homework on the couch at my school's study lounge.
-Good Warranty when Amazon's return period expires
-Preferably one fan
-Preferably with an extra USB port
-Preferably a company that specializes in desktop/laptop cooling
-Most important: Something that will LAST a long time, more than 1 year.

Front-Runners

-Zalman NC-300U
-One fan, not-bulky, great workmanship, extra USB ports and fan control...man this had it all! While the price was a bit of a stretch (I still could have afforded it), it did not look lap-friendly at all.

-Antec "Classic" Cooler
-The three year warranty and trustability on the market since 2003 was really, REALLY tempting. However, the sole reason I did not choose this was that the wire adaptor looked very flimsy.

-X-Pad
-No fans, no electricity, cheap price, highly durable, effective rubber stoppers and beating out other coolers in a Cnet.com test made this very tempting! However, I have heard the customer service is non-responsive, the new rubber stinks and some users have reported the heat is transferred to their legs. Most of all, cooling ability depends on the laptop's design. Since my laptop's vent is on the side and not on in the center, I was skeptical. By the way, here is the link to that Cnet.com test:
[...]

-Thermaltake Massive23 LX
-This, in my opinion, was the most similar to my final decision. However, it looked really bulky and didn't seem suitable for lap use.

-Targus Lap Chill Mat AWE55US
-I really wanted to give Targus another chance, no hard feelings. It looked really roomy! However, it was reputed to not last longer than a year. After looking at the price against the reliability, I decided against it

-Cooler Master Notepal U2
-While the fan-positioning, price and #1 best-selling status made this a front-runner, I decided against this for 3 reasons: the fans weren't known to last long, the wiring was exposed and it wasn't good for lap use

-Logitech Cooling Pad N100
-The silent operation, rear-intake and how it was designed specifically for the lap was really tempting. However, the material looked flimsy, it was reviewed to not last long and the airflow was not adjustable. I needed a really strong fan.

First Impressions

When I opened to box, I was immediately struck by how much sturdier, classier and compact it looks in person. I was reading the reviews and I noticed some say its bulky, but for my needs, I don't find this an issue. I carry a leather briefcase in addition to my laptop backpack, so I'll just stick this in there so it doesn't get crushed.

Performance

I used a free program called CPUID Hardware Monitor to record the temperature with and without the cooler.

Without and wireless on (casual web surfing): 108 Degrees Fahrenheit
With (high speed) and wireless on (watching movie online): 100 Degrees Fahrenheit
With (high speed) and wireless on (casual web surfing): 98 Degrees Fahrenheit
With (high speed) and wireless off: 94 Degrees Fahrenheit

Pros

-The aluminum "mesh belly" dissipates heat effectively. I'd also imagine that it would make using a can of compressed air easy.
-Cool Light-up effect. Not only does it look space-age, but it lets you know that the cooler is on.
-On/Off Switch. As I have been told, this is more valuable than you think because detaching the USB cord while the fan is on could possibly shorten the cooler's life. I would turn it off first before disconnecting it
-Fan Control. Its stiff (indicating great build-quality) and responsive. At a touch or two below max level, it's still very quiet!
-Having one large fan instead of two smaller ones is rather nice. Not only is it quieter, but distributes heat evenly. Even though my laptop's main vent is located on the left side (as opposed to the "windier" center of the cooler), it still cools very well!
-Pop-out legs for height adjustment
-2 USB ports, one to connect your laptop and one to replace the USB port you gave up connecting this cooler. That means you don't give up any USB ports at all to connect this cooler to.
-Detachable USB cord is well-constructed. If you don't want to use up your laptop's battery, you can plug in the USB cord into an MP3/Cell phone charger.
-Unlike some other (especially more high-end) notebook coolers on the market, this can be used comfortably on the lap. While it does not have a mesh underside, the plastic is surprisingly comfortable and does not conduct any heat to my legs.
-1 year warranty

Cons

-Doesn't look easy to take apart to really clean inside the nook and crannies.
-Perforated edges don't hold my laptop securely. The crannies between my laptop and battery pack thankfully provide a good anchor to the cooler. A rubber stopper on the surface (like on the Cooler Master Notepal U2) or pop-up legs on the bottom (like on the Logitech Speaker Lap Desk N700) would have been nice.

To buy or not to buy...?

For day one, I'll let the performance speak for itself. However, I will keep you posted if anything arises.

Thanks for reading and good luck on your search!

211 of 214 people found the following review helpful.
Great cooler!
By Rebecca Beal
Unbelievable difference in temp!
My older HP was getting very hot to the touch on the top and bottom of the processor, my internal fan was running all the time, not any more.
My laptop stays on all day, I am an artist and have several programs running at the same time. I use a larger battery so I was concerned about the ergonomic design (elevation), its very comfortable, fits my 15" laptop just perfect.
The plastic seems very durable, and I appreciate the aluminium screen(grate)for its great air flow, the fan does blow up onto the bottom of the laptop. No sliding problem with the rubber feet on the bottom of my laptop.
Really quiet fan, even when I keep it on high.
I would highly recommend this product.

167 of 175 people found the following review helpful.
Does a great job
By Studio 1 Productions
This laptop cooler does a great job and the fan is VERY quiet.

This laptop fan blows air up onto the bottom of the laptop to keep it cool. While the fan doesn't blow a huge amount of air from the laptop cooler, it does blow out enough air to keep the laptop's temps lower than without it.

We used HWMonitor (a free program you can find on the web) to monitor the laptop temps. We notice a 7c to 9c temp drop of the CPU and a 6c temp drop of the hard drive.

Well worth the money.
[...].

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Xtraflex2 Led Book Light, Blue

Xtraflex2 Led Book Light, Blue..

GET Xtraflex2 Led Book Light, Blue By Mighty Bright

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617 of 623 people found the following review helpful.
For reading inthe dark, this is it.
By M. A. Reif
My wife who loves to read in bed after I have gone to bed, has tried many, many book lights over the years. The complaints have been many about each one, and pretty much the same. Small circle of light, have to move it from side to side to see good. So last Christmas I went on an internet hunt for the ideal book light. After a few days of research, I decided on this one for her. Now 7 months later she wants me to buy one for our daughter, and a spare for her (in case I lose or break it) cause she says could not live a night without it now. True story. It is bright and evenly covers an area of two pages of a large book without trouble, no hot spots. Seems to be the perfect book light. Battery life is excellent with the LED bulbs.

283 of 299 people found the following review helpful.
Mighty Bright is what is says: Might Bright, BUT...
By D. Bookwalker
I have to say that the Might Bright XtraFlex 2 is a wondefully bright light. If I position it correctly, it easily lights both pages for comfortable reading. It's so easy to adjust that there is never a problem getting the light where you want it. The price is great!

The problem arises when you turn the page or shift your own position. This light has a clip that does not secure well to the book. No matter how many pages you clip it to, it will swivel around and tip to the side. I get weary of righting it time and again. The clip is too bulky and I found myself missing the Itty Bitty Booklight that slips so nicely onto a back hard cover or a few pages of a soft cover, and then stays put. That is the only problem, but it's a substantial one when you're trying to read, thus the 3 stars. Right now, I'm hoping for a merger of the Itty Bitty and Might Bright. Perfect light and perfect clip!

86 of 92 people found the following review helpful.
Best Book/Crafts Light Ever
By Ray D. Thomson
New technology has led to the book or craft light that will be the end to all others.

Its incredibly bright--with no shadows--, lights both pages (no shadows), is by far the brightest light (maybe double), spots only onto the book (the room remains dark), completely flexable shaft so you can direct the light exactly on what you want, AND lasts 40 hours on 3 AAA batterys!

Like comparing a Corvette to a tricycle! See to beleive.

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Thermaltake Massive23 LX Laptop Notebook Cooler Oversized 230mm Blue LED Fan USB CLN0015

Thermaltake Massive23 LX Laptop Notebook Cooler Oversized 230mm Blue LED Fan USB CLN0015..

GET Thermaltake Massive23 LX Laptop Notebook Cooler Oversized 230mm Blue LED Fan USB CLN0015 By Thermaltake

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144 of 153 people found the following review helpful.
Going out after a little over a year!
By Rob
EDIT 9/26/2012:

After a little over a year this cooler started getting a bit noisy, and clunky on start up... LED's still work fine, but despite cleaning it out as best as possible quite frequently it seems that the fan is wearing out on it which of course is making it less effective.. I also started to have issues with the USB cord ends being quite wiggly when plugged in which TT said is normal and ok... I contacted them again about the fan possibly wearing out and they said I could send it to them for repair, but no refund of shipping costs or anything... Guess I'll try a different cooler!

Original:
This thing is ABSOLUTELY AWESOME! got it under my 17" laptop, and within an hour of running, my laptop was ice cold! It runs quieter than my laptop does, and the blue glow from underneath just gives it an extra kick of awesomeness! its a little smaller than my laptop, but I find this to be a perk as I can store it in my laptop case on the go, Before this product, I had a monstrous Belkin Laptop Cooling Lounge... While it was nice to have the Belkin for propping up higher on my lap, its cooling capabilities can't even compare to the Massive 23x! Absolutely recommend to any laptop user..I also love the extra USB port that it gives me, and the on/off switch for the fan and leds for when it gets to cool, or just don't want the lights on... Storage for the usb cord is very nice as well.. The only CON I can think of really, is the USB cord is a bit long... but I'm sure that will come in handy at some point..

51 of 51 people found the following review helpful.
Over 3 years now and this laptop cooler continues to cool my laptop!
By Amazon Customer
MARCH 2014 UPDATE: Seriously. It's been over 3 years and this unit still works.

OCTOBER 2012 UPDATE: It has been almost 2 years since I purchased this product and it continues to work great. Not as quiet as when it was new but after 2 years and operating 24 hrs a day, I did not expect it to last this long. So, I have gone from an original 4 star rating to now a 5 star rating.

ORIGINAL 2010 PURCHASE REVIEW: Before I purchased this cooler for my 17" HP Pavilion Entertainment Notebook PC, the lap top would just shut down on its own due to over heating after I had been using it for about an hour give or take. I have been using this cooler now for about a month and there have been only a few times where I have turned off my lap top and the cooler. Otherwise, they are both running 24 hrs a day. At first I didn't think it was going to work because when I turned it on I felt very little air movement. But to my surprise, not once has my lap top shut down on its own, nor do I about scorch my fingers on the exhaust vent on the lap top. In fact the lap top's own cooling fan hardly seems to ever turn on. The metal mesh gets very cool to the touch so that might also have an additional cooling effect on the lap top.

The unit looks very nice, with or without the blue LED lights on and is very quiet. The handles are a great feature.

There is only one reason I don't give it a 5 star. Sometimes I like to use my lap top in bed and therefore if I place it on my lap the intake vents under the unit are blocked by my blankets. So I use a traditional lap top rest to place the cooler on top to give it the space it needs underneath. No big deal to me but it would be nice to see this unit have its own base attached.

So, over all I am very pleased with this purchase and would definitely recommend this product to my friends. Oh, and by the way, delivery was fast. I ordered the cooler on a Sunday with regular shipping and received it by that Friday of the same week.

187 of 210 people found the following review helpful.
Great cooler and highly recomended for increased performance!
By Christian A Sutter
Updated (Please see bottom):

I have a Dell Studio 1535 Laptop. I've never pushed my laptop hardware to the limits before and it will still get really hot over time but not slow down. So then why would I need a laptop cooler? Well, about 6 months ago I purchased StarCraft II.

My laptop's specs:
4 GB 667MHz RAM
Intel Core 2 Duo T8100 2.1 GHz Dual Core CPU
ATI Radeon HD Mobility 3450 256MB GPU
1440x900 resolution
15.6" screen

When playing StarCraft II I needed to set everything onto low settings (shaders to low, all lighting to low, effects to low, physics off, textures to low, and run at 1280x800 resolution). Even with everything low, my laptop got blistering hot and the framerate would drop significantly to 20fps or lower in more taxing gameplay making the experience difficult to play. The heat was incredible as well. My hand rests left of the touchpad in order to hotkey and that location gets burning hot.

I realized I needed a cooler. I looked between the 3 different Thermaltake coolers at the time and decided on this one. I have my USB Hub connecting my printer, mouse, and other items plugged into one of the USB ports on the cooler, while the other USB plug goes to my laptop. This way when I connect the cooler to sit down, all my devices are connected as well which is great, it is basically a dock. The cooling is also incredible on how well it improved my system.

Now I can't give you any temperatures but I can tell you how drastically my experience improved. I went from running the lowest settings on StarCraft II with bad framerate drops and a blistering hot computer to being able to bump my effects to medium and physics to low (my gpu bottlenecks my computer so I still keep the graphic settings to low), my computer is cool to the touch on the underside and the spot where my hand rests is warm instead of blistering hot, and my framerate never drops below 30fps whenever I play (even during 3 vs 3) making my experience much more enjoyable and easier to manage.

I highly recommend this if you want to cool down your laptop and improve performance. Heat isn't good for the hardware and most laptops can't dissipate heat very well at all. This is the perfect size for 15.6" laptops or less (anything bigger will overhang the cooler), and the 2 USB ports allow you to connect your USB dock into the cooler making the cooler a hub (you will need the USB ports on your laptop to be on the left or back, if they are only on the right you will need a USB extension to connect the cooler). Lastly, you will not need to worry about the noise of the fan, although it is powerful and large, it is very quiet. Quieter than my laptop's internal fan.

Update:
Now that I use certain programs like CPUID Hardware Monitor, I can give definitive numbers and shed light on an alternitive route. Withoug my cooler, playing StarCraft II. I could get my CPUs to upwards of 180*F while they would sit idle at about 120*F. My GPU would climb as high as 205*F under max stress and would sit idle at 160*F. These numbers are terrible in the computer world, especially for a laptop. By adding the cooler, my GPU would get no higher than 190*F, I cannot remember the CPU though.

However, I no longer need to use my cooler and can even run StarCraft II at my monitor's native resolution of 1440x900. The thing is, my computer is 3 years old. That means the thermal paste is 2.5 years older than it should be. I opened up my laptop, removed the heatsink/fan assembly and used ArctiClean to remove the old dried out thermal paste and disgusting thermal pads from the CPU/GPU/Northbridge/VRAM. I cleaned the heatsink and dusted the fan and computer the best I could with can of aerosol compressed air. I then applied Arctic Silver thermal paste (which I had left over from two other computers that magically worked when applying new thermal paste: My Xbox 360 and a 12 year old Windows 98 dekstop that used a Slot 1 CPU). Once that was taken care of I reattached the heatsink/fan and closed it up.

Be ready to be amazed... my max temperatures under max load now (when playing StarCraft II) are CPU 140*F and my GPU 170*F and this is without using the cooling pad. With the cooling pad, no difference so actually it doesn't help anymore. My computer runs cooler and no longer gets crazy hot on the wrist rests and the fan never runs max anymore unless playing a game. My idle temps are much much better too. CPU is 85*F and GPU is 127*F.

That is a huge difference. So, as a recommendation. Yes, this is a great Laptop Cooling Pad, but, if you're computer is old, even only 1 year old, and it is running hot and the fan is always blasting, it maybe cheaper and much more effective to replace the thermal paste on the chips. If you do not know how to do this, seek help from a friend with tech skills or go to youtube (which is actually very helpful).

Update #2:

I still recommend this cooler over a year later. I have since bought a new laptop, a really high performance Clevo P150EM, which has dedicated cooling for each the GPU and CPU. The thing is a beast and is designed to cool crazy temperatures. I still use the Dell though. I don't game with it at all but I do dock it to my desk by plugging in external speakers, ethernet, a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. Essentially I use it like a desktop. It is more or less my media computer now used primarily for music, internet browsing, and backing up data from my other laptop.

I leave the Dell on 24/7 now with the screen down sitting on the Thermaltake cooler. Since I live in a dorm room at the moment, everything is in one room. The fan is always running and I never notice it, yet it does a great job at cooling. I haven't changed the thermalpaste in forever and don't plan to anytime soon. For what my laptop needs, it gets the job done. My current idle temps just using internet browsing: CPU 100*F (38*C), GPU 145*F (63*C), HDD 91*F (33*C), Mobo 110*F (44*C).

My final summation, it all depends on your laptop that you are using. It may need a thermalpaste reapplication, it may need a heatsink reseating, it may be fine and you're worried about exhaust air (exhaust air should be hot, it is an issue if the laptop is), it may need a cooling pad, it may be a combo of things. Most gaming laptops don't need a cooling pad since they are designed to cool high temps on their own. Multimedia and everyday use laptops may need a cooling pad if they run hot, especially on non-hardware intensive tasks like internet browsing.

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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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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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ASUS Zenbook UX301LA-DH71T 13.3-Inch Touchscreen Ultrabook (Blue)

ASUS Zenbook UX301LA-DH71T 13.3-Inch Touchscreen Ultrabook (Blue)..

Buy ASUS Zenbook UX301LA-DH71T 13.3-Inch Touchscreen Ultrabook (Blue) By Asus

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71 of 71 people found the following review helpful.
A quality product
By Ryan Mulligan
This ultrabook is fantastic.

Beautiful, solid, light build.
Extremely quick computing.
Minimal bloatware.
Finally, a GREAT trackpad on a laptop that isn't an Apple product.

--The i7 4558U processor (2.8GHz) is worth the extra money, as it's much faster than the i7 4500 (1.8GHz) or i5 4200 (1.6GHz)
--The 8GB of DDRL3 RAM really help boost performance over other ultrabooks housing only 4GB, especially when multitaksing.
--The integrated Iris 5100 graphics are actually capable of running fairly intense programs, newer games like Skyrim, for example, though only on low graphics settings. Still, it's impressive for an integrated unit.
--The SSD's in RAID are incredibly quick, and really help cut down boot time to just about 10 seconds from cold. I'm up and running in no time.
--The battery life is actually 8 hours or more on normal use. Way to go Haswell processor. You're not an energy sink.
--At just over 3 pounds, this laptop is so light, and remarkably thin.

I've had it for a week, and there is nothing I can complain about, and I feel I'm rather picky about my electronics.

If you have the money, and are frustrated about how it seems many ultrabooks have to compromise in some area, this is a stellar laptop.

--UPDATE--
I've had this ultrabook for about four weeks now, and unfortunately, I noticed a small linear scratch on the lid. I bring this up because the GorillaGlass3 covering the lid is reported to be nearly scratch-proof against anything but sand. I've been very careful with this laptop, carrying it in a case whenever I transport it, and I was hoping it would be more scratch resistant than it's shaping up to be. Still, this is an excellent product, and I'm still impressed by its outstanding performance.

--Update--
After 5 months, I am still extremely satisfied with this ultrabook. I can work through an entire day at school on a single battery charge, and not sacrifice performance. This thing hasn't slowed down at all. And for those of you that care, it'll produce fluent framerates for games like Skyrim (High textures, no antialiasing,) Deus Ex: Human Revolution (High settings,) and Mass Effect 3 on ultra graphics settings. Light, fast, powerful, this is still the laptop I had hoped for five months ago.

45 of 45 people found the following review helpful.
A premium ultrabook from every perspective.
By Doug Colt
After extensive research, I narrowed my ultrabook choice down to the Zenbook UX301 or the Samsung Book 9 Plus. They both have very similar specs, but ultimately I chose the Asus for the following reasons:

1) Better processor and graphics. You get the 2.8 ghz i7 with Iris graphics. The Samsung only offers the lower-tier 1.8 Ghz without Iris.

2) Better wi-fi. The Asus has the newest-generation ac wireless. Samsung is still a generation behind.

3) Seemingly better build quality, but this is largely a wash.

4) 30-day zero dead pixel guarantee. When you've got screens with as many millions of pixels as these have, that's a nice thing to have! (My screen was flawless though).

5) Some nice add ons. The Asus comes with an included ethernet dongle and an included mini display port/VGA dongle.

6) I feel silly saying it, but a bit of cache. The Asus is generally more difficult to find and there are fewer of them out in the wild.

I have been very impressed with this machine so far. It truly is gorgeous. The build quality appears to be very good. I could not identify any manufacturing flaws, and the whole thing feels rock solid. The keyboard is excellent, as is the trackpad. Very little bloatware. Screen was perfect. I've been impressed with the performance and I'm still testing the battery life. I'll update my review once I've had a chance to test it further.

This is expensive indeed, but it oozes premium ultrabook from all corners.

UPDATE:

After using this machine for the last two months I remain very satisfied. The performance has been excellent and the gorilla glass really seems to stand up to scratches. The exterior continues to look brand new.

I haven't experienced any technical issues with any of the hardware. The keyboard remains very pleasant to use and the trackpad is really outstanding. On par with anything that Apple puts out.

I have received many compliments on the quality and clarity of the screen.

Battery life has generally been very good. With typical internet use and medium brightness, I'm getting 7-9 hours on average. The battery also charges very quickly, which is a nice bonus.

One minor annoyance has to do with Windows and not the hardware. The resolution on the screen is so high that you will want to use the Windows interface to increase font and icon sizes in almost all cases. This works fine, except when you need to use the machine for remote access (such as through a VPN or using a vmWare client). The increase in font and icon sizes does not carry through to a remote session, so you will end up with microscopic icons. The solution is that you have to change your screen resolution before logging into a remote session. This isn't a huge deal but it's a bit of an annoyance. Again, however, this is a Windows 8 issue and not an ASUS issue.

All in all I am extremely impressed with this ultrabook.

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful.
ASUS has a winner on their hands for those willing to pay the premium price to own.
By Jonathan
I've been waiting for this ultrabook to release since the start of the fall semester. Well, it's definitely been worth the wait. The computer boots up insanely fast due to the RAID 0 SSD configuration. It is not bogged down by a ton of bloatware either. The only changes I've made so far were to uninstall McAfee for Norton 2014 (since I had one license left).

One minor gripe I have is the drive partitioning. I would have preferred one partition to how ASUS partitioned the drive into C: (OS) and D: (DATA) in addition to smaller recovery partitions, but I am not taking a star off for that. If it was that big a deal, somebody could (through software) change the partitions however they liked. I was able to merge the C: and D: drive partitions into one C: partition using 3rd party software.

The high resolution screen is very nice. The look, feel, and portability of this laptop are second to none. I look forward to using this high quality ultrabook for a long time.

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Seagate Backup Plus Slim 1TB Portable External Hard Drive with Mobile Device Backup USB 3.0 (Blue) STDR1000102

Seagate Backup Plus Slim 1TB Portable External Hard Drive with Mobile Device Backup USB 3.0 (Blue) STDR1000102..

Buy Seagate Backup Plus Slim 1TB Portable External Hard Drive with Mobile Device Backup USB 3.0 (Blue) STDR1000102 By Seagate

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170 of 199 people found the following review helpful.
Excellent very slim, light, fairly fast 500-GB hard drive; the Windows version works on Mac and the Mac version works on Windows
By ƒůŽźŸ ωŬ≥ζŷ ♥☮♭♩♪♫♬♮☯☺♡✈
இ Fuzzy Wuzzy's Summary:
ѾѾѾѾѾ Highly recommended with warm fuzzies!

փ Positives:

փ This hard drive is indeed very slim, with its 9.5mm thickness being comparable to an internal laptop hard drive.
փ The read/write transfer speeds are pretty fast for a 5400-RPM hard drive (but performance will feel slower if you are accustomed to using 7200-RPM drives).
փ By installing a Windows or Mac driver, you can use either the Windows or Mac version of this drive on both Windows and Mac computers, which is great for transferring files in between both platforms.
փ This drive comes in 500-GB, 1-TB, and 2-TB capacities with five different color options for the top metal panel.

ჯ Negatives:

ჯ While the Seagate Dashboard software that is pre-loaded on the hard drive includes very useful and flexible backup software, the other two parts of the software to share files to social media sites and save files from social media sites are limited in their usefulness and flexibility.

With a thickness of 9.5mm for the 500-GB drive, this very portable little drive is only slightly thicker than an iPhone or pencil, and its thickness is comparable to many internal laptop/notebook drives. But while 9.5mm-thick internal laptop drives do not have an external case covering them, this drive is housed inside an attractive anodized aluminum metal case, with a plastic bottom base, that gives it a solidly rigid feel to the drive. The hard drive that is housed inside the case may even be thinner than a 7mm internal hard drive. So this external hard drive is actually thinner than most internal laptop/ultrabook hard drives. And the 500-GB drive weighs only 5 ounces, making this an extremely portable drive to carry around. With a thickness of 12.0mm, the 1-TB and 2-TB versions of this drive are 2.5mm thicker and slightly heavier than the 500-GB version. But a 12.0mm-thick drive casing is still tiny for a 2-TB external drive. There are some 15mm-thick 2-TB internal drives that are thicker than this, and they do not have an external case.

This hard drive comes with an 18-inch USB 3.0 cable. While this cable length is adequate for plugging into a laptop, I wish that the supplied cable was just a little longer in length (24 inches would be ideal) to allow more flexibility when connecting the hard drive to a desktop computer. My desktop computers are connected to USB hubs located on my desk so the cable is not too short for me, but many people will plug this hard drive directly into their desktop computer's USB port.

This drive is whisper quiet and when it is plugged into the USB port, a thin sliver of light glows near one corner of the top of the case to show that it is operational. While this drive is either reading or writing data, the glowing light pulsates, slowly shifting between dim and bright, instead of just blinking like most hard drive status lights. The pulsating hard drive status light looks more unique than the usual blinking light used by other external hard drives, as if the hard drive is breathing in and out while it works. My one minor quibble is that I wish the light would pulsate at a quicker pace. With a blinking hard drive activity LED, I can quickly glance over at the light and see if it is blinking. With this slowly pulsating light, I have to stare at the sliver of light for several seconds to see if the drive is reading/writing. As with all non-SSD hard drives, when I hold this drive in my hand, I can feel its body vibrating due to the spinning platter that is inside, and if I press my ear right up to the case while the drive is reading or writing data, I can just barely hear the read/write head moving around inside. So this hard drive is as quiet as the quietest of internal drives designed for notebooks.

I have seen various reviews erroneously mention that this Seagate Slim drive is either a 7200-RPM drive or a SSD drive, but both of those descriptions are incorrect. While Seagate previously used 7200-RPM drives in their GoFlex Slim drives, this Slim drive uses a 5400-RPM drive. For a 5400-RPM hard drive though, its transfer speeds are pretty good. This hard drive connects through a USB 3.0 cable, and as with all USB 3.0 devices being backwardly compatible with USB 2.0, you will only get the faster USB 3.0 speeds if you connect this drive to a USB 3.0 port. Connecting this drive to a USB 2.0 port will result in slower transfer speeds. When tested using the "HD Tune" hard drive performance benchmarking tool on an older laptop with USB 2.0 ports, I get an average read speed of 28 MB/s and an average write speed of 21 MB/s. Connecting this drive to a newer laptop having USB 3.0 ports, I get an average read speed of 92 MB/s (with maximum peaks of around 112 MB/s) and an average write speed of 86 MB/s. Even though most 7200-RPM notebook-sized hard drives will be faster, these speeds are pretty fast for a 5400-RPM hard drive. If you want the fastest speeds using this Seagate Slim drive, you need to plug it into a USB 3.0 port. This rule applies to any external storage device that uses a USB 3.0 cable. Perhaps Seagate chose to not include a faster 7200-RPM hard drive inside this tiny thin enclosure because of potential heat and reliability issues?

If I read or write hundreds of megabytes of data, the exterior of the drive does get warm over time since there is no internal cooling fan or ventilation holes in this drive's casing, but it usually does not get too hot. On one occasion, however, I was copying many very large HD video files onto this drive, and after twenty minutes of transferring HD videos back and forth where this hard drive was reading and writing non-stop, the drive's enclosure felt very hot when I touched it, so I undocked and unplugged the drive to let it cool down because I was worried about adversely affecting the drive's long-term reliability by continuing to operate it with the temperature inside its enclosure being so hot. The drive enclosure's metal top surface cooled down after about fifteen minutes, and I then plugged the drive back into my laptop and proceeded to edit the HD videos that were now loaded onto the drive. Because this tiny hard drive is housed in such a small totally-sealed enclosure, you should let it cool down sometimes if feels too hot after extended periods of reading/writing data. Avoiding repetitive overheating is a good idea for any external hard drive that lacks a cooling fan or ventilation holes in the hard drive's enclosure since heat can degrade a hard drive's performance and reliability over time. With most electronic components, repeatedly overheating the electronics can cause hardware failures and overheating is the primary cause of hard drive failure. Also avoid bumping, jarring, or dropping this hard drive, especially when it is plugged in.

About 800 MB of this drive's space is used up by the pre-loaded Seagate Dashboard software and brief tutorial videos on using the Seagate Dashboard software to protect and back up your files, save social media files, and conveniently share image and video files that are stored on this drive to Facebook, Flickr, and YouTube. If you are certain that you do not ever want to use this Dashboard software, you can delete the 'Seagate Dashboard Installer.dmg' Mac software file, the 'Seagate Dashboard Installer.exe' Windows software file, and the 'Video' folder to free up hundreds of megabytes of disk space. A 'Seagate' folder that is in the root directory contains a 'SerialNumber.xml' file that has the model number and serial number of the drive. The model number and serial number are also printed on the bottom panel of the drive however. In the Windows version of this drive, the 'Seagate' folder has a 'Seagate-Release.exe' program that you can run to register the drive with Seagate. After you finish registering the drive, you can delete the 'Seagate' folder.

If you want to leave the software and tutorial videos on the drive, you can still delete either the 135-MB 'Seagate Dashboard Installer.dmg' Mac software file or the 156-MB 'Seagate Dashboard Installer.exe' Windows software file if you only exclusively use Mac or Windows computers. In the 'Video' folder, there are eight folders - 'en-US', 'fr-FR', 'it-IT', 'ko-KR', 'ru-RU', 'sv-SE', 'zh-CN', and 'zh-TW' - that each contain the same set of four tutorial videos: 'Introducing Seagate Backup Plus', 'Protecting Your Files With Seagate Dashboard Tutorial', 'Saving Social Media Files With Seagate Dashboard Tutorial', and 'Sharing To Social Media Sites With Seagate Dashboard Tutorial'. These eight sets of videos are identical in the video and audio, and only differ in the subtitle language used: English (no subtitles), French, Italian, Korean, Russian, Swedish, Chinese, and Taiwanese. If you keep the 'en-US' English video that has no subtitles and delete the other seven folders, you free up almost 350 MB of space.

Of the three components in the Seagate Dashboard software, the "Protect" function offers the most usefulness and flexibility, while the "Share" and "Save" functions for sharing/uploading to and saving from social media sites are limited in their capabilities. With the Dashboard's "Protect" function, you can schedule backups of your files based on a regular hourly/daily/weekly/monthly schedule, or have your files backed up whenever they are added or modified, or make backups on an as-needed basis by manually initiating a "snapshot" backup of your files. I am always surprised by how many people never back up the files on their computers, either their work-related files or their personal files, including documents, email and Microsoft Outlook files, photo/music/media files, or other files that are often irreplaceable if their computer's hard drive suddenly fails. If your computer has years of files accumulated on it that you have never backed up to another disk, to a CD/DVD, or to an online cloud-based backup service, this Seagate Slim hard drive can be used as your backup device where you can store a duplicate copy of all your important files. If you have already been using a backup process, as mentioned, you do not have to install the Dashboard software and you can just completely delete all the pre-loaded software from this hard drive if you want.

Important: If you do use the pre-loaded Seagate "Protect" software to back up your files, or if you use other kinds of automated backup software, you should randomly spot-check some of the duplicated backup files and folders every one or two months to verify that the files are correctly being copied and that they can be read correctly. Spot-check the backup files more frequently if they are important and you really value their integrity. Backup software is still a software application and, just like firmware and other software, and also taking into account that a hard drive may start to slowly fail with read/write errors after years of usage, there may be a software or hardware glitch that causes a file to either not be backed up by the backup software, or to be backed up but unreadable. By occasionally spot-checking the integrity of your backup files, you reduce the possibility of having an unpleasant surprise if you really need to recover the files from the backup copy. A data error can happen with any electronic storage media. For example, if you back up files by burning data to a CD/DVD/Blu-ray disc, you should spot-check their integrity by accessing some of their files at least once a year. The same rule applies if your backup files are stored by a cloud-based backup/storage service. There are also integrity-checking software that will automatically verify the integrity of hard disks or optical media. I am an avid photographer, and with terabytes of hard disk space becoming more inexpensive each year, my favorite way to back up files is by manually copying files and folders to two separate hard drives in a "manual RAID 1" setup where I manually back up and mirror the photo and HD-video files between both drives, instead of relying on backup software to perform the function. I previously used a dual-hard-drive RAID 1 storage unit, but I like being able to directly access either drive and I also do not like how RAID 1 simultaneously deletes files from both drives if I ever type or click too fast and have an "oops" accidental file deletion.

The Dashboard software's "Share" function lets you share files that are stored on the hard drive by uploading to either Facebook, Flickr, or YouTube. And the "Save" function lets you save photos from Facebook or Flickr. Unlike the "Share" function, "Save" does not let you save videos from YouTube. But there are many freeware software and online sites that can convert and save YouTube videos already. I really did not care for how either these "Share" or "Save" functions worked because they are quite limited in their flexibility, and it is very easy to perform the same functions directly using the Facebook, Flickr, and YouTube sites without having to go through an intermediate step of using the Dashboard software to upload files. Perhaps Seagate added the "Share" and "Save" options for computer newbies or social media newcomers. But the irony is that even though this Dashboard software "dumbs down" the uploading of files to Facebook, Flickr, and YouTube, the computer newbies who would most benefit from using the "Share" and "Save" options may not even have an account on Facebook, Flickr, and YouTube.

This pocket-sized drive is quite small and light: 4.5"x3.0"x0.4" and 5.3 ounces (including the USB cable) for the 500-GB version, with the 1-TB and 2-TB versions being slightly thicker and heavier. You can use this portable drive to shuttle files back and forth between Windows and Mac computers, dragging and dropping folders and files to transfer them between the computer and this external hard drive. Note that there are two versions of this Seagate Slim external hard drive: a Windows version formatted for NTFS and a Mac version formatted for HFS+. You should get the version for the platform that you work on the most. If you mainly use a Mac and you use Time Machine for your backups, you should definitely get the Mac version of this drive. If you mainly work on Windows and Mac is more of a secondary computer, you should get the Windows version of this drive.

Since Windows NTFS and Mac HFS+ file systems do not automatically play well together, use of this hard drive on both Windows and Mac computers does require the download and installation of a driver. If you get the Windows version of this drive, when you plug the drive into a Mac, it will download from the Internet a necessary Mac driver (NTFS_for_Mac_with_restart.dmg) that lets the Windows-NTFS-formatted drive work with Macs. NTFS drives are normally read-only on Mac OS, and this driver lets Macs both read and write on the NTFS-formatted version of this hard drive. Note that because Mac's Time Machine requires a Mac-HFS-formatted drive, when you use the Windows version of this drive with the Mac driver, this setup cannot work with Time Machine unless you reformat the drive to be a HFS+journaled file system... in which case you might as well just get the Mac version of this drive if you intend to also use it with Time Machine. If you get the Mac version of this drive, when you plug the drive into a Windows PC, it will download a necessary Windows driver (HFS4Win.exe) that lets the Mac-HFS+formatted drive work with Windows. You can also download both the Mac-driver-for-Windows-NTFS and Windows-driver-for-Mac-HFS+ drivers directly from Seagate's Web site. See the 'Comments' section of my review for the URL locations. Seagate should have pre-loaded both of these Windows/Mac drivers on the hard drive just like how they pre-loaded both the Windows and Mac versions of their Dashboard software.

Overall, this is a great little drive that is sized for maximum portability. It includes a 2-year limited warranty. And at the time of this review's writing, Amazon is offering this hard drive at a great price of less than $70 for the 500-GB size. It was not that long ago when a 500-GB portable hard drive costed hundreds of dollars and was at least three times larger in size. I rely both on my own research and the opinions of others to help me make informed buying decisions. I hope that this review helped you to be a wise shopper! :)

107 of 127 people found the following review helpful.
Fast little drive - Dashboard software not perfect
By Roberta V. Russo
Here are the impressions of a non-techy about the Seagate Slim 500 gig external hard drive. This drive is amazingly small - about 3 by 4 inches and 1/4 inch thick. Nice - because it doesn't take up much shelf or desk space and is easy to carry around. I like to take a backup drive with me whenever I travel with my computer and this drive is the perfect size for that. The USB cord that it comes with is approximately 18 inches long (give or take). It also comes packed with a small instruction pamphlet describing how install the backup software called the Seagate Dashboard that comes pre-loaded on the drive. Its a pretty simple and straightforward process so there is not a lot to the instructions. There are also 4 short instruction videos pre-loaded on the drive: "Introducing Seagate Backup Plus Video"; "Protecting Your Files With Seagate Dashboard Tutorial"; "Saving Social Media Files With Seagate Dashboard Tutorial"; and "Sharing To Social Media Sites With Seagate Dashboard Tutorial". If you watch them they give a pretty good overview of the features available with the Dashboard software.

I usually don't load the software that comes with hard drives, but I decided to give the Seagate Dashboard a try. I am using a laptop with Windows 8 operating system. Basically you just plug in the drive, navigate to the installation file and double click it. That brings up the registration screen, the software loads, and then you must re-start the computer to finish the install. It took maybe 5 minutes and installed with no problems.

Once the software is installed you open it by double clicking its desktop icon. From the home screen you get 3 choices: Protect (backup and restore your data); Share (upload your pictures and videos to your Facebook, Flickr and YouTube accounts); and Save (Download pictures and videos from your Facebook and Flickr accounts).

Protect:
You can schedule backups at specific intervals like hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, etc. Or you can select continuous backup which basically creates backups in real time as you add or change files. If you don't want to set a regular schedule you can instead click the "snapshot" button to start a backup whenever you want. By default the backup includes anything that is not a system or program file but you get the option to pick the files you want to include. The first time you run backup takes a little longer because it is backing up all the files, after the first time its faster because its only backing up new or changed files. I have the drive connected to a USB 3 port and the first time I ran backup it took about 20 - 30 minutes to backup roughly 100 gig of data files. I selected "continuous" and keep the drive connected all the time. I haven't really noticed any lag time or slow down using the continuous backup feature.

The drive comes with a free one-year subscription to the Nero "cloud" drive which you can also select as a backup location. You get 4 gig free for 12 months - after that you have to pay for the subscription. You can also buy extra space. You have to create an account and set a password. I did set up the account, but haven't used this feature and don't really plan to in the future.

Share:
You can use the Dashboard to upload pictures and video to social media sites: Facebook, Flickr and YouTube. I don't use Facebook or Flickr (hard to believe in this day and age, I know) but I do use YouTube, so I gave it a try. From Dashboard click the Facebook, Flick, or YouTube icon. The first time you access one of these sites you have to enter your account log-in information and give the software permission to access your account. Here is how it worked for YouTube. Once logged in it brought up a file manager screen where I could browse to and select a video on either my Seagate external hard drive or my computer hard drive. Once the file is selected you choose one of the standard YouTube categories for it. Then the file uploads. After uploading the video using the Seagate Dashboard, I deleted it from YouTube and uploaded it again using the standard upload directly from the YouTube site - just to see the difference.

First of all the video took longer to upload using the Seagate Dashboard than it did directly from the YouTube website. I suppose that might not be the fault of the software - maybe the internet was just running slower when I used the Dashboard, but I did upload them within 1/2 hour of each other. The biggest fault I found using the Seagate Dashboard to upload videos is that you don't get any of the options that you do when you upload directly from the YouTube site. When you upload a video directly from the YouTube site you get a lot of options. You can enter a Title for the video, you can enter a description, and enter tags (e.g. Chicago, dogs) so that the video comes up in searches, you can pick a thumbnail to use for the video, select a privacy setting (public or private) and select a category for the video. When you use the Dashboard, it automatically uses the name of the file as the title of the video (you don't get to choose). The only choice the Seagate Dashboard gives you is to select a category for the video - that's it. It also automatically posts it as a public video. You don't get any other choices or options. Once you have uploaded a video using the Dashboard you can always log on to your YouTube account directly from the YouTube website and edit these choices, but why bother with 2 steps if you can just do all this directly on YouTube in the first place? Given the results of this test, I would not use the Seagate Dashboard to upload videos to YouTube. I can't speak for how Facebook or Flickr uploads work because I don't use Facebook or Flick.

Save:
You can use this to save files from your social media sites (for example, save the pictures you posted on Facebook). The only 2 social media sites you can do this for with the Seagate Dashboard are Facebook and Flickr. YouTube is not an option. I don't use Facebook or Flickr, so I couldn't test this. I am disappointed that saving files posted to my YouTube account was not an option.

Overall I would give the drive 3 stars. What I liked most was the size and speed - its small and very fast. I give the Dashboard software mixed reviews. The backup function seems to work great but the Share and Save options left something to be desired. I would have rated the drive higher if it hadn't been for the software. I just got the drive, so I can't speak for durability, but it seems like well built little drive.

36 of 41 people found the following review helpful.
Contains standard SATA version of Samsung M9T
By Chris Burston
I ordered one of these in the hope that it would contain the long anticipated 2TB 2.5" 9.5mm Samsung M9T hard disk. I'm happy to report that it does and that said drive has a standard SATA interface.

My MacBook Pro is now sitting pretty with 2TB of internal storage. Happy Days!

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