JVC Everio S GZ-MS100 Flash Memory Camcorder with 35x Optical Zoom Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have had this camcorder for about a month. The main reason I bought this camcorder was for convenience. I have MiniDV camcorder as well, but I never got around to uploading video from camcorder to computer and then converting AVIs to mpeg to DVD. The workflow with MiniDV was too time-consuming and needed a lot of system resources (1 hr AVI takes about 13GB disk space!).
This camcorder was great. For around $320-ish, its great value. Its totally solid state, no moving parts. I use 16GB SDHC card (around $50-ish), that card can record about 3hr58min video in best quality. The battery lasts about 2 hrs. I doubt I will ever shoot more than 4 hr video in a day. you can always back up your video on a computer at the end of the day or buy multiple SDHC cards.
You can use the included USB cable or a SD card reader to upload mpeg files to a computer. You can upload video and burn a DVD in as little as 10 minutes (if you go straight to DVD and do not edit). You can also upload your video you-tube or other video hosting websites. It comes with included software that is supposed to make YouTube uploads easy for the user. I like to do it myself, have not used the software that much.
The picture quality of this camcorder is amazing. Its not a HD camcorder, so don't expect wonders on your HDTV, but picture quality is very good on SDTVs. The low light capabilities of this camcorder are great. However, auto white balance under light bulbs (indoors) is not that great. You will get better results with manual white balance. Recorded sound quality is OK, not great, but OK. It comes with 35X optical zoom, which is the best in its class. It has digital image stabilization which works very well. this camcorder does allow some manual controls for the enthusiast.
JVC has this new laser touch based interface. It sure looks fancy, but is not great to use. It takes a little getting used to and you never really get a hang of it. Its not very accurate. But this is a simple camcorder and most uses will use it in auto mode all the time. So, the laser interface is not a deal-breaker kind of a thing.
This is a very small camcorder. Its very light. Its easy to handle and feels firm and secure in my hands. It does not come with a neck strap (I just use the one from my previous MiniDV camcorder). It has a built-in lens cover, which is better than some pastic-ring-tied-with-thread lens caps which are annoying. The included battery lasts about 2 hrs. It can also take still pictures, though I have never used it to take still pictures so far.
Overall, I am very happy with my purchase and would definitely recommend this to a friend.


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Simple and slim memory camcorder with KONICA MINOLTA LENS, 35x optical zoom, Laser Touch Operation and convenient button for One Touch Upload to YouTube. No tapes required! Uses safe, re-useable, SD and SDHC memory cards as memory. Memory may be easily read or transferred directly to computer or compatible TV set or MP3 video device.

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SanDisk Sansa Clip+ 8 GB MP3 Player (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I owned the first generation clip, and the new 8gb clip+ retains everything that was great about the first while adding all around refinements.
Pros:
- Overall build quality has improved, but especially with the clip mechanism.
- Files on MicroSD integrate seemlessly with the on board memory.
- The volume and power buttons have more ergonomic placement on the device.
- Sound quality remains great.
- Audiobook files can be sped up slightly to save some "reading" time.
- The interface is a little smoother and nicer to move through.
- The square trackpad makes it easier to navigate without looking at the player. (good for runners)Cons:
- No cap on the MicroSD slot, so that could potentially get dirty.If you don't need gimmicks such as touch screens and web browsers, then this player is quite possibly the best on the market for value, size, and quality. The Clip+ is definitely worth the few extra bucks over what the first gen clip is selling for now.UPDATE: Having used the product for a while the one thing I'm disappointed with is battery life. The meter drains down to 50% at the expected pace, and then goes from 50% to 0 quite fast. I haven't timed it but i'm sure the battery life (using all default settings) is quite less than the advertised 14-15 hours.

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The Sansa Clip+MP3 playergives you more to enjoy. Enjoy up to 2,000 songs?? with an 8GB* player, FM radio, long-life battery and voice recorder. PLUS now even more!Expand your enjoyment when you add in preloaded content cards** into the new memory card slot, including slotRadio? and slotMusic? cards**.Or, save your own music, podcasts, and audio books onto a microSD?/microSDHC? memory card** to expand your play.It's brought to you by SanDisk with awesome sound to enjoy your music.Just clip it on and enjoy more music with an incredible 15 hours? battery-fueled fun.See what you're listening to with the bright, easy-to-read screen and intuitively searchable menus. Color your world in red, blue or sleek black undertones.

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SanDisk 8 GB Class 2 SDHC Flash Memory Card SDSDB-8192-A11 Review

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(More customer reviews)It's a fine product, and it works just fine in products that support the SDHC format. However, be ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN your product (be it a digital camera, memory card reader or--in my case--the Palm T|X PDA which for some STRANGE reason doesn't read it) reads it. Just because your device is new doesn't necessarily mean that it will recognize SDHC cards (as opposed to the older SD cards).
If your device recognizes SDHC cards, then by all means go forth and thrash. You won't find a better card for the price.

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The most space available (16 GB card), SanDisk mobile memory cards plug directly into most phones with

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XiTech 720P HD MOTION DETECT CAR DASH VIDEO CAMERA RECORDER DVR 64GB 2.5" TFT LCD 1280x720, 30fp Review

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(More customer reviews)This camera had a good price, but it is a disappointment. Note that this is an older model; the latest models have an HDMI port and fewer bugs.
* Not 720p / JPEG encoding artifacts: -1 Star
The CCD in this camera is natively 640x480. If you choose the 720p recording mode, then the camera just does pixel-doubling in software.
This dashcam records to MJPEG files. You won't be able to read license plates or recognize most faces because of compression artifacts. The firmware lacks an option for changing JPEG quality.
* Stops Recording When SD Card Is Full: -1 Star
When the dashcam needs to rotate files on the SD card, it stops recording for up to two minutes, but an entire accident can happen in less than two minutes. The actual amount of offline time seems to depend on the speed of the SD card.
* Can't override poweroff: -1 Star
This dashcam always powers off when external power disconnects, even if the internal battery if fully charged. I want my dashcam to continue recording after an accident.
* Can't run from a USB Port / Can't be used as a webcam: -1 Star
Connecting the USB port puts the camera into disk mode, which means that you must power it from the 5v connector. You cannot power this dashcam from an in-vehicle USB port. You cannot use this dashcam as a webcam.
* Can't invert or rotate the video: Annoyance
The firmware doesn't have an option for changing the recording orientation.
* Can't change the recording overlays: Annoyance
The only overlay option is a timestamp.
* Nearly ideal form factor: +1 Star
The size and shape of this dashcam is nearly perfect, and it uses a standard threaded mount, like on a regular camera tripod. It is much smaller than the stock photography makes it seem. The built-in folding LCD is probably the best feature.
* Adequate performance in a variety of lighting conditions: +1
Sun flaring is minor. Quality is okay at night with street lights and head lights.
* Additional Notes
This camera records to MJPEG AVI with 8 kHz PCM mono audio. Audio quality is poor; you can't hear conversations over white noise while driving, and it is unlikely that you would get all of a conversation while stopped with a traffic cop.
Wake-up on motion detection is pretty good.
In standard quality, this camera uses 2GB per hour.
Power draw is less than 5 watts at 5 volts, so you can run this camera off of a car battery for a long time.
This camera seems to be running an embedded BSD. A firmware update could get me to add one or two stars to this review.

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Mp3 Wireless Fm Transmitter with Sd Card and USB Jump Drive Slot. Black with .. Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I bought this player from Dream Bargains as SKU: WZ-K1F2-W0J1. Although the packaging was not heat sealed, it was obviously new, including a peel-off LCD protector. I selected this unit because the web image seemed to show a backlight that was missing from other listing photos. And, yes, it has a white backlight (not blue as pictured). Accessories included the short cable featuring standard 2.5mm plug to 3.5mm plug (e.g. IPod to modulator), remote with a good battery and 1 extra fuse. As with other similar units reviewed at other listings this unit came with the barest of documentation printed on the backside of the thick paper package-liner. Thanks to comments from other reviewers I knew that pressing and holding certain keys would produce other functions; on this unit press/hold Previous/Next keys for volume, press/hold the Pause/Play key to cycle between S(shuffle) and A(all, in order). I haven't yet discovered whether the A-/B+ keys control anything other than FM frequency. The product packaging indicates MP3/WMA player, but I haven't found the WMA function unless it's automatically detected (I haven't tested for that).
As other reviewers found, it is difficult to make reliable contact with the auto power socket, but I was after much practice able to find a satisfactory mating. I am sure a bumpy road would cause intermittence problems but on the highway or most city streets it would not be a problem. It's a plus that when contact is restored, playback begins where it stopped. It may be that wiping the chrome tip with fine emery paper once in a while could improve the contact; I haven't tested that. This poor contact is the only significant "con" I have to offer for this product.
I tested only with a thumb drive (250MB) and a half-dozen tunes. I plugged in the thumb drive, turned on the FM radio to an unused channel (89.7MHz), and plugged in the player/modulator. Ignoring the contact problems I then set the player to 89.7MHz (it's settable in 0.1MHz steps). I pressed PLAY and music poured forth! I subsequently found that the default modulation level was at max (21 of 21): a good default. As expected, setting lower modulation levels eventually (

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Pioneer AVIC-Z130BT 7" In-Dash Navigation AV Receiver with iPod/iPhone Control, Bluetooth, Pandora Review

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(More customer reviews)This is the first In Dash double din GPS head unit that I have installed. My first impression is that it works well.
I got the optional Ipod cable (Pioneer CD-IU51V) and it connects to my phone (iPhone 3GS) right away every time. I know others have tried to connect with the provided cable and will see connection problems I have seen none with the extra cable.
Pandora and Aha Radio works great. This is my favorite feature. Thumbs up / down, skip songs from the head unit.
The GPS system seems fast and even finds my house which others in the past haven't. I have had several portable (stand alone) GPS units from Garmin and in my opinion Garmin is the best. This unit works well enough for what I need it to do though.
I installed the back-up camera (Pioneer ND-BC4) to this unit and it works very well. I was impressed with the image quality (see picture in image gallery).
The EQ settings are numerous and have allowed me to dial in an excellent sound quality even with the factory speakers.
The voice recognition seems to work OK. I have never found any that seem to work flawlessly OEM or aftermarket.
Ipod controls work well, Album art loads quickly and you can control in easily.
Built in HD tuner seems to work well.
Antenna booster works well.
CD/DVD playback works quickly. I have had no issues with the DVD playback or MP3 CD's I have used.
The Bluetooth connection seems fast and has worked every time for me. Incoming calls (auto mute) works well.
Phone contact transfer worked first try.
The supplied microphone works well and the cable length is great even for longer runs. I ran mine up the A-pillar to the mirror and still had about 3 extra feet of cable.
I'm not sure where the 2 star ratings are coming from but every aftermarket unit will have it pluses and minuses. I did a great deal of research before buying and I am very happy with my purchase.

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Pioneer's flagship navigation receiver, the double-DIN AVIC-Z130BT features built-in navigation with maps of the US, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Get there fast with spoken street names, lane guidance, and a wealth of GPS features, and stay in touch on the way with built-in Bluetooth for hands-free calling. The motorized 7-inch WVGA touchscreen display is great for GPS and for navigating your entertainment, whether it's DVDs or CDs, your digital media from USB drives or microSD cards, or content from your iPhone. Speaking of iPhones, the AVIC-Z130BT features enhanced integration with Pandora and Aha Radio apps, along with GPS features through the free AVIC FEEDS app.
Pioneer's in-dash navigation systems allow drivers to stay connected to social networks, local searches and traffic services while keeping their focus on the road.

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JVC GZ-HM550 High Definition Camcorder Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I've had this camcorder for about a week now and so far I am pretty happy with it. The one thing that really strikes me as odd is selling a HD camcorder, but not including a HDMI cable in the bundle...? Playback of the footage recorded on a full HD tv via RCA or even component cables isn't going to result in good picture quality. My mini-HDMI cable should be delivered in the next day or so and then I'll be able to really evaluate the video. So far the video looks much better on my computer monitor than it does on my 52" 1080P LCD TV.
Also, the camcorder ships with the video quality set to XP, instead of the highest quality UXP. When setting quality to UXP it gives a warning that UXP video files can only be written to Blu-Ray, which of course makes sense. However, the bundled software will automatically downgrade the UXP video files to XP quality if you want to write to DVD, and then you'll still have the higher quality UXP for future use. Seems odd to not record in the highest quality as you can always downgrade the footage, but you'll never upconvert to true full HD quality if recording at lower quality.
So far, I am not impressed with the photo quality of still images, but I haven't played around with the settings much yet. The handful of stills that I've taken have turned out grainy and dark. In dedicated image mode, you can take 9MP stills, while when taking snapshots in video mode you are limited to 5MP. So far I think all of my stills were taken in video mode.
The camera has some great features that I've not yet played with nor am I sure I ever will. The time lapse is a great feature, but unless there's a spectacular sunset or something I'm not sure I'll have much use for it. Same for the auto record feature, interesting to have, but what are the practical applications? I suppose I could set it up and see how often my dog moves around during the day when we're not home. One thing with both of these modes is that the LCD must remain open, if you close the LCD, the camera shuts off completely.
The battery that comes with the unit doesn't last very long - roughly 45 minutes. the built in memory can hold about 2.5 hours worth of video at UXP quality so the battery is by far the limiting factor in your usage. If the video via HDMI turns out to be as good as I hope, I'll be investing in a higher capacity battery and a stand alone charger. Out of the box, the battery only charges when the power cord is plugged into the camcorder itself.
The software included is very easy to use and has some neat organization methods of displaying video files in a calendar layout by month, day and hour which it makes it easy to locate your files.
The software has options for converting the video to a number of different media and file types. You can write the files to Blu-Ray, DVD and AVCHD disc (DVD media). It also has the ability to convert video for upload to You Tube, iTunes and can also convert to .wmv for use on computers and upload to other sites, such as Facebook. The conversion process lets you choose the video size you want and at least on my PC was pretty quick to process.
I'll try to update this review after I am able to test the video via HDMI and use more of the features.
UPDATE 3/24/2010: Recorded a school concert last night and the battery lasted for 1.5 hours of nearly constant recording. This was much better than the capacity I noticed earlier when recording 5 or 10 minute segments spread out over a couple of days.
UPDATE 3/28/2010: Video quality via a Category 2, mini-HDMI cable is much better than via the cables included with the camcorder. My TV indicates a full 1920x1080 video resolution although it doesn't indicate if it is 1080i or 1080p. The box indicates that the camcorder has full 1080p output, but I can't verify that for sure.
I've had a chance to take some more still images both in video and in the dedicated photo mode. Given the right lighting images in both modes are usable. Images taken in dedicated photo mode are of higher quality, which is to be expected since they are 9MP images instead of the ~5MP images you get in video mode.
All in all, I'm more satisfied with camcorder now then I was when I initially posted this review. I'd rate it at 4 1/2 stars if possible.

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The Everio GZ-HM550BUS is an elegant Full HD memory Everio with dual memory of 32GB internal Flash memory/SD card featuring 10.62M Back-illuminated CMOS, Real 9.3 Megapixel Stills with no interpolation, recording up to 3520x2640 digital still images. Pick up your JVC Everio GZ-HM550BUS Flash Memory Camcorder today!

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HP Photosmart M627 7MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom Review

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(More customer reviews)Duration of ownership: 2 months
Strengths: 7MP point-and-shoot camera with a 3X zoom. Easy-to-use built-in help screens. Nice looking and strong brushed-aluminum body.
Weaknesses: No viewfinder. Limited choice of settings
Overall Evaluation: A feature of this M627 that I liked is that the camera allows the users to quickly and easily add creative effects and borders to their photos right on the camera using the HP Design Gallery; I can can choose up to 10 different borders, including burnt, soft or torn edges, 12 different artistic effects, such as kaleidoscope, retro and slimming, and four unique color tints. The HP Photosmart Express feature is also nice; it makes makes sharing, printing and saving digital photos easy. The drawback of the camera that I found was the lack of sharpness and color accuracy when taking pictures in night time.


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HP M627 Digital Camera.This compact, metal camera is sturdy and designed for quick, one-handed shots.Effortlessly snap and edit photos, then view and edit on a large large image display.Add creativity to photos as you shoot using HP exclusive artistic effects, slimming and more.Share your way, an optional dock recharges the camera and makes it easy to print and e-mail photos.

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PNY 8 GB Flash Memory Card P-SDHC8G10-AZ (Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging) Review

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(More customer reviews)I upgraded my 10 Megapixel cameras memory card from a 4GB Class 4 SDHC to this 16GB Class 10 SDHC and couldn't be happier. Naturally the photo-count and video record time capabilities went through the roof but the refresh-rate increased exponentially as well. Low-light/no-flash photo quality increased as well. WOW! Wait till it goes on sale and grab one or two. No worries!

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