Cables To Go - 40645 - 3.5mm Stereo Male To 2X RCA Female Adapter Review

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(More customer reviews)Good adapter. Some TV's, like my Westinghouse HDTV, can't use RCA (red and white wires) for audio when using a VGA connection. I have a XBOX 360 and I have component cables. I wanted to get the VGA cable because they WILL give me 1080p when I'm playing a HD-DVD. Component cables are fine, just that it will give everybody a 1080i picture when playing HD-DVD's, but not games though, they provide 1080p for games but not HD-DVD's for some reason.
Well, after numerous calls to Westinghouse and Microsoft about why I can't get audio using the VGA and RCA cables, I did my own research online, and luckily I came across this. Some HDTV's only will allow sound through VGA connection using the "MiniJack" input. REMEMBER THAT GUYS/GALS. It's hard to write a review on a small product, but it get's the job done.

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Sony HDR-UX1 AVCHD 4MP High-Definition DVD Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom Review

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(More customer reviews)I have been researching the Sony HDR-UX1 camcorder and have found some information about it that will help those looking for a DVD camcorder. This camcorder is very similar to the highly rated Sony DVD-505 camcorder, except that it records in high definition. There is some confusion about how to play back the disks. I will attempt to explain.
[1] This camcorder records in high definition to mini-dvd disks using the AVCHD compression format. It will only playback in AVCHD capable DVD players (which will become common in the next couple of years), Blueray players have this capability, but from what I read you should not neccessarily need to get a blueray player, just one that can support the AVCHD compression codec. HD-DVD players may also be able to play these disks. These disks will also play on computer DVD drives with the bundled AVCHD software as well.
[2] You can playback the disk through the camcorder itself and hook it up to your high definition TV directly. So in effect the camcorder itself replaces the need for a blueray player to playback MiniDVD disks.
[3] If you want, you can also record in standard definition (just like the DVD 505) and play back the DVD on almost any DVD player, since the compression used is MPEG 2 for this and all DVD players are made for this.
So basically you have two camcorders in one. Standard definition or high definition. You can shoot in high definition, use the camera or your computer to view without the need to a blueray player. Or shoot in standard definition and view on a standard DVD player. The choice is yours.
[4] Some improved features of this camcorder are manual focus/zoom ring option for more control, Guideframes to compose your shots, 4 megapixel still image capability. You can hookup to your HDTV with component or HDMI connectors. Headphone Jack. Microphone Jack. Dolby 5.1 surround sound. Large high resolution 3.5 inch screen (same as DVD505 model).
[5] How much video can you fit on a disk? It took a while to find out this information, but here it is. In high definition, a dual layer DVD+R disk will hold 27 minutes in highest HD resolution, or in LP mode 60 minutes.

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Create high-definition DVDs directly from your camcorder with the HDR-UX1 Handycam. You call all the shots with DVD-R/-RW/+RW and +R DL media formats supported. Record every detail of every moment with the 10x Optical/80x Digital Zoom and Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* Lens. However, you'll be capturing more than just video with the 4.0 Megapixel Still image feature and Dolby Digital 5.1ch Audio Recording. After you've recorded everything, easily transfer and share with complete composite, component, USB 2.0 and HDMI connectivity. Capture, create, connect, and share in high-definition with the HDR-UX1. Sony's 1/3" ClearVID CMOS Sensor with 1990K (effective) Pixels provides stunning detail and clarity with exceptional video (up to 1080 lines of Horizontal Resolution - HD; 530 lines of Horizontal Resolution - SD) and still image performance. The Megapixel technology enhances your Digital videos and Digital still (3980K) photography performance. The DVD recording format, in both MPEG2 (SD) and AVCHD delivers Digital picture and sound quality comparable to that of MiniDV and High Defitition, but on DVD. Playback of these DVDs couldn't be simpler (depending upon the playback device used). After finalizing the disc in the camcorder, the disc can play back in most DVD Players (SD), computers, Blu-ray Disc players and even PlayStation 3 video game consoles. The HDR-UX1 is compatible with a variety of DVD formats allowing the ease of use and simplicity found in DVD Media. With DVD+RW media there is not a need to finalize the disc (minimum recording required). Simply remove the disc and insert the media into a compatible DVD Player. The 10x optical zoom helps to bring the action close up from far away. In addition, the 80x digital zoom interpolation means that extreme digital zooming is clearer, with less distortion than previous types of digital zooms.

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Magnavox NB530MGX Blu-ray Disc Player Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a great player that offers an excellent picture, and is easy on the wallet. I bought this at Walmart for under $200 and I have been very pleased with the quality. I was blown away by the great picture blu-ray has to offer! Dont expect to many frills such as BD-Live, but do expect a great, "pop in your movie and go" player! It does have an sd-card slot that allows you to save bookmarks and view photos and video clips through the player onto you tv which is really great.
So if your on a budget and want an excellent player for any price, you cant go wrong with this one!
On a side note, some people complain about load times, and although it takes a bit longer to load BD discs than regular DVDs, its quite understandable and really only takes about 30 seconds (give or take a few).

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SanDisk Sansa e130 512 MB Digital Audio Player with SD Expansion Slot Review

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(More customer reviews)This mp3 player is pretty darn good. It is light weight, easy to handle, and fairly inexpensive ($103 from Amazon). I bought the Sandisk over the Rio and RCA offerings because Sandisk, at least in my research, didn't seem to have the number of complaints about product quality and lack of customer support that the other two brands had. Also, it seems as if getting at least a 512MB flash memory player with an expansion slot is going to cost around $100.
This player represents the second Sandisk mp3 player in our household. We were impressed with the ease of use and tranfer speed of the 512MB flash memory player (with no expansion slot). The Sansa player is no different. It is literally drag and drop on to the Sansa. The number of features also put it over the top versus the RCA and Rio.
Overall, you can't beat the usefullness of this little gadget.
Pro's:
--Small size, light weight
--USB 2.0 file transfer speed (transfer 100mb worth of songs in seconds)
--Backlight display
--Plays mp3 and WMA (you can put both on the player at the same time and it doesn't even blink)
--Radio reception is fairly decent here in the hills, but still won't pick up all of the available stations in your area (none of the small mp3 players on the market get anything more than decent reception so don't use this as a selling point regardless of what you buy)
--Sound quality is decent even when playing songs at 64Kbps. If you use this compression level, get good earphones.
--Lots of features including a customizable 5-band eqaulizer with presets, WOW surround sound simulator, and other sound effects. Also, has stopwatch timer and a host of other settings you can play with.
--Battery life is excellent. Not as good as some, but still near the top of players that have good battery life.
--It comes with pouch, armband, earbuds, usb cable.
Minor Con's:
--When you purchase this player, buy headphones. The included earbuds are pointless as the sound quality is barely adequate and the included 3 sets of earbud covers can't keep the earbuds in my ears.
--The battery cover door comes off fairly easily. It looks like it's on there pretty tight but it's not. I think Sandisk did this because of the many complaints that the battery covers on their mp3 players were too difficult to remove causing many people to break the battery cover (like my fiancee did with her own player).
--Your music files need to be properly tagged. I thought my files were appropriately named but this player doesn't seem to recognize the songs. I think the ID3 tags on my music are not correct as the player will display the music title you typed in but it will also show the album, song title, and artist as unknown.
--The buttons on the front are hard to push if you are not expecting it. You just have to adapt to pushing the button deeper than you would think.
--The volume is controlled by a rotary wheel on the top right side of the player. It is very difficult to turn, especially when it is in the holder. I would have preferred two more buttons on the front or side than the wheel.
--Getting the player out of the holder is incredibly difficult. Wipe of the display of the player and the inside of the plastic holder before putting the player in the holder. The plastic film that protects the display during transport leaves either static or a light adhesive film on the display that makes it stick to the plastic holder after you put it in. It took me five minutes and many attempts to get it out before I realized what happened. Also be careful not to yank off the battery door when pulling the player out of the holder. There you have it. None of these gripes add up to more than a minor irritation which is why I gave it five stars (I would have given it 4.5 starts if I could have). However, having experienced other mp3 players, this one has the best combination of manufacturer product reliability and product support, versatility and expandability (up to 2GB SD card), features, and sound quality. My finacee has started using my player instead of her own player. Added on 4/25/05:
In my initial review, I forgot to mention two things. The Sansa ignores your file organization so don't bother trying to setup seperate folders for different genres of music. This is why I warned before to make sure that the music you have is named and tagged properly because it does allow you to play songs by artist, album, date added to player, and so on (let's hope SanDisk fixes this with some software upgrades). Also, there is about a 1-2 second lag when switching between songs. This can get a little annoying at times but you will get used to it. To be fair, one more upside is that I added a 1G SD card (SanDisk Ultra II) and after the initial 60 seconds to read the card and update the playlist, it doesn't miss a beat. I still really enjoy this mp3 player.
Added on 05/02/05:
My Sansa has started to drink batteries like I drink Coke. Not sure why; it could be using extra juice to read music on the SD card. I may have to purchase rechargeable batteries if this keeps up. I got 6 hours of playing time out of my last battery. My fiancee's Sandisk (a flash memory player, no expansion slot) goes about 15 hours on a AAA battery. Not sure why the huge discrepancy between our two Sandisk players but my best guess is that my batteries are being drained reading the memory card. It would be helpful if someone out there with some knowledge about this would write a review.
Added on 0725/05:
After having a chance to live with the player for a few more months, I have to downgrade the rating to 3 stars. The player has become harder to live with. It plays reliably and the sound is good but it is still drinking batteries like crazy and the rotary volume knob hasn't loosened up much. Sandisk hasn't offered any software upgrades to address the lack of being able to organize your files any way you want to and it is still very difficult to remove the player from its holder. Having owned several makes and models of players before, this is still better than those players because each of those players died 2-8 months after purchase. Shop around and get what sounds good to you.

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SanDisk Sansa e100 series of small, highly portable digital music players use embedded flash memory to store many hours of digital music. For an enjoyable music-listening experience, the new music players feature high-fidelity sound, a sophisticated yet easy-to-use song navigation and sorting system and a unique design that continues SanDisks tradition of distinctive styling.

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Kodak EasyShare C913 9.2MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Silver) Review

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(More customer reviews)This camera arrived just a few days before a trip to Taiwan / Macau and I took the instruction book to read on the plane. I'd damaged my previous camera (also a Kodak EasyShare) and although it had resumed working, I took this one as a backup. It was great! It held up through all sorts of weather and packing, took short videos when wanted, even had a "museum" feature that allowed me to take great photos in the Maritime Museum in Macau. It runs on AA batteries and lasts plenty long--all in all, I was very happy with it and with the quality of photos it produced. Remember to use the ISO feature in the evening, get up close whenever possible for the sharpest photos, and unless you are shooting for a magazine, you'll probably be happy with it. I am still using both cameras, have tons of good photos and video--

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Nokia 5230 Quad-band GSM Cell Phone - Unlocked Review

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(More customer reviews)After I dropped my wife's phone into a lake, it was time to get a new phone. Her phone was a prepaid T-Mobile, so we looked around for a decent replacement. Costco had this phone for sale for prepaid use at a very reasonable price, far less than above.
The good:
Free maps from Ovi Maps. Free navigation can be had by downloading maps and voice and telling the navigation program to work offline. Our phone came pre loaded with the entire US, which takes about 2 gig of the 4 gig card which was included.
Free access to the Ovi App store. We have been downloading some free apps and so far, no charges against our minutes... knock on wood.
Small size but very high resolution. It's about the length of an iPhone, but only about 3/4 as wide. The screen is 3.2" but has a resolution of 360 x 640 pixels. It only has a 2mp camera, but that's plenty to shoot great video.
Bluetooth is fully functional. You can transfer files using it, unlike some other phones that only allow earpiece or speakerphone use through BT.
It comes with a 4 gig card, but with maps and pictures and music and whatever else, I can see it filling fast. It can take up to a 16 gig card.
The so so...
It comes with a little "guitar pic" thing to use the pressure sensitive touch screen. You can use your fingers too, but sometimes the things you wish to click are too small for fingers, so the pic is the better choice. Time will tell whether the touch screen is durable.
No wifi. Wifi would have been nice, but I guess this is what you give up at this price. Oh well.
As a phone...
Calls are clear and no issues with call quality. It has a proximity sensor so you don't accidentally press buttons when you hold it against your face. Dialing or texting by feel cannot be done since there is no physical number pad, it's totally touchscreen. Dialing is easy though, I have not "fat fingered" a button yet.

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A stylish and affordable 3G-enabled touchscreen phone, the Nokia 5230 is packed with applications, maps with turn-by-turn directions, access to downloadable music and games, and more. It features a 3.2-inch touchscreen display that offers a tactile feedback and an accelerometer that auto-rotates so you can quickly view videos and Web pages in widescreen mode. It offers integrated GPS with free Ovi Maps Navigation and the pre-loaded Ovi Store by Nokia for discovering and downloading more apps and games.
Other features include car mount and holder for easy use of Ovi Maps navigation, microSD memory expansion (up to 16 GB), 2-megapixel camera/camcorder, Bluetooth for hands-free devices and stereo music streaming, multi-format digital audio player, FM radio, support for both personal and corporate e-mail, and up to 4.5 hours of 3G talk time (7 hours on non-3G networks).

Unlocked Phone This unlocked cell phone can be used with a GSM network service provider. It does not come with a SIM card, and it requires that you provide a SIM card for usage with your selected service provider. This phone comes with a full manufacturer's warranty.

When paired with a compatible 3G network, you'll enjoy a high-speed connection offering a variety of feature-rich wireless services--from data connectivity to your office to multimedia streaming, and take advantage of simultaneous voice and data services. In areas not served by a 3G network, you'll continue to receive data service via EDGE network (depending on network compatibility).

Note that the downloading of maps, games, music and videos and uploading of images and videos involves transferring large amounts of data. Your service provider may charge for the data transmission, and the availability of particular services and features may vary by carrier.



Key Features
Fast 3G connectivity with broadband-like speeds via 850/900/1900/2100 MHz UMTS/HSDPA.
Integrated assisted GPS (A-GPS) receiver with free Ovi Maps enables you to find your route quickly and easily, whether walking or driving. Use the Walk pedestrian navigation to find your way, or the voice-guided Drive navigation to find the best route. (Learn more)
3.2-inch touchscreen with responsive, tactile feedback (640 x 360 pixels, 16.7 million colors).
2-megapixel camera with 3x digital zoom, center-weighted auto exposure, white balance settings, and on-phone photo editor.
Video capture capabilities with recording up to 640 x 480 pixels and up to 30 fps.
Digital audio/video player with compatibility for MP3, WMA, and AAC/eAAC+ formats
FM radio (requires headset to be attached)
Bluetooth connectivity (version 2.0) includes profiles for communication headset, hands-free car kits, and the A2DP Bluetooth profile--enabling you to wirelessly stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones or speaker dock.
Memory expansion via microSD card slot with support for optional cards up to 16 GB.
SMS and MMS messaging with common inbox
Instant messaging via AIM, Yahoo! Messenger, MSN Live, and Google Talk
Supports e-mail accounts from more than a thousand ISPs (SMTP, IMAP4, POP3), as well as Gmail, Yahoo! mail and Hotmail. People who use Microsoft Exchange at work can access their e-mail using the Mail for Exchange mobile e-mail client, which comes pre-loaded (an Exchange e-mail account is required and your Exchange Administrator must have enabled your account for synchronization).
Nokia Xpress audio messaging
Full HTML Web browsing
Organizer tools including calendar, alarm clock, notes, world clock, converter, and calculator.
Airplane mode allows you to listen to music while the cellular connectivity is turned off
USB connectivity
Ovi Store by Nokia with access to thousands of applications and other exciting content.
Integrated hands-free speakerphone
Contacts bar for 20 contacts with images and communication history (SMS, e-mail, web feeds)
Symbian OS v9.4, Series 60 5.0
Changeable color battery covers

Vital Statistics The Nokia 5230 weighs 3.98 ounces and measures 4.37 x 2.03 x 0.61 inches. Its 1320 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 4.5 hours of 3G talk time (7 hours on non-3G networks), and up to 438 hours (18.25 days) of standby time. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE frequencies, plus 850/900/1900/2100 3G networks (HSDPA).

What's in the Box Nokia 5230 handset, rechargeable battery, charger, wired stereo headset, wrist strap, user manual

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Free Worldwide Walk and Drive Navigation Nokia now offers its Ovi Maps walk and drive navigation application free across the globe. Drivers receive turn-by-turn voice guidance including lane assistance, traffic information (in 10 countries including the U.S.), and safety camera and speed warnings, while pedestrians will be guided on shortcuts through parks and pedestrian-only zones in over 100 cities across the globe. And unlike other mobile navigation mapping solutions, Ovi Maps works offline--no cellular service is required.
With the new Ovi Maps for mobile you get for free:

Maps for over 180 countries and free map updates
Drive and Walk navigation available in over 70 countries with real-time voice guidance
My Position enables you to find your current location easier and faster than ever.
New one box search for quicker access to finding places and addresses.
Save your favorite places and routes, then synchronize them with your Ovi account over the air.
Car navigation with voice and visual instructions, lane assistance and speed limit information. Now also with text-to-speech voice guidance.
Pedestrian navigation with routing through pedestrian zones and shortcuts, pathways through parks and buildings, stairways and plazas. Now with text-to-speech voice guidance.
Get real-time weather information including a 5-day forecast, for your current or any location found via search.
Lonely Planet and Michelin offer you dynamic access to the best and most relevant editorial travel content for over 1000 destinations. Find thousands of listings for sights, restaurants, hotels, shops, nightlife, and more. Look these places up on the map and get to them with Walk and Drive navigation.
Discover the events happening nearby your location on the map or any place found via search.
Share your location on Facebook--where you are, what you are up to and finish with a photo.

No Hidden Costs The new version of Ovi Maps comes with all the maps and high-end, car grade navigation features you need for free and is yours to keep for the life of the smartphone. No additional licenses needed for extra countries, regions or services like traffic information or city guides. Data charges from network operators may apply.

Voice Guidance and Traffic Information Turn-by-turn, voice guided navigation comes free for both drivers and pedestrians. For drivers this includes lane assistance, traffic information, safety camera, and speed warnings. For pedestrians, this includes shortcuts through parks and pedestrian-only zones for over 100 cities around the world as well as 6,000 3D landmarks in over 200 cities to help you find exactly where you are.

Unique Hybrid Technology Ovi Maps is built on an advanced technology called hybrid vector maps. Vector maps are high quality but less data intensive and allow you to continue to navigate even if you lose your network connection. This means that maps downloaded or updated across a network connection are about half the size of bulky bitmaps used by other mobile map providers. The hybrid technology ensures that, unlike other providers, any downloaded map data is stored on the device for future use.

No Network Connection Required When Navigating Avoid expensive, battery-draining network connections with Nokia's unique hybrid technology. Maps can be pre-loaded on to your Nokia smartphone so you can set Ovi Maps to offline mode, saving battery power, and the navigation system will still work. This is particularly useful for those worried about data connection costs when travelling abroad or when you are travelling through areas with little or no network coverage.

Best Global Coverage You take your mobile with you wherever you go in the world so, as standard, voice guided navigation for both pedestrians and drivers is available for 74 countries in 46 different languages and there are maps for over 180 countries. This gives you the best maps with the largest global coverage for free.

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Oregon Scientific ATC 5K Waterproof Action Cam Flash Memory Video Recorder with 1.5-Inch Color LCD Screen, Still Image and Web Cam Capabilities (Blue) Review

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(More customer reviews)Received this camera as a gift. Idea was to mount it to my ski helmet and be able to easily shoot video while skiing, without removing my gloves. What a failure. Several reasons:
1. The mounting accessories are flimsy and not very well thought through. You'd expect a helmet camera would be able to mount on a *round* surface (which helmet isn't round?). This thing is impossible to mount so that it points into roughly the right direction.
2. The buttons for video and still images are too close to each other. Once again, since you don't actually see the camera while you use it (remember, it's mounted to your helmet), it's easy to get the wrong button. There's no clear audible indication which one of the buttons you pressed.
3. There is no way to turn off the display while the camera is on stand by (i.e. ready to take video). As a consequence, it runs through the two AA batteries in less than half an hour -- without ever shooting any video. This is even worse because it's close to impossible to use the on/off button, even with gloves off. It's tiny, and needs to be pressed very hard (ideally, with a pen, etc).
Overall, I wish I hadn't gotten this. I feel bad my brother spent this much money on such a piece of useless technology.

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Sony MHS-CM5 bloggie HD Video Camera (Violet) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Amazon is obviously filled with fake reviews from either fanboys or competing company employes. I bought this camera, and even reviewed it, compared it to other cameras like the Kodak zi8 (search google for "letsfindjesus bloggie" to find videos of my review). The Sony is the best under $200 camcorder on the market. Its auto focus is quick, the colors are rich and accurate, and the mono mic actually sounds good. It has a built in usb plug (which is also used to charge) and pretty good face detection. The still camera (unlike the pocket cams) actually takes decent 5 megapixel photos. It has a playback speaker which is loud enough. The 5X optical zoom is smooth, and the digital zoom is well... a digital zoom. Bottom line, for the price the picture quality and build is mighty good.
There is some negatives, I listed them below, none are deal breaking.. more of a wish list. The biggest feature missing for me is Steady Shot (image stabilization) on the 1080p and 720/60 frame modes. The Kodak zi8 has this, but it looks like crap on 1080p so I guess I would rather not have this feature if the hardware is too slow to process the steady shot. Which is why im guessing Sony didnt include this feature on the higher quality modes.
Pros:
-Very acceptable video quality
-Good sounding mic
-GREAT accurate colors
-5X optical zoom
-for once a decent still camera
-quick zoom
-SD memory card capable and Memory Stick Pro Duo
-Record and upload.. its in a format that just.. Works.
-Mac and PC friendly
Cons:
-Battery lasts a little over an hour (buy an extra!)
-Steady Shot is only on 720P (30 Frames/sec) and VGA
-lens cap instead of hardware lens open/close
-mic is mono (but its not bad)
-no manual focus
-low light (like all low cost camcorders) isnt the best, and the focus is slow/struggles in low light

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Capture HD MP4 video and 5MP images and upload them directly to the Web with the Sony bloggie camera.

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Compaq Presario CQ5500F Desktop PC - Black Review

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(More customer reviews)Well I just received this computer about two days ago, but despite this, I think I can make a pretty good assessment about its pros and cons thus far. I'll begin by saying that from an aesthetic viewpoint, this computer looks very nice. The case itself is matte, but the front bezel itself is a nice, glossy finish that really does look nice, all things considered. It has two USB 2.0 ports on the front as well as jacks for both headphones and a microphone, so no need to reach around to the back of the unit if you don't feel like it. Oh yes, just so you're not as confused as I was at first, the power button is technically located on what would be your right hand side if the computer's front is facing you, situated near the top of the case. The button is illuminated by a somewhat irritating bright blue LED, a lighting choice that seems to have become popular in the computer market these days, so it's kind of a take it or leave it thing depending on how you feel about such. The only ridiculous part of the external design is, in my opinion, the terribly designed bay for the DVD reader. A plastic flap obscures the drive itself, and to open it, one presses a silver button directly underneath this flap. Now this is all fine and dandy until you try to use it: would a nuclear power plant have a computer monitoring the reactor that is rendered inoperable after turning it on? The same issue takes place here--the plastic flap actually flips over the button itself after opening, making it a totally unnecessary fiasco to press the button again to let the drive read a placed disc. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that after a few uses the flap becomes a little stiff; it will show some difficulty closing after the drive door recedes. This is not anything severe, but you will probably have to push it closed manually. There's one more big issue that came up, actually: NO CASE FAN. I'm surprised this evaded my notice for so long. This computer should run pretty cool, and a case fan can run anywhere from $5-20, but the fact that they didn't include this is actually really underhanded if this is HP's idea of "cutting costs." Still, it hasn't blown up on me yet, and a fan is shipping in the mail. 1/2 point off.
The hardware itself is decent; nothing mindblowing in this box to be sure. Two gigs' worth of DDR3 memory should give this computer some decent punch, but why not upgrade to four and max out its potential?***NOTE*** Apparently Amazon was wrong about the memory type. Another reviewer found it to be DDR2 memory instead of DDR3, so plan accordingly before purchasing!***NOTE*** The PSU is 250 watts, I believe. This should be enough to power everything on board adequately, but in case you were intending to add a second hard drive or add a graphics card, upgrading the power supply may be wise. In any case, it only comes with two power couplings for SATA-type devices, both of which are already in use by the hard drive and DVD drive. It does have some older MOLEX-type adaptors, however, and the motherboard hosts one IDE slot. I do have to mention that the power supply is kind of a pain in the rear to remove, though. The box also hosts one PCI slot, two PCI-e and one PCI-e16, I think. I'll verify this later. Graphics are integrated--not what you would want for gaming, but I find they're adequate enough to play PoxNora online with minimal hiccups, so it can carry you through in many cases. Processor is an AMD Sempron, which is a lower level unit, although it's definitely strong enough to run Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit without any issue. I'm having the hardest time finding out what's the biggest processor the motherboard will take, however; even the HP website and several manuals I've read thus far seem not to be willing to divulge this useful bit of knowledge. Overall, though, I think I can recommend this one as a purchase, especially for this ridiculously low price.
***EDIT*** They (Amazon) just lowered this PC's price to under $300 for a few days. It has since went back up to the default price, sadly. I'm not sure if that means I bought a lemon, but this is a definite must buy if you need decent computing power and the latest Windows OS at a price so low it could be called criminal. Just remember that Windows7 Home Premium does have some compatibility problems with older programs...to remedy this, you will need to change to either Professional or Ultimate.

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