E-MU Xmidi 1x1 - MIDI adapter - USB Review

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(More customer reviews)I got this for my new iMac with an Intel processor and it is completely plug and play. I didn't have to download anything, my computer recognized what it was and identified it by name automatically. The only little thing is the cable marked MIDI IN goes to the keyboard's MIDI OUT and the cable marked MIDI OUT plugs into MIDI IN on the keyboard. Slightly confusing but it makes sense after you think about it.

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Toshiba L640-EZ1411 14-inch Core i3-370M 2.4GHz/ 3GB/ 320GB/ DVDR with Windows 7 Pro Notebook Computer Review

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(More customer reviews)It was bad enough that six months in the screen "cracked" with no physical damage. It was worse when Toshiba baited me to send it in with the expectation of repair and then refused warranty coverage. But it was worst when Toshiba quoted me a repair price of $325, i.e., more than it is selling new laptops for, $100 more than local service and, it seems, $200 more than the part retails for. To quote another similar review with the same problem: "Toshiba--never again."

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LG Rumor 2 Prepaid Phone (Virgin Mobile) Review

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(More customer reviews)After suffering for ten months with AT&T's lousy service and rude support staff, I terminated my contract early and jumped on the pre-paid bandwagon. I was accustomed to having a feature-rich phone (an HTC Fuze with unlimited data) so I began preparing myself for the humble amenities of a no-contract plan. Much to my surprise, I have found the LG Rumor2 is a quite capable phone. The QWERTY keyboard is responsive, laid out very well, and easy to use. If you're going to text often, this phone is built for the task. Call quality is decent, though I've only tested it through the handset speaker and not on a headset. I was even mildly impressed by the Rumor2's camera (1.3 megapixel) which took some e-mail quality shots. LG has constructed a lightweight but sturdy phone which won't rip a hole in your pocket.
Above all that, however, this phone has several applications which have impressive capabilities. The built-in Opera Mini browser delivers a respectable mobile web browsing experience. Despite the Rumor2's small screen, you can still see what you need to see on most websites. Google Maps is also included and is highly functional on this unit. There's even the option to purchase a GPS navigation program (runs $9.95 per month) that further expands its versatility. Along with all those features, you can insert a microSD card and listen to mp3s with the Rumor's on-board media player. If that's not enough functionality, the free Mail+IM app is incredibly useful for staying connected. As a user who stubbornly clung to Windows Mobile for over three years, I'm quickly learning that you don't need a $600 SmartPhone and $40 data plan to communicate.
Virgin Mobile's plans are highly configurable to whatever types of services you use most. I'm getting a basic voice plan, 1000 messages, and a generous data bundle all for $40 per month. I was paying $80 per month for similar services from AT&T on my contract phone.
My only real complaint is the small screen. The Rumor2 has a sharp, bright display but there's just not enough of it. That said, you'll have few problems texting, emailing, Facebooking, web-surfing, or playing games on the tiny LCD. This phone really does everything you'd need a cell phone to do.

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If you need to stay on top of your text, email and instant messaging as well as your social networks, the next-generation LG Rumor2 for Virgin Mobile makes it easy to quickly communicate thanks to its slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Perfect for those who want an affordable phone that keeps them connected just about anywhere they go at a great value, this new version of the popular Rumor features an expanded QWERTY keyboard with an additional row for easier typing, increased screen resolution to QVGA clarity, and Bluetooth stereo music streaming.
With Virgin Mobile, you can choose a pay-as-you-go plan where you pay for just the minutes you use, or select from one of several monthly plans--including an unlimited option. The LG Rumor2 supports Virgin Mobile's Ultimate Inbox solution for e-mail and instant messaging, enabling you to stay connected through Yahoo!, AOL, Windows Live/Hotmail and Gmail/Google Talk, as well as with IMAP and POP3 e-mail support.
Other features include GPS turn-by-turn directions via Google Maps or Virgin Mobile Navigator, a 1.3-megapixel camera/camcorder, Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity, multi-format digital audio player, microSD memory expansion to 16 GB, and up to 5.5 hours of talk time.

Key Features
GPS enabled with optional Virgin Mobile Navigator application, providing turn-by-turn voice directions and location-based search features to find nearby restaurants and bars, ATMs, gas stations, and many more local points of interest.
Google Maps allows you to get directions, search for businesses, and see real-time traffic information.
Buddy Beacon lets you broadcast your location to friends and family and you can turn it on when you're feeling sociable or turn it off when you're not.
Brightly colorful 2-inch LCD screen (240 x 320 pixels, 262K color depth) with auto rotation
Slide-out full QWERTY keyboard
1.3-megapixel camera/camcorder features up to a 15x digital zoom, brightness and white balance controls, self-timer, and in-phone image enhancement.
Digital audio player supports MP3 files (sideload files from PC to memory card only)
Bluetooth connectivity (version 2.1) 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.
Full messaging suite including SMS text, MMS picture, instant messaging (IM), and personal e-mail.
Opera Mini web browser lets you surf the Internet from your phone, with Mobile Search right on your home screen.
Link to your favorite social networking sites including Facebook, MySpace, Flickr, and YouTube.
Organizer tools including alarm clock, scheduler, notepad, calculator, and unit converter.
Phonebook stores up to 600 contacts with each providing space for seven phone numbers, three email addresses, one Web address, and one IM address. You can also assign a photo ID to a contact entry, as well as assign it to a group as well as to a specific ringtone.
Airplane mode allows you to listen to music while the cellular connectivity is turned off
Downloadable games, ringtones, graphics and more
Bi-lingual interface (English and Spanish)

Vital Statistics The LG Rumor2 weighs 4.2 ounces and measures 4.4 x 2.1 x 0.7 inches. Its 950 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 5.5 hours of talk time, and up to 300 hours (12.5 days) of standby time. It runs on the 800/1900 CDMA frequencies; 1xRTT voice and data capable.
What's in the Box LG Rumor2 handset, rechargeable battery, charger, quick start guide, user manual

Virgin Mobile Prepaid Pricing With Virgin Mobile, you can pay only for the calling time you use. You can choose a plan that's based just on minutes (with rates between 5¢ and 10¢ per minute, depending on the amount of minutes you buy). Or, you can choose a monthly plan with no annual contract--including the All-In contract plan with either 500, 1000 or unlimited minutes as well as unlimited messaging and data services. Pay-as-you-go users can easily Top-Up your Virgin Mobile account right from your phone. First, buy a Top-Up card at one of the thousands of retailers that carry them; or register your debit card, credit card, or PayPal account at the Virgin Mobile USA web site in order to add minutes to your account directly from your phone.
Additionally, you can choose from a variety of mobile messaging plans, which includes text and picture messaging, e-mail, and IM (via AOL and Yahoo!). Virgin Mobile USA's national coverage is powered by the nationwide Sprint PCS network.
Virgin Mobile contributes 5 percent of profits from downloadable content to The RE*Generation, its pro-social initiative to help homeless teens, as well as provides postage-paid return envelopes in every new package for customers to recycle old phones.

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Casio MIDI Cable for Musical Keyboards Review

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(More customer reviews)Neither this listing nor Casio's web site mention if this cable includes an opto-isolator. Without it, you could have problems communicating between MIDI gear and your PC.
Look around for MIDI-to-PC cables that have an opto-isolator. They aren't any more expensive, and they could save you a lot of time and headache.

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Yamaha DGX505-AD DGX505 88-key Electronic Piano Keyboard Review

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(More customer reviews)So I'm 19 living in a dorm room on campus. I figured the Clavinova was way too steep on my pockets. I played piano once upon a time, but never took lesssons really. I was attracted to the price of this keyboard and the fact that it was actually full-size. Being sick and tired of my 61-key keyboard, I figured I'd go seek out shopping for a better one and one that is full size.
I don't know digital pianos too well but from experience I've noticed that Yamaha and Roland were pretty formidable with their products. I wouldn't have given a second look to the other brands. I've tried this product out at a store some time ago several times before actually thinking about buying it. I thought it was very nice for a consumer based instrument.
After reading reviews and what not, I was determined then that I would put serious thought into buying it. One minute later I was already pulling out my card to pay for this online. After receiving the product, I was faced with an even bigger burden... carrying it back across campus to my dorm room.
So the package was pretty big. Makes for a good workout if you plan on carrying it back to your home. The contents were packed nicely. The stand was very easy to setup too. Being a computer freak, I have the keyboard sitting next to my computer. The whole USB interface was another thing that turned me on about the keyboard. Little did i know how great it would become when I actually connected it to my computer. The software was easy to use. I can transfer MIDI files to the keyboard via USB and store them on little memory cards.
The thing boasts about how you can take midi files and have them display the sheet music on the LCD screen. I thought that was nifty and all, but I would never use that feature. I'd rather have a software included that'll put the midi file on sheet music ready to be printed.
The "Digital Music Notebook" is a very awesome utility in my opinion. I found it to be so good that I'd place my computer monitor on where my sheet music would go on the keyboard whenever I'm using it with my keyboard (thank goodness it isn't CRT!). So you can use this notebook software to buy/download sheet music digitally. I thought it was pretty lame that you can only print it once (I understand a good few digital sheet vendors do it this way too). Nonetheless, after buying the sheet music, you can view it through the software and have it blow up on your monitor so you can see it full size. You can also make the software play the sheet music (it'll play through your computer or you can configure it to play through the keyboard). A cool thing about it is that you can turn on the learning mode through that software and it'll control your keyboard for it (i.e. there's a learning mode where the song'll play and wait for you to hit the right keys before moving on.) It'll display what keys you need to hit through the software and show you what key's you hit. I thought this whole digital notebook software interface thing was very well done. I thought that the USB interface was solely used for transferring MIDI files.
Though I'm not too much of a piano purist, I think the default piano sound is very nice. This thing holds like over 400 different types of sounds (instruments, voices, sound effects). To be honest, I would rather have them spent more time on perfecting the piano sound, eliminate all other preset voices/styles/songs on the keyboard, and just have it play that one piano sound.
Now, some of the gripes I have with the keyboard.
The sustain pedal isn't all too great. It works fine, but it doesn't really have the feel I'd like it to have. I'm not too whiny about it though to make me want to buy a sustain pedal they sell separately that's made to look like a real piano pedal. The pedal that comes with the keyboard serves its purpose though. If I knew this before buying the keyboard, I would've still bought it anyway.
The piano keys are not weighted. Looking at the picture, one can see that the keys are "fully" shaped like a piano rather than have spaces underneath the keys that the low-end keyboards have. I kinda accidently assumed that it was weighted because of the way they looked. This was back before I test drove it at a store. Playing on a keyboard is much different than playing on a piano. It'll be easier to adjust to a keyboard from a piano than vice versa. If anything, this is probably its biggest weakness in my opinion, but I guess to keep a piano at this price with such a feature wouldn't be too possible.
Overall, I think this digital keyboard is great. Travelling with it isn't bad either if you wish to travel with it. The keyboard has inspired me to practice the instrument more versus the 61-key instrumental junk I had before.
If you're a college student who enjoys playing the piano. I'd recommend this keyboard if you have the room in your dorm. This keyboard is worthy enough for enduring hours and hours of practicing songs and worthy enough if you want to seranade to a special someone or perform for a group (travel friendly once you have the keyboard bag, especially since you won't need to necessarily carry an amplifier with you since speakers are built-in or you can plug one in if you wanted to). It has a 32-note polyphony, but I don't think I'd even go that far. It's nice to know that you have that sort of leaway.
If you're a parent who has a kid growing up and you want them to learn piano, I probably wouldn't recommend this keyboard because of a lack of weighted keys. At that point, I think it would be more advantageous to invest in a Yamaha Cavinova, a Roland Digital Keyboard, or simply a real piano.
This has probably been the best consumer based keyboard I've used. If I were to get a new keyboard in the future, It'll be ranged between $1500-2000. I probably wouldn't be one who'd jump to buy the DGX-506 (if it were to hypothetically come out). For the price range, I couldn't imagine another keyboard that can compete with the DGX-505.

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Gigabyte Socket AM3/ AMD 770/ 4DDR3-1866(OC)/ GbE/ SATA3/ USB3.0/ eSATA/ 1394 ATX Motherboard GA-770T-USB3 Review

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(More customer reviews)Pros: USB 3.0, Sata 3, hmm thats it.
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Cons: I have only had problems with this. I bought two, one came with the heat sync broken and had to RMA it.
Installing windows 7 takes sooo much longer on this MOBO than any other I have tried, I know its the MOBO because the only thing in common between my two builds is the MOBO and they both take hours. More specifically it hangs at each one of the install screens.
It comes with integrated ethernet card but that broke after about 6 months.
Nothing boots from a USB, it simply will not load live USB's. Even my cheap HP laptop loads live USB's with no problem.
Bios load time, it takes nearly 10 seconds from the time I push the power button till the time the bios screen pops up, why???
Any attempt I have tried at OC'ing this, everything crashes. In fact the only way to even achieve mild performance is to leave every setting stock.
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Other Thoughts: All in all, this is not worth anyones time and I curse the day I purchased it.
***The integrated network card stopped working after a few months, I contacted gigabyte for an RMA as they claim a 3 year warranty; it has been two weeks and no response.

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Samsung Mantra Prepaid Phone (Virgin Mobile) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have been a Virgin Mobile customer since they first started as a prepaid cell phone provider. I have been quite pleased with their service and variety of pricing plans. Unfortunately Virgin Mobile phones have never been the greatest, the only good thing is that if you buy a cheap phone, you don't feel to badly when it dies,gets lost, or broken. When my VM Slash phone finally gave up the ghost a few weeks ago I decided it was time for another upgrade. After doing a lot of research on the internet I decided to go with the Mantra. I like being back to a flip phone so you don't have to worry about locking the keyboard so you don't pocket dial. The phone it'self is still pretty basic, it comes with the nifty tip calculator which lets you divide the cost between the number of parties at your table. Call clarity is good. Reception is the typical Virgin Mobile, works in most places when I need it, but spotty sometimes in the more rural areas. The ring tones that come with the phone are typical Virgin Mobile, obnoxious...you will want to download some better ones which you can only do from the VM site. The games on the phone are all demos, but they look good on the screen so it might be nice to have a full version of Tetris which you can download from VM.
It is Bluetooth enabled which is a nice feature to have on a phone. The battery seems to hold a good charge for daily use, I can go 3 to 4 days without charging, but that is in standby mode, I am not sure how long it would last if you were a heavy user. The phone is very well behaved, I say this because my Slash would beep once a minute to let me know it was working (I guess that's why), anytime I had the ringer turned on. I never did figure out how to turn off the signal beep on it. The Mantra doesn't beep and also on the Mantra you can turn off the obnoxious start up and shut down sounds that VM deems necessary to put on all of their low end phones. The directory will support up to 500 entries and you can add up to 5 phone numbers per entry along with 2 email addresses and a URL address.
The camera is useable, not great but much better pictures than the Slash took. Basically I use it only to create new wallpapers for the phone and send an occasional pic to Twitpic
So far I am very pleased with the new Mantra, it's a good basic phone, not a lot of bells and whistles, but enough to make it very user friendly. Nice calendar and appointment scheduling, cool countdown timers so you can tell how many days till your anniversary, birthday, Christmas or any other date you might want to countdown to.
Watch for it on sale, Amazon had it listed for $59 same as the VM site... I bought it on sale at Best Buy for $49, and on Black Friday picked up a second one for my wife at Radio Shack for $29.
I would recommend this phone to anyone looking for a nice basic user friendly phone with picture and texting capabilities. It will browse the web also by the way, but you need to pay for a "data pack" at VM to use it. That I haven't tried.

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The slim Samsung Mantra flip phone for Virgin Mobile makes it easy to stay connected via voice, messaging and social networking while on the go. You get access to social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace Flickr with the ability to view them all in one dashboard. You can also snap still photos with the included VGA camera and share with friends as well as popular social media destinations such as Facebook, MySpace, Flickr, Photobucket, and more through Virgin Mobile's MyPix service.
With Virgin Mobile, you can choose a pay-as-you-go plan where you pay for just the minutes you use, or select from one of several monthly plans. Those who love to talk can choose the Totally Unlimited Calling for $49.99 per month, while messaging fanatics can choose monthly no-annual-contract plans that combine talk minutes and unlimited messaging--or just choose unlimited messaging with voice calls charged at 10¢ per minute (see more details on pricing below).
Offering a clear, simple user interface and a large keypad that makes navigating a cinch, it features external caller ID and dual color screens. Other features include Bluetooth connectivity for hands-free devices, speakerphone, threaded text messaging, bi-lingual menus (English and Spanish), and up to 5.5 hours of talk time.

Key Features
Full messaging suite including SMS text, MMS picture, instant messaging (IM), and personal e-mail.
Buddy Beacon lets you broadcast your location to friends and family and you can turn it on when you're feeling sociable or turn it off when you're not.
2-inch internal display (128 x 160 pixels, 65K color depth)
0.76-inch external screen displays incoming calls, current time/date, signal strength, and battery life.
VGA camera for still photos with 4x digital zoom and self-timer.
Bluetooth connectivity (version 2.0) includes profiles for communication headset and hands-free car kits.
Web browser lets you surf the Internet from your phone, with Mobile Search right on your home screen.
Get mobile alerts to entertainment news, sports scores, and other fun stuff.
Downloadable games, ringtones, graphics and more
Phonebook with up to 499 entries (plus 1 voicemail number) with up to five numbers, two e-mail addresses, two IMs, and one Web address per contact.
Displays last 75 incoming/outgoing/missed calls
Organizer tools including calendar, alarm clock, and calculator
Bi-lingual interface (English and Spanish)
TTY/TDD enabled
HAC rating: M4/T4

Vital Statistics The Samsung Mantra weighs 3.35 ounces and measures 3.8 x 1.87 x 0.69 inches. Its 960 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 5.5 hours of talk time, and up to 300 hours (12.5 days) of standby time. It runs on the 800/1900 CDMA frequencies; 1xRTT voice and data capable.
What's in the Box Samsung Mantra handset, rechargeable battery, charger, quick start guide, user manual

Virgin Mobile Prepaid Pricing With Virgin Mobile, you can pay only for the calling time you use. You can choose a plan that's based just on minutes (with rates between 5¢ and 10¢ per minute, depending on the amount of minutes you buy). Or, you can choose a monthly plan with no annual contract--including the All-In contract plan with either 500, 1000 or unlimited minutes as well as unlimited messaging and data services. Pay-as-you-go users can easily Top-Up your Virgin Mobile account right from your phone. First, buy a Top-Up card at one of the thousands of retailers that carry them; or register your debit card, credit card, or PayPal account at the Virgin Mobile USA web site in order to add minutes to your account directly from your phone.
Additionally, you can choose from a variety of mobile messaging plans, which includes text and picture messaging, e-mail, and IM (via AOL and Yahoo!). Virgin Mobile USA's national coverage is powered by the nationwide Sprint PCS network.
Virgin Mobile contributes 5 percent of profits from downloadable content to The RE*Generation, its pro-social initiative to help homeless teens, as well as provides postage-paid return envelopes in every new package for customers to recycle old phones.

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