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I bought this Gear4 HouseParty 4 after much searching and comparison of similarly priced iPod Speaker Docks. Whilst eventually I would like to purchase a Bose Sounddock, at the moment I just need something to replace my CD player which has had it after many, many years. The criteria for my purchase was the best sound quality possible, whilst costing around £50 - £60. Which I felt was a reasonable price for a decent Speaker Dock.
I ordered this based on the number of high reviews here on Amazon, although I was a bit dubious about the speakers capabilities having never owned a speaker dock before and not having the ability to test one before buying. I took the plunge anyway and when the unit arrived I was amazed!
It's smaller than I was expecting, very simple clean design, will easily fit anywhere in a room and has a very slim credit card style remote control. Took me a few minutes to setup and even though the instruction manual was a few pages long, you don't really need to read it, this unit is really simple to use. I'm using this with an iPhone 3G and all I had to do was dock the iPhone, it'll ask if I want to turn on Airplane Mode so as to reduce interference from the phone and that's it away you go. If a song is already playing on your iPod/iPhone it'll keep playing when you insert it into the dock. If like me you're using an iPhone, as soon as you remove it from the Speaker Dock it'll automatically turn off Airplane Mode which is a nice touch, saves you keep going into the settings on the phone.
The sound quality of this unit is really quite good, better than I was expecting, bearing in mind that this is replacing my main CD unit. Initially there was some trepidation when I first played something through the speakers, it was obviously something I wasn't expecting when comparing to my CD player speakers. After playing various different types of music through the speakers, it became apparent that this unit will just take anything thrown at it! Low volume, high volume, anywhere in between and I get zero distortion. The sound produced is almost as good as my CD player speakers, good bass without being overly bassy. I was a bit worried about the quality of the sound, but my fears have been in vain it seems.
The unit comes with a built in FM radio which comes in handy. You also get a credit card style remote control which is very handy and seems to work quite well. It cycles through all the menus on my iPhone without problems, allows you to select songs easily enough. You can also shuffle and repeat songs, etc from the remote. The one thing that I didn't see the point of was the 7 EQ options. Turning any of these on and you'll wonder what's happened, to me they're a bit pointless and most users will probably use the unit with the EQ settings off. A minor quibble, but maybe something that needs work for the next model.
Overall, if you're on a budget and looking for a good quality iPod Speaker dock that gives good sound, easy to use, looks the part and works well with both the iPod and iPhone, then I can highly recommend this unit. Ultimately, if you can go in store somewhere and test one then I'd always advise before buying as different people prefer different units and everyone has a different ear when it comes to sound. I can't fault this unit for it's price and am very pleased with it, 5 stars!
Now less than £40.00. Buy it now. Click on the picture to check it out.
Reminder: Do your christmas shopping early. Amazon' CHRISTMAS SALE IS NOW ON. click on the image to check it out.
Friday, 26 November 2010
Sony BDPS370 Blu-ray Player - Product Review
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Just got this today for a relatives birthday present. Extremely fast and slick but was at first disappointed that the BBC iplayer wasnt available this afternoon when i looked for it. Just got an update this evening (31/3/2010) and now BBC iplayer works perfectly, and yes, BBC HD works like a dream on iplayer. Had no problem streaming Lovefilm movies to my TV although I consider myself lucky as our Sky broadband is around 13 meg speed in real terms. Another thing is that it looks like Lovefilm will go HD with their service on this player as you can watch HD trailers of the latest films streamed from the net. Youtube HD videos also work here unlike the LG370 we have which just streams SD at the minute. Hope this helps you makin up your mind about this player. We bought it for the online and catchup tv facility. One last thing is the HD streaming to the player looks the same quality as blu ray discs although our TV is 720p only. Lovefilm SD movies are the same quality as ordinary DVDs (or near DVD at least)
Reminder: Do your christmas shopping early. Amazon's CHRISTMAS SALE is now on. Click on the image to check it out.
Just got this today for a relatives birthday present. Extremely fast and slick but was at first disappointed that the BBC iplayer wasnt available this afternoon when i looked for it. Just got an update this evening (31/3/2010) and now BBC iplayer works perfectly, and yes, BBC HD works like a dream on iplayer. Had no problem streaming Lovefilm movies to my TV although I consider myself lucky as our Sky broadband is around 13 meg speed in real terms. Another thing is that it looks like Lovefilm will go HD with their service on this player as you can watch HD trailers of the latest films streamed from the net. Youtube HD videos also work here unlike the LG370 we have which just streams SD at the minute. Hope this helps you makin up your mind about this player. We bought it for the online and catchup tv facility. One last thing is the HD streaming to the player looks the same quality as blu ray discs although our TV is 720p only. Lovefilm SD movies are the same quality as ordinary DVDs (or near DVD at least)
Reminder: Do your christmas shopping early. Amazon's CHRISTMAS SALE is now on. Click on the image to check it out.
iPhone 4 16 GB - Product Review
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Unique ringtones and arttone wallpapers for mobile cell phone devices.
The Good: The iPhone 4 offers enhanced performance, a lovely new display, and an improved design. It also adds a ton of sorely needed features, both by itself and through the iOS 4 update.
The Bad: Multitasking entails some trade-offs, and home screen folders are limited to 12 apps. AT&T reception continues to be spotty, and you'll need a case for the best calling reception. Also, we'd prefer a 64GB model.
The Bottom Line: With the iPhone 4, Apple again shows that it is a powerful player in the smartphone wars. It won't be for everyone, the call quality and reception vary if you don't use a case, and AT&T's network remains a sticking point, but the handset's striking design, loaded feature set, and generally agreeable performance make it the best iPhone yet.
Reminder: Do you christmas shopping early. Amazon's CHRISTMAS SALE is now on. Click on the image to check it out.
Oh, interested in FREE ringtones? Free Ringtones - Free Ring Tones - Cheap RingtonesReminder: Do you christmas shopping early. Amazon's CHRISTMAS SALE is now on. Click on the image to check it out.
Unique ringtones and arttone wallpapers for mobile cell phone devices.
Acer Aspire 5741, 15.6" LED LCD Notebook, 3GB, 320GB, Intel Core i3 processor 330M , Windows 7 Home Premium - Product Review
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First of all, I have not had the problem of the fan buzzing as the other reviewer said, must have been a faulty laptop.
For the few weeks I've been using this laptop I have been extremely impressed by its performance. The laptop itself is normal sized, the screen is sharp and top quality while the keyboard is low and a pleasure to use. It is actually out-performing my computer in terms of applications and casual browsing, however those looking to running games don't expect too much as the integrated graphics are pretty poor, so you may want to check out some of Acer's other laptops which have dedicated graphics if you are looking to play games. As it includes the new i3 processor and DDR3 memory running most applications are extremely fast so this laptop would be ideal for the casual browser or student. The 320gb hard drive should be enough for most and the DVD drive works well both reading and burning disks. The webcam faces the user's face which is useful for video chatting and it is pretty good quality for a integrated webcam. The speakers are punchy for a laptop however once you get to high volumes you get a buzzing sound from the bass so if you intend on listening to music out loud I recommend getting a decent pair of speakers. The battery life is average for a laptop but if you're casually browsing you can get slightly more than the 4 hour quoted by Acer but expect 2-4 hours when running programs such as photoshop or any game. Booting up the laptop is faster than I expected, taking around 25 seconds to get to the log on screen.
Pros:
- Clear, top quality screen.
- Powerful processor and memory which are both future proof.
- Webcam is good for a laptop.
- DVD drive and hard drive are both top quality.
- Runs most applications smoothly and quietly.
- Boot up time is fast
Cons:
- Not good for gaming.
- Speakers buzz when sound is turned up high.
- Battery life is nothing special.
Conclusion: There are a few minor flaws with this laptop which are heavily outweighed by the great performance offered, if you're looking for a laptop which will do pretty much everything (apart from gaming) then this is perfect for you.
Reminder: Do your christmas shopping early. Amazon's CHRITSMAS SALE is now on. Click on the image to check it out.
First of all, I have not had the problem of the fan buzzing as the other reviewer said, must have been a faulty laptop.
For the few weeks I've been using this laptop I have been extremely impressed by its performance. The laptop itself is normal sized, the screen is sharp and top quality while the keyboard is low and a pleasure to use. It is actually out-performing my computer in terms of applications and casual browsing, however those looking to running games don't expect too much as the integrated graphics are pretty poor, so you may want to check out some of Acer's other laptops which have dedicated graphics if you are looking to play games. As it includes the new i3 processor and DDR3 memory running most applications are extremely fast so this laptop would be ideal for the casual browser or student. The 320gb hard drive should be enough for most and the DVD drive works well both reading and burning disks. The webcam faces the user's face which is useful for video chatting and it is pretty good quality for a integrated webcam. The speakers are punchy for a laptop however once you get to high volumes you get a buzzing sound from the bass so if you intend on listening to music out loud I recommend getting a decent pair of speakers. The battery life is average for a laptop but if you're casually browsing you can get slightly more than the 4 hour quoted by Acer but expect 2-4 hours when running programs such as photoshop or any game. Booting up the laptop is faster than I expected, taking around 25 seconds to get to the log on screen.
Pros:
- Clear, top quality screen.
- Powerful processor and memory which are both future proof.
- Webcam is good for a laptop.
- DVD drive and hard drive are both top quality.
- Runs most applications smoothly and quietly.
- Boot up time is fast
Cons:
- Not good for gaming.
- Speakers buzz when sound is turned up high.
- Battery life is nothing special.
Conclusion: There are a few minor flaws with this laptop which are heavily outweighed by the great performance offered, if you're looking for a laptop which will do pretty much everything (apart from gaming) then this is perfect for you.
Reminder: Do your christmas shopping early. Amazon's CHRITSMAS SALE is now on. Click on the image to check it out.
LAPTOP - ASUS X5DC WITH WINDOWS 7 * 3GB RAM * 250GB HARD DRIVE * INTEL CELERON D220 CPU *15.6'' SCREEN * WEBCAM * WIFI * - Product Review
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decided to buy this as a replacement for my daughters toshiba laptop which had to be returned , as a laptop dummy mummy , i read up on the spec along with instructions as to what spec would be required by my 13 year old who knows more than me , mum i need , webcam , wifi ,thats wireless connection for anyone like me !! windows 7 , and dvd rewriter for all those downloads , ok dear !! this was going to cost me a fortune by her standards, well what a surprise i spotted this on Amazon , and it had all the spec , but at what price i thought , surely something has to give cheap tacky looking maybe , plasticky keys that fall off , WELL I ORDERED IT AND IT ARRIVED IN THE TIME SPECIFIED , I TENTATIVLY UNPACKED IT READY TO SEND IT BACK , AND WHAT A SURPRISE NICE ROBUST LAPTOP ,NOT AS HEAVY AS SOME WE HAVE HAD IN PAST AND LIGHTER THAN THE TOSHIBA WE SENT BACK , IT HAS A COOL SYSTEM BUILT IN SO IT DOESNT GET HOT 25% COOLER THAN BODY TEMP AND IT WORKS CONSIDERING ITS ON PRACTICALLY 24/7, SCRATCH RESISTANT OUTER AND INNER CASING , EXCELLENT WEBCAM , GREAT CONNECTION THROUGHOUT HOUSE ON WIRELESS CONNECTION A 3GB RAM WHICH FROM THE COMPUTER GEEK CLUB ASSURE ME THIS IS MIN REQUIREMENT TO RUN WITH WINDOWS 7 OR YOU GET HICCUPS !! IT HAS A EXCELLENT RANGE OF FEATURES AND DEAD EASY TO SET UP IF I CAN DO IT ANYONE CAN , THIS ALSO HAD A ANTIVIRUS PROGRAMME BUILT IN WHICH DOESNT SAY TRIAL PERIOD , BUT EVEN IF IT DID IT WOULDNT BE A PROBLEM TO DOWNLOAD THE AVG FREE VERSION WHICH DOES THE JOB WITH REGULAR UPDATES , KEYBOARD IS LOVELY AND COMFY TO USE AND BUTTONS ARE ROBUST NOT FLIMSY , WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE TO HAVE THE LIGHT TO TELL YOU THAT CAP LOCKS IS ON OR OFF BUT NOT A MAJOR PROBLEM , OVERALL EXCELLENT VALUE FOR MONEY , ONE DOWNSIDE WAS IT HAD THE QUICK START BROCHURE IN BOX AND SOME DISCS BUT NO PROPER BOOK ON THE LAPTOP WHICH WAS FRUSTRATING AS I COULDNT WORK OUT HOW TO TURN ON THE WIRELESS CONNECTION ON , AS THE QUICKSTART BROCHURE REALLY IS 2 PAGES OF SWITCH ON PRESS INSTRUCTIONS AND IT WOULD HAVE HELPED TO FIND ALL THE MAJOR BUTTONS USES , PERFECT LAPTOP FOR HOME OR OFFICE IN FACT IM WRITING THIS REVIEW ON IT NOW , MY SON NOW WANTS ONE AS FOR MY DAUGHTER SHE WAS DELIGHTED AND SAID SHE MUCH PREFERED THIS TO THE TOSHIBA WHICH ALL THE SILVER PAINT WAS RUBBED OFF IN LESS THAN 6MTHS AND THE SPACE BAR AND BUTTONS WERE SO PLASTIC THEY JUST BROKE IN WEEKS AND IT COST A LOT MORE WITH ONLY 2GB RECOMENDED
REMINDER: Do your Christmas shopping early. Amazon's CHRISTMAS SALE IS NOW ON. Click on the image to check it out.
decided to buy this as a replacement for my daughters toshiba laptop which had to be returned , as a laptop dummy mummy , i read up on the spec along with instructions as to what spec would be required by my 13 year old who knows more than me , mum i need , webcam , wifi ,thats wireless connection for anyone like me !! windows 7 , and dvd rewriter for all those downloads , ok dear !! this was going to cost me a fortune by her standards, well what a surprise i spotted this on Amazon , and it had all the spec , but at what price i thought , surely something has to give cheap tacky looking maybe , plasticky keys that fall off , WELL I ORDERED IT AND IT ARRIVED IN THE TIME SPECIFIED , I TENTATIVLY UNPACKED IT READY TO SEND IT BACK , AND WHAT A SURPRISE NICE ROBUST LAPTOP ,NOT AS HEAVY AS SOME WE HAVE HAD IN PAST AND LIGHTER THAN THE TOSHIBA WE SENT BACK , IT HAS A COOL SYSTEM BUILT IN SO IT DOESNT GET HOT 25% COOLER THAN BODY TEMP AND IT WORKS CONSIDERING ITS ON PRACTICALLY 24/7, SCRATCH RESISTANT OUTER AND INNER CASING , EXCELLENT WEBCAM , GREAT CONNECTION THROUGHOUT HOUSE ON WIRELESS CONNECTION A 3GB RAM WHICH FROM THE COMPUTER GEEK CLUB ASSURE ME THIS IS MIN REQUIREMENT TO RUN WITH WINDOWS 7 OR YOU GET HICCUPS !! IT HAS A EXCELLENT RANGE OF FEATURES AND DEAD EASY TO SET UP IF I CAN DO IT ANYONE CAN , THIS ALSO HAD A ANTIVIRUS PROGRAMME BUILT IN WHICH DOESNT SAY TRIAL PERIOD , BUT EVEN IF IT DID IT WOULDNT BE A PROBLEM TO DOWNLOAD THE AVG FREE VERSION WHICH DOES THE JOB WITH REGULAR UPDATES , KEYBOARD IS LOVELY AND COMFY TO USE AND BUTTONS ARE ROBUST NOT FLIMSY , WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE TO HAVE THE LIGHT TO TELL YOU THAT CAP LOCKS IS ON OR OFF BUT NOT A MAJOR PROBLEM , OVERALL EXCELLENT VALUE FOR MONEY , ONE DOWNSIDE WAS IT HAD THE QUICK START BROCHURE IN BOX AND SOME DISCS BUT NO PROPER BOOK ON THE LAPTOP WHICH WAS FRUSTRATING AS I COULDNT WORK OUT HOW TO TURN ON THE WIRELESS CONNECTION ON , AS THE QUICKSTART BROCHURE REALLY IS 2 PAGES OF SWITCH ON PRESS INSTRUCTIONS AND IT WOULD HAVE HELPED TO FIND ALL THE MAJOR BUTTONS USES , PERFECT LAPTOP FOR HOME OR OFFICE IN FACT IM WRITING THIS REVIEW ON IT NOW , MY SON NOW WANTS ONE AS FOR MY DAUGHTER SHE WAS DELIGHTED AND SAID SHE MUCH PREFERED THIS TO THE TOSHIBA WHICH ALL THE SILVER PAINT WAS RUBBED OFF IN LESS THAN 6MTHS AND THE SPACE BAR AND BUTTONS WERE SO PLASTIC THEY JUST BROKE IN WEEKS AND IT COST A LOT MORE WITH ONLY 2GB RECOMENDED
REMINDER: Do your Christmas shopping early. Amazon's CHRISTMAS SALE IS NOW ON. Click on the image to check it out.
Acer Aspire 5551, 15.6inch LED LCD Noteboook, AMD Athlon X2 P320, 3GB, 320GB, DVD, Webcam, Windows 7 Home Premium - Product Review
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I had a look round before deciding to purchase the Acer Aspire 5551. I've had it for a week now and i'm not dissapointed with this laptop, infact i'm very happy with it. In particular the screen. I bought it to view movies and the picture quality on this LED backlet screen is just wonderful with very deep colours and no lag.
Windows 7 is easier to navigate than it's grumpy predecessor and the graphics for games are vibrant. I'm a real fan of sid meier's civ and it plays it, stores it and loads it quickly and effortlessly.
The battery is OK, lasts about 3 hours plus. I tend to use my laptop at home so no big deal for me but would not of purchased this laptop if i needed to travel with it. Alot of laptops on the market with 6 hours plus battery life.
Another great feature is the HDMI connection. This enables you to plug your laptop directly into an HDMI enabled TV. It basically makes your TV into a huge computer screen, perfect for watching movies, playing poker and other games as well as social networking sites. This is a really great feature !
Haven't used the webcam so unfortunately can't comment on that feature just yet.
Overall very happy with my new laptop, hard to find a fault with it. The price I paid was £379 from amazon and for that price I don't think you'll find anything currently better value on the market.
oh, i have found a fault! it doesn't come with any back up disks (i.e win 7)- so you'll need to make your own - a little cheap i think!
Reminder: Do your christmas shopping early. Amazon's cHRISTMAS SALE is now on. Click on the image to check it out.
I had a look round before deciding to purchase the Acer Aspire 5551. I've had it for a week now and i'm not dissapointed with this laptop, infact i'm very happy with it. In particular the screen. I bought it to view movies and the picture quality on this LED backlet screen is just wonderful with very deep colours and no lag.
Windows 7 is easier to navigate than it's grumpy predecessor and the graphics for games are vibrant. I'm a real fan of sid meier's civ and it plays it, stores it and loads it quickly and effortlessly.
The battery is OK, lasts about 3 hours plus. I tend to use my laptop at home so no big deal for me but would not of purchased this laptop if i needed to travel with it. Alot of laptops on the market with 6 hours plus battery life.
Another great feature is the HDMI connection. This enables you to plug your laptop directly into an HDMI enabled TV. It basically makes your TV into a huge computer screen, perfect for watching movies, playing poker and other games as well as social networking sites. This is a really great feature !
Haven't used the webcam so unfortunately can't comment on that feature just yet.
Overall very happy with my new laptop, hard to find a fault with it. The price I paid was £379 from amazon and for that price I don't think you'll find anything currently better value on the market.
oh, i have found a fault! it doesn't come with any back up disks (i.e win 7)- so you'll need to make your own - a little cheap i think!
Reminder: Do your christmas shopping early. Amazon's cHRISTMAS SALE is now on. Click on the image to check it out.
Acer Aspire 5734Z 15.6-inch HD LCD Notebook, Intel Pentium T4500, 4GB 500G - Product Review
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This is by no means a long term review of this product as I got this through work a week ago to replace a Toshiba Satellite Laptop and all in all I'm pretty happy with the performance. I spend a lot of time on my computer and it's rarely turned off. I do development work on it, running hefty database queries, so it needs to be reasonably high powered but above all reliable. My old Toshiba really did take some stick and it's still working now, only very slowly.
The technical specification of this laptop are very good for the price. The picture is clear and bright and the keyboard is pleasant to use. The only areas were you can see that this is made to a price are the speakers and the general build quality. Don't get me wrong it's not falling apart but when compared to other similar priced lower spec'd laptops the plastics are a bit cheap. My old Toshiba for instance which was probably cheaper when new is much tougher feeling and seems like it's better put together.
On the whole though it does the job very well and if you need a laptop that is around this price you're probably not going to go wrong with this one. Time will tell however just how reliable it is.
Reminder: Do your christmas shopping early. Amazon's CHRISTMAS SALE is now on. Click on the image to check it out.
This is by no means a long term review of this product as I got this through work a week ago to replace a Toshiba Satellite Laptop and all in all I'm pretty happy with the performance. I spend a lot of time on my computer and it's rarely turned off. I do development work on it, running hefty database queries, so it needs to be reasonably high powered but above all reliable. My old Toshiba really did take some stick and it's still working now, only very slowly.
The technical specification of this laptop are very good for the price. The picture is clear and bright and the keyboard is pleasant to use. The only areas were you can see that this is made to a price are the speakers and the general build quality. Don't get me wrong it's not falling apart but when compared to other similar priced lower spec'd laptops the plastics are a bit cheap. My old Toshiba for instance which was probably cheaper when new is much tougher feeling and seems like it's better put together.
On the whole though it does the job very well and if you need a laptop that is around this price you're probably not going to go wrong with this one. Time will tell however just how reliable it is.
Reminder: Do your christmas shopping early. Amazon's CHRISTMAS SALE is now on. Click on the image to check it out.
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