tl;dr: Priced perfectly, works perfectly, and is perfect for a small office or home network.
This will be a somewhat quicker review than I normally post, for the simple fact that there's very little to be said about this switch, other than it works, it's priced well, and it's absolutely perfect for my needs.
tl;dr: Great-sounding, reasonably-priced microphone, purpose-built for the smartphones and tablets, with few downsides.
The iRig mic was introduced in 2011, and promised to be one of the best ways to get sound from your mouth or instrument into the iPhone 4, iPod Touch or iPad/iPad 2. Since then, it has been tested to work with newer iOS devices like the iPhone 5, and many Android phones. I've updated this review (in 2013) to reflect my more extensive testing since I originally reviewed the microphone in 2011.
tl;dr: A good way to get some use out of a displaced internal SuperDrive. Case design has its flaws, but it works pretty well.
If you want to make your MacBook Pro a true mobile workhorse, there are few things you can do that are better than adding in a second hard drive (for capacity or RAID), and/or swapping out the main hard drive for an SSD and loading your OS onto that (it's ridiculously fast!).
tl;dr: Right in all the right ways, this is one of the two tripod mounts I keep in my bag.
There are finally a plethora of different iPhone 4 tripod mounting solutions on the market, and this is a very, very good thing. You can browse other Reviews on my website to find some examples of other great tripod mounts—some very nice for specific purposes, others that are only marginally better than duct-taping your iPhone to a tripod!
Since about a week after it's introduction, I've been shooting with the D90 as my primary camera, and it's been a great run. The D90 is almost the perfect photo-making machine for me. I was thinking of either upgrading to a D300s, or possibly a D700 (all my lenses would work with either FX or DX), but then came the D7000.
I was instantly thrilled with the specs, especially since the D7000 body is almost exactly the same dimensions as the D90 (meaning I wouldn't need to get used to a bunch of new button placements). So, after a little consultation with my bride, I bought the D7000 (it was in stock, momentarily, from Amazon.com).
tl;dr: A worthwhile upgrade to the Nikon D90, and an excellent display of Nikon's latest whiz-bang features. Best video recording abilities of any current or past Nikon SLR.
I just received my new Nikon D7000 SLR in the mail today, so I'm working on getting some images and videos together for a full-fledged review.
tl;dr: Another iPhone mount that doesn't fit my needs exactly, but works well and sells for a good price.
I was given a sample iShot 2-in-1 Tripod/Window Mount for the iPhone 4 from Abesco & Co. Design, LLC, a month or so ago, and asked to try it out, then post a review. So, here goes:
Avid fans of the original Tron (like myself) have likely anticipated the release of Tron: Legacy since the day the first hints of a remake appeared in 2008. A lot of pressure was on the Legacy filmmakers to not only keep the original sense of wonderment and otherworldliness of the first movie, but also bring the technology and ideas from the first movie into the twenty-first century.
The short version of this review is: you should see this movie. It is a great homage to the original, and it has enough digital effects, and just enough plot (just like the first one—the plot was never a strong point!) to keep your eyes on the screen.
For the past eight years, I've been bouncing back and forth from one ISP to another, trying to find one that actually feels worth the load of money I pay for it.
I've used a variety of services from both of the main St. Louis area providers (AT&T and Charter Communications), and am testing Clear wireless (a new game in town, but one that's been around in Chicago and other larger cities for a year or more). I've paid anywhere from $15/month to $90/month (for Internet service alone—I've never participated in the 'Charter Bundle,' 'Uverse' or any voice/data/video bundles).
I'm going to go through the reasons why I've tried all the different services, and what I've liked—and hated—about each. As a prelude, I am still not pleased with the performance I've received from any of the providers (at least, not for what I'm paying/have paid!).
I've tried AT&T's DSL service in three different parts of St. Louis: North county, the Central West End, and Shrewsbury. In all three areas, I've encountered the same problem—an unreliable connection.
I've been through many support calls, and in all cases, when a technician is sent out, he says the line signal is perfect. Go figure. I've used a few different modems, some rather expensive, and they've all exhibited these problems.
tl;dr: For $7, why not? It's secure, and versatile enough for most any job the iPhone 4 can handle (plus, it works with other smartphones too!).
