WD My Book 2TB External Hard Drive Storage

  By admin | May 19, 2013 - 1:25 pm | ,
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This review was originally posted October 29, 2010.

WD My Book 2TB External Hard Drive Storage USB 3.0 File Backup and Storage

I’ve never owned an external hard drive before but was excited to try My Book. I was surprised by how small and sleek it is. It’s the size and weight of a small fat book.

At first, I just plugged it in expecting it to work. There wasn’t any printed instruction manual. My computer couldn’t find the driver for it. I googled and found that it was in the hard drive itself and had to install it from there.

After I installed it, I started copying files to it. This was going well, but then realized that the Western Digital software was also on the hard drive. I installed the software and was told I needed to update the My Book firmware. I did that, but the firmware wouldn’t install, because I needed to unplug all the devices connected via USB port, which would mean losing use of my keyboard and mouse and four other devices. I then tried updating the firmware through my netbook and got the same message, even though the only thing connected to any USB port was My Book. Western Digital technical support emailed me saying sorry it won’t update and that the good news is my product already has the latest firmware.

I’m glad I installed the software, because it makes backing up my files a little easier. I have two hard drives inside my computer. One of them is filled with photos and videos, and I just tell the Western Digital software to back up that one. It took 45 minutes to back up 56 gigs. When I add photos or make changes, it only backs up the new files, so it’s much quicker.

This little external hard drive has been wonderful so far. If it fails me in the future, I will be sure to come back and update the review. So far, so good. I’m liking it.

This product was provided for review by the Amazon Vine program.

UPDATE 5/19/13: This drive is still working like the day I got it. My son hooked it up to his Wii U and loves it.

TP-LINK TL-WN851ND Wireless N300 PCI Adapter

  By admin | May 19, 2013 - 11:11 am | ,
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TP-LINK TL-WN851ND Wireless N300 PCI Adapter, 300Mbps, w/WPS Button, IEEE 802.1b/g/n, Support 64/128 bit WEP, WEP, WPA/WPA2

WI-FI ADAPTER

I have a Wi-Fi network but no Wi-Fi adapter for my PC. This TP-LINK TL-WN851ND Wireless N300 PCI Adapter is perfect for my needs. Installation was as easy as taking off the side panel, inserting the card into a slot, and screwing it in place. If you’ve ever done simple alterations to your PC, you can do this.

After I finished, I used the mini CD to install the driver and software and I was done. It was quick.

So far, so good. My PC is in the same room as my gateway and I see a very strong signal (five bars). It kept dropping a connection, though, so I looked at the utility and found that there’s a power saving mode. I turned that off and haven’t had problems since.

The range is weaker than on my Kindle Fire. I have another access point in the kitchen is one hallway away from me (large house with wall obstructions). That can usually get me one bar, no bars, or I’ll suddenly get five bars and then it drops. It is erratic. The signal on my Kindle Fire consistently shows two bars. I replaced on of the antennae with an antenna connected by a long wire so that the antenna would not have to sit in the computer nook behind the computer. That did not help. If you are using this a distance away from your router, you may have problems.

SOFT AP MODE

This card has something called a soft AP mode. I’ve never seen anything like it. So, I googled and found that it can also act as an access point.

Let’s say I have Ethernet connection available to me but no Wi-Fi. I can connect the Ethernet cable to my PC and use the PCI card as a soft AP to broadcast a Wi-Fi signal to my other devices. No need to go out and buy more hardware. The signal strength is comparable to what I get from my gateway, which is pretty cool. I can see it all over the house with my Kindle Fire.

Alternatively, the soft AP mode can be used to give my guests a different access point to the internet, rather than have them tap into my home network. Your guests will see an entirely different SSID and sign in with a different password.

Can I use both the soft AP mode and still surf the web on my PC? Of course! It is a multi-tasking card. It can both transmit a Wi-Fi signal while receiving a Wi-Fi signal. It’s seamless.

I have used the TP-LINK card as a soft AP, connecting to the internet through either an Ethernet connection or a Wi-Fi connection. It works well either way, giving my devices a strong signal. The drawback to using the soft AP mode instead of a dedicated router is it only works when the computer is on. If your computer is always on, it’s a cool deal.

OVERALL IMPRESSION

The TP-LINK PCI adapter card is easy to install and works well enough for my needs. Not only can I use it to pick up the Wi-Fi signal on my network, I can use it to broadcast a Wi-Fi signal at the same time. What a great product.

This product was provided for review by the Amazon Vine program.

Bolse® 300Mbps Wireless-N Mini Router / AP / Repeater

  By admin | May 19, 2013 - 11:06 am | ,
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Bolse® 300Mbps Wireless-N Mini Router / AP / Repeater (802.11 b/g/n)

Setting up this Bolse® Mini Router is easy. What’s difficult is understanding and choosing the correct configuration. The English description provided is somewhat broken and difficult to understand, although diagrams are provided. I have three different networks running in my house, so I added this mini router in as a fourth — testing it as a repeater, an access point, a bridge, a router, and a client. Below are the differences between each mode and an example of the situations in which each might be employed.

REPEATER MODE

If you have a Wi-Fi signal in your house but the signal cannot reach to all corners, you can solve that by using this unit as a repeater.

In my house, my gateway (a gateway is a router and modem combined into one unit) is in one corner of my house downstairs. Upstairs in the master bedroom, I typically get one or two bars of signal. With this repeater placed roughly in between the gateway and the master, I can get four or five bars. The signal is good enough for me to stream an Amazon Prime video on my Kindle Fire without seeing any lagging, skipping or pausing. It was all very smooth.

ACCESS POINT MODE

In the olden days, people would have wired routers. The routers connected all the computers in a network with . . . wires (ethernet cables). When they wanted a wireless signal, they hooked the routers up to an access point that they bought separately to broadcast a Wi-Fi signal. Nowadays, the routers come with access points built in.

So, when would you need to use access point mode? When you travel. Hotels usually offer ethernet connection. If you want Wi-Fi, plug the ethernet cable into this unit and broadcast your own Wi-Fi signal.

In my case, I have a powerline running throughout the house. In some areas, I would like to have Wi-Fi access to those lines. I connected an ethernet cable from the powerline to this unit and made it an access point. In that way, I can use Wi-Fi on my Kindle Fire to access the internet on that powerline.

It works very well. I can get one or two bars of signal across one story and several rooms. That’s comparable to the signal I get from my gateway.

BRIDGE MODE

If you want your guests to have Wi-Fi access, but you don’t want them on your network, you can use this as a bridge. It communicates with your network via Wi-Fi and broadcasts its own SSID.

I set this up using the Wi-Fi signal from my gateway. The signal I get from my bridge works perfectly. Understand that that network is open, no security password. Everyone has access to the bridge. As long as your guests are comfortable with that, you are good to go.

ROUTER MODE

This unit can function as a router, connecting directly to a modem to provide wirelsss or wired internet access to your devices.

I used this with my gateway in router mode and I was able to get a signal equally as strong as I get from my gateway throughout my house. It is amazing how such a small device can perform as well as a much larger one.

CLIENT MODE

If you have a Wi-Fi network, but your computer (or other device) doesn’t have Wi-Fi capability, you can plug an ethernet cable from the computer into this unit. Your computer will communicate with the client, the client will connect to the Wi-Fi network, and you will have wireless access to the internet.

My computer doesn’t have Wi-Fi capability. To connect to the network via Wi-Fi, I use this product as a client. Cool. Now, I can use the printer that’s connected to the network. As a client, it works great. I haven’t had any problems with dropped connections or anything.

OVERALL IMPRESSION

I am amazed at how far technology has come. This little unit is just a little bigger than the average wall AC adapter, yet it can do that the big box routers can. It’s portable, easy to set up, easy to use. I plan to bring it with me on all my vacations. I really and truly love this little thing.

This product was provided for review by LowerPriceUSA.

Crayola Color Wonder Sound Studio

  By admin | May 18, 2013 - 11:02 pm | ,
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This review was originally posted November 1, 2010.

Crayola Color Wonder Sound Studio

If you are familiar with Color Wonder, you will know that the advantage to these markers is that they do not mark anything but the Color Wonder paper. The disadvantage is that you need to keep buying Color Wonder paper.

What does Crayola Color Wonder Sound Studio bring to the Color Wonder line? Well, it’s a nice desk for the children to color on. It comes with five Color Wonder markers, 12 Color Wonder coloring pages, and six blank Color Wonder pages for freestyle drawings. Three AA batteries are required. They are not included.

Color Wonder colors take a little time to develop on the paper, which can be a little frustrating for youngsters who are used to regular markers. They may also tend to color outside the lines when they can’t see where they are coloring. I notice the colors do show more quickly than they used to, which is an improvement.

There are six different sound cards with ten sounds per card. The child inserts a card into a slot on top of the desk. S/he picks a sound and then presses a spot on her picture to place the sound. There is a button to erase the sound, either from one position or the entire picture, if s/he makes an error. The sounds can be mixed and matched from among the cards. When the child is done, s/he can press different parts of the picture to play the sounds. If the sounds get too annoying for the adults, there is an option to choose between loud and soft. The sound does turn off after 10 minutes of inactivity to preserve battery life.

There’s a spot on the back to hold the five markers but no place for the sound cards, and the papers are loose leaf. I store everything in the original box, but a self-contained unit would have been nice.

What do my nine and six year olds think? They both like coloring. My nine year old colors on it, but he says the sounds don’t add much play value. My six year old has more fun placing the sounds; but when she’s done, she doesn’t play with the sounds.

PROS:
+ doesn’t mark anything but Color Wonder paper
+ sounds from different sound cards can be mixed and matched on the picture
+ place to store markers
+ volume control (loud and soft)
+ sound turns off after 10 minutes of inactivity

CONS:
- must buy more Color Wonder paper
- no place to store sound cards
- lag time for colors to develop
- batteries not included
- kids don’t play with sound very much

This product was provided for review by the Amazon Vine program.

SPAM Classic

  By admin | May 18, 2013 - 10:57 pm | ,
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SPAM Classic

The first time I tried SPAM Classic , it was from a Spam truck giving out samples of Spam sandwiches at a fair. What a great promotion that was. They made a believer in me. It’s so easy to prepare. It can be eaten right out of the can, but I usually fry it up. Cut thin and fried to a crisp is best, but thicker and just warmed up is good, also. I like bringing it along on my camping trips. That way, I can have meat that isn’t jerky and I don’t have to worry about keeping it cold. My son even loves it, and believe me, he is the world’s pickiest eater. So glad I saw that Spam truck.

Wire Rake Scooper for Grass

  By admin | May 18, 2013 - 10:52 pm | , ,
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Wire Rake Scooper for Grass

My dog pretty much only does her business on grass, so when I need to go clean up my backyard, this wire rake scooper is perfect. The prongs get right under droppings and the scoop shape keeps them all secured until I dump them all in the trash bin. Yes, I scoop up multiple piles before emptying.

It’s very easy to use. I don’t have to bend over. Even my kids will clean up after the dog for me. I like it.

LuguLake 12000 mAh Multi-function 12V 400Amp Portable Jump Starter

  By admin | May 17, 2013 - 9:48 pm |
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LuguLake 12000 mAh Multi-function 12V 400Amp Portable Jump Starter with LED Flashlight, Power Bank / Pack external power Battery, 12V Car Battery Charger, Output 5V/12V/19V, White

I was provided this LuguLake 12000 mAh Multi-function 12V 400Amp Portable Jump Starter for review with the understanding that I will not be reviewing the jump start feature. Taking the battery out of my car or waiting for it to die was impractical, but there were so many other features to test.

I have never owned a power bank with so many functions. It’s a power bank for laptops and small devices, a jump starter, and a flashlight – all stored neatly in a lovely zippered case with a hand strap. I was impressed with the presentation.

JUMP STARTER

The power bank comes with two jumper cables. The wires are small in diameter compared to any jumper cables I’ve ever owned, but I’ll keep this in my car in case I ever need it.

FLASHLIGHT

Other power banks have one little LED bulb they call a flashlight. This power bank has a real flashlight. It’s bright, with multiple modes: always on, strobe, or flashing. Pay attention to the flashing. It doesn’t just flash, it flashes SOS.

CHARGING A LAPTOP

This is the only power bank of 12000 mAh or smaller I’ve ever owned that not only charges small devices like cell phones and tablets, but also laptops.

It comes with eight laptop connectors. We have to just test them out to see which ones fit. I asked for a list from the manufacturer for the compatibilities and was given the following:

1) 4.8*1.7mm Asus/HP/NEC/Delta/Compaq
2) 5.0*3.0mm (with 1.0mm pin) Samsung
3) 5.5*1.7mm Asus
4) 5.5*2.1mm IBM/HP/NEC/Toshiba
5) 5.5*2.5mm Asus/HP/NEC/Delta/Compaq/IBM/Dell/Toshiba
6) 6.0*4.4*1.4mm Fujitsu/Sony/Samsung
7) 7.4*5.0*0.6mm HP/Dell
8) 7.9*5.5*0.9mm IBM/Lenovo

The connectors are labeled with letters in my kit, not numbers. The one labeled “C” fits my husband’s Toshiba Satellite. None of them fit my Asus Eee PC.

I was impressed. It charged my husband’s power hungry 17 inch laptop from dead to 60%. I didn’t expect a full charge from a 12000 mAh power bank. I was happy it could do as much as it did.

CHARGING SMALL DEVICES

The power bank comes with seven connectors for small devices. I was emailed a couple of lists to identify the connectors. Both were different and neither of them appeared to match what I have. Here’s the best I could come up with after some internet searching of connector photos and comparison with connectors from my other power banks:

* micro USB
* mini USB
* Nokia DC 2.0
* PSP
* LG
* Sony Ericsson
* Samsung G600

I am very sure of the micro USB and mini USB connectors, but beyond that is just my research and I could be wrong, as I don’t own the other devices to test them out on.

I was able to charge my Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ tablets from dead to 83%. I’m a little disappointed with that. My other 12000 mAh power bank could give my Fire HD tablet a full charge with juice left over.

Of course, this power bank can also charge my iPhone 4S, though the connector for that is not supplied.

PROS:
+ multi-function: jump starter, power bank, flashlight
+ charges laptops
+ flashlight has multiple modes including SOS
+ comes with a case
+ comes with 8 laptop connectors and 7 small device connectors, neatly organized

CONS:
- charges with AC adapter instead of a USB cord
- larger than other 12000 mAh power banks
- charging cable fits both input and output ports (easy to make an error)
- does not fully charge a Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ tablet
- small diameter for jumper cables

OVERALL IMPRESSION

My very first reaction when I opened the box was wow. This is a very good multi-function device. I’ve never had a power bank that could do so much. It’s good to have in the car or on a camping trip or for emergencies.

If all you need just a power bank for charging cell phones on the go, I would go with something smaller, more portable. For a device that does everything, this is a great choice.

This product was provided for review by LuguLake Direct.

FRiEQ® Premium Stylish Universal Dashboard Windshield Car Mount Holder

  By admin | May 17, 2013 - 9:41 pm | , ,
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FRiEQ® Premium Stylish Universal Dashboard Windshield Car Mount Holder for Smartphones including iPhone 5, Samsung Galaxy S3, S2, Verizon Galaxy Nexus and more – White

This is no ordinary suction mount. It’s made with a gel pad that gives it supreme holding power. Those plastic suction cups don’t compare — not even in the same league.

I’ve been using the FRiEQ® Dashboard Windshield Car Mount Holder for my iPhone 4S. It holds via a spring action “hand” that makes it a perfect fit every time. No fiddling with knobs. The low profile means I can have it on my dashboard beanbag and not have it obstruct my view.

The mount has a great range of motion. I can rotate my iPhone to landscape or portrait position or anywhere in between. I can tilt the face in any direction or move the arm up and down. There is enough friction to keep the mount in the position I set it but not so much friction that adjustment is difficult. The only thing I can’t make it do is swivel around the base. I would actually like to have that feature, even though I can get that movement by rotating the beanbag itself.

This is really a nice dashboard mount. It’s small and simple, easy to adjust, and does everything I need.

This product was provided for review by LowerPriceUSA.

Piano Adventures Performance Book, Primer

  By admin | May 16, 2013 - 10:17 am |
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This review was originally posted November 3, 2010.

Piano Adventures Performance Book, Primer

by Nancy Faber

My daughter is six and she just started piano not more than seven months ago. Her teacher started her on the Piano Adventure series, beginning with the Primer books. There are four books that work together and she uses all of them (performance, technique, theory and lesson). I cannot believe how much she has improved with only five minutes of practice from these books every day. They are easy to understand, are quite methodical, and move at a good pace for young learners. I can see why the piano teacher chose this series. My daughter is just finishing the Primer books and is moving onto Level 1. We are very happy with her progress.

2-Inch 5 times Power Necklace Magnifier with 36-Inch Silver Chain

  By admin | May 16, 2013 - 10:14 am |
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SE MG2016S 2-Inch 5 times Power Necklace Magnifier with 36-Inch Silver Chain

A friend of mine was wearing this necklace magnifier at work. We need to read tiny inscriptions and they do provide large, handheld magnifying glasses there, but when I saw how much better her little necklace magnifier worked, I had to get one of my own. It’s wonderful. I can see so much better.

This thing is made of glass, which is what makes it work so well. The necklace keeps the magnifier within easy reach. I like it so much, if it ever broke or got scratched up, I’d buy another one.