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Comment on Apple MacBook Pro MD314LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop (NEWEST VERSION) Reviews by Steelers Fan

Steelers Fan — Sun, 20 May 2012 15:12:36 +0000

135 of 169 people found the following review helpful

MD 314LL/A 2.8 GHz, 750 GB HDD, November 13, 2011

This review is from: Apple MacBook Pro MD314LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop (NEWEST VERSION) (Personal Computers)

The reviews here are for the MD313LL/A, yet the computer is actually MD314LL/A, which has a faster processor and bigger hard drive.

The MD314LL/A features a 2.8 GHz i7 processor, integrated Intel 3000 graphics and a 750 GB hard drive. I've never owned an Apple laptop before, so there was a little bit of a learning curve. Now that I'm getting the hang of it, I'm beginning to like OSX Lion better than Windows. Programs can be run on separate virtual desktops, and the computer never misses a beat when several programs are active. Switching between different desktops or open programs can be done by merely sliding three fingers forward on the large touchpad. Control-clicking on words or phrases in Safari brings up a context sensitive menu which allows the user to select to view a dictionary, Wikipedia, or do a Google search in a pop-up window in the browser. You can also ask the computer to speak the word or phrase, if you have any doubts about pronunciation. Safari also includes links to a library of plug-ins at extensions.apple.com, which includes a plug-in for Flash, so you can now watch free Hulu videos and other videos online. The network preferences window makes it far easier than Windows to set up a list of public DNS servers to bypass the sometimes slow, glitchy ISP servers.

This computer is completely silent. I wasn't even sure it had a cooling fan until I downloaded a utility to monitor the fan speed. This computer is super fast, and the base plate never gets more than lukewarm. The light weight, small footprint, lighted keyboard, crisp screen and speed really make this computer shine.

The attention to detail is really outstanding. The cooling vents on the back of the base are completely covered by a sliding plate when the lid is closed, keeping dust out of the innards. The power supply has flip out legs for winding the cord for storage and the prongs can be removed so it can be used as a brick type supply with the supplied AC cord. The computer also has a green LED battery status gauge built into the left side of the base, which is activated by a flush button. The lid snaps shut quietly even though there are no cheesy stick-on rubber bumpers, and it is held closed by magnets. The built in light sensor shuts off the keyboard backlighting and brightens the display in bright ambient light. The computer also has a 3 axis accelerometer to protect the hard drive from damage. The attention to detail is why Macs are more expensive than the various PC clones.

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Comment on Apple MacBook Pro MD314LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop (NEWEST VERSION) Reviews by J. Ferris "tunawish"

J. Ferris "tunawish" — Sun, 20 May 2012 15:05:25 +0000

106 of 127 people found the following review helpful

No More Windows for Me!, December 10, 2011

J. Ferris "tunawish" (Rio de Janeiro, Brasil) -

This review is from: Apple MacBook Pro MD313LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop (NEWEST VERSION) (Personal Computers)

I waited a month before writing this review to make sure my initial impression would hold up & it did.

MacBook Pro's -

1. Track Pad (Fantastic!)
2. No Trial Software (everything installed is fully functional - no more nag screens)
3. Battery Life (I get around 5 or 6 hours on a charge)
4. Incremental Backups with Time Machine (You can use almost any external HD instead Apple's expensive Time Capsule)
5. Support is Awesome (Nuff said)
6. It's Just Plain Sexy (No more Windows bricks for me...)

MacBook Con's -

1. No HDMI out
2. USB Ports too close together
3. Steve Jobs is Dead

If you're a long time Windows user; ask yourself if this story sounds familiar?

You've got a girlfriend/boyfriend who annoys you on a daily basis, but you stick with her/him year after year because you don't want to spend the time learning the ins & outs of a new one?

Then one day, a sleek, sexy chick/dude catches your eye & you start hanging out with her/him & pretty soon you're kicking that old broad/bum out on the street.

That's me & Microsoft.

I started; decades ago, as a DOS user with an 8088 machine & continued all the way up to Windows 7.

I've got a new girlfriend now & she blows the old one away.
The old one just blows.

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Comment on Apple MacBook Pro MD314LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop (NEWEST VERSION) Reviews by Harry Austin

Harry Austin — Sun, 20 May 2012 14:23:22 +0000

172 of 198 people found the following review helpful

I guess I am a Mac after all..., December 9, 2011

Harry Austin (Colorado) -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Apple MacBook Pro MD313LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop (NEWEST VERSION) (Personal Computers)

I recently made the switch from PC to Mac, and I can say that I'm not sure why I waited so long. Considering that I have only had my computer a few weeks I can't say much about the durability and longevity of the hardware, but I can say that the operating system (mine shipped with Lion) and software is top notch.

I labored for a long time trying to decide whether the 13" MacBook Pro (MBP) or MacBook Air was the right choice for me. I liked the form factor, screen resolution and weight of the Air, but couldn't get comfortable with the comparatively small hard drive and the RAM fixed at 4GB. Considering these factors along with the significant price premium for an Air, I decided that the MBP was right for me.

I also thought long and hard about whether to go with the base model with the 2.4Ghz i5 processor and 500 GB HDD or the 2.8Ghz i7 processor with the 750GB HDD. after looking at reviews and benchmark tests I decided that for my uses, the less expensive model would be perfect and that the incremental added performance of the more expensive model is not worth the additional cost. When large solid state drives become more affordable I will probably switch my HDD out, but until then 500GB should provide plenty of storage.

I opted to get my computer locally, but purchased the Crucial 8GB Kit (4GBx2), 204-pin SODIMM, DDR3 PC3-10600 Memory Module (CT2KIT51264BC1339) from Amazon for a great price. Once I got my computer home I installed the RAM in 10 minutes, start to finish. If you are planning this upgrade just be sure that you have the right Phillips head screwdriver.

After using this computer for the past few weeks and carrying it on weekly business trips I am very pleased with my choice of computers. It handles the Microsoft office suite flawlessly, and the added ram allows me to open and view very large pdf files without any lag. I have done minor video and photo editing on this computer and it performed very well. The added weight compared to the
Air hasn't proven to be too noticeable, but I am a big guy at 6'4" and 210 pounds.

So far I am pleased with this computer and my Mac experience overall. The process of learning a new OS and overall user interface was daunting at first, but Apple has done a great job creating a system that is intuitive and easy to learn.

I would recommend this computer to anyone looking for a new laptop that they expect to have for awhile and would like to be able to customize to fit their needs.

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Comment on Samsung Galaxy Note N7000 16gb Unlocked Android Smartphone in White by Kli

Kli — Sat, 19 May 2012 16:10:26 +0000

34 of 37 people found the following review helpful

At Last..., January 22, 2012

Kli -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Samsung Galaxy Note N7000 16gb Unlocked Android Smartphone in White (Electronics)

... I feel like starting this by saying 'it's been a long time coming'. I only say that because my first attempt at getting my hands on the Galaxy Note ended with it getting 'lost' in the mail. I blame no one... that original seller and Amazon stepped up to the plate and handled everything quickly and professionally so ... on to my review!

I received my Note a few days ago and have been putting it through its paces since then. I do need to say that I almost went into cardiac arrest when I opened the box to find the case open/seal broken! My first thought was to start the return process, but then I noticed a U.S. electrical adapter had been added last minute to the package as it is an import and would not have shipped ordinarily with one included. If there had been even the slightest sign of tampering, it would sadly have been returned...so far I am glad to report nothing seems out of place! My advice to the seller(s) out there: If opening an electronics order to ascertain whether a U.S. power adapter is needed, leave a little 'note' for your clientele along with said adapter... future heart attack(s) duly averted!

I went with the white model which as most of you probably know, costs a little more. Worth it? Hell yeah... It is beautiful, elegant, sharp, thin, light, and yes- it's BIG. I'm a big guy with big hands and long fingers and still this thing just fits in my mitt! The thinness is what makes it manageable, but I will take no chances and down the road I will find a suitable case to carry it around in. My hope is that the company Otter Box, makers of some great heavy duty cases for other smart phones, will rise to the challenge and design something special for this behemoth!

Beyond the great looks of my new white Note, one of the first things I noticed is the speed! A 1.4gH Dual Core processor is crazy, but apparently necessary to power the 5.3 inch gorgeously colorful screen. It's an easy thing to marvel at when looking at high resolution video or photos. I did a test run video shoot yesterday and it blew me away. The clarity of the picture, absolutely no stutter or choppiness... amazing! Reading text, or magazines, or web pages is a true pleasure again because of this crisp, clear, clean screen. I may update this with phone analysis once I'm set up. Tricky thing is Verizon and Spring allegedly will get their versions this year too. We will see what happens after AT&T sets it all off. As far as I'm concerned, the only thing missing now is the Ice Cream Sandwich update. I've not been able to find a definitive word on when we Note holders will get ours (Motorola Xoom folks have gotten theirs I see...)I will give Samsung a bit more credit though because they are preparing the first OS update with some cool new functionality for the Note... not ICS, but in a pinch it'll do!

In closing, I'm glad that I didn't wait to get this. I'll get to choose a few things now that I wouldn't have got to otherwise so... top dollar- well spent!

...At Last!

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Comment on Samsung Galaxy Note N7000 16gb Unlocked Android Smartphone in White by electronicsdude

electronicsdude — Sat, 19 May 2012 15:40:04 +0000

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful

Samsung Galaxy Note, January 13, 2012

electronicsdude -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Samsung Galaxy Note N7000 16gb Unlocked Android Smartphone in White (Electronics)

This phone is amazing!. Blows away any competition. Now if you never held one in your hands I will admit its a big phone.I never held one myself but I was expecting it to be HUGE. Its actually not as big as your read around the forums and comments people leave about it. Surprisingly thin even when compared to its size as well. Anyone who is having doubts about the phone should just go ahead and order it. You will not regret it!

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Comment on Samsung Galaxy Note N7000 16gb Unlocked Android Smartphone in White by Symonster

Symonster — Sat, 19 May 2012 14:45:31 +0000

44 of 45 people found the following review helpful

Perfect Out-of-the-box, January 31, 2012

Symonster (Southern California) -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Samsung Galaxy Note N7000 16gb Unlocked Android Smartphone in White (Electronics)

I waited from November last year when I first saw the reviews on the Note until a few days ago to finally order it through Amazon. After making the decision to buy, I had to decide which vendor to order from (TRD Trading GmbH). I made the right choices all the way. When I received the box, inside was another box and inside that box was the Note and a power adapter. The Note was sealed in its own box and my confidence went through the roof. After working through the app's I plugged it in to charge it. After about 3 hours of charging the note has an audio indicator when the charge reaches 100%. I turned it on and it went into the notification screen and automatically began an update from 3.2.5 to 3.2.6. So far so gooooood.

Everything that the device has installed is as close to perfect as you can get. Yes, there are newer apps and I later downloaded a few of those but if you leave the functions as they are, there are no complaints. My favorites are, MP3 player with 5.1 surround sound with a headset plugged in. The note and stylus function are superb with just about every feature you can imagine.The FM radio is great. The GPS is spot on and the mapping graphics are superb due to the screen resolution. The screen has no pixels that I can see and the depth and color are outstanding. The 8 mega-pixel camera is just as good as the iphone 4s. This device stands above all the other devices I have owned. Ipad 1, Ipad 2, Asus Transformer, Asus Transformer prime, HTC Flyer, Samsung Galaxy 7.0. I have been looking for the ultimate device with the smallest footprint. I found it in the Note. This device is so snappy when opening any apps or widgets. Online via WiFi with just 1 signal bar was faster than anything I have experienced before. The Bluetooth is a rocket when paired to my i mac 24.
When in public, people can not keep their eyes or hands off it. GREAT JOB SAMSUNG. I sold my new iphone 4s to a friend for $175.00 because her phone was stolen and it was difficult for her to pay more than she did. I don't miss the iphone at all. In fact, the Note is 20 times the experience the iphone offers. When my friend first saw the Note, she felt cheated LOL. She will have to marry me to get my Note.

I ordered the SGP ultra thin case which fits like a glove but is still a little slippery so I just ordered the BoxWave DuoSuit TPU case and the little pigtail adapter to download files. Micro USB Host Mode OTG Cable Flash Drive SD T-Flash Card Adapter FOR Samsung GT-i9100 i9100 Galaxy S II 2 GT-N7000 Galaxy Note At the AT&T store, they transferred my micro SIM to the standard SIM and I went online to Youtube to configure the phone settings, everything worked. The staff at AT&T had not seen the Note yet and were amazed. I ordered the white model because it looks bigger. Go to Maker4U dot com to see some very cool accessories.

I highly recommend this device through Amazon.

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Comment on 3 pack headphone with microphone for iphone 2g 3g 3gs 4g- (Generic, WHITE Color) by Laurie Nelson

Laurie Nelson — Fri, 18 May 2012 13:34:46 +0000

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful

Headphones don't last, June 28, 2010

Laurie Nelson (Troy, Michigan United States) -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: 3 pack headphone with microphone for iphone 2g 3g 3gs 4g- (Generic, WHITE Color) (Wireless Phone Accessory)

Yes these headphones are inexpensive and they came in a 3 pack, however they should all be in working order and last more than a week. It doesn't always pay to go cheap. Although the seller got paid...hmmm

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Comment on 3 pack headphone with microphone for iphone 2g 3g 3gs 4g- (Generic, WHITE Color) by M

Fri, 18 May 2012 13:20:46 +0000

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful

Don't expect much, April 23, 2011

M -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: 3 pack headphone with microphone for iphone 2g 3g 3gs 4g- (Generic, WHITE Color) (Wireless Phone Accessory)

3 pairs of earphones for a low price seems too good to be true, and it was. When I first opened them, each pair worked fine, except none of the microphones worked. I wasn't too fussed about that since the sound was pretty good and I wouldn't use the microphone much anyway - it just would've been nice to have. However, the next day the right earphone suddenly stopped working. I figured I was just too rough with the cheap product by tossing it in my backpack, but when I got home and replaced it with another pair, the same problem happened, and I had only taken that one out once! The third pair, which I had given my brother, encountered the same thing as well, and he had only been using it at home. Eventually, one of the pairs even had exposed wires, so I'm trashing all three. Waste of effort to return them and I didn't pay much in the first place. Reading the rest of the reviews, this product seems to be hit-and-miss, but rather than rely on luck-of-the-draw, just save up money to get a decent set elsewhere.

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Comment on 3 pack headphone with microphone for iphone 2g 3g 3gs 4g- (Generic, WHITE Color) by What happened to the mics?

What happened to the mics? — Fri, 18 May 2012 13:10:35 +0000

58 of 62 people found the following review helpful

Good Service...Poor Quality Product, July 12, 2010

What happened to the mics? -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: 3 pack headphone with microphone for iphone 2g 3g 3gs 4g- (Generic, WHITE Color) (Wireless Phone Accessory)

I purchased three replacement headphones for my iphone 3g and initially was pleased with the idea of getting all of that for the low price of $15. I went into this transaction knowing that I was getting the quality that I was willing to pay for and I wasn't disappointed. It took me less than a month to cycle through all three (and I pretty kind when it comes to taking care of my stuff). The headphones all still work but the microphones, the reason for the purchase, were quick to go.

I brought this issue up with the vendor and they made it right by processing a refund for me. Thanks.

I have no issue with the vendor, just with the product.

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Comment on Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket 4G Android Phone, Black (AT&T) by Tech Gadget geek "gadget testing geek"

Tech Gadget geek "gadget testing geek" — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:58:10 +0000

39 of 42 people found the following review helpful

Review for Samsung Skyrocket, November 11, 2011

Tech Gadget geek "gadget testing geek" (Chicago, IL USA) -

This review is from: Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket 4G Android Phone, Black (AT&T) (Wireless Phone)

I will start with the bad things first:

Price: I initially bought it from Amazon wireless and they said it won't be delivered until December, so I canceled my order and went with ATT premier store and paid full price on the phone. It is like 70 dollars more.

Battery: I took it off the charger at 9am today, right now it is almost 2pm and I am at 63%, I did used Google Navigation (while charging in the car). And mostly light browsing, power saving mode seems to help a lot, with 60 percent it can last me till the end of the day with almost 5% left. (Tested that yesterday) So battery life is not great but given it is an LTE phone with 4.5 inch screen, I would say this is 50/50.

Accessories: Lack of accessories for now, you might want to get a good case for this considering it is a very delicate and expensive phone, you don't want to test the durability yourself.

And no HD screen. & ATT customer service, ATT wouldn't give me the unlock code even if I paid the full price (there's way around it online)

Good things:
4.5 inch screen: after you play with this for awhile and go back to 4.3 or 4 inch screens, don't even think about that. It is really not too big in my opinion, keeping it in my jean's front pocket is not a problem at all, I was using captivate before and this feels pretty much the same in the pocket.

Application speed: Not much FC, the phone is really smooth so far, hopefully it will stay this way through out the lifespan.

Browsing speed: The rendering is so fast (Compared to Captivate, probably other devices as well but this is fast)

LTE speed(Chicago) + GPS: Amazing, using google navigation is near instant lock on, no loosing signal so far.

TouchWiz 4: compared to the previous touch wiz, I think this is more refined and it's definitely a plus.

Overall: Good buy if you are in the LTE market, I was worried about all the benchmark about the processor, but seriously it doesn't matter at all to regular consumer. For T-mobile users, I believe their Samsung Galaxy S2 Hercules is pretty much the same phone lacking of LTE, but it is on the 42Mbps HSPA+ network instead of the LTE, pretty much the same phone, even same battery (As noted on samsung webpage when you are shopping for accessories)

Update: Forgot to mention that the headphone that came along was quite decent.

Update 11/22/2011: I am getting random shutdown issues, I am not sure if this is a problem with the phone or if this is GB 2.3.5 issue. Is anyone else getting this problem?

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