Cool-er ebook reader

There are strong indications that the ebook market is about to explode. One of the early examples of this will be the yet unreleased British device called Cool-er. It has great options for international users, SD-expansion (rated at 4 gb), good selection of supported file formats and the ebook store that promises to be more reasonable and "better-stocked" e-store. The manual for Cool-er is already available. Check it out and see if the device is right for you at $250 or so.

Cool-er ebook reader manual

Windows 7 worries gone - proof of purchase worked like magic

When I got a new Toshiba laptop at Costco it did not occur to me that in order to get my free copy of Windows 7 I will have to keep the original receipt. Usually, a UPC code is enough, right? Especially with Costco, because they never even need receipts if you bring anything back. Everything is in the system! So, I was a little worried when I found out that Toshiba wants you to scan the sales receipt as a proof of purchase for the Windows 7 update. Finally, I went to Costco and they issued what is called a "Sales audit". It did not look at all like a receipt, but contained pretty much the same information. I scanned it and a few days later Toshiba notified me that it was approved! And I was actually contemplating that I just might have to spend over $100 to upgrade. What a relief!

Panasonic TC-37LZ800 and Panasonic TC-32LZ800 manuals

Not only reviews, but personal experience have convinced me that Panasonic is currently perhaps the most reliable televisions in both plasma and LCD categories. I have seen a good number of commercial projects where Panasonic was the brand of choice. It is, of course, my tradition to make manuals easily available for every piece of electronics that comes to my attention.

Panasonic TC-37LZ800 and Panasonic TC-32LZ800 manuals

Sylvania LC321SS9 - a review

Just bought Sylvania LC321SS9 at Costco at a ridiculous price of $399. As always with Costco, I don't care if it breaks within the next two years - their warranty covers it all. It does, however, seems like a nice unit. I always compare the picture screen at the store and this one looked very nice, comparable to Sharp, in my opinion. Costco had a Vizio for $389, but the notorious Vizio power indicator/glowing logo definitely made it not worth it.

Sylvania LC321SS9 has two HDMI inputs and PC-IN. Most importantly, the sound is quite loud, much better than on my Sharp SH12U. It easily fills up the living room whether you are watching cable TV, DTV or DVD/Blu-ray. Also, the width of this unit is just a little bit less than the 32"Vizio, so I was able to fit it into an old entertainment center no problem.

My main complaint at the moment is about the fact that I am still unable to find the remote codes for this TV. If remote integration is your goal, Sylvania LC321SS9 may not be the right choice for you. I will, however, attempt to use a learning remote.

Samsung BlackJack II (i617) Review and User Manual (PDF)

I am switching from T-Mobile to AT&T Wireless. As a result my T-Mobile MDA will no longer work. Of course, I am fully aware that it is possible to "upgrade" the firmware, essentially unlocking this phone. Still, with so many options available from ATT&T, why not get a cheap and comparable phone from them and then decide if it is worth trying to unlock the old one?

After much speculation, I have decided to try Samsung BlackJack II. Three main features sold me on this one.

• The screen is pretty large and quite suitable for what I end up using my T-Mobile MDA most of the time - reading ebooks. It is technically smaller than the MDA screen, but the resolution is the same.
• There are many buttons I can assign for the purpose of turning pages. I will probably end up using the middle one.
• The letter keys are conveniently located. You can enter text without having to using a slider. I loath texting, but this may be a very nice way to make some quick notes.

One big con for me was the lack of Wi-Fi. If I end up choosing a different device at the last moment, that's why. Hear this, Samsung? Also, as much as I like the black model, the so called wine colored BlackJack II has a different leathary back, making it much easier to hold the device. I have heard that the black ones can slip out of your hands pretty easily.

Samsung BlackJack II (i617) User Manual (PDF)

Loading mp3's onto sansa fuze

I gotta admit, as much as I dislike iTunes for its sluggishness and lack of control, it is the most reliable way of loading mp3 onto a player I have seen so far. It is only too bad that iTunes cannot be used with other devices. I have been thus far unable to find a good way of putting mp3 files onto Sansa players. Rhapsody used to crash all the time, the Yahoo player crashed as well plus had some quirky behaviors when using it with Sansa e280. At some point I discovered that unlike the iPods, Sansa players allow one to copy mp3 files straight into its folders. The problem is that as a result the device sometimes would freeze. When I was loading music onto a couple of new Fuzes that I got as gifts I decided against installing the new software that came with the devices and loaded the files manually, so to speak, by copying them through Windows Explorer. The results so far were just fine. Maybe things have improved? I much prefer bypassing silly software solutions if files can be copied directly.

Sylvania NB500SL9 1080p Blu-Ray Player with HDMI Cable: Review and Manual

Just got a Sylvania NB500SL9 1080p Blu-Ray Player. It came with a high quality HDMI Cable, which is still not to be taken for granted. The price was right - $150 at Costco. At this point in time this is an excellent price and this purchase allowed me to cross over into the world of HD movies. Now I don't have to think twice about buying a movie. I just get the Blu-ray version!

Even on a 1080i Sharp SH12U the picture quality is truly impressive and better than I used to get from simple upconverting of regular DVDs. One particular feature I like a lot is noise reduction which can improve the quality of old grainy footage. But don't over do it! Shrek's skin can easily become smooth as a baby's bottom with very low level noise reduction.

It takes a little bit of time to load the BD videos. My guess is that this is caused by the heavy bandwidth requirements of Blu-ray DVDs and I expect that probably even better models have some issues in this area. I was able to connect the coaxial digital audio to my Philips HTS3544 home theater with great results.

One thing that this player was unable to do is play PAL DVDs (regardless of the zone). Not a very big problem for me, because I have other options and don't realy have a lot of PAL movies.

Sylvania NB500SL9 1080p Blu-Ray Player