Features

• 512 MB capacity
• User selectable mechanical write protect switch on the exterior card casing
• Works with all SD enabled devices
• Low battery consumption to maximize battery life in small portable devices
• Operating shock rating of 2,000Gs, equivalent to a 10-foot drop to the floor

Reviews (18)

Results of my speed tests using SiSoft Sandra 2004 (SP1)
I ran these tests using SiSoft Sandra 2004 (SP1) just so that I could personally compare the performance differences between my various CF and SD flash memory cards and using USB 2.0 vs. 1.X. Here are the impressive results of the SanDisk 512MB SD Card:

Make/Model of Flash Reader used:
Lexar 6-in-1 USB 2.0 Multi-Card Reader (model RW018-01)

Homebuilt PC used:
Asus P4P-800VM motherboard with on-board USB 2.0, Intel P4 2.8GHz (800 FSB), 1GB Crucial brand DDR RAM, Win XP Pro (SP-1)

512byte files:
R = 101 kb/sec, 0x
W = 2.2 kb/sec

32kB files:
R = 2788 kb/sec, 15x
W = 107 kb/sec, 0x

256kB files:
R = 5773 kb/sec, 32x
W = 785 kb/sec, 4x

2MB files:
R = 6485 kb/sec, 36x
W = 1638 kb/sec, 9x

Note: Why 4 stars instead of 5? Well, I am currently on my second 512MB card. My first one became corrupted after a week of use. It could not read from it write to it or even access it. I use it mainly for my Compaq iPAQ 3970 Pocket PC. Always make sure you backup the SD card's contents to your PC just in case it goes bad like mine did. The Lexar reader I used (which I purchased here on Amazon) makes this a quick process.

And try to use USB 2.0, because when I ran the tests above on a USB 1.X system, these were the results I got using 2MB files:

R = 1024 kb/sec, 5x
W = 683 kb/sec, 3x

Going from USB 1.X to USB 2.0 results in a huge leap in performance.

And for you PDA users... The speed of a card is not really an issue since Pocket Mechanic on my Compaq iPAQ 3970 Pocket PC benchmarked my SanDisk 512MB SD Card with a molasses-slow Read Speed of 0.5x and a Write Speed of 0.2x. In other words, the PDA's internal controller is the bottleneck, not the SD card. If writing large amounts of data, I recommend you purchase a USB 2.0 card and USB 2.0 reader for your PC and use that instead.

BAD quality! stay away!
I bought this (Sandisk 512 MB Secure Digital) in February and gave it to my mom as a gift in May. She used it in her digital camera and took pictures with it for her college reunion. Afterwards, the card displayed "Corrupt Data" and the pictures were lost! Do NOT buy this card, if you do not believe me, do a search for this card and you will see similar testimonials!
The grief and sadness this card has caused me is not worth its cheaper price!
user be warned!

by the way, the one i have is made in china, i have read these ones are the WORST

The BEST deal from Amazon yet...
I placed my order on the 10th & got it 4 days later.
That was not what I expected. I wasn't scheduled to get till the 20th - 23rd.
Talk about speedy delivery.
Oh & the card works GREAT! Can't beat a 512MB SanDisk Card for $74.00.
I will sure be using Amazon again!

Great Card. No Problems at all.
I use the Sandisk 512 SD card in my HP 2215 IPAQ. I have never had a problem with it and it gives me plenty of space to store all of the music that I enjoy. I would love to get a 1 GB card but I want to wait for the prices to come down a little more. This card is fast but I would still like it to be faster. I'm not sure if it is the card slowing down the process or the USB connection to my IPAQ. I was thinking about buying the Sandisk ULTRA SD card to see if there is a speed difference.

Horrible memory card for PDAs
Well after purchasing my second Sandisk product (the other was the 512K CF card) I will never buy another Sandisk product again, don't care if it is cheaper. I know you other PDA owners know what I am talking about. For digital cameras I don't know, it may or may not work fine. But I've used the Sandisk cards in my Dell Axim and Compaq Ipaq and have had the same problems. When transferring large amounts of data >15MBs the files do not write properly. Half of my mp3s that I tranfer do not play. In addition if you transfer data that is greater than the available amount on the card it will frequently erase all data on the card!!!!!!!

BEWARE, stay away if you are going to use this in your PDA. I've found no problems using Viking (1 CF card), MicroTech (1 CF) and Kingston ( 2 SD cards) products. ... Read more

Features

• Black enclosure with red Click Wheel and autographs of all four U2 band members on back
• 20 GB model holds up to 5,000 songs; supports AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 (32 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible, AIFF, Apple Lossless and WAV
• Up to 12 hours battery life when fully charged (typically 4 hours); fast-charge in as little as 2 hours
• Mac OS X or Windows 2000 and XP compatible; FireWire and USB 2.0 interface for fastest digital transfer available
• Comes with earbud headphones, AC adapter, FireWire cable, and USB 2.0 cable

Features

• Maximum 3,200 x 6,400 dpi resolution
• Sharp 48-bit color, 16-bit grayscale
• Supports medium format and 35mm transparencies or negatives
• Batch scanning of up to 12 35mm negatives
• High speed preview in about 2 seconds; USB 2.0

Product Description

Satellite R15-S822 Tablet PC, Intel Pentium M Processor 725, 1.6GHz, with Centrino Technology, 512MB RAM, 60GB Hard Drive, 14.1-inch XGA TFT Display, DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive, Windows XP Tablet PC 2005 ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Excellent hybrid!!!!
I am a first time tablet buyer and thus read everything written on tablets before buying one. I am quite please with my choice.
I have owned an ECS desknote, Compaq Presario, IBM notebooks and Gateway desktop earlier. Right now, I am using the R15 along with my gateway desktop.
Several people wrote that it is probably better to go with a slate rather than a hybrid but I wasn't sure how much will I use my tablet functionality. It appears that I will use the R15 mostly as a tablet and sometimes as a notebook. So, my next purchase will be a slate.

I have such a poor handwriting that I cannot read it myself on some occasions. Thus I am surprised that R15 could read my handwriting so well. I didnt check the speech recognition function, but last time I looked at it, the technology hadn't advanced much.

Overall, R15 is a sturdy machine with good wireless card (I didn't have to set up the wireless). Battery life is good (and can stretch even more than 4 hours on some settings). The pen is very easy to use and pleasant experience. The drive makes a lot of sound but there is a silencer that can make the noise disappear (I am not sure whether it changes the perfomrance). I was quite worried about the cooling of the machine - I checked an averatec which was too hot to handle. R15 manages the heat disspiation quite well, thought it reamins warm (not hot like so many other machines).

I decided not to go with Averatec as I read too many bad reviews and my last experinece with an unknown brand was extremely bad. So, i decided to spend 350 bucks extra on a known brand.

I found the performance of the machine to be at least as good as my 2.2Ghz desktop. I simultaneuously ran word, outlook, excel and onenote and performnnce was still good.

Amazon gave a great deal (and when i bought it was the cheapest R15 around). They also shipped in just 3 days (although they said it woudl take 5-9 days). Buying at Amazon was a pleasure - as always.

The only thing I dont like about R15 is the weight. Although, as a laptop the weigth is not problem, when it is used as a slate holding it in one arm for long is difficult. But this is a trade-off I made to have a larger screen, built in optical drive, and laptop functionality. I am not disappointed with the trade-off.

Overall, I would recommend this machine to someone who doesn't know how much he/she would use it as a tablet and for first time tablet buyers. I would also recommend potential laptop buyers to take a good look at this hybrid as it has amazing features (as a tablet) that would change the way you work with your computer.

Overall it's a good machine for the price
I wrote a review of the R15 that would take too much space here.You can view at VBInk dot com.

In general, I agree with the previous reviews. I would recommend it for people new to tablets.My next one may be a slate though.I didn't think I was too mobile beofre getting the R15.A new world has opened up to me.In a couple years I'll be ready for a slate.Someone told me "If you buy a convertable, try to use it only in Tablet mode to really learn and benefit from the tablet features. Otherwise, you'll end up using the Tablet as a notebook and the purchase would have been pointless."

Excellent tablet pc - versitile - but A Monster
I agree with the previous review.I've had this machine for over about a week now and I love it...but it's a monster.Heavy and big.When converted into tablet form it is much more manageable (at least it's not so bulky then).I bought a verizon broadband card and I've been in heaven.Never have to worry about an internet connection now...I use the tablet form when in meetings and when I have to walk around.The machine itself is great.Comes with OneNote installed...great features...big screen (although that can be a pain because it makes the machine bigger; I like the big screen though)...and a very good price for what you get. If you're willing to spend over 2.5K you can get the Fujitu T4000 which is smaller and lighter and looks like a great machine....but you pay over 1K more (which I was not willing to do).The R15 is a very functional machine; it does what I need it for and although it's a bit heavy and bulky it is an excellent value.Hopefully it will stand the test of time and not fall apart on me after I write this review :)

BEST FOR THE PRICE
I wanted to buy a tablet pc for a long time but the only thing that was keeping me away from it was that the price was too high for something with very low computing power and in most cases no optical drive. For the ones with a good configuration and an optical drive the price was too high. I loved the functionality of the tablet pc so was not able to decided whether to buy a notebook or a tablet, but then this came along and I have to say it is the best for the price, I have given it 4 stars only because it is on the heavier side for a tablet pc, but then I guess you can't have everything for this price. If you want something light and can do without a CD/DVD drive and a smaller screen then you should consider the TOSHIBA M200 or the FUJITSU T4000. Except the weight this is a great machine. ... Read more

Product Description

plays MP3 and WMA files * built-in FM tuner with 32 station presets * built-in microphone (1GB holds approximately 64 hours of mono voice recordings) * up to 15 hours playback with included "AAA" alkaline battery * 1GB embedded memory holds approximately 16 hours of music at 128 Kbps; 32 hours of music at 64 Kbps * ... Read more

Features

• Built-in microphone for easy voice recording
• Transfers music via USB 2.0; compatible with Windows 98SE, 2000, Me, XP
• Powered by 1 AAA battery; provides up to 15 hours of continuous play
• 1 GB holds up to 32 hours WMA or 16 hours MP3 music -- weighs just 1.1 ounces
• Built-in FM and FM recorder with 32 presets

Reviews (27)

Good device, but n200 is slightly better
Please read the positive and negative qualities of this player at my Creative n200 review, because, both TX FM and n200 are exactly the same in most respects, except ;

MOST IMPORTANT REASON, I PREFER N200 over TX FM
a) creative tx fm may offer you the benefit of directly connecting to your laptop or pc, without a cable (very good feature), BUT it does not offer line in port, so no recording from external sources like walkman, cd player, mic, etc. Although, both the models (n200 and tx fm) have internal mics. So, I prefer the n200 anytime over TX FM.

b) create tx fm is slightly bigger and slightly heavier.

If you don't want to goto my n200 to get the full picture, I shall give you a brief rundown of the TX FMs positives and negatives.

+1) Excellent sound
+2) Very poratble
+3) Connects to the Windows XP OS without any additional software
+4) Appears to be fairly energy efficient
+5) Removable AAA batteries is a great boon
+6) You could use it for a jog or workout without worrying about damaging the player
+7) Arm band and case are quite cool.
negatives
-1) Can't switch to the next song without automatically stopping the current song. most hard drive mp3 players allow you to scroll through songs while playing the current feature.
-2) This one offers voice recording, but no line-in recording. That's a shame and a deal breaker for me.

I returned this player, and got myself a shiny n200. Go get one for yourself too.

But wait, if you could live with slightly bigger size, and dont need to run your player on AAA batteries or use it for workout, then please check out CREATIVE MICRO first. Otherwise, I bet you, you will be pefectly happy with the n200 or TX FM.

A nifty little device for the price
I have had this MP3 for a few days and I like it quite a lot but it does have some little quirks that take a little getting-used-to. A lot of excellent reviews have covered most of the ground about the player.
I did quite a lot of research and settled on this one largely as the best intersection of price and features (the 1 GB flash drive being a huge plus). Plus you are not tied to iTunes/AAC format etc. With this player you have access to all the other online music (stores).

Pros:
- 1 GB Flash memory player, so unlike a hard drive player you can use it while jogging w/o any fear of damage.
- Drag and drop of files is extremely convenient. Windows immediately recognizes it as a drive and you can easily create folders and move files around. I found the software provided to be quite redundant especially if you use some other audio software. As another reviewer pointed out, it is rather large compared to say a thumb drive and so it might be cumbersome to fit into a USB port especially if your other ports are occupied. You might be better off with a USB hub or cable.
- It is surprisingly small (about the size of a jumbo pack of chewing gum) and light (~62 grams/ 2.2 oz).
- An arm band is also provided which is a nice touch.
- Sound quality is excellent and the equalizer is good.

Cons:
- One of the primary reasons I selected this player was because of its the FM radio capability. I must say that the biggest disappointment with the Creative MuVo was the poor reception on the mp3 player. It didnt pick up many stations (I live in a metropolitan area) and the reception was really poor. Almost immediately fades out in most places indoors and the static in certain places becomes unbearable. I must admit I kind of expected it to work in the subway (a bit of a stretch but like some cellphones do) for my commute but I was sorely disappointed !!
- I would agree with quite a few of the reviewers and say that you really need to get better headphones. The earbuds are HUGE and very uncomfortable. The sound is ok but its a pain (literally).
- The inability to shuffle play is a bit irritating especially if you have songs in a single folder.
- The toggle switch is a bit tricky (I am still afraid of breaking it by not handling it gently enough) and moving around the menus is not very smooth. For example, if you are in FM mode and you want to sample other stations, it is difficult to move to a station that is not a preset.
You have to get used to holding the on/off switch for a few seconds before it turns off.

Overall, I think this is a great MP3 player and packs quite a punch in a small package. I hope a firmware update is all that it takes to get a shuffle feature. That in itself would earn 1/2 a star. An improved FM receiver would give it my full vote.For the price and the features it is hard to beat. AND it looks great which is always a plus !!

Most reasonable for the size and price.
I am pretty pleased with my new mp3 player. I originally bought a Rio Forge 128 with expandable card slot (up to 1 G). I couldn't get the card to show up on my computer but it died after 5 days so I didn't have to worry about it anyway. Here's the lowdown.

Pros-Great radio (presets), small size, easy and fast filetransfer(drag and drop), easy to convert files into different formats, sound quality is very good, the player remembers exactly where you left off(in the middle of the song), it's fairly lightweight.

Cons- I have to unplug other USB plugs to plug in my player (it's too wide to fit in one hole). You can't create playlists on player itself, only for listening on the computer.

The player allows you to either shuffle folders only or the whole music collection. I was able to separate jazz and rock music by creating a folder labeled jazz and and one for rock and then shuffle folder. I haven't discovered another way to separate the two.Overall, I am pleased with this purchase.

Great lil Device
The Creative MuVo TX FM was purchased for me as a birthday gift. I knew this was what I was getting and I did a lot of research on which player I wanted. In the end the Muvo had the fearures I wanted and I am really pleased. You do have to do some searching to get to the features that you want, but other then that its great. It sounds great and the music encoding is easy and very user friendly.

The best I've used
I first bought an iPod shuffle, thinking it was just the ticket. It was very nice, portable, and convenient, though it had a few less features. I quickly discovered that iTunes was the only way to manage your songs which was a bit of a pain. Then I discovered that with the shuffle only ONE computer can manage the songs. This was very unpleasant, as I take it back and forth between home and work, and ruined the advantage of having such a convenient interface and size.

I looked at the Creative N200 which was very nice, and I liked the line-in feature. It is also quite a bit smaller than this model. I just didn't like having to tote a USB cable with the special smaller connector on one end everywhere.

This model is like the N200, a bit larger, and no line-in, but has a standard USB plug, so it can be used just like the little flash drives. It is _very_ convenient, and works as a flash drive very well. I love the drag and drop feature with the files, it is _much_ better than "playlists" and being locked to a vendor-specific management program like iTunes. It means you can walk up to any computer and suck MP3s to it without having to install some program. The sound is great, the FM tuner works wonderfully, and the interface is very good. Overall this is just what I wanted. Another advantage is it is driven by a AAA battery, rather than some specialized battery you have to return the unit to have replaces (ala iPod).

Very cool.. Wish it was a bit smaller, but when I'm in the market for a new one years from now, I'm sure they'll have shrunk.. I just hope they work as well and use usb-mass storage. ... Read more

Product Description

The GZ-MC500 Digital Media Camera is a proud member of the JVC Everio family -camcorders that record onto a hard disk. Like the older single-CCD Everio camcorders, the GZ-MC500 records 60 minutes of DVD-quality video or thousands of photo-quality stills to a Microdrive™ removable hard disk. With this Everio, JVC combines these benefits with 3-CCD/5-megapixel performance. ... Read more

Features

• Easy printing with "PictBridge" and DPOF support
• Microdrive / CompactFlash card and SD dual card type II slots for extra data storage and transfer
• Megabrid engine assures optimum quality for both video and still images
• User-friendly GUI for easy operation and setting
• Thumbnail picture for easy and quick viewing

Product Description

Experience the power and speed of the Epson Stylus® Photo R800. Print brilliant archival quality glossy and matte photos! The world's first printer with 1.5- picoliter ink droplets and up to 5760 x 1440 optimized dpi, this revolutionary performer gives new meaning to quality and detail. And, it provides eight individual cartridges, including matte black ink and a unique gloss optimizer, for professional results every time - no matter what the paper type.Durable Epson UltraChrome Hi-Gloss pigment inks deliver long-lasting portraits, landscapes and more on virtually any media, including ink jet printable CD/DVDs and 4" and 8.3" 13" roll paper. It also prints borderless photos in convenient, frame-ready sizes. And, with innovative PRINT Image Matching II technology, you'll get brilliant prints automatically from popular digital cameras.The Epson Stylus Photo R800 offers groundbreaking quality and performance, for perfect prints made to last. With Epson Software Film Factory Epson Print CD software, and premium ICC Profiles, all included in the box, this affordable ink jet offers a complete photographic solution for many creative projects. Whisper-quiet operation and fast built-in connectivity make it an ideal fit for any home or studio, while high-speed performance makes it the perfect printer for quickly creating show-stopping high-gloss prints. ... Read more

Features

• USB 2.0 and FireWire interfaces; PC and Mac compatible
• Up to 5,760 x 1,440 optimized dpi resolution
• 4-by-6-inch photos as fast as 42 seconds, 11-by-14 as fast as 1 minute 51 seconds
• Prints directly onto inkjet-printable CDs and DVDs
• Supports poster prints up to 13 by 44 inches

Reviews (3)

Amazing to say the least!
I bought my R1800 two weeks ago and it's fabulous! I've been doing quite a bit of photo retouching in PhotoShop and was anxious to see some of my work in large format. The resulting output totally exceeded my expectations! I was also surprised at the speed at which such fine output was generated. I was somewhat concerned about the cost of maintaining an 8-color system as the cost of replacement cartridges ranges between $12.99 and $14.99, but I've done quite a bit of printing and the color levels have barely budged (and I use the setting for the highest print quality). This is truly a great printer for digital photographers, scrapbookers, and PhotoShop enthusiasts like me. It's an incredible piece of equipment.

printer arrived dead
I ordered the eagerly awaited R1800 on first day of availability from Amazon.When shipped, item arrived dead.Printer carriage did not move into position, soink cartridges could not be loaded. Defective printer was returned to Amazon (which promptly credited the return, including postage).

On this single anecdotal incident, I do not fault either Epson or Amazon. Stuff happens.Perhaps damage in shipping.I merely provide this information for consumer information, in case other buyers have the same problem.

My star rating is nominal, since unit received did not function at all

Beats any lab prints
The Epson R1800 is built like a tank.Upon first inspection out of the box, you will be suprised at it's size.Set-up out of the box was a breeze.About 10 minutes of unwrapping everything and software installation and I was ready to print.

The first prints came out amazing.I used to work in a one hour photo lab with a Noritsu QSS-3011, basically the Cadallic of mini-lab printers.The best of the best.I am college student majoring in photography so quality is #1 to me.I would always print my pictures at the lab and fine tune each print so I would get the best.With this printer, I get nearly the EXACT SAME QUALITY.Which is nothing short of amazing considering we are talking about a lab machine that is in the costs of tens of thousands of dollars.The prints that I have printed from the R1800 rival the quality of that from the Nortisu lab printer.

The 8 inks provide a cost effective method instead of replacing one expensive color tank when just one color runs out.You can just replace whatever color you run out of.

The R1800 prints bordless sizes up to 13" in width.It can print panoramics from 4" to 13" from rolls of paper. Imgaine having a 13" by 44" panoramic on your wall!With the R1800, it's just that easy.

The R1800 can also print on CD's, which is a neat feature, but one that I probably won't use too much until I get ready to graduate and create portfolio CD's with my work on them.

5,760 x 1,440 optimized dpi resolution is what makes these prints so amazingly crisp in quality.

The speed of the printer is pretty impressive too.11x14's in under 3 minutes?4x6's in under 45 seconds?Yes please!

I believe the best paper I've used with R1800 is Epson's Premium Luster paper.It's semi glossy with a sheer luster to it that makes the color and contrast hold of the paper look amazing.

If you are even an amatuer photographer and care about the quality of your printers and are in the market for an at home studio printer, you cannot go wrong with the R1800.I would reccommend nothing else. ... Read more

Features

• High speed data transfer
• Secure transfer of copyright protected content
• Real-time recording of high resolution images and video
• Approximately 1/3 the size of a Memory Stick card
• Measurements -0.8 x 1.2 x 0.06

Amazon.com Review

There are now enough handheld global positioning system (GPS) receivers on the market that you can be choosy when it comes to price, features, and design. Garmin--a leading manufacturer of car, boat, and personal GPS receivers--has a complete line of eTrex handheld receivers, with our Legend falling about midrange.

With WAAS support, the Legend offers extremely accurate readings (rated to within two to three meters). (For more on WAAS, see the Frequently Asked Questions section.) A good-sized screen--288 x 160 pixels--makes it easy to see location details, and the Legend redraws maps quickly when zooming in or out of a position.

Its 8 MB of memory means there is also plenty of room for waypoints, routes, and saved tracks. The Legend will hold up to 500 waypoints, complete with a name and graphical symbol, 20 routes with 50 waypoints each, and it contains slots for 10 saved tracks. You can also download maps from Garmin's MapSource CD-ROMs (thorough but expensive accessories for the GPS receiver) to see street-level or topographic detail (depending on the CD-ROM title).

But one of the most striking attributes of the Legend is its comfortable and efficient design. While it rests easily in the palm of either hand, it's most suited for the left hand, where its handy click-stick can be manipulated with the thumb. The click-stick works like the pencil-eraser nubbin on laptop PCs and is handy for moving through screen icons and menus. It also works as a button when pressed down.

The Legend is coated with a waterproof, rubberized plastic shell that grips nicely. Weighing in at only 5.3 ounces, it fits into a pocket or clips onto a belt loop, going almost unnoticed.

The internal trip computer of the Legend provided a range of data about our hikes and drives, including current speed, average speed, trip distance, and time traveled (both moving and stopped). For those interested in checking out their foot pace and distance traveled, it's a handy GPS to have in hand.

Our only major beef with the Legend is that the receiver sometimes seemed to grow weak. Even when it wasn't in WAAS mode (which can be tough to maintain a signal in), it dropped the signal from time to time. We even lost the signal once while walking along the streets of San Francisco--it seems that the medium-size buildings were enough to interfere with the reception.

But this only happened on a few occasions. Most of the time the well-designed Legend was able to keep us in touch with up to 12 GPS satellites for a strong-enough read to maintain a tight handle on our location. --J. Curtis

Pros:

• Comfortable, compact design
• Click-stick for interface navigation
• Bright backlight
• Handy distance-traveled feature

• Sporadic reception within urban areas
• Can take several minutes for a cold fix

Features

• Global positioning system (GPS) receiver with built-in Americas basemap
• 8 MB of internal memory for map and data storage; PC cable included
• Accuracy to less than 3 meters with WAAS correction data
• Rocker switch on front panel for quick and accurate map panning
• Compatible with optional Garmin MapSource software; includes serial PC interface

Reviews (91)

Excellent GPS
This is my second GPS and the 4th I have operated. I have had plenty of experience with GPSs and my occupation requires their use extensively. Having traveled to many foreign countries, I can attest to this unit's ability to give you tons of info on where you are. I prefer simple electronics with minimal buttons, and this unit offers a tremendous amount of data with six buttons. If you are looking for the easiest to use, I suggest the Garmin E-trex. It is the most basic unit you'll find and still provides plenty of info.

Pros:
1) The map data installed in the unit is very detailed (for N. America).
2) The ability to pre-plan routes via waypoints or corrodinates is fairly easy (esp. with the user guide)
3) You can program what data you would like to see based on what you want to know
4) For fisherman and hunters, this unit has special info for you (I didn't find this useful for me, but...)
5) Again, relatively simple to use compared to other GPSs
6) The ability to download map info from CD-ROM (invaluable)

Cons:
1) If you are going to use this in a car only, maybe you'd be better off with something that offers an exterior antenna
2) Significantly more complex than the E-trex (but still easier to use than most)
3) Be prepared to study in-depth the method of downloading from the CD-ROM

Overall, this GPS has gone beyond my expectations. If you do any significant traveling (esp. in N. America), then you will find this GPS vital.

A Good Start
I bought my Legend and the topo MapSource software last fall at a great price. I've used it for deer and turkey hunting, hiking, biking, and fun in the car. This unit takes a bit of getting used to but its operation is reasonably intuitive. (I'm an engineer.) I have down and uploaded weigh points, tracks and routes using the MapSource software. Before I bought my unit, I read some complaints about lack of topo detail. I find it adequate for my purposes. Be advised that the base map (which comes hard-coded in the system) does not correctly list the recently renumbered Pennsylvania highway exit numbers. Hopefully, Garmin will correct this promptly. Also, the topos are a bit dated but then so are the paper topos I usually carry. My suggestion is, if you like electronic toys, go for it. If these GPS manufacturers were smart, they would put software on the Internet that allowed open sharing of routes, waypoints, etc. Every trail in America would wind up electronically documented and these little critters would sell like popcorn.

Overpriced
I don't understand why this item is priced $80.00 more than anywhere else I've found it. You might as well not even carry it. It's a disservice to your customers. Target usually has good prices, and I do a lot of shopping there.

Bought one for the second time.
My wife and I got into Geocaching last year. We had a blast and had great results using our eTrex Legend. We ended up getting other distractions that kept us from GeoCaching so we decided to sell our Legend.

Well a year later we decided to get backing to caching because of some friends so we went looking again for GPSr units and after looking nothing seems to have topped the Legend in the value section.

I have read complaints about people losing sats but honestly from my previous experience, this only happened to us when the tree cover was almost completely blocked out the sky. I often used the unit indoors (near a window of course) and never had a problem using it in the car.

There are a few items that I buy a second time around, the only one that comes to mind off hand was a FujiFilm FinePix 1300. I tend to like value and items that retain a resale value, and from experience, the Legend fits both of those categories.

If you are looking for a sub $200 unit to Geocache with, this is the unit for you. With EasyGPS you can easily store and download Geocache waypoints to your Legend.

Also I don't think anyone mentioned it, but the Legend has a ton of different waypoint icons you can use, it even has GeoCache and GeoCache Found icons.

If I don't get the same results of the 2nd unit that I just ordered I will post it, but until then I am happy I stuck with the Legend.

Great GPS at an Excellent Price
Overall the Garmin eTrex Legend is a very good GPS receiver. Reception although not perfect is much better then what some of the reviews led me to believe. I lost tracking once on a 60 mile interstate trip for about 15 secs. Considering that is was cloudy, there is a reasonable amount of trees around the interstate and the GPS was on the passenger front seat I was pretty happy with the result. I managed to get a satellite lock indoors as well but only when in proximity to a window and even then it was sporadic. Average accuracy for me was about 20-30ft. When WAAS satellites are in sight I got as good as 7ft and you could actually see the car changing lanes on the tracking log.
The 8MB memory is for the most sufficient for a detailed street map of a single metropolitan area. Although no where nearly as detailed the built-in base map is also useful.
Battery life is good although not as good as advertised. WAAS does drain the batteries a little more so that may be the reason for my results.
Interface and features are as good as can be expected from a device that size and in this price range. The click stick can be a bit uncomfortable for right handed people but nothing you can't get used to.
Although I have not owned the device long it seems to be well built. I have not managed to put any scratches on the screen yet and I have taken few precautions.
Overall this is a great GPS with reasonably good reception and accuracy. Features are excellent for the price range. The eTrex Legend is moderately useful on the road ( no auto routing on the GPS ) and very useful for hiking, marine and aviation applications. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Early Adopters Pick: January 2003. The first high-speed wireless networking router to use the 802.11g standard, which is four times faster than the current standard (802.11b) and backwards compatible.

The Linksys Wireless-G broadband router is really three devices in one box. First, it's a wireless access point, which lets you connect Wireless-G or Wireless-B devices to the network. There's also a built-in 4-port full-duplex 10/100 switch to connect your wired-Ethernet devices. Connect four PCs directly, or daisy chain out to more hubs and switches to create as big a network as you need. Finally, the router function ties it all together and lets your whole network share a high-speed cable or DSL Internet connection.

To protect your data and privacy, the Wireless-G broadband router can encrypt all wireless transmissions, and it supports the industrial-strength wireless security of 802.1x authentication and authorization. The router can serve as a DHCP server, has NAT technology to protect against Internet intruders, supports VPN pass-through, and can be configured to filter internal users' access to the Internet. Configuration is a snap with the Web browser-based configuration utility.

With the Linksys Wireless-G broadband router at the center of your home or office network, you can share a high-speed Internet connection, files, printers, and multiplayer games with the flexibility, speed, and security you need!

Wireless-G is the 54 Mbps wireless networking standard that's almost five times faster than the widely deployed Wireless-B (802.11b) products found in homes, businesses, and public wireless hotspots around the country. But since they share the same 2.4 GHz radio band, Wireless-G devices can also interoperate with existing 11 Mbps Wireless-B equipment.

Because both standards are built-in, you can protect your investment in existing 802.11b infrastructure, and migrate to the new screaming-fast Wireless-G standard as your needs grow.

For more information on the differences between an Access Point and a Router with Access Point, see the following table:

... Read more

Features

• All-in-one Internet-sharing router, 4-port switch, and Wireless-G (802.11g) access point
• Wireless data rates up to 54 Mbps--5 times faster than 802.11b
• Shares a single Internet connection and other resources with Ethernet wired and Wireless-G clients
• Interoperates with 802.11b clients at 11 Mbps
• Advanced wireless security with 128-bit WEP encryption, MAC, or IP address filtering

Reviews (408)

Don't be afraid...
If you're looking to jump into wireless, this is a simple decision. Don't let the more technical reviews scare you away because if I can make it work, you surely can.

Your cable modem connects into a clearly marked port on the back to provide service to the device. There are 4 ports available to connect your desktop PC (or multiple if you already have a wired network). The wireless setup is simple. You match the channel on the Router/AP to the channel on your receiving PC card and it works. You won't even need the directions if you follow this step: Go to your Internet Explorer window in the address line type: 192.168.1.1 and you'll be in the router setup page. Presto, it's all there.

I'd highly recommend turning the static WEP encryption on to make it somewhat more difficult for anyone to jump on your network. That gets a little tricky, but it took a novice like me about 5 minutes and that's mostly because you need to hand type a long string of characters into the receiving PC (generated automatically by the Router when you turn WEP on).

If you're undecided about B or G like I was, let me leave you with the advice that pushed me: Forget the money, you're going to hassle yourself with a premature upgrade in a few months, maybe a year to save what? $20? History seems to show that we'll need the bandwidth/speed sooner rather than later.

Don't forget to update the firmware on this thing every month or two (it's a button on the setup screen - easy). They seem to be making it better all the time.

The cutting edge of home wireless so far
I am thoroughly impressed with the WRT54G. The throughput is the best I have seen with wireless routers and the setup is very flexible. I bought a couple of matching notebook cards, but its also working extremely well with the D-Link 520+ pci adapter I have in one pc. With the mac filtering option, I just select which pc's the router is to communicate with, and you can also tell it to stop internet access for a pc with a particular mac address for a certain number of hours of the day and which days of the week as well. ( A wonderful feature if you have a teenager that you want to restrict for study time). With this security feature, Im not sure why you need WEP since that slows down your throughput anyway. I just disabled SSID broadcast and enabled the mac filtering. The signal strength of the router is fantastic. It's about time companies started building affordable routers that you dont need to buy and additional antenna signal booster for.

Problems
I bought this router a few months ago and have had a host of problems with it. First, it frequently drops the radio connection. This is apparently a common problem - I've seen quite a few people discussing it on various message boards. Second, the VPN pass-through just stopped working. The customer support people were not particularly helpful (I agree with an earlier post that the people at the call center in India are very difficult to understand), but they did arrange to have a new unit sent out to me. Overall, I wonder if a different brand would have been a better bet for me.

Easy to install; flawless operation
I am using this router with a DSL connected modem. The router is connected to my computer using an ethernet connection (4 are provided) and is wirelessly connected to my wifes' machine located about 75 feet away. Her machine uses a Netgear PC adapter. I was concerned about the signal strength due to the distance, a concern which proved to be correct. Ours is a single level home. The signal was okay but marginally. I solved the problem by installing a magnetic mount 5 db gain omnidirectional vertical antenna on her machine. The 5 db antenna is magnetically anchored to her table by sitting on a "recycled" tuna can top and this raised the signal to full strength as shown by the Netgear signal meter. The 5 db gain antenna is usually available on the Ebay site and sells for about $15.

Overall quite good but VPN support is flaky
I just purchased this along with the PC and notebook cards. Installation of all three was very smooth (PC = WinXP, notebook = Win2k), and wireless performance seems to be good. I have the PC in a room immediately below the router and signal strength through the ceiling shows 'Very Good'. If you are just using for the Internet, I'd give it a 5. My main issue: VPN software support (???). According to Linksys technical support (quite terrible, btw), the router should only work as a pass-though device which requires that you forward port 500 (for IPSec traffic) or 1723 (for pptp). Note this is in the "Applications and Gaming" tab of the admin GUI. Linksys told me that in this configuration I would only be able to access sites on the intranet (aka no external web sites) while connected with VPN. However, I do seem to be able to do both when connected via TCP or UDP transparent tunneling. I just cannot get to anything on my local network (no ping, no sharing, etc.) until I disconnect VPN (which is Cisco VPN Client 3.5). Note: I also power cycled the router after everything was running and it did not reconnect to the internet even upon refreshing...I eventually had to temporarily connect to it using a wired connection to get it back online. (3.5 stars) ... Read more

Product Description

3 separate CCD sensors for red, green, and blue * 640,000 effective pixels per sensor for video * 710,000 effective pixels per sensor for photos * variable-speed 10X Leica® Dicomar® optical zoom lens (digital zoom to 700X) * manual focus ring * records video on tiny Mini DV tapes * digital photo mode * 3.1-megapixel photo capture with Quad-Density Pixel Distribution * SD memory card slot * microphone input * Optical Image Stabilizer * ... Read more

Features

• Leica Dicomar lens
• 3.1 Mega Still picture recording
• 2.5 inches diagonal LCD
• USB 2.0 hi-speed port
• 3CCD camera system

Reviews (2)

Highly Recommended
Perhaps the biggest failure of this product is the lack of documentation on how well this camcorder operates with Macintosh.Using a 4pin to 6pin Firewire cable (not included), this camera easily connects to Macs making an easy tranfer into iMovie for editing. In fact, I couldn't find any mention of how to use Firewire with this camcorder.
This camcorder is extremely small and I was concerned about how well I would like the small controls. I was very surprised at how easy the controls were to use.
Picture quality is very good, even in low light conditions. In-door shooting will usually require the whitebalance to be manually set because in auto mode lighting is yellow, but it is as easy as clicking a menu item.
It also makes transfering from VHS to miniDV easy with the enclosed cables.
I'm giving 4 stars due to the documentation.

MotionDV socks
Excellent camcorder with a lot of feartures. Bravo to Panasonic hardware engineers. However, I spent entire weekend in trying to connect camcorder to Motion DV. Instructions in English are made from direct computer translation from Japanese, so it is very hard. French version a little better. No a clear expalnation between USB and IEEE connection options. As the result, you will do a false step in installation, then you will be not able to desinstall Motion DV, you will need to manipulate your registry files and so on. Finally I gave up and installed Premiere LE from my last camcorder whichwas working immediately with all features.
... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

High speed, sharp resolution, and economical ink refills: Could you ask for more in a home printer? The Canon PIXMA ip4000 is designed with over 1,800 nozzles that produce tiny 2-picoliter droplets, resulting in finely detailed images that are worthy to save in your family album. Pigment-based inks insure colors will stay true, and the prints are resistant to water, fading, and smudges.

With resolutions up to 600 x 600 dpi black and 4,800 x 1,200 dpi color, your office documents or school reports will look as beautiful as your photos. Built-in two-sided printing reduces your paper costs and allows you truly professional design options. Top speeds of 25 ppm black and 17 ppm color (draft mode) will have your pages in hand in just a few seconds; a borderless 4-by-6-inch photo can take as little as 36 seconds--as fast as those old instant cameras, but with better quality. Thanks to the PictBridge-compatible direct print port, you can connect your digital camera and churn out photos while bypassing your computer system.

The ip4000 is compatible with Mac and Windows operating systems, and requires either a USB or parallel cable to get it up and running (cables not included). Canon provides a one-year warranty covering parts and service.

What's in the Box
PIXMA iP4000 photo printer, iP4000 print head, BCI-3eBk black ink tank, BCI-6Bk black ink tank, BCI-6C cyan ink tank, BCI-6M magenta ink tank, BCI-6Y yellow ink tank, Canon Photo Paper Plus Glossy 4x6 sample pack, power cord, documentation kit, setup software and user's guide on CD-ROM; printer cable not included ... Read more

Features

• Up to 4,800 x 1,200 dpi color resolution, 600 x 600 dpi black
• Up to 25 ppm black, 17 ppm color; 4-by-6-inch photo in about 36 seconds
• ContrastPLUS 5-color ink system; built-in two-sided printing
• Direct print port, PictBridge compatible
• USB and parallel interfaces; PC and Mac compatible

Amazon.com Product Description

The Zen Micro digital music player from Creative Labs packs an incredible 5 GB of storage capacity into a shell small enough to sit comfortably in your jeans pocket. It also rides nicely in your hand, with a palm-fitting profile and thumb-friendly front-panel controls. It's a bit shorter than an Apple iPod Mini, yet its rechargeable lithium-ion battery provides 12 hours of continuous playback--50 percent more than iPod Mini's. The Zen Micro is compatible not merely with MP3s and WAV files, but with WMA as well. Toss in USB 2.0 connectivity and you're looking at one spiffy portable music player.

But playing isn't all the Zen Micro does. You can use it to receive FM radio (with 32 station presets to keep your favorites at the ready), and to record, either from the radio or from live sources such as voice dictation or lectures using the Zen Micro's built-in condenser microphone.

Trimmed in a luminescent blue glow and with easily visible backlit buttons, this stylish black player holds up to 1,250 songs (83 hours) at 128 kbps or 2,500 songs (166 hours) at lower-fidelity 64 kbps (MP3/WMA)--that's a solid week's worth of music listening, never playing the same song twice. Compatibility with Microsoft's WMA compressed-audio format grants access to over 2 million downloadable songs offered promotionally or for sale online.

Perhaps the Zen Micro's coolest attribute is its DJ feature, which will shuffle not only all the songs you've loaded or all the songs in a given album, but also, at your discretion, only the tracks you listen to most, or only those you rarely hear, taking the work out of selecting your favorites or hunting out all the music you're still getting to know.

Zen Micro's rechargeable battery is easy to replace.

For navigation, the device features a vertical, linear touchpad designed to make searching through songs or playlists easy, quick, and fun. The unit's blue, 160 x 104-pixel, electroluminescent LCD shows key functions and song details at a glance, and you can even customize the main menu to keep right at your fingertips the features that matter most to you.

Another of the Zen Micro's handy features is its personal organizer. You'll never forget an important anniversary with the onboard calendar, and it also includes a to-do list and a contacts list, all of which sync seamlessly with Microsoft Outlook (Outlook thus required for use of these features). In addition, the device offers a sleep timer and alarm so you can drift off to sleep to the strains of one playlist and wake to a completely different one.

The Zen Micro's removable battery is easy to swap with another fully charged battery (additional batteries sold separately), extending your listening by a half-day per swap.

What's in the Box
The Zen Micro player, stereo earbud headphones, a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, an AC/DC power adapter, a USB 2.0 cable, a belt clip, a stand, a stylish cloth pouch, an installation CD, a quick-start guide, and Creative MediaSource software. ... Read more

Features

• Micro-sized 5 GB digital-music player stores up to 1,250 songs at 128 kbpsor 2,500 songs at 64 kbps (MP3/WMA)
• Vertical touch pad simplifies navigation; body is curved to fit your hand
• FM radio with 32 station presets for listening and recording; 10-hour voice recording through built-in microphone
• 12 hours continuous playtime using the supplied rechargeable lithium-ion battery; extend your listening using multiple batteries (sold separately)
• Includes headphones, a belt clip, a stand, and an AC/DC power adapter

Features

• 7.1-megapixel PowerShot digital camera with a fast f2.0-3.0, 35-140mm (35mm equivalent) lens in a compact body
• New ergonomic design includes an enhanced SLR-type grip for better handling and 2.0-inch LCD panel
• 9-point AiAF for precise and accurate focusing
• 12 EOS-based shooting modes
• Print directly to Canon photo printers or any PictBridge-compatible printer

Features

• 100% Camera Compatibility Guaranteed, Plus a Lifetime Limited Warranty
• Professional Series Compact Flash with Write Acceleration Technology
• Speed rated at 80x (12 Mbps)
• Bundled with Image Rescue 2.0 & 30 day Trial of Photo Mechanic 4.0

Features

• 60 GB storage lets you bring up to 16,000 WMA songs (80 kbps) or MP3 songs (128 kbps) everywhere you go
• Use AudioSync to synchronize your music on your player with your PC at work, school and home or on the road
• Load a song a second with ultra fast USB 2.0 port, compatible with USB 1.1 too
• Removable, high-capacity Li-ion battery -- up to 14 hrs continuous playback per charge
• Compatible with Microsoft Windows 98 SE, Me, 2000, and XP

Reviews (50)

Truthfully...
The Nomad Zen Xtra is simply put, much better than the iPod.

Face it, you're essentially purchasing a glorified sound card and hard drive hybrid. In the hard drive arena, what matters is size: Nomad Wins. As for the sound card aspect, Creative Labs entire business is SOUND, they're responsible for the industry standard Sound Blaster line. The iPod gets trampled by the Nomad in the sound quality department.

Creative Mediasource, the program bundled with the player, is not as difficult to learn as other reviewers have mentioned. In fact, I didn't find it difficult to learn at all. It installed without any problems, and within minutes after rebooting I had set my preferences and begun to rip my huge CD collection. I was pleasantly surprised by the speed achieved by my piddly USB 1.1 connection; unless you're hooked on crystal meth, you won't be disappointed with the USB transfer speeds.

Any other problems are extremely minute. There's no remote control? Stop whining and dare to actually touch the product you purchased. The controls are difficult to use with one hand? Quit fiddling with the other one for a couple of seconds to use your Nomad, and you'll do just fine. Can't transfer files named using nonstandard characters? Rename them, you won't die, and they'll sound just as good.

Death to Apple!

Great player!
First of all, I want to address all of the complaints about the software. Yes, the media source software is not that great, however if you look a little more closely in your "My Computer" window, you will notice a new Icon called "Nomad Explorer."

Nomad Explorer is the drag-and-drop feature that everyone seems to be looking for. This is fully integrated with Windows Explorer, and it is already included! This is the only way that I have been transferring music. It is very easy to transfer files, and also makes it easy to fine tune your ID3 tags by right clicking on whole groups of files to easily adjust genre, artist name, or album name.

For the price and the storage capacity, the Zen Xtra is an amazing product. I have a large collection of live shows that I wanted to be able to keep at a high quality bit rate and take where ever I go. 60 GB lets me do that.

The only complaints that I have so far are that you need the disc to install the device on another computer. I'd like to be able to plug it in to any computer and have it ready to transfer files, especially as a data storage drive. I also replaced the earphones. I would like it to support lossless files such as flac and shn. I am hoping this can be added with a firmware upgrade in the future (you can easily upgrade via their website).

I would absolutely recommend the Zen Xtra to anyone interested in a great jukebox with a huge hard drive, great sound, and low price.

Best
If your tyring to compare this or an ipod, defintally go for this, It can hold up to more songs than you know, great features, great quality and long lasting battery.

Its a five next to the Ipod
As of the year 2004 and your looking for a jukebox you can play with I highly recommend this product.Its more attractive than your girlfriend or boyfriend. BIG storage, fast transfer, palm size,amazing suround sound with many different soundmodes,14 hr battery life, and many many many more features.The software it comes with easy and organized.The earbuds it comes with is awesome,fits me perfectly and again it sounds great, best sound quality earbuds produced. At times I transfer about 500 or more mp3's and it takes like 7-12 minutes and I have a SLOW computer.Only thing you should be AWARE of that all recharchable batteries-if charging while being used or over charging or charging when there is plenty left can damage it and it will slim the battery life down in half.One last thing-since the faceplate is deattachable, CREATIVE LABS should design alteranative faceplates.RED,BLUE,GREEN...ANd DOnt Drop it,its like any other baby or jukebox, it can die.

Total Trash
I bought one of these and it worked olny ok i had trouble with importing tracks + at tis point the thing is usless at 6 mo old.
This unit has not been dropped my most major problem occured when I had decided to fix my id3 tags which the player uses for its catalog, so i removed the MP3s with the supplied software and reloaded the same MP3s with correct id3 tages and now you cannot hear the vocals and some portions of the music.
Creatives responce was to want to charge me to send it to them to look at and from my understanding I am not the olny person with this problem, buy another brand player do yourself a favor.
Befor this problem player had great sound ... Read more

Product Description

Ultimate Scanning Performance. Scan like the pros, right at home. The powerful CanoScan 9950F Color Image Scanner delivers the ultimate in scanning performance and quality. It handles a wide range of originals, from photos and documents to transparencies and negatives up to large-format 4 x 5 inch. You'll simply be amazed at the quality of your scans. The 9950F scanner achieves a spectacular 4800 x 9600 dpi color resolution (max.) and 48-bit color depth for over 281 trillion possible colors. An available USB 2.0 Hi-Speed1 or FireWire2 connection ensures the highest possible transfer rates, which is especially important on large files, and previews are available in about 3.6 seconds. For added convenience, four easy buttons - Copy, Scan, PDF and E-mail automate the scanning process, so your projects can go much faster. Just position your original, select the use for the image, and in seconds it's ready to go. The Hyper CCD IV is Canon's first 4800 dpi CCD sensor for flatbed scanners. In combination with a Super Toric (ST) Lens and the scanner's dual light system, the Hyper CCD IV is able to produce visibly clearer results with finer details. The ST lens also has a large aperture to pick up more light than conventional lenses, a factor which leads to faster and brighter scans. Re-touch that old film automatically. Are some of your most precious images on old slides and negatives worn and collecting dust? Canon has a simple solution: ... Read more

Features

• 4,800 x 9,600 dpi maximum optical resolution, 19,200 dpi interpolated
• Rich 48-bit color and subtle 16-bit grayscale
• Batch scanning of up to 30 35mm negatives
• Scan documents, negatives, slides, 35mm film, and large format 4-by-5-inch film
• USB 2.0 interface (PC/Mac), FireWire (Mac only)

Features

• Delivers 3.2 megapixels of resolution--enough to make photo-quality 10-by-14-inch enlargements
• New large 2.0-inch LCD screen for easy image preview and playback
• First in the PowerShot line to use a DIGIC II Image Processor for even faster processing speed, excellent image quality, and crisp vibrant colors
• New Scene Modes including Digital Macro Mode to widen shooting capabilities
• Print/Share button for effortless one-touch direct printing and downloads

Features

• Powered by four AA-size batteries; stores images on SD memory cards
• 5.0-megapixel CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality 13 x 17-inch prints
• 12x optical zoom; 1.8-inch vari-angle LCD display
• Records VGA film at 30 frames per second with stereo sound; includes wind filter and adjustable levels for sound
• MovieSnap feature allows you to capture a 5.0 MP still image while recording a movie; also features digital zoom and manual focus options for movies

Product Description

4-megapixel effective recording * 1-13/16" color LCD viewscreen * 4X optical/3.5X digital/14X total zoom * JPEG options: resolution up to 2272 x 1704; 1600 x 1200; 1024 x 768; 640 x 480 * ... Read more

Features

• Print/Share button for easy direct printing and downloads, plus ID Photo Print and Movie Print with Canon CP printers
• Stores images on SD or MultiMedia Cards (MMC); powered by 2 AA batteries
• 4.0 MP CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality 11 x 15-inch prints
• 4x optical zoom, 9-point AiAF, 13 shooting modes
• Large 1.8-inch display; D!GIG Image Processor for faster speed and vibrant colors

Reviews (5)

My first camera and I love it!
1. Picture quality is really good. In good light conditions you can make fantastic photos (a bit noisy in dark, especially with ISO 400)
2. With two NiMH rechargeables (2300 mAh) you can take up to 350 at 4 Mpix quality!!!
3. With my 512 MB SanDisk Ultra II SD card camera is ultrafast!

My first digital camera and I'm enjoying it
I researched for weeks before picking up the Canon PowerShot A520, and I must say I'm really having fun with it.It's my first digital camera - I've used regular film for years.I was able to take pictures with it straight out of the box, 2 minutes after buying the camera.

I like how it has a lot of manual controls but you don't need to use them unless you want to because "Auto" does a pretty good job with photos.The 4x optical zoom is great - more than the standard 3x offered on most cameras.

I've seen complaints about redeye and difficulty in low-light focusing on other review sites, but I have yet to encounter any such problems.My indoor flash shots at a restaurant had WAY less redeye than my old film camera, and I found they came out clear and sharp.Night shots without the flash are also easy to take, because you can slow the shutter speed right down.All the scene modes seem to do what they're supposed to.

A few minor gripes: the LCD is difficult to see in bright sunlight.The camera literally eats AA batteries, so I recommend picking up some rechargeable NiMH batteries instead.And the movie mode - while cool - isn't all that wonderful because you can only take 30 second clips and they look grainy.But hey, it's a film camera, not a digital one.

I'm still learning the camera but so far, so good.

S-L-O-W
Great image quality in "regular lighting" situations...but waiting for the flash in between shots is INCREDIBLY SLOW. I'm very disappointed in the actual recyling time of the flash, and even of the preview from picture to picture....

I picked this camera because of the compact-ish size and the features it has for the price.....but if I was able to borrow someone's to test it, I wouldn't have spent the money...

I'd keep looking if I were you.....

A510 vs A520 vs SDxxx
Let me begin by saying that Canon makes exceptional digital cameras; the best in the market right now. This is because they have always used high quality components since they began manufacturing digital cameras. This one is no exception.

The Axxx series is the successor to the excellent Axx series, with a few very useful upgrades, such as the switch from 4AA to 2AA batteries (with no decrease in camera life!), and the 4x optical zoom.

A510 vs A520 vs SDxxx

First off, the A510 and A520 are identical except for the 3.2 megapixel sensor in the A510 and 4mp on the A520. Today, megapixel ratings are similar to Ghz ratings in the computer world: They used to mean a lot, but with today's cameras, it doesn't mean that much anymore. More megapixels do NOT mean a better image. They mean a larger printable image. In this case, the A510 has a maximum resolution of 2048x1536 pixels, or an 8.5x11 picture. The A520 has a max resolution of 2272x1704 pixels, or a picture slightly larger than 8.5x11.

Unless you need a slightly bigger picture, the A510 is a better buy.

When it comes to the Axxx or an SDxxx, it depends on what you need. The Axxx series will give you a better picture quality, manual controls, and standard AA batteries which actually last twice as long as the SDxxx series' proprietary batteries. The SDxxx series will give you better movies, the new Dig!c 2 processor, and a compact, cool looking camera, at a higher cost and with a very fragile exposed LCD screen.

Features:

Pros:
-Beautiful image quality, better than any other camera at this price range (no purple fringing like on the SDxxx)
-4x optical zoom! It's very hard to find another camera in this class. This alone makes the camera superior to most of the competition
-Excellent, intuitive manual controls
-Easy to hold naturally - no fingers in the way of the lens
-Beautiful 1.8 inch lcd that looks great under various lighting conditions
-The lcd is protected by a plastic layer, unlike the exposed and easily broken SDxxx lcds.
-Uses AA batteries, which are cheap and easy to find instead of expensive proprietary batteries
-Uses widely available and cheap SD or MMC cards (SD are faster)

Cons (most of these are minor quirks):
-Movie mode isn't as good as the SDxxx series
-Only USB 1.1 transfer speed (SDxxx have usb 2.0)
-Uses the still good, but outdated Dig!c processor, instead of the Dig!c 2 in the SDxxx series and some newer Canons
-A historical problem for Canons still shows in this camera in the flimsy battery/Memory card covers

If you do choose this product, the first thing you should buy is a larger SD memory card. The camera comes with a 16mb MMC card, which is pretty much useless. MMC cards are slower than SD, and 16mb will fill up very quickly.

You should also consider a case, such as the very affordable and custom fit PC-65.

Also, as with any camera, rechargeable NIMH batteries are a must. You don't need to pay for the expensive Canon set however, similar offerings from Energizer, Rayovac, etc. will work fine.

Best selling digital camera series!
Canon has fully redesigned the Powershot A series to make it lighter (uses only 2 AA batteries now), smaller and with 4x optical zoom.

Pro's,
1. Very good image quality.
2. 4 MP and 4x optical zoom (A510, the 3.2MP version should be fine for most though).
3. Priced right, unlike some overpriced digicams out there.
4. Works on 2 normal AA batteries (buy rechargeable ones for extra life and lower cost), unlike expensive & hard-to-find propreitary batteries.
5. The menu on the Canon cameras is light years ahead of most other manufacturer's. Lots of manual options and scene modes.
6. Battery and SD card doors seem to be of above average quality.
7. 1.8" LCD screen is bright and fluid.
8. Uses standard SD cards, unlike propretary memory cards like Memory Stick or xD card.
9. Can attach extra lenses if one buys the adaptor for it.
10. Actual LCD screen looks nicely protected below a plastic plate.

Con's,
1. The camera is still quite thick (although not bulky).
2. It uses Digic instead of Digic2 processor in other new Canons.
3. Tripod mount is on the corner and made from plastic.
4. Doesn't have that cool-ness like iPod or Elph series.
5. Nothing else different except extra MP from A510. Save your money and get the other one.

I guess you gotta spend more money to buy Elph series for more pocketability & style. I am almost sure this will be THE best selling camera series of 2005, just like A60 & A75 in past. With a price this low for a fully loaded A510/A520 there really is no reason to buy slightly cheaper but vastly inferior cameras from HP, Kodak, Olympus, Fuji or Samsung. Just check out the top sellers list right here on Amazon! ... Read more