GoSale.com :: Reviews by A2YJ1K8M0KPHMF

Reviews Written By: A2YJ1K8M0KPHMF

provided by Amazon.com


	Playstation 3 160Gb Uncharted: Drake's Fortune Bundle (CECHP01)
	"not the best bundle at this point"	2009-10-10
This might have been a great bundle when it came out but the price of the first Uncharted game is reduced when sold by itself and there's nothing else this bundle offers extra (a 2nd controller would have made the difference). Best to wait for the new holiday bundles coming in a month in my opinion if you want to get the system.
	Children of Nuggets: Original ARtyfacts from the Second Psychedelic Era - 1976-1996
	"A fun impressive collection"	2009-07-29
This very eclectic collection is a blast to listen to. Collections of this sort are very subjective when judging them -- lots of tracks are great in themselves but are they "psychedelic" -- most would say no. But the collection as a whole will grab your ear if you like garage rock from the 80 and 90's. The reason I give this 5 stars is that many many of the tracks are relatively obscure or hard to find, so this collection isnt just a rehash of other collections already out there. My sole complaint is that the current price seems a bit steep for 4 CD's, but maybe I am just being cheap.
	I Am Legend [Blu-ray]
	"Astonishly bad, disappointing movie."	2009-07-15
After a great 20 first minutes (not a single complaint there) the film becomes nearly entirely incoherent. Hollywood used to be good at making action films, but even with all of the action scenes we get here, those scenes fail too. The computer generated creatures look jarringly fake, and worse, the abilities of these creatures randomly veers from "dumb rabid zombie" to "intelligent" at the whim of the screenplay writers. No spoilers here but the 2 different endings one can see on the disk are both incoherent if you spend a moment thinking about previous scenes. Its a shame because the original novel is interesting. Easily this is one of the worst big-budget Hollywood action films in recent years, with perhaps "Cloverfield" winning first prize in that category. Avoid this movie if you can.
	Apple iPod touch (32Gb)
	"it lacks physical volume buttons. For music on the go, that gets annoying."	2008-08-06
The Touch is wonderful for web browsing and email on the go with the Apps 2.0 upgrade. Really I cant fault it there. It would be nice if the battery lasted longer when wireless is enabled but that's the worst thing I can say about this device's impressive internet functionality. But for portable music, I went running back to my COWON D2 player. Why? Its impossible to adjust volume or skip tracks without taking the player out and tapping on the screen. Now try doing that while walking around a busy subway at rush-hour. Some mention that you can buy 3rd party headphones that have buttons on the wire, but Apple isnt offering that out of the box. For me this is a major flaw in the design of a portable player. I should mention that the iPhone has buttons for volume. C'mon Apple -- that's not making a lot of sense. At 300 bucks, the Touch is 100 bucks too much, especially since there is no ability to add memory cards to the device to expand storage. It _is_ a cool device for internet but there are better music players out there and they cost less.
	The Ray Bradbury Theater
	"fun for the price but terrible audio and video quality"	2008-05-07
The problem is that, yes, these are DVD's but the "source" for both the audio and video were VHS tapes. Its not even a good transfer so you see not just a fuzzy picture but lots of blurring when anything is moving fast across the screen. The audio is too low and sometimes a little out of sync too. Just be warned that you buy this only if you REALLY want to see these episodes again.
	Blondie - Parallel Lines [Bonus Tracks]
	"stood the test of time"	2008-04-16
Sure there are a few legitimate crits one can lay against Blondie. The band members werent the greatest musicians except for the drummer and Ms Harry's voice is fine but limited. But the band 100% shines here. Every track is a (slightly twisted) pop gem. The lyrics are often wry and funny or other times campy and weird. Decades have gone by and this CD still sells exceedingly well in the UK. The USA never quite seemed to "get" Blondie I think in part because we in the US didnt understand that the lyrics were ironic and tongue-in-cheek. Other Blondie CD's are good too, expecially their first self-titled album and Eat to the Beat, but this is the album that memorably defined their style.
	Panasonic Viera TH-42PX80U 42" 720p Plasma HDTV
	"has anti-reflection but not anti-glare screen"	2008-03-12
I really wanted one of these newer models but the anti-reflection screen is not ideal for a brightly lit room. Last year's Panasonic models had TV's that were identical except one had 'anti-reflection' and the other had 'anti-glare' screens. These new models are anti-reflection. What's the difference? Anti-glare very substantially cuts down seeing light sources that are behind the TV (like a lamp or window) reflected onto the screen. Anti-reflection reduces this but you'll still see some reflection. Some folks dont like anti-glare because it can reduce the apparent crispness of the display. Anyone buying a TV should go to store and compare these 2 types of screens before buying. Personally, my TV would sit in a bright room with lots of windows, so I went for anti-glare. Dont say I didnt warn you if you sit down and see a perfect reflection of your living room lamp on the screen!
	Cowon D2 4GB Portable Media Player
	"Great for both Music and Video"	2008-01-18
The are really only 2 potential drawbacks to this excellent music and movie player. The player is extremely light and portable but the screen you are looking at is 2.5 inches. That's pretty small, so be sure you dont mind a screen that size for video. The only other possible drawback is that viewing movies and TV shows means first converting them with the software provided with the player. If your computer doesnt have the proper codecs already installed, the conversion will fail. For techies who know about codecs this isnt a drawback at all, but for others it might prove frustrating to try to get video files to play on this device. If you are like me and download lots of videos that others have made, you need LOTS of different codecs and versions of each codec. So I can honestly say I have given this player a good test of its ability to convert and then play a variey of different video source files. This is easily the best portable multimedia player currently in the marketplace of this size. Perfect for commuters who might want to watch a movie rather than listen to music. The touch screen interface is simple and straightforward and the display is very bright. You might have trouble viewing in direct sunlight but that is true with any LCD display on the planet. There are plenty of professional internet reviews out there if you google around and it has been getting high marks just about everywhere. If you download and watch a lot of movies and TV, this device is quite impressive. It doesnt hurt that you can insert standard SD memory cards to increase its storage
	TomTom ONE Portable GPS Vehicle Navigation System
	"genuinely handy to have in the car -- nice clear voice"	2007-08-20
A few things pleasantly surprised me about this device. It syncs with satellites in literally seconds, even in NYC with all of tall buildings. Though the device is small it is capable of creating a loud clear voice than one can hear in the car. Its good that one can choose from a small variety of voices too in either a UK or American intonation. The display is very bright and easy to see. some other comments: Like a lot of gadgets, the more time you spend looking at the options in the menus of the gadget, the more success you'll have with the gadget. The tomtom one is not particularly complicated either but if you are the kind of person who has no patience with gadgets, you might want to pass on all GPS devices alltogether. Like a lot of GPS devices, sometimes there will be a 2 second delay with information. If you are taking a series of quick turns, the GPS might not be able to keep up with you. This doent happen all of the time but it does happen enough to mention it. In the box you get a car power adapter so that you dont have to worry about the battery running out. This model DOES NOT pronouce street names. I dont mind it, but it does mean you'll need to be looking at the tomtom one screen on occasion to confirm street names that are coming up ahead. best advice I can give it to fiddle with the device for an hour or so BEFORE you get into the car with it the first time so that you are familiar with the screen icons. Then you'll love using it.
	Neuromancer
	"Careful readers will find it disturbing and original"	2007-07-23
Gibson's fiction has been very hit or miss but there is no denying that Neuromancer is a vital, infulential, and highly memorable read. its also a challenging read: he uses a dense writing style, filled with tech jargon (that he mostly made up). And Gibson really piles on the adverbs and adjectives when just one descriptive would do. Ultimately, his writing style draws you into the disturbing dark future-world he creates. The story does make sense and the characters are highly memorable, but only if you take the time to read the book carefully. If you are looking for a quick read and fast pacing, this is not the book for you. Its a shame the later Gibson books that take place in this same universe come nowhere close to what he accomplished with this novel.
	Neuromancer
	"Careful readers will find it disturbing and original"	2007-07-23
Gibson's fiction has been very hit or miss but there is no denying that Neuromancer is a vital, infulential, and highly memorable read. its also a challenging read: he uses a dense writing style, filled with tech jargon (that he mostly made up). And Gibson really piles on the adverbs and adjectives when just one descriptive would do. Ultimately, his writing style draws you into the disturbing dark future-world he creates. The story does make sense and the characters are highly memorable, but only if you take the time to read the book carefully. If you are looking for a quick read and fast pacing, this is not the book for you. Its a shame the later Gibson books that take place in this same universe come nowhere close to what he accomplished with this novel.
	Neuromancer (Remembering Tomorrow)
	"Careful readers will find it disturbing and original"	2007-07-23
Gibson's fiction has been very hit or miss but there is no denying that Neuromancer is a vital, infulential, and highly memorable read. its also a challenging read: he uses a dense writing style, filled with tech jargon (that he mostly made up). And Gibson really piles on the adverbs and adjectives when just one descriptive would do. Ultimately, his writing style draws you into the disturbing dark future-world he creates. The story does make sense and the characters are highly memorable, but only if you take the time to read the book carefully. If you are looking for a quick read and fast pacing, this is not the book for you. Its a shame the later Gibson books that take place in this same universe come nowhere close to what he accomplished with this novel.
	Samsung YP-T9JQB 2 GB Digital Multimedia Player
	"inexpensive and nice bright display"	2007-06-05
The display on my SanDisk was just too dark to use in normal daylight so I ditched it for this Samsung model. I'm glad I did. The sound quality is a notch better than the SanDisk and I like the custom equalizer option. The display is BRIGHT. I also like that i can simply dump mp3 files into the samsung's music folder directly from My Computer in WindowsXP. No media player software needed to move music files onto the player. It isnt perfect though. The are a few important buttons on the side and you cant easily feel the difference between them when you are walking around. They are way too small and too easy to accidentally push. The large front button is great but the side buttons could use a redesign. The earbuds that come with it are huge! I dont know who has ears that fit these things. You'll want some better headphones than what they give you. Overall a great player for the low price.
	Kensington 72121 Optical Mouse Elite USB/PS2
	"keep hitting the side buttons"	2007-04-13
I was looking for a 5 button mouse to replace my old one. Its fine as a mouse but the 2 buttons on either side are way too easy to hit accidentally. If you cup the mouse sort of like you are holding a baseball you wont hit those buttons but who uses a mouse like that? Most folks sort of reach for the mouse and put their hand on top of the mouse and that's where you start hitting the side buttons. My old mouse put the buttons closer to the front.
	Farscape - Season 4, Collection 1 (Starburst Edition)
	"great scifi"	2006-08-15
I was hesitant to buy this since I has stopped watching farscape -- just too busy to watch any TV. but watching these on DVD means no commercials and it makes watching this great series a lot of fun.
	Electronic - Twisted Tenderness
	"Great guitar-centric but still 'electronic' tunes"	2006-08-15
Jonny Marr's guitar is all over all of these tracks and it adds a nice dynamic sound to the synths. The lyrics are pushed back in the mix and a sometimes substantial reverb is placed at the front. The tracks might be a tad too long. Its a great sounding CD if you already like New Order and Electronic.
	Monade - A Few Steps More
	"Big fan of Stereolab but there's a bit too much filler here"	2005-06-15
There are 2 interesting melodic tracks -- A few Steps More and Paradoxale -- but the other tracks border on abstruse and under-cooked. 3 of the tracks are very very short and another is 3 minutes. Basically, this could have been a fine EP, but not a full-length CD.
	Stereolab - Mars Audiac Quintet
	"My favorite Stereolab CD"	2005-06-15
Their earlier CD, 'Peng' comes close and I like 'Margerine Eclipse,' but this is their 1994 CD that I keep listening to. There are some glisteningly perfect "pop tunes" like Ping Pong, and highly melodic spacey tracks like Wow and Flutter and Three-Dee Melodie. The singing is great. It sounds like the band had really hit their groove by this point.
	Samsung YP-T7X 512 MB Digital Audio Player
	"excellent sound and only a few quirks"	2005-05-20
This player is the first MP3 player that I actually like. It has a customizable equalizer to get the sound to sound just the way you want it. Very very few MP3 players let you do that and it is something I believe should be in all MP3 players. The player is small but has a bright color display. The player doesn't require any additonal software in Windows XP. You simply drag files between your computer and the player in "My Computer": it is that easy. There are a few quirks. The little stick that you use to move around the interface is a little too loose. You can move it up and the player will think you mived it left or right. Similarly, manuvering around the interface with the little stick takes a few tries before you figure out how to find the options you want. But these are minor complaints for such a feature-rich and small mp3 player. Battery life is OK at max 10 hours.
	Blondie - The Remix Project
	"one good track "	2005-05-06
Other than the genuinely great remix of Atomic by Diddy, the remixes here are highly forgetable. Most remixes completely miss the point of the orginal tracks and sound like they were slapped together very quickly for a quick buck. Avoid.
	New Order - Waiting for the Sirens' Call (U.S. Bonus Track)
	"Just misses"	2005-04-29
This is by no means an embarassing release by New Order. But too many of the tracks sound like revisions of tracks they have already made before. And there's no "stunner" like Crystal on this CD. Some of the lyrics are awfully generic if you listen to them. I can't share the effusive joy that some have expressed in their reviews.
	Ian Brown - Solarized [US Bonus Track]
	"if you're not a rabid fan of Stone Roses, best take a pass"	2005-04-29
This is easily Ian Brown's best solo CD, but that, sadly, isn't saying much. It seems like the sleek-sounding tracks were created by studio musicians and engineers, and then Ian Brown came into the studio and sang "over" the tracks. Not all of the tracks are this disappointing. Kiss Ya Lips has a nice low-key groove and a couple of the other tracks will hold your attention for a few listens. But you'll quickly forget this music. Its odd how much of this CD sounds like Massive Attack....
	Marilyn Monroe - The Diamond Collection
	"many songs are filler tracks"	2005-04-15
Roughly half of the CD are either instrumental tracks or sung by someone else. I doubt most people realize this before they buy.
	Camera Obscura - Underachievers Please Try Harder [US Bonus Tracks]
	"ouch some harsh reviews -- its lilting jangly 60's folk pop"	2005-03-19
The singer's voice is perfect for the style of music, and the studio production is excellent. The songs have a coy tone, but with a self-aware humor that is more smart kitsch than merely adolescent. The spare arrangements are a pure pleasure. C'mon gang; this music is pretty good. This isn't The Breeders or Belly so dont expect dark tones and anger.
	Monaco - Music for Pleasure
	"surprisingly good"	2005-03-08
I got this used from Amazon -- if you like New Order in its mid-nintees phase, this is a great CD. Very listenable. At least half of the tracks are solid and several of those are quite excellent. Fans of New Order will want this.
	JVC RX8040B A/V Receiver - Black
	"Impressive features for the price and nice remote"	2005-01-24
Stereo receivers are pretty complicated devices with all of the home-theater options they have to perform. Its a bit of a gamble to buy any of them. I downloaded the manual and this model looked particularly full-featured. It was even better when it arrived. I really really like the built-in equalizer. Most receivers just have a bass and treble button. This receiver also has a particularly good remote. It uses radio frequency rather than infrared, so it has a strong signal that goes thru walls. This means I can point just about anywhere and the remote will work. The remote also has a small LCD display but unfortunately it isn't back-lit so that feature is just OK. The receiver is a third larger than my Sony receiver so be sure it fits where you are going to place it. It is also quite heavy. Any complaints? Not really. For the price, it has tons of analog and digital connections, good wattage, and a better than ususal remote. Be prepared to spend at least an hour setting it up. My 4 years-old old Sony receiver sounded worse so I am glad I replaced it.
	BenQ PB6100 DLP Video Projector
	"OK for the price but not great"	2004-10-13
I have this model and also the InFocus X1 model. Yellow colors are especially off on this Benq and you can't adjust red, green, and blue channels seperately. All you can adjust is brightness and contrast. Some folks wont notice this, but many others will. If you go to the BenQ website, they even mention that this issue with the color yellow is not fixable. This issue is not apparent in the Infocus X1 or X2 models and in general the video output on them is superior tot he BenQ. However those models dont support all of the HDTV resolutions that I wanted. The X2 model doesn't support 480i at all for example. These are all fine for the price but just be aware that each model has several limitations. $1600 can get you a much better DLP projector if you shop carefully.
	Cowboy Junkies - Miles From Our Home
	"love their CD's but not this one"	2004-07-06
They went for an obvious Pop sound on this one and I gave it away to anyone who would take it after trying for six months to like it. Every track sounds over-produced. Margo's voice track is often hidden under a lot of studio production. Really, it is dreck. Buy "Lay it Down" which is amazing. They lost me on this one.
	The Crystal Method - Legion of Boom
	"Lame Vocals and Lyrics wreck the tunes"	2004-01-25
This new CD struck me by surprise in a bad way: it has lot more vocals than usual and the tracks have a nearly constant vocal hip-hop thing going. No thanks. I like my electronica a little less grimy. One person said listen to UNKLE, but that is also electronica with a voice-heavy hip-hop flavor. Be warned: this CD is quite different from Crystal Method's previous stuff. It is a shame because I liked their previous stuff.
	InFocus X1 Video Projector
	"for xbox, not so great"	2004-01-03
if you want to play XBOX games in HDTV modes, the Xbox's config screen wont appear on the InFocus X1. The Xbox's config screen is 480i and not 480p resolution. So the 480p games will appear in high resolution but you won't be able to see the config screen unless you connect the Xbox to a regular TV. The X1 supports 480i out of the s-video port but not the svga port. If it weren't for this annoyance, I would have bought this projector last year.