Gibhunter
Top 1000 Contributor
Gibhunter's Stats
- Review Count61
- Helpfulness Votes482
- First ReviewFebruary 1, 2008
- Last ReviewJune 20, 2017
- Featured Reviews0
- Average Rating3.7
Reviews Comments
- Review Comment Count15
- Helpfulness Votes27
- First Review CommentMarch 20, 2011
- Last Review CommentMay 5, 2017
- Featured Review Comments0
Questions
- Question Count0
- Helpfulness Votes0
- First QuestionNone
- Last QuestionNone
- Featured Questions0
- Answer Count59
- Helpfulness Votes4
- First AnswerMay 27, 2008
- Last AnswerDecember 5, 2015
- Featured Answers0
- Best Answers3
HTC - Vive Virtual Reality System for Compatible Windows PCs - Black
Create an immersive experience with this HTC Vive virtual reality system. The VR headset with 110-degree field of view and front-facing camera provides an enhanced visual experience through a mix of virtual and actual surroundings. This HTC Vive virtual reality system includes two base stations and two wireless controllers for a complete game-ready setup.
It is early but promising!
Customer Rating
3.0
My vive has been less reliable overall by being more work to setup and in freezing or glitching or vive parts not being recognized. These are problems I don't have on my oculus anywhere near as regular as the vive. I would equate them to apple vs. android - one works more reliably but has more limitations – thinking cross platform owning games is an example there. I was pro apple in the beginning of the smart phone era and moved to android as it matured, something I could see happening with VR.
I wear glasses with -7.5/-8 prescription. I have to wear my older frames with either set to fit in the headset. I don't understand how they think these can fit today's styles of glasses. (The set that doesnt fit has 52mm wide lenses).
The steam store is great for buying games and managing them but it is hard when the store is a mix of standard and VR games. It needs a better dedicated store front.
The steam store is great for buying games and managing them but it is hard when the store is a mix of standard and VR games. It needs a better dedicated store front.
The vive and rift have similar screen door effect and I don’t notice it after ~2 minutes. When there is a white object on a black background it will shine strange which is a common complaint for the lenses each system uses. I would say that is more of an issue than screen door effect.
Another downside to both systems is really the lack of good content. Oculus is paying for and putting out almost all the high budget titles and Playstation VR is doing the same. That isn’t a focus for the vive.
Based on pricing, the vive is more expensive. Sure the rift needs a 3rd room sensor for another $50 but factoring in all the sales, store credits and free games included with the rift it has a far better value. Not to mention a more comfortable, lighter headset and superior feeling controllers over the vive. Throw in the Vive audio strap and you'll be well north of Oculus land. I would give the vive 3 stars and the rift 4 stars.
I was pro Oculus for years until the Vive was announced. I waited after both were released and when the Oculus dropped price and controllers came out I think was the moment the tables turned again. This competition will be good for the future of VR innovation. I still use my vive and recommend it along side the oculus, I just think you get a better product for less money with the rift.
I would recommend this to a friend!
My Best Buy number: 0539475232
Mobile Submission: False
+5points
14out of 23found this review helpful.
Share this review:
Thonet & Vander - Kurbis 5.25" 300W Bluetooth Speakers (Pair) - Black/Yellow
Bring movies and music to life in your home with these Thonet & Vander KURBISBT 5.25" 300W wireless speakers, which feature aramid fiber woofers and a silk tweeter for dynamic highs and lows. Bluetooth 4.0 and an RCA input offer flexible connectivity.
Quality Control...
Customer Rating
1.0
Posted by: Gibhunter
from Maine
on December 23, 2016
Specifically the primary issue I had with mine is that they sounded awful out of the box. Chuffing and harsh treble from one speaker. I gently removed the grill and one of the 4 pins broke off the grill and stayed in the speaker... great. Then I noticed my issue... one of the 4 (really, just 4?) 2.5mm dinky allen key screws holding the woofer in was loose and air was escaping. Upon tightening, I noticed it was like that because the hold was stripped. It would spin forever with no resistance. I tried to call the company to see if a replacement of the non-amplified speaker was a possibility.. well there is no phone number to call. The website in fact is a cluster of poorly translated pages and your only option is a contact form. I completed the contact form, got an email saying they got it.... and... nothing. 7 days later, nothing. I went on their Facebook page and asked what typical response time was and quickly got a response that they did not get my message and asked me to PM details.
The only solution offered was to go to Best Buy for my issue which really meant reordering and returning. Best Buy was great as usual. So don't expect much from their warranty except to take it back to the store which can be an issue if you bought the item on sale - plus the item likely isn't carried in store. So the review below is after a week and a half of waiting when I got the replacement set.
I have a lot of speakers in my home. Some nice Polk Towers, polk outdoor speakers, polk bookshelfs, some Klipsch, some Sony, some no name that I built, Infinity aftermarket in one car, kicker aftermarket in the other. I am just not feeling these speakers. I think they are the most over-hyped speakers from reviews I read I have ever bought. None of my speakers are particularly expensive so I think my expectations were realistic for the price.
The closest set for comparison in my home is the Klipsch Promedia 2.1 set. Which retails for the same price I paid (both on sale). This Thonet and Vander set has no decent bass in comparison. Nothing. I think those battery powered bose portable speakers have a more full sound over all. This Thonet set is weak in the bass and pretty flat beyond, not that flat is always a bad thing. I am not listening to rap that demands bass, it really just isn't there with any music. My outdoor polks put out more bass in a smaller package, and my Polk TSI200's blow these away all over the range.
I would compare the tone of the highs to be in-between the warm of most Polks to the harsher highers of many Klipsch speakers which is a good thing - neutral, flat.
The volume is an issue for a medium sized bedroom these are in. They do not get very loud. I question the 60 watts RMS, especially since the wattage isn't going to bass.
Comparing these to speakers that need an external amp, or a small 2.1 set with a subwoofer isnt 100% fair. but still, these aren't small, they aren't portable, they plug in still, and they cost a lot, so I feel I expect more from these. I have heard smaller, portable, battery powered, and cheaper speakers sound better.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
My Best Buy number: 0539475232
-2points
9out of 20found this review helpful.
Share this review:
Samsung - Galaxy S6 4G LTE with 32GB Memory Cell Phone - Black Sapphire (Verizon)
Samsung Galaxy S6 Cell Phone for Verizon Wireless: This phone is constructed from metal and glass for a sturdy, high-quality build, while its ultra-fast processer makes for exceptional multitasking. It comes packed with features, like a fingerprint reader, advanced cameras on both sides of the phone, and a heart rate monitor. Plus, Samsung Pay allows you to swipe this phone as if it were a credit card to process fast, secure payments without pulling out your wallet.Verizon Edge option available. Learn more ›
Samsungs worst flagship phone
Customer Rating
2.0
Posted by: Gibhunter
from Maine
on January 18, 2016
Ive had this phone for ~3 months now and it is so full of issues and downsides they hardly make it a worthy upgrade from the S5.
The limited storage is the biggest issue so far. Carriers and apps are not ready for cloud storage so why would you get rid of the SD card slot???
Now that it supports GearVR, the storage limitation fails even more.. every VR experience is 700-1400MB for a few minutes of 3D video. Of course.. that is all the hpone is good for (a few minutes of 3d Video) before it overheats and needs to take a break.
Attaching the phone via USB to transfer files feels so dated... and if the phone dies your data is lost as opposed to being on a MicroSD card.
The smaller battery mixed with higher resolution screen is a mega fail.
Its super slippery.. you HAVE to have a case with this phone.
PROS:
MST makes samsung pay 1000x more useful than apple/android pay.
Fast charging and built in QI charging is great.
MST makes samsung pay 1000x more useful than apple/android pay.
Fast charging and built in QI charging is great.
Anyway.. wait for the S7, the leaks suggest it is fixed many of the issues people have with the S6.. most importantly the SD card slot.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
My Best Buy number: 0539475232
+1point
1out of 1found this review helpful.
Share this review:
Gear VR for Select Samsung Cell Phones - Frost White
Samsung Gear VR for Select Samsung Cell Phones: Mobile virtual reality is finally here. Watch movies in your own private cinema, be at the center of your favorite games, and socialize with friends in a virtual world all your own. The lightweight design and intuitive touchpad drop you right in the action and allow for hours of immersive entertainment.
It really isnt quite there yet.
Customer Rating
3.0
Posted by: Gibhunter
from Maine
on December 5, 2015
I have a new Galaxy S6 and watched tons of reviews on youtube before buying this but it didnt quite seem to stand up to the hype out there. My first impression when putting it on was "wow so that is the screen door effect everyone talks about". Yes, it is very noticeable, it is a gray screen like pattern that doesn't move when you move your head and it dulls the colors. I never really noticed it on my google cardboard using a GS5 - maybe it is the lens? My second thought after putting it on was. "wow, this moves so much smoother than my google cardboard". The sensors are much better in this device.
Initial setup is done by plugging your phone in and it will download the oculus store. The initial app setup failed on mine - I left it for 20 minutes and it was stuck on installing one of the experiences. After force closing it and trying again it went. The Oculus store selection isnt great right now and apps/experiences/games can get very pricey and most have 3 star reviews but there are some good ones out there. About 7 minutes in on actually using the device my S6 was overheating and a message popped up saying it needed to cool down. I saw this a lot on youtube videos but figured it was because they were recording the screen while using it. Later in the day it took 40 minutes to overheat - Watching videos in oculus theatre is less intensive than an app where you are constantly moving your head around. I've noticed in comparison to my google cardboard that I have felt 0 motion sickness using this product while ~10 minutes of google cardboard is enough. I am also having a hard time fining the navigation buttons on the side when I need to. I have ordered a game pad to solve that issue. I had Sony bluetooth headphones paired only to find out they dont work in the VR world - sound is choppy or delayed - look it up if you don't believe me.
In the VR world one thing that was a let down is that objects that are far away really arent crisp or in focus. In the real world I can look up at a tree and see leaves/pine needles. I haven't seen any experiences where distant objects look real because of this. I think maybe it is equipment limitations? In a perfect world, the inside of the device would have retina trackers and software to focus the screen based on where you are looking... but that would be resource intensive. The Oculus theater though gives you that weird feeling when you look around the room and dont see anyone, and you look down at your arm rest and your arm isnt there. Pretty cool!
The device being wide hasnt been an issue for me, but my wife has quite a gap letting light in.. it didnt seem to bother her much though. I do unfortunately see the edges of the phone screen as cut off in my peripheral vision.. I wonder if the larger galaxy devices wouldnt have this issue.
Yes it is better than a $5 google cardboard - but if you have used a google cardboard you arent going to put this on and compare it to the first time you saw N64 graphics that people keep saying. I'm not sure it even justifies the high cost of this device retailing at $100.
If you think you'll be able to show this device to several friends who want to see it.. be prepared for disappointment when it overheats on the second person.
Another disappointment related to this device is that the apps/experiences are HUGE.. 700mb for <5 minute videos. Meanwhile Samsung removes the SD card slot on their flagship products. Where was the thought process there? They say SD cards are outdated and the cloud is the future... well... not if the future is GearVR. It is a shame samsung went backwards in making the galaxy S6 because making it a little thicker like the galaxy S5 to allow SD cards or improve on cooling/battery would have been a step in the right direction.
In Summary:
The good:
- More sensitive than google cardboard
-No Motion sickness
- Fits over my fairly wide glasses well - and focuses with my -8.5 Rx glasses
- There are some pretty awesome experiences available
The good:
- More sensitive than google cardboard
-No Motion sickness
- Fits over my fairly wide glasses well - and focuses with my -8.5 Rx glasses
- There are some pretty awesome experiences available
The Bad:
-Overheats GS6 phone in minutes!
-Drains battery from 100-46% in 40 minutes (brightness on second to lowest)
-Expensive for what it is.
-Screen door effect which dulls colors.
-Edges cut off in peripheral vision with GS6
-No motion tracking - if you move your head closer it doesnt move in the VR world.
-Supported controllers are outrageously expensive, and should be included.
-App store is sparse, expensive, and you don't get to see many details before buying.
-Overheats GS6 phone in minutes!
-Drains battery from 100-46% in 40 minutes (brightness on second to lowest)
-Expensive for what it is.
-Screen door effect which dulls colors.
-Edges cut off in peripheral vision with GS6
-No motion tracking - if you move your head closer it doesnt move in the VR world.
-Supported controllers are outrageously expensive, and should be included.
-App store is sparse, expensive, and you don't get to see many details before buying.
Final Thoughts:
Had I seen the list of issues above I might have skipped on buying this. I would really point people interested in this to a google cardboard with a head strap because it really gives you that new experience for a good price. Know the limitations and dont expect a huge amount more than smoother head motion and comfort with this product over the cardboard. I have been wanting an oculus rift for several years now, and followed it closely in the news, but after seeing the screen door effect so strong on such a high resolution display Im going to move more cautiously.
Had I seen the list of issues above I might have skipped on buying this. I would really point people interested in this to a google cardboard with a head strap because it really gives you that new experience for a good price. Know the limitations and dont expect a huge amount more than smoother head motion and comfort with this product over the cardboard. I have been wanting an oculus rift for several years now, and followed it closely in the news, but after seeing the screen door effect so strong on such a high resolution display Im going to move more cautiously.
I would recommend this to a friend!
My Best Buy number: 0539475232
+28points
54out of 80found this review helpful.
Share this review:
SanDisk - SSD Plus 240GB Internal Serial ATA Solid State Drive
Expand your PC or laptop's storage capacity with this SanDisk SSD Plus SDSSDA-240G-G25 solid state drive, which offers 240GB of space and sequential read speeds up to 520MB/sec. The shock-resistant design ensures lasting use.
Fast!
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: Gibhunter
from Maine
on September 1, 2015
Ive installed 2 of these now for friends and there were no surprises. Both are going good after a few months now and are much faster than stock HDDs. Once you go SSD you never go back, it is the best <$100 investment you can make to a computer.
I would recommend this to a friend!
My Best Buy number: 0539475232
0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
Share this review:
Klipsch - ProMedia 2.1 Speaker System (3-Piece) - Black
Use this Klipsch ProMedia 3-piece speaker system to enjoy brilliant sound when playing games, listening to music or watching videos on your computer.
First Promedia lasted 10 yrs, this set.. doubt it.
Customer Rating
2.0
Posted by: Gibhunter
from Maine
on August 28, 2015
So 10 years ago (2005) I bought this Promedia set from Best Buy. It made it through 4 years of college, moving in and out of dorms and many apartments in the following 6 years. Only weakness on that set was how easily the woofer could be strained. It finally died last week so I figured I would buy another. Right away unboxing it there are differences everywhere and none seemed to be for the better. The fuse is gone, no more power switch on the back, and the subwoofer is a good 4ibs lighter. The whole back plate on it looks cheaper. The satellite speakers no longer have 3.5mm inputs but instead have the speaker wire built into them... cheap? yeah... So how does the sound compare? 10 years later it still pops when you plug a source in... 10 years later the subwoofer still strains easily. The sound quality is good at low levels - this is coming from someone who has a high end aftermarket car stereo setup and have Polk TSX550 for my primary home speaker setup (not super high end but really good). Klipsch has in my opinion always had bright highs (almost harsh) and good bass, vs. Polk Audio with a warmer tone overall and more midrange vs. Logitech with muddy highs and tons of midrange and mid bass. For the money I think it isn't bad, but 10 years later with no improvements, and several downgrades at this pricepoint isn't good. There are a lot of other equal or better options out there today. My only deciding factor was the subwoofer form factor I needed. I dont think it is fair for BBY to keep these old reviews when the product has had revisions like this.
I would recommend this to a friend!
My Best Buy number: 0539475232
+3points
3out of 3found this review helpful.
Share this review:
NETGEAR - Nighthawk X4 AC2350 Smart Wi-Fi Dual-Band Wireless-AC Router - Black
Enjoy speedy Wi-Fi around your home with this NETGEAR Nighthawk X4 AC2350 R7500-100NAS router, which features 4 high-performance antennas and Beamforming+ technology for optimal wireless range. Dynamic QoS prioritization automatically adjusts bandwidth.
Not ready for the market yet.
Customer Rating
1.0
Posted by: Gibhunter
from Maine
on April 26, 2015
Images for this Review
(click to see full-size image)
This thing is a waste of time and money. The first one I bought I instantly had issues setting up. All of the back end pages were loading like a slug, 40 seconds to more than a minute to load each setup page with 404's here and there. I upgraded the firmware and still the issues were present. On top of that any computer or tablet/phone on the 2.4 ghz would only transfer data at 1-10 megabits a second once setup. In network transfers included would max out at 10 megabits while the computer says excellent signal and a 150megabit connection. On the 5.0ghz band I had disconnects already in the 2 days I had the router and innetwork transfers would range from 20-30 megabits despite saying a 400+ megabit connection. If I wired the computers in I had full speed LAN/Internet speeds. I exchanged the router because netgear support said the slow loading backend pages were not normal and definitely the routers fault. The second one didnt have the slow loading back end, but did have the slow internet/intranet transfers issue. I researched it and came across lots of people with similar issues and many complaining about netgears lack of effort in releasing working firmware... in fact they said I should downgrade firmware to get certain features working and had a list of broken features netgear needs to address. I opted to try the OpenWRT firmware/software which is advertised on netgears website... only problem is that once I installed that firmware the 2.4 ghz band would not enable. I tried everything, it just wouldnt turn on. I restored the firmware back to netgears and the one people recommended on their forum and just dealt with the slow speeds until I had time to return this one. However, overnight the 2.4ghz band disappeared and the internet connection was lost on the other band/wired ports. This thing is not ready for sale and on the forums where months go by without fixes, people are starting to assume netgear has given up on supporting this router already. A big issue it seems is that netgear doesnt make the wireless chips and relies on the company making them to release updated drivers to fix issues. Youll probably notice any router with 1700+ megabit 5.0 band is having a number of terrible reviews and my guess is they have the same chip in them. Oh, and I suspect I will get a response from the manufacturer on this review, however I have already emailed the address they post and never got a response. I was unhappy with netgear support when I called. I switched to a Linksys AC router which doesn't support 1700+ megabit wireless, but has reliability instead. Also worth noting, my previous router was a netgear R7000 nighthawk, which did work reliably for 1.5 years for me - the netgear genie setup is exactly the same, except the R7000 didnt take minutes to load pages with 404's in the back end.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
My Best Buy number: 0539475232
+3points
10out of 17found this review helpful.
Share this review:
Samsung - Galaxy S 4 4G LTE Cell Phone (Verizon)
Samsung Galaxy S 4 SCH-I545 Cell Phone for Verizon Wireless: Packed with features for new or experienced smartphone users, the Galaxy S 4 includes a vivid Full HD 5" display for great views of photos, videos and Web pages and touch-free navigation to view photos and files with just a wave of your hand. The Galaxy S 4 even works as a universal TV remote.Verizon Edge option available. Learn more ›
2 Huge Issues - Durability and Bugs
Customer Rating
2.0
Posted by: Gibhunter
from Maine
on October 11, 2013
Picture Quality
5.0
Battery Life
3.0
Sound Quality
4.0
What's great about it: Screen Size, battery,
What's not so great: Bugs, easy to crack, slow
You can read all the other reviews for more details on the good. But I want to share 2 big issues I have with this phone.
1. They haven't fixed a common wifi bug where at times when connected for a long period (daily at home) and try and use your phone the internet will no longer work - it will say its connected but websites/internet apps will just hang forever until you disable wifi and switch to 4G data.. then bam! things work. Resetting the wifi has become a daily hassle... and also I'm missing what are sometimes important notifications because I could go hours without working internet not knowing since it says its connected. This issue I thought was my routers fault, but even after switching it out 2x over the past few months and knowing this SAME ISSUE happens with my wife's GSIII, I have narrowed it down to phone. I have used the Linksys E4200 router as well as netgear R6300 and the new netgear nighthawk which the issue appeared on within a couple hours. Google this issue "Galaxy wifi connected but no internet" thousands of forum posts with no fixes... Samsung acknowledges the issue and has for more than a year but offers no solution or bug fix yet.
1. They haven't fixed a common wifi bug where at times when connected for a long period (daily at home) and try and use your phone the internet will no longer work - it will say its connected but websites/internet apps will just hang forever until you disable wifi and switch to 4G data.. then bam! things work. Resetting the wifi has become a daily hassle... and also I'm missing what are sometimes important notifications because I could go hours without working internet not knowing since it says its connected. This issue I thought was my routers fault, but even after switching it out 2x over the past few months and knowing this SAME ISSUE happens with my wife's GSIII, I have narrowed it down to phone. I have used the Linksys E4200 router as well as netgear R6300 and the new netgear nighthawk which the issue appeared on within a couple hours. Google this issue "Galaxy wifi connected but no internet" thousands of forum posts with no fixes... Samsung acknowledges the issue and has for more than a year but offers no solution or bug fix yet.
2. Since the time of the Galaxy SIII these phones have been known to crack very easy with small drops. Well.. I never once dropped my previous Moto Atrix 4G, however, within 2 months of owning this phone it has 3x slipped out of my pocket while sitting and fallen to the floor.. and yup.. from 2' the screen is now cracked.. I will be using my accidental warranty eventually if the single hairline crack gets any worse. I'm confident that MOST other smartphones on the market could handle the fall it took. And this phone certainly is far more slippery with its glossy plastic finish than most. Its just very frustrating that in order for the phone to not break itself in my pocket i have to buy a bulky case with some grip.
3. The smaller issue is with the software on the phone... this is a popular, new, near top of the line phone and yet the OS is sluggish most of the time. Since it was right off the shelf I noticed things get laggy easy.. just turning the volume up and down, or turning the phone and waiting for the sensor to turn the picture.. its slow.. much slower than my last 2 phones. I have it pretty well optimized now, and doing so improved battery life even more, but wow.... slow. The gallery app is the worst of all, even with syncing disabled.. this thing struggles just to cycle through my photos and find the more recent one I took. if it bugs me enough ill use another app..
4. A smaller issue again.. the camera isnt all that great, and every time it auto "fixes" photos I have to delete and retake it or edit it because it makes them too dark... every time. If it bugs me enough ill get a new app...
Its still a nice phone.. I know it isnt going to hold up and am glad I am grandfathered into the no deductible accidental plan at Best Buy to repair my phone. I am sure an iPhone would have been a more durable longer lasting product, but I just cant deal with the closed un-personalized look and feel of the simple operating system. I've had 2 iphones in the past and can never use them more than a few months before going back to android.
Would I recommend it? Nope.. Samsung has acknowledged slow sales on this phone because it was so similar to the GSIII with the same weak screen and my guess is a new one will pop up shortly with some improvements. So wait it out, I only did because I wanted the older style warranty Best Buy was phasing out.
This product is... Easy navigation, Good video quality
About me... Heavy texter, Need phone to keep me organized
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Age:25-34
Phone size:Large
My Best Buy number: 539475232
+7points
7out of 7found this review helpful.
Share this review:
NETGEAR - Nighthawk R7000 AC1900 WiFi Router - Black
Accelerate your WiFi 5 with NETGEAR Nighthawk! Enjoy fast WiFi speeds up to 1900 Mbps and a powerful dual core 1GHz processor for extreme performance. High-powered amplifiers, external antennas and Beamforming improve range and reliability for up to 100% more wireless coverage. Features like downstream and upstream QoS prioritize streaming and gaming, creating a blazing-fast, lag-free WiFi experience
It s a powerful router
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: Gibhunter
from Maine
on October 8, 2013
Ease of Use
5.0
Performance
3.0
Video Review:
(click to see the video)
What's great about it: Speed, Ease of setup
What's not so great: Range
I bought this because both my previous routers have failed.. the Linksys E4200 and Netgear R6300.. they worked for a few months but eventually started dropping connections or not connecting to devices in the home.
This beast might last longer with my heavy streaming. I use it primarily with my home server to stream movies ranging from 3GB to 20GB to my HTPC upstairs, or laptop, or desktop. Its working great so far, however not anywhere near the advertised speeds, even with the neatgear wireless AC USB card 20' from the router in open space it will only connect at half the advertised speeds. But to be fair... the netgear adapter is poorly designed since its only USB 2.0 so it would max at 480 Megabits/sec not the advertised speed.
On the 2.4ghz band its comparable to my old router, which has a better range than the 5.0ghz band. On the 5.0ghz band I am getting a 351megabit connection to my desktop and 500 to my HTPC. My desktop is directly one floor above the router. The HTPC is one floor above and through 1 wall. The 5.0ghz band quickly dies out with any range. The "focusing" antenna is a gimmick IMO, it's the exact same connection speed on all my devices as my last wireless AC router before it had issues.
DO NOT EXPECT GIGABIT WIRELESS with this router.. at the distance required to actually connect at a gigabit through wireless you would be in range of a 6' ethernet cable and save $50+ on an adapter... which netgear doesnt make as of this review... only usb 2.0 adapters which will peak at 480Megabits/sec.
A plus of the router though is that I can stream 4 different 15GB video files from my sever to my laptops/HTPC/desktop without stuttering, a pretty impressive feat.
My hope is that it holds up better than my last 6 routers in the past 2 years.
This product has... Dual band, Short range, Reliable connection
About me... Heavy media streamer
I would recommend this to a friend!
I use it in...:Large home
My Best Buy number: 539475232
+30points
39out of 48found this review helpful.
Share this review:
NETGEAR - Dual-Band Wireless-AC USB 2.0 Adapter
Experience data transfer rates up to 900 Mbps with this NETGEAR dual-band USB 2.0 adapter that connects your computer to a Wireless-AC network to provide the speed needed for streaming high-definition content, online gaming and more.
Issue with advertising
Customer Rating
2.0
Ease of Use
4.0
Performance
2.0
What's great about it: fast
What's not so great: latency, NOT 900mbit/sec
THis is a USB 2.0 adapter, the maximum bandwidth of USB 2.0 is 480mbit/sec. To advertise a maximum speed of 900mbit/sec which is far from possible is not accurate advertising.
Aside from that which I knew going in, it does have better range than my Linksys AE1000 which comes with more latency (4ms more).
Install wasnt bad, I wish it could download drivers from windows update, but that didnt happen.
HAndles streaming 14GB movies to my HTPC.
This product has... slow connection
About me... Heavy media streamer, Technology guru
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
I use it in...:Large home
+3points
4out of 5found this review helpful.
Share this review:
Gibhunter's Questions
Gibhunter has not submitted any questions.
What camera to buy?
I'm looking for a more portable digital camera which has: at least a 6x zoom; view finder; quick shutter speed (like instant); and requires common batteries (like AA or AAA). Brand does not matter, but the camera has to be pretty stout as I'll be using it outside.
Check out the 2 cameras attached, these are point and shoot sized cameras, but the internals are nearly equivalent to one of those big DSLR cameras for fast picture taking and adjustment. The lenses are interchangeable on these as well. As far as battery goes, most cameras now in the 300+ range will use their own special sized battery, however they will also get 400-600 photos off a charge or about 1.2 hours of HD video recording with continuous auto focus.
Products from my answer
Olympus - 12.3-Megapixel Digital SLR Camera - Black
Sony - NEX-3 14.2-Megapixel Digital Camera - Black
13 years, 10 months ago
by
Posted by:
Gibhunter
from
Bangor, Maine
can you put a memory card in a waterproof camera?
for olympus stylus 8010 can you add or change the memory card?
Yes, it has the usual doors for battery and SD card removal as other cameras, the doors are just rubberized to prevent water from working its way in. Waterproof cameras generally warn the user all over to make sure there is no sand/hair/dust on the rubber that might break the seal.
Take a look also at the Panasonic DMC-TS1 DMC-TS2 or the upcoming DMC-TS10 too, it is olympus's main competitor.
Take a look also at the Panasonic DMC-TS1 DMC-TS2 or the upcoming DMC-TS10 too, it is olympus's main competitor.
13 years, 10 months ago
by
Posted by:
Gibhunter
from
Bangor, Maine
What is the best laptop for me?
I plan on getting a new laptop before the end of next year. With very little computer know-how, I don't know what to buy. My laptop is my life, and I use it for everyday tasks. It has replaced my regular hard drive using PC. I'll be taking it with me to college. I need something for:
- Pictures
- Music
- Gaming
- Programs
- Fast
- Lightweight and preferred big screen
I'm going to be designing video games, programs, and writing a lot. I have a tons of pics and music and some useless programs, and video game emulators.
- Pictures
- Music
- Gaming
- Programs
- Fast
- Lightweight and preferred big screen
I'm going to be designing video games, programs, and writing a lot. I have a tons of pics and music and some useless programs, and video game emulators.
Honestly it sounds dumb, but a macbook pro with windows 7 would meet your needs best in my opinion. The problem is finding a PC that is "lightweight" for gaming. The macbook pro's have decent GPUs for gaming and game design. Otherwise toshiba/gateway usually offer one or two gaming computers in each of their lineups but they are very thick and very heavy with low battery life.
14 years ago
by
Posted by:
Gibhunter
from
Bangor, Maine
Don't know what I need
Want to create my own website. browse web,email, etc. nothing fancy,no game playing.
For what you list you could get away with any laptop or desktop offered at Best Buy, however your experience will be much better if you make sure to choose a laptop with a dual core processor. They usually start at $470. Single core processors are just slower to run the applications you list above and honestly most single core processors can barely play youtube videos today, and some of the low end dual core computers can play youtube fine even in 720p but cannot handle 1080p video through youtube.
If its in the budget pick a laptop with an Intel i5 processor, they run 700-900 but are far superior in performance of everyday tasks. Go for an Intel i7 if you have a lot of money to spend.
If its in the budget pick a laptop with an Intel i5 processor, they run 700-900 but are far superior in performance of everyday tasks. Go for an Intel i7 if you have a lot of money to spend.
14 years, 1 month ago
by
Posted by:
Gibhunter
from
Bangor, Maine
how many gigabits?
so im planning on buying a laptop for the first time soon and i have no clue how many gb i should get.. i'll mostly use it for music, chatting, e-mailing, storing pictures and a lot of surfing the web etc. but not much more than that and im not exactly sure how much each gigabit will hold. Help please?!?
Hi, first off to clarify, gigabits are for measuring speed while gigabytes are for storage.
There are 2 types of memory you might be referring to, memory and hard drive.
Memory for what you describe I would recommend 3-4 gigabytes. The computer manages your memory and will use more if you have more so I cant say how much a gigabyte will hold.
Hard drive, you could get away with 160GB but I would recommend at least 250 Gigabytes if you store photos and music <--- so you have room to grow your collections. A gigabyte is 1024 megabytes and a typical music song is ~4 megabytes while a typical photo ranges from 2-6 Megabytes depending on your camera. So each gigabyte can hold either ~250 songs or photos. And expect a computer to use upto 20GB for a recovery partition, 12GB for windows 7 and ~10GB will just disappear because of how drives are formatted for windows.
There are 2 types of memory you might be referring to, memory and hard drive.
Memory for what you describe I would recommend 3-4 gigabytes. The computer manages your memory and will use more if you have more so I cant say how much a gigabyte will hold.
Hard drive, you could get away with 160GB but I would recommend at least 250 Gigabytes if you store photos and music <--- so you have room to grow your collections. A gigabyte is 1024 megabytes and a typical music song is ~4 megabytes while a typical photo ranges from 2-6 Megabytes depending on your camera. So each gigabyte can hold either ~250 songs or photos. And expect a computer to use upto 20GB for a recovery partition, 12GB for windows 7 and ~10GB will just disappear because of how drives are formatted for windows.
14 years, 1 month ago
by
Posted by:
Gibhunter
from
Bangor, Maine
WiFI..
so im getting a laptop and i despretly want Wifi for the surfing webs and stuff like that and i heard a wireless router will give me Wifi to my laptop but does it matter that at my house i have slow AOL dialup?.. do you need like roadrunner or sumin to recieve internet conection to your laptop?
You cannot get wireless to work on dialup internet like AOL. You will have to get something like Time Warner's Road Runner, FAirpoint DSL, HugesNet, or a wireless broadband card which works through cell phone towers.
All laptops for sale at best buy have wireless built in so you just need a wireless router at your house and one of the high speed internet providers listed above.
All laptops for sale at best buy have wireless built in so you just need a wireless router at your house and one of the high speed internet providers listed above.
14 years, 1 month ago
by
Posted by:
Gibhunter
from
Bangor, Maine
How do i get my laptops product key?
I bought my laptop at Best Buy like 2 months ago. I need to use Microsft Excel and the computer is asking me for the product key to register it. Under my laptop there is a microsoft product key number with the same number of digits that the computer is asking me. However my computer does not accept it. Is there any other way i can get the product key for my computer?
That key on the bottom is the microsoft windows 7 key. There is no microsoft office key because computers only come with a trial for that program. You will need to purchase microsoft office 2007 OR switch to using microsoft works which should be included as a full version OR try "open office" a free alternative available online OR download the office 2010 beta which is good until some time in the fall this year.
14 years, 1 month ago
by
Posted by:
Gibhunter
from
Bangor, Maine
Battery won't stay connected
I have had my Gateway laptop since January and now the battery will not connect to the computer when it is on. The battery icon always says the battery is at 0% battery life, when it has been charging all night. The only way I can connect the battery back is by popping it out and then back in. This happens usually when the computer gets shut down, put on standby, or moved at all. Any suggestions to fixing this problem?
You have a couple options here. This sounds like a hardware issue but it also sounds like one covered under the manuf. warranty and also Best Buy Black Tie Protections if you have added that. You can since it is less than 1 year old contact gateway through the chat on their website and see how long the repair would take them (It will need to be sent out for service either way) or take it into your local Geek Squad and they can send it out for you. Geek Squads turn around time will be around 2-3 weeks so if gateway says they can do it in 1 week, I would take them up on that. They will mail you a box to ship it back to them in.
14 years, 1 month ago
by
Posted by:
Gibhunter
from
Bangor, Maine
What's a good computer choice for someone entering high school?
The saying "you get what you pay for" goes strongly with computers. You may see a few offerings on laptops in the $350-$400 range, and they often wont cut it for a pleasant experience. For around $480-$550 you should be able to find a laptop well suited for high school. Take a look through the weekly ads as they come and in particular look for computers with a dual core processor - in particular I would recommend an Intel i3 for basic use or the Intel i5 if you have $600-700 to spend. The i5 is a processor with enough power to handle future applications which looks to be soon based on youtube and other websites moving to high definition content. The sub $400 laptops usually have single core processors and really struggle to do the simple tasks such as browsing the internet while working on a document or playing music while doing homework.
Products from my answer
HP - Laptop with Intel® Core™ i3 Processor - Biscotti
Dell - Inspiron Laptop with Intel® Core™ i5 Processor - Black Obsidian
14 years, 1 month ago
by
Posted by:
Gibhunter
from
Bangor, Maine
GPS that works in Honduras, CA
I'm traveling to Honduras ,CA and need to get a GPS unit that will work down there. Any sugestions?
Joe.
Joe.
Any GPS will be able to connect to a GPS satellite in central america, but none of the GPSs sold in America have the maps preloaded by default. Most only come with United States and Canada - the answer is yes any will work, BUT you need to get a map update for central america. This does not from my searching look to be a product Best Buy sells currently, but a quick search on google bought me to some sites selling SD cards loaded with the maps ready to pop into your new GPS and use.
14 years, 1 month ago
by
Posted by:
Gibhunter
from
Bangor, Maine