jdonalds
jdonalds's Stats
- Review Count4
- Helpfulness Votes93
- First ReviewFebruary 22, 2010
- Last ReviewJuly 12, 2017
- Featured Reviews0
- Average Rating4.3
Reviews Comments
- Review Comment Count3
- Helpfulness Votes0
- First Review CommentJuly 13, 2017
- Last Review CommentAugust 2, 2017
- Featured Review Comments0
Questions
- Question Count0
- Helpfulness Votes0
- First QuestionNone
- Last QuestionNone
- Featured Questions0
- Answer Count12
- Helpfulness Votes5
- First AnswerNovember 20, 2013
- Last AnswerJuly 14, 2017
- Featured Answers0
- Best Answers2
jdonalds's Reviews
Samsung - Notebook 9 Pro 13.3" Touch-Screen Laptop - Intel Core i7 - 8GB Memory - 256GB Solid State Drive - Titan Silver
Only at Best BuyBring flexibility to work with the powerful and versatile Samsung Notebook 9 Pro. Easily switch between typing on the keyboard, writing with the intuitive S Pen, and navigating the brilliant touchscreen. And do it all at once with an ultra-fast Intel® Core™ i7 processor. The Samsung Notebook 9 Pro keeps up with all the ways you work.
Very nice ultrabook
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: jdonalds
from Redding, CA
on July 12, 2017
I've only had the Samsung Series 9 Pro 13" (June 2017 version) for a few hours but it is the laptop I always wished to have. So far everything about it is very good; easy to type on keyboard, beautiful screen, it feels very light on my lap; long battery life, keyboard layout is standard, and more.
I would prefer Windows 7 but Microsoft has moved on and I have no choice.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Mobile Submission: False
+5points
10out of 15found this review helpful.
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ASUS - Flip 2-in-1 15.6" Touch-Screen Laptop - Intel Core i7 - 8GB Memory - 1TB Hard Drive - Black
Only at Best BuyASUS Flip Q551LN-BBI706 Convertible 2-in-1 Laptop: Manage your e-mails, photos, music and more with this versatile laptop. The flip-and-fold design lets you choose from 4 modes to fit your needs for work or play.
Decent laptop for a decent price
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: jdonalds
from Redding, CA
on October 23, 2014
It wasn't long ago that a laptop with this set of features would cost at least 50% more. The specs for this laptop are pretty impressive with 1TB of hard drive, 8GB of RAM, a graphics processor, and a Haswell 4th gen iCore i7 processor. With the flip over touch screen and an optical drive it is a lot for the money.
The screen is very sharp and crisp, and the keyboard feels quite good (and I'm a touch typist).
I know Windows 8/8.1 had not been very popular but I've been using Windows 10 Evaluation Copy for a couple of weeks. If you're concerned about Windows 8.1 on this computer just buy it and hang on until Windows 10 comes out, it is so much like Windows 7 I'm sure most will be happy with it.
Pros:
- Powerful processor
- Built in Graphics processor with it's own memory so it isn't shared which would make it slower
- Lots or RAM and it's expandable to 12GB
- Large 1TB hard drive
- Optical drive (DVD)
- Good keyboard
- 3 USB 3.0 ports
- SD card slot (I won't buy a computer without one)
- Convertible into tablet mode. But I don't know how desirable it is to have a 5 pound 15" tablet. I've had a convertible laptop for almost a year and rarely ever use it in tablet mode so this wasn't very important to me.
- The little included subwoofer works quite well and really enhances the sound.
- Powerful processor
- Built in Graphics processor with it's own memory so it isn't shared which would make it slower
- Lots or RAM and it's expandable to 12GB
- Large 1TB hard drive
- Optical drive (DVD)
- Good keyboard
- 3 USB 3.0 ports
- SD card slot (I won't buy a computer without one)
- Convertible into tablet mode. But I don't know how desirable it is to have a 5 pound 15" tablet. I've had a convertible laptop for almost a year and rarely ever use it in tablet mode so this wasn't very important to me.
- The little included subwoofer works quite well and really enhances the sound.
There are four things I don't like about this laptop but they are all subjective, things that I don't like but others won't have an issue with. Even with these 4 things it was the best choice I could find at Best Buy when I had to buy a new laptop.
1) I don't like having a numeric keypad on the right of the keyboard. This is a personal thing. I know some do want the number pad. My problem is I don't use it and it makes the keyboard shift to the left so it is off center from the screen. I even use a non-number-keypad keyboard (Microsoft Arc) on my desktop computer.
2) I prefer a 13-14" screen but couldn't find one with these specs for this price. 15" laptops are always a better value because it is the highest volume laptop size.
3) 5+ pounds. I'd really like to have a 2-3 pound laptop but again those light laptops are usually quite expensive and/or don't have decent features. Buy a 15" laptop and it is likely to weigh 5+ pounds.
4) The right/left buttons are built into the touch pad instead of being separate buttons. I already dislike touch pads, but I really hate touch pads where the right/left buttons are just a section at the bottom edge of the pad. Sadly this seems to be the standard these days. I couldn't find a single decent laptop at Best Buy with independent buttons for the right/left keys. I carry a mouse with me to avoid using the pad. Sometimes a mouse isn't convenient such as on an airplane; in that case I carry a trackball. When I do have to use the touch pad I dispise the design. The touch pad design is my reason for taking one star off my Overall Rating.
Cons:
- The power cord has a brick at the end. I prefer the type with the brick in the middle of the cord as it is often easier to use. Also the power cord is a bit shorter than our other laptops, about 7 feet vs 8 feet of our Sony laptops.
- The power cord has a brick at the end. I prefer the type with the brick in the middle of the cord as it is often easier to use. Also the power cord is a bit shorter than our other laptops, about 7 feet vs 8 feet of our Sony laptops.
As I said, even with these features that don't match my ideal laptop configuration I voted with my dollars and bought this ASUS Q551LN. It is fast and is powerful for my hobby which is photography. I do a lot of photo editing.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+61points
64out of 67found this review helpful.
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Roku - 3 Streaming Player - Black
Roku 3: Access more than 1,500 channels in up to 1080p and view videos from Netflix and YouTube directly on your TV. Fast, powerful and loaded with features, the motion-sensing remote lets you play games or plug in headphones to watch late-night flicks without waking up the household.
Best Roku, works great, remote earphones!
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: jdonalds
from Redding, CA
on June 29, 2014
What's great about it: Wireless earphone feature
What's not so great: The remote earphone feature drains the battery too quickly.
We had a Roku 2 but I couldn't resist upgrading to the 3 just to get the wireless earphone feature. Now the family can go to bed and I don't have to worry about bothering anybody with the TV sound. Also at 67 my high frequency hearing is off a little so I tend to have the TV sound up a little higher than I did a few years ago. With the earphones I don't have any issues with how loud the sound is.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+2points
2out of 2found this review helpful.
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Microsoft - Arc Wireless Keyboard - Black
Take a product tour. Learn more about Arc Wireless Keyboard. (Flash demo)
Very small and light, form over function keyboard
Customer Rating
3.0
Posted by: jdonalds
from Camarillo, CA
on February 22, 2010
Design
3.0
Ease of Use
3.0
Images for this Review
(click to see full-size image)
What's great about it: No number pad
What's not so great: Shape will take some getting used to
I purchased the Microsoft Arc Keyboard today (2/21/2010) at Best Buy. My purpose was simple, I just wanted a keyboard without number pad or extra keys on the right side of the keyboard.
I want the keyboard to be centered on the display, and not have to reach too far to the right to use the mouse. My Microsoft Wireless Multimedia keyboard forces me to have the keyboard to the left of center about 5-6 inches which causes a twist in my sitting position. Long days of typing literally cause me pain. To that end this keyboard does the trick. It sits squarely in front of the screen without hindering the mouse pad. The distance to the mouse is now reduced by 5-6 inches; much better. The jury is still out though on the overall experience.
This thing is truly small - perhaps too small. Typing on it is fine - once I have my fingers on the home keys. I like the key travel which is decidedly short, but it is positive and has a satisfying feel; solid and quiet. It resembles typing on my laptop which is fine for me. It is a full sized keyboard. If I lay it over my 13.3" laptop it matches the keys closely in width and height. If I lay it over my MUCH larger Microsoft multimedia keyboard again the keys line up closely in both the row and column patterns. The keys do have a slight concave shape and the spacing is good for me. The problem I'm having is there is no palm rest to serve as an alignment assist for my hands.
If I were to put my palms on the bottom edge of the keyboard my fingertips would fall on the qwerty row. So my palms are off the keyboard when my fingers are on the home keys. That makes it a challenge to locate my fingers on the proper keys (I'm a touch typist). So I find myself hunting for the asdfghjkl; row before I can start typing. I'm also not sure about the curve.
I might get used to the curved keyboard. I'm typing on it now and it feels comfortable. It's just that I've typed on a flat keyboard for so many years this feels odd. The rows of keys are spaced closer as you move from the center of the keyboard to the edges. This too isn't like a standard keyboard and tends to feel a bit odd and throws me off a bit. Also the keyboard is SO thin that I had to put a 1" thick book under it to bring it above the raised edge on my pull-out keyboard drawer. Otherwise my fingertips would be in an unusual low position that I'm not used to. In some ways I'd rather just have a standard keyboard, taller, with a flat surface, with evenly spaced rows, without the number pad on the side.
I did a lot of research before purchasing this keyboard. There are very few slim wireless keyboards on the market and user reviews for the others were not satisfying.
I'm not a gamer so the single key that performs cursor movement is fine. It will take some getting used to but I don't see that as a big challenge. I mostly use the mouse for cursor movements when typing anyway. The placement of the Backspace and Del keys are perfect for me. I haven't developed a habit of using Home and End but they are on the top row if needed.
I have the sense that Microsoft went for form over function; sort of Apple'esque like the Apple Air. This is what keeps me from moving to the Apple camp. I prefer function over form. I hope Microsoft doesn't catch that disease.
I now have both keyboards available. If I really want to use a number pad I can reach up to the other keyboard. However I've never gotten used to the number pad anyway and often found myself using the number row above the keyboard even when there was a number pad available.
Pros:
- Very narrow keyboard. No number pad. No space allocated to the right of the main key set for things like Home, End, and cursor keys.
- Reasonably nice typing experience
- Battery life?
- Very narrow keyboard. No number pad. No space allocated to the right of the main key set for things like Home, End, and cursor keys.
- Reasonably nice typing experience
- Battery life?
Cons:
- Too thin (height).
- No palm rest
- No adjustable feet to tilt the keyboard.
- Curved keyboard surface
- Uneven row spacing.
- Too thin (height).
- No palm rest
- No adjustable feet to tilt the keyboard.
- Curved keyboard surface
- Uneven row spacing.
As this solves my main problem, that being the overall width of the keyboard, I'm keeping it. It will take some time to get used to it but I'm willing to to through the effort to get rid of the number pad.
Your mileage may vary...
I would recommend this to a friend!
+16points
17out of 18found this review helpful.
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jdonalds's Questions
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HP - ENVY x360 2-in-1 15.6" Touch-Screen Laptop - Intel Core i5 - 12GB Memory - 1TB Hard Drive - Silver
Only at Best Buy HP ENVY x360 Convertible 2-in-1 Laptop: Bring versatility to your computing with this HP convertible laptop. The Intel Core i5 processor provides powerful performance when using your favorite programs and apps, and the 1TB hard drive lets you store plenty of digital files. This HP convertible laptop rotates a full 360 degrees for customized viewing of the 15.6-inch screen.
Which SSDs would work with this model ? What kind of HDD interface does it have ? SATA3 ? Thanks !!
Yes SATA3
6 years, 10 months ago
by
Posted by:
jdonalds
HP - ENVY x360 2-in-1 15.6" Touch-Screen Laptop - Intel Core i5 - 12GB Memory - 1TB Hard Drive - Silver
Only at Best Buy HP ENVY x360 Convertible 2-in-1 Laptop: Bring versatility to your computing with this HP convertible laptop. The Intel Core i5 processor provides powerful performance when using your favorite programs and apps, and the 1TB hard drive lets you store plenty of digital files. This HP convertible laptop rotates a full 360 degrees for customized viewing of the 15.6-inch screen.
How much does it weigh?
According to the Samsung website the 15" is 4.45 lbs while the 13" (which I have) is 2.91 lbs.
6 years, 10 months ago
by
Posted by:
jdonalds
Samsung - Notebook 9 Pro 13.3" Touch-Screen Laptop - Intel Core i7 - 8GB Memory - 256GB Solid State Drive - Titan Silver
Only at Best BuyBring flexibility to work with the powerful and versatile Samsung Notebook 9 Pro. Easily switch between typing on the keyboard, writing with the intuitive S Pen, and navigating the brilliant touchscreen. And do it all at once with an ultra-fast Intel® Core™ i7 processor. The Samsung Notebook 9 Pro keeps up with all the ways you work.
Motherboard support a SSD upgrade to PCIe or NVME?
I believe it is SATA only.
6 years, 10 months ago
by
Posted by:
jdonalds
Samsung - Notebook 9 Pro 13.3" Touch-Screen Laptop - Intel Core i7 - 8GB Memory - 256GB Solid State Drive - Titan Silver
Only at Best BuyBring flexibility to work with the powerful and versatile Samsung Notebook 9 Pro. Easily switch between typing on the keyboard, writing with the intuitive S Pen, and navigating the brilliant touchscreen. And do it all at once with an ultra-fast Intel® Core™ i7 processor. The Samsung Notebook 9 Pro keeps up with all the ways you work.
Is this Radeon540 right?
the 13" version is Intel HD 620
6 years, 10 months ago
by
Posted by:
jdonalds
Samsung - Notebook 9 Pro 13.3" Touch-Screen Laptop - Intel Core i7 - 8GB Memory - 256GB Solid State Drive - Titan Silver
Only at Best BuyBring flexibility to work with the powerful and versatile Samsung Notebook 9 Pro. Easily switch between typing on the keyboard, writing with the intuitive S Pen, and navigating the brilliant touchscreen. And do it all at once with an ultra-fast Intel® Core™ i7 processor. The Samsung Notebook 9 Pro keeps up with all the ways you work.
SSD type? Anyone know if this is SATA, PCIe, or NVME?
I believe it is SATA
6 years, 10 months ago
by
Posted by:
jdonalds
Samsung - Notebook 9 Pro 13.3" Touch-Screen Laptop - Intel Core i7 - 8GB Memory - 256GB Solid State Drive - Titan Silver
Only at Best BuyBring flexibility to work with the powerful and versatile Samsung Notebook 9 Pro. Easily switch between typing on the keyboard, writing with the intuitive S Pen, and navigating the brilliant touchscreen. And do it all at once with an ultra-fast Intel® Core™ i7 processor. The Samsung Notebook 9 Pro keeps up with all the ways you work.
Is this quad or dual core?
Dual Core
6 years, 10 months ago
by
Posted by:
jdonalds
ASUS - Flip 2-in-1 15.6" Touch-Screen Laptop - Intel Core i7 - 8GB Memory - 1TB Hard Drive - Black
Only at Best BuyASUS Flip Q551LN-BBI706 Convertible 2-in-1 Laptop: Manage your e-mails, photos, music and more with this versatile laptop. The flip-and-fold design lets you choose from 4 modes to fit your needs for work or play.
FULL HD or not
As asked below, does this model have FULL HD 1920x1080 resolution?
Full HD is 1920x1080, but HD is just 1366x768
Full HD is 1920x1080, but HD is just 1366x768
ASUS - Flip 2-in-1 15.6" Touch-Screen Laptop - Intel Core i7 - 8GB Memory - 1TB Hard Drive - Black
Only at Best BuyASUS Flip Q551LN-BBI706 Convertible 2-in-1 Laptop: Manage your e-mails, photos, music and more with this versatile laptop. The flip-and-fold design lets you choose from 4 modes to fit your needs for work or play.
release date?
When is the release date? I asked at best buy and was told to contact asus, but asus on here is saying ask best buy. Would love to get this laptop but not willing to wait months. Thanks
Not sure what the release date was but it's available now 10/22/14. Our local Best Buy in Redding CA had about 4 of them in stock.
9 years, 6 months ago
by
Posted by:
jdonalds
from
Redding, CA
ASUS - Flip 2-in-1 15.6" Touch-Screen Laptop - Intel Core i7 - 8GB Memory - 1TB Hard Drive - Black
Only at Best BuyASUS Flip Q551LN-BBI706 Convertible 2-in-1 Laptop: Manage your e-mails, photos, music and more with this versatile laptop. The flip-and-fold design lets you choose from 4 modes to fit your needs for work or play.
screen resolution
Does this model have FULL HD, or just HD
1920 x 1080 Full HD
9 years, 6 months ago
by
Posted by:
jdonalds
from
Redding, CA
ASUS - Flip 2-in-1 15.6" Touch-Screen Laptop - Intel Core i7 - 8GB Memory - 1TB Hard Drive - Black
Only at Best BuyASUS Flip Q551LN-BBI706 Convertible 2-in-1 Laptop: Manage your e-mails, photos, music and more with this versatile laptop. The flip-and-fold design lets you choose from 4 modes to fit your needs for work or play.
disconitued product ?
According to BestBuy online & in stores, this is a discontinued product, and an error on the website... true or false???
I rather think it is a new product. I googled Asus Q551LN and most posts are recent, in the August-September 2014 time-frame.
I just bought one on 10/22/14.
I just bought one on 10/22/14.
9 years, 6 months ago
by
Posted by:
jdonalds
from
Redding, CA