Apple MB763LL/A AirPort Extreme Dual-band Base Station Review

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(More customer reviews)Hi All,
True to my gadget envy, I acquired one of these dual band extreme base stations to see if they held up to the hype. Sure enough, Apple has improved an old mediocre product with a new more powerful hardware engine and improved software abilities.
Features:
802.11 A/B/G/N DUAL Band radios at 2.4ghz and 5ghz simultaneously.
Gigabit Ethernet ports 1x Wan and 3x Lan.
Guest wireless network.
Disk sharing via USB connected drive.
Access to shared disk via MobileMe (apple mobile me subscribers on os x).
The box comes with the router, the power cord, software cd, and documentation....limited documentation.
Time to test.
Setup: Setup of an apple base station is unlike any other in that you cannot access the setup portal via your web browser. You must install the Apple Airport utility (both mac and windows) in order to set the router up. The software is built very well and provides the typical ease of use known to MAC users. You simply walk through a setup wizard and define simple options for your internet connection, your wireless network, etc, etc. NOTE: When setting up your wireless networks you are able to hit the options button so that you can define a 5ghz network as well (example, main wireless network called wifi, the 5ghz is called wifi (5ghz)). Very easy to setup and get going. You are also able to easily define a SECURED (wpa/wpa2) guest wireless network....which simply means that if you have a visitor they can use wi-fi but not get to any of the computers on your home network. Very Secure....and a great feature to boot.
I was using the old Apple Base Station and kept switching between it and a d-link wireless n router.... I got one of these primarily due to dual band and guest access.
Yes, there are other routers out there that can do this for a bit of a lower cost...but the elegance of the Apple Airport Utility make this a router that can be setup without too much hassle. The software will also identify problems in the setup and have you correct them before it uploads them to the router. These abilities alone make this a router for the non-geeks to be able to setup a robust networking environment at home.
Wireless: As I mentioned before, I am comparing this to an older model apple base station that was single band and worked in the N range. Also compared this against a D-Link DIR-655 which is a 2.4ghz Wireless N router. The section on speed below will detail my wireless experience.
Speed: I have Comcast cable modem service which gives me about 15-25mbps down and 2mbps up....I live in an area where there are probably 5-10 subscribers...so my speed is generally GREAT and never experiences a slow down. The first thing I do when I play with a new router is do a speed test....the new base station is comparable to the others and gets the same exact download/upload speeds over ethernet. There is one exception....using the wireless on this unit yielded BETTER results then the older model and the d-link. Normally when doing a speed test over wireless I get about 12-15mbps and 2mbps up....with this router I was able to successfully hit the 20mbps mark and 2mbps UP. WIN WIN!!!! So I figured that this may be an anomaly and thus proceeded to test a download from Microsoft - a 3.4gb file - which normally downloads anywhere between 900kpbs and 1.2mbps. Surprise.....with the new base station I stayed at 1.3mbps and it did not hiccup even once. The same was true when downloading via a wireless connection, albeit the speed was 1.0mbps....faster then I have ever gotten before. WIN WIN again!
Disk Sharing - Not much to be said here...I attached a Western Digital USB hard drive 320gb and shared it. You simply go into the Airport Utility software and setup sharing of the hard drive and define which password should be used. You can either use the password for the router or setup a separate password to use with Disk Sharing. Speed is dependent upon wired or wireless. I tested while transferring 3 files...one was 2mb one was 100mb and one was a 2.5gb file. The two mb file of course went over before I could blink...the 100mb transferred over in about 3-4 minutes...the 2.5gb took about 15 minutes. The first transfer test was with ETHERNET connectivity. I did the same tests over wireless and found that the times doubled...naturally since wireless is a bit slower I expected that and had no issue with the times.
Mobile-Me - I have not tested the mobile me features just yet but will be testing them in the days ahead and post my results here.
So far I feel this router has hit perfection and will now find a permanent spot in my home...at least until something better hits.
Please do leave me comments with suggestions on the review and or any questions you may have.

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The sleek, easy-to-use AirPort Extreme Base Station with simultaneous dual-band support is the perfect wireless access point for home, school, or small business. It offers fast, 802.11n Wi-Fi access for Mac computers, PCs, and Wi-Fi devices such as iPhone, iPod touch, and Apple TV.

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Kroo Carbon Axis Carbon Fiber EVA Apple iPad Case (Red) Review

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(More customer reviews)While this case may be slightly less convenient than some of the more popular iPad cases, I've found it to be the ideal solution in my search for the best protection. At least I no longer feel as though I'm carrying around a sack of eggs whenever I take my iPad out of the house. And the Pad fits inside the case even with a silicone skin attached. NOTE: the "free travel charger" is NOT the 12v charger for the car that I was expecting, but simply a knock-off of the same charger received when I bought the iPad. PS: the red is a true red, not orangey red.

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Durable. Versatile. Reliable. Fashionable.Aerospace technology meets the Apple iPad. Kroo iPad Carbon Axis Case. Apple\'s iPad is changing the way people think about mobile computing, and Kroo is changing the way folks think about carrying their iPad. Kroo Carbon Axis is protective, portable and lightweight. A EVA shell snugs up to iPad, while a tough, flexible reinforced middle layer guards against rough handling and impacts. Inside, a soft sphere cell lining and padded zipper protect against scratches. Easy to stash and easy to carry, Carbon Axis also makes airport security check points quick and easy. Kroo\'s signature classy design with the Hard Sleeve, and the result is a sleek styled, premium protector. The molded EVA-foam iPad case features fitted Sphere Cell bumpers, keeping your iPad in place while you navigate its Multi-Touch display. And the Sphere Cell Sleeve's soft interior lining saves your iPad from harsh environments. Kroo just doesn\'t pencil a design and hope the Apple iPad case fits for the iPad. We actually work closely with case designers, fabric engineers, materials specialists, polymer scientists & chemist to come up with a Durable, Versatile, Reliable and fashionable case that and end user will appreciate long after the product has been used. Our engineers design Kroo cases using premier software programs like CATIA, Solidworks, Autodesk Inventor, 3dsMax, and Moldflow to ensure that all Kroo cases are designed to the exact specification of the intended product we are supporting, whether we are designing a case for an Apple iPad, Notebooks, digital cameras, GPS, Smartphones, or hard drive cases.

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Griffin FlexGrip Silicone Case 2-Pack for iPod touch 1G (Black/Red and Clear/Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I like it and I only paid $9.31 (plus $2.98 S/H) for this double package. That was a great deal from Eforcity. Now they sell it for $13.08 but it is still way cheaper than the regular price. I highly recommend it.

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Griffin Technology's FlexGrip case wraps your iPod in a durable silicone jacket that protect against dirt, dings, dents and scratches. Two-color case is smooth on top, nubby on the bottom and easy to grip.

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Philips DLP2277 Attachable Battery Pack and Charging Base for iPhone and iPod (White) Review

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(More customer reviews)When I ordered this item I was expecting only what the box suggested; a battery pack that could be connected to the iPod, which would charge the phone, and in turn be charged by the base station.
Instead what I got was a box full of goodies.
First you have the battery itself, which while of a fairly large size, seems to fit perfectly with the odd case I have for my iPod Touch. The connection from the battery to the iPod has some amount of flexibility, which is rather nice.
This battery can then be charged either by setting it on top of the charging station, or you can plug a USB (mini B, I believe) into it directly and charge that way.
The base station is of a nice enough design that I had no difficulty setting the battery on it.
It too has a USB cable for power.
Additionally the package comes with a power outlet to USB device, which means that I can also use my standard iPod cable to charge just the iPod. Since I was thinking I'd have to purchase one of these anyways, this makes for an extremely great package.
The only downside with this product is that the connection into the iPod is large enough that I can't plug into the headphone jack when the battery is connected. This is unfortunate, but can be worked around, and isn't a big enough issue that I'd downgrade my rating of 5 stars.
In short, an amazing number of components with the package, allowing for a number of charging possibilities.

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Say goodbye to clutter - set up your system for effortless wire-free charging! Plug in a charging base where you typically power up, then use the attachable battery pack to free yourself from cables and have backup power on the go. Keep the battery pack on hand so you have the power to recharge the battery of your device wherever you are. Simply connect the battery pack for an easy and convenient recharge on the go. Even if you're not near a wall or car charger, you can recharge your device's battery with the convenient battery pack. The intelligent battery pack supplies power first, so you can remove the pack after use and still have a full battery on your device. The included mini-USB cable connects to a USB charging unit - like your computer or a USB wall or car charger. When connected to your computer, the cable allows you to sync your iPhone or iPod with iTunes. Power supplies cluttering up your life? Set up your ChargeOn system for effortless wire-free charging! Plug in a base where you typically power up: at your desk, in the kitchen, on your bedside table. Then use the attachable battery packs to free yourself from cables and have backup power everywhere you go.

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Dymo LabelWriter Twin Turbo (69115) Review

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(More customer reviews)I got this labeler for use in a small office, primarily for file folder and address labels. Text quality - at a mere 300 dpi - is hardly gorgeous, but adequate for labeling needs. Labels are smear-proof, and I have never had a problem with printed labels darkening from exposure to hot mailing equipment, copy machines, or the like.
The Twin Turbo is essentially two 400 Turbo units in one chassis. By including two printers in one unit, DYMO has more than doubled the utility of the printer for me. This unit replaces an older LabelWriter which saw little use due to the hassle of changing out (and thereby wasting) label rolls. The TT allows you to pick from the left or right printer roll from either the application or the print dialogue box, and it remembers which side you specified for a particular label size.
Although a true full-speed USB 2.0 device, the TT is plenty fast connected to a USB 1.1 interface. The cable is included. (Why can't all printers do that?!)
The Macintosh OS X (only - sorry, no Classic!) software is ported directly from the Windows version. Not surprisingly, it is therefore a little bit kludgy and inelegant, but usable with only a very modest learning curve. Users of prior versions of the Dymo software may, like me, miss some options like full justification, and find other commands, options, and preferences have gotten buried in obscure corners of the application. The included clip art library is lame, and setting up a good looking label takes some trial and error. Nevertheless, once you have configured your standard labels you'll never again have to hassle with sheet labels, and shooting out a single label or 100 at a time is almost one-click easy.
The drivers work flawlessly, and the installer automatically launches the Add a Printer utility. The Mac software appears to be PPC only right now; I advise checking the Dymo website if you want or need a Universal Binary version for an Intel-based Mac. By default, the application installs at root level and requires an administrator password to install.
The majority of the support documentation is included as a PDF launchable from within the DYMO Label application. Again, the manual is Windows-centric, but usable for the Mac version.
The biggest drawback is the unit lacks an On/Off switch, and does not automatically go into a sleep state like most modern printers. What this means for the user is the unit's two rather annoyingly bright blue LED ready lights are constantly lit. I find this distracting and had to place the machine out of my line of sight. At least the unit does play nicely with Mac 'deep sleep' mode on a G4 PowerMac. The power cord comes in two sections totaling a good 10' (with a smallish adapter brick in the middle) so at least you can place the unit practically anywhere.
Finally, I advise shopping around. I was able to find this unit for under $150 shipped, and that easily beat the cost of buying two of the DYMO (non-Turbo) 400s.
Pros:
*Included USB cable and long power cord
*Macintosh Driver works well
* Decent value for money, dual printers add utility
Cons:
*Lacks on/off switch
*Somewhat marginal print quality
*Application interface lacks polish, no Universal Binary support (yet)

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Monochrome Direct Thermal - 300 dpi - USB

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Brother MFC-8480DN High-Performance Laser All-in-One with Networking and Duplex Printing Review

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(More customer reviews)My wife is a middle grades teacher and the copiers at her school are always broken are in use by someone else, so we do all her printing and copying at home - LOTS of printing and copying. I really like the speed and the automatic duplexing. We expect to cut our paper cost by 30-40%. We also create a pdf of each assignment/worksheet to upload to her website so students can get any missed assignments. The scanner - scan to file - option allows you to specify pdf file type and is very fast.
The Automatic Document Feed is excellent with no jams so far even with large documents. We also print hall/bathroom passes on business card stock using the single sheet feeder with no jams. So far we have printed about 5,000 pages and have had no real problems. Setting up the network for sharing the printer was very easy. We expect to print about 5,000 pages per month - well under the 25,000 duty clcle. Our previous MFC 8220 is still being used by a colleague after 3 drum replacements - we just wanted the extra speed and auto duplex this machine provided.
The software provided for scanning is easy to use and very versatile. We haven't used the fax function yet. So far we are very pleased with the speed, auto duplex and scanning features and have had no driver issues using both XP and Vista.
It is a great machine for someone needing a heavy duty networked duplex capable machine.

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The MFC-8480DN is a high-performance laser all-in-one with networking and duplex printing for your business or small workgroup.

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