Apple iPod touch 8 GB (2nd Generation) [OLD MODEL]
- IMPORTANT: To get started using your iPod, charge your player using the USB cable for at least 2 hours
- 8 GB capacity for 1,750 songs, 10,000 photos, or 10 hours of video
- This 8 GB iPod touch includes standard Apple earphones; it does not come with earphones with microphone and is not compatible with Voice Control
- Up to 30 hours of music playback or 6 hours of video playback when fully charged
- 3.5-inch widescreen Multi-Touch display with 480 x 320 pixel resolution
- Supports AAC, Protected AAC, MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible, Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV audio formats; H.264 and MPEG-4 video formats; JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF
- One-year limited warranty with single incident of complimentary telephone technical support
Apple USB Power Adapter for iPod (White)
- Compatibility: iPod nano 1G, 2G, 3G; iPod 3G, 4G, 5G, 5.5G, 6G; iPod shuffle 1G, 2G; iPhone; iPod touch
- Convenient USB-based adapter to charge your iPod whenever your iPod is not connected to a computer
- Simply plug the adapter into a wall outlet and connect to your iPod for recharging
- Universal design means that it works around the world (with optional Apple World Travel Adapter Kit)
- Retractable plug
Package includes USB Power Adapter and a USB cable for connecting to your iPod. iPo
Belkin F8Z446 Micro Auto Charger with Charge Sync Cable for iPhone and iPod
- Compatibility: iPod shuffle 2G; iPod nano 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G; iPod classic 5G, 5.5G, 6G; iPod touch 1G, 2G; iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS
- Low-profile charger sits flush in your dash's 12V accessory/cigarette lighter outlet
- Quick-charge USB port means your device charges at the fastest possible speed
- 4-foot charge/sync cable included
- One-year limited warranty
This quick-charge USB adapter charges your device at the fastest possible speed, but barely takes up any space. It fits into your vehicle's standard 12V accessory/cigarette lighter outlet and is small enough to almost be flush with your dashboard. Charge/Sync Cable Included
A 4-foot cable is included to connect your docking iPod models. Since it's a charge/sync cable, you'll be able to use it with your laptop for syncing or other devices for charging. Not Just iPods
Of course, a standard USB port lets you connect most any other mobile device that charges via USB--MP3 players, cell phones, etc. A great all-around charging solution. One-Year Limited Warranty
Get a little added peace of mind thanks to Belkin's one-year warranty. What's in the Box
USB adapt
Apple iPad 2 MC984LL/A Tablet (64GB, Wifi + AT&T 3G, White) NEWEST MODEL
- Apple's iOS 4 , 1 GHz dual-core Apple A5 custom-designed processor
- 64GB integrated
- 9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology.
- WiFi 802.11n
Belkin Wireless-G Router DSL/Cable Gateway
- Creates a network in your home or office without cables
- Ensures data and network security with wireless 64- and 128-bit WEP encryption
- Offers backward-compatibility with all 802.11b devices
- Sets up easily with Belkin Easy Install Wizard-automatically detects Internet settings and self-adjusts Router to get you online in under 3 minutes
Find More What Does 3g Mean On Kindle Products
Tagged with: apple • apple ipod • apple ipod touch • apple ipod touch 8 gb 2nd generation old model • generation • ipod • ipod touch • Model • touch, • wpramazon asin=
Filed under: Kindle
Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!
WARNNING for new 8GB 3G owners and ipod touch 3G Review,
 Â
Before i start let me just tell you “what’s New” with the iPod touch Third generation” :
-Faster Cpu/Double the ram/Better graphic (faster Boot time/faster loading is all what i did notice)
-Double the storage for the same old price
-Voice control (I’ll explain it in a second)
-Latest firmware for free
-New Earbuds with built in remote+Microphone (So you can use voice control)
And that is everything~ depends on your needs upgrading from 2G to 3G might be not worth it.
*Important Note* : only the New iPod touch 32GB/64GB are third generation ~ (8GB is repacked 2G) Details below.
About the new Voice control function, if you love to take your iPod with you to the Gym the new feature “Voice control” is pretty cool, it does allow you to control your music via your voice, no need to get the iPod out of your pocket you can simply say “Next” to move to next song, say “shuffle” for shuffle , say “Pause” and music playback will stop etc, that is why i recommend the iPod touch over iPod classic for gym users, my friend bought an iPod classic and now he complains that the iPod classic is too heavy for him when he goes to the gym and he will have to buy another iPod “properly Nano” for his Gym, for me i use my iPod touch for the gym, it’s so light that sometimes i forgot that it’s even in my pocket.
After playing with my iPod touch 3g for a while i honestly did not notice any difference from the outside or the inside compared to my old iPod touch Second generation (It’s supposed to be faster but i did not notice anything during music and video playback or the menus, however browsing with safari and loading facebook was faster, same thing with boot time), you properly can only notice it being faster with heavy applications since video/music playback is already fast enough with 2G.
I got the 64GB iPod 3G for [...]$, if you think of upgrading your 2G iPod touch honestly do yourself a favor and save yourself the money unless you really need that much of a storage (I do that is why i bought one), also remember that the 3G battery lasts less than 2G,(3G battery = 30 Hours of music playback versus 2G 36 hours of music playback according to apple official specs)
*VERY IMPORTANT* for the people who wants the new 8GB version, the new third generation 8GB iPod touch is NOT 3G it’s a second generation iPod touch but apple did repack it/renamed it to 3rd generation, which seems to be misleading by APPLE and it’s not cool at all, it is IPod Touch 2G+Updated firmware and that is it.
The iPod touch 3rd generation 32GB/64GB versions comes with a free mic+remote with the earbuds while the 8GB do not (it comes with normal earbuds), the 32GB/64GB have the New CPU+Graphic (According to apple the new cpu is twice as fast just like the iPhone 3GS) while the new 8GB use the same old CPU/Chip from the old iPod touch second generation.
Here is APPLE description on the iPod touches page about the 32/64GB versions : “”"Enjoy all the great features of the 8GB model along with better performance, richer graphics and voice control”"”
The iPod touch 3rd generation is the same awesome iPod touch second generation was.
You can play your music/watch your videos/play games, even read your kindle books/etc “you can read amazon big description of what it’s capable of if you do not know yet, it’s better than what would i say because it has pictures and everything.
The iPod touch got the best browser i have ever seen in a portable device, i do not even need to carry my netbook with me anymore thanks to my iPod touch, if you hated browsing with lame browsers that crash a lot or slow (many mobile phones) trust me on this one, the iPod touch browser is not a toy or a gimmick it is a browser you can depends on, it’s super fast and smooth and after using it for like a full year it has only crashed on me once!
Short list of pros and cons about the iPod touch
Pros:
-Slick,small and light device
-Great touch screen
-The BEST web browser on a portable device
-Amazing video/music playback
-App Store (Too many cool applications for Free)
-Display screen is clear and bright
-No bugs and annoying stuff a very reliable hardware
-64GB Flash based mp3 player
Cons:
-Not much of an upgrade over 2G (people were disappointed because they did not get upgrades like camera/OLED/etc)
-Weaker battery, only lasts 30 hours for music playback versus 2G iPod touch 36 Hours music playback
-Expensive for the 64GB version
-Still no FM radio without the use of online applications
-Bluetooth is still half locked
Update : one more reason to avoid the 8GB ipod touch, Apple announced today “April 09 2010″ that iPhone 4.0 OS will be released this…
Read more
Was this review helpful to you?Â
|So Much **MORE** Than Just An MP3 Player!,
 Â
 Â
This is my first iPod and MP3 player. So far I’ve had the iPOD TOUCH (32-GIG/3RD GEN) for two-weeks and I’m loving it.
It’s does so much more than just play music, which is why I wanted one. I’m not a Mac person at all but the iPod Touch…I love it.
Out of the box it found my Wi-Fi connection and had me surfing the net (the real Internet and not the cell phone web pages like the one on my Verizon phone). It was intuitive to use and I’m finally getting accustomed to using the touch screen to scroll and type away.
This review is mostly for other iPod newbies like myself. Here’s what it comes with:
***The iPod Touch- slick and smooth and very thin
***A USB Cable- this hooks your iPod to your computer to recharge the battery and to sync it with iTunes.
***Plastic Docking Thing- this is a small plastic part that allows you to dock the iPod to an external device (I’m not sure what).
***Head Phones with Microphone and external volume control.
***Teeny-tiny insert- with bare-bones info. You have to access the full manual, which is available for free download in PDF format, at the apple website.
My advice is to buy an external cover for the iPod–the 2nd Generation iPod Touch skins/cover fit the new 3rd Generation ones because the body is the same–and buy a screen protector so you keep the screen free from scratches and such. I already scratched the shiny back of my iPod just by placing it down on the table so be careful when you first get it if you don’t have a cover for it.
As long as you have Wi-Fi (wireless Internet connection) in your house/apt you can get full use out of the iPod Touch. You can also access free Wi-Fi hotspots in stores, restaurants, and other areas, so you can get on the Internet and download applications (apps) etc., check your email, go on facebook, youtube, even Amazon has an app, that can be downloaded onto the iPod.
The iPod Touch is configured to automatically search for Wi-Fi networks, it looks for both either locked (need a password) or unlocked (no password) networks, and displays them in the settings for “Wi-Fi.” You really don’t have to know anything about Wi-Fi to get it started. You just pick one of them and it connects to it.
I’ve tried my iPod at some hotspots like a shopping center with a Starbucks and it found the Wi-Fi and connected but since a lot of people were using it, it took a while to connect.
You need the program iTunes, which is a free down-loadable program for Windows or Mac, and an iTunes account to purchase and download the apps (most are free but you still need an account to download them). If you’ve used iTunes before for buying song downloads or just to register then you already have a login account…if you haven’t used iTunes before it’s free to download and easy to install. Then you sign up for an account which is also free, unless you plan on purchasing songs or videos.
The pluses on the iPod Touch:
===== Applications (Apps) =====
The apps are a plenty on the iPod Touch and there’s an app for everything (practically). They’re arranged by category like games, news, productivity, etc., and are furthered displayed by best selling, top-free, and release date. You can also search by keyword or check out the most popular and featured apps.
Some apps are free and some cost a one time fee of between $.99-$4.99 and up. If you’re a news junkie like me, you’ll really love it. I’ve downloaded Time Magazine, NPR (radio and print stories), BBC READER, New York Times, USA Today, AP (Associated Press) and ABC News…all for free!
I really like that the BBC Reader will download their stories into the cache memory, once you connect via Wi-Fi so you can read the articles offline (when Wi-Fi is not available). NYT and AP will allow you to save articles that you can read offline as well. And the AP will deliver breaking news as long as you’re connected… ALL FREE!!!
I’ve downloaded a dictionary, spell checker, facebook, Grimm’s Fairytales and Alice In Wonderland books to read…all for FREE! I also got this free app called “Pandora” which is a radio station that will only play songs by artists that you want to hear. Too cool!
I know that I sound like a broken record with the “free” stuff but being a Verizon Wireless user, I’m sure other VZW customers feel me, I’m amazed that one can download and install quality, portable applications onto a device for no charge or subscription plan.
===== Other Fun Stuff =====
Calendar for appointments etc., contact phone book, clock, weather, calculator (you can download a free tip-calculator), notes and maps. These all come with the iPod Touch.
iTunes will keep the stuff (music, apps, videos) on your iPod, backed-up on your computer so…
Read more
Was this review helpful to you?Â
|Must have for travel or just convenient home charging.,
I bought 2 of these, one here when I had a survey coupon which reduced the price by $10 and one on ebay for half of retail, and find that they are totally worth it!
First of all, the price is justified by the fact that you get another USB cord with it. At first I thought ‘hey, what do I need another USB cord for?’…Well, it does come in handy because I just keep one of them hooked to my computer all the time and I take the other one with me for convenient, away from computer, charging. That way the one is always where I need it when I want to download more music and the other one is always ready for charging away from my computer.
I got a full charge in less than 2 hours with the adapter. I love the fold-away plug and it comes in a nice, tidy box that you can just keep the plug and the usb cord in so that everything is together and easy to find, or to pack in your travel bag.
This, along with a nice zcover skin, is a must-have accessory for your iPod!
Was this review helpful to you?Â
|Convenient device? Yes. Overpriced? Hell yeah.,
Like most Ipod owners have already said, I agree that this device is both convenient and useful (hell, I own one)–but at an outrageous $30 for such a small piece of plastic it’s almost not appealing enough to purchase. I only got it in the first place because I knew I wouldn’t be toting around my Mac laptop on trips as much as I’d be taking the Ipod. Though it serves its purpose quite well, I also agree it should have been included with the Ipod purchase, or at least go down $15-20 on the price tag. $30 for such a trivial item is hardly necessary! To be honest, there are probably less expensive alternatives out there. Sorry, Apple.
Was this review helpful to you?Â
|Overpirced…Yes but worth it!,
 Â
Yes Apple is making money off this by having it be $30 but i have bought the other chargers and used them for testing at my college. I find out that the others are cheaper but you get what you paid for….cheap nockoffs that will fail to function in about 3 months on average.This charger hasnt failed yet and its been a year but the worst alternative charger is the one by Sonnet…do not buy this piece of junk! Just spend the extra $10 it is worth it trust me!
Was this review helpful to you?Â
|Alaska Apple User’s Group-Member,
Pros-
It is tiny, simple and does the job. I snapped it out of the box and been using it all the time. I love the Sync Cable. I will add it to my travel pack list.
Cons-
It is tiny, dark- and easy to forget or misplace. It is so small that is difficult to label! The name tag label I made for it is bigger than the Micro USB Charger unit. My old one was so large it stood out, I never had to look for it! I am going to have to give myself a reminder when traveling to pull it out of the Rental Car.
USES: Why I’d buy it- I used it on my first edition iPhone and the latest one, it works reliably. I tried the sync cable to connect my iPhones to my G4, and did Syncing. It is interchangeable with my Apple sync cable.
The USB Auto Charger fits snug, flush in my lighter on my Ford Explorer. This looks so much a part of the car I forget it is there. I am pleased. It charges just as fast as the Apple charger that came with my iPhones. It replaces 2 cables and one charger that is 8x it’s size. Sometimes accessories for charging don’t fit or work well when the weather goes sour. This thing works, rain or shine. Highly recommended.
Was this review helpful to you?Â
|pretty good … causes radio interference though,
Looks great. Charges just like it promises. But like a couple other reviewers wrote, it causes some radio interference in my car when it’s plugged in. For two days, I was convinced that my favorite FM station had closed down and gone off the air. But after a little fumbling around, it turned out it was this charger … plug it in, no FM reception; unplug, good reception; plug it back in, no reception. I’ll probably keep this as a backup, but for now I’m using my old, bulkier charger
Was this review helpful to you?Â
|A Step Closer,
 Â
For anyone out there who is considering whether or not to make the leap and purchase the iPad 2, this review is for you. If you’re still debating between the iPad 1 and the iPad 2 check out my review of the first generation iPad right here on Amazon to see a discussion of its strengths and weaknesses with a number of people commenting (both positively and negatively) over the past 11 months.
Let me begin by saying this upfront, I don’t work for Apple, I don’t own Apple Stock, and whether you buy an iPad, Xoom, a laptop or a pad of paper and pencil I don’t get anything for writing this. I’m not an Apple “fanboy” although I can give credit where credit is due and lately Apple has deserved a lot of credit for some of their products.
Physical Characteristics
The iPad 2 is absurdly thin. More importantly than it’s thinness is its tapered edge which feels more natural in your hand. One of the biggest complaints about the original iPad was it really wasn’t tremendously comfortable to hold for long periods at a time. For a tablet device designed to be held, that’s a pretty big deal. Apple really has done an amazing job of cramming everything into an even smaller space than before and the difference is really noticeable when you’re holding the device. In addition to the tapered edge, Apple managed to reduce the overall weight of the iPad 2. That might not seem like a huge deal to most, especially when you consider the weight difference isn’t tremendous when you’re already under 2 pounds, but I spend a good part of my day holding the iPad in my hands and the weight difference is surprising by the end of the day. The first generation isn’t heavy by any means, but the iPad 2 outshines it.
New and “Improved”
Apple doubled the RAM in the iPad 2 from 256MB to 512MB. What does that mean? For most casual users, probably not a whole lot. There is a performance bump that everyone will see the effects of in things like loading times for webpages that are open in the background, but 256MB was sufficient for most daily use and games. If you’re planning to use your device for some of the more graphically intense games the iPad 2 does offer a better method of graphics processing that’ll help deliver faster images with fewer jerky movements. If you’re just playing Angry birds and reading e-mail you’re not going to know the difference.
The screen is the same for all real purposes. It is technically a “new” part in that it isn’t identical to the old, it’s a bit thinner and more efficient, but it’s the same resolution. The Glass is thinner though, and this amounts to a fair bit of the weight loss from one generation to the next. In playing with the device it seems surprising but despite feeling lighter it actually feels more sturdy in your hands. I still wouldn’t suggest dropping it, but if it were to fall the iPad 2 certainly feels like it might stand a better chance to survive. Try not to drop it though.
The addition of 2 cameras was expected. Some were a bit surprised to see the first generation released without the cameras. Whether it was for a price point consideration, or a means to get people to upgrade, Apple held off until iPad 2. The cameras do a reasonable job, but they’re not going to replace a dedicated digital camera, or really even the camera on your phone for most still images. The cameras do a substantially better job with video, and FaceTime is probably one of the best reasons to get the iPad 2 over the original iPad. For those who might not be familiar, FaceTime is Apple’s face to face conferencing system, kind of like Skype, or if you’d rather, kind of like the Jetson’s TV/Phone. With the push of a button you can be having a face to face chat with a loved one just about anywhere in the world (provided they’re on a wireless network at the time). FaceTime doesn’t work over 3G natively (it can be used over a wifi connection created by a 3G device however) so you’re not going to be able to use it in your car anytime soon. This is probably a good thing though. It is incredibly easy to use and if you know other people with an iPad 2, iPhone 4, or Mac it’s a lot of fun.
Smart Covers aren’t really “smart” but they’re really very useful. Not only do they provide a stylistic enhancement of the device, but they serve a practical and functional purpose of doubling as a screen protector and stand in 2 configurations. You can find them in a variety of colors and from third market suppliers, and it’s a safe bet that more will be out soon to capitalize on the magnetic sensors in the iPad 2. It’s unfortunate that this same feature can’t somehow be retrofitted to the iPad 1, I wouldn’t have thought a case would be a compelling reason to consider a product over it’s competitor, but these covers are really so useful it’s hard to understand why they’ve not been there since the beginning.
Multitasking Support
One of…
Read more
Was this review helpful to you?Â
|iPad pros and cons,
 Â
People need to be aware that the reviews you see for the iPad often reflect the old Mac/PC platform wars with some people making comments who simply don’t like iPads from a distance, without actually owning one, because they see it as part of the deplorable Apple mania they find so distasteful. They’re entitled to their opinion, of course, but it is unfortunate they skew the evaluation of this product without the deep acquaintance one needs in order to give it an insightful evaluation.
I have taught computer science at the college level for 26 years and have had computers with all kinds of operating systems. I don’t own Apple stock and have never known anyone who works at Apple. I therefore have no connection to Apple.
I have had my iPad for about a month and read a fair number of reviews before I purchased, spent some time using one at the store, and thought about what I might use one for, in contrast to my laptop with which I am well satisfied. People too often think of computers in terms of hardware, the specs and looks, instead of the software and the functionality. You should ask yourself, “What will I use this for that solves a problem I would like to have solved?” Software is always more important than hardware, even though it is the hardware that makes an impression.
The iPad is not a laptop and is not principally a production computer, that is, a computer on which you are going to develop web pages, do serious graphics editing, or write a book. You could use your new Taurus to tow a trailer, but that is not what it is designed to do well. These things can increasingly be done on an iPad, but I don’t believe they will ever be what it is best at. It is a portable media machine with an inviting touch interface that requires a somewhat different set of skills, which take a modest amount of time to learn. Surfing the web, checking email, watching movies, playing games, looking at new cars, reading the Economist magazine, all work better on an iPad than a laptop. It does these things very well indeed. There are now 80,000 apps for a wide variety of activities–given its design intent. The apps are either free or reasonably priced, so you can get a bunch from the “app store” for little investment. As with Amazon, you can see what other people think of an app before getting one.
This would be a splendid acquisition for small children, for teens deep into social networking, for an adult wanting to drop into the love seat for a quick look at what is happening in the world, for a senior citizen who wants a simple, inviting system with few hassles, to stay in touch with grandchildren. The iPad is not a light laptop; it is instead a different way to use computing to do a wide variety of consumption and communication–not principally production.
In my experience, its wi-fi is adroit from one environment to another. It “knows” where it is geographically, scans its environment for wi-fi, and accesses wi-fi seamlessly. At this point in time, we should expect no less. I cannot address the 3G communications since I have a wi-fi only (I am not convinced of the value of the 3G and I can use my phone as a hotspot). I have never had it crash, though I have had to back myself out of apps that seemed to have no logical next step. This was the result either of my ignorance or the fact that there is less of a standard user interface from app to app than there is in classical GUIs such as OS X and Windows.
For the laptop lugging road-warrior, it should be noted, this is not going to be a full replacement. I now take my laptop and my iPad when I go into the college. But much of the time there, I use my iPad because it is so light, convenient and useable. I use it to teach my classes and often reference traditional texts from the iPad instead of lugging them along to class. I develop my own web pages on my 27″ desktop which is the right environment for such development; I wouldn’t expect to do that on an iPad. In education (and evidently in medicine), it is proving to be a real boon. The enterprise situations where portable information access and transmission are critical will find this a compelling solution. The heavy Photoshop user or music track editor will still need a conventional computer, either laptop or desktop.
I purchased the 64GB version, which may be more storage than I need. But since it will drive my 50″ screen downstairs I figured I would begin to load lots of pictures and favored music, so it may prove a wise choice in the long run. It can swallow up entire evenings with the music-augmented slide shows it can do. In fact, you may begin to wonder if you need cable TV. Conventional content providers should be worried about the iPad since it provides yet another way for the user to determine viewing experience. But if you are still drawn to cable, it makes a fine remote control.
Before people evaluate…
Read more
Was this review helpful to you?Â
|Comparison of my IPad 2 with my Xoom,
I have purchased both an iPad2 and Xoom for different family members. I thought it worth comparing the two devices for anyone interested. Many of my comments are subjective so bear that in mind when reading the review.
External appearance and feel:
The iPad2 screen has a different feel from the Xoom screen – the iPad2 is a bit slicker, less likely to stick when moving short distances. The screen on the Xoom tends to show fingerprints more than the Ipad2 for some reason. Everyone in this family thinks that the iPad2 looks sharper than the Xoom.
Both weigh 1.6 lbs. Subjectively, the Xoom feels heavier than the Ipad2, but it’s an illusion perhaps caused by it’s slightly smaller size. UPDATE: I need to learn to use the scales – the Xoom is about 3 ounces heavier than the iPad2.
Both have a similar size screen, measured diagonally. But the aspect ratio is different – 4:3 for iPad2, 16:9 for Xoom. This means that the iPad2 actually has a larger viewing area, and this makes a real difference when scrolling through a web site. The iPad2 screen is brighter than the Xoom screen.
Hardware performance:
The Xoom feels a bit faster than the iPad2, and the specs show that it is faster. Both have dual core processors based on ARM designs. The Xoom seems to be able to handle graphics better than the iPad2. As far as connecting to Wifi networks, both seem to have this one down pat – they both just work.
User Interface:
The iPad2 is just like a big iPhone. Whether this good or bad is subjective. For me, it’s good – polished, flexible and can be customized to my needs. The Xoom user interface is totally new, and unfortunately it shows – there are many rough edges. Some examples: moving icons around to group programs together is not intuitive and they keep moving back; you can see the first 5 applications running on the Xoom and select one, but the list doesn’t scroll so applications that don’t show in the list can’t be selected; you can’t close applications (except by a force quit that can lose data) as the Xoom decides when to quit an application; customization is possible but more difficult than the iPad2. In short, the Xoom user interface is a work in progress – great potential but currently quite flawed.
Operating System:
The iPad2 uses Apple’s IOS. It works, but it uses cooperative multitasking which (in theory) is less effective than the full multitasking on the Xoom which uses a version of Google’s Android designed for tablets. In practice, they both work fine and I doubt anyone would notice the difference.
Applications:
iPad2 has 70,000 apps available from the Apple App store and it also runs the 300,000 apps available for the iPhone. Xoom currently has around 60 apps and it can run Android phone apps (but they are stretched in one direction which makes them look strange). Some of the iPad2 applications are pretty impressive – GarageBand for example. There are many games on the iPad2, and just a few games made for the Xoom. If this doesn’t improve quickly, the Xoom is sunk. After all, applications are generally the reason people buy these devices.
Browsing:
Because of the screen aspect ratio that I mentioned, I prefer browsing on the iPad2. The Xoom has Adobe Flash and the iPad2 doesn’t, but so far I haven’t come across a single instance where this has been an issue. I’m sure there are very many sites not compatible with iPad2, but I haven’t browsed to one of them yet.
Camera:
I don’t use the camera much, and I’m not really sure if either is better. In the family, the Xoom owner says the Xoom is better, the iPad2 owner says the iPad2. The Xoom has flash and iPad2 doesn’t which is a win for Xoom, but the Xoom seems slower to take a picture.
Speakers:
The Xoom has two small speakers, iPad2 has one slightly larger speaker. The sound is somewhat better quality on the iPad2 and the Xoom cannot achieve the same volume as the iPad2. But they are both pretty poor – use earphones or an external speaker if you want decent audio.
Battery life:
Difficult for me to give an exact comparison, but based on family usage it seems the iPad2 has the edge here, but not by much.
Internal storage:
The Xoom has 1GB of RAM and 32 GB of flash storage. The iPad2 has 512MB of RAM and 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of flash storage – I bought the 64GB model.
External storage:
The Xoom has an external card slot that supports SD cards, but the software was not ready in time for the product release. The slot is inoperative until Motorola releases an operating system update. The iPad2 has no external storage support.
User Experience:
The iPad2 was up and running quite quickly. I connected the device to iTunes and it automatically updated to the latest version of the operating…
Read more
Was this review helpful to you?Â
|Having wireless problems with this router? Try this.,
I think this router might be getting a bad rep on the wireless end, because it comes with a proprietary setting enabled by default that I think does more harm than good. If you have this router and are getting intermittent or no wireless connectivity, and you’ve verified all your settings are right, try this.
This router (Belkin model F5D7230-4, and other models) has a (proprietary?) feature called “Protected Mode”. The default setting on this model (at least the one I got), unlike other models, has that mode set to “Auto” under the Wireless settings, which I take to mean “on”. So turn it off. It’s wonky, because even tho it’s a proprietary feature, there is NO documentation in the router’s online “Help” section. However, it IS described in the user’s manual:
“As part of the 802.11g specification, Protected mode ensures proper operation of 802.11g clients and access points when there is heavy 802.11b traffic in the operating environment. When protected mode is ON, 802.11g scans for other wireless network traffic before it transmits data. Therefore, using this mode in environments with HEAVY 802.11b traffic or interference achieves best performance results. If you are in an environment with very little–or no–other wireless network traffic, your best performance will be achieved with Protected mode OFF.”
Okay, so if it works best off, why does it ship in “Auto” mode? Turn it off. On other models, by default it does ships with the feature “off”.
Basically, I recommend setting this router up as simply as possible, but still having wireless encryption, of course.. So here are my further recommendations for setting this up. There’s another (proprietary?) feature called “Turbo” mode. Again, no description of this on the interface itself, but it is described in the manual:
“Turbo mode is enabled by default. It allows the Router or Access Point to use frame bursting to deliver the maximum throughput, 2 times faster than any standard 802.11g equipment, to 802.11g clients. This measurement is based on aggregate throughput in a mixed 802.11b and 802.11g environment. Belkin 802.11g clients with the latest driver will support Turbo mode. Clients that do not support Turbo mode will operate normally with it enabled.”
Again, I recommend turning it off. I also recommend deleting “Belkin Router” from the “domain” section under (I think) LAN settings, just keeping that field blank, and leaving wireless Channel as Auto (default choice, which normally goes to Channel 11 in the USA). And, as with any wireless rouer, you DEFINITELY want to put in a new wi-fi network name (SSID). Change the default SSID to something impersonal, but still unique. Further recommendations are keeping the thing well-ventilated, such as propping it up (securely) at an angle so air flows below it, above, and around the sides, and adjust the antenna of course then so it is vertical. Another thing I did was to turn Range Extension on, but I’m not sure that’s necessary or if it just creates unnecessary heat, but since my friend was across the country, I was trying to pull out all the stops.
I chose this router for a friend (who purchased it on their own, and then I set it up). I chose it because it was the cheapest one in the store, and Belkin is a generally respected name when it comes to all their equipment (if often having the reputation of being a little expensive), and my past knowledge of their reputation with routers was good. Even though they don’t make them themselves, but farm them out to others, their choices in the past have been good.
I initially set the router up at my home. I noticed that I had trouble connecting using Vista’s wireless connection wizard, and I hate wizards and Vista’s “wow” crap in general, so I got frustrated and found a “connect manually” choice, which was a whole lot easier for me, and after that, I was able to connect fine wirelessly for that time I was setting it up. However, my friend took it home and reported back that the laptop wasn’t connecting, then it did, and then it stopped after a few minutes. Only then did I come to Amazon and read the reviews, where I saw so many others having similar issues. I suspected Protected and/or Turbo modes, so I did a little research, which confirmed my suspicions. I read a review of a similar Belkin router, the following excerpt summing it succinctly: “[Protected Mode] seems to make the network invisible to wireless devices you may be trying to set up for the first time”.
With my friend having gone home (across the country), I was relieved to find this router has a remote admin mode (called Remote Management in the router). I learned this by downloading the User Manual. The manual doesn’t have great screen shots, and my friend is not tech-savvy, but after only moderate pain, I had them successfully enable Remote Management, and tell me the WAN IP address…
Read more
Was this review helpful to you?Â
|Easy set up and works great; lacks some advanced features,
I bought this Belkin wireless router to see if it’d work with my company’s VPN so I could work from home because the two Netgear routers I’ve tried only let me do it wired–not wirelessly. I’m happy to say the Belkin does indeed let me do VPN wirelessly! I was also happy about how easy it was to set up–after I realized I needed to totally unplug my cable modem first. I’ve had continuous, error-free connections since plugging it in, and I’m even getting slightly better signals through walls and floors, using a mix of b and g equipment.
There are a few features I don’t like about, or are missing from, this Belkin as compared to other brands I’ve used–I’ll just list the major ones here: 1) Anyone on your network, whether they’re allowed on it or not, can see certain configuration information on the web interface because it’s not password-protected. 2) You can’t see a list of associated wireless devices. 3) You can’t set whether you want to use only open or only shared key WEP (you also can’t set some other advanced wireless settings that D-Link is known for, such as transmit power). 4) You can’t see details of what was happening in the security logs (e.g. it says “Blocked by DoS protection” but you don’t know what was actually blocked. 5) You can’t manually release/renew the dynamic IP of the router. 6) You can’t turn off NTP or specify the server.
It also has some features I like that my Netgear routers don’t have, like the ability to specify a local domain name, restart and reset the router from the web interface, and set DHCP lease time.
The only problem I’ve had with it is it doesn’t allow the 802.11b bridge I have to do DHCP. I can set a static IP and it works fine, though, so I’m not too upset about it. Also, I can’t comment on the parental controls since you have to subscribe to activate them.
Was this review helpful to you?Â
|Don’t even bother if you want reliable wireless.,
 Â
I had this wireless router for several months and had nonstop connection problems. At least once or twice a night my laptop would get disconnected, and the only way to get things working again was to pull the power on the router and reset it. I finally replaced it with an equivalent product from D-Link. The new router is in the exact same location and not only is the average signal strength slightly higher, but I have yet to be disconnected. Save yourself the hassel and get a better product from another manufacturer.
Was this review helpful to you?Â
|