Showing posts with label linux. Show all posts
Showing posts with label linux. Show all posts

9/21/2012

Epson WorkForce 500 All-in-One Printer (Black) (C11CA40201) Review

Epson WorkForce 500 All-in-One Printer (Black) (C11CA40201)
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I've never been a fan of All-in-One's because I always felt too much was compromised; I just wouldn't settle for a poor printer, or scanner, or copier or fax machine just for the convenience of having everything in one box. Epson has changed the playing field, however. I'm not saying Epson has merged the absolute best of each of those pieces of equipment, but they have produced a remarkably well designed and engineered product with minimal compromise. The printer is excellent, the text approaches laser quality and the copier and fax work fine, the 30 page automatic document feeder works without a hick-up -- and what a joy that is!. The scanner is fast, operates with very easy to use intuitive software and it produces excellent text and photo scans. Epson also includes OCR software with the unit.
Yes, you can buy a better printer... there certainly are printers that print faster and print photos better (I have a $1,000 photo printer that I use for the "serious" stuff) but this one works fine for the everyday tasks. And there are better scanners, this one won't do negatives or slides, for example, but for most everyday scanning tasks it's absolutely fine. And as far as fax and copy machines go, the fax and copies are first rate and better than every other "home office" machine I've tried.
All in all, Epson has a winner with the Workforce 500. I really only needed a new fax machine, but the price on this unit was so low I thought I might as well try it and at least I'd have a backup printer if I needed one. Despite my preconceived notions, besides being a great fax machine, it turned out to be a very good printer, scanner and copier. I guess you learn something everyday. Setup was quick and the startup guide takes you step-by-step through the process with easy to follow pictures and text. I had the unit up and running within 15 minutes on a computer using Vista Home Premium.
I'm delighted with my purchase and I use it frequently for my everyday printer and scanner needs. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Epson WorkForce 500 All-in-One Printer (Black) (C11CA40201)

Match the speed you move at with the fast and efficient Epson WorkForce 500 all-in-one printer, your personal business and photo center. This amazing all-in-one quickly delivers prints and copies, plus laser quality text, allowing you to create stunning proposals and impressive brochures, in house and on demand. The WorkForce 500 is ready to handle whatever comes its way, whether you need to scan a proposal into editable text, fax a presentation, or enlarge that family photo. And, it uses up to three times less energy than a laser printer. The right features, the right price, and truly remarkable results — that is the WorkForce 500.

Buy NowGet 8% OFF

Click here for more information about Epson WorkForce 500 All-in-One Printer (Black) (C11CA40201)

Read More...

8/22/2012

Asus Eee PC 900SD-BLK009X Netbook Review

Asus Eee PC 900SD-BLK009X Netbook
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I bought this netbook last week, and I'm very happy with it. It's not very powerful, but it's perfectly suitable for light web browsing. The screen is a bit small, but it's usable after removing the status bar and bookmarks toolbar in Firefox. The keyboard is surprisingly easy to adjust to. The most annoying part is the odd placement of the home and end keys. The SSD is pretty small (only 8GB), but is fine for the intended purpose: web browsing. I wiped Windows XP and installed 8.10, which recognized all of the hardware automatically.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Asus Eee PC 900SD-BLK009X Netbook



Buy Now

Click here for more information about Asus Eee PC 900SD-BLK009X Netbook

Read More...

8/15/2012

Brother MFC-8860DN Flatbed Laser All-in-One Printer with Duplex Review

Brother MFC-8860DN Flatbed Laser All-in-One Printer with Duplex
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I bought the 8860DN a couple weeks ago to replace my aging HP 3330. While I'm quite happy with much of the 8860DN, there are a few things that could use improvement. Some of these can be addressed in software, others I fear are hardware issues.
BTW, I'm on my second machine because I thought some of the issues with the first warranted a replacement. Now I know its a "common" issue.
1) The print engine creaks and makes popping sounds as the fuser heats and cools. Even the demo machine in Office Depot does the same thing. The creaking is really annoying if you sit near the machine. A Brother senior tech rep tells me this issue is common to many Brother lasers. Well, gimme a break because HP and others don't creak! **UPDATE** Brother Corporate office tells me the popping sounds are considered "normal" by the engineers and at this time they have no plans to fix. Pathetic if you ask me. I think most users will agree!!!
2) The scanner ADF head will sometimes make odd sounds when its scanning the last page of a multi-page scan. It sounds as if the motor or gears need lubrication.
3) I've had the COPY function lockup on me a couple times (other fucntions continue to work) and the only way to correct is to power cycle. Cause is unknown but the clowns at Brother support tell me to keep power cycling the resolve the problem. IDIOTS!
4) The IFAX feature is not very well explained and is somewhat odd in the way it works (or tries to work). I've yet to really figure it out. As an alternative I use the FAX FORWARD TO EMAIL function which works well.
5) A PC software bug: When scanning multiple pages its impossible to multitask since the scanner interface takes the focus away from whatever you are doing everytime it begins scanning a new page. Brother apparently knows about this issue and will correct in the next software version.
Other than the above isues, I'm fairly satisfied in the short time I've been using this MFC. If I may comment in response to one of the previous reviews, the beep sound is adjustable and I believe if the user took the time to read the manual, he'd be quite happy with the level of customization available on this machine (I rarely hear of people complaining about too many features). Oh, and yes as stoneaged as it sounds, some people still do occasionally receive faxes.
As far as I'm concerned, the print speed is excellent. Even complex pages print quickly with nearly no delay between pages. A huge improvment over my old HP. Also, I find the scan speed on non complex scans to be excellent. Complex and high res scans are somewhat slower, but they are with many scanners (and certainly about every multifucntion I've run across). Print duplexing is another very nice touch and I'm surprised it works as well as it does. The 8860DN gets the job done and it does them well overall.
Things about the 8860DN I prefer over the new HP 3390 I compared it to.
1) 8860 has a legal size scan plate
2) 8860 will fax forward to email
3) 8860 is $150 less with approx. the same cost per page in consumables.
4) 8860 does duplex scan, copy

Click Here to see more reviews about: Brother MFC-8860DN Flatbed Laser All-in-One Printer with Duplex

The MFC-8860DN has a convenient flatbed design that accommodates either single sheets or bound documents for copying, faxing, or scanning. With the ability to function as a digital copier, the unit supports reduction and enlargement of documents from 25 to 400 percent in one percent increments, makes up to 99 copies, and includes sorting functionality. Copies up to legal size can be made from both the glass and the automatic document feeder. Print and copy speeds up to 21 pages per minute keep up with busy offices, while outstanding resolution of up to 1,200 x 1,200 dpi gives each document exceptional legibility.
The MFC-8860DN features two sided (duplexed) printing, copying, scanning, and faxing. You can take a typical document file and simply choose to print it as a duplexed document right from the MFC-8860DN's print menu, with the orientation you prefer. Your selection then happens automatically, without the need to reload the paper to print the other side. You can also copy or scan two sides of the same document and either print the copy or store the scan as two single-sided pages, or as a single two-sided page. Or, you can copy or scan two single-sided documents and produce a copy or store a scan as a single two-sided page. You can even scan a two-sided document for faxing with only one step and it will be received as two single-sided pages.
As a full-function stand-alone fax machine, the MFC-8860DN supports up to 340 total speed dial locations, and also incorporates dual access and broadcast faxing features. It stores up to 600 pages for Quick Scan faxing or out-of-paper fax reception. Stand-alone fax and copy operation is standard, so no computer is required.
When operating as a scanner, the unit is capable of color scanning up to 9,600 dpi interpolated resolution (up to 600 x 2,400 dpi optical). For Windows and OS X 10.2.4 or greater based users, there is an easy-to-use "scan to" button for scanning directly to an FTP site, image application, OCR, E-mail application or file. Save time and reduce errors with instant direct access through your network connected MFC-8860DN to a virtually infinite number of e-mail and fax addresses stored in your LDAP network address books. Simply use the large, clear 5-line LCD display on the MFC-8860DN's control panel to view the contacts stored in your network address books and scroll to select the address you need. Then you can quickly send faxes and Internet faxes to your selection, and perform scan-to-e-mail-address functions.
The MFC-8860DN provides the ability for an administrator to set various levels of password protected access to certain features, for each of up to 25 different users per machine. Through this feature, you can restrict specific employees such as part-time workers or interns from access to scan-to-e-mail functions or other avenues for sending data outside your walls.
The color scanner function comes bundled with document management and OCR software. ScanSoft PaperPort SE with OCR software is available for Windows and Presto! Page Manager is available for Mac users. Meanwhile, The MFC-8860DN is supplied with built-in wired Ethernet networking. The unit is compatible with both PC and Mac operating systems (Windows 98/NT4.0/2000/Me/2000/XP and Mac OS 9.1-9.2, OS X 10.2.4 or greater). Standard emulations of PCL6 and BR-Script3 (PostScript3) are included as well. Brother provides a one-year warranty, covering parts and service.
What's in the Box Multifunction unit, paper tray, multipurpose tray, TN540 Standard Yield Toner Cartridge (3,500 Pages), DR510 Drum Unit (20,000 Pages) CD-ROM with drivers and utilities, printed user's guide, warranty information

Buy NowGet 23% OFF

Click here for more information about Brother MFC-8860DN Flatbed Laser All-in-One Printer with Duplex

Read More...

8/05/2012

7/21/2012

ASUS WL-520GU Wireless Router Review

ASUS WL-520GU Wireless Router
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
This router router can do a lot more if you replace the original firmware with DD-WRT, Tomato or OpenWRT:
VPN, OpenVPN, NAS, BitTorrent, radio output power control, Wireless Print server, etc. It is possible to use a USB hub to connect several devices including printers.
Possibilities are endless.

Click Here to see more reviews about: ASUS WL-520GU Wireless Router

ASUS WL-520gU - EZ Wireless Router with All-in-One Printer Server: All-in-One Printer Server: Wirelessly and simultaneously share printing and scanning functions for multiple users; Auto-detection and New EZ UI (Easy User Interface): delivers the easiest and fastest way to setup your router; EZ QoS - Powerful and easily-operated BOD (Bandwidth On Demand) streamlines your Gaming/Audio/Video experience.

Buy NowGet 2% OFF

Click here for more information about ASUS WL-520GU Wireless Router

Read More...

4/24/2012

StarTech.com 2 Port ExpressCard 1394b FireWire Laptop Adapter Card (EC1394B2) Review

StarTech.com 2 Port ExpressCard 1394b FireWire Laptop Adapter Card (EC1394B2)
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I ordered this to hook two HDV video cameras to my MacBook Pro for live video streaming. If only the rest of the setup was as simple as this firewire card. Plug n play.
I was initially concerned with it being Mac compatible, but it really is.
I need to work out the rest, but it was nice to not have to worry about this piece.

Click Here to see more reviews about: StarTech.com 2 Port ExpressCard 1394b FireWire Laptop Adapter Card (EC1394B2)



Buy NowGet 3% OFF

Click here for more information about StarTech.com 2 Port ExpressCard 1394b FireWire Laptop Adapter Card (EC1394B2)

Read More...

12/03/2011

Cables Unlimited USB-2920 USB 2.0 to Serial DB9 Adapter (2.5 feet, Black) Review

Cables Unlimited USB-2920 USB 2.0 to Serial DB9 Adapter (2.5 feet, Black)
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
This is by far the best USB to serial adapter I have used. A few years ago I went through many different adapters. Everything from $5 e-bay adapters to more expensive ones. The others either did not work they way they should, or they died on me after a short period of time.
I just purchased a second one of these to have in my backpack all the time. I use this adapter for everything from administering servers to configuring network equipment.
The disc that comes with this device come with drives for Windows, Linux, and Mac operating systems. I have had not problems using this with both Windows XP Pro and Windows Vista (Ultimate and Business tested). In addition, I was able to get this to work with Ubuntu (with minicom) without any additional drivers.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Cables Unlimited USB-2920 USB 2.0 to Serial DB9 Adapter (2.5 feet, Black)



Buy NowGet 53% OFF

Click here for more information about Cables Unlimited USB-2920 USB 2.0 to Serial DB9 Adapter (2.5 feet, Black)

Read More...

10/12/2011

ASUS RT-N16 Wireless-N Gigabit Router Review

ASUS RT-N16 Wireless-N Gigabit Router
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I have been looking for a router with decent range, speed, support for USB based external NTFS drives and last but not the least, good QoS support for VoIP phones. Another important thing that perhaps everyone wants but forgets to mention is reliability. I expect it to keep on working once it has been setup.
I have had this router for just couple of days so far and cannot comment on reliability yet, but other requirements have been met quite well. The specs were something to die for - 480MHz (capable of 533MHz) processor, 128MB RAM, 32MB ROM and runs Linux with support for bittorrent and FTP right in the firmware. Even the firmware source code is GPLed and anyone with a bit of knowledge in this area can improve it. In fact, DD-WRT (an open source Linux based firmware) is already available and works quite well with this router.
With DD-WRT installed on this router, it becomes quite a powerful computer that can serve as a web server as well as a NAS once you connect an external hard drive to the USB port. QoS and Port Forwarding have been implemented quite well in DD-WRT and is the main reason why I had to install DD-WRT within few hours of receiving the router.
[...]
I would have given the router a 4.5 rating if I could as the firmware it came with had a few bugs. I could never get port forwarding to work and also QoS setup in the original firmware is limited.
Here are some pros -
1. Gigabit ethernet, excellent processor and so the performance. Asus claims 300,000 concurrent sessions, which should be enough to handle even commercial hotspots with hundred users.
2. It has 2 USB ports that support various devices. One could connect a USB printer and a cheap external hard drive at the same time. The printer would work as a network printer (available to all computers in the network) and the USB hard drive will be available as Network Attached Storage to everyone without paying hundreds for one such device.
3. DD-WRT availability. They are constantly improving and adding features. QoS (Quality of Service) is one such feature that is needed in any household that has a VoIP phone and lot of online activity in the background like uploading videos to youtube, p2p, online gaming etc. With proper QoS setup phone service or online gaming shouldn't be affected even with other large scale online activity.
4. The original firmware is image based and looks quite nice. I found it very intuitive.
Cons -
1. Should have been dual band (separate bands for G and N traffic), the chipset supports it. I am running in mixed mode as several of my devices (iPhone, Fuze, Wii) support only G mode and in mixed G/N mode, N components operate predominantly at G speed.
2. The original firmware is buggy and I couldn't get port forwarding to work reliably after several tries. QoS, the main reason behind me upgrading from a D-Link, is not implemented as well as I expected. DD-WRT fixes both issues but first-time owners may not be savvy enough to reload a 3rd-party firmware on their brand new router.
All in all, it's an excellent purchase for the capability and price, especially when you consider Cisco charges more (sometimes twice) for routers with slower processors and much less RAM and flash memory.
Update: Updated the links since Amazon yanked them. Also would like to add that the reliability is quite good so far with DD-WRT. Has been running for 3 days straight and no issues/slowdown etc.

Click Here to see more reviews about: ASUS RT-N16 Wireless-N Gigabit Router

ASUS RT-N16 - Multi-Functional Gigabit Wireless N Router with storage,printer and media server Powerful CPU provides a high-performance throughput - Support up to 300,000 sessions for extensive P2P clients.- Most widespread application with USB2.0 port : All-in-1 printer server and FTP files sharing - Ultra-fast and Convenient Downloads with the Revolutionary Download Master

Buy Now

Click here for more information about ASUS RT-N16 Wireless-N Gigabit Router

Read More...

9/10/2011

Cables To Go 16899 USB To DB25 IEEE-1284 Parallel Printer Adapter Cable, 6 Feet Review

Cables To Go 16899 USB To DB25 IEEE-1284 Parallel Printer Adapter Cable, 6 Feet
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I bought this cable so that my 7-year old HP LaserJet 1100A printer would work with my new HP computer with Vista...even HP told me that there was nothing that would make the printer work! It DOES work and no need to override the printer driver already in the new Vista software!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Cables To Go 16899 USB To DB25 IEEE-1284 Parallel Printer Adapter Cable, 6 Feet



Buy NowGet 34% OFF

Click here for more information about Cables To Go 16899 USB To DB25 IEEE-1284 Parallel Printer Adapter Cable, 6 Feet

Read More...

7/29/2011

Canon 2454B002 imageFORMULA DR-2010C Compact Color Scanner Review

Canon 2454B002 imageFORMULA DR-2010C Compact Color Scanner
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
this could be a great product. It's affordable, it does duplex, and it's fast. Shortly after I started using it however, on multi-page scans some of the pages were blurry to the point of being unusable. I got a message that the page feeding assembly needed changing out, so I ordered a new assembly and changed it out, but with no improvement. So there seems to be a problem with the feeding mechanism, so some scans are blurry. This is a major problem. If it weren't for that defect, which I don't know if it's just my machine or widespread, it would be a great scanner.
This is a few weeks later. I am still having problems with the feeding mechanism, even after replacing it. I actually get more useful scanning out of my all-in-one Canon mf-6550. I love Canon, but I am not having a good experience with this dedicated scanner.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Canon 2454B002 imageFORMULA DR-2010C Compact Color Scanner

The DR-2010C is capable of scanning at the same impressive speeds in color, grayscale, and black and white of up to 20ppm (40ipm) up to 200dpi for letter-sized documents. Fast, high quality duplex scanning in a versatile and space-saving design, perfect for all office scanning needs, from ad-hoc to market specific. Find reliable feeding, advanced image processing functions, customizable Scan-to-Job buttons and much more for your distributed imaging applications.

Buy NowGet 46% OFF

Click here for more information about Canon 2454B002 imageFORMULA DR-2010C Compact Color Scanner

Read More...