Reviews by blue22

blue22 says "Best of breed - with room for improvement." about Maclaren Twin Techno - Storm Grey Umbrella Stroller

blue22 — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 05:55:29 GMT

As with most products I purchase, I did a lot of research before settling on the Maclaren Twin Techno. As a 6'2" woman with a 6'2" husband, we needed a stroller that was tall enough to push comfortably without sacrificing our backs. We also needed a stroller sturdy enough to handle a big 2-1/2 year old, as well as one that could comfortably and safely accommodate a newborn. And since we frequent both parks and sidewalks, I wanted something that wouldn't get bogged down in grass, gravel, and mulch. The Maclaren was one of just a few strollers that fit the bill for all three of these requirements.

The good: The Maclaren has very tall handles (44"). My husband, my 6'8" father, and I are all comfortable pushing the Twin Techno, and none of us end up stooping or leaning; the handles really are wonderfully tall. The stroller is also very well made, and sturdy. Though it folds like an umbrella stroller, there's nothing cheap or flimsy about it. Everything seems to be reinforced by metal struts,......

blue22 says "A bad enough experience to put me off Motorola forever." about Motorola H350 Wireless Headset

blue22 — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 20:56:21 GMT

Hello, Moto. Yeah, right. Motorola provided my worst technology experience, ever.

This Bluetooth headset was no more than 90 days old when it suddenly stopped transmitting my voice. At the same time, it randomly charged (or not, as it chose), making it almost impossible to figure out whether the problem was that it wasn't charged or if it really was broken. (Turns out, it really was broken.)

And, so the horror began. If it breaks after 30 days, you can't return it to the store. You have to call Motorola service. Motorola outsources their customer service to someplace with English as a second language. Fine -- everybody's doing it these days to save the bottom line -- as long as the English that is being spoken is intelligible. I had to ask their CS rep MULTIPLE times to repeat what he was saying/asking; what should have been a 3 minute conversation lasted closer to 10, and I had no confidence that I was getting the information down right.

Once you get the address and the...

...

blue22 says "Possibly better than our TV!" about Gateway FPD1975W (Black) 19 inch LCD Monitor

blue22 — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 20:36:02 GMT

Honestly, if we kept our PC in the family room rather than in a working office, we'd probably watch movies on this LCD monitor rather than our TV. I thought I had a pretty good monitor at work -- and I'm in the media industry -- but this one absolutely blew me away.

The price was great, the picture is sharp, it's big enough that you can sit back and still see everything (hence, less eye strain), and we haven't had a minute's trouble with it so far (five months and counting).

As far as I'm concerned, this is a no-brainer purchase.

...

blue22 says "Serviceable, but not the slick and speedy PC we expected." about Gateway GT5408

blue22 — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 20:19:30 GMT

As a former interactive media director for a large media conglomerate, I'm used to fast laptops and good high-speed connections. When I read the reviews for the Gateway GT5408, I thought this would be a good desktop for my home office. I'm now wishing I'd made another choice.

Perhaps it's Vista (Microsoft's releases, as we know, are always hopelessly buggy), or maybe it's the computer itself, but IE locks up on us at least twice a day causing a reboot of the program. Shutting the computer down takes a full three minutes (?!!!?) -- really. The DVD R/W drive is finicky; a CD-R that had been working properly only minutes before suddenly "blew up" last night -- no scratches or other visible defects, but the drive would no longer read it.

On the plus side, we've been running it pretty hard over the past five months, and it hasn't blown up completely. Or, maybe that would be a good thing so we could get a new one.

No, don't waste your money. I gave Gateway the benefit of the doubt, but...

...

blue22 says "A built-to-last camera that takes consistently great photos." about Canon - Powershot A85

blue22 — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 20:06:12 GMT

I purchased the Canon Powershot A85 three years ago, just after the birth of my first son, and after extensive research on what was available. It replaced a Fuji that had begun to fail. The Powershot A85 was the perfect blend of high resolution, reasonable zoom, quality output, and good price (just under $200 at the time). I've never been disappointed with my choice.

In all the time that we've used our A85, it's never faltered in any way. After multiple drops, bumps, and handling by a toddler (not to mention literally thousands of photos), it still takes sharp pictures. In fact, I'm using it now to record all the precious moments of baby #2 -- and I wouldn't take a chance of losing those memories!

I know there will be a time when we'll have to replace our A85. In fact, some of the new Powershots are looking pretty interesting! Because we've had such a great experience with this Canon, we'll almost certainly continue to purchase the brand.

If you can find a used A85 -- buy it. ...

...