Reviews by potatotarian

potatotarian says "my constant companion" about Palm Tungsten E Handheld

potatotarian — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 23:21:19 GMT

I've probably had my PDA for 6-7 years. I was getting tired of trying to keep up with address, phone, email changes, and all the different places I had to make my changes. So that's why I initially bought my old Palm 100. About a year later, I upgraded to the Tungsten E. The Calendar and Contacts modules are terrific.

Other great uses / applications I have on mine:
Splash ID - which keeps track of all my online passwords, web logins, my car's VIN number, the ID numbers you need for most software, voice mail passwords, etc. etc.
My Roots & PAF - I do genealogy research, and both of these programs are great for keeping track of my family history. It keeps all birth/marriage/death dates, list of siblings, etc..
Leonard Maltin's MovieGuide - - don't you just hate it when you're trying to remember what other movies Keanu Reeves was in - - or what year the movie you're watching was made?? I can search 25,000 movies and get a list for the actors or directors, etc.. Plus, there's a tab for......

potatotarian says "It started out GREAT - - - ended HORRIBLY!" about CoVista

potatotarian — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 22:32:19 GMT

I don't make many long distance calls - - - maybe a couple per year. So I hate how most of the long distance companies will charge you a minimum $5 per month, no matter what.

Then on the DrudgeReport.com was a link to CoVista. It was a long distance company that had no minimum per month charge, and you didn't have to dial a bunch of extra number to access their service. You just gave them the phone number you would be calling FROM, and then dial the 1 plus the 10 digit phone number. Great connection. No problems.

UNTIL they changed something in their billing system, and all of a sudden, they couldn't figure out how to automatically debit my checking account. So I got hit with a $15 surcharge on the CoVista webpage. I didn't know about the problem until a few days later when I looked at my bank account online to see how much last month's long distance call cost me, and there were NO charges. So I called them, was told about the changes THEY were going through, and gave them......

potatotarian says "I feel safe and secure traveling - - GREAT service!" about Tracfone

potatotarian — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 22:15:24 GMT

I first signed up with Tracfone in May 2001, and they've never disappointed me. I don't have dropped calls. I have service nationwide. My calls are crystal clear.

That being said, I don't use my cellphone a lot - - - but that's me - - I'm not a big phone person. But I carry it so if my car breaks down when I'm traveling, I can call AAA. Or if I'm meeting a friend for lunch and he's running late, I can call him. When I buy 250 minutes for a year's service, I'm probably going to carryover minutes to the next year. And that's when I call my buddy when I'm stuck in an airport and chat.

About 2 years ago, I got a new, smaller phone, and had to call customer service to have them transfer my unused minutes from my old phone. They were EXTREMELY helpful, and we completed the transfer in minutes.

Would I recommend to a friend??? Yup, I have. And two of my friends with similar attitudes about cell phones have signed on with Tracfone.

It costs me $99 per year. Not a bad deal!
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potatotarian says "almost heaven" about Banff

potatotarian — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 01:19:11 GMT

Driving from Calgary, you arrive at the entrance to the national park. You tell them how many days you'll be in Banff and you pay a daily fee to cover that time. As I drove along the highway in the park, I pulled over a couple times to get photos of the beautiful Canadian Rockies.

The town of Banff is an expensive resort town. And although I was there in "high season" (which includes July and August), I didn't really encounter any crowds. To get accustomed to the area and get an idea of what I wanted to see more of, I took two half-day tours my first full day there. The morning tour was of the immediate Banff area, the hot springs, the large castle-like Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, Lake Minnewanka and a couple other areas. Since I had also signed up for an afternoon tour, I was provided with a free lunch at a spaghetti restaurant near the bus drop-off point. (I had a special menu I could pick from, including dessert.)

The afternoon tour was of Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, which......

potatotarian says "my first high def TV" about Syntax - Olevia 537H Television

potatotarian — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 00:15:48 GMT

The first time I turned on this TV, it didn't come immediately on and I turned it off, thinking there was a problem. Finally, I realized I didn't a few extra seconds of patience for the TV picture to appear. Now that I've calmed down, I LOVE the picture on this TV - - - and watching the HD shows on cable. AMAZING picture!

The only strange thing with this TV is a couple times a week for a few intermittent minutes, I get a crackling sound from the speakers. And it's only on a couple of the high def cable channels, so I'm not positive if the problem is the TV or the cable provider.

This TV was highly rated by a major consumer group and labeled a "best buy". I paid only $650 and had free shipping to my home.

Highly recommend this product.
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potatotarian says "great for multiple components" about Philips - Prestigo 10 Device Universal Remote Control

potatotarian — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 23:59:36 GMT

"Winner of the International Consumer Electronics Show Innovations Award, this touchscreen remote replaces up to eight individual remote controls.

An easy setup wizard allows you to point the remote at one of your home audio-visual devices and select its brand from the remotes extensive database of over 3,000 devices, including televisions, digital video disc players, videocassette recorders, satellite systems, cable boxes, and home theater systems. The remote wirelessly reads your devices parameters and programs them into one of its eight reserved spaces. The backlit touchscreen LCD only displays the buttons required for the chosen system, reducing button clutter common to typica l remotes. Includes hard keys for volume, channel, mute, and menu. The remote can import information from newer, unknown devices to assimilate them into its database. Requires three AA batteries. 9 3/4" L x 2 1/4" W x 3/4" D. (8 oz.)" from Hammacher Schlemmer.

Simply put, just turn on your TV (for example), point......