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Tune in today at 12 Noon MST for a brand new live episode of Castellini on Computers.

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by visiting the KAFM web site from Noon to 1pm Mountain time.

If you have a question to ask, call 970-241-8801 extension 1 during the show!

Hardware

MoGo X54 Mouse Review - CES 2007 Update

Submitted by Adam on January 15, 2007 - 6:21pm.

It is always exciting to see all of the wonderful new toys at CES. Most of the items we see that impress us are things that we will never be able to afford. And if we could afford them, we honestly can't say that is how we would choose to spend our money.

We see speakers that are $25,000 per pair, huge TVs that cost twice as much as any car we drive, and computer systems that could double as a mission control.

All of these things are impressive, but what really impresses us are simple ideas that are affordable and we think will actually make a difference to the average technology user.

Short & Sweet S3 IS Review

Submitted by Adam on May 9, 2006 - 1:44pm.

Canon S3 IS

I went into Circuit City today because I heard a rumor that they were getting in the Canon S3 IS. This is canon's latest generation of digital camera with a 12x zoom & anti-shake. It is only a slight step up from the S2 IS (last year's model).

I do a fair amount of wedding photography in the summers and I have been looking for a spare small camera to carry as backup. I have been waiting for the S3 to hit shelves for several months, so I was excited to test it out.

Verbatim Store 'n' Go USB Hard Drive

Submitted by Rick on April 28, 2006 - 8:57pm.

Hardware

Mobile storage has taken off over the past few years. Thank goodness floppy disks are a thing of the past. Verbatim has been a leader in all things storage from CD's and DVD's to flash drives and now portable hard drives.

I tested the diminutive hard drive (the 4 gigabyte version) this week and came away impressed. The drive weighs in at less than two ounces and measure 2.75 X 2.125 X .5 inches. The Store 'n' go comes with a built-in USB 2.0 connection and a USB extension cable as well. No installation software is necessary for Windows Me, 2000 or XP machines. Windows 98 SE users can download a driver from Verbatim's web site.

LiteOn EZ-Dub external DVD burner

Submitted by Adam on April 19, 2006 - 6:17pm.

Hardware

LiteOn EZ-DUB external DVD burner

http://www.dcs-online.biz/shop/images/images/5889.jpg

This is a re-post of a review we did of the LiteOn EZ-Dub DVD burner back in December of last year. When we made the transition to the new site this review somehow never made it up. If you are looking for a great, inexpensive DVD Burner that will do it all, this one is worth a serious look!

The LiteOn EZ-Dub USB 2.0 16X DVD burner is one of the nicest priced external DVD burners we have seen. The EZ-Dub will read and write on all popular formats (DVD +/-R/RW,DL, CD-R/RW) for under $120 (in most places we checked it was under $100).

Coolest looking computer accessory ever!

Submitted by Adam on March 20, 2006 - 11:11pm.

Hardware

OK, so this item goes way beyond the spectrum of daily computer gadgets and software we typically review. But have you ever seen a cooler looking device?

In fact, not only is the ChiliBox sexy, but take a look at the box it comes in!

ChiliBox

By the way, here is what it is, directly from the press release:

ChiliBox is a SOHO server appliance that enables plug‘n’play business operation, email services, backup, and remote file access, fit right into the world of Web 2.0.

Treo vs. BlackBerry 7100t

Submitted by pcsnpixels on December 31, 2005 - 3:15pm.

Hardware

Treo vs. BlackBerry 7100t

by Adam Cochran
October 2004

First of all, it isn't really fair to either of these phones to compare them since the BlackBerry (old or new) is designed to be a very basic PDA and not a complex smartphone device. I also must admit that this review is not thorough.

Kensington WiFi Finder Plus

Submitted by pcsnpixels on December 31, 2005 - 12:45pm.

Hardware

Kensington WiFi Finder Plus

by Adam Cochran
September 2005

Kensington's WiFi Finder Plus is one of the most useful devices a portable computer users can carry in his bag.

Almost every computer on the market today comes with built-in WiFi capabilities. This means that if you are at a hotel, truck stop, campus or home that offers WiFi access, you can connect to the Internet without wires or special software.

Sandisk Sansa Audio Player

Submitted by pcsnpixels on December 31, 2005 - 12:44pm.

Hardware

SanDisk Sansa e140 MP3 player - 1 GB

by Rick Castellini
June 2005

SanDisk entered the MP3 market less than a year ago and has already taken moved to the #2 spot behind Apple. When considering a portable audio player (because you can listen to more than music), consumers NEED to look beyond the vaunted iPod. For shear ease of use and affordability SanDisk has produced some impressive new devices.

The Sansa e140 comes out of the box with enough memory to hold around 500 songs or nearly 35 hours of audio and has an FM tuner. Unlike the iPods and other hard drive based players, the Sansa uses durable flash memory to store your music or audio. Also unlike many MP3 players, the Sansa is powered by a single AAA battery. SanDisk really thought about the usability and portability of the device when designing the Sansa. If you run out of battery, you don't have to plug it into a wall, just walk into any corner market, gas station, or super market to purchase your power. Perfect for traveling.

SanDisk Digital Audio Player

Submitted by pcsnpixels on December 31, 2005 - 12:43pm.

Hardware

SanDisk Digital Audio Player
256MB
by Adam Cochran
June 2005

I love portable audio. Through the years I have carried portable radios, cassette players, and CD players.

MP3 players are one of my favorite technologies, they take away all of the disadvantages of previous forms of portable audio and increase the advantages.

For example, most MP3 players are flashed based (no moving parts). This means that you can jog, walk or hula-hoop and the device won't skip. MP3 players are also small, most being somewhere between the size of a box of matches and a pack of cigarettes (I don't smoke, I'm just making comparisons).