Amazon.com Product Description

Age of Empires 2 Gold Edition unites the exciting game play ofboth Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings and Age of Empires2: The Conquerors Expansion plus additional content for onecompelling gaming experience. Experience real-time evolution as youbuild your civilization into a flourishing empire, from the Dark Ageto the Imperial Age. Decide whether to conquer the world throughmilitary might, commerce and diplomacy, or intrigue andregicide. There are many paths to power but only one will reignsupreme.Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings spans 1,000 years,from the fall of Rome through the Middle Ages. Players control thedestiny of one of 13 civilizations. The game keeps the epic scope ofAge of Empires' gameplay while evolving the combat and economicfeatures. Developed by Ensemble Studios, Age of Empires 2features the expertise of Bruce Shelley, co designer of Age ofEmpires and the hit strategy game Civilization.Age ofEmpires 2: The Conquerors Expansion adds five new civilizations,four new campaigns, 11 new units, 26 new technologies, real worldmaps, and much more. Experience the adventure of the SpanishConquistadors as they enter the exotic lands of the Aztecs, or relivethe destructive force of Attila's pillaging Huns. This add-on packfocuses on the armies and military thinking of a handful of history'sgreatest tacticians, including Attila the Hun, El Cid, andMontezuma. The new civilizations each have unique attributes,buildings, and technologies, such as Chinese Rocketry and PersianMahouts. You'll put hussar cavalry, kamikaze siege units, andhalberdier infantry into battle in four all-new campaigns.Play up toeight other conquerors via modem, Internet, or LAN. ... Read more

Reviews (59)

Automated farms are great
1. Farmers start a new farm once the old one is done, you can queue. any one who ever played AOE-I knows how great that is :).
2. The addition of Gates makes for nice Castle building
3. Villagers automatically start a new task when they finish a work type building (granary, storage, town center)
4. UNIT FORMATIONS!!! my personal favorite only second to the Farm queue. It adds a whole new dimension to battle tactics. huge improvement from AOE-I
5. Advanced unit commands. Follow, Protect, Patrol, they just make this game so much nicer.
6. the ability to toggle around to your inactive (we'll call it that) villagers. "where's my whip"

All this improvements have the feel of AOE developers playing their own game and saying "gee wouldn't it be nice if we had this" they realy polished this game. It belongs in anyone's greatest games list. Easy!

Very good strategy game
I'm a fan of both Age of Empires 1 and 2. Age of Kings is a fitting improvement of the first game. The timeframe is medieval and the civilizations and technologies are appropriately tailored to that era. Graphics-wise, the game is as attractive as the first, probably more so. The buildings are proportioned better, so that a castle looks big compared to the peasants who built it. The sound effects are decent, as is the music. There some interesting maps available, and the new scenarios (Joan of Arc, William Wallace, El Cid, etc.) should keep you occupied for a while. Also, there are other game options, such as Regicide, Defend the Wonder, and Wonder Race. The AI is smart, but not unbeatable. You can now find idle villagers much easier, can queue things, units can be garrisoned, and combat units can be placed in various stances and formations. However, the game still suffers from some of the problems the first game had. For example, there is a great deal of micromanagement required. Fishing ships, instead of looking for more fish, will just sit in the water unless directed toward a fishing spot. Computer opponents tend to quickly team up against you, unless you put them on separate teams and check "allied victory" at the beginning of the game. Diplomacy is still a rather weak part of gameplay. Also, it seems that computer opponents sometimes don't quite understand the objectives of some games (such as holding a wonder for a period of time), and thus will not pose much of a challenge. Despite these shortcomings, the game has a lot to offer. It also comes with an editor that allows you to tailor much of the gameplay to your liking. I highly recommend this game to anyone who likes real-time strategy games, or enjoyed the first Age of Empires game.

Challenging till Boredom
I used to love Age of Empires but it got prety boring by year two. The map editor is fun to use. But the internet multiplayer requires you to have the same version of Age of Empires, and the same system (Mac/Window) as the person you are playing with. The bottom line is buy this only if you have some buddies that have this too.

Clap Clap Microsoft
I must put my hands together to Microsoft for producing this game, for it has kept me going for months (from the 25th December 2003 to the 31st of May (and that was because I got a new game!)). Two of the ongoeings of the best game ever made makes this the best stragity game pack money can buy!

This game is outstanding.
I would truelly say that this was one of the greatest games ever created for Pc. Microsoft deserves praise for this stradegy game. I recommend this game to anyone who loved Red Alert or Sim City. Please check it out. ... Read more

Product Description

Microsoft Outlook 2003(Gabbys Great Price! Limit 1 Copy Per Customer).Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 provides an integrated solution for managing and organizing e-mail messages, schedules, tasks, notes, contacts, and other information. Outlook 2003 delivers innovations you can use to manage your communications, organize your work, and work better with others all from one place. Manage and Prioritize Your Communication Organize information better to help save time and be more productive. Let Outlook Do Work for You Outlook can help you get the information you need and block the information you don't need to stay productive. Work with Others More Easily Work together better and help protect against the misuse and unwanted distribution of key company information. ... Read more

Features

• New Navigation Pane easily accesses Contacts, Calendar, Tasks, Folders, Shortcuts and Journal
• Access, send, and receive e-mail messages from multiple accounts -- including work, personal or Web-based accounts
• Outlook 2003's Reading Pane, now on the right side of the screen, displays twice as much content, with reduced scrolling
• Group messages by date, size, conversation, subject, importance or other criteria for easy retrieval
• Quick Flags let you flag messages by priority or time sensitivity

Reviews (23)

Outlook is good but it is not for everybody!
Outlook is a very powerful program that can do a lot of stuff but most users do not use more than 10% of Outlooks functionality.If you are one of these users I suggest not getting Outlook but look at some alternatives.For instance try Mozilla's Thunderbird email program.It is a very good email program with a lot of functionality and great spam protection.The best part about an alternative email program like Thunderbird is that it's free!Since Thunderbird is open source software anyone who wants to help work on it can.Thunderbird is worked on by millions of programmers around the world who want to use a better email program.It's user friendly and easy to install.Find it by doing a Web search for Mozilla Thunderbird.

Still Looking For A Better Mouse Trap!
I have always given Outlook a second chance every time Microsoft comes out with a new version and some reason or another I end up switching back to something else.

I really like the concepts of having an "all-in-one" package for email, contacts, appointments, etc; But Microsoft needs to start paying more attention to detail on email functionality.

After using Outlook 2003 for about a year now, here are some annoyances that are driving me away from this product.

1.) Cannot add my own email filters and filter rules. This feature should be a given and my biggest complaint. Why do I need to rely on Microsoft to update Junk Email filters for me? Other email clients (Such as Netscape) allow me to add a filter for certain key words and an action such as "send to trash" if it encounters those key words.

2.) Junk Email features are a joke. Again, anchored on my 1st complaint, if junk email arrives in my inbox, I have to add the sender to the block senders list. This is fine if the sender always uses the same return address, but as you know with spammers, this is never the case. Also, Outlook waits to inform me that the email is junk AFTER I've opened the email.

3.) Too much security, and no control. Is there such thing as too much security? I believe there is if I can't control what I want enabled and disabled without a bunch of registry hacks.
Instead of Microsoft making the decision for me of what I can view or cannot view as an attachment, I would prefer to make that decision for myself.

4.) Favorite Email Folders is a stupid and useless feature and you can't get rid it. This window is just useless clutter, but yet again, we have no control of what's displayed in the outlook window. Enough said.

5.) Forwarded messages arrive as attachments, no way to change this. Another big complaint of mine. If a message was forwarded 3,4 or more times, I have keep drilling down through the attachments for each time the message was forwarded just to get to the original message. Ultimately you end up with x number of useless windows open cluttering up your taskbar and x number of windows I have to close once I'm done reading the original message. If a message was forwarded 4 times before it got to me, that's 4 times I have to double click an attachment and 4 extra windows open. It would be nice to have the option to have all forwarded messages contained within the same message body instead as an attachment.

Not for people on dial-up
I think that this version of Outlook would be perfect if I weren't on dial-up: Outlook seems to be incapable of doing anything relating to your HTTP or IMAP email folders without checking the server, to the point that you can't even access them offline. The fact that Outlook has to check the server almost evrey time you do anything to your email can really be grating on dial-up. Maybe there's a way to stop the constant reference to the server, but I haven't found it.

It also has an annoying habit of locally replacing one of my two Hotmail accounts with the other, necessitating that I remove and recreate the "corrupt" account.

Seeing as how I don't use many of Outlook's other bells and whistles, I can't comment on the broader program, but apart from that signficant headache, it works fairly well.

Need to fix PCS
Generally good, but two bugs remain from before:
1)Outlook PCS, which offers the only hope of exchangingwith a PDA contact date organized into subfolders, is so buggy as to be unusable.A little effort by MS could make it great.
2)Appointments still get totally screwed up if you change time zones on the computer.Have to work around by pretending that you're in your home time zone when you travel, but just change the clock time.

Works Great
New interface and features are nice. I use OpenOffice.org instead of Microsoft Office, so a can't comment on the Microsoft Office integration.

Didn't notice any "AdWare" as stated by another reviewer.

I upgraded from Outlook 2000 and it went flawlessly. Found all my Rules, customized folders and Accounts without any setup.

Until the Open Source community provides an alternative on a Microsoft platform, I'll continue to use Microsoft Outlook. For $90.00, you can't beat it.

Thanks for a great product Microsoft. ... Read more

Product Description

Intuit Quicken 2005 Mac.Quicken 2005 for Mac helps you save, invest and track your profits in minutes. Express Account Setup* makes it faster and easier to set up new accounts in your Quicken software, while exclusive tools help you minimize taxes, manage your investments and track your home inventory. Built exclusively for the Mac, Quicken works with iCal** and iPhoto,** so Mac customers can make better use of special Mac OS X features!System Requirements Computer: Macintosh with PowerPC processorOperating System: Mac OS 10.2.8, Mac OS 10.3.4Memory: 128 MB RAMHard Disk Space: 40 MB (100 MB to install)Monitor: Color monitor with at least 1024x768 resolution and thousands of colorsCD-ROM Drive: Double speed (4X or higher recommended for multimedia)Internet Connection: 56 Kbps or faster modem required to access online features ... Read more

Features

• Track home inventory and value; convenient iCal calendar
• Save, invest, and track profits in minutes
• Download banking, credit card, and brokerage transactions
• Track spending; manage investments; prepare for tax time
• Track portfolio performance; read news stories related to holdings

Reviews (29)

Do not buy Quicken 2005
This product is a waste of time. You can not get MAC support from Quicken and Quicken is trying to hold users of Quicken 2002 hostage by disabling the down loading feature from financial institutions. Stop using Quicken now - why pay an extra $10 for the Mac version for an inferior version. Buy Moneydance instead, its only $30.

Worthless
I recently switched from Microsoft to Mac and found that this is just about the only financial software written for Mac.I have found it to be very buggy.Some "features" don't work and customer support is non-existant.Downloading account information is just about as difficult as setting up online features.I really do not trust this software.Each week I sit with a calculator and double check the figures.Often Quicken has made "adjustments" for my accounts and I have to fudge figures to get them correct.Next year I will be going back to Microsoft and one of my first software puchases will be Microsoft Money!

Poor comparison to Windows version
I recently switched to Mac from Windows, and was happy to see that Quicken offered a Mac version. I've been happily using the windows version for some time, downloading transactions from Bank of America painlessly and enjoying the calendar feature that shows your account balances. I LOVED quicken. None of my favorite features are available in the Mac version. In order to download transactions into the mac version you have to individually download every account's information, and import them into quicken (one account at a time)--even after all that work quicken crashes if you have too many transactions. This is a complete 180 from my carefree experiences with the windows version. Basically, this program is a poor imitator-- unbelievably frustrating. I do not understand how they can offer this as quicken 2005 when it offers so few of the features of quicken 2005 for windows. Save your $$-- this program will make you crazy.

Quicken drops web connect for older versions??
I've benn using Quicken 2002 for Mac to download web connect statements from Bank of America California for years, when suddenly today I get an error message saying "Quicken is currently unable to verify the financial institution informantion for this download."

Why on earth would Quicken disable part of the program that I spent $60 bucks on? Is this Intuit's way of forcing me to spend another $60 to upgrade to the latest version of Quicken that so many people (here and at Intuit's Quicken Mac forum) are complaining about?

If this is the case I'm dumping Quicken and switching over to Moneydance. It's a great Mac personal finance program that I've been experimenting with for a few months now. It's only $30 and their tech support personally replies to my emails within 24 hours.

Is Quicken abandoning their Mac customers? If so, why would we upgrade? And why does Apple include Quicken with iMac?

A good product, but not much has changed over the years
I have used Quicken for many years. It is a great tool to track my account balances and my stock portfolio. I upgraded from 2002 to 2005 without much incident. Some numbers were off, but I think it was due to bugs in the old version. The new version has some bug fixes and is a little faster than the 2005 version. Otherwise, I can't see much of any improvement in the past three years. I don't use the program for online banking, so that may be one reason I don't see as many problems with the program as others.

I actually wanted to switch to the Windows Quicken version, but the latest Windows version does not support QIF files, so there is no way for me to get the Mac data over to the Windows side, unless I get Quicken 2004 for Windows. I guess I will stick with the Mac version for now. ... Read more

Product Description

Affordable portable performance.

Fully loaded with a powerful G4 processor, a 5400-rpm 80GB hard drive, 512MB of memory, a faster-burning 8x SuperDrive and a nifty scrolling trackpad, the 15-inch PowerBook G4 boasts features few notebook computers can match.

With a processor speed of 1.67GHz, DDR RAM capacity up to 2GB, a light 5.6-pound weight and thin 1.1-inch design, the 15-inch PowerBook gives you the ideal balance between power and portability. Work and play in millions of colors on a stunning 15.2-inch (diagonal) widescreen display with 1280 x 854 pixel resolution that’s ideal for watching movies in their original wide-screen format. You can also make movies of your own with the included iMovie HD software, or get Final Cut Pro HD for more advanced video editing, compositing and special effects. And thanks to its built-in DVI port, you even have the option of connecting your PowerBook to Apple’s breathtaking Cinema Displays. Add optional dual-link DVI capability and 128MB of graphics memory and your 1.67GHz 15-inch PowerBook even supports the massive 30-inch Cinema HD Display.

As Smart as It Looks
The sleek exterior is as stunning as ever. The 15-inch PowerBook G4 comes with all the refinements and esthetic touches that make it the most coveted full-featured notebook computer on the planet: elegant aluminum construction, 1.1-inch thin design, slot-loading 8x SuperDrive and a brilliant illuminated keyboard. On the inside, a faster PowerPC G4 processor, a standard 5400-rpm 80GB hard drive, powerful graphics, up to 2GB of RAM and Mac OS Xthe world’s most advanced operating systemcombine to deliver off-the-charts performance.

Built for Speed
Inside the 15-inch PowerBook G4 is a screamingly fast 1.67GHz PowerPC G4 processor with Velocity Engine. Advanced processor design and memory architecture are among several core advantages that enable the PowerBook G4 to pack ... Read more

Reviews (11)

A word of caution
Apple needs to improve quality control and product support. The superdrive stopped working when laptop was 6 weeks old.Sent to Apple repair on April 4 and was informed 5 days later after I called that replacement wouldn't be available until end of April. New Superdrive could be quality control problem like permanent white spots on screens and batteries that catch fire of earlier models. Pity, because everything else about the machine is simply superb.

The Holy Grail of Laptop Computing
I have a friend of a friend who works at an Apple store and just recenlty he let me play with all the new stuff, some old stuff too and here is my impression of the new, improved 15 inch PowerBook. First off, and I feel like shouting this, but I won't, "It's about time Apple put out a computer that had enough memory in it to actually run it!" I have an old G3, 14 inch iBook and right off the bat I had to buy more memory, bumping it up to 640 megs, so knowing this baby comes with 512 right out the door, will bring a sigh of relief to anybody thinking of buying one.

The screen on this baby is gorgeous, no reading glasses for me here. This machine is svelte and sleek, comes with Airport Extreme built in. Has all the usual ports, plus FireWire 800 and it's crowning jewel, in my humble opinion, is the backlit keyboard. Apple claims it's ten times brighter than the old model. I can attest to the fact that it's brighter, but ten times, I don't know, I didn't see it. However, it's plenty bright enough to work in the dark. This 1.67 GHz model comes with a Superdrive and a scrolling trackpad (which I didn't mention in my other reviews). I found the trackpad scrolling business to be a little annoying, but no matter you can turn it off in System Prefs if you want. However, I imagine once you get used to it, one might find it darned handy.

Compared to my aging, but still working like a champ iBook, this baby screams. And the 80 gig hard drive gives you plenty of room to load up those MP3s to play in iTunes.

This, in my opinion, is not only the best PowerBook of the bunch, but the best laptop ever made. It is truly the Holy Grail of laptop computing. Apple has really gone and got it right this time.

Jack Priest, Sailor home from the Sea

tens years later... back from retirement
Had to return an hp laptop because it refused to cooperate.ProTools Le was too much for it.
I didn't want a powerbook, I needed one.
The blend of beauty and pleasure shocked me when I booted it up the first time.
Slipped in the gig of pc 2700 ram with no problems.
It hasn't complained once.
The superdrive is super-intuitive and easily backed up a full dvd in as much time as my pc would burn files to cd-r.
All my peripherals are compatible with osx.3.8 (which I had to download from apple...breezy.)
I'm enjoying the interface, a lot less clicks and menus to access files.
Got giggly about the zoom feature for the display.
When's the last time your pc made you smile?

In short, my g4 is the perfect houseguest.

Apple PowerBook Notebook
This is one of the best notebook PC's on the market. This has a 1.67GHz PowerPC G4 Processor which isn't too fast but it's pretty fast for the Apple computers. 512 MB RAM is just perfect but I would recommend 1GB or 2GB. 80 Gigabyte Hard Drive is really nice and it's almost the largest hard drive (100GB is the largest). It has a SuperDrive which can do whatever you want it to do. The styling on this notebook is no wonderful and comes with all the ports and features. 15.2" is pure beauty and the graphics on this thing are great. Here are the specifications of this laptop.

Processor| PowerPC G4
Screen Size (Inches/Diagonal)| 15
Optical Disc Drive| DVD+-RW / CDRW Combo
Hard Drive (GB)| 80
Memory - Processing RAM included| 512MB
Memory - Processing RAM Maximum| 2GB
Memory - Video RAM| 64MB Dedicated
Screen Resolution - Maximum| 1280x854
Wireless Capability| Built-in
Connection - Wireless Network 802.11| 802.11b / 802.11g
Connection - Wireless Bluetooth| Yes
Connection - Sound| In/Out
Connection - RJ11| Yes
Connection - RJ45| Yes
Connection - Video| Out
Operating System| Apple Macintosh OS X
Software| Pre-Installed by Manufacturer
Unit Dimensions - High| 1
Unit Dimensions - Long / Wide| 14
Unit Dimensions - Deep| 10
Unit Weight - Approximate with Battery| 6.0
Manufacturer's Warranty - Hardware| 1 Year
Manufacturer's Warranty - Software| 1 Year

Source: www.jr.com

if you're a heavy pc user, don't switch
I have Powerbook G4, purchased Nov 04, Mac OSX 10.3.8, 1.5 Ghz, upgraded RAM to 768MB.
If you're new to computing, or use Mac for non-business applications (heavy on graphics and creative work) it's probably a good choice.If you use Outlook (not Express) heavily, or use Powerpoint, Excel, and Word a lot and like XP, then the Mac is a snoozer.
reasons not to buy:
1-you pay a lot to get it to do the things a PC with updated Microsoft Office Professional Suite already does, and it never is quite as good...Mac Powerpoint feels pokier (saving, just in keeping up with my typing), Mac Excel toolbar gets on top of/in the way of my worksheets (haven't figured out how to make it go to the back), Outlook just isn't replicated at all on the Mac (unless you get Virtual PC)...Entourage just lacks the functionality
2-doesn't seem to handle the WEP password protocol on my Linksys wireless home network...even the folks at the Apple store said I wouldn't be able to get the DHCP security to work with my PC-based home network
3-Filevault....oooh, what a liability. Much touted file encryption will scramble and destroy files that are open if the Mac also goes into the won't-wake-up-again-sleep mode problem that it has. Though I never diagnosed this completely, I lost a number of key working files that may have been open when the Mac went into sleep mode (read:crashed) while I had Filevault going.I lost saved versions, and they're completely unrecoverable.Later the guys in the Apple store said they never use Filevault...it's "scary", they said.
4-Certain applications, like Visual Basic, aren't available for the Mac yet.
5-switching cost is high...getting contacts and files migrated over to the Powerbook took me a long time, and some of it is never the same. The contacts from outlook to entourage aren't organized the same (due to the fact that entourage contacts aren't as full-featured, lack some key fields), and the pc directories are only useful as read-only...I can't edit files in my pc folders and save them back into those folders (must have been some drive formatting issue that carried over); ripple effect of switching means you have to buy a lot of stuff new (back up drives, antivirus software, disk management software, backup AC cables, if you travel, etc.)
6-if you like XP, the Mac is NOT intuitive.What used to be left is now right, what's top is now bottom.I keep my mouse to the right of the screen (out of the way of typing)...but now important buttons like close/minimize are on the left, increasing mouse travel time.PC's usually have a disk drive light that lets you know the PC is working on something that involves the drive.I liked that...very intuitive way to let me know the PC is busy.No such light on the Mac.
7-you may have problems listening to Sirius radio on Safari; I needed to use Internet Explorer (Hah!much touted Mac browser useless for audio?), and even then can't get fully functional display due to some Mac technicality, according to Sirius techs.

reasons to buy:
1-Largely virus-free because virus writers get more leverage attacking pc's (more market penetration and more business focused); this is a blessing because I found Norton AV '04 to be dysfunctional, glad not to have to deal with it anymore.
2-Supposedly faster processing due to more streamlined operating system, though I don't find the mac to be any more responsive than even a lower priced pc
3-Faster boot-up and shutdown.
4-Fewer crashes-true, though not infallible either; mac's version of the PC blue screen is that some won't wake up after going to sleep
5-cool keyboard, backlit in the dark; very romantic and pretty.

Rating of 3 stars indicates sameness...it's as good as a PC, just different.I wouldn't recommend it for someone who's switching from XP expecting something superior. ... Read more

Product Description

PowerBook G4 Notebook, PowerPC G4 1.5GHz Processor, 512MB RAM, 80GB Hard Drive, 12.1-inch XGA TFT Display, 8X DVD+/-RW SuperDrive, Mac OS X Panther v10.3 ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Super Slow
The Apple 8X Superdrive only burns at a speed of 2X!!! Many owners are having that problem and Apple refuse to address it to the public.I suggest people that are thinking of buying this unit save the $200 and buy an external burner, you can burn DL disk and at a faster speed.

(...)

Everything else about the computer im happy with, but if I know it takes 35mins for me to burn one full dvd I would saved my money and buy a faster external drive.

It's the Battery, Stupid
Apple still can't seem to include a reliable battery in anything they produce. I've begun associating their products with the old adage: "Die young and leave a good looking corpse." This is because the damn things just don't go the distance without being plugged in constantly. Apple continues to use poor batteries in the iPod (sure they last longer on a charge, but see how many charge cycles you get before a single charge begins to take twelve hours to complete and then only three hours to drain.)

The saga continues here. I take this laptop into school and rarely do I reach the end of the day before the damn thing croaks off into sleep mode due to a drained battery after maybe four hours of use. For a product whose main purpose is to provide mobile computing in a solid, sturdy frame, this kind of battery life is just pathetic. I find myself all-too-often picking and choosing times to use it so I can make it last all day. This is not the kind of "freedom" I enjoy in my over-priced, ultra-portable computer (especially when numerous PC laptops go twice the distance for less cost.)

Aside from the battery issue, this is an excellent machine that delivers all the TV-commercial whiz-bang that it promises. If you use Toast, this burns CDs way faster than comparable PCs. The included software also blows doors on anything you'd find in a prepackaged PC. The keyboard is really nice and really takes a beating (unlike the iBook keys whose letters wear off the keyboard.) It has all the ports you need and none you don't. The aluminum body still looks sharper than any PC on the market and, although tiny, this laptop still feels like a tank without packing on the pounds.

As for faults, the WIFI detection could be stronger and the monitor lacks sharpness in outdoor areas while losing all contrast when subjected to even semi-direct sunlight. In other words, don't confuse these laptops with Apple's Cinema Displays. DVD playback is fine but will suck down the battery in no time.

Now that Tiger has been released, consider waiting until it comes pre-loaded. I've had my G4 for two months and definitely feel cheated about my newly-old Panther OS. Being the only major company to produce its own OS and the machines it runs on, it surprises me that Apple doesn't take better care of its hardware customers by offering free upgrades to very recent computer purchasers. Being asked to pay $130 for Tiger less than a month after the G4 hits my credit card bill is not a great way to convert me into a Mac Evangelist. I also own a PC am not loyal to either format.

Apple's are the best
If you are looking for a worry-free and just plain out fun computing experience then look no further than this Powerbook, or any mac that you can afford. I own the 1.33ghz 12" PowerBook and upgraded the RAM to 512mb - For those of you new to the Mac World 256 just won't cut it when it comes to OS X. I just installed the new version of Mac OS X Tiger on my PowerBook Today, and boy does it fly. This PowerBook is Perfect for Students (Like myself) I use to have a 15" but it use to weigh me down everyday walking around Campus. If you have an external Monitor buy the 12" load it up with as much RAM as possible (1.25gb) and you've got your self a great desktop replacement, and a great portable notebook. - Battery Life: Between 3-4hrs depending on what I'm doing. All in All a Great Notebook, Just get a good case for it and a Sleeve, because the Aluminum Case dings real easily.

Super Fast, Super Compact, Super Computer
I have a friend of a friend who works at an Apple store and just recenlty he let me play with all the new stuff, some old stuff too and here is my impression of the new, improved 12 inch PowerBook. First off, and I feel like shouting this, but I won't, "It's about time Apple put out a computer that had enough memory in it to actually run it!" I have an old G3, 14 inch iBook and right off the bat I had to buy more memory, bumping it up to 640 megs, so knowing this baby comes with 512 right out the door, will bring a sigh of relief to anybody thinking of buying one.

The screen is too small for my tired eyes, but if you're young and seeing 20/20 or don't mind reading glasses that shouldn't be a problem. This machine is small and sleek, comes with an Airport Extreme card built in. This model comes with a Superdrive and that, plus the fact that you get twenty more gigs of HD space with this model, is the only difference between it and the one selling for 200 dollars less. So if you don't want to record DVDs you might want to look at the more inexpensive model.

Compared to my aging, but still working like a champ iBook, this baby screams. And the 80 gig hard drive gives you plenty of room to load up those MP3s to play in iTunes.

The machine does not, however, come with one of those nifty, light up in the dark keyboards and you don't get a FireWire 800 port, 400 only, but I guess Apple had to give them up, due to size considerations. But as I said, this machine screams, really screams and for 1700 bucks, it's a deal. It would have been nice if Apple could have figured out a way to engineer a G5 chip into the machine, but, I suppose they are still too hot and a fan or fans would have made this silent marvel both noisy and bigger. Anyway all in all I have to say, well done Apple. Five stars and worth every one.

Jack Priest, Sailor home from the Sea

The best gets better
I bought the second generation of 12" PowerBook (1.0GHz) and just upgraded to the latest version of the same laptop (1.5GHz).To the Windows fan who says the fonts look bad and that there is no software, I say quit trolling and learn the facts.To everyone else I say that Apple's smallest PowerBook is a terrific machine, running a terrific OS.

Now the XP guy might say that I'm just another Mac zealot, but that is not the case.I am actually writing this on an IBM ThinkPad, and always own one laptop on each platform (I have no use for desktops, though).The simple fact is that some things are better on the Mac (stability, lack of viruses, user interface) while others are better on the PC (games, compatibility with unusual devices, availability of obscure software titles).The Mac is a better system, in my opinion, for the average home user, but for advanced users it will depend on what you do and what you like.

While Apple does have the better operating system, their hardware is sometimes second-rate.Yes, the 12" PowerBook is lovely, but the aluminum enclosure transmits heat (its a conductor) and while not hot enough to damage anything, it does get hot enough to be uncomfortable on your lap.It is also heavy at 4.6lbs where many 12" laptops, even those with optical drives like the PowerBook weigh less than 4lbs.Finally, my ThinkPad only requires one screw and no dissassembly to replace the hard drive.Seven screws and no dissasembly to replace the keyboard.Keyboards are one of the most common items to fail on laptops, and as programs get larger and people collect more music and video, many users want to upgrade their hard drives, not to mention replace a failed or older drive that is getting noisy.

No computer is perfect, they are all trade-offs.In the grand scheme of things, I give the current 12" PowerBook 4 stars.or the frequent traveller who wants an optical drive built-in, it is not the lightest choice, but it is the best. ... Read more

Product Description

Microsoft Money 2005 Deluxe.This software includes all of the basic functions of Microsoft Money Standard, including the ability to download financial statements, automatic account balance, checkbook balance and more. You can also use the additional features, including credit center, debt reduction planner, tax estimator and financial events modeler to get a more in-depth picture of your financial health. Achieve all of your financial goals and manage your money like never before. FeaturesBalance your checkbook, pay bills online, download financial statements and moreVisit the Credit Center to view a summary of debts, learn about credit card management and more Make tax season easier by preparing year round with the Tax Estimator tools to estimate taxes, find hidden deductions, estimate capital gains and more Download banking, credit card and other financial information to make balancing accounts even easier Track your investments using the portfolio tools Achieve your financial goals with the debt reduction planner ... Read more

Features

• Get help with credit and debt; simplify taxes
• Personal finance software with award-winning Portfolio Manager
• Automatically consolidates online financial information
• Essential tools for improving credit and organizing taxes
• Stay up-to-date on accounts and transactions

Reviews (54)

Not Ready For Beta Testing
Imagine if Microsoft Word crashed every time a period or capital letter was used or when opening saved documents some of the paragraphs appeared twice.Such is the state of affairs of Microsoft Money 2005.I have been using Microsoft Money since 1996; while it was never perfect, it basically did what it promised.I have also used the portfolio manager on the MSN website which is a subset of the Money program with a similar interface. Others have written about problems downloading bank and credit card statements; this review will focus on the portfolio manager.

The portfolio manager is the part of Money that keeps track of investment accounts. It is not unusual for multiple income families to own quite complicated investment portfolios including 401Ks, IRAs and college savings accounts.Something went very wrong in the fall of 2004 when Microsoft upgraded their software to Money 2005.Gone is the ability to analyze a single account or groups of accounts; you are forced to analyze your entire portfolio. When entering new equity transactions, Money used to allow you to simply enter the trading symbol and it would quickly find the name of the company and other information, now you must follow a wizard and enter the information by hand.Previously, you could enter a back dated transaction and it would guess a price using the closing price for the day (this is very useful for watch accounts); now you must manually enter the information.

The worse part has been the removal of the associated cash accounts.I never really appreciated the separate cash accounts until Microsoft removed them.For those unfamiliar with software, here is the basic concept.Say you own an account with a discount broker like Fidelity or Vanguard that holds six mutual funds.Associated with that account is a cash account in which you add and remove cash, collect dividends and conduct other transactions into and out of the account.When you sell a mutual fund, the proceeds are put into the cash account; similarly, cash is taken from the account when you buy shares of an investment.Prior versions of Money created a distinct cash account associated with a specific investment account.You could open the account, view the transaction history and correct any errors.In Money 2005, when you create a new account it simply asks for the initial cash balance.Money then automatically mismanages this account by recording dividends twice and mishandling sales proceeds.Furthermore, money will not allow you to record interest dividends, contributions or redemptions.There is no way to view the history at all; Money simply gives you the current value in a little box.When errors occur, the fix from Microsoft is to simply change the amount in the little box to the correct value.If you access the cash account too often it begins to create multiple cash accounts labeled #2, #3 leading to cash account nightmare.

Microsoft did an upgrade to the software this weekend (May 20, 2005).They have added more features and unfortunately more bugs; I have not noticed anything that has been fixed.New problems include: 1) updates are no longer stored on the MSN server preventing you from accessing up-to-date account information from multiple computers (this may be a temporary problem); 2) investments that lack a trading symbol, such as specialty funds available through certain 401Ks or 529 plans, are no longer supported.You can see the investment in your portfolio but you cannot record "buys" or other transactions; 3) information contained in watch accounts, such as year-to-date performance was lost after the upgrade.

I hope once Microsoft is finished adding features to their Money 2005 software they will work on bringing it from Alpha to Beta quality.Perhaps, after a year or two of Beta testing, Microsoft will be ready to release Money 2005 (or 2008) for general sale.Until then, I do not see how they can legally be selling software that fails to perform its basic functions.

stay away!
I bought Microsoft Money 2005 thinking it would help me get a grasp on my post-college finances. And it would, if it ever worked.

For one thing, the auto-update from bank account feature is a joke. It only works maybe 10% of the time, and every once in a while it would stop working for a week or two at a time. When that happened one time, I decided to try to send in an email to MS... they ask for your Product ID but its impossible to get to because of ANOTHER error. And then I tried to delete the accounts I had in there and re-add them but it didnt allow me to do that.

This program is a sad, sorry joke and I am puzzled asto how Microsoft could gain a foothold in this software genre with junk like this. A total waste of money.

WHAT A PIECE OF #$% !!!
I agree with almost every negative review on this board. In comparison with 2004 edition, this one is just plain HORRIBLE. It looks prettier (kind of), but that's as far as it goes. I've been using MS Money since 2000, and I've enjoyed every upgrade; they've all been quite satisfactory save this monstrous creation. I haven't just used Money only, I've tried out Quicken 3 times, once back 4 years ago, another a year ago, and a week ago. It's too inflexible & the graphs stink.

Every time I do an internet update, it duplicates every account with some generic name (I track 3 checkings, 4 savings, 2 credit cards, 1 cash on hand, & 2 loans). I am NOT going to rename all the accounts again & redo every transaction with all the splits.

As far as MS Money 2005 goes:
I tried to do an update with CapitalOne, and it failed time after time. It also took flipping forever to do any of the updates! I wish I could have let the default setting NOT update news articles. I'm here to balance my checkbook, track settings, & budget, forecast, I don't care about news. I would love to elaborate further, but the arteries in my forhead would explode from my frustration.

Because I couldn't even get the program to KIND OF work, I wish I could give it ZERO stars. I refuse to spend countless hours (more) to try to get this piece of crud working; pen & paper IS BETTER than this program. Back to 2004 I go (until they release a HUGE compilative fix for all this poo).

Please do not buy - it is painful!
I have been a user of Money for years, and I love(d) it. However, my upgrade from 2004 to 2005 has been so problematic and frustrating. I cannot recommend that anyone purchase this product.

Money 2005 decided it would be fun to duplicate all of my transactions, and split every split transaction into several separate and unlabeled, uncategorized transactions. This caused my balances to be off in several accounts by as much as $80,000! And for some inconceivable reason, Money then decided to TRIPLE many of my transactions, leaving me with a lovely (but completely incorrect) account balance of $122,000. This problem occurs not only in my accounts that I download to, but also in my hand-entered accounts, like cash.

In addition, all of my categories have been tripled.

I have spent days waiting for email responses (both of which were completely unhelpful and did not address my problems), and I've spent over an hour on a long-distance phone call (Why in the world does Microsoft not provide a 1-800 number for tech support? Is it because they know they will get 100's of calls a day?), getting incredibly lame responses like "oh, just delete those hundreds of accidental duplicate transactions."

I find this product to be incomplete, frustrating, time-consuming and useless. I will be going back to Money 2004.

Lots of Potential Overshadowed by Problems
MS Money Deluxe 2005 has a lot of potential but has bugs that make it a waste of time.

First: accounts are updated by institution.If you close an account at that institution, you cant close it in Money unless you close that institution entirely in Money.Also, for some reason, accounts get duplicated in Money.If you want to delete the duplicate, you have to delete all accounts for institution.the only solution I found was to manually "adjust" the duplicate account to 0.

Second: Want to make an alternate budget plan for when your life changes? (like after school, after marriage, new job, lost job, ect...?) The new Money file you will open to do this will incorporate only SOME of your accounts, and will erase your old budget entirely, making you work from scratch.

Third: Want to use your money file on multiple computers?Say, when out of town, work with it on your laptop, then update those changes on your desktop?NO way--you can view the changes on the other computer if you let MS have all your financial info stored on the web, but you cant work the same file on both machines. You can save your data to the web from one machine and then use that data in a new file on the other machine, but some accounts do not get incorporated onto your new file, and changes to your budget do not get incorporated onto your new file.

Fourth:Why in the world can't you take your money file, work with it on one computer, back it up to a floppy, and work with it on another computer???Imagine having a word processor that would only let you view and edit your documents on the original machine where it was created?THAT WOULD BE ABSURD, AND THAT IS WHAT MS MONEY DOES?!!MS purposefully went to great lengths to make this software IMPOSSIBLE TO USE IN ANY MEANINGFUL PRODUCTIVE WAY.

I hate MS money now.It is not expensive, but when you spend hours and hours trying to fix problems until you realize that there is nothing you can do, it is very frustrating.An excel spreadsheet is easier, If you have good handwriting a pencil and paper is better.THIS SOFTWARE IS JUNK. ... Read more

Product Description

Microsoft OneNote 2003.OneNote 2003 is a new program in the Microsoft Office System that enables you to capture, organize, and reuse your notes on laptop computers, desktop computers, or Tablet PCs. It gives you one place to store all your notes and the freedom to work with them how you want. OneNote 2003 also helps you capture information in multiple ways and then organize and use it according to your needs.OneNote 2003 combines the freedom and flexibility of paper notes with the efficiency and power of digital organizational tools, enabling you to work with your notes and information more productively.Capture Information in Multiple Ways Take notes and collect information the way you want. Organize Information Easily Organize your notes the way you want and be more productive. Access Information Quickly Have one convenient place to capture all of your notes and information. Reuse and Share Notes Easily OneNote makes it easy to reuse and share your notes after you have captured them. ... Read more

Features

• Great for in meetings, classes, phone conferences, and more
• Capture and use notes on laptop or desktop computers or Tablet PCs
• Versatility of paper notes; efficiency of digital organizational tools
• Capture info in multiple ways; store in one place; easy to use
• Be more productive anywhere you work with notes

Reviews (10)

Excellent Product!
Think of this as a tabbed notepad program that can take input from just about any source, index all the words and allow you to search them.(though searching could be beefed up - with that improvement, it could blow away infoSelect or AskSam)

The tabbing has two levels.Across the top are the tabs for different projects. down the side are different pages for each project.

For instance, I am studying for the Teradata Physical Implementation certification test. I created a project tab for the test.I created page tabs for each chapter of the study guide. on each page, I type the learning goals for each chapter (posed as questions) and answer them.I scan in any diagrams that I feel are important.with my Wacom graphics tablet, I write notes and impressions on the charts.I also scan in the chapter test questions and then answer them.for me this has been a very productive study method.

I know it got off to a troubled start, but the 2003 version is VERY good, so don't let old impressions steer your buying decisions.

Very Cool Product for Organizing
Contrary to what some people say, this product is very useful and does exactly what its is advertised to do. I use it to keep writing notes and ideas together. I took 81 pages of Microsoft Word documents and consolidated them into my notebook.It lacks the ability to create a completely separate notebook and does not save one notebook into a complete section rather saves in files and sections.Those two are the only downfalls of the product. Hopefully Microsoft will fix that next time.

so so quality but very bad service
I bought one , but it is not convinient for those that with the touch pad, it is hard to write unless you have pen.
also I bought hope there will be a rebate, but they said the coupon must be original, but they did not send me the one, which means they give you better hope but not real result.
that is bad feeling!!! very bad!! since then I willnever buy one microsoft product privately.

Very efficient and easy to use
This is a very well thought out program, that makes it much easier to stay organized and take notes quickly. I find that I am able to type far quicker than I can write, so taking notes is much easier on the computer. Plus, afterwards, it's a lot easier to reorganize or rearrange digital notes than paper notes. You can click anywhere and start typing, just like you can do in a "real" notebook.

One of the best features (that makes this surpass Word for any type of note-taking situation) is that you do not need to save, EVER. I have accidentally lost power on my PC and not lost any information. It's quick to load, and loads to the last "page" in your notebook that you were using, which makes getting started fast really easy.

The only thing I have trouble with figuring out how to incorporate drawings or mathematical formulae easily, since I do not have a tablet PC. I find that I can do well with a science class like Biology, which isn't all that Math intensive, but for Math I haven't found a good solution. (I'm still using paper and pencil for Calculus.)

All in all, however, this is a sleek program, that runs swiftly and is a great tool for note-taking.

Its just WORD!!!
This is the biggest waste of money in the world! It is just a word program that saves it in a directory. Use Microsoft Word, and save in special folders, and save the money. Shame on you Microsoft for taking advantage of your customer base. ... Read more

Product Description

Microsoft Project 2003 Standard.Microsoft Office Project Standard 2003 is used by project managers who need a desktop tool to manage their projects independently but who do not require strong coordination with other project managers or the ability to manage resources from a central repository. Project Standard 2003 is designed to improve your ability to organize work and communicate effectively and succinctly through familiar, easy-to-use tools. Organized Work:Better organize and manage work and people to ensure that projects are delivered on time and within budget. Compelling CommunicationsConvey your project plans and status effectively and succinctly. Ease of UseEnhance your productivity and effectiveness by learning and applying project management practices easily. ... Read more

Features

• Move information easily between Project 2003 and other Microsoft Office programs, such as Excel
• Updated interface and new templates available for downloading, make this version of Project the most user-friendly ever!
• Organize your work more effectively with new scheduling tools -- Track schedule and resource changes to yourproject plans quickly
• New display options lets you show individuals the project information they need to review
• Increase your impact at work and create better presentations to print compelling and succinct copies of schedules and goals

Reviews (1)

No other project management software comes close
One could say that this is the standard by which all other project management software is measured ... but there are no others that compare. For better or for worse, Microsoft dominates this software segment like no other.

However, instead of resting on its market share, MS keeps improving its product. In more than 5 years as a professional project manager at a Fortune 500 company, I have never seen another software product in daily use other than Project ... although I'm sure they are out there somewhere.

If you require others to share your files and for your project plans to be backwardly compatible years into the future, you really shouldn't consider anything else. But don't be dismayed, this is well-designed software that is surprisingly easy to learn, use and an immediate, out-of-the-box time-saver.

The bottom line is still incredible value, even more so if you qualify for the low-price Academic Version, as I did while taking a continuing ed project management course. ... Read more

Product Description

The Satellite M45 is highly mobile, outperforming many desktops with technology designed specifically for mobile PCs. All systems include a 15.4" wide-screen TruBrite display to make images brighter and more vivid. Push this machine as far as you want; it can take it! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Stripped OS
I'm generally happy with the hardware. The computer has many nice features for the price. But, all of the features of Windows XP Home edition were not preinstalled. Toshiba does not include the OS on CD ROM, only a recovery disc. Customer Support told me that I would need to purchase XP in order to obtain all the features of the OS, like the ability to Back-up.

Very pleased.
Screen is great.Love the WI-FI.Slower on boot-up than I
expected, but I still think it's a nice machine.

great laptop
Its my first laptop and makes me want to never use a desktop again. The keyboard is slightly different but you quickly adapt.
Its quick and quiet.The screen is wonderful for photo work. ... Read more

Product Description

MacAlly (PS-AC4) POWERBOOK/IBOOK AC ADAPTER ... Read more

Reviews (4)

nice deal

- while lacking the green/amber light on the end of the plug, it *does* have a bright blue LED on the brick itself. the LED doesn't change color according to what the powerbook is doing, it just indicates if the brick itself has power.

- it produces 2 amps, rather than the 2.65 put out by apple's. this means that while it's ok for older ibooks and tibooks, for the new albooks it's slower to charge the battery if the machine is on, and for some machines like the newer 17", may not be able to charge the battery unless the laptop's asleep.
(this can be annoying at times, but for less than half the cost of apple's adapter and cheaper than most other 3rd party adapters, I think it's a fair deal)

- the wire on the powerbook side twist-locks into the brick, so you can't yank it out accidentally.

- no, the plug isn't grounded... but then again neither is apple's flip-out plug.

overall, I think this is a pretty good deal, and might pick up another.

Excellent Alternative PowerBook Power
Accidents will happen. $500 dollars later, with my 12" powerbook 1 GhZ (purchased October 2003)repaired and with the internal pin shorn from inside the power connector, I started to explore alternative adapters, given that the Apple unit is around $80.

I bought this unit--which I needed quickly-- with one day shipping and my total was still signifigantly less than purchasing another adapter from Apple, some $51.

Sure, it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the Apple unit and it is a slight bit slower to charge the laptop, but the price makes it well worth it.

If you are concerned about the plug fitting your computer, I've tested this unit out in my 12" PowerBook, a 14" Ibook, and even an older 15" TI Book--it fit them all and charged them, though I don't know how quickly it charged the 15" TiBook.

The plug is also more reliable and sturdy. The cord is longer and less obtrusive than the mac power adapter--if I'd had this unit before, I don't think I would have even had the aforementioned accident! The Macally unit bundles nicely and fits most laptop bags well.

Overall, I'm very pleased.

Good alternative to the OEM charger.
The power cords for Powerbooks and IBooks, though aesthetically lovely, are prone to damage. This is a good replacement unit, although it lacks the amber/green LED charging indicator ring around the connector. Makes up for it in durability and value (less than half the cost of Apple's - yikes!). I'm using this charger with my 12" 867Mhz G4 with fine results.

What it lacks in design it makes up for in durability
At less than half the price of an Apple charger, Macally is a nice alternative.When my ibook charger's cord broke, I wanted to find something more durable.I miss the little feet to wrap the cord around, but the part that connects to the ibook/powerbook is thicker than Apple's and thus doesn't need quite as much care.Macally's charger is also white, which is a pleasant bonus, and comes with a blue light on the brick to let you know it's charging.Here's the basic breakdown.

Macally:
lighter
cheaper
more durable
same 120/240 voltage
same length (when compared to Apple's w/ the extension plug)
no feet
no charging light around rim of plug
no plastic cover for plug tip (though the Apple one fits on it perfectly)
the connection to the brick is not as sturdy because Apple's is built in and Macally's is plugged in, though it's never come out unexpectedly because the brick is so light.
doesn't get as hot as Apple's charger
the wall plug is not grounded

If you need an extra or replacement charger and don't mind the difference in design then this is a great purchase. ... Read more

Product Description

The Belkin Leather Pouch for iPod mini combines stylish protection with fine-grain leather construction. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Nice product BUT....
It's missing one important feature....a place to store the earphones. I would have rated it 5 stars if that were the case (no pun intended).

Finally, a decent case for the iPod mini!
I've been looking for a nice carrying case for my iPod mini since I got it a year ago.I didn't want to shell out an insane amount of money for the Burberry or Juicy Couture case (well, I wanted to, but I just couldn't justify spending that much).The Belkin case was the first case for the mini I'd seen that was affordable and wasn't ugly, so I thought I'd give it a try.I'm very happy with it.The case is made of baby pink leather, which looks smashing with my pink mini.There is a single snap on the outer cover, and the iPod mini fits snugly and securely inside.There is a clear plastic window to protect the screen of your iPod, and constant access to the clickwheel at all times.This case also comes with a wrist lanyard and an inner pocket that is the ideal size for storing a credit card or drivers' license.What I like most about this case is that it also gives you access to the ports and hold switch located at the top and bottom of the iPod, so you can access all the features of your iPod without having to remove it from the case.I am very pleased with this purchase, especially because of the low price. ... Read more

Product Description

Toshiba Satellite M45-S331 Notebook PC State-of-the-Art Computing At 6.2 lbs., the Satellite M45 is highly mobile, outperforming many desktops with technology designed specifically for mobile PCs. All systems include a 15.4" wide-screen TruBrite display to make images brighter and more vivid.Push this machine as far as you want; it can take it! Enjoy notebook-optimized Intel Centrino Mobile Technology, Microsoft Windows XP Operating System, hard drives to 100GB hard drive¹, and integrated high speed wireless LAN, all in one sleek chassis. The DVD-SuperMulti optical drive reads and writes to the most popular CD and DVD formats, making it perfect for movie making, or file archiving and exchange.At only 6.2 lbs., this system offers high-performance Intel Centrino Mobile Technology, Windows XP Home, an 80GB HDD, an IEEE 1394 port, and integrated high speed wireless LAN. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Nice for the money, but Tech Support is the pits!
I purchased this notebook for my daughter less than a month ago.She was very happy with it, and I was pleased with what we got for the money.Then the DVD drive began having problems.To make a long story short, after several calls to Toshiba it was finally determined that the drive must be replaced.The closest authorized service center is almost 40 miles away, so we must send it off to Toshiba and be without it for up to 2 weeks.I have dealt with other computer manufacturers who have sent out a technician to correct a problem covered under warranty.Why can't Toshiba do this?Or at least have a few more authorized service providers.I'm not exactly out in the sticks.There are several businesses in my area who could provide this service for Toshiba's customers.

A HORRIBLE Experience

Sleek notebook, but that’s the only positive.My absolute worst fears all came true only three weeks after I bought it.

Within three weeks the screen had died on me.Called the warranty service who advised me to send it to the Toshiba depot for repair, as opposed to taking it to a local service center.They assured me that the depot would have all the necessary parts, whereas a service center will have to order them and wait.They also assured me that I’ll have my notebook back in about a week.

Three weeks later, after countless phone calls, and many promises of delivery “next week”, they finally told me that parts are still not available and that it would take two additional weeks before they get them.

I called customer relations several times (get used to 45 minutes on hold, don’t bother leaving messages, they never return calls despite the promise of “within the hour”).Every time I was assured that this time they’ll get it right and that I’ll get my notebook within days.

Needless to say, two weeks passed, and the assurances turned to be meaningless.Customer relations’ only job is to get you off the phone, not to solve your problem.So here I am with a brand new notebook that spent twice as much time in the repair shop than on my desk.I called customer relations again, and asked to speak to someone who will actually do something to solve my problem, perhaps send me a replacement unit.I bought the notebook because I needed it, and I just can’t defer using it indefinitely.Guess what they told me?There’s not such thing as someone who could do something.There is no replacement policy.I’ll just have to wait for the part until it arrives – whenever that is.

A new notebook is not supposed to break right out of the box, but if it does, a respectable manufacturer should stand by their product and make up for the inconvenience to the customer. Toshiba has been utterly disappointing on all counts.

Poor Battery + Lots of Junk.....
Hi,

The Batter Performance is Poor. The salesman at Circuity City will BS to get their product sold. It hardly lasts more than 80 minutes. The Laptop is loaded with JUNK. It sux!!!!

I installed Red Hat Linux 9.0 and XP Pro with SP2.
Their are no Network Card Drivers for Linux, so I can easily say forget about your wireless working on Linux. Shame on both Toshiba and Intel for not supporting the same.

The system cannot hibernate nor turn itself off even after installing battry saver options that accompanied the CD.

So I have had a horrible experience. Pretty much whatever I want I don't get.I will never ever BUY Toshiba.

Love my Toshiba M45-S331!!
After some research, I was down to Toshiba M45-S331 and Dell 6000. Finally got Toshiba although it was more expensive(especially considering Dell online deals). So far am very satisfied and love its built quality and feel as compared to others in the same price & specs range.

PROS:
1. Great specs for the price
2. TruBrite screen
3. Harman/Kardon speakers
4. Keyboard Layout
5. Bridge-Media Aapter

CONS:
1. PC2700 RAM instead of a DDR2
2. Relatively less Battery Life. (< 3 hrs on a full-charge)

I experienced the FREEZING/LOCK-UP problem on plugging the AC Power Cord and have seen numerous such topics online. Toshiba Support insisted its a hardware problem but was not convinced.

Was finally able to solve this problem by tweaking the Power settings of the Laptop...

1. Go to "Power Management Icon" from your system-icon-tray on bottom-right corner of the screen. (It gives information about Current Power Source, Remaining Battery and Power Profile)

2. Right-click it and select "TOSHIBA POWER SAVER SETTINGS".

3. Click "SETUP OPTIONS" button on bottom-left of the window

4. "UNCHECK" the box marked "Change Power Source Profile Automatically".

Once you have done this....you should hopefully no longer have the freezing or locking problem when you switch to AC Power.

new laptop
This is the first time I purchased a laptop and cannot really compare to other laptops.However after a few minutes using this laptop, I realised that there was absolutely no noise coming from the laptop .. incredible .. very quiet!I was annoyed by the tons of software which were installed on it (most of them as trial) .. it took me a whole day to remove everything and install my software.

Screen is wonderful and you have to get used to work on a wide screen.The touch pad is excellent. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

The Zen Micro digital music player from Creative Labs packs an incredible 5 GB of storage capacity into a shell small enough to sit comfortably in your jeans pocket. It also rides nicely in your hand, with a palm-fitting profile and thumb-friendly front-panel controls. It's a bit shorter than an Apple iPod Mini, yet its rechargeable lithium-ion battery provides 12 hours of continuous playback--50 percent more than iPod Mini's. The Zen Micro is compatible note merely with MP3s and WAV files, but with WMA as well. Toss in USB 2.0 connectivity and you're looking at one spiffy portable music player.

But playing isn't all the Zen Micro does. You can use it to receive FM radio (with 32 station presets to keep your favorites at the ready), and to record, either from the radio or from live sources such as dictation or lectures using the built-in condenser microphone.

Trimmed in a luminescent blue glow and with easily visible backlit buttons, this stylish pink player holds up to 1,250 songs (83 hours) at 128 kbps or 2,500 songs (166 hours) at lower-fidelity 64 kbps (MP3/WMA)--that's a solid week's worth of music listening, never playing the same song twice. Compatibility with Microsoft's WMA compressed-audio format grants access to over 2 million downloadable songs offered promotionally or for sale online.

Perhaps the Zen Micro's coolest attribute is its DJ feature, which will shuffle not only all the songs you've loaded or all the songs on a given album, but, at your discretion, only the tracks you listen to most or only the ones you rarely hear, taking the work out of selecting your favorites or hunting out all the music you're still getting to know.

Zen Micro's rechargeable battery is easy to replace.

For navigation, the device features a vertical, linear touchpad designed to make searching through songs or playlists easy, quick, and fun. The unit's blue, 160 x 104-pixel, electroluminescent LCD shows key functions and song details at a glance, and you can even customize the main menu to keep right at your fingertips the features that matter most to you.

Another of the Zen Micro's handy features is its personal organizer. You'll never forget an important anniversary with the onboard calendar, and it also includes a to-do list and a contacts list, all of which sync seamlessly with Microsoft Outlook (Outlook thus required for use of these features). In addition, the device offers a sleep timer and alarm so you can drift off to sleep to the strains of one playlist and wake to a completely different one.

The Zen Micro's removable battery is easy to swap with another fully charged battery (additional batteries sold separately), extending your listening by a half-day per swap.

What's in the Box
The Zen Micro player, stereo earbud headphones, a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, an AC/DC power adapter, a USB 2.0 cable, a belt clip, a stand, a stylish cloth pouch, an installation CD, a quick-start guide, and Creative MediaSource software. ... Read more

Features

• Micro-sized 5 GB digital-music player stores up to 1,250 songs at 128 kbpsor 2,500 songs at 64 kbps (MP3/WMA)
• Vertical touch pad simplifies navigation; body is curved to fit your hand
• FM radio with 32 station presets for listening and recording; 10-hour voice recording through built-in microphone
• 12 hours continuous playtime using the supplied rechargeable lithium-ion battery; extend your listening using multiple batteries (sold separately)
• Includes headphones, a belt clip, a stand, and an AC/DC power adapter

Product Description

Microsoft Money 2005 Standard.Microsoft Money 2005 Standard is the personal finance solution that provides fast, current answers to your basic financial questions by automatically consolidating all your online financial information.Get fast answers - Money works with your banks Web site to access your account balances and transactions automaticallyno more visiting multiple sites with multiple passwords. Focus on what's important to you - Money fits your own financial management style, whether you want to see the big picture at a glance or quickly drill down to details. Get automatic spending analysis - Transactions are automatically categorized so you can easily track your spending. Take care of bills automatically - Know whats paid and whats due, pay bills online, and get updd account balances. Your budget, your way - Watch a few expenses - such as dining out or utilities