Pros:
Extremely thin and awesome design.
Great feel and hold to it.
Snapdragon S4
1GB RAM
Start-up time is very fast.
Android 4.0 runs very smooth.
Excellent screen, works great outside too.
Beats audio.
Cons:
Battery life can be better.
No micro-SD.
Cannot remove battery.
Pre-loaded apps.
16GB is plenty, but I would have liked more memory.
No ear buds included.
Summary:
Ive been waiting a long time to upgrade my 4 year old phone. And once I heard about the HTC One S, I knew this was the phone Ive been waiting for. Android 4.0 is excellent and everything runs so smooth on this phone. Being able to play files such as flac is a huge plus; however thats where 32GB would have been better than 16GB. This phone screams quality with its all metal design. Ive always like the look and feel of HTCs phones, and being the thinnest HTC phone ever made, I think its also one of their best too.
Product reviews by 'mike.m'
Pros:
-Awesome Black Levels
-Amazing Picture and Colors (one of the best I’ve seen)
-Extremely thin, and lightweight
-Plenty of adjustable settings/options/features
-Excellent Speakers
-Fast and Smooth Picture/Response
-Plenty of inputs/outputs
-USB 2.0 Movie – Sony’s firmware is able to play files such as vob, or mkv which is a huge plus.
-Plenty of Widgets, DLNA
-Great Price
-Excellent Screen Uniformity (for an LED)
-Gorilla Glass
-Good 3D
Cons:
-Glass slightly reflective
-The edges of the screen are slightly brighter, but hardly that noticeable. It’s by no means acceptable, but it is considered "normal" with Edge-Lit LED LCD TVs.
-3D glasses are not included, and not cheap either.
Review:
What a bang for your buck. For an LED its considerably cheap, and not only that, it also happens to have one of the best LED LCD pictures Ive ever seen on a TV. For example, watching Tron: Legacy Blu-Ray, colours are amazing, picture runs smooth, and everything is so crisp and sharp. However, I highly recommend turning the "motion plus" feature off. Turning this on will give you that "soap opera" effect.
The edge to edge glass is easy to clean, however it is still reflective but a lot better than most glossy HDTVs I've seen. 3D is pretty good too, even better if you’re using Sony’s new TDGBR750 glasses. There can be many issues with LED LCD TVs, but if done right, the picture is amazing, and that's what the NX720 does here. It has all the strengths of LED LCD technology, with very few of its weaknesses.
Pros:
Excellent Graphics.
Open world is huge and everything is so detailed.
A much better gameplay experience than Oblivion.
Beautiful soundtrack.
Cons:
Load times (ex. walking in and out of a house takes too long)
Still no online play.
Amount of quests can be overwhelming.
A lot of "scavenger hunting" quests.
Summary:
Definitely one of my favourite games of 2012. The second you play, you become immersed in it, just like with past Bethesda games, if not more. Still no online play, RPGs should be a MMOG, however there is an Elder Scrolls Online game coming soon. Bethesda as usual has struck the cord again with the Elder Scrolls series.
Pros:
Best graphics for any game Ive played.
Great storyline and amazing Single Player Campaign.
Game music soundtrack is the icing on the cake.
Gameplay is really great.
Cons:
Very big one here: Worst multiplayer ever.
Multiplayer is very unfair, for example, you may unleash a full clip with your crosshairs directly on an enemy, and they will shoot at you for a few seconds, their crosshairs probably hit you for about half a second, and you die instantly. Majority of the time people are just shooting circles around you, yet they all seem to have magic bullets.
Spawn points are really bad too. The entire time, whenever I think Im shooting 1 on 1 against one guy, there’s always someone behind me, beside me, or both, which I think has a lot to do with the stealth mode in multiplayer.
Lots of glitches/bugs too (multiplayer only).
Summary:
One of the best, if not the best looking graphics and amazing single player campaign for any game. Its just a shame that this is one of the most frustrating multiplayer experiences I’ve ever encountered. If you’re looking for a great single player game, with amazing visualizations and a "cinematic" experience, pick this up now, but DO NOT get it for the multiplayer.
Sound:
I tested out the Sennheiser’s HD 558 as well as the HD 598. These 2 headphones are VERY similar to each other. However the 598 seems to slightly have more of a punch/base to it and a very slightly wider soundstage, while the 558’s are a bit calmer with fewer base, exactly what I was looking for. The 558’s are a very good headphone, even un-amped, these headphones are so easy to power, however I do recommend getting an amp to get the most out of these headphones. The sound on these are very crisp and clear, puts all of the $10-$150 headphones/ear buds I’ve used to shame. There isn’t a whole lot of base, but it does make a very slight presence, but I’m sure the right amp can change all that too. Soundstage on these headphones is very nice too. Overall best sounding headphones I’ve ever used. I should note that these sound good with lower quality mp3 (192kbps + lower), but I do recommend using these with higher quality audio (320+kbps).
Comfort:
The 598’s did feel a bit more comfortable, felt silkier which was very nice, but the 558s are still very comfortable, almost the same as the 598s, and they also seemed more solid/sturdy than the 598s as well. Im wondering if I’ll be able to buy the pads for the 598s and switch it with the 558s, the colours wont go together but I dont care, since these will only be used for home. Since these are open, these feel very good. My ears didn’t get warm, and I felt like they can finally breath, coming from someone who’s used closed cans. I can wear these headphones for hours on end with no problem, my ears don’t even feel “plugged” after wearing these.
Design:
These are open headphones, so yes, you can definitely hear people talking, not as bad as I thought they would be but it didnt feel as if I wasnt wearing any headphones, there was some slight ambient noise blocking, however I would only use these in a quiet place, I only use these at home anyways to watch movies/games at night and they are perfect. These headphones are pretty sturdy too, though I have to admit I’ve taken very good care of them, but I felt like I’ll be able to drop them a few times without any problems.
Pros:
Clear, crisp, detailed sound.
Very Comfortable
Sturdy, well designed.
Excellent sounstage.
Less base.
Cons:
Senns Hd 598's pad felt nicer.
While sounds good unamped, these should be hooked up to one.
A bit forgiving with lower quality audio, however at 192+ kbps mp3's are recommended.
I’ve also tested out the Senns HD 800, supposedly the world’s best headphones, there wasnt a dramatic difference in terms of comfort, but it did fell a lot more airy, lighter. To be honest, these headphones werent really amazing as everyone says they are. The 598's were just as good as a headphone, The 800 seemed to have a lot of that in your face sound, but thats just me, however they sound very crisp and clear, soundstage wasn’t as big as people say they were though. These headphones are hard to power up, and it was only hooked up to a small external desktop amp. Really good headphones, but definitely not worth the huge price tag at all.
Conclusion:
Overall Im very happy with the 558s. These will work just fine with any mp3 player un-amped, but I do recommend getting an amp, it just takes it to another level of sound. Mostly because of the price I had gone with the 558, however I still didnt feel like there was a huge difference between the 558 and the 598 if at any. If you want a headphone that isn’t too expensive, has a nice soundstage, and very crisp, clear, and detailed sound, and will be using these at home for movies and games, then these are the perfect fit for you.
Mirage Nanosat 5.1 Surround Sound System(platinum/black)
Pros:
Crystal clear, loud sound. Small and compact. Nice all metal design with platinum edges. Feels very durable (built to last). Magnetic cover comes off for easy cleaning. Nice strong adjustable bass out of subwoofer too. Magnetic Shielding.
Omnidirectional/Omnipolar (Nanosat) technology offers amazing 360 degree surround sound across entire room, and even to the room next door.
Cons:
Subwoofer is metal, but it has a kind of rough plastic feel to it. Auto function doesnt work well on Subwoofer, have to manually turn it on every time. In some rare cases, the sound may be a bit "thin" as compared to larger speakers, but they still sound amazing.
Review:
For a couple of years I had these sitting on coffee tables. Renovated my theatre room last year, ran the wires behind the walls/baseboards, and hung up on walls. Looks very sleek. Dont be fooled by the small size, these puppies output a huge crystal clear sound. Subwoofer is great, but the build quality of the Sub could have been better.
This is what Halo 3 should have been. Extremely fun and addicting campaign and multiplayer experience, especially with the commendation system. Graphics are amazing too.
Ranking is better, you never lose XP, and spawn points are way better as compared to Halo 3. No more respawning in the middle of a s**t storm.
Matchmaking is a bit better than Halo 3. Still not a huge fan of how the games are set up. For example CoD games offer a better multiplayer experience, if a player leaves, another one can jump in, but that still isnt the case here with Reach. Split screen still has the black bars on the side of the screen, they are reduced just a bit, but theyre still there. Overall this is the best Halo game ever. With Campaign, and countless Matchmaking modes, youll never stop playing this game.
This, and Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast are my only favorite Star Wars games. Graphics were very next-gen when this game out, especially the model details. Storyline was great. Game play was great but needed a few more tweaks. I felt like a star wars kid again with this game.
Bethesda has done it again. Ive had this for well over a year now, and I still cant get enough of it. The world map is huge, and has an addicting and exciting environment that just pulls you in instantly. Was a bit disappointed that it wasnt online, but after playing this game for a couple of minutes, youll won’t even care.
Even though I am not a big fan of the "horror" games, I absolutely loved this game. Graphics and details are just stunning. Especially when you’re "outside" of the ship, and looking at the distant planets and stars, it just looks spectacular. I love the whole "no-hud" approach. It not only makes the game seem like your watching a movie, but its refreshing not to have huds/icons take up your screen. Scare-factor dies after beating it a couple of times, but I was scared s**tless playing this for the first time and I loved it.
This game is great, especially the multiplayer. I never get board of logging into Team Deathmatch: Hardcore, being a sniper and just camping under cover. Really pulls you into that "World of War" setting. However if your trying to beat this game on the hardest difficulty, you will hate this game. Some levels have infinite enemy respawns which make it very frustrating. Other than that, this a great game for any World War die hard fan.
Best bang for your buck ever in a video game. Had all of the Half-Life 2 games, plus Portal; which was a great experience to play, and TF2. Played HL2 years ago on a low-end PC, and it was even better to play it again in HD.
Bit disappointed with this one. Still are many issues with multiplayer. Felt like Halo 2 had a much better multiplayer (especially local split screen) experience. Games like Call of Duty WaW offer a much better multiplayer experience. Graphics were good, but definitely not next gen. Campaign and multiplayer are still very fun, but I didnt get the same "wow" factor I got with Halo 2; which was what made me fell in love with the Halo franchise.
Took all of the greatness of GoW 1 and took to another level again, with gorgeous graphics and a better gameplay experience. Storyline wasn’t interesting as the first, but thats not to say it was bad. Multiplayer has improved a lot, but still has many issues.
This game, next to Oblivion, was one of the few games that really set the bar high for game graphics. This game had everything, amazing game play, graphics, storyline, you name it. Multiplayer could have been a lot better though, especially when angry little nerd kids were hosting (many of you probably know what Im talking about), that was a big drawback for me. Still one of the best looking games though.
Gorgeous graphics. This game took all of the great elements of Prince of Persia and Splinter Cell, and made it into one great masterpiece. A lot of repetition in this game, but it was still fun to do over and over again. No multiplayer, but hey, does every game need to have multiplayer?
One of the few "horror" games Ive played, so some parts freaked me out. I love the dark, mysterious, environment and game play that it offers, and for once an amazing storyline for a game. Some tweaks could have been done to make the game play better, but even then I couldnt get enough of this game. The graphics were amazing when it came out, and they still are.
Next to Fallout 3, one of the most addicting and mesmerizing RPGs Ive ever played. After playing this game for a few minutes, you "feel like your in the "middle" ages. This was one of the first games I got for the 360 and man, did I ever pick the right choice. Wished this game was online though.
Pros:
-Excellent Black Levels
-Amazing Picture and Colors
-Extremely thin, and lightweight
-Nice edge border glass
-600 Hz subfields is very smooth
-Plenty of adjustable settings/options/features
-Speakers are surprisingly good
-TV turns on instantly, channels change fast (0.001ms RT)
-Plenty of inputs/outputs
-USB 2.0 Movie
-Widgets, DLNA
-Mega Dynamic Contrast Ratio (3,000,000:1)
-Energy Saving (for a plasma)
-Backlit Remote
-Touchscreen buttons on TV
-Anti-burn in features (wish it also worked well with Image Retention, ie, black bars, logos, etc).
-Sleek, stylish Stand
Cons:
-Still reflective, even with Ultra FilterBright Plus. Do not recommend have lights on directly behind the TV, can be behind of course, but should be off to the side.
-Image Retention, even though it goes away after a few minutes, it is still very annoying at times.
-Widgets take slow to load
-Difficulties with Anynet+ HDMI-CEC if other equipment is not Samsung brand.
-Can't zoom in to get rid of black bars (issue only with Blu-ray movies)
-Can hardly see touchscreen buttons in dark
Review:
I've had this TV for almost 3 months now. I've done a "break-in" with full-screen viewing (100hrs), and with the break-in DVD from the AVS Website (100hrs), and turned brightness/contrast down below 50. I still get image retention; even after watching a movie with black bars (will see 1cm long lines near top and bottom of screen). It goes away after a few minutes of watching full-screen TV, but the fact is that this TV will get Image Retention easily if you are not careful or really abuse it. Video games play great with no lag issues, although I highly recommend running the scrolling feature every 30min for about 10-20minutes to avoid IR, unless hud/logos are transparent (like Halo 3) or not there. Not a big deal to get off your butt and take a short break. Games like Halo 3, Dead Space, Mirror's Edge, etc, can be played for hours with no IR issues.
Other than the IR issue, the Picture on this TV is just phenomenal. Blacks, colors, sharpness, you name it, the picture quality of this TV blows the panties off other current Plasmas (except maybe for Pioneer's, but it is damn close). It's the thinnest plasma I've ever seen. While the stand looks very sexy, you won't regret hanging this on the wall. Was a bit paranoid leaving the LED bandwagon and jumping on Plasma, but I think I made a smart choice. All in all, one of the best pictures I've ever seen on a HDTV.
Pros:
The best Picture and Sound I've seen on a Blu-ray player yet. Very fast and quiet. BD-Live and Firmware update(s). Upconversion is one of the best I've seen. Design and build quality is good and slim. Blue LED in front looks nice when room is dark. Neatly hidden playback controls. SD-card slot.
Cons:
Price is a bit expensive. Slow load times as with any blu-ray player, still the fastest I've seen though. No wireless or USB. Can't play certain region DVD's.
Review:
I sold my Sony BDP-S350 and bought a BDP-S550 last year. The BDP-S550 is now setup in my bedroom, and the DMP-BD55 is in the theatre room now. Picture and sound quality is slightly better and in some cases, much better than the S550. The best blu-ray player of early 2009 and still ranks high up there.
Pros:
Amazing graphics and fun gameplay. Very stylish and sexy with black and chrome finish. Not a big console. Full HD is awesome. Being able to install games to hard-drive is a plus. 120GB Hard Drive more than enough. New dashboard update looks great, is easy to use, and improves performance. Most games have better lighting, details, colour, etc, (such as Fallout 3) when played on the 360 as compared to other consoles. Light and very comfortable controller (best controller I've ever used). Xbox live is awesome and constantlly update. Not too expensive and well worth the money.
Cons:
Fan still makes a little noise, even if playing from hard drive. Can get a little warm if playing for hours. No internal HD disc player, such as HD-DVD or Blu-ray. Microsoft rushed it out too fast. In turn they could have included an HD-DVD drive built-in, and put their games of HD-DVD discs. Have to buy wireless adapter for wireless capabalities. Wireless adapter slow (doesn't accept 'N' singals from routers.) Xbox Live not free.
Review:
Microsoft's Xbox 360 console is a hugh leap from the first original. The gameplay and graphics are just stunning. It's exclusive games like Gears of War 2, Halo, Fable 2, etc, make it well worth your money. In addition, other games were made exclusive first on the 360, such as Bioshock. With one of the biggest bang for you buck that you can get, it's no wonder why this console is still leading in sales in the game industry.
Pros:
Very fun motion controlled gameplay. Being able to replay old games like Star Fox 64 is a plus. Very small and stylish design. Doesn't overheat. Very quiet. Wireless capabilities.
Cons:
Have to buy classic controller for some downloadable games.
Graphics not next-gen. May be a pro, but this console is best played locally with friends and family. Price may be a little more expensive than what its worth. Have to buy USB adapter for LAN (wired) connection.
Review:
Although the Nintendo Wii may not have amazing graphics like the Xbox 360 or PS3, its inovated design, integrated technology, and amazing gameplay make you forget about the graphics.
I like this player because it usually has no problems playing most formats. I also like being able to view the files resolution with just one click. Downside to this program is that it may tend to crash and/or freeze when playing certain formats. It’s still a lot faster than other players such as Realplayer, Windows media player, and QuickTime.
Very good program and very easy to use. There's no need to install a whole bunch of other encoders such as CCE, etc. Have had a few problems in the past when converting .MKV files, but other than that, still the best converter I use.
The only burning software I use. Once I started to use this, I have never gone back to Nero. Imgburn is a lot more user friendly for all users alike. Plus it's free.
Even after all of these years, with introductions to other newer software, I still mostly use DVD Shrink for all of my movie editing and backups. Wish they would come back and update it though.
I like this software because it is very simple to use, yet you can greatly modify the specs of the file you are converting, plus it is free to use too.
The only bad this I find is it takes a while to convert and uses a lot of your CPU, whether you have a powerful or average CPU.
Pros:
Excellent Picture and Sound quality. Excellent build and design. Very fast and really quiet, can't even hear it in a silent room. BD-Live and Firmware update(s) are a plus. Upconversion looks pretty good too.
Cons:
Price is a bit expensive. It’s still one of the fastest blu-ray players I've seen, but someone with little patience may find it a bit slow sometimes.
Review:
I recently had the BDP-S350, and wanted a better player. Best choice I've made in years.
It's better in picture and sound quality than the BDP-350 and especially better than the PS3, and well worth the extra cash. It’s also one of the sexiest blu-ray players I've seen so far.
Got mine on Boxing Day for $300. If you’re looking for an amazing blu-ray player, this is the one to get.
