Nikon Coolpix P500 Digital Camera

This is by far, one of the best digital cameras I have owned. I have gotten a lot of compliments with the picture quality of this camera. It looks high-end and priced just right. After doing my due diligence in research and comparable, I decided to purchase this camera on eBay in the Spring of 2012, to replace my Kodak Z760. After almost a year of use, I can safely say it is indeed an impressive camera. Of course, like any other camera, there are pros and cons. We can't always have it all but in this case, I feel that the Pros of this camera far outweigh the cons.

The Good. The Bad. The Ugly. 

Nikon Coolpix P500 Digital Camera is a bridge between a point-and-shoot and D-SLR camera in a very handy compact body. It is lightweight which is approximately 1.1 pounds and can easily fit in my medium-sized purse. For an amateur, like myself, it produces amazing quality images like a Pro. The super-zoom at 36x is fantastic! However, if you're using the zoom at a higher setting, it is best to use a Tri-pod, otherwise end result will be out of focus and blurry at times. Taking pictures during the day is a breeze, but can't say the same at night. It was truly a challenge for me and probably still is. I use Auto mode a lot because that's the only safe setting I know. I'm still experimenting with the various settings and still have a lot to learn. Settings on the camera are very easy to navigate and nothing complicated on it's design. I noticed that the battery life is rather short-lived. I have to purchase two extra batteries to carry with me at all times. The Charger it comes with takes forever to charge, so I upgraded to the fast wall charger and even then it still takes about 4-5 hours to fully charge. This camera also brags about it's HD Video, I can't comment much on that just yet since I hardly use it. Below are some samples of the photo settings & quality of Nikon Coolpix P500.

36X Super Zoom Setting - Chris Daughtry & Brad Arnold from Three Doors Down Concert (December 13,2012 @Savemart Center, Fresno CA)

Photo of a Gazania flower in my garden, Macro Setting

Panoramic Setting, photo taken @Sequioa National Park

Pelican, photo taken in Morro Bay, CA

If you're anything like me, who loves taking pictures without the hassles of carrying bulky equipment and lenses,then this is for you. There are many cameras out there of it's kind but with the price, ease of use and it's features, you simply can't go wrong with this Nikon Coolpix P500 Digital Camera.


Product Features

Color: Black

• mechanically-stabilized 36x Wide-Angle Optical Zoom-NIKKOR ED Glass Lens.
• 12.1-megapixel CMOS sensor for high-speed operation and exceptional low-light performance.
• Capture 5 shots in one second at full resolution
• Full HD (1080p) Movie with Stereo sound and HDMI Output
• 5-way VR Image Stabilization System
• A large, tilt-able 3-inch LCD
• MSRP $399.95 
• Storage Media SD/SDHC/SDXC
• Uses Battery Lithium ion rechargeable and can be charge through PC or Wall charger 

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HP Photosmart C4400 All-in-one Inkjet Printer

HP All-in-one Printer c4400 is far more superior than the printers I have had before. Let's face it, when it comes to printer, hands down to HP. I don't consider myself bias because I have tried Dell, Lexmark, Canon and HP, so I know what I am talking about. Bare in mind, I am not referring to printers in general but only Inkjets and the basic All-in-one kind of printers.

I bought this printer about 6 months ago. Prior to that, I had DELL A920 All-in-one printer which lasted about 3 plus years. Since printer is a vital part in my day to day activity, I don't take any chances in buying refurbished or second hand. I want it to last at least 3 years tops. With one year warranty, I can live with that and the other 2 years, I'll take care of it myself. It's not really hard work taking care of printers. All you need to do is clean it from time to time and make sure you only buy a genuine cartridge for that specific printer.

Cartridges are expensive, that's given. They sell printers so cheap and kills your budget when it it's time to change ink. But if you find a good economical printer, even if it's high priced, rest assured, you get the most out of it. Again, like any other gadgets you wish to buy, always take time to research about it. Read reviews and compare prices. You want to make it right the first time, don't you?

I bought my HP Photosmart C4400 at Bestbuy online and picked it up at the store the following day. The box came with the Printer, User guide/manual, cables, Installation disc and 1 Colored Ink and 1 Black Ink. I assume this was just a Trial Version because the life of the cartridge is short-lived. A simple guide shows you how to connect the printer properly, how to install cartridges and software. Installation of software is fast. Simply put the CD in and it will guide you all the way until it's successfully installed. Always recommended to restart your PC / Laptop for program to function well. Once your done, it's all set. Remember, one of the main step is not to connect the USB until you are prompted to do so, if you follow the instructions provided in the CD, you should be fine.

The first thing I did was aligned the cartridge. This is important so you'll get quality prints. You only need to do this once or every time you change cartridge of course. Primarily, I use this printer for text documents and printing CD labels & rarely photos, I have Snapfish and Winkflash to do my photos for me.


The first test pages came out great! And I'm fairly impressed with it's quality. Then next test, Scanner & Copier. It works perfectly and the outcome was beautiful. The best part about this model is the memory card slot where you can easily insert your SD memory card and print photos directly without having to go through your pc, it even has a small screen that will guide you through the process.

HP Photosmart C4400 is very reasonably priced at $89 at BESTBUY. It get's the job done. Sleek design where the front flap folds & open as it's serving tray, and push close when not use to prevent from dust going in. Economical and perfect everyday printer. Perfect mainly for home use. It's Windows vista compatible as well. So far, I have not experienced any paper jam and I don't load as much paper in it anyway, so maybe that's the trick. Regular Cartridge 74 black Ink $14.99 and 75 Tricolor is $19.99. I use the 74XL & 75XL which last longer and high capacity and would go roughly around $35 each or you can also get a Combo pack at Office depot. However, you can get these Genuine Ink Cartridges on eBay for a fraction of that cost.

So on to the Cons. I find this printer being Loud when you set it to print "Fast Economical" way. I wouldn't recommend using the printer around sleeping baby simultaneously as it will rock the house! (lol) Really, it's doesn't bother me at all but that's something I just noticed. Another flaw is the paper tray. I think they could have done better with the design. If you need it, you simply pull the arm out and then push it back in if not. If there's nothing to catch your paper, it will fly out after printing.

I would give this printer a 4 Star Rating. It's nothing out of the ordinary but it's well built. I would recommend this to students, and home use only. Steer clear if you are thinking of using it for business, you may be better off with Laserjet printers.


For detailed specification, please go to HP Photosmart C4400 All-in-one Printer Overview & Features.

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eBates: Where It Pays To Shop Online

Shopping is fun! But let's get a little serious about putting money back in your pocket every time you shop online. Yes, you heard me. Too good to be true? Well, it is too good and it happens to be true!

Here's how it works

1. First things first, you sign up at eBates.

2. Browse through the stores. With over 800 of the top shopping sites on the web, including major department stores.

3. Click on your favorite shopping website. A tracking ticket opens and redirects you to the website of your choice.

4. Shop like you normally do.

5. And Voalá! There you have it, Money back in your pocket.

Remember, each retailer has it's own % on how much money you will get as shown below

Let's say you shop at Barnes and Noble.com, you will receive 4% cash back.

Remember, you will only get cash back if you open the link on the retailer through eBates.

For those who shop constantly on eBay, this is the moment you've been waiting for. eBay is finally added in the list! How cool is that? This is a real money savings for me because I shop a lot on eBay. So whether it's a buy it now or an auction, you will still get it and again before placing that bid, go through eBates portal!

Well, I'm not done just yet. If you haven't signed up at eBates ~ here's your chance to earn FREE $5 just for signing up! No Strings Attached! Simply Sign up and $5 is yours my friend.

So, what are you waiting for? Click the banner below and join eBates

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Nikon Coolpix L4 4.0 Megapixel

NIKON COOLPIX L4

Manufacturer Part Number: 1701, 25546, COOLPIXL4

Resolution (Megapixels): 4.0

Optical Zoom: 3

Title: Nikon Coolpix L4 4.0 Megapixel

Digital Camera Brand: Nikon

Flash Type: Built-in flash

ePID: 52333817

If you are looking for an inexpensive digital camera yet takes great pictures, look no further. Nikon coolpix L4 delivers sharp images and it is very user friendly. I bought this at Bestbuy couple of months ago when my old Vivitar camera gave up on me and I say, I definitely made a great choice. The 3x optical zoom make my items look awesome on close-up - this really helped me a lot cause sometimes I need to get the details of my item so my customers can truly appreciate what they are bidding on.

It is very light weight which I love! Weighs only 4.7 oz ~ how cool is that? I paid $119 before tax and that's really cheap considering the quality of your pictures. The catch? Well, it have limited control and it is slower -- taking 2.7 seconds to power on and capture the first shot, then you have to wait another 2 seconds to write an image to the SD memory card but oh well, who cares right? If you're a beginner or if you're the kind of person who wants less hassle, this Camera works best for you -just turn it on, take a picture - that's it. Press the play button to see the pictures you took or Press the delete button if you don't like what you see - now that's easy. Try it - you can always return it if you change your mind. But for me, I have been using this for over 3 months now - you can check my store on items I am selling - that's the product of NIKON COOLPIX L4.

Basic Features

4.0 megapixel CCD delivering image resolutions as high as 2,272 x 1,704 pixels

2-inch color LCD display

3x, 6.3-18.9mm zoom lens (equivalent to a 38-114mm lens on a 35mm camera)

Maximum aperture f/2.8-f/4.9, depending on lens zoom position

Shutter speeds from 1/3,000 to four seconds

4x Digital zoom

Automatic exposure control

Built-in flash with five modes

10MB internal memory

SD memory card storage

Power supplied by AA rechargeable batteries, or optional AC adapter

Nikon Picture Project software for both Mac and Windows

Special Features

Icon or Menu interface with Help (Tele) button

Face Priority AF to focus on faces automatically

QuickTime movies (without sound)

Continuous Shooting, and Multi-Shot 16 mode

Fourteen preset Scene modes, including four with scene assistance

D-Lighting for in-camera optimization of dark images

Best Shot Selector for handheld shots

Blur warning tells you if your images are out of focus before you save them

Self-timer for delayed shutter release

Macro (close-up) lens adjustment

White balance (color) adjustment with seven modes

ISO equivalent sensitivity 50 with auto gain to 200

PictBridge compatibility

DCF, DPOF, and Exif 2.2 support

USB cable for quick connection to a computer

Video cable for connection to a television set

What's In the Box?

Nikon L4 digital camera

Wrist strap

Audio Video cable

USB cable

Two alkaline AA batteries

CD-ROMs loaded with Nikon Picture Project software and reference manual, and drivers

Quick Start Guide, Guide to Digital Photography and registration kit

Recommended Accessories

• Large SD Memory Card. These days, 256 to 512 MB is a good tradeoff between cost and capacity - but take at least the 128 MB if you prefer the cheapest one.

• Two sets of NiMH AA batteries and a charger - Highly Recommended so you won't drain your wallet on buying those regular batteries. It's a little expensive but it's worth it, it lasts long.

• Small camera case for outdoor and in-bag protection

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Upgrading To Dell Studio Desktop ~ Windows Vista

My search is finally over! I have upgraded my 3-year old HP Pavilion Desktop to a new Dell Studio. I think I made a very good choice. It looks very sleek and operation is a breeze. The only downside was the Windows Vista OS which I have had hard time with looking for programs that’s vista ready. I had to buy and install new imaging software and have to learn them.

The Widescreen 24 inch monitor is pretty big… and I mean BIG!
I’d probably be Ok with 19” - 22” ~ I guess in couple years when it’s ready to upgrade the CPU again, I’d definitely downgrade the size of the monitor (and Definitely go back to Windows XP Professional) So far everything is working smoothly and perfectly as it should be!

The price? Well, you have to look around if you want a better deal. I consider myself lucky when I got this system. It was on Sale at Dell for $1,049 (Normally $1,449) + a FREE Kodak 8MP Digital Camera - So I am really happy with my purchase.

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The Panasonic DVD Palmcorder Camcorder VDR-M53

The Panasonic DVD Palmcorder Camcorder VDR-M53 is a 3" DVD-RAM and 3" DVD-R-based, ultra-compact camcorder. If you’re a beginner like me, at least for a DVD Camcorders — then this is a good one for you. This was a definite improvement from my old Sony Hi-8 Camcorder… So light weight, compact and good quality. Of course like any other new technologies, you need to read instructions, fiddle with it and keep using it until you are comfortable. I guarantee that you can master recording videos in no time at all! Price? It’s a little expensive, maybe around $500-$600 (when it first came out, I paid $545) but you can find good deals anywhere today (especially on eBay Auctions), it’s just a matter of looking around. Sometimes Circuit City or bestbuy have good deals too.

Quality? Pretty good. Good button display, easy to navigate, do very well in filming dark places. For Stills, not really that great but it’s a-ok. It’s easy to handle, and what I love most is the zoom. It can go way far and still have great images.

Recommended Accessories: SD Memory Card at least 125 MB thru 512MB (for stills) Camcorder Case for extra protection 3" DVD-R, or 3"DVD-RAM - Use the 30 mins.I use Sony DVD-R cause it’s good quality and great price. Extra Rechargeable batteries

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Window Treatment Guide: Improve Your View

IMPROVE YOUR VIEW

Look at it this way: every window is a chance to make your world more beautiful. Because no matter what’s on the outside, you can create something fabulous inside.

From fully functioning draperies, shades or blinds to decorative panels, sheers, swags and more, we give you a host of window treatments that complement your decorating style. A formal setting will be perfectly finished by elegant drapery panels. More relaxed rooms might call for tab-top panels or blinds. A kitchen or bathroom is the perfect place for classic café curtains or even Roman shades. And most anywhere you want a splash of color, you’ll enjoy a scarf or valance.

WINDOW TREATMENTS

Once you know the basic types of window treatments, you can feel confident in choosing those that suit your taste and match your décor. Here’s a simple glossary of the window treatments you’ll want to consider.


Drapery Panels





Commonly made from heavier weight fabrics, drapery panels offer a wide range of design options. In a formal setting, they create an elegant look while providing privacy and blocking out the most light. They are generally available in three standard lengths: 63”, 84” and 96”.










Sheer Curtains







Sheer panels allow for the greatest amount of light to filter through the fabric into a room. They are most commonly made from a soft, lightweight fabric such as voile, and they come in a variety of colors, styles and textures. For a layered look, hang sheer panels behind drapery panels.







Lace Panels








Lace panels can delicately accent a window and add light to a room. Pair laced borders with a valance or pair of swags to create a more traditional window treatment.








Coordinate Panels







Coordinate panels are designed to complement the color palette of other fabrics within a room. This allows you to mix and match colors, patterns and fabrics to coordinate with bedding, towels and furniture.










Tab Top Panels

Providing a modern Look and allowing for decorative rods and hardware to be displayed, tab-top panels add special decorative interest to a room.

Cafe Curtains







Because they are informal, cafe curtain are most commonly used in kitchens or bathrooms. Also known as tier curtains, they cover the bottom half of the window and are often used with a valance, a pair of swags or both.










Roman Shade





Roman Shades are a type of fabric window treatment that is raised and lowered in horizontal pleats or folds through the use of a threaded cord. The pleats lie flat when completely raised.









Roller Shades






Roller Shades are the most simple of window coverings. They can be used behind almost any window treatment to control llight. The material is hidden on a roller as the shade is raised.










How To Measure Your Window

For best results when measuring, use a steel measuring tape and always convert your measurements into inches. In addition, be sure to measure all windows separately even if they appear to be identical.

Before you begin taking measurements, you must first decide if you plan to mount your hardware on the inside or the outside of the window. This decision is especially important when installing blinds.

Inside mount
The window treatment hardware is mounted inside the window frame and should be measured horizontally from the inside edge of one side of the window to the other side.

Outside mount
The window treatment hardware is mounted outside of the actual window frame and overlaps the frame. Measure from the outside edge of the window molding to the other edge.

For panels:
Once you determine each window’s width, you must determine the panel width. To provide a full look to your window treatments, the panels’ combined width needs to measure two to three times the width of your window measurements. For drapery and sheers you just need to know the window size. If you want an unobstructed view when the curtains are open, add 8 inches (you will need to extend your rod 4 inches beyond your window on each side).

For length, measure the height of the window from the top of the frame to the bottom of the window sill (or the bottom of the window if there is no sill). For full length, measure the distance from the top of the frame to the floor.

Standard lengths are as follows:

63" Panels - typically fall 4" below the bottom of the window frame

84" Panels - typically fall 1" above or just at the floor. This type of Panel is the most commonly used.

95" Panels - fall on the floor so that the panels "puddle" for a luxurious look. This look is commonly used on larger windows with drapery panels made of thicker or heavier fabric.

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