Advantages: Crystalbrite Background, DVI, 8ms response
Disadvantages: Bulky power supply

...when switching the monitor on for the first time is something that Acer call Crystalbrite. This means that the background really is the darkest black you could imagine and is comparable to that which Sony use on its Vaio range, this is the first big improvement I noticed over the AL1914. The picture is also extremely sharp and crystal clear, and all of this is via the VGA input rather than the supposedly higher quality DVI. If you need to change any of the monitor settings, there is an on-screen menu which is accessible from the front of the monitors base which again is a vast improvement from my old AL1914. On the monitor I recieved there were no dead pixels visible and everything appears to be running smoothly. As I said earlier, I received this monitor as a replacement under the Acer warranty (the AL1914 developed an unfixable... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Substantial
Disadvantages: Toner is quite Expensive

...by Staples) where I discovered the Sharp AL 1457D. Which seemed to tick all the boxes, it was on Special (always a good sign) at £210 - well under budget. The current machine in the Sharp range is the AL1553 which retails for around £320,The display model looked really solid and substantial, not only was the top lid securely attached the whole thing seemed to have an industrial feel to it. The nice man in the shop ran off some trial copies from it. They seemed extremely good quality. The deal was done, they even delivered it several days later. When it arrived it was in a huge box, with absolutely loads of polystyrene, as usual. I unpacked it to discover , a drum, a toner cartridge, a power lead, the machine itself, a user manual. I have to say that I have found the user manual really helpful. It is very well written a nd easy to follow... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Even a caveman like me can use it
Disadvantages: The alarm feature is rubbish

...which works ok and also have access to the internet 24/7 on my PC. No – this product did not have my name on it. Then totally out of the blue, I received a call from Cellular Operations, my mobile service provider. They were offering the Sharp GX10 for an “amazing £49.99 to existing customers”. “Great,” I said. “What’s a GX10?” (Believe me when I say, I really am not up on this kind of thing!) “It’s that phone that Beckham advertises on tv – you know - the one that takes pictures,” the young man enthused. Now, without trying to sound sexist – I immediately (metaphorically and temporarily, I might add) turned into a woman. At least, my woman – impulsive, buying something that I don’t want or need just because it’s a bargain! What... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: a wonderful return of an american master
Disadvantages: lyrics

..., the frightfully gifted prodigal son who, throughout mountains of PCP and cocaine, never came home. Stevie Wonder, the golden child who, through the power of his moog and his imagination, took the frenetic joy of the revival to Neptune. I Can't Stop, Green's first full-length secular album in 26 years, succeeds in both showing how powerful and real the myth of Al Green is and in showing how the myth can differ from the artist as well. It not only shows why he is considered as, arguably, the greatest soul artist of all time, but also the full range of the gifts that made him mythic in nature, as well as the deeply human element of his art that has compelled people to it for over three decades. Those looking for the master of controlled sensuality and nearly unbearable sexual tension that created hit after breathtaking hit in the '70s will leave... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Quick read, Pure action, Low history lesson
Disadvantages: Posthaste Pellucid Pre-Peninsula Plothole Plug

...The year is 1807 - two years before the events of SHARPE'S RIFLES - and Lieutenant RICHARD SHARPE is back in London, broke and minus one vital ingredient - a war. SHARPE'S PREY has the potential to be one of the worst ideas - and novels - of BERNARD CORNWELL's long-running SHARPE series. Set during the period of the Napoleonic Wars when the focus was on winning the war at sea; the battle for Naval supremacy - throwing an Army officer into the thick of it sounds like a mistake. Surely this is a job for HORNBLOWER; not RICHARD SHARPE? Well, no actually. Ships need more than crew, they need landing parties and individuals prepared to go on sabotage missions and... Heck, this is SHARPE! Any excuse for more SHARPE is a good excuse! SHARPE'S PREY and the earlier novel - SHARPE'S TRAFALGAR - fit neatly between CORNWELL'S India Trilogy... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: A whole hatful of Al - 12 tracks of enhanced madness!
Disadvantages: I skip a track or 2 to get to the 'even better' stuff

...The God of Parody reaches into his box of satire delights and bestows fresh nuggets upon us. This is an all round 'hum-dinger' of an album. As it's my duty, even my raison d'etre, to bring un-mainstream music to the masses, I've been a Weird Al fan for ages. Most of you will know the popular stuff like his Michael Jackson parodies, 'Fat' and 'Eat it' but there is still a sad lack of Al in the charts. C'mon people, if that damn Crazy Frog can get to Number one... Sheesh!!! Snap Judgements 1. Couch Potato Parody of Lose yourself... Eminem never sounded so good. Fast talkin' TV trashin' 2. Hardware Store Rythmic and complicated. Watch for the mid-section then checkout the lyrics on the inlay to find out what just happened. Frenetic. 3. Trash Day Parody of 'It's gettin hot in here'... Don't particularly like... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Secure, kosher food
Disadvantages: Long queues for check-in

...I've flown on a number of occasions with EL AL, over a number of years, and have found that the quality of the service is improving. I have little doubt that they are one of the most security aware airlines around and that is one of the key reasons I have chosen to fly with them. I also think that the in-flight service has improved, with staff becoming more polite and better quality, and selection of, food on offer. Pointers from my own experiences with EL AL: * Given the focus on security, if you have anything in your baggage likely to look suspicious, either take it in hand baggage or warn the security staf