Ben's Bargains

The first iteration of the Logitech G15 features 18 physical keys, a tilting LCD, and a Volume Knob. But Logitech has given the G15 a facelift, integrating the LCD into the keyboard frame and switching to a 6-key 3-profile layout (more on that later). Will its new look win us over? Click through to find out. [Read Full Review]

The 15.4" screen size is the bread-and-butter size for most laptop manufacturers, and Dell is no exception. This fact is made even more true when you consider the premium line of notebooks that is the XPS brand. In past years, Dell simply re-branded their consumer notebook line to fill separate niches (as is the case with the Vostro). I'm glad they didn't take this approach with their first foray into the XPS notebooks. The resulting line of notebooks includes the XPS M1530, a radical departure in design & style from their heretofore vanilla notebooks. [Read Full Review]

Our current top picks for Bluetooth headsets are the NextLink AX2 and the original Jawbone. With the California cell phone law in effect since July 1st (and our offices being in San Francisco), we decided to test the latest Jawbone 2 to see if it is a worthy upgrade from the highly rated original Jawbone. Click through to see the results of our testing. [Read Full Review]

The PowerMonkey eXplorer is marketed as a backup power supply to give your gadgets an extra boost of battery power. With modern gadgetry placing ever increasing demands for portable power, the PowerMonkey eXplorer Solar Charger comes at just the right time to save you from running out of juice while away from a wall outlet. The standard price is about $110, but when they started offering a whopping $100 rebate on it (bringing the price to $10 AR), I had to pick one up to give it try. [Read Full Review]

The first Logitech MX-series wireless mouse was the Logitech MX-700. That eventually evolved into the MX-900, with the same form factor except with Bluetooth. But now, they have the MX Revolution. The name itself implies that it will be completely different from previous versions, but will the MX Revolution truly be revolutionary? Click through to find out. [Read Full Review]

The recently introduced XPS M1330 Laptop marks a distinct change for Dell, going from bland generic do-all design to a more radical and stylish approach. In this review we take a look at a fairly loaded XPS M1330. If you've been wanting to take a closer look at this little laptop, read on for our full review. [Read Full Review]

Our last headset review looked at the AudioFX Pro 5+1 by BenHeck (no relation), which left us impressed by its sound quality and comfort. This time, we're going to examine the Creative Fatal1ty Gaming Headset, endorsed by Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel. How did they compare? Click through to find out. [Read Full Review]

Leatherman has a long history of producing high quality multi-tools. Their Skeletool & Skeletool CX, introduced in late 2007, marks a distinct departure from the smooth designs that they've had since the early 80's with their PST. The Skeletool CX is a minimalist's multi-tool, with a knife, pliers, screwdriver, and most importantly, a bottle opener. [Read Full Review]

Continuing our examination of "tiny headsets," we decided to check out the Motorola H700. The device itself, when closed, is fairly compact but the clunky earpiece (which must be used) and the flip-open mic gives this device a bigger footprint. Click through to see our thoughts on this bluetooth headset. [Read Full Review]

Bluetooth headsets have been available for a few years now, and recently there have been some certifiably tiny headsets on the market. Here we take a look at Samsung's diminutive WEP-500 Bluetooth headset. Its footprint is only slightly larger than a quarter, plus it's shinier. [Read Full Review]

Stereo headsets are a great way to enjoy your music, games or movies without disturbing those around you. But with surround sound and all the 5.1, 6.1, 7.1 home theater systems that exist these days, a mere stereo headset seems to be an inadequate replacement. Over the past few years several manufacturers have tried (and mostly failed) to produce quality 5.1 headphones. So how did the eDimensional AudioFX Pro 5+1 Headset sound to our iPod-deafened ears? Click through to find out. [Read Full Review]

How many of you own or have owned a Motorola RAZR phone? Probably a lot of you, judging by the popularity of the original RAZR over the past few years. I recently had the chance to upgrade to a new phone, so I decided to give the new Motorola RAZR V9m (aka the RAZR2) a try. Check out the full review for my ruthless take on this phone. [Read Full Review]

Bluetooth has been all the rage recently with all the accessories being released, from headsets, headphones, mice, and more. Surprisingly, Logitech decided to break from the trend and make their newest performance notebook mouse using RF technology. Although a bluetooth mouse is nice to have since most new notebooks can be configured with built-in bluetooth, we were less than impressed with Logitech's latest V470 Bluetooth Mouse. RF is a tried and true technology for pointing devices, so the question is, does the Logitech VX Nano live up to our expectations? [Read Full Review]

Having recently reviewed the mid-range Garmin Nuvi 360 as well as the low-end Magellan Maestro 3210, switching to the top of the line TomTom GO 920T promised to be a significant upgrade. This is TomTom's current top of the line GPS navigation system, with a dizzying array of features including Bluetooth, FM Transmitter, Enhanced Positioning Technology, Voice Input, Traffic, Map Share, and lots more. Does the TomTom GO 920T live up to its lofty specs? Read on to find out. [Read Full Review]

I’ve owned a couple of RC cars over the years, starting with the Team Associated RC10 1:10 Buggy that was all the rage in the early 90’s. After a break of about a decade, I decided to revisit the RC scene, but this time with a vehicle of a distinctly different pedigree. I was looking for something with substantial power and ready to run out of the box. After looking around and comparing prices and features, I decided to purchase the HPI Racing Savage X 4.6 Nitro Monster Truck, which can be had for about $400. [Read Full Review]

If you have a desktop PC, chances are that you have a complete mess of cables exploding from the back panel to your various power and peripheral connections. The Dell XPS One aims to provide an integrated all-in-one desktop solution for users willing to fight the clutter with their wallets. You need just one cable to get the XPS One up and running. Just what do you get for the $1299 base price? Read on to find out. [Read Full Review]

We normally stay away from current events, but this one caught our attention quite literally since we're in SF. During lunch I tried to catch a glimpse of the torch along its planned route starting at AT&T Park, however much to my dismay the authorities whisked it away from the protesting throngs to a backup route. Some pics: 1 2 3 4 5 6.

Notebook track pads have come a long way since having a physical ball to roll around. The newest Apple gadgets even have multi-touch track pads. When I want to get some serious work done, and I don’t mean typing an essay, a real mouse (not the rodent variety) is the best tool for the job. Here we take a look at the Logitech V470 Bluetooth Cordless Laser Mouse which at first glance seems to be an ideal mix of portability and usability. [Read Full Review]

Going from a GPS sytem with Text-To-Speech (TTS) to one without that feature is somewhat like going from Coke to Diet Coke. They both try to do the same thing, but the full version does it in a much more satisfying way. That was my initial impression when I first started using the Magellan Maestro 3210, having come from using the Garmin Nuvi 360 for several months. Could the Maestro 3210 impress me after I had become used to a more advanced model? Read on to find out… [Read Full Review]

In the past few years, LCD monitors have become quite affordable for the everyday consumer. You can get a 17" LCD monitor for as low as $100, or a 24" LCD monitor for $300. For those who are looking for something a little smaller, a 20" or 22" usually fits the bill. Let's look at the Dell SP2008WFP Widescreen LCD Monitor. [Read Full Review]

Buying a new television these days can be a tough job. There has been a definite shift from Plasma to LCD, with some manufacturers exiting the Plasma arena entirely. However, if you’re looking for a TV above 42-inches, Plasma can still be a regret-free choice. Here we review one of Panasonic’s latest entries into the large Plasma marketplace, the Panasonic TH-50PZ77U 50" 1080p HDTV. [Read Full Review]

If there is one product that has surged in popularity among the gadget crowd (besides the overplayed iPhone), it is Global Positioning Systems (GPS). GPS promises to be the holy grail of never having to ask for directions when you are in unfamiliar territory. Here we take a closer look at the Garmin Nuvi 360, a contender among the slew of mid-range GPS navigation products. [Read Full Review]

The Samsung SGH-A437 has all the basic parts of a good phone. It has bluetooth, a camera, and it is an unlockable quad-band GSM phone. It is great phone if you don't demand much from your phone other than texting and chatting. However, if you are a power user, you may want to relegate this to "travel phone" duties. [Read Full Review]

Let’s face it: Very few people like to vacuum, myself included. Nobody is tracking mud or any other heavy-duty stains into my place, so the main issues are dust and human detritus (which is also a major contributor to dust in general). With these requirements in mind, I decided to purchase the iRobot Roomba Scheduler Vacuum. [Read Full Review]

We live in a world that is growing ever more concerned about energy usage and energy efficiency. If you have a desktop computer or a home theater, you know firsthand how much wiring hides behind your systems. How much electrical energy do these devices use? The P3 International Kill A Watt aims to demystify what exactly is contributing to your electrical bill. [Read Full Review]

On paper, this monitor sports some decent specs. A 5ms response time means that there is no visible ghosting. The 1000:1 contrast ratio lends itself to deep blacks and bright whites. However, since it uses a TN Panel, the viewing angle is limited, and it cannot display a full complement of colors. Although this may not affect most users out there, it is something worth mentioning. [Read Full Review]

Here at BensBargains we often feel compelled to buy the very deals we post. Some products turn out to be everything we expected, while other products fall short of our expectations. Coming into the new year, I was thinking of how to make this site even more useful, and it occurred to me that we can share our own experiences with these products by doing product reviews. These won’t be multi-page write-ups that take 30 minutes to read, but rather a concise statement of how the product performed versus our expectations. Feel free to share your opinions in each review discussion, as well as to contact us about products that you’d like to see us tackle.

You know how it happens. My trusty 4-year old computer (my main home PC) had been shutting down randomly for the past year, but it wasn’t often enough to force me to replace it. Then it started happening every time, and when I finally got it to boot, Windows reported a series of disk errors. That was apparently the last dying interaction between me and this system, as an attempt to reboot resulted only in the click of death from the aged hard drive. [Read Full Review]

I was looking for a digital camcorder for some time, but I was unwilling to fork over the dough because I felt that the entire industry was in a transition period with various intermediary and soon-to-be obsolete formats. The future of digital video is in solid state recording and HD video, and the Panasonic Palmcorder HDC-SD5 seemed on paper to fit the bill quite nicely. [Read Full Review]

If you’re like most people these days, your point and shoot digital camera is never very far away so that you can capture every memorable moment in excruciating megapixel detail. Image stabilization technology has come a long way to mitigate your shaking hands, but there are some situations where only a tripod will do. [Read Full Review]