Microsoft Store

The Tomb Raider for Xbox 360 that I purchased from the Microsoft Store website is truly a purchase that I am so happy about! I have always loved the character, Lara Croft, since I was a teenager! I even dressed as Lara Croft for 5 Halloweens! I think the character is hard, yet soft. Beautiful, but not vain, smart and not arrogant!

Being an avid female gamer really scored me a lot of points with fellas in the community college I attended! I love the fact that Tomb Raider has taken a new angle, as the Tomb Raider for Xbox 360 explores the gritty and very intense story surrounding Lara and her climb from a terrified young lady to one that has turned out to be a tough survivor.

Each time I play this game, it gives a lot of pleasure! I get to have loads of fun and also ensure that my brain is thoroughly exercised. I love that Lara Croft is armed with just her sharp instincts and her natural ability to keep pushing even if it seems that pushing hard would be a total waste of time. My Lara Croft will have to use her smarts, her physical strengths and exploration skills in order to be able to successfully unravel the rather murky history of an island that has been forgotten for years and try her best to escape the island’s rather clingy hold.

When I came across the Tomb Raider for Xbox 360, I knew that I had to get it, so that I would no longer be bored stiff when I come back from work to an empty house – my boyfriend is a pilot and is NEVER around! With the Tomb Raider for Xbox 360, I am going on the journey with Lara and helping overcome her challenges.

Pros:
The Tomb Raider for Xbox 360 is a fun game to play. It is affordable and will be shipped to you for FREE! you!

Cons:
The Tomb Raider for Xbox 360 is a fun game to play! Help Lara Croft unravel the mystery of the abandoned Island.

Online or In-Store:
Online

Sculpt Comfort Keyboard:

Do you remember the days when typing was quite a challenge? This was largely due to the hard and not so finger friendly keyboards we had back then. Well, things are changing and now keyboards are largely made with the user in mind and you can forget those hard keys that were quite tiring to click on. One of the best keyboards I have had the pleasure of using is the Sculpt Comfort Keyboard from Microsoft. This is truly a keyboard that lets the fingers fly with ease. No more numb fingertips for me, since as a writer I spend most of my days behind the keyboard.

The Sculpt Comfort Keyboard comes with ergonomic features, which includes a removable padded palm rest that I have to say is awesome. It also comes with a palm lift and one of the first things you will realize is that the keyset is actually contoured. Let’s get into the nitty-gritty about this keyboard. This is without a doubt the perfect accessory to your PC, since it is mainly made to provide ease and comfort with your typing endeavors. As I mentioned earlier, I spend much of my time typing and the good thing about this keyboard is that it helps avoid injuries that could come about from extensive typing and yes, if you type for close to eight hours a day, you could injure your fingers.

I will now give you more details about the sleek features. Let’s get started with the contoured design, which is my personal favorite. What’s the big fuss about this design you may ask? Well, it does a lot to promote a good and natural position for your wrist. This makes it easier for me to reach keys with ease and I don’t have to strain or constantly shift my hand movement into unnatural directions while working. You will also notice that the space bar is split and the reason for this is so that you can type more efficiently.

As mentioned above, the keyboard has a palm lift and this is a fantastic feature because it promotes neutral wrist movements just like the contours and also helps me maintain a straight palm position. Windows 8 hotkeys are all provided in a touch and you can easily access settings and search or share data amongst other functions conveniently. This keyboard comes with a detachable palm rest, which you can remove to a get a compact and sleek look. You also get to AAA batteries and the good thing about this keyboard is that it connects via USB, which means you can use it with various computer devices.

Pros: What do I like about this Sculpt Comfort Keyboard? One, it has been made with the user in mind. Its shape and key features, all provide for a better user experience and I have come to realize that the key board is largely responsible for speed when it comes to typing. I have so far increased my words per minute and can say that I am more productive. This all sounds unrealistic considering we are talking about a keyboard. As I explained earlier, this keyboard’s design promotes natural wrist and palm movements making it easier for you to type with ease hence increasing your output.

Cons: Since I work odd hours, I would have to say that the fact that this keyboard isn’t backlit is a major disadvantage. The over-sized space bar also does more harm than good in my opinion, as it makes the keyboard feel cumbersome or in less harsh words, imprecise. Lastly, it would be nice if the batteries were rechargeable.

Amount Paid: $59.95

Purchase Date: April 30th, 2013

Online or In-Store: Online

Final Notes: If you are looking for an easier typing experience, this is the keyboard to purchase. Not only is affordable, it also comes with some great features that make your typing experience enjoyable. The ergonomic design is much appreciated, as it provides comfort when typing, since the contours help keep all these keys well within reach. When it comes to the keys, you are looking at really comfortable keys to type and as mentioned earlier, gone are the days when keys injured fingers due to their tough nature.

Recommended: Yes

Overall Rating: 5 stars

ASUS VivoBook X202E Touchscreen Ultrabook (Pink):

My daughter is graduating from High School next month and will be off to college in September. She has been sharing computers with everyone else in the family and it’s time for her to have one of her own. She has earned it. So, for her graduation present, I bought her one of her own from Microsoft.

The girl has been sharing a VivoBook with me as well as a family desktop with everyone else, so it’s about time she had one of her own. I bought her an ASUS VivoBook UltrabookX202E Touchscreen with a pink finish. After checking it out, it shows to be a very inexpensive way to move her up to a new Windows 8 PC to start college with. This is an extremely classy Ultrabook that has an 11.6-inch touchscreen using multi-gestures, so she will be able to swipe, pinch, and tap her way through great applications with no mouse required.

Mary is my genius child who made a perfect score on her SAT tests and has gotten a total academic 4-year scholarship to her choice of college. This spring is going to be so busy with prom and graduation, so I ordered the computer early since I have the time now – later, this spring is going to be really hectic. Everyone in the family is so proud of her, as her graduation is going to be a really big deal in this family.

The Notebook is loaded with everything she will need for college and pre-set up by Microsoft – ready to set down and use. It comes with many applications and programs loaded, such as Windows Movie Maker, Photo Gallery, Skydrive, Outlook2013, as well as Windows Defender to help protect her machine against viruses. I am also buying the school edition of Office, so she will have all the programs to do her class work.

The technologies for computers are developing so fast – this will give her a good start, so she can learn on her own about the importance of keeping up with the newer models with newer technology as they come along. Her grandparents have kept her up with the iPhone and my sister and her family have already given her a Kindle reader, so she is set for college.

For me, this is a happy and yet a sad time with my children all getting older and leaving home. But they have all been prepared well and I just have to let them go when it comes time. It is hard with her, since she is the first.

Pros: 4 GB of system memory, 500 GB hard drive, SonicMaster Lite technology for sound, Intel Core i3 Ivy Bridge processor for fast system performance, Windows 8, Windows Photo Gallery, Windows Movie Maker, Skydrive, Windows Defender, and Outlook 2013, 90 days complete free support, AnswerDesk.com for how-to's support after 90 days, tech service for 2 years, 11.6 in LED-backlit display, Intel HD Graphics 4000 with shared graphics memory, HD webcam, wireless, and Bluetooth.

Cons: None

Amount Paid: $450.00 without add-ons

Purchase Date: April 10, 2013

Online or In-Store: Online

Final Notes: It has been real fun using this ASUS VivoBook UltrabookX202E Touchscreen. Not only me, but my daughter also loves it from the very first day. Absolute return of every penny spent on buying this.

Recommended: Yes Overall Rating: 5 Stars

Review Title: VIZIO 24-Inch Touchscreen All-in-One CA24T-A4

Title: VIZIO 24-Inch Touchscreen All-in-One CA24T-A4

Review Body: My Vizio 24-inch Touch Screen All-in-One CA24T-A4 is here and I am so excited! Now it is time for some serious entertainment with this one. It is half TV and half PC, and is loaded with HD having a full high def. display, two HDMI ports, as well as HD SRS premium sound. No matter what I am watching – TV shows to movies or online content or playing games - all come alive in awesome detail and clarity.

This is really more than just a PC that is high powered, the VIZIO all in-one brings me a complete solution for entertainment with its own remote and its easy in connecting to the cable box, blue-ray disc player and gaming console. It gives me everything I need in one simple and sleek design; letting me conveniently jump between the web; movies; TV; and then school. It allows me to stream content for the nights the guys come over to watch a movie and I can put together a presentation for school the next day. Then when I only want to watch TV, there is no need to power on the complete computer. The TV with its remote works just fine without the whole system booted up.

This is really nice – I love it. Works just as I had envisioned. It really is the perfect computer – touch screen and Window 8 to boot. I also have a couple of other nifty tricks, like an included remote that allows the system to quite effectively function as a television and a power supply that is hidden away in the subwoofer enclosure. This is perfect for my game room.

The money I spent on this was well worth it because it has so many functions. I am very pleased with the results as it works as advertised. I really didn’t have much room in the game room; it is even a space saver for me.

The base includes decent connectivity options, with an SD card reader, USB 3.0 port on the left side for access that is easy and a headphone jack. The panel in the rear contains three USB 3.0 ports, dual HDMI inputs and an eSATA port. Yes sir, for a single guy living alone, it is everything I need in one sleek unit.

It has a TG hard drive – I have never had a hard drive that large – 6 GB of RAM which is a lot of RAM. You can do some serious multitasking with that much RAM. The last computer I had was so old and slow that it would crash if I had more than two windows opened at the same time. I think I am really going to love the speed of this machine.

Pros: Beautiful with thin design, no programs that are not needed. It functions as a television with a remote even when the PC is powered down. Easily goes between web, home computer, television, to game console. Moreover, it is a space saver for my little game room. Perfect functions and size for a bachelor pad.

Cons: None

Website Experience: I found it on the Microsoft store website which needless to say is a neat and compact little website. Navigation is menu driven with the menu on the left side of the website. Menu includes everything you would expect to find at the MS Store front, games, software, Office products, Windows products, training and everything else that MS Store sells. It has several views of the unit and a complete write up on product overview, complete specs, plus ratings and reviews. Nice little website with the check-out page of course having all the protection needed for guarding personal and credit card information. There are no shipping charges also.

Amount Paid: $799

Purchase Date: March 15, 2013

Online or In-Store: Online

Final Notes: The price was a HUGE saving from other retail outlets – in fact I almost got it for half off. I really couldn’t believe the difference in price from Microsoft Store and other stores – even the big box discount stores.

Recommended: Yes

Overall Rating: 5 stars

Flight Simulator X Gold Edition from The Microsoft Store is one of the most popular PC games available for all ages. The graphics are better, the game play offers more features than ever before, and you can easily compete against your friends for a more fun, fulfilling experience. 20 of the missions featured in this game are brand new, as are 6 of the scenery maps. A total of 71 missions are included as part of the game play, including search and rescue missions and NASA test piloting. No matter whether you've been using flight simulators for years or are new to the world of this type of game play, you're sure to have hours of fun when you start using this game.

The Microsoft Store is where I picked up my Xbox 360. I had never owned a game system before the Xbox, which has been a source of amusement among my friends. Now I understand why everyone was always giving me a hard time. The Xbox is amazing and I am consistently impressed and surprised by how realistic games are being made these days. I’ve gotten other software and merchandise through the Microsoft store and can’t really say a bad word about it. I’ve always gotten my orders on time and anytime I have had a small problem they have been quick to help me out and make it right.

I am a huge X-Box and Kinect fan. I think Microsoft has hit it on the nail. Their gaming system is simply the best. They have just taken gaming to another level. I had another gaming console at home but ever since I saw X-Box at a friend's place, I regretted wasting money on the first one. I finally bought my own X-Box. It has been great. If you love gaming the way I do, you have to the X-Box. The experience is beyond anything you may have had with other systems.

Are you looking for the hottest new PC for your work or play? You can get the new Surface with Windows RT for only $499. Microsoft may not have been the first one to the tablet party, but their offering is well worth the wait. This particular It features a host of innovative features and comes with an impressive 32 GB of storage. It features the latest version of Windows and a finger friendly version that makes it perfect for computing on the go. Best of all, since this is a full-fledged Windows device, you don't have to make any sacrifices when it comes to productivity. With a beautiful screen a powerful processor, this tablet will keep up with you no matter what your demands are.

Want a video game system that will dazzle your friends? Check out the XBOX 360 video game console by Microsoft. The XBOX 360 was Microsoft’s first video game console that hit it big in the marketplace. With over hundreds of games to play, Microsoft also offers users the ability to interact with games. With the Kinect, users can play certain video games by utilizing body movements. Right now, Microsoft is offering 100 dollars off the XBOX 360 gaming console for the holidays. Stop over at Microsoft and pick up your gaming console today.

The Microsoft Store is a great place to buy software, video games, and consoles like the XBOX 360. But, what I purchase from the Microsoft Store is software. They have great deals on their Windows OS and Microsoft Office Professional. I first purchased MS Office Professional from a friend who said he got great deals with this company. Unfortunately, after about a year of use I found out that the software was a hacked copy. That’s when I went directly to the Microsoft website and made my purchase there. I don’t have to be worried that the copy will expire after a year, or that the software will be buggy. Microsoft guarantees their software to be original copies and they sell their licenses so that no one else will have it. You can choose from downloading the software after you purchase or download with a physical copy. The physical copy and download is what I chose. Now I have a backup in case my computer ever crashes and the software on the computer is lost.