Oh by the way this was the 20.00 MB for Newbies from June 19th...

I only bought one MB...and I did just finish checking the price of the phone...so with that said I am fairly happy with the purchase. Fed-Ex just had me really hacked not to mention someone going through my stuff....Thanks for your feed back

Greetings from a nub who purchased this box!

Having read the various whining and kvetching from prior MB threads, I was intrigued enough to purchase the $19.99 version because
A) It was specifically aimed at nubs like me
B) Anything that causes so many people to whine like cranky toddlers has to be cool and
C) I'm a gambler.

One thing that's pretty evident about all these whining whiners, since I probably haven't quite insulted them enough yet, is that they've never done a grab bag before or are unclear on the concept. That's what the Mystery Boxes are: a grab bag. This is not a new idea. When a company or store has too much of something that didn't sell very well, they put it in a bag with other not selling well things and sell the whole shebang as a big mystery. This has been going on since the 1800s, people. It's not a particularly new idea.

I, for one, love grab bags. Always have. As long as you keep in mind that there's a very good chance that you will get a big bag of stuff you have no use for, you will never be disappointed.

So, the box arrived yesterday, and my haul is pretty much the same:
2 different night lights - handy in a house like ours
1 travel iPod charger - worth half the cost of the box right there, since some of us AREN'T cretins who think a real vacation involves traveling all the way to Bubba's Tractor Pull down in Possum Creek, Arkansas
1 4 Port USB Hub - ALWAYS useful to have
1 USB Notebook Light - Interesting, but probably not going to get much use, unless it's when I'm flying overseas
1 Headset that's big and bulky and compatible with my cordless at home, so I love it
1 Retractable Telephone cord - extremely useful to have when you need it
1 Retractable Network Cable - HAWT
1 Retractable set of earbuds - The sound quality on these isn't award winning, but it's pretty dang sharp
1 Electronic Message Reminder - Now hanging in my office at work, and I am having much fun recording horrible messages for playback
1 Retractable Optical USB Mouse - This and the travel Ipod charger pretty much make this MB pay for itself
1 World AC Travel Adapter NOT for iPods - Again, very handy
1 Thing Fling mini fan- One of the only things that made me go "uh, wtf?"
1 Linksys Yahoo Dual Mode Cordless Phone for Yahoo Messenger - This one? This one has several possibilities, not the least of which being possible hardware hacks later in my lab at work.

So: for all you whining whining whiners, take note. This is what one would call a successful Grab Bag purchase. Are there a few silly things in there? Yes. But in all, this haul fulfilled the criteria for a Good Grab Bag.

I think a lot, and I mean MOST of the whining here is because you eejits want something that, when you think about it, is stupid: to get way more than you paid for. Little hint; things that sell really well that everyone likes? Those things don't often end up in grab bags. They get sold. You're not going to spend $30 on a box, and find it contains forgotten nazi gold treasure and a crystal faery wand that lets you create unicorns at will. A grab bag is never going to have 16 winning lottery tickets, a magic lamp with a genie, and Keira Knightley in a bikini. A $30 box is going to contain $30 (WHOLESALE) worth of stuff, worth maybe $50 retail - and it's going to be leftovers.

All in all, I will be purchasing another MB in the future, and I am quite pleased with TF so far!

Very well said jlgrant. Yea, there is alot of stuff you may not use, But I made geek gift baskets with my unwanted stuff and they did a drawing for the teachers for teacher appreciation week. The teachers when wild over them. I also have friends who have enjoyed some of the stuff. And nubie, you got shagged. Awesome.

yea, I'm jealous of the fan. My son and I had such a great time with it, the dog decided she needed to play with it too. Now it doesn't give a message.

Here's what I got. I would post a picture but apparently they won't let me.
1-Linksys Cordless phone for Yahoo Messenger
1-laser pointer with 42 attachments (the pets LOVE this)
1-Collapsible Screwdriver set
1-USB Notebook Light
1-4-Port USB Hub
1-World Traveler Adapter
1-Retractable Optical Mouse
1-Retractable set of Ear Buds
2-Retractable phone cables
1-RCA Noise cancelling Head Phones
1-Magnetic Electronic Message Recorder with Time on it

I will put mine on eBay and reap the million dollars it will eventually sell for. Then I will use that money to purchase the crystal faery unicorn wand.

This was a really cool MB. Here's what I got and I really needed everything I got. Thanks TF.



I've been putting off getting a battery charger since I actually needed one and I get one in my MB. I also got some cool ipod stuff which I never got before. This also is awesome since I do have an ipod and love gadgets. I'll probably save the Linsys phone to use as a gift for someone. One can never have enough headphones since they seem to break or get lost easily. And, the wierd looking green plastic thing at the bottom of the pix.... that's actually a cross pen which doubles as a highligher. I've actually not seen this before but is pretty neat. Thanks TF for all this cool stuff.

This is exactly what I got. Took me a while to figure out the screwdriver kit. I wondered why I had a heavy clipon thingy that didn't appear to do anything until I accidentally opened it. Yay! Into my very large purse it goes. I can't wait to play with the laser pointer. The other stuff is cool too. Speaking of cool, I was hoping and praying for a fan. It's HOT here in Seattle, and I do get the occasional hot flashes, so was really wanting that. Oh well, guess I'll go to Target or Fred Meyer and get a desk fan. All in all I'm happy with my very first MB! I will probably do it again in the future!

Thanks!

Denise

I meant to add, I am a medical transcriptionist so the two sets of headphones will come in really handy, especially the noise cancelling ones! Thanks again!

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If Mickey Mouse could fly he'd be Donald Duck.