palmsolo's Refresh Review Rating Scale

What to expect in my written review content

We used various rating scales and systems over my 16.5 years at ZDNET and the last scale was from 1-10, with ratings allowed in tenths. I just took a look though and now see that my past reviews have been adjusted to a 5-point scale, which is pretty funny because that is exactly what I am going to do here on palmsolo’s Refresh. I am not going to go down to a half point rating though and simply stick with 1 through 5.

Given that I am such a major Han Solo and Star Wars fan, I’m going to award my ratings with the Medal of Yavin images in keeping with the theme of the site. Here’s a general guide to my rating system:

• 5 Medals of Yavin: Excellent, surpassed expectations, highly recommended.

• 4 Medals of Yavin: Very good, met expectations, may be recommended for the right customer.

• 3 Medals of Yavin: Good, acceptable, possibly recommend if priced right.

• 2 Medals of Yavin: I didn’t like it but may not be a total failure, not usually recommended.

• 1 Medal of Yavin: Avoid, terrible, not recommended.

These are not scientific ratings and are fairly subjective, based on my personal experiences with the products. It’s unlikely I will spend the time reviewing products that might earn 1 or 2 ratings and in the past I contacted the product supplier and gave my feedback directly so they could improve the product if desired. I will post these though if the situation warrants it. My written content will make it clear what the pros and cons are of the products with other details that will help you make informed decisions as you check out my take on products.

If you read or watched my introduction, I’ve been around the mobile technology space for more than 25 years so have a fairly deep understanding of technology and have seen wonderful and terrible products pass through my hands.