Experience the most advanced attack mechanics, ultimate combo move sets and new battle modes. With innovated features to broaden Tekken consumer accessibility, unlimited fighter combinations & multiple ways to challenge your friends – get ready for the next battle!

The highly-anticipated sequel to 2000’s legendary Tekken Tag Tournament, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is being brought to home consoles with all of the action seen in the arcades along with unique content and features that won’t be seen anywhere else, making for the most feature-rich title in the history of the Tekken franchise.

The game will come loaded with a slate of new features not available in the existing arcade version found in Japan, including online functionality that has been comprehensively reworked in direct response to fan feedback as well as a host of all-new features that have yet to be revealed.

“We have heard the voice of fans directly at various tournaments and through social media.” said Katsuhiro Harada, Tekken Project Director at NAMCO BANDAI GAMES Inc. “As Tekken is the top-selling fighting game franchise worldwide we know expectations for the widely anticipated sequel to Tekken Tag Tournament are high, but we are confident we can deliver what you’ve been asking for and even more.”

• Multiplayer Match – Challenge your friends in a 2-on-2 tag-team battle, 1-on-1 or 1-on-2
• Pair Play – Up to 4 players can each control a character in the ultimate team battle
• Fight Lab – All new mode to customize combot’s appearance & for the first time ever, his moves
• Largest Playable Roster – More than 50 characters to choose from
• New Stages – Fight in your favorite countries around the world
• Environment FX – Clothing condition alters in real-time with water & dirt effects
• New Moves – Each character expands their fight arsenal with explosive new tag-throws & tag-combos
• Online Features – All-new features bring the community together like never before
• Offline Battle Modes – Re-live the classic arcade mode, train in a first-class practice mode, customize your team/character appearance & much more

Release Date: September 11, 2012
Platform: PS3, Xbox 360
Genre: Fighting
Publisher: Namco Bandai

Steel Battalion Heavy Armor was officially announced by Keiji Inafune, Capcom’s Head of R&D Management Group and Contents Management Division, earlier today to an audience of media from across the globe at Microsoft’s Tokyo Game Show Keynote Address.

“The announcement of Steel Battalion Heavy Armor is further testament to Capcom’s commitment to produce innovative titles that take advantage of the latest technology”, commented Keiji Inafune. “With Kinect’s ability to track your joints and movements and understand where the player is in 3D space and the development expertise of From Software in partnership with Capcom’s own personnel, we are confident of delivering a truly immersive experience for Xbox 360 gamers.”

“We are thrilled to once again work with our partners at Capcom and From Software to develop exclusive, innovative titles,” said Matt Barlow, General Manager, Interactive Entertainment Business Marketing for Microsoft. “It’s exciting to see publishers evolve renowned franchises like ‘Steel Battalion’ with Kinect to create gameplay that you can only experience on Xbox 360.”

Set in 2082, Steel Battalion Heavy Armor depicts a world devoid of computers, where war is waged with rudimentary weapons as new superpowers struggle for dominance. In a twist of fate, the US army has been forced to begin major landing operations on what was once its own soil.

In this low-tech era there is one weapon class that will determine the course of the war – the Vertical Tank. VTs are guaranteed to instil fear in enemy forces when they burst onto the battlefield; but they are nothing without the crews who man them. Lacking computer aided weapon and piloting systems, these brave men and women must now rely on skill, intuition and each other to ensure victory.

Platform: Xbox 360
Street date: June 19, 2012
Genre: First-Person Action
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: FromSoftware

The set will include the following games:

Street Fighter X Tekken (including all character and Swap Costume DLC)
Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition (with all costume DLC)
Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix
Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition

Street Fighter X Tekken and Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition both are the latest entries in the original and crossover series enjoying an active online community to ensure that the countless hours spent playing and training in both will be rewarded. HD Remix and Third Strike Online Edition are great options for those who miss the original game play of the series or the high level strategy and reflexes required for Third Strike’s infamous parry system. A well rounded filling of fighting foray indeed, yet the only concern some may have though is with Street Fighter X Tekken since CAPCOM has a track record for releasing newer versions of their latest releases with a few extra characters and tweaks, leaving a sour taste in early adopters mouths. However there is no point in worrying about a game that does not exist yet so we think this is still a great collection of games.

The set will also include the following video extras on two Blu-ray Discs:

A new documentary titled “I am Street Fighter”

The Street Fighter IV: The Ties That Bind and Super Street Fighter IV anime films
The complete Street Fighter animated series
Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie

Street Fighter IV: The Ties That Bind is an animated movie directed by Jiro Kanai that was featured in a bonus disc included in the Collector’s Edition of Street Fighter IV as a tribute to the game but was lack luster to say the least. The animated series is cool but unless you are itching for a trip down memory lane from the 90′s, chances are these 26 episodes will not be earn a marathon. Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie is a fan favorite and great to have as a collector but can also be found on Netflix in it’s original uncensored form if you are not the collector type. The new documentary should be great though, no doubt featuring scenes from EVO and other tournaments as well as some behind the scenes looks at the beloved franchise. Not as good as the games, this part of the collection is more of a bonus which you’ll either love or be apathetic about.

The set will also include the following extras:

An 8-inch tall light-up Ryu statue
An 11-disc soundtrack featuring music from the Street Fighter games, remixes, and fan-created music
A 64-page hardcover artbook
A full-size replica of Ryu’s martial arts black belt
An individually-numbered certificate of authenticity

Who isn’t a sucker for a certificate of authenticity? How else can we validate our fanboyism? The light up Ryu statue is a nice bonus and will definitely find a happy home on anyone’s desk and the black belt will no doubt actually be warn by a few brave souls, though we hope indoors or only for cosplay events. The real standouts here though are clearly the hardcover art book and the 11-disc soundtrack. If you ever visited sites like OCRemix.org or played the included Street Fighter II HD Remix, you would know how amazing the remixes are of the legendary Street Fighter sound track, and many of these are fan made which emphasizes its popularity.

Of course, it goes without saying that the 64-page art book may be enough of a bonus for some by itself. A series marked by unique visuals and timeless characters has produced some of the most memorable images in video game history making this art book a great addition. There will definitely be a pre-order or two on our end though we have to admit that the decision to go with Blu-ray over DVD might alienate some potential Xbox 360 only customers. None the less, with all included, this is a great price for all of these items regardless of your console of choice. The CAPCOM Unity website also began streaming a video for the collector’s set on Wednesday which can be viewed here. We have also posted some pictures in the gallery below.

This movie is based on the classic naval combat game Battleship by Hasbro. If you have never played the game, its premise is to destroy your opponents ships by blindly calling out positions on the board in an attempt to find out where your opponents ships are located. In the movie the battleships discover that they can locate the aliens position in a similar way, thereby living up to the movie’s Hasbro game name. The battle scenes were pretty good. The special effects were also very well done, although there was one alien tactic that was kind of Transformer-ish. I did not like the script too much, it was kind of corny and had no real substance. There was a side story of the main character Alex Hopper wanting to marry Sam (Brooklyn Decker), the daughter of Admiral Shane (Liam Neeson). I found this to be a recycled storyline of “boy wanting to prove himself to the girl’s father”. This always seems to be the case in these movies where the commanding officer has a daughter. This movie did represent the Navy military well as it used real named battleships in its filming, giving it an authentic feel. Overall I felt this movie was a project that was put together rather fast. Maybe the studio was searching for a new movie idea and someone shouted out this Hasbro game as a possible storyline. I hope that Hollywood isn’t running out of good script ideas or we may see a Monopoly movie some where down the line. I can see the premise now, “a wealthy tycoon bent on controlling all of the city’s property, and he will bankrupt all that stand in his way”. Anyway, I gave this movie 2 ships out of 4. The action scenes are what make this movie worth seeing. The movie runs 2 hours and 11 minutes. It was rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, action and destruction, and for language. The film was Directed by Peter Berg. It was written by Jon & Erich Hoeber.

“You sunk my battleship” – Ezo
Next movie reviewed: TBD

As if he literally had his ear to the crowd and knew that we were getting kind of tired of his recent all about the movie songs recently, Ryan has dropped this latest video for a song called “Ups & Downs”. This is the Ryan Leslie music we know and love. The video is a simple performance of a song in front of a crowd, and the message in the song wasn’t about having all this money this time around. This time to me this songs talks about the journey, the good and bad times that can happen. On this song Ryan raps and sings the hook, and the style he has fits him, so in this sense it works.

Check it out and let us know if your feeling this new Ryan track. Also are you looking forward to Les is More coming this summer?

As you know, uploading photos on the Facebook app can be a bit painful. It’s slow and the overall bugginess of the FB app makes it very inconvenient at times. This new app hopes to remedy this and make photo sharing more of a joy than a hassle. Taking some cues from Instagram, the main feed only shows photos and the status attached to those photos. You can click the thumbs up button to like the photo and the little chat bubble to comment on the photo. I dare say the interface is a bit better than that on Instagram as commenting on an image doesn’t really take you to a new screen. Instead, the dialog bubble pops up with the feed darkened in the background. It’s really nice looking and keeps you from losing your place. There’s even a really simple way to view either your own feed or your friend feed with a click of a button. Did I mention that this app is fast?

Up top, you’ll see a little camera icon as well as 3 of your most recent images taken on your camera roll. I really like this and it helps speed up the whole process of uploading. Usually you just want to upload the most recent image anyways and this makes it so simple. Just click on the image thumbnail and it goes straight to the editing screen where you can crop as well as add effects. When you’re done, click the status icon to type your description for the image as well as who you want to tag in it, location tag, and the privacy settings for it.

Some people might be wondering why they would need a separate app to upload aand view images when the FB app does the same. Well my answer to that is that Facebook Camera is just loads faster than the FB app and less frustrating to use. Plus, most people I think use Facebook to view images anyways and don’t necessarily want all the extra fluff that is in the regular FB app. I know that I’ll be using this app way more than the standard FB app despite the fact that you will not be able to insert images into albums or even create albums as they all go into the default mobile uploads folder. Hopefully they’ll integrate that into future builds.

Facebook Camera is available right now in the App Store for Free. It is compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch (4th generation), iPad 2 Wi-Fi, iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G, iPad (3rd generation) and iPad Wi-Fi + 4G.Requires iOS 4.0 or later.

Description

Share your photos in a snap with Facebook Camera. Post a bunch of photos to Facebook at once, and see what friends are up to with a feed of nothing but their photos.

– Post multiple photos from your camera roll at a time
– Crop and apply filters to give your photos a new look
– Scroll down a single feed of all your friends’ photos
– Tag your friends, add photo captions and say where you are
– See photos from the different apps your friends use

[via App Store]

Swizzy returns accompanied by A$AP Rocky solidifyin’ that Harlem BX connect with the appropriately entitled track “Street Knock” from the his upcoming “Limitless” mixtape because that’s exactly what it does…knock. Opening the music video directed by Taj_TPK is Swizz burin’ up the NYC streets in the Lotus with the city that never sleeps beaming on the orange four-wheeled epitome of speed treatin’ the FDR like its own Autobahn. The video rides along with the track through the performance shots as well as the Lotus. The video doesn’t go without one of, I must admit good to see the NBA crossover icon A.I. Allen Iverson displaying that he’s still nice with the handle. So to keep it classic Swizz Beatz is rockin’“The Answer” Reebok sneakers around his neck. The scenes kept the energy focused spotlighting the essence of the track. The joint was just “So Raspy” so what would Swizzy be without a cameo from Jadakiss “Got d)*%t!” lol

Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 , which is endorsed by renowned soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo, continues to maintain the skill and grace of top level soccer that fans of the sport and the video game desire and expect. This will be the most faithful recreation of modern day soccer, with players modeled to match the running motions, the abilities and playing styles, and the flicks and turns of their real-life counterparts.

“We’re excited to take Pro Evolution Soccer back to its roots, which is all about freedom and control.” said Tomoyuki Tsuboi, President of Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. “Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 is created, in part, by the vocal PES community, and with them, along with some new faces within the development team, we’re bringing in new features and gameplay mechanics that will invigorate the soccer community as a whole.”

Three key elements form the basis of Pro Evolution Soccer 2013′s innovations, with all new additions falling within the fields of Pro Evolution Soccer, which include FullControl, Player ID, and ProActive AI.

FullControll

The first element, FullControl (PES FC) offers a level of control that has never before been used in a soccer game. The features of PES FC include:

Total Freedom of Control: Pro Evolution Soccer introduced the concept of freedom of movement. The new ‘PES FC’ in Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 goes further with total freedom over ball control.

Dynamic First Touch: Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 introduces subtle ways to rec

Full Manual Shooting and Full Manual Passing: Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 offers fully manual passing and for the first time ever, manual shooting, allowing users to determine the height and power of each. Long low passes can be sent skimming across the pitch, while shooting the user has total control over where the shot is placed. Skill and precision are needed to master these, but passes can be made into open areas, allowing lone strikers to thrive, while offering an unrivalled variety in ways to score.eive the ball, from traps to gently lifting it past an attacker to run on to or a variety of other moves. First touch is everything and players can trap the ball using the R2 button, killing the speed of a well-hit pass and bringing it instantly under control, or using the momentum of the pass to turn a defender.

Dribbling: The speed with which a player moves with the ball has been slowed in line with real matches, but using R2 allows players to add various styles to their close control. Players can vary the speed of their dribbling, and cushion the ball as they move freely within a 360-degree circle. The new system allows players to knock a ball past a player and collect it, nutmeg them, or hold up play by shielding the ball as team mates find space and make runs.

Full Manual One-Two: Active one-two passes can be made, with the second player being moved in any direction), facilitating various tactical movements.

Response Defending: Countering the attacking options the new dribbling system offers, is a beautifully-balanced defense system. Players can use R2 and X to slow an attack, with a double-tap of the X button prompting a perfectly-timed challenge. Full 360-degree control means that players can check runs and steal the ball from a parallel position, while the individuality element will see world renowned defenders using aerial dominance of physicality to win the ball.

Goalkeepers : Even the game’s keepers benefit from more control, while their distribution is more precise thanks to the addition of a power gauge when they throw the ball, creating opportunities for new, quicker counter attacks.

Player ID

The second key element of Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 is the Player ID, which focuses on the individual characteristics and movements that each player boasts. The components of the Player ID include:

Player Individuality: The very best players in Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 will be instantly recognizable via signature attributes, skills and tricks that bring them to life. The way they run, turn, trap and move the ball, shape to shoot and even celebrate will be noticeably different during play.

Individuality to Goalkeepers: Goal keeping has been totally invigorated via new animations and play styles. New varieties of saves and reactions have been added to ensure the game’s ‘keepers are in line with the efforts of real shot stoppers. This level of realism also extends to the game’s top-rated goal keepers,with their moves to close attacks down, fling themselves to tip a shot past the post, and in-goal acrobatics benefiting from all new animations and AI.

ProActive AI

The third element is the ProActive AI, which unites the control and realism, with players that will respond and find space as befits those at the top of their game.

Balance of Play: The development team has worked closely with the Pro Evolution Soccer fan base to eradicate any illogical elements to the way players move and run in Pro Evolution Soccer 2013, with the ‘ProActive AI’ system enhancing the speed and balance, resulting in a more realistic game experience.

Enhanced Goalkeepers: Improvements to the goal keepers was voted the key advancement football fans wanted to see in Pro Evolution Soccer 2013, and the team has worked hard with real life goalkeepers to ensure the AI decision process has been vastly improved. Keepers now respond with better reactions, clear their lines more effectively and push the ball safely out of play rather than into dangerous areas.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 will also boast better connectivity and atmosphere. The popular myPES application will extend the connectivity and communication between Facebook-using PES fans, while the game’s audio effects are being tied closer to the on-field action to provide the kind of buzz seen at top-tier matches, with crowds growing in excitement as their team starts to exert pressure.

Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, PS2, PSP, 3DS, PC, Wii
Release Date: Q3 2012
Genre: Sports
Publisher: Konami
Developer: Winning Eleven Productions

Cygnett sent me the red version of the case which is very, very red. It differs from the Apple bumper case which is red and black in color whereas the Aerogrip Edge is all red. There is another difference in that this case doesn’t have the integrated metal buttons for the volume buttons or the power button.

The Aerogrip Edge wraps all the way around the outer edge of the iPhone and also overlaps both the edge of the screen and rear plate. This means that no part of the iPhone touches the surface if placed on its back or face. Now, because it does overlap the screen and rear plate, it may or may not cause interference with your screen and rear protector if you have those on and can make the edges lift up.

• Heavy-duty protection shields the edges of your iPhone from bumps & scratches
• Durable, flexible TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane) close-fitting cover
• Clean, uncluttered styling, with high-grip finish
• Easily access all ports, controls & connectors
• Includes a screen protector & microfibre cleaning cloth

If you don’t like the look of the standard Apple bumper case, the Cygnett Aerogrip Edge is almost as good of an alternative. It really is quite grippy and the dimples on the sides to help with handling. It seems a bit more rubbery than the Apple bumper though. It fits very well and is pretty tight so you don’t have to worry about it possible slipping off in your pocket or something. It’s also much cheaper than the Apple bumper case at only $14.99.

Shop Links

• Grey – Cygnett AeroGrip Edge Case for iPhone 4s – Grey
• Black – Cygnett AeroGrip Edge Case for iPhone 4s – Black
• Red – Cygnett AeroGrip Edge Case for iPhone 4s – Red

This case varies greatly from the Metalicus case that my colleague Adele looked at previously in that it is not a 2-piece snap case where almost the entire iPhone ends up being wrapped in aluminum. Instead, this is a slim-fit shell that is very similar to the ICON Art Series case with an aluminum plate integrated seamlessly on the rear. The aluminum plate is very clean looking and has a brushed look to it. The edges are beveled and polished to a very shiny silver. The rest of the case is made of plastic but finished off in a dark grey rubber finish. It’s a pretty nice color combination if you want something different from the usual black and white case colors.

The Urban Shield is very thin. It barely adds any thickness to the iPhone which is great for those who like the slim dimensions of the phone naked. Rear protection is good but front protection is minimal. It doesn’t wrap around the front edges nor does it extend past the screen. It sits flush with the screen so when you place the iPhone face down, it will be sitting on the screen. Also, the Urban Shield does not extend to the bottom edge of the screen so that means it isn’t protected on this part. On the plus side, the design of the case means that it does not interfere with any screen protectors you might have on, which by the way, the Urban Shield does come with one.

• Precision-machined from premium-grade brushed aluminium
• Ultra-slimline, close-fitting profile with rubber-finish corners
• Superb detailing, with beveled edges & silver insert
• Easily access all ports, controls & connectors
• Includes a screen protector & microfibre cleaning cloth

Overall, I really do like the look of the Cygnett Urban Shield and how slim it is. It’s a very slick, attractive looking case and it doesn’t cost much either at only $19.99 in your choice of 4 colors and as I stated above, also includes a screen protector.

Shop Links

• Silver – Cygnett Urban Shield Case for iPhone 4s – Silver
• Black – Cygnett Urban Shield Case for iPhone 4s – Black
• Bronze – Cygnett Urban Shield Case for iPhone 4s – Bronze
• Blue – Cygnett Urban Shield Case for iPhone 4s – Blue

Elizabeth’s family members consist of daughter Carolyn Stoddard (Chloe Grace Moretz), who is a rebellious teenager, Elizabeth’s brother Roger Collins (Jonny Lee Miller), and his 10 year old son named David Collins (Gulliver McGrath). After learning that the family’s wealth has dwindled since having to compete with Angelique’s fish canning factory, Barnabas vows to bring the family back to the glory they once had, while also vowing revenge against Angelique for entombing him in that coffin for 200 years. Angelique also vows to keep the Collins curse going on, unless Barnabas agrees to be with her. Barnabas will need the help of his Collins descendants, if he is going to have any chance at defeating Angelique once and for all.

Now I have heard about the show that this movie was remade from, and apparently it was a huge TV “soap opera styled thriller” hit back in 1966 – 71, and as a re-make TV series in 1991. So being that Tim Burton and Johnny Depp were pairing up again for the eighth time to turn this television sensation into a full-length movie, I was intrigued. A few weeks before the movie came out I checked out some videos of the old show to see if it was interesting. I did not find it at all that entertaining, but it could have been because I never got into watching it before. So me going to see this movie was strongly based on the enjoyable movies Tim Burton has put out previously with actor Johnny Depp starring in them.

I was greatly disappointed this time around. I felt the movie was slow in its build-up. After only a few minutes of Barnabas coming on screen, I grew tired of the character. No matter how much I wanted to like this Johnny Depp character, I just couldn’t get into it. The movie is not that much of a comedy as it is more of a thriller mixed with comedic scenes. The story was boring and I was kind of anxious for the movie to be over with, I didn’t see it having a light at the end of the tunnel for me. I would say that this is a straight fan-based movie only. It’s not like The Addams Family movie that made new fans when they remade that 60′s television show into a movie. Only die-hard fans of this show will most likely enjoy this film, and I am not one of them. The bad thing was it offered nothing for me to even be interested in becoming a fan of it or the old show. I did not like this TB & JD pairing this time around, and I feel this must have been a heartfelt remake for the two of them. It must have been a childhood favorite of theirs when they were young. I gave this movie 1 bite out of 4. It could have been a lot more funnier, and there could have been more storyline about the problems that the two kids had. The movie runs 1 hour and 50 minutes. Its rated PG-13 for comic horror violence, sexual content, some drug use, language and smoking. It was directed by Tim Burton. It was written by Seth Grahame-Smith. The film was distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution

Some nostalgic TV shows, should stay nostalgic- Ezo
Next Movie Reviewed: Battleship

Why $800? Well, it’s because it will be the unlocked (GSM) international version, which means you can use it on AT&T or T-Mobile (but you won’t be able to use data on T-Mobile networks or AT&T’s LTE network).

There is no official announcement for the US version of this phone. If you do decide to wait for the US version, it probably won’t have the Exynos quad-core processor as it’s not compatible with our LTE networks.

Do you think it’s worth jumping the gun and picking up the unlocked version? I won’t be spending that amount.  I’ll wait for the US version.

The FujiFilm FinePix HS30EXR is the 2nd travel zoom/super zoom camera from FujiFilm that I had a chance to take a look at. The first was the FinePix F770EXR which was a compact travel zoom camera and one that could fit into your pocket. The HS30EXR is not. This camera is more similar to that of a DSLR in both size and looks and is a camera that will require the use of a neck strap and/or a camera bag to carry. This camera is for those who want DSLR-like features and flexibility without a need to swap lenses or the care involved with owning a DSLR.

Note however that this is not a DSLR and as such also does not have the same kind of sensor you would normally find in a DSLR, such as an APS-C sized one found in the X-Pro-1. This would be really more of an advanced point-and-shoot camera than a slimmed down DSLR. With that said, the images are actually very good and much better than your average point-and-shoot.

Design of the Body & Features

If you want a detailed description of the body and what to expect from it, check out my hands-on preview of the HS30EXR here. It has very detailed information on where everything is located on the camera as well as how I thought about the build quality. If you don’t want to read it, I”ll just say that ergonomically, the camera is very good and after 2 weeks of using it, I still found the camera to be quite comfortable to hold and zooming the camera like a traditional DSLR is much faster than the point-and-shoot method of zooming found on the F770EXR. The build quality is excellent and still felt very solid after the 2 weeks of usage.

Overall, I really like how the HS30EXR is designed. Placement for all the buttons are excellent and I never felt like I had to over reach or hunt for a specific button to press. The use and placement of the command dial makes it very simple to adjust certain settings and when I am using the EVF, I never really have to leave it to adjust settings. I also love the fact that the SD card slot is located on the side of the camera and not at the bottom with the battery as this made removing the card with a tripod attached so much easier. On top of that, I really appreciate the fact that FujiFilm decided to go with a standard Mini-USB port for this camera instead of a custom port that would have required me to use another cable to sync with. Most of the buttons, doors, and dials are laid out almost perfectly in my opinion, all except for the AF-assist light.

The auto focus assist light is located between the hand grip and the lens. In this position,it can be obscured by either your hand, or the lens if you have the lens partially extended. The lens ends up casting quite a huge shadow which makes the AF-assist light almost useless. Your hand can also cover up bits of it as well. This was my only real gripe with the design of the camera.

Operations (Usage)

If you read the previous review on the FujiFilm F770EXR, then much of that review applies here. The HS30EXR works in a very similar manner when playing with the in-camera menus and it has many of the same features. This is no surprise seeing as both cameras are very similar in nature, even though they are miles apart in how they look.

Again, like the F770EXR, if you do not read the instruction manual, you can basically figure out most of the functions in the camera by just playing with the menus and going through all the available options. This is one thing I like about point and shoot style cameras, their ease of use. FujiFilm does a good job of making the HS30EXR relatively easy to use and the fact that you can select modes using the mode dial makes it infinitely more accessible to users. The more buttons and dials a camera has, the less a user has to fiddle through the software, and this camera definitely has a plethora of buttons to play with. Almost every important function can be accessed by using the hardware buttons which means you rarely really ever even need to go through the menu system.

For the most part, most users will probably want to keep the camera in EXR mode. This is FujiFilm’s advanced auto mode which will select the camera mode and settings based on what you are shooting. This differs slightly from regular Auto mode as you are also able to choose 3 other advanced shooting auto modes from the menu – Resolution Priority, High ISO & Low Noise, and D-Range Priority modes. These are actually 3 very handy presets to use. Resolution Priority is used to capture lots of detail, High ISO & Low Noise is used to capture night time shots with minimal noise, and D-Range Priority is like HDR mode where it will try to capture a whole range of tones to prevent washout.

In EXR mode, the HS30EXR does a relatively good job of choosing the correct scene mode for you. However if you’re the type who likes having control of which scene mode you want to use, you can switch over to SP (Scene Position) mode. I counted 18 different scene modes you can choose from and most seem quite useful and should be able to find a suitable scene mode for most situations you encounter.

If you want even more control of your shots, you can stick the camera into M, A, S, or P modes. These are standard “manual” modes that you find with almost all cameras these days. These modes are very easy to adjust on the HS30EXR thanks in part to all the buttons located on the left of the LCD screen as well as the command dial and it’s convenient placement near the thumb rest.

You’ll be happy to note that the HS30EXR does a pretty decent job of keeping blur to a minimum at full zoom thanks to its built-in image stabilization. I took quite a bit of photos at full zoom and for the most part, many of them were very clear. Some might have been a bit soft, but still acceptable considering that full zoom is equivalent to about 720mm and at that focal length, it can be very difficult to keep images steady without a tripod. The HS30EXR however did a great job of it with it’s built-in image stabilization.

As you know, the HS30EXR has both a rear viewscreen and an electronic viewfinder. For the most part, I used the electronic viewfinder the most, like I would with a DSLR but I did find the viewscreen handy at times, especially if I had to shoot at some rather weird angles. I love how easy it was to switch between the two and since the camera also has an eye sensor on it, it would switch automatically depending on if I had it up to my eye or not. The electronic viewfinder was very bright and really helped when using the camera outdoors as it was often difficult to see the LCD screen in bright sunlight.

One feature you’ll want to enable that I haven’t really seen on any other camera is the built in electronic level. When enabled, the viewscreen or viewfinder will show a centered blue horizontal line across the screen. There will be a secondary white line superimposed over it that will show you exactly how level you are. If you are perfectly level, the line will turn green. This really helps with framing and keeping the horizon straight in your photos. This is a very neat feature and one that I wished more cameras would have standard.

I also like the way the HS30EXR handles continuous photo shots. Basically the camera groups them all continuous shots together and while in playback mode, it’ll show the first shot of the set with a tiny animate thumbnail of all other shots in the set. It’s pretty neat to say the least. You can then view each individual images in the set after if you choose to do so. On the subject of continuous shooting, the camera is very fast when it comes to this in my opinion.

All-in-all, using the camera was simple and didn’t require too learning in order to start shooting. For the most part, you’ll be able to just right in and start taking photos. You may want to read up on some of the more advanced modes and settings, but for the most part, the HS30EXR does a good job of automating a lot of this for you.

There are a couple area which are kind of disappointing on the HS30EXR. One of which is the lack of any creative modes. You are limited to only being able to choose different kinds of “film” like black & white, sepia, or vivid color but there is nothing in the way of what I’ve seen with other cameras like Holga/Lomography mode, retro filters, miniature mode, or even black & white mode with specific color accents. This would have been a really nice addition to the camera and I think one that a lot of consumers look for, especially if they don’t do a lot of post processing.

Another disappointing area is the way in which the camera handles file names. I’m not exactly sure what is going on with the naming structure. There doesn’t seem to be any numerical order to them at all. When downloading all the images into  my computer, a lot of images were out of chronological order based on their file names which made it very difficult to view photos in order. I’m not sure if this was a glitch or something but resetting the camera seemed to fix that problem.

Photo Quality

These are samples taken with the HS30EXR. All photos here are unedited and are in Jpeg format straight from the camera. There has been no post editing save for resizing for web use and inclusion of the watermark using Lightroom 4. BTW, you can shoot in RAW format with this camera which I know is sometimes a big factor when considering a camera, but since most average consumers will only shoot in Jpeg format, that’s what I shot in for these samples.

In these sets of images above, you’ll notice that the HS30EXR takes generally good outdoor images. There is quite a bit of detail present, even at the different focal lengths and this is where the huge lens really shows its advantages. The images are very bright however and in my opinion, a tiny bit overexposed, but it’s nothing a little bit of post processing can’t fix.

Here are some more outdoor images where again, you’ll notice how much detail is present, even at full zoom. I’ll say it again, I’m very impressed with the huge range this camera has and it really comes in handy. I mean in order to do this with my Sony NEX-5N for instance, I’d have to carry around several lenses to get the same range.

Here are a couple of indoor shots taken with no flash and at different focal lengths. Like the F770EXR, it takes fantastic indoor photos without the use of a flash. I’m also amazed by how steady these shots are with little to no blur.

Did I also mention the camera takes really great macro shots? The HS30EXR boasts having a 1cm super macro and I believe it. You’ll want to make sure you have adequate lighting however as the flash will not help with lighting objects 1cm away and you may cast a huge shadow on them if not done properly. This camera is perfect for taking closeups of flowers.

All-in-all, I’m quite impressed again by what FujiFilm has to offer here. Image quality is very good, despite the smaller sensor but it’s not completely perfect though. There were times where images would be really under/overexposed and I’ve had instances where it just didn’t know what to do if what I was taking a photo of was in too bright of an environment. This was easily remedied however if I locked the exposure down to he correct setting so that the camera wouldn’t automatically keep changing it. I don’t think it’s something that would be very problematic though and most people probably wouldn’t even notice it. Again, I always urge people to take multiple shots of what you’re trying to capture as it’s really hard getting that perfect shot on the first try.

Final Thoughts

Some may question the need for a camera like this if you can just pick up a DSLR, but how many of us can really afford buying a DSLR with all the lenses needed to achieve what the FujiFilm FinePix HS30EXR can achieve with just one lens at a fraction of the cost? Yes this is not a professional camera but how many consumers out there really need a professional grade camera to capture family memories or photos of their vacation? With this, you get the look and feel of a DSLR with the ease of a point-and-shoot. It has some rather advanced features for a point-and-shoot and I believe the image quality definitely outshines that of a normal point-and-shoot thanks in part to its advanced optics and features.

Yes the camera is rather large and at this size, most may just want to consider a DSLR, but again, the price of also purchasing the lenses needed to achieve a 24-720mm focal length would be quite outrageous once you price it all out, plus how many cameras out there do you know of that can do 1cm super macro photography? Not many.

Overall, I think the HS30EXR is a very attractive package and at the price, MSRP $499.95 (though I see it on Amazon right now for $395.00), is a fantastic deal for what you get. That is the price of some compact cameras right now and you don’t get the kind of features and flexibility like you would with this camera. It’s not perfect, but it’s a great inbetween camera for those who aren’t quite ready to commit to a full fledged DSLR and all the responsibilities and money requited to maintain and expand on one.

Shop Links

FujiFilm FinePix HS30EXR - Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR Digital Camera

PENTAX yesterday introduced their newest DSRL, the PENTAX K-30. This is their new entry level DSLR with some very unique features for its class such as a weather, dust and cold resistant body, a glass prism optical finder with 100% field of view, state-of-the-art autofocusing, and full HD video recording capabilities. You usually don’t find weather sealed DSLR’s at this level so this is a major feature that helps differentiate the K-30 from others in its class.

If you check out the press release below, you’ll find that PENTAX really crammed a lot of high-end features into the K-30 at a very reasonable price. For $899.95 with a 18-55mm kit lens, it’s very attractively priced and you can choose between 3 different colors. The K-30 will be available in July 2012.

Press Release

Denver, CO (May 21, 2012) – PENTAX RICOH IMAGING AMERICAS CORPORATION today announces the introduction of its new weather and dust resistant digital SLR camera – the PENTAX K-30. Ideal for photographers with active outdoor lifestyles, the new PENTAX K-30 combines a compact, lightweight body with many advanced features found only in higher end DSLR camera models, such as a weather, dust and cold resistant body, a glass prism optical finder with 100% field of view, state-of-the-art autofocusing, and full HD video recording capabilities.

“No detail was overlooked when designing the dynamic new K-30 to be weather resistant,” explains John Carlson, Sr. Manager of Sales and Marketing, PENTAX.  “Every seam, every button, every hinge has been weather sealed for adventure-proof creative photography. Whether enjoying outdoor activities such as hiking in the Rocky Mountains or on vacation cruising along on the Maid of the Mist at Niagara Falls, photographers can stop worrying about weather conditions and start focusing on capturing the perfect shot.”

In addition to its versatile weather-proof capabilities, the new K-30 offers features including high-speed burst shooting at a maximum speed of six images per second, a high-speed shutter unit with a top speed of 1/6000 second, and convenient dual electronic dials for quick, fingertip access to exposure control and several Auto Picture and scene modes. Coupled with an ergonomic grip that provides firm, comfortable control of the camera, and a sporty, functional design, the K-30 assures dependable, flawless performance in the field. The new K-30 is available in three body colors: Crystal White and Crystal Blue, with brilliant, glossy finishes reminiscent of the finish of an exclusive sports car; and Black, for a traditional SLR look. It is also compatible with all PENTAX K-mount lenses.

Major features include:

Weather resistant design ideal for travel and outdoor photography

Featuring 81 seals set in its compact, lightweight, portable body, the K-30 is built to be weather, dust and cold resistant with proven functionality in sub-freezing temperatures as low as 14°F (-10°C). Its exterior has been designed to be both sporty and functional for active outdoor photographers – a large grip provides a firm, secure hold of the camera; a low-profile pentaprism housing for reduced height; and a rounded, soft-rubber casing for a solid grip of the camera during vertical shooting.

Newly developed SAFOX IXi+ Autofocus (AF) module for improved autofocus performance

The K-30 features the new state-of-the-art SAFOX IXi+ AF sensor module, which assures responsive, high-precision autofocus operation by incorporating a diffraction lens to minimize chromatic aberration in accordance to the characteristics of each individual lens. A dedicated sensor also factors the light source into its calculations at the time of shooting. Additionally, 9 of its 11 focus points have cross-type sensors to capture subjects in sharp focus, while a spotbeam assists the AF system during low light situations. The K-30’s AF algorithm has also been upgraded in all areas for efficiency and accuracy. A new expanded area AF function allows the sensor module to continue to track a moving subject in AF select mode, even when it moves out of a pre-assigned auto-tracking area, by assessing distance data collected by neighboring focus sensors. This greatly improves the accuracy and speed of detecting moving subjects during autofocus shooting, and autofocusing performance when using a telephoto lens.

High resolution, low noise, true-to-life image reproduction

The K-30 incorporates the latest 16 megapixel APS-C sized CMOS image sensor with a large image-capturing area measuring 23.7mm by 15.7mm. It assures high speed image data readout to deliver super high resolution, rich gradation digital images with approximately 16.28 effective megapixels. This image sensor is coupled in the K-30 with the PENTAX “PRIME M” imaging engine for outstanding full 1080p HD movie clips (1920×1080 pixels at 30 frames per second), in addition to outstanding still image capture processing. The camera also minimizes luminance noise at low sensitivities, while offering a wide sensitivity range between ISO 100 and ISO 12800 (ISO 25600 maximum when expanded via a custom function).

Optical finder with 100% field of view

Despite its compact body, which is smaller and lighter than traditional mid level DSLR camera models, the K-30 comes equipped with a glass pentaprism finder featuring a 100% field of view and approximately 0.92X maximum magnification (with a 50mm f/1.4 lens at infinity) to cover the entire field of view for easy focusing and framing. Since its viewfinder delivers a clear view of the subject even in the brightest sunshine while also eliminating parallax, the K-30 responds efficiently and reliably to demanding applications and subjects, such as landscapes requiring delicate, high-precision framing, and sports scenes where the timing of shutter release is critical. The K-30 also accepts interchangeable PENTAX Natural-Bright-Matte III focusing screens to facilitate manual focusing operation. Optional focus screens include cross-lined and scale types, to accommodate more specialized applications.

High-speed burst shooting at approximately six images per second

When photographing sporting events, concerts or wildlife, the K-30’s high-speed burst shooting function comes in handy, allowing the photographer to capture active, fast moving subjects in a series of images at a maximum speed of approximately 6 frames per second (in JPEG format).

Advanced Live View shooting

Thanks to the latest CMOS image sensor and PRIME M engine, the K-30 offers a clear, true-to-life Live View at a smooth 60 frames per second. It also features a focus peaking function during live view to improve manual focusing speed and accuracy. Live View on the K-30 also offers a choice of three grid display patterns including a Golden Section overlay, and detailed information overlay if desired by the photographer.

High quality video recording
The PENTAX K-30 features full HD video recording to capture high quality movie clips in 1080p resolution (1920×1080 pixels). The efficient h.264 compression format offers a choice of frame rates (30, 25 or 24 frames per second) at 1080p, or up to 60 FPS at 720p, to accommodate user specific applications. Video recording options are flexible, allowing the photographer to select aperture or shutter exposure control, while PENTAX Shake Reduction helps stabilize captured video. Users may add creative artistic effects to recorded clips using various Custom Image modes or record subjects in a series of video clips with the Interval Movie Shooting mode.

User friendly Auto Picture and Scene modes

The K-30 features the PENTAX-original Auto Picture mode, which analyzes a scene then automatically selects the most appropriate shooting mode from Portrait, Landscape, Macro as well as others. This allows the photographer to concentrate on image composition and other creative elements while leaving more technical settings to the K-30, such as shutter speed, aperture, white balance, saturation, contrast and sharpness. The K-30 also offers 19 creative Scene modes, including Night Scene Portrait, Pet, Backlight Silhouette, and more, to simplify photographing unique subjects and scenes that often require uncommon camera settings.

PENTAX Shake Reduction (SR) mechanism for sharp, blur free images
The PENTAX K-30 incorporates the PENTAX-developed SR mechanism, which effectively reduces blur due to camera shake by approximately four shutter steps. Usable with all PENTAX compatible lenses*, including those produced for film format SLR cameras, this mechanism produces sharp, blur free images even under demanding conditions that are prone to camera shake, such as when using a telephoto lens, shooting in the dark without flash illumination, or capturing landscapes in twilight. The K-30′s SR system also offers several other useful features to assist the photographer during shooting, including an Automatic Horizon Correction function to assure high precision image framing and effortless adjustment of horizontal alignment, a Composition Adjustment function to allow minute adjustments of image alignment horizontally/vertically/axially, and an ASTROTRACER mode to eliminate light trails during astronomical photography in combination with the optional O-GPS1 GPS Unit (available separately).

* Lenses compatible with this mechanism: PENTAX K-, KA-, KAF-, KAF2- and KAF3-mount lenses; screw-mount lenses (with an adapter); and 645- and 67-system lenses (with an adapter). Some functions may not be available with certain lenses.

A selection of image processing tools for creative, personalized expression

The K-30 features a Custom Image function, which allows the user to easily and quickly select the desired finishing touch for a particular image. Choose from 11 custom settings including Bleach Bypass that creates a dramatic visual effect similar to that used in motion pictures, and Cross Process to produce fanciful, eye-catching images boasting dramatic colors. The K-30 also offers a choice of 19 creative digital filters including Miniature, which transforms an actual scene into what appears to be an image of miniature models. These filters add distinctive visual effects to captured images producing creative, artistic images without the need for a computer. The user can further expand the creative possibilities by applying multiple filters and processing modes to a single image.

Choice of two power sources

In addition to the included lithium ion battery capable of capturing approximately 480 images with a single charge**, the K-30 can also be powered by four AA-size batteries using the optional D-BH109 AA Battery Holder. Since AA batteries can be easily obtained almost anywhere around the world, there’s no worry about battery shortages, even when shooting for an extended period of time or in remote locations.

** Under testing conditions prescribed by PENTAX, using the D-LI109 Rechargeable Lithium-ion Battery with no flash discharges.

Additional features include:

• Large, wide angle viewable 3-inch LCD monitor with approximately 921,000 dots of resolution
• 77 segment multi-pattern metering system for accurate light measurement
• DR (Dust Removal) mechanism to shake dust off from the surface of the CMOS image sensor
• PENTAX-designed Hyper control system to assure fast and flexible response to the photographer’s creative intentions
• Dynamic range expansion function to compensate for blown out (overexposed) and muddy (underexposed) areas of an image
• Retrieve and save RAW data from buffer memory for a just-recorded JPEG image
• RAW/Fx multi-function button for on-the-fly switching of image file formats, as well as for assignment and instant recall of other specific functions
• SILKYPIX Developer Studio 3.0 for PENTAX (RAW processing engine developed by Ichikawa Soft Laboratory) included

Pricing and Availability

The new PENTAX K-30 will be available at retail outlets nationwide and online in July 2012 with a suggested retail price of $849.95 for body only, and $899.95 for the kit including the DAL 18-55mm zoom lens.

♦K-30 is a trademark of PENTAX RICOH IMAGING COMPANY, LTD.

♦ All other brands or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

♦ Designs and specifications are subjects to change without notice.

Additional information including product specifications is available here: www.pentaximaging.com/news and product images are available here: www.pentaximaging.com/press/pressfiles.html.

About PENTAX

PENTAX is a leader in the production of a variety of adventure ready digital cameras including weather-resistant digital SLRs and stylish, compact, waterproof cameras, as well as lenses, flash units, binoculars, scopes, and eyepieces. For more than 90 years, PENTAX has developed durable, reliable products that meet the needs of adventurous consumers and businesses. With new headquarters in Denver, Colorado, PENTAX RICOH IMAGING AMERICAS CORPORATION is a subsidiary of PENTAX RICOH IMAGING COMPANY, LTD. effective October 1, 2011. Additional details may be found here: www.pentaximaging.com/news

You see before when you could leave an application and returned to it, it would pretty much remain in the last state you had it in. This came in handy if you actually wanted to multiple task with you phone. You could jump in and out of applications as you saw fit. However with Sense 4.0 and the One Series, this isn’t turning out to be the case. What seems to be happening now is when you leave an application, after a seemingly small amount of time when you return to the application it relaunches itself and you can lost you place of where you were at.

Now this isn’t a major issue with most application, as usually it will kind of return to where you left it at. One major app that it doesn’t though (and my current negative with the phone) is with the Pulse app. You see in Pulse the way I use it, I hide all the read articles so I can get right to the new ones. However what seems to be happening now, if I’m reading an article and then say leave the app to maybe check in on Foursquare, when I return it relaunches the app and the article I was reading is gone. This is a major issue for me I don’t like having my current article killed and have to go search for it just because I wanted to use another app for a second.

What is really no good about this also is that you don’t seem to have no option to change it or tweak the level of what it does it the background. There seem like maybe there was a way under Developer options in option, there is a section called Apps. However I must have changed every setting in the area and it didn’t see to do anything.

HTC is your reading, release a firmware update or something and include an option so we can tweak this at least, thanks!