Diana sweet

Acer DX900 Windows Mobile Smartphone

noreply@blogger.com (rina manise) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 03:54:00 +0000

The DX900's main claim to fame is that it's the first Windows Mobile handset to support dual SIM cards. Why would you want a dual SIM phone? If you have to ask the question then a dual SIM handset is probably not for you. For others, though, support for dual SIMs is handy because instead of carrying around separate mobiles for work and personal usage, you can get the same job done with a single handset. They're also useful if you travel a lot and want one SIM for calls within your home country and another local SIM for use abroad in order to avoid racking up horrendous roaming charges.

Despite the world's first claim, the DX900 has actually been available before in a slightly different guise. This is because it's basically a re-branded version of a handset that was previous released by E-Ten under the Glofiish brand. Acer snapped up E-ten last year and has now re-released the phone as its first own branded handset. However, shortly it's due to be joined by new models including the F900 and M900.

Click to enlarge

Looks-wise the DX900 isn't exactly what you'd call handsome. It's rather large and chunky and at 143g is quite weighty too. You'll definitely notice it when it's tucked away in your pocket. However, it does feel very well built and its sturdiness gives you confidence that it'll stand up to a few knocks and scrapes.

The slightly rubberised feel to the rear of the case also makes it quite tactile to hold and means it's not likely to easily slip from your grasp. Unlike manufacturers like HTC who use the miniUSB port to double up as the headset jack, Acer has instead kept the two separate. This means you can still take calls or listen to music when the handset is being charged or synced with your computer. However, the hands-free connector is a small 2.5mm socket rather than a normal headphone jack so you won't be able to use your own headphones with it unless you invest in an adaptor.

Of course, the key difference between this handset and its rivals is that it allows you to have two SIMs installed and active at the same time. That said, although there are two slots, they're certainly not equals. Only the first slot supports 3G/HSDPA, as seconds one is limited to 2.5G data speeds, which seems like a rather puzzling limitation to us. Once the SIMs are installed you do get two indicators on the home screen to show you the relative signal strengths of the two mobile networks.

Acer also includes an application that lets you control how the SIMs are used. This lets you easily switch between the two mobile networks, but also allows you to turn off one completely - handy if you want to switch the work SIM card off on the weekends or during holidays without having to actually physically remove it from the phone

source: www.trustedreviews.com

Panasonic Viera TX-P46S10 46in Plasma

noreply@blogger.com (rina manise) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 03:53:00 +0000

Regular readers will know that so far this year I've been considerably more enamoured of Panasonic's new NeoPDP plasma TVs than I have of the cheaper models that use Panasonic's traditional plasma panel techniques. So on one level I'm not expecting anything particularly spectacular from the P46S10, sitting as it does towards the lower, non-NeoPDP end of Panasonic's current range.

But then again, I've long been a fan of the 46in screen size sported by the P46S10, finding it an unusually natural fit for your average decent-sized living room. And I'm also a fan of its £955 price - a really approachable sum for such a well-proportioned TV.

Especially when that TV also enjoys a specification sheet that boasts a vast claimed dynamic contrast ratio of 2,000,000:1, a Full HD resolution, and 400Hz processing achieved by using Panasonic's Intelligent Frame Creation technology to interpolate extra 'sub-field' images between the real ones coming in from your source.

Fans of TV stats might also enjoy the claimed 0.001ms response time claimed for the P46S10 - a figure Panasonic is keen to peddle given how impressive it looks against the 4, 5 and more millisecond figures usually associated with LCD TVs.

The P46S10 doesn't present a completely irresistible face to the world, though, for the simple reason that I personally don't find it especially well designed. The simple, slightly chunky gloss black bezel is getting pretty old-school now, and a silver strip and slightly bulbous bit of sculpting along the bottom edge don't really do enough to alleviate the gentle boredom.

The set's connections are pretty much as I would have anticipated for the S10's level of Panasonic's range, with highlights of three HDMIs and an SD card slot able to play JPEG stills and AVCHD video. Obviously a fourth HDMI would have been nice, and maybe, if I was being particularly miserable, I would have liked a more universal USB option alongside the SD card slot. But given Panasonic's involvement with SD, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised that things are as they are.

Aside from being very cleanly presented and easy to navigate, the P46S10's onscreen menus don't really have a great many features of interest; just an uninspiring automated colour management option and basic noise reduction system catch the eye.

The P46S10's performance is as typically accomplished as we'd expect from any Panasonic plasma. But as with other non-NeoPDP models we've seen, it's not quite consistent enough in all areas to carry an unreserved recommendation.

One thing I really like is how superbly natural HD pictures tend to look. Wimbledon matches were a joy to behold in most ways, with finely tuned colours - even when it comes to Panasonic's usual weak point of greens - and exceptional motion clarity particularly catching the eye. Panasonic is busy pushing the motion benefit of its plasma screens right now, and the clarity with which the ball and players speed around Centre Court on the P46S10 puts the vast majority of LCD screens to shame.

source: www.trustedreviews.com

Canon PIXMA MP540 - Inkjet All-in-One

noreply@blogger.com (rina manise) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 03:50:00 +0000

Canon, like most of its competitors, has managed to design several all-in-one printers based on the same print engine and to differentiate the models based on feature set. The PIXMA MP540 uses the same five-ink print system as in the £100 MP620, but this machine costs 25 percent less, so something has to go.

Looking a bit like earlier Canon all-in-ones, with gloss black piping and highlights reminiscent of an oriental lacquer box, this machine looks clean and well-proportioned, when closed.

A hinged support at the rear lifts up to provide a paper support for plain or photo paper, while an output tray at the front uses a novel pair of raised arms to support each sheet with a slight curve, so that it doesn't flop about. Under the output tray is a paper cassette, which can also hold 150-sheets of plain paper.

The A4 scanner is available once you lift the silver and black lid and to the right of this a flip-up cover has a 48mm LCD display set into its underside and reveals a normal Canon control panel, including a click-wheel for menu selection. A flip-open cover below the control panel reveals three memory card slots, which handle all the common types, and below that is a PictBridge socket.

At the rear there are sockets for just the mains cable and USB. There's no Ethernet or Wi-Fi option on this machine and other things missing in comparison with models further up the range include CD/DVD print, an Automatic Document Feeder and duplexing.

Physical set up involves plugging the five cartridges into their holders in the print head. There are two black cartridges: a pigmented one for printing text and a dye-based one for photos. The print heads are capable of producing ink drops down to an impressive 1pl.

The software bundle supplied with the machine is pretty similar to that included with others PIXMAs in the range, and includes document handling and OCR software, as well as an applet for printing Web pages. Drivers are provided for all recent versions of Windows and for Mac OSX 10.3.9 and newer.

source: www.trustedreviews.com

I like SearchMe better on the iPhone than I do on my laptop

noreply@blogger.com (rina manise) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 13:41:00 +0000

We once asked if Apple’s CoverFlow is a better interface for image search than the typical thumbnail grid approach. But what about for mobile search? Search Me thinks it is good for both. The visual search engine that launched last March ois working on a natural extension: a visual search app for the iPhone. The app is ready, but the company is still waiting for it to be approved by Apple for the iTunes App Store. Co-Founder John Holland showed me a functioning version of the app earlier this week at TechCrunch50.

I like SearchMe better on the iPhone than I do on my laptop. The idea of flipping through images to find something is already ingrained into some of the most basic features of the iPhone—whether it is flipping through photos or the app menu itself. Maybe I’ve been too well-trained by Google, but when I am searching on my computer, I find it hard to beat the efficiency of skimming down a list of text links. When I do a search on my iPhone, though, I am always squinting and resizing the browser.

SearchMe isn’t a perfect solution. It presents search results as a series of thumbnails showing each Webpage, but you have to flip through them sequentially. SearchMe does let you narrow results by clicking on a topic icon. Still, it lends itself to certain types of searches better than others—when you are grazing for information, rather than looking for something specific.

The CoverFlow-like interface sometimes sometimes gets in the way. But sometimes it lets you find exactly what you want by letting you preview each age before clicking on it. I kind of wish it was an interface option on a regular search engine that I could turn on or off depending on what type of search I am doing. But on mobile devices, search is broken. So I’m more willing to try new things.

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P80 super-zoom bridge camera

noreply@blogger.com (rina manise) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 10:12:00 +0000

Back in May last year I reviewed the 10-megapixel Nikon CoolPix P5000, which at the time was the flagship of a new series of high-spec compacts from Nikon, aimed at more advanced photographers. Since then the P series has expanded and now includes six models, five compacts and the P80 super-zoom bridge camera. Nikon has just launched the 13.5-megapixe P6000 which I’m hoping to review soon, but before then I want to take a look at the P5100, a 12.1-megapixel upgrade of the original P5000 that was launched late last year.

Since the price of entry-level digital SLRs has fallen to the point where almost any keen photographer can afford one, there aren’t nearly as many high-end compacts around as their used to be. Most compact cameras these days are simple point-and-shoot models designed as much for style and fashion as for ease of use and performance, but the P5100 is not entirely without competition. It’s tempting of course to compare the P5100 with Canon’s flagship compact the PowerShot G9, but it’s not really a fair comparison. The G9 currently sells for £328, which is over £100 more expensive than the P5100, and in fact more expensive than some DSLRs. A more valid comparison would be the recent PowerShot A1000 IS (£150) although that model has a smaller sensor and a larger lens.

The P5100 certainly looks the part. It shares the same ruggedly functional body as the P5000, with a tough plastic shell over a metal chassis, but where the P5000 has some silver details such as the lens barrel and the controls, the P5100 is all textured matt black, making it look even more macho than before. The design is a bit industrial, but it is a comfortable camera to hold and use. It has a large rubberised handgrip with a nice thumbgrip area on the back which also has a rubber pad, making it very secure to grip.

The controls are only a little more complex than the average compact, and are sensibly laid out for the most part, although the vertical row of buttons to the left of the monitor are so positioned to make the camera look more like a digital SLR rather than for ease of use. It would have made more sense to move the monitor to the left a bit and have all the buttons on the right-hand side for easy one-handed operation. read more

the poor CPU-managed population of Pandemic

noreply@blogger.com (rina manise) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 05:51:00 +0000

It's been a long two years since our fearless leader first clapped eyes on Pandemic's Mercenaries 2. In that time, the open world game has blossomed on the next-generation consoles, giving us such gems as Crackdown, Just Cause and – of course – Grand Theft Auto 4, not to mention the hybrids that have adopted the open world approach for other genres; a roster including Assasin's Creed, S.T.A.L.K.E.R., Viking: Battle for Asgard, Crysis and Burnout Paradise.

As a result, it's getting harder and harder to be impressed by huge, explorable environments, optional missions and sandbox gameplay these days. And this is one of Mercenaries 2's big problems. When it was first showcased such things seemed like gaming's rich future. Now it arrives at a time when we expect more. What's worse, Pandemic's game now seems hugely reminiscent of Just Cause – a game released nearly two years ago. You can't help wondering “why the wait?”

You see, like Just Cause, Mercenaries 2 is an open world third-person action adventure with most of the emphasis on action. It shares a similar Tropical South American setting – here a not too flattering caricature of Venzuela – crammed with jungle, beach and mountain scenery, and involves playing several establishment, criminal and revolutionary factions off against each other by tackling missions and taking over outposts. In Pandemic's defence, the original Mercenaries did an awful lot of this stuff first, but anyone who played Just Cause and now plays Mercenaries 2 will have more than the odd spot of déjà vu.

The more serious charge against Mercenaries 2 is that it doesn't feel all that polished for a game that has spent so long in development. In fact, that's an understatement. I've yet to come across any of the game breaking bugs that other gamers and reviewers have reported, but I've seen my share of weird visual glitches and absolutely bewildering AI mistakes. Driving, for instance, seems to be beyond the capabilities of the poor CPU-managed population of Pandemic's Venezuela; you'll regularly see tanks stuck driving into rocks or vehicles trapped against each other at junctions, and the drivers will just carry on moving forward without a hope of getting out of their predicament. Objects and even people hovering in mid air are not an uncommon sight, either. Unfortunately, all this stuff makes the impression of a virtual world wobble like a cheap set in a daytime soap.

Poor AI is an issue throughout. With a game that focuses heavily on combat, you'd have thought more effort could have been made to make enemy soldiers use squad tactics or even a little common sense. Instead, we're back in the days when enemies have two modes - rush and attack or hide and snipe - with neither proving all that effective. It's true that there can be a lot of AI characters on screen at any time, and that there are often troops of different factions fighting against each other, but compare Mercenaries 2's Venezuela with Liberty City or even The Holy Land of Assassin's Creed and it feels like a cardboard-thin facsimile of a living, breathing virtual world. Read More

boosters

noreply@blogger.com (rina manise) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 05:34:00 +0000

The ability to add extra features to your mobile phone service is not a new idea, but has it ever been done with this much flexibility?

T-Mobile is launching 'Boosters' - its term for what the industry regularly calls 'Bolt-ons' - and it's trying to open them up to everyone. Consequently, PAYG customers as well as those on monthly contracts (the traditional targets) will be free to hop on a choice of four different, contract-free packages:

Talk & Text - a range of additional minutes and text packages (handy during public holidays) '
Euro Travel - 50 per cent more call time for free, eg: a Euro 10 Booster costs £10 but gives £15 worth of credit for any combination of roaming calls or texts.
International calling - lower cost packages for telephoning abroad.
Internet - the ability to buy individual lumps of data for surfing/picking up emails, etc.

All Boosters also come in up to four price denominations: £2.50, £5, £7.50 and £10 and can be used either on their own or with each other.

“T-Mobile Boosters offer great value for our customers," said Steve Mitchell, T-Mobile's Head of Post-Pay Marketing. "Whether they want to do more talking & texting, internet surfing on the move, calling abroad or calling from Europe, there’s a Booster to suit everyone. Boosters are a great way for customers to create a personalised plan that fits their lifestyle – whatever life throws their way.”

Seems a fine idea to us, Boosters / Bolt-ons / whatever you want to call them... read more

Sharp is LC-37XL8E is looking pretty darned good

noreply@blogger.com (rina manise) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 05:31:00 +0000

So let’s see. Full HD resolution? Check. 100Hz processing to fight LCD’s traditional response time problems and make motion look clearer? Check. Tasteful, space saving design? Check. v1.3 HDMI sockets? Check. Deep Color and 1080p/24 compatibility? Check.

So far, Sharp’s LC-37XL8E is looking pretty darned good. It really looks like it’s got everything a reasonably demanding TV buyer could want from a new LCD TV. Heck, even its 37in screen size seems ideally suited to the average living room environment. But of course, on-paper specifications are actually only ever a small part of a flat TV’s ‘personality’. For all the fine numbers, cutting edge connections and fancy features amount to precious little if a TV can’t also cut it in the sound and especially picture departments. So let’s hope the 37XL8E’s talents extend there, too. Before we find out, though, let’s put some more meat on the bones laid out in our opening paragraph.

Regarding the design, it’s a typical Sharp affair, with a thin glossy black bezel contrasting reasonably attractively with a little ‘wave’ of silver along the bottom edge. The only downer is that while the design looks quite pretty, it also feels a touch cheaply made once you get your hands on it.

Connections are pretty much up to speed, thanks chiefly to the three HDMI jacks referred to earlier. Admittedly there are rival TVs which now employ four HDMIs, but these are still very much in the minority.

The 37LX8E also sports a dedicated PC port, plus there’s an RS-232 control port for system builders to use, while one other point of interest is an optical digital audio output for passing on multi-channel audio signals to external AV receivers.

multi-room wireless audio system

noreply@blogger.com (rina manise) — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 05:15:00 +0000

With digital multimedia content becoming more and more prolific, the task of managing the storage and playing of that content increases greatly. Devices like the Sony Giga Juke multi-room wireless audio system do a decent job for music, but video is trickier. What's wanted, ideally, is a gizmo of some kind that enables you to store, record, and play your music, video and digital picture library on any television or monitor, as well as the option to stream media files from any networked location.

One such device is – deep breath – A.C.Ryan's Playon! ACR-PV72100 HDMI Network Digital Video Recorder, which at first glance looks to be another multimedia enclosure, like the Traxdata MultiMedia Drive, except without its own internal storage. However, its many other features and NAS capabilities, together with a theoretically upgradeable custom Linux OS, make it somewhat more sophisticated and similar to the Neuros OSD Video Station and Media Centre.

But before we get into the nitty-gritty, let's take a look at the Playon! DVR's design. It has a solid, brushed metal case with a shiny piano-black plastic fascia that is flawlessly integrated with the rest of the unit. Even the A.C.Ryan logo is rather fancy, with its holographic-type finish that changes colour depending on the angle you view it at.

At 203 x 164 x 53mm, it's slightly bigger than some other media drives, and the mostly metal construction gives the unit a reassuring weight of 1.5kg without a hard-drive installed. The matte finish on the top, bottom and sides is also very difficult to scratch, and finger-prints are barely noticeable.

On the front is a slightly concave power button that glows blue when the device is turned on (red in standby). There are also LED indicators for when the device is recording or playing music. Below these are six square buttons with rounded corners that sit almost flush to the fascia. They look plain and nondescript until you turn the device on, when they gain blue-backlit icons. All this might lead you to believe they're touch-sensitive, but these are physical buttons that can be used for basic operation of the device without the remote.

Also worth mentioning, is an indent on the bottom of the unit that, according to A.C.Ryan, is for an optional stand that it might bring out in the future. Personally, I wouldn't say it's necessary as the Playon! DVR is perfectly solid when standing up, but it might be a bonus for those with easily scratched surfaces, as there are no pads on the unit's bottom. Read More

The hard disk has a 60GB capacity

noreply@blogger.com (rina manise) — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 05:13:00 +0000

Just like London buses, you wait all year for a fully-featured AVCHD camcorder, then two come at once. In the case of the Panasonic HDC-HS100, this isn’t so surprising as it’s the sibling of the HDC-SD100, in the same way that the HDC-SD9 is the sibling of the HDC-HS9. Where the SD100 records exclusively to SDHC flash memory cards, the HS100 uses a hard disk instead.

The hard disk has a 60GB capacity, which isn’t as large as the top models in JVC and Sony’s ranges. But it’s still enough for 7.5 hours of footage even at the HS100’s top HA quality setting. This records at 17Mbits/sec, which is still the highest data rate of any AVCHD camcorder currently available, although there are models due later in 2008 that will exceed this. The hard drive pushes the HS100’s weight to 482g with battery, 100g more than the SD100. It’s also about 1cm fatter.

The HS100 is Panasonic’s second camcorder to sport CMOS sensors instead of the company’s usual CCDs. But it still uses three smaller 1/6in units, rather than the single larger one favoured by virtually every other manufacturer now, even JVC. Whilst three sensors have traditionally allowed a better colour signal, one large CMOS has proven the better choice for low-light performance in consumer models.

Thanks to the fatter body, the HS100 shifts its camera/VCR mode dial back to the rear, with the record button in the middle – a more familiar location for Panasonic camcorders. The joystick remains in its new position on the side, underneath the LCD, which is nowhere near as convenient as with earlier designs. But, as with the SD100, you don’t actually need to use it for the main manual functions. Thanks to the lens ring, these are actually easier to access and use than ever before.

The lens ring has two primary modes. Flick the nearby switch once, and the ring performs manual focusing duties. A second flick and it becomes an alternative zoom control to the one on the top of the camcorder’s body. But the lens ring has still more functions than this. The CAM FUNC button beneath the focus/zoom switch calls up a short onscreen menu, giving access to White Balance, Shutter Speed and Iris. The lens ring then scrolls through the options, with the CAM FUNC again used to make a choice. The lens ring then configures the settings. The HS100 has a healthy four white balance presets, as well as manual and automatic options. Shutter speed can be varied from 1/50th to 1/8000th, and iris from F16 to F1.8, with the ability to add up to 18dB of video gain on the top. Shutter and iris can be varied entirely independently, too, for complete control. Read More

Panasonic Lumix FX37

noreply@blogger.com (rina manise) — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 04:40:00 +0000

It was only a few months ago that I reviewed the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX35, an expensive but superb 10-megapixel, 4x zoom ultra-compact with a class-leading 25mm wide-angle ability, to which I awarded a well-deserved Recommended rating. Never content, the relentless juggernaut of the global consumer economy rolls ever onward, and so inevitably Panasonic has announced yet another incremental upgrade, with the launch of this, the DMC-FX37.

Anyone who's read my review of the FX35 might be forgiven for thinking that I'd simply re-used the same product shots. I didn't, but I probably could have done because the two cameras are outwardly almost identical. They are exactly the same size, exactly the same weight, have the same size monitors and identical controls. In fact the only outward sign that they are in fact different cameras is the model number on the top plate, and the maximum focal length written around the front of the lens. Where the FX35 had a 4x, 25-100mm equivalent zoom range, the FX37 has a 5x, 25-125mm zoom, for those times when 100mm just isn't quite enough.

The FX37 is currently selling for around £230, which is a lot of money for a compact camera. It hasn't been out long, and usually camera prices do tend to fall over time, but it's worth noting that the FX35 is now selling for £178, which is more than it was when I reviewed it in June. By comparison the Nikon S600 is now available for under £200, while the Canon IXUS 860 IS has dropped to £170. Is that extra 25mm of focal length really worth over £50?

Dell Launches E-Series Latitude Notebook Range

noreply@blogger.com (rina manise) — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 13:48:00 +0000

Dell has finally lifted the lid on its new E-Series Latitude range of notebooks, putting to an end one of the worst kept secrets in computing. Yet, though we'd already seen what the machines might look like, Dell had a lot more to show during a presentation in San Francisco that was transmitted to London via Satellite - Apple style.

A complete overhaul of the previous offerings, the new range will consist of seven models ranging from sub-1kg ultra-portables to more mainstream offerings and a semi-rugged machine (pictured). Design was the focus and the new E-Series Latitude's are a significant departure from previous examples. For instance, having listened to its online community, it has added backlit keyboards and a choice of colour finishes - including pink - along with more traditional matte black and brushed metal finishes. We can't see a lot of companies going for red, blue, or pink but perhaps Dell wants to tempt the prosumer market with something more individual.

Dell was also keen to emphasize the all-day computing abilities of this new range, claiming an astonishing 19 hours battery life on one of its models. Unsurprisingly this claim came with some caveats since it was produced using both an extended nine-cell battery and an additional high capacity "battery slice" so though your laptop may last all day, your back probably won't.

Outrageous battery life claims aside, one of the more interesting features of this new range is a new instant-on operating system that Dell is calling Latitude On. It'll give "instant" stand-by access to e-mail, calendar and web browsing facilities, though exactly how instant this will be from a cold boot wasn't revealed. It won't be available immediately, but Dell plans to roll this out on new laptops before the end of the year.

Other key new features include sensor based security card recognition and Display Port connectivity on some models. Dell has also created a new software suite, Control Point, for managing connectivity, power, security, networking and a few more things besides.

This new range is split as follows:

- E4200: 12.1in ultra-portable using ultra-low voltage components and with starting weight below 1kg.
- E4300: 13.3in ultra-portable using Intel's new medium voltage CPU.
- E6400 & E6500: 14in and 15.4in mainstream models with premium features.
- E5400 & E5500: 14in and 15.4in entry-level basic machines.
- E6400 ATG: semi-rugged version of E6400.

All will use Intel's Centrino 2 including vPro with options for TPM and all sorts of other bits and pieces, including LED backlit displays and SSDs. Watch this space for pricing info and take a look at the following pages for more shots of the E4200, E4300 and E6400 ATG. Read More

Panasonic SDR-SW20 Waterproof Camcorder

noreply@blogger.com (rina manise) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:16:00 +0000

Panasonic has a reputation for getting tough with its products. Its range of hardened portable computing devices has become legendary. Now it has applied this experience to its camcorders. The result is the SDR-SW20. It's like the dinky SDR-S7561, only waterproof, dustproof, and designed to endure a bit of rough treatment. It can be dropped from heights of up to 1.2m yet survive unscathed, and remain watertight down to depths of 1.5m.

The SW20's build quality is reassuringly robust. The brushed silvery and black plastic feels very solid, although the overall weight is about 60g heavier than the SDR-S7. It's about 1cm wider and longer, too, but would still just about fit in a trouser pocket. To maintain its water and dust resistance, the SW20 has much sturdier panels on its ports than a regular camcorder, and each one has a rubber seal.

The catches are also quite hard to open accidentally. Unsurprisingly, the ports hidden therein don't include microphone or headphone jacks - you wouldn't be able to use them underwater anyway. For similar reasons, there is no accessory shoe either. But the lens itself has no cover, instead being protected by a small window of toughened glass. This will need regular cleaning if you really do shoot underwater regularly.

Other than the toughened casing, however, the SW20 has essentially the same specification as the SDR-S7. It's built around a 1/6in CCD sensor with a gross 800,000 pixels, although only 400,000 of these are used for video in 4:3 mode, and only 350,000 in 16:9 mode. Still images can be snapped at 640 x 480, which is surpassed by a lot of camera phones these days - even Apple's iPhone.

The SW20 records standard definition video, but at the slightly non-standard resolution of 704 x 576, rather than the usual 720 x 576. Three levels of compression are available. The top XP mode runs at 10Mbits/sec, whilst the just passable SP mode uses half that. The heavily compressed LP mode consumes 2.5Mbits/sec, but you would only want to use that if image quality is not a major concern and you need to record many hours of footage. Video is stored on an SDHC card, although none is supplied so you will need to factor this into the price. A 16GB card will hold over three hours of footage even in XP mode, so you probably won't feel the need to shoot at any of the lower quality settings anyway.
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Casio Exilim EX-Z100

noreply@blogger.com (rina manise) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:08:00 +0000

Casio has just launched two new models in its ultra-compact Exilim EX-Z series. We'll be taking a look at the range-topping Z200 later this week, but for today we've got the EX-Z100. The Z-series is not exactly noted for its diversity, being populated by 14 models most of which are variations on the metal-bodied 3x zoom ultra-compact format, with the only differences being size, shape and resolution. The Z100 is different though. It is the first Casio ultra-compact to feature a 28mm wide-angle lens with 4x optical zoom.

Longer zoom ranges and wide angle lenses are the latest bandwagon in the digital camera market, with most of the major manufacturers now fielding ultra-compact models with 28mm-equivalent lenses and zoom factors greater than the traditional 3x. While it does mean that there's just as little difference between the various brands as there ever was, personally I'm in favour of it. I'd far rather manufacturers concentrate on useful features like better lenses instead of constantly stuffing more and more megapixels into already massively overcrowded sensors.

The main rivals for the EX-Z100 are the Fujifilm FinePix F480 (£80), the Olympus FE-350 Wide (£155), the Nikon CoolPix S600 (£165), the Sony Cyber-shot W170 (£170) and the Panasonic Lumix FX35 (£180). That makes the EX-Z100's £142 price tag look quite reasonable, until you remember that the Nikon, the Sony and the Panasonic all have optical image stabilisation; the EX-Z100 does not.
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Pentax Optio M50

noreply@blogger.com (rina manise) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 05:22:00 +0000

With a 5x zoom and a collection of the latest must have technology, the Pentax M50 is designed for easy shooting at a reasonable price. The 8 million pixel model is available in six colours to appeal to a wide range of consumers and it's small metal and plastic design puts it halfway between the entry level/ lifestyle category of digital compacts.

The lens covers the 35mm equivalent of 36-180mm, a useful range in a small compact that covers the majority of average shooting needs. Pentax has foregone the optical image stabilisation so beloved of other camera manufacturers but uses digital image stabilisation instead. This system automatically raises the ISO sensitivity of the camera, which in turn allows faster shutter speeds to be used in lower light or when the lens is at long extensions, and so reduces the danger of camera shake and blurred pictures.

Pentax has also added a host of easy to use scene modes, accessed through the mode button. The primary shooting mode is Program, while a selection of scene modes covers specific eventualities such as portraits, landscapes, night-time shots, kids, pets and food, amongst a few others. The inclusion of kids and pet modes is a telling indicator of who Pentax feels its user base is for its entry level compacts. This is a family snapshot camera.

If you find the general array of scene modes confusing, despite the cartoon symbols and text box explanations, the AutoPict mode will automatically recognise the type of picture being taken and choose the scene mode for you.

In Program mode you can alter the setting of the camera to a small degree. This includes choosing ISO speeds, up to an impressive ISO 6400 as well as the option to use exposure compensation over ±2 stops. You can also change the metering pattern from multi segment to centre weighted and spot metering, change the white balance and adjust the size of the focusing area from wide to spot. There's also face recognition, which finds faces in the frame and focuses on those and sets the correct aperture to ensure the depth of field covers any differences in distance between them.
The menu also lets you adjust image parameters such as colour saturation, sharpness and contrast.
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new handphone of tricubes T1030

noreply@blogger.com (rina manise) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:33:00 +0000

The T1030 is Tricubes next-generation high performance mobile handheld computer with an Intel PXA270 624MHz processor designed to handle cutting edge applications. It gives your mobile workforce fast, secure access to critical information and maximum computing power wherever it's needed. The T1030 is highly versatile, featuring a colour touch screen and Microsoft Windows interface for ease of use. And should your requirements grow, the T1030 keeps up with its modular RFID, bar code and fingerprint scanners and GPS receiver.

Smart card reades: ISO 7816 1/2/3/4
Solid state biometrics fingerprint scanner
Wireless GSM / GPRS 900/1800 (optional), Wi-Fi and RFID
Rugged construction: designed to be - shockproof, splash and dust resistant for adverse environment usage
Alphanumeric keypad, barcode scanner button and 4 programmable - function keys
Color touch screen
Serial and IrDA ports
High capacity lithium polymer ion battery lasts a minimum of 12 hours with color screen
Microsoft Windows CE 5.0
Data transfer and synchronization through its I/0 ports or wireless (OTA)
Barcode reader (1D, 2D or 1D and 2D) optional

Panasonic EY6432GQKW

noreply@blogger.com (rina manise) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 07:35:00 +0000

Despite the introduction of newer models, the 15.6-volt Panasonic EY6432GQKW is still recommended in more reviews than any other as the best cordless drill for most users.

Product Reviews by ConsumerSearch.com

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LG Computer Systems

noreply@blogger.com (rina manise) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 07:06:00 +0000

LG Computer Systems, Notebooks, Notebooks

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Splashtop Comes to ASUS Notebooks - NOTEBOOKS info

noreply@blogger.com (rina manise) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 07:03:00 +0000

articles about Notebooks, Tablets, Ultra Mobile PCs. Latest News and Information. Acer, Apple, Asus, Dell, Everex, Fujitsu, HP Compaq, Lenovo, Panasonic,

notebooks-notebooks - Telusuri dengan Google

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Sony - VAIO T2310 Laptop - Granite , sony

noreply@blogger.com (rina manise) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 07:02:00 +0000

Sony - VAIO T2310 Laptop - Granite , sony notebooks - Notebooks ...

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Onkyo TX-SR576 AV Receiver

noreply@blogger.com (rina manise) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 06:55:00 +0000

You've got the TV, Blu-ray player and speakers, so why not bring them all together with Onkyo's TX-SR576 receiver.

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Epson Stylus SX400 Inkjet MFP

noreply@blogger.com (rina manise) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 06:54:00 +0000

When the selling point is a ''colour ID'' of differing shades of dark grey and black, innovation has clearly taken a back seat.

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Ferrari Challenge: Trofeo Pirelli

noreply@blogger.com (rina manise) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 06:53:00 +0000

Fans of the prancing horse should sign up straight away, anyone else might want to try Ferrari Challenge first.

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Panasonic SC-BT100 Blu-ray Home Cinema System

noreply@blogger.com (rina manise) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 06:52:00 +0000

It's the world's first Profile 1.1 Blu-ray home cinema system, and Danny's on hand to scrutinise it.

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Hitachi DZ-BD70E

noreply@blogger.com (rina manise) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 06:52:00 +0000

James gets to grips with Hitachi's DZ-BD70E - a Full HD camcorder that can record to Blu-ray discs.James gets to grips with Hitachi's DZ-BD70E - a Full HD camcorder that can record to Blu-ray discs.

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