November 2004
Tuesday 30 November
What do you get if you take Sony's overpriced NW-HD2 Network Walkman, raise the price by $20, and add MP3 support?
The answer is the NW-HD3 Network Walkman that is being released this December.
Yep, that's it, move along now, no bigger hard drive, no color screen, no price cuts to make it more competitive.
Oh, and if you have the earlier NW-HD1 (released 5 months ago) or NW-HD2 (released 2 months ago) you can get a firmware upgrade, for $20.
Thursday 25 November
Gateway have started selling their new M210 widescreen laptop.
The basic configuration of the M210 is 1.2" thick, weighs 5.3lb, costs $899.99, and features a 1.5GHz Celeron M processor, XP home, 256MB RAM, 40GB hard drive, CDRW/DVD combo drive, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, integrated graphics, and a 14.1" widescreen WXGA (1366x768) LCD screen.
Seems like a good choice for a sub-$1000 laptop that is good for work and good for watching DVDs on long plane flights, but it's no good for playing games.
Wednesday 24 November
Network attached storage is an area of computing that is moving beyond being a solution just for large businesses and is becoming a lot more affordable for the average small business or home user.
What is network attached storage?, basically it is a box containing one or more hard drives that is connected to your wired network (like an external USB hard drive but connected directly to the network where all users can access it).
We were looking for a networked hard drive to use as an automated backup solution for our PCs and decided to test out the 120GB Buffalo Linkstation.
Did the Linkstation make the grade? keep reading to find out.
Continue reading "Buffalo Linkstation Review"
Olympus Announces Prices For EVOLT E-300 Digital SLR Camera, Digital Specific Consumer Lenses, And Accessories
100% “Designed-for-Digital” SLR Comes with Lens for Under $1000 for World-Class Image Quality; Camera Packs Dust Protection and an 8-Megapixel Imaging Sensor into Innovative Compact, Low-Profile Body
Melville, NY, November 23, 2004 - Today Olympus officially announced that the 8.0-megapixel EVOLT E-300 Digital SLR, the first 100 percent “digital-from-the-ground-up” consumer SLR system with interchangeable digital specific lenses, will be sold with a lens for $999.99. Incorporating a newly designed compact body featuring the Dust Reduction system pioneered on the professional E-1 SLR body, the EVOLT delivers the versatility, durability and reliable performance of an SLR that isn’t just for the pros – now it’s for photographers of all skill levels at a price they can afford.
Camera, Zuiko Digital Specific Lenses, and Accessories Prices:
EVOLT E-300 Digital SLR:
$999.99 estimated street price including the 14-45mm lens ($1399 MSRP)
14-45mm f3.5 - f5.6 Lens: $249.95 estimated street when purchased separate from EVOLT ($299 MSRP)
40-150mm f3.5 - f4.5 Lens: $279.95 estimated street ($349 MSRP).
HLD-3 Battery Holder: $99.99 estimated street price ($119.95 MSRP).
Semi Hard Case CS3-SH (for EVOLT E-300 and 14.45mm or 14-54mm zooms): $49.95 estimated street price ($59.95 MSRP).
The EVOLT E-300 outfit includes a compact, 14 – 45mm f3.5 – f5.6 Zuiko Digital Specific Lens (equivalent to 28mm – 90mm in 35mm photography) that perfectly matches the imager so light strikes the sensor directly to ensure rich, accurate colors and edge-to-edge sharpness. Its 3.2x zoom covers the range most frequently used in ordinary photography and weighs just 10 ounces (285 grams) offering users an extremely dynamic, portable everyday-use zoom. Close-ups as near as 15 inches (38cm) are possible throughout the zoom range.
Another lens announced earlier this year, the 40 – 150mm f3.5 – f4.5 Zuiko Digital Specific Lens (equivalent to 80-300mm in 35mm photography), now also has a price. With 13 elements in 10 groups and a weight of just 15.75 oz/450g (approx), the Zuiko Digital 40-150mm Lens is meant to go anywhere. In addition, the lens employs an f3.5-4.5 brightness making it ideal for achieving effects like background blurring and perspective compression, suitable for everything from portraits to sports scenes. As with the 14-45mm lens, the 40-150mm is also reinforced by a multi-coating process as well as a reliable metal lens mount.
Both the 14-45mm and the 40-150mm are standard digital zoom lenses that complement each other and can be used in conjunction to cover a wide range of focal lengths and zoom ranges. In addition, both of these “designed for digital” lenses offer superb quality suitable for everyday use by advanced photographers as well as by newcomers to digital SLR products.
EVOLT Supersonic Wave Filter Leaves Other Digital SLR Cameras In the Dust
A common problem with interchangeable lens digital SLR cameras is dust settling on the image sensor. The EVOLT features an Olympus exclusive patented ultrasonic technology, the Supersonic Wave Filter™, to reduce the effects of micro dust settling on the image sensor and impacting the image quality. Located between the shutter and the CCD, the Supersonic Wave Filter uses high-speed ultrasonic vibration to cause most types of dust to fall away from the image sensor so it will not appear in photographs. The filter vibrates at 350,000 times per second and is activated every time the camera powers on, or manually via a menu selection, to instantly remove the dust from in front of the image sensor. The CCD assembly is isolated from the Supersonic Wave Filter by an airtight seal to protect it even more. This unique Olympus feature gives photographers the confidence to shoot photos and change lenses in the field, just as they’ve always done, without the worry of images being damaged or ruined by dust on the imager.
Optional Accessories Designed To Do More
HLD-3 Battery Holder
The EVOLT can accommodate the HLD-3 Battery Holder that holds one or two BLM-1 Li-Ion batteries. With two batteries, the EVOLT can capture almost double the number of images possible with only one battery. The HLD-3 has a shutter release button located at its base to enable vertical shooting, a remote socket for use with the RM-CB1 Cable Release, and a standard tripod socket.
FL-36 Flash
Compact, lightweight and designed specifically for digital photography, the FL-36 achieves higher guide numbers than comparable SLR film cameras even while maintaining wide-angle light distribution. The Guide Number is 117 feet (36 meters) at ISO 100. You'll notice the difference when using it in combination with a wide-angle lens on the EVOLT. Accurate, 1/8-step illumination control provides the precision required by digital cameras, while minimizing illumination reduction near the screen. The newly designed energy-saving circuit improves recharge rates and enables the flash to operate on just 2 AA batteries.
The FL 36 features the FP mode for syncro at shutter speeds up to 1/4000 sec. In both FP-TTL Auto and FP-Manual modes. Standard TTL-Auto, Auto and Manual flash modes are also available. It costs $199.99 estimated street price ($239.95 MSRP)
CS-3SH Semi-Hard Case
Protect the EVOLT and its lens in style with a dedicated semi-hard leather case.
Availability
The Olympus EVOLT E-300 Digital SLR will be available in December 2004. It includes: EVOLT E-300 Body, USB Cable, Video Cable, Li-Ion Battery Pack (BLM-1), Li-Ion Battery Charger (BCM-2), Shoulder Strap, OLYMPUS Master Editing Software, CD-ROM, Manuals, Warranty card, and System chart.
For more information, review units and high-resolution images of the Olympus EVOLT E-300 and accessories, contact Michael Bourne, Mullen Public Relations, 650-210-9857 or michael.bourne@mullen.com, or Chris Sluka, senior public relations manager, Olympus America Inc, Consumer Products Group, Two Corporate Center Dr., Melville, NY, P.O. Box 9058, 11747-9058, ph: (631) 844-5000 (800) 622-6372, Fax: (631) 844-5262 or the Olympus Web Site: www.olympusamerica.com/evolt
Olympus have announced pricing for the nice looking Evolt E-300 digital SLR camera:
"EVOLT E-300 Digital SLR:
$999.99 estimated street price including the 14-45mm lens ($1399 MSRP)
14-45mm f3.5 - f5.6 Lens: $249.95 estimated street when purchased separate from EVOLT ($299 MSRP)
40-150mm f3.5 - f4.5 Lens: $279.95 estimated street ($349 MSRP).
HLD-3 Battery Holder: $99.99 estimated street price ($119.95 MSRP).
Semi Hard Case CS3-SH (for EVOLT E-300 and 14.45mm or 14-54mm zooms): $49.95 estimated street price ($59.95 MSRP)."
Full press release and more info
Cnet is reporting the biggest monthly drop in consumer electronic prices in 5 months.
Leading the way were 42 inch plasma screens which dropped almost 10% in price last month (to an average of $2500) and big drops were also seen in LCD prices (as we predicted months ago).
One thing I find silly though is that they track 128MB memory cards.... does anyone still buy 128MB memory cards when you can get a 1GB compactflash for under $50?
(if you do you can get a 128MB compachflash card from buy.com for a massive $3).
Monday 22 November
Jeremy at Livedigitally went to the Electronic House Expo show in Long Beach CA to see what is new in the world of Home Automation.
Amongst other interesting home gadgets they took a look at the DigitalDeck whole house PVR solutions, Pelham Sloane all-in-one PC/LCDs, and the Philips Streamium networked audio/video system.
Have you ever needed to go surfing while listening to your iPod mini?, me neither, but if you did it's good to know there are gadgets around like the H2O Audio SV-iMini.
The H2O Audio SV-iMini is a completely waterproof (up to 10ft depth) casing for the iPod mini that comes with a matching waterproof headset and earplugs.
The H20 Audio SV-iMini will be available Debember 6th and will cost $149.95.
(via designtechnica)
Friday 19 November
If your homemade 1 terabyte storage server isn't big enough for you try getting 5 of these in a SATA RAID array, giving you 2 terabytes of storage. That is more than enough storage for every episode of Star Trek ever, in HDTV. (That's just a guess but if each episode is about 700MB then you could store almost 3000 episodes, and there can't be that much Trek, can there?)
Getting back on track.... Seagate has announced they are shipping their new 400GB 7200RPM hard drive in both SATA and regular ATA flavors.
The 400GB Barracude 7200.8 hard drive is the first to use 133GB disk platters, and 3 of those gives you the 400GB in this 3.5" drive.
Other features of the 400GB Barracude 7200.8 are an 8mb cache, 8ms seek time, and (on the SATA version) support for Native Command Queuing which is supposed to give performance similar to a 10000rpm drive.
Our third 1 terabyte network storage server this week is the Niveus A/V Storage Server.
This is the most expensive ($2999) but also the quietest and best looking terabyte storage server, and in a surreal moment it has already been awarded the Best of Innovations award for next year's CES show.
The Niveus A/V Storage Server has a 1Ghz VIA fanless processor, 256MB RAM, a fanless case, and an ethernet port (apparently no wireless though).
We are going to have something similar to this in our new house... but as the storage server will be in the basement in a rack next to the distributed wiring control panel it is difficult to justify paying so much when the Buffalo Terastation can be had for a third the price.
(via ehomeupgrade)
Check this out for a do it yourself alternative to the Buffalo 1 Terabyte Terastation we featured a few days ago.
Mashie took a small form factor (SFF) case, an old motherboard, a Serial-ATA RAID controller, 5 200gb hard drives, and a few other bits and pieces, and created a tiny 1 terabyte network storage device.
"It is time for a new little project again. This time I need a small footprint file server with a big internal space. Right now the files are distributed all over the the network forcing a couple of computers to constantly be on wasting power and causing noise."
(via digitalmediathoughts)
Thursday 18 November
It isn't available until next week but Michael Reichmann got a Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II to review.
The Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II is an $8,000 professional digital camera, the kind of camera professional photographers use, not the kind of camera an average guy takes on vacation.
"Canon's One Series cameras are that company's flagship. These are the most rugged, full-featured and fastest shooting cameras that Canon knows how to design and build. They are also a work-in-progress. Each new version builds on the one previous."
Find out what you get for your 8 grand (or 12 grand when you buy a couple of good lenses for it) by reading Michael's review.
Monday 15 November
Buffalo Technology has announced (in Japan) a 1000GB networked hard drive, the TeraStation, that appears to be designed and priced for the consumer market.
The TeraStation contains 4 250GB hard drives and can operate in 4 modes: with 4 seperate logical partitions of 250GB storage, with 1 partition of 1000GB, with a Raid-1 array offering 2 250gb partitions (each mirrored to a seperate drive in case of failure), or a Raid-5 array of 750GB.
Personally I prefer the Raid-5 array as it gives 750GB of storage along with no data loss if one of the 4 drives fail.
Some people will say who will ever need 1000GB of storage, but the same was said when 1GB was first available, or when 20MB hard drives came along.... with a high resultion camera I can easily take 1GB of photos in a day, or if you want to record TV and stream to other rooms in your house you need a lot of storage space.
The TeraStation also offers fast connectivity with USB2.0 and (more importantly) Gibabit Ethernet. The question is, can I justify buying one of these to be the central filestore in my hew home network.
The TeraStation will be available in Japan in December 2004 for 106,300 Yen (about $1,000).
(via Gizmodo)
Susan Crawford found some very interesting wording in a legal brief filed by the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) as part of a lawsuit brought by a number of advocacy groups over the Broadcast Flag (a mandate that by mid-2005 all devices capable of receiving a digital signal have to obey a flag settable by the networks to prevent copying).
Now this is bad in itself as it limits our rights to record a program for viewing at a later date but it gets worse: in the brief the FCC claims that they have regulatory power over "all instrumentalities, facilities, and apparatus associated with the overall circuit of messages sent and received via all interstate radio and wire communication."
So, if a Gadget (PC, Tivo, home distributed wiring control panel, wireless router, networked hard drive) is capable of receiving and/or transmitting on any digital file the FCC thinks they can regulate it and force manufacturers to support the broadcast flag.
Now the FCC is on a morality crusade at the moment, starting with Janet Jackson at the Superbowl and leading to 20 ABC affiliates refusing to air "Saving Private Ryan" on Veterans day because they were afraid of FCC fines over the violence and the F word, I don't want an organization like that trying to regulate my pc, my home network, and my internet use.
(Does the White House know? at Susan Crawford blog)
Appleinsider is reporting that Apple is about to begin manufacturing a flash-based MP3 player that will be announced at the Macworld show in San Francisco next January.
This is a big area where Apple has been lacking, having 90+% market share of hard drive based MP3 players, but not having any flash based players which typically sell for $100 to $200 and have 128mb to 2gb memory.
The rumor is that Apple will offer players with between 256mb and 1gb of memory that will be priced under $200.
I think Dell really need to start pushing their Pocket DJ: it is a 5gb hard drive player that I have seen priced as low as $180. If I had a choice of a 1gb Apple for $200 or a 5gb Dell for $180 I know what I would buy as at the end of the day iPods are pretty but they are over-priced and under-featured.
(via appleinsider)
TrustedReviews has taken a look at the Elonex Lumina Media Center PC which, although named like a car, is a Microsoft XP Media Center 2005 PC inside a 32 inch LCD TV.
The stats of the pre-production Elonex Lumina are 3.0GHz Pentium 4 processor, 512MB RAM, 200GB hard drive, 128mb Radeon 9600 graphics, Win-TV PVR-500 dual tuner TV card, 10/100 ethernet, 802.11a/b/g wireless, DVD writer, memory card slot, and a 1344 x 768 pixel widescreen display.
Pretty impressive stats!
I would buy something like this for the family room of out new house except for one reason: a 32 inch screen is still too small for a medium or large family room; it works for an apartment but when you are 15 feet or more away from the screen you need something at least 45 inches across. Now, if Sharp were to put a similar setup inside their 45" Aquos screen for about $1,500 above the price of the screen on its own I would be very interested.
The Elonex Lumina will be available in the UK and will cost around $4,000.
(trustedreviews via digitalmediathoughts)
Thursday 11 November
Everyone thought the Sony U50/U70 line of handtop PCs had been dropped but now Sony has announced that there will be a new version: the U750P, and that it will be available in the US.
The Sony Vaio U750P will features a low-voltage Intel Pentium-M processor at 1.1GHz with 2MB cache, 512MB RAM, 20GB hard drive, a 5" SVGA (800x600) touch sensitive screen with 64MB video RAM, 802.11b/g WiFi, a USB 2.0 port, and a CompactFlash and MemoryStick slot.
The Sony Vaio U750P comes with a docking station with 4 USB ports, eithernet and firewire but there is no bluetooth support unless you get a bluetooth CF card.
The Sony Vaio U750P runs Microsoft Windows XP Professional and should be out in December for around $2000.
(via jkontherun)
ULTRA PERSONAL COMPUTING IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND
Sony VAIO U-Series Notebook Combines Power of Full-size PC with Portability of PDA
SAN DIEGO, Nov. 9, 2004 _ At a shade over 1 pound, Sony's new VAIO® U Ultra Portable PC, announced today, has the heart of a PC but the soul of an entertainer.
Doubling as a portable media player, this "pocketable" PC allows you to download entertainment content and enjoy it virtually anywhere you go. Integrated 802.11 b/g wireless LAN connects you to thousands of hotspots across the country and helps you stay in touch with the Internet, email and your favorite digital content download services.
Multiple input modes contribute to the PC's extreme versatility. Using the stylus and virtual keyboard on the unit's touch panel screen, you can compose email messages or navigate files even while standing up. Handwriting recognition software simplifies note-taking or annotating documents. Users can also quickly launch programs or execute common commands with thumb-controlled action buttons, or draft longer text files with the included foldout keyboard.
"The U-Series expands the usability of portable PCs beyond the realm of even the lightest traditional notebooks," said Mike Abary, general manager of VAIO PC marketing for Sony Electronics' IT Products Division. "It fits a full-fledged Windows® operating system, Intel® processor and all the entertainment capabilities that make it a Sony, into a `go-anywhere' package that's smaller than a paperback novel."
The unit's 5-inch display with XBRITE™ LCD technology brings movies and photos to life with crisp, high-contrast playback. Memory Stick® and Compact Flash media slots make it easy to import files or digital photos from a variety of digital still cameras. With intuitive thumb controls, users can change the display orientation on the fly, from landscape to portrait mode and back, for optimal viewing of virtually any content.
Whatever, Wherever
Included accessories make the PC even more effective in a variety of different environments. The inner-ear headphones and remote control make digital music and movies a joy whether you're on a plane or on the run. The mobile AC adapter, foldout keyboard and VGA/Ethernet adapter combine for an ideal road package. At home, the port replicator facilitates charging while connecting the PC to a variety of external devices such as a mouse, display, hard drive and/or optical drive.
An Intel® Ultra Low Voltage Pentium® M processor and Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional operating system ensure that the power and the platform for general computing tasks exist on the VAIO U notebook. And exclusive applications, such as SonicStage® software, allow users to take maximum control of their digital content, reinforcing Sony's commitment to entertainment.
The VAIO U Ultra Portable notebook will be available next month at SonyStyle stores and other select retailers, as well as online at www.sonystyle.com for about $2,000.
###
Editor's Note: Sony Electronics' Information Technology Products Division (ITPD) markets VAIO® notebook and desktop computers, as well as branded storage products. For additional information about Sony computer products, consumers can call (888) 315-SONY, or visit Sony's web site at: www.sony.com/vaio. For complete specifications and digital images, members of the news media are invited to visit Sony Electronics' news and information web site at www.sony.com/news.
Contact Info:
Valerie Motis
Sony Electronics Inc.
Christopher Downing
Ruder-Finn/Switzer
(415)348-2733
According to Gartner Dataquest research worldwide sales of Pocket PC devices exceeded shipments of Palm OS devices for the first time in Q3 (July-Sept) 2004.
2004 Palm OS sales are expected to be down 23% to 4.4 million compared 2003 while Pocket PC sales are expected to be up 15% to 5 million units.
When the results are broken out by company we get the top 5 as follows:
1) palmOne: 26.2%
2) HP: 24.2%
3) RIM: 19.8%
4) Dell: 6.5%
5) Symbol: 2.2%
(via brighthand)
Sometimes size is everything. Google has just announced it has doubled the size of it's index of web pages from 4 billion to 8 billion.
What this means is that for queries that only returned a few results before you should see a lot more relevant results now.
Here is a search box, try it out and see if you get better results:
Dell Home has a bunch of coupons today:
Dell Axim X30 high Pocket PC: $379 with free shipping (use $35 off $350 code)
Dell Axim V50v VGA Pocket PC: $464 with free shipping (use $35 off $350 code)
Canon Powershot S500 5 megapixel digital camera: $324 with free shipping (use $35 off $350 code)
Canon Powershot S410 4 megapixel digital camera: $279 with free shipping (use $35 off $350 code)
Dell 2001fp 1600x1200 pixel 20 inch LCD monitor: $604 with free shipping (use $35 off $350 code)
Dell 2005fp 1680x1050 pixel widescreen 20 inch LCD monitor: $644 with free shipping (use $35 off $350 code)
$35 off $350 accessories purchase with code BPDHZ0CHM?ZBLZ (expires 11/11/04)
25% off $999 Inspiron laptops with code 2WL7WMLD3Q4G23 (expires 11/15/04)
25% off $1299 Dimension desktops with code M60LDQM2TH?N37 (expires 11/18/04)
30% off $1799 Dimension desktops with code 3TB6R405280WT1 (expires 11/18/04)
(above codes replace the 15% to 25% discounts shown for desktops and laptops)
Tuesday 9 November
CNET has an excellent guide showing which programs on broadcast and cable/satellite TV are broadcast in high definition, it even goes so far as to tell you which are in 720p format and which are in 1080i.
Channels listed include: ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, PBS, UPN, WB, Bravo HD+, Comcast SportsNet, Discovery HD Theater, Encore HD, ESPN HD, HBO HDTV, HDNet, HDNet Movies, INHD/INHD2, The Movie Channel HD, MSG Network, NBA TV, Showtime HDTV, Starz HD, and TNT-HD.
TitanTV Listings (thanks KCT)
(via pocketmediathoughts)
The free Mozilla Firefox open-source web browser has at last been officially released, and 10 million downloads are expected over the coming days.
Features of Firefox listed as improvements on Internet Explorer include: tabbed browsing (multiple pages in one web browser window), good handling of popups and cookies, built-in google search, RSS integration, and loads of extensions that add functionality.
Almost 10% of visitors to ShinyPlastic.com already use Firefox and I expect that number to get higher.
Monday 8 November
Sharp has announced a new 23 inch High-Definition LCD TV that doesn't seen as fully featured as their Aquos line but is still high quality.
The Sharp IT-23M1U has a contrast ratio of 550:1 and a brightness of 500 nits, Sharp also claims a response time of "under 16ms".
The screen is a WXGA 1366 by 768 pixel widescreen format and it has built in 10 watt speakers.
Personally I am trying to decide between getting a monitor like this in the kitchen or going with a cheaper monitor like a 20" dell with DVI and S-Video connectors.
The Sharp IT-23M1U is available now and retails for $1499.
The guys over at Popular Science came up with a fairly easy way to increase bluetooth range from 50 feet to about 5000 feet, as long as you are confortable wielding a soldering iron.
"So I detached the stock antenna from a Linksys USBBT100 Class 1 USB Bluetooth adapter ($70; linksys.com) and replaced it with a larger HyperGain RE05U 2.4GHz antenna ($15; hyperlinktech.com). With that simple mod, I can make a Bluetooth connection up to a mile away—about 4,950 feet farther than most."
Sounds fun
(popular science via engadget)
In 5 years you could be taking a flying taxi to London's Heathrow Airport instead of the usual black cab, and it will even cost about the same.
London-based developers Avcen have come up with a concept for the Jetpod Flying Taxi: a small (5 passenger) plane that can take off and land in 400ft, is ultra-quiet, and will cruise at 350mph.
The trip from the center of London to the Airport would only take 2 or 3 minutes: I just hope they don't make you turn up for the Jetpod 2 hrs before departure.
(daily mirror via tech digest)
Friday 5 November
We had been planning on upgrading the power supply on our main PC for a while as our power supply was noisy and underpowered for the 3 hard drives, 2 optical drives, and power guzzling ATI graphics card in our system.
Replacing a power supply is one of the most complex do-it-yourself jobs on a PC, in my mind second only in complexity to replacing a motherboard. We therefore looked around for a solution that promised to be a high-quality replacement that wouldn't need to be upgraded again for years.
We thought the Ultra X-Connect 500w PSU looked to be a good fit for our needs and Ultra Products were kind enough to send one over for us to review.
An additional advantage to upgrading to the Ultra X-Connect is that is has a modular cable system where you just install the cables you need removing a lot of the clutter from your PC (hopefully improving airflow and reliability at the same time).
How did we fare at replacing our power supply?, and how has it performed?, keep reading to find out......
Continue reading "Ultra X-Connect 500w PSU Review"
Dpreview has finally posted their full detailed review of the Canon Eos 20D digital camera.
The best description is.... detailed..... 29 pages of every detail you could possibly ever want.
It is a great review of the Canon Eos 20D if you are a real techhead: even their overall conclusion (below) of 5 paragraphs plus 23 positive bullets and 12 negative bullets.
Personally I love my 20D and it has proved invaluable when looking at and comparing houses recently, I have yet to learn 1% of all the manual options, gizmos, and tricks of the camera, but I love the picture quality, speed, and feel of the 20D.
Continue reading "Canon Eos 20D Detailed Review"
I4U has a review of the Bluetake BT400 Bluetooth Headset.
The review looks at the headset from the viewpoint of someone non-technical:
"Conclusion
Bottom line, the Bluetake BT400 G3 is well worth the price of around USD 60. It is easy to set up and use, light weight and comfortable to wear and features a very good sound quality and range."
I had a navigation system in my last car and used it all the time, it made it so easy to get anywhere I hadn't been before. My current car doesn't have a navigation system and I really miss it, so I'm very interested to hear about a new gadget from Pioneer: the Pioneer AVIC-N2 Navigation System.
The Pioneer AVIC-N2 Navigation System seems to have it all: a 6.5" LCD touchscreen, XM satellite radio access, DVD/CD/MP3 player, and 4x50w output.
If that isn't enough for you the Pioneer AVIC-N2 Navigation System also supports XM Radio's NAVTEQ traffic system that warns you of traffic holdups (in 20 major cities), although it's not clear if it automatically suggests an alternate route around holdups.
One downside to this device is that it only has 7.5mb of flash memory for caching driving/mapping information, which limits driving directions if you are listening to a CD/DVD instead of having the mapping DVD in the unit. Come on Pioneer, if I can buy a 1GB CompactFlash card for well under $100 you can put a bit more memory (or even replace the DVD with a 5GB microdrive) in your $2000+ navigation unit.
(via gizmodo)
Pioneer Introduces First Aftermarket In-Car Navigation System with XM NavTraffic
Tuesday November 2, 12:20 pm ET
WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- XM Satellite Radio (Nasdaq: XMSR - News), the nation's leading provider of satellite radio with more than 2.5 million subscribers, and Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc., the established leader in mobile entertainment products, keep drivers informed of detailed traffic conditions 24 hours a day with Pioneer's next generation AVIC-N2 multi-function navigation system and XM NavTraffic. Pioneer's system is the first aftermarket in-car navigation system to offer satellite-based traffic information using XM NavTraffic, which displays traffic incidents and road flow conditions on a motorized 6.5-inch touch screen monitor. The system, unveiled today at the annual SEMA Show devoted to automotive specialty products, graphically communicates traffic incidents by means of traffic icons to quickly identify road events relative to the vehicle's location, keeping drivers in touch with their surroundings at all times. In advance, the system suggests alternate routes around major traffic incidents and heavily congested roads.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000724/XMSATLOGO )
With a quick touch of the screen, the Pioneer AVIC-N2 with XM NavTraffic displays a detailed traffic events list, showing local road incidents sorted by traffic event or by distance. The traffic list describes the exact location of incidents, provides descriptions of each occurrence and shows the distance of the events from the vehicle's current location.
Traffic flow is displayed on the navigation screen with different colors -- green, yellow and red. Green indicates traffic moving 40 mph and above, yellow from 20 to 40 mph and red at less than 20 mph. Additional icons represent scheduled incidents such as road construction and road closures.
"The new AVIC-N2 takes navigation to the next level," said Michael Townsen, vice president of marketing for mobile entertainment at Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. "Traffic conditions are continually broadcast by the XM NavTraffic service, keeping drivers informed at all times. Because the AVIC-N2 can fit virtually any vehicle on the road, everyone can have access to detailed traffic information."
XM NavTraffic, powered by NAVTEQ Traffic, provides the Pioneer AVIC-N2 system with in-depth traffic data for 20 major metropolitan cities across the nation. Traffic incidents are collected from a wide variety of sources, including road sensors, traffic cameras, state and local transportation departments, and law enforcement. The data is compiled by NAVTEQ, a leading global provider of digital map data for vehicle navigation and location-based solutions. XM delivers the data to the navigation system via satellite.
The Pioneer GEX-P10XMT data and audio receiver, AVIC-N2's optional traffic tuner, offers both the XM NavTraffic service and XM Satellite Radio's more than 130 digital radio channels, including 68 commercial-free music channels, more than 40 premier sports, news, talk, and entertainment channels, and 21 channels of traffic and weather reports. The subscription price is expected to be $13.99 a month for a bundled offering of XM NavTraffic and XM Radio.
"We at XM Satellite Radio are thrilled that Pioneer is offering the very first aftermarket navigation system with our XM NavTraffic service," said Roderick MacKenzie, Director, Advanced Applications, XM Satellite Radio. "You can choose your destination on the new Pioneer system, and XM NavTraffic gives you in-depth traffic information about your personal route. You can find out how fast traffic is moving, where the congestion is, and how to steer clear of problems. XM NavTraffic is the most comprehensive traffic information service ever offered to U.S. drivers, and we're very excited to be working with our longtime partners at Pioneer to make it available with Pioneer's new AVIC-N2 navigation system. This is an incredibly powerful tool for drivers to avoid traffic."
The AVIC-N2 with XM NavTraffic is a multi-tasking information and entertainment system that combines a detailed traffic tuner (XM Digital Satellite Data & Audio Receiver*) with turn-by turn route guidance navigation system, DVD/CD/MP3 player and vehicle dynamics monitor. The Pioneer DIN-size unit, meant to replace any existing in-dash car radio, is a revolutionary solution for drivers who spend more time than ever in their vehicle. The system provides far more than basic driving directions, offering millions of points of interest and alternate routes to avoid traffic jams.
The Navigation System
The AVIC-N2 provides accurate detailed route guidance for the entire United States and Canada including Alaska and Hawaii. Within seconds, the system's extremely fast processor calculates multiple routes and provides directions to any destination via electronic map and voice prompts.
Powered by TeleAtlas mapping, the system uses a massive 12-million points of interest (POI) database with more than 248 different categories so consumers can search for the nearest gas station, ATM or restaurant. As users are guided along their route, points of interest are overlaid onto the map, which is particularly helpful when driving in unfamiliar areas. Easy-to- recognize brand icons are used to identify hotels, restaurants, banks, gas stations and even specific chain store locations such as Chili's®, Olive Gardens®, 76® and Albertsons®.
Utilizing 7.5MB of flash memory, the system can store miles of mapping information allowing users to utilize its internal disc drive for audio or video entertainment to play DVD movies for back seat passengers or listen to an audio compact disc. Users also can store a frequently used path within a "home area," in which the system can display traffic information and points of interests without inserting the map disc.
Further aiding drivers, the AVIC-N2 guidance screens were graphically enhanced to look like highway exit signboards, communicating visual directions quickly and safely. Users can choose from five enhanced modes that can be displayed on the screen, including:
-- Standard map view mode
-- Driver's view mode (3-D view of map)
-- Route view mode (split screen between map and list of upcoming
streets)
-- Rear view split screen (split screen between rear camera view and
overhead map)
-- Vehicle dynamics mode (performance gauges)
The system also includes a camera input so owners of large vehicles can view an image from a rear camera on the screen. This feature allows owners of SUVs and RVs to see a boat or vehicle they may be towing for added safety.
The Audio Video Entertainment System
The state-of-the art audio/video entertainment system provides full dual zone capabilities, as well as DVD video playback, single CD, MP3 CDs and AM/FM/XM satellite radio all with maximum power and sound performance.
"Pioneer's AVIC-N2 provides maximum flexibility and performance across all aspects of mobile entertainment for any driver. For example, a family driving from Los Angeles to San Francisco can have their entire route mapped in the memory of the navigation system and still entertain rear seat passengers with DVD movies for the length of the trip," said Townsen.
Much like its top-line headunit counterparts, the AVIC-N2 is a high quality audio system with MOSFET50 (50 watts X 4 amplifier), three pre-amp outputs and three band parametric equalizer. The system can be expanded with other sources such as XM satellite radio, CD changer, DVD changer and TV tuner. All sources are direct access using its touch screen display.
The Vehicle Dynamics Monitor
The importance of individuality among the youth "Tuner" market is part of today's car culture, which led Pioneer to add new "skins" to its vehicle dynamics gauge screens of the AVIC-N2. With a quick touch of the display, four different skins can be chosen enabling consumers to customize the screen to match the interior of their vehicle.
Proven to be a popular feature, the vehicle dynamics offer an easy, fun and accurate method to assess a car's performance with stock equipment versus aftermarket parts. The rich navigation features enable the system to monitor key performance attributes, provide users with vehicle dynamics in real time and perform peak holds so users are able to see and track their vehicle's performance.
Measurements contain simple features such as voltage, compass and clock as well as dynamic features including:
* Acceleration to measure forward and backward G-Force
* Lateral G-Force to measure maximum cornering force
* Angular velocity to measure turn rate
* Slope to measure the incline
Pricing and availability will be announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2005.
XM Satellite Radio audio service is available in 48 states. XM NavTraffic is available in the 20 identified cities. Sold separately, Pioneer GEX-P10XMT traffic tuner and activation of XM NavTraffic service is required.
XM Satellite Radio
XM is America's number one satellite radio service with more than 2.5 million subscribers. Broadcasting live daily from studios in Washington, DC, New York City and Nashville, Tennessee at the Country Music Hall of Fame, XM's 2004 lineup includes more than 130 digital channels of choice from coast to coast: 68 one-hundred-percent commercial-free music channels, featuring hip hop to opera, classical to country, bluegrass to blues; more than 40 channels of premier sports, talk, comedy, children's and entertainment programming; and 21 channels of the most advanced traffic and weather information for major metropolitan areas nationwide. As the official satellite radio network for Major League Baseball (MLB) and NASCAR, as well as ACC, PAC-10 and Big-10 collegiate football and basketball, XM Satellite Radio is the leader in sports radio programming offering thousands of live sporting events each year. XM also is the leader in satellite radio for the automobile market through partnerships with General Motors and Honda, among others. XM is available in more than 100 new car models for 2005. XM offers a wide variety of satellite radios for listening at home, in the car, and on the go, including the Delphi MyFi, the first portable, hand-held satellite radio. Consumers can experience over the Internet through XM Radio Online at http://listen.xmradio.com. XM recently launched XM NavTraffic, which provides current traffic information for vehicle navigation systems. For more information about XM, visit http://www.xmradio.com.
Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc.
Pioneer's Mobile Entertainment Division is the leading manufacturer of audio, video and information products for in-car use. Its focus is on the development of new digital technologies including audio video, navigation and satellite radio, while maintaining its strong heritage in products for car audio enthusiasts and competitors. The company markets its products under the Pioneer and Premier brand names. When purchased from an authorized dealer, consumers receive a limited warranty for one year with Pioneer products and two years for Premier products.
Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. is headquartered in Long Beach, Calif., and its U.S. Web address is http://www.pioneerelectronics.com. Its parent company, Pioneer Corporation, is a leader in optical disc technology and a preeminent manufacturer of high-performance audio, video, computer and cable equipment for the home, car and business markets. The company focuses on four core business domains including DVD, display technologies, Digital Network Entertainment and components. Founded in 1938 in Tokyo, Pioneer Corporation (NYSE: PIO - News) employs more than 36,000 people worldwide. Its shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange.
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Source: XM Satellite Radio; Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc.
Thursday 4 November
Cnet has a preview of the Delphi MyFi portable XM radio player:
"Delphi's MyFi is the first personal satellite-radio receiver to offer a truly portable, Walkman-style form factor. The MyFi lets you listen to all of XM's more than 130 digital stations anywhere you can see the sky. It will be available in December for a list price of $350."
"If the $350 list price doesn't scare you, don't forget that you'll need to continue your $10-per-month XM subscription to make the MyFi more than a paperweight. And though you'll be able to listen to such XM exclusives as Major League Baseball broadcasts, don't expect to hear Sirius-only fare such as Howard Stern (in 2006) or the NFL."
iPodlounge reviewed the Bose Sounddock speaker system for iPods, and they weren't too impressed:
"The Good: Second-best iPod-matching speakers we’ve tested to date on sound quality, featuring rich, clear sound out of the box and clean design. Great remote control included for purchase price.
The Bad: Price is substantially higher than all iPod-matching competitors, size, weight, and lack of battery option preclude use as truly portable speaker system, can’t dock with computer."
I would have to agree with them, portability is a big thing for me, I love that I can fold up my altec Lansing inMotion speakers and take them anywhere, the Bose Sounddock isn't portable so I wont be buying one: If I just want to listen to music at home I stream it from my PC to my living room speakers.
Samsung has announced a new 32 inch CRT TV (cathode ray tube... you know, the big TVs we used to have before LCDs came along :)
The big selling point is that is is "only" 15 inches thick (compared to 20 to 25 inches for regular CRT TVs).
Maybe I will be mistaken and this will be a big seller but I doubt it: if you can afford to pay extra for a Thin CRT then why not pay a little more and get a 3 or 4 inch thick LCD TV?
LCD TVs are coming down in price and going up in screen size and quality, and in the next two years they will push plasma out of the market. The only decision I have to make is to replace my aging back projection TV with a 37 inch LCD or wait until 45 inch or larger comes down in price.
(via designtechnica)
I originally recommended this LCD at $800, then at $750, then at $700 (when I bought another one), well now it is almost down to $600!
It is a great monitor, comparable to a 23" CRT monitor but only a few inches thick.
It has both analog and DVI (digital) connectors for your computer and you can connect your cable/satellive tv box via S-Video or composite connectors (no built in tuner, but works with your cable box's built in tuner and remote).
Max resolution is 1600x1200 which is easily readable.
2001FP 20" Monitor at Dell Home
COUPONS VALID TODAY (11/4) ONLY.
Here's what you do: click the above link which should show the monitor at 20% off, then apply coupon F8ZNN2TLLRBP0R (expires 11/4, or after 1500 uses) for $35 off $400, giving a price of $604 with free shipping.
Continue reading "Dell 2001fp 20" LCD: $604 Today Only"
Wednesday 3 November
Buffalo Technology has announced the first 802.11g wireless router designed for consumers and small business users that can operate a VPN (virtual private network).
A VPN allows you to connect to your home network over the internet from any location and sets up a secure encrypted network connection between your network and your computer.
The AirStation Wireless Secure Remote Gateway (WZR-RS-G54) will be available November at an estimated street price of $199.
(via wifinetworkingnews)
BUFFALO TECHNOLOGY REVOLUTIONIZES WIRELESS NETWORKING WITH THE FIRST REMOTE ACCESS ROUTER FOR THE CONSUMER AND SMALL BUSINESS MARKETS
The AirStation Wireless Secure Remote Gateway is the Only Product of Its Kind That Allows Users To Access Their Home or Office Computer from Anywhere in the World
Austin, TX – November 1, 2004 - Buffalo Technology, a global leader in the design, development and manufacturing of wired and wireless networking, storage and memory solutions today announced a revolutionary wireless router, the AirStation Wireless Secure Remote Gateway (WZR-RS-G54). This groundbreaking remote-access solution is the only wireless router for the consumer and small business markets that enables users to conveniently and securely access e-mail, files, programs and network resources while on the road. The product also allows users to stream music files including MP3's, video files, or access digital photo images from anywhere in the world.
Buffalo’s new wireless router is the ideal solution for consumers, frequent travelers, telecommuters, multi-site employees and mobile office workers who need access to their home or office personal computer.
“There are over 25 million people in the U.S.1 who work from home, and business travel is on the increase. This is an audience that demands a simple, secure and inexpensive solution that gives them the same capabilities on the road as at home or the office,” stated Morikazu Sano, vice president of product marketing and public relations at Buffalo Technology. “Competing software solutions start at $20 a month, which can add up, especially if you add users. Our Wireless Secure Remote Gateway is an affordable, one-time purchase and provides users with a cost-effective means to access resources and remain productive while away from the home or office.”
The AirStation Wireless Secure Remote Gateway is an 802.11g/802.11b compliant router that features 125* High Speed Mode wireless technology and Buffalo’s patent pending AirStation One-Touch Secure System (AOSS™). AOSS is designed to allow users to setup a secure wireless connection with the push of a button. Within 90-seconds, AOSS instantly detects and configures other AOSS-enabled devices on the network and seamlessly installs the highest available level of wireless security. The router includes both a PPTP VPN client and a PPTP VPN server for secure connections to other computers. This allows users to access and exchange files that reside on their home or office computer over the Internet via the PPTP secured protocol and eliminates the need of an FTP server or a paid service. Full access is granted as if the user were sitting in front of their home or office computer. The product’s Wake-On-LAN feature allows users to turn on their computer from any other computer with Internet access.
The Wireless Secure Remote Gateway incorporates an easy to navigate portal screen providing simple web-based access to product features. The product includes features that are unique to Buffalo’s routers such as Wireless Distribution System (WDS) for bridging and repeating; External Antenna support for extended wireless signal range; Intrusion Detector, which notifies users if an attack has been attempted on their system; and Privacy Separator for secure wireless sessions.
The product supports robust security protocols such as WPA-PSK with AES support, which gives the Wireless Secure Remote Gateway the ability to support WPA2 – the latest and most powerful security standard for wireless networks. The router includes a built-in DHCP server with a 4-port 10/100Mbps switch. The Wireless Secure Remote Gateway also supports forward-looking Fiber To The Home (FTTH) technology with routing speeds of up to 98.7Mbps.
Backed by a limited two-year warranty and toll-free 24/7 technical support, the AirStation Wireless Secure Remote Gateway (WZR-RS-G54) will be available November at an estimated street price of $199. For more information about Buffalo Technology and its products, please visit the company’s Web site at www.buffalotech.com.
ehomeupgrade has a roundup of 4 recently announced digital media servers:
AL Tech Mediagate MG-25: 25GB 2.5" hard drive, supports MPEG4, DivX, XviD, OGG, MP3, WMA, and JPEG, USB 2.0 connectivity, up to 1080i HDTV output.
DTS Infocom MODIX HD-3510: up to 400GB 3.5" hard drive, support for MPEG4, DivX, XviD, MP3, and JPEG, up to 1080i HDTV output.
Dvico TViX: up to 250GB 3.5" hard drive, supports VOB, DivX, XviD, AVI, MPG, DAT, PCM, MP3, OGG, WMA, AC3, and DTS, HDTV output.
FIA On3 Pro Digital Media Player and Library: up to 120GB 2.5" hard drive, supports MPEG4, DivX, XviD, MOV, AVI, MP3, OGG, WAV, and AC3, HDTV output.
Most of the paperwork is now out of the way on our new house and we can get back to our regular daily postings.
One thing they don't warn you about when you go to buy a new house is that although the base floorplan is described as a finished house you really need to spend a small fortune on options if you want the house to look better than the average rented apartment, for example:
- Kitchen Cabinet Upgrades: $4,000
- Granite Countertop: $5,000
- Upgraded Appliances: $5,000
- Recessed Lighting: $4,000
- Carpet Color other than Yellow or Pink: $1,000
- Hardwood Floors (on Ground Floor): $10,000
- Upgraded Bathroom Ceramic Tiles: $2,000
- Garage Door Openers: $1,000
- Whirlpool Tub: $2,000
And that is just the start of the list. Most of these upgrades cost more than if you were to but the items yourself and pay to have them installed but if you follow that path you then have to deal with the disruption of installation after you have moved in.
If that sounds expensive don't forget you also need closing costs for your mortgage (maybe $10,000), moving costs ($5,000), new curtains ($2,000), extra furniture to fill the extra space ($ too much), plants and flowers so you have more than just a grass lawn, and finally once you have paid all that you can start saving for the nice deck or patio you would like.
On the positive side, once we are moved in next May, we will be in a good position to start reviewing lots of cool kitchen gadgets, home automation gadgets, audio/video/HDTV gadgets and lots more.
