Olympus E-3 digital cameraRating: 8.6/10 GreatOlympus E-3 presents a convincing and favorably contest feature some of which (such as the sloping display, build-in IS,splash proof case,SSWF dust removal) is singular at this degree.Theoretically Olympus E-3 marks whole the right cases, and on the touch it senses properly leveled answer and completely stable.Focus with SWD lenses is actually very quick, though I would love to know under what occurrences the "world's rapid focus" assert arrives remains nice as we found using multi AutoFocus or taking picture in gloomy light at longer distance from the center of a lens was frequently direct inactive.Olympus camera's extensive execution is great (during the time that you disregard the of a remnant tail in order for the xD Image Card slot).Contrasted to the excellent rivals in the "half professional" district Olympus E-3's vulnerable spot is doubtless it is 4_3rd sensor, which endeavors to equal the great ISO execution and dynamic range of the great Advanced Photo System type-C based patterns.The low density and slender smoothness (which we assume to be the outcome of a powerful anti-alias filter) shown when viewed up shut will solely be a difficult if you are in the custom of generating enormous expansions or cutting immoderately. At standart observing dimensions you are more seemingly to be esteeming that pretty Olympus camera color than concerned about pixel degree sharpness, but this still has to be measured a degrade for a digicam contesting at this degree.

It is also value remark that you will not see the distinction in resolution between Olympus E-3 and it is rivals unless you are taking picture raw [Olympus E-3's JPEGs are really quality], so we aren't chat about enormous distinctions here.Besides someone accustomed pushing raw files to the restriction will be disillusion with Olympus E-3 decision aside, there is tiny latitude for exposure alters; shove it more than a halt or so and you will view noise effect in the shadows layout even at ISO 200, drag it back and you will find there is valuable tiny highlight-headroom.Olympus E-3 is then a cam that generates imaginary outcomes during the time that you continue in it is coziness region. Salute to the restrictions of it is sensor, if you approach the limits at all [attempting to grab too much dynamic range,shoving the responsiveness in gloomy light, attempting to enlarge the best detail out of a locale] it launches to below execution contrasted to the finest of its rivals. If your photo usually occurs at the point where all digital cams begin to claim compositions,shoving difficult against the edge of satisfactory execution,Olympus E-3 isn't the cam I would suggest.Picture quality except Olympus E-3 has several unimportant issues value indicating however when supplemented together should cause someone deliberating of offer price their existing system for an Olympus E-3 to discontinue for thought.Plenty are personal, we found the case manage layout bewildering and the buttons annoying and difficult to reach, although the menu panel requires a critical renovation. Others are merely truly suitable to users who adjust all on automatic. It is also value indicating that Olympus E-3 is,notwithstanding demands made for the benefit of a minor sensor structure, one of the largest,hefty digital cameras in it is level particularly when you add in one of the peak quality SWD zooms.
CaptNemo 4:34 AM
|
Canon IXUS 950 IS Pros * Nice resolution, great edge to edge sharpness
* practical zoom range (but no 28mm wide-angle)
* mere smooth results at lower ISO adjusts
* Quick and exact focus (but delicately slower in gloomy light)
* quick answering
* great gui and menus very sensitive
* effective picture stabilization
* great build quality and charming style
* functional AutoISO_Shift mode
* energetic outputs out of digital camera
* nice flash exposure and flash recycling
* huge, bright screen
* Viewfinder (but only an emergency answer)
* great quality film mode
* Time lapse film mode (not necessary but fascinating outputs)
* External ISO manage
Cons * Battery life when using LCD not shining
* delicately underpowered builtin flash
* No "S" or "A" modes, usually little manual manage
* Auto White Balance execution under artificial light not shining
* Camera's common difficults of noise and noise decrease effects at anything over ISO 200
* considerably spotlight clipping (sometimes combined with slim excessive exposure)
* considerably purple fringing
* Viewfinder highly miniature,always practise LCD screen when possible
* not fast continuous taking pic than predecessor
* Slender smoothness at the long end of the camera lens
* Other manufacturers present better more specifications for the same price
Canon IXUS 950 IS is a simple model of what Canon company does so significantly; a gracefully created, well styled and skilled digital camera that does not shatter any fresh ground but does what it does with the purification that arrives from years of making delicate adjustments and a denial to carve every corner so that to find the lowest possible money.Most significantly it's a pouch camera that drive away good results with smallesteffort on the user's part.
Canon IXUS's picture quality is excellent for a compact camera in this segment.Canon's outputs at base ISO are smooth and itemized.Artlessly noise decrease artifacts and make foggy take their toll as you take action the feeling scale but Canon IXUS always controls to protect a modest amount of detail,salute Canon IXUS's feeling approach to noise decrease. Canon lens is an significant component in the picture quality "bundle" and IXUS 950's zoom donates it is pretty share.Calculated resolution is nice, with impressive edge to edge sharpness.Most excessive compacts are generally practised for " taken picture quickly" and Canon IXUS is a nice actor in that section too. Camera's flash recycle times and exposure are nice meanwhile we have definitely come across more strong flashes.Well just make certain your topics do not move too distantly, they might be demode sooner than you would wish.
Canon IXUS 950 has a clearly considerable inclination to clip spotlights. There're completely a solid number of untainted white skies to be fund in our case images.You will be justly used to this if you have ever used a compact cam before but IXUS 950 sometimes slimly worsens this "difficult" by overexposing a great contrast locale when the suitable thing to do would the total opposite implement some negative exposure-compensation.
Also we've a ripe excessive compact cam that does a nice success job in essence all sections but one it is a bit difficult to get fascinating about. It isn't seems defective, think stable in your hand and has a true "quality" sense that enlarges from the production and end to the ui. Canon's manage and menu panel is one of the best in the camera segment. It is sensitive for cameramen who are not yet accustomed the brand but also clearly firm across the range of digital compact cams which performs upgrading from an older pattern much easier.Canon IXUS 950 is not especially inexpensive.Canon's Ixus compacts are an worry-free option for the "point and shoot" customer seeking for a safe choice; but they aren't the only choice, and if you wanta widerlens, more hand-operated manage or better value for price it is recommended to shop around before making your conclusion.
CaptNemo 7:11 AM
|
Nikon Coolpix P50 compact cameraRating: 7.5/10 GoodProsexcellent range of flash modes and management
Regularly accurate metering
functional lens range with real wide-angle
Icon-based interface is good (and optional)
D-Lighting can give the best of hard situations
Usually respectable picture quality (at lowest ISO settings), though middle-of-the-way
Good use of supplies
wise number of scene modes
AA battery comfort
Cons Soft pictures with small latitude for extra sharpening in compact
Hand-operated management highly limited
Lens on this examine model had softness on left side of picture
plenty of contest makes Nikon P50 same as an "also ran"
Iso range more aspiring than capable
Battery life below average (even for AAs)
Slow execution
Long flash recycle times
Sound still continue before films end
Electronic Vibration Reduction is no exchanged for optical improves
Nikon Coolpix P50 is a serious tiny compact camera. It is justly compact, has a functional zoom range and are not expensive. Nikon P50's produce quality is nice and it's producted using genially tangible materials. Most person going into their local market will be able to get one,same the way it senses and leave and use it quite gladly.
The difficulty is that apart from Coolpix P50's wide-angle lens (which is truly practical) and the D-Lighting specification that can grab a little more detail outside of dark areas there is nothing specifically feature about it.Nikon P50's incorporation of a hand-operated mode that offers less management than the program style is a little deceptive even if major of Nikon P50 customers will never use it. It also obligated to be said that Nikon P50 camera's "Electronic Vibration Reduction" is more impressive as a marketing tactic than an image-stabilization-technique (ims). (And it is fascinating to look that it has been supplanted by suitable, optical improve on the approaching P60 model camera).
Nikon Coolpix P50 does not fall into the Coolpix P5100's lure of encouraging delicately more than it gives it isa credibly well featured digital camera at a fair price that will regularly build nice results with smallest user input.Same most digital camera optical viewfinders, Nikon P50's offers useless effect of the framing of the picture that compact camera will record.Also it contains a sight of your fingers possessing the coolpix when at it is widest scope.
Essentially Nikon camera is not awful, just a bit under deluge and that isn't nice enough for a compact camera wearing a Nikon tag. Nikon create its valid name based on a impressive history extending from specialist film cameras through to its popular aggressive DSLR models and contains some inspiring and creative digital cameras together with the way.Despite for various generations of compact camera Nikon P50 has grinded out not providing motivation cameras that do nothing to donate to this regard.Indicative of this infirmity is the actuality that notwithstanding being widely declared, most Nikon cameras don't record sound during the last secs of film yet no one looks irritated to fix it. It isn't a critical flaw by any means but it is barely suggestive of a corporate committed to creating world leader digital camera. Put clearly notwithstanding itis economic price, Nikon P50 compact clearly does not have what it takes to contest in the growing compact_camera market. It is in no manner a awful compact (and it can dependably take superbly good images) but it just falls deficient of a advised tag.
CaptNemo 7:44 AM
|
Sony DSC-H3 compact cameraRating: 7.5/10 GoodSony DSC-H3 digital camera presents a enormous zoom range in a actual compact bundle: If you're searching for a digital camera that you can bear all the time but do not wanna hand out with a great zoom, you should critically consider it as one of your choices.Sony DSC-H3's image quality in rational light is nice, the yield is ready to print, precisely and with attractive colors. At strong ISO ranges and in gloomy light this image quality changes but the issue are no less successful on the contest's similar models definitely not at normal print sizes. Sony Dsch3 camera's image-stabilization-system performs without waste (though do not hope wonders at poor shutter speeds) and can help to decrease the require for extreme sensitivities in at the lowest some take picture situations.Sony DSC-H3 digital camera is a bit tending to spotlight clipping and it has some small evidence of color fringing but you had realize that on mainly other compact digital cameras same as. The flash does a modest task and has nice procure though sometimes a little portion of negative flash reparation can be advantageous so that keep away from turn out highlights.
Sony DSC-H3 exposure meter performs dependably in most lighting positions and the Predictive AF is practically completely useful when taking picture moving matters (meanwhile it clearly has its borders, there is a cause for all those sports photographers bearing camera lenses that are about twenty times the size and weight of an Sony DSC-H3).While 38mm is above and beyond focal length for the enormous extensive of photographers, 38mm at the broad end of Sony camera lens is distantly from being genuinely broad. If you take picture a lot in constricted spaces do not come near to Sony DSC-H3 camera, you will find yourself taking steps backwards into a wall attempting to frame your matters a lot more often than you had wish.
Sony DSC-H3 camera is primarily a extended zoom point and shoot digital camera that executes well during the time that you let it do it is thing in Auto-mode. Once you improve an aspiration to set your own taking picture parameters things get a little more clever. This is not wholly because some manual adjustments are clearly not around, but also because changing the settings that are practically there can be a justly wasting much time process. This is owed to the slimly as opposed to insight menus and user interface usually. The lack of a manual white-balance choice is especially uncommon on a current digital camera. It's even more distressful if the white-balance presets aren't especially credible (as we practiced in our studio examinations). Sony DSC-H3 camera doesn't give Shutter or Aperture Speed Priority modes besides there's a totally manual mode. But this with only two workable aperture settings at a bestowed focal length, it is use is critically limited.Sony DSC-H3 camera is extended zoom point and shoot digital camera that dependably shooting in Auto-mode and does not cost highly.You can without difficulty take it with you every where you go, important point, it's clearly fun to use
CaptNemo 8:14 AM
|
Dell XPS M1730 notebook seems and performs same as flaming-speed gaming device.Dell laptop with it is hazy outer art.Which one of person depicted as King Kong like and magnificent features, not the least of which is dual Nvidia cards in SLI, this device is made for stunning gaming on the way.
Besides example platform came with dual Nvidia processor (Geforce 8800M GTX cards. SLI wasn't accessible by default set.As you would hope SLI will make a enormous difference in terms of execution: Dell XPS M1730 notebook's No SLI setup, Dell laptop scored 9273 point in 3DMark06. Dell's after enabling SLI mode, the notebook's score shot to 12636 point.
For userfriendly access to notebook stats, containing CPU and RAM usage. you will see a Logitech GamePanel LCD above Dell XPS M1730's number pad. This screen also looks time and thecurrent date and countdown and stop watchtimers. There is extra plugins that will monitor stats for games and applications. On the front ridge of Dell XPS M1730 notebook, you'll see a row of media and volume managements.Under the row of media managements,also available an IR sensor for use with the contained remote.
If your game of option is Ageia PhysX enabled, you'll cherish Dell XPS M1730 notebook's extra of the Ageia PhysX Picture Processing Unit. With a PhysX card, you'll relish an raised amount or physics related stunning visual effects. containing interaction and dynamic motion.Dell M1730 will be available in 4 different colors=Smoke Grey,Sapphire Blue,Bone White and Crimson Red.
Technical SpecificationIntel Core 2 Extreme X7900 (2.8GHz/800MHz FSB, 4MB Cache)
4GB DDR2 SDRAM @ 667MHz
Two Nvidia Geforce 8800M-GTX 256MB GDDR3 cards in SLI config
Ageia PhysX physics accelerator map
2 x 200GB 7200RPM disks with RAID support (64GB SSD available)
17 inch WUXGA display (1920 x of 1200)
Blu-Ray with DVD Burner Optical drive
Wireless: Intel 802.11n, Bluetooth, IR
Ports: Media card reader, DVI, S-Video,four USB 2.0 ports, FireWire IEEE1394, ExpressCard 54, microphone_in,two headphone_out ports, SPDIF, Ethernet
Web camera
9 Cell battery
CaptNemo 7:30 AM
|
Alienware Area-51 m15xRating: 8.1/10 GreatGaming notebooks with seventeen inch screens are clearly common, but their little brethrens with fifteen inch monitors are not quite as readily round. Alienware notebook is processing to alter that by releasing the 15.4 inch Area-51 m15x laptop model.
Capability and seems are significant, to many of us when purchasing a notebook. Certainly, capability is maybe most significant, but pulling around a large, boxy notebook were ashamed of isnot too great, either. Fueling Intel's 2.8GHz Core 2 Extreme X9000 cpu and Nvidia GeForce 8800M GTX graphic processor.
Area-51 m15x notebook absolutely has strong.With it is shining silver surface, calm QuickTouch-system-control pad, and 6 lighting zones, this notebookseemed nice, too.Area-51 m15x's lighting zones emphasize the keyboard display and touchpad. Furthermore, you can modification personaly them with your option of 12 colors.I liked that Area-51 m15x notebook's Smart Bay present we the capability to add up to 320GB of"extra storage or an additional battery for up to 4 hours of calculating time.While this system executes well for gaming and other resource rigorous duties, it is also nice for watching movies in HD with its 2X duallayer Bluray Disc burner (BD-R/DVD±RW/CD-RW) and crisp, WUXGA display.
CaptNemo 7:23 AM
|
Nikon D300 Digital CameraRating: 7.5/10 GoodNikon D200 digital camera was a huge step forward for Nikon, the "little D2X" definitely gave the contest a object or 2 to think about. It is enormous problem was the actuality that Canon digicam was still a production ahead in the noise stakes,controlling to regularly deliver smooth images despite megapixel losses. With the new coming of Nikon D300 digicam however Nikon has convincingly eliminated this inequality and if at all stepped ahead of Canon (thanks a lot to it is chroma located noise-reduction presenting more filmlike granule instead of color blotches).
In other words just one aspect of Nikon D300 story, almost all else about this digitalcamera has been enhanced. Beginning on the external there is that overwhelming great resolution 3-inch LCD screen, the applicability of which should not be underrated [you will find you obtain enough specify without increasing as far], there is maybe the great execution of Live-View to date with both contrast-detect (same as compactcamera, while not especially quick) and passive auto_focus choices and there is HDMI output a gift for certain to studio_photographers who can now hand live greatresolution previews of a shot. And certainly we cannot discuss Nikon D300 without present Nikon credit for the excellent construct property and strong "visit anywhere" sense the case has. Nikon digitalcamera's inside line has labored to deliver both good image quality and better execution, you obtain practical images up to ISO-3200, expanded image_parameter_control, enchanted energetic range, automatic CA dismissal (which shortly enhances the execution of all your lenses), 6 frames per sec uninterrupted shooting (8 with the catch /battery combo), a fresh AF sensor, AF tracking by color and scene identification. There're also an almost limitless range of customization selections ready for use, all from how many AF sections are accustomed the size of the centeral-weighted metering circle to what occurs when you hold the FUNC-button and turn the command dial.
Looks like a major problem writing this review has been picking out Nikon D300 camera's weak points. The beneficial of Live-View would surely be enchanted with an fluently LCD screen (while we're sure Nikon would dispute that this could compromise the integrity of the case), auto whitebalance spec is slack in artificial light (while this is not anything unequaled to Nikon D300) and there is still no real MLU feature. But actually these several trifles are actually the only things we could choose as censure.There is value,but sometimes the best products demand a premium and Nikon D300 digitalcam is no opposition. Nikon's important difficulty now will be improving Nikon D300, it sets a higher standard to a new up, and symbolizes modern model despite powerfully contest from the likes of Canon digitalcam, Sony camera and Olympus camera. There is basically no better partly-professional digital SLR camera on the market.
CaptNemo 10:08 AM
|
Gateway P-171XL FX Edition notebookSPECS 2.8GHz Core 2 Extreme X7900; 3GB DDR2; two 200gb hard drives; HD DVD player/ DVD*RW: 17-inch TFT: Windows Vista Home Premium
The leader of Gateway's fresh FX family of premium laptops (which begin at $1349), Gateway P-171XL notebook delivers where it counts most to advanced product customers.Regarding style, Gateway P-171XL is not as aggressively intrusive as some of it is gaming central rivals.The obviously layer blackcase and copper trim present that this isn't common laptop, but without the flashy succeed of many gaming equipments.The masterpair of the system is it is seventeen inch widescreen screen, which has a full 1080p HD resolution of 1920x1200. Correlating that HD display are an HD DVD-drive, add an HDMI port for showing PC content on an external screen or TV. One caution our test model failed to contain an applet that can playback HD-DVD discs. Also pay attention to Gateway's drive is an HD DVD player but hums only CDs and DVDs.Supplied by a 2.8GHz Core2 Extreme X7900 CPU.512MB nVidia GeForce 8800M GT graphicscard and a 3GB of 667MHz RAM , Gateway P-171XL notebook deliver to be the quickness single_gpu laptop we have examined to date; it even outdo Dell's SLI platform XPS M1730 on some creativeness and multimedia benchs, containing Futuremark's PCMark05 7348 score, Cinebench bench 9.5 (862)score and our Windows Media Encoder test perform 5 minutes39 secs.As for gaming Gateway P-171XL controlled an grand 8014 score on Futuremark's 3DMark06 185fps on F.E A.R. at 1024x768 resolution and a fluent playable 47fps on COH games at 1920x1200 res.See that devices with dual GPUs processor will shot these 3D scores,meanwhile they also price $1000 more. As with other seventeen inch laptops, batterylife was a weak one hour 25 mins.
CaptNemo 6:48 AM
|
HP IPAQ310 GPS DeviceHP iPAQ310-Travel-Companion presents with a pretty screen and loads of specs, but with all it is drawbacks especially the undependable route calculation we aren't sure you will wanna take in the driving seat.The centerpair of the Gps device is itis 4.3in. 800x480 pixelresolution touch_screen show. It is one of the coolest monitors we have seen on a GPS device. While the touch monitor was answering, we often had to wait several secs between monitors.
Our head problem with HP IPAQ310 is it is lacking navigation execution the trouble started at launch power.Each time we tried to enter the navigation-mode, we had to agree a disclaimer notice before the unit would launch seeking for a satellite signal The Gps device's eccentric course conspiring was an even huger disappointment.Finally our examining, we attempted a association of track calculation and shaky guidances a blend bag. What is more, the voice commands on Gps device's text to speech specs sounded confused. Serious of all, Hp iPAQ 310 gps device totallyimprison during few long trips,imposing us to reset.Meanwhile some aspects of the navigation-system have their inherits. Extra to the preloaded maps features and normal route programming specifies, you can organize routes on HP's iPAQ Web site and download them clearly to Hp Gps iPAQ 3l0 same many advanced product GPS equipment,Hp Gps iPAQ 310 presents loaded with addon features, containing ,video,audio and photo support and entegrate Bluetooth2.0 we hoped video-playback seemed nice on the vibrant screen, but WMV files we played stammered continuously while the entegrate in speaker sounded lack and light.
CaptNemo 7:44 AM
|
Panasonic Lumix L10 Rating: 8.3/10 Greatis the first buyer level SLR to submit a more sensitive process with contrast detect focusing using headword sensor. This presents you to focus in live view externally dropping the mirror, and though it is unhurried than phase detect autofocus, it is substantially more easy to learn [it truly is exactly like applying a compact half press the shutter, see the digital camera focus, stay for the beep]. Certanly this is all damaged delicately by the nearly half sec prefocus shutter lag when you truthfully shooting (considering in live-view the shutter is available and the mirror up, and to truthfully make the exposure they have to return to their "standart" positions),however it is a large enhancement on early systems.Also that is before we begin to understand the issues of lens suitability and the aching effect all this has on battery life.
Except placing the live-view stuff aside for a min, how does Panasonic L10 equate as a camera, the reply is for the kind of user it is obviously direct towards excellently. It has a parallel spec set to digital cameras like the Sony Alpha 100 camera,Canon EOS 400D camera and Olympus E-510 camera though skilled users will see the user-interface and level of adjustment on present a little upsetting.Besides if you are get ready to shoot raw and proceed the images yourselves the Panasonic L10's sensor is competent capturing really stunning levels of detail at low ISO's .It is comfortably and pleasing to use too.
Besides the question covering Panasonic digital camera is that the L10 model slr is one that does not belong to a particular category; it is too precious to contend in the growing entryway 10 megapixel SLR market and very far from well_indicated enough to act with the notables in the fan / half professional market it is cost pushes it towards.At this point it is merely available in a equipment with the new Panasonic Leica 14-50mm which though very nice,is unhurried than it is forerunner and gives a report a nice half the ticket cost. For the same-money you could get an
Olympus E-510 model digital camera (with it is great in-chase act of maintaining a given level ) and 2 great Zuiko-lenses and still have 600 usa dollar to remain.While we examine not to let cost enter the way of our estimation of cameras too much, there is plainly no getting away from the fact that for what it is Panasonic Lumix L10 is surprisingly high cost.Panasonic Lumix's request have to fail its own furrow is conceivable in the face of the control of the enormous DLSR camera brands. It has got little chance of contending clearly with Canon or Nikon and Panasonic Lumix L10 is a unexpectedly perfect and new product that we have fun using and got some imposeresults from. But we could not leave from the cost nor could we truly justify the price of the equipment lens (specially for the characteristic target-user).
Together with there we have it, a DSLR camera that's a great however high cost beginner model that would be the dream first SLR for a compact-camera user desiring to pass to the next section. A digital camera competent stunning output in raw mode however a digital camera that it is difficult to obtain a devoted suggestion to because Panasonic Lumix L10 demand strongly bundling it with an high cost equipment lens and makes a hurtful situation even worse by applying image processing that outputs JPEGs which hide the right skills of the lens or sensor.
CaptNemo 3:43 AM
|


Ricoh Caplio GX100 digital camera
Ricoh GX100 has some qualities to set it in addition to the majority of 10 megapixels compacts, most engagingly a 3x-zoom lens with an matchless wideangle ability, encase a range corresponding to 24-72mm on a 35mm camera. This eoualizes to an enlarge in the oblique line FOV of around 20-degrees fov contrasted to the 35mm or 36mm low end of most compact-camera-zooms that is a enormous distinction if you are taking a pic internals or landscapes.Ricoh GX100 is also the earth's first digital compact to present an (not compulsory) removable evf, which get dressed the flash_hot_shoe and inclines upwards through 90-degrees.
Like the GR-D camera Ricoh GX100 presents "SLR like" manage because of twin manage dials, raw capture (applying the "worldwide" digital negative format) and a great level of adaptation choices. Totally this,integrated with the gloomy style and finish,is styled to neglect possible buyers in for sure that this is a important camera for serious users desiring an optional to an SLR camera that they can get dressed a jacket pocket.
Howbeit you can not hope to get real Single-lens reflex-design touch from such a compactcam,Ricoh camera has clearly put a lot of exertion into offering buyers an interface styled to permit proportionately fluid use of the manual manipulations. The use of exterior commands [containing 2 command wheels] instead of menus and the great level of adaptation purchasable make Ricoh GX100 one of minority compact digital cameras that can be used speedily and instinctively by practiced Single-lens reflex photographers.Certainly it is not complete; there are several foibles that I saw bothersome and the screen can get blurly packed however once you have mastered the commands Ricoh GX100 is substantially less aggravating for the buyer who likes to tweak settings than most other compact cameras.
Ricoh GX100 is standard of this "photographer led" approximate and on paper presents a convincing mix of qualities in a well styled thin chase and like the GR-D, it gets as close to "Single-lens reflex-like" command as you will find in a compactdigital camera.Ricoh GX100 besides the focus_hunting in low-light and especially in macromode seems quick and receptive too; by incisiving the "prefocus" go out of shooting it is potential to get a shutter/focus lag of somewhat as 0.3 secs; gush into DLSR region [though unless pre-focus there exists a slender drop in focus preciseness and you lose the capabilityto verify the camera has chosen the right thing to lock onto].Ricoh GX100 is not completely as nice a camera as it believe it's so excellent features and touching can't makeup for a noisy sensor and dubious processing. It is also definitely not a camera I would suggest for everybody unless you desire the 24mm equivalent lens and manual commands there are lot of better selections at not much more than half the cost.
CaptNemo 6:19 AM
|
SONY VAIO VGN-NR160ESPECS 1.5GHz Core 2 Duo T5250;160GB hard drive;1GB DDR2; DVDiRW: 15.4-inch TFT; Windows
Vista Home Premium
SONY VAIO VGN-NR160E presents the entry_level performance you would hope for the price, but its style and feature set are lacking compared with low_cost systems we have seen from other mainstream vendors.Our 6.2 lb promo unit featured an iridescent silver case made of a tangible, etched plastic. (also there is two choice= white and brown.) While the somewhat awkward body looks classier than dull blackandgray budget models, we've seen budget systems from Dell, Gateway, and HP that offer more design flair, some thing you won't find much of on theVGN-NR160E. The system also lacks media keys and a Webcam. though Sony did include a programmable shortcut key and an AV Mode button. ( AV Mode only launches Windows Media Player after the system is booted up, however it doesn't let you play audio or video without booting Windows, like some competing models do. ) Our fixed_configuration system came with a good assortment of low_end components, including a 1.5GHz Core2 DuoT5250 CPU, 1GB of DDR2 RAM. a 160GB hard drive, and integrated graphics. We only wish the system came with more RAM to power the memoryhungry Windows Vista Home Premium OS. Like other budget notebooks we have tested lately, SONY VGN-NR160E gave scores on our Windows-Media-Encoder [10 mins and 33 secs], iTunes changing [8 mins and 55 secs] and Cinebench 9.5 checks that see it can manage basic multi media and generativeness tasks, if not at the hurried quickness. As for battery life, SONY VGN-NR160E lasted a better than average two hours and 11 mins on our DVD rundown test.
CaptNemo 6:23 AM
|
Canon PowerShot A720 ISRating: 7.4/10 GoodCanon PowerShot A720 IS digital camera is a minor update to the A710 IS and is the latest in Canon's well-liked "A-series" of cameras present a most powerful quality set and nice degree of user control at a competitive cost. It is not the little or most forceful camera in the earth, so it does a few bit of everything and shows a nice degree-of-control over what the digicamera is doing, if you desire it. This focus feature on making little cameras that do their task well has seen Canon digitalcamera rule this region of the market for some time so it will be fascinating to see if the Canon A720 IS does anything to upset this condition.
Canon A720 IS will look well-known to anyone that has seen a Canon "ASeries" digitalcamera before. It has a silver box with ring-shaped corners and a protrusion at one end. Whether you select to desire to look at it as an typical part of style or an example of artistic sloth is up to you. Definitely it is a flawlessly sensible shape for a digital camera to be but do not hope your friends to even see that you have bought a fresh camera.However, Canon A-Series range is about worth and flexibility, instead of posing credibility.Meanwhile the prices have been reduced is the quality of pieces used to build it. Canon A720 IS is built from cheap plastics and it wants to it the moment you pick it up. It has well scratched and will seem nice battered, beautiful quickly. However this is a digicamera, not some over designed bling thing.It is no quicken genius and you had need a very much fortune to capture superb images in fast_moving conditions, besides compacts go, it is flawlessly acceptable. There is lag but it has generally caused by focusing quickness,instead of any big processing-delay between the shutter being pressed and the digitalcamera responding.
Eventually, while neither innovative nor especially motivating.It is difficult not to be affected with Canon A720 IS. It is a nice small camera with a plain and constant user interface that gives the user to take nice photos for a very credible amount of money. These may moral like the excelence that allcompact digicameras should present by default yet there are still many producters that endeavor with these basics.Since their hopes aren't completely irrational,it is hard to imagine anyone had his expectations frustratedwith Canon A720 IS; an not overblown little thing.
Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Standard Edition
Rating: 8.2/10 GoodThis is a suite of products that give you to create imaginary looking from dynamic presentations to astounding reports and attracting communications.
Streamline your day at work.Perform more with the power of re-created Office for Mac.User friendly,effective tools make it easy to create documents.
CaptNemo 3:04 AM
|
Fujifilm S100FS digital cameraFujifilm disclosed the FinePix S100FS digitalcamera, its new modern SLR-designed camera to date. The FinePix S100FS gives an consisting of one piece result for photo admirer and advanced_amateur_photographers request the manual-controls and usefulness of a DigitalSLR . The FinePix S100FS digital camera is provided with a 14.3x Fujinon manual-zoom-lens, Fujifilm’s 8th production 2/3” Super-CCD-sensor with eleven MPs, third production RP 3 processor, 2.5” tiltable LCD and ISO capabilities of up to ISO 6400 [at 6 megapixels] and an amazing ISO 10,000 at three MPs. Cameramans will admire the comfort use and shooting functionally presented by the Optical Image-Stabilisation-system, and Fujifilm’s celebrated Face-Detection 2.0 concept with automatic redeye removal, during funny a wide-dynamic-range of onehundred fourhundred% that is before only been attainable to users of the advanced product D-SLR cameras, and film simulation_modes that only Fujifilm can supply.The FinePix S100FS digital camera stand for updated of Fujifilm’s picture technology novelty, and transforms what users can hope from a compact digitalcam. Through a matchless cooperation between Fujifilm and Fujinon research and development engineers, the development-team appealed to the process of styling this exceptional camera as a sole project, producting the lens and CCD for express-function as a sole unit. This style permits the extreme-high accuracy Fujinon lens to perform greatest resolution at all distance from the center of a lens to the point of focus of 28mm-400mm corresponding and greatest aperture of a bright F2.8 to F5.3. Due to the composite case and lens building.
CaptNemo 2:43 AM
|
Panasonic Lumix FZ30 digital camera 8 megapixsel Rating: 85/100 Great An upgraded EVF is the best yet seen on Panasonic. Similarly the 2 in LCD has had a revamp; it's a flip and twist type , which offers protection and allows viewing from unusual angles. Camera handling in manual and AE modes has been improved by the inclusion of two control dials on the front and hack of the hody. Panasonic's Venus II proces sor is present, which offers a fast startup time of 0.97seconds, and a 0.01 sec shutter lag, making the camera much more responsive than its predecessor. Colours are good, though white balance seemed a tad on the cold side in shady conditions. Sharpness is good too. although there is still a danger of camera snake at the long end of the lens. There are some great features for the price, not least the finely crafted lens. But if you spend a little extra money, you can purchase the upgraded FZ50. Features and specs are good and with care the FZ30 can produce excellent results.
CaptNemo 1:51 AM
|
Fujifilm FinePix Z2 digital camera 5 MPA good but not radical updateRating : 8/10 GoodAttainable in a select of either white or black ,FinePix Z2 camera is the inheritor to lastyear's FinePix Z1 camera, characterized Fujifilm's 6 generation CCD.
Beside program and automatic are 5 scene modes containing Natural_Light, which switch off the flash to produce low light images. To remove denouncement recompense, white balance and recompense, but there is no manage over metering. Fujifilm camera has pushed the
maximum sensitivity from ISO 800 in the Z1 to ISO 1600, for shooting in low-light without flash. The lowest ISO select of sixty-four is also useful, for when you wanna be sure to remove image-noise.
FinePix Z2 camera is a thin 2cm deep,zoom and the shutter are within easy touch enabling you to easy manage the camera one handed.The single shell metal chasis is strong,if scratch prone.
Bragging startup times of under a sec,Fujifilm Z2 camera is definitely a great
performer. Shutter lag is not exactyl an issue at all, and shot cycletimes are under 2 secs for 5 megapixel JPEGs at great quality, I took nearly fifty sequential images, only stopping because te card was full. You have the select of choosing from multi or centre auto-focusing which, while not especially fast is suitable, slowing down at telephoto.
Images are suitable, but can be a little soft. Exposures are nice, though the Fujifilm camera Z2 struggles in highcontrast scenes, with evidence of worn out highlights. Believing the limited quality set.Fujifilm Z2 seems a little costly.In any event, it is very modish.
Fujifilm FinePix Z2 is a respectable point and shooter with nice design and some good features, especially the ISO.
CaptNemo 3:39 AM
|
Gateway M-150X notebookRating: 7.5/10 GoodPROS Contain Webcam,charming glossy finish; free color options
CONS low-grade performance; no FireWire; poor volume control
1.5GHz Core 2 Duo T5250; 2GB DDR2; 160GB hard drive; DVD±RW; 15.4-inch TFT; Windows Vista Home Premium
Gateway's Middle M-150X notebook incorporates a new, modern look and some fancy specs, but its mediocre performance and a few style error hold it back.Our test model came covered in a classy-looking shingy black body. [Gateway also gives polish blue and red finishes.] The plastics feature a graduated pattern of tiny circles that adds an elegant feel.DVD playback looked polished, and image quality was good, on the notebook's 15.4-inch, 1.280x800 pixel WXGA display, which has a Webcam integrated into its top edge. The keyboard was easy, and the polish touch-pad has a dedicated scroll area, but the huge mouse keys are a little thick. Just above the keyboard, you will find multimedia buttons and a touchsensitive volume control, which we found was not sensitive enough to be very impressive. Audio quality from the stereo speakers mounted just above the keyboard was powerful and clear but like with most laptops, it lacked bass. Gateway M-150X's strong, flexible feature set will easily meet the needs of families students, and other mainstream users. Our test notebook shipped with a 2GB of RAM ,1.5GHz Core 2 Duo T5250 processor , and most of the standard ports you'd expect .
For performance Gateway M-150X met our hopes for a laptop at this price. It turned in a respectable score of 3,271 on the Futuremark PCMark05 test suite, but it performed through our Cine-bench and WindowsMedia Encoder tests. Battery life was on the low side, too lasting just 1 hour and 52 minutes in our DVD rundown test.
CaptNemo 6:18 AM
|
Dell Inspiron 1420 laptopRating: 8.5/10 GreatLuminous, smooth high_reso screen, lot of features, pretty perform; choice of eight colors
Partly confined touchpad , not for the hardcore game gurus
Specs: 2GB DDR2,160GB hard drive,2GHz Core 2 Duo T7300, DVD±RW, 14.1-inch TFT; Windows Vista Home Premium
A newest Dell's livelihood consumer laptop , the 5.4 pound Dell Inspiron 1420 signs the mainstream pretty spot in specs,performance and price. To add some model style to Dell Inspiron 1420's silver and black body, Dell presents you choose among eight colors for the notebook's lid. We love the system's 14.1-inch high_resolution [900x1.440] wide_screen LCD, which is luminous, fresh, and smooth.[Test model also came with a builtin Webcamera.] You also get a restful keyboard and a answer but partly confined touchpad with both vertical and horizontal scroll areas.
Connectivity is higher than the norm too, with 802.11b/ g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless, add the usual complement of ports. We even got a credit card size remote that fits into the ExpressCard slot. Dell also presents built in mobile broad-band radios and a high_def
Bluray-drive as upgrade options.Dell Inspiron 1420 offers performance in line with more_costly machines we have tested, thanks to its 2GHz Core2 Duo T7300 CPU, 2GB of 667 MHz RAM [upgradable up to 4GB], and respectable 128MB nVidia GeForce Go 8400 GS graphics gpu. And while Dell Inspiron is no skilled gaming features, its 3D performance is very nice for a standart laptop and will certainly suit casual gamers.This model came with Dell's extended 9 cell battery, which offered a satisfactory 2 hr and 40 min in our DVD stabilization test.
CaptNemo 4:52 AM
|

Canon HR10 AVCHD camcorder
Canon leads from strong to strong in the broaden High-Definition camcorder market with the initializing of the HD_ready, forthright-to-DVD HR10 camera. As the earth’s minor AVCHD DVD camcorder recording and stunning 1080i HD movies to standard 8cm DVD media the HR10 camcorder united shooting convenience with amazing mobility and is Canon camcorder’s third customer_concentrated HD camcorder camera release in under a year. Canon HR10 camcorder inherits a lot of advanced specs from Canon’s professional camcorder model range, containing Instant AF and the advanced-Super-Range-Optical-Image-Stabilizer (OIS).Canon HR10 camcorder has a 2.7 Multiangle Vivid LCD screen which makes it simplier to share video with family and friends. Improved for the enlarged data_rate_of HD imaging, Canon camera’s DIGIC DV II processor leads progressived noise decreasing tech, giving extraordinarily, noticeably solid video pics. Colours are remake with the similiar vibrancy as they appear in true life.Together Canon DIGIC DV II it is aviable to take top resolution 2.07 MP photographs while an HD video is being shot; while playback of HD movies, a photo can even be grabbed from footage already recorded to disc. As a totally_specs digital stills camera, storing pics to compact MiniSD card, Canon HR10 camcorder also presents a range of improved digital_photography_functions, contains nine-point AiAF metering, histogram-display (giving brightness levels of digital photographs to be screened with ease), a built_in flash, and Pict-Bridge direct printing. Canon HR10 DVD camcorder supplies almost all vidoe-imaging needs.
CaptNemo 3:29 AM
|
Gateway E-265M notebook pcSPECS 2.2GHz Core 2 Duo T7500; 2CB DDR2; 100GB hard drive; DVD±RW/DVD-RAM; 14.1-inch TFT; Windows XP Professional
Gateway notebook E-265M has enough features, style, and power to keep almost any user-friendly. If durability and battery life are significant to you, Gateway notebook should be on your shopping menu.Thanks to its beautiful, scratchresistant body, inner magnesium_surface, and nice harddrive Gateway E-265M notebook can handle bruises and bumps on the road.The king-size keyboard delivers good tactile feedback,and the responsive touchpad has a welldescribed scroll area.You will also find a fingerprint reader nestled between the mouse buttons.Our one style complaint= Gateway notebook's case lacks dedicated multimediacontrol keys or volumecontrol buttons.At its native resolution of 1280x800, the 14.1inch shiny wide-screen display proved easy to view for expandedperiods.Playing back DVDs, Gateway notebook's panel did a nice job rendering actionscenes, though the image was darker than onother portables we’ve tested lately.Built on Intel’s fresh Santa-Rosa mobile platform, our$2.102 dollar test unit presented a host of forceful,components,2GB of RAM, including a 2.2GHz Core 2 Duo T7500 CPU and256MB ATI Radeon Mobility x2300 HD graphic card, plus a modularDVD burner that you can swap out for an additional battery.Gateway notebook builtin Bluetooth and 802.11n wireless round out the solidfeature set.In our benchmark tests, Gateway E-265M notebook presented it couldhandle productivity tasks, with its pure score of 2858 onFuturemark PCMark05. While hardcore gamers will wantmore powerful 3D graphics, Gateway notebook is practical for casualgamers. Travelers will esteem the superior batterylife= Weeked out just over 3-hours from the unit’s 12_cell battery in our DVD battery_rundown tests.
CaptNemo 4:17 AM
|
ACER CU 6530 digital cameraSENSOR 1/2.5"CCD(5.76x4.29mm;)
LENS 5.8-17.4mm(35-105mm)f/2.8-4.8
SHUTTER SPEEDS 1/2-1/lOOOsec
EXPOSURE MODES P+16
ISO Auto 50-200
FLASH Built-in, Auto plus 4 modes
VIEWFINDER None
MONITOR 2.5in 230,000 pixel LCD
OTHER Pictbridge, SD, Free dock
POWER Li-Ion cell
SIZE/WEIGHT 90x54xl8mm/125g
Acer is better known for its laptops than its cameras-that may be about to change.The CU6S30 is nicely designed and well specified.
This is a fully featured compact with 6MP resolution,640x480 pixel movie shooting and afree recharging/PC connection dock. There are 17 capture modes, plenty of focusing and metering modes, a 2.5inch LCD monitor, live histogram preview, Pict

Bridge printing and a rechargeable lithium-ion battery for extended shooting. The CU6530 is nicely designed although it's not the grippiest of models with its satin sheen finish. Buttons are widely spaced for ease of access but the menu system is a little complicated. The Acer's exposure system was spot-on on all the shots it took.The focusing is pretty good too, although it failed tofocus on a couple of near objects for macro shots. In terms of speed,there are certainly many faster cameras out there. Some of the landscape images have an artificial look about them, although there is a 'natural green' setting. On the detail front, images are a touch blocky given the 6MP resolution but re produce fine at 8x6inches or smaller.
You cannot argue with a camera that offers the level of spec that the Acer does, and with a free dock thrown in to boot.
CaptNemo 1:43 AM
|
Alienware Area-51 ALX desktop pcRating: 7.1 mediumCan you afford a pc,its cost $8.180? Besides,we like the Alienware Area-51 ALX desktop pc because it has certainly everything we look for in a execution gaming pc. However this desktop pc is expensive closer to five numbers than any other desktop PC. We have examined in recent memory. Can its capability make you neglect the cost? In our prenciple, no. You do get one hell of an striking package. Graphics and processing capability come donated by 2GB of DDR2 RAM, a quadcore 2.66 GHz Intel-Core 2 Quad CPU (overclocked to 3.4GHz) Two 10,000rpm 150GB drives in a RAID 0 configuration and an additional 7,200rpm 500GB drive make for plenty of storage. And twice nVidia GeForce 8800GTX graphics cards 768mb in a Scalable Link Interface (SLI) configuration. Add 2x Blu-ray/DVD±RW drive, a Creative Sound Blaster X-FiX extremeGamer 8channelsound card,G5 Laser Mouse, Logitech’s G15 Gaming Keyboard and Windows Vista-Ultimate whole the bundle. Inside you will find a liquidcooling platform, acoustic moderating for sound-proofing, and even a 1.000 watt power supply. Execution is extreme. Desktop PC flown through our gaming tests and 3D at the highest resolutions with an calm unequaled by any desktop PC we’ve ever checked. (The favorably require games Supreme Commander and Company of Heroes looked particularly wonderful.) Meanwhile theCyberpower Gamer Infinity Ultimate desktop solution, reviewed at the start of this segment, obtained just a little lower on our examine, and its price less than half the price. As much admire as we have for Alienware Pc's playable systems, charming, we’d better get $4,200 worth of extra performance or even a second-computer for all that additional cash.
CaptNemo 6:31 AM
|
Rating: 8.7/10 Superb During the smiliar way you could record quick film to CDs before DVD rewriters actually lift-off, little HD-DVD clips can be savedto standard 4,7GB DVD media. Thats if you dont even have either an Blue-ray drive or HD-DVD connected to your PC nikon canon digital camera. You can press on to 21 minutes or so of HD-content on to a normal DVD media.
There exists twosome fascinating improvements to edit mode. The firstly explain: takes benefit of widescreen displays therethrough presents you more revising room to display sections of a timeline or clips so initial for a consumer video editor, yet an apparent improvement for a program which have to show more data than a censor can hold nikon canon digital camera.

Another improvement is Score-fitter so packaged with Pinnacle Studio Plus 11 for supplementing usical backgrounds to video. Shoody, however this does wonderful work than most. You choice the kind of music, marked how much of the video you want the track to cover and the software produces music of precisely that length. The tools sound actuallyand not like something out of a inexpensive, club keyboard.
If your matter is to go for MPEG playback or Internet rather than HD-DVD, Pinnacle Studio Plus 11 assists there too. It now assists output to Sony PSP and iPod nikon canon digital camera and has an enhanced Web gui so you can export straightly to services such as yahoo Video. You clearly click for the type of output you want tape or Web, file,disk,and choice file type and a excellent preset. It actually is amazing easy.
This program supported to nikon slr digital camera canon eos powershot digital camera olympus sony cybershot jvc alienware laptop notebook nikon canon ricoh acer dell toshiba asus hp pavilion abit etc most of famous technology brands.There exists multiple other small improvements to the software, containing literally lots of alterations and special effects, very simple titles and DVD frontend advanced effects and menus for example green screen chorama-key,picturein picture and overlay channels.
By making majority of the difficult job in video editing transparent, Pinnacle Studio Plus 11 has handled to keep the full operation of capturing, compiling and saving a film nikon canon digital camera pleasantwithout pain. The new version of Pinnacle Studio Plus has raised the program the full support for HD formats and in line with present hardware developments and bestselling media players keeps Pinnacle Studio well up there with its rivalry.
CaptNemo 8:14 AM
|
CANON EOS 1DS MK II 16 mp digital cameraA topflight digital SLR heir to the striking Excellent picture attribute, cam case style.
None actually but a enormous LCD would be pretty.
• CMOS 16.7MP effective Full frame
•
LENS Interchangeable EF mount
• SHUTTER SPEED 30-l/8000sec&B
• ISO 100 (expandable to 50 and 3200)
• EXPOSURE MODES M:A,S,P
• FLASH Hotshoe/PC(X-sync)
• VIEWFINDER/MONITOR Real-size optical/ 2in LCD
OTHER SD, CF l&IL JPEG, RAW JPEG+RAW
• POWER NiMH pack
• DIMENSIONS/WEIGHT 156X 158X80 mm/1215g
The most obvious difference with the new flagship Mk ll camera is the 16.7-Megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor with a built-in low pass filter. The DIGICII processor provides improved image quality and a faster startup time of 0.3 seconds. Canon, There's a huge instruction manual, but the quick start guide will get you shooting straight away You can for example, extend the ISO range from 50-3200, while in JPEG capture mode there are four choices of pixel capture size,from 4992 x 3328 pixels, down to 2496 x 1664 pixels, with a choice of 10 user-configurable JPEG compression settings, a choice of Adobe RGB and sRGB colour spaces and a five-level contrast tone and saturation controls. The 2in LCD has 230,000 pixels, almost twice that t of the Mkl. There is a xlO playback zoom button and image scroll controls as well as an image-orientation sensor. The EF lens mount gives you access to nearly all the lenses in the Canon system spanning from 14mm to 1200mm. And as the sensor is full frame, the lenses' focal lengths are as stated. Canon,The weather-resistant magnesium body of the IDS Mk II is rugged as ever and has several nice design improvements. The new Mkll battery promises a battery life up to 1200 shots at 20°C.The shutter system is durable with a projected life of 200,000 cycles, offering speeds of 30-l/8000sec. As for fosusing, the 45-point AF system includes a very accurate predictive servo focusing system.Meanwhile, the EvaluativeThrough-The-Lens auto-flash system gives it a distance-linked precision flash system that is accurate and reliable.The E-TTLII is able to achieve the correct exposure, particularly with bright or reflective objects. There is no support for the Adobe DNG file format. But it would be unfair to draw any negative conclusions at this stage, as the Canon EOS IDs Mk II was announced at the same time as the launch of DNG. The Mk II ships with an updated version of the Digital Photo Professional software - processing the CR2 (Camera Raw 2) raw file six times faster than the basic EOS Camera utility. However, it is still slower compared to opening the same raw files in Photoshop CS or Phase One's Capture One program. Digital Photo Professional will at the very least provide purchasers of the camera with software that can manage and edit raw capture files at a basic level. But it is still no match for the sophistication of Phase One's Capture One or the Adobe Photoshop Camera Raw plug-in that ships with Photoshop CS. Canon,The image quality is quite remark able, provided that you use trie best-quality lenses, and the images are the smoothest and sharpest yet seen from any digital SLR. Canon,The EOS Mkll offers the best image quality compared to any other digital SLR and has the most pixels It represents excellent value for money but only if you are selling lots of pictures on a weekly basis. As far as pro fessional users will be concerned, this is definitely the camera that all others shall be judged against.
CaptNemo 8:28 AM
|
Archos704 WiFi Rating: 7.5/10 GoodSpecific loaded player is striking, though notflawlessPROS Huge, honed screen; built-in stand ;great video performance, speakers; built-in 802.11b/g Wi-Fi;includes Opera Web browser
affecting battery life for video playback;wireless server ability
CONS : some whatlimited playback support; additional A/V codecs cost extra;No built-in stylus storage; lower speakers; Web browser can't explore all sites.
Apart from a few flaws (including buggy Web browsing). Archos 704 WiFi is an supreme mobile device for surfing on the net and watching videos, the unit feels well built and stable, though we wish it had a slot to store the included stylus.
The highlight of the Archos 704 is its eye catching 7-inch touch screen, which is used to control the device, as well as display videos and photos in a sharp 800x430-pixel native resolution. The player also features an integrated stand for easy viewing, and a pair of tinny-sounding built-in speakers.
Anyway you can copy any media file to Archos 704 Wifi, hardware component can single play and view a few of file types, including JPEG photos; MPEG-4.WMV, and protected WMV video files; and MP3,WAV, WMA, and protected WMA audio files. Plug-ins for additional audio and video files cost extra. Using a built-in 802.11b/g Wi-Fi chip. Archos 704 Wifi can stream film, photos, and sound to and from any networked PC. It also includes an Opera Web browser that, while possibly useful, does not support Java applets or Macromedia Flash video, making it inconsonant with plenty popular Web sites. Battery life for Archos 704 Wifi was affecting. In our drain tests, weeked out 5 hours and 45 minutes of video playback from the user replaceable battery.
CaptNemo 9:31 AM
|
Magellan Crossover GPS deviceRating : 8/10 GreatMulti-skilled, rocky GPS unit guided on all terrainPROS: Compact vehicle, marine navigation,outdoor; water proof,rugged; includes music player, long battery life; photo viewer
CONS: Some big for portable use, loose exchanging between requests, can not enter destination locations in Outside way.
Unlike conventional GPS devices, the versatile Magellan Crossover GPS delivers direction-finding prowess that includes in-car, outdoor, and marine navigation. Magellan even worked in multimedia capabilities with a digital music player and photo viewer. At 3.4x4.3x1.1 inches and 8.5 ounces, CrossoverGPS isn't as portable as some handheld devices we've seen, but the trade-off for size is a big,bright 3.5-inch touch-screen display. The unit's shell is high-impact, water resistant plastic and comes with a rubberized Sport Guard band, suiting it well for outdoor activities. For in vehicle navigation. the device's 4GB of integrated flash memory comes preloaded with detailed street maps and a points of interest database for the 50 states. as well as for Canada and Puerto Rico. Also included are outlined topographic maps for outside use. An SD/MMC card slot lets you load more-detailed topographic maps and marine maps for many regions (sold separately). You can also door music and photos via SD/MMC card.
The CrossoverGPS performed well in our tests, offering a quick satellite fix, clear 2D and 3D maps, and largely accurate route cal culations during vehicle navigation. We also appreciated the text-to-speech functionality, which allows the device to vocalize street names. Two gripes: You can't enter destination addresses when the unit is in Outdoor mode, as you can in Vehicle mode. Also, we found the device a bit slow when switching between applications.
In our battery drain tests, we press on an affecting 7 hours and 22 minutes on a single charge, just shy of Magellan's rated battery life of 8 hours.
CaptNemo 3:14 AM
|
ACER ASPIRE 5630 notebook-pcSPECS 1.6GHz Core 2 Duo T5200; 1GB DDR2; 120GB hard drive; double-layer DV+-RW; 15.4-inch TFT; Windows Vista Home Premium
Acer Aspire 5630 is a modest economic laptop but its lack of configuration selections makes it hard to suggest over the mainstream contest.
Unlike some budget models, the 6.2-pound Aspire 5630 has an excellent screen. With a 1,280x800 native resolution, the 15.4-inch wide-screen LCD displays bright, sharp images and smooth DVD playback. A few cool Acer software utilities, including one that splits the screen into multiple windows, add to the panel's appeal.As for multimedia features. Acer included application As for multimedia features, Acer included application shortcut keys and media-control buttons, in addition to a Windows Media Center same as multimedia suite named Arcade Deluxe.
Business users will appreciate the proprietary Acer Empowering Tech nology (AET) a handy util ity that controls tasks and settings that will concern them, including password protection, network man agement. power usage. and display settings for presentations.
The laptop includes a standard selection of ports and connections, though FireWire is noticeably absent. 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi is also onboard for networking. Strangely, while the case features a dedicated toggle switch that seemingly controls both Bluetooth and 3G connectivity. Acer didn't include the components for either technology. The Aspire 5630 offers a relatively solid configuration for an under-$l,000 notebook, with a 1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5200 processor, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, and a roomy 120GB hard drive. It's worth noting, however, that several mainstream vendors sell notebooks with the same features for up to $100 less. Plus, unlike this Aspire, these models are configurable.
CaptNemo 10:20 AM
|
Twinhead Durabook D14RY notebookPROS: Some unsmooth design; strong processor
visible at once.
CONS: 4-to-3 screen;Low-degree resolution poor graphics efficiency; high price
SPECS: 2GHz Core 2 Duo T7200; 2GB DDR2 ; 160GB hard drive; DVD +-RW (double-layer) ;
14.1-inch TFT ; Windows Vista Business
If you demand a notebook that can resist some decry, the Twinhead Durabook D14RY is a valid choice, but you'll pay a premium for the protection.The 5.7-pound Durabook features an antishock design that protects the 14.1-inch screen, 160GB hard drive, and other components,though a slop-resistant keyboard and touch pad mean that even a cup of liquid won't destroy the insides.The notebook's multiformat DVD burner is equipped with a lock mechanism, and the battery is double-sealed to prevent leakage after a fall. While useful for some mobile pros. these Some unsmooth features come at a price configurations start at $1,950, and our test unit cost a steep $2,679.
The components don't always measure up to the price, either. For example. instead of fitting a wide-screen LCD. Twinhead equipped the Durabook with an old-school 4 to3 standard-aspect display. Its relatively low 1.024x768 resolution means you won't be able to keep several windows open and visible at once.Also, although the Dura book can adequately handle common business chores. The matter holding the PC rear is the integrated Intel GMA 945 graphics chip unit. While it can run vista's Aero interface effects in the Windows Vista Business OS, performance was slow, especially when we had multiple windows open at once. On the plus side, battety life was very good, lasting 2 hours and 25 minutes on our DVD-rundown test.
CaptNemo 5:34 AM
|
SONY CyberShot RV1 digital cameraSENSOR:10.8 MP total/10.3MP effective
SHUTTER SPEED 30-1/2000 sec
ISO 160-3200
EXP MODES : P,A,S,M Scene
FLASH Pop up GN 8.5m, hotshoe
VIEWFINDER MONITOR : EVF/2"LCD
OTHER : CF I/II, MS Pro, USB 2.0,sRGB
POWER : Lithium-ion
DIMENSION/WEIGHT: 139X156X97mm/929 g
The RV1 headline feature is an impressive APS-C sized sensor, the 10MP CMOS sensor. The advantage of a larger sensor is that it should lead to lower noise, more sensitivity and increased dynamic range. SLRs have a wider ISO range, and the R1 matches those cameras with an ISO range of 160 to 3200. Sony has also included a Carl ZeissT" 24-120mmf/2.8-4.8lens. The camera reminds me of a medium format camera thanks to the top-plate LCD, which lifts from a flat position and can also be folded away for protection.This means users can shoot from unusal angles and still view images.
Using the camera on days with low sun causes problems. The LCD and the EVF are difficult to see and the EVF also drags if the camera is not held still.The R1 isn't the fastest off the blocks, and Raw shooting can be slow, with about six seconds between shots after the first two. JPEG processing is nice and natural, without oversharpening the images. Colour is good too, with nice saturation that maintains tones and contrast. Exposures are also spot on, with very few pictures needing much tweaking.
CaptNemo 8:48 AM
|
ViewSonic PJ258D ViewDockPROS iPod dock plans film stored on iPod; also charges iPod. Nice contrast ratio
CONS Poor audio.Extremely obviousrainbow effect from DLP chip.
You need not squint anymore to view videos on your iPod’s tiny screen. The ViewSonic PJ258D ViewDock lets you dock your iPod and project its images so that a whole room can see them. The PJ258D was designed as a stylish companion to an iPod, trading in a boxy projector shape for curved surfaces and a piano-black case. At 3.9 pounds and 3.3 by 11.3 by 7.5 inches (HWD), it’s fairly portable,and it comes with a soft carrying case as well as a feature-rich remote.The PJ258D is rated at 2,000 lumens, enough to throw a good-sized image that can stand up to ambient light. Sadly, it suffers from a rainbow effect in white areas. Though seen with many single DLP chip projectors, the effect seemed particularly bad with this one. The PJ258D did poorly on our standard-resolution TV video test, but much better.
CaptNemo 8:59 AM
|

Direct (X) to you
Gear up for Vista. Aero, and next-generation gaming with Gigabyte's $299 GV-NX8SS320H-B-RH.This 320MB PCI Express (PCIe) card is built around the GeForce 8800 GTS graphics proces sor. Expect support for DirectX 10. plus a passel of leading-edge physics, lighting. shading, and anti-aliasing functions.
The card also supports High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP). for playback of rights-managed high definition content, and dual-link DVI for high-resolution display on top-end LCDs. And so you can get in the game from the get-go, in the box is the widely acclaimed sci-fi epic War hammer 40,000: Dawn of War Dark Crusade. Gigabyte Technology, www gigabyte-usa.com
A fan with flairAdd pizzazz to your PC with the $24.99 Bluegears b-Cool 120, designed to mount in a high-visibility spot in your transparent or windowed case. This quiet-running 120mm fan, lit by blue LEDs projects the current case temperature and fan speed right onto the spinning blades to striking effect, along with the word "Cool," "Warm," or "Hot." according to preset thermal thresholds. A three-pin-to-four pin adapter is included for easy hookups. Bluegears, www.bluegears.com
Aqua AC/DCBuilding a PC with gargantuan power needs multiple graph ics cards, a bank of hard drives, and more? The Koolance PSU-1200ATX-12S is a high-end 1,200-watt power supply that's liquid cooled and ready to serve. All of its internal components operate immersed in a nonconductive fluid, and the two-part supply comes preassembled and ready-filled The $499.99 unit comprises a power-supply portion and a separate external radiator/fan unit that dissipates the heat from the liquid. Modular power leads, in cluding four PCIe-style for a pair of watt-gobbling high-end graph ics cards, let you install just the cables you need. This power plant fits most ATX, E-ATX, and BTX cases. Koolance, www.koolance.com
Ventilation sensationA seven-bay ATX midtower that diverges from the ATX standard's case-ventilation guidelines, the $149 Silentium T2 Pro case is designed for quiet running and maximum cooling. Hard drives and fans are mounted with vibration-absorption hardware, and the fans and power supply are placed for smart air routing across critical parts. Plus, optional interior hoods help traffic airflow around the critical CPU and graphics coolers. Installing expansion cards and drives requires no screws, and the included AX-500F power supply is ready for dual-graphics-card action. Arctic Cooling also offers the Silentium with four oth er front panels. Arctic Cooling, www.arctic-cooling.com
Righteous readoutSnazz up your home-brewed home theater PC (HTPC) with SilverStonetek's $109.99 MFP51. Available with a black or sil ver bezel, tin's LCD panel fits into any 5.25-inch drive bay, and displays media-file info and more on the front of your HTPC enclosure. Preset indicators for optical-disc info, video for mat. and surround-sound status frame a 96xl6-dot customiz able readout area. Operating software and a remote control come in the box. and the unit is also compatible with Media Center remotes. SilverStonetek, www.silverstonetek.com
CaptNemo 1:00 PM
|
HP Pavilion tx1000 notebookRating: 7/10 GoodThe tx1000 is easy to use and offers great design touches, but its battery life is poor ListHP's convertible Windows Tablet PC the Pavilion tx1000 is artfully arranged. This $1855 ultra portable is light (4.2 pounds) and has a distinctive design but its poor battery life and reflective screen make it an im perfect traveling companion. Among the tx 1000's features area built-in Webcam .it the top of the Screen and a finger print reader set into the lid.
It also carries a three-in-one memory card reader, a trio of USB 2.0 ports, and a double-layer DVD RW drive.Converting from notebook to slate mode is simple. The tablet has an easy-to-use touch screen that is quite responsive to either a fingertip or the in eluded HP Stylus. Unfortunately, the display lacks an ant Ireflective coating. Strangely, it seems to have been treated with some kind of smoky hued coating that makes seeing an) thing on the screen from an angle difficult.
CaptNemo 8:27 AM
|
Samsung SCH-u740PROS Stylish dual-flip design; solid feature set; comfortable Qwerty keyboard; supports Verizon 3C services: excellent call quality.
CONS No dedicated camera key; pixelated streaming video; onboard camcorder produces low-quality video
With its one-of-a-kind design. Qwerty keyboard, and impressive feature set, the Samsung SCH-u740 is one of the best handsets Verizon users can buy. It's available for $149.99 when purchased with a two-year service agreement. At 3.8x 2x 0.6 inches and 3.6 ounces, the SCH-U740 is slim and light enough to slip into most any pocket. On its stylish champagne-and black exterior, you'll find a 1.1-inch display, touch-sensitive music player controls, and a MicroSD card slot. The case also has an innovative dual-flip design that lets you open it either vertically {like a traditional clamshell phone) or horizontally along its sturdy side hinge. Inside, you'll find a spacious Qwerty keyboard, dedicated navigation controls, and a 2.2-inch color display that's viewable in either portrait or landscape orientation.
Samsung packed in a substantial feature set, including e-mail, wireless syncing, a speakerphone, and a Web browser.Bluetooth is onboard as well, including profiles for head sets and dial-up networking. Asfor entertainment, this dual-band CDMA phone supports the full range of Verizon 3G services, including the V Cast video service and mask store. Samsung also equipped the cell with an integrated music player, as well as a 1.3-megapixel camera and camcorder though no dedicated camera button. In our tests, call quality was loud and clear, even when we activated the speakerphone. Web browsing was speedy using Verizon's Evolution Data Optimized (EV-DO) network, but stream ing video looked pixelated. Video recorded by the built-in cam corder looked poor, as well. The SCH-u740 has a Samsung-rated talk-time battery life of 3.5 hours (about average) and a rated standby time of 8.3 days.
CaptNemo 4:00 AM
|
Palm Treo 750Rating: 7/10 GoodPROS Compact; integrated Bluetooth; 1.3-megapixel camera; works on Circular's 3C UMTS network; support for push e-mail
CONS No built-in Wi-Fi; low-res screen; cramped keyboard; no HSDPA support at launch; short talk time
The Palm Treo 750 includes some premium features and offers good usability, but other smartphones deliver more for your money (It's available through Cingular for $399.99 when purchased alongside a two-year service plan.)
Thanks to its integrated antenna, the 5.4-ounceTreo 750 is smaller than its Windows-based predecessor, the Treo 700w. Plus, it features a rubbery, soft-touch finish that's easier to grip. On the downside, the 2.5-inch touch-screen display looks somewhat washed out due to its low resolution (240x240 pixels). Also, we found the tactile QWERTY keyboard a bit cramped.
Running Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PC Phone Edition. the quad-band world phone supports push e-mail, which enables you to receive messages in real time through Outlook Mobile, as well as via the Good Mobile Messaging and Cingular Xpress e-mail services. You also get a range of produc tivity and entertainment tools, including the Microsoft Office Mobile suite. the Picsel PDF viewer, and Windows Media Player 10 Mobile. A 1.3-megapixel camera is built in, and the integrated Blue tooth 1.2 connectivity includes profiles for dial-up networking, file transfer, and A2DP stereo sound. Call quality on the Treo 750 was a mixed bag. Our callers reported that our voices sounded good, but their voices seemed muffled to us, and we often noticed hiss in the background. Also, in our tests. the smartphone fell an hour shy of Palm's rated talk time of four hours.
CaptNemo 2:22 AM
|
IBUY POWER GAMER SPECS Two 3GHz Athlon 64 Quad-FX74s ; 2GB DDR2; two 250GB hard drives ; double-layer DVD RW; DVD-ROM; 20-inch ViewSonic LCD ; nVidia GeForce 8800 GTX graphics(768MB) ; Windows Vista Home Premium
We've long admired Microsoft's Flight Simulator,but we never imagined it would inspire a desktop quite like the $3,450 iBuypower Gamer FS-X . We loved the elaborate applique of images from Flight Simulator X on our test unit's case, as well as the front 250mm fan made to resemble a jet engine, even if it didn't work (The side 250mm fan did, however.) But the applique was peeling and improperly aligned, preventing our easily opening the case. Once we succeeded, we were impressed with the desktop's cleanly designed interior containing two 250GB hard drives, an nVidia 8800 GTX graphics card, DVD-ROM and DVD±RW drives, and a 12-format flash-memory-card reader all connected with toolless mechanisms requiring no screwdriver. Also included are a 20-inch wide-scieen ViewSonic monitor, a gaming keyboard and mouse, and a three-year limited warranty with lifetime tech support.The installed OS is Vista Home Premium.The components is the first we have examined with AMD's fresh Quad-FX platform (in this case, the Quad-FX74 paired with 2GB of RAM), which combines two dual-core proces sors to achieve quad-core-like performance. The GeForce 8800 GTX card did boost the machine game-wise
CaptNemo 7:15 AM
|
Business compactLenovo's $579 ThinkCentre A55 Small Form Factor desktop targets users looking for a respectable business machine that fits small nooks and small budgets. With a base configuration of a 3.06GHz Intel Celeron D 347 processor, 512MB of RAM. integrated graphics, an 80GB hard drive, and Windows Vista Home Basic (and with lots of upgrade options available), you should have the foundation you need to get your office or your home office off to the right start. Lenovo, www lenovo.com/us
Small wonderYou don't quite need a magnifying glass to see Acer's AcerPower 2000 desktop, but it's borderline. At 8 inches tall and less than 2.5 inches wide, the AcerPower is about the size of a thick hardcover novel. But with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, up to 2GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, a DVD burner, and Microsoft Windows Vista Business, the AcerPower 2000 packs some punch into a pygmy-size desktop. The PC costs $649. but if you don't mind trading in a few features, you can get the even-more-streamlined 1000 model for only $549. Acer America, www.acer.com/us
Take it to extremesLooking for a powerful gaining sys tem? The $4,399 PowerSpec Extreme X450 was designed to take full ad vantage of Windows Vista's exten sive graphics capabilities. With an In tel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 quad-core processor, two DirectX 10-compatible GeForce 8800 GTS graphics cards configured in Scalable Link Interface (SLI) mode, and the Windows Vista Ultimate OS, gamers should have all the power they need at their finger tips. It's all packaged in an attractive black-aluminum chassis designed by the acclaimed Lian Li. PowerSpec, www. powerspec.com
Take offShuttle has added another member to its P2 desktop family, this one even faster and more decked-out than its predeces sors. The $1,599 Shuttle XPC P2 3900 shares the same stream lined, modest-size chassis as its other P2 siblings, but it fea tures updated components. Power parts include a quad-core Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 processor, 4GB of DDR2 RAM, a smoking nVidia GeForce 8800 GTX graphics card, and Win dows Vista Home Premium. All this will ensure that the sys tem will deliver the utmost experience, no matter what tasks you throw at it. Shuttle Computer, us. shuttle. com
Thinking of mayhemYou won't have to worry about pandemonium break ing out if you're equipped with the ABS Mayhem Blackhawk notebook, which has everything you'll need to stay cool and collected. In addition to the 14.1-inch wide-screen monitor and full-size 88-key keyboard, you'll find a 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 processor. 1GB of DDR2 RAM, a 7.200rpm 100GB hard drive, a DVD burner, a flash-memory-card reader. and even a 1.3 megapixel Webcam, just right for use with the built-in 802.11a/b/g wireless. The estimated $1,999 price includes a one-year limited system warranty and a year of tech support. ABS Computer Technologies, www.abscom
Wild oneIf you need to compute in environments more physically punishing than a seven-city road trip, Twinhead's rugged estimated $1,499 D14RY notebook might be the way to go. Its magnesium-alloy case is 20 times stronger than ABS plastic, and it has an antishock mounting design and an optical-disc lock for added protection. The entire notebook, which has a 14.1-inch display, also repels spills. The D14RY is highly configurable, offering multiple processor speeds and hard drive sizes to meet your needs, at home and in the wild. Twinhead, usa. twinhead.com
CaptNemo 2:27 AM
|
LEXMARK C530DNPros: Built in double, fast prints, network ready, eco-friendly.
Cons: No expandable paper option;minor cross- hatching prints.
The Lexmark C530dn is a fast, high-quality color laser printer that's network-ready and features a built-in duplexer for automatic double-sided printing. Using a 375MHz processor and 128MB of RAM (expandable to 640MB), the C530dn is equipped with a USB connector and an Ethernet jack for net work printing. An optional Wi-Fi adapter is available for wireless printing. The C530dn is fast for its class and delivers high-quality prints. It prints black text at a speedy 17ppm and black-and-white graphics at 16.4ppm. Black text is clean, sharp, and dark what you would want from a laser printer. Graphics are detailed, though with some slight cross-hatching evident. Color print speeds are good, with the C530dn cranking out text at 15.9ppm and graphics at 13.6ppm.
Color text exhibits a slight hint of cross-hatching, but color graphics show smooth color gradients and sharp details. Our only complaint is that the colors are overly red. like those of the Dell3110cn. Part of Lexmark's line of printers it dubs "green machines" the C530dn has environment-friendly features such as duplexing (saves paper), mechanics that require fewer moving parts, and ef ficient toner cartridges. The C530dn comes with a 250-sheet input tray and a 100-sheet multipurpose feeder. Although paper-expansion options are nil, the printer's capacity should be sufficient for home users. (For small office environments, Lexmark has other models in the C530 series that offer more-business-friendly options, such as additional paper trays.) A regular 4,000-page black cartridge costs $131, while regular 3,000-page color cartridges cost $144 each. High-yield color car tridges (5,000 pages) cost $180, but no equivalent exists for black. Lexmark has a cartridge -return program that offers customers a discount if they return spent cartridges for recycling.
CaptNemo 2:58 AM
|
Epson V700 PhotoFlatbed scanner excels at digitizing slidesQuick, full-specs hardware, software
No ADF option
If you want to get your old slides into a digital format but can't justify buying a dedicated slide scanner, your best choice is a really good flatbed scanner. The Epson Perfection V700 Photo certainly isn't cheap, but it turns out excellent scans and you can use it for photo prints and documents long af ter you've digitized your boxes of slides.
The V700 uses separate lenses for reflective (hard-copy) and transinissive (slide and negative) originals, with lens resolutions of 4.800 dots per inch (dpi) and 6,400dpi, respectively.The scanner lacks an automatic document feeder (ADF) option, but Epson includes a variety of slide carriers in the box and offers a useful scan to PDF function. Scanning speed depends on the image quality you want. We scanned two slides at 48-bit color, which took only about 44 seconds. If you scan at the highest quality setting, a single slide can take as long as 11 minutes.
Overall, scan quality was strong across a variety of originals. The V700 produced scans with a broad dynamic range, decent color accuracy, relatively neutral grays, and sharp line art. It even managed to produce printable photos from 50-year-old originals that measured just 8xllmm.The color restoration wasn't terribly accurate, but the scans were pleasing to the eye. Pros with thousands of slides may still be bet ter served by a dedicated slide scanner with a batch feeder, but most users will be happy with the V700's results.
CaptNemo 10:50 AM
|
Lenovo notebook pcSPECS 1.66GHz Core 2 Duo T5500; 1GB DDR2; 80GB hard drive; double-layer DVD±RW; 15-inch TFT; Windows XP Professional
A stable business notebook for a economic price
If you can live without flashy extras or a wide-screen display, Lenovo 3000 C200 delivers solid performance and battery life at an impressively low price. Weighing 6.1 pounds, Lenovo C200's boxy case feels solidly con structed, though not as sturdy as those of its Lenovo ThinkPad cousins. This business-focused notebook's 15-inch, standard aspect screen has a typical for its size native resolution of 1,024x768. This LCD isn't as eye-catching as a wide-screen display, but it's adequate for standard viewing.
While we liked Lenovo C200's roomy, comfortable keyboard, its shallow touch-pad buttons don't depress as far as we'd like. Also, apart from three volume buttons, Lenovo C200 has no dedicated me dia controls, and it lacks a fingerprint reader.Lenovo C200 offers a solid assortment of ports and connections for the price, however.
Powered by a capable 1.66GHz Core 2 DuoT5500 processor and 1GB of DDR2 RAM, the C200 has plenty of pep for basic productivity tasks. (Note: Our review unit ran Windows XP Pro fessional, but at press time Lenovo began shipping the C200with Windows Vista Business.) In our performance tests, it bested its budget sibling, the Lenovo 3000 N100, and trailed just a bit behind the midrange Asus W7J (reviewed at right). In our battery-drain test, the C200 lasted 4 hours and 29 minutes, above average for a midsize laptop.
CaptNemo 5:47 AM
|
SYSTEMAX PURSUIT 4155 notebook PROS Inexpensive; sturdy case; Core 2 Duo processor; decent performance; bright display; built-in Webcam
CONS Keyboard uncomfortable for long typing stints; no dedicated multimedia controls; so-so battery life
1.66GHz Core 2 Duo T5500; 1GB DDR2; 80GB hard drive; double-layer DVD±RW; 15.4-inch TFT; Windows XP Professional
For budget minded home users, Systemax Pursuit 4155 pairs decent performance with a feature set that's reasonable for the price. At 6.3 pounds, this midsize laptop is too heavy for every day travel, though its case feels surprisingly sturdy for a budget model's. The 15.4-inch wide-screen display features a built-in Webcam and a 1.280x800 native resolution that produces crisp graphics and images, driven by integrated graphics. The screen is also remarkably bright, rated for 209 candelas per square me ter (cd/m2) at maximum brightness. We were less impressed with the laptop's keyboard. Though full-size, it not only makes too much noise when typed on, but its shallow key travel also produced finger fatigue after typing for long stretches. Above the keyboard, you'll find four program mable application-launch buttons, but no dedicated multimedia controls. In addition to the standard ports and connections. the Pursuit offers a few extras you wouldn't expect in a budget system, including a mini-FireWire jack, a flash-card reader and an ExpressCard slot. For network connectivity. Ethernet, a modem, and 802.11a/ b/g Wi-Fi are all aboard. Our test unit used Windows XP Professional, but identical models will ship with Vista Home Premium or Business by the time you read this. With its 1.66GHz Core 2 DuoT5500 processor and 1GB of RAM, the Pursuit packs plenty of punch for basic tasks such as word processing, Web surfing, and watching movies. In our tests, the laptop ran even with the identically configured Lenovo 3000 C200. and also performed within 10 percent of the more expensive Asus W7J, which has a discrete graphics card. (Both are reviewed in this section.) As for battery life, we squeezed out a merely average 3 hours and 12 minutes.
CaptNemo 7:39 AM
|
DELL XPS 710 H2C DESKTOP PC Speed, features rival those of costlier systems; near-silent operation; overclocked, under warranty CPU; great-looking case.No Blu-ray-drive option
SPECS 2.66CHz Core 2 Extreme QX6700 (overclocked to 3.2GHz) ; 4GB DDR2- one 750GB , two 150GB hard drives; double-layer DVDtRW; DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo; 20-inch Dell LCD; two nVidia GeForce 8800 GTX graphics cards (768MB) ; Windows Vista Home Premium
Salute to dual graphics card technologies and the expensive, high-wattage power supplies required to run them, the average price of a very top of the line PC has ballooned to well over the $7,000 mark. That's why, despite costing $5,759, our Dell XPS 710 H2C review unit seems like a downright bargain.
For that money, you get an Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 quad-core processor (overclocked to 3.2GHz out of the box), 4GB of 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM, two 768MB nVidia GeForce 8800 GTX graphics cards, and a whopping full terabyte of hard drive storage (split among two l0.000rpm 150GB drives and a single 7.200rpm 750GB unit). A Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic sound card. a double-layer DVD burner, and a DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive lend multi media punch. (No Blu-ray drive option is available yet, however.) You'll also find a flash-memory-card reader and a floppy drive behind a front-panel door. Dell also includes a Razer Tarantula gaming keyboard a Razer Copperhead mouse but you can dispense with them to save a little money Speed-wise, the XPS 710 H2C performed on par with other machines in its class. It's not the fastest, but its score of 114 frames per second on Quake 4 (at 2,048x1,536) shows that it's more than equal to most any reasonable gaming demand. The PC isn't just about speed, either. The "H2C" in its name refers to a specially designed cooling unit that combines liquid and Peltier cooling for ultraquiet performance. We continue to admire the case designs of the XPS 700 se ries. The combination of black plastic, front-panel lighting, and an angled design creates a dramatic depth-perception effect you're likely to find as striking as we did. Dell's service and support for the XPS 710 H2C is thorough, if stingy one year of pans and labor, which covers the over clocked CPU; 24/7 toll-free phone support; and a year of onstte service. Dell does get an extra point, however, for its DellCon nect service, a remote-support feature that gives a Dell techni cian direct control over your PC. Dell's Web site has plenty or resources, as well.
Scorching quad-core performance collides with a cutting-edge cooling system in Dell's XPS 710 H2C, a polished if pricey high-performance desktop for gamers and others who need a top-tier system.
What it's for: You name it. System-stretching games are a great choice, but this PC should have no trouble cutting through any intensive task you throw at it. Who it's for: Those who need (or want) the latest and greatest system that won't be obsolete a few months from now and have a spare $6,000 to pay for it.
What's included: A one-year parts-and-labor warranty, which includes 24/7 toll-free phone support; a Razer Tarantula gaming keyboard; a Razer Copperhead mouse; and a Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic sound card.
The bottom line: The XPS 710 H2C's performance is unquestionably expensive, but if you can afford it, you'll get what you pay for.
CaptNemo 5:41 AM
|
Canon Eos 400D digital cameraRating: 8/10 GreatThe lighter and smaller of the two, Canon has nevertheless made good use of the real estate to provide fingertip control without overburdening the camera with buttons. The left side of the top plate is empty of any controls at all, while the mode dial, power switch, command dial and shutter release are all based on the right. The majority of the camera's controls are on the back of the camera, which is dominated by the bright 2.5in LCD. A circular five-button set allows navigation of the menus, as well as allowing fast access to metering modes, white balance options, ISO speeds and AF modes.The central button, for the first time, acts as both the'set' button and gives access to Picture Style options.
The purchase around the right grip is a little tighter than that of the D80; my fingernails rub against the lens mount housing on the front of the camera, leaving some scratching on the plastic cover-something I'm sure would look
even worse after continued use. Furthermore the shallow depth of the camera forces my little fingerto curve beneath the body, which I find slightly uncomfortable.There's a nicely shaped ergonomic thumb rest on the back though, which helps to provide comfort and,thanks to a rubber thumb pad,a more reassuring grip.
The most notable aspect of the Canon over the Nikon is on the LCD.Canon has followed the design precedents set by Olympus and Konica Minolta/Sony to include the shooting information on the main LCD, when in shooting mode.This is a lot brighter than a grey LCD, and easierto see in the dark.The information is also bigger.so easier to read for long-sighted users. Proximity sensors beneath the viewfinder shut the screen down when the camera is placed to the eye. As an aside, while I like this system, I think Olympus and Konica Minolta (or Sony) do it better-especially Sony's self-orientating version.
CaptNemo 10:38 AM
|
Casio Exilim Ex-Z500 digital cameraSENSOR 1/2.5"CCD(5.76x4.29mm)5.0MP LENS 6.2-18.6 (36-114mm equiv) f/2.7-5.2
SHUTTER SPEEDS l/8-l/2000sec
EXPOSURE MODES Program plus 31 Best shot (scene modes)
ISO Auto, 50-400
FLASH Auto plus 4 modes max range 2.4m
VIEWFINDER None 2.7inch digital TFT LCD
OTHER 640x480 @30fps Video, SD
POWER Li-ion cell
DIMENSION/WEIGHT 8.5x57x20mm/112g
Another slimline supermodel from Casio's Exilim range Casio has been making svelte digicams for ever. This five-megapixel model claims that you can take 500 pictures on a single battery charge. The Casio has a full range of focusing and exposure options and a reasonable ISO range of 50- 400, though noise appears as you go up the range. The 3x lens has a reasonably fast maximum aperture (f 27) at wideangle but a shake-inducing f 5.2 at the 114mm end.Tne Best Snot mode features 31 variations on a theme including a different setting for business
cards and white boards. Like many of the Exilimrange this is an object of desire. There's nothing to frighten the novice but you have to ferret around in the multiple menus to get access to features that others control with one button. The Z500 turned in a pleasing set of results. Image processing is, by and large, well executed, and despite the fact that the 27in LCD's colours bear no relation to the scene or the result, they're nicely rendered,with natural greens. The only downside is when light levels drop and camera shake appears. In good lighting, the Casio EX-Z500 will deliver images you can be proud of. Particular caution is required when hand-holding in low light. At its suggested retail price, the Exilim is a rich boy's toy, but you'll find a street price that's a steal. This camera is not for those who want to shoot in available light However, for those who shoot with flash in the dark or in bright sunshine only, this camera is capable of excellent results.
CaptNemo 2:13 AM
|
Canon IXUS 60 digital camera Design and build , image quality
Cost, some image fall of at the corners, lack of manage.
An IXUS with a big LCD and a viewfinder
Canon IXUS digital camera range seems to be renewed as often as the fashion designers launch new collections. Canon Digital IXUS 60 digital camera has six megapixels
and a 3x zoom. Canon digital camera has added a larger screen at 2.5in and, impressively, the small model still manages to incorporate a viewfinder, so shooting in bright sun is still a viable option. Other manufacturers take note: if Canon can, why can't you?
The small form factor means smaller buttons on the back, which can be fiddly, but there's still enough space to curl the hand around the camera and not accidentally press any buttons.
Canon digital camera is lovely to use. The shutter is responsive, the LCD bright, and the menu system fairly easy to navigate, with a quick function set for the most-accessed features, and a deep menu lcd panel for other specifications. Despite the small sensor Canon digital camera produces good results. The exposure and colour is spot on, though saturation is slightly more natural than many compacts, which tend to warm images up. Similarly, sharpening is kept on the right side of enhanced. There's little sign of fringing and image noise is pretty well controlled. At 35mm, sharpness falls off at the image corners a bit.
Canon IXUS cameras are expensive, and at £300 this is no exception. It has an appealing style and gives almost faultless performance, so you do get what you pay for. Good results and easy to use, but there's a premium for the Canon IXUS moniker.
CaptNemo 4:16 AM
|
Sharp 108-inch Aquos LCDRating: 7/10 GoodThe bragging rights are all Sharp’s (www.sharpusa.com)
this spring. The company had the biggest LCD HDTV at
CES, for what it’s worth. In a twist, the 108-inch Aquos
prototype was even larger than the biggest plasma available.
(That “108V” in the photo isn’t a model number, by
the way.) Another twist: Sharp reportedly intends to start
selling these 1080p slabs this summer. And the 108-incher
is merely the vanguard of new achievements by the company.
CaptNemo 8:21 AM
|
Olympus SP-350 digital camera Compact, fully featured, with exposures and colour.
HoIding can be awkward; some fringing resolution lower than the sensor says.
SENSOR 1/1.8" CCD (7.17x5.32mm), 7MP LENS 8-24mm(38-114mm)f/2.8-4.9
SHUTTER SPEED 15-l/2000sec/8mins Bulb ISO Auto, 64-800
EXP MODES Auto, MASR 25 scene modes.Mov FLASH 3.8m(W)/2.2m(T)GNapprox7.5 VIEWFINDER Yes
MONITOR 2.5in LCD, 115,000 pixels OTHER xD, interval shooting over 99 frames, JPEG and RAW
DIMENSION/WEIGHT 99.5 x 65 x 35mm/180g
Similar to the SP-350,the 320 still features RAWIf an SLR, or large bridge camera, is too bulky to take with you, you may consider a smaller compact with a full feature set, like the SP-320. Last year's SP-350 had an 8MP sensor; the less-expensive SP-320 offers 7.1 million pixels. The camera has a comprehensive set of exposure modes, and continues its enthusiast heritage with JPEG or RAW recording. Apart from the lack of a hotshoe, there's a resemblance to the SP-350 in design.The LCD is the same size at 2.5in, while the body uses the same materials, button layout and styling. The SP-320 looks traditional, with AA batteries held in the right grip, so is useful for travel. Those used to more-conventional cameras will appreciate the feel and layout of this one.Start-upand shutter release time are quick enough, though the AF occasionally struggles to decide which area to lock onto. A big advantage of this camera is the RAW recording, and using Photoshop CS2 at least allows you to adjust some minor fringing. Sharpness can lack bite and this is more noticeable the larger you go.Colourand contrast isverygood.and exposures too. I was impressed by the noticeable but well-controlled noise at ISO 800.
CaptNemo 9:16 AM
|