The H9 has a build you can't complain about, with its comfortably deep handgrip and a good size of 110 x 83 x 86 mm. Of course you have the option to increase the macho element a bit by adding the tremendously oversized and daunting hood attachment.The back of the H9 has a very annoying navigation system that keeps switching between the jog dial and the d-pad. Makes me really wonder how the engineers found this to be the right navigation method for a camera like this one. Evolve people, evolve!
he camera also comes with an excellent remote control unit that allows you to release the shutter without physical contact. It's a great thing to have, and opens up a whole range of shots you can easily click without running back and forth for setting self-timers.When it comes to features the Cyber-shot H9 is a complete photographer's camera. Brilliant features enable easy shooting of all kinds of trick shots, making the camera usable under all conditions without the need to invest in a bunch of accessories.With the price on the street falling to Rs 23,800 (with camera bag and 1GB Memory Stick Pro Duo), the Sony Cyber-shot H9 is an excellent companion in all your journeys.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H9
Monday, January 7, 2008
Corsair Releases 32GB Flash Drive
Corsair has announced two new flash drives that boast incredible capacities of 16GB and 32GB: the all-rubber Flash Voyager and the aluminum, water-proof Flash Survivor.
Both these rugged devices are designed to safely store large amounts of data for users with active or outdoor lifestyles. These drives are bootable, so users can store full versions of operating systems and applications in order to recreate software environments and troubleshoot system problems.
Coming Soon: Batteries that Last and Last
If you’ve been complaining about your cellphone dying on you (or for that matter your laptop, portable gaming console, whatever), keep your shirt on, for a solution is at hand. Geniuses at Stanford have developed a technology that will allow your normal Lithium-Ion battery to last up to ten times its normal lifespan.
Yi Cui, assistant professor of materials science and engineering at Stanford, is the team leader in this endeavor. If you're wondering how a Lithium-Ion battery works, here’s a quick lowdown: Lithium-Ion batteries store ions on their anodes. The electrical storage capacity of a Li-ion battery is limited by how much lithium can be held in the battery's anode, which is typically made of carbon. What Cui has done is to replace carbon with silicon (don’t get the wrong idea, not the Pam Anderson kind; we mean the microchip kind).
Silicon can hold more charge than carbon. The problem is that silicon expands as it absorbs positively charged lithium atoms during charging, and shrinks during use (such as when playing your iPod) as the lithium is drawn out of the silicon. This causes immense wear and tear on the battery and can lead to an early burnout. You will no doubt remember the BL-5C battery scare, where this particular model expanded so much that it tended to pop out of the battery compartment. I’m sure we don’t want that experience again – but neither do we want to compromise on the longevity of our batteries.
The new batteries that Cui is aiming to develop will have Lithium stored in a cluster of silicon nanowires. These wires have the capacity to expand up to four times their normal size when they absorb the Lithium and each of these nanowires has a diameter one-thousandth the thickness of a sheet of paper. I can’t even imagine anything that small. The good thing is that with a system fashioned in this manner the silicon will have a much longer life.
Image Source: Cellphone Digest
"It’s not a small improvement; it’s a revolutionary development," claims Yi Cui, and I couldn’t agree more. Who wouldn’t want a battery that can give you an average of 30-40 hours of running time on a single charge? Even though Cui has filed a patent for this remarkable technology, it may be a while before you can have it in your mobile phone. Methinks it’s definitely worth the wait.
It may not be cheap, but as the guys from IntoMobile so eloquently put it: "Who wouldn’t pay a couple more bucks for a tenfold increase in battery life?" I know I would.
Information sourced from Nanotechwire.
Nikon D40X
The D40X is already a big hit with photography students and enthusiasts. With its budget pricing, straightforward design, and reliable performance, this is one of the best options to start your photography career with. Aimed as an upgrade to the earlier Nikon D40, Nikon pumped up the camera resolution to 10.2 megapixels and pushed in the same image processing engine that does duty in the D80 and the D200. The three-point auto focus is not the most cutting-edge, but it's still a great camera to own, as can be seen from our review here. The decision to go with AF-I or AF-S lenses may increase the long-term costs (and piss off old-school photographers in the process), so keep that in mind before you rush out waving your credit card.
Dimensions 124 x 94 x 64 mm
Weight 522g
Type D-SLR
Connectivity USB/Composite
Storage SD card
Battery Type Li-Ion
LCD Type 2.5", 230,000 px
View Finder Optical
Sensor CCD
Effective Pixels 10.2 Megapixels
ISO Sensitivity Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 (3200 with boost)
Optical Zoom N/A
Digital Zoom N/A
Shutter Speed 30-1/4000 sec + Bulb
Aperture N/A
Format RAW, JPEG, RAW+JPEG
Scene Modes Children, Close-up, Landscape, Sports mode, Portrait mode, Night portrait
White Balance 6 positions, plus manual
Flash Front curtain, Rear curtain, Red-Eye, Slow, Red-Eye Slow
Self Timer 2-20 secs
Video Resolution N/A
Video Format N/A
Sound N/A
Nokia N82
The N82 has been making waves ever since it poked its head out from under the developmental stage drawing board. As I said before, I was quite eager to test it. Now I have it – and I’m glad I got the chance. Here’s what I can tell you.
Form Factor
The N82 is a bit bulky for some strange reason, but thankfully it weighs just 114g. On one side you’ll find the Micro USB port, a slot for your MicroSD memory card, and the charging port lower down. The other side has the volume / zoom keys, a dedicated key to take you to the gallery and just below that is the camera’s shutter release key. On the top you’ll find the 3.5mm (thank you, Nokia!) earphone / TV-out socket and the power key.
I’m not entirely impressed with the overall design of the device. But I’ll say this, it’s simplistic and the key placement is perfect. Since it’s 3G-capable it has a secondary VGA camera in the front next to the light sensor and above the brilliant 2.4 inch display. The 5 way nav-pad could have had the N81’s touch sensitivity but doesn’t – not that that’s a problem AT ALL! The 5 megapixel auto-focus camera with the Xenon flash are located at the rear and can be activated by simply sliding down the lens cover.
Features and Performance
The main feature in the N82 is the auto rotation of the display. It’s not as smooth as in the iPhone but it’s a good feature to have, especially while surfing the net and you quickly need to adjust the screen to type something in.
Audio and Video
The music player is great. I have no complaints, except that it’s a pain creating playlists from the PC Suite software. But the presets and the manually adjustable EQ are definitely a plus point. Since the N82 can be used with any set of earphones or headphones and also supports Bluetooth with A2DP profile, you can use a Stereo Bluetooth headset like the I-Tech Bluepro for a great music experience. Radio lovers rejoice, for the N82 also has an integrated stereo FM radio.
