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Articles
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Sony–Two Products, Three Views |
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Written by Gary M Kaye
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Wednesday, 23 November 2011 16:09 |
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Sony Bloggie Duo, Cybershot WX9 Go Home for the Holidays
Sony, the company that for many years defined Consumer Electronics, may be struggling with TV’s, music players, and computers, but in the arena of digital photography, the company is holding a commanding position. It’s now ranked as the number two maker of digital cameras, trailing only Canon. Two of its current offerings may help explain why it’s doing so well. The Sony Bloggie Duo, a Flip style camcorder gets its name from its two screens, a rear facing 2.7” diagonal LCD and a 2.0” front facing screen if you’d like to record yourself for a blog. The camera records for two hours on a charge in full 1080p HD. It’s also capable of creating still photos. It has internal storage and an internal battery and uses a USB arm to connect to your computer where it’s easy to upload images to your favorite social networking or photo sharing site. Sony sells the Bloggie Duo (model MHS-FS2) for $170, but we’ve seen it online for $122.
Sony’s DSC-WX9 16.2 megapixel point and shoot has quickly become one of the most popular cameras in the upper range of its Cybershot line. The WX9 shoots 1080/60i HD video, and has both sweep panorama and 3D capabilities. I had been using its 12 megapixel predecessor, the WX5 and find the WX9 has some nice improvements. One of them is the three position switch that goes among still, panorama, and video modes without having to address the full menu. The camera does a great job in low light. It shoots at a pretty healthy 10 frames per second, with no noticeable delay as it stores pictures. My only beef with it is that the battery charges inside the camera, precluding you from charging a second battery outside the camera. The 5X zoom Carl Zeiss lens delivers great images, and has many of Sony’s features like face detection, object tracking, backlight adjustment and background defocus. Sony sells it for $200 but we’ve seen it on line for as low as $150. |
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 06 December 2011 07:20 |
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Written by Gary M Kaye
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Thursday, 17 November 2011 08:26 |
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Among hundreds of iPad and iPhone cases, these stand out
I get pitches almost every day for new iPhone and iPad cases. Many are sort of same old, same old. But a few have gotten my attention. Here are a few of my favorites:
For the iPhone4 and 4S
 LifeProof – this hard plastic case claims to be dustproof, shock proof, waterproof, and well, generally life proof. We’ve seen it protect an iPhone underwater. But this kind of protection is pricey – advertised at about $80.
 Teatro-S by ZeroChroma. This case also acts like a stand – allowing you to set your iPhone on a desktop or other surface and watch movies or YouTube from almost any angle. The case has a felt lining and comes in black, white or pink for about $40.
Gasket by ID America. This is one of the most novel cases I’ve seen. It’s designed to look like the head gasket of a performance engine. It’s made from brushed aluminum and comes with clear front and rear protective film. Available in six metallic colors for $29.95. (picture not available)
 Wireless Charging Receiver Case by Powermat. If you travel a lot and tire of hotel rooms with not enough outlets, you might consider the Powermat wireless charging system. Put the receiver case on your iPhone then just let it juice up on the charging mat. One caveat, the case comes with a micro USB port but does not provide throughput for the standard Apple connector. Price for the receiver case alone is between $19 and $30.
For the iPad 2
 Neoprene zipper cases and envelopes by Built NY. Sure there are lots of neoprene protectors for your iPad on the market. What sets the ones from Built NY apart is that they are very colorful with some wonderfully creative designs. Most sell for $30.
 Vario-SC Theater Stand by ZeroChroma. This is the big brother of the Teatro-S. It works with the standard iPad cover to create a system so you can stand up your iPad and watch it from almost any angle. The swiveling hard case is available in black or white for about $40
SnapCase by InCase. This is a hardshell case that protects the back of your iPad while making use of the iPad’s smart cover on the front. Also sets up as a viewing stand or a stand for a wireless keyboard. About $35. iPad 2 Pop! Case by Case-Mate. This hard shell case also has a built in stand so you can prop the iPad to watch movies or work with a wireless keyboard. Comes in three color combinations of Grey/White, Black/Grey, and Pink/Grey. About $50.
Keep it Clean
Toddy Cloths. The drawback to touchscreen devices is your touch. Fingerprints, smudges, and germs. Toddy Gear has a whole line of dozens of colorfully patterned 5”X7” cleaning clothes which it claims removes the germs as well as the smudges. Priced from $10-$15 |
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 22 November 2011 09:18 |
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Written by Gary M Kaye
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Sunday, 13 November 2011 15:47 |
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Novatel Introduces an affordable hotspot. 
Saturday, October 29th is a day that will linger a long time for many in the northeastern United States. It was the great October snowstorm. Two million electrical customers were powerless. And it left me in the dark for eight days. Because I work from home, losing my connection to the outside world, and the means to power it was particularly costly. A variety of technologies helped me survive the darkness, including solar panels, rechargeable power supplies, and 12 volt to 110 car plug inverters. But one of my favorites was the new MiFi TruConnect wireless hotspot. The Novatel MiFi has been around for a while, but with most carriers, the data cost can be $50 or more. Now Novatel, the maker of the MiFi device has teamed up with TruConnect to create an relatively affordable wireless data package. The cost for this 3G wireless hotspot is just under $80. The TruConnect service plan is only $4.99 a month plus a modest 3.9 cents per megabyte. TruConnect coverage is pretty extensive, but you should check to make sure it covers the areas where you’ll need it. The device charges from a micro-USB connector. I found that going on just its internal battery, it lasted about three hours with continuous use. That was enough for me to get most of my work done in the dark. The device works great for data, but it’s a little slow for video. Then again, there’s no 4G service where I live, so it makes no difference to me. There are 4G wireless hotspots out there, but those data plans are going to cost you a lot more money. If you need reliable data at a bargain price, the TruConnect MiFi might be a good bet. |
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Last Updated on Monday, 21 November 2011 07:11 |
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No Longer a Shot in the Dark |
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Written by Gary M Kaye
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Monday, 07 November 2011 13:44 |
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Contour+ Adds a New View
 There are few better ways to relive an outdoor adventure than with a recording of the whole experience on an action camera. But up until now the problem has been that you never knew what you were shooting until you got it home and played back the video on your computer.
The Contour+ HD changes all that. Contour’s top of the line action camera comes with a free app that runs on either iPhones or Android phones. It uses your phone’s Bluetooth capability so that your phone becomes a viewfinder. The Bluetooth connection only works to let you see the shot before you start recording. Once it starts, the connection is severed, otherwise Contour says it would quickly drain the camera’s battery.
The Contour app also allows you to adjust the camera’s settings, something you could only do from your computer in earlier models. The Contour+ is also equipped with a GPS, so that when you play back the video you can see exactly where you were when you had all that fun. When you play it back, you see two screens – one with the video, a smaller screen with a GPS track that can be customized for a map view, a terrain view, or a hybrid view.
The camera can record full 1080p and has a built in mini-HDMI so you can play back to your HD TV. One suggestion though, the camera comes with a 2GB micro SD card. That will cover about thirty minutes of fun, so you might want to add a heftier storage card. The price for all this fun, about $500, though we’ve seen slightly lower prices online. |
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Last Updated on Monday, 07 November 2011 13:46 |
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Livio Kit Brings it All to the Car |
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Written by Gary M Kaye
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Tuesday, 25 October 2011 08:49 |
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 I grew up playing college radio. And, as an alum I’m still involved in radio alma mater. But until now there was no easy way for me to listen to WVBR-FM in my car, unless I was in Ithaca, New York. Now, thanks to the Livio Kit, officially known as the Livio Radio Bluetooth Internet Car Kit, I can listen to WVBR and thousands of Internet Radio Stations in my car. I can also listen to all the tunes on my iPhone, and engage in hands free calling.
My car doesn’t have an “aux” input, so the only way I can listen to my iTunes selections is through one of those FM radio transmitters that plugs into the cigarette lighter adapter. The Livio Kit has a flexible gooseneck that plugs into the cigarette lighter with a multi-function transmitter clipped on the end. The transmitter has a variety of functions including volume, scanning, jumping ahead or back for stations, and it will also let you tag a song to get the artist later on, as well as find stations similar to the one you’ve been listening to. There are also dedicated buttons to answer and end a cell phone call. When you plug it in, it automatically launches a free app for your iPhone or Android that lets you look for any of 45,000 Internet Radio Stations and streams. You can also play anything else on your smartphone through the car radio such as Sirus XM or Spotify. Another real plus is the USB charger built into the unit, so you can keep your smartphone juiced. There is also an analog input and output jack. Sound quality on the device was quite good, though you can still suffer interference if your “empty” FM radio position doesn’t stay empty. I found the layout pretty easy to master while driving, and the search function on the app was easier to use than many other radio apps I’ve tried. The Liveo Radio Bluetooth Internet Car Kit is available at Radio Shack, www.livioradio.com, and at other online retailers, generally for about $100. |
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 01 November 2011 13:02 |
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