What will your next digital camera be?

Digital cameras have rendered the humble old box brownie all but obsolete. You probably own multiple digital cameras, especially once your mobile phone is taken into consideration. Beyond the race to cram more and more megapixels into compact cameras — a fairly useless activity once you get beyond around 8 megapixels unless you need to shoot outdoor advertising posters — there are limits to what a compact camera can do.  The compact digital you most likely own is fine for taking happy snap style shots, and if you’re lucky, you may end up with some really nice photos. But what do you do if you want a little bit more control over your images?

The traditional answer would have been to step up from the box brownie style of a compact digital to a Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera. These allow for discrete image processing steps, multiple lenses — both for zoom/macro/fixed focus work and for specific effects such as fisheye or tilt shift lens photography — but have always had a few particular problems for novices wanting a little more power. For a start, DSLRs are pretty expensive. This has changed in recent years; you can typically pick up a DSLR body from companies such as Nikon or Canon for under a thousand dollars, but lenses can often cost a great deal more. The learning curve on a DSLR is pretty sharp, and most DSLRs are solidly built and therefore heavy, which limits their portability. You’re much less likely to take a DSLR out for a quick shot of your nephews on a swing if it takes five minutes to set up and take the shot.

There is a middle way emerging that promises some of the fine control and lens swapping ability of DSLRs without all of the challenging complexity or higher price of a DSLR. These mini DSLRs — often referred to as micro 4/3rds cameras (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micro_Four_Thirds_system) are cheaper and smaller than a DSLR with a reasonable amount of the power that DSLRs offer. Not all of these compact DSLRs are actually Micro 4/3rds cameras, though. I recently had a chance to have a field test at Taronga Zoo with Samsung’s recently released $899 NX10 camera, which uses a full APS-C sensor, such as you’d find on a “full” DSLR, but with a mirror-less design that makes the camera body a lot smaller, and therefore a lot more portable. I do know my way around a DSLR to a fair extent, but even I came away impressed with the quick and easy shots I could take.

So they’re typically cheaper than DSLRs and more powerful than compact digital models. What’s the downside of opting for a Micro 4/3rds style camera? Well, you do get the flexibility of being able to change lenses that are typically going to be a lot cheaper than their DSLR equivalents, but in most cases you’re limited to the lenses produced for that camera series. Some Micro 4/3rds cameras do allow for additional lens types to be fitted via adaptors, but often with some specific features such as auto focusing removed. By contrast, if you buy a “Full” DSLR, you’ll be able to change out the main camera “body” but keep using the same lenses year in and year out, taking advantage of the new body features each time. As a stepping stone up in your photographic knowledge, or a gift for somebody wanting a little more than a compact can offer, they’re a good alternative.

The Intel i7

Intel has played a significant role in all things computer ever since the development of the personal PC… and beyond. In fact, many people are not aware that Intel was formed way back in 1968. Since their formation, they have steadily made strides in the development of semiconductors and computer processors. Intel became a household name during the 90’s through their popular “Intel Inside” advertising campaign and because of the fact that theirs was the processor of choice when it came to manufacturing personal computers.

Although Intel is known historically for developing microchips, they now offer a variety of products for computer manufacturers:

• Graphic Chips
• Motherboard chipsets
• Flash memory
• Network Interface Controllers and Integrated Circuits
• Embedded Processors

The latest product offering by Intel is creating somewhat of a stir. It is the new Intel i7 and it is their most recent processor. The Intel i7 expands on what they have already done in the area of computer processors and it is said to be extremely fast. I have been hearing a lot about this product but wanted to get the facts for myself, so I decided to do a bit of investigation. When I first heard that Intel had a new processor, my questions were along the lines of how quick would it be? What would it offer the user that is new in comparison to what we have seen before and what features have been improved upon since their last release?

What I have discovered is that the i7 processor makes the most of all of Intel’s breakthrough technologies and then combines them together for maximum power:

• Intel Turbo Boost technology
• Intel Hyper-Threading technology
• Intel Virtualization technology
• Enhanced Intel SpeedStep technology
• Execute disable bit
• Intel 64 architecture

Excitingly, the Intel i7 is described as “adrenaline on a chip”! It appears that Intel went all out when it came to packing the processor with all of its most successful technologies. The i7 uses multi-core technology. This is a feature that helps the processor to direct and send power to the places that your computer needs it most at any particular moment in time. The i7 has the ability to perform 8-way multi-tasking and has increased cache size. All of this works together to make things much easier for computer users that multi-task in a serious way. They can now open several applications at the same time without worrying about their computer getting sluggish or freezing. Multimedia users will also be happy about how smoothly their PCs run even with their heaviest applications open.

Two powerful technologies that Intel have included with this processor are Turbo Boost technology and Hyperthreading. Both of these have worked well for Intel in the past. They contribute to increased processor speeds and better multitasking capabilities.

Keep your eye out in the media you will be sure to hear about this amazing advancement in computing

E-Readers

E-books continue to grow in popularity. Not only are today’s consumers willing to pay for their e-books, many authors are making a living exclusively through selling their books in electronic format. The most convenient way to read your e-book is through the use of an e-reader device. These are usually small, hand held devices that can be carried anywhere with you. There are some excellent models in e-readers on the market. In this article, I will mention just a few of the e-readers that I feel fall among the best on the market.

Sony PRS600
The Sony PRS600 is an attractive device that has a 6-inch touch-sensitive screen. The PRS600 holds countless e-books which are stored on an SD memory card. While reading from the device, users can easily turn the pages of their e-books by simply moving their finger across the screen. This great feature makes things feel very much like reading a physical book however this model can have screen glare.
Size: Height = 174.5 x Width = 121 x Depth = 10mm
Weight: The PRS600R weighs just 286g so it is very easy to carry around
Battery Life: Comes with a rechargeable lithium ion battery. As measured by page turns, the battery lasts 7,500 page turns when using it for reading (excluding when other features are being used).
Memory: Uses SD memory and has a built in slot for cards.

The Kindle Wireless Reading Device
The Kindle is a great e-reader made available by Amazon.com. Users can use it to read ebooks, to store up to 1,500 ebooks, to purchase ebooks from Amazon.com and to do a host of other things. This well-engineered device has a screen that looks like paper. Unlike many LCD screens, it can be read in sunlight as well as in any other environment as well.
Size: 1/3 inch slim (about the thickness of a magazine)
Weight: 10.2 ounces
Battery Life: User can read for up to 1 week on a single charge even with the wireless feature switched on.
Memory: Holds up to 1,500 books

Bookeen Cybook Opus
The Bookeen Cybook Opus is an attractive e-book reading device. It is extremely easy to read from. It makes use of ePaper technology which emulates the way that ink prints on a piece of paper. The screen can be read in all types of lighting conditions, including sunlight. The Cybook has very long battery life. Users can download a huge number of books from a catalogue made available by a variety of web sites.
Size: Height = 151mm x Width = 10mm
Weight: 150g
Battery Life: Battery lasts for 8,000 page flips.
Memory: The Opus has 32 MB of built in memory with 1 GB of NAND storage. It also accepts Micro SD storage cards.

iPhone vs Android

The iPhone and the G1 phone (with Android operating system) are two mobile phones that have grown rapidly in popularity as well as in rivalry over recent years. The phones are similar to one another in that they push the envelope of mobile and touch screen technology. Both phones offer users not only the ability to make phone calls on the go, but also to make use of a host of useful applications and other features on their mobile phones.

The iPhone and its operating system has been available for a few years now and was developed and launched by Apple, Inc. The Android operating system on the other hand was developed by Google. Google then worked closely with High Tech Computer Corporation (HTCC) to develop the actual G1 phone and it’s hardware.

When it comes to priorities in development, mobile technology continues to be given a very high priority. This is simply because people throughout the world continue to rely more and more heavily on mobile technology. Mobile phones are not just used to make phone calls but increasingly they are being used to connect to the Internet on the go. Whether people are using this to find maps and directions, or to update their status on a social networking web site, mobile phone makers are obligated to provide this technology.

The main feature of both the Android operating system (OS) and the iPhone is the ability to surf the Internet. Both of these phones come with a wide screen and with WIFI capabilities, giving users the option to browse the Internet at leisure. Browsing speeds are reasonable and provide people with great convenience.

The iPhone is highly popular. When it first came out, it offered features that were considered revolutionary for the mobile phone in so many ways. Other phone makers are beginning to catch up but generally speaking they are not there yet. The iPhone is navigated primarily through touch screen technology. Users dial numbers through touching the screen, they send text messages and operate the various applications that the iPhone contains all through screen touch.

From reviewing both the G1 and the iPhone, I would say that the Google G1 does have some advantages over the iPhone however it does not fully surpass the iPhone or its technology. Definitely the keyboard that comes with the G1 is an advantage. Although the iPhone’s touch screen keyboard is fun and new, people are still quite conditioned to using a keyboard when operating computers and I believe that using a keyboard will still be their preference over touch screen technology for some time to come.

The G1 gives its owners access to the battery so that they are free to swap a fresh battery in at will. Although this seems like a fairly basic feature it is not the case with the Apple iPhone. iPhone users have to send their phones to Apple to have their phones replaced and therefore swapping batteries in and out while on the go is not an option. At present, the Android cannot compete with the iPhone’s media player. The iPhone has simply taken the mobile media player to another level and it will take the Android some time to compete with it. Lastly, the design of the iPhone is much slimmer than that of the Android. Slim is always more ideal than bulky. Users want devices that require the least amount of space in a pocket or hand bag.

Google Wave

There has been a lot of buzz in recent months about Google Wave and the large array of team-based tasks that can be completed with it. Google Wave is basically a collection of online tools that allow the members of a team/group to work together collaboratively on documents. The tool is web-based which provides team members the freedom to be located anywhere in the world. All types of preferences can be established, however, at it’s most basic level, no matter which member of a team comes up with an idea, all team members can be required to sign off on the idea as a condition for moving to the next level of development. Google Wave is often used by team leaders. They often set up a document and then invite people into the project, giving them the ability to ask every team member to input ideas. It is a great way to stimulate discussion. Google Wave makes teamwork via the Internet a reality.

Wave is a term that is used often in the Google Wave system. A Wave is defined as a discussion that has several participants in it. Wave participants are invited into a project, or added by a Wave admin and are given permission to participate in the development of documents or in whatever collaborative effort is taking place. There is no limit to the number of participants that can be added to a Wave. One particular feature that makes Google Wave especially exciting is the option for new participants to playback any interactions that took place among the team before they actually joined the project.

Google Wave functions are in real-time and therefore any communication at all, can be seen instantly by other team members. This allows team members on the same project to work together on a document while holding a real-time discussion at the same time. There are no limitations on the quality of documents that users work with. Google Wave allows for rich text formatting, uploading photos, video uploads and the placement of maps in documents as well. All of this eliminates the need for email messages being sent to the group and eliminates a need for attachments in those emails.

Project managers, business owners and business planning departments can all benefit greatly from the features offered by Google Wave, as can companies that require the co-operation of multiple departments placed in different offices and cities. Often traditional businesses hesitate to adopt new technology and wait to see how things fair with other companies. Google Wave is one development in technology that definitely improves the way that things are done in the best of ways.

Windows 7 Preview

We have seen many version and transformations of the Windows operating system over the years. Some computer users have faithfully upgraded their computers with every version Microsoft operating system. Others users have been more conservative and have skipped a release or two. In the opinion of many, Windows Vista was an operating system to skip completely. Many users were dissatisfied with Vista. This makes Windows 7 an important release because it is important for Microsoft to release an operating system that is an improvement upon Vista.

Already Windows 7 has begun to receive positive reviews. It is naturally being compared to Windows Vista and in most reviews is coming out on top. There are many changes in Windows 7 that will require a learning curve even since Vista. They will at least require an adjustment in the way that you interact with Windows operating system.

Many changes have been made in Windows 7. The taskbar and the start menu is where traditional Windows users will need to get used to. The changes are not complicated but you will have to know where to look for the features that you may have always found in the same place in the past. One feature that no longer exists is the Quick Launch menu. Personally, I will miss this feature dearly as it has been the staple of my own computer use throughout the years.

The Desktop is much easier to access with Windows 7. You will find to the right of the Taskbar a short nub that when hovered over causes all open windows to become transparent. The desktop can then be seen through the open windows. Alternatively, you can click on the nub and all of the open windows will be moved aside, allowing you quick access to the Desktop and its contents.

Windows 7 eliminates the frustrating balloon notifications that were prevalent in older versions of Windows. Alerts related to unused icons on the desktop, notifications that your computer might be at risk and any other issues are all banished to an area called the Action Center. This is a notification area that you can go to at your convenience to review the alerts that have been raised. Issues that Windows 7 has identified are placed in a queue that you can review at your convenience.

All in all, Windows 7 seems to be a step in the write direction for Windows. I did not like Windows Vista and it seems that I am not alone in that sentiment. Microsoft quickly recognized how disgruntled many loyal Windows users felt about Vista and quickly provided an improved offering. For all intents and purposes, Windows 7 is a marked improvement over Windows Vista. Now it is for the public to give offer their vote of approval.

Browse the Web Safely – Avoid Identity Theft

The Internet, just like the real world, is full of all kinds of characters. An honest person in the real world is an honest person online. Along the same vein, a criminal in the real world is a criminal in the online world too. Unfortunately, the criminal presence or underworld on the Internet continues to increase with every passing year as hackers successfully scam thousands of Internet users out of hard earned money and more. Surfing the Internet 10 years ago is a completely different experience to surfing the Internet today. This does not mean that we need to run and hide. It simply means that we should use all of the resources available to protect ourselves and our personal information.

Although the realm of tasks that can be completed via the Internet has grown exponentially to where there are very few business and work tasks that can not be done online. When it comes to Internet safety, the areas where we are all at risk are when we perform those tasks that involve transmitting any personal information and when making a payment online. These types of transactions can be considered higher risk online activities because there is the risk that the information you are sending can be intercepted in some way and then used for criminal activity.

Every individual should guard against identity theft online and against having their credit card and banking details stolen. In fact, each of us should do everything possible to ensure that we have taken every precaution possible to make our online transactions safe. Guarding against criminal activity online is done through setting up good basic protective programs on your computer and by keeping them running at all times. Programs that protect you are things such as firewalls and antivirus programs. These are the basic safeguards that at minimum everyone should surf the Internet with. In addition to this, anytime that you are sending any information that needs to be protected, you should check to ensure that you are on a secure web page. Secure web pages always have a padlock symbol on them that indicates that any information sent via the page is secure and encrypted.

Other things that you can do to protect yourself online are, to be careful about clicking on links that you get in email messages. If you do not know the sender of an email, do not even open the email, much less click on any links that you find in there. Thieves send links in emails to web sties that look like authentic bank web sites. They then steal your log in details when you inadvertently enter them into their web site that they have created to look like your bank web site. Whenever you want to do business online, make it a habit to always type the address of the web site you want to visit into your browser rather than clicking on any links. This will protect you against the risk of using any dodgy links that have been sent to you by unscrupulous characters.

Is Ubuntu 9.04 a Contender Against Windows?

What is Ubuntu
Ubuntu is an operating system that was developed in South Africa and that very much like Unix. It is available in over 55 languages and it was developed by Canonical Ltd and is set to be administered by the Ubuntu Foundation, which was created specifically for this purpose.

The word of Ubuntu is a South African word that describes an ideal or an ideology promoted there, which is ‘humanity towards others’. Ubuntu is a stable operating system and has been developed as an open source software platform that is distributed for free. One of the main goals of the software, and something that they have done successfully is make it very easy to use for the average computer user. It is very user-friendly and easy to install.

Ubuntu History
Ubuntu was first released in 2004 with the explicit goal of releasing an update every 6 months. The operating system has been developed with usability being one of the highest priorities. One of the biggest concerns though for computer users that have been raised on Microsoft Windows is, how many applications does Ubuntu come with and are software developers writing programs for this platform? Ubuntu comes with Firefox, OpenOffice, Pidgin, GIMP and a few others and it is also possible to use quite a few programs that have been written for Microsoft Windows, including Microsoft Office. This can be done either through a virtual machine (VM) or through Wine.

Can Ubuntu Compete with Windows?
Ubuntu has made huge strides when you consider that just a few years back it was a brand new operating system. Furthermore, it is attempting to compete with Microsoft which is a massive competitor. Ubuntu has made great progress and in just a few years. According to the New York Times in January of 2009, Ubuntu had more than 10 million users and this figure is reported to be growing consistently.

Although Ubuntu is not currently making much of a dent in the Microsoft market, it can no way be an indicator of where things can go. Ubuntu definitely has potential and it has made remarkable strides. At the end of the day, all sorts of factors can potentially affect whether a product finds true success or not. Keep an eye on the technology news headlines as well as to the way that investors and vendors respond to this operating system. The biggest challenges in my view will be keeping the product strong against viruses and security attacks, which are one Microsoft’s biggest weaknesses. Ubuntu can only begin to content with Windows when software developers create programs to run on their OS as often as they make them for Windows and Mac.

A Brief History of Home Computing

Anyone that has been around for the past 30 years has no doubt seen some phenomenal changes in home computers. Massive changes have taken place not only in what computers can do but also in the way that they look. I personally can not help but laugh when I see computers from as recently as the 1980s. They just look funny!

It really was not until the 1990s and the development of the Microsoft Windows operating system that computers literally became a household item. There were definitely families that had computers in the home during the 1970s and ‘80s. These computers were very bulky and rustic in comparison to today’s sleek, slimline computers and they really didn’t serve much of a purpose comparatively either.

Home computers were introduced to the market in 1977. It is safe to say that at that time, we only had the tiniest glimpse of the potential of home computers, and the ways in which they could be used. In fact, I would go so far as to say, we have still only captured just a tiny glimpse of what is possible with the home computer. 1970s home computers came without monitors but had ports that allowed them to be displayed through the television. Games were played on them and very basic calculations were performed.

During the 1980s, manufacturers saw the potential of merging the sale of personal computers and computer games. Up to that point, they were sold as separate devices. Home computers in the ‘80s were mostly used for education, games, and at times, for spreadsheets, and personal tools. Often computers were purchased as kits and needed to be put together before they could be used. In addition to this, they often had no software which meant that anyone that used them had to actually learn to write programs first.

The 1990s ushered in the mass demand and usage of the home computer. The ease-of-use ushered in by Windows software changed home computing forever. Suddenly computers were easy enough to be used by anyone. Microsoft Windows operating System revolutionized the world, literally!

The early 2000s has expanded on the platforms and ideas that began in the ‘90s. The fact that computer use became so widespread meant many companies were willing to invest in writing programs and games for home computers. Things have moved at an unbelievable rate since then.

These days, computers are used for everything imaginable and projections for home computer use see the integration of almost every electronic device in the home with the PC. Already the telephone, TV, VCR, radio and cable TV can be part of your home computer.

Image Scanners

If you are like most people, you have a collection of photographs that you have accumulated over the years. Photos provide us with hours of memories and entertainment. One of he ways that you can preserve the memories and ensure that they are around for many years to come is to scan them and turn them into a digital format.

A scanner is a device that can be attached to a computer and used to scan photographs. People choose to scan photos for all types of reasons. Scanning a photo with a scanner takes it from being a physical photo and instead creates a digital version of it (of course the physical photo still exists). Once a photo has been scanned it can be saved in a variety of formats and edited and adjusted without limits, in the same way that a digital photo taken with a digital camera can be.

Once a photo has been converted into digital format it can be adjusted using image editing software just like an image that was created using a digital camera, it can be emailed and used as a screensaver and for other purposes. Most scanners come with software included in the box. This software usually includes a driver for the scanner (a very small program that helps your computer to recognize and know how to read information from the scanner), they have the scanner program and they often have image editing software installed as well.

Over the years, all kinds of scanners have been developed. The most popular photo scanner is the flatbed scanner. It is easy to use and doesn’t take up too much space. With a flatbed scanner, a photo is placed down on the scanner glass to be scanned. It is very much like using a photocopy machine.

If you like to buy integrated and bundled devices, then you might want to consider buying a multi-use scanner. There are many scanners on the market that come bundled with other devices. Popular at the moment are scanners that not only have a photo scanner but also a printer and a photocopier as well all in one. These integrated scanners offer a lot of convenience. They can save you space in a small office and they can definitely save you a lot of money. Buying a mixture of devices will save you more than buying each device individually. In addition to all of that, they also offer simplicity for the user.

Some of the most popular scanners on the market are made by Canon, Epsom, HP and a few other large brands. Scanners can vary significantly in price depending on the features that the scanner you are buying is bundled with. Resolution capabilities and bundling with other hardware will also affect the price of the photo scanner that you buy.

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