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• Compact design & easy to carry
• Fast Scanning Speed ( 2.2 sec per page)
• Special design for Embossed / Plastic card scanning
• Duplex / Simplex Full Color Scanning
• Power & Time saving (no warming lead time needed)
• Multi function with user friendly software
• Support Asian Language Recognition (Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Japanese)

The second is for generating high-res Acrobat files.  Notice the handy setting to allow each page to create its own unique file or to automatically append pages to a single PDF file.  Also, notice that you can have different settings for the front versus the back in duplex mode. I've not seen a scanner with that level of flexibility, certainly not one in the price range of the D28 ($275-$325 street prices).

I tested the D28 out on a few different jobs.  One was a stack of business cards I'd been collecting.  I was able to churn through all 150 in about 12 minutes, and that was mostly determined by how fast I could stick the next card into the scanner each time.  Output was just fine, although auto-deskew didn't straighten out some of my more misaligned feeds.  I configured DigiDoc to save each scan straight to a PNG file (a nice touch) and then mass-uploaded them to Evernote where they're now all searchable online.

I also scanned in a couple of my daughter's drawings on the D28's max resolution (600 dpi) and they looked very good.  This isn't the right machine for scanning in photo negatives or slides, but printed materials up to about the thickness of a CD work great.  I tried sending a piece of paper with an 1/8th-inch thick sticker on it and it got caught up every time, so it's not nearly as flexible as a flatbed scanner, but then those aren't usually very portable, either.

All told, I'd definitely consider the D28 a strong contender if I regularly had small scanning jobs, moved locations fairly often, and wasn't trying to scan books or other non-feedable materials.  The flexibility of DigiDoc plus the simplicity of the D28's interface make it really simple to set up and use right away.  While I have no idea about the D28's build quality (many scanners, even expensive units, suffer feed problems even after a few hundred pages), at this price, you won't feel too bad replacing it if it stops performing up to snuff.

In July, 2002, Fujifilm and Olympus horrified digital photography fans by launching an all-new flash memory format, the xD-Picture Card. Why, nobody outside these two companies was sure, but it seems the grand experiment may be coming to an end.

Fujifilm has announced that an upcoming pocket point-and-shoot camera, the F200EXR, will accept both xD and SD/MMC memory formats. At least according to the folks at Crave.

I, for one, will be happy to pare down the ranks of incompatible flash memory formats. Sony, would you like to take your turn and off the noxious Memory Stick? Honestly, nobody will miss it...I promise.

I am in need of two new pieces of gear and would like YOUR suggestions and insights on what to get.

First, we need to replace our dead (kaput!) Series 1 TiVo. It lasted an amazing 7 years and change, but it has made the final ascent to the great Now Showing in the sky. So, what should we get to replace it? An HD TiVo? The HD XL TiVo? We have nothing but HD TVs in our house, so the Series 2 isn't terribly desirable. Or should we nix TiVo and go with a different brand altogether? We're on Time Warner Cable (despite their awfulness), in case that affects your recommendation.

Second, I need a smallish digital camera with a reasonable resolution (5MP+), but with as much optical zoom as possible (320mm and greater would be ideal). This is for use with the GigaPan Imager I acquired for work purposes. The GigaPan mount won't support something like a dSLR, so nothing that massive can be considered. What suggestions do you have for this purchase?

Thanks in advance for your comments, here on GearBits (using the form below), to me via Twitter (CRA1G), or via my Facebook account (Craig Froehle).

REVIEW
Plustek was kind enough to send me what is arguably the largest box I've ever received from a vendor. Inside it was their new OpticPro A360, an A3-sized flatbed scanner.

For those of you unfamiliar with European-spec paper sizes, A3 is equal to 12" x 17", or what North Americans refer to as "tabloid" size paper. For a flatbed scanner, that's pretty big. In fact, the unit weighs 17 lbs, so this is anything but a scanner you'll want to move around much; it's pretty much the antithesis of "portable."

There's rarely anything particularly sexy about a flatbed scanner, so this review concentrates on two aspects that tend to separate the wheat from the chaff: bundled software (the user experience) and scanning performance.

SOFTWARE
Setting up the A360 was fairly straightforward. After plugging in the unit and inserting the included CD-ROM, Windows XP found the TWAIN driver (and other necessary support files) and installed them straight away.

Then, I was prompted to install the additional applications that Plustek bundles with the A360. Unfortunately, this didn't go very smoothly. The installer locked up twice and I had to go about installing the last couple of apps manually. Not terrible, but definitely not what you'd hope for. After that hiccup, all went pretty well. Even the "copy" button on the scanner was correctly set to send a letter-sized page to my default printer.

The bundled applications are all adequate for the task, but nothing to get excited about. DI Capture is a rather modestly-featured image capture app that helps tweak some of the settings and parameters one can apply to incoming images. NewSoft Presto! PageManager is a workmanlike document management utilities; I'm not sure who is going to rely on this, but it's there if you want it. ImageFolio 4 is a lightweight photo manipulation tool; suffice to say, you're likely much better off with Adobe PhotoShop Elements. Finally, the A360 comes with ReadIris Pro 10 Corporate Edition, a very decent OCR application.

It irks me that, in 2009, we're still having to deal with 4+ different applications to handle output from a scanner. You'd think that we'd have some unified interface from which the user can easily and quickly scan, manipulate, and manage images. But I guess that's too much to hope for. :-/

SCANNING PERFORMANCE
The proof of any scanner is in the quality of images it generates. The A360 is modestly equipped, maxing out at 600 dpi optical resolution. For a scanner this size, I guess that makes sense, but it surprised me given that you can easily find a legal-sized flatbed scanner that will do double that for a couple hundred bucks.

Here are some demo scans of a newspaper front page (Note: all scans are with no software sharpening and JPG quality set on 100%):

View full-sized scans: 300 dpi 3578 x 5078 8.0 MB 600 dpi 7154 x 10154 29.4 MB

To give you an idea of the quality of these scans without having to open up those full-size images, below are two crops at 300 dpi and 600 dpi:

300 dpi:

600 dpi:

Pretty good; edges are clean without being oversharpened and there doesn't seem to be any significant distortion, blooming, or other artifacting as far as I can tell.

To assess the A360's color performance, I enlisted my aging HP Officejet 6110 all-in-one as a comparison with a run-of-the-mill scanner. Below are the two samples, cropped from a photo I pulled out of a drawer, both at 300 dpi with no image manipulation.

OpticPro A360	HP 6110

With zero sharpening during and after either scan, the A360's output looks softer than the 6110. The tonality differences aren't too troubling; I put neither scanner through a full color calibration, so they're both probably off. To my eyes, however, there's no marked quality difference between these two. In fact, if I had to pick, I'd say the OfficeJet does a little better job picking up detail at 300 dpi.

Other hardware bits do help the scanner's ability to do its job. The hardware buttons to the right of the scanbed cover are programmable with lots of flexibility via the configuration utility. Also, the cover has a tricky hinge that easily accommodates thicker materials like books, frames, and so forth while keeping flat for uniform lighting. The A360 does not scan film slides or negatives and has no ability to accommodate an adapter to do so. While the scanner can be configured to keep its CCFL ready at all times, setting it into a more environmentally friendly sleep mode will require a 30-second-or-so warmup before your first scan of the day. Not bad...certainly better than a lot of copier/scanners.

In short, while the A360 has size on its side, it doesn't do a lot to impress me in many other ways. If I had a bunch of large documents (e.g., newspapers) that had to be scanned, or did it regularly, I'd probably do well by the A360. My online shopping bot tells me that it can be had from around $960 up to its MSRP of $1199. So, for under a grand, you get a reasonably quick, A3-sized flatbed scanner that is immediately recognizable as a larger version of every other flatbed scanner out there. And that is both reassuring and disappointing at the same time.

SUMMARY
Pros:
• Big!
• Convenient, programmable hardware buttons
• Hinged lid for thicker materials (e.g., books)
• Speedy data transfer to PC
• ~30-second lamp warmup

Cons:
• Mediocre software / sketchy initial setup
• Unimpressive resolution (600 dpi optical)
• No slide-handling

SPECIFICATIONS
Width: 24.5 in
Depth: 15.7 in
Height: 5.2 in
Weight: 17 lbs
Maximum Media Size: 12 in x 17 in
Grayscale Depth: 16-bit input, 8-bit output
Color Depth: 48-bit color input, 24-bit output
Optical Resolution: 600 dpi x 1200 dpi
Lamp / Light Source: Cold cathode fluorescent (CCF) lamp
Scanning Speed (300 dpi, A3 size)
- Color: 2.5 secs
- Grayscale: 1.6 secs
- Black&white: 1.6 secs
Interface: 1 x Hi-Speed USB 2.0
TWAIN Compliant: Yes
Included: 1 x 4' USB 2.0 cable
Power Consumption
- Operational: 36W
- Standby: 8W
Software Included:
- NewSoft Presto! PageManager 7.10
- Plustek DocAction
- NewSoft Presto! ImageFolio 4.5
- Plustek DI Capture
- Drivers & Utilities
- Readiris Pro 10 Corporate Edition
- Adobe Acrobat Reader
Supported Operating Systems: Microsoft Windows Vista / 2000 / XP

Each year, we at GearBits post some predictions for the coming year. And then, in the interest of honesty, fairness, and self-deprecation, we take a look back to see how we did. Each of our predictions for 2008 are listed below, along with an update on what actually happened.

1) Blu-Ray Wins the Format War
Yep, I'm going to pick a winner and it's going to be Blu-Ray. The one-two punch of Warner Brothers's move to Blu-Ray exclusivity (from its Switzerland-like neutrality of supporting both formats) later in 2008 and Apple's announcement that BD will be the only HD format available in its products will cement HD DVD's demise. And none too soon. I don't really care which wins...just make it snappy so that prices on players and media can plummet, thanks.

As of now, the end of 2008, it seems like forever since Blu-Ray trounced HD DVD in the format war. But back in early January, it was anyone's guess. But then, on February 18th, Toshiba officially threw in the towel. Interestingly, the Warner Bros. move I thought would happen eventually was actually announced the day after I posted my predictions. Of course, Apple hasn't yet released any products with any form of HD optical drive, so that bit wasn't exactly spot on. And I'm still waiting for my $99 Blu-Ray player. But, overall, this prediction looks pretty solid.

2) Google's Android Shakes Up Phone Industry
For a while now, the cellphone industry has been fairly static. A few smartphone and mobile OS makers have generally tussled for market share, but the overall industry has been pretty evolutionary. Google's entry will prove to be a watershed moment, with open source finally making a big impact in the handheld space (and no, I don't consider the Zaurus to be a big deal...sorry). Actual handsets running Android will be announced, if not available, before the end of 2008.

Depending on your threshold for "shaking up" the phone industry, I think most people would agree that Android made quite a splash in 2008 when the HTC G1 was launched on T-Mobile in the US on September 23rd. And we've already heard of around a dozen hardware makers signed on to release Android handsets. While handset sales still pale in comparison to the iPhone, 2009 looks like it just might be the year of the Android.

3) Palm Supports Android
This is more of a hope than an actual prediction, as I just don't know whether the egos at Palm will let the company do the right thing and admit that their next-generation OS (which has been under development since 2004!) will be a viable contender against Android (which has essentially the same technical details but scads more developer support). But, if cooler, more rational heads prevail at Palm, they'll announce that they're plans will be to produce at least one Android-based product (probably to come out sometime in 2012 :-/ ).

Ouch...I couldn't have been more wrong. While I still think Palm would have been smart to advance their product refurbishment by a full year (maybe more) by going with Android instead of continuing to pursue Nova, the company stuck to its original, go-it-alone plans. We'll see how well that pans out in 2009.

4) Microsoft's HD Photo Replacement for JPEG Image Standard Goes Nowhere
I'm not saying it's a bad idea technically; I'm just saying that JPEG is so entrenched now that replacing it would be about as reasonable a thing to try as would be replacing MP3 with any of the multitudes of better formats. JPEG, like MP3, isn't great, but it's adequate (at least for consumers) and ubiquitous. We'll still be saving all our photos in JPG (and maybe RAW) at the end of 2008...and likely long after that.

JPEG XR, the official name of Microsoft's HD Photo format, has generated essentially zero traction in the camera industry. Part of that is Microsoft's less-than-swift transition of JPEG XR into its quasi-open licensing portfolio, a move that will have to happen for camera makers and developers to trust that they won't be bitten by huge licensing fees in the future if they move their products away from RAW to JPEG XR.

5) Subnotes Will Explode in Availability (and Maybe Popularity)
I've always been a fan of tiny, sub-3-pound laptops, but I think 2008 will see a huge number of these clamshell devices come out of every corner of the consumer electronics space. The Asus EeePC and the OLPC XO Laptop are two examples. While Microsoft had a good idea in its UMPC (Ultra-Mobile PC) concept, the hardware was just never executed all that well. Frankly, I think a 7" touchscreen for Windows is just too difficult. But, going with the traditional clamshell design and using cheaper and/or smaller technologies (e.g., flash memory instead of a HDD) will bring us a raft of interesting (and some good) designs at <$500 price points. Bring 'em on! And I think we'll start to see a lot more people toting these things along that traditionally avoided laptops for whatever reason (cost, weight, etc.).

Bingo. If the shelves at Best Buy and Circuit City are any indication, these "netbooks" (the now-favored term...at least by everyone except Psion) have multiplied faster than Tribbles on Cialis. One glance at the huuuge list of netbooks over at small-notebooks.com is enough evidence to suggest that this prediction was spot on.

6) The GPS War Heats Up
TomTom, Nokia, and Garmin will exchange hostile fire over the GPS market due to convuluted agreements regarding mapping data as well as market-share for hardware. Products will continue to decline in price and improve in functionality, and >50% of cellphones will have some form of GPS functionality available on them. I guess that's two predictions in one...oh well.

I'm going to give myself this one. While we haven't heard that much more about the complex licensing agreements involving the big three, you need only walk through a Staples, Radio Shack, or Target to see a vast assortment of portable GPS units now available for under $150, most even having text-to-speech and other advanced functions. That's in direct comparison to late last year, when it was difficult to find a decent unit for under $300.

7) DRM Hits Choppy Water
2007 saw some movement away from DRM (digital rights management), especially in the music industry, but I expect we'll see similar initiatives in all areas of media. DRM has been proven again and again to be little more than an expensive technological boondoggle, and the leading innovators at the consumer media interface (e.g., Apple, Amazon, and Google) will make some headway into reversing the trend of more encumbrance for our media. The RIAA and MPAA will continue to fight it...they know how to do nothing else...but economic results will start to demonstrate that DRM actually hurts profitability.

Nope...we didn't hear much consistent with my prediction. While some markets moved towards offering DRM-free downloads, most are still heavily laden. And the RIAA actually reversed its strategy and is now no longer suing everyone and their mother for alleged downloading. So that's two different ways I was off on this one. Just goes to show that there's no telling what the content owners are thinking.

8) Major Tech Stocks End 2008 Up Significantly
These are bound to be wrong, but what the heck...nobody pays me for stock tips. I think Apple will end 2008 at 235, Google will be at 960, and Microsoft will finish the year at 50. As for other stocks, iRobot will end up at either 46 or 12 (can you tell I'm a cynical shareholder?), IBM will show tepid growth to 112, and RIM, hurt by the continued weak US dollar and facing increasing competition, will struggle to match its 1-year high of 127.

Uh, no. While I doubt many saw the massive downturn in stocks coming, tech stocks are decidedly not even slightly better off than most. Let's see how my specific price predictions held up:
  • Apple (AAPL): Predicted = 235; Actual = 86.29
  • Google (GOOG): Predicted = 960; Actual = 303.11
  • Microsoft (MSFT): Predicted = 50; Actual = 19.34
  • iRobot (IRBT): Predicted = 46 or 12; Actual = 8.95
  • IBM (IBM): Predicted = 112; Actual = 83.55
  • Research in Motion (RIMM): Predicted = 127; Actual = 38.77
In summary, do not ask me to manage your stock portfolio...you would be better served by setting your money on fire, as then you could at least stay warm for a while.

9) I Buy a New Laptop and Am Disappointed
My Panasonic CF-W2 is now three-and-a-half-years-old and I'm starting to cringe every time I turn it on (my luck with hard drives makes me skeptical of many living past their 4th birthday). I've been looking at possible replacements (e.g., Toshiba R500, Panasonic W7, maybe the Lenovo IdeaPad U110 or the rumored Apple subnote) and so far every single one has some significant trade-offs. So, I expect I'll get one and it will turn out to be not significantly better than my aging Toughbook. You'd think in nearly four years that two grand would buy something markedly superior. We'll see...

Unfortunately, I was right on this. The Fujitsu LifeBook P8010 I ended up purchasing in February is a good laptop...don't get me wrong. It's just not a heads-and-shoulders better laptop than my ToughBook was, and that's what I was expecting given the nearly 4 years newer technology and the $2500 it cost. And, given that I've already had to send it in for a repair (the power button broke off), I'm guessing the durability won't even come close to that of the Panasonic (which I still use regularly around the house).

10) Major Changes in Automotive Industry Announced
While the car business makes actual change only very slowly, we'll see some huge announcements in 2008 that will fundamentally change the future of that industry. Things like record oil prices, an increasing attention to sustainable/green technology, and significant ownership changes will substantially change the competitive landscape. Make no mistake; Toyota will continue its ascent and eclipse GM as #1 car-maker in the world. But, we will see several major announcements that will start affecting actual consumers in 2009 and beyond.

While I didn't get the stock predictions exactly right (OK, not even close), I think it's safe to say that the US automotive industry has been shaken up with major changes during 2008. We saw record oil prices (check!), more attention to green tech (check!), and the bottom dropping out of US consumption didn't leave them anywhere to go except to the Congress for help. And Toyota did indeed become the biggest carmaker in the world in 2008, just as predicted. Let's hope the Volt truly is something special...for all our sakes.

So, there you have it: our final score is 7 winners and 3 losers. I'll take it. :-)

In a couple of days, I'll be posting GearBits' predictions for 2009, so make sure you come back and check those out, m'kay?

Barack Obama came to Cincinnati on Thursday, October 9th and visited one of our city's most attractive places...Ault Park. On an immaculate Fall day, a crowd of roughly 15,000 people waited, some over 4 hours, to hear this future US President speak. Below are some of the nearly 400 photographs I took at the event.

A Cincinnati Enquirer story gives more details about the rally.

A crowd of about 15,000 on hand.

Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland revs up the crowd.

Obama takes the stage.

A week-and-a-half ago, I spent all weekend (well, about 34 hours of it) in a habitrail of meeting rooms with about 100 other people trying to do something pretty incredible: invent, build, and launch a new Internet startup in less than three days.

The event, InOneWeekend 2008, was the inaugural entrepreneurial exercise by this new Cincinnati organization, which hopes to jump-start new-venture creation in the technology-based services space (i.e., dot-coms).

After lots of thinking and working and coding and sweating (not to mention eating fast food and swilling highly caffeinated beverages), our concept was outlined and mocked up to a degree that we thought the world should be invited to share in its evolution from beta concept to fully operational service.

I, er, we give you...LifeSpoke.

Go on...click the link and check it out...it won't hurt, I promise.

LifeSpoke is, and soon will be more of, a place to save, organize, and share all your personal memorabilia and life's memories (assuming they come in handy digital format, of course). With an innovative, patent-pending interface (that we're not quite ready to share yet) and a family-oriented content model (that includes loads of privacy, security, and convenience), we're pretty stoked at the idea that moms, dads, kids, grandparents, and close friends will finally have a place to share their intimate memories and most precious media in a rich new environment.

Now, I know what you're thinking. Actually, you're thinking "I'm hungry...I wonder what's in the fridge." Hey, focus...there's just a little more to read here. You were also thinking "But aren't there a bazillion other media-sharing websites out there, like YouTube, most with sharing features?" To that I say of course! But LifeSpoke is different and will be the best solution for families and close-knit groups of friends to share their memories. While those other sites are great for stuff like watching someone's dog ride a skateboard or having anonymous 15-year-olds "friend" you, LifeSpoke focuses on the relationships in your life that mean the most.

So...go sign up for one of the limited beta invitations at LifeSpoke.com and join us as we ride this idea to wherever it takes us. Should be a fun trip.

If you're interested in reading more about the InOneWeekend adventure we had, check out these stories:
• Official LifeSpoke press release (Marketwatch.com)
• Cincinnati Business Courier article (bizjournals.com)

As an engineer by training, it's my duty to make sure my kids are exposed to the fun of hacking their world. Combining hacking and art makes for an activity fun for both generations, so I'm generally on the lookout for fun art/science projects. An instructable (I'm an avid instructable fan) entry had a great idea -- light doodles! To have fun drawing in the air, all you need is some colored lights, a dark room, and a digital camera.

Well, it is a little more complicated than that. If you don't have some colored LED lights (like car keychain lights) handy, you can follow this instructable to make some of your own. I bought some cheap assorted LEDs and other parts off eBay to make mine. I had tried using an incandescent flashlight, but the poor results bored my kid. The LEDs are easier for small kid hands, and multiple colors add to the fun.

Next, I had to pour through my digital camera manual to figure out how to set (a) the delay and (b) a long exposure. The exposure setting was hard to find! My Canon SD100 can be set for 15 seconds. After that, it's pretty simple. If you need more tips, read this instructable for advice on taking the pictures.

Look, Ma! No messy paints, no wasted paper!

I just came across this ridiculous story on BoingBoing about Ford preventing a Mustang owner's group from publishing a calendar featuring photos the owners took of their own cars on the grounds that all images of Ford cars are inherently trademarked and, therefore, property of Ford.

Can American companies become any more stupid than this? I'm not quite sure it's possible.

For the record, I'm fairly confident Subaru has no such policy. And just to try it out, here's a shot of my own car (a 2005 Impreza WRX STI).

As has become customary around the changing of the calendar, here are GearBits' official predictions for 2008.

1) Blu-Ray Wins the Format War
Yep, I'm going to pick a winner and it's going to be Blu-Ray. The one-two punch of Warner Brothers's move to Blu-Ray exclusivity (from its Switzerland-like neutrality of supporting both formats) later in 2008 and Apple's announcement that BD will be the only HD format available in its products will cement HD DVD's demise. And none too soon. I don't really care which wins...just make it snappy so that prices on players and media can plummet, thanks.

2) Google's Android Shakes Up Phone Industry
For a while now, the cellphone industry has been fairly static. A few smartphone and mobile OS makers have generally tussled for market share, but the overall industry has been pretty evolutionary. Google's entry will prove to be a watershed moment, with open source finally making a big impact in the handheld space (and no, I don't consider the Zaurus to be a big deal...sorry). Actual handsets running Android will be announced, if not available, before the end of 2008.

3) Palm Supports Android
This is more of a hope than an actual prediction, as I just don't know whether the egos at Palm will let the company do the right thing and admit that their next-generation OS (which has been under development since 2004!) will be a viable contender against Android (which has essentially the same technical details but scads more developer support). But, if cooler, more rational heads prevail at Palm, they'll announce that they're plans will be to produce at least one Android-based product (probably to come out sometime in 2012 :-/ ).

4) Microsoft's HD Photo Replacement for JPEG Image Standard Goes Nowhere
I'm not saying it's a bad idea technically; I'm just saying that JPEG is so entrenched now that replacing it would be about as reasonable a thing to try as would be replacing MP3 with any of the multitudes of better formats. JPEG, like MP3, isn't great, but it's adequate (at least for consumers) and ubiquitous. We'll still be saving all our photos in JPG (and maybe RAW) at the end of 2008...and likely long after that.

5) Subnotes Will Explode in Availability (and Maybe Popularity)
I've always been a fan of tiny, sub-3-pound laptops, but I think 2008 will see a huge number of these clamshell devices come out of every corner of the consumer electronics space. The Asus EeePC and the OLPC XO Laptop are two examples. While Microsoft had a good idea in its UMPC (Ultra-Mobile PC) concept, the hardware was just never executed all that well. Frankly, I think a 7" touchscreen for Windows is just too difficult. But, going with the traditional clamshell design and using cheaper and/or smaller technologies (e.g., flash memory instead of a HDD) will bring us a raft of interesting (and some good) designs at <$500 price points. Bring 'em on! And I think we'll start to see a lot more people toting these things along that traditionally avoided laptops for whatever reason (cost, weight, etc.).

6) The GPS War Heats Up
TomTom, Nokia, and Garmin will exchange hostile fire over the GPS market due to convuluted agreements regarding mapping data as well as market-share for hardware. Products will continue to decline in price and improve in functionality, and >50% of cellphones will have some form of GPS functionality available on them. I guess that's two predictions in one...oh well.

7) DRM Hits Choppy Water
2007 saw some movement away from DRM (digital rights management), especially in the music industry, but I expect we'll see similar initiatives in all areas of media. DRM has been proven again and again to be little more than an expensive technological boondoggle, and the leading innovators at the consumer media interface (e.g., Apple, Amazon, and Google) will make some headway into reversing the trend of more encumbrance for our media. The RIAA and MPAA will continue to fight it...they know how to do nothing else...but economic results will start to demonstrate that DRM actually hurts profitability.

8) Major Tech Stocks End 2008 Up Significantly
These are bound to be wrong, but what the heck...nobody pays me for stock tips. I think Apple will end 2008 at 235, Google will be at 960, and Microsoft will finish the year at 50. As for other stocks, iRobot will end up at either 46 or 12 (can you tell I'm a cynical shareholder?), IBM will show tepid growth to 112, and RIM, hurt by the continued weak US dollar and facing increasing competition, will struggle to match its 1-year high of 127.

9) I Buy a New Laptop and Am Disappointed
My Panasonic CF-W2 is now three-and-a-half-years-old and I'm starting to cringe every time I turn it on (my luck with hard drives makes me skeptical of many living past their 4th birthday). I've been looking at possible replacements (e.g., Toshiba R500, Panasonic W7, maybe the Lenovo IdeaPad U110 or the rumored Apple subnote) and so far every single one has some significant trade-offs. So, I expect I'll get one and it will turn out to be not significantly better than my aging Toughbook. You'd think in nearly four years that two grand would buy something markedly superior. We'll see...

10) Major Changes in Automotive Industry Announced
While the car business makes actual change only very slowly, we'll see some huge announcements in 2008 that will fundamentally change the future of that industry. Things like record oil prices, an increasing attention to sustainable/green technology, and significant ownership changes will substantially change the competitive landscape. Make no mistake; Toyota will continue its ascent and eclipse GM as #1 car-maker in the world. But, we will see several major announcements that will start affecting actual consumers in 2009 and beyond.

So, I'll check back in about 12 months to see how I fared. In the meantime, what do you think will happen?

A few months ago, I upgraded our family room's HTPC by replacing the old Shuttle box with a nice Intel-powered Mac Mini. So far, nearly everything has been hunky dory. Front Row pretty much works as advertised, and that's the computer's main use.

But one sore point with me has been an inability to wrangle iPhoto to display my photos I have on an external drive attached to the Mac so that we can view them through Front Row (which only talks to iPhoto for photo-viewing purposes).

Basically, what I want iPhoto to do is simply index and display photos stored on an external hard drive, in much the same fashion that iTunes handles MP3 files stored externally. You see, I keep all my "original" photos on a machine elsewhere on our network -- the files on the Mini's external drive are merely copies, updated as needed via network backup. So, when I add some new photos to the collection, all I want iPhoto to do is realize I've done so and make the new folder available via Front Row. Isn't that easy?

Yet there's apparently no way to do that. iPhoto wants to be the sole photo-management app and really makes it difficult to interact with photos that aren't "imported" directly through it. In that sense, iPhoto is really an overly egocentric, yet very lame, program.

Anybody have a suggestion as to how to view our photos via Front Row? Anyone? Bueller?

Last month, I became fed up with the increasingly disgusting state of my LCD screens. Both my laptop and my two LCD desktop panels at work were just rife with dust, lint, and macroscopic unmentionables. Just gross.

So, I thought I'd grab a screen cleaner and wipe them off. Turns out that's not as easy as one might imagine. Most everyday cleaners you find in grocery stores have alcohol, ammonia and/or other chemicals in them that do not play nicely with the plastics and coatings involved in LCD and other portable electronic displays.

So, I did what any conscientious tech blogger would do: I ordered three of the more commonly recommended cleaners to do a comparison test. KlearScreen, Purosol, and Mirachem Optix were all purchased from online retailer Photodon (who provided no monetary or other support for this test other than selling me all the cleaners at their standard price). I also purchased a bottle of the Photodon house brand LCD cleaner just to see how it stacked up. I also bought a brand new microfiber cloth to use in the testing.

Read on for details on the four candidates and the results of my month-long test for performance, endurance, and overall value.

According to TWICE, a recent study suggests that phone-based photo-sharing is declining:

Camera Phone Image Sharing on Decline
By Greg Scoblete -- TWICE, 4/6/2007 9:24:00 AM

Jackson, Mich. -- Despite a sharp uptick in the number of households with camera phones, fewer consumers than ever are sharing their camera phone images, according to a new study from the Photo Marketing Association.

In a January survey canvassing 5,985 families, 35 percent reported owning a camera phone, up from 26 percent in the previous year. Of that figure, only 24 percent reported sharing images via e-mail or wireless transmission, down from 28 percent in 2005 and 36 percent in 2004.

The percent of camera phone owners who print their images was unchanged at 4 percent.

More than 80 percent of camera phones on the market are under 2-megapixels, PMA said.

I see two likely reasons for this trend (if it is, indeed, an actual trend). First, cameras are increasingly found in all manner of phones, from the priciest smartphones to the freebie disposables you get with a new contract. That means a wider variety of individuals are using cameraphones. So, given that a camera in one's phone may be a new feature to many who have it now for the first time, they may be less familiar and less likely to use it. Also, many who now have cameraphones got the phone with no intention of using the camera function -- it just happened to have a camera in it. Both of these user demographics factors would tend to lower the percentage of cameraphone owners who actually share photos with the cameraphones.

Second, and perhaps more sinister, is how difficult, cumbersome, and unpleasant most carriers have made it to actually share photos using their cameraphones. Take Sprint, for example. In order to share a photo from my phone, I have to submit it through the Sprint's proprietary Picture Mail service. Once uploaded, say, via MMS, the recipient gets a text message pointing him to a URL (yes, a website!) at which the photo can be viewed. This requires starting an actual web browser and burning through lots of overhead packets downloading things like menus, background images, etc. Despite having a perfectly good MMS application in my Treo and my wife's Treo, both on Sprint, we can't simply MMS a photo to each other. Instead, it either has to go through Sprint's craptastic Picture Mail service, or we just have to email it as an attachment. Instead of simply using the functions that most phone-makers have already embedded in the handsets themselves, carriers' desire to control every aspect of the usage experience generally tends to harm the user's experience and destroy value for their customers.

While the demographic trend may ultimately push these numbers down fairly low, the carriers could easily help reverse the trend somewhat by opening up picture-messaging the same way that most have done with SMS/text messaging. Open standards promote use and foster innovation, both of which benefit the carriers nearly as much as they benefit their customers.

I came across this photo and found it very curious.

What do you think it is? A close-up of a hairy guy with bad skin? To find out, click the "continue reading" link...

In an effort to clean out our technology closet, I'm selling a MiniDV camcorder that we just never use: a JVC GR-DVM80U with several extra accessories (2 extra batteries, 2 blank tapes, and a nice camcorder bag).

Check out the eBay auction now.

UPDATE #1 (1/13/07)
Well, I had to re-list this auction as the original auction ended with a fraudulent Buy-It-Now. Here's the email I got from the buyer:

Hello, Compliment of the season to you.I am Mr.Steve Joe., I'm contacting you concerning your item on Ebay which i eventually became the winning bidder for your item.Morever i'm presently serving our beloved nation here in Iraq with the United Nation and i intend sending this item to my son as suprise gift who works with the American Embassy in Lagos,Nigeria as a consular.I will be making my payment to you via PayPal and also i want you to send me the total cost including the cost of shipping to Lagos,Nigeria,So get the package ready for immediate shipment or next day shipment okay?and don't forget to send me your PayPal Email Address so i can immediately make out my payment.Plz i want the item to be shipped via Usps Global Experss Mail(EMS).Mail me back it's urgent. Regards Mr.Steve Joe

Needless to say, that's not legit. To eBay's credit, they refunded me 100% of the fees associated with the original auction and de-registered "Steve Joe" as a user.

What eBay really needs is a way for me to stipulate that I won't accept bids from users with less than a positive feedback rating (currently, ebay only lets you say you won't accept bids from users with negative feedback ratings) or users that have registered within the past month. That would make it tougher on new buyers, but for an item with a likely final value exceeding $100, that seems like a reasonable trade-off to me.

Anyway, the new auction is up...go check it out.

UPDATE #2 (1/18/07)

Well, I've been scammed again. After m_irwin.1, a bidder with +2 feedback and ebay member since 1999, made the high bid on my camcorder, I figured it would be fine.

But then I get his payment notification email:

Micky Irwin wrote: I have made the payment for your item via my paypal account m_irwin01@yahoo.com, get the item ship to my son address as soon as you receive confirmation of payment from paypal. Here is my son address below for verification.

Mr Adewale George Francis
Sw9/241 Araromi Apata Odo Ona
Ibadan
Oyo state
Nigeria
23402
+2348063014998

hope to hear from you soon

Needless to say, this is AGAIN not a legitimate bidder, as m_irwin.1's recent feedback shows.

And this time, even PayPal is being used in the scam (or it's one of the more complex phishing attempts I've seen):

This PayPal payment has been deducted from the buyer's account and has been "APPROVED/DEPOSITED into escrow account" but this is international shipment,your account will not be a credited until the shipment tracking number is sent to us for shipment verification so as to secure both the seller and the buyer. Below are the necessary information requested before your account will be credited. You are to send the shipment tracking number through our customer service helpline (info.paypalcustomeraccount@emailaccount.com), and our customer service care will attend to you. As soon as you send us the shipment's tracking number to us for security purposes and the safety of the buyer and the seller,the money will be credited to your account.Do not send to the buyer the reference/tracking number for the safety of your money. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shipping Information
Address:
Mr Adewale George Francis
Sw9/241 Araromi Apata Odo Ona
Ibadan
Oyo state
Nigeria
23402.
Address Status: Confirmed

**PLEASE NOTE**
Once shipment has been verified and the tracking number sent,we will verify and credit your account.You will receive a " CONFIRMATION EMAIL " from PayPal informing you that the Money has been credited.The payment has been made under your name

It seems to me that navigating the eBay auction system and then sending a coordinated fake PayPal email would be more work than it's worth for a $175 camcorder. Whatever the case, it's darn irritating.

UPDATE #3 (1/21/07)
I just logged in to my eBay account and noticed something odd. Within a day of my fiasco above (1/18/07), the feedback rating for the scammer m_irwin.1 had sunk to -10 as nearly a dozen victims left negative feedback. Today, however, the seller listed as having won my auction is labeebmile, who only has one negative feedback entry and mine has been removed from his account, leaving him with a feedback rating of +2. What is going on? To make matters even more confusing, my account shows that I left feedback for the winner of the auction (previously, m_irwin.1, but now labeebmile), yet nothing for him shows up when you list my feedback left for others. Obviously, eBay is having some serious issues here. I will hopefully get a full credit for all fees associated with my last auction and will look elsewhere to sell my camcorder. The death of eBay indeed seems imminent.

As per tradition (OK, for at least the third time), here are my predictions for the upcoming year, 2007:

1) Apple's iPod continues PMP domination
Thought I'd start off with a safe one. Yep, I don't think too many would argue that the iPod is poised to remain the de facto standard in portable media players. Given that the #1 seller in Amazon's electronics category during the 2006 holiday season was the iPod by a significant margin, and given that accessories for all other PMPs combined amount to about 1/100th of what's available for the iPod, there's really no doubt that newcomers will have a hard time challenging the king, despite any technical advantages.

2) 802.11n gets ratified and gear floods to market
802.11n, the next generation of that family of wireless networking standards, has been forever in getting off the ground. 2007 should see its final certification, opening the gates to loads of networking hardware compliant to the new standard.

3) Film cameras all but disappear from electronics stores
While you'll still be able to find cheap disposables, it will become nearly impossible to find any mainstream electronics retailer selling more than one or two token models. $99 digital cameras from recognizable brands will become commonplace.

4) Nintendo tops Sony and Microsoft as gaming overlord
Not a big leap here, but Nintendo, through its Wii and DS lines, will lead all brands in game unit sales in 2007. Sony will retain the crown of technological leader (and work though its Blu-Ray production issues), and Microsoft will continue to play the spoiler in the industry.

5) TiVo is acquired
If this prediction was good enough to be wrong in 2006, then it's good enough for 2007 as well.

6) Google launches the GooglePhone
Google, in partnership with some handheld maker and/or carrier, will launch a branded QWERTY smartphone that natively runs its main offerings (e.g., Gmail, Google Docs, Google Maps, Google Talk, etc.). Maybe I'm predicting this purely out of desire -- I so want such a device -- but I do think it will happen eventually.

7) eBay sells Skype
You heard it here first. Or maybe you didn't. Either way, this is a long-shot prediction, but I think Meg Whitman is smart enough to realize that Skype is worth more to eBay when it's owned by somebody else.

8) Palm brings Jeff Hawkins back to reinvent Treo line
The current Treo line is getting a bit long in the tooth (not to mention the now-ancient Palm OS, which Palm just repurchased the permanent rights to) and its sales are likely getting pinched by slimmer, more aesthetically appealing (while not as functional, but a lot of people by phones based on looks...kind of like how they pick boy/girlfriends in college) offerings from Motorola and others. So, since Palm doesn't seem capable of designing anything anyone wants to buy on its own, the company will announce that Jeff Hawkins is coming back to help lead the development of the next-generation Treo. And many will ask, "What took you so long?"

9) HD-DVD and Blu-Ray persist; nobody cares
More devices will be available at cheaper prices, but sales of both players and media will continue to be tepid. Not only is renting becoming the dominant mode of DVD acquisition, but the current quality of standard dual-layer DVDs is perfectly adequate for 99% of the population. Maybe in a few years, the proliferating 1080p sets will drive people to want high-def movies, but it won't be as rapid an adoption rate as the original DVD was.

10) Robots become sentient, destroy all of humanity
On a related note, iRobot's stock price will double in 2007 as a result of strong sales and the announcement that a first-gen AI will take over as President and CEO.

Have a good year, everyone!

I've been cleaning out some old stuff of mine and my parents and have come across an interesting collection of stuff from my childhood. Two things I had saved for future reference included a 1975 World Series (baseball) program and a 1981 newspaper about the Space Shuttle. Looking through these, I discovered a veritable time capsule of consumer electronics -- advertisements from brands like Tandy, Zenith, Polaroid, and Magnavox are pretty amusing compared to today's offerings.

Take a look at some full-page ads for TVs, computers, cameras, and more after the jump...

It's time we said good-bye to the "D" in "DSLR". DSLR, short for Digital Single-Lens Reflex, refers to the fact that these upper-end cameras no longer rely on film.

The majority of cameras sold on the planet haven't relied on film for years now (since 2003, to be exact), so why do we need to refer to these things as digital cameras or digital SLRs?

We stopped carefully calling them electric drills and electric typewriters a long time ago -- now, you have to explicitly specify the manual version of either if that's what you mean, as electric is assumed. It's the same with electronic calculators (when's the last time you saw a mechanical one?).

Therefore, I propose we start referring to digital cameras as just "cameras" (and, accordingly, digital SLRs are just "SLRs") and begin referring to film cameras, as the minority in the category, explicitly as such.

So...can I sell you my old FSLR?

Business trips often provide nice opportunities for some travel photography, so taking both my camera and my laptop -- something none of my current bags can accommodate -- was becoming increasingly desirable to me. So, I began searching for a backpack-style bag that would safely house my DSLR and lenses while also providing room for my notebook.

I found the Case Logic SLRC-4 SLR/Computer Backpack. It's nice and quite a bargain (I found it for about $70 delivered -- the next cheapest similar alternative was a LowePro bag for about $140).

Granted, if you have a lot of gear and/or really big lenses, this may not be the bag for you. If you want to use it for toting both a camera setup and laptop (with accouterments), you'll be limited to one DSLR body, 4-5 small-to-medium-sized lenses, and up to a 15" notebook. A jumbo 300mm f/2.8 (or larger) lens just isn't going to fit. The inside is very reconfigurable in terms of allocating space for different equipment, so as long as you're not heading off to a month-long safari, you should be covered.

Build quality seems very good -- definitely better than I expected for such an inexpensive bag. Another benefit is that there is nothing about the bag that screams out "expensive technology inside!" making it less attractive to thieves.

So, if you have a modest DSLR setup and need to take your laptop with you often, check out the Case Logic SLRC-4 backpack...a good bag and a great value.

From the "who wudda thunk" department comes this CNET story: Digital SLRs bring lens quandary.

The article discusses the increasing variety of sensor sizes in digital SLRs, meaning that those who buy lenses for these cameras have to understand what is commonly referred to as a "crop factor" (the article explains it...read, read).

With any technology that reaches the mass consumption level, there will have to be some learning and familiarization. So it's not really surprising that there's some confusion.

However, I did notice that the article says some DSLRs are moving towards a 4:3 image aspect ratio (the standard 35mm film aspect ratio is 3:2). So, will 4x6 (inch) prints go by the wayside in favor of 4.5x6 or some other new standard size? That will not make the photo album manufacturers very happy.

I expect that DSLRs and other removable-lens cameras will remain tools for the serious hobbyist and professional, with everyone else getting fixed-lens cameras. If you have no need for the flexibility of an SLR and you're not willing to put up with the added bulk and complexity (let alone cost), there's no reason you should.

We've been longtime Shutterfly customers, as they've typically done a terrific job on our photo prints.

The only exception was our recent holiday cards, where the photo on the front wasn't as crisply printed as I had expected. But in general, we've been quite satisfied.

A few weeks ago, Shutterfly sent us a postcard offering a free hardcover photo book. I expected a catch, but thought I'd check it out anyway.

So I went online and created a hardcover photo book with a leather cover (other options are suede and satin) and 24 pages of photos and poems I had written for my daughter. Configuring the book was very easy with lots of page layout options, several font choices, and very flexible text entry.

Upon checkout, I realized there was no catch; I was charged only for shipping. I guess Shutterfly was just trying to generate interest in one of its pricier products.

A couple days ago, we received our photo book and WOW! It's an impressive product. The quality is about what you'd find on a high school yearbook, which is better than I expected. Given that a 50-page, leather-bound, custom-printed photo album is going to cost you less than $100, it seems like a pretty good deal, too.

Below are some shots of the book we received. We'll certainly be ordering these in the future for special occasions and maybe gifts (these would make an amazing personalized holiday or birthday gift for that older relative who is so hard to shop for).

The quarter is included just to give you a sense of scale (the books are big!).

The books include black end papers.

Full-bleed (to the edge of the page) printing is available for photos, which gives a very professional look.

Browsing the circulars in the newspaper this morning, I noticed what seems like a pretty decent deal.

OfficeDepot is offering the SmartDisk FotoChute FCD20, a portable 20GB receptacle for digital camera files (and anything else that can be transferred via its USB2.0 port), for $70 after rebate (valid for purchases between Jan. 22nd and 28th, 2006).

Here's the link to the OfficeDepot webpage. The website still says $169.99, but the flyer said they were giving an additional $30 off in "instant savings."

The reviews I've read seem to indicate that it works pretty well as a file sherpa, but it doesn't do some things that other, more expensive devices do (like play MP3s, allow you to view photos on a little display, provide memory card slots, etc.).

I don't have one of these, and probably won't run out and get one, but for those of you looking for cheap, small file storage or about to take a long trip and don't want to stock up on flash media for your camera, this might be a decent deal.

So I familiarized myself with the Nokia N90 over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend (see Hands On - Nokia N90 Multimedia Smartphone for initial thoughts and photos). Being as this is the first Symbian Series 60 phone I've spent any real time with, the learning curve was a bit steeper than I expected. Also, given that I'm not as much of a "phone guy" as some folks (most of my phone use involves data rather than voice), I came into it with a lot of smartphone-esque expectations (e.g., I'm very used to a touchscreen and lots of hardware buttons, of which the N90 has neither). With that said, after the jump are some thoughts from my first few days of using the N90.

The nice UPS man just dropped off a Nokia N90 on my doorstep.

You remember the N90...it's the new GSM phone with the Carl Zeiss optics, 2MP camera, video capture straight to MPEG-4 at 352x288 resolution, two-way video calls, etc., etc.

While it's warming up (don't want to risk condensation damage) and the battery is charging, I thought I'd post a few shots of what it looks like sans power (next to my Treo 650 for size comparisons). It's amazingly small...thick, but elegant.

So far, me likey. More later after I get it operational.

Continue reading past the break for the photos!

Recently, I started a list of cameras that almost met all my needs, but failed to do something I desired.

Well, after looking at all these cameras, my resolve to stick it out until someone came up with a digital SLR that took movies simply petered out. I am weak.

After looking around a bit and trying out some cameras in stores, I realized that I need image stabilization -- I just do not have steady hands. And, I wasn't very excited about dropping over a grand on a camera. So, based mostly on those two factors, I decided to see if I could find the Konica Minolta Maxxum 5D (called the Dynax 5D in some markets) for a decent price.

As fate (or advertising) would have it, I got an email from Circuit City announcing a big pre-Thanksgiving (wtf?) camera sale. Long story short, I picked up a 5D kit (includes an OK, but not great, 18-70mm lens with the 5D body) for $703 from the CC store about a mile from my house. As that was only about $15 more than the cheapest mail-order, I gave in -- my last argument for holding out was gone, and immediate gratification was just too tempting.

I haven't had much opportunity to use it extensively yet, but I snapped some quick pics of my daughter eating her dinner. So far, I'm really pleased at the responsiveness of the camera, and the images are very nice -- good detail and great color accuracy. The lens doesn't seem to be noteworthy in any regard -- it's a bit slow, but given that it only added about $50 to the price of the body alone, it was a bargain.

I haven't gotten it out of Program AE yet, so I expect this camera has a lot of room for me to grow into. More reactions will be posted here on GearBits as I use it...I promise.

In my recent post, What I Want in a Digital Camera (November 11, 2005), I listed a bunch of criteria that are important essential to me to have in a digital camera. Some folks emailed me with ideas (or posted them at DigitalMediaThoughts) so I thought I'd start a list of cameras that folks have suggested, but which ultimately fail to meet one of my absolute must-have criteria.

So, listed below, in true nerd fashion, is a table of suggested digital cameras that come within one inadequacy or missing feature of being my "ideal". The features I require (as detailed in my original post) are listed as columns and each row shows a "near miss" camera that comes close to meeting my requirements (all links go to DPReview.com).

Or, Why the Heck Haven't They Made This Yet?

Since I began my search to replace my aging Olympus C-2100 UZ (I still miss my Uzi sometimes), I've yet to find a digital camera that I'd say is close to my ideal. Even if price weren't an issue, every model offered up in the past 2 years is lacking something important to me.

So, here's my annotated "short" list of digital camera requirements:

1) Excellent picture quality. It seems obvious to me that this should be near the top of anyone's list who really cares about the camera he/she uses. But oddly enough, and contrary to the belief that technology improves with time, cameras being announced recently seem to offer us worse image quality than cameras being made a few years ago. There is much gnashing of teeth over the increasingly noisy 5-9 megapixel sensors being stuck in 'prosumer' and enthusiast non-DSLR cameras. The manufacturers seem to believe that we're willing to put up with incredibly noisy (even at ISO 100) images as long as they're really, really big. Sorry...that doesn't make any sense to me. I'd take a clean 3MP image over a noisy 8MP image any day of the week. If that means you have to make a 1" (versus 1/1.7" or smaller) 5MP sensor, so be it. Even my Canon SI 1S, which came out in 2003, turns out worse photos than my old C-2100, which came out in 2000 -- the Canon just doesn't offer the same vibrance, clarity and tack-sharp images the Olympus produced despite it being 3 years newer. DSLRs seem to be the clear winner in picture quality, but they have a different limitation...

2) Great movies. OK, I heard several of you photography purists audibly snort when you read that. Yes, I really like the fact that I can take high-quality (VGA, 30fps) MPEG-4 movies with my digital camera (the lack of this feature is why I replaced my C-2100). I'll be taking some stills of something (OK, basically just my daughter these days) and I'll think "gosh, it'd be nice to get this on video." Switch modes and bam, I'm recording live action. And it's rare (OK, never) that I want to film something for longer than a few minutes, so the HQ movie mode offered by many of the better digicams suits me much better than a miniDV camcorder. Unfortunately, none of the DSLRs available today offer movie mode. Why is that? Surely they could figure out a way to lock up the mirror and just start recording video data. I mean, other than the optics configuration, a DSLR is pretty much like any other digital camera.

3) Fast response. I want to be able to take pictures well within a second of turning the camera on and I expect the shutter response, including auto-focus, to be darn near instantaneous. Too many expensive cameras still hem and haw over focusing, especially in low light situations (why on Earth did they stop putting AF assist lamps in high-end cameras?!?), making me lose moment after moment that should have been captured. Yes, DSLRs are generally quite fast, but for other reasons I mention none fits my ideal profile.

4) Anti-shake / optical image stabilization in the lens. I have notoriously shaky hands -- so much so that my friends used to joke I'd be the first surgeon to cut out his own spleen by accident. So for me, image stabilization is a real boon. And yes, I request that this be handled by moving lens elements (a la Canon) and not by moving the CCD (as Konica Minolta does). The latter approach is much less effective at countering shake due to the physics of optics (which I won't go into here).

5) A fast fixed lens with high-quality optics. This isn't so much a requirement as a logical conclusion. I want image stabilization in the lens, but I don't really want to have to buy a bunch of really expensive OIS lenses. Plus, I don't prefer the idea of hauling around a bunch of lenses -- I used to own a 35mm SLR and having a camera bag the size of a hockey duffle always irritated me. Today's long-zoom prosumer digicams have great range -- 35-350mm (10X) is common and 35-420mm (12X) is becoming moreso. That's a lot of zoom, my friend, and except for maybe slapping on a wide-angle adapter once in a while, 35-420mm covers pretty much anything I can imagine doing on any kind of regular basis. So I'm happy to give up the ability to swap lenses if they'd give me a really good (fast with great optics) fixed lens.

6) Zoom and focus rings on the lens. Why is this concept so strange to camera makers? They seem to think we want to zoom in and out using a little thumb toggle instead of twisting a barrel ring. Well, it ain't so. Not only would zoom and focus rings make for much better (i.e., precise) control, they'd use up less battery and wouldn't add noise to movies the way that powered zooms do. Fuji's FinePix S9000 (shown) is a good example of what I'd like the barrel on my camera to look like.

7) Optical viewfinder -or- high-res EVF. I like the idea of getting back to an optical viewfinder, but unless the camera is a DSLR, this is really tough to do well. So, I'd be willing to keep an electronic viewfinder as long as it has enough resolution to let me focus manually with confidence. This is impossible to do in most digital cameras due to crappy EVFs and it's very frustrating.

8) Powered by NiMH 'AA' cells. I have a hard time justifying a camera using a proprietary rechargeable battery when four 2500mAh NiMH 'AA' cells give such great power. Sure, they take up a bit more room, but I'm not pretending this camera needs to be pocketable. Besides, isn't that what the handgrip is for -- a place to put the batteries??

9) Pop-up flash and hot shoe Yes, I want options. For snapshots and spontaneous fill flash, a pop-up flash is usually just fine. But, if I'm going to do something serious, a hot shoe for competent external flash is essential.

10) All the other little stuff. Full manual controls, including white balance and those other more obscure settings; good ergonomics; a good rear LCD (2" or larger please); an EVF mounted on the far left edge of the camera (if looking at the back), so I can avoid nose smudges all over the LCD; standard-size threaded filter mount on the lens (without requiring a special adapter or hood); a reasonable flash media format (Memory Stick and xD Picture Card do not qualify); live histogram; neckstrap and lenscap strap attachment points on the camera body; full bracketing; and some other things I probably can't think of at the moment.

You might notice I didn't specify image resolution (megapixels). That's because I don't really care that much. At least 3MP is reasonable and more than 6MP seems wasteful to me (media gets eaten up really fast with 8MP images). Big zoom can make up for lower MP a lot of the time, as can effective framing when you actually make the shot.

Yes, this ideal camera would probably be pretty costly, but you know what? It'd be worth it...to me, at least.

Update: I've started a list of cameras that almost meet these requirements at this GearBits post...go check it out.

At least, it appears that a site has ripped off some GearBits content, translated it into Arabic Farsi or Urdu (thanks, IssamE), and posted it as its own original content.

It looks to me like this other site took my Digital Photo Printing Worksheet (posted December 7, 2004), translated it and made a few changes (e.g., Imerial to metric units), and added links to its own site with no obvious reference back to GearBits as its original source. I have no problem sharing -- in fact, I encourage it -- but GearBits' Creative Commons license clearly states that attribution is expected.

Here's my original post:

And here's the rip-off derivative work:

I think it's pretty obvious that they've modified my worksheet, but if anybody speaks Arabic Farsi or Urdu and would be willing to tell me what the other page actually says, I'd appreciate it (all the free machine translation services I've tried give me back nothing but jibberish). If the other site is, in fact, giving proper attribution, I need to post an apology. :-)

The New York Times has a decent, if not short, piece on wireless network cameras. They review the Linksys WVC54G, Panasonic BB-HCM371A, and D-Link DCS-6620G. They did not mention the Hawking Technology HNC230G I reviewed last month.

Ever in search of the better baby cam, I snagged an HNC230G Wireless-G Network Camera from Hawking Technologies. There are many wireless network cameras out there, but I chose this one due to the combination of it having 802.11g with a very reasonable price (under $90).

What's a wireless network camera, and how does it differ from a webcam? Good questions. Webcams have to be connected to a computer, usually via a USB cable, and merely send image (and sometimes sound) data to the PC. Network cameras have their own embedded web server built right into them so they can broadcast their signal to the local network (and out to the Internet) without a PC. They have their own IP address, so you can access them independently of anything else on your network.

In the box was the camera (which was surprisingly small...maybe the size of two decks of cards), a short CAT-5 cable (needed for initial setup only), A/C adapter & power cord (the only wire needed when the HNC230G is in wireless mode), ball-joint mounting kit (a very nice bonus!), and the requisite software CD.

On the camera itself are several features of note: a power plug, an RJ-45 plug, an antenna mount, two screw sockets for mounting on the included ball-joint (one on the top and one on the side), and 4 status LEDs (thankfully the config software lets you turn these completely off).

Setup was pretty easy. First, you plug the camera into power and wire it directly into your network router (initial setup requires a wired connection...can't be done wirelessly). Then, install the setup software onto a PC on the network and run through the camera's wireless setup wizard. After that, once the camera is happily talking to your network, you can complete the configuration wirelessly.

As you can see in the photo, I mounted ours underneath a cabinet in the corner of the kitchen. It's fairly unobtrusive...visible, but it doesn't draw your attention. The power cord is tied up in a little bundle behind the camera...you can just see the 802.11g antenna peeking out from behind (ignore the coax cable there...that's unrelated).

So how well does it work? Pretty well, overall. When using the camera's wireless connection to view the camera's video in a web browser (it requires a Java applet), I get 6 frames per second (fps) at 160x120 and 320x240 resolutions and 2-3 fps at 640x480 (note that my wireless network is 100% 802.11g). When using a wired connection, I get somewhat faster video, although not at the camera's advertised rate of 30 fps. Image quality is quite decent...very acceptable, as can be seen in the screen cap below (that's our dog in the foreground). The camera also comes with viewer software that will let you watch 4 network cameras simultaneously (for security applications or, I guess, if you have lots of kids).

Overall, I'm happy with the purchase. I had always wanted an 802.11 network camera, but balked at the price. Prices have really started to drop recently, and this budget offering from Hawking Technologies doesn't disappoint.

I know now that I shouldn't have sold my camera.

When you're addicted to gadgets, upgrading is almost always just a question of which new device to get. Rarely is it that what you already have, despite it being ancient (at least in technology years), is the best thing going. That's what I'm now finding out about my former digital camera.

I used to use...no, that's not right...obsess over my Olympus C-2100 UZ (shown). This camera had such a cult following at one point that it was called the "Uzi" by its fans.

I was so enamored with that camera that I bought a spare, just in case something should happen to my first one. I had all sorts of extra lenses and filters and doo-dads specially for the camera. And it treated me well...rarely was I at a loss as to how to capture a decent picture. Here are some of my better examples:

But when my wife and I were expecting the birth of our daughter last summer, I felt I needed a camera that could also take decent movies. The Uzi took admittedly crappy movies -- 320x240 at 15fps with lots of distracting focusing/zoom motor noises. Given that I didn't want to be bothered with a separate camcorder, and given that I thought recording straight to MPEG-4 would save a lot of time over importing DV tape (which it has!), I thought I'd sell the Uzis and get myself a nice new camera with similar features and better movie capabilities. I thought I had found just such a camera when the Canon SI 1S was introduced last Spring.

So, I agreed to sell my Olympus setup to a guy in Canada for about $40 more than the Canon and a high-speed 2GB CF card cost. "How cool," I thought, "I'm going to come out ahead on this deal." Well, the results are mixed. While the movie capabilities of the S1 IS are indeed what I was hoping for (VGA 30fps movies of the baby are excellent), the camera aspects of the Canon are a step down from the Olympus.

And here is where the specs failed me. The Canon is 2004 technology, whereas the Olympus came out in 2000. The Canon is 3.2 megapixels while the Uzi was just 2.1. The Canon has a faster focusing mechanism than the Uzi, yet because it doesn't have a focus assist lamp, it often misfocuses in low-light situations. The Canon is smaller and lighter than the Uzi, but once I put on the threaded lens adapter (so I can use filters), it's about the same size. But really none of that matters as much as one simple fact: the Olympus consistently took better pictures than the Canon does.

It's not that the Canon takes bad pictures. They're just so-so. Even after the minor Photoshopping that I always had to do with the Uzi's photos (up the saturation, sharpen a tad maybe), photos from the Canon always seem a bit flat. Maybe it's a little more noise. Maybe it's a little softer images. I don't know. All I do know is that my wife and I look at the photos that come out of the Canon and we're rarely impressed. Contrast that with looking at photos from the Uzi, when we'd regularly go "wow" or "ooh." I am certainly not a gifted photographer, but the Uzi seemed to bring out the best in my efforts.

So, yeah, I miss the Olympus. I made a mistake and am man enough to admit it. Several of my friends (who were convinced they should buy one after trying mine) still have their Uzis, and I'm a bit envious whenever they get theirs out to snap some pics. Maybe I can convince one of them to let me have theirs when they upgrade. Of course, if they read this blog post, they may just never do that.

I guess the lessons learned are think twice, always do a trial before making a permanent switch, and don't expect a device to be excellent at everything. I relied on the specs and regret it a little. The movies are totally terrific with the Canon, but I hope I can find something someday that will once again deliver the knock-out images the Uzi produced for me. Any suggestions?

Here are 4 more pairs of photos taken recently with the Treo 600 (top) and Treo 650 (bottom):

Two things are obvious:
1) Focus and resolution (not in terms of pixels, but in distinguishing detail) is generally better on the Treo 650 (the blurriness on the one shot is likely due to me -- it was cold and my hand was freezing). It seems that the JPG compression is higher on the 600, which may explain part of this.
2) Saturation and contrast are much higher on the 600 (too high, IMO) than the 650, which may be a tad low. Why don't they add settings in software for this stuff just like they do on $59 digital cameras?

Also, take a look at another website (PhoneCamPhotographer.com) that has some good Treo 600/650 comparison shots.

One question I get asked a lot by friends and family is "how big can I print this digital photo?" My answer is always "it depends," which then requires a lengthy discussion of pixels per inch and viewing distance and other mundane topics.

So, I put together a little Excel spreadsheet that should help you determine what size prints you can make with reasonable quality based on the size of the digital photos you have. You can get it here or click on the screen capture below (you have to have Microsoft Excel to use the file).

I've based the calculations employed by the spreadsheet largely on my own experience and preferences, so if you have a more or less critical eye than is typical, you might differ with some of the recommendations the guide offers. In that case, leave me a comment and I'll tell you how to change the PPI (pixels per inch) guidelines used in calculating the ratings.

iRiver has announced a new combination digicam music player, the iRiver Prism Eye. Coming in two models, the iFP-1090 and iFP-1095 devices combine digital audio with FM tuner capability with a digital camera.

While similar in size and specs, the iFP-1090 and iFP-1095 have storage capacities of 256-MB and 512-MB. The devices do not as yet support any expansion memory, and connect to PCs by USB1.1. Form factor is 3.5x 1.5 inches.

Prism Eye devices use a 0.3-MP CMOS sensor to capture images at 640x480 resolution, with an available 3x digital zoom. The 256-MB device can hold approximately 300 shots.

Audio formats supported include MP3, WMA, Ogg Vorbis and ASF. FM tuning is within the 87.5-108 MHz band. A Li-ion battery can handle about 35 hours of playback.

The Prism Eye is expected to ship this summer.

Olympus Japan today announced the CAMEDIA AZ-1, a 3.2-megapixel ultra-compact camera measuring just 3.7 x 2.6 in x 0.8 in.

The AZ-1 uses a 'folded optics' lens design similar to the Minolta DiMAGE X series and the Sony DSC-T1, T11, to achieve its compact size. It features a 3x optical zoom.

A cradle is also provided for charging the camera, and provide for USB and video out connectivity.

The CAMEDIA AZ-1 also boasts a large 2.5-inch, 210,000-pixel view display - with high contrast and a wide viewing angle - and album and slideshow functions that makes it suitable for use as a photo viewer and portable photo album.

If you've viewed Live from Mundania, you've noticed that the photos I've been taking with the Treo 600's camera are...well...total crap. I'm really not that bad a photographer...honest.

Well, it seems that Bill Koslosky, a.k.a. Wireless Doc, has posted the start of a rather nice-looking Treo 600 Camera Primer. While there's not a whole lot there yet, Bill emailed me today to tell me that he's working on some new material that should be posted soon.

What impressed me the most was the quality of the photos he's getting out of the Treo 600's camera. For example, the photo shown below is just one of several that are pretty amazing especially when compared to the garbage that mine seems to produce. I'm willing to accept some blame for bad pics, but I'm still not 100% convinced that my phone is acting the way it should. I guess I just need Bill to teach me the Zen of Treo 600 photography.

Foveon and Polaroid today announced a new digital camera integrating the 4.5 megapixel Foveon X3 sensor. The Polaroid x530 is the world’s first X3 point-and-shoot digital camera.

Foveon X3 image sensors capture color in three semiconductor layers, similar to color film. The result of this pixel multiplexing is richer colors, warmer tones, and sharper images compared to traditional digital image sensors.

Other cameras incorporating X3 technology are the Sigma SD-9 and SD-10 professional-class digital cameras.

The introduction of the Polaroid x530 brings this capability to mainstream consumers in an affordable point-and-shoot digicam.

Polaroid expects shipping in June 2004, at a suggested retail price of $399.

The Universal Transportable Memory Association (UTMA) has introduced a flash memory card standard requiring no adapters, cables or card readers, called a Flash Internal Semiconductor Harddrive, or FISH. Cards based on the standard plug into any USB port, allowing transfer of information between PCs, PDAs, cameras or other devices.

FISH Memory cards are smaller than SD cards and have transfer rates of 10 Mbps. FISH cards are fast enough to capture streaming video from DVRs and videocams. Standard FISH cards are 1.3" long with width and thickness the size of a USB port. Miniature versions exist, 25% smaller. Current FISH technology allows for 2-GB, with 16-GB expected in 2005.

47 independent industry experts were involved in the development of the UTMA standard. Inputs to the standard came from 34 different companies. This industry consensus is expected to lead to a broad range of devices.

If you have been reading my columns in photography, you know that I'm a Nikon owner. It's not that I have anything against Canon since my first SLR camera was the Canon A1 more than 25 years ago. However, I have grown accustomed to the Nikon "feel," and I can't seem to go back to Canon.

Anyway, when Canon broke the $1000 barrier with the introduction of its 300D (Digital Rebel), I was curious to see what Nikon's repsonse will be. Now we know. It's the Nikon D70. Unlike the Canon 300D, which is really a diluted or cheaper version of the Canon 10D. The Nikon 70D is not really a cheaper version of the 100D since it add several new features that the D100 lacks.

For instance, the shutter speed now maxes out at 1/8000 sec instead of 1/4000, the LCD panel has been upgraded (higher resolution), and the flash sync speed is now up to 1/500 second instead of 1/180 for the D100. You can also take pictures in compressed JPEG + NEF combination (not available in the D100) and it can shoot 12 images continuously in the high JPEG quality mode (compared to 6 images in the D100). The D70 also comes with USB 2.0 rather than USB 1.1 for the D100.

So, as you can see, the D70 can stand on its own. Of course, it's not the D100 in a sense that there are a number of features that are not available in the D70 (such as metal body).

The price for the D70 is $999 (body only), which is $100 more expensive than the Canon 300D, but with all the upgrades, it's definitely worth it. All in all, it's going to be a great entry-level digital SLR. Check it out at Nikon.

Olympus has announced its entry into the market of mobile phone camera modules.

The new camera module, pictured here with a Japanese 100-yen coin for a size comparison, realizes its thin size by employing free-shaped prisms for aligning light rays.

The free-shaped prism technology was previously employed by Olympus in a head-mount display, called Eye-Trek. The experience carried over in the design of the miniature camera module.

Compared to conventional camera modules for mobile phones that require several lenses vertically stacked on one another, the resin free-prism model is much thinner, at 8.5-mm. Olympus' camera module has an F value of 2.8, is designed for a 1/4-in optical instrument, and supports a 1.3-million-pixel image sensor.

Olympus is expecting to ship camera modules by spring of 2004, and mass-production in fall 2004, with an estimated production run of 500,000 units per month.

Canon has announced the EOS-1D Mark II, an amazing addition to the EOS series. The camera features an 8.2 megapixel CMOS sensor, and has the ability to capture over eight frames per second.

The EOS 1D Mark II uses a new generation DIGIC II processor for the processing power needed to maintain the resolution and speed, and boasts a 40 frame JPEG image buffer (20 frames in RAW mode). The combination of CMOS sensor, DIGIC II processor and new buffer system allows the EOS 1D Mark II to shoot and process over 69 megapixels of data per second (or 100 MB/sec).

The EOS-1D Mark II is the successor to the Canon EOS-1D which was introduced at the end of 2001. The new model offers double the resolution of its predecessor, double the size of the continuous shooting buffer and increases continuous shooting speed slightly.

Other modifications to the $4500 model include a new USB port, and a new SD expansion slot in addition to the existing CF slot.

Nikon has just announced the Coolwalker MSV-01, a 30-GB portable image storage device. The Coolwalker is, in effect, a mobile photo album.

The Coolwalker has a 30-GB capacity - tens of thousands of images can be stored on its hard disk. Images downloaded from a PC or compatible digital camera are displayed on a 2.5-in TFT monitor. Additional storage is available via a Compact Flash (CF) slot; adapters are available for SD, MMC, SM and MS media formats.

Beyond storage, the Coolwalker makes organization of image files into a mobile photo album easy and convenient. Options include thumbnail browsing, image playback, rotate, zoom, delete, move, copy, and rename.

After a mobile photo album is organized, images are easy to share with family and friends by connecting the Coolwalker to a PC, TV or display projector. An included remote control makes slide show playback very convenient.

The Coolwalker also can be connected to any PictBridge-compatible printer for PC-free printing of photographs.

SanDisk Corporation is now shipping the world's first production 1-GB secure digital (SD) card.

At $500, the 1-GB SD card has the capacity to store over 30 hours of digitally compressed music, 1,000 high-res digital images, and over five hours of MPEG-4 compressed video.

This new SD card uses a novel stacking technology, which enables SanDisk to double the previous memory capacity without increasing the size of the card.

SanDisk worked with Sharp's Integrated Circuits Group to devise a way to stack additional layers of NAND MLC die in ultra-thin packages without increasing the card size. In the 1-GB card, two ultra-thin packages are vertically mounted in the same height that currently houses a single package.

The new stacking process also has the potential for application to compact flash (CF) and Sony memory stick (MS) storage media.

In my predictions for 2004, my number 6 headline was ""Nikon Discontinues 35mm Photography Line, Concentrates on Digital."

I imagined this headline because of the tremendous gains in digital photography in 2003, and the apparent failure of film photography, including APS, to address market erosion, except at the low-end (but watch out for my headline 4, on camphones and the low-end digital market - as camphones become ubiquitous, the bell may toll for disposable film cameras).

Well, it's only two weeks into the New Year, and it's not Nikon, but - hot on the heels of my China moonshot headline - this prediction is now a reality.

Kodak has announced that it will stop selling traditional film cameras in Europe and North America, and concentrate instead on digital.

Kodak based the announcement on a need to focus on high-growth areas, and reflects the surging demand for digital cameras, which in 2003 outsold film-based cameras in the US for the first time. Last year, 12.5 million digital cameras were sold in the US, compared with 12.1 million film cameras. The balance is expected to tilt even further to the digital side in 2004.

In the meantime, Kodak will continue selling its disposable film cameras in Europe and North America, as well as film and other accessories .

So you couldn't quite afford the Aquada convertible that transforms into a speedboat? Well, at £70 ($100), here's a James Bond gadget you can finally afford.

The JB1 is a digital camera camouflaged as a Zippo-type lighter, and the first official, licensed 007 camera. Flip the cap, click to shoot, and close. Your nemesis is none the wiser.

With 8MB onboard memory, the JB1 is capable of holding over 300 images (at 320x240 resolution), using ST Micro technology to provide detailed images with small file sizes. LiteSync technology allows full depth-of-field images under fluorescent lighting, without a flash.

The JB1's surveillance mode enables time-elapsed photography at up to 90 minutes apart. Eavesdrop on suspects by capturing audio clips up to 12 minutes in duration, or capture audiovideo clips at up to 30 fps. Made by Digital Dream, the JB1 is USB-compatible, and powered by a single "AAA" battery.

About the only thing lacking in this ensemble - and possibly a fatal flaw, if you're ever approached by Miss Pussy Galore for a light - is a working cigarette lighter.

Nikon just announced the D70, a new interchaneable-lens digital SLR camera. Nikon also plans to release a new DX Zoom lens (designed for digital cameras) to match the D70. The D70 is priced at $999, and both camera and lens are scheduled to go on sale in the spring of 2004.

Nikon has been feeling the heat since Canon released its low-end digital SLR, the EOS Rebel, selling at $899 this year.

Well competition is great for consumers, and looks like we will have a nice selection of low-end digital SLR's to choose from starting next year. Kudos to Nikon.

Mitch has been playing with a photo-editing utility called Neat Image. He likes it a lot.

"It uses camera-specific filter settings to remove much of the digital noise in a picture. If you zoom into the processed photo and compare it to the stock photo, you will see much less evidence of the red, blue and green noise that infests digital pictures. It works nicely."

Whether you are a novice or an expert to digital photography, there is one resource that should not be missed. It's called the 123 of digital imaging, and it's one of the most useful book (e-book) I have read or used on photography.

I have been using the earlier version (1.1) for a few months, and even though I dabbled in photography for more than 25 years, I have learned a great deal from reading the book. Also the book covers Adobe Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, and Photoshop Album extensively, and if you want to learn about how to use these programs in real life situations, then this book is a must. Version 2.0 has just been released yesterday, and the book has been updated to reflect new Adobe Photoshop CS and also a handful of other improvements.

I would recommend this book highly for anyone who is serious about digital photography.

Adobe is finally shipping the latest Adobe Photoshop CS (version 8) with a host of improvements, and my initial look at the product shows that it's a worthwhile upgrade. However, what might be lost in the hoopla over Photoshop might be a little gem called Adobe PhotoAlbum 2.0.

I had been disappointed with PhotoAlbum 1.x, and I initially decided not to upgrade to 2.0. However, given the low cost of the upgrade ($24.99) and the 30-day refund policy, I decided to try it out, and am I glad that I did.

Now PhotoAlbum supports camera's native RAW files, and that means I can open my NEF (Nikon's raw files) in the program, and using Adobe's one-click Auto Fix, I can fix hundreds of photos automatically. Of course, if you want more manual control, you can adjust highlights, shadows, colors, temperature (warmer--cooler), red-eye, and sharpness manually, but for web posting, I don't need that hassle. Beside, I can transfer the picture to Photoshop CS for any serious editing and output if I want.

On the bonus side, PhotoAlbum also automatically saves the edited photos into JPEG files so that I can post them to web pages without converting first (the program doesn't touch the original NEF files--and this is good in my book). Of course, if you want to create thumbnails with pictures, you can use the program to create the web pages for you. You can also transfer pictures to Video-CD so that you can watch your pictures in your DVD player.

If you need to process a lot of pictures for sharing, web posting, and printing, then this is a good program to have in your computer (MSRP $49.95).

As hinted on the October 9 article, Sigma has now released the next generation digital camera SD10 featuring the modified and improved Foveon X3 chip (increased dynamic range, reduced noise, and better color accuracy). The new camera boast 10.2 million effective pixels(2,268×1,512×3 layers). This is somewhat of a controversy as to whether 3 layers of 3.4 mega pixels are truly equivalent to 10.2 mega pixels in the conventional sensor (such as CMOS and CCD), but field testing shows the previous SD9 to be as effective as the current 6 mega-pixel cameras.

Along with the new version of the camera, Sigma also released the new and improved RAW file converting software (SIGMA Photo Pro 2.0) and two additional lenses (18-50mm F3.5-5.6 DC & 55-200mm F4-5.6 4-5.6 telephoto zoom lenses).

The SD10 has ISO setting from 100 to 1600 (extended mode), and
±3EV (in 1/3steps) in exposure compensation, and shutter speeds of 1/6000sec. to 15sec. (ISO100,200), 1/6000sec. to 4sec (ISO400,800), Bulb (ISO100,200 up to 15 sec). The camera can continously take up to 6 frames in high resolution RAW mode. The SD10 can use CF Type I and II or IBM Microdrive.

It looks like Sigma has corrected a number of issues that the earlier SD9 camera suffered, and this could be a winner (depending on how much it costs)

If you transition to a digital SLR from a regular 35mm SLR, you realize that the lenses you used in your old SLR camera is no longer the same lenses in your new digital SLR camera. Of course, you could buy an expensive 35mm full sensor digital SLR, but for most of us it's out of our reach in terms of price. So, the wide-angle lens we used to have (anywhere around 20 to 24mm) typically becomes a borderline wide-angle (30 to 36mm) lens after applying the typical magnification factor of 1.5 or 1.6. By the way, there is an interesting article about magnification factor in the latest Outdoor Photographer magazine.

So, the lens manufacturers are rushing out to market an ultra wide-angle zoom (typically 12 or 15mm to 24 or 30mm range). That translates into roughly 18 or 22.5 to 36 or 45mm in 35mm equivalent. Unfortunately, ones from the major camera manufacturer (typically Nikon. Canon, Olympus) tend to be ultra expensive (>$1000). Hopefully, this will change with the introduction of the new 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 EX DG Aspherical lens from Sigma.

According to Sigma, the lens offers a large angle of view (122 degrees super wide angle of view at 12mm along the diagonal axis) and a variable angle of view from 122 degrees at 84.1 degrees. Four Special Low Dispersion (SLD) glass elements are provided for effective compensation of color aberration, and two pieces of Glass Mold and one-piece hybrid aspherical lenses offer excellent correction for distortion as well as all types of aberration. The lens is pretty compact at 3.9 inches full-length, and 3.4 inches maximum diameter.

The lens is equipped with Inner focusing system that will keep the length of the lens unchanged while controlling aberration. The lens is equipped with HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor, available for Sigma, Canon and Nikon camera mount lens) system but still offers Full Time Manual Focusing. It has a minimum focusing distance of 11 inches (28cm) at all focal lengths. The lens also comes with an integral Petal-type hood to block out extraneous light.

The price for the US market is not set yet, but it should be less then $1200 Nikon charges for its 12-24mm lens.

Talk about serendipity! GearBits ran an article about the Foveon chip only a few days ago, and now I notice the Sigma DS9, the only camera that incorporates the chip, is selling far below the MSRP.

You can buy it from Ritz Camera for $1099, and less than $900 if you shop around the Internet. That's a huge drop in price from the $1800 going price as far as I remember. Perhaps Sigma is going to release the 2nd generation Foveon camera and is trying to clean out the stock.

Anyway, given the lower costs of Sigma lenses. This might be a great deal for those who want to purchase their first digital SLR.

In its early days, start-up Foveon focussed on high-end digital camera technology based on color-separating prisms. The Eureka moment came they realized that silicon can make for a simpler and much more manufacturable - and therefore inexpensive - color separator.

Conventional digital imaging sensors utilize one layer of silicon photodetectors. Every third pixel senses red, blue or green, and the camera interpolates between those pixels.

Foveon's X3 technology, in contrast, makes use of the fact that red, blue and geeen light penetrate silicon to different depths.

By embedding three layers of photodetectors in the silicon, X3 image sensors capture all three colors at each "pixel", rendering interpolation unnecessary, and resulting in increased sharpness, better color detail and resistance to color artifacts. A 3.4-MP X3 sensor supplies the equivalent of 10-MP of data.

A further aspect of X3 technology is that it enables recording of both video and still images without compromising the image quality for either.

Popular Science notes that the 3.5-MP Sigma SD9 SLR (which debuted the Foveon) bests the 6-MP Canon D60 and Nikon D100 in sharpness and other characteristics, at half the cost. This month's Consumer Reports notes that the SD9 produced images better than those from 5-MP cameras it tested, adding that the "Foveon sensor shows promise for the mainstream."

Is there an X3-based camera in your future? Stay tuned.

Panasonic has just released the DMC-FZ10K, a 4-megapixel digital camera with 12x optical zoom (yes you heard me right, 12x). That's equivalent to 35 to 450mm conventional 35mm zoom lens. Unlike a few other 10x digital zoom cameras that have been released recently, it also comes with Panasonic's advanced MEGA O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer). This stabilizer uses motion sensors that detect even slight hand movement and attempts to reduce vibration. The Leica DC Vario-Elmarit Lens features F2.8 throughout the zoom range.

Photo enthusiasts will also appreciate the DMC-FZ10's new histogram feature function (that are normally available in digital SLR cameras), and a faster display and write speed (capturing 8 frames at 4 frames per second using Panasonic's Mega Burst feature).

The DMC-FZ10 features a shutter speed range of 8 - 1/2,000 sec and ISO selection ranges from 50 to 400. It also uses a SD slot for memory card (good news for Palm owners).

The retail price is $599, and that should make it affordable to most consumers who are interested in a digital camera with a superb zoom and pro-like controls.

I'm sensing that digital photography is slowly splitting into two groups with very different needs and equipment.

The first group is the serious consumer, prosumer, and professional photographer. These folks really care about the quality of the photograph and are concerned with (if not educated on) the specs of the camera beyond mere pixel counts (the importance of which I think is overrated anyway). This group cares about printability (where megapixels do matter) as much as anything. Digital SLRs and full-featured, dedicated digital cameras are the type of kit that this group goes for.

The second group is the snapshooter and whim photographer -- the folks who just want a quick image of some people or things and the most likely use is emailing the image to a family member or friend. For these folks, 2 megapixels is too much (that won't easily fit in an email or on a webpage) and even the mention of aperture settings is enough to induce instant boredom. This group loves the concept of the integrated digital camera -- phones and PDAs with cameras in them are the new hot must-have devices.

So where does that leave the middle-of-the-road digital camera? You know, that 3-megapixel, 3X zoom unit about the size of a hamster. It's too big to easily fit in your pocket (so you never have it when you need it) and it's too limited to let you take really nice photos. My prediction is that this segment of the market will slowly shrink and we'll see fewer and fewer of these rather mediocre standalone digital cameras. What we may see is this portion of the market start being dominated by cheap imports.

Most folks who can afford to get what they want, however, will settle either for the camera integrated into their phone or PDA (.3-1.5 megapixels) or will go out and buy a "real" (standalone) digital camera (5 megapixels and up) with more controls than the Apollo lunar lander.

So, which group do you live in...the serious photographers or the fun snapshotters? Or, am I all wet and you think there's more than enough room for the whole range of products and price points?

Pretec, a leading CF manufacturer, has just announced that they will be shipping 6GB CF cards starting next month. 12GB CF cards are scheduled for release sometime late next year. According to Pretec, their new CF cards are 3 times stronger than regular plastic CF cards, and they have the sustained read speed of 8MB/sec and write speed of 7MB/sec. Now hold onto your hats! The cost of 6GB cards will be $7499.

Canon announced a new ultra thin compact digital camera. The PowerShot SD10 comes with a 4.0 Megapixel resolution with Canon's exclusive DIGIC (Digital Image Core) and ISAPS (Intelligent Scene Analysis Photographic Space) technology. The SD10 features a single focus 39mm (35 mm equivalent) lens with a 5.7X digital zoom.

This of course is nothing special except that the SD10 measures mere 3.5 x 1.9 x .7 inches and weighs 3.5 oz. For those of you who are more visually inclined, think of a typical business card, and you got the size just about right. The camera has a built-in flash, and a few photographer friendly goodies such as AF assist beam, 3 different metering system including spot metering, exposure compensation, ISO range from 50 to 400, and the shutter speed between 15 to 1/1500 seconds. The camera can also make video clips of 320 x 240 at 15 fps. The camera uses a SD slot and comes with one 32MB SD card.

The camera retails for $349 and should be available around mid-October.

Gateway has just instroduced four new digital cameras. The top of the line DC-T50 Digital Camera offers 5 megapixel CCD, 3X optical zoom, compact, elegant design with metal housing, and extremely competitive pricing at $399.99.

The DC-T50 is joined by three other cameras labeled as fun and stylish 2MP (DC-T20), easy and affordable 4MP (DC-M40) and reliable and value 5MP (DC-M50) for $129.99, $199.99, and $299.99 respectively.

Check out the Gateway site for more information about these cameras.

SanDisk recently introduced the SanDisk Extreme™ CompactFlash® and SD line of high performance, high durability CF cards designed for use under extreme conditions. The SanDisk Extreme cards deliver a minimum write speed of 9 megabytes per second (MB/sec.) and a minimum read speed of 10MB/sec.

The SanDisk Extreme CF cards are available now in capacities of 256 and 512MB and 1 gigabyte, with suggested retail prices of $109.99, $229.99 and $439.99 respectively.

The 256MB SanDisk Extreme SD card is expected to ship in October with a suggested retail price of $134.99. The 512MB is expected to ship in November with a price of $299.99.

SanDisk has also announced updated versions of its SanDisk Ultra(TM) II line of high-performance CompactFlash and SD cards as well as updated versions of its SanDisk Extreme(TM) line of high-performance CompactFlash and SD cards. The Ultra II cards now deliver a minimum write speed of 9 megabytes per second (MB/sec.) and a minimum read speed of 10MB/sec.

The new SanDisk Ultra II CF card will initially be available in three capacities – 256MB, 512MB and 1 gigabyte (GB). The 256 and 512MB SanDisk Ultra II CF cards started shipping this month while the 1GB cards will be in the next thirty days. SanDisk Ultra II SD cards will be available in 256MB and 512MB capacities in October and November, respectively.

Suggested retail prices for the three SanDisk Ultra II CF cards capacities—256MB, 512MB and 1GB—are $104.99, $209.99, and $429.99.

Suggested retail prices for the SanDisk Ultra II SD cards are $129.99 and $289.99 for the 256 and 512MB cards.

According to New Scientist, origami techniques are providing cameras in cellphones with a much better focusing mechanism.

"Thanks to a novel and ultra-cheap micromotor technology, cellphone cameras should soon be able to zoom and focus with the same precision as the autofocusing lenses used in expensive stills cameras.

1 Limited of Cambridge, UK, has found a novel way to make a thin sheet of a piezoelectric ceramic material work like a motor. It can move whatever is placed on top of it, or it can be rolled into a cylinder to grasp and move a miniature camera lens."

Moving from fixed-focus to variable focus should provide a large improvement in picture quality. Of course, I'm not sure I'd put picture quality as my #1 concern when it comes to cellphones, but maybe that's just me.

Well, what do you know? I was gone for 2 weeks on my vacation to LA and Maui, and when I returned both Canon and Kodak have introduced two new digital cameras for the proconsumer market. The Canon Digital Rebel is a feature reduced Canon 10D in the EOS Rebel body. It will be (now are you ready for this?) about $899 in the US. This is the first digital SLR that breaks the $1000 mark. It has a 6.3 Megapixel CMOS sensor. I'm sure this camera will generate a lot of interests in avid photogrpahers who have shied away from digital SLR's due to its higher price.

Kodak has announced the super zoom camera featuring 10x optical zoom (38 to 380mm equivalent), 4 megapixel. The DX6490 is priced at $499 and also comes with a professional quality Schneider-Kreuznach lens. Unfortunately, it doesn't offer any stablization for the lens. It does however comes with a new Kodak Color Science Imaging chip for the richer, accurate colors. The camera offers fully manual controls, but this camera is a great combination for folks who want a point-and-shoot camera most of the time, but may want manual controls when needed.

By the way, I'll be busy this week recuperating from my trip, and also processing my photos from my new Nikon D100 camera, and polishing up on my MemoWare Features article on the Alphasmart Dana. Also, this is my first week of school (Yeek!)

Looks like Minolta has been busy. They have just announced a bunch of new digital cameras. The most exciting ones among the bunch are the DiMAGE A1 and DiMAGE Z1.

The DiMAGE A1 is probably the most exciting new release. It features a 5.0 megapixel progressive scan CCD, faster write speed (1.5x than the previous model 7Hi), 7x optical zoom (28 to 200mm equivalent), and fast shutter speed (30 to 1/16,000 seconds), and RAW image mode.

However, the best feature is the new image stabilization feature (Minolta calls it "Anti-Shake"). Rather than stabilizing the lens elements, this system stabilizes the CCD. We will have to wait and see how effective this new system will be though.

The DiMAGE Z1 offers a 3.2 megapixel CCD and a 10x zoom (38 to 380mm). It has a unique LCD monitor called the Real Motion Monitor that operates at 60 fps. The viewfinder has Minolta's unique Switch Finder that lets you see live view at all times as well. The Z1 stores its images on SD/MMC cards. Unfortunately, the Z1 doesn't come with any image stabilization system.

Looks like the A1 is a winner given a wide-view lens (28mm) and a decent zoom (200mm) with the Anti-Shake system. Check out the Minolta page.

I've found perhaps the coolest online store for North Americans. Dynamism.com features some of the hottest new technology from Japan ready to be purchased by and shipped to us over here on the wrong side of the Pacific. A short list of goodies available from Dynamism today include the Sony U101 ultralight micro-notebook, the Samsung Nexio S160 multi-mode PDA, the new Sharp Zaurus SL-C760, and the Sony Qualia 016 high-end digital camera. You know, it's nice having a single URL I can use for my entire birthday list. ;-)

Fujifilm has announced today the FinePix S7000 Zoom (top) and S5000 Zoom (bottom) cameras. The S7000 has the 6x optical zoom (35 to 210mm) and 6M pixel SuperCCD HR sensor, which can produce 12M pixel images. The S5000 has the 10x optical zoom (37 to 370mm) and 3M pixel SuperCCD HR sensor, which can produce 6M pixel images. Both cameras allow you to save your images in the RAW format (Great news for photographers). The S7000 has the shutter speed range of 15 sec. – 1/10,000 sec (wow!) and the S5000 has 2 sec. — 1/2000 sec (Both cameras will be great for sports or fast-action photography). Both cameras come loaded with the features that enthusiastic photographers want: electronic viewfinder, multiple metering systems, ISO800, exposure compensation and bracketing, white balance control, etc.

Both cameras use the new xD slot instead of SmartMedia (the S7000 still has a CF slot), and USB 2.0 connections. The S7000 is priced at $799 and S5000 at $499.

Check out both cameras at the official Fuji page.

PS. Perhpas it's time for our colleague Craig to upgrade his Olympus C2100???

Nikon has just announced the successor to its successful D1H digital camera. The D2H (talk about originality in naming) is a logical successor to the D1H, and it features 4.1 Effective Megapixel CCD -- Nikon original JFET imaging sensor LBCAST for high-resolution images (2,464 x 1,632 pixels). This is the new sensor recently developed and announced by Nikon.

The most amazing feature is the continous shooting speed. The D2H will shoot up to 8 frames per second for up to 40 consecutive JPEG or 25 RAW (NEF) full-resolution (2,464 x 1,632 pixels) images. Now, we are talking about a lot of pictures here. Not only that the Nikon D2H also features instant on and a mere 37ms Shutter Time Lag

The D2H also features new Auto White Balance and a new auto focus scheme using 11 sensors (the previous D1H used only 5 sensors). Furthermore, it also features an updated TTL flash control.

Best of all, the D2H is a Wireless SLR. It transfers your files via 802.11b Wi-Fi Technology. The camera also supports FTP.

If you are an outdoor action or sports photographer, this might be the ultimate digital camera you've been looking for.

Well, it has to happen. Olympus jumped into the portable digital SLR fray by introducing its E1 (some would call this the proconsumer market to indicate it's high-end consumer/low-end professional=meaning somewhere in between).

The E-1 has a five megapixel 4/3 type CCD sensor from Kodak. Those of you are not familiar with photography, 4/3 type comes out of the joint project by Kodak and Olympus to create a new standard for digital photography in sensor size and lens mount. By the way, 4/3 comes from the actual size ratio of the CCD sensor (18 x 13.5mm).

The E-1 is priced at $2199 which is pricier than both Canon and Nikon, but if the model gets popular, I hope the street price will hover around the $1500 to 1600 range. Unfortunately, since the camera also has a new lens mount, you would have to incorporate the cost of the lens into the purchase equation. If you buy a good multi-purpose zoom (let's say 24 to 80 or 105 mm) and a decent telephoto zoom (70 or 80 to 200 or 300mm), then figure another $700 to 1000 to its price. So, this might not be a good option for even previous Olympus owners.

However, if you are new to the market, and need to purchase the whole starter kit, the Olympus E-1 might make your decision even more difficult.

We will have to wait and see . . .

The battle of the ultimate portable digital SLR camera is heating up since Canon released the new 10D digital SLR camera this year to replace their previous D60. Now I say portable since both Nikon and Canon make more expensive professional camera body, but they weigh a brick (more than 2 lbs w/o battery or lens). Those aren't really portable in my book. To make thing even more interesting, Canon decided to price the camera aggressively at $1999 (MSRP). That's $200 lower than the previous D60. Since Canon is usually discounted more than Nikon in camera shops, you can grab a 10D for cool $1499 (You can get it cheaper if you get the gray market unit, but you don't get the US warranty from Canon). Nikon immediately lowered its price on the D100 to try to match. Now the Nikon D100 will cost you around $1699 from authorized Nikon dealers.

So, which camera would you get? If you have previous Canon or Nikon lenses costing $$$, then the choice is obvious. It would be extremely silly to get rid of your Nikon lenses that costed you more than $1000 just to save $200 on Canon. However, if you don't have any previous brand loyalty, the choice is really difficult.

One thing is clear--that the digital SLR age is finally here, and the days of 35mm SLR are numbered!

So, tell me what's your preference?

I've posted new photos in the Photography area of my website at http://craig.dynup.net/photography. Specifically, some select shots from our trips to Alaska and Hawaii (in 2002) were posted, and I added some sections about my camera equipment and some links related to digital photography. Enjoy.