The Flip UltraHD is an interesting camcorder. It is easy to use; the video is fine, and the range of accessories is quite interesting.

Flip has been making easy-to-use camcorders for the last several years from mini-sized flipcams to the new UltraHD that have been easy to use and which deliver quality imagery every time.

When you first look at the small LCD screen at the rear of the UltraFlip, you see how easy it is to frame your video and, since all it takes is a push of the big red button - there really is a "big red button," honestly - and you have two-hours of video capability in a package that looks more like a smartphone than a camcorder. At 2.2 by 1.2 by 4.2 inches and weighing only 8.8 ounces, the third-generation UltraHD's dimensions agree with that assessment, however, there's one feature you will find that just isn't on a smartphone and that's a dedicated camera lens at the top of the front of the camcorder.

Just flip it on, frame your video and you can shoot up to two hours of imagery at 60 frames per second with the press of the button. The UltraHD shoots high-definition imagery at 1280 by 720 pixel resolution. This also happens to be the native resolution of standard high-definition video.

Of course, the two-hour limitation is something that you will have to remember, so either ensure that your laptop is nearby as the USB upload port also charges the built-in battery or you can power the UltraHD with three A-A-A lithium batteries.

The beauty of this camcorder is two-fold: first it is simple to use and sophisticated so that your images are autostablized and second, when you plug in the USB arm the UltraHD automatically enables the built-in Flipshare Software on your PC so that you can not only watch your video, but you can edit it. The same software also enables you to set up channels to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social media.

The UltraHD looks like it is about to become the heart of a simply sophisticated system as a micro-HDMI interface cable is planned so you can view or upload your images to your PC or the Internet and there are lens accessories planned, plus more. The UltraHD may not look like it is a "real" camcorder because it doesn't have a flip-out screen and there's no large, wide-angle photo lens (as you find on the Sony line) but it is certainly an interesting camcorder for the photographer who wants to take high-speed video (it operates at twice normal 30 fps speed) but then use that video with a wide variety of devices.

More info: ecommUS

Source: Articles

Roberto Sedycias works as an IT consultant for ecommBR

Tags: flip ultrahd, flip video camera

There is so much one can find to say about Sony's XBR65HX929 65-inch high-definition television that it is tough to know where to start. One could start at the very fine 2D/3D rendition delivered by the 240 Hz resolution active screen/shutter technology and infinite contrast adjustment so that videos retain their brightness, clarity and deep shades of black.

Or, one could focus on the fact that the XBR65HX929 is the top of Sony's Bravia line and that any Bravia-compatible device that is connected to the XBR65HX929 is not only automatically updated with the latest and greatest software changes , if there have been any, but any video shown by the Bravia-compatible devices has fine quality.

Perhaps, though, one should start at the beginning so that you will know from the start that when you purchase the Sony and a compatible blu-ray disc player or PlayStation III, you will have access to the Internet because it is WiFi-compatible (802.11 b/g/n), as well as DLNA-compatible so that any DLNA device can access this system as well. This means that you not only have access to the many Sony apps available through the Sony network, but that you can also download Internet content through your home network's router.

The XBR65HX929 is driven by Sony's X-Reality Pro engine so that every pixel of entertainment that comes through to the screen is analyzed for best performance. Incidentally, the MotionFlow XR960 control system helps to eliminate any blur which may have been caused by jump cuts of quick camera movement so that the video you see comes out clearly.

The XBR65HX929 works at 240 Hz resolution in native high-definition video mode, and when used with a blu-ray player or PlayStation III, in conjunction with the system's 3D active shutter glasses, means that any video you see is clear and crisp, whether it's an action movie or a documentary. A lot of this, of course, is due to the video engine, as well as Sony's instant dimming video feature that turns the brightness down when the extra brightness will harm a scene.

As you can see there's plenty to talk about the Sony XBR65HX929. That it is one of the market leaders with the Samsung is quite understandable. After all, you get immersive 3D technology, a low-reflection Gorilla Glass, lightweight glass lens and built-in connection to the Internet. It even shows your low-light family videos or stills. All in all, it is a very fine system.

More info: ecommUS

Source: Articles

Roberto Sedycias works as an IT consultant for ecommBR

Tags: sony 3d, sony bravia

Available with 2GB of memory, Sony's Digital Flash Recorder has made tape recording obsolete, unless you are a real audiophile who claims that nothing can match the highs and lows (hisses and dropouts, too?) of "real tape," by making it totally digital.

Few would have thought a few years ago when digital recorders first appeared on the scene they would become the rule and not the exception and that tape would be going the way of "standard" TV, but it has happened.

Sony has developed a small - 0.8 x 1.5 x 4.5 inches by 1.6-ounce - digital recorder that comes with 2GB of flash memory that is good for more than enough for 8 hours of recording, begging the question: so what more do you need?

Well, the answer is a display and Sony has provided a very readable display (about 2 by 3) that indicates what the device is doing - recording or playing back (not hard to figure with a recorder, right, you're either doing one or the other). Actually, the display is quite good in that it tells you exactly where you are at any given moment and how much room is left for further recording.

Voice-actuated, the recorder automatically shuts down when it sound doesn't meet a certain level and starts to record when the voice level reaches the level you have determined (VOX technology).

It also features effective noise-cut technology so that extraneous sounds are filtered out and all you have is real source whether it's a lecture or interview or concert (it's ability to record music is quite something especially with its omni microphone as is its ability to record meetings).

The Sony Flash will take a standard 8GB memory SD card so that you can have up to 10 GB of recording time. That translates to more than 20 hours or recording time or more than enough for several interviews, meetings and whatever else you may be thinking of recording. Because of its tiny size, you can slip it into a shirt or jacket pocket and not have to worry about it again as it turns itself on and off as needed.

With its standard set of batteries, Sony claims it has more than 500 hours or recording time available, which is just short of a full month of fulltime recording, but you'd run out of memory space if you tried that, so we didn't.

Instead, we did a couple of meetings and interviews and the fidelity was good with faithful sound reproduction.

More info: ecommUS

Source: Articles

Roberto Sedycias works as an IT consultant for ecommBR

Tags: digital voice recorder, sony voice recorder

We can think of reverse scenarios where major entertainment system giants like Sony, Samsung and Panasonic have pulled themselves out of the entertainment track and put themselves squarely in the high-end computer track, but Apple is the first computer company we know of that has done it the other way around with its MD199LL/A.

When you think about it, the Apple device levels the playing field. Apple has done an end-run around the opposition with this sweet little device with the very large Apple logo and has made itself central to every new home entertainment center that is in the process of being installed by providing instant access to all Apple audio and video services.

All you need is the 3.3 by 3.3 by 0.9 inch 9.6-ounce Apple MD199LL/A and you have instant access, through Apple's AirPlay, to thousands or hours of content through NetFlix, other HD streaming content, iTunes, and any other major audio or video service - Pandora, for example. It's an amazing example of how a company which began as a very small garage operation back in the 70s and then provided the first visual desktops in the 80s, has now completed the sweep in 2012.

Actually, you could see it coming when Apple went non-computer with its first iPod over a decade ago. It took a page from Sony's own playbook and it did the entertainment giant one better by putting in a just about crash-proof hard drive that could be linked only to Apple's iTunes network (through an Apple PC at the time), adding a set of earbuds and giving people truly customizable individual entertainment systems.

As screen speeds got higher, they even were able to get tiny versions of videos they wanted to see, too. This wasn't something that Sony hadn't done already and which other manufacturer's probably wished they had done first. That Apple already controlled a substantial portion of the computer market gave it instant name recognition and the rest, as they say, is history.

Apple was first to market with the smartphone and special apps that you could only purchase through their stores or through their online services and thus it became a tale of the computer company pulling the entertainment world into the computer age as Sony and Samsung, though late to the party, brought out creditable competition and made apps available to the buyers, in general, for about the same money.

Now, it's Apple's turn to finish its march to the sea, as it were, as the MD199LL/A, a simple, device provides home entertainment systems with access through AirPlay to all of not only Apple's Web streaming content (video, audio) but all of the rest, as well, (high-definition TV, 3D) just by using a small, but necessary tuning device.

It's something like the hunted becoming the hunter, wouldn't you think? All it took was what really boils down to a very simple networked-tuner concept, using pretty much off-the-shelf parts and Apple has become a leader in the entertainment world. It's some pretty sharp marketing as is the fact that it is also controllable through Apple's on iPhone with the right app and its iPod touch nano.

Who would have thought the prey could turn on the hunter and win? Well, with this device, Apple surely has and, while doing so, it has also gained lots of new customers for its various services. One last note, take a look at what Apple has been offering to the Windows world for the last half-year or more and you'll find Apple's fingerprints there as well.

More info: ecommUS

Source: Articles

Roberto Sedycias works as an IT consultant for ecommBR

Tags: apple tv md199ll/a, apple tv tuner

In terms of your home entertainment system Denon's AVR-1912 is the device which completes it by enabling you to combine up to multiple input channels into whole system that features not only surround sound, but also discrete amplified speakers that are capable of 90 watts of output.

The AVR-1912 is a streaming audio/visual receiver that is capable not only of taking input from your blu-ray/DVD disc player, but also from such sources as Apple's AirPlay service, as well as from six HDMI channels. The output is fine as the 7-channel output device offers not only more than enough power, but it delivers the sound as surround sound so that the playback is rich and full.

The AVR-1912, as noted, supports Apple's AirPlay service and thus its iTunes store, but also MP3, WMA, WAV and FLAC-HD. Like other devices, the Denon restores the material that was compressed on the high end of MP3 files so that the output is rich.

Not only that, the Denon supports Windows 7 and has networking capability through standard Ethernet connection. It offers not only 6 HDMI inputs, but also USB and standard network Ethernet RJ-45 cabling. This means that if your system is capable of delivering 100 Mbps, you get that kind of performance.

AirPlay delivers WiFi 802.11 n capability - whose provision for which Apple is noted - so that your AV-1912 will support your home network and any devices that you might have connected to it or which use WiFi connectivity.

Interestingly, Denon has chosen to make the AV-1912 nearly an integrated part of the Apple performance family of entertainment devices by making it compatible with the iPhone, iPad, iPhone Touch and with iTunes. Indeed, if one were to install the Pandora app, available from Apple's iTunes store, one would have access to that popular sound service right through the Denon. It is a good addition to an otherwise fine device.

The Denon is meant to handle heavy-duty work as it weighs in at nearly 23 pounds and is 15 by 17 by 6.4 inches. It does take up a good bit of real estate in your entrainment system but the purpose it quite easy to see that once you have set it up and have it adjusted, which you can do through a screen menu, you're all set.

Denon has hedged some of its bets though, about the final outcome of the battle for the hearts and minds of audiophiles, and that is because it also features Samsung's fine Auddyssey sound playback software, while also making the AV-1912 Windows 7-compatible. So, whatever way you look at it and wherever the final washout comes in setting up a home entertainment system, Denon has you covered.

It is not only compatible with your blu-ray/DVD source material, but also with the sound choice you have made, the video choice you have made and any other choices you have made. Denon's ready for all comers.

Source: Articles

Roberto Sedycias works as an IT consultant for ecommUS

Tags: denon avr-1912, denon receiver

You have to figure that sooner or later the pupil will learn from the master and in this case it is SanDisk, the folks who literally invented the thumbdrive and flash storage for not only Windows devices but also any USB-compatible device, which includes audio products as their SanDisk Sansa Clip+ 4 GB MP3 Player brings fine sound from a very tiny device.

As the old gag goes "how tiny is it?" Well, if you were to clip the Clip+ to the inside of your slacks or your shirt pocket, the only way someone would be able to tell you were listening to anything is by the set of earbud headphones in your ears.

It is that tiny or, to put it in perspective, it is 2.2 by 1.4 by 0.6 inches and weighs 0.8 ounces.

Yet, this tiny device with its built in 4GB of SanDisk memory can hold up to 1,000 tunes or more than enough for anyone to listen to in a trip to just about any place in the world. It is true there are other players that deliver more source material, but, let's be honest, are you or is anyone you know going to be able to listen to 1,000 tunes in anything short of a very long walk?

And, not only is the Clip+ capable of a minimum of 1,000 tunes, it can also be used to upload up to 2,400 JPEG video files or 12 hours of video.

One of the keys that no major computer firm will like is the operating system of the SanDisk Clip+. The operating system is Open Source, Linux. It's not Android (Google) and it's not iOS (Apple) and it's not Windows 7 (Microsoft). It's just a plain old-fashioned Linux audio player that doubles as a source in itself because it offers up to 40 channel presets so that you can actually set it up to find and update the material you have already uploaded.

The Clip+ supports most popular audio formats, including WMA, MP3, FLAC, Audible, secure WMA, and Ogg Vorbis. It will run up to 15 hours on a single battery charge, which is also a nice feature.

And, then there's the memory expansion capability of the Clip+ as it recognizes microSD, microSDHC and microRadio cards. This means you can take a whole library of micromusic with you and you never even have to touch anything by your SanDisk. It's a small item with a very large future.

Source: Articles

Roberto Sedycias works as an IT consultant for ecommUS

Tags: sandisk player, sandisk sansa

If there is a "horsepower" race going on in the camera world, it has to be between Nikon and Canon as each one tries to outdo the other (and Sony, for that matter) with the mind-boggling numbers that each is capable of.

Nikon probably though it had the race won with the introduction of the D3 body which is a good body that delivers excellent low-light performance and good performance under just about any adverse condition you can think of - low light, backlight, bright light, night light, handheld and the like - but it may not have been watching its rearview because it cannot have expected Canon to have waited around with its older EOS D1 MarkIII body because Canon has just passed Nikon in many areas.

Let's face it, the X model of the D3 or the Nikon D3X has a huge resolution of 24.5MP, but in FX mode - 39 by 24 mm - and while it can shoot at up to 5 fps it just doesn't seem to have the handheld versatility of the new Canon EOS 5D Mark II.

Granted the Canon does give up about 3MP in resolution to the Nikon, but unless you are looking under a hugely powerful magnifying glass, you won't see any difference in the finished product. Also, the Canon has an ISO range that is about four times as great as the Nikon, up to 25600, while the Nikon is still riding about 6400, which is good, but not quite as wide as the Canon.

And, yes, the Nikon will shoot at 5 fps continues versus the 3.9 fps of the Canon, but again, the rub is that you cannot take full advantage of the huge Nikon resolution. Let's face it, 24.5 MP is excellent resolution, but where and how can you achieve it. Try handholding a spider in a web and waiting for the camera to optimize its huge resolution, you'll probably find the results are about the same as the EOS running around 6400 or so or the D3 running at the same speed. Okay, so grab a tripod and shoot the same image and the same thing happens.

The huge resolution is great if you are shooting things, like the Grand Canyon, that really don't move very much or if you are shooting a great-looking indoor, properly lit setup, using studio kleges and umbrellas with the right filtering. That's where the advantage seems to be.

If you had three camera bodies and gadget bags in your car's trunk and had to pick the one you want for everyday use, you'd probably go with the Canon 5D Mark II first, the Nikon D3 second and the Nikon D3X third because it is a tossup between the D3 and D3X in everyday use and the Canon clearly blows them away with autostablization and its range of long lenses. Imaging a 5,000 mm zoom on a tripod that's autostablized as you shoot a tennis match. You'll be able to get the sweat pouring off the tennis ball with very little effort. The D3 can deliver the same results. If you want the full results from the D3X you'll have to move it indoors to a studio and wait for everything to happen so that the studio lights can snap and you can get the image.

The D3X, by the way can handle 12- and 14-bit imaging and while the Nikon does hold some sort of landspeed record at 138 MB NEF, we cannot say that the D3X is worth three times the amount you'll pay for the Canon.

Source: Nikon-D3X-Versus-Canon-5D

More info: Articles

Roberto Sedycias works as an IT consultant for Polo

Tags: canon eos 5d, nikon d3x

Did you know that HP with its Photosmart 7510 All-in-One with eFax Printer has hitched this printer to Apple's iOS 4.2 operating system so that not only will it work directly with your iPad or iPhone, but it can also work with your iPod, as well? If you have some videos uploaded all you have to do is bring your Apple device near the HP and the image you want to see and/or edit will appear in the four-by-six built-in display. Once you have made all the fixes you want, you can then easily either fax it along or you can print it out. Indeed, HP not only allows you about 1,000 black-and-white impressions, but you also have about 300 color impressions that range from 4 by 6 to a maximum of 8.5 by 11.5 which makes this device quite flexible.

It becomes even more flexible when you consider that not only can you use it with a networked PC as a printserver through a USB port, but, if you want to just use it as part of a network, itself, all you have to do is: Set it up as an old-fashioned printerserver linked to a PC; Use your router's wireless hotspot and the WiFi 802.11 b/g capability built in; Use the Ethernet port built in.

That's pretty easy, isn't it? When you are through you will have a device that not only acts as a printer that will work with either Windows or a Mac but you will also have a device that faxes at 600 dpi or prints as the same level (there is also a color mode available) that delivers up to 99 copies. The All-in-One also acts as a fax or a copier so in one device you have everything you need for your family.

It is bigger than the others on the market at 17.9 by 17.7 by 8.7 and weighs in at a hefty 18.5 pounds but it still has quite a number of nice features, including the 4 by 6-inch built in screen that allows you to manipulate your images before you print them. It is also set up to print directly from the network, however, it will only handle one job at a time.

As a printer, it operates at up to 13.5 pages per minutes in black-and-white mode and 9 pages per minute in color. It's scan resolution is 1200 by 2400 dpi and it acts as a flatbed scanner.

You can boost its efficiency by using duplex printing, but this is a limited option as it will only handle 25 documents. Other networkable printers offer far more duplex ability. The fallback for the HP is its direct link to Macs through an older version of Apple's iOS 4.2.

This is a nice, although older, version of today's more modern printers and it is a bit more flexible as it has more print modes available, including the ability to print directly from memory modules.

Still, is it work the extra money you'll spend on HP supportware? The answer is - it depends. It depends if you want the name HP and its reliability on your network or you are willing to settle for something else that's a little smaller and maybe a tad faster. The ultimate answer is up to you.

Source: HP-Photosmart

More info: Articles

Roberto Sedycias works as an IT consultant for ecommBR

Tags: hp 7510, hp photosmart

The Samsung I5500 Galaxy 5 is an Android operating system-based smartphone whose standard version is 2.1 (Eclair) which is upgradable to 2.2 (Froyo). Each upgrade does expand the pool of available apps to which the smartphone is available. At the moment, there are more than 200,000 Android apps available.

Closely aligned to the Android operating system, which is also the base of Google functionality, one has access to Google Search, Maps, Gmail (Google mail), Google Talk (Gtalk) and now Google's new social networking service called Google+ or Circle. The I5500 also offers social media integration allowing access to YouTube. Aside from all of the standard integrated Google features, the I5500's imaging ability offers smile recognition ability (the camera "sees" the smile or actually waits for it and then snaps an image), as well as video recording.

The Samsung I5500's autofocus 2MP camera offers geotagging so one can indicate where an image was taken. The I5500 also features built-in GPS Navigator with A-GPS support. By using the right combination of Google Earth and Maps, one can have a mobile navigation device that allows you to find chart and find a route to your destination.

Network-capable, the I5500 features WiFi networking as it recognizes the 802.11 b/g/n. Because of the wide range of networking recognition available the I5500 will not only operate in most enterprise-style WiFi networks. These are the types of wireless networks that are supported by older routers. In addition, if you install the Android 2.2 upgrade, the I5500 recognizes public hotspots so one has Internet access in most areas one is likely to travel to. The I5500 is compatible with AT+T and T-Mobile networking that is based on the GSM service. A quad-band device, it operates on the 800, 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz frequency bands. It also offers 3G HSDPA networking on the 900 and 2100 MHz bands, using GPRS/Edge. The I5500 is not compatible with CDMA networks such as those offered by Verizon or Sprint.

Standard features of the Samsung I5500 include stereo recording and stereo radio that is compatible with the Roadway Digital Service that indicates not only the station tuned but its format on-screen. The I5500' memory can be expanded through easily available microSD memory cards to 16 GB. One should find that 16 GB is more than enough for most applications, as well as imaging and some videography.

The capacitive touchscreen is highly responsive and features automatic tilt sensing so you can use it either in portrait mode or it will automatically migrate to landscape mode if you tilt it to the side. Response is a little sluggish, at times, although this might be due low-battery charge.

The I5500 offers closely integrated phonebooks and calendar apps. One of the interesting features of the phonebook is the degree of its integration into the smartphone sphere. On opening the phonebook, one is presented with a variety of numbers and icons that allow you to touch an SMS or SNS icon and the proper screen appears so one can enter the proper text into the application. The I5500 also offers close integration with Facebook and Outlook calendars.

Available at an affordable price, the sleek I5500 is 4.2 inches by 2.5 inches by 0.5 inches. It weighs a mere 5.5 ounces and features 9 hours of talk time with a full battery charge and 520 hours of standby time from its lithium-ion battery pack.

Source: Samsung-Galaxy-5

Roberto Sedycias works as an IT consultant for ecommUS

Tags: galaxy 5, samsung galaxy

The Garmin 2595LMT is a surprising navigation unit. Unlike factory-offered units that can cost more than $1,000 and may need special subscriptions to bring a user yearly updates on maps, the 2595LMT offers you four map updates a year, free for life and, unlike more expensive manufacturer-offered units, will watch the road ahead for you and tell you if there's a bottleneck along your route.

Further, the Garmin 2595LMT has a feature that many other navigation units don't offer, voice command recognition. Once you have trained the Garmin to your particular voice you can tell the route you want to take and it will churn out an answer. Indeed, as you follow the route it lays out, it also lets you know of any points of interest that may be on the way. The 2595LMT offers more than 8 million points of interest, some of which you are bound to find along your way.

The Garmin is a small unit at 0.6 by 5.4 by 3.3 inches and it weighs in at 8 ounces. Small and light, you can find a mount directly on your dash or windshield. The windshield mount might be the most effective because the 2595LMT depends on the "universe of low orbiting positional satellites (LEOs)" that was established some years ago by the military and opened to private use. At one time, the military, in fact, had software that would provide you a position - there is a position feature available which is a great help if you run into trouble, you can tell the police exactly where you are or, if you on a lonely stretch of road, you can provide a latitude and longitude reference to helicopter rescue team if they are needed - within about 6 meters of your actual location. The public software was good to about 300 meters. Now, the same software that the military uses is available to the public so you can pinpoint your location to within the six-meter circle.

Another interesting point about the Garmin is its speaking voice. As you drive, a voice directs along your route and now Garmin through its updating ability allows you to download various voices so you can customize the voice speaking to you as you drive.

That's just one of the interesting features the over-the-air device provides, another is its TrafficTieup check. Garmin's tieup check software does more than two billion road checks per month to see where there may be tieups and if it finds there is a tieup, it will suggest an alternative route.

If you are in an area you don't know, you can ask the Garmin to go into photoReal mode where it goes into split-screen mode, providing you with a map of your trip and a localized route to your location.

Another nice feature of the Garmin is its Bluetooth integration. It allows you to quickly pair your Bluetooth phone with your Garmin and you can then use it to make your calls, hands-free. It's a nice feature as is the voice command mode that also allows you to give your Garmin commands while you keep your hands on the wheel.

Overall, the Garmin 2595LMT is a great addition to your traveling gear. It has a host of features that get you to where you are going and, if you are interested, may find you one of two places to visit on your way.

Source: Garmin-Nuvi-2595LMT

Roberto Sedycias works as an IT consultant for Polo

Tags: garmin nuvi, gps, nuvi 2595lmt