theVooner's weblog

A weblog for theVooner.com where the best cool gear and gadgets get reviewed.

last modified Jul 15, 2003 at 1:45

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Casio Exilim S600 Digital Camera

The lifecycle for digital cameras seems to be getting shorter and shorter. Hot on the heels of the S500, Casio has launched the S600 - the major difference of which is a 6 megapixel resoultion instead of 5MP. It also has slightly improved battery life, a new mode called revive mode which is designed to bring back old pictures in a digital mode with enhanced colors (what do you do, take a picture of your old picture?). Hmm. Anyway, it comes in 4 intersting colors, of which the 'Mistral Blue' looks nice but the Orange and the Gold is suspect.

theVooner@yahoo.com

posted at 23:04 | 0 comments

Tuesday, October 25, 2005

Canon WiFi Ixy Digital Camera

Following on from Nikon's WiFi digital cameras, Canon will launch the Ixy Digital Wireless in December in Japan. This will of course allow you to beam your pictures to the WiFi network for wireless uploading and printing. This was an inevitable trend and I suspect more digital cameras will incorporate this as another feature to lure buyers. The market today for digital cameras is probably moving towards replacement demand rather than new demand so new technologies, features, and increase in quality is going to be the key. I don't know if I need WiFi, but I'm all for more high-tech devices. But this one will still be 5 megapixels, I'm surprised they don't try to put out more 8MP or even 10MP cameras.

theVooner@yahoo.com

posted at 18:19 | 0 comments

Thursday, October 20, 2005

Fuji Z1 Digital Camera

In one of my spending splurges, I was looking for a new digital camera and fell in love with the Fuji Z1. It's very small, looks good and just seemed the right package to me. Two things held me back: 1) it uses the XD card for storage which is annoying because I would have preffered SD or something. 2) there were rumours that the Z2 would be out soon with better resolution, ISO, etc. Well there isn't much about the Z2 there but Fuji did announce some new colors for the Z1. Well, I'm still hoping they will introduce (very likely) the new model by Christmas which I hope to get soon after (assuming no newer model wins me over first). Hurry up Fuji or I might buy from elsewehere.

theVooner@yahoo.com

posted at 21:21 | 0 comments

Friday, October 14, 2005

Apple new iPod

Wow, that new iPod is cool huh? I like the really large 2.5" screen. I've been looking at my digital camera (which also has a 2.5" screen) to see if you can watch things on it, and it's not too bad. I hope it will be as bright and as good. I can't wait to buy one. Too bad for Apple though, I was going to buy a Nano but it turns out they sold out on the Black 4GB model and only had the white one so I didn't get it. Now, it's so backordered that I lost interest. Well, at least they'll get me to buy an iPod...

theVooner@yahoo.com

posted at 21:03 | 4 comments

Monday, October 10, 2005

Sharp Zaurus SL-C3100 PDA

While PDAs as a tool have long since faded, giving way more to Smartphones or laptops, in Japan, there's still a market for them. Sharp's Zaurus line has been around for a long time and the C3100 is it's latest product. It's got 4GB of space, and more importantly, packs a keyboard, bright twisting screen, and a host of other features. Importantly, this uses Sharp's CG Silicon screen which if you haven't seen it, is much clearer, sharper, and brighter than LCD screens. Pretty cool. Now if it would just incorporate a phone...

theVooner@yahoo.com

posted at 21:42 | 0 comments

Thursday, October 6, 2005

Sony Vaio Type F

Sony has a relatively new Vaio out in Japan, the type F. The type F looks like just another upgrade/update of the Vaio line except that this one comes in a flurry of fancy colors. Looking more like a cross between a Vaio and an iPod/iBook, this Vaio looks focused on the design elements of the laptop to attract buyers. That said, it does look pretty nice. Instead of the standard silver, black or odd dark blue/dark red Vaio we've seen, these are bright, vibrant colors that may just win over some new users, particularly female laptop buyers. It's definitely a nice looking laptop.

theVooner@yahoo.com

posted at 20:31 | 0 comments

Wednesday, October 5, 2005

Sony N1 Digital Camera

As I knew would happen, Sony has also launched its version of a compact 8 megapixel digital camera. The Sony N1 looks more like a Casio Exilim than the traditional T-series compact digital camera we are used to. Significantly, it comes with an "out of camera" lens the protrudes from the body unlike the T-series which usually has an in-camera lens. I prefer the in-camera one as I have managed to bash around my Panasonic FX pretty badly with the lens sticking out. Anyway, the coolest part about the N1 has to be the massive 3" LCD screen on the back of the camera. That, is pretty cool. I like the 2.5" camera's available out there, but a 3" screen will really be stunning. The downside though has to be battery life. The T7 is already a battery hungry machine -- this new one has to be even more so. I also think it's going to be a disaster for Sony to have 8 megapixel cameras as the MS Duo is still lacking behind the capacity of SD cards (1GB is the largest capacity widely available though there is supposed to be a 2GB card). Worse, MS Pro Duo cards are also much more expensive. It will be interesting to look at it when it comes out, but I'm probably leaning towards other models.

theVooner@yahoo.com

posted at 23:46 | 0 comments

Tuesday, October 4, 2005

Panasonic Foma P701 iD Mobile Phone

Panasonic has come out with a really interesting looking handset. If Apple is still trying to figure out what and how their mobile phones should look like, then they should look at this Panasonic Model. The P701 iD looks a little like an iPod in all white and black models. Interesting, the phone has a glow in LED light which glows a bluish circle when it rings, which reminds me a lot of the touchpad controls on an iPod. The phone is actually a very boring, plain looking mobile handset, but that's the beauty of this phone -- simplicity. Features wise, its got a good looking screen, mini SD card slot for Movies/MP3 functionality, and the usual other phone functions that we've come to expect. With NTT's i-mode, you get lots of cool Japan functions like Sega games. As a 3G phone, this could technically be used on 3G networks globally, but these kind of models tend to be limited to handsets only available in Japan and we're not sure users outside of Japan would take to it. Still, if Apple throws in their software, this would be would their hardware could look like...

theVooner@yahoo.com

posted at 19:01 | 0 comments

Monday, October 3, 2005

Oakley Razrwire Bluetooth Eyewear

I had the chance today to try on the Oakley Razrwire Bluetooth Eyewear earlier today. It's pretty cool. First, you get the usual Oakley eyewear which is already pretty good by itself. Then you add on this side piece to one of the temples and you get this cool additional bluetooth earphones. At first, I expected the bluetooth add-on to be bulky, heavy and cumbersome. But I found it acceptable. In fact, I really liked the setup. I think it would perfect for driving (when you really need the earpiece) and maybe for some sports/outdoor events. It just makes sense. I'm seriously going to consider getting one.

theVooner@yahoo.com

posted at 22:56 | 0 comments

Sunday, October 2, 2005

New Sony Aibo

Sony has a new Aibo out and even though the buzz over the little mechanical dog has long since fizzled out, it is still a remarkabl gadget. Upgrades in programming, including a better recognition of words should see the mechanical wonder perform even more lifelike. Although no replacement for the real thing, it is still a fascinating toy that has its own advantageous and is nevertheless a great, fun thing to own (if you have money to burn).

theVooner@yahoo.com

posted at 19:54 | 0 comments