Saturday, August 08, 2009

Auslogics Duplicate File Finder Helps Declutter Your Disks [Downloads]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/53cOxQG1K-E/auslogics-duplicate-file-finder-helps-declutter-your-disks

Unintended duplicate files can chew up a lot of disk space. Auslogics Duplicate File Finder will help you find dupes even when the file names don't match.

By scanning and compiling the MD5 hash of of each file it scans, Auslogics Duplicate File Finder can dig through your disks and find duplicates with mismatched names. Multiple copies of music and other media, even when oddly named, will be matched up. You can filter by file size and file type. Matching can be contingent on file name, date and size, and the file hash.

If you have a favorite tool for finding duplicate files, let's hear about it in the comments. Auslogics Duplicate File Finder is freeware, Windows only.



Use Ubiquity to Make Google Voice Calls [Ubiquity]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/4134cD6GsRE/use-ubiquity-to-make-google-voice-calls

It's fairly easy to head to Google Voice's homepage, paste in a number, type out a contact, then click a button to call. It's far easier, however, to use Ubiquity with Firefox to highlight a number and just type "call."

The earth2marsh site posts a Ubiquity command that requires just a little bit of configuration to hook up with your Google Voice account. Once it's set up, however, making a call with your pre-determined default phone is a simple matter of highlighting a number, activating Ubiquity, and using the action verb "call." Need help using or adding commands into Ubiquity? Check out Gina's guide to making Ubiquity your ultimate Firefox commander.



Cloud-Generating 1900-Ship Armada to Sink Climate Change [Science]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/bYIc_cG3v1c/cloud+generating-1900+ship-armada-to-sink-climate-change

The Copenhagen Consensus Centre—a respected European think tank which used to be skeptic on climate change—is now advising that we should spend $9 billion in building 1900 cloud-generating ships like the one above. Why? To cool down Earth:

When you spray saltwater into the air, you create nuclei that cloud condenses around, creating bigger and whiter clouds, thus bouncing more sunlight back into space.

That's what David Young, a member of the panel that created the report, says. The fully automated vessels will cross the oceans absorbing water and spraying it into the skies. They say this will help the formation of big, whiter clouds, which will make the sun light bounce, lowering temperatures.

The idea seems neat, but the concept of anyone in planet Earth claiming to understand how climate works to this extend blows my mind. We are still trying to grasp how a complex system like the weather works, but someone wants to put an idea like this in motion, without knowing about the ultimate consequences? Like we say in my home country: Do you experiments with pop soda. [Copenhagen Consensus via Daily Mail]




Buffalo adds 16GB microSD card / reader to its line of incredibly small USB memory

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/07/buffalo-adds-16gb-microsd-card-reader-to-its-line-of-incredibl/


We've seen Buffalo shrink USB drives down to preposterous sizes in the recent past, and now the company is throwing a microSD card reader into the mix. Available for ¥15,500.00 (that's $160, give or take) this guy stores 16GB internally, is available in both colors -- black AND white -- and would be right at home in any of your computer's favorite USB 2.0 ports. And just to get you started, this bad boy includes a 16GB card microSD card. How sweet is that?

[Via OhGizmo!]

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Buffalo adds 16GB microSD card / reader to its line of incredibly small USB memory originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Faulty GPUs reportedly cost NVIDIA another $119 million

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/07/faulty-gpus-reportedly-cost-nvidia-another-$119-million/

We already knew that NVIDIA had to shell out anywhere from $150 to $250 million last year to resolve issues related to its defective GPUs, but it looks like that may have only been the beginning, with The Inquirer now reporting that the company has also been forced to pay an additional $119.1 million over the past four months to fix a faulty die and weak packaging material used in the affected graphics chips. What's more, NVIDIA apparently won't say whether it expects to incur any further charges related to the defective chips or not, although it simply describes the whole situation as "small distraction," and says it hasn't affected its ability to launch new products.

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Faulty GPUs reportedly cost NVIDIA another $119 million originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 13:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lenovo's Android-powered O1 'OPhone' due next month

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/07/lenovos-android-powered-o1-ophone-due-next-month/


Good news, kids! It looks like Lenovo's O1 "OPhone" handset is finally ready to hit the shelves over on the Mainland sometime next month. Truth be told, the story arc of this Android-powered 3G (TD-SCDMA) handset has been quite the emotional roller coaster: Some were riveted by the sleek, sexy physical design of the thing, while others were repelled by its intensely KIRFish UI. China Mobile is obviously hoping for big things from the little guy -- and getting it into stores before Unicom gets the iPhone sorted can't hurt. Either way, it looks like someone's just taken a bite out of iOrgane's market share!

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Lenovo's Android-powered O1 'OPhone' due next month originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia device passes FCC for T-Mobile USA, looks an awful lot like a new Internet Tablet to us

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/07/nokia-device-passes-fcc-for-t-mobile-usa-looks-an-awful-lot-lik/

Every week, random, seemingly anonymous Nokia handsets quietly pick up FCC approval. Most will never see the light of day on an American carrier, and the ones that do have usually already been announced so that by the time we figure out what the FCC filing refers to, it's uninteresting. Today, though, we noticed a Nokia RX-51 get certification, and we were immediately intrigued; standard Nokia phones have an "RM" designation, so "RX" has us thinking that this is no ordinary phone. Taking a peek at the SAR documentation reveals that it rolls deep with AWS 3G, just the kind that T-Mobile USA needs to do its thing. The final piece in this amazing puzzle has to be the ID placement doc, which shows the outline of a device far wider than your standard dumbphone. Where are we going with this? You might recall MobileCrunch's information from a while back suggesting that T-Mobile USA would be getting a Maemo 5-powered superphone codenamed "Rover" -- and, well, we're pretty sure this is it. Stay tuned -- things are about to get interesting.

Nokia device passes FCC for T-Mobile USA, looks an awful lot like a new Internet Tablet to us originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 17:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First pic of Microsoft retail store's construction -- both Abercrombie & Fitch visibly nervous

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/07/first-pic-of-microsoft-retail-stores-construction-both-aberc/


Here you have it, folks. We knew this was coming, but the first photographic evidence of a Microsoft retail store under construction has just come to us -- via the company's Twitter account -- and we have to say, it brought a few tears of joy to our eyes. The first two stores are set to be opened in Scottsdale, Arizona and Mission Viejo, California this fall. Wonder if the inside will look anything like those plans we saw?

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First pic of Microsoft retail store's construction -- both Abercrombie & Fitch visibly nervous originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 17:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sharp's AQUOS DX2 HDTVs don't need any help to burn Blu-ray discs

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/07/sharps-aquos-dx2-hdtvs-dont-need-any-help-to-burn-blu-ray-disc/


So, Sharp, you introduced the world's first HDTV line with integrated Blu-ray players last year, what are you going to do next? Only naturally, the Japanese lineup of DX2 series one-ups the original DX by adding Blu-ray recording as well. It doesn't appear that these pack the LED backlighting of the new X-Gen based displays headed our way this fall, so for now buyers will have to make do with the 15,000:1 contrast ratio shared with the other D-series televisions. Still, the big deal here is that the 1080p (52-, 46- and 40-inch) and 720p (32- and 26-inch) displays will burn up to 30 hours of HD video on dual-layer Blu-ray discs, by way of transcoding and compressing to MPEG-4 format without any messy external boxes or wires. The price range from ¥170,000 ($1,740) at the low end to ¥480,000 for the largest size when these ship September 15 but don't count on seeing them on this side of the Pacific (or the Atlantic.)

[Via AV Watch]

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Sharp's AQUOS DX2 HDTVs don't need any help to burn Blu-ray discs originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 18:19:00! EST. P lease see our terms for use of feeds.

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Subscription services like Netflix Watch Instantly generate 20x the revenue of pay-per-downloads

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/07/subscription-services-like-netflix-watchnow-generates-20x-the-re/

Netflix Streaming
Now this is one stat from an analyst that we wouldn't refute, but we do wonder how Versaly Entertainment aquired this information. How exactly does one calculate streaming revenue from a subscription service like Netflix anyways? To be fair we are only assuming that Netflix is involved here as it wasn't specifically mentioned, but we really can't think of any other subscription based video streaming service. Our best guess is that the revenue in question is based on what the studios are receiving and not for the service itself. Regardless, it isn't hard to figure out why no one is paying $4-$5 for the 24 hour rights to watch a movie on any of the pay-per-download services out there. Especially when you can rent a movie from just about anywhere via Redbox for $1.

Read -- Subscription downloads outperform pay-view.
Read -- Redbox undermining DVD value

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Subscription services like Netflix Watch Instantly generate 20x the revenue of pay-per-downloads originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 20:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC Fiesta: definitely Android, headed for AT&T

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/07/htc-fiesta-definitely-android-headed-for-atandt/

Months and months after the telltale signs appeared over at the Bluetooth Special Interest Group, we've now got further confirmation that HTC's as-yet-unpeeped "Fiesta" will indeed be an Android handset. The good folks over at Cell Passion "stumbled upon" the UA Profile for this bad boy, also known as the HTC T5252, and here's what we know: the phone will boast a QVGA display, and a numeric keypad (read: non-QWERTY). Did we mention that internal HTC linking indicates this puppy is headed to AT&T? Yeah, we're definitely getting one -- to go with our super stylish, tricked-out Ford of the same name.

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HTC Fiesta: definitely Android, headed for AT&T originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 22:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia RX-51 tablet captured in the wild

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/08/nokia-rx-51-tablet-captured-in-the-wild/

Not long at all after that mysterious Nokia RX-51 passed through the FCC comes shots from Indonesian message board Kaskus of the tablet-like device in the wild. The blurred box shot and the label behind the battery clearly say RX-51 prototype, and the design is unmistakably similar to the rumored press photo for the Maemo 5-powered Rover from back in May. We can't help but notice the 5 megapixel Carl Zeiss lens and, more importantly, SIM card slot and an ear piece, which would be perfect for placing calls on, say, T-Mobile's network. Few more shots after the break, and hit up the read link for the gallery of photos.

[Via Mobile Bulgaria; thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Continue reading Nokia RX-51 tablet captured in the wild

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Nokia RX-51 tablet captured in the wild originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Aug 2009 12:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Friday, August 07, 2009

Sadly This Is Not the PS3 Slim [Japan]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/VOR4kVyls-g/sadly-this-is-not-the-ps3-slim

I really thought—hoped, really—this sliver of black plastic was the Japanese PS3 Slim. It's not.

It's a wireless router from Logitec—not Logitech, which is known as Logicool in Japan—that's 7mm thin at its skinniest point, ballooning out to 24mm at its fattest. Except for its uncanny Sony style, it seems fairly unexceptional, but man, it got me good for a second. [Akihabara News]




3D Printing Now Available in Stainless Steel, Adamantium Next? [Printing]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/OLVRFekPPJA/

When Jay Leno replaced car parts, he could only print plastic molds in 3D. Life's easier now, because mold's are unnecessary in the creation of custom desk kitsch and car parts as 3D printing got a stainless steel upgrade.

21 days and $10 per cubic centimeter is all you need after you send a CAD design to Shapeways, a company who began offering 3D resin and plastic printing quite some time ago. There are specific size and detail guidelines to keep in mind due to models being printed in layers, but based on the moebius strip complete with moving parts, those guidelines can't be all that limiting. What's going to be your first 3D steel print? [Shapeways via PopSci via CrunchGear]





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GadgetTrak Security System Catches iMac Thief With Startling Precision [Crime]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/1sN0l9-xqnY/gadgettrak-security-system-catches-imac-thief-with-startling-precision

GadgetTrak, an anti-theft tracking system, claimed its first victory, and we're pretty impressed. An iMac was stolen two weeks ago, and the thief wasn't clever enough to reformat. Big mistake: GadgetTrak managed to find his location and took his photo.

After two weeks, the thief made the mistake of connecting to the internet, and GadgetTrak collected tons of info. It triangulated his longitude and latitude via WiFi (and provided a link to the location on Google Maps!), his IP address, WiFi networks in range, and the username, and even took a photo of him with the iMac's built-in webcam. The iMac and two other stolen laptops were traced to a tattoo parlor in Brooklyn and recovered.

Of course, the system only works if the thief neglects to reformat the hard drive and connects to the internet, but we'd be willing to bet that that's not as uncommon as you'd think. It's a pretty great system, as long as thieves don't figure out how to work around it. [GadgetTrak]




Eee PCs rumored to ship with Moblin in October, Chrome OS on the horizon

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/07/eee-pcs-rumored-to-ship-with-moblin-in-october-chrome-os-on-the/

How about a minor spy story to kick-start your weekend? According to our man Sascha at netbooknews.de, a "safe source" who shall remain nameless but who most certainly has ties to Stasi (or, at the very least, owns a trench coat) has divulged some choice nuggets: The first Eee PC pre-installed with the open source OS will hit the market in October, and the company is currently considering the possibility of making this an option for all its notebooks at some point in the near future. And if that weren't enough to stoke your dreams of an Operating System Renaissance, the company is also reportedly working "closely together" with Google to deploy the Chrome OS on its machines at some point in the not-too-distant future. All rumors and innuendo, sure, but interesting -- and, as we've seen the company play with Moblin in the past, certainly not a shocker. As always, we'll keep our ears to the ground, and we'll keep you posted.

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Eee PCs rumored to ship with Moblin in October, Chrome OS on the horizon originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 11:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Inventec Rainbow marries traditional good looks with a Tegra heart of gold

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/07/inventec-rainbow-marries-traditional-good-looks-with-a-tegra-hea/

Unlike Mobinnova's slightly "edgier" take on the "smartbook," Inventec's new Rainbow device is decidedly more netbook-ey in the looks department. Specs are nothing new, of course, with an NVIDIA Tegra 600 chip, 256MB of RAM, 256MB of flash memory, 10-inch 1024 x 576 screen and Windows CE 6.0 (which has been outfitted with Firefox for the occasion, along with other NVIDIA-prepped apps). We're happy to see an edge to edge keyboard here, and despite the low-end specs, it's still nice to know this little number will be capable of nabbing 3G data (HSPA or EV-DO), GPS and DTV. Rainbow can purportedly handle 6 hours of continuous 720p playback, stream video over 3G for 4 hours, and is rated at a rather silly 240 hours of "standby." We're not exactly sure when the Rainbow is supposed to start shipping, but if none of this is striking your fancy, there's always Rainbow 2, which is supposed to hit in the first half of next year.

[Via Engadget Spanish]

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Inventec Rainbow marries traditional good looks with a Tegra heart of gold originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Morrison engineering sketches emerge, has Android written all over it

Motorola Morrison engineering sketches emerge, has Android written all over it


Okay, so maybe there's not literally any text penciled in on these drawings, but if you've been looking for multiple angles of Motorola's sure-to-be-forthcoming Morrison, these are about as good as it gets. Not surprisingly, the design here seems pretty conventional; for all intents and purposes, it's just a QWERTY-packin', full touchscreen slider smartphone with all the makings of a sub-$100 (on contract) Android offering. Hit the read link if you're eager for more, and go on grab another handful of patience while you're at it.

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Motorola Morrison engineering sketches emerge, has Android written all over it originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 01:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Benq updates E-series monitors with auto-calibration sensor, fresh styling

Benq updates E-series monitors with auto-calibration sensor, fresh styling


Having recently refreshed its G-series of monitors, BenQ is back for more with an update to its pricier E-branded panels. The pair of new models come with the SensEye 3 auto-calibration sensor, which corrects contrast, color and clarity according to the mode you choose. Set for worldwide availability this month, the 21.5-inch E2220HD and 24-inch E2420HD both come with 1920 x 1080 resolution on 16:9 displays, 300 nits of brightness, 1,000:1 contrast ratio, and a "class-leading" 11 ports that include four USB, two HDMI, a DVI and a VGA input. The external redesign is highlighted by a side-mounted power button, sure to appeal to -- well, just about anyone. Click through for higher resolution shots, including a close-up of that Vaio TT-inspired button.

Continue reading Benq updates E-series monitors with auto-calibration sensor, fresh styling

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Benq updates E-series monitors with auto-calibration sensor, fresh styling originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 02:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile's TouchPro2 spotted in the wild, $299 contract price bandied about

T-Mobile's TouchPro2 spotted in the wild, $299 contract price bandied about


Well, would you look at that? With just five days to go before T-Mobile becomes the first carrier here in the States to offer up HTC's Windows Mobile-equipped Touch Pro2, it seems the handset has found its way underneath an undiscriminating camera. There's also a shot or two in the gallery that portrays the tilting / sliding handset alongside Samsung's Behold, so be sure to give 'em all a good look as you look for spare pennies in the run-up to August 12th. Oh, speaking of which, we've also got good reason to believe that it'll launch for $299 on contract and $599 with no strings attached, so we hope you're kosher with sizable premiums.

[Thanks, Anonymous]

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T-Mobile's TouchPro2 spotted in the wild, $299 contract price bandied about originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 03:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell quietly launches trio of widescreen LCD monitors, waits for you to notice

Dell quietly launches trio of widescreen LCD monitors, waits for you to notice


As has annoyingly become the norm with Dell LCDs, the outfit has seemingly just thrown three new ones onto the world's platter tonight with nary a peep from its press line. Up first is the 23-inch ST2310 (shown above), a slick widescreen panel with a Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) resolution, narrow bezels, a curved rear, DVI / VGA / HDMI inputs, 250 nits of brightness, a useless 50,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, five millisecond response time and audio in /out ports for good measure. The 22-inch E2210H and 20-inch E2010H (shown after the break) both tout an all-business motif, with the former pushing a Full HD native resolution and the latter handling just 1,600 x 900 pixels. The whole trio looks to be available right now, with retail marks set at $229, $199 and $139 in order of mention.

Read - Dell ST2310 monitor [Via LogicBuy]
Read - Dell E2210H monitor [Via LogicBuy]
Read - Dell E2010H monitor [Via LogicBuy]

Continue reading Dell quietly launches trio of widescreen LCD monitors, waits for you to notice

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Dell quietly launches trio of widescreen LCD monitors, waits for you to notice originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 03:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Astak's $199 EZ Reader Pocket PRO wants to give Kindle 'a run for its money'

Astak's $199 EZ Reader Pocket PRO wants to give Kindle 'a run for its money'


Last we heard from Astak, it was quietly peddling some off-the-wall Mentor e-book reader based on a drab OEM model that every other no-name reader manufacturer uses. Now, however, it seems the company has a bit more pep in its step (though it's still copying others, this time the BeBook), as it has proudly proclaimed that the new 5-inch EZ Reader Pocket PRO is primed to "give Amazon's Kindle a run for its money." With Adobe's blessing, the device is able to support over 20 open file formats along with DRM-laced PDF files; also of note, a sure-to-be-controversial text-to-speech feature can read back documents aloud. The six-ounce device will be available in a half dozen hues, and within you'll find a 400MHz processor, 512MB of memory, an SD expansion slot, 8-level grayscale E-ink screen, a replaceable battery good for 8,000 page turns per charge and an MP3 player that can operate in the background. Sadly, no wireless connectivity is baked in, but the $199 price point is definitely tantalizing. Anyone looking to get in on a pre-order before it ships later this month?

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Astak's $199 EZ Reader Pocket PRO wants to give Kindle 'a run for its money' originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 05:52:00 EST. Please see our ! terms fo r use of feeds.

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iRex readying wireless e-reader while Plastic Logic's own snags $299 price point

iRex readying wireless e-reader while Plastic Logic's own snags $299 price point


Who says the world stopped reading decades ago? With CES 2010 looming ever closer, it looks as if 2010 may end up being the year of the e-book reader. Amazon's got a few Kindles out, Sony's now vying to compete on price, Hearst is doing whatever it's doing, Plastic Logic is jumping in early next year and even iRex is purportedly hoping to issue a consumer-centric alternative. Speaking of those last two, we're hearing that Plastic Logic's long-awaited entrant into the e-book reading world will "be launched in the US at the beginning of next year at a similar price to the Kindle, which starts at $299," while a UK launch is expected in late 2010 or early 2011. As for iRex, the mockup you see above portrays a wireless device with an expansive 8.1-inch display, inbuitl 3G, a full touchscreen and a fall 2009 release date. 'Course, we're also hearing that this one will hover well above the $300 mark, so it's certainly not aimed at the budget-minded bookworms. So many syllables, so little time...

[Thanks, Tom]

Read - iRex reader
Read - Plastic Logic pricing

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iRex readying wireless e-reader while Plastic Logic's own snags $299 price point originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 06:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Twitter, Facebook: August 6th outtage due to massive #DDoS attack? #whentwitterwasdown - http://bit.ly/DfyGd

Thursday, August 06, 2009

The 3 DSLR Lenses You Need (and 2 More You'll Crave) [Digital Cameras]

The 3 DSLR Lenses You Need (and 2 More You'll Crave) [Digital Cameras]

This goes out to people who bought or want an entry-level DSLR, and wonder what's the deal with interchangeable lenses. You really gonna buy that extra glass? It's a beginner's guide to growing as a photographer, preferably without going broke.

It doesn't matter what brand of camera you bought—if it's an entry-level DSLR, it was offered to you with an 18-55mm kit lens. I hope you took them up on that offer because no matter what you bought, that kit lens comes cheap, and is well worth it. Yes, of the five lenses covered here, that kit lens is numero uno.

KIT LENS
Like most bundle pricing, it's cheaper than buying the camera body and lens separately, and most experts agree that an 18-55mm is actually the perfect lens for most immediate photographic needs, with both a decent wide angle plus the ability to zoom in on far away objects. In fact, if you take a look at the four shots below—all taken by me with kit lenses on basic DSLRs—you can see a foreshadowing of the four other lenses in this briefing—telephoto, wide-angle, portrait and macro:

But if you read Gizmodo enough, you know that we've made the case that lenses, and not the cameras themselves, account most for great pictures. Photography is an optics game first and foremost, and there's a point at which that kit lens can't achieve shots that your heart and soul tell you are achievable. There's nothing wrong with your camera—seriously, there's nothing wrong with it. You just ne! ed to ge t some more lenses.

In order to run this story I called some experts at Canon, Nikon and Sigma, which makes discounted lenses for most DSLRs. I could have called experts at [insert your favorite non-Canon or Nikon camera brand here] but early on, the advice was consistent and clear: Anyone who is really taking an interest in their camera should invest in a telephoto zoom next, followed by a fast "normal" lens, which you might call a portrait lens.

LENS LABELING
In the interest of speed, I can't talk about lens anatomy, but there are some key attributes you need to know to read all lens retail listings: focal length and aperture.

In most cases, the lens categories here differ by the focal length, that is, how close a subject appears, indicated in millimeters. The human-eye equivalent is between 30mm and 50mm. A telephoto lens, which gets up close to things that are far away, can be as long as 500mm. A wide-angle lens, which makes close-up objects appear farther away, can be 10mm—still less if you want the bulbous fisheye look. A "zoom" lens simply means that it has a variable focal length—for instance, your kit lens, which can hit any length from 18mm to 55mm.

Because entry-level cameras have smaller (APS-C) sensors than professional (APS) cameras , everybody makes two sets of lenses. Typically all lenses work on beginner cameras, but beginner lenses don't work on pro cameras. If you stick with beginner lenses (denoted Nikon DX, Canon EF-S, Sony DT, Pentax DA, Sigma DC and Tamron Di II), you won't have to stress, but if you want to buy a pro lens, or have some lying around, bear in mind that you need to multiply the focal length by! 1.5 or so to get the equivalent focal length for your camera. A 50mm pro lens is really a 75mm lens on your beginner's model. Why am I telling you this? Because there are new and used pro-level lenses out there for really good prices.

In one case below, what sets the lens apart is its large aperture. The aperture is the hole that lets in the light, and it's measured by the f-stop. A wider aperture means more light comes in, and you have a better chance of getting nice shots indoors, in dimmer settings. A narrower aperture lets in less light. The trade-off is that a wide aperture can't focus on as many things that are at different distances—it is said to have a "shallow depth of field." Your main subject is clear, but the background is blurry—artistic in many cases, annoying in some. When you narrow the aperture, you can crisply resolve more elements, but only if there's enough light. The wide aperture of a "fast" lens can always be narrowed, but there's no way for a "slow" lens with a narrower aperture to bring in more light.

As if that wasn't tricky, check this out: The f-stop is a fraction, and the number you refer to is on the bottom, so if it's low (f/1.4), the aperture is wide, and if it's high (f/6.0), the aperture is narrow. Got it? Zoom lenses at beginner prices tend to have variable f-stops, apertures that get narrower, and in need of more light, as you zoom in.

TELEPHOTO ZOOM
Lenses in many ways are about reach, about bringing faraway subjects closer to your camera's sensor. "The low-end customer, who may take out their DSLR only occasionally, says, 'I want to shoot a picture of the moon, or animals at the zoo, or kids playing soccer,'" says Dave Metz, a lens specialist at Sigma. Even when that kit lens is cranked to the max, it's only giving you! a 55mm focal length, which is why most DSLR makers have a very well-priced 55-200mm lens waiting at the ready. Prices range from $120 to $250, and it's usually the easiest purchase to make.


Credits: Lindsay Silverman - Nikon; me with Nikon; Robert O'Toole - Sigma; Stephen Lang - Sigma

Another telephoto zoom lens you'll see is the 18-200mm, which can cost anywhere from $350 to $600. That's a hefty premium to pay just so you don't have to schlep around two lenses, and generally speaking, the broader the focal length range, the more corners are being cut in performance. That lens is a pass.

If you are feeling particularly far out, both Metz and Nikon's camera marketing guru Steve Heiner suggest a 70-300mm lens. Sigma's model sells for under $200, Nikon's most recent model, with built-in image stabilizing, is just over $500, and there are 70-300mm lenses for everyone else ranging from $130 to $850, all with variable f-stops of either f/4.0-5.6 or f/4.5-5.6. Better yet, these lenses are spec'd for pro-grade APS cameras, so they're exceptionally zoomy on your beginner's camera, more like 105-450mm. Hey, don't think about it too much, just enjoy it.

NORMAL (AKA PORTRAIT)
As much traction as you'll get from a zoom lens, it doesn't really teach you much, except maybe how to compose without cropping. I personally learned a hell of a lot more about photography when I started playing with f/1.8 50mm lenses. This is called a "normal" lens because, says Heiner, "It was all you could get on a camera in the '50s and '60s." In fact, he jokes that even though younger people are snapping up this relatively cheap lens ($100 to $150), he and his ilk "couldn't wait to get away from it" when zoom lenses started hitting the market.

What does it do? As a "fast" lens, it can shoot really well in low light. Keep the aperture wide, get up in your subject's grill, and start clicking. You'll see parts of their face sharply resolved while other parts are softly blurred. Tigh! ten the aperture a tad, and your subject's whole head is clear while the backdrop is soft and peaceful, even if it's a Manhattan street corner at rush hour. What doesn't it do? It doesn't zoom, and because it's usually rated for pro cameras, it's about the equivalent of 75mm on an entry-level DSLR—which is roughly the preferred focal length for portrait shooting—so you often have to step back to get a decent shot.


Credits: Me with Canon; Joe DiMaggio - Sigma; Joe DiMaggio - Sigma; Lindsay Silverman - Nikon

Alternatives to the cheap f/1.8 lens are an even faster one, f/1.4 ($300 to $500), or a 30mm or 35mm that gives entry-level cameras more of a "normal"—what your eye can see—perspective.

At this point, in addition to the original cost of your camera, you've spent less than $500, and you've added immeasurable functionality and artistic wiggle room. You can stop here, and you won't be judged. But, if you like, I can tell you about two more lenses that might rock your casbah.

ULTRA-WIDE ANGLE ZOOM
That kit lens brings you down to 18mm, which is enough for you to stand in a corner of a room and shoot pretty much anything going on in that room. But what if you're not in the corner? The same twist of fate that makes pro-level telephoto lenses even more zoomy on your entry-level DSLR makes wide angles trickier—or at least more expensive—to attain.

Why is this? Film is flat, so light can come in at any angle, and the film will mostly record it. But camera sensor pixels are concave, and don't do well with light coming in from the side. Think of the pixels as little water glasses, says Sigma's Dave Metz. "You can fill them up with water by pouring it in from above, but try shooting it in from the side with a garden hose, and it's going to go all over the place." A telephoto by definition is pulling in light from directly in front of it, whereas a wide angle by definition is bringing in light from the sides, too.! Hence t he trouble, and the added expense.

But if you have the means, it's the consensus of my experts that you should pick yourself up an ultra-wide-angle zoom lens (10-24mm, 10-22mm or 10-20mm). Just be very careful that it's one built specifically for entry-level DSLRs, with the arcane designations I mentioned in the "Lens Labeling" section. Discounted on Amazon, Nikon's is selling for $809 while Canon's is around $730. Tamron and Sigma make them for Canon and Nikon for just under $500.


Credits: Stephen Lang - Sigma; David FitzSimmons - Sigma; Carol Polich - Sigma; Joe DiMaggio - Sigma

And the aesthetic pay off? As Metz tells it, "I am sure you've seen a beautiful mountain scene; in the foreground there's beautiful little flowers. Because they're so close, they appear out of perspective. You effectively enlarge the flowers." It's also, as he points out, the best way to make sure that all the uncles and aunts are included in the family portrait you take at the Christmas dinner table.

MACRO
The final stop on our survey of lens-topia is the macro—or big hairy bug—lens. "When I try to show people about macro photography, they say 'What is that?'" says Lisette Ranga, a Canon camera marketing specialist, "but when they look through the viewfinder, and see how close you can get, they get it." While I don't understand why people like taking pictures of bugs and flowers so much, I am a victim of the chronic urge to do so. Though some are 50mm or thereabouts, many macros are telephoto lenses. The ideal, it seems, is to shoot stuff up close that you wouldn't even want to get near—he who snaps the most snakes and scorpions wins.


Credits: Canon 60mm Macro sample; Canon 60mm Macro sample; David FitzSimmons - Sigma; Lindsay Silverman - Nikon

So what do you look for? Typically, macro lenses have a fixed aperture of f/2.8 (sometimes f/2.5). Sigma has five lenses, ranging from 50mm ($300) to 180mm ($900), all fixed, ! plus a f ew zooms such as the one I personally want to try out, the 24-70mm ($570, compared to well over $1,000 for the equivalent Canon or Nikon). What's cool is that when you're not photographing scorpions (or stamps or coins or documents), you can use these for portraits and other "normal" shooting, but with such sharp resolve that some even recommend a bit of digital softening.

So you see, adding those final two lenses more than doubles your investment, and for a diminished payoff. That's what you would buy next, but for most of you, it's not what you should be buying.

IMAGE STABILIZATION, LENS MOUNTS AND YOUR DADDY'S LENS COLLECTION
Though some readers probably gave up on this story a long time ago, I have made every attempt to keep it clear and moving. In doing so, I skipped over lots of hot topics, including image stabilization and lens compatibility.

Canon and Nikon currently promote the hell out of image stabilizing lenses, in large part because their cameras do not have in-camera image stabilization like Sony, Pentax and Olympus. While image stabilization does tend to matter, its location doesn't seem to matter as much. The consensus on the internet is that it's a drag to have to buy IS in lenses over and over, and from what I've seen, there is a clear added cost when buying lenses a la carte. Nevertheless, there's a premium for buying Nikon and Canon because they are consistently the best reviewed and the biggest sellers, so there's no right or wrong. It's just something to look for when buying lenses, and to discuss with your favorite camera nerds.

The main reason Canon and Nikon don't have IS in their cameras is that the camera technologies pre-date the digital revolution, and it was harder to do with film. The flipside is this: Older film-based lenses from Canon and Nikon work on newer Canon and Nikon digital cameras. For Canon, it's the EF standard, which dates back to 1987. If the lens says EF on it, it will work. If it says EF-S, it was specifically made for entry-level DSLRs, and won't work on pricier pro models. If you put an EF lens on a camera that typically takes EF-S lenses, remember to multiply by 1.6 to figure out the real focal length.

For Nikon, it's a tad weirder: Any F-mount lens dating back to 1959 will fit on the thing, but only the lenses labeled AF-S will definitely work with D40/D60/D90/D3000/D5000 class of entry-level DSLRs. If the lens doesn't say "DX" on it, multiply the focal length by 1.5 to see what it really is. If your dad hands you a bag of Nikon lenses, accept them graciously, and try them all out, but be ready for weird results, or at the very least, a sudden lack of autofocus and auto metering.

LENS QUALITY
I want to leave you with one final bone of contention—the quality of the lenses. I recognize that I have made many suggestions that seem like go-out-and-buy-'em recommendations. I do think that shopping for new lenses on a tight budget is a good way to expand as a photographer, but this is not a "buyer's guide."

Many photography enthusiasts believe buying a cheap lens to attach to your camera would be like buying a used prophylactic to... well, I'll spare you the imagery. But the point is, there is surely a reason why third-party ultra-wide-angle zoom lenses cost half as much as big name versions, just as there is surely a reason why Canon's 50mm f/1.4 costs nearly four times as much as its 50mm f/1.8. There are real differences in lenses, and I'm happy to invite you to discuss them below.




Cool Panasonic Micro Four Thirds May End Being My Next Camera [Cameras]

Cool Panasonic Micro Four Thirds May End Being My Next Camera [Cameras]

I got excited about the Olympus EP1—and not because I saw it fondled by scantly dressed girls—but this new Panasonic Lumix GF1 Micro Four Thirds has completely awaken my pantsing instinct. You'll be mine, you pseudo-german hottness you.

The Panasonic Lumix GF1 Micro Four Thirds has a similar size to the Olympus EP1, as you can see in this comparison thought. Just a bit smaller. Looking at the hardware, it may also include a flash, and a special movie record button to capture 720p video in AVCHD format. Sweet. [Xitek and V-Angle via DPreview forums via Electronista]