Elan ll Portable Radio
Getting up in the morning is going to be so much easier with the new Elan ll, the latest portable stereo DAB/DAB+/FM radio with pause and rewind ReVu technology from PURE, the world’s leading manufacturer of radios.
Radio has never been so cool and the luxury touchscreen wireless is to be released in time for Christmas at a price that is much lower than you would expect for such a stylish, high-tech model.
Following the design of a traditional radio, the stereo is available in a black, satin-touch finish made out of aluminium with an anodised fascia and a chrome handle with rubberised grip.
That’s where any similarity to your old tranny ends because the Elan ll can pull off some pretty clever audio stunts too including the DAB-tastic ReVu tech that enables you to pause and rewind live radio and a textSCAN feature that means you can control the scrolling text and store useful bulletins like traffic and sports reports so you can get to those football results that bit quicker. There’s also in put for an iPod or MP3 player – or alarm and kitchen timer with 30 DAB and FM presets.
And the Elan ll doesn’t compromise on sound either – with digital amplifiers and custom wound 3” speakers, you’ve got 35 hours of unadulterated, environmentally friendly and high-quality listening with the optional chargePACK rechargeable battery.
At a price of £99.99 you won’t be breaking the bank either.
The Exilim EX-S12 may be the world's slimmest camera
Casio’s new Exilim Card EX-S12 may be the world’s slimmest camera according to manufacturers but it also has a high pixel count, zoom functionality, LCD monitor and photo functions.
In fact it’s so slim, turn it sideways and it almost disappears! Measuring 3.7” wide, 2.1” high and 6” thin it boasts an efficient 12.1 megapixel resolution, a clear 2.7” LCD monitor, high ISO performance and a high speed shutter technology with high definition movie capability.
With an optical and digital zoom of 3X and 4X respectively, the Exilim EX-S12 takes clear and crisp pictures, performing well at high ISOs with a sharp lens. It can shoot at four frames per second or 10 fps with great colour reproduction and rich depth of colour.
Not only that, it looks good with a stylish and sleek finish and it’s packed with some fun and useful technology too. For example, the auto shutter options include a blur mode so the camera doesn’t operate until the subject is still. Or in the smile mode, the shot doesn’t take until the subject is looking suitably cheerful. Best of all is the new high speed image processing engine which allows moving subjects to be cut and pasted onto still backgrounds or images. The user simply takes a picture of the subject in front of a blank wall followed by another of the wall without the human interest enabling the camera to edit him out and transpose him to more exotic locations – in front of the Taj Mahal for example, or the Leaning Tower of Pisa or even the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
Retailing at around £210, the Exilim EX-S12 represents a lot of fun and fancy technology packed into a small package.
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Eye-Fi Memory Cards available 19th October
You can now make your camera wireless – Eye-Fi is to launch the very first wireless Eye-Fi SDHC memory cards in the UK on 19th October.
The three Eye-Fi cards include the Eye-Fi Home Video card costing £49.99, the Eye-Fi Share Video card priced at £69.99 and the Eye-Fi Pro card at £119.99. They slide into your camera just like any regular SD/SDHC card and hey presto, your photos can fly to wherever you want them to go.
For anyone who enjoys taking photographs, the Eye-Fi Home Video Card priced at £49.99 contains 4GB and enables you to instantly upload and organise photo and video files to your PC or Mac without wires.
The Eye-Fi Share Video card means you will now be able to send photos and videos wirelessly to your computer and you can choose from 1 to 25 popular social networking sites like Facebook and Flikr or Picasa, MobileMe or YouTube. As soon as your camera is within range of a specified network your photos and videos will transfer effortlessly to your favourite site.
Camera buffs and professional photographers will now be able to use the Eye-Fi Pro card to upload JPEG, RAW and video files wirelessly to their PC or Mac and the Web – great news for photographers on the road who need to quickly transfer their pictures and images.
The memory cards also feature automatic geotagging compatible with Wi-Fi Positioning System. A Selective Transfer option is available in the US and UK giving more control over which photos and videos are uploaded. By using the standard protect or lock feature in the camera’s menu, you can wirelessly select files to upload.
Available through Amazon, Apple, Computer Warehouse and Dabs, the Eye-Fi Memory cards launch in the UK on 19th October 2009.
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The Canon EOS 7D is on sale now
Packed with new features, the Canon’s EOS 7D digital SLR combines innovative technology and intuitive build to create a new photographic experience and is destined to be a big seller this Christmas.
The groundbreaking design was developed by Canon according to the specific demands of over 5,000 photographers worldwide matched with cutting edge technology. Features include a new 18MPP APS-C CMOS Sensor with Dual DIGIC 4 processors that eliminate the need to compromise between shooting speed, image quality and ISO performance and is effective in any light setting. With continuous shooting images can be captured at eight frames per second without the need for additional accessories and the ISO expands to 12,800 to create a more natural light.
Design features include a body made of magnesium alloy that is both tough and lightweight and resistant to moisture and dust. Operation is smooth and it’s easy to switch directly to movie mode when users can create a cinematic experience by shooting full HD video with options for 24 frames per second.
The EOS 7D’s 19-point cross-type AF sensor achieves more accurate shots and improves composition options. With a range of manual and automatic settings including Zone and customisable Spot AF, subjects can be captured quickly and accurately. The photographer can effortlessly switch between landscape and portrait settings. A new metering system measures focus, colour and brightness across 63 zones to obtain a more accurate exposure and an ambient light sensor sets brightness automatically depending on circumstances.
The Intelligent Viewfinder offers 100% frame coverage with 1.0x magnification which allows photographers to engage more with the shot. The three inch LCD allows users to choose between various overlay features with a range of tools that assist in framing the picture and protects from glare with a viewing angle of 160 degrees. A new feature is the first Dual-Axis Electronic Level in the viewfinder and LCD that indicates pitch and roll angles – especially useful when shooting landscapes to ensure a level horizon.
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Exilim EX FH20 camera from Casio
The Exilim EX-FH20 from Casio is a bridge-style compact camera capable of high-speed continuous shooting action in high-definition and still images in crisp, clear detail.
Reckoned to be the second fastest camera on the market and a less expensive option with a price tag of around £250, the EX-FH20 integrates 9.1 megapixels with a 20X optical zoom (26-520mm equivalent) that has a smooth and responsive action, mechanical image stabilisation and a 26mm wide-angle lens. It’s also capable of shooting action at speeds of up to 1000 frames per second and still images of up to 40 fps in a single burst by selecting from one of seven burst settings. At the highest speeds of up to 1,000 fps the camera catches movements that can’t be seen with the naked eye. There’s also a slow motion video option available.
The bright three inch LCD screen situated at the rear of the camera remains clear even in extreme sunlight with an electronic viewfinder situated above and a conveniently placed button for switching between that and the LCD, plus a diopter adjustment wheel. Incorporating
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Art Lebedev Studio Navigarius Sat Nav
The Sat Nav is not renowned for its state of the art design, with chunky squares and rectangles being the name of the day. Now, all that is in the past – the Sat Nav just got curvy.
Developed by the innovative Russian design house, Art Lebedev Studio the Navigarius is still in the makeover stages but should become an actual product in the near future. With mini USB and microSD and cigarette lighter adapter, it’s hardly revolutionizing Sat Nav technology, but the new circular shape is raising eyebrows everywhere. Not only is it more futuristic, it offers a much more user-friendly interface with a round touch-screen and a slender, futuristic detachable stand that fixes onto the windscreen via suction.
This is one time when it’s good to be round, it remains to be seen if the concept is adopted by other providers of portable navigation devices.
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Exilim EX-H10 camera from Casio
Combining cutting edge Japanese technology with stylish, ultra slim design, the Exilim EX-H10 from Casio is one of the first “Superzoom” cameras with prices starting from £229.
A 10x optical zoom allows users to get close to subjects without compromising on image quality with the result that the Exilim EX-H10 is superb for shooting in small spaces or for photographing large subjects. The ultra-wide 24 mm wide angle lens provides a wider field of view making the camera also suitable for landscape photography. With a CCD-shift image stabilisation mechanism, a high-definition movie function is initiated just by pressing a dedicated button and will record at a size of 1280×720 pixels.
An exceptionally clear LCD screen on the back of the Exilim EX-H10 allows the user to view pictures and videos easily. With an integrated Make-Up mode that recognises faces and adjusts focus and exposure accordingly, subjects can be beautified by a function that also softens facial shadows caused by sunlight and photographers can choose from twelve levels of skin beauty using different strengths of image processing. The results can then be viewed in the LCD MONITOR before shooting. With high speed image processing capability, images can also be cut and pasted on to various still shots or a digital camera image can be created where only the main subject in the photo is moving without the need of a PC.
Casio have also enabled reduced energy consumption by means of improved circuitry, optional controls and a battery life that allows users 11 consecutive hours of viewing or 1,000 shots on a single charge.
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Revo iBlik Radiostation
Revo has scored the hat trick with the iBlik RadioStation heralding in a new generation of digital radios; not only does it have the conventional FM and DAB tuners, it also has internet connection with wireless music streaming.
Called the ultimate “one box” radio device, its stylish interface accesses around 11,000 radio stations from around the globe, or you can listen to tracks stored on your PC or Mac connected to the local Wi-Fi or LAN network. There’s no complicated set up or software to load either; the radio is very light and easy to operate, measuring 19.7 x 8 x 47.2 inches.
Although the sound comes through a single speaker the quality has a clarity and resonance. With its black plastic body and Morse code patterning and minimalist hi-tech appearance, the Revo iBlik RadioStation has set the benchmark for internet radio for the foreseeable future.
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Logitech 102 Digital Pen
At last, the compromise for people who refuse to bid the good old fashioned pen goodbye!
Suitable for scribes, minute takers, poets, reporters, train-spotters, in fact just anyone who ever needs to write anything down; the Logitech 102 digital pen could be the answer to many peoples’ prayers.
Based on the same technology as the Nokia and Sony Ericsson digital pens, the Logitech l02’s quality surpasses anything achieved by its rivals with every flick of the pen accurately transcribed, capturing notes or drawings via a tiny camera that stores up to 40 pages at a time.
The pen enables you to translate your notes directly on to software applications with back up, enabling you to synchronize emails, appointments and tasks immediately. It requires special digital paper supplied by Anoto, some of which carries special instructions once connected to your PC. If you fill in the email address on the main jotter pad in the appropriate section and click the box marked email, the note automatically appears in your email application and hey presto, your handwriting has been miraculously converted to keyboard text.
The package also includes handwriting recognition and powerful battery charge. Comfortable to use with a neat docking cradle, the Logitech l02 pen should drastically reduce the amount of time you spend on paperwork freeing up time for you to spend on the more creative tasks like writing.
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Olive Opus No 4
This good-looking music server, the Olive Opus No 4, is something of a musical masterpiece.
With a sleek, matte black finish, fine quality aluminium exterior and some imaginative lettering across the top listing cool genres of music, it should appeal to the urban chic.
With an unprecedented 2TB of storage for up to 6,000 CDS, the Opus has colour-coded touch-screen display and a USB socket, an Ethernet and Wi-Fi adapter and is compatible with internet radio so it’s possible to connect with traditional stereo systems.
Music is delivered with audio quality matching that of your CDs, enhanced by a high resolution digital- to-analog converter and optimised circuit design. Navigation is speedy via a touch-screen menu or conventional buttons and music management is simple with a drag and drop playlist facility, metadata suggestions and album artwork customization.
Detailed genre specific information is available covering categories like Conductor, Composer, Instrument, Voice and even Original Recording Date. With easy set up and facility to play in other locations with the Melody Hi-Fi Multi-Room Player, your favourite songs should be blasting through your home in no time at all.
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