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We finally broke down and got us an iTouch. Sure, we can play music, view photos, watch videos, etc. with the iTouch, but when it comes right down to it, we wanted one because it is the latest piece of Apple goodness.
We have no rational justification for replacing our perfectly fine iPod nano. So if you are like us, stop thinking about why you, too, want to "replace" your iPod and just go buy one and get it over with. They ARE really cool to play with.
Some of you may be trying to compare it to the Zen, Zune, or some other piece of gear based on specs or price, but in the end you know the iTouch is the one everyone REALLY wants. So save yourself some time, take out your credit card, and just get one. - Wan Chi Lau (permalink)
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We have a tradition here at the office tht we take a four-hour walk around the Charles River on Thanksgiving day before the big meal. The temperature on some years had been in the teens, but yesterday it was a balmy 50º!
We love the walk because we do it at a time when most people are either home cooking or have left town. The experience is unique because the city seems deserted and is eerily quiet. Definitely the "calm" before the BlackFriday storm!
We post these images for you to enjoy should you need a refuge from the day-after Thanksgiving shopping crowds. - Wan Chi Lau (permalink)
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We have been using the Carson Spotting Scope quite a bit this Fall. It is a great scope that travels well, but sometimes we want a scope that fits in our pockets. The Naviscope is perfect pocket scope for all those times when you want to get close to the action without the bulk.
This Carson Monocular is a ruggedized, compact unit, with a form fitting grip. The mold is for a right hand fit, but it can be used with the left hand without any obstructions.
One additional feature of this Carson NaviScope is the built-in digital compass. The read-out is internal and is activated by the button on the top of the scope. When pressed, the direction is visible for a few seconds in the LCD display...a very cool and unique capability.
You do have to give up some features: the focus is fixed, there is no zoom capability, and it cannot be used with a tripod. However, it is small enough that you can have it with you all the time.
If you had a view like this over Cambridge, wouldn't you want to check it occassionally? Well, the Carson monocular will not only bring the view in closer, but it will also tell you in what direction you are looking. - Wan Chi Lau (permalink)
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Some of our readers took us seriously when we said we were not posting any more until after the World Series was over. One reader was so eager to read about the FirstLook of the Wacom Intuos that she offered to... well, nevermind what she offered. In any case, now that the series is over, we are back at work. We will start things off with a FirstLook of the 6x11 Intuos Tablet from Wacom.
The complete package consisted of : a widescreen sized tablet, wireless pen/holder, wireless mouse, software CDs, and cables. No AC adapter or charger is needed with the Wacom. As with all of Wacom's wireless devices, a proprietary induction system powers the peripherals... eliminating the need for batteries. This technology alone makes it worth buying Wacom products.
The software bundle which came with the Intuos is pretty rich: Adobe Photoshop Elements (Win/Mac), Corel Painter Essentials, Nik Color EFex Pro, and Wacom Brushes.
The mouse is the standard 2-button with a center scroll wheel. There are buttons on the side. The pen and holder are both of very high build quality. The pen may be placed horizontally or vertically in the holder. The base is weighted and very stable when used in either configuration.
We have not yet delved into the software options for either the mouse or the pen, but we are pretty sure the settings are extensive. We'll have more details when we post the FirstLook review.
The Intuos 6x11 tablet is about the same dimension as the Genius tablet we had looked at a few weeks ago. The difference is the Wacom Intuos active area matches better with the widescreen displays. The 16:9 aspect ratio is becoming the standard for both TVs and computer displays. Wacom is ahead of the curve in offering drawing tablets which follows this trend.
On the drawing surface are a few physical buttons and a "touch strip." We have not had any experience with using these additional items and will definitely explore them further in our FirstUse report. One interesting thought we had when we got things set up for use is... wouldn't it be great if the tablet can be put into a "virtual keyboard" mode? That way, we can eliminate the keyboard all together and reclaim some desktop! - Wan Chi Lau (permalink)
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Oct 22,2007 (MountItMonday) |
Yesterday we posted a FirstUse of the eVo and AutoLock screen from LumenLab. A few readers asked us to post more details on the eVo and the telescoping mount and we realized we had not yet done a FirstLook yet...so here it is :-)
The projector was designed by LumenLab and manufactured in China. The combination has resulted in a good overall design and an inexpensive unit. This does come at some cost (plastic feel, imperfect fit), but we think LumenLab made the right calls where it counts (good optics, multi-resolution support, cheap replacement bulbs).
We also like the multi-input, keystone correction, and onboard controls. The eVo comes with a remote, some spare fuses, and a lens cap.
LumenLab offers an incredibly priced telescoping ceiling mount. This is an all steel mount which will enable the projector to be securely mounted. Adjusting it precisely may take a bit of patience as there are quite a few bolts to tighten.
There are four matching anchor points at the bottom of the eVo projector for the mount. We don't have any plans at present to permanently mount this projector as we'll still need it for our multi-touch project. However, we are at a point in the project where we may need a projector with a shorter throw. If we do get another projector, we'll definitely permanently mount the eVo in our media room. - Wan Chi Lau (permalink)
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The LumenLab eVo projector has been in-house and in-use for many months now. Most of this time we had been using it for our multi-touch project. Since the Red Sox won last night, we decided to project tonight's game on the big screen so everyone can gather and watch. This meant it was finally time to mount the 90" screen we purchased along with the projector.
The LumenLab screen came well packed and pre-assembled. All we had to do was mount it to the ceiling and attach it with some hooks. We managed to get it set up in about 30 minutes. The part that took the most time was finding the studs in the ceiling!
The project was going smoothly until we pulled down the screen. No matter what we did, the screen would not stay deployed. This is supposed to be an "auto-lock" screen. Upon closer inspection, we noticed that the left end of the screen had a crack. This may or may not be the cause, but still a problem either way.
Since there was no time to take things apart, we decided on a more "practical" solution. Two 8 lb dumbbells were employed to anchor the screen open until we have a chance to contact LumenLabs and see what can be done :-)
The final task was setting up the LumenLab eVo projector. We might decide that projector would be better mounted on the ceiling at later date. For now, we'll just use a cart to hold it. The projector has a built-in keystone correction dial to compensate for the tilt. Now that we have the 90" screen up, the 60" monitor does not seem so big any more! We are now set for tonight's game.
The image projected by the eVo is not bright enough for daytime use, but it is fine as a home theater projector in a darkened room. The three images were take at three different times during the day (mid-afternoon, late afternoon, sun down).
We did not have time to reconfigure the 7-channel surround sound, but it should be good enough for tonight's game. Go Sox!!! - Wan Chi Lau (permalink)
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Written words are so low bandwidth. Today, we are going to experiment with a technique where we cram thousands of words in the space of a few hundred.
Wacom...way fun! FirstUse report coming your way in November. - Wan Chi Lau (permalink)
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Oct 15,2007 (MonocularMonday) |
This past weekend we took the Carson Spotting Scope for a FirstUse outing. Mass Audubon has a preserve close to the office. We have been there a few times and knew it would be a good location to test out the scope.
It was just the start of Fall but the colors were already showing. We hiked in for a bit and set up at one of the boardwalks looking out at the wetland.
The setup we took with us on the outing was the Carson BackCountry Spotting Scope mounted on the TrekPod. We have been using the TrekPod every chance we had. A few sharp-eye viewers noticed that we used it to support the Jason telescope we had with us in Maine.
The Carson scopes performed wonderfully in this FirstUse outing. The controls were easy to use, the focus knob and zoom controls were smooth to operate. The image had high contrast and was razor sharp. The integrated sunshield came in very handy on this bright day.
The Carson scope/TrekPod combo is a winner both in the backcountry as well as in the city (we stopped by Jamaica Pond on the way back to check out the ducks). The pair is light to carry and quick to set up. Perfect for bird watching anywhere/anytime.
The only thing we wish was better on the Carson was the lens cap. It is a rubber cap, but the fit was loose. We did not take it with us on the hike because we knew we would lose it. Some kind of hinged cap may have been a better choice for a field scope. However, this is a nitpicking point in an otherwise excellent product. We look forward to taking out in a more extensive outing soon. - Wan Chi Lau (permalink)
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Oct 14,2007 (WeekendEdition) |
Last July, we got one of our bird watching staff a pair of binoculars for her birthday. We knew then it was the start of a never ending quest for sharper, more powerful optics to enable her to get ever closer (visually) to her feathery friends.
To temporarily satisfy this power lust, we will be equiping our bird watcher with a BackCountry Carson (SS-550) 15x-40x Zoom Spotting Scope. The Carson BackCountry Spotting Scope comes complete with the scope, eyepiece, tripod, and field bag.
The scope has two position (45º and straight) for the eyepiece placement. The 45º placement is more comfortable for standing use while the straight through mode is more suitable for use in a prone position.
The zoom capability (14x-50x) is built into the eyepiece.
The scope collapses to 9" when not in use and is 11" when fully extended. There is an integrated rubberized sunshade for glare control.
The metal tripod is sturdy, compact, and fits into a special compartment in the case. For bird watching, though, a standing tripod is a more practical setup.
We have already taken this scope out for a field test. How did it perform? Interested readers will just have to keep an eye out for the FirstUse report coming later this month. We are also working on some way to take some photos through the eyepiece of this scope. If you have any idea, drop us a note. - Wan Chi Lau (permalink)
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Back in August, we got a larger tablet (the Genius PenSketch 9x12) to make our graphics work easier. We have been getting a steady stream of emails asking when we are going to post the FirstLook review of the PenSketch. If you have been one of those emailers, today is your luck day.
The active area of the PenSketch table is almost 4x bigger (9x12 vs 4x5) than the Graphire. When it comes to tablets, bigger is better. Bigger means more room to work, more room means higher resolution, and higher resolution means better details.
Since most buyers of larger tablets will most likely already have their favorite graphics software programs, we will not talk much about the trial ones included with the PenSketch. We will mention that there are drivers for both Windos XP and Mac OS X.
The Genius PenSketch comes with a cordless mouse and a cordless pen. Each are powered by a AAA battery. From past experience, we know that we use the mouse about 85% of the time. The PenSketch mouse has three buttons (left, right, scroll). The bottom of the mouse hsd three "fuzzy" patches so it can slide noisely across the tablet's surface. This technique works well, but does tend to trap crumbs and dust.
The pen is useful for fine retouching, tracing, or pressure sensitive brush work, but isn't all that ergonomic for normal menu and selection activities. However, the Genius tablet has an interesting feature which we have not seen in other tablets...a programmable strip of "virtual buttons" along the top of the input area.
This strip of programmable buttons may finally make the pen just as quick to use for menu item selection as the mouse. We'll have more to say about this unique feature in our FirstUse report. - Wan Chi Lau (permalink)
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Just when we were about to post the FirstLook of the Genius tablet, three new tablets from Wacom showed up at the office. We are going to hold the Genius piece a few more days to see if it makes sense to review them all together.
Two of the Wacom tablets are their new Bamboo line. The other is from the professional line. We know there have been frequent requests for a review of the top of the line Cintiq tablet and we are working on that. In the meantime, we'll have FirstLook at the intuos3 6x11 tablet. - Wan Chi Lau (permalink)
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This week's WowUsWednesday submission is from Jeremy A. of MA. We have never heard of "Seam Carving" and until we got this link we have never thought much about content-aware image resizing.
Now that we have watched Avidan and Shamir's Siggraph 2007 video on the technique, we are totally impressed with this elegant solution to a difficult problem. Check it out and be "wow-ed." - Wan Chi Lau (permalink)
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No, this is not our new product photographer. We got this link from one of our readers and thought it was too funny not to share. Click here for the story behind this photo.
Apparently, Canon digital cameras are so easy to use that "anyone" can get a shot using them. - Wan Chi Lau (permalink)
Last Friday we gave you a preview of the Parrot photo viewer. Today, we'll take a closer FirstLook.
This Parrot photo viewer comes with an integrated power cable, an AC plug, and a stainless steel stand. The frame is covered with leather and backed with wood. These materials are high quality and will look great on the coffee table at home or the desk at work. Because of the power cable and the need for an electric outlet, the Parrot (along with most other digital frames) is not really designed to for wall mounting. If you want the spec, they are here on the Parrot site.
The finish comes in a variety of colors, but are not interchangeable. We are already thinking of a few upgrade project possibilites (brushed aluminium, exotic wood, etc...). There are three buttons on the back of the frame. They are for navigating amongst the various on screen menu options and making selections.
The only "assembly" needed is to thread the stand into the hole in the lower corner of the frame. The frame may be positioned horizontally or vertically.
We'll show more of the setup phase in the next installment of this series on the Parrot Digital Frame because it is one of the frame's unique features. In the meantime, we wanted to give readers an idea of the amazing quality of the TFT LCD display.
The photo on the left is the image taken with our S2 of a purple cone flower in the RainyDayGarden. We displayed it as a desktop pic on the 22" screen. The smaller image on the right is the same image on the Parrot. Click on either pic for a closer look at the details. We were very impressed with both the contrast and the brightness of the display. It will be very interesting to see how other digital frames compare to this Parrot unit. - Wan Chi Lau (permalink)
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Green screen is a technique used by movie studios to create many of the special effects you see in movies today. The idea is simple: shoot some video in front of a matte screen of one color, replace that color with another image or footage, and voila...you could appear to be sitting at the edge of the Grand Canyon or reporting from the front of the White House lawn.
All of the gear (camera, screen, tripod, software) required to create that type of effect is now available as a complete package. The Creation Station from RipRoar is aimed at the YouTube generation, but allows anyone to add their own green screen FX to videos using the same advanced techniques as the pros.
Priced at $130, it is within reach of even the most modest video budget. It does require a PC for storage and processing of the video. If you want a CreationStation, preorder it on Amazon now. This could be the sleeper gift of the 2007 holiday season. - Wan Chi Lau (permalink)
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One of our favorite portable batteries is the Tekkeon MyPowerAll. We reviewed the myPowerAll 3300 in 2005 and have used it in a variety of projects (camera, helicopter). The battery has been cycled close to 70 times (mostly for photo shoots) and is still good as new. This is definitely one of the "workhorse" batteries at the office.
Tekkeon recently updated the battery (myPowerAll 3450) with an increase in power and connector options. One of the new options we really like is the USB port. This means we can now leave the chargers for the smaller devices (pda, cell phone, gps) at home!
Like the 3300, the myPowerAll 3450 comes with a variety of tips for connecting to different devices. An increase in battery power means the need for a larger AC/DC converter. The upside is that the 3450 is still physically the same size as the 3300, when not stored in their respective cases.
The 3300 case is a padded leather unit with a magnetic closure. The case which came with the 3450 is a thin synthetic one. The 3400 case will protect it from scratches, but probably not from accidental drops ...which we certainly have done a few times.
To carry all of the loose bits (cable, tips) of the myPowerAll, we recommend getting a small case of some sort. Both the Otterbox and the Bihn Organizer pouches are good choices.
We will charge up the myPowerAll 3450 and try it out with a few of our favorite gadgets. If it is as good as the 3300, we may have another "workhorse" in the office. - Wan Chi Lau (permalink)
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Our Labor Day weekend started yesterday. However, something showed up at the office which was so cool that we had to post a teaser photo!
RainyDayMagazine will be posting an in-depth series on digital photo frames in the Fall. The series should finish just in time for the Holiday season...how timely :-)
As with many of our series, there will be periodic RainyDayPuzzlers embedded in the articles. Lucky readers with correct answers will be rewarded with prizes. To start things off, those who can tell us in one word how photos are transferred to this digital frame may win this cool little tool. Send your answer and a link from the product company's website in an email to us with the subject line "I can say it until I'm blue in the face..." We'll announce the winner on Tuesday after Labor Day. - Wan Chi Lau (permalink)
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The image below was not taken from the Space Shuttle. It was taken by a Nikon CoolPix digital camera mounted on a weather balloon 22 miles above the earth. The whole setup was conceived by a group from Canada with a sense of adventure and a lot of spirit.
The camera was rigged to snap an image every 60 seconds and then parachute back to earth after the balloon burst.
You can see all of their images here. Don't forget to check out the group's other balloon trials prior to the "edge of space" attempt.
RainyDayMagazine salutes the Southern Alberta group for having the "right stuff" and we look forward to SABLE-4! - Wan Chi Lau (permalink)
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We purchased a Canon S2 on EBay a few weeks ago for the continuing series on digital camera repair. Our intention was to take it apart and combine it with the leftover parts from our other repairs to see if we could get another working camera out of it.
When we received the camera and checked it over, we were extremely disappointed because we could find NOTHING WRONG with it!!! The original seller indicated this S2 would not focus. We used it this past week for all of the shots and every image (daylight, flash, close-up) was perfectly focused.
We think the original owners didn't properly set the dioptic adjuster on the viewfiner correctly. Everything viewed through the viewfinder WAS fuzzy, but the viewfinder is user-adjustable to correct for near-sightedness and other occular issues. The original owner may also have had the close-up option selected. In that mode, the camera will not focus on object outside of its close-up range (duh).
Since we didn't think it made sense to take apart a perfectly good camera, we are putting it back up for sale (EBay: 190145394605) and hope to get one that is REALLY broken for our continuing S2 repair series :-) We have also added an original box, software, docs and manuals, and some cables from one of our other S2 cameras. - Wan Chi Lau (permalink)
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A few years ago we reviewed the Wacom Graphire 4x5 tablet. We have been using it daily for the past two years. It is excellent for photo touch-ups and other image correction operations. Our only wish was that it was larger.
This week our wish was granted. Mr. UPS Guy dropped off this HUGE 9x12 high resolution PenSketch tablet from Genius. We didn't even know Genius made tablets!
We have not had a chance to play with the PenSketch, but we will soon! For now, here is a quick pic to show you the size difference between the Genius 9x12 and the Wacom 4x5. There is quite a bit more surface area to work on!
As with the Wacom tablet, we'll give this Genius unit a complete FirstLook (later this month). We are also eager to see if a bigger tablet is indeed a better tablet. - Wan Chi Lau (permalink)
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Sarah was in Boston for six weeks attending a high school honors program at BU (we had her weeding the RainyDayGarden last summer).
Sarah did quite well at her summer college courses at BU. She had signed up for a 300-level graphic design class but dropped it after a day because it was too easy. Instead, she decided to give "Intro to Black and White Photography" a try.
At first, Sarah found the analog nature of 35mm film, working in a darkroom, and developing photos rather confusing. I believe her first question was "What? No Photoshop?" followed by "What is film?"
However, at the end of six week, Sarah is hoping to find a darkroom to rent when she is back in LA. Apparently, "dodging," "burning," and working the analog way is kind of fun :-) Hey, maybe she can be our new in house photographer? - Wan Chi Lau (permalink)
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Rechargeable batteries are in most of the gear and gadgets we use everyday. Given a choice, we try to buy gear which do not use a proprietary battery format. Our Canon S2 digital camera uses AA. We can always find regular AA in a pinch, but for everyday use, NiMH rechargeables are the best option.
However, the problem with rechargeable batteries is that they don't hold their charge over time. If you are constantly using your gear, this is not a big problem. If you don't, the batteries may not have enough juice when you need it.
The solution to the shelf-life problem may be these new eneloop batteries from Sanyo. The eneloop is spec'ed to retain 85% of their charge after 1 year! They even come pre-charged and ready to go right out of the package.
A few years ago we purchased some Energizer NiMH batteries and a charger. We're showng it to give some perspective on how far things have come. The eneloop charger and battery is a compact unit designed with portability in mind.
The cover and plug are integrated into the unit. The charger's clever design will charge both AA and AAA size batteries without the need for the usual spring-loaded adjustible contact.
We'll be comparing the eneloop and our normal NiMH batteries in identical Canon S2 cameras. It'll be interesting to see how they stack up against each other. We will have the results in a few months. If you can't wait, then go get some and do your own test :-) - Wan Chi Lau (permalink)
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July 20,2007  |
As most readers know, we have been doing a series of repair articles on the Canon S2 camera. Many of you have written an asked about the different lens attachments and accessories for the S2. We are going to take a look at a bunch of them...starting with these handstraps from Fotodiox. Fotodiox is a big seller on Ebay. Check out their offerings there for the best prices!
We got two different straps from Fotodiox. Both are light weight, easy to mount, and very reasonably priced. In order to use either strap, the neck strap on the camera must be removed as the hand straps mount using the eyelets on the camera.
The first strap was easy to attach and adjust. The base attaches to the bottom of the camera via the tripod mount. Built into the base is another threaded hole so the camera can still be attach to a tripod.
The second strap took a little more work to get on. The straps itself was a little wider than the S2's eyelet. We managed to pull the strap through with the use of the needle-nose pliers. The main difference with the second strap is the extra adjustable wrap around the wrist.
The first strap looks to be simpler to use as no adjustment is needed. However, the second strap does feel more comfortable to use...especially in allow the hand to swing away from the camera's grip without the camera fallin out of our hands. We'll use both strap and report back on our preference. - Wan Chi Lau (permalink)
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