Digital Home Thoughts - News & Reviews for the Digital Home

"There are files from all kinds of sources that we want to store and manage. Files are created by our digital cameras, e-mail, cell phones, portable media players, camcorders, PDAs, and laptops. Increasingly, computer users are using different folders, drives, and even different computers (such as a laptop and a desktop) to store, manage, retrieve and view files. Yet managing hundreds or thousands of files is still largely a manual operation. In some cases it is necessary to regularly get copies of files from another location to add to primary location; in other cases there is a need to keep two storage locations exactly in sync. Some users manage files manually, dragging and dropping from one place to another and keeping track of whether the locations are synchronized in their heads. Other users may use two or more applications to provide this functionality. Now there is an easier way. SyncToy, a free PowerToy for Microsoft Windows, is an easy to use, highly customizable program that helps users to do the heavy lifting involved with the copying, moving, and synchronization of different directories. Most common operations can be performed with just a few clicks of the mouse, and additional customization is available without additional complexity. SyncToy can manage multiple sets of folders at the same time; it can combine files from two folders in one case, and mimic renames and deletes in another case. Unlike other applications, SyncToy actually keeps track of renames to files and will make sure those changes get carried over to the synchronized folder."

I installed this yesterday and I really like it. It has finally let me set up backups the way they should be done and should be much speedier. I've actually set it up to do three separate synchs of my user data (which totals 82 GB). The first synch goes to a second hard drive installed in my PC. I set a Windows task to automatically perform this synch ever time I boot up. A second synch occurs weekly to network storage. Finally I set up an on-demand synch with a USB drive to let me quickly update my off-site backups. Now that they are all set up, synching the changes will be MUCH quicker than the full backups I was previously doing. Plus, having a fully automated synch will protect me from my own laziness!

"We looked very hard at how people really browse the web. We looked at a lot of data about how people browse and tried a lot of different designs in front of many kinds of people, not just technologists. As tempting as it is to list here all the changes both big and small in IE8, we'll take a more holistic approach. That's how we built the product and how we'd like to talk about it. From our customer research, we saw that the bulk of user activity outside of web pages involved tabs and "navigation" - the act of getting to the site the user wants to get to. We also knew that adding features has an impact only if they're "in the flow" of how people actually use the product. Another menu item might matter in a checklist on a blog somewhere, but won't matter to real people browsing. That's why IE8's New Tab experience is so remarkable: it's obvious - after you see it..."

IE8 beta 2 looks like it has some nice features, but without a spell check or a download manager, it's not going to win me over from Firefox. Web slices look pretty cool though! Want to take it for a spin? Download it now. Looking for a deep dive on the new features? Brandon LeBlanc has that for you.

Ok, I admit it, I'm a sucker for any laptop that's small-ish (under 15.4" screen) and colourful. Maybe it's from too many years of having nothing but black and silver laptops, but I'm always happy to see the big laptop companies giving us more choices regarding size and colour. This new Inspiron 13 is a fairly low-end laptop, designed for the cost-conscious consumer. The $699 USD model still packs some decent features: Intel Pentium Dual Core T2390 (1.86GHz/533Mhz FSB/1MB cache), Vista Home Premium SP1, 13.3" LCD screen (1280 x 800), 8x slot-loading DVD burner, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB 5400 RPM hard drive, Intel X3100 GPU, 802.11g WiFi, a 37 watt hour 4 cell battery, and that swanky blue colour they're calling "Pacific Blue". The only problem I see with those specs? 1 GB of RAM. Vista is happy with 2 GB of RAM, and Dell should know better than to sell it with 1 GB of RAM. $50 more gets you the bump to 2 GB. If you're looking for a budget laptop that's still quite portable, this one might fit the bill.

"SanDisk Corporation today set a new speed record of 30 megabytes per second1 for SD flash memory cards with the introduction of the SanDisk Extreme® III 30MB/s Edition line of SDHC Cards. The new cards, expected to be available worldwide in September in 4-gigabyte (GB)2, 8GB and 16GB capacities, are designed to deliver peak performance when used with the new digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera, Nikon D90. The Nikon D90 is the industry's first DSLR camera to support SanDisk Extreme III 30MB/s Edition SDHC cards at increased performance. Featuring a 50-percent speed boost from previous 20MB/s cards, the new SanDisk Extreme III 30MB/s Edition SDHC card makes it possible to record 39 images in continuous shooting mode at 4.5 frames per second with a file size of 6.0 MB JPEG L Fine per image.3 The Nikon D90 camera captures high-resolution, 12.3 megapixel still images, and it is Nikon's first DSLR to offer movie recording capability."

30 MB per second? Nice - if only because it will push the the prices of their 20 MB/s Extreme II cards. I really like SanDisk cards, and have never had trouble with any of them, but they tend to be really pricey in comparison to other brands. Of course, maybe that's why - you tend to get what you pay for.

As was suspected, the Nikon D90 went public this week - this morning actually. All the specs and details are up on Nikon USA's site, but let me give you the breakdown on what's interesting. First, I was wrong about it being a CCD sensor: it has the same size DX-format sensor (15.8 x 23.6mm) as the Nikon D300, with the same number of effective pixels. So that right there is a bit shocking: you can get the same sensor in a camera that's basically half as much. Same ISO as well: 3200, or 6400 ISO in "high" mode. So from the sensor point of view, the D90 matches the D300, and it should produce fantastic photos, even in low light. I've been blown away by how great my D300 is in low light. The D90 also has the same amazing three-inch LCD screen as the D300, which I've found to be incredibly useful for seeing which photos really turned out. Read more...

Product Category: Camera Flash
Manufacturer: Nikon
Where to Buy: Amazon [Affiliate]
Price: $456 USD
System Requirements: Nikon DSLR with iTTL compatibility for full range of features.

Pros:

• Decreased recycle times (and without needing a 5th battery too);
• A proper switch that not only turns on the flash, but enables the wireless modes.
• New user interface is a bit quicker and easier to operate for many of the flash's myriad settings.
• A new flash-head that zooms to 200mm, giving control over the shape of the light projected...

Cons:

• ... at the cost of making the new flash much bigger than its predecessors;
• No increase in power or distance reached;
• Hotshoe stand (AS-21) mounting screw threads are plastic. Unforgivable cost cutting;
• As of now, the SB800 still is on sale, and represents a very viable and potentially better alternative.

Summary:
Introduced together with the Nikon D700 in early July, the SB900 replaces the SB800 as Nikon's high-end flash. It brings a few new features, such as increased flash cycle times, a new flash head with a twist, as well as an all-new user interface. How well did it do?

Read more...

"Adobe® Photoshop.com Mobile is the easiest way to upload, view, and share your photos online from your phone. All you need is a supported Windows Mobile phone and your Photoshop.com account ID. Photoshop.com Mobile beta will be available as a free download in September."

Adobe claims that Photoshop.com Mobile will only support the MOTO Q, Blackjack, and Treo 700/750 series, although we're willing to bet most other Windows Mobile devices will handle it just fine as long as Flash is installed. At any rate, we'll let you know the moment it's available.

"Canon strengthens its PowerShot range of digital cameras with the addition of a new SX "Super Zoom" model: the 9 Megapixel PowerShot SX110 IS, which replaces the popular SX100 IS. Featuring a 10x optical zoom with optical Image Stabilizer - plus a 3.0" LCD - the Canon PowerShot SX110 IS delivers outstanding telephoto reach in an even more compact and lightweight body. A full range of Canon technologies - including Face Detection Technology, Motion Detection Technology and a new Easy Mode - help everyone take great photos, while experienced users can also enjoy the creative possibilities offered by full manual control."

For some reason, I really like the look of this camera - the rounded edges make it look like it would be really easy to hold and control. The pop-up flash, and overall design, remind me of the point and shoot cameras from 15 years ago. The SX110 certainly doesn't lack in features though: the combination of 10x optical zoom and image stabilization, along with 9 megapixel images, would make for a decent all-around camera. I'm kind of aghast at all of the specs that Canon printed on the front of the camera though - does it really need to say 10x optical zoom if it already says that on the lens? And do we really need to be reminded that it's a 9 megapixel camera every time we pick it up?

"Almost exactly a year after the arrival of the EOS 40D, Canon has announced the 50D, which we're assured will be a sister-model, rather than a replacement. Recent history has seen Canon release new models every 18 months-or-so but it's been a busy year with newcomers such as the Nikon D300 getting a lot of attention in the 40D's keen amateur/professional segment. The 50D puts essentially a 40D body wrapped around a newly-developed 15 megapixel sensor that finally rectifies the situation in which Canon's x0D range trailed the company's entry-level line, in pixel terms....The other big change is the inclusion of a new, high-resolution LCD screen. 920,000 dots mean that it can convey 640 x 480 RGB pixels, making it effectively a VGA standard monitor. Three anti-reflection layers built into the screen do their best to keep it useable in bright conditions, too."

If you've got your eye on the new Canon EOS 50D, this preview article has a wealth of detailed information worth checking out.

Those of you who have been waiting for this camera, your time is almost over - Nikon is expected to officially announce it tomorrow. The specs? A 12.3 megapixel sensor (I presume CCD, there's no mention of CMOS) capable of ISO 200 to 3200, with a Low (ISO 100) and Hi (ISO 6400) setting. A three inch, 900,000 pixel screen (similar to the D300 I believe), 11 AF points, Live View, face detection, Matrix metering, and...video capture! Yes, Nikon is finally going there with a DSLR. The camera is going to have video capture, and has a built-in speaker for playback, but there's no mention of the resolution or format of the video capture. I really hope Nikon doesn't use their lame 640 x 480 video capture here; I hope to see 720p video, hopefully in h.264 format. Now that would be impressive! If the pricing makes sense, this looks like it could be a real winner for Nikon (and Nikon shooters).