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Samsung introduces the NX200

Archives

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2 Sep 2011

Say hello to the newest member of Samsung’s NX series, the NX200, which features a 20.3 -megapixel APS-C sensor housed within a “Retro Modern” body.

Samsung’s latest interchangeable lens mirrorless system certainly looks the part, and taking a glance at its specifications could make this one of the company’s most desired cameras to date. It has the ability to record 1080p HD video at 30fps, has an ISO of 100-12800 and can shoot at a staggering 7fps in burst/continuous shot mode.

While I would have liked to see Sammy add a viewfinder to the NX200, they did keep the brilliant 3-inch 614k AMOLED display. There is no built-in flash. Purchasing the NX200 kit however includes a hotshoe flash, as well as the 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 OIS i-Function lens.

The Samsung NX200 kit (lens + flash) has a reported retail price of $900 (Php 38,454).

Et tu, Microsoft? Microsoft being sued for collecting location data without consent

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Gadgets Team

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2 Sep 2011

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Et tu, Microsoft? Microsoft being sued for collecting location data without consent

Apple has been the public whipping boy for location concerns a few months ago, but it seems that even Microsoft is guilty of the same thing. A class action lawsuit filed against the software giant in Seattle alleges that their mobile operating system, Windows Phone 7, collects users location data even after you opt out or say no. The piece of code (pictured above) was found by Samy Kamkar in the camera’s application. Once you fire it up, it users if they want to allow the app to use their location. Kamkar found out that even if you say no, the device still proceeds to gather location information anyway.

“The Windows Mobile operating system is clearly sending information that can lead to accurate location information of the mobile device regardless of whether the user allowed it,” said Kamkar. Kamkar started poking around the code at the behest of Seattle-based law firm Tousley Brain Stephens, which filed the suit saying, “Microsoft surreptitiously forces even unwilling users into its non-stop geo-tracking program in the interest of developing its digital marketing grid.”

If the allegations do turn out to be true, then Microsoft is in a perilous position – during the heady days of Apple’s locationgate scandal, the firm sent a letter to congress saying that Windows Phone 7 will not store any location data unless a user has “expressly allowed an application to collect” it.

Source: CNET, Tech Crunch

HTC drops Mango equipped Titan and Radar

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Gadgets Team

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2 Sep 2011

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HTC drops Mango equipped Titan and Radar

HTC’s Windows Phone 7 offerings have been slim pickings, and aside from the three devices unveiled when the OS launched last year (Trophy, HD7 and Mozart) the company has more or less concentrated on strengthening their Android lineup. So it came as a bit of a surprise to see Engadget handling two newly announced Mango equipped HTC devices – the Titan and Radar – being handled on their site. The HTC Titan definitely lived up to its name – it sports an absolutely huge 4.7-inch SLCD display, 1.5GHz processor, 512MB of RAM and 16GB of flash storage. The Radar meanwhile packs a smaller 3.8-inch screen, 1GHz processor and 8GB of storage and is probably aimed at the mid-market sensibilities. The crew at Engadget says that the new devices will be made available (in the States, we suppose) come October, while the rest of HTC’s Phone 7 lineup will be Mango-fied in September. Check out the link for more images.

Source: Engadget

Panasonic Releases World’s First Digital Interchangeable Power Zoom Lens

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Gadgets Team

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2 Sep 2011

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Panasonic Releases World’s First Digital Interchangeable Power Zoom Lens

For those of you that have read my Panasonic Lumix GF3 review, you’ll be ecstatic to know that a new lens has been announced by the company, and will be made as an alternate kit lens option for the GF3X micro four-thirds camera.

Meet the brilliant LUMIX G X VARIO PZ 14-42mm POWER O.I.S., which has an aperture of f3.5-5.6, touted as the world’s first digital interchangeable power zoom lens. Now don’t be fooled by this product’s mouthful of a name, for it’s physical size is more of a nibble than a bite.

It has an electric-powered retractable zoom, and measures 26.8mm in length and weighs around 94 grams. According to Panasonic, the Lumix G X Vario PZ 14-42mm is capable of extremely quick AF speeds at around 1/10 of a second. There are now individual zoom and focus switches on the lens barrel as well, which are much awaited additions to their lenses, and should make shooting much easier.

With the official release date at October 2011, the Lumix G X Vario PZ 14-42mm is reported at a suggested retail price of $399.99 (approx. Php 17,090), and is compatible with any Lumix G series camera.

Review: Samsung SyncMaster TA350

GadgetsLab

Gadgets Team

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1 Sep 2011

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Monitors, especially big ones, usually pulls double duty as TV screens for tech-savvy users. PCI TV tuners are inexpensive, and are easily obtainable through various resellers in the country. So it’s only fitting then that Samsung releases a monitor that’s able to do that out of the box while delivering excellent color reproduction and performance.

The 24-inch, LED TA350 looks good, but is a tad too generic looking for my tastes. All the standard Samsung styling cues is present – rounded corners, crystal-like bezel edges, touch-sensitive controls on the front. It’s not the thinnest monitor around mind you (having an overall depth of about 33mm without the stand), but it’s not a chunky monkey either. The TA350 has done away with the gigantic powerbrick, which to be honest is one of my pet peeves when it comes to monitors, and instead connects directly to the socket with a single wire.

There’s a variety of connectors on the back of the device, which include both digital connections (HDMI) and analog ones (D-sub, Composite, RF, etc.).

The TA350 includes a nice, big remote to help you navigate TV channels when you’re not using it as a monitor.

It’s a decent TV tuner too, and managed to grab most of the cable channels I enjoyed from my local cable provider. There wasn’t much noise in the signal, and the TA350 did a good job overall with what it was presented with.

As with most modern TVs nowadays, it’s able to accept USB sticks that have music, photo or videos in them and is able to play them without being attached to a PC. It’s also able to be mounted on a wall using standard VESA mounting solutions. Another nice feature is the picture-in-picture (PIP) system that works even if you’re using the TA350 as a monitor.

Resolution-wise, the TA350 is able to go as high as 1080p (1920×1080), which is a bit disappointing, since my older Acer monitor is able to go as high as 1920×1200. Still it’s not a deal-breaker for me, and it’s safe to assume that it’s not going to be a problem with prospective buyers.

Once you have everything hooked up, you’ll begin to appreciate how good the picture quality is. The colors are nice and crisp, and the blacks are well defined. I plugged in my 1080p copy of Inception and my jaw dropped, literally, from the amazing picture quality that this little 24-inch monitor put out.

It was a similar story once I got my gaming groove on. Using an HDMI connection from my PC, I was happily fragging my friends online on max graphical settings without ghosting or video latency. Sure I couldn’t go up to 1920×1200 because of the 1080p resolution limit, but it was a minor thing. Point is, the TA350 was able to keep up, and that’s all that matters.

The only issue I had with the device was that it made me go through a lot of hoops before I was able to use it with my PC properly using HDMI. The first time I plugged it in, it had very poor resolution and my desktop didn’t even fit in the screen properly even when I set the resolution down to (an inferior) 1680 x 1050. It turned out that you first had to go Source, then rename the HDMI selection to PC before it would display properly. After I did that, everything was hunky-dory. But here’s the thing – there was no mention of this particular process in the manual, and I had to root around in different forums before I found a fix for it. It was extremely annoying, to say the least.

As it stands, the SyncMaster TA350 is an excellent monitor/TV – once you get it configured properly, that is.

What’s Hot:

Excellent picture quality
PIP
Takes standard VESA mounting solutions
Can play content without a PC plugged in

What’s Not:

Makes you go through hoops before you’re able to use a PC HDMI connection on it.

Bottomline:

The SyncMaster TA350 is a good monitor and a good TV, provided you’re able to configure it correctly.

Buymeter: 8.5

Facebook Music Service Coming Soon?

Gadgets Team

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1 Sep 2011

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A few months ago, we caught wind of a Facebook and Spotify tie-up which might turn out to be true and may involve other third-party providers.

There are now rumors floating about that Facebook will launch a music service this month (September 2011), but instead of providing an actual marketplace for users to purchase songs, the social networking site will serve as a venue for third-party vendors (i.e. Spotify, Pandora, MOG, etc.) to provide users access to their services.

The same sharing and tracking capabilities are still rumored to be true – you will most likely be able to let your friends know what song you are currently listening to and vice versa. If this does push through, Facebook is expected to announce it on f8 conference on September 22.

Source: CNBC

Apple loses another iPhone prototype, scrambles to search for it in the wild

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Gadgets Team

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1 Sep 2011

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Apple loses another iPhone prototype, scrambles to search for it in the wild

Seems like Apple is making a habit of losing prototype devices before they’re launched. According to a report in CNET, the electronics giant has lost another unreleased iPhone model in a bar, mirroring the loss of the iPhone 4 prototype last year that caused a lot of headaches for Apple and media network Gawker when one of their blogs bought the errant device for about $5000. The latest iPhone prototype was lost in a Mexican restaurant and bar back in July, and according to the report, may have been sold on Craigslist for a measly $200 bucks. Judging from the price it went for, there may be a chance that the person who took the device might not even know that it’s an unreleased prototype – the device lost last year was encased in a body of an iPhone 3GS, so it stands to reason that this latest prototype might be similarly encased in a body of an iPhone 4.

Apple is notoriously protective when it comes to their prototypes, and after last year’s fiasco, they’ve upgraded their security when it comes to testing and lending unreleased products to their partners and the different carriers. Apple did manage to electronically track the prototype to a two-floor, single-family home in San Francisco’s Bernal Heights neighborhood according to CNET, but so far has failed to locate the device. Here’s an idea Apple, maybe you guys shouldn’t allow your employees to go out drinking with unreleased devices?

Source: CNET

Apple store that takes you “Beyond the Box”

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Gadgets Team

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1 Sep 2011

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Apple store that takes you “Beyond the Box”

Owners Of Beyond the Box Charles and Ana Paw, Tessa Prieto Valdes, Kelly Misa, PR Partner Toni Abad, Division Head Gerald Senolos, and Marketing Officer Linus Paterno

…..

Experience Apple’s innovative products and solutions at Beyond the Box, a new Apple Premium Reseller store at the Newport Mall, Resorts World. The new store offers a complete range of Macbook Pro, iMac, Macbook Air, Mac mini, Mac Pro, iPad, iPod, iPhone along with a wide range of accessories

At the grand launch held last August 26, the event showcased not only Apple products but also offered service and advice from experts for both consumer and professional customers as well as regular in-store demonstrations and training to help customers get the most out of their purchases.

“We’re very excited to open a new Apple Premium Reseller store,” said Gerald C. Senolos, General Manager for Sales, Marketing and Services of Beyond the Box. “Customers can now visit one store to try and purchase the full range of Apple products and accessories. We offer amazing personal service for home and business users that includes installation and training.”

The event was hosted by Lifestyle Channel’s VJ Janeena Chan and Philmug chairman Elbert Cuenca and entertainment was provided by a band that uses the “Cajon” which is a box of wood with strings inside as an instrument. Guests won instant prizes such as headphones, hard drives, USB thumb drives and many more while the food was catered by CafféFirenzo.

Beyond the Box

3^rd floor shop 6, Resorts World Manila, Andrews Ave. Newport Mall, Pasay City 1309

Tel. no.: 846-2390

Email: www.beyondthebox.ph

Facebook: www.facebook.com/beyondthebox.ph

Twitter: beyondtheboxRP

Razer outs Blackwidow Stealth Edition mechanical keyboard

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Gadgets Team

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1 Sep 2011

0

Razer outs Blackwidow Stealth Edition mechanical keyboard

We love mechanical keyboards. The tactile feedback that mechanical keys give you is just something that feels natural, especially to old hands in the computing world. Not everyone likes the noise they make though – the clickety-clack noise that they make is annoying enough to warrant a new version of the keyboard. The Blackwidow Stealth Edition has all the same features of the previous version without the obnoxious noise – 45g actuation force, extreme anti-ghosting tech, 1000Hz Ultrapolling/1ms response time, programmable keys with on-the-fly macro recording and individually backlit keys with 5 levels of lighting. Like most of Razer’s recent offerings, this little gem will be initially be available in the company’s own store, with a price tag of $139.99.

[album: https://gadgetsmagazine.com.ph/wp-content/plugins/dm-albums/dm-albums.php?currdir=/wp-content/uploads/dm-albums/[email protected]/Razer Blackwidow/]

Download and Print Lens Hoods for Free

Gadgets Team

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1 Sep 2011

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The lens hood is a highly valued accessory because it helps reduce the flares produced by the sun or other bright light sources. The only problem is that not only do they shade your lens, but they create a shade in your wallet as well.

For those of us on a budget, Lenshoods.co.uk offers FREE lens hoods, with a variety of manufacturers and lens sizes available. Most of the popular optics and brands are all covered, and you can request the site to create one for you if it’s not listed. The photo above is a sample of the diagram for an A4 Petal hood for the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II.

How does it work? You simply download the PDF file, print the diagram, cut and assemble the lens hood and connect it to your camera. You might want to print it on rigid material such as cardboard, and you may also want to secure it with some tape. Nevertheless, you get a lens hood that is portable, and best of all, free. It might not be the real thing, but it’s both nifty and thrifty.

For DSLRs and 35mm SLRs, visit Lenshoods.co.uk

For DSLRs with 1.5x and 1.6x crop sensors, go to Lenshoods.net

Smart’s changing the game with their Netphone 701

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Gadgets Team

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31 Aug 2011

1

Smart’s changing the game with their Netphone 701

While smartphones are amazing machines on their own right, the smart in its name is usually taken out of the equation when you try to use them without data. Mobile data is what makes the smartphone world go round, whether you’re a minion of the fruity one or a passionate supporter of the green droid, your smartphone isn’t much use if it doesn’t have a good data plan attached to it. Here’s the thing though: while always-on internet plans are available for both networks, few people avail of them because of the costs involved. Filipinos are notoriously price sensitive, and would rather pay for data that they use. While tech-savvy users know that mobile data is the oil that makes smartphones go, paying for data is usually an insurmountable wall that masses can’t get over.

Enter Smart’s Netphone, a game changing device that brings the smartphone experience to the masses. As far as smartphone specs go, it’s not ground breaking – 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen, Qualcomm Snapdragon 600MHz processor on board, 3.2 megapixel camera with LED flash. What makes the Netphone stand out from the slew of other similarly specced devices out there is through SmartNet, an app portal created by Smart that allows users to access the net for free. And when we say free, we mean without consuming a single cent.

Remember when we talked about mobile data, or specifically, paying for data is an insurmountable wall that the masses can’t get over? Well, the Netphone 701 has a patented “Safe Browse” feature – which is a button you can press that stops all net traffic from third-party applications from going out. Smart-branded apps meanwhile, will still go through and grab data from the net, but without consuming a single cent. Initially the apps that will be available will be the Smart’s own social aggregator Social Stream and the Netphone messenger (think a multi-client messenger) but that’s set to grow exponentially in time. Smart also gave us a little demo of a Jollibee app that would allow you to order online and though the app was incomplete during launch, it showed the enormous potential of the device.

Another nice thing about the NetPhone is that it’s basically a cloud smartphone – all your contacts, media, apps, and SMS are backed up in a central server somewhere, and if you lose it and get a new one, you can just grab your data from the server and you’re back online.

So the big question is how does Smart make money out of this? Well, aside from the obvious (postpaid plans and prepaid use) we think that a big chunk of their profit will come from devs and app creators – think about it. Being put in the whitelist of apps that’s able to access the internet is huge, as you can bet a large part of the Netphone install base would keep that Safe Browse feature on most of the time.

And Smart’s plan for SmartNet doesn’t stop with the Netphone 701. Smart execs hinted that we would see SmartNet being available on the Android market “soon”, with a version of the app for other OSes in the works (including one for the PC).

The Netphone 701 will be available for Php 9,990 for prepaid users. For postpaid users, they’ll be able to pick up the device for free at plan 1200. To know more about the device and other postpaid plans, you can go to www.smart.com.ph/netphone.

VMV VH-Rating system validates hypoallergenic claims

Lifestyle

Gadgets Team

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31 Aug 2011

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VMV VH-Rating system validates hypoallergenic claims

For a lot of women, anything that says “hypoallergenic” and “dermatologist-tested” is immediately a good thing and you’re sure you won’t break into some sort of rash or turn orange after using it. But apparently, there’s no real way for any of us to truly validate this. Luckily, VMV Hypoallergenics has its own VH-Rating System (its study recently published in the March/April 2011 issue of Dermatitis, the journal of the American Contact Dermatitis Society) so if you’re not sure about anything, you can be sure that VMV’s products won’t just say “skin-safe,” it’ll mean it. And the best part? It’s a proudly Pinoy brand.

Now one of their latest products for the sunkissed, tropical Filipina is the Tarte-à-Tan which is an antioxidant bronzing “Coco” Powder. Made with USDA-certified organic virgin coconut oil, it also has reparative antioxidants like green tea and rice phytic acid, plus coconut-derived monolaurin for anti-acne disinfection while making your skin softer and moisturized. The Tarte-à-Tan is priced at Php 1,490. So don’t be afraid to step away from your computer and get a little sun.

Source: VMV

It’s not dead yet – HP making another production run of TouchPads

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Gadgets Team

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31 Aug 2011

0

It’s not dead yet – HP making another production run of TouchPads

It seems that reports of the TouchPad’s demise was greatly exaggerated, as HP is bringing the device back from the brink for one last hurrah. HP’s making another production run of the hot tablet. HP spokesman Mark Budgell has written in the company’s official blog post that they have decided to make one final run of the TouchPad to appease rabid customers, though he didn’t quote just how many units they’ll be making, saying that “we don’t know exactly when these units will be available or how many we’ll get, and we can’t promise we’ll have enough for everyone.”

Of course, there’s no guarantee that the TouchPad would still retail for $99 – according to iSupply (via All Things D), it takes about $300 to make a 16GB version of the TouchPad, which means HP is taking a $200 loss each time the TouchPad is sold at a discounted rate. It’s probably safe to say that when the new shipments arrive they’ll be gone pretty quick, especially since there are modders that are close to making Android run on it.

Source: The Next Bench

Review: Samsung NX11

GadgetsLab

Gadgets Team

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31 Aug 2011

1

Mirrorless systems should swiftly climb up the ranks of any shutterbug’s must-haves. While they might not have the portability of point-and-shoots or the power of DSLRs, cameras such as the NX11 offer a compromised best of both worlds.

Out of the box, Samsung’s entry in the NX series is quite stunning. Now modeled more closely to resemble DSLRs, its exterior has been capped off with a sleek black finish along with a new textured handgrip. All the standard controls are present as well, such as the familiar PASM mode dial and menu buttons, so users should expect the learning curve to be minimal.

Featuring a 14.6 megapixel APS-C sensor, Samsung has definitely given their competition something to think about. With captivating image quality that can easily rival any DSLR, the NX11 provides a fantastic option for consumers looking for something both lightweight and competent. Although mirrorless cameras are generally thought of as a “gateway” for those migrating away from point-and-shoots, the NX11 is a serious image capturing device in itself and should not be considered solely as a transition. It is a solid buy for any photography enthusiast, whether it’s a first purchase or an addition to an ever growing collection.

The NX11’s 3-inch AMOLED LCD screen is simply brilliant, and is perhaps the NX11’s strongest characteristic. Users will most likely prefer shooting in live mode via the display as opposed to using the electronic 640×480 pixel viewfinder, since the latter can tend to be inaccurate when representing certain hues, and can lead to slight miscalculations when used in full manual.

However, the viewfinder proves to be invaluable especially when used in conjunction with the iFunction lens, which is unique to Samsung. Having had a previous encounter with this lens , I found it more intuitive the second time around. The option to adjust the camera’s settings (i.e. ISO, shutter speed, etc.) via the iFn lens allows users to maintain their shooting position so they can quickly capture a moment.

Perhaps, the only drawback of Samsung’s NX series is that a fast lens is not yet readily available (at the time this article was written), with the quickest being the 30mm f/2. However, taking into consideration that this line of Samsung’s cameras are still quite new, I wouldn’t be surprised if a classic 50mm f/1.8, or better yet, an f/1.4 will come out soon. Nevertheless, the 18-55mm kit lens is quite remarkable for a beginner’s standard lens, producing sharp high-quality images.

The improved auto-focus with the NX11’s standard lens is quick and satisfyingly precise, regardless of whether it’s used in shooting stills or 720p HD video. Manual focusing is intuitive as well, although I would have preferred a non-infinity focusing ring to help gauge the focus limitations.

The addition of Panorama mode makes the NX11 even more desirable. It’s fairly accurate and works excellently within the camera itself, negating the need to stitch the photo via image software. With the added ability to shoot panoramic shots vertically, the NX11 is insatiable.

Overall, the NX11 isn’t a radical change over its predecessor, the NX10. Instead, Samsung opts for subtle improvements that users will nevertheless appreciate.

What’s Hot:

– 14.6 mp sensor

– Excellent AMOLED screen

– Panorama Mode

What’s Not:

– lack of faster lenses

– viewfinder could be improved

Buy Meter: 9.0

Bottomline:

The Samsung NX11 is serious image capturing device and should find its way into the palms of any shutterbug, whether they are hobbyists or professionals.

Specifications

Dimensions/Weight: 123x87x39.8mm, 353g (body only)
Sensor: 14.6 effective megapixels 23.4×15.6mm CMOS sensor
Display: 3-inch AMOLED Display 1040k resolution
Viewfinder: Viewfinder EVF
Lens: Samsung NX mount lens,18-55mm OIS iFunction
Shutter Speed: 1/4000sec.- 30sec. (1/3EV step manual mode), Bulb (8 minute limit)
Flash: TTL Auto Pop-up flash, optional external Samsung flash via HotShoe
Stabilisation: Sensor shift+electronic
Video: HD video at 720p at 30fps
Storage: SD, SDHC or SDXC media card
Battery: 400 photos per charge
Connections: USB 2.0, AV out, mini HDMI, stereo mini jack

[This review originally appeared in the July 2011 issue of Gadgets Magazine]

A Preview of Windows 8 Explorer: Ribbon interface and ISO Support

Gadgets Team

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31 Aug 2011

1

With all the uproar about the recently released OS X Lion, let us not forget about the ongoing development of Windows 8, which promises to be more powerful while remaining user-friendly at the same time.

One of the main improvements will be ascribed to the legendary Explorer, which will now boast a ribbon interface – one that you might be familiar with if you have been using Microsoft Office 2007 or later. Yes, it did take some getting used to, but it does offer a far more intuitive and visual way to navigate and manage files. There will be five main tabs (File, Home, Share, View, Manage) to access the most commonly used commands.

The ribbon Explorer will also feature the Quick Access Toolbar (QAT), which provides the ability to customize up to 200 commands. These are then neatly laid out into icons, which you can place above/below the ribbon. The new Explorer will also be optimized for widescreen displays, with a noted increase in the number of items that can be shown.

But wait, that’s not all. The new Explorer will apparently now have ISO support, without the need of any third-party software. So for all you torrent freaks, you can bid sayōnara to Daemon Tools and PowerISO.

If you want to read the complete and in-depth article or simply want to get a personal perspective behind the Windows 8 team, vist the Building Windows 8 blog.