Sony DSC-TX200V digital camera is super slim

 

Thin is still in where digital cameras are concerned, and while we took a look at a couple of shooters from Panasonic yesterday, Sony too, did not want to lose out on the game, and the Japanese consumer electronics manufacturer has just added yet another model to the ultra-thin Cyber-shot T series – with the model number DSC-TX200V. You might want to look into expanding that external storage space collection of yours if you happen to pick up the new TX200V camera though, considering it is capable of shooting 18.2-megapixel images thanks to its “Exmor R” CMOS sensor.

This would clearly place the Sony DSC-TX200V as the highest-resolution digital camera that is currently on offer in the “point and shoot” market segment, and when coupled with the spanking new BIONZ processor, both of them will work in tandem to create images as well as video files with extremely low noise.

Just what else do you expect the Sony DSC-TX200V to carry? This advanced model is also tipped to deliver lightning-fast AutoFocus speeds of approximately 0.13 seconds in daytime and 0.25 seconds in low-light situations. Bear in mind that the speeds quoted are just on paper, when in real life, they might vary depending on shooting conditions. With such shooting speeds, they will more or less ensure you are able to capture the right moment at all times.

Not only that, the TX200V Cyber-shot will also look good externally, as it comes with a new and beautiful, reinforced glass design which encases a large, 3.3″ Xtra Fine TruBlack OLED wide touch-screen display. Want to bring this with you on your next watersports adventure? Not to worry – considering this is water-proof (up to 5m or approx.16 feet), and I am quite sure that also, to a certain amount of time.

In addition, the Sony DSC-TX200V is also dust-proof and freeze-proof (up to 14F), and will boast a “Photo Creativity” interface which allows you to easily adjust creative settings in order to roll out unique, custom-styled photos. If you happen to have case of shaky hands, fret not – image stabilization will kick in during video and still shooting, thanks to borrowed technology from the Sony Handycam range, where its “Optical Steady Shot Active Mode” drastically reduces blurring caused by camera shake while on the move.

Expect to pick up the DSC-TX200V camera in silver, red, and violet shades for around $500 when it hits the market later this month.

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128k Macintosh prototype spotted?

Old is gold, or so the saying goes. Well, if that is the case, then surely what looks to be a 128k Macintosh prototype that appeared in the wild will certainly appeal to collectors of all things vintage. This unique prototype is very rare, considering how not many people keep old school electronics up and running for a few decades. Boasting a 5.25” “Twiggy” floppy disk mechanism, this is in line with the what Apple used in the first generation Lisa workstation.

According to user “mactwiggy” who put up several photos of this particularly rare find (no idea on where he spotted it though), what makes this prototype all the more unique is this – production Mac models relied on 3.5” 400k floppy disk drives, which is a format that Apple by and large was responsible for introducing to the masses.

Touted to be a pre-production system, this prototype, as mentioned before the jump, will sport the proprietary Apple Twiggy 5.25” disk format. I guess that some good came out of this particular rare disk format – it proved to be rather unreliable, and was eventually shelved in the Lisa 2 with the 3.5” floppy disk drive taking over after that. Bear in mind that none of the Macs shipped to date ever came with such 5.25” internal disk drives, so this is either a very clever hoax, or a true blue prototype that never made the grade to be released to the mass market.

The person behind this prototype claimed to have purchased it through an online advertisement, where a retired engraver had this piece of digital treasure that he wanted to let go. The company which he worked for was hand-picked by Apple to create some award medallions for a ceremony at Apple, and somewhere around 1983 thereabouts, this Mac was sent as a model for him to work off of – once the job was completed, several arrangements were made to have him send it back, but somehow or rather, Apple finally told them to keep it.

Basically, the retired engraver did not sell this to make a whole wad of cash on the double – rather, he was just pleased that someone out there knew the intrinsic value of this, and would definitely appreciate in a living room. Talk about a vintage piece of computing in your living room!

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The Breadcrumb Tracker – Your Teen’s Worst Nightmare

 

I don’t know if anyone has noticed, but it seems like more kids are getting into trouble, or worse, ending up missing. It seems like everyday I hear a news report about a child abduction, or a missing mom… there are Silver alerts on the highway warning us to be on the lookout for a “lost” senior. I don’t know whats going on, but it does keep me up nights. I remember when I was a kid, wandering the neighborhood for the entire day, coming home in time for dinner, its not like that anymore.

Breadcrumb is offering a unique location technology software that is able to provide parents or caregivers the ability to view the precise location of their family members right from their Smartphone, or any Internet connected computer. The software also allows children to send a request for help to their parents with a simple push of a button on their Smartphone. A parents dream, a teenagers worst nightmare.

The software also allows you to receive special alerts on your Smartphone via text message when a family member arrives at a specified destination or has traveled outside agreed upon boundaries. The program does not however, disclose the location of the parents, of course maximizing punishment potential when your kid tries to tell you they’re at the library and you’re standing outside the party.

Optionally, with Breadcrumb’s Automated Vehicle Locator you can also view the real-time location of your family vehicles on a Google or Bing map, also right from your Smartphone.View the travel route of your vehicle each day, and receive optional alerts when a family member is exceeding the speed limit on the highway.

Basic service starts at under 8 bucks a month per person (I’d almost pay that to find my Smartphone everyday) and enables you to find your kid within 9 feet of their location in about 3 seconds… Like I said, its not like it used to be..

Source:  www.breadcrumbgps.com

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Say Good-Morning with Nostalgia Electrics Toaster with a Flip Down Griddle

I wake up every morning at 6 am and while the rest of the house is still fast asleep I have a quiet bowl of cereal while I ponder my day, Sure I’d like a more substantial breakfast sometimes, but I don’t want to make a mess in the kitchen and I don’t want to spend too much time rattling around, I especially don’t want to wake them up and ruin my quiet time.

Well, now enjoying a hearty breakfast is easy! Nostalgia Electrics (the folks that bring us many kitchy cooking items) introduce us to the 50′s Breakfast Toaster & Griddle. This bread and bagel toaster features a wide 2-slot toaster and, wait for it.. a flip down griddle all in one cute and compact appliance. It’s perfect for a dorm room or small apartment (Although I’m leaning towards keeping it on my desk at work) and the non-stick griddle heats up to 450 ° and features a removable grill plate and drip tray for easy cleaning.

The unit measures 6.8″ W x 8.2″ H x 13″ D so it will fit anywhere a regular toaster will, and the variable temperature controlled griddle even has a separate on/off switch for those mornings when toast will suffice. The toaster itself features a cancel button to prevent your precious toast from burning and the electric cord stows easily by wrapping it around the bracketed base.

Yup, I can see one of these in my future… but I’m not going to limit myself to just bacon and eggs… I’m going to be at my desk making frajitas and some shrimp stir fry, that should allow me to annoy people even more than usual.

The Nostalgia Toaster & Griddle is available for under 30 bucks at  www.amazon.com

source: nostalgiaelectrics.com

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Comfe Hands should be compulsory

There is one great thing about the iPad – it still has one of the best battery life for any tablet in the industry, and for those who tend to take long flights across continents, you know that it is always better to hold the destiny of your in-flight entertainment in your hands instead of being subjected to what is shown on the screen in front of you. Of course, the iPad does much more than just function as a pretty looking portable media player, but for those who use it to get their portable entertainment kicks in, you would have realized by now that holding it up for hours at a stretch are not exactly kind to your hands.

Enter the Comfe Hands, and as the name of the peripheral suggests, your tablet will obtain a shape which fits your hand’s natural contours with a soft, gripping feel. Heck, the website claims that it will make the iPad “feel lighter”, although empirically on the physical plane, that is definitely an impossible situation, but you know how your mind sometimes plays tricks on you, right?

The Comfe Hands will come in a beautiful design which is good enough to compliment the iPad without taking any glamour away from Apple’s design and engineering team. It uses a specially engineered surface which paves the way for a firm, no-slip hold, and the intuitive push-on construction is able to fit on any side, being a snap to use. In addition, Comfe Hands will double up as an incline stand, and can also function in a third role – that of a vertical stand. If you want to stretch your imagination a little bit further, then this puppy will quadruple up as a protective bumper with one on each side.

Since organic shapes are always easier to grasp with our human hand, the Comfe Hands takes the same route, turning the painful pinch grip into a power grip. Similar to human skin, Comfe Hands is soft to the touch, and it certainly makes the iPad more well-endowed. It does not matter if you want to use the Comfe Hands at a desk or in the kitchen, life will still be easier in the end, and your iPad will not lose its style.

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SKLZ Shoot Around

Love shooting some hoops? Getting those three pointers in from a distance is certainly one feeling that cannot be beat, even more so when you are in a crowded stadium, with hostile opposing fans all around you, doing their best to heckle you so that you miss your shot, and there are mere seconds on the clock before your team loses by one point. You jump, and you shoot! Scoring such a winning point is definitely high on the list of many a kid or teenager, and to be able to deliver under such circumstances, practice is the keyword. After all, should you be rewarded with more than just a nice feeling for getting the ball in? With the £39.99 SKLZ Shoot Around, each time your ball goes through the basket, you will have it go down the chute, and back at you – so there is no need to walk towards the ball to retrieve it.

Certainly sounds like a decent time saver to me, and rewards you for getting the ball back faster so that you can continue to line up the next shot. With the Shoot-Around’s rotating 180-degree ball return, you are able to take aim from just about any area around the hoop.

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Doctor Who Build Your Own Sonic Screwdriver

For the DIY enthusiast who loves conjuring his own contraptions during one’s free time, here is the $39.99 Doctor Who Build Your Own Sonic Screwdriver that says it all. You, being the 12th doctor, will need to build your very own tool. With more than 80 different combinations, you can even select your choice of lights and sounds to make it a truly personalized experience. After all, I would say that for a Doctor to build his own Sonic Screwdriver is somewhat akin to the rite of passage that all Jedi padawans go through, when they are required to construct their own lightsabers. This is definitely for the true blue Doctor Who fan in the house, get it for someone who does not watch or follow the series, and you will most probably be on the receiving end of a really strange look, wondering why you could not have spent such money in a wiser manner.

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