The Apple Sliding Scale: Hardware

It's an Apple World for the Holidays

Hope you and yours are further along with your Christmas gifting than I am at present. Speaking of presents, here's a list of suggested Apple gifts for that special someone. The list is in a sliding scale from more to less.

Mac Mini
I've never owned a real Mac, but I'm always wondering, "what am I missing out on?" So here's the least expensive way to get into the Apple Mac game: the Mac Mini priced at $647.94. The entry level configuraion includes: an Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.4 GHz, 2GB RAM, 320 GB Hard Drive, slot load DVD burner, GeForce 320m graphics chip (shares 256 MB of system RAM), USB, SD card slot, FireWire 800 and HDMI. All you need is your own monitor/HD TV, keyboard and mouse. Great time to get into a Mac.


Apple Mac Mini MC270LL/A Desktop

iPad
If the cost of the Mac Mini is more money than you want to give to Steve Jobs, then I would like to suggest you consider the iPad: All that tablet goodness can by yours for $548.95 (16GB with WiFi). Anyone looking for a tablet computer should just stop and look no further. Apple has defined the tablet platform, there is not better option today. The iPad is fast, has a gorgeous display and a huge library of applications via iTunes. There's an App for that don't cha know.

Apple iPad MB292LL/A Tablet (16GB, Wifi)

iPod Touch
Yes, it really is an Apple world today. Apple just makes the coolest stuff you want to want. My last suggestion for you Apple wanabees? How about the newest Apple iPod touch with 32GB? Priced at $288.54 it is the least expensive Apple gadget you want to own. Features the Apple A4 processor (same as the iPad), gorgeous 3.5" display with a resolution of 960x640, rear camera takes photos at 960x720 and shoots 720p HD video at 30 fps. Front camera shoots video at VGA 30 fps. Wireless connectivity includes: Wi-Fi, bluetooth and Maps-based location service. It's great for playing games and you have access to the entire library of iPhone apps. Oh yeah, it also plays music.

Apple iPod touch 32 GB (4th Generation) NEWEST MODEL

Of course you could always buy all three...they are compatible with each other...hmmm.

Happy Holidays!

Video Review: Panasonic FZ100 Digital Camera

I found an interesting video review of the Panasonic FZ 100 Digital Camera - it's from a New Zealand camera shop. As I mentioned in an earlier post, this is the camera I think I need. It has all the features and perfomance I desire and shoots excellent HD video!



I found the camera available from Amazon.com. Now How Cool Is That?

Jamie Liddell - The City: Music

Very cool live performance by Jamie Lidell.

His music is a mix of Electronica and Classic Soul - wow!

"Lidell is known for layering tracks made with his voice into a microphone and performing the percussion and melody as a sequenced, beatboxing one-man band. Then over his augmented voices, he sings soul-inspired songs. This exercise makes for energetic live performances. Lidell has become renowned for his diverse range of genre-exploration." More

Web: http://www.jamielidell.com/

Now How Cool Is That?

Looking for a New Digital Camera?

How about the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100?

I've enjoyed photography for about 30 years. I've also hated paying for film processing for about 30 years. My desk at home has about a dozen rolls of undeveloped film - I have no idea what is on those rolls of film. I may never find out because, I hate paying for film processing.

Digital cameras started to become mainstream in the late 1990's. With a digital camera, you don't have to pay for film processing, just buy a large memory card and dump your images to your computer. Not paying for film or film processing makes me very happy. As ecstatic as I've been about digital cameras, I've never been completely satisfied with their ability to capture images. Too slow to go and images too low.

My old manual 35mm film camera, with a near prime lens, took glorious photos, rich colors and so very sharp images. And it was fast too - true "point and click" - no waiting for auto-focus. My current Sony digital camera takes okay photos. The auto-focus on my Sony is slow and not always accurate, and the built-in LCD screen is useless in the sun. Photos are usable, but I've found I must use a tripod if I'm going to capture a decent image.

If you're like me, your never completely satisfied with digital camera technology. Fortunately, the technology keeps getting better. Which means I constantly crave a new digital camera. But which digital camera should you buy?

Every year I spend hours researching digital camera technology and reading new camera reviews. Recently, I found a new digital camera I think I'd be happy with. It's the new Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100.


This camera seems to have it all, at least all that I want in a camera. Some of the standout features include:

14.1-megapixel resolution; 24x optical zoom with F/2.8 at 25mm and F/5.2 at 600mm Leica DC Vario-Elmarit lens (puts my 7 megapixel camera to shame) 11fps burst shooting for JPEG and RAW files (umm, that's fast). Face Recognition and Intelligent Auto mode.

1080i HD movies in AVCHD format; 3.0-inch free-angle LCD (that's true HD at 1920x1080 which is full HD movie smooth at 60i) with stereo audio. With a microphone port for optional external microphones (that's just cool).
 
While this is not a DSLR, for a super-shooter it has enough features and settings to keep me busy learning how to use it for the rest of the year. I've found numerous glowing reviews about this digital camera. And the HD video samples I've seen have me drooling. And this camera is fast at capturing images! I want it!
 
If you're interested in this camera, you can read numerous reviews from the link at left.
 
Now how cool is that?

Kindle 3 - New and Improved

I bought my Kindle 2 with Global Wireless July 1st. And on August 27th, Amazon.com released a new and improved Kindle, the Kindle 3. Just my luck.

You may not follow technology trends, so you may not be familiar with the Kindle e-reader, made and sold by Amazon.com. So far, it is the best selling e-reader device on the market. It uses e-ink display technology, which is low power, gray, and very crisp and easy on the eyes. I've discovered that I read faster on the Kindle than paper books. If you do follow technology trends and have chosen to ignore the e-reader segment, then it's time to sit up and pay attention.

The Kindle 3


The new Kindle 3 is improved over the Kindle 2 I own.

1. Display: While the display on the Kindle 3 is the same 6" diagonal, the e-ink display is better with a much improved contrast ratio. Text and images look better. Always a plus.

2. Page Turns: I don't mind the brief flicker when pages turn on my Kindle. On the Kindle 3, pages turn faster.

3. Size of Kindle. Even though the diagonal screen size remains 6", Amazon managed to make the Kindle a little smaller.

4. Battery Life: My Kindle 2 has a rated battery life of "up to 2 weeks", while the Kindle 3 has a rated battery life of "up to 30 days." I've easily managed at least 10 days on my Kindle using Whispersync sporadically. 30 days sounds very believable to me.

5. Keyboard: The built in keyboard remains on the Kindle 3, although the dedicated row of number keys had to be sacrificed.

6. Color: The Kindle 2 is white, the Kindle 3 is dark gray. Makes sense to me.

7. Navigation: I'm referring to the 5-way stick on the Kindle 2, this fragile piece was replaced on the Kindle 3 with a navigation pad. Much more durable and an improvement.

8. Connectivity/Price: Whispersync is what Amazon calls the wireless access to the ATT cellular network. This remains the same on the standard Kindle 3. But wait, Amazon now sells a less expensive Kindle 3 without the ATT modem, but instead with a WiFi modem. Kindle 3 $189, Kindle 3 WiFi $139. Smart move Amazon.

There are other changes made to the Kindle 3, but I'll let you discover those on your own. All in all, Amazon has made a lot of nice incremental improvements to the Kindle e-reader. Enough to justify purchasing a Kindle 3 if you don't own a Kindle. And probably enough to justify replacing your older Kindle if it's more than a year old.

Now how cool is that?

Kindle as Blogging Tool

Can You Really Blog from a Kindle?

I briefly posted, from my Kindle, to another blog in July about using the Amazon Kindle to blog. It's text only, but is a real example of blogging from a Kindle. I have the older Amazon Kindle with global wireless (which Amazon calls Whispersync).

Reading email with my Kindle while at camp

Via Whispersync, my Kindle is able to connect to the ATT cellular data network. This allows me to browse Amazon.com's entire collection of e-books for Kindle and to purchase them directly from the Kindle. That's called easy and instant gratification.

What some don't realize, is that built into the Kindle is also a Web browser. When the wireless modem is turned on (Whispersync) the Kindle is also connectted to the Internet. Using what Kindle calls "experimental" there is a Web browser built into the Kindle. Internet acces costs NOTHING extra. Once you purchase a Kindle, register it to your Amazon.com account, then you my friend have free Internet access on your Kindle. Amazon.com may not widely advertize this feature, but it's there and it does work.

I'll be the first to admit that the Kindle is not the best platform for Web surfing. The device, my generation of Kindle, is a bit slow, a bit pokey and just not snappy. Web pages are slow to load and will test your patience. I don't care. With my Kindle I can access web email, publish brief posts to my blogs, catch up on my favorite blogs, google search, check the weather and do just about anything I need to do on a small, portable and affordable device. Also, the battery on my older Kindle lasts for about 10 days on a charge. Perfect for travel.

What About the iPad?

The Apple iPad is a very attractive piece of technology. Gorgeous display, perfect size and access to the Apple App Store and thousands of applications. But, the battery life is limited, you have to pay every month for access to the ATT data network and for reading, the Kindle screen is so much easier on the eyes than that back-lit display on the iPad. As much as I'd like an iPad, I'm sticking with the Kindle for now.

There you have it. If you already have a Kindle with global wireless, you my friend also have a web enabled tool you can also blog from. And for those who read a lot, I find I read much faster from my Kindle than from paper books.

Now how cool is that?

Add a Domain Name to a Blogger Blog

I'm ready to post here again.

If you've explored my other blogs, then you may have noticed that my most active blog is my wine blog - http://www.wild4washingtonwine.com/ - it even has a new domain name.

Adding a Domain to a blogspot.com Blog

I started my Washington wine blog in 2006. Blogger was the obvious choice for blogging, so I chose the name http://wild4washingtonwine.blogspot.com/. Not exactly the friendliest to type, but it works. After almost four years of blogging about Washington wine, I decided it was time to add a real domain name. Fortunately, Blogger makes it easy to add a domain name to an existing blog and it only costs $10 per year to keep the domain name registered.

Now when you go to my wine blog, go to http://www.wild4washingtonwine.com/ the site is there just as always. Although, I've been making use of the new template designer Blogger has added. So my wine blog does look different since I've been making changes to it.

One of the other pluses is, I now have email addresses with my new domain name @wild4washingtonwine.com. This helps with "brand" identity and I can add as many new email addresses as needed. Now I just need to print up some new business cards with my new URL and Email.

Now How Cool is That?