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Written by Martin Regtien | 24 July 2010
Posted in Reviews - Accessories

Targus Docking Station

Situation: you have a laptop/netbook and are forever plugging external devices in and out. Perhaps a hard drive, extra monitor, internet cable and so on.
Solution: a USB docking station or port replicator.
Better solution: a Targus ACP51AUZ USB 2.0 Docking Station with Video.
Result: Situation under control.
Seems simple enough but how does it work in reality?

 

 

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Written by Martin Regtien | 19 July 2010
Posted in Reviews - Software

lightroom 3

When Adobe released Lightroom 3 just recently, we knew pretty well what was going to be in this major release. No, we don’t have any prophetic gifts but having worked with the beta versions you get a good idea how it’s shaping up.
So, no real surprises but it’s good to take an inventory of all the new features since we last wrote about Lightroom 2 here.
The concept of Lightroom is brilliant: it sort of imitates and duplicates the workflow of the old time professionals who used real darkrooms to develop their photos. Yes, it’s a pity that we still have brilliant mechanical and optical devices in perfect working order in our cupboards but no one would want to go back to the pre-digital age. Certainly not when they have tried the magic of Lightroom 3, the digital darkroom.
To keep it brief: what are the main features that I particularly like?

 

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Written by Martin Regtien | 17 July 2010
Posted in News - Industry News

As we all know helicopter pilot training is easy for organists and circus acrobats who are used to coordinating hands and feet in ways we didn't think possible. In other words: most folks will have trouble during the initial few hours of helicopter pilot training and while practicing emergency maneuvers.
But how to train safely in a simulated but realistic environment?

Enter the not so mad Max Planck Institute guys from the Biological Cybernetics department who partnered with Heli Aviation GmbH to create a safe and effective training platform. The used a heavy industrial six-axis Kuka with a carrying capacity of 500kg to which they attached the cockpit of a Cabri G2 helicopter.
So how does it work?

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Written by Joe Baker | 13 July 2010
Posted in Reviews - Miscellaneous

HSP 4 wheel drive buggy

Have you ever seen something mild mannered and easy to control, and still have the potential to change into a blood stirring 4 wheel drive bullet?  For some weeks now I have been test driving, or shall we say, remote controlling, a HSP 4 wheel drive buggy that has it all.  It’s a 2010 model brushless Pro version with a huge 7.2v 3300 kv motor with an ESC rated for 12 volts, with grippy tyres and a 27 mhz transmitter, 7.2 NH MH 2000 mAh battery.
 

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Written by Martin Regtien | 13 July 2010
Posted in News - Industry News

HTC1 Concept

Here is a concept that does resonate with me: a premium HTC device out of machined brass!

Do I hear "steampunk"? Ah, no, it has a silvery finish and looks very smart.

Very durable too which certainly is what thase large smartphones need to be.

There are other great design improvements with this creation by Andrew Kim who has a fabulous presentation here.

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Written by Martin Regtien | 12 July 2010
Posted in Reviews - Digital Cameras

 

casio EX-FH100

We’re losing count here at how many Casio Point & Shoot cameras we have reviewed over the years: at least half a dozen and, not surprisingly, every new camera that lands on our desk is a great improvement over the previous one with new features and better quality. So it is with the EX-FH100.
Its High-Speed features are the prime attraction here: up to a 1000 fps is possible (with a pretty severe resolution penalty). And if you can accuse Casio of one thing it is that they cater for folks who want to have real fun with their cameras! Not a bad thing either...
So what were my findings in the short time I played with this super Slo-Mo unit?

 

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Written by Marcel Regtien | 03 July 2010
Posted in News - Industry News

HTC HD3 Windows Phone 7 Design

Long awaited but this looks like the follow-up product of the hugely succesful HD2 phone!

The HTC HD3 will almost certainly be the most feature-packed smartphone ever built, equipped with a massive 4.5" AMOLED touchscreen, a 1.5GHz Snapdragon processor, an 8-megapixel camera with a dual LED flash, and an HDMI output with support for 1080p HD video playback, 720p HD video recording.

HTC's HD3 is claimed to be just 10mm thick, will also be one of the first smartphones to run Windows Phone 7 Series, which was first unveiled in February 2010.

Are we just dreaming or is this the real deal?

 

Read on for more specifications and pictures!...

 

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Written by Ashleigh | 02 July 2010
Posted in News - Industry News

Pioneer ePad

Now that the buzz surrounding the Apple iPad release and the whispers of the Asus Eee Pad have died down, we thought it was about time that another contender to the market appeared from the woodwork. And we were right! Pioneer have just released details of not only one, but three new competitors - the Pioneer DreamBook ePad 7/10 (7inch),  DreamBook ePad A10 (10inch) and DreamBook ePad L11 HD (11.6inch).

 

Read on for more information and full specification tables.

Editor's note: we'll be contacting Pioneer to see if we can review all 3 models soon.

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Written by Martin Regtien | 01 July 2010
Posted in Reviews - Miscellaneous

Brando Photo Studio in Action

Here’s a great solution if you have to take macro shots or images of small to medium sized products: the Brando Professional Foldable Photo Studio. Real photographers know that there’s a huge difference between just putting a product on a table in the sun and taking a picture or if you do this under controlled lighting without any background shadows.
That’s where the Brando Professional Foldable Photo Studio comes in. It provides that controlled environment with lights that have the right colour temperature in a portable setup that is not too cumbersome to take on the road or fold away in a cupboard.

 

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