One item in my droolworthy list has arrived. I’ve decided to move from my 5 megapixel Sony F707 to a new 8 megapixel Sony F828 digital camera. Do I need 8 megapixels? That’s debatable as 5 megapixels has been good enough. I did want the higher zoom, CF support, better image sensor, and more manual controls.
I’ve been taking more and more photos recently and have started toying with the idea of using my photography to actually make some money so I figured I’d invest in a better camera so I can make bigger prints of my work. I know I could get a D-SLR (which I still want) but I’m not a traditional photographer and don’t necessarily have the same needs. I’m pretty ghetto when it comes do digital photography but I do get great shots and know what catches my eye and what looks good to me. As always, a review will be forthcoming once I’ve had time to get to know the camera better.
I guess I should also review my F707 even though it’s no longer sold just to get a baseline in terms of performance.
I can’t believe I let it go so long without an update but I’ve been insanely busy with projects and client work so I haven’t been able to put down my thoughts on what’s been going on.
Sony TR users can rejoice as I’ve figured out how to add Bluetooth to the system. It took me a long time how to do this but it was worth it. You can read how I did it here with instructions on where to get the parts and what you need to know.
Ok, back to work.
Well, not that many…but you may have noticed a few new ones this week and earlier in the month.
First, I added a review for Toshiba’s 5GB PC Card hard disk. I personally didn’t like the device that much but it may be handy for other people.
Second, the long awaited Acronis True Image 7 review.
Lastly, I’ve posted a PC-to-TV (VGA-to-TV) converter in Grandtec’s GEZ-1000. This device is great for those needing to add TV output for their notebooks that don’t already have it.
Ok, back to work on the other items in the queue. I’m starting to get on a role so expect more stuff in the near future. 
Hitachi, a smaller player in the Japanese notebook has released their latest notebook. The PriusGear 150H2VPW. What makes this interesting to me is the 12” Widescreen of 1280x800. There aren’t too many pictures of the device but it looks pretty decent.
The specs are pretty decent. Pentium M 1.5Ghz, up to 768MB (but probably 1GB max), 60GB ATA 100 hard disk, a DVD-R/RW burner, 802.11b/g built-in wireless, and a built-in TV tuner option with hardware based MPEG-2 recording options. Additionally, it has two USB2 ports, modem, LAN, firewire, s-video out, vga out, pc card and cf card slots, and only weighs 1.88kg (or 4.14lbs). Battery life is only rated around 2.6 hours. There is a larger battery option but ther’s no mentioned specifics on how long it will last. The screen is a new high contrast screen that should be comparable to the glossy screens that are becoming popular. The keyboard has a very decent 18mm pitch so travel should be extremely comfortable.
I like the size and weight of this system as I feel it’s the perfect combination of power, size and weight if you don’t need really long battery life. For people who want a more mobile desktop then it’s pretty good with its 1.5Ghz Pentium M (roughly equivalent to a 2.2Ghz Pentium 4 processor). I hope to see competitors release slightly larger models in the 12” range with widescreens. The design isn’t too fancy but it has clean lines. The frame is built using magnesium so it should be fairly strong. I may have to look into this item in the future…it’s definitely intriguing.
