Author: Duncan Geere
Samsung announces 64GB SSD H-Series HD camcorder, and some others too
Not to be outdone by Canon, Samsung has also released info about a range of new camcorders that it’ll be bringing to market later in the year. They all come under the banner of H-Series, which seems to mean nothing except that their meaningless product numbers all begin with H.
In full, there’s the HMX-H106, HMX-H105, HMX-H104, and HMX-H100. They’ve got HD sensors, and lenses from Schneider Kreuznach that have a 10X zoom and “Optical Image Stabilisation”. One of the models in particular – the top-of-the-line HMX-H106 – comes with a 64GB SSD, which I believe is the first camcorder with a drive that big.
RUMOUR: Canon planning new Ixus compact camera with CMOS chip
In fact, at the moment there’s only one compact on the market that has a CMOS sensor – Canon’s own PowerShot SX1 IS, which retails for a whopping £530. Our tipster reckons that a whole rash of CMOS compacts will be unveiled at the forthcoming PMA ’09 in March. He also proposes this as a possible CMOS Ixus spec.
- 10-megapixel CMOS sensor (most likely 1/2.33 or 1/2.5 inch in size)
- HD Movie Mode
- 5x Zoom (28mm wide)
- 3″ LCD
- Li-Ion battery
- ISO 50-3200
- RRP of £250-£280, on the shop floor at £220 or so
It’s that massive ISO range which is the most promising. If this new Ixus exists, can cope with low light as promised, and doesn’t cost the earth, then this could bring the tools for some fantastic photography into the hands of amateurs. Or, at very least, your photos of ‘Debbie an the gals dahn at the club’ will look sublime.
Related posts: REVIEW: Canon IXUS 870 IS | Canon engineers held back by marketing department’s “megapixel race”
New Zealand's approach to file-sharing – "guilt upon accusation"
The heavy-handed scaremongering and litigation being handed out by the entertainment industries in the UK and North America is one thing, but New Zealand seems to be taking an even-more-hysterical approach to the problem of filesharing.
From the end of February, Section 92 of the Copyright Amendment Act will come into force. This act assumes that any individual simply accused of sharing copyrighted works on the Internet is guilty. The punishment? Disconnection from the internet.
Scary, huh? Well, if you live in New Zealand, the Creative Freedom Foundation have got a “Not In My Name” petition for you to sign. If you’re not a New Zealander, then just thank your lucky stars that your politicians, for the moment, retain some sense.
Creative Freedom Foundation (via Torrentfreak)
Related posts: Australia remembers British convictism, asks for help dealing with filesharers | RIAA to drop failed lawsuits strategy
Britney, Obama and Fox News' Twitter accounts get hacked
Last night, the Twitter accounts for Britney Spears, Barack Obama, Fox News, Facebook, the Huffington Post and 28 other decreasingly famous people were hacked to display a variety of messages, from spammy to hilarious.
It started with Fox News, who posted a message about one of their anchors, saying “Breaking: Bill O Riley is gay”. Rick Sanchez from CNN was then hit, with a message saying “i am high on crack right now might not be coming into work today”. Then Barack Obama (who hasn’t posted since the election) posted an affiliate marketing survey. Then Britney’s incredible missive came through. Find out that said over the jump (mildly NSFW).
Vuzix Wrap 920AV audiovisual goggles – the full, actually quite awesome, details
We’ve just been given the full details on the Vuzix 920AVs that I posted about on Friday, and gosh, they look more exciting than I had anticipated. Remember how I said that they seemed to be the non-interactive version? They’re not – there’s an option to fit them with a “6-Degree of Freedom tracking sensor and/or Stereo Camera Pair”.
That means that you can mix images from in front of you with virtual content. Imagine looking down a street, and seeing little markers come up from famous buildings saying what they are, or the ultimate Sat-Nav system which can tell which way you’re looking and show you which way to go with a line on the road.
Denon announces top-end AH-D7000 headphones
These over-ear headphones are Denon’s latest release to the ‘I’ve got rather a lot of money’ target market. How much money? Well, the AH-D7000s will set you back £800. That’s a lot of money, so you’d be right to ask what you’re getting for that.
You’re getting very high-class components, that’s why. A couple of 2″ drivers with free-edge microfibre diaphragms that’ll play notes up to 45kHz (20kHz is the top end of an average human’s hearing).
You also get housings crafted of mahogany (which I should point out is a highly endangered wood) with carvings on the INSIDE that ‘enhance the natural tonal balance’. The cable is 99.99999% oxygen-free copper, too, so you’ll get absolutely no distortion from that.
What do you think – worth £800? Or snake oil? Let us know your opinion in the comments.
Denon UK
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Jobs admits 'hormone imbalance', says he's getting better
Steve Jobs’ health has long been a topic of discussion among both tech sites, and people who own stock in Apple. It’s no secret that Jobs, to all intents and purposes, IS Apple, and investors know this, such that every time there’s a rumour about his health, Apple’s stock takes a nosedive.
Well, Jobs has come out and set the record straight, blaming a “hormone imbalance” for his weight loss. In an open letter on the Apple website, Steve has laid out the reasons why he’s been looking a little peaky. He’s undergoing treatment for his ‘mystery illness’, and says he reckons he’ll be back to normal by late Spring. The full text of the letter is over the jump.
Kodak unveils Z980 Megazoom and Zx1 mini-camcorder
Okay, ladies and gentlemen. Line up, please. Kids at the front. We’re going to take a look at a couple of new products that Kodak has dropped on us. On your left, you’ve got the Z980 entry-level point-and-shoot, and on your right is the Zx1 weatherproof mini camcorder. Which shall we look at first? The Z980? Okay.
The Z980 is a fairly basic point-and-shoot, with a few notable exceptions. First, you’ve got a generous 24X zoom, which should let you zero in from a safe distance on that girl down the road who you’ve got a crush on, but who just doesn’t seem to notice your existence.
Star Trek Command Chair now shipping!
Remember the Star Trek command chair that Gary lusted over back in August? It’s now shipping!
It can be yours for a paltry $2,717.01 (£1,880 or so) plus $400 (£280) of shipping and handling. Just in case we need to remind you, it’s fully licensed, has a ‘working swivel design’, light-up controls and sound effects from the original TV series. Tribbles not included.
SkyMall (via CrunchGear)
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Lenovo launches new slim, pretty Y-series of laptops
This machine is one of three Y-series laptops announced this morning by Lenovo, and it’s certainly a looker. The Y650, Y550, and Y450 machines (it’s not clear which one is pictured above) only differ in screen size, ranging from 16″ to 14″, via 15″, all at a 16:9 aspect ratio.
Inside, they’re rather attractive, too – boasting upto 4GB of RAM, upto 500GB hard disk space, and an optional NVidia GFX graphics card. The trackpad’s multi-touch, too, which might make it a good candidate to turn into a hackintosh. Can’t wait to get one into my hands, and see if it’s as lovely in person as in that picture above.
Lenovo (via Akihabaranews)
Related posts: Lenovo promises two new netbooks – S9e and S10e | Keep your porn more hidden than ever with Lenovo’s 128-bit encrypted ThinkPad USB Portable Secure HD
