When Panasonic, Fujifilm, and Canon announced rugged cameras this year, it was odd that Casio didn't pop one out, too, given its predilection for shock-resistant products. Well, I guess November isn't too late to join the market, as Wednesday the company added the Exilim EX-G1 to its digital camera lineup.
(Credit:
Casio)
The $299 0.8-inch thick, ultracompact 12-megapixel camera can withstand a 7-foot drop because of a two-layer construction with a stainless steel outer casing, a resin ring protecting the lens, and a polycarbonate cover on the body side near the shutter. The wrist-strap holder is made of die-cast zinc and that little dial thingy sticking out the side seals and secures the external memory slot door.
Also included are two types of detachable shock-absorbing protectors. There's more, but let's just say the thing is built to take drops and significant abuse as well as dives down to 10 feet for up to an hour and is freezeproof to 14 degrees Fahrenheit--all without impacting photo quality or shooting performance.
That said, the camera's regular features are less impressive, especially the internal 3x f3.9-5.4 38-114mm lens. There are plenty of Best Shot scene modes including Casio's chroma key Dynamic Photo mode. However, none of the high-speed shooting modes are available since it uses a CCD sensor and not the high-speed CMOS; the features are a logical fit for a rugged camera, though. For active shooters it does have Casio's Multi Motion option allowing you to take a series of shots and put them in one photo and interval shooting. Movies record at a wide-screen standard-def resolution of 848x480 at 30fps or 640x480 if you prefer a 4:3 aspect ratio, so no HD movies, either.
Of course, most of the camera's cost goes to its build quality, which allows you to take photos and video where you haven't been able to before or were simply afraid to use a regular camera. The G1 is pretty cool looking and incredibly small, too, and I'm confident it'll live up to--and probably beyond--Casio's durability claims. And, well, it's nice to have one more rugged camera option particularly from a company that knows how to do shockproof/waterproof devices.
On Sale Now: $279.00 - $299.95
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The Viliv S7: ahead of the curve, or missing the point?
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)The Yukyung Viliv lineup ultraportable of mini-computers is, in a way, a bit of a throwback to the days when UMPCs and MIDs ruled the pocket-gadget landscape and laptops were bulky and expensive and didn't have any great battery power to speak of. Back in the days of the OQO and the Samsung Q1, you didn't expect an ultraportable to have the same productivity power as a full-fledged computer...you were, in fact, happy when it just did one or two things right. Those days are over, though. For $300 you can now get a Netbook which, while lacking the horsepower that modern PC users expect, can still run rings around laptops from the days when the Patriots still won Super Bowls.
On the other hand, portables are also the future. From flip-keyboarded smartphones to tiny clamshell "smartbooks" running smartphone processors and mobile operating systems, the old-fashioned concept of a flip-up laptop is bound for a change.
This is where the Viliv devices lie: one foot in the past, one foot in the future, they're transitional evolutionary devices. In some ways, their tablet forms are refreshing. In others, they're less functional than basic Netbooks. And that's a shame, since they also happen to cost significantly more.
The Viliv S7 and X70EX are two different form factors with the same internal components: both have Intel Atom Z520 processors and 7-inch resistive touch screens, 1GB of RAM, and a smaller-size hard drive or SSD. The X70EX, however, takes the form of a tablet computer, a bigger-screened improvement on the S5. The S7 breaks the mold a little more by adding a convertible laptop/tablet swivel screen to the equation, much like the Asus EeePC T91.
Would either of these be appealing to someone looking for mobile horsepower, or is a smartphone like an iPhone still the way to go? Can either of these Vilivs provide a compelling amount of Netbook in their small-form style, or are these higher-priced items stuck between a phone and a hard place? And here's another question: would you rather see Netbooks get back to these 7-inch sizes, or are you happier with the move to 10 inch and larger Netbooks with better graphics and HD screens?
Or is the future in fact something else entirely--custom-designed tablets like the ones that seem to be around the curve from Apple and Microsoft?
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HP's new Envy laptop: is this the MacBook clone you've been waiting for?
(Credit: HP)HP announced its fall lineup today, which included new Windows 7 laptops, an Ion-powered Netbook, SmartMedia network storage products, an all-in-one desktop, and an assortment of business-centric monitors.
HP gets an Ion-powered HD Netbook
With a Nvidia Ion processor and a 1,366x768 11.6-inch screen, the HP Mini 311 looks to be the type of souped-up HD Netbook we've been waiting for.
(Posted in Crave by Scott Stein)
September 14, 2009, 9:06 p.m. PDT
HP 13-inch laptops bring on aluminum and affordability
Just in time for Windows 7 comes HP's new Windows 7-preinstalled 13-inch thin-and-lights.
(Posted in Crave by Scott Stein)
September 14, 2009, 9:04 p.m. PDT
HP's new business monitors not bad for nonbusiness people
HP announces entertainment-supporting business monitors.
(Posted in Crave by Eric Franklin)
September 14, 2009, 9:01 p.m. PDT
HP launches new SmartMedia network storage servers
HP launches new home servers with larger storage, faster processors, and enhanced features for PCs and Macs.
(Posted in Crave by Dong Ngo)
September 14, 2009, 9:01 p.m. PDT
HP introduces first nontouch all-in-one
HP's Pavilion All-In-One MS214 is the company's first nontouch all-in-one.
(Posted in Crave by Rich Brown)
September 14, 2009, 9:01 p.m. PDT
HP goes high-end with two new Envy laptops
Ditching the Voodoo branding of the first Envy laptop, HP is aiming at the very upper ends of the market with its new Envy 13 and Envy 15 laptops, both announced today.
(Posted in Crave by Dan Ackerman)
September 14, 2009, 9 p.m. PDT
The new SmartMedia EX495 from HP.
(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET)I reviewed the HP MediaSmart LX190 a while ago, and though I wished it had more storage, I still gave it the editors' choice award for its great performance. And now both the storage and performance have been increased.
HP launched Monday the two new models of the MediaSmart EX490 and MediaSmart EX495 Home Servers, offering increased capacity, high-performance processors, and more features.
Similar to previous models, both new servers are based on the Microsoft Windows Home Server platform. However, they both now have a refined user interface and a Web-based home page that further facilitates accessing and using the server.
The servers also come equipped with 2GB of RAM and faster processors. The EX495 sports an Intel Pentium Dual Core CPU, while the budget-line EX490 runs an Intel Celeron CPU.
The first of these two models' new feature is a Video Converter that automatically converts video libraries; including unprotected DVDs. Users then can stream the video, as well as other digital content, from within the home network or over the Internet.
The second new feature is the Media Collector, which allows users to collect media by computer, media type, or file location. This features enable the SmartMedia server to automatically collect and organize media files from across Macs and PCs and store them on the server for later streaming.
Other than that, both the EX490 and the EX495 offer additional features for Mac users, including administration, media collection, and a new disc recovery utility that provides complete recovery on a Mac using Time Machine.
iPod Touch and iPhone users can also download a free app called MediaSmart Server Stream from Apple's App Store to play digital media stored on a new SmartMedia server, be it music or photos or video.
Both new servers can support up to 4 SATA hard dives and a total of up to 7TB of internal storage, plus 10TB of storage via external hard drives (connected via USB and eSATA ports). They are, however, shipped with only one hard drive. The EX490 comes with 1TB of hard disk storage and costs $549, while the EX495 comes with 1.5TB and costs $699.
The servers don't support any RAID configuration but has a duplication feature that keeps data safe in case of hard-drive failure. The omission of RAID support also means you can use hard drives of different capacities with the new servers, without losing their storage space.
The new HP SmartMedia servers will be available by October, but you can preorder them starting today.
(Credit:
Casio)
Casio's going full force after consumers shopping for digital cameras in the $100-$200 price range. First, the company announces the Exilim EX-Z450 and EX-Z90, $199.99 and $149.99, respectively. And then Monday, it announces the $179.99 EX-Z280 and $119.99 EX-Z33.
The Z280 (pictured right) is a 12-megapixel ultracompact with an f2.6-5.9 26-104mm-equivalent wide-angle lens with a 4x zoom, sensor-shift image stabilization, 2.7-inch LCD, and Casio's newest image processing engine featuring a dual-processor design for lower power consumption and better photo results. It also gives you 720p HD-quality video capture and the latest iteration of Casio's green-screen Dynamic Photo function. A very compelling package for what will probably street at around $170.
With a more entry-level feature set, the Z33 is a 10-megapixel model with a 3x optical zoom and a 2.5-inch LCD. It does the basics I expect to find on a camera at this price--VGA movie mode, face detection, lots of scene modes--but its also very thin at 0.7 of an inch and weighs roughly 4 ounces with SD card and battery. Plus, it has built-in compatibility with Eye-Fi's SD cards for wireless transfer of photos.
The EX-Z280, available this September 2009, will be offered in a silver body color (though Casio has photos of gold and pink versions so maybe those colors, too). The EX-Z33 will also be available in September in black, light pink, vivid pink, silver, and blue.
(Credit:
Casio)
(Credit:
Casio)
If you've got a point-and-shoot with face detection, you may have noticed that the feature's handy if you're shooting faces, but if left on when shooting other subjects the autofocus system is less than accurate. Casio's apparently fixed this with a new Intelligent AF found in its 12-megapixel Exilim EX-Z450 and EX-Z90 ultracompact cameras announced Tuesday.
The AF will detect faces, as well as "non-human photo subjects," so that an animal, flower, or alien invader will be in focus and properly exposed.
Also tweaked in these models is Casio's Dynamic Photo feature, which works sort of like in-camera chromakeying allowing you to cut out a subject--moving or still--and drop it into another photo. It's an interesting, innovative feature and the newest version of it simplifies the process.
The Z450 (above) is the higher end of the two models featuring a 28mm wide-angle lens with a 4x zoom, 3-inch LCD, sensor-shift image stabilization, and an extended battery life of up to 550 shots. It also has a Handheld Night Scene mode to help with camera shake and motion blur in dim lighting. It comes in the color pictured and that's it, and it will sell for $199.99.
The $149.99 Z90 comes in the three colors shown on the right. Its zoom is only 3x, its LCD is smaller at 2.7 inches, and it does not have mechanical or optical image stabilization. Its battery life is considerably shorter, too, rated at up to 230 photos. It is, however, smaller and lighter than the Z450.
Look for them both in October.
(Credit:
Casio)
Casio joined the list of manufacturers with a pocketable megazoom Thursday with the announcement of the EX-H10. In retail around mid-July, the $299.99 12-megapixel camera is fronted by a wide-angle 24mm lens with a 10x zoom with CCD-shift image stabilization in a body that's 0.96 inch thick and weighs only 5.8 ounces. Even more impressive, though, is Casio's battery life claim of a 1,000 shots on a single charge.
That number comes courtesy of low-energy requirements of the the multi-CPU Exilim Engine 4.0 circuitry and operational controls coupled with a high-capacity battery. Usage is based on CIPA standards calculated with the LCD monitor on; a full zoom back and forth every 30 seconds; the flash used every two shots; and the power cycled every 10 shots.
Underneath it all it's still a typical Casio camera, too, with a gazillion Best Shot scene modes (OK, just 38, but that's still a ridiculous amount), high-speed shutter continuous shooting, and 720p HD movie capture at 24fps.
... Read moreThis is a test clip of some birds that I took using the Casio Exilim EX-FH20's high-speed video capture. (I know it's not the most exciting clip in the world, unless you're into watching 6 minutes of birds bathing in public, you sicko.) This feature is really pretty cool (as is the camera's 40-frame-per-second shooting speed), though I'm still on the fence about how much someone would actually use it after the initial "wow, this is cool" phase.
But Casio deserves credit for pulling off the high-speed shooting features on the Exilim EX-FH20 at its sub-$500 price. It really makes me look forward to testing the two less-expensive Casio Exilim ultracompacts with these features, the EX-FC100 and the EX-FS10. Unfortunately, the photo quality on the FH20 seems to have taken a back seat to its speedy shooting, and usability isn't too great, either.
The zBoost One has a compact design.
(Credit: Wi-Ex)Wi-Ex, the manufacturer of the zBoost line of cell phone signal boosters, announced two new products at CTIA.
Though we didn't get the chance to check them out while in Las Vegas, we can pass on the details.
The zBoost One is the company's first one-piece signal booster. It promises an easy setup process that consists of just plugging it in and syncing it to your phone. It's compatible with the 1900 CDMA and GSM band for both phones and data cards.
At $249, it still isn't cheap and you'll need to find a suitable location in your home or office (near a window is best).
The zBoost International is for use abroad.
(Credit: Wi-Ex)The zBoost International is designed for users outside North America. It's compatible with the 900 and 1900 GSM bands, which are the standard in Europe (North American carriers use the 850 and 1900 bands). It promises a range of 200 meters (656 feet) and will also work for voice and data.
Though the setup involves more parts, you should have more freedom to place it around your house. The zBoost International is $499.
Click to see full specs
(Credit: Casio)If you know anyone who has asked for just a basic point-and-shoot camera to stick in their back pocket, point them to the Casio Exilim Zoom EX-Z29. Priced at $149.95, this 10-megapixel ultracompact camera is low on features outside of having 23 Best Shot scene modes and the ability to set the menu system color to one of six options: black, chocolate, cinnamon, rose, sky blue, and olive green.
Up front is a pedestrian 3X f2.8-5.2 38-113mm-equivalent lens, and in back is a 2.7-inch LCD for framing your shots. Here's hoping at least it's a fast performer.
Available in April in a choice of black, pink, blue, silver, and purple.
