Today's cornucopia of technology is perfect for when you travel to visit your family for the Thanksgiving holiday. Some tech makes getting there safer and capturing the moment easier. Other tech was meant for your escape from the in-laws.
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(Credit:
Epson)
Just in time for the holiday gift-buying rush, Epson on Tuesday announced a brand new PictureMate personal photo printer. We've reviewed plenty of Epson's 4x6 photo printers in the past, but its latest PictureMate Charm promises maximum versatility and print durability for just $150.
The PictureMate Charm gives home photo enthusiasts a new way to produce lab-quality photos on the go at parties, special events, family vacations, and so on, thanks to the inclusion of a carrying handle and a dual-purpose lid that also happens to double as a paper input tray.
Creative types will be pleased to see a variety of color effects and layout options that turn photos into wallet-size proof sheets, stickers, and more. Featuring 5760x1440 dpi, the PictureMate Charm boasts the highest print resolution in its class with built-in auto photo correction and red-eye removal in tow. The Charm will also come with ink and 100 sheets of either glossy or matte-finish 4x6-inch photo paper.
Look for a full review of the Epson PictureMate Charm coming soon. One more photo of the Epson PictureMate Charm after the jump.
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I'm a digital-camera fanatic. I can't get enough. But as much as I love taking pictures with them, I dislike the task of showing friends the pictures I've taken--not exactly a simple endeavor. So when Nikon this week announced that it's bringing the Coolpix S1000pj to store shelves later this year, I became extremely excited.
The digital camera for which I've been waiting.
(Credit: Nikon)The camera is nothing more than a standard point-and-shoot. Its overall quality won't compare with my Nikon digital SLR. But the Coolpix S1000pj has the single feature that I've been craving: a built-in projector capable of showing pictures and video in a 40-inch display.
If I decide to show friends my snapshots on the camera's small LCD display, they won't be able to get the full effect. In fact, many pictures look much different when they're finally ported to the computer.
If I opt instead to let them see the pictures on my computer, it takes time. I need to bring my camera to my computer, plug it in, and transfer the photos to the hard drive. Only then can I show them the images. By then, none of us is all that interested.
Another option is popping the SD card out of my camera, inserting it into my HDTV, and viewing its contents on the 50-inch display. It tends to be quicker. Plus, it allows anyone in the room to see them. But there's a major limitation: I need to be home to do that.
That's precisely why I think that Nikon's projector camera is such a major step forward. I believe that projectors will be the next big thing in the digital camera space.
... Read moreDon Reisinger is a technology columnist who has written about everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Don is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and posts at The Digital Home. He is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.
It's been a long time coming, but Nintendo has finally announced that today's DSi system update will bring along the capability to upload photos from your DSi directly to your Facebook profile.
Photos from either of the two cameras can be manipulated beforehand then uploaded to Facebook afterward. While the onboard cameras don't boast enormous resolutions, we think the size should be good enough for use with the social networking giant.
Today's DSi update should be available about 8 p.m. Eastern time. DSi owners can simply navigate to the system update section of the settings menu on their device to download it. Let us know how it goes in the comments section below.
LG's user menu is more-detailed than the service menus of most TVs.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/LG)Q: As an AVS forum member, I have to tell you we really look forward to your reviews. They are often cited when discussing the various brands and models. I am writing to you however to make a suggestion on how to make your reviews even more effective for the videophiles and those thoroughly researching new TVs. I understand you at one time included service menu calibrations, but now you do not. There are those of us who would like you to access the service menu during reviews, enabling you (and us) to gauge what the real potential of what the TV being reviewed is capable of. Why don't you?
--Dean from Oregon
A: Thanks for writing Dean. I appreciate the suggestion, I understand your reasoning, and I agree that calibrating the service menu is often, depending on the model and its available user-menu controls, the only way to fully realize the potential of the TV.
For the uninitiated, the service menu contained on most TVs is typically only accessible by inputting a string of specific button-presses that aren't described in the manual. It usually contains advanced settings that control all aspects of the TV, from color points to grayscale controls to noise filter thresholds to bulb life countdowns. Some of these controls can be tweaked to improve the picture beyond the controls available in the TV's user menu. But for people unfamiliar with service menus, they can be a minefield of potential screw-ups, and in some cases an incorrect adjustment can completely disable a TV. Moreover, most service menus lack a "reset" button to take everything back to the default values.
A couple of years ago, I decided to stop using the service menu for calibrations of TVs I review. I did so for what I consider a few very good reasons.
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(Credit:
SilverPac)
OEM manufacturer SilverPac has announced its latest digital photo frame, the SilverFrame, at the Computex tradeshow in Taipei, Taiwan. Before you brush this gizmo aside as "just another digital picture display," stop right there.
The 10.1-inch touch-screen-operated SilverFrame is probably the most advanced digital photo frame we have seen. It runs Windows CE 6.0 R2 with 512MB of RAM and supports Microsoft applications such as Windows SideShow and Live FrameIt. This means you can also surf the Web and access instant-messaging clients such as MSN.
As it is Wi-Fi-enabled, the SilverFrame (PDF) can view pictures and videos stored on social-networking sites such as Facebook, Flickr, and Picassa. It also has Bluetooth to receive images sent from your mobile phone, which can be stored in the 1GB onboard memory. As with most other digital photo frames, the SilverFrame has a multicard reader and micro USB/USB ports to import images from cameras.
According to SlashGear, the SilverFrame is on display at Microsoft's booth at Computex. But since SilverPac is just an OEM manufacturer, the company is now waiting for other firms to pick up the design.
Other noteworthy features:
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(Credit:
Sony Pictures)
In 2005, we got to witness the return of two extremely popular characters in the Final Fantasy franchise--Cloud Strife and Sephiroth--but this time they'd do battle in a movie and not in a game. As of 2006 that movie, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, has sold more than 10.5 million copies worldwide on DVD and UMD. And now it's getting the full Blu-ray treatment.
On June 2, Sony pictures is releasing Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete (director's cut) on Blu-ray. Exclusive to the release will be 26 minutes of additional footage and over 1000 revised scenes, each of which was re-recorded with the original voice cast including Rachel Leigh Cook (Josie and the Pussycats) and Mena Suvari (American Beauty), and a 25-minute original anime short film, telling the story of the character Denzel before the events of Advent Children; a featurette showing a story line digest incorporating related footage from the video games; a documentary on the history of Final Fantasy VII; and a first look at the Final Fantasy XIII video game.
We received an early preview of this upcoming release and it looked beautiful. It was so detailed you could count hair strands and see textures in the clothing. ... Read more
(Credit:
Jobo AG)
I really liked the last Jobo frame I reviewed, but it was just a little short on features in comparison with other models in its price and size range. It looks as if the company's latest model is no different.
The 8-inch Jobo Plano 8 has an 800x600-pixel resolution LCD with a 400:1 contrast ratio and measures 8.4 inches wide by 6.5 inches high by 0.9 inch thick. There are slots for SD, SDHC, MMC, MemoryStick, and xD cards (not CompactFlash, though), and a USB port for connecting external storage. There is no internal memory, but you do get a wall-mounting kit and a remote control.
It supports JPEG files only, so no MP3 or Motion JPEG support. Not that it matters since there are no speakers for audio either. However, if the controls and menu system are like its other frames, it'll be easy to setup and use.
The Jobo Plano 8 will be available in late June with an AC adapter, remote control, and manual for about $129. The 7- and 10.4-inch models will be available for $99 and $179, respectively.
Do you want an inexpensive frame, but can't wait till the end of June? Read reviews of photo frames for $125 or less.
We'll tell you where to set the sliders.
(Credit: CNET)Today I'm proud to announce the relaunching of one of our most popular services here at CNET Reviews: providing picture settings for HDTVs. Now and for the foreseeable future, HDTV picture settings information will live in its own dedicated forum at CNET, where readers can search for our official settings to apply to their own TVs. The format also allows readers to post their own settings and share advice on HDTV setup in general.
Click here to check out the new forum and search for your HDTV.
In case you didn't know, for every HDTV I review I publish the exact picture settings I use during picture quality evaluations and comparisons. I arrive at these settings through a formal calibration process, employing high-end equipment and industry-approved methods to adjust the myriad user settings found on today's HDTVs to achieve the best home theater picture for a dark room.
The idea of publishing the official CNET picture settings is to allow owners of the TVs I review to try out my settings at home to see if they like the picture. I won't guarantee that everyone will love the look of the picture produced by these settings, but I will say that the image quality, especially from a color accuracy standpoint, nearly always surpasses that of any of the presets built into the HDTVs themselves. But don't take my word for it; try the settings and see for yourself.
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Watchmen babies!!...jk
(Credit: Eric Franklin/CNET)Not everyone can make it to WonderCon every year, I understand that. Honestly though, if you don't deal well with crowds, you should probably stay home, because wow.
The crowds on Saturday are probably the reason I'm not going back on Sunday. I can take only so much of clueless geeks bumping my camera, walking into my shot, standing in the middle of heavy traffic areas, (apparently) not bathing that day, and making dumb "purist" comments about changes from the graphic novel to the "Watchmen" movie, only to be proven completely wrong.
Yeah, I'm a geek myself and I'm sure I'm just as annoying to others when I'm blocking their view while pushing over elderly women in an attempt to take pics of hot chicks dressed as DC comics characters. Who wouldn't be irked at that?
I guess it's some kind of weird self-loathing that gives me such a low tolerance level with my brethren.
Anyway, I braved the trenches so you didn't have to.
