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T
hough it's long been a player in the megazoom market, Canon has tended to lag behind in lens lengths. With the replacement to the PowerShot S5 IS, it looks like that, as well as the model naming, is about to change. The PowerShot SX10 IS jumps to 20x zoom from the S5's 12x and takes the market lead in zoom reach.
Here's how it stacks up to the competition:

on comparision to Canon PowerShot S5 IS,Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28 & Olympus SP-570 UZ

Resolution :-

Canon PowerShot S5 IS -8 megapixels ;Canon PowerShot SX10 IS -10 megapixels ;Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28 -10 megapixels ;Olympus SP-570 UZ -10 megapixels

Sensor size :-

1/2.5-inch ;1/2.3-inch ;1/2.33-inch ;1/2.33-inch

Lens (35mm equivalent):-

f2.7-3.5 36-432mm (12x) ;f2.8-5.7 28-560mm (20x) ;f2.8-4.4 27-486mm (18x) ;f2.8-4.5 26-520mm (20x)

LCD :-

207,000 pixels, 2.5 inches ;207,000 pixels, 2.5 inches ;230,000 dots, 2.7 inches ; 230,000 dots, 2.7 inches

Max ISO sensitivity at full resolution :-

ISO 1600 ;ISO 1600 ;ISO 1600 ;ISO 1600

Movie capture :-

VGA 30fps ;VGA 30fps ;848x480 30fps ;VGA 30fps

Mfr. pricing :-

$349.99 ;$449.00 ;$399.95 ;$499.99

With the new lens, sensor, and body redesign, it's very much a new camera. I'm glad to see that Canon opted to keep the flip-and-twist LCD. The move to a Digic 4 image processor theoretically improves Face Detection, and adds Servo AF, Face Detection Self-Timer, and Intelligent Contrast Correction. The switch to a new lens makes this model an unknown with respect to photo quality, but otherwise it looks promising and quite competitive. It's slated to ship in October
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S
ony has released a firmware update to its 12MP Alpha A700 DSLR. The update, version 4, adds two features that had been requested by users in several Internet forums. There is now a choice of +/-2.0EV, 3 shot EV bracketing, in both single and continuous modes. Also it adds the choice of "Off" to the high sensitivity noise reduction. Along with the added features, some improvement have been made such as improved auto white balance accuracy, improved high ISO picture quality, and improved communication consistency between the camera and the vertical grip.

Along with the A 700 firmware update, Sony has released updates its Image Data software, Converter SR, Lightbox SR, and Remote camera Control (A700 only).

All of the updates can be found on Sony's eSupport Web site.

It is recommend installing the latest firmware updates for your camera, so you can get the most out of your gear. For more information on firmware updates for a specific camera, visit the manufacturer's Web site. Before installing any firmware upgrade, always take the time to read all of the documentation and follow the manufacturer's instructions carefully.
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A
t this point, it's safe to assume that most of your photo collection is digital and stored on your computer and (hopefully) a backup disk or two. But what about those boxes of slides sitting at the bottom of your closet (or in your parents' basement) that are slowly but surely fading and yellowing as the years progress? Now, you could go out and easily drop a $1,000 on a film scanner from Nikon, or you could go out and grab Ion Audio's Slides 2 PC scanner for $100. Its 5-megapixel (1800dpi) scanner will leave you with 2,592x1,680-pixel files.

Ion Audio (you know, the PC turntable and miscellaneous audio peripheral maker) touts the scanner's four-glass optical element along with automatic exposure and color balance to deliver accurate scans. It throws in a photo editing app from ArcSoft in case you still want to make tweaks. Included in the kit are two slide trays, each of which holds three slides at a time, and a negative tray. With a single USB connection and one-touch scanning, you might be able to set your folks up with this thing with the expectation of fielding only a minimal amount of tech support calls.
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N
ew beta software for Adobe Systems' Photoshop means those with Nikon's latest SLRs, the mid-range D90 and higher-end, full-frame D700, now can handle those cameras' raw files with the company's widely used image-editing software.
In addition, the software supports Nikon's Coolpix P6000, a high-end compact camera, and the Fuji Finepix IS Pro.

The update includes unofficial, preliminary support for Canon's 50D, a mid-range SLR due to ship in October, Canon's new low-end Rebel XS, Sony's ambitious full-frame Alpha A900 SLR due in November, the Olympus SP-565 UZ ultrazoom compact, and Sigma's large-sensor DP1 compact.

In addition, Adobe released an accompanying version of its DNG Converter software, which changes the proprietary raw file formats from higher-end cameras into Adobe's relatively open Digital Negative (DNG) format. That means people have a bridge to get the new cameras' raw files into Lightroom, which doesn't yet support the new cameras.
No word yet on other higher-end cameras such as Canon's G10 or EOS 5D Mark II.
The Camera Raw 4.6 update and DNG Converter is available from Adobe Labs' site.
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T
he Thanko All In One Sunglasses out of Japan look more 3D clunky than Prada sleek. But what else would you expect from a pair of shades that incorporate a media player?

The glasses are capable of reading MP3 and WMA audio formats, and playing video formats MP4, MPG, AVI, and ASF. That means you can listen to music or watch movies (at a squinty 432x240 resolution) on the specs themselves. This is no Cinemax, to be sure, but the glasses could be a fun diversion on a train or park bench if you don't mind the bulk. Note to wearers: please lay off the films while crossing the street.
Audio files, videos, and photos are stored in a miniSD card loaded on the flank of the glasses, which come with a remote control, AC adapter, earphones, USB cable for charging the device and transferring files, and carrying case. They also come with four equalizer presets and a lithium ion battery. Oh, and they go for $364-- for the amount to which you could get an iPhone. {Read more... >>

E
ver wanted to view a 52-inch screen from nine feet away in the comfort of your own home, without the 52-inch screen? If you answered "yes," then you're in luck. If you answered "no," then you have no soul. This should not, however, stop you from continuing to read this post.

On Tuesday, Vuzix announced the iWear AV310 Widescreen. While there have been other video eyewear products, this purports to be the first with wide-screen (16:9) viewing capabilities.


The AV310 projects a virtual 52-inch screen nine feet away from your eye, which is about four feet too close, according to the recommended distance.

Perhaps the physics of viewing distances, screen sizes, and resolutions are different in the virtual world within the glasses. Perhaps it is a non-Einsteinian universe full of vast potential energy where the rules have been flip-flopped. Where cockroaches are the dominant species and the human race is the species that darts to dark corners when the light come on. Yeah, that's probably it.

The AV310 is compatible with all NTSC or PAL devices with a video input including:

* All iPod models
* Portable media players
* Video cameras
* Cellular phones with video output
* Gaming consoles
* Digital cameras
* DVD players

Other features include:

* Full 16:9 wide-screen aspect ratio
* Independent +2 to -5 diopter focus, providing individual adjustment for each eye
* Twin high-resolution LCD displays from Kopin
* Removable and comfort fit earbuds
* Adjustable, hypoallergenic nosepiece
* Viewer with 15 degrees of tilt adjustment
* Up to five hours of battery life on one AA battery
* Onscreen display settings control
* Can be used while wearing eyeglasses

The AV310 will be available through Brookstone, SkyMall, Micro Center, Hammacher Schlemmer, and Vuzix.com for $250.
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W
atching standard and high-definition programs on your computer is already possible. For years, a lot of people has been using a Slingbox or a TV tuner to watch standard and high-definition content on their 19-inch monitors. However, this setup has its limitations such as Slingbox unable to display high-definition content and of course, it is very uncomfortable to sit in front of your computer monitor just to watch your favorite movie.

However, this might soon come to an end

- or in other words, improve as TV manufacturers are slowly integrating Web-based content into their sets. If it is released, the promise of the DirecTV’s HDPC-20 might change everything. The dual-tuner device has been in the making for some time now, with product photos and tidbits of information floating around several websites and blogs during the past year. As far as i know, the product could do the following:

-Allows you to record and watch DirecTV programming on your computer, and connects via USB.
-Features dual-tuners, however high-definition programming is not yet assured.
-Includes an Ethernet connection possibly to strean content to multiple Windows Media Extender devices and Xbox 360.
-A fully-featured media hub to stream downloaded movies, music, and pictures.

If ever these features will be released(blog sites speculate a November release), then it would be a giant leap for this technology. In the meantime, there are already plenty of solutions to stream media from and to your computer. Most of them, however, still don’t come close to offering an easy way to pull in high-definition television programming, integrate it with Web based video, and stream it to your HDTV.

what do you think of it? Would you be interested in watching DirectTV on your computer but also have the option to stream the programming to your television along with your collection of DivX videos?

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T
he recent incident involving US national Kenneth Haywood, whose Internet Protocol (IP) address was allegedly used to send the terror e-mail prior to the Ahmedabad serial blasts, should be regarded as a wake up call. While this incident of wireless hacking took security agencies by surprise, lakhs of individuals and companies are actually exposed to a similar risk. Incidents of such hacking are common, but go unreported since they may not have such grave implications.

The police version of the Haywood incident, as reported in the newspapers, is that suspected criminals allegedly hacked into the Wi-Fi network of his laptop and used it to send the terror e-mail. Prior to this hacking, Mr Haywood is said to have complained of high browsing bills. If this is to be believed, then one possibility is that Haywoood may have left his access point open. The suspected terrorist could then have hooked on to this access point and sent the email, which then showed Haywood’s IP address as the originator. This is regarded, in hacking terminology, as stealing of bandwidth while impersonating Haywood.

Wi-Fi hacking is an even bigger a problem for companies that have many employees who take their laptops all over the place and might come back infected, or who have a number of access points that can be easy targets if not secured properly. This is the market that Pune-based AirTight Networks is going after:

Hemant Chaskar, Airtight’s technology director, explained: “Companies earlier used firewalls, which prevented or regulated data access between internal systems and the external world. With the adoption of wireless, firewalls can be bypassed, exposing internal systems to free external access. External devices can access internal enterprise networks, while internal devices can also connect to networks outside the company’s premises in the absence of adequate security measures.

There are a few different capabilities that a company needs to be able to tackle this threat. First, being able to detect that wireless intrusion is happening. Second, being able to phyisically (i.e. goegraphically) locate exactly where the threat is coming from. Third, being able to do something about it. And finally, for the sake of compliance with government laws, being able to generate appropriate reports proving that you took all the appropriate steps to keep your company’s data secure from hackers. This last one is required whether you are worried about hackers or not, and is a huge pain.

AirTight provides all these facilities and then goes one step further, which makes it unique. At $20000 a pop, most small companies would balk at the price of all the infrastructure required for achieving all this. So AirTight provides WiFi security as an online service - you simply install a few sensors in your company. Everything else is on AirTight’s servers. So you just have to pay a small monthly fee, as low as $60 per month. And you get full security from wi-fi hacking, and you keep the government happy with nice compliance reports.

For a more details of AirTight’s products, see the PuneTech wiki profile of AirTight.

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