November 9, 2009 @ 11:28 pm
Last week, Phosphor sent over one of their brand-new E-Ink Digital Watches (one with a stainless steel band) for me to check out and play around with. The watch I have is one of three variations of their E-Ink Digital Watches that range in price from $175 and up.
Before you even get to see the watch, you are presented with a rather large and sturdy hard box that protects the watch during shipping and also stores it away safely when you aren’t wearing it around your wrist. The box is rather simple inside and out and goes very well with the watch stored within it.
When you pick up the stainless steel version of the E-Ink Digital Watch, the first thing you’ll notice (if you don’t get distracted by the screen first) is its weight. It’s quite heavy and it feels very good in your hand and I feel as if it weighs your arm down just the right amount to not feel too cheap. The other thing you’ll notice right away is the very, very clear screen. So clear in fact that at first glance, you think that the company might have sent you one of those mock units that they put on store shelves. But don’t worry, the screen is so clear because the watch makes use of the same e-ink technology seen on e-ink readers like the Amazon Kindle or the Barnes & Noble Nook. If you’ve ever seen one of those devices, then you’ll know just how great it is to read text both big and small on the screen. You don’t have to worry about pixels or dots getting in the way.
The great thing about e-ink technology is its ability to change almost instantly. The Phosphor E-Ink Digital Watch has a dedicated button to switch from black-on-white display to white-on-black display as you’ll see in the photos. The other button on the left side of the watch cycles through current time (2 modes), date, and alarm functionality.
Another benefit of e-ink technology is its size — the E-Ink Digital Watch is thin for its class and will easily slip in and out of shirt sleeves without having to force you to take off the watch. And should you need to take off the watch, the quick-release latch (standard on many stainless steel band watches) will allow you to do so effortlessly.
All of this in a great looking watch that completes itself with a 50m water resistance and ultra-sleek look that will definitely be something to show off to others.
The only thing this watch seems to be lacking is some sort of backlit display which I think is the only real handicap that this watch has against others similar to it. But don’t let that hold you back from this neat watch that seems to be at the forefront of using e-ink display technology to get the time across.
Check out the photos below and then pick up the Phosphor E-INK Stainless Steel digital watch
at Amazon.com for $195 (or pick the one with a leather band
or the one with a Polyurethane band
— both of which are cheaper than their stainless steel counterpart).
October 25, 2009 @ 6:35 pm
So for the past few days I’ve been doing quite a bit of research on a new digital SLR body. Since I already own Canon lenses — most of which have no resale value — the smartest thing for me to do was focus primarily on Canon camera bodies (just to put it out there: if I could get good money on the lenses I own now, I’d probably make a major switch to Nikon).
Anyway, my current digital SLR is way out of date and I decided recently that it’s about time I get some new gear in my hands. Camera technology and picture quality has changed dramatically over the last 5 years since I last purchased an SLR which means that the gap between high-end professional SLRs and pro-sumer SLRs are becoming narrower.
For example, below is a comparison chart between the Canon EOS 7D and the Canon EOS 5D Mark II (green boxes indicate superior specs).
Click image above to enlarge
While the 5D Mark II is the higher-end camera, it seems like the 7D is the camera that actually gets all the goodies I’d actually make use of. Sure, the 5D’s full-frame sensor is a huge deal, but at this point, I feel like I’m willing to compromise in exchange for a generally more sophisticated feature-set in the Canon 7D. Specifically, here are the things I’m sold on in terms of the Canon 7D being a “better” choice: 8fps shooting, dual Digic 4 processors, better auto-focus system, built-in Speedlite transmitter, on-camera flash, and 100% viewfinder coverage just to name a few — all of these features are missing from the higher-end 5D Mark II for some reason (but I have no doubts that they’ll make an appearance on the 5D Mark III).
Click image above to enlarge
I guess the question for me is whether or not I’m willing to pay an extra $1000 for a full-frame camera with less features. At that price, I’m leaning towards a no.
October 22, 2009 @ 6:01 pm
I’m not sure that I’ll explain this correctly, but I’ll try. Basically, LAIKA is a web-based font project that aims to make type a changing and fluid part of the digital realm. The font interacts with several inputs given by the mouse based on the pointer’s location on a digital plane. And from those coordinates, the font changes dynamically in width, slant, and serif/san-serif (excuse me if I’m using the wrong words to describe a typeface’s attributes — I’m not a type specialist). [via]
Anyway, you’ll get a better idea of what this all means if you play around with the online demo and then read up on the project’s details. Pretty darn cool if you ask me!
October 19, 2009 @ 11:01 pm
Vincent Laforet, the photographer and videographer who helped launch the Canon 5D Mark II with HD video, looks like he’s back at it again. On his website, he hints at a possible new product launch at 12 midnight. There’s no doubt in my mind that he will help introduce the Canon 1D Mark IV, the latest top-of-the-line Canon digital SLR. Stay tuned at midnight…
October 14, 2009 @ 12:35 am
Leaks have been happening all week, and finally it looks like Nikon has officially announced the new Nikon D3S. The new D3S touts an incredible ISO range, from ISO 200 to ISO 12,800 with an added ISO equivalent setting that bumps bumps the ISO to a possible 102,400 (WHAT!).
The Nikon D3S features Nikon’s 12.1MP FX-format CMOS sensor which also allows low-light shooting in the camera’s HD video mode (unfortunately, only at 720p, which is sort of a downer). But HD is secondary to my interests at the moment, as the actual real-world results of this camera’s ISO testing are simply phenomenal. Check out Marcus Bell’s blog for some comparisons and image samples.
Thanks for the link, Bommy!
UPDATE: Oh, I was so excited that I forgot the most important details: release date and price! The Nikon D3S will go for $5200 starting late November 2009.
UPDATE 2: The Nikon Press site finally has hi-res images available for viewing.
October 12, 2009 @ 9:32 pm
I’ve been reading a few things about maximizing productivity while using a computer and one of the more simple and useful tricks I’ve learned is to use the desktop as a daily temporary dump space. This means that at the end of the day (or session), I try my hardest to get rid of everything on my desktop except for my Time Machine, My HDD, and an extra folder I’ve designated to sit on my desktop called “TO MOVE”.
This forces me to actually make good use of the folders already in place on my computer that are there to help me keep my digital files organized. It seems trivial, but believe it or not, this single tip is by far the most important workflow tool I’ve gained in the past couple of years. Plus, it’s nice to close my windows at the end of the day and not be bombarded by an overflow of unorganized icons.
Click the image above to see my current desktop at real-size.
