2006-12 HUB/The Computer Paper

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PRESENTING THE EVOLT SERIES DIGITAL SLRs FROMOLYMPUS. It's amazing what can happen when you make a digital SLR easy to use. Like using the E»5oo’s SuperSonic Wave Filter to instantly clear the dust from its sensors for brilliant, spot-free photography. Go ahead and discover , a side of digital you never believed existed. www.getolympus.com Recipient of the 2006 JD. Power and Associates Award for "Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Digital Cameras in the US‐ $600 or M o r e "

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Editorial 'Trs the season look around my workstation, it's not hard for me to make up my tech wish list. My dual-Athlon hot rod is now several years old, so a big ticket item would be a new CoreZDuo or AMZ powered computer. And why don't we throw in a 21-inch widescreen to replace that 1?-inch LCD clunker. Those new 10-megapixel digital SLRs also look mighty attractive. But then what good is a high-res camera without a new wide-carnage photo inkjet? I don't really need a new camera, printer or computer. but what did need ever have to do with it.

I'm sure everyone out there has their own personal must‑ have list. For we techies, even relatively inexpensive things are welcome and appreciated ‐ software, games, ink cartridges. photo inkjet paper, CDblanks and memory keys for data storage and soft pens to label them without damagingthe foil. It's a life of riches big and small.

In stark contrast, I recently attended a meeting of a IifelongJearning association. Its member organizations are primarily non-profits and other organizations that work in what used to be broadly called social welfare: food banks, soup kitchens, substance abuse clinics, spousal abuse support groups, homeless shelters, immigrant support groups, etc. One attendee ran a computer drop-in centre. He said a broad spectrum of people used the centre. He'd often have small business operators that didn't have a clue about computers sitting next to street people ‐ and the exchange (of information and tech tips went both ways. ' ' One ofthe programs the centre runs is a “build your own computer" computercamp for students from families that As I

might not be able to afford a computer at home.

Attendees pay a nominal fee and spend a webkend

putting together a computer from scratch. The icing on the cake is that they get to keep the computer. These aren't full of the latest components, but they‘re usable, and the centre is always looking fordonations of used but not too ancient computers from individuals.

The centre is also part of the Computers for Schools program s e t up by the federal government in 1993.

Computer for Schools takes donations of old computers from government and industry, refurbishes them and distributes them at no charge to schools. libraries and non-profit learning organizations.

The tech industry ‐ and I include tech writers in this camp -‐ has a decidedly lopsided view of the world. The continuous focus is on the latest, greatest. newest and fastest. That's not a bad thing, but what we need to remind ourselves once in a while is that even old technology is useful. Somewhere around the Pentium Ill/P4 and Windows 2000/XP transition point, the pace of obsolescence slowed somewhat. There continue t r ) be advances, but a five year old P4 running WindowsXP isn‘t hampered by age nearly as much as a 488 running Win95 would have been when that P4 hit the scene.

In this season ofgiving and receiving, by all means make your wish list long and robust ‐ and may Santa deliver it all. But don't just stick that early P4 into a closet when the new one arrives. There‘s still useful life in that silicon box

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David Tanaka “Miami/AQE'M l com

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Big prints from your snaps Viewing digital images is so easy. You can use just about any device with a screen. be it computer, TV set. portable multimedia player or cell phone.

1 Sometimes though, there's nothing like a big ol' prim to smack you in the I eye. I'm not talking about your measly 8x10 glossy, l mean big‐ asin poster size or even wall mural size.

Commercial photofinishers often provide this service. You’ll “need an ‘ original digital file with decent resolution. While it's possible to make a 3 x 4 foot wall poster from an image taken with a camera phone, the results will probably be disappointing. if you have a 1200 x1024 pixel image from a camera phone and blow it up to a metre wide, those 1200 pixels that define the width become individually quite big ‐ almost 1mm across ‐ and very visible. lf you want the pixels to remain invisible to the naked eye, you need to keep them small, which means you need more than 1200 pixels to fill up that metre of width.

This is where interpolation comes in. interpolation or “res-up' software uses an algorithm to make intelligent guesses about what colour and tonal values those made~up pixels should have. This can take a 1.2-megapixel image up to two or four or eight megapixele ‐ or more, What's the catch?

Even though your image now has more pixels, what the interpolation software can't do is create additional detail that wasn‘t there to begin with.

Those crime investigator TVshows where the lab guys take a few pixels from the photo of a fleeing car three blocks away and magically reveal a license number in ultra high-resolution is pure fiction.

Nevertheless, blow-ups done through interpolation work because you normally don't look at a poster from a few inches, and at a normal viewing distance of a couple of metres. the result can be pleasing. interpolation

publisher wanted to use it as a double-page spread 1? inches across, and so needed the image to be around 23 megapixels.

Coincidentally l was working with a program called PhotoZoom Pro 2.0, from a developer named BenVista [www.benvista.com]. It uses an interpolation technology called S-Spline XL. I ran the image through PhotoZoom and the results were impressive. Of course, clouds from space tend to look soft anyways, so there's not a lot of crisp detail to degrade.

However the NOAA had superimposed text labels and information panels over the photo, and even these remained readable after the 17x enlargement. Often in interpolation. geometric forms like letters become misshapen in odd ways, but with PhotoZoom, although they got fuzzier, they kept their recognizable shape.

subjects than others. There are several different interpolation algorithms, each offering advantages for certain types ofcontent. Genuine Fractals, one l of the early “res-up" programs, uses fractal math, and claims that because fractals appear within natural structures, its fractal~based interpolation works well for enlarging scenes containing natural elements ‐ a landscape scene, for example.

I was recently asked by a publisher to work on an image of Hurricane Rita from space, which it wanted to publish in a book. The original "hi-res' image obtained from the USNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was i just 1.3 megapixels, good for a 3x4 inch image in a book. However the

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| Acamcorders buyer guide in plain English With the holidays rapidly approaching. it's a perfect time to invest in a camcorder to capture those get-togethers with family and friends.

Adigital camera can do the trick to immortalize precious moments, but why settle for a still image when you can shoot video and record audio, whether it's young children ripping open presents. a toast at the dinnertable given by grandma and grandpa or a baby's first steps followed by a roar of applause. it's even worth capturing those incriminating scenes, such asa lampshade‑ wearing uncle who enjoyed the eggnog a little too much [there's one in every family. no?].

Today‘s camcorders - which have gone digital, just like your camera ‐ are ultra-compact and can record in stunning video clarity. And thanks to computers. it's a cinch to edit your movie. burn a DVD or post the digital video [DV] footage to a Web site.

If you’re in the market for anew camcorder. the following are afew features to “shoot“ for:

Recording media One of your first decisions will be how you want the footage to be saved in the camera.

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Currently, the most popular digital format is still a digital tape, namely, MiniDV. Resembling tiny cassettes. these tapes can store roughly 60 to 90 minutes of video [or 120 minutes on long play] and can be found easily when traveling at hotel gift shops and convenience stores. They're also relatively inexpensive to buy. You may also see camcorders that shoot on HOV, which stands for high-definition video, referring to the ability to record widescreen high-definition video [1280 x P20 pixels] onto a MiniDV tape [more on high-def in a moment].

The second most popular format is recordable mini DVDs. Some users enjoy the ability to pop the disc out of the camcorder and into a DVD player to watch the footage right away [or into a PCto begin editingli But the downsides to this technology is that they‘re still relatively expensive, they‘re harder to find when traveling and they typically don‘t store as much information as MiniDV tapes.

Newer camcorders may have a built-in miniature hard-drive to store up to 36 hours ofvideo [on a 30GB drive]. Because the hard drive isn't removable, you must connect it to a PCto copy over the video before editing.

Another trend is camcorders that shoot to postage stamp-sized Flash memory cards, but this recording format isn't too popular yet.

Keep in mind the recording format won't make too much of a difference in the quality of the video and audio ‐ it‘s more ofa personal preference.

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lir:.i'~'.t|tinn .||nl :t:.|l-'t t talln DVcamcorders record footage through a "CCD" [Charged Couple Device], which is made up of a number of little dots known as "pixels" ‐ not unlike your digital still camera. The rule ofthumb is the higherthe number of pixels. the better the video image will be.

One decision you need to make is whether you want to shoot video for a high-definition television [HDTV], which means more pixels make up the image, or astandard-definition television [SDTV]4 A related choice is whether gou want to record in a boxg 4:3 aspect ratio (for older TVs) or in 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio.

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A SDcamcorder usually records at a resolution of P20 x 480 pixels. which looks about as good as a DVD on a standard television. AHDcamcorder may shoot at 1280 x 720 or 1920 x 1080 pixels. filling up an entire widescreen with beautifully detailed images.

Rule of thumb: if you own an HDTV or plan to buy one in the near future, go with a high-definition camcorder, which usually starts at about 5799.

Be aware. though, if you want HDfootage on a standard TVyou will see bars at the top and bottom of the picture. 0n the flipside, watching SDfootage on widescreen television may look odd as it may stretch to fit the image on the screen.

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Most camcorders will have auto-focus [important for novices] and both optical and digital zoom. Remember, optical zoom is the ‘true' zoom as the lens will physically get closer to the object. while digital zoom merely attempts to simulate a zoom by adding more pixels to the image. The higher the optical zoom. the better. Usually, camcorders offer between 10x and 32x optical zoom, which is more than enough for most users. Another important feature to look foris "image stabilization' to prevent the image looking shaky when you're zooming in on a subject from a far.

Other points to consider

Many consumer camcorders employ one CCD sensor to capture the three colour channels (red, blue and green], while others offer a 3-CCD system, or three separate charge-coupled devices, each one taking a separate

measurement of red, green, and blue information. While there are other factors to consider [quality and size of the sensor, for example], a 3-CCD camcorder should yield a better picture than a 1-CCO camcorder. lf taking still photos with your camcorder is important to you, be sure to look for at least a 3-megapixel still camera feature [S-megapixels or more is better), plus, make sure the camcorder has a built-in flash. Most camcorders write the still photos to a memory card, which you can then pop up and insert into a port on your PC. printer or external memory card reader, PCediting software should ship with all digital camcorders ‐ or you could always use the free Windows Movie Maker program built-in Windows XP‑ but how that video footage gets onto a PCwill vary from camera to camera.

Some use ‘FireWire' cables [a.k.a. IEEE 1394], while others use 058.

Transfer cables will often come bundled with the camcorder. Try to look for a fast connection type [FireWire or USB 2.0 is preferred) so it'll transfer the footage onto the computer quicker - roughly 40 times quicker than regular USB 1.1. (Practically speaking. USB 1.1 is really too slow for video transfer.]

Your PCwill need the appropriate USB or FireWire ports ‐ Newer PCs use 058 2.0 ports, and a few PCmakers include Firewire on specific models.

With Macs you get iMovie as part ofthe included iLlfe software bundle, and Macs also come with both USB 2.0 and Firewire ports.

Audio will be handled via an integrated microphone, which should do the trick for most [some even record in 5.1 surround sound!), but more advanced users might consider a camcorder with the option to add an external microphone.

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That’s a lotta camera for a thousand bucks if you are a photo enthusiast about to make the plunge into digital, or are I thinking of upgrading your point-and-shooter, $1,000 [give or take a few hundred] will put some serious technology into your hands. This is the price zone that attracts pros and advanced amateurs alike. A thousand bucks is noinsignificant chunk of money, but a couple ofyears ago, cameras in this category cost double that and had lesser feature sets. And a couple of years before that, one large might have got you a premium point-and-shoot.

Technology has definitely moved the mid-range digital SLR up a notch.

Most now have sensors of around 10 megapixels. Photographers will find high lSO shooting a more practical choice because camera makers have made good progress in taming the digital noise that plagued high-ISO settings in the past. This means images taken in low-light situations will be cleaner, resulting in fewer of those random, miscoloured pixels polluting yourimages.

An inherent problem with SLRs is that when you change a lens, you are opening the body cavity to all sorts of foreign matter like dust. With film cameras, because each frame uses a fresh part of the film roll, a speck of dust might affect just one frame. Since the sensor on a digital SLR is permanently fixed, a single dust spot will affect every photo you snap until you physically remove the dust by cleaning the sensor - a somewhat delicate procedure.

Olympus pioneered a solution to the sensor dust problem with a high‑ frequency vibration solution called the Supersonic Wave filter. Now other camera makers including Canon, Pentax and Sony have implemented sensor dust mitigation solutions of their own. This is a welcome advancement for anyone that freaks out at the thought of poking around inside the camera [and the concern is well placed because you can do some serious damage in there if you are not careful].

Another truly useful feature that is becoming more common in this class of camera is mechanical image stabilization. This is accomplished either by a floating sensor assembly within the cameraporfloatinglens elements within a lens. Some manufacturers have implemented both. image stabilization smooths out minor vibrations and tremors that would normally cause blurriness in a photo. It means overall better hand-held shots. Pentax and Sony have both implemented sensor-shifting image stabilization, others manufacturers like Canon and Nikon have ISlenses, and notably, Canon has had relatively affordable ISlenses for a few years.

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Some point and shoot cameras implement what's often called “digital image stabilization" This is a technique that boosts lSU so that the correct exposure can be made at a higher shutter speed ‐ which reduces the amount of blurring caused by camera movement. When really clean high-ISO becomes a reality, this solution will be" one of the unique contributions of digital to photography, but for now, mileage will vary.

Standardized RGB, or sRGB is a universal colour space, recognized by most devices like monitors, commercial print labs, TVsets, etc. With photo inkjet printers now very affordable, you can make stunning prints in your home.

The range of colours that wide-gamut photo inkjet printers can produce surpasses what gets defined in sRGB, so camera‘s that capture wide-gamut colour have benefits that aren't merely theoretical ‐ they are something you can observe with your own eyes in a high-end inkjet print. A popular wide‑

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And speaking of Raw, this digital tower of Babel just keeps getting taller, with every manufacturer pushing new versions of their own proprietary formats. A big star goes to Pentax for at least paying lip service to standardization by optionally supporting Adobe DNG [digital negative]. a royalty~free raw format that Adobe offered to the industry as a kind of universal raw file format.

Brand loyalists will be happy to find competitive digital models from their favourite camera makers. Even fans of Konica-Minolta, which exited the digital camera business last year, will find a home for their Minolta Armount lenses. Sony took over the SLR development that K~M had begun, and so the A100 Alpha uses A-mount lenses. Samsung formed an alliance with Pentax, so Samsung's SLRs use Pentax lenses. Olympus.

Panasonic and Leica are working together so each company's cameras have some common technologies. including the Four-Thirds architecture and lens mount system. The Leica Digilux 3, Panasonic DMC-Ll and Olympus 5330 share a close family resemblance, although Leica and Panasonic have priced their models quite a bit upmarket [both include a very fine Leica zoom lens].

Here's what a grand will get you from the various manufacturers:

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looks more like serious gear in contrast to the plasticky aesthetics of earlier models. And it has a fine s e t of performance specs too, including Canon's DIGIC lI image processor [same asonthe 300 and 50]. Like other Canon SLRs, it uses a CMOS sensor [most other camera makers use ECUS). It now keeps the sensor clean with ultrasonic vibration but also uses software speck removal. And for big colour, it supports the AdobeRGB colour space.

Nikon 000 Body only: 51169 Image size. 10.2 megapixel 3822 x 2592 Weight. 21 oz. [585 g] When I picked up the 080, what first struck me is how small it is compared to the 070 or 0200. Fans of Nikon's compact FM film SLR family of yore may be able to relive that experience digitally with the 080. Some reviewers have compared the 080 favourably to the 0200 ‑ compromises include slower image processing and a less rugged body,

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Pentax K100 Body only: $1100 image size: 10.2 megapixels 38?2 x 2592 Weight: 25 oz. [710 g] Long anticipated by Pentax fans. the K100 has built in dust removal by what the company describes as a "fluorine coating on low pass filter." It pairs this with a sensor vibration system. That ability to shift the sensor rapidly also figures in the camera‘s built-in mechanical image stabilization system. it also uses SDcards and supports Adobe DNG raw format or Pentax raw format. The K100 has also been somewhat ruggedized with weatherproof/dustproof seals.

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Olympus E330 and E500 Body only: $699 [5500]; $899 [E330] Image size: 5 megapixel 3548 x 2?38 (£500) or 25 megapixel (E3301 Weight: E-500: 15.3 oz. (435 gl; £330: 19 oz. [540 g] At 7.5 and eight megapixels, Olympus's pair might seem a little underpowered by others in this class, but the difference between eight and 10 megapixels is a relatively small step, plus these cameras are priced lower than the others“in this roundup, closer to what competitors sell the six-megapixel entry level models for.

Until recently Olympus was the lone camera maker supporting the Four‑ Thirds dSLR architecture. a ground-up SLR design specifically for digital sensors. Now Panasonic and Leica are wearing the Four-Thirds badge on their SLRs too. Olympus pioneered features like the Supersonic Wave Filter to keep dust ofthe sensor

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Beginning GIMP. From Novice to Professional, by Akkann Peck, Apress, the premier noise reduction programs on the market. Available for Windows, Mac, and Linux, it's a must for anyone who needs to tame noise or film grain in their digital images. Although there are noise reduction plug-ins for the GIMP that are free. none has the finesse and fine tuning available in Noise It's a powerful package, rivalling some ofthe earlierversions of Photoshop. Ninja. Pricing ranges from USS34.95 for the home version to 0599.95 for The problem with the GIMP is that it's big and complex. Getting the most out the Pro Bundle. A nice bonus is that a single license works on both sides if of it takes study and Beginning GIMP is a fast track to getting proficient. you have a dual-boot machine.

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Software Software? Isn't all Linux software free? True. most of'it is, but there's also some very:fine commercial software availablein Linux versions. Here are two products I can highly recommend for digital photographers: VueScan, scanning software available from Ed Hamrick

installed Linux" or Bawls Mints. high caffeine candy. This is the place for geeky T-shirts, hats, pens, calendars and gadgets. Everyone should carry around a digital WiFr detector/analyzer, don't you think? Happy holidays.

Friends of the Penguin!

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Gene Wilbum is awriter/photographer living In Port Credit. Ontario. Hecan be reached at genethiIburnca

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controls are comfortably placed right where a thumb can easily reach. The Xacti easily slips in and out of a shirt pocket ‐ or in and out of its small docking unit used for hooking upto aPCor TV, Forsomethingso small, the gadget is packed with features, not the least of which is the ability to record high'definition video (specifically, it records 720 progressive horizontal lines. a recognized H0 specification ‐ less than 1080, but much better than standard 480~or~|ess line video].

AAc [48kHz, 15bit. 2 m ]

3680 x 2750 [10 megapixel interpolated], 2592 x1944(5 mpxl] High Definition 1280 x 720 [30fps, 9Mbps

or BMbps]; Standard Definition: 540 x 480 [EUfps/EMbps or 3Mbps]; Web (320 x 240 15fps] Lens 10x optical zoom Dimensions: 3.1 x 1.4 x 4.7 inches Weight: approx. 8.3 oz [including battery and a standard 50 card)

High-definition digital camcorders are moving quickly from the

professionalto the high~end prosumer, and now the mainstream consumer marketplace. .

The tag 'lifestyle product‘ describes new devices for folks who want the best video quality and the m o s t operational features

available all in as simple, lightweight and inexpensive a package aspossible.

One of the reasons new camcorders fit this category is that they've traded the videotape for a memory device, saving a lot of expanse and expense.

HD-on-SD emerges Panasonic will launch ahigh-definition camcorder this yearthat uses an SDmemory card for storage, and an HD-on-SD prototype has been shown overseas. Meanwhile, Sanyo has already delivered, and l was grateful to get the company's Xacti VPC‑ H01a camcorderinto my hands. _ It's an incredibly compact and lightweight camcorder. its body shape is a fairly natural handgrip by itself, and many of its

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ln addition,the Xacti is a SMB digital still camera. audio recorder, and multimedia playback device.

So, from the lifestyle point ofview. the HOia has it all: ease ofuse (it fires upquickly, and can beused with the touch of a single button]; bells ‘and whistles galore [there‘s a 240+ page manual to explain it all]; and an unmistakable visual coolness factor.

The Xacti records to SD memory card as opposed to tape, dist; or hard drive. That fact alone causes some people to cringe in fear. For several reasons. early non‑ tape-based camcorders just did not have the clarity, crispness or resolution that users expected. AsSDcard capacities increase and as digital video compression algorithms improve, that's less of an issue. Ona 268 SD card, you can capture 42 minutes of the highest definition video [more than a thousand SMB digital stills] with the Xacti; there are new 8 MBcard sizes available. too. so recording time will not bean issue.

accessed via an on-screen menu system, but the navigation devrce itself needs some work. A tiny little joystick protrudes slightly from the control area on the back; its delicate feel is unnerving, and it has an annoying tendency to slip or jump across menus when pushed (it functions as the “Enter“ button, as well).

recording. have separate buttons, hidden underthe flip out LEO so they cannot easily beaccidentally bumped.

One thing that's not so nice is a built-in 'talklng" navigation guide that designed to help first-time users [and seemingly to bother anyone who uses it more than once].

The HDlA offers several recording modes. suitable for HDTV, DVD or Web-based video. At the top top-end, there's the 18 x 9 widescreen HO-SHO format [1,280 x 720, 30 frames per second. 9 Mbps bit rate). Several selectable steps down from there is the quarter-screen size [320 x 240. 15 fps. less than 1 Mbps] for Web streaming and delivery. The latter setting is also an iPod-compatible one ‐ and the HOla has added a direct-to-iPod transfer feature.

Settings like video quality are accessed via t h e joystick and menu, which gets divided into two main screens: ShootingSettings and Options.

The Shooting screen is itself split into two pages: Basic Settings and Advanced Settings. , Basic Settings is where you an select video and still image quality. pre-set Scene modes and Manual exposure settings, including an aperture priority, shutter speed priority, and full manual mode.

Advanced Settings covers image stabilization, focus controls, exposure settings, and auto functions. Here and elsewhere, the joystick an take on extra functlons:' it actually was handy to be able to toggle through the focus range and control depth of field with the joystick and the manual focus settings.

What was a little confusing was the relationship between certain image settings and camera functions.

With the image stabilization on, for example, the framing and composition of a picture is not exactly what appears on the LCD. Likewise. some filters and image corrections features are not previewed. ‘ Fully automatic shooting is good and the camera reacts well; one short-coming might be the sluggish auto-focus ‐ if Sanyo could fit a little focus assist lamp somewhere. that would be better. Other features includes multiple flash settings, noise reduction. self‑ timer, digital zoom and macro settings, as ‘well as several selections for still image printing. or movie sequence exporting.

But what about image wality?

Many camcorders are built to deliver strong. saturated colours that consumers seem to prefer, and on occasion, Sanyo is cited as one company that goes too far in this respect. The Xacti‘s rich, deep colours may appeal to some (I have some great shots from avibrant flower garden]. while others may see the' richness asa trade-off with low-light sensitivity [without any extra lighting, shots taken in my home/officewere a little dull and slightly grainy].

Aswith many digital camcorders. the more light that's available, the better‐ especially indoors. and especially with the higher-resolution video settings. Ona brilliant, sunny day, the camera's imagery is dynamic, detailed and definitely very good.

For example, with standard video, shots of a city skyline an buzz with aliasing, herringbone and jaggy‑ type artifacts, as the camera struggles to resolve the complex detail and sharp edges of multiple buildings.

The Xactis HOsetting captured it all in a remarkably clear detailed widescreen shot, without visible artifacts.

The mmera does have a“steadi-shot' mode, thanks to its built-in digital image stabilization settings, but when pushed, it can look like a weird strobe setting. Again, more demanding users will prefer a tripod or external camera support of some kind, as opposed to the occasional artifact that the stabilizer adds to shaky video scenes. [By the way, the docking unit makes a handy little flat-surface tripod, uhh, unipod.) .

One of the camera's highly-touted features is the ability to capture a digital still photograph while recordingvideo. But I found that when the mmera takes the digital photo, there's a slight pause in the video as the still image data is dumped to the memory card.

Working and Editing with SDVideo Asmentioned, one of the touted advantages of storing Controls and menus video on memory devices like SDcards is that the clips Most of the camera's functions and settings are aie immediately available to a PC-based editor or video

manipulation program. Unlike video on tape, there is no need for importing or digitization or encoding the source material.

That‘s the ideal. of course, but as always, there are some surprises in the reality.

The Xacti records its video in MPEG~4. a scalable compression format that‘s based on Apple Duick'lime. Aswith other compression schemes, there are different flavours within the specification. MPEG-4, Pan 10 is also known as H.284, and can be found in Blu-ray and HU-DVD [for disc-based playback of high resolution material}, DVB [for satellite transmission]. 3GPP [for mobile applications] and other digital media technologies.

As a scalable compression scheme. it handles low data rate streams [50 Kbps for mobile video streaming] right full high definition video, in streams ofseven or eight Mbps.

Sofinding an editing software package (and PC] that‘s immediately and consistently compatible with such encoded video can bea challenge.

[The HDla does support in~camera editing and sequencing of saved video clips, through a basic process of extracting unwanted video or joining favourite clips together. An Edit Wdeo screen, in the playback menu, offers simple Cut. Join. and Edit commands, which are applied to paused vrdeo in camera.)

When first importing clips into iMovie, i found the .mp4 clips were being turned into .dv files, which are much bigger. The same clips imported into Final Cut Pro wanted to be rendered with both audio and video before finalizing the edit.

But inside iMovre is a project setting menu, with commands to import files to the Apple Intermediate Codec [Alt] and a 1280 x 720p setting, which works better ‐ FCP can be told to recognize MC, and edit in real-time with it.

New plug-ins forthe HDla will allow capture and edit in native formats, and to authorand burn either HDDVD or standard definition DVDs. UIead, for example, is including such a plug~in with DVD MovieFactory 5, its latest consumer DVD authoring and burning package.

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in Conclusion The Sanyo Xacti VPC-HDla represents one of the first digital camcorders to bring true high definition to the "lifestyle“ or "consumer" camcorder marketplace. In the right situations, its imagery is remarkable for its clarity, colour and resolution. There are some enhancements that can be added to the inevitable next version, but at less than $1000, it‘s a strong example of where technology is heading, and what it can do along the way.

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TD 19

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HDCP is only supported by DVI and HDMI connections, so those are the only types that can guarantee full HDvideo capabilitg into the future. In fact, Windows Vista implements HDCP and without it. you mag lose some functionality. So, make sure gour video card and monitor both support HDCP or you may miss out ifgou plan to watch any HDcontent.

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TD 21

I from any source ‐ recorded or broadcast. PowerDVD for HD. which at this ‘ time is only available in a drive bundle, requires an Extreme Edition 1 Pentium at minimum, and even the lower end dual core Pentium 05 are t o o El slow. The good news is that new drivers are coming out from the major l

e the video card. Thisshould help make these specs a little more reasonable.

By the way, HD-DVD and Blu~ray can use more than one codec. Where DVD only uses MPEGZ. the H0 formats can use the more advanced H.264 and VC-l codecs as well. Make sure your software player supports all of these as well as your drive.

As for the drives themselves, they seem to be trickling out with Pioneer, Plextor and Sony Blu-ray recorders going for $950 and up and HD-DVD ROMs only available as part of a laptop or desktop system. However. one exciting development is the Xbox 360 has a very reasonably priced external HD-DVD drive connected via USB. Keep an eye out to see if any player software supports it on the PCin future. in summary, you need a drive that supports AACS, player software that supports AACS as well as the H.264, MPEGZ H0 and \’C-1 codecs and a display and video card that both support HDCP. lt doesn't really seem like anybody is completely ready for prime time.

The other option is to get anATSC t u n e r card forjust over a hundred bucks and watch Hockey Night in Canada in HDfor free overthe air. Of course, you need to live in an area where a network is transmitting in H0 but that seems to be actually happening. You still need to have HDCP devices due to the broadcast flag though, yet another content protection scheme.

By Andrew Carruthers

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M u s i c e v e r y w h e r e i n your- h o m e HUB locks at AR's wireless solution If you want music from a single source like a media centre PCor MP3 player [or a stereo system for you traditionalists] to play throughout your home. you can either start punching holes in the drywall to run the wiring, or think wireless. l had the opportunity to look at a wireless solution from Acoustic Research.

The key component is the Digital Wireless Transmisston Hub [$49.99], which plugs into your computer's headphone jack (or any audio-out source] and broadcasts the srgnal over the 2.4 GHz frequency band. lt's a dome-shaped‘device about one and a halftimes the diameter ofa CD. AR claims a working range of 45 metres [150 ft). What you need to pick up

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those signals are speakers with wireless receivers. and ARsells a few . different models as well as headphones as part of this wireless family.

One unit is an indoor/outdoor speaker [$179.99]. The weatherproof enclosure is cylindrical with a handle on top. It looks oddly like an insulated jug for drinks, but sounds good ‐ not audiophile quality, but ~ good enough to accompany an evening of patio chatter. The two-Wag design uses a five-inch woofer and two-inch tweeter, and the unit has its own amplifier. It comes with anACadapter but can be powered by eight C ’ cell batteries for a truly wireless experience.Aswitch allows you to set the speaker to pick up left, right or both channels. In battery mode, the on“ powers down when it hasn't detected a signal for a period. This means you can use a single speaker for both channels or a pair, with eaCh unit set to a different channel for stereo reception.

The flat panel model [$149.99] isn't anelectrostatic design as the name might imply. but uses traditional cones [two of them]. The "flat panel' description refers to the fact that speakers are housed in a relatively shallow enclosure. The enclosure front is nicely curved so you an moul'lt it ona wall and the low profile design is quite unobtrusive. Audio quality is good for background listening, movies etc. but audiophiles will find the quality somewhat lacking.

Like the indoor/outdoor model, the flat panel comes with an ACadapter but can be driven by Ccell batteries [10 are needed forthis unit] with auto power-down. It also has the left-right-both switch so you can use it singly or in pairs for stereo reception.

The headphones [$149.99] are somewhat bulky with full ear cups, but

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One of the potential uses that ARsuggests is as the rear speakers for a 5.1 powered by three AAA cells, and comes with a cable that connects the surround setup. Given the dangly wire shuffle you normally have to dance headset to the hub (or chargingthe included NiMH batteries. through to set up the rear speakers, this might well be the killer app for I live in a sungle level rancher, and with the wireless hub attached to my wireless speaker sets. notebook computer in the TV room, the speakers and headphone worked The overall experience has been quite pleasant. it reminds meof being'in pretty much everywhere, including outside on the patio and in the front a conference centre or hotel where the music is piped'in and speakers are and back yards. The only location where reception was a problem was in the everywhere, so wherever you walk the same music continuously office. This area was once an attached garage but converted to living space surrounds you. But rather than elevator music, it's stuff of your own by a previous owner I suspect the degradation was caused by the cinder choosing. That‘s sweet. block firewall that separates this room from the rest ofthe house.

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The coming year. 2007. will be a very interesting one for PCgaming.

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You need only follow a few simple guidelines when choosing a gaming-friendly LCD. Most importantly, look for a display with an Bms or less response time ‐ anything in that range is fast enough for even hardcore gamers. You‘ll also want to‑ check the native resolution. Unlike CRTs. LCDs have a fixed resolution [such as 1280x1024 or 1600x1200] that cannot be altered. Thusly, if you try to play a game that doesn't support the native resolution of your monitor, the image will be stretched slightly or banded at the top and bottom or at the sides. Fortunately, publishers have finally woken up to the growing popularity of LCDs and are now offering more resolutions ‐ including several widescreen flavours.

Smart gamers will also select a display that has a digital (DVI) input ‐ thus eliminating digital-to~analog conversion altogether. There are other factors too ‐ such as contrast ratio, brightness, and on-board USB ports ‐ though today only the bottom-of-the-barrel manufaCturers will fail in these areas.

Solid, gaming-ready non-widescreen [4:3] displays include the 2ms, 19-inch Viewsonic VX922 {$350}; the Ams, 19-inch Samsung QSOBF [S300]; and the Bms, 19-inch Dell UltraSharp 1907FP [$329 or less at deII.ca]. If widescreen gaming strikes your fancy ‐ and it should ‐ check out the Ems. 20.1‐inch Viewsonic VX2025WM [$350]; the 4ms, 19-inch Samsung 9418W [5250]; and the stunning Sms, 20.1‐inch LG L204WT [5350]. And if you‘re happy with a 1?-inch display, consider the 4ms NEC POGXZ, an under‑ promoted model that looks wonderful, No matter which display you choose, remember that statistics such as response times aren't all they‘re cracked up to be. Audition as many as you can.

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The video cant if your current video card is more than two years old, you're likely missing o u t on many of the effects and the high-end photorealistic detail of today‘s latest PCgames. But is this a good time to upgrade? Not ifyou believe in the promise of the next version of Microsoft's DirectX. DirectX is a standardized method through which software, peripherals, and ' hardware can communicate. The next version of DirectX, dubbed 030 10. will ship with Windows Vista in early 2002 031) 10 has been rebuilt from the ground up and promises a future filled with substantially better graphics.

The catch? You‘ll need a 0 3 0 10-capable video card ‘in order to take advantage of all the visual perks of 030 10-enabled games. And as ofthis

writing, no such card exists. Therefore, futuristic gamers may want to hold off a few months or more.

That said, it will undoubtedly be some time before all the Vista and D30 10 kinks are worked out and before games stop supporting the current DirectX version, DirectX 9. So, if you see yourself sticking with DirectX 9 for the foreseeable future, perhaps now, while the price of non-D30 10 cards is dropping, is the time to upgrade.

Video card shopping is no longer “the card with the most memory wins.‘ Today, you need to examine model numbers. Generally, cards with higher model numbers are more capable of supporting advanced effects, larger resolutions, and faster frame rates. Furthermore. modifiers such as “XT,” and "GTO' typically indicate even more power. An excellent online video card resource that compares card performance can be found at www. tomshardware.com. Click “Graphics 8: Displays‘, then click on ”VGA Charts."

One thing is almost certain ‐ industry giants NVIDIA and All continue to duke it out, and still there is no clear champ. Suffice to say that a sub-$200 card is entry-level, a 5200-5400 card will do most everything but the most advanced effects and the highest resolutions, and a MUD-plus card is world class.

At the very top ofthe price spectrum are SH and Crossfire setups. The latter hails from ATI and the former from NVIDIA, but both technologies are similar in that they involve not one but two video cards. The upside to a dual-card setup [and future four-card setups] is sheer power. However, that power doesn't really begin to show itself unless you play at 1600x1200 or higher resolutions. Moreover, you'll need a motherboard and video cards that support dual-card setups. The ideal solution for many may beto buy one SLI‑

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Controller features two thumb sticks. an eight-way directional pad, nine buttons on the top surface, and a total of four index finger triggers. This is a comfortable and intuitive gamepad with more than enough controls for

any application.

If you‘d prefer to go the cordless route. there may be no better choice than the Logitech Cordless Rumblepad 2 [S55]. Logitech has developed critically‑ acclaimed PCgamepads for many years. and that experience shows in this extremely capable unit that matches the three directional controls of the Xbox 360 Controller, features even more buttons, and transmits force feedback "rumble" effects in supporting games. But unlike the Microsoft pad. the Cordless Rumblepad 2 isjust that ‐ cordless - thus allowing you to sit 10 metres or so [30 feet] away from your display.

or Crossfire~capable card now and pick up a second at a later date.

One final thing - before you upgrade, check whether your motherboard has an AGP or PCI-E video slot. AGP is quickly on itsway out, so most serious gamers will want to go with PEI-E even if it involves changing their motherboard.

The Gamepad Arguably the slickest wired PCgamepad is Microsoft's Xbox 360 Controller for Windows [$45i Wrtually identical to its console sibling, the Xbox 360

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Gaming mice There's currently no shortage of precise, comfortable, gaming-designed mice for the first-person shooter fan. From Logitech comes the cordless G? and the corded GS, both of which deliver ultra-precise 2000-dpi laser engines, in-game sensitivity switching, and fast response times. But whereas the GSis corded. the G?is free of such constraints ‐ indeed it is the only high-end gaming mouse to make that claim. Unfortunately for left‑ handed gamers, both are designed strictly for the right hand.

A better bet for lefties is the Razer Copperhead. This sleek unit offers many ofthe same perks of the Logitech pair, with the added advantage of built-in memory for game profile storage and a symmetrical design that fits either hand. What's more, it features a series of super-snazzy LEDs snaking around its perimeter.

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desk space. Hardcore pilots With fat wallets will also love the Thrustmaster HDTAS Cougar [$250], a replica of the real life F-16 controller that feamreg and left-handed flavours, or the Microsoft Wireless Optical Mouse 5000 all-metal casing and enough programmability to satisfy the most fastidious {$53}. Neither is as tricked out as the gaming mice above, but each delivers jet jock. accurate tracking and wireless operation,

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o u t the Logitech MXGIO Cordless Laser Mouse (5501, available in both right‑

Drivmg gear lf you're a diehard driver, you'll like the Logitech MOMU Racing Force Feedback Wheel {5100}. It looks good, it feels great, and it's accurate. The unit features six programmable buttons, a sturdy desktop clamping system, and credible force feedback. Users can change gears with the integrated shifter. or. better still, with the nifty rear-mounted paddles.

Step up the price point considerably and you‘ll find mechanical marvels like the excellent Thomas Super Wheel driving system [available online at www.thomas-superwheel.com for $300 and up depending on configuration]. Notch it up even further and you can own Virtual Motorsports‘ VPP Pedalset ($665 at www,vmracignsystmes.coml, a stunning creation that could well have been pulled from an actual racecar.

You won't find any plastic here.

By Gord Goble

Joysticks There was a time when several high-grade PCjoysticks were released every year. But now, with specialized peripherals eating i n t o the joystick market, some of the finest all-purpose sticks are already a few years old.

One of the best continues to be the Saitek Cyborg Evo [550], a feature-laden device that adapts to lefties and righties as well as it does to those with large or small hands. The Logitech Freedom Cordless 2.4 Joystick [560] looks similar to the Cyborg but offers wireless operation. It is not, however, the ideal stick for left-handed gamers Our final 'standard' joystick of note hails from CHProducts. The CHFighterstick USB [570] has been around for years, and for good reason ‐ it delivers all the controls a good pilot needs and great build quality to boot.

The best of the current batch of flight control systems is arguably the Saitek X52 [$150], a sophisticated, multifaceted unit with a control-laden arcing throttle for the left hand, an equally busy joystick for the right, and full programmability. lt's a big device though, so get ready to open up some

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Developer: lntroversion Publisher: lntroversion lntroversion ‐ the videogame world‘s version of an experimental indie band ‐ has released yet anOther ground breaking title in DEFEDN; Everybody Dies. It's a simulation of a thermonuclear war (a la WarGames] that threatens civilization as we know it. The “winner" of the war is the nation that counts their civilian losses in the millions - as opposed to the hundreds of millions. Indeed, it's that rarest of things in the interactive entertainment world: a game with a conscience.

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell; Double Agent Developer: Ubisoft Publisher: Ubisoft Gamedom's most famous spy is nearly unrecognizable in his fourth adventure as he goes undercover and infiltrates a mysterious new terrorist organization. His familiar black duds are nowhere to be seen as he escapes from a maximum security prison, and players will be forced to make hard Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War ‐ Dark Crusade decisions (do you kill some poor shmoe to convince the terrorists you’re on Developer: Relic Publisher: THO their side or let him live and lose their trust?) that will have an impact on The name alone ‐ awkward though it may be ‐ will be enough to send how the game eventually plays out. chills down the spine of many sci-fi/fantasy strategy video game Players.

This expansion to the two-year old original is actually a standalone game [which means the person you give it to doesn't have to own the original in orderto play it]. and it's packed with fresh content, including new factions and afresh campaign.

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Much of your inspiration for holiday gifts will come from the papers and fabrics you can print on. When you're thinking of gifts, look at and beyond the world of plain white copy paper and photo paper. The most well known specialty paper is probably T-shirt_transfer paper, which can beprinted and then ironed onto T-shirts as well as a range of other fabric surfaces such as cushion covers, canvas bags, aprons, baby clothes and even bed linen.

However, this is just a taste of the specialty papers you can find; for example, look for puzzle paperthat you can print onto create instant jigsaw puzzles, and for printable fabrics ranging from organza to silk and cotton.

There are tattoo papers for creating instant tattoos and papers suitable for making bumper stickers. I love water slide decal paper such as Lazertran Use puzzle paper like this iron on felt puzzle pack to make personallzedjlgsaw puzzles for the kids.

Printed and placed in a simple store-bought frame. it will be admired and enjoyed by everyone.

If photos make great framed art. they also make neat photo frames too.“ Open a photo in your favourite photo-editing software and apply an artistic filter to it. Print it onto matte photo paper and then tear it into pieces to glue around a wide wooden photo frame. Use 30°d'quafi‘9 decoupage glue like Modge Podge forthis. You can then add other elements to it such as a swish of glitter glue or items like buttons or ribbon.

If you‘re handy with a sewing machine then you'll love printable fabrics.

Light fabrics like silk, organza and cotton come with a backing sheet to keep them rigid when they're being printed. When the ink is dry, peel off the backing sheet and you have a printed and hand washable fabric. I like to

Printafavouritephotoandaddlttoeplastlckey-ringblanklike thisoneshewnhere.

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Water Slide Deal paper for inkjet printers. This is a two-part paper that you print on and set aside for a few minutes to dry. You then drop it into water where the printed transparent film lifts off the background paper. You can adhere the image to glass, metal or any shiny, smooth object simply by placing it on it and allow it to dry.

Other interesting papers include printable shrink plastic. This paper is loads of fun - you print onto it and cut out your project then place it onatray in the oven. When heated, the paper shrinks to one third its original size and thickens up so you can use it to make rigid objects such as key-rings and jewellery. if you're a digital photographer, you have an immediate source of unique art for your projects in the photos you take. Turn a photo into a one-off piece of art by printing it on high quality photo paper or printable canvas and frame it. If you love working with photo-editing programs, why not take a favourite portrait or even a photo of someone's house or new car and turn it , into an Andy Warhol style series of multicoloured versions of the image?

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Tired of mousing around? You could memorize a slew of keyboard shortcuts or (gasp. shades of UNIX] go back to the command line. But with most

of today's computer interfaces being graphical, a pointing device

makes computing life much simpler. And there are alternatives to mus

computicus.

Trackballs The trackball has long been a popular alternative to the mouse. Early mouse designs used a rollerball to track movements and the trackball is a kind of an upside-down version ofthat. Rather than activating the roller ball by moving the mouse, the trackball housing remains stationary and you move the rollerball itself with your thumb or a finger. Like mice, most trackba!ls are now optical The ball is imprinted with a fine pattern so the optical sensors can easily capture even slight movements. Trackball advocates say they are easier to control, and aren’t as likely to cause repetitive strain injuries.

Microsoft and Logitech make trackballs that you can usually find in electronics or office supply stores. Other brands such as Kensington are harder to find but can be found in stores and on web sites that

specialize in? ergonomic accessories. I'm on my fifth or sixth trackball ‐ I love em.

Track pads lf you enjoy using that built-in touch-sensitive pad that replaces a mouse on your notebook, you can bring that experience to the desktop. Cirque is a pioneer in touch technology and builds products for cell phones, touch sensitive computer screens etc.

For mouse alternatives, the company has the Easy Eat, Smart Cat and Smart Cat Pro.These have a touch sensitive pad and you control the pointer by moving your finger around the pad. Buttons on the unit work the same as left and right mouse buttons, and dependingon the model, you can also have additional buttons that work the same as the ones on multi-button mice. As well, zones in the track pad area are dedicated to certain functions like scrolling or zooming.

Graphics Tablets Tablets are conceptually similar to track pads, except you need a stylu5 rather than your digit to move the pointer. As the name suggests, these producrs are somewhat specialized for graphics applications. If you like to draw in Illustrator or CorelDraw, or do touchup work in Photoshop, 3 graphics tablet is far more efficient, accurate and less fatiguing than a mouse. One of the other cool things you can do with a tablet is cursive writing - so you can actually sign a document in your own handwriting without having to first print out a hard copy.

There used to be many graphics tablet makers but the field has thinned so that in mosr computer and electronics stores you‘ll find just the Wacom brand. This is not a bad thing because these products are well priced and well manufactured. Graphire4 is the consumer line; lntuos is geared to professionals. Both also come with a mouse that works on the digitizing surface, and a suite of applications.

Wireless 30 _ One interesting product that came to my attention during this gift guide roundup is the Gyration Air Mouse from Thomson Inc. The mouse is unlike any l’ve seen, being closer to a game controller: You can hold it like a pistol grip, and thus held, yourtri'gger finger sits right against atrigger‐or mouse button in this case. Wave it around in your hand, twist yourwrist to and fro,

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and the pointer on your computer screen follows your antics. By default

top ofthe unit with gourthumb to invoke the usual mouse commands. This

surface like a regular mouse, but I found the shape a bit narrow.

The unit also comes with a compact keyboard [the keys are full size, but there's no separate numeric pad]. Both communicate with the computer using a 2.4GHz radio frequency, and a USB transceiver handles the comm

sgstem works well because I found that otherwise with mg hand in the air,

duties.

when you hit the trigger button the pointer moves and when gou release it the pointer locks at that spot. You can then hit the mouse buttons on the

the pointer would drift off the target as I went to hit one of the mouse buttons with my thumb. The hand controller can also be used on a flat

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PCspeakers from Editiel

Some big names in audio have stepped in, joining tech companies like High fidelity from PC speakers? To audiophiles, that might be a Creative/Cambridge Soundworks and Logltech plus a whole slew of less contradiction in terms. but that hasn‘t stopped speaker makers from trying. familiar brands. The happy consequence for us digital denizens is all-round better sound - for our desktop computers and portables as well as digital content devices like iPods and multimedia players.

When a company called Edifier contacted HUB:DL to see if we were interested in reVlewing its speaker line, I wasn't expecting too much. I've gone through my share of mediocre no-name speakers, and who'd ever heard of Edifier? Well, I was pleasantly surprised. These compare favourably with the Acoustic Research, Logitech and Creative/Cambridge Soundworks systems I have set upat home.

The company has a broad product range with more than three dozen models for portable and stationary use. Some are recognizable as your typical PCspeakers while others are styled like traditional hi-fi bookshelf speakers The company has 2.1[left and right satellites plus a subwooter) and 5.1 surround sound [five satellites and a subwoofer] models plus a line of headphones.

Welistened to four samples. With the tone controls set flat,they sounded fairto good [dependingon the model), but went from OKto darn good with a bit of tonal contouring with an equalizer. In fact for music listening. I'd recommend using a player with a graphic equalizer such as WinAmp to get the most from these [and PCspeakers in general].

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52.10 MPBOO “ICC: 5199 99 ii-J.” " ‘ J S‘v'izulj Fuze “ o r the cornea-y s cn' n».- sic-141115379 93 The $2.10 reinforces the argument that size matters. The 65-inch driver This 2.1 portable product has style galore, and sounds pretty good too. The in the subwoofer enclosure gives very good sound. The woofer box itself is subwoofer is shaped like a tube with the port at one end. The satellites are as big a mini-tower case. The satellites are two-way designs housing a globes slightly smaller than tennis balls, and one of them holds the simple three-inch midrange and 0.?5~inch tweeter. This unit sounds very good, power/volume buttons. The satellites are quite directional so placement even with tone controls set flat. will affect your experience. The permanently attached cable lets you separate them by as much as a metre. With no tone controls, these benefit greatly from a player with a graphic equalizer. The frequency response is 75-20,000 Hz so don‘t expect bone shaking bass response. Nevertheless, they'll definitely enhance the aural experience from your. notebook or portable music player. A bonus is that they come in a zippered fabric The $2.10 includes a 96KHz 24-bit digital processor, Channel inputs are carrying case. standard RCA jacks, so you could use these with a stereo receiver. It also MPZDU accepts digital inputs through a coax RCAjack or an optical SPDIF pon.

F'IlCe {ham the company's online store]: USSZ? This all-in-one portable unit follows the rounded block design that has trllillll become quite common for MP3 player speakers. The two 15-inch cones l ‘ l i t r liit‘lll ti-L‘ w ' n g v r Ll“. L v i ' n z ; ~.Tp!1' L i x g s g g g There are currently four products in the ' e ' line. These are 2.1designs. The sound pretty mediocre without tonal contouring but respond well to a bit of 133100 uses a five-inch cone in the subwooferwhile the satellites contain a low-and high-end boost ‐ a definite improvement over my ThinkPad's built‑ three-inch midrange and DPS-inch tweeter. Frequency response is rated at in speakers. These require an external power source but come with an AC 48-20,000 Hz. Separate volume, bass and treble rotary knobs are located adapter as well as a cable that lets you tap into the USB port [the two other on the subwoofer enclosure, along with a power switch. These sounded models in this series can also berun onAAbatteries]. great for a variety of music although the subwoofer gets a bit boomy on

By David Tanaka some music ifthe bass control is cranked up

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S m a r t p h o n e s spectacular‑ L‘ell-ing the inevitable upgrade It 5 t i m e to finally ditch your aging cell phone for one of these sleek new sma'tphones.

“These digital Swiss Army Knives n o t only place and receive phone calls more also an efficient messaging solution, Web companion, MP3 player. dig:ta! camera. portable television. gaming console and personal digital ass:ss tant {FDA} 5 3 .e can even shoot and edit highres video will help you get from point 15.0: " m t h integrated GPS reception or download hugei files with blazingly - 5‘2 speeds thanks to HSDPA 36 technology .,._ 1cronym soup aside. here's a quick look ata few ofthe newest - and l

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A pearl or‘a phone The latest BlackBerry Pearl ($249.99 with three-year Rogers Wireless contract] is the first consumer-focused "push email" solution from Waterloo. 0nt.~based Research in Motion. 'Push' means messages are sent from the server to your handset in real-time instead of logging onto the Net to ‘pull' messages down to the phone. Not only is this Bluetooth-enabled phone smaller and thinner t h a ni t s businessbased brethren, but this Pearl aso offers an integrated MP3.1.3-megapixel digital camera and a teeny

white trackball to navigate through all of its features. Add as much memory as you need through Pearl's mini~SD storage slot. While not a QWERTY key [one letter per button]. the Pearl uses a condensed SureType keyboard [two letters per button] that works well after a bit of practice.

Thin isin Powered by Windows Mobile 5.0, the Motorola 0 [$249 on a three-year contract with Telus Mobility or Bell Mobility] is billed as the thinnest (11.5mm] handset in the world with a full QWERTY keyboard, which is perfect for writing emails or text messages. The Razr-inspired D, perhaps named after James Bond's gadget guru. also offers BlackBerry-like thumowheel navigation to quickly scroll through your inbox and reply to a message, plus it offers a 1.3-megapixel camera, high-resolution colour screen and a mini-SD memory card slot to store files, games or MPas. Web surfing. emails and handheld downloads will all benefit from the high‑

speed EV-DO high-speed network.

Power users, rejoice While not as svelte as the 0 or Pearl, the new BlackBerry 8703e [$499.95 with three-year contract) with Bell Mobility is designed for serious workaholics on the gothanks to its suite of wireless functions ‐ push email and text-messaging, high-speed Web access, CDMA phone and organizer‑ complete with full Microsoft Outlook synchronization for all your contacts, calendar entries and tasks. The big, bright and high-resolution LCD colour screen is easy to read indoors or outside, while the ergonomic and backlit QWERTY keyboard and trackwheel makes it a cinch to navigate through programs and then email, IM, surf or work on documents. Hands-free options include speakerphone or Bluetooth 2.0 support for wireless headsets.

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Delicious pick Talk about a sweet phone ‐ the LGChocolate [LG 8500] phone enjoys a dark, minimalist look with a touchpad that glows red when activated.

Available through Telus Mobility [$99.99 with a three~year contract], this sleek slider handset also offers an integrated MP3/WMA music player, 1.3-megapixel camera [with built-in flash. zoom and up to one hour of video recording] and 8luétooth 1.1 connectivity. You can also send text messages with user-generated sound, photos or videos. all stored on removable and upgradeable microSD memory cards. The LG Chocolate has sold more than a million units since its international launch outside Korea, and is the winner br two global design awards: the 2008 iF Design Award and Reddot Design Award.

By Marc Saltzman ~

World mate if you're in the market for apush-email solution, but decrde against a "CrackBerry," the Nokia E62 [$249.99 with a three-year Rogers Wireless agreement] offers real-time push email. delivered by Rogers MyMail. so you can get your personal or corporate email, whenever and wherever. Thanks to its bright 2.8'inch display [with 16 million colours], Web surfing or document viewing/editing is also ideal on this QWERTY-based handset Traveling around the world? No problem ‐ this quad-band phone can be used in more than 200 countries, while EDGE

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Mobile m e d i a m a d n e s s A look at 5 hot portable players it you want to see how far consumer tech has evolved over the past few years. look no furtherthan the portable MP3 player. i it wasn't too long ago we were buying 32MB devices that stored a } whopping 10 songs (can you imagine?) Fast-forward to today and 8058 l iFods not only carry up to 20.000 tunes. but they also play videos and 3 games, display photos and mix a mean martini [ok, so we made up the i last one]. ‘ Whether you're in the market for your first (or next] iPod. or another . _ . _ portabie media player, the followrng ISa look at a few rocking suggestions.

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Still the king Often imitated but never duplicated. the Apple iPod ‐ available in 3058 (5299) or 8068 [S399] ‐ lets you carry and enjoy thousands of media files, be it audio (music, podcasts, audiobooks]. video [TV shows, movies, music videos, camcorder footage] and photos which you can view one by

one in or in aslideshow set to music. The new iPods also offer a handful of improvements over past iterations, such as longer battery life [up to 20 hours for audio], a much brighter LCD screen and new ways to quickly search through all ofyour media. What's more, youriPod can now download games ($5.99 apiece] from the iTunes store, including Zuma, EAMini Golf, Pac-Man, Bejeweled and Texas Hold'em.

Wear your stllettos XM Satellite Radio subscribers had it good this year as they could carry their runes (or talk] with them wherever they were thanks to the Pioneer lnno, a handheld sat radio and MP3 player in one. Now. Sirius Satellite Radio subscribers can do the same thing ‐ and on a much cooler device. The Stiletto 100, which refers to how many hours of satellite radio you can record and playback at a later time, also offers integrated Wi-Fi to stream Sirius radio when indoors [wireless network required]. Hear a tune you Ilke and

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without earphones. The slide-out speaker is also used to prop up the device

a couple of button presses? Load up your tunes and enjoy your photos on its bright 1.71-inch full colour 0LEO screen [128 x 160 pixels). Other features include a super slick interface, FM radio, alarm function and audio support Widoacroon wonder for MP3, WMA, 058 and ASP files. Bundled accessories include a software Media lovers who want a big screen experience out of their pocket player CD. earphones and USB cable. The YP-KS is available in 168 or 468 sizes; should opt for the new Creative Zen Vision W[$359.99 for 3068, $479.99 for available for $179.99 or $299.99 respectively.

8068]. Unlike the iPod's 2.S~inch display. the Vision W offers a stunning high~reso|ution. 43-inch colour widescreen [16:9 format] display to better Coming lune enjoy your videos and photos Other features not found in the iPod include: In early 2007, Microsoft will launch its first digital media device. While price a built-in microphone; FMradio; loud external speaker [when you don't feel is still to be determined, the Zune ‐ available in black. white or brown ‐ is a like wearing earphones]; video out jack to connect to a television; a Compact 30GB hard-drive based media player with a 3.0-lnch screen [viewable in Flash memory card reader to view or copy photos from a digital camera over portrait or landscape modes); the pocket-sized player supports up to 7,500 to the Zen W's hard drive; and support for multiple video codecs [including songs. 25,000 photos orupto 100 hours ofvideo, but more importantly, the MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 SP, DivX 4 and 5, MD, WMV and [WI]. The 5068 Zune is determined to separate itself from the pack by encouraging sharing player supports upto 15,000 songs or upto 240 hours ofvideo [depending between friends. That is, integrated wireless technology means you can share selected lull-length songs or custom playlists to a nearby Zune. Ro onthe codec and quality of compression]. prevent piracy, the recipient of the song can listen to the track up to three times in three days. After that you can flag to purchase it online the next Loud and proud Samsung's “nano killer" is the YP-KS, a tiny [98 x 47.5 x 18.1 mm] and time you sync with your P0 The Zune will also have a built~in FMtuner. stylish Flash memory player that has a surprising little twist: a hidden

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