If you’re either clumsy or into aquatic adventures, the Garmin Nuvi 550 will help you figure out where you’re going with a minimum of muss and fuss. In fact users looking for turn by turn directions are greeted with an exceptionally intuitive interface that starts off by simply asking you to either look at a map to pick a location or even more simply asking “where to?”
The 550 isn’t the top of the line, and it shows in the somewhat low-quality 320 by 240 3.5” TFT display. The anti-glare coating on the screen is an odd choice for a device that seems targeted at adventuresome outdoorsy types, as does the limited battery life of up to 8 hours. Despite these few shortcomings it’s hard to complain about the features you do get without breaking the bank.
On top of the feature list is the ability to almost instantly locate yourself even under heavy cover and then find the closest petrol station, police station, hospital, or intersection. The unit is allegedly waterproof but I’m not sure I’d try testing that out on my next diving trip. I did notice that the microSD slot is located in a very secure and well sealed battery chamber so the jury is still out on the waterproofing.
The bottom line is that the 550 isn’t targeted at the high-end market, and competes favourably with similarly priced units. My advices is to bring extra batteries if you are taking the 550 on a long hike (But you might wanna consider brining the Oregons for those).
Following the success of last year’s Lumix Temple of Zoom viral game, Panasonic has come up with a new viral game Lumix World Golf for its Lumix camera range.
I had a go at it and I must say it’s quite addictive. Plus you can to win some nice Panasonic prizes as well! Play now!
Check out these TV Ads Panasonic have for their TZ series Lumix cameras.
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 certainly looks, acts and behaves like one of those old-fashioned film based cameras that you used to see professionals and artists using to take fancy photographs. But it’s smaller. Way smaller! The big lens on the front seems to dwarf the rest of the camera. It’s like someone took one of those big, professional cameras and hit it with a shrink wray. So what’s the deal?
For decades, digital cameras (yes, they did exist a long time ago, it’s just that they were too expensive and bulky for you or I) used what’s called a “mirror box” to properly refract the light. These boxes work great and are proven technology, but they’re inherently large, and they force the camera to be designed in a certain way. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 doesn’t have that. It has what’s called a “Micro four-thirds system” which basically takes the mirror box and makes it nice and flat. This allows the camera to be smaller, more portable, and easier to repair if dropped (no mirror box to break).
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 is a professional camera (with a professional price) that hasn’t sacrificed reliability and size in order to get really high-quality photos. It’s compatible with most Panasonic interchangeable lenses and comes with some really good ones to get you started. If you need to take really high-quality photos and you need a camera that can take really high-quality photos but is still portable, then the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 is the latest and greatest piece of hardware you just gotta try out!
Do you own a PS3? If you do, then you’re probably enjoying one of the greatest gaming systems ever made. The blu-ray player isn’t bad either, considering it can play movies with such detail that you can see every last particle in the explosions of your favorite action movies. But what about online content? A lot of PS3 users have been clamouring for more/better online content and functionality, and Sony has stepped up with a new gadget called Life with Playstation.
The Life with Playstation service is free for PS3 users to download, and unlocks various “channels” which you can watch over a broadband internet connection. The “Live” channel offers content that is organized by city and updates in real-time. You can check the weather and news for any city in the world which is in the database, which is great if you need to see if it’s going to rain where you are or where you’re going. It’s very visually engaging and beautiful to see, and it’s just darn fun to play with too.
The Life with PlayStation service also retains the functionality of the Folding@Home application, which opens up the fascinating world of protein folding. It’s almost a must-have for biology or biochemistry students, as it really brings the world of proteins to life. And even if you don’t understand what’s going on, as you observe the proteins, your PS3’s awesome processing power works to solve protein-based problems for Stanford University. You’re contributing to research just by sitting on your couch!
The Pentax Optio W60 and the Olympus mju 1050 SW are compact, durable, digital cameras for the beach, mountain or ski slope; having added “waterproof” and “freezeproof” characteristics. Let’s have a quick look at each one.
The Pentax W60 is a great upgrade from the W30 model. Its “Easy” mode allows for one-handed management, freeing up the other hand for negotiating rugged terrain. Its larger 10.1 megapixel image sensor provides more brilliant photos and higher image quality in more difficult light environments. It’s Shake Reduction feature and Viewfinder make your photographs less blurry. It has a 3.9 x 2.2 x 1 inches (99 x 56 x 25 millimeters) body, a 5x optical/4x digital zoom and weighs 5.1 ounces (145 grams).
It is a welcome addition to the traditional, compact camera with added “rugged” protection - JIS Class 8 Waterproof and Freezeproof to 14 degrees Fahrenheit (-10 degrees Celsius).
The Olympus 1050 SW is a compact, camera for active photographers. The helpful Tap Control feature (adjusts settings with one tap) is perfect for winter climates, when fingers are too cold to fully operate the camera. This camera also has an increased capacity for storing images.
Its rugged 3.7 x 2.4 x 0.76 inches (93 x 62 x 19.3 millimeters) body, doesn’t break when dropped from 5 feet (1.5 meters) and is JIS Class 8 Waterproof and Freezeproof to 14 degrees Fahrenheit (-10 degrees Celsius).
It has a 3x optical/5x digital zoom and weighs 5.4 ounces (152 grams). Sharper pictures result from the Digital Image Stabilisation and Perfect Shot Preview functions. It also has faster zooms available.
In fact users looking for turn by turn directions are greeted with an exceptionally intuitive interface that starts off by simply asking you to either look at a map to pick a location or even more simply asking “where to?”
