tech ronin

Pocket-Camera Shopping

I dropped my Minolta X into water by accident recently and that was the end of it. So, now I really do need a replacement. I would like to get another good pocketable camera with 5 megapixels.

Here are my criteria:

• Small: Pants pocket size so I can take it with me when out doors and have it with me most of the time.
• Light weight: once you start carrying lots of devices, the weight adds up.
• High Picture Quality: I want the best photos I can get in this form factor. You simply can't get high picture quality across the board with a tiny lens, so adjust your expectations accordingly. I'm telling myself that when I've got some spare bucks sometime I'll get a bigger, higher quality cam for special photography outings.
• Easy to Use: Button placement, menus, holding the camera, view finder, lcd. I want to be able to quickly change settings and not accidentally hit the power off when I meant to take a picture.
• Fast shutter speed: Startup and between shots to capture those fleeting opportunities and moving targets like children and pets. This requires a buffer that stores the shots temporarily in some kind of fast RAM that can then be stored a few moments later.
• Optical Zoom 3x or more.
• SD Card. I use SD cards with my Zire and my old camera. SD is the sweet spot right now. Would rather not have to pay a premium for niche products like Sony Memory sticks or XD or have to use the older and larger Compact Flash which are no longer cheaper than SD for 1 gig and smaller. I also keep an SD-card reader PC card in my Powerbook for convenience.
• Video. I like being able to occasionally take quick little videos and play around. Prefer that it records up to limits of available memory. 640x480 would be good.
• Under $450.
• 5 Megapixels. 4 would be the minimum.
• Large LCD. 2" or larger preferred.
• Optical view finder also
• Mac compatible.
• Decent battery life. Average seems adequate for my needs.
• Decent flash. I don't expect a lot here. My gadget-buddy Bob recommends the Casio S500 for it's flash.

So far, I'm not finding all my criteria met in one single device. Does this sound familiar? Here are the cameras that I'm considering right now:

Sony DSC-T1. $450. I hear that you pay an extra 16% for the Sony brand. After that, maybe it's the value-add. Giant 2.5" lcd great especially for photo viewing and evaluation (the little rectangle on the screen shows what you get with 1.5" lcd. No optical view finder. Heavy 6.3 oz. Small: 3-5⁄8" x 2-3⁄8" x 4⁄5". Sony Duo Pro memory cards. Decent picture quality. 640x480 video. Flash good only for 6 feet. Excellent voice recorder.

Canon S500 $350. Best picture quality perhaps. Heavy 6.3 oz. Uses Compact Flash. 1/1.8" CCD. Optical viewfinder. Lens: 7.4-22.2mm, f/2.8-4.9. Thicker 3.4" x 2.2" x 1.1".

Pentax Optio S5i. $350. Light 3.7 oz. Tiny: 3.3 x 2 x .81 inches. 1.8" LCD. 21 picture modes. 10 mb built-in and uses SD cards. Its 22 modes could be handy for quick set-up and trouble-free use. Sport mode gives you fast quick shot capability. Amazon reader reports downgrade it for blurry LCD view-finder - LCD good for looking at photos afterwards, though. Slow shots in normal mode if at highest resolution.

Casio Exilim EXZ55. $400. 2.5" lcd. Rapid startup in 1.6 seconds. Video till memory full - 320 x 240 only. Lens: f2.6 (wide) to 4.8 (telephoto); focal length: 5.8 to 17.4 mm. Light enough 4.6 oz. Small: 3.4 x 2.3 by .9.

Konica-Minolta Dimage X50. $340. 2" lcd. Fast startup 1/2 second. Light enough: 4.4 oz. Small: 3.28 x 2.44 x 0.93 inches. Video till memory full - 320 x 240 only.

I've leaned towards Sony one day and Canon another, but I may just go for the Konica-Minolta. Any of these would be excellent cameras. But the X50 seems to come closest to meeting all of my criteria and I'm familiar with it already having owned the Dimage X. It takes my SD cards. Has a 2" lcd. Is about the right size and weight. Mossberg recommended it but not against this specific competition... The price is right at $340.

PhotographyBlog review of the X50.

UPDATE: Bought the X50 from Amazon. Applied $45 in coupons. Went for 2nd day air. Net $306. Of course, you'll hear more about this new camera soon. I should get it Friday and start using it immediately. Cross your fingers for me!

One camera I missed in my research is the Canon SD300. Perhaps I missed it because it is a 4 megapixel camera and I was looking at 5 mpx mostly. Anyway, it is smaller than the S500, uses SD cards, has a 2" LCD and seems to have the high picture quality that the Canons are noted for. I suggest you include it in your shopping as well.

Should Newspapers and Magazines worry?

A guy I trust, Mike Rohde, thinks so. He says he's using NetNewsWire 2 more and more as his source for news and reading the newspaper less. Mike clued me into Newspapers Should Really Worry in Wired. Which led to Washington City Paper. This is working for me! Drill down and see multiple opinions in a hurry. Multiple well-written articles - free. That's really what all the fuss is about. Some of these papers and magazines will go broke.

Wired's Adam Penenberg bases much of his article on 6 focus groups that the Washington Post conducted in September. They found that younger people (18-34) aren't particularly interested in reading newspapers and magazines anymore. Or, more specifically, they don't want to purchase the paper versions of newspapers or magazines. A lot of them are actually very interested in reading the content - perhaps more than ever - as long as it's free and online. They like saving the trees. They love free. Demand for the "product" - excellent writing/good information for free a click away is on the rise.

...they see no reason to pay for news. Instead they access The Washington Post website or surf Google News, where they select from literally thousands of information sources. They receive RSS feeds on their PDAs or visit bloggers whose views mesh with their own. In short, they customize their news-gathering experience in a way a single paper publication could never do. And their hands never get dirty from newsprint.

Readership of newspapers and magazines has been dropping like a stone since 2002. Print publishers are providing themselves with unbeatable competition by putting their content online for free. They don't want to be left out of the party and, like with TV, free with advertising is winning - at least for the time being.

Newspapers - as we know them in hard copy are doomed. The value proposition just isn't there anymore. It's better than nothing, but not better than online news and magazines, RSS newsreading and, my favorite, blogging/blogreading. And there are better ways now to find jobs, rentals, cars and used stuff than the tried and true but obsolescing classifieds.

There's too much out there for free online and ultra convenient. Newspapers, magazines don't want to be left out. They make more on advertising than on subscriptions anyway. Google adsense and other kinds of things like that could work... Couldn't they? And maybe they can talk people into paying later once they are hooked? (I doubt it, but they can hope).

High quality notebook computers have played their part. I can read on the web while lying on my couch. Shit, I can even blog lying on my couch - like I'm doing right now.

It's interesting. I still read the newspaper - it gets, maybe 1 hour a week. But my online reading has soared to many hours a week. So, overall, I'm reading a lot more - online. What's suffered most in my world is paper magazine reading and TV-watching.

I used to subscribe to maybe 7 or 8 magazines. Now I'm down to 2: Vanity Fair (which was a gift) and Entertainment Weekly which started as a free 10-weeks offer that didn't get cancelled in time. I used to get digital cable and paid around $50/month, now I'm down to basic cable for $17.

Right now, the ultimate free-ride is RSS newsreading. For the most part, free of advertising, it's fabulous. But, the bean-counters are on the march, doing everything they can to insert advertising into it. If the Cluetrain guys are right, though, we may have nothing to worry about. Maybe...

A newsreader lets you read as much as you want right in the RSS feed and then only click to see the full web page if needed or desired (often to see better information such as the full article, graphics or comments). While weblogs are ad-free or only have a few adsense text ads, commercial sites are still annoyingly filled with flashing ads in many cases.

Here's hoping the good guys win.

iPod Boombox for Christmas?

It's been about three years now that I've been looking for a boombox for my iPod. The iBoom is the first iPod boombox. Brought to you by DLO - Digital Lifestyles Outfitter for $150. This is slick! It looks good, has a handle for portability and an FM radio. It's serious. I'm hoping it sounds as good as it looks.

I've brought PC speakers and subwoofers to parties and friends houses before so that I could get some volume out of my iPod but it's cumbersome. The iBoom solves these problems.

We are lucky that the iPod has achieved this level of popularity to drive these kinds of accessory devices. I'm still waiting for the iPod to hit car stereos in a big way. A VW or BMW model here or there doesn't cut it. Stereos should be made to work with these kinds of music players. At least have a jack for auxiliary input.

Extinction Management Anyone?

I just discovered gapingvoid.com and How to Be Creative by Hugh MacLeod tonight [rohdesign.com]. Great, great stuff. Hugh is the cartoonist/author of the above business card - his signature form factor. When I saw this simple little diagram, I had to blog it. Do you really want to invest your time in extinction management?

Speaking of avoiding extinction and the management thereof, you might want to check out all the pdf manifestos over at Change This. If the above diagram resonates, read How to be Creative forthwith. After that, it's up to you.

Oh, and one last thing, if you haven't seen it yet and you were a Kerry supporter, you'll be moved to laughter and tears by sorryeverybody.com. The link here is just one of many, many photos...

The Tax-Deductible iPod

If you're a rock star, any iPod is tax-deductible. But now, the iPod photo is a required business tool for mobile professionals. I mean, who knows when you might run into a prospective customer? You can't carry your notebook everywhere can you? But you can take your iPod and be prepared for that unexpected opportunity to make a quick sales presentation on someone's TV. This is one fun business machine and I'll thoroughly enjoy deducting it on next year's tax return!

Panning for Gold in your Newsreader

Whoa! I just typed Treo 650 into NetNewsWire 2's search panel. How cool. I get this great ranked list of feeds. Much better than a Google search in many ways. I know these posts are all from people whose opinion I respect. Next time you want to know something, ask your friends.

Favorite Non-Fiction Book of the Year

Maybe Tom Peters is old hat in some circles. To me, he's a favorite person, favorite visionary. He's not playing it close to the vest in Re-imagine!. I love it. I bought the book after reading his fun blog for a while which increased my interest in learning some of the details of what he's talking about and why.

I get inspired reading the book, the blog to get more creative and audacious. At 62 or so, Peters is very aware that he doesn't have all the time in the world. He communicates that sense of urgency every time.

I'm an incurable futurist. Always looking ahead. I like history too, but my true love is the future. I spend lots of my spare think time understanding trends and trying to grasp the implications of new technologies (my favorite).

Peters is very concerned about the US falling behind. He talks about China all the time reminding people how many schools they have or how many engineering grads or how many new this or that they've built lately. He thinks they and others are going to eat our lunch if we don't get on the stick and keep getting on the stick from here on out.

Peters fired his publisher so that he could get a publisher who would make a book that is a lot more graphic than usual. He's become a design buff in his spare time. He wanted a book that exemplifies the take no prisoners, brash, in your face but out-there philosophy that he espouses. Dorling Kindersley stepped up to the plate. I love this book. It's got tons of color and side bars.

Most important, it's got great information and analysis. Peters is all about the future and how we can kick into the higher gear and creativity needed to address the uncertainties and change we are dealing with now. Here are a couple samples to whet your appetite:

What's the biggest problem in the world of national security today? Simple. The CIA won't talk to the FBI... who won't talk to Customs.. who won't talk to the INS ... who won't talk to the Air Force ... who won't talk to the Army ... who won't talk to the Navy. ... Fighting "virtual states," like al Qaeda demands seamless integration of our domestic and international security forces. In fact, integration of the civilized world's domestic and international security assets.

It became very clear to me reading this book that what we are doing vis-a-vis terrorism is not working and won't work. I realized that besides all these agency folks talking to each other, what we really need is for all of us to be talking to each other. Until we citizens feel connected and trusting and committed to dealing with terrorism, there are going to be so many holes in our defenses ... I was pleased to realize that people being semi-comatose consumers were going to be the last ones to really help in a situation like ours. We need active, passionate, discriminating people for this.

I don't want Amazon to offer smiling faces when I place an order! I want to ... take charge ... do things as I wish them done when I wish them done. ... I want that damn book! I want it now! I want to be able to send it to my best friend! Now! I want that drug! I want it delivered today! I want to be informed about the side effects! Totally! I don't want to be treated like a child! I want total knowledge! I want absolute convenience! I want the ability to get what I want! Now!

Peters is talking about experience marketing in the radical use of the term here. We all know what he is talking about. What I love is he is yelling at mostly corporate audiences about 80 times a year and is paid very well for it.

Who would have guessed that 19 terrorists, using the Internet and arming themselves with box cutters, could bring the United States effectively to its knees? Anything is possible. Anything is likely. Are you ready? Change is coming and coming fast. One question confronts every institution and every individual: Fight the change ... or grab hold and enjoy the ride? I say: Enjoy yourself! It's later than you think!

Apple Address Book is Handier than I Thought

Now, see? Blogging is a good thing for the blogger. While blogging about photos in email, I went to the Apple site to get the URLs for pages on Mail and the Address Book.

After posting, I had the browser open to the Address Book page and started reading. I didn't realize that you can click and hold an address to get a Mapquest map, click a URL to go to the web page and click the email to send an email. I especially like the Mapquest feature.

It is not that unusual for me to look someone up in the Address Book and then go, manually, to Mapquest to get a map. But I won't be doing that anymore!

Sender's Photo in Email Makes Me Smile

Maybe it's just me, but I sure enjoy having little photos like this pop up in emails from my friends. It adds a lot to the communication. Apple Mail integrates with the photos in the Address Book. Now, if only all my friends would use it. I cheat, though, and put little photos of them that I have into their address book pages and then the tiny pix appear on all their incoming emails. ;-)

Woohoo! Rich Text Editing in Typepad

Hallelujah! We're getting closer to that miracle called wysiwyg blogging. This is very cool. I don't have to look through all that junky html while I'm composing. I bet I use more color and styles when it is this easy.

All TypePad users simply must immediately try this out. If you are on Mac like me, you can't use Safari yet, but you can use the excellent Firefox. Camino and Opera don't support rich text editing currently, so you are out of luck if you are not bi-browser.

Another great thing. There are two tabs on the Post Body input screen: Compose Post and Edit HTML. You can do everything in the rich text screen (Compose Post) and then switch to edit HTML to fine tune or add extras.

Of course, my heart belongs to ecto. But, first, as far as I know, ecto doesn't do this yet. And second, There are times when I'm not on my own machine and I will be so happy that I can do wysiwyg blogging from a browser. Once I saw that TypePad is doing wysiwyg editing, I realized that ecto (which has affiliation through investors to Six Apart, and is the high-end editor-of-choice for Mac bloggers) must have wysiwyg editing. But I wasn't using it. I am now!!! More on ecto 2 soon because it rocks!

I can't imagine that ecto will be far behind on this if it's not already available and I'm just too dense to figure it out. One thing I love about ecto is its user-editable html shortcuts. I can create any html tag I want and then pick it from the pop-down menu to apply it. Ecto rules but I'm thrilled to see TypePad pushing this particular envelope.

Six Apart has some excellent instructions for rich text editing - about 4 pages of everything you could think of.