Tech Talk

The Micro Four Thirds (MFT) system, which eliminates the pentaprism and reflex mirror but retains the use of interchangeable lens, is steadily making inroads within the photography community. MFT cameras, like the Olympus PEN E-P1 and the Panasonic GF1, are selling like hotcakes in many countries.

However, another system that can possibly rival the MFT has arrived.

Ricoh has decided that changing lenses still creates too many opportunities for dust and dirt to become friends with the image sensors. So, it has decided to come up with the GXR system that consists of a body and camera units. Each camera unit comprises the lens, the image sensor and the image processor. So, you attach the camera unit to the body via a slide-in mount system.

Ricoh claims that the GXR is the smallest and lightest digital camera with the ability to change lens (and image sensor).

Thus, you are not merely changing lenses but changing the image sensor as well. While this means dust or dirt specks on your photos will be a thing of the past, I wonder if such an arrangement makes any practical sense.

I love Ricoh’s digital compact cameras, like its GX200. But Ricoh’s pricing has always been on the high side. With an image sensor tied to a lens, I reckon each camera unit is going to cost substantially more. And if you drop a camera unit, you not only lose your lens, but your image sensor and image processor as well.

Conversely, since the GXR body itself already has features such as a built-in flash, hot shoe with accessory port to mount an optional electronic viewfinder and even Auto-Focus assist, there is no need to buy a new body to get an image sensor upgrade. New camera units will probably have new image sensors with a bigger megapixel count. Thus, there is no need to continuously upgrade the bodies.

Ultimately, only time (and the price) will tell if the GXR can beat the MFT.

Tags: GXR, Micro Four Thirds, Ricoh

Finally, smartphones based on the Google-backed Android operating system are starting to come of age. The OS will soon come in its second major iteration, and will power smartphones from the likes of Motorola, HTC and Samsung.

What this means is consumers can start choosing from a plethora of quality devices (as opposed to the one and only iPhone) that run on a modern and snappy mobile OS that provides an almost desktop-like Internet browsing experience, an amply-stocked application store that can help extend the abilities of their devices, and simple contacts integration with Facebook and Google accounts.

Death to the mediocre smartphone, I say.

Sony Ericcson is the latest to join the Android fold with its announcement of the XPERIA X10.

The impressive-looking hardware (a 3.5G smartphone with 4-inch touchscreen and 8.1-megapixel camera) is accompanied by a slick pair of custom applications, Timescape and Mediascape, which provide much more refined experiences with media playback and communicating with contacts.

Have a look at what the XPERIA X10 might be capable of when it gets on shelves in the first quarter of 2010:

Over in the United States, Motorola’s new Droid smartphone (it could possibly be called the Milestone if it arrives here) is getting lots of airtime for being a possible iPhone-killer with its well-specced hardware – a fast mobile processor that’s coupled with a 3.7-inch touchscreen and a 5-megapixel camera with dual-LED flash:

Smartphones won’t be the only devices that will get loaded with Android. Netbooks will soon be graced by the ‘droid, too:

Tags: Apple, Google, iPhone, Mobile, Smartphone

For those still waiting for that elusive action role-playing game (RPG) Diablo III, there is one pretty nice action RPG  on your iPhone now – the Dungeon Hunter.

You play a young king on a quest to eradicate the dark forces from his land. It’s a cliched storyline that gives you the excuse to hack and slash through dungeons and crypts, killing evil denizens and picking up plenty of loot along the way.

You get to choose your character class – a sword-wielding Knight, a stealthy Rogue or the magical Mage. Personally, I prefer to hack and slash my way through in true Diablo style!

The game plays very smoothly without any drops in frame rate and the controls are simple and intuitive. The graphics is fantastic for an iPhone game, and the audio track is great as well.

There are a few side-quests you can complete other than the story-driven main quests in order to get more experience points. With more experience, you level up and get more abilities to strengthen yourself for the quests ahead. Basically, it feels like playing Diablo II on an iPhone!

Fallen foes will drop plenty of loot for you to pick up, like weapons, rings, armour and potions. In fact, managing your inventory takes up as much time as your hack and slash. However, there’s no way to teleport to town to sell your loot, but you can transmute your loot into gold at a lower price.

Another quirk I have with the game is that its viewing angle sometimes gets blocked by the surroundings. In addition, although your character level is saved automatically, you can’t save your progress. In other words, if you exit when you are in the middle of the quest, you have to play again from the last checkpoint.

These quirks aside, Dungeon Hunter is one hell of a game for anyone who loves Diablo, or for anyone who loves a nice piece of action while waiting to catch your flight, or your spouse to show up or just to kill time during lunch breaks.

So, what are you waiting for? Get it at US$6.99 from iTunes Store now!

Tags: gameloft

In autumn, the who’s who in technology gathered in Berlin for IFA 2009 – the world’s largest annual consumer electronics show. TODAY was invited by LG to attend the launch of its latest line of products.

LG launched a particularly fetching new TV that was designed with a seamless front but I especially liked more practical devices like its network attached storage (NAS) devices that had a built-in Blu-ray drive which can play, archive and publish Blu-ray discs. You can also store your iTunes library on it and it’s compatible with Windows, Linux and Mac operating systems.

Then there were the digital photo frames, which were simple and well-designed and wouldn’t make me cringe if I had to put one on display in the living room. But these frames weren’t one-trick ponies. You could hook them up as a secondary display for your computer (particularly useful for harbouring widgets, a Twitter app or your IM list if your onscreen desktop’s already too cluttered).

Catch the video to get an eyeful of these gadgets:

Tags: digital photo frames, LCD, LG, NAS

I have been hoping to write about interesting iPhone apps on a regular basis but work just seems to take up too much of my time. Now that I have time for a slight breather, I’m going to make my first iPhone app recommendation!

There are tons of apps on iTunes Store and it is becoming increasingly difficult to differentiate the good apps from the bad ones. I also find it troublesome to download all those “lite” versions to test out the games or utilities.

Well, get AppReviews from iTunes Store. It is a simple app that draws all its content from iphoneapplicationlist.com – a site that provides information about the latest discounts, the hottest apps and reviews of apps. It really is a gem as it helps you to keep track of all the latest apps and discounts available.

The best part: AppReviews is free!

So, what are you waiting for?

Tags: Apple, iPhone, Mobile

I like devices that rely on touch-based interfaces because the gestures that we use to operate them seem so natural and effortless. And I’ve seen old folks and children (barely the age of 4) take to them easily as well.

However, until we develop input devices that let us operate computers simply by just thinking, tactile input seems here to stay. And why not?
When I visited the AMD Learning Centre at the Rainbow Centre Yishun Park School, Mr B N Krishnamurthy, a speech language therapist at the school, demonstrated the myriad devices that help the students learn with computers despite their physical disabilities. It was an eye-opener for me naturally and quite a heartening experience to see basic concepts of tactile-based inputs being applied to enable these kids to develop spatial, communication and social skills just by using specialised learning software with their computers.

Here’s Mr Krishnamurthy demo-ing the various devices:

Tags: accessibility, Disability

I’ve missed almost every National Day Parade since my teens – when I was summoned by my school to take part in one. When I landed tickets for this year’s preview, it was about time to rekindle those memories of being baked in the sun, waiting for orders to shake my booty and blow my trombone (simultaneously, mind you). So the Canon Legria HF S100 camcorder tagged along and I’ve compiled the resulting footage with simple cuts and no colour or exposure adjustments.

If you haven’t yet read our review on the Canon Legria HF S100, the YouTube movie I’ve embedded below gives a pretty good measure of the clarity and colours that demonstrate the capabilities of the Legria.

TIP: Click on the playback button first and then the HD icon at the bottom right of the YouTube window to load the movie in high-definition.

Tags: camcorder, Canon, HD, high definition, movies, Singapore, Video

The pointless megapixel war among digital camera manufacturers is over!

Yes, you know it’s over when last week, in an almost unprecedented move, Canon released its PowerShot G11 with a reduced megapixel count of 10 megapixels, compared to the 14.7 megapixels of its predecessor. The new image sensor of the G11 is supposed to be of higher sensitivity, improving noise performance by two stops over the G10.

Canon PowerShot G11

Canon is not alone in this paradigm shift. Several of its competitors are coming up with innovative features to entice smarter consumers, rather than using the age-old megapixel myth that’s not working anymore.

For example, Sony’s upcoming Cyber-shot TX1 and WX1 will use a new image CMOS 10.2-megapixel sensor, Exmor R, which is supposed to be twice as sensitive compared to conventional image sensors.

Sony Cyber-shot TX1

Fujifilm also surprised everyone when it announced the world’s first consumer 3D digital camera with its FinePix Real 3D W1, which utilises two lenses and two image sensors to give you 3D still and moving images.

Fujifilm Finepix Real 3D W1

Nikon kept the good news rolling with its S1000pj that comes with a built-in projector. So instead of everyone crowding behind a tiny LCD screen struggling to look at the pictures , everyone can now enjoy the images on any wall at any party!

Nikon Coolpix S1000pj

Samsung has also announced that it will soon release the 2View ST550 and ST500, both of which tout a front and rear LCD that allows you to shoot self-portraits with absolute ease.

Samsung 2View ST550

These are exciting times. I prefer a fight in features over a futile battle in megapixel count any day. The megapixel race has done nothing to improve the photography market other than taking up more hard disk space and making hard disk manufacturers happy.

With more innovative features being released into the market, camera makers have to keep up and come up with more creative traits of their own in order to compete. This can only be good for the consumers.

But now, consumers will have another battle on their hands trying to discern whether these latest features  - such as face, smile or scene recognition – are genuine enhancements or pure marketing gimmicks. Some of these features, like face detection, have even made it into the DSLR (digital single-reflex) camera realm. I definitely wouldn’t mind having “gimmicks” like 3D imaging or image projection in my DSLRs.

Marketing gimmicks or real features aside, the camera must ultimately be able to perform well in all aspects, like handling, hardiness, user interface and image quality. All the additional features will fall flat on their face if the camera is difficult to handle, if buttons are on the wrong place, or worse, if image quality is poor.

So, while I welcome the new age in innovation with new digital cameras, I sincerely hope it will not be a creative letdown.

Recently, a close friend of mine asked me to email her a list of “good and cheap” DSLR (digital single-reflex) cameras as she needed to draft quotations for a purchase order.

I sent her my recommendations but I couldn’t help asking her why her company, an SME (small-medium enterprise), needed to buy a DSLR.

“My boss thinks that if we have a good DSLR, we don’t have to hire a photographer,” she said.

“So, the camera has become the photographer, like the medium is the message (quoting Marshall McLuhan from Media Studies 101)?” I asked incredulously. She nodded and laughed.

But this is no laughing matter for people who earn a living from taking pictures.

The notion of “the bigger the camera, the better the pictures” has been around for the longest time. I always hear people around me lamenting that the “mickey mouse” camera (aka digital compact camera) they have means they cannot take good pictures.

On online forums, every time a nice photograph is posted, the first response typically is “Which camera did you use?”. I have also seen professional photographers telling prospective clients that they will get better pictures from them because of their “bigger cameras”. I’ve even heard of a guy who wouldn’t hire a wedding photographer who has a “lousier” DSLR than his own Canon 5D MKII.

Technology has been changing the landscape of photography since its humble beginning from Daguerreotype plates to 35mm film. Photographic equipment has become more compact and easier to handle through the years.

However, the digital image sensor is different. It has become very easy for anyone to take a photograph, as Alfred Chow succinctly expressed in response to my previous blog post that “technology is so good that the average Joe can take as good pictures as the professional”.

Even World Press Photo winner Julian Wainwright admitted that his award-winning pictures would not have been possible if not for technological advances.

These days, camera manufacturers include all sorts of fancy functions like face and smile detection in their cameras to entice consumers to part with their cash. This probably creates the perception that all everyone needs to do is press the shutter release and the camera will do the rest.

Yes, today’s digital camera is able to quickly and automatically lock on to a focus, accurately adjust the shutter speed and aperture, and give you spot-on auto white balance.

But what about intuition, situational awareness, picture composition, sense of where light is falling or fading, and the ability to add extra lights in different scenarios? These are the things that even the most advanced camera cannot comprehend, at least until camera cyborgs with human-like artificial intelligence becomes reality.

Give a high-end DSLR to a novice, and while he might give you a properly exposed picture (as long as he knows how to set the camera to auto), he would never be able to give you what a Magnum photographer (like Alex Majoli) can.

To me, it is better to have a good photographer with a lousy camera than a lousy photographer with a good camera.

Tags: DSLR, photography, technology

It is an announcement that few envisaged or even contemplated.

But for Macintosh users with BlackBerry phones, the announcement that Research in Motion (RIM) will be releasing a BlackBerry Desktop Software for Mac must be music to their ears!

Currently, if you are a Mac user who owns a BlackBerry phone, you can only sync your device with your computer using third-party software, like PocketMac or MarkSpace’s Missing Sync for BlackBerry.

Come September, with the BlackBerry Desktop Software for Mac, you will be able to sync your iTunes playlist, calendars, contacts, as well as add and remove applications, and back up or update software in your BlackBerry phone with a Mac.

But why the sudden change of heart from the Canadian company?

I have a suspicion that RIM is trying to slow down the momentum of its rival offering, the Apple iPhone.

And why target the iPhone when there are so many other smartphones out there, you might ask? Well, just look at this report that highlights the fact that despite having only 3% of the world’s market share, Apple and RIM have an estimated combined 35% of the world’s operating revenue. Having a big market share doesn’t always translate to big profits.

Nevertheless, you might say that having BlackBerry Desktop Software for Mac is not going to have a significant impact on consumers, since those who are using a Macintosh probably have an iPhone, and those who have a BlackBerry probably don’t have a Mac.

That can’t be the whole truth of course. There are still plenty of Mac users who don’t like the touchscreen iPhone but prefers the buttons, email security and battery life of a BlackBerry. More importantly, there are many Mac users who are probably still on a Motorola Razr or a Sony Ericsson CyberShot, and who are contemplating the leap to a smartphone. Having a BlackBerry syncing software for Mac means they don’t have to give up their beloved Apple machines or their precious BlackBerry.

But the biggest losers are not Apple (hey, BlackBerry users don’t have to switch to Windows anymore) or its iPhone; it’s the Windows Mobile and other OS-based smartphones that will suffer the most.

By September, Apple and RIM are probably the only companies that manufacture smartphones catering to both Windows and Mac users out of the box (let’s keep Palm Pre out of the picture for now). For the savvy smartphone user who straddles between two major OS platforms, the choice will be either an iPhone or a BlackBerry. Who needs other mobile platforms anymore?

This move from RIM might not seem significant but the ripples it causes will one day turn to waves across the smartphone market.

Tags: BlackBerry, iPhone, Macintosh, RIM, Smartphone