Top Point-and-Shoot Camera – Canon PowerShot A540

My personal favourite camera brands are Canon and Sony. Today, I’d like to introduce you to the entry level Canon PowerShot A540 which was announced in February 2006. Let’s have a look at its specs:

• 6 Megapixels
• 4X Optical Zoom
• Zoom Range: 35mm – 140mm
• Media Slots: SD Card
• 2.5 inch LCD monitor
• Movie recording and playback with sound
• DiG!C Imaging Processor
• Print/Share Buttons allows easy “one push” printing of images straight from the camera (of course, you’ll need a compatible printer)

The A series of Canon PowerShot has always provided value for money, and the A540 is one of the few cameras in this class that offers full manual control as well as the useful 13 automatic modes.

The camera body is small, but a little bit thick – it’s not a slim model. The 4X zoom lens are also better than most of its competitors as they normally have 3X zoom lens. The A540 allows you to crank up the ISO setting to 800, but the images do get a bit noisy at any level above 200.

One interesting option of the A540 is the wide-screen mode, which shoots an image with a resolution of 2816 x 1584 pixels. That has a 1.8:1 aspect ratio, which is close to the typical HDTV wide-screen image.

The PowerShot A540 can shoot 191 photos on two AA batteries. For more information and pricing, click the link – Canon PowerShot A540 Digital Compact Camera.

Microsoft Offers Free Accounting Software

Microsoft is offering free Microsoft Office Accounting Express 2007. Download from www.ideawins.com

Microsoft Offers Discount Coupons for Upgrade to Windows Vista

Microsoft is offering an upgrade coupon to shoppers who buy a Vista-capable PC between 26th October and 15th March 2007. They will be able to redeem the coupons for a free or discounted upgrade from Windows XP to Windows Vista.

Generally, customers will get free upgrade from Windows XP Home to Windows Vista Home Basic, XP Media Center Edition 2005 to Vista Home Premium, or XP Professional to Vista Business, but it may vary depending on the PC vendors.

Only Vista-capable PCs will be eligible the coupon. When we’re talking about a Vista capable PC, there are two kinds of them - one is with “Windows Vista Capable” label and the other one is with “Windows Vista Premium Ready”. Here’s the criteria for those labels:

A Windows Vista Capable PC includes at the minimum:

• A modern processor (at least 800MHz).
• 512 MB of system memory.
• A graphics processor that is DirectX 9 capable.

A Windows Vista Premium Ready PC includes at the minimum:

• 1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor.
• 1 GB of system memory.
• Support for DirectX 9 graphics with a WDDM driver, 128 MB of graphics memory (minimum), Pixel Shader 2.0 and 32 bits per pixel.
• 40 GB of hard drive capacity with 15 GB free space.
• DVD-ROM Drive.
• Audio output capability.
• Internet access capability.

In short, a Vista Capable PC will run Windows Vista’s core experiences at a minimum. Vista Premium Ready PC will allow you to run advanced features – like the new Windows Aero user experience.

If you’re not sure whether your current PC can run Vista or not, you can download the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor RC from Microsoft - click here to download. It will evaluate your PC and give you advice of which edition of Vista will be best for your PC.

If you’re not aware of the editions of Windows Vista yet, here’s a recap.

Windows Vista Business
(My work desktop PC will be best for this edition according to the Vista Upgrade Advisor)
Regardless of the size of your organization, Windows Vista Business will help you lower your PC management costs, improve your security, enhance your productivity, and help you stay better connected.

Windows Vista Enterprise
(If you’re in a large organization, you will probably use this edition. However, according to some industry surveys, most large organizations won’t deploy Windows Vista until 2008.)
Windows Vista Enterprise is designed to meet the needs of large global organizations with highly complex IT infrastructures. Windows Vista Enterprise can help you lower your IT costs while providing additional layers of protection for your sensitive data.

Windows Vista Home Premium
(Microsoft will be pushing this edition very much.)
Whether you choose to use your PC to write e-mail and surf the Internet, for home entertainment, or to track your household expenses, Windows Vista Home Premium delivers a more complete and satisfying computing experience.

Windows Vista Home Basic
(This edition is not recommended by Microsoft, but will be good for users on a tight budget)
Windows Vista Home Basic is designed to deliver improved reliability, security, and usability to home PC users who just want to do the basics with their PCs.

Windows Vista Ultimate
(I’ll buy this one for my home PC)
If you want all of the best business features, all of the best mobility features, and all of the best home entertainment features that Windows Vista has to offer, Windows Vista Ultimate is the solution for you. With Windows Vista Ultimate you don't have to compromise.

Top Photo Printer – HP Photosmart D7360

If I’m looking for a good photo printer, what are the features that I’m after? I think it should have memory card slots and a colour screen for photo printing without a PC. It should also carry more than two ink cartridges (not only black and colour ink cartridges). It should be fast and produce a good quality print finish. Lastly, it must be a quality brand and have an affordable price tag.

Well, if you think your criteria matches mine, the HP Photosmart D7360 will be a good choice. It has a 3.4-inch colour touch screen and memory card slots to ease photo printing without a PC. It uses the six-individual-ink system for quality printing as well as being a money-saving feature (you only need to replace the cartridges that run out). It’s super fast and has an excellent print quality. A 4 x 6” photo can be printed within 12 seconds. In addition, it’s very easy to use. Unfortunately - nothing is perfect. In the printing test, the skin tones looked a little too bronzed and the text output was a little light. Overall – with everything taken into consideration – a pretty good photo printer!!

Here are some specs for the HP Photosmart D7360:

• B&W Pages Per Min.: 32
• Color Pages Per Min.: 31
• Max. B&W dpi: 1200-by-1200
• Max. Color dpi: 4800-by-1200
• Tray Capacity, pages: 100

Click the link for more information and the latest pricing – HP Photosmart D7360 Printer

Want an Apple for Your Computer?

We have been discussing lots of ‘serious’ products, but today let’s have a little break and look at some cute speaks from LASER – the USB APPLE speakers.

They’re powered by USB port, so no extra power or batteries are needed – ideal for notebook PCs. The total output is 2W and they come in three colours – red, white and green. Click the links for more information and pricing.

• LASER USB APPLE Speakers – Red
• LASER USB APPLE Speakers – Green
• LASER USB APPLE Speakers – White
  

Top PC Vendors for Q3, 2006

Dell has, for a long time now, enjoyed the reputation as the largest PC vendor in the world. However, HP has overtaken Dell’s position and become the No.1 in global PC shipments in the third quarter of 2006. HP has shipped 9.652 million units (16.3% market share) while Dell has shipped 9.541 million units (16.1% market share).

HP’s growth was 15%, while Dell only grew by 3.6%. Lenovo Group was in the third place with 7.8% market share – a growth of 10%. Acer takes the fourth position with 6% of market share (increased by 34%) and Toshiba holds the fifth place with around 4.2% of market share, increased by 20%.

Click the link for the latest personal computers.

Top Power Laptop – HP Compaq nx9420 Business Notebook PC

This powerful business notebook from HP offers top performance and better-than-average battery life. It replaces the old HP Compaq nx9600 laptop. The new flagship notebook uses a 17” WXGA LCD screen and weighs 3.36 kgs - so it’s one of the lightest laptops in its category.

The nx9420’s keyboard is fabulous and comes with a separate numerical keypad. The battery life is above average – lasting for 3 hours and its speed is excellent. It’s equipped with Intel’s Core 2 Duo T7200 2GHz processor (4 MB L2 cache), 1 GB memory, 120 GB hard drive, DVD writer, ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 video card with 256 MB dedicated video memory, 802.11 a/b/g, Bluetooth 2.0+, 4 USB 2.0 ports, Firewire and a 7 in 1 media reader.

Overall, it’s an excellent power notebook PC for professionals who want a great presentation laptop on the go. Click the link for pricing and more information - HP Compaq nx9420 Business Notebook PC.

Top All-Purpose Laptop – Lenovo ThinkPad R60

Are you a ThinkPad fan? I personally am not fond of the all-black covers of ThinkPad, they seem a little old- fashioned to me. I prefer the Sony VAIO which are much better looking. However, for business use, the look of the laptop is not important - the robustness and reliability are. In terms of business features, reliability, security and performance, the ThinkPad is always on the top of our list. So let’s have a look at the ThinkPad R60 (94554QM) today.

Features

• Operating System: Windows XP Professional
• Memory: 512 MB (1 GB recommended)
• Hard drive: 80 GB
• Processor: Intel Core Duo processor T2300e 1.66GHz
• Display size: 15.0"
• Resolution: 1400x1050
• Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
• Weights (kgs): 2.95
• Bay type: Ultrabay Enhanced
• Optical: DVD Recordable
• Ethernet: Integrated Gigabit Ethernet
• Modem: 56K V.92 designed modem
• Wireless: Sierra Wireless MC8755 PCI Express MiniCard, Bluetooth
• Warranty: One year parts and labour (system battery: one year)

The highlight of this model is the embedded 3G wireless card. By having this, you can use Vodafone 3G broadband anywhere in the country (and in some other countries linked to Vodafone) without any additional hardware. It saves you a Vodafone 3G broadband connection card which normally costs around NZ$400.

The ThinkPad R60 replaces the old R52. As well as the features I’ve listed above, it also includes a modular bay with one-handed device swapping, the animated user manual, and the ThinkLight that illuminates the keyboard in dark rooms.

Overall, the Lenovo ThinkPad R60 is an all-purpose notebook PC for mainstream users on a budget. Click the link for more information and the latest pricing – Lenovo ThinkPad R60 (TopSeller Program) Notebook PC

Top 24” Wide-Screen Monitor – Samsung 244T

If you’re looking for a big LCD monitor and have enough spare money, then one of the 24” widescreen models would be a good choice. I’ve mentioned the HP LP2465 before, but today I’ll introduce you to an even better one – Samsung 244T. Let’s have a look of its features first along with pros and cons.

Features:

• 24" Viewable Area
• 1000:1 Contrast Ration
• 178°/178° horizontal/vertical viewing angles
• 6ms (G to G) Response Time
• Exclusive MagicTune™, MagicBright™ and MagicColor Pro™ technologies
• Picture in Picture (with video)
• Picture by Picture (with video)

Pros

• Slim and sleek looking
• Lots of extras
• Excellent image quality

Cons

• Lock makes it hard to adjust height

Overall, it’s a cool looking monitor with great image quality. The connection inputs include DVI-D, analogy connection, component, composite and S-Video for picture-in-picture features. Click the link for the pricing – Samsung 244T 24” LCD Monitor.

Top Advanced Digital Camera – Fujifilm FinePix S5600

Although it’s not a new model (it was first introduced in July 2005), the Fujifilm FinePix S5600 is still on the top of our list for an advanced digital camera. This bargain priced camera is well designed, takes attractive shots and is easy to use. Let’s have a look of its features along with the pros and cons.

Key Features

• 5 million pixel Super CCD
• Real Photo Technology
• Integrated 38-380mm lens
• Fixed lens for fast startup
• Full manual control with RAW
• Full movie mode

Pros

• Top image quality
• Fast autofocus

Cons

• Images shot at ISO 1600 look noisy

The Fujifilm S5600 is fast in terms of both startup speed and autofocus. It’s also well designed and easy to use. Although the LCD screen is a little small (only 1.8”), the viewfinder is excellent.

Though the camera only shoots 5 megapixels, the image quality is superb. The 10x optical zoom (38-380mm) should satisfy most people for most situations. Moreover, the S5600’s battery life is great and can take a maximum of 500 shots on four AA batteries.

Overall, the Fujifilm FinePix S5600 is an advanced digital camera, which takes great pictures and offers a good range of advanced features for a low price. Click the link for more information and the latest pricing - Fujifilm FinePix S5600 Digital Camera.

Breaking News - Google Buys YouTube

As rumored last week, search engine giant Google buys popular video site YouTube for US$1.65 billion (NZ$2.5 billion).

Refurbished Vodafone!

There are some very exciting things happening around Vodafone lately. Firstly, Vodafone has launched its HSDPA 3G broadband service along with two new broadband devices – the Vodem and HSDPA Mobile Connect Card. The new HSDPA service provides much faster connection speed than the previous Vodafone 3G broadband. It can reach a peak speed of 3.2Mbps with average speeds of 800kbps – 1.4Mbps.

The new Vodafone Vodem is a small device that connects your computer over the Vodafone 3G broadband network, so you can access the web or collect emails at broadband speeds. Its USB cable connects to any laptop or desktop, giving you total plug-and-play simplicity. It also looks good with a white cover and is very light - only weighing 50 grams. Click the link for more information and pricing of the Vodafone Vodem.

Vodafone has also updated its mobile connect card. The new Vodafone HSDPA Mobile Connect Card is a smaller size and works with the new HSDPA service. Click the link for more information and pricing of the Vodafone HSDPA Mobile Connect Card.

Now, you may be wondering how much the new service costs. It is $29.95 per month on Broadband Starter Plan (200MB per month) or $49.95 on Broadband Everyday Plan (1GB per month) if you sign a 24 months term contract. Alternatively, you can pay $10 more each month for a no-term contract.

By offering faster and cheaper broadband, Vodafone can really compete for broadband users with Telecom. Although Telecom’s landline broadband offers much more data allowance for the same price, Vodafone broadband is much more flexible and removable, especially for laptop users. Question - is Vodafone going to walk into the broadband market seriously? Yes, it is!

The second big news just announced is that Vodafone is buying the national internet provider ihug for NZ$41 million. Vodafone not only wants to dominate the mobile broadband market, but also wants to take part in the fixed-line territory. Currently Vodafone is the leader in the mobile market, however they only have 20% share of the overall telecommunication market. The purchase of ihug may just change this situation.

Nokia Concept Phones - Aeon

Nokia Mobile Phones

Norton 2007 Products Have Arrived – Norton Internet Security 2007 & Norton AntiVirus 2007

What product are you using for your computer security? Many people in the world, including myself, are now using Symantec Norton Internet Security 2006. However, the new 2007 product line of Norton security products has arrived so let’s have a look at what’s new about them.

Symantec Norton Internet Security 2007 can run in the background to detect and block spyware, viruses, worms, crimeware and other risks. Here are the features of Norton Internet Security 2007:

• Blocks online identity theft
• Detects and eliminates spyware
• Removes viruses and Internet worms
• Protects against hackers
• Automatically detects and blocks viruses, spyware, and worms
• Advanced phishing protection identifies and blocks fraudulent websites
• Rootkit Protection finds and removes hidden threats in the operating system
• Smart firewall blocks hackers and stops spyware transmitting unauthorized information
• Intrusion Prevention automatically shields newly discovered security vulnerabilities
• Network protection configures security settings when logged on at home, or on public networks
• Full System Scan performs a deep scan to remove existing viruses, spyware and other threats
• Norton Protection Centre provides a central place to easily check overall security settings
• Includes protection updates and new product features as available throughout the renewable service period

It is available in single, three and five users packs. Click the following links for more information and pricing.

• Symantec Norton Internet Security 2007 – 1 User Pack
• Symantec Norton Internet Security 2007 – 3 Users Pack
• Symantec Norton Internet Security 2007 – 5 Users Pack

I consider Norton Internet Security to be the best security suite in the world, however, if you don’t want an expensive suite, you may want to consider the cheaper anti-virus software from Symantec – Norton AntiVirus 2007. Let’s have a look at its features.

• Detects and removes viruses and spyware
• Blocks spyware automatically
• Prevents virus-infected emails from spreading
• Automatically detect and block viruses, spyware, and worms
• Rootkit Protection finds and removes hidden threats in the operating system
• Internet Worm Protection blocks viruses, spyware and worms without specific signatures
• Email and instant-message scanning detects, removes or blocks infected attachments
• Full System Scan performs a deep scan to remove existing viruses, spyware and other threats
• Norton™ Protection Centre provides a central place to easily check overall security settings
• Includes protection updates and new product features as available throughout the renewable service period

Click the following links for more information and pricing.

• Symantec Norton AntiVirus 2007 – 1 User Pack
• Symantec Norton AntiVirus 2007 - 3 Users Pack
  
• Symantec Norton AntiVirus 2007 – 5 Users Pack
• Symantec Norton AntiVirus 2007 – 10 Users Pack

One thing to note: both Norton Internet Security 2007 and Norton AntiVirus 2007 only work on Windows XP, and they are also eligible for a free Windows Vista compatibility update.

If you are a Mac user (Mac OS X version 10.3.x or higher), Symantec also provides the solution for you. You could consider any of the following products:

• Symantec Norton Internet Security 3.0 For Macintosh
• Symantec Norton AntiVirus 10.0 For Macintosh

Unfortunately, if you are still using Windows 98 or some other platforms, the Norton 2007 won’t work on your machine. Your choices are that you can stick with your current antivirus software, buy a new desktop or laptop PC or consider upgrading your operation system.

Top External DVD Writer – Samsung SE-S164L Super-WriteMaster

In a previous post, I introduced you to the Samsung SH-S182D internal DVD writer. If you’re a laptop user, or if you don’t have a spare expansion bay for another internal drive, you may want to consider one of the external DVD writers that are available. Again, Samsung will be on the top of this list – here’s all the information about one of their best:

Samsung SE-S164L Super-WriteMaster External DVD Writer

Specifications

• Drive Type: DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/-RAM
• PC/Drive Interface: USB
• DL DVD+R Write Speed: 8X
• DL DVD-R Write Speed: 4X
• DVD+RW Write Speed: 8X
• DVD-RW Write Speed: 6X
  

Pros

• Sleek, black and silver design
• Can stand vertically or horizontally

Cons

• DVD-RAM transfer speed rating is low
• USB-only drive

Furthermore, it uses Samsung’s WriteMaster technology which combines some great features including the Direct Disc Labelling. The bundled software is Nero Express 6.6 (with BackItUp and VisionExpress).

Click the link for more information and pricing - Samsung SE-S164L Super-WriteMaster External DVD Writer

Microsoft Announces Zune Pricing and Ship Date

According to PC World, Microsoft’s digital media player Zune will be available in the US from 14 November 2006 for US$249 (NZ$378). The first Zune player will come with 30GB of storage and allow users to play music, videos and photos on a screen. In order to differentiate from the iPod, the Zune player will include wireless technology and a built-in FM radio tuner.

The accompanying music store will be called Zune Marketplace. Unlike Apple’s iTunes, which lets users buy individual songs or entire albums, Microsoft will offer a monthly subscription service called Zune Pass. For US$15 (NZ$23) per month, users can have access to millions of songs – but only while your subscription is valid. Alternatively, you can buy the song at the cost of US$0.99 (NZ$1.50) each.

Very sad though - Microsoft didn’t provide any information for outside of the United States.

Click the link for all other available MP3 players.

Intel's New Mobile Platform Coming Next Year

As many of you might know, Intel’s current notebook platform is called “Centrino”, and combines a low-wattage processor and wireless ability with an efficient chipset. Intel has had very strong sales with Centrino, but now Intel is going to replace it with the all new mobile platform called “Santa Rosa” in the first half of 2007.

The new platform will bring improvements in processing power, battery life and wireless connectivity over the current Centrino architecture. The Santa Rosa notebooks will start up and load applications twice as fast as the current Centrino laptops. For wireless connectivity, the new notebooks will use the 802.11n standard (five times fasters than the current 802.11g) and deliver embedded 3G wireless WAN technology from Nokia.

Once Intel starts to use 802.11n in its platform, the standard will become popular very soon. If you’re thinking about updating to or purchasing a new wireless router, you may want to consider one of the Wireless-N gears, such as the Linksys WRT300N Wireless-N Broadband Router.

Click the link for all current notebooks models from Sony, Toshiba, Lenovo, HP, Acer and ASUS.