Panasonic Lumix GF1 reviewed

The typical Micro Four Thirds review seems to come down to a matter of tradeoffs -- size and convenience for a bit of a drop from the image quality and performance of a real DSLR. The GF1 doesn't break that trend, but it has some pretty nice things to offer for the inquisitive interchangeable lens shopper. The most notable feature when put up against its direct competition, the E-P1, is the GF1's built-in pop-up flash, and the primary drawback of both of these cams versus their regular Micro Four Thirds counterparts is the lack of an eye-level viewfinder, though the GF1 does offer a pricey hot-shoe mounted approximation. As for images PhotographyBLOG says the camera gets "almost everything right," and video doesn't look bad neither -- a couple samples are after the break. The camera is no ultra-compact, but it seems another good proof for the existence of Micro Four Thirds as a DSLR alternative.

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LaCie and Philippe Starck join forces

Ever seen products designed by the famous Philippe Starck? If you’re a huge fan of this work, then you might want to consider his latest collaboration with hard drive manufacturer LaCie, where their teamwork has resulted in the LaCie Starck Desktop Hard Drive and the LaCie Starck Mobile Hard Drive. Both of these new models will offer much more than Starck’s iconic touch – they’re intelligent designs through and through, and here’s Starck’s artsy-fartsy explanaiton of his work, “Technological genius explodes exponentially, each time with incredible power whose limits are yet to be known. The power remains, never abating, symbolically characterized by the sculptural magma that one attempts to cleave, to master within this geometrically perfect strongbox. A symbol of strength mastered, of freedom guided, of incandescent magma heeding to the form of its cast. The interpretation is free. But the mystery remains.”

The LaCie Starck Desktop Hard Drive and LaCie Starck Mobile Hard Drive will both come encased in aluminum that is tough enough to handle the everyday rigors of work, boasting a durable exterior that protects the hard drives within from shock and overheating – perfect for you to access your data whenever you need it, wherever you are. The LaCie Starck Desktop Hard Drive comes with a status LED that will resemble Starck’s signature symbol, glowing in the all-too-familiar orange or green color to point out the current activity taken by the hard drive. As for the LaCie Starck Mobile Hard Drive, you get a built-in USB cable that is uniquely placed for convenient storing and data accessibility.

Both models will connect to computers using the USB 2.0 interface – sorry folks, you’ll just have to wait for some time more if Starck decides to dream up of another design that will cater to USB 3.0 fans. This makes it PC and Mac friendly, and will ship with LaCie Backup Assistant and LaCie Desktop Manager software to help you format, back up and customize your hard drive any way you like. The LaCie Starck Desktop Hard Drive will come in in 1TB and 2TB capacities, retailing from $129.99 onwards. As for the LaCie Starck Mobile Drive, you can choose from 320GB and 500GB capacities, with prices starting from $99.99 a pop.

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Apple Keyboard and iPhone Dock

It is interesting that we did not think about this in the past because this gadget actually makes a lot of sense. We are talking about a keyboard that comes with an integrated iPhone dock. As expected, this has the Apple logo everywhere on it. Now the interesting aspect is that the iPhone will actually work for you in a combination with the keyboard. In the picture above it is turned into a numpad, which does not exist on this keyboard. In the event that you do not need the mobile phone to do that, you can always make it fill with shorcuts for your favorite programs. This is definitely a gadget that would sell well if you have an Apple computer and an iPhone.

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Charge Both Your iPod and iPhone Simultaneously With iHome iP88

We all know that the iPod dominated the music player scene. Even other competitors was able to get hold of themselves and make a music player under their name. Then the iPhone was introduced and people can’t get enough of it that it ate a huge part of the smartphone and feature phone market share and revolutionized phones as we know it. So, what happened to consumers? It is either they have an existing iPod then sell it to get an iPhone and they’ve got themselves a phone and an iPod. But if you are like most of the people who already have an iPod then bought an iPhone without selling your iPod then you’re stuck with two devices competing for one speaker dock. Well not anymore if you get the iP88 music speakers dock from iHome.

For one, this speaker dock can charge both your iPod and iPhone at the same time. The alarm clock feature will wake you up at your custom playlist at different times, at different days. With the programmable snooze settings, you will have the freedom to extend your sleeping time in case you hate the common 7 minutes snooze. There are also digital AM/FM presets, EQ controls, and even 3D sound for an enhanced audio experience supplied by the Reson8 stereo speaker chambers.

The iHome iP88 supports every iPod from the iPod Mini up to the 4th Generation iPod Nano that has the video recording capabilities. As for the iPhone it supports both 2G and 3G version.

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New Sierra Wireless USB Modem for a Value-Driven User Like You

Perhaps, you’ve already heard about Sierra Wireless’ full line of data cards and USB modems for mobile broadband networks. Do you know that recently, the company has added five new products which include the second generation Sierra Wireless products for the upcoming HSPA+ technology standard? This new addition is also made up of newly-designed HSPA USB modems.

Among the new products to join the HSPA+ networks are AirCard 503 data card, as well as AirCard USB 308 and 309 modems. These three products support maximum download speeds of 21megabits per second (Mbps), thus providing digital enthusiasts with the ability to quickly upload revisions or additions for their viral video campaigns, monitor the team collaboration site any update, or download the latest sales report wherever they may be.

A reliable and convertible 2-in-1 card, the Aircard 503 can be slotted in both the PC card and ExpressCard’s port, making it compatible with different models of notebook computers. The Aircard USB 308 and 309 modems, on the other hand, boast their fresh industrial design along with great performance enhancements. With such enhancements, you can now quickly install Sierra Wireless Watcher connection manager and enjoy a speedy browsing experience. These two models differ in the HSPA+ frequency bands that they support, with the 308 supporting the 850, 1900,, and 2100 MHz HSPA+ frequency bands, while the 309 supporting the 900 and 2100 MHz frequency bands.

Other fresh entries in Sierra Wireless product line are the Aircard USB 301 and 302 modems which come with a perfect blend of innovative design and modern features. They give maximum download speeds of 7.2 Mbps and maximum upload speeds of 5.76 Mbps on an HSPA network. This means power that’s more than enough to let you do your daily routine tasks such as Internet browsing, visiting social networks, and a whole lot more.

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