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Fantastic HD footage from the Canon EOS5D Mark II

Posted on 05 Dec 2008 in Gadgets

Canon EOS5DmkII, One night in Beijing. from Dan Chung on Vimeo. Make sure you watch this in HD mode, you’ll need to click-thru to Vimeo.

Desktop DJ

Posted on 24 Nov 2008 in Gadgets

Here’s a pic of the Behringer mini-mixer and EQ I have on my desk at the office. I use this to mix the audio from my iPod and laptop into those Bose headphones. The whole setup is fairly low profile and sure beats fiddling with the headphone plug when you want to switch between sources. I find the Bose headphones too bassy for long listening periods – the low-cut in the EQ brings them down to a more comfortable level.

Mercedes C-Class 2008

Posted on 06 May 2008 in Gadgets

I rented a brand new 2008 Mercedes C-Class Sports Saloon in Black with AMG Styling over the bank holiday weekend. Gorgeous car, I want one badly! I put almost 400 miles on it too.

http://www.c-class.co.uk/home.php

Maersk Decatur

Posted on 03 Oct 2007 in Gadgets

Very excited, seven boxes of my shiniest gadgets that have been in storage in Sydney are now powering their way halfway around the world aboard this container ship. They should arrive in London on the 30th October — just in time for me to move into my new flat. Perfect!

http://www.sailwx.info/shiptrack/shipposition.phtml?call=DPGZ

Video: Visiting the Yodobashi Camera shop

Posted on 18 Sep 2007 in Gadgets

From Akihabara News.com, a visit to the biggest electronics shop in Akihabara: the Yodabashi AKIBA. Seven floors of gadget pr0n.

http://www.akihabaranews.com/en/news_details.php?id=14799

Gadgets I’m Coveting: Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

Posted on 01 Apr 2006 in Gadgets

I’ve been considering the gorgeous 70-200mm lens from Canon for some time now. Although I already have the Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM, I’d like one these too as the quality of shots at f/2.8L between 70-200mm will be nicer, and I think ultimately the lens will be more versatile for shots in this range. This is the lens of choice for paparazzi too

http://www.canon.co.uk/For_Home/Product_Finder/Cameras/EF_Lenses/Zoom_Lenses/EF70_200mm_f2.8L_IS_USM/

Gadgets I’m Coveting: Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM

Posted on 01 Apr 2006 in Gadgets

I’m very keen on this wide-angle EF-S lens from Canon, although with a EF-S mount it will be useless if I end up upgrading to a EOS 5D. Fantastic lens for tourist shots of landscapes and big buildings.

http://www.canon.co.uk/For_Home/Product_Finder/Cameras/EF_Lenses/Zoom_Lenses/EF-S_10-22mm_f-3.5-4.5/index.asp?ComponentID=221325&SourcePageID=26341#1

Gadgets I’m Coveting: Canon IXUS 800 IS

Posted on 01 Apr 2006 in Gadgets

My IXUS 40 and then upgraded to IXUS 50 have been an excellent investment. These tiny pocket size cameras have seen much more use than my bulky Canon SLR setup as I carry the IXUS with me always. I’m quite keen to upgrade again to the IXUS 800 when it’s available next week. This is the first ultra-compact from Canon to feature an optical image stabiliser, just like I have in all my Canon EF/EF-S SLR lenses. The IS will help significantly with night shots out partying. I’ll be picking up one of these ASAP. Full marks to Canon for pushing the boundaries by introducing IS to ultra-compacts.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0602/06022110canonsd700is.asp

Gadgets I’m Coveting: BlackBerry 8707v

Posted on 01 Apr 2006 in Gadgets

Even though I’ve only just picked up the new EDGE capable BlackBerry 8700g on O2, I’ll be switching to the new 3G (UMTS) capable BlackBerry 8707v from Vodafone as soon as they’re available. The snappy XScale processor in the BlackBerry 8700 has renewed my Crackberry addiction, and I just love it. I love that I have all my personal and work email accounts in one view, and access to all my public and work IM accounts via the excellent IM+. The quick wireless synchronisation with my Calendar and Task List is fantastic. I’m also running FreeNews RSS, Google Local, Zagat To Go and more on my 8700, along with wireless access to most of my regular sites through the BlackBerry Browser and Google XHTML transcoding. Froogle Mobile is particularly handy when you’re out and about on the high-street and want to see if you can get a better deal online. While many non-BlackBerry users snipe at the basic look of the interface on BlackBerry compared to the more sexy Windows Mobile and Symbian screens, I think this is what makes BlackBery such a winner from a usability perspective (excluding the horrible 7100 series). If you’re an email, chat and on the move browsing info junkie and you’re not using a BlackBerry, you don’t know what you’re missing .. that being said I am looking forward to playing with the Nokia E61 (with 3G!) when Nokia do eventually release it, and the T-Mobile Vario is nice (but alas not 3G). I did play with a engineering model of the Nokia E70 a couple of weeks ago and was wholly unimpressed with the speed of the processor.

http://uk.gizmodo.com/2006/03/24/blackberry_8707v_first_blackbe.html

Gadgets I’m Coveting: Uniden BCD396T TrunkTracker IV APCO Digital Handheld Scanner

Posted on 01 Apr 2006 in Gadgets

One of these is high on my buy priority list this year for the European airshow season. I’m quite interested in the Close Call feature which will supposedly capture transmissions on nearby frequencies which will be ideal for finding inter-team communication during aerobatic displays etc where I’m not sure of the frequency. Unfortunately it is still very much aimed at the USA market and doesn’t support the most common European MPT1327 trunking standard. Still looks very nice, I am very tempted. Very pricey for a scanner though, but with a 6000 channel memory, and all those new digital and trunking features it’s the most advanced handheld scanner on the market, so the price is reasonable, but still overkill for airshow only usage.

http://www.ukmidlandscanner.co.uk/unibcd396t.htm

Video: Riding the Superconducting Maglev Train

Posted on 21 Jan 2006 in Gadgets

“Riding Japan’s Superconducting Maglev “Linear Motor Car” Train at 502 kilometers/hour on a beautiful day at JR Railway Technical Research Institute’s Yamanashi Maglev Test Line.” Make sure you watch it right through to end to see the external shot of the train passing at highspeed too. At least Japan is dragging the world into the 21st century with cool engineering.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2926400396387878713&q=maglev

Radio Controlled Helicopters

Posted on 08 Jan 2006 in Gadgets

Battery powered radio controlled helicopters are all the rage at the moment. Both WIRED magazine and Flyer ran reviews of a few differnet models last month, and most gadget stores/sites now sell a range of lower priced models. The more expensive yet still affordable helicopters are very capable. They come ready assembled with 15 minutes of flying time provided per charge of the usually Li-Polymer battery. Some of the rotors get up to an impressive 2,000 RPM! I’d quite like to get the Twister 3D Expert, however with no flying experience I might be better to go for the Twister CP V2. The Twister CP has a realistic collective pitch control on the main rotor (see second pic) to change the angle of attack on the carbon-fibre woven blades, just like on more expensive R/C choppers (and the real thing). Problem is I have no where to fly it in London. I could take it down the street to Hyde Park, but I’m pretty sure the park rangers would frown on radio controlled helicopters. I could fly it indoors at home, but I don’t think the helicopter blade scrapes around all the walls would go down too well.

Engadget 1985

Posted on 04 Sep 2005 in Gadgets

Excellent!

http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000430055334/

PSP Games List

Posted on 04 Sep 2005 in Gadgets

Where in we find Battlefield 2 for PSP is coming in December! (Note most of these games are not yet available in the UK)

http://www.psp411.com/list/games/Playstation_Portable_PSP_Games.html

PlayStation Portable blogging

Posted on 04 Sep 2005 in Gadgets

This post was created using my PSP’s inbuilt 802.11b and web browser.

PlayStation Portable

Posted on 03 Sep 2005 in Gadgets

Unlike most other geeks, I haven’t been obsessing over the release of the PSP for the last 6 months, and hadn’t even bothered to pre-order one for the 1st September UK release. On impulse on Friday I decided I might get one, after getting knocked back at a few shops (HMV, Game etc) and most shops and online sellers only offering to take pre-orders for a second delivery sometime later in September, I thought the chances of picking up one were pretty slim. A quick check on Argos.co.uk web site showed three Argos near-by had stock, so I reserved one Friday night and picked it up Saturday morning. You’ve gotta laugh at all the obsessive pre-orders placed months before release, all the shops knocking people who haven’t pre-ordered, and Argos have them in stock! Anyway, the PSP (aside from 5 stuck on pixels!) is fantastic. Just downloaded a free 3GP_Converter and converted some SVCDs to MPEG4 and copied them onto my 1GB Memory Stick Pro Duo, they look fantastic! Can’t seem to get the wifi WPA working with my Linksys AP. Not sure what the problem is there. Picked up Ridge Racer and Metal Gear Acid. Both nice. Looking forward to more games over the coming months. It’s one sexy device, highly recommended.

GB-PVR

Posted on 12 Jul 2005 in Gadgets

I geeked out a bit on the weekend with a HTPC PVR project (why didn’t you just get a SkyPlus I hear you cry!). I setup a dedicated machine plugged into the main TV running GB-PVR. The hardware spec is a Shuttle SN45GV3, AMD Sempron 3000+, 1GB Dual-Channel DDR, two Maxtor 300GB SATA’s, a Hauppauge PVR-350 PCI and Hauppauge Nova-T-USB2. The PVR-350 is hooked into the Sky box and I’m using a RedRat3 IR sender to allow GB-PVR to change channels on the Sky. The Nova-T-USB2 provides digital terrestrial (freeview). While GB-PVR is an awesome piece of software, with a fantastic program guide, beautiful semi-transparent on-screen overlays, live TV time shifting, a web interface and lots of plug ins, the overall picture quality when passing in and out of the Hauppauge gear is disappointing. So much so, that I’d use it to record shows, but never to actually watch TV’s live through the HTPC. HTPC is a bit of a waste of money in my opinion, I guess it’s okay for some wanting a geek project and willing to compromise on quality, but for me I want crystal clear video and audio. Dropping stuff in and out of analogue capture cards and low quality outputs is not good enough for me.

http://www.gbpvr.com/

No more gadget shopping in the UK

Posted on 14 Mar 2005 in Gadgets

I need to go to the US again soon for some gadget shopping. The strong Sterling combined with always ridiculous pricing in the UK market make buying any gadgets in the UK a disappointing experience when you compare prices across the Atlantic. Here’s my current short list with savings in Pounds by buying it in New York: Canon 100-400mm lens GBP180 cheaper, Sipura SPA-3000 ATA GBP42 cheaper, replacement battery for my ThinkPad GBP60 cheaper – total saving GBP282.

SPA-3000 Analog Telephone Adapter

Posted on 09 Mar 2005 in Gadgets

“Micro-Density PSTN Gateway + ATA Combo Solution”: Recommended by a friend, looks very promising. Especially interested in the ability to dial-in into the ATA from PSTN and then initiate at VoIP call.

http://www.sipura.com/products/spa3000.htm

Australian VOIP Internet Phone Providers

Posted on 09 Mar 2005 in Gadgets

Good resource, lots of players now.

http://ozinternetphones.com/

Voodoo Kitchen Knife Holder

Posted on 25 Feb 2005 in Gadgets

I want one! [via jwz]

http://www.viceversa.com/Dynamic/Products,intCategoryID,34,intItemID,1447.html

The curse of the BlackBerry

Posted on 28 Jan 2005 in Gadgets

http://www.infoconomy.com/pages/information-age/group103122.adp

Google Mini

Posted on 27 Jan 2005 in Gadgets

Alternative to their Google Search Appliance, the Mini is limited to indexing 50,000 documents.

http://www.google.com/enterprise/mini/index.html

Mac Mini vs. Shuttle XPC

Posted on 26 Jan 2005 in Gadgets

Like many gadget freaks, I’ve tried really hard to find a reason to buy a Mac mini. I’m all for a low cost headless system from Apple, but alas it’s not a compelling reason for me to buy – yet. I guess I’m just not Apple’s target market.

I thought about plugging it into my existing LCD monitor and Microsoft wireless keyboard/mouse with a monitor switch to flick between that and my Shuttle XPC. But it’s not ideal, what would I do on the Mac that I’m not already doing on my beasty AMD64 3500+ 1GB RAM 200GB SATA GeForce 6800 GT 256MB machine? – infact I could do less, no games, no flight simulators, and drastically reduced access to programming tools. Possibly the only compelling switch reasons to switch are Final Cut Pro and a the sexy MacOS X GUI, but I’d have to forego a fair bit, or run a dual environment. Not forgetting all the software I’d have to rebuy for use on Mac. Really I may as well buy a Full Mac than mess around with a mini, otherwise it’d just be a toy and I’d continue to use my Shuttle XPC for most things.

I thought about plugging into my TV as a media centre PC. Kit it out with a S-video adapter, Apple Bluetooth module, Apple Bluetooth keyboard and mouse combo, add some extra RAM and the faster processor and I’ve almost doubled the base price of GBP339. I may as well get a faster higher-spec AMD based PC as a HTPC, which includes digital audio outputs for the hi-fi and video in for recording. My current setup has my Shuttle XPC treating the main TV permanently as a second display along with a neat infared remote control that gives full control over the mouse and media applications. At any time without having to touch the Shuttle XPC I can pickup the remote, change to the S-Video input and pull up anything from my audio and video library on the TV/Hi-Fi.

So what would make me buy a Mini? Make it even cheaper. Video In. Digital audio outputs. Media centre focused software (ala TiVo). Hi-fi style remote control. Did I mention making it cheaper yet? I guess I could buy it from the States where it works out GBP74 cheaper (you’ve gotta love that strong Pounds Sterling!). Great idea Apple, but I’ve gotta agree with Stu, the Shuttle XPC’s still win for me as a media centre PC – they’re cheaper, more powerful, have better hardware outputs and are more compatible (despite running Windows).

I have no doubt the Mac mini will be a roaring success, I can see many markets where this would work. I guess I’m just cranky as it doesn’t fit for me – yet.

BlackBerry vs. pretty much anything

Posted on 26 Jan 2005 in Gadgets

Everywhere you go in London (City) there are people clicking away on BlackBerry’s. Thanks to aggressive campaigns and smart corporate marketing by the telcos, the take-up for the latest colour devices is huge. Personally I can’t live without my CrackBerry. I’m amazed how right RIM got it, and the opportunity missed by most PDA manufacturers who insist on pursuing stylus based character entry only, with no GPRS/EDGE capability. In my opinion you just can’t beat the text entry speed of a QWERTY thumb-board. I feel sorry for people who think their latest HP iPAQ or GRPS enabled XDA is cool. Sure you have a nicer calendar and task list, but I guarantee anything you can do on PocketPC I can do on my BlackBerry several times faster, and often one handed while walking down the street. The always connected GPRS and push-email should be mandatory for ANY PDA device, and well, if you want to do anything more than a one liner email, a QWERTY keyboard is pretty important too. That said, not all BlackBerry’s are born equal, the older model 7200 series have poor backlights and the new 7100 double-key phone style BlackBerry are pretty horrible to use compared to the full QWERTY layout. Unfortunately some of the operator themes are just ghastly, such as the latest T-Mobile theme which features the most horrible icons I’ve ever seen on a PDA, ever! To PocketPC users the app interfaces may look extremely simple (boring), but if you think of it as a no fuss Google or PalmOS style interface and you’ll come to appreciate the basic uncluttered feel. Sure they’re not perfect, but I reckon they’re better than anything else on the PDA market as an all-in-one PDA, email and mobile Internet browsing device. Push-IMAP might save the PocketPC in the future, but if you’re thinking about buying a non-GPRS enabled PDA, you’re REALLY missing out.

http://www.blackberry.com