Tag Archives: Gadgets
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

http://www.c-class.co.uk/home.php
Maersk Decatur
Posted on 03 Oct 2007 in Gadgets

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

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

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

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0602/06022110canonsd700is.asp
Gadgets I’m Coveting: BlackBerry 8707v
Posted on 01 Apr 2006 in Gadgets

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

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

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

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


