Projector in a camera

Compact Digicam Review: Nikon S1100pj

by Sim Cheng Kai

05:55 AM Nov 12, 2010

If you love sharing photo slideshows and videos with friends and family on the go, but often can't find time to edit them on the computer, or have a big enough display to do your captured moments justice, then the Nikon Coolpix S1100pj ($569) - which has an integrated pico (pocket-sized) projector - may just be the right compact digicam for you.

The S1100pj is only the second digicam to feature an integrated projector - the first being its predecessor, the S1000pj. And while pico projectors are nothing new, they are often stand-alone or found on the back of certain mobile handsets. None of these devices so far can match the S1100pj's 14.1-megapixel sensor or 5x wide optical zoom.

Picture quality is on par with other digicams of a similar price range.

Noise performance is decent - signs of grain only began showing when I shot night pictures at ISO 800, although you can technically go all the way to ISO 6400.

Don't expect extensive camera controls like shutter speed or aperture adjustment here.

There is an Easy-Auto mode that decides everything for you, an Auto mode where you can tweak ISO, white balance and exposure, Scene Selection modes with presets for various scenarios like Portraits, and a Face Detection mode that tries to keep all your subjects' faces in focus and automatically snaps a picture when they're all smiles.

There are just six buttons on the S1100pj - on/off, shutter button with zoom slider, projector button with focus dial, video recording, scene selection, and playback mode. All other functions are rendered from the camera's three-inch resistive touchscreen.

Switching between modes and fine-tuning settings is rather slow - you have to wait for the screen to respond. But on the up side, there is tap-to-focus and tap-to-shoot.

You can do HD video recording at 720p with sound, zoom and auto-focus. Oddly enough, tap-to-focus does not work while filming.

When projecting photos and videos, there are simple slideshow settings that you can tweak, such as four transition animations and the option to add any of three music tracks.

When projecting, a tiny tilt-stand at the bottom of the unit holds it in place, and audio comes out from the S1100pj's speaker. An infra-red remote gives you control away from the touchscreen.

The best feature on the digicam has to be the ability to project PowerPoint presentations without connecting it to a computer. Simply save the presentation as a JPEG file, conform to the camera's naming conventions, and load it on a memory card. If you do hook up a laptop, you can also project just about everything on the screen if you've installed the bundled software.

Though this is great for presentations, it's not ideal for intensive tasks like video playback or gaming - the maximum frame rate is 24 frames per second and the projection brightness rating is 14 lumens.

Nikon says that you can project an image of 47 inches from a throw distance of 2.4m. On a white wall in a dark room, images are sharp and details are amazingly clear if you're projecting from around 2m and closer. SIM CHENG KAI

Source: www.todayonline.com

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Mac's got a new Office

Software Review: Microsoft Office for Mac 2011

by Trevor Tan
05:55 AM Nov 05, 2010

Mac users might hate to admit it but their most frequently used OS X program probably bears the name of Microsoft. Microsoft Office, that is.

Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 comes in Home and Student Edition ($188 for one licence, $228 for the three-licence Family Pack), which consists of Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Messenger for Mac, and the Home and Business Edition ($298 for one licence, $398 for the two-licence pack) that adds Outlook for Mac 2011.

Each application of the suite starts up faster and feels more responsive. For example, on a Core i7 MacBook Pro, PowerPoint 2008 took around six seconds to start up while PowerPoint 2011 took two seconds.

You will be greeted with a template gallery in Word, PowerPoint and Excel. I'm particularly fond of Word's Publishing Layout, which is reminiscent of Apple's Pages, allowing you to lay out and design newsletters and brochures easily.

In addition, instead of the irksome "Toolbox" in Office for Mac 2008 that took up space outside the document window, the Ribbon is introduced across the suite. The Ribbon is basically a series of toolbars in tab form, where you can go to each tab to access the tools you need. For example, you can switch from the Tables tab in Excel 2011 to the Formulas tab seamlessly to execute an "AutoSum" function. You can also reorder the tabs or hide the Ribbon when you don't need it.

A Media Browser, which looks like it has been fished out from iLife, allows you to add photos, music and videos from your iPhoto and iTunes library.

More importantly, the usage of Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) in Office 2011 means macros can be used interchangeably between Mac and Windows. Thus, your Word document will not get truncated as a result from moving from Windows to Mac. You can even export your Windows Word macros to your Mac.

Speaking of Word for Mac 2011, I love the new full screen feature that transports your document to a black background with the essential tools on top. This allows you to concentrate on your document without the interruption of emails or Internet messages.

PowerPoint for Mac 2011 is also really cool, with transitions and animations that can compare to those of Apple Keynote's. Even Keynote doesn't have the stylish dynamic 3D reordering in PowerPoint 2011. Once you click on "reorder objects", the screen will fade to a 3D layer view, allowing you to change layers easily.

I don't use Excel much, so I can't comment much on Excel for Mac 2011 except that it feels faster and looks better than its predecessor.

And finally, Outlook for Mac 2011 gives you true Exchange support, unified email folders, threaded emails and even allows you to import data from your Outlook for Windows to your Mac. I can effortlessly set up all my emails, from Gmail to MobileMe. This effectively removes the last obstacle for Windows users who resisted the switch to Mac, as their Windows-centric workplaces need Outlook. On the downside, Outlook 2011 for Mac doesn't support Exchange Server 2003 and earlier versions. You can't sync your iCal calendars with Outlook, too.

With its sleek user interface, better performance, VBA implementation and a full working Outlook for Mac, Office for Mac 2011 is the one productivity suite you will need on your Mac

Source: www.todayonline.com

Office Mac Home and Business 2011 - 2 License Pack

Office Mac Home and Student 2011 - Family Pack (3 Licenses)

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EeePad tablets on sale in Jan

05:55 AM Nov 05, 2010
TAIWAN'S Asustek Computer will start selling its first tablet computers in January next year, joining other rivals to compete with Apple in the fast-growing market.

An official said that the company will sell its EeePad tablets running Windows software in January, followed by others with Google's Android system in April.

Tablets, with their bright LCD touchscreens and longer battery lives, have hurt sales of regular laptop computers.

Apple controlled 95 per cent of the market for tablet computers with its iPads in the July-to-September quarter, according to research firm Strategy Analytics. REUTERS

Source; www.todayonline.com

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LG to launch Honeycomb tablet?

05:55 AM Nov 05, 2010

LG Electronics, the world's No 3 handset vendor, plans to launch an 8.9-inch tablet device based on an upcoming version of Google's Android operating system, said a source yesterday.

The device, to run on Google's upcoming "Honeycomb" operating system tailored for tablet PCs, will be rolled out in South Korea and overseas early next year, the source said, who asked not to be identified as the new Google system has not been announced yet.

With the rollout, LG seeks to jump into the fast-growing tablet PC market that is becoming increasingly crowded with the likes of Samsung Electronics, Research In Motion, Hewlett-Packard and Dell.

Handset vendors and PC makers are rushing into the new category of devices, which Apple jump-started this year with its hot-selling iPad.

The upcoming LG device will be the first tablet PC for the company, after it dropped a plan to introduce tablets based on the Android 2.2 operating system, also known as "Froyo", citing the need for "the most reliable and suitable Android version" for tablets.

The delay by LG could land a further blow to the South Korean electronics firm, which is grappling to turn around its loss-making mobile unit due to a lack of smartphone models to compete with Apple's iPhone, RIM's BlackBerry and Samsung's Galaxy S. REUTERS

Source: www.todayonline.com

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Creative takes on iPad with price ace

Published November 5, 2010


Ziio touchscreen tablet to be offered in Dec at half the price of iPad

By WINSTON CHAI


CREATIVE Technology is looking to rediscover the Midas touch with new touchscreen tablets that promise to go head-to-head with Apple's wildly popular iPad in functionality - but at half the price.

The homegrown company, which suffered a first-quarter loss of US$3.6 million as sales of its music and media players continue to wane, will be hoping to turn the tide by latching on to the latest consumer craze for touch-screen gizmos.

Creative's new product family, dubbed Ziio, will initially comprise two models: a 7-inch and a 10-inch touchscreen tablet. These will be offered with memory capacities of 8 gigabyte (GB) and 16 GB respectively.

Both will be powered by Creative's self-developed ZMS-08 processor and run Google's Android 2.1 operating system (OS).

Android is the favoured choice of companies looking to emulate Apple's success as it is seen as the closest contender to the operating system the latter uses on the iPhone and iPad.

Last week, Singapore Telecom announced it had scored an exclusive deal to sell Samsung's Android-powered tablet - the Galaxy Tab - from next week.

Other gadget makers including Hewlett-Packard, Viewsonic, Asus and Acer are also expected to throw down the gauntlet in the coming months.

While Apple's touch-screen slate has a minimum price tag of $728, Creative's basic Ziio model is more than 50 per cent cheaper at $359.

Besides costing less, the Ziio has another key selling point in its audio performance. The use of Creative's X-Fi technology means its tablets can deliver audio that rivals a high-end speaker system, the company said in a statement.

Industry watchers believe Creative's latest product foray should benefit from the growing popularity of the tablet-form factor. However, it would be tough for any company to lay claim to the mantle of iPad killer, they said.

According to research firm Strategy Analytics, the iPad accounted for a whopping 95 per cent of the 4.4 million tablets that were shipped globally in the third quarter this year.

As in the iPad, consumers will be able to download applications on to Creative Ziio tablets from the Web and the company's online ZiiStore.

Wireless and Bluetooth connectivity, along with a built-in camera and support for high-definition video output, are also standard on the device.

However, the Ziio does not support cellular connections. So users will have to connect to a Wi-Fi network to surf and check email.

The Ziio will be available online from December and be sold in Creative stores by the end of January.


Source: www.businesstimes.com.sg

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