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Kodak Zi8 HD Video Camera: Great for travel & video blogging

 

Kodak_Zi8_raspberry

A few days ago I wrote a post called "Are camera phones the new point and shoot cameras" and I guess the same thing could be applied to video cameras as well. I have a big older 3CCD Sony VX2000 Mini-DV camera as well as a newer Canon VIXIA HF10 HD camera that I LOVE! However, unless I'm specifically doing an event recording I'll probably just capture something quick on my iPhone 3GS and share it. The Canon is small but it's not pocket small. So this time I really do have a need for something in between. While the Canon is great, I don't always have it with me. While I do always have my iPhone with me the video is not the best. First off it's only VGA (640×480) and not widescreen. Everything I do nowadays is widescreen or HD unless it's something personal and fun just to share with friends/family. 

I was leaning towards the Flip camera until I ran it by my buddy Dave Helmly (guru of all things video) and he has both cameras and said hands down the Kodak was better. Since they're the same price, I didn't look any further and I bought the Kodak Zi8. I gotta say, I'm blown away by what this little thing does. First off it supports video at full 1080p HD! My HF10 only does 1080i. It has a built-in SDHC slot so I just stuck in one of my Transcend 16GB Class 6 SDHC cards and started shooting. My use for this camera will be mostly for video podcasting/blogging and a few interviews here and there. Speaking of interviews it has a stereo mic input. Another huge plus as I can plug in any mic I want. I'm starting with this one. The Zi8 is about the same footprint as my iPhone 3GS and maybe 1.5 times as thick.

I recorded my first video in 720p mode with it here. This is using the built-in Mic. (Don't forget to switch the YouTube playback to 720p to see the maximum quality):

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_o7JNZNctUk

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Apple Introduces the iPad

iPad

As expected Apple introduced the iPad. Here's what it is in a nutshell. First think of it as a big iPod touch. It can run all of the existing over 140,000 Apps (except the ones that are iPhone specific). Apps can and will be updated to really take advantage of the larger screen size. However, even existing apps will fill the screen using built-in pixel doubling technology. 

 

What it has:

  • 10 hour battery life/1 month standby
  • iWork suite available for it offering Pages, Keynote and Numbers ($9.99 each)
  • Can do:
    • Photos
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV shows
    • Contacts
    • Calendars
    • Bookmarks
    • and of course Applications
  • Height:
    9.56 inches (242.8 mm)
    Width:
    7.47 inches (189.7 mm)
    Depth:
    0.5 inch (13.4 mm)
    Weight:
    1.5 pounds (.68 kg) Wi-Fi model;
    1.6 pounds (.73 kg) Wi-Fi + 3G model
  • 9.7" LED Dsiplay
  • Wi-FI 802.11n
  • 3G Versions do up to 7.2Mbps HSPA
  • Speaker and Microphone
  • New iBook Store for eBooks! Cool look. You can choose the font you want to read the books in. Buy and download iBooks right on the device.
  • 2 models in 3 configurations: WiFi and WiFi + 3G
    • WiFi Models: 16GB $499, 32GB $599, 64GB $699 (All Available in 60 days)
    • WiFi + 3G Models:  16GB $629, 32GB $729, 64GB $829 (All Available in 90 days)
  • The 3G models will be UNLOCKED! Wow! and AT&T will be the US carrier offering two data plans $14.99/month for 250mb of data and $29.99/month for unlimited. NO CONTRACT! Wow!

 

What it doesn't have:

  • No built-in camera so no video chats
  • No Flash support, so web browsing will still be challenging for many sites (still).
  • No multitasking improvements (running multiple 3rd party apps simultaneously)
     

 

Accessories (the real one more thing)!

ipadconnection

The Keyboard dock is cool! However, what wasn't talked about is Apple is doing a "iPad Camera Connection Kit" for being able to bring in your images from your digital camera! Very exciting (not so much for Epson)! This I can't wait for!

 

 

What we didn't see

Rumor score card: As usual the rumor sites get a lot of things right and a lot of things wrong. We didn't see anything regarding Verizon. We didn't see iLife 2010. We didn't see iWork 2010 for Mac, no iPhone 4.0 OS announcements, no multitasking improvements and of course we didn't see the Beatles catalog come to iTunes (that one cracks me up every time. Someday it will happen 😉 )

 

The Bottom Line

It's cool! I was expecting a little more (not sure what, but more). With that said, I'm impressed with what you will get for the price range and the data plans are attractive. It certainly is more exciting than a kindle and fills the need for MANY consumers that need something larger than a touch, but don't need a laptop. I could also see this device being the travel/vacation device of choice. When I travel for leisure I need my emai, web, music, movies, and photos. This does all of that in a nice form factor. I also thought it was brilliant to do iWork for the iPad because with the ability to do word processing, spreadsheet and presentations it means one (or three) less reason(s) to have to carry a notebook. 

I'm also anxiously awaiting to see what app developers do with the ability to have a larger display and more power processor wise.

 

Will I buy one?

Nope, I'm buying two! What? Why two. I'm a tech guy and kind of expected to review these kinds of things as quickly as possible. So I'll start with the 16GB WiFi model (because it will be the one that's available first) to kick around with at home and then hand it over to my  family. Then I'll probably go with the 64GB WiFi-3G version when it's available for my own use. 

See the complete specs here. See the iPad Video Here.

UPDATE: Watch the Steve Jobs/Apple iPad Keynote Video here.

 

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Is it Apple Tablet Day?

Apple012710

 

Well today is the day! Apple is holding a special media event at 10 AM PST for the press and industry experts to see their "latest creation." Of course there is heavy speculation that this will be introduction of the long awaited Apple Tablet Device. 

Other items on the rumor table

Speculation that Apple will roll out iPhone OS 4.0 and iLife 2010. 

The big one is that AT&T's iPhone Exclusivity will end with this event. Not sure if this is true or again wishful thinking, but we will certainly see today. If the tablet has 3G connectivity and that connectivity is via Verizon, whether Apple announces anything about the iPhone or not, I think we'll have our answer. I have lot of Verizon using buddies waiting in the wings for this. So if this happens today, there will be champagne corks popping around the country. 🙂

As usual I will have my take on what Apple actually introduces, so check back here later in the day and I will post my thoughts.

As cool as the "latest creation" will probably be, imagine if it were something like this:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7H0K1k54t6A&feature=player_embedded

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Create Flash Content Easily (no coding) with Adobe Flash Catalyst

FC

Adobe has released a NEW product via Public Beta called Flash Catalyst. With Flash Catalyst designers (non-coders) can create interactive content for their websites or to deploy as stand alone applications. 

I created my first interactive widget called "What's on Terry's iPhone" and you can see it in the sidebar of bestappsite.com. This widget is not only completely interactive, but it links to the over 100 third party iPhone apps that I currently use. So it becomes a useful tool to link to a ton of information interactively in a relatively small space on my site. You can download the current beta here free of charge and use it to build your own interactive Flash content.

 

How to get started with Flash Catalyst

Seeing how you might want to see how this product actually works, I recorded this video for the Adobe Creative Suite Video Podcast this week and figured it would be a great way to get you going;

[flv:http://media.libsyn.com/media/cspodcast/podcast-FC-gettingstarted.mp4 609 344]

 

See more videos on Adobe Flash Catalyst at Adobe TV.

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Good, Better, Best Podcasting Microphones

Rode Podcaster in my studio

I'm always recording video reviews and tutorials and it seems like I'm now doing more than ever. So I started looking at my equipment and looked for things that could be improved. While I didn't really have any complains with my Blue Snowball mic, I just wondered if there was something better? Like anything you can spend a little or a lot, but the real question is "does spending a lot on a USB mic get you any better results?" As I've said in the past, I'm not really an audio expert and have been feeling my way through this stuff for years. So I decided to test out a couple of new Mics to see which one I liked best.

 

The Rode Podcaster USB Mic

Well it has "Podcast" in the name, it must be perfect right? All kidding aside one of the things that drew me to this setup was not only did it look like a more professional solution, but it came with an adjustable arm that clamps onto my desk. This way I can easily position the mic where I need it and move it out the way when I don't need it. There's enough crap on my desk already, so this was a big plus. The Sound quality seemed really good, but honestly to my ears it didn't really seem any better than the Snow Ball. Again I'm not an audiophile so YOU may be able to tell a big difference, but I couldn't. However, the design won my heart and I knew that anything else would have to compete with that!

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Choosing a Fisheye lens: Nikon 10.5mm vs 16mm

Ford Field shot by Scott Kelby using a Nikon 10.5mm on a D3

Above photo of Ford Field shot by Scott Kelby using a Nikon 10.5mm f/2.8 lens on a D3 body

 

During a recent visit by my buddy Scott Kelby who came up to shoot the Lions vs. the Bears game, he showed me this shot that he took with his Nikon 10.5mm f/2.8 lens on his Nikon D3. Honestly, I was never really a fan of fisheye shots before but there was something about this one that made me say "cool!"

 

My search for a fisheye lens began

Now keep in mind that for me a fisheye lens is something that I would use on occasion at best. It's not something that I would use every day and even Scott said, "you will probably use it the least" when I was asking "what should be my next lens?" Keeping that in mind I was debating between the Nikon 10.5mm f/2.8 DX fisheye lens and the Nikon 16mm f/2.8 EX fisheye lens. The difference is that the 16mm Fisheye lens is designed for full frame bodies like my D700. The 10.5mm Fisheye is a DX lens for Bodies with a cropped sensor like a D300s. There is about a $300 price difference between the two and I figured since I wouldn't be using it that often and when I do it will probably be on my D5000, so I decided to go the 10.5mm.

note: click on any of the shots in this post to see them larger

 

The Sigma 15mm f/2.8 detour

When I went to order my Nikon 10.5mm lens (still debating the 16mm), it wasn't in stock. So as an alternative it was suggested that I try the Sigma 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye Lens. Since they had no problem taking it back if I didn't like it, I decided to give it a shot (get it, "give it shot", c'mon these are the jokes people).

A serious WTF moment:

I got the lens and put it on my D700 and fired. Here's what I got:

Sigma 15mm F/2.8 EX DG Fisheye Lens

Umm, What? I felt like I was shooting through a hole. Granted, this may be cool for somethings, but I can do that in Photoshop. What makes matters worse it wouldn't work with my D5000 at all. The camera wouldn't even come on with that lens attached. So back in the box it went. Thanks, but not quite what I had in mind. Now I know that there is probably software out there designed to correct these images and make them look, um right. However, I don't feel that I should have to process every single image that comes out of my camera using special software and the fact that it wouldn't work at all on the D5000 was a deal breaker anyway.

Continue reading “Choosing a Fisheye lens: Nikon 10.5mm vs 16mm”

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GorillaMobile 3G/3GS holds your iPhone

gorillamobile3g3gs

I remember when I first saw the GorillaMobile when it was announced and I kinda mentally dismissed it. Don't get me wrong, I love the GorillaPod line of products. It's just that this wasn't what I was looking for in terms of a "holder" for my iPhone to watch videos on the plane. I was looking for something smaller. I never really found the "right" solution. Most were either too bulky to travel with or didn't allow me to lean the iPhone back far enough for a comfortable viewing angle. 

 

I see the light now

I didn't look at the GorillaMobile again until Joby released their FREE Gorillacam App (which I've reviewed here today). I'm very excited about what the app offers in terms of features and of course many of the features can only be realized if you have a way of holding your iPhone still long enough. For example, doing time lapse photography isn't going to be very exciting holding it by hand. This is when I wanted to look at the GorillaMobile again. So I got one and had a ball using it to take pictures. Once I was done playing with the app for the day I started just playing with the positioning of the GorillaMobile itself and realized that THIS IS the holder I've been looking for! It ships with a case for your iPhone 3G/3GS that has a cutout on the back to place it right on the GorillaMobile. This way you don't have "stick" anything on the back of your iPhone.

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Why I’m not buying a Powermat (yet)

Powermat

My tech buddies are all asking me about the new Powermat charger. I was recently reminded of it on my last flight because there was an article in the Delta in-flight magazine. It's cool! I want it to succeed! However, I'm not ready to buy one just yet.
 

We can't get portable electronic manufacturers to standardize!

The reason I'm not quite ready to buy a Powermat just yet is not because it's not cool technology and not because I don't want LESS wires in my life (trust me, I do!). The reason is simple. In order to use the Powermat with any of my current gear it would require me to either get a special case or dock for each portable electronic gadget I have so that it would charge the device when you place it on the Powermat.

powercube

I won't be really interested in this technology until all of (or at least the ones I care about) the electronic device manufacturers agree to build a universal Powerpad compatible receptacle on the back/bottom of each of their devices. This way no matter which device you bought you could just set it on one these pads and it would start charging. How cool would that be?

I'm not hopeful that we'll see this anytime soon. We can't even get all the cellphone makers to agree (and start using) a standard USB charging port. Didn't I read at some point last year that they all agreed to do just that?

Continue reading “Why I’m not buying a Powermat (yet)”