Archive for the 'Gadgets' Category

FriendFeed Mobile Tech ‘Likes’ for the morning of Friday June 5th, 2009

Trying something different..

 

Sascha Pallenberg

Sascha Pallenberg

George Kuan of Freescale on Smartbooks during the Linux Forum 2009 – "Smartbooks are always connected" #smartbooks #netbooks

11 hours ago from Twitter

Steve 'Chippy' Paine

Steve ‘Chippy’ Paine

Computex 2009 Intel MIDS – http://www.umpcportal.com/gallery…

9 hours ago from Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC) image…

Steve 'Chippy' Paine

Steve ‘Chippy’ Paine

Compal KAX-15 Menlow-based MID. Info and JKK’s Video. Coming via Aigo? – http://www.umpcportal.com/2009…

8 hours ago from UMPCPortal

Steve 'Chippy' Paine

Steve ‘Chippy’ Paine

Viliv X70 in case. – http://www.flickr.com/photos…

Viliv X70 in case.

8 hours ago from Flickr

James Kendrick

James Kendrick

This Week at Mobile Tech Manor #42: UMPCs Everywhere – http://jkontherun.com/2009…

5 hours ago from jkOnTheRun

Rob Bushway

Rob Bushway

Nothing like playing Flight Control on iPhone while you are on a plane. New version rocks. #fb

5 hours ago from Twitter

jkkmobile

jkkmobile

Inventec Moorestown MID at Computex – http://jkkmobile.blogspot.com/2009…

Inventec Moorestown MID at Computex

5 hours ago from jkkmobile

jkkmobile

jkkmobile

Asus Eee PC T91 with multitouch screen – http://jkkmobile.blogspot.com/2009…

Asus Eee PC T91 with multitouch screen

5 hours ago from jkkmobile

Kevin C. Tofel

Kevin C. Tofel

Acer Android Netbooks Will Include Windows After All – http://jkontherun.com/2009…

3 hours ago from jkOnTheRun

jkkmobile

jkkmobile

Hands-on with Nvidia Tegra platform on netbook – http://jkkmobile.blogspot.com/2009…

Hands-on with Nvidia Tegra platform on netbook

2 hours ago from jkkmobile

Kevin C. Tofel

Kevin C. Tofel

Pre Inventory Levels are Lower Than Low in my Area – http://jkontherun.com/2009…

2 hours ago from jkOnTheRun

Kevin C. Tofel

Kevin C. Tofel

Do Three I’s and Two Devices Equal One Happy Camper? – http://jkontherun.com/2009…

1 hour ago from jkOnTheRun

Rob Bushway

Rob Bushway

Guy next to me on airplane has sony ereader, me kindle 2..fight!! The winner? Me…i just bought a book while waiting for the doors to close

1 hour ago from Twitter

Steve 'Chippy' Paine

Steve ‘Chippy’ Paine

sitting at Hong Kong airport messing with the x70. i like it better than the s5 so far. more productive. video quality is stunning.

1 hour ago from Twitter

Updated Gadget Bag

I received the last of my items today to complete my Asus Eee PC 1000H purchase (for now).

First is a generic travel adapter made for the Asus Eee PC 900/901.  The 1000/1000H uses the same 12V/3A so it works fine.  I bought two at around $8 a piece.  The totally was around $40 because eBay people like to rip people off on shipping.

On the left is the original AC adapter.  On the right is the new travel adapter.

IMG_5167

 

Next, a new gadget bag! Yay!  I bought the Eagle Creek Vagabond bag from Amazon for $65.  I love it!  While there’s plenty of compartments, overall it’s very compact.  The dimensions are 11 x 12 x 3 inches, so the 1000H fits in there nicely.  It’s not a tight fit either.  There’s still a bit of space in the main laptop area.

IMG_5170 IMG_5171

IMG_5172 IMG_5173

 

 

Finally, here’s all my crap laid out on the table.  This is probably the most I will carry with me.  Under normal circumstances, I won’t need the external hard drive and Tekkeon battery.

From top-down/left-right: 

(Top row) 12V/3A Travel charger, Canon TX1 case, LAN cable, Tekkeon MP3700 cable

(2nd row) Eagle Creek Vagabond Shoulder bag, Asus Eee PC 1000H, Tekkeon MP3700 50Wh external battery, external 250GB hard drive w/ cable

(3rd row)  Retractable mini stereo to mini stereo cable, Retractable USB to mini-USB cable, SuperLink transfer cable, iPhone Sync cable,  Kensington PilotMouse Mini Bluetooth mouse, CradlePoint CTR350 EVDO router.

(4th row)  Paperclip, Cleaning cloth, iPhone earbuds, Novatel U727 USB EVDO modem, iPhone 1.0

IMG_5178 

The CradlePoint router I have needs power but I can use the Tekkeon battery to run it if needed.  I forgot to include the bluetooth GPS receiver, but it’s tiny and takes very little space.

 

All packed up. 

IMG_5179 IMG_5182 IMG_5185

Elantech Multitouch Super-Pad Control Panel Walkthrough

I recently upgraded the touchpad drivers for the Asus Eee PC 1000H to version 7.0.3.8.  It included a new control panel interface for configuring the various gestures.

Here are screenshots to showing which gestures you can do and how they can be configured.

Read more »

Asus Eee PC 1000H Upgrade Benchmarks

At the same time I ordered the Acer Eee PC 1000H, I also ordered a few upgrades from NewEgg.

Before installing the upgrades, I ran CrystalMark2004 using Eee PC’s ‘High Performance’ mode.  This is using the stock Seagate Momentus 5400.3 80GB hard drive and 1GB ASint RAM stick.

1000h-1GB-80GB-AutoHigh

 

Here are the results after installing the upgrades:

HighAfterRAMHD

You can see there’s a slight increase in all the CPU and graphics related tests.  This is most likely due to the faster 2GB RAM stick with CL4.  In the memory tests, there was a significant boost in score; going from 4330 to 4832.

The largest factor is definitely the hard drive.  The score jumped from 5806 to 8533. 

Asus Eee PC 1000H Initial Impressions

Copy/pasted from FriendFeed.

———-

You posted a message

“Initial impressions of the Asus Eee PC 1000H.”

2 hours ago – CommentLikeHideMore

Michael W. May and MiniMage liked this

Keyboard is great. Slightly smaller than the Samsung Q1 external keyboard. Even then, the keys are relatively large and has a nice feel. – You (edit | delete)

Touchpad buttons are stiff. I’m beginning to tap the touch pad for a left click more since it causes less strain on my wrists. Multitouch scrolling in the browser is fantastic. Very much like a MacBook. – You (edit | delete)

How’s your spacebar? – Lora Heiny

Display is bright thanks to LED backlight. I’m using the 4th notch from the left to save battery life. The bezel is a bit large. Probably could have fit an 11″ screen. Would still like 1280×768 resolution but at 1024×600, reading text is nice. – You (edit | delete)

Battery life so far is fantastic. Under normal usage, can probably get around 4-5 hours. With intense CPU/LAN/hard drive usage, probably around 3-4 hours. – You (edit | delete)

Performance is ok. It’s faster than the Intel A110 800Mhz chip in the previous generation of UMPC’s, but not by much. I’m assuming most of the performance gains are coming from the faster RAM and 5400 RPM SATA2 hard drive. I ran an initial benchmark with CrystalMark. I will run another test when I replace the memory with a 2GB CAS 4 stick and 320GB 5400RPM WD Scorpio drive when they arrive tomorrow. – You (edit | delete)

Boot up time.. It’s ok. It’s not much of a factor to me since I use Sleep Mode all the time. Time to sleep when closing the lid is very fast. Within a few seconds. It’s disappointing it doesn’t come out of sleep when opening the lid. You have have to press the power button to wake. It’s fast coming out of sleep. – You (edit | delete)

@Lora: The spacebar feels very nice. There is a little bit of travel on all the keys, but overall, it’s very very comfortable. There’s no real difference clicking the spacebar from the left or right side.. The construction is solid. – You (edit | delete)

Audio. The speaker volume is low. It’s kind of cool that is has environmental effects, but I usually ignore them. – You (edit | delete)

plug in a headphones and it works fine. You will get prompted for how you want the plug to be used BTW. – Christopher Welle

I’m still not sure what the ‘Super Hybrid Engine’ does. I assume it reduces or overclocks the CPU but I haven’t noticed any changes when observing the CPU speed and power usage with Notebook Hardware Control. – You (edit | delete)

The dedicated resolution switching button is very handy. There will be times when an app will require minimum 1024×768. – You (edit | delete)

The webcam quality is not bad at all. I’m not totally convinced this chipset can handle full 30fps 1.3 megapixel video, but for streaming through Ustream/Seesmic/etc, it should be fine. – You (edit | delete)

Love that you fit a whole review here. Keep it coming. – Andrew Warner

So if you review here on FriendFeed, what will you have for the blog? Will you capture everything you reviewed and post it on your blog? Using FriendFeed to answer any questions that are added to the blog? – Christopher Welle

Just asking because its a interesting thought to do posts with instant feedback that you can add to the blog post later. – Christopher Welle

The power drain is interesting. It hovers around -10-12W drain. Up to around -15W when plugging in USB devices. I would think the Atom processor would account for a lot more battery saving but it doesn’t seem significantly more efficient than the A110. The 10″ display and 5400RPM hard drive are the main factors for relatively high power drain. I’m sure running Vista will gain more battery life since its power management is much better. – You (edit | delete)

Haha thanks for answering the question for me. I’ll most likely, copy/paste this post to my blog instead. I find it more comfortable to write in spurts rather than stress out on a whole post. – You (edit | delete)

Kind of like taking notes with a live audience then edit it into something else afterwards. – Christopher Welle

Wheres the pictures? – Christopher Welle

Pictures will come later. I’ll do some comparison shots with a MacBook, Fujitsu U810, Samsung Q1, and any other devices that are around. – You (edit | delete)

Heat. Not bad at all. The only real warm spot is where the hard drive sits. I have no problems with this sitting on my bed without a laptop cooler thingy. NHC shows the HD around 50 degrees C. CPU at around 55-60 C. – You (edit | delete)

I’m missing the touchscreen. Sometimes it’s a pain to try to be accurate with the touchpad. I’m catching myself wanting to just click the screen or move the scroll bars with my finger. – You (edit | delete)

Well, I’m sure I’ll post more comments later. For now, at around $450 + shipping, this little Netbook is a great deal. – You (edit | delete)

link to where you bought it. – Christopher Welle

http://www.amazon.com/1000H-10…You (edit | delete)

I bought it off Amazon and TigerDirect was the lowest priced seller at the time at $469. I paid $30 for 2 days shipping. They are out of state so no sales tax. It came in 2 days :) . I also recommend buying from Newegg . The only reason I didn’t go there was because they were out of stock at the time. The one I have has an 80GB hard drive. It doesn’t matter to me since I’m replacing the hard drive. If you want to run it out of the box, the new ones come with a 160 GB hard drive. http://www.amazon.com/1000H-Di…You (edit | delete)

I’m blogging again?

I haven’t been active in this blog lately.  I will be more active in the near future.

Why?  Something is arriving very soon…

image

 

I gave into my gear loving addiction and ordered an Asus Eee PC 1000H along with upgrades and accessories.  I will go into more detail soon.

Sony HDR-TG3E (HDR-TG1) Unboxing Video

I mentioned the announcement of this device along with a size comparison chart.

Also known as the Sony HDR-TG1, here’s an exclusive unboxing of Sony’s new ‘Full HD’ hybrid cam brought to you by Matt of Tracy and Matt’s Blog.

Big thumbs up for the built in ports. It includes USB, HDMI, component video, composite video, and a docking port as well.

It does appear a bit long. May not be fit well in jeans but should fit fine in a jacket pocket or cargo pants.

Tracy and Matt’s Blog :: Sony HDR-TG3E Handycam preview video (exclusive)

5×5 Vignette Windy Day


5×5 Windy Day from Rodfather on Vimeo.

First 5×5 Vignette. It was a very windy day so I took some footage of some plants & trees blowing in the wind.

Shot from Canon TX1 at 720P. The audio had a lot of wind noise even though I turned on the wind filter. It was ridiculously windy though so it was expected. My hat flew off twice during this time.

I did an experiment in post. Edited this with my 800Mhz Fujitsu U810 UMPC using Sony Vegas. While editing, the preview screen couldn’t really keep up but it wasn’t actually too bad editing HD footage on such a slow computer. I’m somewhat glad now that the Canon TX1 encodes to MJPEG. If it encoded to H.264, there would be no way I would be able to edit it since H.264 is so processor intensive.

I ended up encoding the final product to 720P WMV. It took 54 minutes to encode 25 seconds worth of footage.

I doubt I will edit HD footage on a UMPC in the near future, but it’s nice to know it’s even possible.

Download WMV from Vimeo page – 1280×720 30FPS (99MB)

DIY Video Stabilizers/Steadicams

One of big challenges for any videographer is reducing camera shake.  The need for stabilizers comes up very often.  I mentioned in another post a possible mini FigRig solution for the Canon TX1 using a Wii racing wheel.

I’ve compiled a list of links for cheaper alternatives to expensive solutions.  I’ll try to keep adding to the list as I find them.

image

http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~johnny/steadycam/ – $14 Steadicam “The Poor Man’s Steadicam”.  The most popular DIY Steadycam by Johnny Chung Lee.

image

http://www7.taosnet.com/f10/steadycam/ – More elegant looking steadicam/monopod using a cheap Walmart tripod.

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http://www.cartala.com/diy.html – Modification of the $14 Steadicam.  Uses a longer cross bar with additional weight.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTR5EYO0rLc – Another variant of the $14 Steadicam.  Most interesting part is the there’s no drilling for the camera mount.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7TMa-v03aE – Another project by cinepegger.  Using a bicycle wheel for a Fig Rig.

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/shygantic/129121710/ – PVC FigRig.

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http://youtube.com/watch?v=T1aPbwcqquk – Zero Cost Steadicam.  This is what I’m using in the meantime. :)   All you have to do is extend a tripod and hold it in the right place.  It’s not perfect but the result is a lot better than normal handheld.

http://homebuiltstabilizers.com/greyhandheld.htm – List of DIY stabilizers for handheld cameras.

Lenovo & Aigo MID Photos

Just noticed this tweet from Josh Bancroft of Intel and Tiny Screenfuls. He’s been in Shanghai all this time and has been updating his blog on his experiences there.

Josh Bancroft
jabancroft World Exclusive: I got to play with the Lenovo and Aigo MIDs today at Intel Shanghai. Here’s a set of 33 photos: » link to World Exclusive: Lenovo and Aigo Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) at Intel Shanghai – a photoset on Flickr 4 minutes ago from twitterrific Icon_star_empty reply to jabancroft

There are some nice size comparison shots with the Fujitsu U1010 and the Samsung Q1U.

Update: Josh posted a writeup on his blog about the gallery..

World Exclusive: I got to play with the Lenovo and Aigo Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) at Intel Shanghai

jabancroft Quick blog post on my MID photos, with some more details. Will post more of a writeup, and the videos, after sleep » link to World Exclusive: I got to play with the Lenovo and Aigo Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) at Intel Shanghai at Josh Bancroft’s TinyScreenfuls.com

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