*update, phone recommendations

Sony Ericsson k800i - - its a pretty old model, but if u can find it it's a great buy. U can get one from a dealer in lowyat.net(jssim) http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopic=462924&hl= ... anyways, it cost rm610 from him, has a 3.2MP camera, the usual stuff, overall a great phone for the price. Only con is that it uses a joystick, so u might have to take extra care nt to let any dust go in there. :)

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phone recommendations

hey viewers, i realise that we haven't done an article on phones yet. So, today i'll post an article containing a few phones that will best suit your budget as well as needs! :) Leave comments if you want me to give a more detailed review on a specific phone..

SONY ERICSSON
*retail price
w660i - rm
the walkman phone w660i is an affordable, 3g phone that has gone much with the standard Sony Ericsson phone design, not that that is a bad thing. It has gone with comfortable sized buttons, good for all you fat-fingered guys out there. lol. It comes with the standard walkman player and flash themes. 'Sides that, it comes in both black and red, and the red is very suitable for lady users out there, looking sleek and stylish. It has flaws however, the screen resolution isn't the best, and despite having a 2MP camera, it has no flash or autofocus.. However, with the price and specs, this phone is a value for money mid-budget phone.

w890i - rm
Another walkman phone, the w890i resembles the w880i, but has slightly improved specs. It is another 3g phone with a reasonable price. It comes with a 3.15 MP camera and 3g secondary video camera, and the pictures taken are reasonably good. Don't expect to be selling your pictures off ebay though. The buttons are pretty small, but not as miniscule as the w880i's keypad.. its main selling point however, would be its slimness. At only 9.9 mm , it is one of the slimmest ones out there. Definitely one to look at.

k850i
the k850i is slightly more up-market than the two phones previously stated, but it has specs to justify its price. The latest in the line of cyber-shot phones, the k850i has a 5mp camera to boast as well as a xenon flash (not just an led stuck on the back). However the feedback on this phone has been mixed, users liking the design among others, but many have criticised the top 3 touch buttons not working to their liking. The camera has also been known to be pretty laggy, and considering this is supposed to be a camera phone, can be quite a downer. Reasonably sized at 102 x 48 x 17 mm , the k850i is suitable for all ages, as the design is pretty flexible. The mp3 player is a standard Sony Ericsson one, and is suitable for casual mp3 listening. Not a bad phone overall, but for the price, might be worth waiting for the next cybershot phone to come out.

HP iPaq hx2750

Akt, i would recommend the Hp iPaq hx2750 PDA phone. This PDA comes with an Intel 624 MHzXscale processor. It also comes with a fingerprint reader for security.

The softwares in the PDA includes : Volume Control, Self Test, Contacts, Microsoft Pocket Word, Westtek ClearVue Suite, IPAQ File Store, Inbox, Clock, Tasks, IPAQ iTask Manager, Microsoft Outlook 2002, Memory, Voice Recorder, Microsoft Pocket Outlook, Calculator, Power Status, Margi Presenter-to-Go (Trial), WorldMate, HP Profiles, Jawbreaker, Adobe Acrobat Reader, IPAQ Backup, Infrared Beaming, IPAQ Wireless, VPN Client, Align Screen, Microsoft ActiveSync 3.7.1, Notes, Windows Media Player 9.0 for Pocket PC, IPAQ Audio, Bluetooth Manager, Calendar, Microsoft Pocket Internet Explorer, Pictures, Microsoft Pocket Excel, HP Mobile Printing for Pocket PC, File Explorer, Terminal Services Client, Solitaire.

It has 128MB of RAM memory. It has a 3.5" touch screen and a 5-way navigation button which comes in handy. It has WI-FI, Infrared and bluetooth. As with HP's latest crop of Pocket PCs, the hx2750 comes with the iPaq wireless utility so that you can access networks, configure network adapters, and more. Aside from speed, the hx2750 also delivers impressive video performance, which is enhanced by the device's impressive display. The screen isn't VGA quality, but whether surfing the Web or playing a 3D game, I was amazed by the clear text, crisp images, and vibrant colors. I tested the WI-FI and it was pretty fast. The iPaq is very fast, and there was no lag in response time, even while running numerous applications.
I would recommend this PDA to anyone as it has not dissapoint me with it's performance.

By, Z

Canon HG10 HD Camcorder

AKT, i would recommend the Canon HG10 camcorder ( RM5,199). First of all, it uses a 40GB hard disk instead of tapes which can record extremely high defination recording. The camcorder is reasonably small and comfortable to use. It uses a full HD CMOS sensor which produces a total of 2.96 Mega-pixels resolution, which translates to 2.07 MP in movie mode and 2.76 MP in the best stills image mode. The camcorder comes with a 10x optical zoom lens with optical image stabiliser and a generous 211,000 pixel 2.7” LCD screen. The pictures coming off the HG10's HDD are staggering.Shooting outdoors in optimum light and you get fabulous pictures whose resolution, colour and contrast ratio are excellent. The thing i like best is that it shoots in full HD. The quality of the video is amazing. You can also record up to 15 hours in full HD. This model was granted the first prestigious SimplyDV Camcorder of The Year Award for 2007.


By, Z

Nikon D3

The Nikon D3


Features
The nikon D3 (RM16,288 body only) comes with a full-frame 12.9Mp CMOS sensor. It is capable of live-view, which means that you can take pictures through the camera's screen instead of the viewfinder. The D3 is capable of delivering 9fps at full resolution or 11fps in DX crop mode (5.1Mp) with the focus locked on the first frame. It also comes with a 51-point autofocus system and dual UMDA capable CF card slots. The write speed is very fast- a full buffer of 12.9Mp RAW files takes 14s to write, working out to 18Mb per second write speed. It's incredible. Disabling options such as D-lighting and noise reduction will increase buffer size significantly.


Build and Handling
The D3's body is made of magnesium, fully gasket and weather sealed, covered in soft rubber, and ergonomically excellent. The LCD is now protected by a tempered and scratch-resistant glass cover.


Lens System
Nikon has long touted the DX advantage in lens design, especially for wide-angles. However, the AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G IF-ED and AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8G IF-ED introduced with the D3 say that this is now a non-issue. I have tested both of them a couple of weeks ago and they are flawless. To me, these lenses are better than almost all primes in this range. Full frame sensors are actually more forgiving to lens resolution that DX, due to the lower pixel density.


Retouch Menu
The D3 allows basic in-camera editing of images-color balancing, redeye removal, cropping, monochrome conversion, digital filters and D-lighting.


Viewfinder
A full frame viewfinder is always a delight to use. The D3 is no exception. It offers 100% frame coverage, with 0.7x magnification. The 1.2x DK-17M eyecup for the D2 series is compatible with the D3, but it really isn't needed. When and of the crop modes (5.4 ratio or DX) are activated, the unused portion of the finder masks off and becomes both dark and blurred, thanks to an LCD overlay.

LCD and Image Review
The D3 has a 3", 307,000 pixels with full VGA resolution, bright enough for outdoor viewing, and color accurate. Individual pixels are simply not visible.


Metering
The excellent auto-ISO implementation has been retained in the D3, allowing the user to set minimum shutter speed and maximum ISO. Flash performance was consistent and excellent as usual with Nikon bodies; an SB800 is recommended to get maximum functionality and the ability to control remote flashes. Impressively, the long multiple pre-flash lag when using wireless flash on previous bodies has been decreased to the point that it is not noticeable.


Image Quality
Colors are rich and accurate; image acuity is on a level higher than any other camera out there, even in high ISO and difficult lighting situations. No doubt that 14-bit RAW files and the huge pixel pitch helps a lot here. It is safe to say that there is enough resolution in this sensor to create prints of any size- even detailed subjects are rendered well enough that an image upsized to 25Mp or more still looks excellent, and comparable to samples from the Canon 1Ds mark III.


Noise
The D3 has an ISO range of 200 to 6,400, and an expanded ISO range from 100 to 25,600. The camera exhibits no noise up to 3,200, minimal noise at 6,400, and the two boost settings of 12,800 and 25,600 are certainly useable with noise reduction enabled-and no worse than using 3,200 on a D200. The detail, color and acuity remain completely intact at 6,400 and well preserved at 12,800.


Conclusion
The D3 is the best all-around camera available today. To me, it delivers stunning image quality even at high sensitivity; shooting speed in bucket loads, and an autofocus system that is impossible to confuse, all in a package that is perfectly sorted ergonomically, and built to last forever.


By, Z

the iPod nano 4th gen

yes, apple has done it again. Steve Jobs officially released the 4th generation of iPod nano's on the 9th of September. Everytime, we wonder. What the heck will they come out with next? and there u have it. Not such a dramatic change from the 3rd gen as it was from the 2nd gen nano though, as it has the same features, only better.

The 4 and 8gb range has been kicked up to 8gb and 16gb, and the best thing about this is the price. The official price for the 16gb is RM799, and the 8gb is 599 ringgit. The 8gb 3rd gen cost me 849 when it was new, but now the price has been reduced and we must give apple credit for that. Besides the memory capacities of the new range of nanos, the other major change is the shape of it. it has gone from being a square-ish (ipod classic style) shape to a more classic nano shape.. It has retained the same size of screen so that when u watch videos, u turn it horizontally.

As expected, Apple has added its usual bells and whistles and this time, its the Genius feature. Basically, u press a button on the side of the nano while listening to a song, and then the it automatically creates a playlist for u that would suit the mood of the song. As the iPod Nano range is aimed towards the teen-age group, this is a smart move.

What has distinguished the iPods from other mp3/mp4 players has been its design, managing a new and fresh look everytime, yet not overdoing it. It is no different in this case, where the iPod nano 4th gen. looks new, bright, and has retained the classic iPod clicker wheel. But in my opinion, the 3rd gen nano looks better. The iPod nano 4th gen. is claimed to be the thinnest iPod ever made, and this was proven when many people, including myself, compared it to the 3rd gen. iPod nano.Earphones are the standard iPod earphones that come with iPods, you'll have to invest in a proper pair if u want to get the best quality out of your iPod, but the stock earphones will do fine if you're just casual listener.

So, on a scale of 1-10, i would give the new iPod nano an 8. For people who want a slim, sleek tunes player with the capability for a few music videos or even movies.

*this is my first article, so please leave comments in the chatbox that can help me :)

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1st post.

hi all. Fullhouse-it is a blog set up just to give our views on the latest gizmos coming out these days. we'll try to cover as much as possible.. our reviews will be given from a young ppl's perspective, so i hope u will enjoy reading our blog. =)

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