Recent Comments:
OCZ Core SSD vs WD VelociRaptor: the early performance numbers are in {Engadget}
Jul 20th 2008 1:58PM Now. Oh, you didn't want to pay $649 for a 64 GB drive?
They'll eventually be available for reasonable (consumer) prices, but that doesn't change the fact that these products are, technically, available.
iPod touch 1.1.5 shows up, confusion abounds {Engadget}
Jul 15th 2008 8:23PM Wrong, Wrong, so much WRONG information about this out there! The monthly subscription has NOTHING to do with why the iPhone is updated for free; it's all in the mystical 'business' of corporate accounting. Apparently Apple, in their infinite wisdom (or something), decided to account for the full value of the Touch at purchase while NOT doing this for the Phone. Supposedly this then means they are 'forced' to charge, and their 'hands are tied' on the matter.
No other tech company is so incredibly stupid. Think about it. Here are a few examples of devices that regularly get firmware updates with new features, without anything like a subscription:
Sony PSP
Your favorite game console of choice
Many computer hardware components (optical drives, motherboards)
Routers
That barely scratches the surface. Nobody is even blinking an eye at these updated features, it's expected. Apple has either been so stupid as to get caught by an accounting loophole, or did this on purpose to Touch users and owners of first-gen AppleTV hardware. I refuse to believe they're that stupid, so Occam's Razor leaves: malicious intent as strange as it seems.
People wrongfully accepting the 'subscription' reasoning (which is completely incorrect) is the only reason there isn't an angry mob at Apple HQ. There should be. Either they own up to the colossal accounting screw-up or just admit they regret ever producing the iPod Touch.
Get the facts right, then tell your friends.
AOC's 22-inch 2230Fm HD3 display includes integrated media player {Engadget}
Jul 11th 2008 12:33AM If it had a HD tuner, it should have either true 720p or 1080p resolution (meaning 1280 or 1920 pixels wide, respectively, with greater than or equal to 720 or 1080 pixels vertically - also respectively).
Otherwise your 'HD' is getting up- or down-scaled all the time, most likely by a crappy hardware scaler. Yes, there are HDTVs sold as '720p' or '1080p' capable using these inexcusable intermediate resolutions. Why anybody buys them boggles me. You spend loads of cash on a great player and very sharp sources, then display the source scaled by a non-integer ratio on the fly, by a scaler that was included by an afterthought? How stupid can you be?
AOC says its 22-inch 2218Ph LCD monitor has that Mac flair {Engadget}
Jul 10th 2008 1:21AM Given the resolution on this thing is not even close to 1920 pixels across, this is not and will never be a 1080p capable monitor. Nice try, but that's not what the Vista stamp means (unless it means "capable of displaying software resized/downsized 1080p content," which would be purely stupid).
I fail to see the point of this resolution - go with a 17-19" screen which is natively 720p capable (1280 pixels wide) or spend a couple extra bucks for a 24" which is truly 1080p capable (1920 pixels wide).
What I really want is a reasonably priced 21-22" panel that is natively 1080p. There is an OEM for this (I forget which), but nothing really mainstream or competitively priced. Yet.
Nikon D700 previewed, demystified {Engadget}
Jul 1st 2008 8:55AM I've seen the example pics, and the Canon 5D still wipes the floor with the D300 DX sensor and the D3 fullframe in terms of sharpness. I'm a Nikon guy (have a D200) and wish it were otherwise, but facts are facts and the pics don't lie.
This camera will be BEHIND the 5D in sharpness, have approx. the same pixel count, and will try to command twice the price of the 5D after rebates? This is nowhere NEAR an 'obliteration' of the Canon line - the 5D will remain superior for 33% less! Nevermind the likely fact that Canon has been sitting on an update to the 5D for a year or two but not bothering to release it, thanks to a lack of competition in the 'affordable' fullframe market.
In short, you have no idea what you're talking about. The 5D already is superior to the D700 where it matters: the end image. The 5D may be a bit harder to operate (personally I've always preferred Nikon's controls) but where fullframe matters, namely in landscapes, sharpness is critical for enlargements and the 5D is just better than either of Nikon's 12 Mpxl sensors (DX or FX variants).
Your fanboyism makes people, like myself, who prefer Nikon look bad. Please leave.
Nikon D700 gets real: full-frame, 12.1 megapixels {Engadget}
Jul 1st 2008 1:16AM Actually we do. Most 35mm Lenses have diffraction limits around 25 Mpxl when properly used (usually technique limits your resolution to below this, but many lenses can do it). The MTF curves drop off really sharply for sub-pixels details (duh), which is not how film behaves.
End result? 20x30" prints from 10-12 Mpxl cameras are noticeably soft up close. Softer than film would be. And that bothers me.
Actually we've reached sufficient pixel DENSITY in the 1.5x crop factor (see: D300). Raising that much more is not a great idea, because of noise and sensitivity issues. However, what I am looking for is that same density in a fullframe sensor size. The fabled D3x will probably finally bring this to the table (on the Nikon side, yes I know Canon already has it), but it's a generation out until that sensor gets stuffed into a Dx00-like body.
Nikon D700 presentation video revealed early, it's very nice {Engadget}
Jul 1st 2008 1:04AM They declared a clearly 'shopped image to be a fake, after the source D300 image popped up, which was the right call. While that image was bogus, the camera itself was never declared fake by Engadget.
On an unrelated note, does anybody else think Nikon is out of their minds with a 4k asking price? I've seen the example pics, and the Canon 5D still wipes the floor with the D300 DX sensor and the D3 fullframe in terms of sharpness. I'm a Nikon guy (have a D200) and wish it were otherwise, but facts are facts and the pics don't lie.
This camera will be BEHIND the 5D in sharpness, have approx. the same pixel count, and will try to command twice the price of the 5D after rebates? Nikon is out of their collective minds!
Pull it together guys, this should go for - at MAX - the low- to mid-2k range, and it should match the 5D's price after rebates. Any higher than that, and you're going to start losing customers to Canon. Nevermind the likely circumstance that Canon has been sitting on a refresh to the 5D for a year or two now, not bothering to release it since the 5D ruled the market for 'affordable' fullframe.
Nikon's dug themselves a hole in this market; this is not the way out and might in fact make the hole deeper.
WWI '08 Death Knight Demo: General Impressions {WOW Insider}
Jun 30th 2008 10:01PM Helmets are the new shoulders...
The Bill Day giveaway (part 3) - Zune 80GB (black) {Engadget}
Jun 27th 2008 6:46PM MS: anything with Win2k.
Apple: iPod Touch, so far.
The Bill Day giveaway (part 1) - Toshiba Gigabeat T400 {Engadget}
Jun 27th 2008 3:50PM Favorite Microsoft-powered product: any PC with Win 2k.
Favorite Apple-powered product: so far, my iPod Touch.
