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Pentax's all-weather Optio W90 gets reviewed: brawn meets brain
As we've seen in the past, rugged point-and-shoots aren't necessarily the greatest pure shooters; generally speaking, compromises are made when it comes to image quality in order to manufacture a camera that can withstand an atypical amount of abuse. With that in mind, critics over at Photography BLOG went into their review of Pentax's all-weather Optio W90 with lowered expectations on the image quality front, but they actually came away duly impressed. Deeming the cam one "not just of outer muscle, but with inner strengths too," they found the W90 able to produce images "better what [they were] used to [seeing] from models that major on toughness." As you'd expect, it was able to shrug off bouts with dust, water and the occasional rude encounter with concrete, but reviewers did lament the omission of optical stabilization, and low-light performance was unsurprisingly lackluster. Still, it seems a solid overall option for those concerned with rigidity, but we'd encourage you to visit that source link before making a final call either way.
Pentax makes all-weather Optio W90 and superzoom X90 official
Pentax is going for broke with its take on the rugged camera, the W90, which is unlikely to ever be confused for a svelte and stylish point-and-shoot. What it loses in looks, it gains in usability, however, as the 12.1 megapixel shooter can withstand shocks from a height of four feet, go nearly 20 feet under water, and withstand temperatures as slow as -10 degrees Celsius. The dustproofing is just topping on that rugged cake, though it still offers things like 720p / 30fps video recording and 5x optical zoom that are now considered standard camera specs. There are also three forms of shake reduction: one is post-processing of affected images, the second is by automatically increasing the ISO in low light conditions, and the third is the use of "exclusive software" during movie mode. We can't say any one of those will be as good as a well-implemented optical image stabilization, but at least they're there and might offer some assistance. As to the X90, it joins a growing band of 26x and above optical superzoomers, while adding the W90's 720p video mode and anti-shake plus its own sensor-shift stabilizer for good measure. Both shooters are expected in April, priced at $330 for the W90 and $400 for the X90, though we've noticed the former will show up a month earlier in the UK with a £270 ($417) price tag.
Pentax's rugged W90, ultra-zoom X90 now all but official
We've already seen Pentax tease a few new cameras ahead of PMA, and it looks like another pair have now slipped out at the last minute. That includes the rugged W90 which, among other things, packs a ring of LEDs around the lens to help with close-up shots, and should hold up against even the nastiest conditions (as Pentax has gone out of its way to demonstrate in the photo above). Joining it is the 12.1-megapixel Pentax X90, which is a bit less compact and not weatherproof, but packs a 26x optical zoom in a DSLR-esque body, among other as yet unspecified specs. Still no word on pricing or availability, but Pentax should be getting official with these any day now.
ASUS W90 gaming laptop gets put through its paces, 'raises the bar'
Suffice it to say that Computer Shopper was really really into that ASUS W90Vp-X1 gaming notebook that popped up on Newegg recently. This nearly 12 pound behemoth, the reviewer exclaims, not only sets "new 3D-graphics and productivity-speed records," but its 18.4-inch (1,920 x 1,080) LCD is "gorgeous," sporting "incredible color quality and wide viewing angles." Also singled out for praise was the Turbo Gear app that lets you overclock the machine by as much as 17 percent (for speeds up to 3.28GHz) and a "robust" 4.1 speaker sound system. Of course, any machine will have a few quibbles, although in this case they seem to be relatively minor: no Blu-ray (though it's supposed to become available at some point in the future) and a 2 megapixel webcam with "grainy" image quality (although "it's more than adequate for Skyping and chatting"). But that ain't all -- hit the read link for all the lurid details, including the hair-raising results of the Company of Heroes DirectX 9 test (spoiler: the word "blistering" was used).
ASUS W90 gaming laptop now listed on Newegg
ASUS' heavy-hitting W90Vp-X1 gaming-friendly laptop has shown up on Newegg. The 18.4-inch behemoth's sporting a 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T9600, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4870 X2, WUXGA resolution, 6GB DDR2 RAM, 320GB HDD at 7200RPM. Of course, with specs like that, you weren't expecting it to come cheap, were you? The retailer's demanding a $2,200 ransom to take it home. Admit it, you're just happy it's an ASUS machine with no "Eee" in sight. [Via Electronista]
ASUS debuts 18.4-inch W90 gaming laptop at CES 2009
Got an itch for a gaming laptop that's big enough to span the laps of both you and your lover? ASUS has you covered. Here in the desert, the outfit has introduced a potent 18.4-inch gaming rig with a 1080p panel, twin ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4870 X2 GPUs, three RAM slots (a world's first, mind you) stuffed with 6GB of DDR2 memory, a Core 2 Duo processor, a half dozen (seriously) Altec Lansing speakers and a Turbo Gear function that will enable users to overclock the system and boost performance by as much as 25%. A few more configurations are available, including one with a 17-inch panel, an NVIDIA graphics option, dual HDDs, an optional Blu-ray drive and enough ports to put your average desktop to shame.
Engadget Exclusive: Sony's 2007 Cybershot lineup
That's right, we've got 'em -- catalog shots for Sony's 2007 Cybershot line-up of digital cameras. Go ahead, check the new T20HDPR, T100, T20, H9, H7, G1 (pictured), W200, and W90 Cybershots -- you won't be sorry. All the new cams bring Sony's Super SteadyShot image stabilization and HD output to the show in addition to a hot mix of features spread out across the line; these include such notables as 802.11b/g WiFi with DLNA support, 2GB on-board memory for music playback, a 3-inch tilt-screen LCD, 3.5-inch (yes, 3.5-inch!) LCD, a couple of 15x optical zooms, face-detection technology, and BIONZ image processing -- good to know. Judging by the pics, we can expect a formal, pre-PMA show announcement from Sony on 27 February. Check the gallery below for all the details.%Gallery-1709%[Thanks, anonymous tipster]
Sony's Cybershot DSC-W80: their latest 7.2 megapixel camera?
Out of the gates early for PMA (Photo Marketing Association) 2007, we've got rumors of the latest Sony Cybershot, the DSC-W80. The cam's already made its appearance on a few German and Dutch web sites and certainly makes sense as the successor to the 7.2 megapixel W70 launched at last year's show. However, instead of 8 megapixels like you might expect, we're still talking that same 7.2-megapixel, 1/2.5-inch CCD (which won't help improve the high rates of noise above ISO 200 any), 3x optical zoom, and 2.5-inch LCD. Other than a new ISO 3200 sensitivity and slightly larger chassis -- up from 89 x 57 x 23-mm to 91 x 58 x 23-mm -- there isn't anything new on the surface to report. No one's sayin' but perhaps they've added some optical image stabilization to bring these in-line with most other compact shooters in this range. We've also got rumors of a new Cybershot DSC-W60 and Cybershot DSC-W90 -- both unannounced and both said to work with a new SPK-SA underwater case (pictured after the break). The W80 is expected to hit in April for around €280/$368. As to the rest... well, the PMA show starts March 8th so we'll know soon enough. [Via Let's Go Digital, thanks David]
