This is a clear and useful video tutorial presented by landscape photographer Phil Hawkins. It is designed for the beginning photographer and, as you might expect, leaves very little to chance. The strongest compliment I can pay this particular tutorial is this: Once you start watching, you want to continue watching. It’s just under three hours long.
Read More
The Colorado Plateau, where Bruce Barnbaum made many photos over a period of roughly 30 years, is a place where water, silt, wind, and time have created a landscape of swirling sandstone cliffs, nearly impenetrable slot canyons, and a vast expanse of sage colored hills. People in the Western United States know the area as the Four Corners region because it’s the place where Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, and Colorado meet.
Read More
David Pogue’s latest “missing manual” has much in common with the many other “how-to” computer books he’s produced. Like the others, it is written in plain English, it’s readable, at times mildly entertaining, plus comprehensive and marginally useful to the novice user.
Read More
It was a great relief to find that the Techsafe Cable Lock System performs exactly as advertised. The combination lock works with a clip that slips through the hinge that connects a laptop monitor to its keyboard. Because the flat side of the clip rests against the display, my initial thought was, “Go carefully because if this isn’t in place correctly, you’re going to destroy the screen.” Some people like to say that worry is like a rocking chair because it doesn’t get you anywhere, but I that’s never stopped me. In this case, I went slowly but found my concerns were needless.
Read More
The touchscreen keyboard on the iPad is a very tough act to follow. Many companies have tried with Bluetooth keyboards and ended up with nothing to offer consumers that’s superior to the original touchscreen.
Read More
These are the iconic products of modern day gadget freaks. They’re hard plastic, “leather-like” or faux this or that, and you can operate them easily only if you’ve had lots of experience with dainty teacups and Saturday morning origami classes. If you like the feel of a carpenter’s framing hammer, you’d better go back to your cave and forget these teeny keyboards. They’re smaller than your belt sander.
Read More
The a-JAYS Four earbuds are comfortable, resonant, well-balanced, and in most respects a fair value for the price. They are not perfect but the negatives are so minor that I’m nearly embarrassed to repeat them.
Read More
Mysteries are everywhere. I accept that some of them are hidden under the plastic covers of my 5-year-old MacBook. As computers go, this one, like its owner, is a little long in the tooth but still functional. With 1 GB of RAM and an anemic 120 GB hard drive, it was to technology what Woody Allen is to romance, a wistful artifact.
Read More
The Eton Mobius is a charger for the iPhone 4 and 4S that offers two methods for extending the life of your phone•s battery. Slip your phone into the Mobius case and use the provided device connector to charge the Mobius’ lithium battery and your phone off a USB port. Or, flip the case over and let the sun recharge the battery using the Mobius• solar panel.
Read More
All five of these how-to books from Wiley Publishing cover the iPad and iPad 2. The information presented does not vary much from one book to another, but the writing styles and book designs do. iPad2 Fully Loaded by Alan Hess was my favorite in this batch because of the clear, straightforward language, the compact design, the helpful boxed tips liberally scattered throughout the book, and a comprehensive index.
Read More
Skullcandy earphones ”I don’t care if they’re earbuds or the comfy earmuff style” are as much about fashion and whimsical design as they are about quality sound. When you’re cruising along on your inline skates with an iPod strapped to your bicep, a candy orange cord dangling across your chest and your ears encased in white plastic lined with soft tan leather, you are nothing if not the height of cool.
Read More
The Eton NSP500B Soulra XL Sound System for iPod and iPhone is a sturdy and innovative stereo speakers boombox that offers the ultimate in portability. You can use it to play or recharge your iPod or iPhone and, because of its large built in solar panel, you can be off the grid forever.
Read More
This is an odd “how to” book that purports to teach the amateur photographer the skill of arranging shapes and elements in a scene to create better pictures. The book is a collection of essays by wildlife photographer Laurie Excell and four other professional photographers. Based on the mission described in the introduction and the level of information in subsequent chapters, the book is clearly aimed at the amateur or hobbyist. What makes it odd is that it seems to quickly lose sight of its intended audience.
Read More
The Moshi Concerti is one of the nicest of the accessories. It’s a stylish iPad case that is made from a hybrid silicone/microfiber fabric, but it looks and feels like suede. I handed it to my wife as she was about to leave on a two week trip. She found it functional in most respects but with limitations.
Read More
Macally has a reputation for making computer accessories that combine form and function without sacrificing aesthetics. The Ecopad is a typical Macally product minimalist in design, attractive to the eye and hand, and serving a useful function. The Ecopad is a bamboo lapdesk, suitable for any laptop.
Read More
iPods and iPhones fit snugly in this hard plastic protective case from Pelican. The inside of the case is padded with rubber bumpers and also contains an input for your earphones. Put your iPod in the case, connect the provided cable to it, lock the case with the snug and secure latches on the side and then connect your earphones to the external jack and you’re ready to go.
Read More
No sooner had I clicked on the icon for that drive than I felt the horrible sensation that signaled I had just done something very stupid.
Read More
The Sennheiser PX210BT earphones are a comfortable against-the-ear headset designed to be used wirelessly with any newer Bluetooth compatible device. They also come with a USB cable that can be plugged into an external power source or computer output so that when the built- in rechargeable battery is low or exhausted you can still listen to music as you would with any other set of wired earphones. If you’re going to use them with an iPhone, keep in mind they do not come with a microphone.
The Macally 3-in-1 battery charger gives you three ways to recharge electronic devices in a playfully designed gadget. My first impression was of an electronic Rubic’s Cube or something made from a Lego set. But it’s not as frustrating as a Rubic’s Cube and although its purpose is simple, it is far more sophisticated than a bucket of Legos.
Wi-Fire proves that more can be less
