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JVC Picsio GC-FM-1 Review

Sandy Berger — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:44:07 +0000

JVC Piscio GC-FM1

Have you ever wanted to have a video camera that you could have in your pocket to capture those “magic moments”? There are several camcorders that you could purchase for this purchase including the Flip and the Kodak. However, if you want the best quality videos, you may want to look at the JVC Picsio GC-FM-1 camcorder.

After using this camcorder for several months, I can give it 3 big pluses.

1. It is very small and lightweight

2. With a holographic image on the front and bright colors, it is amazingly good looking

3. It takes excellent hi-def videos

This JVC camera also has some drawbacks. The software will let you upload your videos to YouTube, but you will have to use another program if you want to edit your videos. Also the controls are finicky. You are not always sure that the camera recognized that you pressed the button. Also, you will need a steady hand or a tripod because the image stabilization is not as good as you may want it to be.

Here is the good, the bad, and the bottom line.

The Good

Very good 720p and 1080p videos
Good color accuracy
Compact and lightweight
Excellent, unique holographic design
HDMI port
SD card slot
Stereo audio
Comfortable to hold
Instant start up

The Bad

Finicky controls
Poor software
Poor image stabilization
No HDMI cable included
No external microphone port

Bottom Line:

Pocket sized camcorders like the JVC Piscio FM1 are very convenient. Although you won’t get the optical zoom and image stabilization that you’d get with a full-size dedicated camcorder, you will get a lot of functionality. The Piscio takes very good videos in high def, which is its biggest claim to fame. It is also very small and the sleek-looking holographic finish is wonderful. The removable SD card and HDMI port add to the device’s functionality.

Unfortunately, the great design and good videos are marred by controls that offer no tactile feedback and very poor software. If you can live with those two drawbacks, this is a great camcorder.

My full review including pictures is at Hardware Secrets.

Christmas Past & Present

Sandy Berger — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 13:09:07 +0000

santa_claus

Remember the holidays when you were a child? Whether it was a quiet dinner with close family or a more raucous celebration with extended family and friends, it was nothing like today’s celebrations. The high tech world has thoroughly infiltrated the holidays.

In days past, family celebrations were only rarely interrupted by the ring of a telephone. Today we have family members answering their cell phone almost constantly and teen-agers texting under the table cloth edge during the holiday dinner.

Years ago, everyone smiled when the camera came out and even though some of us had Polaroid cameras, most of us didn’t even think of viewing the photos or movies until weeks later. Now we can hook the movie camera up to the television and watch the movies right after they are taken. We can place the photo memory card in a digital picture frame and show off the pictures immediately. We can even pop the card into a printer and print copies for everyone. That is except for the photo of Ted, the teenager with the pimply face. His photo will undergo some Photoshopping before it is printed for posterity.

In the Christmas’ of my youth, the presents under the tree were mostly sweaters, jewelry, ties and socks. Although there was an occasional kitchen appliance for mom or a power tool for dad, you didn’t need an outlet to plug in most of the presents back then. We received toys like board games and erector sets.

Today, electronics have taken the center stage with digital cameras, cell phones, GPS devices, electronic books, electronic gaming devices, digital music players, and digital picture frames. After the presents are opened, the room will be more aglow from the LCD screens of digital devices than from the lights on the Christmas tree. Most of the today’s toys need batteries. Yes, there are still board games, but now you can play Scrabble on the computer and the new version of the Clue board game relies on cell phone texting for clues.

Santa Claus may still be making a visit, but his new Santa suit will probably come from Amazon.com rather than from a department store. And the cookies we leave him will most likely be slice-and-bake rather than home made from scratch. And if you don’t have a fireplace for Santa, you can turn your computer screen into a virtual one with websites like FauxFilre.com (www.fauxfire.com).
Instead of music from the radio, vinyl records, or cassettes, many families will be listening to digital music from their iPods or computers. Some will listen to Christmas music from around the world through the Internet. They will be listening to this either on their computers or on an Internet radio.

In fact, some of the younger crowd will have wires handing from their ears as they will forgo the Christmas music and instead listen to their own choice of music. Some families will still sing carols. Instead of using mimeographed sheet music, however, they will, no doubt, have the words printed out from the Internet.
If the kid’s want to watch TV when the party starts to wind down, there will be no turning the dial to find a television show. We can go right to Frosty the Snowman that we recorded on the DVR, or the copy of The Christmas Story that we rented from Netflix.

The holidays of yesterday were great, but the holidays of today are not all bad. They are just different. As we miss some of the traditions and the way things were in the good old days, but we can embrace some of the new technologies that make today’s holidays a little better a little brighter.

Merry Christmas to all.

Canon Rebel T1i Review

Sandy Berger — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 19:30:10 +0000

Canon Rebel T1i

Okay, I think I am in love with a camera! I’ve never said that about a camera before, but the Rebel T1i has really turned my head. I looked at the Rebel about 3 years ago and thought it was a good camera, but the changes that Canon has made have turned it into a really good camera.

They have updated the menu system and to make it more user-friendly. The 3″ LCD is beautifully crisp and clear. The 15 megapixel CMOS sensor produces excellent photos with good color reproduction. The buttons and controls are well-placed and easy to use. On top of that, they have added the ability to take high def movies. While the 1080p movies are shot at a slower 20 frames, the 720p movies are shot at 30 frames and look good enough to satisfy me. At about $799 for the camera and lens kit, this is a great SLR. You can read my full review with photos at HardwareSecrets.com.

Verizon Holiday Ads

Sandy Berger — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 18:20:07 +0000

Yesterday I spoke to a group of PC users at our local community college. When the topic of cell phones came up the crowd became quite animated. They wanted to talk about iPhones and Droids and why their calls get dropped. The thing that really amazed me was that even though some of them didn’t understand the concept of cell towers or how cellular communications work, they were all convinced that Verizon is better than AT&T because Verizon’s blue map has more dots than AT&Ts red map. This is a true testament to power of television advertising and the genius behind the current crop of holiday ads that Verizon is running. If you haven’t seen them yet, just surf over to YouTube and type in “Verizon Holiday Ads”. They each have a great holiday theme. They are not only cute, but, as my recent experience exhibited, they are positively memorable. How many times have you seen a commercial ad and not remembered which product it featured? Not so with the Verizon ads. Everyone came off with a Verizon is good and AT&T is bad concept. It doesn’t get much better than that for brand recognition!

Nokia Charger Recall

Sandy Berger — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:50:30 +0000

Nokia, the world’s largest cell phone manufacturer is recalling about 14 million cell phone chargers. Charges involved in the recall are labeled AC-3U, AC-3E, or AC-4U. These chargers were manufactured between April 12th and October 15th of this year (2009).

The outer case of these chargers is defective and can open unexpectedly causing a shocking effect. If you think you may have one of these, head over to chargerexchange.nokia.com and enter the details in the form provided. Nokia is offering a free replacement.

Lexmark All-in-One S605 Review

Sandy Berger — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:34:05 +0000

Lexmark S605 All-in-One

This Lexmark all-in-One printer is one of the new Internet-connected printers. Not only does it print, scan, and copy, but you can get the weather, your personal calendar, or stock information on its screen. You can print photos directly from a memory card. You can automate tasks like emailing a scanned document to a certain group of people. You can even use the printer’s screen like a digital picture frame to show off your photos. It can be set to automatically print on both sides of the paper.

The printer has the best touch screen that I’ve seen on a printer. It also had very good print quality and performs all functions more than adequately. So what’s not to like? Well — I spent several hours on the phone with Lexmark tech support to get the printer set up and wound up with the printer printing, but throwing up a Windows error every time it prints. The Internet connectivity which is accessed by mini programs that Lexmark calls Smart Solutions, is difficult to set up and use. And not too many solutions are currently available.

However, I must give Lexmark an A for effort. After I posted my review on Hardware Secrets, they contacted me to try to resolve the problem so that other users will not be confronted with the same errors. They have not yet notified me with the resolution, but I am sure it will be forthcoming.

Here is my summary:

The print quality and good solid print, scan, and copy functionality make this a good All-in-One. The wireless networking was easy to set up, but Lexmark obviously has some problems with their interconnectivity. While adding features and Internet connectivity is certainly admirable, the average consumer doesn’t want to spend hours on the phone with tech support to set up a new printer and certainly doesn’t want to use a printer that throws up errors every time it prints. I might have had more of a tendency to recommend this printer if their tech support could have solved our problems in a timely manner. This printer is a part of a brand new line for Lexmark and perhaps the problems that we had will be resolved, but there is no guarantee.

That said, the touch screen is superior. The interface is clear and easy. While the SmartSolutions might be a reason for a techie to purchase this printer, this technology is still in its infancy. There will have to be a lot more applications that are easier to use before the average person will want to make the leap.

While the S605’s quality and performance are excellent, the problems that came along with this printer make it difficult for me to recommend it.

Pros

Excellent large touch screen
Great easy-to-use interface
Speedy printing
Wireless networking is easy to set up
Customizable SmartSolution applications
Good quality prints

Cons

SmartSolutions difficult to configure
Difficult to close the touch screen
Plagued by software/driver/connectivity problems

My full review including pictures can be found at Hardware Secrets.

Available at:

Click here for the Best Buy Homepage

My Windows 7 Party Kit Arrives

Sandy Berger — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 21:58:56 +0000

Windows 7 Party Box

My Windows 7 party pack just arrived. The Windows 7 House Party is Microsoft’s attempt to create a viral marketing campaign by recruiting everyday people from around the world to host parties during the first week of the Windows 7 launch. Microsoft hired a web service called House Party to handle all the party details including sending out invitations. They even did a video of what they would like your party to look like. You may want to check out the video at the Windows 7 House Party website. This video caused a lot of feedback on the web because everyone thought it too stilted. In fact, if you search YouTube you will find about a million videos making fun of the Microsoft video. But then, I am not sure that Microsoft cares — they are getting plenty of attention off of this.

Party Box Contents

If you applied to host a party and were chosen, Microsoft promised a party kit, and mine just arrived.

Inside the blue and green box were streamers, balloons, a deck of Windows 7 cards, a Windows 7 jigsaw puzzle, Windows 7 napkins, and 9 large grocery-type fabric bags. The bags were a nice touch, but they are quite large and the only things that we were sent to give out to the party-goers were cards with special offers.

The offers included things like 40% off Norton 2010 and buy Nero 9 at 20% off and get Nero BackItUP & Burn free. Really, the best offer was a free year of Kaspersky’s Internet Security 2010. Although last time I used Kaspersky (2 years ago), I found it too invasive to recommend to the casual user. Microsoft also included a Zune pass to try the Zune music for free. Only problem is that it is a 14-day pass and I wish it would be a little longer. 14-days is not really long enough to get into the Zune website and get used to all that it offers. ( It is a wonderful site for a music subscriptions).

Although it didn’t get in the picture, Microsoft also included a cardboard table decoration, which really wasn’t worth photographing. Also included was the best part, a copy of Window 7 Ultimate to put on a computer to show off at the party. It was autographed by Steve Ballmer.

I don’t think the party pack was to exciting, but I did like the idea of it all. I just wonder how many people will take the party pack and the free Windows 7 and not have a party at all.

Well, I am committed. We will have a party, show off Windows 7 (which I like) and have some fun. After all, it’s not a bad excuse to have a party. I’ll let you all know how it goes.

Free Shipping at Teavana

Sandy Berger — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:24:17 +0000

Although I usually talk about technology, those of you who follow my posts know that I love tea. I also believe that tea has many health benefits and that drinking red tea helps my rosacea. I’ve received email from others that have been helped by tea, so I continue to spread the word.

Teavana is the online tea store with the best selection of flavored red teas. You can try everything from chocolate to chai or vanilla to blueberry. Right now Teavana is offering Free Ground Shipping on every order.

You will not see this offer on the Teavana website, but you can just place the tea you want to try in your cart and then use Coupon Code FBFREE to get the discount. This is good only in the US and ends on 9/30/2009. To read more about what I like about red tea, which is also called rooibos tea, check out my Tea Lovers area.

Shop Teavana.com

Investigating Broadband Internet

Sandy Berger — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 20:46:51 +0000

Broadband Internet service through DSL or cable companies has become the norm for many people in the United States. Yet there are still a few people using slow dial-up connections. So an in-depth investigation of broadband internet services can serve three different type of people:

1. Those still on dial-up who want to move to broadband.

2. Those who are already on broadband who want to see if they are getting the best price and service.

3. Those who want to investigate adding mobile broadband so they can access their broadband connection while they are on the move.

I’ve recently found an interesting website that can help you investigate the different companies that offer broadband access. Broadband Expert has pricing and bandwidth information for DSL, cable, and mobile broadband. Just type in your zip code and you can see what is available in your area, how much it costs, and just what you get. Their coverage of mobile broadband plans is especially impressive. And if you have seen mobile broadband cards on television, but you really don’t understand what they do or how hard they are to set up, this website gives excellent information and instructions.

If you want more information on broadband Internet, check out Broadband Expert at: http://www.broadbandexpert.com/

Finding a Good Web Hosting Service

Sandy Berger — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 21:02:57 +0000

As we all get more and more involved with using the Internet, it is not surprising that so many people have decided to start their own websites. Whether it is to promote a business, share family information, or just to have some fun, website creation is easier than ever before.

The first thing that you have decide when building a website is where you want to host your site. There are many hosing sites available, so this can be a daunting experience. Don’t worry, though, the Internet can help you make that decision!

The best place to start your search is at Web Hosting Geeks. This is a website that has a myriad of independent reviews of the best web hosting providers.They offer the best in a variety of different areas like best budget hosting, best blog hosting, best E-commerce hosting and many, many more.

If you are just starting out, you can find the best web hosting sites for under $10 a month. If you already have a website and need a dedicated server, this site will give you the best options. They also have listings for vps hosting. so that if you need a Virtual Dedicated Server, you can get a level of control similar to a dedicated server at a cheaper rate.

Each of the suggested web hosting services are reviewed by people who use them. Many have hundreds of reviews that you can read. The site uses the reviews to rate each service in things like technical support, customer support, software, and other important qualities. This allows you to get a lot of great information about many different web hosting sites at a glance and you can also read all of the reviews to get in-depth information.

Whether you are looking for a web hosting site for your first website or you are trying to find a new hosting service for your old website, Web Hosting Geeks is a great place to get the scoop on where you want to place your site.