Canon PowerShot G15 Review

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://im.tech2.in.com/gallery/2013/feb/1_161728295741_640x360.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="An enthusiast-class digital camera with brilliant optics" border="0" height="235" id="blowup_image" src="http://im.tech2.in.com/gallery/2013/feb/1_161728295741_640x360.jpg" title="An enthusiast-class digital camera with brilliant optics" width="410" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b class="dropc" style="float: left; font-family: arial; font-size: 58px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 51px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 3px 2px 0px;">C</b>anon’s PowerShot G-series of compact digital cameras has everything it takes to bring smiles to enthusiasts. Tough build, brilliant optics, lots of external controls and stellar performance are only a few of the many great things about the cameras belonging to the series. Previous addition to the G-series was the G1 X, which was the first of its kind—a compact digital camera with a 1.5-inch type sensor (almost as large as ones found in entry-level DSLRs). The latest addition to the series is the G15, which is an upgrade to the G12 that was launched in 2010. Let’s find out what it packs in its compact shell and how much better it is than the G12 and its competitors.</div><div class="MT10 brd_b CTR" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(232, 232, 232); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin: 10px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://im.tech2.in.com/gallery/2013/feb/1_161728295741.jpg" style="color: #0099cc; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank"><img alt="An enthusiast-class digital camera with brilliant optics" src="http://im.tech2.in.com/gallery/2013/feb/1_161728295741_640x360.jpg" style="border: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" width="620" /></a></div><div class="FL imgtxt" style="background-color: #f1f1f1; color: #666666; float: left; font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; outline: 0px; padding: 3px 10px;">An enthusiast-class digital camera with brilliant optics</div><div class="CL" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Features and design</strong></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">If you already own a G12, the list of upgrades will tempt you to go in for the G15. At 11.7-inch, the size of the sensor used in both the models is larger than the usual 12.3-inch type sensors used in mainstream digital cameras. However, the resolution has been bumped from 10 to 12.1 megapixels and the sensor used is of the CMOS type instead of CCD. The optics used in the G15 is to die for! The lens used in the G12 was 28 mm at the wide end and extended to 140 mm, thus translating to 5x optical zoom. G15 too uses a 5x zoom lens with the same focal length, but it’s way brighter. At the wide end, G12 had a fairly large f2.8 aperture, which narrowed to a pedestrian f4.5 at the telephoto end—quite respectable. The G15 has a large f1.8 aperture at the wide end, and you can stick to f2.8 throughout the zoom range. This allows handheld shooting in low light without having to use flash. Also, the shallow depth of field or background blur is very well pronounced when you shoot using the largest aperture, especially in macro mode wherein you can shoot from as close as 1 cm from the subject.</div><div class="MT10 brd_b CTR" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(232, 232, 232); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin: 10px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://im.tech2.in.com/gallery/2013/feb/4_161728291917.jpg" style="color: #0099cc; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank"><img alt="Well laid out buttons and a 922k dot LCD display" src="http://im.tech2.in.com/gallery/2013/feb/4_161728291917_640x360.jpg" style="border: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" width="620" /></a></div><div class="FL imgtxt" style="background-color: #f1f1f1; color: #666666; float: left; font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; outline: 0px; padding: 3px 10px;">Well laid out buttons and a 922k dot LCD display</div><div class="CL" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Next in the list of upgrades is the display. A bump from a mediocre 461k dot to 922k (twice as dense) is a welcome change. It has been noted that while Canon upgrades or adds new features, it takes away some useful features. For instance, the G12 had a fully articulating display that allowed capturing creative shots from odd angles. The G15 does away with this feature and uses a fixed display, which seems to have been done to make the camera slimmer. This has helped making the G15 slimmer than the G12 by 8 millimetres. The width too has shrunk by 5 millimetres. However, at 107 x 76 x 40 mm, the G15 is just about pocketable—you’d feel more comfortable having it hanging around your neck than carrying it in your trouser pocket. This shrink in size has helped Canon bring down the weight of the camera by around 50 grams; the G15 weighs 352 grams with the li-ion battery loaded. Other minor upgrades include full HD video recording from 720p in the G12, a slightly improved EV range (±2 to ±3) and an increased ISO range. If you’re in extremely low light, you can set the ISO to as high as 12800 for steady handheld shots.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Design-wise, the G15 looks very similar to the G12, except for the subtle changes when you view it from the front. The rubberised grip is slightly larger because the horizontal dial now uses less space. Also, the top right corner is now empty because Canon has chosen to go in with pop-up type flash—there’s a tiny lever behind the flash that releases it. The top panel of the G15 looks empty when compared to that of the G12. The latter had a dial for EV in place of which there’s now the pop-up flash. This has now been shifted to the right, below the mode dial. The G12 had a third dial to select ISO speeds in one-third steps, on which the mode dial was stacked. The G15 has a shortcut for ISO on the D-pad instead, which isn’t as handy as a dedicated dial. </div><div class="MT10 brd_b CTR" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(232, 232, 232); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin: 10px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://im.tech2.in.com/gallery/2013/feb/3_161728297933.jpg" style="color: #0099cc; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank"><img alt="Dials for mode selection and EV" src="http://im.tech2.in.com/gallery/2013/feb/3_161728297933_640x360.jpg" style="border: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" width="620" /></a></div><div class="FL imgtxt" style="background-color: #f1f1f1; color: #666666; float: left; font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; outline: 0px; padding: 3px 10px;">Dials for mode selection and EV</div><div class="CL" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">The rear of the camera is dominated by the 3-inch LCD display. To the right lies the control panel that comprises a 5-way D-pad with a jog dial and buttons for metering modes, focus area and menu. The button with the asterisk icon, when pressed, automatically sets the optimal aperture and shutter speed. The portion above the LCD is home to an optical viewfinder (with dioptric adjustment) and playback button. A dedicated button for video recording is placed at the top right corner, next to the rubberised thumb grip.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Build quality and ergonomics</strong></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">The build quality of the G15 is impeccable—right from the buttons and flaps to the shell. The front of the shell is made of aluminium and has a rough, grainy finish that lends a rugged feel. The rubberised grip on the front coupled with the thumb grip lends a firm grip even while using the camera single-handed. Plenty of external controls and their ergonomic placement contribute to fatigue-free shooting. What we found most useful was the second dial on the front—it comes in very handy when you want to adjust the aperture and shutter speed. In playback mode, it skips a bunch of pictures at a time when rotated one notch at a time.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">The intuitive user interface makes the G15 easy to use. The mode dial lets you select from Auto, PASM, Scene, Creative filters and Movie modes. You use the Menu button to bring up the stack of parameters on the left side of the screen and then navigate/select values using the D-pad and jog dials—very straightforward, without having to delve into menus and sub-menus. </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">The Scene mode has limited but the most useful presets including portrait, smooth skin, hand-held night scene, snow and fireworks. The Creative Filter mode lets you shoot photos using effects such as HDR, Nostalgic, Fish eye, Miniature, Toy camera, Monochrome and Color accent—again the most common ones that you’d want to use. Many of the effects are configurable, for instance, Nostalgic and Toy camera modes that allow changing the colour tones.  The G15 can record videos at full HD and even shoot super slow-motion videos.</span></div><div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">For Detailed Review<a href="http://tech2.in.com/reviews/point-and-shoot/canon-powershot-g15-review/764922" target="_blank"> click here</a></span></div></div>

Canon PowerShot G15 Review

C anon’s PowerShot G-series of compact digital cameras has everything it takes to bring smiles to enthusiasts. Tough build, brilliant optics...

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Mobile Grudge Match: HTC Butterfly vs Sony Xperia Z

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div class="w_12" style="color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-color: black;">The battle of flagship smartphones is a never ending story. Each year, a new chapter begins and we kick off 2013 with the HTC Butterfly vs Sony’s Xperia.</span></div><div class="MT10 brd_b" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(232, 232, 232); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><img alt="Mobile Grudge Match: HTC Butterfly vs Sony Xperia Z " height="344" src="http://im.tech2.in.com/images/2013/feb/htcbutterflyvssonyxperiaz_coverimage_640x360.jpg" style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" title="Mobile Grudge Match: HTC Butterfly vs Sony Xperia Z " width="600" /></div><div class="MT10 brd_b" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(232, 232, 232); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="dropc" style="float: left; font-family: arial; font-size: 58px; line-height: 51px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 3px 2px 0px;">T</span>he battle of flagship smartphones is a never ending story. Each year, a new chapter begins and we kick off 2013 with the HTC Butterfly vs Sony’s Xperia Z. Both these handsets mirror the absolute best of what their respective manufacturers have to offer with today’s technology. Let’s take a quick look at each of them before we put them in the ring for a face-off.<br style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><a href="http://tech2.in.com/reviews/smartphones/htc-butterfly-x920d-review/753012" style="color: #0099cc; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank"><strong style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">HTC Butterfly </strong></a><br style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" />The Butterfly managed to impress us quite a bit and despite its poor battery life, we do think it’s one of HTC’s best attempts yet. Some of the features that would make us run out and buy one despite its shortcomings are the camera and the display. Along with the awesome burst mode that made the One X a huge success, HTC has packed in a better 8MP sensor with a very large aperture of f/2.0. Not only does this improve the level of detail for low light shots, you can really have fun with the amount of depth of field you get in macro shots. The level of details captured is also a lot better compared to its previous flagship. The display is superb as well and even though we feel 1080p for a smartphone is pushing it a bit, it’s still a gorgeous display thanks to the Super LCD3 technology.</div><div class="MT10 brd_b CTR" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(232, 232, 232); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin: 10px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://im.tech2.in.com/gallery/2013/feb/htc_butterfly_161456419653.jpg" style="color: #0099cc; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank"><img alt="A handsome looking brute" height="348" src="http://im.tech2.in.com/gallery/2013/feb/htc_butterfly_161456419653_640x360.jpg" style="border: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" width="620" /></a></div><div class="FL imgtxt" style="background-color: #f1f1f1; color: #666666; float: left; font-family: arial; font-style: italic; outline: 0px; padding: 3px 10px;">A handsome looking brute</div><div class="CL" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><a href="http://tech2.in.com/features/smartphones/sony-xperia-z-and-xperia-zl-specifications-review/760292" style="color: #0099cc; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank"><strong style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Sony Xperia Z</strong></a><br style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Sony has finally upped its game and the Xperia Z shows that the company means business. The Z is very similar to the Butterfly in terms of specifications as it also has a 1080p screen, quad-core CPU and full HD capable front facing camera. The similarities end here though, as the Z raises the bar by offering a massive 13MP camera sensor, is a lot slimmer than the Butterfly and best of all, has passed the IP55 and IP57 certifications, which officially makes it dust and water resistant. Sony claim that the Xperia Z will easily work up to 1 metre underwater and for up to 30 minutes. All this from a phone that still manages to look every bit as glamorous as, say, the iPhone 5. </div><div class="MT10 brd_b CTR" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(232, 232, 232); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin: 10px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://im.tech2.in.com/gallery/2013/feb/sony_xperia_z_161456411532.jpg" style="color: #0099cc; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank"><img alt="Premium on the outside, rugged on the inside" height="348" src="http://im.tech2.in.com/gallery/2013/feb/sony_xperia_z_161456411532_640x360.jpg" style="border: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" width="620" /></a></div><div class="FL imgtxt" style="background-color: #f1f1f1; color: #666666; float: left; font-family: arial; font-style: italic; outline: 0px; padding: 3px 10px;">Premium on the outside, rugged on the inside</div><div class="CL" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" />It’s now time to put these two flagships in the ring and see which one looks like the better option, at least on paper.</div><div class="MT10 brd_b CTR" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(232, 232, 232); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin: 10px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="The Xperia manages to nudge past the Butterfly" src="http://im.tech2.in.com/gallery/2013/feb/htc8svsnokialumia620_grudgecomparison_161457421206.jpg" style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" width="620" /></div><div class="FL imgtxt" style="background-color: #f1f1f1; color: #666666; float: left; font-family: arial; font-style: italic; outline: 0px; padding: 3px 10px;">The Xperia manages to nudge past the Butterfly</div><div class="CL" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><strong style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">The bottom line </strong><br style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Since both the handsets are extremely similar, it’s a very close match. In the end though, the Xperia Z manages to edge out the Butterfly and that’s the phone I’d go with too, given the choice. Aesthetics is very subjective and both handsets are a head turner. However, the glass-laden back of the Z should give it a little more street cred. The main reason why I would personally pick the Sony over the HTC is the IP57 certification and due to its slightly larger battery, which should help prolong the need to recharge. Being water resistant means you don’t have to worry about protecting it during monsoons, or if it gets a bit dirty, simply wash it under a tap. More than wireless charging and other such gimmicks, I feel every flagship smartphone from now on must have an IP57 certification as it’s a feature that truly impacts the way we use high-end phones. </div><div style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://tech2.in.com/features/smartphones/mobile-grudge-match-htc-butterfly-vs-sony-xperia-z/764842" target="_blank">Read More...</a></div><br /></div>

Mobile Grudge Match: HTC Butterfly vs Sony Xperia Z

The battle of flagship smartphones is a never ending story. Each year, a new chapter begins and we kick off 2013 with the HTC Butterfly vs S...

Read more »

Crowdfunded NCase M1 Mini-ITX enthusiast chassis inches toward reality

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: none;">Although there are some solid small form factor cases available, none of them are perfect -- at least not if you're <a href="http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1717132&highlight=ncase" style="color: #05408f; outline: none; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">Wahaha360 and Necere from HardOCP's forum</a>. Disappointed by popular enclosures such as the<a href="http://www.techspot.com/products/cases/silverstone-sugo-sg05.24671/" style="color: #05408f; outline: none; text-decoration: initial;">SilverStone SG05</a>, the guys teamed up last year to design their ideal chassis. After months of feedback from HardOCP members and Lian Li engineers, the pair have unveiled the fruits of their labor: the NCase M1.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: none; text-align: center;"><img src="http://static.techspot.com/images2/news/bigimage/2013-02-14-image-3.jpg" style="outline: none;" /></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: none;">Some of the M1's specs could change by the time it hits production, but on paper, the 12.59-liter box has the features you'd expect from a standard enthusiast chassis. At 160 x 328 x 240mm (250mm with the feet -- 6.29 x 12.91 x 9.44in), the case is designed for Mini-ITX motherboards, which is more compact than MicroATX at 170mm long versus 244mm and allows the M1 to house a power supply in a unique top front position.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: none; text-align: center;"><img src="http://static.techspot.com/images2/news/bigimage/2013-02-14-image-4.jpg" style="outline: none;" /></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: none;">Besides supporting standard ATX power supplies, the M1 can accommodate a triple-slot graphics card up to 317.5mm (12.50in) long, a processor cooler up to 105mm (4.13in) tall, four 120mm fans and one 80/92mm fan, dual 120mm radiators, as many as three 3.5in or four 2.5in storage drives, and one slim slot-loading optical drive. The front panel carries two USB 3.0 ports and audio jacks around a central power button.</div><center style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 12px; outline: none;"><img src="http://static.techspot.com/fileshost/newspics3/2012/ncasem1-1.jpg" style="outline: none;" /></center><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: none;">As we hinted above, the M1 is still in a prerelease phase. NCase wants to have two prototypes made by Lian Li soon, but they need a few bucks to get started. The team is <a href="http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/320106/" style="color: #05408f; outline: none; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">asking for $3,000 via Indiegogo</a> and they're a little over halfway there with four weeks to go. Once the prototypes are created and the design is refined, NCase plans to gather funding for a limited production run where the M1 will be sold for $160 to $200.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: none; text-align: center;"><img src="http://static.techspot.com/images2/news/bigimage/2013-02-14-image-5.jpg" style="outline: none;" /></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: none;">There are only four donation tiers: $1 gets you a pat on the back, $5 earns you a mention on NCase's site, $10 puts you on a priority shipment list for the production run and $2,000 scores you a prototype when NCase is done testing. Besides helping two enthusiasts build their dream case, NCase says backing the project will prove to companies that getting involved with the community can break stagnation and promote innovation.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: none;"><a href="http://www.techspot.com/news/51650-crowdfunded-ncase-m1-mini-itx-enthusiast-chassis-inches-toward-reality.html" target="_blank">Read More...</a></div></div>

Crowdfunded NCase M1 Mini-ITX enthusiast chassis inches toward reality

Although there are some solid small form factor cases available, none of them are perfect -- at least not if you're  Wahaha360 and Necer...

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Scientists develop computer that never crashes

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: none;">Depending on what you are doing, a computer crash can be classified as anything from a minor annoyance to a complete disaster. I’ve been experiencing some BSODs lately of unknown origin and let me be the first to tell you, it’s pretty darn annoying when you are right in the middle of something important – like work – and everything shuts down before you get a chance to save.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: none;">Fortunately, researchers and scientists at the <a href="http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21729045.400-the-computer-that-never-crashes.html" style="color: #05408f; outline: none; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">University College London</a> have come up with a <a href="http://www.itproportal.com/2013/02/15/the-crash-proof-and-self-healing-systemic-computer/" style="color: #05408f; outline: none; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">solution</a> they say will end computer crashes forever.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: none;">Today’s computers typically work procedurally by pulling data from memory, working on the data then sending it back to memory. This usually happens in a fixed order and until something goes wrong, all is well. When a process fails or crashes for whatever reason, however, everything hits the fan and the computer will often times lock up.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: none; text-align: center;"><img src="http://static.techspot.com/images2/news/bigimage/2013-02-15-image-1.jpg" style="outline: none;" /></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: none;">The computer that UCL has developed is different in the fact that data and instructions are essentially mirrored across several different systems. The systems work simultaneously although independent of each other – the only thing they share is a section of memory for context-sensitive data.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: none;">In the event that one system crashes or data becomes corrupted, the computer is able to rebuild that set of data from another system and start fresh again. The systems are said to execute in a random order using a pseudorandom number generator that acts as a task scheduler.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: none;">At this point, performance isn’t all that great but there’s certainly room to improve upon. If you’re interested in learning more about this developing technology, the developers will <a href="http://conference.researchbib.com/?action=viewEventDetails&eventid=13925&uid=r09a1e" style="color: #05408f; outline: none; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">present</a> their findings at the IEEE International Conference on Evolvable Systems in April.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: none;"><a href="http://www.techspot.com/news/51655-scientists-develop-computer-that-never-crashes.html" target="_blank">Read More...</a></div></div>

Scientists develop computer that never crashes

Depending on what you are doing, a computer crash can be classified as anything from a minor annoyance to a complete disaster. I’ve been exp...

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Microsoft's Digital allows Computer Interaction with Hand Gestures

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px; padding: 0px;">Microsoft’s research lab in Cambridge, UK has developed a new way to interact with the digital world using intuitive hand gestures. “Digits” uses 3 different IR cameras to track the positions of fingers with respect to each other.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px; padding: 0px;">One of the <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD5" style="background-attachment: scroll !important; background-color: transparent !important; background-image: none !important; background-position: 0% 50%; background-repeat: repeat repeat !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 255) !important; border-bottom-style: dotted !important; border-bottom-width: 1px !important; color: rgb(0, 0, 255) !important; cursor: pointer !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1px !important; position: static;">applications</span> for this technology includes 3-D spacial interaction with a mobile device. By assigning gestures to certain functions, the user could conceivably control any aspect of a device. This also allows for vision free control of the device. In example used in Microsoft’s <a href="http://research.microsoft.com/apps/video/default.aspx?id=173838" style="color: #cb5a5f; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial;">video</a>, they assigned the the “thumb’s up” to answer an incoming call.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px; padding: 0px;">Other applications include <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD2" style="background-attachment: scroll !important; background-color: transparent !important; background-image: none !important; background-position: 0% 50%; background-repeat: repeat repeat !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 255) !important; border-bottom-style: dotted !important; border-bottom-width: 1px !important; color: rgb(0, 0, 255) !important; cursor: pointer !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1px !important; position: static;">sign language interpretation</span> and endless possibilities for gaming. Could this be the new <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD10" style="background-attachment: scroll !important; background-color: transparent !important; background-image: none !important; background-position: 0% 50%; background-repeat: repeat repeat !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 255) !important; border-bottom-style: dotted !important; border-bottom-width: 1px !important; color: rgb(0, 0, 255) !important; cursor: pointer !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1px !important; position: static;">controller for</span> XBox 720? Guess we will have to wait to find out.<a href="http://www.besttechnology.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Digits.png" style="background-color: #f2f2f2; clear: left; color: #cb5a5f; display: inline !important; font-size: 0.9em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: initial;"><img alt="Microsoft Digits - 3D Hand Gesture Computer Interaction" class="size-full wp-image-2805" height="361" src="http://www.besttechnology.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Digits.png" style="border: 1px solid rgb(215, 215, 215); margin: 0px; padding: 7px;" title="Microsoft Digits - 3D Hand Gesture Computer Interaction" width="640" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1658461837330835216" id="dd_end" style="clear: both; color: #cb5a5f; float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></a></div></div>

Microsoft's Digital allows Computer Interaction with Hand Gestures

Microsoft’s research lab in Cambridge, UK has developed a new way to interact with the digital world using intuitive hand gestures. “Digits”...

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Surface Pro sells out quickly - due to high demand or low supply?

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: none;">Microsoft’s Surface Pro tablet hit retail shelves last Friday but you wouldn’t know it if you happened to venture into any number of big box stores this weekend. That’s because the slate was nowhere to be found – <a href="http://www.slashgear.com/where-are-all-the-surface-pro-tablets-11268810/" style="color: #05408f; outline: none; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">sold out</a> in virtually every location, we’re told.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: none;">Both the 64GB and 128GB units were sold out online through Microsoft’s website by Saturday. All of this could mean one of two things: either Microsoft had a fantastic sales weekend or they didn’t ship nearly enough tablets to fill demand. At this time, it appears that the latter might be the more likely scenario.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: none; text-align: center;"><img src="http://static.techspot.com/images2/news/bigimage/2013-02-11-image-6.jpg" style="outline: none;" /></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: none;">Why exactly would Microsoft intentionally release the Surface Pro in short supply? For the same reason that a number of other companies have been accused of doing – to create buzz and further build demand. We aren’t saying that is what happened, but others are certainly making that accusation.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: none;">Richard Hay from <a href="http://www.windowsobserver.com/2013/02/09/surface-pro-release-day-stock-apparently-limited-at-best-buy-and-staples-stores/" style="color: #05408f; outline: none; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">Windows Observer</a> did some investigation and found that one store said they only received one model each of the Surface Pro (64GB and 128GB). Another store said their shipment never made it in time for the retail launch while another retailer noted they only received five of each tablet. A number of locations told him they didn’t have any display models of the tablet or only had the 64GB model on display.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: none;">Of course, it’s also entirely possible that the shortage is due to higher than anticipated demand. <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/microsofts-surface-pro-launch-marred-by-supply-shortages-7000011089/" style="color: #05408f; outline: none; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">ZDNet</a> points out that Microsoft didn’t take any pre-orders for the device like they did with the Surface RT devices. It’s unclear why Microsoft wouldn’t hold pre-orders, however. Hopefully we will know more sooner rather than later but it’s not likely that the company will release sales figures unless they are astronomical.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: none;"><a href="http://www.techspot.com/news/51604-surface-pro-sells-out-quickly-due-to-high-demand-or-low-supply.html" target="_blank">Read More...</a></div></div>

Surface Pro sells out quickly - due to high demand or low supply?

Microsoft’s Surface Pro tablet hit retail shelves last Friday but you wouldn’t know it if you happened to venture into any number of big box...

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Australia subpoenas Microsoft, Apple to explain why products cost Aussies more

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div style="background-color: white; clear: right; float: right; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; outline: none;"><img alt="apple, microsoft, software, adobe, government, gaming, hardware, australia, subpoena, prices, consumers, mobile computing, inquiry, currency, federal, probes, exchange rates, hearings, inquiries, choice, ed husic, sydney labor party, aussi" src="http://static.techspot.com/images/teaser/australian%20dollar.jpg" /></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: none;">Australian parliamentary officials have launched a formal inquiry which aims to examine why many tech products cost Aussies up to 50 percent more than they do for American consumers. Reportedly, Microsoft, Apple and Adobe are among some of the <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/11/us-australia-apple-pricing-idUSBRE91A04H20130211" style="color: #05408f; outline: none; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">companies who have been ordered to appear</a> on March 22 in Canberra for questioning.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: none;">'<em style="outline: none;">'I'm firmly of the view that the only way to get answers from some of major IT vendors is to compel them to appear,</em>'' the Sydney Labor MP Ed Husic said, reaffirming parliament’s decision to subpoena American-based multi-nationals to answer for higher-priced goods.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: none;">Consumer group Choice claims that when compared to the U.S., Microsoft Office is 34 percent more expensive in Australia, on average. Additionally, Australians pay about 232 percent more for digitally-distributed PC games than Americans, 73 percent more for iTunes purchases and 41 percent more for most computer products.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: none;">Apple and Microsoft have reportedly already made submissions to the committee, outlining increased taxes, freight and foreign exchange rates as key reasons for higher prices.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: none;">In one <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/tech-news/software-services/Australia-to-grill-Apple-Microsoft-over-pricing/articleshow/18442407.cms" style="color: #05408f; outline: none; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">clear-cut example of absurdly priced merchandise</a>, Choice noted it would be more economical to employ someone for 46 hours at $21.30 per hour, provide them with round-trip airfare to the U.S. and have them purchase a particular Microsoft-made enterprise software package rather than buying it locally for $8,939 in Australia -- and then have them repeat the process once more. The India Times did not specify what this enterprise-level software package was, however.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: none;">"<em style="outline: none;">For some time consumers and businesses have been trying to work out why they are paying so much more, particularly for software, where if it's downloaded there is no shipping or handling, or much of a labor cost,</em>" Husic told Reuters.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: none;">The Register offered some <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/02/11/australia_summons_apple_microsoft_adobe/" style="color: #05408f; outline: none; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">less extraordinary examples</a> though, like $119 AUS for Office 365 Home Premium versus $99 USD in the U.S. and $539 AUS for a 16GB iPad as opposed to $499 USD. The exchange rate of AUS to USD is currently 1 to 1.03, making the currencies relatively equal.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: none;"><a href="http://www.techspot.com/news/51605-australia-subpoenas-microsoft-apple-to-explain-why-products-cost-aussies-more.html" target="_blank">Read More...</a></div></div>

Australia subpoenas Microsoft, Apple to explain why products cost Aussies more

Australian parliamentary officials have launched a formal inquiry which aims to examine why many tech products cost Aussies up to 50 percent...

Read more »