Gizm0 - Gadget Blog for the Technology Obsessed.

Casio’s Exilim Z9 may not rock 13 megapixels like the Sony W300 we just featured, but it does come in pink, and orange, and all sorts of colors girls and non-geeks find adorable.  That alone may win it a spot in a teenager’s pocket, but Casio Exilim Z9 is no toy.  Rocking 8 megapixels, 23 best-shot pre-sets, an easy mode for people who want to take pictures, not think, and a 3X optical zoom.  It also shoots video ready-made for Youtube.

According to Bill Heuer, Vice President of Casio’s Digital Imaging Division, “Casio’s innovative YouTube Capture Mode allows videos to be recorded and uploaded directly to YouTube in as few as 3 steps, making the EX-Z9 perfect for online video enthusiasts.”

Feature Highlights:

• Stylish, slim, compact model featuring 8.1 million effective megapixels and 3x optical zoom.
• Generous 2.6-inch wide LCD display
• 23 Best Shot Modes for high quality images
• Anti Shake DSP for reducing photo blur due to shaky hands or moving subjects
• Easy Mode for simplifying the camera settings
• Casio’s Face Detection technology for maintaining a sharp focus

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Sony Cyber-shot W300 

The Sony W300 is the first point and shoot to cross 12 mega pixels, stuffing a whopping 13.6 mega pixels into its compact point-and-shoot frame.  There are also a few “pro” features thrown in, like high-speed shooting at an impressive 5 frames per second, although they had to drop the megapixel count to just three for that to work.  There’s image stabilization built in and ISO up to 6,400.   Don’t get too excited about that either,  manufacturers usually promise more then they can achieve at the highest ISOs.  Still, an ISO of 6,400 makes ISO 1,600 seem like a reasonable proposition.

In addition, to the above, the Sony W300 sports a 3X optical zoom and a reasonable $350 price - its due to ship in May.

Sony Cyber-shot H50

If the optical zoom is really important to you, you might want to opt for the companion Sony Cyber-shot H50, which sports an unusually high 15x optical zoom, but takes down mega pixels down to 9.1.  While sacrificing pixels, the Cyber-shot H50 is a more powerful camera in many ways.  Besides the optical zoom, which is quite impressive for a point and shoot, the Cyber-shot H50 also rocks a powerful flash.  It can illuminate subjects up to 55 feet away.  There’s also optical image stabilization as well as a dynamic range optimizer to keep blow outs and highlights in check.  Its scheduled to come in at $400 but might just be the more useful camera overall.  Point and shoots aren’t usually used to make poster-sized prints, and  9 quality megapixels is enough for gorgeous 8×11 prints.

We also like this matte-gray finish - very new and very modern.  Sony is trying to take the lead and the Cyber-shot H50 as well as the Cyber-shot W300 stuff more features then we’ve seen in a point and shoot.  No word on their movie modes, we’ll update you as we find out more.

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By now you laptop hungry freaks are probably salivating between the ThinkPad X300 and the Macbook Air. We’ve already previewed the battle and frankly suggested you go with the lowest priced Macbook Air. $1,799 is a damn bargain for the ‘Airs. But if you gotsta hook up your shiznet, with either laptop, you’re going to end up at roughly the same price point, $3,000. With solid state, DVD, ethernet, etc., the ThinkPad X300 is clearly better configured. The DVD burner for example, is built in, and ethernet can be ordered integrated into the laptop. With Mac, its “accessorize me!” But here’s the real weak point of the Macbook Air — that darn non-removable battery. Sure you can get it replaced for “the same price as a new Mac battery” but what a horrible day that’ll be when we have to stand in line at the genius bar or something, waiting for our number to come up.

With the ThinkPad X300, batteries come in various strengths and weights, and are swappable, you know, just like back in the day. The ThinkPad X300 is also wi-max ready. Yummy!!! Of course this means absolutely nothing. There’s no wi-max signal anywhere we can think of, and we’re in New York City, but hey, at least we can say its future proof!

What this boring chart from macsource.com can’t reflect are the two aesthetic choices you have to pick from. Are you 3-day stubble cool and turtlenecky or do you rock monkey suits and a briefcase?   Like the Presidential campaign, it also largely comes down to a choice of colors, silver or black.

We have Apple’s very BMW-like silver and slick or the Thinkpad X300’s silky black, complete with a fingerprint reader and a keyword that clickity clacks. Let’s face it, the ThinkPad X300 is the more serious machine - but we wouldn’t go so far as to call it the superior machine.  It could be, if it ran on Apple’s far superior operating system.  Chance of that happening?  Don’t hold your breath.

Here’s the tale of the tape, but as we’ve said before, unless you’re a dedicated PC-guy by virtue of your corporate job, the $1,799 Macbook Air is your best bet. All specs aside, our metrics indicate that the Air will provide you with more daily gadget joy not to mention actually turn a few heads at the coffee shop. We don’t know about you homie, but if we just dropped three G’s, We’re gonna wanna see some envy in people’s faces.

The Thinkpad X300 is small and light but beautiful, it is not. No aesthetically-oriented person (e.g. hot females) will give you two shits about the mad coin you dropped on that thing. Show her the Macbook Air and the black American Express and she’ll probably just go ahead and marry you. Still, just between us gadget heads, we know Apple can do better. Macbook Air, you’re mad cool but we’re already looking for Macbook Air Pro, your bigger brother. And he better come with wi-max. Whatever that is. Gizm0 Crack House Team Delta Force, Out!

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Its a beauty. The Lenova X300 is about 3 lbs and as thin as the Macbook Air. Yep, it fits inside that manilla envelope made so famous by Steve Jobs. In many respects, the Lenova X300 is in a league of its own. Not only is it the thinnest, but its also the most power-efficient Thinkpad ever made. Here are some highlights:* It weighs 2.93 lbs, and at its thinnest is .73 inches, and at its thickest is .93 inches. That’s about as thin as the Macbook Air but half a pound lighter. Sweet.

* Here’s where you might be tempted to switch from the Macbook Air: Unlike the Macbook Air, it has a built in DVD burner and three USB slots.

* Standard memory is 64 GB SOLID STATE and screen size is 13.3″ inches of LED backlit glory - some say it looks exactly like the Thinkpad T41’s 14.1″ display.

* Temperature of the actual laptop is always a balmy but not too hot 86 degrees, even two hours into running a DVD movie. That’s great if you’re putting the laptop on your well, lap, for hours on end.

* WiMax ready later in 2008. Meanwhile, its got 802.11n built in and tests have shown that it pulls an impressive 130 mbps.

* Its still a ThinkPad, which means the keyword is the best ever made.

* Price? $2,500-$3,000. The Macbook Air can be had for $1,800, but when configured with a 64 GB solid state hard drive like the Lenova X300, the price and specs match up quite nicely.

MacBook Air, fully spec’d, has its match. You’re either a ThinkPad X300 or a Macbook Air person - for mobile professionals, these two are your best bets.

The Thinkpad X300 is fully loaded and is impressive for managing to stuff a DVD player/burner inside its guts and still weigh/cost the same as the Macbook Air (with solid state). What would we do? Take the Macbook Air without solid state or anything else..for $1,799. What a deal. But for ultraportable enthusiasts and PC folks who want it all, the Lenova Thinkpad X300 is the cream of the crop.

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Ricoh’s Caplio is a pretty interesting offering - part of that fancy point and shoot category everyone is jumping into.  The Ricoh R8’s point of differentiation is a a serious 28-200 mm focus range.  It also zooms out by a 7.1x factor for long shots.   The Ricoh R8 is an update of the Ricoh R7 and is taking that Sigma DP-1 look, which itself is a take on the Leica M8 minimalism.   ISO on the Ricoh R8 is 1,600, which would be sweet for low-light shots.

The lower budget Ricoh Caplio R50 shares the same 10 megapixel lense but has a more modest 36-180mm 5X optical zoom.  We’re not going to show you the R50, looks like every other silver point and shoot.  No word on pricing.  Fairly interesting, but given the competition, we’d rather have that Sigma DP-1.

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Got a Mac? Got an iPhone? Want free ringtones? If your answer is yes, yes, and yes, well, you have problems, but that’s for another professional. Besides we’re guilty of all the above as well. We hate the idea of paying for ringtones of songs we already own. Here’s a neato how-to by lifehacker to cut “the man” out of the system, of course by using all of “the man’s” tools.

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Sorry iPhone, but the Nokia N96 is THE phone for people obsessed with features and functionality. The Nokia N96, which is supposed to drop in Q3 for €550 is the son of Nokia’s N95. Just peep this pic and the following specs and tell me you’re not salivating.

Don’t worry iPhone, if you added a keyboard, kept your awesome operating system and matched the Nokia N96’s other features, we’ll fall back in love with you. Too bad we don’t expect that to happen anytime soon.

Some Features of the Nokia N96:

2.8″ screen, 16GB of internal storage, Wi-Fi, HSDPA, a microSD expansion slot, built-in 3D stereo speakers, a standard 3.5mm headphone jack, a 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, flash, and video light, assisted GPS with photo geotagging, an integrated kickstand for video viewing, and in select markets, an integrated DVB-H receiver for watching live broadcast TV..

According to Electronista.com, “a second phone, the N78, is designed as a budget alternative to the N82: also resembling the N81, the new phone uses a lower-resolution 3.2-megapixel camera and strips most built-in storage in favor of microSDHC cards. It nonetheless uses assisted GPS, Wi-Fi, and a native 3.5mm headphone jack; in a unique twist, it also sports an FM transmitter for broadcasting its music to other devices. Nokia bundles the N78 with a 2GB microSD card and ships the phone during the spring for 350 Euros ($508).”

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There’s a new breed of cameras gaining in popularity - the crossover or high end point and shoot.  There’s of course the Canon G9, and now Sigma DP1.  Besting the Canon G9’s 12 megapixels, the Sigma DP1 boasts 14 megapixels.

Dropping this Spring, the Sigma DP1  employs a “14-megapixel Foveon sensor that defines its shooting characteristics. The new three-layer silicon technology (also used in the SD14) captures each portion an RGB image in one pixel instead of three and allows the sensor to be several times larger than for other point-and-shoots this size; this provides both a major lift both to resolution as well as color response” this according to the good folks at Sigma.

Most exciting too us (besides the high pixel count) is the shallow depth of field capability of the Sigma DP1. Using “a custom-tailored 16.6mm f4 lens that can produce a shallow depth of field effect normally impossible with compact cameras.”  We don’t know the price but we’re guessing its going to be competing with the $400-$500 Canon G9.  No word on video capability but if its not at least 720P like the Lumix FX35, we’d be disappointed.

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Not sure if you’re ready to buy the Macbook Air laptop? Pics not giving you enough satisfaction? More of a video person? Here’s what you’ve been searching for - the Macbook Air video tour by a Steve Jobs clone:

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Sony is showcasing their Sony Alpha 24.8 Megapixel DSLR for all the world to salivate.  Referring to this pixel beast as the “flagship” Sony Alpha, experts suggest that the 24.8 megapixel chip will “only” be able to produce about 24 effective megapixels due to sensor limitations.  Still, that’s more than twice the megapixels of the upcoming Nikon D60 DSLR.

Now you can take pictures of your pet cat and turn into a billboard for all the world to see.  The Sony Alpha flagship (model not yet determined) will still feature the Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar lense, and upgrade options will include a lense with a minimum f2.8 aperture and manual focus override.

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