Best Electronic Items

Samsung K3 MP3 player,  at .27-inches thick, can fit into any pocket with ease. The slim design paired with its light weight makes it the perfect fitness companion for running and the gym. The one-button design makes for a simple stylish exterior that instantly lights up into a 1.8-inch OLED screen, and lights up in icy blue and white to reveal a full navigational array.  The ear buds sound great but I decided to purchase some Phillips ear buds that have the soft, rubbery like inserts. The Phillips are much easier on the ears if you don’t mind the feeling of something in the ear. Samsung’s ear buds on the other hand fit snugly, slightly in the ear. If it’s your first MP3 player try out the ear buds that come with it first but be patient with getting the little foam covers on the buds, it took me several minutes. I chose the black model although I’ve heard there’s a red version.  As for battery life I timed its play and got about 18 hours. Not quite what the brochure claims but when you use it off and on it seems like forever. Every month I’ll be monitoring the batter life so I can keep you posted on how it fairs. The first thing I did was to use it until the battery was drained and then charged it full. I’ve actually done that twice so was surprised that it is less than the 20 hours promised. If I had to do it over again I’d charge it full first and then drain it. Not sure if that would make any difference though.

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HP Scanjet 5590 Digital Flatbed Scanner High-quality scans (2400 dpi) with 48-bit color Fast and easy: 50-page duplexing automatic document feeder Adapter for scanning slides and negatives Duty cycle of up to 2,000 pages a day. Get professional results with unattended, two-sided, multipage scanning; fast preview scans and scan speeds; easy document management; the ability to scan 35 mm negatives and slides; and convenient copy features with this duplexing scanner. Bonus: the Scanjet 5590’s innovative design fits neatly on your desk or a nearby shelf.

Features

• Automatically feed documents unattended and automatically scan them on both sides
• Load your originals, then just press a button–the HP Scanjet 5590 does the rest
• Scan fast, at up to 8 pages or 4 images per minute
• Get high-quality results at 2400 dpi optical resolution and 48-bit color
• Scan 35 mm slides and negatives with the included transparent materials adapter, plus scan pages of books and 3-D objects
• Use the five easy one-touch buttons for scanning documents and photos, filing documents, sending e-mail, and accessing the copy functions
• Manage your documents with ease using the included software and drivers

System Requirements

• • Mac OS X v10.1.5, v10.2 or v10.3
  • Windows 98/98 SE/ME/2000/XP Home/XP Professional

MacWindows

Specifications

• Resolution: Optical: Up to 2400 dpi; Enhanced: Up to 999999 dpi
• Input type: Flatbed
• Bit depth: 48-bit
• Max. document size: 8.5 x 14 in.
• Preview scan speed: Up to 7 sec.
• Automatic document feeder: Standard, 50 sheets
• Automatic photo feeder: None
• Scannable media types: Paper (banner, InkJet, photo, plain), envelopes, labels, cards (greeting, index), 3-D objects, 35-mm slides and negatives (using transparent materials adapter), iron-on transfers
• Control panel: 5 front-panel buttons ( Copy center, E-mail, File document, Scan document, Scan photo)
• Connectivity: 1 USB port
• Dimensions (WxDxH): 19.21 x 13.39 x 6.38 in./48.79 x 34.01 x 16.21 cm
• Weight: 12.6 lb./5.72 kg

In the box

• HP ScanJet 5590 digital flatbed scanner
• Hi-Speed USB cable compatible with USB 2.0 specifications
• Power cable
• Power supply
• Automatic document feeder (ADF)
• ADF cleaning cloth
• Transparent materials adapter (TMA) for scanning slides and negatives
• TMA instruction sheet
• User’s manual and setup poster
• CD-ROMs with software for Macintosh and Windows
• HP photo and imaging software with HP memories disc creator and HP instant share
• Integrated I.R.I.S. Readiris OCR
• NewSoft Presto! PageManager 7.

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TiVo Premiere announced its fourth-generation DVR with much fanfare at a March 2 media event in Manhattan–at the top of Rockefeller Center, to be specific. Media invitations to the event included the teaser: “The DVR was just the beginning.” What TiVo delivered was…an incremental update of its existing product. If you look beyond the slick new enclosure, the biggest improvements were an improved interface (using, for the first time, Flash-enhanced HD graphics and the full range of the wide-screen real estate); an enhanced search system (it simultaneously searches TV listings and Web-based video sources); and the addition of Pandora’s music service.

It’s just the Series3 with a fancier paint job: Yes, we assume the TiVo Premiere is running a much beefier processor than the one found in the three-year-old TiVo HD.  Still, take away the fancy new interface and the (hopefully) quicker search functions, and there are not a lot of new features. The older TiVo HD already has Amazon, Netflix, Blockbuster, and Rhapsody, and it’ll be getting the Pandora update via a future firmware update as well.

My TV and Blu-ray player can already do most of this: TiVo touts its integrated online media support as a big value-add, but the big attractions–Netflix, Amazon, YouTube, and Pandora–are widely available in Blu-ray players and TVs from a variety of manufacturers (LG, Samsung, Sony, Panasonic, Vizio), some for as little as $200. Some of these models also include DLNA network streaming and integrated Wi-Fi (see below).

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Canon Digital Rebel XSi,  it’s Canon offers two body designs for the XSi, an attractive solid black and a less-attractive two-tone silver and black. Each comes in a body-only or single-lens kit with the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens. This is a bit unusual, since most manufacturers also offer a dual-lens kit for this market. We tested the kit, as well as tried it out with the new EF-S 55mm-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS lens.  On some counts, the XSi offers some pretty nice specs, highlighted by the 12-megapixel APS-C size CMOS sensor (for Canon’s traditional 1.6x focal-length multiplier) and 9-point user-selectable autofocus system. The latter wouldn’t be much of a standout if Nikon hadn’t dropped to three-area AF in the D60. I also mark the switch from CompactFlash to SDHC in the plus column. The camera also includes the same Highlight Tone Priority mode found in the 1D Mark III, which helps preserve detail in the brightest portion of a scene. Also, the XSi includes Canon’s Auto Lighting Optimizer, which automatically adjusts contrast and brightness in case the image you captured isn’t quite perfect. Introduced last year in the 40D, the Auto Lighting Optimizer is now available in all exposure modes and employs face detection to prevent the underexposure of backlit faces I complained about in the XTi (it works). Remaining specifications are in line with the previous Rebel. For example, shutter speeds range from 30 seconds to 1/4,000 second with a flash sync speed of 1/200 second and the camera employs a 35-zone TTL metering system. Canon also offers the BG-E5 battery grip. On the other hand, it lacks common perks Sony, Pentax, and Olympus include in their cameras, like in-body mechanical stabilization and a wireless flash controller in the body, a feature I occasionally find quite useful. The inclusion of an image-stabilizing kit lens doesn’t quite compensate, since additional optically stabilized lenses tend to cost more in the long run. The XSi’s sensitivity range also tops out at ISO 1600, when others routinely reach as high as ISO 3200, and a spot meter that uses a whopping 4 percent of the viewfinder.

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HP Designjet 130 Printer, Professional photos, prints, and proofs Rich, vibrant color and exceptional fade resistance Accommodates media types/sizes from postcard to poster, up to 80 lb., 0.15″ thick Uses HP 84 black, 85 CMY inks. Ideal for graphic designers who need exceptional image quality and colour fidelity to print comps, layouts, mock-ups and proofs without the expense of outsourcing. Professional photographers can create brilliant, photo-quality prints that resist fading longer than traditionally processed photos and pre-press experts can produce proofs with stable colours in under an hour. Impress your clients every time with exceptional photo-quality and consistent colours that last. • Produce highly durable images with HP’s specially formulated dye-based inks. • Get eye-catching images at 2400 dpi with the 4-picoliter ink drop size ensuring you brilliant life-like colours, realistic detail, higher contrast and smooth tonal transitions. • Achieve the finest results with HP Premium Plus Photo and Proofing Gloss papers for rich colour depth, minimal dot visibility and uniform gloss.  Reproduce consistent colours in all your prints with HP internal colour sensor technology.

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