Posts Tagged ‘Accessories’

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Review: Olympus E-P1

Author’s note: This is a review of the Olympus E-P1 provided to me for one week to review on Mac-Forums & my personal blog Jetplane Journal. Thanks go to Olympus for the opportunity to take their latest & greatest for a spin.

Introduction

In general, most people choose one of two types of cameras: Simple point & shoot cameras (P&S) that are extremely small, but don’t offer manual adjustment options – or complex & large DSLRs, which offer full control over nearly every aspect of your image. But the size and bulk of traditional DSLR cameras can make them unsuitable for certain occasions and events, where you might not want to lug a large camera bag and equipment around with you. Digital SLRs can also be intimidating for casual users, who worry about making the jump from their tried and trusted P&S.

The Olympus E-P1 ‘PEN’, based on the original Olympus PEN, has essentially created a new category for itself that sits in-between DSLRs such as Olympus’ own E-520 and other “enthusiast” compacts, such as the Panasonic Lumix LX-3 or the Canon G10. Unlike traditional DSLRs, this camera looks similar to most compacts, albeit slightly larger.

But the interchangeable lenses and much larger sensor it DSLR-like capabilities, making the E-P1 a compelling for photography enthusiasts and “prosumers”.

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July 20, 2009 at 10:22 am by . | 2 Comments.

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Review: IOGEAR GCS632U 2-Port KVM Switch

What is a KVM Switch?

Have you ever wished for an easy way to control 2 computers from a single keyboard/mouse/monitor?  If so, you’ll need a KVM switch.  Short for Keyboard-Video-Mouse, KVMs have long been used by technicians and ordinary users alike who need access to multiple machines from a single “console”.

In recent years, the proliferation of USB mice and keyboards has all but eliminated the older style PS/2 connections that we were so accustomed to on PCs.  In turn, KVM switches have recently changed focus to support USB devices a lot better, particularly since USB is not a direct, dedicated connection for these kinds of devices.  What this means is that most USB KVM switches are somewhat dumbed-down in the way they go about switching.  While PS/2 KVM switches typically work immediately after switching between computers, USB KVMs usually make you wait a few seconds while they tell computer 1 “I’m unplugging this keyboard and mouse”, and subsequently tell computer 2 “I’m plugging this keyboard and mouse into you”.

Not only is this annoying, but it can result in some pretty unpredictable behavior, especially if you need to be in the BIOS settings page of a PC, in the Windows Recovery Console, or heaven forbid, in DOS.  While most Mac users probably wouldn’t care about this since OS X is pretty quick about recognizing a USB device, I’d wager that many people using a Mac with a KVM do so because they have another PC they need to control with it.

Do I need one?

In my case, I use KVMs quite a bit.  Both at work and at home, I have a workstation where I need to connect to PCs to either prep them for deployment or do repair work on them.  I need an easy way to share my monitor/keyboard and mouse between my main machine and customer machines.  As such, I’ve had the displeasure of going through quite a few KVM switches trying to find one that is usable.  I’ve been through high-end Belkin Omniview, low-end Belkin Flip models, Hawking and Tripp Lite switches, all with limited success.  But just recently a friend recommended that I take a look at offerings from a company called IOGEAR.

USB Emulation – a feature every USB KVM should have.

IOGEAR is building quite a reputation for well-made, well-engineered products, and its KVMs are no exception.  One of the things IOGEAR has going for them is that they have a patent on “USB emulation” technology.  This technology basically puts an end to the constant disconnect/reconnect of USB peripherals when switching.  Instead, it tells both machines that the devices are still connected, and just redirects output between the two machines upon switching.

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June 23, 2009 at 1:14 pm by . | No comments.

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Review: Belkin 7-Port USB Hub Plus

Belkin’s latest version of their popular 7-port hub has been redesigned and adds cable management features. This review will take a look at the changes, design and performance of Belkin’s latest offering for USB junkies.

Design

The first thing you’ll notice is the design Belkin has chosen for this hub: Its rectangular shape means it’ll take up less space on your desk than previous versions, while retaining the two top ports – useful for USB memory sticks and similar devices. The top ports are also spaced out a bit, so you should be able to connect larger USB devices without any problem as well. The device features (more…)

June 14, 2009 at 7:40 am by Aptmunich. | 1 Comment.

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One last Best of the Booths

I do believe one final Best of the Booths post is in order.

There was so much to do and see this week, I didn’t even get a chance to take a nap in one of the sleeping pods Pzizz had been kind enough to set up for us.

January 18, 2008 at 10:57 pm by . | 2 Comments.

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MacWorld Gear and Accessories

Walking around MacWorld this week, I’ve rapidly learned that the laptop bag I use to hold my computer and notebooks and all of the other junk that I tote around isn’t really very comfortable. As a result, I found myself drawn to the many booths in Moscone West that were selling laptop bags. Once I’d turned my attention to that, I found that I was also pulled towards all of the different cases and accessories for other gadgets.

Here were some of my favorite accessories finds:

January 16, 2008 at 12:45 pm by . | 7 Comments.

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