World’s smallest portable 2.5-inch USB hard drive

World’s smallest portable 2.5-inch USB hard drive
July 29, 2008 Tech companies just love being able to lay claim to that “world’s smallest” title, and hard drive manufacturers are no different with Freecom boasting the “world’s smallest and lightest” portable 2.5-inch USB 2.0 external hard drive with the Mobile Drive XXS. ..

Tags: Storage, USB

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New Pentax Optio M60

The Optio M60 is a stylish digital compact camera with enhanced functions to support a wide variety of shooting scenarios. Read More

Maxtor BlackArmor 160GB

If you’re the paranoid type or just someone who cannot afford to have his or her data stolen, the Maxtor BlackArmor external backup drive will likely bring you a large dose of piece-of-mind. Data on the drive is encrypted with a key at the hardware level using government-grade 128-bit AES encryption, so if you lose it whoever finds it will have zero chance of recovering the data. Even better, if someone steals the drive and doesn’t have the password, they can reformat the drive but the process destroys the encryption key, making all the data inaccessible even by data recovery professionals. This high level of security comes with a high price tag though, and the drive also suffers a few design drawbacks too, so you should only consider it if data security is a top priority.

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Crutchfield: Panasonic SCPT750 DVD Home Theater System $300 shipped

Crutchfield: Panasonic SCPT750 DVD Home Theater System $300 shipped

Sony Alpha A350 Compared to Nikon D80 SLR Review

Sony Alpha A350 Compared to Nikon D80 SLR Review
We have just posted a side by side comparison review between the new 14.2 MP Sony Alpha A350 digital SLR with DT 18-70mm lens versus the 10.1 MP Nikon D80 digital SLR kit with the AF-S DX 18-55mm VR zoom. To see what real world benefits the latest generation technologies and features incorporated in the Sony Alpha A350 offer in terms of image quality or enhancing the photographic experience, we decided to compare this new camera model against the Nikon D80 which remains one of the predominant cameras in the current Nikon line up. See how these two SLR cameras performed in our tests...

In the clouds is not always safe...

In the clouds is not always safe...
How well companies that offer something for "free" can do with a subscription option?

When there are so many "free" things on the web, one has to wonder how companies can keep their products up and running (or even if they can manage to get out of beta).

Some companies just don't. They close the service and tell the customers to get out of here:

Personal Media: Bluestring, Xdrive and AOL Pictures will be sunset. These consumer storage products haven't gained sufficient traction in the marketplace or the monetization levels necessary to offset the high cost of their operation. We have found that building media management applications within the context of a social experience is a more rapid and effective way to grow the business. For example, today the Bebo audience is uploading over three million photos per day. To effectively grow the XDrive online storage business we would need to focus on subscription revenues vs. monetizing through advertising revenue, and this business model is not in strategic alignment with our company's goals. We are exploring plans to migrate our users assets to ensure the best possible transition experience.

This is part of the memo AOL sent out to staff explaning the end of some of their services - including Xdrive an on-line storage service that offered 5 GB of storage free to anyone.

There's a reason why people buy external drives for home or buy Windows Home Server or NAS boxes. First broadband speed sucks around the world. Then the services don't work as expected or not as easily (Xdrive is only one that I know that could be mounted as a drive on your OS so you could just copy things from and to instead of having to open a browser window). And even so it was very unstable.

Which leads me to the next one: the on-line service businesses seem to be quite unreliable - unless they are a subscription service with a SLA, not a freebie. But even so sith happens.

When there are lots of free things, some won't last long.

Adobe Releases Photoshop Lightroom 2

Adobe Releases Photoshop Lightroom 2
Major Software Upgrade Further Simplifies Photography Workflows SAN JOSE, Calif. -- July 29, 2008 -- Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced the immediate availability of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 software, the photographer's essential toolbox for managing, adjusting and presenting large volumes of digital photographs. With new enhancements such as dual-monitor support, radical advances in non-destructive localized image correction,...

Fujifilm to roll out FinePix Z200fd to U.S. market

The Fujifilm FinePix Z200fd was announced in Europe in May. As of this morning, Fuji gave word that the camera will make it to the American market as well. Read More

Dell Home: Studio 17 Laptop T5750 17in 3GB 320GB DVD+-RW 256MB video bluetooth webcam $774 shipped

Dell Home: Studio 17 Laptop T5750 17in 3GB 320GB DVD+-RW 256MB video bluetooth webcam $774 shipped

Microsoft Excel 2003 Functions and Formulas - Find a Conditional Sum

Use Microsoft Excel 2003 to find the sum of numbers that meet a certain condition. ... Read More

6ave.com: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT 8MP Black Digital SLR Camera With 28-90mm Lens $397 shipped

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 - full review and video tour

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 is a 9.1 Megapixel compact with nothing less than a 10x optical zoom range. It's the successor to the enormously successful Lumix TZ3 and features the same excellent 28-280mm stabilised zoom lens in a pocketable form factor, but along with two extra Megapixels, upgrades the 3in screen to 460k pixels, adds HD movie recording at 720p / 30fps, and tops it off with an improved Intelligent Auto mode which combines Face and Scene Detection, Intelligent ISO and Panasonic's latest Intelligent Exposure mode. Has the one of the best compacts just got better? Find out in our Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 review, and for a demonstration of its features, see our TZ5 video tour. Note the TZ5 is known as the TZ15 in Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Read More

Sony KDL-40S3000 40 in. HDTV LCD Television

Sony KDL-40S3000 40 in. HDTV LCD Television
Sony has ensured the best technology possible has been included in the shape of the Bravia Engine and

Canon Announces Instant Rebates on EOS 40D, EOS 5D, EF Lenses and Speedlites in US

Canon Announces Instant Rebates on EOS 40D, EOS 5D, EF Lenses and Speedlites in US
Canon USA Inc. has launched a series of generous instant cash back rebates covering the Canon EOS 40D and the higher end full frame 12.8 MP Canon EOS 5D digital SLR, along with savings on a number of Canon EF lenses, and Canon Speedlites. Save up to $125 US on select EF lenses and $300 on the Canon EOS 5D. See the full story and a complete list of the products now covered by instant rebates...

Canon Rebel XS, EOS 1000D Entry Level Digital SLR

Canon has today introduced the Canon Digital Rebel XS digital SLR. In some countries (Europe) the camera will be known as the Canon EOS 1000D. The Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS / 1000D features an APS-C size 10.1 megapixel CMOS sensor and Canon's DIGIC III image processor, and joins the ranks in the Canon lineup as the entry level digital SLR model under the recently announced 12.2 MP Canon Rebel XSi / 450D. See full story... Read More

Geekzone Jobs: search and forums

A few months ago I created a Jobs forum on Geekzone to allow for some of our readers to exchange job information, post requests for specific skills, etc.

Of course it's no competition for the big job sites around, but it seems to be working ok for our community. We do have some of the job agencies posting some ads there - and why wouldn't they, it's free!

Anyway, after talking to the guys at JobX, New Zealand's newest site for job search, we decided to add a Job Search to Geekzone.

One of the first joint initiatives was their sponsorship at the Geekzone Pizza evening in Christchurch - by chance we selected a pizza place just next to their offices, so that helped too.

The Jobs forum is still active and I expect it to get busier every day, but I think the Job Search will bring an even bigger selection for you.

Good luck!

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Jailbreaking iPod touch 2.0 with WinPwn

It took a while, but I'm finally at it - iPod touch 2.0 now jailbroken for me, using WinPwn.



You'll need:

• WinPwn (2.0.0.3 is what I used, since some bugs were apparently fixed)
• Your iPod 2.0 restore file (please note that it must be 5A347)
• iTunes 7.7
• Some patience

Step 1

Open up WinPwn.

Click "Browse .ipsw" and find your original iPod touch 2.0 restore file.

Step 2

Click "IPSW Builder"

You don't really have to do anything here, but you can select "Install Cydia" if you want it.

Step 3

Click "Build .ipsw", save to a location, and wait a while.

Step 4

Once the whole process is complete, click "iPwner" and click OK to the confirmation message.

Step 5

Open up iTunes, and put your iPod into DFU mode.

I tried to do this a few times, but having a counter on hand is best.

• Connect iPod to PC
• Turn off while connected to PC
• Press Sleep/Wake and Home buttons for exactly 10 seconds. Leave iPod connected.
• After the 10 seconds, release the Sleep/Wake button. Continue to hold the Home button. Leave iPod connected.
• Windows will now see the "new hardware", and iTunes will give a message that it has found an iPod in recovery mode.
• Click OK.

Step 6

In iTunes, hold Shift while pressing "Restore".

Find your custom restore file and Restore. And wait for an extremely long time.

Step 7

Afterwards, iTunes may prompt for a backup restore.

It worked for me, but I'm not 100% sure if this affects anything, but if you don't mind, you can set it up completely from scratch.

The restore took around 25 minutes. Maybe it's because of my apps, but expect to wait.


... and now you should have a jailbroken iPod touch with Software 2.0!


There was one problem - Cydia always hangs when downloading or installing software. A hard reset is required. (Hold Sleep/Wake and Home buttons until it shuts down, then start up normally)

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Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W170 Review

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W170 Review
We were impressed with Sony's 8.1 megapixel Cyber-shot W150. So how does the 10.1 megapixel Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W170 compare to its lower-res sibling?

Social networking sites support 40 percent of online photo sharing

According to a report out this week, social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace host roughly 40 percent of all images uploaded to web. Read More

Dell 1320c

Dell 1320c
An affordable colour laser printer that is able to handle a large everyday workload at an economical per page cost.

Olympus Zuiko Digital 25mm pancake lens - full review and video tour

The Olympus Zuiko Digital 25mm is the smallest and lightest lens available for DSLRs based on the Four Thirds standard. Weighing 95g and measuring just 23.5mm thick, it justifies the pancake nickname, and transforms smaller Four Thirds bodies into working kits which could squeeze into larger coat pockets. With 50mm equivalent coverage and an f2.8 aperture, the lens is ideal for general-purpose use, but do its compact dimensions compromise quality or performance? Find out in our Olympus Zuiko Digital 25mm pancake lens review where we'll compare it against other Olympus zooms and the specialist 50mm macro lens. And to see a demonstration of its highlights, check out our Olympus 25mm video tour. Read More

Maxtor BlackArmor 320GB

Maxtor BlackArmor 320GB

If you’re the paranoid type or just someone who cannot afford to have his or her data stolen, the Maxtor BlackArmor external backup drive will likely bring you a large dose of piece-of-mind. Data on the drive is encrypted with a key at the hardware level using government-grade 128-bit AES encryption, so if you lose it whoever finds it will have zero chance of recovering the data. Even better, if someone steals the drive and doesn’t have the password, they can reformat the drive but the process destroys the encryption key, making all the data inaccessible even by data recovery professionals. This high level of security comes with a high price tag though, and the drive also suffers a few design drawbacks too, so you should only consider it if data security is a top priority.

Read | Permalink | Email This | User Reviews | Linking Blogs

CircuitCity: Kodak EasyShare V803 8MP Digital Camera $93 shipped

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Pentax K200D - full review and video tour

The Pentax K200D is a 10 Megapixel budget DSLR with a big difference: with no fewer than 60 seals against the elements, its boasts an unprecedented degree of weatherproofing for its price. The body also features built-in Shake Reduction which works with any lens you attach. The K200D additionally sports an upper LCD screen, support for Adobe's DNG RAW format, along with optional in-camera RAW processing and even a dedicated RAW button. It's an impressive array of features, many inherited from the former flagship K10D, although there's no Live View. So the big question is whether traditional aspects and tough build quality can outweigh modern gadgetry. Find out it measures-up against rivals in our Pentax K200D review and to see a demonstration of its highlights, check out our Pentax K200D video tour. Read More