Finally got the chance to go out and shoot some portraits with the Sony 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 G SSM out that Chung Hom Kok today. Weather a bit overcast but still managed to take some decent pics. Click the following pics for a larger pic.
1/400sec, F5.6, ISO 800, Lens Focal Length 300mm
1/320sec, F5.6, ISO 800, Lens Focal Length 300mm
Some test pics I took with the Sony 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 G SSM. Click pic for full picture view. They are not the best test pics, but hope it can give you some insights as to how the lens perform.
@ 300mm, 1/60 sec at F5.6
@70mm, 1/100 sec at F4.5
Woot, the long-awaited SONY 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 G SSM lens finally arrived here in Hong Kong last night and I got mine this morning. Initial feeling, light, way lighter than I anticipated. Price is HK$5,480 (US$703)(cash price, EPS would incur additional 1% service charge) at Citicall. For now, let’s look at some pics (included measurement comparisons), enjoy.
Posted some test pics up, link here.
Following my previous post on ASUS Eee PC 900 Battery - 4,400mAh or 5,200mAh or 5,800mAh?, ASUS Hong Kong finally announced that they will be exchanging all 4,400 mAH capacity batteries with the 5,800 mAH capacity batteries, that is, if your Eee PC 900 was purchased in Hong Kong since launch date (19 April). For information, please contact ASUS HK Royal Club, Tel: 2958 1620 (Kowloon); 35824770 (Hong Kong Island). Full press release (in Chinese) as follow -
| Eee PC 900 免費升級更換至大容量 5800mAh 電池 | |
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Source - ASUS
If you’re thinking about getting the Dell 3009WFP, you better think twice because Engadget just reported that Dell might be running into issues regarding the 30-inch monitor,
“The Dell 3008 monitor has been well received since launch and has been very popular with customers. In February we experienced a small technical issue with the product that has been long resolved. [Um, it's only April? -Ed.] Currently the monitors are on extended lead times and in order to manage demand, the 3008 is not available on dell.com. We are managing orders on a prioritized basis and hope to have the product available to all customers in the near future.”
Source - Engadget
Pic from ThinkGeek
Talking about geekiness, this gadget from PTeq (US$17.99) definitely ranks amongst the top of the list. Imagine this, you pee on the absorbent test strip on the end of the stick, remove the cap to the USB connector on the other end, connect it to the computer, the power from your USB port starts the electrospray ionization process, creating a spectrograph of the various masses for your analysis.
According to ThinkGeek, “the mass spectrometry software on the device comes with several sequenced hormones, including hCG (human Chorionic Gonadotropin), hCG-H (hyperglycosylated hCG - for detection before your first missed period), and LH (luteinizing hormone - for detection of your most fertile days).”
Other features -
Source - ThinkGeek
[26 March] My iPod been running out of juice a lot lately as I’ve been watching quite a bit of video podcast on it and it really drains the battery fast. That was pretty frustrating until my sister got me the PowerMonkey mobile charger from PowerTraveller on her way back from San Francisco (at the airport). This charger comes with -
1 x PowerMonkey Unit
1 x Universal Mains adaptor
Adaptor for Nokia and Mini Nokia, Motorola V66, Samsung E900, Siemens C25 and Sony Ericsson wide connector
1 x Mini USB for Motorola Razr V series, Blackberry and Bluetooth headsets
1 x Direct iPod adaptor
1 x USB smart phones, PDA and other devices
1 x Connector for Sony PSP and most digital cameras
1 x Black travel pouch
The capacity of the PowerMonkey is 2200mAh, although less than the Tekkeon myPower Go MP1500 I have, the included iPod connector sure comes in handy (never order the iPod connector from Tekkeon). Another great thing about the charger is that it could hold its charge without leakage for up to 6 months. The PowerMonkey is available on ExpanSys, link here.
[Updated: 3 April] Turned out that the iPhone/iPod charger that came with the PowerMonkey did not work with my iPod Touch. Sent a email to the manufacturer (info@powertraveller.com) last week and they replied that Apple had recently changed their charging connections and because of that, a new connector tip with a new chip was developed and they promised to send me one for free.
Finally got the new tip today and Voila, it works. Just in time for my Singapore trip in 2 weeks. Read more »
Further to my last post, Plantronics Voyager 855AIQ iPod Limited Edition (works for iPhone too), I finally got hold of the Plantronics Voyager 855AIQ Bluetooth headset. Will be showing some unboxing pics and share with you all some of my insights after using it for 36 hours.
The specification
Weight: 15 grams with stereo cable
Pairing: QuickPair™ technology for one-touch initial pairing
Controls: Volume, microphone mute, call answer /end, voice-activated dialing, last number redial1, track forward/back, pause/play
Range: Up to 33 feet (10 meters)
Wireless Compatibility: Bluetooth (v2.0) + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) Compatible with most Bluetooth enabled phones from LG, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, and others.
Profiles: A2DP, AVRCP Headset (HSP v1.1) and Hands-free (HFP v1.5)
Power: Lithium Polymer rechargeable battery
Battery life: Up to 7 hours talk time /6 hours stereo listening/160 hours standby time from a single charge
Read more »
[3 December] Two weeks ago, I blogged about the the icombi AP21 Bluetooth dongle from Infinxx that can pair off your stereo headphones with your iPhone for both calls and listening to music and podcast at the same time. This week, I want to introduce to those of you in Hong Kong, a great promotion deal from Plantronics, the Voyager 855AIQ iPod limited edition which comes with the Plantronics Voyager 855 stereo/mono headphones and the icombi AP21 Bluetooth dongle for just HK$1,288. You can get it now at shop.esd.life online shop (subsidiary of Hutchison Whampao), link here. Too bad the site is in Chinese. For overseas customers, they do have an English site catering for them, link here, but the iPod limited edition was not listed on it. You can try calling them at their hotline, TEL: (852)3151 2288 if you want to find out more.
For a full video and written review, please click here for the review over at CNET. Meanwhile you can watch the following unboxing video by Saber514 on YouTube.
[Updated: 11 December] Just got the Plantronics Voyager 855AIQ Bluetooth headset and will post the unboxing pics later tonight or tomorrow, so check back.
Lost my Jabra BT8010 two weeks ago and it was a major bummer. Been using my backup earpiece, the Jabra BT125 ever since but want to try out something new (the Jabra BT125 is a basic piece, a bit boring but nonetheless a decent earphone). So what I did was I went down to my favorite mobile accessories shop to check out the headset today after work. Prior to that, I had my shopping requirements all set. First, they have to be stereo for I intend to use them for my MP3 player/iPod together with my Bluetooth dongle from my Plantronics Pulsar 590A. Apart from that, what I had in mind was a pair of headset with earplugs instead of hooks (Jabra BT8010 uses hooks and it can make your ears a bit sore after wearing it for a prolonged period). Caller ID used to be a must too but this time I let that one slide.
After checking out close to 20 pairs of different headsets, I finally picked out the Philips SHB7100 (the SHB7102 comes with a Bluetooth dongle and a stretch-pouch to attach the dongle to whatever player you use). The headset sounds pretty good given the price (HK$550/US$70). The unboxing pics below -
via jkOnTheRun, link here. Looks pretty neat, definitely want one if I have a Q1.
TweakTown had a very nice review out today on the BandRich C100 7.2Mbps HSDPA 3.5G Modem. Link here. The BandRich C100 supports EDGE/GPRS - 850/900/1800/1900 MHz and Tri-band HSDPA/UMTS - 850/1900/2100 MHz. Remember two weeks ago when I was shopping for a HSDPA 3.5G modem, I came across this modem from BandRich on ExpansysHK also but at that time, my preference was a USB modem, one that is compact and without the cables dangling all over the place, especially to use with my UMPC. However, a compact modem do have some trade-offs. As pointed out from one of my reader Tom today in the comments to the MITO MU108 3.5G HSDPA USB modem post, the MITO MU108 only supports UMTS 2100 band whereas the Merlin X950D 3G HSUPA\HSDPA 7.2 Mbps ExpressCard or in this case, the BandRich C100 both supports the Tri-band HSDPA/UMTS. Nonetheless I would still opt for the compact size and here in Hong Kong, HSDPA/UMTS 2100 is good enough for me. Price-wise, the MITO MU108 costs HK$1,680 and the BandRich, HK$2,380 on ExpansysHK. To wrap this up, I’ve posted some pics on the BandRich C100 on Mobile01’s forum, demonstrating how the BandRich C100 links up with the notebook.
Connect via USB. The C100 is clipped on to the top of the screen and connected via the USB cable to the USB port.
Connect via ExpressCard. The C100 is connected via the ExpressCard slot.
[All photos from Mobile01's forum post, BandLuxe C100 3.5G 無線網卡.]
Received the sample from Kristin Golliher over at Otterbox today. Upon opening the box, I just can’t stop saying “wow”, the form factor of the case is just great, the polycarbonate shell fits the BlueBerry 8820 nicely (well, one of the best I’ve seen and it works with the BlueBerry 8800, 8820 and 8830), the thermal formed protective clear membrane gives ultra protection to the keypad and together with the silicon skin that goes outside of the polycarbonate shell, the Otterbox 1933 is the total solution to bump, scratch & drop protection, just like they advertised. In addition, it also comes with a swivel belt clip, which is very sturdy and nicely made. Don’t think it’s available in Hong Kong yet, but if we can get enough people who wants it (MOQ=10), we can get a shipment in on a discounted price (listed price is US$49.50).
Mitchell Oke from Gear Diary posted his My Gear Bag article two weeks ago and inspired me to do the same. Took me longer than I thought but here it is, My Gear Bag. Wonder what’s in yours.
