Nikon has received many awards for their awesome D200 and D2X high-end digital SLR cameras, but today, Nikon raised the bar with the new D300 and D3.
First, there’s the D3. Nikon advertises it as having the fastest SLR startup time (not usually a problem with an SLR) and shortest shutter lag (awesome!). It sports a 12.1MP full-frame CMOS sensor, a 51 point autofocus system, a 200-6400 ISO range (!!), and a beautiful 3 inch 920,000 pixel LCD screen! What’s really amazing is that it can take 11 frames per second…. 14 more, and this thing will be able to capture video. Price? $5000 for just the body… eek.
Next up is the D300. I consider this the camera for the high-level prosumer or an entry-level professional. It’s also been fully loaded with a 12.1 MP cropped CMOS sensor, a 3″ viewfinder, 200-3200 ISO range, 51 autofocus points, and 6 frames per second burst. Another cool feature is a ‘live view’ mode, where you can preview the picture on the display before taking the picture (I know regular digital cameras have had this feature for an eternity, but this just wasn’t technically possible to do on an SLR…). Price is $1799 for just the body.. much better price, but still “eek”.
If you’ve been looking to upgrade to an SLR, make sure you research your cameras very thoroughly. SLR specifications are full of acronyms, so spend some time to learn what they all mean and why each item is beneficial. For most of us, a D40x or D80 will be plenty, but if you want to take tons of low-light action shots, the D300 might be better for you. Of course, this is assuming you want a Nikon body. Canon makes great bodies too, but I don’t know much about them.
Apple released a set of “iTunes Widgets“, which allows you to put your iTunes purchases, favorite artists, and reviews on your website. No AJAX love… they are built using Flash, yet they are simple and nice.
For you WordPress users out there, I have created a widget that allows you to integrate the My iTunes page to your sidebar (see the iTunes widget in action on the right). Note that I haven’t tested this code on any other WordPress installations, so your mileage may vary. Please comment if you do end up using the widget on your site.
In 1997 (ten years ago), after Steve Jobs returned back to Apple, a set of commercials known as “Think Different” launched. These commercials advertised nothing but Apple’s culture. No products were shown in these ads simply because Steve Jobs was too embarrassed to show Apple’s awful product line on television.
Man, how things have changed. In ten years, Apple is now one of the richest companies in the world. Watch the commercial, and you’ll realize how far Apple has come in such a short time.
The text from the commercial:
Here’s to the crazy ones.
The misfits.
The rebels.
The troublemakers.
The round pegs in the square holes.
The ones who see things differently.
They’re not fond of rules
And they have no respect for the status quo.
You can praise them, quote them, disagree with them
disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them.
About the only thing that you can’t do is ignore them.
Because they change things.
They invent. They imagine. They heal.
They explore. They create. They inspire.
They push the human race forward.
Maybe they have to be crazy.
How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art?
Or sit in silence and hear a song that’s never been written?
Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels?
We make tools for these kinds of people.
While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.
Because the people who are crazy enough to think that they can
change the world, are the ones who do.
Wow, in a little over six years, the iPod has become the fastest selling music player in history. I remember watching Steve Jobs introduce the first iPod in late 2001, and I thought, “wow, that’s a nice player, but who’s going to buy it for $399?” Well, clearly I was wrong. I ended up buying my first iPod for $399 (link to the October 2002 Apple iPod page) back in late 2002, right before leaving for my trip to India. That was by far one of the best gadgets I had ever purchased; it made the 18 hour flight much more bearable, and it was great having my entire music collection in my hand.
I eventually later bought an iPod Shuffle, and later upgraded to the 5th generation iPod after my trusty 2nd generation iPod was slowly dying after 4 years.
Ever since the iPod was introduced, about a hundred articles are published every winter with the headline: “Introducing [insert mp3 player here], this Christmas’s iPod killer,” yet every winter the iPod isn’t just the number one player, it beats out its own sales year after year.
Will the iPod buzz slow down eventually? Probably, but it isn’t going to happen anytime soon.
Engadget today posted a ‘fake’ interview of Steve Jobs. It’s one of the most hilarious things I’ve read in a long time. Here’s a quote from the interview:
I was really into NeXT, whatever happened with that?
Well, we had some issues around pricing. Like, we figured out what the product should cost, and then we multiplied that by four and set our prices that way. Turns out we were over-overpricing. When I returned to Apple we figured out how to overprice correctly. About 50% more than the reasonable price is about what people are wiling to pay to get a product that makes them cooler than everyone else. So now instedad of over-overpricing, we’re just overpricing. And as our results indicate, it’s working.
Airbus today completed its inaugural flight of the A380 to the United States! 550 people were on board, as the plane proceeded to fly from Frankfort to New York.
I’m getting more and more excited about this double-decker plane. It will revolutionize international travel, lowering international airfare and hopefully offering more destinations for travel. First deliveries of the A380 will be in October when Airbus delivers the first batch to Singapore Airlines.
On June 30th, Microsoft’s new operating system, Windows Vista, will be coming out. I’ve been running a beta of this operating system since August, and it’s heads over heels better than Windows XP. Of course, it’s still no match for Mac OS X, but it’s great when compared to prior versions of Windows.
This time around, Microsoft decided to sell many, many versions of Windows Vista; as a comparsion, Apple only sells one version of its consumer OS, Mac OS X. So how many versions of Windows Vista can you choose from? Well, you can get Windows Vista Home Basic, Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista Ultimate, Windows Vista Ultimate Signature Edition, or an upgrade version of any of those. That’s over 11 versions that you can buy at a retail store!
My question is, “Microsoft, why?!??” Don’t they know that this will confuse the heck out of the average consumer? They must understand that when consumers are given too much choice, they usually walk away empty handed. Does Microsoft want Vista to fail? It sure as heck seems that way.
In the end, if you’re a Windows user, please upgrade to Vista. It’s way more secure than any previous version of Windows. On the other hand, if you need a new computer anyway, just make the upgrade to Mac OS X. You’ll never regret it.
So I have a big exam tomorrow… who thinks I should get back to studying?
Is it just me, or does it feel like Google is pulling a Microsoft? If you can’t beat them, buy them.
Almost two years ago, Google launched it’s video service, Google! Video. It did fairly well, allowing people to upload their weird videos. However, it was nothing compared to YouTube, the flickr of video.
I think Google became scared… YouTube exploded, while Google Video has grown at a much slower pace. So what’s the best way to grow very quickly? Buy out the competition.
Now is it worth $1.65 billion to eliminate your major competitor? Only if they have big plans. So now let’s brainstorm and figure out what Google has in mind….
Today, Sony announced details regarding its upcoming game console, the Playstation 3. They claim its super powerful, it’s full of cool technology, and it has a Blu-Ray drive. My question is, does anyone actually care? I think Sony has lost its direction. It needs to be focusing on the games, not the features.
Sony announced the prices as well…
$499 (with 20GB hard drive)
$599 (with 60GB hard drive)
I’d rather buy a computer for that price… that price point is just ridiculous.
My prediction: the Playstation 3 will fail. Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii will succeed.
