Computer Software

There is an interesting misconception in some parts of the digital photo world and it simply is that if you want to win provide the sharpest images possible, you have to go to 18 or 20 or more megapixels, if you want the sharpest picture, however, if you go back to Photography 101 you’ll find that it is the optical device and its support that provide the sharpest pictures.

That’s why one finds it interesting that Panasonic’s Lumix DMC-LX5 10.1 MP entry could be one of the sleepers on the mid-ranged market. Note that it isn’t a 16.1 or 18.2 or 20 MP digital camera and note that it isn’t a Digital Single Lens Reflex, either, yet it is still capable of delivering shots that rival cameras with double its resolution.

So, how did they accomplish it? They went back to basics and looked at the optics they were using for the DMC-LX5 and they decided to offer users an ultra-bright F 2.0 ultra-wide-angle 24mm lens. The lens is made by an old name in the camera business Leica (not incidentally the first manufacturer of a handheld 35 mm film camera more than half-a-century ago with a range-finder focus for spot on photos). The actual lens name is the Leica DC Vario-Summicron and it really is a 24mm ultra-wide.

Panasonic went back to its basics again when it decided to use a 3.8X optical zoom that would effectively give the DMC-LX5 a 24-90mm zoom lens. Believe it or not, tests show that the F2.0 lens is twice as bright as an F2.8 lens which makes it easy to shoot great closeups with a soft background.

Panasonic also went back to its roots when it took a look at the old DMC-LX3 processor that powered the predecessor to this model and what they did was essentially rebuild their already sensitive DMC-LX3 into a tri-processor. In other words, it has triple the processing power that the old DMC-LX3 offered. They called the new engine the Venus.

Essentially, they took the LX3 engine, which already had a great reputation as the provider of at least a 31 percent increase in light sensitivity and they arranged three of them (on one chip, of course) in series so that each step would build on the next. The resulting LX5 engine delivers photos in low-light situations that would have other cameras needing external strobes or lighting as the DMC-LX5 extends low-light to 3 lux in shooting videos.

While we never tried it at that low light level because there’s no place interesting enough around our place with that low level of lights (things like intersections, traffic lights, oncoming car headlights and other things always seemed to spoil really low-level shots), still we were surprised with just how far we could push low-level lighting.

For the most part, though, we stayed with our usual types of landscape photography, wildlife and event photography and we were pleased with the results. It’s funny that, having been in the computer business for some time, it never really occurred to use to just go back to the basics and look at not only the original engine, but also its software to capture the incredible range the Panasonic captures.

Panasonic went back to the basics and they came up with a surprising mid-range point-and-shoot camera that features a three-inch LCD framing field in the rear and, believe it or not, good, old-fashioned photographic hotshoe technology if you want to use a larger compatible strobe.

The Lumix uses up to 32 GB of SD or SDHC memory so you actually have the ability to shoot up to about 400 shots before you have to recharge the battery or drop in a spare. For short videos, you can use Dolby Digital Creator for sound. Videos, though are AVCHD-compatible, or roughly double standard JPEG imagery.

Finally, Panasonic has done some nice work on the feel (ergonomics) of the Lumix so that it has a nicer feel in your hand and when you are shooting whether stills or short videos.

About the Author

Source: Panasonic-Lumix

More info: Articles

Roberto Sedycias works as an IT consultant for Polo

Article Source: ComSofts

The Garmin 2595LMT is a surprising navigation unit. Unlike factory-offered units that can cost more than $1,000 and may need special subscriptions to bring a user yearly updates on maps, the 2595LMT offers you four map updates a year, free for life and, unlike more expensive manufacturer-offered units, will watch the road ahead for you and tell you if there’s a bottleneck along your route.

Further, the Garmin 2595LMT has a feature that many other navigation units don’t offer, voice command recognition. Once you have trained the Garmin to your particular voice you can tell the route you want to take and it will churn out an answer. Indeed, as you follow the route it lays out, it also lets you know of any points of interest that may be on the way. The 2595LMT offers more than 8 million points of interest, some of which you are bound to find along your way.

The Garmin is a small unit at 0.6 by 5.4 by 3.3 inches and it weighs in at 8 ounces. Small and light, you can find a mount directly on your dash or windshield. The windshield mount might be the most effective because the 2595LMT depends on the “universe of low orbiting positional satellites (LEOs)” that was established some years ago by the military and opened to private use. At one time, the military, in fact, had software that would provide you a position – there is a position feature available which is a great help if you run into trouble, you can tell the police exactly where you are or, if you on a lonely stretch of road, you can provide a latitude and longitude reference to helicopter rescue team if they are needed – within about 6 meters of your actual location. The public software was good to about 300 meters. Now, the same software that the military uses is available to the public so you can pinpoint your location to within the six-meter circle.

Another interesting point about the Garmin is its speaking voice. As you drive, a voice directs along your route and now Garmin through its updating ability allows you to download various voices so you can customize the voice speaking to you as you drive.

That’s just one of the interesting features the over-the-air device provides, another is its TrafficTieup check. Garmin’s tieup check software does more than two billion road checks per month to see where there may be tieups and if it finds there is a tieup, it will suggest an alternative route.

If you are in an area you don’t know, you can ask the Garmin to go into photoReal mode where it goes into split-screen mode, providing you with a map of your trip and a localized route to your location.

Another nice feature of the Garmin is its Bluetooth integration. It allows you to quickly pair your Bluetooth phone with your Garmin and you can then use it to make your calls, hands-free. It’s a nice feature as is the voice command mode that also allows you to give your Garmin commands while you keep your hands on the wheel.

Overall, the Garmin 2595LMT is a great addition to your traveling gear. It has a host of features that get you to where you are going and, if you are interested, may find you one of two places to visit on your way.

About the Author

Source: Garmin-Nuvi-2595LMT

Roberto Sedycias works as an IT consultant for ecommUS

Article Source: ComSofts

The TomTom GO LIVE 2535M is a new series of over-the-air navigation devices that offer not only downloaded map updates but updated traffic information.

TomTom’s 2535M is part of a new series of devices, offered by this independent navigation service, that has a unique feature built-in, instant road and traffic updates. Based on traffic information reported by its network of towers, the 2535M, looks at the route you have chosen from Point A to B and, if there are any slowdowns or traffic jams reported, updates your routing so that you skirt the traffic.

It is an interesting use of this system and in many ways is much like using a cellphone in that the 2535M listens to its radio system for any updates – it is updated every two minutes so any information you receive is no more than two minutes old – and if there is anything that needs to be changed the microprocessor controlling the 2535M updates the routing to reflect near-real-time road changes. (Unless you have fulltime access to the whole universe of low-orbiting satellites that make up the GPS system, this is about the best you’ll find on the market now.)

In addition, the TomTom features Bluetooth technology. Like other Bluetooth pairing systems, you can pair up to 12 devices with your TomTom so that you can use hands-free technology to place your calls. Pairing a device is simple, you go into setup mode, activate Bluetooth searching or device pairing and you ensure that your cellphone’s Bluetooth is also running. The synchronization should take no more than a minute or less and you’re all set to go.

Most Bluetooth-supporting phones also support voice-command systems so that when you are using your phone in a standard manner or with an earpiece, for example, all you have to do is tap the earpiece twice and the phone will ask for a command. You can “Call Home” or “Call the Office” and the electronics do the rest of the work. The best part is that you never have to take your eyes off the road or your hands off the wheel.

TomTom devices have taken that one step further with WiFi or network-centric technology. Powered by the Android operating system, you have access to the full Google mapping suite as well as to Local Search, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Expedia and Twitter, so you can actually tweet as you travel cross-country. It’s an interesting way to keep in touch with your friends.

This is possible due to the high-resolution display on the five-inch TomTom. About the only thing that you may not like is having extra cords running from your dash, but, unless you want to rely on the internal battery of the TomTom and its more useful limited life, you’ll probably purchase a cradle and power cable. Fortunately, with today’s USB devices (TomTom now supports USB), you also get charging as well as any information from services such as TomTom Map Share Services and the IQ Routes system that keeps your TomTom’s routing and display updated.

Loaded with features, the TomTom 2535M is the latest in this manufacturer’s line of intelligent location devices. It is very conveniently priced and the lifetime mapping updates are just an added incentive. Overall, we’ve used this device and have been pleased with it. Overall, we’ve used this device and have been pleased with it. You will likely be, too.

About the Author

Source: TomTom-2535M

More info: Articles

Roberto Sedycias works as an IT consultant for Polo

Article Source: ComSofts

How can you top success? Well Canon seems to know how to do it with its upgraded EOS 5D Mark II 21.1 MP full-frame dSLR. Having shot for some years with the older body, you have to wonder if all of the hype that comes with a new camera is true, however, in this case it is. Granted, this is only about the body, as the body and lenses are sold separately, but when we worked through some very familiar controls on the back (the menu toggle button), we found that there was a mode that allowed us more access to the controls that we used to have to step through several menu levels to reach. It’s a much more straightforward camera that offers features that makes our old camera look like a 1950 Chevy and the new one look like the latest Lamborghini.

For starters, the older body was state-of-the-art for the time, shooting at about 12.1MP. That was actually high-quality in late 2007 when we picked up our EOS body and two lenses. At the time, it was offered with the standard 18-55mm autostablized zoom. However, we also picked up an 18-300 mm Tamron that interfaced with the autostablization system and we found that most of the time the Canon lens, which was a good lens, mind you, did sit in the gadget bag.

The new Mark II, though, blows the old model away. For starters, it delivers an unheard of 21.1MP resolution. That, in itself would be news, but, there’s another feature that also blows that away and that’s the upgraded DIGIC processor that Canon uses. Where we used to think ISO 100-6400 (more with handheld mode on a tripod) was fine, the new processor allows shooting from ISO 100-25,600. To us that’s the equivalent of shooting a gnat by moonlight, handheld.

The upgrades in this magnesium-alloy body go on. For example, not only has the menu function been streamlined, but the CMOS cleaning system has been improved and there is now low-pass filtering with fluorine coating that should effectively raise the noise floor through which you can actually hand hold this body.

Granted, the biggest lens we ever hand held on this body was the Tamron at full extension – that was and is a long lens – but we suspect that if you are using a dedicated 28mm wide-angle to shoot a low-light closeup – say of an entertainment event where they don’t like strobes going off (who can blame them either, they are distracting) – you will find that even at a super-high ISO setting 12,300 or better, for example, that you will be amazed with the Canon’s handheld results.

The improvements to the EOS continue to be significant. At the time, we thought 3fps continuous shooting was good, well, they’ve improved that to 3.9 fps and let you blast away for up to 319 images on a standard memory card. Transcend memory has been upped to 32 GB so you can literally shoot an entire video with just the EOS and right lens set (Canon offers an autostablized lens set that starts at about 28mm and which goes up to the Big Bertha-sized lenses you see at sporting events the 3,000 and 4,000 mm long lenses that also offer zoom. You really do need a tripod when you try to use one of those or you might just throw your back out.)

As noted, the improvements come hot and heavy to the EOS, including feeding JPEGs straight to your PC through an HDMI cable that use just the illumination provided by the peripherals. That’s quite an improvement as is the ultimate resolution of the EOS. The new EOS shoots at high-definition levels – 1920 by 1080 resolution – which means that with the right cable and device, you can actually upload images not only to your PC, but also directly to any high-definition device such as a high definition monitor. There’s also a new 14-bit analog/digital converter for better performance and the direct view or clear view window in back is now minimally VGA and has a full 170-degree viewing angle and special anti-reflective coatings

The list of options available for the EOS body is just huge (we’d opt for the external strobe this time around, it does make wider-lighting available and will run at speeds that match the EOS). We’d also buy the bigger memory card this time around (when we purchased ours a while back 4 GB was tops).

About the Author

Source: Canon-EOS-5D

More info: Articles

Roberto Sedycias works as an IT consultant for ecommBR

Article Source: ComSofts

Sony always seems to come up with something interesting and just a tad different in its camcorders. It was one of the first major manufacturers to make personal camcorder equipment, although it was large at the time – 1985. By 1995, though the great-grandfather of today’s HDR-CX160 Handycam Camcorder was already setting standards for the industry as does the CX160.

For example, the CX160 is a true high-definition handycam, running at 1920 by 1080 resolution. This is also the native resolution. This means it will interface directly with a high-definition display in your home or you can use the built-in USB cable to upload up to six hours of videography to your PC. The base memory of the CX160 is 16 GB. It is standard SDHC memory so it is available from just about any vendor. Interestingly, though, the CX160 will also accept a 32 GB memory module so you can store as much as 12 hours of video for upload to your PC.

The CX160 video is enhanced by having an optical zoom, which uses the mechanical zoom as well, that gives a total of 42x zoom so that long distance videography is an easy chore that, believe it or not, can be handheld. If you look at the construction of the CX160, you should notice that there is a huge hand/wrist strap. When you combine this tight-fitting strap with a VGA resolution (235K pixels) that swings through 270 degrees, you effectively have a natural tripod – your body – as one hand can steady the base of the handycam while the other is tightly held to the handycam by the strap and using these two points, plus your legs and back braced against a building or using a fence means you just have to watch the three-inch display for your framing and you then zoom out as far as you can.

Normally at long distances, you encounter handshake, but the CX160 has a three-way autostablization system built in that keeps images rock steady even at maximum extension.

Another great feature of this handycam the Exmor R CMOS low-light sensor. With this sensor in place the CX160 has fine low-light sensitivity so that you can handhold and continue shooting good imagery even as daylight is fading to evening. There’s more to the Exmor R system than just good low-light photography, though, as it also helps to improve image clarity and helps to reduce graininess for clearer imagery. This is accomplished by moving the photo diodes above the camcorder’s support circuitry. This positioning enables the photo diodes to maximize light-gathering, even at low light levels and enhances low-light videography.

Actually, the number of things this camcorder can do is amazing. For example, not only can you view the video directly but you can also have up to 90 separate image modes for maximum flexibility. Normally, the CX160 feature known as Intelligent Auto Mode takes the 10 built-in modes – landscape, backlight, sunlight, low light, spot light, macro, portrait, baby, walk and tripod – and taking a little from each gives you as many as 90 different potential automatic videographic modes to use.

Further, the CX160 offers Tracking focus that works with Sony’s Facial Recognition algorithm that allows you to select an object or person with the touch of the LCD display and the camera will then automatically follow that object or person whether it moves into or out of the frame.

If you want to do some quick editing, you can use the Highlight Playback mode which creates scenes out of key sequences that you have already shot and then lets you look at them and edit and then look at other scenes and pinpoint the key scenes you want and then you can put them together and identify other key sequences.

One could go on and on with all of the features available with this handycam. Just try one out for a few days and check how useful it is, right down to the Golf mode that allows you to take 22 ultrafast images of your golf swing (or tennis) and then look at them in sequence to see what you are doing right or wrong. And, if you need still images, the CX-160 also offers you up to three 3MP stills, which is a nice feature.

About the Author

Source: Sony-Camcorder-HDR-CX160

More info: Articles

Roberto Sedycias works as an IT consultant for Polo

Article Source: ComSofts

Although it is larger than the competition and it may lack some of the nicer built-in features such as duplexing (using both sides of the document), the Hewlett-Packard 7510 Photosmart All-in-One with eFax and network printing is quite a device.

Did you know that HP with its Photosmart 7510 All-in-One with eFax Printer has hitched this printer to Apple’s iOS 4.2 operating system so that not only will it work directly with your iPad or iPhone, but it can also work with your iPod, as well? If you have some videos uploaded all you have to do is bring your Apple device near the HP and the image you want to see and/or edit will appear in the four-by-six built-in display. Once you have made all the fixes you want, you can then easily either fax it along or you can print it out. Indeed, HP not only allows you about 1,000 black-and-white impressions, but you also have about 300 color impressions that range from 4 by 6 to a maximum of 8.5 by 11.5 which makes this device quite flexible.

It becomes even more flexible when you consider that not only can you use it with a networked PC as a printserver through a USB port, but, if you want to just use it as part of a network, itself, all you have to do is: Set it up as an old-fashioned printerserver linked to a PC; Use your router’s wireless hotspot and the WiFi 802.11 b/g capability built in; Use the Ethernet port built in.

That’s pretty easy, isn’t it? When you are through you will have a device that not only acts as a printer that will work with either Windows or a Mac but you will also have a device that faxes at 600 dpi or prints as the same level (there is also a color mode available) that delivers up to 99 copies. The All-in-One also acts as a fax or a copier so in one device you have everything you need for your family.

It is bigger than the others on the market at 17.9 by 17.7 by 8.7 and weighs in at a hefty 18.5 pounds but it still has quite a number of nice features, including the 4 by 6-inch built in screen that allows you to manipulate your images before you print them. It is also set up to print directly from the network, however, it will only handle one job at a time.

As a printer, it operates at up to 13.5 pages per minutes in black-and-white mode and 9 pages per minute in color. It’s scan resolution is 1200 by 2400 dpi and it acts as a flatbed scanner.

You can boost its efficiency by using duplex printing, but this is a limited option as it will only handle 25 documents. Other networkable printers offer far more duplex ability. The fallback for the HP is its direct link to Macs through an older version of Apple’s iOS 4.2.

This is a nice, although older, version of today’s more modern printers and it is a bit more flexible as it has more print modes available, including the ability to print directly from memory modules.

Still, is it work the extra money you’ll spend on HP supportware? The answer is – it depends. It depends if you want the name HP and its reliability on your network or you are willing to settle for something else that’s a little smaller and maybe a tad faster. The ultimate answer is up to you.

About the Author

Source: HP-Photosmart

More info: Articles

Roberto Sedycias works as an IT consultant for ecommBR

Article Source: ComSofts

If there is a “horsepower” race going on in the camera world, it has to be between Nikon and Canon as each one tries to outdo the other (and Sony, for that matter) with the mind-boggling numbers that each is capable of.

Nikon probably though it had the race won with the introduction of the D3 body which is a good body that delivers excellent low-light performance and good performance under just about any adverse condition you can think of – low light, backlight, bright light, night light, handheld and the like – but it may not have been watching its rearview because it cannot have expected Canon to have waited around with its older EOS D1 MarkIII body because Canon has just passed Nikon in many areas.

Let’s face it, the X model of the D3 or the Nikon D3X has a huge resolution of 24.5MP, but in FX mode – 39 by 24 mm – and while it can shoot at up to 5 fps it just doesn’t seem to have the handheld versatility of the new Canon EOS 5D Mark II.

Granted the Canon does give up about 3MP in resolution to the Nikon, but unless you are looking under a hugely powerful magnifying glass, you won’t see any difference in the finished product. Also, the Canon has an ISO range that is about four times as great as the Nikon, up to 25600, while the Nikon is still riding about 6400, which is good, but not quite as wide as the Canon.

And, yes, the Nikon will shoot at 5 fps continues versus the 3.9 fps of the Canon, but again, the rub is that you cannot take full advantage of the huge Nikon resolution. Let’s face it, 24.5 MP is excellent resolution, but where and how can you achieve it. Try handholding a spider in a web and waiting for the camera to optimize its huge resolution, you’ll probably find the results are about the same as the EOS running around 6400 or so or the D3 running at the same speed. Okay, so grab a tripod and shoot the same image and the same thing happens.

The huge resolution is great if you are shooting things, like the Grand Canyon, that really don’t move very much or if you are shooting a great-looking indoor, properly lit setup, using studio kleges and umbrellas with the right filtering. That’s where the advantage seems to be.

If you had three camera bodies and gadget bags in your car’s trunk and had to pick the one you want for everyday use, you’d probably go with the Canon 5D Mark II first, the Nikon D3 second and the Nikon D3X third because it is a tossup between the D3 and D3X in everyday use and the Canon clearly blows them away with autostablization and its range of long lenses. Imaging a 5,000 mm zoom on a tripod that’s autostablized as you shoot a tennis match. You’ll be able to get the sweat pouring off the tennis ball with very little effort. The D3 can deliver the same results. If you want the full results from the D3X you’ll have to move it indoors to a studio and wait for everything to happen so that the studio lights can snap and you can get the image.

The D3X, by the way can handle 12- and 14-bit imaging and while the Nikon does hold some sort of landspeed record at 138 MB NEF, we cannot say that the D3X is worth three times the amount you’ll pay for the Canon.

About the Author

Source: Nikon-D3X-Versus-Canon-5D

More info: Articles

Roberto Sedycias works as an IT consultant for Polo

Article Source: ComSofts

If you are running a small business from your home and need professional-grade letters or printed output or, perhaps, a small business that where just adding one more item such as a laser-printer might seem enough to push you through your front door, then setting up the Brother HL-2270DW Compact Laser Printer may just be a fine solution.

Right from the box, you will find that Brother’s HL-2270DW will fit in just about any out of the way space in your home or office. At 14.2 by 14.5 by 7.8 inches and weighing about 8 pounds, you can easily find a spot on a shelf or a table for the printer. Just about square and only 8 inches high, it is easy to site and hook up to your network because the HL-2270DW comes set up for wireless and wired Internet setup.

The HL-2270DW is equipped with WiFi 802.11 b/g networking capability which means that it will discover and recognize any of the many small routers used in home and small business networks, where networked printing is a very welcomed accessory.

As long as your router has hotspot capability, all it takes it turning on your router’s 802.11 b/g hotspot capability of your router and in only a couple of minutes the Brother should find it and make its protection conform to the wireless protection management used by your wireless network, whether its simple WEP, WPA or WPA2. The HL-2270DW not only features Automatic Protection Recognition but it is also compatible with AOSS.

Once it is part of your wireless network, any computers or intelligent devices that have network printing capability – a tablet with a printing app, for example or a netbook or even a smartphone with the right app – can then download documents right to the laser printer and their printed output will be high-quality as the HL-2270DW has 2400 by 600 dpi duplex printing capability. Duplex printing, a mark of a sophisticated printer, allows you to print a document on both side of a page automatically.

The HL-2270DW is a rather flexible piece of equipment as it will not only recognize wireless printing, but you can also just slip a network cable into the Ethernet port and the printer will become part of your network, easily handling any print jobs sent to it. Its printer cartridge is good for up to 2600 pages before it must be changed which is a straightforward affair (flip to top open, remove the old cart, shake the new one, pull any tabs out of the way and reinsert).

One thing that you will have to ensure when you set up the HL-2270DW is that the table or bench allows you to have access to the front and rear of the printer because the printer allows you straight-through printing so that all of your documents have a professional look.

For the small businesses just having a small networkable printer that can take the place of a huge affair that takes up lots of space in an otherwise crowded to the ceiling office is a blessing in disguise, especially when you see the quality of the output.

The HL-2270DW just makes sense in most cases and it should stand up to the daily use of your office where you may have to print on both sides of the pages – the Brother does this automatically – and of your kids whose “important texts” may need printing, too. That’s why this is a very popular model.

About the Author

Source: Brother-Laser-Printer

More info: Articles

Roberto Sedycias works as an IT consultant for ecommBR

Article Source: ComSofts

The Samsung S5570 Galaxy Mini Smartphone was developed for the international GSM/Edge/GPRS market. It is a quad-band device, operating in the 800, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz bands, supported in the US by T-Mobile and AT&T, as well as the higher-speed ranges, supported at 7.2 Mbps, supporting HSPDA in the 900 and 2100 MHz bands.

The S5570 is small enough to fit in one’s hand easily, measuring only 4.03 by 2.4 by 0.4 inches and weighing about 4 ounces so it is quite convenient to use. For its mini-size, though, it is quite a capable smartphone as it uses the Android operating system and this gives one access more than 200,000 apps (up to 600,000 with some versions of the operating system), so one can customize it to meet one’s specific needs.

It offers several built-in apps when purchased, such as access to Google phone, YouTube, Google mail and Google Talk (Gtalk) as well as Google’s social hub (Google released Google+, its own social networking tool, however, using the right app one can access Facebook and Twitter and follow the other major sites). For the most part, one will find that these apps will do quite nicely, however, one can access other apps to fine-tune the mini-sized smartphone to a greater degree.

Startup internal memory is limited to 348 MB, but it the S5570 also offers the ability to upgrade to up to 16 GB of hot-swappable memory with, however, one must remember that every time you upgrade smartphone it does take away from the amount of memory available for other options.

The S5570 is Internet-ready with access to WiFi standard 802.11 b/g/n. This means that not only can one use it at home with an older (b/g) router, but one can also find public hotspots using the N standard. It is also compatible with Bluetooth 2.1 A2DP so that one can sync other devices to it or one can sync it to another device.

The QVGA 320 by 240 resolution gives one a rich, vivid display that is position sensitive. Like other Samsung’s it relies on three gyros to sync up its position relative to one’s hand orientation so that if you are viewing it in portrait and swing it 90 degrees to use it in landscape mode the screen understands and updates instantly.

The key to the S5570, as with all Android-capable devices, is the wide and rich variety of apps available with which one can customize their smartphone. Since the S5570 has GPS (A-GPS) built-in, obtaining the right Google Map app or Google Earth app can turn your mini-sized smartphone into a navigation device and since it offers a 3.5 mm standard audio output, one should be able to find an audio stream through which you can hear a variety of music. Also, with the right app installed one should be able to easily find streaming video content. Remember that if one uses this for streaming video it may not offer all of the rich blacks and colors due to its limited resolution.

Still the 3-inch screen is a perfect fit for this mini-sized smartphone. With the universe of Android-based apps available you can quickly set up the S5570 with an app that delivers a mini-sized QWERTY-like keyboard that is better for single-finger typing that touch typing, though, it still speeds texting and emails. And with 16 GB of hot-swappable microSD memory capability you can easily share images you take directly with other larger devices or via the Internet.

About the Author

Source: Article

More Info: Samsung-Galaxy

Roberto Sedycias works as an IT consultant for ecommUS

Article Source: ComSofts

With the exception of the screen size – the Samsung’s superAMOLED Plus touchscreen is slightly larger than the iPhone 4S, but not much – they are for all intents and purposes the same pieces of hardware. For example, the Samsung uses a dual-core 1GHz processor with software that has been optimized to used each processor, while the iPhone 4S offers the same style of Apple-centric dual-core processor whose operating system software has been optimized, as well.

Indeed, the systems are so close that Apple has opted to go to court to try and enjoin Samsung from using the technology it has developed for the I9100 Galaxy S II. The case is still in process, so there has been no decision yet. For example, both can use up at least 32 GB of memory so there’s plenty of storage available for play lists and other items such as calendars and to-do lists.

The key differences, though, are at the software, not hardware level. The Samsung uses the Android 3.1 operating system to run its applications, while the Apple iPhone 4S locks you into its iOS 5. And, while Android can claim up to 300,000 applications developed for its Google-backed software, Apple does claim that iOS has about 500,000 applications developed for the system.

Where the Samsung has a distinct advantage over the iPhone is that any app developed for the Galaxy S II is free, while you must go to Apple’s app store and purchase the applications you need. This is nothing new to the Apple-centric world that is used to paying for tunes, applications and other upgrades. Apple has had its iTunes store for some time, as it has had its App store as well. And, Apple does have an iTools branch of the store, as well.

If you are used to living in Apple’s store-driven world, then this is no shocker, but if you are coming out of an Apple and into a free Samsung, then you will find that there’s a universe of applications software out there that doesn’t have to cost you anything to purchase. Your just download the app, install it and you are off.

Perhaps the biggest difference – one that does put the iPhone 4S well ahead of Samsung’s Galaxy – is the Apple Siri personal assistant software. In looking at it closely, you will find that it does give your iPhone a real workout as most of the applications that are installed in the phone are involved in making Siri work.

For example, Siri is voice-driven. In other words, if you tell it to do something, it will not only respond to you but you but when the request is achieved, Siri will announce it. That’s not all, though, Siri offers you the ability to turn spoken words into text, which is a nice piece of work. And, it will go on to set your calendar, remember your to-do list, if you have programmed it beforehand and more.

In other words, Siri is truly a digital analog to a real administrative assistant, all contained in your iPhone 4S.

That’s not to say there are not pieces of Siri-like software apps available for the Galaxy because among the 200,000 to 300,000 – and growing – number of apps available, there are bound to be text-to-speech; calendars-to-text, and more available. It’s just that they don’t have an umbrella piece of software over them.

As for the rest of the differences between the iPhone 4S and the Samsung, you would have to use a micrometer to find any real difference. The screen resolutions are about the same as are the camera resolutions and the 1080p native high-definition native resolution are the same on both phones.

The key difference is the “personal assistant” Siri. It’s a big one, but, as noted, who knows how long it will be before someone finds a way to make a similar assistant for the Samsung.

About the Author

Source: Apple_Vs_Samsung

More info: Articles

Roberto Sedycias works as an IT consultant for ecommBR

Article Source: ComSofts