Samsung introduced the LED backlighting in 2007 and the second model followed in 2008. Samsung was also the only manufacturer then to control the illumination of the LED elements individually. The other manufacturers had screens with LED elements at the edges, but all of these lit or shut off at the same moment. Since the number of LED elements will always is less than the pixels, there are some LED lights that remain illuminated in dark areas. This results in ‘Blooming’. To eliminate this, Samsung has drastically increased the LED zones in the 8500 but they won’t disclose details on the number. The other interesting spec is that the 8500 has a 240Hz refresh rate. It is double from the usual 120 Hz refresh rate, but it was barely recognizable. Samsung promises better resolution through this higher refresh rate. You can tweak blur reduction and judder through the Auto Motion Plus dejudder process. The intricate features of this screen are well hidden in the menus, but are easily  [...]

Sharp hasn’t changed the remote for its LCDs in quite some time, and if you have used a Aquos before than you will take no time getting used to the one supplied with this series of LCDs. You can now connect four HDMI inputs, a USB pen drive and the Ethernet cable in addition to loads of other options. The picture quality of the LCD was good, and on par with similar models in the market. The screens are glossy, and that could create problems with ambient lights, so take care on where you plan to place your LCD. You can now access Picasa from your LCD and upload pictures from your pen drive which you can connect to your set. The in-built support system also has a glossary for all the terms that you might encounter while fidgeting around with this set. There are three energy saving options, which give you control on the brightness and contrast apart for other parameters. The LC-LE700UN series handles HD quality well, rendering pleasing picture and sound. Sharp's new dejudder processing  [...]

The size parameter of the Picsio are perfect for this market and comes in three color variants, them being deep purple, black and royal blue. The shiny plastic and chrome plated trims are a bit overdone and do not attract a second look. You may get one for eccentricities though! The spines of this camcorder make room for the USB and mini HDMI port along with the composite video jacks. It also has the macro switch, which we feel could’ve been done away with by adding the function through the menu or shooting options. The tripod socket is placed at the bottom. One attractive feature is the lithium-ion battery. Although, it eliminates the freedom to replace batteries when out on the road, but the bundled battery charger could be the savior then. The screen is bright and on par with the competition and viewing in bright outdoor conditions maybe a problem sometimes. One of the major drawbacks of the Picsio is the keypad. Although attractively designed, the buttons are flat and hard,  [...]

With the S11, Canon introduced its new Custom dial, making life easier for users! It is quite similar to Sony’s models. You can control the exposure, focus; assist functions like Zebra and peaking. You can also adjust the mic levels from these controls too. While this dial sits pretty on the side of the camcorder, the zoom switch and the photo button lie just below your forefinger on top of the camcorder. The most surprising aspect of this device is that it lacks the Electronic Viewfinder. We sorely missed this hugely important feature. The location of the EVF has been hijacked by the mode dial, which is flancked by the 3.5 mm headphone jack and the power connector. The power switch is cramped up and feels a little out of hand. Live shooting controls are located on the LCD bezel. The cleverly designed function button pops up to reveal the frequently used settings, and the full menu another level down. The HF S models offers users real control over the aperture and shutter speed.  [...]

When I saw the SD980, I first noticed that it was a modified version of the SD960 IS. To begin with, the design and features are not all that impressive. However, the long zoom lens and wider touch screen make up for the design and features shortcomings. The photography and videography quality are good. The performance is also pretty impressive .But it does call for plenty of improvisations. If you are seeking touch-based controls, this Camera is worth your money. As you can expect of the Digtial Elph series, the SD980 is an attractive and small camera that is available in the beautiful hues of silver, purple, blue and gold. The 3 inches wide touch screen display is apt for HD video capturing but for clicking still photographs it is not recommended. If you want to use the full screen in the best possible way for shooting, you’d better drop the resolution from 12 megapixel to 4,000 X 2, 248.Its not necessary that you use the touch screen for all your shooting purposes. You can use  [...]

If you like to control the aperture and the shutter speeds, than, sorry, this is not the camera you’d like! It is heavy on auto-focus, so newbie shutterbugs would prefer it to the amateurs. Whilst you can control the focus, light metering, color effects, white balance, exposure and ISO in Normal Picture mode, you can exercise limited control over the settings in other modes. The ISO settings help you click photos in very low light conditions although the pictures turn out too noisy and at ISO 1600 are almost unusable. A max ISO of 800 is recommended for low light shots. The FS15 again asserts that it is a camera for those relatively new to digital photography by offering us 26 scene modes. Apart from the usual modes like landscape, portrait and night mode, there are some new modes to play around with. You can try the pin-hole and the film-grain modes, although you’ll be restricted to 3 megapixel in these modes. The movie mode helps you capture clips at VGA quality. Keeping  [...]

This is a tube-like helmet camera that you use for recording any eventual happenings. The design of this camcorder is good but the feature set is just not all that vast. Like its contemporaries this camcorder does not support still photography or a viewfinder. This is a minus which its competitors can taker advantage of. The features may be limited but the performance is too good. You won’t come across many helmet cameras recording at 720 p high definition. The Contour HD dimensioned at 3.75 “X 1.34 “X 2 “ and weighing 4.3 ounces is a  conveniently sized and dimensioned for you to wear on your head. A bulkier camera would have burdened the head. The operation of the different components of this camera is very convenient. The lens, the LCD viewfinder and recording slider are very conveniently operated. A rubber cap covers the battery and memory status lights and the power buttons. The battery is rechargeable. The battery life is just three hours and it gets recharged in four  [...]

Sony DCR-DVD650 has the adjustment features that would help you get better results. However, due to its stress-free design, there aren’t as many as you would want to explore & experiment with. The standard version of Auto mode set for white balance, scene choice & focus performed accurately. But you want to try your own application on the features of focus, exposure, its one spot touch on touch screen for that. The accuracy of autofocus was especially admirable in low light. It performed well for hunting situation challenges. Though 80 minutes on camcorder and 90 minutes on memory stick should be really good for continuous recording, extended battery with claimed battery life of 11 hours would be quite essential & worthy purchase for longer recordings. Features available in scene modes have options for lowlight like twilight, candle, sunrise, sunset and fireworks & bright light like auto, landscape, portrait, spotlight, sports, beach and snow. Other features  [...]

This pioneering Windows 7 user computer is a good one that is first going to attract you with its striking looks. It has 23-inch touch-screen and a good assembly of components which are going to impress you in no time. The framework is really well designed. However, the touch screen is a bit sluggish in responding to your commands. This interface requires a revamp with a whole lot of all-in-one features which are expected to hit the markets soon. If you are on  the lookout of a big screened computer with good hardware performance,  this is the computer for you but if it is touchscreen response agility that you want, you’d better go for another model or just wait for some stuff that is coming up for the Windows 7. Well, the design, though better than the earlier 2007 version is not what I’d like to call “truly innovative”. There are some applications that are specifically touch sensitive, but almost all programs are driven by the human touch. The Touch Smart Series of HP might  [...]

The Nikon Coolpix S570 is a good bargain given the average price of just $199.99. The chic but simple looks of the camera are going to woo you. Wide-angled lens with 5 X zoom set this camera a class apart from the rest. The image quality is good below ISO 400. For higher ISOs the quality delivered is not as hyped. Though there is a specialty mode for shooting portraits the quality is just ordinary and good enough for still landscape photography. Though the camera might shoot at its highest resolution of 3200 pixels, its not guaranteed that you’ll be satisfied with the output. A slender and light camera available in four trendy colors of pink, blue, red and black, this can easily fit into your pant pockets without any hassles. Owing to the sturdy body with a metallic finish, an onlooker might mistake the S570 for a phone belonging to a classier category than a $ 199.99 phone. The controls are standard and you’ll learn to operate them in a jiffy. The buttons on the body of the camera  [...]