Barb's Connected World

NH Covered Bridges

2008-08-03T13:51:16.471364-07:00

On the way back today from the Sunapee Crafts Show, I stopped at two NH covered bridges, Nikon D700 in hand. The Bement bridge was built in 1854 for $500!

Technorati tags: D700, Digital Photography, Covered Bridges

D700 and the Nubble Light

2008-08-01T16:11:02.080964-07:00

Still enchanted with the Nikon D700. Cruising the Maine Coast and checking out lighthouses. Here is a shot of the Nubble Light.

Technorati tags: D700, photography

Love at First Click: My New Nikon D700

2008-07-28T14:12:52.999964-07:00

I have been so wanting a full frame digital camera. The D3 was out of my price range, and too heavy to carry (me and my bad back..). The D700 is even better than I expected. And after a quick trip to Butterfly Place, I’m “head over heels” --

The image below is quickly cropped and converted in Capture NX 2. No other adjustments made. (Click the image for larger view).

Lighthouses are next…

Technorati tags: D700, Digital Photography, Butterflies

Apple Mobile Me not designed for IE7

2008-07-11T03:47:24.031382-07:00

Not that I don’t mind using Firefox 3, but it sure seems deliberate that Apple’s just released Mobile Me (www.me.com) displays a “we don’t fully support Internet Explorer 7” intercept when you visit the site.

Technorati Tags: MobileMe,IPOD,Apple,Mac

I want a Nikon D-700

2008-06-30T05:14:47.0184229-07:00

Rumors are flying that this will be officially announced tomorrow. Full frame, here I come.

Scan from a German magazine being released tomorrow.

Technorati tags: Nikon D-700, D-700, Nikon, DSLR

D-Link DSM-210 Internet Frame Part 2

2008-06-28T11:53:54.8136229-07:00

The D-Link DSM-210 Internet Frame really is best of breed. Besides displaying images from various places on my network, or from its built in 1 gig memory, it does a really great job of displaying RSS feed snippets from blogs and such. Or weather reports, or images emailed to my online frame account from invited friends. There’s lots of content available from http://dlink.framechannel.com/ that can be displayed on the frame. Including the ability to view shared photo streams from flickr, facebook, webshots, photobucket, and more. MSNBC had a write up of Frame Media, which provides the online service for D-Link and several other companies.

The DSM-210 displays an RSS feed snippet

As much as I liked the Momento frame that I’ve had for a couple of years, it had a few shortcomings. It didn’t support WPA2 (only WPA) and the remote was a little flaky requiring multiple keypresses at times to enter a character at times. And it did not see my mixed g/n networks (and couldn’t connect to them even if I entered the SSID and credentials manually). There haven’t been any firmware updates, and the Momento frame really isn’t readily available. It is important to note that the Momento I had here was pre-production, from the floor of CES.

The DSM-210, however, implements WPA2, sees all available networks, and the mini remote is extremely responsive. The frame goes into standby mode at night when I turn off the lights in my living room and starts up again in the morning when I enter the room. D-Link tells me that the frame will be available soon online and in the usual big box stores.

Technorati tags: Wireless Picture Frame, WiFi

HP x280n’s Handheld Remote Rocks

2008-06-27T12:53:09.4224229-07:00

The HP MediaSmart Connect x280n ships with a handheld remote that is worthy of its own blog review. Most of the remote controls that I’ve seen shipping with Media Center Computer, Media Center Extenders, etc. are lacking in one or more key features. For one thing, if it doesn’t have some kind of back lighting, it isn’t usable for me in a home theater environment. A couple of the remotes I’ve received along the way from Microsoft and others DO have back lighting, so fortunately, since these things are interchangeable, it hasn’t been a problem for me. My other big gripe is that I have other components with remotes (you know, TV’s, home theater receivers, X10 lighting, and other components like Xboxen, DVD player’s, et all) and I hate remote clutter. For years I’ve used Philips Prontos. And I’ve programmed them with macros that are activity based. Perfect for my needs.

HP has definitely raised the bar when it comes to supplying a premium hand held remote. The images here are NOT to scale and are meant to show the layout and shape as well as features. Both the D-Link (left) and the Linksys (right) are pretty basic remotes. And they do what they are supposed to do. The D-Link DSM-750 has a secondary proprietary MediaLounge interface and their remote works seamlessly with it as well as the Media Center interface.

So what do I like and what do I think sets this remote apart? First, there is a very tactile cursor pad. Then there is the blue back lighting so I don’t have to fumble in the dark. The remote includes universal remote functions and allows you to add 4 additional components (TV, set top box, DVD, Aux, etc.). I haven’t set anything up yet, but for most people this will be more than enough to banish other remotes. There is no macro capability, so my Pronto will stay on the coffee table. And if someone wants to supply a Pronto ccf/pcf file and upload it to remotecentral.com.. I might go the other way and include a device on my Pronto. (Yeah, I can use “learning” and do it all myself). Another really big plus is the “sleep” button. (Think “Green”).

A final BIG plus that I want to highlight today is that the “Green Button” provides one touch access to turn the x280n on and fire up the Media Center Extender interface, and get you connected without going through the MediaSmart menu. Otherwise, you press the power button to reach the main menu and can select the MCX or HP interface from there.

My only complaint so far is that I prefer the play button to be centered, larger and standout more like on the D-Link remote and some of the MS reference designs.

Technorati tags: HP, Media Center Extender, Media Center, x280n, MediaSmart, MediaSmart Connect

HP MediaSmart Connect x280n

2008-06-26T09:58:28.5319653-07:00

HP was kind enough to send me an early near production version of their soon to be released (July 31) MediaSmart Connect Home Theater component. I’ve had a few minutes to take a VERY quick look and the first impression is: It’s great!

Nice looking hardware, piano black finish (production units will have a neat Zen imprint) with a solid heft/feel. Connections for component and HDMI (720p and 1080i supported on both). An HDMI cable is included (nice touch). Audio jacks include RCA stereo (analog) and Optical Digital (SPDIF). No Coax digital, but that suits me just fine. I ranted some about the lack of Optical output on the ”competing” (and I use that term loosely) Linksys DMA-2100.

802.11a/b/g/n (Draft 2.0n) wireless (and 10/100 Ethernet) connect this device to your home network. The device sports USB ports front and rear and includes a HP Pocket Media Drive Bay (the 21st century version of sneaker net storage used to move your digital “stuff” between computers and devices).

If you are looking at size and aesthetics, this image shows the sizes of the x280n, the Linksys DMA-2200 (the 2100 is even smaller and as I blogged, chintzy in feel and cheap looking), the D-Link theater component size DSM-750, and an Xbox 360. For me, it is a draw between the component sized D-Link which, in the real world would fit nicely on the rack that holds my home theater receiver and the HP x280n which would fit nicely and discreetly on top of or under the TV. Top to bottom: HP MediaSmart x280n, Linksys DMA-2200, D-Link DSM-750, Xbox 360.

HP includes a really nice handheld remote. It’s certainly the best of the remotes offered with any of the extenders I’ve seen. It’s backlit (which for me is a must in a darkened room). Setting up the x280n was menu driven and simple. It found several of my 2.4GHz “N” networks (I’m not certain it is seeing 5GHz N yet, more to come). I associated it, entered the WPA2-PSK passphrase and it was off and running. The first thing it did was check for new firmware. Finding a newer version, it downloaded and applied the newer firmware. After a reboot, it was back up and ready for action.

I elected to set it up as a Media Center Extender first and verify that my OCUR/DCT high def streaming was good to go. No problem there. Since I can do MCX setups in my sleep, and at the speed of light, I was able to quickly get through setup and watch Live and Recorded HD TV.

Exploring the HP MediaSmart interface:

I had a short amount of time to explore HP’s MediaSmart proprietary interface for Media Sharing. I used Windows Media Sharing and UPnP streaming from a server. I have yet to setup HP’s own MediaSmart gateway software, but I’ll get to that. HP has developed a slick and intuitive interface which can be used with Windows XP, Vista, and most likely will be future proof, at least for a while. I like the HP interface and functionality slightly more than D-Link’s MediaLounge interface. Linksys has no such secondary interface. I was easily able to start playing some music and access my photos and play a slide show. This works almost exactly the same way it does on the Media Center Extender interface. All in all, in my first look, a nice, user friendly, solid piece of hardware with great functionality.

I’ll be updating this post as time permits as I continue to explore and experiment.

Technorati tags: HP, MediaSmart, x280n, Media Center Extender, Media Center

New D-Link Digital-Wireless-Internet Picture Frame

2008-06-25T19:49:00-07:00

Over the weekend I received a DSM-210 ten inch widescreen format digital frame. While there are a ton of frames available, the only ones I’d consider for personal use must include a bulletproof way to stream content from my network, a way to upload photos to frame memory, and some kind of Internet streaming.

The D-Link frame, part of the Medialounge product family does all the above and more.

I’m pretty impressed. Besides handling the wireless streaming (which you’d expect from a wireless picture frame), the DSM-210 is very network savvy. Autosensing my DNS-323 NAS (which sports a UPnPAV media server) the network settings displayed this server as a media source. When I fired up a computer that previously was not used for media sharing, Window Vista detected the DSM-210 and asked if I wanted to set up Windows Media Sharing. Pretty slick.

The frame has 1GB internal storage and comes pre-loaded with some sample pictures. D-Link has a widget that works with Yahoo Widgets and lets you manage the content in the built in memory. Delete the samples and drop your own images onto the widget and they are quickly uploaded. In fact, the widget lets you manage multiple frames.

I’ve only just begun to explore the Online Content features. You can view photo streams from all the usual places (or set up your own from your hard drive or other RSS capable source). Plus there are channels for just about every interest. And yeah, I’ve got my local weather forecast set up.

I can email images to myself (even from a camera phone) and invite friends to email images to me as well at a special address (jpg format). This works pretty much the same as the analogous feature on the Momento frame.

If you want to keep your DSM-210 frame in your bedroom, you don’t need to turn it off at night. The frame autosenses motion or light and somehow activates itself when you turn on a light or walk into a room. I’m still investigating this feature to see just how it works.

The D-Link logo and some blue LEDs fire up for a bit when you first power on the frame but turn off automatically.

Here’s a quick and dirty picture of the frame right after I started a stream from the DNS-323 NAS box.

I like this hardware a lot. More to come as I dive deeper into the features.

Technorati Tags: Digital Frame,Internet Picture Frame,Photography

D-Link DSM-210 MediaLounge Internet Picture Frame

2008-06-25T12:50:01.5139653-07:00

Over the weekend I received a D-Link DSM-210 ten inch widescreen format digital frame. While there are a ton of frames available, the only ones I’d consider for personal use must include a bulletproof way to stream content from my network, a way to upload photos to frame memory, and some kind of Internet streaming.

The D-Link frame, part of the Medialounge product family does all the above and more.

The D-Link logo and some blue LEDs fire up for a bit when you first power on the frame but turn off automatically.

Here’s a quick and dirty picture of the frame right after I started a stream from the DNS-323 NAS box.

I like this hardware a lot. More to come as I dive deeper into the features.

Technorati Tags: Digital Frame,Internet Picture Frame,Photography

31 Days of the Dragon-Winners List

2008-06-09T02:09:33.3007761-07:00

Site	Contest Started	Winner
AbsoluteVista.com	2-May	Winner
Ars Technica	3-May	Winner
OSNN.net	4-May	Winner
JKontherun.com	5-May	Winner
Barbs Connected World	6-May	Winner
BostonPocketPC.com	7-May	Winner
The-Gadgeteer.com	8-May	Winner
TheDigitalLifesetyle.com	9-May	Winner
DigitalHomeThoughts.com	10-May	Winner
Windows-now.com	11-May	Winner
WindowsConnected.com	12-May	Winner
Geekstogo.com	13-May	Winner
Bink.nu	14-May	Winner
MediabLab.com	15-May	Winner
Last100.com	16-May	Winner
Digital Inspiration	17-May	Winner
Notebooks.com	18-May	Winner
SlashdotReview.com	19-May	Winner
Neowin.net	20-May	Winner
Geek.com	21-May	Winner
Lockergnome.com	22-May	Winner
Planet x64.com	23-May	Winner
TheGreenButton.com	24-May	Winner
Istartedsomething.com	25-May	Winner
BleepingComputer.com	26-May	Winner
HardwareGeeks.com	27-May	Winner
GeekNewsCentral.com	28-May	Winner
Geekzone.co.nz	29-May	Winner
TheTabletPC.net	30-May	Winner
GearLive.com	31-May	Winner
GottaBeMobile.com	1-June	Winner

Technorati tags: 31 Days of the Dragon, HDX Dragon

HDX Dragon Winner Quick Report

2008-06-07T01:56:10.4167761-07:00

Sharon has sent a picture and a quick comment with more to follow.

“It’s way too good for the likes of me! What a beast. I’m used to Hondas not Lagondas. I really love this computer.. I`ve NEVER owned anything this nice and I`ve only begun to discover its potential.. ”

Technorati tags: 31 Days of the Dragon, HDX Dragon

$15 to Check first bag on American Airlines

2008-05-21T12:45:10.5501136-07:00

Here we go. The end of airline travel as we know it. American Airlines has announced substantial cutbacks in service, decommissioning of aircraft, and increase of other fees from $5 to $50.

And if you check a bag, you'll need to cough up $15 for the first bag.

Other airlines will surely follow.

Can you imagine the ruckus when you board your plane, roller board in tow, only to find that there's no room in the overheads since everyone and their brother will be carrying on everything on the planet?

Buckle your seat belts, there is huge turbulence ahead.

Technorati tags: Airline regulations, travel, airline travel

31 Days of the Dragon-We have a Winner!

2008-05-13T00:49:16.4030325-07:00

Sharon Crawford from Bellingham WA, congratulations. I know you will enjoy the HDX Dragon.

The correct answers are:

http://digitalmediaphile.wordpress.com/2008/01/01/is-this-your-lucky-day/ (or for those of you that entered from my older blog where the contest was mirrored, this URL was also correct.
Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Extreme Processor X9000 (2.80GHz, 6MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
TX1000 (or TX1001xx, or several variants of that number for the notebook used in that series of reviews)
Acer Ferrari 4000
Nikon D300

After removing/deleting entries above that didn't meet the qualifications, I sorted the correct entries oldest (first in) to oldest and exported to Excel. Then I visited www.random.org and put everyone's fate in their hands. Click the image below for a full-size screen shot.

Contest Stats:

The bad news:

403 entrants did not follow directions and were eliminated from the contest. Issues with these entries included not using the correct subject line, "I want a HDX Dragon" or "I want an HDX Dragon" (a vs an being a grammar issue). And some folks that didn't do the treasure hunt but simply sent their contact info or told me a sob story. And a few that included images and graphics where I specifically stated "no images or stationery". Additionally, I was very clear, one entry per email address. You could enter from multiple email addresses, but not from the same one more than once. Sorry if you were in this category of disqualified entries.

The good news:

937 correct entries

Other contests are still running. Click here for a list!.

Technorati tags: 31 Days of the Dragon, HDX Dragon Giveaway, HDX Dragon Contest

Contest - Enter Now to win a HDX Dragon!

2008-05-06T00:39:23.3069275-07:00

My contest is now closed. I'm reviewing entries and removing those that don't qualify and will select a winner through www.random.org. (I've been reviewing daily so it won't take forever.) Stay tuned to see who the lucky person is. Other contests are posted here, so you still may have a chance to win this magnificent computer even if your number doesn't come up here.

HP HDX Dragon - $4,500+ retail value (see full specs below)

The Contest Rules

It's a treasure hunt!

The rules and details:

1. Email subject must be "I want an HDX Dragon" and you must send the email to a special email address I set up. (Link removed since contest has ended). Blog comments don't count and I have turned them off for this post to avoid confusion.

2. Five items must be included in the body of the email. These answers are all on my blog. Do not use images or stationery.

-1- Somewhere on this site is a hidden blog post with an image of the HDX Dragon HP Pavilion Entertainment PC. Find the hidden post and click on the title, then copy the full URL to the clipboard. You must paste the full URL for the hidden post into the body of the message as the first line.
-2- On a separate line, type in the specs of the specific Intel processor that my contest machine includes.
-3- On a separate line, type in the model number of the first HP Pavilion Entertainment PC I blogged about.
-4- Unlike HP who has a slick and easy 64 bit native program to update system BIOS, what computer manufacturer and laptop was a real problem to update under Vista x64 until I found a workaround? Type this info on a 4th line.
-5- What brand and model DSLR camera have I been using and take on a recent trip to Seattle?

3. One entry per email address. Please don't attempt to enter multiple times to increase your chances of winning. Entries will be sorted by FROM return email address and multiple entries will be disqualified. No throw away email addresses like mailinator, etc.

4. You must enter by 6pm Eastern Daylight Savings Time US on May 12, 2008. Emails received after that will not be eligible.

5. A random drawing will be held on May 13. If you did not provide the correct answers to all 5 items, you can not be the winner!

6. I will send an email on May 13 to the winner who will have 24 hours to respond with their full legal name, shipping address (no post office boxes) and phone number for shipping. If no response is received, a second random drawing will be held with the same conditions. I will announce the winner here (no address or phone will be posted). Note that Buzz Corps will make a payment directly to the winner to offset their tax burden.

7. This machine is for your personal use and while what you do with it is up to you, I ask that it not to be sold on eBay or other channel. If you enter, please do so because you are excited about the HDX Dragon and want it for yourself/your family.

8. After the winner receives the dragon and has had a chance to enjoy it, I'd love to do a follow-up story with the winner's comments.

That's it! Remember, 30 other sites have contests, so enter them all!

HDX System Specs

Operating system
Genuine Windows Vista Ultimate (64-bit)

Processor
Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Extreme Processor X9000 (2.80GHz, 6MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)

Display
20.1″ diagonal WUXGA High-Definition HP Ultra Brightview Widescreen (1920×1200)-”True HD” 1080p res

Memory
4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)

Graphics Card
512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTS

Personalization
HP Imprint Finish (Dragon) + Fingerprint Reader + Webcam + Microphone

Networking
Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 4965AGN Network Connection and Bluetooth(TM)

Hard Drive
500GB 5400RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (250GB x 2)

Primary CD/DVD Drive
Blu-Ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer

TV & Entertainment Experience
Integrated HP HDTV Hybrid TV Tuner and 4 Altec Lansing speakers +the HP Triple Bass Reflex subwoofer

Primary Battery
9 Cell Lithium Ion Battery

Weight

15.3+ lbs

Software

Microsoft Office 2007 Ultimate Edition

Corel PaintShop Pro X2 - $73.99 retail value (eval copy)

Corel Painter Essentials - $79.99 retail value (eval copy)

Corel Ulead Video Studio Plus 11.5- $79.95 retail value (eval copy)

Games

Viva Piñata - $37.99 retail value (eval copy)

Microsoft Flight Sim - $44.99 retail value (eval copy)

Microsoft Flight Sim Expansion Pack - $34.99 retail value (eval copy)

Gears of War - $49.99 retail value (eval copy)

Movies

Pirates of the Caribbean – The Curse of the Black Pearl – Blu Ray - $22.95 retail value (eval copy)

Pirates of the Caribbean – Dead Man’s Chest- Blu Ray - $22.95 retail value (eval copy)

Pirates of the Caribbean – At World’s End – Blue Ray - $22.95 retail value (eval copy)

Technorati tags: HDX Dragon Giveaway, 31 Days of the Dragon, HDX Dragon Contest

31 Days-These Contests are Up

2008-05-05T09:05:51-07:00

Site	Contest Starts	Winner Announced On
AbsoluteVista.com	2-May	Winner
Ars Technica	3-May	Winner
OSNN.net	4-May	Winner
JKontherun.com	5-May	Winner
Barbs Connected World	6-May	Winner
BostonPocketPC.com	7-May	Winner
The-Gadgeteer.com	8-May	Winner
TheDigitalLifesetyle.com	9-May	Winner
DigitalHomeThoughts.com	10-May	Winner
Windows-now.com	11-May	Winner
WindowsConnected.com	12-May	Winner
Geekstogo.com	13-May	Winner
Bink.nu	14-May	Winner
MediabLab.com	15-May	Winner
Last100.com	16-May	Winner
Digital Inspiration	17-May	Winner
Notebooks.com	18-May	Winner
SlashdotReview.com	19-May	Winner
Neowin.net	20-May	Winner
Geek.com	21-May	Winner
Lockergnome.com	22-May	Winner
Planet x64.com	23-May	Winner
TheGreenButton.com	24-May	Winner
Istartedsomething.com	25-May	Winner
BleepingComputer.com	26-May	Winner
HardwareGeeks.com	27-May	Winner
GeekNewsCentral.com	28-May	Winner
Geekzone.co.nz	29-May	Winner
TheTabletPC.net	30-May	Winner
GearLive.com	31-May	7-June
GottaBeMobile.com	1-June	8-June

Click the links above to read their rules and enter today!

Technorati tags: 31 Days of the Dragon, HDX Dragon Giveaway

Why won't MS take x64 Computing Seriously?

2008-05-01T11:54:02.0362585-07:00

This is the second time Microsoft has let down Vista 64 bit users who are also photographers. The first was on the lack of RAW codecs for Windows Photo Gallery, which the PIX team blamed on the Camera makers.

Today, a new tool, "Pro Photo Tools Version 1", for pro photographers was released.

And there is no support for x64. Thanks, Microsoft! I salute you, again, for your support (and I don't mean the 21 gun type of salute..)

Technorati tags: Companies Not Supporting x64 Vista Suck