I’m not a big picture-taker anyway, but I usually feel like dealing with my digital camera is a hassle. While I can take a photo on my BlackBerry and e-mail it or upload it to the web instantly, the quality isn’t as great as it could be. But before I can share a photo from my point-and-shoot camera, I have to get home, hook it up to my laptop with the USB cord, upload the photos to my computer, and then upload them to Facebook, Tumblr or wherever else. I’ve often wondered why we can’t just cut out the middleman already and send our photos directly from the camera to the web.
Luckily, Kodak has released a new little camera that does just that. The EasyShare M590 is a whopping 14 megapixels (for the sake of comparison, my BlackBerry’s camera is 3.2 MP and my years-old digicam is about 6) and is the world’s thinnest 5X optical zoom digital camera, which means it will fit nicely in my purse. But the best part is that you can instantly e-mail your pics and video or upload them to YouTube, Facebook or Flickr instantly.
The fact that it comes in a lovely shade of purple (my favorite color) and retails for just $199.95 means I’ll probably be buying this little gadget as a Labor Day present to myself! I know Labor Day isn’t traditionally a gift-giving holiday, but the fact that the labels on my current camera’s buttons are entirely worn off means it’s probably time to upgrade.
You may have never heard of an “unboxing video,” but it’s a cultural phenomenon where consumers (usually of the tech geek variety) take videos of themselves unpacking new (mostly electronic) products for all the world to see. Most of these videos are pretty standard; however, some people have taken them to the next level as exhibited by the video above.
Andrew LaVallee of the Wall Street Journalwrote an article yesterday about the world’s first Twitter-dedicated device, developed by New York mobile startup Peek. The TwitterPeek will enable people to post and read Twitter updates on the go. I’m pretty sure that anybody needing to post and read Twitter updates on the go likely has a smartphone, no?
Could this actually make a profit? Is the market big enough? Doesn’t a smartphone negate the need for a Twitter-only device? I can’t actually buy that there are people who want Twitter, but don’t want to surf the Web on their phones. Do they exist?
This week, Amazon announced that it reduced the price of its Kindle 2 by $40 and launched an international version with a built-in AT&T SIM card. Barnes & Noble then leaked news of its new handheld digital reading device, scheduled to launch next spring.
In the video above, a Barnes & Noble rep explains how the company’s new e-reader will work. He notes the device’s key points of differentiation from the competition — it’s designed for lengthy reading and it’s a color device.
This is exciting for two reasons:
1. The added competition will probably (eventually) force Amazon to further reduce the price of its Kindle…affordable e-readers = yay!
2. Now I can read my entire collection of Dr. Seuss stories in one sitting without forgoing the stimulating, colorful pictures! (Kidding.)
As a way to publicize the new Sony Reader, Sony has launched “Words Move Me,” a site that allows bookworms (who, me?) to share their favorite quotations with one another.
This is, as TechCrunchpoints out, effectively a literary Twitter: Users are allowed to contribute “literary moments” of up to 225 characters, and tag it with whatever emotions the experience evokes.
In the most exciting post of its inaugural week, Gadgetwise reports that Life Magazine’s photo archive is now searchable on Google Images. This is amazing! I used to be obsessed with Life back in the day, and their photography is absolutely unparalleled.
